Chapter 17: The Princess in the Iron Window

  The last floor of the Imperial Capital Prison.

  Inside the cold iron window, a slender and elegant girl with an extraordinary temperament was wearing a white gauze dress, looking up at a withered tree outside the window.

  The withered branches of the tree stretched into the iron window, and occasionally a gust of wind blew by, tapping out a rhythmic sound on the iron window.

  Shen Dou stood at the door, looking at the girl for a long time before opening his mouth to ask: "May I ask, are you Princess Fu Xuehan, the daughter of the emperor?" Shen Dou's tone was calm and respectful.

  The girl seemed to have just noticed Shen Du's arrival, and turned around in surprise. Her originally calm eyes were actually shining with a strange tearful light.

  "Are you Shendu, are you here to save me?" The girl's voice was as melodious as a copper bell, just like her extraordinary appearance, which seemed exceptionally fresh and beautiful in this quiet prison.

  "Yes, General Murong asked me to come and rescue you." Shen Du said as he slowly raised his massive sword and swung it with a loud crash, easily cutting through the iron bars. He bowed and said: "Please, Princess, let's go out together."

  "Where can I go?" Pei Xuehan's expression suddenly became filled with sorrow, and her originally clear eyes also became melancholic like autumn water.

  Shen Du saw this and slightly frowned, saying: "No matter what, please let the princess and I go out together to discuss further, this is not a place to stay for long."

  "No, the world is so big, yet it's all under imperial rule. Even if we escape from here, from the capital, how far can we go? Father Emperor has passed away, and I no longer have any attachment to this world. I'd rather gaze at that withered tree outside the window every day. Although it's old, it still stands firmly there, quietly standing through all the changes of spring, summer, autumn, and winter. It seems to be waiting for something, yet also seems to be waiting for nothing. I want to learn from it, stand quietly here until I grow old, until the end of my life." Fu Xuehan gazed at the withered tree outside the window again, his eyes filled with reverence.

  Shen couldn't understand her feelings, took a step forward and said: "Is your life really that simple? The king was harmed by treacherous people, have you never thought of avenging the king? You are his biological daughter, don't you hate him at all?"

  "Heh heh, revenge? How can I take revenge? The imperial palace is heavily guarded, and just this small iron window, I'm already unable to get out. What's more, that old thief Pei Xingbo has already reached the peak of Jianwang, and it won't be long before he breaks through the barrier of Jianhuang. Do you think my meager sword hand can withstand him for much longer?" Pei Xuehan said with a sorrowful gaze, her voice trembling.

  "Hey, you're really underestimating yourself by saying that. You have so many friends, are we just going to sit back and do nothing?" Shen Du put the giant sword behind his back, half-kneeling on the ground: "As long as Your Highness gives the order, I, Shen Du, will definitely pledge my life to serve Your Highness."

  Fu Xuehan was shocked by his words and stared at Shen Du with a look of utter astonishment.

  Four eyes met, and Pei Xue's cold eyes were filled with suspicion, while Shen Du's heart was racing with guesses about what she was thinking, but it was completely unclear.

  For a moment, Fu Xuehan shifted his gaze back to the withered tree outside the window and said leisurely: "I see from your eyes an ambition that ordinary people can't match. What is your purpose in helping me like this?"

  Shen Dou stood up, furrowed his brow and looked at Pei Xuehan's profile, saying honestly: "Although I don't know how Your Highness knew my name is Shen Dou, since you already know my identity, I'm not sure if you're aware that the Shen family was annihilated by the Daxianmen a few days ago."

  "I know." Fu Xuehan replied calmly.

  Such a plain answer, yet it made Shen Du's heart skip a beat. How did she know that she was in the Great Prison? How could she be so clear about things outside? Wasn't she supposed to have some kind of superhuman ability again?

  "You don't have to guess what I'm thinking, I have my own way of knowing things about the world. I think I've made myself clear, I won't be leaving here." Pei Xuehan's tone turned cold.

  It was an unattainable attitude, and Shen knew he couldn't persuade her anymore. He gritted his teeth and said, "Then I'm sorry." With that, he swung his palm swiftly, striking the major artery on Pei Xuehan's neck with incredible speed.

  Feng Xuehan immediately fell into a coma.

  Shen Du didn't hesitate and put Fu Xuehan on his shoulders, breaking out of the window.

  Just stepped out of the window, and saw that outside was wrapped in a layer of crystal clear yellow light.

  "Hey, Sword King's Boundary!" Shen Du muttered to himself, swinging his giant sword. All that could be heard was a loud "Boom!" as the giant sword made contact with the Sword King's Boundary, creating a massive shockwave that sent Shen Du flying back over three meters.

  Looking at Fu Xuehan still sleeping peacefully on his shoulder, Shen Du finally put his mind at ease, placed Fu Xuehan on the ground, let out a loud shout, and released the sword energy of a Sword Master. An orange glow enveloped Shen Du's black giant sword as he silently chanted "Mad Sword Incantation!" The giant sword flew out of his hand, rapidly shooting towards the Sword King's barrier.

  Once again, a loud "Boom!" was heard, but it had no effect.

  How is this possible? There was clearly no barrier just now, could it be...

  Shen dare not think deeply, if it is Fu Xingbo who has reached the Sword Emperor's barrier and led his army to come forward, then he will probably have no hope of survival. His future, his revenge, his hatred, all will be reduced to nothingness.

  "No!" he shouted loudly, hastily pulling out the blue pill that Murong Ling had given him from his bosom. He pinned all his hopes on this Dan of Merit.

  For Shen Du, who had never used a Power Pill before, it was completely unpredictable how much energy he would gain after taking the pill.

  I feel the gongli dan slowly falling from my throat to my lower abdomen, and gradually I feel a warmth in my dantian. I'll have to sit and meditate for a while, it seems that digesting this gongli dan will take some time.

  At this moment, a hurried footsteps sound came from behind.

  "Who!" Shen Du was greatly shocked and shouted as he stood up.

  "Shen brother, it's me!" The newcomer wore a black robe, with his left hand grasping a long curved knife, on the hilt of which were inlaid two purple gemstones. It was actually Murong Ling.

  "General Murong, you've finally arrived." Shen Du said with an excited expression.

  "I didn't expect Brother Shen's movements to be so swift, even the strong Sword King of the 98th floor was solved by you." Murong Ling looked at Shen Dou with a shocked face, full of admiration.

  "But she is actually Su Sheng's mother." Shen Du said with a worried expression.

  Murong Ling heard this and wasn't surprised at all, calmly saying: "She is Su Sheng's mother, but she isn't a qualified mother. She abandoned her family and entered the imperial city, colluding with that traitor Pei Xingbo. Originally, she had obtained all the wealth, honor, and highest respect, but she didn't know how to be content. In the end, after having a dispute with Pei Xingbo's mother, she was sealed by Pei Xingbo and became a prisoner, alas~"

  "Alas!" Recalling Su Sheng's lovely appearance, Shen Dou also let out a deep sigh and lamented: "If Su Sheng knew about this matter, I wonder what he would think."

  "It's nothing!" Murong Ling patted Shen Dou's shoulder, and felt that there were countless true energies rushing up and down inside Shen Dou's body. He was shocked and asked: "Have you already taken the Gongli Dan?"

  "That's right." Shen Dou also felt the extreme chaos of the meridians in his body, but still asked calmly: "What is the wonderful use of this Gong Li Dan?"

  "Your current strength is already at the Sword Master level, and taking this Power Pill will at least raise your strength to mid-Sword King level." Murong Ling explained softly, but a hint of guilt appeared on his face.

  Shen Du noticed the unusual expression on Murong Ling's face, but didn't ask further. Instead, he fixed his gaze on Fu Xuehan and said calmly, "There is no sword king boundary below the peak of Sword King Mountain. Later, after I break through the boundary, you take the princess and leave. Also, please guarantee the safety of Yu Xi and Shen Gang for me."

  As he spoke, Shen Du felt a strong surge of energy rampaging inside his body. Before Murong Ling could respond, his long sword quivered and moved in tandem with his body, emitting a loud whistle as it shot straight towards the yellow Sword King's boundary.

  Murong Ling gazed at Shen Dou's back, without hesitation, put Fu Xuehan into his arms and followed closely behind Shen Dou.