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

Li Wanning sat on the cot, swinging his legs.

"The autumn hunt is in three days. Father Emperor goes to the Western Hills hunting grounds every year. You're now in charge of the Valiant Cavalry, so perimeter security is definitely your job." Li Wanning took a bite of the apple he'd swiped. "Shen Qingyi is the Holy Maiden of the Primordial Holy Land, her cultivation is unfathomable. Be careful."

Xu Nuo leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers on the table.

Autumn hunt.

In the desolate wilderness, swords and spears have no eyes. It is indeed a good place to kill.

"Understood." Xu Nuo stood up, grabbed Li Wanning by the back of his collar, and said, "This is a military camp, all unauthorized personnel, get out of here."

"Hey! Let go! I'll walk by myself!" Li Wanning protested wildly, but Xu Nuo threw him out of the tent.

Lin Hu was suppressing a laugh outside.

"What's so funny?" Xu Nuo cursed. "Has the money from the Marquis of Changxing arrived yet?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a commotion arose outside the camp.

Zhang Fu, the chief steward of the Marquis of Changxing's mansion, arrived outside the drill ground with dozens of carriages, sweating profusely.

More than a million taels of silver were packed full.

Zhang Fu looked at the Marquis's private soldiers hanging from the wooden stakes, their lips turning purple from the cold, and felt a pang of heartache that made him shiver.

"Young Master Xu, the money has been brought." Zhang Fu gritted his teeth and handed over the gift list.

Xu Nuo didn't even look at it, just raised his chin.

Lin Hu led his men forward to open the box and inspect it. The gleaming silver was dazzling.

"Your Highness, the number is correct."

Xu Nuo nodded and walked up to Zhang Fu.

"Marquis Changxing is a straightforward man." Xu Nuo patted Zhang Fu on the shoulder. "Take the people away. Remember to come find me again if there's another good opportunity like this."

Zhang Fu was so angry that he was trembling all over, but he managed to force out a smile that was even uglier than crying.

"Your Highness is joking."

With a wave of his hand, the servants of the Marquis's mansion rushed forward, lowered the private soldiers who were hanging, and dragged them onto the carriage like dead dogs.

Zhang Kuang was also released. He scrambled into the carriage, not daring to look back.

Xu Nuo watched the departing convoy and felt great.

"Lin Hu, take the money to Wanbaoge and exchange it all for spirit stones."

"Replace them all?" Lin Hu was taken aback.

"Replace them all." Xu Nuo's tone left no room for argument.

Night, in the master's tent.

Hundreds of thousands of low-grade spirit stones were piled up inside the tent, their spiritual energy so dense it was almost melting into water droplets.

Xu Nuo sat cross-legged and began to circulate the "Primordial Dragon-Summoning Technique".

The jade pendant on her chest emitted an astonishing suction force.

The spirit stone turned into grayish-white powder at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The violent spiritual energy surged into his meridians, and the Primordial Dragon Soul let out an excited roar.

The ninth dragon pattern began to slowly emerge on the illusory image.

A sharp pain struck.

The meridians seemed to be torn apart inch by inch, but were quickly reassembled under the nourishment of the dragon's energy.

Xu Nuo gritted his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead.

He knew very well that Shen Qingyi was not a good-for-nothing like Zhao Kang. The Holy Maiden of the Primordial Holy Land definitely had some trump cards up her sleeve.

The initial stage of the third rank is not enough.

He wants to be stronger.

boom!

In the latter half of the night, a strong wind swept through the tent.

Dark golden energy burst forth from his body, transforming into a solidified phantom of a giant dragon, hovering above Xu Nuo's head.

Middle stage of third grade.

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

The tens of thousands of spirit stones on the ground had all turned into powder.

"This is a fucking bottomless pit," Xu Nuo cursed, but feeling the surging power within him, his eyes turned extremely dangerous.

Shen Qingyi.

Want to kill me? Then let's see who's tougher.

Three days later. West Mountain Hunting Grounds.

The autumn wind is bleak, and the banners are waving.

The emperor's imperial carriage stopped on a high platform in the center of the hunting grounds. Civil and military officials lined up on both sides.

Xu Nuo, dressed in dark gold mountain-patterned armor, with a long sword at his waist, rode a black horse and stopped at the entrance to the hunting grounds.

Behind him were five hundred elite cavalry soldiers.

After these past few days of torment, these troublemakers now see Xu Nuo with more awe than they would their own fathers. They stand ramrod straight, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

The Second Prince, Li Chengqian, dressed in a close-fitting outfit, rode a white horse past Xu Nuo.

He reined in the reins and looked down at Xu Nuo.

"Young Master Xu, you've really trained the cavalry to be quite disciplined these past few days," Li Chengqian said with a forced smile.

"Your Highness flatters me," Xu Nuo said calmly.

"Autumn hunts are dangerous. There are not only wild beasts in the forest, but also some foolish creatures." Li Chengqian lowered his voice. "Young Master Xu, you must be careful and not lose your life there."

"Thank you for the reminder, Your Highness." Xu Nuo looked directly into his eyes. "I'm tough; most people can't take me away. But Your Highness, the path in the woods is slippery; be careful not to break your leg."

Li Chengqian snorted coldly, flicked the reins, and led his guards into the hunting grounds.

