The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 470 - 381, Zhao Douan: Princess Lu, we meet again (two in one)

How many backups had Prince Jing arranged for this assassination plot?

Before the real action began, no one but this vassal king knew.

Inside the huge head of the Earth God Statue, an archer in a night suit had his feet nailed into the dusty rock floor like iron stakes.

His body appeared lifeless, holding the oddly shaped "Suppressing Object" bow and arrow that was clearly extraordinary, motionless.

Only with each breath did the tip of the arrow bristling with force quiver imperceptibly.

This master archer who served Prince Jing Mansion had no name; on the government's household registry, there was no record of this person.

Clad in black and masked, he had climbed the mountain the night before, waited in this cave until dawn, hiding motionless, until finally the moment to strike had arrived.

Over the archer's exposed eye sockets, he wore a barrel bound by a belt, sweat oozing from his forehead, eyes locked onto Mr. Zhao on the second floor of the distant boat.

Just now, he had a moment where he wanted to strike, but damned luck, Princess Huaian blocked the shot, and he had to hold back.

But then, Zhao Douan seemed to start quarreling with the princess, their tussling movements frequent and overlapping.

The master archer adjusted his aim continuously.

Finally.

The two on the boat separated, facing each other, and Zhao Douan even took a step back in the barrel's view.

Now was the perfect chance!

This was the moment!

"Hum!"

In the empty cave, the sound of the taut bowstring trembling erupted, the dust on the ground waved like surges, the mana within the bow imbued into the black arrow.

A mystical glow radiated around it.

A single arrow shot forth from the mouth of the Earth God Statue, turning into a streak of gold light, speeding towards the lake boat with terrifying velocity! freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

The speed was so fast that it produced a sharp, explosive sound!

"Did that hurt?"

On the boat, hearing Zhao Douan say these words with a smile, Xu Junling, who had been struggling fiercely, paused, puzzled.

She had initially thought Zhao Douan cold-hearted enough to actually pull her in front of him as a human shield, although she knew in her heart that this was indeed her biggest use under coercion.

Yet it was still inevitably terrifying, mixed with anger.

But after several tugs, he let go, even taking two steps back, this odd behavior left her unable to express her anger.

"Don't act the good person!"

Xu Junling's hair was disheveled and stuck to her wet face, about to scold him coldly when suddenly a sonic boom reached her ears.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of golden light skimming above the lake from the direction of the Earth God Statue.

"Be careful..." She almost shouted these words subconsciously, but the word "be" had scarcely left her lips when the armor-piercing arrow, carrying terrifying kinetic energy, was already before her eyes.

The mana-filled arrow had enough power to instantly shred a head that lacked protective armor, capable of piercing even the Protective Gang Qi of the Divine Chapter Realm.

Duan Shuiliu? Qi Yuchun?

They were merely pawns to divert his guards, the truly lethal strike had long been lying in wait.

Xu Junling almost imagined the next moment Zhao Douan's head bursting open in front of her like a watermelon.

However...

Whether it was a coincidence of fate or a premeditated dodge.

As the arrow skimmed above the lake surface, Zhao Douan, who was smiling and looking at her, seemed to tilt his head as if to hear her clearer, lowering an ear, his feet retreating half a step imperceptibly.

Thus, that golden lightning-wrapped arrow, almost with the power of a cannonball, just grazed past Zhao Douan's head, streaking through the air between them.

The arrow instantly embedded in the boat's cabin, the horrifying kinetic energy utterly shattered the second floor into splinters!

Wood chips flew everywhere!

Lv Shui, who had desperately wanted to hide in the cabin, witnessed the scene in terror, her legs gave way, collapsing to the floor, hands and feet ice-cold, nearly fainting.

Missed?!

This thought rose in Xu Junling's mind, and she saw Zhao Douan raise his arm and point towards the Earth God Temple without warning.

At this moment, his Water Bouncing Skill, learned from Mr. Hai, combined with the Power Storage Skill, taught by Ma Yan, supplemented with the True Sword Skill from the Martial God Map, learned from the Grand Ancestor Emperor.

They fused into one.

Zhao Douan whispered softly, "Open the Heavens."

The Golden Crow Flying Dagger, which had been circling him from the start, suddenly accelerated, creating twisted flames in the air.

At a speed not inferior to the arrow's, it followed the "trajectory" over the lake surface, crossing hundreds of meters, accurately stabbing into the wide-open mouth of Earth God Temple.

"Puff!"

Inside the cave, the master archer, wearing a night suit with only his eyes visible, removed his barrel, puzzled, and slightly lowered his head, reaching to touch his neck, his fingertips covered in fresh blood.

A fine line slowly appeared on his neck, then his body fell, his head rolling several steps away.

The blood-stained flying dagger circled joyously in the cave, then returned the same way it came.

Among Daoist celestial techniques, there was the Flying Sword that could take a person's head from a thousand miles away; Zhao Douan was no celestial god, but once the dagger flew out, he murmured the last line of the Tang Dynasty Lu Zu's "Unique Verse" poem:

"Riding the sword through the sky, a thousand miles in a flash, parting at midnight and back by the second watch."

He smiled broadly, his grin making Xu Junling dizzy.

"Princess, how was that dagger?"

...

...

On the winding mountain path.

The Little Heavenly Master, seated in a black carriage, felt his Red Tide Sword also tremble, as if it were about to cut through the air at any moment.

Standing opposite the carriage, ten paces away, the Long Shu Bodhisattva already had his rosary drawn, each Buddha head on the massive beads showing expressions of either rage or joy.

The two faced each other from a distance, each adopting a defensive stance.

Generals adept in battle formations often understood the principle that defense can be the best offense, any formation in a static defense is perfectly impregnable; once it moves, flaws emerge in droves.