Chapter 514 - White Robed Assassin
DongFang Hen's eyes lit up as he said, "There has been some movement over there. Let's all gather and move towards there, our chances of survival will be higher as well." With a group of people protecting DongFang XingChen, they rushed in the direction pointed. Hidden in the shadows, Ling Tian's figure also flashed as he vanished from his spot.
The ten or so of them walked with swords drawn towards a certain direction in an orderly manner. Standing in their way was a group of dirty tents. With a shuffling sound, a group consisting of around seventy to eighty people came out from the surrounding area and walked to surround the entire campsite. Steeling their nerves, they began to methodically search the entire area, but ended up without any benefits to speak of!
Seeing his subordinates walk out empty handed, DongFang XingChen began to feel shivers over his entire body, and he started to tremble… A great sense of fear suddenly gripped his soul tightly. Forcing his weakness down, he shouted, "Where are the rest of the people? Where did they go? Why aren't they back?"
His men in question faced each other with looks of dismay, they could not understand why their Crown Prince spoke such words. Wasn't he the one who had arranged them into groups of ten odd each? Maybe the other teams had not arrived or had not sent a reply, so why was he in such a panic? Naturally, no one would speak out in such a manner. However, seeing the bodyguards surrounding their Crown Prince sharing the same pensive look, and with the top expert of their group DongFang Hen having a worried expression, everyone immediately realized something. Did an accident happen?
"A few of you from that group split up and search around our surroundings. Scrutinize the area and maintain contact at all times. Once there's an accident, you guys are to holler immediately! As for the rest, maintain your formations and do not separate. Search in that direction. Since the tents are there, there are bound to be people nearby! Everyone must watch out, we might have already been surrounded. This is a dangerous situation." DongFang Hen's face was incredibly serious and he barked out orders non-stop. He himself stuck even closer to DongFang XingChen, his sword in hand, his hawk-like eyes scanning the surrounding areas without stopping.
At this moment, it should have been the Crown Prince giving the commands, but everyone could see that their Crown Prince had turned pasty in the face, so scared that he was unable to act as the commander any longer. As such, DongFang Hen could only step up. Even if he would end up being berated when they got back, so long as they were able to get back, he would gladly receive any punishment.
Right now, DongFang Hen could feel in his heart after sensing the reeking smell of bloodshed. He estimated that the other six teams were probably lost in the forest forever. This smell of blood was not present before when they had walked into the forest, and the air had been fresh and pleasant. It was only after they had entered the place that the smell of bloodshed spread all over the area. However, the plot of land they were on was evidently free of any traces of battle, so where had the bloodshed spread from? This point left him baffled.
But while there might seem like nothing was amiss, having his men scout the area was still a necessity, moreover, they might accidentally come across traces of their enemies. It would be better than being overly cautious and getting alarmed at every single gust of wind.
He had to consider the fact that for the opponent to swallow six groups of their elite troops, the personal guard of their crown prince, without sight nor sound, how good must their martial skills be? Even if he personally took action, he could not guarantee such a success! This point caused DongFang Hen to feel even more nervous, and he became extremely careful, as he was aware that a slight moment of carelessness would cause him to pay with his life!
To that point, he even had a horrifying thought that the six teams were actually done in at the same time. This meant that the opponent had six top-tier exponents on hand, and if his conjectures were right, they had no way of surviving!
If a nest is destroyed, how could there be any eggs left over?
Since the opponent was able to get rid of so many people within so short a time, this already displayed their insane might. How could it be possible for them to miss a few stragglers? It seemed like today's matters would not bode well for them!
Lost in his own thoughts, DongFang Hen suddenly heard the rustling sounds of hasty footsteps. Six totally pale guards stumbled out of the shrubbery, almost running into each other as they collapsed on the ground. One of them trembled as he spoke, "Dead, all of them are dead… blood, blood was splattered everywhere… it has become a forest of blood… no one was spared…"
DongFang XingChen's face turned ashen, and he nearly toppled over. Luckily he was supported by DongFang Hen. With the reports coming from the other five, everyone present grew pale. Out of the hundred and twenty men sent out in the six teams, not one remained alive!
DongFang XingChen groaned, almost passing out. This crown prince of the DongFang family revealed a look of fright and fear at this point, and even before the mysterious enemy had shown themselves, his courage had already fallen in the gutter!
Taking advantage of this small window of time, Ling Tian flashed back to where Xiao YanXue was hiding. This peerless beauty was staring with a look of worry at the seventy to eighty men with a worried face. Upon seeing Ling Tian return, she heaved a sigh of relief, as she began to question, "How was it? Do you know who those people are now?"
Ling Tian laughed, replying in an amused tone, "We're indeed linked by fate. If you look where I'm pointing now at that handsome looking noble there, that's the fiance your house had chosen for you, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Zhao, DongFang XingChen. How is it, he's not too bad eh? They say that it takes ten lifetimes to calibrate boats to travel together, and a hundred lifetimes to share a pillow with someone else. You haven't lived for a hundred lifetimes yet, but you're actually able to obtain such a handsome and extraordinary future monarch! Are you a thousand-year empress in disguise?"
Xiao YanXue snorted as she looked that way, a look of disgust on her face. "Bah, who would live for a hundred lifetimes to obtain that sort of guy? He's a 10 out of 10 useless bum. Just how did my family allow such a trash to ally with them? This is really throwing away the face of the Xiao Family! Let's not talk about being some empress, even if he recognizes me as his godmother, it would be a humiliation!"
One could not blame Xiao YanXue for turning up her nose in disdain. Right now, the great Crown Prince of Eastern Zhao was shaking like a leaf, going soft in his knees as though he did not have a bone remaining in his body. Seeing his bedraggled look, Ling Tian calling him a tree in a greenhouse was not without reason. His look now resembled a tiny sapling tree who was facing an imminent typhoon of magnitude ten… His outstanding demeanor had completely dissipated at this point.
Ling Tian laughed softly before instructing, "Hurry and leave towards our back. Use your fastest speed, and remember, do not turn back. I'll settle everything here in a few breaths and catch up with you."
Xiao YanXue stared at him dumbly for a while, before obediently nodding her head, "I understand, my presence here will only complicate matters for you. However, you… must be careful! Better to let them go, then to slip up and fall into danger. Promise me!"
Ling Tian chuckled as he reached out a hand to dab her little nose, sneering, "Relax, with my capabilities, how could these little worms even hurt me? Danger? What sort of danger can there be? Don't tell me you don't even have the slightest bit of confidence in your husband? This man here is the husband that you've prayed half a millennium for! I can't be considered on the same page as the rest of this riff-raff!"
Xiao YanXue's face turned red as she huffed, "Whose husband are you? I never prayed for anything, do I look like I care about it? We haven't even… yet." The last part of her words was lost to Ling Tian, even with his enhanced senses of hearing.
Seeing her embarrassed and lovable look, Ling Tian laughed, "That's right, when I'm done with my business here, I'll… with you." Ling Tian also muffled the same part, but the ambiguity in the sentence made Xiao YanXue turn red like a tomato.
He then lightly patted her head. "Go, there's time for you to be shy later. We have more than enough time as it is."
"You baddie!" Xiao YanXue could take it no longer, scolding him in a low voice while rolling her eyes at him. She no longer cared about him but rather sped off away from him.
"Who?!" The moment Xiao YanXue activated her movement technique, DongFang Hen immediately picked up the energy and spied a person flying off towards the darkness of the forest far ahead. He loudly cried out, attracting all gazes towards the indicated direction. Everyone prepared to encircle that person.
At the same instant, a blinding flash of light came from the place where everyone's sight was trained towards. It flashed out like lightning, and a white shadow shot forward seven to eighty feet in one breath, appearing like a specter in front of everyone. The blade flashed, and one of the guards let out an agonized howl as he collapsed on the ground.
"Protect the Crown Prince!" DongFang Hen was still a martial arts exponent and immediately realized that the person fleeing did not have the skills to kill all his men before, so his awareness had been heightened. Now, seeing that the grim reaper had come knocking on their door, he immediately bellowed out loudly, choosing to engage the assailant instead.
The two of them weaved swords, exchanging numerous blows akin to that of a torrential downpour. The ring of metal resounded continuously, and the two shadows finally split apart, with DongFang Hen staggering back a few steps, his breathing heavy. However, the white dressed assailant soared upwards instead like an eagle, and his sword drew out an enchanting semicircle. Following his descent, the seven to eight people near him spewed out blood and dropped down without a sound.
Even before the bodies had dropped onto the ground, the latter had already exerted force the moment the tips of his toes touched the ground, shooting towards DongFang XingChen much like a meteor or a bolt of lightning!
His target was clear, to kill the Crown Prince of Eastern Zhao, DongFang XingChen!