Yu Hou sprang to his feet, his voice thunderous. "Anyone below late Nascent Soul, retreat at once!"
The surviving Nascent Soul cultivators fled back to the bronze battlements in disarray, accepting a few strikes of sword qi as though they had been granted a pardon.
The battlefield briefly fell quiet.
Standing at the center of the sword formation, Chen Lin shook the blood off his hand and cast a cold glance at Yu Hou on the bronze battlements.
"Retreating already? I haven't even warmed up."
Beside the throne.
A tall, stunningly beautiful woman in silver armor quietly watched the battlefield below.
Yu Ji, the princess of Ancient Shu.
She, too, had reached half-step deity transformation, but her aura was far sharper than that of High Priest Zhuge Xuan.
Her narrow, phoenix-shaped eyes held intense curiosity and a lofty, appraising gaze.
"A mere mid Nascent Soul cultivator, yet he can withstand magic treasures with his bare flesh and control such an exquisite sword formation..." An intrigued smile curled Yu Ji's lips. "Interesting. It seems the outside world's cultivation systems haven't degenerated completely."
She glanced at the Nascent Soul commanders below, who had suffered devastating casualties, then turned to Yu Hou and gave a slight bow.
"Please calm your anger, Father."
Yu Ji's voice was clear, yet steeped in unquestionable arrogance.
"A pack of fools, rushing to their deaths before they even understood his trump cards. There's something strange about his body, and that sword formation treasure... Only someone at half-step deity transformation can break through."
As she spoke, she flicked the silver spear in her hand, pointing its tip straight at Chen Lin within the sword formation. Without waiting for Yu Hou's approval, she became a streak of silver lightning, leaped off the bronze battlements, and charged into the battlefield.
"I'll