《Bloodline Evolution System: Reign of the Dragon Snake》 Chapter Glossary (includes spoilers) Glossary (includes spoilers) ***************** Read at your own risk. Includes spoilers. ***************** The different realms in increasing order: Mortal Realm Martial Realm Emperor Realm Saint Realm Demi-god Realm Deity Realm Divine Realm Immortal Realm And each of these realms has four tiers: Bronze Silver Gold Diamond Chapter 1: Trash of the family Chapter 1: Trash of the family ¡°Don¡¯t keep beating down a dead snake¡­ It might juste back alive and devour you wholly¡­¡± ¨C Epigraph. ¡­.. ¡°Yue, you have to do this for your father. I wouldn¡¯t ask you for this if there was any other way.¡± Tang Shen, the serpentine n Emperor¡¯s younger brother requested his daughter with a pleading tone. Any other daughter would have been touched by her father¡¯s miserable hopeless pleading and immediately sympathized with him, but Tang Yue looked at her father with her unwavering cold eyes. Hmph. Lies after lies. Where did this fatherly love suddenlye from? You have already decided to offer me as a sacrifice, so why bother disguising it now? Tang Yue smirked. She couldn¡¯t help but chuckle coldly. Looking at Tang Shen being kind to his useless daughter, the voluptuous woman sitting beside him got restless and snapped. ¡°What are you asking that idiot for? She doesn¡¯t know a good thing even if it sits on her face! Hmph.¡± ¡°Mother and father are having your best interests in mind. So don¡¯t make any trouble tomorrow and quietly ept your destiny.¡± Tang Zuelo begrudgingly added. Tang Shen immediately red at his wife. Damn woman! Don¡¯t you know when to use what tone? First, try to read the situation properly. If this matter was not properly handled, tomorrow¡¯s joyous event would turn into a cmity instead. He immediately tried to salvage the situation and pandered to his daughter. ¡°Don¡¯t mind your mother. She might be gruff, but she means well. The Elven n is a monstrous n whenpared to our small settlement.¡± ¡°Resources, precious metals, treasures, and whatnot. They have a surplus of everything! Trust your father, Tang Yue, this is definitely in your best interest.¡± ¡°With their help, you might even be able to heal your crippled meridians!¡± ¡°All those nasty rumors about the crown prince are just random nonsense. I have personally witnessed him be a kind and gentle soul, who is wise beyond his age.¡± ¡°You will be perfectly safe there. There is no need to worry about any dangers. There won¡¯t even be the asional goblin assaults like we have here.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s father looked at her with deep and dedicated concern. ¡°Destiny huh? Sure, I will ept this destiny.¡± Tang Yue mockingly smiled. What else could she do but ept? She was the miserable talentless trash of the family. Her meridians were damaged by an unfortunate ident during her childhood, which made her unable to cultivate. She could neither consolidate a beast core nor practice any illusion magic, the innate magic of the snake n. In fact, she did not understand, why would the esteemed crown prince of the mighty elven empire even ept useless trash like her as a consort?? Did he have some weird fetish to bed beast women?? Watching her father and her step-mother continue their concerned parental act, Tang Yue just indifferently stood there, waiting patiently for this tant charade toe to an end. But, the lectures and the advice went on and on for another hour. She just couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. No matter how much she had matured because of her cruel circumstances, she was still only 18 years old. She finally couldn¡¯t listen to their drivel any longer and sarcastically chimed in, ¡°Anyways you are sending me to my death, can you at least let me sleep peacefully tonight? Maybe for thest time in my life?¡± Her sharp words made Tang Shen lose his cool for a moment. After all, she was also his daughter, the daughter whom he had cherished once upon a time. But ever since that ident¡­ He too was helpless. His hands were tied. What else could he do? They neither had the resources nor the power to address her irreparably damaged meridians. But he immediately regained hisposure, ¡°Brat. Don¡¯t talk too much. We all have to do what we have to do.¡± ¡°If things don¡¯t go well tomorrow, then don¡¯t me me for being ruthless. Hmph.¡± Tang Shen stood up and abruptly left the ornate decorated courtyard. Tang Zuelo, the current step-mother, red at her mockingly for a couple more seconds and then followed her husband. ¡°Heh¡­ Finally, this trash was of some use. If not for her, one of my precious daughters might have had to be sacrificed in her stead.¡± Tang Zuelo shuddered even at the thought of it. The ruthless cold-blooded Elven crown prince! The mere thought of him instilled fear and dread in all living beings on thend of Xion. His blood-drenched conquests and heinous acts were well known throughout the serpentine dynasty. When the elves turned their attention towards the serpentine n neighboring their settlement, everyone thought that they were going to be either killed or taken in as ves. But the crown prince suddenly proposed a peaceful marriage treaty surprising everyone greatly. This definitely was for the best because now the two ns could be united and live in peace with each other, without fearing the outbreak of a brutal war. Unfortunately, the Snake n Emperor did not have any daughters. So he turned to his brother, Tang Shen, who had seven daughters for help. Each and every single one of the princesses was extremely talented in various fields and skilledbat. Well¡­ Except for the first and the eldest princess, Tang Yue, who is the daughter of Tang Shen and his first wife. Without even a modest cultivation base, Tang Yue simply could not match or evenpare to the other royal spawns in any aspect. Though everyone had high expectations for her since birth, somehow her meridians were damaged and now she was merely an useless trash, who was unable to cultivate. And thus, she turned out to be the perfect pawn in this little political game. Peace treaty? Just how long would something like thatst in the cold bloodied hands of the heartless crown prince¡­?? Tang Yue sucked in a deep breath of air before effortlessly reverting back to her serpentine form. Though her meridians were crippled, she still retained her natural ability to shift between her human form and her serpentine form as she pleased. This was something every member of the serpentine n was capable of doing. Putting aside theplex emotions swirling within her heart, her thin figure quickly slithered across the musty courtyard and reached her private chamber. She really did want to go to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a long day. Chapter 2: Preparations Chapter 2: Preparations A quaint drizzle earmarked the fateful day on which Tang Yue was mercilessly going to be sacrificed. As if she had forgotten all about that, the young snake girl yed with the raindrops dripping from the holes on her chamber¡¯s ceiling. She took a long listless look at the dull red stone ceiling of her chamber in the secluded corner of the pce. It was a tant reminder of her social status and her insignificance in the serpentine n. Heh¡­ Isn¡¯t a luxurious life waiting for me? Tang Yue chuckled sarcastically mocking her pathetic plight. She reverted to her serpentine form and slithered to the main royal pce courtyard. Though it was still ayered structure consisting of dull red stones, unlike her abysmal corner, the main area was hustling and bustling about with pomp and show. The entire pce was decorated in grandiose. All the major royal families had assembled and everyone had donned the traditional religious garb. The snake n prayed to the water goddess and believed that their innate power originated from her. None of their auspicious rituals began without the ceremonious offering to the water goddess. At the center of the main chamber, Tang Zuelo, Tang Yue¡¯s step-mother was mouthing off loudly. ¡°Everything has to be the best. The very best. Don¡¯t skimp on anything.¡± ¡°Get over here. Arrange these properly. Put these at the front.¡± Tang Zuelo was firing instructions left and right, to ease her disturbed nerves. This ceremony had to go exceedingly well! What if they get dissatisfied with something and suddenly the crown prince refuses to take the trash away? No, she couldn¡¯t let that happen. Her daughters were the real precious treasures of the n. Unlike this trash, they were the real future of this n. She needed to protect them at all costs. Attending to each and every detail, down to the minute specifics, Tang Zuelo personally worked very hard. She was determined to make sure that everything is at its very best. She had not worked this hard in a long time! Sending out hurried instructions in all four directions, Tang Zuelo¡¯s tired eyes fell on the elegant woman, who was casually chilling on the side. ¡°Useless thing! Get over here and arrange these flowers. Look at her! Standing there like a statue!¡± Tang Zuelo yelled with her nostrils ring up. Looking at the enraged and anxious woman, Tang Yue stifled herughter and slowly walked over. This sort of treatment was nothing new to her. She had already been long ustomed to all sorts of insults. In fact, her status in the n was dangling right above a ve maid, threatening to fall below that bottom line at any given instant. As her worn-out emerald embedded blue robe fluttered in the wind, Tang Yue tucked the few ck strands of hair falling on her phoenix-like eyes behind her ear. The robe nicelyplemented her pale blue skin color. Considering her looks alone, Tang Yue could stand toe to toe with the six other royal princesses. Her mesmerizing face might be hidden behind a veil, but her noble and elegant aura could never be hidden or diminished. Unfortunately, looks were not everything. A snake n royal being unable to form a beast core was a huge embarrassment to the entire royal family. So what if she was stunningly beautiful? She was still just an useless trash. Contrary to her usualckluster demeanor, on this particr day, Tang Yue had a rare smile dancing on her delicate little dark blue lips. For better or worse, she was finally leaving this forsaken ce today. She could never be anything more than a trash in this n. Instead of forever staying here and rotting away, it was better for her to try her chances with the cold-blooded and murderous crown prince. The crown prince¡­ The man who held her destiny in his hands. Her mind wandered around messily considering the various possibilities, while silently tossing the flowers around. ¡°Useless thing, why are you still loitering? Go and change out of your shabby clothes right this instant.¡± Tang Zuelo yelled and handed her a better looking sparkly set of robes. With a cold smile on her lips, Tang Yue sarcastically nodded in fake obedience and skipped over to change her clothes. ¡°Heh¡­ The useless thing is actually happy!¡± Tang Zuelo found Tang Yue¡¯s behavior veryical. ¡°Ignorant brat.¡± She chuckled with deep animosity etched in her face. Soon it was time and all the members of the royal family had assembled, staying put in their best behavior. Emperor Tang Zen, who ruled over the entirety of the northern snake n had also arrived and settled on his throne. He had a majestic and imposing aura about him. Within a few seconds, the cunning old man immediately called for Tang Yue. All these decorations, condiments, and disyed treasures were secondary. The main star for tonight was after all the bride to be. If she was not perfect, then everything else would crumble as well. Tang Yue obediently arrived. Her earlier indifferent and snarky attitude seemed to have surprisingly taken a back seat when she stood in front of the Emperor. Because unlike her conniving parents, the Emperor was just outright ruthless and motive driven. Well, he was the Emperor of their n. So he had to be just that ruthless!! Scanning her up and down, the Emperor nodded satisfactorily. Her good looks were not a surprise. Everyone knew that the seven royal princesses looked absolutely stunning. The young beautiful snake would probably look good in anything she wore. And today, Tang Yue had worn the royal attire, which was a deep purple robe, studded with pearls. It perfectlyplemented her pale blue skin and brought out her natural beauty. Nothing was out of ce. ¡°Heress, wear this pendant around your neck.¡± The Emperor fished out something from his pocket and reluctantly handed it to the surprised girl. Chapter 3: Show of power Chapter 3: Show of power ¡°Heress, wear this pendant around your neck.¡± The Emperor fished out something from his pocket and handed it to the young girl standing in front of him reluctantly. Immediately gasping noises erupted from all corners of the chamber. Even Tang Yue herself couldn¡¯t believe her eyes! She blinked and stared at the item in her hands. Her hands were visibly trembling. The emperor had just handed over a precious storage pouch to her! Storage pouches werepressed bags that can store an enormous amount of misceneous goods. What¡¯s even more amazing was that the goods stored inside retained their quality and did not degrade much for a long period of time. This was indeed a precious and expensive treasure. Tang Yue quizzically looked up at the Emperor, clutching the pendant tightly in her hands. She had never once received anything like this in her entire lifetime. The old man immediately chuckled and answered her raised eyebrows. ¡°You are a royal princess after all. We can¡¯t treat you badly in front of outsiders. Make us proud, child.¡± ¡°Satisfy the elven crown prince and make us proud.¡± He chuckled and patted her. Maybe he expected her to be grateful or happy, but contrary to his expectations, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes only had a grim shadow around them. How humiliating! They were definitely fattening her up before a tant sacrifice! She silently clutched the pendant and returned back to her rightful ce next to her father and step-mother, who kept throwing jealous nces at her. Tang Yue sneered. All the royal princesses were decked from top to bottom in priceless treasures and this step-mother of hers was unhappy about the single treasure item in her hand??? She scoffed back at the enraged woman and turned away rudely. Since she was leaving today, she no longer had to tolerate this hateful woman at least! Time slowly ticked away and everyone continued to wait patiently. Dusk was almosting to an end and soon nightfall would be upon them. But the Royal family and the various elders of the snake n still waited patiently. ¡°The Elven n people should have arrived by now. What happened?¡± Tang Zuelo inconspicuously whispered in Tang Shen¡¯s ears. Of course, most of the elders and the Emperor had a significantly higher cultivation base than her and could clearly hear her restlessness. ¡°Patience sister-inw. Patience.¡± ¡°Patience is a good virtue for a noblewoman.¡± The old man mockingly smiled and indirectly chided her. Even he, as the Emperor of the entire Northern snake n, had to bite his tongue and wait patiently in front of those strong elves! The insignificant side character had no right toin. The Emperor sighed as his mood began turning sour with every passing moment. Thevish extravagant dinner arranged for the ceremonial night was getting cold. All four of the Emperor¡¯s sons, decked with the best armors and weaponry, were getting impatient. As opposed to the chivalrous princes seated on the right, the seven princesses were primly dressed and seated on the left. They looked like shining elegant jewels, brilliantly decorating the entire chamber with an ethereal glow. They all seemed to be engrossed in their own thought, anxious about the uing visit. This one event could change the entire fate of their n! War or peace, it all rested on the shoulders of that trash. Of course, she was just a trial offer. Or rather, since Tang Yue is the eldest princess of the serpentine n, she had to be the one that got betrothed. If the crown prince for some reason was dissatisfied with her, one of them definitely had to step up and volunteer for that position. After all, this matter concerned their entire n. They couldn¡¯t afford to be negligent. But, all these decisions had to wait until the crown prince arrived. For now, they could only sigh and wait patiently. Contrary to the tense environment in the throne room, Tang Yue was busy with her new space pouch. It was a shining translucent pearl, shaped like a dewdrop on a pleasant morning, and fitted on an inconspicuous thin piece of golden thread. Her beautiful eyes asionally darted up as she casually rolled around the spacial pouch pendant in her palm. She even kept herself entertained by ying with the space pearl, tossing in, and taking out a broken jewel from her bracelet. The very sight of her callous figure fueled Tang Zuelo¡¯s anger, but she could only grit her teeth and re at her. She didn¡¯t dare to speak another rude word to the bride-to-be in front of the Emperor. And just like that another half an hour passed, when finally the horns sounded, notifying the arrival of the elves. Errr¡­ actually just a single elf. Apparently, the event that was earth-shattering and life-changing for the entirety of the snake n was not even worth a personal visit by the elven crown prince. Chapter 4: I refuse to die! Evolve! Part1 Chapter 4: I refuse to die! Evolve! Part1 In the shallow hours of thete evening, a single bristle wolf driven carriage arrived at the red stone serpentine pce entrance. From the luxurious royal carriage carrying the crescent moon symbol, the insignia of the Elven Empire, a tallnky elf stepped out. Unlike the serpentine n members, the elf had pale white skin. The man¡¯s long slender ears reddened in the presence of numerous eyes staring intently at him. Though the elf was appropriately dressed in formalbat clothes, including shiny armor, and a dazzling long sword hilted on his hips, it was clear that he didn¡¯t belong to the royal family. The elf who arrived in thend of snakes was merely an escort. Amidst thevish decorations and celebratory gathering of the snakes, the awkward-looking elf sauntered in casually and politely bowed in front of the Emperor. From his mannerisms, it was exceedingly clear that even the small gesture was more of a customary greeting rather than one out of respect! ¡°Umm¡­ I am Xable. I am here to escort the princess to the Elven pce.¡± The elf murmured. He then looked around trying to identify his target among the seated beauties. Though the snake princesses looked quite elegant and beautiful, the elf still thought that they were a notch lower whenpared to their royal elven princesses. As soon as Xable uttered the words, immediately the entire crowd started murmuring loudly. The haughty look on the elf¡¯s face was also not helping the situation. This was a clear disrespect to the snake n. Several royal members had an ugly frown on their faces. But before anything got out of hand, the Emperor quickly intervened, ¡°Ha Ha. Very well. Very well. I hope your journey was pleasant Xable.¡± Xable simply nodded. Though he had just arrived, for some reason, he was already visibly impatient. The Emperor again chuckled and quickly called for Tang Yue. ¡°Our dear princess is right here. She is anxiously waiting to meet the esteemed royal highness.¡± Xable nodded satisfactorily. He again bowed politely and already began bidding his farewell. ¡°The crown prince has asked me to convey his sincerest gratitude. If nothing else is there, we should take our leave now, your highness.¡± The Emperor nodded and gently patted Tang Yue. He didn¡¯t offer the impatient elf any further hospitality greetings. If the crown prince didn¡¯t want to make a big deal out of this betrothal, then he as well was fine with that decision. No use disguising this as anything more than what it was. Tang Yue chuckled. She quite liked this p the crown prince inadvertently gifted her traitorous family. She took onest look at the family, that had suffocated her for her entire life. Her cold smile hidden behind her delicate veil was unfathomably deep. She could already hear Tang Zuelo chatting with her daughters. ¡°The trash is finally gone!!¡± Tang Yue clenched her fists and smiled. ¡°One day¡­ Just maybe one day. I will definitely pay them back for their kindness.¡± Her crescent eyes sparkled with unknown mirth. She stepped into the carriage and didn¡¯t look back. She could feel the wolves starting to run, quickening their pace and pulling the carriage with their agile strong bodies. A crisp evening wind assaulted her face. But for some reason, it felt freeing and refreshing. Tang Yue smiled. The carriage ride was nothing extraordinary. The elf Xable leisurely directed the bristle wolves on a familiar route, while Tang Yue absent-mindedly stared at the changing scenery. Bristle wolves were speedy ferocious creatures known for their strength and agility. The very fact that the elves were able to tame these beasts and use them for transportation demonstrated their strength and power. Just as Tang Yue was sighing in relief at the disappearing sight of the familiar serpentinends, the elf as well sighed simrly. Xable was relieved that everything went well so far without any hitch. He had almostpleted his mission for the evening. Now all he had to do was drop the princess at the elven pce and his mission would be finished. Well, and one more thing¡­ Unbeknownst to Tang Yue, and even the crown prince, this inconspicuous escort elf had another secret mission toplete¡­ As he pondered about this secret mission, an evil glint appeared on Xable¡¯s face. A little whileter, the elf turned around and smiled at Tang Yue, interrupting the awkward silence in the carriage. ¡°Miss, you must be parched. Please drink this.¡± He then graciously handed over a can of water. Tang Yue smiled kindly and epted the polite gesture. It was just some water, so she didn¡¯t read too much into it. But little did she know that this sweet and kind hospitality was actually deadly! As soon as she gulped a few mouthfuls of water from the can, Tang Yue¡¯s entire body started twitching in pain. She couldn¡¯t move. She couldn¡¯t breathe. Her entire body burned in agony. It was clear that she had been poisoned. She tried to reach out to the elf sitting in the front. But the man seemed to not care. She could swear that he even turned around and sneered in contempt or maybe she was hallucinating due to the poison side-effects. Tang Yue was intensely writhing in pain and agony. She had long since reverted to her serpentine form to try and control the damning pain. Her life ended up being a ssic case of dropping from the frying pan into the fire! At least her pathetic family didn¡¯t try to kill her off, but these elven assholes didn¡¯t even let off a trash like her?!! Who would even bother dealing with someone like her?? Tang Yue¡¯s mind and body convulsed with pain, as she cursed her miserable fate. Chapter 5: I refuse to die! Evolve! Part2 Chapter 5: I refuse to die! Evolve! Part2 Tang Yue¡¯s mind and body convulsed with gut-wrenching pain, as she cursed her miserable fate. However, she was far from giving up. She mustered all her willpower and withstood the tremendous ordeal as she kept on twitching in pain for what seemed like an eternity. But she still didn¡¯t dare to let go. Surprisingly after a prolonged silence, the elf sitting in the front subtly smiled and mumbled, ¡°Just a few more minutes. Then it will all be over¡­ little snake.¡± He then closed a curtain-like divider to make it seem as if he had no idea of what was going on inside the carriagepartment. His story and apologetic exnation were already pre-prepared. ¡®When I picked her up, the princess was perfectly healthy. This must be a slow-acting poison that someone from her family secretly used. I really had no idea that this would happen.¡¯ With that, the messenger elf would be safe and scot-free. After all, a nobody like him had nothing to gain from poisoning a royal member, that too, the crown prince¡¯s consort. He opened the curtain and checked onest time to confirm the death of the snake princess and then continued with his journey whilst whistling a random tune. Little did he know that the petrified snake lying perfectly still on the silk bedding was not yet dead. If he had looked closer, he could have seen small translucent peels of skin and debris lying around the seemingly dead snake. After a while, the pieces of skin slowly and magically started disappearing, as if they had never existed in the first ce. Not only did her body shed its skin, but also she was enveloped by a thin translucent glow that was invisible to the naked eye. Under the warm glow, her body was slowly and steadily changing or rather evolving. Tang Yue had long since lost her consciousness. But if she was awake right now, she would have definitely popped her eyes out! To date, the ability of a snake to shed its skin and evolve has only been recorded in their ancient history! Recent generations of the serpentine n could no longer shed their skin. This shedding of the skin was not a simple shedding of the body¡¯s skin. Shedding of the skin by a snake is akin to evolving! Evolving to a higher strength, better meridians, stronger core¡­ Anything was possible! Maybe because this mysterious innate skill had disappeared, the snake n had deteriorated to its current pathetic level. The spirit beasts, in general, had a higher growth potentialpared to the other medium-grade and high-grade beasts. But they still fell short whenpared to higher beings like elves and dwarves or rare-grade and epic-grade beasts. And with one of their core ancestral lineage mysteriously lost with time, the snakes didn¡¯t stand a chance. The snake spirit beasts had inadvertently tumbled from their lofty position on top of the food chain, all the way to the bottom pile. And now, pushed to the extreme of her limits, Tang Yue was actually evolving. Another hour passed and the royal carriage smoothly arrived at the Edorian Elven establishment, with the bristle wolves still looking sharp and strong. Unlike the serpentine pce, the elven pce was humongous. One look at it and you can tell that the state of affairs in thend of elves was much more pleasant and flourishing. In a remote corner of the pce, a pair of steady hands relentlessly danced around, one holding a sword and the other holding a shield. Wiping his sweat off, the tall muscr creature finally stopped after swinging his sword non-stop for several minutes. He then casually called for the subordinate who was patiently waiting on the side. ¡°Hmmm?¡± The man¡¯s maic pair of eyes had a mysterious twinkle in them. His devilishly handsome face looked elegant and mesmerizing in the brilliant rays of the gentle moonlight. But for some reason, his noble aura had a tinge of raw brute cruelty. The subordinate instantly shivered in response. The crown prince was known for his nasty temper. He did not like to be disturbed during his practice time. But this was a serious matter! The subordinate didn¡¯t dare to withhold such an important piece of information. ¡°Your highness, the seventh princess of the snake n has arrived.¡± He mumbled in a low voice. The elven crown prince Xander raised his eyebrows in annoyance, ¡°So?¡± Deciding that he had wasted enough of his time, Xander started practicing his swordy again for the nth time. ¡°The princess died en route your highness. She seemed to have died from poison intake.¡± But to the servant¡¯s surprise, the crown prince did not even bat an eyelid. He continued practicing his swordy. After a while, when he was done practicing for the day, he finally responded before heading towards the royal bath chamber. ¡°Toss out the dead snake and tell them to send a new one.¡± And he was already gone¡­ Nodding in agreement, the subordinate could only follow his vague orders. ¡°Poor child. At least let me give you a proper burial.¡± The pce aide lifted the small 50-inch snake and was about to bury it in the ground when the beast suddenly started twitching in his hand. Taken by surprise, the royal servant dropped the dancing snake back on the ground. ¡°What the¡­¡± In the next instant, the little snake had already reverted back to a voluptuous human figure, albeit with pale blue skin. The royal servant watched the transformation in awe and shock. Not many species can shapeshift so effortlessly and naturally as if it was an extension of their body! The entire processsted only for a fraction of a second. This was probably why the crown prince had fancied a consort from the snake n. Well, more like an exotic beast pet rather than a consort to be precise. Chapter 6: A funky inheritance Chapter 6: A funky inheritance Serpentine pce, underground cer: The snake n royal treasures and precious resources were usually stored in the pce cer, heavily guarded by highly skilled and experienced royal serpentine guards. Since the serpentine n is a spirit beast n, their assortment of treasures and elixirs might not be that eye-catching, but there was still something priceless and invaluable in that underground cer. In one corner of the cer, six pristine crystal balls were carefully rested on multipleyers of soft clothing. There were even arrays of protection ced around them to prevent any sort of mishaps from harming them. They seemed to contain some sort of miasma swirling within them. These were the single most invaluable heritage treasures of the serpentine n! Each crystal ball is rumored to contain secrets and techniques closely guarded by the n for centuries after centuries. But unfortunately, it could only be essed, awakened, and inherited by the fated snake beast. The others couldn¡¯t even break it open no matter what they did. In fact, it had long since be a tradition for the royal lineage and other talented snakes to test their affinity with the crystal ball, but so far no one had seeded in awakening one. And tonight¡­ after countless years¡­ finally¡­ something mysterious was urring in the isted underground cer! The instant Tang Yue regained her consciousness, one of the crystal balls miraculously emptied out and disappeared into nothingness. ¡­.. Edorian elven establishment: ¡°Who the heck is shaking me?¡± Tang Yue woke up with a huge headache, tremors spreading across her frail body. This random elf was unceremoniously holding her upside down and lowering her into a pit? Damn it! I am a royal consort for heaven¡¯s sake!! Tang Yue immediately wiggled trying to free herself. When that did not work, she instantly reverted back to her human form. Since her clothes had dropped off back in the carriage when she had shape-shifted, Tang Yue promptly used her dark blue scales to cover her private areas. She then red angrily at the shocked elf and quickly donned a serpentine royal robe, retrieved from her space pearl. ¡°First you try to kill me and since that did not work, are you now burying me alive?¡± Her cold piercing eyes questioned the confused elf. ¡°No, your highness. Forgive this servant.¡± The pce aide shook his head vigorously in denial. ¡°We really thought that your highness had passed away because of unfortunate circumstances and hence attempted to provide you with some peace in the afterlife.¡± The elf hastily exined. He was one of the pce aides and the matter of receiving and escorting the snake n princess had been handed over to him. ¡°This humble servant¡¯s name is Lotte and I am assigned to serve your highness during this stay.¡± ¡°If you are ready, I can escort your highness to your private chamber.¡± Lotte meekly bowed and introduced himself. Tang Yue gazed at the elf intently for a while, before murmuring, ¡°Hmmm¡­ ok. Take me to my chambers.¡± It looked like there was no point in asking this elf about the attempted poisoning. So she didn¡¯t bring it up. Moreover, by now, Tang Yue had a rough idea about the importance of this engagement to the arrogant elves, which was a staggering big fat zero. Basically, she just had to keep her head down and live in the elven province without causing any troubles. Beyond that, the crown prince was probably not in the least interested in her. He might not even visit her in this lifetime. Tang Yue decided to not bring up the whole poisoning episode for now and simply followed the aide Lotte. She still had not recoveredpletely from her stupor. Maybe a restful night¡¯s sleep could help her think things through and figure out some sort of a n in the morning. However, both Lotte and Tang Yue did not notice the faint, almost invisible wisp of energy, which appeared out of nowhere and now followed the duo. Soon they both reached the southern pce quarters. Since it was the middle of the night, not many elves were roaming about except for the armed royal guards. Lotte quickly lead Tang Yue into one of the many chambers obnoxiously lying around in the southern wing of the pce, the ce where the crown prince resided. As soon as she entered, Tang Yue drew in a deep breath. She couldn¡¯t help but take a second and marvel at the luxury and the grandiose of the elven pce. Marble floors and ceilings with exquisite golden carvings, silken beddings,vish furniture, and extravagant decorations. This was indeed a chamber befitting an elven royal! However, eyeing this exorbitant space, for some reason, Tang Yue slightly missed her dingy little nook at the serpentine pce. But otherwise, it looked veryfortable. Tang Yue still couldn¡¯t believe that they wasted such an ornate chamber on a ridiculously low importance guest or rather a political hostage like her. ¡°This kingdom must really be rolling around in riches and resources!¡± Tang Yue sneered with contempt. There was no scarcity in stories about the tyrannical elven crown prince and his merciless conquests. He was well known for ravaging and plundering the weak and vulnerable ns. All these riches were probably plundered from some other helpless little ns and kingdoms like hers. Giving her some privacy, Lotte bid her good night. ¡°I will always be within your earshot, your highness. Don¡¯t hesitate to call me if you need anything.¡± Watching the slender little elf tiptoe away and carefully close the door, Tang Yue finally heaved a sigh of relief. She copsed on the feather bed and closed her heavy eyes. ¡°A new beginning in a strangend huh?¡± A sad mncholic smile crept on her mesmerizing face. Chapter 7: Sneaky Snake System Commence! Chapter 7: Sneaky Snake System Commence! As her mind wandered to the agonizing events of the evening, Tang Yue felt her tiredness finally take over and slowly dozed off. She was so fatigued that she even dreamt that night about ridiculous things. A weird old man with a staggeringly long beard appeared in her dreams and called her the chosen one. Apparently, she had awoken the unique evolve ability of her n by shedding her skin for the first time and even inherited one of the precious heritages of her n. The deeply guarded serpentine n heritage was actually a soul sliver of one of the ancient immortal snake n elders who would now apany her and train her. The jobless entric elder even proposed doing this training by using this method called system. As the night progressed, her dream was getting weirder and weirder. And finally, when it was daybreak, Tang Yue woke up with cold sweat on her forehead. Nevertheless, her mind and body feltpletely refreshed. But suddenly, before she could even open her eyes, a nasally old man¡¯s voice echoed in her brain. [The sneaky snake system is getting activated. Your first quest will be released in an hour.] Tang Yue almost fell down from the bed in fear and shock. What the heck??? What the heck??? What the heck??? That stupid dream was actually real??? As Tang Yue picked herself up from the ground, she took a couple of deep breaths and calmed down. She patted her chest and sat back down on the soft feathered bed. ¡°This¡­ Can I talk to you?¡± She called out aloud, with clearly visible nervous tremors in her delicate voice. Immediately the voice, which definitely had to belong to an old man, sounded in her head again. [Yes, you canmunicate with the system, even mentally.] Tang Yue smiled. That was definitely more convenient for her since she didn¡¯t have to look like an insane person talking to herself. Tang Yue stared at the ornate wall in front of her and tried to gather her scrambled thoughts. So, in summary, this is supposed to be an ancient heritage from her n. Most probably the remnants of some powerful elder, that had been sealed away for centuries together. ¡°Surely, he doesn¡¯t mean any harm to me. If he had wanted, I would already be dead.¡± Tang Yue hypothesized, trying to make sense of this strange new situation that she was in. Adjusting her attitude, this time around, Tang Yue addressed the system more respectfully. After all, she was interacting with one of the great great great great grand elders of her n. ¡°Master, please ept this humble student under your tutge.¡± She respectfully bowed, showing her gratitude for this mysterious ancient master. [ttery doesn¡¯t work on the system. Save your energy little snake.] The system immediately retorted back impassively. Tang Yue didn¡¯t say anything further and kept quiet. Her master seemed a bit too entric. So she decided that it probably was in her best interests to not dwell too much on these things. After a while, she hesitated and requested some more information. ¡°Master, how do I get strong?¡± [By working hard like everyone else little snake.] ¡°Master, I cannot cultivate like the other beasts and beings. My meridians are damaged.¡± [Little snake. You seem to be a little too dumb for your own good? Since you can evolve, of course, everything can be repaired in due time.] Tang Yue bit her lips but bore the insults with a straight face. ¡°Master, I can evolve?¡± [How else do you think you managed to survive that poison attack, little snake?] Tang Yue¡¯s eyes went wide. Their n had long since lost this innate ability to evolve. And now, all of a sudden, a trash like her can do it? This meant that she can definitely grow stronger in the future, even strong enough to shake the entire heavens! She no longer had to y the role of the useless trash! Tang Yue quickly probed further. She was bursting with excitement and enthusiasm and eagerly asked. ¡°Master, will you now impart some heavenly technique or some sort of precious treasure for this humble student?¡± [Heh¡­ A toad wanting to eat swan meat. It looks like you are just a dumb little snake.] Hmmm? She was stupified. Little snake this. Little snake that. The stupid system was so annoying. Every single question got a useless answer. Useless. This thing waspletely useless. What priceless heritage? What ancient master? This entric old man was simply going to drive her crazy without anything in return!! The respect she had for him was decreasing every minute. Tang Yue racked her brain trying toe up with some sort of exnation. How can one even understand this condescending mysterious inheritance? She was restlessly pacing back and forth in her chamber trying to understand theplex situation when a slight knock on her chamber doors brought her back to reality. Chapter 8: The venomous consort Chapter 8: The venomous consort Without waiting for Tang Yue to open the door, a pair of slender hands pushed open the chamber doors rudely from the outside. ¡°Great. There goes my privacy.¡± Tang Yue mumbled but instantly stopped in her tracks, with her mouth wide open. Standing in front of her was a woman who could only be described as otherworldly. Beauty! Such overwhelming obnoxious pure beauty! With her lustrous silver hair dancing on her curves, the elf gently smiled as she and her two aides barged in without an invitation. Tang Yue absent-mindedly watched the breathtaking beauty pull out a wooden chair with a thud and sit on it graciously. The beauty then smiled at her, with a gentle gesture. ¡°Wee home sister.¡± ¡°Sister?¡± Tang Yue was confused, finally snapping back to reality. One of the aides standing near the beautiful woman immediately exined. ¡°Her highness, Charlotte is the queen consort of his highness, the crown prince Xander. Technically, she is your elder sister in the harem¡±. Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched as a cold look appeared in her eyes. Right from her entry until now, there was something about this woman, that just did not sit well with her. First, she had assumed that maybe it was the innate arrogance of the elves, who often considered themselves to be superior to the other beings. But then, something else struck a chord with her. Just yesterday, Tang Yue had been poisoned on her way over to the elven pce. Someone had actually dared to poison her, even before she stepped foot in this pce. Considering everything, it definitely had to be someone like Charlotte? Someone from the harem¡­? While Tang Yue was pondering silently in her mind, Charlotte¡¯s elegant nce fell on her aides. Clearly, she was signaling them. Shortly thereafter, the trio quickly prepared to leave the chamber. It was as if their main jobing here was to establish this elder-junior rtionship and cement their superiority, ¡°Here are some fruits and tonics, sister. They should help you relieve the fatigue from yesterday¡¯s journey.¡± Queen consort Charlotte smiled and handed Tang Yue a small basket full of strange fruits and some liquids. Her voluptuous figure then turned around and walked away. And just like that¡­ the trio had disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared. Tang Yue tossed the basket aside and flopped onto the bed with a tired look. ¡°Hmm¡­ This situation definitely does not look good.¡± ¡°Why do I have to deal with this overly jealous and suspicious queen consort?