Chapter 1580 – Swords Drawn, Bows Bent
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“If you will, Imperial Concubine Moon!” Eunuch Sun sinisterly said. However, Imperial Concubine Moon coldly sneered, not immediately stepping forwards. Instead, she turned towards the side, looking in the distance. After several breaths of time, there was the sound of rustling cloth as an eagle-eyed yellow-robed old man stepped forwards on the wind. Although he didn’t seem too fast, he arrived beside Imperial Concubine Moon in the blink of an eye.
This eagle-eyed old man was one of Lord Snow’s trusted subordinates as well as Blood Moon’s good friend – Eunuch Liang!
The entire Marvel Blue Imperial Palace had a total of five chief court eunuchs. Of these five, the only true grand chief eunuch was Eunuch Wei; the other four were vice chiefs. Eunuch Liang was one of them and he supported Lord Snow, standing opposite to the Empress’s ally, Eunuch Sun.
These two people had similar cultivations, both of them at the peak Holy Lord realm!
Moreover, because they were eunuchs that cultivated the Sunflower Melody and locked in their own essence energy, their strength and endurance far surpassed that of an ordinary person. If they were to fight then they could last much longer than a martial artist on the same level.
“Imperial Concubine Moon, this old servant has come late. I am sorry for frightening you.”
Eunuch Liang was originally loyal to Lord Snow and Blood Moon was also someone he had recommended to Lord Snow. With these relations between them, he naturally wouldn’t idly stand by as the Empress decided to harm her.
And as an accompanying eunuch that was part of Imperial Concubine Moon’s retinue, he naturally had a valid reason to join Imperial Concubine Moon to enter Arid Peace Palace.
“Eunuch Liang, it must have been hard for you.”
Imperial Concubine Moon smirked. With Eunuch Liang here she had even more chips to play with. Even if the Empress wanted to move against her, it wouldn’t be so easy.
Although she was wounded and couldn’t display her full strength, if Eunuch Liang was added on then even if she had to face the peak Holy Lord Eunuch Sun, half-step World King Empress, as well as the many guard eunuchs and their array formations in Arid Peace Palace, she still wouldn’t be at a disadvantage.
She had the capital to struggle for victory!
“So it was Eunuch Liang. It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other and it seems that your Shadeless Steps have risen to another level!” Eunuch Sun said, his smile not reaching his eyes.
“Haha, the feeling is mutual. Eunuch Sun, you seem as if you’ll step into the half-step World King realm soon. I fear that in several more years you’ll catch up to Eunuch Wei!”
Eunuch Liang and Eunuch Sun were on opposites sides to begin with. Now that they encountered each other here, they naturally stood in sharp contention to each other!
Eunuch Sun coldly snorted. “Great Chief Wei has already cultivated the Sunflower Melody to the eighth level. How could I possibly surpass him!”
Eunuch Sun no longer bantered with Eunuch Liang. He turned to Blood Moon and said, “Imperial Concubine Moon, please enter the palace. Do not have the Empress wait for such a long time!”
“How annoying! Whatever I do, I don’t need a minion like you to order me around!”
Blood Moon’s voice was cold. From the start until now, she had referred to Eunuch Sun as a lackey. But in truth, as a peak Holy Lord powerhouse, Eunuch Sun had significant status in the palace. There were many high level characters that treated him with due respect. For Blood Moon to call him a minion really grated on his ears!
“Who were you saying is annoying?”
At this time, a calm and dignified voice sounded out. This voice had a strange piercing power, as if it could reach into one’s mind.
This was the voice of the Empress!
“I have summoned your presence and yet you linger at the entrance without entering. What a great air of importance you have!”
The Empress’ voice was forceful and imperious. Blood Moon remained calm. She flung her sleeves and walked into the grand hall with her back straight and her head high, looking directly at Empress Naye. She lightly bowed in accordance with palace etiquette and said, “For what matter is the Empress summoning me?”
Blood Moon’s voice contained a hidden sense of pride. Since the Empress created such a commotion and even summoned her here it was obvious what she wanted; she wanted to deal with Blood Moon.
But, Blood Moon didn’t seem as if she was defeated at all. She remained tall and lofty, an unbending blade of grass in the storm, a chrysanthemum that withstood the frost. This sort of feeling was one that the Empress hated!
The Empress wanted Imperial Concubine Moon to bow in awe and fear, not standing in sharp opposition like she was now!
The Empress’ smoky eyes frowned. She gently lifted her gown and let it slowly fall. Beside her, 10 eunuch guards readied a battle array!
These 10 eunuch guards were all Holy Lord powerhouses. The 10 of them stood in particularly chosen positions to form a 10 man battle array. And this battle array locked onto Blood Moon. The 10 court eunuchs had gathered their essence energy, their breath long and stable. They were like 10 leopards, primed and ready to leap, filled with danger.
And around the eunuchs were eight old maids. These old maids had already stayed in the imperial palace for at least 10,000 years. Although they all had wrinkles on their faces, their inner worlds were filled with boundless amounts of energy; it was clear they were all masters.
Including the eunuch guards and old maids, there were a total of 18 people. Beneath the feet of these 18 people were shimmering runes.
Lin Ming had studied all sorts of dao patterns. With a single glance, he could see that these lines were carved by a divine runic master. They could strengthen the martial artists that stood on them!
With 18 people standing as one, although their cultivation was only at the Holy Lord realm, if they joined together they might be able to contend with a World King!
Besides these 18 people there was also the half-step World King Empress as well as Eunuch Sun. This lineup of powerhouses within Arid Peace Palace could be called a formidable force!
