"Who's in there?"
Just as Jason Ji was reveling in the new power unlocked within his Immortal Slayer Sword, a stern voice echoed outside Lingyan Pavilion. He instantly recognized the tone—Crown Prince Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor). Jason frowned slightly; the powerful aura unleashed by the union of the Immortal Slayer Sword and its sheath must have exposed his presence.
"If it's only Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor), it's manageable," Jason murmured, assessing his options. With the Eight Winds and Rains lured away by Livia Dong, there should be no one capable of stopping him within the palace. He was just preparing to slip away using the Eight Steps of the Celestial Demon when he felt a chilling aura lock onto him.
"A Legendary cultivator…" Jason's expression grew serious. He recalled sensing another powerful presence when he first entered the palace—an additional Legendary warrior beyond the Eight Winds and Rains. It was, without a doubt, the one currently outside.
"Seems there's no avoiding bloodshed tonight." Jason's tone was cool and measured. With a Legendary cultivator on the scene, there was no way to escape without drawing attention. There was only one solution—eliminate all witnesses. This meant dealing with both the crown prince and the Legendary warrior by his side.
A deadly intent flickered in Jason's eyes as he steeled himself for the task.
"If you won't come out, then I'll come in and get you," called Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) from outside the pavilion. Behind him stood three hundred Imperial Guards, each armed and ready. But his true confidence lay in the strikingly beautiful yet icy woman at his side—his wife, Lady Faye Ye, a Legendary cultivator from the Protectorate Sect.
"Feiye, let's capture the intruder," Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) smiled, the arrogance in his tone clear.
"As you wish." Lady Ye nodded coldly, striding purposefully into Lingyan Pavilion.
"Guards, surround Lingyan Pavilion. Don't let a single insect escape," Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) commanded.
The guards shouted in unison, quickly forming a tight perimeter around the pavilion. Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) and Lady Ye advanced, only to pause in surprise at the sight of the intruder.
"It's you!" Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor)'s expression lit up with a mix of surprise and eagerness as he pointed at Jason.
"The Immortal Slayer himself, Jason Ji," murmured Faye Ye, a hint of curiosity flickering across her face.
"You know of me?" Jason met her gaze with an unbothered smile.
"Killing a Legendary cultivator as a Star Condensation warrior? Performing the Tang Lotus of Buddha's Fury with such skill? Your name is well-known across the continent." There was admiration in Lady Ye's eyes.
"Feiye, enough chatter," Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) said darkly, visibly displeased by her interest in Jason. "Subdue him now."
"You do realize, I won't give you a chance to perform the Tang Lotus of Buddha's Fury," Lady Ye said, her tone calm as an immense power surrounded her—a force that only Legendary cultivators possessed: Lunar Binding Power.
Jason merely chuckled. "Who said that was all I'm capable of?"
Drawing his Immortal Slayer Sword, he brandished it with a glint of deadly energy that filled the pavilion, silencing even Lady Ye for a moment as she eyed him warily.
"Jason, surrender now. The Eight Winds and Rains are on their way back," Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) taunted, confident that time was on their side.
"Is that so?" Jason's laugh was cold, his gaze growing fierce. He could feel the latent power within him, ready to activate his Sovereign's Dominion.
The tension was thick, and the slightest movement could ignite the room into a battle of unfathomable power. But just then, a quiet laugh drifted through the silence, cutting through the standoff.
"What a beautiful night for a gathering."
The serene voice shattered the strained silence. A graceful figure entered, bathed in the moonlight that illuminated her flawless face, like a deity from the moon itself. Jason's gaze turned, surprised to see her.
"Livia Dong!" Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) couldn't help but exclaim. Even though she had humiliated him before, he still couldn't deny her mesmerizing beauty. For a time, he had even hoped to take her as his wife, only to be rejected.
"The infamous first daughter of the Dong family," Lady Faye Ye murmured, her eyes narrowing as she observed Livia with a mixture of admiration and suspicion.
