The Empress, enraged, glared at Gu Qianying, her fury mounting. She no longer desired Gu Qianying's blood; she wanted her dead!
"Trash! All of you, attack!"
The Empress glanced at Grand Tutor Su beside her, her anger intensifying. This useless fool was timid and hesitant at the slightest trouble! As for Murong Yun, he had long since vanished.
"What other tricks do you have? Bring them all out!"
Su Cheng appeared behind the Empress at some point, speaking coldly.
"Hmph, you think I don't have backup plans?"
The Empress curled her lips slightly, clasping her hands together. A colossal spiritual beast rose from behind her, exuding a dark cloud. The shape of the dark cloud was indistinct, constantly shifting under the dim light of the dungeon.
Gu Qianying observed the dark cloud, noting its monstrous, unclassifiable form. She harbored a suspicion but dared not act rashly. This was likely one of the ancient sacred beasts, the four spirits of Chi Mei Wang Liang.
"Su Cheng, be careful!"
As the dark cloud began to divide into four distinct shapes, Gu Qianying's suspicion solidified. Because of her, Su Cheng had become somewhat deranged, even bordering on possessed, his vision likely clouded, unable to discern what these entities were.
Watching the dark cloud split and surge towards Su Cheng, Gu Qianying couldn't help but shout a warning. As expected, the dark cloud attacked ferociously. By the time Su Cheng reacted, it was too late; its assault was fierce.
Su Cheng drew his sword, its sharp radiance cleaving towards the divided Chi beast. The Chi beast, a dark cloud, recoiled from the attack, greatly startled. Knowing Su Cheng was formidable, it turned its attention to Gu Qianying.
But Gu Qianying was fully prepared and no longer feared them.
"Hahahaha, Gu Qianying, aren't you always boasting about your abilities, arrogant and looking down on others? Today is your death day!"
The Empress was utterly deranged. Today, she had lost a large number of her dark guards, cultivated for years and each a master, all easily killed here. She wanted Gu Qianying dead! Even if she had to raze the entire Nan Yi Kingdom, she would kill Gu Qianying!
"Sacred Spirits! Kill them for me!" the Empress commanded sternly.
Gu Qianying tightened her grip on her sword, her gaze fixed on the four dark clouds attacking her. Chi, Mei, Wang, and Liang, the four sacred spirits, were ancient sacred beasts and not to be underestimated. Even with her immense power, she couldn't withstand simultaneous attacks from all four. This was indeed a difficult task!
Gu Qianying gritted her teeth, unleashing her moves with all her might. No matter what, she was determined to kill these spirit beasts today.
However, the moment the sacred beasts attacked, the Chi beast was intercepted by Ouyang Qinglin and Meng Qinghua. They had just taken the antidote, their strength slowly recovering, and fending off one sacred beast was not a difficult task for them now. Meanwhile, the Mei beast was held back by Duan Xifeng and Lu Zhu.
As for the remaining sacred beasts, Xuan Ling Nu and Bai Ze were struggling to resist the Liang beast. They were also ancient sacred beasts, and in a direct comparison, they had little chance of winning, especially now that they were injured, their strength failing them.
The Empress, witnessing this scene, was furious. But it didn't matter; the dungeon tonight would be their burial ground. She paid no mind to the current situation, as the outcome was already apparent.
Turning to the decisive battle, Su Cheng saw Gu Qianying struggling alone against the Wang beast. He threw his sword and rushed to Gu Qianying's side to lend her aid.
In less than half an hour, the individuals resisting the four dark clouds were defeated. Although their strength had recovered, it had not returned to its peak. Fighting these beings to the death would only be a futile sacrifice. Bai Ze, in order to protect Xiao Yihao, was unable to divide his attention, causing those fighting the Chi, Mei, and Liang beasts to vomit blood and collapse.
Seeing these troublesome individuals dealt with, the four dark clouds surrounded Su Cheng and Gu Qianying.
"Now you can't escape! All of you, attack!"
The Empress gloated, slowly rising from the ground. With a wave of her hand, the four dark clouds lunged at Su Cheng and Gu Qianying. However, to her surprise, the four dark clouds produced a violent friction sound against Su Cheng and Gu Qianying's swords. Upon closer listening, there were even sounds of painful wails. The Empress seemed not to hear them, mistaking them for Gu Qianying's cries.
In less than half an hour, the four dark clouds vanished completely. Only Su Cheng and Gu Qianying stood back to back. They had used almost all their strength to counter these four sacred beasts, but fortunately, they had succeeded. They had faced death with determination, and against all odds, they had succeeded.
"What do you have to say now?"
Gu Qianying knelt on one knee, slowly wiping the blood from her lips. She forced herself to stand and walked to the Empress's side, drawing her sword with a cold gaze. Grand Tutor Su had not abandoned the Empress and remained by her side. Now, both were captured by Gu Qianying.
"Keep an eye on these two. I'm going to find Murong Yun!"
Su Cheng, seeing that only the two of them remained, thought of Murong Yun. They had seen Murong Yun when they arrived, but now Murong Yun was nowhere to be found. Gu Qianying found it strange. The place was not that large; where could Murong Yun have gone? She nodded slightly, and Su Cheng quickly departed. Gu Qianying helped up the injured, her eyes filled with venom as she looked at the Empress.
The Empress was now utterly distraught! How could this be? The Four Sacred Beasts she had cultivated for so long were so vulnerable. She refused to accept it. Why did heaven favor Gu Qianying so much?
Not long after, Su Cheng returned with Murong Yun. Murong Yun was trembling, completely devoid of his earlier arrogance and sharp gaze. He no longer resembled the dashing noble young master of the past; he was utterly pathetic.
"How do you wish to die?"
Su Cheng sat to the side, wiping his long sword, not even sparing Murong Yun a glance.
"You want to kill me? I'm your brother!"
Murong Yun began to play the family card, finally remembering that Su Cheng was his own brother, completely forgetting that he was the one who had intended to kill Su Cheng earlier.
"You remember we are brothers now?"
Su Cheng found it somewhat amusing. He hadn't expected Murong Yun to be so cowardly. When he found him earlier, Murong Yun had been cowering in a dog hole by the palace gate, trembling.
"What are you still babbling about? Kill him!"
Meng Qinghua was the one who spoke. Although he disliked Su Cheng, upon thinking of Murong Yun, he felt there was no need for further leniency. He should be killed directly! Gu Qianying watched with a cold eye. As long as Su Cheng dared to act, she would support his decision.
"It's alright, I will always support your decision!"
Seeing his hesitation, Gu Qianying softly reassured him.