Thankfully, Yi Zixie and the others had moved their fight elsewhere, otherwise he would have died from friendly fire.
As more and more puppets joined the fray, Yi Zixie and Fujiwara Shifei gradually found themselves at a disadvantage.
These puppets, while not necessarily powerful, were remarkably resilient. Even Yi Zixie couldn't destroy them in a short amount of time.
Furthermore, they never tired, always pressing forward even when struck, which greatly increased the difficulty of the battle.
"Martial Uncle, what should we do?"
Yi Zixie kicked another puppet away and asked Fujiwara Shifei.
Fujiwara Shifei didn't look at him and calmly replied, "Hold on a little longer."
Shen Xiaoyan and the others should be arriving soon; they would be safe then.
She knew Yi Zixie couldn't hold on for much longer due to his physical condition. Therefore, in the current situation, she could only do her best to protect him and prevent him from getting hurt.
This was also why she couldn't go all out against the puppets.
The puppets were mindless and attacked mechanically, which wasn't much to fear.
However, what was detestable were the cunning and treacherous individuals who, from time to time, would seize openings to launch sneak attacks.
Even if they didn't succeed, it served as harassment, provoking anger but leaving them helpless.
Just as these people were gloating, thinking victory was within their grasp, they suddenly felt a sense of danger approaching.
Looking up, they saw a massive green spherical object hurtling towards them, landing on an open space nearby.
It was only then that they saw clearly that the giant green object was covered in people.
The arrivals were Shen Xiaoyan and her group.
Standing beside Shen Xiaoyan and Zheng Wei was none other than Sima Han, clad in white.
The moment Sima Han appeared, Sima Zhu's eyes fixed on him.
Looking at Sima Han's tall, slender physique, Sima Zhu suddenly realized that Sima Han had always been like this since childhood: tall, lean, and exceptionally handsome.
Not only Sima Han, but his three younger brothers were also quite fair-skinned.
Only he, however, had been chubby since he was a child.
Moreover, he was dark and chubby.
Thinking of this, his gaze towards Sima Han became even more venomous.
He couldn't understand how Sima Han had known about the trap and come here.
If it had been Sima Han in his place earlier, he would have died without a burial place by now.
"The traitor Sima Han is here! Guards, capture him!"
Even in his current predicament, Sima Zhu did not forget his imperial identity. Though his end was near, he still wanted to drag Sima Han down with him.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at the somewhat frantic Sima Zhu and couldn't help but sigh.
This was likely the mentality of "if I can't have it, then you won't either."
Unfortunately, everyone present was too preoccupied with their own survival to heed Sima Zhu's orders and rush to their deaths.
Sima Han, meanwhile, paid no mind to Sima Zhu, bypassing him and entering the battle zone directly.
Shen Xiaoyan and the others also wasted no time, charging in together.
Even Luoluo unleashed its might this time.
Shen Xiaoyan merely glanced at it and her heart pounded in fear.
With a single swipe of Luoluo's claw, a puppet instantly turned to ash and vanished.
This combat power was truly off the charts!
Shen Xiaoyan then looked at her own futile attempts against the still-stubborn puppets and felt a surge of indignation.
She couldn't possibly be outmatched by Luoluo!
In a fit of pique, she stopped using her spiritual power, instead conjuring a long vine and wrapping it around a puppet. With a powerful tug, the puppet was instantly pulverized.
The effect was no less impressive than Luoluo's.
The more intense the battle became, the more Sima Zhu and his cohorts trembled.
They had never imagined that people they usually saw smiling cheerfully could be so terrifying in combat.
They were now incredibly fortunate that they hadn't excessively provoked Shen Xiaoyan and the others before. If they had truly angered them, who knew what the consequences would have been.
However, judging by what they were witnessing now, their own fate wouldn't be much better.
It was precisely because of what they saw today that for a very long time afterwards, none of the people present dared to look down on anyone lightly again.
This could be considered an unexpected gain.
With the sudden arrival of Shen Xiaoyan and her group, Yi Zixie and Fujiwara Shifei, who had been on the defensive, now felt as if they had received divine assistance.
The swift turn of events caught the leader and his men completely off guard.
By the time they realized something was amiss, the only ones who could still contend with Shen Xiaoyan and her group were themselves.
They looked around and found that all the puppets had been annihilated.
"What, are you going to surrender?"
Yi Zixie smiled mockingly, looking at the group of people with a sneer.
These people were on the brink of death, yet they were still oblivious. Did they really believe that with those puppets, they had nothing to fear?
But they failed to realize that no matter what, soulless entities would ultimately never win.
Shen Xiaoyan, seeing that these people had stopped resisting, also ceased her attack.
She idly twirled the vine in her hand and asked nonchalantly, "What about these people?"
Yi Zixie looked at Fujiwara Shifei, who said, "Kill them."
Shen Xiaoyan was startled. Kill them?
But upon reflection, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
After all, these people had come to kill Yi Zixie.
It was only fitting that they be eliminated.
Before Shen Xiaoyan could say anything more, Fujiwara Shifei made her move, and in an instant, all these people turned to ash.
Shen Xiaoyan: ...
She had always thought Fujiwara Shifei was cold in demeanor, but she hadn't expected her heart to be equally so. She had killed so many people without batting an eye.
Before Shen Xiaoyan could ponder further, Fujiwara Shifei turned around. "I'm leaving. You can handle the rest."
With that, she left with Bai Ying.
Watching Fujiwara Shifei leave so decisively, Shen Xiaoyan sighed with emotion.
She was clearly a warm-hearted person, who, knowing Yi Zixie was in danger, had immediately disguised herself as Sima Han and accompanied him to the Forbidden City.
She had helped resolve the biggest problem without causing any trouble for anyone.
Yet, after everything was done, she simply departed.
Such a person, cold on the outside but warm within, made one remember her kindness.
After seeing Fujiwara Shifei off, Sima Han turned his gaze to Sima Zhu and the assembled court officials.
"You all witnessed what just happened. His Majesty colluded with unknown individuals to destroy my Great Chu's empire and trap all of you present. Would you still support such an Emperor?"
Hearing Sima Han's resonant words, Sima Zhu choked with rage, gasping for breath.