# Chapter 1366: Cousin, You Have Suffered!
"What's going on? Has this brat Zhang Ruochen offended all the cultivators under heaven?"
The Mad Drunkard pressed one hand against Zhang Ruochen's back, turned around, and was startled by the sight of cultivators rushing over like a swarm of locusts.
There were simply too many cultivators attacking to count. Some struck openly, while others hid in the shadows.
Those attacking openly were nothing more than a motley mob. However, those concealed in the shadows were all extremely powerful—at least at the Saint Realm.
Some might have been after treasures, while others wanted Zhang Ruochen dead, unwilling to let him leave the Royal City.
"Although the Empress hasn't issued an order, this old man can guess her thoughts. She actually wants to kill Zhang Ruochen to eliminate future trouble. It's just that, given her status, it's inconvenient for her to act directly."
Some high-ranking officials in the imperial court and the Ministry of War, guessing the Empress's intentions, wanted to cut off Zhang Ruochen's head to curry favor with her.
"All nine Realm Sons suffered greatly at Zhang Ruochen's hands. We must kill Zhang Ruochen to avenge them."
"The Empress has already become a god. Sooner or later, she will abdicate. The new ruler of the Kunlun Realm will surely be born among the nine Realm Sons. Whoever can kill Zhang Ruochen will surely rise to great heights."
Countless Thousand Ripple Annihilation Forces and Sacred Arts descended from the sky, determined to obliterate Zhang Ruochen.
Gu Songzi's spiritual power was formidable. Naturally, he overheard some secret transmissions and roughly understood the situation. His expression darkened. "No matter what, Zhang Ruochen has saved many humans. The things he has done are admirable even to this old man. Is the Empress truly so ruthless? Does she want to exterminate him completely?"
Gu Songzi already knew about how the Empress had forced the Mad Drunkard to kneel and swear an oath back then, so he harbored deep resentment toward her.
Just as Gu Songzi was about to strike, a gust of cold wind suddenly swept toward them. A woman with snow-white hair appeared out of thin air before the three of them.
Although her hair was white, she did not appear aged. She possessed an extremely youthful, immortal-like countenance—skin like solidified fat, red lips vivid, eyelashes long, and an elegant bearing. She looked very much like a peerless goddess who had stepped out of a painting.
Yet, a cold, powerful force surged from her body.
"Die."
Without making any visible move, she merely uttered this single word from her red lips.
"Boom, boom."
One cultivator after another had their bodies explode, turning into blood mist. Some cultivators farther away let out miserable screams and fell from midair.
With just that one word, a vast area was cleared. Tens of thousands of cultivators perished, and a thick, bloody stench filled the air.
The air itself turned blood-red.
"She is the Bright Hall Holy Ancestor! Run!"
"Heavens! Why has this world-dominating female demon come to the Central Royal City again? Leave this place immediately! If she gets angry, corpses will litter the land for a thousand miles."
"This is bad. Since the Bright Hall Holy Ancestor has appeared, the treasures on Zhang Ruochen will most likely be taken by her. If she obtains those treasures, won't her cultivation advance even further?"
Both the petty scoundrels in the open and the great figures hidden in the shadows all fled.
"Whoosh——"
From within the Central Royal City, a green cloud bridge thousands of miles long flew out. On the bridge, densely packed characters floated and sank.
Wang Shiqi stepped onto the cloud bridge, came outside the city, and appeared hundreds of zhang above the ground. Behind him stood dozens of Confucian Saints and Great Confucians, including the four sect masters of the Confucian Path.
In addition, Battle Heavenly King, Kill All King, and other major figures from the Ministry of War also appeared from other directions.
Wang Shiqi wore a Confucian robe, exuding an aura of authority. His voice spread across heaven and earth: "Kong Lanyou, the Empress has already become a god. How dare you come to the Central Royal City to massacre? Do you truly believe the Empress cannot kill you?"
Kong Lanyou's pupils released two sharp, cold beams. "So what if Chi Yao has become a god? The debts she owes will be collected sooner or later. Wang Shiqi, if you know what's good for you, take your imperial court's useless officials and get lost. Don't force me to go on a killing spree."
Beside her, the Mad Drunkard and Gu Songzi exchanged glances, both showing strange expressions. They thought to themselves, "The Bright Hall Holy Ancestor is truly formidable, daring to speak to Wang Shiqi like that. He is the Confucian Holy Teacher, the Grand Preceptor of the First Central Empire, one of the few great figures in the Kunlun Realm."
Behind Wang Shiqi, a Great Confucian with white beard and hair stepped forward and said coldly, "How dare you! A new god has emerged, and the world submits. How can we allow you, a female demon, to continue your rampage?"
Kong Lanyou cast a glance at him, extended a jade-white finger, and pointed forward.
"Not good."
Wang Shiqi's expression changed slightly. He quickly released his spiritual power.
The next moment, the sacred energy of heaven and earth converged continuously, forming profound sacred characters that coalesced into the character "Shield."
"Boom."
In an instant, the "Shield" character Wang Shiqi had formed shattered. An invisible force flew past his neck and struck the white-bearded Great Confucian.
"Pfft."
The next moment, the Great Confucian's body split apart. Bloody remains fell from the sky.
Many cultivators in the Royal City watched that direction. Seeing the Great Confucian killed, everyone shuddered.
All the saints present were stunned by Kong Lanyou's attack.
Battle Heavenly King's expression darkened. He took a step forward, holding a serpent spear.
Wang Shiqi's face was extremely grave. He glanced at Battle Heavenly King and shouted, "Stand back."
"Grand Preceptor, why do you stop this king?"
