The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 403 - 336, Your Majesty, Zhao Douan has killed the Demon Path on the spot.

Was the State Preceptor really killed by Your Majesty himself? Wasn't it Lord who took action?

At this moment, expressions on the faces of Qian Kerou and others first went blank, then a brief confusion emerged, mingled with strong doubts.

This was completely unexpected.

In the corner of the carriage, Qing Niao, dressed in prisoner's garb, and the "dark-transformed" Yun Xi were also stunned; the former looked shocked, quickly grasping what had happened

— This puppet of the Fake Emperor, under the circumstances of being devoured in a dream by the State Preceptor, completed a counter-kill?

"How did you accomplish this?" Yun Xi pulled herself out of her emotionless state, asked, being a disciple of the Grand Tutor, she had not encountered the Demon Path, but she was aware of its potency.

As for the actor, Wu Ling, who was on the ground and seemed dead, his Qi Sea shaken and Mana dispersed by Ma Yan's punch, tilted his head slightly, but didn't show much surprise.

In his view, it wasn't surprising that Zhao thief dared to capture people since he had some tricks up his sleeve.

After all, several Branch Leaders of the Kuangfu Society had died at his hands.

"That woman in red..."

Ma Yan's gaze flickered, recalling that this youngster had once told him that the vision of the ancient strong men he conceived after entering the Divine Chapter was extremely rare.

So, this is your trump card?

How far have you really gone on the "Martial God" path? What kind of grace has Your Majesty bestowed upon you?

Indeed, no wonder this morning after the minor court session, Your Majesty kept you alone in the palace... Perhaps arrangements had already been made by then...

Ma Yan suddenly realized everything and interpreted Zhao Duan's gesture of pointing to the sky as "the Empress' arrangement."

Zhao Duan was also helpless, defeating the demon with a crush of memory magnitude was truly illogical and hard to explain; he could only use this reason.

"I understand now," Ma Yan exhaled, a relieved smile appearing on his face:

"It seems you've given us all another surprise, eh? Your complexion doesn't seem quite right."

At this time, as everyone recovered from their shock, they noticed under the moonlight, Zhao Duan's face was very red, his forehead beaded with sweat, accompanied by slightly bulging veins.

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Zhao Duan said with a wry smile:

"That guy exploded in my dream, so… could there be any problems because of this?"

Ma Yan's expression became strange again, he eerily said:

"It's really hard to say whether you were reckless or lucky. A cultivator's Divine Soul exploding can turn into pure Soul Power. If you couldn't withstand it, it might have killed you as well. But since you've endured, you're likely to reap a great benefit, perhaps bypassing many years of detours."

Having said that with a slightly sour tone, the stern eunuch added:

"However, the methods of the Demon Path are devious; there indeed might be problems. I will immediately take you to the palace and let Your Majesty examine you."

This statement also implied another layer:

He wasn't certain if the Demon Path practitioner was truly dead, so there was still a chance that Zhao Duan could be manipulated.

Only by letting the Empress personally investigate him could he be allowed to leave alone.

With a fierce determination, Ma Yan handed Wu Ling over to Hou Renmeng and others, instructing them to stay here while Haitang and others would arrive later to handle the aftermath.

He himself picked up the Demon Pathist with one hand and tucked Zhao Duan under his other arm, and soared like a large bird, rushing toward the Imperial Palace in the night.

Normally, riding a horse would be faster.

But if one wanted to take a straight line, a Martial Artist of the Worldly Realm galloping was fastest.

Not... give me some face, I can walk on my own... Zhao Duan opened his mouth, greatly dissatisfied with this humiliating posture.

But the cold night wind of the capital filled his mouth, also blocking all his words.

Zhao Duan, clamped under the Grand Eunuch's arm, helplessly felt the chasm between the Divine Chapter and the Worldly Realm.

Suddenly, during their run, Ma Yan, as if sensing something, abruptly stopped, standing on a roof ridge, twisting his body to look towards the southern sky.

His eyes filled with the faint bloodlust of a Martial Artist!

Only to see, over the South Suburb, a dark sky with a patch of dark clouds; at this moment, a dark red lightning streaked across, as if harboring some being.

"Hmph!" Ma Yan seemed to think of something, his expression slightly changed, but he turned his head and continued his mad dash toward the Imperial Palace.

What is that... Zhao Duan, tucked under his arm, furrowed his brows.

For some reason, upon witnessing that cloud, he felt an agitation throughout his body, something seemed off.

...

...

In the depths of a small courtyard within the Heavenly Master Mansion, under the night sky.

The huge and mysterious banyan tree swayed its leaves and branches, radiating a bright greenish glow despite it being autumn, appearing very mystical.

Under the tree, Zhang Yan Yi sat in a rocking chair, opening his eyelids to see the starlight sketching a petite figure.

Jin Jian, wearing golden-rimmed glasses and having an ethereal demeanor, her voice sounding unreal, reported:

"Master, Divine Officer Zhao has been injured and has been brought back."

The priest she referred to was one of the targets for the State Preceptor's hunt.

Proud as ever, the Dan Dao Priest had deliberately left the Heavenly Master Mansion tonight as stated in the morning meeting, taking up residence in a private residence within the city.

and fought a battle with the State Preceptor's puppet who came knocking.

"Hmph, he wants to show off his strength, let him be; getting injured will teach him a lesson. Why isn't he focusing on Alchemy instead of contending with an Evil Mage?" Zhang Yan Yi indifferently remarked, not appearing too concerned.

Jin Jian knew though, that her Master was rough-tongued but soft-hearted; if he truly didn't care, he wouldn't have sent her to check on the priest.

Fortunately, the Dan Dao Priest, though not adept in combat, was somewhat stronger and had managed to hold on.

