289: Chapter 288 Princess Yue Li

Golden armor reflected the piercing morning light. Each plate was etched with intricate runes that glowed an earthy yellow, slowly flowing across the armor and emitting dense spiritual fluctuations of the earth attribute.

There were eight warriors in total, with curved sabers hanging at their waists and spears in their hands, surrounding a woman in a circular formation.

The leader of the warriors was a burly man with a rugged face and a scar extending from his left forehead to his right cheek. His armor was more ornate than the others, with two fist-sized yellow gems embedded in the pauldrons, light faintly swirling within them.

The surrounded woman seemed completely out of place in the rugged Western Desert.

She wore a long white dress with fine silver patterns embroidered on the hem, winding like vines and swaying slightly in the morning breeze. Her skin was as white as snow, appearing exceptionally striking amidst the wind and sand of the Western Desert. Her jet-black hair was tied up with a silver hairpin, with a few strands hanging by her ears, fluttering gently in the wind. Her face was exquisite, with features like a painting, a high bridge to her nose, thin lips, and a pair of pale gold eyes with faint light swirling in her pupils.

In her hand, she held a Jade Sword. The blade was entirely translucent white, about three feet long and two fingers wide, with ice-blue light flowing along the edge. A blue gem the size of a fingernail was embedded in the hilt, and the shape of an ice flower was faintly visible within the gem.

Jiang Hanzhou's pupils constricted slightly. He sensed dense earth-attribute spiritual energy from those golden-armored warriors—an energy that shared the same source as the yellow sand of the Western Desert: thick, steady, and heavy as a mountain. The eight warriors' cultivation levels were between the Early Stage and Middle Stage of the Soul Condensation Realm, equivalent to the Early to Middle Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm in the Eastern Sea. The scarred leader's cultivation had reached the Late Stage of the Soul Condensation Realm, equivalent to the Late Stage of the Dragon Fetus Realm.

As for the white-clad woman's cultivation, he couldn't see through it. Her aura was restrained and deep, like water in a deep pool—calm on the surface, yet with surging undercurrents beneath. However, he could sense that her cultivation was at least at the Peak of the Soul Condensation Realm, perhaps even higher.

“Princess Princess Yueli, just come back with us obediently,” the warrior leader spoke, his voice deep and thick. His tone held a hint of reverence, yet did not lack firmness. “The King said that as long as you give up searching for the Ancient Buddha Temple, he will spare your life. You are the Princess of the Ancient Kingdom of Yellow Sands; why oppose your father for the sake of an ethereal legend?”

Princess Princess Yueli gave a cold snort and swung her Jade Sword. A soft yet sharp Sword Qi shot out from the blade. The Sword Qi was ice-blue, tracing a graceful arc in the air and directly forcing back the three warriors in front of her. The three warriors retreated repeatedly, three shallow marks carved into their armor by the Sword Qi. The runes flickered a few times before dimming.

“My father has been deluded by the Poison Sand Cult, believing the Ancient Buddha Temple to be an unlucky place, not knowing it is the backup plan of the Dragon Slaying True Person,” Princess Princess Yueli's voice was cold and clear, like an icy spring hitting stone, echoing through the marketplace. “If the teleportation array isn't destroyed, the Western Desert will eventually be devoured by the dao seed. I will never go back with you, and I certainly won't give up on stopping the Dragon Slaying True Person's conspiracy.”

The scarred leader's face darkened. He gripped his spear, pointing the tip at Princess Princess Yueli. “Princess, do not force our hand. The King has ordered that if the Princess persists in her refusal, we may use force.”

Princess Princess Yueli raised her Jade Sword, the tip pointing at the scarred leader, a cold light flashing in her pale gold eyes. “You can try.”

The two sides faced off, and the air seemed to freeze. Pedestrians in the market retreated one after another; stalls were overturned, and goods were scattered all over the ground. A few timid merchants had already run far away, peeking out from alleys. A tense atmosphere permeated the air, like the dead silence before a storm.

Jiang Hanzhou crouched in front of the medicinal herb stall and did not move. His right hand rested on the hilt of the tiger soul saber on his back, and his Dao-Slaying Blade Intent slowly circulated in his Sea of Consciousness, ready to strike at any moment.

Just then, several dark shadows darted out from the shadows.

Those shadows were extremely fast, like sand snakes gliding over the surface—silent and quick as lightning. They wore black night-suits with black cloth covering their faces, leaving only a pair of dark yellow eyes visible. They held short blades in their hands, which glowed with an eerie green light—a sign of being coated in deadly poison.

Five shadows pounced on Princess Princess Yueli simultaneously, their short blades stabbing from five directions, sealing off all her paths of retreat.

The Poison Sand Cult.

