The saintess is pregnant, what does that have to do with me, a spoiled brat?

Before sunset.

Outside the Xishan camp, more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages came to a stop in a grand procession.

The head steward of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion wiped away cold sweat, his face turning green as he looked at the more than one hundred private soldiers of the mansion swaying in the wind from the wooden stakes.

"Young Master Xu, 1.2 million taels of silver are all here." The steward handed over a thick stack of silver notes and several cartloads of cash.

Xu Nuo sat in the armchair, toying with a teacup in his hand.

"Lin Hu, count the money."

Lin Hu led his men to quickly take inventory.

"Your Highness, the number is correct."

Xu Nuo nodded and stood up.

Release them.

The guards swiftly cut the cowhide ropes with their knives. More than a hundred private soldiers were thrown to the ground like dumplings being dropped into a pot, their cries of agony filling the air.

Zhang Kuang was dragged over by Lin Hu like a dead dog and thrown at the butler's feet.

"Commander Zhang, from now on, remember to follow my rules in the Valiant Cavalry Camp." Xu Nuo patted Zhang Kuang's face. "Otherwise, next time, it won't be something that can be solved with just one million taels."

Zhang Kuang glared at Xu Nuo with resentment, then was helped into the carriage by the steward and slunk away.

Inside the main tent.

One million two hundred thousand taels.

He promised to have Lin Hu take the money directly to Wanbaoge and exchange it all for low-grade spirit stones.

120,000 spirit stones.

Li Wanning stared wide-eyed at the mountain of spirit stones.

"What kind of martial arts are you practicing? It's so expensive!"

Xu Nuo ignored her and sat down cross-legged.

The Ancient Dragon-Guiding Technique is in operation.

A terrifying suction force erupted.

The 120,000 spirit stones instantly turned into dust, and a rich torrent of spiritual energy surged into his body.

The jade pendant on her chest was burning hot.

The Ancient Dragon Soul Roars.

The ninth dragon pattern is faintly visible.

The peak of the early stage of the third rank.

Xu Nuo opened her eyes and exhaled a breath of stale air.

It's still not enough.

To break through to the mid-stage of the third rank, the number of spirit stones needed would probably double.

"We're so poor," Xu Nuo sighed.

Li Wanning rolled his eyes: "You earned over two million taels in a day, and you're still complaining about being poor? The national treasury isn't even as rich as you!"

the next day.

The Ministry of War's transfer order arrived at the Xishan Camp.

"During the Royal Autumn Hunt, the Elite Cavalry Battalion will be responsible for guarding the outer perimeter of the Western Hills."

Xu Nuo looked at the transfer order in her hand and a cold smile curled at the corner of her lips.

"Autumn hunt?" Li Wanning leaned closer. "In previous years, the Imperial Guards were responsible for the outer perimeter security during the autumn hunt. When did it become the responsibility of a lousy unit like the Valiant Cavalry?"

"Someone wants me dead." Xu Nuo threw the transfer order on the table.

"The Second Prince?"

"Besides him, there's also that Holy Maiden from the Primordial Holy Land." Xu Nuo tapped his fingers on the table. "The terrain of West Mountain is complex, and the outer perimeter defense line is very long. As long as they find an excuse to lure me away, or create some chaos, killing me would be a piece of cake."

"Then why are you still answering?" Li Wanning exclaimed anxiously. "This is clearly a dead end! You can still feign illness now!"

"Claiming illness?" Xu Nuo laughed. "The word 'retreat' doesn't exist in my dictionary."

He stood up and went outside the tent.

On the drill ground, several hundred troublemakers from the elite cavalry battalion were running laps under Lin Hu's supervision, looking miserable.

After yesterday's beating, these pampered soldiers are now more obedient than rabbits.

"Lin Hu!"

"exist!"

"Gather everyone!"

A moment later, several hundred people stood in a crooked square formation.

He promised to step onto the command platform.

"The Ministry of War has issued a transfer order. Three days from now, during the royal autumn hunt, our elite cavalry battalion will be responsible for perimeter security."

A commotion broke out below.

"Shut up, all of you!" Xu Nuo shouted coldly.

The entire room fell silent instantly.

"I know you're all just here to coast through your time in the army. But this autumn hunt, if anyone dares to mess things up, I'll chop them up alive before the Emperor even has a chance to behead you!"

Xu Nuo's gaze swept across the entire room.

"These three days, train like crazy! Anyone who slacks off will have their legs broken!"

"Yes!" Hundreds of people shouted in unison, their voices filled with fear.

three days later.

West Mountain Hunting Grounds.

Banners obscured the sky, and bugles sounded everywhere.

The emperor's imperial carriage stopped on a high platform in the center of the hunting grounds.

Civil and military officials, princes, and nobles lined up on both sides.

Xu Nuo, dressed in black armor and riding a tall horse, led the elite cavalry to deploy on the outermost perimeter.

"Your Highness, the defenses are complete," Lin Hu reported as he rode over.

"Tell the brothers to keep their eyes peeled." Xu Nuo looked at the dense forest in the distance. "Things aren't going to be peaceful in the Western Hills today."

The voice just fell.

A deafening roar suddenly echoed from deep within the woods.

Immediately afterwards, the ground began to shake violently.

"What happened?"

"There's a monster!"

The outer defenses were thrown into chaos instantly.

A massive, armored rhinoceros burst out of the forest, its eyes bloodshot, and charged madly toward the elite cavalry's position.

"A fourth-tier demonic beast!" Lin Hu's expression changed drastically.

A fourth-tier demonic beast is equivalent to a third-rank martial artist in human terms.

Moreover, this armored rhinoceros had clearly been tampered with and was in a berserk state.

"Hold the formation! Fire!" Lin Hu roared.

The arrow struck the armored rhinoceros and bounced off without leaving even a white mark.

The armored rhinoceros charged wildly, instantly knocking over more than a dozen soldiers.

"Xu Nuo, prepare to die!"

Just then, a cold voice came from mid-air.

Shen Qingyi, dressed in a long blue dress, descended from the sky like a banished immortal.

She held a long sword that exuded a chilling aura, its blade flashing and aimed directly at Xu Nuo's throat.

Peak of the third rank!

The Holy Maiden of the Primordial Holy Land is indeed terrifyingly powerful.

Xu Nuo looked at the long sword thrusting towards him, but instead of dodging, he smiled.

"I've been waiting for you for so long."

Dark golden energy exploded beneath their feet.

Xu Nuo shot into the sky like a cannonball, meeting Shen Qingyi's sword light with a punch.

Roar!

The dragon's roar resounded through the sky.

The dark golden dragon-shaped aura collided fiercely with the cold sword light.

boom!

A violent shockwave swept around, snapping the surrounding trees in half instantly.

Shen Qingyi's expression changed slightly.

She felt an overwhelming force surge into her body through the longsword, making her hands go numb.

How is that possible!

The intelligence reports say he's only at the early stage of the third rank, how could he have such terrifying power!

Using the force of the recoil, Xu Nuo tumbled in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground.

He looked at Shen Qingyi in mid-air, a mocking smile playing on his lips.

"Is this all the Holy Maiden of the Primordial Holy Land is capable of?"

Shen Qingyi's eyes were icy cold.

"Arrogant!"

With a flick of her wrist, her longsword transformed into a storm of sword shadows, engulfing Xu Nuo like a tempestuous storm.

Each sword strike carried a deadly intent.

The promise was not broken.

He took a deep breath, and the ancient dragon soul within him roared with excitement.

Dark golden energy condensed on his body, forming a dragon scale armor.

Bang bang bang!

The sword flashed and struck the dragon scale armor, sparks flying everywhere.

Xu Nuo, braving the countless sword shadows, approached Shen Qingyi step by step.

"Are you done?"

Xu Nuo suddenly raised her head, a flash of dark golden vertical pupils in her eyes.

"It's my turn."

He stomped his right foot hard on the ground.

boom!

The ground collapsed instantly, creating a large crater.

Xu Nuo transformed into a dark golden lightning bolt and instantly appeared in front of Shen Qingyi.

There were no fancy moves.

It was just a simple and brutal punch.

With an aura of utter destruction, it slammed into Shen Qingyi's chest.

Shen Qingyi's pupils suddenly contracted.

She felt threatened by death.

At the critical moment, she bit her tongue and spat out a mouthful of blood.

His essence and blood transformed into a crimson shield, blocking his path.

Click!

The crimson shield shattered instantly under Xu Nuo's fist, as if it were made of paper.

Xu Nuo's fist, still brimming with force, slammed heavily onto Shen Qingyi's shoulder.

boom!

Shen Qingyi let out a muffled groan, and her whole body flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing heavily into a tree trunk in the distance.

She spat out a mouthful of blood, staining her blue dress crimson.

She stared intently at Xu Nuo, her eyes filled with disbelief.

lost.

She, a holy maiden of the Primordial Holy Land, with a cultivation level at the peak of the third rank, was actually defeated by a spoiled brat at the early stage of the third rank!

Xu Nuo shook the blood off his hands and walked towards her step by step.

"I told you, if you want to kill me, you'll have to see if you have the ability."

Xu Nuo walked up to Shen Qingyi and looked down at her.

"Now, it's my turn to collect the interest."