Shen Qianmo smiled faintly, her bright red robe billowing in the wind in a beautiful arc, making her appear even more ethereal.
The door to the plague quarantine zone opened, and Shen Qianmo and Nan Yue walked in together. The people inside were all disheveled and looked extremely haggard. Apart from the people who had arrived at the entrance and were still in relatively good health, the people inside were all staggering and on the verge of death.
Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and looked at the people in the plague quarantine zone. Suddenly, her dark eyes fell on a figure huddled in a corner.
The child looked very haggard, and his clothes were tattered; he seemed to be just a pitiful child infected with the plague. But Shen Qianmo felt that from the moment she entered the plague quarantine zone, a sharp gaze had been watching her from that corner.
Composing herself, Shen Qianmo smiled faintly, reached out and pulled an old woman over, took out a white pill, and said with a smile, "Take this and you'll be fine."
The old woman had clearly been under the influence of the Gu poison for several days; her face had turned a waxy yellow, and she could barely stand. Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, she almost mechanically took the pill, tilted her head back, and swallowed it.
In her view, such a beautiful empress, who personally gave her pills before her death, would probably have made her swallow them even if they were poison.
After the old woman took the pill and swallowed it, everyone held their breath and watched her reaction. As the old woman's complexion gradually improved and she became more energetic, hope and surprise flashed in everyone's eyes.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" The old woman felt her discomfort completely disappear, and the excruciating pain in her internal organs was gone. Overjoyed and grateful, she knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly to Shen Qianmo. She was so excited that she could only utter this one sentence.
Seeing the old woman's reaction, the other people's eyes lit up with even greater surprise, and their previously dull eyes now shone with a new light.
"It really works! It really works! We're saved! We're saved!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Her Majesty the Empress is truly a celestial being descended to earth!"
The people were in an uproar. They all kowtowed to Shen Qianmo. A hint of tenderness flashed in Shen Qianmo's dark eyes, and a gentle smile played on her lips.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Shen Qianmo abruptly raised her eyes, her gaze instantly becoming incredibly sharp. At that moment, the little child who had been huddled in the corner smiled knowingly and gently raised his hand.
No one noticed this unusual movement, but Shen Qianmo's eyes became even sharper, a smile appeared on her lips, and she lightly flicked her hand, sending a wisp of powder flying up.
"Take the people out to take their medicine." Shen Qianmo's tone was calm, yet authoritative.
Seeing Shen Qianmo's slightly solemn expression, Nan Yue couldn't understand why the Empress, who had always smiled confidently, would have such an expression. He simply followed Shen Qianmo's orders and led all the people away from the plague quarantine zone.
The people gradually left, but Shen Qianmo remained inside. Nan Yue dared not say anything, simply letting Shen Qianmo stay alone. Everyone was overjoyed at being rescued, and no one noticed that besides Shen Qianmo, there was an inconspicuous child who hadn't left the corner.
"Empress of the Heavenly Desert? Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to call you the Palace Master of the Demon Palace." The child, seeing the crowd disperse, still wore a profound and enigmatic smile, speaking calmly. His voice lacked any childlike innocence, instead carrying a hint of world-weariness, sounding nothing like a child's.
Shen Qianmo's gaze was like a sword as she stared directly at the child. A mocking smile appeared on her face as she said in an icy tone, "Do all the Holy Clan of Southern Xinjiang like to hide their true colors and prey on defenseless commoners?!"
"Hehe." The child wasn't angry at Shen Qianmo's sarcasm; instead, he gave a haughty smile, and his entire demeanor slowly changed, transforming from a child into a middle-aged man in his thirties or forties. His appearance was still fairly decent, but the slightly upturned corners of his eyes gave off a sinister feeling.
Shen Qianmo looked at the changes in the child before her, without a trace of surprise in her eyes. She already knew that the martial arts of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan were unpredictable and varied, vastly different from those of the Central Plains.
"As expected of the Demon Palace Master, you have exceptional insight." The man smiled as he saw Shen Qianmo looking at him calmly without the slightest surprise, and continued, "You've cured my Flowing Wind Gu and broken my Deadly Powder, so you do have some skill."
"Hmph! Using such a vicious poison as Deadly Powder on a group of ordinary people, the Southern Frontier Holy Clan truly makes me look at them in a new light!" Shen Qianmo snorted disdainfully, making no attempt to hide her contempt and annoyance as she coldly stared at the Southern Frontier Holy Clan member.
The man from the Southern Frontier Holy Clan showed no anger whatsoever. He simply looked at Shen Qianmo with a calm expression, though his eyes revealed a hint of resentment. He said in an icy tone, "Tianmo killed my Southern Frontier Holy Maiden. The people of a mere city are far from enough!"
"Is that so?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, a smug smile playing on her lips. Her chilling red robes accentuated her eerie beauty, and she spoke slowly, "If Tianmo suffers even the slightest damage, I will make the entire Southern Frontier pay the price!"
"What arrogant words!" The middle-aged man finally flew into a rage upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words. He knew that the Southern Frontier Holy Clan was a taboo that no one in the entire Central Plains dared to violate, yet this Shen Qianmo dared to utter such arrogant words, saying he would have the entire Southern Frontier buried with them?!