Jason, clearly taken aback, asked, "Why are you here?"
Livia's lips curled into a light smile. "How could I miss such an eventful night?"
"Livia Dong!" Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor)'s eyes narrowed. "Do you realize the implications of appearing here at this moment?"
"Oh? So, the young crown prince has grown bold," Livia's eyes sparkled with a playful mockery, a hint of amusement in her tone.
"You…" Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor)'s face flushed, heart pounding as he looked at her. No matter how dangerous she was, her beauty was still unmatched.
"Is this your crown princess?" Livia asked, glancing over Faye Ye appraisingly, her tone light yet condescending. "Good taste. Quite the stunning figure and a striking face."
Pausing, she added with a smirk, "Almost as good as three-tenths of mine."
Faye Ye's eyes flared with anger. "One more word and I'll carve up that pretty face of yours," she hissed.
But before she could act, Livia's expression turned icy. In a flash, she reached out, gripping Lady Ye's hair and yanking her forward effortlessly.
"Let… let go!" Lady Ye struggled, her Legendary power stifled, her body trapped as if encased in ice. She shivered, terror spreading through her as she realized she was completely helpless in Livia's grasp.
"Her strength… it's terrifying!" Bound and paralyzed by Livia's aura, Faye Ye could only stare up, powerless and bewildered by this overwhelming force.
"Livia Dong, release her! Guards! Help!" Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor) screamed, glancing wildly at the guards stationed outside the pavilion.
But no one responded. The guards stood motionless, oblivious to the prince's commands. A faint chill swept through the air, and with it, Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor)'s eyes widened in horror. The three hundred Imperial Guards had all turned to ice, their forms crumbling silently into shards.
"What… what have you done?" he stammered, his voice barely a whisper as his legs gave way beneath him.
"Worry less about what I've done, and more about what comes next." Livia's voice was cold and unyielding. She raised a small dagger to Lady Ye's porcelain neck, slicing without hesitation.
The blade's edge left a crimson line as blood poured forth. Lady Ye's eyes widened in disbelief, her life slipping away as she slumped lifelessly to the floor, a mere shadow of the formidable Legendary warrior she had been.
Jason couldn't help but be taken aback. Although he knew Livia was ruthless, witnessing her kill a Legendary cultivator so casually was chilling.
Livia stepped over Lady Ye's body, glancing at the trembling Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor). "Would you like the honors, or shall I?"
"Either works." Jason shrugged. He had planned on killing the two anyway, so who delivered the final blow hardly mattered.
Livia smiled, a look of serene pleasure in her eyes. "Then please, I'd love to see you in action."
Jason took the dagger, and without a second thought, flung it with precision. The blade struck Adrian Long (Alternate for Emperor)'s chest, and he crumpled to the floor, his life fading as he gasped, eyes filled with disbelief.
"That was so… anticlimactic," Livia pouted, crossing her arms in mock disappointment. "No creativity."
Jason shot her a dry look. "I may not be a hero, but I'm no sadistic killer."
"Fine, fine," she said, smiling. "Let's go. The Eight Winds and Rains will return soon."
Together, they stepped out of the pavilion, leaving behind the corpses of the crown prince and princess prince consort. As they walked into the night, Jason glanced back, aware that this night would plunge Chang'an into turmoil.
Meanwhile, in a bamboo forest outside Chang'an, devastation stretched across the grove, the towering stalks shattered and torn.
Eight figures stood in the midst of the wreckage; their expressions grim. These were the Eight Winds and Rains, Sacred Tang's legendary guardians, still reeling from the shock.
"Those attackers… they were all mere clones," said their leader, Jaden Qin, his face twisted in fury.
"Damn them!" one of the others growled. "Who could possibly possess the skill to create such formidable clones?"
The guardians exchanged solemn glances, each seething with humiliation. Just then, a low chime echoed from Chang'an, reaching even the distant grove.
Dong… Dong… Dong…
The sound of the funeral bell—the unmistakable toll marking the death of a royal family member.
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