My Wife Turns Out to be an Empress of the Dynasty

Ding True Man shouted in fury, and his aura immediately exploded forth in that moment.

The two guardians of the Dark Clan, still some distance away, did not have time to react. The dark energy surrounding them was instantly shattered by the overwhelming force.

Their cold, icy gazes shifted forward, but before they could even take another step, Ding True Man had already disappeared from their sight.

As they turned, Ding True Man suddenly appeared behind them. With a single palm strike, he sent one of the guardians flying back a hundred feet.

The other guardian's eyes instantly flashed with murderous intent. He raised his fist, ready to strike, but Ding True Man vanished again before the blow could land. The guardian's attack hit nothing but empty air.

This took the second guardian by surprise, but before he could fully comprehend what was happening, Ding True Man was already behind him.

With a cold sneer on his face, Ding True Man slapped him hard.

For the next few hundred exchanges, the two guardians had no chance to mount a defense, as they were helpless to block the constant barrage of strikes. It was not because Ding True Man's attacks were particularly powerful, but rather because he was so elusive that they could not track his movements.

The two guardians were completely overwhelmed. They could only stumble and evade, but they had no opportunity to retaliate.

It was clear that Ding True Man was toying with them. They had been forced out of the black hole and into the open air, where they found themselves standing atop the clouds. Their expressions darkened, their eyes filled with endless killing intent.

But neither dared to strike again. They were cautious, scanning their surroundings nervously. They still had not caught sight of Ding True Man, and they knew not to let their guard down.

From a distance, Gu Lan watched with a knowing smile on his face. This turn of events was indeed beyond his expectations.

Ding True Man emerged from the distorted space with a cold smile on his face. His aura was no longer concealed, and he exuded an overwhelming force.

Without hesitation, he released another hundred flying golden discs, sending them straight toward the guardians. This time, the guardians were given a moment to react.

Turning sharply, their faces darkened as they unleashed dark energy from their bodies, creating a defensive barrier around them.

A deafening roar followed as the air trembled, and the world seemed to shudder. The energy dissipated, and the two guardians retreated a hundred feet.

At this moment, they no longer wished to fight. They realized that Ding True Man was far more troublesome than they had anticipated. Continuing the battle would yield no benefit.

With cold expressions, they took a step back and instantly vanished into the distance.

Ding True Man did not pursue them. He took a moment to retract the three rules he had been channeling.

Had he chosen to press further, he might have been able to kill one or two of them, but stopping their retreat was beyond him.

He sensed that the two guardians were not using their full power in their confrontation. He could feel that they had been suppressing something, holding back their true strength.

Turning his gaze toward the distance, he did not linger any longer. With a single step, he moved to stand before Gu Lan.

He stopped, his expression darkened, and he deeply bowed to Gu Lan.

"Master, I spoke too soon!"

He had intended to kill the two guardians, but he had failed to do so.

Seeing his response, Gu Lan's expression remained neutral. He did not seem inclined to chastise him.

"They are not people you can kill. Come back. You've worked hard today," Gu Lan said indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Ding True Man said nothing further and turned to leave.

After his departure, Gu Lan's cold gaze shifted toward the direction of the Dark Clan. His expression darkened, and his eyes were clouded with a murderous intent.

It wasn't just Ding True Man who had noticed something unusual. Gu Lan had also sensed it. These two guardians had deliberately suppressed their cultivation levels.

Although they had been fighting fiercely, they had been concealing a hidden power throughout the entire battle. They had not revealed their full strength at any point.

Gu Lan was not sure why they had chosen to do this, but it was clear they were hiding something. If they were not, they would have acted differently.

After a moment of deep thought, Gu Lan returned to the Lanyan Royal School.

As soon as he stopped, Gu Simu hurried over to him, wearing a faint smile.

Seeing the expression on her face, Gu Lan immediately understood what was going on. He smiled lightly, then conjured several Spirit Fruits from thin air.

Gu Simu didn't hesitate. Before Gu Lan could say anything, she grabbed all of the Spirit Fruits and quickly pocketed them.

"Thank you, Father!" she said, then turned to leave without further words. However, as she took a step forward, Gu Lan raised his hand and stopped her.

"Where are you rushing off to, little girl?"

"I realized many shortcomings after the last battle. I want to improve," she quickly turned, her eyes glancing sideways as she ran toward the exit.

Gu Lan shook his head helplessly with a smile. He could never figure out what was going on in her mind.

Once Gu Simu stepped outside the palace, several of Gu Lan's disciples appeared, each wearing a smile.

Gu Simu wiped the smile off her face as she glanced at them. With a cough, she feigned indifference.

"This is a gift from my father to you all. Make sure you don't disappoint him," she said, and immediately began distributing the Spirit Fruits to the disciples.

The disciples who received the Spirit Fruits were visibly excited. Chen Feng, in particular, was thrilled. He had not had many opportunities to receive Spirit Fruits, and the same was true for most of the other disciples.

With the aid of the Spirit Fruits, they knew they would be able to increase their strength by at least one more level.

Once they had collected their gifts, the disciples bowed deeply to Gu Simu in gratitude.

"Thank you, Junior Sister!" they said.

Gu Simu beamed, feeling quite pleased. She gave them a gracious nod, adopting an expression that tried to seem more mature.

Gu Lan, watching from a distance, understood everything perfectly. He was pleased with how Gu Simu handled the situation.

Back in the Dark Clan, the two guardians returned, their faces dark and filled with resentment. They immediately reported the events to Dark Master, who was shocked by the news.

With a grim expression, Dark Master leapt into action and quickly arrived before the two guardians. Seeing their serious expressions, he was initially stunned, then questioned them gravely.

"How did this happen? I didn't expect this from you two. Your power should have been enough to handle him!"

The two guardians, their faces ashen, responded, "We didn't use our full power. The Bright Clan's people are secretly watching us!"

They had always been at odds with the Bright Clan. When they arrived in this area, they immediately sensed the presence of a few Bright Clan members nearby.

Because of this, they did not dare to act too recklessly. They were afraid of drawing attention and being ambushed by the Bright Clan. If that happened, they would be in a far worse situation.

Upon hearing this, Dark Master's expression grew dark.

He had expected the Bright Clan to stay low after being heavily wounded, but it seemed that they were still observing his every move.

Dark Master had planned to take down the Lanyan Royal School before confronting the Bright Clan, as their strength was considerable. However, now he had to change his approach. He could not afford to fight both the Lanyan Royal School and the Bright Clan at once, or he would risk losing everything.

After pondering for a while, Dark Master spoke with a serious tone, "According to the records from our ancestors, there should be even older relics within the Dark Clan. Are you two willing to take me to them?"

The guardians' faces darkened. It seemed that Dark Master had no other choice but to pursue this last option. He was desperate to strengthen his forces, or else his clan would surely fail.