A cold glint flashed in Jiang Hanzhou's eyes. He sensed the aura on those shadows—cold, sickly sweet, and carrying the unique stench of Gu insects, exactly the same as the three Poison Sand Cult Disciples he had slain in the sandstorm. The cultivation of the five was not high, all at the Early Stage of the Soul Condensation Realm, but their movement techniques were bizarre and their cooperation seamless, clearly the work of long-trained assassins.

Princess Princess Yueli reacted extremely quickly. She spun her body, her Jade Sword drawing an arc in front of her, the ice-blue Sword Qi knocking away the five short blades at once. However, her attention had been on the golden-armored warriors, and she was underprepared for the Poison Sand Cult Disciples' sneak attack. Although she blocked the blades, she was struck in the shoulder by a poisonous needle shot from the side by one of the Disciples.

The poisonous needle was as thin as a cow's hair, dark green in color, with an eerie green light flowing at the tip. The needle sank into her left shoulder; she let out a muffled groan, her body staggering, and her face instantly turned pale. A stream of black blood seeped from the wound, dripping along the sleeve of her white dress onto the ground with a sizzling sound, corroding a small pit into the stone pavement.

“Poison Sand Cult!” The scarred leader's face changed drastically. He swung his spear, stabbing toward the shadows. “Protect the Princess!”

The golden-armored warriors struck simultaneously, curved sabers unsheathed and spears thrusting, engaging the five Poison Sand Cult Disciples. But the Disciples' movement was too bizarre; they wove through the crowd like fish swimming in water, and the golden-armored warriors' attacks couldn't touch them at all.

One Poison Sand Cult Disciple took advantage of the chaos to rush Princess Princess Yueli, his short blade stabbing directly for her throat.

Princess Princess Yueli wanted to swing her sword to parry, but the toxin in her left shoulder had already spread to her arm, and her right arm was also starting to go numb; the Jade Sword became incredibly heavy. She grit her teeth and forced her Jade Sword up. The blade blocked the short knife, but the massive impact sent her back three steps, her back crashing into the stall behind her. The stall collapsed, scattering goods everywhere.

The Poison Sand Cult Disciple gave her no chance to breathe, his short blade stabbing again, this time aimed straight for her heart.

Jiang Hanzhou moved.

He darted out from behind the herb stall, pushing his Wave-Treading Step to the limit, his figure leaving an afterimage in the market. His right hand pulled the tiger soul saber from his back, the cloth wrapping shattering the moment the blade was unsheathed, turning into fragments that flew in all directions. The dark golden patterns on the blade erupted with piercing light as Golden Sharpness True Intent poured into the blade, and the layer of dark golden halo at the edge brightened suddenly.

He swung his saber, striking the Poison Sand Cult Disciple's short blade.

Crack.

The short blade broke. The dark green blade snapped in the middle; the front half flew into the air while the back half remained in the man's hand. The man let out a muffled groan, his body sent flying by the massive impact, crashing heavily onto the ground five zhang away, spitting out a mouthful of black blood.

The remaining four Poison Sand Cult Disciples saw their companion sent flying with one strike, and horror flashed in their eyes. They turned simultaneously and pounced toward Jiang Hanzhou, four short blades slashing from four directions, their light weaving into a net of death.

Jiang Hanzhou did not retreat. He gave a cold snort and activated his Tidal True Intent. The essence of Tidal True Intent was water, flow, and guidance. He fused the Tidal True Intent with the dry air of the market, guiding the airflow to form an invisible barrier around him. The surging airflow diverted the four short blades; not a single one could harm him in the slightest.

Then, he took a step forward and slashed the tiger soul saber horizontally.

The saber light was dark gold, containing the sharpness of Metal Sharpness True Intent and the blazing heat of Pure Yang True Intent. Wherever the saber light passed, the air made a sizzling sound. The bodies of the four Poison Sand Cult Disciples froze in the light, fine saber marks appearing on their chests simultaneously as black blood gushed out. Their bodies slowly collapsed, hitting the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Four strikes, four people, dead.

The marketplace fell into a dead silence.

The golden-armored warriors held their weapons, looking at Jiang Hanzhou's back with eyes full of shock. The scarred leader's pupils constricted sharply. He sensed the terrifying aura within Jiang Hanzhou—it wasn't the Blood Expansion Realm, nor the Soul Condensation Realm, but some kind of power he had never seen before, which seemed like both the spiritual True Intent of the Eastern Sea and the Shamanic Martial Power of the Northern Realm.

Princess Princess Yueli leaned against the collapsed stall, her right hand gripping her Jade Sword to support her body, black blood still flowing from the wound on her left shoulder. Her face was as pale as paper, but her pale gold eyes were filled with astonishment.