¡± Her right eye was twitching. Trouble was definitely iing! She neither had an interest in the crown prince nor his harem drama. Now that she knew she can evolve and grow ridiculously strong, she needed to find a way out of her current predicament. Being held captive as a political hostage was just not her dream scenario. She had suffered enough in her lifetime, demeaned, and tortured for her weakness and vulnerability. Now that she had the power to change it, all she wanted to do was gain more and more strength and escape from this horrendous ce. Even the vast never-ending forests had to be better than her home or this trap called the elven pce! The elves might be more powerful than the snakes and some other spirit beasts, but they were definitely not at the top of the food chain. After all, this world was a mysterious ce. There were all sorts of races and species. As Tang Yue contemted the future, a crisp system notification suddenly sounded in her head. ¡°Hmm? Poison resistance? Experience Points? What does that mean??¡± Tang Yue asked the system with her eyes full of curiosity and hunger. Immediately, a blue screen shed in front of her, almost scaring her off the bed again. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 0 (0/200) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 6 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 10/10 Mana points: Not Avable ______________ Skills: Illusion magic (Locked) [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 6, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 6, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the host¡¯s body ______________ Tang Yue was amazed at this unique magic. She waved her hand around trying to grab the blue screen. Surprisingly, the screen waspletely formless. It was probably just an illusion, albeit a high-grade one! Since the so-called system was most likely an ancient serpentine immortal, Tang Yue wondered if the senior had achieved supreme grandmaster stage in the illusion magic. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to create something this marvelous out of thin air. After meddling for a few seconds, Tang Yue sighed and stopped ying with the blue screen. She turned her attention towards the words written on it instead. This bizarre screen somehow listed the ins and outs of all her strengths and weaknesses, leaving her utterly dumbfounded. Chapter 9: First Quest Part1 Chapter 9: First Quest Part1 The morning sunlight danced on the crystal clear waters of the brook enchanting the seemingly normal in water into something mystically extraordinary. But what made it more magical was the elven youth meditating on the shores of the brook. His soft flowing white hair gently flirted with the wind and his robes fluttered about revealing a tiny part of the chiseled muscr body thatid hidden underneath. His long eyshes, coupled with the slender beautiful ears that only belonged to the elven n, made him even more mesmerizing than the most beautiful woman. The impably wless face disyed a slight frown as he heard that familiar chirpy voice from behind. ¡°Yo! Looks like you are already busy this early in the morning, my dearest younger brother.¡± The Elven Emperor¡¯s first son, Xavier popped up out of nowhere and disturbed Xander¡¯s tranquil cultivation session. Though Xander was the crown prince, he was not the first son of the Emperor. In fact, he was the fifth son. But among all the elven princes, he was the first to reach the powerful demi-god realm. Xander looked at his slightly taller and more frivolous elder brother and chuckled helplessly. The other party quickly revealed his two rows of beautifully aligned teeth and got straight to the point. ¡°The story along the grapevine is that you brought a snake into the pce?¡± The tall elf quizzically raised his eyebrows in a seemingly mocking manner. ¡°Are you that desperate to hold your position? You even added a filthy snake to your harem??¡± Xander tilted his head ever so slightly and chuckled. ¡°Heh¡­ I can¡¯t believe you are telling me this! You fox fetish weirdo.¡± ¡°You are the weirdo. Your family is a weirdo. Vixens are the best!¡± ¡°When was thest time you were even with a woman?!! What is the point of this long and healthy life if you can¡¯t even enjoy an adventurous night with a vixen every now and then? Hmph.¡± Xander chuckled looking at his flustered brother. Did he forget that he also belonged to my family? Ignoring his brother, Xander got up from his seated meditative pose and headed inside. A lot of things were on his mind today, none of which were about the so-called adventurous nights. He needed to make a trip to the Alchemy association soon. The old bags over there had grown cheekier than this elder brother of his. He had received several reports in the past few weeks about the unruly old bags in the association. If he doesn¡¯t peek inside once a while, they tend to getpletely unhinged. Xavier, however, adamantly clung to him, and followed him around like a lost little beast cub, still teasing him about the impulsive decision. Adding one more concubine to his harem might be an inconsequential thing, but in reality, it was a pretty huge decision. This small action implied that the elves would not wage a war against the serpentine settlement, and not just the northern settlement, perhaps even the southern or the eastern settlement. It indeed put them in a very disadvantageous position. ¡°Bro, if you keep this up any longer, your hard-earned cruel, bloodthirsty and ruthless reputation wouldpletely crumble and disappear into nothingness!¡± Xavier cheekily teased him onest time and ran away. Xander chuckled. Indeed¡­ He did have a reputation to maintain¡­ He is the crown prince. He held the responsibility of uniting the ns by sheer force rather than peace. ¡­. Meanwhile¡­ Tang Yue¡¯s private chamber: ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 0 (0/200) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 6 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 10/10 Mana points: Not Avable ______________ Skills: Illusion magic (Locked) [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 6, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 6, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the host¡¯s body ______________ Tang Yue blinked and stared at the illusionary blue screen up and down, a few times over. This bizarre screen somehow listed the ins and outs of all her strengths and weaknesses, including her crippled state. Since her meridians were damaged, her mana stat and her illusion magic were locked and unavable. Simrly, because of theck of any cultivation base, her agility, her strength, and her body constitution were still at the very basic tier. Even though she was a spirit beast by birth and bloodline, she might as well be amon grade beast with her body¡¯s current condition. Just like amon grade beast, the only skills at her disposal were her venom bite and spit, which even a random green tree snake could probably execute. Although¡­ unlike the others¡­ she somehow had the mysterious ability to evolve¡­ As Tang Yue eyed her mysterious Evolution skill, she couldn¡¯t help but ask the system. ¡°Master, how did such a powerful skill disappear from our n?¡± She half-expected the system to remain silent, but surprisingly a vague answer popped out. [Don¡¯t seek out questions that you are not strong enough to face, little snake] Hmm¡­ Tang Yue was slightly startled but decided not to mull over it further. She as well knew that a cripple like her was in no position to think about such things. Chapter 10: First Quest Part2 Chapter 10: First Quest Part2 Tang Yue¡¯s long forked tongue danced around her sharp fang, and then licked her thin parted lips, as she continued staring at her status. Apart from her mysterious Evolution ability, another thing also stood out on the translucent blue screen. Her poison resistance was already Level 6!! The only way she could even begin to understand this anomaly was through her Evolution skill. ¡°Hmmm¡­ So the poison attack on my carriage ride, not only triggered my innate evolution ability but also boosted my poison resistance?¡± Tang Yue probed the system. As if it was unnecessary to answer such an obvious question, the system remained silent. Tang Yue sighed and assumed that she was indeed correct. No matter how many ways she pondered about it, that was the only conclusion she could arrive at. Her eyes then gazed at the other details on the screen. Since nothing else was peculiar, she flicked it close and opened the blinking quest screen. ¡°So my current poison resistance is at Level 6 and I need to increase it to Level 7 to finish the quest. Interesting.¡± Tang Yue nodded finally understanding the context of the quest. ¡°But what are these experience points?¡± [Every time you finish a quest you will receive this as a reward and collecting enough experience points can make you stronger and unlock your hidden potential.] Tang Yue nodded. She somewhat understood this system. So she currently was at Level 0 and gathering 200 experience points could bump her up to Level 1. She gasped at the realization of how useful and unique this whole thing was. Now that she had the help of such a mysterious entity and her special Evolution skill, she was determined more than ever to climb her way in this cruel bloodthirsty world. Then realizing something, she suddenly asked, ¡°What happens if I fail one of these quests?¡± [Failing 3 times will result in the loss of this system. I don¡¯t want to be associated with losers.] Tang Yue rolled her eyes at the brutal answer but nodded in silence. This was her second chance. She would definitely give it her all and finish all the quests. She didn¡¯t want to lose this priceless albeit weird heritage just yet. ¡°Hmm¡­ Now, how do I increase my poison resistance?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s mind circled back to the quest at hand. ¡°Just eating something poisonous would work?¡± She guessed that as a solution since that was how she evolved in the first ce. Tang Yue waited, but she didn¡¯t get any response from the system. It seemed like the esteemed master only answered her sometimes. Shrugging her shoulders, she decided to try out this method anyway. As she was thinking about where could she possibly find something poisonous to snack on, her cold piercing eyes immediately fell on the gift basket of fruits lying nearby. ¡°Heh? What are the chances that these are actually poisoned?¡± Tang Yue chuckled mischievously and grabbed the basket. And just as she had thought, the breathtakingly enchanting Charlotte did not disappoint her. As soon as she took a bite out of a yellow colored juicy fruit, the nasal voice promptly sounded in her mind. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Tang Yue¡¯s cold eyes glinted as she smiled and casually gobbled up one fruit after another. It looked like the queen consort Charlotte didn¡¯t disappoint her after all. Each and every fruit in the damned basket was poisoned!! Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. ¡°Why did the queen consort, whose status is already well established in the pce, go to such lengths and y cheap tricks on me?¡± ¡°Is the woman still not satisfied even after being the queen consort??¡± Tang Yue¡¯s mind wandered as she spat out the seeds and put the next fruit in. She didn¡¯t really feel bad though. She was already used to this kind of treatment from her stepmother and her stepsisters, and sometimes even her father. When you are weak literally everyone steps on you! In this world, where cultivation is everything, someone like her who had her meridians crushed could only bid her time and bear with the insults. But not anymore¡­ Chapter 11: The lovesick consort Chapter 11: The lovesick consort Tang Yue grinned from cheek to cheek as shepletely finished the small basket full of poisoned fruits. She had even drunk the tonics like gulps of water. Her thin invisible stomach now had a tiny little bulge indicating that she was already full. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. Tang Yue repeatedly checked her status screen but even after gulping down the entire basket, the poison resistance didn¡¯t budge from Level 6. Although, this small set back didn¡¯t really deter her frompleting the mission. The snake woman licked her lips and smirked as the wheels of her mind rolled in the shameless direction. It was time to pay a personal visit to all of the esteemed crown prince¡¯s private concubines! If by any chance, all the consorts were equally jealous, then she might just be able to finish her quest for the day. And thus, a shameless little snake happily whistled and adjusted her appearance. After all, for what she was nning, looking good ys a very important factor. She really had to tug at their heartstrings and bring out the evil green-eyed jealousy monster, even if it was buried deep within. Just as the elves are known for having a noble angelic appearance, the snakes are known for having a sensuous lustful appearance. And Tang Yue was no exception. Her meridians might have been crippled but she still very much retained her curvy charms. She casually donned a silky dark green robe that clung to her voluptuous body. The deep dark greenplimented her exquisite blue skin. She then used one swift motion and untied her long bouncing ck curls to freely dance in the wind. Checking her appearance one more time, she called out to her aide Lotte. ¡°Apany me. Let¡¯s visit my new sisters.¡± Lotte was stupefied. This morning his master looked utterly enchanting. She was not like the elves who looked elegant and gentle. Her beauty was dark and twisted, capable of turning anyone into her ve! ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Lotte nodded absentmindedly. ¡°I already met our mesmerizing queen consort. Who is the next in the ranking?¡± Lotte was confused. ¡°Ranking?¡± ¡°Heh. I don¡¯t want to offend the elder sisters by visiting them in the wrong order.¡± Lotte nodded. That was, of course, an important matter to consider. It would be a huge p in the face, if her highness by mistake visits the third consort, without visiting the queen consort or the second elder sister. The duo quickly got down to business. Tang Yue picked out some flowers that were a snake n specialty and neatly arranged it as a gift for each woman. They were after all helping her so much! The least she could do was give this small return gift. Next to the queen consort, thedy who upied the highest status in the harem was the precious daughter of the elven General Luis, Isabe. Just like Charlotte, Isabe had an enthralling demeanor and was very soft-spoken. She invited Tang Yue in with wide open arms and was very friendly. Her only quirk seemed to be talking about the crown prince Xander at excruciating lengths. She waspletely lovelorn and talked about his highness and his conquests for almost an hour, while Tang Yue fidgeted around restlessly. She was endlessly singing praises about the otherworldly crown prince, whose single nce can tear down mountains and plow through volcanoes. ¡°Does that monster not favor any woman in his harem? Why are they all fighting for his attention so desperately?¡± Tang Yue bit her lips and continued putting on a gentle facade. She waited for some more time, but this lovesick woman didn¡¯t seem to voluntarily offer anything poisonous. She didn¡¯t seem to hate her at all. Tang Yue almost wanted to give up on this one and visit the next, when a sudden thought struck her bored brain. The crown prince so obviously hadn¡¯t paid any amount of attention to any of these poor women. So, if she lied tantly about something trivial like him visiting her, wouldn¡¯t this kind and lovelorn woman instantly hate her?? With a glint in her eyes, Tang Yue smiled and waited patiently for the gentle elf to finish her narrative of the crown prince¡¯s outstanding cultivation prowess. Once she was done, the snake who was silently nodding until now, suddenly let out a coy chuckle. She acted like a blushing new bride and mumbled incoherently, ¡°Yes, sister. You are absolutely correct.¡± ¡°His majesty is so talented! In fact, I am deeply ashamed to admit that I wasn¡¯t even able to breathe in his majesty¡¯s presence.¡± ¡°Ha Ha¡­ He had topletely hide his aura just for myfort. How kind of him¡­ Ha Ha.¡± Tang Yue chuckled like a small pampered child. She then poured some more oil into the fire, ¡°We should indeed work hard on our cultivation so that we don¡¯t inconvenience his highness when he visits.¡± And kaboom! Just like that, the friendly chat suddenly changed its color into something tyrannical and earth-shattering. That small nudge from Tang Yue seemed to have had a huge effect on the enchanting and kind Isabe. She didn¡¯t even seem to slightly suspect the tant lie. The gorgeous grace in her facade instantly disappeared and she shifted in her posture. As the light in her eyes slowly faded, she slowly stuttered, ¡°You¡­ Did you meet his highness? You actually met his highness?¡± Chapter 12: Daily quest completed Chapter 12: Daily questpleted And just like that¡­ Tang Yue¡¯s little white lie lit a fire in the elven royal consort, Isabe¡¯s heart. The lovesick woman was already teetering on the edge and was nowpletely pushed over to the dark side by the new snake in town. And thus, after a few more minutes, Tang Yue wobbled outside tired from all the gossiping and the chatting. This was the first time in several years that Tang Yue had been so chatty and friendly, and once again, she was harshly reminded of the cruel truth. One mightugh and chat with you for hours together, but deep down most creatures are never to be trusted. She quickly tasted the ¡°special goodies¡± that Isabe had handed over to her with so much concern and love, and of course, as expected, the familiar notifications echoed in her mind. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. And to her surprise, Isabe had even more potent poisons in her possession, whenpared to the queen consort, Charlotte. With just the seventh gulp of the special tonic, Tang Yue¡¯s daily quest was alreadypleted. Ding. Daily Questpleted Ding. Poison resistance has increased to level 7 Ding. 5 Experience points have been rewarded Seeing that the quest waspleted, Tang Yue quickly hurried over to her chambers, which luckily was just a few yards away. She conveniently dismissed Lotte and undressed hastily to observe if anything in her body changed due to this improved poison resistance. She stood in front of the mirror and turned around a few times to observe her body, but, she didn¡¯t notice any new change. Maybe since it was just a simple upgrade of poison resistance from level 6 to level 7, nothing really changed. Tang Yue concurred. Tang Yue surveyed her naked body for a few more minutes before donning herself into morefortable clothes again. She flopped down on her bed with her eyes closed. This was rather unexpected good news. The whole upgrade thing was almost an invisible process with no pain whatsoever. So it didn¡¯t matter even if she was out in the world and this happened. Tang Yue had been slightly worried that she might have to go through a gut-wrenching pain again, every single time her body absorbed something beneficial and improved. But clearly, that was not the case, and she was more than happy to get a confirmation of that! ¡°Let me check the updated properties.¡± She quickly willed open the status screen disying her misceneous information. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 0 (5/200) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 7 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 10/10 Mana points: Not Avable ______________ Skills: Illusion magic (Locked) [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 7, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 7, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the host¡¯s body ______________ Tang Yue nodded satisfactorily. Since her quest waspleted, the poison resistance had been promptly upgraded to Level 7. However, she couldn¡¯t help but frown slightly when she looked at the gaping 195 experience points which she needed to progress to the next level. If these random quests only give her 5 experience points at a time, it was surely going to take a long time to improve her strength. If she just continued to rely on these flimsy little situations and borrowed resources for improving her body¡¯s condition, her rate of development was definitely going to suffer. At this pace, she might not be able to achieve anything significant and might even have to continue to be the useless trash stepped on by everyone. So ultimately it looked like it was up to her to be proactive and increase her strength as much as possible. As Tang Yue was racking her brain, trying toe up with a feasible solution to her big problem, she remembered a significant detail about the elves. The Elven Empire was renowned for its progress in the art of alchemy, among several other ancient powerful arts. It was one of the reasons why the elves rose in power. The elves had a natural affinity for the elementals and were able to wield fire, ice, and water at will, at the expense of their consolidated magical energy or mana. Some elves were even able to wield something called the heavenly mes, a higher grade fire elemental. These experts were particrly unparalleled in alchemy since their temperature regtion and pill constitution regting ability was typically off the charts. This was the main reason why the famous crown prince, Xander, was known for his unparalleled talent and prowess in alchemy. He was an alchemy grandmaster, capable of even concocting heaven grade pills. Tang Yue didn¡¯t really care about the art of alchemy as such. With her crippled cultivation base, unfortunately, it was a distant dream for her to even think about learning alchemy, let alone mastering it. And she was also too broke to purchase any semi-decent pills and pop them one after another to improve her constitution. So the thing that she currently cared about the most was the herbs themselves!! Chapter 13: The friendly consort Chapter 13: The friendly consort The day was still young and Tang Yue decided to visit the city¡¯s alchemy association today itself. Why postpone something for tomorrow that you can aplish today? A workaholic like her lived by this principle. Having been crippled since a young age, working hard was something that was etched onto Tang Yue¡¯s very bones. She quickly called out to Lotte and instructed him to bring her around the alchemy association centers in the northern elven territory, at least the ones that were located near the pce. ¡°Your highness, we have several alchemy association shops around the city. It is one of our main upational lifelines.¡± ¡°But as his majesty¡¯s consort, you should be able to ess the royal alchemy association and learn from the masters there. They are the best of the best.¡± Tang Yue nodded at the suggestion and considered that to be her best option as well. The duo quickly departed and walked over to the market district outside of the pce quarters. As they walked past various buildings and shops, Lotte borately exined each and everyndmark, such as the weapons market, mission board, herb traders, auction house, and so on. And Tang Yue intently nodded, gaping in awe at the sheer abundance of resources in the Elven Empire. She particrly paid attention to the mission boards. Finishing the missions and bounties listed here seemed to be very lucrative. And Tang Yue¡¯s royal pockets were currently dismally empty! As the duo continued walking, they werepletely drowned in the busy market quarters. Trotting sounds of carriage bound bristle wolves echoed loudly from all directions. Various elves were running around in the hustling and bustling market busily themselves with multiple jobs. What surprised Tang Yue the most was that she could even see other races such as orcs and dwarfs walking about, peacefully mingling with the elves. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, your highness. They won¡¯t attack us. They are mainly here to trade.¡± ¡°The crown prince managed to sign peace treaties with some of their tribes, thus opening up new trade routes and knowledge exchange.¡± Lotte excitedly informed her. Tang Yue nodded, slightly adjusting the impression she had about the crown prince. She had previously assumed that the man plundered and murdered wherever he went, but looked like even the densest of rocks still had a bit of wetness left in them. Progress could also be brought about by peaceful means, but it contained its own fair share of risks. It was ultimately up to the ruler to choose the best option. Tang Yue and Lotte finally reached one of the branches of the royal alchemy association. The veiled attire and the royal symbol on her robe, that had evoked respectful nces thus far on their trip, weirdly elicited a disgruntled look for the first time. The old man sitting leisurely at the entrance of the building looked at Tang Yue up and down mockingly. ¡°What an interesting day this has turned out to be! Ha Ha. What brings one of our esteemed royal consorts to a humble ce like the alchemy association?¡± The old manughed obscenely by pping his thigh, not even bothering to hide his tant disrespect and unbridled arrogance. Tang Yue¡¯s face instantly stiffened. Her cold eyes darkened but rxed immediately. What sort of insults was she not used to?! This was nothing new to her. Lotte felt bad for the princess, but this was way over his paygrade. He immediately bowed humbly and tried to ease the situation. ¡°Good day Master. Her highness intends to visit the alchemy association.¡± The old man¡¯s eyes shone with a weird glint as he sarcastically chuckled. ¡°Royal consorts should busy themselves with the affairs of the pce. I don¡¯t think your princess has any business being here.¡± Tang Yue clenched her fists. The venomous words did not get to her but she was worried that this arrogant bastard wouldn¡¯t let her in. Just as she was wondering what to do, a gentle melodious voice interrupted the awkward atmosphere. ¡°Since when did old master get to decide who to let inside and not let inside the association gates?¡± The old elf¡¯s gaze slightly shifted. ¡°This humble servant doesn¡¯t dare to presume anything as atrocious as that, your highness.¡± The old elf chuckled. This time around, even though he held the same amount of contempt and disrespect, he still held it in check. Sixth royal consort Adriana casually walked over to Tang Yue and smiled at her. ¡°You should be the new arrival?¡± She joviallyughed and extended her hands. ¡°I am Adriana, the third princess of Southern Elven empire.¡± Adriana was one of the few royal consorts who actually managed to cultivate to a decent level and even dabbled in alchemy. Ignoring the displeased old man, she quickly brought Tang Yue inside the association. On seeing yet another beauty acting so warmly towards her, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but question her motives. However, she was quickly won over. Because the next instant, Adriana leaned towards her and whispered, ¡°If this is your ploy to get closer to the crown prince, you better give up now. He rarelyes here.¡± Tang Yue looked confused but quickly understood what she had meant. She gently smiled and replied, ¡°Ha Ha. No sister, nothing like that. I just wanted to relieve my boredom by learning about some herbs and medicine.¡± Compared to the fake polite and nice woman, Tang Yue preferred people like her, who were more open, brutally honest, and direct to the point. Royal consort Adriana looked at her with a quizzical expression but then broke into a peal ofughter. The mesmerizing woman looked delicate and childlike as she amusedly patted Tang Yue. ¡°Good luck, junior sister. You can always look for me if you have any doubts.¡± Chapter 14: When you are asking for it… Chapter 14: When you are asking for it¡­ Adriana chuckled with her melodious voice falling like flower petals. She was amused at Tang Yue¡¯s earnestness and warmly introduced her to a couple of the alchemy disciple elves. Disciple elves were the lowest grade subordinates in the alchemy association. They were either beginner students or people like Tang Yue whocked a cultivation base but still wanted to make something out of themselves. The disciple elves usually took care of the small errands in the alchemy association, including segregating and handling all the ingredients such as herbs and cauldrons, as well as tedious chores such as waste disposal. Since Adriana was busy at the moment, she handed over the job of familiarizing Tang Yue with the various association departments and procedures to the two disciple elves loitering around in the reception area. After chatting with Tang Yue encouragingly for a few more minutes Adriana left the alchemy association branch with her pce aides. Unlike the old man sitting outside, the disciple elves did not dare to treat Tang Yue badly. After all, she was a royal consort. The elf M patiently brought Tang Yue around and showed her the various halls. The alchemy association was a huge ce with misceneous facilities, such as the room in which the herbs were stored. Most herbs were pre-ordered for the day, were segregated, and parceled for the respective recipients. Then there was another room in which the cauldrons were scraped clean, clearing out the gunk at the bottom, typically formed after a pill forging experiment. Tang Yuemitted this particr room to her memory because it was especially pungent. Even her skin felt assaulted by the ungodly stench. ¡°Your highness let¡¯s not stand here. Some of these vapors can be quite toxic.¡± The disciple elf exined and moved on to the next couple of rooms. Thest few rooms were mainly storage areas and a medicinal shop to sell the sessfully concocted pills. The elf continued chattering next to her, while Tang Yue slowly brewed a strategy in her mind. ¡°M, what is the procedure for joining the association as a disciple elf?¡± Tang Yue gently smiled and asked the question, instantly surprising the disciple elf M. ¡°But, your highness, that is¡­ please check with one of the masters.¡± ¡°If your talent in the alchemy art is explosive, then there is no need to spend any time as a disciple elf.¡± M tried his best to persuade Tang Yue. Why should a royal consort like her unnecessarily lower her status and do menial chores and physicalbor? Of course, these basic menial tasks were designed for a reason. But still, someone with the potential of a royal consort should easily be able to skip these fundamentals and focus on the more important details. Tang Yue could only smile in return. It was clear that her infamous reputation for being a crippled trash has not yet spread in the elven territory! M¡¯s words did not deter her one bit. She still continued enquiring him, ¡°Where can I talk to a master?¡± M immediately became silent, hesitating to answer her question. The only master who was free and avable right now was the mean old man sitting at the entrance. So, he did not want to push the delicate royal consort to a beast like him. Later on, if there was some sort of incident, the entire me would eventually end up on a nobody like him. M looked at the persistent royal consort and knew that there was no other option. This woman did not look like she was going to back down at any time soon. ¡°Your highness, master Dranuk is the only one avable right now.¡± ¡°If I may, I would like to offer my humble suggestion. Please visit our association again tomorrow and speak to an alchemy master.¡± Tang Yue nodded, understanding what the disciple elf was trying so hard to indirectly imply. Obviously, the man sitting outside was a bully and a mean grouch. But unfortunately, she was not in a mood to postpone things that needed to be done and walked straight over to the condescending old man at the entrance. Today or tomorrow, one of these days she would eventually have to face that old man. It was not really a big deal for her. A few derogatory remarks in exchange for a quick power up? Who wouldn¡¯t grab such an opportunity?! After all, power was everything and without that, she would always have to feel fragile and worthless. And thus, Tang Yue willingly walked over to the devil. The old man snickered as soon as he saw her. ¡°Leaving so soon, mydy?¡± He condescendingly asked her. ¡°Mmmm. Not yet. I want to be a disciple here.¡± Tang Yue looked at his eyes that were filled to the brim with mockery and faced him head-on. The old man immediately broke into a burst of loudughter. ¡°Why would a flower vase¡­ cough¡­cough¡­ flower such as yourself want to be an alchemy ve, your highness?¡± He pped his thighs obscenely and chortled. ¡°Pretty princess, being an alchemy association disciple requires you to train very hard and meet strict deadlines.¡± ¡°You need to stay up long nights and work hard. You won¡¯t even get your beauty sleep, pretty princess!¡± ¡°You might even have to venture deep into the perilous forests and harvest precious herbs.¡± ¡°Who knows, some enemy might even end up capturing and enving you? He could then ravage you endlessly for days together till his heart¡¯s content! Ha Ha Ha.¡± A lustful look appeared on the old man¡¯s grinning face, as he sneered and spoke, with a straight face. However, Tang Yue¡¯s gaze still did not waver. She just stood there silently and patiently watched his antics. After a few minutes, the old elf finally stopped. A cold glint appeared in his eyes, as he minced his words with a sneer on his face. ¡°You asked for this. Don¡¯t me meter.¡± Chapter 15: The princess who likes to take out trash Chapter 15: The princess who likes to take out trash Old man Dranuk had a wide grin on his face as he crossed his arms behind his back and walked into the association. ¡°Wait here.¡± He instructed Tang Yue and went inside a chamber on the right. There was a boldbel on the door, indicating that only Masters were allowed inside. So Tang Yue just patiently waited outside. After a few minutes, a loud burst ofughter erupted from inside. Tang Yue frowned but continued waiting patiently. She could vaguely hear some chattering noises from inside the chamber. A few more minutester, old man Dranuk carefully closed the door and stepped out. ¡°Here you go, princess.¡± He mockingly tossed out a disciple uniform to the princess, specifically enunciating the word princess with a sneer. With his obscene grin getting even wider, he shed his teeth and said, ¡°Are you ready for your first task as our association¡¯s disciple elf?¡± Tang Yue nodded and patiently waited for him to get to the point. Being the bully that he was, she already knew what he was going to say and that was exactly what she wanted! ¡°You will be handling the trash disposal for the next month. Off you go now. Make me proud pretty princess.¡± Old man Dranuk grinned and looked for the signs of contempt on the princess¡¯s veiled face. But her cold eyes only obediently nodded before walking towards the trash room. ¡°Dranuk, are you sure this is going to be alright? She is a royal consort after all.¡± Another old elf with silver hair walked towards Master Dranuk and asked. ¡°Hmph. Consort or not, do you think the Prince even cares about trivialities like this?¡± ¡°I am much more valuable to him than this piece of trash.¡± Dranuk smirked and walked out of the association. He woulde back and visit this beautiful princess a couple more dayster. ¡°Ha Ha. By that time, she should be begging for my mercy. Maybe she wouldn¡¯t even hesitate to warm my bed. Ha Ha.¡± A lecherous look appeared on the old elf¡¯s creased face as hezily sauntered out into the market. He could already imagine ying with her to his heart¡¯s content. The crown prince was never going to enjoy these beauties, so at least someone should pay attention to them once in a while. The other elf looked nervous, but he shrugged his shoulders and went back in. He didn¡¯t want to get involved in this tricky situation. A few weeks before, royal consort Adriana had humiliated Master Dranuk in public for using the wrong pill form. Though Adriana did not do it intentionally, Master Dranuk still took it as a personal attack. He desperately wanted to humiliate her and nurse his wounded ego. Since Adriana was a stronger target, Dranuk had instead picked a weaker target like Tang Yue to trample on. These proud little flower vases definitely had to be taught a harsh lesson once in a while. And now, Tang Yue was receiving the brunt of the punishment for that. Well, he at least thought so. Tang Yue, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t be happier to receive this particr punishment. In fact, she was counting on the old man¡¯s cruel nature to get to this point. She walked a few yards and turned left to reach the trash disposal room. The disciple in charge of the trash usually had to collect the dirty waste material left over from the multiple private concoction chambers. Alchemy practitioners tend to heap their cauldron waste in a corner of their work chamber and proceed forward with their next batch. A lot of practice, trial, and error was needed to learn alchemy and sessfully concoct pills. So they couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with trivial things like taking out the trash. The lower-ranked disciples usually collected these things and incinerated them in the disposal chamber. The royal robes were too cumbersome to work with. So Tang Yue visited the changing chamber first to quickly change into her set of disciple clothes. She then patiently visited each and every essible work chamber and collected the leftover wastes in a big bag. Some of the chambers were closed, so she ignored those. Most probably, the upant was involved in some high-grade pill concocting and needed full concentration. The work was not thatborious, but it still kept her considerably busy, since the association was huge with a multitude of practice chambers. The disciples were typically supposed to attend to their duties till the dusk settled. So Tang Yue kept herself busy the entire day. She carefully collected all the leftover medicinal waste. She then carefully dragged the huge bag to the disposal room. But once she got there, she did not simply toss it all into the incineration array like she was supposed to do, rather she tossed it all into her space pouch. Soon the shadows gathered under the gentle moonlight and it was time for her to head back to the pce. As soon as she returned to the pce, Tang Yue quickly closed her enormous chamber doors and flopped onto her bed. Her dull cold eyes surprisingly gleamed with excitement, as she slowly peeled open her space pouch. In a single day, she had managed to collect a reasonable amount of useless leftovers. Well, useless for others, but for her¡­ A rotten putrid smell immediately filled the sensual aromatic chamber, decorated by bundles of flowers, arranged here and there. Tang Yue¡¯s beautiful face contorted as she put her pale blue delicate fingers inside the pearl-like pouch and grabbed a small amount of the mushy slimy substance. Chapter 16: Eating shit like candy Chapter 16: Eating shit like candy Tang Yue¡¯s cold piercing eyes looked at the smelly gooey stuff in her hands and sighed. She then quickly dunked it down her throat, worried that the stink might spread. The nd taste and the weird smell quickly permeated her entire body and assaulted all her senses without leaving any route for escape. Cough¡­ Cough¡­ Yuck. Tang Yue could even feel the damned thing hitting her non-existent belly and cringed. But¡­ it was all worth it. As soon as the goo settled in her stomach, the digestive juices began to do their work and the sweet notification sounds popped up one after the other. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Unexpectedly, the next notification that popped out caused Tang Yue¡¯s phoenix-like eyes to bulge in surprise. Ding. A fire attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Heat resistance has increased. A wide variety of mysterious herbs existed in nature, some that could even condense mana, which enriched the air around them. So it was not really a surprise to her that some of them had a fire attribute. What was shocking is that she was actually able to absorb that property as well and temper her fragile crippled body. And the even more shocking realization soon followed. Was it also possible to increase her body¡¯s regenerative properties? If so, then there inid the solution to her crippled meridians!! Tang Yue¡¯s crescent eyes gleamed with excitement, as she started quickly gobbling up chunk after chunk of that mushy smell mass. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Ding. A fire attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Heat resistance has increased. Ding. An ice attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Cold resistance has increased. Ding. A lightning attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Lightning resistance has increased. Several different types of notifications sounded one after the other, as Tang Yue sat down in her chamber and gulped mouthful after mouthful of indistinguishable sludge until her stomach was bulging out. After a few minutes, she even shape-shifted into her snake form and peeked into the space pouch tozily slurp and swallow the heaped leftovers. As she swallowed more and more chunks, the notifications actually slowed down, rather than speeding up as she had expected. In fact, by now, barely one notification sounded every hour. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Maybe because the potency of the mush is low grade now after so many upgrades?