I Was Forced to Marry the Empire’s Valkyrie and Lay Low Until I Became Unbeatable - Chapter 5:

Chapter 5: Killing Intent in the Night!

The imperial capital of Great Chu covered an area spanning 50 kilometers in radius, with a population of over a million. The An Residence sat in the busiest district, with streets around it packed with endless streams of people.

Just 100 meters away from the An Residence stood a seven-story tavern.

At this moment, on the top floor of the tavern, inside a private room facing the An Residence, a large round table was set within. Around it sat more than ten people, with an even larger group standing behind them.

These people had bulging temples and sharp, glittering eyes. Their martial cultivation was anything but ordinary—each of them was at least a Martial King Realm expert, with some reaching the Martial Emperor Realm or even the Martial Monarch Realm.

Most striking of all was the silver-haired old man seated at the head. His aura was vast and overwhelming. Even though he merely sat there, he felt like an ancient mountain standing immovable. The power surging around him clearly proved one thing—he was a Martial Saint Realm powerhouse!

A Martial Saint Realm expert stood just beneath a Martial God Realm powerhouse. Even across the entire Great Chu Empire, such a person was unquestionably a top-tier existence!

What was even stranger was that although these people all wore garments belonging to Great Chu, the language they spoke was bizarre and foreign.

“Lord Tiansha, when do we charge into the An Residence?” someone asked, his gaze fixed on the silver-haired old man.

The silver-haired elder known as Lord Tiansha did not respond. His eyes remained shut as he rested quietly.

At this time, another person spoke again, “Lord Tiansha, according to our intelligence, that woman hasn’t been staying in the An Residence since the wedding. Because Emperor Chu Yuan has been suppressing her, the Martial Saint Realm experts originally assigned by Great Chu to protect the An Family have been recalled to the royal court one after another. Now the entire An Residence only has that old chief steward as a Martial Saint Realm expert. This is the perfect time for us to strike!”

“That’s right! This opportunity is truly once in a thousand years. We must seize it!”

“That woman destroyed our Tianluo Kingdom. We must make her pay!”

“Lord Tiansha, give the order! We survivors have clung to life until today for one reason—to take revenge on that woman!”

“We may not be able to kill her, but if we wipe out the An Residence, we can at least comfort the spirit of His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor!”

“…”

Voices erupted one after another inside the private room, and countless gazes all turned toward Lord Tiansha.

Swish!

At last, Lord Tiansha opened his eyes. A flash of sharp light streaked out, like a silver python cutting through the dark.

Everyone present instantly fell silent, and then a cold voice rang out.

“At midnight tonight, slaughter the An Family!”

…

Night fell, the bright moon hanging high in the sky. The silence was like water, broken only by the chirping of insects and the croaking of frogs.

Under the cover of darkness, a group of masked figures moved with drifting grace, leaping into the An Residence. Though their numbers were large, they did not stir even the slightest sound.

After entering the residence, Lord Tiansha gave a low command, “Remember. First, blow the Bewitching Incense into every room, then make your move!”

Lord Tiansha’s voice turned even colder, “Kill everyone in the An Residence. Not even chickens or dogs are to be spared!”

The remaining scum of Tianluo Kingdom immediately received the order. They scattered like ghosts, and one of them rushed straight toward the courtyard where Ning Chen was staying.

That figure was short and somewhat ugly. His cultivation was the lowest among the group, yet he still possessed the strength of a 7th stage Martial King Realm expert.

Soon, he flipped into the courtyard and searched around until he arrived outside Ning Chen’s room.

Whoosh!

Following the instructions, he pulled out a small smoking tube from his clothes, carefully poked a hole through the paper window, then blew the Bewitching Incense inside.

This incense was no ordinary substance. It was specifically designed for martial experts.

Anyone below the Martial King Realm would faint immediately after inhaling it. Even Martial Emperor Realm or Martial Monarch Realm experts would feel their bodies go weak, their limbs turning limp, unable to summon strength.

After blowing in the incense, the short killer impatiently pushed the door open and entered.

Because as early as the wedding day, they had already thoroughly investigated the An Residence.

They knew the one living in this room was Ning Chen, the useless husband of An Nanjing.

Just an ordinary mortal. Naturally, there was no need for him to be overly cautious!

