Decisive Battle, Severing All Paths of Return (Part Three)

None of them were fools. At a glance, Serena Feng and Prince Nolan could see that Lady Min had no intention of negotiating in earnest—she was just toying with them, or had some ulterior motive. If they wanted to save anyone, they’d have to use force.

Did Lady Min really think that just because they had no weapons and only three people, they wouldn't dare make a move?

How naive!

The three of them had never been the type to sit and wait for death, letting others dictate their fate. Coming to Destiny Cliff alone, they were already prepared to risk their lives—no matter who the enemy was!

Prince Nolan used the negotiation with Lady Min to gradually close the distance between them. Once they were at the perfect range, Serena and Sean Xuan took up positions to his left and right. The moment Prince Nolan made his move, they would block the flanking enemies and buy him time to rescue the hostages.

Of course, before that...

"Catch!" Serena pulled out Prince Nolan's and Sean Xuan's weapons from her Smart Med-Pack and tossed them to each man. She herself gripped the seven-shaped hidden weapon Lady Min had mentioned.

"What’s going on?" Even Lady Min, who prided herself on flawless schemes, was shocked to see Serena produce weapons out of thin air.

This was completely outside her calculations.

"Go!" Prince Nolan and Serena didn’t bother to explain. The instant they had weapons in hand, Prince Nolan lunged at Lady Min and the False Ghost King, while Serena’s bullet was even faster.

Bang... The bullet left the chamber. Lady Min stared, wide-eyed, as it shot straight at her. She wanted to move, but her legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds—she couldn't move at all.

"Your Highness, look out!" Her bodyguard reacted instantly, shoving Lady Min aside and throwing himself in front of her.

Bang... Another bullet whizzed by. This time, the bodyguard couldn't block it. The False Ghost King tried to rush forward to shield Lady Min, but Prince Nolan's sword swept out horizontally, stopping him cold.

If he insisted on shielding her, he'd be pierced by both the bullet and Prince Nolan's sword.

Prince Nolan knew he couldn't truly injure Lady Min, but he kept his sword raised. He could already foresee exactly what the False Ghost King would choose.

Just as he'd predicted, the False Ghost King didn't hesitate at all. He crashed straight into Prince Nolan's blade, planting himself in front of Lady Min to block the bullet.

Thud... The bullet hit him square in the chest, blood blossoming out. The False Ghost King collapsed, gasping, "Protect Her Highness."

That was the loyalty of the Former Dynasty—willing to sacrifice themselves and even their families for Lady Min.

Prince Nolan, Serena, and Sean Xuan attacked with ferocity and speed. Even though Lady Min's dead-men were prepared, they were thrown into disarray for a moment—that brief window was all Prince Nolan needed to save someone.

Just as expected, Prince Nolan rescued Vincent Su.

With a single slash, Prince Nolan cut the ropes binding Vincent Su, hauled him down, and ripped away the black cloth covering his head and the gag in his mouth.

"Ninth... Royal Uncle." Vincent Su struggled to form the words, his eyes brimming with tears.

A man dies for one who truly understands him. Vincent Su felt that everything he'd done was worth it.

"It's over now." Prince Nolan quickly checked Vincent Su's pulse—finding it faint and weak, a chill creeping into his heart.

Vincent Su forced a wry smile, glanced at Serena and Sean Xuan surrounded in the center, and shoved Prince Nolan: "Forget me—go save Bella, get her off this cliff. We're brothers; I don't want him to end up with nothing."

Both Prince Nolan and Vincent Su understood exactly who he meant.

Storm Cloud Bu had betrayed them. Even if they didn't chase him down, he couldn't stay. The moment he chose to sell them out, he was no longer part of their circle.

"You don't have to worry about him." Prince Nolan ignored Vincent Su and slung him onto his back. "Hold on—I don't plan on burying you."

Vincent Su coughed up blood from the jostling, but he wasn't one to refuse Prince Nolan's help.

In truth, he was terrified of death. Saying he'd trade his life for Bella's had already taken all his courage.

Besides, he owed Bella nothing. Storm Cloud Bu had already risked his life for her once; Vincent Su didn't owe her, and she wasn't his responsibility. As a merchant, he never made losing deals.

Prince Nolan carried Vincent Su and regrouped with Sean Xuan and Serena. The three fought as they retreated; Sean Xuan and Prince Nolan's martial prowess kept the dead-men from closing in, while Serena's Desert Eagle handgun dominated at range. Their teamwork meant they couldn't break out yet, but they wouldn't be overwhelmed either.

"Loose arrows!" Lady Min snapped out of her shock and gave the order, her tone icy and unyielding.

From Prince Nolan's actions, Lady Min knew their relationship was now irreparably broken. If she didn't kill him today, he would destroy her in the future.

She was now Eastlyn's Grand Empress Dowager. As long as she was found and brought back, she'd still hold supreme status in Eastlyn and no longer needed Prince Nolan. But...

"Seize the Nine Provinces Token from Eastlyn's Ninth!" Lady Min would never forget how the secret sects like Mystic Healer Valley refused her because she lacked that master token.

"You think you can take the Nine Provinces Token? Dream on." Prince Nolan lifted his head, sweat flicking from his hair as he fought.

"The Nine Provinces Token was originally given to you by me. What's wrong with taking it back now?" Lady Min was desperate.

She realized she'd miscalculated. She never imagined Eastlyn's Ninth would be so bold—attacking her with just three people. It completely upended her plans.

Now, with the Ghost King arriving, it was no longer a matter of borrowing a knife to kill—it was truly inviting a wolf into her house.

Lady Min was furious but felt no regret. If she could seize the Nine Provinces Token before the Ghost King intervened, she would have nothing to fear.

Over the years, Prince Nolan had secretly amassed many forces, all of which could be mobilized with the Nine Provinces Token. If Lady Min got the token and the Phoenixfield Clan's support, most of Eastlyn would fall into her hands.

Lady Min's plans were flawless—if everyone followed her script. But she lacked the power to make everyone obey. Not only did Prince Nolan and Serena refuse to play along, even Ghost Hall didn't act as she wished; only the Ghost King himself had intervened.

After discovering Storm Cloud Bu's true identity, Ghost Hall planned to quietly assassinate him. But Storm Cloud Bu was alert and escaped.

Before fleeing, Storm Cloud Bu revealed Lady Min's entire Destiny Cliff plot to Ghost Hall, explaining that the massacre was orchestrated by the Former Dynasty princess to kill the Ghost King.

Upon hearing this, Ghost Hall couldn't ignore it—whether true or false, they had to send people to Destiny Cliff to investigate. If the Ghost King died because they dismissed the warning, Ghost Hall would be finished.

So, as Serena and Prince Nolan were surrounded atop Destiny Cliff, Ghost Hall's assassins were already fighting their way up, racing toward the final confrontation...