Looking at the little devil's sweet smile, he felt a shiver run through his body. He wanted to struggle, but he couldn't move. He wanted to shout, but no sound came out. In the blink of an eye, cold sweat soaked through his clothes.
"I am at their mercy. I have only just begun my travels and I am already suffering this terrible fate. Heaven, are you kidding me?" Chen Nan was truly terrified. If he were to be castrated, he would truly wish he were dead.
After giving the order, the little devil princess turned around and walked to the side, and the female nurses blushed and followed her.
One of the male guards drew a long sword and deliberately brandished it in front of Chen Nan, startling him into closing his eyes. The cold, sharp blade touched his skin, instantly raising goosebumps. The guard gave Chen Nan a malicious smile and slowly moved the sword toward his groin. This "waiting" was excruciating for Chen Nan; in just a few moments, he collapsed, his body convulsing.
The little devil princess waited for a long time but didn't hear Chen Nan scream, which made her a little strange. She boldly turned around and saw her subordinates mentally torturing Chen Nan, which she found extremely amusing.
The little princess strode back, nodded with satisfaction to the subordinate, and snatched the longsword from everyone's astonished ears. She patted Chen Nan's face with the sword and said, "Interesting. I didn't expect you, you lecherous thief, to be so afraid of death."
When Chen Nan saw that the little devil had come back and was waving a long sword between his nose and eyes, he turned green with fright. If he accidentally stabbed him, it would be no worse than castration.
Seeing Chen Nan's terrified expression, the little princess was overjoyed. She gently slashed the blade of her sword past Chen Nan's ear, cutting off a section of his long hair. When the hair fell onto Chen Nan's neck, his expression changed.
The guards exchanged glances, a smile playing on their lips. They knew this little princess all too well. Although she was already sixteen, she was incredibly troublesome. She was both clever and mischievous, sometimes acting like a naughty child, always coming up with all sorts of tricks that were impossible to handle.
The little devil princess seemed to have gotten tired of playing, and took her longsword to slash directly at Chen Nan's body. The guards were shocked and hurriedly shouted, "Your Highness, you mustn't!"
These men were terrified, no less so than Chen Nan. If the emperor found out that his youngest daughter had done something that disgraced the royal family, he would be furious, and they, the guards, would surely face death.
The little princess looked displeased and said, "What are you doing? Do you want to interfere in my affairs?"
A female guard stepped forward from the crowd and said, "The princess is of noble birth, she cannot... she cannot do such a thing..."
"Hmph!" The little princess threw the sword on the ground, her face returning to its cold expression. She turned around and said, "Take him with you. I'll deal with him slowly."
Chen Nan felt as if he had heard celestial music in hell, and saw a glimmer of light in his despair and fear. He let out a long breath and sighed inwardly, "What a little devil!"
These people were all young, but their skills were not weak. The magician easily forced Chen Nan out of the water, while the female warrior knocked Chen Nan to the ground in just over thirty moves, which showed a bit about their strength.
Chen Nan regained his freedom, but the little devil princess had not released his speech acupoint. It's truly a case of "preventing people from speaking is more difficult than preventing a river from overflowing!"
He muttered to himself: These people all have black hair and black eyes, so they must all be Easterners. But some of them actually know magic. It must be that after the two continents merged into Tianyuan Continent, various cultivation methods began to circulate on the continent, causing Easterners to master some Western magic. Presumably, Westerners also mastered some Eastern martial arts.
Chen Nan watched the little devil leaping and bounding through the forest, silently cursing in his heart: twisting his waist, spraining his ankle, falling down...
But he was disappointed time and time again. The little devil princess was like a bird just released from its cage, overjoyed, and would occasionally run up to him and hit him hard on the head, or pull his ear hard.
Chen Nan was truly at a loss for words. Although he had already secretly used his family's secret skills to undo the unique acupoint striking technique the little devil had mentioned, he had no choice but to "obediently" keep quiet.
During his nighttime rest, Chen Nan tried to sneak away, but as soon as he moved, the guard on night watch gave him a cold glance, forcing him to abandon his escape plan.
