Chapter 2110: Fleeing

Liu Ning harrumphed. Suddenly, several streaks of white silk appeared from behind her. Half of them rushed at Yun Jianyue, while the other half swept toward the Crescent Ring behind her.

The Crescent Ring was incredibly sharp and almost instantly sliced the silk to pieces. However, a remaining strand slipped through the opening and struck the weapon right at its center, knocking it flying.

The strands of silk moved just like Liu Ning’s own fingers, containing a strange, gentle force. When she saw thaat, Yun Jianyue couldn't help but say with a sigh of praise, “Your eyes are quite good. You were able to instantly find the Crescent Ring’s weakness.”

Even though that was what she said, with a wave of her hand, the Crescent Ring instantly returned to her side. It continued to vibrate in place, seemingly ready to deliver a lethal blow at any time.

Liu Ning’s expression also grew grave. She was no longer as confident as earlier. She had already concentrated her full attention on facing this opponent, and yet Yun Jianyue was still able to chat so casually. It didn’t even seem as if she'd used all of her strength.

It seems her cultivation is even a bit higher than mine.

Fortunately, she had been able to receive the help of Ah Zu’s nourishment to bring her to a higher level. Otherwise, with her previous cultivation, she would likely have already been completely defeated. Now, she at least had a bit of a chance.

But what is going on with this Devil Sect Master? Her cultivation clearly wasn't this high the last time she attacked the Imperial Palace!

I had the help of Ah Zu’s nourishment, but what did she rely on to grow so quickly?

After all, the higher one’s cultivation reached, the slower one's growth would become. Frequently, one could go decades without any advancement at all. Yun Jianyue’s growth since that time was absolutely ridiculous! How could the empress not be shocked?

“Help, there's an assassin!” Liu Ning dealt with Yun Jianyue’s violent barrage of attacks while shouting loudly.

She didn’t fear the attacker because this was the Imperial Palace, her own territory. She was the glorious empress dowager. Why would she have to fight to the death against a Devil Sect renegade? She could, but there was no need. She had countless subordinates under her control. Using them to defeat and capture her attacker was what someone of a higher position was supposed to do.

But this Devil Sect Master really is beautiful. Ah Zu might like her if he sees her.

Hmph, I definitely can’t let the two of them meet, or else it’ll be bad if he ends up being infatuated by this witch.

When he heard her shout, Eunuch Lu quickly rushed over with a large group of guards. When they saw the demonic deity-like Yun Jianyue with her long, fluttering hair, their expressions changed.

“Hurry and protect her highness!” Eunuch Lu loudly shouted.

The guards didn’t recognize the Devil Sect Master. Even though they could sense that she was extremely powerful, they had all undergone strict training before. They got into formation while charging at the enemy.

“You’re courting death!” Yun Jianyue’s expression turned cold. The Crescent Ring flickered in and out of view in the air, taking the life of a guard practically every time it disappeared.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Lu arrived at Liu Ning’s side and said, “Never fear, your highness. This servant has come to protect you.”

When she saw Eunuch Lu, Liu Ning felt a mysterious sense of relief. Perhaps it was because they had been around each other for so many years, but this guy had always known how to make her feel at ease.

Liu Ning looked at the murderous Yun Jianyue in the distance, saying, “Be careful, this woman seems to have encountered a miraculous opportunity. Her cultivation is much stronger than last time. I'll hold her up for now. Go and gather the experts of the palace to get rid of this... What are you doing?!”

Her voice was full of bitterness as she sent Eunuch Lu flying with a single palm, but she herself coughed out a mouthful of blood. There was a palm imprint left on her dress at her waist, and a layer of white frost had formed on the surface. She stared at Eunuch Lu. Her eyes were full of confusion, but even more so anger. She exclaimed, “Why?!”

Eunuch Lu had always served at her side loyally all these years and was faithful and true to her. There was also the love they had shared in their youth. Even though she called him a dog servant, she already viewed him as a member of her own family. She'd even felt that even if everyone in the entire world left her, Eunuch Lu wouldn’t. As for Zu An, he had too many sweethearts; for example, that Bi Linglong was someone he couldn't even part with. He'd just refused to fully come to her side all this time.

Even so, it was precisely this person, whom she completely trusted, who had attacked her at the most crucial moment and made her fall into an endless abyss. Eunuch Lu knew where her weakness was, and he seemed to have been hiding his cultivation this entire time. The attack had really almost taken half her life right there and then. She couldn't use her cultivation properly anymore.

When he saw her cough out blood, a bit of pity appeared in Eunuch Lu’s eyes. He sighed and said, “Does your highness still remember those guys who told me that they could help me recover my cultivation and become a normal man again?”

Liu Ning was stunned, replying, “Didn’t you kill them on the spot?” Midway through her sentence, she realized something and said, “You did that deliberately for me to see and trust you!”

Eunuch Lu’s expression was complicated as he said, “Actually, it wasn’t just once or twice that they sought me out. At first, I didn’t regard them with much importance, but eventually, I was still tempted. They're monsters, after all, and they're the best at making a man fall into depravity.