Jiang Hanzhou sheathed his saber and walked to Princess Princess Yueli's side. He crouched down, took an antidote Medicinal Pill from his sumeru pouch, and handed it to her. “Princess, this is an detoxification pill; it can suppress the spread of the toxin. This place is not safe to stay; come with me.”

Princess Princess Yueli looked at him, her wary gaze lingering on his face for a moment. She sensed no malice from him, felt the gentle yet blazing power within him, and having seen him easily slay five Poison Sand Cult Disciples, she nodded, took the detoxification pill, and swallowed it.

The moment the pill entered her stomach, a warm power surged from her gut, flowing through her Meridians to her limbs, forcing the toxin out of her left shoulder wound bit by bit. Black blood flowed from the wound, dripping onto the ground with a sizzling sound. Her complexion gradually improved, changing from pale to a pale white tinged with a hint of red.

Jiang Hanzhou helped her stand up, circulating his Tidal True Intent to inject a gentle water-elemental force into her body to help stabilize her injuries. Then, he turned and looked at the scarred leader, his voice flat: “General, the Princess's injuries require rest. If you continue to pester us, I don't mind putting a few more holes in your armor.”

The scarred leader looked at him and remained silent for three breaths.

Then, he put away his spear and waved his hand behind him. “Retreat.”

The golden-armored warriors sheathed their weapons and followed the scarred leader, quickly leaving the market. After a few steps, the scarred leader suddenly stopped and said without turning back, “Princess, the King's patience is limited. You may escape today, but you cannot escape tomorrow.”

His figure disappeared at the end of the street.

Jiang Hanzhou supported Princess Princess Yueli as they walked toward the inn. His pace was fast but steady, each step on the street's stone slabs making a faint sound.

Princess Princess Yueli leaned on his shoulder, her left hand hanging at her side, her right hand still gripping her Jade Sword. Her breathing was still a bit hurried, but the toxin had been suppressed by the detoxification pill, and her mind was clear.

The two crossed two streets, turned into an alley, and reached the back door of the inn. Jiang Hanzhou pushed open the back door, helped her into the inn, went up to the second floor, and entered his room.

The room was not large, only about a zhang square, with a wooden bed, a wooden table, two chairs, and a wooden shelf in the corner with several ceramic jars. The windows were tightly shut, the curtains drawn, and the light inside was dim. Jiang Hanzhou helped her sit on the wooden bed and took a healing Medicinal Pill and a roll of clean gauze from his sumeru pouch, placing them on the wooden table.

“Princess, take off your outer garment; I'll help you treat the wound.”

Princess Princess Yueli looked at him, a flash of hesitation in her pale gold eyes. But the wound on her left shoulder was still throbbing with pain; although the toxin was suppressed, the poisonous needle was still stuck in her flesh and needed to be removed. She bit her lip, turned around with her back to Jiang Hanzhou, and slid off the left sleeve of her white dress, revealing her shoulder.

On her left shoulder, a dark green poisonous needle as thin as a cow's hair was stuck in the flesh, with a ring of black bruising around the tip. The skin around the wound had turned dark purple, a sign of the toxin's spread.

Jiang Hanzhou took out a small steel knife from his sumeru pouch, heated it over a candle flame, then crouched down, pressed his left hand on her shoulder, and held the knife in his right, using the tip to gently pick open the skin at the wound. Black blood welled out; he quickly wiped it away with gauze, then used tweezers to grip the end of the poisonous needle and gently pulled it out.

The moment the needle was pulled out, a jet of black blood sprayed from the wound, splashing onto the gauze with a sizzling sound. Jiang Hanzhou placed the needle on the wooden table, then took ointment from his sumeru pouch, applied it to the wound, and bandaged it with gauze.

Throughout the process, Princess Princess Yueli did not let out a single cry of pain. She simply bit her lip, her hands clutching the bedsheets, her knuckles turning white from the force.

“It's done.” Jiang Hanzhou finished wrapping the gauze and stood up, putting away the steel knife and tweezers. “Most of the toxin has been cleared; the rest will slowly metabolize. Do not engage in strenuous exercise for the next few days, and do not use your cultivation to stimulate your blood, to avoid the toxin spreading.”

Princess Princess Yueli pulled up her sleeve, turned around, and looked at Jiang Hanzhou. Her face was still a bit pale, but her pale gold eyes were full of gratitude: “Thank you for saving me, Young Master. May I know your great name, and why you stepped in to help me?”

“Jiang Hanzhou.” He sat down on a wooden chair, unstrapped the tiger soul saber from his back, and laid it across his knees. “I came to the Western Desert to find the teleportation array core in the Ancient Buddha Temple and stop the Dragon Slaying True Person's conspiracy. It seems my goal coincides with yours.”

Jiang Hanzhou looked at Princess Princess Yueli and smiled.