Taking the Blade

Tian Fen was the Chancellor of the Great Han Dynasty.

Having enjoyed wealth and honor for several years, Tian Fen lived a very happy and fulfilling life.

But ever since the new emperor and the empress dowager made their secret agreement, his life has been going downhill.

Some time ago, during the incident involving the Red Empyrean Sword, Tian Fen almost got his skin peeled off. Although he obtained some secret information that allowed Guan Fu to shield him from trouble, Tian Fen knew very well that his troubles were not over.

His troubles were endless. He went to great lengths to control the Sky Shuttle, thus sending the Empress Dowager to the Western Border to participate in this ambush.

Tian Fen had never seen the lives of great cultivators so worthless. Military generals, champions of military regions, and experts from Xiong State were treated like ordinary people in the midst of the melee.

There were no one-on-one duels; as you fought your way forward, someone would suddenly slash across with a sword.

What's most hated is always the sneak attack. Whenever someone is parrying or struggling during a charge, or their body is momentarily immobilized, they become an easy target and will attract the special attention of sharpshooters.

Only a handful of top-tier demons can ignore arrows; even a fierce demon king like Tiger Strength Demon King would curse and grumble if hit by an arrow.

Compared to the cold arrows, the arrival of the three Sacred Land masters of the Xiong State made Tian Fen's heart pound violently without stopping.

He flew the Sky Shuttle to a great height, exceeding the range of many archers' upward shots, but Tian Fen always felt it wasn't high enough.

Sprinkling the poison powder, which had almost no effect, Tian Fen's fingers finally began to tremble.

He saw the figure in a blue robe hovering in the distance, and he also heard Zhang Xuezhou shouting from below.

Tian Fen disliked Dao Jun, and he also disliked Zhang Xuezhou's big mouth that could carry his voice so far, but he had no choice but to lower the Imperial Shuttle.

If Tian Fen fails to protect the emperor when needed, the Great Han Dynasty will never have another Tian Fen.

Regardless of whether the new emperor is alive or dead, as long as he doesn't go down to protect him, Tian Fen's future will be difficult.

Even the Empress Dowager would be disappointed by this, which would inevitably lead to her refusal to withdraw.

On the other hand, if the new emperor dies, the Empress Dowager will lose her foundation and will also have to retreat to the background. Not to mention the imperial relatives like Tian Fen who rely on connections to climb the social ladder.

Whether Tian Fen wanted to or not, he had to go down.

As the Imperial Shuttle plummeted downwards, Tian Fen saw Dao Jun's expressionless face, the Empress Dowager with sweat pouring down her forehead, the new emperor wearing only his undergarments and wielding a short sword as he rode on the Imperial Shuttle, and Cheng Bushi, Gongsun He, Li Danghu, Li Jiao, and others riding silently on horseback nearby.

Each of them was a master, but each of them showed great bitterness when faced with the Dao Lord's attack.

No one could guarantee that they could stop the Dao Lord's attack and save the new emperor's life.

"Your Majesty, are you going to the Prime Minister's Imperial Shuttle?"

When Tian Fen Zhang Xuezhou's words reached Tian Fen, his heart skipped a beat.

"Dong... Dongfang Shuo, you... you..."

Tian Fen gritted his teeth, feeling that Zhang Xuezhou wanted him to stand in front and act as a shield for the new emperor, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything in response.

"The Dao Lord wanted to kill me with one strike too. It's better for me and His Majesty to be positioned differently than for me to be pierced through by a single blow," Zhang Xuezhou said. "When you're piloting the Sky Shuttle, fly a little more gracefully, don't be so rigid!"

"I... you..."

Tian Fen's shuttle was still swaying after its fall, rocking precariously among the galloping riders. He had difficulty speaking, and Tian Fen felt that Zhang Xuezhou was talking without any real experience.

But then he saw Zhang Xuezhou swaying almost the same way when he was in control. The amplitude of the swaying was almost the same as when he lost control. The new emperor stepped on the ground and changed positions in mid-air without any problems.

