Chapter 6

"Roar!"

The monster let out a huge roar, its divine soul merging with the flames, transforming into a massive, flame-covered demon.

"This is a manifestation technique. The divine soul is not afraid of fire and can manifest through it, becoming extremely powerful. Your Highness, be careful!"

As the monster revealed itself, Long Bo roared and approached it with a large shield, his long sword slashing fiercely, a wave of fierce and righteous energy splitting the flame monster in two.

The flame monster, however, only weakened slightly before healing itself and advancing, the flames swirling around it, devouring the surrounding soldiers.

"Damn it!"

Long Bo, enraged, spread his fingers, each one splitting a drop of blood, and punched, the blood shooting like five sharp arrows into the flames.

The entire flame monster made a sizzling sound, as if cold water had been poured into hot oil.

Then, a sharp, piercing scream came from the monster's mouth, the flames around it dimming and receding.

But the monster leaped and pounced at Zhao Shu.

"Your Highness, retreat quickly! This monster cannot get close to you; it wants to use its divine soul to throw the flames at you!"

Jiang Baishi was shocked, not expecting the monster to be so vicious, and reached out to pull Zhao Shu back.

"Hmph!"

Zhao Shu's face turned cold, his eyes flashing with determination. He leaped and drew his sword, the power of the Qilin Arm reaching its peak as he slashed down with the Chixiao Sword.

"Whoosh!"

The Chixiao Sword burst into red light, like a rainbow piercing the sky.

"Ha ha! Overestimating your abilities! You have the Purple Qi protecting you, so I cannot get close. Now that you have walked into my trap, don't blame me!"

As Zhao Shu struck the flames, a strand of the monster's divine soul quickly retreated, reforming into a flame figure on the ground, while the previous flames rushed toward Zhao Shu, trying to burn him to ashes.

"Is that so!"

Zhao Shu roared coldly, the Chixiao Sword slicing into the flames.

"Ah!"

Unexpectedly, the flame monster let out a piercing scream.

"Imperial Qi? Sacred Qi? Are you an emperor or an ancient sacred beast? Who are you? Who are you? No matter who you are, I will kill you, kill you. I will remember your face, remember you!"

In the piercing scream, the flames suddenly condensed, forming a palm-sized fireball that flew away.

"Strike while the iron is hot!"

Zhao Shu was slightly stunned, but the single strike that was meant to drive away the monster had such an unexpected effect. Without hesitation, he leaped and pursued it.

"Protect the prince, chase the monster!"

Seeing Zhao Shu chase after the monster, the others were also stunned, not expecting the once formidable monster to be defeated by a single punch from the prince.

Jiang Baishi was even more stunned. This monster at the Possession Realm was not just any ordinary being but a true transcendent expert, almost a divine existence in the eyes of the common people, just one step away from crossing the boundary between life and death.

Even if the monster was just a strand of divine soul, it was not something an ordinary person could handle. Jiang Baishi had only planned to use the army's煞气 (sha qi, a term often used to describe the negative or malevolent energy) to slowly erode its divine soul, but he never expected it to be injured by a single punch.

By the time he was stunned, Zhao Shu's figure had already disappeared, chasing after the monster.

Zhao Shu pursued the flame monster for several miles, finally catching up to it. He reached out, not avoiding the flames, and with a snap, the entire flame was grabbed.

"It's the power of a sacred beast, impossible, impossible! I will find you, find you!"

Zhao Shu's powerful grip extinguished the entire flame, the divine soul within dissipating, and the piercing scream gradually fading.

"Sacred beast? Is it the Qilin pattern on my arm?"

Zhao Shu frowned, looking at the Qilin pattern on his arm, filled with doubt.

"Song people, get out of my way!"

While Zhao Shu was pondering the power of the sacred beast, seven or eight robust young men, with their heads partially shaved and only a small amount of hair left on their temples or foreheads, galloped over.

"Shaved heads? Khitan people!"

Zhao Shu's brows furrowed as he observed the young men, all of whom had shaved heads, long robes with left lapels, and round, narrow sleeves.

"Snap!"

The leader suddenly raised his whip, which cracked in the air, aiming directly at Zhao Shu. If hit, it would surely tear off a layer of skin, and in severe cases, cause serious injury.