¡± But that didn¡¯t seem correct since she still heard notifications popping, even when she was not eating things. So this left her with only one exnation. Maybe the absorption of these properties depended on the digestive ability of her body! If so, maybe she should start training in martial arts to improve this digestive ability? Even though there were obvious drawbacks, especially for a cripple like her, this type of cultivation was not too bad at all! All she had to do was be a shameless glutton and be generously rewarded! The blue serpent¡¯s long tongue flickered in and out as Tang Yue finished most of the day¡¯s leftovers. After a few more minutes, she could barely ingest anything even in her snake form and so she decided to continue her arduous cultivation the next day. ¡°This should also give me enough time to digest all this ¡®nutritious food''¡± The snake hissed contently. Tang Yue was pretty tired from running around the alchemy association all day. And this, coupled with the fact that her stomach was bulging enough to create a protrusion, she quickly fell asleep like a corpse. Though the notifications did not pop out in her mind because of her slumbering state, her body was constantly improving throughout the darkness of the night. In the morning as well, her stomach felt quite full. So she decided that it would be best to resume her special cultivationter during the night, same as yesterday. But there was something that she really had to do right now ¨C check her stats! After listening to a lot of random notifications that sporadically popped out during the entire night, Tang Yue was very curious as to what her current body constitution looked like. As soon as she willed it to appear, a blue screen with various details materialized in front of her. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 0 (5/200) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 7 Heat resistance: Level 2 Cold resistance: Level 1 Lightning resistance: Level 1 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 10/10 Mana points: Not Avable ______________ Skills: Illusion magic (Locked) [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 7, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 7, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the host¡¯s body ______________ And along with this, another familiar notification popped out as well. Chapter 17: Are you sure you put her on trash duty? Chapter 17: Are you sure you put her on trash duty? Tang Yue stared at the new quest and blinked in amusement. ¡°Interesting.¡± She muttered. ¡°These quests are all tailor-made for me.¡± With the vast amount of medicinal dregs in her possession, this particr quest didn¡¯t seem difficult at all to her, at least at first nce. And Tang Yue had already upgraded her body, obtaining 3 new elemental resistances ¨C heat resistance, cold resistance, and lightning resistance. Combined with her already upgraded poison resistance, she only needed to improve these 4 further. So this quest was already as good as done! Tang Yue stuffed a few more mouthfuls of the hodge-podge mush and cleaned herself up before leaving for the association. ¡­.. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°He He¡­ Fine I will bet 10 bottles of healing potions. The pampered princess, of course, won¡¯t even dare to turn up today.¡± ¡°My sources informed me that she was working prettyte yesterday. She will definitely either turn upte or might not even show up. ¡° Master Dranuk chuckled and dered his presumptuous assumption to Master Terail, who was standing beside him. Old elf Terail groomed his beard while revealing an evil glint. He chuckled with a twinkle in his eyes and epted Master Dranuk¡¯s so-called bet. Ten more minutes and the victor will be revealed!! But just as the two old bags were chatting on the huge pavilion, a familiar figure walked past them with an aura thatmanded utter respect and submission. Both Masters immediately bowed and greeted the crown prince in unison. ¡°Good morning, your highness.¡± The crown prince nodded in response and proceeded to casually stroll inside the association. He took a couple ofps around the building and then settled in one of the chambers, quickly starting a random pill forging session. As soon as his highness left, Master Terail immediately broke into a burst ofughter. ¡°Now, do you understand that I am the clear winner?¡± He chuckled at the plight of his friend. ¡°Damn you, Terail! Aren¡¯t you filthy rich?? Why do you have to cheat me like this, you stingy bastard?!¡± Master Dranuk gritted his teeth in exasperation. Since the crown prince is here, of course, the damn consort woulde running to the association gates, no matter how tired she felt!! Not just her, but the other useless flower vases would probably swarm the association today as well. In fact, he didn¡¯t even have to wait for Tang Yue to arrive to confirm this conjecture. Just as they were chiding each other, Tang Yue had already arrived promptly for collecting her loot of the day. She noticed the two old elves arguing loudly with each other at the entrance and nodded politely. ¡°Greetings seniors.¡± She then disappeared with a skip to do her daily duties as if it was just another day in her life. ¡°Are you sure you put her on trash duty??¡± Master Terail asked scrunching his face in confusion. In the history of this association, which disciple elf had been this happy to pick up garbage?? Dranuk gritted his teeth in anger. His hostility towards Tang Yue was only increasing with every passing minute. He frowned at her fading figure in deep thought. A few secondster, Dranuk¡¯s private disciple rushed over to him for his daily orders. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bitte?¡± Dranuk barked at his disciple for no apparent reason. ¡°Master?¡± The poor disciple asked with a pitiful face. He was confused as to why he was facing his master¡¯s wrath this early in the morning. Dranuk rudely harrumphed in response. ¡°Others are more diligent than you. Learn to be more obedient. Go brew some healing potions for today.¡± By now, old elf Dranuk was shouting at his disciple so loudly that even Tang Yue, who had almost left for her daily trash collection, could clearly hear the ruckus. ¡°Healing potions?¡± Her lips curved upward and her cold eyes twinkled with a shine. Without leaving for her daily chores immediately, Tang Yue thought of something and dilly-dallied around the entrance. She patiently waited for the flustered disciple, whose ears were now as red as tomatoes. He still kept wondering why his master embarrassed him so early in the morning. But then again, his master was indeed famous for these random tantrums. So he didn¡¯t dwell on it much and swiftly proceeded to work on his potion brewing. By giving him an intermediate difficulty potion like the Healing potion, maybe his master was dissatisfied with his fundamentals and was testing him for minor errors?? That must be it. The disciple hurried and busied himself inside a private chamber. Tang Yue quickly followed him and made a note of the particr room number that Dranuk¡¯s disciple had upied. Healing potion definitely required higher grade herbs to brew and so today¡¯s haul was going to be a good one! With an evident smirk on her face, she trotted on to collect trash from the other practice chambers. Chapter 18: First Meeting Chapter 18: First Meeting Tang Yue hummed a cheerful note as she patiently collected the leftovers from various practice chambers. Of course, she didn¡¯t forget to pop inside one or two handfuls of mushy chunks every now and then. After all, it was important to make full use of the digestive machine without sparing any second. Every single time a notification popped in her ears, a small smile would appear on her dull face, brightening it up immediately. The woman who had barely smiled in thest eighteen years was now finally filled with a vigor for life. She felt alive. As she was absent-mindedly doing her mundane chores by walking around different chambers, she came across a specific chamber which was very slightly open. She hesitated a bit but in the end decided to skip that chamber. She didn¡¯t want to disturb and offend anyone on the off chance that the upant was busy. As she walked away, voices from inside the room vaguely reached her ears, making her stop suddenly, frozen in her tracks. An ethereal being sat in front of a dusty worn down cauldron as he added the next herb that the form called for. ¡°Yes, your highness, all orders for this month have already been processed.¡± The association master humbly reported the monthly details to the crown prince, Xander. ¡°Good then.¡± A clear maic voice sounded from the room, holding the domineering weight of a thousand swords. He listened to the monthly reports while intently gazing at the cauldron in front of him. As his profound enigmatic voice wafted out through the narrow opening, Tang Yue stood rooted in her spot. Crown prince Xander? She couldn¡¯t help but shiver slightly. This was a demi-god! An existence that stood at the pinnacle! The upant of the room obviously noticed her insignificant presence and his sculpted eyebrows creased in annoyance. Xander was already used to these women trying all sorts of ploys to get close to him, and he made it a habit to never entertain any of them. He decisively ignored her and continued on. The association master as well noticed her presence and hurriedly spoke a few words. ¡°Your highness, Royal Consort Yue joined the alchemy association as a disciple yesterday.¡± But Xander just nodded and signaled the association master to continue with other matters. ¡°No response?¡± Tang Yue smirked. Though she wasn¡¯t really surprised. ¡°Well, there wasn¡¯t any response for even the tant assassination attempts. So why should there be one now? duh.¡± ¡°What a cold-hearted prince¡­¡± She quickly walked away, not daring to linger around there any longer. But she did take note of the chamber number. If the crown prince himself is personally concocting something, it definitely had to be something amazing! So this might very well turn out to be a potentially good looting ce and she didn¡¯t want to miss out. After that spine chilling encounter with the cold-blooded prince, the rest of Tang Yue¡¯s day was pretty much eventless, except for the fact that her attributes got a significant buff, and her space pouch got a lot more dregs. And towards the end of the day, the quest was also easilypleted. Ding. Daily Questpleted Ding. Your body has been sufficiently upgraded Ding. 5 Experience points have been rewarded ¡°I worked so hard and the reward is only 5 experience points? Damn. This leveling up system better not be a scam!¡± Tang Yue yfully cursed under her breath at the ridiculous stinginess. But, she didn¡¯t really care about these things. As long as she is able to upgrade her weak constitution, she was already satisfied! Tang Yue summoned her status screen and quickly checked her stats to verify this upgrade. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 0 (10/200) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 8 Heat resistance: Level 3 Cold resistance: Level 2 Lightning resistance: Level 2 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 10/10 Mana points: Not Avable ______________ Skills: Illusion magic (Locked) [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 8, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 8, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the host¡¯s body ______________ Her elemental resistances and her poison resistance had all gone up by 1 Level in the mere span of a day! actually less than a day!! Tang Yue¡¯s thin lips broke out into a wide grin. This was better than what she had expected. Just how broken was this! This evolve skill is a miraculous ability! If this could actually somehow help her heal the crippled meridians, she could start cultivating again!! Tears glistened at the crescent ends of Tang Yue¡¯s phoenix-like eyes. Just how many years had she tolerated brutal heartless treatment from her own family members because of this?! Just because of her crippled meridians, her dad, who once regarded her as a precious jewel, threw her away mercilessly. She had to endure so many insults and degradingments from her step-mother and her step-sisters. On top of that, each and every single irrelevant junk in the pce also dared to look down on her and stomp on her at every given opportunity. Tang Yue clenched her fingers tightly. All of this will change soon. She could potentially start cultivating again! She still had some space in the stomach. So she gobbled up some more leftover dregs from the space pouch. Assaulted by that familiar stench, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help butugh at her misery. ¡°I need to earn more money and eat fresh herbs rather than this stale trash.¡± She resolutely dered. Since the two special upants still seemed to be busy, Tang Yue quickly finished her trash duty and headed back to the pce for the day. Chapter 19: Beast bloodlines Chapter 19: Beast bloodlines The next day Tang Yue promptly dressed up and left for the association to visit the two special chambers. She didn¡¯t want someone else barging in before her and stealing her precious trash! And while she was en route, she received the day¡¯s quest as well. ¡°What? Why does this seem a bit too difficult??¡± Tang Yue was perplexed. Though the quest gave her 10 times the normal experience points, it still seemed unreasonable. She stared at the blinking lines for a while, wondering if she could really upgrade her various properties to level 10 just by consuming the random leftover dregs. She could definitely sense a few problems about to crop up! Her poison resistance was already stagnant at Level 8 no matter how much sludge she shoved into her stomach. Judging by this urrence, the other resistances could also be teauing around the same level. And of course, Tang Yue wouldn¡¯t be surprised by this, since this was something she had expected for a while. Just how long could she afford to eat these almost fully degraded medicinal waste and hope to gain something from it? It was about time her special stomach revolted and asked for better grade items like fresh herbs. Since her pockets were still pretty empty, her only option would be to add on to the pce tab in the vendor shops. Exploiting the pce reserves for buying herbs? How could she dare to do this? If the temperamental crown prince by chance gets offended or annoyed, then she would be skinned alive!! Tang Yue pondered for a while and decided to first check the two special alchemy upants from yesterday and immediately hurried to the association. If she could ess their dregs, then she might just be able to upgrade everything without spending any silver. Tang Yue hurried to the alchemy association, but all her worries were for naught. Why would anyone rush over before her and do her trash cleaning duties in her stead? The disciple elves were, as usual, rushing about here and there doing various duties. Surprisingly, she even noticed several disciple elves carrying around multiple parchments and intently murmuring about after reading them. She saw a familiar face and stopped the tall elf, M. ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Tang Yue furrowed her brows and asked M. ¡°Ah your highness, sorry. I should have informed you beforehand. We have a beginner tier alchemy test next month.¡± ¡°But your highness, it takes months to memorize all the herb details and their uses. Maybe your highness could take it next cycle.¡± The elf immediately suggested looking at Tang Yue¡¯s slightly dispirited face. Tang Yue nodded and proceeded to head towards the practice chambers. Alchemy and the other arts¡­ She can only think about themter. She first visited the chamber, which Master Dranuk¡¯s disciple had used and quickly collected the dregs from the cauldron. She then looked around on all sides to make sure no one else was present and quickly gulped down a few chunks. Tapping her feet on the messy floor, Tang Yue cleaned up the chamber a little while she waited, and just as expected the familiar notifications popped out. Ding. A mid-grade poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison resistance has increased. Ding. A mid-grade lightning attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Lightning resistance has increased. It looked like the healing potion brew required multiple mid-grade herbs of different affinities. These should definitely be more effective than the normal leftover! Tang Yue grinned with satisfaction before proceeding to the elite loot spot, the chamber where the crown prince had practiced pill concoction. The crown prince was barely here for half a day and on top of that, he was meeting with the other association masters while he was here. So it was not like he could have concocted any heaven-grade elixirs. And Tang Yue as well did not have any high expectations. Fate had never been that kind to her, with epic items just falling on herp. She only wanted to progress bit by bit and was satisfied with just that much. When her meridians were crippled and she could not cultivate, Tang Yue waspletely abandoned. She was not even given ess to any of the n¡¯s treasured martial art techniques. But she still earnestly practiced the basic martial art moves every single day and conditioned her crippled body as best as she could. The proud woman was never afraid of sheer brute hard work. Tang Yue hurriedly ran over to the specific chamber and quickly started cleaning out the dregs. Surprisingly, unlike others, this particr mush had a liquid consistency to it. And there was not much of the liquid remaining. Only a handful or so was leftover. So Tang Yue quickly gulped down the liquid and cleaned out the chamber. Loot collection sessful! Though the elite drops had been collected, she still had to run around and collect the other regr trash. While she was busying herself with the chores, the notifications slowly started rolling in. Ding. A high-grade poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison resistance has increased. Ding. A high-grade lightning attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Lightning resistance has increased. Ding. High-grade beast blood has been consumed. Ding. 0.001% of Phoenix bloodline absorbed. Ding. 0.001% of bristle wolf bloodline absorbed. Ding. 0.001% of wild feather tail absorbed. Tang Yue instantly stopped in her tracks,pletely shocked by the new information. Not just herbs and poisons¡­ She was actually able to absorb beast bloodlines?? Chapter 20: Master Dranuk, the saviour! Part1 Chapter 20: Master Dranuk, the saviour! Part1 ¡°I am able to absorb beast bloodlines too??¡± Tang Yue was already satisfied with getting the high tier upgrades, but this was definitely a surprise. She didn¡¯t expect the potion or pill residue to actually contain blood as an active ingredient. On top of that, she was even able to absorb the bloodline of the beast from that minuscule quantity of blood! Bloodlines held the powerful innate ability of a beast. Bloodlines in fact defined the entire beast. So, what would happen if she devoured a beast in its entirety?? What would happen if shepletely collects a bloodline?? Several confusing questions popped into her mind. If this innate ability had not been lost for countless generations in their n, she wouldn¡¯t be feeling this helpless right now. The system as well was not providing any exnations. It looked like she had to experiment and find out more herself. Since she was still in the alchemy association, Tang Yue hurriedly continued her day¡¯s chores. After cleaning out the crown prince¡¯s practice chamber, she still needed to attend the other cleaning duties. And while doing so, she didn¡¯t forget to pop in a few mouthfuls of dregs. Master Dranuk saw her elegant figure skipping across the association, bustling about here and there with a smile on her sensual lips. It only made him more annoyed. What is wrong with this princess?? Did her parents not pamper her?? How can she do these menial tasks with such a bright smile on her face??? His cold gaze stared daggers at her from a distance, before devising a devilish n in his mind. ¡°Hmph. So what if this hardbor doesn¡¯t bother her? I will just send her out on a herb gathering mission!¡± He murmured defiantly. Others might not have noticed it, but master Dranuk was well aware of Tang Yue¡¯s non-existent cultivation base. Since she was a cripple, sending her out on a herb gathering mission in the perilous forests was akin to sending her to her death. ¡°Now let¡¯s see just how fast youe running to me and beg me to help you!¡± The old elf silently walked away with an evil glint in his eyes. As he entered the missions chamber, the old elf¡¯s menacing face scared the wits out of the senior disciple elf sitting inside. Every single disciple elf in the association was terrified of Master Dranuk, irrespective of their seniority. The talented master alchemist was famed for his irrational temper tantrums. He looked gruffly at the elf in charge of maintaining mission distributions and growled in anger. ¡°Change this disciple¡¯s duties.¡± He pointed his finger to Tang Yue¡¯s name on the parchment listing the beginner disciples¡¯ names. ¡°But¡­ But Master.¡± The poor elf stammered in fright. He was technically not supposed to do something like that. Only senior elves were sent out in herb gathering missions. This rule was specifically implemented for the safety of the disciples. A disciple elf had to undergo multiple tests and demonstrate a solid foundation stage cultivation base before being promoted to the senior disciple status. Since there was a high chance to encounter dangerous beasts in the perilous forests, it was extremely important to make sure that the disciple elf at least had the bare minimum capability to save himself from any unforeseen danger. Though the specified locations might not be that precarious, there was always danger lurking around in those dark shadows. That is why the beginner alchemy disciple elves were never sent out on any herb gathering missions. In the process of tempering, one must not break the sword. But¡­ Master Dranuk here seemed particrly intent on breaking this disciple. ¡­. The next morning¡­ M craned his neck and looked at Tang Yue with a puzzled expression on his face. His eyes enunciated the concern and worry he felt. Why was the royal consort assigned to this dangerous mission duty? He was confused. After working with the princess for these past few days, he knew for a fact that she had no cultivation base whatsoever. So why would such a weakling be assigned to do something dangerous? ¡°Ummm¡­ Your highness, I think you should maybe talk to someone about this?¡± The junior disciple elf M suggested. Contrary to the elf¡¯s nervous demeanor, Tang Yue¡¯s cold eyes didn¡¯t waver in the slightest. Rather she was very pleased with this sudden change. This morning she had entered the alchemy association with apletely different set of concernspared to the ones M talked about. What Tang Yue was worried about came true so fast! As ofst night, the dregs were no longer effective in improving her body constitution. No matter how much she dunked in, none of the attributes seemed to be improving. At this rate, it was extremely clear that she wouldn¡¯t be able to finish the quest by just relying on the leftover wastes. Just when Tang Yue had been racking her brain about this new problem, it looked like Master Dranuk had instantly sensed her difort and had promptlye to her rescue! Chapter 21: Master Dranuk, the saviour! Part2 Chapter 21: Master Dranuk, the saviour! Part2 Tang Yue was not a fool. She was very aware as to why these sudden changes are urring around her. The old vicious elf had apparently decided totch onto her and make her life miserable. But the joke was on him. Venturing out into the forests might be troublesome for others whocked any cultivation, but her case was different. The old elf had carelessly forgotten all about her shape-shifting ability, or maybe he looked down on the beast ns and didn¡¯t think much of their potential. No matter what the reason might be, this was still a major blunder on his part. The serpentine n members had the innate ability to turn into snakes instantaneously. Though higher realm cultivators could sense their presence, lower realm cultivators and beasts would only be able to sense amon grade snake beast, which was absolutely useless and not worth their time or attention. Also, her speed and agility were vastly improved in her snake form, giving her the confidence and means to quickly navigate sticky situations. Tang Yue did not hesitate any longer and willingly epted the assigned disciple duty. The elf managing the missions assignment handed her a bunch of parchments to select a mission from. As she was perusing the various parchments, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but think of the obvious cheat method staring at her face. Each disciple had an allotted time of two to three weeks for finishing a mission, and some of these missions were located in the snake n territories. So it would be a piece of cake for her to memorize the locations, and raid those locations before the elves get to them. This way she might be able to snack on some herbs without actually paying for them. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes glistened with greed, as she quickly scanned through the various missions and their locations. She specifically paid attention to the herb type, its appearance, and the potential dangers listed in the description. Once she was done, she just picked a random one from the selected parchments and swiftly left the association branch. ¡°Bring me some dried food, enough tost for three weeks.¡± Tang Yue instructed Lotte. Staring at the nimble elf hurry away, Tang Yue reluctantly called out for him again, ¡°Lotte, are there any spare weapons that I can use? Bring them to me as well.¡± Lotte nodded obediently. The dangerous missions of the alchemy association were not exactly a secret. Since Tang Yue was now an alchemy disciple, it was only normal for her to go on these missions and need better weapons to deal with the associated dangers. Luckily for her, borrowing weapons were much easier than borrowing gold. Lotte quickly returned with some food and a bunch of mid-grade weapons including a variety of swords and staff. These were the mostmonly used type of weapons, and Lotte was unsure about the princess¡¯s preference. So he just grabbed a few. While he was nervously wondering if the princess would be satisfied with just mid-grade weapons, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide open at the sight of them. So many mid-grade weapons! At least there was one perk for this useless consort position!! Tang Yue excitedly picked a lightweight long sword since basic sword art was the onlybat she was familiar with. After dismissing the elf, Tang Yue packed all the essentials into her space pouch and left the pce in high spirits. Coincidently, Queen consort Charlotte and her two pce aides caught the sight of the scurrying snake princess. ¡°Where is this woman rushing to every day so religiously?¡± Charlotte angrily scoffed. ¡°Princess, the new consort has joined the alchemy association.¡± The pce aide, with a huge mole on her cheek, briefed Charlotte with the details. ¡°Tch. Tch. Another one trying the alchemy route. Why won¡¯t these sluts leave my prince alone?¡± Charlotte could vaguely feel another headacheing. She already had her hands full with the self-proimed alchemy genius, Adrianna. Just how many more were nning to pop up and vie for the crown prince¡¯s heart by honing their alchemy talent? What a pain! After packing all her belongings, Tang Yue bid farewell to Lotte and headed straight for the carriage stand. She hired a bristle wolf carriage to help her navigate out of the pce and the main settlement. Some carriages even dared to venture into the forests, but Tang Yue decided against it. The risk to reward ratio was just not worth it. Her odds were much better if she explored the forests in her beast form. The rows of buildings and houses soon disappeared from her vision and tall lush trees surrounded her. ¡°We are here your highness.¡± The elf guiding the bristle wolves stopped the carriage and dropped Tang Yue off at the outskirts of the Edorian elven establishment. Tang Yue waited a moment for the elf to turn back and start the return journey, before shapeshifting into her serpentine form. Chapter 22: The pie that fell from the sky Part1 Chapter 22: The pie that fell from the sky Part1 The northern snake n resided in the swampy shores of the boundless Kare Ocean. They are juxtaposed by two humongous mountain ranges on both sides cleanly marking their territory. Just below these swampynds, the Eldorian establishment of the northern elven n prevailed. Though there were patches of forests in between these two territories, thesends were highly explored and nothing dangerous resided in these areas. With the snake n in its northern borders, the elven establishment is further surrounded by the orcs in their west and ravenous mountain ranges in their east. Under themand of the crown prince, the elven units were now slowly expanding their establishment into the unexplored areas of the far east. But, unfortunately for them, the orcs were expanding into the far west at a much faster pace. They had a clear advantage when ites to military power because of the ridiculously fast and efficient reproductive abilities of the orcs. If not for the superior mana usage by the elves, the delicate and fragile bnce which existed between these races would have crumbled long ago. Tang Yue¡¯s current mission was situated in the unexplored forests of the far east. Under the vastness of the forest, the small snake beast wiggled its way through the thorny and rough grounds. Trees arched over her small being, forming a canopy of leaves, with the brilliant sunshine hardly visible except for luminescent thin pirs dancing here and there. Tang Yue silently slithered across the boundless greenery, darting her eyes here and there for any signs of herbs or other unique nt growth. She cursed herself for not being more familiar with the different herbs and their physical properties. In her current state, she could at most recognize only ten to fifteen herbs that she was familiar with. After a few hours of futile search, Tang Yue finally crossed the outskirts of the dense forest. The further she ventured inside, the more the sense of restlessness and uneasiness enveloped her beating heart. After a few more yards in, Tang Yue stopped in her tracks. The silent trees were now brimming with various signs of wildlife. With all her senses on full alert, Tang Yue quietly slithered up a nearby tree and now proceeded to travel inwards by navigating through a series of tangled tree branches. Her slender deep blue body curved around the thin branches and skillfully camouged her existence by using the cover of darkness. As she carefully maneuvered in the thin air, severalmon grade beasts snarled in the vicious grounds below. Bristle wolves, wild smanders, quagmire creepers, and a few more shadows filled the forest grounds. Thesemon grade beasts were not that dangerous to cultivators. In fact, for almost all mortal realm cultivators, these were no different than chickens and pigs and were usually ughtered easily for their meat and hide. However, for a cripple like Tang Yue, even thesemon grade beasts posed a significant threat. Along with these dangerous entities, surprisingly, what she was looking for also showed up. A few yards in front of her, a dark green smander was casually munching on a cluster of Neiria leaves. Neiria is a small spiny herb, that had yellowish-orange leaves and was typically used in healing potions and other rejuvenating recipes. And more importantly, the herb had a strong lightning elemental affinity. Tang Yue cursed the animal that was happily chewing on her bounty and was about to leave when suddenly a bristle wolf leaped out of nowhere. The wild animal barred its canines and pounced on the oblivious smander. Tang Yue raised her small head in surprise. Since when did wolves start eating smanders?? But before she could even finish her thought, the young wolf tossed away the ragged smander, seemingly regretting its decision to take a bite out of the stupid animal. The next instant, the wolf suddenly looked faint and dropped dead on the ground. And thus, in a matter of seconds, twomon grade wild beastsy curled in front of her, both incapacitated and both heavily injured, along with a few remaining Neiria herbs. Smanders had a thick fatty skin that was very difficult to prate. On top of that, the animal¡¯s skin was highly poisonous. Because of these two features, smanders, though being weak little animals, were avoided like the gue by the other wild beasts. This wasmon knowledge. But luckily for Tang Yue, the young and inexperienced wolf cub ended up attacking the juicy looking animal out of sheer hunger. Sometimes life can be too good! Tang Yue chuckled and waited for a couple of seconds to make sure that they were not spotted by anyone else. She then quickly slid down and collected all the free loot into her space pouch, before silently hurrying back to the tree branches. Chapter 23: The pie that fell from the sky Part 2 Chapter 23: The pie that fell from the sky Part 2 Tang Yue¡¯s emerald beady eyes darted here and there trying to search for an appropriate hideout in the middle of the forest. Ever since she realized that she could absorb bloodlines, there were several things she wanted to experiment with. And now that she obtained twomon grade beast corpses, it was a perfect time to explore her abilities further. After moving around for a while, Tang Yue finally spotted an isted cave-like structure camouged and hidden between a couple of trees and gigantic rocks. The vines, roots, and lower branches from the treepletely covered the entrance of the cave, and it was almost concealed from in sight. Tang Yue nodded satisfactorily and slithered towards the cave entrance. She smoothly slipped into the crevices and small openings and entered inside the cave. Phew! Just as she had expected, the cave was empty and unupied. Tang Yue spit out the space pouch pearl that she was holding in her mouth and took out the Neiria herbs first. Tossing the bunch of herbal stalks up and down, she roughly tried to gauge its weight. ¡°Hmm¡­ This is a good haul indeed. I should be able to easily increase my lightning resistance with this.¡± Tang Yue summoned her stats screen before snacking to get an idea about the number of fresh herbs required to increase an attribute. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 0 (10/200) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 9 Heat resistance: Level 6 Cold resistance: Level 6 Lightning resistance: Level 8 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 10/10 Mana points: Not Avable ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% ______________ Skills: Illusion magic (Locked) [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 9, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 9, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body ______________ Tang Yue assessed her body status as she started chomping down on the fresh Neiria herbs. It looked like her poison resistance and her lightning resistance had been upgraded quite a bit, thanks to the crown prince¡¯s special cauldron deposits. And all her other stats were consistentlygging behind. Since the dregs no longer worked, she now needed to find fresh herbs to upgrade everything. But maybe there was something else that could help her too¡­ like consuming beast meat¡­ Tang Yue¡¯s beautiful eyes kept hovering on the bloodlines section and she couldn¡¯t help but drool over the potential of these bloodlines. ¡°I do have those two fresh animal corpses with me. I should be able to improve my stats at least a bit by devouring those dummies.¡± She licked her lips and pondered. As she put thest of Neiria herbs into her mouth, Tang Yue quickly took out the dead smander first. She vehemently hated what she was about to do next, but she had no other option. ¡°Sigh. I hate this part.¡± Tang Yue took a few breaths and shape-shifted back to her serpentine form. Opening her mouth wide, she gobbled up the dead smander body in its entirety. With such a huge lump of food in its stomach, the thin deep blue snake almost looked like a stuffed pillow in the shape of a smander. Tang Yue tiredly lowered her head to the ground. For the next few hours, she waspletely out ofmission. With the huge thing in her stomach, she wouldn¡¯t be able to move even an inch. She just had to wait patiently for a few hours for the entire animal to be digested. In case of an emergency, she can still shapeshift into her human form and fight, but the next instant she would have to puke out her insides as if it was the end of the world. So Tang Yue silently coiled herself in the corner waiting for the food to digest and praying that nobody intruded. As minutes trickled by, slowly and steadily the notifications started popping out. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Smanders had an extremely thick poisonous skin, so this was pretty much expected. As she gazed at these back to back notifications, with nothing else to do, a n vaguely formed in her mind. The more she thought about it, the more things became clearer. Though she had a mid-grade weapon on her hands, her only real fighting abilities involved her venomous bite and venomous spit. If she could eat a few more of these smanders and bump up her toxicity to much higher levels, that should definitely give her an edge in case a life-threatening situation arises. So her best option right now would be to go on a smander hunting spree. They were rtively harmlessmon grade beasts. They didn¡¯t even fight back much. They were practically tailor-made for her! ¡°I should probably save the wolf carcass forter.¡± Tang Yuezed away and quietly enjoyed her fooda. After a couple of hours, she was finally able to move, though a bit slowly, and immediately set out to identify her next prey. Considering her sluggish demeanor due to the food inside her stomach, she might still not be able to attack any animal but she could definitely do some scouting. Chapter 24: Open season on salamanders Chapter 24: Open season on smanders Now that she was slightly fattened in the middle due to the still digesting food, Tang Yue didn¡¯t dare to use the tree branches any longer. She slowly slithered across the forest floor in search of more smanders. Soon she came across a swampy pond in the distance, with a slimy tail inconspicuously hanging out from the water. Tang Yue quickly slithered towards the swamp and cautiously stalked the smander. The creature seemed to be happily drifting in the water, asionally extending its green paws to catch the passing by fish. Once it got hold of a fish, the creature immediately tossed it into its mouth full of teeth. Tang Yue curiously watched it for a while and confirmed that no other animal was present in the vicinity. She then silently shifted to her human form and removed the mid-grade long sword from her space pearl. The de was shining in the glow of the dusk, obnoxiously threatening to slice anything in its path. Without wasting another second, Tang Yue quickly dashed towards the reptile, halting right behind it. She aimed for its thick head and in a single sh cleanly severed its body into two halves. The animal didn¡¯t even get a chance to respond. It could barely lift its head before it dropped dead on the ground. ¡°Waah! This is the sharpness of a mid-grade sword!!¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. She thought that she was going to have to hack the poor creature multiple times and fight a bloody battle but the entire fight was over in a second. She, of course, knew about the different weapon grades, but this was the first time she held in her hands a mid-grade weapon and its powerpletely surpassed her expectations. The low agility and unresponsive characteristic of the beast also yed to her advantage. ¡°Not bad.¡± Smanders were indeed a perfect target for the current her. While Tang Yue was still rejoicing about her overpowered sword, a surprising notification sounded in her mind. Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed. Ding. 5 Experience points have been rewarded. WHAT??? Tang Yue dropped the corpse she held in her hand in utter shock. What a scam?! She had worked hard on those daily quests and earned 5 Experience points for each but just one easy effortless kill gave her the same points?! Tang Yue didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. This was awesome! She quickly tossed the smander¡¯s two halves into her space pouch and shape-shifted back into her serpentine form. She didn¡¯t dare enter the swamp but slowly slithered around it to see if she could spot any more smanders. She spotted a couple more just a few yards away and quickly dashed towards them. Now that she was used to the power of a mid-grade sword, she had much more confidence to deal with these punymon grade beasts. Something agile like a wolf might still give her some problems, but these fat bundles didn¡¯t stand a chance. Just like before she cleanly ughtered the next couple of smanders and the same notifications popped up again. Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed. Ding. 5 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed. Ding. 5 Experience points have been rewarded. Tang Yue grinned as she shifted to her serpentine form and searched for more easy targets. Today was the day she was going to level up! The little snake busied herself repeating the same process several times over. Another hour passed and she had collected almost a dozen wild smander corpses. Just as she was nning to retreat for the night, a weird looking smander peeked at her from under a mesh of dried branches and creepers. Unlike the others, this chubby reptile had a strange horn on its head. But that made little difference to Tang Yue, as she quickly ughtered that as well. Life was simply too easy with an over-powered weapon!! And just as she had suspected, as soon as Tang Yue shed and killed thest smander a unique notification popped out. Ding. 1 Mutated Smander killed. Ding. 10 Experience points have been rewarded. ¡°Hmmm¡­ So this guy was stronger than the previous weaklings?? Most probably its skin was thicker or maybe more poisonous.