Decisive Battle, Sword Severing the Road of Life (Part Four)

Lady Min’s dead-men wanted to kill Prince Nolan and his two companions, while Ghost Hall surged up the cliff—not to help Nolan, but with their own agenda. The two factions tangled together in a chaotic fight, yet in the end, their true target was still Nolan’s trio.

Destiny Cliff was in total chaos. Three sides clashed, and though Prince Nolan, Serena, and Sean were only three people, their skill and flawless teamwork made them nearly untouchable. The dead-men and Ghost Hall killers simply couldn’t pin them down.

To be honest, the chaos had its upsides—at least for Serena and her group. With Ghost Hall joining the fray, the pressure on them eased a lot.

Sean Xuan saw the opening and immediately said to Serena and Nolan, “I’ll go save them. You two cover me.”

“Alright.” If there was any hope of saving them, neither Nolan nor Serena could stand by and do nothing.

Bang bang bang—Serena swapped in a fresh magazine, wiped the sweat from her face, and grabbed a quick breath.

Maybe it was because of her pregnancy, but Serena tired more easily now, and she didn’t dare make big moves. That only made her wear out faster; it hadn’t been long, yet her breathing was already unsteady.

“Inhale… exhale…” Prince Nolan’s sword moved like lightning; Serena couldn’t even follow his strikes. Even in this chaos, he still looked out for her, and Serena couldn’t help but admire him.

It looked like Prince Nolan’s martial arts had improved again. With his strength, carrying two wounded people and holding out until reinforcements arrived wouldn’t be a problem.

Reinforcements were definitely coming—they were just far away. Nolan had already used the chaos to send out a signal, and once the backup saw it, they’d charge straight up the cliff.

They weren’t fools. If the enemy told them to come empty-handed, would they really show up unarmed? If told not to bring anyone, would they actually obey?

When Lady Min saw Ghost Hall killers charging up, she knew things had gone wrong—something must have happened with Storm Cloud Bu, and her plan would have to change.

Still, with Ghost Hall going after Prince Nolan and Serena, Lady Min felt reassured. The Ghost King was basically a deranged obsessive—when it came to anything tied to the Former Dynasty, he was sickly fixated. With Prince Nolan carrying the Nine Provinces Token or Treasure Map, the Ghost King would absolutely want him dead.

It might be inviting a wolf into the house, but Lady Min still decided to wield the Ghost King as her knife. If Serena and Prince Nolan died by his hand, it would be much easier for her to absorb the Phoenixfield Clan and Nolan’s subordinates.

Thinking this through, Lady Min relaxed. To avoid unnecessary losses, she quietly ordered her dead-men to withdraw, leaving Skyvault Fortress and Moonvault Palace Sect fighters to keep battling Nolan and Ghost Hall.

“Pull back.” Lady Min saw Sean Xuan rushing to save Bella Qin and didn’t try to stop him at all. Bella was far more valuable as a chess piece beside Prince Nolan than anywhere near Lady Min.

Whether Serena lived or died, Bella Qin’s existence alone could ruin her reputation for good.

She wanted to see how this self-important Phoenixfield heiress—who refused to share a husband and even tossed aside the empress’s throne—would handle the reality that Prince Nolan had a fiancée.

A Phoenixfield heiress who’d been tricked out of her body and made a mere concubine—without the Phoenixfield King’s protection, how could she ever earn the clan’s respect?

The worse Serena’s reputation got, the more the Phoenixfield Clan would lose faith in her. When that happened, Clara Phoenixfield would finally win their full support.

Serena, don’t blame me. Blame yourself for blocking Clara Phoenixfield’s path. You never should have appeared. Without you, Jason Lan would’ve married Clara long ago, and she would already have the Phoenixfield Clan’s support—none of this mess would’ve happened.

Lady Min gave Serena and Prince Nolan one last look, seeing them surrounded and covered in blood. A flicker of regret flashed in her eyes, but she quickly turned away.

For the sake of restoring the dynasty, all these sacrifices were worth it!

“We’re leaving.” Lady Min led her dead-men and hurried down the mountain…

She had no intention of letting the Ghost King wipe her out. If her guess was right, that guy was probably hanging off the cliff, eavesdropping.

Lady Min’s prediction was spot on. Just as Sean Xuan broke through the encirclement and rushed to save Bella Qin, a powerful force surged toward him, forcing him to fall back.

Sean Xuan dropped to one knee, stabbing his sword into the ground to halt his momentum. When he looked up, he saw a fire-red figure rising from below the cliff, landing with a tap on Bella Qin’s head—his swirling robes like giant wings.

One look was all it took—Sean knew this was no ordinary man, but a demon. That aura of evil was enough to make anyone’s heart tremble.

“Who are you?” Sean Xuan asked, looking up.

“You call a fake by my name, and now you see the real me and don’t recognize me?” The Ghost King was arrogant, his voice icy—utterly devoid of human warmth.

“Ghost King.” Sean Xuan stood up, looking at the Ghost King perched atop Bella Qin’s head—those blood-red eyes left a deep impression.

Seeing the real Ghost King, Sean realized the earlier impostor was similar in looks but worlds apart in presence. That demonic aura was something no ordinary person could fake.

“That’s me.” The Ghost King admitted it without hesitation, leaping off Bella Qin’s head and arrogantly settling into the lone chair. He didn’t spare Bella a single glance, even as she dangled from the cliff’s edge.

“My lord…” At that moment, a Ghost Hall killer stepped forward to bow to the Ghost King.

“Why are you here?” The Ghost King was clearly displeased with his subordinates’ unauthorized actions.

Just those few words made the man tremble, dropping to his knees to explain: “My lord, Storm Cloud Bu is a traitor. Today’s trap was designed by him and the old witch from the Former Dynasty to target you.”

“Is that so? You’re worried I’ll die here?” The Ghost King understood instantly—Lady Min was trying to borrow his knife to kill. But…

As long as the reward was enough, he didn’t mind being the knife. Either way, after killing Eastlyn’s Ninth, he could always turn around and slaughter the old witch too.

“My lord, your martial arts are unmatched—no one in the world can rival you. We’d never doubt your strength. We’re here only to serve.” The Ghost Hall killers knew exactly what their master liked to hear.

Sure enough, the Ghost King let it go. His blood-red gaze swept the battlefield, and he arrogantly commanded, “Kill everyone else. Leave the man from Dongling—I want to know where the Nine Provinces Token and Treasure Map are.”

“Yes, my lord.” With the Ghost King’s order, the Ghost Hall killers grew even fiercer. Lady Min’s remaining men were quickly wiped out, but that didn’t mean things got easier for Serena, Prince Nolan, and Sean Xuan—in fact, their trouble was just beginning…