The greatest saint of all time!

Chapter 12 Covert Protection

The remaining Shadow Assassin and his leader stood frozen in place, their eyes filled with horror.

How... is this possible?

Wasn't he just a useless person at the third level of Body Tempering?

Such terrifying power and speed are unmatched even by experts at the Spirit Sea Realm!

"Damn it, the intelligence was wrong, let's fight him!"

"The serpent emerges from its hole!"

That leader was a ruthless character; he immediately roared and mobilized the spiritual power within his body.

With a flick of his wrist, his longsword transformed into several afterimages, each imbued with a faint spiritual light, and pierced straight towards Lu Xuan's throat.

The ability to project spiritual energy is a hallmark of the Spirit Sea Realm.

The power of this sword strike is enough to pierce through metal and stone.

However, Lu Xuan did not dodge or evade. Instead, he stretched out his right hand, intending to strike with his bare palm.

Upon seeing this, a hint of joy flashed in the leader's eyes.

"A mere mortal dares to catch a blade bare-handed? He's courting death!"

"If we cripple his hand, this kid is doomed!"

However, the expected scene of the hand being pierced did not occur in the next instant; instead, the sound of metal clashing rang out.

Lu Xuan's five fingers gripped the sword tightly, like iron clamps.

The spiritual sword light, powerful enough to cut through gold and jade, couldn't even pierce his skin.

Lu Xuan's body, tempered by the chaotic energy, was now as hard as iron.

Upon seeing this, the leader's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"That's impossible!"

Lu Xuan smiled coldly and suddenly exerted force with his palm.

"Nothing is impossible."

With a snap, the longsword, forged from a hundred times refined steel, was broken in two by his bare hands.

Lu Xuan held the broken sword in his hand and swung it backhand.

A cold glint flashed.

A fine head flew into the air, blood gushing out like a torrent.

Until his death, the leader had that incredulous expression on his face.

A dignified Spirit Sea Realm cultivator was instantly killed by a Body Tempering Realm trash in a single move.

Lu Xuan casually tossed aside the broken sword in his hand, not even glancing at the corpse on the ground. Instead, he turned around and looked towards the corner of the courtyard.

There, the last Shadow Guard was already paralyzed with fear on the ground.

"Go back and tell that poisonous woman and Lu Heng to wash their necks clean and wait for me."

"My sword will be sharpened soon."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeve.

"roll!"

……

The Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince's Study.

"Useless, all of them are useless!"

With a furious roar, the precious golden nanmu wood table was overturned, and writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones were scattered all over the ground.

Crown Prince Lu Heng's face was contorted, his eyes bloodshot, and he stared intently at the Shadow Guard kneeling on the ground, trembling all over.

"You mean... Shadow Five is dead? And along with three other experts at the eighth level of Body Tempering, all of them died at the hands of that good-for-nothing Third Brother, and in an instant?"

The Shadow Guard was terrified and kept hitting his head on the ground with loud thuds.

"Your Highness, it's absolutely true!"

"That Lu Xuan... no, that person is simply a monster! He didn't use any spiritual power; he just used his physical strength to break Shadow Lord Five's weapon and then slice off Shadow Lord Five's head!"

"If it weren't for returning to report this, I'm afraid I would have..."

Empress Lin Chenyan slammed her hand on the armrest, her phoenix eyes flashing with murderous intent, her well-maintained face full of suspicion.

"How is this possible?"

"That little beast has been a coward in the palace for over a decade, not even daring to kill a chicken. How did he suddenly acquire the strength to overthrow a Spirit Sea Realm cultivator?"

"Has he been hiding his true abilities all along?"

Thinking of this, the Empress felt a chill run down her spine.

If that's true, then Lu Xuan's scheming is far too deep!

He had been a useless nobody under her nose for so many years, only to show his true colors when he was expelled from the palace.

What incredible forbearance!

"What a shrewd Lu Xuan! What a carefree Prince!"

Lu Heng gritted his teeth, his eyes almost overflowing with killing intent, and reached out to draw his sword to kill this useless messenger.

"Do I have to wash my neck clean and wait here?"

"Since the Spirit Sea method isn't working, then I'll send more people. I want to see just how strong you really are!"

"stop!"

The Empress gave a cold shout, stopping Lu Heng's actions.

"Heng'er, calm down!"

"He's quite powerful now. If we make too much of a fuss and your father finds out, it won't be good for either of us!"

"This matter requires careful consideration."

"Let your uncle do it. You are the crown prince; you cannot do such a thing yourself!"

……

Meanwhile, in the Imperial Study.

Emperor Lu Tianxing of the Great Yan Dynasty remained seated on the large dragon throne, toying with a jade thumb ring in his hand, his expression inscrutable.

In the shadows before him, a guard dressed in black and wearing a bronze mask knelt on one knee.

"You mean, not only did the third prince not die, but he also killed the Shadow Assassins sent by the Crown Prince?"

Lu Tianxing's voice was devoid of emotion, but those familiar with him would know that the emperor was far from calm.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The guards reported the facts truthfully.

"According to what I have seen, the Third... Prince Xiaoyao's physical strength is extremely terrifying, and he is suspected of... possessing a special physique, capable of withstanding the sharp sword of a Spirit Sea Realm expert with his bare hands."

"That's interesting."

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Tianxing's eyes, and then he placed the jade thumb ring heavily on the table.

"I originally thought that banishing him from the palace and bestowing upon him the title of Prince of Xiaoyao would save his life."

At this point, Lu Tianxing sighed, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

After all, he was his son. Even though he was useless, he didn't want to watch Lu Xuan be played to death by the Crown Prince and the Empress.

As an emperor, he had too many things beyond his control.

The Lin family is powerful, and the Crown Prince has gained considerable influence. If the third son stays in the palace, he will only face certain death.

The so-called rejection and exile were merely the last bit of protection that he, as a father, could offer.

For this reason, he even dispatched his secret guards, ready to step in and save his useless son at a critical moment.

But he never expected that his son would give him such a big surprise!

"After hiding his talents for more than ten years, he was suddenly granted the title of king and then roamed the vast ocean like a dragon."

"Third brother, it seems I underestimated you before."

Lu Tianxing tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondered for a moment, and then waved to the guard.

"Since he is capable of protecting himself, then the people originally assigned to secretly guard him should be withdrawn."

"If a fledgling eagle wants to spread its wings and soar, it will eventually have to face the wind and rain on its own."

"I want to see just how many more surprises my son can bring me."

"Step down."

"yes!"

The guard vanished into the shadows in a flash.

……

For the next two days, the Prince Xiaoyao's residence was unusually quiet.

The Crown Prince seemed to have been hurt, or perhaps he was preparing some big move, because he didn't send anyone else to die.

Lu Xuan was happy to have some free time.

He used the medicinal herbs sent by Baicao Pavilion to cultivate himself and to refine body-tempering liquid behind closed doors.

In just half a day, one hundred portions of crystal-clear, perfectly effective body-tempering liquid were bottled.

Lu Xuan put everything into his storage bag, then changed back into the large black cloak and put on the hood that covered his face.

Currently, he is very weak. If he wants to do business with Baicao Pavilion, he must continue to play the role of a mysterious master to avoid the shrewd woman Su Qinghuan from tracing the clues to Xiaoyao Wangfu and causing unnecessary trouble.