Battle Heavenly King's eyes showed confusion.
"She should have crossed the final step. Her realm is already different from ours. If you go up, you will... die..."
Wang Shiqi's body trembled. He clutched his chest, feeling as if his Sacred Heart might shatter from Kong Lanyou's oppressive aura. The Kong Lanyou of the past had never been able to exert such pressure on him.
Hearing Wang Shiqi's words, Battle Heavenly King's face changed drastically. He quickly retreated.
The other experts of the imperial court looked at each other, revealing deep wariness.
Kong Lanyou snorted lightly. She pressed her palm toward the Central Royal City, and instantly, every cultivator in the city felt an overwhelming oppression.
"Rumble."
A handprint tens of thousands of zhang long condensed and slammed down, shattering the three-thousand-zhang-tall divine statue in the Purple Micro Palace into pieces of rubble.
At the same time, the Abyssal Ancient Sword flew out from the city and fell into Kong Lanyou's hand.
"Let's go."
Kong Lanyou turned around. With a light wave of her hand, she released a layer of gauze-like sacred energy, wrapping around Zhang Ruochen, Gu Songzi, and the Mad Drunkard. In an instant, they disappeared outside the Royal City.
Before long, they had traveled far from the Royal City and arrived on an open plain, no longer hurrying.
The Mad Drunkard and Gu Songzi were extremely tense. Their bodies were stiff, staring at Kong Lanyou as if facing a great enemy.
Although Empress Chi Yao was ruthless, the Bright Hall Holy Ancestor was also infamous.
For a great figure like her, if there was no benefit to be gained, why would she save Zhang Ruochen?
"She's probably after the treasures on Zhang Ruochen." Gu Songzi transmitted his voice to the Mad Drunkard, making this guess.
The Mad Drunkard's expression changed. He transmitted back, "Does she know that the recipe for the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine is in Zhang Ruochen's hands?"
"She's probably after the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass." Gu Songzi transmitted.
In their eyes, nothing was more precious than the recipe for the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine and the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass. As they discussed, they even started arguing.
"It must be the recipe for the Six Saints Ascending Heaven Wine. With her cultivation, she wouldn't care about the Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass."
"Impossible. The Thousand-Leaf Saint Core Grass is a hundred-thousand-year sacred medicine. Even a Great Saint would covet it. How could she not care?"
...
Seeing Kong Lanyou approaching, the Mad Drunkard and Gu Songzi quickly stopped arguing. Both their faces turned pale.
"In truth, this old man is not very familiar with Zhang Ruochen. If the Holy Ancestor wants the treasures on Zhang Ruochen, feel free to take them... Just spare his life." The Mad Drunkard bowed to Kong Lanyou, smiling obsequiously.
"We two know nothing and have seen nothing."
Having said that, Gu Songzi, afraid that Kong Lanyou might silence them, quickly grabbed the Mad Drunkard and walked far away.
Kong Lanyou looked at the two old men with some confusion but soon withdrew her gaze and walked over to Zhang Ruochen.
Seeing the wounds on Zhang Ruochen's body and his wooden, lifeless eyes, Kong Lanyou felt a pang of pain. She extended her crystal-clear fingers and gently touched Zhang Ruochen's wounds.
She bit her lips tightly, tears streaming from her eyes. Her fingers trembled, as if she could feel Zhang Ruochen's pain and the bitterness in his heart.
"Don't pull me. We can't abandon Zhang Ruochen. That kid is pitiful enough. We must risk our lives to protect him." The Mad Drunkard said.
Gu Songzi said, "That's the Bright Hall Holy Ancestor. In front of her, even Wang Shiqi, Battle Heavenly King, and Kill All King dare not say a word. What are we? Can we protect him? Of course we would if we could. The problem is, we can't even protect ourselves. Let's just run."
"Cousin, you have suffered!"
Hearing this, the Mad Drunkard and Gu Songzi both trembled. Their mouths fell open, as if turned to stone.
"Cousin?"
After a long while, the two old men blinked and turned to look at Kong Lanyou and Zhang Ruochen.
They saw that the incomparably beautiful Bright Hall Holy Ancestor was tightly embracing Zhang Ruochen, sobbing and crying like a young girl, extremely heartbroken.
The Mad Drunkard and Gu Songzi's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets. It was as if someone had grabbed their throats, and for a long time, they could not speak.
The Bright Hall Holy Ancestor, who would kill people at the slightest disagreement in the Royal City, was now hugging Zhang Ruochen and calling him "cousin"?
Gu Songzi nudged the Mad Drunkard with his elbow, moved his lips, and whispered, "Could it be that the Bright Hall Holy Ancestor has gone mad from training and is mistaking Zhang Ruochen for her cousin?"
The Mad Drunkard rubbed his eyes and said very seriously, "Very likely."
"Good. This way, we might have a chance to save Zhang Ruochen. I have a plan we can try."
Gu Songzi took a deep breath. To save Zhang Ruochen, he had to take a risk. He gently stroked his beard, a wise look in his eyes. He took steady steps, walked over, and appeared beside Zhang Ruochen and Kong Lanyou. He smiled, "Actually, this old man is Zhang Ruochen's maternal grandfather. You two youngsters don't need to be so sad."
Kong Lanyou lifted her face from Zhang Ruochen's chest, tears in her eyes, and glanced at Gu Songzi.
Because Kong Lanyou's eyes were filled with tears, Gu Songzi could not see her expression clearly. He showed a kind smile, nodded to her, and continued, "That's right, I am your grandfather."
...
(A new chapter begins. What follows will be even more exciting.)
(Chapter End)