Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

bang bang bang-

As soon as he finished speaking, a barrage of gunfire erupted behind Suzaku.

Puff puff puff——

In the blink of an eye, the flesh and blood of the Qingyi Sect disciple in front of Xue Wuying splattered with delicate blossoms of blood.

This scene shocked Xue Wuying and the other elders in the sect.

Although they had long heard that the Chu army's firearms could easily tear through the protective aura emitted by martial artists, they had never seen it with their own eyes and thought it was just an exaggeration.

But witnessing this bloody scene with my own eyes today, I have come to a profound realization of how ignorant I was before.

"run!"

As the gunshot rang out, Shen Lang gave a soft shout and, without waiting for the others to react, turned around and used his movement technique to flee the scene for his life.

Xue Wuying finally reacted, waving his hand: "Disciples, follow me and kill..."

puff……

Before he could finish speaking, a hot bullet pierced his palm.

In an instant, the intense pain disfigured him beyond recognition.

Driven by instinct, his body flew backward through the air.

As Zhuque watched the Qingyi Sect disciples fall one by one, her expression remained hidden beneath the mask.

After scanning the area and realizing her target was nowhere to be seen, she immediately ordered, "All soldiers, listen to my command! The disciples of the Green Robe Sect have committed treason and are guilty of an unforgivable crime. They shall be killed without mercy!"

Having said that, without waiting for a response, he leaped forward and sped off.

In the instant they passed the four elders of the Green Robe Sect, a bloody gash appeared on each of their vital points.

"shooting!"

bang bang bang-

At another command from Lü Meng, rifle bullets rained down like a dense hail of locusts, directly striking the frenzied disciples of the Green Robe Sect.

The Chu army's well-organized formation and close coordination of light and heavy firepower rendered these low-level martial artists utterly powerless to resist.

After a violent storm, the sect square, now covered in blood, was filled with corpses.

Many disciples let out mournful cries, constantly begging for mercy and help.

"Leave no survivors, kill without mercy!"

"Yes!"

In a single sentence, the dead end was sealed for these disciples of the Green Robe Sect...

In the sect's backyard, Xue Wuying, clutching his injured hand, fled frantically towards the back door, escorted by Xue Pan, Shen Lang, and dozens of his confidants.

As soon as we passed through a long corridor, a cold wind blew up.

A bright red figure gracefully landed in front of them.

Where do you intend to go?

Zhuque asked in a cold voice, a chilling crimson light shining through his vision hole.

"Protect the sect leader!"

Two trusted disciples shouted and immediately drew their swords to attack Zhuque, followed by several other disciples.

They were loyal followers of the sect, raised since childhood, and would protect Xue Wuying even at the cost of their lives.

"The mantis blocks the car!"

Zhuque snorted and raised his hand, striking the forehead of the leading confidant who was approaching.

Bang~

A wave of energy swept through, and the trusted disciple died instantly, bleeding from all seven orifices.

"Unbelievable!"

Then he raised his leg and delivered a powerful kick, shattering the heart of the second assassin.

The instant they landed, a gust of autumn wind swept away the fallen leaves, and the flying debris and bits of grass directly created a mist of blood on the remaining close-approaching disciples.

The entire process took only a few breaths, and all of Xue Wuying's trusted disciples surrounding him were dealt with.

But when Zhuque came to her senses, she realized that Xue Wuying and Shen Lang had already run far away.

"Can you leave?"

Zhuque let out a deep shout and decisively chased after the departing figure.

"Father, they're catching up!"

When Xue Pan turned around and saw this scene, he was so frightened that his internal organs almost shifted.

As Zhuque's figure drew closer, Xue Wuying's expression suddenly hardened.

"Son, it's your turn to fulfill your filial duty!"

He slapped Xue Pan in the chest with his backhand, sending him flying.

Zhuque was startled and raised her hand, striking Xue Pan's back with a burst of energy.

"Pfft~"

Xue Pan immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, staggered and fell to the ground, his internal organs destroyed on the spot, and he was dead beyond any hope of survival.

"Stay here, all of you! Don't even think about leaving!"

Although Xue Wuying's act of sacrificing his own son did slow down Zhuque's actions by a fraction, the huge difference in cultivation level did not resolve Xue Yingwen's crisis; instead, it further enraged Zhuque.

