199: The plan to assassinate Zhou Yan was devised by Zhou Yan himself.

"Where is he!"

"It's been two days!"

"Where the hell did he go!"

"Loyal" collapsed onto his knees, the two pupils in his heterochromatic eyes spinning uncontrollably.

His cultivation level was rapidly dropping from the Core Formation Stage. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he fell back to the Foundation Establishment Stage.

All these changes were observed by a "sticky rice dumpling."

What is wrong with this person?

He was fine when he came last night, showing no signs of fatigue all night. Why did he break down emotionally so soon after arriving today?

Could this person be a Dissociative Identity Disorder case, just like Niu Zhiyuan?

Based on yesterday's experience, Zhou Yan changed into the sticky rice dumpling disguise early today and found a suitable spot to lie down and rest.

This time, Loyal came later than yesterday, only appearing after midnight.

It was clear he was exhausted before arriving. He probably searched other parts of the Imperial Palace and only returned here when he couldn't find Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan even suspected that he might have run into Meng Ke.

After all, the Joyous Union Sect is known for being proficient in Illusion Techniques and similar Spells. Loyal's current state might be Meng Ke's doing.

"Gugu gaga!"

Loyal performed a carp flip to stand up, shouted something nonsensical, and then started dancing wildly.

Seeing this, Zhou Yan understood.

This was definitely Meng Ke's doing!

Loyal's appearance was truly an eyesore.

After all, he was old and hadn't yet reached Core Formation, looking as decrepit as Huo Zhongshan.

However, a Cultivator is still a Cultivator; their control over their body is strong. Just a few dance steps revealed his considerable foundation.

Heavens, how desperate must one be to dance like this?

Loyal's posture nearly brought Zhou Yan to tears.

He almost couldn't resist moving over to kick him, but ultimately held back.

But Loyal didn't dance for long before collapsing onto the ground, as if his soul had suddenly left him.

Zhou Yan checked the panel and confirmed that Loyal's status had returned to normal.

So he used his Spiritual Power to lift Loyal, simultaneously conjuring a foot to deliver a fierce kick to his backside, sending him flying from the young Emperor's bedchamber back to his own room.

Zhou Yan had been to his room before, and it was lit up on the mini-map. Coupled with the perfectly controlled force of the kick, the precise shot sent Loyal crashing through the window and back onto his own bed.

Given his condition, he shouldn't bother me again anytime soon.

But this also reminded me.

He recalled that not long ago, Shi Suiyan had contacted him through that strange Lens.

She told Zhou Yan that the Flood Dragon body was already in their hands.

Although he had anticipated it, he didn't expect Shi Suiyan and the others to finish the task first.

Since his teammates were so effective, he should prepare to draw the enemy's attention.

Zhou Yan rubbed his chin and began to think.

"It seems I need to create some commotion and show off my strength. If they keep testing me like this, something is bound to go wrong."

"Instead of letting them constantly probe, I might as well stage a performance myself."

Having made up his mind, Zhou Yan activated the yuanwu xielü, which was hanging in the Li Residence acting as a wind chime.

"Since they want to see, I'll put on a blatantly fake show and let them watch to their hearts' content."

"Whether they think I'm bluffing or genuinely powerful, it will keep them busy guessing for a while. Since they love to speculate, let them speculate."

Fortunately, when he left, he had left time like a shuttle next to the yuanwu xielü.

At that time, he would have the yuanwu xielü impersonate Feng Xu to carry out the assassination. He just needed to make the special effects and Aura sufficiently exaggerated.

He could also use this chance to see how many Loyal people were left inside and outside the Imperial Palace.

As for accidents, Zhou Yan wasn't worried.

The yuanwu xielü is a Bound Item. If an emergency arises, he can just recall it to his backpack.

Even if someone intercepted it before he could show off his strength, it wouldn't matter.

He could use the opportunity tomorrow to make trouble, frame those three people, and the arrangement wouldn't be wasted.

If he successfully showed off his strength, should he still frame them?

Of course he should.

Since he went through the trouble, he absolutely must pick a hat he likes to take away; he can't be disrespectful, right?

If he can reduce the national destiny a little now, he should.

Otherwise, when the opposition rebels, the sudden drop in national destiny will take time. If the opponent's drop is even 1 second faster, the pressure on our own strong individuals will be reduced.

Action followed thought; Zhou Yan was always highly decisive.

Because Zhou Yan had previously completed the Undergoing Tribulation, the yuanwu xielü's Combat Power officially matched the Core Formation Stage.

Therefore, the duration of its transformation and the upper limit of the power it could use were significantly increased.

Thus, in the Capital City at night, a figure wrapped in air currents leaped nimbly between the outer walls, quickly bypassing the Inner City guards and infiltrating the Inner City.

It wasn't that the people in the Inner City couldn't detect the infiltration of a Core Formation Stage Cultivator.

Rather, Zhou Yan utilized the Emperor's Authority, manipulating the flow of the Barrier to tear open a brief gap, allowing it to enter directly.

This was similar to how the young Emperor could previously manipulate the Earth Veins to bypass the Barrier.

However, this time Zhou Yan didn't plan to hide his tracks, so he didn't use the Earth Veins but chose to directly open the Barrier and enter, intentionally leaving traces.

Anyway, they wouldn't be able to trace the tracks back to him.

