Su Rong did not stay at the banquet until the end. She dragged Zhang Su’er along and hurried straight towards the royal palace. Su Rong could hardly imagine that Ye Chu had somehow made so many women in Yao City fall for him. After he announced he was leaving, one woman after another came to plead on his behalf, urging her to go find Ye Chu and offer him some comfort.
Su Rong laughed and cried at the same time. She thought to herself, had these women not been the ones who despised Ye Chu the most in the past? They used to speak of him as if he were a fly. Yet now they had all turned into infatuated fools!
With no other choice, Su Rong could only head to the royal palace to hide. Surely they would not follow her all the way there to persuade her, would they?
But just as Su Rong was about to reach the palace, she saw a shocking sight. Palace guards lay scattered haphazardly on the ground. Her expression changed instantly, and a wave of horror surged in her heart.
“Someone has attacked the palace!” Zhang Su’er was equally stunned and terrified. She could not fathom who would be bold enough to strike at the palace guards.
“Yao Kingdom’s king! This country’s national advisor invites you to be a guest in Sha Kingdom!” An arrogant voice exploded through the air. In front of the sprawled palace guards stood two men, their auras blazing like rainbows. They held a massive log between them and slammed it fiercely against the palace gates.
A thunderous boom reverberated outward, spreading far and wide, alarming the entire palace and the surrounding residents. Palace guards rushed towards the scene from all directions, and soldiers guarding the royal city also converged here.
Su Rong looked at the two men outside the palace, her face paling. “The Sha Kingdom national advisors!”
One of them was the Sha Kingdom leader she had seen during the martial contest. The other wore the same attire, clearly of equal status, both Innate Realm experts.
“Two Innate Realm experts!” Zhang Su’er swallowed hard, shaken to her core. But she quickly sneered. “Courting death! Two Innate Realm experts think they can storm the palace? Do they think Yao Kingdom has no Innate Realm national advisors?”
Zhang Su’er’s sneer did not ease Su Rong’s expression. Instead, her face grew even paler. Yao Kingdom’s two Innate Realm national advisors had been severely injured by that mysterious woman that night and had not yet recovered. There was simply no one in the palace capable of facing an Innate Realm opponent now.
“How do they know?” Su Rong stared blankly at the Sha Kingdom national advisors. The king had tightly sealed the news of that night’s theft, precisely to prevent outsiders from learning that the palace lacked strong protectors and targeting it. Yet their worst fear had come true. The Sha Kingdom national advisors had come straight to their door.
Their boldness made it obvious they knew about the national advisors’ heavy injuries.
“Su Rong! What’s wrong with you?” Seeing Su Rong’s face turn deathly white with no colour left, Zhang Su’er quickly supported her.
“Quick! Go inform Marquis Weiyuan right now!” Su Rong shouted at Zhang Su’er. At this moment, the only Innate Realm expert in Yao City was Marquis Weiyuan. Only he could hold back Innate Realm opponents.
Zhang Su’er had never seen Su Rong so panicked and frantic before. Without asking any questions, she turned and ran towards Marquis Weiyuan’s residence.
“Boom… Boom…”
The massive log smashed relentlessly against the palace gates, gradually forcing them open. Shockwaves rippled out, striking fear into the heart of every person in Yao Kingdom.
“Fire!” Yao Kingdom soldiers surrounded them and unleashed a volley of arrows. A dense rain of sharp arrows shot towards the two men.
The two Sha Kingdom national advisors held the log in front of them as a shield. Every arrow struck the wood. One of them laughed loudly, grabbed the log, and swept it horizontally.
The enormous log swept outward, crashing into the soldiers and smashing their internal organs out of their bodies. Blood poured onto the bluestone in front of the palace, the scene reeking of carnage.
“Hahaha, who dares stand in my way?” One Sha Kingdom national advisor charged into the soldiers, swinging the log in wide arcs. The force was domineering and brutal. Each sweep sent soldiers flying, as though he were walking through an empty field.
The terror of the Innate Realm was undeniable. With the log sweeping back and forth, the soldiers’ formation collapsed instantly. They could no longer pose any real threat. Swept aside by the Sha Kingdom national advisor, the soldiers scattered in disarray.
“Sha Tianyun, break open the palace gates!” While swinging the log to fend off countless soldiers, one national advisor shouted loudly.
“Got it!” The other, named Sha Tianyun, suddenly channelled his full power and smashed the palace gates with ferocious force. The gates could not withstand the impact and slowly began to crack open.
“Stop them!” Yao Kingdom soldiers shouted, charging forward fearlessly to block the two intruders.
But they had underestimated the terror of the Innate Realm. These two were like fierce tigers, while the soldiers were not even sheep. Under the sweeping log, blood splattered everywhere, filling the air with a pungent metallic stench.
Su Rong stood at a distance, watching the palace guards die one after another before her eyes. Tears streamed continuously from her beautiful eyes, now red and swollen. Yet she could do nothing. Though she possessed some strength, in front of Innate Realm experts, she was no more than a lamb.
“Stop them! We must stop them! We cannot let them enter the palace!” Yao Kingdom soldiers shouted. They knew exactly what it would mean if these two broke in. If they captured the king, Yao Kingdom would be finished.
“Boom…”
Another heavy blow, and the palace gates burst open. A group of guards using their bodies to block the entrance were knocked to the ground. Sha Tianyun stepped inside. Guards thrust their weapons at him fiercely.
“Hahaha, a bunch of trash daring to block this national advisor!” Sha Tianyun laughed wildly. His arm swung out, and a mace appeared in his hand. He smashed it down on several guards, turning flesh and bone into a bloody mess. Blood sprayed everywhere, staining the palace gates red.
“Get out of the way! Bring your king out here!” Sha Tianyun laughed heartily, staring coldly at the crowd with a cruel grin. He reached out and tore apart a guard who rushed too close, scattering flesh and blood across the ground.
“Stop him! We must stop him!” The guard captain shouted orders and charged forward to attack Sha Tianyun himself.
“Sir! Hurry and summon the national advisors!” Some guards, unaware of what had happened that night, shouted when they saw no national advisors appear.
“Hahaha! Your national advisors are lying in bed. In a moment, this national advisor will go deal with them personally.” Sha Tianyun laughed uproariously. When he had first heard the news by chance, he could hardly believe it. But after repeated probing, he confirmed it was true. That was why they had the courage to storm the palace.
With no Innate Realm to stop them, who could stand in their way? Capture the Yao Kingdom king, and they could force the entire kingdom to submit.
His words caused everyone’s faces to change dramatically. Their gazes snapped towards the guard captain, desperate to know if the news was true. But the captain’s deathly pale face gave them the answer. A chill ran through every heart. They could not believe it.
“Anyone who does not want to die, get out of the way!” Sha Tianyun roared, swinging his mace outward.
“Stop him!” Though terrified, the soldiers still threw themselves in front of Sha Tianyun as he advanced towards the palace. They knew clearly that retreat now meant the destruction of their country and families!
Su Rong watched living people die one after another under the two men’s weapons. She covered her mouth with both hands, tears falling endlessly from her red eyes. She stared fixedly ahead, her heart filled with utter despair.