97: The Sword God of Shilipo, waiting for the rabbit to come!

Ximen Chuixue's target was extremely clear: the 'Group One' and 'Group Two' members, the black-clad assassins who were efficiently reaping the lives of the escorting soldiers.

His figure was so fast it almost defied visual capture; his white clothes trailed a blurry afterimage in the grey mist. Wherever he passed, the air seemed to freeze, infused with a bone-chilling cold.

There were no shouts, no Move names, only Sword Qi!

The black-sheathed longsword had unsheathed at some unknown moment, a flash of cold light, like a bolt of silk, appearing and vanishing instantly!

A black-clad assassin, in the midst of thrusting his long saber into a soldier's abdomen, suddenly froze.

He looked down in astonishment, only to see an extremely thin red line on his neck rapidly expand, then his vision spun, and his head rolled into the dust.

Ximen Chuixue's figure did not pause in the slightest, moving like Death leaping among the rocks.

Every flicker of his sword light precisely grazed an assassin's throat or heart.

His sword was fast, accurate, and ruthless to the extreme, carrying a judgment-like indifference.

The well-trained and coordinated assassins were like lambs to the slaughter before him, often perishing before they even had a chance to react.

The sound of the sword cutting through flesh and bone was faint but piercing; each time it rang out, it was accompanied by a gushing fountain of blood and a falling corpse.

His presence instantly tore open a cold corridor of death in the chaotic slaughterhouse.

Lu Xiaofeng, however, was different. He didn't kill people; he killed bows and crossbows!

"Hmph!"

Lu Xiaofeng snorted coldly, his two slender fingers, like butterflies flitting through flowers, brushed his waist, and three brass coins were already clasped between his fingers.

Without even looking, he suddenly flicked and twitched his wrist with an unnatural flexibility and speed!

"Clink! Clink! Clink!"

Bowstrings were severed one by one, and crossbow mechanisms were destroyed one by one.

He once created the miracle of severing the bowstrings of twenty-eight strong bows with a single copper coin.

Now, going all out, although he didn't kill people, the effect he achieved was even greater than killing.

"The black-clad assassins are blocked, and the archers are suppressed! It's Four Eyebrows Lu Xiaofeng and Sword God Ximen Chuixue!"

In the chaos, a sharp-eyed officer shrieked, "Brothers! Reinforcements are here! Don't worry about those runaway carriages! Form up! Protect the military funds! And take out these sons of bitches!"

"Form a circular formation! Shield bearers on the outside! Spearmen on the inside! Protect the military fund carts!"

The commanding officer wiped the blood from his face and hoarsely directed the remaining soldiers.

Shields clanged together, forming a barrier. Long spears thrust out like venomous snakes from the gaps in the shields, repelling several black-clad assassins who tried to exploit the chaos to raid the silver carts.

Although the assassins of 'Group One' and 'Group Two' were elite, their abilities lay in efficient killing, creating chaos, and seizing key points.

Facing organized, entrenched, dense formations, their impact was immediately hindered.

Even more critically, Ximen Chuixue, this god of slaughter, was still mercilessly reaping among them!

Ximen Chuixue's Sword Qi was like Death's invitation; each appearance inevitably heralded the demise of an assassin.

His very existence was the greatest blow to the assassins' morale.

The 'Group One' and 'Group Two', originally well-coordinated like killing machines, began to break formation and panic under his sword.

Gong Jiu stood at the highest point of the stronghold, gazing at the distant clamor and firelight from the direction of Stony Beach.

The black-clad man's report was concise and cold: "Young Master, Group One and Group Two have lost contact.

Ximen Chuixue and Lu Xiaofeng have appeared, the military funds... not obtained."

There was no angry roar; instead, a twisted, almost joyful smile appeared on Gong Jiu's face.

He licked his chapped lips, the pathological fire in his eyes burning even brighter: "Good, very good! Ximen Chuixue... Lu Xiaofeng... they really came!

Can't get the military funds? No problem! Our people are among the escorts, they can't escape at all!

Whether the old man rebels or not depends on tonight!"

He suddenly turned: "'Group Three' and 'Group Four', follow me into the palace!

'Group Five' and 'Group Six', create chaos and attract the guards! Tonight's target: the Imperial Study!"

The night was inky black, thick and unyielding.

Gong Jiu's figure, like a ghost merging with the darkness, led ten equally formidable assassins, whose aura almost blended with the night, silently infiltrating the inner palace.

They skillfully avoided overt and covert sentries, bypassed patrolling Imperial Guards, and, like the most lethal venomous snakes, precisely glided towards the center of power, the Imperial Study where the Emperor resided.

The actions of 'Group Five' and 'Group Six' began almost simultaneously.

Fires suddenly erupted near Donghua Gate and Xihua Gate, and shouts of killing and clashes of weapons tore through the night sky.

Large numbers of Imperial Guards and Imperial Guards were mobilized, surging towards the firelight and chaos. The entire palace's defensive Center of Gravity was instantly pulled and shifted.

Gong Jiu's lips curled into a cruel arc. Chaos was precisely the cover he needed.

"Go!"

He let out a low growl, his figure like an arrow shot from a bow, being the first to rush towards the tightly shut doors of the Imperial Study.

Behind him, ten black figures followed closely, their killing intent solidifying.

Without any superfluous probing, Gong Jiu channeled his Internal Energy and slammed a palm heavily onto the thick main doors!

"Boom!"

The doors shattered in response! Wood splinters flew!

"Dog Emperor! Die!"

Gong Jiu shrieked, carrying unparalleled killing intent and madness, and was the first to charge into the hall.

His target was only one: the figure on the Dragon Throne!

The hall was brightly lit by candles, yet an unusual silence permeated it.

The expected scene of panic and Imperial Guards protecting the Emperor did not appear. The Imperial Study seemed unusually spacious, even the tables and chairs appeared to have been cleared out!

On the Dragon Throne, the Emperor, dressed in bright yellow imperial robes, sat as unmoving as a mountain, his face devoid of any alarm, only a profound calmness, even with a hint of... mockery?

And beside the Dragon Throne stood Eunuch Feng, and next to Eunuch Feng, a figure who should not have been there, stood with his arms crossed.

Dressed in a sky-blue long gown, his posture as upright as a lone pine on a peak, his eyes as sharp as a Nine Heavens eagle, holding the Guhong Sword, where was there even a trace of a severely wounded, dying appearance?

It was indeed the Sword Saint, Lu Jiuyuan, who was supposedly "severely wounded and spitting blood" and "requiring protection from top imperial experts"!

Although he was just standing casually, he seemed like a peerless divine weapon already unsheathed, and an invisible Sword Qi filled the hall, causing the assassins who rushed in to gasp for breath.

Gong Jiu's forward momentum abruptly halted, his pupils contracting sharply like pinpricks!

A chilling cold instantly surged from his feet to his head, dousing most of his fervent killing intent and pathological excitement.