"Trash, all of you are trash!"
The Empress and Grand Tutor Su reappeared, looking at the corpses of the dark guards littering the ground. The Empress trembled with rage, her gaze fixed on Gu Qianying, whom she considered deserving of death. If she ever got her hands on Gu Qianying, she would drain her blood and flay her skin!
Her painstakingly cultivated dark guards were all gone. How could she possibly accept this?
Her eyes, filled with venom, glared at Gu Qianying. If she could, she would have devoured Gu Qianying whole!
"I will kill you!"
The Empress shrieked hysterically, her elegance completely gone, replaced by sheer malice. This was her true face!
"Su Cheng! Go save them!"
The man called Su Cheng nodded slightly, his body moving in an instant from his original position to the cages.
He was a subordinate of the Sect Master, and executing the Sect Master's orders was their mission.
"Yes!"
After the voice responded, the Empress's expression changed. The madness vanished, replaced by composure and helplessness.
"What are you doing?"
Gu Qianying sensed something was amiss and looked at the Empress before her, becoming vigilant.
"Hahahaha! You want to save them? Do you think it will be that simple?"
The Empress looked at Gu Qianying, finding her incredibly naive and innocent. Did she truly believe the Empress had no backup?
The First Prince, a coward, had already fled. Now, apart from the corpses on the ground, only she, Grand Tutor Su, and Gu Qianying remained to confront each other.
"Let me tell you the truth, I've poisoned those people. If you want to save them, you will have to pay a price!"
The Empress took out a bottle of purple potion from her sleeve and dangled it triumphantly before Gu Qianying.
Before those people were thrown into the dungeon, they had already been given poison. Only she held the antidote.
"You're courting death!"
Gu Qianying's killing intent flared completely. She drew her sword, its blade flashing as it swung towards the Empress's head.
However, the Empress remained unperturbed. With one hand, she opened the antidote, making a show of about to pour it out. She completely ignored Gu Qianying, closing her eyes with enjoyment.
Since she couldn't obtain Gu Qianying's blood, having Gu Qianying's loved ones accompany her to the grave wasn't such a bad thing!
Seeing the antidote about to be emptied, Gu Qianying quickly sheathed her sword, feeling rather exasperated.
"What do you want me to do? To let Ouyang and the others go?"
The Empress slowly withdrew her hand, looking at Gu Qianying and patting the non-existent dust from her sleeve.
"Beg me! Beg me, and I'll save them. No, drain your own blood, and I'll release them. I am the Son of Heaven, my word is my bond!"
Although she said this, if the moment truly came, she would not easily let these people go. They would inevitably be refined into puppet soldiers!
"No, impossible!"
As the two were locked in a stalemate, a faint voice sounded from the side. Gu Qianying turned her head to look.
It was Meng Qinghua speaking!
It turned out the intense fighting had roused him from his unconsciousness.
Having heard the entire exchange, he certainly wouldn't allow her to drain her blood to save them, these half-dead people.
"Child, you are still young and have plenty of time ahead of you. If you save us, you will have no way to live, child! You must think clearly!"
Although Meng Qinghua was old, his mind was clear. He knew what was important. Some things were fated to be, and one couldn't do such things. He absolutely couldn't harm them.
After hearing Meng Qinghua's words, Gu Qianying's eyes turned red. She looked at the people confined in the cages. They had followed her for so long, yet remained loyal. Even in this dire situation, they were still considering her!
But she hesitated! Was she being a little selfish?
For the first time, Gu Qianying doubted herself, unsure of what to do.
Just then, a loud noise echoed from outside.
"Mother!"
A childish voice rang out. Gu Qianying turned her head in disbelief. It was Xiao Yi Hao!
Lu Zhu followed behind him. The usually delicate Lu Zhu was holding a knife.
The knife was pressed tightly against a woman.
The woman was in a panic, unsure of what to do!
"This..."
Gu Qianying, usually calm and collected, also panicked. She hadn't expected Lu Zhu to come.
"You!"
Now it was Grand Tutor Su's turn to be astonished. This was his youngest daughter, with a knife held to her neck.
"Mother, Mother, save me!"
She pleaded desperately, her exquisite makeup smudged with tears.
The hairpins on her head were askew, showing no trace of the once-refined Second Miss Su.
"You!"
Grand Tutor Su was so enraged he couldn't speak.
"What do you want?"
She looked at Lu Zhu with vigilance and tension. This was her most beloved youngest daughter, and now her life was threatened by a knife.
"I want you to release them!"
These words actually came from the usually timid Lu Zhu.
Having not seen each other for only a few years, Lu Zhu had truly grown. Gu Qianying felt a surge of emotion but didn't know what to say, her eyes turning red.
Her demeanor was rather indifferent, and she didn't know what to say. Apart from her reddened eyes, no one knew how shocked she was at that moment.
"Fine, I'll release them, release them!"
Grand Tutor Su was terrified. He disregarded the Empress's orders and directly commanded his subordinates to open the cages and release the remaining people.
Meng Qinghua was helped out by Su Cheng, and the divine beasts were also rescued.
"Here, the antidote!"
Lu Zhu handed the antidote from her bag to Xiao Yi Hao, who then passed it to Gu Qianying. After they administered the antidote to everyone, they watched as they were all safe.
Lu Zhu glanced at the Second Miss Su under the knife, a cold glint flashing in her eyes.
"I'll let you go this time, but you won't be so lucky next time."
Lu Zhu, true to her word, released the Second Miss Su and pushed her towards the Empress.
"Trash are all trash!"
The Empress looked at the corpses on the ground, then at the people and divine beasts who had been successfully rescued. She was about to go mad. How had things escalated to this point?
She was supposed to be the ultimate winner, so how could she have lost so completely?
Seeing Grand Tutor Su holding his precious daughter, she became even more furious. She slapped Grand Tutor Su and prepared to unleash her true weapon, determined not to be controlled by Gu Qianying any longer.
"I will not rest until I have your blood!"
The Empress waved her hand, preparing to unleash her final trump card. Even without anyone's help, she could still deal with Gu Qianying and these insignificant pawns. They had to die!
Gu Qianying's blood was a must-have!