"Grand Princess, East Buddha Mountain is controlled by the Heavenly Dao Sect. It is said that nearly three hundred time-travelers reside there, all of them powerful experts."
"Experts? Those are exactly the kind of people I like to fight!"
In an instant, the Grand Princess was shrouded in a terrifying killing aura. Her expression turned ice-cold.
She reached for the armor hanging on the wall, donned it, and strode to the door, her voice ringing loud and clear—
"Where are the Twelve Zodiac Guardians?"
Swish! Swish! Swish!
From the rooftop, ten female captains leaped down, landing on one knee in perfect unison.
From the adjacent chambers, Charming Sheep and Moe Rabbit also hurriedly arrived and knelt.
The Grand Princess rested her Moonshadow Sword on her shoulder, her voice chilling—
"Twelve Zodiac Guardians, hear my command! Assemble three thousand Demon Suppression Guards at once—we are heading to East Buddha Mountain for slaughter!"
"Understood!"
Qin Ming stood in the back, completely dumbfounded.
Damn! This Grand Princess is way too fierce!
The Twelve Zodiac Guardians moved swiftly and efficiently.
In no time, the palace gates of the Taiyin Palace were flooded with heavily armored Demon Suppression Guards.
Each one was clad in black armor, mounted atop snow-white warhorses.
The Twelve Zodiac Guardians were also fully armored, gripping their swords and sabers.
"Grand Princess, the Demon Suppression Guards are fully assembled!"
The Grand Princess flicked her sleeve.
Boom!
The Moonshadow Sword erupted with dazzling radiance, floating into the air.
She soared atop it, her cold voice echoing across the entire city—
"Move out!"
Whoosh!
The Moonshadow Sword streaked through the sky like a black meteor, carrying the Grand Princess forward.
Behind her, the Twelve Zodiac Guardians led the three thousand Demon Suppression Guards in pursuit.
The clatter of armor and the thundering of hooves shook the entire imperial city.
Standing at the eleventh floor of the Upper Hall, Qin Ming watched the Grand Princess disappear into the clouds.
His heart pounded with shock.
This was the first time he had witnessed the sheer power of the Grand Princess—
The first time he truly felt the overwhelming might of the Demon Suppression Army!
No wonder time-travelers had innate talents and greater numbers, yet still couldn't match the original inhabitants in direct combat!
—
Within the courtyard, Ling Yin waved at him.
"Qin Ming, why are you still up there? Come down!"
Qin Ming leaped down, grinning.
"Ling Yin, did you see that? The Grand Princess just heard a rumor about time-travelers and immediately charged out to kill them!
Why is she so obsessed with killing time-travelers?"
Ling Yin popped a piece of ice into her mouth and crunched down on it.
"Crunch. Crunch."
"The Grand Princess does like killing time-travelers, but she's not usually this reckless.
After all, she and Her Majesty just fought a battle a few days ago—her injuries haven't even healed yet."
"Then why is she acting like she's been shot full of adrenaline, charging out the moment she got the news?"
Ling Yin smiled mischievously.
"My guess? It's because of you."
"Because of me?"
"Yeah! When you were unconscious, the Grand Princess swore she would avenge you!
She even stationed the Demon Suppression Guards in advance at the Demon Suppression Tower."
So that's why…
No wonder the Demon Suppression Army assembled so quickly!
"Ling Yin, are you sure she's avenging me? I don't buy it.
That woman is ruthless—she scolds me, beats me, and I can't wait to stay away from her!"
"I… I don't know.
But I do know that while you were unconscious, the Grand Princess visited your room many times.
She even personally brought you medicine.
I've served her for eight years, and even when I got sick, she never cared."
Qin Ming frowned slightly.
That lunatic Grand Princess… being nice to him?
No way.
Absolutely impossible.
—
Fluorite Imperial City – Western Gate
The gate commander, Ma Yan, stood atop the city walls, overseeing two thousand White Feather Guards stationed at their posts.
For days, heavy snowfall had plagued the city, and waves of refugees had tried to enter.
Emperor strictly ordered all city gates to remain heavily guarded—no one was allowed to enter or leave without official permission.
Additionally, all troop movements within the city required a royal tiger tally.
Suddenly—
A soldier atop the gate tower shouted:
"General Ma! A large force is approaching!"
"What?! Her Majesty strictly forbade any military deployments without permission.
Which commander dares to violate the order?!"
"General Ma, these riders are charging at full speed even inside the city!"
"Damn it! I'll teach them a lesson myself!"
Ma Yan gripped his long blade and leaped down from the city wall, landing at the main gate.
Behind him, hundreds of White Feather Guards rushed to reinforce the entrance.
The rumbling hooves grew louder.
A soldier suddenly gasped in shock—
"It's… it's the Demon Suppression Guards!"
"What?! The Demon Suppression Guards?!
Why the hell have they mobilized so many troops?"
"G-General Ma… i-if it's the Demon Suppression Guards… can we even stop them?"
"OF COURSE WE CAN!
You are White Feather Guards, under Her Majesty's direct command!
If we let them pass, Her Majesty will have our heads!"
—
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The three thousand Demon Suppression Guards thundered to the western gate.
Ma Yan rode forward, blocking their path.
"Who leads this force? Under Her Majesty's orders, all military movement requires the imperial tally. No one is allowed to deploy troops at will!"
Before he even finished speaking—
Whoosh!
A black figure plummeted from the clouds.
The Grand Princess landed, shrouded in an icy killing intent.
"Imperial tally?"
Her eyes turned frosty.
"I've never heard of needing an imperial tally.
Now—get out of my way."
"G-Grand Princess?!"
Ma Yan's face paled.
"Grand Princess, I have no choice! It's Her Majesty's command—"
Her eyes flashed coldly.
Boom!
With a flick of her hand, the surrounding snowflakes condensed into a massive sword shadow and slashed downward.
Ma Yan, despite being a first-stage Spirit Master, was utterly powerless before her.
One strike!
Just one strike!
He was sent flying, vomiting blood as he crashed into the streets.
He didn't even dare to speak another word.
The hundreds of White Feather Guards trembled in fear and immediately retreated to the sides.
Boom!
The city gates swung open.
The Grand Princess led the Twelve Zodiac Guardians and the Demon Suppression Army through, vanishing into the snowstorm.
—
At the Drunken Immortal Tavern, Cloud Water Melody and Qing Xuan watched everything unfold.
"Master, where is the Grand Princess taking the Demon Suppression Army?"
"Eastward… probably to East Buddha Mountain."
"East Buddha Mountain?! Are they going after the Heavenly Dao Sect?"
Cloud Water Melody's brows furrowed.
"Three days ago, the Demon Suppression Army was searching for time-travelers like headless flies.
But today, they're heading directly to East Buddha Mountain…
Do you know what that means?"
"I don't."
"It means your senior brother, Qin Ming, was unconscious before and didn't have time to tell the Grand Princess.
But now, he's awake—so she has her target."
"… Master, you're amazing!"