Chapter 536 Assassination in the Dark
He explained while demonstrating. He took a deep breath, his chest bulged, and his muscles tensed instantly, as if countless tiny snakes were writhing beneath his skin. He then casually picked up a wooden stick as thick as a child's arm and slammed it down hard on his chest!
"Bang!"
With a muffled thud, the wooden stick snapped in two, but not a single red mark was left on Shen Mo's chest.
A collective gasp filled the arena, followed by thunderous applause.
......
In the days that followed, the training ground was filled with shouts and the muffled thuds of bodies colliding.
Shen Mo weaved through the crowd, sometimes correcting a wrong breathing technique, sometimes pointing out a stiff posture.
His teachings were strict yet patient, allowing these proud royal warriors to experience for the first time what true "asceticism" was.
Occasionally, Zhao Yan would quietly appear in the pavilion at the edge of the training ground.
He was dressed in casual clothes, standing with his hands behind his back, gazing at the figure in the center of the field who was focused on teaching.
Whenever he saw his martial artists becoming more coordinated and their breathing more sustained under Shen Mo's guidance, his eyes would reveal undisguised satisfaction and gratification.
He could tell that Shen Mo was genuinely teaching him, not just going through the motions. This sincerity made him feel more at ease than any peerless martial arts technique.
......
Time flies, and it was already late at night on the third day.
The moonlight, like water, poured onto the glazed tiles of Shuyu Pavilion, giving them a cool, clear glow.
The entire palace was shrouded in deathly silence, broken only by the rhythmic footsteps of the night patrol guards.
Shen Mo sat cross-legged on the bed, his eyes slightly closed, as if he were already fast asleep.
However, his perception was like an invisible spider web, enveloping the entire courtyard.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes, his gaze clear and unwavering, showing no sign of sleepiness.
He slowly rose, his movements as light as a feather landing, without making a sound.
He walked to the window, pushed it open a crack, and looked out into the deep darkness beyond the imperial city.
He knew that the "assassin" arranged by Juechenzi on his orders would arrive as promised tonight.
The purpose of this trip was not to actually take Zhao Yan's life, but rather a meticulously planned "performance".
Thinking of this, a cold smile appeared on Shen Mo's lips.
He swayed and disappeared into the shadows outside the window.
His movements were incredibly fast, as if he had transformed into a wisp of night wind without substance, sweeping across rooftops, passing through corridors, avoiding all visible and hidden sentries, and silently disappearing among the palaces of the imperial city, leaving only an empty room and the cold moon outside the window.
......
The sound of the clapper at midnight had just echoed deep within the Forbidden City when its lingering echo was swallowed up by the thick, inky night.
Shen Mo's figure had already silently appeared atop the glazed tile roof of the Emperor's bedroom, the Qianqing Palace.
He seemed not to be a person, but rather a will condensed from the boundless darkness itself. A gust of cold wind swept by, yet not even the bronze bells hanging from the eaves made a sound. His gaze pierced through the layers of palaces, like two invisible sword energies, taking in the entire fabric of the imperial city.
However, in that moment of utter silence, a faint yet incredibly familiar aura, like a fine needle, pierced his senses that resonated with the heavens and earth.
The aura emanated from outside the palace walls, swift as lightning, yet carrying a profound and weighty presence.
A dark figure leaped over the palace wall, landing without raising a speck of dust, as if a piece of real night had fallen.
The man was completely wrapped in a tight-fitting night suit, with only his eyes showing. His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's. After scanning his surroundings and confirming that no one was around, he rushed towards the Qianqing Palace like a ghost moving swiftly along the ground.
"Blood Demon Lord?" Shen Mo was slightly surprised, and his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
He did indeed send an order to Juechenzi, instructing him to arrange for a master to infiltrate the palace and create the illusion of a "northern barbarian assassination of the emperor," in order to cooperate with his and the martial arts alliance's plan.
He had assumed the visitor would be one of the Twelve Venerables, but he never expected that Juechenzi would directly invite the revered Blood Demon Lord.
Although both are core members of the Heavenly Demon God Sect, the position of the Demon Lord is far higher than that of the Twelve Venerables. In ordinary matters, Juechenzi would never be able to command the Demon Lord.
This action demonstrates Juechenzi's absolute obedience to his orders and also indirectly confirms the importance that the Blood Demon Lord attaches to this operation. Shen Mo felt slightly relieved; with the Blood Demon Lord's intervention, there was no chance of anything going wrong.
However, just as the Blood Demon Lord landed lightly outside the window of Qianqing Palace like a falling leaf, preparing to break through the window and enter, Shen Mo's heart tightened suddenly!
An exceptionally powerful aura rose from within the palace without warning! Unlike the Blood Demon Lord's domineering and flamboyant aura, it was extremely restrained, like ancient ice buried deep underground, or an ancient behemoth lurking in the abyss. When it moved, it was enough to change the color of the heavens and earth.
Although its power is slightly inferior to that of the Blood Demon Lord, it is not far off, and it is far beyond the reach of ordinary martial artists!
"Such a powerful figure is hidden in the palace?!" Shen Mo frowned slightly, alarm bells ringing in his mind.
He originally thought that with the Blood Demon Lord's strength, he would be able to move freely within the palace and complete this "performance".
But now it seems that this seemingly peaceful imperial city is hiding a fierce tiger that no one knows about.
If it had been any of the Twelve Venerables instead of the Blood Demon Lord who came today, they would probably already be in dire straits! Thinking of this, Shen Mo couldn't help but admire Juechenzi's arrangements even more.
Inside the palace, on the dragon bed, the young Emperor Zhao Yan was sleeping soundly.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
A humanoid black figure appeared silently beside the dragon bed, as if emerging from the void.
He was clad in a set of dark gold ancient armor, the plates of which were engraved with cloud and thunder patterns, and his face was covered by a ferocious bronze demon mask, revealing only a pair of unfathomable eyes.
In those eyes, there was no reverence, no loyalty, only an unwavering, rock-solid will to protect.
He did not bow, but simply extended his hand, which was covered by an iron glove, and gently placed it on Zhao Yan's shoulder.
A gentle yet irresistible force surged in, instantly waking Zhao Yan from his sleep.
At first, there was confusion and anger in his eyes, but when he saw the person in front of him clearly, all his sleepiness and imperial majesty vanished instantly, replaced by a deep-seated awe and peace of mind.
He knew that this mysterious guardian had existed since the founding of the nation and was the ultimate trump card left by the founding emperor, Taizu.
Throughout history, emperors only knew of his existence, but not his name, origins, or even his true face. They only knew that his code name was Longyuan. His sole mission was to follow the late emperor's dying wish: "To protect the emperor, even at the cost of ten thousand lives." He would never reveal himself unless he sensed a crisis that threatened the emperor's life.
"Your Majesty," the man's voice came through the mask, deep and hoarse, as if from the deepest hell, "an assassin has infiltrated the palace."
Before the words were finished—
"BOOM!!!"
A deafening roar, like a bolt from the blue, suddenly shattered the silence of the palace! The entire palace door, crafted from thousand-year-old golden nanmu wood and inlaid with gold nails, was blasted into countless fragments by an overwhelming force from the outside in!
Wood chips and gold nails rained down like a storm, hitting the walls and screens with a crackling sound.
Amidst the billowing smoke and dust, a black figure strode in, stepping over the wreckage. He was none other than the Blood Demon Lord, sent to disguise himself as an assassin to carry out the "assassination"!