ã€ŠSeduce The Villainess (GL)ã€‹


 Chapter 1 Candidate No.214

    An unpleasant scent filled the air. Its odor resembled rotten eggs and it spread throughout the house like a gue.

    "Mother¡­ father¡­ I''m sorry," a hoarse voice echoed through a inly decorated bedroom.

    Inside the room was arge queen-sized bed, a closet and a walk-in bathroom.

    There was ayer of dust on all of the furniture inside the room which showed that no one had lived here for months.

    A mature looking woman in a business suit knelt down on the ground and pressed her forehead against the floor.

    She was an attractive woman in herte twenties with a lean muscr physique and a sharp angr face.

    But what would stand out about her appearance were the heavy bags under her eyes. Dark circles that disyed the tiredness and exhaustion on her face.

    In front of her was a simple wooden shrine with several pictures ced carefully around its wooden frame.

    This shrine was built in the corner of the bedroom and seemed out of ce.

    Inside the pictures were the scenes of a happy family. An elderly mother smiling and waving at the camera, a stern father with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes and two children.

    The older sibling inside the frame was a tall girl with long flowing ck hair that was tied into two cute braids.

    The younger of the two was a shy little boy who hid behind his sister''s skirt in the picture.

    His innocent appearance and soft features would win the hearts of all the aunties in the neighborhood.

    A brief smile shed across the woman''s face as she remembered her little brothering home from school with a bunch of candy in his arms.

    It was a picture that was taken a lifetime ago.

    The woman on the floor choked up as she felt a wave of nostalgia and sadness.

    The woman remained motionless in the same position. Despite the nasty scent in the room, she showed no difort or disgust on her face.

    Time seemed to have no meaning as she continued to whisper over and over again the same phrase.

    "I''m sorry."

    "I''m sorry."

    "I''m sorry."

    A harsh bleeping noise interrupted the strange atmosphere inside the room. The woman slowly got up from the ground and nearly fell as her knees almost gave out.

    She opened her phone and saw a text message arrive in her inbox. The sender of the text was a name that she was all too familiar with.

    Song Feng: [Hey! I''m on my way now¡­ Why didn''t you tell me that you wereing back to Shanghai?]

    The woman read the message but did not bother to reply. She ced the phone back in her pocket and bowed once more in the direction of the shrine.

    "You would hate me for what I am about to do," the womanughed sadly as she spoke to the pictures.

    "I can still hear your voice now mom¡­ you would beg me to go to the police¡­ tell me not to do this myself."

    "And you dad¡­ you would tell me that life is too precious to just throw away."

    The woman stopped talking and waited as if she would get a reply from the silent pictures that remained frozen in time.

    Perhaps she really had gone mad.

    What she had experienced over thest few months would be enough to drive any regr person insane.

    But this n had to seed. The woman knew that if she missed this opportunity then there would be no second chances.

    She had bet everything on this one final move.

    It was the only way that a human could defeat an enemy that defiedmon sense.

    "If I have one regret mom¡­then I regret not changing my name to match yours. Song Li was more fitting than Sui Li," the woman whispered quietly.

    Sui Li turned around and left the room with slow purposeful steps. Maybe it was just her imagination, but she felt as though someone was watching her as she walked away.

    She closed the door quietly and entered the living room where the rotten egg smell only got stronger.

    She currently in a medium sized apartment building on the outskirts of Shanghai city so there weren''t many rooms built inside.

    Sui Li felt the urge to pay her bedroom a visit, but she knew that there wasn''t much time left until her target arrived.

    She walked towards the couch in the middle of the living room and sat down. There was clock hung right above the television, but its battery had long stopped working.

    Sui Li closed her eyes and waited. She could hear nothing but the steady beating of her heart as the minutes passed by.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Finally, there was a loud knocking sounding from the front of the apartment and then the jingling of keys could be heard.

    Sui Li opened her eyes, and a sh of hatred could be seen inside her gaze. She quickly pushed down that emotion and resumed her calm appearance.

    She could not afford to give the game away.

    That monster was unusually adept at reading facial expressions.

    "Elder sis! I''m home!" a deep masculine voice echoed through the apartment. Sui Li clenched her fingers tightly into a fist as she saw a young man walk into the living room.

    He wore a in ordinary white shirt and a pair of track pants that could be bought at any thrift store.

    His body was heavily muscr with strong arms, legs and a physique that would not look out of ce on a Greek god.

    He stood at an impressive height of over six feet and had a natural aura of sexiness and appeal that was hard to ignore.

    But as Sui Li focused on his appearance¡­ she could not help but feel a shiver of fear as she looked at his face.

    The young man smiling cheerfully at her no longer bore any resemnce to his biological parents.

    His face was extremely attractive and well sculptured to the extent that it could even be considered unnatural.

    Fierce brows, piercing ck eyes, perfect cheekbones and a nose that was perfectly positioned in the middle of his face.

    His handsome looks far surpassed even the top movie emperors in the film industry.

    Song Feng wrinkled his nose as he smelled the foul odor of rotten eggs, "Hey¡­ what''s that awful smell?"

    "I think there might be a sewage leak in the bathroom upstairs. I will call a plumber tomorrow to deal with it," Sui Li replied calmly.

    "Don''t worry about it. This old apartment is worthless anyways," Song Feng waved his hands and sighed dismissively.

    A white-hot rage bubbled inside Sui Li''s chest as she heard his scornful tone. This apartment was where their parents had once lived¡­

    How could he say such a thing?

    No¡­ she should have expected that perhaps in his eyes¡­ this apartment held no sentimental value.

    Song Feng walked over to his sister and reached into his pocket to pull out a ck credit card.

    Sui Li recognised it as an exclusive tinum ck membership card. To own one required a deposit of at least twenty million USD or over one hundred million yuan.

    "This card has no limits on it. Feel free to spend as much money as you want," Song Feng dered arrogantly.

    Song Feng ced the card in his sister''s right palm and for the briefest of moments his hand lingered on her soft fingers.

    He hid it well, but Sui Li could see the possessiveness and desire hidden in his gaze as his eyes swept up and down her body.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The look in his eyes made Sui Li''s skin crawl and she fought desperately to keep herself from throwing up.

    She felt sick.

    Still, it was far toote to turn back now. As she stared into her brother''s eyes¡­ Sui Li felt her feelings of hesitation slowly fade away.

    "Where did you get all that money? I thought that you were studying in university," Sui Li questioned with a warm smile on her face.

    "Sister! I wanted to leave it as a surprise, but I am now the owner of apany! I have also made quite a bit of money by saving a few wealthy people," Song Feng exined.

    "Saving them? How?" Sui Li questioned with an expression of surprise.

    Song Feng leaned in closer and whispered in an almost conspiratorial tone, "Remember when you left to go abroad? I managed to learn some traditional Chinese medicine from an expert."

    "He taught me how to use acupuncture to unblock sealed meridians and how to make concoctions to cure hidden diseases."

    Liar.

    Liar.

    LIAR!

    Sui Li struggled to maintain her peaceful appearance as her brother ced a warm hand on her shoulder.

    Suddenly she got up from the couch and made her way to the kitchen without sparing a nce at her brother.

    Song Feng followed closely behind with a puzzled look on his handsome face. The scent of rotten eggs got stronger and stronger as they approached the kitchen.

    Sui Li''s eyes began to tear up and even Song Feng was beginning to get a little bit ufortable because of the foul odor.

    She waited until her brother had entered the kitchen before turning around and facing him with a serious expression.

    "Did you know that I was afraid when I found out that mom was pregnant with you?" Sui Li quietly spoke.

    "What?" Song Feng asked in confusion.

    Sui Li stared off into the distance and there was a hint of nostalgia in her gaze as she spoke, "I said that I was afraid."

    "I was only their adopted daughter and I had heard stories from the other kids in the orphanage about what would happen once your new parents got biological children of their own."

    "You mayugh but my deepest fear was being abandoned. Fortunately, the love that mom and dad showed for me never changed."

    "And you¡­ you were the little brother that I adored."

    "That''s why I did not hesitate after our parents died in that car ident to drop out of colleague and save enough money to send you to university."

    "On her deathbed¡­ I promised mom that I would protect you."

    A haunting smile bloomed across Sui Li''s face as she stared at the face of her brother that she could now only barely recognise.

    Song Feng frowned as he felt an unpleasant feeling as he observed Sui Li''s smiling appearance.

    The instincts of a cultivator were incredibly sharp, and he could sense that there was dangering from somewhere.

    But where?

    Song Feng began to look around the room with an unusually serious expression. Sui Li knew that there wasn''t much time left.

    "I know you aren''t him," Sui Li''s voice broke the tense atmosphere inside the kitchen.

    Song Feng froze in shock as he stared incredulously at the woman who just revealed his deepest secret.

    "What are you talking about big sis?! How can I not be your brother? Are you feeling alright?" Song Fengughed nervously.

    "Do you remember what I told you when you were only five years old? It was during thest night of our annual fishing trip," Sui Li spoke calmly.

    Song Feng let out a small sigh of relief and quickly essed this body''s memories to find the answer to her question.

    "You said that we would always be together with mom and dad. We would stay one big happy family until we all turned old," Song Feng replied confidently.

    "I also remember that you confessed that you had a strong fear of heights!"

    Sui Li approached her brother and wrapped her arms around his chest. She could feel the pounding of his heart and the heat of his muscr physique.

    Song Feng did not hesitate to return her affections and the pair spent a peaceful moment inplete silence.

    "Do you know what your mistake was? The w wasn''t that you remembered what I said¡­ the w was that you did," Sui Li hoarsely whispered.

    "My brother always had a terrible memory."

    The surprised expression on his handsome face was enough to send a dark thrill of satisfaction down Sui Li''s spine.

    The inhuman creature that possessed her brother''s body used his memories to perfectly assimte into modern day times.

    But because he relied on the original Song Feng''s memories¡­ Sui Li knew that there was one way to kill him.

    She simply needed to use knowledge that her little brother did not possess.

    Natural gas is odorless, so utilitypanies add a chemical called mercaptan to the gas in order for leaks to be detected.

    As for the scent of this chemical¡­

    It smelled like rotten eggs.

    Sui Li reached for the lighter in her pocket and brought it up to Song Feng''s face. Her brother in his panicked state did not notice her quiet actions.

    Click! Click!

    BOOM!

    She could hear the painful scream of the fake Song Feng as his flesh immediately burned under the intense heat.

    Thest thing that Sui Li saw was a sh of brightness before her vision sank into an endless abyss.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outside The Creation World Tree- Unknown Location)

    "As you can see Candidate No.214 was originally a minor heroine in an urban cultivation novel and yet¡­ she was able to kill the son of heaven on her ne."

    "She has excellent qualities of both ruthlessness and cunning that I believe are necessary for an agent in our new department."

    There was a brief moment of silence in the broken spatial zone as the faceless and bodiless beings of light reviewed the footage.

    The new department of the Space Time Authority had to be created to deal with troublesome individuals capable of destroying the stability of their nes.

    It was for this reason that candidates from across the multiverse had to be carefully selected for this extremely difficult job.

    One of the beings extended a golden tendril outward and pressed the [ept] option next to Candidate No.214''s profile.

    The fourth agent of this new department had now been chosen.

 Chapter 2 The Afterlife Sucks

    Sui Li floated for what seemed like an eternity in an endless white void. The white scenery stretched out as far as the eye could see.

    There was no noise in the void so Sui Li was alone with her thoughts.

    Sui Li raised up her arm and saw that her hand and the rest of her body was now translucent. It was like she both solid and unreal at the same time.

    Was this the afterlife?

    If so, then truthfully it was a bit boring and dull.

    There were no angels or demons in sight nor an endless line of souls waiting to be judged by the ruler of the underworld.

    Sui Li figured that she would even settle for briefly crossing paths with another soul in the endless void.

    Theck of stimuli was driving her mad.

    She remembered reading that a human would only need to spend a week in solitary confinement before going insane.

    It was impossible to get a sense of time in this strange ce, but it was clear that she had been drifting aimlessly for a very long time.

    Or perhaps she was in purgatory, and this was the punishment that she had to endure for killing the monster who possessed her brother''s body.

    Sui Li let out a light chuckle as she remembered the shocked expression on Song Feng''s face when she revealed his true identity as a fake.

    He probably never imagined that his downfall would ur at the hands of the elder sister of his stolen body.

    It was a hollow victory because a small part of Sui Li wished desperately that she had been wrong the entire time.

    But the look on Song Feng''s face had confirmed what she had always suspected¡­

    That her brother was never going toe back and that meant that Sui Li had broken her promise.

    She failed to protect him.

    "I''m sorry mom. I''m sorry dad," Sui Li whispered quietly.

    Her voice echoed through the endless void and naturally she did not receive a reply.

    Sui Li continued to wander through the white space while thinking about her life and the choices that she had made.

    Would everything have been different if she had chosen to not go abroad?

    Perhaps she could have saved her brother''s life if she had just decided to stay instead.

    The worst part of being alone was that she was left with nothing but the dark thoughts in her mind and endless regrets in her heart.

    Days or maybe years passed as Sui Li curled up in a fetal position and allowed her soul to float helplessly through the void.

    [Candidate No.214 has been identified and located. Beginning the extraction process in five seconds¡­]

    A cold voice suddenly entered Sui Li''s mind and caused the wandering soul to snap out of her depressive state.

    Sui Li looked around in shock and tried to find the source of the noise. Was it merely a figment of her imagination?

    Please¡­ please¡­ let it be real.

    The voice spoke once more but this time it began a countdown. The voice was robotic and not a hint of emotions could be detected in its t tone.

    [Five¡­ four¡­ three¡­ two¡­]

    "Where¡­ where are you? Show yourself," Sui Li hoarsely whispered.

    She did not care if this voice belonged to God or the Devil himself. She would do anything to escape this hellish ce.

    [One.]

    [Initializing the extraction process¡­]

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outside The Creation World Tree- Unknown Location)

    (Private System Spatial Zone)

    Sui Li opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of a wide-open field.

    There was a bright yellow sun shining high above in the sky and the sounds of birds chirping could be hearding from the forest that surrounded the meadow.

    Colorful flowers swayed gently from side to side as the wind blew softly against their petals. Sui Li froze in ce as she struggled to understand what had just happened.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Where was she? Why had she been teleported here?

    Who was behind this?

    Sui Li quickly swept the surrounding area for any threats or dangers but found nothing suspicious about this seemingly peaceful ce.

    Wait a moment¡­ her body was back to normal!

    Sui Li gasped in surprise and looked down to see her body return to its normal state.

    The shock of appearing in apletely new location was quickly forgotten as she ran her fingers against her skin.

    It wasn''t just that her body had been restored.

    As Sui Li walked around the beautiful meadow, she discovered that her body felt stronger and more powerful than before.

    "Hello? Is anyone there?" Sui Li called out.

    She felt a bit nervous about reaching out to the mysterious entity that had brought her here but there was no other alternative.

    It was impossible to find out the purpose of this strange ce without talking to the one responsible for its creation.

    A pir of bright light erupted from the center of the meadow and Sui Li took a few steps backwards in shock.

    The beam of light slowly disappeared to reveal a golden door with a in wooden handle attached to its front.

    Blue rune-like symbols had been etched onto the golden door''s outer surface. These symbols glowed with an eerie light that made Sui Li subconsciously tremble.

    She could not understand the meaning of those symbols but somehow, she knew that they represented a power that she was better off avoiding at all costs.

    "Hello?" Sui Li nervously repeated her question.

    The meadow was silent, and door remained frozen in ce.

    Okay so nothing wasing out from the other side of the door¡­ did that mean that the entity wanted her to go in?

    Sui Li waited patiently for a few minutes to make sure that no one wasing out from the other side.

    She really did not want to open that suspicious looking door but what if the entity was getting impatient that she was taking so long.

    Sui Li approached the door with hesitant steps and tentatively grabbed the wooden handle. She took a few deep breaths and then pulled the handle with all of her strength.

    The door swung open and Sui Li''s figure was sucked inside before she even had any time to react.

    Sui Li screamed as her body was tossed and squeezed through a passageway of floating light orbs that seemed to glow at her mockingly.

    Her limbs seemed to bend and stretch to impossible lengths as she traveled through the passageway.

    Oddly enough, Sui Li could not feel any pain during the process, but it did not stop her from freaking out.

    After thirty seconds of pure terror, Sui Li found herself flung out of the passageway and towards a pir of light.

    Sui Li closed her eyes as she neared the harsh light and refused to open them even as she felt her feetnd on solid ground.

    A familiar cold voice rang out in her mind that sent shivers down Sui Li''s spine.

    [Wee Candidate No.214 and congrattions¡­.]

    [You are one of the lucky souls who has been selected to join the new department of the Space Time Administration.]

    [Your task will be to eliminate dangerous viinesses and protect the stability of numerous ne worlds]

    Sui Li slowly opened her eyes and saw a creature looking directly at her with an emotionless gaze.

    It was vaguely humanoid in appearance, but its skin was dull greyish colour and two silvery wings sprouted out from its back.

    A forked tail swayed gently from side to side, and it possessed sharp bone-like ws instead of regr hands.

    The creature wore a in white mask that hid most of its facial features, but Sui Li could clearly see two dark purplish eyes.

    Sui Li stared at the creature.

    The creature stared back at her.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    "What the fuck?!"

 Chapter 3 No Cheats? No Training? God... Im Screwed.

    "Wait¡­ wait¡­ you''re telling me that the multiverse is real? There are infinite worlds out there and some of them were created from novels?" Sui Li questioned in shock.

    "And I was born in one of them?!"

    The voice of the creature echoed in her mind with the same t emotionless tone.

    [Precisely. It is the responsibility of the Time Space Authority to monitor these worlds and to dispatch agents to maintain their stability.]

    [You should consider it a great honor to be chosen since ordinary side character such as yourself are rarely selected.]

    The creature''s face was covered by a in white mask but somehow Sui Li felt as though it hid a sneer behind its seemingly emotionless voice.

    It was hard to describe how Sui Li felt at the moment.

    Her world had justpletely shattered and now she had no idea what to think.

    ording to the mysterious creature, she was just a minor heroine in world based on an urban cultivation novel.

    In the original trajectory of the world, she should have been a member of her adopted brother''s harem and then eventually fade away into the background.

    She would spend the rest of her days with his other wives in an enormous mansion while looking after and caring for his children.

    Sui Li felt sick to her stomach as she imagined such a horrible future.

    She would have be nothing more than a sex object for the monster who stole her brother''s body to vent.

    But how could the future have turned out that way?

    Setting aside the notion that she would ever fall in love with someone who she saw as a younger sibling¡­

    She didn''t even like men.

    "But if that was my fate¡­ then why did it change?" Sui Li hesitantly spoke.

    The creature shrugged its shoulders in very human-like way as its forked tail swayed gently from side to side.

    [Chance? Outside Interference? Free Will? There are number of factors responsible for the derailment of a set path.]

    [The Time Space Authority will not interfere with the decisions made by the individuals inside these worlds.]

    [Agents are only required to get involved if someone threatens the stability of the ne itself.]

    "I¡­ I''m sorry¡­ this is all just a bit too much," Sui Li whispered softly as she took a few steps back.

    She kept a careful eye on the creature, but the humanoid figure did not make any sudden movements to prevent her from leaving.

    Nothing about this situation made sense.

    Even if the Time Space Authority was real then why would they select her?

    Sui Li was not an arrogant person, and she knew that she had only been able to kill Song Feng using trickery and deceit.

    It was impossible with her current strength to hunt down these dangerous individuals capable of destroying entire nes.

    In fact, it would probably be suicide! Wait¡­

    Could she even die twice?

    Sui Li created some more distance between herself and the mysterious creature who remained standing in the same position.

    "I just have a few more questions¡­" Sui Li hesitantly spoke.

    The creature let out a heavy sigh and then turned around. Its bone-like ws reached up and gently removed the mask covering its face.

    Sui Li was facing the creature''s back, so she was unable to see his true appearance. A piece of parchment paper suddenly appeared out of thin air.

    There were crimson red runes etched onto the parchment''s surface and as Sui Li watched in horror, the creature tapped its ws against the sheet.

    The runes detached themselves from the paper and flew towards the creature''s dull greyish skin where they were quickly absorbed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The creature sighed again and this time the voice in Sui Li''s mind was now noticeably more rxed and casual.

    [Ask away¡­ Time has no meaning in this space, and it has been to my utmost displeasure to be assigned as your guardian]

    [Yep. Three thousand years of faithful service and I get ced in a new department with the highest fatality rate]

    [I should have just retired with my previous host. That bastard got to spend the rest of his life in a zombie apocalypse as the son of luck]

    "You had a previous host?" Sui Li asked in surprise.

    [Please child¡­ I have acted as a ''system'' for at least two hundred different hosts over the years. My hosts have included beings from mortals to gods.]

    [I even had a brief period where I was assigned to the Cannon Fodder department. Trust me the higher ups in there are lunatics.]

    [Didn''t think it could get any worse than that but well¡­ here I am.]

    Sui Li''s curiosity got the best of her, and she gradually lost some of her fear towards the strange creature as it continued to talk about its experiences.

    She still did not fully let down her guard, but Sui Li knew that if the creature really wanted to hurt her then there was probably not much that she could do.

    The creature summoned more pieces of parchment paper to absorb as he patiently answered Sui Li''s questions one by one.

    There was a lot of information that the creature talked about but somehow Sui Li was able to absorb and understand all of it.

    She could easily recall even the minor details of every memory.

    Was it possible that this ce in addition to strengthening her body¡­ it also strengthened her mind?

    Despite its sarcastic and mocking tone, the creature still answered all of Sui Li''s questions in great detail.

    Sui Li was able to understand a little bit more about the how the Time Space Authority operated and the role of an agent.

    Worlds would copse for a variety of reasons and so it made sense to group these nes into different categories and assign a department for each type.

    The name of Sui Li''s current department had not been finalised yet, but her job was to go down to the ne and eliminate the viinesses before they had the chance to win.

    How she would travel to these nes was by striking a deal with one of the inhabitants to use their body.

    Sui Li felt a bit apprehensive about this because it was hard not topare what she was going to do to what that monster had done to her little brother.

    Thankfully the creature assured her that every contract had to be established with permission of both parties.

    As a result, in addition to her main objective, Sui Li would be required to fulfil a wish from the original owner of the body.

    This wish could be any number of things as people tended to have different regrets.

    It was the responsibility of the agent to aplish both tasks to the best of their ability.

    The creature slowly ced the in white mask back on its face and then turned around to face Sui Li.

    Its dark purplish eyes seemed to stare into her soul and its gaze sent shivers down her spine.

    Sui Li had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next and unfortunately, she was proven right.

    [Alright that''s enough exining. Let''s just get this over with so I can hopefully get a better host next time.]

    "Already?! Don''t I get some training? Or at least some kind of buff or gold finger?" Sui Li eximed in shock.

    The creature ignored her protests and waved its bone-like ws in the air. Sui Li found herself frozen in ce as runic symbols appeared around her body.

    She struggled desperately and tried her best to escape but her muscles would not move a single inch.

    A noise that sounded like ss shattering echoed through the space and then a ck portal formed at her feet.

    Sui Li did not have any time to react before her body was sucked into the portal and she disappeared to an unknown location.

 Chapter 4 A Pact Is Made

    Sui Li groaned as she felt her body being stretched, squeezed and pulled in different directions.

    The inside of the portal wasplete darkness so she could not see anything. There was nothing more terrifying than the unknown.

    "Please¡­ please¡­ let this end¡­ let this end¡­ I can''t¡­" Sui Li hoarsely pleaded to anyone who was listening.

    There was no reply.

    She could not help but close her eyes and pray that it would be over soon. That mysterious creature was a heartless bastard.

    Without any warning it opened up a ck portal and tossed her right in. Sui Li had no idea where the hell it led or what was waiting for her on the other side.

    Everything was just happening too quickly.

    She barely had any time to process the fact that she had been chosen as an agent for an organization known as the Time Space Authority.

    And yet somehow, she was now being sent off on her first mission without any cheats or gold fingers.

    A helpless burst ofughter escaped Sui Li''s mouth as she contemted the absurdity of the entire situation.

    Kill dangerous individual capable of destroying entire nes of existence?

    Fuck that.

    At that moment Sui Li made an important decision¡­

    She decided to just give up.

    It would not be a big deal to fulfil the wish of the original owner of whichever body she had to enter in order toplete the mission.

    But as for the main objective to hunt down those viinesses¡­ well she had already died once so it wasn''t a big deal to die again.

    In the worst case, she would simply return to that endless white void and spend the rest of eternity floatingzily.

    As she reached this realization, Sui Li suddenly felt a lot better.

    It was an unexpected blessing to be able to live again so she might as well enjoy her second life freely before she was inevitably fired.

    Sui Li felt a mysterious force tugging at her body and then she was abruptly hurtled towards an unknown location.

    She opened her eyes to find herself in a tiny room no bigger than a regr bedroom with in white walls.

    A single light bulb was hung in the center of the room which provided dim lighting and asionally flickered.

    Sui Li was currently sitting down on a simple wooden chair that creaked ominously with any small movement that she made.

    In front of her was another wooden chair but there was someone or rather something hovering directly above it.

    What the heck was that?

    Sui Li cautiously leaned away from the strange creature that resembled a floating white cloud of gas.

    "Are you the one who can grant my wish?" a feminine voice asked in a confused tone.

    Sui Li nced around the room in shock as she tried to find out which direction the sudden voice came from.

    "Are you the one who can grant my wish?" the voice asked a second time.

    There was no one else inside the room except for herself and the floating gas cloud.

    Wait¡­ was the cloud talking to her?

    "Yes¡­ I am the agent¡­" Sui Li hesitantly replied.

    She genuinely had no idea about what was going to happen next.

    The mysterious creature said that she needed to negotiate a deal but how was she supposed to do that?

    The floating cloud trembled violently and to Sui Li''s surprise it began topress. Gradually the gaseous mass formed the shape of a woman.

    The light bulb suddenly went out and the room plunged into total darkness.

    A few momentster the lighting came back, and Sui Li saw an attractive woman sitting across from her on the wooden chair.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Fierce was the first word that came to Sui Li''s mind as she saw the woman stare at her with a cold expression.

    She was a western beauty with short cropped blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and sharp angr facial features such as high cheekbones and a hooked nose.

    The strange woman was over six feet in height with a lean muscr physique. The muscles on her arms and legs were firm and toned.

    Every inch of her exposed skin was covered in scars and bruises that disyed her battle experience.

    She wore a set of white armor that covered part of her body but oddly enough not her limbs.

    Holy symbols and markings that Sui Li could not recognise had been etched onto the surface of the armor.

    A picture of the sun had been painted in the middle of her chest guard.

    There was an aura of killing intent surrounding her body that made Sui Li feel a little bit ufortable and truthfully¡­ a bit scared as well.

    As Sui Li stared at the strange woman, she was also being observed and a frown soon appeared on the woman''s face.

    "My name is ire nlyn," the woman introduced herself and gave a polite bow with her hands held across her chest.

    "Yes¡­ um¡­ my name is Sui Li, and I am the agent assigned to you¡­" Sui Li quickly replied.

    "Pardon me for my rudeness but you do not seem to be very experienced," ire noted with a cold expression on her face.

    It was a bit harsh, but Sui Li couldpletely understand where she wasing from.

    Frankly this fierce knight looked as though she was better suited for the job of killing a viiness.

    Sui Li assumed that it would be a simple matter for someone of her skill to quickly strike down and kill in cold blood.

    Sui Li thought carefully about what to say next and eventually decided that honesty was probably the way to go.

    "I''m sorry but this is actually my first mission, and I may not be as experienced as the other agents in this department," Sui Li confessed truthfully.

    "But I can guarantee that no matter what happens in regard to my main objective, I will do my best toplete your wish first."

    There was a brief moment of silence in the room as the female knight stared at her for several long minutes.

    Sui Li waited patiently but was secretly a bit annoyed that ire wasn''t saying anything.

    Did she approve or not? Actually, what would happen if the negotiation failed?

    Would she be sent on another mission? Or would that nasty creature simply kick her out of the department without a second chance.

    These questions lingered in Sui Li''s mind as the minutes passed by.

    Finally, the female knight let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the wooden chair.

    "Well¡­ it doesn''t matter since my request is simple," ire spoke calmly while crossing her arms across her chest.

    "Don''t break my vows and be a pdin worthy of serving Varion the Lord of Light."

    A bitter expression shed across ire''s face and Sui Li briefly glimpsed an endless abyss of self-hatred and regret.

    ire''s voice suddenly lost its confident tone as she whispered softly,

    "I am no longer worthy of being a pdin. In my hubris I turned my back on my lord and I paid the price for my betrayal."

    "Promise me¡­ promise me no matter what happens¡­ you will fulfil my vow."

    Sui Li could clearly see the desperation on her face as this powerful female knight bowed her head and begged for help.

    "I promise you," Sui Li solemnly spoke as she stretched her right hand outwards.

    Deep blue runes appeared out of thin air and surrounded her hand. Sui Li was surprised to discover that once again she was now frozen in ce.

    ire grabbed her outstretched palm without hesitation and a strange power flowed between them.

    Sui Li could see her body gradually turn translucent and another ck portal opened up from beneath her feet.

    Thest image that she saw before she vanished from the room was the grateful smile on ire''s face.

 Chapter 5 The Fallen Saintess (1)

    The history of the Varion Church was a long and storied one.

    Unfortunately, most of the records of this sacred organization had been lost or destroyed during the Age of Chaos and only a few fragments remained.

    Schrs had spent centuries researching and tranting these fragments and eventually an official version of the church''s history was created.

    On the continent of Ambrosa where gods and monsters were real, and humanity fought to preserve itself against the forces of darkness¡­.

    One God offered his strength to humanity in their time of need.

    His name was Varion, and he woulde to be known by many names. Some called him the ''Lord of Light'' while others named him as the ''All Father''.

    There was even a radical sect that imed Varion was the original creator of the universe who kept the bnce between the two forces of order and chaos.

    This view was naturally rejected by those in the church who punished such heretics with torture and imprisonment.

    Nheless, it was an undisputable fact that it was only thanks to Varion that humanity was able to emerge as the dominant force on the Ambrosa continent.

    Those individuals chosen by his light were empowered by his holy aura and became supernatural beings capable of performing great feats of strength and endurance.

    They were known as the holy knights or pdins.

    Only a small fraction of the chosen ones would be able to use his light to heal the injured and cure the sick.

    They were known as the high priests.

    One group to protect humanity from external threats and the other to save humanity from internal strife.

    The other races such as the elves, orcs, goblins and dragons were forced to flee to the outer regions where theypeted to survive in harsh conditions.

    These fantastic creatures now existed in myth and legends as most citizens of the empire had only learned of them through storytellers and history books.

    Although there were rumors that several high noble houses kept some of these legendary races as pets or ves.

    In the modern era, the Imperial Family was growing steadily in power, but the church was a force that they could not afford to ignore.

    There was delicate bnce maintained between the noble ss and the high-ranking members of the church.

    This scale would finally be tipped by a prophecy that foretold the arrival of a Saintess¡­

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (West Training Wing- Private Quarters)

    A blonde woman slowly got up from a hard mattress and took a look around her new surroundings.

    She wore a in white nightgown that covered most of her body.

    She found herself standing in a room roughly the size of a regr bedroom with no furniture except for a simple bed, a closet and a mirror that was hung on one of the walls.

    The woman approached the mirror and took a casual nce at her reflection. She saw an attractive muscr warrior who was over six feet in height.

    Her face was beautiful with short cropped blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and sharp angr facial features.

    The person in the mirror was exactly the same as the woman who Sui Li had met in that strange space.

    She raised her right arm and the mirror version of her in the reflection also performed the same action.

    "This is so weird," Sui Li muttered as she continued to move her hand up and down.

    This body felt different and natural at the same time.

    It was hard to describe how odd this experience was. Sui Li raised up the bottom part of her nightgown and whistled appreciatively.

    Six pack abs¡­ my goodness she had turned into a hottie!

    But what about the mission?

    Sui Li had already decided not to follow the main objective and justplete the request from the original owner of the body.

    "Okay so I need to be a worthy pdin and not break a vow?" Sui Li whispered to herself.

    Wait a moment¡­ what vow?

    Sui Li froze in ce as she realised that she did not have any memories from ire.

    How on earth was she going to pretend to be a holy knight when she didn''t have the first clue about how to fight with a sword.

    And setting aside her fighting skills¡­

    Wouldn''t the people closest to ire immediately recognise that she was behaving strangely?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Fuck¡­ she waspletely screwed.

    Sui Li began to hyperventte as she could already picture herself being burnt alive at the stake as a witch or a demon.

    These religious fanatics would probably think that she was being possessed by the devil. Sui Li returned to the bed and sat down with her head in her hands.

    Okay¡­ she needed to breathe and think this through. Maybe it takes awhile for the memories toe in and she just needed to be patient.

    As long as nobody came to see her then everything would be alright.

    Knock! Knock!

    Yep¡­ this was the end.

    Sui Li once again cursed her bad luck. Why had she tempted fate by jinxing herself?

    The person on the other side of the door was clearly getting impatient and began to m his knuckles harder against the door.

    Knock! Knock!

    Knock! Knock!

    Sui Li had no idea what ire''s normal personality was like so all she could do was try to mimic the appearance and mannerisms that she had observed in the strange space.

    "What do you want?" Sui Li coldly spoke with a no-nonsense attitude. She tried her best to channel authority and firmness into her tone.

    The knocking stopped immediately, and a hoarse masculine voice answered slowly,

    "My deepest apologies captain¡­ I didn''t mean to disturb your rest, but the pope suddenly announced that he is going to hold a grand assembly this afternoon."

    "What are your orders in regard to the arrangement for the saintess?"

    Saintess? What saintess? Where did a saintesse from?

    Sui Li closed her eyes and rubbed her temples furiously. She ran her fingers through her short blonde hair and let out a heavy sigh.

    Well, there was nothing else she could do except fake it.

    It would have been nice if ire had mentioned that she was apparently the captain of a squad.

    Sui Li gathered her thoughts and a cold expression shed across her face as she tried to get into the mood.

    "All avable knights should assemble at the usual spot at least two hours before the ceremony begins. The safety and prestige of the saintess is the highest priority," Sui Li ordered calmly.

    "I will discuss the finer details when we meet in the afternoon."

    "Understood captain, I will let the rest of the men know," the hoarse voice replied.

    Sui Li raised an eyebrow but did not say anything else. At times like this it was better to stay silent.

    The less she said¡­ the better.

    It would be a mistake to keep talking since that would definitely increase the likelihood of the person behind the door finding out that something was wrong.

    A few seconds passed and tension filled the air. Sui Li nervously clenched her fingers into a fist and waited.

    Had the person behind the door realised that she was a fake? Was this life already over?

    Finally, she heard the sounds of footsteps leaving as the man turned around and left to go to an unknown location.

    Sui Li gently exhaled and wiped the beads of sweat that had formed on her brow. That was too close.

    If the mysterious person on the other side of the door had wanted to discuss more details about the arrangement, then she would have been caught for sure.

    "Arghh!" Sui Li shrieked in pain as she suddenly felt as though something had just exploded in her mind.

    She iled around on the mattress like a madwoman as the pain increased until she could barely think.

    Was this the memory transfer process?

    It hurts¡­ it hurt so freaking much¡­

    After what seemed like an eternity, the pain eventually dropped to a manageable level and Sui Li could now somewhatpose herself.

    Sui Li¡­ no¡­ her name¡­ her name¡­ was ire now.

    ire gripped her head in pain and desperately tried to deal with the new memories flooding inside her mind.

    It was an odd sensation.

    She was not two separate people but rather Sui Li had be ire. A lifetime''s worth of memories had now been stuffed into her head.

    "The pope''s grand assembly," ire groaned as an unpleasant shback resurfaced in her mind.

    This was the day where she had made the wrong choice.

 Chapter 6 The Fallen Saintess (2)

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (The Inner Sanctum)

    A weak voice solemnly prayed inside the spacious inner sanctum.

    The voice sounded fragile, but one could clearly hear the devotion and reverence in the worshipper''s tone.

    "Our Lord of Light bless the weak and the sick. May your eternal grace shine down on your children."

    "For it is in your name that we have the strength to following your teachings. Please lend me your strength to resist the temptations of sin for I am but a mere mortal."

    "I pray that my devotion to you will never waver."

    A young woman knelt solemnly in front of an enormous stone tablet that had mysterious writings and symbols etched onto its surface.

    She finished her prayer and remained frozen in the same position with her hands sped tightly together.

    The woman wore a simple white dress that seemed out of ce when considering her otherworldly beauty.

    Her facial features were soft and delicate, and her ck eyes shone with love and adoration as she gazed at the stone tablet.

    The woman''s skin was as fair as snow in fact it was so clear that wriggling veins could be seen under her skin.

    Her body beneath the dress was slender and fragile.

    It appeared as though she would fall over if the slightest gust of wind hit her body.

    But strangely enough the one part of the woman that would immediately catch your attention was her hair.

    It was loosely tied in a single ponytail and cascaded down her shoulders. Her hair was an ordinary brown colour but if one got closer, they would be able to see streaks of white.

    Saintess Elisa was the daughter of Duke Berierse and should have been the heir to one of the greatest noble houses in the empire.

    But fate had other ns for her future.

    At the age of sixteen she gained the ability to heal anyone with a simple touch. No matter the severity of the injury or the extent of the sickness.

    All could be healed from the rich to the poor as long as Elisa willed it.

    Whispers began to spread that teenage Elisa was even capable of resurrecting the death. That rumor wasplete nonsense but her overwhelming talent for holy magic was real.

    The Varion Temple immediately deployed their pdins and ''persuaded'' the duke to give up his daughter to the temple.

    There was no need for violence as the duke was more than happy to trade his daughter for some benefits.

    His mistress had recently birthed a son so the duke was secretly grateful that his aplished daughter would no longer be in the picture.

    If this betrayal had affected Elisa, then she never showed it.

    Since arriving at the temple, the new saintess waspletely devoted to the teachings of the Lord of Light.

    The pope gave the saintess an entire squad of holy knights to serve as her personal guard. The captain of the squad was a woman called ire nlyn.

    A no-nonsense woman who was hailed as the strongest pdin among the younger generation.

    Her personality was dull and stoic. In fact, Saintess Elisa could rarely get an extra sentence or two out of her whenever she tried to make conversation.

    ording to the other members of her squad, the captain was only interested in swordsmanship and gaining enough strength to be anointed as a Holy Commander.

    Still, it was this twisted personality that made Saintess Elisa trust her so much.

    Growing up in while being part of different noble circles meant that she had spent most of her life surrounded by silver tongued liars and cheats.

    It was refreshing to interact with someonepletely disinterested in the famous saintess of the Varion Temple.

    Speaking of the captain¡­

    It was impossible for the saintess not to notice someone entering her sacred domain, so she slowly got up from the ground.

    "What brings you to my inner sanctum?" Saintess Elisa asked softly without turning around.

    ire walked into the room with a cold expression on her face. She wore a white set of armor with the image of the sun engraved on the chest te.

    A sword hung loosely at her hip with its body concealed by a leather scabbard. The scabbard was old and faded.

    "Mydy¡­ I havee to escort you to the central temple. His holiness the pope is going to hold a grand assembly," ire exined politely.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Ahh¡­ I see¡­ let me go to my room and change into a more formal attire. I hoe you don''t mind waiting for a few minutes," Saintess Elisa spoke with a quiet smile.

    "Not at all mydy. Take as much time as you need," ire replied bluntly. The holy knight left the inner sanctum and waited patiently by the door.

    I wonder how Saintess Elisa survived after I left¡­

    ire let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the wall opposite her.

    At first it had been difficult for Sui Li to refer to herself by a new name but as the memories from this body poured into her mind¡­

    It had been surprisingly easy to ept.

    After absorbing a lifetime of memories Sui Lipletely understood why the original ire had desperately pleaded for her not to break her vow.

    The source of a holy knight''s power was faith.

    They borrowed a fraction of God Varion''s power, so their strength relied on their devotion to him.

    And this strength could be taken away or lost. Any believer that broke their oath would be punished and pdins were held to a higher standard by the Lord of Light.

    Their betrayal would lead to unimaginable consequences.

    God Varion never forced humanity to worship him but those who did were expected to serve for a lifetime.

    Sui Li closed her eyes and essed ire''s memories once more. There was one question on her mind that she could not get any answer to.

    In ire''s memories after the events of today she would gradually lose her powers over the course of five years until she voluntarily left the temple.

    After that she travelled to a remote vige and spent the rest of her days in a self-imposed exile tormented by feelings of guilt and regret.

    She died one night when a mysterious portal opened in the middle of the vige and a horde of shadowy beasts emerged and ughtered all the residents.

    As for where this portal came from and who was behind it¡­ she never found out the truth.

    The former holy knight could not even wield her sword properly and was torn apart by a swarm of lesser demons.

    It was a cruel death.

    Sui Li assumed that this portal must have something to do with the viiness of this ne but there was no proof or hint at her identity.

    How was she supposed to deal with an enemy who was hidden?

    The mystery behind the portal troubled Sui Li deeply. She had already decided not to kill the viiness and just live a peaceful life but¡­

    Would she be able to live an uneventful life if a demonic invasion urred?

    Especially considering her role as a pdin, surely the Varion Church would not stand idly by and watch as the world was engulfed in the mes of war.

    Sui Li closed her eyes for a brief moment to gather her thoughts. She decided that the best course of action was to just take things one step at a time.

    Right now, her priority would be the grand assembly. Sui Li opened her eyes and once again became ire nlyn.

    "I''m ready," a soft voice suddenly whispered. ire looked down and was instantly captivated by the fragile beauty standing near her side.

    Saintess Elisa had reced her simple white dress with a golden robe that extended to cover her feet.

    The golden robe was adorned with sparkling rubies that shined and gleamed under the sunlight.

    An amulet carved in the image of the sun was hung around her neck and a silver bracelet was worn on each arm.

    "Do I look good?" Saintess Elisa teased with a mischievous glint in her eyes. The saintess brushed a loose strand of hair from her forehead and winked at her cold facedpanion.

    ire hid it well, but a subtle blush had already begun to spread across her cheeks that betrayed her secret thoughts.

    Saintess Elisa''s smile widened and became a bit more genuine.

    Why hadn''t she noticed before just how cute her holy knight was?

    Saintess Elisa narrowed her eyes and took a closer look at ire. Her holy knight looked exactly the same as usual but¡­

    There was definitely something different about her today.

    Saintess Elisa just could not put her finger on what exactly had changed.

 Chapter 7 The Fallen Saintess (3)

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (The Hall Of Light)

    "Our Father in Heaven¡­ bless us Lord¡­"

    "Bless us Lord¡­"

    "Bless us Lord¡­"

    A heavenly chorus echoed through the hall as rows upon rows of pious believers knelt down and worshiped the eternal god of light.

    The Hall of Light was a magnificent open hall where the pope would summon the believers of the church to worship and adore God Varion.

    It could house thousands of worshipers and had been constructed hundreds of years ago using dragon bones as the base of its foundation.

    The architecture was timeless with stained ss paintings on the walls that depicting scenes of humanity''s victory over the foreign races.

    Statues of former popes were ced around the hall each with an epitaph detailing their many aplishments in the service of God Varion.

    At the far end of the hall was a raised tform where the pope would stand and deliver his fiery sermons of truth and justice.

    Saintess Elisa entered the hall with a solemn look on her face. She was apanied by a squad of ten holy knights that marched in a rectangr formation.

    The believers inside the hall nced at the saintess with various expressions on their faces. Some were awe-struck while others smirked unkindly.

    Those who smiled maliciously clearly had learned about the true purpose of today''s assembly and were waiting to see the show.

    It was an odd atmosphere.

    Usually, the saintess would be treated with respect and devotion but today something was different.

    If Saintess Elisa had detected the change in the mood, then she did not show it on her face. ire on the other hand red at those who looked at the saintess wrongly.

    She did not have to even touch her sword as her piercing deep blue eyes sent a shiver down the spines of those who mocked the saintess.

    No one wanted to provoke the pdin who was nicknamed the ''mad dog''. ire walked steadily behind the saintess while keeping a careful eye on her surroundings.

    It was the responsibility of the saintess'' personal guard to keep any threats from even getting close to the next sessor of the church.

    But she knew that today there would be no assassination attempts.

    In fact, after today there would be no more need for them.

    A small frown appeared on ire''s face as certain unpleasant memories resurfaced in her mind.

    She had made the wrong choice today. At least thanks to the Time Space Authority¡­ she had gotten a second chance to make things right.

    Saintess Elisa bowed her head and muttered a few words of prayer as she walked towards the front of the hall.

    The front row waspletely empty as the other high-ranking members of the church had yet to arrive.

    ire turned around and coldly spoke to the rest of her squad, "Stay nearby and I will guard the saintess by her side."

    The front row of the Hall Of Light was reserved for the higher ups of the church and ire barely qualified as the leader of the saintess'' personal guard.

    Her second inmand a man named Markus Finely nodded respectfully and guided the other holy knights towards the far side of the hall.

    "Will you guide me to my seat?" Saintess Elisa suddenly asked as she extended her right palm outward.

    "Of course, mydy," ire replied politely. She held the saintess'' hand and was amazed at just how soft and warm it felt.

    ire froze for a moment but quickly recovered herposure. Why on earth was she feeling this way?

    Was it a side effect from getting back her old memories? Did she ever feel this way around the saintess before?

    ire quickly pushed these distracting thoughts to the back of her mind and guided the saintess to her seat.

    "Thank you," Saintess Elisa smiled gently as she sat down.

    For a brief moment her hand remained in ire''s palm for perhaps a bit longer than necessary.

    ire nodded politely and then took her own seat which was next to the saintess. The voices singing praises to the Lord of Light continued to chant.

    "Oh Lord¡­ bless us¡­"

    "Bless us Lord¡­"

    "Bless us Lord¡­"

    It was honestly getting a bit grating but fortunately ire had an excellent poker face, so her inner annoyance did not show.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Saintess Elisa sped her hands together and silently prayed. Her words were mumbled so ire could not hear what she was saying.

    There was an underlying sense of tension in the hall that only got worse as more higher ups finally arrived.

    ire saw archbishops, high priests, holy knightmanders and pdins enter the room one after the other.

    Some sat down in the front row while others lined the walls and stood silently with expressionless faces.

    Everyone had gathered. This was not a typical grand assembly as the pope rarely required the entire upper rank of the church to attend.

    More eyes stared at the saintess, but ire positioned her body so that the saintess was blocked from their view.

    It was not part of her job but there was a part of her that wanted to maintain Saintess Elisa''s dignity.

    "His holiness the pope has arrived," a loud voice announced from the back of the hall.

    ire turned around and saw the tall wooden doors slowly open and reveal a group of people.

    The pope was at the forefront of the group. He was a frail old man in histe eighties whose body shook and trembled with every step.

    However, one could not afford to underestimate his seemingly weak appearance. Pope Emmanuel had a mastery over offensive holy magic spells that was unmatched.

    He had single handily eradicated hundreds of heretic cults in his youth and those who went on crusades with him imed none had survived his wrath.

    But it was the two people behind the pope that made the believers inside the hall begin to whisper.

    A handsome young man with short ck hair walked confidently behind the pope.

    He wore an expensive golden shirt adorned with sparkling jewels and a sword made from jade was attached to his hip.

    This was the crown prince of the Empire. Raul Francis¡­ the man most likely to be the next emperor.

    In fact, in ire''s old life, he was the one to eventually seed despite facing a rebellion from his half siblings.

    Behind the young man¡­ was a strange and beautiful girl.

    If Saintess Elisa was a sickly beauty, then this girl was a blossoming rose.

    Her lips were full and kissable, and her golden eyes were soft and shone with purity and grace.

    Her facial features were captivating and would leave any observer breathless.

    A cute button nose, thin eyebrows¡­ she was the ideal version of a fairy tale princess.

    She wore a in ck dress that did little to conceal her plump voluptuous body with curves in all the right ces.

    But her most distinguishable feature was her hair.

    Unlike Saintess Elisa who only had a few streaks of white in her brown hair, this mysterious girl''s shoulder length hair waspletely silver.

    She wore a confident smile on her face as she walked into the hall with slow and purposeful steps.

    It was nearly time for the pope to reveal the true purpose of this grand assembly. ire took another look at the mysterious girl before turning around.

    She froze as she met Saintess Elisa''s eyes.

    The saintess had an expressionless look on her face but ire suddenly felt like a husband whose wife had just caught him cheating.

    She cleared her throat and pretended not to notice. Saintess Elisa hummed softly and resumed her prayer without paying attention to themotion in the room.

    The pope walked to the raised tform and only stopped a few times along the way to rest his hand on the forehead of certain believers.

    The holy chants inside the hall got louder and louder as the worshippers were affected by the religious atmosphere.

    It did not take long for the pope and his procession to reach the front of the hall.

    The prince sat down on one of the avable seats in the front row while the pope brought the strange woman with him to the raised tform.

    Pope Emmanuel walked to the center of the raised tform and calmly raised one hand in the air.

    The noisy hall was instantly silenced as the worshippers and the other members of the church waited patiently for the pope to speak.

    Pope Emmanuel spread his arms outwards and loudly dered, "My faithful believers¡­ I bring you good news."

    He gestured towards the mysterious woman standing behind him and spoke the words that had sent the original ire down a dark path of despair.

    "The real saintess has appeared!"

 Chapter 8 The Fallen Saintess (4)

    "Impossible¡­ Isn''t Saintess Elisa the real saintess?"

    "What is going on? But the pope is the one who said it¡­"

    "Who is she? Has anyone seen her before?"

    Whispers and spections filled the room. The same pious believers who just a few moments ago knelt down and prayed to a merciful and benevolent God were now baring their fangs.

    Confusion, disbelief and maliciousness¡­

    These emotions were directed towards the frail figure sitting down in the front row.

    Saintess Elisa opened her eyes and stared at the woman standing on the raised tform.

    Her face was expressionless, but ire could see her fingers slowly curl up into a tight fist.

    White hot anger bubbled up in ire''s chest and she subconsciously dropped her right hand near the hilt of her sword.

    How dare the pope do this¡­ how dare he¡­ HOW DARE HE!

    ire had to take several deep breaths in order to calm herself down. Now was not the time to let her emotions go out of control.

    She needed to keep a clear head and n out her next moves carefully. What she was about to do next would have significant consequences for both herself and Saintess Elisa.

    Pope Emmanuel''s words had thrown the congregation into disorder as no one knew what was going to happen next.

    Saintess Elisa had been treated as the next sessor of the Varion Church for five years and now the pope imed that the true saintess was the woman behind him.

    Pope Emmanuel raised his hand once more in the air and the noisy hall quieted down as the congregation waited for the pope''s next words.

    "My faithful flock¡­ I know that this may be difficult to understand but I have received a sign from our God," Pope Emmanuel spoke solemnly.

    "Five years ago, in my arrogance I wrongly believed that a duke''s daughter with slightly above average holy power was the saintess."

    "I can only pray to Lord Varion that he may forgive me for my hubris. For how can a flickering candlepare to a roaring me?"

    The pope cleared his throat and gestured towards the back of the hall. The wooden doors swung open, and a procession slowly entered the room.

    Dozens of heavily wounded civilians and soldiers with missing limbs were carried into the room on stretchers.

    The pdins that escorted them inside walked silently with no regard for the cries of pain and moans of agonying from the injured.

    The scent of death and blood filled the Hall of Light and several of the believers almost threw up in disgust.

    A worried expression shed across Saintess Elisa''s face, and she got up to treat the injured.

    ire gently held her hand and stopped her from going.

    Saintess Elisa looked down in confusion, but ire tightened her grip on her palm and refused to let go.

    This was all part of their n. A demonstration of the gap between Saintess Elisa and her recement.

    In the original ire''s memories Saintess Elisa had rushed towards the injured in order to heal them but was stopped.

    Then the mysterious woman on the raised tform would demonstrate her strength and make Elisa aughingstock.

    Saintess Elisa struggled for a moment but something in ire''s eyes made her sit back down with an uneasy expression on her face.

    ire kept holding her hand in fear that the kind-hearted saintess would escape when she wasn''t paying attention.

    She took a casual nce at the raised tform and saw a brief expression of disappointment sh across the silver-haired woman''s face.

    ire narrowed her eyes thoughtfully and burned that image in her mind.

    "Please Saintess Marie¡­ channel the light of the Lord to heal the injured and the sick," Pope Emmanuel loudly cried.

    The silver haired woman slowly walked towards the edge of the raised tform. Her lips curved into a graceful smile and her breathtaking beauty made the hearts of the believers skip a beat.

    Even the cries of the injured seemed to fade away into the background.

    A holy beam of light shone down on the new saintess, and her eyes were filled with purity and righteousness.

    Saintess Marie raised both hands in the air and whispered a few words of grace. Strange runes and symbols floated in the air above her body.

    A wave of bright yellow light washed over the congregation. ire could feel the holy power inside her mana heart tremble in ecstasy as it quickly absorbed the pure energy.

    She was clearly not the only one to feel this way as expressions of surprise and joy shed across the faces of the holy knights and high priests.

    Only Saintess Elisa furrowed her brows in pain as the holy light dug into her body.

    ire opened her mouth to ask her what was wrong but got interrupted by the cries of joy that filled the hall.

    "My arm¡­ it grew back! Bless you Saintess Marie!"

    "I can feel my legs! I can feel my legs!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My face¡­ is it healed? Oh, thank you Lord¡­ thank you for your grace!"

    The wave of bright yellow light instantly healed the injured men and women who were lying down on the stretchers.

    Their illnesses were healed, their missing limbs regenerated before their very eyes, and they were grateful to the one who had provided this miracle.

    One of the men rose up from the stretcher and knelt down on the floor. He ced his forehead against the ground and shouted loudly.

    "Thank you Saintess Marie!"

    He was soon joined by the others who also got up from their stretchers and knelt down facing the direction of the saintess.

    "Thank you Saintess Marie!"

    "Thank you Saintess Marie!"

    "Thank you Saintess Marie!"

    Their thunderous cries echoed through the hall. The silver haired woman lowered her hands and stepped back with a kind smile on her face.

    She epted the thanks as if it were natural and there were no extra emotions in her eyes.

    Pope Emmanuel allowed the cheering to go on uninterrupted for several minutes and the other members of the congregation could not help but get affected by the mood.

    Those who were initially distrustful of this new saintess were nowpletely convinced from the bottom of their hearts.

    And for good reason.

    Saintess Elisa was also able to heal the injured and the sick but needed to touch them in order to channel her holy power.

    She could only heal them slowly one at a time.

    In fact, never in the history of the Varion Church had there ever been an individual capable of doing what Saintess Marie had just done.

    It was this fact that made this grand assembly all the more iprehensible to ire. She could not understand why it was even necessary in the first ce.

    Saintess Marie possessed unmatched holy power and a deep connection to the God of Light.

    There was no need topete with Elisa because truthfully, they were not on the same level.

    So why in the original ire''s memories was the pope willing topare the two and drag Elisa''s reputation in the mud?

    Something was wrong here¡­

    There was a dark conspiracy hidden behind this disy of holiness that ire was determined to unravel.

    "Saintess Elisa¡­ no ¡­ Elisa Berierse please approach me," Pope Emmanuel suddenly ordered.

    Elisa got up from her seat and walked towards the raised tform while sping her hands together.

    The hall waspletely silent.

    On one side was the saintess who had loyally served the church for five years but¡­

    She was not the real saintess.

    Gazes of pity fell on the Elisa with every step that she took. ire took a few deep breaths and gently exhaled.

    Do not get angry¡­ do not get angry¡­ remain calm¡­

    Elisa reached the bottom of the raised tform and stood there with her head held high and a steely glint in her eyes.

    "Elisa Berierse, you have been blessed to enjoy the position of the saintess for five years now," Pope Emmanuel sternly dered.

    "It has been an honour that you did not deserve but in recognition for your service to the church I am prepared to forgive you."

    He paused for a moment, and you could hear a pin drop in the silent hall. ire briefly imagined mming her fist into the face of this disgusting old man.

    The way Pope Emmanuel was speaking implied that it was Elisa''s fault, and she was the sinner for enjoying Saintess Marie''s rightful position.

    But who was the one that brought her to the temple to be the saintess in the first ce?

    Pope Emmanuel coughed twice, and his hands trembled for a moment. Saintess Marie ced her slender palm on his back and his body was engulfed in holy light.

    The pope let out a light sigh of relief and turned around to smile gratefully at the silver haired woman.

    The brief feeling of hesitation in his heart faded away as he stared at the beautiful woman who would lead their church into the new era.

    Pope Emmanuel faced Elisa once more and the grateful smile on his face was reced by a serious look.

    "From hence forth you will no longer be referred to as the saintess and your position as the next sessor will be stripped away," Pope Emmanuelmanded.

    "You will be required to vacate the inner sanctum immediately and your personal guards will transfer over to Saintess Marie''s side."

 Chapter 9 The Fallen Saintess (5)

    Elisa stood silently and bowed her head.

    One could not read the expression on the former saintess'' face as she listened to the words of the pope.

    It was only when Pope Emmanuel mentioned that her personal guards would be transferred did a stormy expression appear on Elisa''s face.

    "I will invite the saintess'' new personal guards to please approach the tform," Pope Emmanuel spoke firmly.

    ire got from the front row and dropped her hand away from the hilt of her sword. She took a few deep breaths in order topose herself.

    This was the moment.

    This was the point in the original ire''s memories where her decision would seal her fate.

    She saw her subordinates walk towards her from the corner of the hall with mixed expressions on their faces.

    Her second inmand Markus on the other hand had a greedy glint in his eyes which made ire frown.

    ire nodded at her squad and approached the raised tform with slow purposeful steps.

    She deliberately followed the exact same actions as the original ire.

    Pope Emmanuel nodded in approval as ire bent her knee respectfully and bowed her head towards him.

    Saintess Marie watched the holy knights below the raised tform.

    The beautiful silver haired woman warmly smiled, and the entire hall seemed to light up in her presence.

    The rest of the holy knights stood silently behind ire waiting for their captain''s next move. No one could have expected what was going to happen next.

    In the original ire''s memories, she would ept the transfer withoutint and in the process, she would lose everything.

    And not just her¡­ Elisa would be sent from heaven to hell.

    Even without the request from the original ire, Sui Li did not want that kind-hearted girl to suffer.

    This time Sui Li was going to make a different choice.

    The short haired warrior had a cold expression on her face as she spoke with not a hint of hesitation in her voice.

    "Your holiness," ire spoke calmly.

    "My knights and I are unable to serve as Saintess Marie''s personal guards. We have sworn an oath to protect Elisa and this vow applies whether or not she is the actual saintess."

    "I cannot in good conscience ept this transfer request as it goes against my faith and against the promise that I made before Lord Varion."

    ire''s in refusal exploded the calm atmosphere inside the hall and sent shockwaves through the hearts of the believers and members of the church alike.

    The gentle smile on Saintess Marie''s face disappeared for a brief moment but no one noticed as their attention was solely focused on the kneeling knight.

    In the front row the crown prince stared at ire with a confused expression on his handsome face.

    Elisa stared down at the floor with her hands still sped together but could not stop her lips from curving upwards.

    ire turned around and saw the hesitant expressions on the faces of her subordinates.

    They clearly did not agree with her decision, but her prestige was enough to stop them from speaking out.

    Pope Emmanuel frowned as he observed the faces of the congregation who were watching the show.

    It would be a tremendous blow to Saintess Marie''s reputation if none of these holy knights chose to serve at her side.

    Why was ire nlyn being so difficult?

    Didn''t she realise that she was protecting a fake? The real saintess was standing right before her eyes.

    Pope Emmanuel had no choice but to reveal his final card. The old man cleared his throat twice before addressing the knights,

    "Those who serve as the personal guards for Saintess Marie will be temporarily awarded the rank of ''Commander.''"

    "It is the will of Lord Varion for Saintess Marie to be appointed as the next sessor of the church and hence your previous oaths can be considered invalid."

    "Should you refuse this honour then I will have no choice but to select the saintess'' personal guards from the Holy Corps."

    There was a tense moment of silence in the hall as the pope finished talking.

    ire''s eyes widened as she heard the generous offer from the pope.

    In the original ire''s memories there was no such scene but then again, she was already changing the future so perhaps this was to be expected.

    Still¡­ this was unprecedented.

    Pdins at the rank of ''Commander'' were first tier knights without exception and none of the members of her squad qualified.

    She was a tier two knight while the rest of her men were tier three and tier four. They were strong without a doubt but not at the level of a true powerhouse.

    ire nced at Elisa who refused to meet her eyes. The former saintess'' hands were trembling slightly as she tried to hide them inside her robe.

    "I''m sorry your holiness but my answer is the same," ire spoke solemnly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There was an immediate uproar in the hall as the upper rank members of the church looked at her as if she were mad.

    This was an opportunity of a lifetime and she refused.

    A grizzled veteran shook his head in disapproval as he gazed at the kneeling figure.

    ire nlyn was a talented prospect, but she clearly did not realise the true meaning behind the pope''s offer.

    This was a second chance.

    An opportunity to take back her rejection and rise up the ranks of the church.

    And she wasted it.

    He was not the only one staring at ire with disapproval and several upper rank members revaluated their impressions of the young pdin.

    "I see then¡­ very well¡­" Pope Emmanuel spoke with a disappointed expression. He waved his hands to dismiss the knights when a loud voice suddenly echoed through the hall.

    "Your holiness I wish to ept!"

    ire turned around and saw her second inmand step forward with ambition burning in his gaze.

    "Captain nlyn does not speak for us," Markus spoke clearly as he gestured to the knights behind him.

    The rest of her squad were clearly emboldened by his gaze as they quickly agreed with his act of rebellion.

    "Your holiness it would be my honour to serve at Saintess Marie''s side!"

    "I wish nothing more than to serve the will of Lord Varion!"

    "Please your holiness¡­ allow us to ept this position!"

    ire''s face hardened as she realised that the reasoning for her decision was beingpletely ignored by the members of her squad.

    Nothing she said now would persuade them otherwise.

    On the raised tform Saintess Marie stepped forward and whispered a few words into the pope''s ear.

    A gentle smile spread across Pope Emmanuel''s face as he addressed Markus and the other holy knights that had chosen to ept.

    "Saintess Marie in her generosity has agreed to have you all serve in her personal guard! The transfer ceremony will take ce in two days'' time," Pope Emmanuel dered.

    "There will also be a separate ceremony tomorrow to raise your ranks to the ''Commander'' position."

    Markus bowed his head respectfully and the rest of the holy knights followed his actions with excitement gleaming in their eyes.

    ire slowly rose up from the floor and stared expressionlessly at the pope. There was no rage or hurt on her face as she witnessed the betrayal by her own squad.

    Perhaps it was because she was not the original ire.

    "As for you holy knight ire nlyn¡­" Pope Emmanuel suddenly addressed the knight who defied his will.

    "You will remain as Elisa Berierse''s personal guard for the rest of her life.

    "In recognition of your service to the church I am assigning the both of you to travel to the City of Galrannor."

    "Elisa Berierse will assume the position as the head of the church''s branch in the city."

    The City of Galrannor¡­. on the surface this sounded like a promotion. To be the head of a temple was a great honour for any member of the Varion church.

    But the City of Galrannor was located near the outer regions of the continent and frequently suffered from monster attacks.

    It was a barren hostile ce. In other words¡­ this promotion was actually an exile.

    They were both being indirectly told to leave the capital city and never return.

    ire furrowed her brows as she stared at the pope and the new saintess.

    "I understand your holiness. It is an honour to be entrusted with this mission to protect the innocent and spread the word of the Lord," ire replied calmly.

    Pope Emmanuel nodded and then gestured for her to leave. ire did notin and slowly walked over to Elisa who stood quietly.

    "Shall we go mdy?" ire respectfully whispered.

    She linked her arms with the former saintess and carefully escorted her out of the hall.

    Elisa''s body seemed colder than usual, so ire gently draped her cloak over her body. They walked with their heads held high.

    ire made sure that Elisa left the hall with the same grace and dignity that she had when she entered.

    Her piercing blue eyes coldly stared at those who looked at the former saintess with wrong expressions.

    For a holy knight, ire''s fierce appearance more resembled a dangerous beast bravely protecting her young offspring.

    No one dared to be disrespectful, and it was only when the two figures had left the hall that the whispers started again.

 Chapter 10 The Fallen Saintess (6)

    (Varion Temple- The Inner Sanctum)

    (Several Hours Later¡­)

    Night had fallen and a full moon could be seen shining high above in the sky.

    The temple was dimly lit by the numerous torches and holy relics ced throughout the building.

    The pope''s announcement at the grand assembly was still being widely discussed in hushed whispers but there was one ce in the temple that remained silent.

    The Inner Sanctum.

    The residence of the saintess¡­ no¡­ the former saintess Elisa.

    There was a side room connected to the Inner Sanctum which served as the saintess'' personal bedroom.

    Tonight, was going to be Elisa''sst night in the ce that had been her home for over five years.

    Elisa sat up on the bed and took another look around her room. It was sparsely furnished as the saintess was supposed to be a being without worldly desires.

    That wasplete nonsense of course but Elisa was forced to maintain her appearance as a dedicated and loyal member of the church.

    Cough! Cough!

    Elisa huddled over in pain as a series of violent coughs ravaged her already thin body.

    Her frail appearance wilted, and she seemed to be on the verge of death.

    A shadow fell across the face of the former saintess as she stared at the flecks of blood that now stained the mattress.

    This was nothing¡­ she had endured worse¡­

    There was still much work to be done.

    Elisa closed her eyes and stretched out her right hand towards the nearest wall. Her palm rotated clockwise and then counterclockwise as she muttered a few inaudible words.

    A beam of light burst out of the former saintess'' right palm but instead of holy light this magic was dark and frightening.

    It filled the room with an aura of death and decay.

    If a mage had been in the room at that moment¡­ his worldview would havepletely shattered.

    What wasing out of Elisa''s palm was corrupted mana. Magic particles that had been infected with death energy.

    "Nerium vontains eprer nrhe!" Elisa muttered quietly as she finished the chant. A portal madepletely out of darkness appeared on the wall.

    Three figures slowly walked out of the portal and dropped down on one knee respectfully.

    They were members of a race long thought to be extinct.

    Dark elves.

    Pointed ears, beautiful appearances and faces that seemed to be untouched by the ravages of time.

    They looked no different from regr elves apart from their light brown skin, muscr physiques and eyes that glowed red.

    The two dark elves on the right and the left wore heavy te armour and carried longswords on their hips.

    The dark elf in the middle in contrast wore only a simple white robe and appeared to be significantly older than the other two with wrinkles present on her timeless face.

    It was rare to see a dark elf with wrinkles as their powerful vitality usually prevented any traces of aging.

    A piece of white fabric covered the middle dark elf''s eyes, but it did not matter because she had been blind for thest two hundred years.

    "We greet the princess," the dark elves spoke in unison as they made a strange gesture using their hands.

    Elisa remained on the bed and stared at her subordinates with no emotion in her eyes. She allowed them to remain frozen in ce for several minutes.

    Despite her rude behaviour, none of the three elves in the room dared to even utter a single word ofint.

    Seeing her fellow dark elves made Elisa feel strangely nostalgic. It had been years since she left her home in the Merean Swamp.

    But now was not the time for reminiscing.

    "Get up from the ground," Elisa ordered expressionlessly.

    The three dark elves rose up from the ground and stood at attention. The former saintess got up from the bed and slowly walked towards them.

    "Soothsayer¡­ it seems that your vision was only partially correct," Elisa coldly spoke as she approached the blindfolded dark elf.

    She gripped the elder woman by her chin and harshly pulled her face forward. Cruelty and sadistic glee gleamed in her eyes as she saw the prophet flinch.

    "Soothsayer¡­ soothsayer¡­" Elisa''s unkind words echoed through the room.

    "The real saintess has indeed appeared but¡­ you said that the pope would keep me here for several more years."

    "Instead, I now find myself exiled to the outer regions¡­ tell me soothsayer¡­ did you predict that this would happen?"

    Elisa''s harsh voice turned to a gentle whisper but her sweet tone was like a serpent wrapping around the neck of its prey,

    "Soothsayer have you gone mute?"

    "Or perhaps¡­ is your ability not as great as you im?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Elisa''s eyes briefly glowed red as she struggled to contain her killing intent.

    The elderly dark elf trembled and shivered as she felt the cold scythe of the reaper hang above her head.

    She needed to say something. The prophet was familiar with the cruelty of the princess and knew that her life could be easily lost.

    "Princess¡­ I¡­ the future¡­it¡­ it¡­ it changes! I can see the overall picture but sometimes the finer details are off!" the prophet hastily exined.

    "I still see it! The prophecy! You¡­ you will be the one to end the human race and bring about a new era for our people!"

    Elisa sneered mockingly and removed her hands from the prophet''s chin. She walked to her dresser table and pulled out a rag.

    The room was inplete silence as neither the prophet nor the two guards dared to make a single sound.

    Elisa dipped the rag into a bowl of water and then scrubbed the palm that she had used to touch the prophet.

    Once¡­ twice¡­ thrice¡­

    She hated to touch other people¡­ they were all dirty¡­ unclean¡­ filth¡­

    Except for maybe¡­

    Elisa shook her head and pushed the face that just appeared in her mind to the back of her thoughts.

    A cold woman with short cropped blonde hair and sharp angr features. It was a face that she could not forget¡­ no matter how hard she tried.

    ire nlyn was a noble pdin who had dedicated her life in service to the Lord of Light. She would be disgusted to discover that the one she protected was a dark elf.

    A fake¡­ an imposter¡­ a fraud...

    Only when her skin had been rubbed to the point where blood began to flow did the princess stop her movements.

    She ced the bloody rag back on top of her dresser table and then turned towards her two bodyguards.

    "How has the investigation been going?" Elisa asked calmly. The dark elf on the right reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of parchment paper.

    Elisa took the paper from his hands and read the contents on the page. Her face darkened and a terrible chill filled the room.

    It was a list of names.

    From wealthy merchants to high noble families and even certain upper rank members of the church.

    There was one thing inmon between the people whose names were on this list.

    They owned dark elves as ves.

    Elisa''s eyes narrowed in hatred, and she burned the names of every single person into her mind. She would never let them go¡­ no matter the price.

    If only she had more time¡­.

    ording to the soothsayer, she should have been allowed to stay in the capitol for a few more years while the true saintess assumed her position as the next sessor of the church.

    That time could have been spent searching for more ve owners and uncovering the dirty underground ve market.

    But now she no longer had the chance.

    Elisa let out a heavy sigh and stared out the window at the stars that twinkled and shined in the night sky.

    What had caused the future to change?

    There was no use pondering that question now. Elisa rubbed her temples and focused on thinking about her next steps.

    "Myrin take the soothsayer back to the sacrednd for rest," Elisa spoke in a tired voice. The dark elf on the left nodded and then led the prophet back into the portal.

    Maybe this could be a blessing in disguise.

    The outer region was a chaotic ce that was outside of the influence of both the royal family and the church.

    Gathering her strength and recruiting new allies was possible. A sudden voice interrupted Elisa''s musing as the remaining dark elf spoke up.

    "Princess¡­ it may be difficult to contact us with a pdin by your side¡­" Kharis whispered hoarsely.

    "Do you want me to kill the holy knight that the pope has sent to guard you? It is possible to make it look like an idental death."

    Kill ire?

    Elisa''s eyes shed red and before she could react her hand had already gripped the throat of her nsman and was squeezing him to death.

    "Do. Not. Touch. Her," Elisa growled as the pressure surrounding her body intensified.

    The shadows beneath her feet wriggled and squirmed as if they were alive.

    The dark elf held in her grip struggled to breathe as his windpipe was slowly crushed. He tried desperately to nod, and a trace of sanity returned in Elisa''s eyes.

    "I have my own ns for the pdin. Do not concern yourself with that matter," Elisa spoke calmly as if her outburst of madness had never urred.

    The dark elf on the floor gasped for breath as air finally returned to his lungs.

    His hands could not stop trembling as he remembered the look in the princess'' eyes.

    He would never bring up that topic again.

 Chapter 11 The Fallen Saintess (7)

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (West Training Wing- Private Quarters)

    "Okay¡­ so clothes¡­ money¡­what else am I missing?" ire muttered to herself as she walked around her room.

    Her bedroom was already sparsely furnished but it was only when she started to pack up her things did ire realised just how little she owned.

    Other than the clothes that were in her closet, the armour on her body and the long sword attached to her hip¡­

    There was nothing else.

    There were no keepsakes, pictures or any mementos to be found. Clearly the original ire had lived a very frugal lifestyle.

    ire let out a heavy sigh and tried to gather her thoughts. Today was the day of their departure from the main temple.

    The former saintess Elisa was to be the head of the Varion Church''s branch in the City of Galrannor, but it was obvious that this promotion was actually an exile.

    ire as her personal guard would apany her during the journey and stay by her side when they arrived in the outer regions.

    The regions located near the outer edges of the continent were dangerous ces where monster attacks weremon.

    The nobles in charge of suchnds had little to no actual power as the royal family did not concern themselves with ruling over those wastnds.

    As a result, the true power was held in the hands of underworld gangs that ruled with a mixture of violence and fear.

    ire shuddered as she imagined poor innocent Elisa going to live in such a terrible ce.

    Rage bubbled up inside ire''s heart when she recalled the smug smile on the new saintess'' face.

    Wait a minute¡­

    ire''s eyes lit up as she suddenly realised something important. The pope and Saintess Marie were clearly suspicious.

    Why were they so eager to drive away Elisa?

    Why was Marie appointed as the new saintess without hesitation?

    ording to the original ire''s memories something would happen yearster that would lead to dark portals suddenly appearing across the continent.

    Shadowy beasts and lesser demons would emerge from the portals to ravage thend and kill any human in sight.

    That must have been the event that broke this world ne and the only person who could have done this would have to be the new saintess!

    There was nowhere else on the continent except for the main temple of the Varion Church where the spiritual energy was sufficient to open up multiple portals to hell.

    It was impossible to know for sure, but a faint theory had already emerged in ire''s mind and as she gave the matter some more thought¡­

    It seemed to be correct.

    If Saintess Marie was secretly a traitor, then it would make sense that she wanted to drive away the true saintess.

    Somehow, she had managed to charm the pope or perhaps the old man was aware of her ns from the start.

    Saintess Marie was the viiness that she needed to kill!

    ire''s lips curved up into a gentle smile as she considered the matter more carefully. The short haired pdin subconsciously rested her hand on the hilt of her sword.

    Her initial n was just toplete the original ire''s request and live the rest of her life as she pleased but that was not an option.

    Stopping the portals from appearing on the continent was the only way to ensure that her life remained peaceful.

    But how could she do it?

    ire was under no delusions that she would be able to sessfully make her way through the temple and kill both the pope and the new saintess.

    She wasn''t even a tier one knight yet.

    ire wasn''t sure just how powerful she was, but it would be foolish to attempt to kill the pope with only her strength.

    What to do? What to do?

    ire''s brows furrowed as she tried her best to think of a solution. The minutes passed by slowly as ire explored every option.

    Poison? Hiring killers to help? A bomb?

    No¡­ where would she even get the materials to make a bomb? This world didn''t even have gunpowder so just shooting the saintess wasn''t an option either.

    ire eventually gave up as she nced out of her window and saw the bright sun slowly move towards the center of the sky.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The wagon would be leaving soon, and she needed to pick up Elisa from the inner sanctum.

    Well, the portal incident would not take ce until yearster so all she could do now was secretly gather her strength and one day return to finish her main task.

    ire carefully ced thest pieces of armour on her body and picked up therge brown sack on her mattress.

    Inside thisrge bag was everything that she owned¡­ which was not much.

    ire took a second nce at her room with a trace of nostalgia in her eyes.

    She didn''t know when she would being back. Perhaps by the time she returned there would already be someone else living here.

    ire was not one to be overly concerned about her appearance but since she was about to meet Elisa, the holy knight could not resist checking the mirror.

    A western beauty with short cropped blonde hair, piercing blue eyes and sharp angr facial features stared back at her.

    ire smiled and flexed her lean muscr arms that were firm and toned after months of heavy exercise and training.

    ? Okay¡­ she still looked great!

    ire took a deep breath and the gently exhaled. She nced at her room for one final time before leaving.

    The gossip from yesterday''s grand assembly was still a hot topic and ire was aware of the stares in her direction from the whispering nuns and servants in charge of maintain the temple.

    The brightest star among the young generation of pdins was now forced to spend the rest of her life in exile.

    Some would pity her, but ire knew that there would be others secretly thankful that she had decided to stay by Elisa''s side.

    Those like the members of her former squad.

    Perhaps the original ire had never noticed the jealous emotions in their hearts, but Sui Li could easily tell.

    There was a reason why Markus was able to get every member of the squad to agree with his decision.

    Well, there was no use dwelling on it.

    If anything, ire felt sorry for them for she knew that they would eventuallye to regret their choice.

    ire slowly walked through abyrinth of side passages and corridors until she arrived at the Inner Sanctum.

    The private residence of the saintess and the next sessor to the church.

    ire''s eyes widened as she saw a frail figure swaying in front of the entrance.

    Elisa was holding tworge bags and the heavy weight was causing beads of sweat to form on her forehead.

    ire dropped her bag without hesitation and ran over to the former saintess with her heart pounding in her chest.

    "Mydy, why are you outside?!" ire asked frantically as she hurriedly took the bags from the fragile girl.

    "ire¡­ I''m not yourdy anymore," Elisa smiled gently as she touched ire''s cheek with a strange emotion in her eyes.

    "You can call me Elisa."

    "Mydy¡­ I can''t suddenly," ire stuttered nervously.

    Elisa raised up her hand and ced one finger on ire''s lips. She leaned in closer and spoke in a sterner tone,

    "Call. Me. Elisa."

    "Mydy¡­ I¡­ I¡­ I mean Elisa," ire hesitantly spoke.

    Elisa smiled happily as a ray of sunlight fell on her body. ire was lost for words as she saw just how beautiful the former saintess was.

    She wore a in ck dress with a single ruby embedded in front of the dress. Her brown hair was tied in a single ponytail, and she wore a pair of golden bracelets.

    Although Elisa''s body was thin and frail, it did not detract from her beauty but rather made her soft facial features invoke a feeling ofpassion.

    "The new saintess will be arriving soon so I decided to leave early," Elisa exined as she gestured towards her bags.

    ire''s face hardened as Elisa mentioned the new saintess. Marie was the viiness who would bring about the destruction of this world.

    For a moment, ire seriously contemted telling Elisa about her suspicions but eventually decided against it.

    A kind-hearted girl like Elisa would be unable to understand the actions that she needed to take to save everyone.

    ire wanted nothing more than to protect the innocent smile on her face.

 Chapter 12 The Fallen Saintess (8)

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (East Wing- The Statue Of The Faceless)

    The former saintess Elisa and her guardian knight slowly walked through the main temple for thest time.

    Whispers and strange looks were directed at them from the curious nuns and servants that crossed their path.

    ire''s piercing blue eyes and the cold expression on her face was enough to scare the gossiping believers from staring for too long.

    Elisa pretended not to see the actions of her guardian knight and focused on maintaining a steady walking pace.

    She would asionally stop and let out a series of coughs that shook her frail body.

    ire gave her a look of concern, but Elisa simply waved it off. She could not tell the young pdin the reason for her sickness.

    ire purposefully slowed down her pace and waited patiently while Elisa recovered from her coughing fit.

    She was currently holding all the luggage which was surprisingly not as much as one would expect from the former saintess and the captain of her personal guard.

    The body of a tier two knight was absurdly strong in fact they could even be considered as superhumans.

    ire easily held both of Elisa''s bags with one hand and used the other to hold the bag that contained her belongings.

    "Okay¡­ I''m good now¡­" Elisa hoarsely whispered as her body swayed from side to side.

    ire had seen enough and decided to hold all the bags in one hand in order to free up her right palm.

    She tenderly looped her arm around the former saintess and made sure that her body had proper support.

    ire gently escorted Elisa through the main temple while taking great care to avoid the uneven stone tiles.

    They soon arrived at an open-air za with a stone statue in the middle of the square.

    There was a small moat of water around the base of the statue and several nuns were standing inside the canal.

    The statue was over forty feet tall and portrayed a faceless man holding a golden spear and shield with the image of the sun painted in the middle.

    This statue was supposed to represent the first pdin anointed by the God of Light himself to save humanity from the foreign races.

    His name and appearance were missing from the surviving records written during the era of darkness.

    The statue portrayed him as faceless to symbolize the fact that any pdin could be the next saviour of humanity.

    Elisa looked up at the statue and for a brief moment it was possible to see the deep hatred in her eyes.

    She instantly controlled her emotions and her face softened into an expression of reverence and respect for the mighty figure.

    This change happened so quickly that ire did not notice that anything was wrong.

    "Saintess¡­dy Elisa¡­" one of the nuns called out.

    "I havee to bless the water before I leave. I hope that you all will guide the new saintess and give her all the support and care that she needs," Elisa spoke calmly.

    ire loosened her arm and the former saintess easily slipped out. Elisa smiled gently at the nuns and then approached the base of the statue.

    Elisa walked towards the water and ced one hand in the liquid.

    She closed her eyes and muttered a few soft words of prayer. A holy beam of light erupted from her fingertips and entered the water.

    Elisa continued to pray even as blood began to leak out from her nose due to channeling too much spiritual energy.

    She stood up after a few minutes had passed and thanked the nuns for guarding the statue. ire quickly opened up her bag and pulled out a clean rag.

    Elisa smiled mischievously and brought her face closer before whispering quietly so that only the two of them could hear.

    "Will you wipe it for me?" Elisa teased softly.

    ire''s cold face melted away as a furious blush appeared on her cheeks and the tips of her ears turned red.

    Elisa observed those changes with a satisfied grin.

    The nuns were busy inspecting the quality of the holy water, so no one was staring in their direction.

    "Are you serious mydy¡­ I mean¡­ Elisa," ire stuttered as she spoke. Elisa did not reply but the grin on her face widened.

    ire brought the rag closer to Elisa''s face and then with a deep breath she carefully wiped the area under nose.

    The former saintess'' face was incredibly soft, and ire could not help but linger a bit longer than necessary.

    Elisa hummed in satisfaction and did not move as her guardian knight cleaned her face with nervous movements.

    "Thank you ire," Elisa spoke gently.

    ire did not trust herself to speak and just ced the dirty rag back in her bag.

    Elisa took one final look at the statue of the faceless pdin before turning away. When she returned¡­<novelnext></novelnext>

    That statue would be little more than rubble.

    The East Wing section of the temple was fairly close to the exit gate, so it only took the pair around ten minutes to arrive.

    Unlike the main entrance to the temple, the exit gate was rtively deserted and only a few holy knights in charge of patrolling the area could be seen walking back and forth.

    In front of the gate was a sturdy carriage with four healthy brown stallions attached to the ropes.

    It appeared that the pope did not intend to let them suffer during the journey to the outer regions.

    ire felt a bit thankful since she wasn''t sure if Elisa would be able to handle a long trip inside a poorly made carriage.

    In fact, she already nned on going about the journey in an easygoing manner.

    There was no need to rush to the city that was to be their new home.

    There were four holy knights next to the carriage and the oldest one of the group appeared to be in histe fifties.

    The elderly warrior walked over to the pair and gave a reluctant nod of acknowledgement before gesturing towards the horse drawn vehicle.

    "Miss Elisa, your carriage has already been stocked with enough supplies for the journey," the elderly knight bluntly spoke.

    "Excuse me but what about our escort? How many knights have been assigned to ensure the safety of Lady Elisa?" ire questioned coldly.

    "Knights? The pope was confident in your abilities so no one else will be joining your group¡­ captain¡­ I mean¡­ ire nlyn," the knight sneered with a mocking glint in his eyes.

    That son of a bitch.

    The brief feeling of goodwill that ire had for the pope immediately disappeared as she heard what the knight just said.

    Travelling to the outer regions was a perilous journey as the roads were not well maintained and bandit attacks weremon.

    It was standard for expeditions to the outer regions to include at least a full squadron of holy knights to escort a high priestess.

    Just picturing Elisa hiding in fear while a horde of bandits attacked their carriage sent ire into a silent rage.

    The smug grin on the knight''s elderly face did not help to calm her down and ire decided to teach him a harsh lesson.

    The aura around ire''s body intensified and the elderly knight found it hard to breathe under the spiritual pressure.

    He looked at ire with a mixture of shock and fear on his face as he felt his body start to tremble uncontrobly.

    How could a mere tier two knight make him feel this way?!

    Eventually the knight could not stand the pressure and his eyes rolled up in the back of his head.

    He fell to the ground with a dull thump much to the surprise of the other knights near the carriage who did not experience the pressure.

    "It seems as though he suffered from a heatstroke. Someone please carry him to a healer immediately for treatment," ire ordered as she put her aura away.

    The firm tone of authority in her voice made the other knights obey her words without hesitation.

    The three remaining holy knights walked away from the carriage and made their way to the unconscious body on the ground.

    They grabbed the copsed elderly knight and lifted him up using their arms. Elisa watched the scene with a vicious smile on her face.

    It seems that her cute little holy pdin had fangs and by the ancient goddess¡­

    She wanted to see more of her cruelty.

    But what ire did to that elderly knight was not enough.

    That arrogant knight dared to show disrespect towards her ire and expected to get away with it.

    No¡­ he would pay for his insolence.

    Elisa frowned and a faint wisp of ck smoke left her palm and entered the unconscious knight''s body.

    What entered the knight''s body was a particrly nasty curse that would reverse the effects of his training.

    The more holy aura that he absorbed¡­ the more his body would rot away until he died in pain and agony.

    Wait¡­what was going on?

    Elisa was startled to discover that it was getting harder to disguise her true personality around ire.

    She immediately fixed her expression and her lips curved upwards as she approached ire who was still in a bad mood.

    Elisa gently poked ire''s arm to get her attention and then leaned in closer until their lips were almost touching.

    "It will be fine. The grace of Lord Varion will protect us and more importantly¡­ I haveplete faith in your abilities," Elisa spoke firmly.

    "You will never let anything bad happen to me."

 Chapter 13 The Fallen Saintess (9)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (The Slums)

    No matter how wealthy the Lord¡­ it is impossible topletely eradicate poverty.

    Of course, there were some nobles who invested in their territory and tried to raise the standard of living for their citizens.

    But most were content to gain as much riches as possible from increasing taxes and squeezing every drop of value from their citizens.

    Every major city on the continent from the dusty ins of Arone to the rivernds had one simrity between them.

    There was always a small section of the city usually near the outskirts where the poorest residents would live.

    The slums.

    A filthy ce where crime, diseases and vices ran rampant.

    The city guards would turn a blind eye since most nobles did not care about punishing the violent gangs.

    Those born in such ces would slowly be rotten as they faced malice and prejudice from society.

    Education was expensive and most knight schools would not ept applicants without a noble backer.

    There was no way to climb out.

    Poverty and violence were part of a vicious cycle.

    Most men and women who were born in the slums would remain there until the day they died.

    However, there was a different atmosphere inside the slums today. The usual sounds of violence and drunken cursing were strangely absent.

    Instead, one could hear voices crying out in joy and gratitude. These voices came from an abandoned church located in the western corner of the slums.

    "Thank you¡­ you truly are a great priestess!"

    "My son is cured! You saved him! How can I ever repay you?"

    "Please¡­ help my wife! I beg you to save her!"

    Elisa smiled gently as she touched the forehead of a blind old man. Golden light erupted from her fingertips as she prayed to the Lord of Light.

    The former saintess removed her fingers and the old man blinked twice. Tears ran down the sides of his face as he realised that he could now see.

    "I can see! I CAN SEE! Praise the Lord of Light!" the old man yelled happily.

    He shook Elisa''s palm with the tears still streaming down the sides of his face.

    "Next in line please," ire''s stern voice made the old man withdraw his hand as he did not want to draw the attention of the fierce knight standing behind the priestess.

    Elisa smiled tenderly at her loyal pdin who was currently keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings in case any threats appeared.

    The old man bowed and gave his thanks once more before leaving to rejoin his family.

    A little girl stepped forward holding the hand of her elder brother who was missing an ear.

    Elisa closed her eyes and whispered a silent prayer to the Lord of Light before repeating the process.

    ire''s lips gently curved upwards as she saw the warm sight.

    Two weeks had passed since they had left the temple and Elisa had insisted on stopping at every city on the way to the outer region.

    She wanted to visit the slums where the poorest and dirtiest residents lived.

    Despite the awful smell of sewage in the air and the savage men who leered at her body, Elisa was determined to follow the will of Lord Varion.

    Fortunately, she had ire by her side.

    If Elisa was a delicate flower, then ire was the savage beast that protected her treasure.<novelnext></novelnext>

    They encountered a few thugs during their time in the slums but one casual swing from ire''s longsword was enough to solve most difficulties.

    Here in the slums, it was important to disy that you were not someone to be messed with, so ire did not show mercy.

    She beat them violently but stopped short of actually killing them since she did not want the kind-hearted Elisa to see death.

    Elisa would partially heal the injured thugs but unbeknownst to ire she mixed a thread of dark mana in the holy light.

    Those thugs may have escaped with their lives but in theing days they would eventually beg for the sweet release of death.

    A tier two knight was much stronger than the average person, and ire had not neglected her training since leaving the main temple.

    Every day she would run alongside the carriage in order to train her stamina and every night she would practice her breathing technique.

    Elisa would heal her damaged body whenever she pushed herself too far, so ire trained recklessly like a madman.

    Strength was the most important thing in this world.

    She had not forgotten her main objective of killing the false saintess.

    Only when Marie was dead could the terrible future in the original ire''s memories nevere to pass.

    Saintess Marie and the pope were her enemies.

    "Shall we take a break for lunch?" Elisa''s sweet voice interrupted ire''s musings.

    The holy pdin nodded in acknowledgement and then reached for the brown bag attached to her hip.

    Elisa addressed the crowd of residents with a warm smile on her face,

    "Sorry, everyone¡­ I need to take a short break and then I will continue this afternoon. Please spread the word and let the injured and sicke to visit me."

    She stood up and held out her hand for ire to hold. The guardian knight carefully escorted the former saintess away from the abandoned church.

    Elisa''s body trembled and shivered with every step. She would asionally cough, and her frail figure would sway from side to side.

    Clearly healing so many people at once had put a great deal of strain on her body. ire tightened her grip so that Elisa would not fall and hurt herself.

    "Don''t give me that look¡­ it is the responsibility of a high priestess to serve themon people by healing them," Elisa calmly spoke.

    "Yes¡­ but it doesn''t help anyone if you sacrifice your health to do so," ire replied with a concerned look on her face.

    "My¡­ my¡­ but isn''t self sacrifice part of Lord Varion''s teachings? Pdin are you tempting me down a path of darkness?" Elisa teased as she leaned her head against ire''s shoulders.

    Elisa stood on her tip toes and whispered in ire''s ear, "Say¡­ you wouldn''t happen to be a spy sent to corrupt a pure innocent priestess¡­. are you?"

    "Mydy¡­ I mean Elisa¡­ I intend to remain a faithful pdin and serve the God of Light for the rest of my life," ire firmly dered.

    She needed to fulfil the wish of the original owner of this body.

    Sui Li did not want to owe the fierce warrior who willingly gave up her body so that she could aplish her task.

    "Is that so?" Elisa hummed softly as her eyes briefly shed red.

    It was only for a fleeting moment as Elisa quickly got her emotions under control.

    Would that unwavering loyalty remain once she exposed ire to the dirty secrets that the church hid?

    Would she still remain faithful once she saw how those self-proimed righteous men and women raped and piged those of her race?

    But what if she didn''t turn her back on the church?

    Elisa felt a pang of sadness as she imagined fighting against ire in battle. Somehow this stupid no-nonsense knight had wormed her way into her heart.

    The former saintess was oddly quiet as the pair left the slums. ire could not tell what she was thinking as her face was expressionless.

 Chapter 14 The Fallen Saintess (10)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (The Silver Jack''s Inn)

    Elisa waited patiently as the sound of ire''s footsteps got quieter and quieter.

    The former saintess had immediately copsed on the bed just a few minutes ago and began to cough up blood.

    Her frail body trembled as she let out a series of violent coughs that shook her already thin frame.

    ire upon seeing Elisa''s current state was beside herself with worry. Elisaforted the concerned pdin and exined that she needed some herbs to recover.

    She wrote down a list of herbs on a piece of parchment paper and then sent ire out to buy them before the store closed.

    Elisa hated having to lie about her health, but it was the only way to get her devoted guardian knight to leave the room.

    The apothecary was around a fifteen-minute walk away from their inn which meant that she had roughly half an hour to deal with the matters at hand.

    The former saintess waited for a few more minutes until she was sure that ire had left the inn and then stopped coughing.

    Elisa sat up on the bed and directed her gaze towards the cloaked figure hiding in the rafters.

    Her eyes briefly shed red and her usually fair skin shifted to a light brown colour.

    "What are you doing here?" Elisa coldly questioned. The mysterious figure dropped to the floor and pulled back her hood to reveal the face of a dark elf.

    "Princess¡­ I¡­. arghh," the voice was suddenly cut off as a shadowy tendril erupted from Elisa''s fingertips and wrapped around her neck.

    The dark elf struggled to breathe as Elisa''s lips gently curved upwards to form a sweet smile.

    She walked towards the dark elf with slow purposeful steps.

    A heavy chill descended on the room as the shadows beneath the former saintess'' feet wriggled and squirmed as if they were alive.

    Elisa stared at the dark elf for a moment before leaning in closer and whispering in her ear,

    "Did I not exin that under no circumstances are you to approach me without my signal?"

    "I have spent years infiltrating human society and one slip up will result in my death and the end of any hope for the revival of our race."

    "Did you forget that there is a holy knight constantly monitoring my movements? What would have happened if she saw you?"

    "I''ll tell you what would have happened¡­ you would have died. You may think I am cruel, but I do not want more blood of my people to spill."

    Elisa withdrew her corrupted magic and the dark elf copsed on the ground while clutching at her throat.

    This would be a lesson that she would never forget.

    Elisa had no use for subordinates incapable of following her orders.

    No one knew better than the princess of the dark elf tribe about the current bnce of power on the continent.

    Parents may try to frighten their children at bedtime with stories of the monstrous foreign races that roamed the outer regions.

    In those stories humanity would need to band together behind a mighty hero to push back the forces of darkness.

    Silly stories of course.

    Humanity no longer needed a hero to crush the remaining forces of the foreign races.

    Truthfully¡­ the strength of the foreign races was insignificant, they were a mere shadowpared to their former glory.

    The dark elves were once the mightiest mages capable of destroying entire armies with one spell but now¡­

    Their ancient magic had been stolen and they were forced to send their princess undercover to rescue their captured people.

    Their only hope now was the prophecy that the princess of the dark elf tribe would bring about the end of humanity.

    But could the soothsayer be trusted?

    Was her ability as great as she imed?

    It was foolish to assume that the future was set in stone as evidenced by the fact that Elisa had been exiled rather than be allowed to remain in the capitol.

    The former saintess pushed those negative thoughts to the back of her mind.

    If she allowed the reality of the situation to set in, then she would not have the courage to continue on her path.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She needed a distraction. Elisa turned her attention back to the kneeling dark elf who had finally managed to catch her breath.

    "Tell me your name and your purpose," Elisa whispered hoarsely.

    "Princess, my name is Rhakul Caldoh and I bring you terrible news!" the dark elf replied quickly.

    "The lord of this city has recently bought a batch of ves from the merchant guild. Apparently, these ves were captured from one of our viges in the outer regions."

    "Lord Cain is a beast! I¡­ I managed to interrogate one of the knights who worked for him in the past and he confessed that none of the lord''s vessted for more than a year."

    "The things he would do to them¡­"

    Rhakul''s body trembled with rage and helplessness as she spoke. If the information she received was correct, then most of the prisoners were going to be killed.

    The remaining dark elves were going to be kept as pleasure ves to be humiliated and abused for the rest of their short lives.

    Lord Cain was a man known for his sadistic hobby of torture.

    Those who fell into his hands were better offmitting suicide than staying alive to endure the torments that he could inflict.

    Elisa tightened her fingers into a fist as she listened to Rhakul''s story.

    There wasn''t much time to save the captured dark elves but most of her subordinates were still in the capitol.

    The only logical decision would be to abandon these elves but¡­

    A white-hot rage bubbled in Elisa''s chest as a dark memory from her past resurfaced in her mind.

    No. Never again.

    She was never again going to just watch as her people were tied up in chains and dragged away to a life of despair.

    "How many dark elves are currently in the city?" Elisa questioned with a steely glint in her eyes.

    "Four but if we wait for two days then I can get three more to join us," Rhakul hesitantly replied.

    Only seven people at best.

    Infiltrating the governor''s mansion would be suicide with only those numbers.

    Elisa tapped her fingers impatiently against the side of her leg as she gave the matter some more thought.

    She needed to make a decision now since every second that she wasted was another moment that her people were in danger.

    ire''s beautiful face shed across her mind and Elisa suddenly realised that she had forgotten one important piece of information.

    She was no longer alone!

    A high-ranking priestess and a tier two pdin were both important figures in the church.

    Although Elisa was no longer the saintess¡­

    She was still the future head of a branch and that was a position that wielded a decent amount of authority.

    Wait¡­ that was it!

    "Rhakul, do you know the Varion Church''s policy on ves?" Elisa softly chuckled as her crimson eyes darkened.

    "No, my princess but ording to our information several upper rank members of the church own ves," Rhakul replied with an angry expression.

    Elisa stretched out her palm and a beam of holy light emerged.

    This light was soft and warm, but a thread of dark magic was mixed in with the holy energy.

    "Of course, there are hypocrites in the church, but I am not talking about them. I''m talking about the Varion Church''s official stance," Elisa exined calmly.

    "very and imprisonment go directly against the teachings of the Lord of Light, so it has been dered as illegal on the continent and condemned by the church."

    Rhakul slowly nodded her head as she listened to Elisa''s words, but she could not understand where the princess was going with this.

    "Now what do you think would happen if an official envoy from the church visited the governor''s mansion and ''idently'' discovered that he kept ves?" Elisa spoke with a twisted smile.

    "And not just regr ves¡­ dark elves. Perhaps he would be condemned as a traitor and suspected of coborating with the foreign races."

 Chapter 15 The Fallen Saintess (11)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (Central Town Square)

    The sun was hanging brightly in the sky above the city. There was not a cloud in sight and a cool breeze blew gently on the faces of the residents.

    In the middle of the city was a central square.

    It was a ce where the citizens could gather to hear thetest news from the city lord. Usually, these announcements were about an increase in taxes.

    However today was a bit different for the only sounds that filled the air were those of prayers and the sweet hymns of praise.

    "May the light of Lord Varion shine down upon you."

    "Praise be the name of his grace for he is full of righteousness."

    "Blessing to those that live a life of piousness and worship. For those who love their neighbours shall be granted ess to the gates of salvation."

    inly dressed nuns with clear eyes and bright expressions walked through the crowd while handing out pieces of bread to the hungry.

    Priests wearing magnificent white robes with golden threads stood at the far edges of the za while holding several books in hand.

    Each preached fervently about God''s message to the faithful believers that gathered around them.

    Apanying these priests were knights and volunteers from the local temple.

    Standing in the middle of the town square was a frail looking girl.

    Her beauty was like a sickly flower or a candle burning weakly in the middle of a tempest. Those who gazed upon her vestige dared not look for long.

    Of course, another reason why they did not stare was the fearsome female knight that stood directly behind the sickly beauty.

    The aura of intimidation and the low pressure surrounding her body made it difficult for the worshippers to stay for too long.

    "May your injuries heal as the blessings of our Lord flows through me," Elisa whispered softly.

    She stretched out her palm and gently touched the forehead of a little girl who was missing an eye.

    A glow of holy light erupted from her fingertips and covered the little girl''s face. When the former saintess removed her palm, the little girl''s missing eye had now been fully restored.

    Elisa smiled warmly at the awe-struck child and gestured for her to go towards the waiting arms of her parents.

    "Thank you! Thank you!" the father shouted in joy as he held his daughter in his arms and spun her around happily.

    Elisa gazed at the family and for a brief moment a strange emotion shed across her eyes.

    It was funny to think that she was using the power of her people''s greatest enemy to help those who would kill her without hesitation should her identity be revealed.

    "Are you okay? Do you need some rest?" ire''s warm voice cut through the haze of dark thoughts surfacing in Elisa''s mind.

    "No¡­ I can still heal a few more," Elisa replied calmly.

    "Just make sure not to overdo it," ire spoke sternly before stepping back and resuming her position as a watchful guardian.

    The smile on Elisa''s face became a bit more genuine as she nced at the cold face of her cute pdin.

    Maybe there was one human who wouldn''t kill her¡­

    Word began to spread about the powerful healer in the town square and soon more residents came to see the excitement.

    One of the knights from the local church rushed back to the temple to bring some offering baskets for donations.

    He would soon have to rush back and forth as the baskets were filled up quickly from the grateful believers.

    Elisa continued to close her eyes and channel the holy light through her body in order to heal the sick and the injured.

    As the sun slowly sank towards the west, the former saintess slowed down her healing and instead allowed the nuns to treat those with light injuries with basic first aid skills.

    ire was the only tier two pdin present in the town square, so she assumedmand of the church''s knights by the merit of her seniority.

    Fortunately, there were no unexpected incidents so far, but ire was always vignt in case of an emergency.

    "Are you done for the day?" ire asked with concern as she saw Elisa open her mouth and yawn sleepily.

    "Hmm¡­ I¡­I think I want to visit the governor''s mansion and then we can go back to the inn," Elisa replied thoughtfully.

    ire was not suspicious of her sudden request and figured that her kind-heartedpanion wanted to pay the city lord a visit to give his family blessings.

    She gestured towards the nearest knight and whispered to him to send a message to the head of the local church.

    "Shall the two of us set off now? We should be able to arrive in about half an hour or forty minutes," ire spoke calmly.

    "Why don''t we invite the other members of the church to join us? Elisa suggested with a smile that resembled a predator whose prey was within their grasp.

    She reasonably pointed out that a procession of just two people was a bit strange for an official church visit.

    ire asked around and several of the nuns and the priests in the town square agreed to join them on their journey to the governor''s mansion.

    Others were content to stay a little longer in the za and preach to the remaining believers.

    The procession heading towards the governor''s mansion now consisted of around thirty members of the church.

    It was arge crowd¡­

    And exactly what Elisa was hoping for.<novelnext></novelnext>

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (City of Rnter- Varion Church)

    (Ten minutester¡­)

    The money that had been collected so far had been ced in a special room where a man dressed in heavy ck robes stood smiling from ear to ear.

    A long wooden table had been ced in the center of the room and bags upon bags of coins were on top of the table.

    The head of the local church was a priest named Father Amos.

    Father Amos was an elderly man who walked around holding a heavy wooden cane. Strange runes and patterns had been engraved onto its wooden surface.

    His usually stern appearance had disappeared and had instead been reced by a cheerful smile of joy.

    Although the Varion Church was the main religion on the continent their influence was strongest in the capitol city.

    However, outside of the capitol was a different story¡­

    With the passage of time, fewer and fewer ordinary citizens believed or feared the foreign races enough to drive them to attend mass.

    Few men or women would be able to be full fledged pdins or high priests capable of healing any wounds.

    Despite the pope''s best efforts without the looming threat of foreign races it was hard to get humanity united behind their banner.

    And more importantly¡­ those ordinary citizens did not donate enough!

    Father Amos struggled to contain his excitement as he gazed at the bags of overflowing copper and gold coins.

    When was thest time they had collected so many donations?

    He honestly could not remember.

    At first, he had been reluctant to agree to allow some members of his church to join the former saintess Elisa on her mission to spread the word of God.

    But now¡­ he could not be more thankful that he had decided to say yes.

    Father Amos let out a heartyugh and reached for the nearest gold coins with an undisguised expression of greed on his face.

    Just as he was about to pocket one of the gold coins, he was interrupted by a heavy knocking sound at the door

    Knock! Knock!

    Father Amos scowled and headed for the door in a bad mood. Did he not tell his followers not to bother him?

    "What is it?" Father Amos harshly spoke as he flung open the door.

    There was a fresh-faced knight standing by the door. He appeared to be just a teenager and his eyes were full of respect as he looked at the priest.

    "Excuse me sir¡­ High Priestess Elisa has requested to visit the governor''s mansion in order to personally bless the nobility that guard this city," the young knight spoke politely.

    "Why are you bothering me about that? Isn''t it just a visit to Lord Cain to give his family some blessings?" Father Amos spoke irritably.

    "I''m sorry sir but I¡­ I¡­ just thought that it was proper protocol to inform you of any changes to the schedule," the knight hesitantly replied.

    Father Amos let out a heavy sigh and stared at the young knight.

    This was yet another one of those knights with a head full of nothing but justice.

    Rules, regtions, doing everything by the book¡­ it was all so horribly boring.

    Those inflexible members of his church were the elderly priest''s biggest worry. They never knew when topromise or turn a blind eye.

    "Yes, she has my full permission," Father Amos dered firmly.

    He shut the door on the young knight''s face and then returned to the piles of coins.

    The footsteps of the young knight faded away into the distance and Father Amos suddenly stopped just a few feet away from the table.

    Was he forgetting something?

    The governor''s mansion¡­ something about the governor''s mansion¡­

    Wait¡­ a minute¡­ the batch of dark elves!

    Father Amos froze for a moment as he thought of a certain possibility before pushing that thought to the back of his mind.

    No¡­ it would look suspicious if he denied the former saintess'' request.

    Furthermore, Lord Cain was a man used to secrecy and it was impossible to discover the ves that he kept in his cer.

    In the first ce why would the former saintess even go to the lower floors of the mansion.

    Father Amos sessfully convinced himself that nothing would go wrong and then headed towards the coins with peace in mind.

    He wouldtere to regret his decision.

 Chapter 16 The Fallen Saintess (12)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (Governor''s Mansion- Meeting Room)

    "It is a pleasure to meet an official envoy of the church," a middle-aged man spoke politely as he sat down on a green couch.

    This man was Lord Cain, and he was currently entertaining the former saintess and her entourage from the local temple.

    He was a thin frail man with soft features and a gentle smile. He wore a thick pair of sses and there was an aura of literacy surrounding his body.

    He wore a simple white robe and bore a striking resemnce to the image of an ancient schr.

    "May the glory of the Lord of Light shine down on you," Elisa responded with a smile.

    Everything was proceeding as nned.

    Lord Cain was expecting a simple flock of sheep, but little did he know that he had idently invited wolves into his home.

    Lord Cain snapped his fingers and two elderly butlers walked into the room carrying heavy bags of coins.

    "Please ept this humble offering to the church. I have always been inspired by the teachings of God Varion," Lord Cain proudly stated.

    "I have lived my life adhering to his values of love, justice and righteousness."

    ire stepped forward and took the bags from the butler''s hands.

    She passed them to the knights standing in the back of the room and then resumed her position next to Elisa''s side.

    "Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!" a young child no older than eight ran into the room screaming happily.

    He was followed by a middle-aged woman dressed in a luxurious ck evening gown.

    She wore an expensive diamond ring on her index finger with the crest of a raven imprinted on its outer surface.

    "My apologies dear husband¡­ Elliot was just so eager to see you," the noblewoman whispered softly.

    "Nonsense! I was just about to summon you all," Lord Cain chuckled as he gestured towards Elisa.

    "We have a very special visitor from the capitol city. It is a great honour to be blessed by a high priestess of the Varion Church."

    "Thank you for your blessings," the noblewoman bowed respectfully towards Elisa.

    Her attitude was both humble and polite.

    "I am but a vessel for the Lord of Light," Elisa spoke reverently as she sped her hands together in prayer.

    "Those who believe in him and follow his teachings should be rewarded for their service and dedication."

    Lord Cainughed joyfully as he ced his young son on hisp. His wife smiled at the pair and moved closer to her husband.

    They were the perfect image of an ideal family.

    A loving father, an adorable child and a caring mother who watched over them silently, but ire could not help but notice that something was wrong.

    Lord Cain''s wife did not touch him.

    It was a small detail, but ire observed that her fingers trembled slightly as she came closer to her husband.

    She hid it well behind an expression of happiness but there was a faint trace of fear in her movements that was impossible to ignore.

    ire narrowed her eyes and instinctively rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. Maybe it was nothing, but she felt as though something terrible was about to happen.

    But why did she feel this way?

    Sui Li searched the original ire''s memories but could find nothing on Lord Cain or his family.

    To be fair the original ire stayed in the capitol city until the day when she left the Varion Church and then she spent the rest of her life in a remote vige.

    She paid little attention to the current affairs and news that spread throughout the continent.

    ire furrowed her brows and subtly moved closer to Elisa so that she would be able to react quickly in case an emergency urred.

    Elisa did not seem to notice her small movements and proceeded to direct the nuns in the room to stand in a certain formation.

    She pulled out a piece of chalk from the bag attached to her hip and began to draw holy symbols on the ground.

    Shock appeared in the eyes of some of the more knowledgeable priests as they realised what the former saintess was about to do.

    Elisa was preparing a grand blessing that would cover the entire mansion and would protect the governor and his family for generations.

    One of the priests next to Lord Cain whispered in his ears about his spection and the smile on the governor''s face became even wider.

    This was a level of holy magic that could only be performed by certain high-ranking members of the Varion Church.

    Even some upper noble families in the capitol were unable to get this blessing.

    Elisa closed her eyes and muttered a silent prayer.

    A burst of holy light erupted from her fingertips and entered the holy runes drawn on the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The white chalk soon glowed a yellow colour as the sounds of trumpets filled the room with an atmosphere of holiness and reverence.

    "I will now proceed with the ceremony," Elisa whispered gently as she gazed at the loving family with a strange glint in her eyes.

    The nuns sped their hands together and began to sing praises to the Lord of Light.

    "Bless us o Father! Bless us o Father!"

    "For we are the lost sheep who need your guidance."

    "We devote our body and minds to you o lord"

    Elisa could feel the heavy pressure of faith entering her body and she directed this spiritual energy towards the ceremony.

    The former saintess extended her arms outwards and screamed towards the heavens with a passionate fury.

    "I call upon thee o Lord of Light. Blessed be he who drove back the forces of darkness!" Elisa loudly cried.

    "Bless thisnd so that no harm may befall it! Let this family remain a noble bastion of justice and righteousness."

    "For it is in your name that I¡­"

    ire darted forward and grabbed Elisa just as a loud explosion erupted from the center of the holy rune.

    She wrapped Elisa''s frail body in her arms and turned away just as a heavy cloud of smoke filled the room.

    Screams of fear came from the nuns and the priests as they could not understand what had just happened.

    One of the butlers hurriedly ran over to the window and opened it so that the smoke had a chance to escape the room.

    It took around five minutes for the ck smoke to dissipate and what was left behind was a scorched floor in the spot where the holy rune had been drawn.

    Lord Cain sat on the couch with an expression of bewilderment while his wife had grabbed his young son and had retreated to the corner of the room.

    He opened his mouth to inquire about what had gone wrong with the ceremony, but Elisa beat him to it.

    "Dark magic¡­ the ceremony was interrupted because of dark magic," Elisa snarled as her voice was filled with rage.

    Her words instantly silenced the noisy room.

    The atmospherepletely changed in an instant and ire pulled out her longsword.

    It was a serious usation.

    The Varion Church forbid the use of dark magic on the continent and those who were found guilty of that crime were to be sentenced to death.

    There were no exceptions.

    Counts, dukes, princes and even kings. All would be brought to trial or in some cases be executed on the spot.

    ire''s face hardened as she observed the immediate surroundings for any traces of danger or threats.

    "Search the mansion immediately for any traces of dark magic," iremanded in a firm tone.

    "Now wait just a moment! How can you search my mansion without my permission!" Lord Cain furiously yelled.

    "This is an outrage! I am going toin to Father Amos about your rude behaviour!"

    "Silence!" one of the knights stepped forward and shouted at the nobleman.

    ire nodded in appreciation at the no-nonsense warrior and then turned towards Lord Cain.

    "I apologise if you feel upset, but this is legal ording to the Treaty of Verina signed in the one hundredth year of the founding of the empire."

    "Official pdins of the Varion Church are allowed to investigate private property when traces of dark magic are present and as a tier two knight, I have the authority to lead this inquisition."

    ire gestured towards three knights in the back of the room who quickly walked over to her side.

    "Send a message to Father Amos and inform him of this event," ire addressed the priest nearest to the door.

    "Hold on! I must insist that I be allowed to apany you all. There are rare and valuable artifacts in the mansion," Lord Cain exined in a more reasonable tone.

    ire froze for a moment and stared at the nobleman who sat on the couch.

    He still resembled a gentle and educated schr but now she could see something that she had not noticed before.

    His eyes.

    There was a hint of panic in his eyes.

    Was he afraid of the dark magic? Or was it something else?

    "I am sorry but for your protection¡­ I cannot allow you to leave the room. Some of our knights will remain here to guard you and your family," ire spoke in an even tone.

    "There may be a dangerous individual or a group of individuals inside the mansion who are capable of using dark sorcery so I cannot allow you to put yourself in harm''s way."

    What she did not say was that there was a lingering suspicion in her mind that perhaps this seemingly perfect nobleman was not what he seemed.

 Chapter 17 The Fallen Saintess (13)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (Governor''s Mansion- Private Study Room)

    "Bring the governor here immediately and do not alert the servants about our discovery," ire ordered one of the knights in the room.

    "Yes Ma''am!" the knight replied solemnly.

    He left the study and headed towards the meeting room to fetch the governor.

    ire stood silently in the middle of the study room as the other knights by her side kept a watchful eye on the surroundings.

    At first nce this seemed like an ordinary ce.

    A roaring fire crackled away in the corner of the room and rows upon rows of books were ced against the walls.

    A painting with the crest of House Cain had been hung above a long wooden desk. This study room had an atmosphere of literacy and tranquility.

    It would have been an unremarkable ce were it not for the hidden door that ire had discovered behind one of the bookshelves.

    ire absentmindedly stroked the medallion that Elisa had given to her before she started the investigation.

    ording to the former saintess she had blessed the charm so that it would be able to detect dark magic.

    The only ce that gave a reaction was this study room.

    ire was a straightforward warrior and used her sword to slice across the bookshelves.

    The hidden door was revealed after she tore the false exterior that concealed it. Now it was time for Lord Cain to give an exnation.

    Time slowly passed until eventually the sounds of footsteps could be hearding from the corridor outside.

    Lord Cain entered the study room nervously while being escorted by the knight that ire had sent to pick him up.

    ire did not give the governor any time to talk and simply pushed open the hidden door.

    A narrow set of concrete stairs appeared that led to an unknown location.

    She gestured for the governor to lead the way and the knight brought Lord Cain directly to the entrance.

    Lord Cain seemed hesitant to walk down the stairs, but ire did not tolerate any resistance and forced him to keep moving.

    Torches had been ced along the walls that provided some lighting to the party walking down the stairs.

    Unfortunately, these torches were dimly lit which cast long shadows and heightened the creepiness of the entire situation.

    Finally at the bottom of the stairs was a in wooden door with a single iron doorknob attached to its right.

    ire ced her hand on the doorknob and slowly turned it.

    The door swung open with a rusty creak and revealed a sickening sight.

    The room beyond the door was a cer of some kind with hard cobblestone floors and with a single torch in the center of the room.

    Iron cages had been ced along the walls of the cer and inside every cage were creatures that ire had only read about in the church''s scriptures.

    Dark Elves.

    Their light brown skin, pointed ears and crimson eyes were the most noticeable traits of their race, but it was not those features that caught ire''s attention.

    No¡­ it was the signs of abuse and torture.

    Several of these dark elves were missing limbs, fingernails and even tongues.

    The female dark elves had whip marks and scars across their naked bodies while the males had open wounds that oozed pus and blood.

    Small dark elves that were clearly children had not been spared and their bodies were sickly thin as if they had not been fed for days.

    The knights behind her gagged as several foul odours entered their nostrils. Blood, death and excrement all mixed together to create a vomit-inducing scent.

    ire nced at the nobleman who stared at the dark elves with panic in his eyes¡­

    But not surprise.

    At that moment ire knew that Lord Cain waspletely aware of what was going on here.

    "What is this?" ire asked in a in tone as if the horrific scenes in the room did not affect her in any way.

    "This¡­ this¡­ this¡­" Lord Cain stuttered for a moment as he could not find the right words to say.

    ire''s piercing blue eyes seemed to stare into his soul and strip away the gentle schrly appearance that masked his true nature.

    "These¡­ these are dark elf spies!" Lord Cain hurriedly shouted.

    "My men caught them attempting to poison the city''s water source and assassinate helpless women and children."

    "And why did you not bring this to the attention of the church?" ire questioned as she subtly motioned for the knights in the room to move closer to the nobleman.

    Lord Cain took a deep breath to steady his nerves and then tried his best to exin,

    "I was nning to send a letter to Father Amos to inform him, but I was afraid that the dark elves would attack my messenger."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I needed to go in person but there wasn''t an opportunity to leave my mansion in a way that would not attract suspicion."

    There was a tense moment of silence in the cer.

    ire and the other knights did not speak a word and heavy pressure fell on the cowering nobleman.

    One did not have to be a detective to know that Lord Cain was lying.

    Yes, there were some male and female dark elves inside the cages who could potentially be spies or terrorists¡­

    But what about the children?

    Also, his reasoning for not informing Father Amos sooner was also strange and did not make much sense.

    "Break his fingers," ire mercilesslymanded in a firm tone.

    The cold look on her face didn''t change as one of the knights grabbed Lord Cain and restrained him.

    Another knight held up the governor''s hand and gently touched his fingers as if he was about to perform a lover''s caress.

    "Wait¡­ what are you doin¡­ ARGHHH!" Lord Cain shrieked in pain.

    The sound of bones breaking echoed through the dungeon as the knight mercilessly crushed every finger in the nobleman''s right hand.

    Lord Cain squealed like a pig and begged for mercy as his hand was slowly transformed into a bloody pulp.

    ire quietly observed the dark elves trapped inside the cages as they watched the governor''s painful state.

    Some were afraid to look for too long, but others could not stop their lips from gently curving upwards.

    "Move on to his next hand¡­ then his toes¡­ then his legs¡­" ire spoke nonchntly.

    The knights performing the torture nodded in acknowledgement, but Lord Cain could not take the pain anymore.

    "Please¡­ I¡­ lied!" Lord Cain cried out as he desperately tried to break out of the grasp of the knight holding him down.

    "They''re ves! I bought them! Please just let me go!"

    ire held up her palm and the knights moved away from the nobleman who copsed on the floor while moaning in pain.

    "I believe that very has been ouwed in the empire and it is forbidden to associate with the foreign races," ire whispered softly.

    The pdin unsheathed her longsword and approached the fallen nobleman.

    The cold steel of her de gleamed under the dim lighting in the cer.

    There was no hesitation in her movements as she brought her sword to Lord Cain''s neck. One push would be enough to separate his head from his body.

    Clearly the governor felt the shadow of the grim reaper loom before him, so he looked up at ire and pleaded for his life.

    "You cannot kill me¡­ these¡­ these are the enemies of humanity! I am simply delivering justice for all those who lost their lives in the war against these creatures," Lord Cain yelled fervently.

    "As God as my witness, I have dedicated my entire life to the church. Everything that I have done is in his name!"

    "My life''s work¡­ everything¡­ I have¡­ it is all for God''s eternal glory!"

    The tone of his voice became more confident as he continued to talk about his contributions to the Varion Church.

    Donations, manpower, tax exemptions¡­

    But none of it mattered to the pdin standing before him.

    The white-hot rage that bubbled up inside ire''s body came from Sui Li herself. As a person from a modern society, she knew exactly what was going on.

    This disgusting piece of trash was using religion to justify his sickening actions.

    Hiding behind a shield of morality and righteousness tomit evil. Sui Li hated hypocrites and liars the most.

    The Lord of Light had granted humanity his strength, but his teachings clearly stated that his power should be used to protect rather than to destroy.

    It was forbidden for his believers to harm the innocent¡­ regardless of their race or species.

    "Your life''s work¡­" ire paused for a moment and allowed hope to return to Lord Cain''s eyes before she finished the sentence.

    "Would sicken him."

    She swung her sword and beheaded the governor. His headless corpse crashed to the ground motionless.

    His face still had an expression of surprise as if in his final moments he could not believe that he would die at the hands of a pdin.

    "By the authority granted to me by the pope. I proim Lord Cain as guilty for his ties to dark magic," ire spoke coldly.

    The knights in the room ced one arm across their chest and nodded at her words. They werepletely disgusted by the governor''s actions.

    ire was the leader of this inquisition, and hermands were absolute.

    As for what to do with the dark elf prisoners¡­ truthfully ire was not sure what to do with them.

    Maybe she should talk to Elisa and Father Amos before deciding on the next step.

 Chapter 18 The Fallen Saintess (14)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (Governor''s Mansion)

    ire took a deep breath and nced down at her longsword. The cold steel of her de was stained in crimson blood.

    She had taken a life, but she felt nothing.

    There was no feeling of guilt or regret¡­ or even remorse.

    Sui Li wasn''t sure if her emotions and mentality were affected by gaining the original ire''s memories¡­

    Or perhaps she was this kind of person from the start.

    Lord Cain was dead.

    She had personally beheaded the gentle schrly man who was nothing more than a wolf in sheep''s clothing.

    No kind man would have done what he did to those dark elves. ire furrowed her brows as she recalled the whip and scar marks on the ves'' bodies.

    No¡­ there was one thought running through her mind as she recalled the horrific sights in that dark basement.

    She had killed him too quickly.

    Lord Cain was fortunate that she had killed him on the spot instead of turning him over to the confessors of the Varion Church.

    He would have died a much more painful death in their hands.

    The faint traces of dark magic that were found lingering in the cer proved that he was guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt.

    And the Varion Church were merciless to those who dealt in ck magic.

    ire pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on what to do next.

    No one could have expected that the governor had a secret room built that he used to imprison dark elf ves.

    What should she do now?

    Was the best n to just wait for Father Amos?

    He was the head of the local temple in the City of Rnter so this investigation should normally be handed over to him.

    But Elisa was a high priestess which meant that technically she had the highest level of authority in the church just below the pope and the saintess.

    ire turned to the knights who were following her and gave them a new set of orders,

    "Seal off the governor''s mansion and make sure that no word of this investigation leaks outside."

    "Clearly Lord Cain was not the only one aware of the secrets hidden in the cer, so we are potentially dealing with multiple sinners."

    "When reinforcements from the local temple arrive gather all the remaining servants and begin the interrogation process."

    The knights nodded in acknowledgement and then left to pass on hermands to the church members scattered around the mansion.

    ire waited until they left her sight before reaching into the brown bag attached to her hip.

    She pulled out a worn-out rag and began to wipe the blood off her sword.

    She could not get rid of the faint scent of blood still lingering on her weapon but at least now it was clean enough to go back in her sheath.

    ire roamed through the mansion while taking casual nces at the opulent disys of wealth and nobility.

    Suits of armour were ced along the sides of the corridor, famous paintings were hung up on the walls and marble statues could asionally be seen.

    Lord Cain was a man used tofort and wealth.

    ire kept walking for around ten minutes until she finally arrived at the door leading to the meeting room.

    She knocked on the wooden door twice and then opened it.

    Elisa was currentlyforting Lord Cain''s wife who kept sobbing while the other members of the church stood around with tense expressions on their faces.

    Everyone''s attention shifted over to the pdin who strode into the room with slow confident steps.

    ire was an imposing presence normally but now the cold look in her eye made it hard to stare at her directly.

    Thin flecks of blood stained her armour but everyone in the room was aware that it was most likely not her own.

    "My husband¡­ where¡­ where is he?" Lord Cain''s wife sobbed desperately.

    ire did not say anything but stared at the grieving noblewoman.

    Lord Cain''s son was affected by the somber mood and also began to cry. His young body trembled as he rushed into his mother''s arms.

    "What do you think happened to him?" ire suddenly asked in a casual tone.

    Lord Cain''s wife froze in ce as she heard ire''s simple question.

    The noblewoman looked at ire and just for a moment¡­. a fierce deep hatred shed across her eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was quickly hidden behind her grieving expression but now ire had the answer that she needed to confirm.

    ire stepped forward and spoke in a cold tone,

    "Beneath Lord Cain''s mansion was a secret basement where traces of dark magic were found. He has also been in contact with foreign races and as such¡­ he has been punished for his crimes."

    "By the authority invested in me as the lead inquisitor for this investigation¡­ Lord Cain was immediately sentenced to death."

    Shocked gasps rang out in the room as Lord Cain''s wife fainted on the spot.

    Serious expressions appeared on the faces of the church members and even Elisa''s face hardened in disgust.

    This matter was more severe than what anyone could have anticipated.

    Elisa walked over to ire and stood on tip toes to whisper in her ear, "What did you find in the basement?"

    "He was keeping dark elves as ves to torture them," ire replied in disgust.

    "Using the Lord of Light as a shield tomit atrocities in his name. What he did to those helpless innocents sicken me."

    Elisa remained silent but her hands faintly trembled as she heard ire''s tone.

    This holy pdin was genuinely angry over the treatment of her supposed enemies.

    She didn''t care that they were dark elves¡­ she saw them as innocents.

    Elisa stepped back and for the first time¡­

    She felt lost and confused.

    ire was saying something else but the only sound that Elisa could hear was the frantic beating of her heart.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    No¡­ she could not afford to get distracted.

    ire may have sympathy for her kind but as the princess of the dark elves Elisa knew that her fate was to one day destroy humanity.

    "How are the dark elves? Are they injured severely?" Elisa asked with concern.

    "They¡­ they aren''t in a good state," ire admitted truthfully.

    The holy pdin subconsciously dropped her hand to the hilt of her sword as she remembered the wounds on the dark elf children.

    She had been too merciful. That bastard deserved to suffer for his crimes.

    "Can you bring me to the basement? I want to heal them," Elisa''s soft voice echoed through the room.

    ire considered the matter for a moment and opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by several voices of protest.

    Several of the priests and nuns in the meeting room overheard their conversation and Elisa''s suggestion was too radical for them to support.

    "No¡­ no¡­ Lord Varion''s power should only be used to protect humanity!"

    "Priestess Elisa you mean well but those foreign races can''t be trusted!"

    "We should leave them to die! The only good dark elf is a dead one"

    A cacophony of voice filled the room each trying to dissuade Elisa from wasting her healing power on dark elves.

    Elisa''s fingers curled up into a fist and for the briefest moment she was tempted to unleash a curse and kill everyone in the room.

    The former saintess took a few deep breaths and forced herself to calm down.

    Well, it didn''t matter¡­ she would find a chance to sneak into the basement tonight and heal her people.

    ire quietly observed the situation and saw the pained look on Elisa''s face.

    The former saintess was a kind-hearted girl and she wasn''t surprised that Elisa wanted to heal the injured ves.

    ire decided to make a move, so she closed her eyes and gathered her strength.

    A terrible pressure suddenly descended on the room which forced the noisy crowd to their knees.

    Elisa turned around in surprise and saw a harsh glint in ire''s eyes as she reopened them.

    The pdin''s body was glowing slightly as waves of spiritual light wrapped around her.

    Holy runes and symbols appeared in the air above her longsword and a trace of killing intent was directed towards the crowd.

    "Did you forget something?" ire hoarsely growled.

    "High Priestess Elisa has the highest level of authority in the church second only to the pope and the saintess."

    "Her decisions are not for the likes of you to question much less refute. I expect you all to obey hermands or I will personally execute you for insubordination."

 Chapter 19 The Fallen Saintess (15)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (Governor''s Mansion- Secret Basement)

    The air was musky, stale and damp in the underground.

    Lord Cain was a brutal man, and he wanted his ves to know that they would never again see the light of day.

    ire held Elisa''s hand as they carefully descended down the flight of stairs that led to the underground basement.

    The former saintess let out a series of violent coughs but kept moving forward with a determined glint in her eyes.

    She needed to reach her people.

    ire did not know Elisa''s true thoughts, but she could tell that healing the dark elf ves was a very important matter to the former saintess.

    The dim lighting provided by the torches hung on the walls cast long shadows as they walked through the darkness.

    As they neared the wooden door that led to the basement, the metallic scent of blood got stronger and stronger.

    Lord Cain''s corpse was still inside the room.

    ire slowed down her movements and tightened her grip on Elisa''s palm.

    She didn''t want the kind-hearted girl to get frightened by the brutal scene on the other side of the door.

    Elisa sensed ire''s hesitation and turned to her with a gentle smile. There was a strange emotion in her gaze that ire could not recognise.

    "Thank you for allowing me toe here," Elisa warmly spoke as she leaned in closer.

    The former saintess mustered up all the courage in her heart and stood on her tip toes.

    She lightly pressed a kiss against ire''s right cheek and then quickly moved back as if nothing had just happened.

    ire froze in shock as all she could think about was the warm sensation that brushed against the side of her face.

    She thanked the gods above that the lighting in the underground was dim so that Elisa could not see the furious blush that was beginning to spread across her cheeks.

    What was that? What just happened?

    No¡­ no¡­ ire don''t overthink this¡­

    Surely Elisa is just being friendly and you''re misinterpreting this¡­ I mean she is a high priestess¡­.

    ire''s thoughts were a mess and she barely reacted as Elisa strode past the stunned pdin and opened the door.

    The warmly bubbly feeling in Elisa''s heart instantly disappeared as she saw the horrific scenes in the basement.

    Dozens of her people were locked in massive iron cages like mere cattle.

    Scars, whip marks, bruises could be seen on their bodies.

    The male dark elves had open wounds that were clearly infected as blood and pus oozed out of their injuries.

    As for the female dark elves¡­ their eyes stared lifelessly at her as she entered the room.

    Not even the children had been spared as their ribs and bones could be seen against their bruised skin.

    Starvation. Torture. Imprisonment.

    This was all done by humanity.

    Lord Cain''s headless corpsey on the ground in the middle of the room, but his dead body did little to quell the fury raging in Elisa''s heart.

    Elisa clenched her fist tightly and for a brief moment her eyes shed crimson as a fierce hatred flowed through her veins.

    She would kill them¡­ SHE WOULD KILL THEM ALL!

    Everyst one of those filthy ve masters who bought and sold her people like livestock.

    They would all die¡­

    The former saintess stood still as a memory from a time long ago shed across her mind. It was the day when she realised the depravity of the human race.<novelnext></novelnext>

    On that day Elisa had sworn a dark oath that she would free everyst one of her people and punish the ones responsible for the tragedy.

    To aplish her goal, she was prepared to make a pact with the demon race to summon portals connected to hell.

    ire entered the room and saw the painful emotions in Elisa''s eyes as she stared at the dark elf ves.

    It was the first time that she had seen such genuine anger on the face of the former saintess.

    ire quietly approached Elisa and stood by her side silently. There was nothing she could say or do in this moment.

    Time slowed passed as neither girl said a word.

    This somber atmosphere was broken by Elisa who could not resist asking the question in her heart.

    "Why did he do this?" Elisa suddenly asked.

    "You¡­ I mean¡­ us humans¡­ why are we such monsters? Why do wemit brutal atrocities in the name of God?"

    ire let out a heavy sigh and carefully considered what to say in response. She looked through the original ire''s memories and alsobined her knowledge of history.

    "Humans¡­ areplex," ire spoke in a low tone.

    "We are capable of saving lives and also taking them. Kind acts of charity and brutal acts of cruelty."

    "Goodness, evil and everything in between."

    "Sometimes it can seem as though there is nothing good about us. Especially when the worst of our racemit horrific crimes but¡­ I genuinely believe that on the whole¡­"

    "The good people outnumber the bad."

    Elisa hummed softly and ire knew that her words had reached her.

    The former saintess pursed her lips together and did not bring up the topic again.

    Instead, she focused on the matter at hand and turned to ire to ask her for some help.

    "Can you break the iron bars?" Elisa asked politely. ire nodded confidently and reached for her sword.

    She took a deep breath and swung her longsword casually in the direction of the iron cages.

    Her de faintly glowed a golden colour and the heavy iron bars were sliced apart like a hot knife passing through butter.

    Elisa approached the trembling dark elves without hesitation, but ire followed her to make sure that she wasn''t in any danger.

    The former saintess closed her eyes and offered a quiet prayer to the Lord of Light.

    Holy magic burst out of her fingertips and enveloped the shivering dark elf ves.

    Elisa moved closer and ced her right hand on the forehead of the closest dark elf.

    The wounds and bruises on his body instantly healed and he could feel an overwhelming surge of vitality.

    The other dark elves in the room stared in confusion as the older ones among them could not understand what was happening.

    Holy magic could not easily heal their kind and yet this mysterious human was curing their injuries with a simple touch.

    What they did not know was that Elisa was secretly mixing a thread of dark magic in the holy light so that her healing ability would work on the dark elves.

    Only a select group of dark elves were told that their princess had infiltrated human society so none of the ves in the room knew of Elisa''s true identity.

    Elisa slowly moved from one dark elf to the next and repeated the process.

    She spent the longest time with the children as she carefully checked their bodies for any hidden wounds.

    The dark elves looked at her with suspicion and mistrust but at least none openly showed any aggression.

    It helped that ire''s cold expression and the brutal way she had executed their tormentor was still fresh in their minds.

    Meanwhile the knight that ire had ordered to send word to Father Amos about the situation had finally arrived at the local temple.

 Chapter 20 The Fallen Saintess (16)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (Local Branch Of The Varion Church)

    "For it is in God that we trust! The light of our Lord who shines down on his believers and gives us the strength to live a life of righteousness and purity!"

    "The Varion Church for centuries has been loyally serving Lord Varion as his vessels to both guide and protect humanity."

    "Although the war may be over¡­ we must never forget that the foreign races still live in the outer regions of the continent."

    Father Amos stood on a raised tform and preached to the small crowd of priests and nuns in the room.

    It had be a long-standing tradition for the head of the church to gather the upper rank members for an afternoon prayer session.

    It typicallysted for no longer than thirty minutes, but Father Amos had been talking for over an hour now.

    He was in a good mood, and it was all because of High Priestess Elisa.

    The church''s coffers were full of coins and there was plenty leftover for his personal stash of wealth.

    The elderly man mmed his cane against the ground with a heavy thud.

    The loose ck robes on his body swayed gently from side to side as he continued to pray and lead the believers in worship.

    "Father Amos! Father Amos!" a loud shout rudely interrupted the religious atmosphere.

    Someone harshly knocked twice against the door and then a knight burst into the room while gasping for breath.

    His hair was messy, and sweat was pouring down the sides of his face.

    The desperation in his eyes made Father Amos suddenly have a bad feeling.

    Wait a minute¡­

    Wasn''t he one of the knights that was assigned to escort high priestess Elisa?

    "What is the matter my child?" Father Amos warmly spoke with a kind expression on his face.

    "Dark magic! High priestess Elisa has discovered traces of dark magic in the Governor''s Mansion!" the knight eximed in anger.

    The gentle smile on Father Amos'' face disappeared in an instant as he heard the knight''s words.

    Dark magic?

    No¡­ Lord Cain would not be so foolish¡­

    Keeping dark elves as ves was already a crime but if traces of ck magic were found on his property¡­ one shudders to imagine the consequences.

    Shocked gasps echoed through the room as the nuns and priests heard the outrageous news from the mouth of the knight.

    Soon their voices rose up in fury one after the other and the atmosphere quickly turned ugly.

    "Preposterous! Lord Cain should be hanged in the town square!"

    "ck magic¡­ we should alert the capitol at once to send a team of temr knights and confessors!"

    "No that would take too long! We need to punish the sinners immediately!"

    Father Amos raised up his right hand and the noise in the room gradually quieted down. The elderly priest let out a heavy sigh and he turned his eyes towards the heavens.

    "Everyone let us not be too hasty since there is a possibility that this is all a misunderstanding," Father Amos exined reasonably.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Do not forget that Lord Varion implores us not to rush to judgement."

    "I will personally go to the Governor''s Mansion with an escort of knights to investigate the allegations."

    "I promise that Lord Cain will receive the proper punishment for his crimes or have his innocence be restored if they turn out to be false."

    Infected by Father Amos'' serene tone, the other church members inside the room calmed down and gave the matter some more thought.

    Father Amos peacefully smiled and put on an appearance of being in total control of the situation when inwardly his thoughts were a mess.

    Regardless of what high priestess Elisa had discovered in the mansion ¡­ Lord Cain could not be found guilty of his crimes.

    Lord Cain was connected to several powerful noble families in the capitol, and he was not someone who Father Amos wanted to offend.

    Plus, the governor would regrly send ''donations'' to the church that would mysteriously disappear.

    Father Amos knew that if a proper investigation revealed traces of his corruption, then he would be expelled from the church or in the worst case¡­

    He would be killed to make an example out of him.

    The confessors of the Varion Church were absolute lunatics and Father Amos did not want to fall into their hands.

    The elderly priest shuddered as a certain memory resurfaced in his mind.

    Those who were sent to the confessors did not get a peaceful death.

    Father Amos took in a deep breath to steady his nerves and tried his best to rx. There was no need to panic just yet.

    As long as he was the first to reach the crime scene then he had the confidence that he would be able to conceal any hints of dark magic.

    "Um¡­ Father Amos¡­" the knight spoke up once more.

    "Pdin ire invoked the Treaty of Verina and is currently handling the investigation using her authority as a tier two knight..."

    Father Amos froze in ce, and he did not pay attention to the rest of the knight''s report as there was only one thought running through his mind.

    It was all over.

    Father Amos did not concern himself with thetest news from the capitol but even he knew that ire was the most powerful holy knight among the younger generation.

    She would sniff out the traces of dark magic like a bloodhound hunting for prey.

    The Governor''s Mansion was a solid thirty-minute carriage ride away from the local temple which meant that it would be impossible to make it in time to stop the investigation.

    The elderly priest clutched his chest as his heart began to race.

    His palms were mmy with sweat, and he lost his grip on his cane.

    His vision slowly faded away to darkness and Father Amos'' knees began to shake uncontrobly.

    The elderly priest stumbled forward and then fell to the ground with a dull thump. Screams and voices of concern rang out in the room.

    "Father Amos has copsed! Someone cast a healing spell!"

    "He must have fainted out of anger! How could Lord Cain betray his trust and turn to dark magic?"

    "Clear some space! He needs some space to breath properly!"

    Father Amos could vaguely feel someone hurriedly checking his pulse, but he could no longer maintain his consciousness and fell into a blissful slumber.

 Chapter 21 The Fallen Saintess (17)

    (Westernds- City of Rnter)

    (Governor''s Mansion- Dining Hall)

    "Move the tables to the corner of the hall to make space for the beds," ire ordered as she walked towards the center of the room.

    High priestess Elisa and several nuns were currently handing out bread and bowls of soup to the starving dark elves.

    The dark elves stared distrustfully at the humans but still took the pieces of food from their hands.

    After not eating for several days, even if it were poison, they were still willing to eat in order to sate their hunger.

    Elisa would asionally talk to the young children andfort them using a gentle tone of voice.

    Her sweet smile was infectious, and she even managed to get augh out of one of the little girls who stared at her adoringly.

    Meanwhile the knights in the room were moving the furniture to the side to create a wide-open space.

    After Elisa had healed the dark elves, the question of what to do with the former ves had been set aside until tomorrow.

    ire felt ufortable leaving them down in the musky basement where they would be constantly reminded of their torment.

    After consulting one of the knights in charge of sweeping the mansion for any more traces of ck magic, it was decided that the dining room was the best ce to temporarily house the dark elves.

    It was located near the kitchen and there was only one entrance leading in and out of therge space that resembled a grand banquet hall.

    The floor shone with a golden luster and a magnificent crystal chandelier was hung high above on the ceiling.

    Lord Cain was a man used to disying his wealth so the space in the dining room was more than enough to hold the dozens of dark elf prisoners.

    ire''s decision to take care of the dark elves was not without criticism especially from the reinforcements dispatched from the local church who arrived several hours ago.

    But her cold demeanor and steadfast determination would not tolerate any protest.

    It helped that no one in the city was a tier two pdin and just by using her holy aura alone she was able to crush any resistance.

    ire raised up her right hand and beckoned towards a few knights standing guard near the entrance to the hall.

    They walked over immediately and bowed their heads respectfully.

    While ire may be suppressing the priests by force, the knights were convinced of her strength and her ruthless execution of Lord Cain had won their favour.

    "Send out a message to the knights scattered around the mansion and tell them to check the bedrooms for any spare mattresses," ire coldly spoke.

    "Should there not be enough then feel free to take any couches, sofas or soft pillows that you can find."

    The knights nodded in acknowledgement and then left the room.

    ire took over their position and kept a careful eye on what was happening inside the dining hall.

    Food. Shelter. Safety.

    Regardless of what decision was made concerning the dark elves, it was important to ensure that their environment was stable.

    ire was not made of stone and seeing their bruised and battered bodies in the basement horrified and sickened her.

    How could Lord Cain be so cruel?

    The holy pdin curled her fingers up into a fist and a brief aura of holy light appeared along the tip of her longsword.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She took a few deep breaths in order to calm down and the light gradually faded away.

    ire saw Elisa looking at her with concern, but she gave a small smile to show that she was alright.

    Speaking of Elisa¡­

    ire''s heart was still a mess after receiving an unexpected kiss on the cheek from the former saintess.

    Obviously with everything that had just happened it was neither the time nor the ce to discuss it, but the memory kept resurfacing in ire''s mind.

    The soft feeling of Elisa''s lips as she pressed them against her cheek made ire''s heart start to race uncontrobly.

    No¡­ no¡­ get a grip¡­ it was probably nothing¡­

    Would she even be able to start a rtionship?

    The threat of Saintess Marie and Pope Emmanuel was like a dark cloud looming over the sparks of love in ire''s heart.

    If she didn''t stop them then this world would be destroyed, and Elisa would most likely die in the invasion.

    While ire was struggling to keep her emotions from appearing on her face, Elisa was showing kindness and empathy towards the former ves.

    "Would you like some more bread?" Elisa asked warmly as she broke off another piece from the loaf and handed it to a female dark elf.

    "Thank¡­ thank¡­ you¡­" the dark elf whispered softly as she took the bread from Elisa''s hand.

    Although Elisa had healed their bodies¡­ their minds were another matter.

    The deepest scars were the ones that could not be seen.

    It was impossible to heal trauma with holy light and Elisa could only pray that they would be able toe out of the darkness and resume their lives.

    The former saintess did not reveal her true identity so none of the dark elves in the dining hall were aware that their princess was standing before them.

    "One¡­ two¡­ three¡­ four¡­" Elisa quietly whispered as she counted the number of dark elves in the room.

    There were thirty-seven in total with the majority being women and children. It was not a small number.

    ire had made her the head of the operation and fortunately that gave her some much needed time to n.

    Elisa furrowed her brows as she tried to think about what to do next.

    Summoning a portal to the dark elf homnd was an option but she could only open a gate twice per day with her currently strength.

    At best she would be able to send back around ten dark elves after two days and that was assuming that her body would be able to handle the constant flow of ck magic.

    Wait¡­ that was it!

    She was already going to a city near the outer regions so it wouldn''t be a big deal to take the dark elves with them.

    Of course, there were several logistical concerns involved in creating an escort for a batch of former ves, but it was possible.

    Hiring a mercenary team for safety and a merchant organization to provide empty wagons was just a matter of payment.

    Elisa''s eyes brightened as she finally saw the path forward.

    Obvious she would need to discuss this matter with ire, but she was confident that she could get her guardian pdin to agree with her n.

 Chapter 22 The Fallen Saintess (18)

    Despite ire''s best efforts to seal off the Governor''s Mansion, word still leaked out about the investigation.

    It could have been a servant or perhaps one of the priests who was dissatisfied with her orders, but the end result was the same.

    Someone had spread the word to the outside world.

    From the rowdiest taverns to the halls of the merchant organizations everyone was discussing the shocking news.

    Lord Cain was not a particrly well-liked governor due to his policies of increasing taxes year after year.

    Dark elf ves and traces of ck magic were enough to condemn Lord Cain in the eyes of themoners but for the nobles there was a different reaction.

    Lord Cain''s death sent ripples through the region and the other noble families could not believe the news at first.

    House Cain were staunch allies to several powerful noble ns in the capitol, but he was still killed despite his connections.

    Was this a disy of strength by the Varion Church?

    The Varion Church was still the strongest force on the continent despite the best efforts of the royal family to restrict their power.

    By killing Lord Cain, an unspoken message had been sent to the nobles.

    The City of Rnter was quite some distance away from the capitol city so the news of ire''s investigation had not reached the ears of the pope.

    Father Amos on the other hand was about to lose his mind as he received some unwee visitors into the congregation hall.

    He was currently standing in front of the pdin who killed Lord Cain while stering a gentle smile on his face.

    The former saintess Elisa remained by ire''s side while several knights stood at attention at the back of the room.

    With so many eyes watching him it was impossible for Father Amos to say the thoughts that were running through his mind.

    Did this stupid bitch know what she had done?!

    He was ruined¡­ RUINED!

    Father Amos clutched his heart and had to fight off the urge to curse loudly.

    It was only a matter of time before a team of confessors would be dispatched from the capitol city.

    That was of course under the assumption that he would live that long.

    Many noble families knew of his involvement in the dark elf ve trade which was disastrous for all parties involved.

    ire walked up to the elderly priest and bowed respectfully. She cleared her throat and then opened her mouth to discuss the pressing issue.

    She had been lost on what to do with the rescued dark elf ves but fortunately Elisa had an excellent suggestion.

    The pair had spent several hoursst night discussing the logistics of the n and what was the best course of action to take.

    Father Amos'' help would be indispensable in this matter.

    "The dark elf ves are innocent and hence we should have the obligation to return them to their homnd," ire exined in a calm tone.

    "High priestess Elisa and I are travelling to the outer region so we will be able to provide addition protection and oversight."

    "The best solution would be to hire a caravan from a merchantpany and employ a mercenary organization for safety reasons¡­"

    ire logically outlined the steps for her n to transport the former ves to the outer region while quoting certain verses from the holy book to strengthen her argument.

    Lord Varion''s teachings included an obligation to the protect the innocent and it was one of the many vows that the original ire had taken when she first became a pdin.

    Father Amos'' smile did not falter as ire exined the details of her n, but it became noticeably strained the longer she talked.

    Hiring a merchantpany? A mercenary organisation?

    Where was she going to get all that money?

    Father Amos did not believe that he had the ability to see the future but suddenly he was struck by an ominous premonition.<novelnext></novelnext>

    And sure enough¡­ he was proven correct.

    "Of course, for this mission we will require funds. I believe that the church received a considerable number of donations after High Priestess Elisa''s miracles," ire coldly spoke.

    "It our responsibility as worshippers who follow the teachings of the Lord of Light to help the innocent and I know that as a responsible head priest¡­"

    "Your financial contributions to our cause will bless you with grace and divinity from Lord Varion himself."

    These were all high-sounding words but to Father Amos this entire speech could be summed up in one sentence¡­

    She wanted his money!

    He opened his mouth to immediately protest but the harsh glint in ire''s eyes made his words die down in his throat.

    Although the pdin standing before him was a ''beacon of righteousness'', he would have to be blind not to notice that her hand was slowly inching towards the hilt of her sword.

    What if this madwoman chopped him up on the spot?!

    All it would take was one casual swing from her sword and his head would separate from his body.

    A shiver ran down Father Amos'' back and the elderly priest trembled in fear. ire''s violent reputation cast a long shadow on his heart.

    Holy pdin? This woman was more like a bandit!

    "Of¡­ of course¡­ it¡­ would be my honour," Father Amos gritted his teeth and pledged his support.

    ire moved her hand away from the hilt of her sword and the elderly priest subconsciously let out a sigh of relief.

    He picked up his wooden cane with trembling hands and led the pdin and herpanions to the storage room.

    ire followed closely behind Father Amos as he walked through a maze of corridors and side passageways.

    Father Amos hid his emotions well, but ire could tell that the elderly priest was feeling conflicted.

    She had her suspicions that perhaps he knew about Lord Cain''s dark hobbies and turned a blind eye but there wasn''t any proof.

    Hopefully when the confessors arrived, they would be able to discover the truth of the matter.

    Time passed slowly as Father Amos reluctantly led ire and the rest to a in wooden door at the end of a long corridor.

    The elderly priest furrowed his brows and turned the doorknob. The door swung open with a rusty creak to reveal arge room with stone walls.

    In the middle of the room was a long table where bags upon bags filled with coinsy untouched and undisturbed.

    It was with a heavy heart that Father Amos raised his hand and gestured towards the coins with an expression as if he had just lost something precious.

    ire was not polite and immediately opened each bag and searched for any gold or silver coins.

    Despite Father Amos'' fears, she did not n on cleaning out the local temple and just nned on taking exactly how much she needed for the journey.

    While ire was sorting out the funds, Elisa approached the sorrowful priest and spoke to him in a soft tone.

    "Father are you alright?" the former saintess asked with concern.

    "I heard that you copsed after hearing the news of Lord Cain''s misdeeds. It came as truly a surprise to all of us."

    "Please allow me to give you a blessing to help your body recover."

    Elisa closed her eyes and muttered a silent prayer as she channeled the will of the Lord of Light through her body.

    A warm glow of holy light burst out of her fingertips, and she pressed her palm against the elderly priest''s back.

    Father Amos could feel a surge of vitality flow through his body and his low mood seemed to disappear he felt the grace of Lord Varion.

    He basked in the blessing and didn''t notice that a thin thread of ck magic was mixed in the holy light.

    ire may not have taken direct action against the corrupt head priest, but Elisa was not a person who would forgive.

 Chapter 23 The Fallen Saintess (19)

    "Please have mercy¡­ I was¡­ arghh!"

    "No¡­ no¡­ get away!"

    "This doesn''t make any sense! They told us you were just a tier two¡­"

    Blood dripped off ire''s longsword as she mercilessly ran her de through the cowering men shivering at her feet.

    Corpses were scattered across the forest floor and the short haired pdin did not rx her guard for a second.

    The heavy metallic scent of blood hung in the air and ire''s piercing blue eyes seemed even colder than usual.

    Despite her position as a holy knight of the Varion Church, ire at this moment more resembled a demon crawling out of hell.

    The killing intent and the stench of death surrounding her body was enough to make even the bravest soul tremble in fear.

    This was not first time that the convoy had been followed by hostile enemies and she would have to be a fool not to notice that something was suspicious.

    Bandits, barbarians, rogue mercenaries¡­

    It was not unheard of to encounter these groups when travelling to the outer regions of the continent, but the sheer frequency of these encounters was strange.

    But why were they a target?

    There was nothing particrly valuable in the caravans and carriages since they were filled with food and supplies.

    Was it because of the dark elves?

    It was not a surprise that news had leaked about a convoy heading to the outer regions with former dark elf ves.

    ire let out a heavy sigh and took onest look at her surroundings for any hidden threats.

    The once beautiful forest had now beenpletely destroyed in the fierce fight.

    Bushes and small nts were trampled, several trees were sliced in half and the bodies of furry animalsy lifelessly on the ground.

    ire took a well-worn handkerchief from her pocket and wiped the blood off her de. She ced her longsword back in the sheath.

    There were flecks of blood sshed across her face and white armour but there was nothing she could do about it now.

    ire left the area and walked for around ten minutes until she saw a carriage with four healthy brown stallions attached to the rope.

    Elisa was petting the horses while whispering something in their ears. She caught sight of ire approaching from the distance and waved her hands excitedly.

    ire''s cold appearance disappeared and her lips inadvertently curved upwards when she saw the happy smile on the former saintess'' face.

    Neither of them had brought up the kiss in the Governor''s Mansion but there was a subtle change in their rtionship.

    "Are you hurt?" Elisa asked in concern as she stretched out her hand and ced two fingers against ire''s forehead.

    A burst of holy light erupted from her fingertips and ire felt a surge of vitality flow into her body.

    The small cuts and bruises on her body instantly healed and even her mild headache was now gone.

    "Where are the others?" ire questioned after Elisa withdrew her palm.

    "Captain Brian took his men to a nearby stream to allow the horses to drink some water and get some rest," Elisa exined as she gestured towards a certain direction.

    "Then why did they leave you by yourself?" ire growled in anger as her hand drifted towards the hilt of her sword.

    "I specifically told him to always have someone by your side in case of emergencies¡­"

    Elisa listened to her nagging and felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart. She had to resist the urge to kiss those incredibly luscious lips.

    Captain Brian''s original n was to wait until ire returned but a small pinch of ck magic was enough to convince him to change his mind.

    Elisa had nted seeds of darkness into the minds of every mercenary escorting them to the outer regions.

    It had proved to be a necessary evil since several warriors were working for noble families and were given secret orders to spy on their movements.

    In addition to controlling the minds of the mercenaries, Elisa had ordered a few dark elf scouts to quietly follow the convoy in order to provide backup in case of an emergency.

    Of course, ire did not know about these matters since Elisa kept her in the dark.

    As far as the pdin was concerned these mercenaries were incredibly professional and eager to obey hermands.

    "You aren''t listening, are you?" ire''s exasperated voice snapped Elisa out of her musings.

    "No¡­ no¡­ I got it! I''m a poor, weak and helpless high priestess who needs protection against the terrible evils of the world," Elisa dramatically eximed.

    She ced one hand against her forehead and sighed helplessly.

    A sad expression shed across her face as she continued the act.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Woe is me! For I am but an innocentmb who needs shelter from the vicious wolves eager to eat me up."

    ire smiled indulgently as Elisa continued to y out the image of a damsel in distress while her eyes gleamed with mischief.

    The brown horses attached to the carriage neighed yfully and ire suddenly felt as though the world had gotten brighter.

    "Alright that''s enough¡­ you win okay¡­ let''s just go meet up with the rest of them," ire finally spoke.

    Elisa stopped her childish performance and stared warmly at her guardian knight.

    There was something about ire that made her forget about her worries and return to a time before she had the weight of the world on her shoulders.

    Elisa cherished these moments because deep down she knew that they would notst forever.

    As the princess of the dark elf race, she needed to fulfil the prophecy and bring a new dawn of hope for her people.

    "Please," Elisa whispered softly as she held out her arm.

    ire escorted the former saintess in a familiar manner into the carriage and then sat down on the driver''s seat.

    She grabbed the rope in her palm and gently tugged twice to let the horses know that it was time to depart.

    After a few weeks on the road, ire''s driving skills had greatly improved, and she could now easily handle the horses.

    The carriage set off towards the direction of the nearest river with the sun shining brightly above them and the birds chirping merrily in the sky.

    Soon a wide riverbank came into view and ire could see severalrge wagons and caravans resting a few meters away from the water.

    Tents and mattresses were scattered around a crackling fire where a simmering pot of soup boiled.

    Heavily armoured men and women guarded the temporary encampment while the lighter dressed fighters were tending to the horses.

    Hidden from view inside the carriages were the former dark elf ves who were still afraid to be around humans.

    ire didn''t know how Elisa had done it, but she somehow managed to convince them to not to escape during the long journey.

    A middle-aged man wearing a heavy axe strapped across his back approached the carriage with slow purposeful steps.

    His face was unshaven, and his eyes would dart from side to side as though he was possessed.

    ire was familiar with this strange man since he was the leader of the ''Scarlet Rose'' which was the name of the mercenarypany that she had hired.

    "It is good to see you again," Captain Brian respectfully spoke.

    "The horses are currently resting and should be good to go to resume the journey tomorrow. I have several of my men cooking dinner at the moment."

    "We will make sure that the dark elves are well fed and receive only the best care during the trip."

    ire nodded in approval and set aside some of the worries in her heart.

    Truthfully given the brutal history shared between the foreign races and humanity she was concerned that the mercenaries would mistreat the former ves.

    But evidently this was not the case.

    In fact, Captain Brian and the rest of his men seemed to treat the dark elves better than they did themselves!

    It was actually quite weird¡­

    ire pushed that strange thought to the back of her mind and focused on the matter at hand.

    "That''s all good¡­ but why did you leave Elisa unattended?" ire coldly spoke.

    "Did I not give you explicit orders that she is not be left alone? She is a high priestess, and her life is worth more than all of usbined¡­

    "Do I make myself clear? I never want an incident like this to happen again."

    Captain Brian froze in ce and a strange emotion surfaced in his eyes that ire could not read.

    "My¡­ my¡­ apologies¡­ I don''t know what I was thinking¡­ it won''t happen again," Captain Brian stuttered with an unnatural look on his face.

    "Are you alright?" ire asked in a puzzled tone.

    Elisa poked her head out of the carriage window and moved her right hand up and down in a circr pattern.

    Captain Brian''s tense expression slowly rxed and he replied with more confidence in his voice.

    "No problem! The Scarlet Rosepany will always follow themands of our client so Lady Elisa''s safety will be our number one priority!" Captain Brian loudly dered.

    ire still looked at him with doubt but could not tell what was wrong since the captain appeared to be his usual self.

    Maybe she was still on edge after dealing with the bandits from earlier...

 Chapter 24 The Fallen Saintess (20)

    (Outer Regions- Kingdom of Lockmare)

    (Two Months Later¡­)

    The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon and a soft orange glow lit up the dark forest.

    ire stood silently in the middle of a clearing and held her longsword in both hands. She took a deep breath and then began her morning exercises.

    Forward thrust, horizontal sh, cross cuts¡­

    ire''s body moved in a familiar pattern as she continued her workout.

    There was not a hint of hesitation in her movements as these exercises had been carved into her body''s memory.

    Many were under the impression that pdins drew their strength directly from Lord Varion and hence did not need to train.

    In fact, there were some in the church who believed this falsehood and focused on bolstering their faith in the Lord of Light instead of physical exercise.

    They were mistaken.

    Power without the ability to wield it was useless.

    ire narrowed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She needed strength to protect the safety of this world.

    The original ire''s only request was for her to be a pdin worthy of serving the Lord of Light and Sui Li intended to fulfil her ambition.

    Golden light surrounded ire''s longsword and holy runes floated in the air above her body.

    The holy knight closed her eyes and felt the spiritual energy flow into her body from a ce beyond this mortal world.

    ire''s eyes opened and now her pupils werepletely golden.

    She swung her sword in azy arc and a beam of golden light burst out from the tip of her de.

    Bang!

    Several trees were instantly bisected in half as the destructive beam of light travelled for around five hundred meters before dissipating.

    ire knelt down as she felt a sudden weakness in her legs. This ability was an advanced technique that only tier one knights could perform.

    She was clearly too weak to use it properly without bacsh.

    ire rested for a moment and then got up from the ground.

    Her muscles were aching, and her body screamed for rest, but she still continued to train for two more hours.

    The ''system'' that had sent her to this ne did not provide her with any gold fingers or cheats, so ire was forced to rely on the only source of strength that she possessed.

    There was no shortcut to hard work. Labours of preservation and determination would always bear fruits of sess.

    Eventually ire stopped swinging her de and ced her longsword back in its sheath.

    The birds began to chirp merrily as the sun was now inching ever so closer to the middle of the sky.

    It was time to return to the base camp.

    ire took a handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped the beads of sweat on her brow.

    She headed towards the direction of the camp while keeping a close eye on the immediate surroundings.

    The outer region was a hostile ce where monsters roamed freely, and thest survivors of the foreign races hid in the shadows.

    Suddenly the sounds of fighting could be heard somewhere in the distance

    It wasing from where Elisa was!

    A sense of panic gripped ire''s heart and she silently cursed herself for being so careless.

    The mercenaries had done a good job protecting the former saintess so far, so ire had subconsciously rxed.

    If anything happened to her¡­

    ire''s eyes narrowed and she rushed forward towards the sound. The bead of mana inside her heart began to rotate as she felt the light of grace enter her body.

    The holy knight''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot as she channeled spiritual energy into her legs.

    ire unsheathed her de and quickly arrived at the riverbank where the convoy was resting.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She could now hear loud voicesing from the mercenaries and it was clear that they were fighting something monstrous.

    "Men ready your bows and fire!"

    "Shields up! Don''t let that bastarde near the dark elves!"

    "Move! Move! Watch out for the ws!"

    An enormous eight-foot-tall beast stood on its hindlegs and mercilessly tore a female mercenary apart using its ws.

    It was unlike anything that ire had ever seen before.

    It bore a striking resemnce to a grizzly bear, but its fur was a midnight ck colour and there was an enormous bone-like horn jutting out of its forehead.

    The beast opened its mouth and roared angrily.

    Captain Brian ordered his men to stand firm and created a human wall between the monster and the dark elves.

    Elisa was standing protectively in front of the shivering dark elves and her eyes were trained on the monster.

    There was a serious look on her face as she chanted a silent prayer to the Lord of Light.

    A barrier rose up from the ground and mmed into the monster''s soft underbelly.

    The bear growled hoarsely as it directed its attention to the annoying human that casted the spell.

    Elisa stared back with no fear in her eyes and ire could see her hands moving to form a strange pattern.

    ire rushed forward and used her longsword to sever a tendon in the beast''s right foot.

    The monster cried out in pain and turned to face her.

    "Now! Now! Fire at him!" Captain Brian roared furiously. Five archers standing a fair distance away nocked their arrows and fired.

    The arrows prated the monster''s body, but its thick hide prevented them from sinking in further and causing any real damage.

    ire gripped her longsword and gently exhaled.

    Her surroundings faded away to darkness and the only object in her eyes was the foe standing before her.

    She could vaguely hear Elisa''s quiet prayers and themands of the mercenary captain but eventually the noise fully disappeared.

    ire''s eyes werepletely golden and shining with a harsh glint of righteousness and purity.

    Faint translucent wings sprouted out from behind her back and at that moment she resembled an angel of vengeance.

    This was not the state of a tier one knight.

    ire did not know what was happening but allowed the familiar and yet unknown power to flow through her body.

    The sounds of trumpets red out from an unknown location and for a brief second ire had a vision of a massive ball of fire floating above a golden throne.

    She shook her head and returned to the present.

    The monster swung its ws down at her with an overwhelming might but in ire''s eyes it was as though the beast was moving in slow motion.

    ire''s body moved automatically, and she dodged slightly to the left which caused the attack to miss her neck by a few inches.

    The beast tried to kill her by lowering its head and preparing to m its horn into her body, but ire had already read its movements.

    The holy knight gently thrust her de forward with minimal movements. There was not a hint of danger in her attack, so the monster ignored it.

    It would prove to be a fatal mistake.

    ire''s longsword entered its forehead and tore through its sturdy hide like a hot knife passing through butter.

    The monster''s eyes widened in shock as it dropped to the ground with a dull thump. It could not believe that such a tiny human had managed to y it.

    The translucent wings on ire''s back disappeared and the holy knight''s body swayed gently from side to side.

    She tried to move towards Elisa to see if she was okay, but her body soon copsed, and she joined the monster on the ground.

    Thest image that ire saw before everything turned ck was Elisa running towards her with a worried look on her face.

 Chapter 25 The Fallen Saintess (21)

    The heavy scent of blood filled the air as corpses could be seen scattered around the campsite.

    Torn off limbs, chunks of meat and damaged weaponsy next to the bodies of the mercenaries who had fallen in battle.

    Of course, thergest of these corpses was a massive bear-like monster.

    The creature was over eight feet tall with a muscr frame.

    And yet that monstrous abomination had been felled by a simple thrust. Its eyes were still open and the expression on its face was one ofplete surprise.

    Even in its final moments, the beast could not understand how a mere human had easily pierced its sturdy hide.

    The surviving mercenaries were currently throwing the corpses on a make-shift bonfire and tidying up the campsite.

    Predators and beasts roamed the outer regions, so this was a necessary precaution.

    Nothing was more attractive to a monster than the scent of fresh meat.

    The dark elves returned to their carriages when the fighting was over, but the fierce battle left a deep impression on their hearts.

    They could not believe that humans were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to protect them.

    Not a single dark elf had been injured when the bear-like monster broke into the campsite since the mercenaries formed a human shield.

    Of course, none of the former ves were aware that their brave ''heroes'' would have fled at the first sign of danger were it not for the dark seeds imnted in their minds.

    Captain Brian stood in the middle of the campsite and directed his men to clear out the surrounding forest and repair the damaged tents.

    The battle-hardened mercenary captain gazed at the dead bodies of hispanions but felt no sorrow or grief.

    There was small voice inside his mind screaming that his reaction was not normal, but Captain Brian ignored it.

    Captain Brian''s eyes zed over for a brief moment and the small voice disappeared.

    It was reced by a sensual whisper that made him feel a sense of joy and relief.

    Nothing was more important than serving his master''s bidding. The lives of dark elves were worth more than human lives¡­

    That wasmon knowledge.

    His only purpose in life was to protect the dark elves and escort them safely home.

    Meanwhile Elisa was currently inside one of thergest tents and staring intensely at the figure sleeping quietly on the mattress.

    The former saintess had numerous questions running through her mind but she pushed them all aside and focused on looking after ire.

    She reached for a nearby bucket of hot water and picked up the rag that was soaking inside the water.

    Elisa gently wiped the wet rag across ire''s forehead while channeling holy light into her fingertips.

    "O'' Lord of Light¡­ grant me your grace and evesting mercy¡­" Elisa reverently prayed.

    A warm glow surrounded her palms and the golden light entered ire''s body.

    The short-haired pdin groanedfortably and the tense expression on her face disappeared.

    She was still fast asleep, but Elisa could swear that her lips gently curved upwards when the holy light entered her body.

    "What am I going to do with you?" Elisa softly whispered as she stroked ire'' cheek.

    She had been just as shocked as everyone else when two translucent wings sprouted out of the pdin''s back.

    There was not a single record in either the Varion Church or the teachings of the dark elf tribe that described such a transformation.

    She waspletely in the dark and it was not a good feeling.

    Information was power and Elisa was someone ustomed to nning several steps ahead.

    Her feeling of goodwill¡­ or maybe something more¡­ towards ire was already an unexpected development

    Now she had no clue what this transformation symbolised.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Elisa scowled fiercely and she held her right palm directly above ire''s forehead.

    For a brief moment¡­ she was tempted to nt a dark seed inside her mind and there more she thought about it¡­

    The greater the temptation grew.

    It was the only logical choice. Although ire''s transformation was a mystery it was obvious that she may be a threat to her ns.

    Dark threads of ck magic gathered near Elisa''s fingertips and a savage expression shed across her face.

    It would just require a simple tap.

    One small movement and ire would be hers for the rest of her life. A puppet that would never betray or abandon her.

    Remember the prophecy¡­ you cannot allow someone to threaten your destiny¡­

    Elisa''s fingers got closer and closer to ire''s forehead but stopped mere centimeters away from her skin.

    At thest second, Elisa flung her palm away from ire''s body and angrily mmed her fist against the wall in frustration.

    She couldn''t do it.

    Despite knowing that ire was an unknown factor¡­

    Despite knowing that they would eventually stand on opposite sides¡­

    Elisa could not bring herself to nt a dark seed in her mind.

    She was a failure¡­ too soft-hearted to deal with a member of her people''s greatest enemy.

    The former saintess let out a groan and sank to the floor with her face in her hands. She remained frozen in ce for what seemed like hours before finallying to a decision.

    Elisa walked over to a small storage bag in the corner of the room and pulled out a piece of parchment paper and a quill.

    The dark elf princess pursed her lips together and then began to write.

    She first described her suspicions about the prophecy and whether or not the demons could be trusted not to turn on them immediately after they finished off humanity.

    It was not that Elisa did not have those doubts before but now that she found herself unable to finish off ire, she needed to adjust her n.

    Elisa hesitated for a moment and then wrote down a description of ire''s transformation and the strange holy aura that surrounded the pdin''s body.

    She ced the parchment paper in a white envelope and then wrote down the true name of the soothsayer.

    The dark elf homnd was a rtively close distance away so there was no need to take the risk and create a portal.

    Elisa walked out of the tent after taking one final look at ire''s sleeping figure. The former saintess took out a silver whistle from her pocket and blew on it gently.

    One of the bushes near the tent rustled slightly and a dark elf woman walked slowly towards the princess.

    She wore the same simple outfit as the rest of the former ves, but her eyes were much brighter and held no trace of sufferings.

    ? "My princess," the dark elf bowed respectfully.

    Elisa raised a finger to her lips and gestured towards the tent where ire was still unconscious.

    She handed the envelope over to her subordinate and instructed her to immediately go to the tribe and present her message to the soothsayer.

    "It will be done my princess," the dark elf whispered solemnly. She turned around and melted away into the shadows.

    Their conversation was witnessed by several mercenaries in the area but not a single one thought that there was anything unusual going on.

    Elisa''s hands moved around in a strange pattern, and she strengthened the dark seeds imnted in their minds.

    Her eyes briefly shed crimson as Elisa felt the familiar feeling of corrupt mana flooding through her veins.

    The former saintess returned to the tent and continued to look after ire as if nothing had just happened.

    She did not know that her message would set forward a chain of events that no one could have anticipated¡­

 Chapter 26 The Fallen Saintess (22)

    "Wha¡­ what¡­ what happened?" ire groggily whispered as she slowly opened her eyes.

    By the gods¡­ she felt like shit.

    Every muscle on her body was aching painfully, and she had a pounding headache that refused to go away.

    Thest thing she could remember was thrusting her sword forward into the skull of the bear-like monster before everything turned to darkness.

    She had no idea what happened next.

    The holy knight instinctively reached for her longsword but discovered that her armour and weapons had been ced a few feet away.

    ire looked down at her body and saw that she was now wearing a simple linen robe.

    There were bandages wrapped around her right palm with faint bloodstains on the fabric.

    ire painfully groaned as she forced her body to sit up. She needed to get a better look at her surroundings.

    Judging by the colour of the walls and the wide-open space, it was safe to assume that she was currently inside one of therger tents.

    There was a figure sleeping soundly on a chair in the corner of the tent.

    It was¡­ a dark elf? Huh?

    ire noticed that the dark elf wore the robes of a high priestess but that didn''t make any sense.

    Members of the foreign races were not allowed to serve positions in the Varion Church.

    This dark elf was a frail and slender girl, but she had two slightlyrge bumps in front of her chest.

    Her pointed ears twitched slightly as she slept, and her light brown skin disyed her racial heritage.

    The mysterious stranger also wore a golden amulet carved in the image of a sun that was identical to the one that Elisa sometimes carried around.

    A dangerous aura surrounded the dark elf that felt both familiar and strange at the same time.

    ire''s eyes began to itch uncontrobly the longer she stared at the dark elf.

    She quickly turned away with more questions than answers in her heart.

    What she didn''t realise at that moment was that her eyes werepletely golden and shining with purity and righteousness.

    ire took a deep breath to calm herself down and think rationally about the situation.

    Clearly if this stranger had wanted to hurt her then she would have probably done so already.

    What she needed to do now was probe this dark elf for information and find out what happened to Elisa and the rest of the convoy.

    ire opened her eyes and carefully walked over to her armour and longsword.

    Her muscles continued to ache, and the itching sensation got worse, but ire forced herself to move forward.

    She picked up her longsword and slowly approached the dark elf girl who was sleeping peacefully.

    The closer ire got to the dark elf, the more she noticed how abnormally pretty the mysterious stranger was.

    There was a hint of nobility in her soft facial features. She had high cheekbones and a cute button nose.

    ire stopped within striking distance of the dark elf and called out to her.

    "Hello? Can you tell me who you are?" ire spoke cautiously. The dark elf stirred slightly and opened her crimson eyes.

    "ire! You''re awake!" the dark elf cried out in joy.

    ire froze in ce as she recognised that voice. It definitely belonged to Elisa but¡­

    How could this dark elf speak in the exact same way?<novelnext></novelnext>

    The strange dark elf rushed forward and flung herself into ire''s arms while sobbing loudly in joy.

    ire dropped her longsword to the ground and did not react even as the dark elf kept checking her body to see if her injuries had reopened.

    What¡­ what was this? Howe Elisa was suddenly a dark elf?

    "What happened to your eyes?" the dark elf questioned with concern as she raised her hand to stroke ire''s cheek.

    "Look¡­ I''m sorry¡­ but¡­" ire hesitantly replied.

    She had a million questions to ask the former saintess but as the words reached her lips they disappeared.

    Elisa stared at her with those crimson eyes and ire did not have the courage to pierce her disguise.

    The former saintess was looking at her with an expression of affection but ire felt a sinking feeling in her chest.

    Her mind was a mess right now and she wasn''t sure how she would be able to handle whatever answer Elisa gave her.

    What would she even say?

    "Yeah¡­ yeah¡­ I''m fine¡­ I just have a slight headache," ire mimicked her usual tone and replied with a gentle smile.

    "But what''s wrong with my eyes?"

    Elisa reached into her robe and pulled out a small pocket mirror for ire to see. The holy knight nced at her reflection and saw a shocking sight.

    Her eyes were shining with a golden light and it appeared as though her pupils hadpletely disappeared.

    This wasn''t normal.

    Sui Li quickly searched through the original ire''s memories but found nothing.

    The original ire had never experienced anything like this before.

    In fact, her powers had steadily declined for the rest of her life until she was no stronger than an ordinary woman.

    "Does it hurt?" Elisa asked worriedly.

    "No¡­ I feel fine¡­" ire replied in a daze. There was just so much going on that ire had no idea what to do next.

    Should she confront Elisa about her being a dark elf or try to figure out what happened to her eyes first?

    It wasn''t like ire had a deep hatred against the dark elves or even the foreign races for that matter.

    Just like humans¡­ people were good, bad or even a mix of both.

    To judge an entire species as ''evil'' was just ignorance and prejudice. ire held Elisa''s soft body in her arms and hummed softly.

    She decided to not mention the matter¡­ at least not yet.

    It was clear that Elisa did not know that her disguise no longer worked on her, so this was a good opportunity to observe closely and see what her true goal was.

    ire saw firsthand just how kind and generous Elisa was to the less fortunate and the charity work that she did.

    It was hard to imagine her as a scheming viin plotting in the darkness.

    But there were just a few things that didn''t make sense¡­

    In the original ire''s memories, Elisa''s status immediately plummeted when Saintess Marie was chosen as the official sessor to the church.

    If Elisa was a dark elf, then what reason would she have to remain the capitol for several years while enduring humiliation and ridicule.

    And perhaps the greatest mystery of all¡­

    How was she able to channel the spiritual energy from the Lord of Light?

 Chapter 27 The Fallen Saintess (23)

    ire was oddly silent as she gripped the reins of the carriage and directed the horses to move in a northeastern direction.

    The sun crept down towards the horizon and the forest was illuminated by a warm orange glow.

    Elisa was currently sleeping inside the carriage since she was still tired from spending most of the day looking after ire while she was unconscious.

    ire did not want to disturb her rest and besides¡­

    She did not know how to face the former saintess.

    The fact that Elisa was secretly a dark elf was already a shocking matter but there was another dark secret that ire had discovered.

    The holy knight turned her attention to the mercenaries escorting the convoy of caravans and her golden eyes glowed even brighter.

    This mysterious ability allowed her to observe hidden things that she could not normally see.

    "Men! Don''t forget to check the surroundings for any concealed threats!" Captain Brian ordered in a firm tone.

    He received immediate replies from the nearby warriors who quickly raised their vignce.

    "Yes sir!"

    "Yes captain!"

    "Right away!"

    Several mercenaries closely guarded the caravan where the former dark elf ves were housed with the determination to give up their lives for those in the caravan.

    At first nce nothing seemed wrong but as ire narrowed her eyes and focused on the body of the nearest warrior¡­

    She could see a tiny ball of shadowy mes inside her mind that flickered and oozed with an oily texture.

    Dark tendrils erupted from the center of the shadowy ball that slowly spread throughout the rest of her body.

    The female warrior who ire was observing did not outwardly suffer any negative effects or disy any peculiarities.

    ire noticed that the female warrior was not an exception, and every other mercenary also had a ball of shadowy mes in their mind.

    Captain Brian especially had a ball of shadowy mes that wasrger than the ones imnted in the minds of his men.

    A few clues slowly began to piece together in ire''s mind as she suddenly recalled some details that made no sense in retrospect.

    Why would a random group of mercenaries be so obedient to hermands?

    Although she was a holy pdin from the church, mercenaries by nature were very resistant to authority and some should have hadints or intentionally made trouble.

    And more importantly¡­ mercenaries were individuals who sold their services for money.

    There was nothing wrong with such a profession, but these were not the kind of men who would give up their lives for a client.

    No¡­ not a client¡­

    During the battle with the bear-like monster, the mercenaries rather than focusing on the protection of ire or even Elisa¡­

    They solely protected the shivering dark elves.

    ire''s fingers tightened on the reins as the kind-hearted impression she initially had of Elisa was gradually beginning to crack.

    A seed of suspicion had been nted in her heart that was buried so deep that even the holy knight herself did not realise that it was there.

    And that seed would one day bear a bitter fruit¡­

    ire reached into her pocket and pulled out the hand mirror that she had gotten from Elisa a few hours earlier.

    She checked her reflection carefully and activated her new ability. Her golden eyes shone brightly with purity and righteousness.

    ire could now see tiny flecks of golden light and holy runes surroundings her body. The power inside those strange runes was oddlyforting.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was hard to describe but it was almost like wrapping yourself in a warm nket on a chilly afternoon.

    ire felt safe and protected as she allowed the unknown power to flow through her body from a ce beyond the void.

    The holy knight did not forget her true purpose and stared at her forehead searching for any trace of ck magic.

    There was nothing.

    ire slowly put down the mirror and stared at the endless trees in the forest with aplicated expression on her face.

    Why was there no trace of ck magic?

    If Elisa could control the minds of the mercenaries, then why wouldn''t she do the same to the holy knight tasked with defending her?

    ire knew that her promise to the original owner of this body meant that she would never break her vow to protect Elisa but the former saintess could not have known that.

    There was no better way to ensure your safety than to fully control the mind of the person tasked with protecting you.

    Loud roars and the sounds of fighting could be heard in the distance, but ire was too distracted to pay any attention.

    Shezily gestured to Captain Brian to move in the opposite direction of the noise and then returned to her contemtion.

    Was it even possible to get answers?

    There was a not so small part of ire that desperately wanted to go inside the carriage right now and confront Elisa about her secrets.

    "Damn it!" ire groaned as she absentmindedly touched the hilt of her sword.

    This mission was already going to be difficult and now she had this troublesome matter to deal with!

    ire had been able to make a vow with Lord Varion to protect Elisa which meant that her actions must have gotten the approval of the Lord of Light.

    Or¡­ the disguised dark elf somehow managed to trick the God who blessed humanity¡­

    Why couldn''t that so-called ''system'' give her some help or clues to know what to do next.

    ire felt like a blind man desperately working her way through the darkness without a guiding light.

    While she did have the original ire''s memories¡­

    They werepletely useless since the original ire spent the rest of her life in some godforsaken vige in the middle of nowhere.

    Did she know who made the portals connected to the demon world? No.

    Did she know who the viiness was? No.

    Did she know that dark elf spies infiltrated the Varion Church? No.

    ire rubbed her temples in frustration as she felt a pounding headache begin to set in. Her eyes started to itch, and the golden glow surrounding them gradually dimmed.

    The holy knight''s vision returned to normal, and she could no longer see the shadowy balls of me or the mysterious runes.

    "Five hundred meters away from our destination!" one of the mercenaries called out. ire raised her head and saw a scout pointing in a certain direction.

    Beyond the forest was an enormous city surrounded by massive concrete walls that towered towards the heavens.

    Known as the ''Last Bastion'', this city was thergest human settlement in the outer regions and was controlled by several powerful crime families.

    Those thick walls were a necessity against the frequent wave of monster attacks and the hostile foreign races.

    It was said that this city was the only thing keeping the rest of the continent from the wrath of the foreign races.

    Although that rumor was merely an old wives'' tale.

    The official name of the city was the City of Galrannor, and it was named after a famous pdin who allegedly yed thest member of the dragon n.

 Chapter 28 The Fallen Saintess (24)

    (Outer Regions)

    (City of Galrannor)

    "Elisa¡­ Elisa¡­ wake up," ire softly called out as she entered the carriage.

    The former saintess wasying down on the soft bench with her eyes tightly closed.

    ire reached out her hand to shake Elisa awake but stopped when her fingers were mere inches away from her skin.

    ire''s eyes softly glowed and Elisa''s human appearance faded away to reveal a dark elf with a simr physique.

    Why was everything soplicated?

    ire let out a heavy sigh and gently shook Elisa''s shoulders until the dark elf stirred slightly and opened her eyes.

    "Hmmm¡­ what''s wrong?" Elisa sleepily asked as she opened her mouth and yawned.

    "The city is about five hundred meters away, but I don''t think that it is a good idea to bring the dark elves inside," ire exined calmly.

    "Captain Brian suggested that we split up and his men will take the former ves further north while the two of us enter the city."

    "Yeah¡­ that sounds great," Elisa replied with a gentle smile.

    Her hands moved slightly, and ire could see thin threads of shadowy magic gathering at her fingertips.

    ire nced at Elisa''s hand and then focused her attention on her face.

    She could not react or give any hint that she could see the ck magic that Elisa was casting.

    Elisa''s true purpose and identity were a mystery that ire was not sure if she was ready to solve.

    If Elisa was hostile to the Lord of Light, then ire would be duty bound to stop her but if she was only hostile to the church then things were a bit murkier.

    Pdins swore their allegiance to Lord Varion not to the believers who worshipped in his name.

    It was an important distinction that sadly many holy knights did not pay attention to.

    ire touched the hilt of her sword and briefly imagined thrusting her de into Elisa''s heart.

    She couldn''t do it.

    The very thought alone made her sick.

    "Did you have a good rest?" ire politely asked as she quietly observed Elisa''s dark elf features.

    There was an exotic beauty to Elisa''s true form.

    Those pointed ears, sharp cheekbones and cute button nosebined to create a breathtaking disy.

    And her crimson eyes were oddly hypnotic¡­

    Elisa smiled warmly as she replied to ire''s question, "I had the most pleasant dream about serving the Lord of Light and bing the next pope."

    "Ruling over the continent and performing miracles in the name of Lord Varion and of course you were by my side as the Holy Commander of the Knights Order.

    "That''s quite the ambition. Do you wish to make it a reality?" ire joked in a half serious tone.

    "No¡­ I''m just kidding," Elisa teased as she stuck out her tongue andughed.

    For a brief moment, ire almost forgot that Elisa was a dark elf and just enjoyed thepany of the girl who she had gotten to know over thest few months.

    But the silent gap that had formed between the pair still remained.

    ire pushed those negative thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the current matter.

    She spent another five minutes talking to Elisa about their n to reorganise and see what the situation in the local temple was like.

    They also discussed Captain Brian''s offer and Elisa was a firm supporter of his idea.

    If this was a normal situation, then ire would have been worried about the possibility of the mercenaries stealing the former dark elf ves but¡­

    She knew better than anyone that Captain Brian and his men wouldy down their lives for the dark elves.

    "I''ll let Captain Brian know about the decision and then we''ll head for the city. Hopefully we can enter before the sun goespletely down," ire spoke clearly.

    Elisa nodded and then yawned again.

    She tried to fight the urge to sleep but her eyes gradually closed.

    ire left the former saintess in the carriage and then walked outside with a few thoughts swirling around inside her head.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She spotted Captain Brian in the distance staring at a certain direction that was beyond the city walls.

    ire approached the mercenary captain and saw that the shadowy ball of mes inside his mind had gotten a bit smaller.

    Was it possible that the mind control would eventually disappear?

    How exactly did ck magic work?

    ire coughed twice to get his attention and then opened her mouth to talk,

    "I''ve spoken to Elisa, and she has agreed to split up. We have no need for the caravans so you can feel free to take them once you have dropped off the dark elves in a safe location."

    "I wish you all the best on your journey and I hope that we may one day meet again."

    Although ire wasn''t sure if the mercenary captain would be grateful if they ever crossed paths again.

    "Thank you for your kind words," Captain Brian replied politely as he respectfully bowed at the holy knight.

    ire returned to the carriage and stepped onto the driver''s seat.

    She gripped the reins and steered the horses towards the massive concrete walls in the distance.

    The rest of the mercenary group gathered together and then headed off in the opposite direction.

    ire couldn''t resist taking a look back and saw that the mercenaries were eerily silent as they moved forward with dazed expressions on their faces.

    Only Captain Brian outwardly appeared normal, and he was the one barking out instructions for his men to follow.

    ire turned around and focused on the enormous concrete walls as the carriage got closer.

    There was a single entrance leading into the city and only one poorly constructed dirt road led to it.

    The carriage jostled slightly as the wheels bumped against the hard gravel stones in its path.

    ire observed several adventures and warriors wearing shoddy armour walking along the road while holding the corpses of monsters.

    She could not help but notice that some of these warriors were painfully thin with their ribs clearly visible against their flesh.

    There were even a few merchant caravans entering the city that were heavily guarded by teams of mercenaries.

    The security in the outer regions was practically nonexistent so to do business here required the protection of one of the crime lords or a private army.

    Five heavily armoured soldiers wearing different uniforms guarded the gates and asionally inspected the goods and travellers that came in.

    ire remained quiet as she saw the soldiers receive small tokens of appreciation from those entering the city.

    There was no need to cause trouble and besides there wasn''t anyone who could deal with this rampant corruption.

    ire patiently steered her carriage in line and waited behind a merchant group that was transporting some type of cargo in wooden crates.

    The process to enter the city was not particrly strict and soon it was ire turn to face the soldiers.

    "Next in line! Come on move it!" one of the soldiers guarding the gate roared.

    ire maintained a cold expression and leaked out a trace of killing intent.

    The soldier that had just shouted loudly shuddered as he felt a terrifying chille from the woman in front of him.

    ire reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag. She took two silver coins from the bag and handed them to the shivering guard.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­ no problem here!" the soldier stuttered as he spoke.

    ire entered the city without much fuss but what she saw next made her furrow her brows.

    This city was basically a giant slum.

    There were a few well-built mansions in the center of the city, but the majority of buildings were hastily constructed.

    Roofs with broken tiles, cracked walls and broken doors were just some of the problems that ire observed.

    Filth and sewage could be seen along the sides of the street and an unpleasant scent of blood filled the air.

    The people living inside the city were dirty with dust and soot covering their clothes and their eyes gleamed with savagery.

    As ire led the carriage towards the direction of the local temple, she saw fights break out randomly that usually ended with someone''s bleeding corpseying lifelessly on the ground.

    This city was a hellhole.

 Chapter 29 The Fallen Saintess (25)

    The city was far moreplicated to navigate than ire initially anticipated.

    The streets were long and winding with numerous side alleyways and dead ends. It more resembled abyrinth than a proper roadwork.

    Sewage and filth were scattered around the ce and the dirty residents stared at the carriage with hungry expressions on their faces.

    Fortunately, ire''s cold aura and the trace of killing intent that was leaking out of her body kept the scavengers away.

    Elisa by some miracle was still sleeping in the carriage and ire did not want to wake up the former saintess.

    Eventually they arrived at arge open square where dozens of stalls had been set up.

    The vendors in this marketce only sold one kind of product but there were many customers eager to buy.

    Next to most stalls was a rack where the corpses of monsters were hung.

    Blood still dripped off some of the bodies and a stench of death hovered over the entire marketce.

    Vendors puffed their chests and loudly called out to the customers milling around the square hoping to attract their attention.

    "Flesh of a Meiruka bird! Only three silver coins!"

    "The fresh corpse of a Lrien beast! It managed to kill three mercenaries before it was finally in!"

    "Three bronze coins for a slice of meat! The first batch is free!"

    Monster meat was high in proteins and fat.

    There were even rumors that eating this meat would cause one to gain the strength of the beasts themselves.

    Most dismissed these rumors as falsehoods but there were records in the Varion Church''s library of some rare exceptions.

    However, it was unlikely that any meat in this marketce belonged to a disaster ss monster.

    ire furrowed her brows as she saw one customer buy a piece of meat only to be immediately stabbed in the back.

    The vendor who just sold him the meat continued to smile and began talking to another customer as if nothing had happened.

    It appeared as though one needed both financial strength and the ability to take their product away from the square.

    Once again ire was reminded of just how brutal this city was.

    Theck ofw and order created an atmosphere of violence and savagery.

    "Excuse me boss¡­ can I interest you in visiting my stall?" a nasally voice called out.

    An elderly man with a greedy smile on his face approached the carriage while rubbing his two hands together.

    Compared to most of the residents, this man was obviously well fed as his belly was clearly visible through his clothes.

    He wore a in white shirt and a pair of ck pants that loosely hung below his belt.

    ire reached into the bag ced on the floor of the driver''s seat and rummaged around for three silver coins.

    She picked up the coins and with one smooth motion threw them over to the elderly man.

    He quickly snatched the coins out of midair and ced them in his pocket with a swiftness not usually seen in a man his age.

    "Tell me how to get to the church," ire coldly spoke.

    The elderly man froze for a moment and ire could see a hint of disgust surface in his eyes.

    He seemed conflicted on whether or not to answer ire''s question but eventually he looked at the coins in his palm and sighed.

    "Go down that road for around seven hundred meters and then turn left twice at the intersections," the merchant exined in a low tone.

    "Knock on the door three times and the password for the newest batch of products is ''Sunset''."

    Products? Newest batch of products?

    Was the Varion Church selling something to raise funds?

    It was not unheard of especially in areas where the donations werecking.

    But there was something about the merchant''s attitude that instantly raised ire''s suspicions.

    Why would a password be needed?<novelnext></novelnext>

    ire wanted to question the merchant about this, but he had long disappeared into the crowd milling around the open square.

    This city was getting more mysterious by the moment and ire was suddenly struck by the urge to just pack up and leave.

    Maybe it was her instinct, but she could somehow tell that what was waiting for them at the local temple would not be pleasant.

    Still¡­ a knight could not abandon their duties so with a heavy heart ire gripped the reins of the carriage and set off in the direction of the church.

    The merchant pointed to the direction of the inner region of the city and as ire drove the carriage further inside¡­

    The gap between the rich and the poor was clearly visible.

    Houses and buildings were no longer made from shoddy materials but had evidentially been properly constructed by architects.

    The streets were noticeably cleaner, and the scent of sewage could not longer be detected.

    Armoured soldier patrolled the streets and maintained order.

    Any dirty resident who attempted to enter the inner region was chased away.

    This region belonged to the major crime families that controlled the city''s dark underground. The fact that the local church was built here was not good news.

    "Okay so two left turns¡­" ire whispered to herself as she nodded at the soldier staring at the carriage.

    "Where are we?" Elisa asked sleepily.

    The former saintess poked her head out of the carriage window and stared at ire.

    ire tugged on the reins and the horses stopped moving. Elisa opened the carriage door and went outside.

    She approached the driver''s seat and ire held out her hand subconsciously to help her up.

    Elisa smiled warmly and ced her palm inside ire''s firm grip.

    She sat down next to ire and quietly looked at the soldiers wearing different uniforms who were walking around the street.

    "Stay next to me at all times. This city is quite the dangerous ce," ire warned as she pulled on the reins to get the horses to resume moving.

    Elisa hummed softly in acknowledgment and then rested her head on ire''s shoulders. There was afortable silence between the pair as they travelled through the city.

    It took around ten minutes before a two-story building came into view. This building was located near the end of a street and had no other houses nearby.

    Its walls and roof were paintedpletely white, and arge statue of a golden sun had been ced in front of the building.

    There was a small plot ofnd behind the church and ire could see vegetable fields and a livestock pen.

    As the carriage neared the church, the sounds of screams and cries could be hearding from inside the building.

    ire urged the horses to move faster and hurriedly rushed towards the entrance. Elisa could also tell that something was wrong as her eyes briefly shed crimson.

    "Remember to stay close to me," ire ordered firmly as she unsheathed her longsword and leapt off the driver''s seat.

    The words of the merchant echoed through her mind and ire knew that whaty inside the church probably had something to do with the products that he mentioned.

    Elisa nodded and followed closely behind as the pdin walked towards the door and heavily knocked thrice.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    "Sunset," ire loudly called out to whoever was behind the door.

    She tightened the grip on her sword as a warm glow of holy light enveloped her de.

    The sound of footsteps could be hearding from the other side of the door as someone approached.

    The door swung open and a beautiful woman in herte twenties with long blonde hair and cold green eyes appeared.

    She wore the usual attire of a nun, but her clothes were made from imported silk.

    Heavy gold chains hung around her neck and the diamond earrings in her ears gleamed under the afternoon light.

    "My apologies but we have an important client currently inspecting the children," the nunzily spoke.

    "Pleasee tomorrow and I can reserve some nice young boys¡­ or girls for you to have fun with..."

    The nun''s words trailed off as ire''s sword was at her throat before she even had the time to react.

 Chapter 30 The Fallen Saintess (26)

    (Nameless POV)

    My mother was a strong believer in the church.

    Even when our father abandoned us, and the debt collectors came knocking at our door¡­

    She still prayed.

    Elder brother said that she was an idiot, but his harsh words never seemed to bother the woman who raised us on her own.

    Every night she would read from an old, tattered book and tell us stories of the brave pdins and priests who fought the fearsome foreign races.

    I must admit at that time¡­ I wanted to be a brave hero as well.

    Lord Varion in his infinite kindness and mercy had blessed humanity with the power to protect ourselves from threats.

    Life is the slums was hard but bearable.

    Elder brother got a job as an errand boy for a local butcher shop and mom decided to sell fresh fruits in the marketce.

    Slowly but surely the enormous debt that was weighing down on our shoulders got lighter by the day.

    My heart was filled with thankfulness towards Lord Varion for his blessings.

    Then one day my mother died.

    ? We never saw the body. ording to the olddy down the street, a powerful gangster wanted to spend a night with her, and she refused.

    And then she died.

    Elder brother refused to tell me the details, but I know what those vicious brutes do to those who stand up to them.

    My mother was not a wicked woman.

    She was a hard worker who did no evil and sincerely worshipped the Lord of Light regrly.

    She would visit the Varion Church every Sunday to drop off any extra coins that she had as an offering to the local priest.

    She was the ray of light in my life and without her my world fell into darkness.

    My faith in Lord Varion was shaken but I firmly believed that perhaps this was all part of his n.

    I was grasping at straws but to me¡­ this faith was all that I had left.

    I was only fourteen years old at the time, so my brother decided to send me off to the church to be a junior nun.

    I begged him toe with me, but he refused despite my pleads.

    I could see the hatred in his eyes that he tried so desperately to conceal from me.

    He wanted revenge on the man who killed his mother. I don''t know if he seeded because I don''t think he will ever return to visit me again.

    On my first day I met a beautiful blonde nun with green eyes that seemed to sparkle with love and affection.

    Her name was Sister A.

    The local priest was a jovial man with a heavy potbelly and wrinkles across his elderly face. He patted me on the back and told me to call him Father Simon as he led me inside the church.

    The inside of the Varion Church was even more splendid than the outside.

    The floors were paved with gold and luxurious statues were scattered around the congregation hall.

    Paintings depicting scenes from the stories that my mother used to tell me were hung on the walls.

    I was in awe as I stood in the midst of all this wealth and opulence.

    Maybe if I had been paying more attention, I would have noticed several details that weren''t quite right.

    The children who lived in the church were unusually quiet.

    They spoke in hushed whispered and wore long robes that covered most of their bodies.

    Some limped slightly as they walked while others were missing limbs such as an arm or even a leg.

    The oldest among them was seventeen and she wandered through the halls with a dazed expression on her face.

    On my first night I was assigned to a dorm room with five other children who quietly looked at me with strange emotions in their eyes.

    One of the boys walked up to me and tried to say something but another stopped him from speaking.

    Sister A called us down for dinner and in the banquet, hall was the most luxurious feast that I had ever seen.

    The scent of roasted meat filled the air as the table was set with dozens if not hundreds of different cuisines to sample.

    Strangely enough none of the children seemed eager to sit at the table and were waiting along the side of the walls.

    I thought that this was a bit odd, but I got in line and waited patiently with the rest of them.

    Eventually Father Simon and Sister A walked into the banquet hall apanied by a few heavily armoured knights.

    There was a man standing in the middle of the knights who looked a bit out of ce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He appeared to be in his early thirties and wore an expensive ck suit. A heavy gold chain was hung around his neck.

    His facial features were sharp almost like a hawk and his nose was slightly curved to the left. His physique was thin and wiry but one could see the outline of muscles beneath his clothes.

    I didn''t like the look in his eyes.

    He stared at us with a gaze as if he was inspecting animals in a pen.

    Worse yet, there was sickly feeling in my chest as his eyes flickered over to my position.

    The emotion in his gaze changed and I recognised that look.

    It was the same look that some men would give my mother as she walked down the street.

    Chills ran down my spine as the man licked his lips and continued to stare at me with a hungry expression.

    "Stop fidgeting!" Father Simon yelled at me as I tried to shrink away behind the shadow of a nearby pir.

    The kind and jovial appearance on his face melted away and his true appearance was revealed.

    The children next to me trembled and one by one they slowly removed their robes under the pressure.

    I could not stop the shocked gasp from escaping my mouth when I saw the state of their bodies.

    Dark purplish bruises and whip marks covered their skin.

    Some whimpered as their wounds had not fully healed and blood dripped from the scabs that cracked.

    Fear filled my heart as I soon came to the realisation that my fate would be no better than theirs.

    I desperately scrambled to my feet and tried to run out of the hall, but I could not escape the well-trained knights who came after me.

    One punched me in the stomach so hard that I kneeled down on the floor and vomited.

    Father Simon wanted to make an example out of me to the other children, so the knight kept beating me mercilessly.

    I screamed until my voice went hoarse, but the punches did not stop.

    Blood dripped down from my forehead, and I saw Father Simon chatting with the wealthy man as if nothing unusual was happening.

    This was the moment when my faith finally crumbled.

    My mother trusted the Lord of Light and she died.

    My brother trusted his believers to look after me and they were no better than the monsters who took my mother away.

    I hate them¡­ I hate them¡­ I HATE THEM.

    A harsh knocking sound came from the front of the church, so Father Simon sent Sister A to look into it.

    I was fading in and out of consciousness as my vision slowly turned dark.

    I could feel rough hands reach for my shirt as one of the knights attempted to strip away my clothes.

    "No¡­ no¡­ please¡­" I hoarsely whispered but those terrible hands continued to violently tear at the fabric covering my body.

    I summoned thest strength that I had left and viciously kicked at the knight.

    My foot mmed against his dull armour, and I could feel my bones crack.

    The knight was furious when he saw my act of rebellion and reached for his sword. The cold glint of his steel gleamed under the torchlight.

    I closed my eyes and waited for death.

    Suddenly I heard the sound of something crashing down next to me and frightened cries echoed through the hall.

    I slowly opened my eyes and saw a sight that I would never forget.

    The knight who had been mercilessly beating me just a few moments ago was now dead with a frozen expression of terror on his face.

    There was a massive hole in the middle of his chest.

    A beautiful short haired female knight strode into the hall with a sword that was enveloped with a soft yellow glow.

    Her face was cold, but I could see the disgust and rage in her eyes as she stared at the what the church had be.

    Two translucent wings sprouted out from behind her back and her eyes started to shine with a golden light.

    The knights rushed over to stop her, but they were no match for her unfathomable power.

    She casually swung her sword and a beam of holy light burst out from the tip of her de.

    This wave of light bisected the iing knights in half and their corpses fell to the ground with a dull thump.

    Blood sttered across the floor and in that moment the pdin bore more resemnce to a murderous butcher than a servant of God.

    But in my eyes¡­

    She was an angel.

 Chapter 31 The Fallen Saintess (27)

    (City of Galrannor)

    (Temple of The Varion Church)

    Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­

    ire''s footsteps echoed through the hall as she slowly approached the elderly priest who shivered in horror.

    Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­

    Corpsesy scattered across the ground and the heavy scent of blood filled the air.

    ire''s golden eyes shone with purity and righteous as holy runes floated around her body.

    "Stay¡­ stay back!" Father Simon roared as he stumbled backwards and tried to flee the hall.

    ire''s figure vanished from the spot and reappeared directly behind him. She moved at a speed faster than what the human eye could detect.

    She used her sword to sever his tendons and the elderly priest copsed on the floor.

    He hollered in pain but the cold expression on ire''s face did not crack even for a moment.

    She gazed at the terrified children in the hall and saw the wounds and scars on their bodies.

    Some had obviously been starved since their ribs could clearly be seen against their skin.

    "Please¡­ mercy¡­ mercy¡­" Father Simon begged as he gripped his legs in pain.

    A silent rage filled ire''s heart as she stared at the priest who was begging for mercy.

    Mercy?

    He wanted mercy for what he had done to defile this sacred ce of worship.

    He wanted mercy for the children whose lives he had destroyed for profit and greed.

    ire darkly chuckled as her piercing blue eyes locked onto the terrified priest and seemed to stare into his soul.

    A man who swore to devote himself to the God of Light deserved forgiveness and a chance for redemption.

    But that forgiveness would have to be earned in his next life¡­

    ire narrowed her eyes and with one smooth motion, she thrust her sword directly into the elderly priest''s chest and killed him.

    The holy knight pulled out her blood-soaked de and turned her attention to the only adult left in the hall.

    "Wait! My name is Robert Bruno! I am the young master of the Bruno family¡­ you can''t afford to hurt me!" the young man stammered fearfully.

    He wore an expensive ck suit and ire quickly judged that he must have been one of the clients who visited the church.

    The Bruno family¡­

    ire was not familiar with the local powers that controlled the city but knew that there were five major crime families.

    Was the Bruno family one of them?

    Well¡­ it did not matter¡­

    "Did this man ever touch any of you?" ire coldly spoke as she turned to the children.

    Her voice echoed through the hall and a desperate expression appeared on Robert''s face.

    There was a brief moment of silence before one brave boy tremblingly stepped forward and pointed at the well-dressed man.

    "He¡­ he¡­ killed my brother¡­" the little boy whispered softly.

    His finger trembled but a silent rage burned in his eyes.

    "He''s lying! This is my first time here! Why would I ever kill one of these stinky brats?!" Robert pleaded frantically as he saw ire walking towards him.

    "I''m not the only one! Why me?! Father Simon has been running this ce for decades and there wasn''t a problem!"

    "If you hurt me then I promise that the Bruno family will never let you go!"

    The translucent wings on ire''s backzily pped up and down as the pdin held out her long sword and swung it forward.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A burst of holy light erupted from the tip of her de and mmed into the neck of the well-dressed man.

    Robert''s head crashed to the floor with an expression of disbelief still on his face.

    ire closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths.

    The translucent wings on her back slowly disappeared and the holy aura that was covering her body gradually faded away.

    Perhaps what she did was foolish.

    No¡­ it most certainly was¡­

    But when she felt that strange power flow through her body¡­

    ire felt a rush of pleasure as she ughtered those who disobeyed and betrayed the will of Lord Varion.

    ire opened her eyes and saw Elisa slowly walk into the hall with her priestess robe swaying gently from side to side.

    She stepped over the corpses without an expression of difort and walked over to the injured children.

    The former saintess went around the hall and ce a warm palm on each of their foreheads. She channeled spiritual light to heal any hidden injuries or bruises on their bodies.

    One girl in particr required extra attention because her body was on the verge of death. The young girl whispered her thanks to Elisa before passing out.

    Elisa furrowed her brows and decided to mix a thin thread of ck magic in the holy light.

    This was a memory modification spell that would blur certain memories that the caster wished to conceal.

    These memories would not be deleted but rather the victim would see the details as fuzzy and unclear.

    It was difficult for young children to deal with such heavy trauma at their age, so Elisa wanted to give them a fresh start.

    She softlyforted the children who were crying and tried to calm down the ones that stared at ire with fear in their eyes.

    ire took a well-worn rag out of her pocket and wiped down her de.

    She ced her sword back in its sheath and then crossed her arms.

    This was a bad situation. They had just arrived in the city and had already formed an enmity with one of the crime families.

    ire recalled the look on the merchant''s face who had given her direction to the church and let out a heavy sigh.

    Clearly the church''s poor reputation was already known in the city so it would be hard to gather support from the local poption.

    ughtering the major crime families was an option but who would take their ce?

    A power vacuum could throw the city into even further chaos.

    ire did not n on killing them all but those who had yed and toyed with the bodies of children in the church could not be forgiven.

    There must be a ledger list or at least some records of the transactions that took ce in the church.

    A voice in her mind kept whispering softly to punish the sinners. It whined quietly in the background but was gradually driving ire insane.

    She didn''t even notice Elisa as she silently walked over a ced a warm hand on her shoulders.

    The voice disappeared when Elisa touched her body and ire was finally able to think normally once more.

    "We should send the children to bed and then figure out what to do next," Elisa suggested as she gestured at the small figures huddled together.

    "I will send a message to the main temple in the capitol tomorrow and describe the current situation here."

    "Hopefully the pope will dispatch additional forces so that we may restore the reputation of the church."

    ire opened her mouth to respond when the doors at the back of the banquet hall swung open and several nuns and priests entered the room.

    They walked into the hall with confidence and their loud voices broke the quiet atmosphere inside the room.

    "We heard some noise¡­ is everything okay?"

    "Father Simon¡­ you promised that I could watch this time!"

    "Wait¡­ what''s that on the ground¡­ AHHHHH!!!!"

 Chapter 32 The Fallen Saintess (28)

    (Temple of The Varion Church)

    (Private Study Room)

    Night had fallen. The sky was nothing more than a terrifying void of darkness popted by thousands of flickering stars.

    ire sat silently on a chair and browsed through the documents on the table in front of her.

    The roaring firece in the corner of the room provided a dim lighting that made it possible to see the reports.

    ire''s golden eyes gleamed with rage as she read through the ledger list that Father Simon had kept in his private study.

    The extent of the church''s corruption and depravity was far beyond what she could have ever imagined.

    Bribes, smuggling, drugs, prostitution¡­ and more¡­

    These were just some of the worst offenses on the list.

    Father Simon had formed connections with all the major crime families in order to ensure that his illegal businesses continued to flourish.

    ire let out a heavy sigh as she gently ced her hands on the desk and thought about what to do next.

    The remaining members of the church were locked up in the basement.

    It was not that ire was feeling merciful but rather she wanted to interrogate them for more information.

    No one was innocent here.

    The priests and nuns who entered the banquet hall did not seem surprised when they saw the half-naked children with scars on their bodies.

    Whether they directly participated or silently pretended not to notice did not make a difference.

    Evil was evil.

    ire knew that her thinking was slowly morphing into the extremes.

    It was not from the influence of the original ire''s memories but rather a side effect of using the newfound power that flowed through her body.

    But could she afford to not use it?

    This city was a dangerous ce and strength was the only thing that mattered.

    ire could feel the barrier that prevented her from bing a tier one knight slowly loosen the more she killed those who betrayed the church.

    Tier one knight could be ssified as superhumans.

    Their bodies would be impervious to normal attacks whether by arrows or by des.

    Extreme reflexes, speed, healing and enhanced strength were just some of the abilities that they possessed.

    A legion of hundreds of tier two knights would be nothing but cannon fodder when faced with such a powerhouse.

    But it was not easy to reach that level.

    The number of active tier one knights in the continent could be counted on both hands.

    ire rubbed her temples and flipped another page.

    "You son of a bitc¡­" ire''s voice trailed off in shock as she saw the information on the sheet of parchment paper.

    It was a list.

    Father Simon had recorded the names of every guest who had visited the church within thest five years.

    The list included at least one hundred names and most of the individuals belonged to various underworld forces in the city.

    Sinners¡­ sinners¡­  THEY WERE ALL SINNERS!

    ire shrieked in agony as a fierce burst of pain erupted in her mind.

    Her golden eyes shone with an eerie light as tworge translucent wings sprouted out from behind her back.

    The holy knight fell to the floor and convulsed as muscle spasms ravaged her body.

    The pain was unlike anything that ire had ever experienced before, and it felt as though someone was burning her soul.

    "Stop¡­ stop¡­" ire hoarsely groaned as she tried to grab the leg of the chair to support herself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her fingers trembled as she grabbed onto the chair''s leg and tried to stop her body from uncontrobly shaking.

    ire closed her eyes and bit her lip in an effort to stop herself from screaming out at the top of her lungs.

    It hurt¡­ it hurt so much¡­

    She fell into a strange state where her mind tried to fall unconscious, but the sharp bursts of pain kept bring her back to sanity.

    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pounding headache inside her mind slowly disappeared and she could think once more.

    ire opened her eyes and discovered that most of the room was nowpletely destroyed.

    All the pages and documents were scattered across the floor and the desk and chair had copsed.

    "What was that?" ire whispered to herself as she summoned thest reserves of strength in her body and tried to stand up.

    She didn''t notice at the time, but her body felt a lot lighter and more powerful than usual.

    ire''s eyes burned for a moment and then something magical happened.

    She could see dozens if not hundreds of tiny golden threads flowing out from her body and travelling off in different directions.

    It was a strange sight that caused ire to freeze in ce.

    The holy knight cautiously reached out and touched one of the threads with hesitant movements.

    The image of a handsome middle-aged man currently smoking a cigar inside what appeared to be a brothel appeared in her mind.

    Somehow ire could automatically tell how far away this brothel was and the name of the man in her vision.

    His name Martin Bruno.

    She loosened her grip on the golden thread and the mysterious image disappeared from her mind.

    ire waited for a few minutes to make sure that there weren''t any dangerous side effects and then touched another thread.

    This name she saw a seductive woman in her early thirties with a plump voluptuous figure and two massive mountains that swayed hypnotically from side to side.

    She wore a sexy red lingerie set and was currently swimming in a pool outside a two-story white mansion.

    Her name was Lilian Ward.

    ire continued to experiment with these golden threads and soon she saw more faces and information about people whom she had never met.

    Some were old. Others were young.

    Ugly and beautiful. Tall and short.

    The onlymonality was that they all seemed to be fairly well off.

    Wait a minute¡­ where had she seen those names before?

    ire furrowed her brows as a sudden idea popped into her head. She hurried over to the pieces of paper scattered across the floor and looked for the one with the list.

    It was hidden behind a stack near the destroyed chair.

    ire quickly picked it up and scanned the list of names.

    What the¡­.

    Most of the people who were connected to the golden threads were individuals whose names were written down on the list.

    As for the ones that weren''t, ire had a sneaking suspicion that perhaps their names would be on the records kept that spanned a period of time beyond five years.

    "The ability to find those who used the church to do evil?" ire muttered seriously.

    She felt a strong desire flow through her mind and her body started to move like a puppet dancing on a string.

    The holy knight unsheathed her longsword as a trace of killing intent leaked out of her body.

    A tremendous pressure descended on the study room and cracks began to form on the ground.

    ire''s eyes shone with purity and righteousness as she jumped out of the window and the two wings on her back unfurled to lift her up into the skies.

    It was time for a hunt.

 Chapter 33 The Fallen Saintess (29)

    (City of Galrannor)

    (The Slums- Madam Rose''s Brothel)

    ire gently stepped on a rooftop and looked down at the city below her feet.

    The scent of sewage and filth filled the air.

    Homeless men and women huddled together for warmth and tried to avoid the roaming gangsters that patrolled the area.

    Loud cursing and the asional sounds of fighting could be hearding from the distance.

    Dozens or maybe hundreds of golden threads flowed out of ire''s body and led towards different locations.

    Two magnificent translucent wings sprouted out from her back and her eyes were glowing with a golden luster.

    ire tightened her grip on her longsword as she felt a rush of power flow through her veins.

    It was unlike anything that she had ever felt before.

    This power¡­ this strength¡­ was incredibly addicting.

    There was a small voice inside her mind screaming that something was wrong, but ire ignored the noise.

    Sinners needed to be punished.

    ire jumped off the roof andnded on the ground with a heavy thud.

    She ignored the shocked expressions on the faces of those who saw her appearance and headed towards arge one-story building.

    A sickeningly sweet scent of perfume flowed out of the building whose walls were painted a bright pink colour.

    Giggling men and women posed in front of the entrance of the building wearing skimpy lingerie sets that barely covered their bodies.

    "Excuse me¡­ what are you doing here?" arge man growled and tried to block ire''s path.

    The holy knight stared at him for a moment and then stepped forward.

    She gripped him by the throat and then flung his massive body to the side with frightening ease.

    The security guard crashed against a nearby wall, and then slid to the ground while groaning in pain.

    The prostitutes in front of the building screamed in terror but ire passed them by without touching them.

    She was not here to hurt the innocent.

    Only her targets would be punished.

    The golden thread that had led her to this ce of carnal pleasure was connected to a man named Martin Bruno.

    ire assumed that he was also a member of the powerful Bruno family but there was not a single trace of fear in her heart.

    The holy knight entered the building and found herself in arge open hall with a raised tform in the center of the room.

    Exotic dancers wriggled and twisted against poles while a crowd of expensively dressed men and women cheered them on.

    ire saw a handsome middle-aged man at the back of the room who was currently enjoying the services of two scantily d women.

    His face was contorted in pleasure, and he used his hands to gently rub the top of their heads.

    A few bodyguards stood silently a fair distance away from him and were constantly scanning the brothel for any unexpected threats.

    The holy knight''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    She reappeared right next to Martin before he could even react to her sudden presence.

    ire swung her sword and a burst of holy light erupted from the tip of her de.

    This beam of light mmed into Martin''s chest and neatly bisected his body in half. His corpse fell to the ground and loud screams could be heard.

    The scantily d women who were next to his body ran away in fear as they felt the shadow of death loom over them.

    "What have you done?!" a voice erupted in rage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ire tilted her head and saw three heavily armoured soldiers rushing towards her.

    They were dressed in a yellow and blue coloured uniforms and the hatred in their eyes was clear to see.

    One of the soldiers swung his sword at ire''s exposed neck but the holy knight did not even flinch.

    Crack!

    The sword shattered against ire''s flesh and a cold expression appeared on her face. She knew that his attack would not be able to hurt her.

    The power whispered to her¡­ it said that she could not longer be hurt by ordinary weapons.

    It told her that nothing could stop her¡­

    Nothing.

    "A¡­ a tier one knight?!" one of the soldiers gasped in shock.

    "No¡­ I''ve seen a tier one knight before¡­ what kind of monster are you?"

    Their hatred soon turned to fear as ire''s inhuman eyes that shone brightly like a sun turned towards them.

    Holy runes floated in the air above her body and in that moment, she seemed like an angel of death sent down to cast judgement on the guilty.

    ire took one step forward and the armoured soldiers immediately dropped their weapons and fled.

    Although they may have some loyalty to the Bruno family¡­

    Loyalty meant nothing in the face of death.

    The atmosphere inside the brothel waspletely silent as neither the patrons nor the dancers dared to even move a single muscle.

    "My name is ire nlyn, and I am a holy pdin of the Varion Church. I have punished Martin Bruno for his crime of defiling a sacred ce," ire coldly spoke.

    "Those whomit evil in the temple of the Lord of Light will be hunted down and killed under article neen of the Inquisitor Code."

    The wings on her back unfurled and the sounds of trumpets could be hearding from somewhere beyond the void.

    ire touched another golden thread and saw a new location sh across her mind.

    This time her target was fast asleep in his bed.

    The room where he slept was a luxurious open space with a king-sized mattress and expensive paintings that hung on the walls.

    He was a skinny man with arge, hooked nose and two beady eyes that made him seem almost like a rat.

    His name was Liam Morris, and he was another client who had used the church to satisfy his sadistic need for torture and other sick desires.

    ire''s brows furrowed and she felt a trace of disgust enter her heart.

    How could Father Simon forsake his vows and do such monstrous things?

    The holy knight could feel her faith in the Varion Church slowly begin to crumble away.

    The Lord of Light had blessed humanity with his power to protect the weak and to make the world a better ce.

    And this was how they repaid him¡­

    ire took one final look at the corpseying lifelessly at her feet and then walked out of the brothel with slow, purposeful steps.

    The golden threads connected to her body was her calling.

    While it was impossible to fully eliminate evil from this world and maybe her actions would do more harm than good¡­

    ire was determined to see her task out to the bitter end.

    Those who betrayed and sullied the name of Lord Varion would pay the ultimate price.

    Tonight, was destined to be a night of bloodshed.

 Chapter 34 The Fallen Saintess (30)

    (City of Galrannor)

    (Local Temple Of The Varion Church)

    The city was in chaos.

    Elisa quietly stared out of a window and saw countless fires in the distance. Loud screams and the sounds of intense fighting could be heard.

    ire had left the church two days ago and still had not returned.

    Cough! Cough!

    The former saintess knelt down in pain as a series of violent coughs ravaged her already thin and frail body.

    She hadn''t slept properly since ire''s disappearance.

    A shadow fell across Elisa''s face as she stared at the flecks of blood thatnded on her palm.

    The ability to use both holy and ck magic came with a tremendous price.

    Elves were an unusually long-lived species, but Elisa''s lifespan would be no longer than that of an average human.

    But she had never once hesitated to go down this path.

    In order to infiltrate the Varion Church, Elisa was prepared to do anything.

    Her people needed the strength topete with humanity or else what awaited them was very and destruction.

    Elisa closed her eyes and stretched out her right hand towards the nearest wall.

    She rotated her palm clockwise and then counterclockwise as she muttered a few iprehensible words.

    A beam of dark energy burst out of her right palm that filled the room with an aura of death and decay.

    "Nerium vontains eprer nrhe!" Elisa chanted quietly.

    A portal madepletely out of darkness appeared on the wall.

    One solitary figure strode out of the portal and dropped to his knees as he approached the dark elf princess.

    He was an inhumanly beautiful dark elf man who wore a simple brown cloak that covered most of his body.

    "My princess¡­ I havee with a report," the dark elf spoke respectfully.

    He did not even dare to raise his head and meet Elisa''s eyes as the princess'' fierce reputation was well known.

    "Speak," Elisa whispered coldly as she moved over to a nearby chair and sat down.

    The dark elf scout cleared his throat nervously as a terrible chill descended on the room. He could feel frost begin to form on his legs.

    There was something about Elisa that even her fellow dark elves both feared and admired.

    It was her power.

    She was the most talented ck mage since the ancient era when their forefathers ruled the continent.

    The dark elf wiped the beads of sweat that had begun to form on his brow and then spoke,

    "The heads of three of the major crime families have all been killed. In addition, several high-profile members of the underworld have also been found dead."

    "The city is in aplete panic. The holy pdin who apanied you has now been confirmed to be a tier one knight."

    "No one can stop her murderous rampage. Opinions differ on her actions, but most believe that she has been sent by the pope to clean up the city."

    "Dark forces have tried to kill her, but no one has seeded."

    "Some gangs have even decided to flee the city overnight."

    Elisa leaned forward and listened carefully to the report given by the dark elf scout. This was beyond her expectations.

    Her original n was to quietlyy a curse connected to the surviving children that would punish the ones who abused them.

    But ire had gone a step above.

    She was singlehandedly fighting a war against the major crime families¡­.

    And winning.

    She was a tier one knight?

    This was bad news for the foreign races as every tier one powerhouse was equivalent to a one- man army.

    No¡­ ire was not just a normal tier one knight. Elisa had never seen a tier one knight with two translucent wings on her back or eyes that shone with a golden luster.

    What should she do?

    Elisa maintained her cold expression, but numerous thoughts were running across her mind.

    For once the princess who prided herself on her ability to rationally n and strategize was at aplete loss.

    No¡­ she needed to see her.

    It was undoubtedly a foolish decision, but Elisa felt as though her mind was suddenly clear.

    Listening to reports was one matter but seeing ire with her own two eyes would help her to get a better judgement on the situation.

    "Do you know her current location?" Elisa asked calmly.

    "Her actions have been rather high profile so it will be easy to track her down," the dark elf scout quickly replied.

    "She wasst seen at¡­"

    .<novelnext></novelnext>

    .

    .

    .

    (Headquarters Of The Merisa Family)

    (Unnamed Alleyway)

    I have to keep moving!

    A woman dashed frantically through an empty street as the sounds of fighting got louder and louder.

    She wore an expensive green dress that had been stained with blood, mud and filth. Her once proud appearance now resembled a frightened beggar.

    She appeared to be in her early twenties but there was an aura of ruthlessness surrounding her body.

    Lisa Merisa was the sessor to the Merisa Family and had spent most of her life surrounded by wealth and power.

    But now¡­ she was no better than a rat fleeing from the cat that chased her down.

    Lisa''s hands trembled slightly when she recalled the death of her father.

    A beautiful short-haired woman wearing the white armour of the Varion Church flew down from the skies.

    Her father summoned his personal guard to stop her, but their swords shattered against her imprable flesh.

    With one casual swing of her sword, the monster cut her father''s body into two pieces that crashed lifelessly to the ground.

    In the ensuring chaos, Lisa had taken the opportunity to escape but she knew that the danger was far from over.

    The holy knight who had killed her father spoke about his sins and a ce that she was very familiar with shed across her mind.

    The local temple of the Varion Church.

    Lisa like many of her peers enjoyed the feeling of toying with those who were weaker than them.

    Father Simon ran an operation out of the local temple where he would provide young children for the underworld bosses to y with.

    Lisa did visit the church a few times to torture the girls whom she felt were slightly prettier than herself.

    But she didn''t do anything else!

    Fear gripped Lisa''s heart as she saw arge shadow loom over her body.

    The angel of death had arrived.

    "Please¡­ I can give you anything! Money! Power! ves!" Lisa shouted loudly as she desperately pleaded for her life.

    The few gangsters that were out on the streets immediately fled the scene when they saw who was chasing down the former heiress of the Merisa Family.

    "I can donate! I can change! Doesn''t the Varion Church preach about forgiveness?" Lisa hurriedly yelled in fear.

    "I will repent! I will repent! I will repe¡­"

    Her voice trailed off as ire''s sword pierced through her throat and neatly lopped off her head.

    The holy knight stood silently over the corpse as thest golden thread connected to her body slowly disappeared.

    Two days.

    It had only taken her two days to hunt down every single sinner who defiled the Varion Church with their filthy desires.

    ire''s eyes shone eerily in the darkness as the power began to whisper once more in her mind.

    This was just the beginning¡­

    Why stop here?

    New golden threads flowed out of ire''s body and this time they did not stop in the hundreds but kept going¡­

    Hundreds¡­ no thousands¡­ no millions¡­

    ire gripped her longsword as countless faces and location shed across her mind.

    From the most damning sins of murder, sexual abuse and assault to the lighter sins of thievery, bribery and lying.

    They were all guilty.

    She would hunt them down¡­

    She would kill them all¡­

    "ire?" a quiet voice called out and interrupted the holy knight''s murderous thoughts.

    Elisa stepped out from behind the shadow of a nearby building and approached the holy knight whose white armour was covered in blood.

    ire turned around and stared at the approaching former saintess with eyes that glowed with purity and righteousness.

    An unknown force gripped her body and forced her to move like a puppet dancing on a string.

    A small voice was screaming at her to stop but ire walked towards Elisa with slow purposeful steps.

    Words flowed out of ire''s mouth as she fell under the influence of the mysterious power that controlled her body.

    "I see you¡­ I see what you really are¡­"

    "Dark elf."

 Chapter 35 The Fallen Saintess (31)

    "Dark elf¡­"

    ire''s cold words echoed through the empty alleyway and sent a shiver of fear down Elisa''s spine.

    How did she know?

    When did she find out?

    If her identity was ever revealed, then the only logical course of action would be to kill the one who exposed her.

    Elisa curled up her fingers into a fist so tightly that blood dripped down her palms as her nails dug into her flesh.

    Do it¡­ do it¡­ do it¡­

    A thin thread of ck magic flowed into the palm of her right hand, but Elisa quickly dispelled the negative energy.

    No.

    She couldn''t.

    The holy knight chuckled darkly as she saw a confused and terrified expression sh across the former saintess'' face.

    "Did you think that your disguise was enough? I have long seen your true form¡­ dark elf¡­" ire softly whispered.

    "It was truly¡­"

    "Sickening."

    "Beautiful."

    Two words flowed out of her mouth at the same time and the holy knight furrowed her brows in disbelief.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Elisa''s heart started to race when she heard ire call her beautiful.

    The former saintess gently exhaled and stared at the gorgeous female knight who resembled an angel.

    Meanwhile, ire''s mind was in a mess as the mysterious power continued to whisper poisonous words in her ear.

    She was nothing but a tool¡­ she was the will of Lord Varion.

    The executioner sent to cleanse the world from sin so that it may be reborn in righteousness.

    The guilty deserved death.

    ire''s golden eyes shone with religious fervor as she touched a certain golden thread and Elisa''s true appearance shed across her mind.

    Sinner¡­ she was also a sinner¡­ sinner¡­

    The longsword in ire''s hand slowly buzzed as holy aura enveloped the de in a soft dull glow of light.

    "ire¡­ this¡­ this isn''t you¡­" Elisa quietly spoke as she bravely stepped forward.

    For once the dark elf princess had no clever n.

    She did not know what had happened to her loyal guardian knight but somehow looking at ire now made her feel an unpleasant feeling in her chest.

    "Lies and deception¡­" ire hoarsely growled as the wings on her back unfurled and the sounds of trumpets could be heard in the distance.

    "You''re right. I did lie¡­" Elisa readily admitted.

    She raised up her palms and made a series ofplicated movements.

    ck magic circled around her hands and Elisa smiled as she whispered the words, "Nerium Berran Vntis!"

    A wave of ck magic pulsated outwards from her body and formed a magic circle around the two of them.

    This was not a trapping formation or a foul curse that would cause harm to ire.

    It was a simple illusion spell so that Elisa could for once have a face-to-face conversation with the person whom she had graduallye to love.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The former saintess took a deep breath and then dispelled the enchantment surrounding her body.

    A frail and slender dark elf girl appeared where Elisa once stood. Her skin was a light brown colour and two pointed ears twitched slightly as she walked.

    Her eyes were a deep crimson colour and there was an aura of nobility surrounding her body.

    "Nice to meet you¡­ my real name is Keya Liadi¡­ I am the princess of the dark elves," Elisa warmly spoke.

    The fear in her eyes disappeared even as the killing intent leaking out of ire''s body did not change.

    Elisa knew that ire would not harm her.

    It was a belief that was more akin to lunacy but the dark elf princess believed it with every fibre of her body.

    ire''s hand on her longsword slightly trembled as she swung her de in the direction of the former saintess.

    A burst of holy light erupted from the tip of her de and flew directly at the dark elf princess'' location.

    Elisa remained perfectly still as the wave of light passed mere inches away from the top of her head.

    An animalistic growl escaped ire''s mouth as she once again pulled back her arm and swung out using the full force of her holy aura.

    Boom!

    This time the beam of light was shot several feet away from Elisa''s body and mmed against a nearby building.

    The fragile wooden shack instantly copsed but fortunately there was no one inside.

    The mysterious power inside ire''s body raged in fury.

    Why can''t we kill? Kill? KILL THE SINNERS!

    A fierce burst of pain erupted in ire''s mind, and she fell to the ground while shrieking in agony.

    She was the will of Lord Varion.

    She was the original ire.

    She was the tasker named Sui Li.

    Three conflicting identities meshed together violently as ire struggled to breathe amidst the terrible pain ravaging her body.

    A soft pair of warm hands gently wrapped themselves around her body. ire opened her eyes and saw Elisa''s concerned face right next to her.

    The dark elf princess was within striking distance, but the holy knight loosened her grip on her sword instead.

    The de fell to the ground with a dull thump as ire stared at the beautiful face of the former saintess.

    The voices in her mind were briefly silenced as Elisa gave her a warm hug. The holy knight could not move but her heart began to beat frantically.

    "I hated humans¡­" Elisa confessed as she gently stroked ire''s soft cheek.

    "My vige¡­ my home¡­ was destroyed by your kind. I wanted nothing more than to kill every singlest one of you loathsome creatures."

    "But over thest few months¡­ you have made me see that some of your people are good."

    "You gave up wealth, power and your future at the church to follow an abandoned high priestess to the most dangerous area on the continent."

    "I suppose the fates must enjoy ying cruel tricks¡­. making me fall in love with such a powerful threat to my ns¡­"

    ire''s eyes itched fiercely as the golden glow slowly disappeared. The holy knight could see darkness creeping up from the corners of her vision.

    A wave of exhaustion crashed against ire''s body and the holy knight could feel her eyes begin to close.

    Thest thing that she heard before slipping into a deep slumber was Elisa''s soft voice whispering in her ear.

    "Rest now¡­ my brave knight."

 Chapter 36 The Fallen Saintess (32)

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (The Inner Sanctum)

    "We see your holiness."

    "We see your holiness."

    Two masculine voices called out respectfully as a frail old man dressed in a in white robe with golden threads walked towards them.

    Pope Emmanuel''s body trembled and shook as he walked and the jovial smile on his face made him seem like a harmless grandpa.

    "Is the saintess inside?" Pope Emmanuel asked politely as he approached the doors of the inner sanctum.

    Two heavily armoured holy knights blocked the entrance to the door.

    Each wore the white armour of a Pdin Commander and held a longsword in the palm of their hands.

    The saintess'' personal guard had all been granted the rank ofmander despite none of them crossing the barrier to be a tier one knight.

    There had been a few whispers of discontent about the pope''s decision, but those voices of rebellion held no sway among the upper rank members of the church.

    "Of course¡­ ourdy has been waiting patiently for your arrival," the knight on the left spoke quietly.

    He gave a respectful bow towards the pope and then opened the door.

    Pope Emmanuel smiled warmly at the knights and entered inside the Sanctum with slow purposeful steps.

    The door mmed shut with a resounding thump and the smile on the pope''s face gradually disappeared.

    The Inner Sanctum was a wide-open space with several rooms connected to the main hall.

    This was the residence of the current saintess who had been appointed as the next sessor to the Varion Church.

    Pope Emmanuel saw a thinly dressed figure kneeling before the statue of a sun and whispering words of prayer.

    "Our father¡­ deliver us from evil¡­ give us the guidance to travel through a path of untold darkness and despair," Saintess Marie whispered solemnly.

    "For it is in your name¡­ that I have received the strength to carry out your will¡­

    Pope Emmanuel approached the young girl who did not seem to pay him any attention.

    Despite the saintess'' rude attitude, the pope did not get angry but rather he had to keep his lustful emotions under control as he got closer to the otherworldly beauty.

    Saintess Marie was a blossoming rose whose charm could affect both men and women alike.

    Her lips were full and kissable, and her golden eyes were soft and shone with purity and righteousness.

    Her facial features were in one word¡­ perfection.

    A cute button nose, thin eyebrows, high cheekbones¡­ it was as though she stepped right out of a painting.

    The thin brown robe that was draped around her body did little to conceal her plump voluptuous figure with curves in all the right ces.

    Of course, her most noticeable feature was her shoulder length hair that waspletely silver.

    Saintess Maire continued to pray for thirty minutes as she worshipped the Lord of Light with every fibre of her being.

    Yellow holy runes floated in the air above her body.

    The spiritual energy in the sanctum increased as though Lord Varion himself was personally blessing his chosen vessel.

    Finally, Saintess Marie stopped praying and she slowly got up from the ground.

    The saintess turned around to face the pope with aplicated expression on her face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The detection ritual has failed¡­ none of the pdins in the capitol have proven to be worthy," Saintess Marie hesitantly spoke.

    "What? That''s impossible!" Pope Emmanuel retorted in shock.

    "What about your personal guard? They were the brightest among the younger generation¡­"

    "None were qualified to be the de of Lord Varion," Saintess Marie replied with a tired smile.

    "And if that were not bad enough¡­ all of them are faintly showing signs of regression. The only reason why they have not been visibly weakened is due to my healing light¡­."

    "But I can only slow down the regression¡­ not stop it."

    It was hard to see at first nce but there were heavy bags under Marie''s eyes and lines of exhaustion on her forehead.

    The stress of being unable to find the de of the Lord of Light was taking its toll.

    Saintess Marie let out a heavy sigh as a certain scene shed across her mind.

    She had been arrogant, and others were now unknowingly paying the price for her hubris.

    None of the knights who served on her personal guard would ever increase their strength.

    Pdins received strength from the Lord of Light, but that strength was connected to their faith and their vows.

    Those who broke their oaths would be punished far more severely than an ordinary believer.

    The pope may not have known that transferring the former saintess'' personal guards to Marie would have resulted in them gradually losing their strength.

    But she knew.

    It was just that Saintess Marie assumed that her aura as the saintess would have protected them from Lord Varion''s wrath.

    Truthfully¡­ it was hubris. Her need to prove herself better than the former saintess led to herpse in judgement.

    "We need to conceal this matter from your guards," Pope Emmanuel muttered quietly as his voice dropped to a whisper.

    "I will send out a few of the high priests to scout out the academy for any potential seedlings."

    "How long can you roughly maintain their strength?"

    "A few years at best," Saintess Marie replied seriously.

    "Okay¡­ I will secretly train a batch of recements and then we can deal with your original personal guards," Pope Emmanuel promised.

    "Now going back to the more important matter at hand¡­ the de needs to be found. We cannot have that kind of power outside of the church''s grasp."

    Saintess Marie listened carefully as the pope kept emphasising how dangerous it was to have a vessel of Lord Varion unassociated with the church.

    The saintess stered a respectful expression on her face but was inwardly disdainful of the greed hidden in the pope''s heart.

    The Varion Church was rotten.

    Decades of being the number one power on the continent had left themcent.

    Many had forgotten the true purpose of serving the Lord of Light and lost themselves in mundane pursuits of wealth, power and lust.

    There was even a small part of Saintess Marie that wished that the foreign races were a bit stronger and actually posed a threat.

    Perhaps then she would be able to justify the extreme measures needed to clean up the church.

    For now, all she could do was keep searching for the de.

 Chapter 37 The Fallen Saintess (33)

    (City of Galrannor)

    (Local Temple Of The Varion Church)

    "Sinners¡­ sinners¡­ SINNERS!" ire screamed out as she wildly iled her arms around like a madman.

    The holy knight fell off the bed andnded on the ground with a heavy thud.

    ire slowly opened her eyes and found herselfying on the floor inside a small bedroom.

    There was only a single bed and a dresser table in the corner of the room, but it was fairly clean with no visible dust specks.

    "What¡­ what happened?" ire groaned as she got up from the ground and a sharp burst of pain tore through her mind.

    The golden threads, Elisa''s confession, her loss of control¡­

    These memories resurfaced in ire''s mind and caused a variety of expressions to sh across the young pdin''s face.

    This¡­ what was going on?

    The original ire had no memories of some mystery power that she was secretly harbouring because if she did then her fate would not have been to die at the hands of lesser demons.

    And that power¡­

    ire was unsure if it was a blessing or a curse.

    It undoubtedly provided great strength, but ire was ufortable being little more than a puppet to the will of the entity behind the scenes.

    At certain times during her two nights of ughter, ire could not distinguish what was real or not anymore.

    The desire to hunt down the ones connected to the golden threads was an all-consuming hunger.

    ire''s hands slightly trembled as she remembered the addicting feeling of pleasure that entered her mind whenever she sessfully killed someone attached to the golden threads.

    It was a powerful urge.

    ire''s eyes softly glowed as the remnants of the power stirred in her body.

    A genderless voice whispered in her mind and promised her even more strength if she obeyed it.

    The holy knight curled her fingers into a fist so tightly that her fingernails pierced the underside of her palms.

    Blood dripped down from the open wounds and ire used this burst of pain to clear the mental fog inside her mind.

    Deep breaths¡­ in¡­ and¡­ out¡­ in¡­ and¡­ out¡­

    ire inhaled sharply and then gently exhaled while counting to ten. She remained frozen in ce for several minutes until the voice faded away into a background hum.

    It was still there but its presence had now been considerably weakened.

    ire walked towards the door but stopped when she realised something.

    Where was her white armour?

    She was currently wearing a in brown robe that was one size too small for her tall physique.

    ire searched around the room and finally found her armour underneath the bed.

    The holy knight carefully ced the armour pieces on the dresser table and then began to put them on.

    A pdin must always be prepared forbat especially now that ire had recovered her memories of the previous two nights.

    She had killed a lot of dangerous people.

    There was not a single major crime family in the city that did not suffer a loss.

    However, her intimidating disy of strength and status as a tier one knight should dissuade most of the underground organisations from seeking revenge.

    Tier one knights were virtually invulnerable with a strength that transcended mere mortality and approached the first step to godhood.

    ire adjusted her bootstraps and stood up while doing one final check to make sure that everything was in ce.

    But setting those matters aside¡­

    How was she going to face Elisa now?<novelnext></novelnext>

    ire''s ears slightly turned red as the fearsome holy knight recalled Elisa''s passionate confession during her rampage.

    "Okay¡­ one thing at a time," ire muttered quietly to herself.

    She did have good feelings towards Elisa but was it love or just a simple crush was an important question to answer.

    Her dark elf form was beautiful¡­

    Unfortunately, things were prettyplicated considering that Elisa was a dark elf princess, while ire was the host to some mysterious entity''s power.

    ire let out a heavy sigh as she walked towards the door and left the room.

    The holy knight wandered through the corridors of the church searching for anyone.

    The local temple was surprisingly empty.

    It made sense that none of the corrupt priests and nuns were walking around but ire could not see any of the children who lived here.

    ire''s mana heart spun frantically, and a thin thread of energy flowed through her veins and towards her ears.

    The world briefly slowed down and ire could hear the faint sounds of rustling and cheerful conversationing from the distance.

    The holy knight tilted her head in the direction of the sound and then walked towards it. It took around ten minutes for ire to finally arrive at therge open banquet hall.

    She pushed the heavy wooden doors open with ease and saw Elisa tiredly handing out bowls of food to the children.

    She was standing behind a table where arge pot of soup bubbled.

    The former saintess would dip arge spoon into the pot and ce the contents inside the small bowls on the table.

    The atmosphere inside the banquet hall was much lighter than thest time when ire had been here.

    Bright smiles shed across the faces of the children, and they seemed to havee out of the shadows of their past.

    Already?

    It was not that ire wanted to see them suffer but years of trauma could not be simply fixed within the span of a few days.

    ire''s golden eyes gleamed eerily, and she saw tiny beads of darkness inside the minds of the children.

    Clearly Elisa had done something to help them forget about the horrors that they had endured.

    While ire was contemting the matter, one of the children spotted her near the door and whispered in Elisa''s ear.

    Elisa''s face brightened up when she saw ire lingering by the entrance and the dark elf girl waved happily.

    Elisa''s disguise was still applied so the children only saw a thin and frail high priestess who was a sickly beauty.

    ire''s golden eyes shone and the whispers in her mind returned but the holy knight ruthlessly fought them down.

    She still wasn''t sure how to face Elisa but for now ire figured that the best thing to do was offer her assistance.

    "Do you need any help?" ire asked politely as she approached the former saintess.

    "Yes please¡­ I think I need some rest¡­" Elisa replied warmly.

    As ire got closer, she noticed the heavy bags under the dark elf''s eyes and the lines of exhaustion on her forehead.

    "Go sleep¡­ it won''t do anyone any good if you suddenly copsed," ire sternly warned as she took the spoon out of Elisa''s hand.

    Elisa opened her mouth to sharply retort but the only thing that came out was a heavy yawn that made her feel sleepy.

    "Yeah¡­ I think I could use a brief nap," Elisa sheepishly admitted as she leaned in closer to ire.

    "Can we talk when I wake up?"

    "I¡­ I hope so¡­" ire hesitantly replied.

    A mischievous glint appeared in Elisa''s eyes as she briefly contemted teasing her shy guardian knight.

    If only she wasn''t so exhausted¡­

    Elisa tossed those naughty thoughts to the back of her mind and said goodbye to the children before leaving the banquet hall.

 Chapter 38 The Fallen Saintess (34)

    ire wandered through the corridors of the local temple and approached a room at the far end of the church.

    The children had just finished eating breakfast and were now cleaning the tes under the watchful supervision of the older ones.

    Unfortunately, there was not enough manpower in the church so perhaps ire would need to hire some workers in the future.

    But not yet.

    The holy pdin stared outside the nearest window and saw a bright sun shining brightly in the sky above the city.

    Patches of smoke rose up in different locations across the city and one could faintly hear the sounds of screams and fighting in the distance.

    It was not surprising.

    ire''s actions had essentially weakened the major underworld organisations by removing their top members.

    This city withoutw and order was nothing more than a haven for scum and viiny.

    The five crime families suppressed the local gangs using brute force and tactics of terror.

    But now that they were weakened¡­

    The local gangs were like sharks that smelled blood in the water.

    Vicious fighting erupted in different parts of the city as they rebelled against their criminal overlords.

    No doubt in the following weeks or even months, the power structure within the city wouldpletely change.

    ire''s golden eyes shone with purity and righteousness as she could see tiny golden threads squirming around her body.

    The holy knight took several deep breaths in order to calm herself down as the addicting feeling of pleasure once again resurfaced in her mind.

    She needed to learn how to control this.

    ire silently counted to ten over and over again until the harsh glow in her eyes gradually faded away and disappeared.

    Now she could focus on the matter at hand¡­

    The uing talk with Elisa.

    ire approached a simple wooden door at the end of a passageway and saw a thin translucent barrier covering the room.

    The holy knight tentatively pushed her hand outwards, and she easily passed through the barrier as if it was not there.

    ire activated her vision powers and checked her body for any dangerous side effects. Seeing that she found nothing wrong, ire let out a sigh of relief.

    She raised up her right knuckle and gently tapped it twice against the wooden door.

    Knock! Knock!

    "Come on please," a sweet voice came from the other side. ire opened the door and entered inside the room.

    She closed the door behind her as she went inside and saw Elisa sitting down on the mattress watching her.

    The former saintess had gotten a few hours of sleep since they hadst spoken so the heavy bags under her eyes were no longer there.

    But that was not what captured ire''s attention. No¡­ there was a far more noticeable sight lingering before her eyes.

    Elisa had taken off her disguise and was sitting down on the bed as her true form.

    A beautiful otherworldly dark elf smiled enchantingly at the holy knight as her crimson eyes gleamed with an emotion that ire could not recognise.

    There was a table in front of the mattress with a single wooden chair ced so that its upant would be facing the bed.

    An empty cup was ced on the table and next to the cup was a small pitcher filled with a mysterious liquid.

    "Have a seat," Elisa spoke politely as she gestured towards the chair.

    ire walked towards the chair and sat down quietly.

    A strange silence fell upon the room as ire did not know where to begin. Countless questions shed across her mind¡­

    What was Elisa''s purpose for infiltrating the Varion Church?<novelnext></novelnext>

    What happened to the duke''s original daughter? Or did she even exist in the first ce?

    Did Elisa really like her?

    Thatst question wasn''t the most important, but Elisa''s confession did make ire''s heart begin to race.

    ire''s cold appearance did not change but inwardly her thoughts were a mess.

    The holy knight did not know what to do next or how to approach the situation.

    Elisa quietly observed her guardian knight for a few minutes and then reached into her robes to pull out a stack of papers.

    She ced the papers on the table and pushed them towards ire with a solemn look on her face.

    ire picked up the first sheet and began to read its contents. Her brows gradually furrowed as a heavy pressure descended on the room.

    "What is this?" ire asked curiously as she picked up another sheet and started to read.

    "A list," Elisa replied inly with a cold glint in her eyes.

    "A list with names belonging to powerful nobles like barons, dukes and princes to even high-ranking members of the church."

    "Every single name on the list has imprisoned my kind as pets, ves or servants."

    The hatred in Elisa''s voice was hard to ignore and her crimson eyes seemed to darken as she waited for ire''s reaction.

    "Is that the reason why you infiltrated the Varion Church? To rescue them?" ire asked softly as she stared at Elisa.

    The former saintess hesitated for a moment when she saw ire''s trusting eyes and pushed down the guilty feeling in her heart.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­ my only goal is to save my people and escort them back to our homnd in the outer regions," Elisa spoke gently as her hand slightly trembled beneath her robe.

    She didn''t want to lie but¡­ what other choice did she have?

    How could she tell the full truth?

    Even if ire felt sympathetic towards the foreign races she would not sit idly by as they invoked the power of the demon n.

    "This¡­ this¡­ is a lot to take in," ire admitted as she leaned back against the chair.

    Perhaps the original ire would have doubted Elisa''s words, but Sui Li had seen incident after incident that revealed the corruption in the church.

    very was ouwed on the continent, butws did not apply to those who stood on the top of the feudal system.

    What made ire feel truly disgusted was seeing the names of high-ranking members of the church on the list.

    Lord Varion had granted his strength to humanity in order to protect them but instead these high priests and knights used his power to oppress the weak.

    Elisa waited until her words had sunk into ire''s mind before making her next move.

    "Will you help me rescue them?" Elisa pleaded as she got up from the bed and approached ire with slow purposeful steps.

    The dark elf princess bowed her head and tossed away her pride as she prepared to beg the powerful holy knight for help.

    If any dark elves were in the room, they would have been shocked and horrified to see their fearsome princess act so humbly, but Elisa did not care.

    For her people¡­ she was prepared to pay any price.

    The secret forces that she had built up over the years would only be able to rescue a handful of dark elves.

    And it was unlikely that they would be able to save the ones bought by extremely powerful noble families.

    But now Elisa saw hope.

    ire''s angelic form and the power that she possessed created a tiny me of ambition in her heart.

    very was officially ouwed by the Varion Church so as long as they did not go too far, ire could justifiably raid the homes where the dark elves were kept.

    ire opened her mouth to say ''yes'' but the words changed as she remembered how her mind was affected by her newfound power.

    "I will consider it¡­" ire hesitantly spoke.

 Chapter 39 The Fallen Saintess (35)

    (City of Galrannor)

    (Central Marketce)

    Amidst the chaos and fighting taking ce in different parts of the city there was one area that was left rtively untouched.

    It was arge open square in the middle of the city where dozens of stalls had been set up.

    Next to most stalls were wooden racks where the corpses of monsters were hung. The heavy scent of blood filled the air, but customers did not appear to be bothered.

    The central marketce was treated as a neutral zone by all parties involved in the territorial disputes.

    Of course, the merchant organisations that ran the stalls did notpletely trust the word of the underworld leaders so mercenaries could be seen patrolling the venue.

    The sounds of vendors calling out to potential customers echoed through the square as their loud voices could be easily heard.

    "Twenty pounds of Meireko flesh for sale! Two bronze coins for a sample!"

    "Did you know that eating the meat of a bear monster makes your muscles expand?! Three gold coins! Only three gold coins!"

    "Ridiculous! Don''t listen to that liar! The meat of a Squrn will turn your body as hard as iron! Neither sword nor axe will be able to prate your flesh!"

    "Old Josh stop trying to steal my customers!"

    A carriage appeared at the edge of the marketce driven by four healthy stallions that neighed loudly.

    The reins of the carriage were held by a female knight with a lean muscr physique. She leapt off the driver''s seat andnded on the ground with a heavy thud.

    She was a cold beauty with short cropped blonde hair.

    The female knight wore the white armour of the Varion Church, and a longsword was attached to her hip.

    But what would attract the most attention was her eyes.

    They werepletely golden and shone with an eerie light.

    One vendor turned around and identally saw the female knight. His face immediately paled, and he hurriedly began to pack up his stall.

    His panicked reactions caused others to curiously look in the same direction and their reactions were not better.

    A strange silence fell upon the marketce as more people saw the pdin walking slowly towards the western side of the marketce.

    The crowd wasposed of men and women who lived in the most dangerous area on the continent and yet nothing, but terror filled their hearts.

    The female knight who appeared in the marketce was singlehandedly responsible for starting the war that was ravaging the city.

    As for her strength¡­ it was unfathomable.

    Some fled immediately while others shrunk into the shadows and tried to avoid making eye contact.

    The armed forces patrolling the marketce tightly held their weapons but only exchanged nces and did not make any aggressive moves.

    The braver ones whispered under their breath as ire walked by, but none dared to say those words to her face.

    "The golden monster¡­."

    "Butcher¡­"

    "Hush! Or she''ll hear you¡­"

    There was an announcement board in the western section of the marketce ce where a few handfuls of flyers had been hung up.

    ire wandered through the marketce while maintaining a cold expression on her face.

    The golden threads connected to her body squirmed and wriggled as they sensed the presence of sinners.

    Don''t lose control¡­ don''t lost control¡­

    ire was constantly fighting a battle with the voice that was whispering inside her mind and the addicting feeling of pleasure that it provided.

    Elisa had tried to help her control those dark urges by using ck magic but as soon as her spell touched ire''s body it would dissolve away into nothingness.

    A brief frown shed across ire''s face as she resisted the urge to swing her sword in the direction of the crowd.

    She gritted her teeth and began to count to ten silently.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Finally, the holy knight arrived at the announcement board and found an empty spot near the bottom lefthand corner.

    ire reached into the brown bag attached to her hip and pulled out a piece of parchment paper which she then stuck on the board.

    It was a help wanted notice for housekeeping servants and cooks.

    The sry was quite generous because the local temple did notck money.

    Father Simon''s private treasury room alone had more than enough golden coins to essentially hire an army for several months.

    Although ire knew that her reputation was terrifying¡­

    In this city where most of the residents did not know when their next meal would arrive, there would always be some desperate enough to take her offer.

    As for the possibility of the underworld gangs sending spies to monitor her movements¡­ well a simple ck magic spell would solve any troubles.

    Maybe a proper holy knight would have condemned the use of ck magic, but ire honestly found it fascinating.

    It helped that Elisa''s crimson eyes were utterly captivating when she muttered strange dark chants.

    ire fixed the piece of paper slightly to make sure that it remained in ce and then returned to the carriage.

    She gripped the reins tightly and then urged the horses forward.

    The carriage left the marketce, and it was only when it could no longer be seen in the distance did the noises resume.

    However, most of the conversations were now about the appearance of the female knight and if this was a sign that she was about to start another night of ughter.

    Several spies sent by the underworld leaders to monitor the marketce for information walked up to the announcement board and saw the piece of parchment paper.

    They were not the only ones and soon rumors of the Varion Church rebuilding their faction spread across the city.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outer Regions- Hidden Location)

    (Merean Swamp)

    "No! No! This is impossible!" a loud scream echoed through a rtively empty room.

    "I foretold it! I foretold it all! The future is mine to control¡­ mine to manipte¡­ puppets¡­ guided by fate''s will¡­"

    "THE ERA OF MANKIND WILL COME TO AN END!"

    A dark elf woman thrashed around on the ground convulsing as blood dripped out of her empty eye sockets.

    It was a horrifying sight.

    Unlike most dark elves, this strange woman''s face was covered in wrinkles and her skin was rough.

    The attendant elves in the room tried to help her but the soothsayer pushed them away while muttering iprehensible words.

    "The prophecy! The prophecy¡­ THE PROPHECY!" she screeched as she mmed her palm against the ground with so much force that her skin cracked.

    An opened envelope was ced on the desk nearby and this was the reason why the soothsayer was in such a state of madness.

    It had arrived a few hours earlier and was allegedly from Princess Keya Liadi who was currently hiding amongst the humans.

    One of the attendant dark elves ran out of the room to alert the queen about the prophet''s strange state.

    The other nced at the letter that was inside the envelope but turned her attention back to the soothsayer.

    She carefully wrapped her arms around the elderly dark elf and used force to suppress her self-harming movements.

    Hopefully the queen would be able to understand why this was happening¡­

 Chapter 40 The Fallen Saintess (36)

    (Outer Regions- Hidden Location)

    (Merean Swamp)

    A figure stood quietly at the entrance to the soothsayer''s private room without saying a word.

    A dark elf warrior stood at her side and kept ncing at the confused expression on his leader''s face.

    The mysterious figure was a tall dark elf with a slender physique and two small bumps in front of her chest.

    Long ck hair fell below her shoulders and her fingernails were well maintained.

    Her facial features bore a striking simrity to the former saintess Elisa''s true form, but a vicious scar ran from one side of her face to the other.

    This scar did little to diminish her beauty but added a sense of ruthlessness to her soft and gentle facial features.

    Queen Bracieth Liadi.

    The mother of Princess Keya Lidia and the leader of the once powerful dark elf tribe.

    Unlike her daughter, the queen had little interest in affairs outside of her domain.

    She spent her days wandering the nearby forest and taking in pretty elf males as consorts.

    She knew that many of her people were disappointed in her actions, but the queencked both the ambition and means necessary to lead.

    Fortunately, her daughter had quickly won the hearts of the tribe by infiltrating human society and rescuing a few dark elves who had been captured as ves.

    Did Queen Bracieth sometimes wish that she could be a hero like her daughter?

    Maybe¡­ but she cared about her own safety too much to take any risks.

    Besides although life was hard in the outer regions, it was at least peaceful since an alliance had formed between the remnants of the foreign races.

    If there was any benefit to humanity''s rise, it was the fact that the other races of the continent were able toe together to face a powerful enemy.

    Of course, the leaders of each faction were aware that even theirbined strength wasn''t going to be enough.

    That''s why their fatesy at the hands of the prophecy¡­.

    Queen Bracieth let out a heavy sigh as she pondered what to do next. Loud shrieks and screams came from the room on the other side of the door.

    The soothsayer was the most important figure in their tribe but now she had apparently gonepletely mad.

    Queen Bracieth nodded at the dark elf warrior next to her and he stepped forward to open the door.

    Inside the room, the respected soothsayer was pined to the ground by another dark elf while desperately struggling.

    "The prophecy! I see it! I SEE IT ALL!" the soothsayer screamed as her hands wed at the sides of her neck.

    "The de and the shield! They will fail! The rise of the dark elves¡­ cannot be stopped!"

    Queen Bracieth frowned slightly and raised up her right hand. She opened her mouth and chanted a few iprehensible words.

    A beam of dark energy burst out of her fingertips and mmed into the temples of both attendants in the room.

    They copsed to the ground unconscious and the queen unceremoniously dragged them outside before mming the door.

    The soothsayer continued to convulse and twitch on the ground as drool slowly leaked from the corner of her mouth.

    "Nexrium Srien Barieum!" Queen Bracieth whispered as she made a series ofplicated hand gestures.

    A zone of ck magic spread out from her feet and covered the room in a heavy barrier that none could prate.

    The soothsayer got up from the ground with jerky wooden movements and stared off into the distance.

    Queen Bracieth had only seen her like this once before and it was for this reason why what she said next had to remain a secret.

    Two hundred years ago, this mad prophet had burst into her pce and said that her future daughter would cause the downfall of humanity.

    The young Queen Bracieth did not believe her at first, but the prophet''s words began to spread throughout the rest of the n.<novelnext></novelnext>

    In order to maintain her unstable grip on the throne, the queen had no choice but to birth a daughter and be known as the ''Mother of the Saviour''.

    God knows what this madwoman was about to say next, but the queen had no desire to be made an unwilling puppet of fate this time.

    "The shield and the de of Lord Varion have descended¡­" the soothsayer hoarsely muttered as she swayed back and forth as if she were possessed.

    "The twist of fate¡­ the hand of the outsider¡­ the poison flower blooms¡­ golden eyes¡­"

    "The shield will be corrupted, and the de will be shattered¡­"

    "The princess¡­ will break... the de¡­"

    Queen Bracieth did not understand what the soothsayer meant but at least it sounded as though her daughter would still be able to seed.

    The soothsayer violently trembled and her clear words turned into iprehensible mutterings of madness.

    "Reerur Melrin Dorena," the queen chanted as she gestured towards the prophet.

    Shadowy hands rose up from the ground and gently carried the elderly dark elf to the bed.

    The queen turned around and was about to leave the room when something caught her eye from the corner of her vision.

    It was an open envelope on a desk in the middle of the room. The envelope was open, and the queen saw a letter with familiar handwriting.

    Why was her daughter in contact with the soothsayer?

    The bond between mother and daughter was quite weak but the queen could still recognise her writing.

    Queen Bracieth curiously walked over and picked up the letter. She flicked her fingers and a small me appeared at her fingertips.

    Her crimson eyes gleamed under the light as she read the contents of her daughter''s report. One section in particr made the queen hum thoughtfully.

    [My guardian knight seems to have unusual powers. Two translucent wings sprouted out from behind her back and her strength rose to a level beyond the tier two stage.]

    [The holy aura surrounding her body reminded me of the pope in his heyday as the most powerful member of the Varion Church]

    [And her eyes shone with a golden light¡­]

    Golden eyes? Wasn''t that the description of the so-called ''sword'' and ''shield'' of Lord Varion?

    The queen put down the letter and stared at the prophet who was now fast asleep on the bed.

    After the soothsayer got into a trance like this, she would not remember the prophecy that she had spoken.

    It was only because she had sought out the queen in her pce did others hear her words and spread her message around the tribe.

    Now the queen was faced with a choice.

    She was the only person in the room who had knowledge about the new prophecy and could use this information to help her daughter.

    But why would she?

    A dark hatred surfaced in the queen''s heart as an expression of jealousy shed across her face.

    Her daughter was the almighty saviour and chosen one while she was nothing more than a birthing tool in the grand scheme of destiny.

    Wasn''t life good with the current status quo?

    The queen spent most of her days infort and her male lovers pampered her lovingly.

    If her daughter truly ended humanity, then it was obvious that she would take her ce as the next queen.

    Queen Bracieth brought her hand closer to the letter and the me hovering above her fingertips spread to the piece of parchment paper.

    It quickly burnt the letter to ashes as the queen silently made a decision in her heart.

    She could not let her daughter seed.

 Chapter 41 The Fallen Saintess (37)

    (City of Galrannor)

    (Western District- The Slums)

    The winds of change were slowly sweeping over the city.

    The local temple of the Varion Church was now a force that none of the underground organisations could ignore.

    The presence of a tier one knight was enough to cause most groups to temporarily slow down their criminal activities since no one wished to catch her attention.

    Of course, there were some that continued as usual such as the man whom ire was currently standing opposite to.

    "Move aside or my de will cut off your neck," ire coldly spoke.

    The skinny man in front of her dropped down to his knees in terror and held up his hands. He begged and pleaded but he would find little mercy from the powerful female knight.

    He wore a white shirt with several holes in the fabric and his pants were in a simr condition.

    ire ced a heavy hand on his shoulder and with one smooth motion she threw his body to the side.

    The man crashed against a nearby wall and fell to the ground with a dull thump.

    ire furrowed her brows as she felt a familiar murderous urge rise up in her body, but she pushed it down.

    This was all part of her training.

    ire did not suppress the power but rather with Elisa''s help they had managed to create a training n for her to follow.

    It involved slowly releasing the power bit by bit and stopping whenever she felt as though it was about to take over her body.

    The holy knight knew that she needed to get this power under control as soon as possible.

    No one wanted to be a mere puppet of some mysterious higher order entity.

    ire shoved those negative thoughts to the back of her mind and pushed open the wooden door that led to the interior of the shack.

    The interior of the shack was empty except for a group of frightened children all huddled together in the corner and staring at her fearfully.

    ire''s golden eyes shone with purity and righteousness as she felt the power begin to whisper once more in her ears.

    These children were thieves¡­ sinners¡­ kill¡­ kill them¡­

    ire took a few deep breaths and gently exhaled. She silently counted to ten several times regardless of the tense atmosphere inside the room.

    Don''t lose control¡­ don''t lose control¡­ don''t lose control¡­

    Eventually the urges faded away to the background and ire could think properly once more.

    "My name is ire nlyn, and I am a member of the Varion Church," ire spoke gently but the cold expression on her face did not match her kind words.

    "If you do not have a ce to live then we offer shelter to orphans and children in need which includes three free meals a day."

    "Would any of you like toe with me?"

    ire knelt down and offered her hand. The local temple had hired enough workers to expand the building and now hundreds of orphans and poor children could be housed.

    There were few things in this world that could not be solved with coin and fortunately thete Father Simon had left behind plenty.

    A little girl with missing teeth hesitantly stepped forward and took a few steps in ire''s direction.

    She was followed by a young teenage boy who carefully looked at ire''s face for any signs of deception or deceit.<novelnext></novelnext>

    One by one the children headed towards ire but there were some older ones in the back that did not move.

    "If you change your mind then talk to the owner of the Jumping Swordfish Bar at the corner of fifth street," ire exined softly.

    "He will be able to contact me and then I''ll send someone to pick you up."

    What she didn''t mention was the fact that the owner of the bar was a dark elf in disguise.

    Elisa had shared her informationwork with ire and her agents had been a tremendous help in aplishing her goal of maintain some semnce of order in the city.

    ire stepped out of the shack and observed that the skinny man was now long gone. He left only a trail of bloodstains that led to a certain direction.

    Hunt him down?

    The thought did sh across ire''s mind, but she decided to settle in the children first before making a move.

    A few carriages were parked on the other side of the road and the doors were open and waiting for ire and her group.

    There were men and women sitting downfortably in the driver''s seat of each carriage and their respectful voices echoed through the street.

    "Good day Miss nlyn¡­ it is an honour to serve."

    "Greetings mydy¡­"

    "Is this thest batch for the day?"

    ire politely nodded at the smiling workers and her eyes briefly gleamed eerily as she stared at their foreheads.

    A small dark me was flickering inside their minds. Elisa had made sure that none of the workers would betray them.

    It was perhaps not the most moral act but when it came to protecting children, ire found herself turning a blind eye to the use of ck magic.

    The children followed the holy knight to the carriages and one by one ire helped them get inside.

    "I still have work to do so you can leave first," ire spoke to the drivers. She received nods of acknowledgement and then they departed.

    The holy knight waited until the carriages vanished from her sight and then walked in the opposite direction.

    A foul scent of sewage and blood entered her nostrils.

    In a city of extreme poverty, the buildings were shoddily constructed and there were massive potholes in the middle of the road.

    ire''s white armour had already been stained by dust, but the holy knight did not care if her armour got slightly dirty.

    There were a few beggars along the sides of the road, but they did not dare get too close to the holy knight wandering through the slums.

    Life was hard in the outer regions of the continent.

    ire personally believed that it was incredibly short sighted of the royal family not to invest heavily into the city or at least send a noble to be in charge of thend.

    The adventurers living in the city were the only reason why the monsters and foreign races did not push further south.

    Sinners¡­ sinners¡­ sinners¡­

    "Shut up," ire muttered darkly as the voice inside her mind began to whisper once more.

    Golden threads violently squirmed around her body. They were waiting for the moment when ire fully lost control.

 Chapter 42 The Fallen Saintess (38)

    "May the blessing of Lord Varion flow through you¡­"

    "The Lord of Light in his infinite mercy has brought you here for guidance. His followers shall follow the path of righteousness and justice¡­"

    "I invoke the name of his holiness and beseech him to help those who are wounded and sick¡­"

    Elisa''s voice rang out through the open square as holy runes surrounded her thin and frail body.

    The former saintess was standing before a crowd of believers who stared at her with expressions of reverence and awe.