Upon seeing the new emperor enter the rear of his Sky Shuttle, Tian Fen was about to unleash his Law Power to increase output and maintain the Sky Shuttle, but he quickly discovered that having one more person on the Sky Shuttle seemed to have no effect; he couldn't even feel the new emperor's weight.

"Well!"

Tian Fen had a headache, but after only a few seconds, Tian Fen felt much better.

The new emperor changed positions on the Imperial Shuttle, and Zhang Xuezhou then abandoned the Imperial Shuttle he was riding, as if throwing away a worthless piece of junk, and floated onto a nearby mount.

Cheng Bushi, riding his horse, remained calm, but his deep sighs clearly revealed the complex emotions of this veteran general.

No one wants to be a shield, but no one can come up with a better way to deal with it.

When weapons clash, life and death are inevitable. Few cowards are fit to go to the battlefield, but facing a Dao Lord is a different story.

"Be careful, the reinforcements from the Xiong State are coming!"

Gongsun He shouted, and the Han Kingdom cultivators who couldn't catch up fired a flurry of arrows. The pursuing riders then forcibly changed direction.

In an instant, the direction changed, and a red light shot through the air.

No one can adequately describe this red light.

The red light moved very fast, yet very slowly; fast like an arrow shot from a bow, but slow enough to be clearly seen.

This is roughly what happens when you see something but can't avoid it.

Everyone who gazed at Daojun felt the red light and saw it shooting towards them.

A red light multiplied into countless rays, sending chills down one's spine.

Even though everyone knew it was the dazzling effect of a throwing knife Technique Method, no one dared to gamble that the knife wouldn't kill them.

As they instinctively reached out to block the red light, many people felt the red light shatter before their eyes.

The unsettling sense of dread, caused by both speed and slowness, vanished in an instant, followed by a series of muffled groans.

In mid-air, the Daoist Master in the blue robe also let out a muffled groan, his face no longer expressionless.

He clasped his hands together, with a foot-long short sword between his palms.

He held the sword between his fingers, but a new crack had appeared in the center of his forehead.

A drop of blood appeared in the center of his forehead, and Daojun did not utter another word to the crowd.

He casually tossed aside his short sword, then soared more than ten feet into the air, calling out "Nine Spirits," before his body crashed down towards the Nine Spirits Primal Sage below.

"Daojun is dying!"

Tian Fen exclaimed in surprise.

Beads of sweat the size of beans dripped from his forehead as he spoke.

With his vision clearly visible, Tian Fen could see blood mixed with sweat on his forehead, followed by intense pain in his mind.

The four protective talismans fell from his sleeve, the once intact talismans now broken into eight pieces.

Only then did Tian Fen let out a scream, and the Imperial Shuttle beneath his feet instantly went out of control, sending him flying into the air.

"I was killed by Daojun! He killed me! I was innocent! Why did he kill me?!"

Tian Fen screamed in terror. It wasn't until he was pulled onto the back of a mount and slapped twice on the face that Tian Fen regained some composure.

"As long as you can scream, you won't die!"

Cheng Bushi shouted, stopping Tian Fen's panicked shouting.

His face was flushed, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his mouth.

The Law Treasure shield used for defense was discarded like wrecked trash, and this treasure, once known as the world's top shield, shattered into pieces and scattered all over the ground.

"Great throwing knife!"

When Cheng Bushi looked at the right hand holding the shield, he saw that half of the four fingers gripping the shield had been cut off.

Only after he released the Law Treasure shield with his right hand did the severed fingers fall down in a row.

Cheng Bushi undoubtedly took a blow for Zhang Xuezhou.

This strike made Cheng Bushi realize the gap in their cultivation levels, and also made him understand the consequences of the Daoist Lord's Flying Knife Technique.

When Cheng Bushi's gaze swept over the new emperor, who was being grabbed by Zhang Xuezhou, and saw the emperor's Cheng Bushi face, his heart sank.