5014
Chapter 5014: 5.0766 Close Call
Duan Yue's expression was puzzled. "You two, by yourselves, could set up an invisible gravity talisman array in the imperial garden?" Not only that, but they also dug out the ground, buried sharp, poisoned blades beneath, ensuring that anyone who fell would face certain death. Since when did the chief eunuch of Renchuan Palace wield such immense power? Setting up such things in the imperial garden couldn't have been done in just a day or two.
The fake Empress Dowager saw the Emperor's suspicious gaze on her and knew he was still doubting her. She calmly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you may not know this, but although Eunuch Yang is only a tenth-level Xuan Master, he has a contracted Xuan Beast, a marmot. It digs tunnels and pits incredibly fast. Even a large pit in soft ground wouldn't take half an hour."
At these words, Eunuch Yang immediately deflated like a punctured balloon, slumping to the ground. The elder's earlier words had already confirmed that Eunuch Yang had accepted bribes and selfishly helped an outsider to dig a pit in the imperial garden. The fake Empress Dowager's words merely provided further clarification.
"Marquis, I helped you with such sincerity, and you, you actually..." Eunuch Yang, furious to the point of tears, never expected that when it came down to it, the Marquis and his close guard would drag him down with them. He cried bitterly, collapsing to the ground, "Your Majesty, spare me! This servant was temporarily blinded by greed, intoxicated by money. If not for the Marquis, if he hadn't tempted this servant with hundreds of millions of spirit coins, how could I have, how could I have..."
"The Marquis of Anxing indeed has a generous hand." Bribing someone with hundreds of millions of spirit coins—who could resist such a sum? In this light, the matter became understandable. The Marquis of Anxing probably approached Eunuch Yang because he valued his marmot, which was exceptionally effective at digging pits and could assist his own people in setting up arrays and traps.
"May I know this gentleman's name? You... must be a fellow countryman of Prince Guangwa's two beloved concubines, correct?" Duan Yue's eyes coldly swept over the elder behind the Marquis of Anxing. The elder's face was still streaked with blood, now congealed into dark red patches.
"Sir, with your Superspirit Realm cultivation, why pretend to have been brutally beaten and abused? Are you... waiting for an opportunity?" As Duan Yue uttered these words, the fake Empress Dowager, who had been standing next to the Marquis of Anxing, was startled. She immediately and quickly darted behind the group of guards, her reaction remarkably quick and sharp.
At this moment, the elder, who had been kneeling silently on the ground, slowly raised his head. His eyes, like electric currents, swept over Duan Yue and Qiao Mu, who were seated above.
"Ma Wu, kill them."
The elder's body exploded forward, swiftly darting towards Qiao Mu. A powerful, fierce claw reached for her shoulder. No wonder the Marquis of Anxing showed no sign of panic from beginning to end. Duan Yue couldn't help but curl his lips in a sneer. He brought a Superspirit Realm master with him after all.
"Boom!" Duan Yue met his palm with a strike, pushing him back three steps.
The elder, named Ma Wu, looked at Duan Yue with a shocked expression. His body suddenly split into two, so fast that Duan Yue barely had time to change his expression. This old man actually has a solid clone. He—
"Qiao Qiao, quickly dodge!" Duan Yue blocked one of the elder's attacks, but he had no time to spare for the other clone. The elder smiled sinisterly, his palm about to grasp Qiao Mu's neck.
A stream of black fire immediately poured down from the sky...