    Elisa slowly walked down from the raised tform while being escorted by the heavily armoured knight by her side.

    ire''s cold expression made those in the crowd with ill intentions towards the former saintess immediately withdraw their ns.

    Elisa hummed softly as she reached out her palm and ced it on the forehead of an elderly man who had a broken leg with the bone sticking out of his skin.

    A burst of holy light erupted from her fingertips as the former saintess muttered a few iprehensible words under her breath.

    When the light vanished, the elderly man stood up with his leg fully restored to its former healthy state.

    Tears welled up in his eyes as he knelt down and thanked the former saintess sincerely.

    Elisa''s actions made the crowd restless, but ire casually dropped her hand to the hilt of her sword and the atmosphere instantly calmed down.

    For the rest of the morning, Elisa continued to heal the injured and sick in the crowd of believers and in doing so managed to increase the reputation of the church.

    Fear was useful to the extent where it made the various underground organisations hesitant to attack the church, but it was not enough¡­

    To truly integrate the Varion Church into the city there needed to be an increase the number of believers.

    The sun merrily drifted across the sky as a soft gentle breeze wandered through the city.

    Beads of sweat formed on Elisa''s forehead and her fragile physique seemed to get weaker.

    "That''s enough for today," ire sternly whispered as she reached into the bag attached to her waist and pulled out a handkerchief.

    She gently wiped Elisa''s forehead and for a brief moment a warm smile shed across her face that was too fast for anyone to detect.

    Elisa''s skin was soft¡­

    At such a close distance, ire was mesmerised by Elisa''s deep crimson eyes that only she could see.

    Those two plump lips were incredibly inviting, and ire had to resist the urge to lean forward and kiss them.

    She coughed twice and nervously stepped backwards as those dirty thoughts surfaced in her mind.

    Elisa didn''t notice her unusual reaction since she was focused on healing a young teenage girl whose entire upper body was covered in rashes.

    "May Lord Varion''s light shine upon you¡­" Elisa softly whispered as she ced one finger on the girl''s forehead.

    A dazzling beam of light erupted from her fingertip and entered the teenage girl''s body.

    The nasty rashes on her upper body slowly disappeared and her skin became clear and healthy.

    Elisa stumbled slightly as she felt the familiar feeling of overdraft. Using too much holy magic ced a tremendous amount of strain on her mana pathways.

    "The high priestess Elisa will return to preach at the same time tomorrow," ire loudly spoke as she held out her arm for the former saintess to hold.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There were a few voices ofint in the crowd from those who had not gotten treated yet, but ire simply leaked a trace of her killing intent and the discontent voices quickly vanished.

    Elisa looped her arm around ire''s with a familiar motion and allowed herself to be escorted back to the entrance of the local temple.

    Workers from the temple waited until the pair had entered the building before uncovering the quilts on the nearby carts.

    The Varion Church would provide free food and drink after the service and that idea came from ire.

    This was a simple but effective method to get people toe regardless of whether they believed in the Lord of Light or not.

    Elisa leaned in closer to ire and stared at the female knight out of the corner of her eyes.

    ire''s cold beauty made her heart race, and a reddish blush began to spread across her cheeks.

    The pair wandered through the newly transformed church while nodding politely at the young children and workers who crossed their path.

    The interior of the church was nowpletely different, and one could not even recognise it whenpared to how it looked before.

    The excessive and vulgar disys of wealth such as the expensive pieces of artwork and gold-ted statues were nowpletely gone.

    Some rooms had been turned into dorms for the newly arrived orphans and children in need who were dropped off at the church.

    In addition to bedrooms, ire had made sure that therge open hall on the second floor was converted into a ssroom.

    It had been difficult but eventually teachers had been found so that the children had an opportunity to gain an education.

    The best way to get out of poverty was to gain knowledge.

    It was not a foolproof method, but education brought nothing but benefits to the children.

    ire even hosted a knight training ss in the evenings where any student interested in learning how to fight could sign up.

    Training the body and the mind was essential in bing a healthy individual.

    ire''s train of thought was interrupted by a soft voice that came from the former saintess by her side.

    "Can you carry me back to my room?" Elisa sweetly asked as she stared at ire with a hopeful expression.

    The female knight embraced the thin former saintess in her arms and held her up in a princess carry.

    Elisa pretended to be calm, but the reddish tips of her ears gave away her true feelings.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    It was almost as though she could hear the beating of ire''s heart through the white armour even though that was impossible.

    ire carried Elisa through the corridor leading up to her bedroom without a single word ofint.

    The female knight opened the door with one hand and then headed for the bed where she gently ced Elisa down on the mattress.

    ire stepped back respectfully as Elisa pulled up the nket and began to get herselffortable.

    There was an ambiguous atmosphere in the room and ire remained frozen in ce since she wasn''t sure what to do next.

    Elisa peeked out from under the nket and silentlyughed when she saw the dumbfounded expression on her guardian knight''s face.

 Chapter 43 The Fallen Saintess (39)

    (City of Lunarian- Inner Region)

    (Imperial Pce Complex)

    In the western corner of the Imperial Pce was a massive area ofnd with hundreds of rare flowers and nts.

    It was known as the royal garden and was a particrly popr meeting spot among the high nobledies of society.

    The queen would regrly hold tea gatherings and small parties in the garden. However today the garden was unusually empty.

    A man and a woman wandered through the royal garden side by side. The man was extremely handsome with short ck hair and a lean muscr physique.

    He wore an expensive white shirt adorned with sparkling jewels and a sword made from jade was attached to his hip.

    The passing maids whispered and giggled as they walked by, but none dared to stare for too long or approach the man.

    His name was Raul Francis, and he was the crown prince of the Empire.

    The crown prince would usually be the center of attention wherever he went but hispanion stole most of his limelight.

    Saintess Marie¡­ an otherworldly beauty with a devilish figure, long hair that waspletely silver and eyes that shone with a golden luster.

    "This rose pales inparison to your beauty," Prince Raul whispered lovingly as he stretched out his palm and plucked a red flower.

    Saintess Marie giggled in delight and her soft bell-likeughter echoed through the garden.

    The prince stared mesmerised as the saintess took the flower from his hand and ced it in her hair.

    "My prince¡­" Saintess Marie spoke.

    "Prince? No¡­ please call me by my name," Prince Raul hoarsely spoke.

    He nced around to see if anyone was looking and then wrapped his arm around the saintess'' waist.

    A fearsome blush spread across Marie''s cheeks as the young woman stared at the handsome prince with a lovestruck expression.

    "Woman¡­ you are mine!" the prince dered pridefully as he lifted Marie''s chin using his fingers and leaned forward to press a kiss against her lips.

    Pink bubbles filled the air as the atmosphere turned ambiguous.

    The union of the church and the royal family was highly encouraged by the current king.

    Prince Raul''s position as the crown prince made him all but guaranteed to be the next sessor especially if he managed to marry the next leader of the Varion Church.

    But political reasons aside¡­. the prince genuinely loved the girl in his arms.

    Saintess Marie''s kind-heartedness and her purity resembled that of an angel.

    She did not scheme like the other noble girls eager to bed him and produce a royal heir to help their families'' interests.

    Prince Raul could not believe that such a perfect woman existed in this world.

    The saintess gently broke away from the prince''s arms and took two steps forward while shyly smiling at him.

    One would never think that the only thought running through Saintess Marie''s mind was¡­

    (Good¡­ the prince seems to be falling deeper in love with me¡­ the pope''s ns will soone to fruition¡­)

    (He is certainly easy on the eyes¡­ I suppose there could have been worse options¡­)

    The most dangerous predators were the ones who disguised themselves as prey.

    Wolves in sheep''s clothing.

    While Saintess Marie did have good feelings towards the crown prince, they weren''t enough to stop her frompleting her objective.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Prince¡­ I mean Raul¡­ how have you been recently?" Saintess Marie asked with a gentle smile.

    "Marie, every day without you by my side has been torture¡­ the politics of the kingdom bore me¡­" Prince Raul replied softly.

    "No one seems to understand me like you do¡­ truly you are my only blessing in this dark world filled with boredom!"

    "Sometimes I think that it would be better to be born amoner than a prince!"

    The smile on Saintess Marie''s face briefly cracked as she listened to the prince rant and rave about his royal responsibilities and hardships.

    (Yeah¡­ the prince is¡­ a fucking idiot. Amoner? Clearly someone has had little contact with his subjects outside of massive parades.)

    (Being subjected to the whims of the nobles¡­ treated as second ss citizens¡­ there is not a single one on this continent who wouldn''t trade their miserable lives for that of royalty¡­)

    (Hell, most would settle to be minor nobles¡­)

    Saintess Marie quickly fixed her expression before the prince noticed and slowly guided the conversation towards her true goal.

    "I heard rumors¡­ that people have seen dark elves¡­" Saintess Marie''s voice dropped to a whisper as she put a frightened expression on her face.

    "There is nothing to fear¡­" Prince Raulforted her as he puffed up his chest and stared off into the distance.

    "Merely a few rats have been sneaking around the capitol¡­ no one is sure of their true purpose, but they cannot stir up any waves."

    "Dark elves and the other foreign races are mere remnants of their former selves while humanity has only gotten stronger."

    Saintess Marie nodded asionally during the conversation while a n gradually began to form in her mind.

    The prince said that no one knew about their true purpose, but it was quite obvious.

    The sightings of dark elves were generally around noble families rumored to be keeping their kind as ves or pets.

    Wait a minute¡­ perhaps this was an opportunity¡­

    Saintess Marie put away her careful thoughts to the back of her mind and continued to apany the prince through the royal garden while portraying the image of an innocent girl.

    The midday sun gradually sank towards the horizon and the garden was illuminated by a dull orange light.

    "Mydy... it is time to depart," one of the pdins serving the saintess respectfully walked forward and knelt down.

    Saintess Marie recognised the man as the former second inmand of the previous saintess.

    "Surely you can stay for longer?" Prince Raul warmly spoke.

    "My apologies my prince but I must attend the evening service and worship the grace of the Lord of Light," Saintess Marie exined sweetly as her eyes sparkled.

    The pair silently embraced before Marie followed her pdin and left the royal garden. She could feel the eyes of the prince watching her figure as she left.

    The carriage and the rest of her personal guards were at the entrance to the Imperial Complex so there was still quite a long way to go.

    Saintess Marie sped her hands together and her golden eyes shone eerily with an emotion that was hard to understand.

    "Pdin Markus¡­" Saintess Marie suddenly spoke and broke the silence between them.

    "Yes mdy?" the pdin replied immediately.

    He avoided direct eye contact with the saintess since her good looks made his heart race.

    "Tomorrow I will require a squad to apany me to the Tower of Trials¡­ I wish to pray for the lost souls trapped within¡­" Saintess Marie quietly requested.

    "I also wish to thank the brave inquisitors for doing their jobs and ridding the world of all that is evil and vile¡­"

 Chapter 44 The Fallen Saintess (40)

    (Outer Regions- City of Galrannor)

    (Local Temple Of The Varion Church)

    "Don''t just stand there," Elisa teased as she held out her hand and gestured for ire to walk over.

    The former saintess sat on her bed and stared at the holy knight with a hungry glint in her eyes that ire did not detect.

    ire walked over and stood a few feet away from the mattress.

    There was a brief moment of silence in the room as both girls stared at each other.

    The tips of Elisa''s ears were red as she unashamedly watched ire''s beautiful face and her gorgeous muscr arms.

    The rtionship between the pair had now reached a delicate stage after Elisa''s confession.

    ire was certainly now more aware of Elisa''s feeling but something seemed to be holding her back from fully reciprocating.

    However, the former saintess was not worried¡­. they would be spending months if not years together in the outer regions.

    This loyal pdin of the church would be hers eventually.

    Elisa smiled warmly at ire and then decided to break the silence. She cleared her throat twice and then opened her mouth.

    "I have received word from my spywork that a team of ve hunters will be arriving in two week''s time," Elisa whispered softly.

    "They were sent by a powerful noble family called House Carter. The team has a mission to enter the outer regions and capture several dark elves or foreign races."

    "Rumors say that Duke Carter has personally dispatched one tier two knight to oversee the operation."

    "Is the information reliable?" ire asked as a cold expression shed across her face.

    "Yes. This is not the first time that human strike teams have entered the outer regions to find dark elves to capture," Elisa seriously replied.

    The former saintess'' fingers curled up into a fist as a certain bad memory shed across her mind.

    ire furrowed her brows as she gave the matter some more thought.

    The hunting team would need to visit the city in order to replenish their supplies but attacking them there would be unwise.

    It was not that she couldn''t, but rather it was because the news would definitely reach the duke''s ears.

    ire''s actions so far had not made any waves outside of the city since a pdin cleaning up several underworld organisations was not surprising news.

    News also took a long time to travel since there was no inte, so letters were the main form ofmunication.

    But a pdin attacking an envoy sent by a duke would most certainly attract attention which was not what ire wanted at the moment.

    "Do you know any magic that can create illusions?" ire softly asked as her hand subconsciously touched the hilt of her long sword.

    "Got a n?" Elisa smiled gently as she spoke.

    "The outer region of the continent is a dangerous ce¡­ if the envoy somehow disappears in the wilderness¡­ who can say what happened," ire whispered darkly.

    ire''s eyes shone eerily for a moment and the golden threads surrounding her body squirmed happily.

    The dark elf princess was startled for a moment and soon a look of appreciation shed across her face.

    As expected of her future consort!

    Elisa had a simr n to deal with the group, but ire''s suggestion would certainly be the most effective method.

    The former saintess stretched out her right palm and pointed it at a wall behind ire.

    She whispered a few iprehensible words and tiny specks of ck light danced around her fingertips.

    "Clonierus Nerth Illusr!" Elisa roared as she felt the dark mana coursing through her veins.

    The shadows on the wall wriggled and twisted as if they were alive. A figure stepped out of the shadows who had an identical appearance to ire.

    It was uncanny how simr the two were.

    From ire''s short, cropped hair to even the callouses on her palm, there was no difference.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ire stepped towards the figure who made the same movement. She raised up her right hand and the mirror image copied her.

    The holy knight couldn''t resist trying to touch her identical clone, but her hand passed right through her copy''s body.

    "I can maintain it for about two hours at a time¡­ it doesn''t hold up at close distance so I will only hold sermons in the temple," Elisa exined quietly.

    She snapped her fingers and the figure disappeared back into the shadows as if it had never been in the room.

    "Dark magic truly is fascinating," ire sighed appreciatively as she stared at the wall.

    "Oh? A pdin praising the dark arts? How scandalous!" Elisa eximed in mock surprise as she brought a hand to her lips.

    She exaggeratedly pretended to faint in shock as she stared at ire with an expression ofplete disbelief.

    "My apologies mydy," ire followed her lead and yed along.

    "I seem to have been tempted by the seductive pull of magic. It is clear that I must personally hunt down the practitioners of that wicked art!"

    The dark elf princess chuckled merrily, and her bell-likeughter echoed through the room and captivated ire''s attention.

    The former saintess was pretty but that was not the only reason why a subtle blush spread across ire''s cheeks.

    Elisa was¡­ Elisa.

    It may sound stupid but there was no other way to put it.

    There was something about the dark elf princess that made ire''s heart beat faster and faster.

    Finally, Elisa stoppedughing and she yawned sleepily. The cost of performing miracles for most of the morning had drained her.

    Using too much holy magic ced a tremendous amount of strain on her mana pathways so she needed some time to rest.

    The former saintess felt a wave of exhaustion m into her body and she could not help closing her eyes.

    ire noticed her tired state and stepped forward to help Elisa lie downfortably on the mattress.

    The holy pdin gently covered Elisa''s body with a nket and left the room when the former saintess finally fell asleep.

    "Good night," ire softly whispered as she closed the door. Elisa briefly stirred at the sound of her voice but did not wake.

    The holy knight wandered through the corridors of the church while absentmindedly thinking about her next course of action.

    The hunter team scheduled to arrive in the next few weeks would not be thest.

    ire was not naive enough to assume that the death of one hunter group would lead to the abandonment of the ve trade.

    An example had to be made out of those who kept the foreign races as pets, and it had to be done on a high-profile house.

    Killing the chicken to warn the monkeys was an effective tactic since ancient times.

    But ire could not do it alone. She needed allies or at least the authority of the church behind her actions.

    Wait a minute¡­

    An idea shed across ire''s mind, and she quickly essed the original ire''s memories to find the relevant information.

    That was it!

    The inquisitor branch of the Varion Church waspletely independent and known as fierce lunatics.

    Not even the pope had the authority to stop them once a crusade was dered.

    In fact, in the original ire''s memories this subgroup of the church would eventually be strengthened under the order of Saintess Marie.

    If she could gather sufficient evidence against the various noble houses, then it would be easy to get them on her side.

    While corruption was rampant among the upper-level members of the church, from ire''s experience interacting with the lower rank holy knights and priests¡­

    Most still genuinely believed in Lord Varion''s teachings especially the knights.

 Chapter 45 The Fallen Saintess (41)

    (City of Lunarian- Western Region)

    (Base of The Inquisition- Tower of Trials)

    A luxurious golden carriage slowly moved through the streets of the capitol city towards a certain direction.

    Five powerful ck stallions were attached to the reins of the carriage and a thick, velvet curtain hid the passenger from the sight of curious onlookers.

    The driver was a young man dressed in the white armour of Varion Church with a longsword attached to his hip.

    A dozen other knights surrounded the carriage and did not allow anyone to get too close.

    Their faces were cold, and their intimidating auras made the bystanders on the sides of the road stay far away.

    Saintess Marie peered out of the window and let out a heavy sigh as the carriage continued to move towards the tower in the distance.

    Her golden eyes shone with purity and righteousness and the outline of faint translucent wings asionally appeared behind her back.

    The church needed a cleanse.

    Saintess Marie knew that the systemic corruption and the sinsmitted in Lord Varion''s name had angered their God.

    Why else would she have been given these gifts?

    But she could not do it alone.

    The pope for all his talk about reforming the church was an ambitious old man eager to maintain his power and influence.

    Prince Raul was part of the Imperial Family and therefore could not extend his influence on the upper rank members of the church.

    Only one branch was capable of helping her.

    The Inquisitors.

    They were technically a sub-group of the holy knight order, but their independence made them an exception to the general rules that the pdins had to follow.

    They were an ancient order that were founded centuries ago when the foreign races were still a threat and humanity were not as united as they were now.

    Back then there were those who allied with the foreign races in exchange for power or wealth.

    Those traitors were handed over to the Inquisitors to ''deal'' with them.

    The brutality of the Inquisitors was well known during those times and even now their reputation was still affected by the stories passed down from the ancient era.

    Saintess Marie tapped her fingers against the wooden frame of the bench and thought about her next course of action.

    She needed proof.

    She had to meet someone associated with the freedom fighting dark elves or at least a way to get their information on which nobles kept foreign races as ves.

    But where? And who?

    While the saintess was nning out the next steps of her n, the carriage travelled through abyrinth of roads and alleyways until arge grey tower was only two hundred meters away.

    At first nce the building was quite unremarkable.

    It was roughly four stories tall, and the exterior was a dull grey colour.

    The path leading to the tower was quite deserted and only a few people could be seen walking in the distance.

    A single wooden door was the entrance to the tower, and it was poor maintained with a rusty doorknob and cracks in its exterior.

    Pdin Markus got down from the driver''s seat and respectfully knocked on the side of the carriage.

    He was forced to use a bit of force since his first knock was too soft to be heard.

    It was strange¡­ Markus could not understand why it sometimes seemed as though his holy power was gradually decreasing.

    Saintess Marie opened the door and quietly stepped down.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The holy knights surrounding the carriage immediately bowed respectfully.

    "It is disrespectful to bring armed forces inside the Tower of Trials so I will venture forth alone," Saintess Marie exined calmly.

    "Please guard the carriage and if any of the pope''s messengers arrive¡­ tell them that I am praying for the souls currently being punished inside the tower."

    "Mydy¡­ I don''t think it is¡­" one of the holy knights protested but Saintess Marie simply held up her hand.

    "This is not up for debate. I will be entering the tower alone," she spoke firmly.

    The holy knights exchanged nces but since their leader Markus seemed fine with the saintess'' decision then it was decided to follow her order.

    Saintess Marie slowly walked towards the entrance of the tower and took a deep breath once her back was turned to the knights.

    Her silvery hair shone under the sunlight and faint holy runes floated around the body of the saintess.

    Saintess Marie gathered her courage and rapped her knuckles against the old wooden door. She had to wait a moment before a raspy voice came from the other side.

    "Enter."

    The saintess grabbed the doorknob and turned. The wooden door swung open and the saintess stepped inside.

    The door mmed shut behind her and the saintess found herself standing on a set of stone stairs.

    There was no sign of the person who had just told her to enter, and the structure of the tower made Marie feel dizzy.

    In the middle of the tower was arge empty pit that led to an underground level that Saintess Marie could barely observe using her enhanced vision.

    The pit was lined with several stone staircases with some leading to the bottom of the pit while others led to mysterious side rooms.

    Horrific screams and wails could asionally be faintly heard drifting upwards from the pit and as Marie descended down the stairs¡­

    They got louder.

    She could gradually clearly hear the conversations happening on the underground level and shivers ran down her spine.

    "No¡­ please¡­ I''ve told you all I know!"

    "It was a mistake! I didn''t mean to hurt them! My anger¡­ I¡­ ARGHHH!"

    "Kill me¡­ please¡­ I can''t take it anymore¡­ KILL ME!"

    Torches hung from the walls and cast a dim light on their immediate surroundings. The air was stale, and the faint scent of blood could be smelt.

    It took around ten minutes for Marie to reach the underground level and what she found were hundreds of prison cells and dozens of knights.

    Unlike the regr holy knights of the Varion Church, the knights down here in the darkness wore crimson red armour with an inverted sun on their breasttes.

    In their hands were a variety of torture tools. Hot iron pokers, whips, pliers and other gruesome devices.

    The men and women held in the prison cells were in various states. Some werepletely bloody while others were lightly injured.

    Still there was one thing inmon¡­ each prisoner stared at the knights with fear clearly visible in their eyes.

    Saintess Marie''s arrival did not seemingly attract any attention from the knights in the open space as they continued to carry out their tasks.

    Of course, the saintess knew that there were eyes asionally sweeping over her position and some were clearly malicious.

    The saintess did not change her facial expression even when witnessing the horrors that were inflicted on those trapped in the prison cells.

    Eventually she seemed to have passed the unknown test since the unfriendly gazes on her body disappeared.

    A female knight with long ck hair and several strange markings on her face walked over to the saintess and respectfully nodded.

    "The High Inquisitor has been expecting you," the knight spoke politely as she gestured towards a certain direction.

    "Please guide me," Saintess Marie replied with a gentle smile.

 Chapter 46 The Fallen Saintess (42)

    (Outer Regions- City of Galrannor)

    (The Slums- Dirty Fish''s Tavern)

    "Ahh you son of a bitch! Pour me another drink! Another! Another!"

    "Bastard was about the size of a mountain¡­ it killed half of my team¡­"

    "Darling¡­ why don''t you bring that fat ass over here... I got two copper coins¡­"

    "I heard rumors¡­ there''s a dragon still alive! My friend''s cousin who knows a guy swears it on his life!"

    Laughter and conversation filled the tavern as waitresses moved between the tables to serve food and drinks.

    An elegant older man stood behind the counter and carefully polished the sses until they sparkled.

    Dirty Fish''s Tavern was a popr meeting ce among the monster hunters, adventurers and those seeking information.

    It was located near the edge of the slums and was only a short walk away from the central za marketce.

    Adventurers would usually sell their goods to the merchants in the marketce thene to the tavern to drink and celebrate.

    In the corner of the tavern was a long table that could seat around fourteen people.

    A group wearing heavy brown cloaks sat down on the chairs and quietly observed the atmosphere in the tavern.

    Unlike the rest of the bar, there was little conversation flowing in the corner since members of the group were reluctant to begin talking.

    "Would you like anything else sirs?" a pretty waitress with a cute smile winked flirtishly as she set down a te of beef pies on the table.

    "No that will be all for now," a hoarse voice responded.

    The waitress was not offended by his blunt reply and politely nodded before walking off with a spring in her steps.

    "By the gods¡­ the journey here was terrible¡­" one of the cloaked men finally spoke.

    "Be grateful¡­ thest time I was sent here¡­ it took almost a year to return to the capitol," the leader replied.

    The leader pulled back the top of his cloak to reveal a grizzled old face with several pocket marks along his cheeks.

    The other members of the group took his actions as a cue, and they all pulled back the hood of their cloaks.

    Each person in the group wore simple travelling clothes with the exception of the man sitting in the center.

    He wore a light chain mail vest and a set of greenish-ck armour that glowed eerily under the dim lighting in the tavern.

    The leader respectfully poured him a drink and the man nced at it, but he made no effort to pick it up.

    It was an extremely disrespectful attitude, but the leader did not even dare to be upset with the warrior sitting next to him.

    Sir Gideon Raron was a tier two knight who managed to reach that level without the holy aura that pdins possessed.

    He simply relied on mana alone to cross the barrier and be one of the strong individuals on the continent.

    Duke Carter had paid a tremendous price to hire his services and Gideon''s importance to the hunting expedition could not be understated.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The knight absentmindedly touched his longsword and arrogantly sneered at the people in the tavernughing and gossiping.

    The pride of a knight made him disdainful to be in the presence of such low birthmoners and trash.

    Night soon fell and the tavern gradually emptied.

    The tough looking security guards outside the building kicked out the rowdier patrons who did not wish to leave.

    Soon the only group left in the tavern was the mysterious party in the far corner of the building who now appeared to be waiting for someone.

    The elegant gentleman polishing the sses nced at them once or twice but did not attempt to walk over.

    The members of the group with the exception of the knight had already downed quite a few sses of ale and their tongues were considerably looser.

    "So¡­ the n for now is to restock up on supplies and then leave the city in about four days'' time," the leader exined.

    "The Scarlet Rose merchant guild will be aiding us in the transportation of the goods back to the capitol."

    "Duke Carter will reward special bonuses for extra ves so make sure to grab as many as you can."

    "Can we y with them first?" one of the men asked with a vicious smile on his face.

    "No¡­ I want to as well¡­ but that would lower their value," the leader replied with a disappointed expression.

    Suddenly the doors to the tavern swung open and three men walked into the building.

    The youth in the middle was only in his early twenties with a crop of dirty ck hair and eyes that nervously flickered back and forth.

    He was nked by two powerful warriors each wearing heavy armour with massive broadswords attached to their hips.

    "Ahh¡­ are¡­ you¡­ Duke¡­ Duke Carter''s hunters?" the youth stuttered as he spoke.

    His hands trembled slightly, and he seemed terrified of the men sitting down at the table.

    The two warriors at his side did not change their facial expressions as their young master continued to act.

    "Ayed. We are the hunters," the leader gruffly replied. He grabbed the ss in front of him and threw back his head as he drank another shot.

    "And now¡­ who the hell are you?"

    "I''m¡­ I''m¡­ the information expert¡­ I¡­ err¡­ I¡­" the youth shivered as he felt the knight sitting down at the table stare at him.

    "I¡­ I¡­ have¡­ knowledge about¡­ the¡­ the¡­"

    The youth tried to speak but was interrupted by a voice ofinting from a man sitting down at the end of the table.

    "Why was the meeting set up in a tavern?" one of the men questioned sternly.

    "Thest time that we were here¡­ I recall having this conversation with your guild master in his private building."

    "About¡­ about that¡­ the guild master¡­ is dead¡­" the youth dropped down his head and no one could see the brief smile that shed across his face.

    "He¡­ he¡­ was murdered! Killed by the angel of death!"

 Chapter 47 The Fallen Saintess (43)

    Night had fallen and the city was now shrouded by darkness.

    This was especially true for the slums where only the bravest of souls dared to light a torch.

    The only source of light inside the tavern was the single candle brought to the table where the hunting party was seated.

    "He¡­ he¡­ was murdered! Killed by the angel of death!" a youthful voice echoed through the room.

    There was a brief moment of silence as even the elegant middle-aged gentleman behind the bar stopped polishing the shot sses.

    "Angel of death?" one of the hunters asked in confusion.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­ it was terrible¡­ a female pdin sent directly¡­ from¡­ from the capitol by¡­ by¡­ the order of the po¡­pope... himself!" the youth stuttered as his hands trembled.

    The fear in his voice was no longer fake as he recalled ire''s night of bloodshed that ended the lives of several notable figures in the underworld.

    "A pdin? Why would a pdine to this god forsaken shithole?" the leader questioned with a raspy whisper.

    "No¡­ no¡­ one¡­ no one knows¡­" the youth faltered as he spoke.

    He gestured towards hispanions and the two warriors stepped forward to create a space between himself and the hunting party.

    The leader ignored the youth''s small movements and furrowed his brows in confusion. Pdins were the elite holy knights trained by the Varion Church.

    To be one required both a tremendous talent in mana training and a sincere devotion to the Lord of Light.

    Both conditions were hard to meet and as a result the number of active pdins did not exceed one thousand across the continent.

    One thousand may seem like a high number but the continent was a vast ce, so the church strategically ced their knights in areas of high revenue.

    The City of Galrannor was a poor border city located near the outer regions with residents too poor to donate generous sums of wealth to the church.

    Why was a pdin here?

    Would her presence affect their ns?

    very was banned both by the royal family and by the church. It was for this reason why all the transactions had to be done under the table.

    Priests were the easiest to bribe while knights on the other hand were considerably less flexible.

    The leader''s careful thoughts were interrupted by the sneering voice of Sir. Gideon who puffed out his chest in arrogance.

    "A mere pdin has you so frightened?" the knight hoarselyughed as he touched the hilt of his longsword.

    "The only kind of pdin sent to this ce must be one severelycking in talent or punished by the church."

    "I¡­ she¡­ she¡­ rumors say¡­ she''s a tier one knight¡­ she managed to kill¡­." the youth tried to exin.

    "Tier one? Nonsense!" Sir Gideon chuckled as he downed another drink.

    "An ordinary tier two knight is enough to clean up the trash in this city but even then¡­ I am unmatched in the same realm!"

    The other hunters sitting around the table visibly rxed and stared at the knight with looks of admiration and respect.

    "No one can defeat the mighty Sir. Gideon!"

    "Pdin?! Those self-righteous bastards can all suck my¡­"

    "Ay barkeeper! Bring another round of drinks for these brave heroes!"

    Their loud voices echoed through the room which caused a pretty waitress to walk over while holding arge tter with several drinks on top.

    One of the hunters pinched the bottom of her skirt and she turned around to give him a flirtatious wink.

    The atmosphere was merry and lighthearted as the hunters put down their worries and focused on enjoying the night ahead.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Only the leader was still feeling a bit hesitant.

    He was a person specially cultivated by the duke and tasked with leading the expedition.

    Naturally his personality was rather cautious, and he wanted to keep a low profile but was there a need for concern?

    There should be no direct conflict between them and this powerful pdin since they did not n to return to the city after they caught some foreign race ves.

    "Enough of that matter¡­" the leader finally spoke as he addressed the representative of the Scarlet Rose.

    "Do you have the information that we seek?"

    The youth snapped his fingers and one of the warriors next to him stepped forward and pulled a small wooden box from the bag attached to his waist.

    He stepped forward and ced the wooden box on the table with a dull thud. The leader reached into the sack next to his feet and handed over a bag of coins.

    The youth nervously smiled and then left the tavern while apanied by his two fearsome guards.

    The box was slowly opened by the leader and inside was a piece of parchment paper that disyed a map of the surrounding area five miles north of the city.

    There was a certain location circled in red that caught the leader''s attention.

    He read the words on the bottom of the map and could not stop the smile from shing across his grizzled old face.

    A tribe of nomadic orcs had beenst seen resting in the area and with any luck they would still be there.

    Orcs were not as popr as some of the other foreign races but there was always a market for muscr hunks of meat.

    "Men¡­ let us leave tomorrow at dusk," the leader ordered as he ced the map in his pocket.

    Most of his team immediately responded with the exception of those who were now partially drunk.

    "Yes captain!"

    "You got it boss!"

    "Drink up! Drink up!"

    Sir Gideon leaned back in his chair, but his attention was no longer on the leader''s suddenmand but rather the story of the powerful pdin.

    A tier one knight? Utterly ridiculous.

    Those powerhouses were all stationed around the capitol or neighbouring city states. They were the equivalent of one- man armies and even the royal family had to pay them respect.

    Maybe he should meet this so-called pdin and beat her to death?

    Sir. Gideon narrowed his eyes as the thought briefly shed across his mind.

    He hated the pdins who were able to cross the barriers so easily due to the holy aura given to them by Lord Varion.

    It was cheat.

    They weren''t real knights. They didn''t deserve that strength¡­

    The dark thoughts of jealousy and hatred surfaced in Sir Gideon''s heart and made his guard temporarily rx.

    What Sir. Gideon and the rest of the hunting party did not notice at the time was the strange sight that urred in the corner of the tavern.

    The elegant middle-aged gentleman behind the counter continued to polish the shot sses uninterrupted but¡­

    His eyes briefly shed crimson.

 Chapter 48 The Fallen Saintess (44)

    (Outer Regions- Unnamed Forest)

    The sun shone brightly in the sky above and the sounds of birds chirping could be heard echoing through the forest.

    One could faintly hear the sounds of roars and fighting in the distance as monsters fought for territory or prey.

    There was a figure sitting downfortably on one of the branches of a particrly tall tree that towered over most of its peers.

    The figure wore a simple green cloak and a longsword with attached to her hip.

    Her hood was temporarily pulled down, so her short cropped blonde hair was exposed.

    ire continued to watch her surroundings patiently as she enjoyed the natural beauty of the forest.

    It felt good to feel a cool breeze gently caress her face and to finally get away from the unpleasant smells of sewage and filth that filled the air in the city.

    This tree was directly in the path of the hunting group sent to capture foreign race ves for the duke.

    To set an ambush required preparation so ire had left the city one day earlier than the hunters.

    Elisa was currently using illusion magic to make it appear as though she had never left the church in order to provide an alibi.

    About three kilometers north of her position was an enormouske with crystal clear water that sparkled under the sunlight.

    Next to theke was a small vigeposed ofrge makeshift tents whose residents slowly moved around the grasnds looking for food.

    These residents were tall muscr humanoid creatures with greenish skin.

    The males wore loincloths made from animal skins while the females wore coats made from a special white thread.

    They were orcs.

    Members of a foreign race who had been driven out to the edges of the continent.

    Orcs were a nomadic race who despite their intimidating features such as theirrge, tusked teeth and monstrous strength were rtively peaceful.

    They would only attack if someone invaded theirnd.

    ire''s golden eyes shone as her vision was suddenly enhanced several times over.

    She could observe small orc children ying happily in the water and sshing each other using their palms to create waves.

    The male orcs watched over them to make sure that no one wandered too far into the deeper parts of theke.

    Despite having been in this world for several months now, it was moments like this that made Sui Li truly grateful to be chosen as an agent.

    Even if she failed the task and ended up returning to the void, at least she had made memories that she would never forget.

    ire stroked the hilt of her longsword as her ears suddenly pricked up.

    The faint golden threads wrapping around her body went crazy as they sensed sinners moving towards her location.

    Found you¡­

    A twisted smile spread across the female knight''s face as ire gently touched one of the golden threads.

    The face of a grizzled old man surfaced in her mind. His name was Nathan Serpena, and he was the leader of the hunting expedition.

    This was not his first foray into the outer regions and ire peered into his memories of burning down a dark elf vige.

    She continued to touch the other golden threads and soon the faces of every member of the party became clear to her.

    These were not good people.

    There was no one forced here against their will but rather the primary motivation in their hearts was greed.

    ire''s golden eyes shone with purity and righteousness, and one could see two faint translucent wings briefly appear behind her back.

    Sinners¡­ sinners¡­ sinners¡­

    The female knight resisted the urge to jump down from the tree and immediately hunt down the sinners.

    This was a test of her willpower.

    ire wanted to remain in control during the fight and not let her instincts run wild.

    She gritted her teeth and used her fingernails to pierce the fleshy underside of her palms.

    Blood slowly dripped down, and ire used the pain to clear the mental fog that was slowly taking over her mind.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    "Men keep moving! The location is just a short distance away!"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Leader are you sure that map is correct? We''ve been walking for hours now with no sign of any orcs!"

    "Boy¡­ don''t you dare question me¡­ I''ve been doing this kind of work since you were weed sucking on your mom''s tits!"

    Laughter filled the air as the hunters joked and made conversation with each other.

    Nathan the leader of the group kept checking the map as he led the group towards a certain direction.

    Despite the friendly atmosphere, every hunter in the group had their weapons out and were ready to use them at a moment''s notice.

    Some held crossbows and javelins while others held swords or spears.

    The two weakest members of the group were the ones who held thes to capture the younger orcs in the tribe.

    Sir Gideon was at the back of the hunting party, and he casually yawned as they wandered through the forest.

    As a tier two knight he could easily hold back a small orc tribe and it should be a straightforward operation to kidnap at least a few of their children.

    In fact, the only thing on his mind right now were those ridiculous rumors flying around the city.

    The representative from the Scarlet Rose guild was not the only one who told them stories about the mysterious pdin currently residing in the church.

    Of course¡­ those stories were allplete nonsense.

    Golden eyes? Wings? Was she supposed to be some kind of God?

    Sir Gideon chuckled softly as he felt sorry for those pathetic low bornmoners who had clearly never seen a real tier one knight.

    Tier one knights did not outwardly look any different from normal humans but their bodies were now enhanced by mana.

    Ordinary weapons would never prate their flesh and their aging would slow down to a mere crawl.

    It was realm that Sir Gideon knew that he would never reach but it did not stop him from dreaming about the possibility.

    Leader Nathan nced at the piece of parchment paper and saw andmark clearly marked that was only a short distance away.

    It was a particrlyrge tree that towered over its surroundings.

    It would be the perfect spot to briefly rest and prepare for the uing attack.

    "Men¡­ we will take a brief rest at the bottom of that tree. Luke and Branden will take the first watch!" Nathanmanded loudly as he gestured forward.

    Sir Gideon yawned sleepily and followed behind the party as they soon arrived at the base of the tree.

    "Now¡­ as I was saying¡­ ARGHH!" Nathan''s voice turned into a shriek of pain as a beam of golden light mmed into his body.

    His right arm fell to the ground and the grizzled old man had no time to react before another beam of golden light cut off his head.

    A cloaked figure jumped down from a branch of the tree andnded on the ground with a heavy thud.

    Holy runes floated gently around her body and the sounds of trumpets could be heard ring out from some unknown location.

    Tworge gorgeous translucent wings sprouted out from behind her back.

    The men reacted quickly and readied their weapons, but their enemy did not even give them a chance.

    She vanished from the spot and reappeared in the middle of the group of hunters. Like a wolf amongst a flock of sheep, she ughtered them easily.

    Every time her de shed, another body would fall motionless to the ground. Soon there was only one person remaining.

    Sir Gideon clutched his longsword in a panic since for the first time in his life, he felt the shadow of death loom upon him.

    "Wait¡­ the¡­ stay back! I''m a tier two knight!" Sir Gideon shouted in horror as his hands started to tremble uncontrobly.

    "Two years ago¡­ did you feel good?" the cloaked figure coldly spoke.

    "Wha¡­ what?" Sir Gideon stuttered as he began to back away slowly while keeping a careful eye on his opponent.

    "When you killed that family ofmoners for looking at you wrong¡­ did you give them mercy?" the voice whispered darkly.

    "Or did you allow them to beg and then ughtered them anyway?"

    Sir Gideon''s legs gave out and he stumbled twice before falling to the ground. He held the longsword in his shivering hands as the figure slowly walked over.

    The brutal knight ended up begging and pleading just as his victims did, but the cloaked figure afforded him the same mercy that he showed to his victims.

    sh!

    ire''s longsword severed his neck from his body and the headless corpse copsed on the ground never to rise again.

    The holy knight''s eyes began to itch as she forcibly withdrew her power.

    The two translucent wings on her back disappeared and the golden threads returned to their slumber.

    ire stared at the scene of carnage with a cold expression and then slowly left the clearing.

    The scent of blood would attract the nearby monsters and she had done enough killing for the day.

 Chapter 49 The Fallen Saintess (45)

    (Outer Regions- Unnamed Forest)

    The scent of roasted meat filled the air as ire quietly sat next to a small campfire and cooked herself dinner.

    The corpse of an enormous pig-like creature with fearsome teethy motionless on the ground a few hundred feet away.

    It was already being torn apart by the hungry scavengers roaming the area grateful for a free meal.

    These scavengers resembled normal wolves except their fur was a dark purplish- ck colour and they possessed three eyes.

    asionally one of the wolfish monsters would nce in ire''s direction but the small trace of killing intent leaking out of the pdin''s body was enough to deter them.

    ire saw that the fire was starting to go out, so she reached out and grabbed a few dry sticks from the pile nearby.

    Her golden eyes shone eerily in the darkness as she carefully roasted the meat to make sure that it did not burn.

    Unfortunately, she did not have any spices or condiments to make the roasted meat actually taste good but that was a small matter.

    "Are you going toe out?" ire suddenly spoke.

    There was a brief moment of silence in the forest, and it appeared as though the holy knight was talking to herself.

    A humanoid figure stepped out of the shadows nearby and watched ire with a vignt expression on his face.

    He was a dark elf with a lean muscr frame.

    His pointed ears flickered back and forth, and he wore a simple brown robe.

    Two curved daggers were attached to his hip by a simple piece of grass woven rope.

    "Most impressive. Your ability to find my position is truly amazing, it is no wonder that the princess regards you so highly," the mysterious elf spoke.

    "Save thepliments¡­ what is your purpose?" ire bluntly asked as her hand subconsciously drifted to the hilt of her sword.

    The dark elf probably assumed that he was out of the reach of her de, but that was an incorrect assumption.

    It would take a mere fraction of a second for ire''s longsword to separate his head from his body at the first sign of a threat.

    Something was off about this situation.

    It was not that ire had never met other dark elves before, but it was always in the presence of Elisa.

    The former saintess did not mention sending someone to watch over her while shepleted the task of killing the hunters.

    "Queen Bracieth wishes to send you a message. She believes that you are being fooled¡­." the dark elf hoarsely replied.

    His crimson eyes gleamed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small unremarkable envelope.

    He ced the envelope on the ground in front of him and then turned around to leave.

    ire watched him disappear into the darkness and made no move to stop him.

    Faint holy runes floated gently above her body as the golden threads stirred from their slumber.

    ire waited until the dark elf''s presence could no longer be detected before walking over and picking up the letter.

    Queen Bracieth? She was Elisa''s mother¡­

    To say that ire was feeling a bit confused would be an understatement. Elisa had briefly mentioned her mother''s name before but had not said anything beyond that.

    ire got the impression that they were not close which really wasn''t surprising if dark elf royals were anything like the human ones.

    The holy knight weighed the envelope in her palm before cing it in the brown bag attached to her hip.

    The meat was almost done cooking so it would be best to eat first and then see what was inside the envelope.

    ire turned the meat over a few more times until the skin became incredibly crispy.

    She broke off a piece and took arge bite.

    Delicious!

    Maybe it was because she hadn''t eaten all day, but ire could not resist going for seconds and then thirds.

    Eventually all of the roasted meat disappeared in her stomach, and she tossed the bones in the direction of the scavengers.

    The wolfish- monsters immediately pounced on the bones and a small fight broke out within the pack.<novelnext></novelnext>

    With the sounds of yips and growls in the background, ire walked over to the nearby stream and washed her hands.

    The cool sensation of the water tickled her fingertips as she washed off the oil and grease from her palms.

    ire returned to her campsite and tossed another batch of sticks in the fire before turning her attention to the matter at hand.

    She pulled out the envelope from her bag and ran her fingers along the edges with a thoughtful expression.

    The holy knight carefully opened up the envelope and made sure not to rip the contents inside.

    There was only a single piece of parchment paper inside the letter and the words were written in the standard tongue of the Empire.

    ire held the letter in her palm and began to read its contents.

    The cold expression on her face finally broke and the holy knight furrowed her brows in disbelief.

    The message was short and barely filled the page.

    ire finished reading its contents in under a minute but could not stop herself from reading it over and over again.

    The more she read¡­. the deeper the frown on her face became.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    Dear Lady nlyn,

    The contents of this letter will be difficult to believe. In fact, I''m sure your first instinct will be to assume that this is some kind of lie or deception.

    It is not.

    I promise on my honour as the queen of the dark elf race that what I will now reveal to you is the truth.

    Many years ago, a soothsayer in our tribe spoke of a prophecy. It involved my future daughter who would bring about the end of humanity.

    The prophecy foretold the rise of our kind and a return to the age before the influence of the Lord of Light.

    Eventually the child of the prophecy was born, and she was named Princess Keya Liadi.

    Naturally my daughter became the new symbol of hope not just for our people but for all the races who have been oppressed by humanity.

    You may question then why I would send you this message.

    I have taken a tremendous risk by allowing my subordinate to pass this letter to you.

    There is no doubt that I would be immediately dethroned or even imprisoned if my actions ever came to light.

    So why take that risk? Because I believe in the safety and stability of the continent over the violent revolution needed to make change.

    For longer than a decade, my daughter has infiltrated human society with the goal of acquiring the materials necessary to create portals to hell.

    If she is not stopped then I fear that she will seed.

    Death and destruction will be brought to the continent, the likes of which have never been seen before.

    I implore you for the safety of the continent¡­ please kill her.

    No one knows Princess Keya''s true nature more than me.

    She is a monster.

    A mad beast who needs to be put down before it bites everyone around it.

    Forget everything that you think you know about my daughter. It is all part of her careful disguise to hide herself as prey when in fact she is a predator.

    As a pdin, your duty is to follow the teachings of the Lord of Light so I can only pray that you will make the right decision.

    Yours Sincerely,

    Queen Bracieth Liadi.

 Chapter 50 The Fallen Saintess (46)

    (Outer Regions- Unnamed Forest)

    ire leaned back against a nearby tree and looked up at the sky.

    A crescent moon glowed softly amidst the darkness and was apanied by hundreds of stars that blinked in and out of existence.

    The constetions in the night sky were both familiar and strange.

    The multiverse wasprised of countless or perhaps infinite worlds each existing in their own separate universe.

    It really made ire feel like a speck of dust in the grand cosmic scheme of eternity.

    The crackling of the fire could be heard in the background along with the sounds of the wolfish monsters feasting on the corpse of the beast that ire had killed.

    The holy knight held the letter in her right palm and continued to look at the sky with a confused expression.

    To say that the contents of the letter were shocking would be an understatement.

    The writer of the letter mentioned a prophecy, demons and made a request for her to kill Elisa.

    However, ire did not fully believe what was written down on the parchment paper and held a healthy dose of skepticism towards its contents.

    Firstly, she had no way of knowing whether the author of the letter was the real queen or someone impersonating her.

    The dark elf who dropped off the letter did not bring anything to prove his royal connection or show his legitimacy.

    And even if the letter was written by the queen herself¡­

    ire did not know anything about her character.

    If ire''s trust in Elisa could be shaken by a letter written by someone whom she had never met, then they would have parted ways months ago.

    But still¡­ the mention of demons and portals to hell¡­

    In the original ire''s memories, that was the cause of her death and perhaps it was also the reason behind the destruction of the continent.

    A portal opened up in the middle of the small vige where the original ire was staying, and the former pdin died under the siege of lesser demons.

    "Fuck¡­ what do I¡­" ire softly cursed as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.

    ire let out a heavy sigh and not for the first time she cursed the unknown ''system'' that never showed up.

    Would it be that difficult to at least give her some hints about what to do and how to aplish her task?

    Was every world going to require her to find out everything on her own?

    ire was briefly struck by a sense of doom and hopelessness as she suddenly realised why the ''system'' said that this department was essentially hell-mode.

    No cheats. No gold fingers. No store to buy items.

    ire picked up a rock near her foot and threw it aimlessly in a random direction.

    Itnded on the ground with a dull thump and briefly attracted the attention of the wolfish monster still gorging on the corpse.

    Well¡­ feeling sorry for herself would get her nowhere.

    ire stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily as she gave the matter some more thought.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was important to take things one step at a time.

    ire rubbed her temples and tried to organise the information that she knew so far.

    This included the original ire''s memories as well as her own experiences since arriving in this strange world.

    The holy knight sat motionless at the base of the tree for around fifteen minutes as she carefully considered what to do next.

    Every option was considered from trying to track down the mysterious dark elf who dropped off the letter to directly confronting Elisa about the matter.

    In the end, ire finally decided to go for thetter option.

    It was the most direct and straightforward method.

    The writer of the letter probably assumed that she would never mention the matter to Elisa due to the sensitive nature of the contents written inside.

    Then even if the contents were false, a crack would slowly begin to form in their rtionship that would not be easy to repair.

    ire felt an odd sense of peace as she came to her decision.

    There was a small part of her that was nervous to hear Elisa''s answer but there was nothing she could do except wait and see what happened.

    Besides the contents of the letter were most likely untrue since Saintess Marie was obviously the viiness.

    One of the wolfish monsters wandered over with slow, purposeful steps. Its teeth gleamed under the light of the fire, and it crouched down and prepared to attack.

    sh!

    A beam of holy light erupted from the tip of ire''s de and neatly bisected the monster in half.

    ? The other members of the pack who were watching the show quickly fled into the darkness as theirpanion was instantly killed.

    ire''s eyes began to itch as the metallic scent of blood drifted into her nostrils.

    The holy knight moved her hand away from her longsword and took a few deep breaths.

    "Ten¡­ nine¡­ eight¡­" ire counted softly as she continued to inhale and exhale. Her excited mood gradually calmed down and she could think clearly once more.

    Maybe it was time to get some rest¡­

    It had been a long day and truthfully ire was now beginning to feel a wave of exhaustion hit her all at once.

    She walked over to the campfire and doused the mes using the water that she had collected and stored in a small bag.

    The forest instantly darkened, and the only source of light came from the moon that hung in the night sky.

    ire tidied up her belongings and headed for a sturdy tree on the opposite site of her temporary resting ce.

    She climbed up the tree with familiar movements and stopped on a particrly heavy branch that was midway up the tree.

    ire settled down on the branch and closed her eyes.

    The senses of a tier one knight were so sharp that any iing danger would immediately awaken her, so ire did not feel too worried about sleeping.

    Tomorrow she would begin her journey back to the city of Galrannor and hopefully arrive sometime in the afternoon.

 Chapter 51 The Fallen Saintess (47)

    (Outer Regions- City of Galrannor)

    (The Walls)

    Beyond the forest was an enormous city surrounded by massive concrete walls that stretched out towards the heavens.

    There was a single entrance leading to the city and one could spot travellers waiting patiently to be let inside.

    Most were adventurers who carried the corpses of monsters or even theirpanions on their shoulders.

    Only a few merchant caravans could be seen slowly approaching the gates while being escorted by teams of heavily armed mercenaries.

    ire adjusted her hood and double checked her cloak to make sure that her figure was fully concealed.

    She had stored her conspicuous white armour inside arge canvas bag which she loosely carried with one hand.

    The letter that Queen Bracieth had written was tucked away safely inside a small pocket sown into the fabric of her clothes.

    ire let out a heavy sigh as she nced upwards at the sky. The warm afternoon rays of light softly washed the forest in a dull orange glow.

    The holy knight walked over to a nearby tree and sat down. ire yawned sleepily as she rubbed her eyes.

    Shezily watched the guards ept bribes and allow visitors to enter the city without being checked for any dangerous goods or weapons.

    ire''s appearance resembled that of a non-descript viger girl since her body was mostly covered by a brown cloak.

    Unfortunately, there was one trait that she could not hide.

    Ever since reading that letter, ire''s golden eyes had refused to calm down.

    They glowed eerily and would definitely attract attention if she walked up to the entrance and tried to talk to the guards.

    ire''s initial n was to enter the city in the afternoon but now it seemed as though she would have to wait until nightfall.

    "Arghh¡­" ire hissed softly in pain as she gripped the sides of her head.

    A face briefly shed across her mind that was both familiar and strange.

    It was an image that quickly disappeared before ire could get a better look, but she could vaguely recall seeing silvery hair.

    Silvery hair¡­

    ire furrowed her brows as two names popped up in her mind. Elisa and the current Saintess Marie were the only ones who possessed hair of that colour.

    Although in Elisa''s case, her true dark elf appearance did not posses silver streaks in her ck hair.

    Why would she suddenly get that vision?

    "Oy! Keep on moving you sacks of shit!" a loud voice called out.

    "We don''t have all day¡­ make sure that we aren''t being followed by that bastard Margot and his gang of rats!"

    ire hurriedly hid her body behind the trunk of the nearest tree as a party of five adventurers walked towards her location.

    Damn it! Damn it!

    That vision had messed with ire''s mind and caused her to be temporarily distracted so she didn''t notice the iing group before it was toote.

    "Fuck¡­ I should have been more vignt¡­" ire muttered quietly as her hand subconsciously reached for the hilt of her longsword.

    She could not make a scene so close to the entrance.

    At least the golden threads surrounding her body were not reacting so ire did not feel the urge to kill them.

    As the adventurers stepped closer, ire could get a better look at their appearances. They were a team consisting of three men and two women.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The women held longbows with a quiver of arrows slung across their shoulders while the men carried hunting knives or swords.

    The leader of the pack was a middle-aged man with a messy appearance. His beard was long and scraggly, and his eyes shifted sluggishly from side to side.

    "Mark¡­ for god''s sake man¡­ this is a waste of time," one of the men suddenlyined.

    "That old drunken fool at the tavern probably couldn''t tell the difference between a baby dragon and a fucking crow!"

    "Shut up! Once we find that youngling¡­ we''ll be rich! Wealth, power, fame! We will be the only dragon yers on the continent!" the leader happily shouted.

    A greedy expression shed across his face and the rest of his party exchanged looks of resignation.

    ire held her breath and waited until the group had passed her location and ventured deeper into the forest.

    Dragons?

    They were once the rulers of the continent in the ancient era before the arrival of Lord Varion.

    But now¡­ there were no more.

    Their species were not known for their reproductive capabilities and the losses that they suffered during the war against humanity could not be replenished.

    Thest dragon had been in a long time ago. At least that''s what the texts in the church''s library said¡­

    ire was briefly struck with the urge to follow the party and see if they actually found a supposedly extinct dragon but decided against it.

    There was already too much on her te without adding in the additional stress of dealing with a dragon.

    She could only silently wish the group of adventurers the best of luck since even young dragons could easily ughter an entire vige.

    ire gently inhaled as she felt the golden threads surrounding her body stir as more people arrived at the gates.

    In a ce like the outer regions, there was no shortage of sinners whomitted crimes that deserved death.

    Faint translucent wings briefly sprouted out of her back as ire struggled desperately to get her powers back under control.

    Eventually after counting to ten several times over, ire was able to temporarily rein in her powers.

    Time slowly passed as the minutes turned to hours and the sun eventually sank into the horizon.

    The shadows lengthened as night descended onto the forest.

    ire''s golden eyes shone in the darkness as she observed the guards walking inside the city and calling out to theirpanions to close the metallic gates.

    The holy knight waited until the gates dropped to the ground with a heavy thud and then begun to move forward.

    She crept along the forest floor and sneakily blended in with the shadows so that her figure could not be easily seen.

    ire''s stealthiness and her careful steps made her bear a striking resemnce to a sneaky assassin.

    The holy knight silently approached one of the walls connected to the western side of the city that bordered the slums.

    Fortunately, there were no guards on the ramparts, so ire stretched out her palm and used her enhanced strength to dig her fingers into the concrete wall.

    The concrete easily crumbled as her fingers sank deeply into the hardened material.

    ire was not the most skilled climber, so she had no choice but to brute force her ascent.

    She bit down on the canvas bag using her teeth so that both of her hands were freed up. The holy knight climbed up the wall leaving behind a trail of palm-shaped holes in her wake.

    After about fifteen minutes of climbing, ire finally hoisted her body over the ramparts andnded quietly on the other side of the walls surrounding the city.

    She was back!

 Chapter 52 The Fallen Saintess (48)

    (City of Lunarian- Imperial Pce Complex)

    (Grand Hall)

    The sounds of violins echoed through arge open hall. The floors were covered in gold and a magnificent crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

    White marble pirs had been constructed at the far corners of the room and one could see luxurious statues and paintings scattered along the walls.

    There was a raised tform at the end of the hall where two tinum thrones had been ced side by side.

    The thrones were currently empty but that did not stop the guests in the hall from asionally throwing a nce at their direction.

    The Grand Hall much like the name suggests was an opulent disy of wealth by the royal family to create an atmosphere of elitism and privilege.

    Noblemen were dressed in expensive ck suits while thedies wore long dresses made from luxurious silk materials.

    Jewels in the form of rings, nes or amulets could be seen on their bodies.

    The live orchestra in the back of the hall continued to y as the nobles began to mingle.

    The conversations were mostly cordial and polite as no one dared to make trouble on such an important asion.

    They mostly talked about thetest gossip in the capitol or any exciting bit of news that had leaked out from certain noble families.

    The empire was currently in an age of peace so there was really nothing particrly interesting happening.

    While the majority of nobles were standing around and chatting, there were a few tables ced near the entrance.

    One of the tables was upied by a group of middle-aged noblewomen who delicately sipped on the cups of tea in their hands.

    "I say¡­. did you hear of the shocking news from the western region?"

    "What news? House ckait usually has a tight grip on any rumorsing out of his territory¡­"

    "Well¡­ whispers have begun to spread around the capitol that the duke has abandoned his wife to run off with a servant!"

    "Run off? Why didn''t he just take her as a mistress?"

    "Who said his new lover was a ''she''?"

    "What?! Elena you better finish this story¡­ don''t worry this rumor will not leave this table¡­"

    Saintess Marie wandered through the hall and politely smiled at the nobles who respectfully nodded at her.

    She pretended not the see the lustful stares directed at her voluptuous body that could vaguely be seen beneath the simple white dress that she wore.

    Saintess Marie''s silvery hair swayed gently from side to side as she maintained a peaceful expression on her face.

    Fortunately, her guard of holy knights helped to keep away the flies that were circling around her location.

    It was a testament to the influence of the Varion Church that the saintess was allowed to bring heavily armed bodyguards even when attending a royal function.

    Today was an important day.

    The king and queen had summoned all the nobles in the capitol for their son''s engagement ceremony.

    Crown Prince Raul Francis was going to be engaged to the saintess of the Varion Church. It was an unprecedented union that would strengthen the power of the royal family.

    Saintess Marie truly had no desire to get involved with the politics of the crown but being the next queen did have certain advantages.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The deal that she had made the Inquisitors woulde into effect over the next few months so a bit more authority would not hurt.

    Saintess Marie felt a sharp burst of pain as a face briefly shed across her mind. She saw a short-haired woman with cold features and eyes that glowed a golden colour.

    What? What was that? Why were her eyes simr to her own?

    Wait a minute¡­ could it be¡­

    The saintess furrowed her brows as she vaguely felt as though that face was one that she had seen before.

    But where?

    Unfortunately for Saintess Marie, no matter how hard she tried¡­ she could not think of anyone who resembled the young woman in the vision.

    The saintess had long forgotten the appearance of the pdin who had chosen to be banished along with the former saintess Elisa.

    Marie''s train of thought was interrupted by a sudden disturbance that made her turn her head around.

    "Now announcing the arrival of King Arthur Francis, Queen Mary and their royal heirs!" a loud voice shouted from the end of the hall.

    The metalloid doors swung open to reveal a group of people dressed in the imperial purple colour that represented the royal family.

    King Arthur Francis led the way and was apanied by the queen as well as three concubines who followed closely behind.

    His children were at the back of the group and at the forefront of his heirs was Prince Raul who smiled gently when his eyes met Marie''s.

    Prince Raul''s appearance caused several nobledies in the hall to blush furiously as they whispered among themselves.

    His sunny personality and handsome features overshadowed his half siblings who stared at him with jealousy hidden in their gazes.

    They tried to hide it, but their ugly thoughts could be easily seen by Saintess Marie as she lightly touched the golden threads surrounding her body.

    It seems as though the fight for session would not be as straightforward as the prince had promised her.

    King Francis escorted his wife up to the raised tform and sat on the throne.

    His wife also took a seat while the concubines were forced to stand behind them.

    The princes and princesses dispersed into the crowd and Raul made his way to his soon-to-be fianc¨¦e.

    "Mydy¡­ you look as gorgeous as ever," Prince Raul whispered softly as he gently held Marie''s hand.

    "Every day that we spend apart¡­ it makes me feel as though there is a hole in my heart that cannot be filled."

    "Darling you are a sweet dream that I wish to never awaken from! The bright shining sun amidst the stars of the night!"

    Saintess Marie warmly smiled at the prince and leaned in closer to nt a soft kiss against his cheeks.

    Her golden eyes eerily glowed for a moment as the saintess touched the thread that was connected to the prince''s body.

    The prince was currently smiling stupidly after receiving a kiss, so he failed to notice the strange expression that briefly shed across Marie''s face.

    A handsome crown prince and a beautiful saintess who was widely considered as the next sessor to the church.

    They were truly the ideal couple.

 Chapter 53 The Fallen Saintess (49)

    (Outer Regions- City of Galrannor)

    (Local Temple Of The Varion Church)

    "Err¡­ my¡­ head¡­" ire softly groaned as she slowly opened her eyes.

    A gentle stream of sunlight shone through the window as the holy knight yawned sleepily and stretched out her arms.

    Judging by the position of the sun outside, it should be around nine or ten o'' clock in the morning.

    ire had managed to sessfully sneak back into the church after climbing over the wallsst night.

    At first, she nned to visit Elisa immediately and talk about the letter but was suddenly struck by a wave of tiredness.

    ire walked over to the connecting bathroom and picked up a wooden bucket that was filled with water.

    Unfortunately, the technology in this world had not progressed very far so proper plumbing was basically non-existent especially in a border city.

    ire took off the loose brown robe covering her body and removed her undergarments before dipping a rag into the bucket.

    She began to wipe the grime and dust off her body all the while humming softly a tune from her childhood.

    ''Hush little baby don''t you cry¡­"

    "For the wind and the song of light to be heard¡­"

    "The mes of love and healing¡­"

    ire felt oddly rxed and refreshed after a good night''s sleep, but the letter still weighed heavily on her mind.

    Queen Bracieth Liadi was apparently the one who had written the letter, but ire refused to believe that the contents were true.

    Portals to hell? Destroying the entire continent? A mad beast?

    ire knew that Elisa was not the pure kind-hearteddy of the church that she pretended to be but¡­

    She was not a monster.

    The female knight let out a sigh as she absentmindedly touched one of the golden threads wrapped around her body.

    A in faced girl with freckles across her nose shed across her mind. Lily Anastasia was her name, and she was someone who enjoyed abusing animals.

    ire furrowed her brows and fought down the murderous urge that briefly surfaced in her heart.

    Her eyes began to shine with purity and righteousness as the sounds of trumpets came from somewhere in the distance.

    Control¡­ control¡­ control¡­

    ire bit her tongue and the sudden burst of pain helped to pierce through the mental fog that was clouding her mind.

    She finished wiping down her body and dumped the remaining water from the bucket outside the window.

    ire returned to her bedroom and looked for some clean clothes to wear underneath her armour.

    She settled for a white linen tunic and a pair of brown pants that clung loosely against her skin.

    ire opened up the canvas bag at the base of her mattress and took out the pieces of white armour inside.

    She slipped the letter in the pocket of her tunic and made sure that it was ced deep enough to not fall outside.

    A few minutester, she walked confidently out of her bedroom with a longsword attached to her hip.

    The church had greatly changed since Father Simon''s death and as ire walked through the halls, she came across children who smiled at her.

    Their eyes were full of happiness and optimism for the future.

    Elisa''s dark magic had erased the traumatic memories in their minds and now they could grow up in peace.

    "Don''t run so fast," ire gently spoke as she picked up a little girl who had tripped on the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Thank you, pretty knight!" the little girl cheerfully replied before walking quickly over to her friends who were giggling.

    The world was not ck and white but rather shades of grey.

    As a pdin ire knew that it was for good reason why dark magic had been banned by the church.

    It usually involved emotional or mental maniption and all manner of atrocities had beenmitted by its practitioners.

    As a loyal servant of the Lord of Light, ire should have beheaded Elisa for cing a spell on the children.

    And yet¡­

    ire smiled warmly as she saw the little girl hold her friend''s hand and whisper something in his ear as they yed together.

    Perhaps it was okay to turn a blind eye.

    ire continued on her sightseeing tour of the church and nodded politely to the workers and nuns that she came across.

    The church needed some repairs in certain areas and with plenty of funds, Elisa had hired severalbourer groups to improve the building.

    They were being supervised by the nuns who carefully watched over them to make sure that they did not steal any of the valuable artwork.

    But¡­ did they dare to steal something from here?

    ire''s cold aura and the rumors of her powerful strength sent shivers down the workers'' spines.

    No one would dare try to offend the one who personally wiped out several notable crime lords in a single night of bloodshed.

    The female knight walked up a flight of stairs and finally arrived at a wooden door at the end of a corridor.

    ire approached the door with slow purposeful steps and lightly tapped her knuckles against its frame.

    Knock! Knock!

    "Enter," a peaceful voice came from the other side.

    ire opened the door and saw Elisa on her bed looking out of the window while sping her hands together in prayer.

    She opened her mouth to speak but Elisa turned around and made eye contact. A wide grin spread across the former saintess'' face.

    "You seeded," Elisa dered proudly as she stared at the beautiful female knight with a lovestruck expression on her face.

    "Yes¡­ the hunters are all dead and the orc tribe did not suffer any losses," ire replied softly as she walked over.

    "Are you hurt?" Elisa asked with concern as she stretched out her palm. ire followed her movements and knelt on the floor.

    The former saintess touched her forehead and a warm current of energy flowed into her body.

    ire waited patiently until the treatment was finished before saying her thanks.

    Truthfully, she wasn''t injured but she knew that Elisa would not be at ease until she made her undergo a few rounds of healing.

    The pair began to talk about light topics like Elisa''s activities over thest few days or thetest political situation in the city.

    ire wasn''t sure how to bring up the subject of the letter since it wasn''t exactly the kind of topic that one could just casually introduce.

    She was even struck by the urge to hide away the letter and just pretend as though she had never seen it.

    "ire are you okay? You seen kind of distracted?" Elisa''s worried voice snapped ire out of her train of thought.

    ire took a few deep breaths and then made a decision in her heart. She reached for the letter in the pocket of her tunic and took it out with trembling fingertips.

    ire cleared her throat and finally spoke, "Elisa¡­"

    "I have something to show you¡­"

 Chapter 54 The Fallen Saintess (50)

    (Outer Regions- City of Galrannor)

    (Local Temple Of The Varion Church)

    "I have something to show you¡­"

    ire''s words echoed through the room as the holy knight reached for the letter hidden in the pocket of her tunic.

    This was the moment when the truth would be revealed.

    ire''s fingers trembled slightly as she handed over the letter to Elisa. There was a small part of her that did not want to do this, but she needed to know.

    It was just that¡­

    ire was afraid of hearing the wrong answer.

    The former saintess did not know what was happening but when she saw the serious look on ire''s face, she knew that this was an important matter.

    Elisa gently grabbed the piece of parchment paper and her brows furrowed as she recognised the familiar handwriting.

    Her mother? Why had her mother sent a letter to ire?

    Questions surfaced in the dark elf princess'' mind, but she maintained a neutral expression as she read the contents on the letter.

    Time slowly passed and the frown on Elisa''s face deepened.

    ire remained frozen in ce as if she were paralysed.

    She kept staring at Elisa''s face desperately trying to see the slightest change in her expression.

    The holy knight''s hands could not stopped shaking and the golden threads as if sensing their master''s difort began to squirm.

    Calm down¡­ calm down¡­ calm down¡­

    ire took in a few deep breaths and gently exhaled. She repeated the process a few times until her agitated mood calmed down.

    Elisa finally finished reading the letter and ced down the piece of paper on the side of her bed.

    The former saintess nervously cleared her throat but the words that she wanted to say refused toe out.

    "ire¡­ I¡­ I¡­." Elisa stuttered slightly as she spoke. The enchantment around her body shattered and her true dark elf form could be clearly seen.

    What was she going to say?

    How could her mother betray her like this?!

    No¡­ ire was going to abandon her¡­ she was going to find out¡­

    Elisa clutched her chest in pain and felt as though the impression that she had made on ire was about to crumble.

    Her loyal knight was going to find out just how much of a monster she was for even considering the use of demons.

    ire stepped forward and grabbed Elisa''s palm tightly.

    The holy knight stared at the nervous former saintess and spoke the words that were hidden in her heart.

    "Elisa¡­ you just have to be honest with me. I have touched the golden thread connected to your body and I know that you have done bad things before," ire spoke gently.

    "I know that it must be difficult to be in your position. I''m not going to judge you for considering the worst option."

    "Your people have suffered at the hands of humans, and I promise you that no matters what you say next¡­"

    "I will still help you rescue all the captured dark elves."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Please just be honest with me."

    Sui Li wasn''t the original ire.

    The months that she had spent with Elisa had made her see clearly the kind of person the former saintess was.

    She was someone incredibly brave.

    It took a tremendous amount of courage to willingly enter the den of your enemies to rescue your people.

    If she was nning to open the portal to hell¡­ then ire would stop her, but she wasn''t going to kill her.

    Elisa was startled by ire''s words of support and looked into the holy knight''s eyes as if searching for something.

    The dark elf princessughed sadly and leaned forward. ire had no time to react before a pair of soft lips crashed against her own.

    Elisa gently stroked the side of ire''s left cheek and deepened the kiss. Her tongue entered the inexperienced ire''s mouth and yfully explored and yed.

    ire leaked out a quiet moan as Elisa continued to hungrily kiss her with a desperate need and want.

    Finally, the former saintess broke the kiss and leaned back against the corner of her bed with a fierce blush spread across her cheeks.

    Seeing the dumbfounded look on ire''s face as the holy knight had just been kissed silly brought a small smile to Elisa''s lips.

    Elisa curled up her fingers into a fist and gathered up the courage in her heart.

    Even if ire rejected her now¡­ no¡­ there would be no rejection.

    ire was hers. She had to be hers.

    Elisa closed her eyes and briefly hid the possessiveness that briefly surfaced in her gaze. She didn''t want to scare off her future consort.

    "It''s true," Elisa quietly spoke as she stared into ire''s golden eyes.

    "There is a prophecy that says that I will be the one to usher in a new era where humanity will be destroyed, and the foreign races will rise."

    "I have been told all my life that it is my responsibility to fulfil this prophecy and summon the portals that will link to hell."

    There was a moment of silence in the room as ire did not know how to react.

    Everything that she had assumed up to now appeared to be false.

    If Elisa was the one prophesied to bring about the end of humanity, then it was most likely that she was the person responsibility for the bloodshed in the original timeline.

    What about Saintess Marie? Was she not the viiness then?

    And the taste of Elisa''s lips¡­

    Thatst thought surfaced involuntarily as ire recalled the passion that Elisa had shown just a few moments ago.

    "Okay¡­ but¡­ do you still want to follow the prophecy?" ire tentatively asked as her golden eyes shone with a strange luster.

    "If you had asked me that question a few months ago¡­ then I would have said yes," Elisa truthfully spoke as she stared off into the distance.

    "But¡­ can the demons truly be trusted? I cannot rest at ease if I simply send my people from one dangerous situation to the other."

    "And more importantly¡­ you¡­ you changed my mind. Maybe humans¡­ aren''t all evil."

    "I will find a way to restore my people''s strength, but I will do it with my own ability."

 Chapter 55 The Fallen Saintess (51)

    (Five Years Later¡­)

    (Eastern Province- Unnamed Forest)

    Night had fallen and the forest seemed to be alive with the sounds of buzzing and hissinging from the insects that scurried across the ground.

    A team of thirty private mercenary soldiers were currently escorting a carriage to an unknown location.

    The carriage was heavily armored with reinforced steel tes ced around its exterior and the only entrance had been bolted across.

    The leader of the group was a man named Lucian Kano.

    He was a forty-year-old former adventurer who had been entrusted with an important mission.

    Inside the carriage were the remaining dark elf ves in Duchess Fraser''s possession.

    The duchess wanted her foreign race ves transferred to her country estate located in the outskirts of the capitol city.

    As for the reason behind this sudden transfer¡­

    Swish!

    An arrow prated the head of one of the men at the back of the group. His lifeless body slid off the saddle of his horse and crashed to the ground motionless.

    Swish! Swish! Swish!

    More arrows were fired out from the darkness, and each urately targeted the vital points of the mercenary troops.

    "Men we''re under attack!" Captain Kano shouted loudly as he hurriedly gestured for his men to take out their weapons.

    He growled in rage as he saw more of his men die around him.

    The captain saw dozens of crimson eyes staring at him from behind the nearby trees.

    Captain Kano mmed his knees against the sides of his horse and signalled to his steed to increase its pace.

    "You dark elf bastards¡­ I''ll kill you¡­I''LL KILL YOU¡­ARGGH!" the captain''s words trailed off as a beam of golden light mmed into his throat.

    The attack had been too quick for anyone to react and even the surviving members of his troop did not know how their leader suddenly died.

    Swish! Swish! Swish!

    More arrows flew out from the darkness and one by one the mercenaries fell off their horses and died in agony.

    A masked figure jumped down from the treetops and stared at thest two members of the mercenary group.

    The mysterious figure had golden eyes that shone with purity and righteousness.

    Two translucent golden wings sprouted from her back and in her hand was a longsword that was surrounded by floating holy runes.

    "The angel¡­ the angel of death!" one of the men screamed in fear.

    The masked figure vanished from the spot and reappeared behind to the surviving men.

    She killed both of them with a casual swing of her de before heading for the locked carriage.

    ire approached the bolted door and used one hand to easily tear apart the reinforced steel as if it were butter.

    She ripped the door from its hinges and the interior of the carriage came into view.

    Seven trembling dark elves stared at her in terror before the one in the back vaguely recognised her appearance.

    "Saviour?" the dark elf tentatively asked in a quiet voice.

    He was an older dark elf who was missing an arm and an eye. He was also afraid, but one could hear the hope in his voice.

    ire turned around and did not answer his question. She gestured towards the dark elves hidden in the forest and they slowly approached.

    "Take care of the wounded," ire coldly ordered.

    Despite being given amand by a human, there was nothing but respect in the eyes of the dark elf warriors as they bowed politely.

    ire left the scene as the dark elves entered the carriage and began to take care of their previously enved brethren.

    The female knight adjusted her mask and stared upwards at the bright moon whose light dimly shone down on the forest.

    Five years¡­<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was a period of time that was neither long nor short.

    Much had changed over those five years and ire was now a slightly different person.

    The influence of the original ire''s memories had faded somewhat but she was still determined to be a pdin worthy of serving the Lord of Light.

    At least in her own way.

    Perhaps the Lord of Light sensed her sincerity since ire''s strength had only gotten stronger as she fought and killed more sinners.

    Those who engaged in the ve trade were not kind people and it was rare for ire to stumble across someone who was not connected to thousands of golden threads surrounding her body.

    ire took out a well-worn rag out of her pocket and wiped the blood and fleshy chunks of meat that were still sticking to her de.

    She stroked the edge of her longsword, and the sharpened steel did not even prate an inch of her exposed skin.

    ire walked slowly and admired the calm and peaceful atmosphere inside the forest.

    She eventually reached a campsite where a slender figure was waiting patiently in front of arge tent.

    "I''m back," ire gently whispered as she removed her mask.

    A dark elf girl looked at her with a sweet smile before rushing forward and jumping into her arms.

    "Did you get injured?" Elisa softly spoke as she touched ire''s forehead with a loving expression.

    A beam of holy light erupted from her fingertips and entered ire''s body.

    The female knight felt a rush of warmth and could not resist leaning forward and mercilessly pressing her lips against her lover''s.

    Mwah!

    ire broke the kiss and smiled when she saw the tips of Elisa''s pointed ears that were now turning red.

    Elisa grabbed ire''s hand and guided the female knight over to a log in front of the fire that was crackling loudly in the middle of the campsite.

    The pair sat down on the log and Elisa stared off into the distance with a nostalgia look on her face.

    "Sometimes it''s hard to believe that we aplished so much," Elisa confessed as she yed with ire''s fingers.

    "Most of the ve trade organisations have been destroyed or forced to hide away like the rats they are."

    "And the nobles who own my people¡­ only the ones in the capitol have yet to be punished."

    "They will be. I promised you five years ago to help you free your people and I intend to fulfil my oath," ire swore lovingly as she kissed Elisa''s cheek.

    "The headquarters of the Varion church is in the capital city¡­ I¡­ I just think that it might be too risky," Elisa stuttered as she spoke.

    The dark elf princess knew that there were still some of her people trapped within the city, but she selfishly didn''t want to expose her lover to danger.

    "Don''t worry. My vow to Lord Varion was to protect you for the rest of your life¡­ I have no intention of rushing towards death," ire reassured her in a gentle tone.

    "Do you remember my suspicion a few months ago that there was a group helping us in our mission?"

    "Well¡­ it turns out that the leader of the group wants us to meet them soon."

    "Is it a trap? Can we trust them?" Elisa suspiciously asked.

    ire wrapped her arms around the former saintess and pulled her into a warm embrace.

    Feeling the soft body of her girlfriend press against her caused the golden threads surrounding ire''s body to temporarily calm down.

    A cold ruthless voice entered her mind just as ire was about to open her mouth to answer her girlfriend''s questions.

    [Did the dark elf princess agree for us to meet?]

    [This n can only seed if we both gather our forces andunch an all-out assault on the upper nobility.]

    [I have kept my end of the bargain and got the inquisitor faction to turn a blind eye to your actions.]

    ire ignored the familiar sounding voice and turned to Elisa to exin,

    "The leader of the group¡­"

    "Is an unpleasant snake."

 Chapter 56 The Fallen Saintess (52)

    (City of Lunarian- Outskirts)

    (Private Building- Meeting Room)

    "It is a pleasure to finally meet the princess of the dark elf tribe," Saintess Marie whispered sweetly as she sipped a cup of tea.

    The saintess wore an expensive white robe with a priceless sapphire ne wrapped around her neck.

    Her otherworldly beauty was hard to look away from. It seemed as though her facial features had been carved directly by the gods themselves.

    "The saintess of the Varion Church¡­ it is truly an honour," Elisa replied with a gentle smile.

    She was currently wearing arge oversized brown cloak that covered most of her slender physique.

    Elisa hadn''t bothered to cast the illusion spell so the saintess only saw her dark elf appearance and not her human disguise.

    ire stood silently at the entrance to the room while keeping a careful eye on the situation.

    She wore a silvery grey mask that hid her facial features and a set of white armour beneath her robe.

    A longsword was attached to her hip and ready to be unsheathed at a moment''s notice.

    She did not n to take part in the negotiations between Elisa and Saintess Marie since her presence would be a distraction.

    "I must admit¡­ I was quite surprised to discover that you turned the ''de'' into a loyal dog," Saintess Marie mocked with a strange glint in her eyes.

    "Likewise¡­ it was quite shocking to find out that the sessor to the Varion Church was aiding the foreign races," Elisa retorted with a twisted grin.

    "The pope would be devastated to discover that his sessor¡­ would be working with the enemy... like a filthy traitor¡­"

    Saintess Marie chuckled darkly as she leaned back against the wooden chair.

    Her silvery hair swayed from side to side as she watched the dark elf sitting across from her.

    Princess Keya Liadi¡­ or as she was referred to for many years¡­ the former saintess Elisa.

    Saintess Marie''s golden eyes shone with purity and righteousness as she stared at the holy aura that filled Elisa''s body.

    It shed with the seed of darkness hidden in her heart.

    Two opposing forces were intertwined and yet¡­ there was an odd sense of harmony.

    Still there was one question that Marie wanted to know¡­ How did the former saintess earn the loyalty of the ''de''?

    Once she had discovered ire''s identity, it had been a simple matter to investigate the female knight''s background and discover the kind of person that she was.

    ire nlyn was the strongest among the younger generation of pdins.

    She had a tough no-nonsense personality and only devoted herself to the teachings of Lord Varion.

    How could she ally herself with the dark elves?

    Curiosity burned inside Saintess Marie''s heart, but she forced down those urges since now was not the time for questions.

    "May I see the list of targets?" Saintess Marie politely asked.

    Elisa nodded and reached inside her cloak to pull out a thin sheet of parchment paper with a list of names.

    Saintess Marie took the paper from her thin fingertips and casually read the list of names.<novelnext></novelnext>

    High ranking nobles, powerful merchant ns and even a member of the royal family¡­

    The names written down on the list included individuals whose influence and power were far reaching across the continent.

    "Hmm¡­ I mustpliment you Princess Keya¡­ your informationwork is truly impressive¡­" Saintess Marie spoke calmly.

    "Unfortunately, this list is partially iplete. Even your little rats would have trouble sneaking into the church."

    "As a token of my sincerity¡­ please ept this humble gift¡­"

    The saintess pulled out a piece of paper from the center of her voluptuous chest and handed it over to the dark elf princess.

    Marie gently shook her chest from side to side and stared at the princess as she waited to see her reaction.

    Elisa reluctantly took the paper and refused to look at Marie''s seductive disy. She quickly scanned the list and her brows furrowed.

    Marie had provided a list with the names of several high-profile members of the Varion Church who had somehow escaped Elisa''s spywork.

    If this information was correct, then the corruption lurking inside the Varion Church ran even deeper than what Elisa had assumed.

    "The fight for session is nearly over and my fianc¨¦ will undoubtedly emerge victorious," Saintess Marie suddenly spoke.

    "Hasn''t his brother prince Damien allied with the northern duke?" Elisa curiously asked.

    "That pathetic man? His alliance is merely thest desperate card in his losing hand. However, for us this represents an enormous opportunity," Saintess Marie softly whispered.

    "The empire is now in chaos which is the perfect time for our rescue operation to begin. I will lead the inquisitors on the bright side¡­"

    "And I will lead the elves in the darkness¡­" Elisa finished her sentence.

    "Oh my! It truly is a pleasure speaking to someone with a moderate amount of intelligence," Saintess Marie pped her hands together in joy.

    Her golden eyes shone, and ire could feel the threads surrounding her body respond to the saintess'' excited emotions.

    The female knight took a few deep breaths to calm herself down and slowly counted to ten in her mind.

    This was not the first time that the mental bond between the pair had resulted in mood swings or unwanted mental images.

    Over the next hour Elisa and Saintess Marie finalised their n that would begin in two day''s time.

    The operation relied on taking their enemies by surprise, so it needed to be implemented as soon as possible.

    "Well that sounds lovely¡­ it is once again a real pleasure to meet you Princess Keya and I look forward to seeing the fruits of our coboration," Saintess Marie raised her cup in appreciation.

    "No matter your motives¡­ thank you for helping me rescue my people," Elisa sincerely spoke as she nodded politely.

    She knew that Marie was not doing this out of the goodness of her heart but frankly it did not matter as long as her people were saved.

    Elisa rose up from her seat and walked towards ire who was standing patiently by the door.

    The former saintess adjusted her cloak to hide her features and then stood on her tip toes to whisper in ire''s ear.

    "Shall we go my dear knight?" Elisa teased softly as she blew into ire''s ear.

    The female pdin tried her best not to blush furiously as she escorted Elisa out of the room.

    ire nced back and saw Saintess Marie staring at the two of them with an expression that was almost¡­ wistful.

 Chapter 57 The Fallen Saintess (53)

    (City of Lunarian- Inner Region)

    (Mansion of House Roch)

    Night had fallen and the interior of the mansion was lit up by luminous stones harvested from the western region of the continent.

    There was a somber atmosphere inside the mansion and none of the servants dared to raise their voices above a whisper.

    "Mydy please¡­ do not be upset!" Butler William gently spoke as he handed another ss of wine to his mistress.

    "They took him! THEY TOOK HIM AWAY!" Duchess Roch sobbed loudly as she clutched a white handkerchief against her slender chest.

    She grabbed the ss out of the butler''s hand and flung it against the nearest wall where it shattered into tiny pieces.

    The duchess'' heartbroken sobs echoed through her private bedroom as the maids standing by the door averted their eyes.

    Butler William tried to calm down his mistress and softly spoke, "Mydy¡­ I am sure that Master Harper will return safe and sound¡­"

    "Nonsense! House Roch have always been loyal subjects to the royal family, and this is how they treat us!" Duchess Roch roared in anger.

    "That saintess bitch! She leads over a group of those¡­ those¡­ ANIMALS into our home and take my husband away!"

    Butler William bowed his head and allowed his mistress to finish her rant against the church and their current actions.

    The Varion Church appeared to be disying their power now that the saintess had sessfully be the fianc¨¦e of the crown prince.

    Over thest few weeks, dozens of powerful noble families had been raided under the suspicion of heresy and corruption.

    Saintess Marie personally led the efforts and was escorted by a group of high-ranking pdins who were loyal to her everymand.

    They would lead the captured nobles to the headquarters of the Inquisition¡­ and not all would emerge unscathed from that terrible tower.

    "Mydy¡­ let us¡­ let us¡­" Butler William furrowed his brows as he was suddenly struck by a wave of exhaustion.

    He opened his mouth to apologise for his rude actions, but his vision slowly faded away to darkness.

    The butler was not alone and the other servants in the room also copsed to the ground and fell unconscious.

    Even the grieving duchess gradually closed her eyes and drifted away into a blissful slumber.

    The wine bottle by her side was knocked to the floor and the purplish liquid inside flowed out and stained the expensive fur carpet.

    Loud snores could be heard echoing through the mansion since all its residents were now in a deep sleep.

    Elisa stood quietly outside the mansion and continued to manipte the threads of ck magic dancing around her fingertips.

    "Noxium Hypno Sluperi¡­" the dark elf princess muttered as her fingers began to move in a peculiar circr pattern.

    Four dark elf warriors stood quietly by her side with their hands already on the hilt of their swords.

    A figure leapt from the top of a nearby wall and entered the mansion smoothly by kicking open one of the doors.

    She was a short-haired knight with a lean muscr frame and cold noble features that made her seem like a Greek goddess.

    ire easily entered a private guest bedroom and a strange look shed across her face when she saw two maids sleeping peacefully together naked on the floor.

    Clearly, they were enjoying some time alone before Elisa''s spell had taken effect.

    ire casually picked up a nket on the mattress and tossed it on the two maids to cover up their bodies.

    ire''s eyes shone with purity and righteousness as she manipted the golden threads surrounding her body.

    She touched the thread belonging to Duchess Roch and the memories of her sins flowed into ire''s mind.

    Hmm¡­ it seems like the duchess was aware of her husband''s dark elf ves.

    In fact, in those memories, she was the one who used and abused them more often than her lover.

    ire fought down the murderous urges surfacing in her mind and kept a level head.

    The first priority of this operation was to rescue the trapped dark elf ves.

    Eventually Duchess Roch would be punished for her crimes¡­ but not tonight.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Killing the nobles would just raise the alert which is why the rescue efforts were done in secrecy at night.

    ire let out a heavy sigh and took in a few deep breaths to clear the mental fog that was affecting her judgement.

    She dove back into the duchess'' memories and found the information that she was looking for.

    ire confidently walked through abyrinth of corridors and side passageways until she arrived at a wooden door that was the entrance to the basement.

    The female knight opened the door which was unlocked and found a wide-open space.

    The floors of the room were cold stone tiles, and the walls were a dull grey colour.

    Several dark elves were chained to the walls using heavy metal chain links that nged softly as they moved.

    They were all fast asleep which made it easier for ire to approach them before anyone started to panic.

    The female knight unsheathed her longsword and a burst of holy light erupted from the tip of her de.

    ire shed forward and easily destroyed the metal chains that linked the captured dark elf ves to the walls.

    She whistled softly twice, and three dark elf warriors emerged from a dark shadowy portal that suddenly appeared.

    Elisa had ced a dark rune on her mask that acted as a kind of positioning device for her to summon spatial rifts.

    "Deal with this situation," ire coldly spoke as she turned around to leave.

    The dark elf warriors nodded respectfully and then moved towards their sleeping brethren. They lifted them up with well practised movements and brought them into the portal.

    ire wandered through the halls absentmindedly as she heard a familiar voice echoing through her mind.

    [So¡­ did you all seed? I must say¡­ Duke Roch is currently squealing like a pig after my men gave him some light punishment.]

    [Well¡­ maybe anyone would scream after their tongue was pulled out¡­ hehehe¡­]

    [Prince Raul truly is the perfect man¡­ no matter what I do¡­ he supports me! Can that dark elf princess do the same?]

    ire furrowed her brow and did not bother to reply. Eventually Saintess Marie would get tired and stop using the mental link.

    She didn''t understand why the current saintess would randomly start a chat using the mental link, but it was really annoying.

    ire ced her longsword back in its sheath and walked out of the front door of the mansion with slow purposeful steps.

    Elisa was currently muttering something iprehensible under her breath and ire''s golden eyes could spot dark shadowy threads surrounding her girlfriend''s body.

    Those dark threads made ire''s murderous urges surface once more, but she fought down that feeling immediately.

    No one was going to hurt Elisa.

    Especially not her.

    "Thank you for freeing them," Elisa gently spoke as she opened her eyes.

    "Please¡­ how many times do I have to tell you¡­ I don''t need thanks," ire warmly replied as she stared at the beautiful princess.

    "Maybe I should reward youter tonight¡­" Elisa shyly teased as she winked seductively.

    The other dark elves surrounding the princess pretended to not hear the conversation that was happening.

    Not all of them approved of their princess'' romantic entanglements with a human but ire''s actions had silenced most of the criticism.

    "Cancellius Remines Lumenr¡­" Elisa chanted solemnly.

    Hundreds of ck seeds flew out of her fingertips and headed for the residents of the mansion.

    This was the final step of the rescue operation. Elisa would modify the memories of everyone inside the building so that no one would know that something strange had urred.

    She would even make those who had knowledge of the foreign race ves forget that they had even seen them in the first ce.

    "Should we move on to the next target?" Elisa sweetly asked as she stopped for a moment to catch her breath.

    "Of course¡­" ire softly replied as her lips curled up into a small smile.

 Chapter 58 The Fallen Saintess (54)

    (City of Lunarian- Inner Region)

    (Imperial Pce Complex- Private Room)

    "You may stay here," Saintess Marie gently ordered as she turned to face the squad of holy knights apanying her.

    "Yes, mydy," a female knight with short hair responded.

    She bore a faint resemnce to ire and Saintess Marie could not help but give her another look with an unknown emotion hidden in her gaze.

    Saintess Marie''s personal guards had been reced a few years ago after it was discovered that their holy aura and strength had regressed significantly.

    The holy knights lined up along the sides of the corridor and made sure that no one would approach the room.

    Saintess Marie tapped her knuckles against the wooden door in front of her and a warm smile shed across her face.

    Knock! Knock!

    "Marie?! Is that you?" an excited voice came from the other side.

    The door swung open, and Prince Raul emerged with a wide smile on his face. He wore an expensive ck shirt that was adorned with golden threads.

    He hurriedly reached for Saintess Marie''s hand and held it tightly. Marie stared at him with a look of deep affection that made his heart race.

    There was no one in the empire who couldpare to the saintess'' beauty.

    Saintess Marie had shoulder length hair that waspletely silver and a voluptuous figure that radiated charm and temptation.

    Her lips were full and kissable, and her golden eyes shone with purity and grace. She possessed a cute button nose, thin eyebrows and soft cheekbones.

    Prince Raul did not even realise that he was staring for too long until Saintess Marie gently cleared her throat.

    "Please¡­ please¡­e inside," Prince Raul whispered softly as he led his fianc¨¦e inside the room and closed the door behind them with a dull thud.

    Prince Raul''s study was surprisingly barebones with minimum decorations and no expensive portraits hung on the walls.

    There was only a single desk in the center of the room and a few chairs in front of a crackling firece in the corner.

    Rows upon rows of books were ced on a wooden bookshelf that stretched across the length of half the room.

    Marie walked towards a chair near the firece and Prince Raul stood silently by her side as she looked at the mes.

    There was afortable silence between the pair as Marie bowed her head and seemed to be contemting something.

    Prince Raul did not rush her to speak and patiently waited as the saintess gathered her thoughts together.

    "How have you been?" Saintess Marie finally spoke.

    "More lords havee over to my side and my half siblings seem to be getting more desperate now that it seems clear that they have no chance to seed," Prince Raul proudly stated.

    "But¡­ well¡­ the only issue¡­ is¡­"

    The prince hesitated for a moment as he stared at his beautiful fianc¨¦e who was the perfect image of a pure and kinddy of faith.

    "Um¡­ The¡­. I¡­ I know that you have no choice but is it possible to slow down the arrests? Some of the nobles have beenining in court," Prince Raul stammered as he spoke.

    "My love¡­" Saintess Marieughed gently as she beckoned for the prince to lean in closer. She raised up her hand and lovingly stroked the side of his cheek.

    ? "I''m doing this for you¡­ a new emperor will always be suppressed by those greedy noble families."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You are the future of the empire¡­ we need to make an example out of those nobles who would seek to curb your power."

    Saintess Marie''s eyes shone eerily as she continued to whisper poisonous words in the prince''s ear.

    She stoked his ambition, his pride and his sense of self-worth.

    In Saintess Marie''s eyes, the esteemed crown prince was nothing more than a puppet who danced to the tune of her strings.

    Love?

    There was no ce for love in the heart of the emissary of the Lord of Light. Saintess Marie was prepared to dedicate her life and her entire being to the Varion Church.

    No matter the cost.

    A face shed across Saintess Marie''s mind and for a brief moment the soft expression on her face cracked.

    Fortunately, the crown prince did not seem to notice since he continued to indulge in the fantasies that Marie had created about their future together.

    The saintess painted a picture of harmony between the church and the royal family where his children would be the leaders of both.

    An unprecedent era of Imperial power would begin with him as the first emperor of the new age.

    "My dear fianc¨¦e¡­ I''m sorry for ever doubting you¡­ can you forgive me?" Prince Raul humbly asked as he bowed his head.

    "My love¡­ there is nothing to forgive," Saintess Marie smiled as she pressed her lips against the prince''s cheek.

    A fearsome blush spread across her face, and she appeared to be a maiden swept off her feet by a handsome prince.

    Only the saintess knew that her actions were nothing more than anotheryer of disguise that she wrapped around her true rotten personality.

    "My prince¡­ let us discuss lighter matters," Saintess Marie suggested as she stretched out her hand and felt the warmth of the firece.

    Minutes slowly turned to hours as the saintess and the prince casually chatted about insignificant topics.

    Saintess Marie nced out of the window and saw that the sun was now beginning to set on the horizon.

    "Darling¡­ it is time for me to go," Saintess Marie said sadly as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

    "Can you stay for the night?" Prince Raul asked with concern as he grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped her tears away.

    "I''m sorry my love but there are important matters to attend to in the church¡­ I will visit you as soon as possible," Saintess Marie dered firmly.

    The lovers embraced under the warm afternoon light and Saintess Marie left the room under the watchful gaze of the future emperor.

    The saintess let out a heavy sigh as she walked out of the room as her thoughts began to drift in strange directions.

    "You¡­e and stay by my side," Saintess Marie called out to the short-haired pdin. The female knight quickly obeyed hermand and rushed over to the saintess.

    Saintess Marie stared at the female knight who obeyed her instantly and was suddenly struck by an overwhelming wave of boredom.

    She was no ire. This woman was merely a fake.

    All she possessed was a somewhat familiar appearance but none of ire''s stubbornness.

    The saintess buried those thoughts in the back of her mind and walked towards the pce exit.

    She was followed closely by her squad of holy pdins who stared at the saintess with expressions of reverence and loyalty.

 Chapter 59 The Fallen Saintess (55)

    (City of Lunarian- Inner Region)

    (Mansion of House Naraine- Banquet Hall)

    Where was the best ce to hide? The answer was in in sight.

    None of the nobles who had lost their foreign race ves could have imagined that the rebellious dark elves would dare to house theirpanions in the heart of the capitol city.

    The mansion where these dark elves were housed belonged to House Naraine who were sympathisers to the freedom movement.

    Of course, Elisa''s ck magic ensured that neither the masters nor their servants would be able to betrayal the cause.

    It was now early morning, and the sun was just beginning to rise slowly upwards from the horizon.

    Warm orange rays of light could be seening into the mansion from the open windows and the air smelled fresh and pure.

    The banquet hall had been converted into a quasi hospital with several mattresses for the injured former ves to rest.

    Numerous dark elves moved around the open space carrying herbs, bandages and other medical supplies.

    Not all patients on the mattresses were dark elves and two tall green orcsy quietly on beds while staring at each other with looks of relief.

    They were rescued from the home of a brutal veowner who usually made them perform menialbour and intentionally starved them to reduce their strength.

    When ire had first encountered the pair, she could clearly see the outline of their ribs beneath their green skin.

    Elisa walked through the hall and would asionally stop to chat with some of the dark elves who crossed her path.

    She received gazes of admiration and worship from the rescued former ves who could not believe that their princess had risked her life to save them from hell.

    ire followed closed behind while wearing a silvery half mask that hid most of her facial features.

    A longsword was attached to her hip that was stained with the blood of the sinners that she had killedst night.

    Despite her best efforts, ire knew that her de would need to be washed thoroughly in order to get rid of the bloody scent that lingered around the cold steel.

    Elisa noticed a fragile and thin dark elf girl sitting down on a mattress only a few feet away and walked over.

    "How are you feeling?" Elisa asked kindly with concern in her voice.

    "Princess! I¡­ I¡­ thank you¡­ my brother¡­ he always told me stories about you¡­" the girl shyly spoke.

    The dark elf girl tried to bow respectfully but Elisa stopped her from performing that unnecessary gesture.

    The former saintess noticed that the dark elf girl was intentionally covering her upper body with a nket and gently tugged it off.

    "Oh¡­" Elisa softly eximed as she realised why the girl was hiding her upper body behind the sheet.

    "May the Lord of Light bless you¡­" Elisa softly whispered as she gently tapped the forehead of the injured dark elf.

    Holy light burst out of her fingertips and flowed into the body of the young dark elf girl who was missing an arm.

    The dark bruises and horrific scars on her body faded away and her cracked ribs gradually begun to repair themselves.

    Beads of sweat began to drip down the sides of Elisa''s cheeks as she focused her efforts on regeneration the missing limb.

    A warm hand gently touched the former saintess'' shoulder and ire approached her girlfriend with a handkerchief in her palm.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She carefully wiped the beads of sweat from Elisa''s face and waited patiently as the former saintess continued to heal the injured elf.

    ire hated to see Elisa damage her own body to heal others but after several intense arguments she knew that this was something that the princess insisted on doing.

    Elisa knew that her lifespan had already been significantly reduced in part due to the nature of the two conflicting powers stored in her body.

    She didn''t tell ire about this since she didn''t want her lover to worry about her health and stop her from helping the injured.

    As far as ire knew, the damage done to Elisa''s body was just temporary and she would be able to recover with rest and recuperation.

    A guilty emotion surfaced in Elisa''s crimson eyes as she nced at the concerned expression on ire''s face.

    "Holy lord¡­ I pray to thee¡­ lend me thy strength¡­" Elisa muttered fervently as she hastened up the process.

    Gradually the stump of flesh on the injured dark elf girl''s arm started to wriggle and twitch as if it were alive.

    ? It took around five minutes for a new arm to fully grow back and the dark elf girl stared at Elisa with an expression of reverence.

    "Thank you, princess! Thank you!" the girl shouted in joy.

    Elisa smiled gently in reply and got up from the ground.

    She stumbled slightly and ire was quick to move forward and wrap her arms around her body.

    "That''s enough healing for today," ire spoke sternly as she led her girlfriend to a bench in the corner of the room to sit down.

    "There are no other serious injuries and I refuse to let you exhaust yourself to death."

    The bench was located behind the shadow of an enormous stone pir that stretched towards the roof of the hall.

    "Yes, mydy. I will obey your order," Elisa teased softly as she nced around the hall to see if anyone was watching.

    The princess leaned forward and captured ire''s lips in a fiery kiss that seemed to linger on for hours.

    Elisa pushed out her tongue and yfully explored ire''s mouth.

    The female knight blushed furiously as she unconsciously responded to Elisa''s movements.

    "Hey¡­ when this is over¡­ I want you to marry me," Elisa broke away from the kiss and suddenly dropped a bombshell.

    Marry? Wait¡­ what?!

    ire froze in shock and stared at her girlfriend who was looking at her with an expression that was half serious and half joking.

    "Of course¡­ one needs to properly propose to the future queen of the dark elves¡­ so I expect you to sweep me off my feet," Elisa smiled mischievously as she pinched ire''s thigh.

    "I look forward to the amazing engagement surprise that you have nned!"

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­I¡­ I¡­" ire stammered since she did not know what to say. Elisaughed merrily and walked over to the bench.

    "Are youing?" Elisa asked as she sat down on the bench and made room for her loyal knight to sit down next to her.

    It was small moments like this made Elisa feel thankful that she had met ire during her time as a spy in the Varion Church.

    She could not imagine how her life would be without her.

 Chapter 60 The Fallen Saintess (56)

    (City of Lunarian- Inner Region)

    (Grand Central za)

    "Make way for our new emperor! Long live our new king!"

    "Emperor Raul is so handsome! Is that our new queen next to him?"

    "Saintess Marie¡­ truly the most beautiful flower in the entire capitol city¡­"

    Loud whispers and cheers echoed through the central za as a crowd formed around the procession slowly moving through the city.

    An incredibly attractive young man with short ck hair and a lean muscr body stood proudly in an open carriage and waved at the adoring crowd.

    Standing next to him was a young woman with silvery hair and a voluptuous figure that made both men and women in the crowd blush.

    Her facial features were perfect, and her eyes shone with both purity and righteousness.

    She appeared to be an angel sent down from the heavens themselves to bless the believers of the Lord of Light.

    Saintess Marie sped her hands together in prayer and a wave of holy light erupted around her body.

    These golden rays of spiritual energy fell onto the crowd and healed all their injuries and minor ailments.

    The cheers got even louder as the people felt the love and protection of their soon-to-be king and queen.

    Emperor Raul Francis was in a good mood as he wrapped his arms around his fianc¨¦ and smiled warmly at his subjects.

    Thest of his half siblings had been mysteriously killed a few nights ago and now there was no one standing between himself and the throne.

    Saintess Marie and the Inquisitor faction of the Varion Church had raided and imprisoned several high-ss nobles so there was little opposition to his sudden ascension.

    The emperor stared at his future queen with love in his eyes since he could not imagine that he would be lucky enough to marry the most beautiful woman in the continent.

    Saintess Marie seemed to sense his gaze and nced at him with a lovestruck expression on her blushing face.

    The atmosphere soon turned sweet as the couple shyly exchanged looks of adoration.

    Meanwhile the crowd continued to cheer loudly as the row of carriages moved onwards towards their destination.

    A squad of both regr and holy knights surrounded the royal couple''s carriage to ensure that no harm befell them.

    The emperor''s carriage finally arrived in the middle of the za where a raised wooden tform had been constructed a few days ago.

    Emperor Raul stepped down from the carriage and held out his hand for Saintess Marie to apany him.

    His fianc¨¦ obliged and the pair walked towards the raised tform hand in hand.

    The saintess searched the crowd for a certain familiar face but was disappointed to see that the person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen.

    Emperor Raul stood on the raised tform and stared confidently at the crowd below who looked at him with adoring expressions.

    The prestige of the royal family was quite high in the capitol city and mostmoners held both awe and respect for their rulers.

    Thete emperor was a far-sighted man who knew that gaining the love of the people was key to maintain the stability of his rule.

    Emperor Raul cleared his throat twice and stretched out his arms towards the heavens.

    He opened his mouth and spoke the words that he had already prepared,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My people¡­ I am the thirty seventh emperor of our great country! I solemnly dere to dedicate my life to raise the prosperity of our nation!"

    "In an era of unprecedented peace, I will be the ruler to raise the standards of living and ensure that none of my people will ever go hungry again!"

    "With the help of the Varion Church¡­ the saintess and I will create a dynasty the likes of which have never been seen before!"

    "A dynasty based on the values of equality¡­"

    Saintess Marie stood quietly behind her future husband while resisting the urge to yawn as his speech dragged on and on.

    Fortunately, themoners seemed to love the promises that the new emperor spoke about, and their cheers could be heard from miles away.

    As for whether or not those promises would actually be fulfilled¡­

    Saintess Marie scoffed at the idea of the new emperor being able to convince the other nobles to give up some of their power and create an equal society.

    Those corrupt old officials and nobles were nothing more than parasites eager to suck the wealth away from themoners.

    Well¡­ it was not that she particrly cared if it happened.

    Saintess Marie''s only concern was the strength of the Varion Church.

    The God of Light had given her a mission to cleanse the church and ensure that his believers followed his teachings.

    The saintess stered a polite smile across her face as she mentally essed the connection between herself and ire to find her location.

    Saintess Marie secretly winced as she felt a bacsh m against her mind. There was always a price to be paid for exploiting the connection between them.

    She turned towards a certain direction and saw two hooded figures standing on a balcony a fair distance away.

    ire¡­ and the dark elf princess¡­

    A cold chill entered the saintess'' eyes as she felt the love in ire''s heart towards that¡­ that¡­ inhuman¡­ monster.

    Bitter cold jealousy emerged in the saintess'' heart as she watched the two of them lean against each other.

    She was envious.

    How could ire so easily abandon her mission? How could she fall in love with someone who was not from the church?

    ire''s romantic entanglement with that dark elf princess brought no benefit to the Lord of Light and it only made her drift further away from the church.

    How could Lord Varion choose such a disloyal vessel as his ''de''?

    "And that is why I will be your salvation! I promise that I will be the greatest emperor in the history of this continent!" Emperor Raul''s prideful words snapped Marie out of her daze.

    The emperor finally finished his speech and he turned to his future queen to escort her back to the carriage.

    The session ceremony would take ce in the Imperial Pce Complex in the afternoon and all the nobles in the capitol were invited.

    There was still quite a bit of preparation to be done so the new emperor wanted to go back to the pce quickly.

    Saintess Marie stared at his outstretched hand briefly and just for a moment¡­

    She was tempted not to take it.

 Chapter 61 The Fallen Saintess (57)

    (City of Lunarian- Inner Region)

    (Green Jade Tavern And Hotel)

    "Long live the new emperor," Elisa chuckled lightly as she stared off into the distance while rubbing ire''s arm.

    The pair stood on a balcony several hundred meters away from the grand central za.

    It was the perfect spot to watch the first speech by the former crown prince.

    ire''s golden eyes narrowed, and she could see Saintess Marie standing behind Emperor Raul Francis with a polite smile on her face.

    The saintess turned around and for a second ire could have sworn that their eyes met but that moment quickly passed.

    ire hummed softly as she threw that strange thought to the back of her mind and focused her attention on the beautiful girl in her arms.

    "My people have been freed from the hands of their noble captors, but we still need to deal with the church," Elisa spoke solemnly as she nced in the direction of the temple.

    "Will you still stand by my side?"

    "Always," ire solemnly pledged as she leaned down and pressed her lips against Elisa''s soft lips.

    She kissed Elisa hungrily and the dark elf princess began to blush furiously as the tips of her ears turned red.

    ire eventually broke the kiss, and a thin thread of saliva connected the pair.

    "My loyalty is to Lord Varion. My actions against the corrupt members of the church have not caused any bacsh so I can only assume that he approves of my actions," ire exined softly.

    Elisa nodded and resumed staring at the soon-to-be emperor and his queen as they boarded their carriage and set off for the Imperial Pce Complex.

    Prince Raul would be crowned the new emperor in a session ceremony this afternoon that would be attended by all the nobles in the capitol city.

    His coronation was several months earlier than in the original ire''s memories but that did note as a surprise.

    ire knew that his future queen Marie had been more proactive in this timeline and there was a reason why the prince''s half siblings had disappeared one after the other.

    Some were killed by ire herself under the suggestion of Marie while others were smuggled away to distant parts of the continent to live out their lives in rtive peace and safety.

    The royal family hid many dirty secrets and the princes and princesses that ire had hunted down were stained with the blood of the innocent.

    Surprisingly enough Prince Raul himself was rtively pure and his only w was a bit of arrogance.

    But¡­ somehow ire got the feeling that Marie did not like him too much despite how well he treated her.

    Still, that was her business and ire did not n to get closer to the saintess apart from their deal to reduce the power of the church.

    Just as ire''s thoughts wandered towards the saintess, a familiar voice entered her mind from the person she was thinking about.

    [The n will be implemented in two days from now. Pope Emmanuel wants to hold a private worship ceremony and I will convince him to invite the members of the church on the list.]

    ire rubbed her templeszily and briefly sent back an acknowledgement before yawning sleepily.

    "Elisa¡­ it seems that Marie wants to take the opportunity to solve the church in one fell swoop a few days from now," ire spoke hoarsely.

    "Did you get another message from her?" Elisa asked in a strange tone.

    "Yeah¡­ yeah¡­" ire replied hesitantly with a confused expression. Elisa stared at her girlfriend and then leaned forward to softly bite her cheeks.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Elisa''s sharp teeth left an imprint on ire''s pale skin and the dark elf princess stepped back and stared at it with satisfaction.

    "Just remember¡­ you''re mine," Elisa dered proudly as she strutted away while swaying her hips from side to side.

    She entered the hotel room and left ire standing on the balcony with a bemused expression on her face,

    Her girlfriend was not thrilled that another woman basically had partial ess to her mind and ire could understand her feelings.

    To be fair it had been a bit difficult at first to deal with the mental connection between herself and Marie when it suddenly appeared.

    In the early days of the connection, information flowed freely both ways and ire received several unwanted images of Marie''s flirtatious actions towards the prince.

    That was not a pleasant experience.

    ire let out a heavy sigh and stared at the sun that was slowly moving towards the horizon.

    Warm orange rays of light showered the city in a soft glow as the first stars could be vaguely seen in the sky.

    The holy knight stared at the city with its thousands of tiny ant-like people moving from ce to ce and felt at peace.

    Being a member of the so-called Space Time Administration had been a blessing that she was still grateful for.

    Meeting Elisa and being able to experience a new life¡­ it was hard not to feel as though she had been incredibly fortunate.

    Even if the mission failed and she was forced to return to the void, ire had a feeling that she would be content.

    She unsheathed her de and pulled out a well-worn rag out of her pocket. ire sat down on a chair in the corner of the balcony and began to clean her weapon.

    It was an old habit that she had picked up after many years of fighting.

    However, no matter how clean her de looked, she could never rid it of the faint bloody scent that lingered around the steel.

    A life of killing¡­

    ire sometimes wondered about the Lord of Light''s true purpose.

    He appeared out of nowhere to bless the humans and tilt the bnce towards them against the other races on the continent.

    Now centuriester, the Varion Church that was once a symbol for humanity''s greatness was now nothing more than a rotting shell of its former glory.

    High priests, pdinmanders and even the pope himself lost their way and began to drown themselves in earthly pleasures.

    What ire could not understand is why the God of Light still allowed those sinners to keep his powers.

    Was there some other purpose? ire knew that she was the ''de'' of Lord Varion, but she had never properlymunicated with the god who had blessed her.

    ire closed her eyes and muttered a quiet prayer, "Lord Varion¡­ if you can hear me¡­ am I doing the right thing?"

    "What is the path that you want me to follow?"

    The holy knight waited for a reply but as the minutes passed, she received nothing but silence as if she was talking to no one.

    ire reluctantly opened her eyes and ced her de back in its sheath.

    If the Lord of Light wished for her to make her own decisions, then she hoped that he would never interfere.

 Chapter 62 The Fallen Saintess (58)

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (Outer Gate)

    ire and Elisa stepped through the gates and walked into the courtyard of the Varion Temple.

    It had been five years since the former saintess, and her loyal holy knight had been sent to the outer regions of the continent, and now they had returned.

    Nuns could be seen in the distance kneeling down on the ground in prayer, guards patrolled the corridors and priests walked by holding copies of the holy texts.

    ire wore the standard white armour of the temr pdins with a longsword attached to her hip while Elisa was dressed in a white robe with golden threads.

    A pendant in the image of a sun hung from her neck. The pair did not bother to hide their appearances and soon whispers began to fill the courtyard.

    "Wait¡­ is that the old leader of the saintess'' personal guards?"

    "The former saintess? Isn''t she exiled to the border region?"

    "Hush! It was not an exile! The pope said that it was a promotion!"

    "Maybe they are here for the ceremony¡­"

    Elisa smiled warmly and nodded at the nuns who also bowed respectfully.

    Unlike in the original ire''s memories, Elisa was still decently liked by the ordinary members of the church who remembered her old deeds of healing the sick and the injured.

    ire''s cold gaze kept away the questioning knights who stared in their direction curiously. It only took a small trace of her killing intent to send shivers down their spines.

    The golden threads surrounding ire''s body twitched violently as if they sensed the immense spiritual energy found inside the temple.

    Kill the sinners¡­ kill the sinners¡­ kill the sinners¡­

    A hoarse inhuman voice kept whispering relentlessly in ire''s mind and it was slowly driving her insane.

    ire took in a few deep breaths and focused on Elisa''s beautiful face in order to distract herself.

    Elisa was using her human disguise, so her appearance resembled a sickly beauty, or a withering rose.

    She was delicate and fragile which provoked the protective instinct of anyone who saw her soft features.

    ire carefully escorted the former saintess through an endlessbyrinth of side passageways and corridors until they arrived at arge building.

    This building had two long ck spires that extended outwards towards the heavens and a row of statues were ced outside of its golden door.

    These statues depicted the images of the former popes who had made notable achievements in the service to Lord Varion.

    There were over one hundred statues in total, and each seemed to almost be alive since the sculptors who created them carved out their features in an incredibly life-like manner.

    Beyond the door one could faintly hear the sounds of terrified screams and pleads for mercy.

    The faint scent of blood lingered in the air which caused ire to exchange a look with Elisa.

    The pair nodded simultaneously, and ire stepped forward to open the door. It appeared to be blocked by something, but ire used her enhanced strength to easily rip the door in half.

    What came into view was an almost unimaginable sight.

    Pope Emmanuel stretched out his arms and a golden bubble covered him and his blood-soakedpanions whoy lifelessly on the floor.

    These injured men and women were all high-ranking members of the church that included pdinmanders, high priests and clergy.

    On the opposite side of therge hall was Saintess Marie and a team of Inquisition knights who were also heavily injured.

    Two golden translucent wings sprouted out from behind the saintess'' back and the sound of trumpets could be hearding from the distance.

    Saintess Marie''s long flowing silvery hair swayed gently from side to side as she chanted an incantation under her breath.

    She appeared to be an angel sent down from the heavens to deliver divine justice and order onto the world.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You¡­ you¡­ TRAITOR¡­ I AM THE CHOSEN POPE BY LORD VARION HIMSELF!" Pope Emmanuel roared in anger.

    He could not understand why the saintess and the inquisitor faction of the Varion Church had turned against him.

    Was it because of the ves?

    But that didn''t make any sense!

    Those foreign races weren''t humans¡­ they were mere beasts! They did not matter in the eyes of the Lord of Light¡­

    Pope Emmanuel nced at hispanions and secretly cursed them for being useless.

    Somehow whenever they tried to use their powers to directly harm the saintess, their holy aura would disappear.

    "Your sins¡­ have brought shame to the Lord of Light¡­" Saintess Marie dully spoke as a cold gleam surfaced in her eyes.

    "I am the me that will burn away the corruption¡­"

    She stopped midsentence and turned to face ire who had just entered the hall followed closely behind by Elisa.

    An unknown emotion shed across Marie''s face as she watched the pair enter the room side by side.

    "ire? Elisa? PLEASE SAVE US!" Pope Emmanuel hurriedly yelled before Marie had a chance to speak.

    "Save you?" ire coldlyughed as she felt the familiar urge to kill surface in her heart.

    "When you abandoned Elisa to the outer regions¡­ did you think that I would forgive you?"

    "When you turned a blind eye to the corruption in the church and enriched your own pockets¡­ did you expect mercy?"

    Two translucent wings sprouted out of ire''s back as her golden eyes shone eerily with purity and righteousness.

    "I will deliver onto you¡­" ire spoke without emotions.

    "Destined death."

    ire unsheathed her longsword and swung it forward with almost casual movements.

    A beam of holy light erupted from the tip of her de and mmed into the golden barrier surrounding the pope.

    Crack!

    The golden barrier shattered into thousands of pieces right before the pope''s unbelieving eyes.

    ire''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot as she reappeared right next to the pope who was still in shock.

    Pope Emmanuel opened his mouth to try and plead for mercy, but ire''s de had already pierced his throat.

    She flicked her sword upwards and messily separated the pope''s head from his body. Pope Emmanuel''s headless corpse fell to the ground motionless.

    ire continued to move forward and ughtered the high-ranking members of the church like a wolf in the middle of a flock of sheep.

    No matter how much they begged and pleaded¡­ there was no mercy.

    Saintess Marie sped her hands together in prayer and a warm current of energy flowed into ire''s body.

    The mental connection between them got stronger and ire could now hear Marie''s innermost thoughts echo in her mind.

    (She¡­ is perfect¡­ the perfect weapon¡­ the perfect ''de''¡­)

    (The two of us¡­ we will create in world¡­ a world of righteousness and order.)

    (That dark elf princess¡­. she is in the way of¡­ I need to deal with¡­)

 Chapter 63 The Fallen Saintess (59)

    (City of Lunarian- Varion Temple)

    (Inner Courtyard- Private Building)

    [That dark elf princess¡­ she is in the way of¡­ I need to deal with¡­]

    Fury burned inside ire''s heart, and it almost drove her insane.

    As she heard Marie''s voice whisper in her mind¡­ she had to resist the urge to kill the saintess on the spot.

    No¡­ now was not the time¡­ don''t lose control¡­ don''t overreact¡­

    And it was just a thought¡­

    Marie¡­ had not done any actions to hurt Elisa¡­ at least not yet¡­

    ire took in a few deep breaths and exhaled softly. Her body kept moving automatically to kill the remaining survivors of the pope''s faction.

    A few high priests sped their hands together and prayed to the Lord of Light to save them from the monster in the room¡­

    But their prayers went unanswered.

    ire casually swung her de forward and neatly bisected the bodies of the sinners who used Lord Varion''s name to justify their vile corruption and degenerate practices.

    "Oh, please deliver us your mercy o'' lord of light!" Saintess Marie cried out as a warm burst of holy light erupted from her fingertips.

    Holy runes floated in the air above her body and the entire hall felt an immense spiritual pressure descend.

    Elisa wrinkled her brows and stepped closer to ire as she felt the spiritual energy flowing out of Saintess Marie''s body attempt to cleanse her dark mana heart.

    ire noticed her difort and shot Marie a warning look that only the two of them understood.

    Elisa was her bottom line.

    Saintess Marie realised that her secret thoughts were exposed, and an unknown emotion surfaced in her eyes.

    She dropped down her hand and the spiritual pressure in the room disappeared. ire''s golden eyes shone eerily as blood still dripped off the edge of her de.

    The metallic scent of blood filled the air as corpses were scattered across the floor. Almost every single high-ranking member of the church in the capitol city was now dead.

    There were still some members who were fortunate enough to not attend today''s service, but they would be unable to stir up any waves.

    Especially since Saintess Marie now had the full backing of both the royal family and the inquisitor faction.

    "Thank you for your assistance, ire," Saintess Marie walked over and smiled peacefully. She stopped a few feet away and nced at the pair with a rxed expression.

    "As promised here are the locations of the foreign race ves that they kept."

    Saintess Marie reached into her white robe and pulled out several sheets of paper that included a few maps.

    She handed them over to ire and just for a brief moment¡­ she used her fingers to lightly touch the top of the female knight''s knuckles.

    ire pretended not to notice her small movement and checked the information on the papers in front of her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    There were at least twenty-five dark elves, seven orcs and a few other foreign races held in locations across the capitol and in the neighbouring regions.

    Time was of the essence since word of the ughter in the Varion Church would eventuallye to light and ire could not predict what would happen to those ves.

    "Thank you," Elisa spoke warmly as she nced at the sheets of paper.

    She could tell that the current saintess was not fond of her but the information that she gave out would help her to rescue her people.

    Elisa did not care about Marie''s attitude towards her since her number one priority was to free her people who were enved.

    Saintess Marie gritted her teeth and replied in what she pretended was a friendly tone, "It is my pleasure¡­"

    ire held Elisa''s hand and subtly moved her girlfriend behind her body. The female knight nced one more time at the carnage and then turned to face Marie.

    "We will be going now to rescue the remaining foreign race ves¡­ I assume that you will be able to handle the aftermath yourself," ire coldly spoke.

    Saintess Marie said nothing but her fingers beneath her robe curled up into a tight fist as she helplessly stared at ire and Elisa''s departing figures.

    Just as the holy knight was about to step out of the hall, Marie could not resist asking the questions running through her mind.

    The golden wings that sprouted behind her back trembled slightly as if sensing their master''s bad mood.

    "Wait¡­" Saintess Marie suddenly spoke.

    "Why¡­ why did he pick you? You have no interest in helping me reform the church and you spent all your time with a fake saintess?"

    "Why? Why can you live the way you want?! WHY DO YOU GET TO DECIDE YOUR OWN DESTINY?!"

    ire froze in ce as Saintess Marie''s words rang out. She could feel Elisa''s body shiver as the dark elf princess waited for her answer.

    Saintess Marie for once decided to put away her false appearance and speak to ire directly. This was the first time that she expressed the ugliness and fear in her heart.

    ire could sense her turbulent emotions and decided to answer her questions seriously.

    "I don''t know why Lord Varion picked me," ire freely admitted as she stared directly in Marie''s eyes.

    "But I can only assume that the Lord of Light has no interest in controlling those whom he blesses with his power."

    "I have nevermunicated with him and aside from a general order to kill sinners¡­ it is as though he does not exist."

    "But¡­ but¡­ he must have given us these powers to rule the church!" Saintess Marie stammered as she spoke.

    "Did he? Marie¡­ are you reforming the church because you WANT to? Or just because you feel like you HAVE to?" ire softly spoke.

    For the first time she held a bit of sympathy in her heart for the silver haired girl who was looking at her with tears in her eyes.

    "You have been given a tremendous gift¡­ no one can force you to do anything that you do not want to do," ire exined gently.

    "Don''t put on an act. If you want to reform the church¡­ don''t sacrifice yourself in the name of the greater good."

    Tears rolled down Marie''s face as the current saintess knelt down and wept. Her sobs filled the hall, and it was as though she was crying out a lifetime of pain and hurt.

 Chapter 64 The Fallen Saintess (60)

    (City of Lunarian- Inner District)

    (Old John''s Hotel- Private Room)

    Night had fallen and the only source of light in the room was the candle on the table that flickered slightly.

    Its me casted dark shadows on the walls. ire sat down on the bed and let out a heavy sigh of exhaustion.

    Her longsword had been ced in the corner of the room and after almost thirty minutes of cleaning, she finally managed to get rid of the bloodstains.

    A soft pair of hands pressed against ire''s back and began to knead her gently. Elisa hummed a melodic song as she pressed kisses against her girlfriend''s neck.

    "Do you think that I made the right choice today?" ire broke the silence in the room with a sudden question.

    Seeing the tears running down the sides of Marie''s cheeks earlier made ire feel a bit soft-hearted towards the girl tasked with such a heavy burden.

    She did not want to rejoin the church or be a part of its rebuilding process but decided to help in what way that she could.

    ire offered her services to Marie to deal with the¡­ more rebellious members of the church who had escaped the purge.

    Still, it was an agreement that she had made without consulting Elisa''s opinion so ire wanted to see what her girlfriend thought about it.

    "No¡­ at first, I¡­ I was a bit unhappy that you agreed to help Marie asionally but then I considered the long-term view," Elisa closed her eyes and replied.

    "If the corruption in the church is not removed and the organization is not reformed then another Pope Emmanuel wille into power."

    "Don''t worry¡­ it should only take around a decade for Marie to clean up the unsavory elements with my help," ire assured her quietly.

    "I will spend the rest of my life with you. I promise that after this is over¡­ let''s live in the outer regions together."

    Elisaughed gently as she touched the sides of ire''s cheeks and stared at her with a look in her eyes that bordered on obsession.

    My sweet knight¡­ the only source of light that led me out of the darkness¡­

    The dark elf princess leaned forward and captured ire''s lips in a sweet kiss that left the female knight breathless.

    The kiss that was shared between the pair was both soft and lingering. ire broke away first and blushed as she saw the thin thread of saliva connecting them.

    "Don''t tease me¡­ I¡­ can''t hold back¡­" ire hoarsely whispered as she tightly gripped the bedsheets on the mattress.

    Despite the pair sharing many intimate moments, they had yet to take the final step of their rtionship.

    "I know¡­ thank you¡­ for being patient," Elisa sweetly whispered as she nibbled on ire''s delicate ears.

    For dark elven royalty there was a long-standing tradition of sleeping for the first time with your lifetimepanion on the night of your wedding.

    To resist the urge of carnal desires showed that your love went beyond the mere desires of the flesh.

    Of course, Elisa was willing to break this tradition if ire did not want to follow it, but her girlfriend wanted her to know just how much she cared for her.

    "Marie won''t need my assistance for the next couple of months since she ns to stay in the capitol¡­ should we travel to the outer regions and hold the ceremony?" ire questioned softly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Is that your proposal? No flowers? No gifts?" Elisa teased mischievously as she ran her fingers through ire''s short blonde hair.

    ire smiled as she got up from the bed and headed for a brown bag that was carefully tucked away in the corner of the room.

    The female knight opened the bag carefully and pulled out a small wooden box with delicate golden carvings engraved on its surface.

    ire slowly approached the beautiful dark elf on the mattress and knelt down on one knee.

    It was a ritual that was not present on the continent, but Sui Li wanted to propose using the custom of her own world.

    "Elisa¡­ I¡­ I didn''t expect to meet someone like you¡­ in fact when I first¡­ first¡­" ire''s voice suddenly cut off.

    ire tried to continue her speech but discovered that she could not reveal her origins as an agent of the Space Time Administration.

    ire froze for a moment but quickly changed the words of her nned speech to continue her confession,

    "When¡­ I was first assigned to be your personal guard¡­ I could never have guessed that you would eventually be the most important person to me."

    "I wanted to have a private engagement because truthfully all I have to say is¡­ I love you."

    "No words can truly convey just how much you mean to me, and I hope that my actions can prove that I will only love you for a lifetime."

    ire opened the wooden box and took out the delicate golden ring that was hidden inside.

    A gorgeous ruby sat in the middle of the ring thatplemented Elisa''s crimson eyes.

    Usually, one would have diamonds on an engagement ring, but ire thought that only a ruby would suit her fiery girlfriend.

    She reached for Elisa''s left hand and slipped the ring on her fourth finger. ire bowed her head and kissed the ring lovingly.

    She looked up and saw Elisa staring directly into her gaze with stars in her eyes.

    "You¡­ you¡­ you¡­" Elisa stammered uncontrobly before rushing forward and diving into ire''s waiting arms.

    The dark elf princess shuddered in ire''s embrace and tears ran down the sides of her cheeks.

    ire could feel her shirt getting wet, but she patiently stroked Elisa''s back andforted her gently.

    "You are mine¡­ remember you asked me first!" Elisa suddenly spoke as she bit on ire''s shoulder fiercely.

    "Don''t you dare leave me!"

    "I wouldn''t dream of it," ire softly spoke in a solemn tone. This was a promise that she intended to keep.

    It was impossible to know what would happen when she eventually died but the memories that she shared with Elisa would always remain with her.

    The pair embraced in the darkness as two hearts slowly became one.

 Chapter 65 The Fallen Saintess (61)

    (Outer Regions- Hidden Location)

    (Merean Swamp ¨C The Guldean)

    Excited voices filled the private room as the maids inside could not help but gush over their mistress'' beauty.

    "Princess, you look absolutely beautiful¡­"

    "Gorgeous¡­ let me just add some more make-up!"

    "Rumi make sure that the princess'' dress looks perfect!"

    Elisa stood in front of arge mirror and looked at her reflection with a gentle smile on her face. She wore the traditional marriage robe of her people.

    It was a long ck dress that had several brightly coloured flowers woven into the fabric.

    A flowery crown had been ced on her head which matched the otherworldly beauty of the dark elf princess.

    She was stunning.

    A slender figure with gentle curves in all the right ces and a pair of full soft lips that were extremely tempting to kiss.

    Elisa''s crimson eyes took in every detail about her wedding robe and the smile on her face gradually widened.

    She lifted up her left hand and the engagement ring on her fourth finger sparkled gently under the light.

    The gorgeous ruby in the center of the ring shone with a hypnotic glow and Elisa could not help but run her fingers over its cold surface.

    Today was the day.

    She was about to be married to her fianc¨¦e in a holy ceremony that had never been performed between a member of the dark elf royal family and a human.

    It was not that there had never been a union between a human and an elf, but the members of the royal family had never partaken in such romantic entanglements.

    However, ire was no ordinary human.

    She was the saviour of the former ves who were captured by the greedy nobles and members of the Varion Church.

    Even the stubborn elders in the tribe had to admit that what ire had done for them could not be understated.

    It was only thanks to her help that so many of her people had been rescued but more importantly¡­

    ire was the reason why Elisa had chosen not to follow the dark path described to her by fate and the prophecy.

    A loud knocking sound came from the other side of the room and the wooden door was opened by a humble looking servant.

    "Now announcing the entrance of Queen Bracieth Liadi!" the servant cried out. The maids in the room hurriedly bowed but Elisa remained standing.

    The mysterious figure that followed him was a tall dark elf with a slender physique and long ck hair that fell below her shoulders.

    Her facial features bore a striking resemnce to Elisa, but a vicious scar ran from one side of her face to the other.

    This scar did not diminish her beauty but added a sense of ruthlessness to her gentle facial features.

    The queen did not seem to care about her daughter''s apparent disrespect and gestured for everyone to get out of the room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The maids nced at Elisa and the dark elf princess reassured them with a kind smile that everything was going to be okay.

    The maids and the humble-looking servant left the room and soon it was only the mother daughter pair that remained.

    "So¡­ a human¡­ your tastes really are a bit heavy," Queen Bracieth sneered mockingly as she reached into her robes to pull out a bottle of wine.

    "I must thank you mother¡­. It must have been difficult to convince the elders to agree to the marriage," Elisa replied coldly.

    "No need¡­ I mean you are ckmailing me so¡­ what can I do?" Queen Bracieth shrugged nonchntly and took another sip.

    "Still¡­ the only reason why you are so obedient is because you know¡­ the truth about my lifespan," Elisaughed with an unknown emotion in her eyes.

    Queen Bracieth froze in ce since she didn''t expect her daughter to expose her cards so easily and out in the open.

    Maybe it was to be expected¡­.

    Queen Bracieth knew that her daughter was quite dangerous and always did things ording to her own whims.

    "Yeah¡­ those elders are under the impression that once your¡­ human dies¡­ it will only take a few decades or centuries for you to marry a proper dark elf," Queen Bracieth freely admitted.

    "Little do they know¡­ you don''t have the time¡­ and you want to waste your remaining lifespan with some human bitc¡­''

    The dark elf queen wanted to throw some more insults at her daughter but the shadows beneath her feet suddenly began to move.

    "Nerthiur Loceum Plexain!" Elisa chanted darkly as she stretched her right hand outwards.

    Shadowy tendrils rose up from the ground and mmed into the queen''s body.

    The queen did not have any time to react before she was brought down to the floor in a kneeling position in front of her daughter.

    Elisa''s crimson eyes contained no emotions and sent a shiver down the spine of the queen. It was as though the princess was looking at an insect crawling along the ground.

    Mother¡­ I would like to make one thing very clear¡­" Elisa gently spoke as she caressed the queen''s cheek.

    "I only have a few decades left¡­ so leave me and ire alone. You will remain as the ruler of the dark elf tribe¡­ and I will stay out of your business."

    "But¡­ if you touch her¡­ or hurt her¡­ I will remove you from your position¡­ permanently."

    Elisa''s dark words buried their way inside the queen''s pointed ears, and she could not stop her body from trembling.

    Princess Keya Lidia was a monster and only her mother knew of her true nature that she hid from others.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­" Queen Bracieth stammered. The shadowy tendrils wrapped around her body instantly disappeared and she could move once more.

    The queen of the dark elves left the room with hurried steps and was barely able to maintain her royal demeaner.

    The maids outside the room did not hear the conversation that happened inside since Elisa had secretly casted a sound dampening spell.

    She closed her eyes and cut off the connection to the spell. An invisible bubble surrounding the room suddenly popped.

    "You cane inside now," Elisa softly called out to her maids. The three young dark elf girls ran inside with cheerful steps.

    They resumed their task to put the finishing touches on Elisa''s make up and appearance for the uing ceremony.

 Chapter 66 The Fallen Saintess (62)

    (Outer Regions- Hidden Location)

    (Merean Swamp ¨C The Sacred Tree)

    In the middle of the Merean swamp stood a tall slender tree with vine-like branches that stretched outwards and tangled with the nearby mangroves.

    Beautiful red flowers blossomed along the tips of the branches and a sweet sugary scent filled the air.

    This tree had no name nor was there any nt in the entire swamp that was simr to it.

    The dark elves simply called it ''The Sacred Tree.''

    At the base of the tree was a young woman dressed in an elegant white evening gown with golden threads woven into the fabric.

    She had short blonde hair, high cheekbones and sharp facial features that enhanced her cold iceberg-like beauty.

    Her physique was lean and muscr, and one could clearly see the muscles on her exposed arms that disyed the results of years of hard training.

    ire''s golden eyes shone eerily as she held a simple bouquet ofvender flowers in both hands and waited for the ceremony to begin.

    At first, she had been a bit unfamiliar with the ritual associated with marriage for dark elves but fortunately Elisa had exined everything in great detail.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    ire could hear the nervous beating of her heart as she felt beads of sweat slowly drip down her brow.

    Part of her wanted tough.

    She had faced life and death situations where she had narrowly avoided getting killed and yet the day of her marriage was scaring her to death.

    The waiting and anticipation were almost unbearable.

    The golden threads surrounding ire''s body responded to her excited mood and began to stir.

    "No¡­ settle down¡­" ire softly growled as she took in a deep breath and gently exhaled.

    The female knight counted silently in her mind until she got her feelings back under control. She was not going to let her powers ruin the most important day of her life.

    The sun was shining brightly in the sky but fortunately the presence of tall leafy trees in the swamp provided ample shade.

    ire fidgeted slightly as the time slowly passed. The first part of the ceremony would have most likely already begun so Elisa should be here shortly.

    Around five more minutes passed until ire''s ears picked up soundsing from the distance.

    It sounded like chanting and soon ire spotted dozens of dark elves walking out from the shadows of nearby trees while speaking in the ancient tongue of their people.

    "Nre''an voe leuxn spern toeln."

    "Nre''an voe leuxn spern toeln."

    "Nre''an voe leuxn spern toeln."

    These dark elves wore humble brown robes that were partially tattered and destroyed.

    If ire remembered correctly this was part of the old traditions to ce all the attention on the soon-to-be couple instead of the spectators.

    The dark elves walked slowly into the clearing and bowed twice in the direction of the sacred tree and once in the direction of ire.

    They lined up neatly into rows with a small path in the middle that led directly to the base of the tree where ire was standing.

    A single figure emerged from behind a nearby mangrove that made ire''s heart skip a beat and all she could do was stare.

    Elisa¡­ no¡­ Princess Keya Liadi wore the traditional marriage robe of her people which was a long ck dress with several brightly coloured flowers woven into the fabric.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A flowery crown had been ced on her head and her hair had been tied into a single ponytail that fell across her shoulder.

    ire opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

    She was blown away by the beauty of her fianc¨¦e who walked confidently towards her with a warm smile across her face.

    Princess Keya''s gentle facial expressions softened as she stared at her beloved who had apanied her for several long years in human society.

    She was equally spellbound by ire''s stunning beauty but managed to hide her lust by clenching her fingers tightly into a fist.

    The dark elf princess walked up to ire and took the bouquet from her hands.

    In ordance with the ancient traditions, she leaned forward and pressed two light kisses one against each of ire''s cheeks.

    The dark elves in the audience resumed their chants and began to bow at the couple standing at the base of the sacred tree.

    "Nre''an voe leuxn spern toeln. "

    "Nre''an voe leuxn spern toeln."

    "Nre''an voe leuxn spern toeln."

    Princess Keya walked towards the base of the sacred tree andy down the bouquet of flowers by one of its exposed roots.

    The roots slowly extended outwards and wrapped around the bouquet as if the tree itself was holding it.

    An elderly dark elf wearing simr brown robes to the rest in the clearing headed for the pair with two iron rings in his palm.

    He slowly moved forward with a solemn expression on his face, but one could tell by the spring in his steps that he was in a good mood.

    The elderly dark elf finally arrived in front of the pair and handed over the rings to ire before turning around to address the audience.

    He stretched out his right palm towards the sky and made a series ofplicated hand gestures before beginning his speech.

    Since ire was a human, the ceremony had been slightly modified so that the vows were spoken in themon tradenguage.

    "We have gathered here today to witness the union between Princess Keya Liadi and the saviour ire nlyn," Elder Aredo shouted passionately.

    "May your union be blessed by the soil beneath our feet, the skies above our head and the spirits that wander freely through our world."

    "May your souls be forever connected¡­ neither death nor life shall ever see you be apart¡­"

    Princess Keya held out her palm and gripped ire''s hand tightly as the elder continued the marriage ceremony.

    "Can you drop your protection temporarily," Elisa whispered in a low tone that only her partner could hear.

    ire nodded without hesitation and withdrew the divine protection back into her body.

    It was a trick that she had mastered after five years of exploring the powers granted to her by the Lord of Light.

    Princess Keya smiled, and a faint thread of ck mist flew out of her fingertips and entered ire''s body.

    It wrapped itself around the soul of the female knight and before flowing back into Keya''s body and repeating the process.

    ire could subtly sense that something had changed but she could not detect what exactly Keya had done.

    "I am selfish," Princess Keya freely admitted as she leaned in closer and pressed a light kiss against ire''s lips.

    "In this life¡­ or any others¡­"

    "You can only be mine."

 Chapter 67 The Fallen Saintess (63) R-18

    (Outer Regions- Hidden Location)

    (Merean Swamp- Private Building)

    ire stood silently in front of a wooden door and could hear the steady beating of her heart as she nervously paced back and forth.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    On the fourth finger of her right hand was a simple iron ring that symbolised the union between herself and the dark elf princess.

    The main part of the ceremony had concluded a few hours ago and now was the time for the ritual of lovemaking to seal the process.

    ire''s hands slightly trembled as she hesitantly knocked on the door with soft taps.

    "Enter please¡­" a sweet melodic voice came from the other side.

    ire took in a deep breath and pushed the door open before her courage failed her.

    The room was surprisingly empty save for arge bed in the middle and a crackling firece in the corner.

    The bed was made from a wooden frame and the mattress was stuffed with the down feathers from a species of bird-like monsters.

    Princess Keya sat on the bed while holding a silver cup with an unknown liquid inside. She still wore the wedding dress but the top couple of buttons had been undone.

    ire had to swallow her saliva as Keya intentionally teased her with a small glimpse of whaty beneath her dress.

    "My brave knight¡­ won''t youe a bit closer?" Keya yfully smirked as she held out her hand and beckoned with one finger.

    The dark elf princess bit her lips seductively and gently swayed the top of her body from side to side.

    ire felt as though she was trapped in a hypnotic spell.

    The female knight walked forward almost in a daze until she was mere inches away from Keya.

    "Are you nervous?" Keya softly whispered as she stroked ire''s cheek.

    "Yea¡­ yeah¡­ this is my first time¡­ I don''t want to disappoint you," ire blushed furiously as she looked down.

    She may have some knowledge about what was going to happen but there was a big difference between knowing and actually performing the action yourself.

    Keya''s bell-likeughter filled the room as the princess stared at her wife with a mixture of both bemusement and tenderness.

    "It''s my first time as well¡­ guess we''ll have to disappoint each other together," Keya chuckled as she leaned forward.

    Keya kissed ire hard on the mouth.

    It was an unexpected kiss that was filled with both passion and excitement.

    She wrapped her arms around ire''s waist and pulled the female knight on the bed. ire fell on top of her wife who giggled cheekily as she poked her tongue into her mouth.

    Keya unconsciously began to rock her hips as the kiss deepened and a small moan leaked out from her mouth.

    The dark elf princess broke the kiss, and a thin thread of saliva connected the pair.

    ire stared at her sexy little minx who kept seductively winking and felt a fire begin to start in her chest.

    She lunged forward and took Keya by surprise. In one smooth motion, ire ripped the top half of Keya''s dresspletely off.

    She tossed the scraps of fabric to the side and stared hungrily at the sight before her eyes.

    Two beautiful curves came into view. Keya''s breasts were a light brown colour with two dark nipples that were semi aroused.

    ire cupped the left breast and right breast in her hands and took a moment to appreciate the weight and feeling.

    She began to fondle them tenderly using her fingers to lightly tease and y with Keya''s nipples that quickly hardened under her ministrations.

    Keya softly moaned as ire yed and toyed with her body.

    The female knight''s movements were a bit awkward at first but as she listened to Keya''s reactions, she gradually got better and better.

    Sui Li may have been a virgin, but she did have some knowledge about lovemaking after identally stumbling onto a few¡­ adult videos.

    Okay¡­ maybe she intentionally watched a few of them¡­

    ire bent down and began to lightly suck Keya''s breasts while her left hand slowly roamed downwards towards a special ce.

    The princess waspletely soaked. ire could feel the wet sensation on her fingertips as she brushed against Keya''s honeypot.

    Keya''s breath rapidly hitched as a reddish blush began to spread from the tips of her ears.

    "Touch me more¡­" Keya gasped as she grabbed ire''s clothes tore off her dress with reckless abandon.

    ire''s lean and muscr figure was soon revealed, and Keya could not stop herself from running her fingers along the female knight''s six pack.

    There was an ache in her lower regions that the dark elf princess had never felt before.

    It was as though something inside her was screaming to be unleashed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    ire touched Keya''s inner thighs before slowly teasing the outer entrance of the pussy. Keya''s flower garden waspletely hairless, and ire soon touched those pink folds.

    The female knight ran her fingers over the tender skin before suddenly thrusting two digits inside the hole.

    "Ouch!" Keya yelped in pain.

    ire suddenly froze in ce and quickly withdrew her hand as she nervously stared at her wife.

    "Sorry! Did I do it too fast? Did I hurt you?" ire hurriedly asked.

    "Go¡­ a bit gentler please," Keya suggested as she pressed a soft kiss against ire''s forehead to let her know that it was okay to continue.

    ire''s movements were a lot slower this time as she ced her fingers inside Keya''s honeypot and began to stir gently.

    There was a small button-like bump in the top part of Keya''s pussy that ire would asionally pinch and tease.

    "ire¡­ wife¡­ I can''t ¡­I can''t¡­" Keya moaned loudly as she gyrated her hips against the palm of her wife''s hand.

    ire was sending her into the depths of passion, and she could feel a rising tideing up from herher regions.

    "I''m going to¡­ I''m going to¡­" Keya''s sentence remained unfinished as her body suddenly quivered in shock.

    A flood of liquid burst out of her flower garden and stained ire''s hand with the lovemaking juices.

    The female knight''s golden eyes darkened, and she did something crazy.

    ire brought her wet hand to her lips and in front of Keya''s eyes she licked her fingers while smiling seductively.

    The taste was unlike anything that ire had ever tasted before. It was sweet yet slightly acidic with an earthly vour.

    "My turn," Keya hoarsely growled as ire''s actions caused her to almost lose her mind.

    Dark shadowy tendrils emerged from the ground and wrapped around the female knight''s body.

    ire could have easily broken the spell, but she allowed the dark elf princess to have her fun.

    Plus, to bepletely truthful¡­ she was a bit eager to experience what her wife had nned in mind for the next few minutes.

    Keya made a series ofplicated hand gestures and the shadowy tendrils pulled ire onto the bed face up.

    A dominating smile shed across Keya''s face as she stared at her captured wife with a look of endless lust and desire.

    "Kiss me," Keya ordered naughtily as she leaned forward and pursed her lips.

    "Your wish is mymand," ire followed along and tilted her head upwards to capture Keya''s sweet taste.

    The kiss was soft and lingering and seemed tost for an eternity. Even ire felt a bit breathless by the time it ended.

    Keya stroked ire''s chest and ran her fingers over her pink nipples. ire''s pale white skin almost shone under the moonlight flowing in through the window.

    The dark elf princess ignored the urge to pinch those two fleshy mountains and focused on the true prize.

    Unlike Keya''s honey pot, ire''s pussy had a slight amount of hair above it, but Keya was not repulsed or turned off.

    She moved slowly downwards until her face was mere centimeters away from the fleshy folds.

    Keya''s soft breath was making ire go crazy as she felt a wave of anticipation for what was going to happen next.

    The dark elf princess shot forward and her mouth made contact with ire''s pussy.

    The female knight''s body quivered and trembled as she did not expect this sudden turn of events.

    There was no gentleness to Keya''s tongue movements, there was just a hungry need for the sweet nectar flowing out of her wife''s pussy.

    She allowed her tongue to explore every nook and cranny of ire''s flower garden and touched her in ces that she had never been touched before.

    "Oh my god¡­ oh my god¡­ how are you so good?" ire loudly moaned as her body began to spasm.

    Keya took her words as encouragement and finally found the erect clit that was slightly swollen and in need of some loving.

    She teased and used her tongue to wrap around the clit which sent ire into further throes of ecstasy.

    The female knight was driven to one orgasm after the next as the shadowy tendrils wrapped around her limbs only tightened.

    Eventually Princess Keya stopped and raised her head up from beneath ire''s muscr legs.

    Her face waspletely soaked, and the naughty dark elf girl used her tongue to lick the area around her mouth.

    ire lost control and instantly snapped the shadowy tendrils that were wrapped around her limbs.

    She pulled Keya towards her and wrapped her lover tightly in a warm embrace.

    Their breasts rubbed together and produced sparks that sent chills down ire''s spine.

    "The night isn''t done yet¡­" ire promised as she pressed a light kiss against Keya''s neck.

 Chapter 68 The Fallen Saintess - The End

    (Outer Regions- Hidden Location)

    (Cliffs of Reynar)

    Two figures sat quietly as the sun dipped slowly towards the horizon. Warm orange rays of light illuminated their surroundings.

    One could hear the sounds of waves crashing against the shore as both figures sat at the edge of a cliff that was overlooking a vast open sea.

    Both figures were elderly women with wrinkles on their faces, but it was clear from their facial features that they were both stunning beauties in their youth.

    The taller of the pair was a human woman with scars and callouses on her hand that disyed a lifetime of training with the de.

    She wore a simple white dress and there was an iron ring on the fourth finger of her right hand.

    Herpanion was a dark elf woman who unlike the typical elf appeared to have aged quite substantially.

    She had long ck shoulder-length hair and several flowers had been woven into a crown that rested on top of her head.

    An identical iron ring was ced on the fourth finger of her right hand, but she also had an expensive ruby ring on her left.

    Princess Keya held her lover''s hand and watched as the sun continued to travel towards the ends of the horizon.

    "Do you think the elders will find out?" Princess Keya teased as she rubbed her fingers on the top of ire''s knuckles.

    "Well¡­ they haven''t seen you in decades¡­ so probably not. Why didn''t you want to tell them?" ire asked softly as she leaned forward and kissed her wife''s cheek.

    Even after all these years, her heart would always skip a beat when looking at the beautiful dark elf princess who gave up everything to be by her side.

    "They would have probably made me have an heir or divorce you to spend the rest of my lifespan with someone else," Keya admitted as shezily yed with ire''s white hair.

    ire hummed softly and leaned her head against Keya''s shoulders as the pair fell into afortable silence.

    Spending a lifetime in this world had changed her in ways that Sui Li could not fullyprehend.

    ire wasn''t sure if she had left this world in a better ce but at least the rtionship between the Varion Church and the foreign races had eased somewhat.

    It was impossible to eliminate racial prejudice in a single lifetime but hopefully over time under the new direction of the church things would turn out for the better.

    Saintess Marie¡­ no Pope Marie was someone who wasmitted to following the teachings of the Lord of Light.

    ire closed her eyes and essed the mental link that connected the pair. After several decades there was now a strong bond of friendship between the two women.

    [I will be leaving today. Thank you for everything.]

    She didn''t receive a response and knew it was because Marie couldn''t handle her emotions properly.

    ire reopened her eyes and tightened her grip on Keya''s palm. The dark elf princess stared at her wife and whispered in a loving tone,

    "I can feel my timeing to an end."

    "Can you hug me one more time?"

    ire wrapped her arms around her wife and held her tightly as her breathing became weaker and weaker.

    Using both holy and dark magic had destroyed Keya''s vitality and her lifespan had been significantly reduced.

    ire ced her hand on her wife''s chest and felt the beating of her heart gradually slow down until it was about to disappear.

    "ire¡­ ire¡­ I¡­ love¡­" Princess Keya weakly stammered out a final confession.

    "I know darling¡­ I love you too," ire replied with a gentle smile.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The dark elf princess took one final look at her lover who had apanied her for a lifetime and then closed her eyes.

    Tears ran down the sides of ire''s cheeks as she held the body of her lover and sobbed uncontrobly.

    The holy knight of the Varion Church who was once known by names such as ''God''s Judgement'', ''The Angel of Death'' and ''The de'' was now crying out in heartbreak.

    Pope Marie could sense her turbulent emotions through the mental connection and sent out a message.

    [ire¡­ don''t do anything stupid!]

    This time ire was the one to ignore Marie''s message as she bent her knees and prepared for her final act.

    ire held the body of her wife in her arms and jumped off the cliff into the water below.

    There was a cold glint of determination in her gaze since she also did not have much time left.

    Shended in the water below with a dull ssh and warmly embraced Keya''s body as if to make them be one person.

    Princess Keya''s dark spell on their wedding day that linked the pair ensured that they would both be together in both life and death.

    Already ire could feel the ck magic flowing through her body and instead of purifying it, she allowed it to prate her mana veins.

    ire''s vision slowly turned to darkness as she sank beneath the waves while carrying the body of her lover.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outside The Creation World Tree- Unknown Location)

    (Private System Spatial Zone)

    Sui Li opened her eyes to find herself standing in the middle of a wide-open field that was both familiar and strange.

    It took her a moment to realise that she was back in the headquarters of the Time Space Administration.

    There were flowers scattered across the field and tall leafy trees stood quietly in the distance. It was a gorgeous ce of natural beauty, but Sui Li could not fully appreciate it.

    She frowned slightly as something appeared to be missing from her mind. She could vaguely recall a face, but her features were blurred and unrecognisable.

    "Okay¡­ I just came back from¡­ a mission¡­ what happened?" Sui Li muttered to herself as she tried to remember the details.

    She could clearly recall meeting ire nlyn''s soul and striking a deal to use her body but everything after that was a blur.

    Clearly if she had returned then¡­ did that mean that she finished the mission?

    Did she manage to kill the viiness?

    A pir of bright light erupted from the center of the meadow and Sui Li took a few steps backwards to avoid its harsh re.

    The beam of light slowly disappeared to reveal a golden door with a in wooden handle attached to its front.

    Sui Li recognised the door as the same one that lead her to the mysterious ''system'' creature who assigned her the first mission.

    She needed answers and it was probably the only person who knew what was going on.

 Chapter 69 The Dark Request

    Blue rune-like symbols had been etched onto the golden door''s outer surface that glowed with an eerie light.

    Sui Li walked towards the door with hesitant steps as she mentally prepared herself for the uing teleportation.

    She took in a deep breath and then grabbed the wooden handle with all the strength that she could muster.

    The door swung open, and her figure was sucked inside. Sui Li''s body was tossed and squeezed through an endless passageway of floating light orbs.

    She could see her limbs bending and stretching to impossible lengths as if they were made of rubber or some kind of stic material.

    Sui Li closed her eyes and only reopened them when she felt her feetnd on solid ground. She found herself standing in the middle of a room that waspletely white.

    In front of her was the ''system.''

    It was vaguely humanoid in appearance, but its skin was a dull greyish colour with two silvery wings sprouted out from its back.

    A forked tail swayed gently from side to side, and it possessed sharp bone-like ws instead of normal hands.

    The in white mask on its face concealed everything except for two dark purplish eyes that stared at her inplete shock.

    ? [You''re still alive?!]

    [Did you like my fake surprise? Apparently, my other hosts haveined that I''m too ''emotionless''.]

    "I guess¡­ more importantly¡­ I just finished the mission, but the only issue is that I don''t have my memories from that world," Sui Li replied calmly.

    The creature tilted its head in confusion and took a glowing orange orb from its pocket and threw it at her.

    Sui Li caught it with rtive ease and looked at the object in her hand. It was around the size of her palm and felt warm andforting.

    [Standard operation procedure involves wiping an agent''s memories after a mission¡­ so you fragile humans don''t go crazy.]

    [I stored your memory in that orb so feel free to waste your time watching it if you like¡­ honestly, I''m a bit curious how a mere side character managed to stabilise a grade S world.]

    "Can''t you look at the memories and find out?" Sui Li asked curiously as she fiddled with the orb.

    The creature stroked an imaginary beard hanging from the bottom of his mask and fiddled with his ws.

    [No¡­ I am not allowed to ess your memories without your permission. Do you wish to grant me authorisation?]

    "No," Sui Li subconsciously replied.

    She froze in shock because for a moment it was as though someone else was speaking through her.

    [Thought so¡­ well frankly I don''t really care that much.]

    The creature let out a heavy sigh then made a series ofplicated hand gestures using his ws.

    [Apparently your performance has caught the attention of some higher ups so you will be assigned another mission immediately.]

    "Don''t I need some rest or at least a vacation?" Sui Li hurriedly asked.

    [Nope.]

    [Look can you not be so selfish? The sooner you be a proper agent¡­ the sooner I can leave this sted department and return to my rightful ce as a ''Male Protagonist System''.]

    [I don''t even know why the higher ups are paying so much attention to what must surely be a lucky fluke.]

    The creature turned around and its bone-like ws reached up and gently removed the white mask covering its face.

    A piece of parchment paper mysteriously appeared in the air above the ''system''.

    There were purplish-red runes etched onto the parchment''s surface and the creature gently tapped its ws against the sheet.

    It muttered a few iprehensible words in anguage that Sui Li could not understand but she could feel the power contained within them.

    [Alright so are you ready?]<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No¡­" Sui Li''s voice trailed off as the ''system'' waved its ws and she discovered that her body was now frozen in ce.

    [That was a rhetorical question¡­ it isn''t my concern if you are ready or not¡­]

    [Good luck I guess¡­ this world you''ll definitely need it¡­]

    A noise that sounded like ss shattering echoed through the space and then a ck portal formed at her feet.

    Sui Li could only re resentfully at the ''system'' as her body was sucked into the portal, and she disappeared to an unknown location.

    She reopened her eyes to find herself in a tiny room no bigger than a regr bedroom with four in white walls.

    A single light bulb was hung in the center of the room that provide dim lighting and asionally flickered.

    This was a familiar ce.

    It was where she had met ire nlyn and struck a deal to use her body for a lifetime.

    Sui Li shifted nervously before looking down and discovering that the orange orb had disappeared from her hand.

    She panicked for a moment but then felt a strange feeling in her mind. Sui Li concentrated, and the orange orb reappeared in her hand.

    She stopped focusing and the orb disappeared once again.

    Sui Li experimented a few more times but had to stop when a mysterious cloud floated into the room.

    "Are you the wish granter?" a cold feminine voice asked in a sharp tone.

    "Yes¡­ in exchange for the right to use your body¡­ I can fulfil any request that you have¡­ well at least within reason," Sui Li hesitantly spoke.

    The floating cloud trembled violently, and Sui Li got the impression that someone within the cloud wasughing.

    Gradually the gaseous mass formed the shape of a woman just as the lightbulb went out and the room was plunged intoplete darkness.

    A few secondster the dim lighting returned, and Sui Li saw a in ordinary officedy sitting across from her on a wooden chair.

    She wore a simple pair of ck pants and a white shirt thatpletely hid her figure.

    Her face would be indistinguishable from a crowd, but her eyes were unforgettable.

    There was a darkness hidden in her gaze that was almost hypnotic. The woman adjusted her posture to get into a morefortable position before staring at Sui Li.

    "Do you think people are good?" the woman casually asked in a in tone.

    It was an unexpected question that threw Sui Li off for a moment.

    "Um¡­ I think the world is filled with people who are a mixture of both¡­" Sui Li replied after giving it some thought.

    "There are terrible people, but I think on the whole¡­ the good outnumbers the bad."

    The in woman furrowed her brows and stared off into the distance. She seemed to be looking at both Sui Li and someone else through her body.

    "You will lose that optimism if you visit my world," the woman softly replied as she absentmindedly yed with her thumbs.

    "When social order breaks down¡­ those kind and friendly people¡­ they turn into nothing more than savages."

    "The first ones to suffer are always the women and the children... believe me¡­ there is no monster more terrifying than humanity..."

    The woman''s voice trailed off as she lost herself in the memories that had kept her awake through many a sleepless night.

    "Do you want to know what my request is?" she suddenly asked.

    The woman threw back her head andughed scarily as madness gleamed in her eyes. She grabbed Sui Li''s hands and stared at her with a frightening gaze.

    "Use my gift. Use it and kill so many people that your hands are stained with blood and keep on killing until you fix that rotten world," the woman spoke hoarsely.

 Chapter 70 Zombie Empress (1)

    "If you''re asking me to be a mass murderer ormit genocide then I will have to refuse your request," Sui Li''s cold voice echoed through the room.

    There were lines that she would not cross no matter if it was a request from the taskers.

    She would not kill the innocent.

    A brief moment of silence followed Sui Li''s refusal.

    The officedy yed with her fingers absentmindedly as a variety of expressions shed across her face.

    For a second Sui Li could have sworn that one of them was¡­ disappointment.

    "Fine¡­ I have another request," the woman finally spoke after thinking for a moment.

    "I have a younger brother who attended an elite high school in the neighbouring province. I don''t know what happened to him."

    "If you can¡­ try to save him¡­"

    That sounded like a much more reasonable request, but Sui Li was a bit suspicious about the unknown woman''s attitude.

    "Are you sure that is your only request? Why did you change your mind so quickly?" Sui Li questioned solemnly.

    "Because I''ve realised that there is no reason to waste my request," the woman gently spoke in a sweet sickly tone.

    "Do you want to know why?"

    The woman leaned forward, and her appearance resembled a dangerous snake poised to strike at any moment.

    There was no trace of humanity left in her cold lifeless eyes as she stared at Sui Li with the expression of a predator looking at its prey.

    "Once you''ve seen what I saw¡­ experience what I felt¡­ realise what I know¡­" the woman calmly whispered with an eerie smile.

    "Humanity¡­ are nothing more than animals¡­ beasts who need only the slightest opportunity to inflict cruelty and suffering."

    "Laws and the unspoken rules of society stop them but when thews disappear, and the authority vanishes¡­ you will see the monsters that they are¡­"

    "You will use my gift¡­ I guarantee it."

    The woman threw back her head andughed crazily. Her eyes gleamed with madness as she mmed her fist against her knees.

    She stretched out her hand and gipped Sui Li''s palm before she even had the time to react to the unknown woman''s sudden movement.

    "The pact is made," the woman chuckled darkly.

    Deep blue runes appeared out of thin air and surrounded their hands. Sui Li was unsurprised to discover that once again she was now frozen in ce.

    Sui Li could see her body gradually turn translucent as another ck portal opened up from beneath her feet.

    Thest image that she saw was the unknown woman mouthing the words ''Good Luck'' as she disappeared from the room.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Country A- Heurn Province)

    (Unnamed Skyscraper- 20th Floor)

    "Qin Lan¡­ my boyfriend is taking me out to dinner¡­ can you finish my work for me?" a sweet voice called out.

    A in faced woman in herte twenties opened her eyes and saw an attractive secretary wearing a short skirt.

    She wore a bright red lipstick on her mouth and her face was delicately painted with makeup. Expensive diamond earrings hung from her ears and the jewellery gleamed under the light.

    She appeared to be a model rather than someone who worked in an office.

    Qin Lan frowned as she felt a massive headacheing on.

    The pretty woman did not even wait for her reply before dumping a massive folder onto her desk and leaving.

    It waspletely dark outside since night had already fallen.

    Only a handful of employees were left in the office, and most were working quietly at their own stations.

    Qin Lan nced at the massive folder and let out a heavy sigh. She ced it next to the other folders piling up on her desk and stared at the time on herputer.

    It was ten o'' clock. Guess this would be another night spent doing someone else''s work without any overtime pay.

    Unfortunately, Yang Mi was the daughter of the CEO who was only here for ''experience'' so there was no point inining to human resources.

    Qin Lan nced out of the window and briefly enjoyed the beautiful sight of the city at night.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was strange not hearing the constant hum of cars or see the tiny stick-like figures moving around.

    She reached for her sses on the desk and put them on.

    Qin Lan had inherited her far sightedness from her mother and needed sses to help her see close objects.

    Qin Lan opened up Microsoft Excel and began to fill out a few spreadsheets with the data about thepany''s clients.

    The steady tapping of her keys echoed through the floor, but the other employees wore headsets, so they were not disturbed.

    This job was quite tiring but after the death of her parents¡­ she was the only one who could look after her younger brother.

    As long as the money was good, Qin Lan was prepared to work as long as possible at least until her sibling had finished college.

    Then she would switch to a more rxed job and start looking for a date.

    Find a nice stable gu¡­girl¡­

    Girl?

    Qin Lan frowned as a strange thought shed across her mind. No¡­ why would she think about marrying a girl?

    The massive headache in her mind only got more painful as if something was trying to get out.

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and slowly rubbed her temples as she felt beads of sweat run down her forehead.

    Bang!

    Her head mmed against her desk as she briefly fell unconscious. The sudden noise alerted the other employees who saw her copse.

    One of the older men rushed over in a panic and shook her shoulders vigorously.

    "Qin Lan are you alright? Thepany can''t afford anotherwsuit! SOMEONE CALL THE GODDAMN HOSPITAL!" Supervisor Chen yelled in fear.

    "No¡­ sorry¡­ I think¡­ I think I''m just tired," Qin Lan whispered as she slowly opened her eyes.

    Her timid demeanor was the same as usual but the look in her eyes had subtly changed.

    However, it was impossible for the supervisor to discover that something was different about the young woman in front of him.

    "Alright¡­ why don''t you take a rest and then resume your work when you wake up," Supervisor Chen kindly spoke as he pointed at the break room.

    Qin Lan nodded respectfully at her boss and then walked towards the break room while ying with her phone.

    The office went back to normal, but the supervisor nced at the break room a few more times to make sure that Qin Lan was okay.

    Qin Lan entered the room and sat down on one of the bean bags ced in the corner. She powered on her phone and checked the date.

    It was the tenth of May.

    There wasn''t enough time left.

    She turned on the phone''s camera and stared at her reflection. Sui Li stretched out her hand curiously and the person in the video-feed did the same.

    It was hard to describe how it felt to suddenly be in someone''s body and posses their memories.

    Well¡­ most of their memories.

    Sui Li wasn''t sure if the original Qin Lan had purposefully done something, but certain memories were locked behind a fuzzy white wall.

    Besides some basic information about the apocalypse and her memories from before tragedy struck¡­ there was nothing.

    At least there was some useful information stored in the memories that she could ess, and it was quite shocking.

    Three days from now the world would be transformed by unknown means into a hellscape.

    Animals, nts and even humans would fall unconscious or freeze in ce for a short period of time that varied between individuals.

    Those who awoke would either bepletely fine or gain extraordinary abilities.

    As for those who didn''t¡­. they would be mindless beasts who had an endless craving for human flesh and blood.

    A small crystal would form in their brain that could be swallowed by the ability users to increase the strength of their gifts.

    It also had the side effect of increasing their physique. This knowledge would not be mainstream until several months into the apocalypse.

    No one wanted to randomly swallow something that came from inside the monsters and only the brave or the truly mad tried to.

    And the original Qin Lan''s gift was¡­. damn it!

    Sui Li scowled fiercely as she realised that another fuzzy white wall appeared in her mind whenever she tried to think about the original Qin Lan''s ability.

 Chapter 71 Zombie Empress (2)

    (Country A- Heurn Province)

    (Unnamed Skyscraper- 20th Floor)

    "Okay¡­ I need to calm down and think," Qin Lan whispered softly to herself as she opened the online shopping app on her phone.

    There were several items that one needed to secure during an emergency, so Qin Lan searched the web for any information.

    The biggest one was water.

    Humans could only survive for around three days without a source of clean drinking water.

    Next, she needed to buy non perishable food stock such as instant noodles, military ready meals or canned goods.

    In addition, it would be useful to get a tent, some hiking boots and additional active wear clothes.

    Then one had to consider some other camping items such as shlights, bottles, pocket knifes etc.

    Speaking of knives¡­

    Weapons.

    She needed to find weapons. Qin Lan knew that there was a reason why the original Qin Lan had wanted her to kill as many people as possible.

    She did not n to fulfil her request, but it was important to have something to protect herself especially considering that she did not know what her future gift was.

    The zombies were not the only threat once the social order disappeared¡­

    Unfortunately, Country A had pretty strict gun controlws, so it was impossible to secure a handgun at least before society crumbled.

    Qin Lan continued to browse the online marketce and ced a few pepper sprays, knives and electric tasers in her cart.

    Just in case, she decided to look up the location of the nearest police station near her little brother''s high school.

    Why wasn''t there a sword?

    A strange thought suddenly entered her mind that caused Qin Lan''s brows to furrow. Why would she want a sword?

    This was modern times and she had never trained with a de before.

    Vague memories briefly shed across her mind that disappeared as Qin Lan tried to focus on them.

    Fuck! What was happening to her?

    It was irritating to enter this world with most of her memories locked up behind a fuzzy white wall but now there was apparently strange thoughts entering her mind.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh and took a break from shopping to stare out of the window at the beautiful night sky.

    Thousands of stars flickered and blinked out of existence billions of light years away and it really made her feel small.

    It was hard to believe that this peaceful city would eventually be nothing more than ruins.

    Qin Lan checked her phone and decided to buy all the items now.

    She paid extra for the fast-shipping option so they should arrive in her apartment by either tomorrow or the day after at thetest.

    All these goods were quite expensive but Qin Lan knew that money would basically be useless so there was no need to hoard it.

    In fact, if she didn''t have enough money, she nned to visit the bank and take out the maximum loan on her ount.

    Qin Lan got up from the beanbag and left the break room. She headed for the supervisor and stood quietly behind his station.

    "Sir¡­ I''m not feeling too well¡­ I think I might have to go to the hospital," Qin Lan weakly spoke as she ced a hand on her forehead.

    "Are you sure that it''s serious? Thepany cannot afford for anyone to leave during this busy time," Supervisor Chen questioned harshly.

    "We have that big contract with the Exroen Grouping up and it is very important that we be their exclusive supplier."

    "I''m sorry sir¡­ but I don''t think I can¡­" Qin Lan replied with a sad smile.

    The image of Qin Lan copsing on her desk was still fresh in the supervisor''s mind, so he took a moment to carefully weigh the pros and cons.

    "Alright I''ll give you four days off from your vacation days, but I expect you to be back immediately," Supervisor Chen reluctantly spoke.

    Qin Lan nodded gratefully and then headed to her desk to pack up her things. She ced everything carefully in her briefcase then walked towards the elevator.

    There was still a lot of preparation to be done and more importantly Qin Lan wanted to keep herself healthy before the apocalypse arrived.

    Workingte into the night would be suicidal since she would be exhausted and have a poor sleep schedule during the day.

    She pressed the ground floor button on the elevator and waited patiently as it slowly descended to the first floor.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan knew that her brother was probably asleep by now, but she still opened up her contact list and fired off a few messages.

    Qin Lan: [I will being to visit you in about three days. I took some vacation days so that we can spend some time together.]

    Qin Lan: [Make sure that you are eating healthy. Take care.]

    There was part of her that wanted to tell her brother about the uing apocalypse, but he would most likely disregard it as the ramblings of a madwoman.

    Qin Lan and her brother were not particrly close since she had to work long hours in the office, and he lived in the neighbouring province for school.

    Still, he was family, and this was a request that Sui Li did not mind taking care of.

    Her apartment was about three subway stops away from downtown so Qin Lan put some earbuds on and listened to music.

    The subway was oddly quiet since at this time the carriages were mostly empty.

    There was only a handful of people dressed in simr working attire sleeping on the chairs.

    A sweet melodic voice came out from the speaker overhead as the subway train finally arrived at her stop.

    [Now Arriving At Donire Station!]

    [Doors Will Open On The Right!]

    Qin Lan got up from her seat and headed for the doors that had automatically swung open. She walked towards her apartment building that was only five minutes away.

    ? The original Qin Lan in order to save money had decided to rent a cramped one-person apartment in a rtively safe part of the city.

    There was not much space inside but at least it had a bed, kitchen and bathroom.

    Qin Lan opened the door to her apartment and locked it behind her.

    She double checked her orders on her phone to make sure that she hadn''t missed anything before a wave of exhaustion struck her body.

    The original Qin Lan had spent several long nights at the office and now her body was on the verge of falling unconscious.

    She slowly closed her eyes and allowed her vision to fade away to darkness.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (St. Augstine''s High School)

    (Boys Dorm- Room #102)

    "Ay Qin Wei! Why do you look so surprised?" a cheerful voice called out. It came from the corner of the room where a young student was rxing on a bed.

    He was talking to the rtively handsome boy staring intensely at his phone with a strange expression on his face.

    "No¡­ it''s just that my big sister wants to pay me a visit," Qin Wei hesitantly spoke as his fingers hovered over the reply button.

    "That''s no good, is it? Don''t you n to ask out Liu Yifei tomorrow? How does your sister feel about you dating?" his roommate asked curiously.

    "She would kill me¡­" Qin Wei groaned as he pictured his sister finding out and having a huge argument.

    "It''s not fair¡­ just because she''s paying for my education doesn''t mean that she gets to control my life¡­"

    The handsome boy mmed his fist against the mattress in irritation as he ran his fingers through his short hair.

    Qin Wei thought for a moment and then hurriedly sent a message to his sister telling her that he had an important testing up.

    His sister always prioritised his education so once she read that message, she would probably cancel her ns to visit.

    Qin Wei waited for a reply but did not receive any, so he assumed that his sister was most likely still working.

    Turning back his attention to the more important matter at hand he pulled up a profile on his messenger app and stared at the girl on the screen.

    Liu Yifei was the goddess of the school who he had chased for over three months now.

    He had bought her numerous small gifts and the rtionship between the pair was gradually beginning to warm up.

    Her delicate physique, her fair skin, plump red lips and beautiful shoulder length hair made her the dream crush of almost all the boys in his ss.

    The only w in her perfect appearance was the old, tattered pendant that hung from her neck which she always wore.

 Chapter 72 Zombie Empress (3)

    (Outskirts Of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Base)

    Heavily armed soldiers patrolled around a cluster of buildings in the middle of an open desert.  A single road led to theplex and it was guarded by a series of checkpoints.

    All visitors had to show multiple levels of identification cards before they were allowed to proceed forward.

    Even high-ranking politicians would be unable to reach the final checkpoint. Only the top military leaders and the president were aware of this project.

    Inside one of thergest buildings were many state-of-the-artboratories.

    This was the most important building, and it was surrounded by several automatic weapon systems.

    The building was divided into multiple sections with each containing a separateboratory filled with thetest high-tech scientific equipment.

    Numerous researchers could be seen walking around the facility wearing whiteb coats and talking in hushed tones.

    There was an atmosphere of excitement and tension among them as if something big was going to happen.

    "Is the final fusion ready to proceed?" a cold voice hoarsely whispered.

    "It will be ready in five minutes Doctor Huang," Assistant Wu replied nervously.

    He ran his fingers through his hair as he stared at the container in the center of the room.

    The container was around eight feet in length and had been reinforced with a special metal alloy that made it near unbreakable.

    The container was filled with a greenish liquid and inside the liquid was what appeared to be a floating corpse.

    It was a woman with long silky ck hair and a slender physique.

    Her beauty seemed ethereal but Assistant Wu knew that she was only in her mid twenties.

    Her skin was pale to the point where it seemed to be bloodless and horrific scars covered every inch of her flesh.

    She had been cut and dissected multiple times until she more resembled some kind of Frankenstein''s monster.

    Her eyes remained closed and only the faint movements near her chest indicated that she was still breathing.

    "Subject 014¡­ you will be the one to seed," Dr. Huang smiled sadistically as he approached the container and rapped his knuckles against the metal.

    The woman inside the cell did not stir and appeared to not hear the elderly scientist as he continued to speak.

    "This project¡­ will be the great biological leap forward for humanity. The sacrifices we make today will pave the way for our children to be stronger," Dr. Huang exined gently.

    "You should feel honoured to be a part of this project. You will be the first metahuman to be born through this process¡­"

    Dr. Huang stopped talking when he realised that there was no reaction from the woman in front of him.

    He let out a heavy sigh and turned his attention back to Assistant Wu.

    Why did he even bother to try and get a response from that brain-dead subject?

    Subject 014 had been unresponsive since the experiments had begun and truthfully no one expected her to survive the transformation process.

    There was a reason why she was called ''Subject 014''.

    Thirteen other test subjects had already died, and the higher ups were getting a bit nervous.

    If he couldn''t produce results soon then there was no doubt in Dr. Huang''s mind that he would eventually be reced by another.

    "Everything¡­ everything is ready¡­." Assistant Wu nervously stammered as he waited for his superior''s response.

    "Go ahead," Dr. Huang replied briskly.

    The elderly scientist took out a small notebook and a pencil to record his observations.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The top of the container opened up and a tiny spider-like robot entered the cell with a strange gem attached to its metallic arm.

    The gem was around the size of a small rock, and it was hard to describe what colour it was.

    It kept shifting between purple and ck, but one could asionally see shes of red as if there were LED lights inside.

    Another robot also entered the container, and a sharp scalpel was attached to its metallic arm that extended outwards.

    With highly precise movements, it cut open the top of the woman''s skull and exposed the pinkish flesh beneath.

    Subject 014 did not react during the painful process, but her breathing slowed down even further until it was almost undetectable.

    Assistant Wu held a palm-sized device in his hand and manipted the first robot to approach the open wound with the jewel.

    The robot roughly shoved the jewel inside the woman''s head and administered a high voltage electric shock to the jewel.

    It withdrew quickly as the woman''s body began to spasm and convulse uncontrobly.

    The open wound on her head quickly sealed up as the flesh regenerated almost instantly.

    She thrashed around as thick wriggling veins could be seen beneath her skin as if they were alive.

    Dr. Huang stared with an almost fanatical expression as he did not miss a single moment of the horrific process.

    This transformation went on for several long agonising hours until Subject 014''s movements gradually slowed down.

    Her body had changed significantly since the start of the operation. Her skin was now a healthy colour and the numerous scars across her body had now disappeared.

    In fact, one could see the faint outline of a six pack as if her physique was being actively enhanced and muscles were constantly growing.

    "We seeded! It actually worked!" Assistant Wu cried out in joy as he rushed forward in excitement.

    Tears ran down the sides of Dr. Huang''s cheeks as he stared at his beautiful creation with various emotions in his heart.

    He did it! His name would go down in history!

    "Subject 014¡­ no¡­ perhaps you deserve a new name," Dr. Huang softly whispered as he stroked the sides of the container.

    "I will now officially name you¡­ ''Eve''."

    It was a shame that she was still unresponsive but just the regenerative effects of the operation alone would be enough to send the military leaders in a frenzy.

    Dr. Huang and Assistant Wu left the room to immediately report to their higher ups and submit a report of their findings.

    Their footsteps got fainter and fainter as they moved further away from theboratory and towards the office section of the building.

    The woman inside the container gently stirred and her eyelids started to shake.

    She opened her eyes and twopletely ck pupils stared creepily in the direction where the scientists had gone.

    An image shed across her mind with an unfamiliar face, but it was too quick for the woman to detect and frankly she did not care.

    The jewel inside her mind appeared to be guiding her body subconsciously and it kept screaming at her to leave this ce.

    "Eve¡­ my¡­ name¡­ is Eve?" the woman mouthed silently with a confused expression on her face.

    That name didn''t seem right, but it was the name that the bad man used whenever he thought that she could not hear.

    Eve turned her attention to the metallic walls surrounding her and simply punched forward.

    The heavy reinforced metallic walls crumbled instantly if they were made out of paper and for the first time in years¡­

    Subject 014 felt the taste of freedom.

 Chapter 73 Zombie Empress (4)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Local Police Station)

    "Okay¡­ the time is now twelve o'' clock so I have ten minutes left," Qin Lan muttered to herself as she parked her van on the side of the road.

    This was a new vehicle that she had purchased the previous day and it was filled to the brim with the supplies that she had bought.

    Weapons, bottles of water, canned food and first aid kits had all been carefully packed in the trunk and the backseats.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the pedestrians walking through the city without a care in the world.

    In just ten minutes¡­ the world would be changed forever.

    These days of peace would never return.

    Lirean Province was where her little brother''s high school was located, and Qin Lan had decided to change her original n to meet up with him before the apocalypse.

    Instead, she texted him to remain at his dorms because she wasing to pick him up tonight for a night out together at a restaurant.

    To be honest¡­ he did not sound very enthusiastic, but Qin Lan had insisted that she wasing whether he liked it or not.

    Eventually he reluctantly agreed so Qin Lan pushed her worries to the back of her mind and focused on the matter at hand.

    Right now, she needed to secure a supply of firearms and the only ce where she could find some was the police station.

    She did not know what the situation would be like once the end times came but the police station would most likely be a high priority target for the survivors.

    Guns were more powerful than abilities at least that''s what Qin Lan assumed since most of the original Qin Lan''s memories were sealed behind a fuzzy white wall.

    This n was a bit of a risk but hopefully it should pay off.

    Qin Lan took in a deep breath and then adjusted her facial expression to that of a concerned citizen.

    She opened the van door and walked towards the entrance of the police station. She checked her watch and saw that only five minutes were left.

    Qin Lan''s footsteps quickened, and she arrived inside the station with about four minutes remaining.

    "Officer, you must help me!" Qin Lan desperately cried out as tears slowly dripped down the sides of her face.

    She was instantly the center of attention in the station as the officers on duty rushed over to see what the matter was.

    "Some bastard stole my wallet and my identification cards¡­ I feel so upset¡­" Qin Lanined loudly as she curled up her fingers into a fist.

    Three minutes were left¡­.

    "Okay ma''am. Can you give me a description of his appearance?" a middle-aged police officer gently asked.

    He approached the hysterical woman and did not notice that her eyes briefly drifted to the gun attached to his holster.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outskirts Of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Base)

    "Run! Run! She''sing this way!"

    "All units! We need backup immediately! The subject is¡­ arghh!"

    "Please¡­ I''m sorry¡­ have mercy¡­"

    Screams of terror echoed through the empty hall as a monster slowly walked forward towards the shivering scientists.

    It resembled a beautiful woman with a lean muscr physique and skin that was a healthy wheat colour.

    But her eyes¡­ they were pitch ck.

    Blood dripped from Eve''s hands as she leapt forward and tore out the throat of the iing soldier who was holding a rifle.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Bullets crashed into her body from the opposite side of the hall as a squad of soldiers arrived to take her down.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A twisted smile shed across Eve''s pretty face as her torn off flesh instantly regenerated and expelled the bullets inside her body.

    Her figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    The soldiers did not have any time to react before she appeared in their midst.

    Eve grabbed the nearest one and flung him towards a wall with so much force that his skull instantly fractured.

    She tore off the arm of the captain who was hurriedly shouting orders into his radio and watched him scream in a pool of his own blood.

    The jewel inside her mind kept telling her to go towards a certain location and it was driving her insane.

    Eve frowned slightly as she punched a hole through the abdomen of the remaining soldier and stood quietly for a moment.

    Corpsesy scattered on the ground around her, and she was covered in the blood of those she had killed.

    Why was she doing this?

    Eve gripped her head in pain as a surge of unknown memories flowed into her mind but they disappeared as soon as she tried to focus on them.

    The jewel continued to urge her to move forward and without any other choice, Eve decided to follow its wishes.

    She walked through an endlessbyrinth of side passageways and corridors that led to a room in the center of the building.

    Despite never being outside of her container, Eve somehow knew the exact path to her destination as if something in her body was calling out to it.

    She reached a pair of massive, reinforced steel doors that led to a room where she could smell the scents of dozens of humans.

    Ahh¡­ she recognised one of the scents¡­

    The bad man¡­ he was hiding in there¡­ he was the one who caused her so much pain¡­

    Eve''s pitch-ck eyes stared creepily at the door and her nails gradually extended outwards until they became ws.

    She moved on pure instinct as she gripped the door handle and then used her enhanced strength to rip the door open.

    The steel crumpled instantly, and Eve found herself at the entrance to a room with dozens of cowering scientists.

    Dr. Huang tried to speak calmly but the slight quiver in his voice betrayed his true emotions, "Subject 014! I order¡­ I order¡­ you to stand¡­"

    "Sir¡­ she¡­ this is impossible!" Assistant Wu stammered in shock as he stared at the test subject standing in front of them.

    "She was brain dead! The jewel was only supposed to increase her regenerative capabilities!"

    Eve rushed forward and grabbed both the doctor and his assistant by their necks. In front of the remaining scientists, she killed them on the spot.

    Crack!

    Two lifeless bodies crashed to the ground with their necks bent at an impossible ny-degree angle.

    Terrified sobs filled the room, but Eve ignored the trembling scientists and focused her attention on the object in the center of the room.

    Arge jewel that was around eight feet in length and a width of nine feet was resting on top of a pedestal.

    Machines were connected to the jewel and its colour bore a striking resemnce to the one inside Eve''s head.

    The voices inside her mind got louder and louder and she moved towards the jewel in a trance-like state.

    She even ignored the scientists who took the opportunity to run out of the room and escape her wrath.

    Eve approached the enormous jewel and raised her right hand. A strange pulsing beam of ck light danced at her fingertips.

    She tapped the jewel and felt a strange force leave her body.

    This mysterious energy rushed into the jewel and it instantly shattered.

    A heavy pulsating wave erupted from the broken pieces and spread outwards at a rapid pace from the hidden military base.

    People and animals in the path of the wave immediately fell unconscious and even the nts slightly withered.

    This wave continued onwards until it reached every part of the globe in a matter of hours.

    Eve moved away from the broken jewel and looked around in confusion. The voice inside her mind had now disappeared and she had no idea what to do next.

    A face briefly shed across her mind and a location not too far from where she currently was.

    Eve furrowed her brows and decided to seek out the mysterious figure who kept showing up in her memories.

 Chapter 74 Zombie Empress (5)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Local Police Station)

    "Get away! Get away you freaks!" a man hoarsely yelled with a mixture of terror and fear in his voice.

    Qin Lan slowly stirred from the ground as she smelled the heavy scent of blooding from somewhere nearby.

    There was a mysterious heavy weight on her chest, and it seemed to be shaking ever so slightly as if it were alive.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The sound of shots echoed through the room along with fearsome growls and screams of panic.

    Qin Lan slowly opened her eyes and found herself in what could only be described as hell.

    She froze in shock as she realised that the weight on top of her body was the corpse of the middle-aged police office who had tried to help her.

    As for the reason why, it was shaking ever so slightly¡­

    An elderly woman was feasting on the corpse and her saliva slowly dripped onto Qin Lan''s body as it tore into the middle-aged man''s flesh.

    She appeared to bepletely normal except for her eyes. Her pupils had turnedpletely ck.

    Qin Lan slowly reached for the knife hidden in her pocket and waited with bated breath as the zombie bent down to take another bite.

    With smooth movements that surprised even her¡­ Qin Lan''s hand shot forward and the de neatly shed the zombie''s throat.

    It was as though using a de was somehow imprinted in her mind and all her body had to do was react to her thoughts.

    The knife easily tore through the zombie''s exposed neck and its head was neatly lopped off. Qin Lan pushed the corpse off her body and stood up.

    She stomped on the head of the zombie, and it was instantly crushed into a messy pulp of brain matter and pinkish flesh.

    Why was she so strong?

    The original Qin Lan was an office worker who worked full time at herpany from morning to night.

    She could hardly be called an athletic person and Qin Lan was pretty sure even muscr girls would be unable to crush a human skull using their feet.

    Qin Lan tossed that question to the back of her mind and focused on her immediate surroundings for any threats.

    Torn apart bodies and partially destroyed corpsesy scattered across the ground and the only remaining survivor other than herself was a police office in the corner of the room.

    There were two zombies surrounding the office and they both had several bullet wounds in their bodies.

    One of them was a female zombie who appeared to be in her early thirties while the other was a small child.

    Bang! Bang!

    The police officer mercilessly fired off another barrage from his handgun, but he was unable to prevent the mother zombie from closing in.

    "No¡­ no¡­ arghh!" the officer''s horrific shriek echoed through the room as the zombie tore out his throat.

    The sounds of feeding could be heard, and Qin Lan had to force herself not to throw up on the spot.

    She noticed that neither zombie was focused on her and instead had directed all of their attention to the meal in front of them.

    This was her chance!

    Qin Lan silently approached the pair of zombies with a cold glint in her eyes. She had never killed before and yet¡­

    This all felt oddly familiar.

    She approached the easier target first and crouched down before lunging at the child zombie. It did not have any time to react before its head was separated from its body.

    The other zombie looked up from her meal with blood still dripping from her mouth and ferociously roared.

    She abandoned the corpse of the officer and jumped at Qin Lan with a hungry expression on her face.

    Qin Lan easily dodged to the side as the female zombie iled desperately and made wild movements to grab her.

    She stretched out her leg and kicked the female zombie which momentarily threw the monster off bnce.

    It was the perfect opportunity to strike.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Just as Qin Lan was about to finish off the female zombie, she felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her chest, and it felt as though her body was burning up.

    Sui Li quickly essed the original Qin Lan''s memories and discovered than a section of the white wall had disappeared.

    She continued to swing her knife downwards and the sharpened de shed the throat of the female zombie.

    The zombie crashed to the floor motionless, but her decapitated head still blinked and growled at Qin Lan.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh of relief and ced a hand over her chest.

    She discovered that her heart was beating frantically, and beads of sweat were already beginning to run down her forehead.

    With a simple stepping motion, she crushed the heads of both mother and child with a sickening crunch.

    Now she needed to check the memories¡­

    Qin Lan rubbed her temples and essed the section that had recently been uncovered.

    To her surprise she discovered that it had to do with the abilities that manifested during the apocalypse.

    Broadly speaking abilities fell into three categories.

    The first was elemental where the user could manipte and produce elements such as fire, water, earth, air and even lightning.

    Usually, they would only be able to control one element but there were always some unique exceptions.

    The second was enhancement abilities which would improve the human physique with examples such as increased regeneration, powerful strength, cat-like reflexes and speed.

    Thest and final category was the rarest.

    It was called special abilities and only a small percentage of the poption possessed them.

    These abilities could range from teleportation to flight to even spatial maniption. The usefulness of the abilities in this category varied quite wildly from individual to individual.

    The warm fuzzy feeling in her chest was a sign that her gift had just activated.

    She was now an ability user which mean that her body was stronger and sturdier than a normal person.

    Qin Lan stretched out her hands and felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest intensify as if something was about to burst out.

    Unfortunately, the recently unsealed memories did not include what her gift actually was, but Qin Lan instinctively knew how to activate it.

    She pointed her right palm at a wall and directed the flow of energy to her fingertips. She punched out and the fuzzy feeling intensified.

    The original Qin Lan''s request included killing as many people as possible using her ability so clearly it must be something capable of mass destruction.

    Qin Lan felt the mysterious energy erupt from her body and waited to see the effect of her gift¡­

    Nothing happened.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows and tried again. She repeated the same movements and could feel her gift working but nothing visible was happening to the wall.

    No? Was she wrong with her assumption then?

    What on earth was her gift?

    Qin Lan wanted to practice some more but quickly remembered that she needed to get weapons and leave this ce.

    Her brother was still out there, and he probably needed her help.

    She walked around the room and collected the guns from the bodies of the killed police officers.

    Fortunately, there were quite a few who didn''t have time to fire off their weapons so there were still some bullets left in the chambers.

    Qin Lan did not venture further into the station since guns were usually stored behind locked doors and she did not know how to break or pick locks.

    She found a total of around four guns with roughly thirty shots between them. It was more than enough to protect herself and her brother.

    Qin Lan also walked over to the zombie heads and reluctantly dug through their mushy flesh until she found small purplish ck crystals.

    Apparently swallowing these crystals would enhance her ability but Qin Lan did not have any water, so she wasn''t going to put those disgusting things near her mouth.

    At least not before washing them first¡­

 Chapter 75 Zombie Empress (6)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outside The Local Police Station)

    The world had turned to hell. Fires raged across the city and heavy smoke could be seen rising up from the distance.

    Loud screams and cries of pain filled the air as the survivors woke up to find themselves in a dangerous world.

    Some were unable to ept that their friends, family and even loved ones had be horrific monsters and died without putting up a fight.

    Others hid and cowered behind locked doors while desperately praying to any deity that would save them from this terrible fate.

    A zombie slowly walked through a highway while sniffing the air asionally for any prey that was hiding nearby.

    He was a middle-aged man in a business suit.

    Perhaps once he had been a sessful entrepreneur but now, he was nothing more than a mindless beast.

    He walked forward towards the scent when a figure rolled out from under the car to his left.

    A knife shed forward, and the sharpened de tore into his throat.

    Qin Lan neatly chopped off the zombie''s head before crushing it with the palm of her hands. She dug around the filthy pinkish flesh and pulled out the crystal that was inside.

    She constantly kept a close eye on her surroundings for any other zombies that were wandering around the area.

    In the early stages of the apocalypse, the zombies were actually quite weak and ability users could easily deal with them.

    The biggest hurdle for most people was merely psychological.

    It was not a simple matter to kill something that looked human.

    In fact, Qin Lan herself was quite surprised to discover that she was able to kill so easily as if it came naturally to her.

    Was it the influence of the original Qin Lan?

    Or was it something that was hidden inside her own psyche?

    She tossed that disturbing thought to the back of her mind and returned to her hiding spot to wait for the next zombie to wander over.

    The van that she had rented before the apocalypse had begun was only a few feet away so she would be able to escape if things went wrong.

    Well¡­ hopefully¡­

    The road ahead seemed fairly clear, but Qin Lan didn''t know if any car idents had taken ce on route to her little brother''s high school.

    The minutes passed uneventfully so Qin Lan decided to take a risk and sneak back to her van to get some water.

    She stealthily crawled on the ground to the rented van and inserted her key into the trunk to open it up.

    Qin Lan quickly grabbed two bottles of mineral water and ducked down behind the car door as she saw a pack of zombies chasing a slender man.

    She wanted to help but the man got caught before Qin Lan could even make a move.

    She could only watch as the zombies tore him apart limb from limb before feasting on his remains.

    It was at that moment when she understood why the original Qin Lan was so broken.

    No one could survive in this world with their sanity intact.

    And this was merely the beginning¡­

    The true darkness inside the human heart was yet to be revealed.

    Qin Lan knew that she needed strength. She wasn''t sure what her gift was, but she had to upgrade it regardless of whether she understood it or not.

    She opened up the bottle of water and took out the crystals from her pocket. The purplish-ck crystals were stained with blood and chunks of meaty flesh.

    Qin Lan carefully washed each crystal and used her fingers to wipe the stains that refused toe out.

    Eventually she managed to clean them up¡­ rtively.

    She could still hear the sounds that the zombies made as they continued to devour the man''s corpse and it sent a shiver down her spine.

    Qin Lan''s fingers trembled as she picked up the crystals and shoved them inside her mouth before her body could react.

    Pain!

    Qin Lan copsed on the ground in agony as a fiery sensation coursed through her veins.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest intensified and it was as though something in her body was trying to escape.

    Why did it hurt so much?!

    She could vaguely sense that her gift was activated but as Qin Lan struggled to open her eyes, she saw that nothing had changed.

    Qin Lan raised up her hand and bit her palm to prevent herself from screaming in agony which would alert the nearby zombies.

    Beads of sweat appeared on her brow as her muscles cramped up.

    She had swallowed a total of six crystals, but she didn''t know that the side effects would be so potent.

    Her vision slowly darkened but Qin Lan fought to keep herself awake since she knew that falling unconscious would be a death sentence.

    Breathe in¡­ breathe out¡­ breathe in¡­ breathe out¡­

    Qin Lan focused on her breathing pattern and eventually the intense pain in her body gradually faded away.

    She got up from the ground and discovered that her body felt much lighter.

    Qin Lan casually pressed her finger against the side of her van and managed to make a small dent in the metal.

    This kind of strength¡­ she was now level two¡­

    Ability users would eventually be ssified in terms of levels which would increase with the number of crystals that they absorbed.

    To get to level two was quite simple but moving further up the ranks required an exponentially higher quantity of crystals.

    It was for this reason why eventually zombies would be considered a precious resource and some more radical bases would even intentionally turn their weaker residents into zombies.

    Qin Lan got up from the ground and moved towards the pack of zombies with speed that surprised even her.

    Her body moved as though she had been extensively trained inbat.

    Qin Lan boldly walked towards the zombie and used her knife to sever their tendons before killing them.

    She was able to dodge every single one of the desperate swipes and lunges that they threw at her.

    Qin Lan repeated the process of gathering their crystals and let out a light sigh of relief. With this level of strength, she should be invincible for the next few months.

    Well at least provided that she did not encounter any enemies with heavy firepower.

    No one else should have figured out that crystals were required to upgrade their abilities.

    But still Qin Lan was going to keep pursuing more strength just in case her assumption was proven incorrect.

    "Excuse¡­ excuse me¡­" a cold voice suddenly came from behind her.

    Qin Lan felt a strong hand grip her shoulder with a force that paralysed her whole body.

    She reflexively swung her fist at her attacker but stopped as her palm came mere inches away from a mysterious woman''s face.

    "Oh? I''m sorry," Qin Lan quickly apologised as she moved her fist away.

    She had reflexively assumed that the unknown attacker was a zombie, but her eyes werepletely normal.

    The strange woman smiled and took her hand away from her shoulder.

    She was beautiful woman in her mid twenties with a lean muscr physique. Her skin was a healthy wheat colour and she had sharp angr facial features.

    She wore a simple pair of ck pants and a white jacket that did not fit her properly.

    "Do you have an ability?" Qin Lan asked quietly as she gestured for the woman to follow her behind a nearby car.

    The woman looked at her in confusion before nodding slowly and cing her hand underneath the car.

    Qin Lan watched in an amazement as the woman lifted up the car with frightening ease before putting it back down.

    A strength type? Were they all so powerful at level one?

    Qin Lan wasn''t sure where this strange feeling came from, but she was suddenly determined to have this woman join her team.

    "What''s your name? My name is Qin Lan¡­ would you like toe with me? I have food, weapons and supplies," Qin Lan offered seriously.

    "Qin¡­ Qin Lan¡­" the woman thoughtfully muttered as she stared at Qin Lan as if seeing someone else through her.

    "Eve¡­ they called me¡­ Eve."

 Chapter 76 Zombie Empress (7)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Inerean Highway)

    A group of zombies roamed the city and desperately searched for new victims to devour. Their bodies had already begun to rot, and their eyes were a pitch-ck colour.

    Whatever mysterious power that had transformed this world did not discriminate.

    Zombies could be created from the very old to the very young and all genders as well.

    In fact, in the zombie horde was a tiny six-year-old girl whose pigtails were stained with blood and pieces of flesh.

    Her once rosy and healthy skin was now a pale white colour, and one could see dark fingerprint marks around her neck.

    "Urghhh¡­." one of the zombies stopped in ce and looked up to see a shadow rapidly approaching from the air.

    He did not have any time to warn hispanions before a car mmed into the zombie horde and instantly turned their bodies to squashed chunks of meat.

    Around five hundred meters away was a red van that was parked along the side of the road.

    Qin Lan sat in the driver''s seat and stared inplete shock as she witnessed Eve pick up another car and fling it at the surviving zombies in the group.

    She¡­ she was strong¡­ really strong¡­

    Eve turned around and smiled brightly at her as if what she had just done was somethingpletely normal.

    Qin Lan could do little except return her smile since she was honestly a bit terrified of this mysterious woman.

    Eve appeared to possess dual abilities which was unbelievably rare.

    She was able to enhance her strength tenfold and her sense of smell was also vastly improved.

    She could sniff out zombies in ces that would be impossible to spot using just the naked eye.

    Qin Lan quickly searched the original Qin Lan''s memories for any mention of Eve who should have be a powerhouse during thest days.

    She furrowed her brows as she discovered that a certain memory was locked behind a fuzzy white wall.

    There was a memory about Eve, but it was hidden.

    Qin Lan tapped the sides of the steering wheel using her fingers while feeling a bit irritated.

    It was bad enough to be sent to a world with bloodthirsty monsters, but her host had just made things so unnecessarily difficult by sealing her memories.

    Well¡­ there was no useining.

    Qin Lan knew that this was the hand of cards that she had been dealt so there was nothing to do except ept it and move on.

    She lightly tapped the elerator and the van moved towards the crushed bodies in the distance.

    Eve jumped on the roof of the vehicle and curiously looked around at the city.

    It had not been long since she had escaped from the military base and she still felt a sense of wonder as she looked at her surroundings.

    The zombie empress could not believe how different the city looked from the one in her memory.

    There were enormous skyscrapers that seemed to tower towards the heavens and sleek modern buildings with ss exteriors.

    Qin Lan drove the van towards the bodies and got out. She let out a heavy sigh and reluctantly walked towards the messy remains to pick up the crystals.

    This was the most unpleasant part, but she was slowly getting used to it.

    In fact, she didn''t even gag this time!

    Qin Lan managed to pick up seven crystals that were varying sizes. She took out a bottle of water from her pocket and washed the mysterious jewels.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Here you go Eve," Qin Lan spoke quietly as she stretched out her palm.

    Eve jumped down from the vehicle and walked quickly towards her. She gently took three crystals and closed Qin Lan''s palm on the remaining four.

    "I¡­ I¡­ don''t need all," Eve whispered sweetly as her fingers lingered on Qin Lan''s palm a bit longer than necessary.

    She didn''t know why she did that, but the warmth of Qin Lan''s hand was a temptation that was impossible to resist.

    "Okay then you will get a bigger share from the next batch of crystals," Qin Lan replied seriously as she raised up her palm and pushed the crystals into the mouth.

    Eve copied her action and a small grimace of disgust shed across her face that was too fast for Qin Lan to detect.

    Qin Lan doubled over in agony as the familiar pain coursed through her body once more.

    It was as though something was burning in her chest while hundreds of tiny needles poked different parts of her skin.

    She let out a small cry of pain before hurriedly muffling herself so that she wouldn''t scream louder as the pain got worse.

    Eventually the process ended, and Qin Lan could feel that her mysterious gift had gotten stronger once more.

    She was not level three yet but had at least crossed the halfway point. Qin Lan felt a warm pair of hands embrace her body as Eve hugged her fiercely.

    "Are you okay?" Eve asked with an expression of concern on her face.

    "Yes¡­ just give me a moment¡­ I''ll be fine¡­" Qin Lan replied breathlessly.

    Her newpanion was a bit¡­ overly touchy but Qin Lan had never minded thepany of a beautiful woman, so it really wasn''t an unpleasant experience.

    She felt safe in Eve''s arms as if this was an act that they had done together numerous times before despite only meeting earlier today.

    Qin Lan tossed that ridiculous thought to the back of her mind as she gently broke away from the hug.

    Her little brother still needed to be rescued and then they would head out of the city towards a more rural area.

    The early stage of the apocalypse had just begun and over theing days more zombies would be created.

    Remaining in a crowded city at that point would be suicide unless you joined a base or hid in a secure building.

    Qin Lan walked towards the van and pulled out her phone. The screen turned on and the battery life indicated that the phone had about eighty percent left.

    She checked the map that she had installed and discovered that her brother''s school was about three kilometers north from their current location.

    "Who are you looking for?" Eve asked curiously as she stepped forward and nced at the contents on Qin Lan''s phone.

    "My little brother¡­ he should be in the dorms at his school," Qin Lan exined as she checked the map to make sure that the route was correct.

    Eve remained silent but approached Qin Lan and sniffed her body twice.

    She took in a few deep breaths and turned around.

    Qin Lan could not see Eve''s appearance since her back was turned so she had no way of knowing that Eve''s eyes were briefly transformed to a pitch-ck colour.

    Eve inhaled the air and smelled a scent familiar to the woman whose body she had just sniffed.

    It wasing from a nearby location but not in the direction of the dorms that Qin Lan had assumed.

    The zombie empress clenched her fist and retracted her ability. Her eyes returned to their normal colour and now she was indistinguishable from an ordinary human.

    "Qin Lan¡­ I used my gift to track scents simr to you¡­. your brother should be in that direction," Eve confidentially spoke as she pointed towards the west.

    "Are you sure? Is your nose that urate?" Qin Lan hurriedly asked.

    Eve nodded and continued to point towards an unknown location in the west. It was where the entertainment district in the city was located.

 Chapter 77 Zombie Empress (8)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Adna Supermarket)

    "This¡­ this can''t be happening¡­ this can''t be happening," Qin Wei muttered frantically as his body trembled.

    He was currently huddled in the corner of the supermarket with both arms wrapped tightly around his body.

    Muffled screams and cries for help came from outside the store but not a single person dared to open the door to let them in.

    Qin Wei could hear the sounds of his female ssmates sobbing while some of the boysforted them.

    Liu Yifei and a few other people were still unconscious and had not woken up yet despite all the noiseing from outside.

    What was happening?

    Why? Why? Why?

    Qin Wei desperately tried to convince himself that this was all some kind of horrible nightmare but the reality of what he had witnessed was permanently burned into his mind.

    He was filled with nothing but regret.

    Why on earth had he not just stayed in his dorms and waited for his sister instead of ditching their nned dinner?

    But how could he have known this would have happened?

    Liu Yifei and some other members of his ss wanted to go to karaoke and Qin Wei figured that it would be the perfect ce to confess.

    His sister would have understood!

    It was not like she did anything for him except send some money every now and then.

    In fact, she never sent him enough money to buy thetest shoes or clothes.

    Fuck! Now he was trapped in some godforsaken supermarket in the middle of an¡­ an¡­ apocalypse.

    Qin Wei lifted up his head and quickly nced at his nearby surroundings as he tried to make sense of what was happening.

    There were several dozen people trapped inside the supermarket and they had all formed different groups.

    The high school kids were cowering near the cereal section, random shoppers congregated near the dry food storage and a group of heavily tattooed men stood near the entrance.

    They wore dark leather clothing and at first nce one could tell that these were dangerous people.

    These men were the ones responsible for blockading the entrance with heavy tables and boxes that prevented the monsters from entering.

    One of the men lit a cigarette with trembling hands and put it in his mouth. He stared at the scenes of carnage outside, and a shiver ran down his spine.

    "Boss¡­ what are we going to do?" hispanion asked quietly.

    "Stay inside for now¡­ we got food here¡­ and women¡­" the man smirked as he nced in a certain direction.

    "What? But¡­" another man nervously spoke up.

    "Look around you¡­" the boss tried to speak confidently but could not hide the tremor in his voice.

    "It''s¡­ it''s¡­ the end of the fucking world¡­ do you really think we can survive the shit outside?"

    "We might as well enjoy ourselves before one of those monsters rip off our throats¡­ this might be thest chance we get¡­"

    Conflicted expressions appeared on the faces of hispanions, but no one raised a word of protest.

    The boss'' words while cruel did make sense.

    If they were all going to die, then what was the point of holding on to morality?

    ? It was impossible to hear what the men were discussing from the back of the store, but Qin Wei was suddenly struck by a bad feeling.

    He was about to whisper something to the ss monitor when Liu Yifei stirred slightly and opened her eyes.

    "What¡­ what happened?" she groaned as she rubbed the sides of her cheeks.

    "I thought we stopped at the supermarket to pick up some drinks¡­ then¡­ why is my memory nk?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Liu Yifei furrowed her brows and Qin Wei could not help but get lost in those gorgeous eyes that seemed to be impossibly attractive.

    "Qin Wei¡­ hello?... hello?" Liu Yifei waved her hands to get his attention.

    "Oh?! Sorry¡­ well¡­ it¡­ just look outside¡­" Qin Wei hesitantly stammered as he pointed at the windows.

    Liu Yifei followed the direction of his finger and the expression on her face instantly changed.

    She saw numerous corpses and scattered body parts lying on the ground. Blood leaked from the corpses and stained the ground a crimson red colour.

    Monsters that looked like humans with pitch ck eyes were feasting on the corpses with saliva dripping from their open mouths.

    asionally one of the monsters would nce in the direction of the supermarket and wander over but could not break through the heavily barricaded door.

    Still¡­ there was something animalistic in its eyes as it stared reluctantly at the prey hiding inside the building.

    It turned and walked away with stumbling steps.

    Qin Wei saw the shocked expression on Liu Yifei''s face andpletely understood how she was feeling at the moment.

    He was also terrified when he first woke up and realised that the world outside had gone to hell.

    "Should we call the police, the army? Anyone?" Liu Yifei hurriedly questioned as she clutched the old, tattered pendant on her neck.

    "We can''t deal with those monsters¡­ we need¡­ ouch!"

    Liu Yifei pulled her hand away from her pendant as a piece of the frayed rope sliced the tip of her ring finger.

    Blood slowly dripped down from her wound and stained the pendant.

    Liu Yifei didn''t notice it at the time, but her pendant faintly glowed with golden lettering.

    "We tried to call¡­ but our phones have no signal," a girl from their ss named Gong Li held up her phone to reveal that the service bars were empty.

    "Wi-Fi¡­ inte¡­ data¡­ calling¡­ texting¡­ they all don''t work anymore¡­"

    Liu Yifei pulled out her phone from her pocket and checked. Gong Li had been telling the truth and none of the services on her phone were avable.

    Her parents?! How was she going to reach them?

    Liu Yifei started to hyperventte, and numerous horrible possibilities shed across her mind.

    She loved her family, and they were everything to her.

    They lived in a far away province and it was only because her dad and mom worked so tirelessly in a factory that she was able to attend an elite high school.

    Liu Yifei desperately sent text message after text message to her parents'' contacts but watched as each one failed to send.

    "What are you doing?" Qin Wei asked quietly as he peered over her shoulder.

    "I''m trying to reach my parents," Liu Yifei replied as tears began to form along the corners of her eyes.

    Qin Wei ced a warm hand on her shoulder and tried tofort her as she kept frantically trying to get a hold of her family.

    "Did you also try to reach out to your family? Any Luck?" Liu Yifei questioned in an almost desperate tone.

    "Oh¡­ um¡­ yeah¡­ I had no luck as well¡­" Qin Wei replied with a guilty expression on his face.

    Truthfully, he had not even bothered to reach out to his sister yet and thest message that he sent was the one that informed her that he would be leaving to go to karaoke.

    Qin Wei knew that he could not be honest and admit that fact to Liu Yifei because it would make him look like an asshole.

    He tried to change the topic but was interrupted by a sudden movementing from the front of the supermarket.

    Four of the muscr men walked towards the back of the building and stood in the center of the isle.

    "Listen up¡­ from now on we will be in charge of distributing the supplies¡­" one of the men loudly shouted and his voice echoed through the supermarket.

    "If you want food¡­ then you must pay¡­ men can pay with any jewellery or valuables on their bodies and women¡­"

 Chapter 78 Zombie Empress (9)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Adna Supermarket)

    "And women must pay with their bodies¡­ don''t worry¡­dies¡­ you will receive extra supplies based on your performances¡­"

    The man''s words echoed through the supermarket and sent a chill down the spines of the girls present.

    "You can''t do that!" an elderly shopper yelled angrily.

    "When the military and policee then you will be arrested! Everyone knows what you are trying to do!"

    His brave words seemed to have inspired the other survivors in the supermarket and soon voices ofint filled the building.

    "Don''t you know that''s illegal? Plus, there are plenty of supplies for everyone!"

    "You fucking animals¡­ fuck off!"

    "Nah¡­ I refuse to give you thugs what you want¡­"

    Expressions of hesitancy shed across the faces of the four muscr men as they looked back at their boss hoping to know what to do know.

    This was still the early days of the apocalypse so social order had notpletely broken down yet.

    Boss Deng scowled as he heard the voices ofint and walked towards the center of the supermarket.

    He gestured for his remaining followers to surround him and soon nine heavily tattooed men stood silently in the background.

    "Do you think the police and military areing to rescue us?" Boss Deng''s cold voice cut through the cacophony of noise.

    "Look outside¡­ the world has gone to shit¡­. the WORLD HAS GONE TO SHIT!"

    Boss Deng briefly lost control as he nced outside the window, and he could not hide the tremor in his voice.

    Behind all that bravado was fear.

    Everyone in the supermarket could hear it but now there was not a single person who dared to say word.

    Why?

    Boss Deng''s palms suddenly erupted in mes that raised the temperature in the building by a few degrees.

    The gang leader looked down at his hands in amazement and slowly waved them back and forth as he wasn''t sure what was happening.

    The fire was an orangish-red colour and despite covering his palm¡­ he felt no pain and his flesh was not burning up.

    "Boss¡­ what¡­ the¡­" one of his men spoke in a flushed tone.

    Boss Deng pointed his right hand at the elderly shopper whoined first, and a wave of fire erupted from his fingertips.

    The pir of me mmed into the elderly man''s body, and he began to scream as his clothes caught on fire.

    Several items caught in the path of the me were also lit aze and soon ck smoke began to fill the supermarket.

    "Fuck¡­ someone get the fire extinguisher!" Boss Deng shouted in panic as he realised his mistake.

    There was chaos and loud screams as the other survivors just witnessed what could only be described as an impossible sight.

    Liu Yifei hurriedly grabbed Qin Wei''s hand and led him towards the far corner of the supermarket in order to escape the mes.

    "Come on! We need to move guys!" Liu Yifei yelled at her ssmates. Gong Li followed her immediately and the others were not far behind.

    What the hell?

    How did that fire suddenly appear in his hand?

    Liu Yifei nced at the gang leader who was now desperately redirecting his men to save the supplies before they burned up.

    The corpse of the elderly shoppery motionless and ckened on the floor, but no one had any time to pay attention to it.

    Why was this happening?

    Liu Yifei kept moving even though she had no idea where she was leading her ssmates.

    Outside the store was a wastnd filled with bloodthirsty monsters but inside was a gang of thugs led by a man capable of burning people to a crisp.

    There was no good option.

    The tattered old pendant on Liu Yifei''s neck glowed slightly and the golden letterings appeared to be a darker colour.

    "Boss! Those brats are trying to run!" one of the men suddenly yelled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Liu Yifei''s heart sunk as the gang leader turned his attention to their group who were slowly moving away from the source of the chaos.

    "Get them!" Boss Deng snarled in fury as he pointed at the high school kids.

    His eyes briefly lit up as he noticed Liu Yifei''s movie star-like looks and her beautiful physique.

    Clearly, he was not the only one who noticed and three of the men who ran over unashamedly stared at her body.

    One of the men roughly grabbed her by the arm and began to pull her towards their boss who was looking at her with a lustful glint in his eyes.

    "Qin Wei¡­ don''t just stand there! Help me! We outnumber them! Help!" Liu Yifei struggled desperately and called out to her ssmate who just stood there.

    "Don''t be a hero boy¡­" one of the men solemnly spoke.

    Qin Wei nervously looked at Liu Yifei and wanted to step forward and say something but discovered that his feet were frozen in ce.

    Fear and terror filled his heart, and he could do nothing but watch as his crush was dragged forward towards the gang leader.

    "You¡­ can''t¡­" the ss monitor stepped forward but received a heavy punch to the side of his cheek.

    He copsed to the ground and the screams of the survivors only got louder.

    Qin Wei felt his heart drop and his fingers started to tremble.

    Liu Yifei was still being dragged away but after witnessing what had just happened to the ss monitor, the fear in his heart had only increased.

    Qin Wei turned around and pretended not to hear Liu Yifei''s cry for help.

    He did not see the look of desperation and disappointment on her face as she stared at the boy who had courted her for weeks.

    "My¡­ my¡­aren''t you a pretty little thing," Boss Deng whispered as he walked over to the struggling girl and brought his fiery palm up to her face.

    "Now¡­ why don''t you undress for us, and I won''t burn that pretty little face of yours¡­"

    Liu Yifei could smell his foul breath and the man who was holding her by the arm began tough uncontrobly.

    Hatred surged in her heart, but she could not fight against a group of men who outweighed and outnumbered her.

    "What''s with that look?" one of the men growled angrily.

    He reached forward with his hands and ced them on the side of her uniform. Liu Yifei closed her eyes as she realised what was going to happen next.

    Thest thought on her mind was not Qin Wei''s act of cowardice but rather the warm memory of her family spending an afternoon rxing together on the beach.

    BANG!

    Liu Yifei felt a warm liquid stter over her body, and she opened her eyes expecting to see the man who tried to touch her but¡­

    He was now dead.

    A hole was visible in his chest and blood slowly poured out. It was this crimson liquid that stained her uniform.

    There was a brief moment of silence in the supermarket.

    Two mysterious women stood by the entrance to the store, and one was holding a pistol that was still smoking.

    She was not a particrly attractivedy, but she bore a faint resemnce to Qin Wei who was staring at her with an expression of disbelief.

    Next to her was a beautiful woman with healthy wheat coloured skin who wore a jacket that was not her correct size.

    Somehow, they had managed to push open the door despite the heavy items that the tattooed men had used to barricade it.

    "Step away from the girl," Qin Lan slowly spoke. She pointed the gun at the thugs and felt the warm feeling in her chest rise up.

    Her power was active¡­

    Qin Lan ignored the feeling since it was something that she was ustomed to and besides¡­ she had had no idea what her power was.

    "Alright¡­ take it easy¡­" Boss Deng attempted to defuse the situation as he nervously stared at the gun.

    "I said¡­ Step. Away. From. The. Girl," Qin Lan coldly spoke as she felt her ability suddenly intensify.

    The remaining gang members froze in ce for a moment as their pupils dted.

    Their bodies moved automatically almost like puppets as they followed Qin Lan''s instructions and moved away from Liu Yifei.

    No one seemed to notice their strange state since from the outside it appeared as though they followed hermand because the firearm in Qin Lan''s hand.

 Chapter 79 Zombie Empress (10)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Adna Supermarket)

    The gun in Qin Lan''s hand was still warm as she pointed it at the men who backed away from the young girl.

    She could sense that the fuzzy feeling in her chest was getting stronger by the minute but didn''t know the reason why.

    "Put your hands above your heads," Qin Lan ordered calmly as she pointed the gun at the leader whose palms were still aze.

    Boss Deng''s pupils dted even further and he along with the rest of his gang followed hermands immediately.

    However, there was an expression of hesitation and confusion on the boss'' face as if he was struggling with something.

    The other survivors inside the supermarket were too afraid to move.

    Who was this mysterious woman and how did she have a gun?

    "Are you okay?" Qin Lan softly asked the girl whose uniform was slightly crumpled.

    Liu Yifei nodded in shock since she still didn''t fully register what had just happened. Gong Li bravely walked up to her from the back of the store and grabbed her hand.

    She bowed deeply and thanked Qin Lan before leading Liu Yifei away from the dangerous situation.

    Qin Lan nodded slowly, and her expression briefly softened before hardening once more as she stared at the group of rapists.

    "Behind¡­ BEHIND YOU!" one of the survivors suddenly yelled in fear.

    "The monsters! There are monsters behind you!"

    In order to enter the supermarket, Eve had been forced to remove most of the barricades blocking the entrance, so a few zombies managed to sneak in.

    "Eve¡­ deal with them," Qin Lan softly whispered without even turning around.

    Eve rushed towards the iing horde of zombies and swung her fist at the nearest one.

    The survivors in the supermarket watched in disbelief as her slender fists were capable of breaking bones and tearing holes in the zombies'' chests.

    Eve was a demon inbat.

    She had insane reflexes and her supernatural strength was a force to be reckoned with. Qin Lan wasn''t sure if bullets would be enough to take her down.

    Qin Lan had full confidence in Eve''s ability to deal with the zombies who were attracted to the now open supermarket.

    Now she could turn her attention to the more important matters¡­

    What should she do with this gang?

    Qin Lan was not someone who believed in second chances especially for men willing to brutalise others in the early days of the apocalypse.

    But she had a limited supply of bullets¡­

    The warm fuzzy feeling in her chest got even stronger and for a brief moment it was as though someone else was speaking through her.

    "You have two options¡­." Qin Lan darkly whispered as her creepy voice sent a shiver down the spines of everyone in the room.

    "I put a bullet in your skulls¡­ or you take a walk outside. The choice is yours¡­. actually, I wish that you would take the second option."

    "Go¡­ walk outside¡­ you don''t deserve safety¡­ you don''t deserve food¡­ you want to behave like animals?"

    "I''ll put you down like animals¡­"

    There was an eerie hypnotism in Qin Lan''s gentle voice as her twisted words entered the minds of the group of men and warped their thoughts.

    Each man had the same urge to run outside and never eat again or seek out any shelter.

    It was as though their natural instincts were being rewritten.

    What was truly horrifying was that they had no idea that they were being manipted and each assumed those strange thoughts were their own.

    Only Boss Deng could vaguely sense that something was wrong but an ability user who had not upgraded his gift was no match for Qin Lan.

    One by one the men walked forward slowly and then broke out in a mad dash as they ran past Eve and the horde of zombies.

    This sudden appearance of prey caught the zombies by surprise and the ones that nned to enter the supermarket were attracted to the men who ran outside.

    Boss Deng''s movements were jerky and unsteady, but his body kept running as if he was no longer the one in control.

    The group of men only managed to get a few hundred feet away before the surrounding zombies pounced on them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Their horrifying screams and cries of pain could be heard from inside the store as the zombies tore them apart limb from limb.

    Boss Deng managed to fend off a few zombies using his fiery power, but his movements were slow and unresponsive to the iing threats.

    He died without knowing why he decided to leave the supermarket without putting up a fight.

    Qin Lan pulled out a knife from her pocket and joined forces with Eve to clean up the remaining zombies by the entrance before helping her barricade the entrance once more.

    She was amazed that the situation had been resolved so easily but perhaps it was because she possessed a gun.

    "Sister? Is that you?" a nervous voice called out from the back of the store.

    Qin Lan had just finished pushing thest table against the door so she could turn her full attention to the handsome young man who vaguely resembled her.

    Her little brother walked over with hesitant steps until he was only a few feet away.

    "I thought you were supposed to be in your dorms," Qin Lan spoke in a tone that she hoped did not reveal her inner annoyance.

    Truthfully the original Qin Lan did not see her brother often, so she had no idea if her attitude towards the young man was suspicious or not.

    "Sister¡­ what¡­ what are you doing here?" Qin Wei stuttered as he could not recognise the badass woman in front of him with the sister who he vaguely remembered.

    "What do you think? I was looking for you¡­" Qin Lan smiled warmly as she ced the gun back in the holster attached to her hip.

    "Are these kids from your school?"

    For a brief moment it was as though this was no longer the apocalypse and Qin Lan was just a concerned sister asking about her little brother''s friends.

    "Umm¡­what¡­ yeah¡­" Qin Wei hesitantly spoke.

    Qin Lan walked towards the seven students who were looking at her in awe and pulled out a first aid kit from her pocket.

    Her brother lingered by the entrance and did not dare to walk over since he could not look Liu Yifei in the eye.

    "Was anyone hurt?" Qin Lan asked softly as she approached a girl who was crying and gave her a warm hug.

    They were all teenagers.

    A few days ago, their biggest concern would be the uing mid term exam and now they were in a world that had gone to hell.

    Qin Lan opened the first aid kit and carefully treated any wounds or scratches on their skin.

    It seems like one of the boys had been punched by the group of men and his left cheek was beginning to swell up.

    She advised him to go to the freezer section and put some ice on the affected area to reduce the swelling.

    Eve walked over with blood still dripping from her palms.

    Qin Lan grabbed a few wet tissues from the shelves and carefully cleaned her hands.

    She did not know why she had such a great impression of Eve but somehow it felt right to look after and care for her.

    "Don''t worry¡­ those bad men won''t hurt you ever again," Qin Lan spoke to Liu Yifei who was staring at her with tears in her eyes.

    "Here¡­ drink some water¡­"

    She grabbed a bottle and opened it before handing over to the girl who was still trembling.

    Qin Lan did not even want to imagine what would happen if she had arrived just a few minutester.

    Unfortunately, that kind of scene would only be moremon as social order broke down and humans exposed the darkness in their hearts.

    As Qin Lan handed over the bottle of water, her eyes could not help but notice the tattered old pendant around Liu Yifei''s neck.

    A memory briefly shed across her mind of a beautiful girl who stood beside a tall muscr man who wore a military uniform.

    Lightning crackled in the palm of the man who possessed an intimidating aura.

    Behind them was arge group of ability users who seemed to be looking at her with a mixture of fear and hatred.

    The girl was whispering something, and Qin Lan could not make out the words but the expression of condemnation on her face was impossible to ignore.

    She also wore an identical looking pendant around her neck.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as the sudden memory from the original Qin Lan faded away and was once again locked behind a white blur.

 Chapter 80 Zombie Empress (11)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Adna Supermarket)

    Eve crouched down on the ground and hummed softly as Qin Lan continued to wipe the blood off her hands.

    The zombie empress kept staring at the human who gently touched her fingers and a sweet smile shed across her face.

    She didn''t know why this human wanted to find the one who vaguely smelled like her, but Eve was prepared to follow her anywhere.

    "There¡­ that should be good enough," Qin Lan whispered as she ced the used wet tissues in a nearby garbage bag.

    "I swear¡­ zombie blood takes forever to wipe off¡­"

    A strange atmosphere had descended on the supermarket ever since their arrival.

    With the brutality shown by Qin Lan and the monstrous strength disyed by Eve, the other survivors were quite scared of them.

    The only exception was the group of schoolchildren who stared at Qin Lan as if she was some kind of superhero.

    Qin Lan honestly thought that they looked quite adorable. She was reluctant to leave them behind, but they would need to find some more vehicles.

    Still, that was not an immediate problem to solve.

    "Sister¡­ I¡­." Qin Wei''s nervous voice came from the front of the store.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows since she didn''t know why her brother was behaving so strangely.

    For some reason he kept trying to avoid looking at his ssmates especially the pretty girl with the tattered pendant.

    She would have to be a fool not to realise that something was wrong, so Qin Lan walked over to talk to him.

    "What''s wrong?" Qin Lan spoke softly and tried to put an understanding expression on her face.

    "I¡­ back then¡­ I¡­ actually never mind," Qin Wei stuttered as if he was trying to confess something, but the words refused to leave his mouth.

    His fingers curled up into a fist as the emotions in his heart darkened. Embarrassment and shame quickly turned to anger.

    He had been grateful for his sister''s timely rescue of his crush, but her actions made him look worse.

    Liu Yifei would never go out with him¡­ and all his other ssmates probably thought that he was a useless son of a bit¡­

    And it was all her fault¡­.

    What Qin Wei did not understand was that although his actions had disappointed Liu Yifei, he was not the only one who did not stand up to stop the violent thugs.

    The students were only teenagers and ced in a dangerous situation against a gang of fully grown men¡­

    It was to be expected that they would be unable to handle it.

    Still¡­ Qin Wei could not help but me his sister as his sense of pride demanded that he find someone else to transfer over his fault.

    If she had onlye sooner before those men had grabbed Liu Yifei¡­ if only he was the one with power like that woman who travelled with her¡­

    "Hey¡­ are you alright little bro?" Qin Lan asked with concern as she ced a hand on Qin Wei''s forehead to make sure that his temperature was still normal.

    "Yeah¡­ I''m just a bit¡­ tired¡­" Qin Wei replied with gritted teeth.

    Qin Lan didn''t notice the resentment hidden in his gaze but someone else in the supermarket did.

    A hoarse growl escaped Eve''s mouth as her fingernails slowly ckened and extended almost like ws.

    She turned around to face a nearby wall just as her eyes shed a pitch-ck colour.

    It took about thirty seconds for Eve to rein in her emotions and put on her human disguise once more.

    "Why don''t you join your other friends, and we can discuss what to do next?" Qin Lan suggested gently.

    Qin Wei nodded slowly and reluctantly followed his sister to the back of the store where the seven other students were sitting down.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Here¡­ have some water¡­" the ss monitor handed over a bottle of water to Qin Wei and winced as the side of his cheek ached for a moment.

    It was a bit awkward at first, but the students were soon distracted by Qin Lan who got their attention by pping her hands.

    "Okay¡­ so¡­ I don''t know how or why but somehow the world has been overrun by zombie-like monsters¡­" Qin Lan exined calmly.

    "I know that many of you probably expect the police or military to regain control of the situation, but the reality is¡­ you will not be priority targets for rescue even if they did show up."

    "Staying in the supermarket is safe for now but as more people turn¡­ being in a city will be nothing more than a deathtrap."

    Qin Lan did not sugar coat the situation and was upfront and honest with the students despite the terrified looks on their faces.

    It would do no good to lie to them about the terrible situation.

    Honesty was the best policy especially when preparing the teenagers for whaty ahead.

    "Now¡­ has anyone developed any ''gifts''?" Qin Lan asked curiously.

    "Gifts?" Gong Li asked with a quizzical look on her face.

    "Yes¡­ you saw how Eve was able to move faster and stronger than a normal human? And the man with fire in his hands?" Qin Lan exined gently.

    "Somehow it seems that certain people are able to develop supernatural powers. I just refer to those powers as ''gifts''."

    "Wait¡­ do you have a special power as well?!" Qin Wei suddenly eximed in shock.

    "Yes, but I haven''t had to use it. Let''s just say that it is a secret weapon," Qin Lan teased her brother as she ruffled his hair.

    She definitely had an ability but only the gods would know what it was¡­

    Qin Wei wanted to throw her hands off but froze in ce as he saw out of the corner of his eye, the powerful woman who apanied his sister.

    Eve did not have to say a single word as her eyes were locked on Qin Lan''s hand that was touching her brother''s head.

    Qin Wei felt a chill run down his spine as the mysterious woman seemed to be looking at him as if he was prey.

    Eventually Qin Lan stopped teasing her younger sibling and turned her attention back to the students.

    "It usually feels like a warm fuzzy feeling in your chest¡­ you may not know what your ability does but you should be able to sense it," Qin Lan tried her best to exin.

    She did not bother to lower the volume of her voice so the other survivors in the supermarket could hear her words.

    Contemtive expressions shed across their faces and an elderly woman in the corner of the building stretched out her palm.

    Her skin briefly turned into a metallic colour, but she quickly concealed her power before anyone else could notice.

    "I¡­ think¡­. I feel something¡­" Liu Yifei hesitantly spoke.

    The pretty girl furrowed her brows and concentrated as she felt warmth travel from the tattered pendant on her neck into her body.

    The can of soup in her hand instantly disappeared. Gasps of amazement came from the other students who crowded around her.

    "Is it invisible?" Qin Lan asked as she walked over to inspect Liu Yifei''s hands.

    "No¡­ it''s¡­ gone¡­" Liu Yifei exined in bewilderment. She searched for the can, but it didn''t seem to be anywhere.

    "Hmm¡­. try picturing the can and see if it returns," Qin Lan suggested as a memory shed across her mind about a simr situation.

    Liu Yifei concentrated and the can reappeared in her hand as if it had never left.

    "Wow! It looks like you can control an extra dimensional storage space," Qin Lan happily stated as she revised a few ns in her mind.

    Those gifted with storage abilities were not particrly strong individuals but every single one of them was invaluable.

    Bases would fight over them, and it was said that storage was ssified as an upper tier ability by most of the leaders.

    Qin Lan could not believe her good fortune to find such a priceless treasure while searching for her brother.

 Chapter 81 Zombie Empress (12)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Adna Supermarket)

    "Okay¡­ let''s double check the list of supplies¡­" Qin Lan muttered to herself as she stared at the items neatly packed together on the floor.

    Water¡­ check¡­ canned food¡­ check¡­ medical supplies¡­ check¡­

    Eve stood silently behind her as she counted the number of items and made sure that there was enough tost for at least several months.

    "Am I missing anything?" Qin Lan asked curiously as she turned around.

    "No¡­ no¡­" Eve softly whispered as she leaned in closer and stared at Qin Lan with an affectionate gaze.

    Qin Lan felt her face begin to heat up and moved away before the tips of her ears turnedpletely red.

    She didn''t know why Eve liked to invade her personal space to her but seeing such a beautiful girl up close made her heart skip a beat.

    Eve''s gorgeous looks were even more breathtaking than any female model that Qin Lan had ever seen on a magazine cover.

    It was as though she had been artificially created with perfection in mind.

    Eve seemed to notice Qin Lan''s distracted state and a small smile shed across her lips.

    Blurry memories would asionally flow into her mind and although they seemed to involve a woman who looked quite different to Qin Lan¡­

    Somehow Eve felt as though there was a connection between them.

    Qin Lan nervously coughed twice and then walked towards the back of the store to talk to the group of students.

    "Liu Yifei can you ce these supplies in your space?" Qin Lan asked gently as she gestured towards the direction of the items.

    "Sure! No problem!" Liu Yifei replied quickly as her eyes sparkled.

    It would be a lie to say that she wasn''t still affected by what had almost happened but ever since her rescue¡­

    Qin Lan''s calm and collected demeanor had been imprinted on her heart.

    The badass woman who shot the brute who tried to tear off her clothes with a gun was someone who Liu Yifei deeply admired.

    "Oh! Can Ie and watch?!" Gong Li hurriedly asked as she got up and followed her friend to the front of the store.

    Qin Lan watched the two girlsughing and giggling together as they headed for the supplies.

    Peaceful moments like this would only get rarer in the future.

    "Are you all ready to head out? As soon as Liu Yifei puts the supplies away¡­ we will be leaving the supermarket," Qin Lan addressed the rest of the students.

    "I will not force anyone toe with us¡­ but¡­ trust me¡­ staying in the city will be a grave mistake as the infection rates increase."

    "And supermarkets will be the number one target for any survivors that remain¡­"

    "Survivors? So, we can team up with them?" one of the boys asked optimistically.

    "No¡­ trust me¡­ anyone who remains¡­ will not be a kind person¡­" Qin Lan solemnly spoke with a harsh glint in her eyes.

    She didn''t want to scare the young teenagers, but they needed to be aware of the reality of the current situation.

    Humans could be just as dangerous as the monsters outside.

    "I¡­ I want toe with you¡­" the ss monitor stuttered as he raised his hand.

    Qin Lan had learnt his name yesterday and apparently he was called Chen Xiao.

    "Me too¡­" a girl named Liu Tao quickly spoke up.

    Each student had a different opinion and although they were impressed by Eve and Qin Lan''s strength, their fear of the monsters outside proved to be too difficult to ignore.

    Several voices declined Qin Lan''s offer as some students nervously turned her down.

    "I¡­ it''s¡­ too¡­ risky¡­ I don''t want to leave¡­"

    "My parents¡­ they are in the city¡­"

    "Why can''t we just stay here?!"

    Qin Lan shook her head and tried her best to persuade them to leave one more time but the students who refused were steadfast.

    "Okay¡­ well just be careful and remember not to trust anyone¡­" Qin Lan reluctantly spoke as she gestured for the students who wanted to leave to follow her.

    Excluding her brother there were about four students in total who chose to leave. Gong Li, Liu Yifei, Liu Tao and finally Chen Xiao.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Three girls and one boy.

    The encounter with the gang of men had terrified the young schoolgirls and it was clear that their ssmates did not have the strength to protect them.

    It was better to leave with Qin Lan and Eve.

    Speaking of her brother¡­.

    "Qin Wei¡­ where are you? It''s time to go!" Qin Lan called out loudly. She heard some footstepsing from behind an aisle and soon a handsome young man appeared.

    Qin Lan didn''t know why her brother was acting so strangely, it was almost as though he didn''t want to interact with her.

    But maybe it was due to the stress¡­

    It was unfortunate that the original Qin Lan had locked most of her memories away, so she didn''t know how her rtionship with her brother was.

    "We¡­ we''re leaving so soon?" Qin Wei nervously asked as he tried to avoid eye contact with his ssmates.

    "Yeah¡­ it will be nighttime in a couple of hours, so we need to reach the suburban zone before dark," Qin Lan exined patiently.

    She exined the n to her brother who seemed as though he was listening patiently, but Qin Lan caught him sneaking nces at Liu Yifei who was putting supplies in her space.

    Did he have a little crush?

    Qin Lan smiled and was about to tease her brother but decided against it since she wasn''t sure how he would react.

    Eve wandered over and ced her hand on Qin Lan''s shoulder. She leaned forward and rested her chin on top of Qin Lan''s head.

    Qin Wei shivered as Eve nced at him with a look of warning.

    It was as though the powerful woman could see the dark jealousy burning in his heart.

    Eve clenched her fingers tightly and she lowered her gaze just as her eyes briefly turnedpletely pitch ck.

    Fortunately, no one noticed.

    "I got all of the supplies in my space!" Liu Yifei happily spoke as she ced thest can of soup in her storage.

    The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest gradually disappeared and for some reason the tattered old pendant around her neck felt a bit heavier.

    "Good job! Your ability is truly a godsend," Qin Lan praised her and pped her hands together in apuse.

    Themotion happening in the front of the room attracted the attention of the other survivors who curiously looked over.

    "Are you all leaving?" an elderly man hoarsely whispered.

    "Yes¡­ I can also bring some of you as well but the space in my van is only enough for the teenagers¡­" Qin Lan admitted truthfully.

    "Unless one of you knows how to hijack or hotwire cars¡­ it would be best to remain here and fortify the barricade¡­"

    Most of the survivors in the supermarket frowned when they heard Qin Lan''s words since they wanted Eve to stay to protect them.

    "Girl why don''t you stay with us¡­ "one of the survivors pointed at Eve.

    "Yes! We have supplies that won''t run out!" another quickly added.

    "Do you want to stay with someone who can kill so easily?" a third whispered as he nced at Qin Lan.

    Eve''s facial expression didn''t change and she treated the voices of the other survivors in the room like air.

    Eventually the survivors realised that their words of persuasion didn''t work on the woman who remained silent.

    "Okay¡­ just remember when we go outside¡­ stick close to me at all times¡­" Qin Lan warned seriously as she pulled a bloodstained knife out of her pocket.

    She nodded at Eve who reluctantly left her side and moved to the front of the supermarket to push aside the obstacles blocking the door.

    "Are you sure? What if¡­ if¡­ the police and military areing to save us?" Qin Wei whispered softly in a voice that he hoped no one would hear except for his sister.

    "They aren''t¡­ and besides¡­ I will protect you,'' Qin Lan brightly smiled as she reassured her brother with a solemn promise.

    (That''s easy for you to say!)

    (You have an ability!)

    (If I had a gift¡­ I would be better than you¡­ and stronger as well¡­)

    Qin Wei hid the hatred that briefly surfaced in his heart and politely thanked his sister with an innocent smile on his face.

 Chapter 82 Zombie Empress (13)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Northern District- St. Radan''s Road)

    "Watch out!" Qin Lan shouted as she grabbed her brother and shoved him to the side.

    A gruesome zombie with thick ck ws swiped where Qin Wei''s head had been just seconds ago.

    Qin Lan lifted up her foot and kicked the zombie in the stomach with enough force that the creature''s ribs cracked.

    She stabbed her knife forward and twisted the de in the monster''s neck. ck blood sttered on her clothes, but Qin Lan was unfazed.

    The cold merciless glint in her eyes sent a shiver of fear down Qin Wei''s back as he saw his sister kill the humanoid monster without remorse or hesitation.

    How was she sofortable with killing?

    "Are you alright?" Qin Lan asked softly as she stretched out her hand to lift up her brother who wasying down awkwardly on the ground.

    "Yeah¡­ yeah¡­" Qin Wei stammered as he hesitantly grabbed his sister''s hand.

    "Stay close to me¡­ it''s dangerous to run around¡­" Qin Lan exined as she took out a handkerchief from her pocket.

    She began to wipe the ck blood off her weapon with familiar motions as if this was something that she had done hundreds of times before.

    Eve was guarding the outer perimeter of the group and would asionally nce at Qin Wei with a warning look.

    "How much further do we have to walk?" Gong Li asked nervously as she leaned a bit closer to Liu Yifei.

    The city was barely recognisable.

    Dozens of cars were scattered across the road, and some were on fire. Screams and cries for help echoed through the city as thousands of zombies roamed from ce to ce.

    Survivors could be seen in the distance desperately trying their best to outrun the horde of monsters that never seemed to tire.

    "The van is parked about two blocks away¡­ don''t worry¡­ we will reach there safely," Qin Lan tried her best to reassure the frightened girl.

    Chen Xiao the ss monitor was holding a metallic bat that he had picked up from the supermarket and was warily looking around.

    Qin Lan did briefly consider handing out firearms to the teenagers but without proper training the weapons could pose a greater danger to themselves than the zombies.

    Arghhhhh! Arghhhhh! Arghhhhh!

    A group of zombies jumped out from inside a hidden alleyway and rushed towards the teenagers with their mouths open.

    "Move back!" Qin Lan yelled loudly as she felt the warm fuzzy feeling in her chest gradually get hotter and hotter.

    The five students followed hermands but if one looked closely, they would see that their pupils were now dted.

    Qin Lan pulled out her other knife from the sheath attached to her hip and joined forces with Eve who had already rushed to her position.

    Eve hoarsely growled and for a brief moment the zombie that was targeting Qin Lan stumbled as if it had tripped on something.

    The zombie empress did not give the monster any time to recover, and she used her palm to instantly crush its neck into a blood pulp.

    Qin Lan was not as strong as Eve, but her body and natural physique had significantly improved since reaching level two.

    She ducked and weaved her way out of the reach of the zombies'' ws and counterattacked by targeting their limbs.

    Zombies in the early stages of the apocalypse were quite easy to handle so the fight only took around three minutes to end.

    Qin Lan wiped the sweat off her brow and let out a heavy sigh.

    She ced a hand on her chest and discovered that her heart was beating frantically.

    She may outwardly seem to be unaffected by the violence, but one mistake could lead to her death.

    There were no second chances.

    "Is everyone okay? We might have to move a little bit faster since I''m sure that there will be more zombiesing our way," Qin Lan spoke gently.

    "But first let me show you something important¡­"

    The young teenagers blinked several times as their eyes returned to normal.

    Only Liu Yifei frowned slightly as she felt as though something was wrong but just could not put her finger on why she felt that way.

    This was a rare moment of calm so Qin Lan decided to share some information with the teenagers before they moved forward.

    Qin Lan nodded at Eve who knelt down and began to rummage through the crushed zombies'' skulls.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What? What are you doing?" Liu Tao asked as she felt the urge to throw up.

    "Keep moving and I''ll exin on the way," Qin Lan spoke firmly once Eve finished collecting six purplish-ck crystals.

    Liu Tao swayed unsteadily as she crouched down and tried to stop herself from vomiting. The unpleasant scent of the zombies'' remains were now on Eve''s fingers.

    Qin Lan noticed her difort, but she did not stop Eve from showing off the bloody crystals.

    In the apocalypse strength meant everything.

    "Do you see these crystals?" Qin Lan exined as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a few that were rtively clean.

    "These can be found inside the heads of the zombies¡­ I discovered it by ident when I woke up in a police station¡­"

    "Ingesting these crystals can improve the strength of your gift¡­ I didn''t know that until Eve showed me¡­"

    Eve nodded in support and did not expose Qin Lan''s small lie.

    Thoughtful expressions shed across the faces of the students as they took a closer look at the crystals.

    "What about if you don''t have a gift? Do the crystals do anything?" Qin Wei hurriedly asked as a sh of greed surfaced in his eyes.

    "I¡­ I don''t know¡­" Qin Lan truthfully admitted as she searched her memories only to find that the information was locked behind a fuzzy white wall.

    "Just to be safe¡­ I wouldn''t rmend swallowing one until we can test out its effects on non-gifted people."

    Qin Wei frowned as he heard what he could only describe as a flimsy excuse not to give him a few of the crystals.

    No¡­ Why would she be so reluctant to give him a taste of the crystals?

    She was always like this!

    Qin Lan was always the perfect daughter in the eyes of their mom and dad when they were alive, but he knew the truth¡­

    She was nothing more than a nosy goody two shoes who enjoyed lecturing him!

    Life was unfair!

    He had to spend his entire childhood under the shadow of his so- called ''brilliant'' sister and now she gets to have an ability?

    No¡­ it wasn''t right!

    He deserved strength! He should have been the one to protect Liu Yifei!

    Qin Lan didn''t notice her brother''s sour mood and just thought that he was thinking about the current situation.

    Eve gently rested her head on Qin Lan''s shoulders and secretly yed with the jacket around her upper body.

    The journey to the van was rtively uneventful save for the asional zombie that wandered over to the group.

    Eve was able to deal with those small fries quite easily and her strength made some hidden thoughts in Qin Wei''s heart instantly disappear.

    Qin Lan saw the van in the distance and broke out in a run as she saw a humanoid figure attempt to break inside.

    He was greasy middle-aged man who wore a tattered white shirt and a pair of flip flops that were slightly frayed.

    He was holding a heavy metal crowbar and kept hitting the middle of the ss with the pointed end.

    "Stop! That''s our van!" Qin Lan cupped her fingers around her mouth and yelled but the man only kept increasing his efforts.

    "No! This is mine! I was here first!" the man hoarsely replied as he redoubled his efforts.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    "What the fuck are you doing?" Qin Lan furiously yelled as she punched forward and mmed her fist into the man''s stomach.

    The man was sent flying several feet where he mmed against a nearby tree and slid to the ground unceremoniously.

    Qin Lan inspected the window and saw that tworge cracks were beginning to spread from where the man attacked the ss.

    Damn it!

    For a brief moment Qin Lan was tempted to take out her gun and shoot him but she quickly controlled the murderous urge rising in her chest.

    She took in a few deep breaths and gently exhaled in order to steady her nerves.

    All that tension from walking through the city for hours was clearly beginning to affect her.

 Chapter 83 Zombie Empress (14)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Northern District)

    "Fuck¡­ calm down¡­ calm down¡­" Qin Lan muttered quietly to herself as she continued to take in deep breaths and slowly exhaled.

    Eve slowly walked over and ced a gentle hand on her shoulder.

    The zombie empress nced at the middle-aged man groaning in pain on the ground and her eyes briefly shed ck.

    Eve used her fingernail to pierce the underside of her palm and flicked a droplet of blood thatnded on the man''s shirt.

    Qin Lan didn''t notice her small movements as she raised up her head and gestured for the group of teenagers to walk over.

    "Liu Yifei I''m going to need you to clear out the supplies in my van so that there is enough space for everyone to sit down," Qin Lan exined in a steady tone.

    "You all may have to suffer a bit of difort but unless one of you can hotwire cars¡­ there is no other choice."

    "I''ll do it!" Liu Yifei replied firmly as she clenched the old pendant around her neck.

    Qin Lan nodded in approval and reached for the keys in her pocket to unlock the van door. She opened the door and gestured for Liu Yifei to activate her storage space.

    The pretty girl walked inside confidently and began to touch the supplies in Qin Lan''s van.

    Guns, ammo, dry food, medical supplies and bottles of water instantly vanished into thin air.

    "What¡­ what sort of devilry¡­."  the middle-aged man got up from the ground and moved back in fear as he saw the strange sight.

    He coughed violently and thin flecks of blood stained his hand. Qin Lan nced at him coldly and the man felt his body freeze up.

    The look in her eyes¡­ it reminded him of the loan sharks who used to harass him for money.

    It was not the gaze of a human being but rather¡­

    It was the gaze of a predator.

    The man ran as fast as he could away from the dangerous woman even though his ribs felt as though they were broken.

    He did not know that a strange smile shed across Eve''s face as she watched him get further and further away.

    A drop of her blood¡­ would be quite appetising¡­ at least to her less intelligent brethren¡­

    The other teenagers were standing awkwardly around the van, so Qin Lan walked over to them and handed out some bottles of water.

    "Is everyone doing, okay?" Qin Lan asked gently.

    "Yeah¡­ yeah¡­ but are you sure that we can leave the city?" Gong Li nervously asked as she kept ncing around for any nearby zombies.

    "It would be a bit difficult by myself but with Eve''s help we can easily deal with any zombies so don''t worry," Qin Lan reassured her in a soft tone.

    She reached out and rubbed the top of Gong Li''s hair with gentle motions.

    It was only natural for the highschoolers to feel terrified by a situation straight out of an apocalypse novel.

    And things would only get worse from here¡­

    Qin Lan tried to take their minds off the current situation by taking about the future.

    She revealed her ns to reach the Wuern Province which was a rural part of the country and then establish a base.

    Mutated animals and nts could still be eaten so there shouldn''t be ack of food once her body continued to develop.

    "How do we know if we have a gift?" Liu Tao asked curiously as she stared at Eve who casually picked up a fallen car and moved it to the side of the road.

    "Touch your chest and if you can feel a warm fuzzy feeling inside your body then that means that you should posses an ability," Qin Lan exined as she recalled what she felt.

    Liu Tao closed her eyes for several seconds but when she opened them there was a disappointed expression on her face.

    "I¡­ I can''t feel anything¡­" Liu Tao spoke with sadness evident in her voice.

    Qin Lan searched the original host''s memories and discovered there were a few examples of people who developed abilities months after the beginning of the apocalypse.

    The method they used to gain a gift was predictably hidden behind a fuzzy white wall that blurred the memories.

    Why was the original Qin Lan so determined to have her experience the apocalypse with as little knowledge as possible?

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she remembered the madness that danced in the original Qin Lan''s eyes as she requested that she kill as many people as possible.

    "Don''t worry¡­ there is always a chance that an ability could develop in the future," Qin Lan finally spoke.

    "Really?!" Liu Tao eximed with excitement.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The other teenagers with the exception of Qin Wei seemed ecstatic at the news and the ss monitor closed his eyes to try to discover if he had an ability.

    "What is your ability?" Qin Wei suddenly spoke.

    His tone was normal and yet there was an emotion hidden in his eyes that Qin Lan thought was a bit unpleasant.

    "It''s a secret¡­ just know that I will only use it as ast resort," Qin Lan teased him softly and ced a finger over her lips.

    She didn''t want to lie to her little brother, but she honestly didn''t know what her gift did, so it was better to pretend that it was a secret.

    Qin Wei didn''t seem happy with her answer, but Qin Lan''s attention was draw to Liu Yifei who finished cleaning up the interior of the van.

    "All done!" Liu Yifei whispered weakly as she swayed from side to side.

    Beads of sweat were running down her brow, so Qin Lan quickly walked over and grabbed her shoulder to stop her body from falling over.

    "Did you push yourself too hard? I''m sorry¡­ I shouldn''t have made you activate your ability after hours of walking¡­" Qin Lan spoke in a self-ming tone.

    "It''s okay¡­ I just need some sleep," Liu Yifei yawned sleepily and closed her eyes as she felt her vision fade away to darkness.

    Qin Lan lifted her up and ced her in the back row of the van where the young girl promptly fell asleep.

    The van had three rows of seats so Qin Lan directed the two boys to sit in the middle row while the girls would sit at the back.

    She would drive and Eve would take the co-pilot seat. Qin Lan plugged the key into the ignition port and the van shuddered to life.

    Eve stared out of the window with a distracted expression on her face. She seemed to be looking in a certain direction but there was nothing of interest there.

    Just endless rubble where tall buildings used to be.

    Qin Lan checked the map that she tucked away in the bottom of her seat and began driving in an eastern direction.

    The capitol city was quite big, and it was already evening.

    Instead of driving through the night it would be safer to stop in the suburban district and then resume their journey tomorrow.

    Qin Lan hummed softly and looked in the mirror to see that the teenagers who were awake were eating some snacks or drinking water.

    Gong Li was leaning against Liu Yifei''s shoulders and the pair of girls were drifting away into a sweet dreand.

    Qin Lan smiled as she saw the actions of the pair.

    For some reason a simr scene shed across her mind with a girl who possessed dark skin and crimson eyes.

    She shook her head as that sudden memory disappeared just as quickly as it resurfaced. Qin Lan tried to recall what she had just remembered but nothing came to mind.

    "Careful¡­" Eve''s soft voice broke Qin Lan out of her musings and she stopped the van just before it collided with another car that was racing along the road.

    It was impossible to see who was inside the other vehicle because it had tinted windows, but Qin Lan got the impression that someone inside was staring at them.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    "Brother Jing do you want to let those survivors know about our base since its only a few kilometers away?" a short haired man in a military uniform asked.

    Hispanion in the driver''s seat was an incredibly handsome man in histe twenties with a muscr body that was covered in light scars.

    Those scars added to his rugged masculine charm.

    His face had sharp angr features and his cold eyes created an aura of intimidation that was impossible to ignore.

    The man brought a cigarette to his lips and lit the end of the stick with a lighter. He puffed out a small cloud of smoke and turned his attention back on the road.

    "No¡­ remember our mission is to secure supplies from the local supermarkets¡­ we can rescue civilians, but that is not our priority," Wu Jing exined hoarsely.

    "Adna Supermarket is our first target¡­ secure that location and then I will send out a radio message to themander..."

    The other men in the car nodded in approval at the leader''s decision.

    ? Each wore military styled clothing and held assault rifles in their arms.

    Wu Jing opened up the window and tossed out the cigarette with a casual motion.

    Tiny sparks of electricity danced around his fingertips but none of the men inside the car seemed surprised to see his supernatural ability.

 Chapter 84 Zombie Empress (15)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Eastern District- Sunshine Gated Community)

    "Eve are you okay? You''ve been pretty quiet¡­" Qin Lan whispered softly as she tried her best not to wake up the kids sleeping in the back.

    Liu Yifei was the first to fall asleep, but she was quickly joined by the other teenagers who could not resist the urge to rest after spending hours walking non-stop.

    "I¡­ I haven''t seen the stars for a long time¡­" Eve replied gently as a sweet smile shed across her face.

    Eve was leaning against the window and staring at the night sky where thousands of bright stars winked and blinked in the distance.

    Qin Lan stared at the beautiful girl who seemed both close and far away at the same time.

    It was like there was an invisible aura around Eve that should not be disturbed.

    She could feel her heart skip a beat as the gorgeous woman turned her attention away from the stars and looked at her directly.

    Qin Lan gripped the steering wheel tightly and narrowly avoided a flipped over car on the road as she continued on to their destination.

    "Tell me about yourself," Eve suddenly spoke in a calm tone.

    Qin Lan essed the original host''s memories and then replied,

    "Well, there isn''t much to say¡­ I used to be an office worker well at least before all this craziness happened¡­"

    "I like to read¡­ but I didn''t have much time for any other hobbies when I worked at my old job. Honestly¡­ it was a bit of a ckpany."

    "Long office hours¡­ no overtime but¡­ I think I would wish for those days back in a heartbeat if it meant that the world would remain safe."

    Eve hummed a strange tune and listened carefully to Qin Lan''s words.

    The zombie empress stretched out her hand and gently yed with Qin Lan''s hair as she drove the van.

    Eve did not know what a ''ckpany'' was, but she did not interrupt Qin Lan to ask the meaning of the phrase.

    "Oh¡­ looks like we''re here¡­" Qin Lan eximed in surprise as she saw tworge metallic gates up ahead.

    The metallic gates were severely damaged, and one was loosely hanging off the rail. Behind the gates was a series of luxurious vis withrge expansivewns.

    This was the richer part of the capitol city where the powerful families would reside.

    Qin Lan drove the van through the damaged gates and headed for the interior.

    The poption in the suburbs was naturally much lower than the surroundings areas so they only saw a few zombies wandering aimlessly in the distance.

    Some of the vis had lights that were on which indicated that the backup generators were still working which was a good sign.

    Qin Lan continued driving for around twenty minutes before she reached the heart of the gatedmunity.

    There was one vi in particr at the end of the street that caught her attention.

    Its doors were wide open and there were a few zombies moving around outside but for some reason none ventured in.

    Clearly the original upants were already dead which meant that the building was avable.

    She could have also chosen a vi that was already upied but Qin Lan didn''t want to steal or rob unless it was ast resort.

    "Be careful Eve¡­ if you need help then just call me," Qin Lan spoke with concern as she held Eve''s hand for a moment.

    "Do you see that vi over there? I was thinking that we can rest there for the night and continue our journey to the neighbouring province tomorrow."

    Eve looked in the direction where Qin Lan was pointing to and nodded slowly. She leaned forward and surprised Qin Lan by pressing her lips against her cheek.

    Qin Lan felt as though her body was frozen in ce and it was fortunate that none of the teenagers were awake to see that the tips of her ears had turned red.

    Eve opened the van door and jumped outside.

    Her fingernails slowly extended outwards into ck ws and a bloodthirsty expression surfaced on her face.

    Qin Lan took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down but the crazy thoughts running through her mind refused to stop.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Why did Eve suddenly kiss her? Was it some kind of good luck kiss?

    No¡­ no¡­ surely it was friendship thing? Fuck¡­ why would she do that?

    Did it mean something more? What did it mean?!

    Qin Lan nervously fidgeted in her seat for a few minutes before finally rxing enough to wake up the sleeping teenagers.

    "Guys we''re here¡­ wake up¡­ wake up!" Qin Lan called out loudly to the teenagers as she drove the van closer to the vi.

    Liu Yifei opened her eyes and yawned sleepily. She felt a heavy weight on her shoulder and discovered that Gong Li was still asleep with her mouth open.

    Loud snores wereing out of her mouth which caused Liu Yifei to giggle as she shook her friend awake.

    "Where¡­ where are we?" Gong Li hoarsely asked as she rubbed her eyes and snuggled closer to Liu Yifei.

    "Come on boys! You have to wake up as well!" Qin Lan turned around and lightly tapped her brother''s shoulder.

    Qin Wei stirred from his rest and shot a look of annoyance at his sister before realising that his expression could be seen under the light.

    He hurriedly fixed his face into a gentle smile and turned his attention to the ss monitor Chen Xiao to wake him up.

    Qin Lan saw that everyone was awake and looked outside to see Eve smashing two zombies'' heads into bloody pulps using her bare hands.

    Eve hoarsely growled in the darkness and for a split-second Qin Lan could have sworn that her eyes turned a different colour.

    But obviously that must have been her mind ying tricks on her¡­

    Eve cleared out the remaining zombies with ease and gave a thumbs up signal to Qin Lan with blood still dripping from her fingertips.

    Qin Lan drove the van into the driveway and parked the vehicle. She opened the doors, and everyone slowly walked out.

    The scent of blood filled the air as the scattered remains of the zombiesy on the ground in barely recognisable condition.

    Eve walked over to Qin Lan and handed over a few purplish- ck crystals with a proud expression on her face.

    "Thank¡­ thank¡­ thank you¡­" Qin Lan stuttered awkwardly as she stared at Eve''s plump lips that looked so seductive and kissable.

    She cleared her throat twice and only her brother seemed to notice the strange atmosphere between the two women.

    Qin Lan locked the van behind her, and the group made their way to the vi whose doors were already broken.

    They entered through the door and saw a living room that had beenpletely destroyed.

    The television screen was cracked,mps were strewn across the floor and paintings had been ripped from the walls.

    Several bodies of middle-aged women wearing expensive evening dresses could be found as they wandered through the interior of the mansion.

    The expressions on their faces were either terror or despair as if something had hunted them down and killed them one by one.

    Strangely enough their bodies were left almostpletely intact but that made no sense¡­

    There were dozens of zombies outside and yet not a single one wanted to taste dead human flesh that was just within walking distance.

    Something was wrong¡­

    Qin Lan knelt down and examined the nearest corpse and discovered that there were several circr puncture wounds on her neck.

    Inside each wound was a tiny seed. A brown circr seed with roots that were already beginning to grow¡­

    These roots dug into the exposed flesh as if the pinkish red meat was the most fertile soil in the world.

    Shivers ran down Qin Lan''s spine as she witnessed the strange sight.

    She opened her mouth to warn the others of the peculiar situation when a child-like scream came from the other side of the vi.

    "Help! Help! Pleasee and rescue me!"

 Chapter 85 Zombie Empress (16)

    "Help! Help! Pleasee and rescue me!"

    Child-like sobs echoed through the empty mansion and sent a shiver down the spines of everyone in the room.

    The voice continued to plead desperately for help, and one could hear broken sobs in between every word.

    "Help! Help! Pleasee and rescue me!"

    Someone¡­ or rather something was calling out to them¡­

    "We need to leave¡­ NOW!" Qin Lan urgently whispered as she got up from the ground and took onest nce at the seed growing inside the corpse''s neck.

    "But¡­ someone needs our help¡­" Liu Tao hesitantly spoke.

    Qin Lan knew that the young teenagers had not fully epted their new reality yet but now was not the time for heroic actions.

    "Look at the bodies. Why do you think the zombies didn''t eat them?" Qin Lan asked coldly as her hand drifted to the pistol strapped to her hip.

    Liu Tao followed her gaze and a confused expression shed across her face as Qin Lan''s question echoed through her mind.

    It didn''t make sense¡­ there was a veritable feast of bodies inside the room and yet none of the zombies outside had wandered in.

    "Why¡­ why didn''t they eat the bodies?" Qin Wei stammered nervously as he stepped away from a corpse that seemed to be staring directly at him.

    "I don''t know. That''s precisely the reason why we need to get out of here as soon as possible," Qin Lan exined as she exchanged a nce with Eve.

    The beautiful woman nodded in response and her eyes began to scan the nearby surroundings for any hidden threats.

    However, it was impossible for her to notice that below the floorboards¡­ something was moving.

    Something that had been listening to their conversations¡­ something that was feeling¡­

    Hungry.

    "Umm¡­. Where is the door?" Liu Yifei''s voice broke the tense atmosphere that was beginning to form.

    "What?! Fuck! Where is the fucking door?!" Qin Wei cursed in shock as he lost control of his emotions.

    Qin Lan turned around and saw to her horror that the living room had somehow been transformed.

    The walls had extended to cover the entire room and there was not a single exit or entrance in sight that led to the outside world.

    The corpses on the ground had vanished and a pleasant scent of lc flowers filled the air that made her feel extremely rxed and at ease.

    Qin Lan felt something touch her foot and then the sensation disappeared just as quickly as it emerged.

    She opened her mouth to speak when she realised that the living room had gonepletely silent.

    Everyone except her had disappeared.

    "Eve! Little bro! Liu Yifei! Gong Li! Chen Xiao! Liu Tao!" Qin Lan called out their names one by one but did not receive a response.

    She should be panicking and yet¡­

    As that pleasant scent got stronger and stronger, Qin Lan could not stop the happy smile from spreading across her face.

    Everything was going to be alright.

    Qin Lan began tough, and her giggles filled the silent room as she skipped and danced around the broken pieces of furniture.

    All the thoughts about the apocalypse, fulfilling the wish of the original host and hunting down the viiness of this world seemed to fade away to the background.

    Eventually Qin Lan felt a bit tired as she had been dancing for what seemed like hours.

    Or was it days?

    Time seemed to have no meaning in this strange ce and the only thing that mattered was her happiness.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh of relief as a bed appeared mysteriously in the center of the room and there was a figure sitting down on it.

    It was Eve.

    The gorgeous woman with wheat coloured skin and a lean muscr physique beckoned slowly with her finger.

    She pursed her lips together and blew a sweet kiss that made Qin Lan''s heart start to race uncontrobly.

    Evey down on the bed and brought her hands to the top of her jacket''s zipper.

    Qin Lan watched spellbound as she unzipped her jacket to reveal a breathtaking sight.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Two plump mountains with light pink peaks stared back at her. Qin Lan had to stop herself from drooling as Eve shook her chest back and forth.

    "Come closer¡­e closer¡­" Eve mouthed silently as her body twisted almost like a snake with a seductive charm that was hard to ignore.

    Qin Lan felt her body move automatically towards the bed as if her limbs were no longer in her control.

    The pleasant scent got stronger as she approached the bed and by now Qin Lan was sure that this sweet scent belonged to the goddess in front of her.

    "Lay down in my arms¡­" Eve whispered softly as she stretched out her arms to embrace the blushing woman.

    Qin Lan stepped even closer and yet as she approached Eve''s outstretched arms that promised a world of pleasure¡­

    She hesitated.

    Eve was just a few feet away and yet there was something about her that made Qin Lan freeze in ce.

    Her face¡­ why did it seem¡­. fake¡­

    It was hard to notice from a distance but as Qin Lan approached Eve, she observed that her skin was slightly blurry.

    "What''s wrong? Isn''t this what you wanted? Am I not the one you love?" Eve whispered sweetly as she pouted with a sad expression.

    The heartbreak shown on her face made Qin Lan instinctively want to rush over andfort her and yet¡­ something was holding her back.

    "Eve¡­ what is my ability?" Qin Lan suddenly asked.

    It was a topic that came out of nowhere and seemed to be a bit strange considering the current situation.

    The Eve on the bed furrowed her brows and the sweet scent surrounding her body got even stronger.

    "Your gift is unknown, but you are afraid that it will be used to kill people¡­ that''s what the original Qin Lan asked you to do," Eve answered her question with a friendly grin.

    Qin Lan seemed to be reassured by her answer and she stepped even closer before her following words broke the fake Eve''s smile.

    "I never told you that¡­" Qin Lan snarled viciously as something dark and feral surfaced in her eyes.

    "You know that my gift is a mystery, but I never told you about the original Qin Lan... nor did I tell you about her request...

    "Now¡­ where is the real one? Where is she? Did you hurt her?"

    Qin Lan felt rage begin to bubble up inside her chest as she stared at the monster who wore the appearance of Eve.

    She was a fake.

    An imposter. A fraud.

    Qin Lan felt something in her mind shatter and the strange scene before her eyes disappeared.

    She opened her eyes to find herselfying down on the ground with several bodies right next to her.

    Something warm and sticky was crawling around her neck.

    Qin Lan grabbed the mysterious object with her right hand and pulled it off using all of her strength.

    It tore off easily and Qin Lan looked at the object in her hand. She discovered that it was a thick green vine with a needle-like end.

    What the hell was that?

    A memory shed across Qin Lan''s mind, and it was the scene of a nt-like behemoth roaming through an empty city.