Jin Jian tilted her head, squatting on her small stool, resting her cheek in her palm, asked:

"Master, what's the real deal with that demon practitioner? Since he's part of the Evil Path, why not eliminate him?"

Zhang Yan sighed, affectionately ruffled his female disciple's hair, and said,

"Jin Jianer, the matters of this world are not simply black or white. Didn't the Old Emperor know the details of the Evil Path?

Yet, it was ultimately desire that led astray, with the Imperial Family's partiality, who bestowed the title of State Preceptor. It served as a legitimate protective amulet, a shield that allows them to walk the mortal world.

Both we and the Divine Dragon Temple prefer not to trouble the Royal Family over such minor matters.

Now, though the Evil Path has lost the 'State Preceptor' label, it has gotten entangled in the Xu family's Imperial struggles. Our current Empress might also harbor intentions to personally eliminate it."

"As for their origin, they are merely demon folks from the Five Demons Sect."

Jin Jian rested her chin on her palm, curious, she asked,

"People from the Five Demons Sect shouldn't understand the art of life and death, right? How could they resurrect after death?"

Zhang Yan casually replied, "The Evil God knows no differentiation of household; it must be the demon folks of the Netherworld Sect who helped."

The Great Yu Dynasty has three major schools of Evil Mages, namely the Five Demons Sect, Netherworld Sect, and White Clothes Sect.

Among them, the Netherworld Sect worships the 'Ten Kings of Hell', also known as the 'Death God', who are adept in the art of life and death, while the White Clothes Sect worships the 'Sorrow God', skilled in casting curses.

It is said that the masters of the Netherworld Sect can summon 'Netherworld Phantoms' in the mortal world to retrieve souls of the dead.

Of course, there's boastful exaggeration, as resurrection is extremely difficult to achieve, but some techniques are indeed mysterious.

Jin Jian continued,

"I remember, the Five Demons Sect worships the 'Demon God' who governs human desires. The magicians of this sect indulge recklessly and to advance in their practice, they keep devising ways to absorb human desires for sacrifices to the Demon God."

Though she had hardly ventured outside for practical experiences, she knew these basic knowledge from the mansion.

At that moment, Zhang Yan suddenly looked up toward the southern sky. In the black clouds, there were flashes of red, web-like lightning, and the face of a person slowly emerged on the large banyan tree above.

"Jin Jianer, let me teach you another common knowledge. The Five Demons Sect was originally called 'Five Chang Sect', the character 'Chang', which implies that these magicians are minions of desires. Every time a powerful member of the Five Demons Sect 'dies', the Demon God appears, attempting to devour and reclaim that dead follower's desires. It seems, that demon has 'died'," Zhang Yan said calmly.

Jin Jian stood up, surprised as she gazed at the black clouds over South City. Faces seemed to emerge from the clouds.

The Old Heavenly Master stepped forward.

In the next moment, the towering figure of the Old Heavenly Master appeared in the air outside the city.

Whiskers fluttering, the narrow-eyed old priest's black robe fluttered in the wind as he raised a translucent jade Heavenly Book in his hands and gently tossed it.

The Heavenly Book unfurled against the wind, its golden ancient seal characters lighting up like scattered stars entering the clouds.

A rumble of thunder.

The black clouds dispersed.

The divine soldiers dissolved.

Under the clear night sky, a bright moon hung high.

Zhang Yan casually tied the Jade Scroll onto his waist, yawned, turned around to head back into the city, his gaze drifting towards the splendidly lit Imperial Palace, he muttered,

"I've made it easy for you."

...

...

In the Imperial Palace, inside the bedroom.

After her bath in a light silk gown, Xu Zhenguan stepped out from the polished great hall and stood under the eaves looking south.

A green jade wind chime hanging from the eaves above gently swayed, emitting a pleasing, melodious ding-dong sound.

She squinted her phoenix eyes, witnessed the black clouds gathering and dispersing, slightly raised her eyebrows, her face showing a hint of bemusement.

"Your Majesty?"

Mo Chou's bedroom, located next to the Empress' bedroom for easy summons, was also startled and came over.

The solid lump of ice looked puzzled, "What is this..."

Xu Zhenguan's pale face showed slight uncertainty as she softly said,

"Just now, the Demon God descended and was dispersed by Heavenly Master Zhang."

"Ah," Mo Chou paused, she had just gone to sleep.

She was not wearing her court robe at that moment, only dressed in undershirt silk pants, a coat draped over her shoulders, her feet barely in shoes, still not fully worn. Hearing the words 'Demon God', the residual drowsiness on her face disappeared,

"Is someone in the Capital stirring the Evil God?"

As a mortal, she guessed instinctively but understood little about cultivation matters.

Xu Zhenguan hesitated, about to speak, when suddenly, a servile eunuch flew from a distance across the night sky, falling to his knees:

"Your Majesty, Lord Ma requests an audience."

Lord Ma Yan, at this hour? Mo Chou was startled.

It was already past midnight, the palace gate was long closed, no wonder it was the night patrolling Tributor who came to report.

Xu Zhenguan's expression grew more bizarre,

"What is the matter? Is it related to that Evil Path?"

The Tributor reported,

"Lord Ma said, Master Zhao Douan tonight with the Lihua Hall rounded up the Kuangfu Society's branch in the Capital, and Zhao Douan also... also killed that demon on the spot, they have brought the body here now, Lord Ma and Zhao Douan are waiting outside, Lord Ma also said... Zhao Douan is acting strangely, and earnestly requests Your Majesty to investigate!"

Once he finished speaking.

Autumn breeze swept through the night.

The chime under the eaves slowly stopped.

Both Xu Zhenguan and Mo Chou, as if by mutual consent, fell silent.