"How perilous!"
Meimei glanced back, unable to suppress her nervousness as she clutched Magpie's hand.
Madam Ye grasped her son's hand, speaking in a low voice, "Xiaotian, do not be afraid. Today, even if I must risk my life, your mother will get you safely out of the Imperial City!"
Ye Tian patted his mother's hand. "Rest assured, I am the one who proposed this rebellion, and I will not let any of you come to harm!"
"Princess, Commander Leng Ye and Captain Han Xue are leading men in pursuit!" Old Ma's voice called out from outside.
Immediately after came a rumbling succession of combat sounds!
Violent winds surged, and air currents shrieked!
Old Ma whipped the warhorses relentlessly!
The carriage surged forward like a speeding arrow!
"Su Chanjuan, General Su! The court has treated you well, yet to think you dare attempt to rebel and flee the Imperial City!"
"Halt and receive your execution!"
"Everyone, drop your weapons and surrender immediately!"
"Otherwise, execution without mercy!"
Outside, the carriage abruptly ground to a halt!
Ye Tian parted the carriage curtains to look out, seeing Leng Ye and Han Xue leading a pursuing force behind them!
Ahead appeared two divisions of troops: one carrying banners bearing the character "Zhen" (Suppressor of the State), and the other bearing "Wei" (Defender of the State).
Beneath the banners, two female generals in armor, mounted on horseback and gripping sabers, galloped coldly toward them.
"The Generals of Zhen and Wei?"
"It is over. We cannot escape!"
"Both of these generals are at the Half-Step Golden Core Realm!"
"What should we do?"
Above them, a figure leapt into the air.
"Since both generals intend to block my path, Su Chanjuan, forgive me!"
Her long spear struck out like a dragon leaving the water, a brilliant rainbow piercing the sun, thrusting continuously toward the two women!
A towering wave of kinetic energy, radiating a scorching heat, seemed to set the frigid sky ablaze.
"The Golden Core Realm!"
"To think you actually broke through!"
The two female generals did not dare take her lightly. Vaulting into midair, they joined forces and unleashed their blades.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
The sounds of blades and sword clashing rang out endlessly, the three of them exchanging over a dozen moves in the blink of an eye.
Abruptly, a cold snort rang out. "You cannot stop me!"
Splat! Splat!
Two streams of blood spewed into the air!
Instantly staining the entire sky red!
Looking at the two female generals, one had her shoulder pierced through, while the other bore a transparent cavity clean through her ribs.
Through the wound, the sky beyond was clearly visible!
"You are no match for me. Fall back!"
With that, Su Chanjuan raised her long spear, standing proudly in midair, and glared at the two battalions of soldiers, shouting, "Those who block my path shall die!"
With a mighty rush, the two battalions of soldiers parted, clearing the road!
The forces of the Su and Ye families surged past, pressing toward the direction of the city gates!
"Almost there. Three more miles ahead and we reach the gate!"
Madam Ye breathed a sigh of relief!
Who could have anticipated that right at this moment, the heavy beat of a drum would erupt from the direction of the city gate!
Thud! Thud! Each beat shook the soul, making hearts feel as though they might leap right out of their chests!
"Oh no! It is the Soul-Seizing Drum! Eunuch Li's signature technique!"
Madam Ye clenched her fists, speaking coldly, "Meimei, Magpie, take good care of the Young Prince!"
With that, Madam Ye drifted gracefully out of the carriage, landing upon the driver's platform!
By now, the troops of the Su and Ye families had reached the vicinity of the city gate!
Ye Tian parted the doorway curtain and saw a host of figures dressed in black blocking the road below the city wall!
Atop the city gate, beside the massive drum!
Eunuch Li stood with a horsetail whisk tucked behind his back, wielding drumsticks and beating the drum with heavy thuds.
The drumbeats emitted a formidable surge of energy, rolling outward in relentless waves!
As the drumbeats grew increasingly fierce, garrison soldiers and personal guards fell dead one after another, blood streaming from their seven facial orifices!
Su Chanjuan said coldly, "Eunuch Li, cease this at once!"
Eunuch Li glanced sideways at Su Chanjuan, but far from stopping, he beat the drum even faster, heavier, and more frantically!
"Now that the Soul-Seizing Drum has appeared, I shall make you regret betraying the court!"
"Hmph!"
Su Chanjuan hurled her long spear violently toward the giant drum!
With a sharp shriek, it pierced the space, leaving a string of sonic wails in its wake as it dragged a trail of fire and flew forward.
Striking the drum with his left hand, Eunuch Li suddenly seized his horsetail whisk with his right hand and lashed it outward.
A tyrannical force instantly arrested the long spear in midair!
"Golden Core Third Layer!"
Su Chanjuan said coldly, "To think you are at the Golden Core Third Layer Realm! Old wretch, you hid your strength deep indeed!"