    The memory onlysted for a moment, but it was enough for Qin Lan to realise what was going on.

    They had stepped into a trap.

    This mansion had be the hunting ground of a mutated nt type monster.

    Qin Lan got up from the floor and hurriedly ran over to the other members of the group who were still unconscious.

    Vines were slithering over their motionless bodies and Qin Lan could only pray that she wasn''t toote.

    She reached Eve first who was the closest and tore the vine that was wandering around her neck.

    She didn''t have time to wake her up since she knew that her second counted.

    Qin Lan didn''t notice that as she moved on to the next body¡­

    Eve''s pitch-ck eyes flicked open.

 Chapter 86 Zombie Empress (17)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Eastern District- Sunshine Gated Community)

    Qin Lan walked over to her brother and discovered that he was smiling and muttering something in a daze.

    She could not make out what he was saying but his mouth kept making kissing motions.

    Qin Lan stifled her urge tough and reached out to pull away the vine that was wrapping around his neck.

    "Liu Yifei? What?" Qin Wei muttered sleepily as he rubbed his eyes and got up from the ground.

    "Liu Yifei? Someone must have had a pleasant dream," Qin Lan teased softly as she rubbed her little brother''s hair.

    She moved on to the next sleeping teenager while her brother nced around the room with a look of confusion.

    Where was the bed?

    He had been making out with Liu Yifei just a few moments ago and now she was gone¡­

    Qin Lan moved quickly from one teenager to the next and pulled out the vines that were slithering around their bodies.

    Clearly the vines had some kind of hallucinogenic property since their removal caused the survivors in the group to wake up.

    Chen Xiao had a furious red blush on his face that refused to go away while Liu Tao kept looking down at the ground.

    Liu Yifei on the other hand stared at the hall with her thoughts impossible to read while Gong Li kept shooting her secret looks when she thought that no one was watching.

    Clearly the nt-like monster had revealed some secrets to the teenagers that they themselves were not aware of.

    "Everyone," Qin Lan pped her hands and got their attention.

    "What you saw just now was an illusion¡­ this house seems to be inhabited by some kind of mutated nt."

    "Judging by the corpses of the previous upants¡­ I assume that it puts its victims to sleep before killing them by burying into their necks and leaving behind a seed¡­"

    Qin Wei hurriedly reached out to touch his neck and let out a sigh of relief as he felt that the skin was still unbroken.

    He couldn''t help but feel a bit disappointed that what he had experienced was just an illusion but perhaps it was a sign.

    Liu Yifei must have seen him in her illusion as well!

    Instead of avoiding her¡­ he should try and regain his standing in her heart.

    Qin Lan didn''t notice her brother''s secret thoughts as she walked over to Eve who was stillying peacefully on the ground and pulled her up.

    Eve smiled sweetly and used her arms to wrap around Qin Lan''s body. The zombie empress pulled her favourite human closer to her body and leaned in.

    "Do you know who I saw?" Eve hoarsely whispered as she blew into Qin Lan''s ear. Her voice was raspy, and it sent a shiver down Qin Lan''s spine.

    "I saw¡­. you¡­"

    Qin Lan could feel her face begin to heat up and was grateful that her back was turned away from the rest of the group.

    "I¡­ I saw you as well¡­" Qin Lan admitted nervously as she refused to meet the beautiful woman''s smiling eyes.

    Eve grinned mischievously and her hands roamed downwards to give Qin Lan''s butt a gentle tap.

    Her movements were so quick that Qin Lan didn''t even realise what she had done until she felt something warm hit her rear.

    "Stop¡­ we need to get out of here first¡­" Qin Lan tried to act stern but the tremor in her voice gave away her inner excitement.

    Eve liked her!

    The zombie empress sighed heavily and stepped away from Qin Lan with reluctance written all over her face.

    Qin Lan quickly stepped back in order to avoid temptation and turned to the group of teenagers who were still thinking about what they had just seen.

    "Now¡­ we need to¡­" Qin Lan''s words were interrupted by a loud noiseing from the ground.

    She reflexively dove towards Gong Li and pushed the young girl away just as an enormous vine rose up from the ground where she had been standing just a moment ago.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The thick green vine moved almost like a snake with a sharp jagged needle protruding out of its slimy end.

    The vine slithered on the ground towards Liu Tao and Chen Xiao, but Qin Lan''s knife quickly intercepted it.

    sh!

    Qin Lan used her de to chop the vine in the middle and the sharpened edge of her weapon easily sliced through the nt''s appendage.

    "Eve! Watch out!" Qin Lan yelled in fear as another vine burst from beneath the floorboards and headed for the beautiful girl.

    Eve growled inhumanly and her fingernails extended into ws. She grabbed the vine without any problem and tore it apart with ease.

    Green juices stained her fingertips, but Eve seemed to be unbothered by the sudden attack.

    She let out a series of hoarse growls and for a brief moment the nt stopped moving as if it were afraid.

    "We have to leave now! Go! Run towards the door!" Qin Lan shouted to the teenagers who were frozen in ce.

    As the illusion disappeared, the broken door leading to the outside world was once again visible which meant that they could escape this dangerous mansion.

    Qin Lan helped up Gong Li and ran towards Liu Yifei and her brother who were both surrounded by tiny vines.

    She used her knife to cut the vines that got too close and for some reason a strange breathing technique shed across her mind.

    Qin Lan''s body moved automatically to dodge the iing vines that stabbed in her direction, but she felt as though something was missing.

    What happened to her mana heart?

    Mana heart? What was a mana heart?

    Qin Lan shook her head to get rid of the blurry memories that were resurfacing in her mind and reached out to the two teenagers.

    She grabbed Liu Yifei and pushed her towards Eve before reaching for her brother''s hand.

    Qin Wei''s face was pale, and he seemed frightened by the vine that was slowly moving towards his leg.

    "Don''t worry bro¡­ I got you¡­ just trust me¡­" Qin Lan spoke calmly as if what was happening was an ordinary situation.

    "Just take my hand and I''ll get us out of here¡­ the two of us¡­ together¡­"

    Qin Wei stared at his sister and for the first time he really looked at her.

    She was not like him.

    No¡­ she was not like him in every way¡­.

    Qin Lan was an ordinary woman in herte twenties who had the appearance of a regr officedy.

    Shecked the handsome charm that he possessed and would not stand out in a crowd. In fact, only their facial features were vaguely simr.

    And yet¡­ why¡­ why¡­ WHY?!

    Why did she always seem to be better than him?

    Grades¡­ getting the love from their parents¡­ pretending to be a mother figure¡­ having an ability¡­

    Qin Wei narrowed his eyes and took his sister''s hand. He saw the look of relief on her face and his heart dropped.

    Did she think that he waspletely helpless without her?

    Qin Wei followed his sister as they ran out of the mansion, but his right hand dropped inside his pocket.

    He had a secret.

    A secret that would allow him to be the main hero and win back Liu Yifei''s love and adoration.

    Qin Lan didn''t know that her brother had pocketed one of the crystals from the zombies outside and had already made a decision.

    And that decision would change everything¡­

 Chapter 87 Zombie Empress (18)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Eastern District- Sunshine Gated Community)

    "Bro¡­ watch out!" Qin Lan yelled as she shed her dagger at the neck of the zombie that leapt at them from the darkness.

    Qin Wei was startled as the de passed mere inches away from the side of his face.

    Qin Lan killed the zombie easily and kept running while dragging her brother by the hand.

    Eve and the rest of the teenagers were a few dozen meters ahead and dealing with the zombies that had been attracted by the noise.

    "Go¡­. go¡­ go away¡­" Eve growled inhumanly as her fingernails were transformed into ck ws.

    She brutally tore open the throats of the zombies in her path and ck blood sttered all over her jacket.

    Qin Lan turned around to get a final look at the mansion that had now been overrun by thick green vines that squirmed and wriggled with snake-like movements.

    Fortunately, the vines could not extend very far so they didn''t need to worry about being dragged back into that death trap.

    Qin Lan could faintly make out humanoid shadows standing near the windows of several mansions along the street.

    Whether their upants were humans or zombies was impossible to tell but she could feel numerous eyes staring at them.

    "Eve look out behind you!" Qin Lan shouted as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her handgun.

    Bang!

    A single shot prated the forehead of the zombie that jumped down from a nearby streetlight.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brow as she realised that the zombie had somehow managed to climb up the steel structure andy in wait for an ambush.

    They were slowly evolving and getting more intelligent¡­

    Fuck! That was not good!

    Qin Lan could feel her brother''s hand slightly trembling, so she squeezed it reassuringly.

    Her brother may not be very brave, but Qin Lan was not about to abandon her only family member.

    "Come in here!" a voice suddenly shouted from a mansion across the road. A door was opened, and a middle-aged woman gestured for them to run inside.

    She wore an expensive white fur coat and had a gold ring on each finger. It was an untasteful disy of wealth, but Qin Lan was grateful for her kind offer.

    Still, one could not help but be a bit cautious during the apocalypse, so Qin Lan knew that she needed to politely decline.

    "It''s okay! We have a van! If you have a car, I would rmend that you leave the city as soon as possible," Qin Lan shouted in reply.

    A thoughtful expression shed across the middle-aged woman''s face, and she closed the door after seeing the group approach arge red van.

    Qin Lan got into the driver''s seat and was joined by Eve who kept looking at the zombies in the distance.

    "Everyone okay? I think we might have to cancel trying to find a ce to sleep tonight so try to get some rest," Qin Lan exined gently to the frightened teenagers.

    "Yeah¡­ yeah¡­ I''m okay¡­" Chen Xiao replied with a tremor in his voice.

    Liu Yifei and Liu Tao nodded as well but Gong Li and Qin Wei remained silent.

    Qin Wei had his hand in his pocket and kept staring off into the distance while Gong Li kept trying to peak at Liu Yifei without getting caught.

    The young girl kept opening her mouth as if to say something to her friend, but no words managed toe out.

    Eventually she lowered her head and tried to go to sleep.

    What she saw while she was under the nt''s influence would remain hidden in her heart.

    Qin Lan observed that everyone was in a bit of a low mood but there really wasn''t anything that she could do about it.

    "Eve¡­ let me see your hands," Qin Lan whispered softly as she reached down to pick up the packet of wet tissues on the bottom of her seat.

    She gently held Eve''s hands and wiped off the dirt and ck blood that stained her delicate fingertips.

    Qin Lan worked very seriously to make sure that not a single speck of blood remained on Eve''s white hands.

    Her hair fell across her face, so Eve reached out and carefully brushed the loose strand of hair to the side.

    Two pairs of eyes met, and Qin Lan was forced to look away before the blush could be seen on her face.

    Eve''s confession was still fresh in her mind but unfortunately now was neither the time nor ce to talk about their rtionship.

    The zombie empress stared at her cute human andughed softly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She yfully grabbed Qin Lan''s hand and squeezed it twice before letting it go.

    Qin Lan nervously trembled and Eve had to resist the urge to lean in closer and kiss her right on the lips.

    "Are we going to go yet?" Qin Wei''s voice interrupted the sweet moment.

    He stared out of the window and ran his fingers over the cold surface of the crystals in his pocket.

    "Sorry¡­ just had to make sure that the route was correct," Qin Lan offered a half-hearted exnation as she plugged the key into the ignition port.

    Eve frowned at the annoying human and her eyes briefly lingered on Qin Wei''s pockets. She could sense what was hidden inside but did not say anything.

    Qin Lan started up the van and began to drive the vehicle along the road and towards a northeastern direction.

    There was a street that led directly out of the capitol city, but it was a solid ten-kilometer distance away.

    Liu Yifei touched the tattered pendant around her neck and a few protein bars dropped into her hands.

    She passed them around the van and got a few grateful looks from her fellow ssmates.

    Qin Wei in particr stared at her for a bit longer than she wasfortable with but Liu Yifei tried her best to ignore him.

    It was not that she hated him to core¡­.

    It was just that there was a trace of resentment in her heart for his inaction when the gang grabbed her in the supermarket.

    All those flowery words and promises¡­ didn''t mean shit.

    Liu Yifei let out a heavy sigh and leaned against Gong Li who stiffened up immediately as if she had just been electrified.

    "You''ve been pretty quiet¡­ everything okay?" Liu Yifei asked quietly.

    "Yeah! I''m great! You''re great! I mean¡­ um¡­" Gong Li stuttered as certain images shed across her mind.

    Liu Yifei raised an eyebrow since she didn''t know why her friend was acting so strange.

    Maybe she saw something in the illusions?

    Liu Yifei thought back to what she saw in the mansion and a warm smile surfaced on her face.

    She had seen a vision of her family standing in the middle of the room with their arms outstretched waiting to be reunited in a big group hug.

    What had given the illusion away was that the vision included her grandparents smiling at her, but they had both passed away a few years ago.

    Still¡­ it was good to see their faces onest time¡­

    Qin Lan gripped the steering wheel and turned left to avoid a zombie that ran directly at their vehicle on all fours like a dog.

    A low pressure surrounded Eve''s body and the vicious zombie froze in ce for a moment as if someone had paused his movements.

    Qin Lan didn''t notice the strange sight since she was concentrating on manoeuvring around the abandoned cars that were scattered across the road.

    She could see zombies inside some of the vehicles who kept banging against the ss windows over and over again.

    It was a terrifying sight.

    Especially those empty pitch-ck eyes that contained nothing but hunger and the desire for human flesh.

    "Eve, would you mind reaching into my pocket and washing the crystals for me?" Qin Lan asked casually.

    A mischievous glint surfaced in Eve''s eyes as she reached across and ced her hand inside Qin Lan''s pocket.

    She grabbed the purplish-ck crystals but intentionally used her fingers to brush the upper part of Qin Lan''s right leg.

    Eve stared at the reddish tips of her favourite human''s ears and felt very content.

    She picked up a bottle of water and began to wash away the chunks of flesh on the crystals.

    "So how do they taste?" Liu Tao asked curiously as she leaned in to get a closer look.

    "They don''t taste like anything¡­ but the energy inside¡­ hurts like hell¡­" Qin Lan confessed as she remembered the pain of swallowing the crystals.

    "It feels like needles tearing through every part of your body¡­. and that''s not the worst part¡­"

    Liu Tao listened in fascination as Qin Lan exined how the crystals made her feel. She was not the only one and a conflicted look shed across Qin Wei''s face.

    He began to feel a bit hesitant about his n but as he spotted Liu Yifei''s sleeping body in the corner of his vision¡­

    He was filled with determination.

 Chapter 88 Zombie Empress (19)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Eastern District- Xia''s Gas Station)

    Qin Lan crouched down behind a car as she slowly approached a female zombie that was feasting on a dead body.

    The zombie could not have been older than twenty before it was transformed and now it was nothing but a mindless beast.

    Disgusting chewing sounds filled the air as the monster tore into the flesh of the dposing body and began to consume chunks of meat.

    Qin Lan tightly gripped her knife and bent her knees in preparation.

    In one smooth motion, she leapt up from behind the car and stabbed at the zombie''s neck.

    Her de easily prated its flesh and the zombie''s head was decapitated from its body. Qin Lan stepped on the still blinking head and crushed it using her right foot.

    She let out a heavy sigh of relief before bending down to collect the purplish-ck crystal that glowed eerily in the darkness.

    "Eve did you kill the rest?" Qin Lan softly called out as she stared at the woman ying with her fingernails in the distance.

    "Yeah¡­ there are no more¡­" Eve replied absentmindedly.

    The zombie empress shook her hand twice to get rid of the ck blood that was sticking to her palm.

    "Okay I''ll get the boys first then the girls¡­. just keep an eye on things here and let me know if something goes wrong," Qin Lan spoke softly.

    "Stay¡­ safe, okay? Don''t take any risks¡­"

    Eve nodded in acknowledgement and began to scan the nearby surroundings for any potential threats.

    This gas station was in the middle of a somewhat underpopted area of the city so there weren''t many zombies around.

    The reason why they had stopped was quite simple, everyone needed a small break to go to the bathroom.

    Yep, just because an apocalypse happened didn''t mean that people were suddenly free of their bodily functions.

    At least it was fortunate that they had found this abandoned gas station otherwise the only other alternative would be to go on the side of the road or break into someone''s house.

    Qin Lan walked over to the parked van and opened the door. She waved her hand and gestured for the boys to get out.

    "Alright so just to repeat myself¡­ Chen Xiao and Qin Wei¡­ you are both going to the bathroom first and I will apany you and stand guard outside," Qin Lan exined calmly.

    "Take some water to wash your hands and use the toilet paper that Liu Yifei has in her storage space.''

    "Don''t worry¡­ I will make sure that nothing happens but please be quick so that the girls can get their turn¡­"

    "Got it," Chen Xiao replied seriously as his hands trembled slightly.

    ? He was putting on a brave act but the thought of going outside did scare him a little bit.

    "Sure," Qin Wei replied bluntly as he walked out of the van holding two bottles of water.

    Qin Lan opened her mouth to remind him that one was probably enough but eventually changed her mind.

    Maybe it was a number two situation¡­

    She nodded at the girls and then closed the door once the boys had left the van.

    She made sure that it was properly locked and then smiled at Gong Li who was still trying her best not to blush as she whispered something to Liu Yifei.

    Clearly her brother had somepetition!

    "This way¡­" Qin Lan muttered quietly as she pointed at a certain direction and then walked forward.

    Chen Xiao and Qin Wei followed closely behind as she headed towards the back of the gas station where there were severalrge porta- potties.

    These wererge blue containers with a small toilet inside, clearly the owner was a bit cheap or perhaps he died early but there was a very unpleasant scent lingering in the air.

    Qin Lan hesitantly grabbed one of the handles and pulled slowly.

    The door swung open to reveal and a bare bones toilet with a small sink in the corner of the container.

    "Go ahead¡­ I''ll be standing outside," Qin Lan spoke gently as she moved away and tried her best not to gag.

    The foul scent was even worse up close. There were really few things more disgusting in life than gas station bathrooms¡­

    "Is this really the only option?" Qin Weiined as he held his nose and backed away from the open porta-potty.

    "I''m afraid so¡­ but if you think you got it rough¡­ us girls have it even worse¡­" Qin Lan replied grimly as her brows furrowed.

    Chen Xiao stepped into the mobile toilet and closed the door behind him.

    Qin Wei fiddled with something in his pocket before opening up another porta-potty and stepping inside.

    Qin Lan moved a short distance away to give the boys some privacy and looked up at the night sky.

    It was filled with thousands of beautiful stars blinking and winking in and out of existence.

    This was her second world and even though she could not remember her first assignment¡­<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan wondered if she had spent any time in herst life appreciating just how lucky she was.

    Even if she failed her mission and was sent back to the white void, just meeting Eve would be a blessing that made this experience worth it.

    Once they got to safety¡­. Qin Lan nned to have a long chat with the beautiful girl and confess her true feelings.

    Life was too short not to go for the wonderful opportunity that was there for the taking.

    A small smile shed across Qin Lan''s lips as she stared off into the distance with a bright future on her mind.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Inside the Portal Toilet)

    Qin Wei nervously unscrewed the cap off the bottle of water in his hand. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the purplish- ck crystal.

    The crystal shone with an almost hypnotic light and Qin Wei could not help but be attracted by how beautiful it was.

    In the confined space all he could hear were the sounds of his heart beating steadily as nervous thoughts surfaced in his mind.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Qin Wei''s fingers stroked the surface of the crystal which felt cold to touch.

    His eyes were fixated on the crystal and his body shifted from side to side as he continued to hesitate.

    Was this a mistake?

    Qin Wei frowned slightly as he remembered his sister''s words not to ingest the crystals unless he felt a warm fuzzy feeling in his chest.

    No¡­ she was definitely lying!

    Qin Lan didn''t want him to develop a supernatural ability and the reason was quite simple in Qin Wei''s mind.

    She was clearly afraid that he would obtain a more powerful gift than hers!

    Who did she think she was? Why was she always so selfish?

    Qin Wei''s eyes narrowed as he felt rage bubbling up in his heart. He tilted the water bottle downwards and washed the crystal carefully.

    He used the bottom of his shirt to wipe away the bits of pinkish flesh and dried blood covering the crystal''s outer surface.

    The handsome young teenager mustered up all the courage in his heart and quickly tossed the crystal in his mouth and swallowed before he could change his mind.

    "Ahhhhh! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Qin Wei shrieked in pain as he felt as though his body was being torn apart from the inside.

    He crouched down on the floor and held his sides as the urge to vomit got stronger and stronger.

    Qin Wei couldn''t even scream anymore as only a dull moaning sound left his lips.

    He trembled like a leaf and his body convulsed like he was going into shock.

    Time seemed to slow down to a crawl. Minutes or maybe even hours passed as Qin Wei tried his best not to pass out.

    He could hear the sound of frantic knocking on the door and soon a familiar voice came from the outside.

    "Are you okay? What was that noise?" Qin Lan asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "I¡­ I''m fine¡­ just¡­ have¡­ a bit of¡­ constipation¡­" Qin Wei managed to yell with great effort as he dug his fingernails into his palm to keep from screaming.

    "Oh¡­ I''m sorry bro¡­" Qin Lan apologised politely.

    Qin Wei heard her footsteps moving away from the door and finally rxed.

    The pain had now turned into a dull ache, and it felt as though he had just been run over by a truck.

    It hurt to move¡­

    Qin Wei gradually got up from the ground once his body had partially recovered and stretched out his arms curiously.

    He could not feel any warm or fuzzy feeling in chest nor any unpleasant side effects from ingesting the crystal.

    Was it a failure?

    Qin Wei mmed his fist against the side of the portable toilet in rage and was amazed to see that ayer of frost appeared where his hand had just punched.

    "I¡­ I have an ability¡­ I HAVE AN ABILITY!" Qin Weiughed madly as he focused his mind and theyer of ice got thicker.

    He didn''t notice at the time but the corner of one of his eyes was slowly turning ck¡­

 Chapter 89 Zombie Empress (20)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Eastern District- Xia''s Gas Station)

    Knock! Knock!

    Qin Lan mmed her fist against the door of the portable toilet as she heard what sounded like a loud crashing noise.

    What had happened to her brother?

    Themotion had drawn the attention of Eve who walked over and ced a warm hand on Qin Lan''s shoulder.

    "Qin Wei! Open the door! What is going on?!" Qin Lan shouted nervously as she gripped the handle and prepared to rip the door open.

    Eve growled softly as she sniffed the air twice and a strange expression shed across her face.

    Why did the annoying human suddenly smell like her brethren?

    No¡­ he¡­ that wasn''t correct¡­ his scent¡­ was¡­ wrong¡­

    Eve''s eyes narrowed and her fingernails gradually extended outwards until they formed ck ws.

    Chen Xiao heard the noisesing from outside and hurriedly opened the door with his hands still dripping with water.

    "Rx sister¡­" a joyful voice came from the other side of the portal toilet and the door swung open slowly.

    Qin Wei stepped outside with a joyful grin on his face.

    The temperature around his body plummeted and one could see frost begin to form on the ground near his feet.

    "I got an ability!" Qin Wei proudly spoke as he stretched out his palm and pointed it at a nearby wall.

    Thick chunks of ice burst out from his fingertips and flew towards the wall where they prated at least five inches into the concrete.

    "Amazing¡­" Chen Xiao whistled in appreciation as he stared at the shards of ice.

    "Wow! Congrattions!" Qin Lan eximed happily as she stretched out her arms and pulled her brother into a tight hug.

    It was great news that he had developed an ability because that meant that she could begin to teach him some fighting skills.

    Qin Wei''s smile faltered for a moment and his body stiffened up.

    He didn''t know why but he was suddenly struck with the urge to bite into his sister''s shoulder and tear off a chunk of meat...

    Eve hoarsely growled and the strange feeling inside Qin Wei''s mind vanished as soon as it appeared.

    Qin Lan didn''t notice her brother''s strangeness as she tightened the hug and tried to be as supportive as possible.

    "It''s a bitte now but we can do some training tomorrow and I can show you how to clean the crystals properly and how to deal with the pain," Qin Lan whispered excitedly.

    "This is fantastic! I''m so happy for you!"

    Qin Wei looked down at his sister and saw that her emotions were clearly disyed on her face with no falsehoods.

    She appeared to be genuinely happy that he had developed a gift¡­

    Qin Wei''s arms lifted up for a brief moment as if he was going to return the hug, but they eventually dropped down.

    No¡­ she lied about the crystals¡­ she was clearly putting on another act.

    The warm feeling in Qin Wei''s chest disappeared and he felt a sh of hatred as he gazed at his hypocritical big sister.

    He didn''t realise that Eve was staring directly at him and if looks could kill¡­ he would already be six feet under the ground.

    Eve stepped forward and pulled Qin Lan away from her brother beforezily wrapping her arms around her favourite human.

    "He smells¡­ weird¡­" Eve whispered softly in Qin Lan''s ear in a low tone that no one else in the group could hear.

    "He smells¡­ like¡­ zombies¡­ but¡­ not quite¡­"

    Eve''s cryptic words echoed through Qin Lan''s mind, but she didn''t understand what the beautiful woman meant.

    Qin Wei aside from the ice that was forming on his fingertips looked exactly the same and he did not appear to have been bitten by any zombies.

    Plus, those who possessed abilities had a certain immunity to the virus.

    Qin Lan frowned as one of the blurry memories from the original Qin Lan suddenly became clear.

    She was standing in the middle of a crowd who were staring at a young man on a raised tform.

    The young man kept consuming crystals one after the other and his eyes gradually turned a pitch-ck colour.

    "Do you see that fool?" a feminine voice whispered from behind the original Qin Lan.

    "No ability in the world is worth the price that one has to pay¡­ What is the point of having power if you eventually turn into a mindless beast?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan stumbled as the memory faded away but fortunately Eve''s tight grip on her shoulders prevented her from falling down.

    She didn''t know who the mysterious voice belonged to, but it was oddly familiar as if she had heard it somewhere before¡­

    "I''m fine Eve," Qin Lan whispered softly as she saw the concerned expression on the beautiful woman''s face.

    She didn''t know why the original Qin Lan was slowly feeding her memories of her past life, but everything so far had been shown for a reason.

    Swallowing crystals? ck eyes?

    "Qin Wei¡­ can youe here for a moment?" Qin Lan spoke in amanding tone of voice.

    She could feel a warm and fuzzy feeling rise up in her chest and she knew that her unknown ability had just activated.

    Maybe it was triggered by her emotions?

    Qin Wei opened his mouth to refuse but his pupils quickly dted, and he was struck with the urge to follow his sister''smands.

    He walked over and stood only a few meters away.

    Qin Lan raised up her head and stared into her brother''s eyes, searching for a trace of darkness.

    There was nothing.

    She let out a heavy sigh of relief and shook her head to clear the distracting thoughts from her mind.

    No¡­ she was clearly overthinking things¡­

    Qin Wei blinked twice and looked around in confusion as if he didn''t know why he had just obeyed his sister so easily.

    "Okay¡­ let''s head back to the van and then I''ll take the girls to use the bathroom before we continue on our journey," Qin Lan exined calmly.

    "No¡­ I can protect them now," Qin Wei proudly stated as he waved his hands around. The ice coating his fingertips got thicker as if responding to his mood.

    "Trust me little bro¡­ thedies will need some privacy. Do you want to annoy Liu Yifei?" Qin Lan teased mischievously as she waggled her eyebrows.

    Qin Wei scowled at his sister''s light-hearted words and the killing intent in his mind got a bit stronger.

    "Alright if you want then I''ll head to the van with Chen Xiao and you can stay here with Eve to make sure no zombies wander over," Qin Lan suggested nicely.

    She gestured for Chen Xiao to follow her, and the ss monitor obediently nodded.

    The van was on the other side of the gas station, so Qin Lan and Chen Xiao had to go around the corner and they soon vanished from view.

    There was an awkward moment of silence between Eve and Qin Wei as neither said a single word to break the tense atmosphere.

    Qin Wei stared off into the distance and a few dark thoughts surfaced in his mind.

    Ever since he had consumed that crystal¡­ it was like something was whispering to him¡­

    He could be stronger¡­ he would develop this gift¡­ and no one would be able to stop him¡­

    Why did he need to settle for just Liu Yifei?

    There were hundreds of women avable, and they would all willingly choose to give up their bodies for protection¡­

    As for his sister¡­

    Now wasn''t the time¡­ but soon¡­ he would put that bitch in her ce¡­

    "I''ll kill her¡­ I''ll kill her¡­ I''ll kill her¡­" quiet words were spoken under Qin Wei''s breath as he stared in the direction where Qin Lan had gone.

    Qin Wei might have thought that he had hidden his murderous intentions, but someone had already noticed his killing intent.

    Eve rushed forward and she startled the young teenager who was shocked by her sudden movements.

    "You¡­ arghh!" Qin Wei''s words were cut off as Eve''s right hand roughly grabbed his neck and began to squeeze.

    The beautiful woman stared at the annoying human with a cold expression.

    She lifted Qin Wei''s body off the ground until his feet were dangling helplessly in the air.

    "Hurt her? You?" Eve growled inhumanly as her eyes shifted to pitch-ck.

    "You dare? What¡­ what gave you the courage?"

    Eve''s healthy wheat coloured skin gradually turned pale and sickly, and her eyes sunk into their sockets.

    An aura of death and decay surrounded her body as if she was a demon that crawled out of hell.

    "What? Monster! You''re¡­ a monster¡­" Qin Wei cried out in fear as he saw Eve''s horrific new form.

 Chapter 90 Zombie Empress (21)

    Monster?

    A twisted smiled spread across Eve''s face as she watched Qin Wei continue to squirm frantically, but he could not break out of her grip.

    Yes¡­ she was a monster¡­

    Eve''s pitch- ck eyes stared at the young teenager whose face was already beginning to turn red.

    He struggled to breathe as Eve''s grip only got tighter around his neck.

    The urge to kill was getting stronger and saliva began to drip down from the sides of Eve''s open mouth.

    "Did you really think that you could threaten her?" Eve growled in rage as her body responded to her dark urges.

    Should she kill him?

    Eve was conflicted because she knew that this boy was important to her favourite human and yet¡­ he was a threat.

    The zombie empress furrowed her brows and remained frozen in ce as she could not decide what to do next.

    She gradually loosened her grip and Qin Wei was finally able to take in a few deep breaths before yelling out at the top of his lungs.

    "Help! Help me!" Qin Wei screamed loudly.

    Eve hurriedly moved to pinch his throat but now it was toote.

    Qin Wei''s shout echoed through the night and was heard by his sister who wasing around the corner with the girls.

    Qin Lan''s heart dropped as she heard her brother''s cry for help. She needed to protect him since he was the subject of the original Qin Lan''s wish.

    Damn it! What had happened?

    "Girls¡­ I''m going to need you to run back to the van now and lock the door," Qin Lan ordered calmly as she took out the pistol from her holster.

    Gong Li nodded and hurriedly dragged away Liu Yifei by the hand while Liu Tao followed closely behind.

    Fortunately, the van was only a few hundred meters away, so the girls were able to reach the vehicle quite quickly.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh of relief and immediately ran towards the direction of the sound.

    She felt the cold hard metal of the handgun in her palm and her thoughts gradually calmed down.

    It would be fine¡­

    Eve was there¡­ nothing would happen.

    Eve had proven herself to be one of the strongest ability users that Qin Lan had seen so far and should have no trouble dealing with any threats in the early stages of the apocalypse.

    Qin Lan turned around the corner and saw what could only be described as the scene of a nightmare.

    Her brother was being held up by the throat at the hands of an abomination.

    The creature was vaguely humanoid with a slender skeletal-like frame.

    Its skin was a pale and sickly colour, and its pitch-ck eyes were sunk into its sockets.

    Its fingernails were long ck ws that dug into the sides of Qin Wei''s neck and left blood marks that looked incredibly painful.

    Was that mutant zombie?

    They weren''t supposed to appear already!

    The clothes that the zombie wore were vaguely familiar but the only thought on Qin Lan''s mind was her brother''s safety.

    Qin Lan raised up her pistol and fired two shots at the zombie''s back in order to distract it.

    Bang! Bang!

    One of the bullets urately hit the monster''s right shoulder while the other prated its stomach.

    The zombie staggered and Qin Lan seized the opportunity by dashing forward towards the injured creature.

    She crouched down to lower her center of gravity and kicked at the zombie''s legs in order to knock it off bnce.

    The creature let go of her brother and jumped away so that Qin Lan''s attack passed a mere few inches away from where it had just been standing.

    It growled in pain and clutched its stomach.

    ck blood dripped to the ground and Qin Lan''s hand that was raised to fire off another round of bullets¡­ suddenly trembled.

    Why did her heart hurt when she saw the creature''s injuries?

    Qin Wei was nearly unconscious, but he opened his mouth and was barely able to say a few words before his vision faded away to darkness.

    "Sister¡­ save me¡­ that''s¡­ that''s¡­ Eve..." Qin Wei hoarsely muttered before he closed his eyes and his body slumped to the ground.

    "Eve?" Qin Lan asked in disbelief.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The zombie raised its head and now its facial features could clearly be seen under the moonlight.

    It was impossible not to notice the vague simrity between that sunken face and Eve''s usually beautiful appearance.

    "What? What is going on?" Qin Lan stuttered as she hurriedly ran over.

    Her body moved faster than her mind could react, and she quickly reached Eve''s side.

    She pulled out a handkerchief out of her pocket and began to press it against the wound on Eve''s stomach that had now stopped bleeding.

    "Eve? Is that you?" Qin Lan hesitantly asked as she reached out with one hand to stroke the side of Eve''s cheek.

    The zombie empress flinched as she saw the concerned and questioning look in Qin Lan''s eyes.

    She never wanted to reveal her true form¡­

    How could she show her favourite human just how ugly she really was?

    Self- hatred surfaced in Eve''s heart as she looked down at her hands and saw their twisted and deformed appearance.

    No¡­ that young human and the other scientists were right¡­

    She was a monster.

    Her favourite human belonged with her own kind who would look after her better than a monster like her.

    "Talk to me¡­ tell me¡­" Qin Lan continued to beg helplessly but her words had now be background noise in Eve''s mind.

    Eve gently shoved Qin Lan away with enough force that she was sent stumbling back a few feet.

    "He wanted¡­ wanted to kill you¡­" Eve exined but her voice was hoarse and guttural.

    She opened her mouth to say more but the confused expression on Qin Lan''s face made the words die down in her throat.

    No¡­ Why would she believe a monster?

    All she could do now¡­ was to remove the threat and leave¡­

    For the first time, Eve used her enhanced speed in front of Qin Lan and her figure blurred and vanished from the spot.

    There was no more hesitation in her mind as she reappeared next to Qin Wei''s unconscious body and stabbed down using her ws.

    Eve punched a hole in Qin Wei''s chest and ignored the horrified cry that left Qin Lan''s mouth.

    How did she feel as she watched her only brother die at the hands of the woman who imed to love her?

    Eve did not even dare to think about it.

    The zombie empress didn''t turn around¡­ she couldn''t bear to see Qin Lan''s reaction or the expression of hatred that must be on her face.

    Eve''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot as she ran away using all of the strength that she could muster.

    "Eve! Why?!" Qin Lan shouted in confusion but received no reply.

    She rushed over to her brother''s body and ced two fingers against his neck.

    Nothing.

    He was dead.

    She had failed her task.

    Qin Lan bent over and vomited as she felt sick to her core.

    She didn''t understand what had just happened and her mind kept reying over and over the moment when Eve had killed her brother.

    Eve was a mutant zombie¡­

    Eve had murdered her brother¡­ Eve had killed him¡­ he was dead¡­

    "Eve¡­Why? Why? Why?" Qin Lan muttered quietly like a broken record as her thoughts were in a mess.

    She could vaguely recall wiping the sides of her mouth and walking towards the van in a semi-dazed state.

    Qin Lan was unable to deal with her brother''s lifeless corpse and just left him there. She took one final look at his body and the urge to vomit resurfaced.

    She headed towards the red van parked in the front of the gas station with tears threatening to fall out of her eyes.

    Qin Lan saw herself open the van door and sit down in the driver''s seat. She leaned back against the seat with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    Liu Yifei tried to ask her something, but Qin Lan''s continued to stare aimlessly out of the window.

    She was a broken woman.

 Chapter 91 Zombie Empress (22)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Eastern District- Xia''s Gas Station)

    Qin Lan sat motionless behind the driver''s wheel as she stared out of the window with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    It was her fault.

    She was the one who picked up Eve and now¡­ her brother was dead.

    He was dead because of her poor judgement and decision making.

    And the worse part was that somehow despite everything that Eve had done¡­

    Qin Lan could not bring herself to hate her.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as her fingers tightly curled up into a fist. She was filled with a mixture of rage, sadness, and helplessness.

    Technically she had already fulfilled the original Qin Lan''s request by finding her brother, but this brought littlefort to Qin Lan''s mental state.

    The young woman closed her eyes in pain and gently let out a heavy sigh. She reopened her eyes and stared at the road in front of her.

    No¡­ she needed to drive.

    She needed to do something to get these dark thoughts out of her mind.

    Qin Lan pushed her key into the ignition port and the van shuddered to life. She flicked on the light switches and then used the gear stick to shift into drive.

    She pressed her foot against the eleration pedal and the van began to move forward along the road.

    "Um¡­ are we going ahead of Qin Wei and Eve?" Liu Tao''s hesitant voice echoed through the van.

    "They''re dead," Qin Lan coldly responded as she struggled to get her emotions under control.

    "What?!" Chen Xiao cried out in shock.

    "What happened? Was there a zombie ambush?"

    Eve''s impressive strength was clearly imprinted in the minds of the young teenagers and Chen Xiao had just seen Qin Wei''s new ability.

    Qin Lan''s fingers trembled as she kept driving in silence.

    Chen Xiao''s question hung in the air as she took in a few deep breaths in order to calm down.

    "There was a mutant zombie¡­ it was stronger and faster¡­ when I came¡­ it was toote¡­" Qin Lan finally spoke with gritted teeth.

    Why? Why was she lying?

    She should tell them that Eve was a monster who killed her brother and yet something kept preventing her from telling them the truth.

    "Are¡­ are¡­ you okay?" Liu Yifei asked with concern as she stretched out her hand and ced it on Qin Lan''s shoulder.

    Qin Lan shuddered and threw the warm hand off before realising what she had just done. That warm feeling reminded her of when Eve used to yfully grab her shoulder.

    A hurt expression shed across Liu Yifei''s face and Qin Lan clearly saw it in the mirror.

    Great¡­ now she was taking it out on the kids.

    She was such a piece of shit¡­

    "I''m sorry¡­ I¡­ I just need some time alone¡­" Qin Lan apologised sincerely.

    She needed to sort out her emotions and now wasn''t the best time to talk to anyone.

    Liu Yifei nodded in understanding and curled up next to Gong Li who wrapped her arms around her friend''s back.

    Qin Lan saw their movements in the mirror and the pain in her heart deepened as if someone had shattered it.

    She focused on the road and pulled up her phone that still had around thirty percent of battery life left.

    There was a major road leading out of the city towards the neighbouring rural province and it was only five kilometers away.

    With any luck, they would be able to leave the city tonight and then start a new life amidst this harsh reality.

    She needed to train the teenagers how to fight¡­ especially Liu Yifei.

    Plenty of bases would eventually target spatial storage users and Qin Lan knew that some would attempt to gain them by force.

    The utility that they provided was an invaluable resource in such a dangerous world.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan tilted the steering wheel to the left and narrowly avoided arge, overturned truck that was blocking most of the road.

    Unfortunately, this part of the city was quite densely popted, so Qin Lan saw numerous zombies slowly walking over from the distance.

    They were attracted by the noise of the van.

    Men, women, the young and the old were now nothing more than mindless beasts.

    Some zombies were missing limbs and had to drag themselves on the ground while others were rtively undamaged.

    A few in the crowd had eyes that seemed to contain a trace of human intelligence despite their monstrous appearances.

    "I''ll deal with them¡­ stay in the van¡­" Qin Lan quietly whispered as she held a knife in each hand and opened the door.

    She stepped outside and felt the cool nighttime air brush against her skin.

    Countless stars twinkled brightly in the sky above as if thousands of gods were watching her struggle to survive.

    A few hundred meters away, a vague humanoid shadow could be seen hiding behind a nearby building.

    Qin Lan didn''t notice the creature''s gaze since the zombie empress hid her presence and did not make a sound.

    The leading zombie who looked like a little girl sniffed the air twice and then rushed towards Qin Lan with a hungry gleam in her eyes.

    Qin Lan''s body moved automatically, and she sliced through the zombie''s neck without hesitation or remorse.

    She had an enhanced physique thanks to upgrading her unknown ability and somehow Qin Lan''s body moved as though she had spent decades inbat.

    The zombies growled and their unpleasant sounds echoed through the hellish city, but Qin Lan was unmoved.

    She began her dance of death.

    With de in hand Qin Lan was a brutalbatant on the battlefield.

    Her moves were minimal and without grace. She chopped, kicked, and ughtered any zombie that came within her reach.

    Whenever she got tired, she would pop one of the cleaned crystals in her mouth and the warm fuzzy feeling in her chest would chase away the traces of exhaustion.

    Of course, her body would scream out in agony but like a robot Qin Lan continued her massacre as if the pain did not exist.

    Her jacket became covered in ck blood as she killed¡­

    Then killed¡­

    Then killed again.

    Qin Lan only stopped when thest zombiey motionless on the ground. She was now surrounded by the remains of dozens of what were former humans.

    She unsteadily walked towards the nearest body and began to long process of rummaging through the creatures'' heads to find the purplish- ck crystals.

    They still needed to get out of the city, so Qin Lan only picked up most of the crystals before leaving the rest behind.

    She took off her jacket and tossed it in a random direction. The scent of blood and rotten flesh still lingered around her body.

    Qin Lan opened the van door and entered inside the vehicle without a word. She handed over the bloodied crystals to Liu Yifei and gave her some simple instructions.

    "Wash the crystals carefully and then take one. Tell me how your body is feeling and then take another," Qin Lan spoke calmly.

    She picked up a bottle of water tucked away inside the passenger''spartment and washed her hands clean.

    Liu Yifei carefully washed the crystals and then popped one in her mouth. She doubled over in pain and her body trembled.

    Gong Li hurriedly leaned over to make sure that she was alright, but Liu Yifei could only grunt painfully as it hurt to even breathe.

    Qin Lan started up the van and checked the map to make sure that she was going in the right direction.

    Okay¡­ just go straight¡­ then two lefts¡­

    The van slowly moved along the road and vanished off into the distance.

    None of the passengers inside the van saw the humanoid figure who walked over to Qin Lan''s discarded jacket and held it tightly in her hand.

    Eve prepared to follow them again, but an unexpected scent caught her attention.

    She sniffed the air twice to make sure that she was not mistaken but¡­ no¡­ that was¡­ impossible¡­

    Eve turned her head towards a certain direction and a confused expression shed across her face.

 Chapter 92 Zombie Empress (23)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outer Region- St. Cheng''s Highway)

    Qin Lan leaned against the driver''s seat and stared out of the window.

    The van was now approaching a major roadwork that led out of the city and in roughly ten minutes they should arrive at their destination.

    None of the teenagers were asleep in the back of the van since they all had numerous thoughts running through their minds.

    Death was amon urrence in an apocalypse, but it was one thing to know that fact and another to experience it firsthand.

    Eve''s beautiful face kept shing across Qin Lan''s mind, but she furrowed her brows and tried her best to push those distracting thoughts away.

    No¡­ she was gone.

    There was no use trying to think about what had happened¡­

    She needed to move on¡­ find a ce for these kids to survive¡­

    And then¡­ spend the rest of her life trying to atone for failing to protect her brother¡­

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as she curled up her fingers into a tight fist. She was tired and feeling exhausted.

    But it wasn''t safe yet.

    Qin Lan drank some water and sshed some on her face in order to keep herself awake.

    She turned the steering wheel to avoid the overturned cars on the road and eventually arge red bridge came into view.

    "Thank goodness¡­" Qin Lan quietly muttered as she observed that the bridge and saw only a handful of zombies roaming about.

    There was arge pile of cars blocking the middle section of the bridge, but Qin Lan was fairly confident in her strength.

    She would not be able to lift them up with one hand like Eve but with some effort she should be able to drag them slowly to the side of the road.

    Just as Qin Lan was about to step on the eleration pedal, she saw a strange sight in the corner of her vision.

    There was a group of five men in military uniforms crawling out from behind the piled-up cars and engaging with the zombies on the bridge.

    ? The man in the front of the group shouted something and the men immediately raised up their rifles and shot at the zombies that lumbered over.

    Qin Lan stopped the van and watched calmly as the military officers dealt with the slow-moving zombies.

    They were clearly highly trained special forces.

    Each bullet uratelynded on the zombies'' bodies and not a single person seemed to be affected by killing what used to be humans.

    More men crawled out from under the piled-up cars and eventually their numbers reached what Qin Lan could estimate was around twenty to thirty soldiers.

    Quite therge group¡­

    They made quick work of the zombies on the bridge and one of the soldiers gestured towards the van.

    "You in the van! Come out with your hands up or we will shoot!" a gruff middle-aged man yelled loudly.

    Qin Lan frowned as she saw a few of the soldiers point their guns in her direction.

    She wasn''t sure if the bullets could reach her vehicle from that distance but the faint glint of a sniper rifle behind one of the cars convinced her not to take the chance.

    "Guys¡­ stay inside the car¡­ and duck down¡­" Qin Lan coldly spoke as she raised a finger to her lips.

    Liu Yifei, Gong Li, and the rest nodded in acknowledgement which made Qin Lan breathe a sigh of relief.

    She opened the van door and stepped outside with her hands up.

    The gruff middle-aged man walked over and was apanied by a squad of five soldiers who each had tense looks on their faces.

    It took them around ten minutes to arrive and during that time Qin Lan had already made a n in her mind.

    "State your purpose," the middle-aged officermanded in a firm tone.

    He made a hand gesture and one of the men walked towards the window to take a look inside the van.

    "There is no need for that¡­" Qin Lan politely spoke.

    She fidgeted ufortably as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest suddenly intensify as the words flowed out of her mouth.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Eastern District- Xia''s Gas Station)

    Eve sniffed the air twice and slowly walked out of the shadows. That familiar scent¡­ it reminded her of the annoying human who she had killed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    But¡­ wasn''t he dead?

    No¡­ wait¡­

    Eve''s brows furrowed as she remembered the faint tangy scent of her brethren that lingered around that annoying human''s body.

    The zombie empress growled hoarsely as her pitch-ck eyes scanned the nearby surroundings for any threats.

    Something was wrong¡­

    The gas station appeared exactly the same as it did several hours prior and yet she could sense a few eyes in the dark staring at her.

    Or perhaps it was just her imagination¡­

    Eve walked around the front of the gas station and headed towards the portable toilets where she had left Qin Wei''s corpse.

    She would asionally stop and sniff the air to make sure that the scent was stilling from the area.

    The zombie empress finally arrived where she had killed Qin Wei and a look of confusion shed across her face.

    The body was gone¡­

    What was strange was that the only trace of the corpse that remained were the bloodstains on the ground.

    All the chunks of flesh that had left Qin Wei''s body when Eve had punched a hole through his stomach had seemingly disappeared.

    "What?" Eve muttered quietly as she inspected the scene for any clues but found nothing.

    The scent trail ended here.

    And to add to the mystery¡­ she could faintly smell that a human had been here¡­ no¡­ it smelled¡­ almost like her own scent¡­

    As Eve stepped forward, she felt a hard metallic device beneath her feet.

    The zombie empress barely had any time to react before a loud explosion erupted from the mine.

    BOOM!

    Eve''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. She reappeared several hundred meters away with burnt and ckened skin.

    Her flesh soon knitted itself back together, but Eve''s clothes were nowpletely ruined.

    Fires were scattered around the location where the mine had activated and now both scents were buried under the smoke and ash.

    A trap? But who would ce one?

    "Impressive regeneration¡­ Subject 014¡­" a hoarse guttural voice came from behind her.

    Eve tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided the ck ws that passed mere inches away from her skin.

    "Ahh¡­ too slow¡­" the voice mockinglyughed.

    Eve felt an enormous force m against her ribcage, and she was sent flying towards a nearby wall.

    The concrete wall instantly cracked, and Eve slid to the ground with a sickening thump. She slowly raised up her head and saw¡­

    Someone who looked like her.

    The humanoid creature looking at her with a twisted smile had a skeletal-like frame and pitch-ck eyes that gleamed with cruelty.

    He held up his right hand and the space briefly distorted to form a portal. The creature gritted his teeth as if he was in a tremendous amount of pain.

    He began to cough up ck blood and his body trembled and shivered.

    Yet even in his weakened state, every instinct in Eve''s body was screaming at her to get out of this situation as soon as possible.

    "I¡­ I suppose¡­ I should thank you¡­ I needed¡­ needed¡­ a new¡­ vessel¡­ and¡­ that¡­ boy will do¡­ nicely¡­" the monster snarled with great difficulty.

    He took in a few deep breaths and managed to temporarily suppress the rot that was spreading through his unstable body.

    Subject 014¡­ he could not afford to fight her right now¡­ it would be a pyrrhic victory in the best-case situation.

    Eve watched silently as the creature stepped into the portal and turned around onest time to take a final look at her.

    She recognised that look.

    It was a gaze that still brought up many painful memories from the years she had spent imprisoned in that military base.

    It was the same look that the scientists would have on their faces before they sliced open her body for experimentation.

    "What''s¡­ wrong? Subject 014¡­ oh¡­ I guess¡­ I haven''t introduced¡­ myself," the humanoid creature giggled yfully.

    "They¡­ they¡­ called me¡­"

    "Subject 001."

 Chapter 93 Zombie Empress (24)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outer Regions- St. Cheng''s Highway)

    "There is no need for that¡­" Qin Lan politely spoke as she kept a careful eye on the guns pointed in her direction.

    She fidgeted ufortably as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest suddenly intensify as the words flowed out of her mouth.

    "You should not think that I am a threat¡­ I am just a poor defenseless woman trying to escape the city," Qin Lan whispered softly.

    "Why would you need to check my van? All that is inside are limited supplies¡­ I barely have enough water or food¡­"

    "Please have mercy and escort me to the other side¡­"

    The soldier who was approaching the van to perform the inspection froze in ce as his pupils dted.

    He turned around and walked back towards hismanding officer.

    The middle-aged military officer should have reprimanded him for his insubordination, but Qin Lan''s words had insidiously burrowed into his mind.

    "The military has the responsibility to protect civilians in times of crisis," Qin Lan tried to appeal to their sense of duty.

    "Please¡­ escort me to the other side of the bridge¡­ I do not want any trouble and I have no ns to be hostile."

    All the soldiers whose guns were pointing in Qin Lan''s direction slowly lowered their weapons as their eyes zed over.

    "Yes¡­ we should¡­ escort you¡­" the military officer slowly muttered.

    One of the soldiers in the back of the group looked slightly confused but as the warm and fuzzy feeling in Qin Lan''s chest intensified¡­

    His pupils gradually dted and the fear and doubt that had been guing his mind disappeared in an instant.

    "Yes?" Qin Lan replied in shock.

    She didn''t expect that these military soldiers would be so reasonable and kind!

    Maybe it was because it was still the early days of the apocalypse and societal order had not fully broken down yet.

    "Please get back in your van and we will escort you to the other side of the bridge," the military officer kindly spoke.

    He didn''t know why he suddenly wanted to help this civilian instead of his initial n to kill her and take any valuables left inside her vehicle but¡­

    Somehow what he was doing felt both natural and right as if it was an idea that he hade up with all on his own.

    The officer raised up his hand and made the secret gesture for his troops to stand down. The soldiers in the distance lowered their guns.

    Qin Lan was feeling a bit hesitant since things were going smoother than she anticipated.

    "Thank you for your help¡­ I am grateful that you decided to protect my safety," Qin Lan warmly spoke.

    The soldiers in front of her froze briefly and then bright smiles shed across their faces.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she finally noticed that something was a bit strange.

    Some of the soldiers opened their mouths to reassure the seemingly fragile woman that everything was going to be okay.

    "No problem, ma''am!"

    "We will protect you with our lives!"

    "Don''t worry! We will escort you to the other side of the bridge!"

    Qin Lan nodded in response and hurriedly walked back to the van and sat in the driver''s seat.

    She could not help but recall what had just happened and a confused look surfaced on her face.

    She lightly stepped on the eleration pedal and the van moved forward at a snail''s pace.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The soldiers fell into a fan-shaped formation around her vehicle as they slowly travelled across the bridge.

    asionally the military officer would shout something to the soldiers that they encountered along the way.

    Clearly, he was a man in a high position since none of the soldiers dared to question his orders.

    Eventually they arrived at the middle section of the bridge where dozens of cars were piled up together to form a makeshift barricade.

    "Clear a path! Deng Lun! Get your men to shift some of the cars out of the way!" the military officer ordered loudly.

    "Yes sir!" a handsome man with short hair walked over and saluted. He gestured using his right hand and ten men walked over.

    They slowly began moving some of the cars to the side. Qin Lan sat in the driver''s seat and watched them struggle without nning to go outside and help them.

    Her strength was a hidden card that she wanted to save in case of an emergency.

    The four teenagers in the car were still hiding by keeping their bodies close to the bottom of the seats.

    "We should be leaving soon¡­ just endure for ten more minutes¡­" Qin Lan whispered under the breath.

    She gripped the steering wheel tightly as a strange thought entered her mind.

    Her power¡­ was it something to do with hypnosis?

    Mind control?

    Wait¡­ but then how did the original Qin Lan expect her to kill? No¡­

    The horrifying reality of the original Qin Lan''s first request was finally revealed.

    If she possessed a mind control ability, then she could order people to kill themselves and they would.

    She could manipte people like puppets dancing on strings. Brother would turn against brother with a single word¡­

    Faithful lovers would kill each other with a simple request¡­

    And even darker possibilities¡­

    Qin Lan frowned slightly as her fingers tapped against the side of the steering wheel.

    Of course, this was just her theory, and she would have to do some testing to make sure that her gift was actually mind control.

    And the reality was that in these dangerous times¡­ she could not afford to not use what would be her greatest weapon.

    She just needed to be careful and only use it as ast resort. Qin Lan was notfortable with messing with people''s minds.

    "All done sir!" Lt. Deng shouted loudly as he flipped over a red car with some help from his subordinates.

    Arge van-sized gap had now been opened up in the left side of the barricade and it was justrge enough for Qin Lan''s vehicle to pass through.

    "Thank you¡­ but you do not need to escort me any further," Qin Lan stuck her head out of the window and spoke to the military officer.

    The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest bubbled up and this time she carefully looked at the middle-aged man''s face as she spoke.

    Qin Lan''s eyes widened in shock as she saw the man''s pupils dte as his facial expressions became wooden for a moment.

    "Yes¡­ well I wish you all the best on your journey and please stay safe," the officer replied naturally after the moment had passed.

    Qin Lan hesitantly nodded and drove the van into the gap. The red vehicle gradually got further and further away in the distance until it vanished from sight.

    "Sir! Why did you let them go?" Lt. Deng asked in confusion.

    "Are you questioning my orders?" the middle-aged officer growled fiercely.

    "Clearly someone has too much free time¡­ go and repair the hole that you''ve just made in the barricade!"

 Chapter 94 Zombie Empress (25)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    (Unnamed Private Road)

    "Qin Lan¡­ I think¡­ I think someone is watching us¡­" a soft voice whispered urgently. Qin Lan felt a light tap on her shoulder and opened her eyes blearily.

    Liu Yifei pointed in a certain direction and Qin Lan saw a figure standing in the distance holding what appeared to be a heavy pitchfork.

    They were currently parked a fair distance away from a small farmhouse in the middle of Xyrean Province.

    Xyrean Province was known as the agricultural center of the country and consisted of vast open farnds controlled by a handful of wealthy corporations and families.

    The poption was quite low whenpared to the city and there was an abundance of food and water which made it a paradise.

    Qin Lan had driven the van a few dozen kilometres into the province before parking the vehicle to get a few hours of sleep.

    Well¡­ it seems like her rest was not going to be for long¡­

    "Do you think that''s a human or zombie?" Chen Xiao whispered nervously as he squinted his eyes to get a better look.

    "Doesn''t matter¡­ we''ll leave him alone and he will probably leave us alone as well¡­" Qin Lan replied with a yawn.

    She held up her phone and took a nce at her reflection on the ck screen.

    Damn¡­ she looked like a fucking mess.

    Her hair was tangled in dirty knots, there were heavy bags under her eyes, and one could see the traces of exhaustion all over her face.

    "Liu Yifei¡­ can you give me a mug, an instant coffee packet and some water?" Qin Lan asked gently as she rubbed her eyes.

    Liu Yifei stretched out her hand and the items appeared out of thin air. Qin Lan thanked the young girl and poured some water into the mug before adding the instant coffee packet.

    It was not a pleasant experience to drink cold coffee, but the caffeine inside would do the trick to keep her awake until she got the chance to get some proper sleep.

    Qin Lan leaned against the driver''s seat and stared at the blue sky with small white clouds floatingzily across the horizon.

    Xyrean Province waspletely different from the hellscape that they had just escaped from, but dangers still lurked in this quiet ce.

    Mutated nts and animal monsters were the biggest threats, so Qin Lan knew that finding a base or shelter to live was a priority.

    Fortunately, the nts and animals that mutated also possessed crystals in their bodies so her ability would continue to get stronger as she hunted them.

    Maybe it was because she was using her ability more often, but Qin Lan felt as though her body was about to undergo a significant upgrade.

    Speaking of her ability¡­

    "Gong Li, can I try something?" Qin Lan suddenly asked as she turned to face the slender girl leaning against Liu Yifei''s shoulder.

    "Sure! What is it?" Gong Li replied with a confused expression.

    "Well¡­ when I told you all that my ability was a secret¡­ the reality was that I did not know what exactly it was," Qin Lan truthfully confessed.

    "I suspect that it has something to do with mind control, but I can''t be certain¡­ if you aren''tfortable then I won''t force you¡­"

    Gong Li furrowed her brows thoughtfully and then nced at Liu Yifei before making a silent decision in her heart.

    "Okay¡­ you have protected us and¡­ I want to be useful¡­" Gong Li spoke with a glint of determination in her eyes.

    "I¡­ I volunteer as well¡­" Liu Yifei immediately added as she raised up her hand.

    Qin Lan nervously tapped her fingers against the sides of the steering wheel and took in a few deep breaths.

    She tried to summon the strange feeling and gradually the center of her chest got warmer and hotter as if something was struggling to get out.

    Qin Lan looked directly at the two girls and felt something flowing out of her body and entering their minds.

    It was almost like there was an invisible spider-like web that connected the three of them.

    "Snap your fingers three times," Qin Lan ordered in a firm tone.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Gong Li and Liu Yifei''s pupils instantly dted, and they pushed their fingers together before making a snapping noise.

    Snap! Snap! Snap!

    Gong Li performed the actions smoothly, but Qin Lan observed that there was a trace of hesitation in Liu Yifei''s movements.

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and cut off the connection. The two girls returned to normal and looked at their hands with confused expressions.

    "Wait¡­ what just happened?" Gong Li whispered as she rubbed the sides of her head.

    In that brief moment when she heard Qin Lan''s order¡­

    It was like she was the one who made the decision to follow it.

    There was no cognitive dissonance since following Qin Lan''smands seemed natural.

    "Wow¡­" Liu Tao eximed in shock as she leaned forward and stared at Qin Lan with sparkling eyes.

    "Abilities are so cool!"

    "Oh?! Is that how you got those men to step away from me?" Liu Yifei questioned softly.

    "I guess so¡­ at the time I figured that it was due to my gun¡­ but in retrospect it did seem odd that they obeyed me so quickly," Qin Lan thoughtfully replied.

    She opened her mouth to add to the conversation when out of the corner of her eye she noticed the figure in the distance walking over.

    He approached the van and Qin Lan was finally able to get a better look at his appearance.

    He looked like a man in his early thirties with an unkempt beard and eyes that seemed too small for their sockets.

    He wore a simple pair of blue overalls and heavy ck boots. In his hand was arge pitchfork with a sharp pointed end that gleamed under the sunlight.

    The mysterious man stopped a few hundred meters away and both parties stared at each other with wary expressions.

    Qin Lan stepped out of the van and partially raised up her shirt to reveal the gun attached to her hip.

    The farmer''s eyes widened in shock and the dark thoughts in his mind were immediately dispelled.

    Instead, as he looked at Qin Lan¡­ he seemed to see something.

    "Now¡­ how can I help you folks?" the farmer asked politely with a heavy ent.

    "We''re just passing through¡­ don''t worry we don''t n to trouble you¡­" Qin Lan exined calmly to defuse the situation.

    Qin Lan only had a limited supply of bullets and besides¡­ she did not want to kill everyone who crossed her path.

    Technically they were the ones invading this farmer''snd so there was no need to be aggressive.

    "Are¡­ are you one of them¡­ special ones?" the farmer hoarsely spoke.

    "Special ones?" Qin Lan asked with a raised eyebrow.

    "I¡­ I can sense them¡­ they look like balls of light¡­ you and that girly in the car¡­ her light is purple¡­ yours is ck..."

    A detection ability?

    Qin Lan''s hand drifted to the gun attached to her hip, but the farmer continued to talk as if he had not noticed.

    "Why don''t youe and join the congregation? Father Han¡­ he''s gathered us special folks¡­ we are going to be the new rulers of this world¡­" the farmer piously whispered.

    "Don''t you see? This is god''s wrath! The wicked and sinful have been cursed to be monsters while those who are blessed will receive his gifts!"

    "The blessed ones! The blessed ones! The blessed ones!"

    The farmer raised up both hands to the sky and dropped his pitchfork on the ground.

    Religious fervor could clearly be seen in his beady eyes as he walked towards Qin Lan with slow steady steps.

 Chapter 95 Zombie Empress (26)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    (Unnamed Private Road)

    "Stay back or I''ll shoot," Qin Lan coldly spoke as she raised up her handgun and pointed it straight at the farmer.

    The man froze in ce for a moment but inside his eyes one could see the embers of madness slowly flickering.

    "Do you still not understand?" the farmer whispered in a soft tone as he held up his hands.

    "We¡­ are the blessed. Where do you think your gifts came from? It was God¡­ the Almighty one who chose to give his flock¡­ the strength¡­"

    "The strength¡­ to purge this world¡­ the strength to spread his name far and wide¡­ your gift¡­ it is so¡­ beautiful..."

    The farmer''s unkempt and scraggly beard swayed slightly from side to side as he continued to deliver his twisted sermon.

    "I''m sorry but we will have to refuse¡­ we do not wish to meet this ''Father Han'' character," Qin Lan firmly replied.

    A disappointed expression shed across the farmer''s face, but he simply turned around and walked away.

    Qin Lan kept her finger on the trigger of the gun, but all the farmer did was pick up his fallen pitchfork and head back to the old building in the distance.

    The entire encounter had been rather unsettling and the look in the farmer''s eyes had sent a chill down Qin Lan''s spine.

    "What? What was that?" Liu Tao hesitantly asked as she nervously yed with a strand of her hair.

    "He''s just some crazy person¡­ let''s just get out of here," Qin Lan responded with what she hoped was a confident smile to reassure the frightened teenagers.

    She returned to the van and turned the key in the ignition port.

    The van stuttered to life and Qin Lan ced her foot on the eleration pedal.

    The farmhouse slowly faded away in the distance, but Qin Lan could not shake the feeling that someone was still watching them.

    She turned around and saw the farmer standing in front of the building. It was too far away to properly make out the expression on his face but¡­

    Qin Lan could have sworn that he was smiling.

    "Creepy bastard¡­" Qin Lan muttered quietly under her breath as she stepped harder on the pedal and the van rushed forward.

    Xyrean Province was quite beautiful as it consisted of wide-open ins where thousands of crops had been nted.

    Qin Lan saw vast golden fields of wheat, bright red tomatoes hangingzily from vines and numerous herds of cattle.

    The teenagers in the van had thrown the strange encounter to the back of their minds and were now chatting amongst themselves.

    Part of Qin Lan wanted to join in, but she was still feeling a bit depressed over her brother''s death and Eve''s disappearance.

    Eve¡­

    Fuck¡­ she was a mutant zombie the entire time¡­

    The signs were there! Damn it!

    Qin Lan could not help but feel a bit frustrated as her fingers curled up tightly into a fist.

    If she had only been a bit more observant¡­ maybe her brother would still be alive.

    This was the second time.

    In her first life she had failed to protect her brother from the monster who possessed him and now she had failed another brother.

    Qin Lan''s thoughts wandered to dark ces as her eyebrows slowly furrowed.

    She would have continued to wallow in self-hatred if not for therge animal that suddenly appeared from behind an overturned car.

    "Look out!" Liu Yifei yelled as she pointed in a certain direction. Qin Lan followed her finger and a shocked expression shed across her face.

    Qin Lan mmed her foot on the brakes and narrowly avoided therge furry mass that would have hit the van.

    "Stay in the van¡­ I''ll deal with that¡­ thing¡­" Qin Lan growled as she gripped the two knives under her seat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She opened the door and walked outside.

    There was an enormous wolf-like monster staring at her hungrily with salvia flowing out of its open mouth.

    It was over seven feet tall with a heavy muscr frame that more resembled that of a tiger than that of a typical canis lupus.

    Its fur was a dark brown colour with patches of white sttered across its underbelly that gave it a rather mismatched appearance.

    Rows upon rows of jagged teeth filled its enormous maw as the beast disyed its terrifying appearance in all its glory.

    Qin Lan felt her blood begin to rush as she held one dagger in each palm and crouched down in a defensive stance.

    A mutated animal¡­ a rare urrence so early in the apocalypse but this was an opportunity in disguise.

    In the original Qin Lan''s memories, the crystals extracted from mutated creatures whether they be zombies, nts or animals provided more energy.

    Man, and beast stared at each other with neither daring to make the first move.

    Qin Lan knew that she could have used her gun¡­ but something in her was thirsting for a proper battle.

    A dance of des where only one would survive¡­

    The victor¡­ and the in.

    Grrr!

    The wolf-like monster finally lost its patience and rushed at Qin Lan with powerful steps that made the ground tremble.

    Qin Lan dove to the side just as the beast''s paw swiped where her head had been just moments prior.

    She could feel the cool breeze brush against her skin and felt the warm rays of sunlight bathe her body.

    She had never felt so alive.

    All the thoughts of her brother''s death¡­ all the pain that she felt when Eve ran away¡­ they all disappeared¡­

    Qin Lan felt the world slow down to a crawl.

    This wasn''t an ability but rather the decades ofbat experience imprinted in her mind from some unknown source.

    Her body moved automatically to avoid the teeth and ws of the wolf-like monster as she slid down on the ground and sliced open its soft underbelly.

    Qin Lan rolled away ungracefully as the beast tried to stomp down on her slender body.

    Dust and dirt stained her clothes but the bright glint in her eyes would leave anyone spellbound.

    The monster hollered in pain as its blood and guts began to spill out from the open wound that Qin Lan had left in its belly.

    The heavy metallic scent of blood filled the air and Qin Lan slowly approached the wounded animal.

    She knew that now was the most dangerous moment.

    There was nothing more deadly than a cornered beast.

    A mouse will attack a lion if it knows that its life was about to end.

    The beast whimpered in pain and stared at Qin Lan with hatred in its yellow eyes. Qin Lan raised up her dagger to deliver the finishing blow but suddenly jumped away.

    Arge earth spike jutted from the ground and prated the monster''s throat.

    Qin Lan scowled as she saw a woman confidentially walk towards her while being apanied by a group of three men.

    The three men wore simple outfits like unwashed white shirts and dirty pants while the woman was dressed in ck robes.

    "Do not be afraid¡­ you are saved," the woman gently whispered as she sped her hands together in prayer.

    "My name is Sister Guan¡­ and I am one of the blessed¡­"

 Chapter 96 Zombie Empress (27)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    "It is a pleasure to meet someone who has also been blessed by the Lord," Sister Guan sped her hands together as she spoke.

    Qin Lan nced at the monster on the ground that was still whimpering softly and walked over to it.

    The beast nced at her with its cold yellow eyes, but Qin Lan had no mercy left inside her heart.

    She plunged her knife downwards into the wound created by the earth spike and twisted it violently.

    The wolf-like monster closed its eyes and died as Qin Lan severed its throat.

    During this entire time Qin Lan ignored the strange woman and herpanions but kept her eye on their movements.

    The nun possessed an ability capable of manipting the earth but did herpanions also have gifts as well?

    No¡­ something was wrong¡­

    Ability users were supposed to be rare and yet she had already encountered two in a rtively rural province.

    The three men surrounding the nun seemed to be angry at her apparent disrespect, but the woman simply smiled and waited patiently.

    "Thank you for your assistance," Qin Lan finally spoke with a cold and distant tone.

    "I assume that you are all part of Father Han''s congregation?"

    "Do you know Father Han?" Sister Guan replied in shock.

    "No¡­ I just met someone a few miles away who mentioned that someone was gathering those with abilities¡­" Qin Lan freely admitted.

    Sister Guan closed her eyes and muttered a few silent words of prayer under her breath. Qin Lan maintained a cautious distance between herself and the group.

    The teenagers inside the van were looking at the situation from behind the windows and Qin Lan signalled for them to stay inside.

    "He¡­ he¡­ he is the one who gave us these gifts. The Lord spoke to him in a dream and made him a vessel to pass down his divine will to his believers¡­" Sister Guan slowly spoke.

    "Father Han is no longer just a mortal¡­ he is beyond that¡­

    "He gave you abilities?" Qin Lan asked with a trace of confusion in her voice.

    "Yes¡­ those who are faithful to his cause will receive the blessings¡­ please allow me to demonstrate¡­" Sister Guan calmly spoke.

    She held out both her palms and a tiny hut made out of soil rose up from the earth. The hut gradually expanded until it became the size of a normal apartment.

    That was at least a level two or three ability¡­

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows in confusion and was about to ask another question when she realised something¡­

    Why were wrinkles appearing on Sister Guan''s face?

    The nun previously looked as though she was in herte twenties but now, she seemed to be in her mid thirties.

    It was impossible to see her body beneath those heavy ck robes, but Qin Lan was convinced that somehow, she looked a bit skinner.

    No¡­ what the hell was going on?

    Qin Lan closed her eyes in pain as a sudden memory resurfaced in her mind from the original Qin Lan.

    She saw an elderly man dressed in a priest robe being held down in front of her.

    The man shouted something about divine right before the original Qin Lan opened her mouth andmanded him to bite off his own tongue.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The elderly man screamed in rage and suddenly numerous gifted individuals burst through the door and tried to rescue him.

    There was not a single person in the group who looked as though they were below the age of sixty and wrinkles could clearly be seen on their faces.

    The memory ended at that moment, but Qin Lan felt that the original Qin Lan was calm as if she expected this result...

    And was prepared to kill them all.

    Qin Lan opened her eyes and saw that Sister Guan was only a few inches away with a concerned look on her face.

    She hurriedly took a few steps back and avoided the nun''s outstretched hand that attempted to caress her cheek.

    "Are you alright my child?" Sister Guan asked softly.

    "Yes¡­ but please do not approach me¡­ you must understand that in these times I cannot trust any strangers¡­" Qin Lan exined in a firm tone.

    "How dare you?!" one of the men shouted with anger burning in his gaze.

    Sister Guan raised up her hand and the man was instantly silenced as though his outburst had never urred.

    "Please¡­ why don''t youe with me?" Sister Guan suggested with a small smile.

    "We have food¡­ water¡­ and warmth. Those children¡­ they require a sense ofmunity in these hard times."

    "Father Han has decided to help the less fortunate and those in need. There are no strings attached for the Lord hasmanded us to be kind and generous."

    The nun nced at the teenagers hiding in the van and a friendly expression shed across her face.

    And yet¡­ there was an emotion in her gaze that unsettled Qin Lan.

    It was like she was looking at those teenagers as if they were¡­ a precious resource.

    "I''m sorry but I will have to decline your kind offer," Qin Lan said diplomatically.

    Sister Guan shook her head in disappointment and walked towards the group of three men who carefully moved into a formation around her.

    "Don''t worry¡­ Father Han will always wee the blessed ones¡­" Sister Guan cryptically whispered as she walked away.

    Qin Lan waited until their figures had vanished into the distance before walking over to the corpse of the wolf-like monster and using her knives to split its head open.

    She dug around for several minutes before finding arge purplish ck crystal with a single red vein running through its middle.

    The crystal was around the size of her fist and hummed with power. Qin Lan ced the crystal in her pocket and walked back to the van.

    "I think we need to go to a less crowded part of the province¡­ I don''t know what those people want but they seem to be part of some kind of cult," Qin Lan gently exined.

    "I¡­ I didn''t like how that nun looked at us¡­" Chen Xiao whispered quietly as he nervously nced out of the window.

    "Do you think they were telling the truth?" Liu Tao suddenly asked.

    "The truth about what?" Gong Li responded with a puzzled look on her face.

    "Abilities! Can that Father Han guy give people abilities?" Liu Tao spoke with an excited gleam in her eyes.

    "I''m not sure¡­ but every power has a price. I saw wrinkles appear on that nun''s face as she used her gift¡­" Qin Lan quickly extinguished the young girl''s hopes.

    Gaining an ability was without a doubt a very attractive offer but the original Qin Lan''s memory was still fresh in her mind.

    Father Han did not seem to be the kind of character willing to give out those so- called ''blessings'' out of the goodness of his heart.

 Chapter 97 Zombie Empress (28)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    (Li''an Highway)

    Qin Lan gently stirred from her nap as she felt the warm afternoon rays hit the side of her face.

    She nced outside the window and saw an endless field of golden wheat that seemed to stretch out towards the horizon.

    After driving for a few hours away from the ce where they had encountered the strange nun, Qin Lan had decided to park the van on the side of the road and get some sleep.

    She yawnedzily and stretched out her arms. Gong Li was still asleep but the other three teenagers were awake and talking amongst themselves.

    Qin Lan casually listened in to their conversation as she took a brush out of the driver''spartment and began to tidy up her messy hair.

    "Where are we going?" Chen Xiao asked softly.

    "Not sure¡­ I think Sister Qin wants to take us deeper into the province," Liu Yifei replied as she opened up her phone.

    "No¡­ signal¡­ I still¡­ I still can''t reach my parents¡­"

    "Do you think our folks are still alive?" Liu Tao asked with a heavy expression on her face.

    There was a brief moment of silence as her question lingered in the air.

    No one knew.

    Perhaps it some ways it was the uncertainty that tortured them the most. The faint hope that their parents and family members were still alive but no way of knowing for sure.

    And in these dark times when social order was beginning to break down¡­

    There were fates worse than death.

    Qin Lan saw that the mood was getting pretty low, so she decided to distract the young teenagers by talking about her ns.

    "So, there are a few farm buildings next to an artificialke in the northeastern part of the province. I was thinking that it would be a good spot to set up a base," Qin Lan exined calmly.

    "There is a supply of fresh water, and we can grow our own crops using irrigation. I didn''t want to mention this before, but I think now is a good time to talk about it¡­

    "I will be training you all in self defense. You at least need to know how to shoot a gun properly if an unexpected situation urs."

    "You are going to teach us how to shoot?!" Liu Tao asked excitedly as she leaned forward with sparkles in her eyes.

    "Yes¡­ but remember that it is only going to be for self defense. There aren''t enough bullets left to waste¡­ so please treat the guns as ast resort," Qin Lan replied gently.

    "Liu Yifei¡­ you will do special training with me so that I can teach you how to handle your enhanced physique."

    "Okay¡­" Liu Yifei nervously replied as she tightly held Gong Li''s hand as her best friend slept.

    She had never fought before and seeing Qin Lan in action had made her realise just how dangerous the world had now be.

    As a person with an ability, it was her responsibility to share Qin Lan''s burden and help contribute to the team''s safety.

    Qin Lan talked a bit more about her training ns and asionally vague memories would sh across her mind.

    She saw herself in another life running tirelessly around an open field and sparring with what appeared to be medieval longswords¡­

    Still these memories would be fuzzy and disappear just as quickly as they emerged.

    Qin Lan frowned in frustration as she could not help but feel as though a part of her was missing.

    She needed a distraction¡­

    Qin Lan bent down and picked up therge purplish ck crystal that was on the floor. There was a single red vein running through the middle of the crystal that pulsated slightly.

    The crystal was around the size of her fist so it would be impossible to swallow directly.

    Qin Lan first took out a bottle of water and carefully washed crystal to get rid of the remaining pieces of flesh.

    She then used her knife to roughly cut the crystal into four pieces.

    The crystal was surprisingly easy to cut into and its rocky surface was split as easily as a hot knife passing through butter.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Just give me a few minutes and then we can set off¡­" Qin Lan told the young teenagers as she brought the first piece of the crystal to her mouth.

    She swallowed it whole, and a fiery burst of heat could be felt in her chest. Qin Lan doubled over in pain and began to wheeze heavily.

    With great difficulty she reached for another piece and swallowed it.

    Then another¡­ then another¡­

    Qin Lan gritted her teeth in pain as she felt as though her entire body was now on fire.

    It was as though thousands of hot needles were piercing every single inch of her skin and slowly sinking inward until they reached her organs.

    Qin Lan''s body began to convulse as her breathing got more erratic.

    She could vaguely hear the sounds of the teenagers shouting at her with concern in their voices, but the pain was making it difficult to understand what they were saying.

    Qin Lan sank in and out of consciousness and her vision slowly faded away to darkness.

    A face was constantly shing in her mind and endless regret filled her heart.

    She kept seeing Eve.

    Eve smiling at her¡­ Eve lovingly touching her fingertips¡­ Eve saying how much she loved her¡­

    The vision of Eve on the bed¡­ what it must feel like to hold and warmly embrace her perfect body¡­

    Qin Lan hated that she still felt this way about the woman who had killed her brother.

    What kind of monster was she?

    Minutes passed or maybe it was hours since time no longer had any meaning to the young woman twitching helplessly in the driver''s seat.

    None of the teenagers knew what to do in this unexpected situation and the noise had woken up Gong Li who hurriedly leaned forward to prop up Qin Lan''s head.

    Qin Lan eventually opened her eyes and took in a few deep breaths before letting out a series of violent coughs.

    "I¡­ I''m¡­ okay¡­" Qin Lan sputtered as she held up her right hand and gave as thumbs up gesture.

    She could feel that something inside her had changed. Her body felt lighter and there was a strength flowing through her veins that was impossible to ignore.

    The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest slowly stirred as her ability whispered to her¡­ it wanted to be activated¡­ it wanted to control minds¡­

    "Does that happen every time you absorb crystals?" Liu Yifei asked cautiously as she held one of the smaller crystals in her palm.

    "Yes¡­ you do feel some pain¡­ but it gets worse when you try to absorb a big one from a mutated animal or zombie," Qin Lan slowly spoke as she tried to get her fingers to stop trembling.

    "Can you get me some tissues?"

    Liu Yifei froze for a moment and her pupils instantly dted. Her storage ability activated, and she handed Qin Lan a box of tissues.

    "Thank you¡­ wait¡­ did my ability activate?" Qin Lan asked in confusion.

    Liu Yifei furrowed her brows and her eyes gradually returned to normal.

    She looked at Qin Lan with an expression of horror in her gaze.

    "I¡­ I couldn''t control my ability or my body¡­ it was like I was a puppet¡­ its hard to describe but it felt like I would never be able to escape yourmands," Liu Yifei exined shakily.

    Wait¡­ was this the effect of reaching level three?

    Qin Lan hadn''t even consciously activated her ability and yet Liu Yifei had been affected by her voice.

    Had her mind control ability evolved to include passive hypnosis?

    Qin Lan apologised sincerely to the frightened girl and tried her best to reassure Liu Yifei that nothing like that would happen again.

    Eventually the mood in the van got back to the normal and they continued on their way to the artificialke.

    What Qin Lan did not know at the time was that her decision would prove to be a costly mistake¡­

 Chapter 98 Zombie Empress (29)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    The once impressive militaryplex was now a shadow of its former glory.

    The reinforced metalloid buildings inside theplex were now little more than rubble.

    Bodies and corpses were scattered across the ground and the heavy scent of death still lingered in the air.

    Eve had killed most of the scientists and soldiers during her rampage and as for those that remained¡­

    Well¡­ their fates were not pleasant.

    In the midst of the destruction was a creature. His body was vaguely humanoid with a skeletal-like frame and pitch-ck eyes that gleamed with cruelty.

    His eyes were sunken into his sockets and instead of fingernails, he possessed long ck ws that scraped against the loose pieces of metal strewn about.

    Subject 001 wandered through the carnage with slow halting steps. He had to pause every few minutes to catch his breath.

    Hoarse guttural wheezing left his throat as the test subject tried his best to make it to the ruined building in front of him.

    He was the sole survivor among the experiments that Subject 014 had left behind¡­

    Their so- called¡­ liberator¡­ the one the scientists called¡­ a sess.

    Heh¡­ what a fucking joke.

    A twisted expression of hatred shed across the monster''s face as he remembered breaking out of his cell and murdering everything in his sight.

    Including his fellow experiments.

    He¡­ he should be the only one. He was the perfect being.

    The leader of the new era.

    Subject 001 felt a tremendous amount of pain in every part of his body as his cells were gradually beginning to decay.

    After years of experimentation¡­ it was a wonder that he was still¡­ alive¡­

    Well¡­ technically alive.

    Subject 001 wasn''t sure if his heart was still beating or perhaps, he was hearing nothing more than a distant memory.

    He was mad.

    Subject 001 knew that his sanity had departed from the moment that the masked doctors stuck the first needles into his body and injected who knows what into his veins.

    Vague memories would asionally surface in his mind, but the monster ignored them since he wasn''t that person anymore.

    Now all he wanted to do now¡­ was kill.

    He wanted¡­ no¡­ he needed¡­ to be the leader of the new humans¡­ the ones they call zombies and live as an emperor.

    And for that to happen¡­ there could not be any challengers to his throne.

    Cough! Cough!

    Subject 001 bent over and threw up violently as thick chunks of vomit left his mouth.

    His body swayed slightly from side to side as he tried desperately not to copse.

    No¡­ he was so close.

    The monster finally reached the door with great difficulty and pulled it open all the while ck blood leaked out of his orifices.

    He was now standing inside the ruins of what used to be a reception hall. In the middle of the room was a barely standing desk with a body resting on top of it.

    Subject 001 stumbled over to the body and looked down with barely disguised greed hidden in his gaze.

    The corpse on the table belonged to a handsome young teenager with short hair and a skinny physique.

    He wore a simple whiteb coat that barely covered his body, but it was the only piece of clothing that Subject 001 could find.

    The corpse had an expression of fear on his face and the giant wound in his chest clearly disyed how he had died.

    Why Subject 014 had killed him was a mystery to the humanoid creature but frankly he did not care.<novelnext></novelnext>

    This was the most unique specimen that he had evere across.

    Miraculously the boy''s scent was a mishmash of both zombie and human at the same time.

    His fingers were still partially covered in frost which indicated that somehow his ability was still activated despite his death.

    Subject 001 caressed the corpse''s face lovingly as he knew that the boy was his only hope to beat Subject 014.

    He had only won their previous fight due to the element of surprise and truthfully none of his hits had left any permanent damage on his fearsome enemy.

    The humanoid monster knew that he needed to repair his body¡­ or rece it.

    Subject 001 took in a few deep breaths and his skeleton-like frame rattled violently.

    There wasn''t much time left¡­

    The monster used his ck ws to carefully remove the top of the boy''s skull and the pink fleshy brain beneath was now fully exposed.

    Subject 001 ruthlessly stabbed into his own brain using his ws and pulled out arge purplish-ck crystal with multiple red veins running along the sides.

    He could feel his life slipping away as the crystal left his body.

    Subject 001 fell over and used all of the remaining strength that he had left to shove the crystal inside the boy''s exposed skull.

    Thest image that the monster saw was his hand slipping off the table before his body crashed to the ground.

    There wasplete silence.

    Hours passed and neither the corpse on the table nor the monster on the floor moved a single inch.

    Night soon fell and thousands of bright twinkling stars could be seen shinning in the sky.

    A cold breeze blew through the military base and a pack of wild dogs entered through a partially destroyed gate.

    They began sniffing the bodies on the ground before the bravest among them opened its jaw and bit into the rotting flesh.

    The dogs loudly howled at the sky as they tore into the meat and bones of the dead soldiers and scientists.

    One of the dogs wandered over to an open building and curiously looked around.

    His nose twitched slightly, and he approached a body on the top of a table.

    The dog stood on its hindlegs and attempted to investigate the strange scent further when a hand tightly gripped its neck.

    Crack!

    The dog barely had any time to react before its neck was immediately broken by the immense force contained in the hand.

    "What? Where?" Qin Wei hoarsely spoke as he rubbed his eyes furiously and looked around the ruined building.

    The wounds on his body were slowly healing and he could feel power that he had never felt before.

    Memories flowed inside his mind from a creature who called himself Subject 001.

    Qin Wei screamed in pain as he felt a presence inside his mind fight for control.

    "Do¡­ not¡­ resist¡­" the hoarse voice whispered quietly.

    "Subject 014¡­ no¡­ she called herself¡­ Eve¡­ do you want revenge? And your useless sister¡­ why did she not protect you?"

    "Howe no one else could see her for what she was? She was a liar¡­ a hypocrite¡­ a jealous bitch¡­

    "She deserves to die¡­ they both deserve to die¡­"

    Qin Wei was scared of the monster''s voice, but his words struck a chord inside his heart that was impossible to ignore.

    He remembered the fear that he felt when Eve lifted him off the ground with her hand around his neck.

    The terror of dying as Eve''s hand punched through his stomach¡­ and the hatred inside his heart as he saw his useless sister watching the whole time.

    Qin Lan¡­ she was the one who chose to bring along Eve¡­ it was all her fault.

    ALL HER FAULT!

 Chapter 99 Zombie Empress (30)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (Father Han''s Church)

    A few hundred meters away from the northernmost part of argeke was a magnificent two-story building made from concrete.

    Arge symbol of a star had been painted on the door.

    All the windows were made from stained ss which gleamed and sparkled under the light.

    The building had clearly been well maintained since the paint covering its exterior had not ked off or been damaged.

    A few men dressed in simple outfits held farm equipment in their hands and were guarding the perimeter from any zombies that wandered over.

    When a zombie got too close, the men would attack the monster and defeat it in under two minutes at most.

    What was truly shocking was the fact that every single person appeared to posses an ability.

    Some could control the elements such as the earth, water, fire or wind, others had enhanced strength or senses and the rest had other supernatural abilities.

    After using their gifts, the men would turn towards the building and bow respectfully with grateful expressions on their faces.

    Father Han¡­ he was the one who gave them a new life.

    The lord had chosen him as a vessel to tell the masses about his divine will.

    This new world¡­ it was merely a test for his believers. The wicked would perish while the chosen ones would inherit the earth.

    Father Han stood in the middle of an empty hall with his eyes on focused on a painting hanging on the wall.

    The painting showed a woman lovingly embracing a formless cloud of ck smoke while a beam of light fell across her face.

    Father Han was a middle-aged man dressed in a in ck priest attire with a single iron chain that hung around his neck.

    There was something sharp and hawkish about his facial features that would strike fear into anyone who met his cold gaze.

    Rows upon rows of empty wooden benches filled the hall and Father Han knew that for now he waspletely alone.

    "Damn it¡­ damn it¡­ DAMN IT!" Father Han quietly cursed as he rubbed his eyes with a tired expression on his face.

    He was barely holding it together.

    Using his ability so many times in a row had left him exhausted and he did not know how to improve his gift.

    It was a small mercy that he managed to convince those simpletons outside that the blessed ones had to be chosen by God and the process could not be rushed.

    Now he would have some time to recover before he used his ability on the next batch of new believers.

    Father Han sat down on a nearby chair and slowly ced his head in his palms.

    He let out a heavy sigh and stared aimlessly out of the window.

    What a useless ability¡­

    He could somehow grant other people gifts, but he got nothing in return.

    Well¡­ those who received his ability seemed unnaturally loyal, but Father Han wasn''t sure if that was because of his ability or his natural charisma.

    A gift that gave others strength¡­

    Father Han sighed again as he rubbed his temples and tried to think about his next goal.

    Some of the sharper minds in the congregation had already figured out that those with gifts were aging much faster than normal.

    What to do? What to do?

    Knock! Knock!<novelnext></novelnext>

    A soft noise came from the other side of the heavy wooden door at the back of the hall which interrupted Father Han from his musings.

    He stood up from the chair and took a moment to adjust his appearance before speaking in a powerful tone,

    "Enter my child."

    The door slowly opened to reveal a young woman dressed in ck robes who nervously fidgeted as she walked inside.

    "Sister Guan¡­ I am pleased to see that you have returned safely," Father Han warmly spoke as he stepped down from the pulpit.

    "Father¡­ I have returned¡­" Sister Guan whispered reverently as she dropped to her knees and sped her hands together.

    "I saw a blessed one¡­ and some potential converts¡­"

    "A blessed one? Curious¡­ tell me more about them¡­" Father Han casually spoke as he struggled not to yawn.

    "She¡­ she was powerful¡­ she did not seem threatened by my ability and was able to take down arge wolf without using her gift," Sister Guan spoke solemnly.

    Father Han''s eyes widened in shock, and he stared in disbelief as the nun told the story of her encounter with Qin Lan.

    It should be noted that Sister Guan was one of the most powerful ability users in the church so for her to feel threatened¡­ this was something that he had to take very seriously.

    Father Han was under no illusions about his current position in the world.

    He may be able to convince these simple folk that he was some divine messenger from God but not everyone would be fooled.

    Thest thing that he needed was a powerful ability user who could threaten his whole operation.

    No¡­ she needed to be dealt with.

    The safety of his paradise would be at risk if he allowed her to continue to roam around the province.

    But¡­

    Caution had to be taken.

    Father Han was a smart man and always believed in taking careful steps and nning ahead to deal with pressing issues.

    The priests thought about what to do next when his eyes wandered over to Sister Guan''s still kneeling body.

    Wait¡­ that was it!

    Father Han closed his eyes, and his body began to tremble uncontrobly. Sister Guan hurriedly rushed over and grabbed the shivering priests before as his body fell over.

    Father Han continued to shake for several minutes until his eyes finally reopened and shone with a religious fervor.

    "I¡­ I have received a message from God¡­" Father Han hoarsely spoke.

    His voice was like a poisonous serpent that entered Sister Guan''s mind and caused her to focus all her attention on the man in her arms.

    "That girl¡­ she is not a blessed one¡­ her powers¡­ theye from the dark lord¡­ she is a trial that our people must pass¡­" Father Han whispered with great difficulty.

    "Sister Guan¡­ you must lead a team of at least twenty people¡­ I want you to save us from this dire threat¡­"

    "You are our only hope."

    Sister Guan''s body trembled as she felt a surge of happiness flow into her heart. She could not believe that Father Han had entrusted her with such an important mission.

    Although she had hidden it well¡­

    Qin Lan''s refusal to meet with their spiritual leader had caused a seed of hatred to be buried deep inside in the nun''s heart.

    And that seed was about to sprout¡­

 Chapter 100 Zombie Empress (31)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    (Private Farnd)

    "Get up," Qin Lan coldly spoke as she stood over the young teenage girl kneeling on the ground and trying her best not to vomit.

    Liu Yifei gritted her teeth and stood up from the ground. She tried her best to remember the fighting pose that Qin Lan had just shown her.

    Qin Lan''s face waspletely expressionless as she watched Liu Yifei nervously hold up her fists.

    Her fighting posture was full of ws.

    She rushed forward and Liu Yifei attempted to dodge but Qin Lan''s fist was much faster than her half-hearted attempt to guard.

    m!

    "Arghh¡­" Liu Yifei groaned in pain as she felt a heavy fist make contact with her stomach.

    She stumbled and barely managed to remain standing.

    Qin Lan was secretly impressed by the young teenager''s determination, but she hid her emotions behind an icy mask.

    "What did I tell you about hand-to-handbat?" Qin Lan suddenly asked as she ced her hands behind her back.

    "Situational¡­ awareness¡­ keep¡­your center of gravity¡­ low¡­ fight¡­ dirty¡­" Liu Yifei wheezed as she struggled to catch her breath.

    "Good," Qin Lan replied solemnly as she nced at the other teenagers who were watching from a distance.

    "I want you all to remember¡­ when you fight¡­ there is no use for honour. Fight with every single resource that you have."

    "Target their sensitive body parts¡­ eyes¡­ pubic areas¡­ weak points. Use whatever means that you can to win."

    "When you fight¡­ it is a life and death struggle. If you fight fair¡­ then you will die when faced with someone who doesn''t."

    Qin Lan felt as though the words that she just spoke resonated somewhere deep inside her soul as if she had heard them before.

    "Take a ten minutes and rest¡­" Qin Lan spoke kindly as she tossed a bottle of water towards Liu Yifei.

    The young girl fumbled but eventually managed to catch the bottle. Qin Lan nodded in approval and then wandered off to clear her mind.

    She saw the other teenagers crowd around Liu Yifei as she moved away, and Gong Li was rubbing the injured girl''s back with soft gentle movements.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as she stared at the bright sun hanging high in the sky.

    She brushed her fingers against the leafy nts that filled the field where they were currently training.

    The original n to head towards theke was dyed since Qin Lan decided that it was time to give the teenagers some basic training for self defense.

    Liu Yifei would receive the most attention since her enhanced physique made her the strongest person among the teenagers.

    As for the rest¡­ Qin Lan nned to teach them how to shoot in the afternoon and maybe if she had time, she would try to teach them how to use a knife.

    That encounter with the strange nun and the farmer had raised her level of alertness.

    Xyrean province was supposed to be a safe haven but instead Qin Lan could not help but feel as though something terrible was about to happen.

    Perhaps she was merely being paranoid¡­ but she was not prepared to take any chances.

    They needed to secure a base as soon as possible and then she could focus on hunting the nearby mutated nts and animals in order to enhance her gift.

    Something rustled in the bushes nearby and Qin Lan''s eyes were immediately drawn to the rainbow-coloured snaked that slithered out from behind one of the roots.

    A coral snake¡­

    They possessed the second- strongest venom of any snake.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she took out her knife from its sheath. She raised up her weapon and flung it at the deadly intruder.

    The snake raised up its head and to Qin Lan''s surprise it managed to swat away the iing de using its tail.

    Oh¡­ a mutated beast¡­

    The snake hissed softly and lunged at Qin Lan with its mouth wide open. Two sharp fangs gleamed under the sunlight, but Qin Lan felt no fear.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She took out another knife and rushed towards the snake that attempted to use its tail to meet Qin Lan''s weapon.

    She easily dodged the snake''s attack and shed at the soft underside of its belly. The snake unleashed a series of hoarse screams as it bled out.

    Qin Lan approached the corpse once it stopped moving and carefully extracted a tiny purplish- ck crystal from its skull.

    She ced the crystal in her pocket and prepared to leave the scene.

    A few rats appeared once Qin Lan left the clearing and their beady red eyes stared at the young woman who walked away.

    An almost human-like expression shed across all the rat''s faces as they sniffed the air twice and captured her scent.

    Qin Lan did not see the tiny creatures and even if she had¡­ she had no way of knowing what was about to happen soon¡­

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Meanwhile)

    "Is the training too rough?" Gong Li asked with concern as she lovingly touched Liu Yifei''s back.

    "No¡­ I¡­ I need to get stronger¡­ to protect us¡­" Liu Yifei whispered softly as her fingers curled up into a fist.

    What had happened in the supermarket¡­ she never wanted to experience something like that ever again.

    That terrifying moment when she waspletely powerless still gave her nightmares.

    The feeling of those men''s rough fingers as they tugged against her clothes still sent a shiver down her spine.

    If Qin Lan had note in time¡­.

    Liu Yifei could not stop her body from trembling as she imagined the horrific possibility that could have urred.

    "I wish¡­ I wish I had an ability¡­ I don''t want to be a burden," Gong Li confessed with a sad expression on her face,

    "Hey¡­ you aren''t¡­ I¡­ you''ve been there for me everyday," Liu Yifei replied with a warm smile as her finger lingered on Gong Li''s cheek.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    For some reason her heart was beating a bit faster than usual, but Liu Yifei could not understand why she was feeling this way.

    The sweet moment between the pair was interrupted by Chen Xiao who pointed in a certain direction.

    "Um¡­ do you see those rats?" he hesitantly spoke.

    Liu Yifei followed the direction where he was pointing and saw a group of around twentyrge rats all lined up in an almost military-like formation.

    "That''s weird¡­" Liu Tao muttered as she picked up arge rock at her feet and flung it at the rats hoping to scare them away.

    The rock fell on one of the rats and instantly crushed its tiny skull. Brain matter and chunks of flesh spilled on the ground as the rat copsed.

    Still not a single one of the other rats moved¡­

    It was an incredibly creepy sight.

    Liu Yifei got a bad feeling in her chest and hurriedly grabbed Gong Li''s arm to push her behind her body.

    The rats simultaneously raised up their small heads and sniffed the air twice in the direction of the group of teenagers.

    The rat in the middle of the formation turned away and disappeared into a nearby clump of bushes.

    He was soon apanied by the rest of his brethren who also ran in the same direction as him.

    The only remaining trace of this strange encounter was the corpse of the dead rat that was still lying motionless on the ground.

 Chapter 101 Zombie Empress (32)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    (Private Farnd)

    Qin Lan hurriedly ran in the direction of the teenagers as she heard a horrified scream. An intense fear gripped her body as unwanted memories surfaced in her mind.

    She saw Eve lifting up her brother by the throat and then when she¡­ when she¡­

    Not again¡­ she couldn''t go through that again¡­

    Qin Lan could feel her body trembling as she ran with all the strength that she had.

    She roughly broke through the endless field of crops until she arrived at the clearing.

    "What''s wrong?" Qin Lan asked breathlessly as she saw the teenagers huddled together and staring at something.

    "Sister Qin¡­ um¡­ that¡­" Gong Li pointed in a certain direction. Qin Lan followed her finger and saw what appeared to be a dead rat with a crushed skull.

    She walked over to the animal''s corpse and stared at its broken appearance. Nothing seemed to be dangerous or a threat, so she didn''t understand why someone had screamed.

    Was it a fear of rodents?

    "There were a group of rats¡­ and they¡­ acted a bit strange," Liu Yifei suddenly spoke up as she tightened her grip on Gong Li''s hand.

    Qin Lan listened patiently as the young teenager told her about their encounter with the peculiar animals.

    A confused expression shed across Qin Lan''s face as Liu Yifei told her about their human-like expressions and the way they all moved as one as if they were being controlled by someone or something.

    Qin Lan knelt down and picked up a small stick. She poked and prodded around the rat''s crushed skull but could not find a crystal.

    This was not a mutated animal¡­

    "Did they do anything else other than stare at you?" Qin Lan asked curiously as she got up from the ground and moved away from the corpse.

    "I think I saw them sniff the air a few times¡­" Liu Tao replied as she nervously rubbed her fingers together.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows and stared off into the distance. She didn''t know what to make of the odd encounter but perhaps it was time to get away from here.

    In these dark times, one could not afford to rx their vignce and sometimes it was better to leave at the first sign of trouble.

    "Okay let''s head back then. Liu Yifei you cover the right side, and I will walk on the left, the rest of you please walk in the middle," Qin Lan softlymanded.

    Liu Yifei nodded firmly and moved into position, Qin Lan nodded in approval at her brave prot¨¦g¨¦ and then took out a pair of knives from her pockets.

    She handed one to Liu Yifei to hold and took the other for herself.

    The group slowly made their way towards the van that was partially hidden on the side of the road.

    As Qin Lan saw the familiar sight of the red vehicle some of the worry in her heart faded away.

    She still kept constantly looking around at the nearby surroundings but the mood among the group was noticeably lighter.

    When they were only a few hundred meters away, Qin Lan finally noticed that something was wrong¡­

    The tires¡­

    She walked closer to get a better look and a chill ran down her spine.

    There were thousands of bite marks on the tires and the bodies of dead rats with broken fangs and jaws were hidden on the underside of the van.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Every single tire had been punctured multiple times over and was nowpletely t. One could see the steel rim poking out from behind the tattered rubber.

    "What the hell?" Chen Xiao eximed in shock as he moved away from the group and threw up in some bushes.

    The scent of the dead rats was heavy and lingered in the air. Qin Lan opened the van door and gestured for them to get inside.

    She had no other choice now except to drive the van for as long as she could and then they would have to make the rest of the journey on foot.

    This was a trap.

    Something or someone was hunting them down.

    Qin Lan wasn''t sure how she knew that for certain, but her instincts had never failed her so far.

    She ced the key in the ignition port and the van sputtered but did not start.

    Qin Lan tried for several more minutes before giving up and walking outside the vehicle.

    She sniffed the air and realised that there was a scent that was hidden underneath the foul odour of the dead rats.

    Qin Lan crouched down to get a better view and tried her best not to vomit as the scent of dead rats mmed right into her nostrils.

    Those bastards¡­

    "Fuck¡­" Qin Lan softly cursed as she realised that in addition to the tires, the rats had somehow managed to bite through the pipes.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh and got up from the ground.

    She was about to return to the vehicle and inform the teenagers of this unpleasant development when something appeared in the corner of her vision.

    A young girl walked out from behind a nearby tree and stared at Qin Lan with a strange smile on her face.

    She must have been in her early twenties at most, and she wore a simple pair of blue overalls that were heavily stained in dirt and grime.

    "Who are you?" Qin Lan coldly spoke as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest intensify.

    The confident smile on the young girl''s face disappeared as her pupils immediately dted.

    She opened her mouth and a sweet voice told Qin Lan all she needed to know.

    "My name is Jing Tian¡­ I¡­ I am one of the blessed¡­" the girl spoke in a natural tone despite the confused expression on her face.

    "Why are you here?" Qin Lan darkly growled as she felt the urge to explore every secret hidden in this mysterious girl''s mind.

    "I¡­ I am part of the crusade¡­ Sister Guan¡­ she¡­ wants to hunt you down on Father Han''s orders¡­"

    "She says that¡­ that¡­ you are a devil¡­ a servant of the dark lord¡­"

    A sadistic smile shed across Qin Lan''s face and for a brief moment the personality of the original Qin Lan surfaced.

    "Oh¡­ is your ability to control rats?" Qin Lan gently spoke as she walked up to the young girl and brushed her finger against her cheek.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­" the girl replied shakily as her pupils continued to dte even further.

    "Hey¡­ why don''t you tell them¡­" Qin Lan''s voice dropped to a low whisper and like a sinister serpent her words slithered into the young girl''s ears.

    "To bite off your own hands and feet¡­"

 Chapter 102 Zombie Empress (33)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    (Private Farnd)

    "To bite off your own hands and feet¡­" Qin Lan''s dark whispers echoed through the young woman''s mind.

    Jing Tian''s body shuddered as her mouth opened and she felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest.

    Wrinkles began to appear on her face as she activated the ability that Father Han had given her.

    Everything just felt natural and right¡­ this is what she wanted to do¡­ she wanted her rats to bite off her limbs¡­

    Dozens of rats ran out from the bushes nearby and formed a semi-circle around the two women.

    However, there was not a trace of fear on Qin Lan''s face as she watched the spectacle with a bemused glint in her eyes.

    "Well¡­ what are you waiting for¡­ tell them to bite off your fingers¡­ toes¡­ and slowly work their way upwards¡­" Qin Lan hoarsely whispered with a sadistic grin on her face.

    "Then I want you to¡­ urgh¡­"

    Qin Lan blinked twice and the influence from the original host faded away. New memories flowed into her mind, but Qin Lan was in no mood to appreciate them.

    "Ignore what I just said and freeze in ce!" Qin Lan hurriedly shouted as her ability burned wildly in her chest.

    Jing Tian froze up just like a statue with her pupils still dted. Only the faint rising and falling of her chest indicated that she was alive.

    "What the hell?! What was that?" Qin Lan muttered quietly as she rubbed her temples using her fingers.

    It was almost like for a brief moment she had gotten possessed by the original Qin Lan¡­

    Well possession was the not the right word, but the experience was a bit hard to exin.

    Qin Lan took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down.

    Using someone else''s body must have some side-effects and perhaps this had also been the case during her first mission that she could not remember.

    But right now, was not the time to dwell on that assumption since she needed to find out more about Jing Tian and her mission.

    "Jing Tian I am going to ask you a series of questions and I want you to answer them honestly. You may now move normally," Qin Lan slowly spoke.

    "You said that Sister Guan ordered you to track us down¡­ does she know that you have found us?"

    "No¡­ my original n was to damage your van and then send a message to the group a few kilometres away¡­" Jing Tian replied mechanically.

    "But¡­ you looked weak¡­ so I decided to take you down myself and win Father Han''s approval¡­ I¡­ my¡­ rats¡­"

    ? Jing Tian''s face crumpled up for a moment, so Qin Lan focused on the invisible threads flowing out of her body.

    The multiple threads that were connected to Jing Tian''s mind trembled as though they were about to break.

    Qin Lan focused on the connection between herself and the young woman and the warm fuzzy feeling in her chest intensified.

    "Then what? Tell me¡­" Qin Lan softly whispered as she applied more pressure using her ability.

    She could feel the power flowing through her body and it was utterly intoxicating.

    Crack!

    Qin Lan heard the sound of something shattering and Jing Tian''s face became nk and expressionless as if she was a robot.

    "Jing Tian?" Qin Lan asked cautiously but received no response. She waved her hand in front of the girl, but she stood motionless.

    A memory flowed into Qin Lan''s mind causing her brows to furrow in pain. She saw a young man kneeling on the ground in front of the original Qin Lan.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Don''t you have a strong mind¡­ well¡­ I have no use for strong minds¡­ maybe you would be better off as my puppet¡­" a sweet voice echoed through the room.

    The original Qin Lan whispered something, and the man screamed in pain. His face became nk and expressionless as if he had just lost his soul.

    His mind would never recover.

    "No¡­ no¡­ I didn''t mean to¡­" Qin Lan stumbled backwards away from the motionless Jing Tian as she could not bear to look at what she had just done.

    Jing Tian did not react to her sudden movements and the rats that initially surrounded them looked around in confusion.

    Their master''s control had been broken so they eventually scattered around the field while Qin Lan stared at the broken woman.

    "Sister Lan is everything okay?" Liu Yifei asked as she walked out of the van.

    She was apanied by the other three teenagers who wandered over with concerned looks on their faces.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­ um¡­ apparently that ''Father Han'' has sent a team of gifted individuals to hunt us down¡­" Qin Lan exined while trying to pretend that everything was fine.

    She kept ncing at the motionless young woman and a deep sense of guilt and shame rose up in her heart.

    "What?!" Gong Li eximed in shock as she tightened her grip on Liu Yifei''s hand.

    "Don''t worry¡­ she was the person responsible for tracking us down but fortunately I managed to stop her before she sent a message back," Qin Lan calmed down the panicked girl.

    "Um¡­ so what happens to her now?" Liu Tao asked curiously as she stepped in front of Jing Tian and waved her hands.

    "I will order her to return to her group and tell them that we are heading in the opposite direction," Qin Lan spoke firmly but there was a conflicted look in her eyes.

    She quickly essed one of the new memories inside her mind and discovered that the individuals whose minds had been shattered could still obey orders.

    But they would act as puppets and would not eat or sleep without directmands.

    None managed tost longer than a week as the original Qin Lan would quickly get bored of her new pets.

    "Jing Tian¡­ return to Sister Guan and her team and tell them that you managed to catch our trail¡­" Qin Lanmanded in a firm tone.

    "Tell them that we are heading in a southwestern direction¡­"

    Jing Tian turned around and ran into the field without hesitation. Her face was still expressionless, and she moved just like a machine.

    Qin Lan stared at her departing figure with numerous thoughts running through her mind. She could not believe what she had just done.

    This gift¡­ it was far more dangerous that she could have possibly imagined.

    What would happen after Jing Tian fulfilled her mission?

    Qin Lan tried her best not to imagine what she already knew would ur. Jing Tian would die of either starvation or dehydration as she would refuse to eat.

    It was a horrific fate¡­

    "Okay¡­ we will have to move by foot now¡­ Liu Yifei can you store all the remaining supplies left in the van," Qin Lan asked softly.

    Liu Yifei nodded and ran over to the vehicle while lightly touching the tattered old pendant that hung on her neck.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh and stared upwards at the sky where a few clouds were beginning to form.

    It would rain soon.

    Just the perfect end to this really fucked up day.

 Chapter 103 Zombie Empress (34)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outer Region- St. Cheng''s Highway)

    The main bridge that led out of the province was nowpletely controlled by the military who used it to set up a base.

    Soldiers could be seen patrolling around the perimeter holding heavy assault rifles in their hands.

    A few snipers could be seen patiently lying down on the top of cars and constantly scanning the surrounding area for any threats.

    Barricades had been set up along key points across the bridge and now it was more akin to a makeshift fortress under the leadership of General Sun.

    This was the sight that Eve saw as she hid in the shadows and watched the bridge with a cold expression on her face.

    Those uniforms¡­ she recognised them¡­ they belonged to the bad men¡­ the ones who protected the monsters that hurt her¡­

    Eve''s pointed fingernails extended outwards to be ck ws as her facial features became more feral.

    A face shed across the zombie empress'' mind and her bloodlust instantly receded.

    Eve leaned against a nearby wall and ced her head in her hands before letting out a heavy sigh.

    What was she doing?

    Picking petty fights with random soldiers?

    All because she was too afraid to track down the scent of her favourite human¡­

    Eve continued to sigh as she stared aimlessly in a certain direction. She missed Qin Lan¡­ she missed her smile¡­ she missed her warmth¡­

    She didn''t know how she knew exactly where Qin Lan was but there was no doubt in her mind that she was currently in the neighbouring province a few dozen kilometers away.

    But whenever she got the overwhelming urge to visit her favourite human¡­.

    Qin Lan''s horrified face would resurface in her mind.

    What did she expect?

    Eve knew that Qin Lan would react badly once she killed the human that smelled like her, but he was a threat¡­

    The zombie empress refused to let anyone threaten her favourite human¡­ no matter who it was¡­

    Bang!

    Eve jumped to the side just as a bullet narrowly brushed against her cheek and left a thin trail of ck blood.

    A squad of soldiers appeared from the entrance of the alleyway and their leader was an incredibly handsome man in histe twenties.

    His muscr body was covered in light scars and his face had sharp angr features that resembled a Greek god.

    There was a rough masculine aura surrounding his body that would cause most women to swoon in admiration.

    He raised a cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply before blowing out a small puff of smoke that hung in the air.

    He tossed the cigarette to the ground and stamped it out using his ckbat boots.

    "Looks like we found a mutated one¡­" Wu Jing hoarsely growled as he gestured towards his men.

    Each soldier raised up their rifles and pointed them at Eve whose pitch-ck eyes gleamed with an inhuman emotion.

    "Shoot her down¡­ I want her core¡­" Wu Jing ordered coldly as he held out his right palm.

    Tiny sparks of electricity danced along his fingertips.

    None of the men in his squad seemed to be surprised by his supernatural disy and instead proud looks shed across their faces.

    They were confident that their strong leader would be able to beat the mutated zombie as he had done countless times before.

    Their confidencested for a grand total of five seconds¡­

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Bullets flew towards Eve''s direction, but the zombie began to giggle. Her hoarseughter echoed through the alley and sent shivers down the soldiers'' spines.

    Eve''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Not even Wu Jing had any time to react before she grabbed a random soldier and crushed his head like a watermelon.

    St!

    Blood and chunks of meat exploded andnded on the faces of the horrified soldiers who could not believe what had just happened.

    Eve smiled dangerously as all of her rage and frustration finally had an outlet to let loose.

    She punched out casually and her fist tore open a hole in the body of the soldier to her right.

    The zombie empress snarled like a caged animal as she tore through the bodies one by one in gruesome ways.

    "Brother Jing¡­" a dying soldier called out tearfully as Eve''s fingers prated his lower back and tore his spine into two pieces.

    The handsome man''s cold expressions finally cracked, and he unconsciously stepped back as Eve''s gaze finally turned towards his direction.

    All the other soldiers were dead.

    He was the one who gave the order¡­ he should be the one to watch all his men die due to his decision¡­

    "Stay¡­ stay back!" Wu Jing shouted in rage as he held out his right palm and a deadly arc of electricity mmed in Eve''s body.

    The zombie empress paused for a moment and a sweet smile spread across her skeleton-like face.

    "Is¡­ is that all?" Eve hoarsely growled as she approached the trembling man.

    Wu Jing could not believe that his lightning ability that was able topletely disintegrate zombies was nowpletely useless.

    No¡­ this had to be some kind of bad dream¡­ this mutated zombie¡­

    How was she so strong?

    "What trick are you doing?!" Wu Jing roared in frustration as he nced at the bodies of his deadpanions.

    He raised up both hands and heavy arcs of electricity erupted from his fingertips and mmed into Eve''s body.

    It would be a lie to say that the zombie empress was unaffected, but her regenerative ability was able to heal all of the damage that Wu Jing was able to inflict.

    A terrifying grin began to spread from the corners of Eve''s lips as she slowly approached the handsome man.

    She raised up her ws and prepared to tear out his throat when the ground beneath the man''s feet suddenly trembled.

    "Wait¡­ wha¡­" Wu Jing''s voice was cut off as a portal opened up below his feet and he vanished inside without a trace.

    Eve rushed over but discovered that the portal had now disappeared. She recognised that ability¡­

    It belonged to the creature who called himself ''Subject 001''.

    A look of frustration shed across Eve''s face since she didn''t appreciate her prey escaping from her grasp.

    If she knew that Subject 001 was watching the fight then she would have killed the human leader first and then rushed for his subordinates.

    Eve nced down and saw the mangled body parts and lumps of flesh thaty scattered across the ground.

    She only looked for a moment and then turned away.

    She had no interest in eating human flesh and as the zombie empress she had no need for nutrition in the first ce.

    Whatever those scientists had done to her¡­ had some benefits¡­

    Eve walked away just as a few soldiers from patrol rushed over since they had heard the gunshots from the distance.

    "No¡­ I¡­ arghh¡­" one of the soldiers threw up as he saw the horrifying sight.

    The way that the corpses on the ground had died¡­ was enough to make anyone feel sick.

    However, the worst part of the situation were the uniforms on the men''s bodies.

    Every single corpse on the ground belonged to an officer with a rank of lieutenant or higher¡­ these were elites in the army and yet¡­

    This was their fate.

    The patrol leader knelt down and investigated the bodies to try to figure out what exactly had happened to this team of well-trained elites.

 Chapter 104 Zombie Empress (35)

    (Xyrean Province- Outskirts)

    (Private Farnd- Abandoned Barnhouse)

    Tap! Tap! Tap!

    One could hear the sound of falling rain as the droplets of water mmed against the flimsy roof that barely covered the barn.

    Qin Lan leaned against a nearby haystack and tried to avoid the water that was dripping down from the holes in the ceiling.

    It was nighttime and the temperature had dropped by several degrees.

    Fortunately, Liu Yifei''s space contained several nkets so things were not as bad as they could have been.

    Still, it was impossible not to smell the heavy scent of manure and faecesing from the empty pens in the corner of the barn.

    The animals inside the pens were nowhere to be found so Qin Lan could only assume that they had escaped a few days ago.

    "Is everyone okay?" Qin Lan asked softly as she nced at the young teenagers.

    "Yeah¡­ just a little bit cold¡­" Liu Tao replied with a smile as she pulled the nket over her shoulders.

    Chen Xiao and Liu Tao were both on one side of the barn and covering their bodies up with separate nkets.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li on the other hand were sharing arge fluffy duvet instead of a nket and Qin Lan could swear that they were holding hands beneath the sheet.

    "Sister Lan¡­ can you tell us more about your ability?" Liu Tao asked innocently as her eyes gleamed with excitement.

    Ever since she had seen Eve''s impressive strength there was only one thought in the young girl''s mind.

    ? She wanted that kind of power¡­

    "My ability¡­ well¡­" Qin Lan hesitantly spoke with a trace of reluctance in her voice.

    "As you know I can control the minds of other people¡­ it seems to only work on humans so far, but I also haven''t tried to use it on animals or zombies¡­"

    "If I had to describe it¡­ it''s like there are invisible threads that connect my mind to the mind of my¡­ victim¡­ victim¡­"

    Qin Lan stuttered over herst word as the face of Jing Tian shed across her mind¡­ that young woman whose mind she had broken.

    Who was most likely going to die¡­

    Fuck! Why did the original Qin Lan''s shitty personality resurface?

    Qin Lan turned the conversation to a more lighthearted topic, but her heart really wasn''t in the conversation.

    Gaining the memories of someone else¡­ it was impossible to say that she was not influenced by those new recollections.

    Or perhaps it was a side effect of possessing the body that she had to use for the task¡­

    And speaking of the task¡­ Qin Lan still had no idea who was the so-called viiness of this ne who would destroy the world.

    All the relevant memories in the original Qin Lan''s mind were locked behind fuzzy white walls.

    It felt incredible frustrating since the answers to all her questions were just out of reach.

    "Will we¡­ will we be safe at theke?" a quiet voice interrupted Qin Lan''s musing.

    She turned her attention to the direction of the voice and saw Chen Xiao nervously fidgeting.

    "I know¡­ this must be very scary¡­ truthfully, I am a bit scared as well," Qin Lan confessed quietly as she got up from her spot and walked over.

    "I thought that this province would be safe but¡­ Father Han and his worshippers¡­ are very dangerous."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I can''t promise youplete safety, but I swear that I will try my best to protect and teach you all how to defend yourself."

    Chen Xiao slowly nodded but there was still a look of hesitation in his eyes.

    Qin Lan didn''t me him since this entire situation was difficult to process.

    How does onee to terms with the fact that the world is now an apocalypse?

    Just days ago, these young teenagers were living normal lives and worrying about their next test or midterms exam and now¡­

    They had to worry about their next meal, shelter and the monsters that roamed around this harsh environment.

    "Why didn''t we stay with the military?" Liu Yifei asked cautiously as she looked at Qin Lan for answers.

    Qin Lan opened her mouth and exined her concerns in a calm and even tone,

    "Well¡­ I''m sure in the beginning the military with their discipline would protect us¡­ but as time passes withoutmunication to their superior officers¡­"

    "Who knows what they would do¡­ they have guns which basically makes them invincible at least in the early stages when most people''s abilities have not been upgraded."

    "I wish¡­ I wish that my ability was offensive like yours..." Liu Yifei quietly whispered as she leaned her head against Gong Li''s.

    Qin Lan walked over to the girl and ce a warm hand on her shoulder.

    "Hey¡­ if it wasn''t for you¡­ I don''t know what we would have done¡­ your ability may not be strong in a fight, but it is perhaps one of the most useful," Qin Lan reassured her with a smile.

    "Trust me¡­ in the future if you ever reveal your ability¡­ all the base leaders will be fighting over themselves to get you to join their side¡­"

    "Don''t worry sister Lan! I''ll stay with you!" Liu Yifei hurriedly spoke up. Qin Lanughed and rubbed the young teenage girl''s head.

    "Alright¡­ get some sleep everyone¡­ we have a busy day of walking tomorrow," Qin Lan spoke firmly as she returned to her spot.

    She tried her best to ignore the heavy scent of manure and pulled the nket over her shoulder.

    "Good night¡­" Gong Li whispered sweetly into Liu Yifei''s ear.

    Her best friend looked at her with a conflicted expression that sent a shiver of fear down Gong Li''s spine.

    Did she find out? No¡­ no¡­

    "Good night," Liu Yifei replied softly as she turned her body away from her friend. She gently touched her chest and discovered that her heart was beating frantically.

    Liu Yifei felt a bit confused since she didn''t understand why doing normal girl things with her best friend was making her heart race.

    Qin Lan had her eyes closed so she missed the cute interaction between the two girls one of whom was now beginning to doubt her sexuality.

    It was an uneventful night as the pitter patter of rain was the only sound of note.

    The barn that they had stumbled upon was rtively far away from a farmhouse in the distance and Qin Lan had not seen any zombies nearby.

    The hours passed and eventually the first orange rays of sunlight appeared from the corner of the horizon.

    Qin Lan stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily. She opened her eyes blearily and discovered that the teenagers were still fast asleep.

    She sat up and reached for the bottle of water next to her nket. She carefully unscrewed the cork and took a small sip.

    Today was a brand-new day.

    There would undoubtedly be challenges up ahead, but Qin Lan hoped that she could continue to wake up to peaceful mornings like this in the future.

 Chapter 105 Zombie Empress (36)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    Am I dead?

    Wu Jing opened his eyes blearily as he tried to adjust to the warm rays of sunlight beating down on his face.

    He looked around and discovered that he was lying down on a hard mattress ced on a badly damaged bed.

    This appeared to be some kind of¡­ medical ward?

    The white walls inside the room were badly damaged and the door that led to the outside hall had been torn apart from the hinges.

    No¡­ what was he doing here?

    The monster?! Where was she?!

    Wu Jing sat up in a hurry and assumed a defensive stance. He immediately stretched out his right hand and sparks of electricity danced around his fingertips.

    The handsome soldier gripped his head in pain as memories from that terrible night flowed into his mind.

    He remembered tracking down a mutated zombie for its crystal. He and his men had it surrounded in a dark alleyway.

    They had the numbers and the superior firepower to kill it¡­. and then¡­

    The memories of Eve''s brutality sent a shiver of fear down Wu Jing''s spine as he remembered the sadistic smile that spread across the monster''s face as she killed all of hispanions.

    Then¡­ then she¡­ she was unaffected by his power¡­

    Wu Jing felt as though his world was about to copse.

    The death of his men did not bother him as much as the fact that his ability was useless.

    This lighting ability¡­ it was a source of pride for the arrogant man, and he could not believe that the mutated zombie had shrugged off his attacks as if they were nothing.

    As the mutated zombie raised up its ws and prepared to kill him¡­ what had happened next?

    Wu Jing furrowed his brows and tried his best to remember. He could recall feeling strange as if something was crawling all over his skin.

    Thest image in his mind was Eve''s surprised expression and then there was nothing but darkness after.

    "Oh? The sleeping beauty finally wakes up," a hoarse voice spoke with a quiver of excitement hidden in his tone.

    Wu Jing immediately nced in the direction of the sound and saw a young teenage boy walking over with a few bags of military ready food packets.

    The boy was wearing a camouge jacket that was a bit too big for his body and a pair of ck track pants.

    He was quite handsome with short, cropped hair and sharp angr cheekbones that would make him very popr with thedies.

    The mysterious teenager had extremely pale white skin and Wu Jing would have mistaken him for a zombie if it wasn''t for his eyes.

    They were bothpletely normal which meant that the teenager was a human.

    "Here¡­ why don''t you have something to eat and then I can answer the questions that I am sure that you have¡­" Qin Wei exined patiently.

    He gently ced the packets on the bed and then stepped away to give Wu Jing some space.

    Qin Wei''s actions were that of a perfect gentleman with elegance, ss, and manners.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan would barely be able to recognise her brother since his behaviour was so drastically different.

    What she would not have known was that her brother¡­ he had long been turned into someone¡­ or something else¡­

    Wu Jing hesitated for a moment but the low growl that came from his stomach convinced him to give the food a try.

    While he had no idea how long he had been lying down on the bed, it was clear that he did not appear to have suffered any obvious harm.

    The exhausted soldier tore open the top of the packaging and took out the contents.

    Wu Jing was so hungry that he did not even bother to use the heater and instead tore open a bag and began to eat cold beef ravioli.

    Qin Wei watched him devour the food with a strange glint in his eyes. He stared at Wu Jing''s long slender fingers that were covered in light scars.

    This man¡­ his ability was powerful.

    It may be useless now in the early stages against Subject 014, but should it be allowed to blossom to its full potential¡­

    Well¡­ it could be the weapon that he needed to take down Eve.

    "Where is this ce? Who are you?" Wu Jing suddenly asked as he ced down the packets and coldly gazed at the young teenager.

    "This is an abandoned military base, and my name is Qin Wei," the handsome teenage boy replied casually.

    He snapped his fingers, and the air began to ripple behind him until it formed a blurry circr portal.

    On the other side of the portal was the alleyway where Wu Jing''s men had died, and he had nearly lost his life.

    "My ability allows me to connect two ces¡­ I saw that you were in trouble, so I rescued you from that terrible monster," Qin Wei spoke gently as he snapped his fingers again.

    The portal gradually copsed, and Wu Jing could not help but take in a deep breath as he realised the full implications of this young boy''s powerful gift.

    Teleportation¡­ it was the ultimate card to escape dangerous situations.

    Wu Jing immediately began to think up ways to get Qin Wei to join his team.

    He was so excited at the prospect of a powerful ability user joining forces with him that he failed to ask the most important question.

    Why did Qin Wei stand by and do nothing as the rest of his men died?

    "Thank you for rescuing me," Wu Jing gruffly spoke as he reached for the bottle of water ced at the end of the bed.

    "Can you send me back to the alleyway? I need to inform themander of this dangerous mutated zombie."

    "Why do you want to go back?" Qin Wei asked politely as he slowly walked towards the soldier sitting up on the bed.

    "Excuse me?" Wu Jing replied with some confusion on his face.

    Qin Wei opened up his mouth and gave azy shrug before exining the thoughts on his mind,

    "Logically it is only a matter of time before yourmander decides to use all of the remaining soldiers for himself¡­ he has no reason to continue paying attention to the military rules."

    "As for someone with such a powerful ability like yourself¡­ don''t you think that you may be a threat to his reign?"

    "You''ve seen it already, haven''t you? The subtle fear in his eyes as you show off your gift¡­ the respect that the other soldiers hold for you¡­"

    "Why return to be a dog¡­ when you can be a king."

 Chapter 106 Zombie Empress (37)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake)

    Qin Lan raised up her hand and everyone stopped moving. She reached into her pocket and handed out some energy bars to the young teenagers.

    After two days of walking, they had finally arrived at thergestke in the province.

    Mermaid''s Lake as the locals called it was the main source of freshwater for all the farnds that were spread across the province.

    Legend has it that an ancient warrior fell in love with a Sea God''s daughter and built thiske as their home so that she would always have a ce to swim.

    No one is quite sure how the story ends because there are dozens of variations but in most, they both live happily ever after.

    Qin Lan could spot a few farmhouses and arge two-story building made from concrete on the other side of theke.

    Tiny ant-like figures were walking along the edges of the buildings, but they were too far away for Qin Lan to get a closer look.

    Damn¡­ there were other people here already¡­

    Well, that wasn''t exactly a surprise since this was arge source of freshwater which was essential when building a base.

    "Are we going to set up our base on thekeshore?'' Liu Tao asked curiously as she peeled off the wrapping on her energy bar and took a bite.

    "I was thinking that we could build a shelter deeper inside the forest to hide us from the group on the other side," Qin Lan exined as she pointed in the direction of the humanoid figures.

    "Yeah¡­ we should avoid contact¡­" Chen Xiao nervously chimed in.

    Despite Qin Lan''s best efforts, the young boy was still afraid after learning that a team of ability users were hunting them down on the orders of some unknown priest.

    "Liu Yifei when night falls you wille with me and we will fill a few dozen buckets of water under the cover of darkness," Qin Lan spoke gently.

    "Don''t worry¡­ I hope that this ce can be our home at least for the next few months while I continue your training."

    Liu Yifei nodded in understanding and Qin Lan walked over to hand her a purplish-grey crystal to swallow.

    Although she was the one who fought the zombies and mutated animals that the group had encountered on the way to theke, Qin Lan was prepared to share.

    Liu Yifei''s ability was truly invaluable, and it was important to upgrade it as soon as possible so that it would be stronger.

    Gong Li unscrewed the top of a bottle of water in advance and handed it over to her best friend who thanked her silently.

    An expression of reluctance shed across Liu Yifei''s face, but she gritted her teeth and swallowed the crystal before taking arge gulp of water.

    A hoarse guttural cry escaped her throat as Liu Yifei''s body copsed on the ground in pain.

    She began to tremble uncontroble, so Gong Li hurriedly wrapped her arms around her friend and stroked her back.

    The process to upgrade one''s ability was not an easy one.

    There was no power in the world that was avable without a price.

    From the original Qin Lan''s memories, Qin Lan knew that upgrading to higher levels would result in a greater amount of pain.

    And the stronger the gift, the more crystals that were required to upgrade the ability.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan patiently waited for Liu Yifei to recover and then led the team back into the deeper parts of the forest.

    They walked for several minutes until Qin Lan discovered a clearing with quite a few branches and leaves scattered across the ground.

    "Okay we need to clear out the debris and then we can start setting up the tents for the night," Qin Lan ordered in a firm tone.

    She stepped forward and casually lifted up arge log that was in the middle of the clearing.

    Qin Lan didn''t have much experience in camping but after a few nights outside, she had gotten the hand of the general routine.

    "Gong Li and Liu Yifei¡­ can you all gather some firewood and start setting up the campfire?" Qin Lan asked softly.

    "Sure! No problem!" Gong Li eximed enthusiastically. She nervously grabbed Liu Yifei''s hand and the pair of girls vanished into the woods.

    A warm smile shed across Qin Lan''s face as she saw the sweet interaction between the pair.

    Gong Li was gradually getting more courageous about her feelings while Liu Yifei was still a bit confused.

    Qin Lan hoped that it would work out in the end.

    She turned her attention back to the matter at hand and began clearing out the leaves and small branches.

    Chen Xiao and Liu Tao helped out and it only took around fifteen minutes before a nice area of space was created for their tents.

    Qin Lan picked up some stones and arranged them in a circle around the firepit.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li returned with empty hands, but Liu Yifei snapped her finger and dozens of brittle sticks appeared out of thin air.

    She snapped her fingers again and three copsed tents fell on the ground.

    Qin Lan walked over to the tents and with well practised motions she began to set them up with some assistance from the young teenagers.

    Gong Li pulled a lighter out of her pocket and gently flicked the metal part. It didn''t take long before a crackling fire was set up in the middle of the campsite.

    The sun was beginning to set and warm orange rays of light fell on the forest floor. Fortunately, it was summertime, so the temperatures weren''t so bad at night.

    However, they would eventually have to get proper housing for the winter but that was at least a few months away.

    Liu Yifei had already ced arge pot and some pack noodles on the ground along with some bottles of water.

    Qin Lan filled the pot with water from the bottles and emptied the noodles inside the pot. She tore open the vour packets and stirred gently.

    She held the pot above the fire and soon the scent of noodles filled the air which caused everyone''s mouths to salivate.

    It wasn''t exactly five-star cooking but after a long day of walking there was nothing better than filling your body with some junk food.

    Liu Yifei handed Qin Lan some vegetables that she had stored in her space along with a bottle of chicken broth.

    Qin Lan added both to the pot and the pleasant scent got even stronger. It was peaceful moments like this that made Qin Lan temporarily forget her worries.

    Life was hard¡­ but there was always light hidden in the darkness.

 Chapter 107 Zombie Empress (38)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    "Are you nervous?" Qin Lan quietly whispered as she passed a knife to Liu Yifei.

    The pair were crouched down behind some bushes as they stared at the enormous boar that was walking through the forest.

    It was a mutated creature with arge body that was almost the size of an adult human male.

    Thick bone-like tusks jutted out from the animal''s lower jaw and the sharpened ends gleamed under the sunlight.

    The boar was roaming around the forest while asionally stopping to sniff the air and rummage around the nearby vegetation.

    "I''m¡­ a bit scared¡­" Liu Yifei quietly whispered as she tried to keep her voice low. Qin Lan ced a warm hand on her back andforted the young girl.

    "Don''t worry¡­ it is important that you feel that way. Never forget that every battle carries with it the risk of death," Qin Lan exined gently.

    "There is no shame in running away¡­ those who others mock as cowards are often the ones who survive¡­"

    "But you must learn how to fight in case you cannot escape from a dangerous situation. Don''t worry for this training¡­ I will be here with you the entire time."

    Qin Lan spoke seriously, and her words brought a small smile to Liu Yifei''s lips.

    The pair waited patiently as the boar strolled towards their direction.

    Qin Lan silently counted down using her fingers before giving Liu Yifei the signal that they had agreed upon to attack.

    She burst out of the bushes and lunged towards the boar with her knife held firmly in her palm. Liu Yifei was close behind with an expression of nervous excitement on her face.

    The boar was startled by the sudden noise and before it could react Qin Lan''s knife had already prated its left eye socket.

    Screech!

    The boar cried out in pain and swung its enormous tusks at the foolish human who decided to attack it.

    Qin Lan lowered her head and the tusk passed mere inches away from where her skull had been just moments prior.

    "Liu Yifei! Aim for its sides!" Qin Lan yelled as she distracted the boar by stabbing her knife into the creature''s soft lower jaw.

    The young teenage girl bravely rushed forward and managed tond two decent stabs in the creature''s sturdy hide before quickly backing away just as she had been taught.

    The boar hissed in pain and its eyes turned a bright crimson red colour. Horrifying reddish marks began to appear on its fur and the temperature began to rise.

    Was it going to use its special ability?

    "Back away now!" Qin Lanmanded as she leapt away from the creature just as the boar opened it mouth.

    An enormous wave of orange- red mes flew out of its opened mouth and mmed against the nearby trees.

    These mes were white hot and although Qin Lan had dodged the fire¡­ she could feel the hair on her arm burn away under the high temperature.

    The boar screeched in pain as it began to cough up blood.

    Qin Lan narrowed her eyes as she saw the animal begin to grunt and wheeze.

    It seemed that the boar could not use its ability without paying a price¡­

    "Okay¡­ back away for now¡­ I''m not sure if the boar has any other tricks so just observe as I take it down¡­" Qin Lan spoke loudly for the young girl to hear.

    Liu Yifei nodded and quickly ran towards a nearby slope so that she could get a decent vantage point to watch the fight.

    The boar eventually recovered, and its red beady eyes stared at Qin Lan with an expression of hatred.

    "Kill yourself," Qin Lan growled darkly as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest intensify.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She saw one of her mental threads flow into the animal''s mind but it was immediately broken as if it had encountered an invisible barrier.

    Huh¡­ guess it only worked on humans then¡­

    The boar lowered its head and charged at Qin Lan with its massive body. The ground trembled as the creature rushed at the human who had caused it so much pain.

    Qin Lan could feel her heartbeat gradually slow down. The world around her faded away and all she could focus on was the monster rushing towards her.

    Itsrge tusks could easily rip her body apart and yet there was not the slightest trace of fear in her mind.

    No¡­ she had faced worse¡­

    Qin Lan slowly inhaled and the gently let out a soft breath.

    She moved with minimal movements as she shifted her body to the side and narrowly avoided the tusk that was aimed at her lower body.

    She proceeded to jump on the animal''s back and even as the boar buckled and tried to throw her off¡­ Qin Lan managed to hang on.

    Liu Yifei looked on inplete shock as the young woman who was herbat teacher moved as though she was an ancient warrior.

    Qin Lan held on to the animal''s back using one hand and swung her body around until she was right above the creature''s skull.

    With one sharp thrust her de prated the animal''s skull and reached the soft fleshy brain hidden inside.

    The boar let out onest agonising screech of pain before it slowly crashed to the ground motionless.

    Qin Lan dug through the corpse''s head and pulled out arge purplish-ck crystal that was warm to the touch.

    A thick reddish vein could be seen running along the edges of the crystal.

    The trees that were affected by the boar''s fiery attack were still burning but it had rained the day prior, so the mes were gradually going out.

    "Wow! That was amazing!!" Liu Yifei eximed in shock as she stared at Qin Lan with stars in her eyes.

    "Okay¡­ well obviously those kinds of moves are far beyond what you are capable of, but I hope that you saw how I did not panic during the fight," Qin Lan smiled gently as she spoke.

    "In a fight¡­ it is important to keep a cool head and analyse the current situation at all times. Remember that the environment can also be used as a weapon."

    "Always be on alert for any sudden developments¡­"

    The pair walked back to the campsite as Qin Lan continued to impart more wisdom on her young prot¨¦g¨¦.

    What they did not know was that several thousand kilometres away¡­ someone or rather something was observing them through a portal.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    "Do you see those two?" Qin Wei softly whispered as he snapped his fingers and the portal disappeared.

    "Yes¡­ who are they?" Wu Jing asked with some confusion on his handsome face.

    "They are allies of the mutated zombie that killed your men¡­ when the time is right¡­ we can use them as bait to draw her out," Qin Wei chuckled darkly as his fingers curled up into a fist.

    Wu Jing nodded slowly but the image of the young teenage girl next to the older woman shed across his mind.

    He did not know if he had ever seen such a pretty girl before¡­

 Chapter 108 Zombie Empress (39)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (Father Han''s Church)

    "Bless us Lord! Guide your lost sheep on the true path of righteousness. I stand before you today as a vessel for your will," Father Han cried out fervently.

    A middle- aged man dressed in a in ck priest robe stood in front of a packed congregation with a single iron chain hung around his neck.

    There was something sharp and hawkish about his facial features as if there was a predator lurking behind his gentle disguise.

    Father Han raised up his hands and continued to preach from the ck book in his right palm.

    Two days had passed since he had given Sister Guan the mission to hunt down the dangerous ability user, but no one had returned yet.

    Father Han was now feeling a bit anxious and had made the decision to give gifts to some lucky members of his loyal congregation.

    He had a bad feeling that something terrible was about to happen.

    One could call it premonition, but Father Han would refer to it as always being prepared for the worst-case situation.

    "When I call your name please step forward and kneel down before me¡­" Father Han passionately spoke as he ced the book down on the altar.

    He cleared his throat, and his eyes roamed the entire hall looking for suitable targets for his ability.

    As always, the priest decided to prioritise the most loyal members of the congregation as they were the least likely to betray him.

    Father Han closed his eyes and his body trembled violently as if he was undergoing a series of convulsions.

    This was all part of the act.

    The congregation needed to see the Lord speak through him so that their faith would be reinforced.

    "Ma Tianyu¡­ Vin Zhang¡­ Xu Jinglei¡­ you three¡­ have all been selected¡­ the Lord¡­ he¡­ HE SPEAKS TO ME!" Father Han roared loudly as he opened his eyes.

    A thunderous apuse echoed through the church as the people sitting in the wooden pews could not help but apud in anticipation.

    The two men and one woman who were chosen could not believe their good fortune.

    Ma Tianyu was a simple looking farmer, Vin Zhang was the owner of the local pharmacy while Xu Jinglei was a housewife.

    They were not the rich¡­ they were not the powerful¡­ and it was these facts that made Father Han seem like a saint in the eyes of his believers.

    God did not discriminate.

    God did not care about their position or status in this world.

    Anyone could be worthy.

    "Pleasee and receive your gifts¡­" Father Han softly spoke with a warm and gentle smile stered across his face.

    The three chosen members of the congregation got up from the pews and walked towards Father Han who still had his arms outstretched.

    Ma Tianyu was the first to arrive and knelt down in front of the priest. Father Han stepped forward and ced his right hand on the farmer''s forehead.

    The priest closed his eyes and focused on the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest that seemed to get hotter by the minute.

    He felt something flow out from his hand and flow into the man''s chest. Ma Tianyu gritted his teeth in pain and a few additional wrinkles appeared on his face.

    "It is done¡­" Father Han softly whispered.

    Ma Tianyu rose up from the ground and snapped his fingers. A gentle stream of water erupted from his fingertips and fell on the ground.

    "Amazing¡­ thank you Father¡­ thank you¡­" Ma Tianyu eximed in shock as he could not believe his eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Father Han smiled and stepped back. He gestured for Vin Zhang to step forward and repeated the process.

    Vin Zhang''s gift was the ability to control the earth.

    It was not particrly impressive, but Father Han still had to put on the appearance that he was excited for him.

    The elderly priest took in a deep breath and gently exhaled as he felt a sense of weakness in his body.

    This happened every time he gave a gift¡­

    There was a limit to how many people he could ''bless'' with an ability.

    Father Han could feel the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest gradually get lighter which was a sure sign that he was only going to be able to give one more blessing.

    "Please step forward Xu Jinglei¡­" Father Han lovingly spoke as he waited for the housewife to approach him.

    Xu Jinglei had an excited look on her face but there was a trace of hesitation in her eyes as she stared at the priest''s outstretched hand.

    She felt a bit nervous but under the pressure of the entire congregation and the priest''s gentle smile¡­

    How could she refuse?

    "Do not be afraid my child¡­ the Lord has chosen you for a reason¡­ there is no need to fear his wonderful gift¡­" Father Han whispered softly.

    He ced his right hand on her forehead and once more something flowed out from his fingertips and entered her body.

    Father Han stumbled slightly as his vision briefly faded away to darkness. He was forced to grit his teeth to prevent the congregation from seeing his weakness.

    Xu Jinglei''s youthful face contorted in pain as wrinkles appeared across her brow. Within the span of a minute, she appeared to have aged five years.

    It was the price that one had to pay for gaining a gift.

    Father Han gripped the sides of the altar and tried to steady himself. The elderly priest felt sick as the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest disappeared.

    "What the¡­ this¡­" a soft voice entered the priest''s ears.

    Xu Jinglei rose up from the ground and stared at her skin. Her skin was now bronze with an almost metallic luster.

    She rubbed her fingers together and a sound that resembled nails scrapping on a chalkboard echoed through the church.

    "Congrattions on your gift¡­" Father Han stammered nervously as he raised up his hand to dismiss the crowd.

    The congregation were used to this abrupt manner in which service was usually cancelled so they all politely filed out.

    Xu Jinglei kept staring at her skin with a conflicted look on her face.

    She was apanied by her husband who opened his mouth as if to say something but eventually decided to remain quiet.

    Father Han waited until thest member had left the grand hall and then he slumped to the ground in pain.

    This was¡­ too much¡­

    How much longer could he keep this up?

    ? Fuck¡­ why couldn''t he be the strong one? Was there any ability more useless than the ability to give other people gifts?

    Father Han let out a heavy sigh and looked out of the stained-ss windows. He could only pray that he would receive good news from Sister Guan soon.

    He needed some good news¡­

 Chapter 109 Zombie Empress (40)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake)

    "Good job!" Qin Lan shouted happily as she tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided the de that shed near her neck.

    Liu Yifei gritted her teeth and continued to attack with vicious bloodthirsty movements. Qin Lan smiled as she easily avoided the young teenager''s attacks.

    They were currently sparring in the middle of the clearing while Gong Li watched from the distance.

    Chen Xiao and Liu Tao on the other hand were in charge of making dinner today so they were back at the camp site trying to cook up some noodle broth.

    "Grr¡­ why can''t I¡­" Liu Yifei whispered softly as she dropped to the ground andunched a kick at Qin Lan''s legs.

    "Nice!" Qin Lan replied as she stepped back just out of reach of the teenager''s surprise attack.

    "Alright that''s enough for today¡­"

    Qin Lan pped her hands and Liu Yifei dropped the knife and let out a heavy sigh. Gong Li rushed over with a handkerchief and began to tenderly wipe the sweat from her brow.

    "Don''t get too impatient for sess. You are already improving far more than you realise," Qin Lan gently spoke as she ced a warm hand on the young girl''s shoulder.

    Her goal in training Liu Yifei was to provide the teenage girl with the ability to protect herself from those who would seek to use her gift.

    Liu Yifei''s storage space was quite powerful and the food, water and supplies that were stored inside did not go bad or expire in her pocket dimension.

    Qin Lan had even done some experiments and discovered that hot food ced inside Liu Yifei''s space would remain hot even if it was taken out several hourster.

    It was if the supplies were frozen in time and space.

    "Gong Li¡­ we''ll do some marksmanship training tomorrow, so I hope that you are prepared¡­" Qin Lan teased the nervous looking girl.

    "Yes! I want to learn how to shoot!" Gong Li replied firmly with only a hint of hesitation in her voice.

    Unlike Liu Yifei, none of the other teenagers had any gifts or showed any signs of developing special abilities.

    Qin Lan knew from the original''s memories that only a rare few would develop abilitiester on in the apocalypse so it was unlikely that the other teenagers would be gifted.

    Still in the early stages¡­ there were few who could shrug off a bullet to the chest.

    "Shall we head back to camp?" Qin Lan suggested as she gestured for the girls to follow her. She began walking towards the rest site at a rtively quick pace.

    The two girls fell behind and Qin Lan allowed them the privacy to talk to each other.

    She would have to be blind not to notice the obvious romantic attraction that Gong Li felt toward Liu Yifei.

    Liu Yifei on the other hand seemed to be responding to her best friend''s feelings but was clearly a bit confused.

    Oh¡­ young love¡­

    A sweet smile shed across Qin Lan''s face before a memory resurfaced in her mind. Eve''s beautiful face had recently been appearing in her dreams.

    No¡­ stop it¡­ don''t show me her¡­.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan''s happy mood was instantly lowered as she could not help but recall the scene of her ambiguous lover punching a hole through her little brother''s chest.

    Warm orange rays of sunlight casted long dark shadows on the forest floor as Qin Lan walked through the natural scenery with heavy thoughts on her mind.

    It wasn''t just Eve''s face¡­ there were blurry memories that apanied each dream and there was a girl in the background¡­

    Qin Lan could never fully make out the details of her face, but she appeared to be a beautiful dark-skinned woman with pointed ears almost like a fantasy creature.

    Clearly, she needed to speak to a psychologist, but mental health support was sadly a bitcking during an apocalypse.

    Qin Lan took out therge machete that was attached to her hip and began to chop away the thick branches and leaves that were in her path.

    This act did help to take her mind of things and it proved to be a wee distraction.

    The forest surrounding theke was truly beautiful and there was always a source of fresh meat.

    More importantly the mutated animals were still in their early stages of evolution but possessed crystals.

    Qin Lan''s ability had already been upgraded to level three and now she felt as though she would be able tomand an entire army with just a mere whisper.

    Of course, this was merely spection, but it was an undoubtable face that her body was now faster, stronger, and sturdier than before.

    "Come on girls we are almost there!" Qin Lan called out as she turned around and saw both teenagers trailing quite far behind.

    "Sorry sister Lan!" Gong Li replied happily as she ran forward while holding Liu Yifei''s hand in a tight grip.

    Qin Lan''s eyes darted over to their interwoven fingers and a mischievous glint surfaced in her eyes.

    She wanted to tease the young couple but decided to stay silent. However, she did manage to shoot Gong Li a knowing look when Liu Yifei was not watching.

    The group trekked through the forest for around fifteen more minutes until they arrived at the camp site.

    Fourrge tents had been ced around a firepit that was still smoking slightly. Sharp branches and leaves had been piled up around the rest site to form an artificial barrier.

    It wasn''t exactly a luxurious lifestyle but after one week of living in the forest, it was beginning to feel like home.

    And considering the state of the rest of the country, it was probably a god damn paradise inparison.

    By now all the metropolitan areas should have fallen and the survivors should be forced to group together in bases.

    Then the real challenge of survival would begin¡­

    With dwindling food supplies, a fearsome threat and horrific creatures roaming outside¡­ it was scary just how quickly civilised people turn barbarous.

    "Chen Xiao! Liu Tao! We''re back!" Qin Lan shouted as she walked towards the tents. Minutes passed and she did not receive a reply.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she noticed two sets of tracks moving in a certain direction from the back of the camp site.

    Where had they gone?

 Chapter 110 Zombie Empress (41)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forest Outskirts)

    "Where are we going?" Chen Xiao asked nervously as he followed Liu Tao into a deeper part of the forest.

    "Look¡­" Liu Tao stopped moving for a moment and turned around to face the former ss monitor with a serious expression on her face.

    "We are useless¡­ we are nothing but a burden for Qin Lan and Liu Yifei¡­ they have abilities, and we don''t."

    "Yes¡­ but Sister Lan said that she is going to train us so that we can defend ourselves¡­" Chen Xiao retorted angrily.

    "After she finishes training Liu Yifei¡­ can you wait that long? What if something happens?" Liu Tao replied shakily as her body trembled with an emotion that Chen Xiao could not ce.

    Liu Tao''s words hung in the air and despite his best efforts, Chen Xiao could not help but agree with her point.

    "So, what do you want to do?" Chen Xiao asked in a defeated tone.

    "Look all we have to do is hunt down one of those mutated animals and then swallow the crystal to activate our hidden powers¡­" Liu Tao whispered with a determined glint in her eyes.

    Chen Xiao opened his mouth to argue some more but his expression changed as Liu Tao lifted up her shirt to reveal the gun hidden in her waistband.

    "When¡­ when did you?" Chen Xiao asked in shock as he took a step back.

    "Rx¡­ I''m not going to shoot you¡­ I managed to grab one when Liu Yifei was practising taking items out of her storage space¡­" Liu Tao exined casually.

    She held the handgun in her hand and an intoxicating smile shed across her face.

    This weapon¡­ it made her feel strong.

    After feeling helpless and having to be rescued all the time¡­ it felt good¡­ it felt right¡­

    Sister Lan was a good person, but she did not understand what it was like to feel weak and helpless.

    Liu Tao bravely stepped forward and continued to look for traces of mutated animals. Chen Xiao hesitated for a moment and then followed her.

    He did not agree with the course of action that she was taking but he was scared to leave her on her own in case something happened.

    The two young teenagers walked through the forest as the sun gradually began to drift towards the horizon.

    Warm orange rays of sunlight streamed down from the treetops and casted long dark shadows on the forest floor.

    The chirping of birds gradually faded away and one could hear the sounds of insects chattering and animals rustling through the bushes.

    "Look¡­ let''s go back already¡­" Chen Xiao suggested weakly as he ced his hand on Liu Tao''s shoulder to get her attention.

    "No! We need to do this tonight!" Liu Tao replied with furrowed brows as she knelt down and examined arge paw print on the ground.

    It seemed to resemble a dog''s but there was something off about it that Liu Tao could not ce her finger on.

    Howl!

    A loud cry echoed through the forest that sent a shiver down both teenagers'' spines. Liu Tao and Chen Xiao exchanged nces as they nced in the direction of the noise.

    ? Chen Xiao shook his head multiple times, but Liu Tao bravely walked towards the noise with her fingers tightly wrapped around the gun''s trigger.

    At the first sign of trouble, she was prepared to empty an entire magazine into whatever monster made that sound.

    Liu Tao could hear the steady beating of her heart as she got closer and closer to the direction of the growls.<novelnext></novelnext>

    No¡­ she could not afford to run¡­ she needed strength to protect herself¡­

    Sister Lan for some reason thought that it was too big a risk to give them crystals since they did not show any signs of developing abilities.

    And now¡­ Liu Tao felt as though she had no choice but to take matters into her own hands.

    At the end of the day, the only person that one could trust was themselves.

    The pair continued walking for ten minutes until they finally arrived at arge cave that was next to a cliff.

    The entrance to the cave was a vast empty hole of nothingness. A void where light was unable to prate its inner depths.

    Liu Tao could hear the growls and howlsing from deep inside the cave and hesitantly approached its entrance.

    "Are you insane?!" Chen Xiao whispered fiercely as he grabbed Liu Tao''s shoulder and this time he didn''t let go.

    "I''m done¡­ no¡­ no! It''s bad enough that you convinced me to wander around this god forsaken forest but now you want to go inside a cave that obviously has some kind of monster inside?"

    "You don''t have toe¡­ just wait outside¡­" Liu Tao gritted her teeth in annoyance.

    ''Umm¡­ you are the one with the weapon¡­ if that thing kills you¡­ what do you think is going to happen to me?" Chen Xiao sarcastically spoke.

    After bottling up his rage inside for thest several hours, Chen Xiao was finally at his breaking point.

    "Fuck! I can''t believe that I didn''t stop you sooner! This is clearly a mistake!" Chen Xiao whispered angrily as he tightened his grip on Liu Tao''s shoulder.

    "I just¡­ ouch!"

    Chen Xiao gripped his head in pain as Liu Tao swung the gun around and mmed the end of the weapon against the young teenage boy''s temple.

    The former ss monitor fell on the ground with a heavy thud and could only watch in disbelief as Liu Tao ran inside the cave.

    He shook his head and ran after her after only a moment of hesitation. Chen Xiao approached the entrance and froze in fear as he heard the sound of a gunshot.

    Bang!

    There was a brief moment of silence and then another round of gunshots could be heard.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Chen Xiao looked inside the cave and tried to see if he could spot Liu Tao, but it was too dark, and the sun had already begun to set.

    Bang! Bang!

    Two more gunshots rang out and this time they were apanied by a piercing scream of pain that sounded oddly human-like.

    "Liu Tao!" Chen Xiao cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled. He heard the sound of footsteps and hurriedly took a few steps back.

    A girl walked through the cave entrance and blinked twice as she stared at the outside world with a thoughtful expression on her face.

    She waspletely unharmed, so Chen Xiao let out a secret sigh of relief. He ran up to the teenage girl and wrapped his arms around her body.

    "Thank goodness you are alright¡­" Chen Xiao spoke happily as he hugged ''Liu Tao''.

    What he did not notice was that there was no trace of familiarity or recognition in the teenage girl''s eyes as she looked at him.

 Chapter 111 Zombie Empress (42)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake ¨C Forested Outskirts)

    Liu Tao blinked twice and stared at her hands. She lifted one up in the air and looked at it curiously as if she could not believe that it was attached to her body.

    She was still getting used to her new height and the proportion of her limbs.

    Standing up and walking on two legs was quite the novel experience.

    Chen Xiao had yet to notice her strange behaviour as he was still hugging her tightly with an expression of relief on his face.

    Liu Tao nced towards the entrance of the cave and for a brief moment her calm appearance cracked to reveal an inhuman smile.

    A young teenage girl had bravely walked into the cave¡­

    And something else had walked out¡­

    "We should head back¡­" Chen Xiao suggested as he finally stepped away. He smiled warmly at Liu Tao who returned his grin with an identical smile on her face.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­" Liu Tao hesitantly spoke. Her voice was raspy and disjointed as if the wordsing from her mouth were unfamiliar.

    "Are you okay?" Chen Xiao asked with concern evident in his voice.

    Liu Tao looked at the ground in silent contemtion before deciding her next course of action.

    Her body swayed gently from side to side before she copsed in a state of what appeared to be unconsciousness.

    "Oh shit!" Chen Xiao eximed in shock as he hurriedly rushed over and picked up the young girl in his arms.

    Her body was extremely hot and feverish which meant that she had probably caught something during the time they had spent walking through the forest.

    Chen Xiao bravely put Liu Tao on his back and began to trek towards the general direction of the camp site.

    He brushed his hand against her waistband to try and reach for the gun but was surprised to discover that the gun was nowhere to be found.

    Perhaps she had lost it in the cave¡­

    This was the first time that Chen Xiao had been in such close physical contact with a girl. He had no idea that their clothes felt so fur-like.

    Nor did he realise just how¡­ earthy they smelled¡­

    Liu Tao rested on the back of the human who was carrying her through the forest and her fingers slowly twitched.

    It would be a simple matter to strangle the neck of this human but there was a greater prize to be found.

    This human would lead her to more of his kind. And then¡­

    She would kill them all.

    She would ughter them.

    No mercy would be given.

    Liu Tao smiled sadistically as she recalled the bleeding corpse inside the cave that was missing its lower jaw, limbs and certain body parts.

    It was a horrific way to die¡­

    And that human had been so confident as well¡­ not knowing that inside the darkness of the cave was her domain¡­

    Chen Xiao gritted his teeth and continued walking even as sharp thorns tore through his jeans which made his legs bleed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Night had already fallen, and the forest was far more difficult to navigate with only the pale moonlight streaming down from the sky.

    Long shadows danced beneath the moonlight and Chen Xiao had to admit that it was a little bit scary walking through the forest at night.

    He could not shake the feeling that multiple creatures were watching him as he moved unhindered through thebyrinth of trees and bushes.

    Chen Xiao took out a small pocketknife from his pants and would asionally mark the trees as he walked towards the camp site.

    Hopefully these markings would prevent him from walking around in circles.

    In the worst-case situation, all he had to do was make it to theke and then Sister Lan should find them in the morning when she went for water.

    Chen Xiao stopped for a moment to catch his breath as he felt as though all of his muscles were now on fire.

    He was an ordinary teenage boy and after hours of walking through the forest, he waspletely exhausted.

    Things were even worse now that he had to carry an extra weight on his back.

    Liu Tao had not moved for thest couple of minutes and her temperature seemed to get hotter.

    Chen Xiao took one step forward but tripped over an exposed root and nearly fell to the ground face first.

    No¡­ it would be impossible to travel further tonight¡­

    Chen Xiao gently ce Liu Tao on the ground and leaned against a nearby tree. He winced painfully as the cuts on his leg continued to bleed.

    The former ss monitor was not a survival expert, but Qin Lan had shown the young teenagers some survival tips.

    Chen Xiao reached for his pants and ripped off several pieces of fabric. He used the pieces of fabric to tie around the bleeding cuts on his legs and then applied pressure.

    It was so painful¡­

    Chen Xiao tried to distract himself by looking at Liu Tao who was sleeping peacefully on the forest floor without a care in the world.

    Her chest slowly rose and fell as beads of sweat began to form on her brow. Chen Xiao was sure that it was a sign that her fever was getting worse.

    How do you deal with fever again?

    Chen Xiao tore a long strip of fabric from his pants and then opened up a bottle of water. He poured some of the water on the strip and then walked over to Liu Tao.

    He gently ced the piece of cloth on her forehead in an attempt to cool down her temperature and break her fever.

    Chen Xiao wasn''t sure if this really worked but he had seen this method used on a television show before so hopefully it was useful.

    Qin Lan had only shown the young teenagers how to do basic first aid, but she hadn''t managed to teach them about dealing with diseases.

    Liu Tao''s breathing got calmer and unbeknownst to Chen Xiao, her eyes were partially open and staring at him.

    The look in her eyes as she stared at the boy who was looking after her was not one of gratitude but rather it was as though she was observing prey.

    Humans¡­ so gullible¡­ so delicious¡­

    Liu Tao had to stop herself from drooling as she imagined ripping apart the human sitting beside her body.

    Then she would take his form¡­ she would be him¡­ a predator that looked identical to its prey¡­

    They would never see iting¡­

 Chapter 112 Zombie Empress (43)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    The sun was now beginning to peak over the horizon and its warm rays of light chased the darkness away.

    Qin Lan rubbed her eyes and yawned as she remained in the same position. She was currently leaning against a tree and watching a certain direction.

    She had not gotten a single wink of sleepst night¡­

    How could she?

    Liu Tao and Chen Xiao were both missing and Qin Lan could help but think that this was her fault again.

    First her brother¡­ and now two other people¡­ she had failed¡­ she had failed again¡­

    Qin Lan shuddered as she imagined all the horrific possibilities¡­

    How could she have been so stupid?!

    What would possess her to have a private training session with Liu Yifei and leave those two alone in the camp site by themselves?

    Damn it!

    Qin Lan''s fingers curled up into a fist and her fingernails pierced the soft fleshy underbelly of her palms.

    Blood began to drip down from her hand, but Qin Lan did not seem to notice the sharp stinging pain.

    Not again¡­ she couldn''t go through this again¡­

    "Good morning¡­" Liu Yifei whispered tiredly as she crawled out of her tent.

    Gong Li also appeared from inside the same tent and the two girls had identical exhausted expressions on their faces.

    "I''m sorry but we need to leave now to look for Chen Xiao and Liu Tao¡­ freshen up and meet me here in ten minutes¡­" Qin Lan spoke firmly as she hid her injured palm behind her back.

    It had been tootest night to look for the missing teenagers and Qin Lan did not want to search for them on her own in the darkness.

    She could not afford to have anyone else leave her sight.

    Qin Lan could not tell if she had made the right decision or not¡­

    Ever since her brother''s death, Qin Lan had been second guessing herself and constantly reying the decision that she had made since the apocalypse had begun.

    Liu Yifei dragged Gong Li back into the tent and Qin Lan could hear a snapping noise as the gifted teenager used her ability.

    She let out a heavy sigh and stared off into the distance with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    There were no signs of a struggle near or around the camp site which meant that the two teenagers had probably wandered off on their own.

    How could they be so reckless?!

    Qin Lan was by no means an experienced tracker and it had rainedst night so any footprints had long been washed away by the mud and water.

    Was it even possible to find them in such arge and dense forest?

    Qin Lan could only hope that she would be able to stumble upon them by pure chance.

    Time slowly passed and eventually Liu Yifei and Gong Li walked out of the tent wearing light track pants andfortable tee-shirts.

    "Okay let''s go¡­" Qin Lan roughly spoke as she drank a bit of water from the bottle attached to her hip.

    She handed a gun to Liu Yifei but made sure to let the young teenager girl know that the safety lever was on.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths before gently exhaling to calm down her nerves. She began to move in a southeastern direction.

    The two young girls followed closely behind her, and an ufortable silence formed between the group.

    Qin Lan was feeling exhausted, and her low mood wasn''t helped by the constant noises that the birds made as they walked through the forest.

    Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!

    She had to admit that she was a bit tempted to take out her gun and shoot as many birds as possible to get them to shut up.

    Around thirty minutes passed and there was no sign of either Chen Xiao or Liu Tao. It was like both teenagers had vanished into thin air.

    Qin Lan growled in frustration as she backtracked and then decided to go in another direction to look for them.

    Eventually after two hours had passed and Gong Li looked as though she was about to copse, Qin Lan gave the order to return to the camp site.

    "Alright¡­ let''s head back and get some breakfast¡­ we can look some more in the afternoon¡­" Qin Lan whispered softly.

    She could see darkness begin to creep along the corners of her vision and she could not stop her eyelids from slowly lowering.

    She definitely needed to take a nap before resuming the search.

    Truthfully, she should have sleptst night but every time she closed her eyes¡­ she would see Eve punching a hole in her brother''s stomach.

    Qin Lan forced her legs to slowly move forward until they arrived at the familiar sight of the tents and the still smoking campfire.

    "Wake me up in a few hours¡­" Qin Lan spoke tiredly as she walked into her tent and immediately crashed on the sleeping bag.

    She must have been far more exhausted than she realised because it did not take long for Qin Lan to fall asleep.

    Liu Yifei snapped her fingers and two gran bars appeared in her hand. She passed one to Gong Li and then the two girls moved over to the other side of the rest site.

    "What do you think happened to them?" Gong Li asked softly as she nced in the direction of Chen Xiao''s tent.

    "I don''t know¡­ I''m very worried¡­ what if they ran into the ability users who are hunting us down..." Liu Yifei hesitantly replied.

    "No¡­ how could they find us?" Gong Li furrowed her brows as she took a bite of the gran bar.

    "I hope that they didn''t do anything stupid like getting lost¡­" Liu Yifei nervously joked as she tried to relieve the tension in the air.

    "Yeah¡­ I''m sure they are fine¡­ probably just spending the night cuddling¡­ away from the group¡­" Gong Li teased lightly.

    This was the only way for the two girls to remain calm as they were both very concerned about the safety of their friends.

    Especially since someone in the group had already died¡­

    It was strange how just a few weeks ago, they were ordinary kids whose biggest concerns were about homework and exams and now¡­

    They had to confront the grim reality of death on an almost daily basis.

    Liu Yifei opened her mouth to say something when she noticed a figure staggering into the clearing with blood all over his body.

    "Chen Xiao!" Gong Li yelled in shock as she rushed forward to help the young teenage boy who fell to the ground in a state of apparent unconsciousness.

    There was no sign of Liu Tao and Chen Xiao appeared to be injured with blood all over his clothes and the front of his chest.

    If Gong Li had been more alert, she would have realised that although there was a lot of blood¡­

    There was not a single wound on Chen Xiao''s body.

 Chapter 113 Zombie Empress (44)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    "Chen Xiao! Chen Xiao!" Gong Li yelled in panic as she saw all the blood that was covering the young teenage boy''s body.

    He was not responding to her voice.

    Chen Xiaoy helplessly on the ground with his eyes closed as Gong Li ced two fingers on his pulse.

    Oh, thank goodness¡­ he was still alive¡­

    Liu Yifei ran over and snapped her fingers. Dozens of bandages and medical supplies appeared out of thin air.

    "Go wake up Sister Lan! I''ll see if I can treat him¡­" Liu Yifei hurriedly spoke as she ripped apart Chen Xiao''s shirt.

    Gong Li nodded and ran towards the tent where Qin Lan was sleeping peacefully in order to wake her up.

    The young teenager''s skinny body came into view, but Liu Yifei did not care about the awkwardness of the situation.

    She grabbed a white cloth and poured some water on the fabric. She began to wipe Chen Xiao''s bloody chest and a look of confusion soon shed across Liu Yifei''s face.

    Why did he appear to have no injuries?

    Liu Yifei did not believe her eyes and continued to wipe down Chen Xiao''s body, but she could find no external trauma, bruises, or cuts.

    Then where did all the bloode from?

    Liu Yifei was a bit unnerved by the strangeness of the situation, but she could not bring herself to move away from her friend.

    It was this hesitation that proved to be a mistake¡­

    Chen Xiao''s eyes flicked open, and one could see his dark pupils staring at Liu Yifei with a hungry glint in his eyes.

    He stretched out his hand to gently brush against Liu Yifei''s shoulder which got her attention.

    "Chen Xiao¡­ are you okay?" Liu Yifei asked with concern evident in her voice.

    Chen Xiao simply smiled and gestured for her to lean in closer as if he was about to whisper in her ears.

    Liu Yifei thought that he was having difficulty speaking so she slowly lowered her head until her face was mere inches away from Chen Xiao.

    "Don''t worry¡­ I''m listening¡­I¡­ ARGHHH!" Liu Yifei''s words were cut off by a shriek of pain as Chen Xiao tightly grabbed her arm and twisted.

    She desperately moved back but Chen Xiao''s grip was like iron, and it was impossible to get her arm out of his grasp.

    Snap!

    Liu Yifei could feel her arm break as Chen Xiao applied more force. She let out a hoarse wheeze of pain before opening her mouth to scream.

    Her piercing cry echoed through the camp site which caused Qin Lan and Gong Li to immediately rush out of the tent.

    Qin Lan wasn''t sure what was going on as she saw Chen Xiao holding Liu Yifei''s arm that was now bent at an awkward angle.

    "He¡­ he¡­ broke my arm!" Liu Yifei screamed as tears ran down the sides of her face.

    "Chen Xiao let go of her arm!" Qin Lan yelled angrily as she felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest intensify.

    Chen Xiao seemed to be unaffected by her ability and his grip continued to get even stronger as he lifted Liu Yifei into the air.

    What the hell?

    Qin Lan quickly reacted by taking out a knife that was attached to a sheath on her hip and rushing forward.

    She swung her knife at the young teenager and his body contorted in a weird way to avoid her attack.

    If he was not affected by her ability, then that could only mean one thing¡­ that was not the real Chen Xiao¡­

    It had to be some kind of monster¡­<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan drew out her pistol and this time Chen Xiao reacted to the threat by flinging Liu Yifei across the camp site and then jumping away.

    Liu Yifei flew through the air and mmed into a nearby tree where she then slid to the ground with a painful thud.

    Gong Li hurriedly ran over in a panic and wrapped her arms around the injured girl''s body.

    She bravely took out a small pocketknife from her handbag and pointed it in the direction of Chen Xiao with trembling fingers.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Chen Xiao shrieked in pain as three bullets prated his body. Blood sttered on the ground and an expression of disbelief shed across his face.

    Unlike Liu Tao, Qin Lan was an expert marksman, and this was not the environment of a dark cave but rather a sunny afternoon in the forest.

    Qin Lan did not hesitate to take the opportunity to rush forward and face this imposter in hand-to-handbat.

    Chen Xiao swung his fists wildly, but Qin Lan could avoid all of his attacks with frightening ease.

    She tilted her head to the side and Chen Xiao''s fist passed mere inches away from the side of her cheek.

    Pierce!

    Qin Lan''s knife entered Chen Xiao''s eye and she twisted the de to cause maximum damage before letting go of the handle.

    She did not hesitate to kick the young teenager''s legs and he fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

    Qin Lan began to rain down a series of heavy blows on Chen Xiao''s vital body parts from the joints that connected his limbs to his more sensitive areas.

    There was no mercy in her fighting style. Qin Lan fought like a violent animal on the brink of death¡­

    She was cold. She was ruthless. She was merciless.

    Eventually Chen Xiao''s body trembled, and Qin Lan stepped back warily. She watched in disbelief as the young teenage boy''s appearance slowly shifted to reveal his true form.

    His body grew shorter, hairier and a long brown tail emerged from his behind. Chen Xiao only took a few minutes before he was fully transformed into a monkey.

    The bullet wounds on his chest and the injuries that Qin Lan had caused were still present on his new form.

    A mutated animal with the power of shape shifting¡­

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she poked the monkey''s body and held her hand over its nostrils.

    She discovered that the creature was no longer breathing which meant that it had sumbed to its injuries.

    But now a darker possibility emerged¡­

    What had happened to the original Chen Xiao? And by extension¡­ what had happened to Liu Tao as well?

    Were they even still alive?

    "My¡­ arm¡­" a painful groan snapped Qin Lan out of her train of thought as she saw Liu Yifei try to sit up.

    Gong Li was supporting her as the two girls walked over and stared at the corpse of the monkey on the ground.

    "Sister Lan¡­ he¡­" Liu Yifei hesitantly spoke with gritted teeth.

    "Not now¡­ let me treat your arm first¡­" Qin Lan replied sadly as she forced herself to look away from the corpse.

    She needed a distraction. The horrific possibility that two more members of their group were now dead was too much to bear.

    Qin Lan could not help but think of herself as a failure. Would these kids have been better off if she had just left them in the supermarket?

    It was impossible not to go to a negative ce as she did not have anyone by her side tofort her in her hour of need.

    "Eve¡­" a soft whisper left Qin Lan''s mouth before she had time to register what she had just said.

 Chapter 114 Zombie Empress (45)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outer Region- Valentina''s National Mall)

    "Stay away! No! No! No!" a woman screamed in terror as a zombie leapt on top of her body and pinned her down.

    Eve arrived just in time to see the zombie open its horrific jaws and bite off a meaty chunk of the woman''s neck.

    A frown shed across Eve''s face as she walked over to the feasting zombie and casually ripped off its head.

    Her fingernails werepletely ck and now resembled ws as she dug around the inside of the creature''s skull to find the purplish-ck crystal.

    Eve finally located the tiny crystal and ced it in the backpack that was strapped around her shoulders.

    The bag jingled ever so slightly as another crystal was added to the enormous pile of rocks that were inside.

    Eve let out a heavy sigh as she wandered through the abandoned mall and gazed at the cracked windows and the bloodstains on the floor.

    Weeks had passed since the apocalypse had begun and all major gathering sites were nowpletely destroyed.

    The exception of course were the bases that were heavily guarded by the survivors of humanity.

    Some possessed weapons but the majority were using the strange gifts bestowed upon them when the end times arrived.

    Eve stayed away from the bases as she did not want to get involved with humans. There was only one human that she wanted to meet¡­

    Qin Lan¡­ her favourite human¡­ the one¡­ the one she loved¡­

    Eve did not know when her feelings of closeness turned into something more but the way she felt towards Qin Lan just felt¡­ right and natural.

    It was as though her feelings of love were part of her nature.

    The zombie empress zipped up her backpack and roamed around the mall looking for a clothing store.

    She was currently wearing her human disguise but the clothes on her body had suffered a bit of damage to put it mildly.

    Eve was wearing a tattered and worn out old white shirt with several holes across the fabric and a pair of brown track pants that were stained with dirt.

    As for her smell¡­ well some things were better off not being described¡­

    Grrr¡­. grrr¡­ grr¡­.

    A hoarse guttural sound echoed through the empty mall as footsteps could be hearding from the distance.

    Eve adjusted her stance and her cold eyes stared in the direction of the sound without even blinking or moving a muscle.

    Roar!

    A thunderous growl made the ground beneath her feet crack and soon a terrifying beast emerged from the shadows.

    It appeared to be a massive pile of fleshposed of dozens of dogs unnaturally stitched together with red fleshy threads.

    The biomass rolled on the ground and the multiple heads attached to the mass would asionally bark and growl as if their owners were still alive.

    Eve seemed unflustered by this creepy sight that was straight out of a nightmare and charged forward confidently.

    She casually punched the center of the biomass, and her fist easily prated the soft squishy flesh and travelled forward.

    Her hand exited the other side of the monster and a few of the dog heads yelped in pain. Eve could feel her violent instincts to kill slowly rise up inside her body.

    Her eyes shifted from a human-like appearance topletely pitch ck.

    She may outwardly resemble a human, but her eyes hinted at the monster thaty beneath her beautiful outer shell.

    Eve cked out and when she returned to her senses, the massive monstrosityy dead at her feet.

    Its body had been cruelly ripped apart and pieces of its pinkish flesh had been thrown haphazardly around the room.

    Eve resisted the urge to vomit as she quickly ran away from the scene without even bothering to search for the crystal.<novelnext></novelnext>

    What was happening to her?

    Eve had been suffering from ckouts recently whenever she encountered a particrly dangerous enemy.

    This had been happening ever since she saw the humanoid creature that called itself Subject 001 and it was only getting worse.

    However, it was not like these ckouts were without benefit as she could feel that her power grew every time that she fell unconscious.

    It was as though these ckouts were a trigger for some kind of metamorphosis.

    Despite having not eaten any human flesh, Eve was confident that she was now at least three times stronger than when she hadst met Subject 001.

    The reason remained a mystery as Eve did not know if it was because of the crystal alone or was it because of something else¡­

    Those scientists had performed hundreds if not thousands of experiments on her body so isting the treatment that was causing this effect would prove to be impossible.

    Eve furrowed her brows as she leaned against a nearby wall and rubbed her temples.

    The zombie empress felt tired mentally as a familiar face once again shed across her mind.

    She regretted what she had done. Not the fact that she had killed Qin Wei but the fact that she did not wait to do it out of sight of her favourite human.

    Her impatience had cost her¡­ what if Qin Lan never wanted to see her again?

    It was this thought that prevented Eve from immediately heading towards Qin Lan and trying to reunite with her.

    She could not bear the possibility of Qin Lan looking at her with hatred in her eyes and this fear caused her to remain in the capital city.

    Plus, there was the matter of Subject 001 who apparently wanted to kill her for some unknown reason which was a headache all on its own.

    A hoarse growl of frustration exited Eve''s mouth as she mmed her fist against the wall in anger.

    The concrete wall behind her immediately copsed under the force of her blow and dust rained down from the ceiling.

    Eve looked down at her clothes and saw that they were now even dirtier than before with chunks of the dog-like monsters and grey dust sttered across the front of her attire.

    God¡­ she was a fucking mess¡­

    Eve stumbled forward until she eventually arrived in front of a wall with a map showing theyout of the mall.

    The nearest clothing store was just around the corner and fortunately there was also a bathroom next to the store which hopefully meant that she would be able to freshen up.

    "Die you rotten pieces of shit!" a hoarse masculine voice yelled from the distance.

    Eve used her enhanced vision and saw a young man leading a team of survivors through the rubble while fighting off a horde of zombies.

    The young man waved his hands in the air and pieces of metal hovered around his fingertips. He made a shooting motion using his fingers and the metal shards shot forward.

    These metal shards were almost like bullets as they prated the heads of the iing zombies and turned their brains into mush.

    Eve sighed as she realised that the survivors would spot her for sure if she walked towards the clothing store.

    Currently she looked like a normal human so there wouldn''t be any suspicion that she was infected but¡­ she really didn''t want to have to deal with humans today.

    Eve took a few steps back and decided to wait until they left before going to the store to freshen up.

    Grrr¡­ grrr¡­grr¡­

    A familiar growl echoed through the mall and Eve turned around to see dozens of dog-like abominations roll towards her.

    Wait¡­ why didn''t she smell them?

    Something was wrong¡­

    Eve had barely any time to react before a portal opened mere inches away from her face and on the other side, she saw a face that she was not expecting to see.

    It belonged to Qin Lan''s brother.

 Chapter 115 Zombie Empress (46)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outer Region- Valentina''s National Mall)

    "What? No¡­ that doesn''t make any sense¡­" Eve whispered in shock as she stared at Qin Wei with an expression of disbelief on her face.

    The handsome young teenage boy looked exactly the same as she remembered. He had short hair and a lean physique that was slightly on the skinny side.

    He wore a simple army uniform, but the most shocking part about his appearance was the fact that he seemed to bepletely fine and healthy.

    Eve knew that Qin Wei''s corpse had been taken back by Subject 001, but she didn''t know how he had been brought back to life.

    Qin Wei''s eyes were just like a normal human''s and there was no trace of darkness. Eve opened her mouth to speak but the words refused toe out.

    The young boy on the other side of the portal grinned sadistically and then snapped his fingers casually.

    The portal instantly copsed without a trace and once again Eve was left alone in the abandoned mall surrounded by the voices of the monsters slowly rolling towards her.

    What the hell?!

    Grr¡­grrr¡­ grrr¡­

    Loud whines and yelps could be hearding from the mouths of the dogs that were attached to the abominations.

    These creatures were massive piles of biomass that were connected to each other via thick chunky pieces of flesh.

    Inside the threads one could see thick veins that pulsated and wriggled creepily. Eve growled darkly and prepared to attack the nearest one when she heard a loud voice.

    "Look another survivor is over here!" a girl called out.

    Fuck!

    Not those humans¡­

    Eve quickly took in a deep breath and her pitch-ck eyes returned to a normal human-like appearance.

    Her ws shrank back to regr sized fingernails, and she clenched her fists tightly.

    She heard the sounds of running footsteps and soon the team of survivors arrived while panting slightly.

    There were seven of them in total. Five men ranging from the ages of twenty to forty and they all wore messy clothes.

    The two females of the group were much better dressed than the men, but Eve could see scars, bruises and wounds on their exposed skin.

    "What the hell are those?" the man in front of the group hoarsely spoke as he stared at the moving piles of flesh.

    Eve really didn''t want to deal with these annoying humans right now, but her mind was still a mess after seeing Qin Wei.

    "They¡­ are¡­ mutated¡­ animals" Eve finally spoke out a warning with her voice barely above the volume of a whisper.

    Some of the men stared at her and their expressions immediately changed.

    Eve''s human disguise was incredibly beautiful, and she would put even a professional model to shame with her perfectly crafted facial features.

    Despite the chunks of flesh and the fallen debris that stained her clothes, Eve''s loveliness shone through all the dirt and filth.

    Eve''s appearance resembled that of a goddess who descended to the mortal realm.

    She could feel the burning gazes on her body, but Eve did not even bother to spare a cursory nce at the men looking at her.

    This was not the first time that she had encountered something like this over thest few weeks and it would probably not be thest.

    As for the men or women who decided to act on their impulses¡­ well¡­ let''s just say that their corpses had long gone cold¡­

    Surprisingly the leader looked at her directly in the eyes and maintained eye contact without gazing at the rest of her body.

    He cleared his throat before snapping his fingers. Shards of metal slowly rose up from the floor and surrounded his body in a metallic storm of destruction.

    Grr¡­ grr¡­grrr¡­

    The leader of the group rushed forward towards the nearest monstrosity and held out his palm in the direction of the creature.

    The shards of metal flew towards the creature''s body and entered its pinkish-red fleshy exterior.

    He was soon joined by the rest of the survivors who unleashed their own abilities.<novelnext></novelnext>

    One of the girls screamed and her voice created a shockwave which blew some of the monsters against the nearest wall.

    Two of the men who had been staring lustfully at Eve nodded at each other before rushing over and punching the abominations using only their fists.

    Enhanced strength¡­

    Eve watched curiously as the men struggled the lift up the massive piles of biomass and shook her head in disappointment.

    They were weak¡­

    The zombie empress let out a heavy sigh and then walked forward and easily tore apart the nearest abomination using her hands.

    Eve could feel her power violently surge inside her body, but she fought down the addicting feeling that was tempting her to lose control.

    Not this time¡­ not this time¡­

    The zombie empress growled and tore apart the monsters like a savage beast unchained from the depths of hell.

    Her ferocity startled the group of survivors who slowly backed away from the madwoman who was the strongest ability user that they had ever seen.

    The men who had been staring at her before immediately put away their dark thoughts as they watched Eve use her fingers to rip open one of the dogs'' jaws and pull out its teeth.

    The battle onlysted for ten minutes before thest monster slumped to the ground motionless without a trace of breath left in tis body.

    "Thanks for the help¡­" Eve politely spoke as she walked away without looking at the group.

    "Wait! Do you want to join us?" the leader suddenly asked.

    Eve slowly turned around and her gaze lingered on the two girls in the group.

    She looked at the bruises on their bodies and a cold expression shed across her face.

    "We are the strongest team in Tianjin base¡­ have you heard about Tianjin base? It is run by an ex-police officer who has a terrifying ability¡­ he¡­" the leader continued to speak.

    Eve''s face waspletely expressionless as the man continued to drone on and on about the benefits of joining his group.

    The entire time she saw how the girls would slightly tremble as the other men in the group walked near them.

    Eve did not know why she was feeling soft-hearted since she usually could not care less about humans but maybe it was because Qin Lan was on her mind.

    Those girls¡­ their faces were interchangeable with the frightened teens in the supermarket where she had met Qin Lan''s brother and his ssmates for the first time.

    Eve waited until the leader had finished giving his speech before picking up a small rock that was near her foot.

    There was a tense moment of silence as the survivors could not understand why she had done such a strange action.

    "Hey¡­" Eve spoke quietly and looked directly at the two women.

    "Are you willing?"

    Her words lingered in the air and that simple question caused the facial expressions on the two women''s faces to change.

    It was an unremarkable question and yet its meaning was understood by the two women and some of the men who saw through Eve''s hidden meaning.

    "No¡­no¡­" one of the women stammered fearfully as her body tensed up.

    The leader opened his mouth to rebuke her statement, but his words would never leave his throat.

    Eve threw the rock with so much force that it mmed into the leader''s forehead and instantly killed him.

    The other men had barely any time to react as Eve''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    Eve reappeared behind them, and her hands shot forward to prate the chests of the two ability users.

    She ripped out their still beating hearts and tossed them aside with callous indifference. It was as though she was murdering ants rather than living breathing humans.

    Eve''s eyes shifted to a pitch- ck colour and the heavy aura of death surrounded the remaining men.

    The zombie empress could feel the power coursing through her body¡­

    It was time to kill.

 Chapter 116 Zombie Empress (47)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outer Region- Valentina''s National Mall)

    Blood slowly dripped down from Eve''s ws and fell to the ground where it joined the red pools of crimson liquid that stained the corpses.

    A massacre had urred.

    Not a single one of the men were still alive. Chunks of flesh and body partsy scattered haphazardly across the ground.

    Eve''s brutality and her callous indifference to the men''s screams as they begged and pleaded for mercy sent shivers down the two women''s spines.

    They looked at Eve with fear in their eyes and slowly began to back away.

    "Please¡­ please¡­ let us live¡­" one of the women stammered fearfully as tears streamed down her face.

    Eve had killed their tormentors and yet the expressions on their faces were not that of gratitude but ratherplete and utter terror.

    The zombie empress stared silently at the trembling humans who refused to meet her gaze and let out a heavy sigh.

    She walked past them and headed for the clothes shop that was just around the corner. Eve''s ears twitched and she heard footsteps running in the opposite direction.

    The two women took the opportunity to immediately flee without even sparing a backwards nce at their inhuman saviour.

    Eve could feel her already bad mood get even lower as she stared at her reflection in a broken ss shard.

    A tall skeleton-like monster with a sunken face and eyes that seemed to be too small for their sockets looked back at her.

    The ck ws on her hands and the pitch-ck colour of her eyes made Eve feel nothing but disgust as she gazed at herself.

    Monster¡­ she was just a monster¡­

    The zombie empress took in a deep breath and soon her ws retracted, and her cheeks began to fill out.

    It only took a few minutes before her appearance reverted back to a beautiful human woman who would make both men and women fall in love with her.

    But at the end of the day¡­ it was just a disguise¡­

    Eve could not help but recall the warm and loving look in Qin Lan''s eyes when she kissed her for the first time.

    If only she could go back to that time¡­

    The zombie empress had never felt so defeated as she did in the current moment.

    What was the use of having this much power and strength if the person she loved was forever out of her grasp?

    Wait¡­ speaking of Qin Lan¡­

    Eve''s fingers trembled as a horrific possibility entered her mind. Subject 001 was hunting her down and had somehow brought Qin Wei back to life.

    Qin Wei was Qin Lan''s brother and knew about her romantic connection to his sister.

    What if he told Subject 001 and that monster went after Qin Lan?

    Eve was frightened and she immediately rushed forward towards the clothing store without taking a second to rest.

    She needed to pick up supplies and then immediately head towards Qin Lan''s location to warn her about the iing threat.

    It didn''t matter if Qin Lan hated her¡­ she would not let any harme to her favourite human¡­

    Eve closed her eyes and focused as she pictured Qin Lan''s face in her mind.

    She didn''t know if this was one of her special powers, but she could somehow sense where the young woman was even without smelling her scent.

    This ability only seemed to work when she tried to locate Qin Lan because Eve had also tried to use it track down Subject 001 without any sess.

    Eve reopened her eyes as she got a sense that Qin Lan was fair distance away in a northeastern direction.

    In order to leave the city, she would have to get pass the military blockage of the bridge but that shouldn''t be an issue.

    She was prepared to kill anyone or anything that blocked her path¡­<novelnext></novelnext>

    Eve reopened her eyes and a cold chilling expression shed across her face. She knew that she was not a good person like Qin Lan.

    Qin Lan was willing to help outplete strangers while Eve would rather look on indifferently and let them die.

    But still¡­ that was the reason why Eve loved her so much.

    Her kindness was a ray of light that entered the darkness inside Eve''s heart and made her feel as though this rotten world had something to look forward to.

    The zombie empress walked forward until she finally saw a clothing store called ''Ruby Robins Women''s Wear''.

    The door was wide open, and a few half-eaten bodies of shoppers and clerks could be seen around the store in varying states of decay.

    Eve stepped over the bodies and headed for the back of the store where the clothes were in a much better condition.

    She hurriedly picked out a few pairs of ck track pants and some jackets that looked roughly her size.

    The zombie empress roughly shoved her new clothes into her backpack and then left the store with a determined glint in her eyes.

    She was going to rescue her favourite human!

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    Subject 001 dragged his tired body onto the nearest mattress and then copsed with an exhausted expression on his face.

    Creating portals was incredibly tiring but that was not the only reason why he was so sleepy.

    The fusion process that allowed him to take over this new body had not been going as well as he expected.

    A trace of Qin Wei''s consciousness was still alive, and it was unnaturally fixated on killing his sister and taking Liu Yifei as his own woman.

    Subject 001 could not care less about two insignificant humans, but Qin Wei''s consciousness was influencing his actions.

    Despite his best efforts, Subject 001 now felt a terrifying anger towards the woman who had betrayed him¡­ no¡­ who had betrayed Qin Wei.

    This fusion had caused some unintended side effects¡­

    It was sometimes difficult to tell where his memories ended and where Qin Wei''s memories began.

    "Why aren''t you hunting that bitch down! I want her dead! I WANT HER DEAD!" the handsome young teenager on the bed suddenly yelled.

    Subject 001 could feel his new body move involuntarily as Qin Wei made his hands m against the sides of the mattress in frustration.

    "Please be patient¡­ everything is proceeding ording to n¡­" Subject 001 hoarsely spoke as he tried to reason with the trace of consciousness.

    "We can eliminate Subject 014 and her little lover at the same time¡­ your sister is a weakness that we can exploit..."

    "All we have to do is capture or kill her and Subject 014 will be unable to think rationally¡­ this can be done using our secret weapon¡­"

    Subject 001 stopped talking as his words seemed to reach Qin Wei and his out-of-control body slowly calmed down.

    Wu Jing¡­ he was the weapon that they would use to kill Subject 014 and Qin Lan.

    Without a doubt he possessed a terrifying ability, and he also held a grudge against the monster who had wiped out his squad and almost killed him.

    He was the perfect hidden ace and Subject 001 could not wait for the day when he would be able to reveal his hand.

    Subject 014''s days were numbered¡­

 Chapter 117 Zombie Empress (48)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Qin Lan stood silently in front of the burning fire that crackled ominously under the night sky. She was joined by Gong Li and Liu Yifei who had identical looks of sorrow on their faces.

    In the middle of the fire was a corpse that had been covered by a thick white nket. Beneath the nket was Chen Xiao''s body.

    Qin Lan had discovered him in the afternoon as she walked around the perimeter of the camp site trying to see if there were any more threats in the nearby surroundings.

    She had stumbled across the body of the young teenage boy but if she was beingpletely honest¡­ Qin Lan wished that she didn''t, and Chen Xiao''s fate remained a mystery.

    Chen Xiao''s lower jaw had been rippedpletely off and he was missing both his arms and legs.

    Blood and guts were scattered around his corpse and there was a hungry wolf approaching the scent of rotting meat.

    Qin Lan scared off the wolf and returned to the camp to get a white nket from Liu Yifei''s storage space which she then used to wrap up the corpse.

    She didn''t allow the two girls to see what Chen Xiao looked like in his final moments. They did not deserve to see that particr horror.

    The white nket caught on fire as Chen Xiao''s body began to turn to ash. Qin Lan heard sniffles in the background and saw Liu Yifeiforting the crying Gong Li.

    Tears flowed down Gong Li''s face as she leaned against Liu Yifei''s arms and cried her heart out. Qin Lan could not watch for much longer as she felt a sense of guilt rising up in her chest.

    This was her fault.

    She was the only who took these young teenagers away from the supermarket and now three of them were dead.

    Qin Lan was caught in a state of self-hatred and doubt as she stared at the night sky with thousands of stars winking back at her.

    If she had just¡­

    Qin Lan did not know what she wanted to change. Perhaps the problem was that she cared too much or maybe it was because she was too arrogant about her abilities.

    This may be a mission world, but these people were real. They lived their lives, had hopes, dreams and aspirations.

    They loved¡­ they hated¡­

    Qin Lan''s thoughts drifted to the task assigned to her by the ''system''.

    She was supposed to hunt down and eliminate the so-called viiness of this ne and yet she had yet to meet this final boss.

    And even if she did¡­ could a massive fuck-up like her even do anything?

    The negative emotions in Qin Lan''s heart made it hard for her to breathe as she found herself drowning without anyone reaching out to save her.

    Qin Wei''s face shed across her mind but this time she could not help but recall the face of her brother from her original world.

    She had failed to protect him¡­ she had failed to protect another brother¡­ and now she had failed to protect again¡­

    "I''m sorry girls but I need a moment to myself¡­" Qin Lan softly spoke as she walked away from the burning body.

    She heard Liu Yifei say something in reply, but her thoughts were now fully upied by the blood on her hands.

    Qin Lan walked for around five minutes and then stopped as she wandered into a clearing with arge boulder in the middle.

    She did not dare to wander too far from camp since she was afraid that she would return to see two more bodies on the ground.

    The young woman jumped on the top of the boulder and stared off into the distance where she saw theke peeking out from behind the trees.

    The night was incredibly peaceful which contrasted with Qin Lan''s low mood.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Maybe she wasn''t meant to be an agent¡­

    She must havepleted that first world by chance¡­ with her skills¡­ it would be miracle if she managed to actually kill the viiness of that ne¡­

    Something rustled in the bushes nearby and Qin Lan''s eyes instantly drifted towards the source of the noise.

    A family of squirrels jumped out of the bushes and ran towards the nearest tree.

    The family consisted of arge brown squirrel, his mate with ck fur and two tiny creatures that stuck close to them.

    Qin Lan watched silently as the mother squirrel helped her two offsprings to climb up the tree while the dad looked out for any predators.

    The squirrel''s eyes met Qin Lan''s, but it seemed as though he did not sense a threat from the human''s gaze.

    He was right.

    Qin Lan had no intention of moving from her spot as it was as though she was now a statue frozen in ce.

    There was a full moon in the sky and its pale white light shone down on the clearing and illuminated the surroundings in a dim glow.

    The squirrels disappeared among the higher branches of the tree and Qin Lan turned her head away as she could no longer see them.

    "Eve¡­ I wonder how you are doing¡­" Qin Lan opened her mouth and spoke.

    Her voice echoed through the clearing and naturally she did not receive a response.

    "I suppose you would think that I am crazy¡­ talking to the woman who killed my brother and turned out to be a mutated zombie¡­" Qin Lan softly whispered.

    "I wish¡­ I wish that I could go back¡­ go back to the time when it was just the two of us¡­ back when I had hope¡­"

    "Back when I thought that I would save my brother and we would live out the rest of the apocalypse in peace¡­"

    "Why Eve¡­ why did you kill him?"

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as her words lingered in the air. She did not know why she was so obsessed with the zombie that had caused her so much pain.

    But despite her best efforts¡­ Qin Lan could not hate her. It was this fact alone that was causing her so much guilt and regret.

    What would Qin Wei think?

    Qin Lan raised up her hand and used it to block out the moonlight from falling on her face. She was sure that she must look like a mess.

    Ever since Liu Tao and Chen Xiao had disappeared¡­ Qin Lan had barely eaten or slept and now she just felt tired.

    Chen Xiao''s corpse had been discovered which meant that there was a zero percent chance that Liu Tao was still alive.

    That shapeshifting monster was clearly a brutal and uncaring animal. It would not show mercy to a young helpless girl.

    The shadow of Qin Lan''s palm fell across her face, and she remained on the boulder until several minutes had passed.

    Qin Lan slowly got off therge rock and headed for the camp site where Gong Li and Liu Yifei were probably still waiting for her to return.

    She could not afford to copse now¡­ they needed her¡­ and she needed them in order to stay sane¡­

    There were still two people who relied on her. Qin Lan''s eyes narrowed as her fingers slowly curled up into a fist.

    She may not have been able to protect the other members of the group, but she was determined not to let any harm befall the remaining the survivors.

    No matter the personal cost¡­

 Chapter 118 Zombie Empress (49)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (Father Han''s Church)

    A middle- aged man dressed in a in ck priest robe stood motionless as he looked at the woman kneeling down in front of him.

    Sister Guan had a crestfallen expression on her face as she lowered her forehead until it almost touched the ground.

    Father Han''s sharp and hawkish facial features made the tense atmosphere even worse as he stepped forward and lightly touched the nun''s head.

    "Tell me what happened¡­" Father Han gently spoke. His words were sickly sweet and yet a chill ran down Sister Guan''s spine.

    She knew that behind the priest''s kind demeaner¡­ he must be furious at her apparent failure to find the mysterious ability user.

    "We could not locate them¡­ we looked for two weeks and all we could find was an abandoned van with no supplies inside¡­" Sister Guan dutifully reported.

    It was hard for her to hide her frustration from leaking out as she had led a team of gifted individuals and yet had gotten no results.

    Well¡­ that was not entirely true¡­

    Sister Guan hesitated for a moment before confessing the horrific fate of a certain member of the team.

    "Jing Tian¡­ she encountered them¡­" Sister Guan nervously spoke as her fingers trembled slightly beneath her robe.

    "She returned to us but¡­ there was something wrong with her¡­"

    "What do you mean?" Father Han asked curiously as he continued to run his fingers through the nun''s soft hair.

    "It¡­ it¡­ it¡­ was like she was a puppet¡­ after telling us about their location¡­ she froze in ce," Sister Guan hoarsely exined.

    "She would not eat¡­ she would not drink even as her body got skinner and skinner by the day¡­"

    "Eventually she stopped breathing¡­ it was as though her body had to be given the order to breathe¡­ I¡­ I¡­"

    Sister Guan choked up as she recalled the dead look in Jing Tian''s eyes as she simply fell over and died on the spot.

    Father Han did not say a word as the nun''s choked sobs echoed through the congregation hall.

    Sister Guan was close to Jing Tian, so it was no wonder that her death had affected her greatly.

    Father Han had an expressionless look on his face but inside he was deeply disturbed by the terrifying story.

    That was their ability?!

    Fuck¡­ it sounded horrifying!

    Father Han took in a deep breath and gently exhaled as he forced himself to rx. He could not afford to show panic and risk his image as a man in control of the situation.

    Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that Sister Guan and her group did not encounter that powerful ability user since they could have all been killed.

    There were only around two hundred people living in the farnds around theke, so Father Han did not want the poption of his flock to suffer any unnecessary casualties.

    The middle-aged priest ced a warm hand on Sister Guan''s back andforted her as she continued to cry her heart out.

    "Do not worry my child¡­" Father Han gently spoke.

    "The Lord works in mysterious ways, and this is all part of his n¡­ Jing Tian''s sacrifice will surely be enough to allow her to enter the kingdom of heaven..."

    "Good is always rewarded and evil will always be punished. The ability user whomitted such a terrible sin will suffer in the fiery pits of hell for all eternity."

    Father Han''s words broughtfort to Sister Guan as she sped her hands together and muttered a short prayer quietly under her breath.

    The priest was right¡­ Jing Tian was in a better ce now and there was no need to mourn for her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Father Han stopped preaching as he realised that his words had broughtfort to the nun kneeling down in front of him.

    "Go and take some rest¡­ you must be exhausted from your travels¡­" Father Han quietly ordered as he gestured towards a door in the back of the hall.

    Sister Guan nodded and thanked the kind priest as she walked over to the door and opened it to reveal a small bedroom.

    She closed the door behind her and copsed on the bed where she soon fell into a dreamless sleep.

    Father Han walked over to one of the wooden benches in the congregation hall and sat down. He let out a heavy sigh and stared aimlessly off into the distance.

    The world outside was incredibly dangerous especially for someone whose gift did not make them stronger.

    Father Han knew that he needed to rely on his loyal congregation in order to survive these turbulent times.

    Xyrean Province was right next to Lirean Province which was densely popted and contained four major cities.

    As the situation worsened over theing months, it did not take a genius to see where all the refugees and survivors would flee.

    The countryside and rural areas were the perfect ces to start new settlements and rebuild human civilisation.

    Unfortunately, if there were people already there then it was a guarantee that conflict would arise between the different parties.

    Father Han was not a stupid man and knew that arge source of freshwater would be incredibly attractive as a location to build a settlement.

    The middle-aged priest got up from the bench and wandered through the church.

    He would asionally nce at the religious symbols and paintings on the halls before continuing onwards to therge wooden entrance.

    Father Han pushed opened the door and winced as a bright ray of sunlight washed over his face. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and birds merrily chirping on the nearby trees.

    There were a few people standing guard outside the church who immediately bowed as they saw Father Han approach them.

    The priest nodded politely and then moved on as he walked towards the newly constructed buildings in front of him.

    There was a great deal of construction going on as a town was being built with the church as the center.

    The people who lived in Xyrean Province were simple farmers, but they had a lot of experience in building barns and houses.

    With the help of those who had enhanced strength, the buildings wereing along faster than what anyone would expect.

    Father Han nodded in approval as he saw shirtless men and women dressed in work clothes lifting up the raw materials and chopping down trees for wood.

    The priest would smile as he greeted them warmly.

    Father Han was very popr among the residents even before the apocalypse but now he was worshipped.

    His ability to give gifts was now seen as a sign that the priest was a divine oracle of the Lord so the townspeople both admired and feared him.

    Father Han looked towards thergeke and for the first time in a long time, he allowed himself to rx a bit.

    The future may be full of difficulties but hopefully he would be able to ovee whatever obstacle that life threw his way.

    "Father Han! Father Han!" an excited voice yelled. The priest looked over and saw simple looking farmer walking over with a beautiful woman.

    Her face was angelic and pure, but her body was voluptuous, and her charm had both men and women staring at her with lust.

    Even Father Han''s heart skipped a beat as he stared at the mysterious woman. She opened her mouth and politely introduced herself.

    Her name was Eve¡­

 Chapter 119 Zombie Empress (50)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Unnamed Settlement)

    "My dear¡­ why don''t I show you around the town?" Father Han spoke politely as he gestured for the beautiful woman to follow him.

    Eve nodded silently and then walked towards the middle-aged priest who led her deeper into the heart of the settlement.

    The zombie empress made sure to hide her expression of boredom as Father Han introduced her to the residents of the makeshift town.

    Most of the buildings in the settlement were still being constructed but it was quite impressive how quickly everything wasing along.

    The buildings were made from wood and bore a striking resemnce to therge barns that Eve had seen as she wandered through the province.

    Eve kept looking around trying to find Qin Lan or one of the young teenagers that she was travelling with.

    Her special sense had led her to this location, and it was telling her that Qin Lan was nearby.

    However, theke and the surrounding area was quiterge so Eve had decided to investigate the humans living nearby first to see if she could spot her favourite human here.

    "So, tell me¡­ what brings you to Xyrean Province?" Father Han asked kindly as he tried not to openly stare at Eve''s voluptuous body.

    As a man who had been chosen by the Lord, it would ruin his image if he was seen as lustful or his carnal desires were exposed.

    If he really wanted to deal with this mysterious woman, then he would have to lure her into the church first¡­

    "I¡­ I needed to escape¡­ the zombies¡­ they¡­" Eve choked up as she told the priest about the deaths of her entire family.

    Father Han walked over and bowed his head. He muttered a quiet prayer and then told Eve that her family was in a better ce now.

    The middle-aged priest stood silently in front of the beautiful girl and a conflicted expression shed across his face.

    He didn''t know if it would be wise to let this stranger know about his gift but those who were granted abilities held a great deal of loyalty towards him.

    Capturing this beautiful woman''s loyalty would make things much easier in the future¡­ in fact he could even convert her into a ''nun'' so that she would spend all her time with him.

    Father Han knew that the moment had to be right, so he continued the tour of the settlement and was pleased to see Eve carefully watching the people who crossed their path.

    She was clearly being tempted to stay in his future paradise.

    Eve curiously stared at the humans who smiled back at her and she could not help but furrow her brows.

    This ce¡­

    Why were there so many humans with abilities?

    And those abilities¡­ smelled a bit¡­ strange¡­

    Eve was able to sense if someone had a gift whether that person was a zombie or a human, but this ce was unlike anything that she had ever encountered.

    It seemed that one in every three human beings in this ce had an ability.

    However, their scents were a bit weaker than those of ability users that Eve had smelled in the past.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The zombie empress was quite curious, but her first priority was to find Qin Lan and warn her about her brother, so she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind.

    Father Han continued to talk about the recent history of this settlement and Eve would asionally nod politely and pretend to be paying attention.

    She was not blind and could tell that the middle-aged priest kept ncing at her with lustful emotions in his eyes.

    Should he act on those emotions¡­ well¡­ let''s just say that this settlement would need to find themselves another priest¡­

    "You are quite fortunate you know¡­" Father Han suddenly spoke as he stared off into the distance.

    "There are some dangerous individuals with abilities roaming around the province. You are very lucky to have made it here safely."

    "Oh? What dangerous people?" Eve asked curiously.

    "You haven''t met her yet, but my loyal servant Sister Guan encountered a brutal individual who would kill without hesitation!" Father Han eximed loudly.

    "The world outside this settlement is truly a dangerous ce¡­ social order has broken down and a beautiful woman like yourself¡­ needs protection¡­"

    "Please¡­ why don''t you stay here? I am sure that your arrival is a sign from the Lord and fate has brought us here together."

    Eve pretended to be interested and a happy smile shed across the priest''s face as he assumed that the attractive young woman was being convinced.

    He led Eve towards the edge of theke and stood there was his back tuned away from her. Eve stared at the vast expanse of water with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    Theke''s water was crystal clear, and one could see tiny green leafy nts growing on the bottom of thekebed.

    Fishes darted between the nts, and she even saw arge crab poke its head above the sand before returning to his hiding hole.

    This was the first time that Eve had ever seen ake before, and the zombie empress could not help but take another look.

    Spending the majority of her life locked away like some kind ofb rat meant that the world was new and refreshing.

    And yet¡­ without Qin Lan it was like there was a hole in Eve''s heart that could not be fulfilled.

    This caused a brief frown to sh across the zombie empress'' face as her mood was immediately lowered.

    "Have you seen how powerful abilities are?" Father Han''s voice interrupted Eve''s train of thought so she turned her attention towards the priest.

    "The Lord knows that his children are weak and helpless in this dangerous time¡­ he has entrusted me with the task of blessing others with abilities in order to spread his good word."

    "I can bless the loyal members of my congregation with abilities¡­ haven''t you noticed how many people in this settlement have received my gift?"

    Eve looked curiously at the human in front of her and silently revaluated him in her heart.

    She had never heard of an ability to gift another special powers.

    This human could potential be the saviour of humanity if he was able to give those without an ability the power to fight back.

    Of course, this did not matter to Eve because she no love for either humans or the horrific monsters that were technically her brethren.

    "I wish to offer you a chance to obtain a power of your own¡­" Father Han calmly spoke as he stretched out his hand for Eve to take.

 Chapter 120 Zombie Empress (51)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake -Unnamed Settlement)

    "I wish to offer you a chance to obtain a power of you own¡­"

    Father Han''s words echoed through the clearing as he stared at the beautiful woman next to him.

    The middle-aged priest stretched out his hand and gave a warm and weing smile.

    Eve''s cold expression remained the same as she looked at the hand that was mere inches away from her body.

    This human¡­ he wanted to use his gift on her?

    The zombie empress was feeling quite amused as she gazed at the priest who tried his best to conceal the lust that was hidden in his stare.

    She imagined what the look on his face would be like if he realised that he had given a gift to a monster.

    "Why would you give me a special ability? How can you trust me?" Eve softly asked as she stepped away from the outstretched hand.

    "My dear¡­ the Lord works in mysterious ways¡­ it is fate that we have met, and I believe that you will be a valued member of thismunity," Father Han smoothly replied.

    "The world outside is incredibly dangerous. I am offering you strength to protect yourself and to help contribute to this settlement by using your newfound ability."

    "I understand your hesitation but please¡­ consider this as an opportunity that you will never see again¡­"

    Father Han spoke in a soft gentle tone and used all of the tricks of persuasion that he had learned over the years.

    Eve''s face seemed conflicted, so the middle-aged priest knew that his speech was working. As a woman in the end times, it was not easy to survive.

    Anyone would be tempted by the offer to receive a free ability. Father Han did tell a little lie in his speech which was that he expected her to use her gift.

    No¡­ he would never let that beautiful face be ruined by wrinkles¡­

    This mysterious woman deserved to be locked up in the church with him for the rest of her life like a canary in a cage.

    The zombie empress furrowed her brows slightly as she could not help but be a bit curious.

    Subject 001 was hunting her down so any chance to improve her strength would definitely be an advantage in the uing fight.

    "Okay¡­" Eve hesitantly whispered as she held out her hand and roughly grabbed the middle-aged priest''s fingers.

    Father Han gritted his teeth in pain as it felt as though his hand was being crushed. This beautiful woman had one hell of a firm grip.

    The priest closed his eyes and focused on the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest that seemed to get hotter by the minute.

    He felt something flow out from his hand and enter Eve''s body. Father Han continued to channel his ability but¡­

    There was something wrong.

    It was like his ability was pouring into a bottomless pit. No matter how much energy he allowed to enter Eve''s body¡­ there was no effect.

    Father Han stumbled backwards as he reached the bottom of his energy reserves and a wave of exhaustion hit his body.

    The middle-aged priest opened his mouth to say something but froze in fear as he looked at Eve''s face.

    The beautiful woman was still as charming and attractive as before but now her eyes werepletely pitch-ck.

    There was a dangerous aura surrounding her body and the middle-aged priest felt as though he was a rabbit standing in front of a hungry wolf.

    Father Han''s body trembled uncontrobly, and he took a few steps backwards away from the terrifying creature.

    He tripped over a tree root and his head mmed against the ground with a dull thud.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Thest image that the priest saw before his vision turned to darkness was Eve standing over his body with a knowing smile.

    Eve stared at the unconscious priest and raised up her right hand. She closed her eyes and checked her body for any changes.

    There were none.

    Apparently, the priest''s ability to give special powers only worked on humans and she was no longer one.

    Eve let out a disappointed sigh and slowly walked towards the edge of thekeshore and then sat down on the muddy earth.

    The crystal-clear water sparkled under the sunlight and several birds flew overhead. It was a beautiful day, but Eve was in no mood to appreciate it.

    If she did not find Qin Lan by nightfall, then she would leave this settlement and roam around the area until she picked up her favourite human''s scent.

    Of course¡­ she still had no idea what she would do once she encountered Qin Lan.

    How could she tell her that her brother was still alive and working with a monster? Or the reason why she had tried to kill Qin Wei.

    Eve rubbed her fingers together uneasily as she dipped her toes in theke and felt the cool water brush against her feet.

    Qin Lan¡­

    That name made her feel all kinds of emotions and the zombie empress did not know how to deal with her feelings.

    She missed Qin Lan¡­ she still loved Qin Lan¡­ she was afraid of Qin Lan¡­

    The fear of being rejected and hated made Eve hesitant to seek out her favourite human even though she missed her terribly.

    The zombie empress was a powerful monster but in terms of emotional development she had been trapped in a test tube for an uncountable number of years.

    Dealing with rtionships and emotional attachments was not her strong suit¡­ to be put it mildly.

    Eve let out a heavy sigh as she slowly got up and brushed some of the mud from the bottom of her pants.

    The priest was still unconscious, but his body stirred slightly, and his eyelid began to tremble as if he was about to wake up.

    Eve''s fingernails slowly became ws as she contemted slitting the priest''s throat since he had seen her true appearance.

    She walked over to his fallen body, but the image of Qin Lan''s desperate expression shed across her mind.

    No¡­ she shouldn''t kill unnecessarily.

    Father Han may think that what he saw was a dream¡­ or at the very least he had no proof that she was a monster.

    There was no need to end his life.

    Eve lifted up the old priest''s body and leaned him against a nearby tree. She walked away and waited patiently for him to wake up.

    A few minutes passed and then gradually Father Han''s eyelids slowly raised, and he woke up from his slumber.

    The middle-aged priest looked around in confusion as he tried to remember what had happened after he channeled his power into Eve''s body.

    He began to tremble as he remembered the beautiful woman''s monstrous appearance and her pitch-ck eyes.

    "Are you okay?" a feminine voice politely asked.

    Father Han turned towards the direction of the sound and saw that Eve''s eyes were a normal colour as if what he had just seen was a mere illusion.

    Was it all just a dream? Maybe he had fainted after exhausting his power¡­

 Chapter 121 Zombie Empress (52)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    "Gong Li! If you keep sshing me, I swear I''m going to¡­"

    "Catch me if you can! I''m too quick in the water!"

    "Grr¡­ get over here¡­ I''ming to get you!"

    Qin Lan leaned against a nearby tree and watched as the two young teenagers sshed and yed in theke.

    It was around the evening time and the sun was now just barely visible over the horizon. This was the best time to take a bath and get clean.

    Liu Yifei snapped her fingers and two bars of soap materialised out of thin air.

    She handed one to her best friend who smiled sweetly at her before sshing her with some water.

    Qin Lan absentmindedly nced at the nearby surroundings for any threats before turning her attention to the small fire that was crackling on the side.

    A pot of hot water was slowly boiling over the fire and Qin Lan had already sprinkled some brown sugar inside the mixture.

    It was her time of the month and the cramps from her period were very painful.

    Fortunately, she had the foresight to pack feminine hygiene products before the end times.

    Qin Lan winced as she felt another painful cramp in her lower body. Sometimes she wished that she was a man so that she didn''t have to deal with this shit.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li continued to y around in the water under the watchful eye of their protector who was in a great deal of pain.

    Qin Lan did not dare to rx her vignce even for a second ever since they had discovered Chen Xiao''s corpse.

    She could not deal with another death¡­

    Qin Lan felt as though she would go crazy if she had another death on her hands. She had rescued five teenagers from the supermarket and now only two remained.

    More than half of the group were dead which included¡­ her own brother¡­

    The young woman''s fingers curled up into a tight fist as she took in a few deep breaths and tried to calm down her restless thoughts.

    Something rustled in the nearby bushes, so Qin Lan immediately reached for the knife that was strapped to her hip.

    A small adorable wild boar stumbled out of the bushes, and it stared at Qin Lan with a serene expression on its piggish face.

    Qin Lan waved her knife in its direction but made no attempts to actually stab the animal.

    It was too small for eating and most likely there was a mama boar who would be furious that her cub was missing.

    The wild boar squealed in fear and then trotted away as fast as its stubby little legs could take it from this dangerous situation.

    Qin Lan put away her knife and stared up at the sky where stars were clearly visible.

    She did not know why she found herself drawn to those beautiful celestial bodies but looking at them always made her feel at peace with the world.

    The multiverse¡­ there were an infinite number of realities and worlds.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was mind boggling to think about and sometimes Qin Lan suspected that her experience may just be a dream.

    Perhaps she would wake up one day to find herself in a psych ward or a mental hospital screaming about the Time Space Administration.

    Qin Lan walked towards the edge of theke and knelt down. She scooped up a handful of water and drank some of the crystal-clear liquid.

    Well, if this was a dream then it was an extremely realistic one. Qin Lan waved her hand and gestured for the two teenagers in the water to swim over.

    Liu Yifei held Gong Li''s hand and the two girls quickly made their way over to the shore. Liu Yifei snapped her fingers and tworge white towels appeared in mid-air.

    Qin Lan quickly caught them using her sharp reflexes before they hit the ground. Liu Yifei smiled sheepishly as she took one of the towels from Qin Lan.

    It was gettingte, and a cold wind was already beginning to blow from the northeast which caused some goosebumps to appear on the young girls'' arms.

    "Come over to the fire and get some warmth," Qin Lan gently spoke as she led the girls over the roaring fire.

    She moved the pot away from the mes and picked up the small bowl and spoon that was on the ground.

    Qin Lan scooped up some of the brown sugar mixture in the small bowl and began to take tiny sips.

    "Do you need anything big sis?" Liu Yifei asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "No¡­ I''m fine¡­ don''t worry about me. It usually onlysts for a few days so I should be better by this weekend," Qin Lan replied warmly.

    Actually, she wasn''t sure if a few days from now was the weekend or not.

    Time had lost all meaning since the end times had begun and ever since arriving at theke, each day had kind of blurred into one.

    It was basically impossible to remember the day or the month without a calendar.

    Qin Lan was mostly relying on the condition of the trees of the forest to tell when autumn or winter would arrive.

    Qin Lan enjoyed the sweet taste of the mixture as she watched the two girls dry their hair.

    "I sometimes wish that we had an outlet¡­" Gong Li grumbled as she picked up a brush to untangle some knots out of her hair.

    She tried her best to fight with the curls, but nothing seemed to work.

    She ced down her brush and was about to give up when a soft pair of hands touched her upper back.

    "Let me try¡­" Liu Yifei whispered softly. The beautiful teenage girl picked up the brush and began to carefully run it through Gong Li''s hair.

    Liu Yifei was incredibly gentle as she treated her best friend''s hair as if it were a piece of expensive artwork at a museum.

    Gong Li could feel her face begin to heat up as she blushed furiously.

    Liu Yifei''s pleasant scent lingered around her nostrils, and it took all of her willpower not to turn her head and kiss her luscious lips.

    It had never been a good time to confess her feelings towards her best friend, but Chen Xiao''s death had really made an impact on Gong Li''s emotions.

    It was a sobering reminder that in the end times death coulde without warning and every day could be yourst.

    She needed to tell Liu Yifei how she really felt before it was toote.

 Chapter 122 Zombie Empress (53)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake ¨C Father Han''s Church)

    "This will be your private room¡­ if you have any issues, please feel free to talk to myself or Sister Guan," Father Han exined as he led Eve over to a wooden door.

    The middle-aged priest yawned sleepily as he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over his body. Using his gift too much had unweed side effects and this was one of them.

    But what he had seen by theke¡­

    Father Han shivered as he nced at the beautiful woman walking patiently behind him. No¡­ it had to be a dream¡­

    Clearly it was some kind of illusion because Eve looked normal without a trace of those two inhuman eyes that were pitch- ck.

    The priest''s body trembled slightly as he remembered the fear and terror that he felt as he gazed at that monster.

    All thoughts of lust had disappeared at least for now as Father Han wanted nothing more than to return to his private quarters and rest for the night.

    He stretched out his hand and reached for the doorknob. With a simple twist, the door swung open to reveal a tiny bedroom with a in white mattress.

    The room was pretty bare with only a wooden table in the corner. Dust could be seen on the ground and Father Han awkwardly coughed as he saw the state of the bedroom.

    "Would you like another room?" he politely asked.

    "No¡­ this is fine. Thank you for your kindness," Eve replied warmly as she walked over to the dusty mattress and sat down.

    "Okay¡­ um¡­ do you feel anything?" Father Han hesitantly asked as he could not resist his curiosity.

    Thest thing that he remembered before fainting by theke was pouring in an enormous amount of energy into this mysterious woman''s body.

    Surely with all that energy, she must have received an immensely powerful ability.

    "I''m not sure¡­ I don''t feel any different¡­" Eve whispered softly as she stered an anxious expression across her face.

    Father Han nodded in understanding and exchanged a few more words with the beautiful woman before politely bidding her farewell.

    As soon as the wooden door mmed shut behind him, Eve''s anxious expression melted away to reveal indifference.

    She got up from the mattress and waited until Father Han''s footsteps gradually got softer and softer.

    Eve''s five senses had been greatly enhanced by the scientists'' experiments on her body and in particr her sense of smell bordered on the supernatural.

    She was able to detect living organisms in her immediate area by sniffing the air for their odours or scents.

    Eve walked over to the door and gently opened it. She wandered around the church while asionally stopping to sniff the air.

    Nothing.

    She did not smell the familiar scent of her favourite human which meant that Qin Lan was not here.

    The inside of the church was the only ce where Eve had yet to search since Father Han had brought her along on a tour of the settlement outside.

    And now¡­ it was clear that Qin Lan was somewhere else.

    Eve''s ears twitched slightly, and she quickly hid behind a nearby curtain. A few minutester a woman dressed in the simple attire of a nun appeared at the end of the corridor.

    Was she the so-called Sister Guan?

    Eve didn''t feel threatened by the religious woman but wanted to leave without causing a ruckus.

    She waited patiently until the nun walked past her curtain beforeing out from her hiding spot.

    The zombie empress let out a heavy sigh and took onest look at the magnificently constructed church before walking towards the exit.

    Her search for Qin Lan would continue¡­

    .

    .

    .<novelnext></novelnext>

    .

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Outer Region- St. Cheng''s Highway)

    "Brothers let''s get him!" a muscr man growled as he held up a bat and rushed towards the masked figure standing at the entrance of the alleyway.

    He was joined by the other members of his gang who shouted out taunts and jeers at the mysterious man.

    "Get him boss!"

    "Let''s fuck him up!"

    "Teach him to stay out of other people''s business!"

    The masked man simply raised up his right palm and tiny blue sparks of electricity crackled around his fingertips.

    Without even a second of hesitation, he fired off a thick beam of lightning at the gang members which burnt all the men to a crisp.

    Their ckened corpses fell to the ground motionless, and the scent of roasted meat filled the air.

    Wu Jing removed the mask, and his handsome but scarred face was revealed. Heavy bags were present below his eyes, and one could see the tiredness on his face.

    He had the muscr physique of a Greek god, and his piercing cold eyes would immediately attract anyone who locked eyes with him.

    He reached into his pocket for a cigarette and a lighter. Wu Jing raised the cigarette to his lips and inhaled deeply before blowing out a small puff of smoke that hung in the air.

    The zombies would being soon¡­

    They could never resist a free meal like this. Wu Jing scowled as he stepped over the corpses and absentmindedly kicked the one belonging to the leader of the gang.

    He was still not strong enough¡­ he needed more power¡­ he needed more¡­

    Wu Jing was obsessed.

    The image of the monster that annihted his squad and nearly killed him was still on his mind.

    He would wake up in the middle of the night screaming as he recalled how the creature ripped apart his men using only her bare hands.

    What kind of monster was she?

    Wu Jing had been on several tours to foreign countries during his time in the military and nothing had ever shaken him to his core like that beast.

    "Come¡­ we need to go to our next location," a hoarse voice suddenly spoke.

    Wu Jing tossed his still smoking cigarette to the ground and then turned to face the direction of the unexpected noise.

    A blue portal appeared in the middle of the street, and one could see a youthful teenage boy on the other side.

    It was an extraordinary sight and yet Wu Jing seemed to be unfazed by the peculiarity of the situation.

    He walked towards the portal and entered inside the rippling space. Wu Jing reopened his eyes and found himself back in the abandoned military site.

    The young teenage boy was sitting down on a mattress and taking small sips from a mug that was filled with an unknown liquid.

    "How have your powers been developing?" Qin Wei asked curiously as he snapped his fingers and the portal disappeared.

    "I have been getting stronger¡­ I need to absorb more crystals, but I feel as though my lighting is getting more powerful," Wu Jing replied gruffly.

    "You still aren''t enough to face her¡­" Qin Wei spoke seriously and for a brief moment an expression of hatred shed across his youthful face.

    "I need you to be able to kill Qi¡­ the monster¡­ the monster¡­"

    Qin Wei''s face wrinkled up in pain as if he had a massive headache. He took a few deep breaths and then gradually calmed down.

    "The two of us¡­" Qin Wei softly whispered with conviction in his tone.

    "We will do great things together."

 Chapter 123 Zombie Empress (54)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location ¨C Secret Military Base)

    Qin Wei''s words echoed through the room as he stared at Wu Jing with determination and madness in his gaze.

    The former soldier nodded his head and a rxed expression shed across Qin Wei''s face as he resumed leaning against the wall.

    Wu Jing felt a cold chill run down his spine as he witnessed how quickly the youthful teenager''s mood would swing from madness to cold calcting rationality.

    It was impossible to fully trust the young teenage boy but at this point Wu Jing did not have a choice but to follow his orders.

    Qin Wei''s portals and his knowledge of the location of the mutated zombies in the city had caused his lightning ability to improve by leaps and bounds.

    Once Wu Jing had gotten a taste of how powerful he could be¡­ it was like an addiction.

    He needed to increase his strength.

    There was no other way to defeat the terrifying figure in his dreams that always woke him up in the middle of the night.

    Qin Wei may be using him to track down and fight the monster that killed his men, but his goal aligned with Wu Jing''s true wishes.

    Eve''s terrifying appearance and the ease at which she had massacred his entire squad had left a deep psychological trauma in Wu Jing''s mind.

    Of course, the battle-hardened ex-soldier would never reveal his inner fragility, but it was slowly eating him alive.

    Perhaps if Subject 001 was more observant then he would have realised that cracks were beginning to form in his weapon''s psyche, but he had problems of his own.

    The influence of the host''s body was getting stronger and as a result Subject 001 now had an irrational hatred for the human named Qin Lan.

    She was just below Subject 014 on his kill list and hopefully he would be able to aplish both goals in one fell swoop.

    Wu Jing reached into his pocket and lit another cigarette. He ced the thin white strip to his mouth and inhaled deeply.

    The bitter taste of ash and smoke hung in the air as Wu Jing gently exhaled.

    Smoking was a poison but there were demons inside him that he wanted to kill.

    The handsome but scarred muscr man walked up to Qin Wei and opened his mouth to ask the question on his mind.

    "Where is the next objective?" Wu Jing hoarsely spoke as he dropped the cigarette to the ground and stomped it out using hisbat boots.

    "Just give me a moment¡­" Qin Wei replied softly as he closed his eyes and muttered a few iprehensible words under his breath.

    Wu Jing was unable to understand whatnguage the young teenager was speaking but it almost seemed as though he was arguing with himself.

    Of course, that had to be a wrong assumption¡­

    Qin Wei eventually opened his eyes and beads of sweat ran down the sides of his forehead. It was always quite taxing trying to scan a location for mutated zombies.

    Subject 001 had the ability to sense his own kind which meant that he was able to track down both his fated enemy and minions that could power up his weapon.

    Qin Wei rubbed his fingers together for a brief moment before making a loud snapping noise. On the wall on the opposite side of the room, a blue shimmering portal appeared.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Space rippled around the portal, and one could see an abandoned factory on the other side that was teeming with zombies.

    These zombies wore tattered old clothing, and most were missing limbs such as their arms, legs, or even other body parts.

    One zombie woman was even dragging her intestines along the ground as there was an enormous open wound across her stomach.

    She had long scars across her face as if she had suffered from days of torture before being granted the sweet mercy of death.

    Despite the horrifying sight, there was not a single trace of fear in Wu Jing''s eyes as he walked up to the portal and stepped in it confidently.

    He had seen worse¡­

    There were far more dangerous monsters out there than these mere cannon fodder.

    Wu Jing''s entire body entered the portal and he soon disappeared from the room. Qin Wei snapped his fingers and the portal vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

    The young teenager bent over and vomited a massive puddle of ck liquid that burned and sizzled as it touched the ground.

    Qin Wei was unable to maintain his disguise and soon his normal human eyes turnedpletely pitch ck.

    Parts of his face began to shrink, and his physique became almost skeleton-like as his fingernails transformed into long jagged ws.

    Transnting his brain in the body of a human had caused unintended side effects that Subject 001 was still learning how to deal with.

    He stumbled to his feet and lurched to the side as his toes slipped on the puddle of ck ooze that was on the ground.

    "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" a series of child-like cursing came from Subject 001''s mouth as the original Qin Wei seized the opportunity to voice his frustration.

    The monster staggered towards the far end of the room and opened up a drawer that was filled with purplish-ck crystals.

    He opened up the drawer with trembling hands and quickly grabbed a handful of the crystals.

    Subject 001 wasted no time as he opened up his mouth and shoved in as many crystals as his jaw could fit.

    With great difficulty he swallowed therge crystals, and it only took a few minutes for his body to stabilise.

    His body returned to normal, and it was as if nothing had happened. Subject 001 coughed hoarsely and tiny flecks of ck liquid flew out of his mouth.

    These crystals were just a temporary cure for his weakness.

    It was impossible to know for sure but Subject 001 was convinced that the only crystal that would stabilise his unstable new body was the one inside Subject 014''s head.

    This was no longer a matter of revenge but rather a desperate fight for his survival.

    He did not suffer all those years in this hellish ce just to die before he had the chance to punish the world for their crimes.

    Humanity was a pestilence and a gue. Greedy short-sighted creatures willing to destroy their own if it suited them.

    Subject 001 vowed to rid them from this world and start over with his own kind. They would be a better version of humanity.

    And no one would be able to stop them.

 Chapter 124 Zombie Empress (55)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Three gunshots echoed through the forest which scared away some of the birds nesting in the nearby trees.

    Qin Lan frowned slightly as she looked at the in white target that had been ced a few hundred meters away.

    "Adjust your posture and lower the gun slightly," Qin Lan spoke sternly as she observed that only one shot had prated the target.

    Gong Li nodded seriously and took in a few deep breaths in order to steady her nerves.

    This was not the first time that she had fired a gun in training but every time she could feel her fingers slightly tremble on the trigger.

    Was she really prepared to kill someone?

    Gong Li never wanted to see Liu Yifei in a situation like what had happened in the supermarket ever again.

    Having to watch helplessly as those brutes dragged away her crush would haunt her for the rest of her life.

    But she could not stop her body from shaking as she imagined shooting someone in the chest.

    The young teenage girl continued to inhale and exhale while Qin Lan waited patiently on the side and nced at Liu Yifei who was practising her knife skills.

    Both girls were undergoing different types of training. Individuals who possessed supernatural gifts were blessed with enhanced physiques.

    By the time they reached level three or four, it would be impossible for bullets to hurt them which is why Qin Lan was training Liu Yifei in close quarterbat.

    Gong Li on the other hand was better off as a marksman although her effectiveness would slowly decrease over time unless she faced ordinary people.

    "Keep your bnce!" Qin Lan shouted at Liu Yifei who had just stumbled over a root sticking above the ground.

    The young girl shot her mentor a sheepish look and then resumed practising. Qin Lan nodded in approval and then gave Gong Li her undivided attention.

    Gong Li had closed her eyes for a brief moment and when she opened them there was a spark of determination in her gaze.

    She lowered her weapon slightly and aimed it carefully at the target. Her finger curled around the trigger, and she pressed it lightly.

    This time the bullet hole was only three inches away from the center and it was much better attempt than her previous tries.

    "Good job," Qin Lan praised her. She walked up to Gong Li and ced a warm hand on her shoulder.

    It had just been the three of them living together in the forest so naturally all of the girls had gotten a bit closer.

    There was also the shared trauma that they all shared having witnessed the deaths of theirpanions.

    Qin Lan had still not told the other girls that she suspected that Eve was alive and her true appearance.

    She figured that it was not like she would ever encounter that mutated zombie again so there was no need to inform them.

    Honestly that realisation made Qin Lan feel a bit sad. Her feelings towards Eve were a bitplex to say the least.

    Part of her wanted to stab a knife through her heart, part of her wanted to grab her and find out the reason why she had killed her brother and another part¡­

    Wanted to kiss her and embrace her tightly.

    Qin Lan adjusted her emotions and began to show Gong Li some tricks that she had learned about shooting.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan did not know any actual techniques since she mainly relied on her excellent hand-eye coordination to quickly learn how to use a gun.

    The original Qin Lan had never even held a weapon before, so her memories were basically useless in that regard.

    Speaking of those memories¡­

    The blurry white wall that concealed most of the original Qin Lan''s memories was gradually weakening.

    asionally strange faces, locations and people would briefly surface in Qin Lan''s mind, and she knew that eventually the barrier would break.

    Hopefully somewhere in those memories was a clue about who the viiness of this ne was and where she could find her.

    "Alright girls you can take a short break¡­ get something to eat and we will meet back here in around thirty minutes," Qin Lan suddenly spoke.

    Gong Li handed the gun over to Qin Lan while Liu Yifei ran over with excitement gleaming in her eyes.

    Without saying a word, she grabbed Gong Li''s arm tightly and dragged her in the direction of the camp site.

    Qin Lan shook her head and a gentle smile shed across her face. She hoped that the love between the two girls would one day blossom.

    Perhaps it would be difficult in normal times for their love to be epted in this country but in the days of the apocalypse strength was all that mattered.

    Qin Lan wanted to give the girls some privacy, so she walked towards the perimeter of the camp site and found a nice tree to sit down under.

    She was within earshot of the two girls so in case anything happened she could be there in less than a minute.

    The young woman leaned back against the trunk of the tree and stared at the sky. It was a lovely bright day with not a single white cloud overhead.

    Gentle rays of sunlight streamed down through the dense forest and casted long shadows on the ground.

    Chirp! Chirp!

    Qin Lan turned her head in the direction of the sound and saw a mother bird open her mouth and spit out some worms.

    Her baby chicks pped their wings happily and began to devour the meal with enthusiasm. Qin Lan watched quietly as a brown lizard climbed up the branch just below the nest.

    The lizard''s tongue slowly flicked out of his mouth as he stealthily moved closer and closer to the nest.

    Just as he was within striking distance, a feather shot out from the tip of the mother bird''s wing.

    It moved almost as fast as a rocket and prated the lizard''s tough scaly skin with ease.

    The predator cried out in pain and beat a hasty retreat. Qin Lan whistled softly as she did not expect that oue.

    Mutated animals destroyed the delicate bnce of the food web and caused chaos. The hunters could very well be the hunted if they weren''t careful in this new world.

    Crack!

    A stick on the ground snapped in half and once again Qin Lan found herself turning to see where the noise wasing from.

    Two long and slender feet came into her vision as a person stepped out from the nearby bushes and stood motionless.

    The woman wore an ill-fitting ck jacket and a pair of brown track pants that were covered in scratches from the thorns inside the bushes.

    Qin Lan slowly got up from the ground and stared inplete disbelief as a familiar face came into view.

    "No¡­ why¡­ why are you here?"

 Chapter 125 Zombie Empress (56)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    A beautiful woman hesitantly walked out from behind the nearby bushes and stood motionless as she stared at Qin Lan.

    She was in her mid twenties with a lean and slightly muscr physique with curves in all the right ces.

    Her skin was a healthy wheat colour and she had sharp angr facial features. She wore an ill-fitting ck jacket and a pair of brown track pants.

    Her pants were covered in scratches from the thorns that were inside the bushes where she had just walked through.

    Qin Lan froze in shock as she stared at the face that she could never forget. It was like time stood still as both women refused to move even a single muscle.

    There she was¡­ the mutated zombie who had killed her brother¡­

    Qin Lan felt the weight of the knife attached to her hip and yet her fingers did not move downwards to take out her de from its sheath.

    Over and over in her mind she had imagined how the reunion between herself, and Eve would y out and yet when the moment arrived¡­

    She had no idea how to react.

    As she looked at Eve, it was impossible not to get shbacks of the terrible night where she watched as that creature punched a hole through her brother''s stomach.

    And then she ran. She ran away.

    SHE RAN AWAY.

    "No¡­ why¡­ why are you here?" Qin Lan stuttered as her feet unconsciously took two steps forward in the direction of the beautiful woman.

    "I¡­I¡­" Eve''s hoarse voice echoed through the clearing, and she also seemed a bit lost as to what to say.

    Qin Lan''s fingers curled up into a fist and she continued to walk forward until she was face to face with the monster who had killed her brother.

    She did not know where her burst of courage hade from.

    There was every chance that this creature was capable of killing her just as easily as it did to her brother.

    Qin Lan took in a deep breath and stretched out her hand. She pinched Eve''s neck roughly and the monster did not react even as her grip tightened.

    "Tell me¡­ why¡­ why did you kill him and then abandon me¡­" Qin Lan''s cold voice entered into Eve''s ears.

    The zombie empress had never known fear but as she stared at the angry woman in front of her.

    Eve somehow knew that her answer to Qin Lan''s question could possibly be the most important decision of her life.

    "He¡­ he¡­ wanted to hurt you¡­" Eve confessed truthfully as she looked Qin Lan in the eyes and honestly spoke.

    "When you left¡­ he started to whisper that he would kill you¡­ I heard him say it over and over again under his breath¡­"

    "Nonsense! Why would my brother want to kill me?" Qin Lan questioned harshly as her fingers slightly trembled.

    "I¡­ I don''t know¡­ but his eyes¡­ they were full of hatred¡­" Eve whispered softly as she saw an expression of doubt and confusion sh across Qin Lan''s face.

    "No¡­ that doesn''t¡­" Qin Lan''s words trailed off as she staggered back, and her hand fell from Eve''s neck.

    She swayed from side to side and then copsed on the ground in a state of unconsciousness.

    Eve hurriedly rushed over and ced two fingers on Qin Lan''s neck to make sure that she was okay.

    Qin Lan was breathing normally and appeared to be in a state of deep sleep. No matter how hard Eve tried, her favourite human just didn''t seem to wake up.

    The zombie empress gently lifted up Qin Lan in her arms and held her warm, soft body against her chest.

    She looked lost as she ran her fingers against the side of Qin Lan''s cheeks and observed her facial features.

    Qin Lan was not a great beauty by any means and yet there was something about her appearance that Eve just could not resist.

    The zombie empress walked over to a nearby tree and sat down with Qin Lan still in her arms.

    She did not know what had just happened, but she was prepared to wait for as long as possible until her favourite human woke up.<novelnext></novelnext>

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Inside Qin Lan''s Head- A Memory From The Original)

    Qin Lan opened her eyes to find herself back in a situation that she had only seen once before. A beautiful girl was standing beside a tall muscr man who wore a military uniform.

    Both of their facial features were slightly fuzzy, but it was possible to make out their facial expressions through the blur.

    Lighting crackled in the palm of the man who possessed an intimidating aura.

    Behind the pair was arge group of ability users who seemed to be looking at her with a mixture of fear and hatred.

    ? The girl next to the military man was whispering something in his ear. The memory blurred for a moment and then the scene became a bit clearer.

    Qin Lan''s eyes widened in shock as she recognised the girl standing next to the muscr man.

    She was clearly Liu Yifei who was a few years older.

    She still wore a tattered old pendant around her neck, but Qin Lan could not understand why she was looking at the original Qin Lan with such a look of condemnation.

    "Qin Lan¡­ your crimes are endless¡­" the muscr man coldly spoke as lightning danced around his fingertips.

    Qin felt her body move automatically and her mouth opened tough madly at the muscr man''s hypocritical statement.

    Who among the ability users in the crowd did notmit unspeakable crimes in the name of survival or just for mere pleasure?

    These dirty rapists, murderers and thieves wanted to kill her in the name of justice¡­ that was the funniest joke that she had heard in a long time.

    A sadistic grin spread across the original Qin Lan''s face as she prepared to channel the warm fuzzy feeling inside her chest.

    She recognised the man in the military uniform. His name was Wu Jing, and he was the leader of the number one base in the province.

    He would make a useful puppet¡­

    As for the rest¡­ she would make them into her tools and ythings before discarding them once they lost their value.

    Qin Lan prepared to unleash the full force of her ability but as she reached for the ck threads in her mind¡­

    She felt a wave of exhaustion hit her body.

    Qin Lan stumbled and fell to the ground as she felt a surge of weakness flow through her limbs.

    Drugs? But who had drugged her?

    Everyone that she surrounded herself with were her loyal puppets¡­ it was impossible for them to rebel¡­

    Wait¡­ no¡­ he couldn''t¡­

    A skinny handsome man walked up from behind a nearby building and stared down at his sister with a look of casual indifference on his face.

    The betrayal and shock in Qin Lan''s heart made her cold mask crack for the first time since she had discovered her power.

    "Why¡­ why¡­" Qin Lan managed to force out a few words, but she could feel her eyelids slowly begin to close.

    "Because I''ve always hated you¡­" Qin Wei spat out in rage as he stepped forward and kicked his sister''s body.

    Wu Jing walked forward and pointed his palm at the woman who had the most dangerous ability that he had evere across.

    "Die¡­" the military man harshly spoke

    The lightning surrounding his palm surged forward and thest image that the original Qin Lan saw was the relieved smile that shed across her brother''s face.

 Chapter 126 Zombie Empress (57)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Then there was nothing.

    Qin Lan opened her eyes and found herself floating in a void of infinite darkness. Thousands of memories appeared all around her body.

    They took the form of tiny screens with images ying inside that were too small to make out clearly.

    These memories twisted and wriggled as if they were somehow alive. Qin Lan opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

    She looked around in confusion since she could not understand how she had ended up in this strange ce.

    "I give her permission," a cold voice echoed through the void. The tone and cadence of the voice was one that Qin Lan was familiar with since it was her own.

    "Transfer her all of my memories... she will understand my request..."

    Before Qin Lan could react, the thousands of memories floating in this strange void rushed towards her like an endless tide.

    She screamed in pain as the unfamiliar memories burrowed into her mind.

    Qin Lan may not have lived for a long time, but her mind was powerful and her memories almost overwhelmed Sui Li.

    In this strange void time no longer seemed to have any meaning.

    The young woman floating through the darkness wasn''t sure if minutes, hours or even days had passed.

    Eventually she opened her eyes and the void shattered into a million pieces.

    Qin Lan got up from the ground with a painful groan and moved her hands. She froze in ce as she touched a warm soft body with her fingertips.

    She looked up and saw Eve staring down at her with a conflicted expression on her face. Qin Lan wasn''t sure how to react either and both women stared at each other awkwardly.

    Eventually Qin Lan moved out of Eve''sp and took a few steps back in order to create some distance.

    Her head was throbbing painfully with a massive headache after absorbing all of the memories from the original Qin Lan.

    She desperately needed to take a rest and examine these new memories carefully but first she had to deal Eve.

    "Listen Eve... I..." Qin Lan hesitantly spoke.

    "I... I have a lot to think about... if you are telling the truth then... I..."

    Qin Lan wasn''t sure what she was supposed to do or how to face the beautiful woman who was looking at her.

    ording to the original Qin Lan''s memories, her brother had always hated her so there was a strong possibility that Eve was trying to protect her in her own way.

    Eve walked up to Qin Lan and gently grabbed her hand before the confused woman had a chance to pull them away.

    "I love you..." Eve solemnly spoke as she felt a huge weight on her chest suddenly disappear.

    The zombie empress did not know why she had just confessed her true feelings to her favourite human, but she felt as though it was the right choice.

    "You don''t have to answer now... but I want you to know that I will not let anyone hurt you..." Eve promised seriously.

    The zombie empress lightly squeezed Qin Lan''s hand and a warm smile shed across her face.

    Qin Lan was looking at her with a frightened expression as if she could not believe that this was happening.

    Eve wanted nothing more than to lean forward and press her lips against Qin Lan''s but knew that now was not the right time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The pair remained frozen in silence as a few birds flew through the treetops. Gentle rays of sunlight streamed down through the forest and cast long shadows on the ground.

    "Eve... I... I need some time... this... is just too much..." Qin Lan finally whispered as she reluctantly took her hands out of Eve''s grasp.

    "I do have feelings for you but... I just... I can''t deal with them right now."

    Eve nodded in understanding and took a small step forward. She could see the tiny pores on Qin Lan''s skin and could smell her sweet scent.

    The zombie empress tilted her head down and pressed a light kiss against Qin Lan''s cheek that was as soft as a feather.

    Qin Lan could feel her face beginning to heat up as she looked at the beautiful woman who had haunted both her fantasies and her nightmares over thest few weeks.

    She had searched through the original Qin Lan memories, and she had never encountered Eve or a mutated zombie capable of disguising as a human.

    But that was not to say that it was not possible for a zombie to conceal their appearance.

    The original Qin Lan rarely left her base and mainly used her puppets to scout out the surrounding area for supplies and to clear out the nearby zombies.

    "What are you?" Qin Lan asked quietly as she raised up her face and stared into Eve''s eyes as if searching for something.

    A pained look shed across Eve''s face as she heard Qin Lan''s question. She knew that she was a monster... an experiment...

    Unworthy to be loved.

    "I... I was created in ab..." Eve stammered slightly as she spoke. She lowered her head and was afraid to look at the expression on Qin Lan''s face.

    Eve took in a deep breath as she opened her mouth and spoke,

    "I don''t know my real name... I don''t have any memories from before. For as long as I can remember, I was floating inside a container."

    "There were scientists who would experiment on me... they would inject me with different liquids that made me suffer a tremendous amount of pain, cut and slice off chunks of flesh and worse..."

    "Inside my head is a purplish-ck crystal that the scientists imnted in my skull that changed my physiology."

    "Can you show me?" Qin Lan quietly whispered as she took a step forward until she was face to face with the zombie empress.

    Eve almost refused her request but then she remembered that Qin Lan had already seen her terrifying form already.

    The zombie empress let out a heavy sigh and focused on the threads of purplish-ck energy that were running through her body.

    Her height increased by a few extra feet and the excess fat on her body shrivelled up until she had an almost skeleton-like frame.

    Eve''s skin was now a pale and sickly colour and she possessed pitch-ck eyes that were sunken into their sockets.

    Her fingernails extended outwards into long ck ws that gleamed dangerously under the sunlight.

    The zombie empress'' terrifying form was now on full disy for Qin Lan to see.

    The clearing fell silent as the nearby animals ran away from the monstrous creature that suddenly appeared.

    The dangerous aura surrounding Eve''s body made them afraid. The zombie empress was an apex predator, and the animals could sense her threat to their safety.

    Eve''s fingers began to tremble, and she drew in a few more shaky breaths. She had never felt so terrified and vulnerable in her life.

    Suddenly a warm hand grabbed her trembling palm. Eve hesitantly lowered her head and saw Qin Lan looked at her with an expression of concern.

    There was no fear, hatred, or disgust on her face.

    "I''m not afraid," Qin Lan gently spoke.

 Chapter 127 Zombie Empress (58)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    "Don''t¡­ don''t you think that I''m a monster?" Eve hesitantly asked as her fingers continued to tremble ever so slightly in Qin Lan''s palm.

    "You are definitely a bit scary¡­ but I''m not afraid," Qin Lan warmly spoke as she raised up her left hand and brushed it against Eve''s skeleton-like face.

    "What those scientists did to you was unforgiveable but¡­ you don''t need to let your pain define the rest of your life."

    "Most people will be terrified, but their opinions don''t matter. I¡­ I can''t respond to your feelings yet, but I hope you know that I will consider your confession seriously."

    Qin Lan subconsciously took a few steps forward until her body was pressed against the zombie empress who looked down at her with a gentle expression on her face.

    "You¡­" Qin Lan opened her mouth to speak but heard voicesing from the distance.

    "Sister Lan! Where are you?"

    "Are you sure that thirty minutes have passed?"

    "I¡­ I think so? I mean I''m pretty sure that Sister Lan told us to meet her here¡­"

    Qin Lan recognised those voices since they belonged to the two teenage girls who were done with their break.

    She hadpletely forgotten that she had told Liu Yifei and Gong Li to meet her back at their usually training spot after thirty minutes.

    Qin Lan let go of Eve''s hands and took a few steps back.

    She stared into Eve''s inhuman pitch-ck eyes and could somehow sense the love that was hidden inside her gaze.

    "I have to go back before the girls get suspicious," Qin Lan quietly whispered.

    "Can we meet back here tonight and talk some more? I just need some time to process everything over the next few hours¡­"

    "Sure¡­ take as much time as you need," Eve gently spoke as she leaned against a nearby tree.

    Qin Lan shot her a small smile before turning around and walking towards the training site.

    Eve''s eyes followed the slender figure until she vanished deeper into the forest.

    The zombie empress took in a deep breath and slowly her monstrous appearance reverted back to her human disguise.

    Her shrivelled skeleton-like appearance slowly filled out, her pitch-ck eyes returned to normal, and her pale sickly skin reverted to a healthy wheat colour.

    The encounter with her favourite human had gone much better than she had expected.

    Eve was convinced that she would be immediately attacked or rejected by Qin Lan but instead she was treated with kindness and empathy despite what she had done.

    Qin Lan may not have epted her feelings just yet, but Eve understood that she needed time to process all this new information.

    Still the future was looking bright!

    A silly smile spread across Eve''s face as the colours of the forest suddenly appeared to be more vivid and alive.

    The corners of Eve''s jacket had partially ripped after her transformation, so the zombie empress walked over to the nearby bushes and reached for her bag that she had hidden away.

    Inside the bag were additional jackets and track pants in case of emergencies or just for general daily use.

    The zombie empress took off her clothes in the middle of the forest without shame and changed her outfit.

    After being trapped in a container for as long as she could remember, Eve wasfortable with nudity and did not see it as anything particrly special.

    The zombie empress brought one of the sleeves of her jacket to her nose and sniffed it twice to make sure that it did not smell.

    She was meeting Qin Lanter and didn''t want to show up smelling awful. Maybe she should find a nearby river and take a bath?

    Eve hummed a cheerful tune as she slung her bag over her shoulder and headed for a river that she had seen on her travels around theke.

    The zombie empress walked for around ten minutes before she stopped in ce as a nagging feeling entered her mind.

    Had she forgotten something?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Eve furrowed her brows and tried to think about what she had forgotten. She had met Qin Lan, talked about her reason for killing her brother and confessed her feelings¡­

    Wait¡­ she didn''t mention Subject 001 or the fact that Qin Lan''s brother had somehow returned to life!

    The zombie empress immediately turned around and was about to rush over to Qin Lan when she realised that she was meeting her favourite humanter tonight.

    A few hourster would make no difference and it would probably be for the best not to show up in front of Liu Yifei and Gong Li.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Near The Lakeshore)

    Qin Lan walked through the forest with numerous thoughts running through her mind. The memories from the original Qin Lan had now been fully absorbed into her own memory.

    Now she understood why the original Qin Lan had made such a brutal request.

    The original Qin Lan had discovered her powers three weeks into the apocalypse when she was attacked and almost assaulted by a gang of former military soldiers.

    Awakening her special ability in such traumatic circumstances had affected her psyche and sent her down a dark path.

    She no longer believed that humans had any capacity for goodness and the brutal survivors that she encountered in the end times only served to reinforce her beliefs.

    They were selfish¡­ greedy¡­ lustful¡­

    The original Qin Lan no longer saw humanity as people but as mere puppets that she could bend to her will.

    And as her power grew so did her sadistic tendencies¡­

    It was not that she was aplete monster but there was ack of empathy in her heart for those who used the end times as an excuse to brutalise others as well as their victims.

    She saw everyone as monsters¡­

    The only exception was her brother. She had encountered her brother and immediately took him under her wing.

    Perhaps Qin Wei reminded her of a different time before she had closed off her heart to the outside world.

    She sheltered him, gave him food and security, and protected him from the ability users in the outside world.

    And how did he repay her?

    With betrayal.

    Qin Lan''s expression twisted to one of hatred and grief as she felt the bitter emotions inside the memories of the original Qin Lan.

    She took in a few deep breaths to rx and calm down her agitated state.

    That version of events had not happened to her, but it was impossible not to be affected by what she had seen and felt.

    "Sister Lan¡­" a cheerful voice called out.

    Qin Lan raised her head and saw Liu Yifei waving at her with a happy smile on her face. She stepped forward towards the young girl and gritted her teeth in pain.

    For a brief moment the teenage girl in front of her appeared as her much older self in the original Qin Lan''s memories.

    Why? Why did she fight against me?! Why did she join those monsters to bring me down?!

    SHE WAS JUST AS GUILTY AS THE REST OF THEM!

    Qin Lan felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest gradually get stronger as her ability responded to her unstable emotions.

    No¡­ no¡­ don''t lose control¡­

 Chapter 128 Zombie Empress (59)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows in pain as the new memories inside her head began to affect her thoughts and emotions.

    It was impossible not to be influenced by a sudden influx of memories inside your mind and Qin Lan was having difficulties seeing Liu Yifei as her current self.

    Whenever she closed her eyes, she kept seeing the scene of a pretty woman leaning against a handsome muscr soldier who had burnt her alive using his lightning power.

    Why had she done it? Why had she betrayed her? WHY?!

    Qin Lan curled up her fingers into a tight fist and used her fingernails to pierce the soft fleshy underbelly of her palm.

    Blood slowly dripped down from between her fingers and this sudden burst of pain helped to clear the mental fog that was shrouding her thoughts.

    The warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest gradually disappeared as Qin Lan''s ability retreated back to the depths of her body.

    "Sister Lan¡­ are you okay?" Liu Yifei asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "Yeah¡­ I''m sorry. I just seem to have a bit of a headache," Qin Lan slowly replied as she hid her bleeding fist behind her back.

    "Why don''t you girls continue your training and I''m going to rest in the shade for a bit."

    Qin Lan walked over to a nearby tree and sat down in the shade. She moved very carefully and did not show the two teenage girls the injuries on her left palm.

    Liu Yifei snapped her fingers and hurriedly ran over with some pain relief medication to help Qin Lan to deal with her headache.

    Qin Lan thanked her politely and smiled at the cheerful girl who said that it was no problem.

    She could not help butpare the Liu Yifei in front of her with the older one in the original Qin Lan''s memories.

    Liu Yifei was a kind-hearted girl and Qin Lan could not believe that she would join a group of murderers, thieves, and rapists.

    And that handsome soldier¡­

    Qin Lan could have sworn that she seen a face like that somewhere before, but it was just out of the reach of her mind.

    Bang!

    "Good shot Gong Li!" Liu Yifei''s voice suddenly cut through Qin Lan''s musings. She looked up and saw a neat bullet hole in the middle of the target.

    Gong Li blushed furiously after her crushplimented her and shyly exined that it was no big deal.

    Qin Lan looked at the sweet atmosphere between the two girls and the disconnect between who Liu Yifei was now and the vision of her in the future grew even wider.

    What had happened to Gong Li in the original timeline?

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and returned to the final memory. She scanned the faces in the crowd but did not see the shy girl who always stuck by Liu Yifei''s side.

    Bang!

    Another shot rang out through the clearing and Qin Lan opened her eyes with more questions than answers in her heart.

    There was no way of knowing what had happened to the group of students in the supermarket since the original Qin Lan was not there.

    Qin Lan hoped that someone else had rescued the young students since the gang members inside the building were nothing more than human pieces of shit.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Liu Yifei! Adjust your stance and keep your posture low," Qin Lan called out as she absentmindedly observed Liu Yifei''s training session.

    "Make your that you maintain bnce in a fight."

    Liu Yifei nodded slowly and subtly adjusted her posture so that her feet were nted slightly apart.

    She lunged forward with a knife and made a series of thrusts and shes that flowed from one move to the next.

    Qin Lan found herself nodding in approval at how quickly Liu Yifei was improving. She had a tremendous amount of talent in fighting.

    In fact, it was not just fighting, for some reason Liu Yifei seemed to seed in every task that she tried to aplish.

    Two hours passed and eventually the sun began to sink towards the horizon. Warm orange rays of light shone through the forest and lit up the nearby surroundings in a soft glow.

    The two girls were resting peacefully in the grass, so Qin Lan walked up to theke shore and picked up a tiny stone that was near her foot.

    She cocked back her arm and threw the tiny stone at the water. The stone skipped a few times and then sank beneath the waves.

    Qin Lan reached for another t stone and repeated the process again. Watching the stones bounce on the water was oddly rxing.

    Today had been quite the long day.

    It wasn''t over yet, but Qin Lan still felt exhausted as she stared at the beautifulke.

    Tiny waves crashed against the shoreline, and one could see birds diving into the water anding out with tiny fishes trapped between their beaks.

    Meeting Eve again¡­ those memories from the original Qin Lan¡­ training the girls¡­

    It felt as though everything was happening all at once. Qin Lan hummed a soft tune as she picked up another stone.

    ording to the ''system'' this was her second world.

    She didn''t get the opportunity to unseal her memories before being transferred here so what had happened in her first mission remained a mystery.

    Still there was nagging feeling in Qin Lan''s mind that whatever happened in her first mission was responsible for her shift in personality.

    She was never thisfortable with killing other people and she definitely did not have in depth knowledge of fighting skills in her original world.

    Maybe things could have turned out differently if she had just had more strength¡­

    No¡­ she had seeded in killing the monster that possessed her brother''s body even at the cost of her own life.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as she tossed another rock into theke where itnded with a dull sshing noise.

    There was no use dwelling on the past.

    Right now, her only choice was to keep working for the Time Space Administration in order to escape the white void.

    Maybe Eve would be able to help her to defeat or kill the viiness of this ne.

    Qin Lan wasn''t sure how powerful Eve really was, but she definitely had the strength to be of use in the fight.

    Anyways the n was to meet Eve tonight after the girls fell asleep so she would have the chance to bring up the fact that she may need her help in the future.

 Chapter 129 Zombie Empress (60)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Night had fallen and now the only source of light from the sky was the full moon that shone brightly on the forest.

    Qin Lan leaned against a nearby rock as she rubbed two sticks together over the fire pit. It didn''t take long before the friction generated enough heat for smoke to form.

    Gong Li was standing nearby and quickly tossed in small pieces of dry wood in order to feed the growing me.

    Eventually a crackling fire was created in the middle of the camp site. Qin Lan smiled at Gong Li and gestured for her to take a seat.

    Liu Yifei was currently sleeping in one of the tents since she was tired from a long day of training.

    Qin Lan nned to wake her up when dinner was ready and then after the two teenagers had eaten, she would meet up with Eve.

    "Are you feeling more confident using a gun?" Qin Lan asked softly as she stood up from the ground and walked over to therge pot that was ced near the fire.

    "I think so¡­ I''m just scared that I might freeze up an actual fight," Gong Li truthfully admitted as she stared in the direction of a certain tent.

    "Well, that is only natural. Just remember if you get nervous then the most important piece of advice that I can give you is¡­" Qin Lan spoke casually.

    "Never let your opponent know. Point your gun at them even if your fingers start to tremble slightly."

    Gong Li thoughtfully nodded her head and gazed into the distance with an absentminded look on her face.

    She clearly had a lot going on in her mind tonight and Qin Lan wasn''t sure how she could help the teenage girl.

    Maybe the best way was to bring her some food¡­

    Qin Lan hummed a soft tune as she grabbed a few bottles of water and filled up therge pot until it was nearly full.

    She reached for the ramen packs on the ground and tore open their contents with ease. At this point, Qin Lan was very familiar with cooking this simple meal.

    Liu Yifei had enough food stored in her storage space tost for years and fortunately the meat and vegetables inside her pocket dimension didn''t spoil or rot.

    In fact, it was almost as though they were frozen in time from the moment, she ced them inside her storage space.

    Her ability was truly valuable when it came to logistics.

    It was no wonder that those with spatial storage abilities would be integral members of bases in the future.

    Even the original Qin Lan had made a puppet out of a space user in order to store food for the harsh winters.

    Qin Lan put some additional dried vegetables and chunks of meat in the mixture and then ced the pot on a stand.

    She moved the stand over the fire and the mes began to heat up the bottom of the pot. Soon a warm and fragrant scent filled the air.

    Qin Lan could feel the corners of her mouth begin to tilt upwards as she inhaled the heavenly aroma of a hearty broth with noodles.

    "Sister Lan¡­" a small voice suddenly spoke.

    "How can you tell someone that you like them?"

    Qin Lan froze in ce as she turned around and saw Gong Li nervously rubbing her hands together and staring at the tent that she shared with Liu Yifei.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Are you talking about your crush on Liu Yifei?" Qin Lan bluntly asked before realising what she had just said.

    "No¡­ I''m¡­ I''m straight! I¡­ I¡­ was just talking generally¡­" Gong Li stuttered in fear as she quickly tilted her head downwards to hide her panicked expression.

    Qin Lan knew that she had just said the wrong thing, so she walked over to the frightened teenager and ce a warm hand on her shoulder.

    "Hey¡­ you don''t have to be nervous. I like girls as well," Qin Lan gently whispered.

    "And even if I didn''t¡­ you don''t have to live your life worried about what other people think."

    "Really? Sister Lan¡­ you don''t think it''s¡­ unnatural?" Gong Li stammered slightly as she spoke about her inner fears.

    Qin Lan wrapped her arms around the trembling girl and gently stroked her back until she calmed down.

    "No. You should never be ashamed of having someone that you like regardless of what their gender is," Qin Lan warmly spoke as a certain face shed across her mind.

    "Gong Li¡­ look at me..."

    Qin Lan moved her hands from behind Gong Li''s back and stared into the young teenage girl''s eyes.

    "The world has ended¡­ no one really cares if you are a girl who likes girls. Society is not going to judge you when everyone is fighting for survival," Qin Lan exined calmly.

    "I can''t tell you what to do about your feelings for Liu Yifei but all I''m going to say is that whatever decision that you make¡­"

    "I hope that you will have no regrets."

    Gong Li remained silent, but it was clear that Qin Lan''s words were now echoing through her mind.

    She needed some space to process this advice, so Qin Lan simply rubbed the top of the young girl''s head and then returned to cooking.

    The advice that she had given Gong Li about living with no regrets was truthfully something that she wished that she had followed in her original world.

    Gay marriage was not legal in her country but attitudes towards homosexual rtionships was gradually improving.

    It was just that Sui Li was fearful of getting harsh looks from strangers, so she suppressed her feelings and never told any of her crushes that she like them.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as she ced a wooden spoon in the pot and began to stir the mixture gently.

    There was no use dwelling on her past.

    Especially considering that she had died and could no longer return to her world.

    Around ten minutes passed, and Qin Lan ced her finger in the broth to check the temperature. She scooped out some of the noodles and gave them a try.

    They were soft and fully cooked, so Qin Lan removed therge pot from the stand and ced it on the ground.

    She looked around for some tes and discovered that Liu Yifei had not taken them out of her storage space before she fell asleep.

    Just as Qin Lan was about to walk over to the tent and gently shake the sleeping girl awake, she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

    "Sister Lan¡­ thank you¡­" Gong Li whispered softly as curled up her fingers into a tight fist.

    Qin Lan could see the determination in the young girl''s eyes and knew that she had finally made a decision.

 Chapter 130 Zombie Empress (61)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    "You''re wee," Qin Lan gently spoke as she ced a warm hand on Gong Li''s shoulder before leaving to tend to the fire.

    A mouth-watering scent wasing from the pot since the noodles were fully cooked and the broth was a lovely golden colour.

    Qin Lan ced the pot down on the ground and then walked over to the tent where Liu Yifei was peacefully sleeping.

    She lightly tapped on the side of the tent a few times before cupping her lips together and shouting.

    "Liu Yifei! It''s time for dinner!" Qin Lan loudly spoke.

    She heard a rustling noiseing from inside the tent and a tired groan as well. Liu Yifei shifted around for a few seconds before crawling outside.

    She stuck her head out of the tent p and yawned sleepily. Her usually tidy appearance was nowhere to be found, and her hair was aplete mess.

    Heavy bags could be seen under the young girl''s eyes as she yawned once more and got out of the tent.

    "What''s for dinner?" Liu Yifei hoarsely spoke as she walked over to the pot and stared inside.

    "Just some ramen noodles and broth," Qin Lan replied casually as she looked at the sky to see a full moon shining brightly.

    Liu Yifei snapped her fingers and three bowls, and some spoons appeared out of thin air.

    She was still feeling a bit sleepy, so she wandered over to Gong Li and rested her head on her best friend''s shoulder.

    Gong Li''s face turned bright red as she felt Liu Yifei''s soft delicate body lean against her own.

    Somehow Liu Yifei smelled of fresh peaches and although she had bags under her eyes, Gong Li thought that she looked absolutely beautiful.

    Qin Lan smiled at the two girls before using the spoons to scoop out some of the broth into the bowls.

    She walked over to the young teenagers and gave them their food. Liu Yifei and Gong Li softly thanked her before digging in.

    Qin Lan leaned against a nearby tree and softly blew on the top of her broth. Tonight, was a peaceful night.

    Actually, this was the perfect location.

    It was in the middle of a remote province away from major cities and poption centers and there was arge source of freshwater nearby.

    Animals and nts were abundant in the forest so there was no need to worry about having nothing to eat.

    Even without Liu Yifei''s storage space this would be a paradise.

    Qin Lan was not na?ve enough to think that this ce would remain as safe as it currently was now but hopefully, they would not have to move for a long time.

    The memoires inside her mind from the original Qin Lan did not justify her brutal actions but Qin Lan understood the reason why she became so merciless.

    Humans are kind, friendly people once their stomachs are full and they have a ce to rest and rx.

    But take away their food¡­ deprive them of sleep¡­. put them in dangerous situations day after day¡­

    And they be monsters.

    The end times brought out the worst in people as it was often those who were merciless that were the ones who survived.

    Women and men without powers were treated as disposal tools for eitherbour or pleasure.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as she briefly lost herself in some of the terrible sights that the original Qin Lan had seen.

    She raised up the spoon to her lips and took a small sip.

    The delicious taste of chicken broth helped to clear her mind and bring her out of those ufortable memories.

    Time slowly passed and eventually therge pot of soup was gone. Qin Lan stretched out her arms and prepared to leave the rest site.

    "Girls I''m going to do some hunting tonight¡­" Qin Lan lied as she tossed a few more sticks into the crackling fire.

    "Do you want some help?" Liu Yifei tiredly asked as she rubbed her eyes twice.

