Gu Tianqing was indeed seething with rage, and the Holy Maiden Xiyuan cradled in his arms was similarly pale with fright at his dark, sinister expression, her entire body trembling like a quail.
"You filthy wench — didn't you tell me that the strongest your human race could muster was the emperor realm? Then what are these giants doing here? And who is this young man riding a true dragon?"
Gu Tianqing's eyes blazed with fury, his tone vicious beyond measure. It was clear he felt he had been thoroughly duped by the Holy Maiden Xiyuan.
Xiyuan was so terrified her face had gone paper-white. She stammered, "P-Prince... this young man — he is the one I told you about. Jiang Chen. He is the leader of the entire human race."
Xiyuan was obviously terrified. She had just betrayed the Moon God Sect, and now, facing Jiang Chen, her guilt gnawed at her insides.
She was afraid — deathly afraid that Jiang Chen would put an arrow through her. With her level of strength, there was absolutely no way she could withstand such an attack.
And Prince Gu Tianqing's subordinates were certainly noble enough — not at all. Not a single one of them would step forward to block an arrow for her.
And so the Holy Maiden Xiyuan was filled with unease. She was caught in an impossible position. Outside, she dreaded Jiang Chen's retaliation, feared he would strike her down. Inside, she had Gu Tianqing breathing down her neck in his foul temper, ready to use her as a punching bag.
If she had known this would happen, she would never have betrayed the sect. She should have stayed with the Moon God Sect's forces — by now they would have broken through to safety.
At the thought of this, Xiyuan's heart was in turmoil.
For reasons she couldn't explain, every time she laid eyes on Jiang Chen, an instinctive fear seized her. She always felt as though this man was somehow capable of anything.
The moment the name "Jiang Chen" registered, Gu Tianqing's heart jolted — but he quickly regained his composure.
Though his temperament had a volatile side, a man who had become prince of the Gu Nuo tribe was no fool.
"Gu Qi — which of you dares to capture that bastard Jiang Chen for me?"
Five elite bodyguards flanked Gu Tianqing. Gu Qi was the strongest among them; the other four were all half-step Celestial realm cultivators, far surpassing ordinary emperor-realm powerhouses.
All five of them, Gu Qi included, eyed the true dragon coiling through the sky, their hearts in turmoil and their minds torn.
If they moved out to hunt down Jiang Chen, they would inevitably leave an even wider gap in their defenses.
What if this was nothing more than a diversion? What if they chased after Jiang Chen, only for him to launch a surprise attack on Prince Gu Tianqing instead?
"Prince, this Jiang Chen has come prepared. Until we understand his intentions, it would be wisest not to act rashly. The boy has not yet reached the peak of his cultivation. But that divine bow and those spirit arrows in his hands — they are no trivial matter."
Even Gu Qi was at a loss. This was his first time encountering Jiang Chen, and the first time he had witnessed anything so bizarre. A young man who clearly hadn't even reached the emperor realm, yet possessed the potential to threaten Celestial-realm powerhouses — it was almost enough to leave Gu Qi in awe.
As elite bodyguards, their first duty was to protect the prince's safety. Slaying the enemy and earning merit came a distant second.
Gu Tianqing seemed to realize as well that demanding his bodyguards chase down Jiang Chen was asking too much.
He was swallowing a bitter pill. After all, he had just broken through to the emperor realm himself and was widely regarded as the foremost talent of his generation across the entire Gu Nuo tribe. With his cultivation and his status, to be intimidated by a young man even younger than himself — it was a massive blow to his pride.
Even if the weapon threatening him was a divine bow and spirit arrows, it still left Gu Tianqing seething with frustration.
Jiang Chen, for his part, had no intention of fighting the Kuman tribe to the death in this desolate northwestern wasteland. By his estimation, the Moon God Sect's forces had already retreated to a safe enough distance.
With a sharp whistle, he gave the signal.
The moment that signal went out, the four giant brothers of the Stone Titan race knew Jiang Chen wanted them to withdraw.
In truth, the four Stone Titan brothers were also running on fumes, approaching the limits of their endurance. This was the northwestern wasteland — spiritual energy was sparse, nearly nonexistent. Fighting in a region this depleted of spiritual energy was pure torture for them.
They had been enduring just as grimly. So upon hearing Jiang Chen's call, the four brothers didn't linger in combat but began pulling back toward the perimeter.
Though the Stone Titans had already made up their minds to retreat, the Kuman tribe was suffering just as badly. The thin spiritual energy affected them too.
The difference was that since their cultivation hadn't reached the Celestial realm, the impact on them wasn't quite as severe.
Gu Tianqing, however, caught on: "Gu Qi — they seem to be withdrawing?"
Gu Qi nodded gravely. "This place is a wasteland. Spiritual energy here is so thin that even ordinary mortals would struggle to settle here, let alone cultivators who depend on spiritual energy for their power! Those four giants are likely trying to conserve their strength."
Knowing was one thing — Gu Qi still didn't dare act on his own initiative.
Though Gu Tianqing was itching to give chase, Gu Qi did not fan the flames. Instead, he doused them with cold reason: "Prince, this Jiang Chen is the leader of the human race. He is bound to have many trump cards. Now is not the time to fight him to the death."
Gu Tianqing was furious, but there was nothing he could do.
"Listen well, people of the Kuman tribe — if you don't want to die far from home, I suggest you crawl back to your own territory. Now."
"Otherwise, know this: whoever dares set foot on human soil, no matter how far, shall be put to death!"
Jiang Chen hovered in the air and unleashed his Dragon Roar Divine Ability, his cry echoing between sun and moon, his presence commanding and awe-inspiring.