After listening to Hestia’s words, the scene fell into a brief silence. Yet, one of the divine generals smirked.
“Miss, it’s fine to joke, but saying such things only makes you sound naive.”
What even Thousand Towers City couldn’t achieve—how could a solitary, orphaned girl manage it? She looked no older than seventeen, so how much ability could she possibly have? While having ambition was commendable, at her age, such statements only seemed childish and laughable. Many present shared these thoughts.
Seeing their skepticism, Hestia didn’t push further. For her, simply stalling for time to get through the next half hour was already a small victory.
Unfortunately, Thousand Towers City’s ruler didn’t see it that way.
“Although you’re Yongrong’s daughter, your actions today have overstepped your bounds.”
“Dismiss the Sword Guardians. I’ll confine you for six months, after which you’ll properly take on your mother’s responsibilities.”
Though initially dismissive of Hestia, Gu Qianlou had witnessed her extraordinary talent during the earlier skirmish, sparking his admiration.
Despite her youth, her abilities were undeniable. With proper training and discipline, she might one day inherit his position. Moreover, as his sister’s child, their familial bond couldn’t be ignored.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that,” Hestia shook her head, firmly refusing.
Gu Qianlou’s irritation flared at her defiance—not just because she disobeyed, but because her demeanor reminded him of Gu Yongrong twenty years ago.
Back then, that girl in a snow-white dress and red sash had the same rebellious spirit. She had even left Thousand Towers City with an outsider, an act of betrayal that still festered in Gu Qianlou’s heart. The memory reignited his anger every time.
“Seems I must teach you a lesson today,” he said sternly. With a wave of his hand, the black-armored divine generals encircled them once again.
Like dark clouds closing in on a city, thirty black-faced divine generals unleashed a barrage of strikes, their weapons singing through the air. Hestia was forced into evasive maneuvers, the situation growing increasingly perilous.
Though her life wasn’t at risk, injury and capture seemed inevitable. Even if Edess Academy’s aircraft arrived in time, the opportunity to change Thousand Towers City’s course might be lost.
As Hestia considered whether to reveal her hidden ability to temporarily escape, a silver, snow-like blade swept into the formation of divine generals, breaking through to aid her.
“Ah, looks like I’m late,” Feng Jianxue said as he brandished an unfamiliar silver longsword, positioning himself in front of Hestia. A chilling aura emanated from him, slowing the divine generals’ movements.
“And who might you be?”
The black-armored generals encircled the pair again, attacking with increased ferocity. This man wasn’t Hestia—they wouldn’t hesitate to harm or kill him.
The silver blade danced with his sleeves, scattering ice shards like a storm of snowflakes. Feng Jianxue’s attacks pushed back or froze the approaching generals. This outsider from the Flying Feather Star Region was no ordinary man.
Despite his earlier lighthearted demeanor, his skills revealed him to be a rare expert when he got serious.
Watching his dazzlingly intricate swordsmanship and agile movements, Gu Qianlou frowned. Though he didn’t know Feng Jianxue’s name, he could guess the man had some connection to the lineage of old masters who had visited Thousand Towers City.
Flying Snow Blade: Solitary Traveler Across the Cold River!
After clearing the immediate area, Feng Jianxue turned his blade, his figure flashing like lightning through the crowd of divine generals, heading straight for Gu Qianlou.
“If you want to end a conflict, take down the leader first.”
Clang! The crisp sound of blade meeting sword echoed.
The snowy blade clashed with a pitch-black ancient sword, sparks flying as fragments scattered. The two men each stepped back half a pace before reengaging. Snowy blade and black sword collided repeatedly, filling the arena with the sharp sounds of combat.
After a dozen seconds, the two separated again. Feng Jianxue’s pale robes bore a streak of blood, while Gu Qianlou’s wrist dripped with fresh wounds.
“Impressive, Thousand Towers City’s master indeed. My compliments,” Feng Jianxue said earnestly.
Despite the remote location and scarce resources of Thousand Towers City, producing a Sequence 6 Transcendent like Gu Qianlou was no small feat.
“Hmph. Too cowardly to reveal your identity, yet you attempt to steer the conversation,” Gu Qianlou retorted, shaking blood from his blade. A servant stepped forward to carefully clean the remaining blood from his wrist with a white towel.
“My identity? For now, let’s leave that a mystery,” Feng Jianxue replied with a shrug, unconcerned by the scornful glares of the surrounding divine generals.
“I’d rather not escalate things unnecessarily. Let me take Hestia and leave. Can’t we all go our separate ways peacefully?”
“Absolutely not! How could we let the princess leave with you?”