    "No, it''s okay¡­ just make sure to stay vignt and keep your firearms close at hand," Qin Lan spoke softly.

    "Okay Sister Lan!" Gong Li firmly replied as she wrapped her arm around Liu Yifei and pulled her in closer.

    Qin Lan tried not tough as she saw Liu Yifei shoot a confused look at her friend before shrugging her shoulders and snuggling up against her body.

    Somehow, she got the feeling that Liu Yifei would ept if Gong Li finally confessed her true feelings.

    But it wasn''t her ce to force their rtionship, so she waved goodbye to the two young teenagers and cheered them on silently in her heart.

    The forest was not quiet at night and Qin Lan could hear the chattering of insects and rustling in the nearby bushes.

    Long shadows danced on the ground as the bright moonlight streamed down through the treetops andnded on the forest floor.

    Qin Lan walked for about ten minutes until she arrived at a clearing where a beautiful woman was standing in the middle.

    This beautiful woman waspletely gorgeous with long silky ck hair and a slender muscr physique with curves in all the right ces.

    Her skin was healthy wheat colour, and her facial features were sharp and angr.

    Those plump kissable lips stole Qin Lan''s attention for a brief moment as she was dazzled by Eve''s unnatural beauty.

    Eve was wearing another ill-fitting ck jacket along with a pair of brown track pants andbat boots.

    "Sorry did you wait long?" Qin Lan apologised softly as she stepped into the clearing.

    "No¡­ I just arrived¡­" Eve gently replied as she walked towards her favourite human with a calm and gentle smile on her face.

    The zombie empress was lying of course.

    Eve had arrived at the meeting spot a few hours in advance and had nervously smelled her body several times to make sure that she did not have a bad scent.

    There was a brief moment of silence as Qin Lan stretched out her right palm and carefully brushed her fingers against the side of Eve''s cheek.

    She could vaguely remember doing this countless times before except instead of Eve, another face shed across her mind.

    However, the memory disappeared just as fast as it had surfaced.

    Eve enjoyed the touch of her favourite human for a few minutes but knew that she had to warn Qin Lan about the shocking news.

    "Qin Lan¡­" Eve hesitantly spoke as she tried her best to gather her thoughts and exin the insane situation.

    "I was not the only test subject who was trapped in the military base¡­"

 Chapter 131 Zombie Empress (62)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    The serious look on Eve''s face was clear to see. She stared off into the distance clearly lost in the memories that surfaced in her mind.

    Qin Lan stepped forward and lightly tapped the side of Eve''s cheek to get her attention.

    The zombie empress stared at her favourite human who gazed at her with a gentle expression.

    "Do you need a moment? There is no need to rush¡­" Qin Lan warmly spoke as she led Eve over to a nearby tree and sat down.

    The zombie empress hesitantly crouched down next to her, and Qin Lan rested her head against Eve''s shoulder.

    A cool breeze blew through the clearing, and one could hear the chattering of insectsing from the bushes.

    It was a calm and peaceful night.

    A full moon floated high above in the sky and bright moonlight streamed down through the treetops.

    Eve knew that she needed to tell Qin Lan about her brother''s resurrection and the creature hunting her down but¡­

    This quiet moment¡­ she wanted it tost forever. Just the two of them alone in the world with nothing but each other to keep thempany.

    Eve was not the only one feeling emotional and Qin Lan could feel her heart rate steadily increasing as she inhaled Eve''s pleasant scent.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    She knew that Eve like¡­ no loved her and deep down inside her heart¡­ Qin Lan knew that she felt the same way.

    It was just that she needed some time to sort out her feelings and give a proper response that Eve deserved.

    Maybe it was crazy to think that, but Qin Lan could not help but feel as though she knew Eve for her whole life despite only travelling together for a rtively short period of time.

    "I¡­ I need to tell you¡­ for your own safety¡­" Eve finally broke the sweet atmosphere and spoke.

    Qin Lan moved her head away from Eve''s shoulder and held her hand.

    She stared into Eve''s beautiful brown eyes and waited patiently for the gorgeous woman to work up the courage to say the rest of her sentence.

    Eve took in a deep breath and then spoke,

    "In the back of my mind I knew that I could not be the only test subject but when I broke free¡­ what happened next is kind of a blur¡­"

    "I just remember killing¡­ and something calling out to me¡­ I don''t know what happened, but I vaguely recall arge crystal then¡­"

    Eve furrowed her brows as she could not remember what had happened after she touched the crystal.

    Her next memory was about leaving the secret military base and searching for the mysterious face that popped in her head.

    "Do you not remember anything?" Qin Lan asked gently as she squeezed Eve''s hand and offered somefort.

    "No¡­ just vague shes¡­ I assumed that if there were any other test subjects then I might have killed them¡­" Eve confessed heavily as her fingers slightly trembled.

    "But¡­ I discovered that I wasn''t alone¡­ someone else had survived¡­"

    Qin Lan listened quietly as Eve described what had happened the night when she returned to the gas station to investigate the strange scent.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She talked about meeting the creature who called himself ''Subject 001'' who seemed to want her dead.

    And she also admitted that Qin Wei''s corpse had been taken by Subject 001 who was able to open up portals to different locations.

    "Your brother he¡­" Eve hesitantly spoke since she knew that this may be a sensitive topic for her favourite human to handle.

    "Tell me Eve¡­ I can deal with it," Qin Lan firmly replied as the fingers in her left hand curled up into a tight fist.

    The emotions from the original Qin Lan were briefly influencing her thoughts. She felt a mixture of rage, sorrow and frustration whenever her brother was mentioned.

    But the main emotion was hatred.

    Whenever she closed her eyes, she could see her paralysed body crashing to the ground and the relieved smile on her brother''s face.

    "He¡­ he somehow came back to life¡­ I saw him on the other side of a portal," Eve nervously rubbed her fingers together as she spoke.

    "Subject 001¡­ his only goal is to kill me¡­ I think he knows that you are the only person that I care about in this world."

    "He somehow brought your brother back to life and will probably try to hurt or kill you to draw me into a trap."

    Qin Lan pursed her lips together as she absorbed this shocking new information. Her brother was somehow alive?

    Truthfully, she felt conflicted.

    The influence of the original Qin Lan was still present but there was one thing that Qin Lan just couldn''t understand.

    She wanted to know why.

    In both lifetimes Qin Wei had been protected and cared for by his sister. The original Qin Lan may have been more brutal, but it was obvious from her actions that she loved her brother deeply.

    And yet both times¡­ he rejected or hated her.

    What was the reason?

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she searched through her memories for anything that she might have missed.

    No¡­ there was nothing.

    The original Qin Lan had to workte into the night every single day and to provide her brother with the best education, food, and the asional pocket money for him to spend.

    Qin Lan shook her head and decided to throw that question to the back of her mind. Right now, there was a more serious issue to address.

    "If he wants to kill you so badly and can create portals then why has he not attacked or tried to capture me yet?" Qin Lan asked curiously.

    "He''s weak¡­ I sensed it thest time that we fought¡­ if he had the strength to face me directly inbat then he would have done so already¡­" Eve replied thoughtfully.

    "As for the portals¡­ I think there may be some restrictions on his ability but I''m not too sure what they are."

    "So, are we just going to wait for him to attack? What is your n?" Qin Lan questioned seriously as she lightly touched Eve''s fingers.

    "I''m not sure but I want you to know that I will keep you safe¡­ no matter the cost¡­" Eve promised solemnly as she stared into Qin Lan''s eyes.

    The zombie empress meant every word that she said.

    She would sacrifice her own life before any harm befell her favourite human.

 Chapter 132 Zombie Empress (63)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    The bright moonlight created long dark shadows on the forest floor and only the buzzing noisesing from the nearby insects could be heard.

    There was a brief moment of silence as Eve''s solemn promise lingered in the air. The zombie empress felt very nervous since Qin Lan did not say a single word.

    It was her fault that her favourite human was now in danger and Eve would not me Qin Lan if she no longer felt any sort of goodwill towards her.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she stared into Eve''s eyes. She seemed to be searching for something but did not know what she wanted to find.

    This was a lot of information to take in all at once.

    First, she absorbed all of the memories from the original Qin Lan and then she had to deal with this.

    So, her brother had somehowe back to life and there was a crazy test subject who wanted to kill Eve.

    A dangerous madman or creature that was just as powerful as Eve albeit slightly weaker. Still, he was a threat that could not be taken lightly.

    Qin Lan was not going to risk the safety and the lives of the two teenage girls in her care because she had already failed the other members of the group.

    Chen Xiao and Liu Tao¡­ their deaths were a result of her negligence.

    Wait¡­ that test subject¡­ maybe he was connected to the viiness of the ne! Qin Lan''s eyes widened as her mind began to race.

    The original Qin Lan had died before finding out what had destroyed her world but at the time of her death humanity was slowly pushing back the tide against the zombies.

    Fourth level and fifth level ability users could easily protect bases and fight off undead hordes almost singlehanded.

    The only problem were the mutated zombies, but they were strong individually and did not team up with the rest of their kind.

    Humans were able to form hunting teams in order to track them down and eliminate them before they posed a threat.

    The original Qin Lan herself had sent puppets out to destroy any mutated zombie that wandered too close to her hidden base.

    Clearly if humanity was in a winning position, then something must have urred after the original Qin Lan''s death that changed the game.

    It was up to Qin Lan to find out what this change was and who was responsible for it in order to save this ne andplete her mission.

    But first there was a more serious matter to address.

    "How is he able to track your location?" Qin Lan questioned seriously.

    "I''m not sure¡­ but somehow, he keeps finding me¡­" Eve hesitantly spoke as she thought back to all of her encounters with Subject 001.

    "Until we can find out how to counter his tracker then we will always be ced at a disadvantage," Qin Lan exined as she nervously rubbed her fingers together.

    "We don''t know when, where and how he will strike and that''s a terrifying possibility."

    Eve nodded as the fully gravity of the situation finally hit her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She wanted to protect her favourite human but clearly the task would be very difficult to aplish.

    Qin Lan hummed softly as a few ideas briefly surfaced in her mind before she quickly discarded them and moved on to the next one.

    The best defense was a good offense.

    There was one n that might throw Subject 001 off, but it involved a tremendous amount of risk.

    "Eve¡­ when Subject 001 appears through the portal what does the background look like? Do you know where he is located?" Qin Lan asked quietly as her n depended on Eve''s answer.

    The zombie empress frowned as she quickly recalled her previous encounter with Qin Wei and the answer began clear.

    She had been so overwhelmed at the time when she found out that Qin Lan''s brother was now alive that she did not pay attention to the little details.

    No¡­ wait¡­ what was he wearing at the time?

    "The military base! I recognise that uniform and those beds!" Eve excitedly spoke as she wrapped her arms around Qin Lan''s body.

    The secret military base where the government experiments were conducted had unique uniformspared to the standard army kit.

    Qin Lan froze in ce as she felt Eve''s warm body rub against her own.

    A fierce blush began to spread across her cheeks, but she tilted her head down to prevent Eve from seeing her embarrassed state.

    Qin Lan awkwardly coughed a few times to let her difort be known so Eve reluctantly stepped back to give her some space.

    The zombie didn''t let her favourite human know that her enhanced vision allowed her to easily observe the blush on her face.

    Qin Lan had to take in a few deep breaths in order to calm herself down and then finally she felt her racing heartbeat begin to slow.

    "So, he''s hiding out in the same base where he was created?" Qin Lan thoughtfully mused as she rubbed her chin.

    "Can you sense the portals when they open up nearby?"

    "Yes¡­ I don''t know how but once it''s within two hundred feet of me¡­ I somehow know exactly where they are..." Eve exined calmly.

    "And how often has he used those portals to spy on you or attack you?" Qin Lan asked another important question.

    "Each encounter was at least a few weeks apart¡­" Eve didn''t know why her favourite human was asking all of these questions but was more than happy to help.

    Qin Lan knew that her idea waspletely insane but at this point it was the only shot that they had.

    There was a spark of madness in her eyes, and it may sound crazy, but Qin Lan could swear that something deep inside her body was craving a fight.

    "Why do we need to wait for him toe to us?" Qin Lan darkly whispered as she spoke in a hushed tone.

    "We shoulde to him¡­"

 Chapter 133 Zombie Empress (64)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Unnamed Settlement)

    "Good morning, Father Han! Bright sunny day today, isn''t it?"

    "Father Han! It is good to see you!"

    "Praise the Lord¡­ praise the lord¡­ praise the lord!"

    Father Han smiled warmly and waved as he walked slowly through the settlement that was still being constructed.

    In ordinary circumstances he would be pleased with the progress that was being made. Several buildings had already beenpleted and now everyone seemed to be hard at work.

    Those with abilities and those who did not have any gifts worked together side by side to create a better future.

    Men and women standing side by side with amon goal.

    It was a heartwarming sight.

    Father Han let out a heavy sigh as he looked up at the bright sun that was covering the world with a soft gentle glow.

    Despite the beautiful day¡­ his mood was actually quite low.

    The gorgeous woman with otherworldly beauty had somehow managed to escape from the church without alerting anyone.

    Sister Guan had even been wandering around the church at night but did not hear any strange noises or report any suspicious activity.

    It was aplete mystery how the pretty stranger had managed to disappear. Father Han walked towards theke and sat down under the shade of a nearby tree.

    A cool breeze blew through the clearing and gently brushed against the side of his face. The middle-aged man coughed twice and reached into his pocket for a handkerchief.

    Father Han blew heavily into the rag and then ced it back into his ck robes. The disappearance of Eve had led to an important question to linger on his mind.

    Especially since he knew that he had given Eve an ability that was so strong that it caused him to briefly fall unconscious.

    He had always assumed that those who received his gift became loyal to him but in that case why would Eve escape without his order?

    Did his ability to give gifts not work in the way that he initially assumed?

    Father Han felt goosebumps erupt on his arms as he thought of a terrifying possibility.

    If Eve was not affected by his influence, then¡­ what if others weren''t as well? What if it was only a matter of time before these simple honest farmer folk decided to turn on him?

    Paranoia and fear filled the old priest''s thoughts as he watched the farmers build the settlement with an increasing amount of suspicion in his gaze.

    No¡­ what could he do? He couldn''t die like this¡­

    Father Han began to hyperventte as images of zombies tearing into the flesh of screaming men and women resurfaced in his mind.

    The middle-aged priest had only seen one instance of a zombie attack, but it was enough to cause him to have nightmares whenever he slept.

    His life had turnedpletely upside down and the only thing that he had to rely on in this crazy new reality was a useless ability to give others special powers!

    Why would God give his servant such a harsh trial?!

    Father Han was so lost in his own thoughts that he did not notice the nun dressed in in white clothing walking towards him.

    "Father Han¡­" a soft voice whispered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The middle-aged priest instantly adjusted the panicked expression on his face and turned to face Sister Guan with a look of confidence and serenity.

    "Yes, my child?" Father Han asked with a warm smile on his face.

    "My gift¡­ it is getting stronger by the day¡­ I feel god''s blessing shining down on me," Sister Guan sped her hands together and praised.

    She failed to notice the ugly look that shed across the priest''s face as she excitedly talked about the changes to her ability.

    "Why don''t you use it so that I may see how the Lord has blessed you," Father Han gently suggested as he struggled to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

    Sister Guan nodded and stretched out her right hand. Numerous spikes made from earth and rock shot out from the ground.

    Each spike was around ten feet in length and their pointed ends glistened under the sunlight.

    The inly dressed nun mmed down her fist and the spikes broke apart into piles of dirt and rubble.

    "Impressive¡­ the lord¡­ has truly¡­" Father Han reluctantly spoke as he closed his eyes and pretended to be speaking to God.

    Sister Guan knelt down and muttered a soft prayer under her breath as she thanked the Lord for giving her this gift.

    She did not notice or rather¡­ she did not care about the heavy wrinkles that appeared on her face and arms.

    The nun''s use of her ability seemed to have aged her by around five years.

    Father Han nced at the piles of dirt and briefly imagined one of those spikes jutting out of the ground from under his feet.

    Sister Guan could probably kill him with one thought. Such was the terrifying nature of those with abilities.

    Zombies were scary but there was nothing more horrifying than the darkness hidden inside the human heart.

    It was this fact that Father Han understood very well which is why he desperately tried to engrain himself in the hearts of these simple folk as their saviour.

    "Sir¡­ when will the next gifting ceremony take ce?" Sister Guan asked politely as she stood up from the ground and brushed some dirt away from the bottom of her robe.

    Another ceremony?

    The warm smile on Father Han''s face briefly cracked as a wave of exhaustion hit him all at once.

    He had barely recovered from giving Eve an ability and now this woman wanted him to use his gift on more people.

    Father Han took in a few deep breaths in order to calm himself down and then begun to think. It was important that he didn''t act flustered.

    Confidence was key in maintaining his image as a messenger of God and any hesitation would create cracks in the illusion that he created.

    God was wless and therefore his vessel also had to be wless.

    It was an incredibly difficult task but after a few weeks it had now be second nature to the old priest.

    "My child¡­ the ceremony will ur in one week from now. The Lord is pleased with the good work that his flock has done to create this paradise," Father Han slowly spoke.

    "He rewards those who serve him loyally and faithfully. Your ability has only grown because you worship and serve him wholeheartedly."

    "Spread this message among the other ability users that the path to gain more strength is only through good actions and thoughts."

    Father Han could only hope that this speech would be enough to prevent any more unexpected actions or betrayals for the time being.

 Chapter 134 Zombie Empress (65)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    "If we can catch him by surprise before he has time to use his portal ability then we have a chance of killing him," Qin Lan darkly whispered.

    "Won''t it be too risky?" Eve replied with concern evident in her voice.

    The zombie empress felt sick at the thought of her favourite human putting herself in harm''s way.

    "It would be even risker to do nothing. From what you''ve told me, Subject 001 can strike at any moment which makes him an unpredictable threat," Qin Lan exined calmly.

    "His very existence is like a sword hanging over our heads. Besides¡­ I am interested in visiting the ce where the outbreak started maybe we can find something useful."

    Eve nodded but her brows were still furrowed as she stared into Qin Lan''s eyes.

    Qin Lan sensed Eve''s difort and stood on her tip toes to lightly press a kiss against her lips.

    "Trust me¡­ this is the only choice," Qin Lan softly whispered as she savoured the sweet taste of Eve''s lips.

    The bright moonlight streamed down on the two women who remained locked in a tight embrace as though the two figures wanted to be one.

    Finally, Qin Lan broke away from Eve''s grasp and took in a few deep breaths in order to calm down her excited mood.

    Of course, there were some finer details to be sorted out in her n and the biggest concern was what to do about Liu Yifei and Gong Li.

    Qin Lan was notfortable leaving them behind in Xyrean Province especially with those lunatic cultists roaming around.

    But if she stayed with them then there was a chance that Subject 001 would attack and they would be put in harm''s way.

    The faces of Chen Xiao and Liu Tao shed across Qin Lan''s mind, and she could feel her fingers begin to tremble.

    Not again¡­ she couldn''t lose another person again¡­

    Every time¡­ every time¡­ she always made the wrong choice.

    Qin Lan used her fingernails to pierce the soft underside of her left palm and a few small droplets of blood slowly dripped down to the ground.

    This sharp burst of pain was enough to pierce through the mental fog that was clouding her mind.

    "Eve¡­ do you think that we should take Liu Yifei and Gong Li?" Qin Lan hesitantly asked as she ced her bleeding hand in her pocket.

    The zombie empress didn''t really care about the two humans that Qin Lan mentioned but if they were important to her favourite human then they were important to her as well.

    "They¡­ they will be safe with us," Eve solemnly promised as she ced a hand over her chest and swore.

    Qin Lan felt oddlyforted by her gesture. It was strange how she felt so at ease with the monster wearing a human disguise.

    Maybe it was because she sensed that Eve waspletely genuine and honest with her words.

    "Okay. Let''s go back to the campsite¡­ Although, I might have to exin to the girls why you suddenly appeared," Qin Lan gently spoke.

    "Are you going to tell them the truth?" Eve asked curiously as she walked up to Qin Lan and stood by her side.

    "Maybe¡­ but I haven''t decided how much to tell them," Qin Lan exined as she brushed some dirt from her pants and walked in a northeastern direction.

    "I told them that I was going hunting so let me know if you spot any wild animals nearby that we can kill."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Clearly if they were going to track and kill Subject 001 then the two teenage girls couldn''t be kept in the dark, but Qin Lan wasn''t sure if she wanted to talk about her brother''s return to life.

    She still didn''t understand what his motive was to hate her.

    In both lifetimes she had done nothing but protect and look after her little brother with love.

    And he repaid her with betrayal¡­

    Qin Lan''s chest began to feel warm as her unstable emotions affected the ability that was lurking deep inside her body.

    It hungered to get out. It wanted more puppets.

    It wanted more ythings¡­

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and briefly muttered a few curse words under her breath before reopening them.

    This ability was as much a curse as it was a blessing.

    Eve was walking beside her as they wandered through the forest. The rustling of the nearby bushes and the sounds of insects chattering filled the air with signs of life.

    asionally the zombie empress'' hand would brush against her favourite human''s palm, but Qin Lan was too distracted to notice.

    Eve sniffed the air twice and smelled an odour that was vaguely familiar. She gently tugged on Qin Lan''s jacket to get her attention.

    "Yeah?" Qin Lan asked quietly as she turned to face Eve.

    "Boar¡­ two hundred meters up ahead," Eve responded quietly as she stretched out her arm and pointed in a certain direction.

    Qin Lan followed her finger and saw a massive animal snoozing peacefully underneath the cover of a nearby tree.

    She thanked Eve quietly and then reached for the knife that was attached to her hip. With soft cat-like movements, Qin Lan crept closer and closer to the sleeping animal.

    She was like a hunter carefully circting around her prey.

    Searching for the moment to strike¡­

    Qin Lan''s wasn''t sure where she had gotten these skills from since she could not find any memories rted to fighting or hunting in the original Qin Lan''s memories.

    Perhaps they had something to do with her experiences in her first mission world.

    The quiet woman hid behind a tree as the boar suddenly let out a light yawn and rolled over to its other side.

    Little did the animal know that the shadow of death had long been hanging over its body. Qin Lan bent her knees and then leapt forward with startling swiftness.

    Her enhanced physique from absorbing the purplish-ck crystals was on full disy as her body moved with supernatural quickness.

    The knife in her hand plunged forward and entered the boar''s neck where it tore apart the fleshy sinew and muscle tissue.

    The boar woke up with a painful cry as it thrashed around in a pool of its own blood. Qin Lan''s eyes shone with determination as she searched for the animal''s jugr vein.

    Slice!

    The boar let out one final groan as it copsed with blood leaking out the corners of its mouth. It was not a pretty sight, but this is how one survived in this brutal world.

    Qin Lan took her knife out of the boar''s neck and blood sttered all over her jacket. This would be enough meat tost for at least two days.

 Chapter 135 Zombie Empress (66)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Inner District- St. John''s Private School)

    A faint cloud of white smoke hung in the air as a handsome scarred man inhaled deeply and then exhaled.

    He rubbed his fingers against the lit cigarette in his hand before tossing it on the ground with callous indifference.

    Wu Jing could smell the blood in the air and rotting scent of meat.

    This was the hideout of a mutated zombie, and it was clear that the monster was nearby. His instincts could sense that the creature was inside.

    The former soldier grinned slowly as he looked up at the sky and sawrge fluffy clouds moving slowly across the heavens.

    The power inside his body was getting stronger by the day. With every zombie core that he absorbed, Wu Jing could feel his confidence grow.

    The lightning that flowed through his fingertips was now easier to control and the sheer amount of destruction that he could cause was equivalent to a bomb exploding.

    Wu Jing was now capable of disintegrating a normal zombie from a distance of twenty feet away from his body.

    Even that strange boy Qin Wei seemed to be impressed by the fast rate of progress that he was making.

    And it was all for one purpose¡­

    A face briefly surfaced in Wu Jing''s mind and just for a moment, his hands slightly trembled as he remembered the bloodthirsty look on her face.

    "No¡­ no¡­ I have gotten stronger¡­ I¡­ I don''t need to be afraid," Wu Jing hoarsely whispered as his fingers curled up into a tight fist.

    Why?! Why?! WHY?!

    He still felt fear and for a soldier¡­ that was a weakness.

    Wu Jing took in a few deep breaths in order to steady his agitated mood and then pushed off against the wall that he was leaning against.

    He needed to focus on the mission.

    St. John''s private school was a rich all girls high school that was located in the middle of the inner district of the city.

    This school educated girls from ages ten to eighteen and was known as one of the best educational institutions in the country.

    The end times hade too quickly for anyone to react, and Wu Jing was sure that most of the young girls inside the school were now dead.

    A school only had a limited number of exits and there would not be enough food left for the survivors in the cafeteria.

    Wu Jing stepped over a few rotting corpses and noticed the white uniform and in ck skirts on the bodies.

    Each corpse found in the apocalypse would usually be missing quite a few body parts.

    This was either because of the zombies roaming around the city or the survivors who had already resorted to cannibalism in order to survive.

    Wu Jing shuddered as he remembered dealing with a gang of thieves who would kidnap weak members of nearby bases and then roast them alive for meat.

    He threw those unpleasant memories to the back of his mind and focused on the bodies that were in front of him.

    Curiously enough the corpses on the ground were all missing their right hands but were otherwise fairly intact.

    That was a bit strange¡­

    Wu Jing furrowed his brows and faint blue sparks of lightning danced around his fingertips as he walked through a broken door.

    The interior of the school waspletely dark since the power had long been cut off. Wu Jing reached into his pocket and pulled out a shlight.

    He shone the light in the corridor and discovered more bodies on the ground with each missing their right hand and nothing else.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Dried bloodstains were sttered across the walls, floor and most of the lockers that were lining the corridor.

    The doors that led to the ssrooms had been ripped from their hinges by someone or rather something¡­

    A cold breeze blew through the quiet school and sent a chill down Wu Jing''s spine. It was like he was the only living person in the world.

    Seeing all the corpses of young girls on the ground was an incredibly unnerving experience.

    It didn''t help that some of them had open eyes that seemed to follow his movements as he walked through the school.

    Wu Jing knew that a mutated zombie was nearby, and he had been feeling confident at first but now¡­ he was a bit more cautious.

    He softly tip toed through the corridor and used his shlight to carefully inspect all the hidden nocks and crannies.

    Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

    Something hairy brushed against his leg and it took all of Wu Jing''s courage not to flinch as he looked down and saw arge rat staring at him.

    Its beady yellow eyes seemed almost human-like but Wu Jing was sure that must just be his imagination at work.

    The former soldier gritted his teeth and used his foot to stomp on the rat''s body over and over again until the animal was just a mushy pile of blood.

    The cool breeze inside the school seemed to get even colder as Wu Jing jumped up and down on the animal''s corpse.

    "Come out! Come out you son of a bitch!" Wu Jing screamed loudly, and his voice echoed through the empty school.

    In ordinary circumstances, Wu Jing would have noticed that his reaction was overexaggerated as if something was influencing his mind.

    "Why? Why did you hurt me?" a voice softly replied to his screams.

    Wu Jing froze in terror as he felt a warm hand grab his ankle. He looked down and saw one of the corpses staring at him.

    "Don''t you know? I only wanted to be your friend¡­" another soft voice whispered as the corpse of a young girl rose up from the ground.

    "You''ll leave me¡­ they always do¡­" a third voice cried out in pain and this time it was a teacher who dragged her half-eaten body towards the former soldier.

    "Look at me¡­ look at me¡­ tell me that I''ve hurt you¡­"

    Cold chillingughter filled the air and the heavy scent of blood lingered around Wu Jing''s nostrils. The corpses on the ground were slowlying back to life one by one.

    Each appeared to retain some level of their humanity since they spoke in full sentences with clear words.

    This was despite the fact that some were missing their vocal cords, or their throats were partially destroyed.

    "Get back!" Wu Jing growled darkly as he extended his palm outwards, and sparks of blue lightning danced around his fingertips.

    "Mister¡­ do you really want to hurt us?" a little girl holding a teddy bear appeared at the far end of the corridor and spoke.

    "We love you mister¡­ love¡­ love¡­"

    The little girl didn''t have time to finish her sentence before a bolt of lightning fell on her body and she was instantly disintegrated.

    Wu Jing furrowed his brows as he felt the warm and fuzzy feeling in his chest get stronger as he used his gift.

    The corpses of the schoolchildren and the teacher opened their mouths simultaneously and their voices echoed through the corridor in an eerie low pitch.

    "Love¡­ we love you¡­"

    "Love¡­ love¡­"

    "Love."

 Chapter 136 Zombie Empress (67)

    (Lirean Province- Capitol City)

    (Inner District- St. John''s Private School)

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    The only sound that Wu Jing could hear was the steady beating of his heart as he slowly lowered his right palm.

    ckened corpses and ash could be seen scattered on the ground. These were the remains of the strange zombies that were somehow able to talk.

    Despite easily defeating them using his lightning ability, Wu Jing did not dare to let his guard down even for a second.

    He walked over to one of the corpses and mercilessly stomped on its head using his right foot.

    The ckened skull instantly shattered and rotten brain matter spilled out on the floor.

    A horrible burning scent lingered in Wu Jing''s nostrils, and he had to force himself not to throw up.

    He bent down and rummaged through the rotting corpse trying to find the purplish-ck crystal that was inside.

    Nothing.

    No matter how hard he looked¡­ there was no crystal.

    Wu Jing did not believe his luck and moved from corpse to corpse along the corridor. Not a single zombie possessed a crystal which made no sense.

    Unless someone had taken them first¡­

    A cold chilly breeze blew through the open door and caused goosebumps to raise up on Wu Jing''s arms.

    This entire situation was strange.

    For a brief moment, the former soldier was tempted to turn around and flee from the school.

    But that moment of cowardice was suppressed by the face that appeared in his mind.

    If he did not have the strength to face this challenge, then how would he be able to kill that zombie bitch that ughtered his teammates.

    And worst yet¡­ made him taste defeat.

    Wu Jing truthfully didn''t care that much about the death of hispanions but the feeling of helplessness that he felt as that mutated creature was about to kill him¡­

    That shattered his self-esteem.

    Wu Jing knew that he was blessed.

    Ever since he was a child it was as though the gods themselves had personally arranged for him to have a smooth life.

    He excelled in school, fighting and sports.

    He joined the army after college and rose up the ranks to be the second-inmand of a toon despite his young age.

    Women flocked to his side, but he had no interest in those shallowdies who only saw his good looks and family wealth.

    And then the apocalypse arrived, and Wu Jing''s beliefs were only further reinforced by his powerful gift.

    The ability to control lightning.

    Everything in his life was going perfectly and then¡­

    He had encountered that creature.

    Wu Jing let out a heavy sigh as he reached into his pocket and pulled out another cigarette and a lighter.

    His fingers trembled slightly as he flicked the side of the lighter and a small me appeared. He ced the cigarette in his mouth and inhaled deeply.

    He blew out a thick white puff of smoke that floated gently away from his body.

    Wu Jing tossed the cigarette on the ground and then ced the lighter back in his pocket.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The former soldier walked forward and bravely continued on his hunt to find the mutated zombie lingering in the building.

    Wu Jing wandered through what seemed to be endless rows of lockers and ssrooms until he arrived at arge open space.

    The cafeteria.

    One could see hundreds of tables and chairs ced neatly around the room along with an open kitchen that was near the back.

    Corpses with expressions of terror on their facesy on the ground or had been ced on the tables.

    They all seemed to have been running from something¡­

    Wu Jing cautiously moved forward and did not take any chances. He immediately activated his ability and burnt ever single corpse that he could find.

    The former soldier was so focused on his task that he failed to notice the noiseing from the vents above him.

    A pair of pitch-ck eyes stared down at the human whose lightning ability reduced his sweet babies to nothingness.

    Fear appeared in those inhuman eyes that gleamed with cunning and intelligence no less than a normal person.

    The mutated zombie furrowed its brows as n after n appeared in its mind before getting discarded.

    It needed to find out more information about this dangerous human. Then it would decide whether to fight or flee.

    The creature hummed softly as it pointed a finger at the corpses at the back of the room. One by one the bodies of the dead schoolgirls rose up from the ground.

    Their uniforms were tattered, and one could see rotten flesh and dried blood covering their exposed skin.

    Their eyes were a milky white colour, and they all opened their mouths before simultaneously screaming.

    Arghh!!! Arghh! Arghh!!

    Dozens of piercing cries echoed through the cafeteria which caused Wu Jing to cover his ears in pain.

    The former soldier stumbled slightly and that was the opportunity that the zombies had been waiting for.

    They all rushed forward with their hands outstretched towards Wu Jing who barely had any time to react before they were upon him.

    Wu Jing stretched out his hand and blue lightning danced along his fingertips. He scowled fiercely and unleashed his most powerful attack on the horde.

    An enormous, massive web of lightning erupted from his fingertips with so much force that the tips of his fingers exploded.

    Every single zombie was instantly turned to ash and the lightning continued forward and destroyed half of the room.

    The creature in the vents widened its eyes and immediately crawled away from the scene as quickly as possible.

    No¡­ no¡­ no. It was not going to risk its life against the dangerous human who had invaded his base.

    Maybe it was time to move on.

    Smoke and rubble filled the air which made it hard to see. Wu Jing crouched behind a nearby table and waited for what seemed like eternity for any more ambushes.

    Drip! Drip! Drip!

    Blood slowly dropped to the floor and the tiny sshes made Wu Jing''s heart race because he knew that zombies had an excellent sense of smell.

    Little did he know that the mastermind behind the attacks had long fled from the scene and was determined not toe back.

    Mutated zombies with increased intelligence would be far less brave than their more¡­ mindless brethren.

    Having a sense of self meant that they also possessed a feeling of self-preservation.

    Wu Jing waited for around ten minutes until cautiously peeking out from behind the table. He could not see any more corpses and the dust had now settled.

    The former soldier grunted in paint as he raised up his right hand and saw that the tips of his fingers were now little more than exposed bone.

 Chapter 137 Zombie Empress (68)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    The boar slumped motionless to the ground and Qin Lan drew in a shaky breath. She could hear her heart beating loudly in her chest.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    She took in a few deep breaths and then gradually calmed down.

    She was not afraid but rather it was excitement and bloodlust that coursed through her veins.

    Qin Lan didn''t know why but whenever she killed, her body would react in certain ways that was a bit concerning.

    She would feel the urge to kill again¡­ and again¡­ and again.

    The young woman let out a heavy sigh and looked down at her jacket that was now partially covered in blood.

    Looks like she would need to do some washing tomorrow by theke. Hopefully Liu Yifei was still awake so she could get some clean clothes to wear tonight.

    Eve softly approached from behind and reached into her pocket to pull out a in white handkerchief.

    The zombie empress stretched out her hand towards her favourite human and gently wiped the traces of blood from her face.

    She carefully wiped the blood from her face with movements that were slow to make sure that she didn''t irritate Qin Lan''s skin.

    Despite Qin Lan''s messy appearance, Eve thought she looked absolutely beautiful.

    The cold gaze in her eyes as she killed that boar had sent a shiver down her spine.

    Her favourite human was dangerous¡­ and she was exactly her type!

    "Thank you," Qin Lan whispered softly as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the gentle sensation of Eve wiping her face.

    "Anytime," Eve replied solemnly with a serious expression on her face.

    She could not resist leaning forward and capturing Qin Lan''s lips in a soft lingering kiss that seemed tost forever.

    Qin Lan groaned softly in her throat before wrapping her arms around the zombie empress and pulled her in for a tight embrace.

    Both women fell on the forest floor but did not even register the fact that their pants were now stained with dirt.

    Qin Lan''s hand moved as if she had done simr motions hundreds of times before and naughtily roamed towards Eve''s backside.

    She lightly touched Eve''s gorgeous peach-shaped ass before squeezing it two times. Eve stiffened as she didn''t expect her favourite human to make such a bold move.

    Qin Lan broke away from the kiss and coughed awkwardly as she realised what she had just done.

    "Sorry¡­ I¡­ I don''t know what came over me¡­" Qin Lan nervously spoke as a fierce blush began to spread across her face.

    When she looked at Eve, the naked body of a beautiful dark-skinned woman shed across her mind.

    Despite the fact that she obviously looked nothing like the zombie empress, Qin Lan could not help but feel as though there was a simrity between the two that she could not describe.

    "You don''t need to apologise¡­ I like it," Eve teased yfully as she lightly ran her fingers along Qin Lan''s cheek.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The clear emotions of love and adoration in her eyes as she gazed at her favourite human made Qin Lan''s face turn even more red.

    She knew that if they remained in this same position then there was a very real possibility that they would not return to the rest site tonight.

    And Gong Li and Liu Yifei were still waiting for her to return.

    Qin Lan summoned all the willpower in her heart and slowly got up from the ground and walked towards the boar.

    "Come¡­ we need to go back to camp before it gets toote¡­" Qin Lan tried to speak casually but she was clearly still a bit flustered.

    Eve nodded and slowly walked behind her favourite human as she picked up the boar with one hand and slung it over her shoulder.

    Qin Lan''s enhanced strength thanks to leveling up her ability was very useful, and it only took a bit of effort to lift up a heavy two-hundred-kilogram animal.

    The zombie empress licked her lips since Qin Lan had opened up a whole new world for her to explore.

    She thought that she would be satisfied with just kisses but now Eve wanted more.

    Of course, she was prepared to wait until Qin Lan epted her confession before taking their rtionship to the next level.

    Then after¡­

    A seductive smile spread across Eve''s face as she walked a bit closer to her favourite human and gently brushed shoulders with her.

    "Do you need any help?" Eve asked softly as she reached out to take the boar from Qin Lan.

    "No. Thanks for the offer but it''s good exercise," Qin Lan replied as she shifted her body to avoid Eve''s iing hands.

    "For now, my biggest problem is trying to figure out how to tell the girls that you are still alive and that''s not even the hardest part of the conversation¡­"

    "How am I supposed to tell them that you are being hunted down by an experiment test subject, my brother is still alive and hates me¡­ your true form as well¡­"

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she felt a massive headacheing on.

    She did not n to leave the two young teenagers behind as they travelled to the military base to kill Subject 001.

    It was just too dangerous to leave them in Xyrean Province with the crazy cultist and that Father Han character who controlled an army of ability users.

    But the alternative would also be dangerous. There was a hundred different ways for her n to ambush Subject 001 to go wrong.

    They could be spotted before they made it to the base, attacked by zombies or even die at the hands of other survivors.

    Was she really making the right decision?

    Qin Lan''s fingers slightly trembled as the image of Chen Xiao''s ripped apart corpse shed across her mind.

    They had never even recovered Liu Tao''s body, but it was obvious that her fate would have been the same if not worse¡­

    "It''s up to you how much that you want to tell them¡­ I will support you either way," Eve''s gentle voice pierced through Qin Lan''s dark thoughts.

    "Thanks¡­ I appreciate it," Qin Lan replied softly as she turned around and smiled at the beautiful woman following behind her.

    Maybe¡­ maybe the best option was to tell the two girls the entire truth and then leave it up to them to make the decision.

 Chapter 138 Zombie Empress (69)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    The moon was still driftingzily in the sky above the forest as bright moonlight streamed down through the treetops.

    As Qin Lan approached the rest site, she could gradually hear the sounds ofughtering from one of the tents.

    The roaring fire crackled in the middle of the campsite and provided a source of heat as well as preventing any predators froming too close.

    Qin Lan walked about one hundred meters away from the fire pit and ced the corpse of the boar on the ground where it fell with a heavy thump.

    The scent of blood lingered around her nostrils and Qin Lan had to take a few deep breaths in order to calm down her agitated mood.

    She felt a warm hand on her shoulder and turned around to see Eve looking at her with concern evident on her face.

    Qin Lan smiled sweetly and then leaned forward to press a light kiss against the side of her cheek.

    She wasn''t sure why she decided to randomly kiss Eve, but it definitely helped to make her feel more confident about the uing conversation.

    Qin Lan had actually practiced a few times during the walk to the camp site and had used Eve as a practice audience.

    Curiously enough, whenever she tried to mention anything about the original timeline, the viiness of the ne or her status as an agent, no words woulde out of her mouth.

    Clearly, she was forbidden from talking about certain matters or perhaps there was a taboo put in ce against exposing her true identity.

    Qin Lan was not too pleased to discover this ban, but she took it in stride and decided to change her nned speech.

    Of course, when the moment came to actually talk to the two young girls about these serious matters, she wasn''t sure if her practice would really be useful.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh before steeling her nerves.

    She motioned for Eve to stay where she was and then walked over to the tent.

    She knocked against the p twice and the voices inside the tent were immediately silenced. Qin Lan nodded in approval since that is what she taught them to do.

    Hopefully Gong Li was already reaching for her gun and Liu Yifei would take out weapons from her storage space.

    "It''s me¡­ the bird is flying from the west," Qin Lan spoke clearly and could hear sighs of reliefing from the other side of the tent.

    The second part of her sentence was the code phrase that they had decided on using to confirm the identity of anyone who entered the camp.

    The reason for this extra security measure was due to their encounter with the shape shifter that took on Chen Xiao''s form.

    The monster did not speak so it was impossible to know if it was capable of mimicking the tone of the person that it disguised itself as.

    Obviously, the creature was dead, but Qin Lan knew that there would be others during the end times who would gain shape shifting abilities.

    The original Qin Lan had even encountered a male shapeshifter who operated as a high-end prostitute in one of the bases.

    He was able to change his age, gender, and appearance so he able to cater to any desire that his clients had¡­ not matter how depraved¡­<novelnext></novelnext>

    The sound of the tent slowly unzipping shook Qin Lan out of her daze but a small frown still lingered around her lips.

    "Sister Lan! How did your hunt go? Did you get anything?" Liu Yifei asked excitedly as she stumbled out of the tent.

    "Watch your step!" Gong Li spoke up as she rushed forward and stopped her friend from tripping over an exposed root.

    Liu Yifei turned around and shot her a look of gratitude which made a fiery red blush spread across Gong Li''s face.

    "Girls¡­ I have something important to tell you¡­" Qin Lan''s serious tone interrupted the sweet mood that was beginning to form.

    "What is it? Wait¡­ who is that?" Liu Yifei asked in confusion as she pointed at Eve who stood a fair distance away.

    "That''s Eve¡­ she isn''t dead. It''s a long story¡­" Qin Lan spoke while nervously rubbing her fingers together.

    "Wait¡­ how are you sure that she''s the real one?" Gong Li interjected with a wary look on her face.

    Her encounter with the fake Chen Xiao and the men inside the supermarket had led to invisible scars on her psyche and now she was very distrustful of strangers.

    Gong Li refused to let anyone hurt or threaten Liu Yifei again.

    She may not have an ability, but she was working very hard on her marksmanship in order to hold her own in a fight.

    Eve raised up her right hand and her fingernails extended outwards into ck ws. She picked up a heavy boulder near the camp site and casually lifted it above her head.

    Gong Li rxed her guard a little bit as she saw Eve disy the powers that she had seen before but was still feeling slightly cautious.

    "Come let''s sit down by the campfire and I will exin what is going on," Qin Lan spoke calmly as she led the two girls over to the crackling fire.

    She sat down on one side and the two girls sat down on the opposite.

    Eve walked over and casually sat down next to Qin Lan before using her palm to gently hold her favourite human''s palm.

    There was a brief moment as silence as Qin Lan struggled to find the right words to say.

    It was easy to say that she would be one hundred percent honest but there were certain things that she was unable to mention.

    Finally, she just took in a deep breath and stared at the two young teenagers with a solemn expression on her face.

    "Gong Li and Liu Yifei no matter what decision you make after hearing this¡­ I want you to know that I will not let any harme to you," Qin Lan promised seriously.

    "Sister Lan¡­ what''s going on? You are kind of scaring us¡­" Liu Yifei hesitantly spoke as tiny sparks from the fire fell on the ground.

    Qin Lan felt Eve''s hand squeeze her palm as she opened her mouth and began to tell the girls about what she had learned,

    "Eve is not a normal human. She was a test subject at a militaryplex where the zombie apocalypse most likely started."

    "She was a victim of those monstrous scientists who dissected and tortured her for an unknown number of years. They are the ones responsible for the end of our world."

    "Unfortunately, she was not the only one who was experimented on¡­"

 Chapter 139 Zombie Empress (70)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Qin Lan took in a deep breath and leaned against a nearby tree.

    She had just finished her exnation to the two girls and now there was a brief moment of silence.

    There was a lot of information to take in all at once and Qin Lanpletely understood why Gong Li and Liu Yifei needed a few minutes to fully absorb everything that she just said.

    She had not left out anything.

    Qin Lan had been upfront and honest about the dangers that Subject 001 posed with his ability to create portals that linked two different ces.

    She also told them the truth about her brother''s death and apparent resurrection. But perhaps the most difficult part was talking about Eve''s true nature.

    Both girls did not believe at first that Eve was some sort of mutated zombie but the seriousness in Qin Lan''s voice convinced them that what she was saying was the truth.

    Eve shifted her body closer to Qin Lan and gently held her hand. The zombie empress yed with her fingers lightly and Qin Lan gave her a small smile.

    The only sound in the clearing was the crackling fire that would asionally spit out glowing sparks that fell harmlessly on the forest ground.

    The full moon was still hanging high above in the night sky and the peacefulness and the serenity of this moment was not lost on Qin Lan.

    No matter what happened next, they were still alive.

    Perhaps it was still simple fact that brought tranquility to her heart.

    Sui Li was grateful to have been given a chance to live again even if it was in the body of a stranger and she needed to work as an employee for a mysterious organization.

    After spending an eternity in what seemed to be an endless void of nothingness, she finally had the chance to experience the good and bad that life had to offer.

    If she had the chance to go back to her original world... no there was no use thinking about what was already done.

    The only way to kill the monster that had possessed her brother''s body was to sacrifice her own life in the process.

    She could not regret the hard decision that she had made.

    "Um... sister Lan.." Gong Li''s nervous voice brought Qin Lan out of her contemtive state.

    "If it''s possible... can we see what Eve''s true form looks like?"

    Qin Lan nced at Eve and saw her nod slowly. The zombie empress closed her eyes and prepared to transform but Qin Lan stopped her by squeezing her arm.

    "Not tonight... it''ste and you all need some rest first. If you are still interested then Eve can show you tomorrow morning," Qin Lan gently spoke.

    "I know that this is all a lot to take in and I am not going to rush you to make a decision. Give it some thought and let me know in two days'' time."

    "Just know that no matter which option you choose... I will do my best to make sure that you both are safe."

    "Thank you sister Lan," Liu Yifei chimed in as she looked at her mentor with a gaze of trust.

    Frankly she did not care if Eve was a monster or a human.

    Why? Well, it was because in her darkest hour... Eve and Qin Lan were the ones who rescued her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Liu Yifei would still asionally wake up from nightmares of rough hands grabbing and tearing the clothes off her body.

    She shuddered to imagine what would have happened if Qin Lan and Eve had not been coincidentally passing by.

    She owed them her life.

    And rescuing her was not the only thing that Qin Lan had done. She had also trained and looked after her.

    Liu Yifei would never forget what she owed to Sister Lan and was determined to stay by her side no matter what happened.

    "Go on girls... get some sleep tonight and we will talk some more tomorrow," Qin Lan softly whispered as she pointed at the tent.

    Gong Li and Liu Yifei nodded obediently and then headed for the tent. They entered inside and then the p was closed.

    The two girls would probably have great difficulty falling asleep tonight but Qin Lan hoped that they would at least be able to get a few hours of rest before dawn came.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh of relief and then slumped against the tree that she was leaning against.

    She may have acted calm and confident in front of the two teenage girls but her heart was beating frantically.

    It was hard not to listen to the voices of doubt inside her mind that constantly whispered that she was leading the two girls down a path of death.

    Qin Lan would never forgive herself if anything happened to Gong Li or Liu Yifei especially since she had already failed before.

    "Eve... tell me more about Subject 001. Other than his ability to create portals, does he have any other powers?" Qin Lan suddenly spoke.

    "Enhanced strength, limited regeneration and I think that''s it..." Eve mused softly as she thought back to her encounter with the test subject.

    He was definitely faster and stronger than a normal human but his physical capabilities were significantly lower than hers.

    "Can you kill him before he activates his portal ability?" Qin Lan asked seriously.

    "Most likely..." Eve hesitantly replied.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she gazed at the night sky where countless stars winked and blinked out of existence.

    Subject 001... her n mainly relied on Eve facing off with the creature but what if she also joined in the fight.

    This gift... Qin Lan was truthfully a bit reluctant to make it even stronger because of the dark desires that would asionally surface in her heart.

    She wasn''t sure if it was due to the influence from the original Qin Lan but whenever conflict arose, she got the urge to make her enemies into puppets or ythings.

    Deprive them of their freedom and humanity before turning them into mindless dolls...

    Qin Lan felt goosebumps rise up along her arms since just thinking about it made her heart race with excitement.

    "Eve can you sense the mutated animals and nts nearby?" Qin Lan asked quietly as she felt Eve''s fingers gently brush against the top of her knuckles.

    The zombie empress nodded but didn''t understand why her favourite human had suddenly asked such an unexpected question.

    "Over the next few days, take me to the location of every single mutated creature nearby," Qin Lan spoke with a strange glint in her eyes.

    "I need more crystals..."

 Chapter 140 Zombie Empress (71)

    (Xyrean Province- The Mermaid''s Lake)

    (Forested Outskirts- Rest Site)

    A crackling fire provided dim lighting but scared away any nearby predators from approaching the camp site.

    There were several tents scattered around the clearing, but one tent was located fairly close to the firepit.

    This tent was a rtively simple structure but there was enough room inside for two sleeping bags to be ced side by side.

    Gong Li was currentlyying down on one of the bags and staring up at the ceiling with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    She carefully shifted her body a little bit and tried not to make any noise. The rtive quietness inside the tent was exactly what she needed to think.

    Gong Li could not believe what she had just heard from sister Lan. It was all just so much information to take in all at once.

    Eve was a mutated zombie? Qin Lan''s brother was killed and then he was brought back to life?

    They were being hunted down by a test subject¡­

    It all sounded too fantastic to be true. Well, that''s what she would say in ordinary circumstances but truthfully nothing made sense anymore.

    There was no scientific exnation for the supernatural powers that developed in humans, and it should be impossible for the dead to move.

    Zombies had decayed joints and muscles so, even if they were somehow alive it didn''t make any sense how they were so fast.

    Gong Li furrowed her brows in confusion but wasforted by the sound of Liu Yifei softly breathing next to her.

    Liu Yifei¡­

    Gong Li''s fingers curled up into a fist as she felt a trace of self hatred in her heart. She just could not work up the courage to talk about her true feelings.

    She was a coward.

    Sister Lan had given her great advice, but Gong Li didn''t know if she would be able to handle rejection or worse yet¡­ disgust.

    The young teenage girl let out a heavy sigh as she tried to bring her thoughts back to the more pressing matters at hand.

    The two options that Sister Lan had given them were both not good.

    Gong Li didn''t know if she would be able to protect Liu Yifei if they stayed in Xyrean Province and the cult stumbled upon their location.

    On the other hand, breaking into an abandoned top secret military facility where a monster lived in order to hunt it down first was obviously dangerous as well.

    "Fuck¡­ fuck¡­ FUCK!" Gong Li cursed under her breath as her hand drifted to the gun that was attached to her hip.

    The safety trigger was on but feeling the cold metal in her palm did bring somefort to the shaken girl.

    In the early stages of the apocalypse, abilities were no match for guns which is why certain regions were able to be brought under military control.

    Gong Li could have never imagined a few months ago that she would be holding a gun. She had only ever seen them in movies or in isted news stories.

    The teenage girl shifted her body to the side and stared at Liu Yifei''s sleeping figure. She truly was beautiful.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Long ck silky hair that went down to her shoulders, a fairplexion and a slender physique that would not look out of ce on a model.

    Liu Yifei was a solid ten out of ten knockout babe. It was no wonder that she was confessed to by so many boys.

    She had even epted Qin Lan''s brother''s pursuit, but they had not gone beyond the ambiguous stage.

    What if she didn''t like girls?

    Fear and doubt entered Gong Li''s mind as she hesitantly reached out and gently tapped Liu Yifei''s shoulder.

    "Yeah?" Liu Yifei said hoarsely as she opened her eyes.

    "Oh sorry¡­ did I wake you up?" Gong Li quickly apologised.

    "No. I was awake the whole time. I just can''t seem to sleep¡­ well¡­ you know¡­" Liu Yifei replied with a soft smile on her face.

    "Want to talk about it?" Gong Li asked with concern evident in her voice.

    Liu Yifei sat up with a groan and stretched out her arms. It was already nighttime and yet she just couldn''t fall asleep.

    Gong Li copied her movements and soon both girls were sitting down cross-legged and facing each other.

    "What do you think about Eve''s im that Qin Wei wanted to hurt his sister?" Liu Yifei asked curiously.

    "I don''t know¡­ I don''t remember seeing any signs, but I wasn''t really paying attention to him," Gong Li confessed truthfully.

    "I¡­ I believe it¡­ I didn''t want to bring it up with Sister Lan but asionally I would catch him staring at me¡­" Liu Yifei spoke in a serious tone.

    "The look in his eyes¡­ it made me very ufortable. It wasn''t a look that he liked me but rather it was as if I was his possession."

    "That''s awful!" Gong Li furiously spoke as she leaned forward and grabbed Liu Yifei''s palms.

    "Don''t worry¡­ I¡­ I will protect you if he ever shows up again!"

    Gong Li''s brain took a few seconds to process what she had just done and soon her face turned red.

    Her fingers trembled slightly in Liu Yifei''s palm as she didn''t know how to react or what to say next.

    Liu Yifei stared at the shy girl in front of her and felt a sweet emotion in her heart.

    Being with Gong Li made her happy, she didn''t know if she liked girls, but she definitely felt her heart race as she felt her friend''s soft fingers.

    "Cough¡­ sorry¡­ I got a bit carried away," Gong Li exined awkwardly as she let go of Liu Yifei''s palm.

    She looked down at the ground and missed the gentle expression that shed across Liu Yifei''s face as she stared at her nervous friend.

    There was a brief moment of silence which both girls interpreted differently.

    Liu Yifei thought that it was afortable silence while Gong Li desperately tried to fix what she assumed was an extremely awkward situation.

    "So¡­ um¡­ what decision are we going to make?" Gong Li unnaturally spoke as she fidgeted with her hands.

 Chapter 141 Zombie Empress (72)

    (Forested Outskirts- Rest Site)

    (Inside One Of The Tents)

    Gong Li''s question hung in the air and a contemtive expression shed across Liu Yifei''s face.

    She had also given the matter quite some thought since she had heard about the creature that was hunting down Eve.

    Liu Yifei also agreed that tracking down Subject 001 was dangerous but could see Qin Lan''s point that it was bigger threat if they decided to do nothing.

    The ability to connect different spatial locations using portals was a terrifying one since it meant that an ambush could ur at any time or ce.

    In the middle of the night, in the afternoon or even in the morning¡­

    It would be impossible to remain vignt twenty-four hours every single day without eventually bing paranoid or suffering from insomnia.

    Liu Yifei hummed thoughtfully as she shifted her body closer to Gong Li and rested her head against her friend''s shoulders.

    She could feel Gong Li''s body stiffen as her face brushed against her cheek.

    A gentle smile shed across Liu Yifei''s face as she resisted the urge to nt a kiss against her friend''s lips.

    Maybe she should confess her feelings first¡­

    I mean it was pretty obvious that Gong Li wasn''t going to confess anytime soon. The only issue was that Liu Yifei wasn''t exactly sure about her feelings.

    She definitely felt something different towards her friend, but this was the first time that she had felt like this towards someone of the same gender.

    Thest thing that she wanted was to get into a rtionship with Gong Li only to realiseter down the road that she wasn''t even gay.

    It wouldn''t be fair to her friend¡­

    Liu Yifei shook her head and tossed those thoughts to the back of her mind. Right now, there were more pressing matters to consider.

    She snapped her fingers and two chocte bars as well as some bottles of water appeared seemingly out of thin air.

    She handed the snack and a bottle of water to Gong Li and then took a bite herself out of the chocte that was still cold.

    Crunch!

    Liu Yifei enjoyed the sweet sugary taste of the chocte that filled her mouth. Her ability may not be extremely powerful but it sure was useful.

    Her space was capable of storing food, water, and other supplies in the same state as they were before they entered her pocket dimension.

    Hot food would remain hot while cold ice cream would never melt.

    Liu Yifei finished off her chocte bar and then opened her mouth to tell Gong Li about her true thoughts.

    "I trust Sister Lan to protect us. I think that it would be too dangerous for us to remain in Xyrean Province without her protection," Liu Yifei calmly exined.

    "The fact that there are groups of ability users roaming around the province means that there is a possibility that someone has a tracking gift."

    "If they stumbled upon our location then it wouldn''t take long before we get overwhelmed."

    Gong Li nodded her head thoughtfully as she twisted the cap off the bottle in her palm and drank its contents.

    The cool taste of the water moisturised her throat and allowed her a few seconds to think about what Liu Yifei had just said.

    "Well, we do have two days to think about it," Gong Li finally spoke as she wiped her mouth using her sleeve.

    "I agree but I''m just worried about how dangerous it would be to try and break into what is potentially the source of the apocalypse."

    "Who knows what kind of dangerous experiments and monster are hidden inside that ce¡­"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Liu Yifei stretched out her arms and yawned as she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her body all at once.

    It was getting prettyte, and she was now feeling tired after a long day of training and then having to listen to such shocking news.

    Liu Yifei opened her mouth to reply to Gong Li but could feel her eyes slowly begin to close as the call of sleep beckoned to her.

    Finally, she gave up the struggle to stay awake and decided that it was probably for the best to at least get a rtively solid three hours of sleep before dawn came.

    "We''ll¡­ we''ll discuss this more tomorrow," Liu Yifei yawned sleepily as she crawled towards her sleeping bag and lied down.

    "Good night, Gong Li¡­ sweet dreams¡­"

    Liu Yifei closed her eyes and was soon in dreand. Her chest rose and fell as she took in deep breaths and gently exhaled.

    Gong Li''s face flushed red, and she quickly looked away after taking a few sneak peeks at her friend''s gorgeous body.

    She also returned to her sleeping bag but unlike Liu Yifei, it took quite awhile before Gong Li was able to drift off.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outside the tent)

    "Do you need crystals?" Eve slowly questioned as she walked over to Qin Lan and gently held her hands.

    "Yes¡­ I need to be stronger," Qin Lan resolutely replied as she enjoyed the warmth of Qin Lan''s soft palm.

    "Oh wait¡­ I haven''t told you about my ability yet, have I?"

    Eve shook her head and Qin Lan nervously touched the tip of her fingers. She took in a few deep breaths and stared into Eve''s eyes.

    There was nothing but love and affection in the zombie empress'' gaze as she looked at her favourite human.

    "I¡­ I canmand humans. Well, I am able to enter their minds and control them," Qin Lan exined hesitantly.

    "If Subject 001 has allied himself with any humans, then I should be able to turn them into weapons to use against him."

    Eve nodded in understanding and smiled sweetly as she leaned forward to brush her lips against the top of Qin Lan''s forehead.

    "Don''t be nervous¡­ I think that it is a wonderful ability," Eve quietly whispered as she sensed that her favourite human was feeling a bit conflicted.

    Eve broke away from Qin Lan''s grasp and walked over to a nearby bush where she had stored her travel bag.

    She unzipped the bag and pulled out a backpack that was covered in dried blood and caked with dirt.

    Eve wrinkled up her nose in distaste and secretly scolded herself for forgetting to wash the backpack.

    Still, it was the contents inside the backpack that really mattered and hopefully Qin Lan would enjoy her surprise.

    Eve walked over to the confused woman and slowly unzipped the top of the backpack to reveal what was stored inside.

    Qin Lan''s eyes widened in disbelieve as she saw dozens if not hundreds of purplish-ck crystals packed together.

    This was more than enough to upgrade her ability to the next level.

 Chapter 142 Zombie Empress (73)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Regions)

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Qin Lan opened her eyes and groaned as her body felt as though it had just been hit by a truck.

    Bright sunlight illuminated the nearby forest and the sound of birds chirping merrily could be hearding from the treetops.

    Qin Lan staggered to her feet and would have fallen were it not for the pair of soft hands that tightly wrapped around her body.

    "Thanks¡­" Qin Lan muttered quietly as she leaned into Eve''s arms.

    The zombie empress smiled sweetly as she embraced her favourite human.

    There was brief moment of peaceful silence as the pair just enjoyed each other''spany. Qin Lan finally broke out of the embrace when she felt some strength return to her legs.

    The reason why she was in such poor physical condition was because she had tried to absorb all of the crystals in the bagst night.

    Which was huge mistake¡­

    Qin Lan had only managed to absorb around twenty-five crystals before she cked out from the intense pain that ravaged her body.

    Still, it was clear that she was more powerful than before, and it was just a feeling, but Qin Lan felt as though the barrier to the next level was slowly crumbling.

    "Okay¡­ I''ll try to absorb ten more crystals this morning," Qin Lan softly whispered as she tilted her head upwards and pressed a short kiss against Eve''s lips.

    The zombie empress was not happy that her favourite human was going to hurt herself again, but she knew that nothing she could say was going to convince Qin Lan otherwise.

    Strength was just too important to Qin Lan and for good reason.

    During the end times when social order had broken down, women and children were easy targets.

    Qin Lan had memories from the original Qin Lan and had seen plenty of scenes driving through the capitol city that reinforced this viewpoint.

    And those short-sighted fools who used and then abandoned women to their fate failed to realise that soon a massive gender imbnce would ur.

    Qin Lan shook her head and chased those dark thoughts from her mind.

    She didn''t n to be a hero but if she did stumble across those rotten bastards then a well-ced knife to the throat would simply rid the world of human filth.

    Or she could use her ability and turn those brutes into ythings¡­

    Qin Lan reached for the backpack that was next to the tree nearby and slowly unzipped the top to reveal the hundreds of crystals that were still inside.

    The young woman picked up one of the crystals and as well as the bottle of water that was near the backpack.

    She twisted open the cap and poured water all over the crystal in order to clean the dried blood and chunks of flesh still on its surface.

    "You know what¡­ after breakfast we can go down to theke and just wash the crystals there," Qin Lan suggested as she finished cleaning up the purplish-ck gemstone.

    Eve nodded and walked behind her favourite human just in case she fell unconscious or needed some help.

    Qin Lan took in a deep breath and then raised the crystal up to her mouth.

    The process of absorbing these crystals was always so unpleasant¡­

    She quickly tossed the crystal in her mouth and then drank some water to wash it down. Qin Lan immediately doubled over in pain as it felt as though her insides were burning.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was hard to describe the painful process of upgrading one''s ability and it was no wonder that there were actually some ability users who refused to get stronger.

    Qin Lan felt as though her blood had turned into molten hotva and it was like hundreds of needles were stabbing into different parts of her body.

    She gasped for breath and felt Eve''s soft hand slowly rub her back using gentle circr motions.

    The pain eventually stopped, and Qin Lan felt that the mental threads in her mind had gotten slightly thicker.

    "Are you okay?" Eve asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "Yeah¡­ I''m fine. Thank you," Qin Lan replied sweetly as she raised up her hand and lovingly stroked the side of Eve''s face.

    They may be surrounded by the lush natural beauty of a forest with dew glistening off the top of the nearby nts and leaves but there was only Eve in Qin Lan''s eyes.

    "Let me just make some breakfast and leave a note for the girls," Qin Lan softly whispered as she dropped her hand.

    With Eve nearby she didn''t need to worry about any mutated animals or nts since the zombie empress could sense all lifeforms within a ten-kilometer radius.

    Qin Lan walked over to the firepit and saw that the me was about to go out.

    She quickly grabbed some dried sticks that she had stored under a towel and tossed them into the dying me.

    The fire quickly grew which brought a small smile to Qin Lan''s face.

    She nned to make something simple for breakfast, so she walked over to her tent and came out with some cup noodles.

    Qin Lan lifted a pot above the mes and poured in some water until it was halfway full. She waited patiently for the pot to heat up and soon tiny wisps of smoke came from inside the pot.

    "Do you want some noodles?" Qin Lan asked Eve who was watching her cook.

    "Sure," Eve cheerfully replied as she walked a bit closer to her favourite human who was putting the boiling pot on the ground.

    There was no need for her to eat but the zombie empress would never refuse anything that Qin Lan made.

    The pair had breakfast and then Qin Lan left out the remaining cup noodles and a note which she attached to the tree opposite to Liu Yifei and Gong Li''s tent.

    Both teenage girls were still asleep which wasn''t surprising considering that they went to bed prettyte.

    Qin Lan absentmindedly wondered if they hade to a decisionst night even though she knew that was unlikely.

    They were just kids¡­

    This world really was cruel. Liu Yifei and Gong Li had gone from normal high school students to dealing with life and death situations.

    ? Even if by some miracle the apocalypse ended tomorrow¡­ would things really go back to normal?

    The answer was no.

    Qin Lan''s fingers curled up into a fist as she recalled the ugliness of human nature. She needed a distraction to get these unpleasant thoughts away from her mind.

    "Eve¡­ Subject 001 is he mentally unstable? Are there any obvious weak points in his psyche that we can exploit?" Qin Lan suddenly asked.

    "Not sure¡­ he seemed to get angry pretty easily¡­ but I don''t know if that was just an act," Eve replied after giving the matter some thought.

    Qin Lan hummed softly as numerous ns and battle tactics shed across her mind one after the other.

 Chapter 143 Zombie Empress (74)

    (Xyrean Province- The Mermaid''s Lake)

    (Forested Outskirts- The Edge Of The Lake)

    Qin Lan took in a deep breath and gently exhaled. Bright rays of sunlight brushed against her face as she tilted her head upwards.

    There was a cool breeze blowing through the forest and one could hear the melodic chirps of songbirds in the treetops.

    It was a beautiful day.

    Eve sat down next to her favourite human and rested her head against her shoulder. The zombie empress stretched out her hand and yed with Qin Lan''s fingers.

    She had missed this. There was not a second that had gone by when she was separated from Qin Lan when she did not think about her favourite human.

    "Eve¡­ do you have any goals or desires?" Qin Lan curiously asked.

    "Stay with you," Eve immediately replied.

    "No¡­ I mean¡­ is there anything that you want?" Qin Lan softly whispered, and her breath fell on Eve''s cheeks.

    Eve shook her head because she was perfectly happy.

    Truthfully unlike Subject 001, Eve had no grand ambitions of leading an army of ''new humans'' to conqueror the world and dere herself as the leader of this apocalyptic era.

    Nor did she wish to end humanity or destroy all life on Earth.

    Honestly if it weren''t for meeting Qin Lan, Eve was sure that she would have probably travelled to a rural province and spent the rest of her life in solitude.

    She had already aplished her goal of killing all the scientists, soldiers, and researchers who were responsible for her years of torture so there was nothing else that she wanted to do.

    Well except for one thing¡­

    Eve smiled warmly as she turned her head and kissed Qin Lan''s lips lovingly. The sweet taste of her favourite human''s lips was incredibly addicting.

    Qin Lan''s eyes widened in surprise but then she kissed Eve back with fiery passion.

    Honestly Qin Lan could not believe that such a gorgeous woman was in love with her, and it made her feel quite giddy.

    Finally, she broke off the kiss and looked into Eve''s eyes that were filled with love and affection that made Qin Lan''s heart skip a beat.

    "Don''t look¡­ don''t look at me like that," Qin Lan said with uncharacteristic shyness.

    Eve grinned before leaning forward to capture her favourite human''s lips a second time.

    Time seemed to slow down as all Qin Lan could feel was Eve''s soft body as it leaned further against her chest.

    They kissed for what seemed like hours even though it was probably a few minutes before Eve finally drew back.

    A fierce red blush was present on Qin Lan''s face, and she quickly walked to the edge of theke to prevent Eve from seeing just how embarrassed she was.

    The gentle sound of waves crashing against the shore helped to clear Qin Lan''s mind. She picked up a small stone that was near her foot and flung it at the water.

    Plop!

    Unfortunately, it did not skip like she nned but instead sank to theke''s floor with a dull ssh.

    Qin Lan grabbed another smooth pebble and tried again. This time all she did was create a loud ssh that flung droplets of water against her face.

    Alright¡­ clearly, she did not know how to skip stones.

    Eve leaned against a nearby tree and was just content to watch her favourite human as she turned around and walked towards the backpack on the ground.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Inside the backpack was the collection of purplish-ck crystals that Eve had umted after killing numerous zombies on the way to Xyrean Province.

    "Wait¡­ Eve don''t you need to absorb crystals to get stronger?" Qin Lan asked curiously as she picked up the backpack.

    "No¡­ my body naturally seems to get more powerful by the day. I''m actually not sure what is the reason," Eve truthfully admitted.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows and mused thoughtfully.

    Maybe there would be information inside the secret military base about the experiments that had been done to Eve.

    Perhaps there would even be something that they could use to put an end to the apocalypse although Qin Lan did not feel very hopeful.

    She walked over to the edge of theke and slowly unzipped the backpack. She reached inside and took out one of the crystals that was caked in dried blood and chunks of flesh.

    It looked very disgusting, but Qin Lan had grown immune to revolting sights after experiencing multiple zombie encounters.

    She lowered her palms into the water and then used the liquid to clean the crystal carefully. It took a few minutes but finally the crystal was spotless.

    Qin Lan ced the cleaned crystal on the grass and then reached inside the backpack for another one.

    The process repeated for a few hours until the sun was now hanging in the middle of the sky and beads of sweat ran down her brow.

    Eve was next to her and would asionally brush the sweat away using the clean white handkerchief in her palm.

    "Sister Lan?" a voice quietly called out.

    Qin Lan turned around and saw Gong Li and Liu Yifei standing at the edge of the forest with hesitant looks on their faces.

    "Come over¡­ I have some crystals for you to absorb," Qin Lan shouted as she raised up her hand and gave a small wave.

    Her rxed attitude helped to calm down both girls who were still feeling a bit nervous as they stared at Eve.

    Liu Yifei walked over with Gong Li following close behind. Qin Lan smiled as she saw the sweet interaction between the pair.

    Hopefully in the near future, Gong Li would work up the courage to respond to her feelings and confess to her friend.

    "Did you get a good night''s sleep?" Qin Lan asked gently as she took out another crystal and began to clean it.

    "Yeah¡­ I''m sorry that we oversleep," Gong Li apologised sincerely.

    "No, it''s okay. You were both up prettytest night so that''s why I didn''t want to wake you all up this morning," Qin Lan exined calmly.

    "Here you go Liu Yifei¡­"

    Qin Lan handed over one of the cleaned crystals to the beautiful teenage girl who took it from her palm.

    "Thank you, sister Lan," Liu Yifei said gratefully but she looked at the crystal with a conflicted look on her face.

    Absorbing the crystals was such a painful process that honestly there was a part of her that wished that she didn''t have to.

    Liu Yifei hesitate for a moment and then a determined expression shed across her face. She opened her mouth and quickly tossed the crystal inside before snapping her fingers.

    An opened bottle of water appeared out of thin air, and she quickly took tworge mouthfuls of water.

    The crystal entered her body and immediately the fierce pain made Liu Yifei copse on the ground with a dull groan.

    Fuck¡­ this was painful¡­

 Chapter 144 Zombie Empress (75)

    (Xyrean Province- The Mermaid''s Lake)

    (Forested Outskirts ¨C Training Field)

    Bang!

    The loud sound of a gunshot echoed through the peaceful forest as Gong Li fired at the target that was fifty meters away.

    The young girl furrowed her brows in frustration as a bullet hole appeared in the outer zone of the target but not in the middle where she was initially aiming for.

    Again¡­ she needed to try again¡­

    Liu Yifei''s face shed across Gong Li''s mind as she took in a deep breath and tried to steady her racing heart.

    She was not like Eve, Qin Lan, or Liu Yifei.

    She did not posses an ability nor did she have incredible fighting skills or strength.

    She was just an ordinary teenage girl. When those men in the supermarket had grabbed Liu Yifei¡­ she was unable to do anything.

    Never again. She would never allow that to happen again.

    Gong Li frowned slightly as she raised up the pistol in her grip and aimed it carefully at the target.

    The cold metal of the gun made her fingers numb but there was nothing but determination in her heart.

    Bang!

    Another shot rang out and this time the bullet hole appeared just two inches away from the center of the target.

    Not good enough¡­ she needed to be better¡­

    As an ordinary person, Gong Li knew that learning how to use firearms was her greatest trump card in a world where only strength mattered.

    She clicked her tongue impatiently and for a brief moment was tempted to continue shooting but eventually ced the trigger lock back on.

    Sister Lan told her not to fire her weapon if she was in an unstable mindset and besides there weren''t enough bullets to spare for any endless amount of practice.

    Gong Li walked away from the range and sat down beneath a nearby tree.

    A cool breeze brushed against her face and bright sunlight streamed down through the treetops.

    A day had passed since Eve had returned and Qin Lan had told them about the decision that they needed to make.

    Everyone was acting as though everything was normal.

    Qin Lan held training sessions in the early afternoon and then showed them how to hunt for food in the evenings.

    Eve was truthfully not much of presence and sometimes Gong Li would forget that she was even there.

    She would follow behind Qin Lan like her shadow and then disappear asionally only toe back a few minutester.

    Gong Li wasn''t sure if Liu Yifei had noticed but it was clear that Eve and Qin Lan would look at each other with affection.

    She had even caught them kissing once!

    Gong Li was truthfully a bit jealous. It was clear that both Qin Lan and Eve loved each other and weren''t afraid of what others would think.

    Sigh¡­ when would she be able to work up the courage to confess?

    The teenage girl closed her eyes and enjoyed the peace and tranquility of being in a forest.

    In moments like this it was good to be by herself to just rx and allow her worries to just fade away to the background.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Gong Li wasn''t sure how long she had closed her eyes, but she must have fallen asleep at one point because when she opened her eyes there was a warm nket covering her body.

    "Good morning sleepyhead," a voice yfully whispered.

    Gong Li rubbed her eyes and saw Liu Yifei staring at her with a mischievous grin on her beautiful face.

    "What¡­ what time is it?" Gong Li hoarsely asked as a bright red blush began to spread from the corners of her cheeks.

    "It''s probablyte afternoon¡­ I came to check up on you afterbat training and you were fast asleep," Liu Yifei cheerfully spoke.

    "Oh¡­ what about Sister Lan? Does she know?" Gong Li asked curiously.

    "Yeah, she stopped by with Eve just to check in on you and then left. She gave me the rest of the day off which was nice," Liu Yifei exined casually.

    "Between you and me I think she just wants to spend the next few hours alone with Eve."

    Liu Yifei sat down next to Gong Li and snapped her fingers. A nket appeared out of thin air which she used to cover her body.

    There was a brief moment offortable silence as Liu Yifei leaned against Gong Li''s shoulder and enjoyed her soft body.

    "So¡­ um¡­ you know that Sister Lan and Eve¡­" Gong Li broke the silence with a hesitant question.

    "Are gay? Yeah, I''m not blind plus I mean Sister Lan is pretty open when she looks at Eve with love in her eyes," Liu Yifei replied nonchntly.

    "Oh¡­" Gong Li nervously stammered.

    Liu Yifei turned to face her friend and saw that her ears had turned red.

    Maybe it was time to finally answer the question that had been lingering in her heart.

    She definitely had feelings for Gong Li.

    Liu Yifei wasn''t sure if this meant that she was a lesbian since she had always liked boys before but either way, she knew that what she felt for Gong Li went beyond just mere friendship.

    Liu Yifei looked at her cute friend who appeared to be struggling to get the words that she wanted to say out of her mouth.

    "Liu Yifei¡­ I¡­ I don''t just like you¡­ you as¡­ as a friend¡­" Gong Li softly spoke in a voice that was no louder than a whisper.

    Gong Li''s throat felt dry as she stuttered out what could only be described as word vomit or the worst confession ever.

    "I¡­I¡­ like¡­ you¡­ like as in ''like'' you¡­ God¡­ this is¡­ stupid¡­ I''m messing this up¡­ I like... you¡­ I¡­ you are so beautiful and I¡­ I¡­"

    Gong Li''s words were cut off by the pair of lips that crashed against her own.

    She froze in shock as she felt Liu Yifei''s warm body lean in even closer until they were both in a tight embrace.

    The young teenage girl''s brain short circuited as she tasted the sweet addicting feeling of Liu Yifei''s soft lips.

    This¡­ was she dreaming? In that case¡­ she never wanted to wake up.

    The kiss was hesitant and nervous with both girls struggling to figure out how to kiss properly and yet¡­

    It was better than anything that Gong Li could have ever imagined.

    They must have kissed for just a few minutes and yet it felt like hours for the teenage girl who could not believe what had just happened.

    Finally, Liu Yifei broke off the kiss and stared into her friend''s eyes.

    "I think¡­ I think I ''like'' you too," Liu Yifei sweetly whispered as she raised up her hand and brushed it against Gong Li''s cheek.

 Chapter 145 Zombie Empress (76)

    (Xyrean Province- The Mermaid''s Lake)

    (Forested Outskirts- Training Field)

    "I think... I think that I ''like'' you too."

    Gong Li''s felt her heart stop as Liu Yifei''s words echoed through her mind.

    She could tell that the tips of her ears were now fully red as she stammered and tried to figure out what had just happened.

    Wait... did Liu Yifei just kiss her? Was this a dream?

    "Please... please... don''t let me wake up..." Gong Li muttered quietly under her breath, but she didn''t know that her friend heard her soft whisper.

    Liu Yifei giggled, and herughter filled the air as she leaned forward and captured Gong Li''s lips for a second time.

    "Still think that you''re dreaming?" Liu Yifei teased softly as her hands extended forward to wrap around her friend''s body.

    "You... you really like me?" Gong Li softly whispered as her body tensed up with fear of being rejected.

    Liu Yifei put away her joking attitude and stared directly into Gong Li''s eyes. She could see a mixture of emotions surfacing in the young girl''s gaze.

    There was hope and love as well as fear and anxiety.

    Liu Yifei knew that her friend struggled with self esteem issues, but she did not know that it was to this extent.

    Although shepletely understood why she probably felt this way. Being gay was not seen as socially or culturally eptable in their country.

    Liu Yifei had only recently realised that she liked girls, but Gong Li probably struggled with this part of her for many years of her life.

    If it were not for the crazy events that they had experienced together over thest few months...

    Maybe the feelings that Liu Yifei had for Gong Li would have probably never gone beyond mere friendship.

    She had struggled with her feelings for a few weeks and now was the time to give Gong Li the proper answer that she deserved.

    "I knew that you had a crush on me from a long time ago," Liu Yifei spoke seriously as she raised up her palm and brushed it against the side of Gong Li''s cheek.

    "The reason why I didn''t say anything or respond to your feelings was because... I was confused. I didn''t know if the feelings that I had for you were romantic..."

    "It wouldn''t be fair to you if I started a rtionship with you only to realiseter than I didn''t even like girls..."

    Liu Yifei paused for a moment as she spoke the words that she had kept hidden in her heart.

    It was probably not the best move to talk about her doubts, but she wanted to bepletely honest with Gong Li.

    This was her first same-sex rtionship... hell this was her second romantic rtionship because she had only ever dated Qin Lan''s brother and they had done no more than hold hands.

    Gong Li had gotten her first kiss.

    "I''m still not sure why you fell in love with a girl who can''t make up her mind like me, but I know one thing..." Liu Yifei whispered softly.

    "I don''t see you as just a friend and I want to give this a rtionship a try. Will you be my girlfriend?"

    Gong Li blinked rapidly as tears began to well up along the corners of her eyes. She rubbed her eyes furiously and could feel the wetness on her hands.

    This was real... this was all she ever wanted...

    Liu Yifei used to be the untouchable ss flower who was way out of her league and yet now she had the chance to date her.

    If Gong Li could go back in time and tell her younger self that the school flower had confessed to her then she wouldn''t be believed.

    Even now the young teenage girl could scarcely believe what was happening and all she could do was nod furiously.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes... I want to be your girlfriend," Gong Li replied with no trace of hesitation in her voice.

    A sweet smile shed across Liu Yifei''s face and Gong Li looked at her beautiful smile with a spellbound expression.

    She leaned against Liu Yifei''s shoulder and the pair spend a sweet moment of peace together.

    For a few minutes it was as though the zombie apocalypse had never urred as the pair were lost in each other''spany.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Unnamed Settlement a€¡° Father Han''s Church)

    Father Han reached into the pocket of his robe and took out a small metallic sk. He unscrewed the top of the sk and took arge swig of its contents.

    The middle-aged priest coughed violently as the foul taste of hard liquor slid down his throat and made his mouth begin to burn.

    Numbing himself with alcohol was the only way that he could rx after such a difficult week.

    There was still no trace of the mysterious woman who had absorbed his power and then just fled the settlement.

    And of course, these simple folk constantly asked him to hold another ceremony to give supernatural abilities to members of the congregation.

    Father Han scowled fiercely and took another swig from the sk. Sister Guan''s face shed across his mind and his bad mood got even worse.

    His loyal nun was now too powerful.

    Father Han did not even dare to order her around casually after seeing how strong her ability was.

    One thought would be all she needed to drive a solid earth spike through his chest and kill him instantly.

    "Lord please give me strength," Father Han muttered quietly in despair. The priest ced his head in his palms and took in a few deep breaths.

    There was no use in panicking now. He was in too deep and at least these simple folk believed that he was some sort of saviour.

    All he needed to do now was to keep up the act and be the spiritual centerpiece of this new society.

    Tap! Tap! Tap!

    A series of footsteps echoed through the corridor and the sound got louder with every passing minute.

    Father Han quickly screwed back on the cap of his sk and then ced it back in his robes.

    He got up from the ground and stared out of the window with a pensive expression on his face.

    The middle-aged priest heard someonee around the corner and slowly turned to speak to them.

    "Greetings my child... what do you wish to... YOU!"

    Standing across from him was the gorgeous woman with otherworldly beauty and features that did not seem to belong to a mortal in this world.

    Standing next to her was another woman but she was far iner, and one couldpare the two women''s looks to a pale moon eclipsed by a burning sun.

    "Father Han..." the in woman smiled charmingly as she pulled out a pistol from her pocket and pointed it at the priest.

    "Remember the ability user that you wanted to hunt down and kill?"

 Chapter 146 Zombie Empress (77)

    (Xyrean Province- The Mermaid''s Lake)

    (Unnamed Settlement- Father Han''s Church)

    The middle-aged priest immediately raised up both his hands in the air and froze in ce.

    He stared at the gun being pointed in his direction and beads of sweat began to run down his brow.

    Father Han was not some brave soul who could look death in the face andugh. No¡­ he was basically shitting himself!

    "Look¡­ I don''t know who you are¡­ I believe that there may be a misunderstanding somewhere," Father Han gently spoke as he tried not to upset the two mysterious women.

    He did not even dare to raise his voice and shout for help because all it would take was the pull of a finger and his life would be gone.

    "A few weeks ago¡­ do you remember sending that nun of yours as well as multiple teams to hunt down an ability user?" Qin Lan questioned in a cold tone.

    "This is a misunderstanding! Aplete misunderstanding¡­ I¡­ I¡­ please don''t kill me¡­ please¡­ please¡­" Father Han got down on his knees and begged.

    The middle-aged priest trembled as his knees touched the cold hard floor of the church. Over and over, he kept begging for his life in a humble tone.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she saw the sight of the man who had ordered the deaths of herself and the teenagers in her care.

    She knew from the original Qin Lan''s memories that Father Han would be the figurehead of a new religion.

    He wouldmand an army of ability users who burned their lifeforce to ess the gifts that the priest had given them.

    And they were all loyal to him to the point of madness.

    Qin Lan frowned slightly as she raised up her gun and fired a single shot that echoed through the empty church.

    Bang!

    Father Han crashed heavily to the ground with a hole in the middle of his head. Bright red blood pooled out of the open wound and his body twitched slightly before he died.

    "Do you want to kill everyone else?" Eve asked curiously as she stared at Qin Lan andpletely disregarded the corpse.

    The only punishment that could be given to one who tried to harm her favourite human was death, so the zombie empress saw no problem with Qin Lan''s actions.

    "No¡­ it would be impossible to determine who was or wasn''t influenced by Father Han and those with abilities¡­ well¡­ they only have a few years left to live," Qin Lan indifferently spoke.

    It would actually be optimistic to expect those gifted abilities by Father Han to live that long.

    Especially since every time they used their abilities¡­ their remaining lifespans would decrease.

    "Come let''s go before someonees to investigate the noise," Qin Lan softly whispered as she grabbed Eve''s hand.

    The zombie empress smiled warmly at her favourite human and gave her a quick peck on the cheek before they fled from the scene.

    Footsteps could already be hearding from the distance as Sister Guan had heard the unexpected noise from her room.

    The inly dressed nun ran quickly in the direction of the noise since she had a bad feeling in her heart that she could not exin.

    She burst into the open hall and a scream left her mouth as she saw Father Han''s cold corpse on the ground.

    Her ability responded to her fury asrge earth spikes jutted out of the ground around her body with jagged sharpened ends.

    "Father Han! Father Han!" Sister Guan yelled in shock as she rushed over to the middle-aged priest''s body and examined his corpse.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She ced two fingers on his pulse and the thin thread of hope in her heart finally severed since she could not detect any signs of life.

    The ground trembled beneath her feet and additional wrinkles appeared along her hands, feet, and face.

    "Who did this? Who. Did. This¡­" Sister Guan muttered over and over again like a madman who had been possessed.

    She clutched the corpse of the priest for hours inplete darkness until the first beams of sunlight entered through the window.

    Sister Guan raised up her head and her appearance was as if she had aged twenty years in the span of a single night.

    There were no emotions in her cold eyes as she lifted up the priest''s body and slowly walked out of the church.

    Father Han was dead¡­ she would be the one to lead the flock.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (The Mermaid''s Lake- Forested Outskirts)

    Meanwhile Qin Lan and Eve were sitting down beneath the shade of arge tree and enjoying the view of the creeping sunrise.

    "Today is the day when Liu Yifei and Gong Li will tell us what they want to do," Qin Lan spoke softly as she fidgeted with her hands.

    "Eve¡­ I''m worried¡­ I''m worried that¡­ I''m going to get them killed¡­"

    The zombie empress leaned closer to her favourite human and wrapped her arms around Qin Lan''s shoulder.

    The pair remained in silence for a brief moment before Eve opened her mouth to speak,

    "You did the best that you could¡­ Xiao Chen and Liu Tao''s deaths aren''t your fault¡­"

    "I know that those two girls trust you¡­ and for good reason. You are amazing, kind and a very loving person."

    Perhaps it was a bit strange for Eve to call someone who had just murdered a priest a loving person, but it was hard to deny that Qin Lan took care of those who she considered as family.

    "You''re right¡­ I just hope that we can sessfully kill Subject 001 and then find out a way to end the apocalypse," Qin Lan muttered softly as she closed her eyes.

    She wanted to tell Eve about her mission to kill the viiness of this ne but whenever she tried to speak about it¡­ no words woulde out of her mouth.

    But still even if she ended up failing toplete her mission, Qin Lan was willing to attempt to make the world a better ce.

    Whether that meant killing the people who caused the most misery or trying to find a way to protect the survivors.

    But first there was something that she needed to say¡­

    Qin Lan opened her eyes and turned her head to face Eve with a serious expression on her face.

    The zombie empress noticed the sudden shift in the mood and looked at her favourite human with a puzzled smile.

    "No matter what happens in the future¡­ promise me¡­ you will always protect yourself first and not me," Qin Lan seriously spoke.

 Chapter 147 Zombie Empress (78)

    (Xyrean Province- The Mermaid'' Lake)

    (Forested Outskirts- Rest Site)

    Warm rays of sunlight illuminated the forest with a soft orange glow as the sun peeked out from the edge of the horizon.

    Gong Li opened her eyes sleepily and felt a heavy weight on her stomach. She looked down and saw Liu Yifei''s arm firmly ced around her body.

    The young teenage girl froze in ce as her crush¡­ no¡­ her girlfriend¡­ girlfriend!

    A silly smile spread across Gong Li''s face as the tips of her ears slowly turned red. What had happened yesterday was not a dream!

    It really came true! Liu Yifei said that she liked her!

    Gong Li wanted to scream loudly in excitement but forced herself to calm down so that she didn''t wake up the sleeping girl.

    She didn''t understand how Liu Yifei had managed to find a way into her sleeping bag, but Gong Li certainly wasn''t going toin.

    The warmth of Liu Yifei''s soft body made her heart skip a beat. She could swear that her heart was about to burst out of her chest.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Gong Li''s eyes were captivated by Liu Yifei''s sleeping appearance. She truly was a beautiful girl worthy of the title of school flower.

    Liu Yifei had a cute button nose, gentle facial features and¡­ soft kissable lips¡­

    Those lips¡­

    Gong Li blushed furiously as she remembered the awkward yet passionate kisses that they had shared under the shade of a tree.

    She needed to practice her technique!

    Time slowly passed and the sun that was just peeking over the horizon was now flying high above the sky.

    Birds could be heard chirping loudly in the treetops and the rustling noisesing from the nearby bushes meant that the forest critters were beginning to stir.

    Eventually Liu Yifei''s eyes slowly opened as she stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily.

    There was drool leaking out of the side of her mouth which made her look absolutely adorable in Gong Li''s eyes.

    "Wha¡­ what time is it?" Liu Yifei hoarsely asked in a tone of voice that indicated that she was clearly half asleep.

    "You can rest for a little while longer," Gong Li whispered to her girlfriend. Liu Yifei nodded and then closed her eyes once more.

    Gong Li summoned all of the courage in her heart and shifted her body around in the sleeping bag until she was facing Liu Yifei directly.

    She raised up her arms and brought the beautiful girl into a tight embrace. Gong Li closed her eyes and nervously waited for Liu Yifei to tell her to let go.

    Instead, Liu Yifei merely smiled and then nuzzled her cheek gently against the side of Gong Li''s shoulder.

    Neither girl thought about going any further since this was the limit of the courage in both of their hearts.

    Gong Li didn''t want to rush things in their blossoming rtionship since this was a new experience for both girls.

    Liu Yifei rested for a few more minutes before she forced herself to wake up. She got up from the sleeping bag and rubbed her eyes.

    "Want to grab something to eat?" Liu Yifei asked gently as she snapped her fingers and two energy bars appeared out of thin air.

    She handed one to Gong Li and yfully touched her girlfriend''s fingers as she handed over the light snack.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was surprisingly fun to watch her face turn red¡­

    Liu Yifei snapped her fingers again and two bottles of milk appeared on the ground near her feet.

    There were enough supplies in her storage space tost for at least two years and she had stocked up on a lot of goods from the supermarkets that they had passed when driving through the city.

    Honestly even though she possessed an ability with nobat usage, it was hard to deny that it was pretty useful in other ways.

    Liu Yifei casually unscrewed the top of the milk bottle and drank its contents. The cold taste of the milk was very refreshing.

    "So today is the day¡­" Liu Yifei suddenly spoke as she wiped her lips with a tissue from her pocket.

    "Sister Lan wants us to decide if we''re going with her to a top-secret military base to fight some creature or stay here and risk encountering one of the ability users in the cult."

    "Not really good options in either case¡­"

    "I think we should go with Sister Lan," Gong Li replied sincerely since she had been giving the matter some thought over thest few days.

    "She can protect us, and I really don''t want us to be separated."

    "I agree¡­ I''m not going to let my teacher go off on her own¡­ well I mean she has Eve, but we can definitely be useful as well!" Liu Yifei pumped up her fist as she spoke.

    "Speaking of Eve¡­ should we tell Sister Lan about us?"

    "I mean¡­ I¡­ if you want to¡­ I¡­" Gong Li stuttered as Liu Yifei sessfully distracted her from the serious decision that they had just made.

    Liu Yifei smiled sweetly as she unwrapped the energy bar and took arge bite. A loud crunch echoed through the tent and a few crumbs fell on the ground.

    Damn it¡­

    Liu Yifei sighed heavily and took out a small broomstick from her storage space along with a collecting bin.

    She swept up the crumbs on the ground and gestured for Gong Li to follow her outside the tent. Her girlfriend opened up the tent''s p and both girls stepped into the outside world.

    Qin Lan and Eve were standing around the campfire and currently smoking the meat from some unknown animal.

    The techniques used for smoking the meat were quite rudimentary. Qin Lan basically cut the meat into strips, cooked it, and then covered it with salt for preservation.

    "Hey girls! Did you get a good night''s rest?" Qin Lan asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "Yeah! I slept pretty well," Liu Yifei replied cheerfully as she walked over to the two women with Gong Li following close behind.

    Liu Yifei slowed down her steps and held Gong Li''s hand as they approached the firepit.

    Qin Lan raised an eyebrow and shot a quick nce at the girls'' interlocked fingers.

    Gong Li kept her head down, but one could clearly see the fierce blush that was beginning to spread across her cheeks.

    Eve didn''t even notice the sweet interaction between the pair because she was too busy staring at the meat slowly cooking over the fire.

    They were currently smoking the remains of arge female sow that had been killed on their way back from the unknown settlement.

    Father Han''s death would definitely make the ability users more cautious, and it was unlikely that they would wander far from their encampment.

    Still if it was up to Eve then she would have killed them all¡­

 Chapter 148 Zombie Empress (79)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Region)

    A car was speeding along a poorly maintained road and asionally shook at it ran over the numerous potholes littered across the ground.

    Qin Lan gripped the wheel tightly as she pressed her foot on the elerator. The car''s engine let out a loud groan ofint as the vehicle got even faster.

    Two days had passed since they had left theke and now, they were beginning their journey to the location of the secret military base.

    They walked at first but then Eve had spotted an abandoned car in the distance that was in perfectly good shape except for the shattered windows.

    It was impossible to know what had happened to the vehicle''s previous upants but the traces of blood that stained the leather seats did not lead one to assume that they met a pleasant fate.

    "Sister Lan¡­ can you slow down¡­ I think I''m going to be¡­ urghhh!" Liu Yifei groaned in pain as she reached for a brown bag that was next to her.

    Gong Li wrapped her arms around her girlfriend''s body to stabilise her as she threw up in the brown bag.

    Liu Yifei''s face did not look too good, and she refused to look Gong Li in the eyes.

    Who would want to vomit in front of their girlfriend?!

    The beautiful schoolgirl tossed the bag out of the broken window next to her and it fell somewhere in the grass outside.

    "You''re right¡­ sorry I got carried away," Qin Lan admitted truthfully as she eased up on the elerator and the car slowed down.

    There was a part of her that wanted to get to the military base as soon as possible but it would not be worth it if everyone got sick during the journey.

    Well¡­ Eve seemed to be doing okay¡­

    The zombie empress smiled sweetly at her favourite human and stretched out her hand to lightly touch the side of Qin Lan''s cheek.

    "I''m driving¡­ not now¡­" Qin Lan quietly whispered as she gently removed Eve''s palm, but her fingers lingered for just a moment on Eve''s soft skin.

    The sun was slowly beginning to set, and night was soon approaching.

    Qin Lan nned on driving for a few more hours then taking the car off the road to set up camp for the night.

    It was important that everyone maintained a healthy state because in order to face Subject 001 they all needed to be in top condition.

    There were a few buildingsing up ahead and it looked like they belonged a small town of some kind.

    The buildings were run down and dpidated with cracked roof tiles, walls that were partially copsed and doors that were barely hanging from their hinges.

    Was this a ghost town?

    Qin Lan remembered seeing pictures on the inte of small towns in rural provinces that were eventually abandoned after the young people in the vige left for the major cities.

    They would take their rtives with them and eventually the poption of the small town would shrink to single digits.

    Eve furrowed her brows as she stared at the buildings in the distance.

    She got a bad feeling from this ce but could not detect any dangerous scents.

    The zombie empress stuck her head outside the car''s window and took in a few deep sniffs. She could not smell any traces of humans or her lesser brethren.

    "Everything okay?" Qin Lan asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "Yeah¡­ I just have a bad feeling¡­ can we keep driving?" Eve immediately told her favourite human about what was bothering her.

    "Sure¡­ I didn''t n to stop anything soon so let''s just go through the town quickly and then we can set up camp a little further away," Qin Lan suggested calmly.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She drove the car through the abandoned town and even Qin Lan herself had to admit that something was off.

    It was as though this mysterious ce had been frozen in time even before the apocalypse had begun.

    One could see shops, a motel and even a bar as they drove through the town.

    Yet every single one of the buildings waspletely silent.

    "This¡­ this is kind of scary," Gong Li softly whispered as she looked out of the window and saw the skeleton of a dog on the ground.

    Qin Lan kept her eyes peeled for any hidden threats while Eve''s fingernails were already beginning to grow out into ck ws.

    Everyone could tell that something was wrong here¡­

    Qin Lan drove for around thirty minutes until she realised something. Wait a minute¡­ didn''t she just pass that bar a little while ago?

    No¡­ it must be her imagination.

    She continued to drive but the familiar sight of the bar came into view every ten minutes as well as the motel and the series of shops.

    But this didn''t make any sense!

    Qin Lan was sure that she had been driving in a straight line so unless this small town had identical buildings¡­ it was impossible to go around in a circle!

    "Sister Lan¡­ did we pass that building before?" Liu Yifei asked curiously as she pointed at one of the houses.

    "Yeah¡­ girls I think that this ce is weird¡­ I''ve definitely driven pass those buildings and yet here they are again¡­" Qin Lan admitted with a slight frown on her face.

    The sun had now fully set, and darkness had fallen upon the small town which made the terrifying atmosphere even scarier.

    The only source of light came from the full moon which barely illuminated the road or the buildings to the side.

    Qin Lan''s frown got even deeper as she saw that the gas left in the tank was basically approaching empty.

    Her original n was to stop somewhere and refuel before driving some more until they reached a suitable site to set up camp.

    But now¡­

    "Liu Yifei can you give me a container of gas? I''m going to quickly refuel and then we can decide what to do next," Qin Lan calmly spoke as she hid the restless feelings in her heart.

    The original Qin Lan had never encountered a situation like this before, so she wasn''t sure how to proceed.

    The young teenage girl in the backseat snapped her fingers and arge red container filled with gas appeared out of thin air.

    Qin Lan thanked her and then took the red container and opened the door.

    Eve followed closely behind her almost like a bodyguard as she walked over to the back of the car.

    Thank goodness for Liu Yifei''s storage space otherwise Qin Lan wasn''t sure what she would have done in this situation.

    The ground beneath her feet felt unexpectedly¡­ soft?

    A puzzled expression shed across Qin Lan''s face as she knelt down and touched the hard asphalt.

    Her finger sank straight into the road as if it were butter.

 Chapter 149 Zombie Empress (80)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Region)

    (Unknown Location- Abandoned Ghost Town)

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as her finger sank straight into the road as if it were butter. What had just happened made no sense¡­

    Roads were made from asphalt and her finger should not have been able to sink into such a solid material.

    Wait¡­ what was going on?

    "Eve¡­e check this out¡­" Qin Lan softly whispered as she showed the zombie empress the strange phenomenon.

    Eve was also puzzled and used her ck ws to poke at the ground. Her ck ws sunk into the road quite easily.

    She kept going until her hand itself disappeared into the ground.

    The zombie empress withdrew her palm and discovered that the tips of her ck ws had been slightly dissolved.

    Night had fallen and the only source of light came from the full moon hanging in the sky. The buildings surrounding either side of the road suddenly appeared far more menacing.

    Qin Lan could have sworn that some of the buildings appeared to have moved slightly closer to the road as if they were capable of walking.

    She reached for the gun strapped to her upper thigh and flicked the safety cap off.

    There was definitely someone or rather¡­ something responsible for what was going on.

    Qin Lan closed her eyes as she could feel the warm feeling in her chest gradually get hotter and hotter.

    ck threads flowed out her mind and searched for any minds nearby which they could burrow into.

    Qin Lan intentionally avoided the two young girls sitting down in the car and for some reason her threadspletely bypassed Eve as well.

    Perhaps it was because she was a zombie, but Qin Lan got the feeling that her ability would not work on Eve.

    The ck threads flowing out of her mind entered every house within a five-kilometer radius of her location but found no minds to corrupt.

    Qin Lan frowned slightly and deactivated her ability just as she felt the urge to turn Gong Li and Liu Yifei into ythings.

    She took in a few deep breaths and then gently exhaled. Qin Lan focused on her breathing until the restless thoughts in her mind gradually calmed down.

    "There are only two possibilities," Qin Lan told Eve as she held up two fingers.

    "The first is that there is a mutated animal nearby and the second is that this is the work of a mutated nt¡­"

    Eve nodded and a thoughtful expression shed across her face.

    She had constantly been sniffing the air for any unknown scents but there was one ce where her sense of smell would be useless.

    If the enemy was hidden underground¡­

    Qin Lan didn''t notice Eve''s strange expression as she removed the gas lid on the car and lifted up the container to the open hole.

    She poured the gas stored in the container into the hole which took around a minute until the container waspletely empty.

    A cold breeze brushed against her face and a warm hand wiped the sweat that was beginning to form on her brow.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Thanks Eve," Qin Lan gently whispered as she gazed at the beautiful woman with affection evident in her gaze.

    Eve smiled sweetly and then knelt down on the ground. Once again, she pushed her hand into the road and her palm sunk into the asphalt.

    Qin Lan watched curiously since she wasn''t sure what Eve was hoping to aplish.

    Eve remained frozen in ce for a few minutes and then slowly withdrew her hand.

    It was a horrific sight.

    The flesh on her fingers had been melted away to reveal skeleton digits with thin pieces of nerves and muscle tissue still attached.

    Eve''s facial expression did not change as if she could not feel her injuries.

    Qin Lan rushed over in concern, but Eve raised up her hand and told her to stay back for now.

    The zombie empress took tworge sniffs of her palm and a satisfied smirk shed across her face.

    Found you¡­

    "What do you think you''re doing?" Qin Lan''s panicked voice interrupted Eve''s thoughts.

    The young woman approached the zombie empress and carefully lifted up her injured palm by her lower arm.

    "You need medical treatment right now!" Qin Lan insisted fiercely.

    Her harsh tone did little to mask the tremor in her voice as she looked at Eve''s injury.

    There was a part of her that felt a great deal of pain as she saw Eve''s hand.

    "I''m okay¡­ I''m okay¡­ see¡­ it''s gone now¡­" Eve gentlyforted her favourite human as the flesh began to grow back to cover her exposed fingers.

    Qin Lan did not smile, and she kept a careful watch on Eve''s hand to make sure that she was recovering as normal.

    Even though the logical part of her knew that Eve possessed regenerative abilities, Qin Lan could not stop these feelings of concern and worry from surfacing in her heart.

    She didn''t want to see Eve get hurt for any reason¡­

    "Don''t do that ever again¡­" Qin Lan fiercely warned as she lightly touched Eve''s fingers after they had fully healed.

    "I won''t," Eve promised as she tilted her head down and captured her favourite human''s lips in a soft lingering kiss that was full of passion.

    "I found the location of our enemy but next time I''ll let you know in advance what I''m going to do so you don''t get worried¡­" Eve said solemnly as she gazed into Qin Lan''s eyes.

    The zombie empress sniffed the air and pointed in a certain direction. The source of the scent came from a building several streets ahead.

    Qin Lan looked in the direction where Eve''s fingers were pointing and saw a run-down shop with a wooden door that was barely hanging on its hinges.

    The interior of the shop was full of darkness like the mouth of a beast that would devour its prey until there was no life left in its eyes.

    There was something about the building that unnerved Qin Lan. She felt as though every instinct in her body was screaming to stay away before it was toote.

 Chapter 150 Zombie Empress (81)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Region)

    (Unnamed Road- Abandoned Small Town)

    Qin Lan walked towards the car and lightly tapped on the window to get Liu Yifei and Gong Li''s attention.

    She opened the door and looked at both girls with a serious expression on her face.

    Liu Yifei could tell that something was wrong, so she immediately stopped talking and listened.

    "Girls as I''m sure you''ve figured out¡­ there is something strange about this town," Qin Lan softly spoke as she nced at a certain building.

    "Eve has tracked down the source of the weirdness to that shop over there and we are going to investigate."

    "I''m not sure what is inside so Gong Li, I want you in the driver''s seat so you can immediately flee the scene if something goes wrong¡­ is that clear?"

    "But Sister Lan¡­ we can help!" Liu Yifei eximed loudly as she snapped her fingers and weapons appeared out of thin air.

    "I know you can, but I don''t want to risk your safety against an unknown threat," Qin Lan gently exined as she tried her best not to let her fear show.

    After losing Liu Tao and Chen Xiao, it would be a lie to say that Qin Lan had been unaffected.

    There was a small part of brain that med herself for what had happened to the two young teenagers who were in her care.

    Thest thing that she wanted was for something to happen to Liu Yifei and Gong Li as well, so she refused to put them in harm''s way.

    "But¡­" Liu Yifei opened her mouth to protest but Qin Lan shook her head and stopped her fromining.

    "You aren''t ready yet, but I promise that I will keep training you over the next few weeks until you are," Qin Lan solemnly pledged.

    Liu Yifei was still feeling a bit unhappy, but a soft palm gently grabbed her hand and gave it two tight squeezes.

    Gong Liforted her girlfriend with a small smile and then nodded at Qin Lan. The young girl crawled from the backseat and sat down in the driver''s chair.

    She was not the best driver in the world but had gotten her learner''s permit a few months before the apocalypse.

    Qin Lan walked away from the car after she saw that both girls had heeded her warning not to get involved.

    "Ready to go?" Qin Lan asked Eve who was standing in front of the car and looking off into the distance.

    "Yeah¡­ I can still smell it¡­" Eve softly replied. The zombie empress sniffed the air twice and the scent lingered in her nostrils.

    It was hard to describe what it smelled like, and the closest approximation would be burning rubber mixed with the fragrant odour of freshly cut grass.

    A peculiar mix to say the least.

    Eve and Qin Lan had only fought together for a few weeks and yet they were perfectly in sync as they slowly approached the mysterious building.

    Qin Lan''s hand was steady as she held the gun in her palm and pointed it in the direction of the building.

    The warm feeling in her chest got even stronger as if her ability was being affected by the tense atmosphere and was struggling to get out.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Eve''s fingernails grew in a matter of seconds until they became sharp jagged ck ws that gleamed under the moonlight.

    Neither one of them knew what was inside the building where Eve had sensed the source of the threat was.

    The building where the threat resided was an abandoned shop with a wooden door that was barely hanging on to its hinges.

    A cold breeze brushed against Qin Lan''s face, and she could feel goosebumps rise up along the sides of her arms.

    There was something dangerous inside that building¡­

    Qin Lan''s instincts screamed at her to turn around and run and yet she continued to walk forward with no trace of fear or hesitation on her face.

    Eve followed closely behind, and her pitch-ck eyes scanned the nearby surroundings for any threats.

    The seriousness of the situation made Eve unleash her monstrous true appearance.

    Her body stretched and extended until she was over seven feet tall.

    Her face was now little more than skeleton with ayer of skin stretched tightly over her skull and lean powerful muscles could be seen on her arms and legs.

    Qin Lan nced at herpanion before turning her attention back to the building that was in front of them.

    She walked through the entrance, and something rustled inside the darkness of the abandoned shop.

    One could see arge wooden counter on the far side of the room with a metallic cash register that was covered in rust.

    This shop had clearly been some kind of general convenience store since Qin Lan observed canned goods, bread, basic hygiene products and other everyday items on the shelves.

    The cold metal of the gun in her palm reminded her not to get distracted. Eve sniffed the air and her pitch-ck eyes gleamed with an unknown emotion.

    She headed towards the back of the room where several thick wooden nks had been bolted over a door.

    The faint rustling noises got even louder as the two women approached the mysterious door that had been boarded up for some unknown reason.

    Qin Lan and Eve exchanged nces and without saying a word they both knew what message the other was trying to convey.

    The zombie empress kicked the door and it immediately shattered under the force of her casual blow.

    Eve''s enhanced strength could not be underestimated, and she was capable of breaking doors made from reinforced steel, so the wooden door never stood a chance.

    Beyond the broken door was a set of stairs that led down to a basement or some type of cer.

    ? Eve walked through the gap first and Qin Lan followed behind while cautiously looking around for anything suspicious.

    The women walked inplete silence as they descended the stairs and found themselves in a storage room where meat hung on racks.

    The room was incredibly cold, and Qin Lan could see a faint white mist whenever she exhaled.

 Chapter 151 Zombie Empress (82)

    (Xyrean Province- Inner Region)

    (Unnamed Road- Abandoned Small Town)

    There was something not right about this ce¡­

    Qin Lan tightly gripped the gun in her hand as she slowed moved forward while asionally stopping when she heard a noise.

    The inside of the storage room was barely illuminated, and one could only faintly see the chunks of meat that hung on hooks.

    The meat had already started to rot but strangely enough there were no flies buzzing around the carcasses.

    And the temperature¡­ why was it so low?

    Qin Lan could feel her body tremble slightly and goosebumps were already appearing along her arms and legs.

    Eve''s pitch-ck eyes could see perfectly fine in the dark and a frown appeared on the zombie empress'' face.

    The scent¡­ it was getting stronger.

    Eve sniffed the air a few times since it was hard to distinguish the smell in a room full of rotten meat.

    The zombie empress stretched out her ws and ripped apart the meat that was blocking her path forward.

    Qin Lan could not see very well but she was able to vaguely make out what Eve was doing and appreciated it.

    Thest thing she wanted was the smell of rotten meat on her clothes.

    The cold metal of the gun in her palm brought somefort to Qin Lan as she heard a faint rustling noise.

    Someone¡­ or something was down here¡­

    Maybe it was watching their every move. Waiting for the perfect time to strike¡­

    Qin Lan forced herself not to flinch as a faint beam of moonlight suddenly appeared on the opposite side of the cer.

    Where did that sudden beam of lighte from? Qin Lan walked towards it before stopping herself.

    "Eve¡­" Qin Lan suddenly spoke in a serious tone.

    "Yes?" Eve replied as she continued to move the hanging meat to the side.

    "Do you see that light?" Qin Lan asked softly as she pointed in the direction of the light.

    "What light?" Eve responded with confusion evident on her face.

    Qin Lan felt shivers go down her spine as she nced in the direction of the light only to see that it had disappeared.

    "I saw a beam of moonlight but then it quickly vanished¡­ it was over there¡­" Qin Lan raised her voice as she spoke.

    Eve frowned and sniffed the air once more.

    She didn''t smell anything from the direction where Qin Lan had seen the mysterious light, but it didn''t hurt to be careful.

    The zombie empress trusted her favourite human, so she assumed that what Qin Lan said was the truth.

    The faint rustling got even louder, and Qin Lan saw something dark and slimy moving along the ground to her right.

    Bang! Bang!

    Without hesitation Qin Lan pulled the trigger on her gun and fired two bullets in the direction of the mysterious thing.

    Qin Lan may have been feeling slightly scared before but when it came tobat, it was as though her fears immediately faded away.

    All she could think about was the enemy¡­

    The enemy that needed to be eliminated.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A horrific screech echoed through the storage room and the building itself seemed to tremble as Qin Lan fired off another shot with a cold glint in her eyes.

    She was a killer¡­

    Eve''s skeleton-like frame rushed over to the unknown creature, and she used her ws to rip apart its fleshy exterior.

    What looked like blood sttered on the floor and the creature let out a faint groan before shuddering.

    The zombie empress held up the corpse so Qin Lan could see what it was. It was not an animal like she initially assumed but rather part of a nt''s root.

    The root was thick brown tendril with a mouth somehow attached to its outer surface with razor sharp teeth.

    A mutated nt? Not good¡­ not good¡­

    Mutated nts were incredibly rare during the end times but without exception every single one of them possessed powerful abilities.

    Only humans with fire-based gifts were able to deal with them and even then, the loss of life was usually not worth it for the leaders of the bases.

    Several locations became forbidden zones once it was discovered that a mutated nt was living in that area.

    Eve also realised that they were dealing with a mutated nt and a rare look of seriousness shed across her face.

    Rustling could be hearding from around the cer and soon numerous brown tendrils emerged from the walls.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Qin Lan urately shot the approaching tendrils and then ced her gun back in her holster. She took out the knife attached to her hip and rushed forward without hesitation.

    I wish I had my long sword instead¡­

    A strange thought briefly surfaced in Qin Lan''s mind, but she immediately tossed it to the back of her mind.

    The young woman ducked and weaved through the endless barrage of tendrils while shing out with her knife.

    The technique and experience in her movements belonged to a veteran who had trained and fought for a lifetime on the battlefield.

    They did not belong to an office worker whose only struggles were dealing with a ten-hour work shift on a daily basis.

    ? Qin Lan''s body had been greatly enhanced after upgrading her ability, but she still felt as though she was a bit slow.

    She would perform certain moves and her body would respond a half a second slower than what she expected.

    Qin Lan tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoid a tendril with a mouth that unleashed a series of horrific cries and shrieks.

    Eve growled fiercely and her ck ws shredded any tendril that came within reach of her body.

    The zombie empress'' eyes werepletely hollow, and one could see wriggling veins just beneath the surface of her skin.

    Her twisted form got even more monstrous as Eve was determined to destroy everything that posed a threat to her favourite human.

    The fightsted for several long minutes until thest tendril had been cut off.

    Qin Lan took in a few deep breaths in order to calm down her excited mood. She looked down at all the chopped-up pieces of roots on the floor.

    What she had thought was blood was actually sap that leaked out of the tendrils that had been damaged.

    The sap had a sweet-smelling aroma that covered up the rotting scent of meat that was present in the cer.

    Qin Lan turned towards Eve and saw that she was holding a tiny green nt that was wriggling uncontrobly.

    "Found it¡­" Eve darkly growled before she closed her palm on the nt''s stem and crushed itpletely.

    The nt stopped moving immediately and cracks began to form along the walls of the cer.

 Chapter 152 Zombie Empress (83)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Base)

    Power always came at a price¡­

    Subject 001 kneeled over and vomited as he felt another burst of pain flow through his body. His skin was incredibly pale and mmy.

    Sweat ran down his brow as he tried his best not to copse on the ground. The hunger¡­ it was making him go insane.

    (Kill her¡­ Kill her¡­ kill her now!)

    (She''s mine¡­ she''s mine¡­ Liu Yifei is mine¡­)

    (Kill Qin Lan¡­ my sister¡­ SHE BETRAYED ME!)

    "Shut the fuck up!" Subject 001 roared in fury as he mmed his head against the wall and arge crack appeared.

    Qin Wei''s mind was proving to be more of a hindrance than he initially anticipated.

    The human whose body he had stolen had beenpletely assimted but therein lied the problem.

    Subject 001''s thoughts and desires had now been tainted by Qin Wei''s dark desires and it was driving him mad.

    Qin Wei''s hatred for his sister went far beyond Subject 001''s desire to kill Eve. The young teenage boy gritted his teeth in agony as ck blood leaked out of the corner of his eyes.

    "Get it together¡­ get it together¡­ get it together¡­" Subject 001 chanted over and over again as he tried desperately to drown out the voices in his head.

    Time slowly passed and eventually he was able to recover from his injured state. Subject 001 staggered over to a nearby bed and flopped down on the mattress.

    He stretched out one of his palms and pointed it at a nearby wall. A bluish portal appeared which led to an unknown location.

    Subject 001 coughed violently, and the edges of the portal trembled slightly as if it were about to copse.

    On the other side of the portal one could see a handsome muscr man with scars all over his body.

    The man was currently fighting off a zombie horde and lightning crackled between his fingertips.

    Wu Jing had gotten even stronger over thest couple of weeks. He was improving at a much faster rate than what Subject 001 had initially anticipated.

    Boom!

    Thick bolts of lightning erupted from the former soldier''s fingertips and reduced most of the iing zombies to ash.

    Their ckened bodies fell to the ground, and one could see purplish-ck crystals in the middle of their burnt skulls.

    Wu Jing finished off the remaining foes with ease and then spared a nce at the bluish portal that had suddenly appeared behind him.

    He walked towards it without hesitation and did not even spare a nce at the crystals on the ground.

    He could always get more¡­

    Wu Jing was confident in his ability and his strength¡­ in fact it bordered on arrogance.

    The former soldier stepped through the portal and appeared in the med bay of the secret military base.

    "I see that you''ve been recovering nicely after the run in with that mutated zombie at the school¡­" Subject 001 whispered in a mocking tone.

    There was a faint jealousy in his voice that neither he nor Wu Jing noticed. It was due to the influence of Qin Wei who could not stand seeing others more powerful than him.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes¡­ my body haspletely recovered thanks to the healing serums that you found in this ce," Wu Jing replied bluntly.

    "I thought that I was a dead before you opened the portal and pulled me out¡­"

    "Don''t you forget it¡­ you owe me your life," Subject 001 whispered softly.

    Wu Jing''s eyes darkened as he heard the teenage boy''s words but didn''t say anything.

    The former soldier reached into his pocket and took out a cigarette and a lighter. He flicked the small silver box and a me appeared.

    Wu Jing lit the cigarette and inhaled a heavy mouthful of smoke before gently exhaling. The foul scent of tobo lingered in the room.

    There was a long moment of silence in the room as neither one of them spoke.

    Wu Jing stared at the youthful teenager with numerous thoughts running through his mind.

    As he got more powerful¡­ was there any need to listen to such an insane child? Wu Jing was grateful that Subject 001 had save him but¡­

    He hated being ordered around.

    Wu Jing had always been a leader and yet he was nothing more than an obedient dog in the eyes of the teenager in front of him.

    Wu Jing lowered his head as he tried his best to conceal what he was really thinking. He needed the boy¡­ at least for now.

    As long as he collected enough crystals and aplished his goal of killing the monster that ughtered his squad¡­

    This young teenager would die by his hand.

    "Take some rest and I''ll send you to another location tomorrow," Subject 001 suddenly spoke as he gestured for Wu Jing to leave the room.

    The former soldier nodded respectfully and then put out the cigarette by squashing its burning tip using his fingers.

    There was no trace of pain on Wu Jing''s scarred face even as the flesh on his fingers ckened.

    The healing serum that Subject 001 had injected into his body had changed him in ways that no one could have foreseen.

    He left the med bay and headed for one of the empty barracks that had not been destroyed when Eve broke out of her containment chamber.

    Subject 001 waited until the sounds of footsteps had faded away into the distance and then hurriedly reached for the stash of crystals hidden under his bed.

    He opened his mouth and tossed in one after the other. Instead of pain, Subject 001 groaned in pleasure as he felt the voices in his mind gradually be silenced.

    He possessed two abilities but could not use either without suffering a massive bacsh which required crystals to heal.

    The first was the ability to establish a portal that connected two separate spatial locations while the second was the ability to sense nearby mutated zombies.

    The second ability was what he used to track down Subject 014 or what she called herself¡­ ''Eve''.

    Unfortunately, this ability could not be used often without suffering from side effects which is why he was forced to wait weeks before searching for his greatest enemy.

    Actually¡­ hmm¡­ maybe he shouldn''t use it anytime soon¡­

    Subject 001 thought for a bit and realised that by using his ability he was putting his enemy on guard for his next move.

    Rather than regrly attacking or spying every few weeks, it would make more sense to activate his ability at seemingly random intervals.

    That way Subject 014 would not realise the weakness of his ability!

 Chapter 153 Zombie Empress (84)

    (Heurn Province)

    (Fagong City- Outskirts)

    Qin Lan pressed the elerator gently as she drove the car towards the city looming in the distance.

    Heurn Province used to be a highly economically developed region, so the roads were well paved and maintained.

    There was one major city and a few small towns that they would need to pass through before they arrived at the location of the secret military base.

    Fagong City was the first stop on the list.

    Qin Lan nced at the city that was now a shell of its former glory. Fires could be seen burning in the distance and several buildings had copsed.

    Abandoned cars littered the road and one could see the corpses of men, women and children rotting away under the sun.

    The smell¡­ it was disgusting¡­

    Flies buzzed softly as they feasted on the carcasses, and one could observe tiny white maggots crawling through the rotting flesh.

    The end times¡­ was truly the greatest test that humanity had ever undergone.

    Qin Lan looked away from the bodies and focused on driving around the cars that were stranded in the middle of the road.

    Whenever the road waspletely blocked, Eve would exit the car and lift up the vehicles using only one hand.

    It was hard not to be impressed with her strength, Qin Lan smiled at the zombie empress who winked at her.

    Eve tossed the car several hundred feet away and it crashed to the ground with a heavy thump.

    She began walking forward and removing the other vehicles that were blocking the way.

    Clearly many people had attempted to flee the city using their cars once the apocalypse had begun.

    As for how many were sessful¡­ well the corpses on the ground told the unspoken truth.

    Hundreds of thousands had died¡­

    Even in the original Qin Lan''s memories, she was unsure of how many humans were left once a few years had passed.

    "Are you girls okay back there?" Qin Lan softly asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "We''re okay Sister Lan¡­ just need some water¡­" Gong Li hesitantly replied as she turned her face away from the direction of a young child''s corpse.

    It was hard for the two teenage girls to stomach such brutal sights even though they had seen many simr scenes before.

    There was small part of Qin Lan that envied them¡­ she didn''t know if there was something broken inside her, but she felt nothing as she looked at the bodies.

    It was as though she had seen death numerous times before and now, she was numb. An unfeeling monster¡­

    Qin Lan pushed those dark thoughts towards the back of her mind and focused on driving the car in the direction of the city.

    They were only a few hundred feet away when a loud shout came from behind a pile of cars along the side of the road.

    "Help! Help me!" a frail voice cried out. An elderly woman stumbled out from behind the cars and walked towards them.

    She appeared to be around eighty years old with heavy wrinkles covering her face and hands that trembled slightly.

    She wore a tattered brown jacket and a pair of pants that were toorge for her skinny legs.

    "I need food¡­ I need¡­" the woman stuttered slightly and then fell to the ground in an apparent unconscious state.

    "Sister Lan, are we going to help her?!" Liu Yifei quickly asked as she snapped her fingers and a first aid kit appeared out of thin air.

    Qin Lan raised up her palm and both girls were instantly silenced. She looked at Eve and the pair exchanged a knowing look.

    In the apocalypse nothing was as it seemed and blind kindness would only lead to ruin and despair.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and focused on the ck mental threads that existed in her mind.

    She activated her ability and the warm feeling in her chest got stronger and stronger.

    She extended the threads outwards and they travelled several feet away from her body. The threads bypassed the elderly woman on the ground and moved towards the pile of cars.

    "There you are¡­" Qin Lan darkly whispered as she sensed the minds of twenty individuals. She could not see any of their features but instinctively felt their malice.

    This was clearly a nned ambush designed to take advantage of good-natured survivors.

    Their actions would not go unpunished¡­

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she forced her mental threads to burrow inside the minds of every single one of the bandits.

    Break.

    Qin Lan thought of a simplemand and all it took was that single word for the bandits to be reduced to mere puppets.

    Their memories, thoughts, feelings, and emotions were all wiped away.

    Qin Lan shuddered and had to bite her lips to stop herself from moaning as she felt a surge of pleasure.

    This power¡­ it was incredibly addicting¡­

    The sinners¡­ the sinners must be punished¡­ in the name of Lord Var¡­

    A slight frown appeared on Qin Lan''s face as she opened her eyes and forcefully cut the connection between herself and her new puppets.

    No¡­ she had almost lost control.

    Qin Lan took in a few deep breaths and then gently exhaled in order to calm herself down. She silently counted to ten a few times in her mind before her ability finally deactivated.

    She opened the car door and walked towards the olddy who was still on the ground in a seemingly unconscious state.

    "Yourpanions behind the cars have just been taken care of," Qin Lan harshly whispered as she prodded at the old woman''s ribs using her foot.

    "Did they threaten you or did you do this out of your own free will?"

    Qin Lan''s question remained unanswered as the olddy pretended not to hear her voice.

    She did not believe that the in looking woman in front of her was capable of dealing with one of the most vicious gangs in the city.

    Qin Lan grabbed the olddy by the arm and lifted her up. She walked towards the pile of cars and felt the elderly woman tremble as she approached.

    Finally, Qin Lan stopped and tilted her head down to address the old woman who refused to open her eyes.

    "Look¡­" Qin Lan''s spoke in a hushed tone.

    Her voice seemed to carry an unspokenmand and the elderly woman found herself instantly obeying.

    She opened her eyes and saw a sight that she would never forget. Twentyrge men armed with home-made weapons were slumped on the ground.

    These men were well known rapists and murderers who terrorised the outskirts of the city and yet¡­

    Their eyes were all ssy and unfocused.

    They were like puppets whose strings had been cut¡­ only the faint up and down movement of their chests showed that they were still alive.

    "What¡­ what did you¡­" the elderly woman stuttered in shock.

    "Tell me¡­" Qin Lan''s soft whisper was like a poisonous viper slowly wrapping around the neck of its prey.

    "Where can I find their base?"

 Chapter 154 Zombie Empress (85)

    (Heurn Province)

    (Fagong City- Outskirts)

    "They¡­ they took my granddaughter¡­ I¡­ I had no choice!" the elderly woman stammered as she backed away from Qin Lan with fear in her eyes.

    Qin Lan smiled sweetly at the trembling olddy and quietly extended her palm until her fingers touched the woman''s throat.

    "Okay¡­ then where can I find their base?" Qin Lan said calmly but her fingers slowly tightened around the olddy''s neck.

    "I¡­ I¡­ they will kill¡­" the elderly woman hesitantly spoke. Qin Lan looked at the woman directly in her eyes and saw hesitation mixed with guilt.

    She was lying.

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and once again activated her ability that was screaming to be unleashed.

    Thin ck threads exited her mind and entered the head of the elderly woman.

    A connection formed between the two of them.

    Qin Lan had to force herself not to break the olddy''s mind and instead focused on scanning her memories.

    Hmm¡­ what a disgusting piece of shit¡­

    Qin Lan''s eyes narrowed as she discovered the shocking truth.

    The old woman in front of her was a scammer who worked with a certain gang called the ''Blood Hounds''.

    She would use her fragile looks to attract the sympathy and attention of passing survivors and then they would be ambushed by the gang members who were hiding nearby.

    The men were usually killed, and the women were taken back to the base¡­

    As for the base''s location¡­

    Qin Lan essed the rest of the memories in the elderlydy''s mind and then cut off her ability just before she turned her into a puppet.

    She reopened her eyes and saw the old woman shivering in fear.

    Qin Lan slowly took out the knife attached to her hip and allowed the scammer to see the de gleam in the sunlight.

    "You knew what those men would do to those kind survivors¡­ didn''t you?" Qin Lan quietly whispered.

    "Those kind survivors who tried to help out an elderly woman¡­ and what was their reward? To be killed or captured¡­"

    Her voice did not travel very far nor was it particrly loud and yet her words echoed in the old woman''s ears.

    How? How did she know?

    "No¡­ I¡­ I¡­" the elderly woman''s voice was abruptly cut off as Qin Lan swung her knife and sliced her throat.

    She copsed on the ground and began to convulse as blood leaked out of the open wound. Qin Lan stood by and did nothing even as the olddy began to whimper for help.

    She wanted the elderly woman to know a taste of the fear that the men would have felt as theyy on the ground helpless as their femalepanions were taken away.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows and stepped away from the elderly woman who had now gonepletely silent.

    Blood pooled around her corpse and soon it would be a feast for any zombies that passed by.

    Eve walked over and gently held Qin Lan''s hand. Even though her favourite human had an expressionless mask on he face, Eve could tell that she was feeling upset.

    "Eve¡­ Liu Yifei and Gong Li need to experience fighting against humans¡­ all of their training would be useless if they freeze up in a real fight," Qin Lan calmly spoke.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I''m going to take them to a nearby bandit den and even if they don''t fight¡­ I want them to see and understand how to be merciless¡­"

    "I just¡­ I just don''t want them to be victims."

    Qin Lan felt Eve''s gentle grip on her palm get even tighter as the zombie empress leaned down and nted a soft kiss against her cheeks.

    "Okay¡­ I''ll protect them," Eve softly promised as she raised up her left hand and yed with a strand of Qin Lan''s hair.

    The two women returned to the car where Gong Li and Liu Yifei were still waiting patiently inside.

    Qin Lan had dragged the scammer over to behind the pile of cars, so the two teenage girls did not know what had just urred.

    "What happened to the old woman?" Liu Yifei asked curiously.

    "She was part of an ambush by a local gang¡­ she would pretend to be injured to get survivors to walk over and then the gang members would attack them," Qin Lan exined in a bitter tone.

    "It was a trap that took advantage of humanpassion¡­"

    There was a brief moment of silence in the car and Qin Lan could feel a certain dark emotion rise up in her heart.

    Humanity were monsters¡­ maybe the world would be a better ce if¡­

    They were all her puppets or ythings.

    Qin Lan shuddered as the thought entered her mind and she quickly took in a few deep breaths before gently exhaling.

    "And the olddy¡­" Gong Li hesitantly spoke.

    "Dead along with the gang members," Qin Lan''s cold voice echoed through the vehicle.

    "Sister Lan I''m sorry¡­ I thought that¡­" Liu Yifei stammered out an apology since she thought that Qin Lan was upset.

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh and looked in the mirror. She saw the two young teenagers sitting in the back with troubled expressions on their faces.

    Maybe it was time for a difficult conversation.

    Qin Lan tapped her fingers against the side of her chair and thought about what words to say.

    "Liu Yifei¡­ I''m not mad at you. In fact, it is good that you are still able to be kind during the end times but¡­ blind kindness will only be taken advantage of," Qin Lan spoke in a serious tone.

    "No matter what the situation is¡­ you must be able to protect yourself before you attempt to help others."

    "Remember that in these times your enemies will be both zombies and humans¡­ and frankly speaking¡­ humans are the more terrifying of the two."

    "Do you understand what I''m saying?"

    Both girls nodded and Gong Li in particr had a thoughtful expression on her face as her hand subconsciously drifted towards the weapon attached to her hip.

    Truthfully there was a part of Qin Lan that wished that she could shelter these girls from the ugly reality of the end times but that would be doing them a disservice.

    If sometime were to happen to her, then these teenagers needed to know how to survive on their own and protect themselves.

    Qin Lan twisted the key in the ignition port as she spoke. The car shuddered to life as Qin Lan pressed her foot on the elerator and the vehicle sped off in a certain direction.

    She nned on taking a small detour before they continued on their journey to the secret military base.

    Qin Lan knew that she was no hero but the least she could do was make sure that there were a few less monsters in this broken world.

 Chapter 155 Zombie Empress (86)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Outskirts- Hidden Location)

    On the edge of the city was a warehouse located near the manufacturing district. It was surrounded by buildings that were either partially or fully destroyed.

    One could see men walking around the nearby streets holding make-shift weapons in their hands.

    Some were holding wooden bats, other were carrying knives and there was even one carrying what appeared to be a home-made firearm.

    There were tense looks on everyone''s faces since it was impossible to predict when a zombie would show up.

    This constant state of fear and tension ced these men under constant stress.

    If it weren''t for the fresh supply of women¡­ they would have already gone mad.

    Speaking of which¡­ thest batch had died so the boss had sent out a few teams to capture any female survivors left in the city.

    Of course, the teams would not venture too far inside in order not to cross the territories of the rival gangs and factions in the city.

    Food and water were a big problem.

    The only goods left were dried up noodles, canned food and what was scavenged from the nearby supermarkets.

    "Boys¡­ we got some beautiful women!" a yful voice yelled. One could hear the sounds of several loud engines as five cars drove towards the warehouse.

    The men patrolling outside the warehouse nced in the direction of the noise and saw a man casually jump out of a speeding vehicle.

    Hended on the ground with a heavy thump and cracks began to spread on the asphalt beneath his feet.

    He had a vicious scar running across the side of his left cheek and the wretched look on his face disyed his true twisted nature.

    The second inmand of the blood hound gang¡­ a man by the name of Huang Xiaoming.

    A convicted murderer who escaped from prison when the end times urred.

    He was blessed with a powerful ability of enhanced strength and had once crushed a woman''s skull using only his bare hands.

    He pped his hands the other cars parked along the side of the road.

    The doors opened up to reveal ten heavily armed men and five captured women who were kicking and screaming.

    The clothes on their bodies were made from high ss materials and it was clear from their unblemished skin that these were rich folk.

    Rope was tightly wrapped around their bodies to prevent them from escaping. They were tied up like mere cattle but that is what they were.

    A sadistic smile spread across Huang Xiaoming''s face as he tried his best to resist the dark urges rising up in his heart.

    These women were untouched¡­ at least for now¡­

    The boss always liked to have the first taste. Huang Xiaoming walked up to the women and looked them directly in the eyes.

    "Did you have a safe trip?" Huang Xiaoming whispered in a sweet tone.

    "Why don''t I tell you what''s going to happen next¡­ we are going to bring you to our boss who is going to rip off those clothes and¡­"

    His unspoken words hung in the air and every one of the women knew exactly what he was implying.

    "When he''s done¡­ all of us are going to get a turn¡­ does that sound good?" Huang Xiaoming whispered.

    There it was¡­

    Huang Xiaoming''s lips gently curved upwards as he saw the fear in their eyes. This was it¡­ the feeling of having the strength to make these bitches cower in terror.

    "No¡­ please¡­" the oldest woman in the group pleaded.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My daughter¡­ she''s only fifteen¡­ she can''t¡­ take me instead¡­"

    "Mom!" a young frail girl desperately pleaded but her mother refused to look at her and begged her captor to at least free her daughter.

    "Okay¡­" Huang Xiaoming pretended to be touched by the woman''s cries and then began to stroke his chin.

    "But you need to give something up¡­ why don''t you¡­"

    "I hate how you get to have all the fun before we send them to the boss," a low voice interrupted Huang Xiaoming''s speech.

    The second inmand turned around to see who dared to interrupted him when a heavy object struck the side of his back.

    "You think you are better than us just because you have an ability¡­ you are nothing more than human garbage¡­ I DESERVE AN ABILITY!" another voice shouted in rage.

    Bang!

    Huan Xiaoming staggered forward in shock and looked down to see arge open wound in the middle of his chest.

    It came from the man patrolling nearby who was holding a home-made firearm.

    The captured women screamed as blood sshed across their faces. What happened next would forever be imprinted in their mind.

    "YOU SON OF A BITCH I KNOW YOU SLEPT WITH MY WIFE!"

    "So what?! You going to do something about it? You think I don''t know you stole one of the girls for yourself?!"

    "Fuck off!"

    The men unsheathed their weapons and rushed towards each other with madness dancing in their eyes.

    The captured women were forgotten, and they huddled together as their captors began to fight among themselves with the aim to kill.

    Blood and guts sttered on the ground as the men fought desperately with no concern for their injuries that were beginning to pile up.

    Several hundred meters away, Qin Lan was hidden behind a nearby building with her eyespletely closed.

    She had decided to use her ability in a new way and her experiment turned out to be a sess.

    Instead of turning her enemies into puppets, she decided to amplify the jealousy and anger in their hearts that they felt towards each other.

    In a gang there was no sense of loyalty orradeship, so it was easy to exploit the past grievances that had built up in their hearts.

    "What the hell is going on?" arge voice roared from the direction of the warehouse.

    The heavy metalloid doors swung open to reveal a massive muscr man with several men around him.

    He was fairly good looking, but his handsome face was twisted with an expression of anger and rage.

    The man stretched out his palm and a fierce wave of fire erupted from his fingertips. The temperature in the surrounding area instantly rose by around ten degrees Celsius.

    He punched out and the wave of fire shot in the direction of two of the men who were killing each other.

    They both died immediately as the mes turned their bodies to ash.

    If the leader hoped that his disy of strength would send a message, then he was sorely mistaken.

    A vengeful smile spread across Qin Lan''s face as she manipted the ck threads to send feelings of anger and resentment towards the man with the fire ability.

    There was already some level of fear in the gang members'' hearts towards the man who imed to be their leader thanks to his powerful ability.

    And Qin Lan found it easy to turn that fear into hatred¡­

 Chapter 156 Zombie Empress (87)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Outskirts- Hidden Location)

    Bai Yu frowned heavily as he nced at the two corpses that were now burnt and ckened beyondprehension.

    The leader of the blood hound gang genuinely had no idea what had possessed his men to turn on each other.

    Surviving in these harsh times required relying on other people for protection.

    Bai Yu knew that his ability was powerful, but he was not the only one who was blessed with a gift.

    And those who were strong enough to set up permanent bases in the city attracted individuals with gifts to join their side.

    Everyone else was forced to form their own groups based in the outskirts of the city. Barely surviving and hoping not to draw the attention of the bigger fish in the pond.

    Bai Yu snapped his fingers and a warm orange me floated above his fingertips.

    Morale was pretty low¡­ maybe he should gift those women to his men directly to prevent bad feelings from developing.

    Some of his men were clearly resentful that they were only allowed to touch the captured women after he finished ying with them.

    "Listen¡­ I will make an exception and¡­" Bai Yu opened his mouth to speak when he was interrupted by a loud shout.

    "You piece of shit! I''m tired of working for you¡­ I WANT TO BE THE LEADER!" an angry voice shouted.

    Bai Yu turned around and saw one of his men rush at him with a knife clenched tightly in his palm.

    The leader of the blood hound gang did not panic and simply raised up his right hand in the direction of his would-be attacker.

    A roaring wave of fire erupted from the center of his palm and burnt the traitor to a crisp. Bai Yu furrowed his brows as he gradually began to realise that something was not right.

    Why were his men turning on him despite knowing that they would be unable to handle his ability?

    No¡­ there was something else going on¡­

    Bai Yu could not have imagined that every single one of the men surrounding him secretly exchanged nces with raw hatred burning in their eyes.

    The leader of the blood hound gang was a tyrant.

    He was a brutal criminal who would punish his subordinates for even the slightest mistakes and many of the men here had suffered his wrath.

    The rebellious feelings that his men held towards him were usually hidden because of their fear but now Qin Lan allowed their emotions to run freely.

    "Fuck¡­ you¡­ you bastard¡­" a man muttered quietly as he ran towards Bai Yu with madness clearly visible on his face.

    He was not alone and almost as if his charge was a signal, dozens of men rushed towards their leader with bloodthirsty expressions.

    Even the men who were fighting on the streets turned away from each other and joined the mob that aimed to kill Bai Yu.

    The captured women had no idea what was going on and they did not dare to even move a single muscle.

    "Come with me¡­" a soft voice whispered.

    The women were startled and managed to twist their heads in the direction of the noise.

    They saw a beautifuldy with gorgeous facial features that were so breathtaking that she appeared as though she was a goddess who hade down from the heavens.

    The mysterious stranger raised a finger to her lips and gestured towards the direction of the men who were now fighting their leader.

    Eve stretched out her hands and her fingernails extended outwards until they became ck ws.

    The zombie empress used her ws to roughly tear through the ropes binding the five women one by one until they were all free.

    Tears welled up in some of the women''s eyes as they stared at Eve with looks of gratitude.

    The zombie empress guided them away from the fight and helped the youngest girl from falling since her legs were slightly injured.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She honestly didn''t want to rescue these humans, but Qin Lan was busy right now manipting her ability and Eve got the feeling that she would have wanted her to save these women.

    Meanwhile Bai Yu was in a bit of trouble.

    He could handle a few opponents at a time but dozens of men rushing at him had thrown him off his bnce.

    "Have you all gone mad?! I am the only source of protection that you ungrateful fuckers have in this city!" the leader roared with fury.

    He activated his ability once more and burnt several men to death, but no one seemed to be deterred by his act of violence.

    Bai Yu cursed as he narrowly avoided a knife that aimed directly for his throat.

    He tilted his head to the side and felt a cold de brush against the side of his cheek. The leader raised up his hand to his cheek and felt a wet sensation.

    He was bleeding¡­ someone had managed to hurt him¡­

    "Get back you fuckers! GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME!" Bai Yu yelled as he unleashed a wave of fire that was over ten feet tall.

    Without hesitation he allowed the wave to m into his men and their screams echoed through the empty district.

    Bai Yu coughed violently, and thin flecks of blood escaped his lips. He could feel his body groaning with pain which meant that he had overexerted himself.

    Dark orangish-red mes were still burning on the ground as the leader slumped to his knees and tried to recover his breath.

    He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the unpleasant scent of roasted human flesh that entered his nostrils.

    "Truly impressive¡­" a cold feminine voice spoke. Bai Yu forced his tired eyes open and saw a woman standing over him.

    How did she get here? Who?

    The woman wore ck track pants and a leather jacket that fitfortably around her shoulders.

    She was incredibly in with a face that would get lost in a crowd and yet there was a dangerous aura around her that made shivers run down Bai Yu''s spine.

    It was her eyes.

    Bai Yu had grown up on the streets and had only seen eyes like those on the faces of the most brutal criminals.

    Qin Lan nced down at the injured gang leader and a memory from the original Qin Lan shed across her mind.

    Bai Yu would one day be the leader of Fagong City and would implement the harshest restrictions of women''s rights in the entire country.

    Under his rule, women were little more than breeding tools or rewards for his men. The amount of pain and suffering that he caused was unforgiveable.

    The original Qin Lan never got the opportunity to turn him into a puppet, but now he had fallen right into her hands.

    For animals like him¡­ they needed to put down rather than being kept alive.

    Qin Lan slowly approached the exhausted gang leader and extended the ck tendrils from her mind.

    She invaded his head and slowly took over control of his body. She left his consciousness intact because she wanted him to feel helpless just like the women who he abused.

    "Please¡­ have mercy¡­ I will fight by your side¡­ I will be a loyal dog¡­" Bai Yu groaned with great effort.

    He didn''t know what this strange woman''s ability did, but it was clear that she was the one responsible for his men turning on him.

    "When they begged¡­" Qin Lan softly whispered as she raised up her gun and pointed it at the gang leader''s forehead.

    "Did you have mercy?"

    Her finger slowly wrapped around the trigger, and she pulled without a second of hesitation or remorse.

    Bang!

 Chapter 157 Zombie Empress (88)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Outskirts- Hidden Location)

    Bang!

    The sound of a gunshot echoed through the air as the light slowly faded from Bai Yu''s eyes.

    Even in his final moments he could not believe that this mysterious woman had chosen to kill him without hesitation.

    He was one of the strongest ability users in the city¡­ he was¡­

    That was thest thought in the former gang leader''s mind as his body crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

    Blood leaked out of the small circr wound in the middle of his forehead.

    The bullet had passed cleanly through his skull so one could see pieces of brain matter on the ground beside him.

    Qin Lan lowered her weapon and slowly turned in the direction of a certain alleyway where two small faces were staring at her.

    She raised up her hand and gestured for them to walk over. Liu Yifei and Gong Li exchanged nervous nces before slowly walking over to the corpse on the ground.

    "Sister Lan¡­" Gong Li quietly whispered as she tried not to look at the body.

    "Did you both see how I dealt with him?" Qin Lan coldly spoke as she used her foot to nudge at the corpse.

    "Without mercy. For people like him¡­ they will slit your throat at the slightest opportunity. You must be prepared to kill or be killed in this fucked up world."

    "Good people do exist, and I am not trying to turn you both into cold blooded killers but when the timees to be ruthless¡­"

    "I hope that you remember what can happen if you don''t pull the trigger."

    Qin Lan pointed at a certain direction where Eve was walking over along with the five women who were rescued.

    They were incredibly fortunate to have been saved by Qin Lan and Eve since the other women who had fallen into the hands of the blood hound gang weren''t so lucky.

    Qin Lan''s unspoken implication silenced both teenage girls since they were not stupid. They knew that in the end times something death was a mercy.

    Women and children always suffered the most when societal order broke down.

    "Do you all have some ce to go?" Qin Lan gently asked as she put away her gun back in the holster attached to her hip.

    "Did¡­ did you do this?" one of the women hesitantly asked.

    "Yes¡­ I activated my ability and made them kill each other," Qin Lan inly replied without sugar-coating her words.

    An expression of fear shed across the face of the woman who asked the question, but another stepped forward and bowed.

    The woman who looked to be in herte forties nced at her young daughter who was still being helped by Eve to walk before opening her mouth,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Thank you¡­ if it wasn''t for you my daughter and I¡­ thank you¡­ thank you¡­"

    Sun Li was the wife of a rich and powerful CEO and yet she bowed her head before Qin Lan and thanked her desperately.

    She knew what could have happened to herself and her daughter. Those monsters would have never let them have a peaceful death.

    "My name is Sun Li and my daughter''s name is Sun Wei¡­ these three are my neighbours Zhou Xun, Tang Wei and Ning Jing¡­" Sun Li introduced herself and the other women.

    "We are travelling to a dangerous ce, but we can drop you off if you have somewhere to go," Qin Lan offered as she extended her hand and helped the woman to her feet.

    "My son¡­ he controls one of the bases in the city¡­ we were travelling to his location when¡­" Sun Li''s voice trailed off.

    She had been foolish.

    If she had only taken a second to consider that an unknown man calling out for help in an apocalypse was slightly suspicious, then perhaps she would not have put her daughter in danger.

    Growing up surrounding by wealth and privilege meant that thesedies had very little understanding of how the world really worked.

    The original Qin Lan had seen only a few of their type during the end times and unless they developed an ability¡­ their fates were usually quite unpleasant.

    "Okay we can drop you off at the base where your son is but that will be the extent of our assistance," Qin Lan firmly spoke.

    "But¡­" one of the women opened her mouth to protest but was silenced by a sharp look thrown her way by Sun Li.

    They should be grateful that their rescuers were kind enough to send them to a safe location rather than just leave them here.

    "Eve will take you all to the car to get settled. We have a few supplies so only take what you need to recover," Qin Lan softened her tone as she spoke.

    "Thank you¡­ we are unable to repay you but thank you¡­" Sun Li bowed her head a final time and walked towards Eve.

    Eve led the way to the car while the five women followed her closely. They were a bit scared of Qin Lan even though she had saved them.

    The zombie empress smiled slightly as she wondered what these women would think if they knew that she was a monster.

    Qin Lan waited until the group had turned a corner and vanished from her sight before turning to address Liu Yifei.

    "Don''t activate your ability while they travel with us. Remember that your gift will be highly sought after by many different forces so only use it as ast resort," Qin Lan sternly ordered.

    "I know sister Lan," Liu Yifei said seriously as she lowered her fingers.

    Truthfully, she was about to offer to give the women some extra food rations from her storage space before Qin Lan gave her a warning.

    "Remember to never reveal all of your cards, I told them that I made the gang members kill each other but I didn''t say what my ability specifically was¡­" Qin Lan spoke seriously.

    "They do not know the full extent of my gift. Perhaps they will assume that it is a form of mental control, but the unknown will make them wary."

    "Humans are afraid of the unknown so use that knowledge to your advantage. Never hesitate to exploit the weaknesses in your opponents."

 Chapter 158 Zombie Empress (89)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Inner Region- Garren District)

    Two cars slowly drove through the ruined city where dozens of zombies could be seen roaming around in the distance.

    Fagong city was now merely a shadow of its former glory.

    Skyscrapers had copsed, there wererge cracks in the road and broken windows could be seen everywhere.

    Fires raged in the distance and sewage pipes had exploded leaving suspiciously brown pieces of sludge in the drains.

    Some survivors had spray painted cries for help or obscenities on the walls that were still barely standing.

    Corpses were littered on the ground in various states of decay.

    It was hard to look at the ones from young children who were still being held tightly in their parents'' arms.

    Not all of the corpses were the result of zombie attacks.

    There were some with shards of ice in their skulls or pieces of metal embedded in their throats.

    Qin Lan nced at the driver seat mirror and saw the mother daughter pair sleeping blissfully in the back seat without a care in the world.

    Perhaps they had not gotten any sleep for the past few days and now a wave of exhaustion was affecting them both.

    The car behind them was driven by Gong Li and it was carrying the three remaining women who were rescued from the blood hound gang.

    It was fortunate that there were quite a few abandoned cars with keys still in their ignition port and gas left in their tank.

    sh!

    In front of the cars, Eve and Liu Yifei were currently fighting the zombies that wandered over because of the loud noise.

    Sweat ran down the sides of Liu Yifei''s brows as she held a knife in her trembling hands.

    She took in a few deep breaths as she tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided a zombie''s outstretched hands.

    The scent of rotting and decaying meat filled the air which caused her nose to wrinkle up in disgust.

    Eve had already dealt with the zombies on her side and was looking at Liu Yifei with an air of casual indifference.

    Qin Lan had told her to only intervene in the case of a life and death situation because Liu Yifei needed to learn how to fight on her own.

    Liu Yifei rolled on the ground ungracefully as she dodged a rotting foot that was swung in her direction.

    She scrambled to feet and ignored the dirt and grime that covered her legs. The zombie in front of her was a middle-aged man with arge gaping wound in his stomach.

    Pinkish intestines spilled out of his body and yet the zombie seemed to bepletely unaffected by the damage.

    Liu Yifei rushed forward and used her momentum to cut off the zombie''s neck in one fell swoop.

    She then raised up her foot and mmed it down on the still blinking head with all the strength that she had left.

    The head exploded and one could see a tiny purplish-ck crystal hidden inside the foul-smelling brain matter on the ground.

    Liu Yifei turned away and vomited. She felt sick.

    Everything about this situation made her want to give up and return to theke.

    And yet the teenage girl forced her head to turn around and walked towards the zombie''s crushed skull to collect the crystal.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She needed to get stronger.

    She needed to be able to protect Gong Li.

    "Good job. I will take the rest from here," Eve bluntly replied as she swung her ck ws and neatly bisected an iing zombie in half.

    Liu Yifei wanted to argue but her trembling arms and legs told her that she was in no state to continue fighting.

    She thanked Eve who gave her a small nod before walking towards the cars that were following close behind.

    Liu Yifei passed the car that Qin Lan was driving and entered the shotgun seat of the second car.

    She let out a heavy sigh and grabbed a bottle of water from the ground.

    "Are you okay?" Gong Li asked with concern evident in her voice.

    The three passengers in the back seat of the car gagged slightly since the zombies'' foul odours were still clinging on Liu Yifei''s clothes.

    Of course, none of them dared to mutter a word ofint since they were all afraid that these rescuers would leave them behind.

    "Yeah¡­ I just¡­ still getting used¡­ to all this¡­" Liu Yifei muttered quietly as she gestured towards the ruined city.

    "I know it can be a lot¡­ but I''ll always be by your side," Gong Li promised solemnly as she gave Liu Yifei''s hand two quick squeezes.

    Liu Yifei shot her girlfriend a grateful look and then unscrewed the top of her water bottle. She took a small sip and the cool liquid instantly made everything a little bit better.

    Gong Li was tempted to kiss Liu Yifei on the lips, but she didn''t know how her girlfriend felt about public disys of affection in front of strangers.

    She lightly stepped on the pedal and the car moved further into the city. Gong Li hummed softly as she tried her best to navigate the destroyed roads.

    She was a decent driver but could not avoid going over some bumps that made the car ride quite unpleasant.

    After around five hours of travelling, Qin Lan could see arge mall in the distance that was surrounded by a makeshift barricade.

    Cars had been piled up to form the firstyer of protection while the secondyer was arge wall made from rock and stone.

    There was only one entrance leading to the mall and it was guarded by men and women carrying knives and machetes.

    A few survivors dressed in rages or damaged clothing would approach the entrance and be directed to a side passageway where a man wearing a whiteb coat would examine them.

    Qin Lan stopped the car a few hundred meters away from the entrance but had already attracted the attention of the guards.

    A woman with a hideous scar across her face muttered something to the man beside her and walked towards their vehicles.

    "Are you sure that this is your son''s base?" Qin Lan asked the woman in the back seat who was now awake.

    "Yes¡­ he told me that his base was the old mall in the heart of the city," Sun Li replied with a trace of hesitation in her voice.

    Qin Lan sighed and unbuckled her seat belt. She opened the car door and approached the woman with an emotionless mask on her face.

    "What is your purpose?" the female guard asked sternly.

    "We''re here to drop off your boss'' family. A woman called Sun Li and her daughter do those names sound familiar to you?" Qin Lan replied in an even tone.

    There was no hint of fear or panic in her voice at the sudden interrogation.

    This was due the confidence that Qin Lan had in her ability as well as the fact that Eve was hiding just out of sight.

    One false move by the female guard and the zombie empress would kill her and everyone else that tried to hurt her favourite human.

 Chapter 159 Zombie Empress (90)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Inner Region- Garren District)

    "Leader Sun''s family?" the scarred woman asked skeptically as her eyes looked at the women sitting in the backseat of the car.

    "Do you have any proof of your identities?"

    Qin Lan nced at the mirror and saw Sun Li dig into her pocket and pull out a small brown wallet.

    She opened the wallet and took out a picture that had been printed on a faded white piece of paper.

    Sun Li stretched out her hand and gave the photograph to the female guard who looked at it carefully.

    The female guard raised up her palm and beckoned for herpanions to walk over. Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh when she saw how long the process was taking.

    Well perhaps this was to be expected.

    At least it was a good sign that the security inside this particr base was pretty strong.

    Not all bases in the original Qin Lan''s memories had such a rigorous checking process since the more people a base possessed corrted to more strength.

    "One moment," the female guard bluntly spoke as she walked a small distance away to meet with herpanions.

    They began to talk in hushed whispers while asionally throwing nces in the direction of the two cars.

    Qin Lan hummed softly as she tapped the side of the steering wheel.

    She could not see Eve but could instinctively tell that the powerful zombie was somewhere nearby.

    One false move by the guards and this ce would turn into a bloodbath. Qin Lan cracked her knuckles and tried to ignore the hot feeling in her chest.

    Her ability was impatient.

    It whispered to her to break the minds of the security guards and then they would be able to leave this ce.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows and silently counted to ten over and over in her mind before the feeling went away.

    She was grateful that she possessed such a powerful ability in the end times but could understand why the original Qin Lan sometimes referred to it as a curse.

    The ability to enter and manipte the minds of those around her was an addicting pleasure that was hard to forget.

    "May I offer youdies some words of advice?" Qin Lan suddenly spoke up and got the attention of the mother and daughter in the back seat of the car.

    "The only person that you can trust in the apocalypse is yourself. If you develop an ability, then I would rmend concealing it and practising in private."

    "Keep it as a hidden card¡­ even from your son."

    "My son promised to protect us¡­ we aren''t in any danger but thank you for your concern," Sun Li replied with a trace of irritation in her voice.

    Qin Lan shrugged her shoulders and didn''t say anything else. Clearly, she had struck a nerve with Sun Li because of her honest advice.

    Sun Li''s motherly love and trust in her son prevented her from even considering the worst-case scenario.

    Power corrupts and being the head of a base meant that you were in charge of the lives of hundreds or even thousands of people.

    Would Sun Li''s son be able to maintain his good heart when human nature inevitably revealed its ugly fangs?<novelnext></novelnext>

    At least the daughter seemed to be listening to her words since a thoughtful expression shed across the young girl''s face.

    Qin Lan closed her eyes and extended a single ck tendril from her mind. She controlled the mental thread and made it enter Sun Li''s daughter''s mind.

    Instead of breaking her will or turning her into a puppet, Qin Lan nted a small seed of knowledge that would only bloom under a specific circumstance.

    This seed contained the knowledge of how to upgrade an ability.

    Currently there were probably only a handful of people who had consumed the crystals from a zombie.

    Should the young girl develop an ability then she would mysteriously get the idea to wash a zombie crystal and consume it.

    Why did Qin Lan decide to help her out for no reason?

    Maybe it was because she feeling a bit soft-hearted and didn''t want the innocent girl to suffer.

    Qin Lan opened her eyes and saw the female guard walking over with a small frown on her lips.

    She opened her mouth and spoke in a rather impolite tone,

    "Your identities still have not been confirmed yet, but you do seem to be leader Sun''s missing family."

    "Please allow us to escort you inside the base and once we confirm that you have not been infected then we will take you to the boss."

    A relieved smile shed across Sun Li''s face as she eagerly got out of the car and helped her daughter to stand on her injured leg.

    The three other women in the second car saw what was going on and also left their vehicle and headed towards the guard.

    "Thank you for rescuing us," Sun Li politely spoke as she turned around and bowed towards Qin Lan.

    Even though she was still bit upset at the suggestion that her son could not be trusted Sun Li concealed her feelings and thanked Qin Lan sincerely.

    "No worries¡­ just do remember my advice and I hope that you both remain safe," Qin Lan gently replied as she waved at the young girl leaning against her mom.

    "Are you noting as well?" the female guard roughly asked.

    "No¡­ we just came to drop them off. We''re going to head towards Xyrean Province, there are less people there so it should be safe," Qin Lan casually lied as she leaned back.

    The female guard shot her a suspicious look, but Qin Lan smiled confidently and there was no trace of hesitation in her voice.

    She finally walked away with the five women who exchanged tentative looks of excitement and hopefulness.

    Qin Lan started up the car and drove away from the base. She honked her horn twice and the car that Gong Li was driving soon followed her path.

    She headed in the direction of Xyrean Province for around two hours before stopping the car and opening the door.

    "Eve is anyone following us?" Qin Lan softly whispered in a low tone. Her voice was no more than a mere whisper and yet she knew that Eve could hear her.

    A beautiful figure stepped out of the shadows with her pitch-ck eyes staring directly at Qin Lan''s face with love and affection.

    "Only for around the first hour and then they got bored and turned back," Eve replied casually as her ck ws gleamed under the sunlight.

    "Should I go back and kill them?"

    "No, it''s okay¡­ let''s travel along the outskirts of the city and then we can head towards the military base," Qin Lan suggested as she stretched out her armszily.

 Chapter 160 Zombie Empress (91)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Inner Region- St. Lrean District)

    One day had passed since Qin Lan had dropped off the five rescued women at the well guarded base and she hoped that they were doing okay.

    Hopefully Sun Li''s son was a kind leader who would remember to look after his family.

    These were still the early days of the apocalypse so not everyone had fallen into degeneracy or desperation just yet.

    But as the food supplies ran low¡­ the real test of humanity would begin.

    Supermarket supplies were finite and eventually the survivors would have to grow their own food.

    The problem was that not everyone knew how to and especially those in the city were unable to use proper agricultural methods.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as a few memoires from the original Qin Lan surfaced in her mind.

    She saw people who were little more than living skeletons with arms and legs that were painfully thin, the desperation on their faces as they begged for food¡­

    Qin Lan shook her head and tried to throw those ufortable thoughts to the back of her mind.

    Suffering and deaths were all toomon in the end times.

    It would probably take decades or even centuries for humanity to revert back to a peaceful society.

    Grrr¡­. grrr¡­grr¡­

    A horde of zombies approached her car from behind a nearby building. Their eyes were pitch ck and parts of their bodies were in various states of decay.

    Qin Lan saw one elderly zombie in particr who was missing an arm and both legs. She crawled on the ground like a worm with her rotting mouth wide open.

    The young woman turned her head around and motioned for Liu Yifei and Gong Li to get out of the car.

    The two teenage girls were travelling in her car now since Gong Li''s temporary vehicle got a t tire a few hours ago.

    "Are we going to be fighting sister Lan?" Liu Yifei asked curiously as she snapped her fingers and tworge knives appeared out of thin air.

    "Yes¡­ I want to continue to hone your skills in real worldbat," Qin Lan replied seriously as she opened the car door and got outside.

    The scent was unbearable.

    The rotten corpses that littered the ground would make anyone want to throw up but now Qin Lan merely wrinkled her nose.

    Humans were incredibly adaptive creatures and for some reason Qin Lan had never been affected by the deaths that she witnessed since the end times had begun.

    "Gong Li, I want you to only fire three bullets and make sure that they hit the targets that I am going to point out," Qin Lan calmly spoke.

    Gong Li nodded solemnly and reached for the handgun that was attached to her hip. She pointed the firearm at the iing horde of zombies.

    There was a reason why Qin Lan had only taught Liu Yifei about close rangebat.

    As an ordinary human girl, Gong Li simply did not have the strength to face enhanced humans or even zombies when they evolved.

    Getting into close range without the reflexes of an individual with an evolved ability was basically a death sentence.

    Gong Li''s greatest strength would be her ability to use firearms and Qin Lan hoped that she would be able to protect herself.

    "Eve¡­ don''t get involved unless it is necessary," Qin Lan spoke calmly. She saw a vague humanoid figure nod from somewhere in the distance.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The zombie horde was quickly approaching so Qin Lan nced at her student and waited for Liu Yifei to make a move.

    Liu Yifei took in a few deep breaths in order to steady her nerves and walked forward while holding the knife in her palm.

    She waited until the zombies were two hundred meters away before dashing forward towards the horde.

    Qin Lan shook her head when she saw her student''s reckless behaviour. Clearly, she needed some additional training.

    Liu Yifei swung her knife and neatly cut off the head of a zombie who was wearing a police uniform.

    She dodged to the side just as a hand with rotting fingernails swiped at where she had been standing just seconds ago.

    "Gong Li¡­ hit the one at the back," Qin Lan coldly spoke as she pointed at a tiny child-like zombie who was currently snarling like an animal.

    The young teenage girl by her side raised up the handgun and her fingers slowly curled around the trigger.

    Bang!

    A single shot echoed through the destroyed city and the child-like zombie stumbled backwards in shock.

    There was arge bullet hole in the middle of its forehead, and it soon crashed to the ground with ck blood leaking out of the wound.

    "Good job," Qin Lan was not stingy with her praise as she patted Gong Li on the shoulder.

    A faint smile shed across the teenage girl''s face as she realised that her hard work had paid off.

    "Liu Yifei keep being aware of your surroundings! Don''t focus on just the enemy in front of you! Pay attention to the ones in the background as well!" Qin Lan shouted as she observed the fight.

    Liu Yifei certainly had decent fighting skills, but it was clear that she still needed some experience in realbat.

    Actually, the rate at which Liu Yifei improved was truthfully a little bit shocking. It was like she was the darling of heaven¡­

    Qin Lan smiled as she dismissed that ridiculous thought from her mind. There was no way that Liu Yifei could be the heroine of this ne.

    "That one¡­" Qin Lan softly whispered as she pointed at a zombie who was sneaking up on Liu Yifei from behind.

    Gong Li focused on her breathing and could hear the steady thumping of her heart as she lined up her gun for the next shot.

    She let out a heavy sigh as her finger once again curled around the trigger.

    Bang!

    The zombie sneaking up on Liu Yifei fell to the ground as a significant portion of his head exploded into pinkish red pieces.

    This brutal training continued for around thirty minutes until thest zombie fell motionless to the ground with a knife sticking out of its eye socket.

    Liu Yifei dropped to her knees and forced herself not to throw up as she looked at the blood, guts and chunks of flesh that stained her clothes.

    Qin Lan walked over to the exhausted girl and gently ruffled her hair. She was very proud at the progress that both teenagers had made.

    "Go and get cleaned up¡­ I''ll take care of the crystals," Qin Lan warmly spoke as she helped Liu Yifei to her feet.

    Liu Yifei was too tired to respond with anything other than a small nod. Gong Li walked over and helped her girlfriend get back to the car.

    Qin Lan smiled as she observed their cute interaction before bending down to dig for the crystals inside the zombies'' crushed skulls.

    It was a difficult and very gross process.

 Chapter 161 Zombie Empress (92)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Outer District- St. Roxen za)

    "Hey, did you hear the rumors?" a thin frail man whispered to someone who was currently lying down on the ground.

    The woman on the ground opened her eyes and looked at the man with a great deal of irritation in her gaze since he had woken her up.

    St. Roxen za was a currently being used as a refugee center by the military personnel who had been stationed in Fagong city.

    For now,w and order had prevailed, and the military officers had executed anyone who disturbed the peace.

    But as the supplies ran lower and lower¡­ it was clear that eventually something had to give.

    The frail man knew what would happen once supplies eventually ran out.

    Chaos.

    This was not the first time that he had attempted to join a base since his ability made it easy to slip in and out of trouble if necessary.

    Plus, staying in bases helped him to gather information about the city. People came to the bases from all over which made it easy to find out thetest news.

    For instance, there was a mutated zombie in the northeastern part of the city who had the ability to lower the nearby surrounding temperature to sub zero levels.

    Or tales about the brutal bandits who roamed around the outskirts of the city fighting each other for control of more territory.

    Stupid idiots¡­ as if they could afford to weaken themselves with pointless infighting. The frail man sighed as a certain memory shed across his mind.

    He shook his head and turned his attention back to the woman who stared at him with a slight frown on her face.

    "As I was saying¡­ there have been whispers that someone has been cleaning up the brutal gangs and warlords in the city," the man leaned in closer and softly spoke.

    "There have been witnesses who swear that the culprit is a in woman in her mid tote twenties."

    "A single woman?" thedy on the ground raised up her eyebrow in disbelief.

    "Yes¡­ no one knows what her ability is exactly, but she leaves no survivors whenever she decides to eliminate an organization," the man replied solemnly.

    "And how urate are these rumors?" the woman asked curiously.

    The frail man simply shrugged his shoulders and the corners of his lips gradually curved upwards. He walked away from the woman and his body seemed to vanish into the shadows.

    Some would dismiss such oundish rumors, but the man knew that in these times anything was possible.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Meanwhile a few kilometres away¡­)

    "Please have mercy¡­ I just watched! I couldn''t stop him¡­ IT WASN''T MY FAU¡­" a voice trailed off as a single shot echoed through the room.

    Qin Lan coldly watched as the man''s body slumped to the ground motionless with a small hole in the middle of his skull.

    She stood in the middle of a store with dozens of bodies around her. These corpses belonged to mostly men but there were a few women as well.

    This gang had terrorised the suburbs of the city and had intentionally lured survivors over to their base with false promises before brutalising them.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as she retracted the ck mental threads back into her mind. Her ability was getting stronger and stronger by the day.

    The more she used it¡­ the more addicted she felt to the pleasure that it provided.

    It was a vicious cycle and one that Qin Lan was barely keeping a grip on.

    You, okay?" Eve walked over from the other side of the room and gently touched her favourite human''s shoulder.

    "Yeah¡­ my ability is just acting up¡­ give me a second¡­" Qin Lan muttered as she stood on her tip toes and pressed her lips against Eve''s.

    She enjoyed the pleasant sensation of kissing her¡­ well not girlfriend but¡­ maybe lover?

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows and just focused on the kiss. She still had yet to respond to Eve''s confession because it never seemed like a good time.

    The pair remained frozen in ce for a few minutes before Qin Lan finally broke away. She giggled at the lovestruck expression on Eve''s face and the unpleasant feeling in her heart vanished.

    "Come let''s rescue the survivors," Qin Lan gently spoke as she walked towards the back of the store.

    There was a locked wooden door that led to the storage room. Qin Lan kicked it open and saw seven people huddled together on the ground with terrified expressions on their faces.

    "They are dead," Qin Lan''s cold voice echoed through the room. She nced at trembling survivors and walked away.

    The survivors did not seem to be outwardly harmed and in better circumstances Qin Lan would stay tofort them, but she didn''t have the time.

    They had one more gang to eliminate before the end of the night.

    The survivors would eventually work up the courage to leave the room and there were enough supplies in the store tost them for a couple of days.

    Qin Lan and Eve walked out of the store and headed for the car that was parked on the side of the road.

    A few dozen zombies surrounded the car, and a young teenage girl could be seen fighting them off using two knives.

    Eve''s fingernails extended slowly until they became sharpened ck ws. She stepped forward to join the fight, but a hand gripped her shoulder.

    "Wait¡­" Qin Lan whispered as she carefully observed her student''s movements. Liu Yifei had improved at a rate that was scarcely believable.

    Her body was able to duck and weave through the crowd of zombies and whenever her hand shed, another head would crash to the ground.

    There was not a trace of panic on her face as she dealt with the zombies however her nose did wrinkle slightly when their blood and guts fell on her body.

    Meanwhile one of the car windows was down and Qin Lan could see the end of a gun sticking out of the window.

    Gong Li''s aim was incredibly steady as she pulled the trigger and a bullet prate the skull of the zombie sneaking up behind her girlfriend.

    The rapid improvement of the two girls over thest few days brought a small smile to Qin Lan''s face.

    She felt more confident in their ability to survive the end times should something happen to herself or Eve.

    The only concern that Qin Lan had was that neither girl had yet to kill a human yet so she was a bit worried that they could freeze up at a crucial moment.

    Maybe she should allow them to deal with thest gang that needed to be eliminated.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows since a part of her was ufortable with forcing two young girls to learn how to kill.

    Today would be theirst day in Fagong City and then it would only be a short thirteen-hour journey to the secret military base where Eve was created.

    And where Subject 001 could be found¡­

 Chapter 162 Zombie Empress (93)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Outskirts- Lyon District)

    Qin Lan tapped the side of the steering wheel as she drove the car towards the outer limits of the city.

    She nced in the rear-view mirror and saw Liu Yifei and Gong Li leaning against each other with their eyes closed.

    Both girls had fallen asleep after an intense night of nonstop fighting. Gong Li was snuggling up to her girlfriend with a very happy smile on her face.

    The pair looked absolutely adorable.

    Qin Lan had initially nned on making them face human opponents but decided against it when she saw their exhausted expressions.

    Perhaps the only silver lining in the end times was that there was no shortage of vile human pieces of shit so the two girls who have many opportunities in the future to practice their skills.

    Eve was currently walking ahead of the group and using her enhanced strength to clear the overturned cars and vehicles that were blocking the road.

    She roared loudly as her body transformed into its true appearance. Her height became over seven feet tall, and her physique was now almost skeleton-like.

    The ck ws on her hands extended outwards and their edges gleamed under the light of the sun that was now beginning to peak over the horizon.

    She was a horrific monster and yet Qin Lan felt no fear as she looked at her terrifying visage instead, she felt a connection of love and warmth.

    It was as though something deep inside her was telling her that Eve was an important person in her life that she needed to protect.

    Qin Lan''s lips gently curved upwards as she made a decision in her heart.

    She nned to confess her true feelings after they killed Subject 001, and the threat was gone.

    The young woman gently increased the weight of her foot on the elerator and the car drove even faster.

    It was strange that amidst all the destruction and despair of the ruined city, Qin Lan felt a small amount offort from watching the sun rise.

    Life would go on.

    All they could do now was adapt to the new changes in the environment and hopefully survive.

    Qin Lan focused on the mental threads in her mind and extended them outwards. She felt her chest get hotter and hotter as she manipted her ability.

    After using her ability so often, Qin Lan was now capable of multi-tasking without worrying about crashing the car.

    The threads travelled hundreds of meters away and eventually converged on a central supermarket whose doors were wide open.

    Qin Lan could sense around thirty minds hidden inside. Minds that she could corrupt, break or control¡­

    Multiple threads entered the minds of everyone inside the supermarket and only the sole ability user offered some form of resistance, but he was quickly overwhelmed.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she scanned their memories and discovered that this was the final gang that she had left to eliminate.

    They began as a group of survivors just trying to escape the hellish city but as the days passed and tensions gradually emerged¡­

    The ugliness of human nature was revealed.

    Qin Lan stopped reading their memories as she saw images of what these men had done to the other survivors who had crossed their path.

    They beat, robbed, and assaulted others for supplies in the beginning and then eventually just for the pleasure of feeling strong and powerful.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She frowned slightly and then with a single thought, she broke the minds of every single person in the supermarket.

    (Kill yourself)

    Qin Lan''s brutal order was simple and effective.

    Her mind control ability was so powerful that it rewrote the human body''s instincts for self preservation.

    Each of the men began to m their heads against the supermarket floor until their skulls cracked and blood ran down their foreheads.

    Qin Lan cut off the connection between herself and the gang members as she reached for the bottle of water near her foot.

    Calm down¡­ calm down¡­ calm down¡­

    Qin Lan stifled a moan as she felt the familiar rush of pleasure hit her body all at once as her ability hungered for more.

    The car silently drove forward for a few hundred meters as its driver wrestled with her dark urges and desires.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li were still asleep andpletely oblivious to the mental threads that lingered just outside their bodies.

    Qin Lan grabbed a cleaned purplish-ck crystal and tossed in her mouth without hesitation. The sharp bursts of pain that erupted across her body finally helped to clear her mind.

    She reached for another crystal and swallowed it. It felt as though thousands of needles were simultaneously entering her body all at once.

    Upgrading an ability was incredibly agonising process but for once Qin Lan was grateful for the pain since it helped her to regain her sanity.

    She rubbed her fingers along the side of the steering wheel and saw Eve slowly approaching the car with blood and guts all over her ck ws.

    All the vehicles that had been blocking the way out of the city were now gone so it was possible to leave without trouble.

    The zombie empress reverted back to her beautiful human appearance and opened the door to the passenger seat.

    Qin Lan smiled at her and opened the glovepartment to hand Eve a few wet tissues to clean up her body.

    "Thanks," Eve softly whispered as she took the wipes from Qin Lan''s hand and began to clean herself up.

    It wasn''t exactly perfect but without a source of water nearby, this was the best that they could do under the circumstances.

    "How long will it take to reach the military base?" Qin Lan asked curiously.

    "Roughly one day and a few hours at our current speed¡­ I''m just worried that he will be able to sense me like how I can sense him¡­" Eve replied solemnly.

    "Hmm¡­ we can''t afford to lose the element of surprise¡­ what is the range of your senses?" Qin Lan whispered quietly.

    "Five kilometres¡­ I don''t believe that Subject 001 has better senses than me so he should be roughly the same or less¡­" Eve gave the matter some thought and then replied.

    Qin Lan focused on the road ahead, but numerous thoughts were running through her mind. This was their best shot to eliminate the test subject who wanted to kill Eve.

    They could not mess this up.

    The car drove in silence for a few minutes before Qin Lan opened her mouth and told Eve what she thought was the best n,

    "Alright so what we need to do is¡­"

 Chapter 163 Zombie Empress (94)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Outskirts Of The City)

    "Absolutely not!" Eve spoke harshly as she listened to the insane n that her favourite human had just suggested.

    "Listen¡­ I know that this n takes a certain amount of risks but it is the only way that we can maintain the element of surprise," Qin Lan softly whispered.

    "Eve¡­ I don''t want this threat hanging over our heads for months or even years. We need to deal with it now."

    "We knew that it would be dangerous from the beginning¡­ I understand the risks¡­"

    The zombie empress frowned unhappily as she turned her head away and refused to look at her favourite human.

    She felt deeply unhappy that Qin Lan wanted to put herself in harm''s way. Especially considering that she did not want anything bad to happen to her favourite human.

    Qin Lan smiled gently and leaned in closer to nt a small kiss against her cheek. She stretched out her hand and touched Eve''s palm.

    Eve''s skin was cool to the touch, but Qin Lan still enjoyed holding and getting close to her. She squeezed Eve''s hand twice and then turned her attention back to the road.

    There was a brief moment of awkward silence in the car as both women did not know how to break the strange mood.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li were still sleeping in the backseat while Eve refused to say a word. Qin Lan let out a light sigh since she knew that Eve would be unhappy.

    But there was no other choice.

    Subject 001''s ability to sense Eve meant that it would be impossible to ambush him sessfully if Eve was part of the group.

    The only ones who could approach without being caught were herself and the two teenage girls.

    Even then Qin Lan nned to rub pieces of dead zombie meat all over their clothes in order to hide their scents.

    The n that she had was to approach the military base disguised as regr zombies and infiltrate thepound.

    Once they found Subject 001, Qin Lan would notify Eve somehow and she would step within the sensing range of the monster.

    He would undoubtedly be distracted for a brief moment and that would be enough for Qin Lan to kill him.

    It was simple and straightforward n with numerous ways that it could go wrong but that it was the best that Qin Lan coulde up with under the circumstances.

    The only part that she hadn''t figured out yet was how to notify Eve from several kilometres away.

    The method she could think of was to use a puppet to make some sort of signal when she wanted Eve to move within range.

    But then she would need to break the mind of someone¡­

    Qin Lan was disguised at how indifferent she felt at the thought of shattering someone''s consciousness and turning them into a ything.

    She needed to be careful when using her power¡­ it was incredibly addicting, and Qin Lan did not n to be like one of the monsters in the original Qin Lan''s memories.

    Those who used their abilities to abuse and hurt the innocent.

    "At the first sign of danger¡­ I want you to run," Eve''s soft voice interrupted Qin Lan''s musings. The zombie empress turned to face her favourite human with a serious look in her eyes.

    "Promise me that you will run away if things get even slightly dangerous."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I promise," Qin Lan swore with a determined expression on her face. She did not know what would happen in the future but had no n to throw her life away.

    She still needed to aplish her mission to eliminate the viiness of this ne and she also wanted to live a lifetime with Eve.

    Qin Lan felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in her heart when she saw the relieved look on Eve''s face.

    Eve genuinely cared about her, and it was obvious from her actions that she loved her very much.

    Fuck it.

    What was the point of waiting for the perfect opportunity when she could be killed anytime during the apocalypse.

    Qin Lan gently pressed her foot against the break and the car shuddered to a halt. She grabbed Eve''s shirt and pulled her in until their lips were mere inches apart.

    "I''m going to give my answer to your confession," Qin Lan said solemnly as she carefully gazed at Eve''s face.

    She was truly beautiful. Her facial features were absolutely perfect. Sharp angr features, unblemished skin and plump rosy lips that were incredibly kissable.

    Qin Lan leaned forward and captured Eve''s lips in a passionate kiss that took both of their breaths away.

    She stuck out her tongue and explored Eve''s mouth in a disy of boldness that shocked even Qin Lan herself.

    Eve moaned softly as she felt her favourite human''s warm touch. Qin Lan closed her eyes and enjoyed the sweet sensation of kissing the one she loved.

    The kiss onlysted for a few minutes and yet it felt like an eternity before Qin Lan opened her eyes and broke away.

    "I love you¡­" Qin Lan happily whispered as she raised up her hand and caressed the side of Eve''s cheeks.

    "I love you too," Eve immediately replied as a faint reddish blush began to spread across her face.

    Qin Lan smiled sweetly and then turned her attention back to the road. She ced her foot on the elerator and gently pressed down.

    The car drove forward into the night and this time the quiet atmosphere in the car had a tinge of sweetness.

    Qin Lan was in such a good mood that she was able to ignore the rotting corpses and bodies thaty on the side of the road.

    The nearby zombies were attracted to the loud engine noises, but Qin Lan drove too fast for them to catch up.

    "Eve¡­ I just have to ask¡­" Qin Lan hesitantly spoke.

    "Why me? I mean¡­ you are so beautiful and strong. Why did you fall in love with me?"

    The zombie empress thought about it for a few moments and then opened her mouth to reply,

    "I felt a connection to you that made me seek you out, but it was only after getting to know you that my heart felt warm andplete."

    "A connection?" Qin Lan asked curiously.

    A blurry memory briefly surfaced in her mind, and she could vaguely make out two feminine figures standing next to each other in some kind of ceremony.

    Unfortunately, the memory disappeared just as quickly as it surfaced, and Qin Lan was left with more questions than answers.

 Chapter 164 Zombie Empress (95)

    (Outskirts Of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    "Fuck... I... cough... let... me... cough!" Subject 001 bent over in pain as he vomited all over the floor.

    He staggered to his feet and walked over to the fresh corpse that wasying on the ground. It belonged to a human that Wu Jing had killed a few days ago.

    Subject 001 had grabbed it when Wu Jing had not noticed because he did not want the human to be more cautious of him.

    He was not stupid.

    Wu Jing clearly wanted to use him. That ungrateful son of a bitch...

    Well, no matter... he would die immediately after he outlived his usefulness...

    A sadistic smile spread across the face of the young teenage boy as he threw back his head andughed hysterically.

    Qin Wei''s influence on Subject 001''s mental state could not be ignored.

    Subject 001 had intended to discard the memories and influence of his human host, but the opposite had urred.

    Qin Wei''s memories had assimted into his psyche and now the young human''s wants, needs and desires were now his as well.

    He felt an overwhelming sense of hatred towards his sister... no... his human host''s sister Qin Lan...

    As well as a feeling of lust and desire for a girl called Liu Yifei.

    Subject 001 groaned in pain as he felt another pang of hunger. He approached the corpse and his jaw unhinged far wider than any normal human''s jaw was capable of moving.

    He took a bite of the rotting flesh and pleasure unlike anything that he had ever felt flooded his mind.

    Subject 001 ripped into the corpse''s body and hungrily devoured its flesh, organs and chunks of meat that remained.

    He couldn''t get enough.

    Subject 001 had never needed to eat human meat in order to sustain itself but after fusing with Qin Wei''s body, he needed the sustenance that it provided.

    He was like a savage beast as he knelt on the floor and hungrily bit into the reddish meat.

    Subject 001 did not know how much time had passed but when he regained his senses, the corpse was now nothing more than a skeleton.

    He looked down at his military uniform and discovered that it was now covered in blood, guts, and other filth.

    "Great... now I need to change..." Subject 001 spoke in an annoyed tone. The young teenage boy got up from the ground and walked towards the barracks.

    The secret military base had been mostly destroyed after Subject 014''s rampage but there were quite a few buildings that were still rtively intact.

    As Subject 001 wandered through the militaryplex, he was suddenly struck by a wave of nostalgia.

    In a way he had to thank Subject 014... without her help he never would have been able to escape that containment chamber.

    This feeling of gratitude was not enough to persuade him not to kill his fellow test experiment, but he did appreciate her actions.

    Grrr... grr... grr...

    A pack of wild dogs appeared from behind the shadow of a nearby building and Subject 001''s lips slowly curved upwards.

    "Feeding time..." he gently spoke.

    Subject 001 reached into his pocket and pulled out a small knife with an edge that gleamed under the sunlight.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Without hesitation he cut off several of his fingers and tossed them in the direction of the pack of wild dogs.

    The dogs sniffed at the fingers a few times before the bravest among them took a bite of the digit that was covered in blood.

    Seeing that he did not suffer any ill effects, the rest of the pack dug into the free meal. Subject 001 waited patiently to see what would happen next.

    One by one the dogs stiffened and then dropped to the ground. The hair on their bodies fell off and one could see muscles beginning to form under their skin.

    It was a painful and agonising process. The dogs yelped in pain as their bodies expanded, their fangs lengthened, and their eyes got even wider.

    Subject 001 stretched out his injured palm and watched indifferently as his missing fingers slowly regenerated.

    He ced the knife back in his pocket and continued on his way to the barracks.

    The dogs were still in the middle of their transformation process which would take around two to three hours in order toplete.

    Subject 001 had discovered early on in the apocalypse that his blood and body parts had the ability to turn living creatures into mutations.

    The converted organisms would feel a vague sense of loyalty to him. Not enough for him tomand them but enough so that they would stay by his side.

    Facing Subject 014 in battle was incredibly risky so Subject 001 wanted to take his time to build up his forces.

    There was no need to rush.

    Thanks to his ability to create portals, all he needed to do was activate the link between himself and Subject 014 and he would be able to sense her location.

    Of course, activating the link ced a tremendous amount of strain on his body so it was not something that he could do often.

    The young teenage boy hummed a soft tune as he saw the familiar looking sight of the barracks in the distance.

    He entered through the broken door and ignored the torn apart corpses that were lying down on the ground.

    "Where was the supply room again?" Subject 001 mused quietly to himself as he wandered through the corridors.

    He finally arrived at arge storage room that was filled with basic uniforms,bat gear and some MRE rations.

    Subject 001 headed for the uniforms and quickly began to strip off his clothes.

    Soon his lean muscr body was revealed to the world... but there was no one nearby to see his magnificent physique.

    What a pity...

    The young teenager sorted through the uniforms by their sizes and finally found one that fit him pretty well.

    He changed his clothes and took a moment to fix the loose strands of hair that fell over his eyes.

    Qin Wei walked over to a nearby mirror and enjoyed looking at his reflection.

    A handsome young man with pale skin and sharp facial features appeared in front of his eyes.

    There was a hint of gloominess in his gaze and the way his lips moved was a little bit unnerving but there was no doubt that he would be considered attractive.

    "Liu Yifei will love me now... she will never be able to resist my good looks," Qin Wei arrogantly spoke as he adjusted the uniform and fixed his cor.

    Subject 001 internally sighed as he felt as body briefly be taken over by that immature brat.

    Perhaps he had made the wrong decision to choose this human to be his host...

 Chapter 165 Zombie Empress (96)

    (Outskirts Of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    Three figures hid silently in the shadows as they observed the damaged fences that surrounded the militaryplex.

    Qin Lan raised a finger to her lips and gestured for the two teenage girls beside her to remain silent.

    They were all covered in blood, guts, and chunks of meat so a disgusting scent surrounded each of their bodies.

    The odour was so foul that even the zombies nearby had been tricked.

    It had not been a pleasant experience to slice apart still ''living'' zombies and using their body parts as a disguise.

    Both Liu Yifei and Gong Li had already vomited a few times and truthfully Qin Lan had almost thrown up as well.

    "Do you remember the n?" Qin Lan softly whispered as her hand drifted towards the knife and gun that were attached to her hip.

    "Yes¡­ we infiltrate thepound and look for Subject 001, once we find him then you will let Eve know before attacking," Gong Li replied with an uneasy expression on her face.

    "Remember your safety is the number one priority," Qin Lan whispered seriously.

    "If we find Subject 001 then I want you both to rush in the opposite direction as soon as I attack him¡­ is that clear?"

    "But¡­" Liu Yifei opened her mouth and tried to protest.

    "No buts¡­ I need you both to prevent any third parties from interfering with the fight. It is an important job since I can''t be distracted," Qin Lan ordered coldly.

    She had the sneaking suspicion that Subject 001 was not the only danger present in the militaryplex, but he most certainly represented the greatest risk.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li had been training for a long time now and they were both ready to deal with ordinary threats.

    "Just give me a moment and we''ll enter inside," Qin Lan softly spoke as she closed her eyes and focused on a mental thread that was flowing out of her mind.

    This thread was several kilometres long and connected her to a lean muscr man who was currently standing with a nk expression on his face.

    His mouth was wide open, and drool ran down the sides of his lips.

    This man used to be one of the most feared gang leaders in the outskirts of Fagong City but now he was a mere puppet.

    (Eve? Eve, can you hear me?)

    The man opened his mouth and said the words that Qin Lan ordered him to say through the mental link.

    Qin Lan had discovered a little while ago that she could share some of her senses with her puppets.

    However, this trick would only work once their consciousness and sense of self was fully destroyed.

    She felt two sharp tugs on the man''s sleeve which indicated that Eve had indeed heard her message.

    (We are going inside now¡­ do not step within five kilometres until I give the signal¡­ don''t worry¡­ I will make sure to be careful¡­)

    (I love you.)

    Qin Lan made the puppet speak and then reopened her eyes. She let out a heavy sigh and grabbed the knife attached to her hip.

    It was now or never.

    Qin Lan walked towards an open hole in the fence and the two young girls followed closely behind her steps.

    The inside of the militaryplex looked even worse than how it did at a distance.

    Buildings had been partially orpletely destroyed and dozens of bodies littered the ground.

    One could see bloodstained military uniforms on the bodies and faint expressions of terror that were still present on their rotted faces.

    They were missing limbs, eyes, and other parts of their bodies. There was not a single corpse that had been left intact.

    Whatever had killed these men¡­ had not let them die a painless death.

    Qin Lan moved slowly through the bodies and would asionally duck behind a nearby building.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Fortunately thanks to the debris that were scattered everywhere, there were plenty of ces to hide as they moved forward.

    "Don''t use your gun unless it is absolutely necessary. We don''t want the sound of gunshots to alert Subject 001," Qin Lan whispered in a hushed tone.

    She knew how good Eve''s hearing was and Subject 001 might be the same, so she made sure to let the two girls know not to talk loudly once they entered inside theplex.

    As Qin Lan wandered even further into the militaryplex, she felt a feeling of difort that was hard to ignore.

    Something was wrong¡­

    Why was this ce so eerily quiet?

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she heard a faint rustling noiseing from behind a nearby building.

    Grr¡­ grr¡­. grrr¡­.

    Several hoarse growls came from the direction of the sound. Qin Lan stopped moving and slowly got into a battle stance.

    No sooner had she prepared her weapon, five massive zombie dogs leapt out from behind the building and rushed towards her.

    These dogs were over six feet in length withrge muscr frames, pale sickly skin and bloodshot eyes that were covered in wriggling veins.

    Their jaws were wide open, and one could see dozens of sharp teeth clearly visible inside their mouths.

    Qin Lan rushed to meet them and tilted her body to the side just as a jaw mped down on where she had been standing just a moment ago.

    The thrill of battle¡­

    The world seemed to slow down as Qin Lan moved her body through the pack of wild animals with an insane smile spreading across her face.

    She loved fighting.

    She loved the excitement of staking her life on the line.

    Qin Lan used her knife to stab into the ribcage of the nearest zombie dog and jumped on its back.

    The dog attempted to toss her off, but Qin Lan held on by using her hand to grab on to the dog''s fur.

    She climbed towards the monster''s head and using her knife, she stabbed into the beast''s skull over and over again until her weapon was covered in blood.

    Qin Lan jumped off just as another dog mmed into its injuredpanion. The zombie dogs were aroused by the scent of blood and began to eat their fellow pack member.

    Qin Lan took the opportunity while they were distracted to quietly sneak behind another dog and slit its throat.

    The zombie dogs were incredibly powerful, but they seemed to have lost some of their intelligence along the way.

    They were only concerned with eating and would ignore their surroundings.

    Still a beast''s instinct for self preservation was not easily ignored. Qin Lan leaned back and narrowly avoided a paw that swiped towards her from a dying dog.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li were a few hundred metres away and they both looked at Qin Lan with expressions of admiration.

    She was aplete badass.

    Qin Lan finished off the pack without much trouble and gestured for the two girls toe over.

    The group continued on their journey even as the sun slowly sank towards the horizon and warm orange rays of light illuminated thepound.

    There were dozens of buildings inside theplex and so far, Qin Lan had been hesitant to go inside.

    In tight quarters, Subject 001''s enhanced strength would undoubtedly give him a significant advantage.

    Qin Lan slowed down for a moment as a certain face shed across her mind. Eve had said that her younger brother was here as well.

    Why did Subject 001 bring her brother back to life?

    There was a mystery going on here that she didn''t know if she wanted the answer to.

 Chapter 166 Zombie Empress (97)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    Qin Lan carefully nced around her nearby surroundings for any trace of movements or signs of life.

    Nothing.

    They had spent over twenty minutes wandering around the outskirts of the militaryplex which meant that either Subject 001 was not here or he was inside one of the buildings.

    Both possibilities were not good news.

    "Take a small five-minute break and get something to eat," Qin Lan softly whispered as she led the girls behind a nearby pile of rubble.

    Liu Yifei snapped her fingers and a few gran bars appeared out of thin air. She handed them out to Gong Li and Qin Lan who thanked her softly.

    The scent of rotting meat hung over their bodies which made it very difficult to eat but Qin Lan reluctantly unwrapped the packaging and shoved the bar into her mouth.

    It was important to maintain her energy for the uing fight even if she had to force herself to eat.

    She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bottle of water.

    Qin Lan let out a light sigh as she felt the cool refreshing sensation of water sliding down her throat.

    She needed to proceed carefully.

    It was reasonable to assume that Subject 001 was more likely to be found in the buildings that were left rtively intact so there were a few choices to start with.

    A few hundred meters to the north was a rtively sturdy building whose door had been ripped off its hinges and there were a few shattered windows but that was the extent of the damage.

    There were a few half-eaten carcasses in front of the door and judging from therge size of the bites, the bloody remains must have attracted the zombie dogs that used to roam theplex.

    Those beasts¡­

    Qin Lan checked the original Qin Lan''s memories but could not find simr creatures from her experiences in the apocalypse.

    Actually, the original Qin Lan had never even heard about test subjects or the potential origin of the end times.

    "Come on let''s make a move," Qin Lan whispered in a hushed tone when she saw that both girls had finished eating.

    She pointed at the building that had caught her attention and made a series of hand signals to indicate that they would be going in that direction.

    They proceeded from behind the pile of rubble and Qin Lan kept her eyes peeled for the first signs of trouble.

    Theplex was now eerily silent.

    There was a quiet stillness in the air that seemed almost unnatural.

    Qin Lan furrowed her brows as she walked towards the building and stepped over the corpses on the ground.

    The grip on her knife got even firmer as she crouched slightly and stepped cautiously inside of the building.

    Unlike its rtively undamaged exterior, the inside of the building was aplete mess. Bullet holes could be seen on the floor, walls and even the ceiling.

    Corpses¡­ or rather chunks and bits of meat were scattered around the corridor. Something had torn these soldiers apart limb from limb.

    Liu Yifei and Gong Li gagged slightly as they saw the horrific sight. Qin Lan ced one hand on Gong Li''s shoulder and shot herforting look.

    She didn''t want the girls to see this massacre, but it would be too risky for them to wait outside.

    Qin Lan proceeded through the building and her lips slowly curved downwards.

    Numerous rooms were connected to the corridor, and one could see inside the rooms thanks to the ss windows that were installed.

    Inside each room was arge container filled with greenish liquid that bubbled and hissed slightly.

    There were men, women and even children inside most containers but a few were shattered, and their upants were currently missing.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Laboratory equipment were connected to each container, but the screens were ck since there was no electric current to power them on.

    This ce¡­

    Qin Lan stopped in front of one of the doors and casually punched forward using her enhanced strength.

    The metallic door crumbled as if it were made out of paper, but blood dripped down from the top of Qin Lan''s knuckles.

    She hissed in pain and reached into her pocket to pull out a handkerchief to stem the bleeding. Qin Lan tightly wrapped the handkerchief around her palm and then entered the room.

    She walked up to therge container and saw a skinny woman floating inside the liquid.

    The woman was extremely thin and pale to the extent where one could see her ribs sticking out against her chest.

    Qin Lan tapped her knuckles against the side of the container but did not receive any response from the woman who appeared to be dead.

    She turned around and walked towards the table in the far corner of the room. There were a fewputers on the table but naturally they were all turned off.

    Even if they could somehow work, Qin Lan had no knowledge of hacking and would be unable to guess the password to ess what was inside.

    Instead, she examined the drawers underneath the table and tried to see if she could find any files or reports.

    If this was a top-secret military project, then the most important information had to be written down or recorded on paper.

    Most intelligence agencies in the world used paper to record their top secrets.

    Qin Lan discovered a certain locked drawer and used her enhanced strength to rip open its metallic frame.

    Inside the drawer was a single piece of paper.

    The paper did not appear to be an official document but rather a draft for one.

    It was covered in scribbles and several words had been crossed out using a ball point pen. The document only filled up the first half of the page.

    Qin Lan gestured for Gong Li and Liu Yifei to walk over as she closed the drawer and stood up from the ground.

    The two girls crowded over her shoulder and Qin Lan tilted the paper so that they could see what had been written down.

    [Project: Mercury''s Angel]

    [The enhancement project has so far been an unequivocal failure. All of the test subjects chosen to test the [REDACTED] have died immediately.]

    [We must now seriously consider alternative host organisms for the [REDACTED] such as livestock, bears or even wolves]

    [I understand that it is difficult to predict how animals will react, but I must disagree with my colleague Dr. Huang]

    [His ims that his current test subject will survive the bonding process are dubious at best and tantly false at worst]

    [It is impossible for a heavily dissected and damaged test subject to survive an imntation of the [REDACTED]. I believe that Dr. Huang knows this and is merely trying to dy the inevitable¡­]

    The writing stopped at that point as if the author of the file no longer wished to record his concerns about the project.

    "Project Mercury''s Angel?" Gong Li asked curiously as she read the file for a second time.

    "Yes¡­ this is the ce where the apocalypse started so who knows what we will find in here," Qin Lan replied solemnly as she slipped the paper in her pocket.

    There was a brief moment of silence as Qin Lan approached the test subject with an expression of pity on her face.

    "I''m sorry," Qin Lan did not know why but an apology flowed out of her lips. She bowed her head at the test subject and then walked out of the room.

    She did not know what else to say.

    Humanity was capable of doing great evil even before the world turned to shit.

 Chapter 167 Zombie Empress (98)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    Qin Lan let out a light sigh as she stopped looking at the inside of the rooms that they passed. It was too much even for her to take in.

    Every single room had one of those containment chambers inside. This facility must have performed human experimentation on a massive scale.

    How could it have gone on for so long without being exposed?

    Gong Li and Liu Yifei were eerily silent as both girls followed behind Qin Lan while lost in their own thoughts.

    Qin Lan wasn''t sure how tofort them. What they had seen inside this militaryplex were horrific sights that one could not exin orprehend.

    Humans were truly cruel monsters.

    At the end of the corridor was what seemed to be a pair ofrge, reinforced steel doors or rather¡­ the remains of them.

    ws marks could be seen on the pieces of the doors, and they seemed to be quite familiar. Qin Lan recognised them¡­ they clearly belonged to Eve.

    Which meant that¡­

    Qin Lan nced at the bodies on the ground but could feel no sympathy for the monsters who locked innocent men, women, and children away to be experimented on.

    Eve did the right thing.

    Qin Lan entered the room and saw the bodies of scientists scattered on the ground around what appeared to be arge pedestal.

    Their whiteb coats were stained by the light brown colour of dried blood, but that detail was not what attracted Qin Lan''s attention.

    The pedestal in front of her waspletely empty, but one could see shards of what seemed to be purplish-ck crystals on the ground.

    Qin Lan stepped towards one of the shards and picked it up. The purplish-ck crystal looked like the ones inside the mutated animals, nts, and zombies but¡­

    She could somehow tell that there was no energy left inside.

    It was like someone had already absorbed the energy without having to swallow the crystal itself. Qin Lan furrowed her brows and walked around the room looking for more clues.

    "Girls¡­ stay close together and search the pockets of the scientists," Qin Lan whispered softly as she checked around for any drawers or tables.

    There was nothing.

    This room only had the giant pedestal in its center and the corpses of the scientists that were already partially dposed.

    Liu Yifei snapped her fingers and a few pairs of gloves appeared out of thin air. She handed a few to Gong Li and then reluctantly put on a pair herself.

    The young teenage girl knelt down and began to rummage through theb coats on the corpses hoping to find something useful.

    There were plenty of phones and tablets, but their batteries had long gone out and the few that somehow powered on were all password protected.

    The search continued for around ten minutes before Gong Li raised up a piece of paper that she found in one of the pockets.

    "I found something!" Gong LI excitedly spoke before hurriedly lowering her voice once she saw Qin Lan raise a finger to her lips.

    They all gathered around the piece of paper that simply had the words ''She''sing. I¡­'' and that was it.

    Not really helpful but it was better than nothing. Qin Lan wanted to explore some more but knew that they didn''t have enough time.

    "Okay let''s go explore the other buildings," Qin Lan softly whispered as she gently touched the two girls on their shoulders.

    She shot them aforting look and then led them out of the room.

    Qin Lan nced back one more time and could not shake the feeling that there was something important about the empty pedestal.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Still, she forced herself to keep moving forward and eventually they returned to the outside world.

    Qin Lan took a brief moment to catch her breath and then scanned the nearby surroundings for any intact buildings.

    There was one a few hundred meters west that appeared to be rtively undamaged with only a broken door.

    The windows that had been shattered were covered up by pieces of wood so clearly someone had taken the time to fix them.

    Qin Lan silently pointed at the buildings and the two teenage girls by her side nodded and followed her closely.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Military Barracks- Hidden Location)

    Subject 001 stretched out his right palm and a blue portal appeared in the middle of the wall opposite to him.

    On the other side of the portal one could see an incredibly handsome man wearing a military uniform with a thin scar across his face.

    His body was muscr and well built. There was an aura of savage cruelty surrounding his body that was both attractive and threatening at the same time.

    The man was surrounded by dozens of zombie corpses as well as a few human survivors whose bodies had been burnt and ckened beyond recognition.

    Lightning crackled along Wu Jing''s fingertips as he nced at the portal with a cold expression before stepping inside.

    Subject 001 closed the portal and then leaned against a nearby wall while clutching his chest. He felt a great deal of pain on all parts of his body.

    Fuck¡­ this¡­

    Wu Jing watched indifferently as the young teenager in front of him steadied himself and then looked him directly in the eyes.

    "How is your power developing?" Subject 001 asked in a harsh tone.

    "Good¡­ I am now able to defeat mutated zombies quite easily and human meat is very easy to cook¡­" Wu Jing replied as he created a ball of lightning that hovered slightly above his palm.

    Subject 001 watched the ex-soldier y with the ball of lightning and could not help but feel a surge of jealousy.

    If he looked like that¡­ if he had a cool ability like that¡­ LIU YIFEI WOULD HAVE LOVED HIM.

    Subject 001 clutched his head in agony as he desperately fought down the urge to murder Wu Jing.

    He needed the ex-soldier alive for his fight against Subject 014.

    Wu Jing seemed to sense the internal conflict that was going on inside the young teenage boy''s mind and his eyes narrowed.

    He also had to resist the impulse to murder hispanion. It was clear that this boy treated him like some kind of pawn.

    He was not some mere puppet to be ordered around like a dog. Wu Jing had a strong sense of pride and refused to be under themand of someone he considered beneath him.

    Subject 001 groaned and then ordered Wu Jing to leave the room. The ex-soldier left without hesitation and took out a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket.

    He lit the cigarette and ced it in in his mouth. A small intake of breath was all it took for Wu Jing to feel his nerves begin to calm down.

    There was no need to rush. He still needed that freak in order to make himself stronger and once he reached a certain level of strength¡­

    Well, there would be no need to listen to the orders of a petnt child.

 Chapter 168 Zombie Empress (99)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    Qin Lan slowly walked towards the building while keeping any eye out for any changes in her immediate surroundings.

    Tension filled the air as no one dared to even make a single sound. The two teenage girls behind her were silent as they followed her lead.

    The building in front of them was rtively undamaged but the key detail were the windows that were covered up by pieces of wood.

    Clearly that meant that someone had been using the building as a base or at least as a form of shelter.

    Was that person Subject 001?

    It was impossible to say but there was a good chance that he was the only one inside the militaryplex¡­

    Well except for her brother.

    Qin Lan narrowed her eyes as she crept forward with her body almost like an arrow straining against the string of a bow.

    At the first sign of trouble, she was prepared to leap forward and engage the enemy without even a second of hesitation.

    The trio reached the entrance of the building just as the doors swung open and a man in a military uniform walked outside.

    The man was incredibly handsome with light scars running along the side of his face. His eyes widened in shock and the cigarette in his mouth fell to the ground.

    Both sides froze for a moment as they were unprepared for the sudden encounter.

    Qin Lan felt a sharp burst of pain as an overwhelming sense of hatred rose up in her heart. She recognised that face¡­

    She knew that man.

    He was the one who killed her.

    He was the one who burned her alive with his lightning ability.

    Qin Lan''s chest got hotter as the ck mental threads in her mind unconsciously shot towards the man.

    "What the hell¡­what are you doing¡­ ARGHHH!" the man''s voice was cut off as he grabbed his head and screeched in pain.

    Qin Lan was so overwhelmed by the feelings of the original Qin Lan that she no longer cared about making noise.

    She just wanted to hurt the man who had hurt her.

    "Break," Qin Lan coldly spoke as her mental threads burrowed into the man''s mind and began to destroy his psyche from the inside.

    Wu Jing narrowed his eyes in pain as he felt as head throb as if it was going to explode. He stretched out his palm and lightning crackled along his fingertips.

    "You¡­ bitch¡­" Wu Jing growled darkly.

    Qin Lan regained a bit of her sanity and grabbed Liu Yifei and Gong Li before throwing herself and the two girls to the ground.

    A bright sh erupted from the man''s fingertips and thick bolts of lightning shot forward towards where they had just been standing.

    The lightning travelled unhindered and crashed against a nearby building which immediately crumbled into pieces.

    "Break¡­ break¡­ BREAK!" Qin Lan screamed loudly as she focused on the intense feeling of heat that was spreading from her chest.

    The man in the military uniform copsed on the ground and began to convulse as his strong mind fought desperately not be reduced to a mere puppet.

    "Sister Lan¡­ Sister Lan!" a concerned voice shouted in her ear. Qin Lan turned in the direction of the voice and saw¡­

    Her.

    The one who was standing next to the man. She was also responsible for her death¡­ she needed to die as well¡­

    No¡­ no¡­ what are you doing?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Qin Lan hissed in pain as she intentionally dug her fingernails so deeply into the flesh of her knee that blood ran down her legs.

    The sudden burst of pain was enough to clear the mental fog that was beginning to cloud her thoughts and judgement.

    "Sorry¡­ I¡­ we have to leave now¡­" Qin Lan whispered softly as she grabbed the two girls and prepared to run away.

    "Leaving so soon sister?" a cold voice echoed through the open field as a young handsome teenager stepped out of the building.

    "I must say that this is quite the surprise¡­" Qin Wei gently whispered as he nced at the man on the ground and an expression of disgust shed across his face.

    Wu Jing looked up at the boy who had saved his life and desperately hoped that once again he would be rescued for a second time.

    What he did not know was that although Subject 001''s cold rational side would have helped him¡­

    Qin Wei was the one in control and there was only one thought in his mind.

    This ex-soldier was useless trash¡­

    Qin Wei knelt down next to the former soldier and without hesitation he punched forward.

    Wu Jing''s eyes widened in shock as if he could not believe what had just happened.

    The young teenager''s fist prated Wu Jing''s ribcage and his fingers groped around the insides of the man''s body until he finally located the heart.

    Qin Wei withdrew his palm that was now holding a still beating heart and within full view of the three young women, he swallowed it whole.

    He got up from the ground and smiled with a bloodthirsty glint in his eyes.

    "Brother¡­ what¡­ what did Subject 001 do to you?" Qin Lan asked in shock as she stepped forward.

    She yed the part of a concerned older sister to perfection. For a moment even Liu Yifei and Gong Li were fooled by her act.

    Qin Lan ced a hand on her forehead and pretended to be in shock over the sudden turn of events.

    She focused on the mental thread that connected to the puppet next to Eve and calmly whispered an order through the link.

    (Eve¡­e here¡­ RIGHT NOW!)

    "What did he do to me? WHAT DID YOU DO TO ME!" Qin Wei roared in rage as he stared at his sister with an expression of hatred.

    "YOU ALLOWED THAT MONSTER TO KILL ME. YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME. IF IT WASN''T FOR YOU¡­ I¡­ I¡­"

    Qin Wei grabbed his head in pain and a few momentster he raised his head once more but this time his expression waspletely different.

    The aura surrounded his body had changed and it was almost as if he had suddenly be a different person.

    "I do apologise for the emotional outburst," Subject 001 calmly spoke as he nced at the corpse of Wu Jing.

    "You see the process where Ibined my mind with your brother''s body was a bit¡­ unstable to say the least."

    "I am not normally this¡­ wait¡­"

    Subject 001 sniffed the air as he detected a scent that was both familiar and strange.

    His eyes turnedpletely pitch ck and his fingernails extended outwards until they became sharpened ws.

    His body increased in height and his frame became thin to the extent where his physique resembled that of a skeleton.

    "Liu Yifei and Gong Li¡­ RUN NOW!" Qin Lan yelled frantically as she took out her handgun and shot at the mutating body of her younger brother.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Three bullets prated Subject 001''s skull but the torn apart flesh immediately healed as if the wounds had never urred.

    Gong Li grabbed Liu Yifei''s hand and dragged her away as they watched sister Lan take out a knife that was strapped to her hip and rush towards the monster.

 Chapter 169 Zombie Empress (100)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    ng!

    Qin Lan felt her arm tremble as she exchanged blows with the monster who had the face of her younger brother.

    Subject 001 was an enhanced creature. He was stronger, faster, and more dangerous than her in every conceivable way.

    Rather than fear, Qin Lan felt a small throb of excitement in her heart as she tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided the ck w that swiped towards her location.

    She quickly dropped to the ground and shed at the creature''s legs using the de in her hand.

    Subject 001 screamed in pain as Qin Lan''s knife twisted deeply into his flesh and tore apart his ankle ligaments.

    Qin Lan wanted to follow up with another attack but was forced to roll away as Subject 001 used his uninjured foot to stomp down on the ground.

    The earth itself trembled as cracks appeared where the mutated human-zombie hybrid mmed its foot down.

    Qin Lan narrowed her eyes as she saw the heavy injuries that she had just inflicted on Subject 001''s body gradually disappear.

    His regeneration was not as fast as Eve''s¡­ but it was still a problem.

    The young woman could feel her heart beating steadily in her chest as the world itself began to slow down to a crawl.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    A life and death situation.

    This was the first time since arriving on this ne that Qin Lan genuinely felt a sense of danger.

    She raised up her knife and narrowly blocked the ck ws that shot towards her face. Subject 001''s body blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    Qin Lan wasn''t sure how she was able to sense him since he moved too fast for her eyes to track but somehow her body reacted automatically.

    She jumped away and grimaced in pain as several small open wounds appeared on her back. Subject 001 reappeared a few meters away and stared at her with an expression of disbelief.

    "Human¡­ how did you avoid that?" Subject 001 curiously asked.

    "You were not the only one who was used as a test subject," Qin Lan sprouted some bullshit as she tried to widen the distance between herself and the monster.

    She didn''t need to win the fight.

    She only needed to provide a distraction until Eve got here.

    "No! That''s impossible how could¡­" Subject 001''s voice was interrupted by one that Qin Lan was very familiar with.

    "What the hell are you doing?! KILL THAT BITCH! KILL HER NOW!" Qin Wei''s voice appeared from the young teenage boy''s mouth.

    Subject 001 gripped his head in pain as he felt his mind begin to split apart from the inside. Qin Wei''s hatred for his sister was making him irrational.

    He could not even focus on the investigating what was the trigger that caused him to enter his true form.

    Bang! Bang!

    Qin Lan immediately reached for the gun strapped to her other hip and fired two bullets at her brother without hesitation.

    Both shots urately prated Subject 001''s forehead and pieces of brain matter and ck blood came out of the other side.

    Subject 001''s legs trembled slightly as he staggered forward. Qin Lan adjusted her posture and stood still.

    There was a sense of tension in the air.

    Qin Lan''s finger curled over the trigger, and she fired a few more rounds into the zombie-human hybrid''s body but this time Subject 001 did not react.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    Each bullet left a gaping wound in the young teenage boy''s body but Subject 001 gave no indication that he was affected.

    Suddenly his pitch-ck eyes locked on to Qin Lan''s figure and a bloodthirsty grin began to spread across his face.

    He got down on all fours almost like a dog and scuttled towards Qin Lan with unnatural movements that were both terrifying and creepy.

    The temperature immediately plummeted, and Qin Lan saw frost begin to creep up along her exposed skin.

    This ability¡­

    She remembered Qin Wei using an ice type ability during the gas station fight. Was Subject 001 able to use her brother''s gift?

    "I''ll kill you¡­ I''ll kill you¡­ I''ll kill you¡­" Subject 001 growled darkly as he raised up his right palm andrge shards of ice shot towards Qin Lan''s location.

    She ran for cover as the pieces of ice prated several inches deep into the ground. Qin Lan did not have to be a genius to know that if she got hit then death would soon follow.

    Swish! Swish! Swish!

    The endless barrage of ice shards made it difficult to move around freely as Qin Lan was forced to hide behind the rubble and damaged buildings for cover.

    The temperature continued to drop until every breath that Qin Lan exhaled, she could see a faint white mist.

    (Eve¡­ where are you?)

    Qin Lan mentally sent out amand to her puppet for it to speak but did not have time to share her senses with the broken man.

    "ARGHHH! THIS POWER! I¡­ I LOVE IT!" Qin Wei raised up his head and shrieked towards the sky as the piece of ice that materialised above his palm got even bigger.

    He flung the enormous shard of ice and this time there was no way for Qin Lan to avoid itpletely.

    She gritted her teeth and made a painful decision.

    Qin Lan rolled to the side and the shard of ice only struck the side of her right arm.

    Bits and pieces of her flesh were scrapped off by the projectile and the blood that flowed out was instantly frozen.

    The young woman muffed her painful scream by biting down on her shirt. Her right arm was nowpletely numb and hung uselessly at her side.

    Fortunately, it was at least still attached, and the wound seemed to have mostly caused damage to the surface of her skin.

    "Come out¡­e out¡­ don''t hide like a little rat¡­" Qin Wei''s and Subject 001''s voices both ovepped as they mocked Qin Lan who ducked behind another pile of rubble.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Qin Lan refused to die quietly and tightly gripped the knife in her left palm. She could hear the footsteps of the monster as it walked closer and closer to her location.

    She waited with bated breath until the test subject got within two hundred metres of her hiding spot before doing something crazy.

    Qin Lan jumped up from behind the pile of rubble and flung her knife right at Subject 001''s eye.

    Without looking to see if it hit or not, Qin Lan turned around and ran desperately away from the monster.

    Every muscle in her body screamed in agony as she forced herself to move despite feeling exhausted.

    Judging from the cry of pain¡­ it seemed as though her knife throwing skills were as good as ever.

    A proud smirk shed across Qin Lan''s face, and it melted away to an expression of relief as she saw a humanoid figure appear in the distance.

    Finally.

    Eve was here.

 Chapter 170 Zombie Empress (101)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    Rage.

    That was all Eve felt as she arrived at the scene and saw her favourite human holding her right arm which was covered in frozen blood.

    The zombie empress had never felt so much anger before.

    "Subject 001¡­" Eve growled darkly as she turned to face the monster standing with an expression of fear and hatred on his face.

    His eyes were already beginning to regenerate from the wound that Qin Lan had inflicted using her knife, but the process had begun to slow down.

    Eve didn''t know why Subject 001 looked slightly different nor why he appeared to have a simr face to her favourite human''s brother¡­.

    But she didn''t care.

    Eve screamed as her true form was revealed to the world. Her body got skinner and taller as her skin shrivelled up against her bones.

    Her fingernails extended outwards until they became vicious ck ws that gleamed under the sunlight.

    "That''s my girl¡­" Qin Lan whispered proudly as she watched Eve''s transformation without a hint of fear on her face.

    Eve''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. Subject 001 barely had entire time to react before a fist crashed into his stomach.

    BOOM!

    Subject 001 mmed into a nearby building which immediately copsed under the force of the blow.

    He vomited out a mouthful of ck blood and shakily got back up to his feet. Eve rushed forward and used her ws to swipe at his face.

    Subject 001 ducked his head but could notpletely avoid the fast attack. He shrieked in pain as several long wounds opened up along his face.

    The zombie empress in front of him had no mercy for the one who hurt her lover. The only punishment was death.

    Nothing else would satisfy her bloodlust.

    Qin Lan moved behind a nearby pile of rubble and used her injured hand to tear off strips of cloth from her shirt.

    This was not exactly the best first aid, but it would do for now.

    She gritted her teeth in pain as she wrapped the makeshift bandages over her wound and slowly got up.

    Eve didn''t seem to need her help but that did not mean that she could not offer up some assistance in case things went wrong.

    Qin Lan spotted her gun on the ground a few metres away and hurriedly walked over and picked it up.

    She aimed the weapon at the figure being mercilessly beaten to death and kept her finger hovering right above the trigger.

    Subject 001 let out a muffled cry of pain as Eve''s ws ripped open his stomach and his intestines fell on the ground.

    He couldn''t believe it.

    How was the physical difference between himself and Subject 014 sorge? She was much stronger, faster and had better reflexes.

    No¡­ this wasn''t fair¡­he was the original.

    He was the first.

    It couldn''t end like this. Not when he had yet to kill Subject 014¡­ Qin Lan¡­

    Subject 014¡­ Qin Lan¡­

    Subject 014¡­ Qin Lan¡­

    Subject 014¡­ Qin Lan¡­

    The zombie-human hybrid gripped his head in pain as he rolled on the ground and scooped up his intestines.

    "Get¡­ GET AWAY FROM ME!" Subject 001 roared in fury as the temperature instantly plummeted even further.

    Thick ice began to spread from his feet and the ground was soon covered by a thinyer of ice.

    Snow began to rain down from the sky as if the heavens themselves were responding to Subject 001''s ability.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It wasn''t enough.

    Eve rushed forward on four legs almost like an animal as she used her ck ws for grip. She mmed into Subject 001''s body and sent him flying.

    The zombie- human hybrid spat out another mouthful of ck blood and this time he could feel the corners of his vision slowly turn dark.

    Using regeneration over and over again was putting a toll on his body and he wasn''t sure how long he couldst.

    "I''ll kill you¡­ I''ll kill you¡­" two voices seemed to ovep as Subject 001 raised up his head and stared at Eve with an expression of hatred.

    If it wasn''t for her, I would still be alive¡­

    If it wasn''t for her, I would be the leader of the new humans¡­

    For once Qin Wei and Subject 001''s thoughts were inplete sync as they raised up their right hand and pointed it at Eve.

    "Die¡­" Subject 001 whispered softly as he summoned up all the energy that he had left in his body.

    Arge tsunami of ice and frost erupted from his right palm with so much force that the skin covering his hand burst.

    Eve could not avoid the attack since it covered a wide area, so she simply closed her eyes and allowed it to hit her body.

    Qin Lan was forced to hide behind a nearby building and curled up into a ball just as the avnche of snow fell down.

    The world turnedpletely white as the militaryplex was buried in around three feet of snow.

    Subject 001 crashed to the ground and groaned as he unsteadily tried his best to stand up and limp away from the scene.

    He was not foolish enough to believe that this attack would be enough to kill Subject 014 but hopefully it would buy him some time to escape.

    Wu Jing was dead.

    But there must be other humans with simr lightning type abilities¡­ all he needed to do was find one and raise them to be a weapon to use against Subject 014.

    He would do things differently next time.

    No more independence.

    The human that he selected to be his living weapon would be broken until all thoughts of rebellion were gone.

    He simply needed a tool not a subordinate.

    Subject 001 raised up his left hand and began to summon a blue portal that led to the city. First, he needed to get out of here¡­

    Just as the portal was beginning to form, a loud gunshot echoed through the silent frozen wastnd.

    Bang!

    Subject 001 flinched in pain as a bullet neatly entered his left hand and all the energy that he had been umting suddenly disappeared.

    The portal vanished.

    "What the hell¡­" Subject 001 never got time to finish his sentence as a heavy blow struck him from the back.

    He copsed on the ground and saw two figures looking down at him with expressions of disgust and fury.

    Subject 001¡­ no¡­ Eve stepped on his injured palm and crushed the bones in his wrist while Qin Lan stood in the background holding a smoking gun.

    Her body trembled uncontrobly since she was affected by the cold temperature and yet her gun did not even move a single inch.

    Impressive willpower¡­

    Subject 001 regretted that he had not chosen her as his new host instead of her weak-willed brother.

    Eve slowly crushed every single bone in Subject 001''s body until he was nothing more than a bruised pulp of flesh.

    Subject 001 opened his mouth onest time and the words that flowed out were quite unexpected.

    "Sister¡­ are you really prepared to watch her kill me?" Qin Wei softly asked as he raised up his head with great difficultly to watch Qin Lan.

    "Your only brother. I admit that I was jealous but now I see the truth. You were always there for me and protected me."

    "Please¡­ protect me one more time. I promise that you will never see me again¡­ I will live a life of peace away from society¡­"

 Chapter 171 Zombie Empress (102)

    (Outskirts of Heurn Province)

    (Hidden Location- Secret Military Complex)

    "Please¡­ protect me one more time. I promise that you will never see me again¡­ I will live a life of peace away from society¡­" Qin Wei pleaded desperately.

    "I regret what I did¡­ you were the only one¡­ listen¡­ let me go and I will never see you again¡­ we can still be siblings¡­"

    "I''m your brother¡­ you are my sister¡­ remember that you promised our parents to look after me¡­"

    Qin Wei stared at his sister with no trace of hatred in his eyes. His voice seemed to be filled with genuine grief and sorrow.

    The instinct to survive and his fear of death had caused Qin Wei to suppress his hatred and speak in a reasonable tone.

    Even if he had difficulty lying, Subject 001 was more than happy to mentally stabilise his host even if it meant that his control of their shared body slipped away.

    All that mattered now was survival.

    Eve raised up her hand and prepared to drive her ck ws into the young teenage boy''s face when a soft hand stopped her.

    The zombie empress stared at her favourite human with an expression of disbelief, but Qin Lan slowly shook her head.

    "Let me tell him something first¡­" Qin Lan whispered as she knelt down and stared into her younger brother''s pitch-ck eyes.

    Eve grabbed Qin Wei''s arms and legs and slowly crushed them so that the zombie-human hybrid would be unable to do any surprise attacks.

    This was a foolish decision and the reasonable and rational part of Qin Lan''s mind wanted to order Eve to kill Subject 001 and be done with it but¡­

    The original Qin Lan deserved a chance to speak. Qin Lan closed her eyes and immersed herself in the original Qin Lan''s memories.

    When she opened them, her bodynguage changed slightly but she was still the same person as before.

    It was just that now she was influenced even more by the original Qin Lan''s personality so the words that she was about to say came from the heart.

    "Did you know¡­ even when her sanity was being taken away by her ability¡­ she still loved and protected you?" Qin Lan suddenly spoke some strange words.

    "If you had just reached out your hand and helped her the way that she helped you survive¡­ then perhaps I would have never been sent here¡­"

    "She loved you too much¡­ and was blind to see the monster that you had be¡­"

    "You felt jealousy and hatred towards the woman who looked after you regardless of her health and happiness¡­"

    "What? She? Who are you talking about?" Qin Wei asked in confusion.

    Qin Lan opened her mouth to rify that she was talking about his original sister, but no words would escape her lips.

    She tried again but still no matter what she did, she was unable to tell the young teenager copsed on the ground the truth.

    "Kill him Eve," Qin Lan finally spoke as she got up from the ground and refused to look away. If she gave out the order, then she needed to have the courage to look.

    Eve growled hoarsely and then prated Qin Wei''s forehead using her ck ws which easily sliced through the thinyer of flesh.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Arghhhh! YOU BITCH HOW COULD YOU KILL YOUR ONLY¡­" Qin Wei''s words were abruptly cut off as Eve ripped out arge purplish-ck crystal from his head.

    The young man fell silent, and the life slowly drained out of his pitch-ck eyes. This time Eve was taking no chances and she immediately tore apart his body.

    Qin Lan bowed her head as she looked at the horrific scene. It was finally over¡­ both her brother and Subject 001 were now dead.

    Even now she had mixed feelings about what had just happened, and she could only hope that the original Qin Lan would have approved of her actions.

    This world¡­ was a horrible ce.

    Arge part of her hoped that not every mission would be like this. Qin Lan let out a heavy sigh as the surrounding temperatures began to rise.

    With Subject 001 dead, his ability was no longer active, and the ice was already beginning to melt under the hot sun.

    "Are you hurt badly?" a soft voice gently asked. Qin Lan turned in the direction of the voice and saw Eve walking over in her human appearance.

    "We need to get you immediate medical treatment¡­"

    Eve''s words were cut off as Qin Lan grabbed her shoulders and pulled her in for a fiery kiss on the lips.

    The zombie empress closed her eyes and moaned as Qin Lan''s tongue darted forward and explored the inside of her mouth.

    There was a hunger and passion in Qin Lan''s kiss that reflected the relief in her heart that they had managed to survive the encounter.

    After a few minutes, Qin Lan broke away from the kiss and stared at Eve with obvious love in her eyes.

    "Hey¡­ we should probably go look for Liu Yifei and Gong Li¡­" Qin Lan smiled happily as she spoke.

    "One more please¡­" Eve whined softly as she stepped forward and this time, she was the one who engulfed Qin Lan''s lips with a passionate kiss.

    Qin Lan enjoyed the moment as she felt Eve''s warm body press against hers. There was a familiarity to her embrace and a sense offort that felt good.

    If it wasn''t for Eve, then this mission would have broken her. Just knowing that someone loved her no matter what was incredibly liberating.

    "Alright¡­alright¡­ we really have to¡­ hiss¡­" Qin Lan flinched as she touched the side of her right shoulder and bloodstains appeared on her makeshift bandages.

    Unfortunately, she did not possess a healing factor so her injuries from the fight would not easily recover.

    "Let''s go find Liu Yifei and get proper bandages," Eve said seriously as she lifted up Qin Lan in her arms and held her in a princess carry.

    Qin Lan snuggled against her lover''s chest and watchedzily as the zombie empress carried her through a world of ice and snow.

    Her eyes began to struggle to stay open as she felt an overwhelming wave of tiredness and exhaustion hit her all at once.

    The stress of the fight and then tense moment when she had decided to kill her brother had put an enormous amount of mental strain and pressure on her.

    Qin Lan fought desperately to remain awake but eventually the world around her faded away into darkness.

 Chapter 172 Zombie Empress - Side Story (1)

    (Heurn Province- Fagong City)

    (Inner Region- Garren District)

    There was a strange atmosphere in the base as Sun Wei returned from her scouting mission. The other members of her temporary team were also affected by the peculiar mood.

    Five years had passed since the apocalypse had begun and now with food supplies running low and survivors pouring in from all parts of the country¡­

    Everyone had to do their part.

    Even if she was the powerless sister of the leader of the base, it would not be a good look if she did not participate in a few missions.

    At least she was publicly known for having no ability.

    Sun Wei would never forget the seed of knowledge and the advice that the mysterious woman who had saved her life had given her.

    Always keep a hidden card.

    Sun Wei had kept her ability a secret from every single person in the base including her own family.

    "I''m here to report the findings of our scouting mission," Sun Wei said coldly as she walked up to the man in charge of the mission board.

    "That''s okay¡­ the leader wants to speak to you in his mansion. You can go ahead, and I will take the report from the other members of your team," the man gently spoke.

    There was a threatening undertone in his soft, calm voice but Sun Wei did not reveal that she had noticed his strange behaviour.

    What was going on?

    "Okay no problem," Sun Wei finally spoke as she nced at her teammates before heading towards the inner region of the base.

    She could tell that there were numerous gazes on her body as she walked towards the mansion where her brother lived.

    Sun Wei assumed a rxed posture, but her hand drifted ever so closer to the knife that was firmly attached to her hip.

    This was ridiculous¡­ her brother was a powerful ability user who had been in control of this base for a number of years now.

    There was no need for her to be concerned about his well being.

    And yet¡­ Sun Wei could not shake the feeling that something had gone horribly wrong. She looked up and saw a series of well-designed houses reinforced byrge earth walls.

    The residents who lived in the inner region of the base were the ones with power. They lived like kings while the rest of the survivors starved.

    It was something that Sun Wei had tried to change but her brother refused to act. She understood his reasoning, but it still left a bitter taste in her mouth.

    The reality was that in the end times, there was nothing cheaper than human life. The only people with value were those with special powers.

    At least this base tried to provide basic housing and amodation for the survivors, some of the stories that Sun Wei had heard about the other bases suggested that things could be much worse for ordinary humans.

    The sun had already begun to sink towards the horizon and a warm orange glow lit up the surrounding area.

    Sun Wei eventually arrived at a mansion that was muchrger than the surrounding houses and raised up her hand to knock on the door.

    She turned the doorknob and discovered that it was open. Sun Wei pushed the door open and entered inside.

    The first thing that she noticed was the smell.

    A coppery tang that was very familiar to anyone who had survived for longer than a week in the apocalypse.

    It was the scent of blood.

    There were several people in therge room, and they all turned to watch Sun Wei as she stepped inside.

    She recognised them¡­ they were the top ability users in the base. But what were they doing here?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sun Wei''s eyes swept the room and discovered her mother in the corner in a seemingly unconscious state.

    Fortunately, her clothes seemed to be undisturbed and there were no traces of injuries on her body.

    "What''s going on?" Sun Wei asked coldly as she reached for her knife. Not a single person in the room stopped her from reaching for her weapon.

    And why would they?

    People with abilities were much stronger and faster than ordinary humans. Sun Wei would be unable to hurt anyone in the room even without them using their powers.

    Or so they thought¡­

    "Where is my brother?" Sun Wei asked another question and this time her voice echoed through the room.

    "Your brother¡­ he¡­ has unfortunately passed away," a smiling woman replied as she stepped to the side and gestured in a certain direction.

    Sun Wei followed her fingers and saw a man walking out of a nearby corridor holding a bloody head in his palm.

    "No¡­ no¡­" Sun Wei whispered over and over again as she recognised the facial features of the decapitated head.

    It was her brother.

    There was an expression of surprise and anger on his face as if he had never expected to be betrayed by the ones closest to him.

    Sun Wei knew the man holding the head. He was the second inmand of the base, a man by the name of Cai Xukun.

    But he was her brother''s swornpanion¡­ how could he have betrayed him?

    "From today onward¡­ I will be the new leader of the base," Cai Xukun growled hoarsely as he flung the head on the ground.

    Sun Wei was unable to take her eyes away from her brother''s lifeless head as it rolled towards her direction.

    She heard giggles and saw the mocking sneers on the faces of the ability users present in the room.

    Ahh¡­ so that''s why they kept her and her mother alive.

    This was all a sick and twisted game to these monsters.

    Sun Wei idly wondered if they would allow her to live or make her serve as an example of what would happen to those who held loyalty towards the old regime.

    "The former leader was a weak man who was unable to lead us to be the most powerful faction in the northern region," Cai Xukun spoke in a firm tone.

    "You son of a bitch¡­" the new leader''s speech was interrupted by Sun Wei''s unexpected words.

    There was a brief moment of silence as no one expected the powerless sister of the former leader to speak up.

    Sun Wei raised up her head and a burning intense anger could be seen in her gaze. She rushed forward while screaming at the top of her lungs.

    One of the ability users stepped forward and intended to deal with her but Cai Xukun simply raised his right hand and stopped him.

    He intended to break the former leader''s sister both mentally and then physically. To do that then all he needed to do was drill into her head just how powerless she really was.

    Sun Wei charged forward in apparent recklessness but just as her knife approached Cai Xukun''s neck, her figure disappeared into white smoke.

    "What?" someone eximed in disbelief as he could not understand what had just happened.

    "They''re gone!" the woman who was smiling earlier shouted in shock.

    Both Sun Wei and her mother Sun Li were no longer in the room.

 Chapter 173 Zombie Empress - Side Story (2)

    (Lirean Province- Whiteknife National Park)

    (Inner Region)

    The sun had just begun to peak over the horizon and a soft glow illuminated the surrounding forest.

    Whiteknife National Park was an incredibly remote location that required a three-day journey through a difficult mountain range to reach.

    The roads leading to the park had long fallen into disrepair, so it was impossible to drive a car along the path.

    The nearest town to the national park was over thirty-five kilometres away and most of the poption of that town were either dead or had be zombies.

    Now it was little more than a ghost town. An empty shell much like the numerous other ces that had suffered when the apocalypse had begun.

    One could only reach the inner region of the park by walking through a dense jungle where dozens of mutated animals and nts lurked.

    There was a smallke in the middle of the national park and along the edge of theke was arge wooden structure that resembled a two-story house.

    It seemed quite out of ce among the wilderness and yet¡­ there was a sense offort and warmthing from inside the building.

    Gong Li stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily as she nced at the naked body lying down next to her.

    A silly smile spread across her face as she wrapped her arms around Liu Yifei''s body and gently kissed the side of her neck.

    "Urgh¡­ babe¡­ stop it¡­" Liu Yifei groaned as she pped away the naughty hands that were yfully roaming around her chest.

    Gong Li smirked as one of her fingers gently traced the side of Liu Yifei''s nipples and her girlfriend let out a small moan of pleasure.

    "Come on¡­ I need to make breakfast¡­" Liu Yifei broke away from the embrace and scolded her love with an expression of mock anger on her face.

    "Just five more minutes please," Gong Li replied sleepily as she pulled the nket over her body and closed her eyes once more.

    Liu Yifei shook her head and with an indulgent look in her eyes, she gently touched the side of her lover''s back.

    She got up from the bed and decided to head towards the kitchen. Liu Yifei grabbed a simple white bathrobe from the closet before leaving the bedroom.

    Before putting on the bathrobe, she took a nce at the mirror hanging on the wall and saw numerous love bites and hickeys all over her upper body.

    Gong Li was such a passionate lover in the bedroom¡­ Liu Yifei blushed slightly as she covered up her body and then descended down the stairs.

    A lot had changed in seven years.

    After experiencing numerous life and death fights while travelling with Sister Lan and Eve, Liu Yifei and Gong Li had decided to live a life of peace.

    Perhaps it was a bit strange to basically live a life of retirement at age twenty-five but after experiencing what they had¡­

    It was the only life that seemed to be filled with happiness. Besides it wasn''t as if they never saw their twopanions again.

    Qin Lan and Eve would asionally visit every couple of months and tell them stories about their journey around the country.

    Eve would be hovering over Qin Lan''s shoulder and Liu Yifei could tell that the mutated zombie wanted to settle down somewhere quiet as well but loved to be by her girlfriend''s side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The corners of Liu Yifei''s lips curved upwards as she ced some firewood in the pit and snapped her fingers.

    A lighter appeared in her hand and she quickly got the fire going. The wooden house where she lived was incredibly well furnished thanks to her ability.

    Of course, there was no electricity, but Lirean Province was located in a tropical zone, so it wasn''t as if winters were a problem.

    And naturally with all the trees nearby, there was no issue to do things the old-fashioned way with wood as a source of energy.

    Honestly if you had told a young Liu Yifei that she would one day be living in a cabin in the woods with a girlfriend¡­ she would have called you crazy.

    And hell, if you had told her just three years ago that she would be living a peaceful life during the apocalypse¡­

    She would have also called you crazy.

    Liu Yifei hummed softly as she brought out a simple pan from her storage space and ced a stick of butter in the pan.

    She held the pan over the fire and began to process of cooking a simple but hearty breakfast for herself and Gong Li.

    About ten minutes passed and finally there were two tes filled with food that was slightly steaming.

    "Babe! Come downstairs!" Liu Yifei cupped her hands around her mouth and called out.

    She heard vague footstepsing from upstairs and soon Gong Li entered the kitchen wearing a simple nightgown that barely concealed her body.

    "You''re the best¡­" Gong Li whispered softly as she walked up to her girlfriend and pulled her in close for a fiery kiss that was full of passion.

    Sometimes she still believed that this was a dream.

    She could not believe that she was living with the love of her life and their love had not faded despite living together for over two years now.

    Instead, it seemed as though their bond had only gotten stronger and stronger as time went on.

    The two young women sat down in chairs next to each other and began to eat the breakfast in front of them.

    "Any ns for today?" Gong Li asked curiously as she cut open her egg and smiled when she saw the yellow yolk run out.

    "Thinking of going hunting for some more cores to absorb from the mutated animals nearby and then maybe a swim. How about you?" Liu Yifei replied warmly.

    "Well, the windows in the back of the house seem to be a bit loose so I might do some repairs in the morning and then some writing this afternoon," Gong Li repliedzily.

    "And when am I going to see this novel of yours?" Liu Yifei teased her girlfriend who looked away and refused to answer.

    "You will see it when it''s ready. I want it to be a surprise for you," Gong Li spoke in a serious tone.

    Liu Yifei giggled as she leaned forward and captured Gong Li''s lips in a soft warm kiss that seemed tost forever.

    Life was good.

 Chapter 174 Zombie Empress - The End

    (Borean Province- New Lornto City)

    (Inner District- K''s Supermart)

    "Please¡­ leave us alone¡­" a woman pleaded desperately as she stretched out her arms and tried to hide the shivering children behind her.

    In front of the supermarket were ten men each holding in steel pipes or home-made knives whose edges gleamed under the sunlight.

    The leader of the group had a savage grin on his face as his eyes lustfully roamed up and down the woman''s body.

    "Boys¡­ I get first taste today¡­" the man licked his lips as he spoke. He held out his right palm and a beam of energy erupted from his fingertips.

    The ss door that blocked the entrance to the supermarket instantly shattered and shards of ss flew in the air.

    The children screamed and woman felt a cold sinking feeling in her chest. She knew what was about to happen next.

    There was nothing that she could do except close her eyes and pray that the ability user would kill her after he was finished instead of the alternative.

    What would they do to the children?

    Qu Ying did not even want to imagine because she knew that some thugs actually had a preference for the young.

    She closed her eyes as the man walked inside the supermarket and headed for her location.

    One minute passed inplete silence and she could hear nothing except the scared whimpering of the children behind her body.

    Two minutes passed and... nothing happened.

    Qu Ying hesitantly opened her eyes and saw every single member of the gang standingpletely motionless with a zed look in their eyes.

    They seemed lifeless¡­ almost like puppets¡­ wait¡­

    "Puppet master?!" Qu Ying called out excitedly as she had heard stories about an ability user with a certain gift.

    She was a mysterious figure who protected the weak and killed those who used their abilities to harm the innocent.

    Some considered her a legend but too many stories and verified reports by numerous witnesses meant that there was some truth to the tales.

    Qu Ying continued shouting but the mysterious puppet master never showed up. She eventually bowed her head in a random direction and yelled out thanks in a grateful voice.

    In the distance a woman smiled gently as she leaned against her partner and gazed at the setting sun.

    The woman was not particrly attractive and yet there was an aura of power and authority surrounding her body that was hard to ignore.

    The pair were sitting down in an armoured car that was outfitted with a gun turret on its hood as well as des attached to its side.

    Qin Lan focused on the ck threads connected to her mind and imnted a series of orders in the heads of the men who attempted to attack the innocent woman and her children.

    Now they would be the woman and her children''s loyal guardian knights¡­

    After ten years of living in the apocalypse, Qin Lan''s mastery of her ability was quite impressive, and she no longer needed to break the minds of those she used it on.

    She nced at the warm body pressed against hers and saw Eve smiling at her with a loving glint in her eyes.

    Eve''s appearance had remained unchanged by the passing of time. While Qin Lan had a few grey hairs and wrinkles, Eve was still as lovely as ever.

    "What are you looking at?" Eve said teasingly as she leaned forward and pressed her lips against her lover''s.

    "No¡­ I''m just worried that when I grow old, you''ll find someone younger than me," Qin Lan pouted as she teased her girlfriend.

    "Never," Eve replied solemnly as she yed with Qin Lan''s fingertips.

    The zombie empress never told her favourite human that she did not n to live forever even though her body was most likely immortal.

    On the day of Qin Lan''s death, she nned to shatter her own crystal core so that she would pass away with the love of her life.

    "Come we still have one more base to raid for the day and then we can call it a night," Qin Lan grinned cheerfully as she ced her hand on the steering wheel.

    She didn''t expect to be a vignte hero, but it was honestly a good way to live.

    Travelling around the country with her lover and killing the pieces of shit who tarnished the name of humanity.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Puppet master, Gifted Killer, Huntress, Angel of Death¡­

    There were many nicknames that Qin Lan had acquired and her bounty in several major cities had gone up to two thousand crystals.

    She was a thorn in the side of many powerful figures who believed that their gifts gave them the right to control the masses.

    "Let''s not leave just yet¡­" Eve whispered softly. Qin Lan pressed the brakes and the car shuddered to a stop.

    The zombie empress opened the car door and walked around the car to Qin Lan''s side. She held out her hand and Qin Lan dly took it.

    The cool feeling of her girlfriend''s palm brought a strange sense offort and familiarity to her heart.

    She never did find the viiness of this ne, but things seemed to be moving in a far more stable direction than the one in the original Qin Lan''s life.

    Perhaps due to the butterfly effect, the viiness who destroyed this world had not been created or born.

    Eve led her girlfriend to a still standing building neatly tucked away behind arge tree whose leaves casted long shadows on the ground.

    After ten years, nature had reimedrge areas inside major cities, and it was strange to see forests growing where was once busy highways and roads.

    It would take many generations for humanity to reach the level of societal and technological progress that they possessed before the end times had begun.

    Qin Lan tossed those dark thoughts to the back of her mind as Eve entered the building and walked up a flight of stairs.

    "Where are you taking me?" Qin Lanughed as she yed with Eve''s fingers.

    "It''s a surprise¡­" the zombie empress replied with a smirk on her face.

    The pair eventually arrived at a in wooden door which Eve opened with a simple twist of her left hand.

    The door opened to reveal a mostly empty room with a table and two chairs in the center.

    The table was covered with an expensive cloth and a candle, and two roses were present on top of the fabric.

    "What is this?" Qin Lan eximed in shock as she turned to her girlfriend and saw Eve get down on one knee.

    Tears welled up in Qin Lan''s eyes as she could tell what was about to happen next.

    "Qin Lan¡­ will you marry¡­" Eve''s voice was interrupted by a loud shriek that left her girlfriend''s mouth.

    "YES!" Qin Lan cried out as she sobbed tears of joy. She wrapped her arms tightly around Eve''s body and kissed her firmly on the lips.

    "Wait you didn''t let me fini¡­mphhh!" Eve could not continue the rest of her speech as her lover''s lips kept pressing against hers.

    Many yearster Eve would look back at the moment when she had first met Qin Lan and would thank the gods that this human had entered her life.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Many years in the future¡­)

    (Heurn Province- St. Joseph High School)

    "No one knows how the apocalypse begun nor how it ended¡­" a middle-aged teacher exined to a ss of interested students.

    "It is said that the humans of that era developed supernatural powers and were capable of performing feats of strength that would seem impossible."

    "But then why does no one have an ability today?" a curious student asked.

    "No one knows¡­ it is said that eighty years after the apocalypse begun there was an enormous wave of energy and the enhanced humans lost their powers," the teacher replied calmly.

    "One unreliable witness ims that he saw a zombie destroy its own core while holding the corpse of an elderly woman."

    "Of course, we may never know the real truth¡­"

 Chapter 175 Best Of Luck Human!

    (Outside The Creation World Tree- Unknown Location)

    (Private System Spatial Zone)

    Sui Li sat down in a peaceful meadow and stared at the bright sun that was hovering high above in the sky.

    Despite looking directly at the bright object, her eyes did not feel any sort of pain or difort.

    Perhaps it was because she was merely a soul and not a living person. It was still a fact that Sui Li had to get used to.

    But she did have to admit¡­ this was a beautiful ce.

    There were colourful flowers scattered across the field, tall leafy trees that stood quietly in the distance and a river flowed nearby with tiny fishes that leapt out of the water.

    This ce was the definition of the beauty of nature.

    Sui Li''s eyes narrowed as she felt a vague feeling of loss and heartbreak. Something¡­ or maybe someone was missing.

    She could not shake off the feeling that she had forgotten something important. Wait¡­ wasn''t there¡­

    Sui Li looked down at her hands and saw a mysterious orange orb hovering just above her fingertips.

    The orange glowing off the orb was soft and inviting almost like a warm nket on a rainy day.

    If she remembered correctly, ording to the ''system'' this orb would allow her to recall her memories from inside the mission worlds.

    Sui Li stretched out her hand without hesitation and touched the side of the orb. A horrific scream erupted from her mouth as two lifetimes'' worth of memories flowed into her mind.

    The young woman crashed to the ground and began to spasm uncontrobly as her identity, sense of self and memories began to warp uncontrobly.

    My name is Sui Li¡­ my name is ire nlyn¡­ no¡­ my name is¡­ Qin Lan¡­

    My name is Sui Li¡­ my name is ire nlyn¡­ no¡­ my name is¡­ Qin Lan¡­

    My name is Sui Li¡­ my name is ire nlyn¡­ no¡­ my name is¡­ Qin Lan¡­

    It was too much¡­

    Sui Li had never felt so much pain before in all three of her lives. It was almost as though something was splitting apart her mind from the inside.

    She was so distracted by the pain that she did not notice the strange creature that stepped out of the wooden door connected to her spatial zone.

    It was vaguely humanoid in appearance, but its skin was a dull greyish colour. Two silvery wings sprouted out from its back, and it also possessed a forked tail.

    The creature wore an ill-fitting ck suit and jacket along with a in white mask that concealed most of its facial features.

    Except for a pair of dark purplish eyes that seemed to stare emotionlessly at the woman screaming in pain on the ground.

    The creature sighed heavily and extended one of its bony ws to tap the top of Sui Li''s forehead. It extracted the orange orb and finally the young woman''s painful expression ceased.

    [Human¡­ your soul is too weak to absorb the previous memories of your mission worlds¡­]

    [I don''t know why you would want to see those useless memories but for your own safety I would rmend never touching this orb again¡­]

    [Although I am obligated to save you¡­ if I''m beingpletely honest¡­ it is an enormous waste of my time¡­]

    Sui Li opened her eyes and sat up from the ground with a dazed expression on her face.

    She could no longer remember her old memories but clearly recalled the pain that had nearly driven her insane.

    "How can I absorb those memories?" Sui Li asked curiously.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The creature groaned when it saw how stubborn its host was being. There was no good reason to dwell on the past.

    As an agent of the Time Space Authority, she should only be concerned aboutpleting the missions that were assigned to her.

    Nothing more.

    [Sigh¡­ I guess if you were sent to a world where it was possible to strengthen your soul then maybe, or I can apply for an item¡­]

    [You have sessfullypleted two missions so far¡­ so I mean¡­ I guess you do have some credits in your personal ount]

    "Credits?" Sui Li asked curiously.

    [Yes human¡­ credits¡­ by the gods¡­ do I need to exin everything?]

    [You can use credits to buy items in the ck market from other agents or in the official system shop.]

    [Unfortunately, these items cannot be carried to your mission worlds because you have been assigned to unstable ones.]

    [Foreign items will cause the ne to immediately copse. Human I can''t believe that I have to exin something so basic to you¡­]

    "Don''t have that attitude with me¡­" Sui Li snarled angrily as she bravely stood up and stared at the creature directly in its purplish eyes.

    "From what I can tell¡­ you have never helped me on any of my missions. I have needed to do everything by myself¡­"

    [I cannot interfere in unstable worlds¡­]

    "Then zip it with the attitude," Sui Li bluntly spoke as she walked up to the creature who cocked an eyebrow at her with bemusement evident behind its in white mask.

    "Do you want to return to being a ''system'' of the Male Protagonist department? Then you need me to seed so that you can get promoted off my results."

    [Human¡­ you dare to speak to me that way?!]

    The creature''s voice echoed in Sui Li''s head with a strange tone of¡­ admiration? It adjusted the crooked tie hanging around its neck and a sharp burst of giggles left its mouth.

    [Alright¡­ here''s what¡­]

    [I have some credits left over so if youplete the next mission and be an official agent then I will dly share the burden to buy an item to allow you to keep your memories.]

    "Aren''t I an agent already?" Sui Li asked in confusion.

    [Yes and no¡­ agents are required toplete three sessive missions in a row and only then are they allowed full rights and the ability to teleport to the central hub]

    Sui Li absorbed this new information and thought it over in her mind. Just as this so-called ''system'' was stuck with her¡­ she was also stuck with it.

    It may have a bad attitude but at least it had not done anything to actively hurt her or lead her astray.

    They were stuck together¡­ for better or for worse¡­

    "Okay¡­ when and what is the next mission?" Sui Li finally spoke.

    The creature reached into its pockets and pulled out two sheets of paper with strange writings on their surfaces.

    The writings were in anguage that Sui Li did not recognise but she could sense a strange power flowing through the symbols.

    [Your next mission will be extremely dangerous¡­ the viiness of that ne¡­ let''s just say that she is truly an insatiable monster...]

    [Best of luck human¡­ you''ll need it.]

 Chapter 176 A Desperate Request

    [Alright human¡­ please continue toplete your missions¡­ I heard that several other members of your department are now either retired or dead so¡­]

    [Good job so far!]

    The creature waved its bone-like ws in the air and several bluish runes appeared around Sui Li''s body.

    "Wait! Wait! Is there another way? I hate being¡­" Sui Li protested but her words were cut off as she found her body frozen in ce.

    [Nope]

    The ''system'' wore a in white mask but somehow Sui Li got the impression that whatever was hiding behind the mask was smiling.

    She struggled desperately and tried her best to escape but every single inch of her muscles was locked in ce.

    A noise that sounded like ss shattering echoed through the space and then a ck portal formed at her feet.

    Sui Li managed to force her eyebrows to move slightly, and she shot the creature a hateful look as her body fell through the portal.

    The familiar process of her body being stretched, squeezed, and pulled in different directions was not pleasant.

    She may not have her memories of the mission worlds but everything that happened in this strange space was still inside Sui Li''s mind.

    She could remember sitting down across from the original Qin Lan and ire nlyn but everything else after that was aplete nk.

    Without warning the inside of the portal began to shake uncontrobly from side to side. Sui Li was grateful that she was a soul otherwise she would have probably thrown up already.

    Finally, the shaking stopped, and Sui Li felt her body sitting down on a hard surface.

    She hesitantly opened her eyes and found herself in a tiny room no bigger than a regr bedroom with in white walls.

    Ahh¡­ this was the ce where she would meet her next host.

    Sui Li nced at the single light bulb that was hung in the center of the room which provided dim lighting and asionally flickered.

    Surely the Time Space Administration could provide a better space¡­ this ce looked shady as hell!

    Sui Li adjusted her posture on the wooden chair which creaked annoyingly any time she made even the slightest movement.

    ? The wooden chair opposite to her location was empty which meant that the person who she was supposed to meet was not here yet.

    She waited for a few minutes inplete silence until a faint whitish cloud suddenly appeared right over the empty chair.

    It took a few seconds for the white cloud topress into the figure of a woman whose details were gradually revealed under the dim lighting.

    She was young.

    Sui Li at a nce estimated that the young woman was somewhere between seventeen and neen years old.

    The mysterious teenager was extremely beautiful with sharp angr features, a cute button nose and enchantingly pale skin.

    Her eyes were a piercing green colour and she possessed long flowing dark hair that fell below her shoulders.

    The teenager''s body was unnaturally skinny as if she had been starved for several days without proper food or water.

    There was a brief moment of silence in the room as both parties stared at each other without saying a single word.

    Just as Sui Li was staring at the young teenager, she was also staring at the woman sitting down across from her.

    "Are¡­ are you the one who can fulfil my wish?" the teenager finally spoke in a hoarse tone.

    "Yes. In exchange for the right to use your body toplete my mission, I can fulfil any request that you have," Sui Li exined politely.

    "Your mission?" the teenager asked with confusion evident on her face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "My name is Sui Li, and I am a member of a department responsible for eliminating threats to worlds," Sui Li spoke with a confidence that she did not feel.

    "Oh¡­I see¡­ so you need my body to enter my world?" the teenager muttered quietly.

    The young girl nodded her head thoughtfully and her fingers lightly tapped against the side of her wooden chair.

    Sui Li knew that she was probably digesting the information that she had just heard.

    She wasn''t sure how time worked in this strange ce, but she was content to allow the teenager to take as long as she needed to think about a request.

    It was a big deal after all.

    "I¡­ I have one regret¡­ do you have the time to listen to my story," the teenager finally spoke after a few minutes had passed.

    "Sure¡­ take as long as you need," Sui Li warmly replied as she held the girl''s hands and shot her aforting look.

    "Thank you¡­ I have not said my name yet¡­ it''s Mary Brooks¡­" the teenager smiled sweetly and did not remove her palms from Sui Li''s grip.

    She seemed to get some courage from the warm touch of another person, and it helped her speak about her story which was quite a painful one.

    "I¡­ did not have a happy home¡­ my dad he used to beat me and my sister quite a lot," Mary hesitantly spoke.

    "We¡­ we... managed to earn schrships to universities on the other side of the country and I truly believed at that time that everything would get better¡­"

    "We¡­ had our whole lives ahead of us¡­ we didn''t want revenge on our father¡­ we simply wanted to escape from him¡­"

    "And yet¡­"

    May frowned as an expression of rage and pain shed across her face. She took a few deep breaths and for a brief moment Sui Li could see a horrific wound on the side of her head.

    The wound quickly vanished as the teenage girl got her emotions under control.

    "He sold us¡­ on thest day before our train was set to arrive¡­ he drugged and sold us to be blood ves¡­" Mary whispered in a trembling tone.

    "Blood ves¡­ our own father sold us to those monsters¡­ I didn''t know at the time and thought that we had been kidnapped."

    "On the way to the northern region¡­ my sister sacrificed herself so that I could escape¡­ I returned home and wanted to tell my father to alert the hunter''s organization¡­"

    "He¡­ he¡­"

    Mary''s voice cut off as the wound on her head appeared once more.

    It did not take a genius to realise what her father had done after his daughter had returned home trying to get help.

    Sui Li got up from her chair and pulled the young girl into a warm embrace. The people who were willing to give up their bodies did not have happy lives.

    "I''m sorry¡­ I''m truly sorry¡­ I know that my words can''t change what happened to you, but I want you to know that none of it is your fault," Sui Liforted the girl gently.

    "My sister¡­ please¡­ make sure that she is the one who escapes¡­ not me¡­" Mary sobbed tearfully as she buried her head in Sui Li''s shoulder.

    "I promise," Sui Li solemnly swore as a strange energy flowed from Mary''s body and into her soul.

    Deep blue runes appeared out of thin air and surrounded both of their bodies. Sui Li was once again frozen in ce as the flow of the strange energy intensified.

    The pact had been made.

    Beneath her feet another ck portal appeared, and Sui Li saw Mary look at her with a relieved expression on her youthful face.

    "Thank you," Mary whispered softly.

 Chapter 177 Lady Of The Night (1)

    Five ck vans with no licence tes sped along an unnamed road towards the northern part of the country.

    Each van was carrying precious cargo for the blood lords and the vampires driving the vehicles had happy grins on their faces.

    Just from this shipment alone they would be able to increase their standing in high society as well as make a decent amount of profit.

    Kidnapping humans was against the treaty signed two hundred years ago but unless they were caught by the hunter''s organisation then it was merely a useless piece of paper.

    Hundreds if not thousands of humans went missing every single day.

    What were a few more names to add to the endless list?

    Inside the vans one could hear the sounds of its upants trying to reason with their captors to let them go free.

    "Please¡­I''ll give you anything just let me go¡­"

    "Mommy¡­ I''m¡­ I''m scared¡­"

    "We''re all going to die! We''re all going to die!"

    Two young teenage girls had been ced at the back of the van and they both had identical appearances.

    Sharp angr facial features, cute button noses and enchantingly pale skin. Their eyes were partially closed but one could glimpse a piercing green colour beneath their eyelids.

    They both possessed long flowing dark wavy hair that fell below their shoulders.

    Identical twins were a rarity and selling both as a set was quite the attractive prospect for the vampire driving the vehicle.

    Eventually the teenage girl on the right stirred and the first noises that she heard were the pleads and desperate cries for help.

    Mary groggily opened her eyes and felt a massive headache pounding nonstop in her head. She let out a painful groan as she felt as though she had just been run over by a truck.

    The aftereffects of unknowingly eating a few sedatives that her father had slipped into her meal had caused her body to be slow and hard to move.

    She tried to shift her body around but hissed in pain as she felt something wrapped tightly around her arms and legs.

    Mary looked down and saw that her arms and ankles had been bound by a thinyer of rope that had been securely tied.

    This mission world¡­

    Mission world?

    Mary frowned as a few memories entered her mind as her personality assimted fully with that of her original host.

    Fuck¡­ this was not good.

    She had entered the host''s body during the kidnapping, and it was already toote.

    She could feel the drugs still present in her system and there was a sense of weakness in her body.

    Fighting would be impossible even if her enemy was a normal human male and never mind the fact that he was an enhanced supernatural creature.

    She nced around the interior of the van and carefully observed the other upants trapped inside the van.

    A middle-aged woman wearing simple rags who clutched her young son against her chest, an elderly man who rocked gently back and forth as well as a few others.

    Each had an expression of despair or terror on their faces.

    Mary leaned against her sister who was still unconscious. There was not much time to implement any grand schemes or ns.

    For now, her best bet would be to imitate what the original Mary had done in this situation and hope that she could turn things around.<novelnext></novelnext>

    But not yet.

    Mary waited patiently even though every instinct in her body wanted her to try to escape and flee from this van as soon as possible.

    It was an instinctive fear since she was trapped in a limited space along with a predator.

    This world was remarkably simr to Sui Li''s own world except humanity was not the only intelligent species that ruled the.

    Vampires¡­ creatures of the night with enhanced strength, senses and an insatiable urge for blood that fueled their immortality.

    However, they all had two fatal weakness.

    The first was sunlight and the second was the fact that lesser vampires got easily overwhelmed by the smell of blood.

    If she attempted tomunicate to her sister now, then they would be easily caught but she only needed to wait for a few more minutes¡­

    Mary rubbed her fingers nervously as she watched a young man in his twenties in the corner of the van shift around and somehow reach into his pocket.

    A de gleamed between his fingers and slowly but surely, he began to cut the rope that was binding his hands.

    "Stop cutting the rope or I''ll kill you¡­" a cold voice came from the driver''s seat. The young man was startled, and the knife slipped out of his grasp.

    He hissed in pain as the de nicked against the side of his leg and thin wound opened up. Blood slowly dripped down his leg and the air seemed to freeze.

    Mary felt a rush of guilt and shame as she watched the vampire in the driver''s seat dig his fingernails into the underside of his palms in order to control his bloodlust.

    He would not seed.

    She knew that the young man was going to die and did not warn or stop him. Mary gritted her teeth and pushed down the feelings of guilt.

    This was a matter of survival and a harsh but necessary method in order to save her sister.

    The original Mary had entrusted her body on the condition that her sister was rescued, and Mary intended to fulfil her request.

    The vampire driving the van was preupied with containing his bloodlust, so he didn''t hear themotion happening in the back of the vehicle.

    Mary nudged her sister violently until her eyes slowly opened.

    "Mary? What the hell? Why are you waking me up so early?" Lily whispered sleepily as she opened her eyes and stared at her twin.

    "Wait¡­ what?"

    Lily looked around the vehicle in confusion and saw a group of people tied up with thin pieces of rope.

    She nced at her body and saw that her hands and ankles were also tied up as well. Mary could see panic begin to set in as her younger sister could not understand what was happening.

    "Lily¡­ Lily¡­ listen to me¡­" Mary whispered seriously as she propped up her head with great difficulty and stared into her sister''s eyes.

    "Dad¡­ he sold us to traffickers¡­ we are currently driving towards vampire-controlled territory and if we reach then there will be no chance of escape¡­"

    "Dad? No¡­ he wouldn''t¡­ he¡­" Lily hyperventted as she felt the rope around her hands suddenly get tighter.

    "Don''t panic¡­ I will get us out¡­" Mary promised gently as she leaned forward and rested her head against her sister''s shoulder.

    Feeling the familiar warmth of her twin made Lily''s calm down a little bit and she listened to what Mary had to say.

    "Okay first we need to¡­"

 Chapter 178 Lady Of The Night (2)

    "Lily listen to me very carefully okay¡­ we are both going to get out of here¡­ I promise you," Mary whispered gently as she calmed down her panicked twin.

    In the original Mary''s memories, their roles had actually been reversed since she had suffered a massive panic attack when she realised what was going on.

    At that time Lily was the one whoforted her and told her that everything was going to be okay.

    "Now I am going to bite through the ropes holding your hands together and when you are free, I want you to immediately untie the rope around your ankles," Mary whispered quietly.

    "But what about you?" Lily replied with a concerned look on her face.

    "It is important that one of us is fully freed first¡­ otherwise we will both be in danger¡­" Mary replied confidently.

    She did not tell her sister the whole truth, but her assured tone helped to ease Lily''s mind.

    Mary shuffled forward and groaned as the van made a sudden turn and her body mmed against the wall.

    She shot a quick nce at the vampire driving the vehicle and got a better look at his appearance.

    He was a small slender figure with unnaturally pale skin. He wore an oversized ck jacket and a pair of ill-fitting brown pants.

    He must have been no taller than five foot one and his short appearance would not be perceived as threating at least at first nce.

    That is until one saw his pair of deep crimson eyes that glowed with a hypnotic light that made it hard to look away.

    Tworge fangs jutted out from the top of his mouth, and it was clear that he was trying to resist the urge to feed.

    He kept staring at the bleeding young man in the reflection of the mirror and saliva slowly dripped down the side of his mouth.

    There wasn''t much time left¡­

    Mary furrowed her brows and inched forward painfully with every muscle in her body screaming out in protest.

    She opened her mouth and bit down on the knot that tied the pieces of rope around her sister''s arms.

    Mary winced since the rope had an unpleasant taste. God knows where this rope had been before the vampires tied it around their bodies.

    Still, she was determined to free her sister and kept chewing at the knot hoping desperately that she would be able to rip apart the thin rope.

    Mary hissed in pain as a loose strand of the rope snapped backwards and hit her directly in the face.

    Lily looked at her with concern, but Mary shook her head and motioned for her twin to be quiet no matter what happened.

    She needed to save her sister.

    She needed to save her sister.

    She needed to save her sister.

    The raw conviction in her heart kept repeating over and over again in her mind as she ignored the pain and kept gnawing at the rope.

    The minutes that passed felt like hours as Mary was aware that the clock was slowly ticking down with every passing second.

    She could feel her heart beating rapidly as she could not help but take an asional nce at the driver''s seat.

    The vampire driving the van was now breathing heavily and a thick pool of saliva was beginning to form under his feet.

    He would notst for much longer¡­

    Finally, Mary managed to rip apart a crucial part of the knot and Lily was able to wriggle her way out of the binds.

    "Nice work sister!" Lily quietly whispered.

    Mary gave her a small smile and then gestured towards the rope that were binding her ankles.

    Lily nodded seriously and then used her now freed hands to untie the knots. There was a clear expression of relief on her face and hope filled her heart.

    Mary frowned slightly and moved her body so that it blocked what Lily was doing. The prisoners inside the van were victims but that did not mean that they were her allies.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Some of them had the mentality of crabs in a bucket.

    They would rather no one escape rather than someone other than themselves.

    Fortunately, their attention was solely focused on the young man who was trying desperately to stem his bleeding leg.

    It did not take a genius to know what would happen if he could not stop the bleeding especially with a vampire nearby.

    "Lily¡­ pretend that you are still tied up even when you free your legs," Mary softly whispered as she adjusted the position of her body.

    There was a loud braking noise and the van shuddered to a stop.

    Tension filled the air, and one could only hear the sounds of heavy breathing as no one dared to move a single muscle.

    "Lily¡­ no matter what happens¡­ focus on freeing yourself¡­ do not look no matter what¡­" Mary solemnly whispered with a serious tone.

    Her sister froze for a brief moment and stared into her eyes as if searching for something.

    She must have realised the seriousness of the situation because she looked at the ground and just concentrated on untying the rope binding her ankles.

    Mary could feel her body involuntarily begin to shiver as she watched the vampire slowly get up from his seat and walk towards the injured young man.

    Goosebumps rose up along her arms and legs as she watched the monster unhinge his jaw so wide that it appeared to be unnatural.

    The young man screamed in terror, but his voice was cut off as the vampire lunged forward and sank his fangs into the man''s neck.

    The prisoners in the van began to cry out for help and plead for mercy as they watched the horrific sight.

    "Heavenly father¡­ please¡­"

    "Save us! Save us!"