Eunuch Li gave his horsetail whisk a fierce shake, sending the long spear rebounding through the air!
Su Chanjuan sprang upward, and while suspended in midair, struck out with the tip of her foot!
Once more, the long spear shot toward the giant drum like lightning!
This time, Su Chanjuan unleashed her full strength!
Wherever the long spear passed, space itself dissolved into a black hole!
Seeing the terrifying momentum of the attack, Eunuch Li had no leisure to strike the drum with his left hand; he unleashed a palm strike with all his might!
As the drumbeats finally ceased, the low-cultivation garrison soldiers and personal guards of the Su and Ye families slowly managed to steady their minds!
Ye Tian looked out and saw that two-thirds of the garrison troops and personal guards were already gone!
Between both sides, barely a dozen men remained standing!
Ye Tian's gaze grew increasingly cold!
He clenched his fists!
Sensing the shift in Ye Tian's mood, Meimei and Magpie each took one of his hands in theirs!
"Young Prince, please do not act rashly. Sit down properly!"
[Ding-dong! Detected a beautiful woman holding hands with the master. Rewarded with 1,000 points!]
[Ding-dong! Detected a beautiful woman holding hands with the master. Rewarded with 1,000 points!]
Hm?
That works too?
Ah, of course—Meimei and Magpie were his personal maids, so naturally they counted as people close to him.
A thought stirred within Ye Tian. He suddenly extended both arms and pulled the two young women into an embrace.
"Rest assured, this prince is not made of clay. When the time comes, I shall certainly let you witness the true might of your Young Prince!"
Meimei and Magpie flushed with embarrassment!
Although they served the Young Prince, he had never before behaved so intimately toward them.
Still, who was he to them? He was the Young Prince!
He could do as he pleased.
Daring not push him away, they simply curled up within Ye Tian's embrace!
[Ding-dong! Detected the master embracing a beautiful woman. Rewarded with points!]
[Ding-dong! Detected the master embracing a beautiful woman. Rewarded with points!]
His divine consciousness sank into the System panel: thirty-five thousand points!
"System, can I redeem firearms right now? I want a Gatling!"
[Apologies, master, the Gatling requires a cheat card, and furthermore costs three hundred thousand points!]
Very well!
Three hundred thousand points! At the current rate, it would take barely ten days!
Empress, just wait for me. I shall return and trample you beneath my knees as you beg for mercy!
He had originally intended to flatten the Imperial City with a single slap! But Ye Tian reined it in.
After all, many matters remained uninvestigated—who exactly was the one maliciously fabricating his reputation?
Until this grievance was washed clean, his heart would never truly be at ease! Just as cultivators required clarity of their Dao heart.
Ye Tian released Meimei and Magpie and looked toward Bailing.
Bailing shrank back into the carriage in a panic. "Young Prince, you cannot treat me like this!"
Ye Tian furrowed his brow. "What did I do?"
Bailing stammered hurriedly, "Meimei and Magpie are your personal maids, so you can do whatever you wish with them, but I am different—I serve the Princess!"
Though her words sounded defiant, Bailing's face still betrayed a look of terror.
What if the Young Prince forced the issue?
She was merely a maid; how could she possibly refuse him?
Ye Tian laughed in exasperation. "Have you actually bought into those outside rumors?"
"You think—"
Just as Ye Tian was about to continue, a vibrating sound suddenly echoed in his ear.
Yet the sound was faint, resembling a telepathic soul transmission!
Ye Tian suddenly recalled something and retrieved a stone from the cloth pouch at his waist.
This object was called a Sound-Transmission Stone, given to him by Lian Wushuang!
She had told him that if he had any instructions, he had merely to leave a message upon it.
Placing the Sound-Transmission Stone to his ear, Lian Wushuang's voice emerged from within.
"Young Prince, the Black Widow and I are together. We have already spotted your carriage. Do you require assistance to leave the Imperial City?"
Ye Tian was stunned.
"You are not dead?"
"No, Wushuang was rescued by my master, who sensed that her disciple was in peril and rushed here from the Sacred Land!"
Splendid! Even at a time like this, Lian Wushuang and the Black Widow remained loyal to him!
Admirable!
These two young women were truly worthy of trust!
"There is no need. Once I am gone, focus on developing your endeavors! It will not be long before I slaughter my way back!"
"If Heaven seeks to destroy me, I shall eradicate this Heaven!"
With that, Ye Tian put away the Sound-Transmission Stone!
Indeed, he had already decided: once he rendezvoused with his father and settled his mother and the others in a secure location, he would return to investigate and launch a devastating counterattack!
As he was thinking this, Eunuch Li suddenly shouted sternly, "Everyone, slaughter them! Leave no one alive!"