Less than a hundred of the three thousand Demon Suppression Guards perished in this battle. Although their cultivation was not particularly high, the Princess and the Twelve Zodiac were overwhelmingly strong. They easily overwhelmed all the traverser experts. The skilled Greedy Daoist, who had enhanced his critical strike talents, couldn't even survive one move under the Princess's hands.
At this moment, the three thousand Demon Suppression Guards arrived in a grand procession at the Ying Shi Imperial City. As soon as they entered the city, the citizens rushed to the streets to watch the spectacle.
"The Princess has killed more traversers again! She's so impressive!"
"Look at all those heads piled up in the cart! There must be over three hundred of them."
The citizens cheered, clearly excited.
The Twelve Zodiac rode their snow steeds at the front, followed by the Princess's carriage and the prisoner cart containing the Greedy Daoist. The Demon Suppression Guards and the bloody heads of three hundred traversers followed behind.
Yun Shuiyao, with limited time, moved through the crowd with her disciples Qingxuan and Ma Qiang. The battle with the Greedy Daoist had left her severely affected by the Seven-Viper Snake poison, reducing her cultivation from the Sixth Stage of Spirit Communication to the Fourth. She knew she couldn't directly confront the Princess and survive even one of her attacks, so she devised a plan to win through chaos.
"Ma Qiang, did you find the bull?" Yun Shuiyao asked.
"I found it, Master. I specifically got a bull with horns."
"Qingxuan, did you buy the firecrackers?"
"I bought them."
"Then wait for my signal," Yun Shuiyao instructed.
The Princess, lounging in the corner of her snow steed's carriage, appeared calm and unbothered. Despite the citizens' loud admiration and praises, her face remained cold and indifferent. The Twelve Zodiac's black armor was speckled with blood.
The first in line, Mengtu, jokingly spoke to Meiyang.
"Mengtu!" Meiyang provocatively said, "I just heard someone say I'm more beautiful than you."
Mengtu shot her a glare. "You have nothing but size."
"Hmph! What's wrong with that? Don't you see how Xiao Qinzi looks at me every time?"
"He looks at you with disdain, because you're all chest and no brain," Mengtu retorted.
"Little rabbit, I'm going to beat you!" Meiyang exclaimed.
At that moment, the crowd ahead suddenly stirred in chaos. Mengtu raised her hand, and the entire army halted.
In the distance, eight bulls, each with firecrackers tied to their tails, charged towards the army and the Princess's carriage.
Meiyang immediately drew her sword. "What's going on? Have the bulls gone mad?"
"Clang! Clang!" other captains drew their blades as well.
Mengtu quickly raised her arm. "Don't kill them, just block them. The Emperor issued an edict this year not to slaughter the bulls due to the famine."
"Right, let's subdue them."
The eight bulls, crazed, charged toward the army. Many Demon Suppression Guards noticed the danger and rushed to the front.
Mengtu and Meiyang, ready to subdue the bulls, were caught off guard when the Princess, from her carriage, suddenly flew out with a deadly aura. Her cold gaze made the citizens both worship and fear her.
"Fools!" she shouted, her voice sharp. "Why are you all here? This is clearly a trap!"
With a swift wave of her sleeve, a fierce cold aura gathered in the air. Instantly, eight white ice swords shot towards the bulls, piercing their heads as they reached the army.
The bulls were instantly torn apart, blood and flesh scattering in all directions.
The Princess then stood atop her carriage, turning her gaze towards the prisoner cart holding the Greedy Daoist. Her sharp eyes immediately spotted Yun Shuiyao, Qingxuan, and Ma Qiang, who were preparing to make a move.
With a cold smile, the Princess raised her hand, and with a clear "clang," the Moon Shadow Sword was drawn.
Yun Shuiyao, holding her Dust-free Sword, charged towards the Greedy Daoist, her sword imbued with the powerful intent of her talent, Sword Heart. Qingxuan followed up with a slash aimed at the Greedy Daoist's heart.
But no one expected that both swords would be knocked back by the Moon Shadow Sword, which had descended from the sky.
"Poof!" Yun Shuiyao and Qingxuan both felt intense pain in their hearts and coughed up blood.
Before they could recover, Yun Shuiyao frantically swung her arms, launching three sword intents towards the Greedy Daoist. But the Princess was too powerful to give them any opportunity. With a delicate gesture, she conjured a large snowflake, which quickly formed an ice wall in front of the Greedy Daoist.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" Yun Shuiyao's three sword intents were blocked by the ice wall.
Qingxuan's repeated strikes were equally ineffective.
In the next breath, the ice wall exploded, and the shards of ice formed into tiny ice swords that shot toward Yun Shuiyao.
Yun Shuiyao hastily retreated. This Princess was terrifyingly strong, like a demoness!
"Retreat!" Yun Shuiyao ordered, leading Ma Qiang and Qingxuan through the crowd and into an already opened sewer entrance.
Just as the three of them leapt into the sewer, the Princess's ice swords exploded behind them with a resounding crash!
"Boom!" The impact shook the ground.
Yun Shuiyao, now in the sewer, coughed up a mouthful of blood. Qingxuan quickly helped her up.
"Master, we need to run! This Princess is a demoness—she's ruthless and cunning!" Qingxuan said urgently.
"If the Greedy Daoist isn't dead, what will happen to your Senior Brother Qin Ming in the palace?" Yun Shuiyao thought, feeling a surge of anxiety.
The Princess, having chased them to the sewer entrance, was about to leap down to capture their heads. But a foul smell emanated from the sewer, making her pause.
With a swift wave of her sleeve, she retreated, brushing off the smell before returning to her carriage. The Princess could kill, but she would never tolerate her clothes getting dirty in the process!
The Twelve Zodiac dispatched a hundred Demon Suppression Guards into the sewer to chase them, while the rest of the army continued on its way to the Taiyin Palace.
...
In the early morning of Taiyin Palace, it was still dim and quiet. Lingyin had already dressed and was munching on several pieces of ice she had taken from the flowers.
Qin Ming, dressed in black, stood by the door, stretching lazily. "Lingyin, why are you eating so much ice today? Usually, you only have one piece."
Lingyin blushed. "It's all your fault. I'm eating ice to mask my scent so that the Princess won't detect me!"