    "Not my child! Not my child!"

    Mary forced herself to look as she watched the hungry vampire drain all the blood from his unwilling victim.

    The young man''s face got paler and paler, and the sounds of the feeding frenzy echoed through the van.

    "Lily¡­ don''t you dare stop untying¡­ don''t you fucking dare¡­" Mary whispered seriously as she could tell that her sister had stopped moving.

    She didn''t mean to curse but the horror of the situation unfolding right before her eyes made the word simply slip out.

    The vampire moaned in pleasure as the rush of tasting human blood brought some colour back to his unnaturally pale face.

    The young man was now motionless and only the asional rise and fall of his chest gave any indication that he was still alive.

    Finally, the vampire stopped feeding and stood up from the ground with blood sttered all over his face and lower chin.

    He sneered at the frightened humans in the van with his crimson eyes an even darker shade of red than before.

    He nced down at the unconscious body of the young man and for a brief moment one could see the temptation that shed across his face.

    Vampires were insatiable.

    Once they got the taste or smell of blood¡­ there was nothing that could stop them from feeding for eternity.

    Very few had the self control necessary to stop themselves once they began to feed and the vampire in the van was not one of them.

    Eventually the temptation won, and the vampire dove back on top of his unconscious meal and this time he did not stop.

    Lily gently poked the side of Mary''s back and leaned forward until her lips were mere inches away from her sister''s ear.

    "I''m free¡­ what do you want me to do now? Should I free your arms?" Lily asked quietly as she refused to look at the terrible sight.

    "Untie my ankles first¡­ I don''t think we have much time¡­" Mary replied softly as she shifted her legs until they were closer to her sister.

 Chapter 179 Lady Of The Night (3)

    "Blerghh¡­ fuck¡­ fuck¡­" the vampire cursed softly as he kneeled down and vomited out some of the blood in his stomach.

    Lesser vampire would not be able to resist the urge to feed but their bodies could only stand a certain amount of human blood before they would be forced to throw up the excess.

    The metallic scent of blood filled the air as the mad vampire stretched out his arms and easily tore off the young man''s limbs.

    The man''s eyes were now a cloudy white colour, and it was clear that he had died of either blood loss or shock a few minutes ago.

    A mother holding her child trembled in fear as she was forced to cover her son''s eyes using her body as a blindfold.

    "Don''t look Lily¡­ keep¡­ untying me¡­" Mary whispered softly as she felt a cold chill run down her spine.

    Those dark crimson eyes¡­

    The vampire used his enhanced strength to peel off sections of the young man''s skin and began to feast on his flesh.

    There was a callous indifference in his actions. He feasted on the young man''s body as if it were an ordinary meal.

    The sounds of bones cracking and meat tearing echoed through the van and Mary could feel her sister''s fingers tremble slightly.

    They were monsters¡­

    Monsters.

    Mary closed her eyes and immersed herself in the original Mary''s memories about how she had managed to escape.

    In the original timeline Lily had been the one to free her but there wasn''t enough time for her to return the favour.

    An ident had urred about mid way through the journey and the vans had been ambushed by a team of hunters.

    In the resulting confusion¡­ the original Mary had managed to escape but her sister had remained captured.

    Arge reason why she had desperately returned to her father was because at the time she wanted him to help her appeal to the authorities to mount a rescue operation.

    What had been the fate of her sister?

    The original Mary shuddered to imagine as numerous horrific possibilities haunted her until the day she died at the hands of her father.

    But now it would be different.

    Mary shifted her legs slightly and let out a light sigh of relief as she realised that her ankles had now been untied.

    "Lily keep the pieces of rope around your arms so that it looks like you are still tied up," Mary spoke gently as her eyes opened.

    She kept a close eye on the vampire who was now vomiting profusely all over the floor of the van.

    The other prisoners were frozen in ce and did not even dare to move a single muscle.

    And how could she me them?

    Vampire were stronger and faster than a normal human. Even though this one was upied by a feeding frenzy, the sight of the monster tearing into flesh and bone served as a grim reminder.

    In this world¡­ humanity was prey.

    They were not the apex predators.

    Mary shifted her body slightly and brought her arms closer to her sister. She spared a nce at Lily and sawrge beads of sweat running down her brow.

    "Mary¡­ I''m scared¡­" Lily whispered with a small tremor in her voice. Her hands kept moving to untie her sister''s hands, but it was clear that she was forcing herself.

    "Remember what I told you¡­ I''m scared too but¡­ we are both getting out of her¡­" Mary whispered with a confidence that she did not feel.

    "And when we get out¡­ we are going to send dad directly to jail¡­ he won''t be able to hurt us anymore¡­"

    Lily gave her sibling a small smile which Mary returned with a small upwards curve of her lips. The young woman worked hard to free her sister from the rope binding her hands together.

    It took a few minutes but eventually Mary was able to move her hands properly.

    Good¡­ now their chances of escaping had improved dramatically.

    And it was not a moment too soon since the vampire rose up from the ground and coughed violently.

    The corpse of the young man was now little more than a shriveled-up husk of bone and dust.

    The expression on his sunken face was impossible to see but terror still lurked behind those long dead eyes.

    "Damn it! That''s two million dors pissed away!" the vampire muttered furiously to himself as he shook his head and returned to the driver''s seat.

    The other four vans had gone ahead which meant that a gap had opened up in the convoy. The vampire scowled fiercely as he pressed his foot against the elerator.

    The van moved forward at an even faster pace than before since he had to catch up to the other vehicles in his group.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Mary what do we¡­" Lily began to speak but froze as her sister shook her head and nced in the direction of the vampire.

    Now that the feeding frenzy was over, the vampire would be able to listen in to their conversations using his enhanced hearing.

    Mary silently blinked a few times and was able to calm down her sister. A lifetime of shared abuse meant that both twins were capable ofmunicating nonverbally.

    It was a necessary skill that they had learned when trying to avoid their father''s wrath when he came home drunk.

    He would beat them for any slightest noise¡­ or at least that would be his excuse¡­

    If he was in a unpleasant mood... he would beat them...

    If he was in a good mood... he would beat them...

    If he felt like it... he would beat them...

    Dark hatred bubbled up in Mary''s heart as she silently promised herself to give that piece of shit a visit before she sent him off to prison.

    The walls inside the van werepletely dark and there were no windows which made the atmosphere inside the vehicle almost like a prison.

    Mary was only able to see the outside world through the windows in front of the driver and passenger seats.

    The northern part of the country where the blood lords resided was a cold and harsh ce. The trees in this climate had long lost their leaves as winter approached.

    Snowkes gently drizzled down from the sky, and one could see tiny forest critters walking along the side of the road.

    There was a sharp jagged cliffing up ahead and one could see the other four vans at the base of the cliff.

    They appeared to be waiting for theirpanion and his prisoners.

    The vampire driving the van reached into his pocket and pulled out a modern cell phone.

    "Yeah¡­ yeah¡­ I fucked up¡­ ate one of the products¡­" the vampire muttered quietly as he ced one hand on the wheel and continued driving.

    "I know¡­ I know¡­ listen¡­ the food cut himself! What was I supposed to do?!"

    "Oh, save me that bullshit Cain¡­ I know you killed two of our productsst month¡­ don''t think I didn''t see the blood around your mouth¡­"

    The vampire''s tone got angrier and angrier as he argued with one of hispanions on the other side of the call.

    Mary tapped her sister''s leg using her foot. She gave her sister a look as she slowly waited for what was toe next.

    Three minutes¡­ two minutes¡­ one minute¡­

    Now!

    BOOM!

    The four vans at the bottom of the cliff exploded simultaneously inrge fiery balls of mes that rose up to thirty feet in the air.

    The vampire driving the van froze in shock as he watched several masked figures leap out of the nearby forest and surround the burning debris.

    Hispanions were able to survive the mes, but they were not prepared to deal with the attackers lurking just outside the st zone.

    Stab!

    The fleeing vampires were killed by silvery longswords that glowed eerily under the light of the moon.

    Mary rose up from her feet and rushed towards the back of the van door. She mmed her body against the door and groaned in pain.

    Again¡­

    This time she was joined by Lily who also mustered up the courage in her heart and together both girls tried their best to get the door open.

    "Come on¡­e on¡­" Mary hissed in pain as she felt as though her shoulder was about to break.

    She kept relentlessly mming her body against the door of the van as if she were possessed.

    "What the¡­ how did you two get freed?" the vampire in the driver''s seat spoke with clear disbelief in his voice.

    "Damn it! I can''t waste any time¡­ I need to¡­"

    "Duck!" Mary screamed as she grabbed her sister and threw her to the ground. A de passed mere inches away from where their heads had been just seconds prior.

    The vampire clicked his tongue as he nced at the massacre urring in the distance and decided to deal with the misbehaving livestock first.

    He slowly rose up from his seat and approached the two terrified girls with slow heavy steps that echoed through the van.

    Thump! Thump!

 Chapter 180 Lady Of The Night (4)

    Terror filled Mary''s heart as she listened to the footsteps get closer and closer with every passing second.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    She was just a neen-year-old girl¡­ how could she possibly face a monster that was stronger and faster than a fully grown man.

    No¡­ she¡­ wait¡­ she wasn''t an ordinary girl¡­ she was¡­ Sui Li.

    Mary shook her head as she felt the strong emotions from the original Mary''s body briefly overwhelm her mind.

    There was an instinctive fear built into the humans of this world.

    It was a survival instinct created from spending many generations on the same as an apex predator species.

    Only the hunters with their gifts of light were capable of fighting vampires. That wasmon knowledge and yet¡­

    "No¡­ I¡­ can''t give up¡­" Mary muttered quietly as she rose up from the ground with trembling knees.

    She was unable to ovee all the fear in the original Mary''s heart but as she nced down at her shivering sister¡­ something finally clicked.

    It didn''t matter if she felt afraid.

    She could not forget the reason why a young teenager had willing given up her body. She needed to protect Lily at all costs.

    Fear was no excuse for cowardice.

    Mary grabbed the knife that was embedded in the van door and pulled it with all of her strength.

    The de slid free, and she pointed the weapon at the iing vampire.

    A low hoarse chuckle escaped the vampire''s mouth as he stared at the shivering girl with an expression of dark bemusement.

    "Do you think that you can stop me with that?" the vampire asked quietly. There was a terrible moment of silence as tension filled the air.

    Most of the prisoners inside the van watched the encounter but some looked away, unable to bear the sight of what they assumed would happen next.

    The memory of the vampire tearing into the young man''s corpse and ripping it apart piece by piece until it was nothing more than a shriveled-up husk was still fresh in their minds.

    Mary calmed down her shaking fingers and took in a few deep breaths. She stared into those inhuman crimson eyes and the world suddenly slowed down.

    She raised up her hand with the de gleaming slightly under the artificial lighting. Without hesitation she flung the weapon at the vampire''s face.

    The vampire raised up his hand and caught the weapon easily. It would have been an intimidating sight if Mary had been watching.

    Her true purpose had always been to distract him for just long enough to do¡­

    This.

    Mary screamed and mmed her body into the door of the van.

    This time she put the full weight of her body behind the blow and the blocked handle finally moved slightly.

    It was enough for her to use her fingers to curl around the handle and yank it furiously. The door opened wide to reveal the dark forest and the fires raging in the distance.

    "Help! Help!" Mary screamed loudly at the hunters cleaning their des in the distance. Her voice attracted their attention and the vampire realised what she had done.

    "Shit¡­ shit¡­ you stupid bitch!" the vampire yelled with a trace of panic in his voice. He lunged forward so fast that his figure became a blur.

    Mary barely had any time to react and her body simple moved reflexively.

    She grabbed her sister by the arm and flung her outside just as the vampire''s hand wrapped around her throat.

    "Run¡­ run¡­" Mary groaned painfully as she watched her sister groggily get up from the ground and stare at her with an expression of horror.

    "Sister! I¡­" Lily stuttered but her voice was interrupted by Mary who screamed at her with fury evident in her tone.

    "RUN NOW! GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE!" Mary shouted loudly. Lily turned around and fled with tears desperately running down the sides of her face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh no¡­ you don''t¡­" the vampire growled in anger.

    He was about to chase after the fleeing livestock when the girl in his grip threw back her head and spat directly in his face.

    "You¡­ filthy human!"

    Mary groaned in pain as the vampire lifted her up in the air by her neck and her feet dangled uselessly several inches from the floor.

    The vampire threw her with so much force that her body mmed against the wall of the van, and she slid down with a painful moan.

    Her ribs¡­ were they broken?

    "How dare you? HOW DARE YOU?!" the vampire was enraged, and his crimson eyes slowly darkened as madness gleamed behind his inhuman fa?ade.

    Mary forced her eyes to open amidst the terrible pain that was present all over her body. If there was any silver lining it was the fact that she did not appear to be bleeding.

    However, the enraged vampire might just kill her anyways¡­

    Out of the corner of her eyes she could see Lily''s figure getting further and further away from the van.

    She headed towards the hunters just as Mary had hoped. A small smile shed across the young girl''s lips as she saw her sister escape.

    She had aplished the original Mary''s request¡­ now all she had to do now was focus on survival.

    "I will kill you where you¡­ urgh¡­" the vampire''s threat died down in his throat as an arrow flew through the van''s open door and lodged itself in his lower back.

    The vampire pulled out the weapon with great difficulty and an expression of terror shed across his face as he noticed its silver edge.

    "Fuck! I need to get out of here now!" the vampire cursed in annoyance as he tossed the arrow outside just as two more flew inside.

    This time the vampire stepped to the side and the arrows lodged themselves in the bodies of the survivors.

    The mother and one of the older gentlemen were the ones who were hit. Blood slowly dripped down from their open wounds.

    The mother died instantly as the arrow prated her throat.

    Her hands fell uselessly to her sides and her young child sobbed desperately over his mother''s corpse.

    The old man on the other hand groaned in pain as the arrow plunged into his knee and crippled him instantly.

    Hunters were not heroes¡­ they were only concerned with killing vampires regardless of the cost of human lives.

    Mary shivered slightly as she curled up in a ball to make herself less of a target.

    The vampire''s attention was drawn to the now bleeding humans and a hungry expression shed across his face.

    With a supernatural amount of willpower, he gripped both of their bleeding bodies and flung them outside the van.

    He rushed towards the driver''s seat and pushed the elerator pedal with as much force as he could muster.

    The van''s engine shuddered slightly as the vehicle shot forward at a breakneck pace.

    The vampire clenched his fist in anger as he stared at the hunters dressed in their long ck cloaks.

    This was a simple job and now it had turned into a bloody mess. He nced at the surviving humans and did a quick headcount.

    Alright there were five livestock left which meant that the trip had not been entirely wasted but he definitely needed to sell all.

    Even that one¡­

    Mary tried to get her body to move but could feel the corners of her vision slowly turning dark.

    The effects of the drugs and the pain wrecking her body made it difficult for her limbs to obey the ordersing from her mind.

    She tried to crawl towards the door but eventually she slipped away into a dreamless slumber with the sound of the young child and the other terrified prisoners crying in the background.

 Chapter 181 Lady Of The Night (5)

    (Northern Region- New Antic City)

    (Inner District- Unovan Auction House)

    Mary opened her eyes and groaned in pain since it hurt to even take a single breath. Her ribs had clearly been bruised... or even cracked.

    What has happened? Where was she? This ce...

    Thest thing that she remembered was falling unconscious after trying to crawl towards the open van door.

    No matter how hard she tried, Mary could not recall how she had managed to end up in this unfamiliar ce.

    Mary looked around her surroundings and felt her heart drop as she realised that she had not managed to be saved.

    But the hunters were right there... why would they let a vampire go?

    Did she overestimate their determination and drive to kill rouge vampires?

    Truthfully the young girl''s mind was a bit of a mess, but she forced herself to calm down and take stock of the situation.

    There was no use in panicking.

    Right now, she had to determine where she was and how to escape as quickly as possible. Mary sat up from the ground and nced around the room.

    She was currently held inside a cage with thick iron bars andrge padlock. It was a set-up simr to what one would usually see in a zoo.

    Except this time, she was the animal trapped inside...

    There were a few other humans inside the room, and they appeared to be in various states of health and wellness.

    Some wore nothing but rags to cover up their unwashed bodies while others were dressed in fancy dresses and suits.

    The neck portion of their outfits had been intentionally cut open exposing their pale skin to the outside world.

    Mary nced down and saw that she was wearing the same clothes that she had on in the van.

    Okay good... at least no one had taken off her clothes...

    Despite the differences in appearances, every single human was locked up a tiny cage that barely had enough space for them to move around.

    They were being treated as livestock.

    In the minds of the vampires who lived in the northern region, the treaty meant little to creatures who had always seen humans as prey.

    How could a wolf sign a peace treaty agreement with a sheep?

    Mary heard the steady beating of her heart as she stretched out her hand and attempted to touch the padlock outside her cage.

    She lightly touched its cold metal surface but quickly withdrew her hand as she noticed arge spike embedded in its side.

    A trap and a warning...

    It would be a death sentence to get a cut in a ce like this. The scent of blood would cause every lesser vampire within a two-hundred-meter distance to go insane.

    Mary sat down on the ground and ced her head in her palms. Fuck... was she going to die just as the mission had begun?

    What did the ''system'' say?

    If she died prematurely in the mission nes, then there was a possibility that her soul could be trapped inside the world?

    Mary honestly couldn''t remember what exactly the ''system'' had said and the constant whimpers and frightened prayersing from the other humans trapped inside the cages was getting on her nerves.

    "Father god... please protect me..."

    "This is just a dream. This is just a dream. This is just a dream."

    "Fuck! Let me out of here! Do you know who I am?!"

    Mary covered her ears using her hands as the noises got louder and louder. Suddenly there was an unexpected moment of silence.

    The young teenage girl looked up and saw a handsome young man with a friendly smile on his face walking inside the room.

    He wore a in white shirt, had a mop of dirty blonde hair, and generally looked like a boy you would typically find in a frat house.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Except for those crimson red eyes and sharpened fangs that gleamed eerily under the light. He was holding tworge white stic bags and shook them gently as he walked.

    Mary felt goosebumps rise up along her arms as the vampire walked closer and closer. The instinctive fear that prey felt towards predators was hard to ignore.

    The mysterious vampire reached into the white bags and ced down two bowls in front of a frightened elderly woman.

    She was the human in the cage closest to the door, so it made sense that the vampire approached her first.

    The content of the bowls remained a mystery, but the elderly woman remained frozen in ce and made no attempt to reach for them.

    Mary furrowed her brows as she leaned closer in the direction of the old woman and tried to get a good look at what was inside.

    She could not see since arge iron bar was blocking her view.

    The vampire continued the process of reaching into the bags and cing two bowls in front of each cage.

    Eventually he arrived in front of Mary''s cage, and he lightly ced the two bowls on the ground.

    His nose wrinkled up in disgust as if he smelled something foul.

    Mary did not dare to move even a single muscle as the monster''s terrible crimson eyes swept up and down the length of her body.

    There was no trace of lust in his gaze.

    He looked at her just as how one would look at a piece of meat in a butcher''s shop.

    It was terrifying to see a reflection of herself in those inhuman eyes...

    The vampire walked away, and Mary silently let out a sigh of relief. A few minutes passed and eventually the bags that the vampire was holding became empty.

    "In a few hours... you will all be sold to your new masters..." the vampire suddenly spoke as he walked towards the door.

    "I would advise eating otherwise your price will be affected."

    Eating?

    Mary looked down at the bowls and discovered that one had been filled with water and the other had been filled with...

    Dog food?

    A brown mushy sludge was present in one of the bowls and it made her gag in disgust as a revolting smell entered her nostrils.

    A terrible hatred surfaced in Mary''s heart as she nced at the retreating back of the vampire until he disappeared behind a corner.

    These vampires... monsters... they were all monsters...

    Mary grabbed her stomach in pain as she felt a stab of hunger. She had not eaten since god knows how long and the auction would apparently be in a few hours.

    How could she eat this disgusting food and was the water even safe to drink?

    But the cold reality was... did she even have a choice?

    Mary could only assume that she was now in the northern region of the country aka vampire-controlled territory.

    Even if she could escape by some miracle... how the hell would she be able to travel across the region undetected?

    The bowls of food sat on the ground and Mary could see that no other human had bothered to reach for them.

    She gritted her teeth and stretched out her hands. It was impossible to take the bowls inside the cage, so Mary scooped up the water using her palms and then hurriedly drank.

    It seemed unlikely that she would be able to escape but... Mary was not going to give up so easily.

    And any escape attempt would certainly end in failure if she fainted halfway through due to hunger or thirst.

    She needed to keep up her energy.

    No matter the price.

    A determined expression shed across Mary''s face and her right palm reached for the bowl filled with the brown sludge.

 Chapter 182 Lady Of The Night (6)

    (Northern Region- New Antic City)

    (Inner District- Unovan Auction House)

    Foul.

    That was the only description that Mary could give to the nasty brown sludge that was present in the bowl.

    The taste was like eating a mixture of a fish and raw rice mashed together to create an unholy abomination.

    It was at least edible and bit by bit she filled her stomach.

    The other humans in the cages looked at her with expressions that varied from pity to disgust.

    But she didn''t care.

    One needed energy in order to escape. Mary dipped her fingers into the bowl and nearly gagged as the brown ooze stuck to her fingertips.

    She raised up her palm and closed her eyes. This process was repeated until the bowl waspletely empty.

    Mary leaned back against the edge of her cage and stared upwards at the ceiling.

    The cold iron bars pressed against her shirt, but she ignored the feeling of difort. She needed to calm down her mind and think about what to do next.

    "How could you eat that?" a nervous voice asked.

    Mary turned her head and saw a middle-aged woman staring at her with trembling fingers.

    She was a heavy-set woman who wore a in white dress that barely covered her lower thighs.

    "It''s disgusting... but it''s not poisonous..." Mary hoarsely replied as she looked at the now empty bowl in front of her cage.

    "Are you an idiot? Everyone knows that vampires are monsters! How could you..." a man in the far corner of the room shouted with disbelief evident in his tone.

    "This ce is an auction house... and we are the goods. Why would they damage the goods before the bidding process?" Mary calmly responded.

    Goods. Livestock. Blood ves.

    That is what they were in this terrible ce.

    The Northern Region was a forbiddennd for humans since the treaty specifically made this part of the country an autonomous region under the control of the vampires.

    Whatever happened here... the government and the hunters would not interfere.

    They were doomed.

    Perhaps if they were lucky then they would be killed quickly because if not then a lifetime of very awaited every single human in this ce.

    Mary frowned as she tried to push those negative thoughts to the back of her mind.

    Others could afford to wallow in pain and despair, but she had a mission to aplish.

    She needed to hunt down and kill the viiness that threatened this ne.

    The young teenage girl wrapped her arms around her knees and quietly contemted about the possible routes to escape.

    She ignored the sobs, cries and prayersing from the other prisoners as the full gravity of the situation finally dawned upon some of them.

    It was impossible to break out of the iron cage since she did not know any lockpicking skills.

    Maybe at the auction itself there would be an opportunity?

    No... she would be captured and maybe even killed if she made trouble. No doubt this was not the first time that this auction house had sold humans.

    There must have been others who tried to escape, and they would have most likely failed. That left only one possible avenue open.

    She would need to escape from the home of whoever bought her at the auction.

    Of course, that was a huge gamble, but it was the only realistic chance she had of leaving this region.

    Mary could only hope that she would not be bought by a lesser vampire otherwise the first taste of her blood would lead to her death.

    Sigh... fuck... FUCK!

    The young teenage girl angrily mmed her fist on the ground as she remembered the hunters who were present at the ambush.

    Those useless motherfuckers...

    Did you not see the van in the distance?

    "I... I can''t... I can''t..." a young boy sobbed as he pushed the bowl of food away. The child ced his head in his palms and cried desperately.

    "I want my mommy! I want my mommy!"

    "Shut the hell up!" an angry voice interrupted his sobs. The same man who had called Mary an idiot just a few moments ago shot the child a furious look.

    "Oh rx... we''re all going to die anyways..." an elderly man ced his hands in the air and shrugged his shoulders.

    "Fighting amongst ourselves isn''t going to solve anything..." Mary whispered softly as she shifted her body to a morefortable position.

    The arguing continued as the humans trapped inside the iron cages vented their fury and frustrations on each other.

    What else could they do?

    In a hopeless situation... this was the only action that they could take. Mary closed her eyes and tried to block out the noise.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She ran her fingers against the side of her chest and carefully checked her ribs to make sure that they weren''t broken.

    Oh good...

    Mary let out a small sigh of relief as she felt that her ribs were only bruised and not cracked.

    There would be some ugly bruise marks on her skin for the next few days, but it could have been much worse.

    Maybe it was exhaustion or perhaps the vampires had slipped sleeping drugs into the food, but the young teenage girl found herself drifting off to sleep.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Several Hours Later...)

    "Hey you! Wake up!" a harsh voice yelled loudly. The cage began to rock back and forth as if someone was shaking the iron bars.

    Mary flinched as she opened her eyes and found a pair of crimson pupils staring directly at her body.

    They belonged to the handsome vampire with dirty blonde hair who had brought them the food in dog bowls earlier in the day.

    She instinctively trembled as she saw the vampire reach for the heavy lock that was in front of the cage''s door.

    He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small key which he then used to open the lock. The cage''s doors were opened, and the vampire gestured for Mary to walk outside.

    "Hurry up... the auction will begin shortly," the vampire roughly spoke as he stepped to the side.

    Mary hesitantly walked out of the cage and saw that the other humans were already standing outside.

    There were a couple of vampires watching the excitement from the top of the stairs that led to the basement.

    Curiously enough the humans outside the cages were not handcuffed or restricted in any way.

    Well... it probably wasn''t necessary.

    There was no way that a human would be able to take on the vampires responsible for guarding them.

    And just one cut or wound would be enough to send these lesser vampires into a feeding frenzy.

    Or maybe there were a few highborn among the guards?

    "Follow me," the vampire bluntly spoke as he walked up the stairs without even turning around to see if the humans were following hismand.

    Mary nced at the other prisoners and saw hesitant expressions on their faces. She gritted her teeth and followed the vampire.

    The other humans walked behind her lead, but the elderly man simply sat down on the ground and did not move a single muscle.

    "Old man what the hell are you doing?" one of the prisoners whispered softly.

    "I don''t care..." the elderly man replied.

    The other prisoners were shaken by his resolve and their footsteps got even slower. Perhaps in their minds this was a good chance to escape.

    Fools.

    Mary shook her head and obediently walked forward. Vampires may be monsters, but they were not stupid.

    There was definitely a hidden reason why the vampire walking in front of them was so convinced that the humans would willingly walk behind him to the auction hall.

    The young teenage girl reached the top of the staircase and took one final nce at the room where she had been imprisoned for several hours.

    What she saw next would haunt her for the rest of her life...

    The elderly man''s head had been nearly separated from his body and blood gushed out of his now headless corpse.

    An attractive pale skinned woman was feasting on his remains, and she used her sharpened fingernails to rip out the old man''s organs.

    She yed with his small intestines and rubbed the fleshy parts of his organs against the side of her cheek.

    Wait... where did shee from?

    Was that vampire inside the cer this whole time?

    How could they have not noticed her?

    "Arghh... what... the..." one of the prisoners whispered in a trembling tone.

    No one even dared to scream since an instinctive fear gripped all the humans in the room as they watched a fellow prisoner get devoured piece by piece.

    The vampire leading the way to the auction hall paused for just a moment and Mary could see the corners of his lips gradually curving upwards.

    "I forgot to mention..." the blonde vampire casually spoke as he turned around and smiled viciously at the frightened humans.

    "Some of you have already been sold. If you do not follow me to the auction hall, then I will have no other choice than to give you to the clients...

    "A little bit earlier..."

 Chapter 183 Lady Of The Night (7)

    (Northern Region- New Antic City)

    (Inner District- Unovan Auction House)

    "When will the auction begin?" a low raspy voice came from the elderly man currently sitting down in a private box.

    Below him was arge open hall with enough seats for over three hundred people.

    There was a stage in front of the room that was separated from the rest of the hall by arge transparent barrier.

    The stic barrier was put in ce in case of any idents.

    Its purpose was to prevent the scent of blood from arousing the crowd if one of the livestock got injured on the stage.

    The room waspletely packed, and one could hear excited voices echoing through therge open space.

    "Should be only a few more minutes..." a voicezily replied to the elderly man''s question.

    An attractive young woman raised up her palm to cover her lips and then yawned sleepily.

    The elderly man grunted once and then stayed silent.

    Both the elderly man and the young woman were high level vampires and yet they wore the clothes of servants.

    The symbol of a wilted rose was printed on the front of their suits. It used to be a symbol thatmanded great respect and fear but now...

    It was merely a relic of the past.

    Count Pearce crossed his arms and waited patiently for the auction to begin. Perhaps what he was doing was a useless effort, but he had been left with no other choice.

    If his mistress was awake... would that bastard even dare to proim himself as the next vampire ''king''?

    No... he would have been forced to crawl back out of whatever crypt he had been slumbering in.

    The elderly vampire''s crimson eyes darkened as his body responded to his violent mood.

    House Vntis was the name of the n that he served.

    His mistress had been the one to convert him all those centuries ago and he had been forever loyal and grateful for her gift.

    The younger members of the n knew that their head was a mysterious figure, but Count Pearce was the one who had always been her right-hand man.

    He had known her better than most and even then, he was still unable to understand why she willingly hibernated in a dark dungeon beneath the castle.

    A long time had passed since her inexplicable decision, and it was getting harder and harder to keep the n together.

    The rtionships or blood ties between vampires in a n were not a strong as humans rumored them to be.

    Vampires were fully capable of betraying or killing the one who converted them, and many such cases had happened throughout history.

    Count Pearce let out a heavy sigh and nced at the young woman sitting down next to him.

    She was a new member of the n, and he could tell that she did not respect the current head.

    Lydia thought that buying humans as blood ves and then tossing them in the dungeon where the mistress slumbered was a tremendous waste of resources.

    Maybe she was right...

    But what other choice did he have?

    The only thing that could possibly draw the attention of a sleeping vampire was the fresh scent of human blood.

    And yet... his mistress had not stirred even though he had already bought half a dozen human ves.

    They simply died of starvation in those cells or took their own lives with the rusty pieces of iron scattered about.

    "This will be thest time..." Count Pearce finally admitted.

    His voice echoed through the private box and Lydia turned to look at him with an expression of disbelief.

    "What? But why now?" the young vampire asked with confusion evident on her face.

    "You are right... we cannot afford to continue throwing resources away... not when those hungry wolves are just waiting for us to fall," Count Pearce reluctantly whispered.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I know that several members of our n have secretly been in contact with outside forces, so we need to rout out the traitors and send a message."

    "House Vntis is still a powerful faction that should not be ignored."

    Lydia listened to the elderly vampire''s words and her lips gradually curved upwards. She had been waiting for the foolish old man to finallye to his senses.

    It was a pity that they would have to waste a perfectly good blood ve in order toplete this charade but at least it would be over soon.

    The mistress of House Vntis... Lydia had only heard stories about how great and powerful she was, and she didn''t believe those exaggerated tales.

    ? Of course, the head of the n should have been strong but after going decades without feeding... she was nothing more than a useless drag on the organisation.

    A cancerous tumor that needed to be removed at all costs...

    Lydia''s sinister thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice that came from the front of therge hall.

    A sharply dressed vampire wearing a long ck overcoat and pointy shoes stepped onto the stage and grabbed the microphone in the center.

    "Ladies and gentlemen... wee to tonight''s auction," the speaker cheerfully spoke as he gestured behind him.

    A long line of human ves walked out from behind a nearby curtain with heavy iron manacles locked around their arms and legs.

    Cheers and thrilled shouts came from the excited crowd of vampires as some stared at the humans with their mouths wide open.

    The humans shivered and trembled in fear as they stood in front of a crowd of bloodthirsty predators eager to rip them apart and feast on the crimson liquid in their bodies.

    "The bidding process will now begin if you see a human that you would like to im as your own then please raise your hand and state your offer," the speaker exined calmly.

    "Now... let us begin!"

    The speaker snapped his fingers and a group of masked vampires walked up to the barricade and stood menacingly.

    They were the security team employed by the auction house in order to prevent members of the crowd from reaching the stage.

    A handsome young vampire with dirty blonde hair gripped the arm of a middle-aged woman and roughly dragged her to the front of the stage.

    The woman had bloodshot eyes and there were tears running down the sides of her cheek. Lydia clicked her tongue as she saw her unsightly appearance.

    "So, you want to bid on that one?" Lydia casually spoke as she prepared to raise her hand.

    "No... I am waiting until the end when they send out the high-ss livestock," Count Pearson bluntly replied.

    Lydia opened her mouth toin but stopped herself when she felt a warning nce shot in her direction.

    The count was willing to end this experiment but that did not mean that he would spare any expenses.

    "One hundred thousand!"

    "Two hundred thousand!"

    "Five hundred thousand!"

    The speaker pped his hands together in glee as the bidding raised the price higher and higher.

    Only the lesser vampires were currently bidding which meant that the truly wealthy were yet to show their hands.

    "Five hundred thousand going once... five hundred thousand going twice... and..." the speaker''s voice trailed off as he raised up his arms.

    "SOLD!"

    The middle-aged woman sobbed as a dirty piece of cloth was tied around her mouth and she was dragged off stage to meet her new master.

    "Bring on the next item!" the speaker shouted as he masterfully raised the level of excitement in the auction hall.

    This time the human that was chosen was a slender young man with a nasty scar running across the side of his cheek.

    He did not sob or cry like the middle-aged woman, but his fingers were trembling so badly that his entire arms shook.

    "The bidding process will now begin once more!"

 Chapter 184 Lady Of The Night (8)

    "Two million dors¡­ going once¡­ going twice¡­"

    "SOLD!"

    "Let us all give a warm congrattions to the gentleman in the left side corner of the hall¡­ pleasee this way to receive your item."

    Mary could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest as she stared at the heavy iron manacles locked around her arms.

    The auction hall was fully lit and the harsh lighting from the bulbs hanging from the ceiling made it hard to open her eyes.

    She could hear the excited shouts and harsh cursesing from the crowd of vampires who were only a couple dozen feet away.

    Of course, they were separated by a long transparent barrier and a security team but that did little to lessen the fear in Mary''s heart.

    She saw the hunger in their eyes.

    Dark crimson irises and ck pupils that stared at the humans. These monsters did not see them as intelligent lifeforms to be protected.

    To the buyers in the auction hall¡­ humanity was nothing more than livestock.

    Forty-five minutes had passed since the auction had begun and now there were only three humans that remained.

    Mary noticed that the bidding was now even fiercer than before.

    Early humans were sold for a couple hundred thousand dors but now the offers ranged in the millions.

    Why was this?

    Was there something about herself and the two other humans that remained that warranted such expensive offers?

    Mary''s thoughts were interrupted by a loud voice that echoed through the hall and raised the tension in the atmosphere to its peak.

    "Now we will now begin the auction of the high-grade blood ves!" the sharply dressed vampire standing on the stage shouted.

    He raised up his pale arms and gestured towards the three humans standing at the back of the stage.

    One was a teenager with green eyes and long flowing hair, another was a muscr man with an impressive physique and the third was a middle-aged woman with a terrified look on her face.

    Mary felt her body freeze as a rough arm gripped her by the shoulder and she was roughly hauled to the front of the stage.

    A dirty rag was tied around her mouth and all she could do was silently scream in pain as the iron manacles around her arms got even tighter.

    "We will now begin the bidding process," the vampire speaker calmly spoke without even bothering to nce in the direction of the young human.

    "One million dors!" came a shout from the back of the hall.

    "One million and five hundred thousand dors," another yelled excitedly.

    The bidding got higher and higher until the only ones who shouted out offers were the vampires sitting down in the private boxes.

    Mary could not see their faces or appearances since the windows were covered by a heavy ck curtain.

    It would be safe to assume that the individuals in the private boxes were either high tier vampires or representatives of one.

    Okay¡­ now would be the moment of truth.

    Honestly¡­. It would be a lie to say that Mary did not feel terrified about the horrific possibilities of what could happen to her once she was sold.

    It was simple enough to say that she would attempt to escape once she was bought by one of the vampires in the hall but as for what would happen¡­

    Sigh¡­

    Well, all she could do now was hope that whoever bought her would keep her alive at least for the next couple of days.

    "Five million dors¡­ five million dors going once¡­" the vampire speaker yelled with a gleeful tone in his voice.

    "Wait we seem to have another bid!"

    "Six million! Do I hear anything higher?"

    "Seven million? My¡­ my¡­ folks we have a real bidding war on our hands!"

    Mary coughed violently against the fabric that was wrapped around her mouth and could feel her body trembling slightly.

    There were now only two parties interested in buying her and the price kept getting higher until it stopped at forty million.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Forty million! Forty million going once¡­ going twice¡­ SOLD!" the vampire speaker roared happily as he gestured for his worker to handle the livestock.

    He could not believe that the first high ss livestock had sold for such an exorbitant price.

    Today would be a profitable day for his organisation¡­ perhaps he would even get a promotion when the auction was concluded.

    "Move it ve¡­" a harsh voice whispered in Mary''s ear before those rough hands gripped her by the shoulder and lifted her up in the air.

    This time it was clear that the vampire in charge of looking after the humans was handling her with as much care as possible.

    Mary stared at the blonde vampire with a trace of hatred in her eyes. She would never forget how she was treated in this terrible ce.

    If she had the chance¡­ she would kill them all¡­

    A dark violent urge surged in Mary''s body and for a brief moment the vampire holding her shoulder flinched.

    He hurriedly checked one of his hands and a confused expression shed across his face.

    For a second there¡­ he could have sworn that his right hand had been burned¡­

    Impossible¡­ he must have imagined it¡­

    There were no injuries on his palm, but the phantom pain remained. The vampire shook his hand twice and then let out a light sigh.

    He clearly had been working too hard thesest few days¡­ maybe he should take a couple of vacation days next week¡­

    Mary felt her eyes slowly begin to close as a wave of exhaustion struck her body out of nowhere.

    She fought desperately to keep herself awake as the vampire led her to the back of the stage where a door was located.

    He opened the door and then walked through a long winding corridor that led directly to a secret room.

    This is where the buyers would receive and inspect the merchandise. Mary was gently ced on a chair and the cloth around her mouth was removed.

    The blonde vampire took out a golden key from his pocket and removed the iron manacles that had been holding her arms together.

    "I would advise not being stupid and attempting to run¡­" the blonde vampire muttered quietly as he turned around and left the room.

    Ten minutes passed inplete silence as Mary sat on the chair and waited with bated breath.

    There was a door on the opposite side of the small room and Mary could hear footsteps slowly approaching.

    She was about to meet the vampire or vampires who had bought her¡­

    Goosebumps appeared on Mary''s arms as all she could hear were the heavy thudsing from the other side of the door.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    The handle of the door slowly turned, and two figures entered the room. One was an elderly man while the other was a young woman who visibly appeared no older than thirty.

    They both wore neat clothes but¡­ it was the attire of servants.

    A wilted rose was printed on the front of their outfits and its pale red colour seemed eerily simr to blood.

    "This is the one?" the female vampire asked curiously as she approached Mary with hunger barely concealed in her sharp gaze.

    "Resist the urge¡­ you know that she belongs to the mistress¡­" the elderly vampire softly spoke as he grabbed the young vampire by her arm.

    "Rx¡­ I was just looking at her¡­" the female vampire softly replied with a smile.

    She muttered something under her breath and the elderly vampire stared at her with an unknown emotion in his gaze.

    "What¡­ what is going to happen to me?" Mary asked quietly as she stared at the two vampires with a wary look on her face.

    "Oh! It speaks!" the female vampire pped her hands together and mocked.

    The elderly vampire shook his head and reached into his pocket to pull out a syringe that was filled with a crystal-clear liquid.

    Mary tried to get out of the chair, but the seemingly frail old man moved with a speed and quickness that should not have been possible.

    The tip of the needle buried itself in the top of her arm and the mysterious liquid entered her body.

    Thest thing that Mary saw before her eyes closed involuntarily was the vicious smile on the female vampire''s face.

 Chapter 185 Lady Of The Night (9)

    (Southern Province- New Rosen City)

    (Unknown Location- Hospital Ward)

    "How is she?" a gruff muscr man with a long unshaven beard asked the doctor standing outside a room.

    The man wore a long ck trench coat that fell down to his knees. A long silver sword was attached to his hip and the edge of the de gleamed eerily under the light.

    The doctor hummed softly and tapped the edge of his clipboard with a pen. His brows furrowed as he tried to think about what to say next.

    "Better than expected... but..." Doctor Saunders hesitated for a moment and then turned to the man.

    "I know why you''re really here... listen... I don''t think that now is the best time to..."

    The man raised up his hand and the doctor''s voice trailed off. He let out a heavy sigh and then grabbed the clipboard from Doctor Saunders'' hands.

    "Okay... so no broken bones... just minor cuts and bruises... some dehydration andck of nutrition but that''s from before she met us..." Dexter muttered quietly to himself.

    As one of the strongest agents in the hunter''s organization, one would not expect to see him be forced to babysit a teenager but...

    This was an exception circumstance.

    The teenager lying down in the hospital room had been tested for her talent in learning the sun technique and well...

    Her talent rivalled those who belonged to humanity''s ancient ns. Her potential made the higher ups sit up and take notice.

    The hunter''s organization was always on the lookout for new talent and this girl who belonged to no faction or family was the perfect target.

    Dexter nodded his head in approval and then roughly shoved the clipboard back into the doctor''s hands.

    He reached for the handle of the door and despite the doctor''sints, he entered the room and looked at the teenager sitting up on the bed.

    She was neen years old with pale skin, beautiful sharp facial features, long ck wavy hair that fell below her shoulders and piercing green eyes.

    The teenager rested her head against the side of the pillow and stared nkly out of the window at the sunny day outside.

    Why was the world so bright?

    Her sister was no longer with her and yet... the day was still beautiful.

    Lily looked down at the cuts on her hand and ignored the man who entered the room.

    She trembled slightly as an unwanted memory surfaced in her mind once more. This was a memory that she saw every time she rxed or closed her eyes.

    She saw Mary screaming at her to run away and in the background, she saw the vampire grab her by the neck.

    What had happened to her sister?

    (You know what happened to her... she''s dead... you useless coward...)

    Lily sniffed slightly as tears began to well up in her eyes.

    She remembered the feeling of helplessness and terror that she felt when she woke up in that van with her wrists and ankles bound by rope.

    It was a feeling that she was very familiar with.

    All her life when her father got drunk and beat them... she would feel just as she felt then.

    Small... weak... helpless...

    "Is there any word on my sister?" Lily finally spoke as she gripped her palm tightly and forced those dark emotions back down.

    "Your sister... well... I am afraid that although we did manage to kill the vampire who captured you while you were fainted..." Dexter''s voice lowered as he shot Lily an apologetic look.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "There were no human survivors... he went into a bloodlust frenzy and killed everyone in the van..."

    There was a brief moment ofplete silence in the ward and all Lily could hear was her heart steadily beating in her chest.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Why? Why was her sister dead and yet she was alive?

    Dexter ced a warm hand on the young teenager''s shoulder and got her attention. He muttered a few words offort to the clearly heartbroken girl.

    Perhaps it was cruel to lie to Lily, but Dexter saw no other option.

    Truthfully the vampire who had managed to capture her had escaped along with the humans who were imprisoned in his van.

    While it was a pity that her sister was one of the humans who were transported to the northern region... she was most likely dead by now.

    Lily was to be a member of the hunter''s organization so she could not be distracted by the possibility that her sister was still alive.

    "The rage in your heart... don''t forget it..." Dexter quietly spoke as he ced a small silver dagger on the side of the bed.

    "You have a tremendous amount of talent, and I am pleased to offer you the chance to join the hunter''s organization."

    "We will provide you with top notch training and the tools to be one of the humanity''s sharpest des in the war against the night monsters."

    "Do not worry... you will be highly paid, and your family will also receive additional benefits... fact... we..."

    "No," Lily harshly spoke as a dark look of hatred shed across her face.

    "The only blood rtive I have left is that man and he was the one who sold us to the vampires... he means nothing to me..."

    "I see... well in that case would you like us to kill him or send him to prison for the rest of his life," Dexter asked softly.

    Lily gripped the sides of the bedsheets as a clear struggle emerged in her mind.

    There was a part of her that wanted the man who had abused herself and her sister to die but... would that be enough of a punishment?

    He was the one responsible for her sister''s death... he should pay for the rest of his life...

    Lily spoke with a fury barely contained in her voice,

    "Lock him up... send him to the dirtiest and most dangerous prison in the country... I want a guarantee that he will never step foot outside his cell for a lifetime."

    "All he will know are those grey walls, the viciousness of the prisoners and the guards and the knowledge that I was the one who left him there to rot."

    "If you do that then I will join your organization."

    Dexter smiled savagely and then reached into his pocket and pulled out a in ck cellphone.

    He typed in a few numbers and then made a call to an unknown individual.

    The conversation onlysted for less than two minutes.

    Two minutes was all it took for the order to send Lily''s father to prison. That was just a taste of the influence that the hunter''s organization possessed.

    "Wee... I will make you the greatest vampire hunter that the world has ever seen," Dexter proudly spoke as he stretched out his hand and gripped Lily''s palm.

    Lily shook his hand and her piercing green eyes stared at the dagger on the bed. She may have been unable to save her sister but...

    She would prevent others from falling into the clutches of those monsters.

 Chapter 186 Lady Of The Night (10)

    (Outskirts of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Underground Prison Cell)

    Mary slowly got up from the ground and walked towards a small rock that had been ced near the wall.

    She picked up the stone and scratched another line on the wall. It was hard to keep track of time in this strange ce.

    The monotony of each day meant that unless she kept track... it was easy for every passing day to slip into an endless blur.

    There were nine scratches on the wall which meant that little over a week had passed since she had been sold in the auction.

    The little hope and optimism that had been in Mary''s heart had all but vanished as she returned to the soft mattress and stared at the grey walls and ceiling.

    The only source of light came from the lit torches that lined the corridor outside and the dark shadows that were cast on the ground made the atmosphere inside the cell quite creepy.

    ? "And I was so confident that I would escape," Mary muttered quietly to herself as she idly yed with her fingers.

    Thick metal bars surrounded her prison cell, and the door was tightly locked using arge chain that was too heavy for her to move.

    A small opening was present at the bottom of the door, and it was used by the vampire guards to push meals inside the cell.

    Well, if there was one bright side to this whole ordeal... at least she had not been mistreated so far...

    Outside of the whole locked up in a cell thing.

    Meals came regrly and they included dishes such as fresh sds, high quality meats and nutritional milkshakes.

    She had been provided with warm clothing and the temperature inside the underground section of the castle actually wasn''t that cold.

    But despite theseforts... Mary knew the reason why she was being treated so well.

    She was nothing more than a pig being fattened up for a banquet.

    The hunger in the guards'' crimson eyes as they passed by her cell made it all too clear how the vampires saw her.

    She was nothing more than livestock.

    Mary tossed those dark thoughts to the back of her mind and jumped off the bed. There was little she could do except keep working out and searching for an opportunity to escape.

    She dropped down to the floor and began her regr routine.

    First, she would do a series of push ups, then some jumping jacks and finally she would run in ce.

    asionally she would mix in some squats or sit ups depending on her mood.

    Mary could feel beads of sweat running down her brows, but she kept going even as her body screamed at her to stop.

    It would take at least a couple of months before her body was properly in shape thanks to a lifetime of poor nutrition and physical abuse.

    But would she have that time?

    There was one thing about her imprisonment that Mary couldn''t figure out. Why did none of the vampires even attempt to taste her blood?

    The vampires in this ce were highborn which meant that they would be able to feed without losing control and killing her.

    Why was she still being left alone?

    Mary was not one to recklessly question good fortune, but she could not help but worry about this strange detail.

    It may sound ridiculous, but a thought popped up in Mary''s mind. What if she was being saved for a special asion or ritual?

    Not matter how hard she tried, thoughts about her potential fate kept resurfacing in her mind especially after seeing what she had seen.

    Vampires were monsters.

    That was clear from the moment she had witnessed one draining the blood from a young man''s body until he was nothing more than a shrivelled-up husk of flesh.

    Despite her low mood, Mary kept exercising until she finished her daily routine.

    There was a clean towel in the corner of the room which she used to wipe the sweat from her face.

    The towel was next to the toilet... well if one could call a raised tform above a hole a ''toilet''.

    Mary pinched her nose as she returned the towel to the rack and then walked over to her bed to lie down.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Tap... tap... tap...

    She heard footstepsing from the end of the corridor and finally a figure appeared in the corner of her line of sight.

    It was a familiar person.

    An elderly man approached the bars of the cell and looked at the human who stared back at him with piercing green eyes.

    The vampire had heavy wrinkles on his face and arms but none of the fragility that one would expect with age.

    He wore a simple ck uniform with the emblem of a wilted rose printed on the front of his outfit.

    Count Pearce reached for the heavy metal chain that blocked the entrance to the cell and used one hand to easily tear it apart.

    He opened the door and walked into the room. There was a clear expression of weariness and mistrust on the young girl''s face as he got closer.

    The steward of House Vntis roughly grabbed the human by her arm and pulled her along as he walked out of the cell.

    Mary struggled slightly but the vampire''s grip was impossible to break.

    Even if she was a fully grown adult man, she doubted that she would be able to escape his grasp.

    He was capable of ripping apart an iron chain as easily as one would shred a piece of paper!

    Eventually she stopped struggling and allowed herself to be led along a corridor until they arrived at a long flight of stairs that descended downwards.

    Was he taking her even deeper underground?

    Mary could feel goosebumps rise up along her arms as the elderly vampire walked down the steps.

    There were no torches on the walls, so she was forced to travel inplete darkness with only the firm grip of the vampire''s hand to use as a reference.

    Time passed.

    It could have minutes, but it felt more like hours.

    Eventually the elderly vampire stopped, and Mary almost crashed into his body. She could not see what was happening but felt the grip on her arm tighten.

    "Arghh... fuck!" Mary cursed in pain as she felt something sh across her right arm. There was a wet feeling on her arm, and she felt a stinging sense of pain.

    She heard the sound of a door opening and a sudden burst of light forced her to close her eyes.

    Mary felt her body being dragged in the direction of the door and before she could react, she was tossed inside the mysterious room.

    The door mmed shut and then the sound of footsteps rapidly got fainter as if the vampire was running away.

    Mary slowly opened her eyes and looked at her right arm. There was a long thin wound that was bleeding slightly.

    The wound appeared to have been made by a sharp object like a knife. Why would the elderly vampire cut her before tossing her inside this...

    What the...

    Mary looked around the room and was taken aback by what was inside. Large white crystals grew out of the walls and the ceiling.

    These crystals shone brightly which illuminated the interior of the room.

    The floor appeared to be made from ss and one could see expensive paintings and artworks hanging on the walls.

    Massive stone columns rose up from the ground and connected to the ceiling.

    This ce resembled a magnificent hall in a pce rather than a room located deep below the castle''s dungeons.

    But what really drew Mary''s attention was the wooden coffin in the center of the room that had been engraved with gold carvings.

    There were symbols and writings etched onto the coffin''s wooden surface written in anguage that she had never seen before.

    Mary gritted her teeth in pain and ripped off a section of her shirt using her teeth. She carefully bandaged the wound on her arm to stop the bleeding.

    It didn''t really work, and the fabric was soon stained red with blood.

    Mary let out a heavy sigh and was about to explore the room when she heard a sound that made her heart skip a beat.

    The coffin''s lid was slowly opening...

 Chapter 187 Lady Of The Night (11)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Unknown Location)

    The lid of the coffin slowly opened, and a hand could be seen creeping out slowly from inside of the wooden box.

    The hand could only be described as beautiful.

    Long slender fingers, ck nails, and a sense of femininity from its gentle movements.

    Mary turned around to flee but found her body frozen in ce as the hand raised up two fingers and made a series of strange yet oddly mesmerising movements.

    Her body could not move.

    She could feel the blood in her body flowing through her veins faster and faster.

    It was as though her blood was being drawn towards the direction of the coffin. The young woman gritted her teeth in pain as her injured right arm started to shake uncontrobly.

    Some of the blood dripping out of the wound on her arm began to float in the air.

    The blood dropletsbined to form a hovering mass of crimson liquid that floated towards the partially opened coffin.

    A cold chill filled the room and Mary could feel goosebumps begin to appear on her arms and legs.

    She had never heard of a vampire being able to control blood using their minds. Vampire were only physically stronger than humans.

    At least¡­ ording to her memories¡­

    The floating ball of blood entered the coffin through the gap and Mary could faintly hear the sounds of someone swallowing.

    There was a brief moment of silence and then a cold voice echoed through the underground room.

    "Disgusting," the voice tly spoke with a trace of disdain.

    Mary could do nothing but watch in horror as the rest of the coffin''s lid slowly opened and a woman emerged.

    She looked to be in her early thirties with short raven cropped hair and a voluptuous physique.

    The rest of her body was covered by a long ck Victorian era dress with a few frills across her shoulders and upper back.

    Her beauty was almost like that was a goddess.

    An example of her attractiveness would be her perfect facial features that left Mary feeling spellbound.

    Her eyes were a dark crimson colour and were situated right above a hooked nose and plump, soft lips.

    Every aspect of her face was symmetrical.

    But it was her aura that made Mary feel a mixture of both fear and attraction. Despite sitting in a coffin¡­ the vampire had the aura of a queen.

    "Hmm¡­" the mysterious vampire hummed softly as she raised up her hand and beckoned for Mary to walk over.

    "What have we here¡­"

    Mary found her body involuntarily moving closer and closer to the vampire despite her best efforts to regain control.

    It was like she was a puppet dancing on a string. Her every move was being controlled by the vampire in front of her.

    The vampire raised up her hand and gently stroked the side of Mary''s left cheek in what seemed to be a loving manner except¡­

    Her eyes werepletely expressionless.

    She gazed at the young human woman as if looking at a tool.

    The hunger present in the stares of the vampires that Mary had encountered before waspletely absent.

    Instead, there was a darker emotion in her gaze.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Blood ve? Only Pearce would do such a ridiculous thing¡­" the vampire muttered quietly to herself.

    Mary could feel her skin crawl as the vampire used the ck nails on her hand to cut a small wound on the corner of her cheek.

    Blood covered the vampire''s hand and she lightly sucked on one of her fingers with movements that could only be seen as seductive.

    A blush began to spread across Mary''s face as the vampire''s hand roamed even lower until they brushed against her neck.

    The vampire tasted the blood of the human woman for a second time just to confirm her suspicions.

    She withdrew her hand and ordered the human to take a step back.

    The human naturally obeyed hermands, but Cami was shocked to discover that she needed to apply a stronger hypnosis.

    What a powerful willpower¡­

    Cami smirked as she recalled the disgusting taste that had filled her mouth. The blood of almost all humans was a fatal attraction for vampires with only one exception.

    The Sun-born.

    Humans with a talent for learning vampire hunter techniques that would make them as powerful as the princes themselves.

    A brief memory resurfaced in Cami''s mind as she recalled watching one of those sun-born humans singlehandedly y an entire ancient n.

    The techniques that the sun-born human had used were forever etched in her mind. It was not easy but ever since that day she had been obsessed with those special humans.

    She had stolen techniques and books from powerful human ns which had put her own life at risk and yet in Cami''s mind it waspletely worth it.

    Knowing one''s enemies was far more important than what vampires realised.

    There was a reason why vampires and humans maintained their uneasy alliance. Neither side would be able to destroy the other without suffering a pyrrhic victory.

    Wait¡­ what if she¡­

    A sadistic smile spread across the beautiful vampire''s face as she leaned closer to the human girl until their lips were mere inches apart.

    "Human¡­ do you want to live?" Cami sensually whispered as she raised up her hand and brushed a loose strand of hair off the human''s face.

    "I know what you are¡­ a blood ve. But what if tell you that I can give you the revenge that you seek?"

    "Kill those who imprisoned and humiliated you. Even the humans that sold you to us¡­ you will be able to kill them as well."

    Mary found herself able to move once more but the closeness between herself and the mysterious vampire made her legs freeze in ce.

    The vampire may be speaking in a soft tone, but Mary felt as though she was face to face with an apex predator.

    Mary bravely collected herself and replied with a question of her own, "What¡­ what is the price? Nothing in this world is given for free."

    The vampire tossed back her head andughed uncontrobly.

    Her dark giggles echoed through the room as she raised up her hand to her lips in a failed attempt to hide her mirth.

    "Clever human¡­ you are absolutely correct. I want you to be my personal bodyguard for the next eighty years," the vampire smiled gently as she spoke revealing her two sharp fangs.

    "Bodyguard?" Mary questioned skeptically.

    This vampire was extremely powerful so why would she need someone to protect her.

    Besides Mary knew that she definitely would not be able to face anything that posed a threat to such a powerful being.

    "Human you may be confused now¡­ but allow me to speak frankly¡­ you have no choice but to agree to my proposal¡­" the vampire calmly spoke.

    "Or I''ll kill you."

 Chapter 188 Lady Of The Night (12)

    Mary could not move a single muscle as the beautiful vampire stretched out her hand and lovingly caressed her cheek.

    Perhaps ''lovingly'' was the wrong choice of word because there was not a hint of lust or desire in the vampire''s eyes as she gazed at her.

    Those deep crimson eyes shone eerily with a hypnotic light that made it hard to look away.

    Mary found herself drowning in the vampire''s gaze and felt her head slowly go nk.

    The underground room was extremely silent. All she could hear was the sound of her own breathing.

    Mary felt cold chills run down her spine as the vampire continued to stroke her cheek and her hand began to roam over her face.

    She lightly touched her nose, her forehead and even the tip of her ears.

    Have you ever stared into the face of death?

    Felt the shadow of the reaper loom over your body?

    The young woman shivered as she recognised exactly what this beautiful vampire''s true nature was.

    She was a predator.

    And humans were her prey.

    "You may now say yes Mistress Cami," the vampire softly whispered as she leaned ever so closer until her lips were mere inches away from Mary''s own.

    "Yes... yes... mistress..." the words involuntarily flowed out of Mary''s mouth as if she was under some sort of spell.

    "And what is your name?" Cami asked sternly as she stared directly into the human''s eyes.

    "Mistress... my name is Mary Brooks..." Mary replied hesitantly as the information automatically came out of her mouth.

    Something dark and twisted surfaced beneath the vampire''s calm eyes and the corners of her lips slowly curved upwards.

    "Good. You will be loyal to me and only me," Cami spoke in a firm tone as her fingernails traced the sides of the human''s face.

    What she needed to do now was quite simple... she needed to break this human''s will and turn her into an obedient doll.

    Cami smiled darkly as she prepared to sh a horrific scar across the young woman''s face but stopped when her nails lightly touched her skin.

    No.

    It would be a waste because this human looked better undamaged.

    There were other ways to break her...

    Mary did not know how close she was to being permanently scarred since all she could focus on was the steady beating of her heart in her chest.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Did she have any choice but to obey this vampire''smands?

    There was no way she would be able to escape this underground room or even the castle.

    And clearly this vampire was far more powerful than the other high-ss vampires who roamed the castle.

    Was she on the level of the princes?

    "Um... how can I be a bodyguard when I... I can''t fight ordinary vampires... I just don''t understand... how..." Mary''s words were cut off as the vampire raised a finger to her lips.

    "Refer to me as mistress. Do. Not. Make. Me. Repeat. Myself," Cami sternly warned as she lowered her hand and roughly spanked the rude human on her rear end.

    Mary''s cheeks flushed as she felt nothing but humiliation as the vampire pped her ass and then looked at her as if she was an ignorant child.

    "Mistress..." Mary spoke with gritted teeth.

    "How can I be a bodyguard when I am just an ordinary human girl?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    Cami giggled and her hoarse chuckles echoed through the room. She looked at the young woman who was clearly lost and confused and a strange urge rose up in her heart.

    "Perhaps that is true now, but I promise you..." Cami''s voice trailed off to a low whisper.

    "I don''t ept any dogs unless they are useful."

    Mary wanted to open her mouth and protest that she was no one''s ''dog'' but the overwhelming pressure radiating off the beautiful vampire''s body made it hard to speak.

    Cami snapped her fingers and Mary found herself able to move once more. She slumped down to the ground and the vampire stood over her.

    She lowered her hand over the wound on Mary''s shoulder and muttered a few iprehensible words in anguage that the young woman had never heard before.

    The long wound on her arm gradually began to close up and heal until it was like the injury had never been there in the first ce.

    Only the bloodstains on her shirt remained as a memory of the de that had sliced through the flesh on her arm.

    Cami walked towards the exit and looked back to beckon Mary to walk over using one of her fingers.

    A conflicted look shed across the young woman''s face, but it was soon reced by one of determination.

    All she could do now was survive and wait for the opportunity.

    As long as she remained useful to this dangerous vampire then she would mostly likely be able to live.

    And if she remained alive... then she would always have a chance to escape in the future.

    Mary got up from the ground and slowly walked behind the gorgeous vampire who opened the door.

    The stairs beyond the room were shrouded inplete darkness so Mary was forced to follow the vampire using only her sense of hearing.

    She stumbled quite a few times on the stairs, but the vampire did not bother to help her even a single time.

    Ten long minutes slowly passed and eventually the stairs were lit up by a zing torch that appeared in the distance.

    Mary let out a sigh of relief as she pushed her body through the pain of bruised knees and hands from falling down a few times.

    The pair eventually reached a heavy wooden door which Cami opened with a single flick of her wrist.

    Mary recognised the underground prison level because she had stayed down here in this filthy ce for weeks.

    Two vampiric guards walked over and pointed their sharpened spears at the two women walking through the prison.

    "Trespassers! What are you doing... Arghhh!" one of the guards screamed in pain as a spear made entirely of blood pierced his body.

    The other guard did not have any time to react before a crimson sword neatly sliced off his head with one smooth swing.

    Mary froze in shock as she watched the beautiful vampire woman snap her fingers and the weapons melted away into a crimson pool.

    The blood flowed back into her body, and she walked past the two corpses as if nothing had just happened.

    "Never forget that a good dog will always remember their master''s face," Cami whispered casually as if she had not just murdered two people.

    She did not wait for Mary''s response and continued to move forward while taking asional nces at the inside of the cells.

    There were a few dead humans inside the prison cells and their bodies were now nothing more than shrivelled up husks.

    Mary followed closely behind the vampire and her mind could not help but go back to what she had just seen.

    The ability to manipte blood?

    Fuck. This was not good.

    Suddenly her n to eventually escape was looking more and more unlikely with every passing minute.

 Chapter 189 Lady Of The Night (13)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Underground Prison Complex)

    Cami whistled a low haunting tune that echoed through the empty cells inside the castle''s dungeons.

    The two vampire corpses on the ground were still warm and the expression of terror and confusion on their faces sent chills down Mary''s spine.

    Even though they were vampires... they could not react to Cami''s attack. It was like their bodies were frozen as the crimson weapons came close to them.

    Was it possible that the female vampire was able to control the blood of not just humans but her own kind as well?

    Mary lingered for just a moment by the corpses as she stared at the organs that leaked out their dead bodies.

    Vampires had the same basic biological structures as humans and yet they were blessed with such terrifying gifts.

    Regeneration. Enhanced strength. Sharpened reflexes.

    If it were not their inability to face direct sunlight, then perhaps this world would have long been ruled by these bloodthirsty monsters.

    Mary narrowed her eyes as she stared at Cami''s retreating figure. Without a doubt... that dangerous female vampire was a beauty.

    ck cropped hair, kissable lips, sharp angr facial features, and a gorgeous figure with tworge mounds in the front and a very shapely behind.

    "Keep up or I''ll leave you in one of the cells," Cami''s stern voice interrupted Mary''s thoughts.

    The young woman felt her body tremble slightly as the blood inside her veins responded to the vampire''s casual words.

    How could she possibly escape from this ce?

    Only the strongest vampire hunters on the would be able to face a prince or princess ranked vampire and live.

    And Mary had the sneaking suspicion that the female vampire leading her through the dark dungeon was in the upper echelons in terms of her personal strength.

    No.

    She could not give up.

    Lily was still alive.

    She needed to escape this ce and reunite with her sibling.

    Mary pushed down the negative thoughts in her mind and fell in line behind the voluptuous vampire whose hips swayed hypnotically from side to side.

    A blush spread across the young woman''s face as she watched almost spellbound as Cami turned around and gave her a sadistic smile.

    "Like what you see pet?" Cami whispered quietly as she stared at the human with bemusement dancing in her crimson eyes.

    Mary bowed her head and remained silent. Camiughed hoarsely and slowed down to give the human a better look.

    It was always ttering when one of her dogs looked at her with hunger in their eyes.

    Of course, none were worthy to touch even a single hair on her body but...

    She enjoyed teasing them.

    The journey through the dungeons was rtively peaceful except for the asional vampire guards that crossed their path.

    "Excuse me... you aren''t supposed to... ARGGHHH!"

    "Lady? How? We all thought you were..."

    "Please... please... I STAYED LOYAL!"

    Terrified screams and cries of pain entered Mary''s ears and her blood turned cold.

    She could do nothing but watch as Cami stretched out her palm and used blood magic to rip apart every single vampire that came in sight.

    There was no mercy.

    She did not listen to their begs.

    She did not listen to their pleads.

    She did not listen to their cries.

    Once again Mary was reminded of exactly what she was dealing with.<novelnext></novelnext>

    This monster may be in the form of a beautiful woman, but she was nothing more than a merciless animal.

    One of the vampire guards tried to run away but froze in disbelief as a crimson spear plunged into his stomach and came out of the other side.

    Cami flicked her fingers upwards and the spear swung in the direction of her movements.

    The vampire''s body was neatly bisected in half and his corpse fell to the ground with lifeless eyes staring at nothingness.

    "Pearce has really gottenzy... these scums are unworthy of bearing the sigil of House Vntis..." Cami whispered softly to herself.

    She sighed with annoyance as she kicked a corpse away from her body and thought about what to do next.

    Maybe it was best if she...

    Hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor and a familiar figure burst into view.

    He was the elderly vampire who had bought Mary at the auction and was the one who led her to the hidden room underground.

    Mary clenched her fists in rage and hid the dark emotions that stirred in her heart.

    Fortunately, no one was paying attention to her movements since the elderly vampire was in a state of disbelief as he saw the leader of House Vntis.

    "Mistress... you are... back?" Count Pearce hesitantly spoke as he knelt down on the floor and ced his head against the ground.

    No one could have imagined that one of the most prideful and strongest vampires in New Antic City would lie down on the ground like an obedient dog.

    "Are you not happy that I have returned?" Cami questioned in a casual tone of voice as if asking about the weather.

    Count Pearce could feel his body tremble as an enormous pressure fell upon him and cracks appeared on the ground beneath his feet.

    One wrong word and he would be killed.

    "I... I... of course I am... mistress... I never gave up on..." Count Pearce stammered out an excuse, but his voice was cut off by Cami''s calm tone.

    "I don''t care. You will be appropriately punished for your transgressionster but for now I wish to have an assembly in the throne room," Cami coldly ordered.

    "Not a single vampire is to leave the estate. I want every member of the n in the throne room by the time I arrive there."

    "For every one that is missing... I will chop off one of your fingers."

    Count Pearce shook violently as Cami slit a small wound in her palm and then flicked a drop of blood on the elderly vampire''s forehead.

    He got up from the ground and bowed deeply towards his mistress before transforming into a small, winged creature.

    A bat?

    Only high tier vampires were capable of shapeshifting, so Mary was once again forced to revaluate the dangerous ce where she had found herself in.

    How dangerous was the seductive woman in front of her?

    Even a high tier vampire humiliated himself in order to to avoid her wrath...

    Cami scoffed as she whispered a few words in anguage that Mary did not recognise. A reddish circle of blood magic appeared above her palm and then sunk into the ground.

    Mary could feel a small tingling sensation in her toes and Cami nced at her curiously.

    She didn''t expect the young human to be immune to her dominion spell but perhaps it was due to her nature as a Sun-Born.

    Cami turned her attention back to her domain and muttered a few more quiet words.

    Under the influence of her dominion spell, she was able to see and manipte threads of blood magic throughout the castle and its grounds.

    Two female vampires attempting to escape the castle were immediately impaled byrge spikes of blood that rose up from the ground.

    A handsome male vampire jumped out of his bedroom window and prepared to transform but a crimson arrow shot through his heart.

    So many spies...

    Her n was nothing more than a festering mess of corruption and depravity.

    Cami''s lips gently curved upwards as she maintained the spell and began walking towards the throne room.

    There was a simple and easy method to deal with rot and she looked forward to seeing the frightened faces of her once loyal pets.

 Chapter 190 Lady Of The Night (14)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Throne Room)

    In the center of the castle was a magnificent hall. It was around the size of a football field and held enough space to host hundreds of people.

    A long time ago... many ns would send their representatives to meet with House Vntis and they would be received in this room.

    The floors of the hall were solid gold and pure white marble pirs rose up from the ground and connected to a dome-shape ceiling.

    The ceiling was covered in pretty stained ss that sparkled under the light of the diamond encrusted chandeliers that hung from it.

    At the end of the hall was a raised tform constructed from a rare metal whose material seemed to absorb light.

    In the middle of the raised tform was a throne.

    The throne seemed oddly out of ce considering that it was constructed out of simple material and had no extra ornaments or decorations on its surface.

    Eighty or so vampires were currently mulling about in the hall and the atmosphere was tense.

    Hushed whispers echoed through the room as the vampires quietly discussed what was going on.

    "Charles? Do you know what this is about?"

    "No... the count simply told me to meet him here... maybe... the mistress is dead..."

    "Don''t say that!"

    "Have you ever met her? Trust me... it''s good that someone managed to kill that psychopath when she was sleeping... she is a true mon..."

    The doors at the back of the hall swung open and an elderly man strode into the room with a panicked expression on his face.

    He wore a simple butler''s uniform and unlike his usually neat and tidy appearance, there were several wrinkles on his shirt.

    Count Pearce did not pay attention to the ws in his outfit since there were other thoughts on his mind as he walked into the room and hurriedly did a headcount.

    "Sixty-five... seventy... seventy-four..." Pearce muttered quietly to himself as his eyebrows slowly furrowed.

    Fuck.

    There were some people missing.

    Okay... don''t panic. Don''t panic. Don''t panic.

    Count Pearce felt as though his long dead heart was beating frantically as he remembered the crimson glint in his mistress'' eyes.

    Lady Cami did not reward failure.

    "Pearce are you okay? Why did you gather us here?" a pretty vampire asked with a look of concern on her face.

    "Lydia... listen to me very carefully... no matter what happens do not show even the slightest trace of disrespect," Count Pearce seriously spoke.

    "I have to make an announcement. The mistress of House Vntis has returned."

    Lydia''s eyes widened in shock as she processed the shocking news. The leader of House Vntis had been asleep for centuries.

    Despite being given plenty of human blood ves... she had never woken up before. How could she have suddenly left her chamber now?

    Lydia hurriedly filed away this information in her mind and made a mental note to send out a message to the other ns immediately.

    The power structure of New Antic city would change tremendously if another powerful vampire was added to the mix.

    This city was already like a powered keg... only a single spark would be necessary for it to all burst into chaos.

    Loud footsteps could be hearding from the distance and a heavy pressure descended on the vampires in the hall.

    The weaker ones among them fell to the ground and copsed while the stronger vampires barely managed to stand upright.

    Terror could be seen in Pearce''s eyes as he dropped to the ground and kneeled.

    He did not even dare to raise his head as he saw a pair of delicate white feet appear in the corner of his vision.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Wee back mistress!" Count Pearce loudly shouted as he ced his hand over his chest and swore loyalty.

    Shocked murmurs and gasps filled the room as an extremely attractive woman strode inside the hall followed by an injured human female.

    She had short raven cropped hair, deep crimson eyes and a voluptuous figure that was barely concealed by the long ck Victorian era dress that was draped over her body.

    Her presence alone was like a queen standing before her subjects.

    Mary felt her body tremble as she stood in a hall full of hungry vampires. She quickly stepped closer to the powerful female vampire despite the chills that ran down her spine.

    Fortunately, the vampires in the room were barely able to stand as the heavy pressure made the golden floor beneath their feet crack.

    Cami''s lips gently curved upwards as she saw the familiar sight.

    Yes... she had missed this.

    The fear and terror in her ythings'' eyes as they desperately tried to avoid her wrath.

    She walked towards the throne in the back of the hall with slow purposeful steps. Her eyes drifted to the cowering vampires in the room and disappointment filled her heart.

    Were these the members of her n?

    She didn''t remember converting most of them. Maybe Pearce or one of her other high-level subordinates had decided to expand the family.

    But what was the use of bringing in trash?

    Cami frowned slightly as annoyance filled her heart. She flicked her hand and a tiny floating orb of blood hovered over her fingertips.

    She approached the simple throne and sat down without hesitation. The young human woman who had been following behind her stood to the side of the throne.

    Cami snapped her fingers and the heavy pressure disappeared. She allowed the weak vampires in the room to get to their feet before opening her mouth.

    "I have returned to discover that my n is nothing more than a festering pile of corruption and degeneracy," Cami''s cold voice echoed through the room.

    "Traitors. Ambitious opportunists. Cowards."

    "You have all brought nothing but shame to my n but no matter... there is always a simple solution to deal with the likes of you."

    Cami muttered a few dark words and the floating orb of blood hovering above her right palm began to tremble uncontrobly.

    Most of the vampires in the room did not know what was going on but Pearce immediately broke out into cold sweat.

    "Mydy... I have always served you faithfully!" Count Pearce screamed desperately as he dropped to the ground and begged.

    He did not even attempt to run because he knew that if his mistress chose to... no one would leave this hall alive.

    She was all powerful... at least in her own domain.

    "Pearce what are you doing? You are a count for god''s sake... in fact... you should be the leader of..." Lydia''s words were cut short as a crimson spear rose up from the ground and pierced her body.

    She coughed out a mouthful of dark blood and stared in shock at the enormous hole in the middle of her body.

    The flesh around the hole wriggled slightly as she attempted to regenerate around the injury, but it was no use.

    "Omnes inimicos meos interficite," Cami softly whispered as her crimson eyes glowed with an eerie light.

    Crimson spears rose up from the ground and pierced the hearts of every vampire in the hall without exception.

    Mary could only watch in horror as the female vampire massacred her entire n without a trace of hesitation or remorse.

    Even the elderly vampire was not spared as multiple spears entered his body and cut him apart piece by piece.

    Cami grabbed Mary by her arm and stared at her pet directly in her eyes.

    The scent of blood filled the room, but the powerful vampire made sure that the human was only focusing on her.

    "Remember this moment... burn it into your memory my pet..." Cami''s sensual whispers were like a poisonous viper wrapping itself around Mary''s neck.

    "I do not tolerate useless things."

 Chapter 191 Lady Of The Night (15)

    "I do not tolerate useless things."

    The female vampire sitting down on the throne was a true monster.

    She stood in a room filled with the corpses of her n members and yet her face did not show even a trace of hesitation or remorse.

    Mary looked down at the bodies and noticed that they were already beginning to rapidly decay away into nothingness.

    "I understand mistress," Mary softly replied as she bowed her head and put a meek expression on her face.

    What else could she do?

    She just watched the gorgeous vampire massacre an entire room of her fellow kin. One wrong move and a crimson spear would skewer her body into pieces.

    Cami''s lips gently curved upwards as she got up from her throne and walked towards the throne room''s open doors.

    "Come now pet¡­ I will reward you for your loyalty," she casually spoke as she raised up her arm and beckoned for the human to follow her.

    Mary immediately walked behind the beautiful vampire and tried not to look at the scattered body parts and dark bloodstains on the ground.

    The shoes on her feet made loud squishing noises as she waded through the filth. It was an unpleasant sound but the worst part about the entire experience was definitely the smell.

    Mary wasn''t sure if vampire corpses naturally decayed that fast or if it was something that Cami had done.

    Either way the bodies were rotting before her very eyes and the stench¡­ good lord it was truly awful.

    The young woman scrunched up her nose and tried not to gag loudly.

    Cami seemed to be unaffected by the odour as she confidently walked over the bodies with a sadistic smile on her face.

    She walked out of the room and led Mary through abyrinth of side passageways and corridors.

    The castle was much bigger on the inside than Mary had initially expected and even the space itself seemed warped and strange.

    Despite its ancient appearance, the rooms inside the castle were¡­ surprisingly modern?

    Mary spotted televisions,puters, regr home appliances and electric outlets sticking out of the walls.

    "What are these hideous things?" Cami asked curiously as she peered closer at the screen of a television.

    She had been asleep for centuries so naturally she had missed the modern inventions such as the inte and phones.

    "Pet¡­ tell me what this is," Cami ordered firmly as she turned to look at Mary with those deep crimson eyes.

    "Err¡­ that''s a television. Basically, it can show images and videos of events far away both real and imaginary," Mary hesitantly exined.

    "Videos are moving pictures."

    Cami hummed curiously and then moved away from the strange device. She had a lot of catching up to do before she met the other vampire nobles.

    One did not want to appear ignorant and out of time like those ancient fools who spent most of their lives sleeping away.

    Although with her age¡­

    Cami quickly shoved those thoughts to the back of her mind since she did not want to feel old.

    The female vampire walked towards a certain area of the castle and let out a quiet sigh of relief when she realised that it was rtively unchanged.

    "Alright my pet¡­ here is your reward!" Cami happily spoke as she reached for Mary''s arms and pulled her in close.

    The female vampire sniffed her body a few times and felt a hunger rise up in her veins.

    Her sharpened fangs inched ever so closer to the human''s body, but she stopped when her teeth were a few centimeters away.

    This desire¡­ it was not to feed.

    Cami frowned as she felt a stirring sensation in herher regions.

    She took a closer look at the human for the first time she truly appreciated the beauty lying helpless in her arms.

    Mary was a fragile human with pale skin, long ck hair and piercing green eyes that gazed at her with a hint of fear.

    Her body was weak and slender, yet this did little to diminish her natural beauty. Cami ran her fingers along the sides of her cheek as dark desires shed across in her mind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She owned this human, but she wanted more¡­ she wanted to toss this human on arge bed and ravage her mercilessly.

    Make her cry and scream with pleasure until her voice went hoarse.

    Cami''s brows furrowed as images of a naked woman smiling at her surfaced in her mind.

    The woman did not look like Mary at first but then the memories blurred and changed until she was the one who was naked and lying-in bed with her.

    What was going on?

    No one was capable of stirring her desires much less some¡­ human even if she was a Sun- Born.

    Cami released Mary from her grasp and moved away from the young woman with an expressionless mask on her face.

    She pretended as though nothing had happened and instead pointed at the wooden door that was at the end of the corridor.

    "Your reward is inside there. You have ten minutes to enjoy it and then I expect you to meet me back here. Is that understood?" Cami coldly spoke.

    "Yes mistress," Mary replied with an almost robotic tone.

    The female vampire turned and walked away with slow purposeful steps.

    Mary did not know the inner turmoil in her mind since Cami had concealed her emotions quite well.

    Well¡­ apparently her ''reward'' was on the other side of the door. Mary stepped forward and paused when she heard a loud grumbling noiseing from her stomach.

    Yeah¡­ she was hungry.

    She hadn''t gotten a chance to eat since the elderly vampire had led her to the underground room and several hours had passed since then.

    Hopefully there would be some leftover food somewhere in the castle.

    Mary let out a light sigh as she once again contemted the dangerous situation that she found herself in.

    She waspletely alone and trapped in an enormous castle with a powerful vampire who considered her as a pet.

    The young woman took a moment topose herself and then opened the door. She was greeted by the sight of an enormous kitchenplex filled with modern applications.

    Oh?

    Mary walked towards one of the fridges and opened it. She saw fresh vegetables, meat, diary products and other items.

    Vampire could survive primarily on blood but that did not mean that they were unable to consuming other food for nutrition.

    This was the ce where the chefs would cook meals for the entire castle''s residents. Well¡­ at least she wouldn''t have to worry about food for the time being.

    Time¡­ shit!

    She only had ten minutes!

    Mary hurriedly ran towards the pantry and picked up a loaf of bread and some hard cheese that was next to the rack.

    She rushed towards the microwave in the corner of the room and quickly ced the bread on a te with small strips of cheese on its surface.

    If she had more time, then she would try to make a proper meal but for now the best she could do was some cheese toast.

    "Okay¡­ one minute¡­" Mary softly muttered to herself as she pressed a series of numbers and then waited.

    The te spun around the microwave and was illuminated by a soft yellow glow from the lights inside the machine.

    Mary headed for the fridge while the cheese was melting and grabbed a bottle of unopened milk from inside.

    She unscrewed the top and took a few sips of the cool liquid.

    Honestly it may not seem like much of a ''reward'', but Mary was just relieved to discover that she wouldn''t starve at least in the short term.

    Bleep! Bleep!

    The microwave''s timer finally ran out, so Mary opened the door. The cheese on the bread had melted away into an almost butter-like texture that was slightly gooey.

    It smelled delicious.

 Chapter 192 Lady Of The Night (16)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Private Bedchamber)

    Currently only one of the numerous bedrooms inside Castle Eden was upied.

    The other residents were now nothing more than ripped apart corpses scattered across the ground in the throne room which meant that the castle was eerily silent.

    Two feminine figures were on a magnificent queen-sized bed in the middle of a room.

    This bedroom was expensively decorated with paintings hanging on the walls and a pure silk curtain that covered the window.

    A thick fur carpet covered the floor and there was a dresser table in the corner of the room that was made from priceless mahogany wood.

    "Lower¡­ lower¡­ there we go¡­ hmm¡­." Cami moaned softly as she felt the warm body of the human sitting down on her lower back.

    "Go on my pet¡­ my shoulders are killing me¡­ your hands¡­ hmm¡­ maybe I should add this to your role¡­"

    Mary furrowed her brows as she ced her hands on the female vampire''s shoulders and pressed them lightly.

    Cami''s skin was cool to the touch and yet Mary could feel her face beginning to heat up. This beautiful vampire was a gorgeous piece of living art.

    Her curves¡­ the sway of her body as she groaned in pleasure when experiencing her touch¡­

    Despite her best efforts, Mary could not help but notice the seductive and sensual charm that radiated off the vampire effortlessly.

    The moans that left her mouth as she massaged her shoulder sent shivers down the young woman''s spine.

    Mary continued to press and push against the tense muscles in Cami''s back until the vampire gently rolled over and pushed her off.

    "Good work," Cami spoke with a satisfied tone as she stretched out her arms and yawned. She flung one of the nkets on the floor and tossed a pillow in the center of the fabric.

    "Alright human¡­ you may have some rest."

    Mary looked at the vampire who was smiling as if what she had just said was some amusing joke except no one wasughing.

    Mary''s frustrations boiled over and the angry thoughts in her mind were identally spoken out loud, "What? You can''t be serious!"

    Her voice immediately trailed off as she was pinned down by the stare that Cami gave her.

    Those dark crimson eyes locked on to her body and a cold oppressive chill filled the room.

    "As a reward for massaging my back¡­ I will not punish you severely for your disy ofplete and utter disrespect," Cami sternly spoke as the temperature around her body plummeted.

    She sat up on the bed and grabbed Mary''s face roughly using her palm. The young human''s terrified facial expression stirred the sadistic desires in the powerful vampire''s heart.

    "Fine. You don''t have to sleep on the ground," Cami sweetly whispered but her kind words were like a deadly spider luring in a helpless fly.

    "Instead¡­ you will be by my side as my most loyal pet."

    Cami loosened her grip on Mary''s face for a brief moment and then suddenly grabbed the human by the neck and pulled her forward.

    The kiss that happened was only filled with desire.

    There was no love or gentleness.

    Cami roughly smashed her lips against the human and used her free hand to pin down Mary''s body to prevent her from escaping.

    The entire time she maintained eye contact with Mary''s piercing green eyes as she thoroughly swapped saliva with the shocked woman.

    Mary''s mind struggled as she felt herself being overwhelmed by the pleasurable sensations.

    Cami stuck out her tongue and explored the inside of the young woman''s mouth as she used her fangs to gently nibble at her bottom lip.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Then just as quickly as the kiss had happened¡­ she stopped and pulled away.

    Mary was left gasping for breath and gently touched the corner of her mouth. She looked at the finger that touched her lip and saw that it was stained with blood.

    Traces of her blood could be seen on Cami''s tongue as the vampire swallowed the crimson liquid and then an expression of disgust shed across her face.

    "The blood of the Sun-born is truly foul¡­ I suspect that my lesser brethren would even die from swallowing the blood that runs through your veins," Cami muttered quietly.

    Shey down on the bed and pulled the nket over her body as numerous thoughts ran through her mind.

    Hmm¡­ while the blood tasted foul¡­ it did satisfy her hunger at least for now.

    Maybe she should get some more humans?

    As soon as the thought appeared in her mind, Cami immediately dismissed it. For some reason she did not like the idea of having more humans live in her castle.

    "Well pet¡­ are you going to keep sitting down in a daze or are you going to get some sleep?" Cami asked the woman who was still frozen in shock.

    "Yes¡­ yes¡­ mistress..." Mary reluctantly replied as she refused to look at the female vampire as she crawled into the bed.

    Fortunately, there was an extra nket on the side of the bed, so she didn''t have to be under the same nket with her so-called ''mistress''.

    The sun wasing up from the horizon but the heavy silk curtains that blocked the windows prevented its light from entering the bedroom.

    Cami closed her eyes and fell asleep instantly while Maryy awake in the bed absentmindedly touching her lips over and over again.

    That was her first kiss¡­ at least in this body.

    Mary gripped the corners of the mattress in anger as she recalled the female vampire''s rough and domineering kiss.

    Still there was an emotion in her heart that made her feel a bit confused. She still intensely disliked the monsterying down in the bed next to her but the kiss¡­

    It felt good.

    Mary was ashamed of how she felt but she could not fake the wetness that moistened her lower regions.

    "It''s just a physiological reaction¡­ it doesn''t mean anything," Mary whispered softly as if to hypnotise herself.

    She was not going to get Stockholm Syndrome over one forced kiss.

    The young woman did not forget her true objective. She needed to escape this castle and then reunite with her sister.

    But it would not be easy.

    It was unlikely that she would be able to escape at least in the short term so all she could do was gather information and n ahead.

    For now, at least¡­ her life did not seem to be in danger.

    Her mistress wanted to use her as a bodyguard because of her nature as a Sun-born.

    Mary wasn''t exactly sure what a Sun-born was but perhaps her training would be able to aid her in escaping from this castle.

    She let out a heavy sigh as she felt a wave of exhaustion hit her body all at once almost like a tidal wave.

    Today had been a long day¡­ to put things mildly.

    Despite her best efforts, Mary could feel her eyelids slowly lowering as the corners of her vision turned dark.

    She drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

 Chapter 193 Lady Of The Night (17)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Secret Room)

    "Human¡­ exin this to me one more time," Cami whisperedzily as she stared at the peculiar device in her hand.

    The vampire leader of n Vntis was currently sitting down on a chair while her pet human sat near her feet.

    She lowered the device so that her human could see the strange images that were appearing on its surface.

    "Yes mistress¡­ this is a cell phone¡­ you can use it to contact people hundreds or even thousands of miles away," Mary replied seriously as she tapped the phone.

    "It is also connected to the inte so you can browse information, watch videos or messages as well asmunicate."

    "And this inte¡­" Cami tilted her head with confusion evident on her face.

    Mary resisted the urge to sigh as she repeated her exnation for what seemed like the hundredth time.

    Her vampire master had spent centuries slumbering deep below her castle which meant that she missed out on all the inventions that were created during that time.

    Cell phones, nes, television, medical and scientific advances¡­

    She was like a woman out of time.

    The world to her would be both familiar and strange.

    Mary would have felt sympathy for Cami if it were not for the fact that she was this beautiful vampire''s prisoner.

    She patiently powered on the device and then began to do her best to exin the modern world to the ancient vampire.

    Why was she being truthful?

    Well¡­ Cami''s blood control ability extended to being able to hear the heartbeats of nearby humans.

    She was basically a lie-detector.

    Mary only learnt of her ability when she intentionally left out an important detail about how to use social media.

    Cami was immediately able to recognise that the young woman''s heart rate had increased and punished her servant with two firm ps to her rear.

    As well as a threat of more unspeakable punishments¡­

    Since then, Mary tried to calm herself down and only speak the truth.

    Thirty minutes passed and eventually by some miracle she was able to teach her new mistress about the inte and how to navigate the various functions of a cellphone.

    Mary took a moment to catch her breath and she felt as though her throat was feeling a bit dry.

    She reached for ss of water on the nearby table and took small sips of the liquid inside the container.

    What she didn''t know what that her movements attracted the attention of the beautiful vampire woman who gazed at the human with thirst evident in her eyes.

    "This all too much¡­ I''m getting hungry¡­e here my pet," Cami whispered seductively as she gripped Mary by her chin and dragged her closer.

    Her sharp fangs glistened under the light as she took a small bite out of Mary''s lower lip and sucked the blood that trickled out of the wound.

    This feeding process¡­

    Mary tried to struggle but the supernaturally strong grip of the vampire clutching her chin made it impossible to escape.

    A moan escaped Cami''s mouth as she abandoned the feeding process and instead focused on kissing the young woman.

    Her lips¡­ were so soft and sweet.

    Cami''s tongue swirled around Mary''s mouth before eventually pulling away. A thin thread of saliva connected the pair''s lips and Cami''s crimson eyes darkened.

    This human¡­ was physical attraction a characteristic of the Sun-born?

    Perhaps nearby vampires would feel lust towards them and that would cause them to lower their guards.

    It was a phenomenon that was worth investigating in the future.

    Mary stumbled slightly as she felt the firm hand on her chin move away.

    There was a hidden trace of loss in her eyes as she stared at Cami who looked off into the distance.

    "We will begin your training today," Cami finally spoke as she got up from her chair and walked towards the room''s exit.

    "Follow me¡­ I wish to have a strong bodyguard who is able to protect me."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mary quickly stepped in line and walked behind the sensual figure who gently swayed her voluptuous hips from side to side.

    Castle Eden was truly magnificent, and the architecture inside was generally unchanged from when it had been built in the medieval period.

    The main changes were the modern touches such as outlets, sockets and some new paintings that hung on the walls.

    Cami frowned as she passed the new paintings and casually waved her hand at them. A blood arrow shot forward from her fingertips and shredded the canvases into pieces.

    Mary remained silent as she watched her mistress slowly remove the traces of modern art that littered her castle.

    This brief moment of peace gave Mary some time to think and n her next moves. Today was going to be her first day of training to be a bodyguard.

    It was just that this didn''t make any sense¡­

    Clearly this beautiful vampire was extremely powerful, and it was unlikely that a weak human woman like herself would be able to protect her.

    Hell, anything strong enough to pose a threat to Cami would most likely be able to deal with her in a matter of seconds.

    Well¡­ she did say something about ''Sun-born''

    Sun-born?

    Mary closed her eyes and quickly essed the original Mary''s memories for any clue or hint about the phrase.

    She found nothing.

    The original Mary did not live very long after being rescued from the vampires'' clutches since her father killed her the very same night that she returned home.

    That bastard¡­

    Mary opened her eyes and a trace of hatred surfaced in her gaze. She would make sure that he paid for his sins.

    Cami led her through a windingbyrinth of side passageways and corridors until they arrived at a wide-open field in the center of the massive building.

    There was a ss dome covering the entire length of the field which was impressive since Mary estimated that it was around five kilometres in every direction.

    The beautiful vampire snapped her fingers and a thin thread of blood wrapped around a sword on a weapons rack in the corner of the field.

    The sword flew into her palm, and she tossed the de at Mary with a casual throw. Mary moved to the side and de fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

    "Okay¡­ pick that up and attack me," Cami calmly spoke as if talking about the weather or something trivial.

    "What?" Mary blurted out in shock.

    "You heard me pet. Pick up that de and attack me¡­ surely you don''t think that we have all day?" Cami sneered in a mocking tone.

    "Are you deaf? What I am telling you right now is an order. PICK. UP. THAT. SWORD."

    Mary frowned slightly and refused to fall for the vampire''s obvious provocations. She picked up the de and felt its hefty weight in her palm.

    It would be difficult to wield properly since shecked the strength needed to use her swordsmanship skills.

    Swordsmanship skills?

    What swordsmanship skills?

    Mary''s confusion onlysted for a brief moment because Cami rushed forward with a crimson de in her left hand.

    The young woman reflexively lifted up her weapon and blocked the blow. Mary could feel her wrists sting as the force of Cami''s attack travelled up her arms.

    Cami continued to attack with thrusts, shes and slices as Mary narrowly avoided each blow using the blurred memories that surfaced in her mind.

    "Good¡­ good¡­ very good my pet," Cami smiled happily with her fangs bared.

    She swung her sword at Mary''s chest and the blow was blocked by the human who took a few steps backwards.

    Mary could feel her chest ache with every passing minute since her body was a malnourished girl in herte teens.

    Eventually it became too difficult to wield the sword, so she was forced to drop it to the ground.

    Now she could only use her body to dodge Cami''s attacks and asionally punch at her wrist hoping to get the vampire to drop her sword as well.

    Of course, she was too weak so any hits that shended were easily shrugged off by the vampire whose crimson eyes shone with a hypnotic light.

    "Okay¡­ I''ve seen enough," Cami took a step back and cut a small hole in her wrist. The crimson sword in her palm returned to a liquid state and then re-entered her body.

    "You have done quite well for a human."

 Chapter 194 Lady Of The Night (18)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Library)

    Humans are creatures of habit.

    Despite her best efforts, Mary found herself getting used to the familiar and boring routine that her life had be over thest two weeks.

    Her day would begin at around eight o''clock in the night. She would make herself breakfast and then spend an hour doing some light exercise.

    Cami her vampiric mistress would get out of bed around midnight. Mary would then be forced to bathe, clothe, and massage the beautiful female vampire until she was satisfied.

    Honestly looking at her voluptuous naked body was still a bit difficult, but Mary was now able to avert her eyes and concentrate on the tasks at hand.

    Still, she was fairly certain that Cami intentionally swayed her hips whenever she got out of the bathtub¡­

    Fortunately, the castle never seemed to get dirty or require regr cleaning so at least she didn''t have to perform menial tasks.

    Every day for around three hours Cami would train her in swordsmanship as well as other weapons such as daggers, bow and arrows, brass knuckles and even a mace.

    By far Mary''s weapon of choice was the broadsword but her mistress wanted her future bodyguard to be proficient with all weapons.

    Then as dawn approached, Cami would return to her bedroom and Mary would walk towards the guest room that connected to her mistress'' chambers.

    This nocturnal schedule made Mary lose all sense of time, if it weren''t for the phones and calendars in the castle¡­ she would have probably never known how much time had passed.

    Still her days were rtively peaceful and for that she was quite grateful.

    Well¡­ rtively¡­

    Mary absentmindedly rubbed the bottom of her bruised lip as she wandered through the castle towards the library.

    She had lost count of the number of times she had been kissed fiercely by her mistress and every time without fail¡­

    Her heart would skip a beat.

    Mary felt a bit guilty that her emotions were being so easily manipted especially since she could not see any desire or love in the beautiful vampire''s eyes.

    But who could me her?

    Cami was a sadistic bitch but¡­ she was hot as hell.

    Mary shook her head slightly and tossed those ufortable thoughts to the back of her mind.

    She had an assignment toplete and hopefully it would take her one step closer to escaping this castle.

    The young woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a bag of beef jerky strips that were sealed with a stic wrap.

    She ripped off the stic seal and pushed the meat into her mouth.

    The taste of the jerky was hard, ufortable, and quite salty but Mary forced herself to chew.

    She was feeling toozy to run back to the kitchen and cook so this was the only option to stave off her pangs of hunger.

    Mary walked up a flight of stone stairs and eventually arrived at a heavy wooden door that was roughly ten feet in height.

    A golden handle sat in the right corner of the door. Mary took in a deep breath to calm down her nerves and then slowly turned the knob.

    The wooden door swung open, and she stepped inside to what could only be described as a reader''s paradise.

    A vast open space with dozens of bookshelves stretched upwards towards the ceiling. There must have been thousands or even ten of thousands of books inside this ce.

    The floor was covered by a white silk carpet and a firece sat in the corner of the room with logs covered in ck ash.

    There were a few tables and chairs scattered about and the only modern appliances were the electricmps plugged into the sockets that ran through the walls.

    Mary gasped in wonder as she felt as though she had been transported into a new world that was a treasure trove of knowledge and discovery.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She checked her other pocket and pulled out a strip of paper with words scribbled down on its surface.

    ''Section A-12, You must learn at least one technique before you are allowed to leave the library.''

    Cami''s handwriting may be messy but there was a power that could be felt through the strokes of ink painted on the sheet of paper.

    "Alright¡­ let''s get this done¡­" Mary muttered to herself as she read the paper one more time before putting it back in her pocket.

    She felt a little bit excited at the prospect of learning vampire hunting techniques.

    There was no way that ordinary humans could possibly match the enhanced strength of vampires so there must be some kind of secret.

    The Hunter''s Organisation required prospective members to pass a series of tests before teaching them and ancient human ns would never share their techniques with outsiders.

    Therefore, the original Mary''s only knowledge about vampire hunting techniques came from rumors on the inte.

    Mary''s lips gently curved upwards as she imagined learning the techniques and then putting that arrogant female vampire in her ce.

    The young woman smiled as she wandered through the library and looked at the different sections.

    "Let''s see¡­ A-9¡­ A- 10¡­ A-11¡­ there we go!" Mary excitedly spoke as she saw a blocked off section of the library.

    There was a circr pattern of blood covering the floor of the isles where section A-12 was located.

    It looked extremely creepy, and Mary could swear that the blood slightly moved as her shoes walked on its surface.

    She narrowed her eyes and focused on the tags that were attached to the books on the shelves.

    Some of the tags were written innguages that she did not recognise while others were in an ancient form of English.

    Mary pulled one of the books off a nearby shelf and thumbed through the pages. Just as she suspected¡­ she was unable to read what was inside.

    The characters inside the book vaguely resembled Sanskrit but there were random dots and punctuation marks sttered across the symbols.

    Mary put back the book back with a defeated sigh and then began the long and arduous process of searching through every book on the shelves.

    Well, it made sense¡­ most likely Cami had gotten these books before her slumber and that had been centuries ago.

    Some of thesenguages had probably died out while others had changed over the decades until they became barely recognisable from their original form.

    It took around two hours but eventually she found a book that was written in rtively understandable English.

    She opened the book and began to read the contents that were inside.

    "Interesting¡­" Mary mused thoughtfully to herself as she read through the pages of the book and acquired new information.

    Apparently, hunters gained their strength from channeling the light of the sun into their bodies and storing it over a period of time.

    The techniques that they learnt were just variations that aplished the same purpose. Of course, there were important differences.

    Some techniques focused on providing the hunter with strength, others boosted their regenerative capabilities while others provided a variety of peculiar boons.

    The technique inside the book in her hand was called ''Visha''s Transformation Art'' and it involved absorbing the light of the sun through one''s pores and transforming the body.

    This was an interesting technique.

    Its benefits were not obvious in the early stages since it gave its practitioner longevity and mental willpower.

    Mary gently ced the book on the ground and immediately went to work searching for others as well.

    There was still some time before the night ended and she had brought enough snacks tost for awhile.

    There was no need to rush and train the first technique that she found. Instead, Mary nned to explore all her options and choose the best one.

 Chapter 195 Lady Of The Night (19)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Library)

    After scouring the library for two hours Mary was only able to find one more book written in rtively readable English.

    She let out a heavy sigh as she nced upwards and saw at least two or three hundred more books to check through.

    Although this section of the pce library was rtively smallpared to the others¡­ it still contained quite a lot of books.

    Maybe she should stop for now¡­

    There really wasn''t a rush and truthfully, she was beginning to feel a little bit hungry and tired.

    The beefy jerky strips in her bag had long run out and now her stomach grumbled softly in protest.

    Mary walked over to a nearby table and sat down. She opened the new book and began to browse its contents with furrowed brows.

    This book contained a technique called ''The Golden Pupil Art''. Mary was intrigued at the strange name and turned the pages to learn more about the technique.

    This technique involved storing the energy from the sun into one''s pupils. It would allow their vision to be greatly enhanced over one hundred times over.

    In addition, the practitioner would gain the ability to see in the dark which was incredibly helpful when hunting down vampires since they usually operated in the nighttime.

    It may not be as eye catching as the ''Visha''s'' Transformation Art'' that provided the practitioner with longevity but ording to this book it was a technique suitable for beginners.

    Mary gently turned the page and saw a series of illustrations showing different diagrams and pictures of what looked like strange pathways in a human body.

    Just like mana paths¡­

    Mana paths?

    Mary furrowed her brows as, yet another blurry memory surfaced in her mind and then disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared.

    She continued to read the book for about fifteen minutes before closing its cover and leaning back against the chair.

    The young woman covered her mouth and yawned sleepily as she nced at the watch on her hand.

    Okay¡­ now the time was about seven o'' clock in the morning.

    Vampire hunting techniques all had one thing inmon and that was that they required the sun in order to practice.

    Wait¡­ then how was she going to learn how to use them in the library?

    Mary looked up at the ceiling and unsurprisingly not a single ray of sunlight could prate the thick ss ceiling.

    How did Cami expect her to learn these techniques from inside the castle?

    No¡­ there must be somewhere that she could practice¡­

    The young woman got up from her chair and began to wander around the library searching for any hidden doors or passageways.

    There was a small temptation in the back of her mind to simply leave the library and look in other parts of the castle, but she pushed that urge down.

    Cami had an unnatural ability to track her location even when she was out of the vampire''s direct line of sight.

    Mary suspected that it had something to do with blood magic and the fact that this castle was her personal territory.

    Her suspicions only intensified as she nced down at the library''s floor and saw tiny specks of what appeared to be blood that formed peculiar patterns.

    The library was incredibly vast and with all the knowledge stored inside, Mary estimated that it would take her several centuries to read through it all.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Well¡­ first she would have to learn some morenguages in order to understand the contents written inside the books.

    She hummed a soft tune as she held the ''Golden Pupil Art'' in her right hand while searching the library.

    Finally, Mary discovered a small wooden door in the corner of the room that was partially hidden away behind a bookshelf.

    With a great deal of effort, she was able to shift the massive bookshelf to the side to get a better look at the door.

    There was a handle and lock on the door, but it was open. Mary turned the doorknob and hesitantly stepped inside.

    She found herself standing in an empty room no bigger than a small dorm bedroom. There was no furniture, and the floor and walls were made of stone.

    A single ray of sunlight shone down in the center of the room through an intentional hole carved in the ceiling.

    Mary stepped into the ray of light and her lips gently curved upwards.

    After living in the castle for several weeks¡­ it had been quite some time since she had experienced the light of the sun.

    But now was not the time to get nostalgic.

    The young woman closed her eyes and carefully recalled the images and illustrations that she had seen in the book.

    "Embrace and absorb the sunlight," Mary muttered quietly to herself as she visualised pores opening up around her body.

    She could feel her body slowly getting hotter and hotter as if it was absorbing the single ray of light that shone into the room.

    Carefully Mary directed this strange energy towards her pupils using the pathways that she had read in the book.

    Her eyes began to painfully burn as tears ran down the sides of her cheeks. Mary winced but continued to channel the energy to her eyes.

    She coughed violently as more energy flooded her body. She felt her fingers tremble ever so slightly as her nails pierced the underside of her palms.

    Tiny drops of blood dripped down her injured hands as she slowly opened her eyes and saw that the world around her had changed.

    Mary''s eyes were nowpletely golden, and her pupils shone with a luster that would hypnotise anyone that saw her gaze.

    She could see better than she had ever seen before.

    The room had once been empty but now she could observe the microscopic specks of dust floating in the air.

    The young woman stared in wonder as she gently touched the corner of her eyes using her trembling fingers.

    This was amazing.

    Mary stepped out of the sunlight and felt the energy rushing into her body cease. There was still some energy stored inside the pathways inside her body, but theyy dormant.

    She focused on cutting off the energy flowing towards her eyes and soon her irises returned to their normal piercing green colour.

    The young woman reached into her pocket and pulled out a few bandages which she then used to wrap up her hands.

    It was fortunate that there were medical supplies inside the castle otherwise she might have been in for a rough time.

    Especially considering the number of times that hungry vampire wanted to feed¡­

    Mary blushed slightly as she absentmindedly touched her lips. She walked out of the room and headed for the library''s exit.

    Now that she had aplished her mistress'' first task, Mary nned to make herself some breakfast and then call it a night.

 Chapter 196 Lady Of The Night (20)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Private Bedchambers)

    Mary woke up with a yawn and stretched out her handszily. She checked her watch and saw that it was now around nine o'' clock at night.

    Well... time for her daily tasks.

    She got up from the bed and walked towards the closet in the back of the room.

    At least there were somefortable casual everyday clothes in addition to the fancy gowns and dresses.

    Mary put on a pair of ck track pants and a in white tee-shirt that was slightly too big for her body.

    The young woman then headed for the dresser and took out a small hairbrush from inside. She spent the next few minutes untangling the knots in her hair.

    "Come on..." Mary muttered angrily as she pulled a particrly messy clump of hair.

    Cami didn''t like it when her hair looked messy, so she was forced to fix it every night before visiting her mistress.

    Something about a ''pet'' being a reflection of their owner or some nonsense like that.

    Mary still wasn''t particrly happy about being referred to as a ''pet'' but when your mistress was a powerful bloodthirsty monster... some things had to bepromised.

    After ncing at her reflection in the mirror to make sure that she was rtively presentable, Mary put down the brush and walked out of the room.

    Her bedchamber was connected to a master bedroom where Cami slept.

    Mary entered the bedchamber and saw the beautiful female vampire sitting up on the bed and waiting patiently for her.

    Cami beckoned using her fingers and Mary reluctantly walked towards her.

    The gorgeous vampire gently pulled in the human closer by the scruff of her neck and then kissed her fiercely.

    The familiar sweet taste of her lips made Cami''s long dead heart skip a beat. This human... her blood was extremely unpleasant but...

    Kissing her was like a drug.

    It was addicting and she could not stop herself. Cami''s lips gently curved upwards as she heard a short moan escape her prey''s lips.

    She deepened the kiss, and her tongue began to explore the insides of Mary''s mouth as she nibbled on the corner of the young woman''s lip.

    Cami bit down and tasted the warm coppery taste of blood.

    She quickly broke off the kiss and tried her best not to throw up. Why was the human''s blood so foul today?

    "Did you master one of the techniques as I asked?" Cami coldly asked with no trace of her difort present on her face.

    "Yes mistress," Mary meekly replied with her face still flushed from the kiss.

    "Show me," the vampire firmly ordered as she leaned back against the wooden frame of the bed and watched with eager eyes.

    Mary nodded and then focused on the energy that was still flowing through her body. It was warm andforting.

    The sunlight absorbed into her skin had filled her up almost like how a battery filled up with charge.

    All she needed to do was ess this stored energy and unleash her technique.

    Mary concentrated and closed her eyes for a brief moment.

    She imagined the strange energy travelling up the pathways in her body until it reached her pupils.

    She opened her eyes which were nowpletely golden. Her eyes shone with a luster that made it hard for Cami to look at them directly.

    They could only be described as two golden coins sparkling under the light of the sun.

    Mary cut off the technique and her eyes slowly returned to their normal piercing green colour.

    When she used the ''Golden Pupil Art'', she would receive visual stimuli at a much higher level than usual.

    She could even see the pores on Cami''s blemish free skin and the particles of dust floating around the room.

    It was impressive but it still would take some getting used to since Mary found herself unable to concentrate when using the technique.

    "Impressive... I''m actually not sure how long humans take to learn these techniques, but I assume as the Sun-born your progress must be fast," Cami''s voice interrupted Mary''s thoughts.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Perhaps you deserve a reward... I will think about it after you perform your duties."

    The gorgeous vampirey down on the bed and rolled over so that her back was exposed to her human servant.

    Mary let out a light sigh under her breath and crawled onto the bed.

    She was now used to this routine, but it was still difficult for her to touch Cami''s skin directly...

    At least without blushing.

    Mary''s hands began to press down on her mistress'' back as she rubbed and gently massaged her upper shoulders.

    Cami groanedfortably as she wriggled her body to give Mary better ess.

    The young woman''s eyes could not help but be drawn to the female vampire''s shapely behind.

    It was extremely hypnotic as it swayed from side to side. What she would do just for a chance to spank it...

    Come on... concentrate!

    Mary scolded herself as she focused on the task at hand. The sooner she got this done... the sooner she would be able to make herself some breakfast.

    The room waspletely silent save for the heavy breathing of the young woman who pressed and rubbed the back of the vampire lying down on the bed.

    Eventually Cami raised up her right hand and Mary stopped her movements.

    "Okay... that''s enough for now... meet me in the training room in two hours," Cami calmly spoke as she waved her hand to dismiss her human servant.

    She watched as the young woman nodded at hermand and then walked out. Mary''s training wasing along quite nicely.

    Obviously, her will had yet to be properly broken but Cami found herself surprisingly reluctant to resort to psychological and physical torture.

    It was clearly a stupid decision to raise a vampire hunter without ensuring that their loyalty was directed at her, but Cami found herself making excuse after excuse.

    Perhaps the Sun-born needed unyielding wills in order to use vampire hunting techniques?

    What if she identally went too far and turned the human into a broken ything?

    Cami furrowed her brows in frustration as for the first time she began to question herself and what she was doing.

    There was no need to kiss the human woman when feeding. It would be just as effective to bite her arm or even her shoulder.

    In fact, why was she even bothering to feed on such nasty blood?

    She should immediately head to the auction house and pick up a few more human servants.

    Maybe their blood would taste better...

    Cami sighed heavily and then tossed those strange thoughts to the back of her mind.

    Maybe living with the human for a few more months would allow her to understand why she was feeling this way.

    There were more important matters to address in the first ce.

    Cami wandered through the castle until she eventually arrived in arge open room where dozens of ravens were kept.

    The birds began to shriek and caw loudly at her appearance as the knowledge inside their minds forced them to act this way.

    These ''birds'' were nothing more than disgusting lumps of flesh brought to life using blood magic and forbidden arts.

    They required no need to eat or sleep and were the perfect messengers for the high nobility vampires.

    Cami walked towards a small desk in the corner of the room and pulled out one of the drawers.

    She found a simple quill, a bottle of ink and many sheets of parchment paper inside.

    The beautiful vampire hummed softly to herself as she wrote out a note and addressed it to five individuals.

    The message ended with a simple line.

    ''I have awakened.''

 Chapter 197 Lady Of The Night (21)

    (Outskirts of Forest Elerifn- Hidden Location)

    (Castle ckmore- Throne Room)

    "Impossible!" a hoarse voice shrieked with rage. The voice echoed through the room and pierced the ears of the servants who had their heads bowed.

    A handsome man in his early forties with pale skin and dirty blonde hair read the letter over and over again.

    None of the servants in the room dared to lift up their heads as they witnessed their master continue to scream and shout like a madman.

    The servants wore long brown cloaks that concealed their bodies and white masks that covered their facial features.

    Some were vampires while others were human but all of them could not move a single muscle as a heavy pressure descended on the throne room.

    "How could that bitch¡­ wasn''t she dead?" Prince Antonio muttered over and over again as he rubbed his temples.

    "No¡­ the rumors said that she had taken her own life and was now resting beneath her castle¡­ damn it¡­ I knew I should I verified the information myself!"

    "But it''s been hundreds of years¡­ what on¡­ why now?"

    He could feel his headache getting worse by the minute. The political situation among the upper nobility was already tense enough¡­

    Now a princess had seemingly returned from the dead.

    "All of you¡­ get out now," Prince Antonio snarled as he waved his hands and dismissed the servants in the room.

    The heavy metal doors at the end of the throne room swung open and the servants slowly walked out in an orderly single line.

    The vampire lord reached for a goblet filled with a crimson liquid and took tworge mouthfuls.

    His fingers trembled slightly and the liquid inside the goblet spilled down his shirt.

    "And if I got this letter¡­ that means that¡­ fuck!" Prince Antonio yelled in fury as he flung the goblet on the ground.

    The golden chalice shattered into thousands of pieces with a heavy thump. The vampire sitting on the throne ced his head in his palms and begun to think.

    Now was not the time to let his emotions get the better of him.

    Prince Antonio began to silently count in his mind until his bloodlust and fear finally receded.

    Vampire society was a hierarchical one with the princes and princesses at the top of the pyramid followed by the archdukes then the dukes, counts, viscounts and finally barons.

    There used to one who stood above the entire pyramid, but he had perished a millennia ago when his own children turned on him.

    The Ancestor.

    Currently there were three vampires who possessed the strength and bloodline necessary to be known as a princes or princesses.

    Prince Antonio of n Vermont. Also known as the ''Butcher of Men'' a bloodthirsty monster renown for his cruelty and cunning.

    Princess Esme of House Mornt. A wicked schemer who preferred to spend her days plotting in the shadows like a filthy rat.

    Prince Samuel of n Sundry. He was¡­ an enigma.

    Rumors swirled around that he was involved with the humans but of course anyone who spread such gossip would immediately be killed.

    And now there was a fourth.

    Cami. The ''Mage''.

    She had never officially taken the title of princess, but her mastery of blood magic was more than enough to pose a threat.

    Antonio rubbed his temples so furiously that his fingernails scrapped off the top of his skin. Dark ck blood flowed down the side of his head as he continued to pick apart the flesh.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A delicate bnce of power had been formed over thest few hundred years and now that bnce was about to be threatened.

    If Cami stood on any one of their sides¡­ that prince or princess would be able to gain significant territory or influence.

    "And I''m sure those ruthless bastards have also realised that fact as well," Prince Antonio muttered quietly to himself.

    Cami was one clever bitch.

    She had sent out a message of her return to each of them.

    Now they would all be forced to offer gifts and concessions to make sure that she did not pick a side.

    Of course, if she was to disappear¡­ then the problem would be solved.

    The vampire lord tapped his fingers against the side of his throne as a certain face shed across his mind.

    Yes¡­ that could work¡­

    He immediately leapt off the throne andnded on the ground several hundred feet below with a graceful posture.

    As the prince walked out of the throne room, the ugly wound on the side of his temple was already gone as the flesh had stitched back together.

    He wandered through the castle and paid little attention to the servants who respectfully knelt and ced their foreheads on the ground.

    Prince Antonio walked through abyrinth of passageways and hidden corridors until he arrived at a in wooden door.

    He raised up his hand to knock against the door, but it slowly opened to reveal a handsome man who was the splitting image of his younger self.

    But there was one crucial difference.

    Only one of his eyes was crimson. The other eye was clearly that of a normal human with a light brown pupil.

    The young man wore a in white dress shirt, ck velvety pants, and a pair of sharp pointy shoes.

    "Yes father?" the young man asked in a respectful tone.

    Prince Antonio''s lips gently curved upwards as his crimson eyes swept up and down the length of his son''s body.

    His son was a Dhampir.

    Half human and half vampire. An incredibly rare hybrid who was able to shift into either form with just a thought.

    They possessed a decent amount of enhanced strength even when leaning into their human side. Of course, their greatest strength was their ability to withstand sunlight.

    "Finley¡­ I have a special task for you¡­ one that should you seed¡­ I will consider making you a full vampire and my heir," Prince Antonio softly whispered.

    The young man''s eyes widened in shock as he listened to his father''s startling words.

    He always dreamed of bing a full vampire and standing by his father''s side as the next leader of the n.

    "What do I need to do?" Finley asked curiously as he tried his best not to show the eagerness that he felt in his heart.

    Prince Antonio smiled warmly at his son and ced a cold heavy hand on his shoulder. The vampire lord opened his mouth and spoke in amanding tone,

    "You must join the Hunter''s Organisation and rise up the ranks until you reach a position of power and influence."

    "This mission will be a long-term one, so I am not hoping for immediate results. Once you have established yourself, I want you to leak out this important information."

    "The vampires will be electing a leader of their entire race and the number one candidate is a dangerous monster¡­"

    "She goes by the name of Cami."

 Chapter 198 Lady Of The Night (22)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce''s Training Grounds)

    "A little lower please¡­ mhmmm¡­ there''s the spot¡­" a sweet seductive voice echoed through the training field.

    Mary bit her lips and tried not to let her eyes wander over the half naked body lying down on the bench.

    She raised up her right hand and wiped some beads of sweat that were rolling down her forehead.

    Her entire body was aching in pain, but she kept on massaging her mistress'' lower back.

    It was around three o'' clock in the morning and today''s sword fighting ss had just finished.

    Mary had been pleased with the progress that she had been making even though she had yet to win a fight against her vampire opponent.

    Her body was getting stronger by the day, so she was able to wield her weapon for a longer period of time.

    Even Cami had apuded her progress and said that she was learning remarkably fast¡­ for a human.

    Now the other weapons on the other hand¡­ let''s just say that the progress there was going a bit more slowly.

    There was something about holding a sword that felt almost instinctively familiar to Mary even though that should be impossible.

    The original Mary had never learnt how to fight while Sui Li had been born in a modern world and had only seen swords on the television or the inte.

    Maybe this was a skill that she had picked up in one of her mission worlds?

    Mary furrowed her brows and continued to pinch and press the soft squishy flesh in front of her body.

    Cami opened her mouth and moaned in pleasure. Her voice sent tiny shivers down Mary''s spine as the blush on her face intensified.

    Finally, the beautiful vampire seemed to have enough and raised up her hand for her loyal servant to stop massaging.

    "You did well today. I am d that you are learning quickly because there isn''t much time before assassins sent to kill me will appear," Cami exined in a nonchnt tone.

    "I suspect that one if not all of the princes will use their connections to see if my return is indeed true."

    "Then they will either try to sway me to their side or eliminate me before I can join someone else''s."

    Despite talking about dangerous killers being sent to hunt her down, Cami''s tone was quite casual as if speaking of the weather.

    "Will I be able to protect you against a vampire?" Mary asked in a bit of a skeptical tone.

    "Hmm¡­ maybe not yet¡­ I mean you should at least be able to survive an encounter with my lesser brethren," Cami rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she spoke.

    The female vampire''s crimson eyes darkened and then suddenly an enormous wave of pressure fell on Mary''s body.

    The young woman gritted her teeth and forced herself to remain standing even as the ground beneath her feet began to crack.

    Then just as quickly as it had appeared¡­ the pressure vanished.

    Cami hummed an unfamiliar tune and then began to walk towards the exit. Mary stepped forward to follow her but almost fell as her knees threatened to give out.

    She muttered a curse under her breath as she gathered her strength and forced her body to move.

    Her vampire mistress was beautiful but¡­ Mary had not forgotten her true purpose.

    She needed to escape after learning as many vampire hunting techniques as possible.

    Cami roamed through the corridors with Mary following closely behind.

    The vampire seemed to be in a bit of a hurry and Mary did not dare to question her about the reason behind her haste.

    Eventually after walking for around twenty minutes, Cami stopped in front of arge wooden door and opened it.

    She entered inside the room and Mary could hear the sounds of footsteps and rustling as her mistress searched for something.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mary reached into her pocket and pulled out a cell phone. There wasn''t any signal in this part of the castle, but it was connected to the inte.

    Unfortunately, the inte used in the vampire-controlled region of the country only allowed certain websites.

    The first thing Mary had done when she realised that there was inte in the castle was attempt to reach out to her sister via email or even social media but it was no use.

    Even news about the human world was locked behind paywalls. One needed a verified ount to ess that information.

    As for how to get a verified ount¡­ she really had no idea.

    Honestly, she was surprised that the vampires were so tech savvy in the first ce.

    Still there were some useful things that Mary had learnt.

    There was information about the various powerful ns that ruled different parts of the country.

    One could also find out brief tidbits of information about really strong vampires who led different ns and families.

    Mary had searched up Cami''s name and discovered that she had long been assumed to be dead.

    There wasn''t much information on her mistress, and she assumed that was because Cami had been active a long time before the inte had existed.

    Vampires were immortal.

    Not invulnerable.

    It was rare for one to live for centuries unless they were extremely powerful.

    Mary slipped the phone back in her pocket as she heard footstepsing from the other side of the door.

    Cami walked out of the room holding a long ck cloak and a silver mask that had no openings for one''s eyes, nose, or mouth.

    "Put this on and active your seeing technique," Cami ordered firmly as she threw the clothes at Mary.

    The young woman hastily grabbed them in mid-air to prevent the items from falling on the ground.

    She wasn''t exactly sure what this was about, but it was always safe to obey the beautiful vampire''s orders, so Maryplied.

    Mary wrapped the ck cloak around her body and then tied the piece of string so that it concealed all of her features.

    She ced the mask over her face activated her pupil technique. Her piercing green eyes shone with golden luster that was concealed by the heavy silver mask.

    It was a bit strange, but Mary could see rtively well despite the mask blocking her direct line of sight.

    Shepleted the outfit by tossing the hood over her head and then waiting to see what Cami''s next orders were.

    The female vampire walked over to her servant who was nowpletely disguised. She leaned in closer and began to sniff her body.

    Mary stoodpletely still as she saw Camie ever so closer until she was mere inches away from her flesh.

    Cami sniffed one more time and then her lips gently curved upwards to form a satisfied smile that made her look even prettier.

    "Good," Cami pped her hands together and looked at her servant.

    "Your scent has beenpletely hidden by that outfit. I couldn''t even sense the disgusting stench of your Sun-born nature."

    "Thanks?" Mary replied without thinking in an offended tone of voice.

    Luckily Cami was distracted by her good mood, so she didn''t notice her servant''s disrespectful tone.

    "Alright human¡­" the beautiful vampire''s voice trailed off as she stared at Mary with excitement barely concealed in her eyes.

    "It''s time to leave the castle!"

 Chapter 199 Lady Of The Night (23)

    (Northern Region ¨C Unknown Location)

    (New Antic City- Forested Outskirts)

    Freedom.

    Mary nced upwards at the night sky and took a moment to appreciate the thousands of sparkling stars and the full moon.

    She felt a cold breeze brush against her body and shivered as goosebumps began to form along her arms.

    After spending so many weeks inside the castle, the outside world appeared both familiar and strange at the same time.

    Mary lightly touched the mask that was covering her face and felt its hard surface.

    Even though she was revelling in the taste of freedom¡­ she was not foolish enough to attempt to escape.

    Firstly, Cami was walking in the distance but not far enough away that Mary was confident that she would be able to outrun her vampire mistress.

    And secondly¡­ she did not know where she was.

    The Northern Region was a forbiddennd for humans and Mary did not know which direction to head in order to return to civilisation.

    If she encountered other vampires even if the cloak and mask concealed her human nature¡­ it could still be dangerous.

    Vampires were not a peaceful race.

    They were just as likely to kill and maim each other. In that regard they were simr to humans.

    "Pet, are you going to keep up or not?" Cami''s sensual whispers entered Mary''s ears and interrupted her train of thought.

    The young woman looked at the vampire smiling seductively at her and felt her heart skip a beat.

    Cami was truly beautiful.

    She wore a long ck Victorian era dress that fell down to her ankles and yet her body radiated a sexy charm even beneath theyers of clothing.

    The moonlight fell gently on her curly ck hair and her plump lips seemed both warm and inviting as her tongue softly flicked in and out of her mouth.

    "Yes mistress," Mary replied softly.

    She was incredibly grateful that the mask concealed the fierce blush that warmed her cheeks.

    Cami stared at the human with a knowing glint in her crimson eyes and yet did not say anything.

    Perhaps this could be an alternative method to ensure her servant''s loyalty.

    In normal circumstances Cami would consider it beneath her to flirt with any creature be they vampire or human and yet¡­

    She found herself oddly amused by her human pet''s reactions.

    Cami chuckled lightly to herself and slowed down her steps until she was walking side by side with Mary.

    The pair wandered through the dark forest that surrounded Castle Eden with quiet steps. New Antic city was around a one hour walk away from the castle.

    One had to pass through a well trodden path in the forest to get to the city. Mary rubbed her arms as she felt as though something in the darkness was watching her.

    She nced in the direction of the strange feeling and saw a pair of orange eyes peeking through the bushes.

    Just as Mary was about to warn Cami about the creature, a loud rustling noise came from the shrubbery.

    An enormous mountain lion leapt out of the bushes and rushed towards Cami with its jaw wide open and saliva dripping down the sides of its mouth.

    The beautiful vampire did not even flinch as she calmly raised up her hand and a spear made out of blood appeared in her right palm.

    With a simple throw the spear embedded itself in the mountain lion''s throat and the animal rolled on the ground in pain.

    Cami''s crimson eyes darkened, and the spear stuck to the animal''s throat melted away into its body.

    She snapped her fingers, and the beast began to move even though it was bleeding out.

    Its movements were slow and jerky almost like a puppet dancing on the strings of its master.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The mountain lion disappeared into the distance and Mary wasn''t sure what exactly her mistress had done to the creature.

    "Stay close to me," Cami sternly warned as she grabbed Mary''s hand and dragged her through the dark forest.

    Mary nced down at their connected fingers and felt her face flush once more. No¡­ get a grip¡­ she is the enemy.

    All she needed to do was y along until she found the right opportunity to escape¡­

    The young woman closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths in order to calm down her agitated mood.

    The rest of the journey through the forest was rtively uneventful and finally the pair arrived outside a town surrounded byrge grey walls made from stone.

    There was a single gate leading into the city and cars were slowly making their way inside after being stopped and inspected by the guards.

    There were not just cars in the line but also horse and carriages. This entire town was an odd mix of both medieval and modern aesthetics.

    Cami strode towards the entrance of the town and finally removed her hands from Mary''s grasp.

    "State your business," one of the guardszily spoke as he looked at Cami.

    "Just visiting," Cami casually replied before reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small vial of crimson liquid.

    The guard''s eyes lit up and his lips curved upwards into a wide grin that disyed a pair of sharp fangs.

    "Of course¡­ right this way ma''am," the guard gently spoke as he moved to the side and allowed both Cami and Mary to enter.

    The beautiful female vampire sniggered to herself as she watched the guard ce the vial in his pocket.

    She wanted to conduct a little experiment on the properties of her human pet''s blood. That guard was in for a nasty surprise once he swallowed the crimson liquid.

    Cami chanted a few words under her breath and small reddish fly emerged from the tip of her index finger.

    The fly flew towards the guard andnded on his shoulder. Now the only thing left to do was wait and see the results.

    Mary did not notice her mistress'' secret actions since she was too busy marveling at the view of the city.

    She had not gotten a chance to see the city before since she was knocked out when she was transferred to the auction house and when she had been bought.

    Vampires had¡­ surprisingly good taste in architecture.

    Buildings were spaced evenly apart and even though the styles were different, there was a harmony to them that was hard to describe.

    Mary saw vampires both male and female, young and old looking wandering the streets and going to different locations.

    In many ways this city and its inhabitants behaved exactly like those in the human realm except for one crucial difference.

    There were blood shops and street vendors on every corner selling blood from a variety of animals and of course¡­ people.

    There were humans in the city but there were kept on leashes almost like animals or livestock.

    The vampires that owned humans were clearly strong since no one bothered them.

    Or they travelled with several bodyguards who prevented the ordinary vampires on the street from getting too close.

    "NO! NO!" a young human man screamed as a vendor chopped off his right hand and drained away the blood into a bowl.

    The crowd that was beginning to form around his stand were beginning to get anxious and Mary did not have a good feeling about what was going to happen next.

    Was that vendor insane?

    Lesser vampires would not be able to control themselves if they caught a whiff of blood. Mary moved away from the crowd but felt a strong hand grip her shoulder.

    She followed the palm and saw an unshaven vampire staring at her with crimson eyes that shone with an eerie light.

    "Hey baby¡­ why don''t you take off that cloak and we can¡­ ARGHHH!" the vampire shrieked in pain as a crimson spear erupted from his chest.

    "Don''t. Touch. Her," Cami growled with shocking ferocity that surprised even herself.

 Chapter 200 Lady Of The Night (24)

    (Northern Region- Unknown Location)

    (New Antic City)

    Cami''s eyes widened in shock as she realised what she had just done.

    The vampire whose body had just been impaled by the crimson spear began to cough out flecks of ck blood.

    He trembled violently as the life began to drain from his eyes. Cami quickly snapped her fingers and the blood spear melted into the vampire''s body.

    It was fortunate that the crowd nearby had not noticed her sudden attack because most of their attention was focused on the scene in front of the vendor.

    The unshaven vampire''s heart had been shattered by the spear and his body began to slowly shrivel up into a lifeless husk.

    Cami''s crimson eyes darkened, and she whispered a few words under her breath.

    The corpse of the vampire began to walk towards a nearby alleyway with jerky movements as if it were a puppet marching to the tune of its master.

    The beautiful female vampire looked down at her hands and then turned to nce at Mary.

    Why the hell had she just done that?

    The purpose of her foray into the city was to go incognito and blend in with the ordinary vampires to see what changes had happened to society.

    Blood magic was a rare skill and would immediately let anyone who saw it know that she was a high-born vampire.

    Cami shuddered and the look in her eyes as she stared at Mary became a lot more cautious.

    What had just happened could only be described as pure instinct.

    Her body moved automatically to protect the young human... was this another trait of the Sun-born?

    For the first time Cami was tempted to kill Mary.

    She was clearly raising a dangerous beast whose ws and fangs may one day turn on herself.

    And yet...

    As she stared at the hooded figure whose facial features were covered by a mask, Cami could not bring herself to do what needed to be done.

    With a heavy scowl she began to walk away without paying any attention to see if her human pet was following her.

    Mary absentmindedly touched her shoulder and quickly walked behind her mistress.

    She was quite shocked to see Cami immediately stand up for her and it was making her mind race with useless thoughts.

    Did the beautiful vampire care about her?

    Or did she merely not like others to touch her property?

    Mary let out a light sigh beneath the mask as she walked a bit faster so that she could be side by side with her mistress.

    She would only get an answer with the passage of time.

    "Please try a free sample!" a loud booming voice interrupted Mary''s train of thought.

    The young woman looked in the direction of the sound and saw the vendor pass the bowl of human blood to a vampire in the crowd.

    The bloodthirsty fiend shrieked in delight and raised the bowl to his lips.

    Just as the edge of the bowl was mere centimeters away from his lips... someone in the crowd mmed into his body.

    A female vampire snatched the bowl from his grasp and took a small sip before someone punched her in the stomach.

    She dropped the bowl and its contents scattered on the ground.

    What happened next could only be described as... pure chaos.

    The vampires in the crowd who were already agitated were now stoked into a blood frenzy.

    The vendor had lostplete control of the event and was pushed away from the human male next to his stand.

    Mary saw at least half a dozen vampires grab the human male and rip his body apart into chunks of flesh.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The crowd surged forward as they rushed towards the corpse of the human hoping for even a droplet of blood.

    Some were even desperately licking the ground where the bowl had shattered. They looked like animals driven by nothing but thirst and desire.

    "Come on..." Cami hissed angrily as she grabbed Mary by the arm and pulled her away from the scene.

    It was not a moment too soon because a loud siren red out from the distance and several armored ck vans drove down the road.

    The doors of the vans swung open and over twenty security officers dressed in ckbat gear with masks over their faces emerged from the vehicles.

    They rushed towards the crowd and began to brutally beat the vampires using the batons and weapons held in their hands.

    Cami dragged Mary towards a building in the distance. The female vampire intentionally looked everywhere but in the direction of her pet human.

    She was still confused about what had just happened earlier and did not know how to react.

    Mary on the other hand appreciated the silence since she was also simrly feeling a bit lost.

    Eventually the pair arrived at a seedy looking building with a sign over its entrance featuring the image of a ck cat.

    Lucky''s Tavern.

    Cami suddenly grabbed Mary by the palm and led her inside the building. The first thing that Mary noticed was the stench.

    The air was filled with the thick ufortable scent of heavy alcohol.

    It was a scent that was incredibly familiar to this body since the original Mary''s father had spent most of his days drinking and gambling.

    Mary trembled slightly as several violent memories appeared in her mind.

    The original Mary always remembered the trauma and physical abuse that she suffered whenever she smelled alcohol.

    Cami noticed that her human pet was shaking slightly but thought that it was because of the unfamiliar environment.

    Taverns like these were an excellent source of both reliable information and nonsense gossip.

    The trick was being able to tell which was which. Sometimes the stories told inside were a mixture of both.

    The best tales always had an element of truth to them.

    The inside of the tavern was much cleaner than Cami had expected, and it was already quite full.

    There were patrons lounging on the wooden chairs next to the tables or standing by the bar''s counter making small talk with one another.

    Attractive waiters and waitresses moved from table to table jotting down customers'' orders and bring food and drinks.

    The food was usually sses filled with animal blood while the drinks were a variety of fine wine and expensive mead.

    Vampires could not get drunk, but most appreciated the taste of alcohol since they were unable to consume normal human food.

    Cami''s crimson eyes scanned the room and finally saw an empty table in the corner of therge hall.

    She led Mary towards the table and then sat down while her human pet took the seat right next to her.

    There was a brief moment of silence until Mary opened her mouth and broke the awkward atmosphere with a question.

    "Um... mistress... you... why did you do that earlier?" Mary bravely asked as she looked at Cami''s facial expression for any change or hint at what she was thinking.

    She was destined to be disappointed as Cami maintained an expressionless mask as if she had not heard Mary''s question.

    It was only when a minute had passed did the female vampire respond to her human pet''s unexpected question.

    "I wanted to show my loyal dog how I protect you... you owe me now," Cami finally spoke as she tapped the side of the table using her fingers.

    "Never forget that you belong to me. I will never allow anyone to touch you whether they be human or vampire.

    Cami finished her reply with a stern warning as she leaned in closer until her face was mere inches away from Mary''s mask.

    "You will never take a lover because I should be the only one in your heart. Do I make myself clear?" Cami darkly whispered.

 Chapter 201 Lady Of The Night (25)

    (Northern Region- New Antic City)

    (Lucky''s Tavern)

    "Do I make myself clear?" Cami''s cold voice entered Mary''s ears as the vampire leaned in closer until her lips were mere inches away from the mask covering the young woman''s face.

    ? "Yes mistress," Mary softly replied. She was grateful that the mask covered the conflicted expression that shed across her face.

    Cami''s words were controlling and dominating and yet... Mary could have sworn that there was a hint of insecurity in her tone.

    No... surely, she must have been mistaken.

    "Good... now let''s get something to drink... wait... what is this?" Cami furrowed her brows in confusion as she pointed at something on the table.

    There was a small sheet of paper with ck lines that formed the image of a square. Mary nced at the paper and saw that it was a QR code.

    "That''s a QR code... let me show you," Mary softly whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a cellphone.

    She scanned the paper using the camera on the phone and then handed it over to Cami when the menu appeared on the screen.

    Lucky''s tavern did not sell anything to eat and the only items on the menu were animal blood, human blood mixed with alcohol and then alcoholic beverages.

    Cami stared at the phone in fascination as her finger gently touched the screen.

    She still wasn''t used to the advances in modern technology but was adapting surprisingly well.

    "Can I take your order?" a very pretty vampire with dark red hair walked up to their table and flirtishly winked at Cami.

    She wore a in white shirt and a sharp ck dress that fell down to her ankles.

    The waitress''s lips gently curved upwards as her gaze directly roamed up and down the length of Cami''s body.

    "Haven''t seen you before around these parts... any chance you''re a freshie?" the waitress asked in a strange tone.

    "Yes, she is," Mary replied in a low tone before Cami could open her mouth.

    "Ohhh... congrattions!" the waitress shrieked happily as she pped her hands together.

    "Wee to your new life! Here''s what... the first round of drinks is on the house! Except for blood of course."

    "Okay... I''ll have one ss of your finest Le Chateau 1876," Cami replied after looking at the menu on the phone one more time.

    "And yourself... ma''am?" the waitress politely asked.

    "I''m good for now," Mary bluntly replied as she touched the corner of her mask. She could not remove the mask under any circumstance.

    The waitress walked away but did not forget to sway her hips slightly as she left.

    Unfortunately, her movements went unnoticed as all of Cami''s attention was on the hooded figure sitting opposite to her.

    "I''ve never heard the word ''freshie'' used before. How did you know about that term?" Cami curiously asked.

    "It''s a human word... I assumed that it meant a newly converted vampire," Mary confidently replied.

    "Mistress I know that you do not want your identity revealed so I thought that you being a new vampire would be a good disguise."

    Cami hummed thoughtfully and tapped her fingers against the side of the table. Her human servant was very quick witted.

    A good quality but it would make her very uncontroble in the future.

    Cami''s fingers kept knocking against the wooden table as numerous thoughts entered her mind.

    Tap... tap... tap...

    Meanwhile Mary took quick nces around the room to observe how vampire interacted among themselves.

    The pupil technique that she had learnt in the castle library allowed her to see even though a mask blocked her direct line of sight.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Vampire were... just like humans?

    Some were arguing in the bar, others flirted with single men and women near the counter and the rest either partied or made light conversations.

    If it weren''t for those sharp fangs and crimson eyes, this could have been a bar in any city in the human controlled territories.

    Still... Mary did not let down her guard or feel any sort of kinship with these bloodthirsty demons.

    She was well aware that if her identity was leaked... these same peaceful vampires would not hesitate to tear her to shreds and drink all the blood in her body.

    Or would they?

    Mistress Cami alwaysined that her blood had a foul-smelling taste so perhaps ordinary vampires would think the same.

    Hmm... Mary wasn''t exactly sure how to put that theory to the test... at least before she got a bit stronger.

    While Mary and Cami were both distracted, the waitress returned holding a tray with a ss goblet in the middle.

    The goblet was filled with a dark purplish-red liquid that swished gently from side to side. The waitress ced the ss on the table and then gave a polite bow.

    "Are you all ready to order some more items?" the waitress curiously asked.

    "No... not yet. We will call for you when we are ready," Cami spoke in amanding tone as her fingers wrapped around the ss.

    She raised up the goblet to her lips and took a small sip of the sweet tasting liquid inside the ss.

    It was a delicious wine that had been aged for over hundred years, so it had a mellow vour as well.

    "No problem. In that case I cane back in twenty minutes," the waitress smiled and bared her sharpened fangs.

    She left the table once more but this time she didn''t make any unnecessary movements which meant that she realised that Cami wasn''t interested.

    Mary opened her mouth to ask Cami a quick question when the doors to the tavern swung open with so much force that the doors flew off their hinges.

    A handsome aristocratic gentleman wearing a flowery tuxedo entered the room apanied by several bodyguards.

    "Eww... the scent of the poor..." the gentleman scowled fiercely as he gestured towards one of his bodyguards.

    The female bodyguard held up a cellphone and began to press record.

    The aristocratic vampire proceeded to randomly smash bottles and chairs using his enhanced strength.

    The diners inside the tavern were extremely upset but no one dared to stand up to the high-born vampire.

    The high born were stronger than ordinary vampires and most were associated with huge or powerful ns.

    Cami continued to sip the wine in her goblet as if the destruction happening in the room had nothing to do with her.

    "Why is he doing that?" Mary softly whispered as she tried not get the aristocratic vampire''s attention.

    "Probably a new convert... got a taste of power and wants to show the entire world that he''s invincible," Cami took another sip as she spoke.

    "He''ll be dead within the decade."

    "Arrogance and ack of ability are abination that does not lead to a happy ending."

    The high-born vampire flung a table through the air, and itnded a few feet away from Cami and Mary with a heavy thud.

    Fortunately, the high-born vampire appeared to get bored by theck of reaction from the crowd inside the tavern.

    "You all are a bunch of cowards," the aristocratic vampire sneered mockingly as he raised up his hand and made a rude gesture.

    There was still no reply from the crowd as everyone buried their heads down and refused to make eye contact.

 Chapter 202 Lady Of The Night (26)

    (Northern Region- New Antic City)

    (Lucky''s Tavern)

    Mary''s fingers beneath the table curled up into a tight fist as she watched the conversation y out.

    The high-born vampire seemed to quickly tire of theck of response from the other patrons in the room.

    He pursed his lips together and began to walk around the room from table to table with his bodyguards following closely behind him.

    Searching for victims...

    The flowery tuxedo that he wore looked utterly ridiculous and Mary was d that the mask on her face concealed her facial features.

    She could not take the high-born vampire seriously since he was strutting about like a king, but his movements resembled that of an arrogant peacock.

    Cami continued to sip her wine as if what was happening in the tavern was unrted to her.

    Despite the fact that she was the only one who did not cower or lower her head, the high-born vampire''s gaze slid past their table as if he could not see them.

    Mary nced at Cami''s left hand and saw a small reddish pentagram floated ever so slightly above her skin.

    Ahh... a spell.

    Her mistress was truly a terrifying woman.

    Most vampires only relied on their physical capabilities, or it was more urate to say that they had no talent for magic or witchcraft.

    However, Mary had seen firsthand just how scary Cami''s magic abilities were and she shuddered at the prospect of making her an enemy.

    "Hey..." a rude voice interrupted Mary''s musing.

    She nced in the direction of the sound and saw the aristocratic vampire knock a drink from a muscr customer''s hand.

    The muscr customer had a vicious scar running from the left side of his face to his right. Wait... no... it wasn''t a scar.

    It was a realistic tattoo of a scar since the regenerative ability of vampires meant that any non-lethal injuries would heal without a trace.

    The goblet shattered and the golden liquid stained the man''s shirt. A snigger erupted from the aristocratic vampire''s mouth as he leaned closer to mock the man.

    That was a terrible mistake.

    With surprisingly fast reflexes, the man grabbed the high-born vampire by his flowery cor and mmed his head against the table.

    The high-born vampire groaned in surprise and his bodyguards instantly rushed forward in order to protect him.

    "Stay back!" the muscr man growled as he pulled out a knife from his pocket and raised it up to the arrogant vampire''s throat.

    Screams and terrified yells erupted from all around the room.

    Mary reflexively grabbed Cami by the hand and rushed forward towards the exit.

    Cami looked down at her fingertips that her interlocked with her human pet and for some reason... she allowed it.

    The female vampire felt very confused as her pet dragged her through the crowd that was rushing for the exit.

    No one wanted to be involved in an incident where a high-born vampire was attacked even if they were merely bystanders.

    "Move out of the way," Mary viciously snarled as she shoved her shoulder into a terrified vampire who stood frozen in fear.

    "The... the guards... areing..." the vampire stuttered in fear as he raised up a trembling finger and pointed at the door.

    Mary looked in the direction of the man''s finger and saw a squad of heavily armed individuals rushing towards the tavern.

    Someone had notified the guards.

    But how? The incident had just happened... unless?

    Was this all a set-up?

    The guards roughly pushed past the vampires exiting the room and used their metal batons to mercilessly hit anyone who was in their way.

    Mary ttened herself against the wall and used her body as a shield to protect her mistress from the iing crowd.

    Cami stared at the young human in confusion.

    She didn''t understand... where had this sudden disy of loyaltye from?

    Was this all a trap to get her to lower her guard?

    "Move away from him," the leader of the guards was a lean woman with olive- coloured skin and a short pixie haircut.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She held up a baton in her left hand and violently cracked the skull of a vampire who tried to sneak past her.

    "No!" the muscr customer growled fiercely as he pushed the knife even closer to the scared high-born vampire.

    "You think I don''t know what will happen to me? Those monsters will hang me up on the walls until the sunes up."

    "I''m not dying like that!"

    The muscr customer roared in rage and a thin ck line of blood appeared on the aristocratic vampire''s neck as the knife pierced his skin.

    The leader of the guards let out a series of nasty curses as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a gun.

    There was a single silver bullet loaded in the chamber and even touching the weapon caused her hands to burn.

    Silver was a well-known weakness of vampires along with the cross and holy objects that were blessed by someone with true faith.

    Mary inched her way along the walls with her back to the scene. She only focused on getting her mistress out of the dangerous situation.

    Honestly there was a part of her that did not know why she was doing this.

    Cami was the enemy... she needed to escape.

    And yet... vague and blurry memories kept surfacing in her mind and for some reason Mary thought that she needed to protect the beautiful female vampire.

    A ridiculous notion of course...

    Cami did not need anyone''s protection least of all from a human who had just begun her vampire hunting training.

    Mary could feel the cool touch of Cami''s skin as she pressed her body even closer to her mistress.

    If it weren''t for the circumstances, Mary knew that her face would be beet- red after experiencing the soft gentle curves of Cami''s body.

    Inch by inch the pair sneaked through the chaos and confusion until they arrived at the door.

    Vampires were pushing one another in a desperate bid to escape so Mary was forced to join the messy pile while keeping a tight grip on Cami''s palm.

    Bang!

    A loud gunshot echoed through the tavern and the entire world stood still.

    Mary looked back and saw the muscr customer clutch in throat in shock as an enormous hole opened up in his trachea.

    She was not the only one to turn her head in the direction of the noise, so Mary took the opportunity to shove past the crowd and leave the tavern.

    The young woman led Cami to a nearby alleyway and let out a heavy sigh of relief as she leaned against the wall and tried to catch her breath.

    That was insane... they were lucky to have escaped that madness.

    "Why did you do that?" Cami''s t tone echoed through the small space.

    There was no hint of emotion in the female vampire''s voice as she stared at Mary with those crimson eyes.

    Why? I don''t know...

    Mary hesitated for a brief moment and then opened her mouth to reply, "Mistress... I... I know that you want to remain in disguise, so I thought that..."

    "It would make sense for a lower-ss vampire to immediately flee if something happened to a high-born nearby."

    "Good work my pet," Cami replied softly as she took a step forward until she was mere inches away from Mary''s mask.

    The beautiful female vampire whispered a few words until her breath and a small crimson wall erupted from her feet.

    A simple invisibility spell was all she needed for what she was about to do next.

    From the perspective of those walking outside, the alleyway was nowpletely empty with no trace of either Mary or Cami.

    Cami gently gripped Mary''s mask and slowly removed it. She could see the young woman looking at her with confusion evident in her gaze.

    "I''m hungry," Cami exined although that was not the only emotion that she felt as her crimson eyes lingered on the female human''s soft lips.

    She quickly closed the distance and her lips ferociously pressed against Mary''s. Her pet moaned in pleasure and her mouth slightly opened.

    Cami took advantage of the gap and slipped her tongue inside Mary''s mouth.

    She dominatingly explored every inch of Mary''s mouth and her hands roamed downwards towards her chest.

    The female vampire ravaged the human with a kiss that was lingering, passionate and made her long dead heart skip a beat.

    For a brief moment Cami even forgot to feed since she was too absorbed in the addicting sensation of kissing Mary and feeling her young slender body.

 Chapter 203 Lady Of The Night (27)

    (Northern Region- New Antic City)

    (Unnamed Alleyway)

    Cami roughly broke away from the kiss and stared at the human woman with barely concealed hunger and desire in her eyes.

    She did not know why she felt this way.

    She was one of the most powerful vampires in the world and yet... this human made her feel like a helpless ve to her own desires.

    The female vampire furrowed her brows as she leaned in closer and took a small bite out of Mary''s soft neck.

    She heard her human pet groan slightly as her lips made contact with her pale skin. Cami sucked in a mouthful of blood and resisted the urge to throw up.

    No... it definitely wasn''t Mary''s blood that made her feel this way.

    If ordinary human blood tasted like a heavenly elixir or divine nectar, then the blood of the Sun-born was simr to the unsavory taste of rotten fish.

    It was both bitter and disgusting.

    Cami forced herself to swallow and felt a surge of energy as her body absorbed the nutrients inside Mary''s blood.

    Mary waited until her mistress stopped feeding and then reached for her mask to put it back on.

    The wound on her neck had already begun to heal and soon the flesh knitted itself back together to form a thin scar.

    Although her ability to regenerate was far less than that of a vampire, Mary had discovered that her injuries healed quite quickly.

    "No... please... ARGHHH!!!" a horrific scream came from outside the alleyway.

    "Have mercy! Have mercy!" another cry echoed through the city.

    "My arm... you sick... Arghhh!" a twisted groan joined the chorus of agony.

    Mary looked in the direction of the noise and saw the aristocratic vampire standing in the middle of the street while being surrounded by his bodyguards.

    He was pointing at members of the crowd and the security officers nearby would drag that individual out and question them.

    Mary could not make out what they were saying but in most cases the officers would begin to brutally beat the random member of the crowd using their batons.

    She could not help but wince as she saw the reinforced steel batons m against sensitive areas of the vampires'' bodies.

    One could hear the sounds of bones cracking as the vampires fell to the ground and twitched in pain.

    The aristocratic vampire yelled something at the vampires on the ground and Mary noticed that his fingers were trembling slightly.

    "What''s going on?" Mary whispered softly as she stared at the scene of such brutality and random acts of cruelty.

    "Well, it''s quite simple," Cami replied calmly as she heard Mary''s question.

    "I assume that arrogant fool is feeling humiliated that his life was in danger from a low born so he wants revenge."

    "He can''t remember who was in the tavern, so he is now just randomly picking out low born vampires to send a message."

    "But howe some of them get away?" Mary asked curiously as she pointed at a female vampire who was being questioned by the officers and showed them something on her arm.

    "Well, it would be safe to assume that those low born are part of a n... the officers aren''t looking to make any enemies with the true rulers of the city." Camizily responded.

    "In case you were wondering why others don''t im the same... it is a crime punishable by death to impersonate belonging to a n or family."

    "And also, don''t forget to address me as ''Mistress''."

    "Yes mistress," Mary softly replied as she lowered her head and gave a short bow.

    Cami''s lips gently curved upwards as she ran her finger along the underside of Mary''s mask.

    She wanted to kiss her human pet again.

    And again.

    And again.

    There was something seriously wrong with her. Cami stared at the human and pictured her facial features beneath the mask that was covering her face.

    Piercing green eyes, a cute nose, gorgeous eyebrows, and sharp angr features.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She turned her face away and made a mental note to herself to visit her library and do some research.

    She needed to consult the few books that she had on the Sun-born to see if they had any unknown effects on vampires.

    Mary did not know what her vampire mistress was thinking as she nced at the injured vampires who were bleeding out on the cold hard ground.

    The officers were clearly used to doing such tasks as they brought the low born vampires to the brink of death without killing them.

    The vampires would eventually recover but regeneration did not mean immunity to pain. And judging by the screams...

    They were feeling a lot of pain.

    This was a barbaric ss-based society.

    The high-born vampires sat at the top of the hierarchy and the low born were their humble servants.

    ns and families held most of the political power and there was no democracy here.

    Mary shuddered as she watched one of the officers use his baton to smash a male vampire''s testicles so hard that they burst open.

    Cami nced upwards at the sky and looked at the position of the stars. Hmm... there were only a few more hours left until dawn.

    "Okay my pet... it is time to leave now," Cami calmly ordered as she snapped her fingers and the invisible spell surrounding their bodies copsed.

    Mary nodded and followed closely behind her mistress as they wandered through the alleyway and eventually arrived at a central square.

    There were dozens of stalls, shops and curious restaurants scattered around the square with bizarre and peculiar names.

    ''The Old Blood''s Gentleman''s Club'', ''Madam Xanter''s Fortune-telling'', ''Roasted Eye Meat'', ''Floran''s Manic Flower Shop'' were just some of the odd names.

    Cami hummed a melodic tune under her breath that Mary did not recognise.

    She tried not to seem out of ce as she walked with her mistress into a crowd of bloodthirsty monsters.

    The central square was quite crowded with vampires walking from one stall to another either looking at the wares or buying something from the vendors.

    Mary did not know what Cami was looking for but did not say a word ofint as her mistress walked around the entire square.

    She could still feel the soft taste of the female vampire on her lips, and it was making her blush uncontrobly.

    Was this all part of her mistress'' game? Why would she kiss her so often?

    What did it mean?

    These questions kept surfacing in Mary''s mind as she stole a few nces at Cami''s seductive figure.

    She was not the only one watching the gorgeous female vampire, but Mary''s disguised appearance made the low born vampire think twice before approaching.

    In this city the only way to survive was to mind one''s own business.

    Cami slowly moved around the square for around twenty minutes before her eyes locked on to a run-down shop in the corner of a street.

    There was a faded old sign hanging from the building with the words ''Froggy''s Old Apothecary''.

    The entrance to the shop was a wooden door that was barely hanging on its hinges with severalrge holes in it surface.

    Cami approached the store and knocked on the door five times each in a different position seemingly at random.

    The door swung open, and a gust of stale air rushed outside. The inside of the store... was nothingness.

    That was the only way that Mary could describe the peculiar sight before her eyes. Beyond the door wasplete darkness.

    Even the light of the moon shining down on the city could not prate the shadows inside the store.

    Mary reached into her pocket for her phone and turned on the torch function.

    A bright beam of light burst out of the top of her phone, and she pointed the device at the darkness.

    The light disappeared immediately as if it was being consumed by the void.

    "Hmm... it seems that humanity''s so-called ''technology'' is still no match for magic," Cami thoughtfully spoke.

    She grabbed Mary by the arm and dragged her towards the darkness before she could even say a word of protest.

 Chapter 204 Lady Of The Night (28)

    (Northern Region- New Antic City)

    (Froggy''s Old Apothecary)

    When Mary opened her eyes, she found herself standing in a room where everything inside was covered in a thickyer of dust.

    The wooden chairs in the corner of the room had long since rotted away, there were ss containers on shelves in the back and cobwebs were present on the ceiling.

    Mary sneezed loudly as she felt her nostrils begin to clog up. This ce looked abandoned as if it had not been upied in decades... or even centuries

    Cami stood quietly in the center of the room with an unreadable expression on her face.

    She slowly walked towards the counter and ced her finger on the top of the ss. Her finger slid along the edge of the ss carving out a clean line amidst the filth.

    She looked at the dirt that coated her fingertip and her expression worsened.

    The beautiful female vampire walked around the room as if in a daze before her crimson eyes spotted a locked box in the corner.

    There was simple metal padlock that sealed the box shut but it was rusty, and the chains easily snapped as Cami picked up the box.

    She opened the wooden box and peered at the contents inside.

    There was a thin sheet of paper wrapped in a piece of stic that had kept it from being destroyed or damaged by the passage of time.

    Mary could make out words on the piece of paper, but it was in anguage that she did not recognise full of strange symbols and markings.

    Cami read the words on the paper carefully before cing it back in the box and closing the lid shut.

    She pursed her lips together and her brows slightly furrowed. Mary could sense her mistress'' bad mood and walked a bit closer.

    "Do you have anything that you would like me to do mistress?" Mary asked softly in a gentle tone.

    Cami did not reply but pointed at a broomstick and gave the unspoken order to start cleaning up the ce.

    The female vampire headed for a door in the back of the room and opened it to reveal a set of wooden stairs that had already began to rot away.

    Two dark bat-like wings sprouted from Cami''s back as she took flight up the stairs towards an unknown location.

    Mary let out heavy sigh as she walked towards the broomstick. It would take several long hours to clean up this mess.

    Why did she feel a sense of sympathy towards her obviously bad-tempered boss?

    The young woman ripped off a piece of her brown cloak and wrapped it around her nose and mouth in order to create a make-shift mask.

    The original Mary was slightly allergic to dust so being exposed to so much filth was causing her nose to run.

    She began to sweep the corner of the room while taking curious nces at the stuff on the shelves.

    The containers were filled with murky grey substances, peculiar nt samples, unknown materials, and several animal bones.

    This ce looked exactly like how one would imagine the inside of a witch''s hut in a fairy-tale.

    Mary hummed softly as she swept the floor and carefully avoided the shards of ss beneath the shelves.

    Forty minutes passed quite uneventfully as Mary tried her best to clean up the room without much luck.

    She did manage to get part of it rtively clean but there was nowhere to throw away the dust, so she was forced to pile the debris all up in one corner.

    Suddenly she tripped on something and crashed to the ground. Mary groaned in pain as her knees scrapped against the wooden floor.

    "Ow¡­ fuck¡­ that hurt," Mary cursed under her breath as she sat up and tried to see what she had just tripped over.

    There was a tiny knob on the ground no bigger than a door handle that she had somehow missed when she was cleaning.

    Mary''s hand reached for the knob, but her fingers stopped when they were mere inches away from its metal surface.

    Should she tell Cami?<novelnext></novelnext>

    No¡­ the female vampire was her enemy. She needed to remember her true purpose and that was to escape this ce.

    Clearly this was a secret and maybe it was a hidden opportunity.

    Mary''s worried expression shifted to one of determination as she gripped the knob and gently turned it.

    A hidden trap door swung open, and a worn-out old book could be seen inside.

    Mary gripped the book and quickly nced at the staircase to make sure that there was no movement.

    Okay¡­ just one peek.

    She opened the book and saw that it was full of paintings. There were no words just paintings of differentndscapes.

    There were frozen icy tundras, hot sandy deserts, lush tropical forests and even a green ind with palm trees that towered over the horizon.

    Mary kept flipping through the pages and eventually the paintings changed to that of people¡­ or more urately vampires.

    A very handsome middle-aged man with a long grey beard and sharpened fangs stared menacingly at whoever painted his portrait.

    He wore a in white robe and there was one surprising detail that caught Mary''s attention.

    There was a silver cross hanging from his neck.

    Was that even possible? It wasmon sense in this world that vampires could not stand being close to holy objects.

    Mary turned the page and saw that now he was smiling with a bemused expression on his face.

    There was a twinkle in his eyes as if he had just heard a good joke but wanted to keep it hidden from the audience.

    Then there was a group picture.

    The middle-aged man sat down on a wooden chair in the front of half a dozen pale faced vampires who all stood respectfully at attention.

    This time there was a serious look on the man''s face and judging from the painting it seemed that the other vampires feared him.

    Finally, Mary turned to thest painting in the book and saw the middle-aged man sitting peacefully under the shade of a tree with a young human girl in his arms.

    He was reading an open book to the young girl who stared at him with an adoring expression of love and admiration.

    It was a warm and sunny picture.

    Yet as Mary stared longer at the image, she could not shake the feeling that the little girl in the painting looked very familiar.

    Raven ck hair¡­ eyes that were deep brown¡­ very pretty and one could tell that she would grow up to be a big beauty in the future.

    Wait¡­ wasn''t that¡­

    Mary felt a sudden chill in the air and turned around to see Cami staring at her with an expression of rage.

    "Where did you find that?" Cami hissed darkly as she loomed over Mary''s body with a terrible smile on her face.

    She rested her hand on the young woman''s shoulder and squeezed so hard that Mary let out a groan of pain.

    "Here¡­ there was a trap door here¡­ mistress¡­" Mary whispered softly as she gritted her teeth and endured the pain.

    Cami snatched the book out of her hand and in a fit of rage she summoned several dark crimson spears from her body.

    She flung the book in the air and used her blood spears to shred all the paintings into scraps of paper that drifted slowly to the ground.

    Mary winced as the terrible pressure on her shoulder increased until suddenly Cami removed her hand.

    "Forget what you just saw¡­ that''s an order," Cami coldly spoke as she curled up her fingers into a tight fist.

    She turned around and left the room immediately not wanting her human pet to see the tears that were threatening to run down her cheeks.

 Chapter 205 Lady Of The Night (29)

    (Southern Region- Princestown)

    (St. Octavia''s Academy- ssroom 1-A)

    "Lily Brooks please stand up and read the first paragraph for the ss," a stern middle-aged woman wearing a in white shirt ordered.

    A young woman with enchanting pale skin, sharp angr facial features and a cute button nose slowly got up from her chair.

    She was wearing a in ck military uniform with golden threads embedded in the cuffs and the upper arms.

    There were twenty other students in the ssroom and all eyes were on the beautiful young woman who nervously began to speak.

    "Vampires are a hierarchical based society where the higher order vampires rule the various ns and families," Lily hesitantly spoke as she tried her best to prevent her voice from cracking.

    "It is a weakness that has been exploited many times in the past."

    "Vampires are inherently lustful for power and will not hesitate to sell out their political rivals if it means taking over their territories."

    "Over the course of history, hunters have allied themselves multiple times with various vampire ns, but these alliances must always be treated with caution."

    "Well done... make sure to pay attention to ss next time," Professor Nadir sternly warned before turning her gaze to another student.

    Lily let out a heavy sigh and turned to look out of the window.

    Three months had passed since she had woken up in the hospital and her life hadpletely changed.

    Her sister was dead.

    She was now a vampire hunter in training.

    Her sister was dead.

    She was moving on and trying to make new friends.

    Her sister was dead.

    Lily closed her eyes and a familiar image appeared in her mind. She saw her sister desperately pushing her out of the moving car while a vampire lunged at her from behind.

    Every time she saw this memory... she wanted to change it.

    She wanted to be brave and stand side by side with her sister to fight against the monster.

    Instead... she fled like a coward.

    And now her sister was dead... and it was all her fault.

    The rest of the lecture passed in a daze as Lily half-heartedly wrote down some notes and pretended to listen to what Professor Nadir had to say.

    When the bell finally rung, she could feel nothing except a sense of relief.

    The professor walked out of the ssroom and the students finally had a chance to talk among themselves.

    "So, Lily... do you want to go to the cafeteria with me?" a cheerful girl with pimples on her face approached Lily''s desk.

    "Sure Katie! Let me just grab my bag," Lily smiled and tried to fake an enthusiastic attitude towards the only girl willing to befriend her.

    The students of Octavia Academy were all born from the upper ss of society.

    This was a private vampire hunting school where one needed both connections and talent to enter.

    Lily had one butcked the other.

    It wasmon knowledge among the other students that she had no family left.

    At least she was only being isted.

    Having suffered physical abuse from her father... Lily could handle students being mean and ignoring her.

    Honestly... she appreciated the quiet.

    Katie linked her arms around Lily''s arms and then led her towards the cafeteria that was located on the other side of the campus.

    Octavia Academy was enormous with several three-story buildings for teaching, a gym, a training field, an arena, and student dorms located at the back of a nearby forest.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "That bitch Sarah kept boasting because apparently her family has given her a hunter technique to study," Katie gossiped casually as they walked on a well trodden footpath.

    "Oh? What type of hunting technique is it?" Lily asked curiously as she listened to her friendin about the other rich students.

    "I''m not sure... something to do with storing sunlight in the you-know-where region," Katie wiggled her eyebrows as a mocking sneer shed across her face.

    Lily smiled thinly and did not add to the conversation. She knew exactly why Katie wanted to be her friend.

    She wanted to associate with someone who was lower than her on the socialdder so that she could feel good about herself.

    Humans really were strange creatures.

    They derived pleasure from not just being better than others but by associating with those worse off than themselves.

    The pair of girls walked for several more minutes with Katie doing most of the talking while Lily nodded politely and added in an asional word.

    Finally, they arrived at the cafeteria, and it was not a moment too soon as Lily''s stomach softly grumbled.

    The cafeteria was a wide-open space with hundreds of long tables and wooden chairs with softfortable cushions resting on them.

    There were several ''stalls'' lining up the walls of the cafeteria but of course calling them ''stalls'' really wasn''t the right word to use.

    They were more akin to miniature fine-dining restaurants with high quality grade AAA meat, fresh vegetables, expensive wines, and delicious seafood.

    The rich students wouldin about the quality of the meals provided but honestly Lily thought that it all tasted pretty good.

    She could eat without paying any money since the Hunter Association was covering her academy tuition and expenses.

    Katie ran over to secure a seat while Lily walked up to one of the stalls and ced an order for two bento boxes.

    She got a chicken, beef, and broli box for herself and picked up a seafood special for her friend.

    "Thank you," Lily politely spoke to the chef cooking the food. He smiled at the polite student and gave her some extra chicken breasts.

    Lily picked up both of the boxes and waved goodbye to the chef before walking over to her friend.

    Katie grabbed the bento box from her hand without saying thanks and Lily slowly lowered her head.

    Her expression was covered by the curly hair that fell over her face.

    It was fortunate that Katie did not see the expressionless husk that briefly surfaced on her usually cheerful friend''s face.

    "Lily did you see the forums? Holy shit! Look at the new transfer student!" Katie excited spoke as she shoved her cellphone in Lily''s direction.

    The young woman nced at the screen and saw a post of the forum that already had hundreds of replies underneath.

    Anonymous 0124: [My God! The transfer student is so hot!]

    Anonymous 0567: [Does anyone know what family he is from? Clearly, he conducts himself like someone belonging to the upper caste.]

    ? Anonymous 7984: [Oh please... he''s probably another welfare kid like that student from ss 1-A... what''s her name again? Lily something...]

    Anonymous 0124: [Don''t be jealous! There is no way that someone so handsome is poor... I refuse to believe it]

    Lily''s fingers curled up into a tight fist as she read thement about her being a ''welfare kid'' but controlled her emotions.

    Take a deep breath and rx...

    Lily gently inhaled and exhaled as she read the original post.

    There was a picture of a very handsome student whose beauty could only be described as otherworldly.

    He had a lean physique with muscles clearly visible beneath the white silk shirt that he wore. His light brown eyes sparkled with mischief, and he smiled at the camera with a teasing smirk.

    He had short cropped blonde hair and his facial features resembled that of a Greek God since he was so overwhelmingly handsome.

    "So, what do you think?" Katie excitedly asked as she pulled back her phone.

    "He looks like a model I guess," Lily replied as she tried her best to fake interest in the attractive boy.

 Chapter 206 Lady Of The Night (30)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City- Castle Eden)

    (Two Months Later)

    Mary wiped the beads of sweat from her brow using a well-worn handkerchief. She dropped down to the ground began to do a series of pushups.

    "One... two... three..." Mary muttered quietly to herself as she began her daily routine.

    Every day she would exercise before her training session with Cami.

    Her body was now in a much better state than when she initially took over the original Mary''s body thanks to a steady diet of meat, fruits, and vegetables as well as healthy amounts of exercise.

    Now she had visible abdominal muscles and a healthy weight.

    The ribs that could once be seen against her chest had long been covered by ayer of muscle and fat.

    The young woman grunted as she picked up a heavy iron sword and began to swing the de in a certain pattern.

    Thrust... forward sh... backward sh... pierce.

    Over and over Mary repeated the basic moves as if they were engrained into her very psyche.

    Out of all of the weapons that she could use... the de was still her favourite.

    It was not even close.

    There was a familiarity that she felt when handling swords that made her feel as though she had spent a lifetime studying the de.

    Mary continued to exercise for around thirty minutes before finally taking a moment to rest. She slumped against a nearby wall and reached for a bottle of water.

    She took small sips of the refreshing liquid and wiped some more sweat off her face. Life in the castle was... tolerable.

    There was enough food to eat, and she could feel herself getting stronger by the day.

    In fact, although Cami had not said it out loud, Mary could tell that her progress both frightened and impressed the female vampire.

    Speaking of Cami...

    Mary let out a heavy sigh as her gaze turned to an open window that overlooked the vast forest surrounding the castle.

    Ever since that night in the city... something fundamental had changed in the rtionship between the pair.

    Mary could not forget the pain that she felt when Cami violently grabbed her by the shoulder and demanded to know where she had found the book.

    It had been a sobering reality check.

    She would always be a tool... a ve to the beautiful female vampire and thinking that the kisses meant something was just foolishness on her part.

    Well... it had been a long time since Cami had taken her lips.

    Mary''s vampiric mistress had been distant ever since that day and when she fed it was in detached manner.

    Cami only bit the top of Mary''s left shoulder and did not show any extra passion or zeal as she fed on her blood.

    Outside of training... the pair barely interacted.

    Of course, Mary would still be given the asional order to clean a certain area or section of the castle but in truth they were now like strangers.

    Mary could not tell if she was relived by the distance... or disappointed.

    Staying away from the gorgeous vampire did allow her rationality to return but something about her curvaceous figure and soft lips...

    Stop it.

    Mary shook her head furiously and tried to chase those thoughts from her mind.

    Lately when she slept all she could think about was Cami''s voluptuous figure and those two plump mountains.

    The young woman lowered her head and rubbed her cheeks furiously hoping to wake herself up from constantly picturing Cami''s naked body.

    A few minutes passed and eventually Mary calmed herself down. She pulled out a phone from her pocket and checked the time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Training with Cami would begin in ten minutes, so she had to leave now. Mary cleaned up the room and then headed out.

    She walked through the endless maze of corridors and side rooms that made up the castle with great familiarity.

    After spending months inside the castle... truthfully it felt more of a home than anywhere else.

    It was certainly a step above from the run down two-bedroom apartment that she had grown up in.

    At least the castle did not smell of alcohol and day-old cigarettes.

    Speaking of her father... Mary sometimes wondered what had happened to him. Was he still drinking and gambling his life away?

    Perhaps now that Lily and she were gone he would look to make himself a new family with some woman desperate enough to sleep with him.

    Mary furrowed her brows as she walked through the castle and eventually arrived at the training field with a few minutes to spare.

    She looked up at the transparent ss ceiling and saw a beautiful sight.

    The night sky was filled with countless breathtaking stars that blinked and winked out of existence.

    It was a sight that she had seen before and yet every time... Mary could not help but appreciate the wonders of the universe.

    She felt as though her problems and hardships were smallpared to the vastness of the cosmos and mysteries thaty beyond the stars.

    Obviously, she had no memory of her life in previous worlds, but Mary hoped that in one of them she was part of a civilisation that explored the gxy.

    Mary approached the training rack in the corner of the field and hummed thoughtfully as she looked at the weapons on disy.

    She picked up a wooden bow and carefully weighed it.

    It had a good weight since it had long iron strips running along its center for additional reinforcement.

    There were a few arrows in a quiver nearby which Mary soon picked up. She walked over to the center of the field and nocked an arrow on the bowstring.

    She pulled back the bow and the line slowly grew taut. She took in a deep breath and then suddenly released the string.

    The arrow shot forward with startling speed and...pletely missed the target by at least ten feet.

    Well... one had to start somewhere.

    Mary was not disappointed by hercking disy because her mastery of the other weapons was nothing to boast about.

    "I see you have begun training early today," a cold voice echoed through the field.

    Mary turned in the direction of the sound and saw Cami staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face.

    The beautiful female vampire was wearing a shy red dress that entuated her bountiful curves and those crimson red eyes.

    Her short raven cropped hair brushed against her cheeks and those plump red lips pursed slightly as she talked to her servant.

    Mary nodded politely at her mistress who walked forward and without a word began to correct her posture.

    "You cannot fire arrows using the same stance that you use for swordsmanship," Cami quietly remarked as her hand lightly touched Mary''s back.

    There was a sense of restraint in her movements as if she was intentionally holding herself back from doing more.

    Mary could feel her mistress'' fingers trembled slightly as they traced her soft young body. She stared straight ahead but could sense the desire in Cami''s passionate gaze.

    Cami drew in a shaky breath as she realised that she had almost lost control of her emotions.

    This human... she had a way of making her feel things that she had long since forgotten and it scared it.

    It scared her very much.

    She was no longer the na?¡¥ve little girl who had been rescued by the First Ancestor and centuries had passed since she had been turned into a pure blood vampire.

    Why was she feeling shaken by a mere human?

 Chapter 207 Lady Of The Night (31)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Training Ground)

    "Again," Cami''s cold voice echoed through the field as she watched her human pet nock another arrow on the bowstring.

    Mary took in a deep breath and then released the string from her fingertips. An arrow shot forward and prated the outer edge of a target thirty feet away.

    "Again," her vampiric mistress said one more.

    With more practised motions, Sophie reloaded the string and adjusted the bow slightly so that it was more towards the center.

    She released the arrow and this time itnded a few inches closer to the center. The beautiful female vampire narrowed her eyes and nced at the young woman.

    Truthfully Cami was a bit confused watching Mary handle the bow. She could not understand how Mary was so skilled at using the sword and yet...

    She handled all other weapons like aplete novice.

    The female vampire oversaw the rest of training and then dismissed her servant. Mary nodded politely at her and then headed for the library to study more vampire hunting techniques.

    Cami watched the young woman out of the corner of her crimson eyes as her back got further and further away.

    She chewed her lips thoughtfully and then headed for the opposite direction.

    At the current rate of growth, Mary would undoubtedly be a very powerful vampire hunter in the next five years.

    She needed to break her mind and ensure her loyalty before that time came.

    Cami was not foolish enough to assume that she would win against a fully awaken Sun-born.

    She had the confidence that she would at least be able to flee but there was a small part of her that found that notion ridiculous.

    No... she had to make Mary hers... one way or the other.

    Cami rubbed her fingers together as a n slowly formed in her mind. If she could not win over her heart... then why not her body?

    If she made the human woman drown in pleasure, then surely her loyalty would increase over time as she realised that only her mistress could provide what her body craved.

    It was a stroke of genius!

    A sadistic smile shed across the female vampire''s face as she pictured what she wanted to do to her servantter tonight.

    But there would be plenty of time for nning once she finished her tasks for the day.

    Cami shook her head to drive the lustful thoughts from her mind and continued to wander through the castle.

    In many ways her ancient home felt both familiar and strange since her old nsmen had remodeled the castle over the years.

    It felt both old fashioned and modern at the same time.

    Cami nced at the electrical outlets in the wall for a moment before continuing to walk forward.

    She still wasn''t used to the technological advancements that had urred while she was sleeping but she had to admit... they were a wee distraction.

    Mary had shown her how to ess the ''inte'' and Cami had been pleasantly surprised to see that ys and stories could now be seen through the devices.

    It was just a shame that the episodes were usually unfinished and only came out once per week.

    The female vampire hummed softly to herself as she walked up a flight of stairs until she arrived at a wide-open space.

    Dozens of ravens cawed out at her sudden arrival, but Cami raised up her right hand and they all fell silent.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She snapped her fingers and four of the ravens hopped forward with each having a rolled-up letter attached to their legs.

    Cami gently untied the string and reached into her pocket to pull out a treat to reward the birds for their efforts.

    She walked over to a nearby chair and sat down before opening the letters one by one. Cami was not surprised to discover that the senders were the princes and princess.

    Let''s see...

    Prince Antonio wanted her to visit him in his home for a weing feast. Cami scoffed as she saw through the prince''s flimsy trap.

    Antonio was never a man known for subtlety.

    But to be fair one did not earn the nickname of ''The Butcher Of Men'' by being a quiet and contemtive individual.

    Princess Esme simply wished her well and asked her if she needed any new servants or blood ves.

    And finally, Prince Samuel...

    Cami''s eyebrows slowly furrowed as she read the contents of his letter. Prince Samuel unlike the others wanted to visit her in her castle at the earliest opportunity.

    It was a move that made little sense.

    All of the princes knew that she was a blood witch, and her castle was heavily warded with numerous protection runes.

    Prince Samuel would bepletely vulnerable to an attack if he entered her domain so why did he still insist?

    Cami''s fingers tapped the side of the chair thoughtfully as she moved closer to a nearby desk and pulled out one of its drawers.

    She saw a stack of yellowish parchment papers and an ink bottle along with a quill. Cami took out a sheet of paper and began to pen out a reply.

    She did not know what Samuel hoped to aplish but perhaps she could make things a bit more interesting.

    Why not invite all of the upper rank ns and ancient vampire families to an evening ball at her castle?

    Camiughed darkly as she imagined the look on the faces of the ancient ns who probably assumed that she was dead.

    Her influence was enough that the upper ranked ns would be forced to send a representative to attend her gathering and it was a good opportunity to formally announce her return.

    Of course, there would be much work to be done. Mary would be unable to clean up and set up the banquet hall all by herself.

    Hmm... was it time to get new servants?

    Cami felt a small trace of reluctance in her heart as if her home was a private retreat for herself and her human servant.

    No... she was being ridiculous.

    It was this kind of thinking that was making her soft-hearted. She should have broken that human woman already!

    Then her mind would not be filled with all these useless thoughts!

    The beautiful female vampire''s face shed with an expression of determination as she walked towards a nearby window and opened it slowly.

    She jumped outside without hesitation and her body shifted and morphed into that of an enormous bat-like creature with a wingspan of over seven feet.

    Cami pped her newly formed wings powerfully and flew towards New Antic City as fast as her wings could carry her.

    It was time to rebuild her n.

 Chapter 208 Lady Of The Night (32)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Library)

    Mary hummed softly to herself as she sat down on a wooden chair and adjusted her posture.

    She was currently alone in the vast library and surrounded by hundreds of books.

    There was an inherent peacefulness to this ce that always made her heart feel at ease.

    Maybe it had to do with the fact that Cami never came here so this ce felt like her own personal sanctuary.

    Speaking of Cami¡­

    Mary let out a small groan as she tried to ignore the mixed feelings that the beautiful female vampire stirred in her heart.

    Stupid¡­ you see one pretty woman and it''s like¡­ boom¡­ your brain stops working¡­

    She''s the enemy.

    Don''t forget it.

    Mary opened one of the books in front of her and read its contents desperately in an attempt to distract herself.

    This text contained a vampire hunting technique known as ''the Iron Body''.

    It was a defensive technique that strengthened the body to the point where bullets would bounce off.

    Of course, that kind of effect could only be achieved after years of training and the conditions were harsh.

    ording to the text she would need to be beaten to the point of death every single day while absorbing the light of the sun into her body.

    A painful process.

    No wonder there were words of warning written down in the afterword of the text that training the ''Iron Body'' technique had a high fatality rate.

    Should she try it out?

    Its effects were very tempting to say the least, but the only issue was that there was no one around who could help her.

    During the day Cami was asleep and it was impossible for Mary to beat herself.

    Well¡­ before she even contemted training this technique, she should probably learn a regenerative one.

    No point in pushing your body to the brink if it was impossible to recover.

    Mary got up from the chair and wandered over to a familiar section of the library.

    She paused for just a moment and her lips gently curved upwards. This ce truly was the definition of tranquility.

    Mary even ignored the blood-soaked floors where lines of crimson colour had been painted into strange and bizarre patterns.

    Humans were surprisingly adaptable creatures and after living in the castle for several months she was used to the peculiar sights.

    Still¡­ there was something about the patterns on the floor that made her skin crawl as if an entity from beyond this world was spying on her from the crimson lines.

    No¡­ she must be paranoid.

    Mary shook her head and tossed that thought to the back of her mind.

    She ran her fingers along the spines of several books before taking them out of the bookshelves one by one.

    Now she had a familiar ritual when looking for new techniques.

    Crack open a book, check to see if it was in anguage that she understood and then move on if it wasn''t.

    It was not like there were no options if the texts were written in foreignnguages since Mary could use the inte to search for trantions, but she couldn''t be sure if they were urate.

    Plus, some of thenguages had long gone out of use even before the inte had been invented so searching for the meaning of their words was not particrly helpful.

    Maybe one book out of twenty would be in English or at least an older form of English still understandable.

    Mary picked up a heavy brown book that had the symbol of a one-eyed goat on the cover.

    She could have sworn that the animal moved but perhaps that was her overactive imagination.

    Oh¡­ this was interesting.

    The young woman opened the book and discovered a new technique called ''The Daybreak Army'' which allowed its practitioner to form clones of themselves.

    That could be very useful.

    Even though the technique stated that the clones themselves were short lived and not as powerful as the original¡­

    They could serve as a distraction.

    Wait¡­ they could even serve another purpose!

    An idea shed across Mary''s mind as she quickly raced towards the table and sat back down.

    She finally discovered a solution to train the ''Iron Body'' technique! The young woman''s heart raced with excitement as she imagined the future.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She was getting stronger by the day and soon it would not be toote to turn the tables on her vampiric captor.

    Mary wasn''t exactly sure what she wanted to do to Cami once she escaped from her envement.

    Kill her? No.

    Mary quickly dismissed the thought even though it was probably the smart decision to make under the circumstances.

    Maybe she should make Cami her ve¡­

    Mary''s cheeks flushed bright red as the image of the beautiful female vampire with an iron cor around her neck shed across her mind.

    Okay¡­ enough daydreaming¡­

    Mary''s stomach slightly growled which made her reach into her pocket to pull out her phone.

    It was now five o'' clock in the morning which meant that dawn was soon approaching.

    Maybe she should grab something to eat before heading to bed.

    The young woman yawned sleepily and raised her hand to cover her mouth.

    Humans were not nocturnal creatures, but her sleep schedule was basically the same as her vampiric mistress.

    Speaking of which¡­ Cami had not called for her after today''s training session to do any tasks¡­

    That was a bit strange.

    Mary furrowed her brows as she left the library and wandered through the castle searching for the female vampire.

    It took around thirty minutes for Mary to walk around all the spots where Cami usually could be found.

    No¡­ she wasn''t anywhere in sight¡­ she even checked the bedroom.

    Was this an opportunity to escape?

    No¡­ too risky.

    She hadn''t checked the entire castle and perhaps Cami was down in the dungeons or one of the rooms underground.

    Mary cracked her knuckles and the sound echoed through the castle. She headed for a nearby corridor when a cold breeze brushed against the back of her neck.

    Without thinking she dropped to the ground just as a pale hand swiped the air where her head had been just moments ago.

    "Delicious¡­ human meat¡­" a hoarse voice growled.

    Mary rolled on the ground ungracefully as a foot stomped down with enough force to crack the tiles.

    She finally got a look at her mysterious attacker and saw a slender pale skinned vampire who drooled hungrily.

    His fingernails had extended outwards into ck ws and his crimson eyes glowed savagely under the moonlight.

    A nearby window had been shattered from the outside and Mary quickly connected the dots about what had happened.

    An invader had entered the castle!

    "Hmm¡­ I thought the castle was supposed to be empty¡­ didn''t know the witch kept livestock inside," the vampire yfully spoke.

    He clearly did not regard Mary as a threat but rather as a human blood ve that the witch probably kept as a snack.

    "I don''t have much time but¡­ master did say no witnesses¡­" the vampire hissed with a dark chuckle.

    He lunged forward but this time Mary was prepared. She jumped to the side and quickly ran down the stairs towards a certain room.

    She needed her weapon.

    The vampireughed and his hoarse giggles echoed through the empty castle as he quickly gave chase.

    Come on! Come on!

    Mary could feel the blood pumping in her veins as she did not dare to even nce behind her shoulder.

    She was not as fast as the mysterious vampire, but she did have one advantage.

    The element of surprise.

    The young woman opened a door and quickly ran into a room where several suits of armour stood motionless against the walls.

    She hastily grabbed one of the nearest longswords and it was not a moment too soon as the wooden doors broke open.

    "A sword?" the vampire scoffed as he regarded the girl with bemusement dancing in his gaze.

    "What use is a¡­ ARGHH!"

    He howled in pain as the human who had spent thest few minutes running away from him rushed forward with surprising speed.

    The de in her palm neatly cut off his outstretched right hand before swiping downwards to carve out a piece of flesh from his side.

 Chapter 209 Lady Of The Night (33)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Storage Room)

    As the de in Mary''s hand sliced off a piece of the vampire''s ribcage, the world seemed to slow down to a crawl.

    The background noise slowly faded away and all she could focus on was the enemy in front of her.

    She needed to defeat... she needed to kill.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Mary could hear her heart pumping furiously in her chest as she flicked the de upwards and sliced off the vampire''s remaining hand.

    This was her first real battle and yet...

    She felt nothing.

    There was no fear in her heart as she tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided the vampire''s desperate attempt to headbutt her.

    Why? Why was she not afraid?

    Why did she not feel even the slightest trace of fear?

    Mary''s eyes shifted colour and began to shine with a golden luster as she activated her pupil technique.

    She could see an expression of terror surface on the vampire''s face as he realised that he was not dealing with an ordinary blood ve.

    He was facing a vampire hunter.

    Mary''s body moved automatically as she adjusted her posture and continued to strike down the vampire with meticulous blows.

    First, she sliced off the remaining lumps of flesh that used to be his arms.

    Then she took his legs.

    Then she pierced his eyes.

    She slowly tortured the vampire by carving out parts of his body piece by piece until he was nothing more than a sobbing wreck.

    The young woman leaned in closer until her lips was mere inches away from the mysterious vampire''s right ear.

    "Tell me... who sent you?" Mary whispered in a calm voice as if talking with an old friend about an insignificant matter.

    The vampire shivered as he heard the human''s calm words. He served one of the princes and had witnessed many sights of fear and terror and yet...

    This human frightened him.

    There was no emotion in her gaze as she cut him down. No trace of sadistic pleasure or righteous condemnation.

    Nothing.

    It was like he was an insect that needed to be crushed.

    "I... I... was sent to deal with Cami... you are here for her right?" the vampire quickly began to speak as his body trembled.

    "We... we can team up! My master... he... he works with the Hunters Organisation! We both want Cami dead!"

    "Oh? And why does your master want Cami to die?" Mary asked calmly with an unreadable smile on her face.

    "She is too powerful! She will upset the bnce between the vampire factions... listen don''t you humans want to weaken us?" the vampire exined in a frightened tone.

    Mary did not speak and allowed the silence to linger on until the vampire began to wriggle around ufortably on the ground.

    He could slowly feel his flesh beginning to regenerate but the rate was much slower than before since there was an energy inside his body interfering with the healing process.

    "And who is your master?" Mary finally asked as maintained the same expressionless mask on her face.

    "I... his name is..." the vampire began to speak but coughed out a mouthful of ck blood for several minutes until he almost passed out.

    Mary watched him struggle on the ground but did not step forward to help.

    This bloodthirsty monster would have happily drained her body into a lifeless husk if she had been the weaker one.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She needed to remember that.

    All vampires were monsters. Even...

    "I... cannot say... taboo... spell..." the vampire groaned painfully as his terrible coughing fit finally stopped.

    "But... we have a way to bypass the witch''s wards... an ancient anti magic technique... please lend me your strength."

    "You know that the Hunters Organization will want her dead."

    Mary lifted up her longsword and gently rested it against the vampire''s chest. What he was saying was absolutely correct.

    The Hunters Organization would undoubtedly appreciate one less powerful vampire in this world.

    Especially one who was so skilled in blood magic and possessed stolen knowledge of ancient vampire hunting techniques.

    "Cami is a terrible woman..." Mary whispered softly, and the vampire nodded along to her words in apparent agreement.

    "She can be short tempered and enjoys giving me orders. I cannot understand her private thoughts and it makes me feel... very angry."

    A confused expression shed across the vampire''s face as he could notprehend the strange meaning in the young human''s words.

    "And most of all... I want revenge. I want her to obey me. I want her to be the one to serve my every whim and desire," Mary darkly spoke as her lips slowly curved upwards.

    An ordinary vampire hunter would have epted the monster''s offer and worked together to bring Cami down with an unexpected blow.

    It was just a shame... Mary wasn''t finished with Cami yet.

    Her beautiful mistress could not die... at least not before she had gotten her revenge.

    The vampire lying helplessly on the ground gasped in shock as a longsword prated his chest in one smooth motion and tore apart his heart.

    He did not have to suffer for long as Mary lifted up her weapon and brought it down on his neck with immense force.

    She separated his head from his body with a single swipe of her de.

    Mary watched coldly as his body began to shrivel up and turn into nothing more than dust that slowly spread across the floor.

    She nced at the longsword and saw that it was covered from tip to hilt with ck blood and guts

    The young woman let out a heavy sigh as she walked towards the open window and peered at the night sky.

    She had always assumed that this castle was safe and that Cami''s desire for a bodyguard was clearly nothing more than a whim.

    She was wrong.

    Cami''s enemies were powerful, and they were able to bypass her wards without being detected at least when she was not in the castle.

    This would be a dangerous ce to stay in the future.

    As Mary looked out of the window, she was suddenly struck by the urge to leave this ce.

    Cami was clearly gone, and she would at least be able to get a day''s worth of a head start since dawn was soon approaching.

    No... she still had unfinished business to do here.

    Besides Mary nced at her trembling fingers and knew that she still had quite a bit of training left to do.

    Despite the ease at which she dispatched the would-be assassin... her arms were now aching, and she felt an overwhelming wave of exhaustion.

    And that was from fighting off just one vampire. If she tried to leave the Northern Region, she would most certainly encounter multiple bloodthirsty fiends.

    There was a quiet peacefulness in the air and despite the blood slowly dripping down from the de in her hand...

    Mary felt the tranquility of the night.

    She barely even noticed the cold chill in the air or the strange golden runes that briefly appeared on the surface of her skin.

    The nature of the Sun-Born was slowly awakening...

 Chapter 210 Lady Of The Night (34)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Private Bath chamber)

    Mary hummed softly as she turned on the metal handle and cold water fell down from the showerhead.

    The water was freezing since she had not figured out how to turn on the gas generator that powered the heating of the water pipes.

    For an ancient vampire castle... Mary was constantly amazed by how modern some of the appliances inside were.

    The electricity and inte were still working and there were sr panels located in the garden outside the magnificent building.

    Obviously, the sr panels would not be enough to power the entire castle but there was more than enough electricity for only two people.

    The young woman continued to hum as she grabbed a bar of soap and began to scrub the blood and grime from her skin.

    Killing was a messy business.

    Mary wasn''t sure how she knew that but that thought kept surfacing in her mind.

    She looked down at her hands that had held a sword merely twenty minutes ago and could not help but rey the encounter in her mind.

    She had killed.

    She had killed her first vampire.

    And felt nothing.

    Mary wasn''t sure if she should be concerned or grateful that she was not haunted by any feelings of guilt or remorse.

    Was this how she would feel if she ended up having to kill Cami?

    No... something told her that it would be different...

    The young woman shook her head and focused on getting herself cleaned up. It was a long and tiring process to get the flecks of dried blood out of her hair.

    Mary made a mental note to herself as she ran her fingers through her hair and found what looked to be a clump of flesh.

    Next time if she had to kill... don''t lean so close to the future corpse.

    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Mary stepped out of the shower and reached for the towel hanging on a nearby rack.

    She slowly and meticulously wiped her body and took a nce at a mirror that was attached to the wall on the opposite side of the room.

    A beautiful young woman in her early twenties stared back at her from behind a thinyer of ss.

    She had enchantingly pale skin, piercing green eyes and a lean muscr physique with abdominal muscles clearly visible on her stomach.

    Mary lightly touched the side of her chest and felt relieved that she could not longer feel her ribs pressed up tightly against her skin.

    When she first entered this body, it was clear that the original Mary had suffered from several years of starvation and improper nutrition.

    Her father really was a piece of shit...

    An expression of hatred shed across Mary''s face as she felt some emotions from the original Mary rise up in her chest.

    She would deal with him personally as soon as she escaped from this ce.

    The young woman wrapped the towel around her lower body and then walked out of the bath chamber.

    Since it was usually just herself and Cami in the castle, Mary did not bother to grab an extra towel to cover up her top.

    She walked towards her room and reached for the fresh clothes that were lying down on the bed.

    There wasn''t much choice except for a in ck night gown that covered her from her neck straight down to her toes.

    Whoever was the original vampire who owned this outfit was surprisingly conservative in what she wore at night.

    Mary lifted up the covers and slipped inside the bed. She wrapped the nket around her body and stared at the ceiling with a few thoughts still running across her mind.

    It was not her usual time to sleep since dawn had yet to break but she was still feeling tired from her encounter with the vampire.

    Her first kill...

    Mary absentmindedly cracked her knuckles as she adjusted her posture and reached for a nearby pillow.

    Maybe it was a habit from this body, but she could not sleep without wrapping her arms around something and hugging it tightly.

    The young woman felt a wave of exhaustion hit her all at once as she felt her eyelids get heavier and heavier with every passing second.

    Soon she drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

    .

    .

    .<novelnext></novelnext>

    .

    (New Antic City- Finely''s Auction House)

    (Private Room)

    "See anything you like madam?" a hunched over vampire politely spoke as he snapped his fingers and several humans walked into the room.

    Cami leaned back against the softfortable sofa and stared coldly at the humans who were wearing thick iron cors around their necks.

    Livestock.

    These were to be the future blood ves of her n.

    She would not longer need to rely on Mary''s foul-tasting blood in order to survive and yet... Cami felt oddly.... disappointed?

    The beautiful female vampire immediately pushed that ridiculous thought to the back of her mind and began to inspect the goods with a critical eye.

    "That one is too short," Cami coldly spoke as she pointed at one of the women with a dismissive sneer on her face.

    "Too tall... too fat... too skinny barely enough blood in her body..."

    "I don''t like the look in his eyes... she clearly has some sort of disease... what kind of auction house serves such sub par goods?"

    The hunched over vampire kept apologising as he brought in more blood ves into the room.

    Hopefully the powerful female vampire would buy a couple of his ves so he would be rewarded quite generously by his n.

    Unfortunately, his hopes were... too optimistic.

    "Ridiculous... that one smells awful," Cami roughly spoke as she sent away a thinly dressed human male.

    "Look at me with that kind of expression again and I''ll carve out those eyes," she muttered sinisterly to a human female who tried to seduce her.

    Thirty minutes of this farce continued and eventually the hunched over vampire realised that he was probably not going to make a sale today.

    There was a bitter expression on his face as he kept showing the merchandise to the picky customer only for them to get immediately rejected.

    And her reasoning made no sense!

    BLOOD WAS BLOOD!

    Did it matter if the humans were male or female, short or tall, thin or fat? No, it absolutely did not!

    The poor auction house employee wanted nothing more than to immediately kick out the female vampire but couldn''t because she was a noble.

    Thatst thing that he needed was to offend one of those ancient ns because then he would be finished.

    So, all he could do was summon the rest of the blood ves and pray that maybe one of them would catch her fancy.

    Finally, Cami noticed that the room was surprisingly empty and turned to face the hunched over vampire who had a polite yet distant look on his face.

    "Where are the rest?" Cami demanded rudely as she looked around for more blood ves.

    "I do apologise madam but... she was thest one," the hunched over vampire politely spoke with barely concealed rage hidden in his in tone.

    "You have seen every single blood ve that we have. Is there anyone that caught your attention?"

    "That was all of them?" Cami eximed in disbelief.

    She froze as she realised what she had just done. Why the hell was she being so fussy about the blood ves?

    Mary''s face surfaced in her mind and Cami did not want to believe that she was being swayed by a mere... human.

    "Perhaps you require a sample of the goods?" the hunched over vampire asked softly.

    It was not the usual policy to give the customers a taste but at this point the auction house employee was feeling a bit desperate.

    He walked over to one of the guards standing motionless against the wall and whispered in his ear.

    The guard nodded and then left the room. He returned momentster holding a wine ss filled with a crimson liquid.

    He presented it to the beautiful female vampire who seemed almost bored with the entire proceeding.

    Cami''s fingers wrapped around the wine ss and looked at the crimson liquid. The sweet aroma of blood wafted upwards and entered her nostrils.

    Every instinct in her body was screaming to take a sip but once again Mary''s face surfaced in her mind.

    "I have no need to try the blood of such lesser humans," Cami rudely spoke as she ced down the winess and quickly left the auction house.

    She needed to go back now and check out the library right away.

    Perhaps her human pet''s nature as a Sun- Born was affecting her mind.

 Chapter 211 Lady Of The Night (35)

    (Northern Region)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City- Unnamed Forest)

    An enormous bat-like creature with a wingspan of over seven feet flew high above a forest filled with an endless sea of green trees.

    The creature had midnight ck fur, dark crimson eyes and sharp talons with nails that extended outwards like ws.

    Cami nced upwards at the sky and instinctively knew that dawn was soon approaching.

    ? As a vampire with strength on par with the princes she would not die from being exposed to the light of the sun.

    However, she would be severely weakened. It was one of the prices that one had to pay for going against the natural order of things.

    Immortality.... The First Ancestor called it a curse in the disguise of a blessing.

    The female vampire could not help but recall an old memory. It was the day when she had begged the First Ancestor to turn her into one of his children.

    What did he say at that time?

    Cami''s brows furrowed as she recalled the words of the creature who had raised her almost like a father.

    "You wille to regret it. They all do... in time."

    Why did he say that?

    Vampires were able to maintain their beauty and live for an eternity... sure they had to drink the blood of humans, but it was not a particrly unpleasant affair.

    And she replied with the words... "I don''t care... I want to be just like you."

    Hundreds of yearster Cami could not understand the lonely look in the First Ancestor''s eyes when she said her request.

    The bat-like monster soared through the skies with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    She had failed to secure fresh blood ves and... damn it!

    Cami cursed as she realised that she had also forgotten to pick up new vampires to be fresh members of her n.

    But picturing vampires walking around the home that she shared with her pet human... made her experience an unpleasant feeling in her chest.

    The new vampires of her n would not disobey her and attack Mary but... for some reason Cami felt reluctant to allow other vampires to enter her private space.

    Where her private property lived.

    Mary was hers. Hers alone.

    No one else could touch.

    Dark possessive emotions surged behind Cami''s crimson eyes as her wings subconsciously began to p even harder.

    She needed to return to the castle immediately and go to the library to investigate why she was feeling this way.

    The first step to break the strange bond between herself and the human was to understand how her ability worked.

    Only then would she be able to push away these peculiar emotions and finally treat her human pet how she was meant to be treated...

    As a tool.

    The thick grey walls of Castle Eden peaked over the horizon and Cami internally let out a sigh of relief.

    She saw the sun begin to rise and the sky was already turning a warm orangish colour. There was not much time left.

    As she came closer to the castle... Cami could not help but feel as though something was off.

    She checked her wards and the blood spells but could not feel that anything was amiss.

    It was a bit of a risky move on her part, but Cami circled around the castle a few times just to see what was making her feel on edge.

    Finally, just as the first warm rays of sunlight brushed against her body, she saw a shattered window on one of the upper towers.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Cami flew towards the window even as the fur on her back started to burn as the sun got even higher in the sky.

    She gritted her teeth in pain as she transformed her body and ungracefully crashed inside the castle.

    The window that was broken was now cracked even further and dozens of ss shards littered the ground.

    Cami stared at the pieces and a sinking feeling came in her heart.

    She hurriedly walked up a flight of stairs and saw a blood-soaked de leaning peacefully against one of the doors.

    She lifted up the weapon and brought it closer to her nose. Cami sniffed the edge of the de and slowly extended her tongue.

    Her pink tongue licked the tip of the weapon and a nervous expression shed across her face.

    This was not good... THIS WAS VAMPIRE BLOOD!

    MARY!

    Cami fled up the stairs and immediately activated the tracking wards inside the castle. Crimson red lines spread outwards from her feet and wriggled towards a certain direction.

    Fear and terror filled Cami''s heart as visions of her human pet lying dead on the ground with lifeless eyes shed across her mind.

    She rushed up the stairs and through abyrinth of side passageways and corridors until she arrived at her servant''s private bedroom.

    Cami flung open the door and rushed inside without a second thought. She found her human pet sleeping soundly on the bed with a peaceful expression on her face.

    The beautiful female vampire stepped towards the human and carefully moved away the nket so that she could see her body.

    Mary was wearing a night gown that covered her body from her neck to her toes, but Cami used her sense of smell to detect several small wounds beneath the dress.

    Her human pet had gotten hurt.

    Cami had never felt so lost as she did in this moment. How had a vampire managed to sneak past her wards?

    Her first concern should have been to worry about her own safety but all she could think about was the human lying down on the bed.

    Mary must have been tired from her encounter with the mysterious vampire intruder since she still had not woken up.

    Cami closed her eyes and used her detection spell to scan the rest of the castle. There was no one else here beside her and her human pet.

    She reopened her eyes and slowly stretched out her palm. Her fingers lightly caressed and stroked Mary''s cheek before moving downwards.

    They hovered just above the human''s soft lips... oh how she missed kissing them.

    The fear and tension in Cami''s heart had brought her to the breaking point and she was no longer thinking properly.

    All she wanted to do now was make sure that her human was never in danger ever again.

    Cami wrapped her arms around Mary and drew her in closer to her body. Her human shifted around ufortably but still did not wake up.

    The beautiful vampire had to resist the urge to kiss those inviting lips and do... other unspeakable things.

    She desired Mary.

    It was a desire that went beyond merely blood but rather... something more carnal.

    Cami moved her arms away from the human and then walked out of the room while trying to push down the erotic thoughts running through her mind.

    She needed to interrogate her human pet and find out what exactly had happened while she was gone but...

    Not today.

    Her human needed rest.

    Cami turned around for one more nce at the young woman lying down on the bed and for once no trace of the seductive powerful vampire could be seen.

    Instead, the look on her face more resembled that of a confused and frightened little girl.

 Chapter 212 Lady Of The Night (36)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Kitchen Area)

    Mary rubbed her eyes sleepily and stretched out her arms with azy yawn. Bright beams of sunlight illuminated the kitchen from the window that she had just opened.

    It was nowte in the afternoon sometime between four and five o''clock. Mary had just woken up and was ready to start her day.

    First... it was breakfast time.

    The young woman hummed softly to herself as she washed some fresh vegetables under a stream of running water and then chopped them carefully using a knife.

    Then she grabbed a few eggs and also dipped them under the water. She was going to make a simple breakfast of fried eggs and sd.

    It was fortunate that the original Mary had learnt how to cook over the years because her father treated her and her sister like ves or servants.

    If they didn''t learn to cook... then they would have starved.

    Mary shook her head and drove those unpleasant thoughts from her mind.

    Right now, her only concern was getting some food into her system and then starting her day.

    Cleaning... looking after the nts outside... checking on the livestock.

    Honestly during the day Mary felt more like a farmer than a vampire hunter. Still, it was important to do these tasks since as far she could tell...

    There was very little human food avable in New Antic City and as for the quality of such food... well who knows if the vampires had proper food safety standards.

    Somehow Mary doubted it.

    Vampire were just interested in keeping their blood ves alive since blood tasted the same regardless of whether a person was healthy or not.

    Still, it must be in their best interest to keep their blood ves living for as long as possible...

    Mary mused over the matter as she cooked the eggs over the wood powered stove.

    She added a pinch of salt, a lot of pepper and of course the secret ingredient to the perfect scrambled eggs....

    Chili kes!

    The young woman smiled as she flipped the eggs around until they became warm soft and fluffy scrambled eggs.

    She poured the eggs into a bowl, grabbed her sd, and finished the meal with a slice of toast.

    Perfect.

    Mary dug in and ate quietly while listening to the sounds of birds chirpinging from outside in the nearby forest.

    It was an ordinary day.

    So ordinary that she was tempted to forget the vampire attack that had urred the night before.

    Should she tell Cami?

    Mary furrowed her brows and eventually decided that it would be best to tell the beautiful female vampire everything that had happened.

    For safety reasons it would be in her best interest that her mistress was prepared for what appeared to be an urrence that would happen again in the future.

    Mary ignored the small part of her that was worried about Cami''s life.

    She was a powerful vampire.

    There was no way that she would appreciate a... how did she normally put it... ''a mere human'' looking after her.

    Mary''s fork dug into the eggs with a bit more force as a mncholy look shed across her face.

    She had no idea why she was feeling this way towards a bloodthirsty monster.

    "Stockholm Syndrome is a bitch," Mary muttered quietly to herself as it was probably the only reasonable exnation.

    The young woman finished up her meal and brought it to the sink where she spent the next few minutes cleaning up the dirty tes that were piled up.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She had a bad habit of only washing the tes once a day, so they inevitably formed a bit of a pile by the time she woke up.

    Mary walked through the castle down multiple flights of stairs and finally arrived at a small oddly shaped dent in the wall.

    She tapped a certain loose section of the stone and a hidden door swung open to reveal the outside world.

    Mary stepped outside and took a moment to appreciate the wind that brushed against her face and the bright flowers that bloomed on the ground.

    There was arge storeroom shed a few hundred metres away from her location.

    Mary walked to the shed and opened the door, inside she foundrge overalls, boots, nt fertilizers as well as other gardening tools.

    She put on the overalls and a pair of clothes as well as some other items before exiting the shed.

    Beyond the flower garden was arge hill and beyond that hilly the cleared area of the forest used as farnd.

    Mary walked up the hill withoutint since it was good exercise. Honestly her body felt really good since her fight yesterday.

    Or was it technically this morning?

    Time was kind of strange when you worked on basically a nocturnal schedule.

    It was like there was an endless stream of energy flowing through her body and energizing her with every step that she took.

    This feeling only got stronger as Mary basked directly in the rays of the sun as she walked up the hill.

    She didn''t know it at the time but her piercing green eyes were constantly flickering back and forth from their normal appearance to apletely golden hue.

    The young woman eventually reached the other side of the hill and wiped a few beads of sweat from her brow.

    There was around two acres of brown soil where dozens of nt species were congested together in neat lines.

    "Okay... time to get to work..." Mary cheered herself up as she walked towards the fields and bent down.

    The first step was to remove any new weeds that had sprouted up overnight.

    Then she would apply the fertilizer, water the nts and finally after everything was done... she would return to the castle and grab arge barrel.

    Then the next hour would be spend filling up the barrel with all the ripe fruits and vegetables in the field.

    It was back breakingbour, but Mary did notin since she treated it as another form of body strengthening.

    Vampires naturally had enhanced strength, so humans were forced to work hard in order to evene close to their level.

    Mary knew that she was a Sun- Born whatever that meant but still pushed herself to the limit because she had a goal in mind.

    Escaping this ce and reuniting with her sister.

    Even if that goal seemed to be increasingly out of reach and... Cami was proving to be an unexpected obstacle to her n but not in the way she had in mind.

    The gorgeous female vampire''s seductive smirk shed across Mary''s mind as she bent down and pulled out a weed from beneath the shade of a corn nt.

    Mary let out a heavy sigh as she took a break and sat down in the dirty soil. She looked up at the blue sky and saw hundreds of clouds floating merrily in the breeze.

    High above in the heavens and free.

    She wondered sometimes what it would be like to be a cloud... no worries... no responsibilities...

    Just drifting aimlessly.

    The young woman''s lips gently curved up into a smile as she saw a pair of brightly coloured birds nesting in a tree.

    One of the birds nuzzled against the other and made a soft cooing noise. Their partner nuzzled back and lightly tapped its head using its beak.

    It was at times like this when Mary appreciated the fact that she had been chosen by the Space Time Authority.

    Being able to experience multiple worlds was truly a blessing.

 Chapter 213 Lady Of The Night (37)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Training Room)

    Again.

    Mary picked up the longsword and shed it at the training dummy in the corner of the field.

    The sharp edge of her de cleanly sliced through the dummy that was filled with straw and leather.

    She scowled and resumed her normal fighting stance even though the dummy was now leaking out the contents of its stomach.

    Again.

    This time she practiced a forward thrust and drove the tip of her de into the center of the training dummy.

    Again.

    Mary practiced over and over again until the dummy had beenpletely destroyed. Only then did she take a break to wipe the sweat that was forming on her brow.

    It was now eight o'' clock in the night which meant that her mistress would be waking up soon.

    Mary wanted to get some extra training in before her usual practice session with Cami.

    The young woman let out a heavy sigh as she looked up at the ss ceiling. She saw a night sky filled with countless twinkling stars that blinked and faded in and out of existence.

    It was a beautiful view.

    Mary''s lips gently curved upwards as she walked over to the weapons rack and carefully ced her sword against its wooden frame.

    Now for some light exercises and then she would freshen up.

    She began to jog around the training field and ignored how her muscles were screaming out for some rest.

    With how quickly she was able to regenerate, Mary was able to push her training regiment even further beyond what would typically be considered as normal.

    Torn muscles and ligaments would be able to recover within an hour and her body would go back to its ideal state after some rest.

    Mary gritted her teeth and continued to work her limbs. She distracted herself from the pain by slowly counting sheep in her mind.

    A bit childish to be sure but it was pretty effective and soon the young womanpleted her threeps around therge training field.

    Mary took in a few deep breaths and gently exhaled as she felt her heart beating frantically in her chest.

    She was getting stronger.

    And it was a rapid growth as well.

    She could hardly believe that her body had such high endurance now especially considering the state that it was in when she initially crossed over.

    The original Mary was a Sun-Born¡­ that fact alone had massive implications. Was her twin sister a Sun-Born as well?

    Was she bought by this n and eventually ended up as a blood ve to Cami? Or was she killed on the route to New Antic City?

    Speaking of which¡­ did she realise that she was Sun-Born in the current timeline? If she was one of course¡­

    Honestly there was arge part of Mary that hoped that her sister was living an ordinary university life.

    Thest thing that she wanted was for the only member of her family that she had left to enter a dangerous profession like vampire hunting.

    Still¡­ there was nothing she could do except continue to train and hope that she would be eventually reunited with her sister.

    Mary wiped off the remaining sweat off her face using a blue towel and then draped it over her shoulders.

    She took a final nce at the longsword resting peacefully on the weapons rack and then slowly walked away.

    Of course, she was notpletely helpless and there was dagger hidden in the pocket on the left side of her pants.

    Mary did not usually carry weapons outside of the training field but ever since her encounter with the mysterious vampire¡­

    She refused to walk around without being armed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She had been taking for granted the protections that surrounded castle Eden and it was clear now that they were not foolproof.

    Why did she even have so much trust in Cami''s magic in the first ce?

    She didn''t know the extent of the female vampire''s abilities and yet¡­

    Mary shook her head and drove those distracting thoughts to the back of her mind. What she needed to do now was get cleaned and properly dressed before waking up her mistress.

    The young woman hummed softly to herself as she wandered up several flight of stairs and through the castle until she arrived at her bed chamber.

    From there it only took around twenty minutes to properly wash her body and put on a modest ck dress that covered her shoulders and went down to her knees.

    Mary nced at her reflection in the mirror and saw an absurdly pretty woman with piercing green eyes staring back at her.

    Her body shape was now lean and muscr. Mary raised up her sleeves and saw faint white scar marks that were still visible.

    Even though her body was capable of healing¡­ it appeared as though the scarred tissues would always be visible.

    A grim reminder of her mortality.

    Mary lowered the sleeve and then took one final look at herself before turning around and walking towards Cami''s private bedchambers.

    She lightly tapped on the door and heard a faint e in'' from the other side of room.

    Mary slowly opened the door and saw Cami sitting up on the bed and looking at her.

    Was there a faint trace of concern in her eyes?

    "Human¡­ what happened yesterday? Are you injured or hurt?" Cami awkwardly asked while pretending to be nonchnt.

    "No¡­ I''m okay mistress," Mary politely replied.

    Cami opened her mouth and proudly spoke while trying her best to conceal her inner thoughts,

    "That is good. Remember that your life is mine. Any attack on your person will be treated as an attack on my dignity and honour."

    Mary nodded in understanding and the beautiful female vampire got up from the bed. Cami walked over to her servant with her crimson eyes shing with an eerie light.

    Mary wasn''t sure what her mistress wanted to do and stood still as Cami''s hands carefully examined her body for any wounds.

    Why was she doing this?

    It was times like this where Cami''s actions turned Mary''s heart into aplete mess.

    It was so confusing how one moment the beautiful vampire would treat her as nothing more than a tool and then the next she would¡­

    Do something kind like this.

    Mary noticed that Cami''s hand movements had stopped and looked up to see the gorgeous female vampire staring at her.

    Neither one of the pair said a word for several seconds and as the silence continued. There was a strange sense of tension in the air.

    Mary could not tell if she was the one who moved first or Cami but somehow their lips ended up together.

    The young woman groaned as Cami''s lips hungrily devoured her own and her tongue slipped into her mouth where it began to battle her own tongue for dominance.

    Mary melted away at Cami''s touch, she lost herself in the fiery passion of the moment and felt nothing except those soft, hungry lips.

    She was the object of Cami''s heartfelt desires, and she could tell that the vampire kissed her with emotions barely concealed.

    Cami broke away from the kiss and Mary felt lost as she stared at the female vampire''s plump red lips that seemed all too inviting.

    "This¡­ I¡­" the beautiful female vampire stuttered in shock as she could not believe that she had just lost control like that.

    "I need to go now¡­ I have to check the library¡­"

    Cami fled from the scene immediately as if she was being chased by a fearsome enemy leaving behind Mary who felt more lost and confused than ever before.

 Chapter 214 Lady Of The Night (38)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Library)

    "Useless..."

    "Useless..."

    "USELESS!"

    Cami groaned with frustration as she picked up another book and skimmed through its pages before cing it down on the growing pile on the side.

    Damn it.

    Why was there no useful information anywhere?

    The beautiful female vampire pursed her lips together and tried desperately to drive a certain image from her mind.

    Whenever she closed her eyes all she could see was her human pet''s fragile and soft lips as she devoured her.

    The blush on her face... the hint of arousal in her eyes as they kissed... her soft and weing tongue.

    Cami''s legs slightly rubbed together as her imagination filled in what would have happened next if she had stayed.

    She would have tossed the human on the bed and...

    And...

    Cami lowered her face and blushed furiously as certain images shed across her mind and most had to do with Mary''s gorgeous naked body.

    No. She had to focus.

    With a great deal of effort, Cami snapped herself out of her pleasant daydream and absentmindedly picked up another book.

    The library waspletely empty.

    After she had run away from Mary, Cami had immediately headed towards the library, so she did not know what her servant was currently doing at the moment.

    She could use a tracking spell to determine her location but to be honest she felt a little bit embarrassed and unsure of what to do next.

    Why had she suddenly kissed her human pet like that?

    She didn''t even get to hear what had happened yesterday when the mysterious intruder broke into the castle...

    Cami let out a heavy sigh as she buried herself in the book in front of her and tried to drive those distracting thoughts away.

    She was not having much luck.

    Most of the information on the Sun- Born were scarce and for good reason. Vampires that encountered a Sun-Born human usually died.

    And they were so incredibly rare that it was generally epted that a human with the potential to be one would only appear every couple hundred years.

    Thank goodness... otherwise vampires would have been wiped out a long time ago.

    If vampires were humanity''s natural predators, then the Sun- Born yed the same role but this time the vampires were the prey.

    All Cami could find was descriptions of battles with the Sun-Born, how their eyes would glow with the light of the sun... their limbs were covered in golden runes and...

    Wings?

    Cami furrowed her brows as she thought that she had misread that sentence.

    There was a description in the book she was reading of a Sun-Born who was capable of flight. It was only a single sentence... almost a throwaway line.

    Huh... she hadn''t seen that mentioned anywhere else...

    The beautiful female vampire recalled her own encounter with a Sun-Born all those centuries ago and could only confirm the first two descriptions since he definitely did not have any wings.

    Maybe it was a mutation? Or a hidden technique?

    This was a fascinating tidbit of knowledge that she just learned but it wasn''t exactly what she was looking for.

    There was nothing on the psychological effects of living in close proximity to a Sun-Born nor what would be the long-term effects of drinking their blood.

    Honestly the only information that she could find was a warning to never drink the blood of a Sun-Born since it could kill regr vampires.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sigh... was she really on her own?

    Cami closed the book and leaned back against the wooden chair. She could feel a headacheing on and slowly rubbed her temples.

    Maybe this was all a mistake.

    What was she thinking trying to tame a Sun- Born as her servant? It was akin to a mouse trying to raise a cat as its loyal stead.

    But what could she do about it now?

    Kill Mary?

    Cami immediately dismissed that idea as soon as it appeared in her mind. For some reason she was reluctant to see any harme to her human pet.

    There was a light knocking noiseing from the door that blocked the library''s entrance and Cami did not have to use her tracking spell to know who was standing outside.

    "Come in..." Cami spoke softly as she heard the door slowly open.

    Mary stepped inside the room with hesitant steps. She saw her mistress sitting down in front of a massive pile of books.

    There was an awkward moment of silence as neither one of them said a word. Mary''s fingers curled up into a fist as she steeled herself in her heart.

    It was now or never.

    This could turn out be a huge mistake, but she needed answers.

    "Mistress..." Mary spoke with a slight tremor in her voice as she asked the question that was weighing down in her heart.

    "Why did you kiss me?"

    Cami froze in ce and slowly turned away so that only the back of her head and her neck could be seen by her servant.

    "Do... do... not question me pet. I simply wished to drink your blood," Cami coldly replied as she refused to make eye contact.

    "No. I want the truth," Mary aggressively stepped forward and a hint of gold shed across her piercing green eyes.

    "I... you don''t have to kiss me to drink blood. In fact, you haven''t kissed me for months... why now?"

    "Mistress I... I... my heart is a mess... I can''t tell if you like me or are just ying with me. If you are just ying with me then... please stop it."

    Mary closed her eyes and waited for her punishment. She had just done something incredibly stupid.

    Was she going to die?

    Cami was a powerful vampire capable of killing her with a mere snap of her fingers and yet... she had just boldly demanded answers from her.

    There was a brief moment of silence as Cami did not know how to react. The logical part of her wanted to scold her servant for being so presumptuous but...

    She could feel the sincerity in Mary''s words, and it was making her long dead heart skip a beat.

    "Human... no... Mary... truthfully... I do not know," Cami opened her mouth and decided to be honest.

    She got up from her chair and walked towards Mary with slow purposeful steps that echoed through the library.

    Cami''s crimson red eyes met Mary''s piercing green ones and strange emotions bubbled up in both of their hearts.

    "When I see you... I want to kiss you... I want to im you... I want to make you mine," Cami hoarsely whispered as she stretched out her fingers.

    She lightly caressed the left side of Mary''s cheek and had to resist the urge to kiss her soft inviting lips.

    "I intended to make you my dog but... I find myself strangely reluctant to hurt you or do what needs to be done," Cami continued in a low whisper.

    "What have you done to me Mary? Why do I feel this way?"

    "Is it because of your nature as a Sun-Born? Or... is it... something else entirely?"

    Cami stepped forward until her lips were mere inches away from Mary''s lips. She wrapped her arms around the young woman''s body and pulled her into a tight embrace.

    "I know one thing for certain..." Cami seductively whispered, and her voice sent pleasurable tingles down Mary''s spine.

    "I will never let you go."

 Chapter 215 Lady Of The Night (39)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden a€¡° Pce Library)

    There was a brief moment of silence as Cami''s words of passion echoed through the room.

    Cami herself seemed to be shocked by her bold deration but now the cat was basically out of the bag.

    She did not regret that she had finally managed to admit her true feelings towards Mary.

    "I am not going to ask for your answer now... because I myself do not know what exactly I feel towards you..." Cami softly whispered as her hand stroked the side of Mary''s cheek.

    "But just know... you are mine. Whether as a servant or a lover... I will make you mine. Do I make myself clear?"

    "Yes mistress," Mary muttered breathlessly as she felt her heart skip a beat. Being so close to Cami''s gorgeous face was making her blush bright red.

    She got lost in those lovely crimson eyes, sharp angr facial features, cute button nose and those... plump inviting lips.

    Cami pulled Mary closer and her hands slowly snaked around her body until they formed a tight embrace.

    She kissed Mary once more with a hunger and passion that made the young woman feel as though she was about to melt.

    Drowning in a sea of pleasure...

    Minutes passed or perhaps it was hours. Time lost all meaning as Mary lost herself in Cami''s taste and her warm touch.

    She could feel Cami''s body pressing and rubbing against her own and it was making her lower half slowly heat up.

    Finally, the beautiful female vampire broke off the kiss and then took a few steps back.

    She awkwardly turned around and pretended to look at a few books in the distance.

    "So... my pet... please tell me what exactly happenedst night," Cami calmly spoke while hiding her racing heart.

    She changed the subject because she was worried that if she continued then she would not be able to resist stripping off Mary''s clothes and taking her right there in the library.

    Cami knew that she had the strength to force Mary to respond to her passionate desires but... that very thought was repulsive.

    She wanted her human to want it.

    She wanted her human to beg her for it.

    A sadistic smile briefly surfaced on the female vampire''s face before it vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

    Meanwhile Mary nervously curled her fingers into a tight fist as she tried to gather her thoughts to respond to her mistress'' question.

    She was initially tempted to conceal some information from Cami but now... she wanted to tell the beautiful female vampire everything she knew.

    God... I am such a pushover.

    One kiss... well several kisses... and you start to lose your damn mind.

    Mary took in a deep breath and drove those distracting thoughts from her mind. She opened her mouth and finally replied to Cami''s question,

    "I was walking through the castle when a strange vampire burst through a window... he immediately attacked me, but I managed to fight him off and kill him."

    "I was able to briefly interrogate him before he died, and he revealed that someone... one of the princes had sent him here as an assassin."

    "Do you know how he was able to bypass all my wards and protection spells?" Cami asked curiously as she turned to face her human servant.

    "Yes... he had a rune carved on his body... he imed that it was an anti-magic rune that allowed him to be unaffected by your spells."

    Cami''s brows instantly furrowed as she heard that shocking detail.

    Anti-magic?

    Impossible... all of those techniques were long buried in the sands of time.

    Besides... she was the only vampire who even bothered or was able to learn the ancient art of blood magic so who would invest all their time and effort to counter her?

    Especially considering that unlike the other princes... she had no interest in raising her reputation or grabbing more territory.

    Damn it! Which one of those bastards wanted her out of the picture?

    "Also... he offered for me to work together with him... I think his master has ties to the Hunter Association," Mary softly whispered.

    "That''s not a surprise... the rtionship between your kind and mine is quite...plex," Cami muttered with a strange emotion in her voice.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Individual humans and individual vampires may not see each other as enemies all the time but rather as allies when the situation demands it."

    "Besides there are some vampires who are oddly nostalgic... about their time as humans before they were changed."

    The female vampire''s voice trailed off and a strange atmosphere filled the library.

    Cami let out a light sigh and then walked over to her table where several books were stacked up.

    "There will be no training today," Cami firmly ordered as she sat down on a chair and began to flip through the nearest book.

    "Take some time to recover from your fight and... I want you to think about what kind of rtionship that you want with me."

    There was a hint of vulnerability in Cami''s cold tone that Mary was not sure how she detected.

    The female vampire''s face waspletely expressionless, but her jaw was clenched ever so slightly.

    It was a subtle sign of the nervousness that she felt.

    Mary nodded politely at her mistress and then walked out of the library with more questions that answers in her mind.

    Cami was in love with her?

    Well maybe love was a strong word.

    The young woman wandered through the castle and eventually reached arge balcony that led directly outside.

    She opened the ss door and stepped onto the cold tiles. There was a chair in the corner of the balcony with soft plump cushions that looked quite inviting.

    Mary sat down on the chair and then stared upwards at the night sky.

    A cold breeze brushed against her cheek as she wrapped her arms around her body for warmth.

    Love? No Cami said that she wasn''t sure how she felt...

    But... how did she feel about the female vampire?

    Cami was definitely attractive but... could she really be in a rtionship with a bloodthirsty fiend?

    And what about her n to escape?

    Mary had the sneaking suspicion that if she did be Cami''s lover then leaving the castle may be an impossible task.

    No...what the hell was she thinking?

    Yes, she had to admit that Cami''s kisses felt good, but she was not a beast who was only driven by carnal desires!

    She needed to look at this logically.

    Maybe this was the perfect opportunity in disguise. All she needed to do was pretend to fall in love with her vampire captor and then when her guard was finally let down...

    She would escape!

    Mary pumped her fist into the sky as her lips gently curved upwards.

    It was the perfect n, and it would minimise the risk that Cami would kill her before she got stronger.

    Now all she had to do was y the part of a smitten lover and it would be easy.

    y a part...

    Yes... she would just be acting.

    Mary''s face flushed as she recalled how soft Cami''s voluptuous breasts felt when they were pressed up against her body.

    By the gods... how she wished that she could bury her face in those plump mountains...

    No! NO!

    She was just acting.

    She didn''t actually want that.

    Right?

    Mary let out a small groan as she ced her hand against her forehead. Hopefully she would be able to escape before she caught any real feelings for her vampire captor.

 Chapter 216 Lady Of The Night (40)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Library)

    The next few days were a bit awkward to put it mildly. Neither Cami nor Mary knew how to interact with one another.

    Cami was waiting to hear Mary''s reply before deciding what to do next while Mary was still gathering her thoughts.

    The female vampire did not drink any blood from her servant and the hunger in her stomach was getting a bit distracting.

    "Suppress it... suppress it..." Cami muttered quietly to herself as her dark crimson eyes swept through the contents of another book.

    Several tables in front of her were now covered in piles of ancient texts, parchment papers and hardcover books.

    She had gone over dozens if not hundreds of books over thest few days and to be honest... Cami was on the verge of giving up.

    It was clear that her current situation was unique.

    She had yet to find anything more than a warning about not drinking the blood of a Sun-Born human but that warning only applied to regr vampires.

    And there was absolutely nothing about what would happen if a vampire spent a long time in contact with a Sun- Born human.

    Therefore, Cami could only assume that what was currently happening between herself, and Mary was a first in the recorded history of vampire kind.

    A grim reality because it meant that the answer to her question would have to remain a mystery at least for now.

    Cami let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against her chair. She raised up her right hand and began to gently rub her temples.

    She definitely felt strong feelings towards Mary, but it was impossible to say whether those feelings were genuine or somehow being manipte by her Sun-Born nature.

    Maybe it didn''t matter...

    Cami was so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice the figure who walked into the library holding a warm nket.

    The beautiful female vampire was startled as a nket draped over her shoulders and she looked up to meet a pair of piercing green eyes.

    "Mistress you haven''t fed in a quite some time," Mary softly whispered, and her voice entered Cami''s ears like the alluring song of a siren.

    "Have you decided on your answer?" Cami asked gruffly not trusting herself to conceal the emotion that was rising up in her chest.

    Mary did not answer, and a long silence formed between the pair. The human servant looked at her mistress and raised up her hand to lightly touch her face.

    Cami stood still and allowed Mary to touch her face even though she would have long killed anyone else who dared to be so arrogant in front of her.

    Somehow no matter what Mary did... Cami felt the urge to indulge her.

    To fulfil all her wants and needs until she was happy.

    "If I said no..." Mary''s voice trailed off as her fingers lightly traced Cami''s sharp cheekbones.

    "Would you continue to drain my blood?"

    "No... I will drink your blood only if you are willing," Cami gently replied as she kissed one of Mary''s fingers.

    "But won''t you starve?" Mary asked curiously.

    "I can survive... it will be painful but... I can survive without blood," Cami softly reassured her human servant.

    The young woman lowered her head and for a brief moment Cami saw an unknown emotion sh across her eyes.

    "Then... yes... I am willing to give you a chance," Mary hesitantly spoke as a light red blush gradually crept up her face.

    She leaned forward until her neck was directly against Cami''s mouth. Mary did not have to say a single word for the vampire to understand what she meant.

    Mary winced slightly as a pair of sharp fangs sank into her skin.

    The process was a bit ufortable but feeling Cami''s body so close to her own was making her heart race.

    Cami closed her eyes and drank a mouthful of blood from her human servant. It was foul and unpleasant tasting as usual and yet...<novelnext></novelnext>

    Hearing Mary''s words made her feel as though it was the most delicious liquid in the world.

    The pair remained in ce for several long seconds before Cami finally sated her hunger. She withdrew her fangs and pressed a light kiss against the wound on Mary''s neck.

    "I have to do some more research today but... will you visit my bed chamberster tonight?" Cami asked with barely contained desire in her voice.

    Mary rubbed her fingers together nervously and then nodded.

    A wide smile shed across Cami''s face before she turned her attention back to the books in front of her.

    Mary took this as her cue to leave and took a moment to adjust the nket on the beautiful vampire''s body before walking out of the library.

    She could feel her heart beating at what felt like one hundred miles per hour as Cami''s bold invitation echoed through her mind.

    What did it mean?

    Wasn''t it a bit too fast?

    No... no... perhaps vampire courtship was quick to be physical?

    Mary rubbed her still flushed cheeks and saw a glimpse of herself in one of the mirrors hanging on the castle walls.

    She looked exactly like a lovestruck maiden. The young woman took in a few deep breaths and gradually calmed herself down.

    She was just acting.

    If she had to give up her body in order to escape, then that was a price that she was willing to pay.

    But wait... what if she disappointed Cami in the bedroom?

    Mary quickly scanned the original Mary''s memories and saw that she had basically no sexual experiences.

    And of course, Sui Li herself was also a virgin... at most she had gotten a few kisses in college but that was about it.

    Maybe she had experience in the past mission worlds that she visited?

    Mary tried to ess those locked away memories but found nothing.

    Just blurry shes of people and ces that moved too fast in order for her to see them properly.

    Look... maybe she was overthinking this...

    Cami was a vampire who had lived a ridiculously long life... she was probably well experienced and would take the lead.

    Somehow thinking about her vampire mistress potentially having quite a few past lovers made Mary''s heart ache just a little bit.

    The young woman immediately headed for the training field in order to get those distracting thoughts out of her mind.

    On the way to the field, Mary stopped in front of a window that was overlooking the garden outside the castle.

    She could swear that she saw something....

    Mary stepped a bit closer to the window and stared at the field of crops. There was a faint movementing from the corner of the vegetable garden.

    The corn nts were shifting ever so slightly in a way that could not be exined by just the wind alone.

    An animal? Or another invader?

    Mary gripped the dagger hidden in her pocket and slowly activated her pupil technique. She could now see in the darkness outside as if it were bright as day.

    There!

    A humanoid shadow was moving through the field while taking asional nces at the thick heavy walls of the castle.

    Mary focused on the sunlight energy flowing through her body and more details about the mysterious intruder were finally revealed.

    Wait... was that a human?

 Chapter 217 Lady Of The Night (41)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Gardens)

    In the darkness of the night hidden away in the middle of a field of crops was a middle-aged man.

    He wore a long brown trench coat and had two sharp swords attached to his hips that glowed with an eerie gleam under the light of the moon.

    The man was not handsome by any means with horrific scars that criss-crossed the length of his face and a nose that had clearly been broken several times before.

    He had a lean but powerful build with well defined muscles visible beneath his long cloak. There was a harsh glint in his eyes as he cracked his knuckles.

    "Fuck... where is that bastard?" n growled softly as he ducked behind a nearby patch of bushes and stared at the massive walls surrounding the castle.

    His partner was supposed to infiltrate the castle during the early hours of the morning and then hide until tonight.

    n nced at the strange rune that had been carved in his upper arm and shook his head.

    An anti-magic rune... certainly a unique mark.

    Did it really work?

    He could only hope so because the female vampire that lived in the castle up ahead was a monster on par with the princes.

    As a senior hunter, n was aware of the power disparity between a vampire prince and an ordinary human.

    Hell... even hunters were nothingpared to them.

    But humanity always found a way to win... and that was by ying dirty.

    The vampire hidden inside the castle did not know that her wards and blood magic were useless.

    A sadistic grin began to spread across n''s face as he took out one of the swords and ran his tongue against the t part of the de.

    He had heard that the vampire inside the castle was a woman... good... he loved making those female monsters scream...

    The vampire hunter began to breathe heavily as memories of naked figures covered in blood and begging for death shed across his mind.

    He was an expert at bringing them to the brink of death and then waiting until they regenerated. Sometimes he would speed up the process by feeding them a little bit of his blood.

    Over and over again he would torture them until their minds broke and they longed for the sweet release of death.

    Some vampire hunters may spout nonsense about how they protected humanity and all that shit but n knew the true reason why they guarded against creatures of the night.

    It was fun to watch them die.

    n walked through the field of crops and kept his eyes on the castle that loomed ever sorge before his vision.

    His partner was an unreliable vampire so perhaps he had forgotten the purpose of his mission and was currently feeding on one of the blood ves inside the castle.

    Wouldn''t be the first time...

    It was a risky move to approach the castle by himself, but n had faith in the rune carved in his arm.

    If it didn''t work, then he would have already been caught by the vampire who lived inside the castle.

    He slowly approached a small door located in the back of the castle.

    Inch by inch... step by step... excitement began to flood the vampire hunter''s heart.

    He couldn''t wait.

    n unsheathed his other sword and walked forward with both des at the ready. The door got closer and closer until he was mere metres away from its wooden frame.

    Suddenly the door swung open to reveal... a young woman?

    n froze for a moment in shock but then his eyes quickly spotted the bite mark on the young woman''s neck.<novelnext></novelnext>

    A blood ve...

    "Are you okay? I''m here to rescue you," n softly lied as a kind smile spread across his face.

    Although he may look scary, judging from his past experiences... blood ves were always eager to see someone from the hunter''s association.

    And vampires often let their guards down around their servants. Most did not know the sheer amount of information that their blood ves knew.

    Hidden rooms and passageways around their castles, their nighttime routines and even where they kept their weapons.

    n hoped that this blood ve would be one of the smart ones so that he would not waste any more time.

    "Are you from the Hunter''s Association," the young woman asked with a shaky voice.

    There were tears welling up in her eyes and an obvious expression of relief shed across her face.

    n inwardly sneered at the na?¡¥ve girl but took great pains not to let his true emotions show on his face.

    "Yes... I am a senior hunter and I have been tasked with rescuing you and killing the vampire that captured you," n gently promised.

    "But I will need your help... can you tell me where the vampire can be found?"

    The young woman nodded and slowly raised up her hand. One of her fingers pointed in a certain direction and a puzzled look shed across n''s face,

    Wait... that direction... wasn''t that behind him?

    The senior vampire hunter did not even have the chance to turn around before a blood spear entered his skull and exited the other side.

    A mixture of blood and chunky brain matter burst out of the open wound and the hunter fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

    His eyes were slowly drained of life as his fingers twitched ever so slightly.

    A beautiful and seductive woman with crimson red eyes stepped over the corpse and rushed towards the young human.

    "Were you scared?" Cami asked with concern evident in her voice. She wrapped her arms around Mary''s body and held her tightly in her embrace.

    "No... I knew that you would protect me," Mary softly replied as she leaned into the embrace and pressed a light kiss against Cami''s cheek.

    Her eyes nced at the corpse on the ground, and she silently whispered an apology in her heart.

    This vampire hunter may have been here to kill Cami, but Mary knew that he did not have the strength necessary in order to aplish the task.

    Maybe if he was able to work with his partner then they could have caught the female vampire by surprise, but his partner had long turned into a shrivelled-up corpse.

    Instead of the man dying in vain... Mary took this opportunity to reinforce her status in Cami''s heart and earn more of her trust.

    It was a cold-blooded move and Mary could not help but think that she was a disgrace to humanity for siding with a vampire.

    She chased those thoughts from her mind and enjoyed the soft feeling of Cami''s body as it pressed up against hers.

    "Were you able to detect his presence?" Mary finally asked after several long seconds had passed.

    "No...in fact..." Cami''s brows furrowed as she broke away from the hug and walked over the body that was still warm.

    She ignored the urge to feast on the hunter''s blood even though the scent was driving her insane.

    Cami promised herself that she would not taste anyone else''s blood except for Mary''s.

    She tore apart the vampire hunter''s brown cloak and her eyes immediately spotted the strange rune that had been carved into the flesh of his upper arm.

    An Anti-magic symbol...

    This was not good.

 Chapter 218 Lady Of The Night (42)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Main Bedroom)

    Mary opened her eyes and yawned sleepily. It was nighttime outside and she could see thousands of stars outside the window.

    She felt a warm body snuggling next to her and nced down to see Cami with her eyes still closed.

    She still needed to get used to this¡­

    It had been three days since the events of the vampire intruder, the human hunter and the confession in the library and a lot had changed during that time.

    Cami was¡­ nicer?

    Was nicer the right word to use?

    Well... the female vampire would asionally still refer to her as ''pet'' or ''human'', but Mary could tell that she was trying.

    Plus, she no longer just grabbed her and sucked her blood whenever she wanted but instead would politely ask and then kiss her gently when the process finished.

    Those kisses¡­

    Mary covered her mouth and tried to hide the blush that she knew was slowly rising up and making her face turn red.

    And finally, and perhaps the most drastic change was the fact that they were now sleeping together.

    Mary''s hand lightly caressed the top of Cami''s back before she quickly withdrew her hand as if she had just been burnt.

    What the hell was she doing?

    No¡­ no¡­ just acting¡­ this was just acting¡­

    Mary wasn''t sure if she was trying to fool herself but the words in her mind did not seem very convincing.

    Especially considering the blush on her face.

    So far, she had spent the night cuddling in the arms of the beautiful female vampire, but things did not progress beyond that step.

    She could see the hunger and sexual desire that was hidden in Cami''s gaze when she looked at her body but¡­

    Mary could not bring herself to take that final step.

    Not when there was so much uncertainty and confusion in her heart. Was she seriously falling in love with a bloodthirsty vampire?

    The young woman shook her head nervously and then let out a light sigh as she nced once more at Cami''s sleeping body.

    She truly was gorgeous.

    A voluptuous figure with curves in all the right ces, sharp angr facial features and dark crimson eyes that could make you get lost in her gaze for all eternity.

    Mary did not realise how long she was staring until she heard a bemused chuckleing from the mouth of the womanying down next to her.

    "Like what you see?" Cami lightly teased as she sat up and leaned in to give Mary a gentle kiss on the lips.

    Mary gasped in surprise as the kiss deepened. She could not prevent a low groan of pleasure from escaping her mouth.

    Cami''s smile widened even further, and she broke off the kiss feeling very pleased in her heart.

    Her human may be trying to resist her feelings for now but sooner orter¡­

    She would make sure that Mary drowned in a sea of depravity and lust until the only thoughts in her mind were about her mistress.

    "We have something very special to do today," Cami whispered sweetly as she cupped Mary''s face in her hands before getting out of the bed.

    The beautiful female vampire headed for her wardrobe and pulled out an elegant ck silk dress that looked a bit too tight for her figure.

    She stripped off her sleeping gown and Mary averted her eyes so that she would not give in to temptation.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She could feel a burning gaze on her body and knew that Cami was watching her like how a spider looked at its prey struggling helplessly in its web.

    "Mistress¡­ I will¡­ I will get ready now," Mary nervously spoke as she rushed out of the room unable to handle the tension in the air.

    She could hear Cami''s soft giggles follow her footsteps as she headed for her private bedroom that was only a few hundred metres away.

    Mary rushed into her bathroom and hurriedly sshed some water against her face in order to wake herself up.

    "Keep calm¡­ keep calm¡­ don''t fall for her charms¡­" Mary whispered softly to her reflection in the mirror.

    "She isn''t that pretty. There are many beautiful women out there¡­"

    It may have just been her imagination, but it felt as though her mirror image was watching her with a bemused grin on her face.

    As if her reflection knew that what she was saying was bullshit.

    Mary groaned and then turned towards the shower to take a brief bath. Maybe rxing under the water was what she needed right now.

    As the cold water fell on her body, Mary shivered slightly, and goosebumps began to form along her arms.

    Damn it¡­ she really wished that she knew how to turn on the heating function. These cold showers were not a good way to start her day¡­ well technically night.

    Mary grabbed a nearby bar of soap and thoroughly scrubbed away the excess grime and filth on her body.

    It wasn''t much but she found herself being slightly more conscious of her smell especially around Cami.

    The young woman washed away the soapy foam on her body and then reached for the towel hanging on the bar.

    She dried herself and then finished her early night routine by putting on a pair of track pants and simple red tee shirt.

    Mary nced at the mirror to make sure that her appearance looked okay and then stepped outside her bedroom.

    She saw Cami leaning against the wall with a bored expression on her face which quickly melted away as she noticed her human servant.

    "Come my pet¡­ I have to show you something," Camimanded in a firm tone. She walked forward but her steps were a bit slow.

    Mary noticed her peculiar movements and it did not take long for her to realise the subtle message that Cami was trying to convey.

    She wanted them to walk side by side.

    Her mistress was sometimes¡­ a bit cute.

    A brief smile shed across Mary''s face as she sped up her steps until she was walking next to Cami.

    Their shoulder brushed gently against one another, and Mary could feel an electric tingle run down her spine from where their skin touched.

    There was a moment of silence between the pair, but it was not ufortable but rather peaceful and tranquil.

    The silence was finally broken when Cami opened her mouth and said something that was a bit shocking.

    "Next weekend I will be inviting representatives from the major ns as well as the princes to my home," Cami spoke calmly as if what she was saying was an insignificant event.

    "No doubt the culprit who sent those assassins to my castle will currently be feeling quite nervous."

    "Anti-magic is indeed a powerful weapon but¡­ it is not an omnipotent one."

    A sadistic smile surfaced on Cami''s face and just for a moment Mary glimpsed the monster that lurked beneath her beautiful looks.

    "Mistress in that case¡­ will I be out of sight?" Mary asked curiously.

    "No¡­ I want my bodyguard to be by my side," Cami gently replied and gave her human servant a kind look.

    "Do not worry about your safety¡­ no harm wille to you in my domain. Besides at your current level you should be able to hold your own against noble vampires."

    "Your strength and your growth¡­ deserve praise."

 Chapter 219 Lady Of The Night (43)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- The Annex)

    "Wow!" Mary softly eximed as she entered a wide-open space with a beautiful ss ceiling that allowed the beauty of the night sky to be seen clearly.

    Dozens of small wooden birdhouses had been built along the walls of the space and inside each house were gorgeous ck ravens.

    One of the ravens curiously poked its head out of the hole of its house and made a loud cawing noise.

    Cami smiled gently as she saw the look of wonderment on the face of her human servant.

    "You may pet them if you like," the beautiful vampire gently whispered.

    Mary quickly walked towards the raven that made the noise and reached out her hand slowly in order not to startle it.

    Her back was turned to Cami, so she didn''t see how her vampire mistress'' eyes slightly glowed as her fingers approached the bird.

    The raven wanted to peck the strange hand at first but one look at the scary pair of crimson eyes behind her body was enough to make it quickly reconsider.

    It nuzzled its head against Mary''s fingers and made a soft cooing noise. Maryughed happily and rubbed her hand along its feathery back.

    She had always loved animals.

    It was just a shame that both the original Mary and Sui Li did not have any experience of having an animal as a pet.

    Mary yed with the raven for several minutes and was soon greeted by some of itspanions as they curiously flew out of their homes.

    Somended on her shoulders while othersnded on her head and began to gently nibble strands of her ck hair.

    "What is this ce?" Mary asked curiously as she picked up one of the ravens and stroked the top of its head.

    Cami stared at the scene with barely contained jealousy in her eyes and all of the ravens ying with Mary felt a cold chill run down their spines.

    "These are my messengers... ravens are typically used as harbingers," Cami exined as she walked over to the desk in the corner of the room.

    "I must admit that your human technology has most likely made them obsolete but ancient vampire ns pay strict attention to tradition."

    Cami opened up one of the drawers on the desk and took out arge stack of in white sheets of parchment paper.

    She took out a silver knife from the same drawer and without hesitation she cut a small red line on her wrist.

    Blood slowly flowed out of the wound and the female vampire whispered a few words under her breath in anguage that sounded eerie and unnatural.

    The droplets of blood slowly floated in the air before rushing towards the stack of papers.

    Mary watched in amazement as letters formed on the pieces of paper from the blood.

    When one sheet waspleted, Cami would remove the paper and her blood would rush towards a fresh page.

    It was almost like a magical printing process.

    Well... that was probably an inelegant way to put it, but Mary did not know any other way to describe the impressive feat.

    She absentmindedly continued to y with the ravens while watching her mistress out of the corner of her eye.

    Cami was truly... amazing.

    Why did such a powerful vampire need a bodyguard was a mystery that she still had to unravel but...

    Mary had to admit to herself that as far how things could have turned out... it had been a blessing in disguise that she had been bought by this n.

    She shuddered to imagine what her fate would have been like if she had been bought by other vampires.

    Her blood apparently had an unpleasant taste so perhaps she would have been killed for being a useless product... or worse.

    When thest letter had been written, Cami neatly folded up the parchment papers and then softly whistled.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The ravens ying with Mary immediately jumped off her body and rushed towards the desk.

    Each picked up one sheet of paper and then flew out of an open window towards an unknown location.

    It was a surprisingly orderly process which meant that the birds had been well trained.

    "The banquet will be held at the end of the month," Cami suddenly spoke as thest raven flew through the window.

    "Is there anything that I will need to do to prepare?" Mary asked curiously with a more casual tone than usual.

    ying with the ravens had made her subconsciously rx and she even forgot to refer to Cami as mistress.

    "Hmm... I will require the throne room to be cleaned but other than that... just do not neglect your training," Cami thoughtfully spoke.

    "My original n was to rebuild my n with new n members and blood ves but after the attack... I have reconsidered."

    "The vampires who enter my castle will only see you as my one servant. It is likely that they will believe that there are others, but I have just hidden them."

    "We vampires are a cautious race and until the full extent of my n''s poption has been revealed... it is doubtful that more assassins wille."

    Mary nodded in understanding and then walked forward until she was right in front of her beautiful mistress.

    She stretched out her arm and tightly held Cami''s hand. It was a bold move that shocked both Mary and the female vampire.

    Somehow under the pale moonlight that streamed through the ss ceiling... Mary felt as though it was the right thing to do.

    It was almost as though her body had moved on memory alone as if she had held the hands of another person while bathing in the moonlight.

    Mary felt the cold touch of Cami''s palm and for some reason the coolness made her feel very warm inside.

    "You..." Cami stuttered for a moment in a rare state of panic as Mary''s piercing green eyes met her crimson gaze.

    "Even after the banquet... I am enough..." Mary gently spoke.

    "You do not need more blood ves."

    There was a rare hint of possessiveness in her voice that even the human woman did not notice as she stared into Cami''s eyes.

    The moment stretched out for what seemed like a long time until Cami nodded.

    She leaned forward and captured Mary''s lips in a soft and lingering kiss that took her breath away.

    Mary closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. For once all of her problems and desire to escape just melted away to nothingness.

    All she could feel was Cami''s soft lips and the pleasant taste that was spreading through her mouth.

    She wished that she could stay in this moment for all of eternity but eventually... the kiss was finally broken.

    Mary smiled warmly at the female vampire and then what she had just done finally registered in her mind.

    Wait... what??

    The young woman turned away so that Cami could not see the panicked expression that shed across her face.

    She was just acting right?

    Right?

    "Don''t worry my pet... you will always be enough for me," Cami softly whispered as she wrapped her arms around Mary''s body.

    She could feel the human trembling in her arms and assumed that it was due to her excitement at being so close together.

    Meanwhile poor Mary was still trying to figure out why she had just openly flirted with the female vampire for seemingly no reason at all.

    It was like for a brief moment the shadow of another person or persons had possessed her body and made her act that way.

 Chapter 220 Lady Of The Night (44)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden)

    Mary stood outside on a balcony and rxed under the bright sunlight that streamed down on her body.

    It was now some time in the afternoon, and the young woman was feeling in a good mood.

    She stepped a bit closer to the balcony''s edge and looked down.

    All she could see from one end of the horizon to the other was a vast sea of green.

    Tall, magnificent trees that had stood for hundreds of years and would stand for hundreds after. Untouched and barely changed by the passage of time.

    Mary absentmindedly wondered if Cami had seen these trees when they were just small saplings jutting out of the ground.

    It was still hard for her to wrap her head around just how old her mistress truly was. Of course, it helped that she looked like an attractive woman in her early thirties but...

    She was centuries old.

    Mary''s lifespan was probably just a blink in her eyes because how could a mortal''s lifespan everpare to the vast expanse of eternity.

    The young woman let out a light sigh as she cracked her knuckles absentmindedly and continued to enjoy the cool breeze that brushed against her face.

    There was much work to be done.

    She needed to finish cleaning up the pce''s throne room in preparation for the banquet to be held at the end of the month.

    A reasonable person would probably be terrified. She was going to be the only human in a crowd of ravenous bloodthirsty vampires.

    And yet... she felt no fear.

    Perhaps it had to do with the inexplicable trust that she had in Cami or the shock of having killed a vampire on her own.

    It was like something in her blood longed for the chance to kill more spawn of the night. Mary hissed in pain as she felt a warmth travel through her body.

    She raised up one of the sleeves on her dress and saw golden marks on her exposed flesh. These golden markings resembled tattoos.

    This was a secret that she was keeping from Cami.

    Well... she didn''t n on hiding it forever but for now... she had not said anything to her vampire mistress.

    These golden marks...

    The more that she trained and the more sunlight that she absorbed... the more marks appeared on her body.

    It was like every inch of her flesh was slowly being transformed and branded by something hidden deep inside her.

    Mary lowered her sleeve and then walked back inside.

    At least the markings disappeared once nighttime fell but... she could sense that they were lurking just beneath the surface of her skin.

    The young woman walked through the castle until she arrived at arge magnificent open hall where a golden throne stood proudly on top of a raised tform.

    There were several buckets filled with water and soap in the corner of the room as well as arge mop.

    "No time like the present," Mary muttered quietly to herself as she walked towards the mop and picked it up.

    The next few hours passed like a blur as she slowly cleaned up the floor from one corner of the hall to the other.

    It was a slow and tiring process but for some reason Mary felt energised and rxed.

    It may sound a bit strange but doing housework helped to take her mind off the distracting thoughts that usually gued her.

    She didn''t need to worry about her feelings towards Cami.

    She didn''t need to concern herself with how she would eventually escape.

    She didn''t even have to bother about the human who...

    Wait! The human hunter!

    Mary quickly dropped the mop and headed for the exit of the hall as she realised something.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Cami had killed the senior hunter and dumped his corpse in the field outside to act as fertiliser but...

    His belongings were still untouched!

    Mary cursed softly as she could not believe that fact hadpletely slipped her mind.

    The mysterious intruder was a senior hunter... maybe he had something on him that would allow her tomunicate with the Hunters Association.

    She could send a message to her sister and let her know that she was still alive!

    Mary''s footsteps quickened until she was almost sprinting. She didn''t know at the time, but her excited mood caused her usually green eyes to sh a golden hue.

    The young woman dashed outside the castle and headed for the garden located in the back of the estate.

    She eventually arrived at the field and had to cover her nose since a nauseating odour could immediately be smelled.

    Large nasty flies buzzed around a rotting corpse that was missing a head. An animal must have stolen the head of the body during the night.

    Mary tried not to gag as she stretched out her hand and checked the pockets of the long cloak that the hunter wore.

    She shuddered as some of the fliesnded on her dress. The scent was getting worse by the minute, and she had to resist the urge to throw up.

    The hunter did not have many items on his person and all Mary found were daggers, poison vials and some... unwrapped condoms?

    Eww... gross...

    Finally, she felt something hard inside one of the pockets

    She wrapped her fingers around the mysterious object and pulled it out of the pocket.

    It appeared to be a hardcover book but there were no words on the brown cover.

    Mary examined the corpse one more time but could not find anything else. She took her spoils back inside with quick steps.

    The first thing she did was rush to her room and take a nice long shower before using a cloth to wipe away the grime and filth from the items.

    She may not have gotten something to send a message back to the human side of the country but...

    Mary took a deep breath and opened the mysterious book. The first page disyed a diagram of what looked like a human body with red lines drawn in strange ces.

    A new technique?

    Mary continued to read with great curiosity surging in her heart. Her assumption of this being a hunting technique was actually wrong.

    The first pages of the book detailed the experiences of the hunter, and the diagram showed the weak spot of vampires.

    Other than the heart there were some parts of a vampire''s body that regenerated slower than others.

    Certain arteries... the liver and the small intestines...

    Unusual spots but for some reason the hunter observed that the vampires'' regeneration ability would take a long time to heal wounds in those areas.

    Mary flipped a few more pages and saw what looked like journal entries and their contents... made her feel sick to her stomach.

    The entries detailed torture, experimentation, and horrific acts that the hunter inflicted on any vampire that he managed to capture.

    [Entry #45]

    [Captured a newly converted female vampire off the coast of Italy... bitch didn''t understand what was happening to her... luckily, I was there to help...]

    [Promised to turn her back into a human and lured her into my private undergroundplex. Stupid girl didn''t know it was a trap until it was toote]

    [First, I removed her fingernails then her toes. Then I began to skin her alive... the feeling of my knife as it sliced through her body... gods... I feel so aroused just thinking about it]

    [Morrison caught me towards the end of my session and killed the vampire before I could torture her further...WHY DID HE GET IN THE WAY?!]

    [He even dared to lecture me about morality and ethics... these things aren''t human... they don''t get rights... they are just animals...]

    [They may look like us, but one must never forget...]

    [They. Are. Monsters.]

 Chapter 221 Lady Of The Night (45)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Private Bedroom)

    Mary did not want to keep reading but her hands kept flipping the pages. Information was power and she needed to know more about this world.

    Detailed inside the journal were recordings of torture, muttion, and vampire hunting techniques.

    She had to resist the urge to throw up as the hunter had written down vivid descriptions of how he had broken the vampires that he had captured.

    And most of them were women¡­

    Mary narrowed her eyes in anger as she turned to thest page and saw an illustration of a naked female vampire were all the skin on her upper arms removed.

    The look ofplete and utter emptiness in her eyes was utterly terrifying.

    Sometimes humanity could be even more cruel than bloodthirsty monsters.

    Mary ced the book on the side of her bed and leaned against the wall. This was a lot to take in all at once.

    There had been additional information sprinkled in amidst the descriptions of torture and¡­ it did not sound good.

    The hunterined about senior hunters in the organization trying to stop his ''experiments'' but in ater entry he wrote down that he was relieved that some one appreciated his work.

    The ''experiments'' were allowed to continue since the person who supported the hunter was someone high up in the chain ofmand.

    The Hunters'' Association¡­

    Mary knew that they were not the saviors of humanity that the media portrayed them to be but now it seemed as though they were a ''necessary evil''.

    And her sister¡­

    No¡­ there was no use worrying.

    Lily was just an ordinary civilian.

    ording to the original Mary''s memories after she had healed from her injuries, she had not been contacted by any hunters.

    All they did was give her some money and then tell her to go back home.

    The young woman let out a heavy sigh as she absentmindedly ran her fingers through her long wavy hair.

    What to do¡­

    The thought of Cami being targeted by such an organization sent shivers down her spine.

    She did not even want to imagine what they would do to her if they managed to capture her mistress.

    "Why am I worrying so much?" Mary quietly spoke as her words echoed through her bedroom.

    Maybe she was just fooling herself.

    There was no way that her feelings for Cami were just acting.

    Mary got up from her bed and stealthily walked towards the master bedroom where she knew the beautiful female vampire was sleeping.

    She slowly opened the door and peeked inside the room. Cami was fast asleep, and her voluptuous body was covered by a soft nket.

    In her sleep the normally fierce vampire seemed¡­ almost peaceful.

    There was a quiet tranquility to Cami''s sleeping face that made Mary unable to look away.

    Her eyes remained fixated on her cute button nose, sharp angr facial features, and those soft red lips.

    Lips that were as red as the blood that she drank.

    The young woman gently closed the door without making a sound and then headed towards the throne room.

    She still needed to continue cleaning.

    Mary walked through abyrinth of side passageways and corridors before she arrived once again in arge open hall where a throne stood on a raised tform.

    It was hard to imagine that at the end of the month this ce would be filled with powerful vampires from the upper-ss ns.

    Maybe even one of the princes would appear.

    Mary walked towards the mop in the corner of the room and began to wipe the floor. It was a slow and boring process, but it helped her to think.

    She was strong but not strong enough.

    She needed to be stronger in order to protect Cami from the threats posed by both humans and vampires.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mary had not forgotten that the senior hunter had been working with a vampire and there was a connection between the Hunters'' Association and one of the princes.

    Somehow, she doubted that the assassination attempts would stop since they failed the first two times.

    It was clear that one of the princes had a vested interest in removing Cami from vampire society and they were even prepared to work with humans in order to do so.

    A terrifying prospect.

    Mary scoffed as she recalled some memories from the original Mary.

    The news stations would never dare suggest that the hunters were working with vampires and yet¡­

    ording to the diary entries this was amon urrence.

    Vampires used humans to get rid of rival ns and expand their territory while humans used vampires to acquire wealth and rid the world of more bloodthirsty monsters.

    Mary wrung the end of the mop using her hands and then dipped it back in a bucket of water mixed with cleaning detergent.

    She wiped the floor quite vigorously until the dirty tiles shone with a luster.

    This was tough work, but it was oddly satisfying to see the throne room gradually being restored to its original glory.

    Four hours slowly passed as Mary continued to clean up the hall and eventually, she decided to call it for the day.

    She would continue tomorrow after she reced the dirty water in the buckets. Mary left the throne room and headed for the training grounds.

    It was time for her daily routine.

    Dailybat training was something that she never missed. Never.

    There was a feeling of familiarity that she felt when holding a sword almost as though she was notplete until she held a weapon in her hand.

    A sh of blurry memories surfaced in her mind of a woman putting on a heavy suit of armour and training in a deserted field.

    Mary stumbled slightly as she tripped on one of the stairs.

    She tried to focus her thoughts on the unexpected memories, but they vanished as quickly as they had appeared.

    Hopefully she would be able to get those memories back once shepleted the mission in this world.

    Fuck¡­ she hadpletely forgotten about the mission!

    Mary''s footsteps paused as she stood in the middle of the corridor thinking about the reason why she had been sent to this world.

    Okay¡­ so she needed to find the viiness responsible for the destruction of this ne and then kill her.

    But there was one tiny problem¡­ the original Mary had died before her world was destroyed so she had absolutely no idea where to start.

    The world was a massive ce

    For god''s sake she was trapped in the vampire-controlled part of this country¡­ how could she possibly scour the earth looking for this ''viiness''?

    In fact, she didn''t even know if the person responsible was a vampire or a human.

    Mary let out a low groan as she felt a headacheing on. How had she managed to seed in the other mission worlds?

    She honestly did not know where to start.

    Maybe she should wait until the viiness showed herself?

    But then wouldn''t it be toote?

    But what if she met the viiness before shemitted any crimes? Was it fair to punish someone for the actions that they take in the future?

    Thoughts and questions kept surfacing in her mind one after the other until a cold hand gently touched her shoulder.

    "Are you okay?" Cami gently asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "Oh! Yes mistress¡­ I was just¡­ err¡­ lost in thought," Mary hastily replied as she turned around and saw Cami smiling at her.

    "Ready for our training session?" Cami chuckled lightly as she ran her finger along the side of Mary''s cheek.

    The young woman nodded her head and froze in ce as Cami leaned forward to give her a soft kiss on her lips.

    All thoughts about the viiness and the destruction of this ne slowly faded away from her mind.

    All she could think about now was the beautiful female vampire kissing her.

 Chapter 222 Lady Of The Night (46)

    (Southern Region- Princestown)

    (St. Octavia''s Academy- Training Grounds)

    Swish! Swish! Swish!

    Three arrows flew one after another at a target ced over five hundred metres away. Despite the vast distance every single arrow struck the training dummy right in its center.

    A beautiful girl with piercing green eyes lowered her bow with a slight frown on her face. She had a lean but muscr build and was wearing a simple ck tracksuit.

    "Well done," a gentle male voice came from the side.

    Lily turned in the direction of the sound and saw a handsome young man with long ck hair that was tied in a ponytail.

    His face was rugged and masculine which contrasted with his soft doe eyes.

    "Thank you senior," Lily replied politely as she nocked another arrow on her bowstrings.

    "Please... call me Ian..." the handsome man replied with a gentle smile across his face. He stepped closer and Lily could feel his warm breath on her shoulder.

    She tried her best to ignore the distraction and fired another arrow this time at a target eight hundred metres away.

    Her piercing green eyes briefly shed golden, but the colour change was too quick for anyone to notice.

    The arrow was engulfed in blinding white mes and like a heat seeking missile it automatically shifted directions mid air until it pierced the center of the target.

    "What an impressive technique," Ian warmly spoke as he pped his hands together.

    Lily smiled thinly and hid the growing irritation that she felt bubbling up inside her chest. Recently her days in the academy had not been peaceful.

    For some reason she kept having encounters with the gentle student council president from third year called Ian and the new transfer student whose name was Finley.

    They were both attractive men but... Lily had no time for romance.

    She only had one objective.

    To kill ever single vampire.

    She would never forgive them for what they did to her elder sister.

    "Next weekend will be the first hunting event for first years... don''t tell anyone but I will be one of the supervisors," Ian slyly spoke and winked flirtishly.

    "If you want, I can make things a bit easier for you..."

    "No thank you... I wouldn''t want you to risk your good standing in the academy," Lily shot down his ''kind'' offer.

    Mary would never forgive her if she cheated. For some reason her big sister used to drill in her head that it was better to fail than to cheat.

    Thinking of those memories and the times that they had spent together made Lily''s stomach churn.

    She wanted to throw up.

    She felt as though she was barely holding on and just wanted to scream and cry all at the same time.

    It had been over five months since she had lost her precious sister and yet the emotional void in her heart had not been filled.

    Instead, it had be a gaping wound that ached every time she recalled her memories.

    "Lily, are you worried about me?" Ian excitedly spoke. If he was a dog, then his tail would have been wagging furiously behind him.

    "Don''t worry my family will take care of anyplications if I get caught..."

    Ancient vampire hunting families and ns.

    The academy said that all students would be treated equally regardless of their background but that was a lie.

    Lily did not doubt that Ian would be able to escape punishment, but she did not have a significant background to protect herself.

    Yes, she had talent, but the hunter''s association was waiting for her talent to bloom whatever that meant.

    She was afforded no extra privileges...

    A fact that the other students of the academy made crystal clear with their mocking sneers and unkind words.

    Ian continued to talk for a further ten minutes while Lily just nodded or added in an asional word to the conversation.

    She wanted to leave as soon as possible but could not anger the son of one of the most powerful vampire hunter ns.

    Finally, she subtly checked her watch and barely managed to persuade Ian not to walk her back to the female dormitory.

    She didn''t need more gossip.

    "Goodbye Lily!" Ian cheerfully waved as she left the training field.

    Lily was quietly relieved that there was no one else here because Ian''s loud voice echoed through the field.

    She wandered through the well paved path outside the training field and headed towards her apartment.

    It waste in the night and the full moon was shining brightly in the night sky. Lily felt a cold breeze brush against her face as her footsteps quickened.

    There was a shadowy figure standing beneath the shade of the tree directly in front of her.

    Lily''s footsteps slowed down as the figure stepped out of the shadows and revealed herself.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Katie?" Lily asked with a confused expression on her face.

    "I saw you..." her friend hissed angrily as she held up her phone.

    There were pictures on the screen of a handsome young man with short blonde hair standing right next to her.

    They were so close that it looked as though they were about to kiss.

    "The new transfer student... he is mine! I TOLD YOU I LIKE HIM!" Katie angrily yelled as she approached Lily and grabbed her by the cor.

    "Finley is the most handsome boy in the school... how could he possibly be attracted to someone like you?"

    "Katie... let go of me," Lily warned darkly as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.

    "I didn''t want him to kiss me and when he tried to... I pulled away."

    "And it''s not just him!" Katie angrily continued as if Lily''s words were falling on deaf ears.

    "Senior Ian... he likes you as well! Why?"

    "I. Don''t. Know," Lily spat out with barely contained fury in her voice.

    "I didn''t ask for them to give me so much trouble. I don''t care about boys or romance or whatever bullshit you are talking about."

    "I just want to graduate and that''s it."

    She grabbed Katie''s hand and threw it off her body. Katie seemed shocked by her violent movements as if she could not believe that Lily fought back.

    "You... you..." Katie stammered and opened her mouth to say something, but Lily simply stormed past her frozen body.

    Fuck... there went her only friend in this shitty ce.

    Well... Katie could hardly be considered as a friend. Lily knew that the girl had only befriended her to feel good inparison.

    Lily let out a heavy sigh and stared upwards at the stars for a moment. She did not miss her home but...

