Chapter 550 548: Kill Them All

The cold-faced middle-aged man's purple eyes glinted sinisterly as his gaze fell upon the National Preceptor. "Heh, after that bitch is thrown off her throne, how about you become the Monarch?"

"I wouldn't dare. Whatever you say, my lord."

The National Preceptor had this ambition, but he wouldn't dare admit it.

He was well aware of how terrifying the man before him was, and he was completely unable to guess what the other man was thinking.

"My lord, when do you plan to make your move?"

The National Preceptor asked, wanting to be prepared.

"When the banquet begins."

The cold-faced middle-aged man was expressionless.

The National Preceptor was shocked.

Previously, the cold-faced middle-aged man had said that he would wait for someone to arrive before razing the Imperial Palace and slaughtering the Azure Cloud Royal Family in one fell swoop.

But now.

The cold-faced middle-aged man was planning to strike immediately!

"Rest assured, I am certain Li Yunxiu will be toppled from her throne."

The cold-faced middle-aged man continued.

A sharp glint flashed in the National Preceptor's eyes.

The cold-faced man's words radiated absolute confidence, suggesting he had other arrangements in place.

'What other arrangements does he have that I don't know about?'

The National Preceptor wondered, and a sense of anticipation began to build within him.

'What if he really lets me become the Monarch of the Azure Cloud Kingdom!'

...

At the Monarch's command, the entire Imperial Palace burst into a flurry of activity as preparations for a grand banquet began.

The powerful and influential figures of the Royal Capital all received invitations.

At the same time, one great question emerged in everyone's mind.

Who exactly was the guest of honor for whom the Monarch was holding this state banquet?

「Inside Zhengtian Palace.」

Members of the Royal Family and the great figures of the Royal Capital arrived one by one.

Lin Qinghan had also received an invitation.

The Dongchuan Pharmacy she now controlled had become the largest medicinal herb merchant in the entire Royal Capital. She had also begun to branch into other commercial fields, becoming the business queen of the Azure Cloud Royal Capital, and she had numerous suitors.

"To meet the business queen of the Royal Capital today is truly my honor!"

"Greetings, Miss Qinghan."

A number of young, powerful nobles struck up conversations with Lin Qinghan, each trying to show off and win her favor.

This even included a few Princes!

Just then, a group of five people arrived, led by the Azure Cloud National Preceptor.

"Greetings, National Preceptor!"

Many people bowed in greeting.

The National Preceptor held an extremely high position in the Azure Cloud Kingdom and had a major influence on the Monarch's decisions.

"National Preceptor, and this is?"

A minister looked toward the cold-faced middle-aged man beside the National Preceptor, his pair of purple eyes drawing considerable attention.

"This is an important guest of mine,"

the National Preceptor said faintly.

The others frowned slightly upon hearing this.

This was a state banquet with strict rules. For the National Preceptor to casually bring one of his own guests was a clear breach of protocol, showing he had no regard for the Monarch.

However, out of respect for the Azure Cloud National Preceptor's status, no one said anything further.

"The Monarch arrives!"

Just then, a cry echoed from outside the hall!

Everyone inside Zhengtian Palace rose to their feet.

The cold-faced middle-aged man rose slowly, his pupils narrowing as a cold glint flashed within them.

Outside the grand hall, clad in imperial robes and wearing a dragon crown, Li Yunxiu slowly approached, surrounded by an entourage of handmaidens and Guards. Her every gesture exuded royal majesty.

"We welcome the Monarch!"

Everyone bowed low in greeting.

Just then!

WHOOSH!

The cold-faced middle-aged man beside the National Preceptor became a swift shadow, shooting out and charging toward Li Yunxiu!

It all happened in the blink of an eye.

No one had expected an assassin to appear at a time like this. Even the Azure Cloud National Preceptor hadn't imagined the cold-faced man would strike so decisively.

Everyone was bowing low. The moment they raised their heads, they saw the cold-faced man was already upon Li Yunxiu!

"How dare you!"

a gray-haired old woman beside Li Yunxiu suddenly roared.

She was the Royal Elder, who always acted as Li Yunxiu's personal bodyguard on important occasions.

"An assassin!"

"Guards, seize the assassin!"

Only then did people in Zhengtian Palace cry out in alarm.

WHOOSH!

The True Essence within the gray-haired old woman's body surged. She unleashed a massive yellow dragon of roiling clouds, a full ten to twenty meters long, that shot forward, exuding a tyrannical draconic might!

"Heh, a mere parlor trick!"

The cold-faced man sneered, and a pitch-black dagger appeared in his hand.

SHINK!

The dagger pulsed with a sinister light, suffused with an incredibly intense killing intent. It slashed out a curtain of black light, slicing the massive yellow dragon in two!

The cold-faced man then closed in on the gray-haired woman, the pitch-black dagger striking out repeatedly from strange and treacherous angles!

SHLICK!

Two bloody gashes instantly appeared on the gray-haired old woman. She stumbled back a dozen steps, her face a mask of shock.

"Earth Element Realm... Second Layer!"

The assassin was this powerful!

The gray-haired old woman was only at the Earth Element Realm First Layer; she was no match for him.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Three more figures suddenly shot out from behind the cold-faced man, all charging toward Li Yunxiu!

There wasn't just one assassin!

In that moment, Li Yunxiu was in grave danger.

"Heh heh, Li Yunxiu, my Monarch has always wanted you to warm his bed, so I won't kill you!"