"I never imagined I, Chen Nan, would fall to such a state. Little devil, don't fall into my hands..."
Their group had been traveling through the mountains for three days, witnessing giant dragons soaring through the sky and the enormous footprints of ancient giants—all of which thrilled the little devil princess. Each time, she would try to "express" her joy to Chen Nan, which would only make him foam at the mouth and collapse.
For Chen Nan, this was an incredibly painful journey. He felt both hatred and anger towards the little princess, yet he was helpless to do anything about it.
Two days later, Chen Nan finally understood the identities of this group of people and the purpose of their trip.
Princess Little Devil is Chu Yu, the youngest daughter of the Emperor of Chu. She is showered with favor and deeply loved by the Emperor and Empress. The guards around her are elite assassins specially trained for her by the Emperor, and they are utterly loyal to her. As for the three magicians, they are not yet true aspiring magicians; they are currently only apprentices.
In a few months, it will be the sixtieth birthday of the Chu Emperor. To express her filial piety, the little princess secretly ran away from the palace, intending to pick the legendary Fiery Lotus from the western border of Chu as a birthday gift for the emperor. Her subordinates were lured away by her through threats and intimidation.
"What do you think my father's expression will be after I present the Fiery Lotus to him? Hmm, I bet he'll be grinning from ear to ear, and he'll grant me free access to the capital from now on. Hehe, that's wonderful! From now on, I can go wherever I want, and no one will stop me anymore, hehe..."
Chen Nan sighed inwardly: How adorable she looks now, just like an innocent little angel. A devil's heart, an angel's appearance!
The guards all wore long faces. Although they had been coerced by the little princess, the emperor certainly wouldn't care and would definitely punish them.
"Hmph, you've all eaten bitter melon? I've told you so many times, I definitely won't let Father punish you then." The little princess was a little unhappy, looked at Chen Nan standing next to her, and said, "Hmph, you scoundrel, how dare you sneer! Come and practice with me."
Two days ago, the little princess kept calling Chen Nan a lecherous thief. Later, a female guard whispered a few words to her, and the little princess immediately realized what was going on. First, she was so ashamed and angry that she beat Chen Nan up. After that, she stopped calling him a lecherous thief and started calling him a scoundrel and a stinking thief.
Chen Nan reluctantly walked over, steeling himself. He prayed in his heart: "Gods, Buddhas, angel sisters, although I know you've all entered the Cemetery of Gods and Demons to 'enjoy bliss,' don't you even have a distant relative? Let them subdue the demons! Demons, ghosts, lords of hell, quickly take your close sister away!"
In the past two days, Chen Nan has accompanied his little devil princess to practice martial arts countless times. The little princess's martial arts skills are surprisingly high, leaving Rou Lin with bruises and swelling, a pitiful sight.
The little princess smiled mischievously at Chen Nan and said, "Why do you look so gloomy too? Is it really that hard for you to practice martial arts with me? Humph!"
"Hehe, you've improved! Not bad, try this trick again. Hehe, you know how powerful it is now, right? It's really funny, hehe..." The little princess's happy and triumphant laughter echoed from the forest, and Chen Nan's Nth nightmare began again.
On the sixth day, the little princess and her entourage finally arrived at their destination. A volcano appeared before them, its crater shrouded in layers of smoke and clouds, with flames seemingly ready to erupt at any moment.
Chen Nan was secretly alarmed: This terrifying little devil has really gone mad, actually wanting to go to the crater to pick the Fiery Lotus.
The princess's guards were extremely nervous. One of the apprentice magicians asked, "Your Highness, is there really a Fiery Lotus in the crater?"
The little princess was a little unhappy and snorted, "Of course I am! Are you scared?"
The apprentice magician hurriedly replied, "No, of course not! We are determined to pluck the Fiery Lotus for Her Highness the Princess."
The little princess said, "When my master discovered the immortal lotus by chance, it wasn't ripe yet. Calculating the dates, these two days are the best time to pick it."
A female guard reminded her, "Your Highness, I've heard that all rare and precious herbs are guarded by spirit beasts. I wonder if this immortal lotus..."