¡± Tang Yue rubbed her chin as she wondered. But it didn¡¯t matter how thick its skin was or how strong its defenses were, her mid-grade long sword was simply too much for that animal. Burp. Tang Yue suddenly let out a loud puff of air. She could feel that the food in her stomach was almost about to bepletely digested. So she swiftly tucked in thest corpse into her space pouch and slithered back to her secret cave. Time to eat more meat and power up her bites! Chapter 25: Level 1 Chapter 25: Level 1 The small thin dark blue snake coiled in a corner of the cave, almost inconspicuous in the moldy surroundings. Tang Yue could feel that her previous meal was almostpletely digested, and Tang Yue prepared her body and mind to gobble up her next meal. She wanted to understand her system better. So she patiently waited for the notifications to show up first before gulping down the second smander. A few secondster¡­ Ding. 30% Smander bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Swamp Slime bloodline absorbed ¡°Hmmm¡­ So even if I eat the whole thing, I still get only 30% of the bloodline.¡± The little snake bobbed its head up and down as it nodded at the illusionary blue screen. Though the efficiency was a bit lower than expected, she was still happy with this result. Based on these numbers, she still needed to eat at least three more smanders to get at theplete bloodline. She took out the next dead guy from her space pearl and reluctantly gulped down the whole animal. Her thin figure which was barely restored, again puffed up like a humongous pillow, as Tang Yue curled up in the corner waiting for the food to digest. This was not the most efficient way to be improving her strength but unfortunately, her body¡¯s meridians were crippled and so she needed to improve her venom toxicity, the only tool at her disposal. After a while, the second set of notifications popped out as well. Ding. 30% Smander bloodline absorbed Ding. 5% Green lizard bloodline absorbed Tang Yue nodded and shoved the next one in. By the time she got to thest one, it was well past the dark of the night, and faint daybreak outlined on the skies. For thest part of the puzzle, Tang Yue decided to eat the weird looking one with the horn, the mutated smander. ¡°Bingo!¡± And just as she had suspected, thest one gave out unique notifications. Ding. 30% Smander bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Green lizard bloodline absorbed Ding. 5% Swamp snake bloodline absorbed Ding. 0.0001% Storm dragon bloodline absorbed Tang Yue¡¯s eyes glistened as she read the details. ¡°Storm dragon¡¯s bloodline?? What the heck? This dummy was a distant rtive of the storm dragon???¡± ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s forget about it for now. 0.0001% is anyways as good as non-existent!¡± Tang Yue hurriedly swiped away that notification and looked for the next one. This was the important notification that she had been waiting for! She needed to figure out what happens when aplete bloodline is absorbed. Ding. 100% Smander bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution initiated ¡°Wait, what is going to evolve??¡± Before Tang Yue could fully grasp what was happening, her thin slender snake body already started to twist and turn. Unlike the previous times, where she gained attributes from munching on leftover sludge, this time the process was inexplicably painful. Tang Yue¡¯s mind and body convulsed with gut-wrenching pain, as she mustered all her willpower and withstood the tremendous torture. The entire processsted only for about a minute or two, but it felt like an eternity for the poor tormented being. Soon, a thinyer of glowing light covered her body and the pain finally ceased. Tang Yue slowly opened her emerald eyes and lifted her tired head to take a look at what just happened. Numerous dried and shredded peals of her smooth silky blue skin were scattered around the cave. As she slowly regained her consciousness, a faint unfamiliar sensation assaulted her tired body. But the sensation was not painful or ufortable, rather it was cozy and warm, even refreshing her a little bit. A few secondster, as realization slowly dawned on her, Tang Yue¡¯s half-opened eyes suddenly flew wide in surprise. It might be faint, but most definitely the thing that she was sensing¡­ it was mana!!! She was finally able to sense mana, the mystical energy that permeated the world. ¡°But how the heck is this even possible? Am I no longer crippled??¡± Tang Yue yelped, her emerald eyes glistening. ¡°This missy can cultivate now!¡± She was going insane in joy and happiness. Tang Yue could vaguely feel that something was still changing so she controlled her excitement and patiently waited for some more time. And a few secondster, a series of chimes started resounding in her mind. Ding. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. 100 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up. Ding. Congrattions. Skills have been unlocked. Ding. Congrattions. New skills acquired. So many new notifications popped up leaving Tang Yue in aplete daze. Each one sounded better than the other and her heart was racing like a maniac. She patted her chest and sucked in a few breaths of the cold morning air before summoning her status screen. Chapter 26: Unexpected gains? Part1 Chapter 26: Unexpected gains? Part1 ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 1 (0/400) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 11 Heat resistance: Level 6 Cold resistance: Level 6 Lightning resistance: Level 8 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 20/20 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 2/20 Mana regeneration: 0.001mp/hr ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% ______________ Skills: Illusion magic (Locked) [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Armor] ¨C Passive skill, Body is enveloped in a thick protectiveyer [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. ______________ Tang Yue grinned from cheek to cheek. Though her illusion magic was still locked, her mana stats were finally unlocked, which could mean only one thing! ¡°YASSSS!¡± The little snake almost jumped up in joy. Her meridians had finally been healed or at least starting to heal. So she can now begin to cultivate like every other Tom, Dick, and Harry in her n! Just how many hardships had she faced because of this one tiny misfortune? Life was truly unfair to a weakling! But she was not a weakling any longer. Tang Yue felt truly exhrated. A treacherous path of cultivation and hard work awaited her¡­ and that¡¯s exactly what she wanted. Tang Yue¡¯s glistening eyes moved on from her unlocked mana stats to other details. Everything looked awesome. Her new and improved stats were just too amazing!! This unique evolution ability of hers was definitely her ticket to power and strength. Her health had doubled, and she had even gained new passive skills, lesser regeneration, and armor. This must all be thanks to the chubby little reptiles that she had gobbled up one after the other. They might be famous for their unique thick poisonous skin, but their flesh was also very nutritious and contained high regenerative properties. The little fatsos sometimes could even regenerate whole limbs at times. Tang Yue could only guess that the smander¡¯s bloodline carried this unique regeneration ability and when she ended up absorbing and assimting that bloodline into her own, she gained its special ability as well. Moreover, the animal was even kind enough to boost her poison resistance and venom toxicity. Maybe with her upgraded poison resistance and toxicity of her venom, these skills might actually end up being useful. Tang Yue was excited. There were so many new avenues to improve her strength. She was not a weak helpless little girl anymore. ¡°He He¡­ Just wait for me dad, your precious daughter will put on a good show for you!¡± Tang Yue sneered and rxed her tensed muscles. She retreated back to the dark corner of the cave and silently coiled herself back into a bundle. Her meridians were not yet fully healed. Based on the description of the skill, Tang Yue could only roughly guess that the process might take her quite a few days. So she wanted to wait in the safety of the cave, while they were being repaired. Though she could already feel the energizing mana swirling around her¡­ With every breath she inhaled, mana permeated her tired and hungry body. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but be awed by the regeneration ability. It was a lesser regeneration ability that she had gained from a meremon grade beast, but even so, right now, this small insignificant ability was saving her life. Tang Yue¡¯s crippled meridians had always been a mystery. When she was born, she didn¡¯t have this deformity. She could even vaguely remember being the pride and joy of her father and mother once upon a time. But everything changed the night when her mother cryptically disappeared. The entire n searched for her mother for years thinking maybe she was kidnapped or murdered, but in the end because of certain people her mother wasbeled as a traitor and thief, and long forgotten. Tang Yue was still a small child when all this happened, so she didn¡¯t remember much from the incident. All she remembered was pain, and the next day the royal physician had diagnosed her crippled meridians. He had dered that they werepletely crushed beyond recovery and that only a heaven-grade body tempering pill might probably help her now, that too extremely unlikely. But how could the poor and inept serpentine n afford something like that? So Tang Yue could only broken-heartedly ept her miserable fate and live like a ve. Well, not anymore. Tang Yue closed her emerald eyes and flickered her forked tongue in and out, as she slowly and steadily absorbed the mana around her. Though it was in a very small quantity, it was still a pleasant and warm sensation that cradled her body. She enjoyed this new experience and patiently waited for her meridians to full heal. Days quickly passed and Tang Yue calmly cultivated in silence. Her somber eyes only opened when she sensed a sudden increase in the mana invading her body. Chapter 27: Unexpected gains? Part2 Chapter 27: Unexpected gains? Part2 Tang Yue immediately flipped open her status screen and confirmed that her mana stats hadpletely recovered. Not only that, but her illusion magic was also unlocked now. All of this proved that her meridians were fully healed. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe because the smander could regenerate its body from scratch, my crippled meridians were easily resolved.¡± Tang Yue sighed in relief. She couldn¡¯t help but respect the fact that even a low-levelmon grade beast possessed a godly ability like this! Tang Yue slithered from the damp corner of the cave and decided to head out for a bit. After being stuck in the small cave for days together, Tang Yue wanted to shift to her human form and stretch out her limbs a bit. Now that her meridians were finally repaired, she had a long list of things to do and people to payback. Tang Yue greedily absorbed the heaven and earth¡¯s energy around her as she peeked out of the cave. ¡°Huh??¡± Suddenly, something felt weird. Her body was stuck between the creepers as she tried to get out of the cave. ¡°What is happening?¡± The confused woman looked left and right. She didn¡¯t have any problems before getting in and out of the cave, so what happened now? Just when she was pondering, her pensive eyes slowly fell on her lower body. Huh? Ugh? Why did she look so fat? And the next instant¡­ Ahhhhhhhh¡­ A loud scream echoed inside her brain. Well, she was currently in the middle of a forest, otherwise, she would have screamed out aloud. The snake-woman twisted and turned and looked at herself up and down, her eyes widening with every look. Her previously sensual, seductive, and alluring body was now reced with a thick torso, without any indication of any sort of a curve. As she gazed at her fattened body, she couldn¡¯t help but think back to the chubby little reptile that she had gulped down, one after the other. ¡°Damn it all !!! How is this even evolving?? Isn¡¯t it more like devolving???¡± ¡°Damn it!! Is this the fucking Armor skill??? Is this the protectiveyer???¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any protection! Thank you!¡± She would literally be a humongous walking target in this godforsaken forest! What use were her repaired meridians, if she was going to die the very same day???! This is exactly why the orcs who also had a thick body like the new her never ever traveled alone. They always moved together in groups, so that they could fend off their enemies with sheer numbers. But she was a single party!!! How was she supposed to survive this death sentence??? Tang Yue then quickly changed into her serpentine form, holding on to thest bit of hope that at least in her serpentine form she might not be as thick¡­ But unfortunately, her snake body as well looked thick and rigid. Even if she was lucky enough to survive in this deadly forest, what would happen when she actually returned to the pce??!!! Among the beautiful and mesmerizing noble elf consorts, she would look like a pig. She would literally be theughing stock of the entire elven establishment. Arghhh¡­ Tang Yue was going crazy with anger. ¡°This fucking system is an absolute scam!!! How is a warrior like me supposed to fight with this thick fat body??¡± The system which had been ying dead until now finally responded. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Tang Yue angrily retorted. Speed and agility should be more important than a stupid non-specific weak ass fat defense like this!! But she was just shouting at air. She didn¡¯t get any other response from the system. Tang Yue flopped back onto the cave¡¯s rough surface and sighed out in exasperation. She then calmed herself down and racked her brain to think of a strategy. ¡°If even my damaged meridians could be cured, then surely this fat shouldn¡¯t be a big deal!¡± ¡°Fu Fu Fu. Let¡¯s calm down.¡± She had gained so much, both literally and figuratively, just by absorbing the smander¡¯s bloodline. What would happen if she gathers certain othermon-grade or even low-grade beast bloodlines? Particrly the thin and agile ones? And this forest should be chocked full of them! ¡°I can do this.¡± She took a few deep breaths in and calmed herself down. Surely, this problem should be simple enough to ovee. Tang Yue patted her chest and consoled herself. The important thing was that she was able to cultivate again. Right now her strength was too low and her body was too weak. Maybe that¡¯s why the physical defense was given such high importance during evolution. If she actually became stronger, then this stupid protectiveyer should automatically be disabled. Right? Tang Yue cursed her bad luck and stepped out of the cave after a few irritating jiggling and wiggling actions. She shifted to her human form and quickly took out her powerful long sword. ¡°For now, relying on this over-powered weapon should be my safest option.¡± Earlier, Tang Yue had spotted a few bristle wolves back at the lemongrass pasture. And she was afraid to go further deep into the forest in her current defenseless state. So she decided to retrace her steps back to the wolves. As she cautiously maneuvered through the forest, she couldn¡¯t help but think of the exceedingly hairy bristle wolves. A vivid image surfaced in her already troubled mind, her silky smooth skin covered by coarse thick hairs. ¡°Oh damn. If I absorb this stupid bloodline, am I going to look like a hairy vixen now???¡± Tang Yue¡¯s entire body broke out into goosebumps as she shook her head and shoved that image off of her mind. ¡°Fuck it. Safety is more important.¡± She gritted her teeth and dashed towards the lemongrass pasture. Chapter 28: Narrow escape Chapter 28: Narrow escape As Tang Yue cautiously moved around on the forest grounds, she had a clear goal in mind. It was a simple and straightforward strategy. Her n was to hunt as many bristle wolves as possible and retreat back to her cave hideout to binge on them one by one until she regained her previous alluring sensual figure. With her mid-grade long sword in hand and her improved venom toxicity, Tang Yue was quite confident that she could achieve this feat. In fact, the only thing that she was concerned about was the number of wolves. One or two, she could easily handle without a sweat, but she didn¡¯t yet have the confidence to manage an entire pack of wolves. Tang Yue¡¯s chubby body soon reached near the lush pasture. She crouched in a nearby bush, and carefully examined the area for any wolf sighting. And vo, just as she had expected, there was one big guy strutting near the swampy mess, by the huge tree. Wolves were much more agile and responsivepared to smanders and would definitely put up a decent fight against her. They usually roamed around in groups, but it looked like this was her lucky day, since this guy was alone. However, unbeknownst to the snake woman, fourrge birds circled the sky above her moving figure. As Tang Yue carefully watched her prey and moved closer, the four birds as well followed her closely, ready to attack. The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind! The snake woman suddenly sprang forward from the bush and dashed towards the wolf, fully ready to engage it in a duel. The wolf was startled initially but soon regained itsposure and snarled at the iing danger. It reared its paw and smoothly blocked the iing sword sh. A loud deafening ng sounded as the metal screeched against its paws. As Tang Yue red at the ferocious wolf and withdrew her sword to sh at it again, the animal¡¯s eyes surprisingly moved upwards. Intuitively Tang Yue also lifted her head up, slightly sensing something fast approaching. As soon as she looked up, shock and fear filled her eyes. ¡°Damn it.¡± she cursed out loud. Four fire twin-tail birds were flying towards her at an rming speed. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. It looked like the birds had chosen her, the juicier one, instead of the scrawny bristle wolf as their night¡¯s dinner. And unlike the bristle wolf which was just amon-grade beast, these mighty birds were actually low-grade beasts. Tang Yue waspletely cornered. Everything was happening at lightning speed. She waved her sword around, but to no avail. Too many attacks were slipping through. At this moment, she was genuinely thankful for her new protective defense. But even with it, Tang Yue¡¯s entire body was covered in bite marks and blood was oozing out from almost all parts of her body. With the taste of her thick luscious beast blood in their mouth, the birds kept continually drilling at her. Their agility and speed were top-notch making Tang Yue unable to respond to even a single attack. And the frightened wolf had run away a long time ago at the first signs of the approaching danger. Now only Tang Yue was left, stuck defending against a losing battle, that was probably going to cost her her life. ¡°This is not happening.¡± Tang Yue shouted. Clearly, she was outnumbered and less skilled. Running for her life was the only option left! She would probably be safe if she ran back into that cave. But it was too far away. Then her eyes fell on the muddy swamp waters nearby. She had no idea whaty at the bottom of that swamp. Something even stronger than the birds could be waiting there for her, but she had no other choice except to try her luck. Without another thought, Tang Yue shifted into her serpentine form and started slithering away at her maximum speed. Her body looked even more gruesome in the snake form. Several parts of her skin had been pecked out, blood was oozing out and her dark grey flesh was almostpletely exposed. As she left a trail of blood, Tang Yue didn¡¯t care about anything and rushed towards the swamp as her life depended on it. Maybe because she suddenly shape-shifted into her snake form, the birds were confused for a second and she got a head start. But her thick body still gave her away, as the birds immediately started attacking the snake that was running away from them. Tang Yue bore the pain and continued running without even flinching. 20 feet ¡­10 feet¡­ 5 feet¡­ Holding her life in her hands, she dove into the swamp like it was a wall of protective barrier. She went deeper and deeper till finally, the birds had to give up on her. Her entire body burnt as the grimy salty water touched her exposed flesh, but at least she had escaped the birds for the time being. Tang Yue¡¯s beautiful emerald eyes werepletely bloodshot as she settled ufortably on the murky grounds at the bottom of the swamp. She hesitatingly looked around here and there. ¡°Please let there be no monster here.¡± Luckily, apart from a few fishes, nothing else seemed to be swimming past her, at least in her corner. Heaving a sigh of relief, Tang Yue finally rxed. She was out of danger¡­ at least for now. Despite the tiredness that swept over her body, her weary bloodshot eyes stayed open to watch out for any potential iing danger. Chapter 29: Fighting back Chapter 29: Fighting back Tang Yue patiently waited at the bottom of the swamp. The murky waters hid most of what was happening above her. So she had no idea how many hours had passed. Though she could feel her body slowly healing, thanks to her new regeneration ability. After a while, she slowly swam upwards and peeked her head out. ¡°The birds surely must have left by now?¡± But unfortunately for her, the four assholes were still lingering around the area, ready to swoop in the minute she stepped outside. Tang Yue wasn¡¯t really surprised at this. After all these fire twin-tails were low-grade beasts. Low-grade beasts possessed much more intelligence than themon-grade beasts. Most of the low-grade beasts even consolidated their own beast cores, something thatmon-grade beasts were unable to achieve. These beast cores are typically in high demand and can be consumed for improving one¡¯s cultivation. In fact, others would have jumped at the sight of these birds, and hunted them to the end of the heavens, but since Tang Yue was still weak, the tables had turned and the birds were hunting her instead. Tang Yue gritted her teeth and popped her head back into the swamp waters. She had to think of something fast. Staying here only increased the danger she was in with every passing minute. She could patiently stay here and simply wait them out. But if the birds stuck around for so long, it was very unlikely that they would give up any time soon. So she really only had two options left, either escape undetected or fight back. The former was almost impossible with her thick body. So her only resort was thetter. She had to fight back! Tang Yue cursed her bad luck and thought about her fighting options. She mainly had three things in her arsenal. Her over-powered sword, her poisonous fangs, and her poisonous spit. The wounded snake-woman indifferently blinked as she concocted a n to get out of this tricky situation. After a few minutes, she stuck her neck out from her hiding corner and quickly caught a bunch of fishes swimming past her. She then slowly slithered closer to the surface and popped her head out to make sure that the birds were still nearby. The murky waters camouged her dark blue body and she was almost invisible. Tang Yue then positioned herself carefully and slowly released the dead fishes she was holding in her curled up tail. The fishes were pale white in color and floated belly up on the surface as soon as they were released from her tail¡¯s grip. SQUAWK¡­ SQUAWK¡­ Just as she had expected, a loud screeching noise sounded the very next second. One of the fire twin-tails dashed towards the small pool of dead fishes. These beasts had a voracious appetite and were easily swayed by greed. Tang Yue took advantage of this exact weakness and had lured out her first prey. ¡°You dared to bite at my soft body! Die. Hmph.¡± Tang Yue immediately opened her small mouth as wide as she could, revealing her silver fangs. A jet of thick ck liquid emerged from her fangs as she aimed directly for the iing bird¡¯s eyes and beak area. The surprised bird let out a yelp and twitched mid-air before falling st on the swamp waters. Before its otherrades could respond, Tang Yue hurriedly wrapped its struggling body with her thick tail end and dragged the poor bird underwater. Though she was not long enough to wrap around the entire bird, she was still able to hold on to the lower half tightly. Considering that the bird was poisoned, that was sufficient to cement her grip on the struggling bird. Held within her tight grasp, the bird couldn¡¯t even struggle and it pitifully drowned in the murky waters. Ding. 1 Fire twin-tailed bird killed Ding. 100 Experience points have been rewarded ¡°Wahhh¡­ So many experience points.¡± Tang Yue was giddy with joy. With danger came opportunity as well! 1 down 3 more to go. The devious snake grinned as it silently plotted to draw the other three in a simr manner. Tang Yue waited patiently for a few minutes before repeating her same strategy again. She had already tucked away the big bird¡¯s corpse in her space pearl. She was not sure if the birds would fall for the same trick twice but she decided to try it anyways. And luckily for her, the next one as well swooped in to grab the dead fishes and was mercilessly pulled down by the fat snake. Ding. 1 Fire twin-tailed bird killed Ding. 100 Experience points have been rewarded Tang Yue grinned. Things were finally going her way and it looked like she might even level up from this encounter! The next one also ended up falling for the same trap, but thest bird became warier. No matter how many fishes she threw out, it didn¡¯t dare to carelessly approach the swamp waters. Tang Yue scoffed at the ferocious-looking bird and its dark red feathers. ¡°So what if you won¡¯te to me, I wille to you, my precious!¡± She might have been at a disadvantage when it was four against one, but now it was just one versus one. Chapter 30: Caught red-handed Chapter 30: Caught red-handed Tang Yue hid beneath the muddy swamp surface as she spat out the space pearl from her mouth. She retrieved the long sword from the pearl and quickly shapeshifted into her human form. Her plus-sized figure created ripples in the still murky waters as she clenched her overpowered long sword. She carefully positioned herself and leaped at thest confused bird with every bit of speed and agility she could muster. The bird got stunned and flustered. It immediately tried to fly out and escape, but Tang Yue¡¯s sharp sword cut through its body in no time, heavily injuring one of its wings in the process. Without its powerful wings and its enhanced agility, the bird was totally helpless like a chicken on a chopping board. Its sharp talons were barely a match to Tang Yue¡¯s mid-grade long sword, and the fight was over in no time. Tang Yue smoothly finished the bird in a couple of seconds and pocketed the fourth bird as well in her space pearl. Ding. 1 Fire twin-tailed bird killed Ding. 100 Experience points have been rewarded Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up Ding. Congrattions. Superfast level up bonus: The lucky wheel feature has been unlocked Ding. You have 3 chances for the lucky wheel Several new notifications popped up, but Tang Yue decisively ignored them for now. It was time to return back to the pce. She had neither finished the alchemy association mission nor the quest issued by the system. But none of that mattered whenpared to her life. Her meridians were finally healed and she can easily power-up in thefort of her pce chamber, so why should she unnecessarily engage in life and death battles in the middle of a deadly forest??? ¡°This missy does not fight losing battles!¡± Tang Yue changed back into her thick serpentine form and slithered as fast as she could towards the Elven establishment. She was already near the outskirts of the forest and should definitely be able to reach the settlement area by nightfall. And just as she had expected, Tang Yue did reach the pce gates in a few hours, though she had almost exhausted her entire stamina and energy to get there. She didn¡¯t know how exactly to quantify it, but she definitely felt that her speed and strength had vastly increased after reaching Level 2. Fuuu¡­ Fuuu¡­ Tang Yue breathed out in relief. It was almost midnight, and she was finally back in the safety of the pce. On any given day, she would rather lock heads with these poisonous consortspared to those dangerous wild beasts. Wait, or was it the other way around? Tang Yue chuckled as she momentarily forgot about her new physique and happily strutted into the pce in a rxed manner. All the consorts¡¯ chambers were located in the vicinity of the crown prince¡¯s main resting chamber. Because theoretically, their sole purpose in the pce was to serve him and ensure his entertainment and rxation. So Tang Yue¡¯s chamber was also close to his, though hers was on one of the remote corners. She still needed to walk past the main courtyard to reach her chamber. ¡°That idiot Dranuk and other headaches can wait till tomorrow. Tonight this princess deserves a nice long beauty sleep.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and happily skipped over towards her chamber. The entire day had been a fucking roller coaster and she was very mentally exhausted. But little did she know that the day was not yet over!!! The happy snake hummed a tune, as she obliviously walked over to her chamber, half-smiling, and half-yawning. When suddenly¡­ A loud boisterousughter sounded behind her. It was so loud and clear as if someone had dropped an enormous ss chandelier from the ceiling to the floor. ¡°Which madman was out thiste???¡± Tang Yue, who was very annoyed and slightly curious turned around to see what happened when her entire body froze up in shock. In front of her, a dozen or so heavily armor-d glittering and shimmering royal elven generals were scattered. Each and every one of them was a superior warrior andbat expert, with their strength and battle prowess a hundred times surpassing her own capabilities. ¡°Why are these monsters gathered in the middle of the night?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s tired mind pondered as her gaze fell on the two particrly eye-catching elves standing in their midst. The elf on the right was the one who hadughed out so rambunctiously and still continued his obnoxiousughter. While the one on the left, looked at her, with his sharp piercing eyes lingering on her body. The man had a long flowing silver hair and his aura was arrogant and intimidating. Tang Yue instantly stiffened. How could she not know who this was?!! ¡°Oh shit!¡± Tang Yue panicked. She had almost forgotten about her new figure. Heavens only knew how this cold-blooded arrogant elven prince might react to this sudden change?? Would he consider such a small ¡­cough¡­cough¡­ and insignificant change in the figure as an intentional disrespect?? Chapter 31: Lucky (or unlucky?) wheel Part1 Chapter 31: Lucky (or unlucky?) wheel Part1 Tang Yue frowned. She had never seen the crown prince in person before today. She absolutely had no idea how to react in this situation. The man¡¯s pale face was covered with a devil¡¯s mask. And his eyes¡­ She was not sure if she was imagining it, but the man¡¯s eyes seemed to be dark red, the color of tainted blood. Snapping out of her reverie, she somehow managed to bow and mumble in a low voice. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± But adding to her misery, prince Xavier, crown prince Xander¡¯s elder brother clutched his stomach and kept onughing. Heughed so hard, that he was about to wake up the entire pce. The other elven generals also had strange looks on their faces, but no one else dared tough out loud like prince Xavier. The man had guts. Tang Yue ufortably fidgeted. She could faintly feel the cold-blooded prince¡¯s frigid stare on her soul. This was the man who had ughtered thousands of enemies and reached the demi-god stage. In front of his overwhelming presence, her body involuntarily trembled. She really wanted to run away from there, or at least dig a hole and bury herself in it, but unfortunately, she could do neither of those, unless the crown prince allowed it. The royalty always made the first move, unless one was dismissed. Tang Yue didn¡¯t dare lift her head up. She had only heard tales and rumors about him. But just those were enough to instill fear and dread in her heart. This man was a monster. With her head still bowed down, she clutched the edges of her robe and tried to calm her shivering body. Though it felt like an eternity for Tang Yue, the crown prince¡¯s cold frosty eyes had merely gazed at her for an instant. His impassive figure continued to walk back to the royal chamber, ignoring the snake consort as if nothing had happened. The rest of the party as well followed behind him, with prince Xavier finally stopping his lunatic fit ofughter. He threw onest look of mockery at the bowing plus-sized snake woman and adjusted hisposure before catching up to the others. With her head still bent down, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes trailed thest of the disappearing legs. Making sure everyone had left, she turned around and ran for her life, without looking back. Only after reaching her chamber and closing the door behind her, she slightly rxed. She copsed on her feathered bed. ¡°Damn it. That can never happen again.¡± Her pale blue chest heaved up and down. ¡°I need to stay away from that man¡­ as far away as possible.¡± Tang Yue closed her eyes and tried to catch a bit of sleep, but her heart was still racing from the startling encounter a few minutes ago. Tossing and turning restlessly on her bed, she summoned her status screen to take a look at her upgraded features. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 2 (0/800) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 11 Heat resistance: Level 6 Cold resistance: Level 6 Lightning resistance: Level 8 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 30/30 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 30/30 Mana regeneration: 2mp/hr ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% ______________ Skills: [Illusion magic] ¨C Passive skill, Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Armor] ¨C Passive skill, Body is enveloped in a thick protectiveyer [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Startle] ¨C Active skill, Level 0, Disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration ______________ Tang Yue frowned as she looked at the pitiful changes from her level up. Her health and mana had only increased by a measly number and her other attributes were still stuck at the same level. It looked like she even gained a new skill, but it waspletely useless at its current level. The Startle skill was a basic illusion magic skill, the innate ability of the serpentine n members. Literally, everyone who had even the tiniest bit of mana in their body could activate this skill. And it was basically useless if the other party was stronger than her. ¡°Well, it¡¯s still something.¡± Tang Yue made a mental note to spend time leveling these skills and quickly flipped open the next flickering notification. This is what she was particrly looking forward to!! The mysterious lucky wheel feature!! As soon as she touched it, a bright fluorescent multi-colored wheel popped up in front of her. The sparkling obscenity was also apanied by a cacophony of celebratory noises. The sleep-deprived snake woman cringed as she ignored the unnecessary pomp and ir and looked at the scramblings on the lucky wheel. Chapter 32: Lucky (or unlucky?) wheel Part 2 Chapter 32: Lucky (or unlucky?) wheel Part 2 Tang Yue¡¯s beautiful crescent eyes widened as she gazed at the messy scramblings on the multicolored wheel. 1. Heavens Path arcane art 2. 100 Experience Points 3. Thundering lightning steps 4. 100 Experience Points 5. Archaic elemental contract The first few lines made her drool. Heavens Path arcane art!! Thundering lightning steps!! Archaic elemental contract?!! Every single option was heaven defyingly powerful!! If she by chance managed to get her hands on any of these powerful techniques, her cultivation would progress much more smoothly. Even the buffer spots which offered 100 Experience points didn¡¯t seem that bad. Who wouldn¡¯t want some free experience? But as her eyes moved downward, Tang Yue was tongue-tied. She almost puked blood looking at these weird options. 6. Approach Queen consort Charlotte and caress her breasts 7. 100 Experience Points 8. Enter the Crown Prince chambers at midnight without clothes 9. 100 Experience Points 10. Kick Prince Xavier¡¯s balls Wasn¡¯t this a bit entric?? ¡°You perverted old man, correct those options! Right now!¡± She screamed inside her brain. [Cough. Cough. Please address me as a system, or as your master. Other terms are not encouraged.] The familiar nasally voice sounded. ¡°Encouraged my ass! Why don¡¯t you act like a legendary senior and be more decent?!!¡± Tang Yue fumed. [The current lucky wheel has these ten options and cannot be modified at this level. Pleasee backter.] ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± Tang Yue was speechless. [It is notpulsory to use the lucky wheel. The three lucky wheel chances can be saved forter.] Tang Yue frowned. She knew that the system was just clearly stating the rules, but she sure could sense the mockery in the elder¡¯s tone. Fuck it. Who wouldn¡¯t use this godly opportunity?? There was a solid chance to get a high tier martial art technique or a magic technique or even a movement technique. She would be a fool to let this opportunity slip by. But on the other hand,nding on any of the three traps on the wheel would send her straight to the executioner¡¯s block!! Kicking an elven prince¡¯s private parts?? Molesting the queen consort?? shing the crown prince?? Tang Yue was pretty sure that every single one of these offenses would put her on a fast track to her death sentence. ¡°Damn it. Bastard. If I ever get my hands on you¡­¡± Tang Yue cursed the system which almost made her puke blood. With the tiredness finally settling in, she eventually dozed off. She still didn¡¯t quite decide if she would risk it or not, but such¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ important decisions concerning life and death should be taken after a good night¡¯s sleep and not in a half-conscious state. The next morning, as soon as the early pleasant rays of sun popped in, Tang Yue¡¯s chamber doors were opened with a loud resounding thud. The arrogant and mesmerizingly beautiful queen consort Charlotte as usual barged into Tang Yue¡¯s personal chamber without any sort of etiquette. Tang Yue sleepily peaked out from her bedding and rubbed her eyes. Yesterday night she unexpectedly had some vivid weird dreams involving her and the queen consort, so she was not sure if this was real or if she was still asleep. ¡°Morning. Sister.¡± Charlotte¡¯s icy voice sounded as the arrogant consort took liberties and walked over to Tang Yue¡¯s bed, without respecting her personal space. ¡°It looks like you are back from the alchemy association herb gathering mission.¡± ¡°Heh. I wonder what it is that made you decide toe back today of all days?¡± The woman red at Tang Yue and asked her in a threatening tone. Charlotte¡¯s two pce aides standing beside her red at Tang Yue as well, with hidden meaning in their nces. If it was just any other day, Tang Yue would be hopping mad by now with this tant disrespectful behavior, but today¡­ she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to look directly in Charlotte¡¯s eyes. Her pale blue cheeks darkened to a deep purple as she blushed and turned away. Noticing this subtle change, Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but get riled up further. Why was she blushing?? Did the crown prince meet with her?? Did something happen? Charlotte¡¯s mind was running wild. Little did she know that she was the reason why Tang Yue¡¯s cheeks were blushing deeply. ¡°You. Answer me right now. Who informed you that we are having the grand feast today? Isn¡¯t that why you came back?¡± Huh? Tang Yue was genuinely confused. What grand feast? ¡°Can your highness please leave this chamber? I am not feeling quite up to being interrogated this early in the morning.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s clear melodious voice sounded. Charlotte¡¯s eyes shed in anger, but the elf realized that she had crossed a line just now. So she quickly changed the subject. ¡°Ha Ha. Sorry sister. I was just making sure you got the information.¡± ¡°Our warriors from the south have returned from their bountiful adventure and we will be having a grand feast in the pce tonight.¡± ¡°Make sure to take care of your ugly eye bags before then.¡± She sarcastically chuckled and walked out of Tang Yue¡¯s private chamber. Chapter 33: You have worked hard Chapter 33: You have worked hard ¡°Are my eye bags really that bad?¡± Tang Yue touched her face and frowned in confusion. As soon as the queen consort Charlotte left her chambers, she sighed and rxed her hand, that was holding up the bedding to cover her changed appearance. ¡°So today is the grand feast huh? A fateful coincidence indeed.¡± The curled up snake woman muttered, unwilling to still get up from the bed. This must have been why the generals and the two princes were holding a midnight meeting yesterday when she bumped into them. Outside her chamber, watching the queen consort leave, Lotte immediately rushed over and profusely apologized. ¡°Sorry, your highness. I couldn¡¯t stop the princess.