allonlinenovel Chapter 230 A Storm is Brewing!
Chapter 230 A Storm is Brewing!
A squad of Imperial Guards patrolling nearby was startled by the earth-shattering noise.
"who?!"
"Quickly! Catch the assassin!"
The sounds of hurried footsteps, clashing armor, and angry shouts suddenly came from all directions.
A group of about two hundred Imperial Guards soldiers, led by a junior commander, rushed out from the nearby corridor and swarmed toward the palace gate with grim expressions!
However, when they rushed closer...
When they saw the broken palace gate, the corpses all over the ground, and the white-clad youth who walked slowly across the threshold with his hands behind his back and an indifferent expression, everyone's expression changed!
"You dare to trespass into the palace and commit murder! How dare you!"
"Arrest them first, torture them severely, and then decide their fate!"
"Keng——"
Enraged, the imperial guards drew their swords, ready to capture and kill the audacious assassin.
However, the leader was struck dumb the moment he saw the boy's face.
His pupils shrank sharply, and he froze on the spot, his face turning deathly pale and bloodless in an instant!
Damn it! How could it be this jinx?!
He groaned inwardly, glancing furtively at the dilapidated, heavily fortified iron gate embedded deep in the ground not far away. He swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
That's ruthless... If he got punched like that, he'd definitely collapse on the spot, foaming at the mouth, and go to meet the King of Hell!
"Lord Zhao, what's wrong?"
"Yeah, Brother Zhao, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and catch the assassin!"
The imperial guards behind noticed their commander's unusual behavior and looked puzzled, urging him on.
Upon hearing this, the commander surnamed Zhao suddenly came to his senses.
"What assassin?"
He suppressed his fear, frowned, looked up at the sky, and said solemnly:
"In broad daylight, under the clear sky, where would an assassin come from? Stop talking nonsense!"
As he spoke, he turned around cleanly and said in a deep voice, "Everything is normal. You can all disperse and go back to patrol!"
From beginning to end, the commander of the Imperial Guards didn't dare to look at Li Wudao even once, as if there were some ferocious beast there and he wanted to run away as fast as he could.
The imperial guards stood frozen in place, dumbfounded: "But...he..."
Someone pointed incredulously at the approaching youth and stammered, "The assassin... the assassin is right in front of us! Commander, why..."
Seeing the crowd hesitate, the commander surnamed Zhao's face suddenly darkened. "Go! This is an order! Execute it immediately!"
This time, his tone was sterner than ever before, with a hint of barely perceptible anxiety; he almost shouted it out.
Fortunately, he was highly respected in the military.
After that shout, although everyone was full of doubts, they dared not question it anymore. Suppressing their confusion and sense of absurdity, they followed their leader, looking back every few steps, and slowly withdrew from the area.
Realizing that Li Wudao had no intention of pursuing them, the Zhao-surnamed commander finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
At this moment, his back was already soaked with cold sweat, and his eyes were filled with lingering fear.
Fortunately, on that day at the Imperial Treasure Pavilion, as one of the personal guards of the old Duke Shen, he happened to witness the terrifying scene of this young man displaying great power, slaying the Martial King with his sword, and forcing back 100,000 Imperial Guards!
Otherwise, if he had foolishly rushed forward today, he would probably be a cold corpse like his colleagues at the palace gate!
He watched as the imperial guards hurriedly departed, seemingly ignoring him.
Li Wudao paused slightly, surprised for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his lips. "Interesting..."
It seems that someone has finally recognized him... which saves some trouble.
On the other side, the atmosphere among the hastily withdrawing Imperial Guards was unusually oppressive and confused.
"Brother Zhao, what exactly is going on?"
A soldier who was close to the commander couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Why do you seem... afraid of that boy?"
He simply couldn't understand what was so scary about a boy who looked so fair and clean.
"Exactly, he's just a kid. Even if he's got some skills, with so many of us ganging up on him, we're not afraid of not being able to take him down."
"I even feel like I could crush him with one hand!"
Another burly soldier spoke in a deep voice, his face showing dissatisfaction.
Hearing the cacophony of questions from the crowd, the commander surnamed Zhao abruptly stopped, his face grim, and he growled in a low, somewhat irritable voice:
"You know nothing! Do you even know who he is?!"
He glanced around at his subordinates, noticing their bewildered yet slightly resentful looks, took a deep breath, and lowered his voice:
"The Second Prince was killed by him!"
Upon hearing this, everyone's expression changed slightly.
Before they could process the news, Commander Zhao continued, "Isn't the Marquis of Zhennan formidable? He commands a large army and is himself a Martial King realm expert!"
"But they died at the hands of this man, without even a complete corpse left behind!"
These words were like a thunderclap, exploding in everyone's ears and instantly dispelling the resentment on their faces, replacing it with astonishment and uncertainty.
Finally, Commander Zhao dropped another bombshell:
"Even our Duke, the God of War of the Great Yu, didn't gain the slightest advantage when he briefly sparred with this young man in front of the Imperial Treasure Pavilion that day!"
His voice trembled slightly, a tremor he himself was unaware of.
"Now, who still thinks they can crush him with one hand? Who still thinks our two hundred or so men would be of any use rushing in?"
"What's wrong? Do you all think you have too much time on your hands?!"
"This this……"
Upon hearing this, everyone turned pale and felt a chill run down their spines.
A chill ran from my tailbone straight up to the top of my head!
They naturally assumed that the seemingly handsome young man was just an insignificant assassin.
Little did they know, the other party was not an ordinary person at all, but a "primordial beast in human skin"!
Only now did many people recall the broken palace gates and the corpses scattered on the ground, their faces filled with lingering fear, their breathing becoming heavy.
If they had foolishly rushed forward just now, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
"Thank you so much, Brother Zhao! You saved our lives!"
"Yes, Brother Zhao, we all owe you our lives!"
Expressions of gratitude rose and fell, but soon, worry resurfaced in everyone's hearts.
"But Brother Zhao, if we just let that boy break into the palace, we'll definitely be held accountable if the higher-ups find out!"
"Yes, Brother Zhao, if this isn't handled properly and is exploited by someone with ulterior motives, it could be considered dereliction of duty at best, and treason at worst. How could we possibly bear that responsibility?"
Faced with everyone's worries, the commander surnamed Zhao calmed down completely.
"What's the panic? Even if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up!"
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, and said in a deep voice, "Don't forget, we are under the command of the late Duke Shen!"
Immediately, he lowered his voice, revealing a shrewdness and decisiveness, and said, "Those who want to live, you'd better be smart later!"
"Except for the Duke's orders, everyone else must obey orders but not summons!"
"If they ask, just say the assassin was nowhere to be found when we arrived, and we are searching for him with all our might... Just go through the motions, preserving our own lives is the most important thing!"
At this point, he glanced towards the direction of the Golden Palace, a meaningful expression on his face, and said softly:
"Keep your eyes peeled... After today, who knows what the world of Great Yu will become."
"At that time, our 'inaction' today will not only be blameless, but may even be considered meritorious..."
Everyone was stunned, carefully considering the astonishing information contained in the leader's words.
Considering the recent undercurrents in the court, as well as the young man's terrifying strength and unbridled behavior, their expressions changed repeatedly, and they vaguely understood what was going on.
In an instant, a heavy feeling of impending storm weighed on everyone's hearts.