"Oh, I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it. My master said there's a small snake there. Hmm, you can't even handle a small snake, can you? Just be a little careful." The little princess said nonchalantly.
Chen Nan muttered to himself: "Should I be a little more careful?! Can a spirit beast guarding rare treasures be so easily dealt with? This little devil's nerves are really something else. No, I can't go ahead; I'd better hide far behind."
The group headed up the mountain, and Chen Nan slowly moved his feet, finally landing at the back of the group.
"You scoundrel, go to the front!" The little princess's clear voice thwarted Chen Nan's plan.
He cursed inwardly, "Little devil..." He reluctantly walked to the front of the line.
"Hey, you scoundrel, what kind of look is that? Are you really not convinced? Do you want to fight me like those masters do, to the top of some kind of mountain? Wow, that's great! How about we have a showdown at the top of the volcano?" the little princess exclaimed excitedly.
Chen Nan sighed inwardly: Demon Princess!
The closer they got to the crater, the higher the air temperature became, making it feel stiflingly hot, and the rocks beneath their feet grew increasingly scorching. Chen Nan felt a surge of tension, constantly on guard against the small snake lurking in the shadows.
The group finally arrived at the crater. Puffs of smoke drifted out from the crater, and the air was incredibly hot. The crater was like an oven, and sweat dripped onto the dark brown volcanic rocks and immediately evaporated.
A rich and fragrant aroma wafted from the smoke, instantly refreshing the weary crowd.
On the inner cliff of the crater, a bright red light pierced through the smoke and reached everyone's eyes; the aroma was wafting from there.
The little princess laughed, "There really is a Fiery Lotus! Master really didn't lie to me. Hehe, that's wonderful!"
Everyone took out protective scarves and covered their mouths and noses. The little princess looked at Chen Nan and tossed one to him, saying, "Hurry up and put it on, the smoke is very toxic."
Chen Nan felt a surge of gratitude, but it quickly vanished. The little princess continued, "Hurry up and put it on, then lure that little snake out."
He thought to himself: A devil will always be a devil!
The crater was shrouded in smoke, reducing visibility to a mere glimmer of light—undoubtedly the churning lava—that could be seen below. Chen Nan cautiously made his way forward along the crater's ring, silently praying that the little snake was dozing.
The fragrance of the Fiery Lotus grew stronger and stronger. A gentle breeze swept by, dispersing the smoke swirling around the volcano's crater, and the scene before Chen Nan's eyes immediately became clear.
The Fiery Lotus takes root on a cliff three zhang below the crater. The whole plant is about half a meter tall, and its whole body is fiery red and shiny. There are nine crystal clear red leaves on the stem. The flower at the top is shaped like a lotus, but it is a hundred times brighter than a lotus. The fiery red petals are so vivid and lustrous that they are as dazzling as jade carvings.
Smoke billowed, gradually obscuring the Fiery Lotus, leaving only a fiery red glow visible. Suddenly, a tremendous sense of crisis surged within Chen Nan; he felt like prey being watched by "someone."
A pitch-black cave entrance appeared on the cliff not far from the Fiery Lotus. Two blood-red spots shone brightly inside the cave. With a thunderous roar, countless huge rocks fell from the cave into the depths of the volcano, and a colossal creature emerged from the cave.
Chen Nan was utterly horrified, almost to the point of losing his soul. The enormous creature was actually a giant snake head, as big as a house, and the two gleaming blood-red spots were actually the giant snake's eyes, as big as washbasins.
Countless more rocks fell into the depths of the volcano, and the giant serpent slowly moved out of the cave, revealing a section of its colorful body covered with fan-sized scales that shimmered and shone, both eerie and terrifying.
"Damn it... this... this is what that little devil was talking about... the little snake? Damn it... this... this is too exaggerated." Chen Nan cursed, his voice trembling.
The giant snake stopped moving, its blood-red eyes fixed on Chen Nan. At the same time, it opened its huge mouth, revealing its white, venomous fangs, which were as sharp as swords and half a meter high, ferocious and terrifying.
