"Patriarch, our plan is foolproof—even members of the Han royal family are relaying Lin Shuo's whereabouts to us. It's bound to succeed!" Elder Sun sneered. "Second Prince Lin Shuo only has a Third Rank Innate warrior escort. The corpse puppets we're sending all have Third Rank Innate combat power—we'll annihilate them!"
Over the years, Demonic Heaven Sect had assassinated numerous Innate warriors from various nations and refined them into puppets. Though their strength weakened as puppets, decades of accumulation had given the sect enough Third Rank Innate puppets for this mission.
"Good. Take the puppets and prepare. I'll lead Prince Su's puppet to Zhou to sow chaos," the Patriarch waved.
"Yes, Patriarch!" Elder Sun bowed and left the Demonic Hall.
"Prince Su... When you appear in Zhou's capital, the Han royals' faces will be priceless," the Patriarch chuckled darkly, eyeing Su's puppet.
...
In a border city of the Great Han, merchants traveling between Han and Zhou gathered, making it bustling. Shops, inns, and teahouses lined the streets, with caravans leading packhorses everywhere. Shouts of shopkeepers filled the air.
Second Prince Lin Shuo rested in a street teahouse, accompanied by a green-robed royal attendant—a Third Rank Innate. Four blue-robed warriors at adjacent tables guarded him—all Seventh Rank martial artists, strong enough to protect Lin Shuo from thousands of soldiers with the attendant's help.
Returning from Zhou, Lin Shuo traveled light to reach the capital quickly. After the Third Prince Lin Yu's betrayal and ambush in the Southern Wasteland, Lin Shuo dared not be careless—someone in the capital wanted him dead.
"Your Highness, we've returned to Han. Why hide your identity? Reveal yourself and have border garrisons escort us," the green-robed attendant said.
"Someone doesn't want me back. Why do you think Zhou detained me? They colluded with others to keep me there, eliminating a rival for the throne," Lin Shuo sighed wearily.
The attendant smiled bitterly. Lin Shuo's words touched on royal power struggles; attendants could only stay neutral and loyal to the dynasty, not individuals. He turned his gaze away.
"Eh!" The attendant frowned, staring at the stairs with surprise.
Lin Shuo followed his gaze to see four black-robed figures—hooded and fully wrapped—march in unison up the stairs and sit at an empty table.
"Your Highness, don't they seem odd?" The attendant whispered, frowning. "Their steps were uniform, but their knees didn't bend. They sit like stone carvings—like marionettes." He took a deep breath, "I sense death qi on them. Your Highness, we must leave immediately!"
"Right!" Lin Shuo signaled the guards and they escorted him out.
Boom!
The four black-robed figures unleashed terrifying pressure. Four Third Rank Innate pressures, like crashing waves, swept the teahouse, turning many inside to bloody pulp. Even the Seventh Rank guards were sent flying through windows onto the street. Only the green-robed attendant protected Lin Shuo in time, or he would have been severely injured.
"Bad—they're after us!" The attendant grabbed Lin Shuo's arm, leaping from the teahouse to the street. Ignoring the wounded guards, he pulled Lin Shuo toward the General's Mansion—home to ten thousand troops and numerous experts.
But the black-robed figures were faster, blocking the street corners before the attendant could move.
"Great Zhou royalty! Your Highness, they wield Zhou martial arts—Zhou let you go to ambush you here!" The attendant's face turned livid. Four Third Rank Innates against one—he couldn't survive.
"Die!" The four puppets spoke in unison, releasing an aura that swept the street. Blood and flesh flew as hundreds were torn apart by Innate pressure, turning the street into a bloodbath. Pedestrians froze, then fled in panic, crying for help.
"Your Highness, they're as strong as me. I'll buy you time to escape—run to the General's Mansion. Don't look back!" The attendant's face steeled. He would die to save Lin Shuo.
Lin Shuo nodded gravely. "If I survive, your family will want for nothing."
"Thank you, Your Highness!" The attendant drew his saber, his aura soaring. This strike would burn all his spiritual energy to carve a path.
"Kill!" At the peak of his aura, the attendant roared and slashed at the nearest puppet.