“Your highness should understand my feelings for you. I really want to truly become your man, for you to feel my love.”

“Screw you!” Liu Ning spat. The only thing she felt when she saw the passion in his eyes was disgust. She suddenly thought of something and said, “No, something’s not right. Don’t you have that freakish fetish? Why did you suddenly change?”

The two of them had spent so many years together, and each knew the other better than anyone else. She really understood what he was like. Thus, she naturally knew about Eunuch Lu’s weird fetish. Every time she did it with Zu An, Eunuch Lu had felt crazy excitement. He really liked to watch his beloved woman be violated by another man, especially an especially strong one. That feeling brought him unprecedented satisfaction. He could fool her through other ways, but that kind of thing definitely wouldn’t change.

A blush appeared on Eunuch Lu’s face as he said, “That’s right, I do have that fetish. But one day, I suddenly wondered... If I became a true man, would I still feel the same sense of joy when I saw someone else take advantage of you? I really want to experience that special kind of feeling.”

“You’re disgusting!” Liu Ning exclaimed furiously. This man’s psyche was way too twisted, twisted to the point that she almost didn’t recognize him.

Eunuch Lu walked toward her with a smile, saying, “Your highness doesn’t need to worry. I won’t harm you. It’s just that your cultivation is too high, so I needed to restrain you a bit. Now I can bring you to a faraway place, away from this land of quarrels.”

“Don’t come any closer!” Liu Ning cried, her expression changing greatly. The ‘family’ she had been so familiar with now made her feel a strange sense of estrangement. She reflexively wanted him to disappear. Unfortunately, the sinister power of the enemy’s palm had invaded her body. It was hard for her to muster any strength right now.

Could it be that I really have to be brought away by this man, and then be turned into his slave in a remote and desolate place? Then, for the sake of satisfying his fetishes, he'd find some unknown men to take advantage of me...

When she thought of that terrifying scenario, Liu Ning’s entire body shook. She instinctively backed up, but she tripped over the corpse of a guard behind her. She lost her center of gravity and fell to the ground. She watched as Eunuch Lu walked closer and closer to her. She only felt as if his face was becoming more and more twisted and disgusting. At that moment, she sank into absolute despair.

Eunuch Lu was about to get his hands on her when a beautiful figure blocked his path. When she saw the long hair that reached all the way down that person's back, Liu Ning was stunned. The guards had already been completely killed, and yet Yun Jianyue was now standing at her side?

“What is the meaning of this, Sect Master Yun?” Eunuch Lu asked, looking at Yun Jianyue with a bit of apprehension.

“I've always hated traitors the most, and as a woman as well, your actions leave me disgusted.” Yun Jianyue’s face was ice-cold. She looked at him with eyes full of killing intent.

Eunuch Lu’s expression changed as he said, “Sect Master Yun, we are allies. This is different from what we agreed on.”

“It's only because we're allies that I didn’t take your life,” Yun Jianyue said coldly. “The empress dowager and I were fighting an honorable battle, and yet you ambushed her from behind. Is that something I would do? Just that alone is already enough for me to take your life.”

Then, she turned around to look at Liu Ning, saying, “You should leave first. Whether or not you can escape will depend on your own luck.”

Liu Ning gave her a look of shock. She firmly engraved this favor deep in her heart as she said, “Thank you!” As the empress dowager, she wasn’t the type to waste time. She immediately leaped out of the empress palace.

Eunuch Lu reflexively wanted to chase after her, but Yun Jianyue took a step to the side to stand in his way.

“Sect Master Yun, the only reason I joined you was because of her highness, the empress dowager. Now that you’ve let her go, where does that leave me?!” Eunuch Lu exclaimed, his eyes full of anger.

Yun Jianyue said with a sneer, “I don't know who you made that agreement with, but I was only in charge of dealing with her highness. Nothing else is my business. Whether or not those people can capture the empress dowager will depend on heaven’s will, but you can't go.”

Eunuch Lu’s entire body shook. His emotions were clearly on the verge of exploding. In the end, he took a deep breath and calmed down before turning around and leaving. He had just watched the battle between the empress dowager and Yun Jianyue. This witch seemed to only be a step away from the earth immortal rank now. He wouldn’t be able to win against her. Furthermore, when he thought about the uncontrollable disgust in her eyes and the murderous reputation she had, he didn’t doubt for a moment that she would just kill him despite being allies, just because she wanted to.

When she looked at his stooped figure and thought about their conversation, Yun Jianyue couldn't help but scoff, her expression full of disdain. “Disgusting!”

...

Meanwhile, when Liu Ning left her palace, she wanted to call the Imperial Palace Guards, but she saw that the empress’ chambers were brightly lit, with two armies fighting. Even the Embroidery House had troops there. When she recalled the fire at Cloud Dragon Gate, her heart sank to rock bottom. Since even Eunuch Lu had betrayed her, there was definitely something wrong with his brother Lu He. After all, Lu He was the Left Guard General, someone who was in charge of half of the Imperial Palace’s security.

