The Ming Dynasty: The most ruthless imperial grandson, Old Zhu begged me not to kill him.

Chapter 719 What kind of monster is this?
The imperial court was completely silent.

Zhu Xiong Ying looked at the empty court, but he didn't feel relieved. He knew this was just the beginning, and even greater challenges awaited him.

But the mysterious old man, and the power behind him, are his greatest threat...

Just as Zhu Xiong Ying was eliminating dissidents and consolidating imperial power, a strange thing happened in the palace. Overnight, all the lotus flowers in the Imperial Garden withered, and the water became extremely foul-smelling, as if it had been polluted by something.

The eunuchs and palace maids gossiped, saying it was the work of a demon. Bai Suzhen also found the matter strange, so she went to the Imperial Garden to investigate herself.

As she approached the pond, a pungent, fishy stench assaulted her nostrils, causing her to instinctively cover her nose. She carefully observed the withered lotus flowers and the murky water, and a sudden, ominous premonition rose within her…

Zhu Xiong Ying stood with his hands behind his back by the pond in the Imperial Garden, his brow furrowed. A stench filled the air, making his stomach churn. The withered lotus flowers and the murky pond water were all signs that something strange had happened here.

"Your Majesty, what... what should we do?" The little eunuch beside him asked, his face pale with fright.

Zhu Xiong Ying glanced at him coldly, "I'm not dead yet, what are you trembling about? Go and call Bai Suzhen here."

The young eunuch felt as if he had been granted a pardon and scrambled away.

Zhu Xiong Ying squatted down, dipped his finger in the pool water, and gently sniffed it. A strong smell of blood mixed with the stench of decay almost made him vomit. This was no ordinary case of pool water spoilage; it seemed more like the result of some kind of evil magic.

He thought of the mysterious old man, and a vague unease crept into his heart. Could it be that he was behind all of this?
Before long, Bai Suzhen arrived in a hurry. Dressed in white, she looked like a fairy, a stark contrast to the filthy environment.

"Your Majesty, I heard that something strange happened in the Imperial Garden, so I came to investigate," Bai Suzhen said softly, bowing slightly.

Zhu Xiong Ying stood up, pointed to the pond, and asked, "Look, what does this look like?"

Bai Suzhen walked to the pond, observed it carefully, and her expression became serious. "Your Majesty, the pond water and lotus flowers seem to have been contaminated by some kind of evil spirit, and I cannot explain why."

"An evil spirit?" Zhu Xiong Ying sneered. "I'd like to see what kind of evil spirit dares to cause trouble in my palace!"

He ordered his guards to bring fishing nets and personally went down into the pond to begin hauling the fish away. The pond water was icy cold and emitted a nauseating fishy stench, but Zhu Xiong Ying was undaunted.

After searching for a long time, all they found were a few dead fish and some rotten lotus leaves. Zhu Xiong Ying couldn't help but feel a little irritated. "Could it be that I guessed wrong?"

Just then, Bai Suzhen suddenly exclaimed, "Your Majesty, be careful!"

Before Zhu Xiong Ying could react, he felt something wrap around his ankle. He looked down and saw a black tentacle emerging from the murky pool water, tightly coiled around his ankle.

The tentacles were cold and slippery, emitting a nauseating, fishy stench, making Zhu Xiong Ying feel nauseous. He struggled desperately, but couldn't break free.

"Your Majesty!" Bai Suzhen cried out anxiously.

Zhu Xiong Ying gritted her teeth, drew her sword from her waist, and slashed fiercely at the tentacle.

With a clang, the sword struck the tentacle, but it was as if it had struck steel, leaving it completely unharmed.

Zhu Xiong Ying was shocked; these tentacles were incredibly hard!
Just then, more tentacles emerged from the pool, like black venomous snakes, and coiled around him.

Zhu Xiong Ying brandished his sword, desperately slashing at the tentacles, but as the tentacles multiplied, he gradually felt powerless.

Seeing this, Bai Suzhen disregarded everything else and jumped into the pond, waving her white silk ribbon in an attempt to help Zhu Xiong Ying out of his predicament. However, the tentacles seemed utterly unfazed by Bai Suzhen's ribbon, continuing to frantically coil around them.

"Suzhen, run! Don't worry about me!" Zhu Xiong Ying shouted.

"No! Your Majesty, I want to be with you!" Bai Suzhen replied firmly.

Just then, the silt in the center of the pond suddenly churned, and a huge black figure slowly emerged from the water.

The figure was enormous, like a small mountain, covered in black scales, and exuded a suffocatingly evil aura.

It has two huge eyes on its head, flashing a scarlet light like two will-o'-the-wisps, which is terrifying.

Its mouth is full of sharp teeth, like saw teeth, which makes people shudder.

"What kind of monster is this?!" Zhu Xiong Ying was horrified.

Bai Suzhen was also terrified and turned pale, but she still held Zhu Xiong Ying's hand tightly, showing no sign of backing down.

The monster slowly opened its massive mouth and let out a deafening roar. A foul-smelling liquid gushed from its mouth, splashing onto Zhu Xiong Ying and Bai Su Zhen.

Zhu Xiong Ying felt dizzy and weak all over. He realized that the liquid was poisonous!
"Suzhen..." Zhu Xiong Ying called out weakly.

"Your Majesty..." Bai Suzhen also felt weak all over, but she still held Zhu Xiong Ying tightly and refused to let go.

The monster let out a triumphant roar, its enormous tentacles tightly binding Zhu Xiong Ying and Bai Su Zhen, slowly dragging them into the murky pool...

The foul-smelling pool water rushed into Zhu Xiong Ying's mouth and nose, and a feeling of suffocation washed over him like a tidal wave. He struggled desperately, but like an insect caught in a spider's web, the more he struggled, the tighter it became. The monster's tentacles seemed to have a life of their own, cold and slippery, tightly constricting his body, rendering him unable to move. Through the filthy pool water, he saw Bai Suzhen's pale face, her eyes filled with fear and despair, yet she still held his hand tightly, refusing to let go.

The shadow of death loomed over Zhu Xiong Ying, and he felt an unprecedented sense of powerlessness. Was this his fate? To perish in this filthy pond? He was unwilling! He still had unfinished business, and the empire he needed to protect!

Just then, a scorching heat surged from his body, like a volcanic eruption, instantly engulfing his entire being. The tentacles wrapped around him seemed to be burned and abruptly retracted.

Zhu Xiong Ying felt a surge of power coursing through his body. He suddenly opened his eyes, which flashed with golden light. He grabbed Bai Suzhen's hand, pulled her behind him, and then swung his fist, smashing it hard against the monster's head.

"boom!"

With a loud bang, the monster's head was smashed to pieces by Zhu Xiong Ying's punch, and black blood gushed out, turning the pool water black.

The monster let out a shrill scream, and its huge body collapsed with a crash, sinking to the bottom of the pool and stirring up towering waves.

Zhu Xiong Ying, holding Bai Su Zhen, leaped from the pool and landed steadily on the ground.

"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Bai Suzhen asked with concern, her voice trembling slightly.

"I'm fine," Zhu Xiong Ying replied calmly, his tone tinged with weariness.

(End of this chapter)