    She missed the one person who had always stood by her side.

    The young woman walked for several minutes with nothing but the wind keeping herpany until tworge buildings appeared in the distance.

    The one on the right was for male first year students while the one on the left was for the female first year students.

    Lily approached the familiar ss doors and swiped her ess card against the scanner. The doors swung open to reveal a luxurious interior lobby.

    There was a butler standing patiently by the door and his job was to escort the students to their dorms and take care of their needs.

    However, he stood still and acted as if he didn''t see Lily as she entered the building.

    The young woman scowled darkly but decided that she had done enough arguing for the night.

    She approached the elevator and tapped the button for the second floor. She had been assigned a standard room that was around the size of a tiny one bedroom apartment.

    The rich or well-connected students paid extra to upgrade their amodations to the penthouse suites on the higher floors.

    Ding!

    The elevator doors swung open, and Lily walked over to a door at the end of a long winding corridor.

    She felt a wave of exhaustion hit her body all at once and she stumbled slightly as her hand reached out for the doorknob.

    Lily fumbled around in her pockets for a few seconds before pulling out a silver key which she then pressed into the lock.

    The doorknob slowly turned, and the interior of her apartment was revealed. It was incredibly minimal.

    A single bed, a small television and a few chairs were scattered about.

    One would think that she had just moved in rather than been living here for a couple of months.

    Still... this was the one ce where Lily felt as though she could finally rx and unwind. She closed the door behind her and then locked it.

    Buzz! Buzz!

    A vibrating sound echoed through the apartment and Lily headed towards the noise. Her phone was on the kitchen counter and vibrating softly.

    She turned on the screen and saw several messages from both Ian and Finley both inquiring if she had any ns for the weekend.

    Ian''s messages were polite and respectful while Finley''s were decidedly less so. His messages were more akin to orders.

    Finley: [Hey Gorgeous... movies tomorrow? I''ll pick you up]

    Finley: [Why aren''t you replying? Don''t be such a...]

    Finley: [You aren''t with that loser, are you? Lily you can do better than that asshole...]

    Some girls may find his bad boy attitude attractive, but Lily simply found it irritating. She moved her fingers to reply but then decided to turn off the phone.

    Not tonight.

    She couldn''t deal with them tonight.

    Lily opened one of the shelves below the counter and pulled out an unopened box of cereal. She just wanted a peaceful night curled up in her bed with a good book.

 Chapter 223 Lady Of The Night (47)

    (Northern Region)

    (Outskirts Of New Antic City- Castle Eden)

    "Earl Greyson... how have you been?" a gorgeous woman in a red dress greeted a middle-aged man who wore a long ck cloak.

    "Oh, quite well Victoria... the years have been very kind to me," Earl Greyson replied with a wide grin that showed off his sharpened fangs.

    The pair were currently walking on foot through a narrow path in a forest that led directly to a massive stone castle.

    They were not alone in their journey and dozens of other vampires could be seenzily strolling along with various expressions on their faces.

    Some had grim looks while others were more contemtive. The younger blood kin were even joking around and flirting with on another.

    "I always thought that the blood witch was dead," Earl Greyson thoughtfully spoke as he stared at the thick walls surrounding the castle.

    "Master said that she is powerful but why have I not heard of her before?" Victoria asked curiously.

    "She is just as powerful as the princes... do not underestimate her strength," Earl Greyson replied calmly.

    "The only reason why she is less well known is because she has remained politically neutral for thousands of years..."

    "Well... politically neutral is a mild way of saying that she has remained indifferent to politics and territorial disputes."

    "n Vntis only has a single castle and has never attempted to expand their influence outside of their limited borders."

    Victoria had a confused expression on her face as she listened to the earl''s exnation since it didn''t make much sense...

    If any vampire had power on the level of the princes, then they would be ruling over an area ofnd the size of a medium sized country.

    Why hole yourself up in a castle in the middle of nowhere?

    New Antic City was barely anything more than a slightlyrge town and its poption was a mere eight thousand.

    And the castle wasn''t even located in the city itself!

    Earl Greyson shook his head as he saw the obvious question in Victoria''s eyes.

    The younger generation were more ambitious than the older folk so they could not appreciate the importance of peace and tranquility.

    And they were not around in the era when the blood witch was active.

    Numerous ancient vampire ns had attempted to bring her to their side or destroy her.

    As for the fate of those ns...

    They no longer existed.

    Lady Cami may not seek out conflict, but she was no coward. Anyone who attacked her home had their entire lineage and descendants destroyed.

    She was a monster among monsters.

    Earl Greyson adjusted his cloak and then took in a deep breath as he approached the castle.

    The doors were wide open and not a single person was standing near the entrance to greet the guests as they walked inside.

    It was a disy of poor manners by the host and yet not a single vampire dared to voice a word ofint.

    The earl didn''t know where the go so he followed the crowd through the castle and up numerous flights of stairs.

    Eventually he arrived at a pair ofrge wooden doors carved out of trees whose species had long gone extinct.

    The room thaty beyond the doors was arge open space.

    The floor of the hall was solid gold and pure white marble pirs rose up from the ground and connected to a dome-shaped ceiling.

    The ceiling was covered in pretty stained ss, and one could seerge diamond encrusted chandeliers swaying gently from side to side.

    At the end of the hall was a raised tform and in the middle of the tform was a throne that seemed out of cepared to the luxury of the hall.

    It was simple.

    Made of steel with no extra ornaments or decorations. A in throne which contrasted with the woman sitting down on it.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lady Cami.

    A gorgeous female vampire with otherworldly beauty. Short raven cropped hair, sharp angr facial features, a hooked nose and deep crimson red eyes.

    She wore a ssic ck gothic Victorian dress with a few frills across her back and her upper arms.

    Her body was sensual and voluptuous oozing sex appeal and charm that proved to be irresistible to both men and women alike.

    Over one hundred vampires were already milling about in the hall having light conversations but asionally their eyes would nce at the woman sitting on the throne.

    If Lady Cami noticed their gazes, then she did not show it. She merely raised up a golden goblet and took small sips of the contents inside.

    Her expression was one of indifference as if the vampires standing below her were nothing more than ants.

    An aura of regal power and authority surrounded her body and for a moment the earl wanted to kneel.

    He caught himself just as his legs were beginning to bend. A shocked expression shed across his face and beads of sweat ran down his brows.

    Blood Authority.

    High born vampires had the ability to suppress those weaker than themselves, but it was an ability that was limited to those in the same n.

    How was it possible that Lady Cami could influence others outside of her bloodline?

    Victoria hadn''t been as fortunate as the earl, and she was already on the ground kneeling before the middle-aged vampire pulled her up.

    "What?!" Victoria blinked rapidly and a confused expression surfaced on her face. She couldn''t understand why she had just embarrassed herself.

    "You aren''t the only one... Lady Cami is stronger than I realised," Earl Greyson softly whispered as he quietly moved hispanion away from the entrance.

    He smiled and nodded as they walked through the room and engaged in casual conversation with a few vampires that he knew.

    Finally, he spotted a fellow guest who could not be ignored.

    "Duchess Roselyn... it is an honour to be in your presence," Earl Greyson ttered softly as he approached an elegant woman dressed in a simple blue gown.

    "My old... acquaintance... it has been some time..." the duchess replied with a thin smile as her mind was clearly preupied by other thoughts.

    The earl made some small talk with the duchess, but it was obvious that she was only paying him the minimum amount of attention.

    "Isn''t it a bit strange?" Duchess Roselyn suddenly interrupted the earl''s ongoing sentence as her crimson eyes swept up and down the length of the hall.

    "Why are there no blood ves or servants? And I can''t sense any vampires that smell like Lady Cami..."

    "Well except for..."

    She gestured with her eyes and Earl Greyson followed her gaze as itnded on the figure standing at the back of the throne.

    He had been so spellbound when he first saw Lady Cami sitting on the throne that he had not even noticed the person behind her.

    It was a humanoid figure dressed in white armour that was covered in mysterious red runes that glowed softly.

    The figure waspletely covered by heavy armour and even the helmet itself waspletely solid so one could not make out any details about their appearance.

    Was it a man or a woman?

    It was impossible to know.

    However, one could sense the danger radiating off their body that was further enhanced by the in longsword attached to their hip.

    "Lady Cami seems to have hidden away the rest of her nsmen, but I wonder what made that one so special," Duchess Roselyn muttered quietly.

    She seemed to be speaking to herself, but Earl Greyson opened his mouth to reply to her question.

    "Perhaps we may have the opportunity to speak to them as the banquet continues," Earl Greyson meekly suggested.

    Duchess Roselyn did not reply to his words as she was too distracted by the strong feeling of curiosity surging in her heart.

    Who was that mysterious knight?

 Chapter 224 Lady Of The Night (48)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Throne Room)

    Cami sat on her throne with a bored expression on her face. She watched as more and more vampires entered the grand hall.

    There was a distinctck of familiar faces.

    Many of the representatives in the room were individuals who had been converted while she had been asleep, so she did not recognise them.

    As for their predecessors¡­

    Immortality did not mean invulnerability.

    The beautiful female vampire scowled slightly as she remembered some unpleasant memories.

    Fortunately, her bad mood passed fairly quickly as she stole a nce at the knight standing patiently behind her.

    Mary had remained frozen in ce with her hand on her sword for at least an hour now and had not moved once.

    The white armour that she wore was covered with horrific red runes drawn on its metallic surface.

    She did not smell like a human.

    Cami had made sure that the runes on her armour amplified the scent of her blood. To the vampires in the hall¡­ Mary was one of their own.

    Light conversations continued throughout the open space and Cami made no attempt to get down from her throne and mingle with the crowd.

    Vampire society was extremely stratified and usually only those with simr ranks or strength were permitted to start a conversation.

    Therefore, there were only three vampires in the room capable of approaching Cami to talk.

    They were the representatives of the three princes.

    n Sundry, House Mornt and n Vermont.

    Cami took another small sip from the goblet in her hand as her crimson eyes swept up and down the length of the room.

    She wasn''t sure who the princes would send to represent them. It had been quite some time since she hadst attended a social gathering.

    Was it seven hundred years ago? Or maybe it was one thousand?

    Time worked a bit differently for vampires as old as herself.

    An extremely thin vampire who looked no older than fifteen walked confidently through the crowd and stopped at the bottom of the raised tform.

    He wore a bright red robe, and the symbol of a skeletal crow was painted across the back of his outfit.

    "Greetings Lady Cami," the youthful vampire respectfully spoke.

    "I am here on the behalf of princess Esme of House Mornt. She was unable to attend tonight but wishes to privately meet with you on ater date."

    "Tell your mistress that I am currently busy," Cami smirked rudely and waved her hand to dismiss the vampire.

    The confident smile on the youthful vampire''s face cracked slightly but he still collected himself and bowed politely before leaving.

    This incident had drawn the attention of the other vampires in the room, and most were shocked at Cami''s flippant attitude.

    They did not understand that Cami had been ying this game longer than before most of them had been alive.

    Princess Esme was a dangerous schemer. There was no doubt a trap hidden in that so-called ''private meeting''.

    A few hours passed quite uneventfully as no one else dared to approach the vampire sitting down on the throne.

    "Are you alright?" Cami quietly whispered under her breath as she addressed Mary who had not moved a single muscle.

    "I am fine mistress," Mary replied with a slightly muffled voice.

    Truthfully her legs were hurting a little bit but her training and the sunlight energy flowing through her body made the pain bearable.

    Cami nodded and then made a mental note to herself to end this banquet as soon as possible.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Well¡­ it wasn''t exactly a banquet since there was no food avable. This was a fact that the guests had already picked up.

    It was not hard for Cami to use her enhanced hearing to listen in to theints floating around the room from the disgruntled vampires.

    "I say¡­ are we not going to be served any fresh blood?"

    "Have you seen any other n members of House Vntis? Where are they hiding?"

    "I was invited to a gathering by Prince Antonio and there were dozens of humans avable for the guests to enjoy."

    "I sincerely hope that she does not host another one of these meetings¡­ I''m starving¡­ at this point I might have to go hunting in the woods outside."

    A wicked smirk surfaced on Cami''s face that added an evil charm to her otherworldly beauty.

    She thoroughly enjoyed making these stuck-up vampires suffer.

    Everyone here was nothing more than a parasite.

    Smiling faces and cordial grins to hide the knives hidden inside their words. Vampire society had not changed for thousands of years.

    The strong devoured the weak.

    An endless cycle of violence andpetition that left them vulnerable to humanity''s attacks.

    The only reason why the war had reached a stalemate was because humans were simrly divided between the different countries.

    Cami nced upwards at the ss ceiling and noticed that the dawn was not too far away. It would be a couple of hours and then the sun would peek out from the horizon.

    She didn''t want any of the vampires in the hall to be forced to spend the following day in her castle, so it was time for her ending speech.

    "Attention please," Cami''s soft voice echoed through therge hall and cut through all the conversations in the room.

    There was an immediate silence as a heavy pressure descended on the vampires that was so strong that some copsed on the ground.

    "I thank you all for attending my gathering today¡­ the purpose of this meeting is to announce the rebirth of n Vntis," Cami calmly spoke.

    "I will continue to lead my n into this new era, and I hope that tonight I will have made allies and not enemies."

    "Because those who are my enemies¡­ will not survive."

    Cami'' crimson eyes darkened, and hundreds of blood spears erupted from the ground and stopped mere inches away from the vampires'' throats.

    It was a terrifying disy of blood magic.

    If she wanted to Cami could have killed every single person in the room with a single attack.

    This fact was not lost on the vampires who did not even dare to mutter any words of protest.

    Cami muttered a few iprehensible words under her breath and crimson spears turned back into a liquid which melted away into the floor.

    The golden floor of the banquet hall briefly shed red as severalrge blood magic runes could be seen just below its surface before finally vanishing.

    "Now it appears that dawn will be approaching soon¡­ I bid you all a safe flight," Cami gently spoke as if she had not just threatened the lives of everyone in the room.

    She gestured with her hand and the doors to the back of the banquet hall swung open. The vampires in the hall began to trickle out of the room with quick steps.

    The ending to this gathering had been quite shocking and many were eager to get back to their ns and report the news.

    The blood witch was still as strong as ever.

    This fact alone had massive implications for the current political situation.

    Some were also wary that they had not seen any of Lady Cami''s n members except for one.

    They did not believe that Lady Cami only had one member of her n and most assumed that the rest were hidden in order to conceal their true numbers.

    Tonight, was going to be a restless night for many powerful figures in vampire society.

 Chapter 225 Lady Of The Night (49)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Throne Room)

    "U statiin in arce mea," Cami muttered quietly under her breath as several runic circles floated above her palm.

    A pulsing wave of red light erupted from her feet which quickly travelled all around the castle and swept through every room.

    The scanning spell only took a few seconds and then the light returned to the throne room and melted away into her body.

    The female vampire smiled slightly as she confirmed that thest of her invited guests had left the castle.

    Now it was once again a peaceful world of just herself and her human pet. Undisturbed by the schemes and politics of the outside.

    "Mary are you okay?" Cami asked gently as she got up from her throne and walked towards the knight standing behind her.

    Mary tried to step forward but quickly discovered that her legs had fallen asleep. It was not surprising considering that she had not moved for several hours.

    "I think... I can''t move," Mary said with a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

    A low chuckle escape Cami''s mouth as she approached her servant and gently removed her helmet so that she could see her face.

    The female vampire took a moment to admire the youthful beauty of her human whose sharp angr facial features took her breath away.

    She leaned in closer and captured her lips in a soft lingering kiss that seemed tost for hours.

    Cami wrapped her arms around her servant and then with gentle movements, she lifted up Mary in a princess carry.

    "Should we call it an early night tonight?" Cami warmly spoke. Mary shivered as she felt the breath of her mistress against her neck.

    She burrowed her head into Cami''s shoulder and refused to make direct eye contact since she wasn''t sure if she would be able to hide the blush that was rapidly covering her cheeks.

    "Okay... Okay... I wouldn''t mind getting some sleep," Mary quietly replied as she enjoyed the sensation of being carried in Cami''s arms.

    The female vampire smiled as she began to walk towards the corridor that was outside the throne room.

    The meeting had gone far better than she had initially expected.

    It was safe to assume that all of the vampires who attended the meeting would report back to their superiors about the peculiarities they had witnessed tonight.

    The fact that only one vampire stood by her side along with theck of blood ves and other n members.

    Cami knew how vampires operated and there was not a single one who would take what they saw at the castle at face value.

    All of them would probably assume that she had hid the rest of her n members which meant that they would be suspicious of the true extent of her forces.

    And a suspicious vampire... was a cautious vampire.

    The assassination attempts would stop at least for the foreseeable future.

    If Cami had to guess, then she would assume that the next killer sent to her castle would be a human.

    The vampire prince working with the Hunter''s Association would probably use that human as bait.

    Hmm... she would need to put some more ns in ce...

    Cami was lost in thought as she walked up the winding stairs and side passageways that led to the master bedroom.

    She missed the confusion that shed across Mary''s face as the young woman had some strange feelings surging through her heart.

    Mary... was not an idiot.

    She had been purposefully denying her feelings for awhile but... it was clear that she felt something for Cami.

    Now whether these feelings were love or lust was impossible to say.

    Mary had to admit that she was very sexually attracted to the beautiful female vampire.

    And who could me her?!

    Cami was a gorgeous otherworldly beauty and the fact that she looked as though she was in her early thirties was even more of a turn on.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mary''s face flushed slightly as a few naughty images surfaced in her mind. She leaned closer to Cami''s chest and felt her cold body beneath her ck dress.

    The female vampire had an odd scent. It was hard to describe but it smelled like the pleasant fragrance of freshly cut roses.

    Mary shook her head and drove these distracting thoughts from her mind. Okay... so what if she was attracted to Cami?

    She just needed to get stronger and then escape this ce.

    But maybe...

    Wouldn''t it probably be helpful to have a physical rtionship with the vampire in order to get her to drop her guard?

    It would just be a physical rtionship...

    Mary nodded and an expression of determination shed across her face. She was going to sacrifice her body in order to earn the trust of her mistress.

    It was not because she was eager!

    No this was a great sacrifice all in the name of leaving the northern region and eventually returning to human civilisation.

    Cami hummed softly to herself and did not notice the rapid changes that urred in the heart of the humanying motionless in her arms.

    She walked for several more minutes until the familiar sight of a pair of heavy wooden doors appeared at the end of a corridor.

    "I can walk now," Mary softly spoke with an odd emotion in her voice that Cami could not ce.

    The female vampire felt a bit disappointed but obeyed her human pet''s wishes and gently lowered her to the ground.

    Mary took a few tentative steps forward and was relieved to discovered that her body could now move normally.

    She walked into the bedroom and headed for her side-room that was connected to the main bedchambers.

    Cami did not know why her human was in such a hurry but decided to give her some privacy.

    She approached her wardrobe and took out a longfortable white nightgown for sleeping.

    In about an hour''s time the sun would begin to peak over the horizon, so Cami was already beginning to feel a bit tired.

    She peeled off her long Victorian era dress and then slipped into the bathroom in order to take a quick shower.

    Thick droplets of water fell down on her body as the female vampire closed her eyes and enjoyed the cold sensation of taking a shower.

    Meanwhile in the side bedroom, Mary was currently facing a dilemma. She had several sets of lingerie on the bed and had no idea which one to choose.

    Now that she was about to attempt to seduce Cami... she was getting cold feet.

    Mary hesitantly stretched out her hand and picked up a set of lingerie that was ck and partially transparent.

    The bra would barely cover her breasts as for the bottom part of the undergarment... well let''s just say that her flower garden would be clearly visible.

    Was this too much?

    What if Cami thought that she was desperate?

    No... no... what the hell was she thinking?

    The young woman began to regret her rather hasty decision.

    Maybe it was because she had been feeling tired... could that exin why she suddenly wanted to sleep with Cami?

    "Stupid..." Mary muttered quietly to herself as she turned around to walk towards her closet and put on her normal sleeping outfit.

    She took two steps and then an expression of hesitation shed across her face.

    She took in a deep breath and before she could lose her courage, she grabbed the ck lingerie set and quickly put it on.

    Fuck it.

    Maybe she did want something to happen tonight...

 Chapter 226 Lady Of The Night (50) R-18

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Main Bedchamber)

    This was a bad idea.

    Mary felt like a nervous wreck as she sat on the bed and fidgeted with her hands.

    She could hear the sounds of running water and knew that Cami was the bathroom finishing washing up.

    "Deep breaths... deep breaths..." Mary quietly whispered to herself as she felt as though her heart was beating a million times a minute.

    Every single thought in her mind was focused on what was about to happen next. These thoughts were a mix of fantasies and confusion.

    She was just doing this in order to earn Cami''s trust.

    This would be a purely physical rtionship and nothing more.

    Yes, she was beautiful and... surprisingly sweet.

    Her voice was like honey melting in her ears and her protectiveness made her heart skip a beat but...

    No! No! This was just physical.

    Mary nced at the mirror hanging on the wall opposite to the bed and saw a very pretty girl staring back at her.

    She was a young woman barely an adult with sharp angr facial features, a cute button nose and enchantingly pale skin.

    Her eyes were a piercing green colour and she possessed long flowing dark hair that fell below her shoulders.

    She wore a set of ck lingerie that turned her innocent charm into something more seductive.

    The translucent nature of the bra and panties on her body left nothing to the imagination.

    Mary absentmindedly rubbed her fingers over her breasts and discovered that her nipples were already partially hardened.

    She was aroused.

    The girl looking back at her in the mirror had a neediness and primal hunger in her eyes. Mary blushed as she realised that those emotions belonged to herself.

    Why was she feeling this way?

    Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as Mary kept stealing nces at the door leading to the bathroom waiting for it to open.

    It felt like torture as the minutes passed by.

    Part of her wanted to flee immediately to her bed chambers and quickly change her clothes while another part of her felt almost... expectant?

    In the end Mary remained frozen in ce with her fingers nervously tapping against the top of the mattress.

    The doors finally swung open, and Cami emerged from the bathroom wearing a simple white sleeping robe.

    "Ah Mary... I see you are..." Cami''s voice trailed off as she stared at the human sitting up on the bed.

    There was a tense moment of silence.

    All of Mary''s ns to seduce the beautiful female vampire flew out of the window as she did not know what to say or do.

    Cami on the other hand had to barely contained herself from jumping on the young woman and ravaging her body.

    "What... what..." Cami stuttered incoherently as her crimson eyes darkened with a mixture of lust and something more.

    Mary shyly looked down and slowly unhooked the top of her bra.

    Her exposed pink nipples appeared in in view and the cool breeze the room made them stand up even prouder.

    "I... want you..." Mary nervously spoke as she forced herself to look directly in Cami''s eyes.

    The female vampire slowly walked forward as if she was sleepwalking. If this was a dream... then she never wanted to wake up.

    She stretched out her hands and was about to fondle Mary''s perky breasts when her fingers stopped mere inches away from her flesh.

    "Are you sure?" Cami hoarsely spoke with barely contained desire hidden in her voice.

    "Yes... I... I... am sure," Mary replied bravely as she closed her eyes.

    A few minutes passed and Mary could feel beads of sweat running down from her armpits. She was mortified but patiently waited for Cami to take the first step.

    What was going to happen next?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Fortunately, she did not have to wait for long as the soft fingers of her mistress brushed against her hardened nipples

    Mary moaned as the female vampire toyed and yed with her nipples. Cami used her fingers to pluck, pull and twist.

    She was delighted by the noises that Mary was making and soon her lower regions began to moisten in anticipation.

    "I touched you once... and you are already so wet..." Cami whispered seductively as she blew a soft breath in Mary''s ear.

    "Hmm... why? Why are you so wet?"

    "I... I don''t know..." Mary gasped as Cami roughly grabbed one of her breasts and squeezed with a bit of force.

    "I think I know why... you are a naughty girl aren''t you?" the female vampire hissed as she leaned forward and begun to suck Mary''s exposed nipples.

    The young woman threw back her head and screamed as she felt the unexpected stimtion that made her head spin.

    Mary opened her eyes and Cami immediately pressed her lips against the inexperienced girl who had never known pleasure like this before.

    It was a tender and eager kiss.

    Full of passion.

    Full of love.

    Full of desire.

    Mary''s eyes widened as she felt a soft tongue enter her mouth as Cami made sure that her human pet knew who she belonged to.

    The entire time the female vampire kept staring into those lovely piercing green eyes as the flustered girl who could do little more than squirm under her ministrations.

    Cami''s lips gently curved upwards as she broke off the kiss and saw the confused expression on Mary''s face.

    "Since the day I saw you... I knew I would make you my ''toy''," Cami confessed with a smirk as she lowered her fingers and brushed them against Mary''s pussy.

    She easily tore apart the flimsy panties protecting Mary''s flower garden and her fingers began to lovingly stroke the young woman''s thighs.

    Without a warning, Cami suddenly dove one finger inside Mary''s engorged pussy and used her free hand to pull her head closer.

    "Suck on them," Camimanded in a firm tone as she ripped apart her night gown exposing tworge breasts to the air.

    Cami was a voluptuous demoness. A siren capable of seducing both men and women alike with her perfect body.

    Large breasts, firm buttocks, and a perfect face that was symmetrical. She had a beauty that could only bepared to the goddesses in heaven.

    Mary hesitantly leaned forward and captured one of Cami''s nipples between her teeth.

    The female vampire hummed in satisfaction as she used her finger to stir around Mary''s honey pot with practised motions.

    Mary writhed and twisted as she felt electric tingles run down her spine.

    She was dripping wet, and Cami''s finger made squelching noises as it stirred around inside her pussy.

    "Good girl..." the female vampire purred as she moved her finger faster and faster until Mary let out an earthshattering scream.

    She panted in shock as Cami''s other hand roamed and squeezed all over her perky breasts.

    Mary''s body was incredibly sensitive to Cami''s teasing, and it seemed like the slightest touch was enough to drown her in pleasure.

    "I... god... don''t stop... please..." Mary moaned loudly as she squealed like an animal in heat.

    "Don''t stop?" Cami cocked an eyebrow as a wicked grin spread across her face.

    "Beg me... beg me or I''ll stop."

    "Please mistress... I... I... OHHHH!" Mary shrieked as Cami moved her knee upwards and gently rubbed her lower thighs.

    She shouldn''t have done this. Vampires were the enemies of humanity.

    What would her sister think?

    All of those conflicting thoughts in Mary''s mind were immediately driven away as an orgasm rocked her entire body and caused her vision to darken.

    She cried out with a mixture of shame and pleasure as her fingers tightly gripped the sides of the bedsheets.

    Cami gently rubbed Mary''s pussy with circr motions as she allowed the young woman toe down from the high of her orgasm.

    "Did you enjoy that?" the female vampire asked with a knowing glint in her eyes.

 Chapter 227 Lady Of The Night (51) R-18

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Main Bedchamber)

    "Yes..." Mary moaned as she felt Cami''s naughty fingers trace the curve of her breasts and pinch her nipples softly.

    "Is this your first time?" the female vampire whispered sweetly as she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against the side of Mary''s neck.

    The young woman covered her face as a fierce blush began to spread across her cheeks. She could do little more than gasp as Cami started to nibble on her neck.

    "It... it is..." Mary confessed softly.

    Cami''s movements stopped and the young woman peeked through her fingertips and saw the female vampire staring at her.

    A sweet gentle smile spread across her face that made Mary feel both loved and protected.

    It was a smile that she could have sworn that she had seen somewhere before... on a different person.

    Blurry memories surfaced in her mind that were too fast for her to catch.

    "Then I better make sure that you enjoy yourself," Cami seductively whispered as she grabbed Mary''s thighs and spread them open.

    She slowly lowered her head all the while making eye contact with Mary who looked at her with clear confusion on her face.

    The female vampire licked her lips and her soft pink tongue popped out of her mouth. She gazed downwards and saw the prize that she had been looking for.

    Mary''s pussy was soft and pink with folds that were well moistened by the orgasms that had rocked her body.

    There was a small patch of hair just above her honeypot, but Cami''s didn''t mind since it did not take away from her natural beauty.

    "What are you? Ohh... fuck...." Mary''s voice trailed off into a loud moan as Cami pressed her head forward and her lips touched her pussy.

    Mary had never experienced anything like this before and the pleasure that spread out from her lower regions turned her entire brain to mush.

    "No... no... that''s dirty don''t... please... fuck... FUCK!" Mary cried out with a neediness and hunger in her eyes.

    Cami licked Mary''s pussy with a ravenous hunger as she sensed that her human pet was in heat.

    Mary arched her back and screamed as she felt a tongue flicking her clit while a mouth sucked at her folds.

    Her eyes rolled back in her head as she felt Cami''s soft lips kiss and suck at her honeypot with so much love and desire that she almost came on the spot.

    The touch of her lover was sending chills down her spine as she could not help but moan as Cami slipped two fingers inside.

    Mary''s breasts heaved and she subconsciously grabbed Cami by her head and forced her deeper inside her pussy.

    "Please... give me more..." Mary panted desperately.

    "I can''t take it... I want to cum... please... please... let me cum..."

    Cami raised up her face and Mary saw that it was covered by her juices. The sight was enough to cause her to orgasm on the spot.

    She moaned so loud that if anyone else was in the castle then surely, they would have heard her cries of pleasure.

    "Want to try something new?" Cami asked with a teasing glint in her eyes.

    Mary nodded slowly with anticipation building in her heart about what was going to happen next.

    She watched as Cami gently grabbed her body and positioned her in a strange way.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her legs were slipped between Cami''s own, and their pussies were mere inches away from each other.

    It was all so new and exciting!

    "Let me teach you baby... just follow my lead," Cami cooed softly as she bit her lips.

    "Let your mistress show you what real pleasure is. You will never find this with anyone other than me."

    The raw sex appeal surrounding her body made Mary''s lower lips immediately moisten as she waited for the female vampire to teach her more about pleasure.

    Cami began to slowly move her legs and her pussy brushed against Mary''s honeypot. They were clit to clit... hips working up and down... legs locked together.

    It was a bit difficult for Mary to follow along at first but once she fell into the rhythm... it was easy to see why Cami suggested this position.

    "I''m going to fuck you..." Cami growled as she aggressively started to hump Mary''s pussy with passion.

    The young woman let out a loud moan as she felt pure pleasure. It was bliss and relief that she had never felt when touching herself.

    "I''m going to... I''m going to..." Mary gasped for breath.

    "Let me watch you cum," Cami growled darkly as she locked eyes with Mary and began to kiss her mouth.

    "I want to see you moan... moan for me princess..."

    Mary knew that she was not straight but her hidden fantasies about sleeping with a woman could not match a fraction of the pleasure that she got from the real thing.

    She was being held tightly in Cami''s embrace while their hips worked together in perfect tandem.

    She was being fucked.

    No... she was being made love to.

    After tonight... everything would change. She was having sex with a woman! The most beautiful woman that she had ever seen.

    That thought sent Mary over the edge as pleasure exploded in her mind. She vaguely heard Cami also cry out in ecstasy but was too distracted by her own orgasm.

    "Good girl... you''re my good girl..." Cami softly whispered as she slowly moved her legs out of the scissoring position.

    She crawled up the bed and lowered her head when her mouth was just above Mary''s perky breasts.

    She captured one of her pink nipples in her mouth and began to suck.

    Mary''s ssy-eyed expression only served to amplify the feeling of conquest that surged through Cami''s heart.

    This human was hers.

    Now and forever more.

    She would never let her get away.

    The rest of the night passed almost like a blur for Mary as she could only recall being brought to the brink again and again.

    Cami wouldn''t let her cum unless she told her that she loved her. She was licked, fingered, and scissored to orgasms so many times that she lost count.

    Thest memory in her mind was Cami sliding down her body and licking her cunt with practised motions.

 Chapter 228 Lady Of The Night (52)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Pce Eden- Main Bedroom)

    Mary opened her eyes and winced as she felt a soreness in her lower regions. The bedroom waspletely dark since heavy curtains had been drawn over the windows.

    It must be sometime in the day but what time exactly... she had no idea.

    The young woman nced at the voluptuous naked body next to her and the events ofst night flooded her mind.

    She remembered Cami devouring her pussy with hungry licks that drove her wild with ecstasy.

    Her mistress had sucked her nipples, breasts, neck, every single inch of her body like a beast in heat overwhelmed by hunger and desire.

    Mary''s face flushed bright red as she recalled how she begged and pleaded with Cami to let her cum.

    When had she gotten so submissive?

    Cami''s naked body was only a few inches away and thanks to Mary''s pupil technique, she could easily see in the dark.

    The beautiful female vampire''s back was covered in scratches that were slowly beginning to heal as well as numerous hickeys across her neck and upper shoulders.

    Mary slowly got out of bed feeling a bit... conflicted.

    She took onest look at Cami and saw tiny droplets of blood on the white sheets. The proof that her virginity had been takenst night.

    Mary stumbled slightly as she took a step forward and had to circte sunlight energy throughout her body in order to recover.

    How long did they have sex for? Hours?

    The young woman somehow managed to shuffle her way to the bedroom and saw a reflection of herself on the mirror hanging on the wall.

    By the gods... she looked like a fucking mess.

    The woman looking back at her in the mirror had an exhausted expression on her face and dark circles under her eyes.

    Her face was covered with pussy juices, her perky breasts were swaying slightly, and her nipples were now a bright red colour after suffering Cami''s vigorous sucking.

    Mary could not count the number of red marks scattered across her body from where Cami had roughly given her hickeys.

    Marking her.

    Making sure that she knew who she belonged to.

    That thought caused Mary''s legs to tremble and a soft moan escaped her mouth.

    The woman in the mirror was making an expression that she did not know that she was capable of making.

    Wanton desire and lust could be seen in her piercing green eyes.

    Mary shook her head and tried to restore herself to a more presentable appearance. Step one of her n had beenpletedst night.

    She had sessfully won Cami''s heart using her body and now the female vampire would be less suspicious of her actions.

    "All part of the n..." Mary whispered softly to herself as her reflection smiled back as if mocking her for her naivety.

    Who exactly was falling for who?

    Mary did not want the answer to that question because she feared that perhaps her feelings for Cami were getting... real.

    But how could it ever work out?

    She would get old and eventually die while Cami would remain forever beautiful. An eternal beauty untouched by the passage of time.

    Mary felt depressed as she imagined herself as just one of Cami''s countless lovers throughout her long lifetime.

    The young woman reached for the handle on the sink and slowly turned it. She sshed water on her face to wake herself up.

    Just focus on the present.

    She would escape from this ce in the next few years and then her time spent with Cami would eventually fade away to a distant memory.

    That thought made her heart hurt quite a bit, but Mary forced those feelings down by focusing on cleaning up her body.

    She stepped into the shower and shivered as the ice-cold water fell on her body. Mary reached for a nearby bar of soap and began to scrub herself vigorously.

    She could swear that Cami''s stench got even stronger the more she cleaned herself.

    Mary frowned slightly as she looked at the bar of soap in her palm and discovered that it was the brand that mistress used.

    Her body now smelled of fresh roses... exactly like the woman who had taken her virginityst night.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mary let out heavy sigh and finished washing up. She wrapped a towel around her body and then walked out of the bathroom.

    Cami was still fast asleep and had not woken up yet since it was not nighttime. Mary''s footsteps paused as she lingered by the entrance to the bedroom.

    She did not know why but she was suddenly struck by the urge to do something.

    Mary gathered up the courage in her heart and rushed over to Cami''s naked body with quick steps.

    She leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss on her mistress'' lips and then like a guilty child she quickly fled from the bedroom.

    All part of the n...

    Maryughed mockingly as she knew that maybe the only person, she was trying to fool was herself.

    The young woman headed for her private bedchamber and put on a light pair of training clothes for the day ahead.

    Her body was incredibly sore, but she still needed to finish her housework chores and do some training.

    She was Cami''s knight and she intended to gain as much strength as possible in order to escape this ce... and... maybe to protect her mistress as well.

    Mary nced out of a window and saw that the sun was already beginning to sink towards the horizon.

    Huh... she had slept for over ten hours...

    It was now the evening which meant that Cami would be waking up soon.

    For some reason Mary felt quite nervous at the prospect of encountering her mistress after the night that they had spent together.

    How were people supposed to interact after sex?

    Should sheplement Cami''s skills?

    What if she wanted to go again? Would her body be able to take it?

    Numerous thoughts ran through Mary''s head as she wandered through the castle in a daze.

    She absentmindedly grabbed a broom and began to sweep the kitchen and dining room.

    Doing housework helped to take her mind off the inevitable awkward conversation that would happenter.

    No... what if Cami was disappointed since she was so inexperienced?

    Mary dropped the broomstick in shock as she realised something aboutst night that she had not considered yet.

    Cami was the one who did all the work!

    What if her mistress was disappointed in herck of sex skills?

    Mary nervously picked up the broom and resumed sweeping as beads of sweat ran down her forehead.

    No... she was clearly overthinking this.

    Right?

    But what if she wasn''t?

    No... no... Cami would have said something if she didn''t like it.

    But what if she was just being polite?

    The young woman who had experienced sex for the first time was in a state of panic as she went through various possibilities in her mind.

    If Mary had the memories from Sui Li''s previous worlds, then she would not have been so restless but unfortunately... she did not.

    Now she was feeling the same emotions that many people felt after having sex for the first time.

    Nervousness about whether or not their partner enjoyed it as well.

    Mary immediately headed for the training field after finishing cleaning the dinning room and picked up a long sword from the weapons rack.

    She began to swing the sword with practised motions as she tried her best to calm down and think rationally.

    All she could do was observe Cami''s reaction when she woke up and if she was disappointed well... she would work harder!

    Mary swung the sword with a bit more force as she made a promise to work on her skills for their next night together.

    Maybe she would be the one on top next time!

 Chapter 229 Lady Of The Night (53)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Training Field)

    Mary wiped the beads of sweat from her brow as she swung her sword one more time at the training target.

    The edge of her de neatly bisected the training dummy in half. It was a smooth, clean cut and yet the young woman did not seem satisfied with the result.

    I can do better¡­

    No¡­ I have done better.

    Vague memories surfaced in Mary''s mind of a muscr female knight fighting off multiple bandits by herself.

    The way she moved¡­ the way she expertly dodged¡­ the way she killed without mercy or remorse¡­

    Mary was not at her level yet.

    She did not know who that woman was but for some reason there was a sense of familiarity in her mind.

    As if she and the mysterious woman were the same person.

    Mary tossed those strange thoughts to the back of her mind and concentrated on her breathing exercises.

    She took in a deep breath, counted to ten and the gently exhaled. She repeated the process a few more times until her heart rate slowed down.

    Her training session was now over.

    The young woman ced the longsword back on the weapons rack and then walked towards the exit door.

    Her shirt clung to her body and the vague form of her lean but muscr figure could be seen outlined against her clothes.

    Mary hissed in pain as the soreness between her legs red up once more. Maybe she should search around the castle for some pain relief medicine?

    Was the first time supposed to make you feel exhausted and sore the morning after?

    Maybe it was because her partner had been immortal vampire who did not run out of energy even after hours of lovemaking.

    A faint red blush began to spread up Mary''s cheeks as she remembered the way Cami had looked at herst night.

    The hunger and longing in her gaze.

    It made her feel wanted¡­ it made her feel desired.

    Mary walked through the castle with numerous thoughts on her mind.

    By now Cami should have woken up which meant that she would eventually run into her mistress.

    What should she do? How should she react?

    Mary could not help but feel nervous as she pictured the number of ways that the conversation could go wrong.

    No¡­ no¡­ she was overthinking this.

    Cami and her just had a purely physical rtionship¡­ there was no need to stress or panic.

    Speaking of the devil¡­

    Mary''s footsteps slowed down as she saw a figure standing patiently at the end of the corridor with her back leaning against a nearby wall.

    Cami was wearing a red dress that elegantly fell down to her ankles. The dressplemented her luscious red lips and the crimson glow of her eyes.

    Her short raven coloured hair was slightly messy but did little to diminish her otherworldly beauty and grace.

    Mary felt her breath hitch as the beautiful female vampire locked eyes with her.

    Cami''s expression shifted slightly, and Mary could not figure out the emotions hidden behind her steely gaze.

    There was a brief moment of silence between the pair as neither knew what to say.

    Mary was waiting for Cami to start talking while the female vampire wanted her human pet to speak first.

    As a result¡­ no one talked.

    Finally unable to bear the silence any longer, Mary summoned up all the courage in her heart and decided to make the first move.

    "Good night mistress¡­ I¡­ hope that you slept well¡­" Mary nervously stammered as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.

    "I had the most pleasant sleep¡­ especially with you by my side," Cami whispered sensually as she stepped closer.

    She reached out with her hand and lightly brushed the side of Mary''s cheek.

    Desire and love could clearly be seen in her crimson eyes as her fingers touched the bite marks and hickeys on her human pet''s skin.

    "Did you enjoyst night?" Cami asked gently as she leaned forward and ced a soft kiss on Mary''s lips.

    The young woman felt as though she was going to melt away as she tasted the familiar softness of her mistress'' lips.

    She was drowning in a sea of pleasure.

    "Yes¡­but¡­" Mary broke off the kiss and hesitantly spoke.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "It was my first time¡­ I will be better next time mistress¡­ I''m sorry that I wasn''t able to return the favour¡­"

    Camiughed and ced a palm over her mouth to muffle the giggles that escaped her lips.

    She wrapped her arms around Mary and pulled her in for a tight embrace.

    "It was my first time as well," Cami nonchntly spoke as if it were not a big deal.

    "I have never considered any vampire¡­ or human for that matter as worthy enough to touch my body."

    "Except for you."

    Cami''s lips curved upwards as she felt bubbly emotions in her heart that she had not felt for centuries.

    When was thest time that a person made her feel this way?

    The closest thing that she could remember to this kind of warmth was from the days when she was the First Ancestor''s youngest daughter.

    But the love she felt for Mary was different from the familial love that she felt for the man who had adopted her.

    This love was mixed with lust and desire.

    "You did not disappoint mest night," Cami solemnly spoke as she stared into Mary''s eyes and let her human lover know just how serious she was.

    "We can learn together. Don''t worry¡­"

    "I will make sure that you get plenty of practice."

    Cami grinned wickedly as her right hand roamed downwards. She gave Mary''s ass a tight squeeze that caused the young woman to moan.

    Mary''s face flushed red as she heard the raw emotions in Cami''s voice. Not for the first time, she found herself feeling a bit conflicted.

    The desire to leave this ce¡­ was slowly fading with every passing day.

    It was selfish of her to think like this.

    Especially when her sister was out there not knowing whether she was alive or dead.

    And yet¡­ Mary could not help but feel that maybe it would not be so bad to spend at least the next few years in a castle with Cami.

    The two of them¡­ alone. In this secret world with no outsiders.

    "I have not said this before," Cami''s voice suddenly broke Mary out of her train of thought.

    "But I am incredibly grateful that you were the one who woke me up. I could not imagine anyone else being able to rouse me from my slumber."

    "Something about your blood¡­ even though the taste is quite unpleasant is oddly addicting."

    "I''m grateful as well mistress," Mary replied softly.

    "To have the opportunity to train and be stronger. To not be locked away as a blood ve or livestock."

    "I promise¡­ I will be your faithful knight."

    The pledge escaped Mary''s lips before she fully realised what she had just said. For a brief moment it was like another person was talking through her body.

    Cami warmly smiled as she heard the promise of her human pet. She had sessfully turned a Sun-Born human into her loyal servant.

    Although the method had been quite¡­ unusual.

    She could not help but feel confident about the road ahead.

    The princes may haverge ns and powerful connections but those would be useless against a human directly blessed by the sun.

    Plus, Cami had confidence in her own powers and abilities.

    She kept hugging Mary for a few more minutes before reluctantly letting her go when she heard a soft growling from her human''s stomach.

    "Why don''t you get something to eat and then you can meet me in the Annex," Cami suggested softly.

    "Okay mistress¡­ I''ll see you soon," Mary replied with a trace of embarrassment in her voice.

    Mary bowed and then walked towards the kitchen. She could hear Cami''s footsteps turning around and going in the opposite direction.

    There was a strange sense of loss in her heart as she temporarily parted ways with her vampire mistress.

    As Mary headed for the kitchen to make herself a light breakfast¡­ or dinner technically if you looked at the time, she could not help but think about the conversation earlier.

    That oath¡­

    Why did she say that?

    Being her loyal knight? But she would be leaving eventually¡­

    Maybe Cami coulde with her to the human-controlled territory? Mary rubbed her temples using her fingertips as she felt a massive headacheing on.

    Hopefully it would all work out.

 Chapter 230 Lady Of The Night (54)

    (Northern Region a€¡° Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Unnamed Forest)

    Mary moved silently below the shade of the tall leafy trees as she kept her eyes out for any traces of movement or destroyed vegetation.

    Today was a rather special day of training.

    Well... not really training.

    The meat supplies were getting a bit low in the castle, so she had decided to go hunting today to replenish the stocks.

    Mary wasn''t sure exactly how but somehow, she had the knowledge of how to smoke wild meat as well as turn it into jerky.

    Maybe it was something that she had picked up from her experiences in other worlds. Either way it was useful knowledge to have.

    There were no supermarkets out here and besides Mary wasn''t exactly sure if they sold proper food for humans in the Northern Region.

    The young woman continued to move quickly through the forest with an arrow nocked loosely on her bow.

    There was also a sword attached to her hip, but Mary wanted to practise her archery skills, so she did not intend to use it today.

    Hunting was not as exciting as one would initially assume. Suitable prey was not usually found hanging out in the open.

    Hunting was a game of patience.

    The predator waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

    Several hours passed without any luck and Mary was beginning to feel a bit bored at the monotony of the whole affair.

    Long shadows were cast on the forest floor and only small traces of sunlight illuminated the darkness of the jungle''s depths.

    Mary''s piercing green eyes shed gold as she finally saw something that seemed out of ce in the undisturbed forest.

    Her eyes immediately zeroed in on a few nts that had clearly been trampled by a wild animal.

    Mary walked up to the scene of the wreckage and saw arge hoof print in the mud that had yet to fade away.

    Hmm... what animal was that?

    It didn''t look too familiar...

    The young woman frowned as her brows furrowed slightly. She knelt down and used her fingers to trace the outline of the print mark.

    Mary stood up after a few seconds and searched around the nearby surroundings for any clues as to which direction the animal went.

    She saw more trampled nts and several hoof marks only a few hundred metres ahead of her current position.

    Her lips curved upwards as she realised that the marks were fresher than she had initially anticipated which meant that the animal was close by.

    Mary ran forward with quick, quiet steps in the direction of the animal.

    She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as the thrill of the hunt had her blood flowing with a great deal of excitement.

    The trail eventually led to a small clearing with ake in the middle of the field.

    Arge four-legged animal with a magnificent pair of antlers was currently drinking from the water''s edge.

    A reindeer.

    Mary''s fingers nocked an arrow on her bowstring, but her fingers paused as she aimed the weapon at the animal.

    No... she needed protein.

    Especially considering the amount of energy that she burned everyday thanks to her intense training regiment.

    "I''m sorry," Mary softly whispered as she let go of the bowstring and arrow flew towards the neck of the animal.

    It prated its thick hide of fur with ease and lodged itself in the middle of its neck. The reindeer immediately copsed to the ground.

    Blood spurted out of the open wound and Mary approached it cautiously. An injured prey could sometimes be the most dangerous.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The life slowly began to fade out of the reindeer''s eyes as the hunter approached it. Mary pulled the arrow out of its neck and carefully washed it in the river.

    She gazed at therge carcass and then knelt down to lift it up.

    It may sound ridiculous that a neen-year-old girl would attempt to lift up an animal that weighed over one hundred and eighty kilograms, but Mary did it with ease.

    She was now far stronger, faster, and possessed more stamina than a normal human.

    Hell... Mary was sure that she was about the same level as top hunters.

    Even though Cami and her were in some sort of romantic rtionship albeit one that was heavily physical... her mistress never went easy on her during training.

    As a result, Mary''s power had grown in leaps and bounds as evident by the golden markings that briefly surfaced on her skin.

    The young woman lifted the reindeer up using both hands and then proceeded to walk towards the ck castle in the distance.

    Honestly the hardest part about carrying the reindeer back was itsrge size as well as the blood that dripped down from the open wound in its neck and stained her clothes.

    Mary wandered through the forest and listened to the merry cries of the birds high above in the treetops.

    The forested outskirts outside of the castle truly felt like one of thest frontiers of wildness on the.

    It was an ancient ce untouched by either humans or vampires. There was a primal beauty to it that one could not ignore.

    Mary idly wondered if the forest would be here long after both vampires and humans had disappeared from earth''s history.

    It took around one hour to reach back to the castle and Mary felt a vague sense of relief as she approached its thick walls.

    Actually, she felt more than relief. After spending so many months inside the castle... it was beginning to feel like home.

    That was quite the frightening thought since her desire to escape was fading by the day.

    Especially during her lovemaking sessions with Cami...

    Mary''s face flushed bright red as she recalled some new moves in the bedroom that Cami had tried on herst night.

    The whip marks on her back had healed but she could still remember the bursts of pain mixed with pleasure that had rocked her world.

    It didn''t feel too bad...

    Mary tossed those dirty thoughts to the back of her mind as she walked around to the back of the castle and approached the cer.

    This is where she stored most of her meat before she processed them. Mary opened the heavy metal doors blocking the cer''s entrance and went inside.

    The cer was arge open space, and one could smell the faint coppery odour of blood mixed with smoke.

    There were several metal hooks hanging from the ceiling along with bowls on the ground.

    Mary grunted as she attached the reindeer''s corpse to one of the hooks and moved several bowls below it.

    The first step in preserving meat was to bleed out the animal. Mary reached into her pocket and pulled out a small knife.

    She made a series of cuts along the reindeer''s belly and blood began to slowly drip out of the new wounds.

    Now all she had to do was wait for a few hours and thene back and cut the meat into suitable chunks.

    Mary yawned sleepily as she walked out of the cer and closed the doors behind her. Thest thing she needed was for some wild scavenger to stumble upon a free meal.

    As she walked into the castle, Mary felt a wave of exhaustion hit her all at once. Perhaps hunting had been more tiring than she had realised.

    The young woman yawned again and stumbled slightly as she headed up the stairs to her bedchambers.

    First, she needed to take a shower and get out of these filthy clothes. Then maybe she would take a nap or read a book from the castle library.

    Mary''s footsteps paused as she stopped outside the master bedroom. She opened the doors and took a peek inside.

    Cami was fast asleep.

    Mary did not know why but a warm smile shed across her face as her eyes lingered on her mistress'' sleeping body.

 Chapter 231 Lady Of The Night (55)

    (Southern Region- Loyren Town)

    Loyren Town may be called a town but truthfully that was just in name only.

    It was nothing more than a vige left behind by the industrial revolution that had swept through the country in the early eighties.

    The young and those with families had long abandoned the vige leaving behind the frail and the elderly.

    There was a sense of destion in the air as well as an eerie stillness as if something was holding its breath.

    That was the impression that Lily got as she stepped out of the car and looked around the vige carefully.

    Most of the buildings were in various states of disrepair. Roofs were partially broken and missing tiles, walls were cracked and several doors were just missing.

    There was a handful of residents in the distance sitting down in what used to be a lively town square but was now nothing more than a relic of the past.

    Lily let out a heavy sigh and kept her eyes peeled for anything that was suspicious.

    The sun was shining brightly high above in the sky so it was unlikely that the vampire that she was hunting down would be active.

    Still... it never hurt to be cautious.

    Lily observed that the elderly residents in the town square were looking at her silently with expressionless masks on their faces.

    Should she approach them first?

    Lily frowned slightly as she felt a heavy weightnd on her shoulder. She turned around and saw Finley smiling at her with a roguish glint in his soft brown eyes.

    "Lily babe... you got to rx... we got a few hours before nighttime," the handsome boy said casually as he squeezed her shoulder.

    "Why don''t you and I spend some time together?"

    Finley smirked and winked at the young woman who pursed her lips together with barely concealed annoyance.

    She politely removed Finley''s hand from her shoulder and then took several steps away from him.

    "Can you please be serious and focus on the mission?" Lily sighed heavily as she crossed her arms and looked at the boy who never appeared to take anything seriously.

    "There have been five victims so far and we need to hunt down this vampire before anyone else gets hurt."

    "I am going to speak to the locals and try to get more information... you just... just... don''t get into any trouble."

    Finley scowled as he watched Lily walk off towards the residents hanging about in the town square without even sparing him a backwards nce.

    He didn''t understand what was going on. The charms of a half vampire were almost impossible for normal humans to resist.

    Lily was... special.

    Finley did not know what exactly was special about her but something about the young woman made his heart skip a beat.

    He wanted her for himself.

    A possessive glint surfaced in the dhampir''s eyes as he looked at the retreating woman''s back and licked his lips.

    It was a good thing that Lily had not seen what he just did because she would have been creeped out even more.

    "Alright... you can do this," Lily whispered quietly to herself as she passed a few run-down shacks on her way to the town square.

    Her first vampire hunting mission.

    She felt a mixture of both fear and excitement at the prospect of hunting down a monster from the race that had killed her sister.

    She was rtively confident in her skills, but practice was a lot different from a real battle.

    Lily was well aware that she had several shorings, but she was prepared to work hard to be the best vampire hunter.

    Some may call it a foolish goal especially for an ordinary human who did not belong to any ancient families but...

    Lily was determined to be the best. It was this drive that was the main reason why she had no time for either Ian or Finley.

    Although frankly speaking... they were both annoying.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Finley much more than Ian because at least her senior knew when to back off. Finley just never seemed to be able to control himself.

    Lily let out another sigh as she felt a headacheing on.

    Her school days had not been pleasant so hopefully sessfullypleting this mission would raise her ss standing.

    "Good morning," Lily said pleasantly as she approached the group of elderly residents and waved politely.

    "I am a vampire hunter sent by the Association. Any information that you may have on the vampire in this area would be greatly appreciated."

    "In fact, there is a substantial cash rewar..."

    "Fuck off," came a blunt reply.

    "Excuse me?" Lily spoke with a tinge of disbelief in her voice.

    "You heard me..." the voice came from an old man in the back of the group who leaned against a nearby tree.

    "We aint like your kind around her girl... you hunters are no better than those bloodthirsty demons..."

    "I''m only trying to..." Lily tried to protest but was interrupted again and this time by an elderly woman leaning on a wooden cane.

    "Help? Oh please... we know how this works... you ''solve'' our vampire trouble and then demand money," the woman scowled fiercely.

    "Look at us... we aint got nothing to spare. You bastards took everything from usst time... we aint got nothing now."

    Lily looked at the residents and saw that most of them wore clothes that had been well worn with holes, stitches and even tears in the fabric.

    One of the elderly men spat on the ground near her feet and Lily had to close her eyes and take a few deep breaths.

    Okay... don''t lose your temper... don''t lose your temper...

    Her eyelids were closed so no one saw that her piercing green eyes kept flickering between their normal colour and a golden hue.

    Lily opened her eyes and decided to go about this a different way.

    Getting help from the residents was technically not necessary but she had a feeling that they could provide valuable information.

    "Maybe we got off on the wrong foot," Lily calmly spoke as she maintained eye contact with the elderly man who she assumed was the leader of the group.

    "I am not an official vampire hunter... I am only a trainee which means that I have been sent on a mission to eliminate the vampire living in this vige."

    "I will not ask for anypensation from you all. Just let me know which areas of the vige has the creature been active."

    "Where have the corpses been found?"

    There was a brief moment of silence as the elderly man leaning against the tree stared into Lily''s eyes as if searching for something.

    Finally, he opened his mouth and reluctantly spoke, "Alright girl... if you walk down this street you''ll arrive at Old Joseph''s house."

    "It''s got a red door so you can''t miss it. Speak to Joseph and he''ll tell you what you need to know... but make sure you give him some money."

    "Thank you," Lily politely replied as she walked away in the direction that the elderly man pointed.

    She could feel the hard stares watching her as she walked away, but she simply straightened out her back and walked confidently.

    So far, this mission had not been going super well but at least she had managed to find a lead.

    Now all she needed to do was speak to this Joseph character and take a short rest before night fell.

    Lily walked for around ten minutes until she finally arrived at a house that seemed a bit out of ce.

    Evenpared to the homes around it... this house looked as though it was about to copse if even the slightest gust of wind blew against it.

    Lily nced at the front door and saw that it was bright red colour. This was the ce that the elderly man had told her to go.

    The young woman approached the door and softly knocked against its wooden frame using her knuckles.

    It took a few seconds but eventually she heard footstepsing from the other side. Hopefully this resident would be a bit friendlier than the rest.

 Chapter 232 Lady Of The Night (56)

    "Who is it?" a soft voice came from the other side of the door. The voice was gentle and melodic with the hint of an ent that Lily did not recognise.

    "Good day sir. My name is Lily, and I am with the Hunters Association. May I speak to you for a moment regarding the recent vampire attacks?" Lily politely asked.

    There was a brief moment of silence and then the red door slowly opened.

    An elderly man came into view, and he was dressed much differently than the other residents of the vige.

    He wore a sharp ck tuxedo and a in blue tie thatplemented his doe-shaped eyes.

    There was a well trimmed beard covering the bottom half of his chin and the wrinkles on his forehead only added to his charm.

    He had the appearance of an elderly gentleman and there was an aura of kindness wrapped around his body.

    "Pleasee inside¡­ you can call me Joseph," the elderly man softly whispered as he gestured for Lily to enter his home.

    Lily nodded and stered a friendly smile on her face as she walked inside the house.

    Despite its less than ster exterior¡­ the inside of the house was rtively clean and well maintained.

    There was not a speck of dust on the furniture and the living room that she entered would not look out of ce in a rich person''s home.

    There was a zing firece in the corner of the room, severalrge bookshelves filled with books and a single couch in the center.

    In front of the couch was a wooden table where several opened booksy quietly as if waiting for their master to return.

    Actually, if there was one aspect of the house that Lily did not understand it was the fact that there were no windows.

    When the door closed the only sources of the light came from the firece and an old lightbulb that hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room.

    Maybe it was a unique architectural choice?

    Joseph walked over to the couch with slow, halting steps. Lily didn''t notice it at first, but he walked with a slight limp in his left leg.

    Despite this disability, she observed that he did not need to use a cane as if he was used to walking like this without one.

    He sat down on the couch and then shuffled slightly to the right to make some room for her to sit down as well.

    Lily sat down next to the elderly man while secretly observing her immediate surroundings for any hidden threats.

    She could not sense anything out of ce or dangerous but still¡­ something about this situation just wasn''t quite right.

    ? She just couldn''t put her finger on what exactly the problem was.

    "What do you want to know?" Joseph finally broke the awkward silence with a question.

    Lily took a moment topose herself and then opened her mouth to ask a series of questions that were on her mind,

    "Anything that will be useful to my investigation. Such as the location of the attacks, what was the interval between them and are there any connections between the victims?"

    "Have there been any rumors and have any strangers entered the vige in thest few months?"

    The elderly man hummed softly when Lily finished speaking and then without saying a word he got up and shuffled over to the kitchen.

    Lily wasn''t sure what was going on but since this old man was her only lead, she could not do anything but patiently wait for him to finish whatever he was doing.

    Joseph entered the kitchen and Lily could hear the sound of running watering from the sink.

    It took two minutes for the old gentleman to return and when he did, he was holding two small cups of tea.

    He handed one of the cups to Lily and with a grandfatherly smile on his face, he urged the young woman to drink.

    "Thank you," Lily politely spoke as she raised up the cup to her lips and pretended to take a sip from its contents.

    The smile on the old man''s face widened as he sat back down on the couch with a cup in his left hand.

    "I envy the vampires," Joseph casually spoke as he stared off into the distance with an unknown emotion surfacing in his eyes.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "You are young, so you don''t know yet but¡­ aging is a curse. Every day my body grows weaker and weaker¡­ my muscles wither and my memories start to fade."

    "Look at me now¡­ I used to be such a handsome man in my youth and yet¡­ when I look in the mirror all I see is a man long past his prime."

    There was a bitter emotion in Joseph''s voice as his eyes gazed at his palms that were covered in wrinkles.

    "You don''t have to say anything," Joseph raised up his hand and silenced Lily who was about to speak.

    "Just take my words as the ramblings of an old man who longs for his youth. Who knows that he does not have much time left in this world."

    The elderly man sighed heavily, and a dark shadow crossed his face.

    Lily did not know how to react to the sudden shift in the mood, so she tried to get the conversation back on track.

    "I''m sorry but¡­ vampires are bloodthirsty monsters. Immortality is not worth the price that one has to pay," Lily spoke with a serious expression on her face.

    "You say that now," Joseph smiled bitterly as he took a sip from his cup.

    "Trust me¡­ everyone eventually thinks just like me when you reach my age."

    He tapped the side of his cup three times, and a cold chill blew through the room. Lily frowned since she could not see any air conditioners or fans.

    "I''m sorry," Joseph whispered as he suddenly flung his cup against the wall and the liquid sshed on the ground.

    Lily felt a tingle run down her spine and her body moved automatically. She jumped off the couch just as a palm erupted from the wooden floor beneath her feet.

    The hand was ethereally pale with thick wriggling green veins that pulsated unnaturally. Lily watched in horror as a creature pulled itself up from beneath the floorboards.

    The humanoid figure waspletely naked. He had a skinny body with ribs that could clearly be seen protruding against the sides of his chest.

    The crimson eyes and the sharp fangs clearly visible inside the monster''s mouth made it quite clear what the fiend was.

    A vampire.

    Lily tried to reach for her bow, but the vampire''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    He reached her side in a heartbeat and punched forward.

    Crack!

    Lily flew backwards and crashed against a wall with a sickening thud. She gasped for breath and spat out a mouthful of blood.

    Joseph had retreated to the corner of the room and was watching what was happening with emotionless eyes.

    The vampire made a hissing noise that almost sounded likeughter. He slowly approached Lily who could feel the shadow of death hovering over her body.

    Was this how her life was going to end?

    She wanted to kill all the vampires and yet¡­ she was about to die at the hands of a lesser one.

    Lily struggled to her feet and spat out yet another mouthful of blood. This time there was a tooth inside the crimson puddle.

    "Silly little hunter¡­ you think that¡­ what?" the vampire''s voice trailed off in shock as he saw something that didn''t make sense.

    The aura surrounding the human woman barely standing before him suddenly changed as if someone had flipped a switch.

    Her piercing green eyes shifted to a golden hue and strange markings appeared on her skin.

    The injuries that he had just inflicted began to heal at a rate that wasparable to a high-ss vampire.

    Lily stared at the vampire and all the fear in her heart slowly drained away. She did not know what was happening but¡­

    She felt good.

    As if all the power in the world was at her fingertips.

 Chapter 233 Lady Of The Night (57)

    "What the hell?" the vampire could not believe what he was seeing. The young hunter who just moments ago was on the verge of death had somehow stood up.

    No... not just that...

    Her body was rapidly regenerating and her eyes...

    Somehow, they had turned golden.

    The vampire did not know what was happening, so he decided to kill the young girl and drink her blood.

    He rushed forward so quickly that his body turned into a blur. No ordinary human would be able to react to his speed.

    The vampire punched forward but this time his fist met empty air. The hunter shifted her head slightly to the left and dodged the blow with ease.

    Then she cocked back her fist and drove it straight into the vampire''s belly.

    This time the bloodthirsty fiend was the one to fly backwards and he mmed into the wall with a sickening thump.

    Slow... howe he was so slow?

    Lily tilted her head in confusion as she felt the power flowing through her body intensify. It was like something hot was flowing through her blood.

    Her mind was extremely clear and calm.

    It almost felt as though someone else had taken over her body and she was merely a puppet dancing on the strings of her unknown master.

    Lily reached for her weapon and nocked an arrow on the bowstring with slow and careful movements.

    The vampire emerged from the rubble and screamed in pain. The wall had cracked slightly, and a beam of sunlightnded on his shoulder.

    His flesh immediately began to sear and the pain that the vampire felt made him immediately move out of the way.

    He nced at his burnt arm and frowned heavily. His right arm was nowpletely useless unless he could somehow heal himself.

    Unfortunately for the monster... he would never get the chance.

    While the vampire was distracted by his injury, he did not notice that Lily had already let go of the arrow on her bowstring.

    An arrow flew through the air surrounded by golden mes that burned with a supernatural brightness.

    Lily''s golden eyes glowed and the mes intensified until the arrow was surrounded by a roaring ball of fire looked almost like a miniature sun.

    "Erghh..." the vampire only had time to let out a dull groan of pain before the arrow struck him right in the middle of his chest.

    His flesh burst into mes that slowly spread throughout his body and burned him alive. It was a horrific death.

    Lily watched emotionlessly as the vampire copsed on the ground and screamed until his vocal cords had been destroyed.

    The mes burned him inch by inch until his once pale skin became charred and ck.

    The vampire shot a look of pure hatred mixed with terror at Lily who simply stared at him until he died.

    Joseph trembled in the corner of the room and arge wet stain appeared in his pants as those terrible golden eyes locked on him.

    It was like he was staring at a primal beast.

    Lily blinked twice and her eyes returned to their normal green hue. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a pair of metalloid handcuffs.

    "For your crimes of aiding a vampire... you will be charged and arrested," Lily calmly spoke as she put the metal cuffs on Joseph.

    When the strange power vanished, she no longer felt the urge the kill and her original personality returned.

    She was angry at the viger for trying to get her killed but her feelings were no excuse to ignore proper procedure.

    Vampire hunters were not human killers.

    "Lily! Are you alright?!" Finley burst into the room holding a long sword that glowed faintly under the sunlight.

    "Yes... the vampire has already been disposed of and I have arrested his coborator," Lily replied casually as she gestured towards the ckened corpse.

    Finley''s eyes widened with surprise as he saw the body.

    His dhampir senses were going haywire telling him that there is... or rather was a threat in this room.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "What happened?" Finley asked curiously as he put away the sword and approached Lily who seemed oddly calm.

    "I will tell youter... for now let us head back to the academy and give a report to our superiors," Lily softly spoke as she stretched out her arms.

    "Here... take him."

    She roughly pushed Joseph towards Finley and the old man stumbled slightly. His eyes were unfocused, and his body trembled violently.

    He refused to make eye contact with Lily and kept muttering iprehensible words under his breath.

    "Demon... demon... golden eyed... demon..." Joseph kept whispering over and over again as if he had lost his mind.

    Finley felt very confused about what was going on but obeyed Lily''s order and grabbed the elderly man by his arm.

    The pair walked out of the run-down shack and through the vige with the prisoner tightly held in Finley''s grasp.

    They received looks of animosity and fear from the vigers, but none were brave enough to ask the hunters where they were taking Joseph.

    "Your vampire problem has been solved," Lily''s footsteps paused as she passed the elderly vigers hanging out in the town square.

    "Thank you..." one of the old men spoke with barely concealed anger in his voice. Lily raised an eyebrow but continued walking forward.

    Clearly Joseph was not only one who knew about the vampire living in the vige but that was a matter for the police to investigate.

    Immortality...

    Lily could understand why for the residents of this forgotten town perhaps it was an offer too tempting to refuse.

    Who didn''t want to live forever?

    The young woman let out a heavy sigh as she thought about what to write down in the report. Clearly what had just happened to her was very unusual.

    She had never heard of a hunter suddenly receiving arge boost of power unless they used a secret technique.

    And golden eyes? What did Joseph mean by that?

    Her vision had certainly improved when the power flowed through her body... had her eye colour changed as well?

    Lily frowned slightly as she took out a small note pad from her pocket and began to write up a detailed report of the incident.

    She had no intention of keeping her hidden powers a secret.

    If she was going to be an active vampire hunter, then there was no way that she would be able to conceal her gift especially when she would be expected to asionally work in groups.

    Maybe she would be able to leverage this newfound ability for better treatment at school.

    Lily focused on her notes and brushed a loose strand of her hair from her face. She didn''t notice that Finley was staring at her with an obsessive glint in his eyes.

    The journey back to the academy took around two hours and it was spent in rtive silence.

    Finley attempted to start some casual conversation, but Lily had too many thoughts on her mind and just gave one-word replies.

    Joseph had fainted away in the backseat and the scent of piss could clearly be smelled on his unwashed body.

    It was a disgusting odour so all the windows in the car were let down to get some fresh air inside.

    Finley wrinkled up his nose in disgust since he had much better senses than an ordinary human and was more affected by the stench.

    Lily finished the third page of her report just as the thick walls of the academy came into view.

    Finley drove the car in the direction of the administrative office and parked a few hundred metres away from the building.

    He got out of the car and walked around the vehicle towards Lily''s side. He opened her car door and gestured with his hands.

    ? "After you princess," Finley mockingly teased as he leaned against the door and let the wind blow through his messy hair.

    "Thanks," Lily absentmindedly replied as she got out of the car door and headed for the administrative building without sparing a backwards nce.

    Finley clenched his fist as fierce determination swelled up in his heart. One day he would make that attractive girl his woman!

 Chapter 234 Lady Of The Night (58)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden)

    Mary stood outside on a balcony and watched as the snow slowly fell down from the sky. The forest had turned into a winter wondend.

    The green trees were no more since their leaves had long fallen away during the long autumn season.

    White snow piled up on the ground and one could see wolves in the distance searching for prey in the harsh cold climate.

    Winter had arrived.

    The young woman stretched out her hand and watched as a single snowke slowly drifted downwards andnded on her palm.

    She felt at peace.

    There was an odd stillness to winter. As if time itself was frozen along with everything around her body.

    A frozen world.

    Mary let out a small sigh and could see a white cloud appear in front of her lips. Today was actually a special day.

    It was Christmas.

    A day for giving.

    Cami was still asleep, and it wouldn''t be too long until she woke up. Mary fidgeted nervously and her eyes nced at a package in the corner of the balcony.

    It was rectangr in shape and had been neatly wrapped up using pieces of brown paper that she had found in a study.

    A present.

    Honestly Mary didn''t know if Cami celebrated Christmas or special asions but wanted to do something special to celebrate their first year together.

    "It really has been a year huh..." Mary muttered quietly to herself as she gazed off into the distance with numerous thoughts on her mind.

    She had to admit that her rtionship with Cami had gotten stronger as time went on.

    Her vampire mistress was still strict, but she could clearly tell that there was a fiery warmth beneath her cold exterior.

    Their rtionship was still a bit awkward since Mary wasn''t sure how to act around the beautiful female vampire but if there was one aspect that was very healthy it was... the physical part.

    Their sex life was very frequent.

    In fact, Mary was secretly grateful that she was a Sun- Born because she was fairly certain that an ordinary human would have probably died of exhaustion after one week.

    It was like Cami was addicted to her body.

    There was not a single day that Mary did not wake up covered in hickeys, bite marks and smeared with pussy juices.

    A bright red blush began to spread across the young woman''s cheeks as she remembered the events ofst night.

    Cami wanted to try something different and had blindfolded her during their lovemaking session.

    Somehow it felt even hotter being unable to see and yet having to feel spine tingling sensations when Cami touched her body.

    Mary''s lips curved upwards as she walked towards the balcony''s edge and leaned over. She could feel the wind brushing against her long ck hair.

    Despite the low temperatures, Mary did not feel cold even though she was wearing a simple ck pants and a white shirt.

    Maybe it had something to do with the energy flowing through her body.

    The young woman nced at her exposed arms and saw the familiar sight of golden markings.

    About two months ago the markings on her body that sometimes appeared when she essed her power had be permanent.

    Mary wasn''t sure how she felt about these new ''tattoos'' but Cami seemed to like them so she didn''t feel too upset.

    She stayed out on the balcony for a few more minutes and then headed back inside to the rtive warmth of the castle.

    Mary picked up the package on the way inside and could feel her heart rapidly beating in her chest as she nervously imagined Cami opening her present.

    Would she like it?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Obviously, she could not go out into the town and do Christmas shopping, so Mary was forced to get creative and make her own gift.

    Truthfully her artistic skills... weren''t the best.

    Well... it was the thought that count... right?

    Mary fidgeted with her fingers as she walked up multiple flights of stairs towards the master bedroom.

    The paintings on the wall seemed to stare at her as she walked by as if judging her nervous gait.

    "Deep breaths... deep breaths..." Mary softly whispered to herself as she saw the familiar wooden doore into view.

    If you had told her half a year ago that she would be giving a Christmas gift to her vampire lover... err... or was it better to refer to Cami as her girlfriend?

    They hadn''t really put anybel on their rtionship.

    Mary just knew that Cami loved her and quite frankly... that was enough.

    Maybe at first, she had nned to use her affections as a way to n her escape but now... Mary knew that she had fallen for the gorgeous vampire.

    She was a big idiot. A lovestruck idiot.

    The young woman steeled herself and then knocked on the door twice. She opened the door without waiting for a reply and saw Cami sitting up on the bed.

    "Hi beautiful," Cami softly teased as she lowered the nket wrapped around her body to reveal a naked figure.

    Herrge full breasts came into view with pink nipples that were an angry red colour. Her pale skin, crimson red lips and beautiful facial features took Mary''s breath away.

    Even though she had seen this sight many times before... there was something about Cami''s beauty that always made her heart skip a beat.

    Mary approached the bed while holding the package behind her back like a guilty child trying to hide their misdeeds.

    "Merry... merry Christmas!" Mary stammered nervously as she showed Cami the package in her hand.

    "Christmas?" Cami slowly muttered with a confused expression on her face.

    "Yeah... it''s Christmas... I thought that... um... you would like a gift..." Mary quietly whispered as she gave the present to her mistress.

    "Thank you," Cami replied happily as she grabbed Mary and pulled her in for a tight hug.

    She took a moment to savour her lover''s soft body and feel the warmth of her skin before pulling away.

    "Can I open it?" Cami asked with a smile on her lips.

    Mary nodded once since she did not trust herself to speak without messing up her words.

    The female vampire carefully tore off the packaging with careful movements. She did not want to damage Mary''s gift even by ident.

    The brown paper was slowly unwrapped, and the contents of the gift came into view. Cami froze as she saw what was inside.

    It was a painting.

    Two feminine figures with blurry features were in the middle of the frame surrounded by a field of flowers.

    A bright golden sun upied the top half of the painting and its warm rays of light shone down on both women.

    "This..." Cami voice trailed off as she looked at the painting and felt strange emotions rising up in her chest.

    Mary''s fingers curled up into a tight fist as she summoned up all the courage in her heart. She opened her mouth and said what she wanted to say,

    "I painted it thinking of us... I know you can''t see the sun but... I hope to one day be your sun and bring you warmth."

    "I know that you will outlive me, so I hope that... I hope that you can keep these gifts as a reminder of the time we spent together."

    Cami gently ced the painting on the top of her dresser table and then turned to face her lover.

    "Mary..." Cami softly spoke as she touched the young woman''s face and lovingly caressed her cheek.

    "Even without this... I would never forget you."

 Chapter 235 Lady Of The Night (59)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Gardens)

    "No... please... aren''t you a human... arghh!" a woman''s voice trailed off as a longsword plunged into the center of her chest.

    "I gave you a chance to escape," Mary whispered darkly as her de withdrew from the woman''s body.

    The hunter slumped to the ground motionless with the life slowly draining from her eyes.

    Herpanion stared in horror as the frightening woman d in white armour slowly turned her attention to him.

    A vampire with enchantingly pale skin was currently bound in heavy iron chains. His crimson eyes shook slightly as Mary''s cold gaze swept up and down the length of his body.

    "Your master must be quite arrogant," Mary calmly spoke as she flicked the droplets of blood off her sword.

    The red liquid fell to the ground but the vampire in front of her did not even dare to break eye contact with her peculiar golden eyes.

    "Don''t worry I won''t ask you to betray them... I know that there is a spell preventing you from speaking," the young knight continued to speak in a casual tone.

    "Wait... why... why are your working with the witch?" the vampire stuttered nervously as he spoke.

    "I don''t remember giving you permission to speak," Mary smiled sweetly before driving her sword into the vampire''s stomach.

    She twisted the de and the creature''s guts spilled out onto the floor. The vampire screamed in agony and his cries of pain echoed through the garden.

    "Your goal is to kill Lady Cami and let''s just say that any threats to her life..." Mary''s voice trailed off as she brought her face closer to the dying vampire.

    "Will be eliminated."

    Madness surfaced in her golden eyes and the vampire felt terror unlike anything that he had ever experienced before.

    Vampire were predators and humans were their prey.

    That wasmon sense in this world and yet...

    The woman staring at him... was a beast.

    The killing intent radiating off her body was like standing in front of a field of corpses.

    Mary swung her de and neatly decapitated the vampire with one smooth motion. His body began to shrivel up as blood leaked out of his corpse.

    She nced at the body of the hunter and a small sigh leaked out of her mouth. These two were the seventh group of assassins sent to the castle.

    Lady Cami was getting quite popr.

    Mary frowned slightly as her longsword returned to the sheath attached to her hip. Unless the person behind these attacks was found... it was clear that they would continue.

    She just couldn''t understand why.

    Cami had remained in the castle and had not ventured out in over two years. This ce was their home together.

    A ce away from society.

    Where they lived in a world of two.

    Mary had long given up her dream of escaping from the Northern Region even though by now she was strong enough to do so.

    Cami''s safety was her number one priority.

    She did feel a bit guilty about not seeing her sister but hopefully Lily was living a nice peaceful life away from her father.

    She was always a smart girl.

    She would be fine.

    Mary stretched out her arms and yawned sleepily. She grabbed both of the corpses and dragged them towards a small shack located at the back of the garden.

    At least there was some use for these assassins. They usually made excellent fertiliser for the crops in the backyard.

    Mary dumped the bodies in the shack and then began to walk towards the castle. It was a walk that she had done many times before.

    Still... there was one thing that always made the journey worthwhile.

    "Hello, my beautiful pet," Cami teased softly as she leaned against the frame of the door and waited for Mary to arrive.

    The female vampire wore a long red dress that was deliberately provocative with a deep cleavage.

    Her two voluptuous mountains were on full disy, and they swayed slightly as Cami walked over to her lover.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She hugged Mary gently even though her armour was covered in blood.

    There was a peaceful moment of silence as each person enjoyed the warmth of the other.

    Mary''s lips curved up into a smile as she leaned forward and captured Cami''s lips in a soft lingering kiss that seemed tost for hours.

    "My! Aren''t you being bold today!" Cami broke off the kiss and winked slyly at the young woman who blushed.

    "Sorry... I just... I worry about you," Mary confessed truthfully.

    "Mistress I know you are strong but... I worry... I worry that one day I will fail, and your life will be in danger."

    "Shhh..." Cami ced a cold finger against Mary''s lips and stopped her from speaking.

    "I have faith in you... my most loyal knight."

    Mary''s heart filled with warmth as Cami stared at her face with eyes filled with love and adoration.

    There was no falsehood in her gaze.

    She genuinely loved her.

    "Of course, mistress... I will never let you down," Mary promised gently as she tilted her neck to the side and exposed her soft flesh.

    It was an unthinkable act for a vampire hunter to expose their neck to their greatest enemies, but Mary did so without hesitation.

    Cami''s fangs extended slightly as she took a step forward. Her hands snaked around Mary''s back and pulled her close.

    "I love you," Cami whispered sweetly as she took a small bite. Her fangs plunged into Mary''s flesh, and she began to drink her blood.

    Mary let out a small groan of pleasure and rubbed her thighs together. She could feel the cold touch of Cami''s body and it was driving her insane.

    The female vampire fed for several long seconds before finally stopping. She wiped her mouth, and a tinge of crimson stained her hand.

    The taste of her favourite human was still as unpleasant as always but... Cami wouldn''t trade it for any other blood in the world.

    "I have some letters to send in the Annex... can you meet in the bedroom in two hours," Cami quietly whispered with a tinge of lust in her voice.

    Mary did not have to be a genius to understand what her mistress was implying, and her heart began to race.

    "Yes mistress..." Mary replied shakily as her fingers trembled nervously.

    No trace of the cold-blooded killer could be found on her blushing face.

    "I''ll bring out the whips tonight my pet... you''ve been a naughty girl..." Cami whispered sensually as her tongue stretched out to lick the side of Mary''s neck.

    The young woman shivered as a tingle of pleasure ran down her spine. Camiughed naughtily and then walked away with an extra sway of her hips.

    Mary watched her with a dazed expression on her face. Even after years spent together... she was still spellbound by the seductive vampire.

    She had some time to kill so Mary decided to head towards the library to read a few books. She walked through the silent castle and up numerous flights of stairs.

    The castle had gotten a bit dirtier over the years, but it was still rtively clean. In Mary''s defense it was a bit difficult for a single person to clean an entire castle on her own.

    She knew that logically it made sense for Cami to buy servants or expand her n, but her mistress had never brought up the subject...

    And Mary had never reminded her.

    n Vntis only needed her and that was it. Maybe when she died Cami could expand her vampire family but while she was alive...

    Mary wanted her mistress'' undivided attention.

    She was a jealous lover.

    The wooden door that led to the library appeared in the distance and several crimson red lines could be seen on the floor below the entrance.

    Mary stepped on the wards without fear and a red light swept up and down the length of her body.

    She was keyed into every single protection spell in the castle including the ones that led to Cami''s secret rooms.

    The young woman pushed open the doors and the interior of the library came into view. Rows upon rows of books... a vast sea of knowledge.

    Mary had spent hundred of hours inside the library but still felt as though she had barely scratched the surface of the sheer amount of information held inside those texts.

    She headed for the familiar section that contained books about vampire hunting techniques.

    The fight earlier today had been a grim reminder that she needed to continually improve her skills.

 Chapter 236 Lady Of The Night (60) R-18

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Main Bedroom)

    Mary entered the room and as if it was natural, she immediately took off her clothes.

    Her lean but muscr body waspletely exposed, and her two perky nipples immediately stood at attention.

    Cami was sitting up on the bed and watching her with dark predatory eyes.

    Her gaze swept up and down the length of Mary''s body and clear desire could be seen in her gaze.

    "Kneel down," the female vampiremanded in a cold tone.

    Mary unhurriedly got down on her knees and waited patiently as her mistress got off the bed and took slow purposeful steps towards her location.

    She could feel her lower regions moisten as Cami stretched out her foot. There was no need for her mistress to tell her what to do next.

    Mary lowered her head and lightly kissed the top of Cami''s feet. She slowly moved upwards while making sure to look her mistress in her eyes.

    The female vampire moaned softly as Mary ripped apart her dress and exposed her naked pussy to the air.

    Cami''s flower garden was just as beautiful as Mary remembered it. Soft, pink delicate folds and a fragrance that made her mouth salivate.

    The young woman pressed her lips against Cami''s thighs and stretched out her tongue.

    She licked the flesh around her mistress'' pussy with methodical movements.

    Finally, she paused just as her lips were mere inches away from the soft folds. Cami felt a bit impatient and roughly grabbed Mary by her hair.

    "Eager tonight, are we?" Mary teased yfully before opened her mouth wide and devouring the pussy in front of her.

    The taste... the vour...

    Fuck... she nearly creamed on the spot.

    Mary licked andpped up Cami''s pussy with a raw hunger and passion. Her tongue flicked her mistress'' hard clit eliciting a moan from the beautiful female vampire.

    Tender kisses and rough licks.

    The perfectbination to drive her mistress off the deep end.

    It was a sapphic disy of love and lust.

    Mary found herself drowning in the taste of her mistress... the one she loved more than anyone else in the world.

    The scent of her raw pussy was overpowering. Mary''s right hand slowly ventured downwards, and her fingers found her own honeypot.

    She began to y with her pussy all the while making sure that Cami was experiencing as much pleasure as possible.

    Once upon a time Mary had been an innocent virgin with no knowledge of sex but now, she was a seductive predator thanks to Cami''s teachings.

    Well, if one had sex constantly every single day for a few years then you would have to be abnormally stupid not to pick up a few tricks.

    Mary stretched out her tongue and used her pink appendage to explore the soft inner folds that were moistened by a constant flow of juices.

    She wasn''t sure if Cami was using magic but somehow the taste of her juices had an addicting quality that she could not get enough of.

    Mary''s licks quickly increased, and Cami''s moans grew even louder.

    She swirled her tongue around her folds and was not surprised to feel a pair of hands grab her head.

    Cami pushed her human lover''s face even deeper into her pussy as a burst of pleasure threatened to overwhelm her senses.

    She orgasmed and squirted a mouthful of juices directly into Mary''s eager mouth. Her servant began to clean up the outside of her pussy with slow careful licks.

    Finally, her licks slowed down and Cami had the chance to grab her by her shoulders and pull her upwards.

    "You naughty little harlot," Cami fiercely growled as she saw a happy smirk on Mary''s face.

    "Did you enjoy tasting me? Enjoy watching me cum?"

    Mary nodded and smiled widely. Cami broke character for a second and smiled back at her lover before stering a stern expression back on her face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Seems to me like you need to be punished," Cami whispered softly as she brought her lips close to Mary''s mouth.

    "Yes..." Mary eximed breathlessly as she could feel Cami''s voluptuous breasts pressing against her already hardened nipples.

    "Yes who?" Cami spoke with firm authority in her voice.

    "Yes mistress," Mary meekly replied as she felt a warm hand snake around her waist and give her ass a firm p.

    Smack!

    Mary cried out in a mixture of pain and pleasure as the hand groped and squeezed her ass like it was a piece of meat.

    Smack! Smack! Smack!

    Cami had no mercy tonight and Mary could feel her ass burning as it suffered from the rough treatment.

    "Good girl..." Cami purred like a siren. Her melodic voice entered Mary''s ears and almost made her orgasm on the spot.

    "Now how about a reward..."

    Cami dragged her human lover to the bed and threw her on the mattress. Mary looked up at her with obvious hunger in her eyes.

    The female vampire took off what remained of her tattered dress and her gorgeous body came into view.

    Tworge mountainous breasts that trembled with excitement, perfect facial features, and enchantingly pale skin.

    She was a goddess made flesh.

    A perfect seductive demon who constantly drove Mary mad with lust.

    "Like what you see?" Cami smirked as she slowly approached the bed with a sway of her wide hips.

    Her ass jiggled slightly with her movements and Mary found herself spellbound by the tworge globs of fat.

    Cami wanted nothing more than to drive her lover wild, but it wasn''t time yet. She reached for an item on the top of the dresser table next to the bed.

    It was a thin strip of fabric that was clearly well worn since the edges of the threads were slightly frayed.

    Cami wrapped the fabric around Mary''s eyes until the young woman could no longer see.

    Well... technically it was still possible to see through the fabric thanks to her golden eyes, but Mary closed her eyes in order to not ruin the moment.

    With her eyes closed, her other senses were enhanced and she could hear the rustling of the nkets on the mattress.

    A cold hand grabbed her body and slowly moved her into a certain position. Mary eagerly waited as the hands yed and toyed with her body.

    A finger lightly stroked her nipples and yfully pulled and prodded them. Another finger ventured downwards and traced the outer edges of her pussy.

    A wet sensation pressed against her neck and a sucking noise echoed through the room. Cami leaned in closer and began to kiss Mary''s neck.

    Her fangs gradually extended outwards and pierced the soft flesh. The female vampire took a few small sips and the mood in the room slowly heated up.

    Feeding during sex... was an incredible experience.

    Mary''s thighs rubbed together as she felt incredibly aroused. Cami''s finger was still stirring around her insides, and it felt amazing.

    The fingers left her body and Mary was struck by a sense of loneliness and lust.

    For a second she was tempted to open her eyes but held out since she knew that her mistress had something special nned.

    She was not disappointed.

    Cami wrapped her legs around her lover''s body and slowly adjusted her posture until their pussies were pressed against one another.

    She began to hump Mary violently as if somehow the two women could be fused into one being.

    Flesh melting together until they became one.

    Mary screamed out Cami''s name as she violently orgasmed but still the female vampire did not stop her rough movements.

    It was going to be a long night.

 Chapter 237 Lady Of The Night (61)

    (Outskirts of Forest Elerifn- Hidden Location)

    (Castle ckmore- Throne Room)

    "I must say Antonio¡­ you really know how to treat a guest," a soft feminine voice purred.

    A gorgeous pale-skinned woman with long reddish hair smiled darkly as her hand squeezed the neck of a dying human.

    She wore a green dress that had been adorned with jewels from around the world. Dazzling sapphires, vivid emeralds, bright rubies andrge diamonds.

    It was a disy of opulence and decadence in equal measure.

    Sitting across from her was a handsome man in his early forties with simrly pale skin and dirty blonde hair that fell over his crimson eyes.

    He stared at the beautiful woman with barely concealed annoyance in his gaze.

    Princess Esme pretended not to notice the tense atmosphere as she extended her fingernails and dug into the flesh of the human in her iron-d grip.

    The blood ve died without a whimper as his neck was messily severed. Blood spurted out of his corpse and fell on the two vampires.

    Prince Antonio scowled as the crimson liquid stained his ck suit while princess Esme merely smiled.

    There was a brief moment of silence until finally Antonio was forced to say something to break the awkwardness.

    "So¡­ to what do I owe the pleasure of a visit from the esteemed bloodmander of House Mornt?" Antonio politely spoke.

    "Can''t I just want to meet with an old friend?" Esme teasingly whispered as she licked her lips with a seductive aura around her body.

    Despite her attractiveness¡­ Antonio was not fooled.

    This woman was a viper, a schemer and one of the most powerful vampires alive.

    "Don''t worry¡­ I simply came to lend you my strength," Esmeughed softly as a confused expression shed across Antonio''s face.

    "I understand that all your attempts to take the mage''s life have been unsessful so far."

    "That is quite the usation¡­ I have made no such moves," Antonio quickly denied as his fingers twitched nervously.

    Esme smiled again and then continued to talk as if Antonio had not said anything.

    "Now¡­ now¡­ is that any way to behave when I''m the one who gave you the anti- magic runes?"

    "If I knew that your attitude would be this bad¡­ perhaps I should have worked with Samuel."

    "Fine¡­ yes, the attempts have not gone to n. I believe that it is the fault of the humans assigned to work with my assassins," Antonio reluctantly replied.

    "On that front I have good news," Esme quietly whispered as she snapped her fingers.

    The shadows inside the room lengthened and began to wriggle slightly as if they were alive.

    Soft iprehensible whispers filled the room in thenguage that was both familiar and strange at the same time.

    "Have you heard about the new Sun-born?"

    "Yes¡­ rumors¡­ but¡­" Antonio''s voice trailed off as he realised that the princess sitting opposite to him had a serious expression on her face.

    "The rumors are true. Her name is Lily Brooks. She has fully awakened and will be more than a match for Cami," Esme spoke with a bloodthirsty glint in her eyes.

    "I believe that she is currently working in a team that includes the hybrid son of yours. My connections in the Hunter Association are willing to give them a new assignment."

    "All I need is your men to help in the attack and¡­ Cami will die."

    Antonio leaned back against his chair and numerous thoughts ran through his mind. Why had Finley not contacted him about this development?

    A Sun-Born¡­

    Antonio had only be a prince because the head of his n had been killed by one of those monsters a few thousand years ago.

    He had been a young vampire then and over the years, most memories would blur and fade with the passage of time.

    Still¡­ he could not forget what he saw that day.

    A being surrounded by a golden glow¡­ a swordposed of zing fire¡­ and the screams. The screams of his kin burning away to ash.

    Allying with such a creature could easily go horribly wrong. It was akin to a wolf being invited to an alliance of sheep.

    "What do you need me to do?" Antonio finally spoke.

    Esme yfully winked at the handsome vampire and then opened her mouth to detail the n,<novelnext></novelnext>

    "The attack on Castle Eden will proceed in the middle of the day when she at her weakest. ording to our information¡­ there is only one other vampire servant in the castle."

    "I have discovered a rune capable of temporarily disabling the wards inside the castle, but they will onlyst for two hours."

    "The human squad will attack from the front while I will transport a small team of high-born vampires inside the castle itself."

    "And of course¡­ I have a hidden card¡­"

    Antonio listened carefully and a tinge of fear appeared in his heart as Esme began to detail further information about her n.

    He always knew that the leader of House Mornt was a wicked schemer but this¡­

    Cami would have no chance to survive.

    "So¡­ do we have a deal?" Esme grinned and her sharpened fangs gleamed under the dim lighting from the firece.

    "Deal. We will target Samuel after Cami is disposed of and then the two of us can be the sole rulers of the vampires," Antonio promised solemnly.

    He stretched out his right hand and used his left to cut a small wound across his wrist. Dark ckish blood dripped out of the wound and fell on the table.

    Esme mimicked his actions and also opened up a vein in her right hand. The two vampires shook hands and their blood mixed from one injury to the other.

    "I look forward to working with you," Esme smiled sweetly as she leaned forward and used her uninjured hand to lovingly stroke Antonio''s cheek.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Outskirts of New Antic City- Unnamed Forest)

    A raven loudly cawed as it flew towards a figure dressed in tattered brown robes. It circled around the humanoid figure for several seconds beforending on their shoulder.

    The figure threw back the hood of the robe to reveal a youthful man of eastern descent. He had dark ck hair that was unkempt as well as a beard that was overgrown and scraggly.

    Dark runes had been carved across every inch of his face making it impossible to properly make out his facial features

    His body was unnaturally skinny and underneath his robe one would be able to see bones protruding against his fair skin.

    This man who resembled a beggar was the third prince of the vampires. Prince Samuel of n Sundry.

    The raven nuzzled against the vampire''s cheek and began to caw.

    Samuel nodded along as the raven continued to cry out as if he could somehow understand the shrieks of the bird.

    ? "Everything is proceeding ording to my vision," Samuel muttered quietly as his eyes turned towards the castle in the distance.

    One of his eyes was crimson while the other was cloudy and unfocused.

    Somehow despite possessing the healing factor of high-born vampires¡­ he was blind in one eye.

    A price that one had to pay for dabbling in secrets that were best locked away.

    Runes that were strong enough to cancel the wards of the greatest blood mage in the history of vampire kind required a sacrifice.

    Princess Esme may believe that she came across that ancient text by chance but truthfully, she was a puppet dancing on the palm of his hand.

    They all were.

    Samuel coughed violently and tiny flecks of blood fell on the ground. His cloudy eye shook slightly as he received another vision.

    He could see the future.

    The attempt on Cami''s life would fail but she would be forced to fully awaken the gift left behind by the first ancestor.

    She would then be reborn as the ultimate lifeform and lead the vampires to finally extinguish mankind.

    The only variable in this future was that in his vision, there were no servants or n members present in her castle.

    However, one single vampire would not be enough to stop what wasing.

    Prince Samuel chuckled darkly, and his giggles echoed around the empty clearing. He could not wait to see his visione true.

 Chapter 238 Lady Of The Night (62)

    (Southern Region- Newport City)

    (Downtown Area- Building A-13)

    Newport City was located in the center of the southern region and as such the housing prices were far above what ordinary people could afford.

    The Downtown Area especially was only for the upper ss since an apartment here would cost upwards of twenty million dors.

    Lily nced out of a nearby window as she sipped a ss of white wine. She was currently sitting down on afortable sofa in a penthouse apartment.

    Sometimes even she could not believe it. A poor girl from a third-tier city was now living in one of the richest areas in the entire country.

    Her apartment was the size of a small football field and contained a gym, training center, swimming pool, private cinema, and other amenities.

    She did not even have to clean the ce since butlers and servants would arrive every afternoon to sweep, mop and wipe down all the furniture.

    Lily took another sip of wine and could feel the built-up tension gradually leaving her body.

    She continued to stare out of the window and observed the tiny ant-like people as they went about their daily lives.

    Vampire hunting was a lucrative career.

    Especially when one had risen up the ranks to be one of the youngest in history to hold the title of ''Commander-ss''.

    Ever since she had awakened in Loyren Town... the trajectory of Lily''s life hadpletely changed.

    Her eyes had turned golden and strange markings appeared on her arms and legs.

    However, these changes went far beyond just what was visible to the naked eye.

    Lily discovered that she could learn any hunting technique in a short amount of time. If others took years, then she took months.

    If they took months... she only needed days.

    Even secret techniques owned by ancient human ns that required special bloodlines could be learnt.

    Of course, she only possessed two of those techniques since the noble families were not thrilled to discover her talent.

    Still even with all of her gifts... Lily did not dare to becent.

    She may be rxing now but she spent at least seven hours everyday training to be stronger.

    Sometimes she even wondered if her discovery of her talent was nothing more than a cruel joke yed by fate.

    If she had only awakened earlier...

    Would she have been able to save her sister?

    Or was it her sister''s death that caused her talents to blossom?

    Lily didn''t want to know the answer since every time she thought about Mary... her heart would ache with pain.

    Lily let out a heavy sigh as she leaned against the back of the sofa. She ced the empty ss of wine on a nearby dresser table and stretched out her arms.

    She didn''t know why she was still affected like this.

    Even after all these years... there were some scars that would never heal.

    Lily got up from the sofa and headed for the training room to get these distracting thoughts from her mind.

    Just as she approached the training center, the phone in her pocket began to vibrate which meant that she had an iing call.

    Lily pulled the phone out of her pocket and saw that the call came from a number that she was very familiar with.

    She clicked the ept button and a warm masculine voice came out from the phone''s speakers.

    "Hi Miss Brooks," the unknown male gently spoke with a tinge of affection in his voice.

    "James, you can just call me by my name you know..." Lily chuckled lightly as she heard a muffled cough on the other side.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "No! No! Miss Brooks! How could I disrespect a Commander-ss hunter by calling her directly by her first name!" James hurriedly spoke.

    A small smile shed across Lily''s face as she listened to the embarrassed fluster in James'' voice.

    James was an administrator working for the Hunter''s Association who acted as a link between hunters and the higher-ups.

    Lily had met him two years ago when he had just started working and had been given a promising rookie.

    That rookie had been herself.

    From there... it was like fate.

    The gossip magazines always wrote articles about the love affairs between herself and Finley or Ian, but Lily didn''t care for either man.

    Finley was an arrogant jerk who looked at her like she was an object while Ian was no better with eyes that were possessive.

    James on the other hand was everything that they weren''t.

    Kind, thoughtful and very shy... he was a sweet man and his gentle words always made Lily''s heart skip a beat.

    So far, they hadn''t taken the next steps to gain a closer rtionship since James was so shy, but Lily nned to eventually break down the barriers around his heart.

    "So, James... I assume that you aren''t calling to invite me to dinner this weekend?" Lily softly teased with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

    There was some iprehensible stuttering on the other side as James struggled to find the right words to say.

    "No... no... ma''am... I... um..." James wasn''t able to form aplete sentence as his brain short circuited.

    "I... you have been assigned a... a new mission... I''ll send the details... over... over...um..."

    The phone call ended as a flustered James identally pressed the ''end'' button by mistake. Lily nced at the screen and her giggles echoed through the apartment.

    She didn''t have to wait long before two new messages appeared in her inbox.

    One was a sincere apology from James and the other was a file that was encrypted with a special key.

    Lily replied to James first and told him not to worry and then opened up the file using the secret key that she had memorised.

    The contents of the file filled up the screen and Lily absentmindedly read through the details about the new mission.

    Hmm...

    A frown appeared on the young woman''s face and her brows slightly furrowed. This was going to be a mission that required working with the subordinates of a vampire prince...

    Lily hated working with those bloodsucking fiends, but she was not inflexible enough to let her hatred for vampires prevent her from working with them...

    Temporarily at least.

    And from the details of the mission... this was not going to be a solo effort. Their target this time was a vampire lord who was unofficially on the level of the princes.

    Lady Cami.

    ''The Mage''.

    Lily continued to read the report that gave more details about the terrible vampire lord who ughtered humans for fun.

    Cami was a true monster. Her list of crimes was more extensive than any other vampire that Lily hade across.

    Murder, arson, genocide...

    She was a demon.

    Hatred surged in Lily''s heart as she stared at the sketch of a female vampire with short raven cropped hair.

    She would kill that monster and every single one of her servants.

    Lily''s golden eyes began to glow and the markings on her body shifted slightly as if responding to her emotions.

 Chapter 239 Lady Of The Night (63)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Pce Gardens)

    The warm and gentle orange glow of the afternoon sunlight fell on Mary''s face as she walked through the garden.

    She was holding severalrge bags in her right hand and a pair of gloves in her left.

    Today was harvest day which meant that she needed to pick the vegetables before they turned bad or got eaten by the deer roaming around in the forest.

    Mary whistled softly to herself as she admired the beautiful flowers along the path that led to the farming area.

    Life should be perfect.

    She had a loving girlfriend and their rtionship had only gotten stronger over thest few months.

    Mary could tell that she was forming a genuine connection with Cami and that was a thought that both terrified and excited her.

    Truthfully... she was bothered by the fact that Cami was immortal.

    Her own good looks would eventually fade as her body aged and wrinkles appeared on her skin, but Cami would remain untouched by the passage of time.

    Would Cami still love her even when she turned into an elderly woman?

    And what about when she died?

    Maybe Cami would wait a few years before taking another lover, but would she really spend the rest of eternity alone?

    Probably not...

    Was it selfish of her to want to remain as Cami''s only lover? Especially considering that her lifespan was a blink in the eye of eternity...

    Mary let out a heavy sigh and tried to drive those distracting thoughts to the back of her mind.

    ? She was only twenty-one so there was no need to dwell on those questions when there was plenty of time.

    Besides there were other concerns to worry about...

    The attacks on the castle had be much more infrequent and this was making Mary feel a bit worried.

    She could not shake the unpleasant feeling that this was merely the calm before the storm.

    Perhaps she was being paranoid, but Mary felt as though the castle was being surrounded by dark malevolent shadows.

    Maybe she needed to spend an afternoon in the forest to clear her mind...

    Mary''s footsteps slowed down as she arrived at the fields of crops located behind the castle. She put on the gloves and approached the tomato nts.

    She examined each fruit carefully and only selected the ones that were ripe.

    By now she was actually pretty used to harvesting and could pick out the right vegetables fairly quickly.

    There was a rustling noise in the nearby bushes, so Mary turned her head in the direction of the sound.

    A long slender snake slithered out from behind the shrubbery and bared its fangs at the woman kneeling down in front of the nts.

    It moved like lightning and shot forward with its jaw wide open.

    Two sharp pairs of fangs glistened under the sunlight, and one could see tiny droplets of venom on the tip of its teeth.

    With equally fast movements, Mary grabbed the snake by its neck and then proceeded to calmly snap the neck.

    Crack!

    The snake slumped over lifeless with its jaw still open. Mary threw the snake off into the distance and then went back to the task at hand.

    She was strong.

    As soon as the snake had lunged forward, Mary in her perspective saw the world slow down to a crawl.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was result of training non-stop for several years as well as unlocking some hidden abilities that came with being a Sun-Born.

    Her reaction time was on par with upper ss vampires in fact ording to Cami it may even be slightly better.

    Mary smiled as she pictured the beautiful female vampire who was currently lying down naked in the bed that they shared together.

    Last night had been one of the rare nights when they did not engage in any physical lovemaking.

    Instead, Cami had wrapped her arms around Mary and the pair had spent the night reading under the candlelight.

    It sounded a bit boring but truthfully Mary enjoyed those quiet moments when it was just herself and Cami forpany.

    Honestly after living here for so long... the outside world was no longer something that she bothered to think about.

    She would asionally wonder about what happened to her sister but other than that... Mary felt pretty content with her life at the moment.

    Her desire to return to the human side of the country had all but faded away and was now little more than a distance memory.

    Mary stood up from the ground and used the gloves to brush off some ck dirt from her pants.

    She had managed to fill up one of the bags with fresh tomatoes so now it was time to move on to the other crops.

    She walked a few hundred meters to the right and stopped at the lettuce patch.

    The lettuce had not reached full maturity yet but that did not mean that they could not be harvested.

    Mary reached into her pocket and pulled out a small knife. She bent down and began to carefully remove the outer leaves of the nearest lettuce nt.

    She made sure to leave about one inch above the crown so that it would be protected, and the lettuce would continue to grow.

    This was a farming trick that she had learned from books as well as some experimenting during previous harvesting seasons.

    Mary managed to fill up another bag and then spent the next forty minutes going from crop to crop filling up the rest.

    It was hard work, but Mary did not feel tired.

    There was a certain level of satisfaction in her heart at being able to grow her own food.

    When Cami had told her that she wanted to make her a bodyguard... Mary could not have predicted that she would spend more time farming than protecting her mistress.

    Still with any luck... that would continue to be the case in the future.

    Mary wanted nothing more than to be an unnecessary precaution rather than a constant necessity.

    Cami was a powerful immortal vampire, but Mary knew that immortality did not mean invulnerability.

    The young woman looped the bags around her arms and then began to make the trek back to the castle.

    On the way back she saw a few rabbits hopping about in the distance. The forest outside the castle was teeming with life.

    This was a natural and untouched area of wilderness.

    Mary''s lips gently curved upwards as she took one more nce at the dense trees before entering inside the castle.

    She walked up several flights of stairs towards the kitchen area. It was now the evening time which meant that Cami would be waking up in a few hours.

    She needed to wash, prepare, and put these vegetables and fruits in the fridge and cold storage room before her mistress woke up.

    Mary entered the kitchen and peeled off the dirty gloves from her hands. She ced the gloves on a rack and then prepared to get to work.

    Just as Mary ced the first bag on a nearby table... she got the feeling that someone or rather something was staring at the castle.

    The young woman rushed towards the closest window but could see no one outside save for the animals frolicking about in the forest.

    Was she being overly cautious?

    Mary frowned slightly and returned to the kitchen with a heavy heart. She could not help but feel as though something terrible would be happening soon.

 Chapter 240 Lady Of The Night (64)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Unnamed Forest)

    Arge tent had been constructed behind a cliff. This tent could house around twenty people and had been specially modified.

    The material that made up the tent had been coated in a thick adhesive coat of paint that blocked out all sunlight from prating to its interior.

    This made the inside of the tentpletely dark despite the fact that the midday sun was shining brightly overhead.

    A gorgeous female vampires wearing a navy-blue dress stood in the middle of a strange red circle.

    She was surrounded by eleven vampires who held various weapons in their arms.

    Some held swords, bow and arrows, daggers, and whips while others carried more modern weaponry like guns or grenades.

    "Are you ready?" Princess Esme whispered softly.

    The vampires surrounding her nodded and a terrifying smile shed across the female vampire''s face.

    Everything was prepared.

    By the end of today... Cami would be dead.

    House Mornt and Prince Antonio would be the two rulers of vampire kind... well at least until she killed that old fool and took all that power and authority for herself.

    Princess Esme could hardly contain her excitement as she imagined a future as the sole ruler of all the vampires.

    Not since the First Ancestor had a vampire managed to unite all of their race into a single faction.

    Esme wanted to be the sessor to the great one. The father of all vampires and the one who had gifted them their immortality.

    The crimson lines on the ground wriggles and squirmed slightly as if they were alive. Magical energy filled the air and the darkness inside the tent seemed to be solid.

    Princess Esme held up an ancient book in her right hand and flipped over to the page where the teleportation spell was located.

    It was all thanks to this book.

    Her greatest treasure.

    "Immortuinuae castrum!" Princess Esme whispered as she could feel her lifeforce slowly draining away.

    Blood magic always had a price but to an immortal taking away lifespan was like reducing the waters of the sea by scooping out a cup.

    The crimson lines on the ground glowed fiercely, and a terrible pressure descended on the vampires in the circle.

    This pressure was so fierce that it sent most of the vampires to their knees.

    "What... what is happening?" Princess Esme cried out in shook as she felt the drain on her lifespan suddenly intensify a hundredfold.

    This didn''t make any sense.

    A mass teleportation spell should only use around two hundred years of life, but the female vampire could feel her immortality slowly slip away.

    Princess Esme screamed in horror as she nced at her arm and saw wrinkles slowly begin to crawl up her pale flesh.

    Her long reddish hair began to shrivel up and flecks of grey could be seen spreading out from the roots of her hair.

    "NO! NO! I HAVE TO CANCEL!" Princess Esme screamed in pain as she felt a cold object prate her ribcage.

    She tried to turn around to see the face of her unknown attacker, but the de twisted and sliced her heart into two pieces.

    Princess Esme who was one of the most powerful vampires to ever live... died without even a whimper.

    Her body disintegrated into specks of dust which flowed into the still active crimson lines.

    Screams and cries of pain echoed through the tent as the surviving vampires were picked off one by one.

    Some begged... some cursed... some tried to flee... but it was all useless.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The crimson lines of magic on the ground prevented anyone from escaping which meant that the vampires were nowmbs to the ughter.

    As thest vampire copsed on the ground motionless with the life draining out from his crimson eyes... a dark chuckle echoed through the room.

    A figure stepped out from the shadows of the tent and a twisted grin of pleasure could be seen on his face.

    He stretched out his right hand and a raven cawed loudly outside the tent.

    The mysterious figure slowly lowered the hood of his cloak to reveal a face that was covered by dark runes and scars.

    Prince Samuel let out a moan of pleasure as he felt the lifeforce and energy of the twelve vampires in flow into his body.

    His cloudy and unfocused eye briefly turned back to normal as his skeleton-like physique began to fill out with muscle.

    "This power... it''s been centuries..." Prince Samuel muttered quietly to himself as a sad expression shed across his face.

    The crimson lines on the ground disappeared and were reced by a new pattern that throbbed and hummed with power.

    Prince Samuel knew that his visions always came true, but he was especially pleased with how easy his fellow vampire high lord had been to manipte.

    Princess Esme was nothing more than an overambitious schemer always ready to expand her territory.

    Samuel had preyed on her ambitions by intentionally giving her an ancient spell book to ''discover'' in a ruin near her castle.

    She never knew the truth.

    Oh... most of the spells were indeed powerful and the anti-magic rune was real but the teleportation spell...

    That was the trap.

    Samuel rubbed his fingers together as he felt anticipation fill his heart. He muttered a few iprehensible words under his breath and his figure vanished from the room.

    It was time for his vision toe to fruition.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Castle Eden- Training Field)

    Mary swung her sword at a target located at the back of the field and a wave of golden mes erupted from the tip of her de.

    The mes travelled in a straight line and reached the target in a matter of seconds. The wooden dummy exploded into thousands of ming pieces.

    The young woman smiled beneath the white helmet that was covering her face.

    She had gotten up early today since she just could not fall asleepst night.

    The unpleasant feeling that something was about to go wrong had only gotten worse over thest few days.

    Mary wasn''t sure what to do about it since she had tried all the methods that she knew to calm herself down, but nothing worked.

    Finally, she decided that it was probably best to do some heavy training until she tired herself out and then she would finally be able to get some sleep.

    So, for this training session she was wearing her full suit of armour and practising the hunting techniques that used a lot of sunlight energy.

    Mary adjusted her stance and prepared tounch another attack when what seemed to be an earthquake shook the castle.

    She barely managed to stay upright as the castle shook furiously from side to side.

    A loud cracking noise echoed through the castle and strange eerie red lines appeared on the floor.

    "What the hell..." Mary''s voice trailed off as she was thrown against the nearest wall with so much force that the back of her armour instantly cracked.

 Chapter 241 Lady Of The Night (65)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Main Bedroom)

    Cami knew that something was wrong when she felt all of her wards and protective spells in the castle begin to warp and shift.

    It was like someone was writing over her spells and had injected magic directly into the new runes that mysteriously appeared.

    But that should be impossible...

    No one had more knowledge in blood magic than herself.

    Cami tried to force open her eyes to see what was happening but soon discovered that she could not move.

    There was a heavy pressure on her body that made it impossible to shift even a single muscle.

    Hell... she could not even open her eyes!

    What was happening?

    Cami felt a trace of fear in her heart but quickly calmed herself down and tried to sense what was happening to her spells.

    Fortunately, her original connection to her blood runes was still there but it was quickly being erased.

    As she focused more on the foreign magic... an expression of surprise shed across her face.

    She had assumed that the person rewriting her spells had more knowledge or skills than her but that clearly wasn''t the case.

    They were using brute force.

    Shoving an enormous amount of mana at her spells and overwhelming the natural limits that she had carved into the runes.

    This amount of magic could only be unleashed if a vampire on the level of the princes sacrificed their entire lifespan.

    But who would be so foolish to do such a reckless thing?

    Vampires were naturally fearful creatures and those with the greatest amount of power were the ones most afraid of dying.

    Minutes slowly passed or perhaps it was hours since Cami lost all track of time as she trapped in a world of darkness.

    She felt worried about Mary. Was her human lover, okay?

    Did the mysterious attackers hurt her?

    Cami had never felt so powerless since... the day the First Ancestor died.

    Unwanted memories surfaced in her mind as she remembered the man who had raised her since she was a little girl walk calmly into the sunlight and stab a silver dagger into his heart.

    Rumors swirled around about the First Ancestor''s disappearance...

    Some said that he died in battle when his children betrayed him, others imed that he was still alive just sleeping somewhere in a crypt.

    The truth was much less exciting than the rumors. The First Ancestor was tired of his immortality and had killed himself.

    Cami felt as though she was taken back to that time when she begged and pleaded for the man who she considered as her father not to go.

    But for all her strength... she could do nothing to help him.

    Just like now.

    Cami flinched as she felt electric currents run up and down the length of her body. The mysterious intruders had finished rewriting her wards.

    What was going to happen now?

    She could feel a strange force pulling at her body and Cami recognised that this spell was based on the teleportation rune.

    The spell activated and the heavy pressure on Cami''s body disappeared immediately. The female vampire opened her eyes and found herself in a familiar ce.

    This was her throne room.

    Cami got up from the ground and let out a small groan of pain since it felt as though her body was still being weighed down.

    She was currently naked but fortunately the teleportation spell had also taken the nkets that were on the bed.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Cami wrapped the nkets tightly around her body and flinched as she felt the heavy rays of sunlight fall on her face.

    The throne room had a ss ceiling which meant that the sun''s rays were directly falling on her naked flesh.

    This wasn''t enough to kill her since she wasn''t an ordinary vampire, but Cami did feel very ufortable as her body began to heat up and her flesh sizzled.

    She walked over to the entrance of the throne room and attempted to pull the doors open to go outside.

    Nothing happened.

    No matter how hard Cami pulled at the heavy metal doors... they just refused to budge.

    She even mmed her fist against the doors with all the force that she could muster, and they still did not break.

    A dark chuckle echoed through the room and a figure stepped out from behind a nearby marble pir.

    He was a skinny man with a skeletal-like frame. One of his eyes was crimson while the other was cloudy and unfocused.

    He walked with a slight limp which was unusual since vampire should be able to heal their injuries immediately.

    "Don''t waste your time Lady Cami..." the mysterious man smiled darkly as he approached with slow purposeful steps.

    "My magic is maintaining a barrier around the throne room... neither of us are escaping from this ce until it is time."

    "Samuel? I must say that I didn''t expect you to be the one to be behind this," Cami calmly replied as she turned to face the man.

    She tried to summon a blood spear from her body and fling at it the arrogant vampire prince, but it was no use.

    Cami discovered to her horror that when she tried to use her blood magic... her spells would immediately fizzle out.

    "Save it," Samuel jeered with a mocking smile as he leaned against a nearby pir.

    "Inside this zone... I also casted a weakening spell. Both of us will gradually lose our strength until the time is right."

    "Time is right? Time for what exactly?" Cami asked with a cold glint in her eyes.

    "Time for the human hunters to break in... I must admit that my visions can sometimes be unreliable but this one was crystal clear," Prince Samuel giggled darkly as he spoke.

    "Tell me Cami... did you know that the humans sent a Sun-born? Do you honestly believe that you can survive an encounter with one of those monsters?"

    At the word ''Sun-born'' an expression of confusion shed across Cami''s face that was too fast for Samuel to notice.

    Mary was a Sun-born and only one of those special humans appeared in a generation. What was this vampire talking about?

    "Let me inform you of your fate my dear... ''sister''," Prince Samuel continued to speak since he had not notice Cami''s strange mood.

    "Don''t call me that," Cami snarled angrily, and Prince Samuel raised up his hands in mock surrender with a thin smile still present on his lips.

    "My apologies... I just thought that since the First Ancestor turned both of us that meant that we are blood kin..."

    "I see that was a one-sided assumption on my part," Prince Samuel whispered softly.

    His voice trailed off as Cami bent her knees and lunged at him for a surprise attack.

    She didn''t get far as her body crashed to the ground with the strength slowly draining from her limbs.

    Samuel coughed violently and he also copsed as the weakening spell was affecting him just as much as Cami.

    It was dangerous for him to be inside the range of the spell, but he had no other choice. Barrier spells required the caster to be close to the target area.

    If he only casted a weakening spell, then Cami would be able to escape the throne room and his n would be ruined.

    "I''ll kill you..." Cami fiercely growled as she crawled her way over to Samuel with deep hatred in her eyes.

    Suddenly a loud banging noise could be hearding from the other side of the doors. Both vampires turned in the direction of the noise with different expressions of their faces.

    Samuel had an expression of joy while Cami pursed her lips together and prepared for the uing battle.

    "They are here..." Samuelughed madly as he waited for his vision to finallye to fruition.

 Chapter 242 Lady Of The Night (66)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Training Field)

    Pain.

    Mary staggered to her feet and barely managed to stand up as sharp burst of pain tore through her body.

    The training field was now aplete mess.

    There wererge cracks in the floor, pieces of the ceiling had fallen down and the nearby walls had partially copsed.

    Honestly Mary was thankful that she was still alive since fortunately none of the rubble that had fallen down from the ceiling hadnded on her body.

    The young woman let out a small groan of pain as the sunlight energy in her body got to work and started to repair her injuries.

    It was now midday which meant that the energy being absorbed into her body was at its strongest.

    Mary stretched out her arms and nodded in approval. Good... her injuries had healed quicker than she anticipated.

    Her every instinct had been screaming at her to rush off and save Cami, but the rational part of her brain knew that she needed to recover first.

    It would do more harm than good if she attempted to rescue her mistress from the unknown attackers in an injured state.

    She grabbed a nearby longsword from the ground and immediately ran out of the room and towards the main bedroom.

    Cami was in danger!

    The wards and protective spellsid around the castle had been broken.

    The crimson red lines that made up the spells had been rewritten into strange patterns that Mary did not recognise.

    Cami had attempted to teach her some blood magic but as a human Mary was unable to cast any spells.

    Still, she had enough knowledge to be able to follow the direction of the new spells towards the central source of magic.

    For some reason it was leading towards the throne room. Mary frowned slightly since she was tempted to find the caster behind the magic spell.

    No... Cami''s safety was her number one priority.

    Mary raced through the castle so quickly that her body became a white blur. She didn''t even have time to take off the armor from her body.

    There was only one thought in her mind.

    She needed to protect her mistress.

    It took around five minutes for Mary to burst into the main bedroom and to her horror she discovered that it waspletely empty.

    Cami was gone.

    Mary panicked as a cold chill ran down her spine. She took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and then began to look for clues.

    There were no signs of a struggle or fighting. Mary investigated the bed and found that nkets were missing.

    In addition, there was a strange rune burned into the mattress. Mary leaned in to get a closer look at the symbol.

    "Fuck... what did that mean again? Trans... transfer... tele... teleportation..." Mary muttered quietly to herself.

    "Wait... shit... SHIT!"

    Mary froze in shock as she realised that she had made the wrong choice.

    The source of magicing from the throne room was probably where Cami was being held.

    Or at least it was where the mage who had casted the teleportation spell was located. Maybe her mistress had been taken to another ce entirely...

    Still... it was her only clue to Cami''s whereabouts.

    She had wasted precious time by returning to the main bedroom.

    The young woman scowled beneath the white helmet covering her face and the golden markings across her body started to glow.

    Mary''s piercing green eyes were now fully golden as she circted all the avable sunlight energy throughout her body.

    She could not afford to make any more mistakes.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Elsewhere in the castle)

    Three humanoid figures were walking through the castle. They wore long ck cloaks that covered most of their bodies.

    Their faces were concealed by silvery grey masks that shone under the sunlight streaming in through the open windows.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Stay on your guard," Lily whispered softly as she held a bow in her hand with an arrow already nocked on the string.

    "I will protect you Lily," Ian replied with a confident smile as several paper talismans floated around his body.

    "You? Oh please... I will protect you with my life," Finley boasted pridefully as he held a broadsword in his left hand.

    Lily rolled her eyes and declined to give the two men any attention.

    She had not been pleased to work together with Finley and Ian but objectively they were the best hunters in the Association.

    The mission to kill Lady Cami could only be done by an elite team since her blood magic was perfect for dealing withrge crowds.

    The n was simple.

    The vampires would engage with the vampire mage first and lure her into the throne room where a barrier would be ced to prevent her from escaping.

    The human team would then enter the room and ughter the female vampire who would be severely weakened under the sunlight.

    Still as Lily wandered through therge halls and stairways of the castle, she could not help but wonder if it was all going a little too well.

    "Is it just me or is this ce too quiet?" Lily spoke with a serious expression on her face.

    "Well... now that you mention it," Ian responded with a thoughtful gleam in his eyes.

    He made a series of hand gestures and one of the talismans surrounding his body exploded in a gleam of light.

    "I can''t detect any undead lifeforms within four hundred metres... do you think that the vampire strike team managed to kill all members of n Vntis?" Ian asked curiously.

    "Impossible... the attack has only just begun..." Finley scoffed but the confident look in his eyes had faded somewhat.

    Lily felt a surge of nervousness as the trio continued to walk through the seemingly empty castle that was devoid of life.

    No one knew how many nsmen were under themand of Lady Cami, but it was impossible for that number to be zero.

    ? n Vntis had taken an unusually low profile since the blood mage had woken up from her slumber.

    Not much information was known about their numbers aside from a personal guard that was seen at a banquet two years ago.

    "Okay so the throne room... should be..." Finley''s voice trailed off and Lily turned to see what he was looking at.

    Standing before them was a figure wearing a white armour.

    Arge helmet covered their face making it impossible to determine if they were a man or a woman.

    Dark red runes covered parts of the armour that glowed with an eerie crimson light. The knight held a longsword in their right hand.

    "A vampire!" Ian eximed as he pointed his index finger at the creature and one of his paper talismans shot forward.

    sh!

    The knight raised up their longsword and neatly cut the piece of paper in half. Lily let go of the arrow on her bowstring and it shot forward towards the vampire.

    The knight''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. They narrowly avoided the arrow by just a hair''s breadth.

    Strangely enough the sunlighting in through the open windows did not appear to have diminished the vampire''s strength as they continued to move with supernatural quickness.

    "I''ll deal with them," Finley yelled loudly as he rushed forward with one of his eyes turning crimson.

    His dhampir nature meant that he was more than a match for ordinary upper-level vampires so this should be an easy fight.

    He was wrong.

    Finley swung his sword at the vampire who blocked his attack with ease and then kicked his stomach using their foot.

    Bang!

    Finley flew across the room and mmed into a nearby wall with a sickening thud.

    He struggled to breathe as four of his ribs immediately shattered when the foot connected with his ribcage.

    "Where is she?" the knight growled darkly.

    Their voice sounded oddly familiar to Lily, but she just could not ce where she had heard it before.

    Still, she could not afford to be distracted since the knight rushed forward to attack a second time.

    But now Lily was ready with a counterattack.

    Her piercing green eyes shone with a golden luster and the bow in her hand erupted in mes.

    "That''s my girl..." Ian whispered softly under his breath as he watched the pride of the Hunters Association unleash her full strength.

    Lily drew back her bowstring and fired off several arrows each engulfed in golden mes that shone with a brilliant glow.

    The vampire knight would die.

 Chapter 243 Lady Of The Night (67)

    Three hunters.

    They were dressed in long ck cloaks and had silvery masks on their faces that concealed their facial features.

    Three Enemies.

    A long-range archer. A swordsman. A person skilled with talismans.

    Three threats to eliminate.

    After years of training, Mary''s body had been molded into the perfectbat machine. Fighting was in her blood... her instincts were perfectly suited forbat.

    As soon as she encountered the hunters, her mind had already begun to think about countermeasures and her body could easily react to her thoughts.

    Swish! Swish! Swish!

    Eight arrows shot towards her body at a rapid pace. Each arrow was engulfed in brilliant golden mes that shone with an eerie glow.

    The world slowed down to a crawl as Mary''s golden eyes began to shine.

    She tilted her body to the left and the first arrow passed harmlessly mere inches away from her arm.

    She raised up her sword and neatly sliced the arrows that were aimed for her legs and chest.

    The final two arrow were shot directly at her head but there was not a hint of fear in her movements.

    Mary rushed forward and at thest second, she threw her body on the ground. The arrows narrowly passed over her head and embedded themselves in a nearby wall.

    The archer seemed to be shocked that she had managed to dodge her attacks but to her credit... she reacted well by backing away and creating some distance.

    "Explosive technique!" the man next to her shouted in a rough voice.

    Mary felt a sense of danger and immediately leapt away from where she had been standing.

    A talisman buried in the ground erupted with a fiery white light that was so bright that she was temporarily blinded.

    Swish! Swish!

    More arrows were shot towards her location and Mary''s body reflexively moved to dodge the sudden attacks.

    Okay... enough ying around.

    Mary stood still for a moment and cold shiver ran down the spines of Lily and Ian as the vampire knight pointed their de at them.

    They could feel the shadow of death falling on their bodies.

    This vampire knight was going to kill them. Every instinct in their bodies was screaming at them to flee while they still could.

    Ian trembled and the talismans floated around his body began to form a protectiveyer.

    Hopefully this would buy enough time until they figured out a n...

    Huh?

    Where did she go?

    Ian''s eyes widened in shock as the knight in white armour vanished and then reappeared directly in front of him.

    He opened his mouth to chant a spell to protect himself, but a heavy metal fist crashed into his stomach.

    There was no need for Mary to use any techniques when her fists were strong enough to knock out her enemies.

    Ian was blown away by the force of the blow and his body flew across the room andnded on the ground with a heavy thud.

    He tried to get up, but his body could no longer move properly. Ian coughed violently and thick flecks of blood stained the floor in front of him.

    Ian kneeled over and vomited before falling unconscious. His head hit the ground with a sickening thump as he passed out cold.

    ? Swish! Swish!

    Two arrows shot towards Mary, but she easily dodged them and closed the gap between herself and the archer.

    She wasn''t going to kill these hunters... not yet. Since she needed to know any information that they had on Cami''s whereabouts.

    Still... it was not like she needed all of them to be alive...<novelnext></novelnext>

    Mary cocked back her fist and was about to drive it into the stomach of the archer when she saw something quite shocking.

    She could see the archer''s eyes. The mask covered most of her appearance, but her eyes were still visible.

    And they were golden.

    Another Sun-Born?

    Mary was frozen in shock and the archer immediately rushed towards her and punched her right in the center of her breastte.

    The material immediately crumpled, and the aftershock of the blow tore apart the metal covering Mary''s chest.

    This kind of power... she was strong.

    But... not strong enough.

    Mary did not even stagger after experiencing such a powerful blow and caught the fist with her left hand.

    The archer struggled but Mary''s grip was iron-d, and she refused to let this mysterious hunter escape from her grasp.

    "Kill... kill me..." Lily spat out in rage as stared at the vampire knight holding down her body with fury in her eyes.

    Mary raised an eyebrow beneath her white helmet as she could not help but feel that the voice was oddly familiar.

    She needed to know who this mysterious archer was.

    "No! Don''t hurt her!" Finley staggered to his feet and tried to stop the vampire knight from killing his beloved woman.

    But he was too injured.

    He could do little more than watch as the vampire knight extended their right hand and tore off the mask covering Lily''s face.

    There was a terrible moment of silence.

    Lily stared at the faceless knight d in white armour and tried not to let the fear that she felt show on her face.

    This opponent... was too powerful.

    Finely screamed and rushed forward with all the strength that he could muster in his body. His one crimson eye shone with a hypnotic light as he lunged at the knight.

    Then... something strange happened.

    Golden mes wrapped around the knight''s hand, and they punched in Finley''s direction.

    A wave of golden mes erupted out from their fingertips and mmed into the dhampir''s body.

    Finley cried out in pain as he flew back and copsed on the ground with his vision slowly fading away into darkness.

    "You... you''re... a... human?" Lily stuttered in disbelief as the knight turned their attention back to her.

    "It''s been some time..." the knight whispered as they let go of Lily''s body and allowed the young woman to escape from their hold.

    The mysterious knight did not seem to be concerned about whether or not Lily would attack them now that she was free.

    Lily reached for her bow and nocked another arrow on the string when she saw something that made her heart skip a beat.

    The knight raised up their arms in surrender and then gripped the sides of their helmet.

    They pulled gently on the metal covering and it slowly came off their head.

    A face appeared beneath the helmet.

    A face that was identical to the one that Lily saw every time that she looked in a mirror and could only belong to one person other than herself.

    "Mary?" Lily eximed in shock.

    She could not believe what she was seeing... no this had to be an illusion!

    Maybe it was some kind of trick? How was this possible?

    "It''s good to see you too sister," Mary smiled warmly.

 Chapter 244 Lady Of The Night (68)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden)

    "It''s good to see you too sister."

    Mary''s words echoed through the destroyed corridor and Lily could do nothing but stare at the young woman standing before her.

    "No!" Lily violently shouted as she pushed Mary away.

    "You¡­ you''re dead! This is a trick¡­ some kind of illusion!"

    Lily kneeled down on the ground and started to hyperventte.

    She could barely breathe as the overwhelming amount of shock filling her mind made it hard to even think.

    Mary slowly lowered her body in front of her sister and wrapped her arms gently around her trembling figure.

    She used her right hand to rub small circles into Lily''s back.

    This was the method that the original Mary always used to calm down her sister when she began to panic.

    Lily visibly started to rx as Mary continued to calmly rub.

    Her hand may be covered by metal armour, but Lily could swear that she felt a warmthing from the cold steel.

    Finally, Lily raised up her head and looked directly into Mary''s eyes with an expression that was equal parts wonderment and hope.

    "How? The hunters¡­ they told me that the vampire killed you¡­" Lily softly whispered with a hint of disbelief in her voice.

    "They did?" Mary replied with a confused look on her face.

    "No¡­ I mean¡­ after they rescued you¡­ they didn''t chase after the vampire and try to save me as well."

    "Maybe they assumed that I would die."

    Mary''s words sent a chill down Lily''s spine as she felt as though her world was crashing down all at once.

    Her sister was alive.

    The hunters¡­ they had lied to her.

    What was going on? Was her entire purpose a lie?

    "Breathe¡­ breathe¡­" Mary softly whispered as she could hear Lily''s heartbeat rapidly increase and her breathing becameboured.

    The sisters remained in ce for a few minutes as Mary calmed down her sister and whispered that everything was going to be okay.

    "Now¡­ can you tell me what you are doing here?" Mary asked gently.

    Lily opened her mouth and immediately told her sister about their mission to kill the evil vampire queen lurking inside this castle.

    There was no hesitation in her voice since her sister was the one person that she trusted the most in this world.

    Even though they had spent over two years apart¡­ the closeness that Lily felt could not be matched by any other person.

    Mary was the only rtive that she had left.

    "We were given a mission to take down an evil vampire who hasmitted several atrocities over the years," Lily confessed truthfully.

    "I''m not sure of all the details but I was told that a strike team of vampires would lure Cami to the throne room of her castle and then a barrier would be constructed."

    "This barrier would trap her inside of the throne room."

    "Cami would be weakened by the sunlight, so our part of the mission was to enter the throne room and kill her in her injured state."

    "I see¡­" Mary thoughtfully hummed as she got up from the ground and extended her hand for Lily to grab on to.

    "Well¡­ to be honest with you sister¡­ I¡­ I serve that vampire queen as her bodyguard."

    "What? Why? Is she threatening you?" Lily blurted out in astonishment.

    She couldn''t understand how a Sun-born hunter as strong as her sister could possibly feel threatened by a vampire.

    "Not¡­ exactly," Mary hesitantly replied.

    She didn''t know if she should tell her sister that she was in a romantic rtionship with the female vampire.

    Obviously, she was going to tell her eventually but¡­ it might be too much to take in all at once since she just found out that her sister was still alive.

    "But what I can tell you is that for the past few years¡­ Cami has not taken one step out of these castle walls," Mary spoke in a serious tone.

    "Those deeds that you mentioned about her kidnapping humans for murder, torture and experiments are all lies."<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I have been here the entire time and the only people that she has killed are humans and vampires in self-defence."

    Lily nodded her head at her sister''s words but inwardly felt a bit skeptical. She believed her sister but¡­

    Vampires could not be trusted.

    It was still hard for Lily to let go of the prejudices in her heart even as she found out that the Hunters Association had lied to her.

    The fact remained that the majority of vampires were bloodthirsty fiends that saw humans as nothing more than livestock.

    There were no ''good'' vampires.

    "Urghh¡­" a loud groan of pain came from behind a pile of rubble in the corner of the hall.

    Both girls looked in the direction of the sound and saw Ian coughing violently with a thick puddle of blood beneath his body.

    Finley was still knocked out cold but his dhampir nature meant that his wounds were already beginning to heal.

    "Sorry about that," Mary sheepishly apologised.

    "It''s okay¡­ they''ll survive," Lily replied with a shrug of her shoulders. It may sound a bit cold of her to say that, but herpanions were a constant annoyance.

    "Do you need any help? I''m going to the throne room to save Cami and¡­" Mary''s voice trailed off as she saw Lily staring at her with those piercing golden eyes.

    "I still don''t understand why you want to save a vampire but¡­" Lily''s voice paused as she gathered her thoughts.

    "You are my sister and I trust you."

    Mary smiled warmly and Lily''s lips slowly curved upwards. The two girls lingered in silence for a brief moment and then Mary turned around and ran up a nearby flight of stairs.

    Lily watched as her figure got further and further away in the distance and turned her attention towards her two injuredpanions.

    Fortunately, they had been incapacitated so neither of them knew the true identity of the ''vampire'' knight.

    Still, she needed to get them out of here so that she could return to the castle in the future and have a long talk with her sister.

    The golden markings on Lily''s arms glowed slightly and she could feel extra strength flowing through her body.

    She walked over to the unconscious boys and roughly pulled them up on her shoulders. She then dragged them out through the hall and towards the castle''s exit.

    As Lily walked through the corridors, she could not help but steal a few nces backwards as if hoping to see her sister one more time.

    But¡­ the castle was silent.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Throne Room)

    Mary dashed forward with her sword firmly held in her right hand. She could feel an overwhelming amount of joy in her heart mixed with a tad bit of nervousness.

    These weren''t the right emotions for battle.

    Mary focused on her breathing and silently counted to ten in her mind to calm down her restless thoughts.

    Right now, there was only one thing she should be focusing on.

    Rescuing her lover.

    Every cell in her body throbbed with energy as the midday sun reached its zenith.

    The golden glow in Mary''s eyes only seemed to intensify as her body moved even faster than before.

    She soon found herself standing in front of arge pair of wooden doors that led to the throne room.

    Mary cocked back her fist and mmed it against the doors with all the force that she could muster.

    A loud banging noise echoed through the hallway and the wooden doors trembled under the force of Mary''s blow.

    Suddenly Mary sensed a subtle shift of magic happening around her body and the barrier surrounding the wooden doors trembled.

    Arge person- sized hole opened up inside the barrier which meant that the caster was expecting her arrival.

    Mary furrowed her brows as she stretched her left-hand outwards to yank open the doors. It was time to save her girlfriend.

 Chapter 245 Lady Of The Night (69)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Throne Room)

    Anyone who imed that they knew the future for certain was a liar or a chatan.

    Even the greatest of all seers could not make such a im.

    Seers could see possible futures, but random events, chance and fate could easily change the visions that they witnessed.

    Prince Samuel knew this fact more than anyone else.

    The first vision that he saw was the image of the First Ancestor ruling over humanity with an iron fist.

    Vampires were at the top of the societal pyramid and humans were reduced to nothing more than livestock to be bred and consumed.

    But his vision would nevere to fruition because of one single event.

    One event that at the time he considered to be irrelevant and not worth paying attention to.

    The First Ancestor adopted a young human girl as his daughter.

    That girl would break the glorious future that he had seen. She made the First Ancestor soft and weak.

    He became as soft-hearted andpassionate as those foolish humans and Samuel had been too blind at the time to see the truth.

    If he could go back in time¡­ he would have killed Cami as soon as she stepped foot in the First Ancestor''s n.

    But he couldn''t.

    No one could change the past so all he could do now was look towards the future. This time¡­ he did not make the same mistake.

    Every scenario had been carefully nned and executed, all the pieces were in ce, all the puppets that he created were acting out their roles to perfection.

    And now¡­

    It was time for the grand finale.

    The hunters would burst through the door and fight a long and drawn-out battle with Cami that would end in her falling once again into a deep slumber.

    Then Samuel nned to posses her body using forbidden dark magic tobine his power with that of the most powerful vampire witch to ever live.

    He would be unstoppable.

    Bang! Bang!

    The loud knocking noise on the other side of the doors intensified and a satisfied smirk appeared on Samuel''s face.

    He snapped his fingers and a person- sized hole appeared in the barrier. Now he only needed to sit back and wait.

    "Do you hear them outside?" Samuel softly whispered as a sadistic gleam surfaced in his crimson eyes.

    "The hunters areing¡­ they will kill you¡­"

    Cami stared at the vampire and the hatred in her gaze sent a cold shiver down Samuel''s spine.

    Even though she was weakened, even though rays of sunlight were pouring down on her body and burning her flesh¡­

    Samuel felt fear.

    Those crimson eyes staring at him¡­ he had only seen a gaze like that one time before. For an adopted daughter¡­ she was strikingly simr to the man who had raised her.

    The wooden doors leading to the throne room swung open and both vampires focused on the humanoid figure who stepped into the room.

    She wore a set of heavy white armour with dark red runes covering the metal. A longsword was held in her right hand and the de was engulfed in golden mes.

    Her eyes shone with an eerie golden light and a heavy pressure surrounded her body that made cracks appear on the floor beneath her feet.

    ? Prince Samuel frowned since this was a little different from the vision that he saw. Wasn''t the Sun-born an archer?

    Why was she holding a sword? And where were her two otherpanions?

    Well¡­ no matter.

    A Sun-born would be more than enough to take down Lady Cami in her weakened state.

    In fact, this would probably work out for the better since there was less chance that the vampire witch would be identally killed during the fight.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "There she is!" Samuel shouted loudly as he extended his hand and pointed a finger at Cami who appeared to be frozen in shock.

    "Kill her! She is the terrible blood witch who has imprisoned and tortured thousands of humans! She deserves to die for her crimes!"

    The Sun-born hunter nodded and slowly approached the two vampires with the sword in her hand gleaming under the sunlight.

    There was a thin smile on her lips as she approached Cami''s fallen body and raised up her sword high in the air.

    sh!

    A burst of golden mes erupted from the tip of her sword and shot out towards one of the vampires.

    Samuel looked down slowly and saw an enormous hole in his chest where the mes had passed through his body.

    "What¡­" the vampire prince stuttered in disbelief as he copsed on the ground like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

    The attack had been so sudden and so unexpected that he did not have any time to react to the blow.

    The Sun-born hunter''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. Thest thing that Samuel saw was the cold steel of her de prating his neck.

    Then his vision faded away to darkness.

    Mary looked down at the corpse on the ground that was already beginning to shrivel up and turn into dust.

    She walked towards Cami and gently lifted up her body in her arms. Cami smiled weakly at her human lover who returned her smile with a soft kiss on her forehead.

    "Are you okay?" Mary asked with concern as she bent over slightly to use her body as a shield against the sunlight.

    "Yes¡­ but¡­ how did you find me so quickly?" Cami asked curiously as she stared at her loyal knight.

    "It''s a long story¡­ but I managed to defeat the hunters and got one of them to tell me your location¡­ my sister actually¡­" Mary confessed truthfully.

    Cami raised an eyebrow and wanted to question her lover about this unexpected family member, but Mary shook her head.

    "We can talk about thatter¡­ let me get you in a dark room so I can look after your injuries," Mary exined calmly.

    Cami nodded and leaned against Mary''s chest.

    The cold steel of the metal armour was truthfully a bit ufortable, but the female vampire did not mind.

    She felt warm, safe, and protected in the arms of her lover. It was a feeling that she had not experienced since she was little girl.

    It felt¡­ good.

    Mary carried Cami in her arms through the barrier that was already starting to dissipate and up numerous flights of stairs.

    She made sure to quickly walk past the areas where sunlight streamed directly through the open windows.

    The castle was silent, and one could see signs of destruction from the attack.

    Large cracks were present in the walls, the floor had broken tiles and several shards of ss from the windows littered the ground.

    It would take a great deal of work to get the castle''s interior back to shape.

    Mary hoped that Cami had some knowledge of how to do that since she had no idea how to repair and restore ancient castles.

    Finally, the pair arrived at the doors of the main bedroom and Mary used her free hand to push open the doors.

    Cami let out a small groan of relief as Mary took her inside the darkened bedroom where heavy curtains prevented sunlight from entering inside.

    "You need to feed¡­" Mary softly whispered as she ced Cami gently on the bed and began to take off her armour.

    Cami found herself spellbound by the beautiful young woman with a lean and muscr body.

    Mary was truly gorgeous, and she never got tired of looking at her figure.

    The young woman peeled off thestyer of armour and then walked over to the bed and sat down next to Cami.

    She stretched out her arm and Cami felt a familiar pang of hunger in her stomach. She needed to feed to recover from her injuries.

    The female vampire''s fangs extended, and she bit down on Mary''s arm with more force than she usually did.

    If Mary felt any pain, then she did not say a word ofint. All she did was gently rub Cami''s back and whisper that everything was going to be okay.

    They had survived.

 Chapter 246 Lady Of The Night (70)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Unnamed Forest- Castle Eden)

    Lily frowned as she approached the thick castle walls. The midday sun had slowly fallen towards the horizon and dusk was now here.

    Finley and Ian were both at the base camp a few kilometres away.

    Lily had used her enhanced strength to drag them to safety and had fed them both healing potions.

    Their wounds were slowly but surely recovering.

    Fortunately, both men were still unconscious after she finished treating their injuries, so she was able to slip away.

    She had left a note saying that she would be backter that night.

    Now with all her bases covered... Lily was free to visit the castle and see with her own eyes whether her sister had been telling the truth.

    Serving a vampire?

    There were no ''good'' vampires.

    Those bloodsucking fiends needed to die. All of them were nothing but unnatural abominations.

    Lily''s hatred for vampires was shaken by the revtion that her sister was still alive, but one could not easily get rid of years of prejudice.

    Her hand drifted to the long bow on her back but with a heavy sigh she decided to leave her weapon alone.

    Her sister would probably stop her if she decided tounch a surprise attack on her vampire master.

    As Lily stepped into the pce''s gardens, she could feel a cold tingle run down her body like something was scanning her figure.

    Hmm... seems like Lady Cami had already managed to ce new blood wards.

    It looks like her arrival could not be kept a secret...

    Well, it was probably for the best. Lily was in no mood to have to fight based on a misunderstanding.

    Truthfully... she felt a bit conflicted.

    There was one part of her that was absolutely excited and giddy that her sister was alive. After years of assuming the worst... she was still here.

    Lily wanted to grab her sister and hold her tight in a warm embrace. Then the other part of her was filled with worry.

    What if the vampire had somehow managed to trick her sister? What if Mary was being tortured by the undead fiend?

    Would she even be able to stop a vampire on the same level as the princes all by herself?

    Lily''s fingers curled up into a tight fist as she remembered a trick that her sister had taught her all those years ago.

    She opened her mouth and took in a deep breath. She then exhaled slowly and repeated the process over and over again until her nerves finally calmed down.

    There was nothing she could do except go inside the castle and observe the situation. If her sister was willingly serving Cami, then...

    She would reluctantly ept it.

    But if that wasn''t the case...

    She would rescue Mary at all costs.

    Lily walked inside the castle doors that were wide open since the attack. She entered the interior of the fortress and nced around.

    There were signs of destruction everywhere that she looked.

    Large cracks spread across the walls, parts of the ceiling had fallen down and tiles on the ground were shattered into tiny pieces.

    Lily wasn''t exactly sure where to go but could feel an energy inside the castle that was eerily simr to her own.

    There was only one person in the world who could make her feel this way.

    The young hunter wandered up several flights of stairs towards the source of the energy that was familiar andforting.

    She was forced to jump over pieces of rubble that obstructed her way and avoid the shards of ss from the broken windows.

    Finally at the end of her senses was a set of metalloid doors and a figure was standing patiently near its entrance.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Sister!" Mary cried out happily as she waved in Lily''s direction.

    Lily''s face broke out into a smile as she observed her sister''s appearance.

    Mary was wearing a long ck track pants and a light blue sweater that covered her arms.

    She did not appear to be harmed and if anything, there was a healthy red flush on her face.

    Wait... actually...

    Were her lips bruised?

    Lily approached her sister and spread out her arms for a hug. Mary obliged and the pair stood in silence for what seemed like eternity.

    Eventually Lily broke the silence as she opened her mouth and exined to Mary how much time that she had before she needed to return.

    "I have a few hours until the others get suspicious," Lily whispered softly as she enjoyed her sister''s warm body.

    Being so close to her took her back to their childhood together when they would curl up in the closet to avoid their father''s drunken wrath.

    Mary would hold her just like this and gently cover her mouth so that she didn''t make a sound to get their father''s attention.

    "Do you n to go back?" Mary asked with a hint of reluctance in her tone.

    "I... honestly don''t know..." Lily confessed truthfully as she stared into her sister''s golden eyes and held her gaze.

    "I may have been lied to but... I have spent thest few years protecting innocent people with my abilities."

    "Even if the foundation was based on lies... I did do some real good. This power... it is a gift to help humanity to fight the vampires."

    "I understand," Mary slowly nodded as she saw the firmness in her sister''s eyes.

    She had nned to offer her sister a room in the castle but now she could tell that Lily would never ept spending the rest of her life here.

    "Of course... that doesn''t mean that I won''t visit," Lily attempted to lighten to mood with a joke.

    "I am going to be the ultimate bad house guest! I am going to show up so many times that you will get sick of me!"

    "Never," Mary smiled gently as she tightened the hug and gave her sister aforting pat on the shoulder.

    The pair remained in ce for a few more minutes and then Mary slowly broke out of Lily''s warm embrace.

    "Before you meet her..." Mary opened her mouth and paused as she struggled to find the right words to say.

    "There... there is something that I need to confess... Cami is not just my master... I..."

    "I am her lover as well."

    There was a long moment of silence as Lily stared at her sister with an expression of disbelief clearly disyed on her face.

    "Wait what? You''re gay? No... wait... that''s not the issue here... you''re sleeping with a vampire??" Lily stuttered in shock as her fingers trembled.

    Her sister liked women? Why did she never know?

    Hmm... actually looking back... Mary never had a crush on any of the boys at school.

    Lily always figured that maybe none of them were her type but maybe it was because she wasn''t attracted to them in the first ce.

    Wait... she was getting sidetracked!

    "I... I... ARE YOU CRAZY?!" Lily raised her voice and basically shouted out that question at her sister.

    Mary unsurprised by her sister''s reaction. During the long history of vampires and humans coexisting on this... she was not the first to find love on the other side.

    Unfortunately, most of these romances... ended badly for one party usually the human once the vampire got sick of their ageing appearance.

    "I know it is shocking to hear but... before you meet her, I wanted you to know the truth. She is someone who I care for... very deeply," Mary confessed in a solemn tone.

    "I... I can''t imagine my life without her. She loves me very deeply as well and most importantly... she makes me happy."

    "Oh...I have got to meet her now," Lily grumbled angrily as she stormed past her sister and reached for the doorknob.

 Chapter 247 Lady Of The Night (71)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Castle Eden- Private Study Room)

    Mary recognised the look on Lily''s face as her sister stormed past her and reached for the doorknob.

    It was her ''I''m going to give this person a piece of my mind'' face. Or more urately... it was her ''someone has pissed me off'' face.

    Oh no...

    "Wait!" Mary quickly spoke up, but it was toote as Lily pulled the door open and walked into the room.

    Mary ran behind her sister with her heart pounding frantically in her chest.

    She didn''t know what Lily was going to say to Cami, but she had the sneaking suspicion that it was not going to be something pleasant.

    Lily entered the room in front of her and her golden eyes swept up and down her nearby surroundings taking in the details about this unfamiliar ce.

    There was a crackling firece in the corner and the walls were lined with wooden bookshelves that were covered with a thinyer of dust.

    Beneath her feet was a fur carpet that was surprisingly clean considering the rest of the slightly dirty room.

    At the back of the study was a wooden desk and argefortable chair had been ced directly behind it.

    Sitting on it was a vampire.

    A vampire whose appearance brought a small frown to Lily''s face.

    Cami was an unnaturally beautiful woman with enchantingly pale skin, perfect facial features, soft plump red lips, and a voluptuous physique.

    She wore a dark ck dress that fell down to her knees and wrapped tightly around her curves.

    ? The arms of the dress had been purposefully cut off to reveal traces of her delicate skin.

    Vampires were known for their beauty and yet even whenpared to the others of her kind... Cami''s appearance was well above the average.

    Certainly, she was good looking...

    But often the snakes with the most dangerous venom had the brightest colours.

    "Lady Cami, I assume?" Lily calmly questioned as she looked directly into the pair of crimson eyes that were also observing her closely.

    "Yes. I must say that... I am a bit surprised..." Cami responded in an even tone as she tried to not let the shock in her heart show on her face.

    "I wasn''t expecting you to look... identical to your sister..."

    Cami was a powerful vampire lord skilled in magic and the forbidden blood arts and yet... she had never felt a sense of tension like this before.

    How was one supposed to act around the closest rtive of their lover?

    Should she be warm and friendly? Act like herself?

    Wait... what if Mary''s sister didn''t like her? Would their rtionship end?

    Numerous thoughts and worries surfaced in Cami''s mind but not a single trace of her concerns showed on her face.

    "I will thank you for thepliment," Lily coldly replied as she crossed her arms and assumed a hostile posture.

    Mary entered the room and walked over to Cami. She bowed her head and whispered something into the vampire queen''s ears.

    Lily raised an eyebrow as she saw a light blush spread across Cami''s cheeks before the vampire got her emotions back under control.

    "Anyways... I understand that you are... ''dating'' my sister," Lily spoke in an expressionless tone.

    Her loud voice interrupted the sweet moment that was beginning to form between Mary and Cami.

    "Lily... don''t grill her too much... I..." Mary''s voice trailed off as Lily raised up her hand and shushed her sister.

    "It''s okay... I know that your sister is only doing this out of love," Cami smiled gently at her lover before focusing her attention on the woman staring at her coldly.

    "Good. Now I have several concerns, but I will first ask the most important question," Lily spoke with a sharp glint in her eyes.

    "Do you love her?"<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Yes," Cami immediately replied as if she did not even have to give that question a second thought.

    Mary let out a small sigh of relief when she saw the barest hint of approval in Lily''s gaze when she heard Cami''s answer.

    It was small but... at least it was some progress.

    She wanted to stop Lily from peppering Cami with questions, but Lily was a stubborn girl and getting in her way would probably make things worse.

    There was a tense moment of silence as Lily intentionally waited a bit before asking the next question on her mind.

    This was the question that bothered her the most.

    She just could not see how love between humans and vampires was possible and it was for one simple reason.

    One side was immortal while the other would age and die.

    Vampires and humans were both fundamentally different existences due to the nature of their lifespans.

    It was easy to fall in love with a beautiful woman or a handsome man in their early twenties but what about in theirte fifties? Sixties? Seventies? Or even eighties?

    Looks fade.

    That was a fundamental truth for humans but not for vampires.

    Lily opened her mouth and slowly voiced the concerns on her mind,

    "But what about in forty years? Or sixty? When wrinkles appear on her skin... when she bes frail and weak... when she no longer looks attractive, and you look the same..."

    "Will you love her then? Are you sure that your feelings will not fade? Humans... we be physically and mentally weak in our old age."

    "Can you see yourself looking after my sister if she loses her physical and mental facilities?"

    Mary felt her heart sink as her sister talked about the fears that she secretly harboured over thest two years.

    She loved Cami dearly and these were concerns that she privately held about their rtionship.

    Cami would always be an otherworldly beauty, but Mary knew that her looks were on a timer just like the rest of humanity.

    Cami ced her hands on the desk in front of her and her fingers tapped the sides of its wooden surface.

    "My father... well my adopted father..." Cami began to speak and her eyes drifted off towards a distant past.

    "He told me that immortality was a curse. That I would one day regret begging him for the gift of eternal life."

    "I know... he had human lovers... and every time they died... a part of him died with them as well..."

    Cami lost herself in old memories as she remembered how the smile on her father''s face slowly disappeared with the passage of time.

    She remembered the sadness in his eyes as he dug graves in the back of the mansion to bury the humans that he had once loved.

    Eventually he simply stopped personally burying them and had the servants do it instead. He could not longer feel anything the longer that he lived.

    Cami did not want to suffer the same fate and had made a decision.

    "I don''t n to live forever," Cami suddenly spoke.

    "I... didn''t understand then... but I do now... immortality is not a blessing like you humans believe it to be."

    "Mary will be my one and only lover. When she passes from this world... I swear on my blood magic that I will as well."

    A pulsating web of dark red runes appeared on Cami''s skin as she swore that terrible oath without hesitation.

    Lily''s eyes widened in shock and Mary immediately grabbed Cami by her shoulder and stared at her with tears in her eyes.

    "Why?! Why would you do that?!" Mary choked back sobs as she questioned her lover with a mixture of anger and concern in her voice.

    Cami''s lips gently curved upwards as she stretched out her hands and wiped the tears out of Mary''s eyes.

    "Because life without you..." Cami softly whispered.

    "Isn''t worth living."

 Chapter 248 Lady Of The Night - Side Story

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of New Antic City)

    (Unnamed Forest)

    A man and woman slowly walked through the forest with slow purposeful steps.

    The man was a slender schrly-looking gentleman with soft masculine features.

    He wore a in white shirt, a ck dress pants and a pair of hiking boots that did not mesh well with the rest of his expensive attire.

    He was good looking but not overwhelming so. A pair of thick sses covered his soft brown eyes and bangs fell over his forehead.

    Hispanion on the other hand was a beauty. She had pale skin, a lean but muscr physique, sharp angr features, and long wavy ck hair.

    But the feature that would stand out the most about her appearance were a pair of eyes that shone with a golden luster.

    "Right... so exin to me again how it is a good idea to visit a castle in the middle of vampire territory," a man asked with a hint of bemusement in his tone.

    Lily nced at her husband and yfully pinched his ear before turning her attention back to the castle in the distance.

    The sun was now beginning to set towards the horizon and warm orange rays of light illuminated the forest.

    "James... didn''t you want to meet my sister?" Lily asked with a teasing tone.

    "Well yes! But when you said that you were going to surprise me on our honeymoon... I must say that trekking through a forest wasn''t exactly what I had in mind," James replied with a grin.

    "Oh?" Lily raised an eyebrow and shot her husband a sly look.

    "Tell me then... what did you have in mind?"

    "France? Paris? Maybe even a trip to the coasts of Spain?" James stared off into the distance with a dreamy smile on his face.

    "Maybe even the temples in India or... the mud volcanoes in Trinidad..."

    "Alright we''ll go next year once I save up some vacation days," Lily whispered gently as she leaned over and gave her husband a peck on the cheek.

    It had taken ten years for this idiot to finally ask the question.

    Honestly Lily had been beginning to suspect that she might have to be the one to ask him to marry her.

    A lot had changed in ten years since the day when she had learned that her sister was still alive.

    Lily was still part of the Hunters Association but had taken a much more casual attitude than before.

    She only took cases when the vampire in question had a confirmed history of murder and other crimes.

    The higher ups in the Association always hounded her to take more requests but Lily was strong enough to ignore their threats and pleads.

    Her power had only grown after training relentlessly although she suspected that she was still no match for her sister.

    She could maybe fight evenly if her sister used a weapon other than her sword but once a sharp de was in Mary''s hand... it was game over.

    As for her oldpanions Finley and Ian... they hadn''t taken too kindly to her getting married to a simple Association employee.

    Ian had expressed his displeasure and given up, but Finley had attacked James and almost managed to kill him.

    Lily had been furious when she found out.

    For the first time she allowed her emotions to run rampant and her power responded to her fury.

    The Hunter''s Association never officially found out what happened but let''s just say that a corpse appeared in front of the office bearing the resemnce of the man who tried to kill her lover.

    It was hard to tell who it belonged to because there were severe burn marks on the corpse as well as traces of muttion.

    Lily was a scary woman when she got mad.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Oh! There it is!" James'' excited voice broke Lily out of her thoughts.

    Her husband pointed at the thick castle walls that were now only a few hundred metres away from their location.

    The castle door swung open, and a figure dressed in white armour stepped outside with a small smile on her face.

    "Huh... your sister looks... just like you..." James stuttered in shock as he nced at his wife and then back at the figure.

    "Lily!" Mary cried out happily as she rushed over to her sister and wrapped her arms around her in a tight embrace.

    The sisters hugged for several long seconds before Mary broke away from the hug and turned her attention to the man standing on the side.

    "You must be James?" Mary asked politely as she made no secret of staring down the man who had married her sister.

    "Yes... err... pleased to meet you!" James straightened out his back and almost shouted as he tried his best to make a good impression.

    "Rx... I approve of anyone who makes my sister happy," Mary giggled softly as she broke the tense atmosphere.

    She didn''t really know James personally but every time that Lily visited, she would speak glowing words about the man who made her life brighter.

    "Come in! Come in! My wife is waiting inside," Mary smiled sweetly as she held Lily by her hand and led her inside the castle.

    James followed closely behind and stared at the magnificent stonework with admiration in his heart.

    He knew that Lily''s sister had married a vampire and although he felt a bit strange about it. He was someone who knew how to adapt.

    Otherwise, how else could he have dared to marry the most popr and desirable bachelorette in the Hunters Association.

    The trio made their way up several flights of stairs and a long winding corridor.

    The castle had been repaired thanks to a mixture of Mary''s hard work and Cami''s blood magic.

    There were still a few cracks, and the remnants of battles could be seen on the walls but overall, everywhere was fairly neat and clean.

    Mary opened up a set of wooden doors and revealed a darkened room that was lit by torches hanging from the walls.

    A gorgeous female vampire stepped towards her and lightly pressed her red lips against Mary''s own.

    "Hi beautiful," Mary shyly whispered as she stretched out her hand and gently stroked the side of Cami''s cheeks.

    Cami''s lips curved upwards, and one could see the glint of fangs hidden inside her mouth. She turned her attention to her two guests and gestured for them to enter the room.

    "Wee to my home..." Cami calmly spoke.

    "It is a lovely castle," James attempted to make some small talk as he hid his trembling fingers behind his back.

    This vampiredy was quite intimidating!

    "Don''t worry dear... she doesn''t bite," Lily poked her husband in his ribs and said in a teasing voice.

    "Well..." Cami''s voice trailed off as she enjoyed a meaningful look with Mary who averted her eyes with a blush.

    "I haven''t sucked the blood of a human other than by wife for maybe a few hundred years. Time works a bit strange when you sleep for centuries," Cami exined in an even tone.

    "But where are my manners...e take a seat."

    There was a table in the middle of the room with four chairs neatly ced in front of it.

    On the table were several hot tes of food with steam still gently rising up from above their surfaces.

    Lily led her husband to the table and sat down next to him. For the next few hours happyughter and casual conversation echoed through the castle.

    James and Lily would regrly visit Castle Eden for the rest of their lives.

 Chapter 249 A Dangerous New Mission

    (Outside The Creation World Tree- Unknown Location)

    Systems.

    The Time Space Administration paired up a system with one or multiple taskers in order toplete missions smoothly.

    The systems themselves were artificial beings that lived and existed to serve the will of the Righteous Path.

    Personalities may differ slightly between the systems, but each was capable of ignoring their morality and fear in order to aplish the goals of the organization.

    But the ability to abandon one''s fear was an ability that was rarely used.

    For there were few who could threaten a being who was protected inside the headquarters of the Time Space Administration.

    Still... right now there was one system who was trying desperately to activate its fear cancetion protocols.

    "System 156..." a voice that was feminine and melodic echoed through a dark void where a shivering creature knelt at her feet.

    The creature was vaguely humanoid in appearance, but its skin was a dull greyish colour and two silvery wings sprouted out from its back.

    A forked tail trembled slightly behind its back, and it possessed sharp bone-like ws that nervously fidgeted.

    A in white mask concealed most of its facial features, but one could clearly see two dark purplish eyes hidden behind the mask.

    "Yes... mydy..." the system hesitantly whispered as it bowed its head and tried not to make eye contact with the being floating gently in the middle of the void.

    The entity''s body wasposed entirely of a harsh blue light that was somehow both warm and inviting as well as harsh and forbidding.

    The light formed a spherical shape as its core that was apanied by additional appendages with strange and bizarre features.

    Golden tendrils of sma extended outwards from the being''s central body and one of the tendrils gently stroked the top of the system''s head.

    "How is she?" the entity asked in a quiet voice.

    "She?" the system replied in confusion.

    "The agent I chose... Candidate No. 214..." the entity whispered with a trace of mncholy in her voice.

    "Oh! Agent V- 004! Well, she has sessfullypleted three Rank S missions and is returning now from herst mission world!" the system pridefully spoke.

    The sess of a tasker reflected well on the system in charge of them. System 156 rubbed its ws together in glee as hope blossomed in its heart.

    Maybe it had been called here by its boss for a promotion!

    The Male Protagonist Department here Ie!

    While system 156 was dreaming about returning to its old position, it did not notice the subtle emotions that crossed the entity''s face.

    "I have a new assignment for your tasker toplete," the entity slowly spoke.

    "So soon? Okay well after she gets some rest I will immediately..." system 156''s voice was cut off as the entity raised up one of her tendrils.

    "No... I also wish that she could be given some time to recover however that world is in danger of disappearing," the entity whispered in a serious tone.

    "Agent V- 004 is to be immediately dispatched to that mission ne. I have already spoken to the person whose body she will use, and she only has one request."

    "She wants to be crowned as the most promising cultivator of her generation and then abandon her sect for the demonic way."

    "But my Lady... her memory hasn''t been wiped from herst world! She..." the system tried to protest but a strong pressure ttened him to the ground.

    "I do not remember asking for your opinion," the entity hoarsely growled and the void itself began to tremble under her wrath.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The system struggled to breathe as it could feel its lungs and internal organs copsing under the pressure.

    It spat out mouthfuls of dark purple blood and the heavy shadow of death fell upon its body. One wrong move and it would die.

    "Yes... I understand... I''ll transfer... her now..." System 156 groaned in pain and the heavy pressure immediately disappeared.

    "Good. Now go," the entity sharply muttered as one of her tendrils mmed into the void below the system''s feet.

    The void space instantly shattered, and the system found itself back in the subspace where Sui Li''s soul was due to arrive from her mission world.

    "Damn it! Why do I have to be treated this way!" the system loudlyined as it mmed its ws against the ground.

    It knew! It just knew that this assignment was going to be a major pain in its ass!

    This department had a mortality rate of over 95%. Ny five percent!

    And the only reason why that number was not one hundred was because of the agent assigned to it.

    So far only Sui Li had been able toplete more than one mission and return with her mentality and sanity rtively intact.

    Multiple agents had their souls destroyed in the mission nes where they had been sent to eliminate the dangerous viinesses.

    Sui Li was the exception. If anything, her soul appeared to be getting stronger with every mission that shepleted.

    System 156 felt as though it should be praised not punished!

    If it weren''t for it this fucking department would be in shambles. Who else had a tasker with such a highpletion rate?

    Damn it!

    Was it too much to ask to go back to the Male Protagonist Department?

    What was wrong with a bit of face-pping? Reaching the pinnacle of life?

    Helping its tasker to collect all the beauties and destroy all the arrogant young masters?

    Life was much simpler back then...

    Sigh... well there was not much it could do now except aplish this unreasonable task and hope that Sui Li would survive.

    Surely if shepleted this impossible mission then her system would receive a promotion which meant that it be able get the fuck out of this shithole.

    The system stretched out one of its bony ws and waited until a faint white light shot out from a now brightly lit world.

    Sui Li was returning to the subspace.

    "Mittat hanc puem ad mundum immortalem," the system muttered darkly, and its words echoed through the room.

    Dark runic circles appeared around its ws and one of the circles began to suck all the energy from the subspace.

    The white light was surrounded by several runic circles and its trajectory was redirected to a world that was on the verge of copse.

    From the outside, System 156 could see that the world had suffered a violent attack and the foundations itself were broken.

    What kind of monster could have done that?

    A shiver ran down System 156''s spine as it finally realised why there had been a trace of mncholy in its boss'' voice.

    She did not expect Agent V- 004 to survive.

 Chapter 250 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (1)

    Darkness.

    Wet? Water?

    Why is water running down my face?

    "Arghhh!" Sui Li opened her mouth and screamed as she felt the sharp edge of a de digging into her flesh.

    A crimson red liquid slid down her forehead and covered her eyes.

    The painful sensations and the dull aches of agony got even worse as a hoarse giggling noise echoed through the room.

    "Ahh... don''t go fainting on me now..." the strange voice whispered hoarsely.

    Sui Li blinked her eyes rapidly and tried to get a good look around. She didn''t understand what was happening.

    Thest thing that she remembered was leaning against Cami''s shoulders and feeling very sleepy.

    Then... then... her memory was nk.

    "What..." Sui Li''s voice trailed off as amp in the corner of the room burst into mes.

    The darkness was immediately driven away by the light and a man could be seen leaning over her body.

    He was a devilishly handsome man who wore a long ck robe that covered most of his body.

    Sui Li furrowed her brows in confusion since his clothes bore a striking to resemnce to the clothing of the ancient Chinese era known as the Ming Dynasty Period.

    The rest of the room waspletely empty save for a flimsy wooden chair in the corner of the room that was covered in a thick ckish substance.

    There were no windows, so Sui Li had no way of knowing where this ce was or what was outside the room.

    "The famous saintess of the Holy Sword Sect..." the man sucked in a deep mouthful of air and looked at Sui Li with a trace of hatred in his eyes.

    "Such a pretty face..."

    He took out a de from his back pocket and gently traced across Sui Li''s cheek leaving a thin line of blood.

    "Sorry... I suppose... that it would be a lie to call your face ''pretty''," the man chuckled darkly and then spat on Sui Li''s face.

    Sui Li trembled in a mixture of rage and pain as she felt the thin dribble of saliva run down her chin.

    "Those... eyes... how have you not broken yet?" the man cocked his head and looked at Sui Li with a mixture of puzzlement and disbelief in his gaze.

    "Fuck you," Sui Li replied with gritted teeth.

    The man''s movements paused and the de in his hand hovered mere inches away from Sui Li''s eyes.

    "I see you still haven''t learned respect," the man''s voice lowered, and a heavy pressure filled the room.

    This energy...

    Sui Li did not recognise it, but she knew that she needed to fight back. She tried to summon the sunlight aura in her body but...

    Nothing happened.

    What? But she was a Sun- born!

    Even her old age... she was still a powerful warrior!

    Wait... old age?

    Sui Li tilted her head downwards and to her shock she discovered that her body waspletely different.

    It was impossible to get a good look since most of her body was covered in blood and horrific wounds, but she was definitely no longer an eighty-year-old woman.

    p!

    Sui Li''s head whipped to the side as the man pped her across the face and sent her flying with the sheer force of his blow.

    She crashed to the ground with a heavy thump and coughed out a mouthful of blood.

    "What? Still want to look at me like that?" the man growled darkly as cracks began to appear below his feet.

    "Do you know who I am? I am an elder of the Blood Moon Cult. I have been cultivating long before you were born."

    "Even if you are a talented youngster with an Ice Yin Root. I want you to understand one simple fact."

    "You. Are. Nothing. Before. Me."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Sui Li groaned in pain as the man strode across the room and kicked her right in the middle of her stomach.

    She tried her best to hold in the bile that came up in her throat.

    The man did not seem to notice her difort or perhaps he was enjoying the sight of her suffering.

    "Why? Why are... are you doing this?" Sui Li barely managed to speak before vomiting out a thick greenish substance on the floor.

    "Why? Because your master pissed me off," the man said with a frown.

    "Two hundred years ago that bastard killed my most promising disciple so... I want her to taste the same pain that I felt."

    "But... I don''t want this to end quickly."

    A chilling smile shed across the man''s face, and he reached into his pocket to pull out a small ss bottle that was filled with an angry red powder.

    With slow purposeful movements, he unscrewed the top of the vial and sprinkled the powder on the edge of his de.

    Sui Li willed her body to move... to fight or even run but... her body was far too damaged.

    Just staying conscious was a challenge as the corners of her vision started to darken.

    "That face of yours... I want to damage it permanently," the man''s lips curved upwards as he knelt down and brought the dagger to Sui Li''s face.

    "Look... I... I think you have the wrong person..." Sui LI hesitantly spoke.

    "I don''t kno... ARGHH! FUCK IT BURNS! IT BURNS!"

    Sui Li screamed so loudly that she felt as though her vocal cords were going to be torn apart.

    Her face was on fire... a stinging sensation that was so painful that she could not think of anything except how to get it to stop.

    The man slowly and methodically pressed the edge of the knife into her flesh and then carved it apart like how one would slice through butter.

    Sui Li raised up her hand and attempted to push the man away from her, but it was like she was hitting a mountain.

    Her strength was far too weak.

    Everywhere that the knife passed... she would feel a fiery scorching sensation as if someone had poured gasoline on her face and then dropped a match.

    "Just kill me! Kill me you son of a bitch!" Sui Li screamed in rage as her body shivered and begun to convulse.

    The man chuckled lightly but his hand movements did not stop until he destroyed every inch of the saintess'' once beautiful face.

    He stood up from the ground and admired his handiwork.

    No trace of the famous immortal beauty could be seen. Instead, the woman lying on the ground was battered, bruised, and broken.

    Ugly wounds covered her body and her face...

    Well... even the n elder had to admit that he may have gone a bit too far. The mutted flesh was extremely unpleasant to look at.

    The only uninjured part of her face was her eyes since the n elder wanted to save those for ater torture session.

    "Good...now...I... huh?" the n elder''s voice trailed off in shock as a beam of sword qi neatly bisected his body in half.

    Sui Li raised up her head with great difficulty and saw a gorgeous woman with ethereal beauty descending down from an opening in the ceiling as if she was a god.

    Light surrounded her body and painted her in a golden glow. She wore a in white robe with flower patterns printed on the lower areas.

    "My apprentice..." the woman gently spoke.

    Sui Li could feel her body react to the woman''s words and immediately the tension and pain seemed to melt away.

    "You..."

    The mysterious cultivator floated over to Sui Li''s barely conscious body and cupped her face in her hands.

    Sui Li let out a sigh of relief.

    She didn''t know who this person was, but she felt oddly familiar as if she had known her for all of her life.

    "You..." the beautiful female cultivator opened her mouth and the words that she said next sent a cold chill down Sui Li''s spine.

    "You look absolutely disgusting."

 Chapter 251 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (2)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Fifth Peak)

    The sun shone bright in the middle of a clear blue sky. Dozens of cultivators wearing brightly coloured robes flew through the sky on top of shining metal swords.

    White cranes with wingspans of over twenty feet in length, small dragons breathing out fire with every breath and other fantastical creatures could also be seen soaring through the air.

    The Holy Sword Sect.

    One of the four most powerful cultivation sects on the continent.

    It was founded by a man named Chang Jiang who wouldter ascend to the upper realm with his sword skills alone.

    Legends say that he singlehandedly drove back the demonic sects and defeated a fallen god who attempted to take over the continent.

    In the two hundred thousand years since its founding, the Holy Sword Sect had remained the sacred ce and the dream in the heart of every youngster with the slightest bit of talent.

    The sword art techniques taught here could not be found anywhere else in the continent.

    Because of the prestige of the Holy Sword Sect, those who would be considered as geniuses discovered that they were merely big fish in small ponds.

    An outer disciple of the Holy Sword Sect would easily be epted as a n elder in a medium sized sect.

    The inner disciples were all extremely talented and some even went on to form their own ns or sects.

    As for the true disciples¡­

    They stood at the apex. It was said that a single swing from their swords could easily slice mountains in half.

    But despite how powerful these true disciples were¡­ there was someone who was above even them.

    A person who stood at the peak of the younger generation.

    The saintess.

    No one had seen her appearance since Master Lei Ying had brought her back to the sect as a small child and dered her as the most talented mortal that she had ever seen.

    The n elders were furious since the position of saintess could not be decided on a whim, but Lei Ying stood by her ims that the baby girl was the future of the Holy Sword Sect.

    The sect leader visited the child once and no one is sure what happened in the meeting but afterwards the child was given the position of saintess.

    Master Lei Ying named the girl Xu Lu.

    She was the future hope of the sect.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    Sui Li opened her eyes and squinted in pain as a harsh ray of sunlight fell on her face.

    She looked around cautiously since the horrific torture that she had endured was still fresh on her mind.

    She appeared to be lying down on a harsh ufortable mattress with only a single white sheet spread over it.

    The mattress was the in the corner of an extremely humble looking room where the only pieces of furniture were a wooden desk and a small closet.

    The window outside showed a peaceful looking grasnd where tiny red flowers gently swayed from side to side.

    In the distance one could see massive mountains and rising peaks. Sui Li furrowed her brows in confusion since she could swear that there were people¡­ flying?

    And what were those buildings on the mountains?

    Massive temples, huge coliseums and spectacr buildings that seemed to be carved straight out of rock could be seen on the peaks and along the sides of the mountains.

    Where was this ce?

    What was going on?

    The doors to the room swung open and a familiar looking woman strode inside. Sui Li recognised her as the beautiful cultivator who had saved her from the crazy man.

    She wore a pair of silky white robes and had tied her hair into a neat bun.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her piercing grey eyes swept up and down the length of Sui Li''s body and a frown appeared on her lips.

    "Master," Sui Li opened her mouth and spoke politely. It was like her body moved automatically as soon as she saw the woman.

    A mixture of both fear and respect rose up in her heart and Sui Li had no idea where these emotions wereing from.

    "Xu Lu¡­" the cultivator slowly spoke as she took a few steps closer.

    She reached into her pocket and pulled out two items. The first was a small mirror norger than the size of her palm and the second was a silvery white mask.

    "That demon cultist used a strange poison on his de that I have never seen before," Lei Ying calmly spoke as she handed the mirror over to her apprentice.

    "While the wounds on the rest of your body have healed¡­ your face appears to have been permanently disfigured."

    Sui Li picked up the mirror with trembling fingers and tilted it upwards so that she could see her reflection.

    It was bad.

    Sui Li could barely recognise the girl staring back at her from the other side of the silvery surface.

    Horrific knife marks, long patches of raised scar tissue and brutal traces of damage destroyed any trace of beauty that this body''s face might have once possessed.

    Fortunately, her eyes were fine since the Blood Moon elder had wanted to save those for ater torture session.

    "I¡­ I¡­" Sui Li stuttered and a feeling of deja vu upied her thoughts.

    She had experienced this before¡­ she had seen her face in this state a long time ago...

    What did this woman call her? Xu Lu?

    Why was that name so familiar?

    Sui Li frowned in pain as a flood of memories surged through her mind.

    She experienced twenty years of memories from the original owner of this body in the span of a few seconds.

    The memories ended abruptly and without warning leaving Xu Lu with no idea about what happened after her master had saved her.

    It was like the rest of her memories had been purposefully sealed or deleted by the original owner of this body.

    "It seems that your dantian wasn''t dug out and your heavenly roots are still intact. You must be feeling quite relieved," Lei Ying coldly spoke.

    There was no emotion in her voice as if she was speaking about a small matter.

    Her wordspletely ignored the fact that her apprentice was now permanently scarred.

    Xu Lu felt a surge of anger in her heart at the callous treatment that she was experiencing at the hands of her master.

    She had just survived being kidnapped and brutalised by a demonic cultivator and yet her master seemed to only care that she was still useful.

    But it was the words that Lei Ying said next that send a cold shiver down Xu Lu''s spine due to the sheer cruelty of her indifference.

    "Still¡­ I can''t have people seeing your true appearance because it would bring shame to my reputation," Lei Ying frowned slightly, and a trace of disdain surfaced in her gaze.

    "Wear that mask so that no one will see what an ugly little monster you are."

    "Monster?" Xu Lu sucked in a mouthful of breath and felt as though her world was crashing down all around her.

    ? "Yes. Take a good look at yourself. Do you want the Holy Sword Sect to be considered a joke?" Master Lei Ying nonchntly spoke.

    "How could we possibly have a hideous girl like you as our saintess?"

    She handed over the mask and Xu Lu stared at it with aplex emotion in her eyes. Right now, she needed to get more information about this ce.

    She wanted to scream at the beautiful cultivator who treated her so horribly but memories of being punished flooded her mind.

    Lei Ying was a brutal master who would not hesitate to sentence her to the back of the mountain to stand motionless until her muscles burned and her knees were about to copse.

    "Yes¡­ master¡­" Xu Lu spoke with gritted teeth as she picked up the mask and ced it carefully over her face.

    The metal wriggled and squirmed slightly as if it were alive, and the mask adjusted its size so that it fit perfectly.

    "Good¡­ now¡­ clean up yourself and head to the field. You have spent two days unconscious, so it is time to resume training," Master Lei Ying ordered in a firm tone.

 Chapter 252 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (3)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Fifth Peak- Private Residence)

    The beautiful female cultivator strode out of the room and the doors swung shut behind her as if they had closed by magic.

    Xu Lu remained in ce for a few seconds before her body automatically walked towards the small closet in the corner of the room.

    She needed to get ready.

    Master would punish her severely if she waste to the morning training session. Xu Lu opened the closet and saw only a few robes.

    Each robe was identical with a white background and tiny blue clouds sewn into the edges of the fabric.

    The robes were long enough to cover down to her ankles.

    Xu Lu reached for the nearest robe and slowly began to take off the clothes on her body. This world... this new body... it was all too much at once.

    Honestly... she didn''t understand what was going on.

    She still had her old memories of her time spent with Cami, but Xu Lu was pretty sure that she had not met the so-called ''system'' after her death.

    And besides didn''t the ''system'' promise that she would get back all her memories from her previous mission worlds?

    Why did she only have one set?

    Xu Lu nced down at her naked body and saw a white wlessplexion. She was truly beautiful... her physique could have been carved by angels in heaven.

    Small perky breasts, a slender waist and traces of muscles on her arms and legs.

    She carefully put on the new robe and tied the cloth string that wrapped around her waist to hold it in ce.

    Absentmindedly her fingers wandered further upwards until they touched the cold metal sheet that covered her face.

    A surging tide of self-hatred and sorrow rose up in Xu Lu''s heart that was so overwhelming that for a brief moment she forgot to breathe.

    These emotions came from the original body.

    Xu Lu grabbed her chest and panted desperately in order to get some oxygen to her lungs.

    Just thinking about the horrific sight thaty beneath the mask on her face was enough to cause her to get a panic attack.

    "Fuck... I..." Xu Lu coughed violently as she knelt on the ground.

    Blurry memories of faceless people turning away from her with expressions of disgust on their faces flooded her mind.

    (Never take off that mask)

    (Never)

    (NEVER!)

    A voice echoed through Xu Lu''s mind, and she could hear a desperate plead hidden inside the loud shouts.

    Suddenly... there was silence.

    Then the voice said a single sentence before vanishingpletely.

    (Please fulfil my request... stand on top as the most promising young talent on the continent and then...)

    (Join the Demonic Cult)

    The young woman got up from the ground and staggered over to the mattress where she plopped down on the bed.

    Xu Lu ced her head in her hands and let out a small groan. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

    A request to join the Demonic Cult? The same faction that the man who had tortured her belonged to?

    That didn''t make any sense.

    And was there a viiness in this ne?

    Xu Lu had no idea where to even begin looking or who she was even searching for.

    The original Xu Lu had spent basically all of her life confined to this mountain and was forbidden to take even a single step outside.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The only time she could recall leaving the mountain was when that demonic cultivator broke through the barriers and kidnapped her to an unknown location.

    And she had spent most of the journey unconscious so truthfully it was not like Xu Lu could say that she experienced a different environment.

    "What is taking you so long?" a cold voice snapped Xu Lu out of her train of thought.

    Lei Ying was standing at the entrance to the shack with a furious expression on her face. Her figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    She reappeared next to the mattress that Xu Lu was lying down on and roughly pulled her up from the bed.

    "Do you think my words are a joke? You already got two days of vacation," Lei Ying hissed angrily as her hand shot forward faster than Xu Lu could react.

    p!

    Xu Lu groaned in pain as her master pped her across her face with so much force that she could feel it in her bones.

    "Useless trash... finally you look as ugly on the outside as you do on the inside," Lei Ying''s vicious words entered Xu Lu''s ears like the whispers of a poisonous snake.

    Xu Lu gritted her teeth and silently buried the rising anger in her heart.

    Maybe it was the wisdom of having previously been an old woman in her eighties, but she refused to give her master the satisfaction of seeing her break.

    She couldn''t fight back... at least not yet.

    ording to the memories of the original Xu Lu, her master was one of the most powerful cultivators in the entire Holy Sword Sect.

    Despite her youthful appearance, Lei Ying was over one thousand years old and on the cusp of reaching the void stage.

    She was not an opponent that Xu Lu could fight against.

    "Yes master... I''m sorry," Xu Lu politely spoke with trembling fingers. She wanted nothing more than to tear this vicious woman apart.

    "Good... now let''s go," Lei Ying said with a smirk on her face.

    She loosened her arm and Xu Lu stumbled slightly. Lei Ying strode out of the room without ncing back to see if her apprentice was following her.

    She knew that Xu Lu had no other choice.

    Xu Lu walked behind the retreating back of her master and silently organised the memories inside her head.

    The original Xu Lu had an Ice Yin Root and was training using a qi gathering cultivation technique know as the Frozen Hell Art.

    It involved absorbing ice qi from cores taken from monsters in the northern region of the continent.

    Technically it was not exactly a righteous technique, but Lei Ying still forced her apprentice to practise it.

    This method was extremely painful since it would feel like one''s entire body was being frozen and burned at the same time.

    Xu Lu''s body involuntarily shivered as she walked through arge clearing of grasnd and towards a river located at the back of the mountain.

    The journey was a familiar one and it only took around fifteen minutes before the master and her apprentice arrived at a roaring river.

    "Jump in," Lei Ying ordered coldly as she stood to the side and waited for Xu Lu to follow hermand.

    Xu Lu hesitantly walked forward and waded into the shallow part of the river.

    The water was incredibly clear, and she could see tiny white fishes swimming around the bottom.

    Lei Ying frowned slightly and then reached into the storage bag attached to her hip. She took out fiverge stones with strange blue runes carved onto their surface.

    She flung the stones into the river and ice began to spread out from where the stonesnded. Xu Lu shivered violently as the cold crept up her body starting from her legs.

    She took in deep breaths and focused on the qi circting in her dantian just like in the memories from the original Xu Lu.

    Pain.

    Xu Lu bit her tongue and forced herself not to scream as her body felt as though thousands of ice needles were stabbing into her flesh.

    When the needles entered her body, they ignited, and the feeling of her organs slowly being cooked was driving Xu Lu insane.

    The entire time she was suffering from the cold... Xu Lu could see her master watching her from the edge of the river.

    There was a sadistic smile on Lei Ying''s face.

 Chapter 253 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (4)

    (Mount Xilean- Fifth Peak)

    (Ten Days Later)

    Humans were adaptable creatures of habit.

    But that didn''t mean that they could not get bored.

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and gently exhaled. She unsheathed the long sword attached to her hip and made a series of smooth free flowing movements.

    The de swished through the air apanied by a cold gust of wind.

    The temperature plummeted around her body and frost slowly crept up on the grass below her feet.

    Every day was the same routine.

    Sleep for three hours. Wake up. Meditate. Go outside.

    Practice swordsmanship. Rinse and repeat.

    The only exception to this routine was when her master showed up and demanded that she go towards the river immediately.

    Xu Lu hated the very sight of her master.

    Her body would always involuntarily shiver and cower when those dark grey eyes stared directly at her.

    The sword in her hand got faster and faster until the de became a blur of motion too quick for one to detect with their naked eyes.

    At least thanks to her previous life''s memories Xu Lu''s swordsmanship had improved leaps and boundspared to the original Xu Lu.

    But strangely enough¡­ her master did not seem happy with her improvement.

    Truthfully Xu Lu was still trying to figure out what steps to take next.

    The rtionship between the original Xu Lu and her master Lei Ying made no sense.

    Lei Ying had raised the original Xu Lu ever since she was a little girl and trained her on the path of cultivation as soon as she could walk.

    In some ways she could even be considered as her foster mother.

    But instead of happy memories¡­ Xu Lu could only recall bruised muscles and broken bones that were healed using pills and elixirs.

    This was clearly abuse.

    Or maybe this was how cultivators trained young children? Xu Lu didn''t know because she had no other point of reference.

    That was another mystery.

    If Lei Ying was raising her to be the sessor of the Holy Sword Sect because she held the position of saintess then¡­

    Why did she keep her student ignorant of the outside world?

    The original Xu Lu did not know basic geography, she had never met any of her fellow sect members other than her master and had not taken one step out of this mountain.

    All Lei Ying focused on was raising her cultivation power.

    Xu Lu frowned and finished her training. She took out a white handkerchief from her pocket and gently cleaned the de.

    She ced the weapon back in its sheath and then walked towards a nearby tree. Xu Lu sat down at the base of the tree and enjoyed the cool shade.

    She touched the bottom part of her mask and felt the cold metal on her fingertips. The mask only revealed her eyes.

    Everything else was covered up.

    Maybe the mask wasposed of an unknown material because Xu Lu could somehow breathe even though her mouth and nose were blocked.

    Of course, she could not eat or drink.

    It was not that she had not tried to remove the mask but the silverly film remained stubbornly stuck in ce.

    Cultivators did not require food or drink to survive but at her level¡­ Xu Lu still felt the pangs of hunger and the dryness of thirst.

    Her master did not care about her difort.

    Xu Lu rested her head against the rough bark of the tree and let out a heavy sigh. Right now, all she could do was cultivate and try to n for the future.

    She had two long-term goals.

    The first was to stand at the top of the young generation before turning to the demonic path and the second was to hunt down and kill the viiness of this ne.<novelnext></novelnext>

    But did she really need to do the second part?

    Xu Lu had tried looking for the viiness in Cami''s world but could not find anyone who posed a threat of destroying the ne.

    And nothing had happened.

    Was the Time Space Administration''s information really correct?

    Squeak!

    A loud noise broke Xu Lu out of her stupor. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tiny white mouse crawling out from behind a nearby clump of bushes.

    The animal was bleeding heavily from wounds all over its body and it seemed to be on the verge of death.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The mouse raised up its head and stared at Xu Lu with an expression of sorrow and despair.

    It tried to run away but its right hindleg copsed beneath the weight of its injured body.

    Xu Lu got up from the ground and walked over to the injured animal. She carefully lifted up the creature and held it in her palms.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The mouse struggled and tried to get away from therge fingers that surrounded its body.

    "Shh¡­ don''t worry¡­ I''m not going to hurt you," Xu Lu gently whispered as she used her index finger to trace along the mouse''s spine.

    Miraculously the animal immediately fell silent as if it could somehow understand what she was saying.

    Maybe it was because she found the mouse pretty cute or perhaps it was because the animal broke the monotony of her days but¡­

    Xu Lu wanted to heal it.

    She used her left hand to reach for the small brown bag attached to her hip. She rummaged around inside the bag until her fingers touched a ss vial.

    A healing elixir.

    Xu Lu''s master had given some to her to recover after training. Xu Lu slowly unscrewed the top and the scent of fresh herbs wafted out.

    She tilted the vial over the mouse''s tiny body and golden droplets fell down on the animal''s wounds.

    The effects were immediately noticeable.

    The wounds on the mouse''s body began to regenerate, flesh knitted itself back together, its injured leg started to heal and light returned to its eyes.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The mouse happily sped its hand together and bowed politely as if thanking Xu Lu for her help.

    Xu Lu''s eyes widened in shock since she didn''t understand how an animal could behave just like a human.

    "What are you doing?" a cold indifferent voice entered Xu Lu''s ears.

    Her master had appeared out of nowhere and was now standing only a few feet away.

    Xu Lu gently lowered the mouse to the ground and the animal scampered away without even a backwards nce.

    "ying with mice?" Lei Ying sneered as she watched her student tremble under her stern gaze.

    "Clearly I have not been giving you enough training to do!"

    The beautiful female cultivator reached into her storage bag and pulled out two booklets bound with thin pieces of string.

    She flung the books at Xu Lu''s body and her apprentice barely managed to catch them.

    Lei Ying took a small step closer until she was mere inches away from Xu Lu''s silvery mask.

    "Learn both those techniques in one month or there will be consequences," Lei Ying softly whispered as she stretched out her hand and roughly grabbed Xu Lu''s arm.

    Her fingernails pierced the soft flesh on her apprentice''s arm and tiny droplets of blood flowed down from the wounds.

    "Yes master," Xu Lu bowed her head and politely spoke.

    She kept her head lowered so that Lei Ying would not see the sh of hatred in her eyes.

 Chapter 254 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (5)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (First Peak ¨C Hall of The Founder)

    On the top of the first peak was arge building that contained a single hall. It was where the sect master of the Holy Sword Sect resided.

    The building looked quite simple from the outside and had been built using solid chunks of granite carved into even rectangr shapes.

    However, the interior of the hall was far more opulent.

    The floors were made of pure green jade, golden pirs rose up from the ground and statues of dragons could been seen standing silently in the corners of the hall.

    At the back of the hall was a white throne.

    A midnight ck sword had been violently driven into the side of the throne and it was said that the sword belonged to a demonic cultivator who the founder of the sect had in.

    Over the years many cultivators had attempted to pull out the sword to examine it but without exception¡­

    They all failed.

    No matter how powerful they were¡­ the sword refused to budge.

    Even when a void stage powerhouse used all the strength in their body¡­ the sword did not move a single inch.

    A beautiful female cultivator wearing a fiery red robe strode into the hall with slow confident steps.

    Her eyes narrowed slightly as she gazed upon the elderly man sitting on the throne. He wore a in white robe and a iron circlet on his head.

    Heavy wrinkles could be seen on his face and arms. A rare sight on cultivators since most would use some of their qi to remain their youthful looks.

    He exuded a warm atmosphere, and his appearance resembled azy grandfather who spent most of his days rxing under the sunlight.

    "I greet the sect master," Lei Ying politely spoke as she nodded her head once.

    "Still as cheeky as ever¡­ my dear junior sister," the sect master smiled gently as he walked down from the throne.

    "I thought I told you that in private you can call me Shi Jian. We''ve known each other for so many years now."

    "How are you? I received a report from our rune master that there was a disturbance in the barrier spell around your peak¡­"

    Lei Ying stiffened for a brief moment but quickly fixed her expression into a more carefree look.

    "Oh, it was nothing¡­ I was testing out the barrier while showing my apprentice some spells¡­ I must have gotten carried away," Lei Ying nonchntly spoke.

    "Ahh the saintess¡­" the sect master whispered softly. He brought up his right hand and rubbed the bottom of his chin.

    The saintess¡­

    He could still remember that day twenty years ago.

    When his mischievous junior sister who had no interest in the affairs of the sect decided to return with a mortal baby.

    And she immediately imed that the child was to be the saintess of the n.

    The sect leader smiled as he recalled the expressions of shock and outrage on the elders'' faces when Lei Ying told them the news.

    Truthfully, he was also doubtful at first. The mortal baby as far as he could tell did not belong to any of the major ns or forces.

    Was it possible for legendary talent to manifest in random mortals?

    Yes¡­ but it was an incredibly rare urrence.

    But when he met the girl.

    He understood where his junior sister got her confidence from. An Ice Yin root was the purest form of Ice roots on the continent.

    Frost Qi would naturally be absorbed into the baby''s body even if she never formally learned any cultivation techniques.

    And if she did¡­ well it would be like putting wings on a tiger.

    "How is Xu Lu?" the sect leader asked with concern evident in his voice.

    "You have hidden her away for so many years now¡­ can I pay her a visit? I would like to meet the disciple of my dear junior sister."

    "No!" Lei Ying sharply retorted as her voice raised an octave.

    She immediately realised that she had made a mistake when she saw the sh of suspicion in the sect master''s eyes.

    Twenty years was not a long time in the eyes of cultivators but¡­ it was not a short time either.

    She could not keep Xu Lu hidden from the world for much longer especially when the tournament was to be held in the next decade.

    Lei Ying took in a deep breath and carefully thought about what to say next. Perhaps it was time to loosen the reins slightly.

    Besides, her apprentice was now a hideous monster.

    Her self esteem and confidence must be low¡­ there was no way that she would lose control over her pawn.

    "She is currently doing closed door cultivation," Lei Ying spoke with seriousness in her voice.

    "I intend to allow her to go on missions when she breaks through to the next level. It is about time that she gets some real-world experience."

    "I agree," the sect master smiled warmly as he listened to his junior sister.

    "I shall immediately inform the elders to spread the word that the saintess is going to descend from the fifth peak."

    "Don''t worry¡­ I will ensure that she will be treated well and respectfully when she meets the other members of our n."

    "Thank you¡­ senior brother," Lei Ying''s lips curved upwards.

    Years of experience in hiding her emotions made it easy for Lei Ying to conceal how she really felt about letting her apprentice escape from her grasp.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Fifth Peak)

    Xu Lu mmed her fist against her side in frustration as she failed to master the movement technique that her master had given her.

    The technique was called the Treading Cloud Technique.

    It would allow the practitioner of the technique to temporarily walk on the air and rapidly change directions.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and concentrated once more.

    It was a bit difficult to handle qi energy at first since it was slightly different from the energy she used to absorb in herst mission ne.

    Still¡­ she was slowly but surely getting the hang of it.

    Xu Lu focused her attention on a small pocket of space hidden inside her body. This was called the dantian and it was where her internal qi was stored.

    Her qi manifested itself in the form of silvery white threads that glowed and sparkled in her mind''s eye.

    The young cultivator gently exhaled and the temperature around her body rapidly plummeted until the air itself started to freeze.

    She directly her qi outwards from her dantian and through the meridian pathways inside her body.

    The Treading Cloud Technique was a movement based art so Xu Lu allowed her qi to enter the meridians located in her legs.

    She could feel her body throbbing with energy like she was an empty balloon that was slowly filling up with air.

    "Careful¡­ careful¡­" Xu Lu whispered softly to herself as she continued to concentrate on maintaining her focus.

    Now!

    Xu Lu opened her eyes and dashed forward. She made a small jump and to her shock she discovered that her footnded on the air instead of the ground.

    This was amazing!

    A happy burst ofughter escaped from the young woman''s mouth as she soared through the air by running.

    It was an odd sight but¡­ Xu Lu didn''t care.

    It was not like she had an audience. Her master had gone out a few days ago and the white mouse had never returned.

    Xu Lu raced around the grassy field for several minutes until she could feel her body starting to get tired.

    Wait¡­ err¡­ how do I get down?

    Xu Lu stopped moving and stared at the ground below her feet. She was a good fifteen feet off the ground and the drop looked rather¡­ scary.

    "Okay¡­ maybe I need to reduce the qi?" Xu Lu mused thoughtfully as she tried to cut off some of the qi flowing to her legs.

    Shit¡­ she cut off too much.

    Xu Lu let out a small scream as she fell down from the sky andnded on the ground with a painful thump.

    "Ow¡­" Xu Lu let out a groan as she rubbed her back and dusted off some of the dirt on her robes.

    The start of her cultivation journey¡­ was not going well.

 Chapter 255 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (6)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Outer Districts- Central za)

    "Did you hear the news? The saintess is going to being down from the fifth peak for the first time in twenty years?"

    "Really?! I heard that she is strong enough to tear apart mountains with a single sh!"

    "Brother¡­ I don''t even care about how powerful she is¡­ did you not hear the rumors?"

    "What? Tell me senior!"

    "Apparently she is so beautiful that her master was forced to put a mask on her face to prevent people who looked at her from falling into the devil''s way!"

    "I heard that as well! Her face is apparently the most perfect in the entire continent."

    There was a tangible sense of excitement in the air as rumors and gossip were spreading like wildfire.

    The saintess was going to leave her mountain!

    This was an event that had everyone intrigued.

    From the lowly outer disciples to even the n elders who found excuses to walk past the central za.

    Of course, not everyone was happy.

    Some of the true disciples were not pleased that their poprity was being threatened by a saintess that no one had ever seen before.

    Still¡­ since her master was Lei Ying, and she had the backing of the Sect Leader¡­ no one dared to say even a word ofint.

    Suddenly the sounds of light footsteps echoed through the central za and a cold gust of wind swept through the crowd.

    A feminine figure strode forward apanied by a beautiful female cultivator with narrow eyes and sharp angr facial features.

    The figure wore a set of in white robes that draped down to her ankles and swayed lightly in the wind.

    Her shoulder length hair was tied into a single ponytail and a golden pendant could be seen hanging from her neck.

    Her body physique was lean and athletic¡­ yet there was a feminine charm and beauty to her gait that forced all eyes to stare at her.

    And her face was covered by a silvery mask.

    The mask only revealed two dark brown pupils and concealed the rest of her facial features.

    Still judging by the charm radiating off her body¡­ everyone was convinced that she was a heaven destroying beauty.

    Xu Lu slowly but confidently walked side by side with her master and forced down the ufortable feelings rising up in her chest.

    Those eyes of admiration¡­ would turn into leers of disgust.

    She wasn''t sure how she knew that, but emotions of hatred mixed with self- loathing filled her thoughts.

    The original Xu Lu had aplicated rtionship with her fellow sect disciples. No¡­ it was more urate to say that she hated them.

    "Remember my dear apprentice," Lei Ying gently smiled and the warmth in her gaze could fool anyone looking at the concerned master.

    "Be careful."

    She lightly touched Xu Lu''s palm and her fingernails scrapped the underside of her skin with enough force that small droplets of blood appeared.

    It was a grim reminder that despite her warm attitude in front of others, Lei Ying wanted her student to know her ce.

    Xu Lu nodded respectfully and walked towards the mission hall located at the back of the za.

    She could feel the stares of the crowd on her body and the cultivators in her way parted aside to provide her with an unbroken path.

    She had thought long and hard about what attitude to take.

    She did not have clear memories of what happened after she was rescued by her master so it was a mystery to Xu Lu how the original Xu Lu reacted when she first left the mountain.

    Still¡­ one could not go wrong with a cold and distant demeanor.

    The saintess was supposed to be an untouchable flower. A being out of reach for the ordinary members of the sect.

    Even the elders and the true disciples were required to pay her respect. A silent attitude would deter most incidents from urring.

    Or at least that is what Xu Lu assumed.

    She could feel the coldness of the metal mask pressed against her face as she headed towards therge wooden building in front of her.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The mission hall was a massive space where hundreds of disciples could be seen running to and from inside the building.

    This was where the sect would assign missions and tasks for the disciples toplete that would earn them points.

    Points were required to buy cultivation techniques, food and even upgrading their dorm amodations.

    This system was put in ce to encourage disciples to venture forth into the world and get practical experience.

    A cultivator who spent their entire life in isted closed door training could have a high cultivation level but would have poorbat skills.

    In other words¡­ they would be useless.

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and then walked inside the mission hall. The conversations inside therge space instantly stopped.

    "Saintess¡­"

    "She really came."

    "Wow! I can feel her strength from here¡­"

    Thatst line had to be bullshit. Xu Lu was pretty sure that her cultivation aura was not strong enough to affect someone over one hundred feet away from her body.

    The hall had several stalls lined up along the walls and each stall had a board next to it filled with pieces of paper.

    Xu Lu wandered over to the nearest board and took a closer look.

    Each piece of paper had a request written down on it along with one or several stars at the bottom.

    Her master had exined earlier that the star system was how each mission was ssified in terms of difficulty.

    One-star missions were for qi body cultivators. Two-star missions were usually assigned to qi spirit cultivators.

    On the other hand, three star and four star missions could be taken up by qi tide cultivators who had proven themselves to the n.

    Finally there were five or six star missions but those were incredible rare and could only be selected by the elders.

    Xu Lu browsed the board and saw a variety of tasks.

    ''Defeat a demonic sect in the northern ind of Qiren'', ''Rescue a missing vige chief''s daughter from a hoard of beasts'', ''Assassinate a mortal emperor''¡­

    Xu Lu carefully looked at each request and searched for one that had a difficulty of four stars.

    Her master had ordered her to chose one with that degree of difficulty in order to prove herself to the other disciples.

    But Xu Lu suspected that she wanted her to fail.

    Even though she could technically take a four star request based on her cultivation level¡­ this was her first mission.

    Wouldn''t it make more sense for her to take a three star?

    Xu Lu let out another sigh as she could feel a headacheing on. The four star requests just sounded dangerous based on the description of the missions.

    ying dragons? Fighting off beast waves? Tracking down serial killers?

    Was there anything easy?

    Oh wait!

    Xu Lu''s eyes lit up as she saw a request tucked away in the corner of the board. The request was hidden by two sheets of paper pasted over it.

    The request was written down on a well- worn sheet of paper and had clearly been pinned for a long time.

    The description was fairly simple enough.

    This mission required a team of five cultivators to investigate a set of ruins in the Gobrean Jungle.

    Nothing on the mission description required them to actually enter the ruins themselves. They just needed to confirm its location and return.

    A rather straightforward scouting mission. Somehow this easy mission had four stars written down on the bottom of the page.

    Why had no one picked up this mission before? Maybe it was because it was in a hard to see location?

    Xu Lu grabbed the piece of paper and pulled it off the board.

    She did not feel any emotions from the original Xu Lu which meant that she had not picked up this mission in her previous life.

 Chapter 256 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (7)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Outer Districts- Central Mission Hall)

    Xu Lu held the piece of paper in her hand and slowly read over its contents one more time.

    A simple scouting mission to some ce called the Gobrean Jungle.

    She wasn''t exactly sure where that was but out of all the missions on the board in front of her... this one seemed by far the easiest.

    Plus, it was a team-based mission as well, so she did not have to worry about getting lost in the outside world since was visiting it for the first time.

    The saintess walked over to a nearby counter with slow purposeful steps. The outer disciple behind the counter trembled slightly as the saintess approached him.

    "How... how can I help you?" the disciple stuttered nervously.

    "I would like to take this mission," Xu Lu calmly spoke.

    Her voice was sweet and melodic, it sent chills down the spines of the disciples who heard her words.

    Not for the first time, many in the hall could not help but wonder what kind of otherworldly beauty was hidden behind that metal mask.

    Surely a woman with a voice as lovely as the saintess had a face to match her voice.

    "No... problem..." the male disciple blushed furiously as he reached for a stamp and pressed it against the bottom of the paper.

    "You... will... need... five... NO! I mean um... fourpanions."

    Xu Lu nodded and then took the piece of paper from his grasp. She turned around and walked out of the hall paying no attention to the eyes that stared at her retreating figure.

    The original Xu Lu may have gotten overwhelmed by the attention but Xu Lu had eighty years worth of memories from her previous mission world.

    She was an old woman trapped in a young girl''s body.

    Although even though the cultivators in the mission hall looked youthful... there were some who were probably hundreds of years old.

    Time worked differently for immortals.

    Especially when the passage of time left no visible scars on their faces or bodies.

    No wonder people got so crazy about cultivation.

    Who wouldn''t want to look young and beautiful for hundreds if not thousands of years?

    Xu Lu exited the hall and approached her master who was standing patiently in the middle of the central za.

    "Master," Xu Lu respectfully spoke as she hid the surge of hatred that filled her heart.

    "Have you selected a mission?" Lei Ying asked with an expression of concern and warmth on her face.

    Xu Lu handed over the sheet of paper and her master read over its contents. Lei Ying frowned slightly as she saw the location of the mission.

    The Gobrean Jungle?

    Why was that ce on a four-star mission?

    Still... maybe this was an opportunity in disguise...

    "Perfect. Now go and find fourpanions to help you out... I expect great things from you my dear apprentice," Lei Ying whispered gently.

    In full view of the cultivators hanging around the za, she pulled in Xu Lu for a warm hug thatsted for several minutes.

    Whispers filled the square as the spectators appreciated the familial disy of love between Xu Lu and Lei Ying.

    "Wow! The saintess has a really strong bond with her master!"

    "I heard that Lei Ying was the one who brought her to the sect as a child..."

    "She must be like a mother to her."

    Lei Ying broke away from the hug and smiled at Xu Lu. However, her young apprentice could see a trace of coldness hidden in her gaze.

    Her master turned around and pulled out a sword from her storage bag. She jumped on the sword and flew off into the distance.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Xu Lu turned around and discovered that she was now the focus of attention for all the nearby cultivators.

    Well... she might as well take this opportunity to form her team.

    "I am looking for four cultivators to join me on a mission. The difficulty is four stars so cultivators in the qi tide stage are preferred," Xu Lu softly spoke.

    Despite the low volume of her voice, her distinctively sweet tone entered the ears of the crowd standing nearby.

    Immediately there was movement from the crowd as several cultivators stepped forward eager to meet the saintess.

    Xu Lu found herself surrounded by a sea of handsome men and beautiful women who all approached her and introduced themselves with great enthusiasm.

    "Good day! My name is Qiu Xinyi! My father is an elder in the sect... you won''t find a sword cultivator more powerful than me!"

    "Liar! You barely squeezed into the upper ranks of the inner disciples... saintess you must choose me instead! My name is Ren Tu and I..."

    "Nonsense! You couldn''t defeat Senior Brother Liu in thest sect promotion tournament! How dare you stand in front of the saintess."

    Most of the cultivators who rushed forward wore the robes of inner sect disciples.

    Their clothes werepletely ck with reddish threads woven into the fabric along the edges of their robes.

    But there were a handful of true disciples in the back of the crowd that were observing the chaos with unreadable expressions on their faces.

    Unlike the inner and outer disciples, these true disciples wore a variety of coloured robes that were in different styles.

    They appeared to be waiting to see how she would respond to therge crowd of people hovering around her.

    This was a test.

    "Stop yelling," Xu Lumanded in a firm tone. The temperature around her body plummeted and frost began to appear on the ground.

    The cultivators who were surrounding her began to shiver uncontrobly as a cold chill prated their bodies.

    An Ice Yin Root was extremely dangerous since the frost qi could affect cultivators that were a higher level than their owner.

    Xu Lu cut off the connection with her dantian and the cold chill immediately disappeared as if it had never urred.

    Only the shivering cultivators and the traces of ice on the ground could show what had just happened.

    "Now...e up to me one by one and state your cultivation level and why I should choose you for the mission," Xu Lu calmly spoke.

    There was considerably less enthusiasm than before as the inner disciples looked at Xu Lu with expressions of fear on their faces.

    They knew that the saintess had the most potential in the sect but she was only twenty years old.

    The average age when one usually hit the qi tide stage was three hundred years. Even the best geniuses did not reach that level until they were in their fifties or sixties.

    The saintess'' talent was far greater than what anyone had imagined.

    A short-haired girl holding a zither in her hand stepped through the reluctant crowd and approached Xu Lu with a smile.

    "Hello saintess," the girl casually spoke.

    "I am called Cao Jia... my specialty is music cultivation and you should pick me because... hmm... I''m very strong."

    The girl opened her mouth and giggled softly. Xu Lu raised an eyebrow as she examined the short-haired girl.

    She was pretty certain that the majority of cultivators in the Holy Sword Sect were sword cultivators so it was rare for someone to choose another path.

    "Okay... I will consider you," Xu Lu spoke calmly and pointed to the area left of her. The short haired girl hummed in acknowledgement and then stepped to the side.

    Another cultivator stepped forward and this time it was handsome young man with long ck hair that was tied into a ponytail.

    He looked more like a traditional sword cultivator and there was a scarlet sword attached to the hip of his blue robes.

    His robes swayed gently in the wind and there was an aura of peace and tranquility surrounding his body.

    "Greeting saintess," the man cupped his hand together and bowed respectfully.

    "My name is Lin Kun. I am the personal disciple of Elder Zhang and my skills speak for themselves."

 Chapter 257 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (8)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Two Hours Later¡­)

    "Please allow me," Lin Kun smiled gently as he waved his hand in the air.

    Arge golden boat appeared from his storage ring andnded on the ground with a heavy thump.

    The boat was around the size of a two story building and a white mist slowly wrapped around its bottom half.

    Lin Kun snapped his fingers and a wooden bridge slid down the side of the boat which led directly to the upper deck.

    Xu Lu nodded her head coldly and then walked upwards with confident steps. Her four otherpanions followed closely behind.

    In addition to Cao Jia and Lin Kun, two more cultivators had decided to join the expedition to the Gobrean Jungle.

    Their names were Fu Qiu and Shen Guo. Both were true disciples who studied the way of the sword.

    Fu Qiu had a schrly aura about him and held a white fan in his hand which he used to periodically wave in front of his face.

    Shen Guo on the other hand was a bit more¡­ unsettling.

    Xu Lu could not put her finger on it but something about the way he stared at her was setting off rm bells in her head.

    He had a in appearance for a cultivator with a nose that bent slightly to the left.

    The sword attached to his hip was t and had an unusual amount of flexibility since it was wrapped around his body like a belt.

    Xu Lu walked onboard the golden ship and immediately headed for a small corner on the deck.

    She gracefully sat down cross legged and closed her eyes.

    There was a cold and unapproachable aura surrounding her body. This was the image that Xu Lu wanted to project to the outside world.

    She wanted the saintess to be someone who was dedicated to cultivation and a strong but silent type.

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and then began to meditate. She focused on the qi in her body and slowly moved it throughout her meridians.

    The temperature around her body plummeted and traces of frost could be seen on the floor below her feet.

    Her four otherpanions climbed up the bridge and saw the saintess cultivating alone in the corner of the deck.

    "Wow¡­ the saintess is really dedicated," Cao Jia whistled with admiration as she began to pluck a few strings on her zither.

    A soft but mournful tune filled the air as the music cultivator slowly swayed from side to side. She was lost in the rhythm of her own beat.

    Lin Kun headed towards the front of the ship but spared a backwards nce at Xu Lu''s motionless body.

    An unknown emotion surfaced briefly in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared.

    Fu Qiu and Shen Guo leaned against a nearby railing and exchanged some small words. Their eyes would asionally wander in the direction of the saintess.

    She was a total mystery.

    For twenty years it was known that the Holy Sword Sect had found someone to take the position of saintess but¡­

    No one had seen her.

    In fact, there were some people who didn''t even believe that the saintess existed in the first ce.

    Outer disciples mostly but even the inner and true disciples could not help but be curious about the unknown cultivator who stood at the top of the younger generation.

    How powerful was she? What was her personality like?

    How beautiful was her appearance?

    So far two of those questions had been answered and ording to the rumors¡­ she must be an otherworldly beauty for her master to conceal her face with a mask.

    Xu Lu ignored the stares and focused on the flow of qi through her body. The only source of strength that she had in this strange world was her cultivation.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Clearly her master could not be trusted and there was something about her fellow sect members that aroused feelings of hatred and disgust from the original Xu Lu.

    She needed to get stronger.

    Especially considering her task.

    Xu Lu was not a prophet but even she could predict that the Holy Sword Sect would not be happy if their saintess fell into the demonic way.

    The saintess frowned slightly as the floor beneath her feet shuddered. She opened her eyes and discovered that the golden boat was slowly floating upwards.

    Even though Xu Lu''s face was expressionless, she felt a sense of amazement as the boat lifted up from the ground as if by magic.

    The white mist on the bottom of the boat got even thicker as it began to soar through the air in a north eastern direction.

    Not as fast an airne but¡­ Xu Lu would be lying if she said that she did not enjoy the feeling of the breeze blowing through her hair.

    It would feel even better if she could take off her mask but¡­ that was unfortunately something that could not happen.

    Xu Lu could feel dark emotions rising up in her chest and turned towards the horizon in order to distract herself.

    The numerous rising peaks of the Holy Sword Sect became little more than green dots in the distance.

    Below the boat was a lush green tropical forest with small, tiny wooden viges interspersed in all the greenery.

    The people living in the viges seemed like tiny insects as they walked from building to building or nted crops in their fields.

    Xu Lu absentmindedly wondered what they thought when they saw a golden boat flying through the air high above in the sky.

    Did they admire cultivators and wish to be one?

    Or did they fear cultivators as mortals with the powers of gods?

    Perhaps it was a mixture of both.

    Xu Lu could not help but feel like this world was a twisted ce.

    There was no use for armies or strategy when the oue of war depended on which side had individuals with high cultivation levels.

    Mortals had no way to get justice for any crimes that cultivatorsmitted since they could wipe out their entire vige with a wave of their palms.

    Were humans supposed to have this level of power?

    "On the sunlight dawn¡­ my love¡­. parting is a sweet sorrow that I must endure," a soft melodic singing voice pierced through the mental fog clouding Xu Lu''s mind.

    She nced in the direction of the sound and saw the short haired female cultivator plucking the strings of her zither.

    "The waves of times¡­ I see them rolling through the wind," Cao Jia sang mournfully as her fingers gently caressed the side of her instrument.

    There was something about her voice that Xu Lu found utterly captivating. Cao Jia continued to sing, and a ray of sunlight shone down on her body.

    The rest of the world faded away until Cao Jia was the only one in Xu Lu''s eyes. She was the most significant person in her life.

    She was perfection.

    There was nothing else more important than listening to her music.

    She was¡­.

    Xu Lu clenched her fist tightly and used her fingernails to pierce the soft underside of her palm.

    Tiny droplets of blood flowed down from her hand andnded on the floor below.

    "Stop using illusions and petty tricks," Xu Lu calmly spoke as she regained her sanity.

    Cao Jia pped her hands together gleefully and looked at Xu Lu with an expression of respect and admiration on her face.

 Chapter 258 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (9)

    Xu Lu got up from the ground and slowly walked towards Cao Ji with quiet steps.

    The music cultivator grinned cheekily as the saintess approached her and plucked another string on her zither.

    A harsh but mncholic sound echoed through the air as she watched the saintesse closer and closer.

    "Wow¡­ I never expected that¡­ arghh!" Cao Ji''s voice cut off as Xu Lu''s hand shot forward and wrapped itself around her throat.

    It was a move that waspletely unexpected.

    Xu Lu did not use any techniques or secret martial arts. She merely used her enhanced strength to slowly crush the arrogant female cultivator''s windpipe.

    "Help¡­ help¡­" Cao Ji tried desperately to shake off Xu Lu''s hand but it was no use. The saintess'' hand was like an iron grip.

    Shen Guo and Fu Qiu were motionless in shock while Lin Kun rushed forward and tried to break up the situation.

    He reached out with his hand to pull Xu Lu away from Cao Ji but as his palm approached the saintess¡­ she turned to face him.

    Those eyes.

    All he could see was those terrible eyes.

    Lin Kun shivered in fear as a cold chill went down his spine. Xu Lu''s eyes were that of a predator watching her prey with indifference.

    The bloodlust surrounding her body was so heavy that cracks began to appear on the floor below her feet.

    Xu Lu waited for one more moment and then slowly loosened her grip. Cao Ji fell to the floor and began to w at her neck.

    She heaved and vomited out a thick greenish sludge on the floor.

    "Do not test me," Xu Lu coldly spoke as she walked away from the scene. The saintess returned to her corner and sat back down in a cross legged position.

    There was a terrible atmosphere of silence on the golden boat.

    The only sounds were that of Cao Ji desperately wheezing as she tried to get air back into her depleted lungs.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. Her reaction may have seemed excessive and impulsive but it was anything but.

    It was a series of actions that she had nned as soon as she broke free of Cao Ji''s spell.

    She wanted her behaviour to be perceived as a reflection of her master''s teachings.

    If she developed a fearsome reputation then Lei Ying would be the one to me¡­ at least in the eyes of the other disciples and elders.

    It was a petty form of revenge, but Xu Lu could not see a better option at the current moment.

    She was not as strong as her master in terms of cultivation strength so she would need to start small by tearing down her reputation.

    "Are you alright?" Lin Kun warmly spoke as he helped Cao Ji up and gently patted her back a few times.

    He nced at the mess on the floor with an expression of disgust and then waved his hand.

    A strong gust of wind picked up the vomit and flung it off the side of the boat.

    "Yeah¡­" Cao Ji hoarsely spoke as she touched her throat and looked at the saintess with an expression of terror in her eyes.

    When Xu Lu had grabbed her by the throat, for a brief moment she genuinely thought that she was going to die.

    "That''s good to hear," Lin Kun softly spoke as he handed her a small healing pill to recover.

    The handsome sword cultivator returned to the helm of the ship with numerous thoughts running through his mind.

    ? The saintess'' personality was¡­ rougher than he had expected.<novelnext></novelnext>

    His master imed that she would be a na?ve girl since she had never left the fifth peak but clearly he was wrong.

    Lin Kun furrowed his eyebrows as a frown shed across his face. This unexpected variable would definitely affect his ns moving forward.

    Was it even possible to form a connection with the saintess? She did not seem to be interested inpanionship.

    While Lin Kun racked his brain for possible countermeasures, the two other sword cultivators on the deck were currently engaged in conversation.

    "What do you make of the saintess?" Fu Qiu asked as he fluttered his white fan across his face.

    His blue robes swayed gently in the wind, and his appearance resembled that of a harmless schrly gentleman.

    "Dangerous," came the curt reply from Shen Guo as he nervously rubbed his fingers together and tried to avoid looking in the saintess'' direction.

    "I agree¡­" Fu Qiu said thoughtfully as he recalled the scene when Xu Lu without warning grabbed Cao Ji by her throat.

    "I thought that this would be an easy mission with the help of the saintess but if her personality is like that¡­ best we stay out of her way."

    Shen Guo nodded in agreement and then said goodbye to hispanion.

    He walked towards the end of the deck and opened the wooden doors that led to the cabins.

    He opened the first door to his right and saw arge room with a simple white mattress that was covered in softfortable quilts.

    Shen Guo stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. He let out a heavy sigh and then reached into his storage ring.

    A small palm- sized mirror appeared in his hand. The mirror was made from a material that was incredibly smooth and ssy.

    Yet oddly enough one could not see a reflection in the mirror''s surface.

    Shen Guo nced around the room and said a silent word of prayer under his breath before he bit down on his finger.

    He spat out a mouthful of saliva that was mixed with droplets of blood. This disgusting mixture fell directly on the mirror.

    The mirror''s surface began to glow a fiery red colour and dark demonic symbols appeared along its edges.

    A face appeared in the center of the mirror and it belonged to a handsome middle-aged man wearing a long dark robe.

    "My lord," Shen Guo politely spoke as he lowered his head respectfully.

    "I have sessfully managed to enter the saintess'' party. We are on our way to the Gobrean Jungle for a mission."

    "Oh? What are your impressions of the saintess?" the man on the other side of the mirror asked curiously.

    There was a strange distortion to his voice as if he was not the only one speaking at the same time.

    "My lord¡­ she¡­ is incredibly talented. She has reached the qi tide stage at the age of twenty and it is clear that she will be a future powerhouse," Shen Guo replied calmly.

    "Doesn''t matter¡­ if a sapling is plucked before it has a chance to grow then it will never be a towering tree," the mysterious man smirked with a twisted grin on his face.

    "This mission is the perfect opportunity. I cannot move directly otherwise there is a risk of outright war with the Holy Sword Sect."

    "Instead, I would like you to wait for the right moment¡­ and kill her."

    "My lord¡­ I¡­ she is strong¡­ I don''t think¡­" Shen Guo stammered as he tried to exin to his master what he had just seen.

    The middle-aged man waved his right hand dismissively and the demonic markings around the mirror slowly faded away.

    He opened his mouth before his imagepletely vanished and his parting words made Shen Guo''s stomach twist with anxiety.

    "Do not disappoint me."

 Chapter 259 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (10)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle)

    (Golden Boat- Private Cabin Two)

    Xu Lu gently exhaled, and a faint white mist came out of her mouth.

    The temperature inside her room had gotten colder over thest few days as she practised her cultivation.

    She raised up her right hand and gently traced the edges of the silver mask that was firmly ced over her face.

    Its cold metal surface was a constant reminder of the horrors thaty beneath.

    No¡­ I can''t think like that.

    Stop it¡­ stop it¡­ I am not hideous.

    My scars do not define who I am.

    Xu Lu shook her head and tried to push down the emotionsing from the original Xu Lu, but it was difficult¡­

    Feelings of self-hatred mixed with disgust and loathing always appeared in her heart whenever she thought about her face.

    She needed a distraction.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and focused on the details of the mission.

    The Gobrean Jungle was a vast expanse of temperate rainforest that covered an area that was roughly the size of two hundred thousand square kilometres.

    The mission just stated that there was a secret ruins somewhere inside the vast jungle and that she needed to confirm its location and appearance.

    Fortunately there was a medium sized town on the outskirts of the jungle that was known for its connection to a major trading organization.

    Information could more than likely be bought from the numerous merchants and traders who entered the city.

    The saintess of the Holy Sword Sect opened her eyes and let out a heavy sigh.

    She slowly got up from her bed since she could sense a presence on the other side of the cabin door.

    Knock! Knock!

    Two quick knocks echoed through the room as the person on the other side carefully rapped their knuckles against the wooden door.

    Xu Lu slowly walked towards the door and pulled it open. She saw Lin Kun on the other side looking at her with an expression of uneasy.

    "We have arrive at White Lotus town," Lin Kun hesitantly spoke as his eyes drifted to the sword attached to Xu Lu''s waist.

    "The others are waiting for you on the deck¡­ but there is no need to rush¡­ please take as much time as you need to get ready."

    Xu Lu nodded and then closed the door in his face. She waited for a few moments until she heard the sound of footsteps walking away.

    Her rtionship with herpanions had not improved.

    After her brutal disy a few days ago, Xu Lu had retreated to her room and had not stepped outside since.

    The image that she wanted to portray was now firmly embedded into each of their minds.

    She was an unapproachable flower with deadly thorns.

    The young cultivator took a quick nce around her room to make sure that she did not leave anything behind and then headed for the door.

    It only took around five minutes to reach the upper deck. Xu Lu squinted slightly as the harsh rays of sunlight fell on her face.

    She blinked twice and could make out three figures standing on the deck. They were all looking at her with varying expressions of nervousness and fear.

    Cao Ji''s body was trembling slightly and she was positioned at the back of the group. The zither in her hand was perfectly motionless.

    Clearly, she had understood Xu Lu''s warning.

    Fu Qiu and Shen Guo were both standing at the edge of the deck and looking at the dense forest below the ship.

    Lin Kun had a gentle smile on his face but it somehow seemed a bit forced and unnatural as if he was pretending to be unconcerned by Xu Lu''s appearance.

    "We will enter the town and spend the next few days gathering information from the locals about the Gobrean Jungle and the ruins inside," Xu Lu coldly spoke as she approached the group.

    "I have already sent out a message to the city lord¡­ he is expecting our arrival," Lin Kun politely spoke.

    "He is most excited to meet the honourable saintess of our sect so we should expect a warm wee."<novelnext></novelnext>

    Xu Lu frowned slightly at his words but chose not to make a fuss.

    She would have preferred to enter the town with the identity of ordinary Holy Sword Sect disciples but clearly that was no longer an option.

    "Let''s go," Xu Lu curtly spoke as she cut off the rest of Lin Kun''s words.

    The handsome sword cultivator took in a deep breath and tried to swallow down the anger rising up in his chest.

    Why was the saintess so difficult to get along with?

    He was clearly not the only one pissed off by her attitude as Shen Guo stared at Xu Lu with an irritated frown on his face.

    If the saintess noticed the low mood of herpanions then she pretended not to notice as she bent her knees and confidently leapt off the boat.

    The golden boat was soaring hundreds of feet in the air but Xu Lu jumped off without even a second of hesitation.

    Treading Clouds Technique!

    Her feet stepped on invisible tforms in the air as she navigated her way downwards andnded on the ground with a light thump.

    Xu Lu looked around and saw nothing but an endless sea of trees and greenery that stretched out towards the horizon.

    Wait¡­

    She looked in a northern direction and saw a faint outline of giant stone walls. Tiny ant-like figures could be seen patrolling along the top of the walls.

    Hiss!

    A small brown snake crept out of a nearby bush and lunged towards Xu Lu with its jaw wide open and its fangs gleaming under the sunlight.

    Xu Lu calmly stepped to the side and avoided the animal. When the snake turned around to attack a second time¡­ she dodged again with ease.

    The snake hissed angrily, and its pink tongue flickered out of its mouth and tasted the air.

    Xu Lu lightly tapped the snake''s head using a single finger and injected a trace of ice qi into its veins.

    ? The effect was instantaneous.

    The snake stiffened and frost began to spread throughout its body from the top of its skull. The frost eventually coated the entire length of its body and the snake died.

    Xu Lu stepped away from the corpse and waited patiently as herpanions made their way down from the boat.

    Lin Kun and Cao Ji were standing on the same sword and carefully floated downwards under the control of the talented sword cultivator.

    The white fan in Fu Qiu''s hand expanded until it was the size that could fit a person on top of it. He stepped on the fan, and it carried him towards the forest floor.

    Shen Guo had used some kind of movement technique and his body slowly descended to the ground in a straight line.

    Xu Lu clicked her tongue in amazement as she observed the different methods that herpanions used.

    Going from a world with modern technology to this ce¡­ was a bit of a shift.

    Sure, herst world had vampires and vampire hunters, but it was remarkably simr to her life in the twenty first century life as Sui Lu.

    Cultivation.

    It would take some getting used to this strange world where immortals existed and had the powers of gods.

    "Let us go," Xu Lumanded in a firm tone as herpanions joined her on the ground.

    She began to walk towards the stone walls in the distance without paying attention to see if her fellow sect members were following her.

    There was a reason why Xu Lu didn''t fly directly to the town. She wanted to learn more about the terrain of the Gobrean Jungle.

    Soaring through the skies would teach her nothing about the nts, wildlife and the hidden environment that lurked beneath the trees.

    "Yes. We will follow you," Fu Qiu sighed heavily as his fan shrunk back to its normal size.

    Cao Ji''s fingers extended towards her zither''s strings but stopped just before she touched them.

    Remembering the feeling of Xu Lu''s hand closed around her throat was enough to quell any musical urges in her mind.

    Meanwhile Shen Guo was staring at the back of the saintess. His intense gaze was not picked up by any of hispanions.

    Only he knew why his eyes kept following the saintess¡­. and searching desperately for a weakness.

 Chapter 260 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (11)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle)

    (White Lotus City)

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she approached the massive stone walls surrounding the city.

    There was only one entrance that led inside the fortress, and it was heavily guarded by multiple soldiers.

    The soldiers wore simple leather armour and were equipped with steel swords or long wooden bows.

    The road leading to the iron gate was little more than a dirt track however there was enough space for two wagons to pass side by side.

    The scent of roasted meat filled the air and Xu Lu assumed that it wasing from the tightly covered wagon next to her.

    "Let us go inside," Lin Kun warmly spoke as he stepped past Xu Lu and headed towards the guards.

    He ignored the long line of people waiting to enter the city and bypassed them without a second nce.

    Cao Ji, Shen Guo and Fu Qiu quickly walked behind him since they did not want to hang around the saintess by themselves.

    Xu Lu scoffed lightly and then followed the group. The people in the line did not look happy but no one dared to say a word ofint.

    This wasn''t surprising.

    There were nows or punishment for crimesmitted by cultivators and the reason was quite simple.

    It was impossible for the local police or security forces to throw in jail someone capable of tearing apart a crowd of people with their bare hands.

    Or who could just escape with a movement technique.

    Of course, there was a limit.

    A few mortals killed wasn''t an issue but if a cultivator decided to destroy the entire poption of cities or countries then the ''righteous'' sects would send out warriors to punish them.

    Xu Lu slowly walked up to the iron gate and saw Lin Kun hand over a letter to the solider in charge of the group.

    She also saw the faint gleam of copper coins being passed along with the letter.

    "Yes. The Lord is expecting you¡­ pleasee this way," the soldier spoke respectfully as Xu Lu approached.

    He maintained a warm and polite attitude towards them and this attitude was mimicked by the other soldiers in his squad.

    The soldier turned to hispanions and muttered a few words before gesturing towards the cultivators for them to enter inside the city.

    Xu Lu nodded her head and then walked through therge iron gate. She was immediately taken aback by what she saw on the other side.

    This city¡­ was like a massive trading square.

    Large central zas and awork of maze-like roads connected a variety of shops, stores, and small tents where hundreds if not thousands of vendors sold their wares.

    Xu Lu was grateful for the silver mask covering her face otherwise everyone would be able to see her surprised expression.

    There were a few cultivators flying through the air but the majority of people living in the city were mortals.

    But¡­ not all were humans.

    Xu Lu moved to the side and narrowly avoided a lion beast man with rippling muscles and a long golden mane.

    Elsewhere a dark skinned woman with purple eyes swayed her hips and danced to a tune that no one else could hear.

    Demon-like creatures with humanoid appearance strode through the marketce and made casual conversation with the locals.

    "Nasty mixed bloods," Fu Qiu muttered darkly as he waved his white fan over his face.

    Shen Guo nodded in agreement, but Xu Lu noticed that he appeared to be distracted by something.

    "Yes¡­ let''s go to the city lord''s home as soon as possible," Lin Kun suggested calmly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small talisman.

    He then ced the talisman on the ground and it began to glow slightly.

    A brilliant white light erupted from the talisman which caused the nearby civilians to cover their eyes.

    When the light faded, a magnificent golden carriage appeared with enough room to carry seven people.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Lin Kun opened the doors and helped Cao Ji enter inside like a proper gentleman. He held out his hand for Xu Lu to take but the saintess brushed past him.

    She didn''t miss the irritated expression that shed across his face.

    Fu Qiu and Shen Guo followed closely behind and finally Lin Kun joined them inside the carriage.

    He snapped his fingers, and the carriage began to move forward even though nothing was pulling it along.

    Xu Lu looked outside of the window and saw the crowd of people automatically parting out of the way of the carriage.

    She wasn''t sure how long it would take to reach the city lord''s mansion so she closed her eyes and tried to get some rest.

    Even though the carriage was travelling along bumpy roads, the interior did not tremble a single time.

    Xu Lu made a note to herself to learn more about these strange devices that were powered by spiritual energy.

    At the very least it would be convenient to have a vehicle to carry her from ce to ce.

    The carriage travelled for around twenty minutes before it finally stopped. Lin Kun waved his hands and the doors automatically opened.

    Xu Lu was the closest one to the doors, so she stepped down from the carriage and gracefullynded on her feet.

    "Wee! Wee! It is an honour to have the saintess here!" a loud jovial voice suddenly spoke.

    Xu Lu turned in the direction of the sound and saw arge five story mansionposed of white marble.

    Standing in front of the mansion was a middle aged man with a balding head who wore a luxurious golden robe.

    He was surrounded by servants, ves and a pair of trembling maids who looked down at the ground and did not raise their heads.

    It was safe to assume that this man was probably the city lord.

    "Lord Peng," Lin Kun exited the carriage and smiled gently. He approached the man and grabbed his hand for a firm handshake.

    "I am pleased that you responded so quickly to my message. The saintess is one of the most important members of our sect."

    "Of course! Of course!" Lord Peng nodded his head frantically and then raised his right hand in the air.

    Two very handsome male servants with lean, muscr bodies stepped forward and the city lord patted them on their shoulders.

    "I am more than happy to have you all stay at my estate for the duration of your time in this city," Lord Peng grinned wickedly as he spoke.

    "Please¡­ consider these two as a gift for the saintess."

    The men walked towards Xu Lu and then knelt down respectfully.

    Xu Lu''s expression was hidden behind the mask covering her face so the city lord could not tell if she liked his present or not.

    He would receive the answer to that question immediately.

    "I have no use for ves," the saintess coldly spoke and a heavy pressure descended on the city lord and his servants.

    The ground cracked beneath her feet and a deep primordial fear gripped the city lord whose facial expression morphed into one of terror.

    "Yes¡­ um¡­ GET THE HELL OUT OF HER SIGHT!" Lord Peng roared angrily at the two male ves.

    The ves got up from the ground and immediately fled into the mansion. Xu Lu kept the pressure for one more minute and then withdrew her aura.

    Lord Peng reached into his pocket for a white handkerchief and then proceeded to wipe beads of sweat from his brow.

    He didn''t understand why the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect had reacted so badly to his generous gift.

    She was not the only saint or saintess to visit this city and most had responded positively to being gifted some panions'' to warm their beds at night.

    Cultivators may be immortals, but they still possessed human desires.

    Still Lord Peng was a man who knew how to read the atmosphere and quickly thought about what to say next.

    "I do apologise for the poor gifts," Lord Peng bowed respectfully with his tone humble like that of a servant.

    It was a far cry from the man who had just shouted at the two ves to leave in amanding tone.

 Chapter 261 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (12)

    Xu Lu subtly nodded her head in approval and a broad smile began to spread across Lord Peng''s face.

    Even after such a short interaction, Xu Lu had already figured out what kind of person the city lord was.

    An opportunist.

    And¡­ a coward.

    There was a saying that a human''s true nature would be revealed not when they interacted with those stronger than them but with someone they considered as lesser.

    Xu Lu was notfortable with very especially as someone from the modern world.

    Still she did not know how to go about dismantling it or whether that was even possible.

    very was simply a part of life in this world.

    "Shall I take you all inside my humble home? I have a prepared a banquet tonight in your honour dear saintess," Lord Peng''s voice interrupted Xu Lu''s musings.

    "All of the major families in the city will be sending their representatives to the banquet. They are all eager to meet the famous saintess of the Holy Sword Sect."

    "I may attend," Xu Lu coldly replied as she gave a nonmittal answer.

    "For now¡­ I would like to explore the city on my own. Do not send any servants to apany me."

    The saintess turned around and walked away with quiet steps. The long white robe on her body swayed gently in the wind.

    She could hear Lin Kun talking to the city lord and apologising profusely for her rude behaviour.

    Xu Lu''s face was hidden behind a metal mask so no one could see that her lips were slowly curving upwards.

    Exploring the city on her own was a purposeful choice. Xu Lu wanted to get to know the city and its inhabitants without the city lord''s servants by her side.

    Of course she would probably get attention because she was a cultivator but it was unlikely that everyone she met would know her status.

    As Xu Lu wandered through the city, she carefully observed the sight, smells and sounds around her.

    White Lotus City''s architecture was a bit confusing to be honest.

    The streets had been built in a sprawling maze-like pattern with side roads, hidden passageways and alleys that were easy to miss.

    There were vendors, shops and stores around every corner andrge open zas where people could be seen mulling about from stall to stall.

    The stores that were located in the zas were the best built while those along the alleyways had cracked walls and shabby appearances.

    Most of the buildings were made from a white stone-like material that glowed slightly under the sunlight.

    The area near the city lord''s mansion had well paved roads and massive estates but further out and Xu Lu saw shacks and barely standing huts.

    It was a city of high inequality and contrast.

    Xu Lu moved deeper into the city and towards the poorer region. From her experience, the slums were usually the best ce to get information.

    The residents living there would sell any information for the right price.

    The saintess moved to the side just as a small hand tried to reach into the pocket of her robe.

    She tilted her head downwards and saw a small boy staring at her with a guilty expression on his face.

    "Run along kid," Xu Lu harshly spat out and the boy immediately turned around and fled.

    He didn''t even notice that Xu Lu had used her enhanced speed to tuck a few coins in the pocket of his shirt.

    The saintess frowned slightly as she saw the boy enter an alleyway where arge man was waiting impatiently.

    He opened up his mouth and Xu Lu could hear his words even though she stood at a considerable distance.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Stupid brat! I told you to choose another target! If you don''t get at least five copper coins by tonight¡­ I''m going to sell you to the brothel."

    Therge man raised up his hand and roughly pped the boy across his face. The child crashed to the ground and spat out a mouthful of blood.

    Xu Lu felt a surge of rage in her heart.

    She was not someone who stood by when children were abused and something about this scene made her body recall her childhood spent with Master Lei Ying.

    Without even thinking, her sword appeared in her hand, and she shed it in the direction of therge man.

    A burst of sword qi erupted from the tip of her de and neatly bisected the man in half. His corpse copsed on the ground and the small boy screamed in fear.

    Xu Lu walked towards him but was stopped by a figure whose body was covered in a thick heavy robe.

    It was impossible to make out any of the figure''s features but Xu Lu had a vague sense that a woman was beneath the thick robe.

    "You saved the kid from an abusive father but now¡­ he will starve to death without the protection of his parent," the mysterious stranger calmly spoke as if she could see into the future.

    "Cultivators never think about the implications of their actions¡­ and why would you?"

    "Mortal lives are merely a dime a dozen¡­ the most worthless things on this content."

    The woman stretched out her hand from beneath her robe and Xu Lu saw that her pale arm was covered in horrific ck tattoos that squirmed and wriggled as if they were alive.

    Then her fingers stopped mere inches away from Xu Lu''s flesh. The stranger tilted her head as if listening to something and then nodded twice.

    She snapped her fingers and then her body melted away into the shadows below Xu Lu''s feet.

    The entire process took less than a second from start to finish leaving the saintess feeling confused about the odd encounter.

    What the hell had just happened?

    Xu Lu shook her head and made her way to the alleyway where the young boy was still in a state of shock.

    The boy trembled with fear as she approached and a stain of liquid began to spread from the front of his pants.

    He got up from the ground and fled with all the strength in his body.

    "Wait!" Xu Lu yelled as she saw the boy disappear into one of the many alleyways scattered across the city.

    She tried to give chase but even though she was faster, the young child knew the terrain like the back of his hand.

    Xu Lu eventually lost him.

    The saintess stood in ce for a brief moment and the words of the mysterious stranger came back to her mind.

    Had she really made everything worse?

    The boy''s father was going to sell him to the brothel and was clearly abusing him. Why wouldn''t she kill him?

    No... Where was this sense of calmnessing from? The original Xu Lu''s body or her experiences as a vampire hunter?

    Not for the first time, Xu Lu could not help but wonder if there was something wrong with her since she did not feel anything when taking the life of another person.

    The saintess looked up at the sky and let out a heavy sigh. She had no other choice but to continue looking around the city.

    Hopefully the young boy would be okay.

    The future was not set in stone and maybe without his father''s influence he would be able to escape the cycle of poverty.

    Xu Lu continued to wander through the slums and eventually saw a run-down tavern a few hundred metres ahead.

    Drunk men and women staggered out of the tavern and roars ofughter could be hearding from inside the building.

 Chapter 262 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (13)

    (Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle)

    (White Lotus City- Unnamed Tavern)

    Xu Lu walked towards the tavern with quiet steps. She could hear the sounds of raucousughter, angry cursing and loud arguinging from inside.

    This was not a ce where the high and mighty cultivators would usually visit. No¡­ they would consider these mortals as dirty and beneath them.

    Xu Lu raised up her hand and touched the edge of the metal mask that covered her face.

    It was a habit that she had picked up after a few days of wearing the ufortable mask. Touching it helped to calm down the anxious emotions in her heart from the original Xu Lu.

    The saintess moved through the crowd of rowdy drunks hanging outside the tavern and entered the building.

    The scene inside was exactly how she had pictured it.

    The tavern was in a state of disrepair. The wooden tables and chairs were broken, cracked or covered in mysterious liquids.

    Rough looking customers grabbed dirty ss bottles and chugged their contents without any hesitation.

    in faced barmaids with curvaceous bodies moved from table to table taking orders and flirting with the customers.

    Some would receive harsh ps on their asses from lecherous men who grinned wickedly when the barmaids protested.

    A few muscr thugs leaned against the walls and watched the chaos with bored expressions on their faces.

    Xu Lu drew quite a bit of attention as she stepped inside. She wore pure white robes with golden threads that were not stained with dust.

    A sword was attached to her hip and there was a ethereal aura surrounding her body that made her seem like a goddess descended down to the mortal realm.

    The mask covering her face only added to the mystery.

    Xu Lu ignored the stares and made her way to the bar counter where an empty wooden stool had been ced in the corner.

    She sat down on the stool and waved over the bartender who walked over and bowed his head respectful.

    "What can I get for you tonight?" the bartender asked politely as his eyes shifted downwards towards the sword.

    "Give me your finest stuff," Xu Lu whispered softly as she stretched out her hand and passed the bartender several silver coins.

    "And send your boss to meet me."

    The bartender quickly grabbed the coins and stuffed them in his pocket before anyone could see the gleam of silver.

    One silver coin alone was enough to feed a family of four in the slums for at least three months.

    This amount of wealth could only be described as lifechanging.

    A subservient grin appeared on the bartender''s face, and he bowed once more before rushing towards a door in the back of the room.

    Xu Lu waited patiently for him to return and her eyes casually observed her nearby surroundings.

    The loud conversations continued as normal but there was an undercurrent of tension in the room.

    Even the muscr thugs seemed to be afraid, and no one dared to look at Xu Lu directly.

    Not for the first time, Xu Lu realised just how terrifying cultivators must seem to ordinary people.

    The customers inside the tavern knew that if they offended her¡­ she could easily kill all of them without even the slightest bit of effort.

    A bitter feeling rose up in Xu Lu''s heart as she remembered the words of the mysterious girl who used her of being just like the rest of cultivators.

    Maybe she was.

    She had killed that man simply for pping his child and threatening him. Was that a crime worthy of death?

    Was it right for her to be judge, jury and executor?<novelnext></novelnext>

    Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh and continued to wait with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    Fortunately she didn''t have to wait for long as the bartender returned with a middle aged woman with strong forearms and a benign smile on her face.

    "Lady Cultivator¡­ it is an honour to have you in my establishment," the woman warmly spoke as she snapped her fingers.

    The bartender rushed over to the stack of bottles lining the shelves and quickly pulled out several that looked considerably cleaner than the rest.

    "Please¡­ enjoy this hospitality on the house," the boss spoke humbly as she used her fingers to unscrew the top of the bottles.

    Xu Lu picked up the nearest one and raised it up to the mask covering her face.

    Unfortunately only her eyes were visible so the edge of the bottle only touched the metal surface of her mask.

    She still forgot sometimes.

    Xu Lu put down the bottle and pretended as though nothing had happened even though she felt slightly embarrassed.

    "I need information," Xu Lu quietly spoke with her voice no higher than a whisper and drowned out by the rest of the noise filling the tavern.

    She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small bag. She slid the bag over to the tavern boss and motioned for her to open it.

    The middle-aged woman dutifully followed her orders and her eyes widened in shock at what was inside.

    Gold coins.

    Xu Lu saw the expression on her face and knew that she would receive all the information that the boss knew.

    Money was the root of all evil but¡­ it also solved basically all problems.

    It may seem as though she was just throwing money away, but Xu Lu had more coins than she knew how to deal with.

    Before leaving the sect she had been given a pouch by the mission hall director containing currency to use in the mortal world.

    Most skilled alchemists in cultivation sects could easily create silver, gold, and copper from ordinary metals.

    Which meant that they were worthless¡­ at least in the eyes of cultivators.

    It was for this reason why the main form of currency in the cultivation world was in the form of spirit stones.

    Rare materials that were capable of storing natural qi and aided in increasing the cultivation power of the one who absorbed them.

    "Lady Cultivator¡­ there are many eyes and ears here¡­ please follow me¡­" the middle aged woman did not lose her cool and quickly spoke up.

    Xu Lu nodded and then made her way behind the counter. The boss of the tavern headed for a secret door located in the back and Xu Lu followed.

    The saintess did not think that she was in any danger but just in case she secretly extended a thread of her qi to scan the nearby surroundings.

    The door led to a secret passage with many twists and turns.

    Eventually the passage led to a small room no bigger than the size of a tiny shoebox-sized apartment.

    There was a round table in the center of the room surrounded by three chairs and the roaring firece in the corner provided dim lighting.

    The middle aged woman pulled out one of the chairs for Xu Lu to sit down and then hurriedly sat down on the chair opposite to her.

    Xu Lu waited for the woman to settle down and then opened her mouth to ask the questions on her mind.

    "I would like to know two pieces of information," Xu Lu calmly spoke as she tapped her fingers against the top of the table.

    "The first is the power structure of this city. Who are the major yers? Gangs, loose cultivators, the city lord''s forces and other organizations."

    "The second concerns the Gobrean Jungle. Have there been any rumors about mysterious ruins found in the jungle?"

 Chapter 263 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (14)

    "Lady Cultivator¡­ the city lord¡­ he¡­" the tavern owner hesitated as if trying to decide what words to say next.

    "Speak freely¡­ this conversation will not leave this room," Xu Lu coldly spoke as she slid another bag towards the middle-aged woman.

    The tavern owner picked up the bag and ced it in one of her apron''s pockets.

    A conflicted expression shed across her face before determination surfaced in her eyes.

    "The city lord¡­ is a vain, petty, jealous and vicious man," the tavern owner''s voice lowered to that of a mere whisper.

    "He fears the strong cultivators and provides them with beauties, riches and luxurious whenever they visit the city."

    "Because of that they turn a blind eye to the suffering that he inflicts on the people¡­ still¡­ he is a necessary evil."

    "A necessary evil?" Xu Lu asked with a tinge of confusion in her tone.

    "Yes. Although he may have his faults¡­ the man maintains order in this city. Without him the various gangs and violent organizations would tear this ce apart," the tavern owner replied.

    "This city is on the outskirts of the continent¡­ none of the major powers are interested in owning this ce so the city lord is the one true authority."

    "I think I understand," Xu Lu thoughtfully muttered.

    The tavern owner drew in a shaky breath and silently muttered a prayer of thanks in her heart that this cultivator appeared to be reasonable.

    She opened her mouth and exined why she had been so worried,

    "Thank you¡­ I know some righteous cultivators enjoy killing tyrants and arrogant nobles but¡­ they never rece them or stick around long enough to quell the ensuring chaos."

    Xu Lu slowly nodded her head in understanding and gave the matter some more thought.

    Order was required for society to function, history was full of examples of rebellions that made the situation worse not better.

    That was not to say that justice could not be delivered to corrupt officials and rulers, it was just that a great deal of effort would be needed to ensure that the fall out would not affect ordinary people.

    "So tell me more about the gangs and various factions," Xu Lu spoke in a serious tone.

    "They are nothing more than petty thugs¡­" the tavern owner replied with a dismissive smirk on her face.

    "Lady Cultivator¡­ I don''t know how strong you are but even the most powerful warriors in this city cannot match the might of an immortal."

    "The only threat to your safety would be the asional demon cultivators that pass through this city but¡­ they mind their own business."

    Xu Lu leaned against the back of the chair and spend the next forty minutes chatting with the tavern owner to get a better idea about the city.

    She learned a great deal about the city and its inhabitants.

    White Lotus City like the rest of the continent followed thews of the jungle.

    The strong devoured the weak.

    The soldiers maintained order under the city lord''smand but the people here had their own unwritten rules.

    Waves of monster attacks and the asional raid by bandits meant that this ce was an unforgiving ce to live where death wasmonce.

    Xu Lu was once again reminded that this world was vastly different from her own with different cultures, values and beliefs.

    Human life was worthless in this ce.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Lady cultivator¡­ um¡­ what else did you want to know?" the tavern owner politely asked as she took a sip from the ss bottle on the table.

    "Yes¡­ I want to know about any rumors or gossip about mysterious ruins or strange happenings in the jungle," Xu Lu spoke calmly.

    "Strange rumors?" the tavern owner pursed her lips together clearly lost in thought.

    "Well¡­ I can''t say that I have heard anything over thest few weeks that was out of the ordinary¡­ actually¡­" the tavern owner''s voice trailed off.

    "Wait! I thinkst month one of the strongest monster hunting teams in the city went missing and no trace of their bodies were found."

    "Someone managed to find a sheet of paper in thest location where they were seen and there were words written down in a foreignnguage."

    "That''s it?" Xu Lu asked softly as she hid the disappointment in her heart. Just a scarp of paper and a missing hunting team was not a lot to go on.

    Well maybe she had been a bit too optimistic. After all, this was just the beginning of her investigation.

    She still needed to talk to more people around the city and hopefully someone would have the information that she was looking for.

    "Yes¡­ I can''t think of anything else," the tavern owner replied hurriedly in case she had offended the powerful cultivator sitting opposite to her.

    "I believe you¡­ thank you for your help," Xu Lu politely spoke as she got up from the chair and walked out of the room.

    She always had a good memory so she easily navigated her way through the long winding corridor and towards the main hall.

    Xu Lu opened the door and found herself back in therge space where dozens of drunk customers were currently engaged in various conversations.

    She nodded at the bartender and then made her way through the crowded hall.

    The people in her path stepped to the side and the ones that were too drunk were pulled aside by those who were more sober.

    The fear in the eyes of civilians when they saw her was something that Xu Lu was still getting used to.

    She made her way out of the run-down building and out into the streets. It was now the evening and the sun was slowly making its way towards the horizon.

    Long shadows were cast on the ground. Xu Lu walked a few hundred metres away from the tavern and thought about what to do next.

    There was going to be a banquet held in her honour in just a few hours so maybe she should return to the city lord''s mansion?

    After hearing so many negative things about the lord¡­ Xu Lu was not thrilled to be enjoying his favour.

    Still¡­ this was an opportunity to speak to the upper ss of the city and try to find out more information.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    Xu Lu turned in the direction of the sound and saw the little white mouse from her master''s peak running towards her.

    "Wait¡­ what are you doing here? Did you somehow manage to board the ship?" Xu Lu asked in confusion as she knelt down and picked up the mouse in her hand.

    The tiny furry animal nuzzled against her palm and made a satisfied squeaking noise as if it was grateful to feel her warmth.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The mouse licked Xu Lu''s finger and yfully rolled on its belly. The saintess smiled beneath her mask and rubbed the creature''s tummy.

    Maybe this mission wouldn''t be so unpleasant after all.

 Chapter 264 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (15)

    (Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle- White Lotus City)

    (City Lord''s Mansion- Grand Hall)

    In the middle of therge mansion located in the center of the city was a magnificent golden hall where the city lord would hostvish gatherings.

    The floors were made of solid gold and magnificent white pirs of pure marble rose up from the ground and touched the ceiling.

    Statues of famous figures were scattered across the room and expensive paintings hung on the walls.

    ? It was a true disy of opulence and wealth.

    The hall buzzed with excitement as the guests eagerly awaited the arrival of the important visitors from afar.

    Loudughter and the sounds of conversation filled the air.

    A band yed a soft melody in the corner of the room and servants walked from guest to guest offering refreshments and samples of wine.

    All the aristocratic families in the city had sent many representatives to tonight''s party.

    These representatives were either the head of the family themselves or their sons or daughters.

    Such was the influence and the name of the Holy Sword Sect. Widely considered as one of the four most powerful cultivation sects in the world.

    If one of their children caught the eye of a disciple, then their family would truly be blessed.

    Even if that child was taken back as a pleasure servant or maid¡­ it was enough to know that they would now be associated with the Holy Sword Sect.

    That namemanded both fear and respect.

    The doors to the hall swung open and five people walked into therge room. Four cultivators and a middle-aged man with a jovial smile on his face.

    At the center of the group was a remarkably handsome young man with sharp brows.

    He wore a light blue robe, and a scarlet sword was attached to his hip.

    He looked like the perfect image of a sword cultivator and many youngdies swooned with excitement.

    To his right were two male cultivators each with their own unique sense of beauty.

    One was dressed as a schr and waved a white fan around his mouth while the other had a piercing gaze and a steely glint in his eyes.

    The final member was a short haired girl with a soft gentle face who held a zither in her right hand and yfully touched its strings.

    The melodying from the zither was captivating almost like a siren whose sweet sounds lured sailors to a watery grave.

    The four cultivators were all extremely attractive.

    Cultivation involved shedding internal wastes and modifying one''s body, so most cultivators possessed otherworldly beauty.

    "I must once again thank you for attending my humble banquet tonight," Lord Peng smiled tteringly as he gestured towards the hall.

    "Please¡­ it was our pleasure," Lin Kun replied in a warm tone as his eyes swept over the prettydies in the corner of the room.

    "Just¡­" Lord Peng hesitated slightly as he tried to think about how to word what he wanted to say in a way that would not offend the cultivators in front of him.

    "Will the saintess be making an appearance tonight?"

    There was a terrible moment of silence.

    The four cultivators exchanged nces and each could see reluctance and fear in the eyes of the others.

    "We are not privy to the saintess'' movements," Fu Qiu spoke softly as he used his white fan to cover his mouth.

    "She¡­ does her own thing," Cao Ji muttered quietly as she forced her body to stop trembling.

    Every time she closed her eyes, she kept seeing the saintess'' slender hand as it gripped tightly around her throat.

    "I see¡­" Lord Peng hid his disappointment and stered a weing grin on his face.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "Well, I hope that you all do enjoy the banquet!"

    Lin Kun nodded politely and then made his way into the hall. Hispanions followed closely behind, and soon excited whispers filled the room.

    "By the gods¡­ they are so handsome!"

    "Cultivators from the Holy Sword Sect ¡­ just looking at them¡­ one can clearly feel an aura of power and skill."

    "Isn''t the saintessing as well? Do you think the short-haired girl is her? If my son could get her favour¡­"

    "You wish! I''ve seen your boy¡­ he is nothing special."

    The weing banquet went over for several hours, and it didn''t take long for the cultivators to engage in debauchery.

    Lin Kun was sitting down on one of the chairs in the corner of the hall surrounded by five prettydies who fawned and swooned over his every move.

    He reached out with his hand and pulled one of the giggling women onto hisp. A thin smile spread across his face as he touched and yed with her body.

    Fu Qiu was currently engaged in a lively debate with several academics about thetest literacypetition held in the capitol city of the Viren Empire.

    Cao Ji had gotten over her unpleasant mood and was now silently admiring the multiple men who came up to her and attempted to win her favour.

    Most assumed that she was the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect and Cao Ji had not bothered to correct their assumption.

    She relished the attention. It felt good to watch these rich boys simper and beg for even a crumb of her favour.

    There was only one exception.

    Shen Guo.

    He stood apart from the reveling and partying and was currently leaning against a wall with his mind filled with numerous thoughts.

    Where was Xu Lu?

    She was the only focus on his mind.

    The mission that his master had given him was basically impossible. The saintess was clearly stronger than him and the others would easily find out if he attacked her and failed.

    Well¡­ it wasn''t like he had no options.

    Shen Guo reached into one of the pockets of his robe and his fingers brushed against the top of a ss vial.

    He didn''t want to use this.

    It was a dangerous weapon that had every likelihood of killing himself along with Xu Lu.

    But did he have any other choice?

    Shen Guo continued to touch the top of the ss vial and a conflicted expression shed across his face.

    He didn''t know what to do.

    He could not disobey his master''s orders, but he also didn''t want to put his life on the line. His master might im that the demonic cult would protect him but¡­

    Would they?

    The Holy Sword Sect would be furious. Under the threat of outright war, Shen Guo knew that sacrificing him to the righteous sects would be an easy decision.

    "Damn it," Shen Guo snarled darkly as he withdrew his hand from his robes and strode towards two attractive mortal women.

    He needed a distraction tonight.

    Suddenly the doors to the hall swung open and a figure dressed in a white robe strode into the room with confident steps.

    Shen Guo''s heart sank as he saw the familiar gleam of the metal mask that covered the saintess'' face.

 Chapter 265 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (16)

    (Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle- White Lotus City)

    (City Lord''s Mansion- Grand Hall)

    Xu Lu confidently walked into the grand hall with slow purposeful steps.

    There was an immediate moment of silence as the guests all turned to watch the strange visitor.

    She wore a pure white robe with golden threads woven into the ends of the fabric. There was not a trace of dust on her clothes and her appearance was spotless.

    Long ck hair that fell down below her shoulders was tied into a neat ponytail and the mysterious cultivator carried herself with dignity and grace.

    Still¡­ there was one part of her attire that instantly stood out.

    The in silvery grey mask thatpletely covered her face with the exception of a pair of dark brown eyes that shone with indifference.

    "Saintess!" Lord Peng broke the awkward silence and hurriedly walked over with a wide grin on his face.

    He stopped when he was just a few feet away and then bowed politely.

    Xu Lu waited patiently for the city lord to finish his performance and while she waiting¡­ her eyes swept the room.

    She saw her fellow cultivators surrounded by attractive mortal men and women and it was easy to guess what was going to happen tonight.

    Lin Kun had a woman on hisp but when Xu Lu''s eyes met his gaze, he hurriedly pushed her off and pretended to adjust his hair.

    Cao Ji went white and quickly hid herself behind the wall of men who were now looking at her with expressions of confusion.

    "I¡­ I thought you were the saintess," one of the handsome boys asked with a puzzled look on his face.

    Cao Ji pretended not to answer his question and slipped away to the other side of the hall with a mixture of shame and fear in her heart.

    Fu Qiu coughed awkwardly and ced the white fan over his face to conceal his expression of nervousness.

    ? Why did the saintess have to appear?

    He was having a good time and now the atmosphere waspletely tense and unpleasant.

    Shen Guo ducked behind a nearby pir and watched Xu Lu speak to the city lord in a tone that was both dismissive and rude.

    Despite her impoliteness, Lord Peng''s subservient smile never disappeared from his face as if he was honoured by the saintess'' indifference to his ttering remarks.

    Shen Guo''s hand reached into the pocket of his robe and his trembling fingers touched the edge of the ss vial inside.

    Meanwhile Xu Lu finished talking with the city lord and looked around to see who to approach next.

    She did not n to spend the night indulging in the pleasures of small talk with the younger aristocrats.

    She was here on a mission.

    Herpanions may be enjoying themselves, but Xu Lu nned to get meaningful information tonight.

    Fortunately, her reputation as the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect meant that none of the young men and women were brave enough to go up to her and talk to her first.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    A tiny white head poked out of the pocket of Xu Lu''s robe and the little mouse rubbed itself against the soft fabric.

    "Do you want something to eat?" Xu Lu gently asked as she tapped the top of its head.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The mouse nodded twice as if it could somehow understand her words. Maybe the creature had a trace of spirituality.

    It was rare but sometimes ordinary animals and nts would somehow be able to draw strands of qi into their bodies and their intelligence would grow.

    Eventually they would be able to transform into humanoid appearances but that was only for those who reached a state of high-level cultivation.

    Most would simply gain a bit of intelligence and outsmart the other creatures in their natural habitat.

    Xu Lu walked over to the banquet table where a wide feast had been carefully ced. tes upon tes of piping hot food were sitting on the table and yet no one had dug in.

    It was considered bad manners to eat at a social gathering so the food was more for disy than actual consumption.

    Still¡­ Xu Lu did not care about the unwritten social rules and picked up a tray of finely cut grapes that smelled delightful.

    She peeled off the outer skin of the grapes and passed it along to her littlepanion. The mouse''s eyes widened with joy and it hurriedly grabbed the fruit with its paws.

    Beneath the mask, Xu Lu''s lips curved up into a gentle smile as she watched the mouse sink its teeth into the fruit.

    "Saintess¡­ is there any meal that you would like my chefs to make?" Lord Peng asked as he walked up to Xu Lu and bowed humbly.

    He could only see the saintess'' back so he thought that she was the one eating the food on the banquet table.

    Xu Lu did not bother to correct his assumption and shook her head to decline.

    "I would like to meet the heads of the major families," Xu Lu calmly spoke as she tucked another grape in her pocket and turned to face the city lord.

    "Of course! Right this way! They would be honoured to meet you," Lord Peng quickly replied as he gestured towards a crowd of elderly men and women.

    Xu Lu followed behind him and her little mousepanion ducked back into the safety of her robe.

    The saintess did not notice that dark markings simr to the tattoos on the mysterious woman''s hands appeared on the surface of the mouse''s white fur.

    An almost human-like expression of contemtion shed across the mouse''s face as it curled up into a morefortable position.

    The group of elderly men and women immediately bowed as Xu Lu approached and none of them dared to meet her gaze.

    "You can rx," Xu Lu quietly spoke with her voice no higher than a whisper.

    "Let me introduce you to the five great families," Lord Peng proudly eximed with a wide flourish of his arms.

    "Zhao Lei and Mao Yijun''s ns both control the spice trade and have investments in many merchant groups around the city."

    Two elderly men with long white beards looked up and smiled at Xu Lu with warm friendly expressions on their faces.

    "Su Xuefeng''s n have produced some of the finest warriors who bravely guard the city against monster attacks," the city lord continued to speak.

    He gestured towards a middle-aged woman with strong muscles beneath the red dress that she wore.

    The woman had a faint scar running down the side of her face that made her seem dangerous.

    Lord Peng finished the introductions by introducing Xu Lu to a pair of men and women standing slightly apart from the group.

    They were dressed in golden silk robes and wore expensive jewellery on the wrists, ankles and around their necks.

    "And finally, Ye Xun and Tian Ju jointly own a spiritual mine on the outskirts of the city that provides valuable resources to all cultivators who visit."

 Chapter 266 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (17)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle)

    (City Lord''s Estate- Grand Hall)

    "It is a pleasure to meet you all," Xu Lu spoke coldly as she circted some qi around her meridians.

    The temperature around her body plummeted slightly and frost began to appear on the floor beneath her feet.

    The nobles in front of her put away their smiles and expressions of fear shed across their faces.

    None would even dare to risk the wrath of an ordinary cultivator and Xu Lu was not just a mere cultivator.

    She was the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect.

    The representative of the younger generation of one of the most powerful cultivation sects on the entire continent.

    If they offended her¡­ a terrible fate would await them.

    She would not even have to directly make a move because her allies and those seeking to win the favour of the Holy Sword Sect would dly destroy their families.

    "The pleasure is all ours," Zhao Lei stepped forward and sped his hands together with a subservient smile on his face.

    "Yes¡­ Yes! It is a true honour to meet the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect. Your demeaner is that of an immortal goddess," Mao Yijun quickly followed his lead and showered Xu Lu withpliments.

    Ye Xun and Tian Ju both snapped their fingers and several servants rushed over each holdingrge wooden boxes.

    "A gift for the saintess," Tian Ju humbly spoke as she gestured for her ves to walk over and present her offering.

    ? "We hope you enjoy," Ye Xun politely whispered.

    The ves hesitantly moved forward and stood a few feet away from the saintess. They knelt down on the ground and slowly opened the boxes.

    Inside one could see rare jewels such as opals, emeralds, and diamonds and more importantly¡­ white spiritual stones.

    Xu Lu waved her hands and the contents of the wooden boxes flew into her storage bag.

    She immediately dispelled her spiritual pressure and nodded at the finely dressed pair.

    A happy smile spread across their faces and both Ye Xun and Tian Ju jointly offered their thanks for the saintess'' appreciation.

    The other three aristocrats secretly cursed in their hearts at the oundish offering.

