328: Jin Wuzhu, a master of the Jin Dynasty's imperial palace

A group of people rushed out of the jungle behind them. All of them were Martial Artists.

Ah Fei of the Iron Sword, Fu Hongxue, and Daoist Mu of the Sect were accompanied by the Seven Heroes of Wudang: Eldest Martial Brother, Song Qingshu, Seventh Martial Brother, Yin Liting, Second Martial Brother, and Zhang Songxi also arrived.

They came by order. They received the news when they learned that the Jin state was going to war against the Kingdom.

After confirming that Duan Zhengchun was not in the Kingdom, Zhang Sanfeng ordered Daoist Mu to bring Eldest Martial Brother and the others to provide support.

He also gave them instructions: if war didn't start, they wouldn't need to appear; if it did, they should intervene and help.

Of course, they also had to pay attention to their own safety.

Lu Xiaofeng had always had many Jianghu friends. After receiving the news, he gathered his trusted friends to provide support.

On the way, he happened to meet Daoist Mu and his group. After learning each other's purpose, they traveled together.

They were also hiding in the mountains and forests on the Border of the Kingdom, sharing the same idea.

If the two countries started fighting, they would act; if not, they would wait and see.

They just hadn't expected that the Great General Zhenyuan of Jin would leave no room for negotiation and immediately start the war.

Seeing that Emperor Duan Zhengming had personally entered the fray, they stopped watching and immediately acted.

If something happened to Emperor Duan Zhengming, their trip would have been in vain.

Not only would they gain no benefits, but they might also lose the opportunity to forge a good relationship with Duan Zhengchun.

They were also clearly aware that even they, Martial Forest Masters, had no chance of winning against hundreds of thousands of troops.

Forty thousand troops—even if they stood still and let them kill, they would probably collapse from exhaustion.

Not to mention that the troops wouldn't just stand there and let them kill them.

Among them, the strongest Masters currently were West Gate Blowing Snow, Lu Xiaofeng, Hua Manlou, Daoist Mu, and Eldest Martial Brother.

As for Seventh Martial Brother, Zhang Songxi, Second Martial Brother, and Yin Liting, their strength was only at the Innate Peak, and they hadn't even achieved a Breakthrough to the Grandmaster Realm.

For them, in this battle, only by using the Sect's True Martial Seven-Section Array could they maneuver amidst the charge of so many soldiers.

The Seven Heroes of Wudang were missing Yu Daiyan and Zhang Cuishan, so Daoist Mu and Qingshu had to fill in. With Daoist Mu, an Early Celestial Realm Master, as the core, the True Martial Seven-Section Array was even more powerful.

As for West Gate Blowing Snow, he was originally a Divine-Grade Sword God, and his strength had already reached the Heavenly Human Realm.

His attacks were icy and Ruthless, and wherever he passed, soldiers fell in droves.

Soon, the group rushed to the Emperor's side.

The Emperor was stunned when he saw the group suddenly rush out. After recognizing the arrivals, a look of pleasant surprise appeared on his face.

"Brother Ximen, Brother Lu, Brother Hua, you've come?"

"Brother Duan, these gentlemen are friends from the Sect. Hearing that the Kingdom was in trouble, they came to help. This is the Sect's Grand Elder, Daoist Mu. This is Great Hero Song, the leader of the Seven Heroes of Wudang, along with several Junior Brothers and Great Hero Song's Young Master, Song Qingshu." Lu Xiaofeng introduced them to the Emperor while simultaneously dealing with the attacks around him.

"Lu Xiaofeng, now is not the time for introductions. It's not too late to talk after we resolve the current crisis," Daoist Mu said at this moment.

"Brother Mu is right. Let's resolve the current crisis first," Lu Xiaofeng nodded in agreement.

"Zhengming thanks all you Martial Forest peers for coming to support us. Zhengming has noted this kindness and will certainly repay it generously in the future," the Emperor said gratefully.

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but laugh. With the Emperor's promise, their trip was not in vain.

