The Princess Crashed

"Good! Truly good! Who would have thought that Evil Soul Masters would be as rampant as mushrooms in a forest after the rain, popping up everywhere!"

"Seeing these dog-like things for no reason... just thinking about it makes me furious."

As he spoke, Qian Yuhan, who felt the urge to hiss the moment he saw an Evil Soul Master, gripped the Angel Holy Sword in his hand. With a violent flap of the angel wings on his back, he charged toward the direction where Zhongli Ren's silhouette had vanished.

Not far away, relying on his eight-ring cultivation—far exceeding that of a three-ring or five-ring—Zhongli Ren closed the distance and playfully destroyed the flight Soul Tools on the backs of the two handmaidens.

Watching with his own eyes as the flight Soul Tools behind the trio of fleeing girls spewed thick black smoke and spiraled down from the sky, Zhongli Ren landed slowly from the air with a sinister grin.

He looked at the three disheveled young girls and said with a mocking tone, "Run! Why aren't you running anymore? Didn't you run quite well just a moment ago? Try running again, why don't you?"

Scrambling up from the ground, the little princess glared fiercely at Zhongli Ren with a cold face. There was not a shred of fear or cowardice in her expression; there was only pure arrogance and contempt.

She stepped over the two scarred and unconscious handmaidens, walked up to him, spat in his face, and unleashed a torrent of angry insults.

She said:

"Pah! You old dog, you only dare to act so brazenly here because this princess is away from the Bright Capital. If we were in the Bright Capital, if you dared to even look up at this princess, I would have had my men give you a hundred disciplinary lashes!"

"Hmph, sharp-tongued!" Zhongli Ren narrowed his eyes, studying the little princess, seemingly contemplating her true identity.

Finally, he opened his eyes and sneered, "A princess of the Bright Capital... Imperial Father... You are the only daughter of the current Sun Moon Emperor, Xu Tianzhen?"

"And what if I am?" Xu Tianzhen stood with her hands on her hips, showing no fear. "Kneel and beg for mercy now, and this princess might just let my father spare your dog life."

"Spare my dog life? Hahahaha! You yellow-haired brat, you are truly arrogant to the extreme!" Zhongli Ren laughed in his fury, a chilling murderous intent erupting from his aged face.

"Although my big brother told me to capture you, he didn't say I had to bring you back in one piece. If I remove an arm or a leg, I doubt anything will happen."

"If you have the guts, come and get me. If this young lady flinches at an old dog like you, then I am not Xu Tianzhen."

With that, Xu Tianzhen pulled a terrifyingly large cannonball from her storage Soul Tool ring.

She stepped on the silver, gleaming shell and used her right hand to pull out a Soul Ray Gun, pressing it directly against the primer of the shell. Glaring at Zhongli Ren, she shouted, "Let me tell you, old dog, in the Sun Moon Empire, we only have dead princesses, never captured ones. This is a Level 8 Fixed High-Explosive Soul Cannonball. If you dare touch me, I'll blow us both to hell."

"We are close to the core area here. Let's see if you have the life left to make it out of the Star Dou Great Forest after being blasted by this."

Zhongli Ren (ლ`Д́)ლ: "???", No, what is wrong with you Sun Moon royals! Why do you all love doing this... wait, why did I say 'all' and 'you'?

Facts proved that Evil Soul Masters value their lives. Seeing Xu Tianzhen standing on a Level 8 Fixed Soul Cannonball, holding a Soul Ray Gun to the primer, and screaming that she would blow them both up, Zhongli Ren, old as he was, felt his composure shattering.

What the hell is this!

Thinking that a wise man doesn't fight when the odds are against him, Zhongli Ren gritted his teeth and squeezed out a smile uglier than a cry. "Little Princess! You are still young, there is really no need to play such a game with me! We have no past grudges; can't we just talk this out properly?"

"Stop your yapping, you old thing! One more word of nonsense and I'll blow us both up."

As she spoke, Xu Tianzhen's finger pressed against the firing button of the Soul Ray Gun, looking ready to pull the trigger at any moment.

Zhongli Ren: "(꒪⌓꒪)", holy crap, is this irritable girl really a princess? Could she be some kind of bomb-type Soul Beast that gained sentience?

"I say..."

"Hmph!" Xu Tianzhen glared at him, and a pale white light—indicating a charge—already appeared at the muzzle of the Soul Ray Gun.

The words died in Zhongli Ren's throat.

Zhongli Ren was starting to sweat profusely.

Zhongli Ren began to back away.

"Don't move! Move one more step, and I'll blow us both up." Xu Tianzhen gritted her teeth, making a show of preparing to detonate the massive bomb.

Zhongli Ren: "(ΩДΩ)", so I can't even leave?

The dramatic and spectacular standoff between the two left the person and the divine soul creeping over from the bushes in shock. Qian Yuhan felt quite curious about the strange object Xu Tianzhen was holding with her Soul Ray Gun.

After all, a single item allowed a three-ring Soul Elder to successfully bluff an eight-ring Soul Douluo.

In his era, such a thing would have been an unimaginable super-weapon.

But... what surprised Qian Yuhan even more was Xu Tianzhen's courage to face a Soul Douluo and threaten to 'blow them both up.'

"This little girl is quite interesting."

Qian Yuhan commented with admiration for Xu Tianzhen, who dared to stand off against an eight-ring Evil Soul Master while only at the third ring.

At this, the Rakshasa Phantom raised an eyebrow, seemingly puzzled by Qian Yuhan's behavior. "Oi! You haven't even spoken two words to this girl, and you say she's interesting?"

"Yes, this girl has backbone. I like that trait."

"Backbone? Fine, that unexpectedly fits your personality." The Rakshasa Phantom squatted down on the spot, hugged its head, and buried its face between its knees, putting on a helpless expression that said, 'I give up.'

Glancing sideways at the Rakshasa Phantom, the corner of Qian Yuhan's eye twitched slightly, and he let out an involuntary hum.

On the other side, Zhongli Ren, who could neither fight (because Xu Tianzhen would blow them up if he raised a hand) nor leave (because she would blow them up if he moved), felt a wave of frustration. He kept his weathered old face, now covered in a thin layer of sweat, stiff, his dim, aged eyes darting around Xu Tianzhen.

Although it looked like the little girl held the initiative, it was impossible for a mere three-ring Soul Elder not to reveal a flaw.

As long as Xu Tianzhen showed the slightest opening, he, Zhongli Ren—a dignified eight-ring Soul Douluo—could seize the moment and turn defeat into victory!

Thinking of this, Zhongli Ren stopped rushing. He stood straight where he was, his venomous gaze locked firmly on Xu Tianzhen, who remained in her aiming stance, sweating profusely.