    They had brought gifts as well butpared to spiritual stones¡­ they could not give anything of interest to a cultivator.

    Well¡­ maybe¡­

    Su Xuefeng had thoughtful expression on her face as she beckoned with her finger and called her butler over.

    Her butler was a sharply dressed middle-aged man with hair that was beginning to turn grey. She whispered something in his ears and the man departed at once.

    Xu Lu used her spiritual senses to eavesdrop on their conversation and heard the words ''unknown artifact'' and ''rare gift''.

    "I will not be staying in the city for long," Xu Lu spoke bluntly without concealing the reason for her presence.

    Herpanions had already told the city lord of their mission and there was no doubt in her mind that the news had reached the ears of information guilds.

    There was no point in keeping it a secret.

    "Have any of you heard news of mysterious ruins or strange incidents in the jungles?" Xu Lu asked coldly.

    There was a brief moment of silence as she finished talking.

    The nobles weren''t expecting Xu Lu to speak so honestly and they were unustomed to cultivators who did not use flowerynguage.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "I¡­ have heard¡­ that¡­" Mao Yijun hesitantly spoke.

    "To the north of the city beyond a great river¡­ there is a ce where nts¡­ do not grow. The area ispletely barren, and no one knows why."

    "The Dead Man zone?" Ye Xun interrupted with a bemused smirk on his face.

    "That ce has nothing of interest. It is merely a ce of rest for adventurers venturing deeper into the jungle."

    "Lady Saintess¡­ if you travel in an eastern direction you will reach a set of stone pirs that rise up from the ground."

    "These pirs have intricate carvings on their granite exterior and the markings glow with a bluish tinge."

    "Tell me more," Xu Lu spoke curiously.

    "Well¡­ no one know who ced those pirs there but every so often¡­ someone goes missing in that area," Ye Xun eagerly replied.

    "Nonsense! People go missing in every area," Su Xuefeng scoffed as she refuted Ye Xun''s words with a scowl on her face.

    "Towards the west. I have gone on an expedition with my men and uncovered a hidden undergroundwork of caves."

    Another noble chimed in and spoke about a different area where strange sightings of bizarre monsters had been reported.

    Xu Lu made a note of every location in her mind as she spent the next twenty minutes listening carefully to the aristocrats.

    The Gobrean Jungle was located towards the outer edges of the continent.

    It was a wild ce that had barely been explored due to the monsters that roamed between its dense trees.

    Xu Lu was beginning to understand why this mission was rated as four stars. There were multiple locations that each matched the description of an ancient ruins site.

    Would she have to explore all of them one by one? The answer was yes.

    The saintess let out a small sigh under her mask and reached into her pocket to gently touch the little white mouse hiding inside.

    Her small animalpanion was being surprisingly well behaved and had not made any noise since she left the table with all the food.

    "Thank you for your information," Xu Lu politely spoke as Zhao Lei finished talking about a hidden cave to the south.

    "Oh¡­dy saintess it was our pleasure but¡­ will you not stay for longer? We thoroughly enjoy yourpany," Tian Ju quickly spoke up.

    "No I will have to decline," Xu Lu replied calmly as she turned around and walked away with a swish of her robes.

    She headed for the exit of the hall.

    She had gotten everything that she had came here for and had no wish to stay in this festering hive of sycophants.

    The nobles in her way parted to the side and no one dared to stop her. Xu Lu reached the heavy wooden doors and casually pulled them open.

    The doors swung open, and the back of her figure gradually disappeared into the distance. The band continued to y, and the atmosphere once again became lighthearted.

    The saintess had left quite the impression on the aristocrats in the hall and one could hear conversations and whispers talking about her all around the room.

    "Wow! She looked so graceful and pure!"

    "Why do you think that she wears a mask?"

    "Is it not obvious? Clearly she is so beautiful that she is forced to wear a mask to prevent others from glimpsing at her wless visage."

    "I agree¡­ she is probably a great beauty capable of destroying empires and turning men to the point of madness."

 Chapter 267 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (18)

    (Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle- White Lotus City)

    (Border Wall)

    The sun was shining brightly in the sky and warm rays of light illuminated the rich forest that was teeming with life.

    A faint white mist hung around the treetops since the air was hot and humid.

    Xu Lu nced at the map in her hand with five locations that were circled using a bright red ink.

    Based on the information that she had gottenst night¡­ these were the locations that were most likely to be the entrance to the mysterious ruins.

    "We will investigate each location on the map thoroughly," Xu Lu coldly spoke as she turned to face her fourpanions.

    Lin Kun blinked twice and judging from the dark circles underneath his eyes, Xu Lu had a pretty good idea of how he spent the night.

    Fu Qiu and Cao Ji hung at the back of the group and were both silent as if they were trying to blend into the background.

    Shen Guo on the other hand was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face. There was something in his eyes that made Xu Lu feel a bit wary.

    Her years of experience as Cami''s bodyguard had made her incredibly sensitive to killing intent and although that was not what she felt¡­ it was close enough.

    Cami¡­

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she recalled her memories spent with her lover.

    She could perfectly remember how she felt at the time and the life that they had shared but¡­

    Her emotions from her previous life were muted and dull.

    It was like watching a movie only she was a character on the screen instead of someone who had lived through those experiences.

    Xu Lu shook her head and made a mental note to herself to ask the ''system'' when she got back to the main space.

    "Now to cover more ground¡­ I suggest that we split up and look at different locations," Xu Lu suggested in an even tone.

    "One group can have three people while the other will only be two. We will meet back here at the entrance to the city at nightfall."

    "If one group does not return then alert the city guards and immediately head towards their location."

    "Does that make sense?"

    Xu Lu waited patiently but received no response from herpanions. Finally Fu Qiu nodded and the rest followed his lead.

    "Good now¡­" Xu Lu was interrupted as Shen Guo politely raised his hand.

    "I can go with you," he spoke in a respectful tone.

    Cao Ji shot him a look of disbelief while Lin Kun narrowed his eyes in anger as if he could not believe that Shen Guo had managed to take a lead in getting to know the saintess.

    "Alright. Shen Guo and I can head north to the ''Dead man zone'' while Cao Ji, Lin Kun and Fu Qiu you all can go south to the stone pirs with blue markings," Xu Lu responded calmly.

    She did not make a fuss about including Shen Guo in her group because truthfully¡­ she was a bit curious.

    Why was there a faint killing intent directed at her from a fellow member of the Holy Sword Sect?

    Staying close to Shen Guo was the perfect opportunity to observe him up close and try to figure out his motives.

    It was important to know whether he was acting on his own or if there were others involved in a conspiracy to hurt the saintess.

    Xu Lu checked the map once more and then set out in a northern direction.

    She heard shufflinging from her right and sensed Shen Guo following closely behind.

    For the next twenty minutes, they both walked in rtive silence. Only the faint sounds of breathing and the buzzing of insects filled the air.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The little white mouse in Xu Lu''s pocket poked his head out and whimpered quietly. Xu Lu plucked a juicy fruit from a nearby clump of bushes and gave it to her furrypanion.

    The mouse happily grabbed the fruit and then disappeared back inside Xu Lu''s pocket. The saintess'' lips slowly curved upwards, and her steps became a bit lighter.

    In this world where she was surrounded by enemies¡­ she was grateful to have an animalpanion to help her deal with the stress.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Unfortunately her pleasant mood was interrupted by Shen Guo whose footsteps sped up until they were walking side by side.

    "Saintess¡­ what was it like being raised by Master Lei Ying?" Shen Guo asked curiously.

    (It was a fucking nightmare)

    Xu Lu concealed the true thoughts in her mind and replied nonchntly, "She is a strict master who helped me to reach my cultivation potential."

    "I am¡­grateful for her teachings and I will not forget what she has done for me¡­"

    "What about you? Tell me some more about yourself."

    Shen Guo seemed surprised by her interest and nervously rubbed his hands together. Xu Lu could not help but notice that his eyes drifted constantly towards his pocket.

    What was inside there?

    "Well¡­ I was an outer disciple for several decades before I broke into the qi body stage," Shen Guo sheepishly smiled as he spoke.

    "My cultivation¡­ wasn''t suited for the way of the sword."

    "Really? Then what about¡­" Xu Lu pointed towards the flexible de wrapped around herpanion''s waist.

    "No¡­ that is more for decoration," Shen Guoughed and an emotion briefly surfaced in his eyes that Xu Lu could not tell what it was.

    "I''m not like you¡­ I''m not talented or lucky enough to be chosen as the most powerful of the younger generation."

    There was a faint undertone of bitterness and jealousy in Shen Guo''s voice as he pretended to speak in a rxed manner.

    Xu Lu nodded at his words and once again the atmosphere fell into silence.

    Xu Lu checked the map and out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Shen Guo''s hand drift into his pocket.

    "Are you trying to kill me?" Xu Lu bluntly spoke without caring about what Shen Guo''s reaction would be.

    She stopped moving and Shen Guo immediately froze like a naughty child who had just been caught by his parents.

    "What? How did you¡­" Shen Guo stuttered nervously as a fearful expression shed across his face.

    "I didn''t. But now I do," Xu Lu replied as she unsheathed her sword and swung it at Shen Guo''s neck.

    Her de moved so fast that it was like a blur, Shen Guo barely managed to duck out of the way and a faint red line appeared on his neck.

    He grabbed his throat in horror and nearly fainted when he saw the crimson liquid that stained his palms.

    "No! I didn''t have a choice¡­ I¡­ I¡­" Shen Guo trembled violently as Xu Lu approached and then flung something on the ground.

    Was that a ss vial?

    Xu Lu''s reflexes immediately took over and her body reacted before the vial shattered into thousands of ss shards.

    She jumped away just as arge purplish mist emerged from the ss container and began to spread throughout the forest.

    ROAR!

    Horrific cries and screams came from the distance and the ground beneath Xu Lu''s feet started to rumble.

    "What did you do?" Xu Lu demanded angrily as she watched Shen Guo stare at her with madness dancing in his eyes.

    "I''m dead¡­ even if I killed you¡­ I would be dead¡­" Shen Guo muttered over and over again to himself.

    "But¡­ if I''m going to die¡­ I''LL BRING YOU DOWN WITH ME!"

    He made a series of hand gestures and the purplish mist intensified until it became a heavy fog.

    Xu Lu gripped her sword tightly and swung her de in Shen Guo''s direction.

    A burst of sword qi erupted from the tip of her weapon and neatly bisected the male cultivator in half.

    Shen Guo''s corpse slid to the ground with a heavy thump but the purplish mist continued to spread at a rapid speed.

 Chapter 268 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (19)

    (Northern Region- Gobrean Jungle)

    "Fuck¡­ I made a mistake," Xu Lu muttered as she backed away from the cloud of purple gas that was spreading throughout the forest.

    She held her breath and tried not to inhale just in case the gas was poisonous.

    She had just wanted to scare Shen Guo at first which is why her initial strike only scraped his neck.

    But then when he dropped the vial¡­ her instincts took over.

    Years of training as Cami''s bodyguard meant that if there was a threat to her safety¡­ she removed it.

    Immediately.

    The shaking of the ground got even worse until Xu Lu struggled to stay standing. She had no idea what was happening but it didn''t sound good.

    Just as she turned around to run, a monstrous creature burst out of the undergrowth and raced towards her location.

    The beast was a purple tiger, and it possessed a pair of dark wings almost like that of a raven that sprouted out from the top of its back.

    Xu Lu readied her sword and prepared to strike when another monster burst out of a nearby clump of grass.

    Then another¡­ then another¡­ then another¡­

    The animals'' pupils were all dted, their mouths dripped with saliva, and they kept sniffing the air.

    One by one their eyes turned towards Xu Lu.

    She had been standing near Shen Guo when the vial broke and most of the purple gas still lingered around her body.

    The saintess looked at the monsters.

    The monsters looked at her.

    There was a brief moment of silence as both sides did not make the first move.

    "Gentlemen¡­" Xu Lu calmly spoke and broke the tense atmosphere.

    "I believe that we maye to an agreement that will not involve you eating me."

    She pointed at the corpse on the ground and then stepped away to invite the hungry monsters to feast on Shen Guo''s remains.

    There was a moment of silence.

    Then¡­

    ROARR!!!

    Xu Lu''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot as she ran with all the strength that she could muster.

    Clearly the monsters did not ept her peace offering!

    Xu Lu nced behind her and saw a monkey-like creature swinging on the vines andughing at her with a mouth full of razor sharp teeth.

    She swung her de and a burst of sword qi erupted from the tip of her weapon. The monkey giggled and then pped away the wave of sword light.

    It scratched its hairy behind using itsrge, oversized hand and then flung a brown mass of goo in Xu Lu''s direction.

    Was that?

    Xu Lu hurriedly dodged out of the way just as a pile of rancid shitnded where her head had been just moments ago.

    "You nasty motherfuc¡­" Xu Lu cursed loudly as she darted between a group of tress that were tightly clumped together.

    The monkey-like monster was forced to the ground and it beat its chest in anger. Xu Lu continued to run but somehow the group of animals began to catch up.

    She spread out her spiritual senses and detected at least twenty monsters in her nearby surroundings.

    What to do? What to do?

    It didn''t take a genius to realise that Shen Guo must have unleashed a monster attracting pheromone or a substance with a simr effect.

    How could she get rid of the smell?

    Xu Lu ducked arge needle-like spine lodged itself in a tree. The spine hadnded mere inches away from her neck.

    The saintess kept running even deeper into the jungles and was forced to deal with vines, thorny bushes and other objects that slowed her down.

    At least these obstacles also posed a problem to the monsters hunting her down since their massive bodies were ill equipped to move through the depths of the jungle.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Xu Lu turned around to get a sense of the distance between herself and the monsters and nearly tripped over a root that was poking out from beneath a massive oak.

    She was forced to reach out with her hand and grab a green vine hanging on the tree''s trunk to prevent herself from falling.

    Wait¡­ why did the vine feel slimy?

    Xu Lu nced at the vine and saw a snake staring back at her. It appeared to be an ordinary animal since its eyes did not hold any trace of bloodlust.

    The saintess slowly removed her hand and then continued to run. She heard a faint hissing noiseing from behind her, but the snake did not pursue.

    Finally, the vibrations on the ground got fainter and fainter as she gained more distance.

    Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh of relief when she could no longer detect any nearby enemies using her spiritual senses.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The little mouse in her pocket poked its head out and made a series of cute noises.

    "Oh? Are you okay little one?" Xu Lu asked gently as she patted the mouse''s head and checked its eyes for any signs of bloodlust.

    The mouse appeared to be fine except¡­

    Xu Lu blinked twice, and the strange sight was gone.

    For a moment she could swear that ck markings appeared on her animalpanion''s back, but they disappeared as soon as she tried to get a closer look.

    Was she just imagining the markings?

    Xu Lu shook her head and tossed those strange thoughts to the back of her mind.

    Clearly, she was under a great deal of stress at the moment, and it was making her brain see things.

    Still¡­ it wouldn''t hurt just to make sure.

    "You aren''t some demon, right?" Xu Lu whispered softly as she stered a stern expression on her face.

    "You have to tell me or else¡­"

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The little white mouse yawned sleepily and then went back to bed as if it had not heard Xu Lu''s question.

    What am I doing?

    Xu Luughed quietly to herself as she touched the top of the white mouse''s head and then stretched out her arms.

    She looked around and saw that she was now standing at the edge of what appeared to be a clearing.

    Strange white mushrooms grew along the edges of the clearing and Xu Lu could spot tiny ants marching along the fungi.

    She reached into her robe and pulled out apass and the map.

    Xu Lu consulted thepass for a few seconds and then began to walk in a northwestern direction.

    She wasn''t sure if the effects of the purple gas were still present but no monsters appeared so she could only assume that it had expired.

    The saintess walked for around twenty minutes while enjoying the natural beauty of the Gobrean Jungle.

    There was an inherent wildness and savagery to this ce. Untouched by human hands or the traces of civilisation there was a primordial splendor to this forest.

    Xu Lu always enjoyed walking through nature.

    She could remember going for walks with Cami through the forest that surrounded their castle.

    Finally after what seemed like hours, Xu Lu arrived at arge t in that extended for several kilometres.

    The in seemed out of ce surrounded by the lush forest environment. There was not even a single de of grass growing on its soil.

    The entire area had a feeling of¡­ wrongness.

    Nothing alive was present here as if the mere existence of life was aberrant to the ck soil that made up the vast in.

    Xu Lu stepped onto the in and her feet sank a few inches into the ck sand.

    A serious expression shed across her face as she felt someone¡­ or something watching her.

 Chapter 269 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (20)

    Xu Lu slowly exhaled and counted to ten in her mind. When she stopped her breathing exercise, the strange feeling was gone.

    The saintess cautiously looked around but could not detect any other lifeforms or threats. The in was eerily quiet.

    No traces of animals and not even a single de of grass grew on this ck soil. Xu Lu walked forward with her feet sinking into the soil ever so slightly.

    This area was nicknamed ''The Dead Man Zone'' for obvious reasons. Adventurers and mercenaries usually came here to set up camp to rest.

    No monsters or dangerous wildlife woulde near this ce and there were no reports of any disappearances or attacks.

    Xu Lu knelt down and used her fingers to lightly touch the ck soil. She recoiled in shock as she felt... warmth?

    The soil beneath her feet was warm as if something was heating it up. The sand was quite hot to touch to the point where it felt as though her skin was burnt.

    Xu Lu checked her hand for any injuries but her skin was unblemished. Was it all in her mind?

    What was going on in this strange ce?

    Truthfully... this ce gave her the creeps.

    Xu Lu didn''t know if the entrance to the ruins was here but what she did know was that something about this area was wrong.

    And she had seen quite a few horror movies to know that when scary stuff happens... you get the fuck out as soon as possible.

    The sun was now beginning to drift towards the horizon and warm orange rays of light illuminated the in.

    Xu Lu walked for around thirty minutes and finally saw the opposite side of the zone.

    The lush tropical forest beckoned her as if waiting to her to return to the natural world of greenery and vibrancy.

    The entire time that Xu Lu moved through the in, she was on a constant lookout for anything out of ce or strange.

    She found nothing.

    Outside of theck of nt growth, there was nothing unusual about this ce. Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh and then decided to retrace her steps.

    She had quite a few hours left to kill before she had to return to the meeting point so she might as well sweep the area a few more times.

    Danger!

    Xu Lu''s body reacted automatically and she ducked her head just as an object whizzed past where her face had been just moments ago.

    The ck soil beneath her feet started to shift and a humanoid figureposed entirely out of sand emerged from the ground.

    The figure had a vaguely feminine shape but did not posses any facial features since it was made from soil.

    A small hole appeared in the middle of its face and words flowed out of its... mouth? Orifice?

    "Greetings," the strange entity spoke in a rxed manner.

    "Hello..." Xu Lu replied cautiously as she took a few steps back and tried to create some distance between herself and the creature.

    "Would you like to take my test?" the entity politely asked in a friendly tone.

    "Test? What kind of test?" Xu Lu replied carefully while keeping an eye on the entity for any sudden movements.

    "Sorry... I wasn''t speaking to you," the entity''s hole twisted upwards to resemble a small smile.

    It raised up its sandy right arm and pointed to Xu Lu''s pocket.

    Squeak?

    The little white mouse in Xu Lu''s pocket poked its head out and a confused expression shed across its furry face.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    "I see... well... hmm... I guess I could make an exception," the entity mused thoughtfully as it rubbed its chin.

    Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

    "What? You don''t want to participate? But this inheritance is for spiritual creatures... your ''friend'' isn''t going to be able to practise those techniques," the entity argued back.

    Squeak!<novelnext></novelnext>

    In the meanwhile, Xu Lu had a very lost expression on her face as she watched her pet mouse argue with a humanoid creature made of sand.

    Today... was a very strange day.

    Finally after several minutes of arguing, the entity and her pet mouse seemed toe to an agreement.

    "Alright... you will be allowed to take my test and receive one of the techniques that ''may'' work for humans. No promises though," the entity spoke in an annoyed tone.

    "Wait... you still haven''t told me what the test is abou..." Xu Lu''s voice trailed off as the entity pped its hand and arge hole appeared below the saintess'' feet.

    Before Xu Lu had any time to react, her body fell inside the hole and she disappeared into the darkness.

    Thest thing that she saw was the entity''s smiling face as it waved its hands at her and then melted back into the sand.

    "AHHHH!" Xu Lu screamed loudly as her body plunged underground.

    She was grateful for her cultivation level since the passageway resembled a slide from hell.

    There were numerous twists and turns and every so often her body would m into one of the dirt walls with so much force that the air got knocked out of her lungs.

    Xu Lu curled up into a ball and tried to shield her little mouse pet from the impact of the shocks.

    She fell for what seemed to be hours but in reality it must have been around five minutes beforending with a heavy thump on solid ground.

    The saintess opened her eyes and found herself standing inside a wide cavern that was illuminated by dozens of torches lining the walls.

    The torches glowed with an intense blue me that casted long shadows on the ground.

    Xu Lu quickly checked her pocket and was relieved to find out that her mouse was okay.

    "You and I will need to have a long conversation after this," Xu Lu whispered to the mouse as she touched the top of its head.

    She knew that her pet was intelligent but clearly it was much smarter than she had initially assumed.

    Now... she needed to take part in this test.

    Xu Lu cautiously stepped forward while keeping her eye out for any traps. Therge underground caveplex had no end in sight.

    She walked for around ten minutes before she reached arge wall where three corridors had been carved into the stone.

    The first corridor had the symbol of a wing painted above its entranceway, the one in the middle had a fang and the third had a white horn.

    There were no other hints.

    Xu Lu searched around the area for any clues but came up empty handed.

    She frowned slightly as she studied each image hoping to see if she could gleam anything from the symbols.

    A wing? Something to do with flying?

    The fang? Well, that was ominous...

    And finally, a white horn... a unicorn? Did this world even have unicorns?

    Xu Lu searched through the original Xu Lu''s memories for any trace of the mythical beast but found nothing.

    Hmm... which one to pick?

    Without a guide or sense of what to do... Xu Lu was forced to rely on an ancient method to decide which corridor to enter.

    "Alright..." a serious expression shed across Xu Lu''s face as she circted qi around her body and prepared to perform the ancient ritual.

    She walked in front of the three entranceways, opened up her mouth and then began to chant,

    "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,"

    "Catch a tiger by the toe."

    "If he hollers, let him go,"

    "Eeny... meeny... miny... moe!"

 Chapter 270 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (21)

    "Eeny... meeny... miny..."

    "MOE!"

    Xu Lu stopped chanting and looking in the direction where her finger was pointing. Her index fingernded on the middle corridor.

    The one with the ominous fang.

    The saintess looked at her finger.

    Then she looked at the corridor.

    "MOE!" Xu Lu yelled again and this time she shifted her finger so that she was now pointing at the entranceway with the white horn painted above it.

    No one needed to know the truth.

    Xu Lu unsheathed her de and then walked through the leftmost entranceway. She frowned slightly as she walked further inside the darkened passageway.

    The ground beneath her feet rumbled and a loud screeching noise came from behind her.

    Xu Lu turned around and saw that the entrance to the corridor was now blocked by an unknown sheet of metal.

    She retraced her steps and tried to break through the metal using her sword qi but her de only scratched its surface.

    She was now trapped with no way to move except forward.

    "Shit..." Xu Lu cursed under her breath.

    Okay... maybe this was all part of the ''trials'' that the mysterious sand creature had mentioned.

    Xu Lu seeing no other option decided to proceed forward into the depths of the underground.

    The tunnel was illuminated by brightly coloured torches and Xu Lu found her eyes drifting towards the blue mes.

    There was something strange about the lights.

    Xu Lu stretched out her hand towards one of the torches but could not feel any warmthing from the mes.

    Instead traces of frost began to appear on her skin.

    It was quite a bizarre sight.

    Xu Lu withdrew her hand and continued to walk all the while searching for any threats or sources of danger.

    She stepped around a strange looking rock and peered closely at the ground to see if there were any tripwires or traps.

    Perhaps she was being too careful since she walked for the next twenty minutes without seeing anything special.

    Finally, the tunnel opened up into arge, exposed space where dozens of stctites hung from the ceiling.

    Below the brown mineral pirs were deep dark pools of water.

    The water inside the pools was inky ck and Xu Lu could see ripples forming on its surface.

    Something was swimming through the darkness...

    There was a path straight through the room, but the trail went directly through several of the deep pools.

    Xu Lu ced her sword on the ground and slowly directed the qi inside her dantian towards her weapon.

    She wasn''t sure if this was considered cheating, but she might as well give it a shot.

    Her sword floated off the ground and Xu Lu stepped on its cold metallic surface. She almost lost her bnce and fell but somehow managed to stay on.

    "Okay... slow but steady..." Xu Lu whispered to herself as she wrapped her qi around her de and directed her weapon to move forward.

    The experience was like... extreme surfing.

    At least that''s the only way that Xu Lu could describe standing on a thin sheet of metal that was floating over pools of infinite darkness.

    One misstep or loss of bnce and she would go plunging into those murky depths.

    Xu Lu tried her best to avoid looking down but still saw several figures darting through the waters.

    The figures loosely resembled fish but Xu Lu was pretty certain that fish did not posses long skeleton-like arms.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The sword travelled across the room at a steady pace. Xu Lu did not rx a muscle on her body as she desperately tried to maintain her bnce.

    Don''t fall... don''t fall...

    Perhaps the gods themselves had heard her prayers since Xu Lu managed to stay on her sword until she reached the other side.

    Then... she fell off.

    Xu Lunded on the ground with a heavy thump and rubbed her back with a painful grimace hidden beneath her mask.

    It wasn''t the most graceful ofndings but at least she was safe. Xu Lu grabbed her sword and absorbed the qi back into her body.

    She nced behind her and saw that the pools of water had now... vanished?

    Xu Lu blinked twice in disbelief as therge underground space now had apletely solid floor made of dirt.

    There were no traces of water.

    "Nope... not going to investigate..." Xu Lu muttered quietly as she walked forward and through a small opening.

    The tunnel was quite narrow and Xu Lu was forced to crawl on her hands and knees in order to move through the space.

    Sharp stones and other pointy objects tore into her flesh as she moved through the tight passageway.

    Her white robes soon became stained with blood and dirt as Xu Lu continued to crawl forward while ignoring the pain.

    Her body''s ability to regenerate ensured that she healed quickly from the wounds but could not make the blood disappear.

    Xu Lu frowned as a particrly sharp rock dug into her chest. She winced as she used her right hand to pull out the embedded stone.

    Blood spurted out of her injury and the crimson liquid stained another section of her robe.

    By the time she got out of this ce, Xu Lu assumed that she would look like a murderous ghost.

    A red woman with traces of blood on her clothes.

    Xu Lu crawled for what seemed like hours but all she was greeted with was more of the same scenery.

    She could not tell how much time had passed since the test had begun. Time seemed to flow differently in this ce.

    Xu Lu stumbled over an object and looked down to see what appeared to be a silvery-grey key that was attached to a pendant.

    She cautiously reached for the pendant and her fingers brushed against its cold hard surface. The pendant glowed slightly as if responding to her touch.

    The saintess wrapped her fingers around the pendant and then lifted it up until it was eye level with her face.

    The key attached to the pendant looked quite ordinary.

    It was around the size of a key that one would usually use to open doorknobs. The only special aspect of the key was that it glowed slightly in the dark.

    Xu Lu wasn''t sure what to make of the object. Was it part of the test or had it been left behind by a previous participant?

    Either way she ced the key in one of the pockets of her robe and continued forward.

    Hopefully it wasn''t a cursed object because that would probably not be good.

    Finally Xu Lu spotted a lighting from the end of the tunnel that was so bright that she was forced to close her eyes.

    The harsh white re was blinding as if a spotlight had been ced at the end of the tunnel and someone was shining it inside at full st.

    Xu Lu crawled forward half blind and used her hands to carefully navigate her way towards the light source.

    Her fingers eventually touched air and Xu Lu crawled her way out of the hole. She opened her eyes and the light was gone.

    "Wee brave one," a soft melodic voice came from somewhere in front of her. Xu Lu turned in the direction of the noise and saw... quite the sight.

    A giant yellow egg was in the corner of the room surrounded by a makeshift nest that was made from rare gems and jewels.

    "Ahh! Don''t stare at me so directly," the melodic voice teased flirtatiously.

    Xu Lu stared in shock as the egg wriggled from side to side as if it was embarrassed.

    What the hell...

 Chapter 271 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (22)

    "Oh my¡­ I know I''m cute but¡­ please¡­ don''t stare at me¡­" the sweet melodic voice echoed through the cave.

    The giant egg shifted slowly from side to side as if it was wriggling around in embarrassment.

    Now Xu Lu had seen a lot of strange sights in her many lifetimes.

    She had experienced the afterlife, she had seen vampires and now she had lived among immortal cultivators but this¡­

    This was truly bizarre.

    "Sorry¡­ I um¡­ I¡­" Xu Lu stuttered as she truly had no idea what to say.

    How was one supposed to talk to a giant egg?

    This was part of the test, right? Or had she finally gone insane?

    "Turn around! I told you not to look at me!" the voice yelled loudly with a trace of anger in its melodic tone.

    Xu Lu followed its directions and turned to face the wall. She spread out her spiritual senses just in case the egg decided to attack her.

    "That''s better!" the voice eximed in a happier tone.

    "Now firstly I want to congratte you for passing the Trial of the Depths¡­ none of the previous challengers have managed to swim through those murky depths without dying in the process."

    "You are clearly a warrior of great strength!"

    Xu Lu kept silent as she recalled how she had managed to pass the challenge. Was she supposed to swim through those waters?

    Maybe it was best not to tell the egg that she had used her sword to fly over the pools and avoid the challenge altogether.

    "Now you have a choice before you!" the voice spoke in a low whisper that was still loud enough to cause Xu Lu''s ears to ring.

    "You may either select a random technique or¡­. Me!"

    "Can I see the techniques?" Xu Lu immediately asked.

    "No!" the voice replied.

    "What happens if I choose you?" Xu Lu followed up with another question.

    "We fuse!" the egg said happily.

    "Fuse?" Xu Lu asked in a puzzled tone.

    "Fuse!"

    That still didn''t exin anything. Xu Lu asked a few more questions but the egg refused to answer her concerns.

    Alright so¡­ err¡­.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and carefully mulled over the different options.

    So ording to the entity made from sand, these trials were designed to bepleted by spiritual beasts.

    Therefore, the rewards must be tailored for them¡­ not for humans.

    The entity did say that most of the techniques would be useless for her so there was a high probability that if she selected a random technique¡­ it would be worthless.

    Still the other option was¡­ concerning.

    Fuse? What did that imply? Physical fusion? Mental fusion?

    Xu Lu scanned the original Xu Lu''s memories for anything simr but found nothing.

    The closest thing to fusion in this world was possession techniques that some demon cultivators would use to gain new bodies.

    This was clearly a risk but¡­ Xu Lu could not help but be tempted.

    The original Xu Lu''s request to abandon the Holy Sword Sect and join the demon cult would make her the enemy of the righteous sects.

    The shame of having a saintess join the demonic path would be an insult that the Holy Sword Sect would not be able to ignore.

    She needed strength in order to pursue that goal and honestly¡­ a few risks would have to be taken.

    "I will choose you," Xu Lu finally spoke after thinking about the matter for a few more minutes anding to a decision.

    "Excellent!" the egg cheerfully replied.

    "Now approach me and ce your hand on my surface. No matter what happens¡­ do not remove your palm."

    Xu Lu turned around and walked towards the egg. As she got closer, she could make out more details about its appearance.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The golden egg''s surface appeared to be smooth at a distance but was actually covered in thousands of tiny bumps.

    The egg''s height was around the size of a person.

    If Xu Lu had to guess, then she would assume that it was roughly five feet ten inches in length.

    Truthfully there was a small part of the saintess that regretted her choice, but it was toote now to turn back.

    She stretched out her hand and pressed the whole of her palm against the side of the egg.

    Nothing happened for several long seconds.

    Then¡­

    Xu Lu flinched as a pulsating warmth travelled from the center of the egg and into her palm and the rest of her body.

    This warmth started out as afortable heat but soon turned into an unbearable hellfire.

    Sweat droplets ran down Xu Lu''s skin as she panted for breath.

    Her hand felt as though it was being burnt and Xu Lu could see blisters forming on the surface of her skin.

    The pain was unbearable.

    Every single muscle in her body felt as though it was on fire. Xu Lu tried to bear with the pain but eventually opened her mouth and screamed.

    "Arghhh!" Xu Lu yelled in agony as the warmth reached her dantian core and slowly began to fuse with her qi source.

    Crack!

    The top of the egg shattered, and long jagged lines spread out from the breaking point.

    Xu Lu squinted her eyes and could see a four-legged creature curled up in a fetal position inside the egg.

    She tried to make out more details but a sharp burst of pain forced her to her knees. Shended on the ground with a heavy thump and barely managed to keep her palm on the egg.

    This was a mistake.

    She was going to die.

    Xu Lu let out a painful groan as a loud cracking noise filled the air. The jagged lines on the egg got wider and wider with every passing second.

    Finally¡­ BOOM!

    A loud explosion of light rocked the underground chamber and severalrge rocks fell down from the ceiling directly above Xu Lu''s body.

    Thest thing that the saintess saw before she blissfully fell into an unconscious slumber was a particrlyrge stone hurtling towards her face.

    Thud!

    .

    .

    .

    .

    "My head¡­ cough! Cough!" Xu Lu''s voice trailed off as her body shuddered.

    She opened her eyes and winced as a dull throbbing pain spread across her body.

    She could not see anything but could feel a heavy weight pressing down on her. Xu Lu tried to move but discovered that her arms and legs were pinned down.

    "Come on¡­e on¡­" Xu Lu muttered as she struggled to move. She circted qi into the meridians in her arms and attempted to hoist her body upright.

    She managed to shuffle and shift around for several minutes.

    It was a long process but eventually Xu Lu was able to crawl her way out of the rock pile that she was buried under.

    She pushed arge rock out of the way and finally managed to escape her stone prison. Xu Lu winced again as she looked at her bloodied and dirty robe.

    She did not look like a saintess at the moment¡­ she looked more like an injured beggar.

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she took a look around her surrounding.

    The underground space was nowpletely destroyed, and the golden egg was nowhere to be found.

    What had happened?

 Chapter 272 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (23)

    (Northern Region- The Gobrean Jungle)

    (Secret Underground Space)

    Xu Lu cautiously stretched out her hands and tried to sense if there was anything different or changed about her body.

    She lifted up the mask that covered her face and gently touched the flesh thaty beneath the metallic surface.

    No¡­ she could still feel rough patches of skin and horrific scar tissue. Xu Lu ced the mask back on her face and let out a small sigh.

    Fuse?

    But she felt no different.

    Maybe fusion only worked for spiritual creatures?

    In that case did she make a mistake? Maybe it was a better option to just pick a random cultivation technique and hope for the best.

    Xu Lu stood up and winced as she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her lower back. She may be able to regenerate but she had just been crushed by a rock pile.

    It would take some time to fully recover.

    The saintess sat back down and reached into her storage bag for a small pill-shaped medicine.

    She popped the pill in her mouth and felt a healing warmth travel through her stomach and towards the rest of her body.

    The aptly named ''Healing Pills'' were created by alchemists working for the Holy Sword Sect. They were a necessity for disciples travelling in the outside world.

    Xu Lu popped another one in her mouth and the warm current flowing through her body got even stronger.

    Actually¡­ it got really stronger.

    Xu Lu doubled over and vomited out a foul ckish substance.

    She could sense something wriggling around inside her body and melting together with her organs and bones.

    It was an incredibly ufortable sensation.

    The only way she could describe it was like if an army of insects were biting your insides with sharp pincers.

    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the pain ended, and Xu Lu stood up from the ground with graceful movements.

    Outwardly she appeared to be the same but when she closed her eyes and looked into her dantian, there was a four legged creature galloping merrily around in her qi core.

    The creature''s body was pure white, and it resembled a horse. A single white horn jutted out from the middle of its forehead.

    A unicorn? Wait¡­ those were real?

    "Um¡­ are you okay in there?" Xu Lu asked curiously.

    She did not receive a response. She actually wasn''t sure if the mysterious creature was able to hear her talking from the outside.

    Strange¡­.

    Xu Lu opened her mouth to try again when the entire underground began to tremble violently.

    The saintess quickly ran for cover out of the way of arge group of rocks that were rolling towards her location.

    Crack!

    Her vision turned dark and then the world seemed to invert upside down. When Xu Lu opened her eyes she was standing in the middle of the ''Dead Man Zone''.

    The sand entity was nowhere in sight and if it weren''t for the blood and dirt on her robes, Xu Lu would have thought that it was all a really bad dream.

    She closed her eyes and checked her dantian but now¡­ the unicorn was gone as well.

    A puzzled expression shed across Xu Lu''s face before she just shrugged her shoulders.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She could still vaguely sense the creature inside her body so there was no use worrying or trying to figure out this bizarre arrangement.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    A furry white head popped out of Xu Lu''s robe, her little mouse pet was surprisingly unharmed by the rocks that had fallen down on the two of them.

    Xu Lu assumed that it was because her body had absorbed the brunt of the blows but it was still strange that not a single wound was present on her furrypanion''s body.

    "Alright¡­ let''s go back to the city," Xu Lu smiled warmly and she lightly touched the top of the mouse''s head.

    She looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was now beginning to disappear. Stars were already twinkling brightly in the sky.

    It was nowte in the evening and not far away from the appointment time with the rest of the group.

    Now what should she tell them?

    Xu Lu clicked her tongue as she walked towards the opposite end of the in. She didn''t n to say anything about the secret underground space.

    If the Holy Sword Sect were going to be her enemies in the future then it did not make sense to give them another asset to use.

    Now how to exin Shen Guo''s death¡­

    Xu Lu entered the lush green forest and pushed aside the vines and tree branches that blocked her path.

    She spread out her spiritual senses and was pleasantly surprised to discover that her range was muchrger than before.

    The jungle was buzzing with life.

    Xu Lu had to step carefully around arge ant nest where thousands of workers carried sliced leaves into the colony.

    Birds chirped merrily in the treetops and Xu Lu heard a dangerous hissing noiseing from the bushes to her left.

    She hoped that the pheromone that Shen Guo had stained her clothes with was now fully gone.

    She really wasn''t in the mood to deal with any hostile monsters especially the monkey-like one that flung shit at her.

    That was just¡­ really gross.

    Xu Lu shuddered as she recalled just how close that messy brown sludge came to hitting her right in the face.

    The saintess cautiously moved through the jungle with quiet steps. She kept an eye on her surroundings for any suspicious movements.

    Fortunately luck seemed to be on her side as she made her way through the tropical forest without any incidents.

    Xu Lu saw therge grey walls in the distance and felt a surge of relief in her heart. She hastened her movements until she was now running.

    She could see the soldiers walking up and down the top of the walls. They were a well-trained team of patrolmen.

    A few adventurer and mercenary teams were also making their way back to the city.

    Some teams carried injured members on their backs while others dragged the corpses of monster or theirpanions back to the city.

    It was yet another reminder of the brutal reality of this world where death wasmonce.

    Xu Lu whispered a soft cleaning spell under her breath and a strand of qi entered her robe. The dirt, blood and other grime fell off immediately andnded on the ground.

    Now she just needed to fix her hair and she would look the same as before.

    The saintess took a moment of adjust her appearance and then strode confidently towards the main gate.

    When Xu Lu got a few hundred metres away she could see her three otherpanions waiting patiently.

    Now she needed to act to prevent suspicion from falling on her.

    She would be criticized for allowing Shen Guo to die but the tag of ipetence was better than treachery.

 Chapter 273 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (24)

    (Northern Region- Outskirts Of The Gobrean Jungle)

    (City Lord''s Estate- Private Meeting Room)

    Xu Lu walked through a long winding corridor with her threepanions following closely behind.

    There was a tense atmosphere among the cultivators.

    The saintess had met them at the meeting point with Shen Guo nowhere to be found.

    When Lin Kun asked about their missingpanion, the saintess simply said that it would be dangerous to talk about the matter outside.

    She would exin in a safer location where curious ears could not listen in to their conversation.

    So, she led them back to the city lord''s mansion.

    The servants in their path bowed their heads and did not even dare to make eye contact with the immortals in fear of risking their wrath.

    Xu Lu ignored their trembling bodies and made her way towards a room at the end of the corridor.

    She ced her hand on the golden doorknob and slowly turned it. The door opened to reveal a cozy room with a long wooden table ced in the center.

    Chairs had been neatly arranged around the table and there were enough chairs for everyone to sit down.

    Xu Lu took the lead and sat down at the head of the table as if it were natural. Fu Qiu and Cao Ji exchanged confused nces and reluctantly followed her example.

    Lin Kun lingered by the door for a moment before closing it and also taking a seat.

    Xu Lu allowed a brief moment of silence as she gathered her thoughts.

    She could tell the truth but that would not be the smart choice. There would be questions over why she didn''t capture Shen Guo alive.

    Plus, it would put a stain on her reputation since she personally executed a fellow member of her sect.

    Xu Lu wanted to leave the Holy Sword Sect and bing a notorious figure would make that goal much harder to aplish.

    The best lies always contained a hint of truth.

    The saintess slowly inhaled and then let out a long breath. She ced her arms on the table and leaned forward.

    "Shen Guo is dead," Xu Lu calmly spoke in a nonchnt way as if she was simply discussing the weather.

    "What?" Cao Ji eximed in disbelief.

    Simr expressions of shock appeared on the faces of Lin Kun and Fu Qiu as if they could not believe what Xu Lu was saying.

    Shen Guo was a true disciple.

    Only the most powerful and talented cultivators in the Holy Sword Sect were allowed to be true disciples.

    Xu Lu opened her mouth and continued to weave a web of lies,

    "During our exploration we encountered a lone cultivator. Obviously, we were both suspicious when the mysterious man asked for help."

    "Shen Guo took a step forward to warn the man to go away. The cultivator smiled at us and then before we could react, he flung a ss vial on the ground."

    "The vial burst into thousands of ss pieces. Arge purplish mist escaped from the cracked vial and spread across the forest.

    "This mist... had monster attracting properties."

    "I was narrowly able to escape the onught of hundreds of beasts but Shen Guo... I watched him get ripped apart by a monkey-like monster."

    Xu Lu''s voice trailed off and she appeared to be lost in her memories. Her casual tone cracked ever so slightly and one could see that her hands were trembling.

    She was a scared little girl.

    One who had just gone on her first mission and witnessed the death of a fellow sect member.<novelnext></novelnext>

    That was the impression the minds of Lin Kun and Cao Ji.

    And it was exactly that impression that Xu Lu was aiming for.

    "Why didn''t you save him?!" Fu Qiu roared angrily as he mmed his white fan on the table with a violent thump.

    Underneath his rage there was an undercurrent of sadness in his expression. Xu Lu merely hung her head and did not reply to his usation.

    "Fu Qiu! Get a hold of yourself!" Lin Kun rushed to the saintess'' defence.

    "I''m sure that Xu Lu tried her best to save him. Would you have been able to fight off multiple monsters and beasts while protecting someone else?"

    "She is a qi tide cultivator like the rest of us!"

    "No... he is right..." Xu Lu softly whispered with clear mncholy in her voice.

    "As the leader of this mission... I have failed. It was my duty to aplish the mission objective as well as protect the members of my team."

    "I have failed. When the mission is over I intend to immediately return to the Holy Sword Sect and enter the Punishment Hall."

    This was an opportunity in disguise.

    Entering the punishment hall would send a message to the other disciples that the saintess cared about them.

    Many cultivators were cold-hearted monsters so if she could cultivate an image of kindness then that would be quite beneficial.

    People would underestimate someone who was kind.

    Xu Lu was grateful for the mask covering her face since no one could see that her lips were slowly curving upwards.

    "What should we do now?" Cao Ji asked with a worried expression on her face.

    "Someone just tried to kill you today. What if they aim for us next?"

    "The mission is clearly going to be a dangerous one. The Gobrean Jungle is fraught with high level beasts and now we have cultivators to worry about as well," Xu Lu calmly responded.

    "I will not lie to you all. More than likely these assassins are aiming to take my life. Staying with me will make you a target as well."

    Xu Lu''s words echoed through the room and she could see how the mood was slowly being lowered.

    If she wanted to then she would use her authority as the saintess to force herpanions to stay but... Xu Lu did not care if the mission seeded or not.

    Technically she had already achieved the goal of the mission by finding the ruins in the ''Dead Man Zone'' but she intended to keep that fact as a secret.

    "I will put this to a vote. If you wish for us to return to the sect then simply raise your hand. If not then keep your arm lowered," Xu Lu spoke in a heavy tone.

    "Let conscience be your guide."

    There was a brief moment of silence.

    Xu Lu leaned back in her chair and waited for herpanions to make their decisions. She did not rush them since she could tell that they felt conflicted.

    Cao Ji was the first person to make her choice. She slowly raised up her left hand and refused to look at Xu Lu in her eyes.

    Fu Qiu was the second. He gritted his teeth and raised up his right hand. There was a trace of hatred in his gaze as he nced at the quiet saintess.

    Finally, Lin Kun shook his head and kept his arms on the table.

    The results of the voting was a two to one victory to the side who wished to return to the Holy Sword Sect.

    "I see..." Xu Lu spoke thoughtfully.

    "In that case we will leave tomorrow and return to the sect. I hope that you all can get some sleep tonight."

 Chapter 274 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (25)

    (Western Region- Xercon ins)

    (Unnamed Vige)

    It was a scene from hell.

    The heavy metallic scent of blood filled the air as well as the sounds of injured cries and moans of pain.

    These cries eventually ceased.

    Wooden shacks and stone huts alike had all been destroyed. Bits and pieces of rubbley scattered on the ground.

    Corpses of men, women and children stared nkly at the sky. Their bodies had been twisted and warped beyond recognition.

    Some had been chopped up into pieces while others had terrified expressions on their faces that only hinted at the horrors that they had endured.

    In the middle of the vige square a frail old man bowed his head as his body kept trembling like a leaf in a storm.

    Standing in front of him was a group of seven cultivators wearing pure white robes. Members of the ''righteous'' path.

    "Vige... head..." one of the cultivators sneered arrogantly as his hand drifted towards the sword attached to his hip.

    "Do you regret your choice now?"

    The old man let out a mournful cry of rage and rushed towards the cultivators with all the strength that he could muster in his body.

    He knew it was useless.

    He knew that ordinary men could not hope to defeat immortals.

    Still... he had to... if...he could just...

    The old man''s body stopped moving as a thin red line appeared on his neck. His feeble and wrinkled hands lightly touched the area before his body copsed.

    His head rolled away from the rest of his body.

    The cultivator tucked his sword back in his sheath andughed as he approached the head and kicked it.

    The head went flying off into the distance and mmed into a nearby wall with a resounding thud.

    "What should we do about this mess?" a female cultivator in the group asked as she tidied up her hair.

    "me it on the demon cultivators. When we get back to the sect we just need to report this matter and the sect elders will handle the rest," someone saidzily.

    "It didn''t have to be this way," another whispered softly as he approached the corpse of an attractive vige woman and lightly touched her body using his foot.

    "Oh please... you were the first one to stab that whore," a female cultivator in the back of the group jeered mockingly.

    Laughter echoed through the destroyed vige and the cultivators spent a few minutes reminiscing about the events that had lead up to this point.

    They had been passing by when the vige head approached them and asked for some help with bandits that were roaming through the forest.

    Of course, the cultivators wanted payment first.

    It was only reasonable.

    The vige head gathered all of the wealth in the vige and presented their riches to the cultivators.

    It was not enough so one of the male cultivators kindly suggested that the vige head could make up the difference by giving them people.

    The foolish old man refused.

    And no mortal should dare to refuse the words of gods.

    "Did you see the look on his face when we killed his daughter?" a cultivator joked as he pointed at the small corpse in the corner of the massacre.

    "You mean when he cried and begged like a bitch?" the male cultivator who had killed the vige head asked.

    In the midst of their discussion, no one noticed a slender figure slowly making her way through the destroyed vige.

    She was an incredibly beautiful woman.

    She looked to be in her mid twenties with gentle facial features, soft eyes and a warm smile.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She wore a rough outfit made out of hemp. It was the clothes that poor rural folk would wear since they could not afford expensive fabrics.

    There was not a hint of qi surrounding her body.

    She appeared to be an ordinary mortal and yet not one of the cultivators noticed her presence.

    Her eyes nced at the corpses on the ground and the smile on her face got even brighter although those cheerful emotions did not reach her eyes.

    Her gaze eventuallynded on the group of cultivators in the center of the vige still joking andughing without a care in the world.

    And why would they?

    To them these lives were insignificant.

    They would receive no punishment even if the sect elders discovered the truth and the men, women and children that they killed would not receive any justice.

    Cultivators were all the same.

    Selfish, greedy, arrogant.

    And yet somehow... they were given the powers of gods. So that everyone was forced to cower and bow to their will.

    The beautiful woman stepped closer to the group and then lightly knelt down and touched the ground.

    Dark patterns appeared on her skin and flowed into the soil beneath her feet. The smile on her face never broke for even a second.

    This process went on for a few minutes before the woman stood up and approached the group without a hint of fear on her face.

    "Why did you do this?" the woman opened her mouth and asked.

    The cultivators jumped in surprise and their eyes instantly focused on the direction of the unexpected voice.

    They were wary at first but when they realised that the person in front of them was an ordinary mortal woman, they immediately rxed.

    "Why did you do this?" the woman asked a second time with the same even tone.

    "This? What makes you think that we did this?" a female cultivator responded angrily as she stared at the woman with some jealousy in her gaze.

    How was she so beautiful?

    The male cultivators on the other hand and looked at each other and could see the lust and desire rising up in their eyes.

    There was an unspoken power struggle and then finally the male cultivator who had killed the vige head stepped forward and roughly grabbed the beautiful woman by her arm.

    "Forget about them..." the male cultivator whispered as he leaned in slowly.

    "Why don''t I take you back to my sect and make you my consort?"

    He looked at the beautiful woman''s face and expected to see happiness and joy in her eyes. This was an offer that he had made to many na?¡¥ve mortal women.

    Most believed him immediately and for the ones that didn''t... well... he would just bring them back by force.

    "I''m sorry... but I will have to decline," the woman bowed her head politely and replied without any sorrow heard in her voice.

    "Listen you..." the male cultivator''s voice trailed off as something strange began to happen.

    The beautiful woman took a single step forward and dark ck runes appeared on the ground and spread across a wide area.

    The cultivators did not know what was happening because they had never seen such strange markings before.

    "What is going... arghh!" the male cultivator holding the woman by her arm screamed in pain as the markings travelled up his body.

    The woman stepped away and watched as the cultivators copsed on the ground. The qi in their dantian cores began to flow out of their bodies.

    She continued to watch as wrinkles began to appear on their once fair and wless skin and traces of age marred their immortal appearance.

    Their cultivation was being slowly stripped away.

    The beautiful woman approached the dying group and whispered something softly in the ear of the one who had threatened to make her his consort.

    An expression of terror shed across the male cultivator''s face before his heart gave out.

 Chapter 275 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (26)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    Xu Lu could understand why the ordinary civilians of the continent saw cultivators as gods.

    As she stood on the deck of the floating golden boat, she could see the headquarters of the Holy Sword Sect slowlye into view.

    Massive mountain peaks rose up towards the heavens and were surrounded by fluffy white clouds.

    Gigantic cranes, small dragons and other fantastic creatures soared through the air with cultivators on their backs.

    The mountains were all covered with lush greenery, flowers and nts that enhanced the natural beauty of this ce.

    One could seerge pces at the top of each mountain made from pure white marble and other rare materials.

    Tiny ant-like figures scurried up and down the hills.

    Some walked while others flew using swords that hovered in the air beneath their feet.

    The entire sect bore a striking resemnce to what Xu Lu imagined Mount Olympus would look like if the Greek gods were real.

    The saintess lightly touched the edge of the metallic mask that covered her face and let out a small yawn.

    Fu Qiu had stayed inside his cabin while Cao Ji and Lin Kun were talking by themselves at the front of the deck.

    Xu Lu nced at them for a moment and then returned to her own thoughts.

    The mission was a resounding failure.

    Shen Guo was dead, and they had not found the ruins inside the Gobrean Jungle. Well... at least not officially.

    This was not a good start for her life as a saintess and Xu Lu trembled slightly as she thought about what her master would do to her.

    She needed to start preparing now.

    But where could she learn about the demonic path without instantly raising suspicions?

    She could not cultivate the demon way... at least not yet.

    Wait... did she even need to?

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and carefully recalled the contents of the original Xu Lu''s wish. She wanted to stand on the top of the younger generation and join the demonic cult.

    Technically her wish did not say that she needed to cultivate devil qi. Xu Lu reopened her eyes and silently readjusted some of her ns.

    The golden boat flew towards therge gates that signified the entrance to the Holy Sword Sect.

    Outer disciples wearing in blue robes stood on either side of the gate not to provide protection but rather to stand as symbols.

    Lin Kun took a talisman out of his robe''s pocket and a beam of white light erupted from the center of the paper.

    The outer disciples nodded, and the boat passed through the gate without any problems.

    Seeing that they would arrive soon, Xu Lu walked towards Lin Kun to tell him of her n.

    "Drop me off at the punishment hall," Xu Lu coldly spoke.

    "The punishment hall... but... there is not need to..." Lin Kun was startled and tried his best to persuade the saintess not to go.

    "No. My mind is made up. This mission failed due to my poor leadership. After you drop me off, go to the mission center and inform them of the results," Xu Lu continued to speak.

    Her tone of voice was calm... almost rxed. It was as if her words were talking about someone else and not herself.

    Cao Ji stood by and did not say a word since she could feel Xu Lu''s eyes nce at her location with an unspoken warning.

    "If you insist..." Lin Kun said reluctantly.

    He wanted to form a closer rtionship with the saintess but clearly that had not happened on this mission.

    Still he had time on his side and eventually his charms would wear her down until she agreed to be his Dao partner.<novelnext></novelnext>

    He gazed into the saintess'' eyes and froze as two brown irises stared at him with no emotion in their stare.

    Okay... maybe not... Dao partner.

    Lin Kun trembled violently as he felt the urge to flee. Xu Lu smiled beneath her mask and withdrew her killing intent.

    She had noticed a brief surge of lust in Lin Kun''s eyes and wanted to stamp that shit out immediately.

    The only person who she loved was Cami.

    After a lifetime spent together, Xu Lu was unsure if she would be able to love anyone else. Well not like it mattered.

    Her mission was not to find a lover.

    Her mission was to fulfil the original Xu Lu''s request and then kill the viiness of this ne.

    Xu Lu nodded at her two scaredpanions and then returned to her corner of the ship. She leaned against a nearby wall and looked down at the ground.

    From up here in the sky, it was like looking down from the window of a ne.

    A perfect bird''s eye view of the sect that she would eventually need to abandon.

    Xu Lu knew that she had a long and difficult road ahead of her. At least her action of immediately going to the punishment hall had two effects.

    The first was that it would somewhat restore her reputation and the second was that it meant that she would not have to see her sadistic master.

    And she was not worried about what would happen to her.

    The punishment hall could not be worse than what she had endured at the hands of the demon cultivator who had disfigured her appearance.

    Xu Lu spotted arge dark building nestled between two mountains that were oddly barren and dusty.

    "We have arrived... saintess are you sure that..." Lin Kun''s voice trailed off as Xu Lu jumped off the ship without hesitation.

    She fell down through the air and could feel a strong wind brushing against her face.

    The saintess weaved a thin strand of qi into her sword and the de surged out of her sheath.

    She adjusted her body in the air thanks to her enhanced senses and managed to nt her feet firmly on the t part of her de.

    Xu Lu flew towards the ck building and as she got closer she could sense a gloomy and deste atmosphereing from inside.

    She could see a que hanging on the doors leading to the interior of the hall and two words were written on its wooden surface.

    [FORGIVENESS] and [REPENTANCE]

    There were only a few cultivators walking outside the building and they all wore navy blue robes with scarlet threads woven into the edges of the fabric.

    An elderly man stood silently at the entrance of the punishment hall. His aura was as vast as the sea and Xu Lu''s brows furrowed slightly as she approached him.

    The saintess hopped off her sword andnded on the ground with a graceful step. She walked towards the elderly man without hesitation and politely bowed her head.

    "Greetings elder," Xu Lu calmly spoke.

    "I havee to receive punishment for failing toplete my mission."

    If the elder was surprised by her words, then he did not reveal a trace of emotion on his wrinkled face.

    Instead he gestured with his hands and the doors to the punishment hall slowly opened. Xu Lu nodded once more at the elderly cultivator and stepped inside.

    The interior of the punishment hall was filled with cells.

    Most of the cells were empty but she could see a few of her fellow sect members sitting inside with their heads bowed.

    Beads of sweat ran down the sides of their foreheads and they appeared to be in a great deal of pain.

    The cell doors closest to Xu Lu swung open as if beckoning her to enter inside.

 Chapter 276 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (27)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Punishment Hall)

    Xu Lu furrowed her brows as she looked around the inside of therge building.

    Cells were stacked tightly together and she could see strange symbols and letterings carved onto the floor of each cell.

    She looked through the original Xu Lu''s memories for anything useful but could not find any information rted to the punishment hall.

    The original Xu Lu had never stepped inside this ce. Still¡­ there was no use dying the inevitable.

    She was already drawing enough unwanted attention at the moment from the guards inside the punishment hall.

    They wore the same uniforms as the cultivators outside.

    Navy-blue robes with scarlet red threads woven into the edges of the fabric.

    They stood at attention with straightened backs, but Xu Lu could hear them whispering faintly to each other.

    "Do you see her? The saintess is here?"

    "What?! That makes no sense! Is she being punished? What mistake did she make?"

    "I don''t know but¡­ which one of us will need to activate the cell?"

    "Not me! I don''t want the saintess to hate me¡­ what if she remembers my face when she leaves this ce?"

    Xu Lu stopped eavesdropping and steeled her heart for the trial ahead. It could not be worse than what she had already suffered.

    The saintess nodded at the guards posted along the walls and then walked inside one of the cells.

    The doors to the prison cell swung close behind her and the symbols on the ground faintly glowed with a dark blue light.

    One of the guards stepped in front of her cell and ced his hand on the ground. He sent out a strand of qi into the symbols and the glow got even brighter.

    Xu Lu sat down in a cross- legged position and prepared for the torment.

    She could feel an unfamiliar energy surging into her body from the symbols on the ground.

    This was it.

    Time to endure. She would not flinch. She would suffer and keep this pain as a valuable memory to sharpen her willpower.

    Xu Lu waited patiently for the pain to begin.

    She waited¡­ and waited¡­ and waited some more¡­

    Err¡­

    Hmm¡­

    Nothing happened.

    Xu Lu kept her eyes closed but felt no pain if anything the energy flowing into her body was getting morefortable by the minute.

    The sensation was like standing under a shower of hot water during wintertime.

    She focused on the energy entering her body and discovered that something quite strange was happening.

    The energy from the symbols would try to enter her organs but would be drawn inside her meridians and enter her dantian.

    There it would flow towards the tiny unicorn happily running around inside of her dantian and be absorbed into its white horn.

    The unicorn cried out happily and frolicked around with glee.

    Xu Lu was grateful for the mask covering her face since she was certain that she looked pretty confused right now.

    Huh.

    This was an¡­ unexpected benefit.

    Xu Lu wasn''t too sure if this was a good or bad thing but at least it meant that she didn''t need to suffer.

    She adjusted her posture to a morefortable position and began to practice her qi gathering technique.

    The Frozen Hell Art required the absorption of ice qi from cores taken from monsters to be truly effective but it was also possible to practice without the cores.

    The efficiency was reduced but if she was trapped in the punishment hall then she might as well use it to pass the time.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The temperature around Xu Lu''s body plummeted and ice began to spread out from where her body touched the ground.

    The guards looked at each other in shock because they could not believe their eyes.

    How could someone have the willpower to cultivate while enduring such horrific pain?

    A person inside one of the activated cells of the punishment hall would feel as though red hot needles were poking their organs.

    The pain was said to be truly awful. It was impossible to concentrate on anything but resisting the urge to scream.

    Some cultivators would faint while others would beg and cry for forgiveness after just a couple of minutes.

    The guards were then given the authority to adjust the settings ordingly to make sure that the cultivator being punished did not break.

    But this sight¡­

    The guards had never seen something like this before. The saintess remained perfectly still without even a hint of the pain that she must be enduring.

    And she was able to cultivate despite the torment.

    The saintess was truly the most promising of the younger generation.

    Xu Lu did not hear their soft whispers of admiration since she was lost in the art of cultivation.

    She could now understand why some masters would lock themselves in caves for decades if not centuries beforeing out.

    Cultivation was addicting.

    It may just be her imagination but every time her qi made a full cirction throughout her body, Xu Lu could feel herself getting stronger.

    Her body craved the immortal energy flowing through her veins. It was like being connected to everything and nothing at the same time.

    Time no longer had any meaning as Xu Lu felt herself pushing through barriers in her spiritual veins.

    Days maybe weeks passed in this strange state.

    She could not tell how long she had been sitting down in this cell.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Meanwhile)

    (Fifth Peak- Private Residence)

    "That stupid brat," Lei Ying roared in anger as she mmed her fist against a nearby tree with so much force that it copsed.

    Her apprentice had failed.

    No¡­ it wasn''t enough that she failed¡­ she had the nerve to pretend to be self righteous and put herself in the punishment hall.

    Did she not know how reputation would be affected?

    Maybe this was a good development¡­

    Lei Ying took in a few deep breaths and calmed herself down.

    She had tried to beat the rebelliousness out of her arrogant student but despite her best efforts¡­ she could still see a spark of defiance.

    Xu Lu may be talented, but she was just a child. Would she be able to handle the malice of her fellow sect members?

    What if it was known that the saintess was a disappointment?

    That despite all of her talents¡­ she was just a failure.

    Lei Ying''s lips slowly curved upwards as a sadistic gleam surfaced in her eyes.

    She had nned to take Xu Lu out of the punishment hall immediately and properly discipline her but now¡­

    Maybe it would do her some good to be trapped in there.

 Chapter 277 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (28)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Punishment Hall)

    Xu Lu slowly stepped outside the building and took a moment to rx under the warm sunlight that illuminated her surroundings.

    She could feel her body throbbing with energy.

    The unicorn inside her dantian had gotten even bigger and now its horn glowed with a faint white light.

    "Thank you elder for watching over me," Xu Lu politely spoke to the elderly man standing in front of the punishment hall.

    She bowed her head at him respectfully then walked away.

    Even though she had been absorbed in her cultivation, it did get boring to be trapped in a cell for a long period of time.

    Four months to be exact.

    It was an extraordinarily long amount of time to be held in the punishment hall. Xu Lu was sure that word of her confinement must have already spread across the sect.

    The fact that the saintess willingly subjected herself to such harsh conditions because she failed a mission would leave an impression on the disciples that heard the story.

    Now whether that impression was good or bad would remain to be seen.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    A tiny furry white head poked out of one of the pockets of Xu Lu''s robe.

    "I know... it does feel good to be outside," Xu Lu smiled at her pet as she lightly touched its head and stroked its furry back.

    She reached into her storage ring and pulled out a piece of lean meat for the little mouse to nibble on.

    Honestly without thepanionship of her pet mouse, the months spent in confinement would have been even more tortuous.

    Thanks goodness she had enough food in her storage ring to feed her very hungry animalpanion.

    The little mouse ducked back into the pocket of Xu Lu''s robe and she could hear a faint chewing noiseing from inside.

    Xu Lu continued her walk and did not care about the stares that she attracted from the disciples that crossed her path.

    She could just use her sword to fly to the fifth peak where she was sure that her master was eagerly waiting for her return but...

    She didn''t want to.

    Xu Lu''s lips curved upwards into a smile beneath the metal mask that covered her face.

    She hummed a soft tune under her breath and decided to pass through one of the areas for outer disciples.

    The areas for the outer disciples were usually located at the base of the mountains.

    The treatment of these cultivators was... not good.

    They received limited resources and there was a lot of corruption and bullying going on that the elders monitoring the different areas turned a blind eye to.

    Xu Lu entered the area and saw rtively well constructed huts made from bricks and stones.

    Decent ces to rest but a far cry from the immortal pces that inner and true disciples were entitled to.

    She saw outer disciples wearing in ck robes going about their daily lives. Doing tasks, cultivating, and practising their swordsmanship.

    Xu Lu lingered by the entrance for a moment and soon an elder approached with a weing smile on her face.

    "Greetings saintess!" the elder proimed loudly and immediately all attention was drawn to the slender figure standing silently.

    She wore a set of white robes that draped down to her ankles and swayed lightly in the wind.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Her shoulder length hair was tied into a single ponytail and a golden pendant could be seen hanging from her neck.

    Her body physique was lean, and one could sense a feminine charm that could not be concealed by her long robes.

    And perhaps the most striking feature of all... her face waspletely covered by a silvery mask that only revealed two dark brown pupils.

    "The saintess? The saintess is here?"

    "I thought that she was in the punishment hall?"

    "Maybe they let her out today? But why is she here? You think that..."

    "Just visiting? If only I could catch the eye of the saintess... I''m sure she''s a great beauty under that mask..."

    Xu Lu''s enhanced hearing could easily capture the hushed conversations that were taking ce between the outer disciples.

    "Good day elder... I havee to inspect the outer disciples," Xu Lu coldly replied as her aura intensified.

    The elder immediately froze as the killing intent leaking out of the saintess'' body locked her in ce with fear.

    This moment onlysted for a few seconds before Xu Lu withdrew her intent but it was enough to shatter the elder''s pride.

    "Of course... right... right this way..." the elder stammered as she walked forward with quick steps as if trying to escape.

    Xu Lu followed closely behind and carefully observed the faces of the outer disciples. Most were excited to see her but there were some who were less than thrilled.

    She couldn''t me them. This was probably like getting a surprise inspection from an upper manager.

    Suddenly the saintess froze as a memory entered her mind.

    She saw a pretty girl with her face twisted in anger swearing that she would destroy the Holy Sword Sect.

    Who was that girl?

    Was this a new memory from the original Xu Lu?

    Most of the original Xu Lu''s memories were behind a barrier and Xu Lu could only get asional glimpses of what she experienced after her torture at the hands of the demon cultivator.

    This was a clue!

    The elder overseeing the outer disciple area was currently saying something but Xu Lu''s mind was preupied by other thoughts.

    She needed to find that girl and discover what was her connection to the original Xu Lu. Was she a potential ally?

    "Elder! Elder!" a young-looking girl with a roundish face ran up to the elder with a frantic gleam in her eyes.

    "They are going to kill her!" she shouted loudly.

    Xu Lu stopped moving and turned to face the elder whose face had now gonepletely white with fear.

    "Kill who?! Don''t say such nonsense in front of the saintess!" the elder roared in anger as she raised up her hand to p the girl.

    She didn''t get far.

    Xu Lu''s palm gripped her outstretched hand with so much force that her bones cracked. The elder shrieked in pain and tried to escape the saintess'' iron d grip.

    "What is going on?" Xu Lu asked the girl calmly as if she was not currently breaking the elder''s hand.

    The girl appeared to be terrified by the unexpected act of violence, but she swallowed her fear and continued to speak.

    "Saintess... Jia Wuhan and her gang... they are going to kill Bai Lu! They surrounded her by the river...please help!" the girl pleaded desperately.

    She dropped to her knees and mmed her head against the ground in front of Xu Lu''s feet.

 Chapter 278 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (29)

    "What''s your name?" Xu Lu asked gently as approached the girl who continued to press her forehead against the ground.

    "My... name... is Tang Shu... saintess please... please save my friend..." the girl pleaded desperately.

    Xu Lumended her courage.

    Even if the girl in the original Xu Lu''s memories was not the one in danger... she still nned to go rescue her.

    "Lead the way," Xu Lu calmly spoke as she knelt down and pulled up the girl from the ground.

    The round-faced girl gave her a grateful smile and quickly ran in a northern direction.

    "Elder I suggest that you follow as well," Xu Lu spoke quietly as she turned to face the elder who was currently holding her injured palm and trying not to groan in pain.

    The saintess followed Tang Shu without looking back to see if the elder was following her instructions.

    "This way please saintess!" Tang Shu yelled as she ran towards the back of a mountain. Xu Lu easily matched her pace without even breaking a sweat.

    She extended her spiritual senses and soon detected five lifeforms around two kilometres away from her current location.

    One of the lifeforms was getting weaker by the moment.

    "Are they that way?" Xu Lu asked as she pointed in the direction that senses had told her.

    "Yes! How did you?" Tan Shu''s voice trailed off as Xu Lu unsheathed her sword and stepped on the top of the de.

    She circted her qi into her weapon and her sword slowly floated upwards in the air before flying off towards the location of the disturbance.

    The saintess soon arrived at a clearing that was next to a rushing river. Four cultivators surrounded an injured outer disciple whose robes were stained in blood.

    The group attacking the injured disciple consisted of three girls and one boy.

    "Why does trash like you dare to attract Senior Brother Lu''s attention?" one of the cultivators growled as she raised up her leg and kicked the injured disciple in her stomach.

    "A bitch like you with no talent should stay hidden in the shadows..." another yelled and stomped on the disciple''s right palm with so much force that Xu Lu could hear bones being cracked.

    "I say... why don''t we teach her a lesson," the male cultivator grinned wickedly as he picked up the unconscious disciple''s body and prepared to fling her in the river.

    "Stop!" Xu Lu roared in anger.

    Her voice immediately attracted the attention of the four cultivators who looked in the direction of the sound.

    The saintess'' figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    She reappeared in front of the male cultivator and send him crashing to the ground with a swift punch to his stomach.

    The three female cultivators stepped back in fear and Xu Lu could see the terror in their eyes as they realised who had caught them.

    Xu Lu.

    The saintess of the Holy Sword Sect.

    A figure so powerful and respected thatpared to her ordinary outer disciples were mere ants.

    Xu Lu did not pay attention to their reactions as she quickly dug into her storage ring and pulled out a grade four healing pill.

    It was the only one that she had but she still shoved it into the injured girl''s mouth and forced her to swallow.

    Seeing this scene... brought back painful memories.

    Not from the original Xu Lu but from her first life as Sui Li.

    Bullying. Istion. The fear of being a victim.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Xu Lu shook her head as she tried to drive those painful memories to the back of her mind. Now was not the time to wallow in self- pity.

    The girl in her arms gently stirred and finally opened her eyes. She looked around and Xu Lu could see clear confusion in her gaze.

    "Where? Where am I? What is this... arghh..." the girl gripped her head in pain and looked as if she was suffering from a massive headache.

    "Are you okay?" Xu Lu asked with concern.

    Eventually the girl''s brows slowly eased, and she took in a few deep breaths before gently exhaling.

    Xu Lu gently lowered her down to the ground and turned to face the four cultivators who were still frozen in fear.

    The male cultivator had managed to stand up but judging by his trembling knees, it was clear that he was on the verge of copse.

    "The sect rules clearly state that attacking a fellow disciple outside of the sparring ring is grounds for immediate expulsion," Xu Lu slowly spoke.

    "No! Listen it''s not what it looks like!" a vicious looking girl stepped forward and tried to argue.

    "I''m not interested in hearing your excuses," Xu Lu calmly replied as she stretched out her hand and her de flew into her palm.

    She approached the four trembling cultivators and before they could react, her de stabbed into the middle of their chests.

    With four precise strikes, she shattered their dantian cores.

    "No... my father is... he is... a..." the vicious looking girl coughed out a mouthful of blood and copsed on the ground in pain.

    Xu Lu reached into her storage ring and pulled out lesser healing pills. They would heal the injured area but that was all.

    The scars would remain unless they got higher quality healing medicine.

    Xu Lu wanted the scars to serve as a reminder of today. So that they would never forget their actions that led to such consequences.

    "Thank you," Bai Lu approached her benefactor and bowed her head.

    She did not know why the saintess had helped her but she was grateful for assistance. Who knows what would have happened if she had not shown up.

    Was this so-called system even reliable?

    The Luck System: [I heard that! Listen I''m not sure what is going on myself...]

    The Luck System: [ording to the original flow of the story, Xu Lu should be training with her master Lei Ying now.]

    The Luck System: [Don''t worry though... this minor deviation from the plot is within eptable range. You should still be able to take her position as saintess.]

    Xu Lu could not hear the hidden conversation between Bai Lu and her system but she could tell that the girl was distracted.

    It made sense since she had nearly died. The poor girl must be in shock.

    Xu Lu opened her mouth tofort the girl when Tang Shu arrived with the n elder following closely behind.

    Tang Shu rushed over to her friend and gave her a warm hug. Meanwhile the elder''s attention was drawn to the four cultivators who were groaning in pain.

    "You... you... what did you..." the n elder stuttered in disbelief and rushed over to the injured disciples lying down on the ground.

    "I shattered their dantian cores and expelled them from the sect, Xu Lu coldly replied as she walked up to the elder.

    "Do you know what you have done? Jia Wuhan is the daughter of Elder Wuhan! He will not stand for this!" the female elder shrieked in terror.

    "Tell him that his daughter has broken the rules of the sect and this is her punishment. If he has anyints then..." Xu Lu''s voice trailed off as a wicked idea formed in her mind.

    "He can speak directly to my master."

 Chapter 279 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (30)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Fifth Peak)

    Xu Lu stepped off her floating sword and reluctantlynded on the grassy in on top of the mountain where her master lived.

    She looked around and saw that everything was exactly as she remembered.

    "Master?" Xu Lu called out as she waited patiently for a response. There was no reply to her words and the mountain seemed even more deste than before.

    Well¡­ hopefully her master would not be returning anytime soon.

    Xu Lu slowly exhaled and felt a bit of relief in her heart. It had been a long day and she just wanted to rx.

    She finally came out of the punishment hall after several weeks and then had to deal with four outer disciples trying to kill an innocent girl.

    Bai Lu.

    The name was unfamiliar and yet Xu Lu was pretty certain that she was the girl in her vision from the original Xu Lu.

    But would that future change now that she had interfered? Xu Lu was initially considering trying to get another ally but eventually decided against it.

    She needed to leave the Holy Sword Sect and join the demonic path.

    It was a future that was fraught with danger and no doubt she would be hunted down by multiple righteous sects.

    She could not in good conscience drag someone else into her mess.

    Xu Lu walked towards the edge of the grassy in and saw the simple wooden shack where she lived.

    It was a flimsy structure with several holes in the roof so that when it rained water fell down from the ceiling.

    Cultivators did not get sick but still¡­ it was not a pleasant experience to wake up in the night with cold water dripping down on your body.

    Xu Lu opened the door and stepped inside her humble abode.

    Who would believe that the saintess lived like this when even inner disciple got their own pces and servants to tend to their every needs.

    The saintess walked towards her bed and copsed on the mattress with a heavy thump.

    She just wanted to close her eyes and forget all the troubles of the outside world. There were so many things that she still needed to do.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    Her little animalpanion peaked out from the pocket of her robe and then jumped outside to freedom.

    "Be careful!" Xu Lu warned the white mouse who nodded back at her before darting out of the open doors towards an unknown direction.

    The saintess reached for the thin raggedy nket at the edge of the mattress and tried her best to cover her body.

    Damn it!

    She knew that she had forgotten something.

    She should have bought herself some proper bedding at one of the many stores in White Lotus City.

    Well¡­ live and learn.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and soon drifted off into dreand. When she opened her eyes she found herself standing in an empty forest.

    "What are you looking for?" a sweet voice asked.

    Xu Lu turned in the direction of the sound and saw Cami looking at her with a gentle smile on her face.

    The vampire queen''s crimson eyes stared directly at Xu Lu''s body and carefully observed her appearance.

    "You look a bit¡­ different," Cami teased as she pointed at Xu Lu''s face. The saintess touched the corner of her cheek and discovered that she was wearing a mask.

    But that didn''t make any sense¡­ why would she need a mask?

    Xu Lu reached for the strange metal surface and was about to tug it off when a loud voice echoed through the forest.<novelnext></novelnext>

    (DON''T TAKE IT OFF!)

    (DON''T TAKE IT OFF)

    (NO ONE CAN SEE MY UGLINESS PLEASE! DON''T LET THEM SEE!)

    p!

    Xu Lu flinched in pain and opened her eyes to see her master staring down at her with an expression of disgust on her face.

    "Well¡­ well¡­ the prodigal daughter has returned," Lei Ying mocked as she roughly grabbed Xu Lu by the arm and flung her out of bed.

    The saintess crashed against a nearby wall with a fearsome thud. She could feel that her ribs were now cracked or at least bruised.

    Xu Lu stumbled to her feet but Lei Ying was much faster. She disappeared from the spot and by the time she reappeared¡­ it was toote.

    "Arghh!" Xu Lu cried out in pain as a palm was driven into the centre of her stomach.

    She copsed on the ground and vomited as it felt as though her stomach had exploded under the force of the heavy blow.

    "Do you know how shameful it was to know that my disciple¡­ the great and powerful ''saintess'' failed her first mission," Lei Ying hissed darkly.

    "Do you think I don''t hear the whispers? Do you know that your failure is a reflection of me as a teacher."

    "You¡­ aren''t¡­ a teacher¡­" Xu Lu gasped for breath as she stared at Lei Ying with hatred in her eyes.

    "You¡­ just¡­ abuse me¡­ as a tool¡­ to boost your¡­ self- esteem¡­ picking on¡­ someone weaker than¡­ than¡­ yourself."

    "Pathetic."

    There was a brief and terrible moment of silence. Xu Lu could not believe the words that just came out of her mouth.

    She was supposed to quietly win the trust of her master in order to leave the Holy Sword Sect without any trouble.

    Or at least not openly show her dislike of her master¡­

    Why did she just say those words?

    Maybe it was the aftereffects of the strange dream or perhaps the original Xu Lu''s emotions were affecting her more than she realised.

    Lei Ying stayed perfectly still and then her eyebrows slowly furrowed. She grabbed Xu Lu by the arm and pulled her in front of the mirror.

    "Pathetic? Did you just call me pathetic?'' Lei Ying spoke in a forced calm tone, but one could hear the irritation in her voice.

    "Look¡­ LOOK AT YOURSELF YOU HIDEOUS LITTLE MONSTER!"

    She reached for the mask covering her apprentice''s face and ripped it off. Xu Lu closed her eyes but her master forced her to open them.

    She saw herself in the mirror.

    A face that was covered in horrific scar tissue and long cuts that disfigured every inch of her skin.

    Not a single trace of her beauty remained¡­ it had all been destroyed.

    Xu Lu forced herself to take deep breaths as an overwhelming sense of panic and self- disgust flooded her mind.

    She was not the original Xu Lu.

    She was not.

    She was not.

    She would not give Lei Ying the satisfaction of knowing that she had broken her.

    "Master¡­ I¡­ I know my appearance is horrible," Xu Lu calmly spoke as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.

    "But right now¡­ you look uglier than me."

    Lei Ying''s face twisted in anger at her apprentice''s words and for a brief moment she considered slitting her throat.

 Chapter 280 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (31)

    (Mount Xilean- Fifth Peak)

    "Disgusting freak," Lei Ying spat out as she tossed Xu Lu to the ground. The saintessnded on the floor with a heavy thump.

    She gasped for breath as her injured ribs felt as though they were going to crack. Lei Ying kicked the mask on the ground in her direction.

    "Put it on," Lei Ying hissed darkly.

    "Put it on right now so that I do not have to look at you."

    Xu Lu''s body moved automatically as her fingers grabbed the edge of the mask before hurriedly cing it back on her face.

    The original Xu Lu was just too traumatised about her appearance.

    Xu Lu was unable to control this body''s emotions whenever the mask was removed from her face.

    It was something that would need to work on otherwise it could be a serious weakness in the future.

    "Go to the back of the mountain and cultivate for the next year. I don''t want you to step outside this mountain peak without my permission," Lei Ying sternly warned.

    "Maybe if you disappear from the sight of the other disciples then they may forget what aplete and utter failure you are."

    "Do you understand?"

    Xu Lu pursed her lips together into a thin line and refused to answer her master''s words.

    It was a stupid decision, but she did not want her master to get the satisfaction of her easily following her orders like a loyal dog.

    Lei Ying approached the fallen girl and kicked her in her stomach without saying a word. Xu Lu curled up into a ball and tried her best not to vomit out the contents of her stomach.

    It hurt... it really hurt...

    She gasped for breath and saw Lei Ying leaning over her body with the hint of a sadistic smile ying around her lips.

    "Do. You. Understand." Lei Ying asked one more time.

    ? "I wee... a year... away... from... you..." Xu Lu whispered while struggling to prevent the pain that she was feeling from leaking out in her voice.

    Lei Ying kicked her body for a second time and then walked out of the shack.

    Xu Lu struggled to her feet and was forced to lean against the wall to prevent herself from copsing.

    She dug around in her storage ring and pulled out a small healing pill. She popped the medicine in her mouth and a warm current began to flow throughout her body.

    She needed to leave this ce.

    While Xu Lu was not thrilled about the original Xu Lu''s request to join the demonic path, she agreed that she eventually needed to leave the Holy Sword Sect.

    The hierarchy of the cultivation world especially in the righteous sects was extremely strict. An apprentice could not go against the words of their master.

    Even if she was toin to one of the n elders or the sect head himself... there was little that would be done.

    Lei Ying could simply im that it was a form of temperament training in order for her to strength her disciple''s Dao heart and that would be the end of the matter.

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and then waited patiently as her injuries began to heal.

    When she no longer felt any pain, she slowly took one step forward and walked out of the door.

    At least she would hopefully get one year of peace.

    Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh under her breath and looked up at the sky. Despite her unpleasant mood, the sun was shining brightly, and white fluffy clouds travelled across the horizon.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It was a beautiful day.

    The saintess walked towards the edge of the in and entered the forest that surrounded the top of the fifth peak.

    It took around fifteen to twenty minutes for her to finally arrive at the roaring river at the back of the mountain.

    She could have been quicker, but Xu Lu enjoyed the long scenic walk. Being in nature always helped to calm her mind.

    There was just something special about being surrounded by trees, grass and furry animals that made her feel at home.

    Xu Lu waded into the shallow part of the river and could see tiny white fishes swimming around the sandy bottom.

    It was the perfect ce to use the Frozen Hell Art.

    Speaking of which...

    Xu Lu nced at the opposite side of the shore and saw a small hill made of monster cores that were glowing with frosty ice qi.

    Her master had left the stack of cores for her to practise her qi gathering technique. Xu Lu clicked her tongue as she just could not understand Lei Ying.

    It was evident by her words and actions that she greatly detested her apprentice but then why was she so diligent and forceful when it came to raising her disciple''s cultivation level.

    Was there a hidden reason why Lei Ying wanted the original Xu Lu''s cultivation to constantly improve?

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as a few bad thoughts came to mind.

    Still without all of the memories of the original Xu Lu, she would have to solve this mystery by herself.

    The saintess dove underwater and swam towards the opposite side of the shore. She enjoyed the cold refreshing sensation of the water as it washed over her skin.

    Xu Lu reached the edge of the riverbank and stretched out her hand to pick up five of the monster cores.

    The cores were cold to the touch and frost began to creep up along the edges of her fingertips.

    The Frozen Hell Art was not for the fainthearted. Even with an Ice Yin Root, Xu Lu found the process incredibly painful.

    It involved extracting the ice qi inside the monster cores and taking that frosty energy inside one''s own body.

    Obviously human qi and monster qi had significant differences so it took a great deal of concentration to maintain the flow.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and mentally counted to ten in her mind.

    She needed to get stronger and this was a method that would allow her to reach even greater cultivation heights.

    One day... one day she would pay her master back for all the abuse that she had endured over the years.

    The saintess flung the five stones into the water and ice began to spread out from where the stonesnded.

    Xu Lu swam in the middle of the five stones and closed her eyes. Her body trembled involuntarily as the cold chill entered her meridians.

    She focused on the qi circting in her dantian and made it move in a certain pattern that would attract the ice energy from the monster cores.

    Agony.

    Xu Lu gritted her teeth as thousands of icy needles stabbed into her flesh and when they entered her body it felt as though each one ignited into a burst of mes.

    Freezing cold and scorching heart.

    Two sensations that were the pr opposites and yet Xu Lu was forced to endure both.

 Chapter 281 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (32)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (First Peak- Hall Of The Founder)

    The Hall Of The Founder was a massive building that contained a single hall.

    The exterior of the building was made from a pure white marble-like material that gleamed under the sunlight.

    This was the ce where the sect leader of the Holy Sword Sect resided. It was a ce where even true disciples were normally forbidden to enter.

    Only high-ranking senior members of the sect, certain elders and those who had won the sect leader''s favour were allowed to visit.

    What many did not know what that at the back of the building there was a small garden.

    The garden contained ordinary green nts and brightly coloured flowers. No spiritual herbs or rare nts could be found here.

    The garden was no bigger than the size of a small apartment and a single wooden bench had been ced in the center of the space.

    On the bench an elderly man was currently sitting down in a cross-legged position with his eyes firmly closed.

    Heavy bags could be seen under his eyes and wrinkles crept up along the rest of his body.

    It was a rare sight to find on a cultivator since nearly all would use some of their qi to retain their youthful looks.

    The sect leader opened his eyes and gazed upwards at the sky. A small white dot in the distance wasing closer and closer.

    As the mysterious object came nearer, the sect leader could see that it was a giant white crane holding a thin sheet of parchment paper in its long beak.

    The cranended graceful on the sandy ground and stepped closer to the sect leader.

    It opened its beak and the piece of paper floated towards the elderly man as if guided by an invisible thread.

    "Thank you," Shi Jian spoke politely.

    The white crane bowed its head and then with a p of its arms, it rose up from the ground and flew off towards an unknown direction.

    The sect leader let out a light sigh as he opened up the thin sheet of parchment paper and read the words that had been carefully painted on its surface.

    It was nearly time¡­

    Every couple of hundred years, the major righteous ns and sects would hold a meeting to discuss the changes to the cultivation world.

    They would also talk about other matters such as demon cultivators, spiritual beasts, and exchange stories about their adventures.

    It was treated as quite an important social affair.

    Especially considering that many cultivators spent their days locked up inside their private residences mediating and trying to break through to the next level.

    Of course, one topic would always be discussed and that was the distribution of resources.

    There was not an infinite number of secret realms, spiritual mines and rare elixirs.

    There would always be winners and losers in the cultivation world even among those who were technically on the same side.

    Each sect obviously wanted as much resources as possible so in order to prevent war from breaking out, an agreement was reached.

    A massive tournament would be held among the younger generation. Only cultivators under the age of fifty would be allowed to participate.

    The performance of the young disciples in the tournament would impact the amount of resources allocated to the sect that they belonged to.

    Naturally this arrangement worked out quite well for the four greatest cultivation sects because the disciples that they chose to represent them would be geniuses.

    Shi Jian nced at the document one more time and then ced it into his storage ring. He was already beginning to organise his thoughts on the matter.

    He would need to speak to the elders in charge of the inner and true disciples to see if there were any good seedlings.

    And of course¡­ he needed to see Lei Ying.

    The saintess may have failed her first mission but her actions afterwards had earned her a great deal of respect in the sect leader''s heart.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The ability to reflect upon one''s actions and to be affected by the loss of life of a fellow sect member were admirable traits.

    Xu Lu was young and inexperienced. Her talent was obviously quite high but without experience of the real world¡­ it was useless.

    Maybe he should give her some private training?

    The sect master rubbed his chin and thought about bringing up the matter with his junior sister when he had the chance.

    She was very protective of her disciple.

    A small smile shed across the sect leader''s face when her remembered the warmth in Lei Ying''s gaze when she spoke about her apprentice.

    It was good that his once mischievous junior sister had matured. Xu Lu was probably slightly spoiled judging from Lei Ying''s attitude towards her.

    Still¡­ it was clear that the young saintess had a good heart and that was really all that mattered along with her tremendous talent.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Unknown Location- Temple Of The Fallen God)

    "What the hell is this ce?" a woman snarled angrily as she was brought to her knees by a swift punch to her stomach.

    She was currently kneeling down in an underground chamber that was illuminated by dozens of torches that glowed with a purplish light.

    Mortal men and women formed neat lines along the walls. They wore simple peasant clothing and straw sandals.

    Dark tattoos covered their bodies and the markings wriggling and squirmed as if they were somehow alive.

    The female cultivator tried to summon the qi in her dantian but it was like the spiritual energy inside her body had disappeared.

    Tap¡­ tap¡­ tap¡­

    The sound of soft footsteps echoed through the underground chamber. The female cultivator looked in the direction of the noise and her eyes widened in disbelief.

    An extremely beautiful woman was walking towards her. She had gentle facial features, soft eyes, and a warm smile.

    She wore a rough outfit made out of hemp. It was a cheap attire and yet she still bore a striking resemnce to a goddess.

    "Cai Yaling¡­" the mysterious mortal woman spoke.

    "How¡­ how do you know my name? What is this ce?" the female cultivator yelled angrily as she struggled against the ropes wrapped around her arms.

    "Did it feel good?" the mysterious woman asked quietly.

    "Did what feel good?" Cai Yaling retorted furiously as she tried to muster up all the force in her body to snap the ropes.

    One of the men standing along the sides of the underground room stepped forward and held her body in ce.

    The beautiful woman nodded at him and then stretched out a hand that was hidden beneath her hemp robes.

    Her once fair skinned palm was now covered in dark tattoos but unlike the markings on the other mortals'' bodies¡­ hers had shades of crimson mixed in with the darkness.

    "When you murdered a man in front of his family just because he would not allow his son to sleep with you," the woman whispered gently as her fingers touched the top of Cai Yaling''s forehead.

    "When youughed as his wife screamed¡­ when you showed his son the corpses of his parents and told him that it was his fault."

    "Did. It. feel. Good?"

    The female cultivator screamed in agony as a strange energy flowed out from the tip of the mysterious woman''s fingertips and entered her body.

    She could feel her dantian core slowly disintegrating and wrinkles began to appear on her once youthful skin.

 Chapter 282 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (33)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Capital City)

    A year was considered a blink of an eye to immortal cultivators.

    Xu Lu looked around the bustling marketce and tried her best not to bump into the many civilians that were moving around while buying and selling wares.

    The saintess nced at the thin sheet of paper in her hand. The paper contained a map that had been hastily sketched.

    The final destination of the map was a building.

    Whoever had made the map was not a good artist but still tried to illustrate what the exterior of the building looked like.

    Xu Lu could only assume that in reality the two- story building would not be leaning slightly to one side and have missing tiles on its roof.

    The saintess walked through the crowd and an invisible pressure formed around her body. This pressure acted as a barrier and prevented the civilians from getting too close.

    The capital city of the Xercopolis Empire was in the heart of the southern region of the continent and it was where the objective of her mission was located.

    Honestly Xu Lu was still surprised that her master had let her go after her confinement period was over.

    She had been cultivating non-stop for a year using the Frozen Hell Art and then her master appeared.

    Lei Ying demanded that she go down to the mission hall and in her words¡­

    "Do not bring shame to me by failing yet another mission."

    Xu Lu had no choice but to agree.

    Besides it was a wee opportunity to take a break from the Holy Sword Sect and explore the rest of the continent.

    The mission that she had chosen was a four star solo mission that involved investigating the disappearance of several disciples of a n under the Holy Sword Sect''s control.

    The n leader had a talisman given to him by a previous sect head of the Holy Sword Sect, so he used it to invoke this request.

    Xu Lu pulled the white robe even tighter around her body as she walked through a maze of street stalls and bizarre stores.

    She was not wearing the robes of a Holy Sword Sect disciple. Instead, she wore generic white robes that most wild cultivators would usually put on.

    The mask ced on her face did draw some attention but there were quite a few cultivators around who also concealed their appearances so apart from a few odd nces¡­

    She had blended in quite well.

    Why did she not reveal her identity as the saintess?

    Well for obvious reasons¡­ if whoever had killed or kidnapped those disciples knew that she was in the city then they could easily disappear or flee.

    Xu Lu continued to walk for several more minutes until she finally arrived at a run-down building located at the end of an alleyway.

    The building was¡­ a brothel?

    Xu Lu''s face flushed slightly under the mask as several attractive woman wearing little clothing could be seen hanging around the entrance of the building.

    It was quite the culture shock considering that most people that she interacted with in this mission world wore long robes that fell down to their ankles.

    Still¡­ she had to be brave.

    The person who gave this map to her said that this was where she could find the city''s information guild.

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and the inhumanly beautiful face of Cami shed across her mind.

    Yeah¡­pared to her vampire wife these women were hideous.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The saintess approached the brothel and some of the prostitutes notices her arrival from the distance.

    "Good afternoon," Xu Lu politely spoke.

    "Ah¡­ a woman¡­ sorry miss¡­ we don''t have men working here," one of the women spoke respectfully as she noticed the ethereal aura around Xu Lu''s body.

    "No. I''m here to speak to the madam," Xu Luughed softly and her bell-like giggles left the woman who had spoken to her in a bit of a daze.

    "Right¡­ right¡­e this way," the woman hastily spoke as she walked inside the building with a bit of a blush on her face.

    Xu Lu nodded and followed the woman inside the brothel. If her master could see her now, then she would probably have a heart attack.

    The esteemed saintess of the Holy Sword Sect¡­st seen going inside a brothel filled with mortal women.

    My goodness! What a scandal!

    A small smile shed across Xu Lu''s lips but fortunately it was hidden behind the silvery grey mask that concealed her facial features.

    The inside of the brothel was surprisingly¡­ clean?

    Soft carpets covered the wooden floors, private rooms were separated by translucent purple or golden curtains that made it possible to see vaguely what was going on inside.

    Gasps, moans, and other noises of pleasure filled the air. It was a cacophony of decadence and enjoyment of the flesh.

    The woman led Xu Lu through the building and pastrge private rooms that were clearly for high end clients.

    One of the doors swung open and a man exited the private room. His face lit up when he saw Xu Lu in her in white robes.

    "Ahh¡­ baby¡­ why don''t you take off that sexy mask of yours," the pot-bellied middle-aged man walked towards Xu Lu with staggering steps.

    "These worn-out old whores¡­ they don''t excite me anymore¡­ I need something fresh¡­ nowe here you¡­"

    "Sorry but I don''t work here," Xu Lu calmly replied.

    "That doesn''t matter¡­ you think I take no for an answer? Strip you slut¡­ I''ll pay you well¡­" the man continued to pressure Xu Lu with his words.

    He walked towards Xu Lu and stretched out his arms to grab her body.

    The saintess moved her body slightly to the left and the man who was reaching out for her fell to the ground ungracefully.

    "YOU BITCH! DO YOU KNOW WHO I¡­" the man''s angry shout was abruptly cut off as Xu Lu knelt down and stared at him with her brown pupils.

    A trace of killing intent leaked out of her body and the force of her bloodlust was so high that the man could not breathe under the pressure.

    "I hope you don''t treat the women in here with that kind of attitude," Xu Lu snarled softly as she stretched out her hand and lightly tapped the man''s forehead.

    She injected a cold stream of qi from her fingertips and the strand of qi travelled through the man''s body and arrived at a certain location.

    The man passed out from the cold and a satisfied smirk spread across the saintess'' face.

    It was a petty act to be sure but¡­ maybe it was a good thing that this man would no longer be able to bear any more children.

    "You¡­ you might need to leave the city," the woman guiding Xu Lu stuttered slightly as she took a few steps backwards away from the copsed man.

    "He¡­ he is one of the princes of the empire¡­ quickly! You need to leave now!"

    "Don''t worry," Xu Lu calmly spoke as she reached into her storage ring and pulled out a small piece of talisman paper.

    She pressed the paper against the unconscious man''s forehead, and it glowed with a soft yellowish light.

    "Now he won''t remember anything," Xu Lu exined as she got up from the ground.

 Chapter 283 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (34)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Capital City- Unnamed Brothel)

    "The Immortal Hunters?" Xu Lu asked in a puzzled tone as she stared at the elderly woman sitting down across from her.

    The brothel madam reached for a wrapped-up bundle of tobo leaves and slowly lit the bottom of the bundle using a match.

    She ced the leaves in her mouth and inhaled slowly. A heavy fog of foul-smelling smoke left her mouth as she exhaled.

    "It is just a rumor¡­" the brothel madam continued to speak.

    "Whispers and gossips meant to frighten young children and make the na?ve believe that cultivators can really die."

    "That there is a group of mortal hunters able to track down and kill cultivators who do evil. It sounds straight out of a fairy tale."

    "I''m only mentioning it because you wanted to hear about all the rumors floating around the city when the disciples disappeared."

    "Personally I believe that they met a demon cultivator who was stronger than them and well¡­ we know how that story ends."

    The saintess reached into her pocket and pulled out two gold coins which she then ced on the madam''s desk.

    "Okay¡­ thank you for your help," Xu Lu gently spoke.

    "I will be leaving now."

    "You¡­" the brothel madam''s voice trailed off as she gazed at the female cultivator whose face was hidden by a silvery grey mask.

    "You are kinder than most immortals. It was a pleasure doing business with you."

    Xu Lu nodded her head and then left the room. She did not believe that she was a particrly kind person but she would never hurt the innocent.

    It was a low standard but in this world where cultivators saw ordinary people as insects¡­ she was practically a saint.

    Xu Lu walked through the crowded brothel and avoided the drunk customers stumbling out of the rooms with half naked girls attached to their sides.

    Their faces were flushed red with excitement, love marks and traces of saliva could be seen on their feminine bodies.

    Xu Lu felt a bit conflicted about prostitution but in this era where opportunities were very limited for ordinary women¡­

    Who was she to judge how these women chose to survive?

    The saintess walked out of the brothel and headed towards the outer edge of the city. She had quite a lot to think about.

    The disciples had gone missing over three weeks ago and not a single trace of them had been found.

    They had disappeared after going on a mission to the desert on the outskirts of the city.

    Many rumors had spread about their disappearance, and it was difficult to determine which rumor had a element of truth to it.

    Well¡­ there was one that she could dismiss.

    It was highly unlikely that ordinary mortals would be able to kill cultivators because their weapons would simply shatter against their skin.

    Xu Lu shook her head at the ridiculous notion and continued her walk through the city.

    The Xercopolis Empire was a prosperous country, and the capital city was a reflection of the wealth that poured into it.

    The people living here were healthy and well fed which was a rarity on the continent. They wore luxurious silk clothes and there was ack of starving beggars on the street.

    Several major cultivation sects and ns made this city as their base of operations and the royal family had done a good job so far to keep their power and influence under control.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The current emperor was over eighty years old but still ruled with the sharpness and wisdom of a man half his age.

    The only problem that Xu Lu could see affecting this great empire was the fact that the emperor''s children were but a shadow of their father.

    That was the fatal w of a monarchy system.

    A great ruler could singlehandedly make a country great but a poor one could ruin it in the span of a generation.

    "Excuse me! Excuse me!" a loud voice called out.

    Xu Lu turned in the direction of the noise and saw a kind-faced old man standing near a stall.

    The stall had several trinkets, amulets, and charms. Some were made out of iron, but others were carved from wood into intricate shapes and figures.

    "Yes?" Xu Lu replied softly.

    "Beautiful immortal! This meeting is fate!" the old man shouted loudly as he gestured towards the wares behind him.

    "My charms are said to bring good fortune, luck and romance to those who wear them!"

    "Bullshit!" the vendor in the stall next to him shouted out.

    "Qian Shi you son of a bitch! Stop ruining my business or I''ll tell your wife about how ''hard'' you were workingst Friday when you visited Han Li''s tavern," the old man yelled back angrily.

    He then switched back to his friendly demeanor as if nothing had just happened and continued to speak about his great products.

    "As I was saying¡­" the old man cheerfully spoke.

    "These charms will bring you great fortune on your cultivation journey. They are guaranteed to help you ascend to the upper nes."

    "Sure, I''ll take one. Give me one that brings good luck," Xu Lu replied with a small smile that was hidden behind the mask.

    She didn''t believe the old man''s words for a second but it would be nice to get a souvenir to bring back home.

    The old man''s eyes widened as he could not believe that the female cultivator in front of him was such a sucker.

    He quickly darted towards the charms hanging from the wall next to his stall and carefully picked out a pendant with the symbol of a broken de.

    "Here you go this will ensure that your journey will always be smooth," the old man spoke reverently but his eyes were shinning with greed.

    Xu Lu took the pendant from his hand and tossed the vendor a silver coin. The old man grinned happily and waved her goodbye.

    The saintess nodded back and then continued to walk around and see the sights. She had one more thing left to do before she investigated the desert surrounding the city.

    She needed to see the sect that the missing disciples belonged to and interview its members to see if anyone had a clue about what had happened.

    Still¡­ she didn''t n to rush and deal with that today. Xu Lu wanted to spend more time exploring the city and enjoying the views.

    This world did have significant differences from her original one but Xu Lu assumed that this would be closest that she would ever get to experiencing life during the Qing Dynasty.

    Living in a time without inte, phones or any other electronic devices had been a bit difficult at first but now she was used to it.

    Well to be fair during herter years living at the castle with Cami, she rarely had a chance to use an electronic device.

    Xu Lu moved from stall to stall and picked up other knick-knacks and oddities. She even managed to get some steamed buns, roasted meat and sugary hawthorns.

    Life was good!

 Chapter 284 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (35)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Capitol City Outskirts- The Forbidden Desert)

    Xu Lu squinted as zing hot rays of sunlight fell down on her body. The air was hot and dry which made it difficult to breath.

    The ground beneath her feet had changed from grasnds to shifting sand particles that made her sink slightly with every step.

    Enormous mountainous sand dunes rose up in the air and cascaded towards the horizon like an endless sea of dust.

    The Forbidden Desert was aptly named.

    Apart from the viges and tribes who had lived here for generations, this ce was clearly inhospitable to life.

    The saintess took in a few deep breaths to steady her nerves and then stepped forward.

    The missing disciples of the Guang n werest seen going into the desert for a mission.

    She had talked to the sect leader of the n and some elders and disciples before departing for the desert, but no one gave any useful information.

    They all just said variations of ''they just vanished!'' and ''it is aplete mystery!''. Really unhelpful information truth be told.

    Xu Lu could not help but feel a trace of resentment since it was quite obvious by the Guang n''s attitude that they were happy to let her do all of the investigative work.

    Didn''t they care about the missing disciples?

    All she had learnt from the n members was that the disciples had taken a mission to harvest a rare herb that grew along the shores of a certain oasis.

    It was a rare herb known as the ''Sun'' nt.

    Its petals were a brilliant golden colour, and it was said that consuming the herb would aid one''s cultivation.

    What about the locals who owned thend around the oasis? Would the cultivators from the Guang n ask them politely for the herb or buy it from them?

    Come on¡­ don''t be na?ve¡­ you know how they would get the herb¡­

    Xu Lu shook her head and tossed those dark thoughts to the back of her mind. She wrapped a scarf around her head to cover the top of her long ck ponytail.

    She wasn''t strong enough to constantly emit a qi barrier around her body so sand could easily get into her hair and other parts of her body.

    Xu Lu wandered further into the desert for several hours, but the scenery remained unchanged.

    Eventually the saintess started to make a game of counting the number of sand dunes that she passed.

    "Four sand dunes¡­ six sand dunes¡­ seven sand dunes¡­" Xu Lu whispered under her breath as she walked past another set of dusty mountains.

    Her cultivation level made it possible to endure the high temperatures and harsh conditions but that didn''t mean that it wasfortable.

    What she wouldn''t do for a nice cold shower right now¡­

    Xu Lu smiled under her mask and nced upwards at the sky.

    The bright afternoon sun illuminated the sand in a golden glow making the dust seem like rare metals.

    She felt like an ant being consuming by the vastness of the world around it.

    It was a humbling experience to know that even though she was an immortal¡­ she was nothingpared to nature.

    An insignificant speck of dust in the vast cosmos.

    Xu Lu''s footsteps paused as she could feel some kind of barrier in her body crack.

    A fresh wave of qi appeared in her dantian and the tiny unicorn merrily frolicking around raised up its hind legs and loudly neighed.

    She felt stronger.

    But what had just happened?

    Xu Lu wasn''t sure and searched the original Xu Lu''s memories for any simr instances in the past.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Oh¡­ that''s what this was.

    Cultivation was not just about sharpening the body but also the mind.

    She had just received an enlightenment which meant that the flow of her qi would be smoother in the future.

    Fascinating¡­

    Xu Lu continued on her journey in a much lighter mood than before and soon saw a blue speck in the distance.

    The blue dot was hidden in the shadow of arge sand dune but as she got closer Xu Lu could make out simple tent-like structures around the blue dot.

    Wait¡­ a vige!

    Xu Lu was overjoyed to see a trace of civilisation after roaming around in the desert for hours without any signs of life.

    She quickened her steps and her figure blurred and vanished from the spot. When she reappeared, she was only a few hundred feet away from the encampment.

    The oasis was beautiful.

    Clear blue waters filled ake-shaped depression on the ground and theke was surrounded byrge leafy palm trees.

    There were bright red fruits on the trees and Xu Lu could see children running around beneath the shade and climbing up to pick the fruit.

    The men of the vige were tending to their goats and camels by leading them to the water for a drink while the women were washing clothes.

    It was simple lifestyle.

    Suddenly one of the children spotted Xu Lu and quickly tugged the corner of another child''s shirt.

    The child that he grabbed was an older looking boy on the cusp of teenagerhood with golden brown skin and fierce looking eyes.

    "Who¡­ who are you?!" the boy shouted with a slight tremor in his voice.

    His loud shout attracted the attention of the other vigers nearby and soon others were drawn to themotion.

    Xu Lu raised up her arms peacefully and approached the nomadic tribe with slow steps in order to show them that she meant no harm.

    "I am cultivator sent her to investigate the disappearance of five disciples of the Guang n," Xu Lu calmly spoke.

    "Cultivators?" one of the children stuttered and his face showed an expression of fear. The women of the tribe quickly grabbed the girl who stuttered and hid her behind her skirt.

    "Oh great cultivator¡­ we meant no disrespect," the older woman knelt down on the ground and ced her forehead on the sand.

    "Please¡­ forgive my child¡­ she doesn''t know any better¡­ please¡­"

    Xu Lu approached the kneeling woman and although the other vigers looked angry and fearful, no one stepped forward to stop her.

    The saintess bent down and used her hands to gently lift the shivering woman upright.

    "Do not be afraid¡­ I''m not going to harm anyone here¡­ I am simply going to ask you all a few questions and then I will be on my way," Xu Lu calmly stated.

    She could sense how frightened the vigers were as soon as she revealed her identity as a cultivator.

    Maybe that was a mistake.

    Maybe she shouldn''t have been so direct. Would it have been better to pretend to be an ordinary desert wanderer?

    No¡­ that might have taken too long¡­

    While Xu Lu was contemting how to interact with the obviously scared tribesmen, an elderly man holding a wooden cane stepped forward.

    "Greetings cultivator," the old man spoke softly as he tried his best not to let the terror that he was feeling show on his wrinkled face.

    "I am the head of this n¡­ I¡­ believe that I may have the information that you seek but please¡­ do not harm my people."

    "I will tell you everything."

 Chapter 285 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (36)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert)

    "We can speak in your tent," Xu Lu suggested kindly.

    She was not stupid and could read the obvious change in the atmosphere after her announcement that she was a cultivator.

    These tribespeople were terrified of her.

    Maybe they thought that demon cultivators represented all cultivators or perhaps there were those on the ''righteous'' side who were no better.

    Xu Lu''s brows furrowed slightly beneath her mask as she felt an ufortable sickly feeling. It did not feel good to make these people afraid.

    Knowing that they were willing to get down on their knees and beg for their lives did not make her feel powerful.

    It just made her feel upset.

    This world... was broken. Cultivators had the power of gods but the problem was that at the end of the day they were humans.

    Humans were good, bad and everything in-between.

    If you gave a group of humans god-like powers... this was the inevitable result.

    "Yes... yes... please...e this way..." the vige head stammered as he leaned on his cane and walked towards arge tent.

    The tent was near the shore of the oasis and right under the shade of arge palm tree.

    Xu Lu followed behind him and the crowd of tribespeople naturally parted to the side and took several steps backwards.

    The parents hid the children behind their bodies and some even covered their child''s mouth in case they said something that offended the powerful cultivator.

    But regardless of whether they were young or old...

    Male or female...

    They all trembled.

    Xu Lu knew that trying to calm them down would be useless because it would be difficult to change the first impression that she had already made.

    So, she could only do the next best thing.

    Get the information that she wanted from the vige head as soon as possible and then leave these people alone.

    The vige head walked towards his tent and a frail elderly woman came outside the p.

    The vige head said a few words to the woman in anguage that Xu Lu did not understand but she could tell that he was talking about her.

    The elderly woman bowed her head and then left the tent. Her footsteps were shaking and yet she moved with a steadfast determination.

    A single teardrop ran down the side of her cheek and Xu Lu was struck with a horrible realisation.

    The elderly woman inside the tent, most likely the vige head''s wife... she did not expect him to survive.

    What had cultivators done to make these people so afraid?

    Xu Lu was almost scared to find out the answer to that question.

    "Wee to my humble abode... o great cultivator," the vige head spoke respectfully as he pulled the p open.

    Xu Lu walked inside and was impressed by what she saw. It was simple set-up but it looked very cozy andfortable.

    There was a thick greyish- ck carpet covering the sandy floor and one could see a makeshift bed in the corner of the room.

    In the center of the tent was a steel table where a pot of water had been ced down.

    Along the walls of the tent were extra chairs, a drawer, a closet, and other pieces of furniture.

    It was a small andpact arrangement, but it was also a glimpse into the lives of the people who lived in this harsh and unforgiving desert.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The vige head walked into the tent behind Xu Lu and closed the p.

    He muttered a quiet word of prayer beneath his breath to the Sun god to protect him and his people.

    The elderly man knelt down on the ground and lightly rested his forehead against the top of the carpet.

    "O great cultivator... I swear that I will tell you the truth... please I beg you... do not take your anger out on my people," the vige head begged desperately.

    "Let you anger fall on me."

    "Get up," Xu Lu spoke calmly.

    She took a step forward to help the elderly man up from the ground, but he quickly got up on his own.

    "Tell me what happened to the five cultivators," Xu Lu asked quietly.

    A troubled expression shed across the old man''s wrinkled face and there was a brief moment of silence.

    Xu Lu did not say a word and allowed the silence to linger. She felt like a bad guy interrogating an innocent old man but this was the best way.

    She could not stay here for long and cause these people even more distress.

    "I... they... visited us around a month ago... searching for... they didn''t say the name of the nt but they described it to us..." the vige head finally spoke.

    "A flower with golden petals... we... no one had seen or heard of such a nt before... the cultivators they..."

    The vige head''s voice trailed off and a frightened expression shed across his face. He seemed to be weighing internally in his mind if to say more about the incident.

    "Answer truthfully... I want to hear everything," Xu Lu bluntly spoke as she could tell that what the old man was about to say next could be a lead.

    "They got angry..." the vige head whispered softly.

    "They... the female one... she... she killed... seven young men... said that they were looking at her funny..."

    "The rest... they did not stop her... theyughed and made all of use outside and watch the execution..."

    "O great cultivator... I..."

    The vige head choked up and there was a faint tremor in his voice. Whatever he had seen that day... still affected him deeply.

    "They left... three dayster... they headed in a north eastern direction... I don''t know what happened next," the vige head finished his recollection with great difficulty.

    Xu Lu did not know what to say.

    Those five disciples belonged to a n under the control of the Holy Sword Sect. They were cultivators who were part of the ''righteous'' path.

    And yet...

    How could they be sofortable killing the innocent?

    Why did no one stop the female cultivator? No... it was worse than that...

    Why did they encourage the violence?

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths. Now it all made sense. She could understand why the desert tribespeople were so afraid.

    If she had witnessed something like that from their perspective... she would be terrified of all cultivators for the rest of her life.

    "I know that my words will mean little to the dead," Xu Lu spoke solemnly as she approached the vige head and ced a warm hand on his shoulder.

    "But I promise you... when I find them... they will answer for their crimes."

    The vige head stared directly into her gaze and he must have seen something in her dark brown eyes because his shoulders dropped with relief.

    "Thank... thank you..." the vige head murmured softly as he hung his head.

 Chapter 286 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (37)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert)

    Xu Lu stepped out of the tent and squinted slightly as the harsh desert sunlight fell down on her body.

    In the distance she could see the tribespeople staring at her with fearful expressions on their faces.

    The young children''s mouths were covered by their parents and the older ones looked at her with terror in their eyes.

    Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh and turned away. There was no point in lingering here any longer and frightening these poor people.

    No matter what she said or did... they would never trust cultivators again.

    How could sheep trust wolves who promised them no harm?

    No... a better analogy would be how could mortals not be fearful of gods whose casual whims could kill them in a heartbeat.

    The saintess walked away from the oasis and followed the direction that the vige head had told her about.

    The sand crunched beneath her feet and her shoes sank ever so slightly with every step that she took.

    Thendscape of the desert was dry and barren.

    Only asionally broken by the tall sturdy green nts that grew beneath the shadows of therge dunes.

    The trunks of these nts were covered in thick needle-like spines. Xu Lu approached one of the nts and used her sword to cut off a small piece of the trunk.

    She remembered watching a few videos on the inte during her life as Sui Li that imed that nts in the desert stored water in their trunks.

    She split the trunk open and was pleasantly surprised to a see a moist fleshy undeyer. Xu Lu ced the piece of the nt into her storage ring as a souvenir.

    Her fingers brushed against the amulet that now hung around her neck. A broken de was an odd shape for a pendant but Xu Lu liked how it looked.

    And ording to the old man who sold it to her, it would ensure that her journey would always be smooth!

    Xu Lu didn''t believe him of course but who knows...

    The saintess took a smallpass out of her storage ring and checked her bearings to make sure that she was still going in the right direction.

    Her mission was to rescue or find out what happened to the missing disciples of the Guang n but now she had another objective.

    If they were alive then she would make sure that they paid for their crimes.

    The sect elders may not see harming mortals as worthy of punishment but as saintess Xu Lu had the authority to punish those beneath her rank.

    A determined expression shed across Xu Lu''s face as she continued to walk through the desert towards the missing disciple''sst known location.

    Hours passed and soon the bright midday sun had sunk towards the horizon. Darkness crept up slowly but surely and long shadows appeared on the ground.

    The temperature had dropped to below minus zero but Xu Lu''s Ice Yin Root meant that she was unaffected by the cold.

    In fact, her body feltfortable by the rapidly plunging temperature. Xu Lu hummed softly under her breath as she made her way over a particrlyrge sand mountain.

    On the other side of the mountain she saw severalrge holes in the ground that were big enough to fit a person inside.

    Xu Lu cautiously moved towards the strange holes and her hand drifted towards the sword attached to her hip.

    She extended her spiritual senses and waited for any threats. ''The Forbidden Desert'' did not get its name just from its harsh environment.

    Terrifying monsters, demonic beasts and rogue cultivator ns called this hostile ce their home.

    The ground beneath Xu Lu''s feet rumbled ominously and then multiple dark shadows burst out from the holes.

    Xu Lu narrowed her eyes to get a better look at the mysterious beings but soon came to regret her decision.

    They looked disgusting.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Long, fat worms around seven feet in length with translucent pale skin.

    Dark blue veins could be seen beneath their fleshy exterior and certain parts of their bodies were covered in yellowish boils.

    These boils would asionally pop and spill out a foul-smelling liquid that stained the desert sand.

    SCREECH! SCREECH!

    Horrific screams erupted from the creatures as they all simultaneously turned towards Xu Lu and opened their mouths.

    Their jaws stretched impossibly wide, and one could seeyer uponyer of razor-sharp teeth.

    Xu Lu readied her sword and swung her de at the iing horde.

    A beam of sword light burst out of the tip of her weapon and neatly bisected the first worm that approached her.

    The temperature around her body dropped even further as Xu Lu''s dantian began to pump qi into her meridians.

    Xu Lu''s sword movements were basic and without any special technique. She had honed her fighting style over the lifetime that she had spent by Cami''s side.

    There was no shortage of arrogant vampires who did not believe the rumors of the blood witch''s power and sought out her blood to turn themselves into highborn.

    She ensured that they would never make that mistake again.

    Xu Lu''s body shifted to the side as she dodged an iing worm who lunged at her with its mouth wide open.

    sh!

    Her de disappeared and the worm''s body was split in two.

    Xu Lu kicked the corpse away from her and then ducked to avoid a thick wad of phlegm that was spat in her direction.

    Danger!

    The ground beneath her feet trembled and Xu Lu''s senses went haywire.

    In that microsecond of a moment, she quickly realised that the worms in front of her were not the only members of the colony.

    The saintess'' figure blurred and then vanished from the spot.

    She reappeared several hundred metres away just as three worms rose up from the sand where she had just been standing.

    If she had been only a secondter to react...

    Xu Lu did not even want to think about the possibility.

    She clutched her sword and prepared to deal with the remaining worms when something strange happened.

    Screech! Screech! Screech!

    The worms cried out several times and then wriggled back to therge gaping holes in the sand.

    Was this some kind of trick?

    Xu Lu steeled herself for another ambush but the worms ignored her and retreated back to their undergroundirs.

    They left behind the corpses of theirpanions whose bodies were already beginning to give out a really unpleasant scent.

    If Xu Lu had to describe the smell then she would say that it was a mix of raw sewage and rotten eggs.

    The saintess waited for a few more minutes but no attacks came. Maybe the worms sensed that she was not an easy opponent and retreated?

    Still just to be safe Xu Lu took the long way around the holes before continuing on her journey through the desert.

 Chapter 287 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (38)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert)

    Seven days had passed, and Xu Lu was getting sick of seeing the same scenery for hours and hours every single freaking day.

    She hated to say it but... she missed the inte.

    This journey would be a lot more bearable if she could just pull up some videos on YouTube to pass the time.

    A heavy sigh leaked out of the saintess'' mouth as she finally crossed one mountain of sand and discovered...

    More mountains of sand.

    Xu Lu walked down the side of the enormous sand dune and sat down in the shade. She decided to take a small break.

    Most missions in the forbidden desert took up to two months so there was no telling just how far the missing disciples had travelled into the desert.

    They could be hundreds of kilometres away.

    Honestly Xu Lu was tempted to use her qi to travel on her flying sword, but she forced herself not to give in to her urges.

    It took a great deal of energy to keep her weapon in flight and thest thing she needed was to encounter an unexpected enemy with no qi in her dantian.

    Xu Lu reached into her storage ring and pulled out arge teapot, a small gourd-shaped water bottle, a tiny cup, and some tea leaves.

    She poured some of the water into the teapot and then added the leaves.

    She used her fingers to gently stir the mixture and soon the clear water turned into a pleasant shade of green.

    The saintess carefully poured the resulting mixture into the tiny cup until the tea reached the edge of the porcin.

    Xu Lu''s fingers touched the corner of her mask, and she lifted up the bottom slightly in order to sip the tea.

    Her fingertips trembled violently as she tried to remove her mask further.

    Even though she was by herself and in the middle of the desert... the original Xu Lu''s personality was still affecting her.

    The most she could do was reveal her lips.

    Anything above that and it would take a great deal of effort on her part to remove the mask. It could be done but frankly Xu Lu just wanted to rx.

    Xu Lu raised up the cup to her mouth and took a small sip.

    The tea was bitter with an aftertaste that lingered in her mouth. The saintess sighed contently as she took another sip.

    This was good tea.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    A noise interrupted Xu Lu''s tranquility. She looked down in the direction of the sound and saw her little mousepanion poking its head out of her robe''s pocket.

    "Hello little one," Xu Lu teased softly as she stretched out her hand and gently brushed the top of the mouse''s head.

    "Want some tea?"

    Xu Lu got a fresh cup from her storage ring and poured out some tea into the cup.

    She carefully lowered it towards her mouse and the furry creature hesitantly stuck out its tongue.

    The little white mouse took a few licks of the tea and then pushed away the cup with an unhappy expression on its face.

    Xu Luughed and reached for a treat to hand to her pet. The mouse squeaked happily and then dove back into her robe.

    The saintess smiled warmly and then stood up from the ground. She ced all of her items back into her storage ring and then continued on her journey.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She travelled for around thirty minutes before something in the distance caught her attention.

    There was a slow-moving procession of tribespeople crossing a dry t in.

    The group transported their tents and vital supplies on the backs of camels while the men, women and children walked alongside the animals.

    The midday sun was shining brightly in the sky, so the tribespeople wore thick robes that covered their entire bodies.

    It may sound strange to wear thick robes in the desert but unlike cultivators, mortals had to protect themselves from desert storms and hot winds.

    The saintess observed the procession from the distance and debated silently in her mind whether or not to approach them.

    The vige head had given her a general direction where the missing cultivators had gone but after days of fruitlessly searching...

    Xu Lu was beginning to suspect that she would not find them.

    This could be yet another lead to narrow down her search.

    The only problem was that she remembered the reaction of thest group of tribesmen when she revealed her identity as a cultivator.

    Xu Lu''s brows furrowed as she contemted what to do. Her fingers clenched into a tight fist as she finally made a decision.

    It was a stupid one but...

    She changed her direction and moved towards the procession of camels and tribespeople.

    If she really made them ufortable then after she got the information that she wanted, then she would leave at once.

    The saintess approached the group with quick steps and was soon spotted by the scouts at the back of the procession.

    She raised up her hand and waved at the scouts in a friendly manner.

    One of the desert tribesmen, a hulking six foot tall muscr man broke away from the ground and approached her.

    "What is your purpose?" the man asked in a fierce tone.

    His muscles could clearly be seen even beneath the robe that he wore, and a curved sword hung on his hip.

    "I am a righteous cultivator and I have been looking for a group of missing disciples... have you seen them?" Xu Lu asked politely.

    The muscr man rubbed his chin and then yelled out some words in anguage that Xu Lu did not understand.

    The other tribespeople began to murmur among themselves until a camel broke away from the procession and moved towards the back of the line.

    The camel stopped a few feet away from Xu Lu and a feminine figure jumped off the back of the animal.

    A slender woman walked towards the saintess. She had dark brown skin and lovely ck eyes that seemed to stare into Xu Lu''s soul.

    "Greeting cultivator..." the woman bowed respectfully and spoke in a gentle tone.

    "I am the ''Mehistan'' of my people. I heard that you are searching for missing disciples?"

    "Yes... don''t worry I will leave immediately once you tell me what you know," Xu Lu made sure to gently reassure the strange woman.

    "Nonsense... it would be an honour to have you travel with us," the strange woman smiled gently but Xu Lu was sure that her smile did not reach her eyes.

    "Cultivator with your strength... you would make our journey much smoother... please... stay with us for the next few weeks..."

    A strange emotion briefly surfaced in her gaze, and it was one that Xu Lu recognised immediately.

    It was a hint of bloodlust.

 Chapter 288 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (39)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert)

    "Sure... but first please tell me if you have heard or seen anything," Xu Lu responded calmly as she pretended not to notice the bloodlust in the desert woman''s face.

    "Of course... of course..." the beautiful woman smiled seductively as she spread her arms open towards the sky.

    Xu Lu noticed heavy bands of solid gold on her limbs but despite their weight, the woman did not seem to be affected by them.

    She moved with airy, light movements.

    "A few weeks ago... our people encountered five cultivators... they were holding a mysterious golden nt and by the gods... it was mesmerizing," the woman softly whispered.

    "The encounter was brief... they were hurrying back to the city I believe and did not want to interact or talk with us."

    "Well... only a little bit..."

    A small smile shed across the woman''s face and for a brief moment Xu Lu could swear that dark tattoos appeared on her brown flesh.

    "Can you tell me where did youst see them?" Xu Lu asked while her hand drifted slowly towards her sword.

    There was something not right about this situation.

    An ordinary cultivator who noticed these signs would probably still ignore them because these tribespeople were mortals but...

    Xu Lu always trusted her instincts.

    And right now... her instincts were telling her to get the hell out of here.

    "Yes of course o mighty cultivator," the woman slowly spoke.

    "We saw them at the ruins of the Old Ones... an ancient temple built by a civilisation long buried in the sands of time."

    "It is a magnificent site and is only a five-day journey in a northwestern direction."

    "In fact, the ruins are where we are going as well... please... do you wish to join us?"

    "No, I will have to decline," Xu Lu bowed her head and politely replied.

    "I would not wish to see your people look ufortable."

    She gestured with her hand towards the children who were looking at her with scared expressions on their faces.

    The strange woman scowled but quickly fixed the emotions on her face. It was a small slip up, but it was enough for the saintess to catch it.

    Xu Lu was wearing a mask and it was clear that this so- called ''Mehistan'' was wearing one as well.

    "Then I hope that our paths will one day cross again," the strange woman stretched out her hand for Xu Lu to shake.

    The saintess knew that it was impolite not to shake her hand and yet... every part of her body was telling her to move away.

    She wasn''t sure where the source of the danger wasing from but only knew that she needed to leave now.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The furry white mouse in her pocket poked its head out and tugged on the corner of her robe.

    Xu Lu looked down at the creature who bared its tiny sharp fangs at the hand that was stretched outwards.

    "Thank you for your assistance," Xu Lu gently spoke and then turned around and walked away from the tribespeople.

    The Mehistan''s hand awkwardly hung in the air for a moment longer before the strange woman pulled it back with a disappointed expression on her face.

    It didn''t feel right to be rude to someone who had given her a lead on the location of the missing disciples but there were simply too many red gs.

    "What do you think little guy?" Xu Lu asked softly as she got further away from the procession.

    "Do you think that I made the right choice?"

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The mouse crossed its arms and squeaked in agreement. Xu Lu smiled softly and gave her pet a small treat.<novelnext></novelnext>

    She actually wasn''t sure whether to trust the words of the strange woman but honestly it was the only lead that she got since leaving the oasis.

    If she reached the ruins and something appeared to be off then she would leave immediately.

    Xu Lu was not going to put her life in danger trying to rescue people that she did not know.

    Especially considering that the missing disciples were murderous assholes who liked to torture and punish mortals.

    This was a rescue attempt but Xu Lu did not n to return them to their sect without a degree of punishment.

    The saintess hummed softly as she continued to wander the desert under the intense heat of the sun.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Four dayster...)

    Xu Lu crossed an enormous sand dune and took a small break to catch her breath.

    She had been moving at a faster pace than before in order to reach the ruins before the desert tribespeople.

    The saintess nced at the scenery beyond the sand dune and could feel her jaw slowly drop to the ground.

    Wow....

    Large buildingsposed entirely of stone and gravel had been built in a semi-circr formation around a statue.

    Each building was identical.

    They each possessed four walls, a nted roof and a wide open hole in the middle that led to their interiors.

    There were signs of the passage of time on each building.

    Their walls were cracked, pieces of the roof had fallen off and sections of the houses were partially orpletely destroyed.

    And yet... they were still standing.

    As for the statue... that was really what drew Xu Lu''s attention. The statue had been carved out of pure ck obsidian and shone with an eerie light.

    The statue was in the shape of a man? No... was it a woman?

    Xu Lu walked a bit closer to get a better look.

    She may sound crazy, but she was pretty sure that the features and the body shape of the statue changed ever so slightly every time that she nced at it.

    No... maybe it was a trick of the light?

    Regardless of the gender... the statue depicted a kneeling humanoid figure with their arms crossed together.

    Xu Lu walked into the strange ruins and could feel how timeless this ce was. Standing here provided a brief glimpse into the past.

    She wasn''t sure how the people of this long gone civilisation lived but judging from the state of the ruins, they must have cared deeply about their gods.

    The saintess approached the statue and tried to make out more details about the carving.

    Curiously enough there was no sign of damage or disrepair on the statue. It looked wless as if it had only been carved yesterday.

    How peculiar...

    Xu Lu assumed that perhaps there was a desert tribe still living today that cared for the statue in order to prevent it from being affected by the passage of time.

    Well... enough sightseeing for now.

    Xu Lu turned away from the statue and began to look for any traces of the missing disciples.

    With her back turned she did not realise that the eyes of the humanoid statue were following her every move.

 Chapter 289 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (40)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert- Ancient Ruins)

    Xu Lu gently ced her hand on the side of one of the buildings and traced her fingers along the edges of the material.

    It was amazing that these buildings were still standing.

    In the desert, the intense heat and dust storms produced quite the strong weathering effect.

    Most traces of civilisation should eventually be buried under the sand and lost to the passage of time and yet...

    These buildings were still standing.

    They were not in perfect condition but the fact that they were still rtively intact was nothing short of a miracle.

    Xu Lu looked around for any clues or hints about the missing disciples but found nothing. Still she didn''t mind exploring the ancient ruins.

    Being here made her feel like an archaeologist.

    Someone who explored the mysteries of the past and brought that knowledge to the present.

    Now all she needed to do was ditch her long flowing white robes for a sharp outback fedora, a long sleeve shirt, some khaki pants, brown jacket and a whip!

    Xu Lu giggled softly to herself as she continued to examine the sides of each building while taking care not to damage the structures.

    Oh... this was interesting.

    Xu Lu paused in her steps and examined a picture that was carved into the side wall of one of the buildings.

    The picture was so small that she nearly missed it. The saintess knelt down and brought her eyes closer to the image.

    It showed a pair of men and women floating high above in the clouds surrounded by kneeling humanoid figures who were apparently worshipping them.

    Xu Lu rubbed the bottom of her mask thoughtfully and then walked over to another building to see if there were other images that she had missed.

    Like she suspected there were indeed other pictures carved into the stone and granite outer walls of the buildings.

    The next image showed the kneeling figures on the ground being abused and punished by the floating gods.

    No... not gods...

    Xu Lu suspected that the man and woman hovering in the air were supposed to represent cultivators.

    She looked for the next image and it was not a pleasant one. The image showed a vige being set on fire with dead children scattered across the street.

    The cultivators in the picture wereughing with their mouths frozen in a permanent grin of pleasure and amusement.

    The fourth picture was... a bit strange.

    It was unlike the images that came before it. This time it showed a... well actually Xu Lu wasn''t sure what she was looking at.

    A human? A monster? Both?

    The entity carved into the stone looked human but not at the same time.

    It was very hard to describe since its appearance seemed to change ever so slightly every time that Xu Lu looked at it.

    There was only one more building left so Xu Lu walked over to it to try and find out how the story ended.

    As she was walking towards the final building at the end of the semi circr formation, Xu Lu could not help but think about what she had seen so far.

    Even ancient civilisations were not safe from the wrath of cultivators.

    Well to be fair hundreds of thousands of years was a mere blink in the eye of an immortal.

    Xu Lu wasn''t surprised that science and technology in this world had not advanced for a significantly long period of time.

    If there were beings capable of just one day deciding to take over your city, empire, or country just for fun then there was an inherentck of stability.<novelnext></novelnext>

    Any progress made would be wiped out due to the wars, massacres and other atrocities that took ce around this world.

    Human life was worthless.

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she genuinely could not think of a way to fix the situation.

    Even she somehow became the strongest person in the lower realm, she would still be unable to change the status quo at least outside of her immediate influence.

    Maybe humans were not meant to have god-like powers...

    That thought lingered in Xu Lu''s mind as she approached the final building and slowly walked behind it to see where the picture was carved.

    She eventually found the image carved on the back of the building.

    The section around it had been partially turned into rubble but surprisingly the picture was still intact.

    This final image showed a very old and feeble looking man and woman kneeling down at the feet of a humanoid figure whose body was covered in dark tattoos.

    Xu Lu wasn''t sure what to make of this image.

    Was it just a straightforward case of one of the oppressed humans became a cultivator himself and overthrew the man and woman?

    No but then... why were the evil cultivators now old?

    Oh wait... maybe this was at the end of the fight and they no longer had any qi left in their dantians to maintain their youthful looks.

    Xu Lu nodded her head as she figured it out. Well, this was an interesting tale and maybe it had a grain of truth.

    Now she had done sightseeing and it was time to resume her search.

    Xu Lu spent the next few hours wandering around through the ruins looking for any hints or clues that the disciples had passed through here.

    She examined the sand nearby for any footprints, looked inside the buildings for any traces of setting up camp and even climbed up a nearby sand dune to get a bird''s eye view.

    Nothing.

    ? Damn. Another lead that went nowhere.

    Xu Lu sat down a few dozens metres away from the stone statue and let out a heavy sigh. Her master would not be happy that she failed yet another mission.

    But what could she do?

    This mission was impossible from the start.

    It was not a straightforward request such as hunt down a monster or y a demon cultivator... noooo.... that would be too freaking easy.

    Instead she was out here in the scorching hot sun in the middle of a desert looking for five assholes who honestly...

    Xu Lu would not be unhappy if they were all cold corpses by now.

    The saintess knew that she needed to take her mind off the stress that she was currently dealing with so she lightly tapped her pocket.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The little mouse pokes its white head out and smiled at its master. Xu Lu smiled back and gently touched the top of its furry head.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    Suddenly the mouse scrambled out of Xu Lu''s pocket and climbed up her robe towards her head.

    There it sat downzily and basked in the hot sunlight.

    Xu Lu reached into her storage ring and pulled out a small piece of meat for her pet to nibble on while it rested.

    The obsidian statue behind them glowed slightly and the dark tattoos on the mouse''s body briefly appeared as if responding to the statue''s signal.

 Chapter 290 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (41)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert- Ancient Ruins)

    Yeah... it was time to give up.

    Xu Lu sat down beneath the shade of one of the buildings and pulled out a nket from her storage ring.

    She wrapped the nket around her shoulders and leaned against the side of the wall.

    The sun was slowly setting towards the horizon and in the distance, she could see a flock of birds flying towards an unknown location.

    After several long hours tirelessly searching for any clues or hints about the missing disciples'' location, Xu Lu hade up emptyhanded.

    There was nothing here.

    In fact she was beginning to suspect that maybe the desert tribespeople had lied to her about this ce.

    No... don''t think like that...

    Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh as the sun continued to fall and long dark shadows appeared.

    The desert got extremely cold at night with the temperatures plunging to almost minus twenty degrees.

    This was due to theck of moisture in the air which meant that the air would not be able to hold the heat radiated by the sand.

    The saintess did not feel cold but old habits died hard. She still remembered that on snowy winter days she would sit near the firece with a nket around her shoulders.

    This was during herter years at the castle with Cami. When wrinkles had begun to form on her skin but her partner remained as youthful as ever.

    Xu Lu smiled softly as she lost herself in those happy memories. A cold wind blew across the desert and gently kicked up some of the sand particles.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes to prevent the sand from getting in there. She could hear the sounds of footsteps and hoovesing from the distance.

    She spread out her spiritual senses and could detect arge group of people walking towards her at a steady rate.

    She did not detect any bloodlust or killing intent but just in case...

    Xu Lu''s hand moved ever so closer to the sword that was securely attached to her hip.

    She did not enjoy killing but in self defense she was more than capable of eliminating any threats.

    Xu Lu waited patiently for the brief dust storm to pass and when it did, she reopened her eyes to get a look at the group that was approaching.

    The group consisted of ten figures all dressed in dark ck robes.

    Xu Lu was unable to make out any details about their faces because they all wore in white masks to hide their appearance.

    asionally their exposed skin poked out from beneath the heavy robes that they wore and Xu Lu could see horrific dark red markings that glowed slightly.

    "A cultivator from the orthodox sects?" the leader of the group jeered mockingly. His voice sounded low and gravelly.

    "I am simply resting for the night," Xu Lu calmly responded as she slowly got up from the ground and lightly wrapped her fingers around the hilt of her sword.

    "Do you know who we are?" a melodic feminine voice asked with a sickly sweetness to her tone.

    Well... they clearly weren''t the desert''s weemittee.

    Xu Lu stifled the small smile that shed across her lips and carefully observed the ten people in front of her.

    She could sense spiritual energy inside of them which meant that they were cultivators but there was something wrong with their qi.<novelnext></novelnext>

    It felt... unnatural... twisted... wrong...

    It bore a striking resemnce to...

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and took in several deep breaths as she had to fight down a panic attack.

    She recognised this type of energy, it was the same energy that came from the man who had permanently disfigured her face.

    These cultivators they... they... belong to the demonic way.

    Xu Lu tucked her other hand into her sleeve and curled up her fingers into a tight fist with so much force that her fingernails tug into her flesh.

    Blood slowly dripped down from the wounds and the sharp bursts of pain helped Xu Lu to clear her mind.

    She could not afford to be affected by the emotions of the original Xu Lu, not when she was in such a dangerous situation.

    Xu Lu opened her mouth and talked with a calmness that she did not feel on the inside,

    "No. My mission in this ce is to discover the whereabout of five missing disciples. If you have any information about them then I would greatly appreciate your assistance."

    There was a brief moment of silence and then a roar ofughter came from several of the demon cultivators in the group.

    "Oh, she''s a bold one..."

    "Bold? I think you mean stupid!"

    "Maybe we should kill her now? No... wait... save her forter..."

    The leader of the group stepped forward and even though his face was covered, Xu Lu could tell that he had a mocking smile on his face.

    "And why would we tell you? Perhaps yourpanions are dead... maybe they were captured by some other cultivators and are now ythings..." the demon cultivator whispered softly.

    "Maybe if you want to find them so desperately.... we could send you to them..."

    Xu Lu immediately jumped to the side and dodged the dagger that was thrown in her direction by the leader.

    The demon cultivator chuckled softly and raised up his right hand. Numerous ck daggers appeared around his fingertips which he thenunched into the sky.

    The daggers began to rain down on Xu Lu''s direction which forced the saintess to take quick steps to avoid their sharpened edges.

    "Stop running around like a rat!" a feminine voice cried out yfully. Xu Lu tilted her head and narrowly avoided the whip that was flung at her body.

    The other demon cultivators did not sit still and soon a variety of weapons and qi techniques wereunched in Xu Lu''s direction.

    The saintess did not have any time to counterattack and could only focus on not getting hurt in order to wait for the right opportunity.

    One of the demon cultivator''s sword strikes caused a building nearby to be bisected into two pieces.

    These ruins which had stood for tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years were now being destroyed by the fight.

    Xu Lu noticed the destruction and tried to move away from the ruins since she did not wish to see the ancient historical site be demolished.

    She focused on the qi flowing through her dantian and the tiny white unicorn neighed happily.

    The temperature around Xu Lu''s body plunged rapidly and frost began to appear on her long sword.

    She swung the de at the demon cultivators and a burst of bluish-white energy erupted from the tip of her weapon.

    Most the hostile cultivators managed to dodge but one was struck by the energy and his body was encased in a solid chunk of ice.

 Chapter 291 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (42)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert- Ancient Ruins)

    "What?" one of the demon cultivators eximed in shock as he moved away from therge chunk of ice.

    Boom!

    Xu Lu dodged to the side as an enormous shockwave of air rushed towards her location at a rapid speed.

    "You piece of shit," a melodic feminine voice shouted angrily.

    Xu Lu rushed forward in the direction of the voice and swung her de at the slender figure whose body was covered in a heavy robe.

    Her movements elerated rapidly until her body became a blur. The other demon cultivators could not even see her with their naked eyes.

    Xu Lu struck quickly and efficiently. She did not use any fancy techniques or special swordsmanship.

    A simple stab to the chest was enough to deal with the cultivator.

    Xu Lu could not make out any of the female cultivator''s facial features but could see her eyes widen in surprise when her de entered her chest.

    She withdrew her weapon and rolled on the ground ungracefully as numerous daggers fell down where she had just been standing.

    The saintess continued to roll on the ground as more daggers rained down from the sky in a never-ending barrage.

    The leader of the demon cultivators clicked his tongue in irritation. He raised up his right hand and more translucent daggers appeared around his fingertips.

    Xu Lu jumped behind a nearby mound of sand and was forced to block the sudden sword strike that came from a cultivator who had managed to sneak behind her.

    She had killed two of her opponents but there were still eight left.

    The temperature dropped even further and the little moisture that was in the air started to freeze.

    Tiny white snowkes fell to the ground and the ice that bloomed beneath Xu Lu''s feet seemed to respond to her foul mood.

    Tworge cultivators holding curved sword rushed forward and attacked her at the same time with strikes that were almost identical.

    Xu Lu scowled fiercely as she blocked one sword strike while the other one managed to lightly graze her arm.

    Blood sttered on the desert ground and the crimson red liquid stained her pure white robes.

    This was a dangerous situation.

    The saintess kicked up sand using her feet and blinded the eyes of the first robed figure that ran towards her.

    She dodged the second figure''s attack by a hair''s breadth and then retaliated by lowering her posture and crippling his Achilles'' tendon.

    The blinded figure heard hispanion''s cry of pain and rubbed his eyes fiercely to regain his vision.

    "Get away from her!" the leader of the group yelled desperately.

    Unfortunately, it was toote.

    Xu Lu''s sword shed his neck and neatly beheaded him.

    The headless corpse crashed to the ground right in front of his injuredpanion who looked to be in total disbelief.

    The saintess wanted to finish him off as well but a roaring gust of wind knocked her away from the injured man.

    She crashed heavily against arge sand dune. Xu Lu spat out a mouthful of sand mixed with specks of her blood and growled darkly.

    She may be the saintess of a righteous sect but to the demon cultivators¡­ she looked more devilish than them.

    The leader nced at hispanions and saw that they were all looking very nervous. Only six of them were capable of fighting.

    He had managed to save Peng Shui''s life with hisst attack but he appeared to be in a state of shock as he remained frozen in ce in front of his brother''s corpse.

    Damn it!

    What was going on?

    This lone cultivator was clearly still in the qi tide stage and yet¡­ why was she so strong?

    It wasn''t an overwhelming amount of strength like someone in the void stage but even still¡­

    "Leave now and I''ll spare all of your lives," Xu Lu spat out.

    She didn''t intend to keep this promise but after her many years of fighting, there was one trick that always worked.

    If your enemies believed that they had a way out, their fighting spirits would weaken whether consciously or unconsciously.<novelnext></novelnext>

    "She''s lying! Don''t believe her!" the leader yelled to his men, but Xu Lu''s words had already achieved their intended effects.

    She could see hesitation in the hooded figures'' movements. They lowered their swords slightly and the attacks aiming for her body ceased.

    A small smile shed across Xu Lu''s face as she bent her knees and prepared tounch a quick strike.

    ? "You cowards," the leader growled in anger.

    He reached into her storage ring and pulled out an enormous silver spear whose metallic tip gleamed under the moonlight.

    Stab!

    His attack prated his target sessfully.

    But he wasn''t aiming for Xu Lu.

    The hooded figure next to him slumped down to the ground motionless with an enormous hole in his chest where his heart used to be.

    "Attack her or I will kill you all¡­ what?" the leader''s speech was interrupted as Xu Lu appeared in front of him while he was talking.

    She shed forward using her de with so much force that a gust of wind apanied her movements.

    The leader of the demon cultivators reacted immediately to block the attack but he had already lost the advantage.

    Spears were better than sword at range but if a swordsman could close the distance¡­

    It was all over.

    Xu Lu followed up with a rapid string of attacks. Stabs, thrusts, shes¡­ she unleashed a rapid flurry of movements.

    She was strong.

    After a lifetime of training using swords, wielding one had be a second nature. It was as natural to Xu Lu as breathing.

    "Help me!" the leader shouted as he tilted his head to the side and narrowly avoided the sh of silver.

    Xu Lu grinned beneath her mask as she quickly realised that none of the demon cultivators stepped in to help.

    In fact¡­

    She could hear footsteps running away from the fight. The surviving demon cultivators had abandoned their leader and fled.

    Just as she predicted.

    This group did not strike her as a particrly loyal band ofpanions who would die for one another.

    sh!

    The leader''s feet tripped slightly on the frozen sand and that split second was enough for Xu Lu to end the fight.

    She thrust her de forward and the tip of her sword entered the hooded figure''s body. The leader spat out a mouthful of blood and then copsed.

    He opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was a thick gurgling noise as he began to choke on his own blood.

    Xu Lu thrust her weapon into his body one more time to finish him off.

    Her de was now stained with the crimson liquid and the metallic scent of blood hung in the air.

    It was all over.

    No¡­ there was still one more.

    Xu Lu turned to deal with the injured cultivator but what she saw made her footsteps pause. The cultivator was now slumped on the ground motionless.

    The saintess cautiously approached the figure and thrust her de into his body. She felt her weapon touch flesh but¡­

    Something was wrong.

    Xu Lu knelt down and slowly removed the robe that was covering the corpse''s body. What she saw beneath made no sense.

    The corpse was that of a frail wrinkled old man.

    She could not sense any spiritual energy in his body. It was as if he had been a mortal this entire time.

    No¡­ what?

    The statue behind Xu Lu''s body shifted slightly and its pitch-ck eyes glowed eerily under the moonlight.

 Chapter 292 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (43)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert- Ancient Ruins)

    This was not the corpse of a cultivator.

    Xu Lu peered closer at the body and became more and more assured of her assumption.

    The frail old man hidden behind the thick robes did not have a single trace of spiritual energy.

    Heavy wrinkles crept up along his skin and his hair was grey and balding. He appeared to be an ordinary person.

    The saintess frowned heavily as she got up from the ground and slowly looked around for any more threats.

    She could not sense anything.

    She was alone in the desert with nothing but the howling wind and the corpses on the ground to keep herpany.

    Wait... there was something that she needed to check...

    Xu Lu walked over to the other corpses and carefully examined each one. Something very strange was going on.

    No other corpse disyed wrinkles, and all still had traces of the demonic energy that flowed through their meridians.

    Xu Lu felt shivers run down her spine and her fingers tightened around her weapon. She felt as though she was being watched by someone...

    Or something.

    The saintess remained frozen in ce in a battle stance for a few minutes before the feeling passed.

    She waited for a few more seconds and the let out a heavy sigh under her breath. Was it her nerves acting up?

    Xu Lu sent out a strand of qi energy into sword and used a simple cleaning spell to wipe off all the dirt, grime, and blood.

    She ced her now cleaned sword back into the sheath attached to her hip and decided to leave this ce.

    These ruins... something about them was not right...

    She took one final nce at the buildings that had been damaged during the fight and the kneeling statue.

    The facial features of the statue were a lot clearer under the moonlight but still... they warped and shifted ever so slightly making the statue''s appearance take on a dream-like quality.

    Did the statue always smile?

    Xu Lu did not stay around to find out.

    She walked away from the ruins and towards the direction that the missing disciples had most likely gone.

    The desert sand crunched under her feet as she walked through the barrennd with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    Those demon cultivators... why did the original Xu Lu want her to join the demonic way?

    ''Righteous'' cultivators were not bastions of goodness but demon cultivators were definitely not misunderstood heroes.

    Most of them filled their bodies with demonic qi in order to practice cultivation.

    Demonic qi was not inherently evil it just had the side effect of enhancing the personality traits of the one who absorbed it.

    Kind people would be saints, those with bloodlust would be callous killers.

    Other traits would also be enhanced for example curious people would be reckless explorers.

    Xu Lu shook her head and drove those thoughts from her mind. She still had a long way to go before she got to that point.

    It was not necessary for her to absorb demonic qi to join the demon cultivators.

    Honestly her currently cultivation method worked quite well for her spiritual root.

    The saintess took in a few deep breaths and slowly exhaled. A faint white mist leaked out from under her mask.

    The moon was shining brightly in the sky and numerous stars twinkled and blinked in and out of existence.<novelnext></novelnext>

    The desert was a lonely ce.

    Xu Lu walked for hours in the cold but was not affected by the low temperature. She found no traces or footsteps of any other living beings.

    Still... she continued.

    If she didn''t find the missing disciples in one week then she would head back to civilisation and inform the Guang Sect of her failure.

    Xu Lu was honestly looking forward to returning to the city. Being out here in the desert was not the most pleasant experience.

    Especially considering that sand was now everywhere on her body and she really wanted to have a nice long shower.

    Eventually just as the sun slowly began to peak over the horizon, Xu Lu spotted something off in the distance.

    There was an enormous gaping hole in the ground that was the size of a football field.

    Sand poured into the hole in a never-ending cascade however its gaping maw continued to take in the dirt without noticeably filling up.

    What the...

    Xu Lu cautiously approached a sand dune that overlooked the hole and climbed upwards to get a better view.

    She was not going to tempt fate by walking closer. Thest thing that she needed was to fall down and be trapped underground.

    The saintess send thin strands of qi into her eyes and her vision rapidly enhanced. She observed the hole carefully and what she saw made no sense.

    The surrounding sand was flowing freely into the hole but there was no bottom. All Xu Lu could see was darkness inside the hole.

    This hole definitely did not appear to be a natural part of thendscape which meant that something had dug it.

    The worms? Or a much bigger animal?

    The ground beneath Xu Lu''s feet trembled slightly and she could feel something moving deep below the earth.

    She quickly stopped moving and did not even dare to take a breath.

    Animals who lived underground usually had poor vision and relied on vibrations to alert them to their prey''s movements.

    Xu Lu stayed perfectly still and waited to see what would happen. The tremors became more violent which made it difficult for the saintess to keep her bnce.

    There was one final shake and then the hole... disappeared?

    Xu Lu blinked her eyes but what she saw did not change. One moment there was an enormous gaping hole in the ground and the next...

    It was gone.

    "Nah... fuck this shit," Xu Lu let out a string of curses as she unsheathed her sword and ced it on the ground.

    This was too much.

    The hole''s magical disappearance was the straw that finally broke the camel''s back.

    Without caring about preserving her qi, she hopped on her weapon and used her qi to make it rise up in the air.

    This desert was too peculiar even for her.

    She was not going to stick around to see what other horrors were in store in this nightmare of a ce.

    Xu Lu adjusted her posture and then proceeded to fly away in the opposite direction from where the hole used to be and towards the city.

    The missing disciples would just have to remain missing.

    Xu Lu was tired, confused and honestly...

    A little bit scared.

    This desert just had too many phenomena and strange events that could not be exined even in a world where it was possible for mortals to turn into gods.

 Chapter 293 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (44)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (The Forbidden Desert- Ancient Ruins)

    The sun was now beginning to peak over the horizon and warm orange rays of light washed over the sand dunes and the barren earth.

    A group of tribespeople slowly travelled beneath the shadow of enormous dunes. Camels carried small children, the elderly, and important supplies.

    The procession was protected by men and women carrying curved swords whose edges gleamed under the sunlight.

    A woman walked in front of the group with quiet steps. She had dark brown skin and lovely ck eyes that shone with an unknown emotion.

    She wore long white robes that covered most of her body which protected her from the scorching heat and the sandstorms that raged through the desert.

    The group continued to walk for several long hours until they arrived at the site of mysterious ruins.

    An expression of sorrow shed across the woman''s face as she observed the new cracks and the damaged sections of the buildings.

    It did not take a genius to realise what had happened here. Especially when numerous corpsesy helplessly on the ground.

    Cultivators...

    The only part of the site that was not damaged was the statue of the kneeling figure in the middle of the structures.

    "Let me go by myself," the woman spoke firmly to the guards next to her.

    "Mehistan... are you sure? The cultivators could still be around here," one of the guards replied with a worried expression on his face.

    "If theye... they will die..." the woman whispered with a tinge of hatred in her voice.

    The guards were not happy with the decision of their leader, but no one dared to resist hermand.

    The woman took in a deep breath and then walked towards the statue. With every step that she took, her heart began to beat louder and louder.

    She could feel the dark tattoos covering her skin pulsate with a foreign energy that felt sticky and warm.

    It was an uneasy feeling and yet the woman''s face did not show a hint of the difort that she felt.

    This power... was a gift.

    It was the only way that mortals could survive against gods and goddesses. The ability to strip away the source of their powers.

    A terrifying ability.

    The Mehistan approached the statue and knelt down respectfully. The statue''s face morphed and changed ever so slightly.

    One moment it resembled a woman and the other a man.

    The statue''s face was an always changing mirage of different facial features and expressions.

    The woman stretched out her hand and ced her fingers on the bottom leg of the statue. She shivered violently as she felt a voice echo through her mind.

    There was a seductive purr to the mysterious voice and yet a hint of dangery beneath its sweet feminine tone.

    [Apostle... why are you contacting me?]

    "I have carried out your will... five sinful cultivators have died... their corpses have long been buried in the desert sands," the woman slowly spoke.

    "But I have failed to kill the one who investigated their disappearance. She retreated too quickly for my hand to grasp her body."

    [Hmm... I see... well no matter...]

    [All is proceeding as nned. It is only a matter of time before cultivators will disappear from this world]

    "Yes, mydy," the Mehistan raised up her head and madness shone in her eyes.

    She longed for that day ever since she was a little girl, and she witnessed firsthand just how merciless cultivators were.

    Her father the previous head of their tribe was killed for no reason by a wandering cultivator just for looking at him.

    She would never forget the smug look on the cultivator''s face.

    Or how the killing was done so effortlessly.

    A flick of his sword and her father''s body was neatly bisected in half as if a gust of wind had managed to inflict such horrific damage.

    "Do you have any other requests for me? I am your weapon... my life and the lives of my people... they belong to you," the woman respectfully asked.

    [No. I thank you for your loyalty my dear apostle but your role in this n is at an end. Go now and live in peace]

    "Mydy please! Don''t abandon me!" the Mehistan screamed desperately as she copsed on the desert ground in despair.

    She continued to scream and shout but the mysterious voice in her mind had already disappeared.

    The statue slowly crumbled away, and bits and pieces of obsidian fell down on the sand.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Unknown Location- Temple Of The Fallen God)

    Numerous rooms, passageways and corridors formed aplexbyrinth underground. The air inside this ce was humid and stale.

    Only the faint light from the torches attached to the walls provided any source of relief from the never-ending darkness.

    Intricate carvings, paintings and writings in anguage long forgotten were carved onto the walls and parts of the ceiling.

    This was an ancient ce.

    There was primordial sense of danger to the vast emptiness of the tunnels as if the darkness could somehow swallow a person whole.

    The room located in the deepest part of the undergroundplex was a massive hall.

    At the far end of therge space was a simple throne made from stone.

    Sitting down on the throne was an extremely beautiful woman with gentle facial features, sharp cheekbones, and a warm smile.

    She had olive coloured skin and piercing grey eyes that shone with kindness and mercy.

    The woman on the throne wore a rough outfit made out of hemp. It was a cheap attire and yet the poor clothing did not diminish her sense of beauty.

    She was surrounded by a group of heavily tattooed men and women whose dark markings wriggled and squirmed as if they were somehow alive.

    "Why did you not take her power away? She has fulfilled her part and it is not necessary to have a useless apostle," the man closest to the woman slowly spoke.

    "Oh? I seem to recall that you no longer have any role in the grand n and yet I have allowed you to keep your strength Yang Jian," the woman smiled kindly as she spoke.

    "Perhaps I should have stripped you of your ability..."

    A fit of giggles burst out of the mouth of the youngest looking woman in the group. A teenage girl who appeared to be no older than fifteen.

    The man shot the young teenager a warning look but the girl simply stuck out her tongue and mocked him silently.

    Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a bit tense, the woman slowly raised up her right hand and the hall fell silent.

    "We must always remember the true enemies... cultivators," the woman spoke with a calm tone and her words echoed around the hall.

    "Do not underestimate our enemies. Even with our gifts... it is impossible to rid the world of their loathsome influence... at least for now..."

    "But if we follow the n outlined by our forebearers... we may seed. But for that to happen... I do not want infighting."

    "Do I make myself clear?"

    There was a brief moment of silence as Yang Jian and the teenage girl looked at each other sheepishly and then apologised to the woman sitting on the throne.

    "Good now let us discuss the martial arts conference," the woman changed the topic and her tone became more serious.

    "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to announce ourselves to the world and strike fear into the hearts of all cultivators whether they belong to the side of ''righteousness'' or demonic."

    "It is time to make the gods bleed..."

 Chapter 294 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (45)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Outskirts of The Capitol City- Guang n)

    The Guang n was a cultivation organisation affiliated with the Holy Sword Sect and under their indirect control.

    The power of the n was quite weakpared to the other cultivation groups in the capitol city, but the backing of the Holy Sword Sect allowed them to act quite arrogantly.

    Xu Lu walked towards the edges of the capitol city and approached a series of small mountains with golden pces built on top of each hill.

    A magnificent sect gateposed of pure white marble had been ced near the entrance to the n and it was guarded by two qi spirit disciples.

    The saintess approached the gate and the disciples immediately recognised her from the mask that covered her features.

    "Saintess!" one of them knelt down on the ground and bowed respectfully. The other immediately left to go notify the n elders.

    "You may rise," Xu Lu quietly spoke.

    She did not have a good impression of this n and her opinion had only gotten worse after she heard what the missing disciples did to the mortals living in the desert.

    There was only one of two possibilities to exin their behaviour.

    The first was that they were all bad apples and had been coincidentally chosen as a group for the mission and the second and far more likely possibility...

    They had never been punished for that kind of behaviour which meant that there was a culture of indifference at best or active malice at worst against those without cultivation.

    Xu Lu suspected that thetter was the answer.

    She had been witnessed firsthand this kind of attitude in the Holy Sword Sect... the ''paragon swordsmen of righteousness''.

    During her time in the punishment hall, not once had disciples been sent there for crimesmitted against mortals.

    The saintess looked up at the magnificent pces that had been built at the top of the mountain with numerous thoughts running through her mind.

    She did not like this world.

    It had been fun at first to fly around and have supernatural powers but beneath the shiney a filthy interior.

    Human lives in this world were worthless.

    There was now and order other than the strong preying on the weak. Humanity was no better than animals.

    And it would remain this way until the end of time.

    How could mortals fight gods when their weapons broke against their flesh and one swipe from their fingers could spell death.

    Xu Lu did not know the answer to that question.

    She let out a heavy sigh under her breath as she decided to just focus on finishing her mission and stopping the viiness of this ne.

    Around five minutester, the n leader and several of his direct rtives quickly appeared and stered ttering looks across their faces.

    "Saintess it is an honour to have you as our guests once again," the n leader spoke happily as he rubbed his hands together.

    Winning the saintess'' favour would mean that more resources would be allocated to their group and their influence would grow.

    "Please... allow us to throw you a feast to celebrate thepletion of your mission. We will invite representatives from all the major groups across the city to witness your glory!"

    Xu Lu had an icky feeling in her chest as she listened to the honeyed words of the n leader.

    She knew exactly what he was trying to do.

    Hosting a grand banquet with her as the guest of honour would send a message to the other cultivation organisations.

    It would tell them that the bond between the Guang n and the Holy Sword Sect was strong and unbreakable.

    She had no interest in bing a political chess piece.

    "I do apologise n leader, but I havee bearing unfortunate news," Xu Lu spoke solemnly and a heavy atmosphere formed due to her words.

    "After weeks of searching... I was unable to locate the missing disciples who were lost in the desert."

    "I suspect that they have died and their corpses are buried somewhere beneath the shifting sands."

    "That is indeed unhappy news," the n leader replied sorrowfully but Xu Lu could not see a trace of sadness in his eyes.

    "Still... it is all the more reason to host a banquet in your name. You have done all that you could and on behalf of the Guang n..."

    "We thank you."

    Xu Lu nodded her head and her eyes roamed over to the direct rtives of the n leader who all stared back at her eagerly.

    The Guang n was ruled by the Qin family.

    It was not a meritocracy since one needed to be a direct rtive in order to gain a position of power.

    Honestly she may have gone to the banquet if the clean leader had not proposed to invite other cultivation groups across the city.

    It would be interesting to observe how a subsidiary n under the control of the Holy Sword Sect behaved and how was life for the disciples of this n but...

    No... she just wanted to return to the sect...

    "I thank you for the offer but I''m afraid that I must decline. I have another mission toplete and I must leave immediately," Xu Lu spoke in a firm tone.

    Her voice was filled with conviction and the steely gaze in her eyes caused the words of protest in the n leader''s throat to die down.

    The saintess made small talk for the next few minutes before politely saying goodbye and stepping on a floating sword.

    She headed in a northeastern direction with the wind gently caressing her hair.

    It would take around two months for her to arrive back to the Holy Sword Sect so she had time to enjoy the sights.

    Xu Lu nned to visit the central market in the capital city one more time to see if she could pick up any more interesting souvenirs.

    She still had the amulet that she had bought from the shady old man wrapped around her neck.

    It was supposed to bring her good luck and ensure that her journey would always be smooth but clearly...

    It did not work!

 Chapter 295 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (46)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Castmere Beach)

    The sun had long disappeared and only the soft moonlight illuminated the waves that crashed against the shore.

    Xu Lu sat down under the shade of a leafy palm tree and enjoyed the cold wind that brushed softly against her body.

    After spending weeks in the desert, she was just d to not have to experience that kind of oppressive heat.

    A few days had passed since she began her journey back to Mount Xilean and so far... not to jinx things but it had been quite uneventful.

    The only exciting event that urred was seeing arge flightless bird performing a strange dance to attract mates.

    And honestly... he had some moves!

    The saintess hummed softly as she waved her palm and used strands of her qi to pick up dry sticks and loose rocks nearby.

    She created a nice and cozy fire-pit, and it was only missing one element. Xu Lu snapped her fingers and performed a simple heating technique.

    A small me erupted from her fingertips and shot towards the dry sticks that were stacked up closely together.

    Soon a roaring fire provided a source of warm andforting heat that made the cold ocean breeze more bearable.

    This was the life.

    Xu Lu had always enjoyed spending time in nature. There was something peaceful about living in the wild.

    Maybe it was theck of pollution or signs of civilisation. A reminder that without humans, thend would flourish.

    The saintess reached into the pocket of her robe and lightly touched the top of her little mouse'' head.

    It was fast asleep.

    A gentle smile shed beneath the mask covering Xu Lu''s face as she stared upwards at the sky that was filled with an infinite number of stars.

    Maybe one day she would be able to visit a mission ne where technology was incredibly advanced.

    A world where humans could freely travel amongst the stars to bold new locations and explore differents.

    Crack! Crack!

    Xu Lu immediately froze and reached for the sword that was securely attached to her hip. She could sense movementing from nearby.

    The sounds became louder and louder. It sounded almost like... footsteps.

    The saintess slowly got up from the ground and prepared to confront the intruders.

    They may be innocent passerby so Xu Lu was not going to ambush them.

    The seconds that passed felt like hours as every muscle in her body was alert and ready to move at a moment''s notice.

    Finally she saw the ones responsible for the sounds. Arge group of around twenty young men and women came out from the forest near the beach.

    They wore brilliant colourful robes and had a variety of weapons attached to long leather belts that were wrapped around their waists.

    Xu Lu noticed swords, daggers, spears and even one girl who had a chain attached to arge sickle whose edge gleamed under the moonlight.

    The group was led by an elderly man in long blue robes. The man had an arrogant sneer on his face as he walked up to Xu Lu.

    "Who are you?" the man demanded in a rough tone.

    He probably assumed that she was a lone cultivator with no backing or powers behind her.

    He could not be more wrong.

    Xu Lu held her ground and reached into her storage bag for a pendant. She lifted the pendant out of the bag and showed the markings on its wooden surface.

    "I am the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect," Xu Lu spoke calmly but the pressure radiating off her body was enough to make the elderly man take a few steps backwards.

    "Now... reveal your identities."

    In that moment their roles were instantly swapped.

    Despite having the superior numbers, beads of sweat ran down the elderly man''s brows.

    He did not know if the pendant was legitimate but what he did know was that the masked woman in front of him had a higher cultivation level.

    You see... numbers did not matter in the cultivation world.

    A qi spirit cultivator could easily defeat ten cultivators in the qi body stage and from the qi tide stage going upwards... those high-level cultivators would never lose.

    Unless they faced off against an opponent with equal or higher cultivation prowess.

    Xu Lu could hear shocked whispers and gaspsing from therge group behind the elderly man.

    They probably did not expect to bump into the saintess of one of the biggest cultivation sects on the continent.

    "My apologies," the elderly man''s tone immediately shifted and he became a lot more pleasant and respectful.

    "My name is Lai Wei, and I am an elder of the Soaring Tiger Sect. I am on a scouting mission with outer disciples to help them gain experience."

    "Well then... you can go," Xu Lu arrogantly spoke as she sat back down and leaned against the trunk of the palm tree.

    She waved her hand dismissively and expressions of rage shed across the faces of some of the outer disciples.

    The elder leading the group struggled to keep his emotions under control and eventually formed a twisted grimace that vaguely resembled a smile.

    "Of course... sorry to bother you..." the elder calmly spoke with his fingers clenched into a tight fist.

    Xu Lu did not pay the man any more attention and stared off into the distance. She was still alert and prepared for any sudden moves but nothing happened.

    The elder simply told his disciples that they would be travelling to another rest point and then the group left the beach.

    Xu Lu let out a sigh of relief under her breath and waited until the footsteps faded off into the distance before she snuffed out the fire.

    She needed to act the way a saintess was expected to act. Saints and saintess were chosen as the future heads of cultivation ns.

    They were the proud sons and daughters of heaven and as such many of them believed themselves to be untouchable gods.

    Xu Lu hated that sort of arrogant and stuck up attitude but it was the role that she needed to y in order to convince the elder she was who she imed to be.

    The saintess kicked some sand over the still smoldering fire and her surroundings was plunged into darkness.

    Even though the group of cultivators had left... Xu Lu was taking no chances.

    She got up from the ground and headed towards the opposite direction.

    Cultivators did not need to eat, drink or rest but Xu Lu still liked to rx when night fell.

    It was a shame that she wouldn''t be able to enjoy lying down along the shore of the beach tonight.

    Suddenly a loud scream pierced through the air. Xu Lu immediately turned in the direction of the sound and then froze in ce.

    She could see a heavy plume of smoke rising upwards towards the sky. It was a clear sign that something was burning.

    Wait... wasn''t that where the group of disciples were heading?

    "ARGHHH!!!! NO!!! PLEASEE!"

    Another horrific scream joined the first one. It was a bloodcurdling cry that sent shivers down Xu Lu''s spine.

 Chapter 296 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (47)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Castmere Beach)

    Another loud piercing scream echoed through the beach. Xu Lu gripped her sword and kept looking in the direction of the noises.

    The fire that was raging in the distance had somehow gotten even bigger and orange sparks of me were now providing light in the darkness.

    Heavy clouds of smoke wafted upwards, and Xu Lu was pretty sure that if left unattended, that fire would definitely be arge-scale forest fire.

    "ARGHH!!!! HAVE MERCY I BEG..."

    Thest scream was cut off unnaturally and Xu Lu could hear the faint sound of gurgling as if the person making the noise had swallowed some water.

    No... it was most likely blood.

    Xu Lu gripped her sword with her feet frozen in ce. Should she go over there and investigate the situation?

    She didn''t know the disciples... they were random strangers. But she had rescued strangers in her previous lives... didn''t she?

    For a brief moment Xu Lu had a shback of riding on a horse while dressed in medieval armour.

    The memory surfaced for just a quick second but the emotions contained in the memory influenced her thoughts.

    She would go.

    Of course she did not n to rescue the disciples if the situation looked too dangerous but she wanted to investigate to see what was going on.

    Xu Lu lowered her stance slowly crept towards the source of the screams and therge mes that were burning the forest.

    She made sure to keep her footsteps light.

    Not a single sound could be heard when her feet touched the ground.

    The saintess even regted her breathing so that only a faint wisp of breath could be seen whenever she exhaled.

    It was much slower than simply walking or flying to the scene but Xu Lu was not going to take any chances.

    She wasn''t sure what would happen if she failed a mission and besides that...

    The original Xu Lu had given up her body in exchange for her wish being granted. If she failed to hold up her end of the bargain... then her sacrifice would be in vain.

    It took around seven minutes but Xu Lu eventually arrived at the edge of a clearing and witnessed a sight that was so horrific that she could not even move.

    Half of the disciples that she had encountered earlier were now lifeless corpses.

    Their arms, legs and other parts of their bodies had been separated by clean cuts.

    Judging from the pained and terrified expressions on their faces, this process had been done while they had been still alive.

    Elder Wei''s head had been nted on a spike in the middle of the clearing and his eyes were cloudy and unfocused.

    A roaring fire surrounded the entire southern part of the clearing and its mes grewrger andrger by the minute.

    An extremely handsome man with pale-skin, red eyes and wearing long ck robes stood quietly and observed the frightened disciples that were still alive.

    Xu Lu could sense the demonic aura surrounding his body even from a distance.

    It was possible that he was hiding some of his strength but even then... she estimated that he was in the upper echelon of the qi tide stage.

    Maybe even the void...

    The demon cultivator flicked his sword casually and one of the female disciples gasped in shock as a hole appeared in her chest.

    She spat out a mouthful of blood and then copsed. Only the faint rise and fall of her chest indicated that she was still somehow clinging to life.

    "Boring..." the demon cultivator muttered as he flicked his sword again and the female cultivator''s head was separated from her body.

    Now only eight disciples remained.

    "How about we make this interesting," the demon cultivator whispered in a seductive tone as he unfastened his robe and exposed his muscr chest.

    "Kill each other and I will let thest person left... live."

    (How original...)

    Xu Lu scoffed silently as she watched the demon cultivator y the most obvious torture tactic.

    Turn his victims against each other and watch the ensuing chaos.

    She didn''t like this.

    Those disciples were simply rude to her. It was not a crime that warranted death and she was sure that this demon cultivator''s victims were not limited to cultivators.

    No one could possess such a heavy aura of killing intent withoutmitting several massacres.

    He needed to be punished.

    The guilty must be judged.

    The saintess did not notice it at the time but for a brief moment her eyes shone with a golden luster.

    A faint echo of the vows that she had made during her life as a pdin of righteousness.

    Xu Lu unsheathed her de and waited for the perfect opportunity to strike.

    The disciples heard the demon cultivator''s words and conflicted looks appeared on their faces.

    "Are you crazy? We won''t... argh..." a brave male cultivator who spoke up was immediately interrupted as his neck was sliced apart.

    "Let me make this very simple for you," the demon cultivator spoke in a sing-song voice as he mocked the terrified disciples.

    "Kill each other and one person lives. Don''t follow my instructions and I will kill all of you."

    One of the female cultivators hung her head and her long ck hair draped over her face. Her hand clutched a dagger that was hidden in her robes and her fingers trembled slightly.

    She rushed forward and attempted to stab the disciple directly in front of her.

    That was the move that signalled the beginning of the end. The remaining disciples pulled out their weapons and attacked each other viciously.

    They just wanted to survive.

    The demon cultivator staring at them was a mountain that none of them could hope to face. Even if his words were simply lies... they had no other choice.

    One of the male disciples cried out in pain as a heavy chain wrapped around his neck.

    A female disciple coughed violently as a fist was driven into her stomach.

    All the bonds and ties of belonging to the same sect seemed to disappear as the disciples fought to survive.

    Friend against friend.

    Companion againstpanion.

    And the entire time, the demon cultivator watched with a sadistic smile on his face. He enjoyed the sight of hypocrisy.

    These so-called ''righteous'' cultivators may spit out pretty words and ideals but on the verge of death their true natures would always be revealed.

    Humans were inherently petty, selfish, and cruel.

    And he enjoyed punishing them.

    The demon cultivator opened his mouth to mock the disciples when a cold tingle ran down his spine.

    Wait... danger?

    He moved to the side just as a sword grazed the top of his head and cut off a few loose strands of hair.

    The attack was immediately followed up by something being thrown in his direction. The demon cultivator jumped away, but a tiny pillnded on the ground near his feet.

    The pill exploded and a toxin gas burst out of its shell. The gas brought tears to the demon cultivator''s eyes, and he found it difficult to breath.

    Xu Lu did not waste this opportunity.

    sh!

    The demon cultivator''s left arm was slicedpletely off.

 Chapter 297 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (48)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Castmere Beach)

    To the demon cultivator''s credit, he did not scream.

    The handsome man looked down at the bloody stump where his arm used to be, and a bemused smile shed across his face.

    "Good sneak attack!" he praised lightly.

    He snapped his fingers, and the missing flesh began to rapidly grow back until a new fully formed arm appeared.

    p¦Á§ád¦Á-¨¾?¦Í¨º|¡¤§ã¨®§® Xu Lu rushed forward and swung her sword at his neck. She was not interested in exchanging pleasantries with a mass murderer.

    The demon cultivator frowned and took a few steps backwards. His footsteps began to blur as he activated a movement technique.

    Suddenly his body split into multiple illusory copies.

    Each mirror image was virtually identical with no distinguishing marks or features between them.

    "Well... well... what will you do now?" the demon cultivator grinned as each copy reached into their storage bag and pulled out a long ck sword.

    The sword shone with an eerie light and the edges of des were stained with a foul smelling crimson liquid.

    "Run away!" Xu Lu shouted at the disciples as she cautiously stepped forward. The remaining disciples were initially frozen in shock but quickly responded to her words.

    They fled the scene.

    Not a single one offered to help.

    They even left behind a girl who was badly injured with blood slowly leaking out of an enormous hole in her stomach.

    The demon cultivatorughed madly, and his dark chuckles echoed through the surrounding area.

    "Do you see ''hero''?" the demon cultivator jeered mockingly.

    "They don''t care about you. They abandoned you immediately to save their own skin... I will make sure that you die cursing them."

    The demon cultivator swung his sword at Xu Lu and his five identical copies followed his movements as well.

    It was impossible to know which one was the real one but Xu Lu possessed a hidden ability that could be relied on.

    Her danger sense.

    After years ofbat experience, her body move automatically to respond to threats.

    It was a fighting instinct that could only be learnt if one had spent decades engaging in life and death struggles.

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and then closed her eyes. It looked like a suicidal move, but she had a n in mind.

    She spread out her spiritual senses and dodged the attacks that triggered her danger sense.

    She had no idea where these attacks wereing from but her body smoothly responded to the approaching threats.

    "Stop dodging and fight me!" the demon cultivator yelled in frustration as he stamped his feet on the ground almost like a child.

    His sword shes were smoothly dodged by just a hair''s breadth every time. It was like this female cultivator had eyes on the back of her head.

    How the hell was she fighting with her eyes closed?

    Suddenly the demon cultivator had an idea. He stopped attacking and ran towards the injured disciple who was barely breathing.

    He grabbed the disciple by her arm and hoisted her in front of his chest like a living shield. Oh... this was a good idea.

    The demon cultivator giggled to himself as he imagined the despair on the female cultivator''s face when she realised the choice in front of her.

    This mysterious cultivator was obviously someone who enjoyed meddling into other people''s business and ying hero.

    Would she still be able to fight if he used one of the people that she wanted to rescue as a shield?

    Of course not!

    Xu Lu slowly opened her eyes as she felt the threat vanish. She focused on the direction of heavy breathing and saw the demon cultivator smiling back at her.

    His mirror copies had disappeared leaving only the original behind.

    Held in his right hand was the body of one of the disciples and a de had been pressed against her neck.

    "Drop your sword and remove that mask," the demon cultivator hissed mockingly.

    "I want to see that pretty face of yours... hmmm... judging from your body... you must be a real beauty..."

    "I can''t wait to y with you..."

    He licked his lips and the de pressed against the injured disciple''s neck created a thin red line.

    Xu Lu gripped her sword tightly as dark emotions flooded her mind. The mere suggestion of removing her mask was enough to cause a mini panic attack.

    The original Xu Lu''s emotions were just too overwhelming. The demon cultivator continued to talk but the saintess was finding it difficult to breathe.

    She could not remove the mask...

    She could not remove the mask...

    SHE COULD NOT LET THEM SEE HOW HIDEOUS SHE WAS!

    Xu Lu gripped her left palm so tightly that her fingernails were driven into her flesh. Droplets of blood slowly dripped on the ground.

    The sharp pain was enough to pierce the mental fog that clouded her mind but only barely. She could still feel panic and fear at the very notion of her face being exposed.

    "Aww... are you getting frustrated?" the demon cultivator mocked as stared at Xu Lu with a confident grin on his face.

    He assumed that the female cultivator was gripping her fist in anger at his words but he could not be further from the truth.

    "Why are you doing this?" Xu Lu calmly spoke as she watched the handsome man for any opening or weak spots.

    His regenerative ability was quite impressive but a fatal attack should negate the effect of his regeneration.

    Can''t heal if he''s dead...

    "To show the world how fake you ''righteous'' cultivators are," the demon cultivator spat out angrily.

    "You people preach on about the ideals of justice, order, and morality but you are just selfish cowards! The world needs to see that! You don''t deserve your reputation."

    "Ahh... I suppose by murdering people you are standing on the side of themon folk?" Xu Lu replied with a sarcastic undertone to her voice.

    "You... you... little..." the demon cultivator stuttered and for the first time an expression of genuine anger shed across his face.

    Xu Lu''s words had gotten under his skin.

    He hated... he absolutely hated when people could not see his grand vision.

    His beliefs should not be mocked.

 Chapter 298 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (49)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Castmere Beach)

    "Self-righteous... arrogant little shit..." the demon cultivator whispered angrily. His fingers trembled ever so slightly as murderous intent leaked out of his body.

    He would kill her.

    He would kill that masked bitch and make her pay.

    Xu Lu let out a small sigh under her breath and lowered her stance.

    The demon cultivator was still holding the female disciple in his right hand with a sword pressed tightly against her neck.

    One small slip and her throat would be slit. The demon cultivator knew that. He thought that he had the advantage.

    He was wrong.

    "Let me tell you what you are..." Xu Lu hissed darkly as she took one small step forward while carefully maintaining her distance.

    "You are a hypocrite."

    "You im that you are on the side of ''justice'' just like the righteous cultivators that you hate... don''t you see the irony?"

    "You. Are. No. Better. Than. Them."

    Xu Lu''s voice trailed off into a low growl and a heavy pressure surrounded her body. This was not spiritual pressure but something else...

    Something dark... something hungry... something murderous...

    The saintess raised up her face and her eyes beneath her mask shone with a golden luster.

    The demon cultivator flinched as goosebumps appeared along the upper side of his arms.

    Fear. He felt afraid.

    He was prey standing before an apex predator.

    Xu Lu looked imposing but internally her mind was a mess. She began to hear strange iprehensible whispersing everywhere and nowhere all at once.

    Faint golden threads wrapped themselves around her body and moved from side to side with almost snake-like motions.

    One of the threads stretched out towards the demon cultivator who was frozen in fear. Xu Lu could do nothing but watch as the golden thread entered the man''s heart.

    Three hundred innocent mortals killed...

    Fifteen cultivators massacred all in the name of his grand crusade...

    Torture. Robbery. Assault. Muttion...

    Information about the sins that the demon cultivator hadmitted flowed into Xu Lu''s mind like a never-ending stream.

    It was too much.

    Xu Lu bit her tongue in order to prevent herself from screaming. This power felt familiar but it was... she didn''t know how to describe it but it felt...

    Ill-suited for her current body.

    She could feel her meridians straining under the intense pressure of the foreign energy flooding her body with divinity.

    Divinity?

    How did she know the name of this energy?

    Xu Lu summoned all the willpower that she had left and somehow managed to break the golden thread connecting her to the demon cultivator.

    She stumbled slightly and nearly copsed as the divinity inside her body immediately vanished as if this had all been a strange dream.

    Her eyes shifted from a bright golden colour to their usual dark brown.

    Xu Lu raised up her head and saw the demon cultivator still frozen in fear with beads of sweat running down his forehead.

    She did not miss this opportunity.<novelsnext>please visit </novelsnext>

    Her figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. She reappeared directly behind the demon cultivator and raised up her sword to attack.

    Reverse Constetion Style- Orion''s Arrow!

    The tip of Xu Lu''s sword glowed faintly and transparent stars wrapped around the hilt of her de.

    She stabbed forward and cleanly prated the demon cultivator''s neck. The handsome man gasped in shock and spat out a mouthful of blood.

    He tried to say something but the blood flowing out of the open wound in his neck prevented the air from reaching his lungs.

    Xu Lu twisted her de upwards and neatly sliced off the man''s head with one smooth strike.

    The demon cultivator''s corpse crashed to the ground motionless with an expression of shock mixed with horror still on his face.

    The saintess felt an overwhelming weakness flowing through her body as a wave of exhaustion hit her all at once.

    Every muscle screamed out in pain that she needed some rest. The saintess gritted her teeth and forced her exhausted body to move.

    She approached the still bleeding body of the female disciple and ced two fingers on the side of her neck.

    She was still alive.

    Xu Lu felt the female disciple''s pulse getting weaker and weaker with every passing second so she knew that she needed to act now.

    She reached into her storage bag and pulled out a small red pill along with a casual robe that she had stored.

    Xu Lu pushed the pill into the injured disciple''s mouth and used her hands to force the girl to chew on the pill.

    She then reached for the robe and without hesitation she began to tear off strips of the fabric to create make-shift bandages.

    Unfortunately, the medical technology of this world was quite underdeveloped. Which made sense considering that cultivators relied on pills or their natural healing abilities.

    Xu Lu wrapped the bandages around the open wound and applied a small amount of pressure to slow down the bleeding.

    It took around three minutes for the wound to finally begin to close and the female disciple''s breathing got stronger.

    Xu Lu removed the bandages and watched as the flesh around the wound started to wriggle and regenerate.

    She stood up from the ground and staggered as the corners of her vision turned dark. The female disciple was going to be okay, so she needed to leave here now.

    Xu Lu may have saved her and her fellow disciples but after the experiences that she had endured...

    She just could not trust cultivators.

    The saintess walked unsteadily through the forest for several minutes... although it could have been hours... she really didn''t know.

    Time lost all meaning as Xu Lu just ced one foot after the other in a mindless trek.

    The edges of her vision were nowpletely ck and the darkness was slowly spreading.

    Finally, she spotted something in the distance. A small cave hidden beneath a cliff whose entrance was partially concealed by a thorny nt.

    Xu Lu wandered over to the cave and slowly pushed aside the nt. The sharp thorns tore her robe and left small scars on her flesh but she did not care.

    The saintess was alert as she entered the cave since she needed to be prepared to face whoever or whatever was upying it.

    Fortunately... there was no one.

    The interior of the cave was around the size of a small apartment and there were no visible traces of life.

    No animal droppings, no traces of fire, no clothes... nothing.

    Xu Lu wanted to inspect every part of the cave but her body finally gave out.

    She slumped to the ground and was only vaguely aware of the small squeaking noise that came from the pocket of her robe.

    The saintess blinked twice but could not fight off the sleepiness that was just too overwhelming to refuse.

    She tried to open her eyes for a final time, but it was no use. Xu Lu slipped off into dreand while lying down on the cold hard floor of the cave.

 Chapter 299 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (50)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Unnamed Cave)

    Drip... drip... drip...

    Drip... drip... drip...

    Xu Lu shifted around ufortably as she felt something cold hitting her body over and over again without stopping.

    She slowly opened her eyes and found herself lying down on a cold hard floor with rocks pressed up against the underside of her body.

    Water was flowing down from the tip of the stctites that hung from the ceiling of the cave and the dropletsnded right on her face.

    The saintess got up immediately and looked around to see where she was. It took a few moments for Xu Lu in her addled state to remember how exactly she got here.

    Oh yeah... the demon cultivator... the disciples... the...

    Wait... how did she defeat the demon cultivator?

    Xu Lu had vague memories of a strange power flowing through her body but her memories of the fight were blurry and hard to recall.

    The saintess rubbed her temples as she felt the dull throb of a painful headache. Her body was still sore and honestly... it hurt to move.

    She walked slowly towards the deeper part of the cave where fortunately there were no pools of water.

    There was nothing to start a fire with so Xu Lu used a heating technique and a small burst of me erupted from her fingertips.

    The warmth that the fire provided was not enough to befortable but at least she would be able to get some warmth in this cold ce.

    Crack!

    A blinding sh of light briefly illuminated the interior of the cave which was then followed by a thunderous boom that shook the ground itself.

    Xu Lu nced towards the entrance of the cave and saw that it was now beginning to rain quite heavily.

    And to make matters worse... her heating technique stopped working as she sensed that her qi was somehow being funnelled into her dantian without her permission.

    Great... just great...

    Xu Lu let out a heavy sigh under her breath and then sat down on the ground. She leaned against the wall and focused on slowly breathing to calm down her mood.

    She did remember one thing about the fight.

    The intense sense of panic that she got when the demon cultivator threatened to remove her mask.

    That was a fatal weakness.

    The mask covering her face was not invulnerable and more importantly... the mere thought of the mask being removed was enough for her body to undergo a panic attack.

    If that happened in the heat of battle again...

    Xu Lu wasn''t sure if she would be so lucky next time. She needed to find a way to ovee this trauma but...

    It was easier said than done.

    When Sui Li had inherited this body from the original Xu Lu, she also got her emotions and was influenced by her personality.

    This meant that she knew that logically she should be able to fight without caring if her mask was removed or not but in practice...

    Her body would subconsciously move in ways to protect her face. It was a habit that Xu Lu had observed during her fights so far.

    The saintess took in another deep breath and slowly raised up her fingers to the edges of her mask.

    Her fingers trembled violently the closer she got to the silvery-grey material that was covering most of her facial features.

    (Covering the monster she had be)<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    (You''re a hideous disgusting little freak...)

    (Gross! Gross! Look at you... do you really think you deserve to be the saintess?)

    Xu Lu gasped for breath as she felt as though a heavy weight was pressing down on her chest and preventing her from taking in air.

    She forced herself to continue... she needed to face this... she needed to ovee...

    (What do you think Cami would think of your appearance?)

    Xu Lu froze in shock just as her fingers touched the edge of the mask. Thatst voice... it didn''t belong to the original Xu Lu... it belonged to her.

    Was she being too affected by living in this body?

    The saintess was shaken and eventually her fingers slipped away from the mask and went back down to her sides.

    "Fuck!" Xu Lu yelled in irritation as she mmed her fist against the wall with so much force that arge crack appeared in the stone.

    "You seem to be quite irritated young one," a gentle voice came from somewhere in the cave.

    Xu Lu immediately took out her sword from her storage bag and unsheathed the de. She nervously looked around her immediate surroundings for any signs of intruders.

    Why had she not sensed anything?

    "Rx... I am incapable of harming you..." the voice chuckled lightly.

    Xu Lu could clearly hear the bemusement in the voice''s tone as if this was all just one big game to them.

    "Where are you? Show yourself..." Xu Lu calmly replied as she lowered her stance and held her weapon firmly in her hands.

    There was a vague shimmer and then a woman stepped out of thin air. She smiled at Xu Lu who looked at her with a wary expression.

    The woman''s body waspletely translucent. She resembled a ghost and in fact... her feet were floating slightly above the ground.

    "What are you?" Xu Lu asked cautiously as she took a step back and maintained her distance with the stranger.

    "My name is Tan Yahui... I am a weapon spirit," the woman replied with a small smile as she bowed her head.

    Wait... was that possible?

    The chance of a weapon spirit forming was extremely rare. Weapons spirits as the name suggested were weapons with an ego or will.

    They were immensely powerful tools that would enhance a cultivator''s strength by leaps and bounds.

    However... there was always a price to be paid.

    And the weapons themselves were the ones who were able to choose their masters.

    "Well it is nice to meet you but... what do you want with me?" Xu Lu asked curiously as she slightly rxed her guard.

    The weapon spirit smiled and snapped her fingers. A hole opened up in the ground and a small wooden box slowly rose upwards.

    The box opened and Xu Lu saw a small ck knife inside the chest. The knife was only the size of her palm, but it glowed eerily in the darkness.

    Intricate golden runes had been carved onto the edge of the de and the weapon itself throbbed with power.

    "Those who wield my weapon will be granted the power to see the flow of time and the destiny that awaits them," Tan Yahui cheerfully spoke.

    "And it is destiny that has brought you to this cave... and to me."

    "You... you want me to wield this knife?" Xu Lu''s eyes widened in shock as she heard about the weapon''s overpowered ability.

    "Oh, heaven''s no!" the weapon spirit quickly replied.

    "I want you to bring me to my real master! She is currently a member of your sect."

 Chapter 300 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (51)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Unnamed Cave)

    "Sorry?" Xu Lu asked in a puzzled tone.

    The weapon spirit crossed her arms and let out a heavy sigh. For someone who was technically a man-made artifact and whose body was translucent...

    She was surprisingly human-like.

    "I thought that I was being pretty clear... I would like you to take me back to your sect so that I can bond with my true master," Tan Yahui exined calmly.

    "And why do you think I would do that?" Xu Lu replied with a bemused smile hidden under her mask.

    "Because I can see the future and I end up in the hands of my master!" the weapon spirit eximed passionately.

    "I read the threads of fate and they have bonded me together with a woman of great importance! She will shake the cultivation world as the true daughter of heavens."

    "Sounds impressive," Xu Lu mused thoughtfully as she stared at the carefully crafted dagger with curiosity clearly visible in her gaze.

    The dagger itself had a mesmerizing quality to it.

    Somehow her eyes were drawn to its sleek glossy exterior and the intricate golden runes that had been carved onto the edge of the de.

    "So, can you see my future as well?" Xu Lu asked softly as she picked up the chest and weighed it in her palm.

    The box was surprisingly heavy even though the main source of weight should be the small knife that was resting gently inside.

    "Sorry but I can only see the future of my master and the ones that she will affect. Your story does not cross her path after you hand me over," Tan Yahui truthfully confessed.

    "Hmm... fair enough..." Xu Lu closed the lid of the chest and spoke with a hint of regret in her voice.

    She was tempted to take the dagger for herself, but weapons spirits were the ones who chose their masters, and it didn''t seem to right to forcefully use something that had free will.

    "Okay I will take you back to the sect," Xu Lu finally spoke after thinking over the matter for a few minutes.

    Since she would not have any future interactions with the so-called master of this knife then she would simply do this as a good deed.

    "Thanks!" Tan Yahui happily spoke. The weapon spirit dove inside the chest and was sucked inside the knife.

    The chest suddenly warmed up and Xu Lu could feel a pulsating heat travelling up her palm and into her body.

    She ced the chest inside her storage bag and then turned around to look outside. The downpour of rain had now slowed down to a light drizzle.

    The morning sun was beginning to peak over the horizon and thin rays of sunlight managed to prate the inside of the cave.

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She still felt very tired but it was best to get a move on and continue her journey.

    The saintess slowly walked outside and flinched slightly as a bright ray of sunlight fell directly on her face.

    The trees in the forest were soaked after a long night of heavy rainfall which made them seem vibrant and full of life.

    Xu Lu smiled slightly as she saw cute little frogs ying around in the small pools beneath the brushes and undergrowth.

    At least some animals were having a good time.

    She hummed softly under her breath as she made her way through the forest in a north eastern direction.

    So many things had happened in thest twenty-four hours that Xu Lu was finding it hard to keep track.

    She had killed a demon cultivator, rescued a bunch of rude disciples, used a strange power, met a weapon spirit, nearly had a panic attack...<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    And damn... it wasn''t even Wednesday yet!

    Xu Luughed internally at her little joke and focused on stepping over the muddy pools of water that were scattered across the ground.

    Speaking of that panic attack... Xu Lu clicked her tongue as her good mood immediately soured.

    She needed to immediately deal with this body''s trauma regarding her face but she could tell that it was not going to be an easy process.

    Life was not a fairy tale.

    As much as people say that it is what is on the inside that matters... they are really lying.

    Looks were importantly in forming good first impressions.

    Xu Lu couldpletely understand why the original Xu Lu''s confidence and self-esteem disappeared when her face was destroyed.

    It would not have helped that her mentor, the woman who had raised her since she was a little baby called her a monster and a freak.

    Cultivators were known for their beauty and handsome looks.

    It did not take a genius to realise that if her face was exposed... she would be made fun of or mocked.

    Those jealous of her position or cultivation talent would seize on the opportunity to attack something that she could not fix.

    Xu Lu''s fingers clenched into a tight fist as a surge of anger briefly surfaced in her heart.

    If she was Sui Li or Mary, then she would not have given a fuck about what other people thought but being in Xu Lu''s body had affected her emotions.

    Hiss! Hiss!

    A loud noise snapped Xu Lu out of her low mood.

    She looked in the direction of the sound and saw two snakes wrapped around each other and rubbing their bodies together quite vigorously.

    "Get a room you two!" Xu Lu cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled. She felt better being able to vent her anger in a harmless way towards the two snakes.

    Was it a childish method? Yeah!

    But it made her feel good.

    The snakes suddenly stopped wriggling, and both turned simultaneously to look at Xu Lu. The saintess froze in shock since she didn''t expect the animals to understand her words.

    The snakes transformed piece by piece until a pair of seductive men wearing no clothes appeared standing upright with no shame or modesty.

    The men appeared to be normal humans but possessed long hollow fangs in their mouths and their eyes resembled that of snakes with vertical pupils.

    "Listen honey... we don''t tell you how to live your life," one of the men angrily spoke as his pupils dted.

    "And this is our home! So, fuck off!" the other man added in a stern tone as he wrapped his arms around his lover.

    "Sorry my bad... I err... will just leave you to it then..." Xu Lu stuttered while feeling slightly embarrassed.

    How was she supposed to know that these were snakes who had somehow gained enough cultivation experience to transform into human forms?

    The saintess backed away slowly while the two handsome men continued to look at her with displeased expressions on their faces.

    Xu Lu gave the pair a wide berth and then apologised one more time before continuing on her journey through the forest.

    This time... she no longer talked to the animals!

 Chapter 301 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (52)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province)

    "So how does your ability work? Can you see the future as a fixed series of events or just the possible timelines?" Xu Lu asked softly as she stretched out her arms and let out a small yawn.

    "Or is your ability kind of like a self-fulfilling prophecy? When you see something that future is guaranteed toe to pass..."

    "Hello? Hello?"

    The wooden box in her palm did not respond to her words. If anyone happened to see what she was doing right now...

    They would probably think that she had gone mad.

    "Fine... don''t say anything," Xu Lu grumbled as she tucked the box away in her storage bag and continued on her journey.

    The weapon spirit had not said a word to her since she had offered to take it back to the Holy Sword Sect to find its true master.

    How rude!

    "At least I got you little buddy," Xu Lu whispered sweetly as she raised up her hand and yed with the white mouse currently lying downzily on her head.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The little mouse cried out happily as it nuzzled against Xu Lu''s fingertips and gently nibbled on the side of her palm.

    It then climbed down from the top of Xu Lu''s robe and dove into her pocket. The saintess chuckled softly as she dropped some treats inside the pocket for her pet to enjoy.

    The sun was shining brightly in the sky and one could hear birds chirping merrily in the forest.

    Several weeks had passed since she had left the capital city of the Xercopolis Empire and Xu Lu was enjoying the solitary journey that she was undertaking.

    Being in the sect made her feel trapped but out here in the wild... she felt at peace.

    There was a primordial beauty to nature that was hard to describe in words.

    Still... it was not like she had no human contact. In fact Xu Lu would asionally stop at the viges and small towns that she passed along the way to talk to the locals.

    She would not reveal her identity as a cultivator and although some were suspicious, her easy-going nature convinced them that she was just a simple traveler.

    Well as simple as one could be with a silvery-grey mask covering her face...

    Xu Lu hummed softly under her breath and looked towards the horizon. She could see arge plume of smoke slowly wafting upwards into the air.

    That was strange...

    Xu Lu''s footsteps paused for a moment, and she began to proceed far more carefully than before.

    Her spiritual senses did not detect any danger, but her instincts were warning her that something peculiar was going on.

    There as arge hill blocking the area where the smoke wasing from so Xu Lu walked around the hill to get a better look.

    She saw a small vige on the other side with hundreds of wooden houses. The residents of the vige wore simple clothing made from hemp and other grassy materials.

    The residents seemed quite healthy albeit a bit on the skinny side. Xu Lu reached into her pocket for a map and checked her current location.

    Hmm... this vige wasn''t marked on the map but... that wasn''t too surprising considering that information could not easily travel around the continent.

    The giant plume of smoke wasing from the centre of the vige where an enormous fire burned brightly inside several pits filled with pieces of dried wood.

    Severalrge chunks of meat had been ced on wire racks above the fire and were slowly cooking.

    asionally the women of the vige woulde forwards and sprinkle what appeared to be dried herbs and spices onto the meat.

    It was a rather simple way of cooking and yet Xu Lu found her mouth watering at the appetizing smell.

    "Hello... do you want toe join our festival?" a melodic voice sweetly asked.

    Xu Lu quickly turned her head in the direction of the sound and what she saw left her frozen in ce.

    A beautiful woman was standing there. She had olive coloured skin and wore a rough outfit made out of hemp.

    It was a cheap attire but somehow she made it work.

    And her face...

    Gentle facial features, sharp cheekbones, a warm smile and piercing grey eyes that shone with kindness and mercy.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She was perfect.

    Xu Lu ce a hand on her chest and felt her heart skip a beat. She hadn''t felt this way since... since...

    Cami.

    Xu Lu''s eyes widened as a terrible sense of guilt flooded in mind. What the hell was she thinking?

    She swore to Cami that she would never find another lover and yet here she was in a different world thinking that another woman was attractive.

    "Sorry... sorry... I''m just passing by," Xu Lu stuttered nervously as she tried her best to push down the conflicting feelings that were rising up in her chest.

    Why was she feeling this way?

    This person was good looking, but she was aplete stranger!

    Why did she feel so... familiar...

    "Oh! Wow!" the beautiful woman pped her hands together and looked at Xu Lu with excitement and genuine interest.

    "Are you a famous explorer?"

    "No... I''m a cultivator... I''m returning to my sect after a mission," Xu Lu confessed truthfully.

    A look of surprise shed across her face since she wasn''t expecting to tell this strange woman her true identity.

    Somehow it had just slipped out.

    "A cultivator? Oh no! Please forgive my rudeness!" the beautiful woman hastily spoke as she bent her legs and prepared to kneel.

    Before her knees could touch the ground, Xu Lu quickly rushed forward and grabbed her hands to steady her body.

    "You don''t need to bow... I didn''t take any offence," Xu Lu immediately exined as she tried to reassure the woman that she was not a threat.

    Xu Lu''s mind was in such a mess that she did not notice that although the beautiful woman sounded afraid...

    Not a single trace of that fear could be seen in her eyes.

    "I''m sorry if I''m being a bit presumptuous...dy cultivator but I..." the beautiful woman''s words were cut off as Xu Lu''s hastily chimed in.

    "No! You can call me Xu Lu!" the saintess spoke up.

    A puzzled expression shed across the beautiful woman''s face as she was forced to revaluate the mysterious cultivator in front of her.

    She did not act like a typical cultivator.

    There was no arrogance in her demeanor or a sense that she thought that she was better than everyone else.

    But at the end of the day... that did not matter. Cultivators were all the same... greedy selfish monsters that yed and toyed with the lives of mortals.

    They saw themselves as gods.

    Rulers of the world with powers that made it impossible for ordinary people to stand against them.

    "Xu Lu..." the beautiful woman slowly spoke.

    "Can you tell me more about yourself? I''ve always enjoyed hearing my mother tell me stories about cultivators."

    "Is it true that you all live in golden pces above the clouds? That you canmand the seas with a single whisper?"

    The beautiful woman moved closer until her body was practically pushed up against the saintess.

    For once Xu Lu was grateful for the mask that was covering her face since she was sure that her cheeks must be burning bright red.

    "Well, those rumors are a bit exaggerated, but some cultivators are indeed powerful," Xu Lu replied in a low whisper as she tried not to disy the nervousness in her voice.

    "I am the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect but... I don''t live in a golden pce... in fact my home is a simple wooden shack."

    "It sounds strange but... cultivation is about giving up on worldly desires... at least that''s what my master taught me."

    The saintess of the Holy Sword Sect?

    A small smile shed across the beautiful woman''s face as she looked at the female cultivator with dark thoughts running through her mind.

 Chapter 302 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (53)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province- Unnamed Vige)

    "Xu Lu¡­ oh! I almost forgot!" the beautiful woman giggled softly, and Xu Lu found herself mesmerised by her bell-likeughter.

    "I haven''t even introduced myself¡­ my name is Jiang Xin."

    The gorgeous woman smiled gently, and Xu Lu felt her heart skip another beat. She was just so¡­ so¡­ pretty¡­

    The saintess didn''t understand why she was feeling this way. She thought that her heart belonged to Cami forever.

    No¡­ stop it¡­ you swore an oath!

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and curled up her fingers into a tight fist.

    Her fingernails pierced the soft fleshy underside of her palm and thin droplets of blood flowed down her hand.

    "It is a pleasure to meet you Jiang Xin," Xu Lu politely replied as she tried her best to keep her emotions out of her voice.

    "Lady cultivator¡­ sorry¡­ I mean Xu Lu¡­ would you like to experience our humble vige festival?" Jiang Xin asked cheerfully.

    Xu Lu wanted to refuse but something about the mortal woman''s piercing grey eyes convinced her to subconsciously nod her head.

    She wanted to stay.

    She needed to stay and spend more time with this woman.

    It sounded ridiculous but Xu Lu found herself drawn to thisplete stranger even though every rational and logic thought in her mind told her that this was a mistake.

    Jiang Xu walked up to the saintess and grabbed her hand. Xu Lu was startled by her sudden move and the grin on the beautiful girl''s face got even wider.

    "Allow me to show you around," Jiang Xin sweetly spoke.

    She led Xu Lu towards the vige while consciously suppressing the dark urges of the power that flowed through her body.

    It wanted to strip this female cultivator of her power.

    Leave her helpless¡­ weak¡­ and unable to use the strength that she wrongfully stole from the heavens.

    Jiang Xin''s smile never broke but her grey pupils trembled slightly as she fought down the urge to activate her ability.

    Xu Lu did not notice her struggles since she was too focused on the soft palm that was wrapped tightly around her hand.

    What was she doing?

    Okay¡­ well¡­ there was no harm in checking out the festival for a few hours and then continuing on her journey¡­ right?

    Xu Lu shook her head and tried to throw those distracting thoughts to the back of her mind. She looked around and discovered that they were already at the vige''s entrance.

    The vige was a humble one.

    The buildings and houses were made from a mixture of wood, y, and other materials from the surrounding forest.

    The homes looked sturdy enough and there were no visible signs of disrepair or cracks which meant that they were regrly maintained.

    There were children running around the outskirts of the vige ying a game with a ball made from fur that had been stitched together in the shape of a circle.

    In the middle of the vige, she saw the firepits and the wire racks that hung just above the roaring mes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The meat on the wires had now turned into a golden-brown colour and she could hear the sizzling of fat and spices.

    "Oh Jiang Xin! You''re back! Who is this guest?" a kind middle-aged woman waring a simple grass dress approached the pair.

    "Hi! Chief Lin! This is my friend Xu Lu¡­ she''s a wandering traveler so I offered to show her around the vige," Jiang Xin replied nonchntly.

    The leader of the vige nodded her head and did not ask any more questions. Xu Lu paid attention to the interaction, and she found the conversation a bit strange.

    Why was the vige chief sofortable with lettingplete strangers into her vige without a fuss?

    Was she simply too trusting?

    Or was it because she possessed a confidence that her people would be able to deal with any threats.

    Hmm¡­ it was probably the former.

    These people lived in the middle of a dense jungle and probably barely interacted with the outside world.

    Still¡­ they should be more cautious.

    There were plenty of dangerous cultivators out there who would not hesitate to take advantage of their kindness.

    "Looks like the meat isn''t ready yet so I''ll show you around the vige," Jiang Xin suddenly spoke as she leaned closer and rubbed her shoulders against Xu Lu''s side.

    Her body felt soft and warm.

    It was a simr feeling to how Cami felt except this beautiful woman had a slender physique while her vampire lover of a previous life was more¡­ voluptuous.

    "Sure¡­ sure¡­" Xu Lu stuttered nervously as she felt as though electric tingles were running along where Jiang Xin touched her body.

    If the beautiful woman noticed her nervousness, then she did not show it on her face as she led Xu Lu deeper into the vige.

    "So over here is the town square¡­ we gather there every night to talk, dance, sing and spend time together," Jiang Xin pointed at arge open space in the corner of the vige.

    There were wooden chairs, a few tables and even a neat stack of tes made from what looked like red y.

    "Old Man Won runs a cksmith shop there¡­. Lin Yun our vige elder in charge of schooling usually teaches her lessons under that old tree¡­"

    The vige was not particrlyrge, so it only took Jiang Xin around twenty minutes to show Xu Lu all the notable sights.

    The tour was asionally interrupted by the residents of the vige walking up to Jiang Xin and speaking to her in friendly manner.

    Xu Lu noticed that they also spoke with a hint of respect in their voices. Clearly Jian Xin was a valued member of themunity.

    "And¡­ finally¡­ this is my house¡­" Jiang Xin''s footsteps slowed down as she led Xu Lu towards a very modest building.

    The building''s walls had been made from y and the roof of the home was built from a mixture of dried straw and palm leaves all tied together.

    "I know that it may not be able topare to the splendor that you are used to in your golden pce but¡­" Jiang Xin''s voice trailed off as she appeared to be slightly upset.

    "No! No! You shouldn''t be ashamed! Like I said earlier¡­ I actually don''t live in a pce!" Xu Lu quickly spoke up as she tried to reassure the girl that she didn''t mind the sight.

    "Really? Would you like toe inside and see my home?" Jiang Xin asked softly with her face turned away so that the female cultivator would not see her expression.

    "Of course!" Xu Lu replied immediately.

    Jiang Xin walked forward and opened the door to her home. She stepped inside and Xu Lu followed behind her.

 Chapter 303 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (54)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province)

    The interior of Jiang Xin''s home was incredibly simple and yet there was a sense of warmth andfort.

    Inside the building Xu Lu could see a few carpets on the ground made from the hide of animals such as deer, cattle, and some others whose fur she could not recognise.

    There was a small bed in the corner of the room along with a shelve, a firepit with a metal pan hanging from a wire above it and a¡­. statue?

    "Oh? That''s an interesting¡­" Xu Lu''s voice trailed off as she realised something.

    The statue in the corner of the room was a miniature version of the one that she had seen in the desert.

    The statue was obviously much smaller, but it was also carved from what looked like obsidian and depicted a kneeling figure.

    The figure''s facial features seemed to change ever so slightly with every passing second so that it was impossible to tell if it was supposed to be a man, woman, elder or child.

    "What''s wrong?" Jiang Xin asked curiously as she saw that the female cultivator appeared to be frozen in ce.

    "No¡­nothing¡­ I¡­ where did you get that statue?" Xu Lu stammered slightly as she could feel something strange about this situation.

    "That statue? I carved it myself¡­ my dad was a sculptor," Jiang Xin proudly replied as she walked up to the kneeling figure and touched it reverently.

    There was something off about her movements that Xu Lu just could not put her finger on.

    She talked as if she created the statue and yet¡­ the saintess could not see any callouses on her palms or any signs that she was used to hard work.

    Maybe she had good skin?

    Xu Lu pushed those suspicions to the back of her mind, but the seeds of doubt had already been nted.

    Subconsciously she began to create a subtle distance between herself and the incredibly beautiful vige girl.

    "Can you tell me more about your daily life as a cultivator?" Jiang Xin broke the awkward atmosphere in the room with a simple question.

    She walked over to her bed and sat down on the simple mattress. Her right leg trembled slightly as she leaned forward in anticipation.

    She appeared to be genuinely interested in Xu Lu''s life in the Holy Sword Sect which the saintess supposed was quite normal.

    Most mortals dreamed of bing cultivators.

    The world of immortality was so far removed from their daily lives that they saw cultivators as gods.

    Some mortals even worshiped cultivators hoping to gain protection or blessings.

    As far as Xu Lu knew there were no techniques that allowed one to transfer or manipte luck but that did not stop certain cultivators from enjoying the offerings and sacrifices.

    "Hmm¡­ where do I begin¡­" Xu Lu slowly spoke as she leaned against a nearby wall and stared directly at Jiang Xin.

    Once again, she was blown away by just how pretty the young girl was. No¡­ she needed to stop thinking those kinds of thoughts.

    First of all, she had sworn to Cami to never have another lover and more importantly she was mentally over one hundred years old if you counted all of her previous lives together.

    Why was she feeling like a love-struck teenager?

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and then gently exhaled.

    She tried her best to bury those feelings inside her heart and just speak to the vige girl with a calm andposed tone.

    The saintess opened her mouth and began to speak about her normal routines,<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Honestly¡­ cultivation is quite the boring process. You meditate in istion, practice your weapon techniques, and read books on how to reach enlightenment."

    "I live on an isted mountain peak with my master but honestly she rarely shows up and that is probably for the best."

    "In the mornings I wake up¡­ go down to the river and practice my qi gathering technique for most of the day and then swing my sword from the afternoon tote in the evening."

    "Then I sleep for the night and the whole process starts over again. Every single day¡­ the same routine."

    Geez¡­ when she put it like that.

    Cultivation really sucked!

    That sequence of events had been such a regrly routine when she was in the Holy Sword Sect that Xu Lu had not even realised how boring it all was.

    For thest couple of months, she had basically been on autopilot mode trying to raise her cultivation level as quickly as possible.

    No wonder some people in the sect called her a hermit.

    She was basically a shut-in NEET!

    "Do you not go outside in the mortal world to let off steam? I know some cultivators like to visit and¡­ ''y''¡­" Jiang Xin whispered softly.

    She stressed the word ''y'' and there was a faint tinge of bitterness and hatred to her voice that was so subtle that Xu Lu missed it.

    "No. The only times that I have gone outside were for missions because as the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect I must set an example for the other disciples," Xu Lu exined calmly.

    "Most of my time is spent devoted to training so I have little to spare for any recreation or hobbies."

    "I see¡­" Jiang Xin raised an eyebrow and replied quietly.

    For a brief moment an expression of disbelief shed across her face before she got her emotions under control.

    She could not believe it.

    This female cultivator was the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect. She had met other proud saints and saintess from third and second tier cultivation sects.

    Without exception they were all arrogant monsters. Even among gods, these men and women had been told that they were special.

    Not a single one was a good person and Jiang Xin found it hard to believe that the saintess from one of the most powerful sects on the continent would be any different.

    Perhaps she was wearing a mask to hide her true nature much like the one that covered her face¡­

    Jiang Xin took in a deep breath and hid one of her arms behind her back. She was wearing a simple hemp dress, so she didn''t want her dark tattoos to be exposed.

    The power inside her body was hungry. It wanted to take back what the female cultivator in front of her had stolen from the heavens.

    "Are you okay? Your face seems a bit pale," Xu Lu asked with concern evident in her voice as she noticed that Jiang Xin appeared to be sweating.

    "Yes¡­ I''m fine sorry it can just get a little bit hot in here," Jiang Xinughed cheerfully as she stood up and walked towards the door.

    "Speaking of which¡­ I think it is time for the feast to begin!"

    The beautiful vige girl quickly changed the subject of the conversation and walked forward while gesturing for Xu Lu to follow behind.

    Golden rays of sunlight fell down on her body as she cheerfully walked through the vige.

    The light illuminated her soft, gentle facial features and Xu Lu found herself mesmerised by the woman whose appearance resembled that of a goddess.

 Chapter 304 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (55)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province)

    "Please have more! Have more!" a kind elderly woman with a slightly plump body walked over to Xu Lu and handed over arge te of food.

    "You look so skinny! Listen girl you need more food! Take! Take!"

    Everything looked incredibly delicious.

    The skin of the meat was a crispy golden-brown colour, juices pooled below the meat, and one could smell a delicious scent of herbs and spices.

    Fresh green vegetables were served alongside the meat and in the corner of the te she could see a rice-like substitute with a sugary scent.

    The entire vige was here for the celebration.

    Old and young. Men and women.

    The hunters and the homemakers.

    It was an event that involved all the residents of this small town.

    Everywhere that Xu Lu looked she could see wide smiles and happy expressions. There was a real sense ofmunity in this isted vige which she supposed made sense.

    When you lived far away from the rest of civilisation in the jungle, internal conflict would threaten the survival of the entire group.

    Xu Lu took a few steps to the side and narrowly avoided a group ofughing children who nearly barreled straight into her body.

    "Can''t catch me! Can''t catch me!" a young girl no older than ten yelled as she was being chased by two young boys.

    "I''ll get you Qin Da! Then you''ll be the one with the stinky touch!" one of the boys cried out as he stretched out his hands to grab her.

    "Nah! You are the stinky one! Stinky! Stink!" the girl replied mischievously as she darted behind a woman who looked like her mother.

    A small smile shed across Xu Lu''s face as she watched the warm scene. Those kids reminded her of her little cousins during her life as Sui Li.

    Those mischievous brats...

    Sometimes she would wonder what they were doing now. Would they still remember her? Or would her death fade with the passing of time.

    Xu Lu shook her head and tossed those unpleasant thoughts to the back of her mind. There was no point in lingering on the past.

    She had made her decision and she did not regret it.

    Well...she did regret it just a little bit but there was no other choice.

    It was the only way to kill the monster that had stolen her brother''s body.

    Besides... maybe it turned out for the best.

    Xu Lu felt a light touch on her arm and looked down to see Jiang Xin staring at her with a cheerful glint in her grey eyes.

    "Not going to eat?" Jiang Xin asked curiously as she pointed at therge te of food in Xu Lu''s hand that was untouched.

    "Oh... I''m just saving it forter..." Xu Lu replied nervously as her fingers subconsciously touched the corner of her mask.

    "It looks delicious, so I want to enjoy it during the rest of my journey."

    "I''ll let the chefs know about your kind words," Jiang Xin smiled as she leaned closer until her head rested on Xu Lu''s shoulder.

    For once the disguised expression that she wore on her face slipped for just a moment. This female cultivator... her body felt warm.

    Leaning against her... for a brief second Jiang Xin had the illusion that she had done this act many times in the past.

    But that was clearly nonsense.

    She would never interact with one of those arrogant monsters unless it served a purpose towards her greater goal.

    The eradication of all cultivators.

    "I''m sure you have seen better celebrations than this one on your travels," Jiang Xin suddenly spoke to change the subject.

    "I have seen grander ones but... there is something special about the warmth and intimacy of a festival in a small vige," Xu Lu thoughtfully replied.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Everyone knows everyone. It may sound a bit like a clich?? but as an outsider... you all seem like one big happy family."

    "I think in the cities... it is a bit different. It''s hard to find a human connection or a shared sense ofmunity."

    Jiang Xin looked startled as she didn''t expect to hear such a mature answer.

    Why would the saintess of arge sect care about a sense ofmunity when she was used to being worshipped and adored?

    Bang! Bang!

    Jiang Xin opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by a loud booming noiseing from the corner of the square.

    Several of the vige men arrived holdingrge drums made from deer skin stretched over wooden vessels.

    These instruments looked fairly simple but judging from the sounds that they could produce, Xu Lu was sure that skilled craftsmanship was needed to make one.

    Bang! Bang! Bang!

    The men began to vigorously beat the drums and soon the celebratory atmosphere got even wilder than before.

    "Oh, this is my favourite part!" Jiang Xin happily spoke as she leaned forward and watched as arge circle was cleared out in the centre of the square.

    Several pairs of men and women walked in the middle of the circle and began to dance with their bodies pressed up tightly against one another.

    The dance was passionate and fierce.

    Xu Lu pped along as the men raised up their partners in the air before letting them fall and catching them at thest moment.

    She was so preupied by the dance that she didn''t notice a very handsome young man approaching.

    "Excuse me," the man spoke in a deep baritone voice.

    "May I have the honour of this dance? Jiang Xin from the moment you returned to us... I remembered our childhood days..."

    The handsome man with a simple smile continued to talk and Xu Lu could feel her heart slowly drop.

    She didn''t know why but she suddenly had the urge to run through this man''s stomach with her sword.

    Why was she feeling this way?

    Xu Lu didn''t say anything but nervously looked at Jiang Xin hoping to see her refuse the offer and tell the strange man to get lost.

    The man continued to talk for a solid five minutes about their shared history and childhood spent together all the while Jiang Xin looked at him with a cheerful expression on her face.

    Xu Lu could no longer focus on the dancing happening in the circle as her attention was now fully directed at what was going on in front of her.

    "Sorry," Jiang Xin finally spoke up and interrupted the man.

    "I''m not interested in any rtionship right now."

    The cheerful smile on her face did not change but Xu Lu could swear that a sh of irritation briefly surfaced in her eyes.

    Well... maybe that was her delusion...

    The man coughed awkwardly and then made up an excuse and left. He was not the only one to try.

    Xu Lu watched with increasing unhappiness as more men from the vige came to propose a dance to Jiang Xin who would continue to politely decline them.

    Still, that did not deter the prospective suitors. If anything, the challenge seemed to attract them to at leaste and make an attempt.

    Xu Lu could understand exactly how they were feeling. Jiang Xin had looks that matched those of immortal female cultivators.

    No... her beauty surpassed that of immortals. No one else in the universe looked as pretty as she did.

    She was a prize.

    "Listen why don''t you give me a chance and I promise..." another man tried to change Jiang Xin''s mind but now Xu Lu finally had enough.

    "Come dance with me!" Xu Lu angrily spoke up as she set down her te on one of the tables and gently grabbed Jiang Xin by her hand.

    The saintess led the beautiful vige girl to the circle just as the drums began to y a gentler and more melodic rhythm.

 Chapter 305 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (56)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province- Unnamed Vige)

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    The drums continued to y as Xu Lu grabbed Jiang Xin by her hand and dragged her towards the circle.

    She could feel her heart beating just as loudly as the drums.

    Thump... thump... thump...

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    Xu Lu didn''t know why she had just suddenly grabbed the beautiful woman''s palm nor why she had brought her into the circle without getting her permission.

    All she knew was that she didn''t want to see Jiang Xin dance with anyone else. It didn''t matter if they were a man or a woman.

    Jiang Xin could only dance with her.

    Xu Lu didn''t notice the subtle undercurrent of jealousy and possessiveness in her thoughts as she led the beautiful girl to the circle.

    She wrapped her arms around Jiang Xin''s body and brought her in close until they were pressed up against one another.

    "May I dance with you?" Xu Lu''s whispered in a low sultry voice that made the girl in her arms blush uncontrobly.

    Jiang Xin stared at the female cultivator whose soft brown eyes seemed to contain an endless amount of love and affection.

    What? What was going on?

    She felt confused... she felt confused about why she was sofortable with this situation.

    Being near a cultivator usually made her skin crawl but there was something about this masked woman that just seemed so...

    Familiar.

    Xu Lu could see the mixed emotions on Jiang Xin''s face but only thought that it was because of her unexpected move.

    Damn it!

    Why was she so reckless?

    What if Jiang Xin didn''t want to dance? Why would she force her to go into the circle?

    The saintess gritted her teeth and looked around her immediate surroundings. They were now the centre of attention.

    The male suitors on the edge of the circle did not look happy and Xu Lu could hear them cursing softly under their breath.

    Even the other dancers were asionally giving them some nces of curiosity.

    No... she had to do something...

    Xu Lu focused on what the other dancers were doing and used her good memory and quick reflexes to mimic their moves.

    She pulled Jiang Xin forward until their foreheads slightly touched. The music still yed in the background, but the two young women were lost in their own world.

    Xu Lu used her hands to grab on to Jiang Xin''s shoulders and spun her around gently like a top.

    She used her palms to lift up the beautiful woman and then flung her in the air.

    Jiang Xin let out a surprised gasp as she soared upwards. It almost felt as though she was able to fly.

    A normal person who had just been thrown upwards would feel some fear, but Jiang Xin instinctively knew that the female cultivator would always catch her.

    She would never let her get hurt.

    Xu Lu positioned herself under the falling girl and caught her in her arms in a princess carry. She spun around while holding Jiang Xin close to her chest.

    This was one of the benefits of being a cultivator. She could use her enhanced strength to wow the crowd.

    Loud cheers and apuse rang out from the spectators as they enjoyed the impressive move.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    The men beating the drums started to y faster and faster until a loud cacophony of noise filled the vige.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The dancing became more frantic, but Xu Lu easily matched the pace of the other vigers who were in the circle.

    Jiang Xin tried her best to follow along and Xu Lu helped her by being the lead and guiding her through the dance steps.

    BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

    It was a magical experience.

    Xu Lu didn''t know what it was about this girl that made butterflies appear in her stomach.

    She lookedpletely different to Cami and yet... there was something about her that made her heart skip a beat.

    The dancing and singing continued on until nightfall. Xu Lu stuck to Jiang Xin''s side and chased off all the men who wanted to dance with her.

    The pair spoke about all sorts of things as the hours went by.

    Jiang Xin was particrly interested in Xu Lu''s life as a cultivator so the saintess tried her best to answer her questions.

    Xu Lu had not felt this happy in a long time.

    Actually, this was the first time that she felt so at peace sinceing to this world.

    And it was all because of her.

    Jiang Xin was saying something, but Xu Lu could not help but get lost in her beautiful features.

    Her piercing grey eyes were mesmerising, and the soft gentle features of her face made Xu Lu want to protect her for the rest of her life.

    What are you doing?

    Isn''t this too fast? And besides... it would be too dangerous to get involved with a mortal.

    Xu Lu let out a light sigh under her breath as she remembered her mission in this world.

    She needed to leave one of the strongest sects in the entire continent and betray them by joining the demonic path.

    Anyone with any ties to her would be in danger. The righteous sects would not hesitate to capture or even torture the ones she loved.

    And there was another much darker emotion hidden behind Xu Lu''s calm exterior. A voice from the original Xu Lu that reminded her about her deepest fear.

    (Do you really think that she would like you? Look in the mirror... you are a hideous little monster)

    (What? Do you honestly believe that such a gorgeous woman would be happy to see what''s underneath that mask of yours?)

    (Ugly... ugly... ugly...)

    The voice got louder and louder until it became a deafening cry. Xu Lu shook her head and lightly touched the corner of her mask.

    She... she couldn''t stay here...

    "Are you okay?" Jiang Xin asked with concern evident in her voice. She just discovered that the female cultivator was acting unusually quiet.

    "Yeah... yeah... I just... I need to continue on my travels..." Xu Lu apologetically replied as she stood up from the ground.

    "Really? Don''t you want to stay for the night?" Jiang Xin asked softly.

    Xu Lu turned away since she wasn''t sure if she would be able to resist the beautiful vige girl if she looked at her directly.

    No... she needed to leave... Jiang Xin... she deserved someone better...

    Someone who wasn''t... broken...

    "I see... well thank you for joining our celebration. I don''t know if we will meet again but I will never forget you," Jiang Xin promised shyly.

    "Please... allow me to give you a gift..."

    The young woman ran towards her house while gesturing for Xu Lu to remain in the same spot until she returned.

    Xu Lu waited patiently with a trace of anticipation in her heart. She still heard the voice in her mind, but it was muffled and distorted.

    Deciding to leave this ce was the right decision but... that did not make it seem any less painful.

    Jiang Xin returned carrying a small golden bracelet with a kneeling figure engraved onto its outer metallic surface.

 Chapter 306 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (57)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province)

    "Where is it?! Where is it?!" Xu Lu frantically muttered as she looked around the forest clearing for the bracelet that was on her armst night.

    She rummaged around the nearby bushes, under the trees and even picked uprge rocks in hopes of finding the keepsake.

    Nothing. Not even a single trace.

    The saintess had been searching for two hours now without any luck. The silvery grey mask covering her face could not hide the desperation that shone in her eyes.

    Xu Lu did find the kneeling figure carved into the bracelet quite creepy, but she still wore it to sleep every night.

    And now it was gone¡­

    It may sound silly, but the bracelet was the only physical connection that she had left that linked her with the mesmerising mortal woman.

    She didn''t understand how it had disappeared.

    Four days had passed since she had left the small vige where she had met Jiang Xin and her journey so far had been unusually uneventful.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    A little white mouse standing on a nearby rock stretched out its tiny arms towards Xu Lu as if asking for a hug.

    "Oh,e here you¡­" Xu Lu smiled briefly as she walked over to her pet and stretched out her right palm.

    The mouse scurried up her palm without hesitation and rubbed its furry face against the side of her index finger.

    "Do you know where my bracelet is?" Xu Lu jokingly asked.

    Squeak! Squeak!

    The little white mouse turned away to answer because it didn''t want its master to see the guilty expression on its face.

    That thing on its master''s arm¡­ was yucky¡­ it smelled bad¡­ it smelled wrong¡­

    But its master still wore it on her skin¡­

    The brave white mouse decided to take matters into its own hands and get rid of the nasty thing before it hurt its master.

    However, it knew that Xu Lu cherished the nasty thing and with no way ofmunicating¡­ the mouse decided to just get rid of it while she slept.

    Xu Lu reached into her storage bag and fed her pet a small cheese treat. The mouse squeaked happily and then darted into one of the pockets of her robe.

    The saintess stood up from the ground and looked around the clearing one more time. No matter how hard she looked¡­ there was nothing there.

    "Fuck¡­" Xu Lu cursed silently under her breath as she looked up at the sky with a trace of regret in her voice.

    Maybe¡­ maybe it was for the best¡­

    Cultivation involved transcending beyond human emotions and the connection that she felt with the mortal woman would be dangerous to both herself and the beautiful girl.

    Jiang Xin was not a cultivator and even if she was¡­ Xu Lu was not going to make her travel down the thorny path that she needed to go.

    In the future she would be one of the most wanted cultivators on the continent. Hundreds if not thousands of cultivators would be hunting her down.

    Theoretically those on the demonic side shoulde to her aid but Xu Lu was not going to trust that den of vipers.

    There was a reason why righteous cultivators ruled the continent and that was because they knew how to present a united front if needed.

    While on the other side it was basically every man or woman for themselves.

    Xu Lu let out a light sigh under her breath and slowly walked away from the clearing.

    There was a part of her that still wanted to look for the bracelet, but she forced her legs to move.

    She had no idea how long she walked in that dazed state.

    All Xu Lu could focus on was putting one foot in front of the other in a never-ending march that seemed tost for eternity.

    The sun slowly began to set towards the horizon and dark shadows crept up just waiting for their chance to plunge the world into darkness.

    The saintess'' footsteps paused as she finally saw arge city in the distance. She reached into her pocket for the map and unfurled the piece of paper.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She had arrived at Tianjin City.

    The first major transport hub that would take her to the outskirts of therge metropolis city beneath Mount Xilean.

    Xu Lu rubbed her fingers together absentmindedly as she still could not get the image of Jiang Xin out of her mind.

    She was just so beautiful¡­ what would happen to her?

    Would she settle down with one of the men of the vige? Marry and have several children?

    Spend the rest of her life as a housewife?

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath as she fought down the urge to immediately turn around and run towards the vige.

    Jiang Xin was hers¡­ hers¡­ HERS.

    The saintess stumbled slightly as she gripped her head in pain. What the hell was going on? Was she a lunatic?

    Why was she feeling this way towards a girl that she had met for only a single day?

    If Jiang Xin could hear her thoughts¡­ she would think that she was a damn psychopath!

    (And who could ever love you?)

    (You hideous¡­ hideous¡­ monster¡­)

    "Deep breaths¡­ deep breaths¡­ deep¡­ fuck¡­ it''s not working¡­ deep breaths¡­" Xu Lu whispered slowly as she tried to calm herself down.

    "If one voice wasn''t bad enough¡­ I got a second one chiming in¡­. fuck¡­ just¡­ SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME THINK!"

    It took several long minutes but eventually she managed to somewhat rx. Xu Lu shakily walked forward with long pauses between her steps.

    She needed to see a psychologist, but she was fairly certain that there was no one with that upation in this ancient society.

    Xu Lu continued to focus on her breathing as she approached therge stone walls that protected the inside of the magnificent city.

    Tianjin City was under the control of the Heavenly Divination Sect. One of the four most powerful cultivation groups on the continent.

    They had the smallest number of disciples but that did not mean that their influence was any lesser than the other three.

    Those who joined the Heavenly Divination Sect would learn forbidden cultivation techniques allowing them to see beyond the veil of this world and spy on the secrets of heaven.

    An interesting method of cultivation¡­ in fact Xu Lu was a little bit curious about how it worked.

    Xu Lu approached the city gates and handed over a pass to one of the guards standingzily by its entrance.

    The guard scanned the wooden slip and then motioned for her to go inside. Xu Lu nodded politely and reached out with her hand to slip him a few coins.

    The guard''s eyes lit up and he quickly pocketed the money. The saintess entered the city without any problem.

    In this world or any world really¡­ there were few issues that money could not solve.

    Xu Lu entered the city and was taken aback by how clean everything was.

    The city''s roads were well paved, the houses were properly constructed and there were no traces of public defecation or urination.

    Guards dressed in dark ck uniforms patrolled regrly along the streets and maintained order swiftly and professionally.

    Xu Lu watched quietly as two drunken men brawling in public were immediately tackled to the ground and led away with ropes binding their wrists together.

    "Order is truly the cradle of civilisation," a calm voice spoke next to Xu Lu. The saintess turned in the direction of the sound and saw a young man staring at her.

    He had soft almost feminine- like features with dark curly hair and green eyes that were like pools of emeralds.

    Standing next to him was a young woman with almost identical facial features who looked to be the same age as him.

    In fact, the pair were near indistinguishable were it not for the two small protrusions on the woman''s chest.

    "Brother don''t tease the poor girl¡­" the woman smiled at Xu Lu, but her eyes were a void that contained no trace of emotions.

    "Wee to Tianjin City¡­ saintess of the Holy Sword Sect."

    "We have been expecting you."

 Chapter 307 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (58)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province- Tianjin City)

    They have been expecting me?

    That was rarely a good sign¡­

    Xu Lu carefully observed the man and woman in front of her. Both wore ck starry cloaks with small pieces of diamonds interwoven into the edges of the fabric.

    The diamonds on their robes shone and sparkled to mimic the appearance of the night sky. She could not see any weapons on either person wait¡­ no¡­

    Were those¡­ ying cards?

    Yes¡­ they were seemingly ordinary ying cards¡­

    Xu Lu narrowed her eyes as she saw a few cards poking out of the pockets of the robes that the pair wore.

    "You were expecting me? I didn''t know that there was a weemittee¡­" Xu Lu calmly spoke as she tried to get more information.

    "We have indeed been waiting for you¡­ isn''t that right dear sister," the young man spoke cheerfully as he wrapped his arms around the woman''s shoulder.

    "Yes, my dear brother¡­ it is not a surprise that she is here," the woman replied indifferently as she continued to stare at Xu Lu.

    "You are precisely where you are meant to be¡­ as are we¡­"

    "You will experience a great tragedy¡­ an event that will alter your life forever!" the young man''s tone immediately shifted as he began to speak in a solemn voice.

    "Oh wait¡­ no¡­ I''m seeing the past¡­ err¡­ okay so I think that event has already happened."

    "Stupid idiot¡­" the woman muttered quietly under her breath.

    "Sorry¡­ I''m a little bit confused¡­ what is going on? Who are you?" Xu Lu hesitantly spoke as she took a few steps back to create some distance.

    "Where are our manners?!" the young man cried out as he ran his fingers through his thick curly hair and brushed a few loose strands out of his face.

    "My name is Zhang Ning, and I can see disasters¡­ the way that fate bends and breaks! At least the ones in the past¡­ those that have already happened¡­"

    "Yeah, I know it''s a bit¡­ useless."

    There was a sheepish expression on the young man''s face as he appeared to be ashamed of his ability.

    "Brother do not disparage yourself," the woman''s cold expression finally cracked as she turned to her brother and scolded him fiercely.

    "Saintess¡­ I am called Zhang Jie. My brother and I are two parts of a whole. While he can glimpse into the threads of the past¡­ I can sense the far-flung future."

    Both siblings stretched out their right hands at the same time for Xu Lu to shake.

    The saintess did think that they were a bit¡­ weird to put it mildly but she could not detect any danger.

    Xu Lu hesitantly stretched out her palms and shook both of their hands. It was a little bit awkward, but no one said anything.

    The tense atmosphere was broken by Zhang Jie who removed her hand from Xu Lu''s palm and looked at her with a very creepy expression.

    It was like she was somehow able to see directly into her soul. Those green eyes were like dark bottomless pools of jade.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Zhang Jie opened her mouth and spoke politely,

    "The Heavenly Divination Sect has always been strong allies of the Holy Sword Sect so how could we allow the saintess to enter one of our cities without proper amodation."

    "Please follow us and we will bring you to the finest hotel in the city¡­ all of your expenses and needs will be paid for."

    "In the morning you can depart for Mount Xilean on one of our first-ss flying vessels without any charge."

    "That seems¡­ oddly generous¡­" Xu Lu replied pointedly. The siblings exchanged a few looks and began to have a silent conversation using only slight twitches of their eyes.

    "Consider this an investment if you will! To earn your favour!" Zhang Ning finally spoke up with a cheerful grin.

    "Brother! Don''t put it like that! She will be suspicious!" Zhang Jie ced her face in her palm and let out a heavy sigh.

    "She is already suspicious! You can''t get double suspicious!" Zhang Ning argued back with crossed arms.

    "No but you can get ''MORE'' suspicious¡­ brother why are you like this? Is it because you were dropped on your head as a baby?" Zhang Jie asked mockingly.

    Zhang Ning curled up his fingers into a tight fist and then did what all siblings did when they started to lose an argument.

    Bring out the personal stuff.

    "Oh, excuse me¡­ at least I wasn''t the onest week using my powers to flirt with unsuspecting mortals¡­ ''I see us together in your future''¡­ what a cheesy fucking line!" Zhang Ning fired back.

    "You little¡­ brat!" Zhang Jie growled darkly as she turned towards her brother and wrapped her arms around his neck.

    The pair fell to the ground and before Xu Lu''s shocked eyes they began to fight without caring about the looks that they attracted from the passersby.

    Soon arge crowd began to gather around the scene and Xu Lu quietly slipped to the back of the group.

    Zhang Jie and Zhang Ning were still fighting but it had now turned to hair pulling, nail scratching and light punches to the stomach.

    "What the hell is going on here?!" an angry voice cut through the chaos.

    A squadron of city guards wearing dark ck uniforms rushed through the crowd led by a middle-aged woman wearing a golden armband around her arm.

    "Break up the crowd while I deal with these ruffians," the middle-aged woman ordered as she pointed at the people staring at the fight.

    The guards quickly moved to separate the crowd and forced people to return to their normal routines.

    Xu Lu did not want to get involved with the ensuring chaos so she quietly entered a nearby alleyway and watched to see what would happen.

    "Now who would be stupid enough to¡­ Fated Ones?" the middle-aged woman''s voice trailed off in shock as she got a better view of the man and woman wrestling on the ground.

    Xu Lu continued to watch as Zhang Jie and Zhang Ning awkwardly got up from the ground and casted a cleaning technique to get the dust off their robes.

    The middle-aged woman fell to her knees in front of the siblings and bowed with her head so low that it touched the dirt beneath her feet.

    Xu Lu raised an eyebrow as she saw the sight. Clearly those two were not ordinary members of the Heavenly Divination Sect but in that case¡­

    Why were they so childish?

 Chapter 308 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (59)

    (Southern Region- Xercopolis Empire)

    (Huren Province- Tianjin City)

    "Hey brother¡­" Zhang Jie brushed off her robes and turned to her brother as if they had not been fighting on the ground in the middle of a crowded city just moments ago.

    "Can you see where the saintess is? I swear that she was standing over there but now¡­. has she left us?"

    "Um¡­" Zhang Ning paused for a moment, and he quickly looked around to see if he could find the masked woman wearing white robes.

    "Hmm¡­ sister¡­ I believe that she has left¡­"

    "I can see that you idiot!" Zhang Jie yelled angrily as her fingers curled up into a tight fist and she had to resist the urge to drive her knuckle into her brother''s forehead.

    The entire time that the siblings were arguing, the city guard captain remained kneeling on the ground and did not dare to raise her head.

    "Damn it! We lost her! Now how are we going to find her now?" Zhang Jie asked with gritted teeth as she pushed down her feelings of frustration.

    Her brother simply shrugged his shoulders with an expression on his face that said ''Don''t ask me¡­ I can only see disasters in the past''.

    Zhang Jie ced her face in her palms and took in a few deep breaths. Her powers were useless as well.

    She could only see disasters in the future.

    Events and the people involved with those cmities... she was unable to see specific individuals or their actions that were unrted to the disasters.

    Honestly, they both possessed impressive abilities but sometimes in moments like this, Zhang Jie could not help but feel a bit useless.

    "Look sister¡­ why don''t you just rx. Didn''t you say that you saw her in the event a few years from now?" Zhang Ning spoke calmly after giving the matter some thought.

    "Yeah?" Zhang Jie replied with a raised eyebrow.

    "Well then it doesn''t matter¡­ we will meet her again in about five years or maybe even sooner if we visit the Holy Sword Sect," Zhang Ning respondedzily.

    He stretched out his arms and let out a small yawn with his mouth wide open.

    He may seem rxed and carefree, but he was hiding a secret that he did not n on telling his sister.

    He had seen. He had seen the past of the saintess.

    He hadn''t meant to peek but sometimes his ability activated without a conscious effort.

    He had seen the disaster that had befallen the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect. A terrible event that would change the course of her life forever.

    And what he saw¡­ was truly awful.

    Torture¡­ muttion¡­ permanent disfigurement.

    Now he understood why she hid her appearance behind a mask.

    Zhang Ning tilted his head downwards and hid the shadows that appeared beneath his eyes. Sometimes his gift¡­ was a curse.

    "You saw something didn''t you?" Zhang Jie''s serious voice broke the brief moment of silence.

    Of course, she could tell¡­ she knew him better than anyone else.

    The young man raised up his head and a brief conversation happened between the siblings using only their eyes and subtle twitches of their faces.

    "I don''t want to talk about it¡­ not yet¡­" Zhang Ning replied softly. His sister nodded her head and did not press the matter further.

    She stretched out her hand and her brother grabbed on to her palm as a way of support. They may argue and fight a lot but¡­ they were family.

    And family would always be there for each other.

    The Fated Ones of the Heavenly Divination Sect slowly walked hand in hand towards an unknown direction.

    .

    .

    .

    .<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    (Meanwhile In Another Part Of The City)

    (Old Man Ling''s Tavern)

    A heavily overweight man in his early seventies leaned against the back of his chair and raised up a roll of papers to his lips.

    The end of the rolled paper was smoking slightly and a sweet but acrid scent filled the air. The innkeeper raised up the paper to his mouth and inhaled slowly.

    He exhaled and arge puff of darkish-grey smoke escaped his lips. The customers who entered this seedy hotel were used to the stench.

    Anyone with real money would never step through the poorly maintained wooden doors that were about to fall off their hinges.

    Ding! Ding!

    The bells hanging loosely above the door rang out loudly as a new customer stepped into the building with quiet steps.

    "We''re full," the innkeeper growled angrily as he took in another deep mouthful of smoke and coughed violently.

    He turned in the direction of the noise and his movements froze.

    He saw a woman dressed in pure white robes standing patiently with a sword attached to her hip.

    The innkeeper was not an idiot and had seen all sorts of types and peoplee into his tavern but¡­

    Never a cultivator.

    The woman wore a silvery grey mask covering her entire facial features except for her eyes. The rest of her body was covered by the white robe, but he was sure that she must be a beauty.

    The female cultivator approached the innkeeper, and you could hear a pin drop in the room.

    Thin beads of sweat ran down the innkeeper''s forehead as he immediately began to think about how to beg for his life.

    "I want to stay the night," Xu Lu softly spoke as she handed over two silver coins to the innkeeper who looked at her with a frightened expression on his face.

    Clearly, he thought that she would take offense at his rude attitude from before, but Xu Lu was not so petty.

    Being rude was not a reason to kill someone.

    "No problem¡­ for two silvers you can get a room on the upper floor and three meals every day for the duration of your stay," the innkeeper finally replied with a slight tremor in his voice.

    "In fact¡­ no¡­ no¡­ I¡­ I¡­ will make it free! You will have to pay no¡­"

    Xu Lu raised up her finger and the man fell silent immediately. She reached into her pocket and pulled out another coin.

    "I will pay extra for the silence," Xu Lu softly spoke with the barest hint of a warning in her words.

    The innkeeper nodded his head vigorously and then handed over a pair of rusty keys that were stained with a mysterious brown substance.

    And those were the keys for the best rooms in this ce? God this ce was a shithole¡­

    Xu Lu wrinkled her brows with disgust but grabbed the keys and then headed up the stairs towards the upper floors.

    She wanted to spend the next few days in an out of the way location in the city and then depart for the Holy Sword Sect.

    This wasn''t her n at first but the encounter with those mysterious twins made her change her mind.

    She was not in the mood to get involved with another major sect of the righteous side. And there was another reason as well¡­

    The cultivators of the Heavenly Divination Sect were rumored to have sight that allowed them to see beyond enchantments and essences.

    What if they were able to see whaty beneath her mask?

    The very thought made Xu Lu''s body erupt in goosebumps and the familiar negative whispers about her ugly appearance filled her mind.

    She couldn''t let anyone know¡­

    She couldn''t let anyone know¡­

    (You hideous monster)

 Chapter 309 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (60)

    A magnificent wooden ship soared through the air as if it were somehow floating on the clouds that brushed against its massive frame.

    Intricate blue runes were carved onto the exterior of the vessel that throbbed and hummed with power.

    The ship was pulled by an entire group of winged lion-like creatures with impressive golden manes and muscr bodies.

    The creatures would asionally open their mouth to roar loudly, and one would be able to see rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.

    This airborne vessel was one of the numerous ships that connected Tianjin City to the rest of the continent.

    They were quite expensive to travel on so only cultivators, rich merchants or the sons and daughters of upper-ss aristocrats were able to experience them.

    Xu Lu leaned against the side of the railing and looked down. She could see tiny forests with trees no bigger than her fingers.

    Everything looked so tiny from up here. She almost felt like a god looking down on the world beneath her feet.

    Gusts of wind brushed against her hair and messed up her simple ponytail.

    Xu Lu stretched out her hand and lightly touched the passing clouds as the ship sailed through the sky.

    This was amazing.

    The saintess smiled under the silvery grey mask that covered her face as she felt as though her mood was slowly getting better.

    It had been over a week since she had boarded this ship and left Tianjin city and, in a few hours, she would arrive at the city below Mount Xilean.

    The journey so far had been smooth and uneventful.

    Xu Lu hadn''t talked to any of the other passengers, and no one had attempted to strike up conversation with her either.

    Her only source ofpanionship was the little white mouse in her pocket who would asionally pop up its furry head and beg for some treats.

    Greedy little thing¡­

    Truthfully Xu Lu was not looking forward to returning to the sect.

    Seeing her master again was not really something that she could say was on the list of things that she wanted to do.

    Plus, she would have to maintain her cold, distant attitude with the rest of the disciples so it was not like she would be able to make any friends.

    And¡­ she needed to deliver a knife that contained a weapon spirit with the ability to grant the user a glimpse into the future.

    An extremely powerful ability¡­ that she could only hand over to another person. Yeah¡­ that was not a good feeling.

    Xu Lu leaned against the railing and let out a light sigh under her breath.

    She would be lying if she said that she wasn''t tempted to take the knife for herself, but it would be of no use.

    The weapon spirits were the ones that chose their masters.

    And it wouldn''t be right.

    "Two more hours!" one of the crew members yelled loudly. Xu Lu turned in the direction of the sound and saw other passengers gathering on the deck.

    A group of women dressed in expensive garments adorned with jewels huddled together while giggling softly.

    Sharply dressed merchants were loudly discussing their wares and business connections while the handful of cultivators kept to themselves.

    Xu Lu noticed that one of the cultivators kept staring at her when he thought that she wasn''t looking but she paid him no mind.

    She wasn''t going to get involved with anyone else until she arrived back at the sect. She was just going to keep her head down and mind her own damn business.

    The saintess headed to the back of the deck and opened the wooden door that led to the passenger quarters.

    She walked along a long and winding corridor until she finally arrived at a cabin near the stern.

    Xu Lu reached into the pocket of her robe for the key and slowly turned the lock.

    Click!

    The door slid open, and she entered her cabin for some shuteye. With two hours to go she had enough time for a brief powernap.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xu Lu closed the door behind her and locked it.

    Of course, a flimsy wooden door wouldn''t be enough to stop a cultivator but the noise from someone smashing it would easily wake her up.

    Xu Lu took off her shoes and then crashed on the mattress face first.

    The mattress with hard and ufortable but it didn''t take long for her to drift off into dreand.

    Maybe she was just feeling tired¡­

    The saintess closed her eyes and her vision slowly faded to ck. She reopened them and found herself standing in a familiar ce.

    Castle Eden.

    Wait¡­ how was this possible? Was this a dream?

    She was standing in the home that she lived in with Cami for decades. She knew every rock, stone, and piece of this castle by heart.

    Xu Lu wandered up the stairs that she had travelled hundreds if not thousands of times until she finally arrived at the main bedroom.

    She paused for a moment as her hand was mere inches away from the doorknob. For some reason her body was gripped with fear.

    She suddenly got the feeling that whatevery behind that door¡­ was not Cami. No¡­ it was someone else¡­ someone cruel and vicious.

    "Aren''t you going to go in?" a gentle melodic voice sweetly asked.

    Xu Lu turned around and saw a gorgeous woman smiling at her. She had dark brown skin, a thin physique and a face that seemed untouched by the ravages of time.

    Her eyes glowed an eerie red colour and that was not the only aspect about her appearance that seemed peculiar.

    Her ears¡­ they were pointed.

    Sharp as knives.

    "I''m sorry¡­ who are you?" Xu Lu tried to ask the strange woman, but her mouth could not make any sounds.

    "Sorry darling¡­ I¡­ I won''t be able to use this link again¡­ at least in this world," the woman gently spoke as she raised up her hand and lightly stroked Xu Lu''s cheek.

    Pure love and affection shone in her eyes as she stood on her tip toes and gently engulfed Xu Lu''s lips in a soft and lingering kiss.

    She drew away slowly and Xu Lu was left frozen in shock as the woman who appeared both familiar and foreign began to disappear.

    "This world¡­ my soul¡­ is a bit difficult¡­ be patient with her¡­" Keya smiled warmly at her lover as she vanished from the corridor.

    Crack!

    The world shattered and Xu Lu opened her eyes. She gasped for breath and ced a hand to her chest.

    Thump! Thump! Thump!

    Her heart was racing, sweat was running down her face and she felt as though she had a fever. Xu Lu looked down at her hands and saw that her palms were trembling violently.

    Xu Lu staggered over to the desk next to her bed and pulled out a bottle of hard liquor from one of the drawers.

    She unscrewed the top and poured the contents into her mouth. The foul taste of alcohol was enough to snap her out of her dazed state.

    What was that dream?

    Who was that woman?

    Xu Lu furrowed her brows as she tried her best to remember if she had ever met someone who had looked like that before.

    No¡­ she couldn''t.

    That person¡­ she wasn''t from this life or her previous one. Maybe she was from one of her earlier mission worlds?

    But then what did she mean by her soul in this world?

 Chapter 310 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (61)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Lower Mountain Range- Central square)

    The air buzzed with excitement as thousands of young men and women flooded the square below the shadow of a great mountain range.

    These men and women were the newest batch of hopeful cultivators trying to enter one of the greatest cultivation sects on the continent.

    The Holy Sword Sect.

    This was a day that could change the course of their lives forever.

    The sheer number of weapons, techniques, pills, and other resources that the sect offered to its disciples were enough to allow even a dog to ascend to heaven.

    Of course, that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it contained a kernel of truth.

    Cultivators without a sect would find it quite difficult to gain resources and survive without the protection of arge organization.

    Excited whispers, nervous mutterings and quiet conversations could be hearding from the crowd.

    "Where are the elders?"

    "My father belongs to the alchemy hall... he told me that..."

    "Do you think that we will see a glimpse of the saintess?"

    "No... I spoke to my brother... he''s an outer disciple and he told me that the saintess has onlye down from her mountain peak a handful of times."

    "Deng Xun... how are you feeling? Your hands are shaking..."

    "I''m going to be sick... my stomach is just... fuck... don''t let me throw up..."

    Not everyone could be chosen.

    The Holy Sword Sect valued talent, cultivation level andbat experience. Of the three aspects it was talent that was the greatest deciding factor.

    Cultivation level andbat experience could be learnt over time while talent was a trait that was usually fixed.

    That was not to say that it was impossible for someone with little talent to ascend to the higher stages, but it would be far more difficult for them.

    Some more cultivators continued to trickle into the central square until finally therge wooden doors that led to the square were closed.

    There was a brief moment of silence as the young cultivators inside the square waited patiently to see what would happen next.

    They were not disappointed.

    A brilliant white sh of light illuminated the sky and when the harsh glow faded dozens of finely dressed men and women appeared.

    Each floated silently in the air above the young cultivators and resembled gods looking down at their flock.

    In the middle of the group was an elderly man who seemed slightly out of ce.

    While hispanions were all breathtakingly beautiful men and women... he bore a striking simrity to azy grandfather.

    Heavy wrinkles could be seen on his forehead and his hair had turned a dull grey colour.

    His body appeared to be ravaged by the passage of time and not a trace of cultivation aura could be felting from him.

    "Greetings and wee..." the elderly man gently spoke. His voice was no louder than a whisper and yet every person could hear him clearly.

    "I would like to thank you all for attempting to join the Holy Sword Sect. I am the sect leader, and it is my responsibility to ensure that you will be fairly judged."

    "I am joined today by a group of extremely talented elders and my dear junior sister who will take over the proceedings."

    The elderly man stepped back and allowed a woman to take centre stage. She stepped lightly on the clouds and floated in the air without a care in the world.

    She was beautiful.

    The female cultivator had an ethereal beauty that stood out even among the sea of attractive people standing next to her.

    Light surrounded her body and painted her in a golden glow. She wore a in white robe with flower patterns printed on the lower areas.

    A golden bell was attached to her ankle by a red string, and it jingled ever so slightly as the wind brushed against it.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "My name is Lei Ying, and I am the head of the Fifth Peak," the female cultivator introduced herself using a voice that was melodic and gentle.

    Quite a few men in the audience could not take their eyes off her body and even some of the women were affected by her charm.

    They were not just attracted to her looks but also the powerful aura and air of mystery that surrounded her.

    Most of the well-informed cultivators knew who this woman was.

    She was the master of the saintess and one of the most powerful cultivators of the younger generation.

    "The first stage of the test will begin by climbing the stairs of penance. Those who reach the top of the stairs will move on to the next round," Lei Ying charmingly spoke.

    She pped her hands and the area in front of the central square shimmered slightly. A magnificent stone staircase appeared out of thin air.

    The staircase was quite wide and could easily handle over two hundred people climbing upwards at the same time.

    However, there were only around fifty steps.

    The test at least at first nce seemed very easy and some cultivators in the crowd already imagined themselves climbing up the stairs and moving on to the next stage.

    "Now we can begin when... oh there she is! My dear apprentice! Pleasee over here!" Lei Ying''s voice changed immediately, and one could hear the clear affection in her voice.

    Apprentice?

    The crowd looked in the direction where Lei Ying was staring and saw a woman quietly walking along the rooftops surrounding the square.

    A silvery grey mask covered her face, and she wore simple white robes with no extra decorations or adornments.

    Her body waspletely concealed by the robe, but one could briefly see her long slender arms and shes of fair skin.

    A in long sword was attached to her hip, and she moved with a sense of grace and elegance that was almost inhuman.

    Xu Lu tried her best to ignore the stares as she unsheathed her sword and lightly stepped on its cold surface.

    She didn''t want to be here.

    The wooden ship had arrived at the sect two days ago and she had run into her master while returning to the fifth peak.

    Lei Ying ''suggested'' that she attend the disciple selection ceremony.

    Apparently, her reputation as the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect had taken quite the hit after failing two missions in a row and it was beginning to reflect badly on her master.

    Xu Lu honestly couldn''t care less about what other people thought about her, but she was not strong enough to disobey a directmand from her master.

    And the ''suggestion'' contained a warning undertone that if she refused then bad things would happen to her pet.

    Fuck! That bitch!

    The saintess let no hint of her inner turmoil appear in her gaze as she flew up in the air using her sword to fly.

    She approached her master who stretched out her arms and embraced her in a tight hug.

    Xu Lu could see a small trace of disgust appear on Lei Ying''s face as she touched her, but her master hid her emotions quite well.

    "Why don''t you introduce yourself my dear apprentice," Lei Ying finally broke the hug and spoke in a sickly-sweet tone.

    Xu Lu nodded and then turned to face the crowd. She saw a sea of hopeful, nervous and exited faces staring back at her.

    They had alle to the Holy Sword Sect with dreams of continuing their cultivation journeys and bing immortals.

    Dreams that for many... would nevere true.

    Still, as Xu Lu took in a deep breath and thought about what to say her mind inevitably went to the scenes of cultivators wantonly ughtering mortals just because they could.

    "I am Xu Lu... the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect," Xu Lu calmly spoke with no hint of emotion in her voice.

    "Your cultivation journey will not be easy. You will encounter trials, tribtions, victories, and defeats."

    "But most importantly... always remember that power is not meant to be misused. Cultivators should always strive for the betterment of themselves."

    "We may be long lived... but we are not gods. All of us were born as mortals... remember that."

 Chapter 311 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (62)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Lower Mountain Range- Central Square)

    Huang Wei looked in amazement as the saintess finished her speech.

    He felt nervous just being here surrounded by thousands of other cultivators who all shared the same dream.

    Every single one of them wanted to join the Holy Sword Sect.

    The disciples belonging to this sect were not just powerful but also had a reputation for being paragons of justice and virtue.

    And the saintess was everything that he had imagined her to be.

    A mysterious figure who was obviously a beauty behind the mask covering her face and someone who also believed that with great power came...

    A duty to help those in need.

    Huang Wei''s fingers curled up into a tight fist as he imagined bing a mighty warrior and protecting the weak and helpless.

    Unfortunately, not everyone responded quite so well to Xu Lu''s speech about their mortal origins, but no one was crazy enough to actually voice their true thoughts.

    It was a well-known fact that cultivators in the void stage and beyond could easily hear whispers even miles away.

    The saintess was someone who held a very important position in the sect and some even considered her as one of the candidates for the position of sect leader.

    Insulting her in front of the sect''s elders was a sure-fire way to get immediately kicked out of the tests.

    The saintess stepped back and her gorgeous master smiled sweetly at her apprentice with clear affection in her eyes.

    What a strong bond between master and disciple!

    Huang Wei looked on enviously at the pair as he secretly hoped that his future master would also treat him as kindly as Lei Ying treated her apprentice.

    "Thank you, my dear apprentice, for your solemn words," Lei Ying dered in a passionate tone.

    "It is important to remember that as members of the righteous faction it is very important that you watch your words and deeds."

    "Should you join the Holy Sword Sect... you will represent the sect when you travel outside of these gates."

    "Make sure to always conduct yourself with dignity and ss."

    Lei Ying finished her speech with a flourish of her hands and then turned to her apprentice and whispered something softly in her ears.

    The saintess nodded slowly and then directed her floating sword towards a mountain peak towards the northernmost side of the sect.

    Lei Ying waved at her goodbye and then focused on the cultivators on the ground who were all eagerly looking back at her.

    She needed to send Xu Lu away because it was clear that she was drawing the attention of the future disciples and that sent a cold surge of jealousy up her heart.

    Still... a small smile shed across Lei Ying''s face as she thought of an important fact that no one else knew except for herself.

    Would these young cultivators still admire the saintess if they knew what an ugly little monster she was?

    Of course, not... they would pity and despise her.

    Lei Ying yed with her fingers as she was briefly tempted to reveal her apprentice''s true identity but pushed those thoughts back down in her mind.

    Not yet... she couldn''t y that card just yet.

    No one knew the dark thoughts running through the beautiful female cultivator''s mind since there was a gentle smile on her face.

    "Now... let us begin the first test... climb up those stairs and whoever reaches the top will move on to the next stage," Lei Ying spoke loudly as she gestured towards the staircase.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The crowd moved in mass towards the stairway and one by one they began to climb up the magnificent stone stairs.

    Huang Wei was at the front of the crowd, so he was one of the first to walk on the stairs. He ced one foot down and a tremendous amount of pressure fell on his body.

    He took another step and blood began to slowly trickle down from his nose. The pressure and pain were unbearable... and this was just the second step!

    Huang Wei heard a cry of pain and looked in the direction of the sound to see a girl copse on the ground motionless.

    Her chest still slowly rose and fell so she was clearly alive, but she was now in a state of unconsciousness.

    One of the inner disciples supervising the ceremony walked over to the copsed girl and took her away to the building set up as a temporary medical hall.

    Huang Wei took another step asrge beads of sweat began to run down the sides of his forehead.

    No... he couldn''t give up... his dreams... he wanted to be... a... a...

    The young man''s body staggered as the corners of his vision started to darken.

    He tried desperately to stop himself from falling unconscious, but a wave of exhaustion washed over his mind.

    Thest image that Huang Wei saw was the ground hurtling towards him as his body slumped motionless on the staircase.

    "Shame... that one had a good attitude," Elder Yang Bo remarked as he rubbed his chin and observed as an inner disciple removed the young man from the test.

    "He had a good personality but... his talent was not enough. Considering that he only made it up to the third step, that meant that his spiritual roots were impure or clogged."

    "Hecked the talent necessary to join one of the greatest sects in the entire continent."

    Elder Yang Bo shook his head and focused on the other cultivators who were trying their best to walk up the stairs.

    The higher up that they reached, the more pressure would fall on their bodies and prevent them from moving.

    Still there were some who seemed unaffected by the pressure.

    A skinny young woman withrge bulging eyes walked up the stairs and reached the fiftieth step without any problem.

    She stood at the peak and then her body vanished into thin air.

    None of the elders seemed surprised by her sudden vanishing act since a rune had been engraved onto the surface of thest step.

    A simple teleportation rune that would send sessful candidates on to the second stage of the test.

    Elder Yang Bo quickly made a note of the girl''s appearance but knew that he would have to fight to get her as his apprentice.

    The cultivators who made it up the stairs the fastest were always the ones with the most cultivation potential.

    "Sorry old man but that girl is mine," a sharp voice interrupted the elder''s musings.

    "Elder Li Mei... what a surprise..." Elder Yang Bo replied without even looking at the direction of the sound.

    "The fifth peak needs new alchemist... that girl has a talent in the field of pill making so forcing her to be a warrior would be a tremendous waste of her talents," Elder Li Mei replied sternly.

    "And how do you know that?" Elder Yang Bo raised an eyebrow as he asked the question.

    "I knew her father and he was a talented alchemist because of that she entered this test on my rmendation," Elder LI Mei responded with a hint of pride in her voice.

    "The sect leader has already said that she belongs to me."

    "Fine..." Elder Yang Bo grumbled under his breath as he kept his eyes peeled for other potential seedlings.

 Chapter 312 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (63)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    Xu Lu sighed under her breath as she soared through the air towards the fifth peak.

    Lei Ying had probably convinced all of the potential sect members that they were a close pair of master and disciple.

    The rtionship between them could even be considered as parent and child. At least publicly... as for the reality of the situation well...

    Xu Lu nned to make sure that her master suffered the same way that she had because as she thought about what had happened to the original Xu Lu... some things just did not add up.

    How was it possible that a demon cultivator managed to sneak in past the barriers and enchantments that covered Lei Ying''s peak?

    And no one was alerted.

    Unless... she knew... she knew that the demon cultivator would get in. But why? Why would she allow her only apprentice to be mutted?

    It made no sense...

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she felt her mood lower. She raised up her right hand and gently touched the side of the silvery grey mask that covered her face.

    (Monster... hideous little thing...)

    Those words... even now they affected her more than she cared to admit.

    Xu Lu sighed again as she dropped her palm and focused on watching the white clouds as she drifted through the sky.

    Should she try to find a way to fix her appearance?

    No... cultivation was more important at least for now.

    She was going to live for hundreds if not thousands of years so maybe once she reached a high enough cultivation level, she could spend a few decades looking for a healing serum.

    (If it wasn''t even possible to repair her disfigured face...)

    (No... stop that... stop thinking negatively...)

    Xu Lu drew in a deep shuddering breath and silently counted to ten in her mind. She clenched her fingers into a tight fist and slowly exhaled.

    "I can sense her!" a loud voice interrupted Xu Lu''s concentration.

    She turned her head in the direction of the noise and saw a pretty woman floating slightly in the air above her sword.

    "My master! I sense her!" Tan Yahui eximed joyfully. There was a child-like joy and sense of affection in her voice as she pointed in a certain direction.

    "Please take me to her! I need to be with my master!"

    Xu Lu raised an eyebrow as she saw the enthusiastic weapon spirit. This was the first time that Tan Yahui hade out of the knife since she had picked up the weapon in the cave.

    And she only came out because she sensed her true master...

    For a brief moment, the saintess was tempted to tell the weapon spirit to fuck off but resisted the urge and began to steer her sword towards the direction where Tan Yahui was pointing.

    "Thank you," Tan Yahui solemnly spoke as she bowed her head and spoke to Xu Lu politely.

    "No problem... I hope your master treats you well," Xu Lu replied absentmindedly. A knife with the power to allow its user to see into the threads of fate of the future.

    An extremely powerful ability.

    But it was one that she was destined not to possess. Still, it was not like she had no gifts or special powers.

    She was a talented cultivator so that was something!

    The weapon spirit pointed to a courtyard in the middle of a clearing where two figures were currently sparring in the centre.

    They were surrounded by a few dozen cultivators who cheered loudly as one figure dodged an attack and then shed at her opponent using her sword.

    Crimson red blood stained the ground and the roaring apuse from the disciples got even louder.

    Xu Lunded her sword on the ground at the back of the crowd, a couple of disciples noticed her arrival.

    They bowed respectfully and Xu Lu politely nodded back.

    She ced the sword back in her sheath and then straightened out her robes. She looked around and saw that she was now standing in the outer disciple area.

    This was the... sparring ring?

    Xu Lu used her cultivation pressure and the crowd immediately fell silent. She made her way through the crowd as the temperature around her body plummeted.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She saw a familiar figure standing triumphantly above the defeated male disciple who hadrge wounds on his back.

    Bai Lu.

    The outer disciple that she had saved a few months ago. Was she the weapon spirit''s master?

    As Xu Lu had that thought, the box containing the knife that she had ced in her storage bag began to vibrate and then appeared in her palm.

    Well... she supposed that answered the question.

    "Saintess?" Bai Yu spoke in a puzzled tone.

    "It is good to see you again," Xu Lu spoke coldly as she stepped into the ring and cracks began to appear on the ground beneath her feet.

    She took in a deep breath and the cultivation pressure surrounding her body immediately disappeared.

    Bai Yu... was her cultivation level always so high?

    Xu Lu narrowed her eyes since she was pretty certain that the female disciple in front of her had not been as strong thest time that they met.

    "Saintess!" a cheerful voice called out.

    A slightly roundish girl with a plump face rushed over and waved at the saintess happily.

    Xu Lu smiled underneath her mask as she saw Tang Shu the one who had begged her to save her friend without fear.

    "Hello Tang Shu," Xu Lu spoke in a much gentler tone of voice.