Seeing that Suzaku's palm strike was about to land on him, he cried out in despair, "My life is over!"

boom--

Just as Xue Wuying closed his eyes and awaited death, a booming sound of flesh clashing came from behind him.

The enormous shockwave caused the surrounding rocks to crack and crumble.

Looking back, it was Shen Lang who had blocked the fatal blow for Xue Wuying at the crucial moment.

"Get out of here!"

Shen Lang coldly uttered two words.

Xue Wuying immediately ran away into the distance without regard for anything else.

"Humph~"

Zhuque let out a soft snort and unleashed a powerful palm strike, immediately forcing Shen Lang back several steps.

"Shen Lang, His Majesty values ​​you so highly, and this is how you repay her? Come with me back to apologize to His Majesty!"

"I beg for forgiveness! Hmph, do you think I'd be stupid enough to go back and die?"

"The evidence against you for cannibalism is irrefutable. Do you still want to deny it?"

"If you want to incriminate yourself, why bother?"

"I really don't know how to live or die!"

The two men, unable to agree on anything, exuded a strong killing intent as they confronted each other.

The Vermilion Bird transformed its palm into claws, and the condensed energy waves caused the surrounding air to reverse its flow.

Despite his injuries, Shen Lang's fighting spirit remained undiminished in the face of such a formidable opponent.

After a brief silence...

"watch out!"

Shen Lang struck first, raising his palm straight at Zhuque.

A cold glint flashed in Zhuque's pupils, and he immediately launched a counterattack.

As soon as they clashed, the surrounding air exploded with a series of booms, and the bluestone beneath their feet shattered like tofu.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged more than thirty moves, and neither could determine a winner.

After the two exchanged blows with their four palms, they separated.

Zhuque and Shen Lang simultaneously drew their respective weapons.

A new and even more dangerous battle has begun.

The glint of blades and the flashing light of daggers and cold swords filled the air.

Wherever the powerful energy passed, everything in sight was destroyed.

Seeing that ordinary moves were no match for Shen Lang, Zhu Que focused her energy, spun around to avoid the dagger attack, and suddenly changed her sword technique.

"The Two Elements Nine Yang Sword!"

A magnificent move, accompanied by the aura of the Immortal Realm, swept towards Shen Lang like a tidal wave.

The Vermilion Bird Sword, like the sun rising in the sky, burns away all conspiracies and schemes.

Shen Lang immediately retaliated with an extreme move.

"Tai Xu · Moon Mark"

Suddenly, the sun and moon shone together, their light dazzling and extremely bright.

With a single, masterful strike, a crescent moon slashed out, dodging the Nine Yang Sword's momentum while aiming straight for the Vermilion Bird's neck.

Shen Lang was very confident that this strike would definitely end the battle.

but……

Ding!

"Ok?"

The seemingly fatal strike had an unexpected outcome, much to Shen Lang's surprise.

The tip of the dagger was about two inches from the side of Zhuque's neck when it was blocked by the raised scabbard, preventing it from getting any closer.

"How did you see through my trick?"

"Ah."

boom--

Shen Lang was stunned for a moment, then Zhu Que chuckled and kicked him in the chest.

"Pfft~"

Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Shen Lang flew backward and landed on a courtyard wall.

"The Taixu Blade Technique truly lives up to its reputation!"

Zhuque flicked the straight blade in her hand, and the blade slowly approached him, touching the ground.

"Who exactly are you to be able to break my Void Blade Intent?"

Shen Lang's face was full of disbelief.

At that moment, Zhuque noticed that another patch of crimson had appeared on his chest.

"So you were injured. No wonder the top expert of the Jingwei Division was defeated so easily. What a pity..."

The cold blade rose and slowly approached Shen Lang.

"Heh, kill me? You're far from it!"

Suddenly, Shen Lang took a step, rising up and kicking up a cloud of mud and sand.

The Vermilion Bird Sword and its scabbard crossed to block the attack.

When Shen Lang returned to the scene, he had already vanished without a trace.

"Running pretty fast."

Seeing that the person had already gone far away, Zhuque quickly sheathed her sword.

At this moment, Lü Meng reported: "Commander, all 731 disciples of the Qingyi Sect have been killed. In addition, a place for refining elixirs while living people has been discovered in a secret room."

"Save every single disciple of the Green Robe Sect!"

After speaking, Zhuque walked to Xue Pan's body.

"Pull his body through the streets and parade it for all to see."