The shock from An Jiu’s arrow was far less than the stream of blood gushing from the Crown Prince’s neck.

As soon as He Cai struck, the secret guards around the Crown Prince went berserk, attacking her with their swords.

Surrounded by dozens of people, He Cai had almost no room to resist. Her body was instantly pierced by over ten swords, blood spraying, her chest and abdomen riddled with holes like a sieve.

Seeing the Crown Prince assassinated right under his nose, Feng Shi became enraged. He let out a sharp cry, his sword flashing even more urgently.

Feng Shi knew that with the Crown Prince dead if he didn’t fight his way out, he would surely die here today. Every emperor hoped for legitimate succession, and after ascending the throne, would certainly work hard to whitewash themselves. As the most credible insider, Feng Shi knew the Second Prince would never tolerate his existence.

The Second Prince, seeing the Crown Prince dead, suppressed his inner joy and ordered the surrounding Crane Soldiers to go help Chu Dingjiang deal with Feng Shi.

However, how could ordinary martial artists interfere in a battle between masters of the transcendent realm? Those Crane Soldiers could only clear out the Crown Prince’s remaining faction on the periphery, offering no help to Chu Dingjiang.

An Jiu paid a great price for shooting that final Subduing Dragon Arrow. She stood motionless for a long time, her entire right arm trembling uncontrollably. Blood seeped from her ears and eyes, not much in quantity, but terrifying against her paper-white face.

The spiritual force was not an inexhaustible resource. Like inner force, once overly depleted, it causes tremendous damage to the body.

An Jiu’s vision was filled with blood red. Looking at the chaotic battlefield in the distance, her mind was in turmoil. As the unease subsided, only one clear thought remained—sleep.

She desperately wanted to sleep…

On the other side, Elder Zhi’s condition looked slightly better than An Jiu’s, except his eyes were gradually losing their luster as if wisdom was leaving his body.

In the chaotic battlefield, few people noticed this change in Elder Zhi and An Jiu. As both were transcendent realm masters, others subconsciously avoided them during the fighting.

Chu Dingjiang was gradually feeling overwhelmed dealing with Feng Shi. If not for that initial arrow draining his inner force, he might still have had the strength to fight. But now, continuing would likely result in a fatal mistake at any moment.

While the green hills remain, one need not worry about firewood—Chu Dingjiang had always been an extremely calm person. So, seizing a brief opportunity, he quickly retreated ten zhang.

Feng Shi, also intent on escape, naturally didn’t pursue it relentlessly and took the chance to withdraw as well. Among those present, no one could stop him now. He stood on the roof ridge, looking down at Chu Dingjiang for a few breaths, then swiftly departed.

The sun rose.

Gradually, calm returned to the front of Baohua Gate. Blood flowed like rivers, the stench overwhelming, dyeing the sky above the imperial palace a deep red.

Chu Dingjiang turned back to see An Jiu leaning on the Subduing Dragon Bow, standing in a pool of blood like a stone monument. His heart sank. Using what little inner force he had left, he appeared before An Jiu in the blink of an eye and called out hoarsely, “A Jiu.”

An Jiu slightly raised her head.

The morning wind was cool, carrying a heavy scent of blood. Chu Dingjiang’s large robe was already in tatters, his tight-fitting clothes wrapping his muscular frame. There were over a dozen wounds of varying depths on his chest and arms, some still bleeding, but An Jiu knew these were all superficial injuries. His condition wasn’t too bad.

“Hey,” she grinned, her hair lightly swaying in the morning breeze, a breathtaking beauty against her pale face.

But the next moment, her smile froze, and her entire body fell backward.

“A Jiu!” Chu Dingjiang grabbed her, reopening the small wounds that had just clotted on his arm. Blood flowed again, soaking both their dark clothes.