    "Why don''t you two take a walk with me? There are too many eyes here."

    She gestured towards the crowd who looked on in amazement as the saintess spoke to two seemingly ordinary outer disciples.

    Xu Lu held the wooden box in her right hand and led Tang Shu and Bai Yu towards a distant mountain peak.

    Some cultivators tried to secretly follow them but one harsh re from Xu Lu was enough to freeze them in their tracks.

    "So how have you two been?" Xu Lu asked quietly as she nced at the tall leafy trees that surrounded the pathway into the mountain range.

    "Great! No one bullies us anymore!" Tang Shu replied happily.

    "And what about you Bai Lu? You seem quite stronger than before. Have you had any adventures or enlightenments? Xu Lu asked curiously.

    "Oh... I..." Bai Lu froze for a moment and then answered with a trace of hesitancy in her voice.

    "Yes, I don''t know how but it seems like my cultivation potential has been unlocked... I can absorb spiritual energy much easier than before."

    The Luck System: [You don''t know how? Alright I see how it is... guess all my quests and rewards were for nothing then]

    The Luck System: [ :( What did I do to deserve such an ungrateful heroine?]

    Bai Lu''s eyebrows twitched slightly as she had to stop herself from telling her system to shut up.

    She could not reveal the greatest source of her strength even to her best friend and saviour. No one could know about this strange being.

    "Well, I''m very d to hear that," Xu Lu replied with a small smile.

    She spread out her spiritual senses to make sure that no one was nearby and then handed the wooden box over to Bai Lu.

    "Open it," Xu Lu quietly whispered.

    Bai Lu''s fingers touched the corner of the wooden box and then slowly lifted up the corner. What she saw nestled inside was a beautiful knife.

    The knife was only the size of her palm, but it glowed eerily as the rays of afternoon sunlight lightly fell on its body.

    Intricate golden runes had been carved onto the edge of the de and the weapon itself throbbed with power.

    "What... what is this?" Bai Lu asked in amazement as she felt drawn to the weapon as if something was calling her to it.

    The Luck System went silent for a moment in her mind and then it spoke to Bai Lu in a very serious tone.

    The Luck System: [This doesn''t make any sense! You aren''t supposed to get this weapon until five years from now]

    The Luck System: [What the hell is going on? O_o]

 Chapter 313 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (64)

    (Mount Xilean- Public Library)

    (Third Floor)

    Xu Lu walked up the stairs that led to the upper floors of the library and ignored the stares that were directed at her.

    She had separated from Bai Lu and Tang Shu a few hours ago and now she had some free time to explore around the sect before she had to return to the fifth peak.

    She had to admit that it had been fun to hang out with the two young outer disciples.

    Their cheerful attitudes helped remind Xu Lu that not all cultivators were monsters. There were some with light in their hearts.

    At the end of day cultivators were people.

    And people were good, bad and everything in-between, the real problem was the fact that these people were given the powers of Gods.

    The saintess quickened her steps as she looked around the great library.

    This was the central building where most of the sect''s techniques, forbidden arts and scrolls were stored.

    The space inside the library was around the size of ten football fields.

    Rows upon rows of scrolls, pieces of parchment paper and other various knick-knacks had been ced on the shelves that stretched all the way upwards towards the ceiling.

    Each floor could only be essed by disciples of the appropriate positions. The first two floors were open to all members of the sect.

    From outer disciples to those who were members of the Holy Sword Sect in name only.

    It was by far the busiest floor and dozens of cultivators jostled against one another to look for techniques that would help them improve.

    Everyone dreamed of finding an overlooked technique or a forgotten scroll that contained an almighty technique that would make them the protagonist of this era.

    So far¡­ no one had found one yet.

    That was not surprising considering that any scroll or technique of significance were stored on the upper floors for the true and inner disciples to practise.

    Several elders were stationed around the library to oversee the chaos and ensure that no fights broke out.

    These elders were bad tempered and would often kick out disciples who simply looked at them for too long, so most people were well behaved.

    Being permanently banned from the grand library would put them at a significant disadvantage whenpared to their peers.

    Xu Lu''s hands lightly brushed against the side of the railing as she climbed up a few more stairs.

    She finally arrived at a seemingly deserted floor with a single elderly man standing quietly by the entrance.

    "Greeting saintess," the elderly man quietly spoke. His voice was hoarse and raspy as if he had not spoken in years.

    "Good afternoon," Xu Lu politely replied as she reached into one of the pockets of her robe and pulled out a golden medallion with the engraving of white sword on its outer surface.

    "I would like to borrow two techniques from this floor."

    Xu Lu used her fingernail to cut a small wound on the underside of her palm and dripped the crimson liquid onto the medallion.

    The golden metal began to glow immediately and the elder nodded his head. The old man stretched out his hand and took the medallion from Xu Lu''s grasp.

    He held up the metal object to his eye and then nodded again. He then returned the medallion to Xu Lu who ced it back into her pocket.

    "Saintess¡­ you are authorised to take as many scrolls as you like¡­" the elder quietly spoke as he gestured for Xu Lu to step forward.

    He pointed at some of the shelves at the back of the floor and then returned to his position where he stood motionless like a statue.

    Xu Lu politely thanked him and then headed off in the direction of the shelves that the elder had pointed out.

    She did not n to take too many techniques back to the fifth peak. It was better to master a handful than to try dozens or hundreds.

    The saintess hummed softly under her breath as she knelt down and inspected the title of the scrolls ced on the walls.

    This floor was covered in a soft carpet that had been created by weaving hundreds of brilliantly coloured silk threads to produce a mesmerising pattern.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    There was only one floor higher than this one and it was reserved for the sect leader.

    Xu Lu absentmindedly wondered what kind of earth-shattering techniques were housed on that floor.

    For a brief moment she was tempted to see if she could find a way to sneak up there and check out those scrolls but¡­ she was not strong enough.

    At least¡­ not yet.

    In the future well¡­ who knows what would happen.

    Xu Luughed softly as she ran her fingers along the sides of the scrolls and slowly picked out a few that caught her attention.

    There was a scroll that appeared to be made out of blue scale-like material with words hastily scrambled down on the top of the raised bumps.

    The saintess reached for the scroll and opened it.

    ''The Boundless Lake Technique'' a unique cultivation spell that allow one to absorb water directly into their bodies, breathe in the ocean and even transform part of their body into a liquid state.

    It was certainly a¡­ unique choice but Xu Lu could not help but be drawn to it.

    In a life-or-death situation being able to turn parts of her body into water was an invaluable advantage.

    Imagine a sword driving straight into her chest but it would pass harmlessly out the other side since her organs would liquify and avoid any damage.

    Xu Lu read the method for practising this technique and suddenly discovered why she had not seen any cultivator use this technique before.

    The method for practicing this technique involved drinking the blood of an underwater monster known as the Kraken and spending three months in the depths of the ocean.

    There was also a side effect written down at the bottom of the scroll that spoke about the dangers of drinking the Kraken''s blood.

    Madness¡­ developing gills¡­ losing the ability to breathe out of water¡­ developing tentacles?

    Wait¡­ was thatst one, correct?

    Xu Lu''s hands trembled as the scroll in her palm felt a lot heavier. Hmm¡­ this technique involved a tremendous amount of risk but¡­

    The saintess paused for a moment and took in a deep breath. She needed to get stronger, and this technique would help to aplish that goal.

    It was important to remember than in the future she would have to face off against the entire might of the Holy Sword Sect as well as opportunistic cultivators from both the righteous and demonic sides.

    She needed to take a few risks.

    Xu Lu ced the scroll in her storage bag and then looked around for other options.

    She saw few interesting titles on the scrolls such as, ''The Fiery Blood Technique'', ''Iron-Skin- Unyielding Shield'' and ''Frost born Gauntlet- Never-ending Winter!'' but nothing really caught her attention.

    "Oh?" Xu Lu raised an eyebrow as she saw a dusty thin scrap of parchment paper that was covered in cobwebs.

    An old forgotten technique? Wait¡­ could it be?

    With excitement racing in her heart, Xu Lu quickly picked up the piece of paper and prepared to read a technique that would make her invincible!

    [Dear my sweet Wu Zetian,]

    [Parting is such a sorrow¡­ I remember the day when I saw you bathing in the spring behind the twelfth peak, and you saw me as well]

    [I still recall the way you blushed under the moonlight like a lovely red rose... and then proceeded to beat the ever-living shit out of me.]

    [At that moment I realised¡­ you were my one true love.]

    [Well not at that exact moment since I was hospitalised for two days¡­ but when I woke up, I realised you were my one true love!]

    [Yours Sincerely,]

    [Li Xun]

    "What... what the hell?" Xu Lu''s muttered quietly as she ced the piece of paper right back down where she had found it.

 Chapter 314 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (65)

    (Holy Sword Sect- Mount Xilean)

    (Fifth Peak- Private Residence)

    There was no ce like home.

    Well... not really... because this home was ''poorly designed''... and that was putting it politely.

    Xu Lu sighed heavily as she approached the run-down wooden shack where she lived.

    She walked through the entranceway that was partially blocked by a door loosely swinging from the hinges that were not properly attached.

    There were only three pieces of furniture in the entire building.

    A small wardrobe to store her robes, a mattress with no bedsheets and finally the most expensive item of all...

    Arge person-sized mirror.

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she saw her reflection. The silvery grey mask covering her face served as a grim reminder of whaty beneath.

    Mutted, scarred, and burnt flesh.

    No... stop thinking about that... she needed to ovee... she could not afford to have such a terrible weakness...

    The saintess hesitantly approached the mirror with her body trembling violently with every step that she took.

    She could hear the voice in her head get louder and louder until it became a never-ending scream of despair and self-hatred.

    (Stop it! Don''t look! You are so hideous...)

    (Don''t take off the mask... don''t take off the mask... DON''T TAKE OFF THE MASK!)

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and ced two of her fingers gently on the corner of the mask.

    Her fingers shivered ever so slightly as she cut off the qi connection flowing into the mask and slowly dislodged the corner of the covering.

    (YOU. ARE. UGLY.)

    "I know," Xu Lu softly replied as she lifted up the mask and silently stared at the scarred young woman who looked back at her with soft brown eyes.

    Her face had not healed.

    Whatever that demon cultivator had smeared on his dagger... it prevented her wounds from recovering.

    The only undamaged part of her face was her eyes and most of her nose. The rest of her facial features had been destroyed.

    Thick jagged lines of scar tissue criss-crossed her face in a random pattern apanied by flesh that showed traces of burn marks.

    (NO ONE WILL LOVE YOU! THEY WILL ALL MAKE FUN OF YOU... HIDEOUS LITTLE THING!)

    "It doesn''t matter... the only thing that cultivators respect is strength..." Xu Lu quietly whispered back as she raised up her fingers and touched her face.

    "I... I already found love... I don''t need another..."

    Xu Lu''s voice began to cut off as her body started to hyperventte.

    The original Xu Lu''s emotions were flooding her mind and it was getting too overwhelming to deal with.

    "No... I am stronger than... this... I am... Cami''s sword... the most feared... vampire... hunter..." Xu Lu hissed darkly.

    The panic in her heart was only increasing with every passing second so she had no choice but to resort to doing something drastic.

    The saintess opened her mouth and then bit down hard on her tongue.

    Blood flooded her mouth, and a sharp burst of pain snapped her out of her mental anguish.

    She coughed violently and thick droplets of crimson liquid stained the wooden floor beneath her feet.

    Xu Lu knelt down and continued to spit out her saliva that was now a dark red colour. The voice in her mind got fainter as she struggled to push it down.

    She reached for the mask and ced it back on her face. Immediately a sense of relief rose up in her chest and she felt at peace.

    She imagined that was a simr sensation to what an addict must feel once they got their hit.

    "Baby steps... baby steps..." Xu Lu whispered softly to no one as she got up from the ground and turned away from the mirror.

    It would not be easy to deal with the negative side effects of inhabiting this body but all she could do was try.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Otherwise...

    Xu Lu shuddered to imagine what would happen in a fight if her mask was somehow removed. An enemy would easily be able to take advantage of her fragile mental state.

    She needed to fix this w... but was it possible to ''fix'' a personality trait?

    The saintess let out a heavy sigh under her breath and walked outside. She headed for the edge of the forest and sat down beneath the shade of arge oak tree.

    The sky was a clear blue colour but there were a few dark clouds rolling along the edges of the horizon.

    Rain wasing.

    Xu Lu reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out a small scroll with words that had been written down on yellowing paper.

    She had eventually selected three techniques from the central sect library.

    A movement technique, the special underwater breathing technique andst but not least... a poison cultivation technique.

    Xu Lu may be a sword cultivator, but she was no stranger to ying dirty. In a life and death situation one needed to be able to use all the resources at their disposal.

    Honour and mercy had no ce in a fight for survival.

    Sometimes the only way to win was to survive.

    There are always stories of brave warriors who faced overwhelming odds and madest stands, but Xu Lu considered them fools.

    The warrior who runs away... lives to fight another day.

    It was that simple.

    Xu Lu unfurled the piece of paper and nced at the words that had been written down. ''The ck Dragon''s Curse''.

    An extremely dangerous technique that bordered on demonic cultivation.

    It involved ingesting a toxic substrate made from the skin of a rare frog found in the heart of the southwest jungles of the Easteroes Nation.

    The cultivator who practised this technique would run the risk of polluting their meridian veins with a deadly toxin.

    Xu Lu looked at the diagram that showed where the poison would have to travel around her body and felt a bit nervous.

    This technique required the toxin to travel by all of her major organs. Definitely not a good omen if things were to go wrong.

    "Okay... so I''ll have to ask around the Alchemy Hall... maybe go into the town..." Xu Lu muttered quietly to herself as she tried to think about how to acquire the rare poison.

    Still... there was no use worrying about the future.

    Right now, it was time to train.

    Xu Lu got up from the ground and stretched out her arms. She yawned sleepily and then took out the sword from the sheath attached to her hip.

    She began to practise a set of in movements.

    A simple thrust, a light parry, a horizontal strike... these were all extremely basic moves and that was the point.

    Swordsmanship could not be overlyplicated. As a swordsman there was only one job that you had to do.

    Kill people.

    shy techniques, rare swordsmanship arts... were all unnecessary.

    Xu Lu continued to swing her de in the basic movements and her posture did not break once.

    She had practised so many times that it had now be second nature. Cami had always said that she was a natural born sword genius, but Xu Lu didn''t think so.

    Talent was useless without hard work and effort.

    A single leaf fell down slowly from the tree. Xu Lu nced at the floating object and swung her de casually.

    sh!

    The leaf was neatly spit into three pieces. Xu Lu clicked her tongue and waited for another leaf to fall.

    sh!

    This time the poor leaf was sliced into five different pieces. The saintess nodded her head and then continued to practice.

 Chapter 315 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (66)

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Fifth Peak)

    Months had slowly passed.

    Xu Lu stood silently in the middle of a clearing and unsheathed her de. Leaves fell down from the treetops as she waited for the right moment to strike.

    sh!

    A burst of sword qi erupted from the tip of her de and all the nearby leaves were neatly bisected in half.

    The strike was faster than the normal human eye could follow.

    One moment the leaves were unharmed and the next they were sliced to pieces.

    Xu Lu let out a light sigh and then adjusted her posture to repeat her movements. She was now beginning to incorporate long range strikes using her sword qi into herbat training.

    She could feel all of her muscles aching in pain as she swung her sword for the hundredth or maybe it was the thousandth time.

    All in an effort to get stronger.

    The saintess finished her training and took a small break. She walked over to the wooden shack that she called home and entered inside.

    It was still as rundown and in a state of disrepair like before but now it was at least a little bit cleaner.

    Xu Lu had broken off a few branches with leaves still on them from the nearby forest and used these branches almost like brooms to sweep outside the excess dust and cobwebs.

    She would asionally wash the mattress in the clean water of the river and then hang it out to dry in the hot sunlight.

    Now was this a life offort?

    Definitely not¡­

    But humans were creatures of habit and she had gotten used to it.

    There was nothing she could do except to adapt and ovee. Xu Lu flopped down on the mattress and spread out her arms.

    She closed her eyes and took in a few deep breaths.

    Her master had visited her twice so far and her attitude was¡­ strange.

    She was still unpleasant and nasty as always, but she seemed unusually pleased at her cultivation progress.

    Why? That was one of the questions that Xu Lu could not answer.

    It was clear that her master hated her so why was she so invested in her cultivation strength?

    Why did she want her to be a more powerful cultivator?

    An easy answer would be that she wanted her apprentice to be the strongest among the younger generation and be worthy of the title of saintess.

    That would reflect well on her as a master.

    It was an exnation that made sense, but Xu Lu could not shake the feeling that there was another reason why Lei Ying wanted to see her cultivation level increase.

    And it definitely was not good.

    Xu Luy down on top of the mattress and tried to get some sleep. Her eyelids were closed but her mind was still active.

    She had been unable to sleep for quite a few months now. Cultivators at her level no longer required rest but Xu Lu still wanted to nap.

    "Fuck! Let me just¡­" Xu Lu mmed her fist against the floor in frustration and muttered a few angry words under her breath.

    She got up from the mattress and took in a couple of deep breaths to calm down her mood.

    She nced in the direction of the person-sized mirror and slowly walked towards it.

    What she was about to do next was her least favourite part of the day.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xu Lu''s trembling fingers reached for the corner of the mask and slowly pulled it off her face. The familiar face of a girl with mutted and burnt flesh stared back at her.

    The saintess looked at her reflection without saying a word.

    She could hear the voice inside her mind begging her to put back on the mask, but it was faint and not as loud as before.

    It had been a very slow process, but she had finally managed to look at herself in the mirror without suffering from a panic attack.

    Now obviously the next step was to getfortable with her face being revealed in front of other people but¡­

    Xu Lu had no one that she could really trust.

    Sure, she was on friendly terms with Tang Shu and Bai Lu but that was more on the level of acquaintances that actual friends.

    Plus, she had not spoken to them since handing over that dagger containing a weapon spirit to Bai Lu.

    What to do?

    Xu Lu shook her head and then ced the mask back on her face. She needed to take a walk around the sect to clear her mind.

    Fortunately, her master was on a diplomatic mission to the Red Lotus Sect and would not be back for a long time.

    The saintess walked down the mountain peak and headed for the back of the sect where a forest full of low-level beast creatures resided.

    It was a beautiful day.

    Xu Lu felt her mood slowly brighten as she headed for the back of the sect while trying her best to avoid the line of sight of any disciples who crossed her path.

    She was used to the attention but that did not mean that she enjoyed being stared at like an animal in the zoo.

    Besides¡­ there were strange rumors floating about.

    Xu Lu did not know who the source of the rumors was, but it was now a well-known gossip in the sect that she was a mesmerizing beauty.

    Someone had spread a false statement that she was so good looking that her master forced her to wear a mask in order not to enchant anyone who looked at her directly.

    Xu Lu was not pleased about those rumors but could understand the logic behind how they had spread so quickly.

    It was a well-known fact that during the process of expelling bodily waste and transforming their physique that cultivators would be more gorgeous.

    Those who possessed stronger talents would be even more beautiful than the rest.

    Naturally as the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect, most would assume that she was a beauty on par with Helen of Troy.

    Was there a Helen of Troy in this world?

    Xu Lu made a mental note to herself to check out the mythology books in the central library when she had the chance.

    Still¡­ she now had an idea of why the original Xu Lu wanted to abandon the Holy Sword Sect and join the demonic side.

    If everyone constantly praised, you for being good looking when your face was destroyed¡­ how would you feel?

    And if your mask was ever removed¡­ then those voices of praises would turn to scorn and derision.

    Those jealous of your talents wouldfort themselves by mocking your appearance. The original Xu Lu was a sheltered girl who grew up in an abusive situation.

    Xu Lu was not surprised that she would be unable to cope with the whispers, abuses, and mocking words.

    For a brief moment a surge of hatred flooded her mind and the voice that usually whispered began to get even louder.

    (Why? Why would they treat me like that?)

    (I protected them¡­ I save their lives¡­)

    (And they called me an ugly monster.)

 Chapter 316 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (67)

    ?

    "People can be horrible and cruel," Xu Lu whispered softly under her breath. She opened her mouth and slowly inhaled before letting out the stored air from her lungs.

    The voice in her mind got a bit softer and then disappeared. The saintess focused on her breathing and did not move from the spot.

    There was no easy fix for her current problem.

    Possessing the original Xu Lu''s body meant that she also inherited herck of self-esteem and her hatred and fear about her appearance.

    The saintess continued her walk towards the back of the sect and tried to take her mind off her current worries.

    Maybe she could take up a hobby?

    Cultivating and practicing herbat skills every day without rest wasn''t exactly healthy for her mental state.

    Should she take up something? But what?

    Xu Lu looked around thoughtfully as she tried to think about different activities that could be rxing and help her to destress.

    Swimming?

    Actually, that wasn''t a half bad idea.

    Every time she went into the river that flowed through the fifth peak it was for the purpose of cultivating the painful Frozen Hell Art.

    So¡­ she had never just swum and yed in the water.

    Xu Lu nodded her head and made a mental note to do some swimming at least twice a week from now on.

    The saintess stopped as she felt a sudden presence appear in the corner of her vision. Her right hand immediately drifted towards her sword as she prepared to fight.

    "Good senses!" a kind elderly voice praised.

    Xu Lu turned in the direction of the sound and saw an elderly man wearing a in white robe not dissimr in colour to her own and an iron circlet on his head.

    Heavy wrinkles could be seen on his face and arms.

    He bore a striking resemnce to a friendly grandfather rather than an awe-inspiring immortal.

    Still Xu Lu knew immediately who he was and did not dare to underestimate him despite his feeble looking appearance.

    "Sect Leader," Xu Lu politely spoke as she sped her hands together and bowed her head respectfully.

    "Please¡­ you can forget the formalities," the sect master smiled as he waved his hands.

    "I am just here to talk. It has been a real shame that I have not gotten the opportunity before to personally meet my junior sister''s apprentice."

    "But as I''m sure you know¡­ Lei Ying is very protective of you. In fact, I swear she would prefer to keep you locked up on the fifth peak in order to keep you safe."

    "I will never forget what she has done to me¡­ her ''kindness'' will be repaid," Xu Lu spoke calmly as she hid her true emotions.

    The sect master smiled again and held out his arm. He motioned for Xu Lu to hold his arm and the saintess obliged.

    The pair walked slowly arm in arm.

    It was a scene that would make any observers think of a granddaughter escorting her elderly grandfather around.

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she could not detect even a single hint of cultivationing from the sect leader''s body.

    It was almost like he was a mortal which meant that his cultivation level had reached the point where he was able to fully conceal his aura.

    "So¡­ your first two missions have not gone well," the sect leader remarked as he yawned sleepily.

    "Yes, sect leader. I am ashamed to admit that I have failed both," Xu Lu replied in a seemingly low tone.

    The sect leader opened his mouth and spoke with a hint of nostalgia in his eyes,

    "No. Don''t worry about it¡­ when I was your age, I had half the cultivation level that you have and the only missions I took were the basic ones."

    "I remember my first three-star mission¡­ I almost lost my life! My master was so ashamed of my performance that he sentenced me to two years of closed-door training."

    "You do not need to be concerned about your position. There is no one who can challenge you for the title of saintess."

    "Thank you for your kind words," Xu Lu replied politely. The sect leader nodded his head and then pointed at the nearby forest.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    There was a thin and narrow path of yellow sand leading deeper into the trees. Xu Lu led the elderly man onto the path and the pair continued their walk.

    "There will be an important event happening soon," the sect leader spoke calmly as he stopped moving and turned his head to directly face the silvery grey mask covering Xu Lu''s face.

    "A meeting between all the sects on the righteous side to determine the distribution of cultivation resources."

    "There will be a tournament held with the representatives of the younger generation of all the sects in order to determine their share of the resources."

    "You will be chosen as our representative."

    "It is an honour," Xu Lu spoke eagerly.

    She was surprised just how quickly those words slipped out of her mouth as if she was not the one who was in control of her body.

    "I have faith that you will reaffirm our position as one of the top cultivation sects in the entire continent," the sect leader replied seriously.

    "The meeting will be held two months from now and the tournament will start shortly after. You will go with me and some of the elders to the meeting."

    "Of course, your master will be there as well."

    Great¡­ just great¡­

    Xu Lu continued to hide her true feelings about Lei Ying and acted as though she was thrilled that her master would be going to the meeting with the rest of the envoy.

    The pair walked for around twenty more minutes until they finally arrived at arge clearing in the middle of the forest.

    The ground was covered in soft two-inch-tall grass and there were a few rocks scattered around the field.

    Xu Lu looked around in confusion because she wasn''t exactly sure why the sect leader had brought her to this ce.

    She didn''t have to wait long for an answer as the elderly looking man easily slipped out of her grasp and walked in the middle of the field.

    His wrinkled hands reached into the storage bag attached to his hip and he pulled out a in wooden sword.

    An unremarkable training sword that had several long scratches and traces of wear and tear running down the sides of its body.

    "Draw your weapon," the sect leader spoke in an even tone as he adjusted his body slightly.

    Xu Lu nodded and then without hesitation she unsheathed her de. The in longsword in her palm trembled ever so slightly¡­ from excitement.

    The sect leader was a strong opponent. Perhaps the strongest person that she had met sinceing to this world.

    And¡­ she wanted to fight.

    Xu Lu lowered her stance and waited patiently. The sect leader smiled when he saw that the saintess was not going to rush forward recklessly.

    He took one step forward and the distance between them instantly shrank within a fraction of a second.

    Xu Lu''s eyes widened in surprise, but her body reacted faster than her mind. She swung her de and barely managed to parry the attack.

    "Impressive," the sect masterughed joyfully as he felt a surge of pride well up in his heart. The saintess¡­ she was perfect.

    He could see the future of the sect in her hands.

    Still¡­ there was more testing to be done.

    He bent his knees and then pierced forward using the training sword in his palm. The shadowy aura of arge dragon appeared along the edge of his de.

    Dragon Swordsmanship Style- Twin Strike!

    Xu Lu dodged the first blow by a hair''s breadth but did not see the second strike which hit her directly in her stomach.

    She flew across the clearing and crashed against a nearby tree with a heavy thud before sliding to the ground.

    "Had enough?" the sect leader asked curiously.

    Xu Lu winced and got up slowly. She tightened her grip on the de in her hand and then rushed forward.

    She was not done yet.

 Chapter 317 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (68)

    ?

    (Mount Xilean- Unnamed Location)

    (Forest Clearing)

    sh!

    Xu Lu tilted her neck to the side and narrowly avoided the blunt edge of the wooden sword that was aimed for her body.

    The sword passed harmlessly above her left shoulder, but the Sect Leader quickly flicked his weapon sideways to catch Xu Lu off guard.

    The saintess ducked down and then used a movement technique to vanish from the spot and reappear right behind the elderly man.

    She retaliated by bending her knees and thrusting her de forward right into the back of the elderly man standing in front of her.

    The sect leader blocked the attack with ease and then proceeded to disappear. Xu Lu narrowed her eyes and spread out her spiritual senses.

    Where was he?

    Behind!

    Xu Lu rolled forward ungracefully just as the wooden de was about to hit her in the middle of her back.

    Dust, pieces of grass and mud stained her white robes, but she did not seem to care. The saintess quickly stood up and held out her sword in a defensive posture.

    "Good reflexes, very impressive basicbat skills¡­ hmm¡­ but you are missing one key element," the Sect Leader quietly whispered.

    "You need to use cultivation techniques."

    He stepped forward and the ground beneath his feet rippled.

    Power crackled all around him and Xu Lu felt as though an invisible weight was dragging her body down.

    Her movements were now sluggish and slow.

    Domain Attack- Heavenly Reversal!

    BOOM!

    Xu Lu found herself frozen in ce as all the colour drained away from the nearby surroundings.

    The birds trapped inside this strange world were locked in ce in the sky with their wings still in mid p.

    Everything was now ck and white.

    Xu Lu struggled to move even a single inch of her body because it was like she was now a puppet subject to the whims of the Sect Leader.

    Move! Move!

    The elderly man leisurely approached her with an expression of ease like he had all the time in the world.

    He did not seem to be affected by the peculiar zone.

    Xu Lu growled in frustration as the Sect Leader came closer and closer. She didn''t want to lose¡­ she couldn''t lose¡­ this wasn''t¡­ right¡­

    The saintess closed her eyes as she felt a surge of power ripple through her body. There was a power lurking inside her soul that responded to her cries.

    It hungered¡­ it wanted to be unleashed¡­

    Xu Lu reopened her eyes which now shone with a golden luster. The symbol of crosses appeared in her eyes where her pupils should have been.

    The Sect Leader noticed the change and his footsteps slowed down as he slowly tilted his head to exam the saintess'' strange ability.

    Xu Lu growled as she saw multiple golden threads extend outwards from her body and shoot off towards unknown location.

    There were not hundreds but rather thousands of these threads.

    She lightly touched one using her index finger and saw the image of an arrogant young cultivator bullying one of the female servants.

    His sins¡­ murder¡­ torture¡­ assault¡­

    Xu Lu''s eyes narrowed as the image changed to a scene that she instinctively knew was several years ago.

    The same young cultivator used his sword to behead a humble farmer in front of his terrified wife and children.

    There was no reason for the ughter. He simply viewed the mortal''s life as worthless¡­ no different from stepping on an ant¡­<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Sinners¡­ SINNERS!

    Xu Lu ran towards the Sect Leader, and the sticky weight attached to her body disappeared. She shed forward with her de and a golden aura coated her weapon.

    The Sect Leader moved to the side but to his surprise the de followed his quick movements.

    He then used a movement technique to try and create some space between them but the saintess followed him closely like a hunting dog as it tracked down its prey.

    What kind of cultivation technique was that?

    The Sect Leader had not felt that kind of energy before but assumed that it was a rare cultivation technique or bloodline art.

    He had no idea that he was facing the traces of divine power once gifted to a pdin called ire.

    Who went by another name¡­

    The Angel Of Death.

    Xu Lu growled as she felt her body be faster and faster. She could feel something in the back of her spine wriggling furiously and begging to get out.

    Wings¡­ wings?

    The saintess wasn''t sure how she knew what the strange feeling was but somehow the knowledge entered her mind.

    She saw herself flying through the air and hunting down numerous men and women wearing simple medieval clothing.

    Frost-born Swordsmanship Style- The Unending Winter!

    Xu Lu thrust her de forward and the temperature around her body plummeted. The grass beneath her feet shivered as frost crept up along their green bodies.

    The saintess'' breath turned into faint white wisps, and she could feel her spiritual qi melting and merging together with the foreign energy that was filling her veins.

    The shadowy aura of a great white leviathan circled around the edge of her de and the beast tossed back its head and roared.

    SCREECH!

    The roar was so loud that the ground itself beneath the saintess'' feet shook and cracks began to appear as though an earthquake had urred.

    Sheunched the attack aimed directly at the Sect Leader''s neck.

    The elderly man''s eyes widened for the first time as he subconsciously met the impressive attack with his full force.

    BOOM!

    A simple palm strike was all it took to destroy Xu Lu''s mighty attack and the saintess flew backwards until she crashed against a nearby tree with a sickening thud.

    She slid to the ground and passed out.

    The Sect Leader rushed over and quickly ced two fingers on her neck to make sure that she was still breathing.

    What? What was that?

    The Sect Leader looked around the clearing and saw that it was nowpletely destroyed. Large pits and cracks ravaged the once smooth ground, and several trees were toppled over.

    Thatst strike¡­ he had used the force of a god stage cultivator.

    He was still slightly holding back but¡­ he was shocked that he had to resort to that level of power to stop an attack from a girl who was only in the qi tide stage.

    She was truly impressive.

    The Sect Leader frowned slightly as he saw bloodstains spread across the saintess'' white robes. She was clearly injured and in need of medical assistance.

    He rummaged around in his storage bag and pulled out a high-ss healing pill. The thick medicinal scent of herbs slowly wafted upwards from the smooth round pill.

    The Sect Leader approached the unconscious girl and tried to find an opening on the mask where her mouth would be.

    Hmm¡­ the mask only revealed her eyes.

    The elderly man did not want to take off his junior sister''s disciple''s mask without her permission, but it was the only way to feed her the healing pill.

    He stretched out his right hand and gently removed the mask. The saintess'' true appearance was revealed as the silvery grey mask slid off her face.

    "What?" the Sect Leader''s voice trailed off in shock as he looked down at Xu Lu''s face.

 Chapter 318 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (69)

    ?

    (Mount Xilean- Unnamed Location)

    (Forest Clearing)

    Shi Jian had lived for a long time.

    A very long time.

    In fact, he could no longer recall what was his exact date of birth and how long that he had been alive.

    At the higher stages of cultivation, it was possible for one to live for hundreds of thousands of years.

    Shi Jian had only lived for a few thousand years but still¡­ there was very little that could surprise him anymore.

    But today¡­ he was shocked for the first time in centuries.

    The Sect Leader knelt down to get a closer look at the face of the girl who was still unconscious with her chest slowly rising upwards with every breath that she took.

    Xu Lu''s face¡­ it was¡­ it was¡­ horrible.

    Horrific scars criss-crossed the entire surface area of her face as if someone had taken a de and carved random paths through her flesh.

    At the edges of the scars were what appeared to be burn marks. There was not single undamaged part of her face except for her eyes.

    "I don''t understand¡­" Shi Jian''s voice trailed off as he continued to stare at his junior sister''s apprentice.

    His mind was a mess.

    Confusion, anger, grief¡­ these emotions bubbled up in his chest until he found it had to breathe properly.

    The Sect Leader furrowed his brows as he made a mental note to interrogate his junior sister and find out why she had not bothered to heal her apprentice''s wounds.

    Shi Jian reached into his storage bag and shifted around for the most powerful healing pill that he owned.

    This pill was known as the resurrection pill. It was so powerful that it was said to be able to bring one back from the brink of death.

    Of course, such a powerful revitalisation effect also came with regenerative properties. Shi Jian held the pill in his right hand and then slowly pushed it inside Xu Lu''s mouth.

    The pill was round- shaped and a light green colour. It smelled very pleasant like the scent of freshly cut grass.

    The Sect Leader pushed the pill into the saintess'' mouth and then waited patiently as the pill dissolved and the liquid ran down her throat.

    The bloody wounds that he had caused during their sparring session immediately began to heal and soon every inch of her flesh was repaired.

    Wait¡­ this didn''t make any sense¡­

    Shi Jian watched in confusion as the flesh surrounding Xu Lu''s face wriggled slightly as if attempting to heal before going silent.

    The Sect Leader stretched out his palm and was about to touch the young woman''s face when he noticed her eyelids fluttering slightly.

    He quickly grabbed the silvery grey mask and ced it back on the saintess'' face just as she opened her eyes.

    "Where¡­ where am I?" Xu Lu asked in confusion as she looked around the destroyed clearing.

    "Are you okay?" Shi Jian asked warmly as he ced a hand on the young woman''s shoulder and tried desperately not to let his emotions show on his expression.

    "Sect Leader? Thest thing I remember was our spar¡­ I guess I lost then¡­" Xu Lu sullenly whispered as got up from the ground and stretched out her arms.

    "You should feel very proud of yourself. In the final moments of our confrontation, I was forced to use some of my void stage cultivation," the Sect Leaderforted her with a smile.

    "Your talent is far greater than mine but¡­ um¡­"

    Xu Lu tilted her head in confusion as the elderly man suddenly appeared very ufortable. He kept sneaking nces at her when he thought that she was not looking.

    Maybe he was concerned that she was too strong?

    The saintess took a small step back even though it would be useless if the Sect Leader decided to kill her.

    What to do? What to do?<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Shi Jian''s hands trembled slightly as he could not look away from the silvery grey mask that covered his junior sister''s apprentice''s face.

    He needed to know¡­ how had that happened?

    His first thought was that maybe Xu Lu had gotten those wounds during a mission outside of the sect.

    But that theory did not hold up when you consider that she was wearing that silvery grey mask even before she stepped into the outside world.

    So, she must have gotten those injuries while she was in the sect and of course that meant that a question was floating through Shi Jian''s mind.

    Why did Lei Ying not tell him about this situation?

    Clearly, she must know.

    No¡­ it was impossible that she did not know.

    The saintess and her master had a rtionship that was simr to parent and child considering that she was raised on the fifth peak with only Lei Ying aspany.

    A deep burning curiosity filled the Sect Leader''s thoughts and his fingers curled up into a tight fist as he came to a decision.

    "Saintess¡­ I mean Xu Lu¡­ what happened to you?" the Sect Leader spoke solemnly with an undercurrent of concern in his voice.

    "What do you mean? I feel fine after the spar¡­ actually I''m quite¡­" Xu Lu''s reply was cut off by the Sect Leader''s next words.

    "No¡­ I am referring to what caused the damage to your face," the Sect Leader whispered softly.

    Time stood still.

    Xu Lu remained frozen in ce as a cold breeze swept through the destroyed clearing and rustled the few bushes that had survived.

    Her face?

    How? How did he know?

    The saintess knelt down and grabbed her chest as she felt as though a heavy weight was pressing down on her body.

    The voice in her mind got louder and louder until it became a never-ending scream of despair and self-loathing.

    (HE KNOWS. HE KNOWS¡­ HE KNOWS!)

    (YOU HAVE TO LEAVE! YOU HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE NOW!)

    (HE CAN''T KNOW¡­ PLEASE¡­ HE CAN''T KNOW¡­)

    Xu Lu grabbed her head using her hands and had to resist the urge to scream. Her body trembled violently like a leaf in the wind.

    "How¡­ how did you know?" Xu Lu stuttered with a great deal of effort since she was barely holding herself together.

    "I¡­ I wanted to feed you a healing pill after our sparring match so I removed the mask covering your face¡­" the Sect Leader continued to speak but Xu Lu could no longer hear him.

    It was like his words wereing from a distance and distorted and muffled as if he was speaking underwater.

    Darkness began to creep up along the edges of Xu Lu''s vision and the voice in her mind continued to shriek non-stop.

    Fear and panic.

    Those two emotions made it hard to focus and ask more questions or even reply to the Sect Leader''s words.

    "Are¡­ you¡­" the Sect Leader was saying something as he walked closer, but something finally snapped in Xu Lu''s mind.

    She banged her head against the ground with so much force that blood trickled down the edges of her mask.

    The world suddenly became clear as the pain forced the voice in her mind to temporarily fall silent.

    "I¡­ my face is like this because¡­ because of my master," Xu Lu hissed darkly as she watched an expression of shock sh across the Sect Leader''s face.

 Chapter 319 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (70)

    ?

    "What¡­ what are you talking about?" the Sect Leader stuttered slightly. He was taken aback by the hatred and ferocity that surfaced in the saintess'' eyes.

    "I was captured, tortured and disfigured by a demon cultivator¡­" Xu Lu spoke hoarsely as the voice in her mind continued to scream.

    "He carved my face apart¡­ inch by inch¡­ forcing me to endure horrific torture¡­"

    "And he did that to me while my master waited¡­ she could have rescued me earlier, but she waited¡­ she waited until he turned me into a monster¡­"

    "And the poison that he used on his de¡­ it prevents my face from healing¡­ no matter how strong the pill¡­ my face remains unchanged¡­"

    Xu Lu''s voice lowered to a mere whisper as the emotions of the original Xu Lu flooded her mind with fear, self-hatred, and loathing.

    (Don''t trust him! He''s just like all the rest of them!)

    (Run! Run! Run Now!)

    (Listen to me! GET AWAY NOW!)

    Xu Lu paused for a moment but opened her mouth and continued to speak. At this point it was toote to stop now.

    "He kidnapped me while I was still living on the fifth peak¡­ somehow, he snuck past all the wards and protective barriers without alerting my master," Xu Lu spoke solemnly.

    "Yeah¡­ I find that very hard to believe¡­I think she let him¡­ she let him capture me."

    "And then she warned me to keep the matter a secret. To not tell anyone and to cover my face so that no one would know."

    "She has been torturing me for years in the guise of training¡­"

    "Xu Lu¡­ I¡­ I had no idea¡­" Shi Jian''s voice trembled as he took a step back with numerous thoughts running through his mind.

    "There must be a mistake¡­ my junior sister¡­ she is not that kind of person¡­ she loves you."

    "Love?" Xu Luughed bitterly as she watched the elderly man looked at her with an expression of shock mixed with horror.

    "If you truly believe that then you never knew her at all¡­"

    Shi Jian''s fingers shook violently as he looked at the saintess who stood steadfast and unbroken.

    She did not appear to me lying¡­ her voice was steady and unwavering.

    And that terrified him greatly.

    If what she was saying was true, then¡­then¡­ he had no other choice. There was really only one decision that he could make.

    "I''m sorry¡­" the Sect Leader whispered softly.

    "I am truly¡­ truly sorry¡­ you deserved better¡­ I¡­ the sect has failed you."

    Maybe the saintess heard something in his voice because she tried to activate a movement technique, but it was toote.

    He swung the training sword and mmed the blunt edge of the weapon against Xu Lu''s temple.

    The young woman crashed motionless to the ground in a state of unconsciousness.

    Shi Jian let out a deep breath and then flung his wooden sword to the side. He hated himself more in this moment than he had in his entire life.

    The choice that he was about to make¡­ was for the good of the sect.

    Even if what Xu Lu was saying with true¡­ Lei Ying was a powerful cultivator who was going to be his sessor.

    He could not expel her. They needed her strength to maintain their position as one of the top sects on the continent.

    And with Xu Lu''s face¡­ no¡­ not just her face¡­ the hatred in her eyes¡­

    Shi Jian ced his right palm on his face and wiped away the tears that were forming along the corners of his eyes.

    Even if the saintess increased her cultivation level¡­ she would make a mockery out of the Holy Sword Sect by being their representative.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She was just too¡­ broken.

    The Sect Leader drew in a deep and shuddering breath as he approached the fallen girl and gently picked her up.

    Blood stained his fingertips as a long gash had opened up along her temples where the training sword had struck her head.

    Before making any rash decisions, he would need to investigate the matter further to see if the saintess'' words were correct.

    He would need to talk to Lei Ying.

    p¦Ánd¦Á---no¦Í?1,§ão§® Only then would he be able to rest easy¡­ although¡­ he may not be able to rest at all.

    He was condemning an innocent girl to death¡­ all in the name of the betterment of the sect.

    Shi Jian''s back slumped and in that moment, the powerful sect leader suddenly appeared like a frail old man.

    But he was not going to kill her¡­ at least not until he got the full story about what had happened to the saintess¡­

    Then he would make the choice whether or not to end her life.

    The Sect Leader jumped on his sword and flew towards the back of the sect. The mountains here were deste and the sand was dry and dusty.

    The environment here resembled a desert in direct contrast to the forests teeming with life in the other parts of the sect.

    Xu Lu groaned softly but did not wake up. The Sect Leader refused to look at the young woman in his arms as he continued to fly forward.

    He couldn''t¡­ because the guilt eating away at his heart would intensify.

    Was this what his master would have wanted?

    Was this the right thing to do?

    Doubts filled the Sect Leader''s mind but that did not stop him from approaching arge metal door that had been dug into the face of a mountain.

    There were five guards standing near the door but they all quickly fell unconscious as the Sect Leader knocked them out using his sword qi.

    He opened the door, and it swung open to reveal a damp, dark environment. Shi Jian walked through the darkness holding the saintess in his arms.

    The tunnel continued for several hundred kilometres until it finally widened to reveal arge open space where hundreds of cells had been carved into the walls.

    Inside each cell were men and women in various states of madness.

    Some screamed until their throats were sore, othersughed madly while the rest curled up on the ground and refused to move even a single muscle.

    "Oh, my goodness¡­ fresh meat¡­" a seductive voice purred from the darkness.

    The Sect Leader turned in the direction of the sound and say a woman wearing a ragged yellow robe smiling at him with fanged teeth.

    "Little Shi Jian¡­ is that you? My¡­ you look¡­ old¡­" the woman jeered mockingly as her eyes flicked towards the masked figure in the sect leader''s arms.

    "What a cutie¡­ I don''t suppose you''ll let me¡­ y with her?"

    "Shut up fiend," Shi Jian barked angrily as he strode past the woman who blew him a kiss and thenughed to herself.

    He continued to walk for several more minutes before arriving at an empty cell. With a heavy heart hey the saintess on the ground and then closed the door.

    For a moment the Sect Leader was tempted to stop this madness. Release the saintess and arrest her master for abuse but¡­

    The needs of the many would always outweigh the needs of the few. Lei Ying was needed for the sect to survive in the future.

    Xu Lu was talented, but she was but a seedling and there was no guarantee that her genius would one day blossom.

    The Sect Leader walked away leaving the saintess lying down on the floor inplete darkness and surrounded by cells filled with hardened criminal and demonic cultivators.

 Chapter 320 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (71)

    ?

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Twentieth Peak- Secret Prison)

    The Containment Facility aka ''The Hole''.

    That was the nickname given to the prison hidden behind the mountain range of the Holy Sword sect where all manner of vile criminals were held.

    These individuals were too dangerous to be released or there may be a need for them in the future, so they were locked away inside of an underground fortress.

    And for some¡­ it was just for punishment. Sometimes death was a mercy¡­

    The light underground was almost nonexistent with the only dim lightinging from the torches that were prone to going out.

    The air was dry and stale, the unpleasant scents of feaces, urine and blood filled the air, and the worst part was the screams.

    Some prisoners had been trapped in here for decades if not centuries and had already gonepletely mad.

    Being isted in a small cell no bigger than the size of a bathroom did funny things to the human mind no matter how powerful one''s cultivation level.

    Each cell was lined with a strange metal substance covered in dark runes that actively sucked away the qi from the cultivators inside.

    Leaving them powerless.

    If there was any constion it was the fact that the guards did not enter this ce, so the prisoners were not abused.

    Instead, this prison was ruled by powerful ''bosses'' well ''ruled was a bit of a stretch.

    There was only so much control one could have over a den of lunatics, criminals, and madmen.

    This was a ce to store people, lock the door and then throw away the key.

    Even dead bodies were not taken away and some cells were upied by skeletons or corpses in various stages of decay.

    And this is where the Sect Leader had left the saintess¡­

    Xu Lu opened her eyes and groaned as she felt a blinding headache splitting her mind apart. She looked around and furrowed her brows in confusion.

    Where was she? What was this ce? How did she get here?

    She found herself lying down on a cold hard metal floor in a room no bigger than twenty to forty square feet.

    In front of her she could see heavy bars made from a ck metal that appeared to be iron.

    There was very little light so she could barely make out what was on the other side of the bars.

    The headache was getting worse by the minute, so Xu Lu was forced to grit her teeth to ride out the pain.

    The saintess raised up her right palm to the side of her head and felt a sticky substance. She pulled away her hand saw that her fingers were now stained with dried blood.

    She was injured? But how? And by who?

    Thest thing she remembered was¡­ was¡­ wait¡­ why couldn''t she remember? Xu Lu closed her eyes and tried to think but was immediately interrupted by several loud shouts.

    "ARGHH!! I SEE THEM! THEY''RE IN THE WALLS! THEY''RE IN THE FUCKING WALLS!"

    "HAHAHA! Huang Hao! I SEE YOU! I SEE YOU POOPY!"

    "Did you just fling shit at me?! YOU DISGUISTING LITTLE BITCH! I''LL KILL YOU! I''LL KILL YOU!"

    "Can you both shut the hell up?"

    eaglesnov?1,§ão§® More screams, shouts, curses, and expressions of rage echoed through this strange ce and Xu Lu felt her body tremble violently.

    A memory surfaced in her mind from the original Xu Lu. She had been here before¡­ she had been locked away in this ce to rot away for decades until¡­

    Lei Ying took a dagger and plunged it into her¡­

    The memory ended abruptly, and Xu Lu felt beads of sweat run down her forehead. She now knew a little bit more about this ce.

    ''The Hole''.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Wait¡­ but what had she done to deserve being sent in here?

    Thest thing she could remember was¡­ wait¡­ the Sect Leader¡­

    "That son of a bitch," Xu Lu cursed softly under her breath as she stood up from the ground and walked over to the iron bars with shaky legs.

    She could no longer feel her cultivation strength. It was like all the qi in her dantian had been drained away.

    It was not a good feeling.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and used thest vestiges of her spiritual energy to peek inside of her dantian.

    The little white unicorn was fast asleep with its chest rising and falling gently with every breath.

    It had once been surrounded by a vast ocean of qi but now that ocean was nothing more than a rapidly drying upke.

    The saintess opened up her eyes and took in a several deep breaths in order to calm herself down.

    She needed to think. She needed to find a way out of this ce.

    The Sect Leader had done this to her.

    He had locked her away for telling the truth. There had been no hesitation in his strike to her temples to knock her out.

    What would happen to her?

    Would she follow the same life trajectory as the original Xu Lu? Be trapped in this dark underground prisonplex until her master ended her life?

    No...no¡­ fuck that!

    Fuck that!

    Xu Lu gripped her heart in rage while a fury unlike anything that she had felt before flooded her mind.

    She did nothing to deserve this.

    The original Xu Lu did nothing to deserve this.

    Why should they be forced to endure this suffering while the so- called ''righteous sects'' get to y the roles of benevolent gods?

    She trusted him.

    She trusted the kind grandfatherly aura surrounding the Sect Leader and the concern that he showed for her well-being.

    And he betrayed her.

    She would not forget¡­ she would not forgive¡­

    "So, what are you in for?" a tired masculine voice interrupted Xu Lu''s dark train of thoughts. She nced to the side and saw a cell only a few feet away.

    It was impossible to see inside the cell, but Xu Lu strained her eyes and could make out a shadowy human-sized figure.

    "I''m the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect," Xu Lu bitterlyughed as she grabbed on to the iron bars and shook them violently.

    The metal did not even shift.

    "You can tell some good jokes," the mysterious prisoner giggled softly as he shuffled around in the darkness of his cell.

    "I wish I was joking but no¡­ I am the current saintess and now¡­ I am locked away here¡­" Xu Lu replied darkly as she stepped away from the bars.

    The mysterious prisoner remained silent for a moment and then he spoke with a tinge of curiosity to his voice,

    "If you don''t mind me asking¡­ what did you do to get locked away in here? This is a ce where the Holy Sword Sect traps demons, demonic cultivators, and mass murderers."

    "I revealed the truth to the Sect Leader and well¡­ let''s just say that he did not appreciate my honesty," Xu Lu sighed heavily as she spoke.

    "Damn¡­ well at least¡­" the prisoner''s voice trailed off as another horrific scream echoed through the prison.

    "Don''t worry about the noise¡­ you''ll get used to it eventually¡­ we all do, or we go mad."

 Chapter 321 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (72)

    ?

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (Twentieth Peak- Secret Prison)

    "ARGHHH! HAHAHA! ARGGHHH! HAHAA!"

    "LAUGH MY SISTERS AND BROTHERS FOR WE SHALL BE FREE!"

    "PRAISE! PRAISE!"

    The original Xu Lu covered her ears with her hands and curled up into a ball. She had no idea how long she had spent in this ce.

    In the darkness of her cell¡­ time lost all meaning.

    Minutes turned to hours¡­ hours turned to days¡­ days turned into decades¡­

    She could feel her mind slowly cracking.

    No¡­ perhaps she had already gone mad¡­ it was impossible to tell in this ce surrounded by the insane and the criminal.

    Then there was a change.

    The door to her cell finally swung open.

    After decades of istion, the original Xu Lu curled up in a ball like an animal and hissed at the figure who looked at her with an expression of triumph.

    "Don''t you look horrible¡­" the familiar voice of her master jeered mockingly as she stepped inside the cage and grabbed the original Xu Lu by the corner of her tattered robe.

    The shback ended and Xu Lu''s eyes opened.

    Being in this ce had unlocked more memories from the original Xu Lu and none of them were pleasant.

    She had spent decades trapped inside this underground prisonplex and by the end of her time here¡­ she was as mad as the rest of them.

    "Another nightmare?" azy voice came from the other cell.

    "How did you know?" Xu Lu asked with a hint of curiosity in her tone.

    "Your breathing¡­ it changed for several seconds then returned to normal¡­" the mysterious man spoke casually.

    "Wait¡­ I thought these cells drain our cultivation¡­" Xu Lu furrowed her brows as she tried to summon the spiritual energy from her dantian.

    "It does¡­ this is just a little trick I picked up¡­ was pretty useful when detecting lies¡­" the man sighed heavily as he spoke.

    Xu Lu could hear a shuffling sound as if the man was rummaging around his pockets. Suddenly something flew out of the darkness andnded in her cell with a heavy thump.

    The saintess reached out with her palm and carefully picked the object up. It was a golden pendant with a single red eye painted in the centre of the amulet.

    "I used to be the sessor of the Crimson Demon Sect¡­ now well¡­ heh¡­ that trinket is wasted on an old and bitter man like me," the prisoner calmly spoke.

    "But why give it to me?" Xu Lu asked quietly.

    There was a brief moment of silence as the prisoner chose not to reply. Xu Lu nced at the amulet before tucking it away in one of the pockets of her robe.

    Wait¡­ her pet!

    Xu Lu quickly searched all of her pockets but could not find her little white mouse who had been herpanion for thest few months.

    It must have escaped somewhere before she was dropped off in the prison¡­

    Well¡­ she had no regrets.

    It would be nice for somepanionship, but her mouse was better off in the wild than trapped in a damp, dark cell.

    "It is just a whim," the mysterious prisoner suddenly spoke up.

    "I''m bored¡­ I mean we are both going to rot in here so isn''t it funny if I make so that the once saintess of the Holy Sword Sect is now an honorary demon cultivator?"

    "Hehehe¡­ actually it is very funny¡­"

    The prisoner burst into a fit of giggles.

    Xu Lu let out a sigh and walked up to the bars, she then proceeded to grip the iron bars with all the force that she could muster.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Nothing.

    "Wait! Wait! I thought of something interesting! Why don''t we tell everyone who you are?!" the prisoner suggested.

    "Go ahead¡­ I don''t really care¡­" Xu Lu shrugged her shoulders as she continued to wrap her fingers around the iron bars.

    Come on¡­e on¡­

    "HEY EVERYONE!" the male prisoner shouted with a surprising amount of force.

    "THE SAINTESS OF THE HOLY SWORD SECT IS LOCKED IN THE CELL NEXT TO ME!"

    His statement did not even create a ripple of interest because everyone who was still clinging on to a thread of sanity just assumed it was another statement by a madman.

    Well¡­ all except one.

    "Jun Yang! Have you finally gone mad? Or are you telling the truth?" a seductive feminine voice came from several cells to the left.

    "I swear it! The saintess really is here¡­" the mysterious man replied with his hands ced across his chest.

    "Ohh¡­ I wonder if she was the cutie who came in that brat Shi Jian''s arms¡­ damn¡­ I wonder what she tastes like¡­" the female prisoner purred lustfully.

    "Yeah¡­ not interested... thanks¡­" Xu Lu replied sarcastically.

    "A spicy one! I think I like you even more now sweetheart!" the female prisoner giggled, and her bell-likeughter echoed through the prison.

    Xu Lu shook her head and tried to ignore the new round of shouts that filled the air.

    This ce was unbearable¡­ the scent of urine, faeces and the unwashed smells wafting off the prisoners'' bodies were causing her eyes to water.

    And that was not even mentioning the constant non-stop screams.

    What to do?

    How to escape from this ce?

    Xu Lu sat down on the ground in a cross-legged position and closed her eyes. In the original timeline Xu Lu had been thrown in here by her master Lei Ying.

    Now this time around it had been the Sect Leader. Either way Xu Lu could not see a good ending for herself.

    She was either going to be killed or left to rot in this ce for decades.

    Somehow, she got the feeling that the Sect Leader would not be taking her out of the prison with an apology.

    Xu Lu kept her eyes closed as she used thest traces of her spiritual qi to scan her body. There was only a handful of spiritual energy left and not nearly enough to break out of this cell.

    Wait¡­ what was that?

    Xu Lu''s brows furrowed as she felt a dark insidious power located right behind her heart. This power seemed ancient¡­ primordial¡­ and righteous?

    The saintess felt a bit reluctant to touch this power but seeing that she had no other option, she forced her mind to enter the barrier containing the mysterious energy.

    Sinners¡­

    Xu Lu opened her eyes and her pupils shone with a golden luster.

    Her body crackled with energy as she saw thousands of golden threads erupt from her body and scattered across the prison.

    The power felt weaker¡­ it should be stronger¡­

    Xu Lu had no idea how she knew that but somehow, she could tell that the power she was using was only a partial amount of its full strength.

    The saintess approached the bars of the cell and this time her palms easily tore apart the metal like a hot knife passing through butter.

    Kill them¡­ kill the sinners¡­

    Xu Lu gripped her head in pain as a dark voice whispered in her mind. It hungered¡­ it wanted to feed¡­

    One of the golden threads was connected to the cell next to her where the man who had given her the amulet was kept.

    The saintess reached out with her hand and touched the thread.

 Chapter 322 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (73)

    ?

    Power¡­ so much¡­ power¡­

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath as she felt the flesh on her back wriggle and squirm as if something was itching to burst out of her skin.

    She touched the golden thread in front of her and memories entered her mind.

    She saw a handsome young man lightly teasing a group of female disciples with harmless pranks, then an older version of the man stealing cultivation techniques from an unknown library and a few other scenes.

    Guilty¡­

    Thievery¡­ziness¡­ greed¡­

    No¡­ he never hurt anyone¡­

    Xu Lu frowned as she felt a massive headache pound away at her mind. The mysterious man in the cell next to hers was not a saint but he was not deserving of death.

    She stepped forward and the man lifted up his head.

    His expression morphed to one of shock as he saw the self-proimed saintess of the Holy Sword Sect tear the iron bars apart.

    "How? How did you?" the mysterious prisoner stuttered in disbelief as Xu Lu stepped inside the cell and pulled him out.

    Xu Lu was able to get a better look at the prisoner as she brought him out of the cell and the light from the nearby torches illuminated his body.

    He appeared to be in his early thirties with extremely pale and mmy skin after many years without sunlight.

    His body was incredibly skinny, and his ribs were visible. He looked sickly as though a strong gust of wind would be enough to blow him over.

    "Anyone else you want me to break out before we flee?" Xu Lu asked solemnly as she furrowed her brows tightly.

    She had to resist.

    There was a never-ending scream in her mind to kill everyone in this ce. All sinners deserved death¡­

    No matter how small the sin.

    "Err¡­ maybe Cai Mei¡­" the man replied as he pointed at a cell located a few dozen meters away.

    Xu Lu nodded and walked over to the cell which was directly under a flickering torch so she could see the prisoner trapped inside.

    "Oh¡­ hey cutie," a seductive purr came from the cell.

    "My¡­ my¡­ you are an interesting one, aren''t you? I really didn''t think it was possible to break out of this ce¡­"

    "Ohh¡­ and those eyes¡­ I just want to¡­ pluck them out¡­"

    "I always loved gold¡­"

    The female prisoner inside the cell wore a tattered robe that had been purposefully cut to reveal her very voluptuous figure.

    Two furry foxlike ears jutted out from the sides of her head and when she smiled, she revealed a row of sharp fangs.

    Xu Lu touched the golden thread that flowed into the cell and a wave of memories entered her mind.

    This person¡­ she was dangerous.

    She was a killer but¡­ she hunted cultivators and not mortals. She used to be the protector of a group of spiritual foxes with the power to change into human forms.

    The saintess blinked twice and could feel her newfound power slowly begin to fade. She needed to make a decision quickly before it vanished.

    Xu Lu gritted her teeth and then swung her fists against the iron bars. The metal crumpled and created a narrow person-sized gap.

    "Darling!" the female prisoner jumped out of the cell and attempted to fling her body against Xu Lu''s.

    The saintess dodged out of the way and shot her a stern warning look which the female prisonerughed at.

    Then she turned her attention to the man who looked at her with a thin smile that barely made his lips curve upwards.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Jun Yang¡­ shall we escape this ce with our new ''friend''?" Cai Mei yfully asked before approaching the male prisoner and wrapping her arms around his.

    "Well¡­ we shall see¡­" Jun Yang replied thoughtfully.

    Xu Lu staggered, and her eyes lost their golden luster. She felt weak as though a thousand-pound weight had been ced on her body.

    "We need to move now," she spoke slowly as the headache affecting her got worse with every passing second.

    "Sure¡­ but let me have a little bit of fun while we run!" Cai Mei giggled softly as she cupped her hands around her lips and ran forward.

    "HEY EVERYONE! WE ARE FREE! THE SAINTESS FREED US!!"

    "What is she¡­ is she mad?" Xu Lu spat out in shock as she watched the foxlike beauty run from cell to cell and taunt the prisoners inside.

    Soon there wasplete chaos inside the underground prisonplex.

    More prisoners realised that people had actually left their cells and soon began to beg and plead for help.

    "Please let me out! I''ll do anything I''ll be your ve!"

    "I''m begging you¡­ I can''t take it in here!"

    "Please! PLEASE YOU HAVE TO GET ME OUT THIS SHITHOLE! I''M LOSING MY MIND!"

    "She is a little bit crazy¡­" Jun Yang replied with a light sigh as he walked forward towards the exit.

    "But who wouldn''t go mad if they were trapped in this ce for centuries¡­ honestly, I''m surprised she still retains this level of sanity."

    Xu Lu nodded in understanding and then followed behind.

    Maybe it was because she was here only recently, but she could feel her spiritual energy slowly start to refill.

    The unicorn trapped inside her dantian neighed happily.

    The saintess curled up her fingers into a tight fist as she stopped herself from looking at the prisoners banging their faces, heads, and hands against the thick iron bars.

    She could not help them.

    She needed to save her energy for dealing with the guards outside of the prison. Cai Mei slowed down her pace and waited until Xu Lu and herpanion caught up with her.

    "Ahh¡­ don''t you love the chaos?" Cai Mei grinned, and her pointed teeth shone under the torchlight.

    "Why did you do that? Now anyoneing to visit here will know that we escaped," Xu Lu berated her sternly.

    "They''ll find out either way¡­ but this way¡­ we get to me it all on you!" Cai Mei giggled softly as she leaned forward and tried to kiss Xu Lu''s cheek.

    The saintess pushed her face away but the foxy woman did not seem bothered by the rejection of her advances.

    "Nah I''m just teasing you pretty girl," Cai Mei''s voice changed from a lighthearted tone to a more serious one.

    "Trust me when I say each prisoner will have a different version of events by the end of the day¡­ anyone trying to investigate what really happened here is in for a rough time."

    "Everyone in this ce is a bit¡­"

    Cai Mei ced a finger near her temples and swirled it around while making a cooing sound. Xu Lu had to resist the urge to tell her that she did not sound that sane herself.

    Instead, she simply closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and continued walking along the long and winding underground tunnel towards the surface.

    Maybe it was sheer hubris or confidence in the strength of their cells but there were no traps or checkpoints on their way back to the surface.

    The journey itself was fairly uneventful save for the small talk between Jun Yang and Cai Mei who were both incredibly grateful to be out of their cells.

    Xu Lu''s footsteps paused as the passageway finally ended in a dead end. Somethingrge was blocking the entranceway.

    A massive boulder over thirty feet in height and forty feet in width. On the other side of the rock¡­ was freedom.

 Chapter 323 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (74)

    ?

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as she approached therge boulder and stretched out her palms. Her fingers brushed against the solid lump of rock and a few crumbs of dirt fell to the ground.

    The sheer size of the boulder was hard to wrap her head around. It did not even seem real as if someone had carved it directly from the side of a mountain.

    Was it possible to destroy this object?

    "Oh darling¡­ don''t tell you fell for it?" the foxy woman smiled sweetly as she brushed past Xu Lu with her furry tail wagging from side to side.

    She took several steps forward and Xu Lu watched in amazement as her body literally disappeared into the boulder.

    "Quite an impressive illusion," Jun Yang muttered as he rubbed his beard and peered closer at the seemingly sturdy rock.

    "How did she know?" Xu Lu asked curiously as she tilted her head and tried to see if there were any visible ws.

    "My sense of smell! By the way¡­ your scent is absolutely¡­ delicious¡­" a flirtish voice came from the other side.

    It sounded slightly muffled as if the person talking was underwater. Jun Yang approached Xu Lu and lowered his voice to a mere whisper.

    "I would advise not pursuing any romantic rtionship with Cai Mei¡­ her species has the rather nasty habit of eating their lovers," he muttered very quietly.

    Shivers ran down Xu Lu''s spine as she quickly realised that Cai Mei''s words that she ''looked delicious'' were a double meaning.

    Well, she didn''t n on having any affairs with the foxy woman but now she was definitely going to give her a lot of space.

    Xu Lu shook her head and tossed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She needed to focus and continue her attempt to escape this ce.

    She had been unconscious when the Sect Leader had brought her here so there was no way that she could know what barriers were put in ce.

    Anything could be beyond that boulder.

    The saintess took in a deep breath and then boldly walked forward even though a wall of solid rock blocked her path.

    She felt an excruciating pain as though the sharp edges of the boulder were burrowing directly into her body.

    Still, she kept moving.

    She would escape from this ce.

    The Holy Sword Sect would pay for how they treated her¡­

    Xu Lu could not see anything as she walked through the darkness. The only sounds that she could hear was her own breathing and her footsteps.

    Finally, a dim flickering light appeared in the distance. Xu Lu ran towards the source of light and escaped the dreadful illusion.

    She found herself standing at the entrance to a long and narrow corridor that was illuminated by rows upon rows of torches hanging from the walls.

    Cai Mei was leaning against a nearby wall, and she was licking her lips in anticipation.

    The fox-like woman pointed in the distance and Xu Lu followed the direction of her finger.

    At the end of the long and narrow corridor was an enormous metalloid door.

    The door was covered in intricate ck runes that were written in anguage that looked both familiar and strange at the same time.

    "Alright cutie¡­ just give me a few weeks or months to recover my cultivation and I''ll bust us out of here," Cai Mei smiled sweetly as she got into a cross-legged position.

    "A few weeks or months? We can''t wait that long!" Xu Lu reminded her easygoingpanion.

    "Well, if you have any ideas then feel free¡­ that door is a high-ss seal designed to resist the force of void stage cultivators," Cai Mei yawned sleepily as she spoke.

    "This prison is one giant formation trap¡­ the only weak point is blocked by that seal. No one gets in¡­ no one gets out without that arrogant young whelp''s permission."

    "Well¡­ at least through normal methods¡­"

    Xu Lu''s fingers curled up into a tight fist as new memories surfaced in her mind. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The original Xu Lu had not seen any new prisoners arrive during her first couple of months in the undergroundplex, but this was a new life.

    Who knows what would happen if the sect master decided to visit the prison only to discover that she had escaped from her cell.

    "Don''t worry," a kind voice came from behind Xu Lu and interrupted her musing. Jun Yang smiled at the maskeddy and ced a warm hand on her shoulder.

    "Do you still have the amulet that I gave you?"

    Xu Lu nodded but felt a bit of confusion in her heart. Jun Yang stretched out his hands and motioned for her to give him the amulet.

    The saintess reached into her pocket and pulled it out. The scarlet eye in the center of the pendant shone with an eerie light.

    "Can I tell you something?" Jung Yang quietly spoke as he touched the pendant with an expression of regret.

    "Yes¡­ I am listening," Xu Lu replied softly as she waited to hear what the elderly cultivator had to say.

    Decades of being trapped in this underground prison had left the old man gaunt and weak¡­ yet his eyes still shone with brilliance.

    "I was the wrong choice to be the sessor to my n¡­ I was gifted but Icked the instinct needed to be a proper cultivator¡­" Jun Yang bitterly spoke.

    "I just could not take a human life¡­ no matter how hard I tried¡­ I was no killer and I think that the elders knew that."

    "But you¡­ I think you can be a far better sessor than I ever was¡­ this is not the ce where you will die."

    The elderly man ced the amulet in Xu Lu''s palm and looked deeply in her eyes. Xu Lu was not sure what he was looking for, but he appeared to see something in her gaze.

    His face broke into a thin smile while Cai Mei in the background looked at them with an expressionless mask on her face.

    "Are you sure?" Cai Mei asked quietly as her tail drooped ever so lower to the ground.

    "I am," Jun Yang replied firmly.

    The pair looked at each other and dozens of unspoken words were exchanged during that brief gaze.

    There was a moment of silence that stretched out long enough to be slightly ufortable.

    Xu Lu looked at the two former prisoners that she had rescued from their cells and tried to understand what was going on.

    Sure, about what?

    What was Jun Yang going to do with the amulet?

    "I don''t understand¡­ what is going to¡­" Xu Lu''s eyes widened in shock as the elderly man grabbed her palm violently and then thrust it into his chest.

    The tip of amulet in her hand transformed into a sharp spike that easily prated Jun Yang''s chest and entered his heart.

    "This¡­ was¡­ the only way¡­st¡­ resort¡­ spell¡­ it¡­ works¡­ just¡­once¡­" Jun Yang stammered slightly as his body copsed on the ground.

    "Be¡­ a¡­ better¡­"

    His mouth stopped moving and blood slowly pooled out of the wound in his chest.

    Xu Lu rushed towards the elderly man to try and save him but to her horror she discovered that her body was now fading away.

    "Don''t let his sacrifice be in vain," Cai Mei spoke with an uncharacteristic seriousness as she approached the old man''s corpse and gently picked it up.

    She thought that his decision was stupid but¡­ she was not going to judge her friend.

    Xu Lu reached out with her hand to touch Jun Yang''s body, but her vision suddenly faded to ck.

    Cai Mei watched quietly as the former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect fully disappeared as if she had never been there in the first ce.

 Chapter 324 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (75)

    ?

    (Mount Xilean- Holy Sword Sect)

    (First Peak- Hall Of The Founder)

    Closed door training.

    That was the excuse why the hall was closed.

    But it was nothing more than a lie to give the Sect Leader some space to think without any interruptions by other members of the sect.

    An elderly man walked slowly through the hall and carefully observed the scenery around him.

    He had seen everything inside many times before but still took a moment to look at the splendor and opulence.

    Floors made of pure green jade, golden pirs which rose up from the ground and statues of dragons with their mouths wide open.

    And the object that would attract anyone''s attention.

    An enormous white throne where a midnight ck sword had been violently driven into the side of the chair.

    Shi Jian continued to walk with slow purposeless steps as he approached the white throne and kneeled down.

    There wasplete silence in the hall.

    The Sect Leader continued to kneel with his eyes tightly closed. Many thoughts were running through his mind.

    He had been alive for hundreds of thousands of years and yet for the first time in centuries he found himself lost and with no answers.

    Was his decision correct?

    Would it really be better for the sect if he sacrificed Xu Lu in order to protect his junior sister? Were his personal feelings ying a role in his decision?

    There were two main emotions flooding his thoughts¡­

    Doubt and regret.

    Shi Jian did not have the answers.

    Logically he should not be this conflicted since Lei Ying was a void stage cultivator and a powerhouse of the Holy Sword Sect.

    Xu Lu on the other hand was just an individual with potential. He had seen many geniuses with far greater talents than hers fail to live up to expectations.

    Cultivation at the higher levels required a shift in mentality to strive for inner peace.

    Shi Jian did not believe that Xu Lu could achieve that kind of mental state with the amount of trauma that she had suffered.

    So logically he made the right choice.

    But then why did he feel this way?

    Shi Jian kept reying the scene over and over again in his mind. The memory when he had removed the mask covering the young saintess'' face.

    Horrific scars criss-crossed the entire surface area of her face in random paths. At the edges of the scars were nasty looking burn marks that had not properly healed.

    She looked¡­ awful.

    The Sect Leader opened his eyes and walked up to the throne. He sat down on the hard marble and leaned back against the throne.

    The quiet stillness inside the hall was deafening.

    There was nothing to distract Shi Jian from the voices of regret running through his mind.

    He let out a heavy sigh and then reached into his storage bag. He pulled out a small bead-shaped pendant that glowed with an eerie light.

    Shi Jian dug his fingernails into the underside of his palm and dripped a few droplets of blood onto the pendant.

    The blood droplets were quickly absorbed and soon the pendant began to glow. Shi Jian raised up the pendant to his lips and calmly spoke into the ne.

    "Junior sister¡­ can youe to the first peak immediately? There is an urgent matter that we need to discuss," the Sect Leader quietly spoke.

    He waited for a few moments and then received a reply as his pendant vibrated before a cool and melodic voice came from the other side.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "Sure¡­ I''m just looking around for my dear apprentice¡­ have you seen her? That silly girl always gets into trouble," Lei Yingughed lightly, and one could hear clear affection in her voice.

    "I''ll be there soon."

    The Sect Leader ced the device back into his storage bag and his fingers trembled ever so slightly.

    There were always heavy wrinkles on his face and arms since he did not bother to pretend that he was still youthful but now¡­

    Shi Jian appeared not just old but frail as well.

    If what Xu Lu had said was true, then did he really know his junior sister? Was she really capable of lying so easily this entire time?

    No¡­ what if the saintess was the one who was lying?

    Like a drowning man grasping on to a lifesaving float, hope blossomed in the Sect Leader''s heart for the first time.

    Wait¡­ what if Xu Lu was the liar? Or what if she was mistaken somehow and had med the wrong person?

    Shi Jian lost himself in his delusions until a single unwee thought entered his mind and poured cold water all over his newfound happiness.

    No¡­ but that still doesn''t exin why Lei Ying kept the matter a secret¡­

    The Sect Leader ced his face in his hands and gently rubbed his temples. He hoped¡­ no he prayed that Lei Ying would have a good exnation for her actions.

    Please¡­ please¡­ let there were a reasonable exnation for why she kept the matter of her apprentice''s disfigurement a secret.

    There was a soft knocking noise on the other side of the door leading to the hall. Shi Jian took his face out of his hands and straightened out his back.

    "Enter," he spoke firmly with no trace of the hesitation and doubt that was currently guing his mind.

    The doors swung open to reveal a beautiful female cultivator wearing fiery red robes and a golden band around her ankles.

    She possessed an ethereal beauty.

    Gentle eyes, a heart-shaped face, soft eyebrows, and delicate feminine features that would capture the attention of both men and women.

    "Senior brother," Lei Ying calmly spoke as she walked up to the white throne with confident steps.

    "What is the urgent matter? I thought that you were going to do some closed-door training for the next few months."

    "Junior sister¡­ no¡­ Lei Ying¡­ do you remember the day we first met?" Shi Jian rxed in his seat and spoke in a kind nostalgic tone.

    "I was the saint of the Holy Sword Sect and the only apprentice of my master so when he came back from a long journey with a little girl¡­ I was shocked."

    "I could not understand why he needed to find another person to train. Wasn''t I good enough? I felt a bit jealous of you¡­ as bad as that sounds."

    "Really? I never got that impression," Lei Ying tilted her head in confusion as she listened to her senior brother''s confession.

    The Sect Leader smiled warmly but there was a tinge of bitterness in his gaze as he looked at the women who he had always considered as a close sister.

    Now¡­ she just looked like a stranger.

    "That is because it only took a few months to see you for what I thought you were¡­ an innocent girl who was pure of heart and very kind," Shi Jian exined gently.

    He got up from the throne and slowly approached the beautiful female cultivator. His eyes never left her face as if searching for something.

    When he was only two metres away, Shi Jian stopped in his tracks. He opened his mouth to speak but the words did note out.

    He felt afraid.

    He did not want to hear the answer.

    "Lei Ying¡­ I love you because you are my family, thest living trace of my master who has long ascended to the upper realm," Shi Jian slowly spoke.

    "So please answer me honestly¡­"

    "How did your apprentice''s face get destroyed?"

 Chapter 325 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (76)

    ?

    "How did your apprentice''s face get destroyed?"

    The Sect Leader''s question echoed through the mostly empty hall. He leaned back against the white throne and waited patiently for his junior sister to reply.

    His eyes never left the face of the beautiful young woman in front of him as if searching for something in her gaze.

    As if he could still see the innocent little girl who she once was.

    There was a brief and terrible moment of silence.

    Lei Ying''s body literally froze as she heard the Sect Leader''s question.

    All she could hear was the frantic beating of her heart and it felt as though her organ was about to burst out of her chest.

    How did he find out? How could he possibly have discovered her apprentice''s secret?

    How much did he know?

    HOW MUCH DID HE KNOW?!

    Did that brat Xu Lu also tell him about the other deeds that she had done as well?

    After many decades of controlling her emotions, Lei Ying to her credit did not let any of the nervousness that she felt appear on her face.

    First, she needed to find out more information about the situation. Discover just how much her senior brother knew and then act ordingly.

    Calm down¡­ calm down and think¡­

    Lei Ying took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She could feel herself rxing ever so slightly as she got her emotions under control.

    "Senior brother¡­ so you have seen her face," Lei Ying replied solemnly as she stepped forward and kneeled down near the throne.

    "My dear apprentice¡­ I covered her face with a mask because she is sensitive to the stares of others and did not want her secret to get out."

    "I saw her face when I gave her a healing pill during our sparring session," Shi Jian calmly spoke as he watched his junior sister continue to bow her head.

    "She told me that her injuries were your responsibility. That you intentionally let a demon cultivator bypass the defensive wards on the fifth peak."

    "That you allowed her to be captured and suffer horrific torture that left her scarred and permanently mutted."

    "Is that true?"

    "No," Lei Ying replied immediately as she raised up her head and faced her senior brother with determination in her gaze.

    "My apprentice¡­ her injuries were a result of an internal heart demon. When I came back one day from a mission, I discovered her face covered in blood."

    "She had broken into my private storage room and stolen a rare toxin that I had gotten a few decades ago and smeared in on the tip of her de."

    "I don''t know what the source of her inner demon was, but it drove her in that moment to destroy her own appearance."

    "She caused her own injuries?" the Sect Leader questioned with a tinge of disbelief in his voice.

    "Yes¡­ the reason why I kept this matter a secret was that I feared that she would be overwhelmed by her inner demon again if the truth was revealed," Lei Ying replied solemnly.

    There was no hint that she was lying.

    Her voice was steady and unwavering. Shi Jian looked at his junior sister and felt an enormous weight slowly lift off his chest.

    This exnation made sense¡­ no it had to make sense... he refused to think about the possibility that his junior sister was lying.

    The demon that Xu Lu was referring to must have been her own unstable mental state.

    That meant that the rest of her story could be reinterpreted to find out the true version of events.

    Lei Ying ''let'' her be mutted because she did not arrive in time and there was no wonder that Xu Lu felt misced resentment towards her master.

    There was a small part of the Sect Leader that wanted to question his junior sister some more about the incident, but he pushed that feeling down.

    At this point¡­ the most convenient truth was the only thing that he could ept¡­ for the good of the sect.

    "I see¡­" Shi Jian slowly spoke.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You do understand that such an unstable individual cannot be the saintess of our sect¡­ she is ill-suited for the pressures of being a future sessor."

    "I know¡­ but please give me a chance! I can help her!" Lei Ying protested, and one could see the anguish and worry in her eyes.

    She gripped her heart as if she was in pain. As if somehow her apprentice being stripped of her title was enough to cause her to feel heartache.

    "Where is she?" Lei Ying asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "I¡­ I have locked her away," Shi Jian let out a heavy sigh as he suddenly appeared several decades older.

    "She was unstable and¡­ her words would stoke divisiveness in the sect. I¡­ I cannot allow any internal troubles before the central meeting."

    "Please may I visit her?" Lei Ying pleaded desperately as she sped her hands together and looked at the Sect Leader.

    "You may¡­ after the meeting¡­" Shi Jian reluctantly replied as he raised up his hands to the sides of his head and began to massage his temples.

    What was he going to do with the insane saintess?

    Little did the Sect Leader know that the decision to deal with the saintess was no longer in his hands¡­

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (North Region- Unknown Location)

    "Damn it!" Xu Lu cursed softly under her breath as she tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided a sharp de-like spine that whizzed past her body.

    The former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect continued to run frantically while asionally ncing backwards to look at her pursuers.

    She was being followed by three enormous porcupine-like monsters with spikes on their upper backs that were capable of being shot at tremendous speeds.

    She did not know where she was.

    Xu Lu looked around but all she could see was a dense tropical forest with a thick underbrush, green vines, and numerous thorny nts.

    She hissed in pain as her white robe tore on some of the spiky branches and the wooden splinters entered her flesh.

    The pendant hanging around her chest began to glow with an eerie light.

    The scarlet eye in the middle of the amulet blinked twice and Xu Lu could feel a surge of energy filling her dantian.

    (Continue to run¡­ north¡­)

    A faint hoarse whisper entered her mind. Xu Lu was not sure if she had gone mad or somehow the pendant was able to talk to her.

    Still with no other choice, the former saintess continued to run in the direction that the mysterious voice told her to.

    Crash!

    One of the monsters mmed headfirst into a sturdy oak tree in front of it with so much force that its skull split open.

    The other monsters tossed back their heads and snarled angrily. Their eyes narrowed as they dug their paws into the ground and ran even faster than before.

    "Come on! That wasn''t even my fault!" Xu Lu yelled as she dove to the left just as a paw with wickedly sharp ws nearly took off the skin on her back.

    She rolled ungracefully on the ground and quickly got up covered in a mixture of dirt and muck that stained her once white robes.

    (Move to the left¡­ several hundred metres¡­)

    (Home¡­ safety¡­.)

    Xu Lu gritted her teeth and flung her body to the side towards the direction that the voice wanted her to go.

    She could only hope that this wasn''t a trap.

 Chapter 326 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (77)

    ?

    (North Region- Unknown Location)

    Xu Lu hissed in pain as yet another sharp branch tore into her lower ankle. Blood and bits of flesh sttered on the ground beneath her feet as she ran desperately.

    She looked like a fucking mess.

    Her once spotless white robes were tattered and covered in a mixture of dirt and blood.

    There were open wounds across her body, and she was sure that her hair probably resembled a bird''s nest.

    Swish!

    Xu Lu tilted her head to the side and narrowly avoided yet another spike that was shot in her direction from the monsters chasing her.

    (Nearly there¡­ keep going¡­ keep going¡­)

    The hoarse inhuman voice whispered in her mind as she could feel the corners of her vision slowly begin to darken.

    She was weak.

    She needed some rest.

    The time spent inside the tight cell in the underground prisonplex had taken its toll and she was still feeling some aftereffects.

    Xu Lu kept running and finally saw what appeared to be a translucent patch of air shimmering slightly in the distance.

    She did not know where she found the strength but somehow a burst of energy filled her body, and she sped up towards the strange object.

    The former saintess did not know if this was trap but at this point¡­ she had no other choice.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes as she plunged into the shimmering air and then her body fell through what felt like an underwater river.

    She could feel herself being violently pulled in a certain direction and could do little more than stiffen her body and try to keep herself upright.

    The pull was too strong to resist.

    The amulet hanging around her neck glowed slightly and then began to heat up. Xu Lu gasped in pain as the metal burned her flesh.

    Where was she being taken?

    What could possibly be on the other side?

    Suddenly the pulling force abruptly ended, and Xu Lu felt her body fly through the air. She opened her eyes and let out a small scream as she found herself falling off a cliff.

    "Fuck! Fuck this¡­" Xu Lu cursed in terror as she desperately fumbled around her waist and tried to unsheathe her longsword.

    The ground was getting closer and closer with every passing second and she could make out tiny ant-like humanoid figures congregating near the bottom of the cliff.

    This was definitely a trap!

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Azure Snake Peak)

    "It has already been many years¡­" a hunched back man whispered sympathetically to the beautiful woman standing silently in the centre of the group.

    She stood there quietly with an aura that captivated all who looked at her. Her very presence alone was enough to get their undivided attention.

    She possessed a cold beauty that was untouchable like a blossoming rose surrounded by terrible thorns.

    Dark raven coloured hair fell down her shoulders and her eyes held a mixture of both mncholy and fierce resolve as if she had experienced a lifetime of suffering and pain.

    "We must choose another sessor¡­ Guo Rui is the greatest of the younger generation and he is more than willing to take up the mantle," another man added in a serious tone.

    "Oh please," a pretty woman holding a fan across her mouthughed mockingly as she pointed a knife at the man.

    "You think we don''t know about the deal that you struck with Elder Guo? Guo Rui is nothing more than an insolent whelp not fit to lick my feet¡­"

    "Actually¡­ I could use another boy toy¡­ maybe he is good for something¡­"

    "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM WITCH!" the man growled darkly as he walked up the woman who stared back at him with no fear in her eyes.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A thick sense of tension filled air as the man pulled two curved des out of his storage ring while the woman waved her fan and dark red runes appeared on the edges of her weapon.

    It seemed that a fight breaking out would be inevitable until a calm voice said two simple words.

    "Stop it."

    An immense pressure fell down on the group of demon cultivators standing around the beautiful woman.

    Everyone fell to their knees and the ground beneath their feet cracked. The pressure was so immense that some cultivators even spat out blood.

    It was a grim reminder of the gap that existed between themselves and the woman who stood quietly with no change of emotion on her face.

    Yang Xia.

    The leader of the Crimson Demon Sect.

    The woman who had already touched the edges of the god stage and was close to ascension. She was the one who was the heart and soul of the sect.

    "Another sessor has already been chosen," Yang Xia spoke quietly with the barest hint of sorrow in her voice.

    She knew what that meant.

    It meant that her son was dead.

    Another would have taken his ce.

    The cold faced woman ignored the shocked gasps that filled the clearing and absentmindedly touched the silver pendant hanging from her neck.

    A scarlet eye had been carved into the bottom of the pendant and would asionally blink as if it somehow possessed intelligence.

    "She ising now," Yang Xia calmly whispered as she raised up her right hand and pointed upwards at the sky.

    The cultivators still kneeling on the ground exchanged confused nces and then looked in the direction where their leader''s finger was pointing.

    Was that a woman falling from the sky?

    Wait¡­ what?!

    Yang Xia snapped her fingers and the figure that was about to crash headfirst on the ground stopped moving mere inches away from the dirt.

    This person was the sessor?

    Xu Lu blinked twice and looked around her surroundings.

    One moment she was reaching for her sword just before shended and the next, she was hovering slightly above the ground.

    Clearly someone had intervened and looked like the person responsible was the cold faced woman in scarlet robes looking at her with a contemtive expression on her face.

    "Thank you," Xu Lu politely spoke as she sped her hands together.

    "That is the least I could do for the sessor to our n," the mysterious woman spoke as she stepped forward and lightly touched the top of Xu Lu''s head.

    The former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect could not stop her actions. In fact, her bodypletely froze up as the woman touched her.

    It was like she was an insect facing down a great and terrible enemy far beyond herprehension.

    This woman¡­ she was incredibly dangerous.

    Yang Xia''s mouth tilted downwards into a frown and Xu Lu could sense that her saviour was not in a good mood.

    "You are all dismissed," Yang Xia coldly spoke to her fellow sect members who were greatly confused about this unexpected turn of events.

    Their sect master who had spent thest several decades refusing to even consider a new sessor had now dered a random woman wearing a mask to be the one.

    What was going on?

    Who was this woman?

    Yang Xia narrowed her eyes, and the demon cultivators got her unspoken warning. They immediately fled the scene back to the main halls of the n to spread the news.

    The cold faced woman waited until all of the cultivators had disappeared into the distance before she turned to look at the person chosen by the amulet.

    "Tell me¡­" Yang Xia''s voice dropped to a low whisper as she leaned in closer.

    "Why would a righteous cultivator seek us out?"

 Chapter 327 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (78)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Azure Snake Peak)

    "Answer me," the beautiful woman calmly spoke as she lifted up her palm and gently brushed her fingers against the corners of Xu Lu''s mask.

    The former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect shivered as she felt as though she was facing a vicious monster.

    This level of pressure and killing intent¡­

    It was no easy feat for her to stop her body from shivering.

    Being in front of this woman was like standing in front of a hurricane or natural disaster.

    All you could do was surrender yourself to the unstoppable force of nature and pray that you would remain unharmed.

    "I sought you out¡­ because of¡­ Jun Yang¡­ he gave me this amulet and then¡­" Xu Lu''s voice was shaky, but she spoke nothing but the truth.

    She had the feeling that this mysterious woman would know if she told a lie.

    "He sacrificed himself¡­ so I could escape¡­ from the underground prison¡­ where¡­ where I was being trapped¡­ I owe him my life¡­" Xu Lu spoke solemnly.

    The mysterious woman''s eyes widened and for a brief moment an expression of intense sorrow shed across her face.

    She removed her palm from Xu Lu''s face and the heavy pressure immediately disappeared.

    The former saintess slumped to the ground with trembling knees as blood leaked out of the wounds on her body.

    The beautiful woman walked a few steps away and the turned around so that her back was facing Xu Lu directly.

    "My name is Yang Xia, and I am the leader of the Crimson Demon Sect," the woman nonchntly spoke as if discussing something as simple as the weather.

    "That amulet hanging from your neck means that you have been chosen as the next sessor to our n."

    There was a tinge of bitterness in Yang Xia''s voice that even she herself did not notice.

    After all these years of holding out hope¡­ her son was dead.

    And she could not even take her revenge on the one who killed him because he had willingly sacrificed his life for her.

    "It is a position that will attract many enemies both from within and outside of our sect," Yang Xia continued to speak with a quiet stillness.

    "Are you truly prepared to turn your back on the ''righteous'' side? They will never ept you again if you join us."

    "I am prepared," Xu Lu spoke determinedly as she got up from the ground and dusted off her once white robes.

    From the moment she was aware of the future that would befall the original Xu Lu¡­ she had no other choice.

    Her master nned on torturing and killing her while the Sect Leader was far more interested in maintained the reputation of the Holy Sword Sect than seeing justice be done.

    They were all hypocrites¡­

    Yang Xia reached into her storage ring and pulled out a heavy tome with hundreds of pages filled with ancient drawings and martial arts techniques.

    She flipped through the pages before stopping towards the end of the book. She then proceeded to rip out several pages without hesitation.

    "Here¡­" Yang Xia spoke quietly as she ced the book back in her storage ring and handed the pages over to Xu Lu.

    "This is a demonic technique that only the leader and the sessor to the n can practice. It is known as the ''Heavenly Reversal Technique''."

    "An extremely powerful demonic art that most would eagerly kill for the chance to practice. Just beware the side effects."

    Xu Lu took the pages from her hand and nced at the contents on the sheet.

    She saw what looked like circtory diagrams of qi flowing in a peculiar manner through the figure''s meridian gates.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Side effects?

    "Don''t read it now¡­ there is no time," Yang Xia interrupted Xu Lu''s reading as she snapped her fingers and the world twisted slightly.

    Xu Lu barely had time to put the papers into one of the pockets of her robe before the ground beneath her feet trembled.

    When she opened her eyes, she found herself standing inside of a cave that was illuminated by a single torch hanging from the walls.

    There was afortable bed in the corner of the space along with arge pool of water that bubbled and hissed with steam.

    In another corner of the cave was arge table covered with light snacks, refreshments, and bottles of wine.

    "Where¡­ where is this ce?" Xu Lu asked in confusion as she turned to Yang Xia who was leaning against a nearby wall.

    "A training room¡­ just because you possess the amulet does not mean that there will be no challengers to your position," Yang Xia replied slowly.

    "You cannot earn the respect of my n without giving up the righteous qi flowing through your veins."

    "The Heavenly Reversal Technique will convert all of your spiritual energy into demonic qi¡­ so¡­this is yourst chance to change your mind."

    "If you wish I can take the amulet from you and send you out to a safe location. You can then live out the rest of your life in peace."

    There was a moment of silence as the demonic sect leader stopped talking and Xu Lu thought carefully about her offer.

    The original Xu Lu wanted to join the demon cultivators, but it did not necessarily have to be this n.

    However, there was a great advantage to joining this sect since she would be in the position of the direct sessor.

    There would be quite a lot of dangers associated with the position but as they say¡­ without risk there would be no reward.

    "No¡­ I will join your n," Xu Lu replied steadily as her eyes gleamed with determination. Yang Xia nodded her head and did not seem surprised by her choice.

    "You will need topete with those who wish to take your ce from the younger generation," Yang Xia spoke with a firm air of authority in her voice.

    "These fights can end in death so do not show mercy because your opponents will not do the same."

    The demonic sect leader looked at the young woman with the silvery grey mask covering her face one more time and then stepped forward.

    Her figure blurred and then she vanished from the cave in a thin wisp of smoke.

    Xu Lu was left alone in the dimly lit cave with nothing, but the sword attached to her hip and the heavy sheets of parchment paper inside the pocket of her robe.

    The former saintess let out a heavy sigh and then walked towards the pool of water. Her first instinct was to start cultivating immediately but that would be the wrong choice.

    She needed to wash off all the blood from her body, take a healing pill to deal with the open wounds on her skin and try to rx.

    Cultivation was about inner peace and a healthy mindset.

    She had yet to train using the Heavenly Reversal Technique, but it would do no good for her to rush practising a new cultivation method.

    Xu Lu reached into her storage ring and pulled out a small red pill. She popped the pill in her mouth and a warm healing current filled her body.

    She then stripped off her tattered white robe revealing her naked figure that was covered in small cuts and bruises that were now rapidly beginning to heal.

    Xu Lu slowly lowered her foot in the bubbling pool of water and let out a sigh of contentment as she felt the temperature.

    It was warm but not too hot.

    She lowered the rest of her body into the pool and slowly closed her eyes. For the foreseeable future she only had one goal in mind.

    Cultivate as quickly as possible.

 Chapter 328 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (79)

    ?

    Xu Lu slowly walked out of the pool and reached into her storage ring for a spare set of robes, undergarments, and a towel.

    She did manage to get a simple white robe but unfortunately all she could find was a handcloth towel to dry off her body.

    The former saintess let out a light sigh and proceeded to gently rub the water droplets from her skin while using her qi to raise the temperature of her body.

    Soon she waspletely dry.

    Xu Lu put on her undergarments and then put on the white robe.

    She ran her fingers through her messy hair before tying in into a simple ponytail that hung just below her shoulders.

    It was time.

    Xu Lu would be lying if she said that she was not nervous about practising an unknown demonic cultivation technique.

    She needed to trust that the leader of the Crimson Demon sect gave her this technique in good faith and there were no traps hidden inside.

    Trust that was not yet earned considering that Xu Lu had only met her today.

    But the reality of the situation was¡­ she had no other choice.

    If she wanted to stay in this sect, then she would need to be a demon cultivator it was that simple.

    And this was supposedly the most powerful technique that could only be practised by the head of the sect and their sessor.

    She would be able to aplish the request of the original Xu Lu and then only need to work on getting revenge of Lei Ying and those in the Holy Sword Sect who had wronged her.

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and then sat down in a cross-legged position. She waspletely alone in the cave.

    There were no sounds except for the constant bubbling of watering from the pool and her own breathing.

    The former saintess grabbed the tattered robe that she had worn just before taking a bath and pulled out the sheets of parchment paper that were hidden inside one of the pockets.

    The Heavenly Reversal Technique.

    Before starting to practise, Xu Lu read the entire pages from top to bottom and made sure to make mental notes about each section.

    This technique to put it lightly¡­ was not for the fainthearted.

    It involved shattering all the meridians in your body and reconnecting them using demonic qi.

    Xu Lu shuddered as she imagined just how painful the process would be.

    And that was just step one.

    The next steps were illustrated by circtory diagrams which disyed the multiple directions that the demonic qi was supposed to travel around her body.

    This was a technique that required a strong will and the ability to endure a great amount of pain and agony.

    Xu Lu continued to read and saw supplementary techniques to aid in the practice of the Heavenly Reversal Technique.

    Some involved bathing in blood, others required the absorption of monster cores and there were even a few that mentioned ''dual cultivation''.

    Yeah¡­ she was definitely going to cross out thatst one as an option. There was no one that Xu Lu wanted to ''dual cultivate'' with except for Cami and¡­

    And¡­.

    A face shed across Xu Lu''s mind for the briefest moment.

    The face belonged to a mortal woman with piercing grey eyes, olive coloured skin, gentle facial features, sharp cheekbones¡­

    A delicate figure that was barely visible underneath the simple rough outfit made of hemp that she wore.

    Xu Lu quickly shook her head and tried to drive those thoughts to the back of her mind. She had made the decision to leave Jiang Xin and they would never see each other again.

    The former saintess felt a tinge of sadness in her heart as she thought about never seeing the pretty woman who made her heart skip a beat.

    Xu Lu let out another sigh and turned her attention back to the technique in front of her. She could not afford any distractions.

    She finished reading all the words written down on the sheets of parchment paper and then slowly got up from the ground.

    She required a catalyst to begin the process.

    Demon qi was a foreign spiritual energy and needed to be introduced to the human body in order to multiple.

    Xu Lu looked around the cave and finally noticed a small bag tucked away in the corner of the space that was almost hidden behind a pir.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Clearly this was a gift for her that had been left behind by the sect leader of the Crimson Demon Sect.

    She walked over to the bag and untied the string holding it together. The bag easily opened to reveal a massive ck rock that was pulsating with reddish veins.

    She could sense¡­ wrongness.

    Spiritual qi and demonic qi were notplete opposites, but they were notplementary. As Xu Lu held the strange rock¡­ she felt hesitant.

    There was amon misconception that demonic qi turned one ''evil'' that could not be further from the truth.

    What demonic qi did was lower one''s inhibitions. Good people would turn into saintess, and selfish people would turn into monsters.

    Of course, there was no one who was fully good or fully bad before practising demonic techniques, so the reality was that one''s characteristics were enhanced.

    Xu Lu did not know how her personality would shift once she practised the demon technique.

    She never hurt the innocent so it was unlikely that she would go on unprovoked murderous rampages but¡­

    How she reacted when using her weird state that wasn''t cultivation that caused her to see golden threads was concerning.

    She had felt a strong urge at that time to be judge, jury and executor for those who hadmitted sins.

    What would happen if the urge got so strong that she was not able to exercise any form of self-control?

    Xu Lu looked at the rock and the offer that the sect leader of the Crimson Demon Sect had spoken about earlier suddenly seemed a lot more attractive.

    There was a part of her that was tempted to just leave this ce and settle down somewhere else to slowly cultivate until she was strong enough to take down her former sect.

    But how long could that take?

    And was even possible to catch up with Lei Ying?

    The former saintess held the rock in her palm and furrowed her brows. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and then when she opened them, they shone with determination.

    There was no going back now.

    She had made her choice.

    No matter what happened¡­ she chose this path of her own free will.

    Xu Lu curled her fingers around the strange rock and then applied a tremendous amount of force until it shattered into dozens of pieces.

    A strange ckish dust stained her fingers and the underside of her palm.

    A much smaller object was now in her hand and the reddish veins on the rock glowed with an eerie brightness.

    The former saintess slowly inhaled and exhaled as she circted her qi in the pattern that she had seen on the first sheet of paper.

    The ck dust on her palm trembled and then under Xu Lu''s astonished eyes, it began to be absorbed into her skin.

    The much smaller rock shook violently and then burrowed into her palm causing arge wound that leaked out a dull grey ooze.

    Xu Lu winced as she felt pain like she had never felt before. The demon qi was travelling around her body and there was a sense of disharmony.

    It was like hot needles travelling inside her and prating soft bits of her tissues, flesh, muscles, and organs.

    The former saintess copsed on the ground and barely held on to her consciousness as her vision darkened along the edges of her eyes.

    But the worse was yet toe.

    Xu Lu screamed as she used the demonic qi to shatter her meridians one by one. Each delicate spiritual pulse inside her body was broken and torn apart.

    She screamed and screamed until her voice was hoarse. Until the only sound that left her mouth was a faint dull moan of pain.

    This was madness!

    It hurt¡­ it hurt so much¡­

    Xu Lu coughed out blood as her body violently rejected the foreign spiritual energy that was invading every cell.

    Still¡­ she kept going.

    She couldn''t stop¡­ she needed get stronger¡­

    No matter the cost.

 Chapter 329 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (80)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range)

    News travelled fast.

    In fact, the entire sect was in an uproar after rumors spread that the position of sessor had been filled by some unknown cultivator who fell from the sky.

    A woman wearing a silvery grey mask and wearing tattered robes that were bloody and torn apart.

    Of course, thanks to the word of mouth, the tale had changed so much that new variations were now being told about the first appearance of this mysterious figure.

    Some said that she descended from the heavens while others imed that she emerged from the ground in a fiery explosion of ash and brimstone¡­

    And those were the stories on the tamer side!

    Part of the reason why there was so much intrigue was the fact that no one knew who this mysterious cultivator was.

    But they all knew that she had to be important.

    Yang Xia had left the position of sessor empty for decades due to her son''s disappearance and for someone to cause her to break that taboo¡­

    They must be supremely talented or powerful.

    Everyone could sense the winds of change were upon the Crimson Demon Sect. The entire hierarchy of power was going to shift.

    The sessor would still need to maintain their position and fight off any challengers but if she was sessful then her ce as the future head of the sect was assured.

    Many factions inside the sect quickly sent out investigative agents and spies to try and find out more information about this mysterious woman''s personality.

    What was she like? Did she have any desires or needs?

    What were her weaknesses? What were her strengths? What weapons did she use?

    But they all returned empty handed to their masters. It was like the masked cultivator had vanished into thin air.

    No one could find out where she was.

    And that only raised the level of intrigue.

    Through the process of elimination many informed elders spected that she was undergoing closed door training with Yang Xia before the challenge ceremony begun.

    She may have even taught her sessor the secrets of the most terrible cultivation art that only two people in the sect were allowed to practice at any given time.

    The Heavenly Reversal Technique.

    It was this cultivation method that firmly cemented Yang Xia as the unrivalled powerhouse who no one could match.

    Those who practised this method were stronger than their peers at the same cultivation level and could even sacrifice their lifespans for even greater strength.

    That may sound like a high cost but for cultivators who lived for tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of years¡­ it was nothing.

    But naturally¡­ there were some who were not happy with this news.

    Certain forces were already drawing up ns on how to stop this stranger from bing the second highest authority in the sect.

    Many wielded a tremendous amount of power and influence under the current hierarchy in ce and did not want to see any changes that would shake things up.

    And others¡­ were just bitter.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Third Peak- Private Cave)

    "Damn it! Damn it! THAT FUCKING BITCH!" an angry young man roared as he mmed his fist into the wall with so much force that the skin on his knuckles tore apart.

    Blood slowly leaked from the wounds on his bruised flesh, but he was so caught up in his rage that he barely noticed.

    The young man looked to be in his early twenties with a striking appearance that usually attracted the attention of the young female disciples in the sect.

    He possessed a tall and muscr physique along with fiery red hair that was tied into a neat long ponytail.

    His sharp jawline could cut ss, he possessed a confident grin and an aura of strength that made him a very popr figure among the younger generation.

    But his handsome face was now contorted into a painful expression that was a mixture of hatred, disappointment, and anger.

    "Young master¡­. please¡­" a hunched back servant approached the young cultivator and tried to calm him down with soothing words.

    That was a mistake.

    sh!

    The servant stiffened in shock as a thin red line ran down the middle of his body. He didn''t even see when his young master had unsheathed the sword that hung from his hip.

    He stood silently for a moment before the two halves of his body split apart and his corpse fell to the ground in a jumbled mess of flesh and organs.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Guo Rui''s eyes were as red as his hair as he approached the corpse and kicked the dead body which scattered bits of flesh all across the room.

    How dare she¡­ how dare she¡­ HOW DARE SHE!

    He was the greatest. He was the most popr. He possessed heaven defying talent and a rare and unique physique.

    No one could match him among his peers.

    No one.

    All of his rivals had long admitted their inferiority or had been killed. There was no third option in Guo Rui''s eyes.

    In his mind the sessor position being transferred to him was simply a matter of time until the Sect Leader got over the loss of her son.

    It was only a matter of time.

    And yet¡­ now some unknown woman from gods knows where suddenly fell out of the sky and took the position from him.

    The position that he had trained his whole life for. All those hours of mediation, sacrifice, and training¡­ all for nothing.

    "I''ll kill her¡­" Guo Rui touched the bloody edge of his sword and felt the warm crimson liquid stain his fingertips.

    Fortunately, there was still hope.

    The sessor could be chosen by the Sect Leader, but their position would only be confirmed if they survived the challenge ceremony.

    Any member within their cultivation level who disagreed with the decision could challenge the sessor to a life-or-death fight.

    No one could interfere.

    No matter what happened in the arena¡­ no one would stop the fight and give the fighters a chance to rest.

    Guo Rui gripped his sword so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

    He knew what he had to do to take the position that should have been rightfully his.

    He would need to kill for it.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Twelfth Peak- Back Of The Mountain)

    "Darling¡­ I don''t want you to get caught up in all that sessor nonsense," azy feminine voice rang out through the clearing.

    A very attractive woman holding a white fan across her mouth leaned back against a nearby tree and watched her disciple standing in the middle of a field.

    "Look¡­ isn''t life more fun here?" Mo Qing yawned sleepily as she pointed at the edge of the clearing where several naked men were tied up in ropes and chains.

    Each man''s body was covered in whip marks and scars however there was a wide grin on each of their faces and their bodies would asionally writhe about in ecstasy.

    "We have toys¡­ entertainment¡­ mhmmm¡­ actually I wouldn''t mind adding a few more to my collection¡­" Mo Qing''s voice trailed off as she bit her lips seductively.

    The witch of pleasure.

    That was the nickname that she was called by some in the Crimson Demon Sect.

    It was a nickname that always made Mo Qingughed and feel a bit proud.

    Many men and even some women in the sect sought her out thanks to her reputation so it was easy to add more ''lovers'' to her ever-growing harem.

    It was just a shame that most could onlyst for a few weeks until the overflowing pleasure drove them mad¡­

    Mo Qin hated having to throw away her broken toys.

    "Master¡­" a clear melodic voice interrupted the charming female cultivator''s musings. Mo Qing looked at her apprentice who stood silently.

    Mei Ling was theplete opposite of her.

    While she wore form fitting clothes that emphasized her voluptuous figure, her apprentice just had on simple blue robes that fell down to her ankles.

    Mo Qing practised dual cultivation arts while her apprentice fell in love with the sword and healing techniques.

    Honestly there were quite a few times when Mo Qing wondered where she had gone wrong while teaching her apprentice.

    It was like the young woman didn''t even want to form her own harem or host the bi-monthly orgies on the peak!

    "I must be the sessor in order to restore your reputation and bring glory to the twelfth peak," Mei Ling spoke solemnly as she bowed her head.

    "Huh? What''s wrong with my reputation?" Mo Qing raised an eyebrow and asked with confusion evident in her voice.

    "I think it''s fairly urate¡­"

 Chapter 330 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (81)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range)

    Yang Xia lightly pressed her finger against the seemingly impassable wall of rock that blocked the entrance to her private cave.

    The sound of shattering ss filled the air and numerous golden symbols illuminated the surface of the rock.

    The leader of the Crimson Demon Sect stood quietly as bits and pieces of the rock wall slowly fell away to reveal a long and narrow corridor.

    Two months.

    That was the length of time that had passed since she had thrown the sessor into this ce and given her the ''Heavenly Reversal Technique''.

    Every day the elders of the sect would demand that she tell them when the ceremony would begin, and Yang Xia always had the same answer.

    On the night of the Blood Moon.

    If the former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect was as talented as she assumed, then two months was more than enough time for her to learn the ''Heavenly Reversal Technique''.

    And if not¡­

    Then she would be unworthy to be confirmed as the sessor to the Crimson Demon Sect.

    However, Yang Xia would be surprised if that was the case because she had already investigated the former saintess'' past.

    Unlike the other saints and saintess of the major righteous sects, Xu Lu kept an unusually low profile.

    Apparently, she spent most of her life doing closed door training with Lei Ying a powerful young cultivator with the potential to be the main powerhouse of the Holy Sword Sect.

    Little was known about her personality, strengths, or weakness however rumors spread that she was the most beautiful cultivator in the entire continent.

    She was forced to wear a mask to hide her beauty otherwise all who saw her face would be driven mad with desire and lust.

    An unlikely story.

    Yang Xia absentmindedly tapped her fingers against the sides of her robes as she looked at the darkness of the cave that was beckoning for her to enter.

    Out of respect for her son''s decision, Yang Xia nned on giving Xu Lu enough time and preparation to seed.

    But nothing more than that.

    She was not going to bend the rules.

    She was not going to send out secret warnings so that the powerful among the younger generation would not attend.

    In this world there was nothing more important than one''s personal strength. Especially amongst demonic cultivators.

    Yang Xia entered inside the narrow passageway and the bits of rock rose up from the ground and formed the wall again once she stepped inside.

    That was just one of the many wards, enchantments, and spells that she had weaved around this ce to prevent her fellow sect members from stumbling upon the cave.

    Xu Lu did not need any distractions during her training.

    The leader of the Crimson Demon sect walked slowly through the long and winding corridor past severalyers of barriers and traps.

    The entire trip took two hours.

    She could have teleported inside to save time because she knew the exact coordinates of the training space, but Yang Xia steadfastly went the long way.

    This was to allow her to double check her protections and add a few new ones.

    Finally, the corridor slowly opened up to reveal a vast space around the size of a hall with a pool in the corner of the room and afortable mattress to the side.

    There was a figure sitting down cross legged in the middle of the space with her eyes tightly closed.

    She wore a simple white robe that was spotless with not a single speck of dust or dirt on the delicate fabric.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A in longsword was attached to her hip, and she wore a silvery grey mask that concealed all of her facial features save for her eyes.

    She remained motionless like a statue.

    As Yang Xia stepped inside the room, she noticed that parts of the floor had cracked and were on the verge of crumbling away.

    There were dried up bloodstains on the ground beneath the masked figure''s feet and the mattress appeared untouched as if she had not slept.

    "You have returned," the masked figure calmly spoke. Xu Lu opened her eyes and looked at the sect leader peacefully.

    Her eyes were nowpletely changed.

    They appeared a dark shade of midnight ck with tinges of red that swam along the edges of her pupils.

    Xu Lu slowly got up from the ground. Despite being in the same position for days if not weeks, there were no signs of difort.

    Her body had changed along with her personality.

    Xu Lu found herself more¡­ confident?

    She was sure that was not the only change that had happened, but it was hard to tell.

    "You have made good progress," Yang Xia remarked bluntly as she walked up to the former saintess and grabbed her arm.

    The sect master closed her eyes and sent out a strand of demonic qi into Xu Lu''s skin to observe the inner workings of her meridians.

    What she saw was truly surprising.

    There was not a hint of righteous qi left in her body.

    She could only see demonic qi travelling through her meridians and entering her dantian and speaking of the dantian¡­

    Yang Xia peered inside Xu Lu''s inner qi sanctum and saw a small ind floating upwards amidst a sea of demonic energy.

    Wait¡­ how curious¡­

    The ind wasposed of righteous qi and seemed to bepletely unaffected by the demonic energy that surrounded it.

    In the middle of the ind a pure white unicorn with a golden horn in the middle of its forehead that shone with luster slept peacefully.

    Yang Xia reopened her eyes and looked at the former saintess with a few thoughts running through her mind.

    Hmm¡­ it did not appear as though the small ind of righteous qi had any effect on the demonic energy flowing through her body.

    She was still able to raise her cultivation level to the peak of the qi tide stage and Yang Xia was fairly certain that eventually Xu Lu would be able to enter the void stage.

    Still¡­ this was something to be investigated further. Yang Xia had never heard of an animal being present inside a cultivator''s dantian.

    Xu Lu remained quiet as she looked at the sect leader who continued to stare at her with an unknown emotion in her gaze.

    She did not trust Yang Xia¡­ not yet but she could not sense any malice from her.

    Finally, the sect leader stepped back and nodded once. She pped her palms, and the torches illuminated the underground cavern burned even brighter.

    "You are ready to be introduced to the sect," Yang Xia coldly spoke with the barest hint of a warning in her voice.

    "At best some will regard you with curiosity and at worst they will try to kill you for taking the position of sessor."

    "Do not let your guard down."

    "I understand," Xu Lu replied in an even tone as her fingers curled up into a tight fist.

    She would need to be prepared to earn the respect or strike fear into the hearts of herpetitors who wanted to take her ce.

    She could not afford to show mercy.

 Chapter 331 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (82)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range)

    Yang Xia held out her palm and gestured for Xu Lu to grab it.

    The former saintess held on to the hand in front of her and discovered that the sect leader''s palm was covered in callouses and scars.

    That didn''t make any sense.

    At her cultivation level all wounds that did not immediately kill her should fully regenerate within a matter of minutes if not seconds.

    Before Xu Lu could think about the matter further, the world around her trembled and her vision slowly faded to ck.

    When she opened her eyes, she discovered that she was now standing in front of what appeared to be an endless forest.

    Except something was strange about the nts in this ce¡­

    There was a faint white mist lingering around the bottom of the trees that smelled vaguely of sulphur and ash.

    The trees themselves were gnarled and twisted with their branches intertwined in strange formations that formed a sort of maze-like structure.

    Howls, yelps, and other eerie noises echoed through the forest and Xu Lu could make out vague humanoid shadows running between the trees.

    "This is the Shadowed Forest," Yang Xia calmly exined as she withdrew her hand from Xu Lu''s grasp.

    "It is the main barrier that protects us from the outside world. A dense forest with many traps, monsters and runes that would prevent even the most determined of foes from reaching us."

    "Some brave disciples like to use the forest as a training ground but just be warned that at least fifty disappear every year and their corpses are never recovered."

    "Why don''t you stop them?" Xu Lu asked curiously as she took a few steps backwards away from the mist.

    Yang Xia stared into the forest with no emotion in her eyes. When she turned to face Xu Lu, there was the barest hint of a smile on her face.

    "In this ce¡­ human life is easily discarded. Only the strong, the vicious and the cruel can survive here," Yang Xia whispered quietly.

    "And you will one day be the leader of this den of vipers¡­"

    Yang Xia''s voice was lighthearted and yet Xu Lu could detect a tinge of bitterness in her seemingly nonchnt tone.

    The sect leader remained frozen in ce for a brief moment and then turned and began to walk in the direction of the vast mountain range.

    Now that she was outside, Xu Lu got a chance to properly look at the mountains that the Crimson Demon Sect called home.

    The mountains were tall, and their peaks were covered in a lightyer of snow.

    Pces, buildings, and small towns were neatly tucked away in the jagged ravines, valleys, and low peaks.

    The narrow paths leading to the towns were treacherous and did not seem safe for travelling on foot.

    Xu Lu squinted her eyes and saw cultivators flying through the air to get from ce to ce and very few bothered with walking on the ground.

    That was not to say that the entire sect''s infrastructure was based in the mountains because Yang Xia was leading her to a couple of buildings at the bottom of arge hill.

    "Come¡­ we still have more areas to cover," Yang Xia spokezily as she waved her hands and beckoned for Xu Lu to follow.

    The former saintess walked behind the beautiful woman whose footsteps did not make even the slightest sound as she moved.

    As they neared the mountain, disciples of the Crimson Demon Sect noticed them and soon Xu Lu felt dozens of eyesnd on her body.

    The disciples of the demonic sect wore different coloured robes and styles.

    Some wore long ck robes and a hood that concealed most of their facial features, others adorned themselves with jewels that glinted and sparkled under the sunlight and others¡­ barely wore anything at all.

    Xu Lu tried not to stare as she passed a voluptuous young woman wearing a transparent see through dress that seemed more like a sexy lingerie set than a proper item of clothing.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    There was only one thing inmon between the disciples and that was the respect and fear in their expressions as the sect leader approached them.

    "Sect leader¡­"

    "We greet the sect leader¡­"

    "Is that the sessor?"

    The disciples bowed their heads respectfully as Yang Xia walked past them, but most could not resist sneaking nces at the masked figure following her.

    A silvery grey mask covered her face, and she wore a simple white robe that seemed inpared to what the disciples wore.

    A longsword was securely attached to her hip and her long hair was tied into a neat ponytail that rested gently against the back of her neck.

    Xu Lu kept her body straight and continued to walk without a hint of hesitancy, fear, or doubt in her steps.

    This was her first test.

    If she wanted to be epted by the Crimson Demon Sect as the sessor, then she would need to make sure that she projected an aura of confidence.

    Still, she could hear the whispersing from the crowd of onlookers as many lowered their voices and discussed her appearance amongst themselves.

    "What cultivation level do you think she reached?"

    "I''m not sure¡­ qi tide stage at least¡­ but maybe the void? Her smell is pretty young¡­ she can''t be older than thirty¡­."

    "Why do you think she is wearing the mask?"

    "This is just a rumor, but I heard that her face is too beautiful¡­ one nce at her appearance is enough to send anyone into the throes of lust¡­"

    Xu Lu''s footsteps paused for the slightest moment before she resumed her gait while forcing down the unpleasant emotions in her heart.

    She had spent thest two months cultivating non-stop, so she did not have time to work on her self-esteem and eptance of her appearance.

    That could not be put off any longer.

    Especially in such a dangerous ce where she was sure that any weakness would be exploited by those that were hostile to her.

    Yang Xia continued to traverse the interior of the sect until they finally arrived at the entrance to a long and narrow building covered in dark steel tes.

    In front of the building was a narrow red gate where statues of horned demons perched on its wooden structure.

    There was a cold chill in the air around this ce. The disciples around this area were oddly quiet and moved with their heads bowed.

    "The Soul- Weaving Pavilion¡­" Yang Xia calmly spoke as she lingered by the entranceway but did not go inside.

    "If you are interested in learning about false resurrections and corpse puppeteering techniques then this is the perfect ce to find a willing teacher."

    Xu Lu looked around and suddenly noticed that the disciples wandering around the building were not¡­ healthy looking.

    The colour of their skin was extremely pale and mmy. They were shuffling with slow zombie-like movements, and she finally realised why most kept their heads down.

    Their eyes¡­ they were missing their eyes¡­

    "Sect master!" a cheerful voice rang out through the air. Xu Lu turned in the direction of the sound and noticed a woman walking towards them with a sway in her hips.

    "You should have told me that you were visiting! My darlings have been waiting to see you again!"

    The woman purred sweetly as she snapped her fingers and several of the living corpses wandered over with open mouths.

    "And who is this sweetheart?" the mysterious woman asked gently as she approached Xu Lu and looked at her with a friendly smile.

    "She is the sessor¡­ not one of your future toys¡­" Yang Xia sternly warned as she noticed the glint of curiosity mixed with a darker emotion in the eyes of her junior sister.

 Chapter 332 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (83)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range)

    "The sessor?'' the woman gasped in shock and ced a hand on her chest. Her narrow eyes fixated on Xu Lu''s body and a terrifying smile spread across her face.

    "My¡­ my¡­ aren''t you an interesting one¡­"

    The corpses walking around in front of the building all simultaneously stopped moving and turned towards Xu Lu as well.

    "Pleased to meet you," Xu Lu replied calmly as she ignored the living dead and stared directly at the mysterious woman.

    She was not afraid of zombies.

    (Eve¡­ was one of them¡­)

    Eve? Who was Eve?

    Xu Lu frowned beneath her mask as a vague figure with pitch ck eyes briefly appeared in her memories before fading away.

    Fortunately, the voice of the mysterious woman interrupted her strange mood before she could get lost in her thoughts.

    "The pleasure is all mine darling¡­ the sect leader hasn''t introduced us properly¡­ my name is Wei Fang," the woman smiled warmly and then snapped her fingers.

    "If you ever want to dabble in corpse raising techniques¡­ my babies are at your disposal for practice anytime you want¡­"

    Wei Fang raised up her hand and touched the face of one of the corpses next to her.

    The corpse belonged to a female disciple who looked no older than twenty and her empty eye sockets showed no emotions or signs of intelligence.

    She was like a broken doll.

    No¡­ this was evil.

    Wei Fang''s smile grew even wider as she yed with her puppet''s hair and twirled her fingers around the corpse''s long ponytail.

    Xu Lu bit her tongue and resisted the urge to ask Wei Fang if she was crazy. Why would she want to learn how to turn dead bodies into puppets?

    "Come¡­ we still have more buildings to visit," Yang Xia calmly spoke and broke the tense atmosphere that was beginning to form.

    She walked away and Xu Lu was eager to follow behind the sect master and leave this dreadful ce.

    Wei Fang waved them goodbye with a slightly disappointed expression on her face. Xu Lu waved back politely and hid the true feelings in her heart.

    "Corpse puppeteering only works on lower-level cultivators," Yang Xia spokezily as she guided Xu Lu through a well-worn pathway into the inner mountain region.

    "The real threat is when youbine the technique with trapping formations and curses to lower the strength of your opponents."

    "Wei Fang''s personality may be¡­ entric but she is a good teacher. I suggest you take the opportunity to learn from her."

    "I''ll keep that in mind," Xu Lu replied thoughtfully.

    She still wasn''t sold on the idea ofmanding corpses and defiling dead bodies, but it may prove useful to learn curses and weakening formations.

    Yang Xia led her through a pathway along the side of a mountain that was littered with the bones of dead animals and skulls which belonged to humans.

    The air in this ce was hot and stale. Xu Lu could not see any disciples and the only signs of life were the ravens perched on the withered trees.

    It took around twenty minutes but eventually they arrived at the entrance to a cave that was guarded by an old man wearing a vibrant purple cloak.

    The man''s body was covered in heavy wrinkles and yet Xu Lu could feel goosebumps run up the sides of her arms as she looked at him.

    Danger¡­ this elderly man was extremely dangerous¡­

    "I have¡­" Yang Xia began to speak but was interrupted as the old man raised up his hand.

    "The sessor," he calmly spoke.

    "Please¡­ can youe a bit closer?"

    Xu Lu turned to Yang Xia who nodded at her to approach the elderly man. The former saintess walked up towards him and the old man stretched out his palm for her to grab.

    Xu Lu felt a bit reluctant but still touched the old man''s hand. His hand was soft but the rough callouses on his palm felt very ufortable.

    "Hmm¡­" the old man hummed softly under his breath as he closed his eyes.

    "Are you sure that you want to be the next leader of the Crimson Demon Sect?"

    "I have no other choice," Xu Lu replied honestly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The elderly man opened his eyes andughed at her answer. His hoarse giggles echoed through the empty surroundings and caused the ravens nearby to shriek angrily.

    "You are a truthful one¡­ I like you¡­" the elderly man warmly spoke as he withdrew his palm but not before giving Xu Lu a reassuring smile.

    "Don''t lose that kind heart of yours."

    Xu Lu nodded her head, and the old man patted her on the shoulder.

    Unlike most of the people who she had encountered so far in the demon sect, Xu Lu could not sense any curiosity or malice in the elderly man''s gaze as he looked at her.

    "Elder Zhong¡­ does she posses the qualifications to enter?" Yang Xia asked quietly.

    "Yes¡­ she does," Elder Zhong replied with his smile fading ever so slightly.

    He let out a heavy sigh under his breath and then gestured towards the open entrance of the cave.

    "Go inside¡­ and be reborn," he softly whispered.

    Xu Lu felt a bit confused because she did not know what the elderly man was talking about. She turned to Yang Xia who simply waved her inside.

    "Enter the pool and stay as long as your body can endure," Yang Xia coldly spoke as she offered up no further exnations.

    The former saintess nervously stepped forward and then entered inside the cave. At the back of the cave was a long and narrow corridor that was devoid of all light.

    Xu Lu circted her demonic qi into the tip of her fingers and a deep purplish-ck me erupted from her left hand.

    She raised up her palm in the air and used the light to illuminate her surroundings.

    She noticed that the walls were covered in heavy writings and texts that were written down in anguage that she had never seen before.

    As she continued to walk down the corridor, it became harder to breathe. A sense of terror mixed with an aura of malevolence permeated the air.

    The darkness inside the cave wriggled and squirmed as if it were somehow alive.

    Faint whispers echoed through the underground space, but Xu Lu could not tell what direction they wereing from.

    "Leave this ce¡­"

    "Turn back¡­ you are unworthy¡­"

    "Pretender¡­ unfit to be the sessor¡­ a fraud¡­ a hypocrite¡­"

    "You will die here."

    The ominous whispers sent chills down Xu Lu''s spine as she desperately tried her best to get the voices out of her head.

    She focused on the sounds of her footsteps as she ced one foot after the other and bravely kept continuing forward.

    Eventually the narrow passageway widened out to reveal an open space. Xu Lu stepped inside the room and saw something that took her breath away.

    In the centre of the space was an imposing structure carved out from an obsidian- ck stone that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

    Its presence was awe-inspiring and menacing in equal measure.

    The structure was bowl-shaped with a length of around twenty feet and a width of roughly thirty feet at the widest point.

    Every inch of the exterior of the structure was covered in intricate red runes that glowed with an eerie light in the darkness.

    Xu Lu hesitantly approached the structure and noticed that an unusually sweet and yet sickly scent filled the air.

    The scent of blood¡­ she recognised the slightly metallic undertone to the smell.

    This was a smell that she was used to after spending many decades inside a vampire''s castle.

    Xu Lu peered over the edge of the bowl-shaped structure and saw a deep dark pool of crimson liquid.

    Despite theck of air currents, there were waves inside the pool and Xu Lu noticed what could only be described as skeleton-like things lurking at the bottom of the bowl.

    She was supposed to go inside this?

    Xu Lu hesitated for a moment and the voices inside her head got even louder as if fueled by her self-doubt.

    "The pool will devour you¡­"

    "Look at the bodies inside¡­ where do you think the blood came from? The sect leader¡­ she sent you here to die¡­"

    "She wants you gone¡­ she wants to kill you¡­ leave this ce and confront her¡­"

 Chapter 333 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (84)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range)

    The voices got louder and louder as Xu Lu hesitated near the entrance to the pool. The runes and writings etched onto the sides of the bowl-shaped structure glowed ominously.

    "Don''t go in¡­ why would you toss your life away?"

    "Just leave this ce¡­ there is nothing here for you except death¡­''

    "Remember your promise¡­ you need to be alive to get revenge¡­"

    Revenge¡­

    Yes. That''s right¡­ she needed to get revenge but not just that she also needed to fulfil the desires of the original Xu Lu.

    She needed to stand out as the brightest star of the young generation.

    Show the Holy Sword Sect that they had made the wrong decision by abandoning her to rot away in prison.

    She would make them regret.

    Xu Lu pursed her lips together in a thin line and bravely stepped forward. The voices were wrong about one thing.

    She was not afraid of death.

    She had died at least twice before and maybe even more considering that some of her missions were wiped from her memory.

    The afterlife was boring.

    Life was truly the scary part of existence.

    Xu Lu looked down at the murky crimson liquid and took in a deep breath. She could feel her racing heartbeat slowly begin to calm down as she made a decision.

    The former saintess walked up to the edge of the bowl and then jumped inside.

    She plunged into the pool of blood and immediately aplex array of sensations assaulted her from all directions.

    The first thing that she felt was the cold.

    Xu Lu possessed an Ice Yin root and rarely felt the effects of low temperatures but somehow in the pool of blood¡­ she felt as though every single inch of her body was freezing.

    The liquid clung on to her body like a heavy weighted nket and dragged her further downwards into the depths.

    It was like she was descending to the abyss.

    There was an eerie silence as Xu Lu felt goosebumps appear on her arms and legs. She kept holding her breath and was afraid to exhale.

    No sound could reach her.

    She could only describe the feeling like being engulfed by a cocoon of darkness and emptiness that stretched out for eternity.

    Xu Lu shivered as the cold chill prated her bones and cause her body to begin to convulse violently.

    Every instinct in her body screamed at her to swim upwards and escape from this terrible environment but to her horror Xu Lu discovered that she could no longer move.

    Just when she thought that she was going to die from frostbite, the temperature around her body rapidly began to heat up.

    The searing heat coursed through her veins like moltenva flowing through the channels of an underground vent.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and when she reopened them, she discovered that she was now standing in the middle of an empty in.

    There was no sky, no stars no clouds.

    All that she could see for dozens of miles was a never-ending sea of scarlet grass.

    Xu Lu looked around in confusion. Was this the afterlife? Had she died?

    No¡­ she would have been transported back to the headquarters of the Time Space Administration, right?

    Xu Lu wandered around the in for what seemed like hours. Time had no meaning in this strange world and seconds felt like days.

    Finally, she heard a sound.

    "Hello?" Xu Lu called out cautiously as she turned in the direction of the sound and tried to get a good look.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She froze in shock when she saw the creature staring back at her.

    A faint blood mist coalesced together to form a shadowy figure that was draped in a cloak that seemed to be woven out of the crimson liquid itself.

    Their face was concealed by a baggy hood which concealed all of their features save for their piercing golden eyes which gleamed with intelligence and cruelty in equal measure.

    The atmosphere in the strange world immediately changed.

    A heavy pressure fell down on Xu Lu''s body which brought her to her knees.

    She could feel herself being drawn towards this mysterious creature. She got up from the ground and moved towards it with great difficulty.

    Step by step she walked slowly while resisting the pressure that threatened to bring her back down to the ground.

    Xu Lu did not know why she was doing this, but she kept going¡­

    And going¡­

    And going¡­

    When she was mere inches away from the creature, it extended a skeleton-like hand from its robe and lightly touched her forehead.

    A stream of energy was injected into Xu Lu''s forehead, and she could feel her mind begin to crack under the influence of this strange sensation.

    Suddenly the faint sound of trumpets filled the air and the heavy feeling in her mind slowly eased up until she could think again.

    "Blessed already?" the creature whispered in confusion.

    Its voice was both masculine and feminine with a low throaty growl as if something was stuck in its throat.

    "You are a special one¡­ very special¡­"

    The hooded figure hummed softly under its breath and its eyes gleamed with curiosity and excitement.

    "I don''t usually like to share but¡­ I think you''ll make a fine addition to my sect," the mysterious creature finished its sentence with a low giggle.

    Xu Lu screamed as she felt arge surge of energy enter her body with so much force that her skin began to crack.

    The hooded figure grinned and then vanished. The strange realm started to crumble, and Xu Lu felt something pulling her away from this ce.

    The former saintess burst out of the pool with her bodypletely covered in the crimson liquid and staggered out of the bowl-shaped structure.

    She copsed on the ground just outside the altar and curled up into a ball. The energy flowing through her body was threatening to overwhelm her senses.

    It was too much power¡­ she couldn''t¡­ no¡­

    "I have¡­ to hold¡­ on¡­" Xu Lu muttered quietly as she gritted her teeth and tried to ride out the waves of agony that were washing over her body.

    Her eyes werepletely bloodshot andrge horrific wounds opened up across her body as the power rampaged inside of her without stopping.

    She drew in deep, ragged breaths as the pain continued for several hours straight.

    At one point Xu Lu thought that she fell unconscious because she saw the vague shadow of Cami standing over her body with a worried expression on her face.

    Was that an illusion or a memory from her previous life?

    Xu Lu could no longer tell.

    Finally, the pain stopped, and Xu Lu stood up from the ground. She gently inhaled and all the wounds on her body immediately began to heal.

    She felt¡­ stronger.

    No¡­ not just stronger¡­ there was a sense of vitality flowing through her body as if nothing could cause her to die.

    The coppery scent of blood filled her nostrils, but Xu Lu did not pay any attention to the bad smell as she reached into her storage bag.

    What if¡­

    Xu Lu''s fingers trembled as she pulled out a small pocket mirror and held it in her right hand with the surface of the mirror pointed directly at her face.

    She used her left hand to grab the corner of her silvery grey mask and with her heart beating uncontrobly¡­

    Xu Lu took off her mask.

 Chapter 334 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (85)

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range)

    Xu Lu held the mirror in her palm and her fingers trembled ever so slightly. She did not even dare to hope¡­ she¡­ she couldn''t¡­

    Her breathing slowed down as she lifted up the corners of her silvery grey mask and pulled it off her face with shaky movements.

    She saw her reflection staring back at her.

    With her fingers still shivering, Xu Lu touched the scarred terrain that was once perfectly smooth.

    The mere touch of the scar tissue was enough to bring back a wave of ufortable emotions that she was all too familiar with.

    Self-hatred and anger.

    Xu Lu blinked rapidly as unshed tears welled up her eyes. Her reflection disyed a visage that had be a portrait of cruelty and suffering.

    A permanent reminder of what she had endured after experiencing painful torture.

    Long horrific knife mark scars that criss-crossed her face with patches of burnt skin along the edges of the scars.

    She had not been cured.

    Even with all of her newfound demonic powers¡­ she was still the same¡­

    The same¡­

    (Monster)

    "No¡­" Xu Lu muttered in disbelief as she dropped the mirror.

    The ss shattered upon impact with the ground and the shards scattered across the underground cavern.

    The former saintess stood still with her head lowered. A dark expression shed across her face as she struggled with the feelings and emotions of the original Xu Lu.

    "I¡­ I can''t go on like this," Xu Lu quietly spoke.

    She wasn''t sure if she was speaking to herself or the remnants of the original Xu Lu''s emotions and memories.

    "I will not go on like this. What that demon cultivator did to me¡­ I will not let it define me¡­ I. Am. Not. A. Monster."

    The voice in her mind whispered mockingly in reply to Xu Lu''s words.

    (Yes¡­ you are¡­ look at yourself)

    "You are right¡­ I admit it," Xu Lu frankly spoke as she ced the mask back on her face and the voice slowly grew quieter.

    "But¡­ I will ovee this. I know you are afraid of being rejected by the world, but I promise you¡­ I will show you that I will live your life without fear," Xu Lu pledged seriously.

    (We shall see¡­)

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and slowly walked out of the cave. The scent of blood hung on her robes and skin.

    The crimson liquid had stained her clothes, hair and basically every part of her body.

    Frankly she needed a nice long shower to undress and unwind after this extremely bizarre experience.

    She travelled through the long and winding underground corridors with nothing but the sounds of her footsteps to keep herpany.

    She missed her little white mouse.

    Xu Lu could only hope that her furrypanion had found a safe ce to live and would be able to spend the rest of its days in peace.

    The former saintess noticed a few changes to her body as she moved around. For one she felt incredibly lighter as if she weighed no more than a feather.

    And it could just be her imagination, but Xu Lu could swear that asionally dark red markings would sh just beneath the surface of her skin.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Finally, she arrived at the entrance to the cave, Yang Xia was standing quietly in front of the underground passage, but the elderly man was nowhere in sight.

    "You seeded," Yang Xia coldly spoke as she walked up to Xu Lu and stared at her body as if searching for something.

    "What¡­ what was that blood altar?" Xu Lu asked curiously as the memories of her encounter with that strange being shed across her mind.

    "A trial¡­ and a death sentence," Yang Xia replied curtly before turning around and walking away.

    She did not offer up any further exnations, so Xu Lu was forced to push down the burning curiosity in her heart.

    The pair walked up a wide pathway that led deeper inside the mountain range. The road widened and now Xu Lu found herself in the heart of the Crimson Demon Sect.

    The viges, pces and buildings that formed the main infrastructure of the demonic sect were situated in secluded valleys and surrounded by vast mountainous peaks.

    Houses were built by blending elements of darkness, horror, and functionality.

    Most buildings were made from darkened wood and adorned with carvings of mythical creatures and twisted abominations which contrasted with the peacefulndscape.

    However, the massive pces were built out of ck rock and polished obsidian stone which rose up from the ground as if they had been grown out of the earth.

    Xu Lu could see no signs of construction as if the pces had been carved out of stone in one single attempt.

    Narrow pathways formed abyrinth-like connection of roads that led to different sections of the sect.

    There were central zas in the middle of every other junction where one could see fountains, thriving marketces and fighting rings.

    Xu Lu watched as a female disciple ran her sword through the middle of a male disciple''s chest while the surrounding crowd cheering madly.

    Still¡­ this ce was not as terrible as she imagined.

    There was a clear sense ofmunity, and she could see cultivators talking,ughing, and gossiping with each other.

    Some sold trinkets at makeshift stalls along the edges of the road while others boasted about their adventures and disyed the heads of monsters that they had in.

    She immediately attracted the attention of quite a few disciples and Xu Lu could only assume that word had spread that she was moving around the sect with the sect master.

    Or it could be the fact that she was covered in blood¡­

    Either way Xu Lu could tell that the looks and stares directed at her now contained a healthy amount of fear and caution.

    Not exactly the greatest of first impressions but in a demon cult Xu Lu would take having a reputation as a dangerous individual.

    The original Xu Lu had grown up in a ''righteous'' sect and was taught from a young age that demonic cultivators were selfish violent individuals.

    Their sects were nothing more than chaotic slums where regr mass killings, torture and other terrible acts of violence would ur on a non-stop basis.

    Demon cultivators were animals who were ves to their dark desires.

    While Xu Lu was not going to pretend that cultivators in the Crimson Demon Sect were misunderstood saints¡­ the truth was it seemed like they were just like the ''righteous'' cultivators.

    Some were good¡­ some were evil and most of them were somewhere in the middle.

    Xu Lu followed Yang Xia''s lead as the sect leader took her towards a series of private mansions that had been built near a series of waterfalls.

    The air here felt different in a way that was hard to describe.

    There was a charge in the air, and she could feel the demonic energy in her body flow even faster through her meridians.

    Xu Lu''s footsteps paused as she noticed shadowy creatures with grotesque, but oddly beautiful bodies plunge into the pools of water that collected near the bottom of the waterfalls.

    Yang Xia did not slow down so Xu Lu was forced to break out into a half walk half jog in order to catch up to her.

    The sect leader finally arrived at a mansion located towards the far left of the rows of private houses and the door was already unlocked.

    "This will be your home," Yang Xia nonchntly stated.

 Chapter 335 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (86)

    ?

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Valley Of The Undying)

    (Private Residence)

    "This building is the chosen residence of the sessor¡­ it will only temporarily be in your name until you survive the session ceremony," Yang Xia coldly stated.

    She walked up to the door and without hesitation used her fingernails to split apart the flesh on the underside of her right palm.

    The sect leader then whispered a few iprehensible words under her breath and flung the blood droplets on Xu Lu''s robe.

    The former saintess was not sure what had just happened but could feel a slight tingling feeling around her body as if something had changed.

    "Do not let anyone else enter your residence or the protective wards will kill them," Yang Xia calmly spoke as she strode inside the building.

    Xu Lu nodded her head in understanding and then quickly walked inside.

    Upon entering the building, Xu Lu was immediately awestruck by the atmosphere of foreboding grandeur and opulence.

    The corridor that she entered was lined with massive obsidian pirs with intricate carvings and runes that glowed with an eerie light.

    Chandeliers hung from the ceiling with their purplish-ck mes flickering ever so slightly which casted long shadows on the ground.

    As she continued to walk through the corridor following Yang Xia''s lead, Xu Lu approached a spacious chamber which she assumed was the main living room.

    Deep purple tapestries which depicted horrific scenes of bloodshed hung from the walls, several chairs and tables were ced in the centre of the room and a single window provided natural light from the outside world.

    In the corner of the living room was a roaring firece with its crackling mes merrily swaying in the wind that came in through the open door.

    At the back of the room was a spiral staircase which led to another floor. Xu Lu walked up the staircase in a daze and discovered another hallway with two rooms.

    The room on the left was a study.

    A private sanctuary that was filled with a massive repository of grimoires, tomes, and scrolls.

    There was a simple wooden desk in the corner of the study room and on the desk were several talismans and sheets of parchment paper.

    A bottle of ink and a quill were tucked away in one of the drawers. Xu Lu curiously picked up one of the books and scanned its cover.

    ''The Red Mist Technique''.

    Wait¡­ these were all cultivation techniques and skills?

    Xu Lu picked up a few more books to confirm and could feel her heart begin to beat with excitement as she realised the true worth of this ce.

    The depth of knowledge contained inside these scrolls, tomes and parchment papers couldst her a lifetime of study.

    "The room next door is the bedroom," Yang Xia''s cool voice interrupted Xu Lu''s contemtive mood.

    ''I suggest you get some rest and meditate. The session ceremony will be held at the end of the week."

    "For your sake¡­ I hope you are prepared."

    The Sect Leader snapped her fingers and then disappeared. What was left behind was a faint wisp of white smoke that smelled of jasmine mixed with honey.

    Xu Lu put down the tome in her hand and headed out of the library. The first thing that she needed to do was take a long shower.

    The thick coppery scent of blood still hung to her robes and invaded her nostrils with the foul odour. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Her entire body, clothes, hair, and other parts were covered in the sticky residue that had now faded from a bright red colour to a dark crusty brown as the blood stains had begun to dry.

    Yang Xia had not mentioned where the bathroom was so Xu Lu could only hope that there was one connected to the bedroom.

    The former saintess walked out of the study and opened the door to the right of the corridor. She stepped inside and was immediately taken aback by howfortable everything looked.

    There was a sense of tranquility and peace which seemed slightly out of cepared to the other interiors of the rooms inside the house.

    The walls were draped with light purple curtains that wereced with golden threads which shone under the dim lighting from the overhead chandelier.

    The ground was covered in a thick luxurious carpet made from silk with beautiful and colourful patterns depicting scenes from civilisations long lost to the annals of history.

    In the center of the room was a grand bed with a heavy mahogany frame with carvings of serpents and arcane writings along the sides of the wood.

    A nightstand was ced next to the bed and a vase stood quietly in the centre of the stand. Inside the vase was a ck rose with petals that were heavy with moisture.

    On the opposite side of the room there was arge person- sized mirror. Xu Lu nced at her reflection in the mirror and slowly took off her mask.

    Her horrific scarred face came into view and despite the painful throbbing feeling in her heart, Xu Lu forced herself to keep it off.

    If she was too scared to take off the mask when she was alone then there was no chance that she would be able to deal with the trauma that had been affecting her.

    The former saintess took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and then walked towards the back of the bedroom.

    She spotted a small wooden door with a simple handle made from polished jade. Xu Lu opened the door and entered the side room.

    Here it was¡­

    In the centre of this much smaller space was arge sunken bathtub that had been carved out of what appeared to be granite.

    Arge stone gargoyle loomed over the bathtub and a steady stream of water flowed out of its open mouth between its massive teeth.

    This water filled up the bathtub in a never-ending stream and yet the water did not break the top of the tub.

    "Curious¡­" Xu Lu muttered quietly as she stripped off her clothes and ced them in the corner of the room.

    She was nowpletely naked and the sticky feeling of having dried blood on your body was extremely ufortable.

    Xu Lu walked up to the tub and stuck one of her feet inside the clear water.

    To her delight the water was slightly hot which was just perfect to scrub out all the blood on her body.

    The former saintess took out a bar of soap from her storage ring and then lowered the rest of her body inside the tub.

    She sank down in the water until it reached her chin. Xu Lu closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth that enveloped her.

    There were small waves inside the tub that washed away and soothed the aches and pains umted in her body.

    The heavy weight of the uing session ceremony and her desire to get revenge on the Holy Sword Sect all suddenly seemed not as important.

    The gentle ripples of the water were like a luby from the ocean and Xu Lu found herself slipping away into a state of deep sleep.

    She tried to fight off the wave of tiredness, but the tranquility and serenity of the bathtub proved to be a temptation far too great to ignore.

    Xu Lu adjusted her body and leaned against the side of the tub before finally entering into a long dreamless sleep.

 Chapter 336 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (87)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)-

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple of Agar)

    In the middle of a dense forest, an ancient temple emerged from between the trees like a forgotten relic of a time long ago.

    Its exterior was heavily damaged and weathered by the elements and yet it had not crumbled, and its foundations were still strong.

    Dark grey walls surrounded the temple on all sides and each wall was covered with carvings of horrific monsters, strange beasts and men smiling with wide open mouths.

    The temple was usually nestled away deep inside the forest.

    Abandoned and deserted as if it had been forgotten by the outside world.

    Its only visitors were the animals nearby and the monsters that asionally sought out shelter beneath its walls.

    But that was not the case today.

    The air around the temple crackled with excitement as thousands of demon cultivators surrounded the temple.

    Almost the entire poption of the sect was here today.

    From the young to the old, from the outer disciples to the true disciples and everyone in between.

    Some were on the ground while others were hovering in the air using their swords, mounts, or floating techniques.

    Each cultivator was d in the ceremonial robes of the session ceremony. They wore long ck robes with golden threads woven into the edges of the fabric.

    Arge crimson eye was painted onto the back of each robe using a rare technique that caused the illusion that the eye winked whenever the wind caused the robes to rustle slightly.

    Hushed conversations could be heard as the disciples huddled around their friends and eagerly discussed the uing ceremony.

    "Have you seen the sessor?"

    "No¡­ I heard that she has not stepped one foot outside of her private residence¡­. Apparently, Mei Ling went to challenge her in advance, but no one answered her call."

    "Mei Ling? The apprentice of the pleasure witch?"

    "Keep your voice down! She hates it when you call her master that name¡­ listen bro¡­ thatdy is dangerous."

    "Alright I got it¡­ so do you think she has a chance to win? I mean¡­ has anyone seen the sessor fight?"

    A few hundred meters away a young woman with clear eyes twitched irritably as she heard the gossips of the nearby disciples.

    A long sword was attached to her hip, and it was securely fastened by a sheath that had been made from simple leather.

    Mei Ling frowned slightly as she looked around and could not see the sessor anywhere.

    She already knew what the mysterious woman looked like, but no one knew whaty under that mask.

    Well¡­ she supposed that it did not matter.

    Regardless of who or what was under that mask, she needed to defeat them and be crowned as the next sessor to the Crimson Demon Sect.

    That was the only way to restore her master''s reputation and bring back honour and dignity to their peak.

    Mei Ling was not the only one feeling a burning desire to win because on the opposite side of the temple an extremely handsome young man leaned against a nearby tree.

    His fiery red hair had been tied into a neat ponytail and his facial hair had been cleanly shaved and maintained to keep his appearance wless.

    He was surrounded by dozens of lovestruck female disciples who swooned over him as he smiled and chatted with them politely.

    "Guo Rui I''ll be cheering for you!" one of the female disciples screamed loudly as she clenched her fist together.

    "You will be the next sessor!"

    "No, I believe in you more!" another quickly shouted determined not to be outdone by herpanion.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    "You bitch! I said it first!" the first female disciple yelled.

    "Ladies¡­dies¡­" Guo Rui chuckled lightly as he strode towards the bickering pair and wrapped his arms around them both.

    "There is enough of me to go around."

    The two female disciples in his arms immediately flushed red with excitement and the others nearby watched on with jealousy clearly visible on their faces.

    Guo Rui continued to make small talk with his group of fans, but his eyes constantly scanned the crowd to see when the sessor would arrive.

    His eyes shed crimson as a surge of hatred filled his heart. He was the one who was supposed to be chosen.

    Not some random nobody who showed up one day and was immediately picked as the future leader of the sect.

    It was not fair!

    He was the strongest. He deserved the position!

    Guo Rui scowled ever so slightly as his fingers drifted to the pair of knives securely tucked inside the pockets of his robe.

    That mysterious woman better pray that she did not encounter him during the ritual, otherwise she would not be making it out of the temple alive.

    Around twenty more minutes passed, and the sun was now beginning to sink towards the horizon.

    The dense forest was bathed in a warm andfortable orange glow and the temple suddenly seemed a lot less ominous.

    More disciples joined the waiting crowd, and the atmosphere was one of anticipation which only grew stronger as the minutes passed.

    Suddenly a loud neighing sound echoed through the forest.

    A hush fell over the gathered demon cultivators as everyone turned towards the direction of the unexpected noise.

    A powerful gust of wind swept through the forest and the scent of burning flesh stung the noses of all who breathed in.

    Someone gasped in shock and soon others stared in disbelief at the strange sight before their eyes.

    A young woman wearing long dark robes emerged from a pool of swirling darkness while riding a four-legged beast.

    The coat of the beast was as dark as the deepest depths of the abyss and was quite the sight to witness.

    It vaguely resembled a horse except its body was covered in heavy armour that concealed the inky ckness thaty beneath.

    Its eyes were the colour of burning embers and exuded a sense of wisdom and intelligence.

    Everyone knew who this woman was.

    The sessor.

    They recognised her by the overwhelming aura that surrounded her body and the silvery grey mask that covered her face.

    Portraits of the mask on her face had already circted around the sect as the disciples who had seen her spread the news fairly quickly.

    Xu Lu dismounted the beast and gentle stroked the top of its head. The beast brushed against her shoulder lightly and then stepped back into the swirling portal.

    The former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect stood tall and walked with quiet confidence through the crowd.

    Her aura was enough for the crowd to part around her, so a clear path was formed that led directly to the entrance of the temple.

    Xu Lu could feel the thousands of eyes resting on her body and there was a wide range of emotions behind each stare.

    Curiosity, anger, hatred, excitement, anticipation, joy¡­ desire.

    Still, she gave no indication that she cared about the looks or the thoughts of others. She just kept walking with the same slow and steady pace.

    In a few moments, she would be fighting for her life.

 Chapter 337 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (88)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple of Agar)

    Neigh!

    The steed tossed back its head and roared fiercely.

    The shadows around its body twisted and contorted as a terrifying grin spread across the animal''s face.

    The portal finally closed as the beast disappeared from the sight of the crowd. Xu Lu kept walking and held her head high.

    She was grateful to the sect leader for lending her that strange beast as a mount because it certainly left asting impression.

    Xu Lu could hear the whispers of the crowd as she approached the steps of the temple and the massive grey walls that protected its interior.

    The temple of Agar.

    An ancient ce that seemed¡­ unsettling. There was something about this abandoned temple that caused goosebumps to appear on her arms.

    This was the ce where the future sessor of the Crimson Demon Sect would survive a ceremony in order to be chosen.

    Despite its importance, the temple seemed run down and there were clear signs of weathering and aging.

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and could feel the cold metallic touch of the mask that covered her face.

    She was a mystery to these demon cultivators and Xu Lu had no intention of revealing her past history.

    With any luck the Holy Sword Sect still thought that she was trapped in the underground prisonplex in one of the cells.

    By the time they discovered that she was missing¡­ it would be toote.

    They would have no clue about where she had gone and her current location. Actually, even Xu Lu wasn''t sure which part of the continent the Crimson Demon Sect was located.

    Xu Lu doubted that her master or her former sect leader would imagine the possibility that she rose up to be the sessor of a major demonic n.

    Heh¡­ it was actually kind of funny in a twisted way.

    They would never see hering¡­

    Xu Lu approached the stone steps that led up to the entrance of the temple and stopped at the first one.

    Her footsteps paused as she waited patiently, ording to the sect leader the session ceremony would begin immediately when she arrived.

    It did feel a little bit ufortable standing directly in front of a crowd of thousands of demonic cultivators, but Xu Lu did not let their stares bother her.

    She had received simr levels of attention during her life as Mary from both the vampires and humans who adored and feared the power of a Sun-Born.

    Suddenly a loud noise interrupted Xu Lu''s train of thought. She turned in the direction of the sound and saw the sect leader calmly step out of thin air.

    She floated above the temple and her overwhelming aura forced the cultivators on the ground to their knees.

    The sect leader''s beauty was like that of an untouched rose surrounded by terrible thorns.

    Her calm gaze was like a tranquil pool of water and yet there was a hint of mncholy in her eyes.

    She wore a luxurious dark purple robe with intricate patterns made from silver that had been woven carefully into the fabric.

    She was like a goddess looking down on her flock of adoring worshippers. The pressure was so intense that Xu Lu could feel the joints in her knees scream out in protest.

    Still¡­ she kept standing.

    This was the first test.

    Xu Lu gritted her teeth in pain as the pressure intensified. Cracks appeared on the ground beneath her feet and the temple''s walls violently trembled.

    Then just as quickly as it appeared¡­ the pressure was gone.

    Yang Xia reappeared on the ground and walked up to Xu Lu. <novelsnext></novelsnext>

    She ced one hand on the top of the young woman''s head and smeared a piece of blood across the mask on her face.

    "Disciples¡­ esteemed elders¡­ and other members of the n," Yang Xia calmly spoke as she continued to smear the blood across the silvery grey mask.

    "Today is a momentous asion. It is the day of the session ceremony where the future destiny of our n will be decided."

    "Our n hassted for hundreds of thousands of years and withstood countless trials that would have destroy lesser cultivation sects."

    "Today we are feared and hated across the continent and have many enemies who seek to destroy us."

    "As we are gathered here today know that the sessor is not a figurehead or a puppet of my will."

    "They will shoulder the heavy duties thate with guiding our n and the responsibility of deciding the fates of many lives."

    "It is not an easy burden or position to bear. Being the sessor is not for the faint of heart or those who are only interested in power for personal reasons."

    Yang Xia stepped back from the young woman in front of her and the crowd was silent.

    Her words echoed through the forest and the seriousness and solemnity of the ceremony finally dawned on some of the disciples.

    Quite a few who wanted to participate suddenly changed their mind after listening to the sect leader''s speech.

    But for others her words were nothing more than additional motivation for them to take the position and all the power that went along with it.

    "Proceed up the stairs and touch the obelisk of judgement," Yang Xia spoke with a voice no louder than a whisper.

    Xu Lu nodded her head and then walked up the stone steps. Every step that she took added an invisible weight on her body.

    As she walked Xu Lu''s posture began more crocked and bent as she struggled to move without copsing.

    The demonic qi inside her body circted wildly and she could feel a steady warm heat flowing through her meridians.

    The pressure suddenly eased, and Xu Lu was able to make it up the flight of stairs.

    At the top of the stairs and right in front of the entrance to the temple was a massive red obelisk.

    Somehow, she had not seen the tall structure when she was at the bottom of the steps but that did not make any sense.

    How was it possible that she had not noticed thisrge pir?

    The obelisk rose upwards like a scarlet sentinel and was surrounded by an aura of ancient evil. Its form towered over the surroundingndscape and its surface was smooth and unyielding.

    Delicate carvings around the bottom half of the obelisk depicted demonic figures screaming in pain as a pulsating lighting from the centre of the structure illuminated the carvings.

    Xu Lu hesitantly stretched out her left palm and lightly touched the surface of the obelisk. There was a brief moment of silence as she waited in anticipation for what would happen next.

    Screech!

    One of the multiple doors leading inside the temple slowly opened and wave of whitish fog escaped from the opening.

    Xu Lu could hear whispersing from the group of floating elders since they were the only ones other than the sect leader who knew what had just happened.

    "A qi tide cultivator? Hmm¡­ I suppose if she is young then that''s not a bad option¡­"

    "How old is she? If she is over nine hundred years old, then is she talented enough to be the sessor? I don''t think so¡­"

    "I''m surprised the sect leader chose someone who is in the qi tide stage¡­ I would have thought that she would at least be in the void stage."

    "There are only two void stage cultivators in our sect¡­ she doesn''t really have many options¡­"

    Xu Lu felt an invisible pull tug her towards the direction of the open door and her legs began to move automatically.

    She tried to resist but it was like she was a puppet on a string dancing to the tune of an unknown master or force.

    Xu Lu entered the opening and the door mmed shut behind her with a loud bang.

 Chapter 338 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (89)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple Of Agar)

    When Xu Lu opened her eyes, she found herself standing in the centre of an expansive circr chamber around the size of a football field.

    Towering walls made from stone enclosed the arena and every inch of each wall was covered in dark purple writings that glowed with an eerie light.

    She looked down and discovered that the arena floor was made of polished obsidian which dimly showed her reflection.

    The entire space was illuminated by a faint orangish-red glow, but she could not tell where the source of light wasing from.

    Wait¡­

    Xu Lu squinted slightly and saw enormous mystical braziers hidden beneath the shadows of the towering walls.

    Inside each brazier was a me that burned with an otherworldly intensity.

    This entire ce seemed like it belonged to a different ne of existence as if it was both a dream and reality at the same time.

    The former saintess cautiously looked around some more and waited to see what would happen next.

    ording to Yang Xia, she would have to face challengers over the next three days and these battles could end in death.

    She would be risking her life to be the sessor.

    Xu Lu slowly exhaled, and a faint white mist escaped her mouth.

    She withdrew her in longsword from the sheath attached to her waist and the edge of the de gleamed softly under the dim lighting.

    "Quite an unremarkable weapon," a melodic voice suddenly spoke.

    Xu Lu quickly turned in the direction of the sound and saw an elderly man wearing dull grey robes looking at her with a kindly expression on his face.

    "No need to be so cautious¡­ I am but an echo," the mysterious elderughed as he gestured at his body.

    Xu Lu furrowed her brows in confusion as she realised that the elderly man was hovering slightly above the ground and his body seemed partially transparent.

    "A wisp of spiritual energy and consciousness left behind by a man who had too many regrets," the elder joked in a lighthearted tone.

    "Don''t know why he trapped me in this ce but hey! Can''t reallyin when I get a free show of entertainment every couple of hundred of years or was it thousands?"

    "Hmm¡­ can''t really remember¡­ time is a funny thing!"

    He stepped closer to Xu Lu and stretched out his palm. His hand went straight through her skin and exited the other side.

    It was a bizarre sight and Xu Lu was shocked to realise that she didn''t feel anything. The elder withdrew his hand and continued to smile.

    "So, judging from that amulet you must be the sessor!" the elder eximed with glee as he pped his hands together.

    "This will be so exciting! There will probably be many fools who think that they can take your ce¡­ man¡­ this brings back memories¡­"

    "Wait¡­ what was I talking about again? Sorry¡­ been ''alive'' for so long that my memories are kind of fuzzy¡­"

    "Ahh yes!"

    "A fight will only end if you finish off your opponent or they surrender. Either way they will be kicked out of this space, and you will have time to heal your injuries."

    "Best of luck kiddo!"

    The elder waved his hand wildly like a child and then vanished.

    Xu Lu was taken aback by the entire encounter and numerous questions surfaced in her mind.

    That person was a leftover wisp of spiritual energy? But who did the energy belong to? How long had he been trapped in this arena?

    Was he mentally well?

    The answer to that question was probably not.

    Xu Lu sat down cross-legged on the ground and took in a several deep breaths. She began to circte the demonic qi in her meridians around her body.

    She could feel a warm current flowing around her insides and this heat was so intense that she felt as though she was burning up alive.

    Dark markings appeared on her skin and these patches of crimson began to glow and pulsate with a rhythm simr to a heartbeat.

    She felt invincible.

    No one would stand in her way.

    She would get her revenge and crush the Holy Sword Sect¡­ she would make her former master and sect leader pay for their betrayal.

    And why stop there?

    Everyone who wronged her should be punished.

    Xu Lu''s emotions grew wildly out of control as the demonic qi forced out her true emotions. She suddenly felt a surge of desire as a face appeared in her mind.

    The face belonged to a beautiful mortal goddess who had captivated her. She wore a simple hemp dress but in Xu Lu''s eyes she was a queen.

    Jiang Xin.

    Why should she be alone in this awful world?

    She deserved romance¡­ no¡­ more than that¡­ she could not stand the thought of Jiang Xin being with someone else.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    No one should touch her.

    She was mine¡­ MINE¡­ MINE!

    Xu Lu growled darkly as a faint crimson mist began to spread outwards from the corners of her eyes.

    She needed to be the sessor and leave this ce immediately. Her lover was waiting for her to escape.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    (Meanwhile)

    (Outside The Temple)

    The mood had shifted once the masked woman entered the temple''s door and disappeared into the darkness.

    The session ceremony had officially begun.

    Many cultivators looked at each other and even though they all wanted topete, there were few who wanted to be the first to move.

    Finally, a sickly young man who looked to be on the verge of death swore under his breath and approached the stone steps.

    He walked up the steps withborious movements. His back was bent so far forward that he looked as though he was on the verge of copse.

    His efforts were the catalyst and soon other members of the demonic sect who wished to challenge the sessor followed his lead.

    Soon dozens of people were crawling, walking, or barely moving up the steps. Meanwhile the inner and true disciples watched from a distance.

    The session ceremony wouldst for three days.

    There was an advantage in goingter since the masked woman would be mentally and physically exhausted from the constant fights.

    Was it an honourable way of thinking?

    Absolutely not but demonic cultivators cared little for notions of honour.

    Finally, the slender disciple reached the obelisk, and he lightly touched it using his right palm.

    The massive stone structure glowed ominously and then the same door that Xu Lu had entered swung open.

    Only cultivators at the same cultivation level or lower could challenge the sessor during the ceremony.

    Since the masked woman was a qi tide cultivator that meant that those in the void stage and beyond could not take part.

    Not that there were many individuals who fit into that category.

    The sickly disciple opened his mouth to say something, but his body was immediately sucked into the door which closed with a bang.

    The next disciple in line was a beautiful woman with light hazel coloured hair. She had an innocent smile on her face and gave off a harmless aura like a sweet puppy.

    She touched the obelisk, but no door opened.

    "You will need to wait until the fight has ended," Yang Xia coldly spoke as she saw the woman looking around in confusion.

    The woman nodded her head in understanding and waited patiently to see when the doors would open.

    Hopefully the disciple who went before her would be able to significantly injure the sessor before dying.

    BOOM!

    A loud explosion rocked the arena and a figure appeared on the opposite side.

    Xu Lu slowly rose up from the ground and saw a sickly-looking disciple staring at her with a serious expression on his face.

    He stretched out his arm and his pale white flesh looked ghostly. The disciple did not say any words before pulling two daggers out of his robe and rushing forward.

    A bloodthirsty grin spread across his face, but his killing intent did not faze Xu Lu even the slightest.

    Demonic Sword Arts- Crimson Lightning!

    Xu Lu stepped forward and a wave of terrible pressure emanated from her body. The disciple''s eyes widened in terror as the ground beneath his feet cracked.

    The former saintess swung her de casually and a wave of crackling red lightning shot forward from the tip of her weapon.

    The lightning mmed directly into the disciple''s body, and he copsed on the ground twitching and moaning in pain.

    Xu Lu vanished from the spot and reappeared directly above his body. Her eyes werepletely crimson with a hint of gold shing around the edges of her pupils.

    She could see a faint golden thread extended from the copsed disciple''s chest. Xu Lu touched the thread, and the sins of the fallen disciple entered her mind.

    Xu Lu''s face contorted into a fierce scowl as she swung her sword and neatly decapitated the injured disciple.

    He was a mass murderer.

    He experimented using the bodies of mortal children to use forbidden techniques.

    He deserved the same death which he had brought upon the innocent.

 Chapter 339 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (90)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple of Agar)

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and stepped back. The murderous feeling in her heart slowly faded away and she was able to think more rationally.

    What was going on?

    How did she have the ability to see those golden threads? What were the golden threads?

    This was an ability that she possessed even before she became demonic cultivator, and she was fairly certain that there was no spiritual technique with such bizarre effects.

    Maybe this power was from one of her past lives?

    But that had enormous implications¡­ did she have other powers as well or just this one?

    How was she supposed to use this strange energy?

    A loud rumbling noise shook the entire underground arena and Xu Lu had to nt both feet firmly on the ground to stop herself from falling down.

    When the noise stopped an enormous pool of clear spring-like water emerged from the corner of the space.

    The scent of medicinal herbs slowly wafted upwards from the pool and the odour alone helped Xu Lu to clear her mind.

    A healing pool.

    Xu Lu made her way over to the water and slowly lowered her body inside.

    She did not have any injuries, but the warm temperature of the water washed away the brief exhaustion that she felt after killing the sickly disciple.

    The former saintess rested for about ten minutes before the rumbling noise returned. She stepped out of the water and used a simple cleaning spell to dry off her clothes.

    The pool disappeared and Xu Lu was shocked to realise that the headless corpse on the ground had vanished as well.

    The only trace of the body were the bloodstains that covered the dark ck obsidian floor in a murky colour.

    BOOM!

    A loud explosion echoed through the space and a new challenger appeared on the opposite side.

    The figure took a few steps forward and Xu Lu could make out more details about her appearance.

    She wore a heavy set of ck armour that was adorned with insidious patterns and molded to her lithe form which provided both protection and allowed her to move unhindered.

    Long flowing hair cascaded down her shoulders like a waterfall and her movements had a gracefulness and charm that was hard to ignore.

    In her right hand was a long whip whose body was covered in small silver spikes that gleamed under the light of the braziers.

    "Oh¡­ I see you killed Shu Cheng," the mysterious warriors spoke with a hint ofughter in her voice.

    "That bastard was strong¡­ but¡­ you¡­ mhmmm¡­ I CAN''T WAIT TO FLAY YOU ALIVE!"

    Asura Whip Art- Endless Hunger!

    The female disciple swung her whip forward which was then surrounded by thousands of illusory dragons that roared thunderously.

    She giggled madly as the dragons rushed towards Xu Lu like an angry swarm of demons ready to devour her alive.

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and reached for her long sword. Just as the tip of the whip was about to reach her body, she unsheathed her de.

    Holy Sword Arts- One Strike!

    Swish!

    A single piercing beam of white light erupted from the tip of her weapon, but the aura was tainted with a demonic hue.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The female disciple watched as the beam of light destroyed all of the illusory dragons and flew towards her at a speed that she could not ignore.

    "Arghhh!" the disciple screamed in pain as her right arm was slicedpletely off her body. The whip in her hand also fell uselessly to the ground.

    "You¡­ you¡­ arghh¡­ fuck¡­ it hurts¡­"

    The disciple grabbed the missing stump where her arms used to be and stared at Xu Lu with a mixture of fear, resentment, and hatred in her eyes.

    Blood began to gush out of the open wound and soon the crimson liquid pooled on the ground beneath her feet.

    The disciple began to feel lightheaded but knew if she did not try onest attack then she would be as good as dead.

    Demonic Blood Art- Crimson Tide!

    The crimson liquid on the ground trembled violently and then thousands of spikesunched towards the masked figure.

    Xu Lu frowned slightly as the sharp needle-like projections shot towards her, but she did not panic.

    In a fight losing control of your emotions and getting flustered was a death sentence.

    She ced one foot forward and the crimson markings covering her body started to glow. The world slowed down to a crawl.

    She could see each individual needle flying towards her in slow motion as if she was the only person who could move in this strange state.

    Xu Lu gently exhaled, and a cloud of white mist leaked out of the mask. She ran forward with bizarre zig-zag movements.

    Her feet blurred slightly as she ducked, weaved, and contorted her body through the seemingly endless barrage.

    It may have been seconds, minutes, or days¡­ Xu Lu could no longer tell since her sense of time was distorted.

    All she knew was that she eventually arrived directly in front of the female disciple who looked at her with an expression of shock on her face.

    Xu Lu thrust her sword forward and stopped when the de with mere centimeters away from the female disciple''s neck.

    The disciple trembled as Xu Lu''s crimson eyes seemed to be staring into her soul.

    Xu Lu pressed the de forward and the sharp edge of her weapon formed a thin red line on the female disciple''s neck.

    There was a faint golden thread connected to her opponent, so Xu Lu reached out with her left hand and touched it.

    No¡­ this one was not worthy of death. Punishment maybe¡­ but not death.

    "Do you yield?" Xu Lu spoke coldly as the pressure around her body intensified to the point where the ground beneath her feet cracked.

    "I¡­ yes! YES! I GIVE UP!" the female disciple raised her remaining hand up in the air and her body trembled violently.

    Xu Lu stepped back, and a rumbling noise shook the underground arena. The female disciple''s body turned in a faint mist and vanished from the room.

    Even her fallen arm on the ground disappeared as well. The only thing that remained were the bloodstains.

    Should she have shown mercy?

    Xu Lu walked towards the healing pool and prepared to wash off her clothes.

    One of the needles had struck her in her shoulder and while it was painful¡­ it was just a minor injury.

    Three days.

    She would need to survive for three days in this ce until the session ceremony was over.

    The first two fights had been rtively easy, but Xu Lu did not feel overconfident or arrogant about her sesses thus far.

    She was aware that the stronger cultivators would most likely appear in the final two days once she had been mentally and physically exhausted.

 Chapter 340 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (91)

    ?

    A piercing gut-wrenching scream escaped a male disciple''s mouth as he pushed his hands over therge wound on his chest.

    He desperately tried to stem the bleeding but eventually the loss of blood made him copse on the ground in a state of unconsciousness.

    Stab!

    A silvery sh of light pierced forward, and the disciple''s neck was neatly prated by a in longsword that slit his throat.

    Another one dead.

    Xu Lu nced down at the blood that coated her weapon and let out a heavy sigh. She staggered over to the healing pool and lowered her body inside.

    She was tired.

    How many days had it been?

    One? Two? Or was it the final day?

    She could no longer tell.

    The fighting had been non-stop.

    It seemed like every disciple, their mother, father, sister, brother, auntie, and family''s friend had chosen to enter the arena and fight her.

    Maybe it was her acts of mercy? Was it because she had let most of them live?

    Wait¡­ could they even tell if she killed or not?

    What happened to the people and the corpses when they disappeared from the room?

    Xu Lu submerged her head under the water and could feel the small cuts and bruises covering her body slowly begin to heal.

    The crimson markings on her skin pulsated regrly but Xu Lu was too tired to pay them any extra attention.

    She may be physically healed after every fight but the mental toll and exhaustion of being in constant life and death struggles was already starting to affect her.

    The former saintess grabbed her sword and pulled a well-worn piece of cloth from her storage bag.

    She lightly dipped the cloth in the crystal- clear waters of the pool and began to wipe the blood and pieces of flesh from her de.

    It was a seemingly useless task considering that her weapon was just going to be in a simr state in a few minutes'' time, but Xu Lu enjoyed cleaning her weapon.

    It was a rxing activity that helped her to calm down her emotions.

    She would survive this ordeal.

    She would get her revenge.

    She would return to Jiang Xin''s side and im her as her wife.

    Okay¡­ thatst one was not the same as the others.

    Xu Lu shook her head to get those distracting thoughts out of her mind as she felt a familiar rumbling noise that shook the entire arena.

    A new challenger would be arriving.

    Xu Lu got out of the water and used a simple cleaning spell to dry off her clothes. She held her longsword in her right hand and waited patiently.

    BOOM!

    A thunderous crashing sound echoed through the underground space and a figure appeared on the opposite side of the arena covered by a faint white mist.

    The figure stepped forward slowly and Xu Lu could make out more details about her appearance. She looked very different to a typical demonic cultivator.

    She wore a simple blue robe that fell down to her ankles and concealed the shape and physique of her body.

    Her hair was neatly tied backwards into a simple ponytail and her warm hazel eyes were oddly clear and peaceful.

    She was pretty but not overwhelmingly so.

    A longsword was tucked safely in a wooden sheath attached to her hip, but the mysterious challenger made no motion to reach for it.

    "My name is Mei Ling," the female disciple calmly introduced herself.

    "I am the apprentice of Mo Qing the ruler of the twelfth peak of the Crimson Demon Sect. I havee to face the future sessor of our n."

    Mei Ling sped her palms together and bowed respectfully. She raised up her head and slowly took her de out of its sheath.

    Her weapon was the opposite of Xu Li''s.

    Its hilt was adorned with fancy jewels and the edges of the weapon were jagged and cut irregrly to create an almost zig zag pattern.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Xu Lu had to admit that she had never met such an interesting challenger before.

    Most of the demon cultivators who came to fight her either started fighting straightaway or only said a few words that she would die painfully.

    "I am Xu Lu¡­ the sessor of the Crimson Demon n," Xu Lu politely replied as she tilted her head downwards.

    Mei Ling nodded her head in acknowledgement and then her figurepletely disappeared. Xu Lu furrowed her brows in confusion before jumping to the left.

    She could feel a cool breeze brush against the side of her body.

    A sword had nearly bisected her in half!

    Xu Lu frowned and swung her weapon in the direction of her attacker. The two des met, and a loud cracking noise filled the underground arena.

    Mei Ling''s body flew backwards several feet before she stabilised herself. Her fingers were still trembling ever so slightly as she gripped her weapon.

    That strength¡­ was monstrous.

    The calm expression on her face slightly cracked as weariness appeared in her eyes.

    Xu Lu could see the changes on her face as she thrust her de forward and unleashed one of her swordsmanship techniques.

    Holy Sword Art- Infernal Hell!

    Whitish-blue mes ignited along the edges of her weapon but unlike the usual colour of the mes typically seen when using this righteous technique¡­ there was something different.

    A dark crimson center blossomed in the middle of the mes. An insidious twisted fire which burned brighter than the surrounding colours.

    Xu Lu rushed forward, and a wave of fire shot out towards Mei Ling who crouched before using a technique of her own.

    Movement Technique- Ghost Steps!

    Mei Ling vanished from the spot and the mes harmlessly flew towards the walls. Xu Lu''s eyes widened in shock as she felt a sense of dangering from all around her body.

    Lighting Movement- One sh!

    A crackling sound echoed through the arena as multiple blurry copies of Mei Ling surrounded Xu Lu and all simultaneously ran towards her.

    Each copy swung their de at her neck.

    Xu Lu raised up her weapon and began to parry each attack with growing desperation. This girl was too damn fast!

    Even with her enhanced senses she was barely able to keep up with the non-stop barrage of attacks and soon numerous wounds began to appear on her body.

    Xu Lu coughed out flecks of blood as one of the des entered her ribcage. The weapon got trapped inside her body for a brief moment but that was all the time that she needed.

    The former saintess grabbed the weapon''s edge with her fingers and tried not to scream as the sharp decerated her palm.

    Clearly Mei Ling was not expecting such an insane move because she did not react in time.

    Xu Lu mmed her forehead into the front of the female disciple''s skull with so much force that blood began to run down her eyes.

    Mei Ling let out a painful cry and other blurry copies vanished. Xu Lu wrestled her to the ground and began to rain down punch after punch on her body.

    She did not use any cultivation techniques.

    She did not use any skills.

    Just pure violence and desperation.

    Mei Ling struggled and tried to escape but every time she tried to move another punch wouldnd on her stomach and knock the air out of her.

    She could feel the corners of her vision slowly begin to darken as the violent lunatic on top of her body continued to drive her fist over and over into her soft flesh.

    Was she going to die?

    Suddenly the pressure stopped, and Mei Ling opened her eyes to see a fist mere inches away from her bruised and battered face.

    "Do you surrender?" Xu Lu asked while coughing out specks of blood.

    "Yes¡­ I¡­ yield¡­" Me Ling spat out as she drew in a shuddering breath and fell into a state of unconsciousness.

    Xu Lu got off of her body and groaned as she held the sword in ce that was sticking out of her ribcage. Her first instinct was to remove the weapon from her body but that would be a fatal mistake.

    She needed to use it to stem the bleeding.

    The former saintess stumbled over to the healing pool and copsed inside the crystal-clear waters.

    She gritted her teeth and yanked the weapon out of her body causing chunks of flesh to turn the water a dark crimson colour.

 Chapter 341 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (92)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple Of Agar)

    There was a tense moment of silence on the tform. A beautiful woman wearing a long and flowing robe stood silently by the entrance to the temple.

    Her robe had been cut in several ces to show off patches of her soft and delicate white skin that was unblemished by any scars or markings.

    She possessed an otherworldly beauty with an aura of sexiness that made several disciples both male and female unable to look away from her direction.

    Mo Qing.

    Also known as the ''Witch of Pleasure''.

    Normally she enjoyed chatting with her fellow elders and rxing with a carefree attitude but today was different.

    There was a sense of tension on her face.

    It could be seen in the way that her eyebrows furrowed and the slight trembling of her fingertips.

    Held inside her right hand was a high-ss healing pill and its medical scent was so strong that one could smell the herbs from the bottom of the tform.

    Mo Qing kept staring at the closed door where her apprentice had disappeared inside with numerous thoughts on her mind.

    Why? Why did she do it?

    The session ceremony?

    Please¡­ Who would want to be the leader of this den of murderers, backstabbers, and psychopaths?

    Mo Qing fidgeted and could not help ncing at the side of the tform where dozens of corpsesy in various states of decay.

    The sessor was not someone who showed mercy, but she was also not a mindless killer since several challengers had survived.

    Mo Qing was not someone who believed in gods or higher powers, but she found herself pleading with any entity that would listen to make sure that her apprentice was okay.

    BOOM!

    A loud noise echoed through the nearby forest as the door that her apprentice had entered flew open and arge cloud of white mist escaped from its open maw.

    A figure was thrown out and Mo Qing immediately rushed forward and caught her apprentice before she fell to the ground.

    It did not look good.

    Mo Qing''s heart was in her throat as she saw the bruised and bloodied face of her apprentice.

    Her nose was shattered, her forehead was cracked and as she lifted up parts of her robe, she discovered that Mei Ling''s flesh was battered especially in the stomach and chest area.

    Was she alive?

    The powerful elder quickly ced two fingers on the side of her apprentice''s neck and felt for a pulse.

    Oh, thank the heavens¡­

    Mo Qing took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and then shoved the healing pill in her apprentice''s mouth.

    She then forced her to chew and swallow the medicine.

    Soon the injuries on Mei Ling''s body started to rapidly heal.

    Part of the reason was the ss of the healing pill and the other was that although the injuries looked nasty none of them were truly life-threatening.

    It was all external damage.

    Mei Ling groaned softly as her eyelids fluttered. She slowly opened her eyes and saw the face of her master looking down at her with a worried expression on her face.

    "Are you okay? Do you feel strange anywhere?" Mo Qing asked with concern evident in her voice.

    "Master? I¡­ I''m alive?" Mei Ling responded in a daze.

    "Yes¡­ yes you are¡­" Mo Qing sobbed lightly as she pulled her apprentice in for a tight hug.

    "Why did you do something so stupid? Never ever risk your life for such lunacy again! You hear me! Or I''m going to cut off our master-disciple ties."<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Mei Ling nodded her head, and her master hugged her even tighter. She picked up her apprentice in her arms and flew off to the direction of her peak.

    The session ceremony would be over in a couple of hours, but Mo Qing had no interest in staying to find out if the woman who had violently beaten her beloved apprentice got confirmed as the sessor.

    She was worried that she would not be able to control herself from seducing the sessor until she died a horrible and painful death with a smile of ecstasy on her face.

    In the distance a young man looked at the departing back of the master and apprentice and fell into deep thought.

    Guo Rui''s hand drifted to the curved sword attached to his hip and a contemtive expression shed across his face.

    Mei Ling was the second strongest of the younger generation behind only himself. If she was left in such a state after the fight¡­

    No¡­ he could not afford to let doubts creep into his mind.

    Guo Rui shook his head and scowled as dark emotions of hatred and jealousy continued to bubble up in his heart.

    He should have been the next sessor.

    Not some random wild cultivator with no significant background who had appeared out of thin air.

    He deserved it!

    IT WAS HIS POSITION!

    Guo Rui''s clenched his fist so tightly that his fingernails pierced the underside of his palms. Thin droplets of blood leaked out from between his fingertips.

    He strode forward with confidence while the female cultivators hanging by his side all cheered loudly with words of encouragement.

    "You got this senior brother!"

    "The position of sessor was meant to be yours!"

    "We''ll be waiting for you! Come back to us as the victor!"

    Guo Rui strode up the stone steps with his ponytail swaying ever so slightly from the back of his head.

    He felt an overwhelming pressure m down on his body, but he gritted his teeth and kept walking.

    One footstep after the next. He could not afford to fail now¡­ not when the end of the ceremony was in sight.

    The false sessor had been battling challengers for over two days now. Even if she had healed herself after every fight¡­ she must be mentally exhausted.

    With only a few hours left¡­ it was now or never.

    This was the best chance that he had to kill the bitch who had stolen the position that was rightfully his.

    At the top of the stairs was a massive red obelisk.

    Therge structure was surrounded by an aura that made goosebumps appear on Guo Rui''s arms as he approached it.

    Its external appearance was unnaturally smooth and polished, and Guo Rui could see carvings around the bottom half of the structure that depicted demonic figures screaming in pain.

    He stretched out his palm and tightly pressed it against the surface of the obelisk.

    Screech!

    The familiar sight of the door that led to the underground arena where the false sessor was located slowly opened and a wave of whitish fog escaped the gap.

    Guo Rui took his de out of the sheath attached to his hip.

    His weapon possessed a slender appearance and was an obsidian-ck colour.

    At the hilt were two entwined serpents, their scales were delicately crafted to look as realistic as possible.

    Guo Rui took in a deep breath and the demonic qi inside his body circted rapidly.

    His emotions of jealousy mixed with envy and self-doubt were only amplified as he purposefully allowed himself to lose control.

    It was time.

    Guo Rui stepped inside the doorway and disappeared.

 Chapter 342 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (93)

    ?

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple of Agar)

    (Underground Arena)

    Xu Lu closed her eyes and hissed in pain as she floated gently inside the healing pool.

    She could feel the wounds on her body slowly begin to heal as the crystal-clear waters forced her flesh to knit back together and regenerate.

    Unfortunately, this healing process did little to rid the exhaustion that she felt as a wave of tiredness struck her all at once.

    Xu Lu had to fight to stay awake as her eyelids slowly lowered whenever she lost concentration.

    The fighting had been non-stop over thest few days, and it was starting to affect her mentally.

    She had no idea how much time was left in the ceremony. It could be days, it could be hours or it could be minutes.

    If there was a silver lining it was the challengers were now bing a bit more infrequent which she assumed was because of the quality of opponents that she had defeated.

    When she was an unknown, people would have dared to fight her because no one knew her strength.

    A test your luck sort of mentality.

    Now¡­ she had to be seen as powerful.

    This fact would make those who were reluctant or half-hearted give up from trying in case they lost their lives.

    Xu Lu emerged from the waters and used a drying spell to get the moisture out of her robe. She took a small ribbon out of her storage bag and slowly began to tie her hair.

    Nothing fancy.

    Just a simple ponytail to prevent loose strands of hair from getting in front of her eyes, honestly it was probably better just to cut it all off.

    Boom!

    A loud noise shook the underground chamber and Xu Lu immediately stopped fixing her hair and picked up her sword.

    She nted both of her feet firmly on the ground and assumed a battle posture. She took in a few deep breaths and the distracting thoughts in her mind vanished.

    It was time for a fight.

    A figure appeared on the opposite side of the arena. He wore a dark ck robe with golden threads woven into the edges of the fabric.

    His face was sharp, and his jaw well set to the extent where he looked almost like a model. His fiery red hair was neatly tied into a ponytail which swayed slightly as he stepped forward.

    In his right hand was a curved sword whose sharp edge gleamed under the dim lightinging from the mes inside the enormous braziers.

    "I am Guo Rui the greatest of the younger generation," the mysterious challenger spoke with a hint of irritation in his voice.

    "The sessor¡­ that position should have belonged to me."

    "You hide behind a mask like a coward¡­ you do not deserve to be the next leader of our sect¡­ let me expose you for the fraud you are¡­"

    The figure disappeared from the spot and then immediately appeared in front of Xu Lu with no warning.

    He shed forward using his curved sword directly at her throat. It was an attack that was both fast and ruthless.

    sh!

    Xu Lu lifted up her weapon and barely managed to stop the de from tearing apart her throat. She took a few steps back and the distance between the pair widened.

    There was a brief moment of silence as they each assessed each other.

    Xu Lu''s posture was graceful and well bnced. Her face waspletely covered by a silvery grey mask, so Guo Rui had no idea what she was thinking.

    Suddenly the tension was broken!

    Xu Lu rushed forward and executed a series of quick thrusts and deft parries with her longsword moving so swiftly it was almost as though it was an extension of her arm.

    Her footwork was equally as impressive. She used quiet off rhythm steps to throw Guo Rui off his bnce.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    But it was not an easy fight.

    Guo Rui retaliated by using his curved de tounch swift and unpredictable thrusts. The unusual shape of his weapon allowed him to find gaps in Xu Lu''s defense.

    An inky darkness swirled around his body and Xu Lu quickly discovered that her eyesight was fading the longer she remained close to her opponent.

    The loud sounds of shing steel filled the air as both continued to fight without fear or hesitation.

    Holy Sword Art- God''s Judgement!

    Xu Lu screamed loudly, and her voice threw Guo Rui off bnce.

    It was just for a second, but it was more than enough for her to use a rare swordsmanship technique.

    A piercing beam of white light erupted from the tip of her de and the sounds of trumpets ring could be hearding from the distance.

    The golden flecks that stained Xu Lu''s crimson eyes got even bigger and for a brief moment it looked as though wings were struggling to burst out of her back.

    Guo Rui quickly retreated and muttered a few dark curses under his breath.

    Reverse Constetion- Orion''s Belt!

    A dark wall of ck energy burst out of his fingertips and formed a barrier between himself and the oing beam of light.

    It was not enough.

    Crack!

    Guo Rui gritted his teeth in pain as numerous cracks began to spread across the barrier forcing him to his knees.

    Was he going to die here?

    No¡­ he was the chosen one. He was the one who deserved the position of the sessor.

    How dare this woman take away what was rightfully his.

    SHE SHOULD DIE!

    Blood Arts- The Last Stand!

    Guo Rui bit his tongue so violently that he tore off a piece of the pinkish flesh. The demonic qi inside his body began to circte faster and faster.

    He could feel newfound strength coursing through his body and the barrier blocking the beam of light also got sturdier.

    Guo Rui stepped forward and swung his curved de in Xu Lu''s direction. A wave of dark energy flew towards her which forced her to dodge.

    Xu Lu furrowed her brows as she could sense that her opponent''s strength had somehow rapidly increased.

    But¡­ power always came with a price.

    Guo Rui ran forward and began to attack Xu Lu like a man possessed. His eyes were wide and unfocused but contained an undercurrent of desperation.

    Cracks had begun to appear on the surface of his skin and thin droplets of blood began to leak out of the wounds.

    "Mine¡­ MINE! MINE!" Guo Rui screamed as he lost his mind in a fit of anger and jealousy.

    "YOU TOOK IT FROM ME! YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME!"

    His once handsome face was now contorted into a horrific abomination as his dark emotions took over his mind.

    This was one of the potential side effects of using demonic qi. It allowed one''s base emotions to be enhanced so it was easy to drown in them.

    Xu Lu ducked her head to the side and narrowly avoided the curved de that brushed lightly against the side of her left cheek.

    The crimson markings covering her body glowed in response to the dangerous situation and Xu Lu could feel something wriggling around beneath her skin.

 Chapter 343 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (94)

    ?

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple of Agar)

    (Underground Arena)

    His position?

    Xu Lu narrowed her eyes as she raised up her arm and parried Guo Rui''s heavy attack using the edge of her de.

    If this was his position¡­ then he would have to earn it with blood.

    Holy Sword Arts- The Call Of The Valkyries!

    Xu Lu''s figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. She reappeared a few hundred meters away and then charged forward.

    Her body was surrounded by dozens of copies of herself each covered by a whitish-grey aura that was both unsettling andforting at the same time.

    The copies were all identical in appearance to herself and each wielded a longsword that was covered in white mes.

    The former saintess had never felt so powerful as sheunched her fierce assault on her opponent whose eyes had widened in disbelief.

    She was a warrior.

    With the adrenaline pumping through her veins, Xu Lu began to madlyugh.

    Her hoarse giggles echoed through the underground arena, and she was certain that she probably looked like aplete lunatic.

    The thrill of battle¡­ there was nothing like this feeling.

    Guo Rui raised up his curved de and desperately tried to fend off the wave of unrelenting attacks, but it was no use.

    Pierce!

    He stumbled forward holding his stomach in pain as blood gushed out of an open wound. Xu Lu did not miss this opportunity and swung her sword at his neck.

    Guo Rui growled darkly and spat out a few curses under his breath.

    Blood Arts- Unshakeable Barrier!

    The blood pooling out of his stomach rose upwards in the air to create a heavy barrier that blocked Xu Lu''s de.

    Dark purplish-ck mes surrounded Guo Rui''s fingertips as he pressed the fire into the open wound to cauterise it.

    He screamed in pain as his flesh ckened and began to rot. It was a painful process, but he eventually stopped the bleeding.

    This masked woman¡­ she was so damn strong!

    Wait¡­ he was losing?

    Him? The greatest of the young generation?

    No¡­ he would not ept that. He could not ept that!

    "You bitch," Guo Rui cursed loudly as he took a knife out of the pocket of his robe and slit his left wrist.

    "I''ll never let you win¡­"

    Blood Arts- Vitality Burn!

    Demon Form!

    The hair on Xu Lu''s arms stood up and she immediately jumped backwards just as a loud explosion rocked the entire underground arena.

    Large rocks and chunks of dirt rained down from the ceiling and she had to use her sword to cut a particrly massive boulder that was about to fall down on her face.

    The air was now thick with dust and smoke making it impossible to make out what had happened to her opponent.

    Xu Lu cautiously gripped her weapon and ducked behind a nearby rock.

    She was not foolish enough to approach the source of the explosion without at least some idea of what she would be facing.

    "Where are you?" a cold inhuman voice filled the air.

    "Come out¡­e out¡­ I want to y with you¡­"

    The dust had finally begun to settle, and Xu Lu could make out a vaguely humanoid figure standing in the middle of a pile of rubble.

    Guo Rui''s appearance hadpletely changed.

    Therge cracks on his skin had gotten even wider to the point where one could see the flesh and bone thaty beneath.

    His eyes werepletely bloodshot and the veins on his neck and face wriggled and twisted eerily as if they had a mind of their own.

    A single crimson horn jutted outwards from the middle of his forehead and the blood on the ground began to move towards this strange appendage.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    A heavy aura of death surrounded his body.

    Xu Lu had faced creatures of the night during her past life and knew exactly what Guo Rui had be.

    He was a monster.

    "I can smell your scent¡­" Guo Rui growled darkly.

    He rushed forward and Xu Lu barely had time to jump out of the way before a sword swung directly for her throat.

    Swish!

    She could feel the wind that apanied the de brush against her skin as the weapon passed way too close forfort.

    The markings on Xu Lu''s body responded to the dangerous situation and she could feel a warm current of energy flowing through her veins.

    She was not going to die here.

    Xu Lu gripped her sword and swung it to meet the curved de. She nted both of her feet on the ground and pushed forward.

    Guo Rui was strong. His newfound strength from whatever technique he had used made facing him feel like fighting a force of nature.

    "You are weak¡­" Guo Rui whispered mockingly as he swung his left fist and spike of blood burst out of the tip of his knuckles.

    Movement Technique- Cloud Treading Dragon!

    Xu Lu stepped backwards, and her footstepsnded on solid air.

    She moved in zig-zag pattern and used unorthodox movements to avoid the fist that was heading directly for her face.

    "STOP RUNNING YOU COWARD!" Guo Rui bellowed so loudly that the very earth beneath his feet trembled as if responding to his words.

    His eyes shone with madness as the side-effects of his technique finally began to overwhelm his mind.

    Guo Rui screamed in agony as he rushed forward and flung his de to the side. He began to punch in Xu Lu''s direction using his fists that were covered in crimson spikes.

    His primal instincts were now in full control.

    All traces of sanity and reason had disappeared leaving nothing, but a mad beast determined to rip his opponent apart.

    Xu Lu continued to run and dodge the wild attacks that were thrown her way.

    Was this a cowardly method of fighting? Absolutely¡­ but in a life and death struggle the only victor was the one who remained alive at the end.

    Honour¡­ was useless.

    The minutes that passed felt like hours as Xu Lu constantly danced on the edge of death.

    She stayed just out of range of Guo Rui''s wild fists, but it was not easy to maintain her concentration after days of non-stop fighting.

    Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, her opponent stumbled, and his body began to slow down.

    Xu Lu watched carefully as the cracks on Guo Rui''s body widened even further until one of his legs fell off.

    He crashed to the ground and crawled forward using his arms while continuing to growl and snarl like a dog.

    The fight was over.

    Xu Lu''s crimson eyes briefly shed golden as she touched the thin thread that was connected to Guo Rui''s chest.

    What are your sins?

    The former saintess closed her eyes and a flood of information entered her mind.

    She saw Guo Rui murdering his servants for fun, torturing prisoners that the demonic sect had captured and other atrocities.

    He deserved death.

    sh!

    Xu Lu''s sword neatly separated Guo Rui''s head from the rest of his body and his lifeless corpse slumped on the ground motionless.

    The most powerful disciple of the Crimson Demon Sect among the younger generation was now dead.

    BOOM!

    Xu Lu closed her eyes as she felt a violent shaking noise rock the entire underground arena.

    She could vaguely hear someone whispering in her ears a faint ''Congrattions'' before the world faded away to darkness.

 Chapter 344 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (95)

    ?

    (Secret Headquarters Of The Crimson Demon Sect)

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Temple of Agar)

    Guo Rui''s corpsey silently on the tform.

    Blood pooled around his cold and still body, the warmth of the liquid providing some residual heat to his lifeless skin.

    But it was no use.

    He would never move, breathe, or hurt anyone else ever again.

    His head had been neatly cut off. His eyes continued to ze with hatred as if he was silently cursing the one who did this to him.

    There wasplete and utter silence.

    When the body appeared, the results of the session ceremony were all but confirmed. Guo Rui was the strongest disciple of the Crimson Demon Sect who was in the qi tide stage.

    His death meant that there was no one capable of killing the masked woman who had imed the title of sessor.

    Guo Rui''s master a handsome youngish looking man whose true age was unknown slowly walked up to the body and held out his palm.

    Dark purplish ck mes shot forward and consumed the corpse until it was nothing more than a pile of ashes.

    A strong gust of wind blew away all traces of the once powerful and arrogant disciple. Nothing was left behind to remember him by.

    "Is there anyone else who wishes to challenge the sessor?" Yang Xia calmly spoke as she stepped in front of the red obelisk and waited.

    Time was running out.

    There was only enough time for one more person to face the sessor before she survived the ceremony.

    The problem was¡­ no one wanted to die.

    After three days of non-stop fighting all the crazies and lunatics had already gone and most of them had died in the underground arena.

    The strongest disciples had gone on thest day, and they had died or been defeated one after the other.

    Honestly speaking¡­ there was no one left.

    "Then we shall wait," Yang Xia quietly spoke. Her voice was no louder than a whisper and yet it carried into the ears of everyone standing in the forest.

    The sect leader stood silently with her arms behind her back. She looked off into the distance and no one could tell what was running through her mind.

    Little did they know that behind that calm exterior was a mother who was silently mourning the loss of her child.

    This felt like the final step.

    Her son would never be the sessor because he was no longer in this world. The one who he had saved would take his ce.

    It was hard not to feel curiosity mixed with a feeling of loss.

    Why did he do it?

    Yang Xia supposed that her question would never get an answer. The amulet was capable of teleporting him back to the sect so why had he not used it on himself?

    Why? Why give it to a disciple of the Holy Sword Sect?

    And a saintess no less!

    Yang Xia closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. She opened them and calmly looked on as the sun began to set towards the horizon.

    Warm orange rays of light illuminated the forest and bathed the temple in a soft glow that seemed otherworldly.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The final hour of the session ceremony felt like an eternity as the minutes passed by with no one making a move.

    Time worked slightly differently inside the temple, so this hour of waiting was probably the equivalent of a few seconds to Xu Lu in the underground arena.

    Finally, as the sun disappeared and the first stars could be seen in the sky, Yang Xia knew that the time hade.

    BOOM!

    A loud rumbling noise shook the entire temple and the stone door that led to the inner sanctum slowly opened.

    A figure stepped forward into the moonlight holding a longsword that was still covered in blood and bits of flesh.

    Her once neat ponytail was slightly messy, and she carried herself with dignity and grace. Yet beneath that calm demeanor was a sense of bloodlust and killing intent.

    She wore dark robes that were in and unmorous. No trinkets, ornaments or pieces of jewellery could be seen on her body.

    A silvery grey mask covered her face andpletely hid her facial features save for her eyes. Her eyes that werepletely crimson with traces of golden.

    "Our ancestors will witness this moment," Yang Xia broke the silence with a solemn deration that filled the air.

    "The one who has been chosen as the future leader of our sect. She has survived the ceremony and emerged victorious."

    "Those who have stood in her path have been broken, killed, or beaten. She is the victor who stands amidst a sea of corpses."

    Yang Xia slowly approached the masked woman and took a knife out of her storage ring. The knife was a dull grey colour and strange carvings adorned the edges of the de.

    The sect leader dug the knife into the palm of her right hand without hesitation. The de sank several inches deep into her flesh and yet her expression did not change.

    She withdrew the bloody knife and used her left hand to raise up the amulet that hung around Xu Lu''s neck.

    She dripped her own blood onto the amulet and the scarlet eye in the center of the pendant suddenly blinked.

    Xu Lu wasn''t sure what was happening but could feel a strong sense of connection to the amulet that rested gently on her chest.

    It was like the object was now an extension of her body in a way that she could not describe without sounding crazy.

    "Kneel," Yang Xia coldly spoke as she stood in front of Xu Lu.

    The former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect bent her knees respectfully.

    Out of the corner of her eyes she could see every member of the crowd watching what was happening.

    Every single person.

    From the lowly outer disciples to the respected elders who were the spiritual pirs of the Crimson Demon Sect.

    They all could not look away.

    "Do you swear to protect the sect no matter the cost?" Yang Xia''s cold voice asked a simple question.

    "I swear," Xu Lu replied firmly.

    "Do you swear to seek the power necessary to destroy our enemies?" Yang Xia asked another question with a hint of ferocity in her tone.

    "I swear," Xu Lu repeated the same words.

    Yang Xia ced her bloody right palm on Xu Lu''s shoulder and allowed her to rise up from the ground.

    "You will be a worthy sessor," Yang Xia calmly stated.

    No one could tell the secret feeling of bitterness that lingered in her heart.

 Chapter 345 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (96)

    ?

    (Headquarters of The Holy Sword Sect)

    (Mount Xilean- Central Valley)

    Excitement filled the air as half a dozen disciples mulled about while patiently waiting for the elders to arrive.

    They could barely contain the happy smiles on their faces.

    Today was an important day and would mark a turning point in their lives.

    Lighthearted conversations could be hearding from the small crowd as the disciples gossiped amongst themselves.

    "Can you believe that I was chosen?"

    "Oh please¡­ it is not like we are going to do any fighting¡­ we''re just here as spectators¡­ only the representative will enter the arena."

    "Speaking of which¡­ have you seen the saintess?"

    "Isn''t she doing closed door cultivation?"

    Xu Lu''s disappearance hadrgely gone unnoticed by most of the sect.

    This was not surprising considering that cultivators often mediated silently in their dwellings for decades if not centuries.

    However, it was strange that she had not shown up yet considering that she was going to be the representative for the Holy Sword Sect in the uingpetition.

    Every few centuries, all the righteous sects woulde together to hold a conference where many important matters would be discussed.

    The movement of the demon ns, opening of new secret realms, interference in the mortal world and other topics that would have major effects on the continent atrge.

    But perhaps the most crucial topic would be the division of cultivation resources.

    This would be settled with a tournament using the younger generation disciples as participants.

    Each sect was only allowed to chose one representative so more often or not it was the saints and saintesses who would participate.

    Xu Lu may have a not-so-great record of sessfullypleting missions, but it was clear that few among the younger generation of the Holy Sword Sect were her match.

    "Maybe she is going toe a bitter? I mean her master isn''t here yet so¡­" a disciple came up with a reasonable exnation.

    "That makes sense¡­ still how do you think she is going to perform?" another chimed in as he stroked his beard and pretended to act contemtive.

    Bai Lu leaned against a nearby pir and looked upwards at the clear blue sky.

    There was not a cloud in sight, the only objects that dotted thendscape were the cultivators soaring through the air on top of their swords.

    She was looking forward to seeing Xu Lu again because she had a bunch of questions to ask her benefactor.

    Especially concerning her new weapon¡­

    Bai Lu''s fingers absentmindedly came in contact with the top of the knife hidden inside one of the pockets of her robe.

    The knife was only the size of her palm and the golden runes carved onto the edge of the de pulsated with a strange sense of warmth.

    Did she know that the knife was a spiritual weapon that allowed one to see into the future?

    This was a gift that was too valuable!

    Bai Lu wasn''t sure how she was going to repay the saintess because nothing she owned could evenpare to the value of this knife.

    The Luck System: [She''s not going to show up¡­]

    "What do you mean?" Bai Lu whispered softly under her breath.

    The Luck System: [The plot may have been twisted but by now Xu Lu should have been¡­ err¡­ wait¡­ let me check my files]<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    The Luck System: [... huh¡­]

    The Luck System: [That¡­ that doesn''t seem right.]

    Bai Lu was just about to ask her system what the heck it was going on about when a small wave of spiritual pressure interrupted her thoughts.

    She looked in the direction of the wave and saw an extraordinarily beautiful woman floating slowly downwards.

    The woman was an ethereal beauty with clear ck eyes, a slender physique, and soft and gentle facial features.

    Light surrounded her body which made her seem to glow. She wore a in white robe with flower patterns printed on the lower areas.

    Elder Lei Ying.

    Xu Lu''s beloved master.

    She was surrounded by three elders and the sect leader. The sect leader''s ancient face appeared to have gained additional wrinkles.

    He seemed much older but in a way that was hard to describe.

    Maybe it was the way that his brows furrowed ever so slightly or the purse of his lips into a thin smile as if forcing himself to act normally.

    Lei Ying snapped her fingers and a magnificent wooden ship emerged from her storage ring. Therge ship was around the size of a pce.

    Its bow had been carved into the shape of a dragon in mid-flight, its hull was coated in gold and other precious metals and bluish runes had been carved on the bottom of the vessel.

    "We will be departing soon," the sect leader spoke gently as he gestured towards the ship and the smile on his face trembled ever so slightly.

    "But before we do¡­ there is an important announcement that needs to be said. This announcement concerns¡­ our saintess."

    Shi Jian''s voice caught in his throat for a moment as he was overwhelmed by a feeling of guilt that made it hard to breathe.

    His mind was a mess, and he did not know it yet, but the seeds of a heart demon had been nted deep inside his mental space.

    Lei Ying ced warm hand on his shoulder and gently shook her head.

    She stepped in front of the sect leader and spoke to the disciples with a clear undertone of sorrow in her voice.

    "Xu Lu the saintess of our sect and¡­ my apprentice¡­ no¡­ my daughter¡­" Lei Ying''s voice cracked, and tears welled up in her eyes.

    "She had an ident while cultivating¡­ I¡­ oh¡­ I¡­"

    Lei Ying''s calm appearance was nowhere to be found as she sank to the ground on her knees and ced her face in her palms.

    Her body shuddered violently as tears streamed down her face. The disciples in the crowd froze and no one said a word.

    They could tell that something had happened that may change the sect forever.

    Lei Ying took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and looked at the sect leader who stared at her with an unreadable emotion in his eyes.

    She knew that her senior brother was suspicious, but it no longer mattered.

    The deed had been done and the saintess had been locked away inside one of the most dangerous areas in the entire sect.

    The Sect Leader had to believe her because otherwise¡­ the guilt would eat him alive.

    "My daughter¡­" Lei Ying got up from the ground and her fingers curled up into a tight fist with so much force that her fingernails pierced the underside of her palms.

    "She was eager for sess¡­ she wanted to make me proud¡­ I¡­ she¡­ she turned to the demonic arts and a forbidden technique¡­"

    "She died due to the bacsh¡­ there is nothing that anyone could have done¡­"

 Chapter 346 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (97)

    ¡¤?¦Èm ?

    (Hidden Mountain Range- Thirteenth Peak)

    (Valley of Death)

    Not much had changed since Xu Lu had been officially chosen as the sessor to the Crimson Demon sect.

    Yes, there were a few annoying flies that tried to curry favour with her, but Xu Lu was not a trusting and na?ve person.

    She had experienced far too many betrayals and could easily see the motives of the disciples that approached her with smiles on their faces.

    Power¡­ authority¡­ a feeling of superiority.

    But of the three the mostmon motivation was power.

    The disciples who came up to her wanted to leech off her status in the sect. They wanted to be in control and on the side of the strong.

    But she did not let them.

    Xu Lu had driven all of them away and spent most of her time isted in an area of the sect called the valley of death.

    This ce was a massive ravine in the center of the mountain range that waspletely barren and lifeless.

    There were no nts, no animals¡­ not even insects could be found in the soil.

    The valley had a strong odour of brimstone and sulphur as if a portal to helly somewhere beneath the dirt.

    Standing here one would feel an immense pressure weigh down on their bodies as if the world itself was dragging them down into the ground.

    Staying here for too long would cause hallucinations, hysteria, and a feeling of loss as if one''s life was slowly slipping away from their fingertips.

    Why was she in such a horrible ce?

    Well, it was for a simple reason.

    Cultivating in such a harsh environment elerated the speed at which demonic qi travelled through the meridians of her body.

    It also allowed Xu Lu to practise her swordsmanship with a handicap and work on improving her techniques.

    Just because she was the sessor did not mean that she no longer needed to practise. She had a goal in mind, and she could not afford to becent.

    Return to the Holy Sword Sect and bring the sect leader and her former master Lei Ying to justice.

    It was a goal that required strength.

    Breaking into the Holy Sword Sect''s protected area would require her cultivation to be in the upper echelons of the void stage.

    And she was not even close to reaching that level yet.

    Xu Lu swung her de over and over again.

    She practised simple shes and basic techniques so many times that it had be second nature.

    Many warriors made the mistake of learningplicated and shy swordsmanship under the assumption that these techniques were more powerful.

    They were wrong.

    The basics may be boring, but they would keep you alive.

    "Good form," a voice quietly praised.

    Xu Lu nced in the direction of the sound and saw Yang Xia staring at her quietly with a tranquil look on her face.

    She had not even noticed when the sect leader of the Crimson Demon Sect had arrived which meant that the gap between them was not something that she could handle¡­ at least not yet.

    "Here," Yang Xia softly whispered as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of parchment paper.

    She walked over to the former saintess with no expression of difort on her face.

    It was as though the immense pressure felt when standing inside the Valley of Death was lighter than a feather.

    Xu Lu lowered her sword with its tip facing the ground and took the piece of paper from the sect leader''s outstretched palm.<novelsnext></novelsnext>

    Written down on the parchment paper was a demonic art technique that involved using one''s blood to enhance the strength of their weapon.

    A practitioner of this technique would be able to coat their weapon with their own blood or the blood of their enemies tounch deadly strikes using the scarlet liquid.

    "Thank you," Xu Lu politely spoke as she nodded her head respectfully.

    It was rare but Yang Xia would asionally show up unexpectedly, drop off a technique and then disappear.

    This rtionship could hardly be called a strong bond between master and apprentice but honestly Xu Lu preferred it this way.

    Yang Xia was kind to her¡­ in her own way and she could sense that the sect leader felt reluctant to get closer than was necessary to teach the future sessor of her n.

    Fair enough¡­ Xu Lu was not going to force her teacher to like her.

    Hopefully with time their rtionship could get a bit closer but if not¡­ that was okay as well.

    Today however was a bit different.

    Xu Lu cut the top of her arm and used the technique outlined on the sheet to cover her weapon.

    Soon small spikes of blood erupted around the edges of her de, and she could feel the demonic qi inside her body stir hungrily.

    Blood Art- Weapon Augment!

    Wave of Death!

    Xu Lu swung her longsword in the direction of arge boulder and a wave of crimson energy erupted from the tip of her de.

    This wave easily sliced the boulder into two pieces which both harmlessly crashed to the ground with dull thumps.

    Yang Xia stayed a bit longer than usual and watched Xu Lu as she continued to practise over and over again.

    She understood why this young woman had been chosen as the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect.

    Her talent¡­ it was monstrous.

    What would take geniuses months to learn, she aplished in only days.

    And more importantly. She had an attitude and drive to seed. If her talent was not enough, Xu Lu was one of the hardest workers in the entire sect.

    Many talented cultivators would never push themselves, but Xu Lu was different. If anything, she pushed herself too hard.

    That was why she could not understand the inexplicable decision of the Holy Sword Sect to abandon such a valuable asset.

    Yang Xia furrowed her brows as she thought about the news that she had recently heard.

    The once in a few centuries meeting between the heads of the righteous factions was going to be held in a couple of weeks.

    And one piece of news had already begun to circte. The saintess of the Holy Sword Sect had died in a cultivation ident.

    This news left her feeling very confused.

    Why would the Holy Sword Sect dere Xu Lu as dead?

    If anything, they should have ced a bounty on her head and dered her as a traitor for joining the demonic side.

    Even if they had no proof¡­ a former saintess of a major cultivation sect knew far too many secrets to just leave the organisation alive.

    Unless¡­ they did not know that she escaped¡­ wait¡­this was an opportunity.

    A terrible smile spread across Yang Xia''s face as an idea surfaced in her mind. How would the other sects react if the truth was revealed at the conference?

    The former saintess of the Holy Sword Sect was now the sessor of arge organisation of demonic cultivators.

    That news would shock the cultivation world and ruin the reputation of one of the Crimson Demon sect''s greatest enemies.

    "Xu Lu¡­" Yang Xia walked up to the young woman who was still swinging her sword andunching waves of scarlet energy at the nearby rocks.

    "How would you like to go on a small trip with me?"

 Chapter 347 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (98)

    ?

    (Central Region- Lorien Kingdom)

    (Unnamed Vige- Abandoned Townhall)

    "Please¡­ I beg¡­ you¡­ I''m sorry¡­ listen¡­ please¡­ let me¡­ let¡­me go¡­"

    "I''m sorry¡­ I didn''t mean to¡­ I¡­ ARGHHH!!!"

    A horrific scream filled the air as an elderly man slumped to his knees. A thin red line had been shed across his right ankle.

    The old man''s face was covered with heavy wrinkles, and he appeared to be frail and on the verge of death.

    Horrific scars covered his body and despite being a cultivator in the qi tide stage, his wounds just would not heal.

    No¡­ more than that¡­ he could not feel the qi inside his body. It was as if the spiritual energy inside his dantian had evaporated.

    He could not sense anything. He felt¡­ he felt like a mortal again.

    The old man coughed violently, and flecks of blood stained his lips.

    He raised up his head with a great deal of effort and stared at the woman standing in front of him.

    She was beautiful.

    Unblemished skin, soft and gentle facial features and piercing grey eyes that shone with kindness and mercy.

    She wore a simple hemp dress that covered her slender physique quite well and even though the material was cheap¡­ it did not diminish her beauty.

    Terror filled the old man''s eyes as the mysterious woman approached him and stretched out her palm to touch his cheek.

    The calm smile on her face did not crack for even a moment as she watched blood slowly drip on the floor from the open wounds on the man''s body.

    "Didn''t mean to?" Jiang Xin gently whispered with her voice like a snake wrapping itself around the old man''s neck and choking him slowly.

    "It was just a mistake?"

    "Yes! Yes¡­ it was a mistake! Let me go I swear I''ll¡­ I''ll change!" the old man ced his palms together and begged.

    "I''ll never harm anyone else again¡­ I''ll¡­ I''ll make it up! These vigers¡­ I''ll give them money! Bring them back to the sect!"

    He was an honorable elder of a medium sized cultivation sect and yet now he was begging on his knees to a mortal.

    For a brief moment an expression of anger mixed with hatred shed across his face, but he quickly got his emotions under control.

    Right now, he needed to get out of here alive and then call his sect for backup. This woman would pay for torturing him.

    He would feed her to the damn dogs!

    "I believe you," Jiang Xin smiled warmly as her fingers lightly stroked the old man''s wrinkled cheek with fondness.

    Hope began to fill the old man''s heart as he clenched his right hand into a tight fist in order not to show the excitement that he felt.

    "Unfortunately, you have to be forgiven by them," Jiang Xin pointed in the corner of the room where two burnt corpsesy side by side.

    One of the bodies was much smaller than the other and clearly belonged to a child.

    "But how? They¡­ I killed¡­ wait¡­ you¡­" the old man stuttered as his mind finally connected the dots and he realised that he had been tricked.

    This dangerous woman had never thought about letting him live.

    "You¡­" the old man''s voice trailed off as he felt the cold steel of a dagger pierce his throat in one fluid motion.

    Jiang Xin watched the cultivator copse on the ground and the dark tattoos covering her skin began to wriggle and squirm.

    They were hungry for more spiritual energy.<novelsnext>I think you should take a look at </novelsnext>

    She let out a light sigh and walked over to the two corpses in the corner of the room. She had arrived toote to save them.

    Jiang Xin picked up a nearby shovel and began to dig into the ground.

    The abandoned townhall''s floor had copsed in several ces leaving exposed dirt behind.

    The young woman continued to dig and dig until her fingernails turned bloody. Still she did not stop until she created a hole big enough to bury the two corpses.

    Maybe this was useless but¡­ she wanted to make sure that the mother and son pair at least found some semnce of peace in death.

    A cultivator has taken their lives as easily as one would snuff out a candle by blowing. Jiang Xin''s movements paused as an expression of hatred shed across her face.

    Arrogant men and women with the power of gods. Capable ofmitting horrific atrocities with no one to hold them ountable.

    No one until now.

    Jiang Xin buried the bodies and leaned against a nearby pir to catch her breath. She took a few minutes to recover and then walked outside.

    The moon was dimly shining in the sky and the rest of the vige was eerily silent. They assumed that the screaming from the townhall came from the cultivator''s victims.

    They would learn in the morning that even the gods can be felled.

    Jiang Xin rubbed her eyes and stifled a yawn. Inevitably her thoughts shifted to a figure that had been haunting her dreams as ofte.

    A woman who wore a silvery grey mask and simple white robes. The saintess of the Holy Sword Sect.

    Jiang Xin frowned as she tried not to think about the female cultivator who had left a positive impression on her.

    The bracelet that she had given Xu Lu had stopped tracking her movements a few hours after she had left the vige which meant that she had taken it off.

    Was their time together worth so little?

    No¡­ what the hell was she thinking?

    At best Xu Lu was a pleasant distraction and at worst she was member of an organisation known tomit horrific crimes on ordinary mortals while iming to be on the side of righteousness.

    Jian Xin took in a few deep breaths to calm herself down and slowly exhaled. Nothing was more important than her mission.

    To rid the world of all cultivators.

    That included the charming woman who had wormed her way into her heart. There could be no exceptions otherwise that would defeat the entire purpose of her life.

    "You cane out now," Jiang Xin calmly spoke.

    Five hooded figures wearing long ck robes emerged from the shadows and respectfully bowed in her direction.

    Most of their bodies were concealed by the robes but the exposed parts of their skin were covered in dark markings.

    "Leader¡­ we have sessfully eliminated two search parties that were looking for the missing elder of the Tranquil Dawn Sect," a hoarse voice came from the person in the middle of the group.

    "Good¡­ were there any survivors?" Jiang Xin questioned curiously.

    "None," came the short reply.

    Jiang Xin nodded her head and then ced her palm on the ground. The earth shuddered and a twisted statue rose up from the dirt.

    The statue depicted a man¡­ or maybe a woman with their arms outstretched.

    The facial features of the statue constantly morphed and shifted making it impossible to make out any details about who or rather what it was modelled after.

    Jiang Xin sped her hands together in prayer and whispered a few words under her breath. A dark shadowy portal began to spread out from beneath the statue''s feet.

    This portal enveloped the entire group and soon they all disappeared. Leaving nothing behind except the corpses of ughtered cultivators in their wake.

 Chapter 348 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (99)

    Chapter 348 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (99)

    (Northern Region- Hidden Mountain Range)

    (Unnamed Jungle)

    The midday sun was shining brightly in the sky and not a single cloud was in sight. Arge medium sized ship soared through the air at a breakneck pace.

    The ship was made from simple materials like wood and copper.

    A single sail had been built in the center of the vessel, but it was more for decoration purposes rather than to help increase the speed.

    At the base of the vessel, hundreds of runes had been carved into the material and each rune glowed with a bluish-grey tinge.

    These runes allowed the captain of the ship to inject their spiritual energy into the boat and cause the vessel to fly though the skies.

    On the deck of the ship, a woman wearing a silvery grey mask leaned against the side of the railing and looked down.

    She saw an endless sea of green trees that stretched out as far as the horizon.

    Behind her she could vaguely make out the mountain range where the Crimson Demon Sect called home.

    The peaks of the mountain range slowly got smaller and smaller as the ship continued to travel further away.

    Xu Lu let out a light sigh as she stretched out her hand and brushed away a loose strand of hair that had fallen over her eyes.

    She felt conflicted.

    Going to the conference to reveal what the Holy Sword Sect had done to her was an unnecessary risk and yet when Yang Xia had suggested it, she just could not say no.

    The opportunity to ruin the reputation of the so-called ''righteous'' sect that had abandoned her to rot away in prison just seemed too good of an opportunity to pass up.

    Maybe she had been influenced by the original Xu Lu''s emotions or perhaps she just wanted to take revenge¡­ it was impossible to tell.

    Xu Lu''s lips gently curved upwards beneath the mask as she imagined the look on her former sect leader and master''s faces when they realised that she had escaped.

    If rumors had spread that she was dead, then there would be questions asked even if they denied her allegations.

    And there was one other reason why she had decided to go.

    Jiang Xin

    The beautiful face of the mortal woman who had stolen her heart briefly surfaced in Xu Lu''s mind once more.

    She could clearly see her perfectly unblemished skin, her clear grey eyes, and her soft and gentle facial features.

    She was perfection.

    She was hers.

    Xu Lu''s fingers curled up into a tight fist as she desperately fought down the dark emotions of possessiveness and jealousy that came up whenever she thought of Jiang Xin.

    Cultivating using demonic qi had the unfortunate side effect of enhancing one''s true nature and passions.

    Xu Lu''s opinion on Jiang Xin had turned from a crush and mild feeling of liking to an almost obsessive devotion.

    The very thought of Jiang Xin marrying someone else was enough to make Xu Lu feel a deep sense of anger.

    Was this a healthy feeling?

    Definitely not!

    Xu Lu was self aware enough to realise this but there was nothing she could do to stop herself from feeling that way.

    Humans were not always creatures of logic and reason.

    Maybe she needed to do some training to clear her mind.

    Xu Lu stepped away from the railing and walked towards the center of the deck. She ced her hand on the hilt of her de and slowly withdrew her longsword.

    The cold glint of steel shed under the warm gentle rays of sunlight. A heavy pressure descended as Xu Lu began to practise her techniques.

    Her swordsmanship was simple and yet her movements were graceful and free flowing like water passing along a river.

    Xu Lu injected her demonic qi into her de and her weapon began to shine with a crimson light.

    She could feel a warm current of energy flowing through her body and her emotions were suddenly amplified slightly.

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and gently exhaled. She focused on her breathing she rode out the wave of emotions.

    Again, she continued to sh using her sword.

    Not many cultivators practised basic techniques. To be fair they were seen as useless since cultivation skills could have greater effects.

    Summoning fire using your palms, creating mountains of blood, raising the dead, predicting the future¡­

    And those were just the tip of the iceberg.

    Xu Lu could understand the frustration that mortals who were wrongly harmed by cultivators must have felt.

    How could mere mortals hope to go against these gods?

    The ''righteous'' sects were supposed to protect them but truthfully, they were only marginally better than demonic cultivators.

    But what was the solution?

    Unless you killed every cultivator and destroyed all the cultivation techniques in the world¡­ there was nothing to stop these crimes from happening.

    Giving humans the powers of immortality and god-like abilities would just appeal to the darker instincts in their hearts.

    sh!

    Xu Lu swung her longsword towards the horizon and a faint gust of wind apanied her movements.

    This continued for several long hours.

    Xu Lu did not know it at the time, but someone had been observing her quietly without saying anything.

    After Xu Lu finished herst set, she suddenly detected a presenceing from a few feet away from her body.

    "That''s enough practice for now," a voice calmly spoke.

    Xu Lu sheathed her de and turned to face her master. Yang Xia walked forward and reached into the pocket of her robe.

    She took out a small blue orb that hummed with power. Small crackles of electricity danced along the edges of the orb.

    "Here¡­ you can''t keep running away from your heart demon," Yang Xia cryptically spoke as she lobbed the orb at her apprentice.

    "If you cannot fix your w then it will destroy you."

    Xu Lu wasn''t expecting to have to catch the object so suddenly, so she dashed forward and barely managed to grab it before it hit the ground.

    "Sect leader¡­ what is¡­" Xu Lu''s voice slurred as her eyes rolled in the back of her head and she copsed on the ground.

    Yang Xia walked up to the future sessor of her n and took out a small roll of bedding from her storage ring.

    She lifted up her apprentice who was nowpletely motionless andy her down on the mattress.

    Xu Lu''s body waspletely motionless but asionally her eyelids would tremble violently as if she was desperately trying to wake up.

    "Good luck," Yang Xia whispered softly as she adjusted the pillow behind Xu Lu''s neck before slowly walking away.

    .

    .

    .

    .

    Xu Lu opened her eyes and found herself standing inside a familiar looking room. She immediately knew where this ce was.

    Somehow, she had been transported back to her home in the Holy Sword Sect!

 Chapter 349 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (100

    Chapter 349 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (100)

    Teleportation?

    No¡­ that didn''t make sense¡­ it waspletely illogical¡­

    Why would the sect leader send the future sessor of her n straight into the heart of enemy territory?

    She would be killed if her old master Lei Ying or her former sect leader found out that she was here!

    Wait¡­ calm down¡­ think rationally¡­

    Xu Lu took in a few deep breaths and looked around her immediate surroundings.

    She recognised the full body length mirror leaning against one of the walls, the badly damaged hard mattress, and the simple drawer that she used to store her limited number of clothes.

    This was where she had grown up. Xu Lu frowned slightly as she felt a wave of difort from the original Xu Lu''s emotions.

    The sudden change in environment had left her feeling a bit panicked but now that she had taken the time to breathe and rx, she could think clearly.

    Illusion was the more likely answer to her question.

    But why? Why send her into an illusion without warning or preparation?

    "Good luck."

    Those were thest words that Yang Xia had said to her before she suddenly appeared right inside her old room.

    Why? Why would she need luck? What was this ce?

    Why trap her in this illusion?

    Questions filled Xu Lu''s mind as she wandered around the room searching every nook and cranny to see if she could spot some clues.

    However, there was one area that she consciously avoided.

    She did not look in the direction of the mirror.

    The minutes that passed felt like hours and eventually Xu Lu lost track of time.

    She had lifted up every wooden nk, fabric, and the mattress¡­ hell she had even brushed aside every spot of dust but found nothing.

    There was only one ce left.

    Xu Lu clenched her fingers into a tight fist and turned to face the mirror head on. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw the reflection that stared back at her.

    The woman in the mirror was inhumanly beautiful.

    And her face¡­ her face was the crown jewel of her gorgeous appearance. The centerpiece of her radiance.

    Her skin was smooth as moonlit silk, unblemished, wless and without even the faintest hint of scars.

    Her lips were plump and sensuous, her arched brows were delicate and rested gently above her warm brown eyes that were like pools of honey.

    cheekbones that created an atmosphere of regal elegance.

    To her utter bewilderment the woman in the reflection followed The contours of her face could only be described as works of art sculpted together to create a perfect symmetry.

    Xu Lu absentmindedly touched her high and well-defined cheekbones that created an atmosphere of regal elegance.

    To her utter bewilderment the woman in the reflection followed along with her movements. She lightly touched her cheek and discovered that she was no longer wearing a mask.

    This face¡­ was it her face?

    What she would have looked like if¡­ if¡­ not for¡­

    She would have been this beautiful? This¡­ this¡­ perfect face¡­ it was hers?

    The reflection shifted for just the slightest of moments, but the change was too quick for Xu Lu to notice.

    Knock! Knock!

    A soft noise came from the outside of the makeshift hut and Xu Lu reflexively covered her face with her hands as the door swung open.

    "Hi beautiful," a sensual feminine voice purred.

    "Why are you covering your face? You know I love that part about you the most."

    Jiang Xin stepped inside the room with a loving smile on her face. She walked up to Xu Lu who was still frozen and gently removed her palms.

    "I''m so lucky that I found the most beautiful woman in the world to spend the rest of my life with," Jiang Xin warmly spoke.

    She stood on her tip toes and gently brushed her lips against the side of Xu Lu''s right cheek before stepping back.

    Her calm grey eyes shone with love and affection that made Xu Lu''s heart skip a beat.

    "My¡­ my face¡­" Xu Lu stuttered as she watched the smile on Jiang Xin''s face widen before she burst into a fit of giggles.

    "Yes, darling your face¡­ the entire cultivation world envies me¡­" Jiang Xin bragged as she winked and swayed her hips.

    "And why wouldn''t they? I am the lover of the most powerful saintess in the entire history of the Holy Sword Sect!"

    "Speaking of which¡­e! Come! It is time for the ceremony!"

    Jiang Xin''s voice shifted to a more excited tone as she grabbed Xu Lu by her arm and pulled her outside gleefully.

    The sunlight was bright, so Xu Lu''s eyes took a brief moment to adjust.

    When she reopened them, she found herself standing on a raised tform with Jiang Xin by her side.

    Beneath them was a massive crowd of disciples from the Holy Sword Sect. Outer, inner, true, and even in name only disciples¡­ they were all gathered together in one ce.

    "Saintess! Saintess! By the gods¡­ she is so pretty!"

    "I love her! She is so pure and elegant! Like a goddess¡­ no she is a goddess!"

    "Look at her face! I¡­ I think I am in love¡­ MARRY ME!"

    The chants that she was attractive or beautiful soon echoed through the entire za and the disciples all began to praise Xu Lu''s otherworldly beauty.

    A warm hand rested on Xu Lu''s shoulder and a familiar scent invaded the former saintess'' nostrils.

    It was the scent of jasmine mixed with sandalwood and only one person smelled like that.

    Lei Ying.

    Xu Lu pushed the hand off in a panic and quickly reached for her longsword to attack but found that her weapon and somehow disappeared.

    "Daughter what''s the matter with you?" Lei Ying asked with a bemused chuckle.

    "Don''t panic every time I scare you¡­ you''ll get wrinkles and spoil that lovely face of yours¡­ my¡­ you are truly¡­ remarkable¡­"

    Lei Ying ced a hand on her chest and let out a sigh. The pride in her voice was clear to hear as she praised her favourite and only disciple.

    No one else was worthy of being her apprentice.

    Only the most gorgeous and perfect woman in the world.

    "Babe¡­ don''t be so jumpy all the time," Jiang Xin giggled softly as she reached out using her hand and stroked Xu Lu''s back with circr movements.

    "How about tonight¡­ I treat you like the queen you are¡­ just like you deserve¡­"

    Xu Lu could not even pay attention to Jiang Xin''s sweet and seductive words as all her attention was focused on the older woman smiling at her with an innocent expression on her face.

    "But¡­ you¡­ you locked me¡­ no this¡­ this is all fake¡­ I¡­" Xu Lu''s voice trailed off as a voice entered her mind.

    (I don''t care if it''s a fake¡­ look around you¡­ they all love you in this world)

    The voice continued to speak in a chillingly calm tone and yet Xu Lu could hear the faintest hint of desperation.

    (In this world¡­ you don''t have to wear a mask. The disciples¡­ they love us¡­ our master she treats us like a daughter¡­ we¡­ I¡­ I''m not a monster.)

    (Please¡­ if this is a dream)

    (Never let me wake up)

 Chapter 350 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (101)

    Chapter 350 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (101)

    There was only one word that could be used to describe this world.

    Paradise.

    This ce¡­ it was a paradise.

    Xu Lu could feel all the worries and stress in her mind slowly fade away as she closed her eyes and felt a warm pair of hands gently wrap themselves around her shoulders.

    Her girlfriend was lightly touching her unblemished skin and purring softly in her right ear. The sweet sensations assaulting her body was making Xu Lu squirm in anticipation as her lover nted soft kisses along her neck.

    She opened her eyes and was greeted by a breathtakingndscape of vibrant colours. The pair were currently sitting down on a nket in the middle of a field of flowers.

    A gentle breeze lightly brushed against Xu Lu''s face, and she could smell the fresh scent of flowers as pollen travelled along the gusts of wind. The faint hum of insects could be heard as well but she could not see any nasty critters.

    She deserved this peace.

    She deserved these good things.

    Xu Lu looked down at the robes that she wore, and a happy smile spread across her face. She was wearing a luxurious golden gown that shimmered slightly under the warm starlight.

    A silvery grey pendant hung across her neck with the symbol of de.

    She was the saintess of the Holy Sword Sect and the one who would eventually take up the heavy mantle of responsibility to be the Sect Leader¡­ it was only a matter of time.

    And why would she not be?

    She was talented. She was strong.

    She was beautiful.

    "I never get tired of looking at your face," Jiang Xin seductively whimpered as she lifted her palms away from Xu Lu''s shoulders and carefully touched her left cheek.

    "You¡­ you look like perfection."

    Xu Lu''s smile got even wider as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small hand mirror. She could see her reflection in its surface and just like thest time she checked¡­

    She no longer saw a monster staring back at her.

    The face in the mirror had none of the horrific scars, burns and other traces of damage that caused her to live a life concealing her face with a mask and hiding her true appearance from the stares of others.

    No¡­ she was¡­ she was pretty.

    Plump and sensuous lips, arched brows, deep brown eyes, perfectly shaped contours, and sharp angr cheekbones that would not look out of ce on the face of royalty.

    Xu Lu did not know how long she had been in this world.

    It could have been days. It could have been months. It could have been years.

    She had no longer kept count.

    The original Xu Lu''s emotions had been overwhelming at first but now they were fully integrated into her psyche and Xu Lu could nowpletely understand her perspective and viewpoint.

    Why should she return to the outside world?

    There was nothing there but pain, hardship, and suffering.

    This illusion may be fake but¡­ why did that matter?

    She was no longer a monster.

    "My dear apprentice," a warm voice suddenly came from the distance. Lei Ying descended down from the sky like a fairying down to earth from the heavens.

    "Everyone is waiting for you."

    Lei Ying spoke with an undertone of respect in her voice. She always loved her disciple and how could she not?

    Xu Lu was the perfect daughter, and she was the perfect mother.

    There was a strong familial bond between them that no one could ever break apart.

    Family was not the people who gave birth to you¡­ but the ones who chose you. Lei Ying had spent thest few decades of her life raising her daughter Xu Lu with all the care and love in the world.

    "But mom¡­" Xu Lu whined as she pouted her lip and stuck out her tongue yfully.

    "Come on darling¡­ let''s go¡­" Lei Ying''s lips gently curved upwards as she approached her gorgeous daughter and held her warm palm.

    "I promise we cane back hereter," Jiang Xin chimed in as she leaned forward and pecked Xu Lu on the cheek one more time for good luck.

    Xu Lu stopped teasing her mom and girlfriend and nodded her head. She snapped her fingers and all three of them were suddenly transported to the main hall of the sect leader''s pce.

    As a void stage cultivator on the cusp of reaching the god stage, Xu Lu''s talent was truly unmatched. She had shattered all previous records when she had be the youngest void stage cultivator in the history of the continent.

    Her cultivation techniques were so strong that no one in the younger generation and hell¡­ even most of those far older than her were no longer her match.

    Xu Lu was fairly certain that she could even beat the Sect Leader and take his position if she wanted to. It would be child''s y to take him down and be the next leader of the Holy Sword Sect.

    The saintess threw those thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the scene in front of her. The hall was filled with disciples from all corners of the sect, and they all simultaneously bowed their heads respectfully.

    The familiar whispers of admiration entered Xu Lu''s ears and she paid them a little bit of attention. Like usual, the disciples were all heads over heels in love with her appearance.

    "Incredible! Her face is truly a work of art!"

    "Such elegance! Such ss! She is truly a divine goddess!"

    "I''m a woman but¡­ I WISH SHE COULD GET ME PREGNANT!"

    "Marry me! Please! I don''t mind if I''m the second wife!"

    The men all whispered words of purely tonic admiration for her beauty while the female disciples''ments had more sexual undertones.

    Not that Xu Lu cared about their lovestruck words since she was faithful and had the second most beautiful woman as her loyal girlfriend who would stay by her side for all of eternity.

    "Settle down¡­ settle down," Xu Luughed softly as she raised up her hand and the entire hall immediately fell silent. Even the elders and senior members of the sect listened to her words respectfully.

    "Thank you all for your warm words¡­ it is truly an honour to be here to oversee thetest inter-disciple promotion tournament. I look forward to seeing the results of your hard work."

    Xu Lu finished her brief speech, and the entire hall went crazy once more. Disciples exchanged excited looks with each other since they all had one goal in mind.

    To impress the saintess in front of them.

    "Great speech," Jiang Xin praisedvishly.

    "You are so beautiful."

    "Thank you¡­ but you don''t have to tell me that so many times," Xu Lu yed off her girlfriend''spliment as a joke while still feeling a bit ttered.

    "Oh¡­ but darling¡­ your face is truly divine," Jiang Xin continued with a spellbound expression on her face.

    "It¡­ it is perfect. I¡­ I love your face."

    "Again¡­" Xu Lu''s voice now held a faint trace of irritation that she herself did not notice.

    "Thank you¡­ but¡­ is that all you like about me?"

    "Of course not!" Jiang Xin immediately retorted as she looked at Xu Lu with panic in her eyes. The very thought of upsetting her girlfriend made her stomach churn.

    How could she dare? Her girlfriend¡­ she was the greatest woman in the world.

    How dare she upset her?!

    "I¡­ I was just joking¡­ you don''t have¡­" Xu Lu''s voice trailed off as she saw the frightened expression on her lover''s face.

    "NO! I''m sorry! Please forgive me! I love you! I love every part of you!" Jiang Xin hurriedly spoke as she grabbed Xu Lu''s right palm and pulled her in close.

    She pressed her lips against Xu Lu''s cheek and began to pepper her with light kisses with the same if not more amount of affection than before.

    Xu Lu took in a deep breath and then gently exhaled. She should not have snapped and asked her girlfriend such a question.

    She should have just been content.

    As long as Jiang Xin loved her then it did not matter if she was only with her because of her face.

    She was no longer a monster.

    She was no longer a monster.

    She was no longer¡­

 Chapter 351 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (102)

    Chapter 351 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (102)

    This is paradise.

    Xu Lu sat quickly on her golden throne as a sweet melody filled the air. She was surrounded by a formation that crackled and hummed with spiritual energy.

    This formation caused the qi in her meridians to flow rapidly throughout her body causing her cultivation level to increase without any effort.

    Several full-sized mirrors rotated slowly around her body and each mirror reflected her perfect face. A visage that could not bepared to anyone else''s in the entire continent.

    She was simply the most beautiful.

    Perfectly sculptured brows, sharp angr cheekbones, plump kissable lips and not a single blemish or scar on her face. It was though her appearance had been crafted by the gods themselves.

    Xu Lu looked at her reflection in one of them mirrors and smiled. Her lips curved upwards and revealed two rows of perfectly white teeth.

    Yet there was something wrong.

    Her smile¡­ it did not reach her eyes. Her smile looked natural from a distance but as she observed her reflection, she could not help but notice the faint lines around her eyes.

    A feeling of tiredness and exhaustion concealed by the bright grin on her face.

    It was as though she was putting on another mask.

    No¡­stop thinking like that.

    In this ce¡­ there was no need for her to¡­ to¡­

    "Darling are you okay? Why do you look so worried?" a concerned voice asked softly.

    Jiang Xin approached her girlfriend and stretched out her right hand. She used her fingertips to gently stroke the sides of Xu Lu''s cheeks and a lovestruck expression surfaced on her face.

    "Your face¡­" Jiang Xin breathlessly whispered as the affection and obsession in her eyes grew stronger.

    "I love it¡­ darling you should never be unhappy¡­ I promise you¡­ I will fulfil your every need¡­ emotionally¡­ physically¡­"

    "Sexually¡­"

    That final word came out like a purr.

    Xu Lu politely nodded and tried her best to push the unsettling thoughts in her head to the back of her mind. This ce was a paradise that had been built for her.

    She¡­ she deserved this peace.

    (But you know it''s all built on a lie)

    "Shut up," Xu Lu hissed as she grabbed her head in pain.

    "Babe¡­ are you¡­" Jiang Xin''s voice trailed off as Xu Lu grabbed her palm and flung her fingers away from her face.

    "Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me!" Xu Lu shouted angrily as she pushed away her girlfriend.

    "You aren''t even the real thing! You think I don''t know you are just my imagination?!"

    "This ce is driving me insane! I¡­ I can''t take it anymore!"

    Jiang Xin ced her hands by her sides and bowed her head respectfully.

    "I''m very sorry for displeasing you mistress¡­ please forgive me¡­ I¡­ I can''t live without being by your side¡­" Jiang Xin tearfully spoke as she knelt down and ced her forehead on the ground.

    "I¡­ I can''t live without your face¡­ it is¡­"

    "Stop it! Stop it!" Xu Lu finally snapped as the emotions that she had been badly trying to suppress suddenly erupted all at once without warning.

    "DO YOU ONLY LIKE MY FACE?"

    The world suddenly froze.

    This was not an awkward moment of silence¡­ not it was something far darker. Xu Lu looked around in confusion as the disciples training in the distance were locked in ce.

    Stuck in mid air with their arms extended or their feet just inches away from their opponents'' faces.

    All of the colour of the world slowly drained away.

    First the clear blue sky, then the grass beneath her feet, then the gold of her throne vanished into nothingness.

    Everywhere she looked all Xu Lu could see was shades of grey.

    "What is going on?" Xu Lu spoke aloud in confusion as she got up from the throne and tried to get a better view of her now warped and changed surroundings.

    "What else is there to like?" a cold voice suddenly spoke.

    Xu Lu immediately turned in the direction of the sound and saw Jiang Xin staring at her with a cold and calcting expression on her face that she had never seen before.

    "You know its true," Jiang Xin coldly muttered as she took a step forward.

    "All you have in this world is your face. Why ruin the illusion?"

    "Go ahead¡­ defeat me¡­ get out of this world and go back to real life. I''m not going to resist¡­ I''m not going to stop you."

    Jiang Xin snapped her fingers and the sword attached to Xu Lu''s hip slowly floated out of its sheath and the saintess felt her fingers curl around the hilt of the weapon.

    Her body was now being controlled by an external force that was far too powerful for her to struggle against.

    Inch by inch Xu Lu staggered forward until the tip of her sword approached Jiang Xin''s neck who merely held out her arms as if she was about to embrace her lover in a tight hug.

    "Do it¡­" Jiang Xin hissed darkly as the floating mirrors broke out of the formation and hovered behind her body. Xu Lu could see her reflection inside each mirror.

    And all she saw was a scared little girl.

    "But remember¡­ what you truly are¡­" Jiang Xin giggled softly and the reflections in the mirrors suddenly changed.

    Xu Lu''s eyes widened, and a gasp of horror escaped her mouth. Her perfect appearance was now gone, reced by a visage that she had tried her best never to remember in this ce.

    Horrific scars crisscrossed her entire face andpletely destroyed her original beauty, heavy burn marks could be seen along the edges of the scars and her flesh had been mutted.

    "Can you do it?" Jiang Xin softly spoke with her voice no louder than a whisper.

    "Can you go back to the life where you have to cover your appearance with a mask? Hide your true appearance so that no one knows what a little monster you really are? Have to suffer the stares, rumors and gossip if your face was ever to be revealed?"

    "And¡­ be honest with yourself¡­"

    "Do you really think that the real Jiang Xin would ever ept you? Much less be able to love you?"

    Each word that her false girlfriend spoke sent daggers into Xu Lu''s heart and tore apart what little self esteem that she had left.

    She could not refute ''Jiang Xin'' ''s words that was for one simple reason.

    They were all true.

    Even if she did one day be brave enough to take off the mask, the reaction of the people around her would be full of sympathy and pity at best and mocking and spiteful at worst.

    And Jiang Xin¡­ not this illusion.

    The real one.

    She would never love her.

    Xu Lu swayed in ce with her sword just one centimeter away from the false Jiang Xin''s neck. Just one tiny push would be enough to pierce her throat.

    And yet that one centimeter felt like a gaping chasm.

    "I¡­ I¡­" Xu Lu stuttered as she felt overwhelmed by the emotionsing out from the original Xu Lu''s memories. It was getting harder and harder to remember her identity as Sui Li.

    To remember that she was an agent.

    To remember that¡­ she¡­

    (Was loved)

    Xu Lu''s trembling movements stopped as for a split second she felt as though a warm pair of ghostly arms was gently wrapping themselves around her body.

    She felt at peace.

    The former saintess turned her head around and saw a strange woman smiling at her. This woman''s skin was dark brown, and she had pointed ears like the elves in a fantasy novel.

    Her eyes were a deep shade of crimson and dark tattoos covered every inch of her skin.

    Xu Lu had never seen this woman before and yet she felt a deep almost intimate connection that reminded her of her time spent with Cami and Jiang Xin.

    Even though their appearances could not be any more different.

    Who was she?

 Chapter 352 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (103)

    Chapter 352 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (103)

    "Wait¡­ who¡­?" Jiang Xin''s voice trailed off as her body suddenly froze. Xu Lu looked at her in confusion as she fell silent just like the rest of the people inside this strange colourless world.

    "She is a noisy one, isn''t she?" the mysterious woman red at the frozen Jiang Xin with a look of irritation in her crimson eyes.

    "She isn''t as half as charming is me in this ne¡­ hmm¡­ but my personality is a bit difficult¡­ oh well¡­"

    "Unfortunately, I can''t interfere for long¡­ two minutes is all I can handle for now¡­"

    "Keya?'' Xu Lu''s eyes widened as a word slipped out of her mouth. She did not know the meaning of the word and yet it sounded natural as if she had said it thousands of times before.

    "Do you remember?" the pretty elf-like woman asked with a faint trace of hope in her voice.

    Xu Lu shook her head not trusting herself to speak. She could feel a wave of emotions rising up in her chest and the tidal wave was making it hard to think.

    Love, obsession, desire¡­

    These emotions kept flooding her mind like an endless whirlpool. She felt a deep sense of attraction to the woman standing in front of her that was far stronger than anything that she had ever felt before.

    Even her time spent with Cami or Jiang Xin felt like the light of a candlepared to a raging inferno.

    Keya smiled lovingly and walked up to Xu Lu who was staring at her with a mixture of obsession and confusion evident in her expression.

    The dark elf princess gently touched her old lover''s face and ran her fingers along the many scars, burn marks and other deformities that marred herplexion.

    "No matter your appearance¡­" Keya whispered softly as she leaned forward and pressed a gentle kiss directly on Xu Lu''s lips that was as light as a feather.

    "No matter which world¡­"

    She nted another kiss this time one that lingered for a bit longer.

    "I¡­''

    Keya withdrew her lips and stared at Xu Lu. A sweet smile danced along the corners of her mouth and a mischievous glint surfaced in her eyes.

    "I will never let you escape me," Keya proudly dered with an impish grin.

    "So never¡­ never doubt¡­"

    "Even if you forget this encounter¡­ even if you forget who I am¡­"

    "I¡­ will always love you."

    Xu Lu opened her mouth to say something, but Keya''s body turned translucent before slowly dissolving into a stream of white particles which vanished into the wind.

    "DON''T GO! I WANT TO REMEMBER TELL ME WHO YOU ARE!" Xu Lu desperately yelled as she tried to grab on to one of the particles only for her hand to pass through nothing but air.

    She could feel a small tingling sensation in her fingertips but that was all that remained of the strange encounter with the mysterious woman.

    Xu Lu lowered her palm and stared in the direction where Keya had disappeared with numerous thoughts running through her mind and dozens of questions with no answers.

    Love? But what was her identity? Who was she?

    She mentioned multiple worlds¡­ had they met before?

    No¡­ clearly, they must have¡­ otherwise how else could she had known Keya''s name if the mysterious woman had not told her. Was Keya a fellow agent? Or¡­

    Xu Lu felt lost and confused.

    She hardly noticed that Jiang Xin had started to move once again, and her false lover picked up directly from where she had left off.

    "The real Jiang Xin¡­ she would never love you! Just look at yourself!" Jiang Xinughed mockingly as she approached Xu Lu and ced a firm hand on her shoulder.

    Several mirrors moved to face Xu Lu and the former saintess could see her horrific reflection clearly disyed by the sheets of ss.

    And yet now¡­ she no longer felt¡­ as bothered as before.

    It would be an exaggeration to say that she no longer cared about her appearance because there was still a small part of her that loudly whispered about how ugly she looked.

    But¡­

    Whenever those negative thoughts entered her mind, the words of Keya would also appear and for some reason her voice drowned out all the self-hatred and doubt.

    "I will always love you."

    She was not the original Xu Lu.

    Her name was Sui Li.

    She may be Xu Lu in this ne but that was not her only identity. She was a knight, a warrior, a hunter¡­ she was someone who had sacrificed everything to take down the monster who had stolen her brother''s body.

    Why should she care about the opinions of others?

    And if Jiang Xin rejected her based on her looks, then¡­ well she would cross that bridge when she had to.

    Xu Lu took in a deep shuddering breath and stared at her reflection in the multiple mirrors that floated in the air above her body and clearly disyed her appearance.

    "I know. I know that my face is disfigured," Xu Lu calmly spoke as one of the mirrors suddenly shattered causing pieces of ss to rain down from the sky.

    "But I will no longer let that fact control my life."

    Another mirror shattered and loud cracking noise could be heard as if this strange world itself was slowly beginning to copse with every sentence that she spoke.

    "Nonsense!" Jiang Xin snarled as she tightened her grip on Xu Lu''s shoulder until her fingernails dug into her flesh causing droplets of blood to stain her hand.

    "You are a hideous monster! No one could love you! You will always retorted as a new mirror broke apart into thousands of pieces.

    "I will reveal my true face to the world."

    be forced to wear that mask!"

    "No. I don''t intend to wear the mask anymore," Xu Lu calmly retorted as a new mirror broke apart into thousands of pieces.

    "I will reveal my true face to the world."

    "No more will I hide. As a victim¡­ why should I be ashamed? Why should I be condemned for the horrific experience that I suffered through?"

    "No. More."

    Jiang Xin clutched her chest in pain and sank to the ground. Her eyes widened in terror as one by one the remaining mirrors all broke simultaneously.

    "You know¡­ she¡­ she is never going to love you¡­" Jiang Xin spitefully whispered as she could feel her reality gradually disintegrating with every passing second.

    "I am not entitled to her love," Xu Lu responded peacefully as she stepped forward and looked down at the copsed figure of her false girlfriend.

    An illusion. A lie. A sweet temptation.

    But at the end of the day¡­

    A fake.

    "Thank you for the pleasant memories but¡­ it is time for me to wake up," Xu Lu whispered softly as she closed her eyes and felt the ground beneath her feet split wide open.

    Her body fell into the earth and thest thing that she heard was the angry shout of the fake Jiang Xin as she cursed and screamed in the void.

 Chapter 353 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (104)

    Chapter 353 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (104)

    (Central Region- Virvean ins)

    (Unnamed Flying Ship- Private Cabin)

    Yang Xia sat down on a chair in the corner of the room and watched the young woman whoy motionless on the mattress in front of her.

    She wore a simple ck robe with gold trimmings along the edges of the fabric. A long sword had been ced next to her bed and carefully attached to a strip of leather to prevent it from falling down.

    A silvery grey mask covered the young woman''s entire face leaving none of her facial features exposed.

    The Sect Leader of the Crimson Demon Sect continued to wait quietly as she had done for thest two weeks.

    She knew that what she had done was drastic¡­ some might even call it cruel.

    Forcing the future sessor of her sect to face down her worst fear or trap her in a world that was too addictive to ever desire to return from.

    There was a very real chance that she would never regain consciousness.

    The Orb of Illuos once bound to a cultivator could not be unbound until they died or willing chose to escape the illusionary world that they were trapped inside.

    It sounded like a simple task, but Yang Xia knew just how difficult such an aplishment truly was. She had seen several promising young cultivators enter the false worlds created by the orb¡­

    And never return.

    So why. Why had she exposed the sessor to such risk?

    The answer was simple.

    Xu Lu was a ticking time bomb. Her appearance of her face and the effect that it had on her mentality was a ring weakness that her enemies would find out eventually.

    As the future leader of one of the major demonic sects, there was a target on her back. She would have to face enemies from both within and outside of the sect.

    She could not afford to have such a weakness.

    Yang Xia would not feelfortable putting the future of the sect that her ancestors had built in the hands of someone who possessed such an obvious heart demon.

    It would be reckless and irresponsible of her to do so.

    So, there was not other choice.

    The Orb of Illuos was both a curse and a blessing. Inside the false worlds inside the orb, one would be able to see their true nature for the first time.

    And seeing yourself meant that you would have the opportunity to be able to acknowledge and ept yourself.

    Well¡­ that was what she hoped would happen.

    Truthfully, she did feel a bit helpless as she sat in the chair and continued to wait without any signs of life or movementsing from the young woman lying down on the mattress.

    Despite her ws, Xu Lu was unquestionably the best choice to the lead the sectpared to the other sect members from her generation.

    The ship continued to sail through the air and get closer and closer to the destination of the meeting.

    Yang Xia let out a heavy sigh as she turned her head and stared out of the window. She could see numerous other air-born vessels soaring through the air alongside mounts, cultivators on flying swords and other strange devices.

    There was even a group of immortals floating through the air on top of a giant pink lotus leaf that throbbed and hummed with spiritual energy.

    As they approached the central region, more cultivators and sects could be seen. No one wanted to miss the most important meeting held in the entire continent.

    It was no exaggeration to say that would happen in this meeting would determine the rise or fall of several sect and cultivation ns belonging to the ''righteous'' side.

    And they were not the only faction here.

    Yang Xia knew that based on her experience wild cultivators, demonic cultivators and other groups were probably also travelling in the same direction.

    When powerful cultivators gathered together, there were always scraps for those looking to feast in addition to those who had more¡­ insidious goals.

    Yang Xia stretched out her palm and cracked her knuckles. The sound echoed through the room faintly and was the only source of noise except for the soft breathinging from Xu Lu''s mouth.

    If Xu Lu did not wake up, then Yang Xia had already prepared several other additional ns to cause a ruckus and divide the leaders of the ''righteous'' side.

    Suddenly something changed inside the room.

    Yang Xia''s full attention immediately shifted over to Xu Lu as she waited with bated breath to see if her apprentice had seeded and resisted the influence of the orb.

    The orb in the young woman''s hand began to glow with a brilliant hue and the temperature inside the cabin room slowly started to rise rapidly.

    It shot out of Xu Lu''s palm and rolled off the mattress beforending on the ground with a heavy thump. The orb eventually lost its luster and the glow that was emitted from its center faded away into a faint spark of light.

    surroundings.

    Was she in yet another illusion?

    Xu Lu''s breathing began to get heavier and heavier as her eyelids fluttered violently.

    With a sudden gasp she shot upwards from the mattress and looked around the room in confusion.

    "Where¡­ where am I?" Xu Lu asked in confusion as she looked around the space but could not recognise her immediate surroundings.

    Was she in yet another illusion?

    Was this real life?

    Or just another fantasy world?

    She raised up her fingers to her face and gently touched the surface of her skin. She could feel the cold touch of metal and familiar sensation of the silvery grey mask that she usually wore.

    Were the illusions over? But there were so many mysteries that remained unanswered¡­ and a burning question that was still upying her thoughts.

    Who was Keya?

    "Rx¡­" Yang Xia''s coldly spoke as she approached the young woman and ced a warm hand on her shoulder. Despite her curt words, there was a faint trace of kindness in her words as if she was suppressing her true feelings.

    "You have sessfully faced your heart demon and seeded. You have aplished something that many cultivators far stronger than you will not be able to do in their lifetimes."

    "It takes a tremendous amount of courage to face one''s inner darkness, ws and trauma."

    "Why did you do that to me?" Xu Lu asked with a faint edge of anger in her voice that she herself did not notice.

    "I think you know why¡­ I apologise for my method but¡­" Yang Xia looked at Xu Lu who could see the determination in her eyes as she stared at her sessor.

    "I do not apologise for the results."

 Chapter 354 The Hunter Who Killed Immortal (105)

    Chapter 354 The Hunter Who Killed Immortal (105)

    (Central Region- Jade leaf City)

    (Old Dragon''s Tavern)

    "Did you hear the news?"

    "No tell me¡­ was it about the saintess from the Pure Spirit Sect?"

    "Yes! That''s the one! Keep this between the two of us but I heard that she has a secret addiction¡­ gambling¡­ believe or not¡­ I got a buddy who said she once lost two thousand spirit stones in just one single night."

    "Bullshit."

    Loud whispers, jeers and mockingughter filled the air as dozens of men and women all dressed in robes with weapons attached to their hips sat down on the cheap wooden chairs.

    "Arghhh!"

    A horrific scream cut through the noise for a moment and the room briefly fell silent. All eyes turned to a middle-aged man who was lying down on the floor while holding his face in pain.

    A younger woman presumably his daughter rushed over to help him all the while a female cultivator wearing light blue robes crossed her arms over the man''s body and smiled.

    "Dad¡­ please¡­ I¡­ oh god¡­" the daughter''s voice trailed off in horror as she saw what had happened to her father.

    Two gaping wounds were present on his face where his eyes should have been. Mercifully the middle-aged man fell unconscious as arge pool of blood formed beneath his body.

    "Oy barmaid! I need a refill!" someone shouted and broke the silence.

    The noise resumed to its normal level as if what had just happened was nothing to be concerned about.

    The daughter bit her lip and angrily red at the female cultivator who simply raised an eyebrow.

    "Try it," the female cultivator sneered as she approached the furious mortal woman and handed her a sharp knife from her storage ring.

    "Go ahead¡­"

    She handed over the knife and then tilted her neck to the side. The daughter of the injured man gripped the knife so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

    With a great deal of courage, she swung the weapon directly at the cultivator''s neck with a swift strike that contained all the force that she could muster.

    Crack!

    The de shattered.

    Pieces of steel fell on the ground and some shards even managed to cut her fingers in the process.

    Still the mortal woman could do nothing except stare in shock as the female cultivator shrugged off the blow as if it was nothing more than a gentle breeze.

    "Stop ying with the mortals He Meili," a sing-song voice came from the distance. A handsome young man wearing a sharp ck robe with gold trimmings approached the female cultivator.

    "Cai Haoyu¡­ I''m just having some fun¡­ rx I didn''t n on killing anyone today," He Meili giggled softly as she stared at the young man with a love-struck expression on her face.

    "I didn''t want to spoil the mood¡­ I was actually waiting for you to arrive¡­ why did you take so long?"

    "It doesn''t matter darling¡­e here and give me a kiss," Cai Haoyu lovingly whispered as he walked up to his lover and gently pressed his lips against hers

    The pair held hands and wandered off to the corner of the room. It was clear that the attractive young man and beautiful woman loved each other as they affectionately gazed into each other''s eyes.

    And neither one acknowledged the mortal woman who was now desperately trying to stop her father from bleeding out on the ground. She turned to the nearby cultivators and begged them.

    She threw away her pride. She threw away her self-respect.

    No matter the cost¡­ she would get a healing pill to fix her father''s injuries before it was toote.

    "Please¡­ just one healing pill o'' great immortals," the mortal woman went from table to table and begged for help. She was met with cold res and irritated coughs.

    "Please¡­ please¡­ I¡­"

    "Sure," a warm voice kindly spoke. The voice belonged to an elderly man who was dressed in tattered robes and leaked a small amount of spiritual energy from his body.

    His face was covered in heavy wrinkles and patches of dark spots lined his skin. There was an unpleasant and dark emotion in his eyes as he approached the desperate mortal woman.

    "But you will have to earn it," the elderly man whispered softly as he reached out with his seemingly frail hand and gripped the mortal woman by her shoulder.

    His hand appeared to be fragile and weak. However, to the mortal woman it was as though an unbreakable mountain had fallen down on her shoulder.

    She could not move.

    The elderly man rummaged around in his pocket using his left hand and pulled out a small faint red pill that smelled incredibly sweet mixed with a faint herbal scent.

    "Do you want this?" the elderly man asked gently as he moved his hand until his fingers were gently caressing the mortal woman''s cheek.

    "Well¡­ it may already be toote¡­"

    The elderly man cackled wickedly and pointed at the mortal woman''s father. She looked at the direction of his finger and saw a sword sticking out of her father''s chest.

    Someone had killed him while she had been begging around for a healing pill.

    She immediately ran towards her father''s corpse while the elderly man''s harshughter echoed through the room as if the entire affair was a source of great amusement.

    "Old fucker was just lying on the ground in my way," an irritated cultivator whispered angrily to his friend.

    Yao Chuanwei lifted up another ss of wine and took a small sip.

    The sword attached to his hip was covered in blood. He had nearly tripped over the fat oaf that was sleeping on the ground so to punish him well¡­ it was simple.

    He would pay with his life.

    "Have the saints and saintesses from the four great sects arrived yet?" Yao Chuanwei asked his friend who sat across from him and absentmindedly stared off into the distance.

    "Oh yeah the Holy Sword Sect showed up yesterday," Sun Jingyi replied softly as she yed with a couple loose strands of her hair that had slipped out of the bands.

    "Really? I was looking forward to seeing the saintess¡­ well former saintess¡­ I heard that she was so beautiful that her master intentionally covered up her face," Yao Chuanwei remarked in a wistful tone.

    "That has to be nonsense. No one is that attractive not even the cultivators who train in the double cultivation arts and learn techniques of visual enhancement," Sun Jingyi scoffed loudly as she leaned back in her chair.

    "What was her name? Xu Lu? Listen I''m sure she was pretty but hardly an earth-shattering beauty¡­ if you ask me, I think that she wore a mask just to increase her reputation."

    "No one has ever even seen her face to verify if what''s underneath the mask is truly beautiful¡­ hell for all we know she could be ugly and hideous with lots of warts and pimples!"

 Chapter 355 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (106)

    Chapter 355 The Hunter Who Killed Immortals (106)

    (Central Region- Lrien Kingdom)

    (Jade Leaf City)

    "Today truly is a beautiful day to go outside," a voice cheerfully spoke.

    A beautiful woman with dark brown skin wandered through a crowded marketce where dozens of stalls, shops and vendors had set up.

    Her features were a harmonious symphony of charm and grace. Almond- shaped eyes, a cute hawk-shaped nose, gently shaped brows, and sharp cheekbones which jutted out prominently against her skin.

    Her body was thin and slender almost like a twig with skeleton-like arms and a physique that clearly disyed that she barely trained or ate properly.

    Still her skinny appearance was covered by the pure green robe that she wore so most onlookers were unable to see the ws in her body shape.

    She was apanied by a mysterious figure who wore a silvery grey mask over her face and simrly coloured robes.

    The woman with her face hidden hummed in acknowledgement and carefully looked around at the different items on disy to see if anything seemed interesting.

    Xu Lu stretched out her arms and moved her body to the side to avoid a wagon that was travelling along the road. Inside the wagon she could see many cages filled with spiritual beasts and bizarre looking animals.

    "Come on darling¡­ don''t get lost!" herpanion happily spoke as she slowed down her steps and looped her arm around Xu Lu''s with a fluid motion.

    "Thank you mas¡­ sect leader," Xu Lu corrected herself mid-sentence as she allowed herself to be dragged along by Yang Xia who was wearing an intricate disguise.

    The illusion technique that she used on her body was perfect. Her appearance waspletely transformed and if Xu Lu did not know any better, she could have sworn that Yang Xia was apletely different person.

    It did not help that she disyed a carefree personality while in her disguise.

    "It really has been quite some time since we had the opportunity to leave the Nature Guardian Sect," Yang Xia sighed heavily as she leaned against Xu Lu''s shoulder and stared off into the distance.

    "I agree sect leader¡­ but the city cannotpare to the natural beauty of a forest," Xu Lu quickly follow up on her master''s words and tried to sound as casual as possible.

    Naturally in order to get close to the meeting of the ''righteous'' sects they could hardly walk through the city where it was being held dering their identities as demonic cultivators.

    Xu Lu was in no mood to be thrown into prison one more time and she was pretty certain that this time her old sect leader would not take any chances.

    "Shall we go over to registration? You are the pride and joy of our humble sect," Yang Xia proudly dered as she unhooked her arm from around Xu Lu''s and pointed in a certain direction.

    In the center of the city was a massive structure that had been constructed over thest twenty years in preparation for a single week of activity.

    The Grand Arena.

    Enveloped by towering walls of intricately carved stone and marble, the arena spanned the width of a circr expanse ofnd capable of seating thousands of spectators.

    The walls rose slowly upwards with steep tiers which separated the different sses of spectators and allowed those at the top of the stands to get the best views.

    Ancient runes and arrays had been etched into the sides of the walls and they glowed eerily with pale bluish light. The purpose of the runes was a mystery except to the tournament organisers and the heads of the four major ns.

    This was the ce where representatives of the younger generation of various righteous sects wouldpete to determine the allocation of resources over the next few hundred years.

    A momentous asion.

    There was an enormous sense of responsibility and pressure ced on the young men and women who were chosen to fight on the behalf of their sect.

    It was not an exaggeration to say that for the small to medium sized sects this event was simultaneously a once in a lifetime opportunity or a path to ruination.

    Raw talent alone was not enough to win.

    Xu Lu followed her master through a long and winding road that Of course, the top spots always belonged to the four great sects. The saints and saintesses chosen by the four were not only talented but had also been given numerous elixirs, cultivation resources and training.

    Raw talent alone was not enough to win.

    Xu Lu followed her master through a long and winding road that led directly to one of the arena''s gates. She could see a small line forming in front of the gate and two cultivators stood with bored expressions on their faces.

    In the middle of the cultivators was arge obelisk that hummed and throbbed with power. Xu Lu watched carefully as someone in the line would step forward and approach the obelisk.

    "State your name and the sect that you represent," one of the guards spoke with a dull tone.

    "Sun Jianyu! I am the saint of the Golden Harmony Sect!" the young man in front of them dered loudly. He wore a long flowing gold robe, and his hair was adorned with precious metals and jewellery.

    "ce your palm on the obelisk and register yourself," the other guard replied with no change in his facial expression as if he was not impressed by the young man.

    "Fine!" Sun Jianyu huffed angrily.

    He approached the obelisk and made a great show of approaching the stone''s surface with his palm without touching until one of the guards got fed up and shoved him forward.

    "Hey! I was¡­" Sun Jianyu''s voice trailed off as his right palm made contact with the obelisk and a series of cryptic runes lit up along the edges of the stone.

    "Qi spirit stage, one hundred years old, alright you have registered," the guardzily spoke as he dismissed the young man who red furiously at him before ultimately turning around and walking away.

    "Isn''t that obelisk amazing Wu Fangmei?!" Yang Xia excitedly whispered for all those around them to hear.

    "It can not just see your cultivation level, but it can also detect if you have spiritual or demonic energy inside of your body! That''s why those evil cultivators have failed to disrupt the tournament."

    "I see¡­" Xu Lu nodded thoughtfully and curled up her fingers into a tight fist.

    She knew what her master was implying. Honestly when Xu Lu first heard her master''s n, she thought that she was crazy but the more she thought about it¡­

    The more appealing it was.

    She had told Yang Xia about the unicorn in her dantian and how it still produced spiritual qi which gave her master the perfect idea.

    What was a better humiliation than having the sessor of the Crimson Demon Sect defeat all the representatives of the righteous faction in directbat?

    And Xu Lu had not told her master, but she had a secret n as well.

    The original Xu Lu always wanted to be proven as the best in the younger generation, but she had missed the tournament in the original timeline due to the actions of her old master.

    Xu Lu wanted revenge.

    She wanted to win this tournament and then¡­

    Reveal her identity to the world.

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    continue reading tomorrow, everyone!