Princess Yuqi glanced at the armored general with dissatisfaction and commanded, "General Wang, stand down!"
She had just been shocked by Meng Fan, her mind in disarray.
Now that she had calmed down, she quickly realized that Meng Fan's sword move had the form of the Chasing Dragon Sword Technique but not its essence!
This meant that Meng Fan, this fellow, might have learned it on the spot, intending to defeat her with his own swordsmanship!
His claim that he learned the technique from her wasn't impossible.
This also indirectly proved how terrifying this Meng Fan was.
Merely learning the superficial aspects of her Chasing Dragon Sword Technique, he managed to use it to defeat her, which was utterly preposterous.
Exaggerated to the extreme!
It showed that his mastery of the sword far surpassed her own, not something she could compare with.
She looked down on the True Martial Realm disciples of the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, and perhaps Meng Fan looked down on her in the same way.
But General Wang, after being sharply reprimanded by Princess Yuqi, did not obediently retreat.
He continued to stand in front of Princess Yuqi, his eyes filled with barely concealed murderous intent.
Princess Yuqi, with anger on her face, coldly said, "General Wang, stand down. Do not make me say it a third time!"
She knew General Wang's way of doing things. He wouldn't act rashly, but once he did, it would be lethal.
If General Wang really killed a Shu Mountain disciple here, the situation would escalate significantly.
"Princess, this man's disrespect towards you is not only an insult to you but also to the entire Great Dragon Empire. I cannot sit idly by!" he protested.
"This is the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, not the Great Dragon Empire," Princess Yuqi retorted with an ugly expression, wondering how she got involved with such a foolhardy man.
"But you are the princess of the Great Dragon Empire!" General Wang insisted firmly, standing his ground in front of Princess Yuqi, with no intention of backing down.
His drawn sword was already aimed at Meng Fan, his murderous intent undisguised.
Senior Disciple Luo, standing next to Meng Fan, looked a bit nervous and whispered, "Should we call for Elder Lin?"
As a ninth-layer True Martial Realm cultivator, he couldn't see through General Wang's cultivation, indicating that the latter was at least at the Heavenly Origin Realm.
Although he knew his Junior Disciple Meng was strong, facing someone from the Heavenly Origin Realm was still a challenge.
Naturally, he was anxious.
Meng Fan shook his head at Senior Disciple Luo.
Call for Master?
Of course not!
Was Senior Disciple Luo too nervous to realize that their Master was on the second floor of the Sword Pavilion, and would sense anything happening here?
If trouble really arose, there was no need to call; Master would appear.
So Meng Fan was fearless!
"Senior Brother Meng, this General Wang is a fourth-layer Heavenly Origin Realm cultivator. You're definitely no match for him. Why not just concede?" Princess Yuqi suggested with a troubled look.
As the saying goes, a general's orders are not always heeded outside his camp.
If General Wang was determined not to listen to her, she really had no recourse.
"Me, concede? Princess, you seem to have things backward," Meng Fan said with a cold laugh.
"Make no mistake, this is the Sword Pavilion of Shu Mountain!"
Not only was this the Shu Mountain Sword Sect, but it was also the Sword Pavilion.
Behaving wildly here was akin to a mouse licking a cat's behind— Courting death!
Meng Fan didn't know if he could match a fourth-layer Heavenly Origin Realm opponent. If it were the first or second layer, he was confident he could defeat them with his sword.
But the fourth layer was indeed much higher than his own realm.
However, with Elder Lin upstairs, even if he couldn't win, it wouldn't matter!
So, Meng Fan had to maintain his momentum, regardless of anything else.
"Princess, step back and let this general behead this vile creature to glorify the martial might of our Great Dragon!" General Wang declared without looking back at Princess Yuqi.
At this point, Princess Yuqi truly felt caught in a difficult position.
The Shu Mountain Sword Sect was no minor faction, and openly killing one of its disciples, even as a princess of the Great Dragon Empire, was cause for serious concern.
"General Wang Ziguo, I'll say it one more time, stand down!!!" Her voice was filled with rage.
Yet General Wang Ziguo remained unmoved.
Princess Yuqi's chest heaved with anger. She, a dignified princess, wouldn't dare to underestimate the Shu Mountain Sword Sect. Had this man lost his mind?
At that thought, her brow suddenly furrowed, a sense of foreboding filling her heart.
Perhaps, General Wang Ziguo wasn't acting for the sake of the Great Dragon…
If he harbored ulterior motives and killed Meng Fan now, wouldn't that provoke a conflict between the Great Dragon Empire and the Shu Mountain Sword Sect?
Princess Yuqi was not foolish; on the contrary, she was very astute.
Her intuition told her that there might be something wrong with Wang Ziguo; otherwise, he wouldn't be acting so recklessly.
But whatever her thoughts were, it was already too late.
General Wang Ziguo's war blade was already descending towards Meng Fan.
The cultivation of the fourth-layer Heavenly Origin Realm was something a True Martial Realm cultivator simply couldn't match.
Meng Fan had been waiting for General Wang Ziguo to strike, so he faced the blade without panic.
The Hong Qi Sword was raised to meet the attack.
Meng Fan knew he couldn't compete with General Wang Ziguo in terms of cultivation or True Qi. His reliance was solely on his swordsmanship!
Mountain Splitting Sword Momentum!
Thunderous Sword Momentum!
Emerald Sea Tide Rises Sword Momentum!
The three sword momentums Meng Fan was most familiar with erupted simultaneously, their combined effect greater than the sum of their parts.
Anyone else would be incapable of executing three different sword momentums at once.
It was only because Meng Fan had some understanding of the Primordial Sword Technique that he could achieve this.
Even so, Meng Fan's strike couldn't reach the level of the fourth-layer Heavenly Origin Realm.
When his Hong Qi Sword clashed with General Wang Ziguo's war blade, a massive recoil surged through his wrist.
His fingers ached terribly, and he couldn't help but release his grip.
The Hong Qi Sword flew from his hand, landing on the ground with a clear ring.
At the same time, Meng Fan was forced to retreat explosively, his Supreme Dominance Body at the fifth layer unable to negate the recoil.
However, after retreating seven steps, Meng Fan stabilized.
It was undeniable that he had been at a disadvantage in the clash.
But it was only a slight disadvantage, as he had been forced back but not injured!
This proved that General Wang Ziguo's strike, though stronger than Meng Fan's, was only slightly so.
"Heh, surviving my strike without dying shows some skill, but I'd like to see how many more you can take!" General Wang Ziguo's gaze was icy, his murderous intent unabated from the start.
Meng Fan managing to survive his strike was a bit surprising to him.
But no matter, if one strike didn't do it, then two would, and if not two, then three.
He was confident he could kill Meng Fan.
Since this youngster was so formidable, it meant his identity was not simple; killing him would be just right!
As he gripped his blade, ready to deliver the second strike, Meng Fan, standing not far away, waved his hand with a cold expression.
"Sword Comes."
This was the Sword Pavilion.
There was no shortage of swords!
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan