480: Chapter 480 Holding Off a Grandmaster

The scene fell into a deathly silence!

Xiao Qingxuan's straightforward words were like claps of spring thunder, intimidating the tens of thousands of soldiers in the Qing Kings Army!

Had Xiao Qingxuan dared to speak like this just a few days ago, the Qing Kings Army would have lashed out in anger.

You are but a woman by the Prince of Zhenbei's side; even if your martial arts are high, do you think you're worthy of challenging Prince Qing?

But now, thanks to Prince Qing, the fact that the Consort of Zhenbei was actually the Empress of Western Shu had already spread throughout the northern regions!

In every street and alley, the most talked-about topic over tea and meals was exactly what was going on between the Prince of Zhenbei and his Empress Consort!

In fact, part of the reason Prince Qing raised his troops this time was to exploit Xiao Qingxuan's identity, giving the Qing Kings Army the illusion that they were "restoring the Imperial Dynasty's realm."

As the most legitimate heir of the Xiao Imperial Clan, Xiao Qingxuan's status completely eclipsed that of Prince Qing!

She had legitimately ascended the throne as Empress. Although her kingdom had fallen, she had now become the mistress of half the realm by riding the coattails of the Prince of Zhenbei.

In terms of controlled territory and the armies under her command, she was now many times more powerful than she had been in the former Western Shu!

Carrying so many dazzling halos, even her shameful title of "Fallen Empress" had taken on a legendary quality.

After all, how many people could fall from the highest peak to the bottom of a valley and then climb to an even higher summit?!

Li Siqing's eyes widened in rage; he never dreamed that Xiao Qingxuan would dare to come alone to block his army of a hundred thousand!

If it were Lin Xiao, he could accept it, but even a woman by Lin Xiao's side dared to look down on him?!

"Audacious demoness! A mere woman of a fallen nation like you dares to clamor here?!"

"You used Lin Xiao to steal my Imperial Dynasty's realm just to restore the Xiao Dynasty, didn't you?!"

"And now you dare to speak such boastful words? Do you think you can incite my Qing Kings Army so easily?!"

Li Siqing drew his sword from his horse and waved it forward. "Azure Dragon Guard, hear my command! Kill anyone who blocks my royal army!!"

Seeing the Prince issue the military order, the Azure Dragon Guard naturally had no choice. Their warhorses neighed as they charged toward Xiao Qingxuan!

Xiao Qingxuan had expected this. The reason elites were elites was that they would charge whenever their commander gave the order!

If a few words were enough to make them retreat, the Qing Kings Army would have been wiped out by Prince Bai long ago.

Xiao Qingxuan activated her Xuanming Ice Soul. Ice crystals quickly swirled around her, and her eyes began to glow with a faint, deep blue.

Although her heterochromatic eyes were usually not visible, they would reappear when her power reached a certain level, becoming even more prominent than before.

Watching the vast number of armored cavalry charging toward her, the earth-shaking battle cries made her blood boil!

"So... this is the kind of battlefield husband has always faced..."

In a daze, Xiao Qingxuan felt as if Lin Xiao were right beside her.

A confident and free-spirited smile appeared on her lips. In the next second, instead of retreating, she advanced, charging directly into the cavalry's formation!

"Has she gone mad!?"

"She's going to collide head-on with heavy cavalry!?"

Seeing this, the generals of the Qing Kings Army felt that this Empress was truly insane!

But what happened next left them even more dumbfounded!

Xiao Qingxuan struck with her palm, and the surging cold wave actually froze the cavalry and their horses in their tracks!

Amidst wails and screams, the cavalry fell from their horses, and their charging formation was instantly torn apart!

Xiao Qingxuan moved as if through an uninhabited land. The area within several yards of her was like an inviolable winter hell.

Any soldier who tried to block her would be invaded by the cold the moment they entered that zone, losing their fighting capacity to frostbite!

Occasionally, a few high-cultivation generals managed to force their way in front of Xiao Qingxuan, only to be knocked aside by ice shoots that erupted from the ground at any moment!

The constantly bursting ice crystal fragments and the ice shoots emerging from the earth left the Azure Dragon Guard with no way to defend themselves!

Despite it being a warm season, a long, icy path of death appeared right in the middle of the Qing Kings Army's formation!

Soldiers of the Qing Kings Army, frozen like ice sculptures, stood on both sides of the path, watching helplessly as Xiao Qingxuan swept past them!

Just when everyone thought Xiao Qingxuan would fight her way all the way to Prince Qing, she leaped into the air, preparing to fly over the large infantry battalions.

The army reacted, seizing the opportunity while she was in the air to immediately unleash a volley of crossbow bolts and spears toward the sky!

But a blue-and-white Xuanming True Qi suddenly erupted from Xiao Qingxuan's body, neutralizing all these ranged attacks.

Not only that, those frost-covered arrows and spears became a nightmare for many in the Qing Kings Army when they fell back down.

"This is bad!"

Official Luo Wenfeng realized the gravity of the situation. "My Lord! This Xiao Qingxuan might be a Great Grandmaster! We should retreat for now!"

With his vast experience, he could see that such combat power could not possibly belong to an ordinary Martial Arts Grandmaster.

Only a Great Grandmaster could charge so arrogantly into tens of thousands of regular troops!

And indeed, thanks to the various resources Lin Xiao had provided, the guidance of the Old Celestial Master, and her own diligence and talent, Xiao Qingxuan had officially stepped into the Great Grandmaster Realm not long ago!

The Great Grandmaster Realm was the source of her confidence to face an army of a hundred thousand!

"Retreat?"

Li Siqing's face darkened. "If I can't even take down this woman, how am I supposed to deal with Lin Xiao!?"

Official Luo Wenfeng was stunned, left speechless.

Indeed, according to the original plan, Empress Xiao Qingxuan was Lin Xiao's "weakness."

They were supposed to use this woman to drive a wedge between the Zhenbei Army and the people of the Northern Border.

But now, if Xiao Qingxuan alone forced the Qing Kings Army to retreat, wouldn't all their previous efforts go down the drain!?

"Jiang Wanli!! Stop her for me!!"

Seeing his plan about to fail before it even began, Li Siqing was visibly enraged.

Almost simultaneously, a burly figure leaped from his horse and threw a long spear from a distance!

The spear was incredibly fast, like a bolt of black lightning, striking directly at Xiao Qingxuan's path!

Xiao Qingxuan felt that although the spear lacked True Qi, it was immensely powerful—it was pure strength!

Although this Jiang Wanli was a fake, he was definitely not weak!

Xiao Qingxuan dared not be careless; she performed an aerial flip to dodge the spear!

In that brief moment, Jiang Wanli sprinted to Xiao Qingxuan's position with incredible speed.

He leaped dozens of meters into the air, coming face-to-face with Xiao Qingxuan!

Before Xiao Qingxuan could see him clearly, a massive fist swung toward her with fierce force!

"Bang!! Bang, bang, bang!!..."

A series of air-shattering explosions erupted from the clash of their fists and palms.

Their speed was so fast that the soldiers below couldn't see them clearly at all!

Xiao Qingxuan exerted her Xuanming Ice Soul to its limit, while the opponent fought with bare fists, yet they seemed evenly matched!?

Xiao Qingxuan even felt her arms going numb. This was simply bizarre!

Could this Jiang Wanli really be using his physical body alone to withstand her Great Grandmaster power and the cold of her Xuanming Ice Soul!?