No wonder even though she had fought for so long on her side, no guards had arrived to provide reinforcements. So there were already problems within the entire Imperial Palace. However, she had no idea who was rebelling. They had actually colluded with the Devil Sect and converted Eunuch Lu! Perhaps there weren't any safe places left in the entire Imperial Palace.

She gritted her teeth and ran out of the palace. At the same time, her thoughts moved quickly. The only one with the power and motive to do all of this was the Bi clan. But what was going on with the fight over by Bi Linglong’s side?

She recalled the accusations of misconduct a few days prior. Back then, she had already sensed that something was brewing in the capital. She'd told the Liu clan’s people to be on high alert. And yet today, something so major had happened, but she hadn’t received a single bit of intelligence on it. Just what were they doing while they were supposed to be on high alert?!

When she recalled her father and uncle’s usual unreliable appearances, Liu Ning nearly erupted into curses. “They’re useless idiots, as expected!”

Even so, there was nothing she could do. The Liu clan was her true backing. She could only reunite with them first, then take their time in discussing what to do after. However, she didn’t act rashly; instead, she entered a private house and looked in the Liu manor’s direction. She saw flames rush into the skies, and she could hear sounds of fighting even from all the way where she was. Her hands and feet turned ice-cold.

Right, since they attacked me, that means it’s a huge plot. How could they possibly leave the Liu clan alone?

If she ran over to the Liu manor too, she would just be walking right into their trap.

Suddenly, a shout came from nearby. “The traitor ran that way!”

Liu Ning turned around and saw a group of soldiers aiming arrows at her. Her expression changed. She quickly kicked off the ground and continued to run. Arrows fell behind her again and again.

However, she suddenly groaned. There was no way she could completely avoid such a concentrated barrage of arrows while being seriously injured; an arrow had landed in her lower back.

Even though she could still kill that small troop of soldiers, she didn’t dare to stop. She knew that if they surrounded her, an unending stream of soldiers would rush over. She would have no chance to escape again. She recognized that these soldiers had been stationed outside the capital. She wondered just how many of the capital’s military officers were a part of this rebellion.

She continued to move through the streets and alleys. Many times, she just barely managed to shake off some pursuing troops, only for another group to rush at her. It was to the extent that her entire body was filled with a sense of loss. The capital was normally so large, and yet right now, she had no idea where she could hide herself.

She thought about running to the academy. Zu An was the libationer, and the academy’s teachers had always remained neutral. They definitely wouldn’t join this rebellion. But she quickly realized that if she could think of that, why wouldn’t the enemy? There would definitely be soldiers hiding around the path to the academy, waiting for her to walk right in.

As for the regent manor, Zu An wasn’t there right now, so there was nothing she could rely on there. It would also be carefully watched by the enemy.

One after another, different places popped up in her mind, but she rejected them one after another. When she was near the point of absolute despair, however, she suddenly thought of something.

That place should be safe.

She gritted her teeth, then ran in a certain direction.

...

Meanwhile, in the Sang manor, Sang Qien was trying to appease the crying daughter in her arms as she stared gravely at the capital’s surging flames. She asked, “Father, just what is happening?”

Sang Hong’s expression was also grave as he said, “If it’s something this big, that means the capital will likely change greatly soon. Close the windows and don’t go anywhere tonight, to avoid being caught up in it.”

The maids were all trembling as they hurriedly checked the doors and windows.

Sang Qien said worriedly, “No wonder there were so many unfamiliar faces around the capital recently. I wonder which side is causing all this chaos? But the court should be under Ah Zu’s control right now. Don’t tell me he's the one they are going against?”

“We’ll know tomorrow morning. None of us are going to sleep tonight. We’ll remain vigilant through the night,” Sang Hong said seriously. The women all nodded. How could they still sleep in this kind of situation?

When she saw Sang Qien’s anxious expression, Zheng Dan took Sisi from her arms, saying, “Don’t worry, Qienqien. Even if these people came for Ah Zu, it wouldn’t be a big deal even if they succeeded. Ah Zu is so strong that as long as he returns, they'll all be one-sidedly defeated. All of these treacherous people will naturally disappear too.”

“But Ah Zu went to the Fiend races’ sealed land and we haven’t heard anything from him after all this time. I’m worried that something might have happened to him.” After saying that, Sang Qien felt more and more worried.

A gentle smile appeared on Zheng Dan’s face as she said, “That guy is so mischievous and cunning, and he now has his ridiculous cultivation level. It has only ever been his enemies who were in danger. When has anything ever happened to him? He'll definitely return safely.”

Sang Qien wanted to say something else when a noise came from the back courtyard. It was as if something heavy had fallen.

Their expressions changed and they quickly ran over. When they arrived, they saw a stunning woman collapsed in a puddle of blood under the moonlight’s illumination.