The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 649 - 446. The Empress Smiles and Topples a Nation (6,000 Characters Seeking Monthly Tickets)_2

Chapter 649: 446. The Empress Smiles and Topples a Nation (6,000 Characters Seeking Monthly Tickets)_2

"Mr. Zhao didn’t carry any weapons."

Chai Keqiao nodded slightly, whispering, "Maybe he’s not planning to take the stage."

Xiao Ran couldn’t hide her disappointment, yet she wasn’t surprised: "A petty character."

She stepped into the ring, casually drawing her soft sword, her ebony and ivory eyes cold and aloof:

"Who will face me?"

The group of Tributors looked at each other, not knowing the detailed list of today’s combatants.

"Miss Xiao, your words are strange. Didn’t we agree on a sparring match the other day? Whom are you looking for?" Suddenly, Zhao Douan walked out of the crowd leisurely with hands clasped.

He wore a smile, his hair fluttered by the spring breeze, starkly contrasting with the tension of the surrounding Tributors.

"Junior Guardian Zhao? Are you going to face the enemy?"

"If I remember correctly, this Xiao Ran is top-grade in the Divine Chapter... Has Junior Guardian Zhao already reached top-grade?"

"There’s going to be a good show."

"Not good... Junior Guardian Zhao’s cultivation is still young; I’m afraid..."

The audience had mixed feelings but were mostly worried.

Even someone as common as Dong Xuan understood that Zhao Douan "cheated" on the day of the Buddhist Tao duel, borrowing the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s sword to defeat the Tian Hai monk.

Although months have passed since then, Zhao Douan has had few public records of action, and the last encounter with Tang Zhao succeeded unexpectedly with new spells.

Therefore, even though Zhao Douan continued to make miracles, people still couldn’t help but be skeptical.

"Your Majesty... he..." Mo Chou hesitated, looking at the Empress, but saw Xu Zhenguan’s face remain calm, seemingly unsurprised, making it impossible to guess his thoughts.

"You want to duel me?" Xiao Ran raised her eyebrows, extremely surprised.

Zhao Douan smiled faintly: "Are you surprised?"

Xiao Ran suddenly laughed, but her smile was somewhat cold:

"Last time, you used numbers to easily capture me; today, there’s no one to help you."

She paused, seeming to guess something, glancing at his empty hands with undisguised disdain in her eyes:

"What’s this? Without bringing your sword, are you planning to summon the Taia Sword again? No wonder you have such confidence."

But Zhao Douan seriously shook his head and corrected her:

"To defeat you, why would I need a sword?"

Why would he need a sword? Does it mean he’s not going to use the relics of the Grand Ancestor? In such sparring and contests, even if he wins, it’s unworthy if he uses them... The crowd wasn’t too surprised.

"No, Junior Guardian Zhao said why would he need a sword, not why use the Taia." Scholar Han Zhou furrowed his brow, catching the phrasing.

The surrounding scholars also noticed but didn’t pay much attention:

"Perhaps he just omitted the words Taia, in a duel with Qingshan disciples, how could he be so careless? Barehanded?"

"Perhaps, Mr. Zhao hinted at using a blade." Some guessed Zhao Douan was playing a trivial word game.

However, what happened next left everyone, including Xiao Ran, stunned.

They saw Zhao Douan, with one hand behind his back, slowly raise his right arm, fingers together, lightly making a cutting motion.

"Hiss."

A section of peach wood branch, nearly the length of a short sword, was sliced off and fell, casually caught in his palm.

Zhao Douan gently twisted his wrist, cherry blossoms scattered from the paper, leaving only a smooth wooden sword in his hand. He smiled and said:

"This is enough."

Xiao Ran was stunned.

Xue Shence was taken aback.

Eunuch Hai also raised his eyelids, revealing a hint of surprise, then seemingly guessed something and turned his head to gaze at the expressionless Empress of the Yu Country seated at the main seat, watching the battle.

The crowd let out a low gasp; no one anticipated this scene, but Chai Keqiao at the Qingshan side seemed to understand after being stunned.

"He wants to prove himself."

"What?" Qi Ye, holding his sword with a cold demeanor, turned his head in confusion to "look" at him.

Chai Keqiao squinted his eyes and explained in a low voice:

"In the Martial World, isn’t it recognized that his martial arts are mediocre and only rely on the Grand Ancestor Emperor’s Divine Weapon for his fame? Therefore, today he doesn’t even use a sword or blade, only ordinary peach wood as his weapon."

Qi Ye frowned tightly:

"Is this person insane? Not long ago, he used all his means and couldn’t defeat Xiao Ran, yet today he wants to reverse the public opinion this way? Unless he’s prepared to use some Magic Artifact."

Chai Keqiao shook his head:

"If he were to use external objects, then this act of breaking a peach branch to use as a sword would be meaningless. Xiao Ran is probably in danger; perhaps we have underestimated him."

Qi Ye shook his head and said: "You overestimate him. Martial Arts Cultivation is not power; it can’t be quickly achieved. Is he worthy?"

...

In the arena.

Xiao Ran’s face gradually became unsightly, her gaze icy:

"Don’t regret it."

Zhao Douan smiled and said:

"I have many bad habits, but one of the few virtues I possess is never regretting my decisions."

Xiao Ran smiled; at this moment, she couldn’t be bothered with words anymore, stepping forward without warning.

"Bang!"

The girl’s boot lightly touched the spring grass, yet it emitted a heavy thud. If you listened closely, you’d hear the thunderous sound of profound Qi Mechanism in her Qi Sea.

Xiao Ran, like an arrow leaving the string, pulled out a streak of afterimages, approaching Zhao Douan in the blink of an eye. The fine soft longsword in her hand rose like a venomous snake, flashing a cold light.

Xiao Ran’s strike was without reservation, an all-out attack. The sword edge almost ripped out a blasting sound, and she believed this strike would be enough to defeat the nauseating lackey of the Empress before her, avenging her captive humiliation.

"Watch out—"

Someone around let out an exclamation.

This sword was too fast, too swift. Song Jinxi, pushed to the crowd, broke into cold sweat, thinking it would be hard to completely avoid this sword with his footwork.

Is Mr. Zhao about to lose like this?

This thought involuntarily arose, but soon, they saw Zhao Douan’s figure suddenly leaning backward, his body almost parallel to the ground. The peach flower branch in his hand drew an exaggerated half-arc in the dirt. Defying the laws of physics, he slid along the ground, passing by Xiao Ran, who leaped and thrust her sword.

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