Zu An didn’t want to see someone he knew dying just like that, so he casually raised his hand and pulled Jing Li to his side, thus saving the latter from Zhao Yuan’s fatal attack. He was astonished to hear Jing Li’s words, repeating, “He’s the Shadow Group Master?”
The Shadow Group was the most elusive assassin organization in the world. Even the Embroided Envoys could only find their branches, but not the identity of its master. While there had been clues suggesting the Shadow Group Master was in the imperial palace, that conjecture had never been verified.
Thinking about it, Zhao Yuan was an imperial relative and a commander of the imperial army. He should have wielded considerable influence, yet he had always maintained a low profile and had hardly any presence. This had benefited him. He alone had remained standing when all the renowned figures in the imperial palace had met with mishaps. Were it not for the previous rebellion, the imperial army would still have been under his control.
Many things would suddenly make sense if he was the Shadow Group Master.
The others also stared at Zhao Yuan in astonishment. None of them had expected him to be the most secretive person in the world.
Zhao Yuan broke his composure and glared at Jing Li with vicious eyes. “I should have never spared a bastard like you.” There was no point refuting it now, after all.
His admission caused a huge commotion. The Shadow Group had held a resounding reputation before Zu An’s rapid ascent in the capital. Many influential figures in the imperial court had feared that their throat would one day be slit by a Shadow Group assassin.
King Yan looked at Zhao Yuan with fearful eyes. He hadn’t expected the person he had recently spent so much time with to be such a terrifying individual. And I kept bragging in front of him!
“You seem confident.” Zu An was surprised by Zhao Yuan’s frank admission. It seemed the latter had something to fall back on.
“This world would have been mine if not for your sudden emergence.” Zhao Yuan shook his head regrettably.
A thought surfaced in Zu An’s mind. “You don’t seem to just be referring to this rebellion.”
“Of course not. Your appearance foiled my careful arrangements.” Zhao Yuan had bottled these thoughts up for a long time, and he could finally vent them. “I was a distant imperial relative. The throne wouldn’t have been mine even if a thousand emperors came and went. But were it not for your intervention, with the previous emperor’s passing, the crown prince’s weakness, and the conflict between the Crown Prince Consort and the empress, they would have fought each other to the death without any outsider meddling.
“The distinguished King Qi’s lineage always coveted the throne. There were also many ambitious ones among the other kings, be it the previous King Wu or the current King Yan. Chaos should have befallen this world a long time ago!”
Zu An sneered, “Only then would you stand a chance.”
“Your intervention resulted in King Qi’s faction’s premature retirement. The Crown Prince Consort and the empress, despite their long-standing feud, made peace and became allies. I would have never expected you to conquer those two tigresses...”
Zu An’s face reddened. “Don’t talk nonsense!” He had to be careful, since they were in public.
Bi Linglong noticed many gazes falling on her. She tried her best to maintain her composure, but she wouldn’t hesitate to dive into a hole if she could.
Zhao Yuan continued, “You suppressed King Wu and dealt with the previous emperor’s sons. You unraveled many of the conflicts among major clans in the capital. My many years of effort went down the drain because of you.”
“You sought to turn the major clans and princes against one another, so you could swoop in and reap all the benefits afterward. The main imperial lineage had to suffer a hit before a distant imperial relative like you could stand a chance.” Zu An could guess the other party’s plan.
“Indeed. Your appearance changed it all.” Hatred flickered through Zhao Yuan’s eyes. “But heaven isn't blind. I finally found an opportunity to incite Bi Qi to make a move against the Liu clan, thus finally putting my plan into action. I never expected you to foil it yet again.”
Bi Linglong widened her eyes. The previous chaos in the capital had resulted in the decimation of the Bi clan and the Liu clan. So this fellow was the one behind it!
Zu An frowned. “Weren’t the monsters behind that? You defected to the monsters?”
“The monsters? The likes of them aren’t worthy of my loyalty.” Zhao Yuan placed his hands behind his back as he spoke arrogantly.
“Let me see the basis of your confidence.” Zu An unleashed a blade of golden sword ki at Zhao Yuan. The attack was only intended to sever Zhao Yuan’s arm. There were too many things that he needed to question the latter about.
A black aura suddenly manifested around Zhao Yuan and neutralized the golden sword ki.
The rebel soldiers cheered in delight. Their leaders were mostly Zhao clansmen, and they understood that their defeat spelled death. Even though Zhao Yuan was the Shadow Group Master, he was still an imperial relative. His victory was more advantageous to them than Zu An’s. After witnessing Zu An’s overwhelming strength, they had given up hope, but the way Zhao Yuan had easily neutralized Zu An’s attack brought them renewed hope.
King Yan further lowered his head in shame.
On the other hand, Zu An remarked in astonishment, “Annihilation power?”
This power wasn't foreign to him. The Monster World had been destroyed by a terrifying Annihilation Beast, an expert in the path of annihilation. Those walking the path of annihilation believed in the annihilation of the universe itself, and they were feared in the myriad worlds. Zu An hadn’t expected Zhao Yuan to wield annihilation power!
Zhao Yuan was surprised. “I never expected you to have heard of my master. If you’re willing to join us, I can speak to my master on your behalf and have him accept you as a disciple.”
Spatial tears opened in the vicinity. Black-clothed assassins emerged from the tears and surrounded Zu An. They were shrouded in black auras suffused with annihilation power.
Most spectators were astounded. They didn’t know what annihilation power was, but they recognized the black-clothed assassins as elites of the Shadow Group. Each elite assassin in the Shadow Group was a legendary figure who wielded the power to kill a king.
Despite their fearsome reputation, most people didn’t think they posed a threat to the regent. However, the auras they were currently emanating surpassed even those of the four dukes.
This sent everyone into a frenzy. Is the Shadow Group that powerful?