That moment that Fan Hui Zhong saw his daughter throw his son out of harm's way then turn to face the oncoming sword aura, his heart stopped and when he saw the barrier that Fan Zhu Xia hastily made shattered upon collision, the outrage and desperation he felt was the same as what he felt over a decade ago when he lost his wife.
Seeing his daughter's body sail through the air, he wanted so much to go and catch her but he was held back by the masked attackers who intercepted him, leaving him helpless as he parried their attacks and watch her body get knocked away due to the explosion caused by the collision of her barrier and sword aura.
Fan Hui Zhong was only able to sigh in relief when he saw the figure of a young man that he recognized was his disciple's; Jin Meng Yao's cousin and Wu Zhang He's adopted son; Wu Jun Qiao who rushed in and caught Fan Zhu Xia's falling form.
Now able to focus on his attackers, Fan Hui Zhong was fierce and controlled the tempo of the fight with his unrelenting attacks.
His aura rose sharply and he released, one powerful attack after another as each swing of his sword coated with a sharp sword aura inflict injuries one after another.
His blood boiled hotly in his veins like his qi in his meridians as he let out his anger on those in front of him.
"How dare you?! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK MY DAUGHTER?!" Fan Hui Zhong roared as dashed towards his enemies like how a wolf would rush through a flock of sheep.
Everywhere he went, blood bloomed and surrounded him.
It has been a long, long time since he last fought but each of his movements were smooth and fluid, filled with tremendous power and momentum.
It was as if each attack he released and each enemy he said was perfectly coordinated into a macabre dance of death.
Seeing as how their side was slowly losing their advantage, one of the enemy leaders let out a shout to which the others quickly responded by throwing more smoke bombs to obscure their sights.
When they did this, Fan Hui Zhong thought that they will use this chance to escape but contrary to what they thought, the attackers actually became more vicious in their attacks.
While the attackers continued on, some of them grouped up together to assault one target.
Fortunately for those who were singled out, most of them were not only highly-skilled but also had high cultivation.
Looking around, Fan Hui Zhong saw that aside from him who was currently embroiled in a fight with seven people, his father; Fan Song Xue was actually being attacked by twelve men. The only reason why he wasn't worried is because he saw his brother; Fan Hui Liang making his way towards him and even if he didn't have any help, with Fan Song Xue's recent breakthrough in cultivation, he would still be able to hold his own against his group of attackers.
Fan Hui Zhong also saw that Fan Yong Rui and Fan Shi Hong was also being attacked by another group and although Fan Shi Hong doesn't know how to fight just yet, Fan Yong Rui is still quite formidable in close-quarters combat. Despite this, he was of course a bit hard-pressed to protect Fan Shi Hong but when he shot another glance towards their direction, he wasn't as worried anymore since he saw his nephew; Fan Xian Liang and sister-in-law; Wei Rou Xiang join them to easily fend off their attackers.
As for the imperial family, they were all very well-protected and even though Jin Fa Chung had a slight injury in his arm, he was still a pretty skilled warrior as one would expect from an emperor who ruled a country who specializes in fighting and weapons.
Bai Nian Zu was also keeping close to the imperial family as he fought alongside the imperial guards to fend off most of the attackers and seeing that they could handle themselves, Fan Hui Zhong paid them no more heed.
Instead, he focused on taking down his opponents one by one while trying to keep an eye on Wu Jun Qiao's situation but due to the lingering smoke, it made it harder for Fan Hui Zhong to track them since they moved from place to place as Wu Jun Qiao evaded the attacks and focused on finding a safe place because of the injured Fan Zhu Xia.
Seeing that they looked like they were in trouble, Fan Hui Zhong turned his eyes and saw his eldest nephew fighting near him.
"Li Jie! Go and help out Jun Qiao, he's got your cousin!"
Fan Li Jie who's attention was called, reacted quickly and with a nod, he dashed towards their direction while Fan Hui Zhong intercepted the attack of one of his opponents.
As he ran, he noticed that those that were being fiercely attacked were mainly people who had military backgrounds and though some nobility were also fighting like the head of the Fu family; Fu Qing Jue and his son; Fu Qing Tian, they didn't have as many attackers and thus suffered less injuries.
Although he found it strange, Fan Li Jie pushed it to the back of his mind and rushed forward to parry an attack that was supposed to hit Wu Jun Qiao's back since he focused on defending the attack coming from the front which was directed to Fan Zhu Xia's direction.
Noticing his presence, Wu Jun Qiao shot him an appreciative nod before focusing on defending once more.
Pretty soon, with their combined efforts, they managed to turn the tide of the fight and control the tempo of their enemies.
It was surprisingly easy for them to coordinate their movements, as if the two of them had fought alongside each other before and each of their movements, from releasing an attack to putting up a defense was done smoothly as they covered for each other's blind spots and weaknesses.
Couple this with their impeccable talent in fighting and surprisingly high cultivation since both had reached the Heavenly Sky Realm, Fan Li Jie who was at the Practitioner Stage while Wu Jun Qiao was at the Intermediate Stage. Both found the pressure on them to be lighter.
Just as they were about to take the opportunity to finish them, the attackers suddenly threw something out and as both simultaneously jumped back and out of the way, when the object hit the ground, it released a massive explosion that knocked the two of them back as other similar explosions sounded out and rocked the entire great hall.
To their relief, this time, the attackers took the advantage of them being discombobulated and made their escape.
Of course, those who were capable immediately turned around to give chase while the others quickly pinned those attackers who were injured and got left behind.
At this time, Fan Li Jie who was sent flying through the air managed to land on his feet since he was able to condense a small shield at his side as he used the long sword made from Emeranite which Fan Zhu Xia had gifted him beforehand.
Clutching it tightly, Fan Li Jie immediately scanned his surroundings and looked for Wu Jun Qiao since before the explosion threw them back, he saw Wu Jun Qiao abandon protecting himself and turned his back to shield Fan Zhu Xia instead.
Pretty soon, he saw the familiar deep purple robes that Wu Jun Qiao wore lying in a heap on the floor near a collapsed pillar.
Panicked and worried at their state, Fan Li Jie hurriedly ran towards them and as the smoke and dust settled, he was able to see them more clearly and what he saw made his blood chill.
He saw the back of Wu Jun Qiao look frighteningly torn apart with his purple robes ripped at some places as his back was soaked with blood.
Wu Zhang He was already by their side when he got to them and he saw that despite being knocked out, Wu Jun Qiao still managed to successfully shield Fan Zhu Xia from most of the danger and that she was just unconscious from a head wound that she probably got when they hit the floor.
"General Wu, how are they?" Fan Li Jie asked as he crouched beside them.
Hearing his voice, Wu Zhang He turned to him and said, "I'm not sure yet. Quickly help me lift Jun Qiao up first, that way you can also check your cousin."
"Of course."
With their combined efforts, Wu Jun Qiao was gently moved off from Fan Zhu Xia and they saw that she looked mostly unscathed.
It was at this time that Fan Hui Zhong arrived beside them with a couple of imperial guards in tow as well as an imperial physician.
Seeing the situation, Fan Hui Zhong quickly had the guards fetch a stretcher while the imperial physician quickly examined the two.
After a short while, the imperial physician turned to them and said, "Lei Wangye, the princess has suffered serious internal injuries due to a backlash of her technique as well as a head injury which caused her to faint when her head hit the floor bu as for Young Master Wu, his injuries are much more serious and needs immediate medical attention especially since it would seem as though that Young Master Wu is also suffering from another illness and due to his injuries this time, his situation is uncertain to say the least. As soon as the guards bring the stretcher, we will have to carefully move him to a safer place and provide treatment."
"I see. Once the imperial guards arrive, have him brought to the palace's infirmary. I'll inform the emperor." Fan Hui Zhong immediately replied before his eyes met Wu Zhang He's.
"I'm sorry..." he gruffly murmured, his voice filled with guilt.
"No need to apologize. This boy would still have done the same thing even if I told him not to." Wu Zhang He replied helplessly as he turned to look at Wu Jun Qiao's unconscious form.
After a short while, the imperial guards came bringing two stretchers and both Wu Jun Qiao and Fan Zhu Xia were each loaded onto them before being carried away.
Fan Li Jie who was still in surprisingly good condition despite being tired and having a couple of minor scratches and injuries was sent to follow them to keep watch.
I'm the meantime, Wu Zhang He who was also injured chose to be treated on the spot as both he and Fan Hui Zhong discussed what Fan Li Jie said about his observations earlier.
If Fan Li Jie's speculation was correct, then is it true that those with military power were being targeted? And if so, then why?