Creak!

The short killer raised his blade and stepped into the room, about to climb onto the bed and finish Ning Chen off.

But the dim candlelight suddenly brightened, instantly illuminating the entire room!

Ning Chen was sitting upright on the bed, composed and calm. He stared at the short killer with a faintly amused smile, “Friend, what business brings you here?”

“Ah!”

The short killer jumped in fright, completely unprepared for this. “Impossible! I clearly blew in the Bewitching Incense. Why didn’t you faint?”

“Oh?” Ning Chen stood up and shrugged. “Was I supposed to faint?”

Of course, Ning Chen would never tell him that a few days ago he had taken a Poison Immunity Pill.

Now, as long as it wasn’t an especially terrifying poison, it was completely useless against him.

“It seems I rushed in too quickly and didn’t give you time to breathe it in!”

The short killer muttered, and then viciousness surfaced in his eyes. “But it doesn’t matter. Killing you is only a matter of one blade!”

Clang!

Before his words even fully settled, the short killer had already slashed at Ning Chen.

He was a 7th stage Martial King Realm expert. Killing a mortal like Ning Chen would be effortless. Even against an ordinary Martial King Realm expert, he could still split them apart with a single slash.

The blade whistled through the air, silver light bursting forth, making even the candle flame tremble violently.

Bloodthirsty excitement rose in the killer’s eyes, as though he already saw Ning Chen being cleaved straight down from the crown of his head into two halves.

Buzz~

Yet just as his blade was less than 1 meter from Ning Chen’s head, Ning Chen’s shadow beneath his feet suddenly came alive.

In an instant, it transformed into a human-shaped black shadow, raising its hand and catching the blade barehanded!

That black hand was like an iron clamp, dissolving all killing force in the strike!

This sudden change made the short killer’s heart explode with fear. Just as he tried to scream, the black shadow grabbed his throat with its other hand!

It forcefully crushed his voice, leaving only terror in his eyes.

He did not know what this black shadow was, but the power it displayed filled him with despair, because it was unmistakably the aura of a Martial Saint Realm expert—no, even stronger than their leader Lord Tiansha!

“Don’t kill him yet,” Ning Chen said at this moment.

The black shadow obediently loosened its grip, and the short killer narrowly avoided having his neck crushed to death.

As for this black shadow, it was the special reward Ning Chen had obtained after lying flat for a week—Shadow Ghost!

As the name implied, it was not an ordinary living creature, but a ghostly entity.

Ning Chen was not surprised. In a world of cultivation, anything could exist. Beyond humans, demons, monsters, and ghosts were nothing strange.

What truly delighted him was that this Shadow Ghost’s strength was actually comparable to a Martial Saint Realm expert, and not just any Martial Saint—it was peak Martial Saint Realm, 9th stage!

In addition, the Shadow Ghost possessed all kinds of bizarre innate divine abilities. It could hide within shadows, create shadow clones, and even monitor through shadows.

In other words, as long as it did not encounter a Martial God Realm powerhouse like An Nanjing, this Shadow Ghost was practically invincible.

With the Shadow Ghost’s strength, strangling a Martial King Realm expert to death would take only moments.

But Ning Chen wanted to make full use of this chance. He wanted to test his own strength.

After all, he now possessed Martial King Realm cultivation as well. Even though he was only at the 1st stage Martial King Realm, he was also a Supreme Divine Body!

“You just gave me one slash. Now I’ll return it with one punch. Take it!”

Ning Chen activated his Supreme Divine Body, gathered power, and threw a punch.

This punch was not an ordinary strike—it carried an unparalleled martial art rewarded by the system, the True Martial Fist!!

“Ah!”

The short killer originally thought Ning Chen trying to kill him personally was pure delusion, because everyone knew Ning Chen was nothing but a useless martial cripple.

But the moment Ning Chen’s fist slammed out, his entire mind shattered in shock.

He had no time to wonder why Ning Chen had cultivation. He could only counterattack with everything he had.

Because Ning Chen’s punch made him feel a deadly threat!

Boom!

A muffled explosion erupted in the room. The killer’s long blade was blasted away, and his entire body was struck like a mountain crashing into him, smashing into the shadows.

His chest collapsed inward. Blood burst from his seven orifices. He was dead beyond any doubt!!