"What are you saying? We have good relations with the Jingjue Kingdom, and we even pay tribute to them annually. We've crafted so many weapons and armor for them."
"They are slandering me?"
The King of Loulan was agitated, almost standing up from his chair.
Every year, they offered thousands of tributes to the Jingjue Kingdom, along with countless weapons.
Yet now, with the Queen dead, they were being blamed. Wasn't this a baseless accusation?
"Your Majesty, according to scout reports, a large army from the Allied Nations has arrived near our Loulan Kingdom, clamoring to attack the city."
A minister spoke with some panic.
"Since the Jingjue Kingdom is treating us unjustly, then we cannot be blamed for being unrighteous. We will agree to the allied forces and attack the Jingjue Kingdom together!"
The middle-aged man declared.
He had always been upright in his dealings and had maintained righteous relations between nations.
"Yes!"
After a minister finished speaking, he hurried out.
"Boss, do you think the Allied Nations will agree?"
The fatty asked from the side.
"Agree? How is that possible? Think about it, why are there no murals in the Gu Mo prince's records depicting the Loulan Kingdom attacking the Jingjue Kingdom alongside them."
Zhang Tian waved his hand.
It wasn't that the Loulan Kingdom didn't want to, but that they couldn't.
After all, when a pack of jackals set their sights on a deer, would they easily let it go?
Especially a deer like Loulan, so large and succulent.
As expected, after Zhang Tian finished speaking, the minister who had just left rushed back in.
"It's bad, Your Majesty, they say that if we join, we are spies for the Jingjue Kingdom, and they are now launching a large-scale assault on the city gates."
As the minister spoke, the middle-aged man on the platform took a deep breath.
"I never imagined that our Loulan Kingdom, so benevolent, even having aided them, would be met with such shamelessness."
He was so angry that his face was flushing, and he was breathing heavily.
"Father, let me go. I will sweep through the enemy ranks and take the enemy general's head."
A voice came from the side, that of the Loulan Princess.
Her voice was like heavenly music, like the crisp sound of a lark singing in the forest.
After she spoke, a powerful aura surged from her.
"This aura, it's the Inner Core stage expert."
Sensing the Loulan Princess's aura, Zhang Tian's expression changed.
My goodness, the Loulan Princess had already reached the Inner Core stage, just like Zhang Qilin. With such strength, it was no wonder she was known as the foremost female general of Loulan.
"Although our Loulan Kingdom has always sought to win people over with virtue, today, they have been unrighteous, so they cannot blame us for being unrighteous."
"We still have thirty thousand elite soldiers in Loulan City, and we will surely be able to turn the tide. Tian Ya, I now order you to lead these thirty thousand elites to defend the Loulan city gates."
As the middle-aged man spoke, the Loulan Princess beside him clasped her hands and then descended from the great hall.
As she passed by Zhang Tian, he clearly saw a hint of pride and confidence on her face.
Indeed, to reach this level at such a young age was far superior to that Gu Mo prince.
If she were to fall for the Gu Mo prince, then the Loulan Princess would truly be blind.
Subsequently, the scene before everyone's eyes changed.
They had been in the great hall moments ago, and now they were standing outside the Loulan city.
Outside the city, several allied nations had occupied the high ground.
Loulan was situated in a low-lying area, making it easy to attack and difficult to defend, a typical "trapped city."
The main reason for building a city in such a location was likely the presence of water.
"Kill!"
The Loulan Princess waved her hand, and her long spear appeared in her hand.
Simultaneously, with a few spear thrusts, she had claimed countless lives.
In just a few minutes, the Loulan Princess alone had slain over a hundred people.
Such a rapid grinder of lives on the battlefield was an ace.
"This, this is simply a battlefield massacre weapon."
Hu Bayi exclaimed, and even Shirley Yang nodded slightly.
As a woman, Shirley Yang greatly admired those who possessed ability and courage, especially since the Loulan Princess was also a female general.
Confident, proud, and capable of decimating enemy armies.
The figure of the Loulan Princess weaved through the enemy ranks, who were no match for her. Her armor, combined with her spear crafted from Star Iron, made her even more formidable on the battlefield.
Zhang Qilin watched the scene before him without much expression.
He merely admired her, for single-handedly holding off thousands of enemy soldiers and defending a city.
"Alas, one person's strength is ultimately limited."
Zhang Tian murmured, and in the next moment, at the edge of the desert,
Several figures in black had appeared in the desert.
These figures were clad in long black robes.
Each held a strange, round object in their hands.
Within these round objects, faint, peculiar patterns could be seen.
"This is a curse. How insidious. If you can't win, you resort to curses."
Zhang Tian thought to himself. He finally understood why the powerful Loulan Princess had died – she had been cursed to death.
Those figures in black were likely from the Ghost Tomb tribe.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to set up a curse using such a bead.
"Boss, these people are truly shameless. More shameless than Fatty! They're going too far, resorting to curses when they can't win. Hmph, even more unscrupulous than Fatty!"
The fatty grumbled indignantly from the side.
He even felt indignant on behalf of the Loulan Princess.
Zhang Tian nodded.
"These figures in black have likely defected from the Loulan Kingdom. Recall the lamb offered as tribute by the Gu Mo prince."
"Tributes are usually subject to strict inspection. However, a tribute containing poison was consumed by the Queen, which indicates that there was already dissent within."
"And I suspect that fortune-teller was either from the Ghost Tomb tribe, or perhaps their opposite, the Prophet tribe."
As Zhang Tian spoke, Shirley Yang nodded.
"I found it strange before why the Queen, who was so powerful, would still consume the tribute. With your explanation, it's plausible."
Shirley Yang said. At this moment, the Loulan Princess before them had already been ensnared by the curse.
The Loulan Princess was strong, but she had no means to resist this kind of curse.
Curses are intangible and unseen, undetectable, and even Zhang Tian could not break some advanced curses.
As she was cursed, the Loulan Princess's movements became increasingly slow.
At the same time, her body began to turn black.
Her once fair skin was now black, with some patterns spreading across it.
"Serpent God Curse!"
In the distance of the desert, a man in black murmured, and then several men in black proceeded to cast their curses.
The price for this was the consumption of several years of their own lives.
Gradually, the Loulan Princess was captured by the curse, and her spirit grew increasingly listless.
"What a pity. Such a beautiful princess has become so horrifying."
The fatty shook his head slightly.
Due to the curse, the Loulan Princess's long hair was almost gone, and her face began to shrink drastically.
She looked like a mummified corpse.
And because this curse was so potent, several of the men in black who had cast it died on the spot.
"Kill!"
Seizing the opportunity, the people from the Allied Nations launched a fierce assault. Without the Loulan Princess, the Loulan Kingdom was in full retreat.
The Loulan Princess, meanwhile, was captured by the men in black.