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Let that be. What is this grand feast she was talking about?¡± Tang Yue asked, finally getting out of bed. Lotte¡¯s eyes instantly widened in surprise at the sight of his master¡¯s erged appearance, but he tactfully adjusted his expression so as to not insult the royal consort. ¡°Every lunar cycle some of our royal generals head south to clear the beast horde and prevent them from encroaching too much on our elven territories and other subsidiary n settlements on the outskirts.¡± He then proudly added. ¡°Three Lunar cycles back our Crown Prince had valiantly in a Myr dragon that was terrorizing that area and ever since then, we were able to control these beast hordes.¡± ¡°This is all because of our Crown Prince¡¯s capabilities and power. The royal highness has always put the life and safety of our people first.¡± The little pce aide elf Lotte had already forgotten the original question and had begun to sing praises of the Crown Prince. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­ That¡¯s enough.¡± Tang Yue stopped him. Her ears couldn¡¯t take this much assault early in the morning. The man was not too bad, but she just couldn¡¯t stomach his glorious praises. There was something about those arrogant eyes that she had inadvertentlye to hate. ¡°Good. Let¡¯s prepare to head over to the feast area.¡± Apparently the feast was specially cooked with high-grade and medium-grade beast meats that the troop had hunted and it was a good opportunity for Tang Yue to unleash her gluttony skills. Eat more and be stronger was her motto these days! Tang Yue decided to save the Fire twin-tailed birds forter as she had to reserve her stomach space for the free royal lunch. But unfortunately, there really was no such thing as a free lunch¡­ After getting ready, Tang Yue apanied by Lotte, her pce aide, walked over to the main banquet hall. This was her first time attending such a high profile event, and considering her current special body condition, she didn¡¯t want to attract much attention towards herself. So Tang Yue nned to settle in a bit earlier than the norm and inconspicuously hide in some corner of the room. After all, taking into ount the other extravagant chambers in the pce, the banquet hall also had to be humungous andvish. It should technically be easy for her to blend into the background. But as she walked into the chamber, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp in astonishment at the sight in front of her. This was a hundred times more grand than she had ever expected! The banquet chamber was deliriously huge with several long smooth rows of tables, covered in shiny red silk and chairs, made out of pure glittering gold. The huge room and the seating arrangements had an overwhelming capacity of more than a hundred guests!! Shimmering jewels, gold, diamond, and silver ornaments were vomited onto the feast tables as casual adornments. The entire room was sparkling in luxury and style. Even with all of these overboard decorations, the hall still retained its elegant and ssic charm. This indeed was a feast befitting the tyrannical cold-blooded elven Crown Prince and the almighty elven Emperor! As Tang Yue looked around in awe, she noticed that quite a few guests had arrived before her. On one side, a bunch of orcs were gathered together, looking particrly savage and ferocious. On another side, a few fairies were happily chattering and gossiping. There were even other beast n members present like the reynards (male fox spirit beasts) and the vixens (female fox spirit beasts). It looked like the banquet was a mixed gathering event, that held quite a bit of political significance. Did this mean her serpentine n members were also present? As Tang Yue¡¯s beautiful eyes searched the crowd for her traitorous family members, the sound of solid footsteps echoed near her, followed by a vulgar crackle. ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. You¡­ Ha Ha Ha. You have returned back, pretty princess! And from the looks of it, you have worked really hard this time!! Ha Ha Ha.¡± Master Dranuk¡¯s loud voice and his belligerent cackle stunned Tang Yue. For heaven¡¯s sake, the stupid elf didn¡¯t even care that he was amidst a royal gathering!! Chapter 34: You are a disgrace Chapter 34: You are a disgrace The old elf Dranuk tried to hold back hisughter, but he just couldn¡¯t. ¡°Princess¡­ Just how¡­ Ha Ha¡­ People havee back with cut, bruises, other injuries, even losing a limb or two¡­¡± ¡°But this is the first time¡­ Aha Ha Ha¡­ Someone has managed to plump themselves up in the dangerous forests!!¡± ¡°Just what did you think these assignments were? pic trips? Did you at least manage to get the herbs? Ha Ha ha..¡± Bingo! Dranuk had hit the nail right on its head. Tang Yue hadn¡¯t really managed to get the herbs for her assignment and she also didn¡¯t have a handy exnation for her sudden change in appearance. She could only grit her teeth and silently ignore the asshole¡¯s cruel taunts. Surprisingly, a familiar figure intervened. Royal consort Adriana, the elven princess from the southern empire, and talented in alchemy walked over and stood next to Tang Yue. Since the old elf was really loud and talkative, of course, she heard the whole thing. ¡°Why was a lower level disciple sent for an alchemy gathering mission, esteemed Master Dranuk?¡± Her clear and crisp voice broke the noisy mor. ¡°Princess Adriana, with all due respect, this is none of your business.¡± The old elf angrily retorted. His previous boisterous smile waspletely reced by disdain and contempt. ¡°Oh. But it is, esteemed Master. You see, she is my sister after all. And that makes it my business.¡± ¡°Damn it.¡± Dranuk spat out. At this point, several guests started trickling in, and Master Dranuk didn¡¯t dare cause amotion in the royal feast celebration. Stupid bitches! He silently walked away staring daggers at Adrianna and Tang Yue. ¡°Meh. Don¡¯t worry about that old goat. He needs to be put in his ce again.¡± Adriannaforted Tang Yue, and Tang Yue responded with a grateful smile. Even though she could have handled this situation on her own, it still felt good to have at least one friend in this wasp nest. ¡°You know¡­ If you have any problems, you cane to talk to me at any time. Depression can be dangerous.¡± Adrianna slightly leaned closer and whispered. ¡°And don¡¯t listen to what anyone says. You still look beautiful. I will teach you a few sword movements, and you can regain your figure in no time.¡± She further added with a concerned voice. Tang Yue didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. This stupid system had given her an eating disorder!! She simply smiled and nodded. What else could she say? ¡°Take care then. I will meet youter. My dad and my friends are here. Enjoy the feast.¡± The beautiful elf quickly disappeared gliding across the surface like an angel. Tang Yue sighed in relief. Now that this drama was over, she was finally free to make herself inconspicuous. But she had rxed too soon¡­ She had barely taken a few steps and her serpentine n rtives showed up right on time. It looked like they were also invited to the big feast, though only her father and the Serpentine Emperor had arrived. The Emperor took one look at her and then walked straight past her shaking his head in disapproval. But her father stayed back and made sure she knew exactly what was in his mind. ¡°You had one job. All you had to do was keep your head down and stay pretty. You couldn¡¯t even do that?¡± ¡°Our n took care of you for your entire life, even if you were crippled. And this is how you repay us?¡± ¡°I am truly ashamed daughter. You have disappointed me greatly this time. You are a disgrace to our entire n.¡± Tang Yue sneered. It is good to see you too, dad! She held her head high and met his eyes with her unwavering gaze. ¡°Hmm¡­ Watch your tone, my dearest father. I am no longer your crippled daughter.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes shed with a wave of burning anger and arrogance. Huh? Tang Shen was stunned. She was no longer crippled? Tang Yue chuckled, understanding his confusion. ¡°I meant that I am a royal consort of the esteemed elven crown prince.¡± She decided to save her non-crippled status as a special surprise for her dear fatherter on. ¡°So you better watch how you talk to me, lest I might just have to whisper in his highness ears, how you ridiculed me in front of the royal guests.¡± Tang Shen frowned and angrily muttered under his breath. ¡°Hmph. Stupid brat. You are just a useless political hostage trash. Don¡¯t think too highly of yourself!¡± But, just like she had said, he just couldn¡¯t afford to make a scene here. So Tang Shen silently left after shooting onest re at his beloved daughter. And Tang Yue was finally free to enjoy her royal feast in peace¡­ or was she? Chapter 35: Her stomach is a bottomless pit Part1 Chapter 35: Her stomach is a bottomless pit Part1 ¡°Ah! I have been too naive!!¡± Tang Yue frowned massaging her temples. Even though her path seemed to be clear for now, the snake woman stood frozen near the entrance. She even had half a mind topletely ignore this godforsaken feast and get the hell out of here. Because as opposed to what she had hoped for, there was no such thing as remaining inconspicuous in this milieu of who¡¯s who. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes scanned the rows and rows of glimmering tables but unfortunately found no ignored corner. Every single spot in the banquet chamber was upied by some big shot. Actually only big shots were invited to these feasts. So how could she disappear in this crowd of celebrities? Also, her being a beast and donning the royal garb made it literally impossible for her to blend in. Tang Yue sighed and took a deep breath. She then proceeded to walk into the gathering with her head held high but her gaze low. She spotted an empty stretch of chairs, near the fairies and reluctantly sat there. With all the glitter and sparkle surrounding the fairies, it was probably her best bet to blend into the background. Not long after she sat down, another figure entered the banquet chamber and silently walked over to sit next to her. It was a male fairy with very unusual patterned wings. Rather than his wings, his mannerisms stood out more. The person seemed to be just silently sitting next to her, without chit-chatting with the other fairies besides them. After hesitating for a while, Tang Yue felt awkward and decided to greet the neer. She put on a brave facade and turned around to smile but was instead shocked silly. A pair of menacing crimson red eyes stared at her questioningly, driving a chill deep into her bones. Tang Yue quickly turned away, not daring to look at that dangerous creature any longer. ¡°Bro. Chill with the attitude. I am minding my own business here.¡± She cursed under her breath. Fairies generally had a thin and slender body, adorned by two translucent magnificent wings. And the wings were not there just for show. They actually allowed them to fly freely in the sky. Just like the snakes, fairies were also powerful illusion magicians. Their glitter and glimmer might be mesmerizing but if you look too long at them, your mind would waver and crumble. However, unlike these typical fairies, the man next to her had a unique pair of wings and a dark and dangerous aura. The usual glitter and sparkle were absent and his wings looked like they had a fiery glow around them. The edges were even burnt to a crisp, making the wings almost broken. Tang Yue wondered if this particr fairy was ever able to fly. The man must be a cripple just like her! No wonder he was being ignored and neglected, and looked very angry! Once she saw his weakness, she quickly got over the intimidating aura. The crimson eyed fairy did not look that scary anymore. Propping her chubby head with her hand, the snake woman kept her gaze down and drew circles on the empty table, patiently waiting for it to be filled. The man next to her obviously noticed the subtle changes in her expressions. He was slightly amused but the smile disappeared quickly. His crimson eyes moved away from the bored-looking snake and shifted its focus back onto the table in the center, the main seating area for the elven royals. A few more minutes eventlessly passed, and suddenly the celebratory music changed. The entire chamber quieted down and the elven royal generals arrived one after the other, followed by the elven princes, Xavier, Luther, Luis, Oliver, and finally the Crown Prince Xander. Though they had donned simple and elegant royal robes, all five princes exuded a frighteningly strong aura, with each of them already at the demi-god level in cultivation. They perfectly showcased the strength and power of the Eldorian elven establishment. The Emperor was rumored to be under secluded cultivation and he rarely attended these events. So with the arrival of the elven princes, the feast was officially underway in full swing. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes brightened as the moment she had long waited for was finally here. ¡°Time to unleash my inner gluttony monster. Mu ha ha ha ha.¡± She grinned and started digging in. Chapter 36: Her stomach is a bottomless pit Part2 Chapter 36: Her stomach is a bottomless pit Part2 With the arrival of the elven princes, the feast officially began. Nimble pce aide elves dressed in pretty elegant attire buzzed around serving delicacies to the various tables. A heavenly aroma wafted out making Tang Yue visibly drool. This was her first time experiencing something like this. The elves lived like royalty while the snakes barely got by with their less than adequate resources. That too, her step-mother would keel over before a slice of medium-grade meat ever touched her mouth, a cripple¡¯s mouth. But now, in front of her,y tters and tters of tantalizing glistening cubes and skewers of low-grade, medium-grade, and even high-grade meat. Golden Boa, Twin-headed Monkey, Spiny Gargantuan, and some meat she didn¡¯t even recognize, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes glistened. She happily forgot her annoying pest problems and focused on amassing the maximum possible high-grade meat, both into her stomach and into her storage space pearl. A woman always considers saving for the future! Compared to the other convoluted methods to increase her strength, eating seemed to be a much simpler and straight forward method. As Tang Yue gulped down the meat cubes on her te, her mind couldn¡¯t help but wander to the troublesome lucky wheel. She still hadn¡¯t decided what to do with that special gift. It was too valuable to not risk spinning that wheel of madness and misery. The pondering snake woman nervously emptied the te, while a serving elf quickly glided over and refilled her te. But there was an odd look on that elf¡¯s face. Why did it feel like he visited this section more often than the others? Hmm¡­ Ultimately, the elf shrugged and pushed that disturbing thought aside. After all, everyone present at the feast were highly prominent people and their main agenda for today was probably not the high-quality food served. The feast was mainly to gather all the big shots and establish friendly social interactions and beneficial trade agreements. Two ns were less likely to wage war against each other if one depended on the other for such benefial trades and prosperity. The pce aide elf served some more delicacies to Tang Yue¡¯s side of the table and went back into the kitchen to grab some more. But then somethingpletely unexpected and weird happened¡­ The elf was brashly pulled aside and shoved into a corner. ¡°What is happening?¡± The poor elf trembled. The Queen Consort Charlotte¡¯s pce aide was standing in front of him with a threatening look on her face. ¡°You¡­ Make sure you add this tonic and serve the tter of food to the royal consort Tang Yue. Do you know who she is?¡± Her thundering voice frightened the poor elf. He hurriedly epted the small but deadly bottle of tonic and nodded. ¡°Yes, madam. The snake beast consort of Crown prince.¡± ¡°Mmmm¡­ You are correct. Just serve her the entire tter with the tonic and make sure she finishes it all.¡± The Queen Consort¡¯s pce aide quickly left the corner after handing out her instructions, leaving behind the poor bewildered elf. The poor guy might be a pce aide but he was not a fool. This was a very clear case of food poisoning. But he didn¡¯t dare defy the Queen Consort Charlotte¡¯s orders. Everyone was well aware of how vindictive and vile the woman was. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to make sure that she finishes everything? What if someone else eats the poisoned food by mistake??¡± Though he had several concerns, his only real option was to blindly follow the orders. It was not his ce to question the Queen Consort¡¯s authority. As the poor elf returned back to the kitchen, cursing his sorry fate that made him get entangled into something so sticky, he was suddenly pulled aside again!!! WHAT THE HELL!!!!! And weirdly enough, this time as well, someone handed him a bottle of tonic in the name of a royal consort and asked that the tonic be added to the food and delivered to Tang Yue. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The elf silently nodded and epted this tonic as well. He was already adding one bottle, he might as well add a few more. In for a penny, in for a pound. What he didn¡¯t understand was why all the consorts were targeting this one consort specifically?? It just didn¡¯t make sense. ¡°Well, I simply have to follow my instructions.¡± The elf shrugged and hurried back to the kitchen before someone else got to him, and busily took care of his special side quests. He looked at the slightly chubby pale blue-skinned beast consort, who seemed to be happily indulging herself, and sighed in pity. He then delivered the special tter to the snake consort and continued his serving duty as if nothing had happened. And Tang Yue as well happily gulped down half of the newly arrived dishes one after the other, saving the other half in her space pearl. When suddenly¡­ a series of unexpected but familiar notifications popped up. Chapter 37: The wheel of doom Chapter 37: The wheel of doom Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Ding. A poisonous object has been consumed. Ding. Poison Resistance has increased. Tang Yue stared at the translucent blue screen in front of her, as the corner of her mouth twitched. You¡­ WHY? JUST WHY???? She, of course, could easily guess the prime suspects. Her eyes slowly darted towards the elegant and mesmerizing Queen consort Charlotte who seemed to be busily chatting with her friends and rtives. As she was also eagerly looking towards Tang Yue, ever so often, waiting for the poison to take action, their eyes instantly met. Tang Yue¡¯s cold and murderous re frightened Charlotte and the beautiful elf immediately turned away in embarrassment. Bingo. Now that she had won that staring contest and caught the culprit red-handed Tang Yue shook her head in disappointment and continued binging on the meat in front of her. While she noticed the guilty look on Charlotte¡¯s face from across the room, Tang Yuepletely failed to notice the strange look on the perplexed fairy next to her. ¡°There is definitely something wrong with the meat this time, but this dumb snake is still stuffing her mouth with it??¡± The fairy hesitated but eventually, his eyes trailed back to the royal table. He was here on business today and couldn¡¯t bother to get involved in someone else¡¯s mess. A few more minutes passed and the feast was finallying to an end. With the divine smell of alcohol and aromatic delicacies still lingering in the air, everyone looked stuffed and sloshed. The elven princes bid their farewell and left one after the other. Several groups of elves and other guests also started excusing themselves and heading out of the banquet hall. Meeting and talking about business in such a public ce is not very convenient. The feast was more like a meet and greet and the real talks typically happened once the crowd dispersed into smaller groups. Tang Yue as well quietly mumbled something incoherent and excused herself. In the end, the feast turned out to be not that bad and she was excited to head back and look at her hard-earned upgrades. Also, she didn¡¯t want to stumble across her dear father and uncle one more time. As she quietly hurried over to her private chamber taking the short cut from the pce banquet hall, Tang Yue came across a very rare and strange sight. The eldest elven prince, Xavier was going at it in the pce weapons storage, with two sexy vixens. The trio were unabashedly moaning and enjoying themselves in the semi-private weapons storage room. Xavier in particr looked totally out of it, andpletely drunk. Tang Yue initially looked away in embarrassment but her cunning brain wheels nevertheless rotated on their own. In front of her was the perfect chance to knee the eldest elven prince, if the damned lucky wheel by chancended on that option!!! The elf was so sloshed that she doubted he will even remember the deedter on. She knew that she would never get this chance again, so Tang Yue quickly hid behind a corner and mentally willed for the ¡°lucky wheel¡± to materialize. She gritted her teeth and spun the damn thing, praying for it tond on something good. ¡°Go Go Go Go.¡± The snake woman excitedly cheered holding her life in her palm. But the wheel didn¡¯t reciprocate her urgency and only came to a halt after an entire minute. Ding. Congrattions. You have been rewarded 100 Experience points. Ahhh. Damn it. Tang Yue cursed. She clenched her fists and spun the wheel of doom for the second time. RA TA TA TA TA TA TA Ding. Congrattions. You have been rewarded 100 Experience points. ¡°What the hell?!!!¡± Tang Yue almost shouted in anger. She had mulled over this decision for an entire night and then some more, only for the stupid wheel tond on free experience points not once but twice??? ¡°Come in front of me, this elder who made this system. I promise I won¡¯t harm you.¡± Tang Yue let out a loud sigh, as she listlessly spun the stupid wheel for thest time, thereby using all her three chances. RA TA TA TA TA TA TA 50 seconds¡­ 55 second¡­ 60 seconds¡­ The wheel finally came to a halt, but this time around, weirdly it didn¡¯t stop on any particr option! The arrow on the wheel was stuck right in the middle, between two options: 5. Archaic elemental contract and 6. Approach Queen consort Charlotte and caress her breasts ¡°Finally!!¡± Tang Yue grinned. Though it looked fishy, with the arrow in the middle, Tang Yue firmly believed that she could argue with the system and get the one she wanted, the Archaic elemental contract, such a powerful cultivation technique!! Her time to power-up was finally here!!! Chapter 38: There is a cock in your hen house Part1 Chapter 38: There is a cock in your hen house Part1 [The system¡¯s rules are fixed and unmodifiable. If the arrow stops in between two options, you have to ept both, little snake.] ¡°Bullshit! You made this stupid system, so why can¡¯t you change it?? Can¡¯t you behave more like a respected ancestor of the snake n and less like a pervert??¡± Tang Yue tried her best to argue with the damned system, but only got the same robotic nasally answer. She hissed angrily and walked back to her private chamber. Now that she was done with her lucky draws, there was no point in staying in the weapon room any longer and witnessing the royal elf sex. ¡°Fine. I will do the other thing as well. Can you at least give me the elemental contract technique first?¡± She grumpily surrendered to the system¡¯s stupid rules. But the system was still bent on angering her to death. [You first have to finish your punishment to get the reward. I sincerely advise you to stop trying to find loopholes.] ¡°Hmph. I didn¡¯t ask for your damned advice.¡± Considering that Charlotte looked very upied and busy in the feast, Tang Yue decided to wait until the next day to approach her and molest her. She cursed the system and begrudgingly changed into morefortable clothing, before sitting down in a meditative pose. Now that she was able to cultivate mana, she busied herself and got down to it. Her stomach was also stuffed full, so this was the perfect thing to do right now. To condense a beast core, she had to first saturate her entire body with mana. Tang Yue centered herself and quietly felt the atmospheric mana. She sucked in deep breaths of air and circted the energy in her body. She barely managed to finish two cycles of cultivation when a familiar intruder barged into her chamber. It looked like she didn¡¯t have to wait till the next day to finish her quest after all! ¡°Don¡¯t you ever knock?¡± Tang Yue angrily scoffed. She very well knew why the princess was here in her room. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Charlotte stammered, still reeling in shock. How is this snake not dead yet??? She had used a very deadly poison this time around and even watched Tang Yue ingest the poisoned food right in front of her eyes. So how is she not dead yet?? Amused at her puzzled expression, Tang Yue revealed a subtle smile with an evil glint. ¡°Are you here to check if your poison has killed me yet?¡± She stood up and walked towards the elegant and mesmerising Queen consort. With every step Tang Yue took, Charlotte took a step backwards. She shuddered to think of the consequences if the snake actually ratted her out to the Crown prince. Tang Yue used this opportunity and kept on pressing her, until the beautiful elf was backed up to a wall, outside her chamber, in the corridor. ¡°Say, why are you all out to poison me? I mean specifically me? There are about 20 other consorts here. Obviously, you guys are not trying to kill each other. So why only target me??¡± ¡°Did you elven beauties have some sort of gathering without me, where you elected to eliminate me first?¡± By now, Tang Yue had pinned the elf to the wall, holding her elegant arms above her head. In truth, Charlotte was much stronger than Tang Yue. She could have easily gotten out of her hold, but the woman was still scared, with the various punishments for poisoning a royal member spinning in her mind. So she was not really paying attention to that part, where Tang Yue had her pinned. Unable to meet her eyes directly, she stammered and weakly answered Tang Yue¡¯s question. ¡°It¡¯s all because you are a beast. The eldest prince has a thing for the beasts. So¡­ So¡­¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened as she finally realised what was going on! All her troubles were because of the Eldest prince Xavier and his lewd conquests. Since he had a fetish for the vixens, these elves were trying to get rid of her, on the off chance that the Crown prince also had a thing for the beast n members. Tang Yue sneered at the woman in front of her. How pathetic?! What was so good about that man that all these women were desperately fighting for him?! The vivid contempt in her eyes infuriated Charlotte further. She red at her and shouted in exasperation. ¡°There is no ce for a lowly beast in the Crown Prince¡¯s harem! Hmph. How dare you share the same status as us!!¡± ¡°Sure. Sure. That works for me. I am not interested in him anyways.¡± While the Queen consort Charlotte was distracted and angrily ring at her, Tang Yue swiftly leapt into action and used this perfect god sent opportunity. While her lips were mouthing the words, her hands were busily caressing the Queen consort¡¯s soft mounds. By the time Charlotte realized what was happening, Tang Yue was already done with the quest and removed her hands. She then left the dumbfounded Queen consort in the corridor and casually walked back to her private chamber. ¡°Let¡¯s consider the score settled, my dear sister.¡± ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t ever enter my chamber without my permission, else you know what¡¯s going to happen.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and locked her chamber doors. Chapter 39: There is a cock in your hen house Part2 Chapter 39: There is a cock in your hen house Part2 Charlotte¡¯s pale cheeks flushed bright red, as she realized what Tang Yue had done. She dumbfoundedly watched the snake woman close the door on her face, after doing something so daring and vulgar. ¡°You¡­ You¡­ ¡± She shuddered in anger, but could only grimace at the closed chamber doors. ¡°Damn it.¡± Charlotte huffed and walked away in embarrassment. Not only did she fail to poison the snake, but she even ended up giving her more ammunition to fight back. And the worst part was that the crown prince hadn¡¯t even paid any attention to Tang Yue thus far! All of this might be for nothing! So considering everything Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but feeling like a fool. This coupled with the fact that Tang Yue had obscenely groped her just a few seconds ago, Charlotte fumed like a volcano. She silently resolved to take care of the snake in the pce once and for all. So what if poisoning doesn¡¯t work? There were many more satisfying ways to kill someone. Charlotte paced back and forth and chewed out her elegantly shaped finger nails in frustration. The more she thought about Tang Yue, the more enraged she became. Her only constion was that at least no one else had witnessed her in such a humiliating state. But unfortunately¡­ A few seconds ago, just as Charlotte disappeared from the scene of the crime in a hurry, someone else also walked away. Unlike the queen consort Charlotte, that person was not rushed. Rather, that elf slowly walked away dazed and confused, as if he was in a trance. Prince Xavier, in his half-drunken state was dizzily walking back to his royal chambers after finishing his ytime with the vixens. As he was casually sauntering back, the grinning elf unexpectedly stumbled upon something monumental! He had actually witnessed two of his brother¡¯s concubines going at it with each other! Prince Xavier rubbed his eyes several times and stared at the scene in front of him, but it was still the same unbelievable sight!! Right in front of him, the snake woman was passionately caressing Charlotte. Thetter had even looked coy and ran away in embarrassment. Xavier¡¯s mind was running wild. The man couldn¡¯t help but imagine vivid details of Tang Yue and Charlotte in severalpromising positions. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± He felt as if his head was going to explode. He had to share this with someone! The elf immediately rushed to his brother¡¯s private royal chamber to share this piece of juicy gossip. Crown prince Xander was resting in his chamber, and going through some newly proposed trade deals. He was nning to go into secluded meditation for a few days. Hence, he was hurriedly attending to his royal duties before heading into close door cultivation. As he was rustling through the parchments and postting various concerns, the elf had a serious and enigmatic look on his face. The man¡¯s long silver hair fluttered in the wind as he sat amidst fully bloomed lotus flowers in the open courtyard. The zither music in the background added to his glow and charisma and the entire atmosphere was extremely serene and tranquil. Well¡­ at least until the notorious elder brother rushed in¡­ ¡°Bro! Bro! I witnessed it with my very own eyes!! There is a cock in your hen house.¡± ¡°You¡­? What?¡± The elf who was previously buried in the parchments in front of him, looked up with a stunned expression. Xander¡¯s usually calm and impassive face looked slightly perturbed. ¡°What you?! One of your concubines is actively seducing your other concubines!!¡± ¡°That snake is going to steal your harem right under your nose.¡± Xavier eximed with his face glowing like a phoenix fire. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­Just what nonsense are you spouting?¡± Crown prince Xander almost puked out blood. ¡°Don¡¯t act like a prude brother. Come on.¡± This younger brother of his was just a tad too much obsessed with cultivation and alchemy!! ¡°You know what I am talking about. Even if you are still a virgin you should be able to understand this much.¡± Xavier crossed his arms and rolled his eyes. But the next instant, his eyes met the cold and frigid eyes of the so-called prude and he immediately shut up. Xander silently stared at his bbering brother with his imposing aura. ¡°Ok. Ok. Too far. I took it too far. I apologise, your highness.¡± Xavier involuntarily took a few steps back. ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me too much, you madman. Otherwise I will let slip the fact that my younger brother, the cold-blooded ruthless crown prince is a punk ass virgin. Hmph.¡± Leaving behind his stunned brother, Xavier got the hell out of there without looking back. Sometimes his young brother was just unnecessarily scary!! And Xander pensively watched his elder brother scurrying away. It looked like he needed to pay his wild consorts a visit before they start stirring up more trouble in his absence. Chapter 40: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part1 Chapter 40: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part1 As the day was almosting to an end, the royal guests gathered for the feast also started departing from the Eldorian elven establishment, each headed towards their own territories. But in a remote corner of the forests bordering the Eldorian establishment, the strange male fairy, with ckened soot-covered wings, who was sitting next to Tang Yue, stood alone in deep contemtion. He had a hesitant look on his face as if he was pondering about something. He was not sure if what he had just done was right or wrong. However, the hesitation onlysted for a moment, after which he wiped his shimmering sword covered by dark red blood and sheathed it back. He raised his hand forward, out of which a silver ball of mist emanated. The tall figure who was no longer a gentle fairy touched the silvery mist. His human face shone in the moonlight, as he took onest look towards the distant elven settlement and disappeared, with the silvery mist sucking him in. And just like that, the human who had infiltrated the royal feast disguised as a fairy,pletely vanished from the forest grounds without leaving a single trace behind. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, Tang Yue was still shivering inside her private chamber. She couldn¡¯t believe that she had actually managed to get out of that situation unscathed. In fact, she was half-expecting Charlotte to at least p her till her cheeks stung from pain. But somehow everything ended smoothly. Tang Yue heaved a sigh of relief and was about to nag the system for her reward when a notification suddenly popped up. Ding. Congrattions. You have been rewarded the Archaic elemental contract technique. Tang Yue excitedly pped her hands and quickly selected the gift-wrapped box bouncing in front of her. As soon as she touched the bouncing object, it disappeared and a white glow enveloped her body,sting for a few seconds. Several images shed inside her mind, pertaining to the ancient art of runic magic. Tang Yue stood in a trance as she greedily absorbed the knowledge and memorized it by heart. The archaic elemental contract was essentially a high-level runic magic technique that allowed the caster to interact with an elemental youngling from the elemental energy ne. But there was a prerequisite for using this technique. The person attempting to contract with a baby elemental needed to have an affinity for that elemental energy. As she read this part, Tang Yue¡¯s excited eyes slightly drooped. The innate ability of the serpentine n members was illusion magic. Unlike the elves, who had a natural affinity to the fire elemental, by birth, Tang Yue did not have any affinity for any of the diverse elemental energies. ¡°Oh well. It¡¯s nothing that can¡¯t be solved with some more binge eating.¡± And luckily for her, Tang Yue had just the beast for the job stored away in her space pearl. Fire twin-tailed bird! And she even had four of them!! Tang Yue can potentially gain the bird¡¯s innate affinity to fire elemental afterpletely absorbing its bloodline. Though, she highly doubted that four would be enough topletely absorb that bloodline. After all, unlike the ugly smanders, which weremon grade beasts, the fire twin-tailed birds were low-grade beasts. Low-grade beasts had a higher potential to grow stronger because of their powerful bloodline. Some of them were even able to form beast cores like the mid-grade and high-grade beasts. So it was highly unlikely that a mere four bird dinner might help herplete the bloodline. Tang Yue did not waste any further time and swiftly got down to business. She retrieved a huge bird carcass from her space pearl, shifted to her serpentine form, and gulped it down in one go. Now all she had to do was wait patiently and let her digestive juices do the trick. But unlike the forest, Tang Yue did not have to waste her time, since she was in the rtively safe pce chambers. The fattened snake bobbed her slimy head up and down as she gazed intently at the book in front of her with her beady emerald eyes. The book contained a detailed description of the various known herbs and their medicinal properties. In her current state, without a condensed beast core and without any elemental affinity, she was still unsure if she would ever be able to cast any fire magic in the future, but she would be a fool if she didn¡¯t prepare for the possibility beforehand. Especially now that she had the ability to contract with an elemental, she can borrow its power to train herself in the myriad alchemy techniques. Chapter 41: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part2 Chapter 41: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part2 Tang Yue was huddled inside her private chambers for the next few days, working hard to digest the four fire twin-tailed birds she had in her possession. And as the sun rose in the morning, herst notification after digesting the fourth bird crisply echoed in her brain. Ding. 10% Fire twin-tailed bird bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Chicken bloodline absorbed ¡°Hmm¡­ I still need about six birds toplete this bloodline.¡± Tang Yue licked her lips and pondered how to get those six remaining birds for her ever-growing stomach. She had gained a lot of high-grade bloodlines by binging on the feast food, but they were not very useful, considering it took a tremendous amount of meat to finish a bloodline. Even the low-grade beast Fire twin-tailed bird required ten whole birds topletely absorb its bloodline. Tang Yue shuddered to think about the mid-grade and high-grade beasts. As she racked her brains, a thought crossed her mind and she couldn¡¯t help but snicker. She swiftly arranged her clothes and got up to confront her golden goose. Tang Yue followed by Lotte, her personal aide, walked over to queen consort Charlotte¡¯s private chambers. Just like her highness, Tang Yue as well barged in with a wide beaming smile. Behind her, Lotte frowned at his master¡¯s odd behavior. He did not understand the reason behind this sudden change in hierarchy. ¡°How is my sister doing this fine morning?¡± Tang Yue chirpily enquired, sneering at the woman sitting near the dresser and adjusting her appearance. Charlotte¡¯s face drained of all color as soon as she saw the cunning vicious snake. She hated the damned beast to the core. Since it was still early in the morning, the queen consort barely had any clothes on and as theirst interaction flitted across her mind, the consort¡¯s cheeks immediately turned into a beet red. Tang Yue covered her mouth with her chubby hand and chuckled with her eyes twinkling. ¡°Don¡¯t worry sister. I am not here to gobble you up. I am actually here to ask you for some trivial help.¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth, and mouthed the words with utmost control, as she kept her seething anger down. ¡°What help sister?¡± She growled in a low voice. ¡°Nothing much your highness. You see, us, beasts are very poor. So I just need a couple thousand gold coins and then I will be on my way.¡± Tang Yue extended her hand and asked for help with a fake pitiful expression. She knew that the elf standing in front of her was from one of the major families in the elven establishment and was definitely filthy rich. So when she needed money, of course, she considered ckmailing this golden goose of hers as the first option. ¡°A th.. thousand gold?¡± Charlotte stammered. She indeed had the amount, but¡­ it just did not feel good getting threatened by a damned snake! How humiliating! Even the aides standing next to her, as well as Lotte, looked at each other in confusion. Something fishy was going on here! ¡°You¡­ You better talk to her highness with respect.¡± One of Charlotte¡¯s aides raised her voice. Unexpectedly, the aide didn¡¯t even finish her statement, when a loud pnded on her face. ¡°How about you talk with respect? Or have you forgotten that I am a royal consort, while you are merely an aide? Hmph.¡± Tang Yue casually stepped forward and wasted no time in putting the elf in ce. She didn¡¯t mind all these small altercations, but she still took action, just to convey how serious she was. After all, no matter how much she wanted, she couldn¡¯t just step forward and p the queen consort herself. For now, she could only toy around with her to this extent. Charlotte was utterly shocked at this tant disrespect, but what could she do. She could only hold her anger down andply with the threat. She reluctantly stood up and walked over to a ck leather pouch and retrieved five sparkling gems. ¡°Each one of these is valued at a thousand gold coins. Take this and don¡¯t show me your ugly face again.¡± Charlotte barked. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Tang Yue sneered and grabbed the gems from her hand. Charlotte gritted her teeth and reluctantly corrected herself. ¡°I mean I hope your problem gets solved, sister.