Chapter 853

At the slightest thought, Dongfang Bai's offensive immediately rose.

The Sunflower Manual was renowned throughout the world for its ghost-like speed.

Generally, in the eyes of low-realm martial artists, a martial artist who used the Sunflower Manual did not look like a normal person at all, but rather like a ghost.

Therefore, the moment the thought stirred, Dongfang Bai had already executed three moves in an instant.

Every move was an extremely vicious technique.

It looked as though she meant to kill this maidservant!

"Wuxia... no, Wan'er, Wuxia is in danger, hurry and save her!"

That beautiful woman whose voice was like an oriole, seeing her maidservant in danger, hurriedly instructed the beautiful woman beside her.

This beautiful woman naturally also saw that the beauty named Wuxia had fallen into a perilous situation due to her rashness and ignorance.

Originally, the life or death of a mere maidservant was of no concern to her.

Moreover, all of this was caused by her own rashness and ignorance in the first place.

Clearly Dongfang Bai was about to leave, so why did you still have to make a move?

It was just that Wu Zetian had already given the order, so she could only act.

Exactly!

These three were none other than the Great Tang Empress Wu Zetian, the Chief of Palace Attendants and Grand Secretary of the Inner Court Shangguan Wan, and the Empress's personal maidservant Wuxia.

The three, following the jade tablet's instructions from the Qinglong Society, had arrived at this desolate wilderness.

At this moment, with Wuxia in peril, Shangguan Wan pulled a wolf-hair brush from her bosom and, as if writing in the air, attacked Dongfang Bai.

Dongfang Bai had unleashed three vicious moves, thinking Wuxia's defeat was certain,

but upon seeing Shangguan Wan produce this strange wolf-hair brush weapon and wield it as if writing, she grew curious.

Because of this, she somewhat neglected Wuxia.

She did not expect Wuxia, facing her vicious moves, to suddenly shift from palm to finger, with a wisp of extreme Yin force shooting from her fingertip.

This force was so powerful that it made Dongfang Bai's heart palpitate unceasingly.

"Ah? What Wu Gong is this?"

Dongfang Bai never imagined that the Wu Gong of a mere maidservant could be so terrifying.

But she had already lost the chance to retract her move, and could only consolidate her three vicious moves into a single defensive one.

Then the two clashed fiercely upon this grassy ground.

Puchi!

Indeed, despite Dongfang Bai's swift reaction, that extreme Yin force, driven by Wuxia, still broke through Dongfang Bai's defensive move.

Then, pressing the advantage without mercy, it followed Dongfang Bai's meridians and rapidly attacked toward her heart meridian.

If this extreme Yin force were allowed to reach the heart meridian, Dongfang Bai would likely perish here today.

"Who exactly are you people?"

Dongfang Bai's mind was greatly shaken; with a furious shout of interrogation, she rapidly retreated, circulating the true qi of the Sunflower Manual to resist this extreme Yin force.

She truly could not understand why a maidservant encountered in this desolate wilderness could possess such extreme Yin force!

One must know that a force like extreme Yin was truly the pinnacle of martial arts.

Even Dongfang Bai, at the peak of the Earthly Immortal Realm, had never comprehended it!

Fortunately, the Sunflower Manual was swift as a phantom; when she wished to retreat, she directly transformed into a ghostly figure.

Causing Wuxia and Shangguan Wan's subsequent attacks to all miss.

When her form reappeared, she was already ten zhang away.

Clutching several silver needles in her palm, she stared fixedly at Wu Zetian and the others, questioning once more,

"Who exactly are you people? Why must you seek to kill me!"

Not long ago, she had nearly been killed by a single palm strike from what seemed to be a great master protecting them.

And now, through carelessness, she had been ambushed by this maidservant with extreme Yin force.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!"

Wu Zetian also found it extremely strange—when had her personal maidservant Wuxia acquired such formidable Wu Gong?

