Midnight

Night deepened.

The carriage stopped before the Crown Prince's Residence.

Su Chen stepped down from the carriage.

Xue Qinghe followed close behind.

The two entered the residence. The courtyard was empty, quiet in a way that felt unusual.

Even the guards who normally patrolled at night were nowhere to be seen.

Inside the study.

The candlelight flickered softly.

A parchment scroll that had just arrived lay on the desk.

Moon Pavilion's efficiency was truly astonishing.

In less than half an hour, Tang Yuehua had sent someone with a map of the city defense army's movements for tonight.

Xue Qinghe unfurled the parchment and examined it by candlelight.

His brows gradually furrowed.

"Prince Xue Xing has made quite a grand move."

"At midnight tonight, the guards at the west gate will be transferred to the southern camp for rotation, leaving a full half-hour gap."

"Three thousand death warriors will divide into four groups, infiltrate through the west gate, follow the inner city's waterways, and head straight for the Crown Prince's Residence."

"The Imperial Knights Corps along the route have all been sent away by Xue Xing under various pretexts."

Su Chen sat across from him.

"A perfectly normal arrangement. If you're doing something like this, you have to blind all those irrelevant onlookers."

Xue Qinghe set down the parchment.

"Leading them are not only death warriors, but also three Soul Saints and ten Soul Emperors."

"That force would be enough to fight a hard battle on the front lines under normal circumstances, yet now it is all being used against the Crown Prince's Residence."

"Xue Xing has truly gone mad."

The shadows in the corner stirred.

Gui Mei dropped to one knee.

"Young Master, Your Highness. The elderly, the weak, and the maidservants in the residence have all been evacuated through the secret passage."

"Following your instructions, only fifty trusted guards have been left behind, concealed around the study."

Su Chen took a sip of tea.

"Well done. Too many people would only get in each other's way."

Gui Mei did not rise, and his voice carried unconcealed worry.

"Your Highness, fifty against three thousand. The disparity in strength is enormous."

"Those death warriors are all desperadoes. Once they surround us, even without using soul skills, they could flatten this residence through sheer numbers."

"This subordinate can risk his life to hold back a few Soul Saints, but if the rest rush in..."

Su Chen raised his eyes.

"Who told you to hold back the Soul Saints?"

"The fifty guards are to defend the four corners of the residence to the death. Do not let a single one escape alive. As for those who enter the courtyard, leave them to me."

Gui Mei froze.

One man against three thousand death warriors and Soul Saints?

Yet recalling everything he had witnessed in Sunset Forest and at the Royal Academy, Gui Mei forcibly swallowed the words of protest that had risen to his lips.

"This subordinate obeys."

With a flash, he vanished back into the darkness.

Only the two of them remained in the study once more.

Xue Qinghe looked at the parchment on the desk, lightly tapping his fingers against the tabletop.

"Fifty men defending four corners means the inner courtyard is practically undefended."

"Once the main gate falls, all three thousand men will charge straight to this study."

"Su Chen, I know you have many methods, but those are three thousand living people. Even if they stood still and let you hit them, your arms would go numb before you finished."

Su Chen put down his teacup.

"My arms won't go numb."

"These past few days in Heaven Dou City, all I've seen is rotten political scheming. A real fight has finally come along, so it's the perfect chance to stretch my muscles."

Xue Qinghe sighed.

He raised a hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

The Void Illusion Divine Art circulated within him, and the illusion covering his exterior faded away.

Xue Qinghe's face quietly vanished.

Golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

Qian Renxue revealed her true appearance.

Only in this study, before Su Chen, did she dare remove her mask.

"The informants planted in the imperial city have sent word. Prince Xue Xing has arranged a family banquet tonight and invited several nobles from the neutral faction."

"On the surface, it is for music and wine. In truth, they are waiting for news that the Crown Prince's Residence has been destroyed."

"Once trouble breaks out here, Xue Xing will use the pretext of protecting the sovereign and bring his men to take over the scene."

"By then, there will be no witnesses left alive. The charge of rebellion may even be pinned on the Crown Prince's Residence."

A trace of worry flashed through Qian Renxue's eyes.

"Father is gravely ill and has always favored Xue Xing. If we cannot settle this thoroughly tonight and let Xue Xing turn things around, all these years of infiltration will have been for nothing."

"Do you really plan to bear this alone?"

"It's not bearing it."

Su Chen corrected her.

"It's killing."

"On the path of cultivation, the greatest taboo is hesitating out of fear. Do a mere few thousand mortal soldiers deserve to be called a tribulation?"

Qian Renxue bit her lower lip.

"I'll go with you."

