201: Zhao Ming made a move
The scent of blood drifted through the forest.
Zhao Ming's guards were quite capable, but the members of the White Lotus Sect used eerie methods and were far more ruthless in their attacks.
Some even chose to trade injury for injury; after being wounded, instead of showing pain, their faces twisted into excited, eerie cackles.
The Protector dressed as a scholar waved his folding fan, scattering emerald-green poison needles as fine as cow hair across the sky.
Two guards were caught off guard, their protective True Qi pierced by the poison needles.
In just a few breaths, their faces turned black and they began to foam at the mouth, their bodies dissolving into pools of foul-smelling pus and blood at a visible rate.
Several other White Lotus Sect members were chanting under their breaths.
Using their own Vital Blood as a medium, they released the fierce ghosts nurtured within their Magical Artifacts.
The chilling ghostly Qi caused the temperature in the forest to drop significantly. Ghostly shadows darted about, lunging straight for the guards' faces, frantically gnawing at the flesh and Divine Souls of the living.
"Ah!"
Shrill screams rose and fell, flesh and blood flew everywhere, and a thick scent of blood quickly spread through the mountain forest.
After only a brief exchange, several of Zhao Ming's followers had met a violent end.
And not even a complete corpse was left behind.
"Old Lin."
Seeing this, Zhao Ming said to the Gray-robed Old Man who had been protecting him all along, "Don't worry about me. Go, kill them all for this King."
Hearing this, a hint of hesitation flashed in the Gray-robed Old Man's eyes.
"Your Highness, this old slave's duty is to ensure your safety. If I leave, and some fish escape the net to harm Your Highness's precious body..."
"No need to worry," Zhao Ming said. "Don't let them waste too much of our time."
"Yes!"
Seeing that Zhao Ming's mind was made up, the Gray-robed Old Man no longer hesitated.
He took a deep breath, and the aura around him erupted, a terrifying pressure instantly sweeping across the field.
"Die!"
The Gray-robed Old Man roared, his figure turning into a gray afterimage as he charged into the battlefield.
His hands formed claws, and True Qi surged from his fingertips, actually condensing into substantial phantom Eagle Claws.
This thin old man, who looked like he had one foot in the grave, was actually a martial artist.
Rip!
Before a White Lotus Sect member could even react, the old man's claw seized the crown of his head.
In the next moment.
The cultist's head burst like a watermelon, red and white matter splashing everywhere.
The old man did not stop; his figure was like lightning, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
Every strike of his contained boundless True Qi, and wherever his fist wind passed, the air exploded.
Poison needles, ghost fires, and even the fierce ghosts darting through the shadows could not get near him.
Even a few fierce ghosts, upon nearing the old man, were immediately burned to ashes by the power of the blood and Qi erupting from his body.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several muffled thuds followed in succession.
Several more White Lotus Sect members were killed by the old man, their bones broken and tendons snapped, their corpses twisted like hemp ropes.
With the Gray-robed Old Man's intervention, the situation was instantly reversed.
Just as the Gray-robed Old Man killed several cultists and attempted to approach the leader, Su Qingqian, to capture her and end the chaos...
The Tuo wearing a skull necklace gave a sinister laugh.
"The old guy is tied up; this is a great opportunity."
He set his sights on the isolated Zhao Ming.
In his eyes, this Great Gan Prince, without the close protection of an expert, was a lamb for the slaughter.
"Get out of This Buddha's way!"
The Tuo roared, and the Human Bone Prayer Beads in his hand suddenly exploded, turning into dozens of skulls burning with emerald-green ghost fire, blowing the two wounded guards in his way to pieces.
Then, the Tuo lunged forward, taking advantage of the opening left by the dead guards to charge straight at Zhao Ming!
"Zhao Ming, you brat! Come with This Buddha quietly!"
While the Tuo was still in mid-air, his sinister laughter had already arrived.
He didn't deliver a killing blow, intending instead to heavily injure Zhao Ming and capture him alive to present to the Saintess.
"Careful, Your Highness!"
Faced with the sudden assassination attempt, the surrounding guards were unable to come to the rescue in time and could only let out cries of terror.
However...
