I long to return home!

Scenes of swordplay, bloodshed, magic, and supernatural powers on the cliff, along with glimpses of narrow escapes from death, flashed before my eyes.

Considering the situation, the blonde woman with golden eyes standing to the side, and the fact that Huai Zhen was being besieged from all sides, he felt a tearing pain in his heart.

With a few painful screams, the spiritual energy in the jade pendant was extracted, and his every move changed. No longer considering the consequences, he decisively attacked.

He dodged several incoming spells by sidestepping, grabbed the incoming spirit sword with his backhand, and shattered the blade with a forceful pull. His face turned fierce and ferocious. Then he grabbed the guard's arm, twisted it with a "crack," and broke the bone.

One palm strike followed by a punch, then an elbow strike shattered his sternum. Finally, he leaned to the side, and one guard after another was sent flying, spitting blood, their magical weapons losing their luster.

Shen Lingjiao stood to the side with her mouth agape, staring blankly at everything, not knowing what to say. A dozen or so guards with Foundation Establishment cultivation levels were unable to suppress a frail and sickly person.

No, judging from the current situation, the latter seems to be a weak and sickly person, with no chance to fight back at all. Even the Qi Refining stage guards didn't have to use their magic weapons or spells before they were sent flying.

Huai Zhen, like a ferocious beast, showed no mercy, unleashing all his deadly moves. Fortunately, the guards who came were all wearing protective armor, which saved their lives.

With each punch and palm strike, the silver-armored woman was forced to retreat. With a "boom," a trace of bright red appeared at the corner of her mouth, and she clutched her waist, her face showing pain.

"Quick! Protect His Highness and get him out of here! Quick! Notify the Imperial Guards!" She coughed heavily, gripped the slightly cracked short sword tightly, and attacked Huai Zhen again.

Huai Zhen's robes turned exceptionally crimson under the stain of blood. Seeing that Shen Lingjiao was about to be taken away, his anger intensified, and he used his fingertips to control the blood energy that permeated the surroundings, turning it into sharp thorns to strike.

Swish, swish, swish...

A series of streaks of blood flashed by, and without exception, anyone who came within ten steps of Shen Lingjiao was embedded in the wall, their protective armor shattered to pieces, and any further blows would have killed them.

"I knew your Wuji Empire would never change its ways. Today, even if it costs me my life, I will not allow you to harm His Highness." The woman in silver robes used a short sword technique to briefly suppress Huai Zhen.

The blade sliced ​​through the skin, leaving shallow bloodstains, but a few breaths later it transformed into sharp, bloody thorns and attacked again.

"I'm here, I won't let you touch her!" Huai Zhen roared, gripping the short sword piercing his chest tightly. Before the silver-armored woman could react, he shattered the silver armor with a bloody punch that went straight into her abdomen.

"Wang Yan!" Shen Lingjiao covered her mouth with her delicate hand, unable to bear the sight of the tragic scene, her pupils constantly darting away.

"No one can hurt her, no one can!" Huai Zhen pulled out his scarlet hand and waved his blood-red robe to repel the attacking guards.

Just as he was about to deliver the fatal blow, time around him inadvertently slowed down, and waves of spiritual energy flowed through the wounded guard, causing his wounds to begin to heal.

At the same time, Huai Zhen's punch, which was about to be delivered, was met with resistance and he was firmly rooted to the spot, unable to move. The next moment, an invisible but enormous spiritual force pressed down, creating a deep pit in the ground, and Huai Zhen was also trapped underneath.

As everyone was shocked, an untimely sigh rang in their ears. Looking up towards the source of the sound, they saw Gu Changgeng appear out of thin air, walking through the air.

With a light tap of the toes, a vortex of energy rippled outwards, stretching for miles. At this moment, in the vast golden imperial city, every powerful individual with a cultivation level of at least Nascent Soul noticed this familiar aura.

"Ah Zhen, Ah Zhen, how can we cultivators act without restraint? If we're going to cause trouble, we shouldn't do it in the palace. It would be terrible to get caught out." Gu Changgeng sighed softly. His steps were ethereal and unpredictable, sometimes near and sometimes far.

With a gentle wave of his icy blue robe, Wang Yan, who had been seriously injured, regained her vitality and her complexion improved considerably. At this moment, Gu Changgeng appeared like an immortal descending to earth, his brows exuding a righteous aura.

Seemingly seeing a glimmer of hope, Shen Lingjiao's expression softened, but in the next instant she pointed at Gu Changgeng and cursed, "You old bastard, you keep causing trouble for this princess..." She stomped her feet in anger, "Was this arranged by you, you old bastard? I'm going to expose you to the Emperor later."

"Ah Jiao, as far as I know, you recently made things difficult for my disciple. Should I also report to His Highness and have you confined to your quarters?" Gu Changgeng came to the ground and picked up Huai Zhen like a chick and began to grind her down.

"He couldn't even find a good place to peek, sigh..." He sighed again, a hint of surprise appearing in his eyes. Huai Zhen's strength today exceeded his expectations, and he had even moved beyond the Foundation Establishment stage.

As he spoke, he silently recited obscure and difficult-to-understand incantations, while his face slowly became solemn. He deduced Huai Zhen's past again, only to find that Huai Zhen's body was submerged in a sea of ​​blood, devoid of any emotion, only filled with endless hatred and killing intent.

"Grand Preceptor." Wang Yan, who had recovered, slowly stood up, endured the lingering pain, bowed, and said, "Grand Preceptor, this person has trespassed into the Golden Jade Palace and is from the Wuji Empire. I have reason to suspect that this person is here to assassinate Her Highness the Princess. I beg you not to tolerate this."

Upon hearing this, Gu Changgeng pondered for a moment, then nodded gently and carried Huaizhen to Shen Lingjiao. He lowered his head and said, "Azhen is a key research subject of our Star Surveillance Institute. Would it be alright to let this matter drop?" After saying this, he smiled faintly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Lingjiao's expression turned strange. Naturally, she would not let go of any member of the Star Surveillance Institute, especially someone like Gu Changgeng with whom she had a blood feud. However, upon hearing that Huaizhen was the experimental subject, she seemed to feel a sense of regret.

"No, absolutely not! He tried to assassinate me, the only princess in the Yin Yue Empire, Father Emperor's sweetheart princess!" Shen Lingjiao said.

A series of hurried footsteps approached, and a group of heavily armored guards rushed over, many of whom were at the Golden Core stage.

Upon seeing Gu Changgeng, the crowd was no longer worried about the situation and bowed respectfully, saying, "Greetings, Imperial Preceptor."

Gu Changgeng responded softly, then turned his gaze back to Shen Lingjiao and said again, "Ajiao, there are some things that need to be carefully considered."

"Bah! I won't believe a single word from your Star Watching Academy. If you don't give me a reasonable explanation today, I'll... I'll... I'll go to my father and complain about you," Shen Lingjiao retorted.

“Your Majesty, I will speak to you myself. But if we really want to clarify, Ah Zhen was merely spying; he wasn't the one who struck first.” Gu Changgeng winked knowingly. “That's enough.”

"No, that's just no." Shen Lingjiao put her hands on her hips, supporting her flat chest.

The crowd was stunned by the scene. Neither side was someone you could afford to offend, and it wouldn't be appropriate to side with either of them.

"As a princess of a nation, why is she so stubborn?" Gu Changgeng's tone was somewhat impatient.