"Once my Six-Winged Angel Martial Soul is unleashed, together with the Great Sun Tathagata Sword Intent you taught me, dealing with those Soul Saints will not be a problem."

Su Chen shook his head.

"The Angel Martial Soul cannot be exposed yet. There are too many spies in Heaven Dou City. Once it is revealed, Spirit Hall's plan will be thrown into chaos."

"Stay in the study and put on a pot of tea. Before it goes cold, everything outside will be cleaned up."

Time passed drop by drop.

Midnight arrived.

The wind outside suddenly stopped.

A foul, bloody stench filled the air.

It was the smell carried by people who had spent years licking blood from the edge of a blade.

Outside the walls of the Crown Prince's Residence.

Dozens of black figures vaulted over the walls.

They made not a sound.

The shadowy figures halted and gave a hand signal.

Then wave after wave of death warriors flooded into the residence like a tide.

The front courtyard, the covered walkways, the gardens.

Desperadoes wielding sharp blades were everywhere.

The leading Soul Saint wore black night clothes, his gaze cold and sinister.

Seeing the deserted front courtyard, a hint of doubt arose in his heart.

"Why isn't there even a guard? Didn't the intelligence say there were several hundred men?"

A Soul Emperor beside him lowered his voice.

"They probably caught wind of it and ran."

"This Crown Prince is nothing but a figurehead. His men are all cowardly rats afraid of death."

"The Prince's order is to kill without mercy, no matter who we encounter. Go straight to the study and cut off Xue Qinghe's head!"

The death warriors quickened their pace.

Their feet scraped densely across the bluestone paving.

Three thousand people packed the courtyard of the Crown Prince's Residence to the brim.

Their killing intent surged as they pressed toward the inner courtyard.

Before the threshold of the inner courtyard.

The wooden door to the study suddenly opened.

All the death warriors stopped at once.

Several thousand pairs of eyes fixed in unison on the doorway.

A short-haired young man in blue robes slowly stepped over the threshold.

He held no weapon in his hands.

He simply stood casually on the steps.

Looking down at the dense mass of black-clad men in the courtyard.

The leading Soul Saint was stunned.

"Where did this brat come from?"

Su Chen did not answer.

His gaze swept across the crowd as though counting their numbers.

"Three thousand. The report was not exaggerated."

"How much reward did Xue Xing offer you for it to be worth throwing away your lives?"

The Soul Saint sneered.

His Martial Soul possessed him, and a cold gleaming heavy saber appeared in his hand.

Seven Soul Rings lit up beneath his feet.

"Trying to play tricks! Is no one left in the Crown Prince's Residence, sending out a child to block blades?"

"Kill him! Hang his intact corpse from the city gate!"

Several death warriors immediately swung their longswords and lunged at Su Chen on the steps.

Their blades were fierce, showing no mercy.

Inside the study.

Qian Renxue stood behind the window, clutching the frame tightly with both hands.

Su Chen watched the descending blades.

He had no intention of dodging.

He pressed two fingers together.

A faint violet spark of lightning flickered at his fingertips.

"The numbers are sufficient. It's time to activate the formation."

Without any elaborate movement.

Su Chen formed a sword with his fingers and lightly sliced through the air.

Complex patterns suddenly lit up across the ground of the entire Crown Prince's Residence.

They were not soul skills.

They were an immortal cultivation formation Su Chen had secretly inscribed underground with spiritual energy over the past several nights.

The spiritual energy of heaven and earth erupted into turmoil.

The originally pitch-black night sky was shrouded beneath a faint veil of light.

It sealed the entire Crown Prince's Residence off from the outside world.

The several death warriors charging at the front had not even touched the corner of Su Chen's robes.

The stone slabs beneath their feet suddenly exploded.

Several streams of Purple Thunder Sword Qi burst from the ground.

Before they could even scream, the sword qi shredded them into clouds of blood mist.

Blood splattered across the steps.

The stench of blood instantly spread through the air.

The death warriors in the courtyard all sucked in a breath of cold air.

Their feet unconsciously retreated.

The leading Soul Saint's pupils suddenly contracted.

"What is this? A trap?"

"Don't panic! It's just a bluff! There is only one man! Charge! We have the numbers!"

The death warriors attacked again.

Like moths rushing into a flame, they surged toward the steps.

Su Chen remained where he was.

The Purple Thunder Spirit Sword at his waist let out a clear sword cry.

It flew from its sheath on its own and hovered in midair.

Thunder patterns flowed across the blade.

The aura of the Fire Law began to rise.

Su Chen extended his right hand and loosely gripped the hilt.

"In your next life, keep your eyes open. Not everyone's money is yours to take."

His words fell.

The sword point aimed straight ahead.