Feng Xu has been dead for so many years. If they could trace it, Zhou Yan would actually admire them; it would be a contribution to archaeology.

Just like this, an "Assassin" wrapped entirely in air currents advanced brazenly toward the Imperial Palace in the Inner City, practically wearing the word "Assassin" on his face.

In fact, Zhou Yan really did write the word "Assassin" on the entity's face.

Under the air current covering, the yuanwu xielü appeared light green. He used wind of other colors to form the two characters for "Assassin" and stuck them on its face, making them extremely conspicuous.

Was it deliberate? It was done on purpose. The more deliberate, the better the effect.

Sure enough, after only running two laps in the Inner City and before even entering the Imperial Palace, a mask-wearing young man appeared in the yuanwu xielü's field of vision.

The moment the person appeared, Zhou Yan saw right through him.

He carried a Storage Ring and a Storage Pouch, wearing a kind of Standardized Uniform that was functionally simple, made of cheap Materials, and didn't match his personal temperament.

His cultivation was Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage, and a token hung from his left waist.

He didn't recognize the style of the token, but he could sense the Aura of a Half-Demon on it, indicating a high probability that it was related to the Truth Cult.

"Hmph! How dare an Assassin be so brazen in broad daylight!"

Without a word, the person drew his sword and charged forward. The Sword Light was sharp, as if intending to slay the yuanwu xielü with a single strike.

But the yuanwu xielü stood motionless, allowing the strike to land on its body.

The sword strike only shook loose the air currents wrapped around the right arm, revealing a boyish arm, but caused no damage whatsoever; even the clothing wasn't torn.

This scene clearly startled the opponent, who quickly retreated.

But just as he was about to move, the yuanwu xielü reached out, pulled him back, and grabbed him by the throat.

The air currents gradually stabilized, and the arm was covered once more.

Then, Zhou Yan remotely transmitted a sentence through the yuanwu xielü.

"Do you also wish to dance?"

He then kicked him toward the ground.

The kick was powerful, but it didn't cause serious damage, only giving him some Internal Injuries at most.

Given the opponent's Foundation Establishment Stage strength, as long as he wasn't a Talent Monster like Wang Yao, he should recover in two or three days.

After that person fell, the entire Inner City immediately became lively.

Streams of power, no longer concerned about the suppression of the Inner City, appeared one after another.

At this moment, the yuanwu xielü was locked onto by countless Divine Senses.

Red dots and green dots densely popped up on the mini-map.

Although he hadn't infiltrated the Imperial Palace yet, the current situation was exactly what Zhou Yan wanted.

Feeling that time was running out, Zhou Yan directly controlled the yuanwu xielü to broadcast a City-wide Broadcast.

"Slay the Tyrant, Truth is eternal!"

Then, with a fierce charge, it lunged straight toward the Imperial Palace.

Just as someone was preparing to intercept it, Zhou Yan made his move first.

A gigantic Golden Finger appeared in the sky, completely illuminating the night, making the Inner City feel like broad daylight for a moment.

This method of showing off was modeled after the Nascent Soul Cultivator from the Truth Cult.

However, this power was genuinely at the Body Integration level, making it more intimidating than the opponent's.

But those who knew better could tell that the Law content within was extremely low, which was due to Zhou Yan's insufficient understanding, preventing him from utilizing it fully.

However, the only person capable of seeing through this was currently on their way back to the Capital City from the Frontier.

Although it was only Body Integration level power, if he actually pressed it down, it would consume a significant amount of Zhou Yan's reserves.

Anyway, it was just a show; letting them see it was enough.

Under Zhou Yan's deliberate control, after the yuanwu xielü shouted the slogan, and just before the gigantic Golden Finger descended, it released a Major Wind-type Technique.

It was another case of a lot of noise but little substance. After using the skill, Zhou Yan immediately recalled it to his backpack.

To outsiders, it looked as if it had suddenly Self-Destructed.

Suddenly unleashing immense power, and then its Aura completely vanishing—what else could it be but Self-Destruct?

After the yuanwu xielü vanished, the gigantic Golden Finger also dissipated, and the Inner City returned to silence.

However, compared to before, the Inner City was outwardly calm but inwardly turbulent.

Looking at the dense stream of refreshing information on the panel, Zhou Yan couldn't be bothered to check them one by one.

He filtered the information directly, first compiling a list of all Truth Cult members, writing down their names and drawing portraits, ready to pass them to Li Wenbo at an appropriate time.

As for the other panel information, he temporarily set it aside; he didn't have time to examine it closely.

Although the incident happened suddenly that night, the only ones truly injured were the unnamed young man and the area where he crashed through the ground.

Zhou Yan didn't look closely at who that person was; a minor character taken out in one move wasn't memorable.

He was probably a member of the Truth Cult; he should have been included when the list was compiled. There was no need to specifically remember such an unimportant minor character.

However, the subsequent developments were somewhat surprising to Zhou Yan.

People arrived at the Imperial Palace one after another to Guard the Emperor, including Loyal, who was exhausted but still insisted on running over.

His loyalty was truly beyond reproach.

If he hadn't been exploited by others previously, Zhou Yan might have entrusted him with important responsibilities long ago.

Seeing several red dots still flashing inside the Imperial Palace, Zhou Yan's eyes slightly chilled. He dismissed the others, ordering them to keep strict watch.

But he kept Loyal alone.