Chen Nan felt a chill quickly spread from his head to his feet, and small goosebumps rose on his body.
Suddenly, a blood-red snake tongue, two zhang long, coiled rapidly towards him from the giant snake's mouth, its pungent stench making him want to vomit.
Chen Nan yelled and turned to run, reaching his fastest speed ever. As he ran, he shouted, "You devilish, arrogant princess, you XXXXX, you want to kill me...!"
The little princess had always believed that she had sealed Chen Nan's speech acupoint. Hearing him shout and curse, she was first shocked, then filled with anger and resentment. But when she saw the giant, brightly colored snake behind Chen Nan, her face paled, though she quickly regained her composure. Finally, she uttered a sentence that almost made Chen Nan faint: "This snake is so beautiful!"
Chen Nan ran down the volcano like the wind. As he passed the little princess, he cursed, "Pervert, madman, demon..."
The guards brought by the little princess were indeed seasoned warriors. After their initial shock, they quickly regained their composure, gripped their weapons tightly, and stood ready for battle. The three apprentice mages began chanting spells, and waves of magical energy rippled through the air. But unexpectedly, after the giant serpent revealed a large portion of its body in the crater, it stopped moving, merely staring coldly at the group.
The little princess remained unusually calm and composed. "Everyone, don't be afraid. The Fiery Lotus is about to ripen. That stinky snake has been guarding this place for thousands of years. At this crucial moment, it will never leave the lotus. We will attack it from a distance."
Then she commanded, "Quickly sprinkle that realgar on that stinking snake."
A dozen or so cloth bags were thrown at the giant snake at the same time, and at the same time the apprentice mage finished chanting the spell, and a large number of gleaming wind blades rushed forward.
The wind blades tore through the cloth bag, and realgar drifted down from the sky, landing on the giant snake. The giant snake trembled and retreated.
The group's spirits were lifted, and the sacks filled with realgar and a large number of wind blades rushed forward again. The giant snake's shimmering scales were covered with realgar, and the pungent smell of realgar filled the crater. Soon after, the giant snake shrank to the ground and lay motionless.
The crowd immediately cheered.
Chen Nan ran all the way to the mountainside, and when he heard the cheers behind him, he couldn't help but stop and turn around to look.
"I didn't expect this little devil to be so capable. She actually managed to bring down such a behemoth. She truly deserves to be called the devil's sister."
He still feels a bit scared when he thinks about the giant snake's sharp fangs and menacing red tongue, but at the same time, he also feels very excited.
Chen Nan glanced at the crater. He longed to escape the little devil and travel the world, but he also wanted to stay and witness the rare battle between humans and snakes. He was torn. Finally, he couldn't resist the temptation and quietly crawled towards the crater. When he was about ten feet away from the crater, he hid behind a huge rock.
After carefully examining the giant snake that had shrunk in the crater, the little princess laughed and said, "I didn't expect this stinky snake to be so cunning. It deliberately feigned weakness to lure us in. Everyone, don't go over there. Attack it here."
The guards took out powerful bows and crossbows and fired arrows at the giant snake, while the three apprentice mages began chanting spells, preparing for a magical attack.
Rows of feathered arrows flew towards the giant snake like locusts, but surprisingly, the steel arrowheads only produced a string of sparks when they touched the snake's scales before falling to the ground.
When the novice mage unleashed the massive wind blade that struck the giant snake, it only caused it to tremble slightly, leaving no trace whatsoever.
The little princess decisively commanded, "Stop attacking other parts and concentrate all attacks on its eyes."
Arrows rained down, all aimed at the giant serpent's blood-red eyes. The giant serpent seemed to mock everyone as it closed its eyes, blocking the rain of arrows.
At this moment, the three apprentice mages gathered a large amount of magical elements, which condensed into three chilling ice spears. After being exposed to sunlight, the three ice spears emitted a dazzling light and flew towards the giant serpent's eyes like a rainbow across the sky.
