The palace-dressed woman couldn't comprehend why Ye Xin, who had been attempting to escape, suddenly stopped and stared at her with such confidence. She didn't understand at first, but when a bolt of golden lightning slashed through the air and shattered her ice sword into countless fragments, she finally understood where Ye Xin's confidence came from.
Through the swirling ice shards, the palace-dressed woman saw a figure, bathed in golden lightning, rush toward them at incredible speed and stop beside Ye Xin. A young man dressed in white robes appeared by Ye Xin's side, his expression darkening as he checked on her condition before casting a cold gaze at the palace-dressed woman.
Lin Qian was both furious and terrified. If he had arrived just a moment later, he might have found Ye Xin's lifeless body instead. Ye Xin was clearly exhausted, her soul power nearly depleted, and she had barely managed to fend off four Life and Death Realm experts who were skilled in combined attack techniques.
Just as the palace-dressed woman had surmised, Ye Xin was at her limit. With the palace-dressed woman at the Soul Stage of the Life and Death Realm, her ice sword energy—though not unleashed with full power—would have been more than enough to kill Ye Xin. Without Ye Xin's soul power to sustain the Starry Sky Dress, its defensive capabilities would have been greatly diminished. Moreover, the real threat wasn't just the soul power, but the chilling cold that accompanied it.
"So that's it," the palace-dressed woman sneered. "Your little lover came to save you. Another lowlife at the Sky-Rank... How disgusting that such trash could participate in the Southern Gathering." She looked at Lin Qian and Ye Xin with utter contempt. "But to block my sword with just three-tenths of my power, even someone like you should be proud."
"Fine then. Seeing as you have some talent, I'll be merciful," the palace-dressed woman said with a pitying expression as she pointed first at Ye Xin and then at Lin Qian. "You, wench, hand over that dress and scar your face. And you, lowlife, cut off your arm and gouge out your tongue. Serve me as my slaves, and I'll spare your lives."
"Heh," Lin Qian chuckled, paying no attention to her demands. Instead, he turned to Ye Xin with concern, handing her a bottle of medicine.
Ye Xin took the potion, uncorked it, and drank the bright red liquid, which tasted sweet despite its appearance. As the medicine took effect, she could feel her depleted soul power and physical strength rapidly recovering.
"Wait until the effects of the first potion wear off, then drink another. That should restore you to peak condition," Lin Qian instructed, handing Ye Xin a few more vials. "If you take the second too soon, it will just go to waste."
Ye Xin nodded, showing that she understood.
Seeing Ye Xin's condition improving, Lin Qian finally allowed himself to relax, feeling guilty for not being more prepared. He had given Ye Xin plenty of potions for cultivation but had forgotten to provide her with healing and recovery medicines. Fortunately, he had arrived in time, or else he would never have forgiven himself.
The palace-dressed woman, watching Lin Qian and Ye Xin converse as if she didn't exist, was furious. She had been pampered her entire life, with everyone catering to her whims. Now, two people she considered insignificant were ignoring her completely, treating her like she wasn't even there.
"How dare you, lowly scum! The princess has shown you mercy, and you have the audacity to defy her!" one of the two female attendants accompanying the palace-dressed woman shouted at Lin Qian.
"Mercy? How laughable," Lin Qian sneered. "Mercy is making my fiancée scar her face and give up her cherished dress? Mercy is cutting off my arm and tearing out my tongue? You think so highly of yourselves, but you're not even worth my effort."
His words caused the palace-dressed woman's face to darken with rage, while the remaining attendant pointed at Lin Qian and shouted, "You lowly dog! How dare you defy us! Prepare to die!"
"Impudent!"
A furious roar echoed across the sky, carrying with it a powerful shockwave that sent the two female attendants reeling, their chests tight with the impact. Even the palace-dressed woman was taken aback, forced to muster her soul power to defend herself against the sonic blast.
When they regained their senses, they saw a handsome, imposing man in silver-black dragon armor hovering in the air, glaring at them with unbridled fury.
"You wretched scum, how dare you insult His Majesty and Her Highness! You, who are no better than pigs, have committed an unforgivable offense by standing before His Majesty and Her Highness, and you dare to speak such blasphemy!"
"What kind of filthy place spawned such a vile wench? You deserve nothing less than the destruction of your entire kingdom for your crimes!"
"Only a wretched beast could produce such a loathsome creature as you. You deserve nothing less than death—death a thousand times over!" Zhao Long raged, his voice almost crazed. The loyalty Lin Qian had programmed into him in the previous life had turned into an obsessive trait, and now that he was alive again, his loyalty had become fanatical.
Thanks to the tactical map, Lin Qian had kept his soul power connected to his eyes, allowing the events outside to be seen and heard within the empire. What had transpired had caused an uproar in the entire Huaxia Empire, shaking the very foundations of the Mystic Star.
Zhao Long, in particular, had nearly lost his mind. According to Zhuge Ming, if Lin Qian hadn't let Zhao Long out to vent his rage, the man would have gone insane from sheer fury.
"Who is this fool? His Majesty? Her Highness? You lowly creatures dare to speak such nonsense before the Fifth Princess of the White Jade Empire!" one of the attendants sneered, treating Zhao Long's words like a joke.
Seeing this, Lin Qian shook his head and turned to Ye Xin. "It's over now. Zhao Long is about to go berserk, but you'll get to see him unleash his ultimate move..."
"Ultimate move?"
"In your terms, it's a Mystic Soul Technique."