In the Jin Imperial Court, Xiao Meng, Xiao Yuanshan, and Li Xunhuan arrived outside the Imperial City and infiltrated it under the moonlight.

Xiao Meng carefully sensed the surroundings and found many hidden Dark Guards in the Imperial City, though their strength was not very high.

However, deep within the Imperial Palace, Xiao Meng sensed a faint, almost imperceptible aura of a powerful Master.

"Be careful. There is a Master in this Imperial Palace. I will deal with that Master shortly. You two find the Emperor of Jin, kill the Emperor of Jin, and then we leave," Xiao Meng stated the plan calmly.

"Understood..."

Xiao Yuanshan and Li Xunhuan nodded simultaneously. Xiao Meng said she was the strongest of the three. Although Li Xunhuan's Realm was not as high as Xiao Yuanshan's, his Flying Dagger skill meant even Xiao Yuanshan might not be his match.

Therefore, the assassination would be carried out by Li Xunhuan.

Although they knew there was a Master in the Imperial Palace, they didn't intend to enter brazenly. Their purpose here was assassination.

Given the strength of the three of them, avoiding the patrolling soldiers was very simple.

They made their way to the Main Hall, and the three quickly found the Emperor of Jin. At this time, the Emperor of Jin was not reviewing memorials, but was in a Concubine's Bedchamber.

The Emperor of Jin had been suppressing a surge of anger lately. His most beloved and promising son had died, and his grandson had also died.

For him, a white-haired person sending off a black-haired person was too great a blow.

With nowhere to vent the anger in his heart, he came to his most beloved concubine to release his inner fury.

The three hadn't expected to encounter such a scene during an assassination attempt.

Xiao Yuanshan and Li Xunhuan were unfazed, but Xiao Meng felt a bit awkward, though her expression didn't change.

Xiao Meng looked at the two and signaled with her eyes for them to prepare.

Xiao Yuanshan and Li Xunhuan nodded. Immediately, Xiao Meng directly used Heaven and Earth Lose Color. Instantly, the surrounding soldiers and Palace Maids froze.

They could think, but they found that their bodies were completely uncontrollable, and they couldn't even make a sound.

Just as Xiao Meng made her move, the hidden Master in the Imperial Palace immediately sensed it and reacted instantly.

A terrifying aura erupted, and a figure instantly appeared in front of Jin Zhangzong, the Emperor of Jin, blocking Xiao Meng.

Although Heaven and Earth Lose Color was powerful, its effect was less obvious when facing a strong opponent.

Jin Wushu, a hidden Master of Jin, had already reached the Heavenly Human Realm and had been Cultivating in seclusion within the Imperial Palace.

When the Emperor of Jin ordered the army to march on the Kingdom, he had already asked Jin Wushu to come out of seclusion to guard against assassination attempts.

Now it seemed his guess was correct.

"Who are you? How dare you come here to assassinate the Emperor of my Great Jin? Are you courting death?" Jin Wushu sneered.

"It seems you are the Emperor of Jin's final trump card!" Xiao Meng looked at Jin Wushu with a calm tone.

Jin Wushu's strength was already at the Heavenly Human Realm Middle Stage, which was the powerful Master she had sensed earlier.

The Emperor of Jin's eyes lit up when he saw that the assassin who suddenly appeared was actually a stunning beauty.

"Jin Wushu, I want her alive. It would be a great pity to kill such a beautiful woman directly."

Hearing the Emperor of Jin's words, Xiao Meng's pretty face turned cold, and a hint of killing intent flashed in her eyes.

Without further ado, she immediately attacked, thrusting the sword in her hand directly at Jin Wushu.

Jin Wushu dared not be careless. His weapon was a Horse-Slaying Saber.

He was originally a general, and the Horse-Slaying Saber had a unique advantage when killing enemies on the battlefield.

The sound of air breaking rang out. Xiao Meng's figure nimbly dodged the blow, and the sword in her hand slashed toward Jin Wushu.

Jin Wushu blocked with his saber. A burst of counter-shock force directly sent Xiao Meng flying backward.