Princess Xingyue revealed an overjoyed expression when she saw Shangguan Qiong. The courtiers of the Tortoise Kingdom were divided into two factions: those that were loyal to the royal family and those that were loyal to Queen Wu Yuenian.

Currently, the two factions were equal in power. Shangguan Qiong in front of her was the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard and was a loyal supporter of the Tortoise royal family. She was someone who could be completely trusted.

She said, “Commander Shangguan, Xiahou Hongxiang is disrespecting me. Come quickly to protect me!”

“Your Highness, don’t panic. No one can hurt you with me here!”

As an important courtier of the Tortoise Kingdom, Shangguan Qiong knew very well that Xiahou Hongxiang belonged to the Queen’s faction. She turned around, glared at him, and said, “Xiahou Hongxiang, how dare you disrespect the Princess? Are you trying to rebel?”

As she spoke, the momentum that belonged to a master at the late stage of the Combination Realm suddenly broke out.

Feeling the other party’s strong momentum, Xiahou Hongxiang was stunned. Then the anger in his heart subsided considerably. His reasoning was slowly restored.

His brain was thinking rapidly. He tried to figure out how to respond to the situation in front of him.

Although Shangguan Qiong’s cultivation was a level higher than his, she was still unable to withstand his force. As long as he gave the order, so many arrows would be shot. None of the people present would survive.

But if he did that, he wouldn’t be able to bear the consequence.

If he only killed Princess Xingyue and the others, he could shirk the responsibility and shift the blame onto the Ghost King Sect. However, if the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard in the Tortoise Kingdom was shot as soon as she arrived in Golden Horse City, he would have no way to explain it to Zhao Xianlong.

He was just one of Queen Wu Yuenian’s men and was able to survive by relying on the two great trees, Wu Yuenian and Zhangsun Chengdu.

If he was accused of rebellion, he would not only lose his current power and influence but the entire Xiahou Family would also be exterminated.

Thinking of this, he suppressed the anger in his heart. He then stepped forward and said respectfully, “Vice Commander Shangguan, it’s a misunderstanding. I just lost control of my emotions because of my son’s injuries. How could I be disrespectful to the Princess?”

Shangguan Qiong gave a cold humph and said, “I’m sure you wouldn’t dare. The Princess is the daughter of the King and should be respected. You can’t offend her.”

“General Shangguan is right. Just now, I lost my composure. I apologize to the Princess.”

Xiahou Hongxiang was also a cunning old fox. He knew when to yield and when to stand tall. Now, he had to suppress the anger in his heart. He came to Zhao Xingyue and bowed respectfully. “Please forgive me, Your Highness.”

The Little Witch was relieved. She was about to ridicule him. However, Qin Haodong stopped her.

He knew very well the circumstances before him. What could keep Xiahou Hongxiang under control wasn’t their strength but the royal family’s influence. It would be troublesome if the Little Witch angered the old man again.

Princess Xingyue gave a cold humph and said, “Regarding what happened in Golden Horse City, I will faithfully report to my father.”

Xiahou Hongxiang respectfully replied, “Your Highness, I have not treated you well this time. When I return home, I will write to the King and request for forgiveness.”

Shangguan Qiong was slightly stunned. In the old days at the palace, Princess Xingyue was known to be timid. She had long been known to be submissive in such a situation. How could she be so majestic as she was now?

It seemed that sneaking away this time had indeed changed the Princess a lot.

Xiahou Hongxiang spoke again, “Your Highness, General Shangguan, please come to my Lord Mansion. I will prepare a banquet to apologize to the two of you.”

Princess Xingyue said, “I don’t dare to eat your banquet.”

These words were filled with anger and also the truest thought in her mind. As long as they stayed a moment longer in Golden Horse City, their lives would be in danger. It would be better to leave as soon as possible.

She turned to Shangguan Qiong and said, “Let’s go. My friends are coming with us to Tortoise City together!”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Shangguan Qiong responded.

She ordered her guards to put Princess Xingyue, Qin Haodong, and the others in the middle and protect them as they flew in the direction of Tortoise City.

“Bid farewell to you, Your Highness!”

Xiahou Hongxiang led Jiang Bin and his soldiers to bow. Only when the figures of Princess Xingyue and the others disappeared into the horizon did he slowly straighten up, with a look of irrepressible hatred flashing across his eyes.

He dismissed the surrounding soldiers and gritted his teeth as he said to Jiang Bin, “Select 3,000 soldiers right away. We will immediately follow them. As long as Princess Xingyue leaves the jurisdiction of Golden Horse City, we will take action at once!

“No matter if it is Princess Xingyue or Qin Haodong, kill them all. Don’t leave a single one alive!”

“Yes, General!”

Jiang Bin was his trusted subordinate and had no hesitation at all in attacking the people of the Tortoise royal family.

Xiahou Hongxiang added, “This thing must be carefully planned. We mustn’t give anything away. These 3,000 soldiers must not only be strong but also loyal. We must ensure no information is leaked out.”

“Got it!” Jiang Bin answered and went to gather people right away.

…

Xiahou Hongxiang looked in the direction where Qin Haodong and the others had left and shouted angrily, “Qin Haodong, Zhao Xingyue, just wait. I swear I’ll kill you!”

Qin Haodong and the others galloped all the way. They finally left the jurisdiction of Golden Horse City near evening time.

In front of them was a seemingly huge endless forest. This was the largest and most famous Doomsday Forest in the Tortoise Kingdom.

Zhao Xingyue let out a long breath and said softly, “We have finally left Golden Horse City. We are finally safe now.”

Qin Haodong shook his head and said, “You are wrong. As long as we are within the jurisdiction of Golden Horse City, Xiahou Hongxiang will not do anything to us. Otherwise, he will be jointly and severally liable for his actions.

“It’s different now. As long as we get out of Golden Horse City, General Shangguan will bear responsibility for the Princess. It has nothing to do with him, so I guess Xiahou Hongxiang will take action soon.”

Shangguan Qiong was standing guard at the side. When she heard those words, she disdainfully snorted, “Boy, you guessed wrong. You underestimated the power and influence of our Tortoise Kingdom.

“Xiahou Hongxiang is just a little Lord. No matter how bold he is, he will not dare to hurt the Princess.”

Even though he spent only half a day together, Qin Haodong understood the attitude of the Vice Commander of the Royal Guard. She was loyal to the royal family but was too upright and arrogant to take others seriously.

Xiahou Hongxiang was all ready to attack them in Golden Horse City just now. He no longer had much fear of the royal family. What else would he be afraid of? He was only waiting for the right time and place to strike.

He said, “General Shangguan, I think it’s better for us to be careful. Only by returning to the Tortoise City of the Tortoise Kingdom as soon as possible can we be completely safe.”

“Young man, you are too timid.” Shangguan Qiong shook her head and said, “As long as I am here, the Princess’s safety is assured.”

Seeing that she looked down on Qin Haodong, Zhao Xingyue frowned and said, “General Shangguan, Big Brother Qin is my friend. I would have died without his help.

“I think his words make sense. We’d better return to Tortoise City as soon as possible.”

Although Shangguan Qiong was arrogant, she still maintained enough respect for Princess Xingyue. She said, “Your Highness, the Doomsday Forest is just ahead.

“There are many demonic beasts there. It is dangerous to pass through it at night. Why don’t we camp here first and leave tomorrow?”

“This…” Zhao Xingyue looked at Qin Haodong and wanted to ask for his opinion.

Qin Haodong thought for a moment. Even Shangguan Qiong, such a proud person, said that the Doomsday Forest was dangerous. It must be too risky to pass through it at night.

He said, “Well, let’s rest here and leave tomorrow morning.”

Under the circumstances, He could only hope that Xiahou Hongxiang would not start to attack them here.

Shangguan Qiong chose a flat valley area. She then directed her guards to clear the area and set up tents. This was where the twenty or so of them camped.

After everything was ready, they sat together, talking while roasting the wild animals.

After chatting for a while, Qin Haodong asked, “General Shangguan, can you tell me about the God-killing Arrows? It looks like an ordinary bow and arrow but I feel it is very powerful.”

After seeing God-killing Arrows for the first time, he had this question in his heart. However, there was no suitable person for him to ask.

These people around him were all students of Tortoise Academy and had never seen God-killing Arrows. It was impossible for Xiahou Hongxiang to tell him the answer.

Shangguan Qiong said, “The God-killing Arrow is a kind of heavy weapon issued by the Tortoise Kingdom. It is related to a military secret and cannot be disclosed casually.”

Zhao Xingyue said a little unhappily, “General Shangguan, I have already told you that these are my good friends, especially Big Brother Qin. There is nothing to keep secret from them.”

“Well, since the Princess has said that, then I will tell you what the God-killing Arrow is.”

Shangguan Qiong said, “In terms of military strength, the Tortoise Kingdom is the weakest among the Four Great Kingdoms of the Lingwu Continent. The Tortoise Kingdom has not been attacked by the other kingdoms solely because of God-killing Arrows.

“A God-killing Arrow is so powerful due to its refining process. It is refined through the Tortoise Kingdom’s top spirit treasure, Evil Spirit Gathering Furnace. Each arrow carries an extremely strong evil spirit.

“Generally speaking, ordinary bows and arrows can’t break through the defense of the cultivator at all. However, God-killing Arrows that contain evil spirits are different. They can easily break the body-protecting Genuine Qi and directly attack the flesh.”

…

“I see. No wonder they are so powerful!” Qin Haodong exclaimed.

Generally speaking, for a cultivator at the stage of the Apotheosis Realm, even ordinary bullets could not break through the body-protecting Genuine Qi. However, God-killing Arrows could do it.

Shangguan Qiong said, “Of course! Otherwise, how could it be named God-killing Arrow, which implies its power of killing gods.

“There is still a chance to dodge in the face of one God-killing Arrow but in the face of hundreds of thousands of archers, even the cultivators at the stage of the Grand Completion Realm will not have any advantages.”

The Little Witch said, “Since it’s so powerful, why hasn’t our Tortoise Kingdom unified the entire Lingwu Continent?”

Shangguan Qiong said, “It’s not that simple. Every time the Evil Spirit Gathering Furnace is activated, it consumes a large number of top-level Spirit Stones. Therefore, the God-killing Arrows can’t be produced on a large scale. It’s lucky that we can protect ourselves.

“In our Tortoise Kingdom, only the top five big cities have the qualification to own God-killing Arrows with limited numbers. They cannot be widely issued.”

Qin Haodong nodded slightly. For such a powerful divine weapon, more importantly, it had a deterrent effect. It was similar to the nuclear weapon on the earth.

Once a full-scale war broke out, even all the Tortoise Kingdom’s wealth wouldn’t be able to withstand it.

Suddenly, an idea came to his mind.

The God-killing Arrow was only an ordinary bow and arrow. The only difference was that it was refined in the Evil Spirit Gathering Furnace and contained a very strong evil spirit.

However, he had a large number of modern weapons. If the bullets of the sniper rifle were refined in the Evil Spirit Gathering Furnace, what kind of effect would these bullets have?

Would the bullets be able to easily kill a Strong at the stage of the Combination Realm or even the Grand Completion Realm?

This idea made him very excited. After all, his cultivation had not been good enough since he came to the Lingwu Continent. If he could refine all the bullets of Gatling Heavy Machine Guns and sniper rifles he had brought from the earth in the Evil Spirit Gathering Furnace, wouldn’t he be able to kill all the gods and Buddhas who blocked his way?