Chapter One Hundred and Four: The Peril of the Princess of the Fallen City

The transformation of events had been astonishingly swift. Just moments ago, Lu Han had resigned himself to the fact that escape was impossible. Yet unexpectedly, that strange man had appeared out of nowhere and slain Jiang Yuan, the elder of the Flying Snake Sect.

Lu Han stared at the stranger in stunned disbelief. In truth, aside from the incident of snatching his food, the two had no prior connection.

The stranger glanced at the now lifeless Jiang Yuan, clapped his hands in satisfaction, and then approached Lu Han once more.

Lu Han read his expression immediately and retrieved some provisions from his storage ring. The stranger’s eyes gleamed with delight as he swiftly snatched the food away.

Only then did Lu Han understand: the stranger had mistaken Jiang Yuan for someone trying to steal his food, which had led to his demise. Lu Han mused that if Jiang Yuan had known the truth, perhaps he would have been furious enough to come back to life.

The stranger settled nearby, eating without a care for the situation inside the cave.

Old Hua had once been something of a benefactor to the Lu family during their time in Maple Leaf City. Lu Han sighed deeply; at that time, he had truly lacked the strength to save her. Not only did he fail to do so, but he also risked his own life in the attempt.

“If not for that stranger’s intervention, Old Hua and I would have met the same fate, wouldn’t we?” Lu Han muttered, glancing at the food-consuming stranger beside him.

“If not for you and the princess’s father being where you are now...” Lu Han trailed off.

He hastily dug a grave and laid Old Hua to rest within the cave.

Lu Han clasped his hands together and bowed in respect.

“Ah, the princess!” Lu Han suddenly remembered.

Regardless of her motives, it was indeed the princess’s antidote that had suppressed the poison within Lu Tianhong’s body.

Although Lu Han lacked the power to save her himself, he looked at the stranger eating nearby and made a resolve in his heart.

A drop of kindness deserves a fountain of gratitude. Had he been alone, he wouldn’t have made such a choice—it would be akin to a death sentence. Lu Han knew well the strength of the Flying Snake Sect; six men had come, including the young sect master and the fallen elder Jiang Yuan. The other four were all at the second level of the innate realm, and Lu Han was not arrogant enough to believe he could defeat four such foes alone.

But now was different. The stranger had slain Jiang Yuan in mere moments, a testament to the terrifying might of a King of Earth.

This cave had only two entrances; Lu Han had entered from the left side, meaning the others had come from the right.

He approached the stranger, who eyed him warily, as if fearing he might snatch back the food.

“There’s more delicious food over there. Would you be willing to go?” Lu Han said, making a gesture indicating food.

Although the stranger’s soul had been severely damaged and he no longer remembered who he was, he nodded slightly at the suggestion.

Lu Han’s heart leapt with hope.

“Hopefully, there’s still time!” he thought.

…

Not far from Lu Han, within the Evil Wind Cave, a woman of full, enchanting form stood surrounded and gradually overwhelmed by several assailants. The veiled woman was none other than the Stunning Princess.

“Haha, Stunning Princess, it’s time to accept your fate!”

A sinister young man at the forefront sneered.

“The Flying Snake Sect is truly cunning, using news of the Demon-Breaking Sword to lure me here. But few knew I was searching for that sword and had left the palace—probably only my third brother? Flying Snake Sect’s young sect master Tan Jun, am I right?” The princess’s cold voice echoed beneath her veil.

She had come out to investigate the recent celestial anomalies, information known to only a few within the imperial palace, her third prince among them.

As for the Demon-Breaking Sword, the princess had never wished to enter into a political marriage. Yet the current Emperor Murong’s word was law, and her voice alone held little sway. So she had sought out the Sword King, a figure regarded as half a mentor to the emperor and whose words carried great weight. Years ago, the Sword King had spread news of seeking the Demon-Breaking Sword, promising to grant any wish unconditionally to whoever delivered it to him.

The princess’s goal in finding the sword was to garner the Sword King’s support for the second prince’s succession as crown prince. If the second prince ascended, he would have the authority to speak on the marriage matter before the emperor. After all, the future ruler of the Great Xia Empire’s words would carry weight even with the emperor himself.

All the princess had done was strive to seize control of her own destiny, a path she continued to pursue diligently.

Few knew of her aversion to political marriage; the princes were aware. Thus, she suspected this matter involved her third brother.

The eldest prince cared little for palace affairs or politics, and the second prince maintained close relations with her. That left only the third prince.

But the princess had never expected her third brother to be so heartless. Though she did not support him, they were still half-siblings. While she backed her second brother, she never intended him harm. Now, learning that her third brother had colluded with Tan Jun, the Flying Snake Sect’s young sect master, to bring about her death chilled her to the bone.

“Haha, Stunning Princess, you may have guessed, but what difference does that make? The outcome will not change!” Tan Jun laughed cruelly.

The princess was now a fish on the chopping block, at his mercy. The greatest threat, Old Hua, had been handed over to Elder Jiang Yuan, likely already en route back.

“Word has it that the Stunning Princess is the capital’s most beautiful woman of the new generation. I’ll see for myself when I remove that veil. But to think she possesses such an absurdly strong martial talent—already at the third level of the innate realm by twenty years old—that surely embarrasses many self-proclaimed geniuses,” Tan Jun remarked.

Despite the four-on-one fight, Tan Jun had refrained from intervening. Though the princess was gradually losing ground, she had held out for some time. The Murong royal family’s cultivation methods were formidable, and as a princess, her own cultivation was admirable. The four Flying Snake Sect disciples were at the second level of the innate realm, but as ordinary disciples, their methods could only be considered decent and paled in comparison to hers.

“If only you weren’t Shentai’s betrothed, this wouldn’t have happened. Blame Shentai!” Tan Jun’s face twisted with malice.

Shentai, young sect master of the Heavenly Gang Sect, had at twenty-three already reached the sixth level of the innate realm and was recognized as the leading young talent of the Great Xia Empire. With the Heavenly Gang Sect’s resources, his ascension to King of Earth was a foregone conclusion. This was one reason Emperor Murong chose to ally with the Heavenly Gang Sect through marriage.

“Shentai? So your jealousy lies with Shentai? Haha, as the young sect master of the Flying Snake Sect, if you have the courage, challenge Shentai to a life-or-death battle. Even if you lose, you’d gain a good reputation. Instead, you only dare scheme against me. With that alone, you’ll never catch up to Shentai in your lifetime,” the princess’s cold voice rang out once again.

Inferior to Shentai!

Throughout the years, whenever the young talents of the Great Xia Empire were discussed, the first name to arise was always Shentai, even among Flying Snake Sect disciples. This drove Tan Jun’s pride and jealousy to madness.

Moreover, the emperor had arranged for Shentai to marry none other than the capital’s foremost beauty—the Stunning Princess herself.

“Shentai? Don’t worry, I’ll challenge him soon enough. But for now, you should worry about yourself,” Tan Jun declared, his demeanor shifting as he prepared to strike.

The princess’s delicate face beneath the veil changed expression.

Announcement: The online literary competition’s preliminary stage enters its final three weeks! Those who haven’t participated, seize the chance! Grand prizes and the chance to rise to glory await! Click here to join.