Before the divine generals could respond, the Sword Guardians protested vehemently.
Twenty years ago, an unknown young outsider had taken away Thousand Towers City’s beloved jewel. Now, history threatened to repeat itself. It was utterly unacceptable.
“Hey, everyone, let’s not be so rigid. Think about it carefully—now is the perfect time to stop. If we continue, it might hurt family bonds and goodwill,” he said, trying to deceive them, his gaze sweeping across the crowd.
“There’s no need to waste time with this man. Attack!” The leader of the divine generals shouted, and the group surged forward again, forcing Feng Jianxue into combat.
“This is really…” Feng Jianxue shook his head while swinging his snow-white blade. The sword light flowed continuously, like a curtain of snow, deflecting or dodging the incoming attacks. Putting aside his earlier chatty demeanor, his movements now were graceful and impressive.
Seeing that the divine generals couldn’t defeat the visitor quickly, Gu Qianlou raised his hand, signaling for them to fall back.
“Oh? Are you going to step in personally?” Feng Jianxue watched with interest.
Gu Qianlou slowly shook his head. He then thrust his sword’s sheath into the ground, and a colorless wave rippled out. The ground trembled, and deafening rumbling noises echoed.
As everyone struggled to maintain their footing, a massive arm suddenly burst from the earth, slamming into the ground with such force that stones and the floor shattered.
Feng Jianxue pulled Hestia away from the impact and retreated with her, stopping only when they were a hundred meters away.
A giant divine general, about 30 meters tall, slowly crawled out of the ground. It was clad in rusted, corroded bronze armor, with red and green paint covering its body. The sound of grinding gears echoed from its joints. As it looked up, its bronze eyeballs slowly moved, glowing with golden light.
As it fully emerged and stood firm, another equally massive divine general crawled out from the direction of the ancestral hall.
These two gigantic beings, towering like pillars holding up the sky, looked down on the small crowd below. The mechanical sounds of their bodies echoed, and golden light burst from the seams of their armor. Layers of dirt and rust peeled off, while golden halos appeared behind them, radiating across the area.
The golden halos suppressed the Aijeka particles in the Forbidden City, making it increasingly difficult to gather magic.
Soon, red and gold magical energy bands formed around the giants’ arms and behind them, resembling the flowing ribbons of ancient generals in murals. These ribbons, composed entirely of magical energy, shimmered with intricate golden patterns, like some kind of enchanted seal, creating layers of defensive shields around the giants.
“Tch.”
Feng Jianxue swung his snow-colored longsword, sending a crescent of white light toward one of the giants. It hit like a peanut shell striking steel, bouncing off with no effect.
“These must have combat strength comparable to Sequence 7. Quite terrifying,” Feng Jianxue muttered, shaking his head. Jie Lou City had some impressive assets hidden away.
“Should we leave, Hestia? These two giants are strong, but they probably can’t move quickly. If we run fast enough, we might—” He turned to look at the girl behind him, only to find she was gone.
A blue ribbon, like a flying gentian, fluttered in the wind. Hestia had lightly stepped on the eaves of a building, leaping up with the grace of a bird. When she reached the air, long swords made of blue crystal formed around her.
Below, Gu Qianlou stopped his sword, and the two giant divine generals swung enormous 32-meter-long blades. Their attacks started slow but quickly gained speed, sweeping down to shatter the ice crystal swords in midair.
Hestia, however, wasn’t concerned. She had anticipated this outcome. As the giant swung its blade, she dove down, her figure splitting into three white streams that wrapped around the giant’s arm. The swords carved deep grooves into the thick armor, the blue crystal corroding the golden protective layer. Eventually, the armor cracked, and chunks of gray-white debris fell away.
Though these two giants had nearly Sequence 7 strength, they weren’t Sequence 7s themselves; they were rigid mechanical creations with many flaws.
Once Hestia closed the distance, the giants struggled to land any hits. Their arms lashed out, but they couldn’t catch her. Gradually, their armor was stripped away, and the heat radiating from their bodies grew intense.
In the distance, Feng Jianxue watched this scene, admiring Hestia’s audacity. He had seen the flaws in the giants, but he wouldn’t risk his life to test them. In such a tense, close-quarters battle, the giants might lose hundreds of times, but if he was hit once, he wouldn’t escape.
“Still, even though the giants have their flaws, to be able to fight them at this age without falling behind…” Feng Jianxue shook his head.
“I think not only me, but even Gu Qianlou underestimated the terrifying potential of her talent. Among all the successors of the major families from back in the day, there’s probably no one more brilliant than this new star.”