Chapter 691 - 692: Turning the Tables

Chapter 691: Chapter 692: Turning the Tables

The moment Hua Manman was engulfed by the black crystal, her vision went dark, and her body began to plummet!

After a dizzying spell,

She snapped her eyes open.

The first thing she saw was the familiar bed canopy above her.

Her mind was blank for a moment before it clicked. ’I’m back in the palace!’

Remembering what happened before she passed out, Hua Manman immediately turned to look beside her.

The instant she turned her head, Mr. Zhu’s hands shot out, clamped around her neck, and pinned her firmly to the bed.

His grip tightened as he threatened,

"Don’t move!"

Hua Manman struggled to breathe.

But she didn’t panic.

After all the hardships she had endured, she was no longer the little girl who would only hide in her room and weep in silence.

In this life-or-death moment, Hua Manman unleashed all her strength.

She braced her left hand on the bed, bent her right arm, and viciously slammed her elbow into Mr. Zhu’s abdomen.

Mr. Zhu was clearly much weaker now.

The blow sent him staggering back a step.

His grip loosened slightly.

Seizing the chance, Hua Manman grabbed his thumb and wrenched it outward.

She wrenched it with extreme force.

With a loud CRACK, Mr. Zhu’s thumb snapped!

Even though Mr. Zhu wasn’t human, his expression changed.

He could no longer put any strength into his thumb.

Hua Manman easily broke free of his grip and rolled to the far side of the bed.

From under the bedding, she pulled out a sharp iron needle.

It had originally been an iron hook for the bed curtains, but Hua Manman had straightened and sharpened it into a keen iron needle.

Clutching his broken thumb, Mr. Zhu opened his mouth to shout for help in subduing Hua Manman.

But before he could utter a single syllable, the iron needle plunged into his chest!

Mr. Zhu slowly looked down at the needle protruding from his chest, his face filled with disbelief.

No blood flowed from his wound.

But his face turned visibly pale.

His true body had already been grievously wounded, which in turn affected his clone.

He was weaker now than he had ever been.

He clutched his wound and staggered backward.

Hua Manman wasn’t in good shape either. Having not eaten properly for a long time, she was starving, and her limbs felt weak.

But she knew this was her only chance to turn the tables.

She couldn’t afford to miss it!

For an ordinary person, a needle piercing the chest would be fatal. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

But Mr. Zhu was, after all, no ordinary human.

The needle could only injure him; it wasn’t enough to take his life.

Hua Manman bit the tip of her tongue, using the pain to stimulate her nerves and force herself to rally.

She all but scrambled off the bed, snatched up the dagger that had fallen to the floor, and lunged at Mr. Zhu.

Mr. Zhu dodged wretchedly, simultaneously grabbing the needle in his chest and gritting his teeth to pull it out.

He had to get the iron needle out of his chest.

With his terrifying regenerative abilities, his wound would heal rapidly as soon as he pulled the needle out.

Naturally, Hua Manman couldn’t give him that chance.

She charged forward with abandon, crashing hard into Mr. Zhu.

The two of them crashed into a table and chairs.

The teacups on the table tumbled to the floor, shattering with a series of CLATTERS.

The Yulin Guards on duty outside heard the commotion and immediately knocked on the door to inquire.

"Mr. Zhu, what’s happened?"

Just as Mr. Zhu was about to call out, a cold dagger was pressed to his neck.

The sharp blade radiated a cold chill.

If Hua Manman applied even the slightest pressure, Mr. Zhu’s throat would be cut.

...

Just as Zuo Ji was preparing to leave, Li Ji suddenly struck, snatching a saber from a Night Owl Guard’s hand with the speed of a thunderclap!

In that instant, all the Night Owl Guards and Yulin Guards sprang into action.

They swarmed forward, rushing straight for Li Ji!

Li Ji’s gaze swept over them, locking onto the most nervous Yulin Guard, and he charged straight at him.

That Yulin Guard was already a nervous wreck. His palms were so slick with sweat that he could barely grip his saber.

Seeing the legendary, undefeatable Regent King charging straight at him, he was so terrified his legs began to tremble. His body froze in place, his mind went blank, and he had no idea how to react.

He became the weak point in the encirclement.

Li Ji felled him in a single move and broke through the encirclement before anyone else could react.

Everyone thought he would take the opportunity to flee.

Even Li Qiong thought so, and he hurriedly ordered,

"Quick, stop him! Don’t let him escape!"

To everyone’s surprise,

Li Ji didn’t flee. Instead, he used Qinggong and charged straight for Li Qiong with an air of someone who feared no death!

He was simply too fast.

In the eyes of the crowd, Li Ji was like a ghostly shadow.

In the blink of an eye, he was in front of Li Qiong.

Li Qiong was so frightened his heart nearly stopped.

He scrambled backward in a panic.

Zuo Ji had rushed back by then, spreading his arms to shield the Emperor while shouting,

"Protect His Majesty!"

The moment the words left his mouth, a blade slashed his throat.

Warm blood sprayed out.

Then, he collapsed limply.

Blood gushed out, rapidly forming a pool beneath him.

Li Qiong’s eyes widened.

He had seen dead men before, but this was the first time he had ever watched a living person be killed right in front of him.

Especially since the dead man was someone he knew well, the shock was so great that he froze, unable to recover his senses for a moment.

He didn’t snap out of it until he felt an icy chill on his neck.

Looking down, he saw a gleaming blade pressed tightly against his neck.

Shouts erupted from all around.

"Your Majesty, be careful!"

"Villain! Release the Saint!"

Li Ji seemed deaf to the shouts around him.

He looked at the pale-faced Little Emperor and spoke slowly.

"I’ll ask you one last time. Where is Manman?"

Li Qiong had locked her in Hanzhang Hall. The previous Emperor had just died from illness, so Hanzhang Hall was still empty and unoccupied. Few people ever went there, making it the perfect place to imprison Hua Manman.

But Li Qiong had no intention of telling him this.

He suppressed the fear in his heart, forcing a calm expression.

"If you kill me, you won’t get out of here alive."

Li Ji heard his thoughts as clear as day and chuckled softly.

"I already know where Manman is."

Li Qiong thought he was bluffing and sneered, "How could you possibly know? Don’t think you can trick me!"

But in the next moment, Li Qiong heard him say in a calm, unhurried voice,

"Your Majesty, please accompany me on a trip to Hanzhang Hall."