To the Tuo's surprise... there was no look of panic on Zhao Ming's face.
The Ninth Prince of Great Gan stood with his hands behind his back, his sleeves fluttering in the strong wind.
He slightly raised his head, looking at the approaching, hideous Tuo, a mocking smile curling at the corners of his lips.
An inexplicable sense of unease rose in the Tuo's heart, but the arrow was already on the string and had to be fired. He pushed his mana to the limit, the skulls letting out shrill wails as a deep, dark sea of fire descended.
At that moment...
Roar!!
A high-pitched and resonant dragon roar sounded in the Void Realm without warning.
The sound was not an empty one, but carried a certain majestic imperial pressure.
The Tuo felt a boom in his mind, as if he had been struck hard by a giant hammer; his Divine Soul shook violently, and his fierce offensive stalled for a split second.
Immediately after, Zhao Ming moved.
He didn't use any weapons, simply raising his right palm.
Boom!
A brilliant, dazzling golden light erupted from his palm.
The golden light not only contained extremely pure martial True Qi, but was also mixed with a trace of the Imperial Dragon Qi unique to the Great Gan royalty.
In an instant...
The deep sea of fire overhead melted away like snow meeting the sun, directly forced back and annihilated by the golden light.
Zhao Ming struck with a palm, fast as a thunderbolt, the fierce palm wind howling.
"Boom!"
A loud bang, like the clashing of metal, shook the valley.
Several of the Tuo's skull Magical Artifacts exploded, and shards of pale bone flew in all directions!
This was a Magical Artifact the Tuo had painstakingly refined for many years, containing his heart's Vital Blood.
With several now shattered, it caused direct damage to the artifact, and he himself suffered significant backlash.
"What!"
The Tuo's eyes widened, a hint of shock appearing in his gaze.
But it wasn't over yet.
After knocking away the Tuo's Magical Artifact, Zhao Ming's palm continued forward without losing momentum, striking the Tuo's chest plainly and directly.
"Pfft!"
The Tuo felt a terrifying force surge into his body.
His protective Evil Qi instantly collapsed, and his sternum let out a tooth-aching cracking sound.
His whole body was like a kite with its string cut, blood spraying from his mouth as he flew backward.
Only after flying dozens of feet did he urge his mana to stabilize himself.
Ignoring the intense pain inside him, he stared in astonishment at Zhao Ming in the distance and hissed, "You... how can your strength be so powerful?"
Not only the Tuo, but everyone else was also startled.
The Gray-robed Old Man, however, remained calm; he clearly knew of Zhao Ming's strength beforehand.
"Powerful?"
Zhao Ming slowly withdrew his palm, his face full of disdain. "You rats in the gutter, did you really think this King was some ignorant royal playboy who only knows pleasure?"
As a Prince of Great Gan with a powerful maternal clan, he had been highly valued since childhood.
Since he was young, alchemists had refined Body Tempering Medicinal Pills for him, and experts of the Upper Three Ranks had personally taught him martial arts, laying an extremely profound Foundation for him.
If one were to speak of Foundation alone, Zhao Ming's background could be said to be among the best.
"A mere White Lotus Sect Protector thinks he can take this King?"
"If you actually succeeded, this King might as well just die."
Zhao Ming sneered; enveloped in the surging golden light, he seemed like a different person.
"Good! What a Prince Ning!"
Seeing this, a flash of surprise and joy lit up Su Qingqian's beautiful eyes.
She stared intently at Zhao Ming's tall and straight figure, sensing that vigorous Imperial Dragon Qi, and a sickly flush appeared on her exquisite face.
"I thought he was just a straw bag with some status, but I didn't expect... he's actually an unpolished jade!"
Su Qingqian murmured to herself, the fragrance emanating from her body becoming even more intense.
For the White Lotus Sect, controlling a useless Puppet was certainly easy.
But a waste is a waste after all; in the cruel struggle for the throne, it's hard for them to play a decisive role, and they even require a huge amount of energy to support.
If this Puppet himself possessed great strength and a decent Foundation, the situation would be completely different!
A prince with real talent, ambition, and strength... once planted with the Lifeless Demon Seed, he would become the sharpest of blades!