¡± ¡°A. Thank you so much, sister.¡± Tang Yue shed a wide smile in return and casually strolled out. Her job here was done! ¡°Come follow me, Lotte. Thanks to my kind-hearted big sister, we will be heading to the market now.¡± Tang Yue poked Charlotte¡¯s wound a few more times and then strolled out of the angry queen consort¡¯s private chambers. Since her evolution didn¡¯t require Tang Yue to personally hunt down the monsters herself, she decided to take the easy way out this time around. Her n was to explore the market for some fire twin-tailed bird meat. It might not be amon grade beast, but it was still just a low-grade beast and she should be able to easily afford it with the amount of gold in her hands. Chapter 42: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part3 Chapter 42: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part3 With her purse as heavy as her current figure, Tang Yue, along with Lotte, happily waltzed over to the market sector for a shopping spree. Even though she was already used to this sight of chaos, the chubby snake woman was still amazed at the bustling market. Different races scurried about here and there. Several wares were being peddled. The auction house was even announcing a special auctioning event with parchments stuck everywhere exining the details of the auction. Tang Yue took one look at the auction notice and her eyes bulged in surprise. A single strength-enhancing pill was going for 2 gems. A constitution improving and body-tempering potion was going for 3 gems. The money in her hand suddenly seemed very less! Tang Yue shrugged her shoulders and continued walking. There was no point in drooling over these things since she hasn¡¯t even passed the first exam for alchemy disciples. She quickened her pace and headed over to the beast chop shops, where different grades and diverse exotic beast meat were being sold by the pounds. Since she had donned her royal robes, as soon as she entered, Tang Yue attracted the attention of several vendors. It was not a secret that the elven royals were the wealthiest poption in the settlement. Any purchase from the royal pce would probably empty out their entire wares, and their jobs would be much simpler. So many of the vendors started eagerly weing her and offering their day¡¯s specials. Tang Yue was not used to this attention, but the snake steeled her nerves and approached the nearest chop shop. She then asked with confidence. ¡°I am looking for Fire twin-tailed birds, 6 or 7 of them would suffice.¡± Huh? The vendor looked at her in confusion. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Tang Yue looked at the various portions of beast meat neatly arranged and her eyes searched for the familiar white meat with yellowish-orange streaks. ¡°Sorry, your highness. But did you mean Fire twin-headed bird?¡± The vendor reluctantly asked. ¡°No. I meant Fire twin-tailed bird.¡± Tang Yue reiterated not quite understanding what the confusion was. ¡°Ah. Your highness, they are just low-grade beasts.¡± ¡°We have several portions of mid-grade beast meat that have freshly arrived today. All the delicacies made from mid-grade beasts are extremely vourful.¡± The vendor elf didn¡¯t give up and tried to sweet-talk Tang Yue into buying more expensive wares. But, Tang Yue could only helplessly reject the poor guy. ¡°Maybeter. For now, bring me 8 fire twin-tailed bird, preferably untouched and uncut.¡± Seeing that the royal consort had her eyes set on the damned bird, the vendor finally gave up. ¡°Of course, your highness. I will bring them right away. You havee to the right shop. Only ten birds arrived today and our shop has all of them.¡± Just as the vendor was about to leave, another voice loudly sounded from behind them. ¡°Hold up. Bring her highness some other meat. I need those ten fire twin-tailed birds.¡± A short chubby elf walked towards Tang Yue and the vendor. The elf was adorned in royal robes as well, and unlike Tang Yue, his arrogant and haughty demeanor matched the obnoxity of the robes. ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Yue was slightly annoyed. She hated things being decided for her without her consent. She raised her eyebrows questioningly and looked at the chubby elf smiling standing in front of her. ¡°No, but thanks. I will be taking the 10 fire twin-tailed birds.¡± The chubby elf¡¯s smile instantly disappeared and he slightly frowned. Others might not know the standing of the royal consorts in the pce hierarchy, but he was well aware of just how low Tang Yue¡¯s actually standing was. No matter how threatening her tone was, he still held the upper hand in this situation. The chubby elf sneered and sarcastically bowed to the princess. ¡°Greetings, beautiful princess. I am Marvin, the royal alchemy grandmaster¡¯s only son.¡± ¡°I need these birds for an important reason. So I hope your highness can give me some face and let me purchase them this time.¡± Immediately gasps echoed from around them. Everyone knew that there were only three alchemy grandmasters in the entire elven province. One was the crown prince and the other two belonged to noble families as well. So the oue of this small argument was already clear to the spectators. The nobles always get what they want! The poor vendor scratched his head and looked at his two high-profile customers in confusion. He didn¡¯t want to get caught in the middle of a royal squabble. And why the heck were they even arguing over a low-grade fire twin-tailed bird?!!! I have other higher grade beasts damn it!!! He cried inside. Chapter 43: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part4 Chapter 43: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part4 Marvin, the chubby elf nodded satisfactorily after seeing Tang Yue¡¯s nk expression and loudly cleared his throat. ¡°That¡¯s settled then. Pack me the 10 birds and make it fast. I still have things to do.¡± He arrogantly ordered the vendor. Tang Yue frowned, but her hands were tied. Even if she was from the serpentine n, she clearly knew the status and prestige of a grandmaster alchemist. At her current strength or in the near foreseeable future, she simply couldn¡¯t afford to lock heads with someone so powerful. But even so, something felt off¡­ Why would such a big shot personally visit the market to buy something so trivial? Tang Yue slightly tilted her head and asked Lotte. ¡°Is this fatso really a big deal in the royal hierarchy?¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Lotte stammered. Being a pce aide made Lotte privy to several secrets of the elven royal pce, but that also meant that he had to keep his mouth shut and not reveal secrets left and right. However, when his master was outrightly asking him a question, Lotte couldn¡¯t refuse to answer and sighed as he replied. ¡°That¡­ actually¡­ Your highness, Master Marvin is also referred to as the wastrel son of the grandmaster alchemist.¡± ¡°The old master is very angry with him and has almost disowned him several times since he doesn¡¯t have a natural affinity to any elements.¡± ¡°So Master Marvin is currently working hard and trying to treat his body by eating a lot of fire affinity beasts.¡± ¡°He has been visiting the beast markets regrly to horde all the fire twin-tailed birds. I only know that much.¡± Lotte hesitantly answered, revealing a little bit of what he knew. Pfft¡­ Tang Yue almostughed out loud. Turns out this arrogant fatty is in the same boat as herself!! Both fat and both a cripple!! But she had to hand it to him. Though he was the wastrel son, the chubby elf somehow managed to walk around arrogantly, with his head up in the sky, as if he owned everything in sight. While they were chatting, the chop shop vendor had almost done packing the birds andid them out on the metallic table in front of the shop. Marvin as well was confidently chatting with someone else, fully convinced that all the wares were his to take. Tang Yue silently grinned. She knew what she had to do. Before either of them could respond, she stepped forward and swiftly grabbed the eight birds that were neatly packaged in ice, tossing them into her space pearl one at a time. ¡°I am sorry, Sir Marvin. But I believe firste first serve is the normal policy when ites to purchasing wares. Or did my husband, his highness, recently change thisw?¡± Marvin who was happily chatting on the side, bragging about something, suddenly turned around in shock. ¡°What the heck? We both arrived at the same time. Don¡¯t tell me you are going to bully a grandmaster alchemist¡¯s son, your highness!¡± Marvin angrily red at Tang Yue. He and the two elves that had apanied him walked over in front of Tang Yue and blocked her exit. Marvin gritted his teeth and resolutely looked at Tang Yue. There was no way that he was going to let her leave today with his birds. After consuming hundreds of birds, and enduring constant insults for more than 3 years,st week the elf had finally materialized a small flickering me. And now, he didn¡¯t dare change his source of fire-affinity meat. He could feel that he was almost at the cusp of a major breakthrough and he needed these fire twin-tailed birds desperately. Every beast had a different vor of innate affinity and it would disastrous for him to rely on some other beast suddenly, instead of the fire twin-tailed bird. And why must he, the son of a grandmaster alchemist bow out in a fight with a lowly royal consort?? Hmph! Marvin stood his ground. Tang Yue as well crossed her arms and resolutely looked at the chubby elf. She didn¡¯t n on budging as well. If she relented today, then again tomorrow she would have to face him and fight over the same birds. ¡°Fine, if her highness has already decided to not give me any face, then at least match the price I am able to offer and then take the birds.¡± Marvin sneered in contempt and immediately used his next weapon. If his social status didn¡¯t work, then he relied on his wealth to shut down thepetition. This was his usual tactics. Being a grandmaster alchemist¡¯s son he had tremendous wealth, at least more than these royal consorts. He was very confident about this fact. He quickly pulled out a golden silk pouch and scooped up a handful of shiny gold coins. He obnoxiously dropped the coins on the vendor¡¯s metallic table, making a huge nking noise. He didn¡¯t stop there. He again scooped his hand inside his sparkly pouch and retrieved another handful of gold coins. ¡°Now, can you hand over the birds?¡± Marvin arrogantly sneered at Tang Yue. Low-grade beasts cost only one gold coin at best, and he had thrown out several gold coins just like that to unt his wealth and scare Tang Yue away. Chapter 44: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part5 Chapter 44: Money grows on beautiful female elves Part5 Marvin was very confident that the snake consort was probably bankrupt and had no chance of matching his offer. If it was someone else, the elf wouldn¡¯t have dared to act this way, because even if he was the grandmaster alchemist¡¯s only son, he wasn¡¯t favored by his father at all and only had very few resources at his disposal. So Marvin secretly hoped that this amount of gold was enough to scare Tang Yue away. But unfortunately for him, there was no fear or defeat in Tang Yue¡¯s eyes. She simply had a pleasant smile stered on her face, as she gracefully walked over and ced a bead sized sparkling gem on the metallic table. ¡°I believe this should cover it?¡± She smirked. The vendor nkly stared and couldn¡¯t believe his eyes, but he quickly nodded and pocketed the gem, afraid that the princess might change her mind. Tang Yue smiled and turned around. The wastrel son and hisckeys were frozen still, with their jaw dropped on the floor, so she pushed aside on of theckeys and nonchntly walked away. ¡°You¡­ Are you crazy??? Why would you spend a thousand gold coins on these useless birds??¡± Marvin yelled with the veins on his forehead throbbing. ¡°Why not?¡± Tang Yue replied without turning back. ¡°How do you have so much money?? Why are you so wasteful? Does gold grow in trees for you?! Dumb snake!¡± Marvin couldn¡¯t hold his anger and shouted at the slowly disappearing thick figure of the snake consort. Tang Yue lightly chuckled. She could very well rte to the wastrel son¡¯s anger. After all, once upon a time, she was also a wastrel daughter. ¡°Pfft¡­ Money doesn¡¯t grow on trees. It grows on beautiful female elves!¡± Leaving behind the dumbfounded Marvin, Tang Yue quickened her pace and fled the scene. Though she didn¡¯t intend to lock heads with anyone, she had ended up shamelessly bulling the grandmaster alchemist¡¯s son today. She had a nagging feeling that the fatty mighte back and haunt her. ¡°Sigh¡­ I have only one friend in this damned ce, but the enemies are growing in numbers every day.¡± She wiped the sweat off her forehead and walked out of the beast trading sector, with Lotte closely following her. Before heading back to the royal pce, she still had one more chore left toplete, a very problematic chore. Now that she had enough gold in her hands, Tang Yue wanted to buy a few herbs to boost her other attributes. Maybe because the attribute quest was still iplete, she hadn¡¯t been receiving any more quests from the damned system. So Tang Yue braced herself for an idental run-in with the nasty old codger Dranuk and decided to buy some herbs. It was time to include some greens in her meat diet and buff up the various resistances. She hurriedly barged into the nearest herbal shop and ordered a bunch of different herbs with decent lightning, fire, ice, and poison affinities. The potency of the herbs was actually not utilized entirely when they are eaten in this form. They were best consumed after being concocted into pills or potions, but Tang Yue couldn¡¯t afford the pills right now. This was merely toplete the quest, so she just bought the cheap low-grade herbs. When they eventually lose their effectiveness as the leftover dregs did, she could then splurge and buy pills for satiating her insatiable tummy. While she was busily eyeing the parchment in her hands, with all the herb details, a familiar figure materialized behind her and tapped her on her shoulders. Damn it! Tang Yue instantly sensed trouble and swiveled around, but thankfully it was not that hateful person. Adriana¡¯s smiling face greeted the snake woman, as the beautiful elf curiously peered at the parchment in Tang Yue¡¯s hands. ¡°Waah! Sister is so hardworking.¡± She chuckled. ¡°Ha. Ha. I am still stuck on understanding the basic herbs.¡± Tang Yue exined. Adriana gave her a beaming thumbs up and proceeded to ce her own orders. Though she couldn¡¯t help herself and turned around to ask. ¡°Why are you working so hard? Considering your situation, you don¡¯t have to worry about these things.¡± I guess the news about my crippled meridians is finally out! Tang Yue smirked. ¡°Ah. Ha Ha. Otherwise, I would be bored to death.¡± She awkwardly answered Adriana¡¯s question. ¡°OK. Don¡¯t worry too much. Take care of your health.¡± Adriana smiled and busied herself with her work. Tang Yue as well, received her packaged herbs, and left the shop. But she couldn¡¯t stop thinking about Adriana¡¯s question. Why was she working so hard? What exactly was her end game here? It is not as if she can leave this ce, once she bes strong enough to brave the wilderness. If she leaves, then what would be of the fate of her n members?? She might be selfish and nonchnt about her family members but she could never be heartless enough to jeopardize her entire n¡¯s well-being. She was a political hostage stuck in a hostile Empire. She could neither go back home nor live here freely. She was forever doomed to be stuck in this captivity. So why was she working so hard? Actually, now that she was thinking about it. Bing stronger might end up making her life worse, rather than helping her situation. Would the tyrannical cold-blooded elven Crown Prince tolerate a consort who is strong enough to topple his regime? Tang Yue¡¯s pensive eyes gazed absent-mindedly as she walked back to her ornate prison in the royal pce. Chapter 45: Chaos and Strife Part1 Chapter 45: Chaos and Strife Part1 After reaching the royal pce, Tang Yue dismissed her pce aide, Lotte, and locked herself in her private chambers. With the abundant items in her hand, she was now confident that she should be able to cross off a few things from her to-do list. She sat down on the cool andfortable marble pce floor and opened up a few packages of herbs. ¡°The birds are going to take a while to digest, I might as well finish the herbs before starting the meat course.¡± Tang Yue murmured. Unlike the unsolvable mystery of her inevitably doomed future, she could only hope that the mystery of the suddenly paused quest notifications was easier to resolve. Thest quest that Tang Yue had received was quite a while ago. She summoned her status screen to take a look at the quest and her current status. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 2 (200/800) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Bronze mortal body Poison resistance: Level 11 Heat resistance: Level 6 Cold resistance: Level 6 Lightning resistance: Level 8 Agility: Level 1 Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 30/30 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 30/30 Mana regeneration: 2mp/hr ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% ______________ Skills: [Illusion magic] ¨C Passive skill, Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Armor] ¨C Passive skill, Body is enveloped in a thick protectiveyer [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Startle] ¨C Active skill, Level 0, Disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration ______________ Due to various circumstances, she still hadn¡¯tpleted this quest. So she could only guess this as the reason for her currentlycking constant influx of new quests. Now that she had worked hard, and bought the required herbs with her ¡®hard-earned¡¯ money, Tang Yue would finally be able toplete this quest. The herbs were not particrly fine tasting delicacies, so she cringed after chewing some for a few seconds. Shaking her head, she decided to spare herself the bitterness and swallowed the entire packets of herbs, one after the other. Now all she had to do was wait patiently for her iron stomach to do the job and continue her study of Herbology in the meantime. Unlike her ridiculous cheat method for cultivation, the basics of alchemy still had to be memorized and understood in the hard unpopr way. While Tang Yue was trying to stuff her brain and stomach in seclusion, the entire royal pce was in an uproar. Three of the Dwarven emissaries who had traveled from the south for the royal feast gathering were found murdered in a remote corner of the royal pce with their throats slit open. This in itself was a piece of unbelievable news since dwarves were usually decked in high-grade armors and weapons. Just like how elves practiced nature magic and snakes practiced illusion magic, dwarves relied on craft magic for their survival and trade. They are able to instill spirits into inanimate weapons, instantly upgrading a normal high-grade weapon to a spirit-grade weapon that is able to grow and develop as an individual entity. Some spirit weapons in history have even grown as powerful as beastpanions and fought side by side with their masters in life and death battles. This arcane power is the only reason the dwarves are continuing to stand their ground and force the elven army into forging a peace treaty rather than direct onught and captivity. So how could they possibly be killed in a swift singr cut in their jugr region? The Crown Prince Xander¡¯s secluded cultivation session was immediately postponed and all the royal generals assembled in the main courtroom to address this unfortunate incident. This was a serious enough issue and required immediate action. If they didn¡¯t deal with this carefully and decisively, the dwarves might no longer be a friendly faction and turn hostile. And a huge number of lives will inevitably be lost in the battles which ensue. Xander never again wanted to revisit the bloody and gory years of the past. True to his famed ¡°cold-blooded tyrant¡± title, his hands and soul were already irrevocably drenched in blood from the countless lives he had taken. He didn¡¯t want history to repeat itself. Chapter 46: Chaos and Strife Part2 Chapter 46: Chaos and Strife Part2 ¡°Three of our strong generals have been put down like animals, Prince Xander.¡± ¡°We deserve an exnation for this. We need a direct audience with his majesty, the Emperor, at the least.¡± ¡°Or else don¡¯t me us for the consequences.¡± The dwarven emissary Binda yelled, with his saliva spewing out along with his heavy words. The twenty elven generals from the crown prince¡¯s personal army all had grave looks on their faces. No one has dared to talk to their tyrannical crown prince in this manner for decades. The man¡¯s frosty eyes had a pensive look in them as he scanned the dwarf throwing a tantrum in front of him. ¡°So¡­¡± The crown prince paused, tilting his head and resting it casually on his palm. ¡°You have decided to directly use us without any proof?¡± His lips curled upwards in amusement, not matching the seriousness of his threatening tone. ¡°Ah¡­ I¡­ No¡­ That¡¯s not what I meant.¡± Dwarven General Binda stuttered. He squirmed under the full brunt of the Crown Prince¡¯s unbridled killing intent. Even though the Saint realm and Demi-God realm were merely one step apart, the two couldn¡¯t bepared. The Dwarven General Binda was still in the Saint realm and shivered in front of the Demi-God realm Crown Prince. He instinctively knew that he had spoken too much in front of the cold-blooded mad man. ¡°I apologize, your highness. Our brethren¡¯s untimely demise greatly saddens this humble General. This is a huge blow to our n.¡± Xander nodded. He didn¡¯t dwell too much on the words thrown out in anger. ¡°Indeed, Emissary Binda. I am deeply saddened by this incident as well. I am appalled that such an unfortunate tragedy had urred right under our collective watch.¡± ¡°But I promise you, the elves are not involved in this. You can rest assured. I will find out who was responsible for this and send the enemy your way, imprisoned in chains.¡± The dwarf looked at the crown prince hesitantly. But he could only grit his sharp teeth and ept this oue. After all, Xander was correct. Their brethren had been killed right under their noses, assassinated with extreme precision. Neither dwarves nor the elves would benefit from such a tragedy. Only someone who wanted to poke a hole in their delicate bnce would benefit from such a thing. If it was one thing Binda hated more than the arrogant elves, it was a cowardly backstabbing act such as this. ¡°I trust your words, your highness. We will take our leave now.¡± The dwarven emissary, General Binda, followed by hispanions left the royal court in anger and frustration. Xander pinched the space between his eyebrows as he sighed. Things were starting to be chaotic. He addressed his generals and left the royal court in long strides. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I might have to concoct a batch of high-grade pills to personallypensate for this incident.¡± He murmured as he walked back to his private chambers. While he was having a bad day, his consort was surprisingly having a great day. The herbs did not take long to digest and Tang Yue soon received the questpletion notifications. Ding. Questpleted Ding. 50 Experience points have been rewarded Tang Yue was about to summon her status screen and check her upgraded attributes, when suddenly a loud noise erupted from her behind, followed by a foul odor. Cough¡­ Cough¡­ No one was around. So the embarrassed snake woman ignored the pungent transgression. But she did wonder if treating her body like some sort of garbage dump was finally getting to her. As if to answer her troubling question, a system notification chimed in, reminding her that she was notpletely alone. Ding. Congrattions. Body tempering sessful. Silver-tier mortal body stage has been achieved. Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded Tang Yue blinked and stared at the notifications. ¡°Body tempering huh? Interesting.¡± ¡°So the pungent gas release earlier is probably just minor impurities being expelled from my body.¡± Tang Yue stood up from her seated position. She stretched her limbs and jumped up and down, but didn¡¯t really feel any difference in her overall strength. She absent-mindedly stared at her thick body and pondered. The mostmon method to temper one¡¯s body is by consuming marrow and bone cleansing pills. She has even heard rumors about high-grade cultivation techniques that can temper one¡¯s body. But this is the first time, she is hearing about tempering one¡¯s body by chewing on some herbs. ¡°System, can you exin this process?¡± She asked, trying her luck to get some information from the stingy perverted thing. [Yes. Dumb snake. Since youck the capability to understand things on your own, I will spell it out for you.] Tang Yue wanted to punch the damned thing, but she patiently listened. At least, for once, the damned thing was willing to exin. [When you increased your poison resistance and resistance to the various elements of nature, your natural defense improved and your body was tempered.] [As serpentine n members we are naturally blessed with high agility and strength.] [So as long as you improve your defense and regeneration capabilities you can easily temper your Mortal body and obtain a Martial body.] [Beyond that, it will all depend on your luck¡­] The system mysteriously ended its exnation and went back into the usual silent mode. Chapter 47: Chaos and Strife Part3 Chapter 47: Chaos and Strife Part3 Tang Yue grimaced at the half-baked exnation. But at least she finally understood what all the quests had been focused around. She also had a clearer idea of what she needed to do now to improve her strength. A living being can only step into higher realms when a certain bnce was achieved. The mind, body, soul, and cultivation base, everything has to be trained in concert to achieve such a feat. This was not exactly a secret. In fact, it wasmon knowledge. But most people choose to ignore it, mainly because training one¡¯s mind and soul was extremely difficult and required an extravagant amount of resources. However, the difficulty also came with rewards. Cultivators who focussed on this bnce are often head and shoulders above the cultivators who ignored this aspect and focussed solely on their cultivation base or their soul strength. One of the reasons why the elven crown prince stood untouchable, at the top, is because he had attained the sacred Demi-God realm, whilst maintaining this bnce. Tang Yue licked her lips in anticipation. If she could really count on this stupid system to embark on the path of perfection and bnce, then everything could change for her. Only by standing shoulder to shoulder with that monster will she ever have any real chance at her freedom. And more importantly, she had to achieve this strength and prowess in secret. Else she might be killed even before she stepped into the next realm. As she was contemting her future, a familiar notification sounded. It looked like her quest notifications were back up again! Tang Yue grinned. ¡°An easy one!¡± She settled back into her meditative pose and retrieved a Fire twin-tailed bird from her space pouch. She stared at the uncooked meat in front of her and cringed before swallowing the bird in its entirety. She then went back to burying her head in the study of herbs. While Tang Yue was busy grinding meat in her stomach, her sexual assault victim queen consort Charlotte was busy pacing back and forth in her private chambers. A lowly snake beast dared to tarnish her purity that she had been meticulously saving for her beloved prince and on top of that even ckmailed her for money. How could she possibly let this go?? She needed to exact vengeance for this injustice! Charlotte patiently waited for the nightfall, when she slipped out of her private chambers in silence. This time she did not have her twockeys around, who specialized in constant yapping and flowery ttery. She quietly slipped out the royal pce using one of the side exits and stepped into the darkness of the night undetected. She then carefully used a ck robe to cover her body and her mesmerizingly beautiful porcin face. She was now dressed in ck from top to bottom. Even her slender ears were hidden by skillful wrapping, leaving behind only her beautiful deep-set almond-shaped eyes. However, her eyescked the usual arrogant calmness and were instead filled with unfathomable fury. Charlotte blended into the darkness as she sneakily stomped over to an abandoned building in the far end of the elven abodes. No one noticed her in the bustling streets, as she calmly entered the run-down residence¡¯s courtyard. ¡°Ha Ha¡­ What brings the enchanting and beautiful elven princess here?¡± A middle-aged snarky voicemented. The figure in the shadows apparently recognized Charlotte even with her ¡®extensive¡¯ efforts to camouge. The alluring elf ignored the glib greeting and got down to brass tacks. ¡°I need tomission a mission.¡± Her voice echoed in the seemingly empty tattered building. The figure from the shadows chuckled and in the next instant appeared in front of Charlotte. ¡°Hmmm¡­ A royal mission huh?¡± A pair of elongated sinistrous eyes gazed at Charlotte, scanning her elegant figure from top to bottom. ¡°A personal mission.¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth and mumbled. She retrieved a parchment from inside her robe and handed it over to the goblin standing in front of her. ¡°Ooooo.¡± The green skin-colored goblin tugged at his long ear and eagerly peered into the parchment. ¡°Eh? You want to murder your sister? What happened? A menage a trois went wrong?¡± The nasty goblin chuckled. ¡°Shut up and do as you are told.¡± Charlotte sneered. ¡°Oh Oh. Calm down beautiful. This is going to be difficult.¡± Ginko was only amused at Charlotte¡¯s anger. ¡°Hmph. Are you saying you can¡¯t do it?¡± Charlotte tapped her fingers on her crossed arms and red at the short and slender green figure. Chapter 48: Chaos and Strife Part4 Chapter 48: Chaos and Strife Part4 Goblins are the unruly deviant creatures of the night, excelling in everything underhanded. They have a natural stealth ability that enables them to easily infiltrate ces and sneak up on oblivious targets. So Charlotte refused to believe that this man in front of her, who was highly loathed by the elven soldiers and even some generals, couldn¡¯t kill a mere crippled snake beast. ¡°Of course, I can. But I am telling you upfront. This will cost extra and then some more.¡± The goblin shrugged. Though the man was shorter than Charlotte¡¯s lofty and elegant figure, his presence was in no way inferior to hers. Charlotte grunted and retrieved a pouch from her robes, handing it to the eagerly waiting goblin. There were a total of 50 glittering gems in the pouch. This was Charlotte¡¯s entire lunar cycle¡¯s worth of resources. But she didn¡¯t hesitate to use it all in one go. With things being extremely chaotic in the royal pce due to the assassination of the dwarves, it was the perfect time to get rid of the perverted snake. The me could also probably be ced on the same culprit responsible for killing the dwarven emissaries. As long as the snake was removed from her life, it is money well spent! Hmph! The man smiled and happily received his fees. ¡°Oh, and I get to keep the snake¡¯s carcass, her bones, and her skin.¡± He added. Charlotte harrumphed and left the building. ¡°You can do whatever you want.¡± She quickly disappeared back into the darkness. By the time, she returned back to the pce and to her private chambers, there were only a few more hours left for daybreak. Having aplished what she had wanted, she smugly threw a nce towards Tang Yue¡¯s private chambers. Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but notice thentern still glowing brightly in Tang Yue¡¯s chambers. ¡°Why is the stupid beast still awake?¡± She grumbled with her eyebrows raised. The hatred she had for that damned beast swirled in her heart. ¡°The snake must be scheming something. I better go and take a look.¡± As her curiosity triumphed her hatred, Charlotte stomped over to Tang Yue¡¯s private chambers. In her haste, shepletely forgot about Tang Yue¡¯s warnings and as usual, barged in as if she owned the ce. But the poor elf instantaneously came to a halt as soon as she stormed in. The sight in front of her was just too much for her eyes!!! A long coiled dark blue snakeid asleep on the bed,fortably snuggling on soft silk sheets. The snake looked bigger than its typical appearance, with especially its middle part looking thick and fattened like a tree trunk. Something was clearly being digested in its stomach. The weirdest part of this whole scenario was that the snake¡¯s head was drooling over the sheets of parchment spread around on the bed. Saliva was dripping from the sides of its vicious-looking mouth clearly destroying small areas of the parchments. ¡°What the heck??!!¡± Charlotte screamed. She felt nauseous. Her whole body was tingling and covered by goosebumps. For someone royal and noble like her, this was something akin to walking in on a random excreting stranger. Charlotte cringed. She stomped her leather shoes loudly on the marble floor creating a ruckus. Tang Yue, of course, heard the loud moring andzily bobbed her head up from the parchments. She half-opened her emerald beady eyes and casually looked at the intruder. Hmmm¡­ Why is she in my chamber in the middle of the night? Maybe¡­ Tang Yue¡¯s thoughts trailed off¡­ She was feeling very sleepy. She had no intention of shifting back to her human figure and greeting the pompous elf. Thest bird she needed to finish the Fire twin-tailed bird bloodline was still in her stomach, only one-quarter digested. If she changed into her human form now, she would puke everything out. Though puking on the elegant and beautiful princess seemed a bit entertaining, she was toozy to currently y tricks with her. Tang Yue¡¯s sleepy eyes viewed the princess with mockery, as she immediately closed them back up and went back to her nap. Monotonously memorizing the various herbs and their details, with a full stomach had put her to sleep swiftly. It was such a heavenly and rxing slumber, that she had no intention of getting out from. So Tang Yue ignored the arrogant queen consort throwing a tantrum in the middle of the night and continued drooling. Her nonchnt attitude only enraged Charlotte further. ¡°Damn it.¡± She sneered. She saw how the snake didn¡¯t even bother to look at her twice and fumed in anger. How dare this lowly beast ignore the formal greeting and respect that I deserved?! She wanted to kill the snake right then and there and burn her dead corpse, but unfortunately, she was powerless to do. Charlotte gritted her teeth as she eyed the dirty snake with animosity. Soon there will be justice and this eyesore will be removed forever from her residence! Hmph. She angrily scoffed and mmed the doors shut, as she walked back to her chamber. Chapter 49: Level 3 Chapter 49: Level 3 Tang Yue grinned at the sight of the fleeing princess and continued sleeping all the way until the sun hung high above on the clouds. She only snapped out of her daze at the sound of the notifications chiming in. Ding. 10% Fire twin-tailed bird bloodline absorbed Ding. 3% Nefarious porcupine bloodline absorbed Ding. 100% Fire twin-tailed bird bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated The familiar sensation assaulted her without any warning, as her fattened body started to twist and turn. This time as well the evolution process was incredibly painful. A bright beam of light enveloped her body, as her mind and body convulsed with gut-wrenching pain. Wave after wave of mystical energy enriched her body and finally, after a few minutes, the pain ceased and the next series of notifications started ringing. Ding. Bloodline Evolution has beenpleted. Ding. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Quest has beenpleted. Ding. 50 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up. Ding. Congrattions. Shop features have been unlocked. Tang Yue blinked and gazed at each and every notification with keen interest. ¡°Waaah! So many new items!¡± She grinned. But more importantly, there was something else she was really looking forward to!! Tang Yue shifted into her human figure as she jumped up from the bed andnded on the marble floor. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before gazing at her pitiful body. And¡­ And¡­ And finally!!!! She was back to her former slender, sexy self again! And there were no weird feathers sticking out of her body!!! Fu¡­ Fu¡­ Fu¡­ Tang Yue sighed in relief. She was half-expecting something weird to pop out of this evolution as well. Not that she cared about these superficial things, but she simply wanted a break. All her life she had been ridiculed for being a cripple. Now that she had somehow managed to cure her damaged meridians, she didn¡¯t want to be ridiculed again for being fat. It was a sign of weakness to let these petty little things get to her, but Tang Yue was simply tired. She was tired of defending herself from the constant insults and mockery. For once, she just wanted the easy way out. She wanted to blend into the background without sticking out like a sore thumb¡­ at least until she was strong enough¡­ Now that this matter was settled, Tang Yue quickly summoned her status screen to peek at her improved stats and this new thing called the shop. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 3 (200/1600) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Silver Mortal Body Poison resistance: Level 11 Heat resistance: Level 11 Cold resistance: Level 12 Lightning resistance: Level 10 Agility: Level 10 Strength: Level 5 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 60/60 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 60/60 Mana regeneration: 2mp/hr ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% Completed Bloodlines: Wild Smander (Common grade) Fire twin-tailed bird (Low grade) ______________ Skills: [Illusion magic] ¨C Passive skill, Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Lesser fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into low-grade fire. [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Startle] ¨C Active skill, Level 0, Disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration ______________ The upgraded numbers did not disappoint Tang Yue, as she gleefully nced at the new terms that had popped up. Her current agility was at Level 10 and strength was at Level 5. It looked like the birds helped improve much more than just her affinity to the fire element. This was also probably why she regained her figure again. Her improved power because of her agility boost now far outweighed the good for nothing smander fat armor, which hadpletely disappeared now. Tang Yue then skimmed through the rest of the details. Unfortunately, this batch of bird meat did not give her any high-grade or epic-grade bloodlines. She clicked her tongue in disappointment. Of course, this was to be expected. High-grade and epic-grade bloodlines belonged to rare primordial beasts. There was no way, they could be so easily hidden in low grade andmon grade beasts. Her eyes then trailed to the bottom of the list as she gazed at the Lesser Fire affinity passive skill, right next to the Lesser regeneration passive skill. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes gleamed in excitement. If what she read was correct, then just like the elves or other beings who had an affinity to the fire element, she would also be able to manipte and materialize her mana as fire, albeit low-grade mes. And more importantly, it looked like she had finally met the prerequisite for forming the Archaic Elemental contract! Chapter 50: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part1 Chapter 50: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part1 Tang Yue huffed and dragged a heavy deep brown carpet, every inch of it covered with silver and golden embroidery. She pulled aside the entire stretch of the thick carpet and tossed it to one corner of her chamber, revealing the pristine white floor made of sparkling marble chunks. ¡°Ok. This is now done.¡± She muttered. Tang Yue dusted her slender hands and in one swift motion retrieved a thin, green, leaf shaped hairpin from her long ck curls cascading bountifully until her hips. She then unhesitatingly pricked her index fingertip with the sharp end of the hairpin. She pressed the wound forcefully till it materialized a big drop of her dark red blood. A slight wince escaped her lips even though her eyes shone brightly filled to the brim with anticipation and delight. Tang Yue quickly dropped to the floor on her knees and started drawing the elemental contract runic map with her very own blood. The runic map was nothing special. It was just a bunch of random shapes thrown together and a few weird looking symbols, at least from her point of view. She was merely recreating an image from the memory. She didn¡¯t yet understand any part of it. ¡°Master, can you please exin to me more about the art of runes?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked. [Sure, little snake.] ¡°Waah!