Wu Zetian could tell that this person before her, a woman disguised as a man, was at least at the Earthly Immortal Realm.

To repel an Earthly Immortal Realm expert in a single strike, and that while striking from behind.

Wuxia's Wu Gong was truly far too terrifying, wasn't it?

Thinking this in her heart, Wu Zetian did not pursue the matter with Wuxia for the moment, but turned to explain to Dongfang Bai,

"This sister, we..."

"Who is your sister!"

Since Dongfang Bai styled herself Dongfang Bubai, she had always resented being called neither man nor woman—even "sister" was taboo.

At this moment she was already gravely wounded, and being addressed thus by Wu Zetian,

in her indignation, she directly shot out all the silver needles in her hand.

The Wu Gong of the Sunflower Manual relied on its swift, ghostly footwork and these invisibly lethal needle techniques.

The moment the silver needles were released, they transformed into a skyful of cold light, enveloping all three of Wu Zetian's party.

"How dare you speak insolently to Your Majesty—deserve death!"

Wuxia, furious beyond measure, charged forward once more into the skyful of cold light to attack.

"Wan'er, pull her back."

Wu Zetian could not help but feel a headache—her personal maidservant Wuxia was clearly the most placid of all.

Otherwise, she could never have served as her personal maidservant.

But why, at this very moment, did she suddenly get stubborn?

Although Wu Zetian found it strange in her heart, she still spoke up and told Shangguan Wan'er to bring Zhang Wuxia back first.

656 — the Great Tang Empress?

Shangguan Wan'er, hearing Wu Zetian's order, was reluctant in her heart, but could only step forward and prepare to pull Zhang Wuxia back.

Because Dongfang Bai had scattered silver needles like a skyful of cold light, Shangguan Wan'er could only brandish her wolf-hair brush, writing a series of strokes in midair; after blocking part of the cold light,

she reached Zhang Wuxia's side and grabbed her wrist in one motion,

"Zhang Wuxia, what are you doing?"

Zhang Wuxia, pulled to a stop by her, could not help but turn her head back, puffing with anger,

"Your Majesty was nearly assassinated in this godforsaken wilderness — she almost perished.

And just then this neither-man-nor-woman freak shows up, acting so wildly arrogant.

Who knows whether she's actually in league with those traitors?"

Saying so, she prepared to break free of Shangguan Wan'er, intending once again to attack Dongfang Bai.

At this moment, while Dongfang Bai was deploying her silver needles on one hand, the greater part of her cultivation was still being used to suppress that extreme yin force.

Hearing Zhang Wuxia publicly call her neither-man-nor-woman, she was so enraged that a surge of blood rushed up.

The true essence that had been as obedient as her own arm was, in an instant, beaten back step by step by the extreme yin force.

Puh!

Fury assailing her heart and old injuries flaring up again, Dongfang Bai was so angry she directly spat out a mouthful of black blood.

Then, her face deathly pale, she looked at Zhang Wuxia and said,

"Little slut — if I don't kill you today, my name isn't Dongfang!"

Saying so, she actually split off half her true essence, controlling the silver needles to attack the three of them.

Only the strikes aimed at Wu Zetian and Shangguan Wan'er were feints.

Those aimed at Zhang Wuxia were all killing moves.

Her ten fingers, as if plucking a qin or stroking strings, plucked at the empty air.

The silver needles would immediately shift direction, attacking the few of them from even more treacherous and vicious angles.

In this state of having truly lost her temper, Shangguan Wan'er no longer had the strength to pull Zhang Wuxia back again.

She could only wield her wolf-hair brush, doing her best to fend off Dongfang Bai's silver needles.

Instead, Zhang Wuxia seemed rather uncanny — not only narrowly dodging the silver needles time and again, she even took a few steps toward Dongfang Bai.

"When on earth did this little girl learn such brilliant skill?"

Shangguan Wan'er wondered inwardly.