The procession from the Primordial Holy Land followed closely behind.

Shen Qingyi, dressed in a blue robe and with her face covered by a light veil, rode a chestnut horse.

As she passed Xu Nuo, she slightly turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Shen Qingyi's eyes were as cold as ice, revealing an undisguised murderous intent.

Xu Nuo grinned and even raised an eyebrow at her.

Shen Qingyi withdrew her gaze and spurred her horse into the woods.

"Young Master, something's not right with this woman." Lin Hu leaned closer, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

"Of course something's wrong. She's here to kill me." Xu Nuo dismounted. "Send the order: the elite cavalry will seal off the outer perimeter. No one is allowed to enter the forest without authorization. Anyone who disobeys will be executed."

"promise!"

Half an hour later.

From the depths of the hunting grounds came bursts of beast roars and the sound of bowstrings piercing the air.

Xu Nuo sat on a small stool, closing his eyes to rest.

Suddenly, a fast horse burst out of the woods.

The soldier on horseback was covered in blood and stumbled and tumbled off his horse.

"Report! Commander Xu! A fourth-grade demonic beast, the Armored Rhinoceros, has appeared on the west side of our defense zone! It has injured more than a dozen of our brothers!"

Xu Nuo opened her eyes.

coming.

How could a fourth-grade demon beast possibly break through the Royal Guard's defenses and reach the outermost cavalry camp's defense zone so quietly?

It's clearly bait.

"Lin Hu, guard the camp." Xu Nuo stood up and drew his long sword from his waist.

"Your Highness! I'll go with you!" Lin Hu exclaimed anxiously.

"No need. You'll just be throwing your life away." Xu Nuo picked up his knife and strode towards the dense forest on the west side.

The light was dim in the woods.

The further you go in, the quieter it gets. Even the chirping of birds and insects disappears.

A faint smell of blood filled the air.

Xu Nuo stopped walking.

Ahead lay an open space. On the ground lay the corpses of more than a dozen elite cavalry soldiers, their deaths gruesome, all killed instantly by sharp weapons.

It wasn't done by any monster at all.

hum.

The surrounding air suddenly rippled like water.

Formation.

Xu Nuo was trapped in place.

A figure in green lightly descended from the treetop ahead.

Shen Qingyi.

She carried a long sword that exuded a chilling aura, its blade still dripping with blood.

"Xu Nuo, you have a lot of guts." Shen Qingyi's voice was cold, as if she were pronouncing a death sentence. "Knowing it was a trap, you still dared to come in alone."

Xu Nuo glanced at the corpse on the ground.

"They are just ordinary soldiers." Xu Nuo's tone was calm, but his eyes had turned completely cold.

"You're nothing but an ant, not worth mourning." Shen Qingyi raised her sword, the tip pointing directly at Xu Nuo. "To kill you, I have to lay the groundwork."

Xu Nuo smiled.

His smile was cold.

"The Holy Maiden of the Primordial Holy Land treats human life as worthless. What a magnificent display of power."

Xu Nuo gripped the hilt of the knife tightly, and dark golden energy exploded beneath his feet.

"Do you think you've got me figured out?"

Shen Qingyi's eyes were filled with disdain.

"At the early stage of the third rank, you might be considered someone of importance in the capital. But in front of me, you don't even have the right to draw your sword."

boom!

Shen Qingyi unleashed an extremely terrifying aura.

The surrounding trees were instantly snapped in half by this aura.

Second rank!

She was actually a second-rank martial artist!

No wonder the Second Prince dared to entrust her with the task of killing Xu Nuo. A second-rank official killing a third-rank official—it's practically a one-sided defeat.

"Despair?" Shen Qingyi walked step by step toward Xu Nuo. "You stole my cultivation technique and tarnished my reputation. Today, I will shatter every bone in your body, inch by inch."

Xu Nuo stood still.

He looked at Shen Qingyi as if she were a dead person.

"Second-grade." Xu Nuo cracked his neck, his bones popping like beans. "Perfect for practice."

Roar!

A deafening dragon's roar echoed through the dense forest.

Xu Nuo's ancient dragon soul within him was fully awakened.

The dark golden aura erupted like a volcano, shooting straight into the sky.

The pressure from the mid-stage third-rank cultivator actually withstood Shen Qingyi's second-rank aura.

Shen Qingyi's expression changed drastically.

"You've been hiding your cultivation level?!"

"You talk too much nonsense."

Xu Nuo exerted force with his feet, and the ground instantly collapsed, creating a large pit.

He transformed into a dark golden lightning bolt and appeared in front of Shen Qingyi in an instant.

The long sword, carrying overwhelming force, cleaved down.

Shen Qingyi hastily raised her sword to parry.

clang!

Swords clashed.

A terrifying force traveled along the sword.

Shen Qingyi groaned, her hand on her hand instantly split open, and she uncontrollably staggered backward more than ten steps, crashing into three large trees before barely stopping.

Her hand holding the sword was trembling violently.

This is impossible!

How could a mere rank three possibly possess such terrifying power!

Xu Nuo, carrying the knife, walked towards her step by step.

"Your Highness," Xu Nuo's lips curled into a cruel smile, "your bones seem to be harder than your mouth."