The ice spear shattered into countless pieces before the giant serpent, its light completely fading. These three powerful magical attacks were not without effect; traces of blood appeared on the serpent's eyelids. At the same time, the enormous serpent's head rose again, its previous listlessness vanishing. Its terrifying forked tongue flickered, its sharp fangs gleamed with a chilling light, and its blood-red eyes stared intently at the crowd.
Chen Nan hid behind the rocks, ready to make a run for it at any moment.
The giant serpent opened its massive jaws and spewed forth a torrent of flames that swept towards the group. The three apprentice mages hurriedly chanted incantations, and a pale blue magical shield enveloped them.
Chen Nan stared in disbelief and exclaimed, "No way! This super terrifying guy has already cultivated into a monster! My god, a snake demon!" Seeing this, he moved several dozen feet away from the battlefield.
At this moment, the three apprentice mages gathered enough magical elements. They opened a corner of the magical shield and then poured a large area of light onto the giant serpent. The pale blue light transformed into layers of water waves, instantly extinguishing the flames around them and drenching the giant serpent. White mist rose from the crater, and the group took the opportunity to retreat seven or eight zhang (approximately 33-40 meters).
The giant serpent seemed enraged. With a thunderous roar, it emerged from the cave, its body stretching another four or five zhang (approximately 10-15 meters) in length. Countless fragments of rock fell into the depths of the volcano. Now, its body, suspended in the air, was seven or eight zhang (approximately 33-40 meters) long, its enormous head appearing particularly ferocious and terrifying. The giant serpent looked down at the group, its eyes flashing with a fierce light, seemingly wanting to swoop down, but in the end, it retreated reluctantly to the side of the Fiery Lotus, its entire body pressed against the volcanic rock.
The princess and the others breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, a female guard stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, this demonic snake has already cultivated to a high level and is beyond our ability to deal with. We should retreat quickly."
An apprentice magician chimed in, "Yes, this...this isn't just a little snake, this...this is a snake spirit! We should..."
The little princess glared at him, which startled the apprentice magician so much that he immediately shut his mouth.
Chen Nan, hiding behind the volcanic rocks, thought to himself: "The little princess is more ferocious than a giant snake!"
The little princess said, "Didn't I give you thirty-six powerful magic arrows? Now's the time to use them! Shoot them!"
The attendants took out magic arrows from behind, nocked them on bowstrings, and aimed them all at the giant serpent's crimson eyes.
...
The magic arrows shot out like lightning, leaving ripples in the air and causing the magical elements in the air to vibrate irregularly. The giant serpent seemed to sense danger and dodged its menacing head to the side. The magic arrows grazed the serpent's mouth, leaving a trail of sparks, before the arrowheads suddenly exploded, blasting off a large section of scales from the left side of the serpent's mouth. The remaining magic arrows struck this area, instantly turning the serpent's mouth into a bloody mess, revealing its gleaming white teeth.
Enraged, the giant serpent reared up, its massive body flaring up, its blood-red forked tongue flickering wildly beside its gleaming white teeth. Simultaneously, its body, hidden within the cave, began to slither outwards, causing the volcano to shake violently as if the earth itself were trembling.
Everyone was stunned. The little princess said in a deep voice, "It seems we have no choice but to use our last resort." She took out an ancient-looking long box from the bundle on her back, opened the box, and took out a longbow with a dark luster.
Upon seeing the little princess's actions, Chen Nan's pupils contracted, and he stared intently at the longbow without blinking.
He never imagined that he would see that divine bow from the Immortal Fantasy Continent again after ten thousand years. The Houyi Bow had changed hands countless times, and its last owner ten thousand years ago was Chen Nan's father, Chen Zhan. Back then, Chen Zhan relied on this bow to kill three peerless experts who were besieging him in a single day, thus becoming famous in one battle and shaking the entire Immortal Fantasy Continent.
Chen Nan's lips trembled as he whispered, "Houyi's Bow, I never thought I'd meet you again after ten thousand years..."
Just then, a deafening roar erupted, and countless enormous rocks tumbled down from the crater. The giant serpent shot into the sky, its hundred-foot-long body fully exposed in the air.