As the cold-faced man closed in on Li Yunxiu, he thrust the pitch-black dagger toward her Dantian, intending to cripple her Cultivation.

But the cold-faced man noticed that Li Yunxiu showed no sign of panic.

'Isn't this woman afraid?'

Li Yunxiu's own talent was considerable, and she had already reached the Half-step Earth Element Realm. If not for being preoccupied with matters of state, she might have already broken through to the Earth Element Realm.

But a mere Half-step Earth Element Realm was nothing before the cold-faced man.

'Even someone as strong as the Royal Elder had been easily injured and forced back by him, so what was Li Yunxiu in comparison?'

SHINK!

The cold-faced man's dagger thrust toward Li Yunxiu's Dantian!

Inside Zhengtian Palace, the various dignitaries wanted to mount a rescue, but they were too late, and none of them were a match for the cold-faced man.

They could only watch helplessly as the cold-faced man moved to strike Li Yunxiu, already envisioning the tragic consequences.

Suddenly!

TING!

A crisp ringing sound echoed.

The cold-faced man froze in place. His dagger, filled with cold killing intent, had collided with a single finger and was now stopped in mid-air!

'What?'

The cold-faced man's pupils constricted, revealing his utter shock.

'A single finger! It blocked his Attack?'

'This pitch-black dagger was incomparably sharp, able to easily shatter the True Essence Shield of a Low Tier Earth Element Realm expert. How could it possibly be blocked by a finger?'

"It's... Brother Luo!"

Lin Qinghan saw who had made the move, her expression one of indescribable, pleasant surprise.

Luo Tian was back.

CLANG!

Luo Tian curled his finger and flicked it sharply.

CRACK! TING! TING!

The pitch-black dagger shattered into pieces and fell to the floor.

The cold-faced man was completely dumbfounded.

'Who in the world was this? He shattered his dagger as easily as breaking a twig.'

'Did that also mean that if the man flicked him, he would be the one to shatter into pieces?'

WHOOSH!

Sensing a fatal crisis, the cold-faced man shot backward as if launched from a spring.

It was then that he saw another man standing beside Li Yunxiu—a handsome man dressed in white, whose dark eyes held an incomparably sharp light.

He was the one who had just made a move.

'Luo Tian!'

The cold-faced man recalled a name from the Spirit List.

Luo Tian had once been number one on the Spirit List!

"It's him!"

"The First Supreme Elder of the Azure Cloud Kingdom!"

Inside the grand hall, the nobles and high-ranking officials all cried out in alarm.

Many of the Princes instantly recalled the day Luo Tian had drenched Zhengtian Palace in blood, single-handedly slaying the Monarch, the Queen, and the Supreme Elder, Li Changqing.

As members of the Royal Family, their fear of Luo Tian was far greater than that of an ordinary person.

"You recognize me, yet you still dare to attack the Azure Cloud Kingdom. You've got some nerve."

Luo Tian casually glanced at the cold-faced man, but his gaze was like a peerless Treasure Sword stabbing forward. The cold-faced man felt a stinging pain all over his body, even in his eyes.

The other three assassins were not as quick to retreat as the cold-faced man.

SCHWFF! SCHWFF! SCHWFF!

With a wave of his finger through the air, Luo Tian sent out an invisible slash of Wind Sword Qi. Three heads went flying!

Luo Tian would show no mercy to anyone who dared to attack the Azure Cloud Kingdom and harm Li Yunxiu.

He would kill them all.

HISS!

The cold-faced man sucked in a sharp, cold breath.

With a wave of his hand, three assassins at the Peak Tier Spirit Sea Realm were decapitated!

The ease and casualness of the act made it all the more terrifying.

The cold-faced man had always been arrogant; he had dared to assassinate the Azure Cloud Monarch with only this small team.

But in the face of Luo Tian, he felt a profound helplessness. Unprecedented fear and despair began to spread through him.

"Speak," Luo Tian asked. "Who sent you?"

"It was..."

Under the pressure of Luo Tian's aura, the cold-faced man almost blurted out the truth.

Cold sweat poured down his back, soaking his clothes.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

The entire Zhengtian Palace was surrounded by three layers of guards.

The cold-faced man had nowhere to escape.

Even the National Preceptor was surrounded.

"Your Majesty, spare me! I didn't know he was harboring evil intentions and planning to assassinate you!"

The National Precerer knelt on the ground, begging for mercy and trying to distance himself from the affair.

In his heart, he cursed the cold-faced man a thousand times over.

'Just moments ago, he'd been so confident and full of himself. The second he ran into Luo Tian, he went from a Tiger to a sick kitten, falling into a desperate situation and dragging me down with him.'

ROAR!

Just then, an enraged roar echoed from outside Zhengtian Palace!

It was followed by waves of savage Demon Beast roars, and a formless, oppressive aura began to permeate the area.

"What's happening?"

one of the Princes asked, bewildered.

"This is bad! A herd of beasts is attacking! The beasts from the Celestial Extreme Mountain Range are on the move!"

"The Black Wind... The Black Wind Demon King is here!"

A series of panicked shouts came from outside the hall.

'Why would a Beast Tide suddenly appear here?'

'And the Black Wind Demon King... why would such a terrifying being show up?'

In the grand hall, only the cornered, cold-faced man revealed a hint of a smile.

"My reinforcements are here! You're all going to die!"

"Even if you are number one on the Spirit List, the King of the Celestial Pride from the Celestial Pride Conference, you will still die!"