¡± Tang Yue was taken aback by the sudden generosity of the system. Did it really just agree to genuinely help her? But before she could fully digest that thought, the nasally robotic voice sounded again. [And while I am at it, why don¡¯t I also teach you a few heaven grade alchemy recipes, epic-grade smithing recipes, and even the secret art of nurturing spirit herbs.] Tang Yue was stunned. She opened and closed her mouth wordlesslyprehending the full implication of that sentence. Was the senior really going to teach her all of these things?? Her eyes sparkled. But then slowly ck lines covered her forehead and her face darkened. It took an entirety of 5 minutes for her to realize that the nasty old goat was simply messing with her. Tang Yue hissed angrily and smacked herself on the head, with blood from her hand spraying all over her face. Her blood smeared face, in fact, was a perfect depiction of how she was feeling right now. Tang Yue sucked in a few deep breaths of air and calmed herself down before patiently focussing on the runic drawings again. She had already added that old codger¡¯s name to her mental ck parchment, right next to her step-mother¡¯s name, under the Tang Yue¡¯s star enemies list. The old man might not be alive right now, but that wouldn¡¯t stop her from searching for his grave and spitting on it. ¡°Damn it.¡± Tang Yue cursed and continued scribbling on the clean marble floor with the blood dripping from her finger. After a while, her mind wandered again, and she sighed before asking the system another query. ¡°Master, howe I didn¡¯t get any feathers or wings from the fire twin-tailed birds?¡± Tang Yue knew that she was going to regret this action but she simply had far too many doubts and confusing notions about the evolution process. So she had no other choice but to brave her heart and ask the damned old man. [Little dumb snake, why are you interested so much in the trivial details of the beast¡¯s body?] [A bloodline is not equivalent to a body¡¯s or rather a vessel¡¯s characteristics. It is something far too deeper than that.] [A bloodline contains the very essence of a being.] [Besides, if you want wings that badly, I suggest you work hard and increase your level.] [Our own bloodline has the potential to grant you two spectacr wings. You just have to unlock it.] ¡°A winged serpent?¡± Tang Yue stammered, with her eyes full of disbelief. But then again, snakes being able to evolve was also once upon a time a mere old wife¡¯s tale. If that was possible, then why not this? She hadn¡¯t expected it, but the old man gave her a decent exnation for once. Tang Yue silently nodded and finished thest parts of the rune drawing. She was now almost ready to start the summoning ritual and bind with an elemental youngling. Chapter 51: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part2 Chapter 51: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part2 Tang Yue wiped the sweat off her forehead after squeezing out another drop of blood from her pale fingertip and finishing thest circle in theplex runic formation. She then tip-toed around the boundaries and walked over to the center of the formation. The entire floor looked particrly fearsome after being dyed in her blood in various patterns. At the sight of theplex artwork, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but wonder if her meager soul strength or mana concentration in her body would be enough to sessfully form the contract. She hadn¡¯t even formed a beast core yet! So she was very skeptical. But since the system hadn¡¯t mentioned any other pre-requisites for the elemental contract, she decided to go for it anyway. Making sure that everything looked perfect, Tang Yue carefully sat down and closed her eyes, allowing the small amount of mana enriching her body to freely float around the runic engravings. She didn¡¯t notice it, but along with her own energy, a strange soft glow also enveloped her body at the exact same moment. This glow rather than her insignificant energy, activated the rune magic, triggering all the symbols and patterns to thrum as if they were alive. Tang Yue felt her consciousness drift apart from her body and suddenly found herself in a pitch ck dark enclosure. As her nervous eyes tried to adjust to the new darkness, Tang Yue noticed a small ball of light in the distance. She instinctively moved closer to it, noticing that the ball of light was rather a small blob of mes. The more closer she got, the blob seemed to be getting more and more excited, emitting a pleasant warmth. Tang Yue smiled. It looked like the other party was also equally happy to meet her. ¡°Uh¡­ Huh¡­ Hello.¡± She awkwardly introduced herself and greeted the ball of mes. Ollu¡­ Ollu¡­ The blob jumped up and down as if it understood her and greeted her in return. Tang Yue chuckled. The small thing looked very cute and lively. ¡°Come here.¡± She called the blob, hoping that this would end the contract process. But unfortunately¡­ The next instant, a bright shimmeringyer of fire surrounded her and the small blob like a dome of fire. Within the area under the Fire dome or array, random bursts of mes started emerging, as if they were small but deadly fountains of water jutting out of a poolside. And one even emerged right under where Tang Yue was standing, scorching her smooth velvety skin. ¡°Damn it.¡± Tang Yue winced in pain as she quickly moved away. But this was only the beginning. Soon, Tang Yue found herself dancing non-stop, just barely dodging the bursts of mes erupting from the surface. If she cked even for a second, chances are that she would be instantly burnt to a crisp on the spot. Several burn wounds covered her body, each more painful than the previous one. ¡°Master, please. This is not the time to be messing with me. How the hell do I get through this?¡± Tang Yue almost cried out in pain. As if answering her pleas a certain series of notifications rang out. Ding. Heat resistance has increased. Ding. Heat resistance has increased. Ding. Heat resistance has increased. Ding. Heat resistance has increased. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes glistened. Why were all her power-ups happening at such weird times? If she had known this would happen, she could have attempted this after improving her heat resistance. There was literally noparison between her leisurely snacking on herbs and increasing her heat resistance versus her dancing around deadly balls of mes to save her trembling life and increasing her heat resistance. ¡°Would a small reminder or pointer kill you, you bastard?¡± ¡°Damn it! Old man!!¡± Tang Yue cursed her heartless master. Everything he did had an unfortunate side-effect. It was as if the old goat was bent on deriving joy from her misery. While Tang Yue was distracted, another set of fumes erupted underneath her, scorching her lower body, almostpletely. Ding. Heat resistance has increased. Tang Yue didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She gritted her teeth and tried her best to dodge the iing fiery jaws of death, while her body was constantly being burnt¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ tempered. To make matters worse, this went on for a long time, without any end in sight. Tang Yue even tried to move near the small blob of mes at the center but that area was more dangerous than the other spots under the array. So she couldn¡¯t even approach her elemental youngling and had to give up on that idea for now. No matter how much she thought about it, it looked like all she could do right now was dance around, holding her tiny little life in her hands, and patiently wait for her heat resistance to increase. Maybe if she was strong enough to withstand these mes, she could finally find a way out of this mess??? Chapter 52: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part3 Chapter 52: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part3 A golden robed elf with soft flowing silver hair sat atop a mahogany desk. Several parchments wereid out in front of him on the ornately carved wooden desk. The intricate patterns on his robe seemed to reflect light as it fell on the impable figure. The few strands of silver hair tucked behind his long slender ears framed his exquisite face and added beauty to the already sublime existence. The man¡¯s delicate features at the moment matched his aura, as he calmly went through one boring report after another. His blood red eyes which didn¡¯t quite belong in this setting seemed to be the only thing that was out of ce. Not many people knew, but the crown prince¡¯s blood red maic orbs were the main reason for his tyrannical nickname. The orbs, albeit bored, carefully perused through each and every line engraved on the parchment. Though when ced next to his personal elegant calligraphy, the artistic engravings looked like the lifeless scribblings of a drunkard. With the serene Guqin music in the air, the man¡¯s thin long brush, soaked in quail¡¯s blood ink, danced on the piece of parchment. Elegant and beautiful strokes appeared one after another, as he added his invaluable insights to the otherwise dull parchment reports. His every move, though executed casually and effortlessly, was a sight to behold. One can get mesmerized and lost while watching the prince work tirelessly even on the trivial matters pertaining to the kingdom. But suddenly, the man¡¯s slender fingers quivered. The brush held in his hands paused and the ink on the parchment splotched forming an unusual thick spot on the otherwise unblemished parchment. The pair of sharpened crimson red eyes shed open looking ahead at a distance. There was even a hint of fear and astonishment in them. ¡°How¡­ How is this possible?¡± Xander dropped the brush in his hand, and without wasting any time, leaped up from his desk. He had just now sensed an unusual presence in the pce??? the presence of a powerful expert¡­ the presence of someone who was at the least above his Demi-God realm. ¡°Did father awaken from his secluded cultivation?¡± ¡°No, that is not possible.¡± As Xander¡¯s mind raced with various frightening possibilities, he swiftly dashed towards the source of the disturbance. Orbs of pure heavenly mes and deadly poisonous miasma swirled around him, ready to be used inbat and defense. But before the crown prince could even step out of his courtyard, in that split second, the mysterious presencepletely disappeared. It had entirely vanished into nothingness. No matter how much he tried he couldn¡¯t even sense a slight sliver of the presence. It was as if it had never existed at all. Xander¡¯s cold tyrannical facade looked slightly perturbed, and the elf grunted in annoyance. For some reason, an ominous feeling crept up his heart. Too many unpredictable things have been happening around the pcetely. The frown on his face deepened as the elf flicked his sleeve in anger and returned back to his courtyard and his parchments. There was nothing more he could do at the moment. He could only hope that the powerful expert did not harbor any ill intentions towards the elven n. Such was the life of a weakling! In front of someone above his realm, even he was a mere weakling! Xander gritted his teeth and tossed aside the insignificant parchments angrily. ¡°It is about time I make preparations¡­¡± He absent-mindedly muttered, gazing into the distance. The crown prince might have calmed down, but his sudden appearance in the royal pce, outside of his personal courtyard had created a huge wave of uproar andmotion¡­ ¡­ especially among his ardent fans. ¡°What? His highness was here?? Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner??¡± Charlotte rushed out. ¡°Damn it.¡± Isabe rushed out as well. Within a matter of seconds, fifteen out of the twenty two crown prince¡¯s personal royal consorts rushed out to greet the elusive rare boss monster. This might be the only chance they get to see him in the near future! But unfortunately¡­ The man had already retreated back into his hideout and the princesses had to taste the bitter medicine of disappointment. The crowd of beautiful female elves looked at each other awkwardly and were forced to exchange empty polite greetings. Restlessness and defeat flickered in all their eyes uniformly. Amidst this chaotic scene, Charlotte lively eyes couldn¡¯t help but search for the cunning, vicious, and perverted snake. Tang Yue was the only spirit beast in the harem and it was almost impossible for her to not stand out. But still¡­ Charlotte couldn¡¯t find her at all. The princess then, as per usual, barged into Tang Yue¡¯s chamber¡­ ¡­only to find it empty. It looked like the snake had gone off somewhere, probably scheming anding up with ways to secretly trap her handsome prince! Hmph! Charlotte grumbled and shut the door before she begrudgingly went back into her chambers. Meanwhile¡­ Oblivious to themotion and unrest she had caused, Tang Yue was still nimbly dancing to the tune of the deadly mes, just barely alive and breathing. Chapter 53: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part4 Chapter 53: Little plum, Stop setting me on fire! Part4 Oblivious to themotion and unrest she had caused, Tang Yue was still nimbly dancing to the tune of the deadly mes, just barely alive and breathing. As she skillfully side-stepped and dodged an iing me burst, part of her arm got caught in the crossfire and sizzled. ZZZZT And another patch of her skin fell to the ground, smoking and burnt to a crisp. Tang Yue sighed but didn¡¯t dare to get sloppy. Even though her mind and body were already pushed to their limits, she needed to keep going. Her entire body was covered with burn marks from head to toe, looking extremely painful. In fact, she was just a few burns away from medium rare and some more away from fully cooked! But unfortunately, she had to keep going. She had no other choice. She had no idea how to get out of this damned array or no idea how the actual binding urred. It was as if someone threw her into a roiling turbulent river and expected her to learn to swim for her survival on her own. It was indeed a teaching method, but only something a master from hell would use! What a sadistic bastard?! Tang Yue cursed the mad man. She silently braved herself and took a step forward. At the outer edge of the fire array, the me bursts were extremely frequent but the burn itself was not very deadly. With Tang Yue¡¯s heat resistance constantly improving, she was somewhat able to handle this area and stay alive without procuring many life-threatening injuries. But the inner areas were different. The me bursts were less frequent but more deadly. She could just stay safely in the outer areas but then how the hell was she supposed to break out of the array? So she had no other choice but to keep moving inward. The spot where Tang Yue lingered around right now had only sporadic bursts of mes but they were extremely deadly. These bursts were not for the purpose of increasing her resistance. That she was sure of. Because even one mistake could prove unforgivably fatal. As Tang Yue gritted her teeth and cautiously stepped deeper and deeper into the fire array, evading the mes of hell, she was finally able to catch a glimpse of the little blob again. And the next instant, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened as if she had seen a monster! that too something worse than her master!! The little thing who initially looked like it was excited to meet her and cutely jumped up and down was actually the real reason for her misery!! The seemingly cute little blob was the real culprit!! Several bursts of mes emerged from the small blob as if they were its wings and disappeared into the weird non-existence ground beneath them. And when these mes emerged back up, they all sort of popped out from where Tang Yue was standing. The whole thing was a damned endless cycle! Tang Yue had initially been very excited about binding with the elemental youngling. Maybe partly because it would increase her power by leaps and bounds, but also because she could finally have a realpanion in her life. But now all that seemed futile. It looked like the damned thing simply wanted to st her into nothingness. ¡°Why? Why do you hate me already?¡± Tang Yue shouted exasperatedly with her hoarse voice. And to her surprise, the small blob was reacting to her voice. The little blob didn¡¯t have a face but she could tell that it was reacting to her. Ollu Ollu¡­ It made some weird noises and started vibrating even more intensely. Tang Yue rxed a bit. Maybe the cutie was lost after all and it just needed her toe closer to the center? ¡°Little plum, stop setting me on fire!¡± She shouted with warmth and tenderness in her voice. But boy was she wrong¡­ The bursts suddenly intensified with random spurts of me sting out in all directions. The entire array suddenly seemed like it was falling apart. SHIT!! SHIT!! SHIT!! Tang Yue yelped and jumped back a few steps in fear. Sometimes getting noticed was not necessarily a good thing! But before she could maneuver and escape the impending doom, a huge burst of me erupted underneath her and finally seeded in burning her to ashes. And just as she slowly disappeared the blob as well stopped vibrating and vanished along with her. Within a matter of seconds, the entire mysterious ne returned to its previous pitch-ck darkness and a deadly silence enveloped the air. Chapter 54: Lets not hug it out Chapter 54: Let¡¯s not hug it out Ugh¡­ Huh¡­ Tang Yue woke up groggily with a searing pain in her head. ¡°What the heck? How am I not dead yet?¡± The snake could still vividly remember being burnt alive and of course, the associated gut-wrenching pain. So she couldn¡¯t help but hang on to the fear and the dread. She frantically looked left and right and touched her body haphazardly to make sure that she was still whole and alive. Tang Yue fumbled on the ground as she picked herself up with a confused expression. Thest thing she remembered was that hellish world with fire everywhere. ¡°How did I even get out of there?¡± Tang Yue muttered. She looked around her chamber and everything was the same. Even the carpet that she had dragged out was restored back to its natural splendour adding a calm and luxurious warmth to the ce. ¡°Did Lotte put it back?¡± Tang Yue quickly lifted the edges of the carpet to see if her blood engravings were still present, but only to find the crystal clear white marble floor. ¡°Ok. I refuse to believe that all of that was some sort of f*cking dream.¡± ¡°I bled my fingers dry for hours together toplete the damn rune.¡± ¡°WHAT THE HELL?¡± ¡°MASTER? LITTLE PLUM??¡± Tang Yue shouted in exasperation. And as usual, her so called master was a no show and remained mum. However, a small squeaky voice did sound behind her unexpectedly. Ollu Ollu Tang Yue took all of two seconds to recognise this god awful frightening sound and immediately turned around in terror, fear etched in her beautiful eyes. Not again!! A small bouncy ball of mes jumped up and down nonchntly in front of her. ¡°It¡¯s one thing if you don¡¯t like me and prefer to burn me in your world, but its another thing when you follow me back to my world and again try to burn me!¡± ¡°Can we please part as friends?¡± Tang Yue clutched her head and pleaded the terrifying Little Plum with her eyes glistening. The memory of her burnt flesh smell was still fresh in her mind! Ollu Ollu The little thing wordlessly bounced again, but Tang Yue could vaguely feel a sense of sadness from the fireball. She stared at it nkly for a few minutes and only then let out a breath of relief. For now, it looked like she was still safe and not in any danger. ¡°Hmm¡­ Maybe all of that was just a part of the contract?¡± Tang Yue pondered. She was very reluctant to trust the deadly little thing again. She bit her nails and curiously asked the blob. ¡°Are we contracted?¡± ¡°I mean is the contract sessful?¡± Ollu Ollu. The cute ball of mes simply bounced in front of her, not deviating from its standard behavior. ¡°¡­.¡± It looked like the little thing was unable tomunicate with her. Tang Yue fidgeted not knowing how to make sense of the situation. ¡°Oh right! I can just check my status screen!¡± Her eyes lit up as she summoned her status details. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 3 (200/1600) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Silver Mortal Body Poison resistance: Level 11 Heat resistance: Level 50 Cold resistance: Level 12 Lightning resistance: Level 10 Agility: Level 10 Strength: Level 5 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 60/60 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 60/60 Mana regeneration: 2mp/hr ______________ Contractedpanions: Fire elemental: Level 0 ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% Completed Bloodlines: Wild Smander (Common grade) Fire twin-tailed bird (Low grade) ______________ Skills: [Illusion magic] ¨C Passive skill, Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Higher fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade fire. [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Startle] ¨C Active skill, Level 0, Disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration ______________ ¡°Ahh!! The contract is indeed sessful!!!¡± Tang Yue grinned. All that difficulty was not for naught! She even managed to massively upgrade her heat resistance and fire affinity in the process. There couldn¡¯t have been a better oue. Tang Yue cautiously leaned forward and took a closer look at the small blob. ¡°Hello, Little Plum.¡± Ollu Ollu The little thing bounced up and down, this time conveying a happy and warm feeling to her. Tang Yue was surprised. She didn¡¯t think that elementals were intelligent life forms. ¡°So you can understand me well? Just can¡¯t talk back huh?¡± Ollu Ollu ¡°Wee to this world. Let¡¯s not hug it out.¡± Chapter 55: Disciple exams Part1 Chapter 55: Disciple exams Part1 A slender pale blue woman sat cross-legged with a variety of herbsid out in front of her. Next to her, a small wisp of fire was jumping up and down, asionally even revolving around the woman yfully. ¡°Here you go.¡± Tang Yue took out a couple of herbs and fed it to the wisp. Though, fed might not be the appropriate description for the said deed. Because, the instant the herbs came in contact with the blob, they were simply burnt to a crisp. Tang Yue however, didn¡¯t seem to be surprised by the incident. She simply flicked open her status screen to see if Little Plum¡¯s level changed. But unfortunately, to no avail. Just like her earlier tries, this time also nothing changed. In fact, Tang Yue had locked herself up in her chamber for the past couple of days, familiarising herself with the elemental youngling and her newly acquired fire element control. Since she had already attained a Higher affinity for the fire element, she was easily able to manipte mana into small balls of me. This was her limit for now considering her very low cultivation base. So Tang Yue shifted her attention to the next party, Little Plum. The small red blob was not really aplex being. It had a single word in its vocabry and behaved like a sweetie pie. It clung on to each and every single order from Tang Yue as if that was thew and followed her around like a lost little beast cub. While Tang Yue was feeding some herbs to the little ball to see if she could increase its level, a loud knock sounded on her door. ¡°You may enter.¡± Tang Yue muttered. Little Plum immediately became a wisp of energy. It swiftly dove into Tang Yue¡¯s body and disappearedpletely. ¡°Your highness, Greetings.¡± Lotte bowed and entered the room. ¡°Disciple exams are starting today at noon.¡± ¡°Mmm. Thanks, Lotte.¡± Tang Yue nodded. Previously she had asked the pce aide to inform her about the exam announcements and it looked like it was finally the time for the testing. Since Tang Yue was able to cast fire magic and even had Little Plum to help her, she didn¡¯t want to wait any longer. Boosting her strength and position using alchemy was one of the surest ways to get the cold-blooded tyrant¡¯s attention and respect. If she became another Alchemy Master, then the arrogant elf would definitely have to consider waiving her position as a political hostage, to say the least. It was not as if he was interested in his consorts. Tang Yue had long since started to doubt the sexual orientation of the Crown Prince. As far as she knew, all the consorts were clearly just for namesake and the mad man didn¡¯t show the least amount of interest. So she doubted if he would even care if there was one less beautiful figure roaming around in the pce. If she could somehow work hard and excel in alchemy, then that would be for the best and she could easily negotiate the terms of her stay in the elven establishment. This was her current n. Of course, just because one could use fire magic, it didn¡¯t mean that one would be proficient in the art of alchemy. It was a far moreplex and meticulous art than a mere fire element maniption technique. Tang Yue was well aware of the difficulties and the tribtions thatid on her path ahead. But with the little guy near her, she decided to dive in headfirst and give it her best. ¡°What do you say Little Plum? Shall we head out and face that horrible Master Dranuk again?¡± She chuckled finding it a bit ridiculous to interact with a blob of fire. Ollu Ollu Little Plum buzzed and disappeared back into Tang Yue¡¯s body. She donned on her alchemy association disciple attire and prepared to head out to the exam venue. Her long ck curls were neatly braided and pinned together so as to not wildly dance around. The somewhat short emerald green robe matched her fluorescent eyes and clung to her slender waist and seductive figure. With everything taken care of, the snake¡¯s long forked tongue licked her lips and danced around her fangs as she confidently set out to the association building. Chapter 56: Disciple exams Part2 Chapter 56: Disciple exams Part2 A chubby short elf walked over to the royal alchemy association branch, after finishing his pre-victory scrumptious lunch. ¡°Greetings young master Marvin!¡± ¡°Greetings Sir Marvin!¡± ¡°Greetings Master Marvin!!!¡± Several salutations rang through the air as the elf haughtily strutted over. Of course, this was to be expected! After all, he was the royal alchemy grand master¡¯s only son! His talent and capabilities passed down in the excellent bloodline were naturally bound to be earth-shattering and heaven breaking. His affinity to the fire elemental was the only thing that was holding him back, but now that that problem was solved as well, he was bound to be unstoppable! Being the peerless genius and strategist that he was, he had found an ingenious method to ovee that weakness. Who else other than him could havee up with the solution of binge eating a mere low-grade beast to boost affinity? He had eaten hundreds, no thousands of birds, and finally leaped through the obstacle that was holding him back. And now he was ready to shock the world with his alchemy prowess. Marvin confidently swaggered over to participate and ace the alchemy disciple exam. More importantly, he was looking forward to announcing in front of the huge crowd how he had painstakingly worked hard and found a spectacr and unheard-of new method to acquire an elemental affinity! He hadn¡¯t even stepped into the alchemy field and he was already making groundbreaking contributions to society. ¡°Ha Ha Ha. Aren¡¯t I awesome, Tinsdale?¡± Marvin chuckled and patted his aide standing near him. After putting up with years and years of public shaming and being ridiculed, Marvin was more than ready to show off his proud metamorphosis. ¡°Yes, Master Marvin. Nobody can match your prowess.¡± Tinsdale excitedly sang to the tune of his young master. This habit was already ingrained in his very bones after doing it continuously for so many years. Marvin chuckled and swaggered on inside stepping into the alchemy association gates. He looked around to his left and right and gave off polite nods, before taking a seat at one of the open spots in the courtyard. Every lunar cycle, the alchemy disciple and trainee exams were routinely conducted in the enormous royal alchemy association branch courtyard. And this time as well, things were no different. Among the disciples seated on the courtyard, anxiously waiting for the examination to start, Marvin alsofortably settled down and mingled with the group. However, the chubby short elf definitely stood out with his grand golden robe, amidst the various disciple elves who had merely donned on their simple green disciple robes. Marvin picked a spot in the front row and carefully arranged his jade brush and amethyst ink well. The first exam was purely theoretical, testing the knowledge of the disciples on various herbs and their benefits, properties, and drawbacks. So Marvin was pretty confident in his ability to ace this exam. Being the grandmaster alchemist¡¯s son, he had plenty of resources and opportunities to thoroughly study and memorize every single herb known in this world. As Marvin was smugly chatting with a fellow disciple elf seated on his right, a familiar face greeted him. ¡°Aha! There you are! Good afternoon, young master Marvin.¡± Dranuk twirled his long beard and walked over to Marvin with a big smile on his wrinkled face. He, as well, was wearing a golden robe quite simr to Marvin¡¯s attire. In fact, all the Masters who had assembled today to oversee the disciple and trainee examinations had donned on this attire. ¡°Greetings, Master Dranuk.¡± Since they were in public, Marvin humbly stood up and slightly bowed with his hands cupped to greet the master. Dranuk chuckled, obviously pleased with the elf¡¯s mannerisms. ¡°So I assume everything went well? Are your preparationsplete?¡± The old elf asked with a twinkle in his eyes. Though he looked like an innocent concerned party simply enquiring about the preparations for the exam, in reality, his words held several meanings. ¡°Of course. Of course. Master Dranuk. Everything is in order.¡± Marvin gave a thumbs up. And then acting as if he just suddenly thought of this, Marvin removed the smug expression from his face and nervously asked. ¡°Master, would you be kind enough to join this humble disciple for dinner tonight and provide some pointers?¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha. Of course, young master Marvin. I would be delighted to join you for dinner.¡± Dranuk promptly replied and chuckled. The shady pair looked at each other and grinned secretively. Chapter 57: Disciple exams Part3 Chapter 57: Disciple exams Part3 Marvin was not someone who liked taking chances. Even though he had thoroughly prepared for the exams, he still couldn¡¯t leave it all to fate and simply rely on his talent. He had to ensure that he will absolutely be sessful and stand at the top of this cycle¡¯s disciples. The examination itself was not that ruthless. Everyone who received 50% and above could easily pass the examination. But the disciple who ces first typically received a treasured cauldron from the royal supplies. This was not only a perk but also considered a symbol of status and pride. And Marvin was determined to bag this first ce sparing no efforts to get there. Since he had been living in the shadows for so long, he now wanted to stand in the spotlight with full pomp and ir. So he had secretly colluded with Dranuk,ing to an arrangement of some sort. Dranuk leaked him the questions for the examination and Marvin invited the cunning old elf to dine with him in his residential quarters, where his father, the grandmaster would also inevitably make an appearance. The grandmaster was typically elusive and did not grant private meetings easily. And Dranuk, who had now been stuck at Master level for decades was dying to meet with him and ask for some pointers to improve himself. So when Marvin approached him with this opportunity, he jumped at the chance, and a shady alliance was instantly forged. While these two were silently celebrating their pre-determined sess, a tall slender figure graciously walked into the association gates. The iing beauty immediately grabbed the attention of several elves including the shady duo. Master Dranuk saw the snake and his eyes were filled with surprise and disbelief. He opened and closed his mouth without any words spilling out. Tang Yue looked absolutely stunning with her neatly braided hair framing her delicate face The spirit beast who was previously a huge potato sack was now a sensual seductress with an alluring figure. The other golden robed elf standing next to him also had a weird expression on his face. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the beast consort of the crown prince?¡± Marvin¡¯s mind reeled. ¡°How is she suddenly so beautiful?¡± The shady duo looked at Tang Yue utterly bbergasted, each with their own thoughts. While Dranuk mostly hated the so-called flower vase and red at the snake, Marvin was on a slightly different page. He had unknowingly developed a small crush on the bold sexy snake. There was even a slight tinge of rosy hue on Marvin¡¯s pale chubby face. By this time, almost all spots in the courtyard werepletely filled other than a few spots at the front row, located right next to Marvin¡¯s seat. So Tang Yue inevitably turned around and looked in their direction. As soon as she spotted the two important figures standing there, her eyebrows furrowed and a small frown surfaced. But she didn¡¯t care too much and casually walked over to one of the spots. She was more nervous about the uing exam than this nosy troublesome duo. As soon as she came closer, old elf Dranuk did not waste any time and opened his mouth promptly to spout a few derogatory slurs. But before he could do so, Marvin had already turned around and bowed slightly to greet Tang Yue. ¡°Greetings, your highness. May I say you look spectacr this afternoon.¡± He tried to pull the edges of his mouth upwards into a charming polite smile. Huh? Watching the bbering fatso, Dranuk was forced to close his mouth resulting in a low grunt. Marvin was very clearly and obviously taken with the damned snake. The old elf shook his head and threw a threatening nce at the snake, as he tactfully excused himself from the vicinity. Dranuk did not want to linger around and embarrass himself. Heh! They might be friendly now, but something told him that the situation would not be the same at the end of the exam. After all, there was only one first ce! Besides, even if they continue to be on friendly termster on¡­ Dranuk chuckled as vivid images floated in his mind. It was actually better for him if they remained friendly. The wastrel son of the grandmaster was bound to target the seductive snake and try to get her for himself. In no time, she would be nothing but a mere ything in his arms, instead of a royal consort. And then, of course, there would be nothing standing between him and the vain snake, as he forcefully shatters her and her prideful eyes into a million pieces. Master Dranuk threw another hateful nce at the blue snake and joined the other Masters in announcing the examinationmencement. Chapter 58: Disciple exams Part4 Chapter 58: Disciple exams Part4 As the exam time neared and the noon sun hung high among the clouds, three loud gongs resounded. Themotion and the chatter immediately quieted down and all the disciples became alert. Everyone was anxious to start the examinations. After all, alchemy disciples were nobodies in the Eldorian establishment. But alchemy trainees had a whole other degree of respect. They were the real apprentices and alchemy practitioners in training. And this exam was the only thing standing between a disciple and a trainee name tag. So everyone steadied their minds, calmed their hearts, and prepared themselves to take the examination. After the gongs sounded in session, an ancient archaic voice boomed, seemingly from nowhere. ¡°You have six hours to prove yourmitment to learning the blessed art of alchemy.¡± ¡°This will be the only evaluation criteria for your promotion to the alchemy traineeship.¡± ¡°Now, you may begin.¡± Once the voice faded away, the Master alchemists and other trainees standing around slightly bowed, as a token of respect for the voice. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised at this gesture. Was that the Emperor¡¯s voice? She wondered. Marvin smiled smugly looking at the curious expression on Tang Yue¡¯s face. ¡°You don¡¯t know who that is?¡± Tang Yue nodded and smiled. She was a neer to the Elven empire, so she obviously did not have much idea about the inner workings of the settlement. ¡°That is the voice of the old monster Pill Maniac.¡± Marvin chuckled and exined. He was more than happy to exin things to Tang Yue. ¡°There are three grandmasters in our empire and all three are celestial master Pill Maniac¡¯s personal disciples.¡± ¡°No one knows where that old monster disappeared, but his personal artifacts and soul weapons are still functional.¡± ¡°One of that is the disciple exammencement announcing jade.¡± ¡°We still use it as a token of respect to the old master Pill Maniac.¡± Celestial master huh? Tang Yue stared in astonishment. That was an existence she couldn¡¯t evenprehend. While she was pondering, a jade slip materialized in front of her and Tang Yue shifted her focus to the current matters. Just like her, Marvin and other disciples as well fully focussed their attention on the jade slip in front of them. As the disciples held the jade slip in their hands, several images of different herbs shed in their mind, one after the other. Their job was to write down the details about each and every single herb from the series of images, describing its name, characteristics, physical properties, nting requirements, harvesting methods, and other details. This sort of thing was sometimes even more difficult than learning martial arts or cultivation. It required hours and hours of dedication andmitment to memorize all the herbs and learn them by heart. It really showed the determination of a disciple towards pursuing the path of alchemy. Tang Yuepletely immersed herself in the exam trying her best to recollect everything she had read. Her emerald eyes sparkled with interest and her wrists busily moved. She slowly listed the answers she knew one by one on the parchment sheets in front of her. Sitting next to her, Marvin had apletely different demeanor. The chubby little elf was happily humming and flexing his brush strokes as he casually scribbled on the scrolls. He had an aura of a confident aplished alchemist who was leisurely jotting down some nonsense for time pass. The onlookers gaped in amazement at the sight of the dazzling golden son of the grandmaster alchemist dripping with smartness. Marvin also did his part thoroughly and rubbed his chin every now and then as if he was contemting something deep and unfathomable. Time slowly ticked away and soon disciples started finishing their exams one after another. That didn¡¯t mean they answered everythingpletely. At a certain point, if one did not know the answers, there was nothing they could do about it except to finish the examination. No one expected these disciples to learn about the hundreds of thousands of herbs from top to bottom. That was why the exam criterion was set at a mere 50% in order to pass, and typically only the well knownmon herbs were quizzed on, not including the mixed grafts and other variants. So there was no shame in handing over the parchments as and when they were finished. Chapter 59: That snake is shameless Part1 Chapter 59: That snake is shameless Part1 ¡°Here you go.¡± Marvin stood up and confidently handed over his parchments. He was one of thest few disciples to turn the parchments in. Now there were only a dozen or so disciples left, including Tang Yue. Marvin smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders as if he couldn¡¯t understand how the others hadn¡¯tpleted answering the questions yet. ¡°Disciples these days¡­¡± He shook his head in disappointment and murmured. The Master alchemist who collected his exam parchments also chuckled wryly. He was already used to this. Every lunar cycle, without fail, they dide across these special disciples who loved to hold onto their parchments until the veryst moment, even if they don¡¯t know the answers. But the exam rules were set in stone, so no one dared to hassle the slowpokes. As soon as the Master alchemist received Marvin¡¯s answer sheets, he used high-grade rune magic to instantaneously transfer the information scribbled on the parchments to a jade slip on his palm. He then flicked the jade slip to transfer that information to his mind where he impartially graded Marvin¡¯s answers. The entire process took only about a second and everything was smoothlypleted. It was customary to wait until thest disciple finishes the exam to announce the results, so the examiner stayed silent. But his eyes were visibly stunned after grading Marvin. He couldn¡¯t help but look at the young elf in front of him under a new light. Marvin had received a perfect score in the disciple exam and would most probably bag the first ce as well! How could a dragon give birth to a snail? Like father like son! It was inevitable that Marvin would also soar through the ranks of alchemists to reach the grandmaster rank very soon just like his father. The master alchemist nodded in approval and sighed at his own limitations. The difference between him and someone like Marvin was already set in stone. A few more minutes passed and eventually, the gongs sounded to mark the end of the examinations. The remaining disciples including Tang Yue walked over to the master alchemist one by one for their grading turn. Since everyone was eagerly waiting for the results, the atmosphere was pretty lively. The crowd was chaotic and onlookers were loudly gossiping. In the midst of this festive atmosphere, almost everyone failed to notice the weird look on the examiner¡¯s face. His hand clutching Tang Yue¡¯s parchments slightly trembled. This time not one, but two disciples had actually managed to get a perfect score!!! The master alchemist couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. Since when did our exams be this easy?? He wiped the sweat off his forehead and stared dumbfoundedly. ¡°Master, is something wrong?¡± Tang Yue nervously asked. The middle-aged elf immediately removed the unsightly expression from his face and cleared his throat. ¡°No. No. Please wait there for the results.