"Looking for death!"

Zhao Shu's anger was provoked by the whip. He quickly grabbed it with his fingers, pulling the Khitan youth off his horse and throwing him to the side.

"Song dogs, looking for death!"

The other Khitan youths were stunned, but when they saw their companion thrown off, they reacted, roaring in anger. Another Khitan youth rode over, his horse's hooves raised, aiming to crush Zhao Shu.

This action turned Zhao Shu's anger into a strong killing intent. He sidestepped the hooves, his right hand reaching out and slamming down.

"Die!"

Zhao Shu roared, his arm veins bulging, his immense strength reaching its peak. With a loud thud, the warhorse and the Khitan youth were thrown away, sending up a cloud of dust.

"Such great strength!"

All the Khitans were stunned, reining in their horses, their faces filled with anger but hesitant to advance.

"When did the brave warriors of the Khitan Empire become cowards? Song people, you have great strength, but you have insulted the Khitan warriors. You will die today. Since you are a brave man, I will tell you who will kill you."

A Khitan youth with a dark complexion and a body as strong as a bull rode forward, his face filled with excitement and arrogance.

"My name is Yelü Dashi, a direct descendant of the Khitan Empire. It is your fortune to die at my hands!"

As Yelü Dashi spoke, he leaped off his horse, his arms extending like two giant snakes, terrifyingly powerful.

Zhao Shu snorted, his eyes narrowing. The youth's punches were fierce, breaking the air with a whistling sound, showing immense power, almost matching that of a beginner in the True Qi Realm.

But now he was facing Zhao Shu, who felt a competitive spirit rise within him, wanting to test his strength against this Khitan royal.

With a burst of heroic spirit, he exhaled and struck with both fists, meeting the Khitan youth's attack head-on. With a loud thud, Yelü Dashi was forced to retreat several steps, barely holding back the immense force.

"Such great strength!"

Yelü Dashi's face turned extremely red, his teeth gritted, his arms trembling, clearly suppressing great pain.

Zhao Shu coldly observed the Khitan youth, who had managed to withstand the power of his Qilin Arm, which, when fully activated, could triple his strength. At the peak of the Physical Body Realm, Zhao Shu had the strength of three oxen, and with the Qilin Arm, that was nine oxen, a power usually only possessed by those at the peak of the True Qi Realm. Ordinary Physical Body Realm experts would be sent flying upon contact. The Khitan youth had managed to hold his ground.

"Song dogs, you dare to harm our prince, you will die!"

The Khitan riders behind them were enraged, drawing their sabers, ready to attack.

Seeing the actions of his riders, Yelü Dashi's face flashed with anger, waving to stop them. Such behavior would only reveal his inferiority to the Song dog.

"Hmph!"

Zhao Shu saw the riders slowly approaching, preparing to surround him. He did not dare to be careless, recognizing them as Physical Body Realm experts, their strength enhanced by their horses, making them almost as powerful as peak Physical Body Realm experts. He could not afford to relax.

"Thud! Thud!"

The ground suddenly shook, the sound of heavy hooves approaching.

"Cavalry!"

Yelü Dashi shouted, the Khitan youths' faces changing as they saw armored riders galloping toward them, quickly surrounding the Khitan cavalry, their crossbows aimed at the Khitans.

This made all the Khitans' faces change, their eyes fixed on the armored riders with their fierce masks, only their dark eyes visible. Everyone felt a sense of pride and arrogance, and there was no doubt that any movement would result in a hail of arrows from these godlike riders.

"Who dares to harm the prince!"

Long Bo, leading Zhao Shu's mount, arrived, roaring at the sight of the Khitans.

"Pay no attention to them, let's go back!"

Zhao Shu snorted, mounting his horse, and coldly looked at Yelü Dashi. "You must be the Khitans here to negotiate. Do not be arrogant in my Song Empire!"

"Prince? This is a Song prince! Song dogs are not all cowards. When did they have such a prince and such a powerful cavalry?"

Yelü Dashi was slightly stunned, looking at Zhao Shu in shock, his eyes on the swift and fierce cavalry, a mix of disbelief and anger.