"Hmph!" Upon hearing this, Shen Qianmo's cold face remained expressionless. She merely snorted disdainfully and said arrogantly, "Don't think that just because the Central Plains hasn't interfered with the Southern Frontier in recent years, it's because they're afraid of it! I can't control other countries, but if you dare to mess with Tianmo, you must pay the price!"
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, a hint of murderous intent and surprise flashed in the middle-aged man's eyes. He had originally thought that with the Southern Frontier taking action, Tianmo should be terrified and seek peace with the Southern Frontier, but he had not expected Tianmo's attitude to be so firm. Moreover, the Tianmo Emperor and Tianmo Empress were not simple figures either.
The Blood Demon Pavilion and the Demon Palace are the two most mysterious and powerful sects in the Central Plains martial arts world. After investigating Tianmo, they discovered that the Emperor and Empress of Tianmo were actually the Lord of the Blood Demon Pavilion and the Palace Master of the Demon Palace. However, the Southern Frontier Holy Clan had dominated for a thousand years; how could they possibly fear a mere sect from the Central Plains?
Moreover, the saintess's revenge cannot go unavenged. More importantly, the Southern Frontier has been accumulating strength over the years, and it's time to leave this desolate place!
"Then we'll see." The middle-aged man glanced coldly at Shen Qianmo. The Southern Frontier Holy Clan's forces were all in the South City, but he was the only one here. In terms of martial arts, he was probably no match for Shen Qianmo. It would be unwise for him to confront Shen Qianmo here.
"We'll see?" Shen Qianmo glanced at the middle-aged man, a bloodthirsty smile curling at the corner of her lips, and said in a low voice, "I'm afraid you'll no longer have that chance!"
The white silk ribbon shot out with deadly force, striking the middle-aged man's face without hesitation. The middle-aged man seemed not to have expected Shen Qianmo to suddenly attack, a look of surprise flashed in his eyes, but he was quick and dodged Shen Qianmo's attack.
When Shen Qianmo saw the middle-aged man dodge her white silk ribbon, a faint smile appeared on her lips. She turned her hand again, and the white silk ribbon, as if it had a spirit, wrapped around the middle-aged man, carrying her inner strength. The force of the ribbon almost seeped into the middle-aged man's body.
The middle-aged man's face instantly turned grim. He hadn't expected Shen Qianmo to be so resolute, leaving no room for negotiation. It seemed Shen Qianmo truly intended to break ties with Southern Xinjiang, and was even determined to kill him?!
Seeing the middle-aged man's face turn ugly, Shen Qianmo's smile became even more sinister. Since Nanjiang dared to covet Tianmo, she would make sure they never returned.
They're currently in the open while Southern Xinjiang is in the shadows, putting them at a significant disadvantage. It would be better to make an example of them, letting Southern Xinjiang know that Tianmo is not to be trifled with. Perhaps this might even provoke some action from the Southern Xinjiang people.
Thinking this, his movements became even more swift. The three thousand strands of black silk, the supreme cultivation method of the Demon Palace, instantly formed a dense, impenetrable net, imbued with Shen Qianmo's internal energy and oppressive aura, directly attacking the middle-aged man.
"Pfft!" The middle-aged man couldn't withstand Shen Qianmo's powerful attack. He was injured by Shen Qianmo's internal force, spat out a mouthful of blood, and knelt on the ground. He had lost his initial arrogance.
Shen Qianmo withdrew the white silk ribbon, looking down at the middle-aged man with a haughty expression. Her dark eyes were filled with sarcasm and mockery, and a disdainful smile curled at the corner of her lips as she said indifferently, "So this is the strength of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan. It really has broadened my horizons."
Hearing Shen Qianmo's sarcastic words, the middle-aged man's face turned ugly. He looked up at Shen Qianmo, his eyes filled with hatred, and said through gritted teeth, "Don't be too smug!"
Shen Qianmo's eyes flashed, and she struck out with her white silk ribbon, aiming straight for the middle-aged man's heart meridian. However, the middle-aged man twisted his body and disappeared almost out of thin air.
As Shen Qianmo watched the middle-aged man disappear, a hint of seriousness flashed in her eyes. A moment of carelessness had allowed him to escape. This was a unique martial art from the Southern Frontier; she had seen Naya use it before. It seemed like a form of lightness skill, yet it wasn't; it allowed one to conceal their presence and moved with extreme speed.
But if this middle-aged man possessed such skill, why didn't he dodge her attack earlier? Shen Qianmo frowned slightly, looking in the direction the middle-aged man had disappeared.
"Just now, you used your white silk to seal off the surrounding space with your inner force, making it difficult for him to escape." A sinister voice sounded from behind, and Shen Qianmo felt a familiar warmth pressing against her waist.
She raised an eyebrow slightly, a faint smile playing on her lips. "So, this movement technique is quite restrictive?"
As long as their escape routes are blocked with internal force, they can be wiped out in one fell swoop. She was worried that if they continued to evade with their movements, she wouldn't know how to deal with them, but now that Situ Jingyan said this, her doubts were dispelled.
"You've been watching from the shadows the whole time?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, turned to look at Situ Jingyan's face with a wicked smile, and asked in confusion.