At this time, Eunuch Sun sent a sound transmission to Empress Naye. After she heard it she sneered and looked towards Lin Ming, shouting at him, “You minion, who gave you the courage to live in Full Moon Hall!”
Lin Ming was startled. He didn’t think that the fire would burn so quickly that it reached him.
“Minion?” Lin Ming scoffed. For so many years, no one had ever called him a minion. Not even his enemies had done so!
“You old hag, just what gave you the ability to act so superior? Who do you think you are? If I live in Full Moon Hall, what does that have to do with a granny like you?”
Lin Ming simply didn’t care about Naye. Who cared if she was an Empress? To Lin Ming, that title was nothing at all!
“Insolence!” The Empress shouted out, enraged. Her tone became increasingly grim. “What a wonderful minion, to dare speak against me! In so many years, no one has dared to speak to me like that! Full Moon Hall is a special quarter for concubines in the harem. Those men that can enter are only eunuchs! And yet a minion like you actually dared to ask me why you can’t live in Full Moon Hall? If that’s the case then someone go up and inspect that minion to see if he’s been cleanly castrated or not! If he hasn’t been cleanly castrated then have the chief doctor cut it off once more!”
In the harem, men were not able enter to begin with. If there was a man quietly and secretly living in the quarters of an imperial concubine, then that was a capital crime deserving of death by 10,000 cuts.
But, concerning Marvel Blue Imperial Palace, it was a martial artist’s palace and thus the rules weren’t so strict to begin with. When this was added with the fact that Imperial Concubine Moon wasn’t a true imperial concubine anyway and she also had Lord Snow’s token, she was well within her rights to bring Lin Ming into Full Moon Hall without violating any rules. But now, the Empress had grabbed this point. Since she was cleaning up the harem, she would first start with Imperial Concubine Moon. This was what they meant by condemning someone without a care for the pretext!
With an order from the Empress, the several Holy Lord eunuchs beside her moved forwards to capture Lin Ming.
Lin Ming remained expressionless, as if he hadn’t heard anything at all. However, his right hand was already tracing his spatial ring.
“Who dares to move!”
Blood Moon shouted out loud and stood in front of Lin Ming. She glared at Naye, coldly saying, “Naye, the reason for everything you’ve done is to bring me here and find an excuse to punish me, so why must you attack a bystander! Naye, I heard that 100,000 years ago when you were at the Divine Sea realm, you were a champion of the Marvel Blue Nation’s martial meeting of outstanding young elites. That is the reason why the eyes of the Marvel Blue Emperor landed on you and the reason he brought you into the palace. Now, I would like to experience just how great the strength of this martial meeting champion is!”
As Blood Moon spoke she had already taken out her four foot long sword from her spatial ring!
The sword blade was cold, the sword light blinding!
“Imperial Concubine Moon, are you planning to rebel!?” Before Naye spoke, Eunuch Sun had already stood in front of the Empress. At some time, he had placed a pair of divine iron gloves on his hands. The gloves were fierce and sharp, the 10 fingers ending in daggers.
Eunuch Sun’s weapons were a pair of iron gloves.
As Eunuch Sun moved, Eunuch Liang also stepped forwards in front of Blood Moon. A simmering killing intent rolled off his body. His weapon of choice was also a pair of iron gloves. It seemed that this type of weapon was especially suited to the Sunflower Melody.
At this time, the air was thick with tension, all swords drawn – a battle could break out at any moment!
And at this time, Naye suddenly smiled. “Imperial Concubine Moon, not only did you harbor a man in Full Moon Hall but you even want to attack me? Good! Very good! I’ve long suspected that there was some issue with you. After entering the palace you have always kept your appearance covered and isolated from all probing senses. I’ve long wanted to remove a dangerous character like you. I will tear down your veil and see just who you are! How could I tolerate such an unknown and disastrous character like you within the sacred grounds of my palace!”
Naye stood up as she spoke. Her entire body emitted an aggressive momentum!
Naye had entered the palace 100,000 years ago, and after 10,000 years of imperial struggles and plotting, she had used all sorts of methods to win the favor of the Marvel Blue Emperor and become Empress. Now, she had ruled over the harem for 90,000 years and had long ago formed a great and majestic dignity!
The harem of an imperial palace was originally a land of strife and intrigue. There were countless imperial concubines that wished to capture the favor of the Marvel Blue Emperor. As long as one could obtain his favor, then not only did it mean authority and status but far richer resources. Naye was able to stand out amongst this treacherous harem and climb to the highest position. She didn’t depend on just her outstanding talent, stunning looks, and a physique that was suitable for dual cultivating, but she also relied on her ruthless and savage methods!
Now that she was in charge of national affairs, she would use this moment as her chance to exterminate all her enemies and guarantee that her son could smoothly ascend to the throne!
In this sort of situation, how could she let go of Imperial Concubine Moon who supported Lord Snow?
“Naye, what wonderful methods you have. Between you and me, we already understand each other. I have already been in the palace for half a year and yet I have never fought. Then, let my first battle be in Arid Peace Palace!”
Blood Moon suddenly slashed out with her sword – take the initiative, take the advantage!
As her sword slashed out her skirt floated around her and her black hair danced in the wind. Blood Moon’s sword strike didn’t seem as if she were aiming at an enemy but was as if she were dancing.
The first time Lin Ming saw Blood Moon he had seen her dancing. It seemed as if she was someone who loved to dance, and now in the heat of battle, her actions were like dancing shadows, beautiful and dangerous!