Behind Prince Gu, Princess Yuqi breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Meng Fan withstand a slash without injury.
Had Meng Fan truly been slain by Prince Gu's blade, even her status as a princess of the Great Dragon Empire wouldn't save her from the consequences within the Shu Mountain Sword Sect.
As for Prince Gu, it seemed he wouldn't be leaving Shu Mountain Sword Sect any time soon.
Even she couldn't protect Prince Gu.
Moreover, she had no intention to!
In Princess Yuqi's eyes, Prince Gu was already branded a traitorous spy.
When she witnessed Prince Gu unleashing a second slash, her face twisted with shock and rage, and she bellowed, "Stop, you fool, stop at once!"
By now, she realized her cries were futile; Prince Gu would not heed her, no matter how loudly she protested.
Beyond yelling for him to stop, there was nothing she could do.
With her strength, stopping Prince Gu was impossible, even a surprise attack would be in vain.
All she could do was to make a show of protest, to make her stance clear.
Primarily, her shouts were for Senior Disciple Luo, to signal that Prince Gu's actions were not at her behest.
If Meng Fan were killed by Prince Gu, at least someone could testify on her behalf!
Thinking this, she felt wronged. How had she, a princess of a nation, been reduced to such a lowly state?
Not just wronged, but furious!
At that moment, she truly wanted to stab Prince Gu in the back.
Before, she might have dared to do so, but now, suspecting Prince Gu of being a spy, she dared not.
She feared provoking Prince Gu, who might turn around and cut her down!
Just as Princess Yuqi was seething with the urge to strike Prince Gu, Meng Fan moved his hand slightly.
Though Meng Fan was unarmed, his sword having been knocked away by Prince Gu's strike, this gesture still caught Princess Yuqi's attention.
The next second, she stared at Meng Fan, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Not only had Princess Yuqi noticed Meng Fan's gesture, but so had Senior Disciple Luo.
Senior Disciple Luo, having seen Meng Fan forced back and disarmed, and with Prince Gu's second slash coming, was about to call out to Elder Lin for help.
But seeing Meng Fan's hand movement, he instinctively fell silent, for he witnessed a scene he would never forget.
This… Not just Senior Disciple Luo, but even Elder Lin on the second floor of the Sword Pavilion had been ready to intervene.
Elder Lin doted on this disciple; how could he allow his disciple to be cut down?
Yet Meng Fan's simple hand gesture, and what followed, made Elder Lin abandon the thought of intervening.
He recognized once more the monstrosity of his disciple, and… the terror!
It turned out, this disciple had never revealed his true strength before his own master.
Elder Lin's face broke into a smile; he was not angry but rather delighted.
For in his eyes, the ability to hide one's capabilities was a virtue!
Inside the grand hall of the Sword Pavilion, first floor.
With Meng Fan's hand gesture, the technique "Sword Comes" was unleashed with full force.
"Clang—"
"Clang—"
"Clang—"
***
Dozens of swords unsheathed, their Sword Songs echoing throughout the grand hall.
In an instant, numerous swords flew from their scabbards, drawing afterimages like startled swans across the hall.
More than fifty swords stood before Meng Fan, suspended in mid-air, all pointing at Prince Gu.
The scene resembled a breathtaking sword formation, a picturesque marvel.
But Prince Gu found no beauty in it; his war blade had come to a halt.
It wasn't by his choice, but rather a sharp and domineering presence confronted him, preventing him from advancing even an inch.
His face turned extremely unsightly!
How could a cultivator of the True Martial Realm be so strong?
This was preposterous!
Even a cultivator of the Heavenly Origin Realm, at the fifth or even sixth level, he thought, couldn't muster such a spectacle.
Prince Gu had an intuition that if he moved even half a step further, he would meet a grave without a body to bury!
In fact, his intuition was wrong.
Because even if he didn't advance, he would still die, and still without a body to bury!
Meng Fan's expression was icy, his eyes filled with as much killing intent as Prince Gu's had been earlier.
Undeniably, he was a low-profile man who seldom initiated conflict.
But once someone made a move against Meng Fan, he never showed mercy, always adhering to his vow to avenge.
In the moment Prince Gu made his move to kill, Meng Fan had already sentenced him to death.
Even if Meng Fan couldn't kill him himself, he would ask his master to do it.
No quarter given!
"I told you, drawing your sword against me is no mere sparring, but seeking death. Farewell! "
As soon as the words fell, Meng Fan's finger lifted slightly.
The dozens of swords arrayed before him surged forward in unison.
Prince Gu's complexion drastically changed, and he retreated explosively.
The next second, his eyes widened in surprise.
Though the swords seemed terrifying, their power appeared lacking, and their speed was not very fast.
He retreated swiftly, quickly leaving the Sword Pavilion's grand hall and stepping outside.
His expression fluctuated, watching the swords that pursued him.
Initially, he instinctively felt the swords were terrifying enough to leave him without a resting place in death.
But now, they seemed like paper tigers, not as frightening as they appeared!
Perhaps, he still had a chance to fight?
Just as this thought surfaced in his mind, the swords suddenly erupted with terrifying sharpness, shaking one's soul.
Their speed also increased more than tenfold in the blink of an eye!
"What's happening?" Prince Gu's face changed again.
But this time, he had no chance to ponder.
In the blink of an eye, the swords pierced through his body one by one.
The next second, his body exploded into a mist of blood.
Countless Sword Qi burst forth, leaving not a single piece of flesh or bone, utterly obliterated.
Dead beyond dead!
In the grand hall, Meng Fan watched expressionlessly.
Prince Gu's fleeting hope had been nothing but Meng Fan's deliberate ploy.
Forcing Prince Gu out of the Sword Pavilion before executing him was simply because Meng Fan did not wish to sully the pavilion.
That was all!
Princess Yuqi, upon seeing Prince Gu reduced to remnants, felt no anger but instead a profound sense of relief.
Whether Prince Gu was a spy or a traitor no longer mattered; he had repeatedly disobeyed her commands, intent on slaying Meng Fan within the Sword Pavilion.
His death was purely self-inflicted!
As Princess Yuqi relaxed, catching her breath, the swords outside the Sword Pavilion transformed into streaks of light, returning to the pavilion.
One of the swords, however, pointed directly at Princess Yuqi's forehead!
Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan