Chapter 566: Sniper Assassins

Chapter 566: Picking Off the Shadow Guards

Despite her words, Empress Dowager Yuan was absolutely seething inside.

She realized that all of this might not be a coincidence, but rather a meticulously planned plot carefully laid by Chu Yi and Yuan Jiuan.

Using photographs and blood paternity tests, they had brought disgrace upon her and the National Preceptor, leaving them utterly disgraced and unable to show their faces again.

By every means possible, they had driven a wedge between her and the four great families, watching them tear each other apart, while Chu Yi pulled the strings from the shadows.

No wonder he'd been back for ages without ever showing his face.

He wanted to use her as a pawn to wipe out the four great families.

Only now did Empress Dowager Yuan realize that she and the heads of the four great families had walked straight into Chu Yi's trap without even knowing it.

Chu Yi was clearly out for revenge!

Hua Feixue narrowed his eyes with a sneer, "Why didn't I show my face? Don't you already know why?"

"We both know the truth, so why keep up the act?"

"There's no one here to perform for, so cut the fake act!"

A sharp pain shot through Empress Dowager Yuan's head. She clenched her fists and said, "When have I ever put on an act? While you were away for two years, I ran the entire court even while sick. Even if I get no credit, I still put in the work. Why does the Crown Prince have to be so harsh?"

Hua Feixue shot back mockingly, "Credit? You mean the 'credit' of cuckolding the Grand Emperor and disgracing the royal family?"

"Work? Wasn't all of this just for your own gain? You wanted to topple the dynasty and put your own son on the Chu throne. Did you ever bother to ask the Emperor or me?"

"Yuan clan, your crimes are unforgivable and beyond redemption. You hurt my father, murdered my mother, and butchered countless blood relatives of the Chu clan. How could I ever let you live?"

By now, a killing intent had already flared in Hua Feixue's eyes, and his hand trembled as it gripped his sword.

Sensing danger, the shadow guards lurking in the dark all sprang out at once, forming a wall in front of Empress Dowager Yuan.

Empress Dowager Yuan's head was pounding, but she didn't think Chu Yi had it in him to kill her.

In her mind, Chu Yi didn't know a lick of martial arts.

She was convinced he'd only gotten into the palace because Yuan Jiuan was backing him.

But she didn't give any of these people a second thought.

This was her turf. She had 400,000 troops at her command, while they had fewer than 100,000 men. How could they possibly stand a chance against her?

Seeing Hua Feixue's men already had their swords out, Empress Dowager Yuan frowned. What a bunch of delusional idiots!

Was it really worth dying for a worthless Crown Prince?

She glanced at the shadow guard beside her with a disdainful look and said, "Kill them all for me. Leave no one alive."

In her eyes, she'd already given Chu Yi a chance. He'd walked right into her trap, so she couldn't be blamed!

The shadow guards got the order and immediately drew their swords to attack, while Empress Dowager Yuan turned to retreat to her bedchamber.

"Bang!"

Just then, a gunshot rang out, and the shadow guard lunging at Hua Feixue was blown back before he even got close.

And wouldn't you know it, the shadow guard's body landed right at Empress Dowager Yuan's feet.

She instinctively looked down, and the sight sent a jolt of pure terror through her, making her scream, "Ah!"

Because the shadow guard's forehead had a gaping hole blown right through the middle, with blood still pouring out.

In less than a second, his face was soaked in blood, and he was stone dead.

The other shadow guards were shaken to the core by this sudden turn.

They hadn't heard a sound, felt any killing intent, or even seen who'd done it—yet their comrade was already dead.

Someone asked, "What kind of weapon is that? How is it this powerful?"

Hua Feixue let out a cold laugh, "Give up now, and maybe you'll live to see another day."

Others might not know, but he was damn sure this had Ji Yuntang's fingerprints all over it.

However, Hua Feixue hadn't expected such a tiny bullet to pack such a devastating punch.

Killing a martial arts master was so effortless it was almost laughable.

The next second, another bullet came flying in from afar. A sharp-eyed shadow guard spotted it and channeled his inner energy to try to block it, but the bullet was faster than he'd ever imagined.

In an instant, the bullet tore through his palm, punched through his hand, and hit him dead center in the chest. With a heavy thud, the shadow guard hit the ground, dead with his eyes wide open.

The other shadow guards were stunned!

Empress Dowager Yuan was stunned too!

She knew better than anyone just how skilled her shadow guards were.

These men had trained in martial arts since childhood and were handpicked by her to serve in the palace. Each one could take on a hundred men single-handedly.

Yet against this bizarre weapon, they were completely useless.

To say Empress Dowager Yuan wasn't shocked would be a flat-out lie.

Western Shu was already a leading weapons powerhouse, but she'd never seen a weapon this powerful that could kill so silently and instantly.

She looked at Chu Yi with terror in her eyes, feeling afraid for the first time in her life.

If she guessed right, this had to be someone Chu Yi had brought in to help him.

No wonder he'd dared to stage a coup so openly.

Terrified she'd be the next to get shot, Empress Dowager Yuan stumbled back toward the room, shouting frantically:

"Hold the line! Don't let them in! Find whoever's hiding in the dark and kill them!"

Then she barked at Nanny An, "Quick, shut the door!"

The bedchamber door slammed shut, and Ji Yuntang stood on Phoenix Terrace and let out a faint scoff.

"That old witch is such a coward!"

If Hua Feixue hadn't insisted on taking his own revenge, she'd have blown that old witch's head off ages ago.

Ji Yuntang took aim, pulled the trigger, and another shadow guard dropped dead in no time.

The next moment, it was like playing whack-a-mole—she picked off each one the moment she spotted it.

In an instant, half of the eighty-eight shadow guards lay dead.

Empress Dowager Yuan cowered in the bedchamber, listening to the gunfire outside.

Every time a shot rang out, she trembled, and Nanny An beside her was scared stiff.

"Your Majesty, maybe we should make a run for it through the tunnel?"

For her own safety, she'd long had an underground tunnel built beneath the bedchamber, leading straight out of the palace.

She would never use it unless absolutely necessary.

She felt fleeing would be too cowardly—she hadn't sunk so low as to flee in a panic.

The sound of clashing weapons rang out again outside, and she knew it was her own forces engaging with Yuan Jiuan's men.

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