¡± Tang Yue slightly frowned and walked over to the waiting area, where the rest of the disciples had gathered. She was worried if Dranuk did something fishy to mess with her. So she kept turning around and looking at the examiner repeatedly. ¡°Ha Ha. Stop being so nervous princess.¡± Marvin chuckled and weaved through the crowd to stand next to the beautiful snake. ¡°This is just the first tier exam. Almost everyone passes!! Nothing to worry!!¡± He gave her a thumbs up and rubbed his chin like a sage. ¡°Thanks for the words of encouragement, young master Marvin.¡± Tang Yue politely replied. She was indeed anxious. Once all the disciples were graded, the examiner swiftly silenced the crowd and started announcing the much-awaited results. Only the names of the disciples who had passed were announced, and several squeals of joy echoed with every name that was called out. Despite the test being somewhat beginner-friendly, several disciples ended up failing. They could only me themselves for not preparing enough and left the courtyard in exasperation to work hard for the next exam cycle. As the master alchemist kept mumbling one name after another, it looked like almost everyone was called out and Tang Yue started getting worried. Even Marvin cast a disdainful nce at her. He knew why his name was not called out yet. They always announced the disciple who topped the exam at the end. But he noticed that Tang Yue¡¯s name was also skipped. That could only mean that the snake fared poorly in the tests. ¡°Ha Ha. Turns out the princess was all beauty and no brains.¡± He sneered inside. Master Dranuk as well had a simr expression on his face. He was roaring withughter inside, very pleased with the snake¡¯s misfortune. He almost couldn¡¯t wait to get a hold of Tang Yueter and give her a piece of his mind. Chapter 60: That snake is shameless Part2 Chapter 60: That snake is shameless Part2 Tang Yue was confused. Her emerald eyes darted here and there, looking around in worry. Almost everyone had their name called and still, her name was missing. ¡°Hmm¡­ I thought I had done quite well?¡± A nagging feeling crept up in her heart. Standing next to her, the annoying fatty kept obnoxiously leering at her and chatting with her. At first, she was happy that the elf did not hold onto their past enmities, but now it was getting rather aggravating. Tang Yue was definitely not in a mood to chat. She had worked very hard for this and wanted to see some results. Unfortunately, the chubby elf didn¡¯t get the memo and kept pestering her and trying to console her. ¡°Princess, don¡¯t worry. These exams are typically very difficult. How about I train you in private for the next round?¡± Tang Yue rolled her eyes in disgust. Yes, I am sure that¡¯s why you want to meet with me in private. She took a deep breath and curtly nodded, not bothering to reply to him any longer. ¡°Aye! Stop worrying. Cheer up. Cheer up. They are going to announce the first ce now. How about I treat you to a meal after this?¡± ¡°We will have a feast tonight celebrating the exam results.¡± He chuckled and prepared to walk up to the examiner to receive themendations. And just like he had expected, the master alchemist¡¯s voice boomed with the final result. ¡°This cycle disciple Marvin has achieved the first ce in the disciple exams.¡± The middle-aged elf calmly announced. Loud gasps echoed in the crowd and everyone eyed the elf in the golden robe with visible jealousy. Marvin smiled slightly and nodded before walking forward towards the examiner. He had a very humble and schrly aura around him. But the next instant, he almost stumbled and fell. Because the examiner was not yet finished with his announcement. ¡°This cycle disciple Tang Yue has also achieved the first ce in the disciple exams.¡± WHAT THE HECK??? Dranuk spat out the tea in his mouth in shock. He opened and closed his mouth without any words daring toe out. He waspletely speechless. He even tried to mentally recollect if he had mistakenly leaked out the questions to the snake as well! Simr to his frozen face, his partner in crime Marvin also stood rooted to the spot. Marvin gnashed his teeth in anger. The soft corner he had for Tang Yue had long since disappeared and now he was begrudgingly ring at her! Damn it! He almost cursed out loud. Marvin had badly wanted to stand alone in this spotlight. And now he had to share the first ce? This won¡¯t do! Luckily for him, the examiner as well had the same opinion. After announcing Tang Yue¡¯s name, the master alchemist then calmly continued. ¡°Since we can have only one first ce in the disciple exam, the two disciples will now be tested on their concocting abilities.¡± The crowd immediately broke out into a loud uproar. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t young master Marvin a cripple?¡± ¡°Oh yes, yes. The grandmaster¡¯s son did not have the fire element affinity when he tested a few years ago!¡± ¡°I heard he recently achieved a breakthrough.¡± ¡°I heard the royal consort was also a cripple!¡± ¡°Even if she was not, why would a snake beast have fire element affinity?¡± ¡°Yes, what is she even doing trying to be an alchemy practitioner! She is just wasting the spot!¡± ¡°Why are even spirit beasts allowed inside the association gates? Ptui.¡± ¡°Hey, you there! Calm down. Saying something like that is a punishable offense.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care! This is too much.¡± ¡°Hmph. So what if she ced first on the exams, she is now going to crash and burn! How could even a beast concoct anything?¡± ¡°Only young master Marvin deserves the first ce!¡± Many of the disciples were discontented with the results. Save for a couple of orcs, most of the alchemy disciples were elves and naturally, they looked down on the spirit beasts. No matter how hard a spirit beast tried, it¡¯s potential would always be lower than higher intelligent beings. They were merely trying to be respectful because of Tang Yue¡¯s status as a royal consort. But now that she had actually managed to get the first ce, they couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. It was a loud p on their faces. How could a mere beast perform better than them? The crowd started getting unrulier by the second and the examiner had to signal for another gong to quiet things down. The examiner then walked over to an equally stunned Marvin and Tang Yue and handed another set of jade slips. It contained the recipe and procedure for a simple low-grade pill concoction. Chapter 61: That snake is shameless Part3 Chapter 61: That snake is shameless Part3 Tang Yue held the thin green jade slip in her hand and peered in curiously. This was the first time she hadid her hands on a pill form. The form in itself was not prettyplicated. It was a rtively simple form with just about ten ingredients. Except for one or two, all the steps included in the concocting procedure was also very straightforward. After ncing at the form, Tang Yue calmly walked over to the cauldron allocated for her use and took a note of all the ingredients provided for her. Here as well, there were no hidden twists or unexpected traps. Everything was straightforward. In short, this test seemed to simply gauge the disciple¡¯s abilities, aptitude, andmon sense with respect to pill concoctions. As long as one was able to add one plus one and give the answer as two, one would be easily able to clear this test. Tang Yue nodded in understanding and settled in her spot. This would be her first time concocting anything and she was visibly excited about it. As for the background noise andmotion, she couldn¡¯t care less about it. Losers always had the habit of whining and it was not within her limits to change such a universal principle. Opposite her, Marvin as well settled down, but with a constipated look on his face. He went through so much trouble to ensure his first ce, and now he had to go through these additional tests. How unfair! Tang Yue¡¯s calm countenance only further enraged him. How did the damned snake even get first ce? The disciple exam might be easy to pass but it was very difficult, in fact near impossible to get all the answers correct. Even he, Marvin, dared to cheat in the exam only because of his special status as the grandmaster¡¯s son. Otherwise, he would have purposefully answered a few questions incorrectly so as to not arouse anyone¡¯s suspicions. So how the heck did the dumb snake manage to answer everything correctly? Marvin racked his brain on this unnecessary question while only cursorily ncing at the pill form in his hands. It was just a simple concoction, so he was not really worried about it. Back home, he had witnessed and even assisted his father in performing far more intricate andplex concoctions. So he was far more concerned about Tang Yue¡¯s performance in the exam rather than this low-grade alchemy test. Marvin irritatedly racked his brain for a long time before something suddenly struck him. Wasn¡¯t this damned snake sitting right beside him during the exams?? Did she by chance take a look at his answers? Marvin¡¯s thin elegant eyes bulged like boiled eggs as he seriously considered this possibility. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed feasible. Marvin¡¯s raw anger shot through like an arrow. Here he was having to scheme so much just so he could get his first ce, but the damned snake effortlessly copied from him and took it away from? This won¡¯t do at all! He grimaced angrily and spoke in a loud voice, enunciating every single word. ¡°Ha Ha. Princess, I didn¡¯t know that snakes had such good eyesight! Beasts are indeed blessed with good physique.¡± His words boomed amidst the crowd loud and clear, with his usations crystal clear. Of course, his other partner in crime didn¡¯t let go of this opportunity and immediately responded. ¡°Ha Ha. Indeed. Some people are just too lucky!¡± Master Dranuk winked and shrugged his shoulders. Several other disciples and Master alchemists as well quickly caught onto the point and everyone remembered how Tang Yue was sitting next to Marvin. They all had an awkward expression on their faces. Now that they thought about this, the snake consort had very obviously cheated on the exams. What other possibilities could there be? Tang Yue smiled. She had more or less expected something like this to happen. But she didn¡¯t respond to the taunts. Unless and until someone directly pointed towards her and officially used her of cheating, she decided to not bother with this nonsense. Marvin chuckled at her miserable plight and added more fuel to the fire. ¡°You can copy my scribblings but good luck copying my concocting methods. Hmph.¡± ¡°Bah! Let¡¯s first wait for the princess to produce her me!¡± Dranuk chuckled. Without an affinity to the fire elemental, Tang Yue could at most remain a trainee alchemist all her life, an insect he could crush at his feet. What¡¯s even the use of all this ruckus? Chapter 62: That snake is shameless Part4 Chapter 62: That snake is shameless Part4 Before Dranuk could finish his sentence, tongues of me emerged on Tang Yue¡¯s palm, instantly silencing the crowd gathered. A sly smile escaped her dark blue lips, making her look even more seductive and enchanting. Every single onlooker was stupefied. Dranuk had an odd expression on his face. It was not his earlier frivolous condescending attitude but it was something more serious. He walked over to her in long strides. ¡°Princess.¡± He bellowed. ¡°Can you tell me how you were able to achieve this?¡± Tang Yue smiled and looked up with an innocent expression. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s not exactly a secret Master Dranuk.¡± She casually replied as if it was a matter of fact. ¡°Just eat arge number of fire affinity birds and eventually one would be able to obtain affinity to the fire elemental.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Didn¡¯t you also do the same, Master Marvin?¡± Marvin shuddered. He was already at his limits, but the damned snake had somehow managed to anger him more. ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± His entire body was shaking in anger. His eyes looked bloodshot. THIS DAMNED SNAKE! This was supposed to be his moment!!! He was the genius who invented this method! He had eaten thousands of fire twin-tailed birds, even sacrificing his lean and elegant body for a chubby and round one. And now, this random beastes out of nowhere and spouts this nonsense?? He was the genius who invented this! Damn it all! Marvin¡¯s lips twitched and his heart bled, but he controlled his anger and managed to get a slight nod out. ¡°Yes. I did the same.¡± He muttered, gnashing his teeth. Not only did the snake steal his spotlight but now she even dared to tantly giarise his special method. But one thing was not clear to him. Marvin had been personally monopolizing the fire twin-tailed bird market in the Eldorian establishment. He only remembered that one time where he magnanimously let the damned snake buy his 10 birds. So where did she get her supply from? How could she even possibly obtain thousands of birds when he bought out everything? Marvin was extremely confused but kept quiet. Hoarding was not exactly legal and so he didn¡¯t bring up the topic himself. While he was silently simmering, Tang Yue simply smiled at Dranuk. ¡°Are you still not convinced, Master Dranuk?¡± ¡°Why is this so difficult for you to ept?¡± ¡°When orcs, dwarves, fairies, and even certain vixens have elemental affinities, why can¡¯t I have?¡± Dranuk silently red at her. You know why! It¡¯s because you are a spirit beast! You are a mere pet! A ything! He wanted to shout at her, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t. Tang Yue smiled. She was content with the old elf¡¯s tongue-tied face. Since the day she first met Marvin, Tang Yue had already decided to ¡°steal¡± this exnation for herself. With higher realm experts littered around everywhere, she couldn¡¯t exactly hide her progress or strength. So she might as well throw everything out in the open and give out this half-assed exnation, all thanks to the generous wastrel son of the grandmaster. ¡°Then, if nothing else is there. Please excuse me. I have to begin my concoction.¡± Tang Yue shed another brilliant smile and focused on the task at hand. She could sense Dranuk staring daggers at her. She could feel Marvin¡¯s hatred ricocheting off of her. But these were nothingpared to the hateful res her beloved step-mother reserved for her. These two had to take lessons from that woman for being a viin. Tang Yue chuckled and started working on her concoction. However, she didn¡¯t quite forget about Marvin yet. The words he had spoken were very toxic and hit her trigger points. She had worked her ass off for thest few days and this fatso was tantly using her of cheating. using me of cheating? You better be prepared to lie down in the grave you dug! She sneered. Initially, she didn¡¯t care about this so-called first ce and the special cauldron, but now she decided to get it for herself. Since she had alreadye out of the closet, there was no point in holding back anything. After all, she dide herepletely prepared for every single scenario. Chapter 63: Tit for tat Part1 Chapter 63: Tit for tat Part1 Amidst the moring crowd, the duo stopped ring at each other and started the pill concoction procedure. It was a rtively simple fifteen-minute endeavor. In short, the concoction method needed Tang Yue to maintain a series of temperatures whilst throwing in the essential ingredients from time to time. Understanding the nuances to a certain extent, her one hand was busily maintaining the temperature of the cauldron, and the other hand dabbled with the ingredientsid out near her. The pair of emerald eyes glistened with excitement as the snake carefully isted the delicate parts required from each herb. In the beginning, everything went smoothly. Both disciples were working hard, with their heads lowered and their pill cauldrons crackling. The onlookers as well, including the master alchemists, curiously watched the two disciples. One was the son of a grandmaster alchemist and the other was a royal beast consort from the serpentine n. Even though they were noobs, both had very interesting backgrounds and were somewhat worth paying attention to. On one side, Marvin shone in glitter and mour, true to his bloodline as the esteemed son of the grandmaster. Everything he did was a spectacle. He unnecessarily added a lot of pomp and ir to his concoction process, even throwing in a couple of convoluted steps, just to show off. He wanted to clearly demonstrate the difference between his standard and the lowly snake¡¯s standard. Even though the end result was still the same, his cauldron roared as if it was alive and his concoction left the crowd visibly awestruck and praising his prowess. Tang Yue on the other hand, was merely following the recipe step by step. She did nothing more and nothing less. She even had some difficulty maintaining her me since she was rtively new to this, but somehow managed to carry on the concoction. Sitting opposite Marvin, she really looked like a country bumpkin who didn¡¯t know a thing about alchemy. This continued on and as the evening slowly darkened, things were alsoing to an end. Marvin was definitely the clear winner and in about 7 more minutes that would be official. But right at this instant, Tang Yue finally lifted her head up from her cauldron. She was about three-fourths done and was sweating profusely. However, for the next five minutes, she did not have to focus too much on the task at hand. All she had to do was maintain a stable temperature. This was precisely why Tang Yue had selected this particr step in the concoction procedure for her side mission. As she lifted her head up and gazed at the chubby elf sitting in front of her, a slight smile surfaced on her lips. The elf was busily murmuring, fully immersed in his work. He had the airs of an aplished master, something he had picked up from his father. Marvin tossed in one herb after another like a pro and watched as his cauldron brimmed with the scent of sess. In fact, his progress was visibly faster than her own brewing. If nothing went wrong, the elf looked like he was about to finish his pill concoction smoothly. ¡°This won¡¯t do.¡± Tang Yue flickered her long forked tongue. ¡°Is this because my cultivation base is not high enough?¡± She was still in the bronze tier mortal realm, which was the lowest level. So it was safe to assume that Marvin¡¯s cultivation base was at least one tier higher than her if not many more. ¡°Hmph. It doesn¡¯t matter. You will not be concocting anything today.¡± The snake silently watched the chubby elf focusing on his task and a faint glint shone in her emerald eyes. ¡°Startle.¡± She murmured. Huh? Marvin immediately stared in confusion, even momentarily forgetting what he was doing. But the next second, he snapped out of his daze and resumed what he was doing. The brief second hesitation did not really have much impact on his concocting steps. His pill cauldron roared alive just like it did before Tang Yue had intervened. But a small smile crept up on the edges of Tang Yue¡¯s dark blue lips. She was not done yet. In fact, this evening was far from being over. Chapter 64: Tit for tat Part2 Chapter 64: Tit for tat Part2 Illusion magic, the innate ability of the serpentine n was not something that is to be trifled with. After all, only by relying on this ability, the snake spirit beasts have survived for so long. Illusion magic is not heaven defying when ites tobat. In fact, it was not even worth mentioning when ites tobat. It is a second rate ability that can be easily blocked by protecting the heart and mind with sufficient mana, by training the soul and by improving cultivation base. But when ites to escaping, this ability is second to none. At its highest strength one is even able to use illusionary magic to meld with the mana in the air and bepletely invisible. More importantly, the spells cast using illusionary magic are very difficult to detect. Unless one was actively prepared against it, like in abat or hunting expedition, one wouldn¡¯t even notice the magic. This was why Tang Yue was confidently wreaking havoc to her heart¡¯s content. ¡°Startle.¡± The snake muttered again, seemingly busy with her own work. This time it was not random but calibrated to the second. She had waited for Marvin to process the sensitive stamen of thest herb and in that split second mumbled the illusion magic spell. And just like before, Marvin as well momentarily blinked in confusion, just for a fraction of a second. However, in that millisecond, the herb in his hand was already burnt to a crisp. And since the stamen needed to be added within the next second, he was unable to continue the current concoction and inevitably had to start over. SHIT SHIT SHIT Marvin looked up in anger and frustration. His eyes darted over to hispetition. ¡°Please tell me that the damned snake is also struggling?¡± He prayed in exasperation. But unfortunately for him, it looked like Tang Yue was progressing quite smoothly. She seemed a bit slow, but nothing else was out of ce. While his entire batch was ruined, Tang Yue was effortlessly throwing in one ingredient after another. Marvin gritted his teeth and started the next batch. This time he straightforwardly followed the protocol and started brewing the fresh batch. Marvin tried his best to intensify his mes and hurry the process. But s¡­ In the next few seconds, right in front of his eyes, Tang Yue seeded in concocting the low-grade pill. The smug looking snake happily held in her palms a white translucent pill called the dew drop, the low-grade pill typically used for adjusting moisture content in pill concoctions. She even went as far as to raise the pill under Marvin¡¯s murderous re. She vainly held it under the luminescent moonlight and then the brightntern light alternatingly to admire and show off her aplishment. Marvin cringed in repulsion. Why the heck are you so happy over a stupid low-grade concoction? Damn it! Tang Yue sneered. Her cold gaze swept over the squirming chubby elf in front of her. ¡°Hai Hai. I hope the young master won¡¯tin this time that I copied from him!¡± ¡°After all, I am already done, but you are still¡­¡± Marvin pped his thigh in anger but remained silent. He tried to focus on the current batch he was brewing. ¡°Aha. Are you starting over again? Was the entire batch ruined? A¡­¡± ¡°I pray that the young master¡¯s second batch is sessful.¡± Tang Yue sped and bowed. Her sweet smile was simply enchanting. Marvin had an odd expression on his face. He wanted to bury his head somewhere and disappear from this spot. Even with his thick skin, by ying the role of a cripple for so many years, he still felt the stinging pain. Several members of the crowd also had weird expressions on their faces. No one knew how to respond. Everyone was too dumbstruck to say anything. In the earlier exam, they could at least use her of cheating? But what could they say now? Right in front of their eyes, Tang Yue concocted the pill to perfection, while Marvin¡¯s batch crashed and burned. So technically she is the winner of this duel. There was no doubt in that. But why did she have to act so¡­ Finally, the examiner intervened and broke the awkward silence. ¡°Ahem¡­ Good job, princess.¡± The examiner eyed Tang Yue from top to bottom. He still couldn¡¯t believe that a snake had seeded in concocting a pill! ¡°Please follow me to receive the trainee robes and your first ce reward.¡± He sighed and gestured the happy snake to follow him. ¡°Ahh. If you don¡¯t mind, could we please wait until young master Marvin finishes his concoction?¡± ¡°His techniques are very¡­ cough cough¡­ knowledgeable. Just watching him is very eye-opening for a newbie like me.¡± Tang Yue innocently blinked, with her longshes fluttering. She was still not done yet! Chapter 65: Tit for tat Part3 Chapter 65: Tit for tat Part3 ¡°Ahh~¡± The examiner gazed at Tang Yue for a while before nodding slightly. What she said made sense, but why did he feel that something was not right? ¡°Well, whatever.¡± He sighed and turned around to wait for Marvin to finish. It was just a matter of a few more minutes, so he didn¡¯t mind it much. Tang Yue slightly bowed and nodded to thank the examiner. And then she turned her attention to the star of the show. Marvin was seriously brewing the second batch without even blinking his eyes. His hands behaved like two well-tuned machines swiftly performing one step after another wlessly. The chubby elf smoothly did everything without breaking a sweat and Tang Yue silently watched the show. Looking at his serious hard work, she almost didn¡¯t want to mess with him, but Tang Yue knew better. If the tables were turned, things would have been very different by now. If Marvin had finished first instead of Tang Yue, he would have definitely kicked up dust and climbed on to mount Tai, probably would have even gotten her disqualified for her supposed cheating to cement his superiority. He would have at least smeared her name endlessly. So she couldn¡¯t afford to be lenient. After all, bing a trainee was only the second step. She still needed a lot of training and more importantly, resources from other master alchemists to further improve herself. This first ce name tag could help her to a certain extent especially when the opponent was the famous grandmaster¡¯s son Marvin. Besides, if you dare to let your mouth run, then you need to be prepared to face the consequences as well. The snake silently smiled. She was not so strong that she could afford to be kind to the enemies. Tang Yue¡¯s cold indifferent gaze unwaveringly watched the chubby elf and at the right moment mumbled, ¡°Startle.¡± Marvin slightly hesitated and the pieces of stamen in his hand got burnt again. ¡°What the¡­¡± Marvin loudly cursed. The crowd as well silently gasped as everyone witnessed a humiliating second failure, that too at such a simple pill concoction form. There were even some who snickered, but no one dared to say anything out loud. A pin-drop silence pervaded with awkward nces being passed around. Technically, the test was already over. There was no reason for Marvin to continue struggling but the elf didn¡¯t look like he was going to give up anytime soon. While Marvin was chugging along with a flushed red face, Tang Yue was mentally calcting just how many times could she possibly ruin his batch without making him cry. ¡°Am I going a bit overboard?¡± She chuckled. ¡°Heh. In front of the elven arrogance, this is nothing.¡± With her arms crossed in front of her, the snake watched the drama unfold with her cold impassive face. While Tang Yue silently observed from the sidelines, without drawing any attention to herself, Marvin gritted his teeth and tried again, unwilling to give up. But unfortunately¡­ it ended up being just another failed attempt. His entire body trembled. He couldn¡¯t understand why he was struggling with such an obvious pill form. Was his fire elemental control so bad? He couldn¡¯t understand the source of the error and that drove him crazy. His big round eyes werepletely bloodshot in anger. He almost toppled the entire cauldron in frustration. ¡°Damn it.¡± Marvin cursed. He had had enough today. He wanted to stop, but with several pairs of eyes on him, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to publicly admit defeat. With no other option, he continued to try again. And again. And again. After a while, Tang Yue didn¡¯t even have to do anything. He crashed and burned on his own, making angry hasty mistakes out of sheer frustration. A cool and calm head was tantamount to talent when it came to the practice of alchemy or for that matter anything non-trivial. And finally¡­ after a dozen failed attempts, the examiner couldn¡¯t stand to watch it any longer. He decided that it would not benefit anyone to let this situation continue. So he cleared his throat and stepped in to stop the madness. ¡°Master Marvin. Cough Cough. Let¡¯s stop for the night.¡± ¡°Sorry, I have to turn in early because of some association matters.¡± ¡°I hope you can give this old man some face and finish this concoction in private.¡± ¡°Oh! And congrattions you are a trainee starting tomorrow. Please visit the association to receive your missions.¡± Marvin stared at the middle aged elf angrily. Well, at this point, he was just angry with anything and everything. And more importantly, at a smug snake, who was nowhere to be seen. Marvin silently sped his hands, bowed and walked out of the testing courtyard. No one could tell what was going on in his head. Too many unpredictable things had happened today. His aides as well silently followed him out. No one dared to even breathe loudly, let alone create a ruckus about the ridiculous thing which had transpired just now. While all of this was happening¡­. ¡­ a figure silently observed the chaos from a distance. The elf¡¯s red blood eyes gleamed with interest and his thin lips slightly turned upwards in amusement. Chapter 66: Tit for tit Chapter 66: Tit for tit Xander had onlye here for some boring inspection duty, but he unexpectedly managed to stumble upon such an interesting scene! His long silver locks flickered in the wind against his ck robe and his face looked as cold as ever, covered by the devil¡¯s mask. But underneath, the elf¡¯s red blood eyes gleamed with interest and his thin lips slightly turned upwards. The elf was visibly amused. He couldn¡¯t help but recollect all themotion the beautiful snake had caused him since she had stepped inside the elven pce. He chuckled lightly. His dark red orbs gazed at the ck belly snake smirking and smiling secretly, having fun at Marvin¡¯s expense for a few more seconds. ¡°You indeed have talent in alchemy. Now let¡¯s see just how far you can go.¡± The elf absent-mindedly mumbled. He chuckled again before disappearing into the darkness. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ While the crown prince might have witnessed the entire thing in person, news soon reached others who weren¡¯t present as well about Tang Yue¡¯s stunning talent in alchemy. Charlotte¡¯s entire body stiffed. Her eyes narrowed and her fists were clenched so tightly that her nails dug into her skin almost drawing blood. ¡°Get out.¡± She muttered. The pce aidebing her long silver hair trembled slightly. She left the hair half done and immediately excused herself. The two other pce aides in the chamber as well quickly excused themselves. Charlotte flicked her blue robe with peacock patterns and stood up. She then retrieved a space pouch from her robe. From that, she took out a small inconspicuous jade slip. She gritted her teeth in anger and rotated her cultivation base to quickly crush the jade slip. A warm glow shimmered around her body and Charlotte angrily enunciated. ¡°Why is she still alive?¡± The jade slip in her hand magically disappeared soon after that, as if it had never existed. Charlotte¡¯s fully developed bosom heaved up and down as she walked outside angrily. The aides who were waiting outside quickly followed behind her with their heads bowed down. Today was clearly not the day they could dare look at their mistress. Meanwhile, in another corner of the city: A goblin stumbled and spat out the drink in his mouth. ¡°What the hell?¡± His eyes bulged in surprise. Just a second ago, weirdly Charlotte¡¯s voice echoed in his mind saying a few words. Of course, he quickly understood what had happened, just that the sudden unexpected voice startled him. The jade slip which Charlotte had crushed was a priced rune trinket she had obtained from her father, one of Crown Prince¡¯s private army Generals. The expensive jade slip was meant for sending long distance sound transmissions, perfected for use in the elven army by Xavier. Though the elf kidded around and indulged himself for most parts of the day, there was no doubt that he was almost a rune grandmaster. The message was typically delivered within the next few minutes, resounding in the other party¡¯s mind. So the goblin Ginko, as well, received it instantly. ¡°Heh¡­ What a pampered princess?!¡± He murmured to the associate sitting in front of him. ¡°Does she think killing a member of the royal family is that simple?¡± ¡°Not even giving me the time to n! Hmph.¡± Ginko frustratedly emptied the drink in his hands. ¡°Ginko, are you sure you want to take this job?¡± The goblin named Gale asked, his voice filled with concern. The only reason they had managed to thrive so far as a hidden association was because they hadn¡¯t yet managed to get the attention of the tyrant in the high castle. If they by chance irked him in some way, it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if the entire assassin association was wiped out in an instant. ¡°Hmm¡­ I investigated already. The prince doesn¡¯t care about the snake. He wouldn¡¯t look too much into it.¡± ¡°I am nning to make it as if she died in a mission. Now all I have to do is wait for her to ept one of the trainee missions.¡± Ginko exined. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s a sound n.¡± Gale nodded. ¡°Come let¡¯s celebrate the snake princess¡¯s sessful exam clearance! Aha Ha Ha.¡± Ginko chuckled. ¡°Hai. Hai.¡± They both clinked their drinks together and continued chatting about other things. Chapter 67: Golden hands Part1 Chapter 67: Golden hands Part1 The next day Tang Yue leisurely walked over to the alchemy association gates after a more than satisfactory happy good night¡¯s sleep. Since the previous day ended up being more chaotic and confusing than anyone had expected, Examiner Giotto had asked her to meet with him today for further instructions. The excited little snake happily waltzed in, eager to learn new things. Since her childhood, she never had the chance to learn anything new or practice any of the special arts since she was a cripple. But now things were different. She was genuinely interested in learning and improving herself in alchemy. It was a miracle that she even had the chance to do this! There was no way she was going to let this chance slip by. Tang Yue walked into the main courtyard and took a left turn to arrive at the Master Alchemist quarters. It looked like Master Giotto was already waiting there, busily chatting with someone else. Tang Yue hurried over and pleasantly greeted him. ¡°Good morning, Master Giotto.¡± The tall middle-aged alchemy master turned around and so did the short chubby elf in front of him. While the Giotto simply nodded in return, the other elf gritted his teeth and hissed back his reply. ¡°Greetings, Princess Tang Yue.¡± Marvin sneered with a smug look on his face. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tang Yue pondered. Why is this rascal not huddled up in his room in a puddle of his tears? Did I not mess with him enough yesterday? As if answering her mental rhetorical questions, Master Giotto quietly mumbled. ¡°Ahem. There seemed to be some issues yesterday with Trainee Marvin¡¯s cauldron and so, to be fair, we have decided to issue the first position to both the candidates.¡± ¡°Both of you can now follow me to receive your high-grade cauldrons and trainee robes.¡± Master Giotto walked away without waiting for Tang Yue to respond as if he had just spoken somethingpletely obvious. Tang Yue chuckled. She didn¡¯t expect this but it wasn¡¯t too much of a surprise either. She silently followed behind Giotto and Marvin who were nowughing and chatting about the weather outside. They walked for a while, exiting the main building and entering the inner quarters of the alchemy association. This is the ce where trainee alchemists mostly worked, assisting the various masters they were assigned to and also taking care of the enormously vast expanse of herbal fields. Behind the alchemy association building plots, acres and acres of herb farms spread out to a boundless area, almost until the distance eyes could see. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp at the sight of such a huge field filled with uncountable treasured herbs. Even the air in this ce smelled like medicine. ¡°Is this your first time visiting here?¡± Giotto chuckled. He found Tang Yue¡¯s innocent open-mouthed expression very amusing. Marvin next to him as usual had a smug face. He had, of course,e here several times and even purchased several herbs. ¡°We cane hereter. Let me first hand over the cauldrons and register you both as alchemy Trainees.¡± Giotto chuckled and continued walking. They took several turns here and there, making Tang Yue¡¯s head hurt, and finally arrived at a corner chamber. She was sure that she had no idea what route they had taken just now. The entire building was aplicated maze. Once they entered the chamber, Giotto flicked his violet robes and retrieved a small bag. And from within the bag, he took out two dark brown colored cauldrons. The cauldrons were almost half the height of Tang Yue and were very peculiarly designed. Cauldrons typically were thick and sturdy, so that they can withstand a lot of heat, high pressure, and unexpected scenarios. Otherwise, every time a concoction fails, the ingredients along with the cauldron will blow up in the person¡¯s face. But these two cauldrons were much thinner. Won¡¯t they break apart on the first try? Tang Yue suspiciously nced at the big cauldrons in front of her. ¡°These are special cauldrons which are covered by runes to withstand a lot of stress.¡± Marvin rolled his eyes and exined, even though no one asked him about it. Tang Yue tilted her head and gazed into his eyes, with a big smile stered on her face. ¡°Oh! Is that so? Thanks.¡± She paused and replied. There was something about her voice that made Marvin clench his fists. The temperature in the room suddenly dropped. ¡°Ahem. So here are the trainee robes.¡± Giotto interrupted the duo who looked like they were about to w each other into shreds and shoved a set of robes in each of their hands. He shook his head and chuckled. ¡°Marcel here can instruct you both in your trainee duties.¡± Master Giotto then promptly turned around and left, almost running away from the bickering duo. Chapter 68: Golden hands Part2 Chapter 68: Golden hands Part2 ¡°Let¡¯s start. We will first test your talent in herb synergy.¡± The elf Marcel stood up from his desk. Marcel was also a master alchemist just like Dranuk and Giotto. Some of the important proceedings such as testing new trainees were handled by the master alchemists, taking time from their precious practice hours. Unlike alchemy disciples who simply assisted in very mundane physicalbor, alchemy trainees handled more important things. So this was an essential process. Each trainee needed to be appropriately nurtured based on their talent. And in order to do this effectively, their talent was tested at the beginning and recorded. Master Marcel retrieved a bunch of things from his space pouch andid it out neatly on the table in front of him. He then turned towards Marvin and patted him gently. ¡°Young master Marvin. Please pick up a seed from this pile with some soil in your hands.¡± ¡°Now begin to circte your mana and nourish the seed and the soil together.¡± ¡°This will allow us to evaluate your innate talent in herb synergy.¡± ¡°Do you have any questions?¡± Marcel exined the test in detail. ¡°Ha Ha. I am ready, Master Marcel. I have already practiced this several times.¡± Marvin smiled and gave a thumbs up. He confidently started the test. Without any hesitation, he rotated his cultivation base and nourished the seed in his hand with mana. The small seed started vibrating with energy and right in front of their eyes germinated and slowly started even sprouting. But it didn¡¯t stop there. Soon one leaf emerged, two leaves emerged, a stem took shape and the nt started growing taller and taller. Tang Yue was visibly stunned. Master Marcel¡¯s mouth was wide agape. Marvin looked at both of their expressions and became even more excited. He chuckled and casually stood there, while the nt in his hand started budding. Several buds emerged one by one and by the time the test ended, there were a total of ten plus buds. Though none of the buds had flowered and born fruit, this in itself was an impressive feat. Only people with high herb synergy can achieve such a result. And this was only the beginning. The more Marvin practices alchemy, the more this talent would further grow and improve. This skill is almost as important as an alchemy practitioner¡¯s innate affinity to the fire elemental. Synergy with the nts and vegetation and synergy with the elementals are the two most important factors in the field of alchemy. ¡°Young master, Marvin. This is amazing! You have excellent first tier talent in herb synergy.¡± ¡°All the first tier talents recorded in our association have gone on to be great alchemy andbat experts.¡± Marcel started apuding the young elf¡¯s natural talent. Every single first tier talent so far has contributed greatly to the empire and the alchemy association. So this was huge news! Master Marcel wanted to hurriedly inform the other alchemy masters and alchemy experts in the association, so he quickly prepared to leave. ¡°Come. Come. Let¡¯s go. I will immediately show you to your private practice chamber and the field allotted to you.¡± In all his excitement and happiness, Master Marcel hadpletely forgotten about Tang Yue. ¡°Cough. Cough. Master Marcel, I still haven¡¯t tested yet.¡± The snake chuckled and reminded everyone about her presence with a smile on her lips. Talent is something that is blessed by the heavens and carried in the lineage. How could a grand master¡¯s son¡¯s talent be worse? Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less about how special the prodigal son was. She was more concerned about her own herb synergy talent. Beasts typically had a very good harmony with nature and so she couldn¡¯t help but feel excited about her own affinity. ¡°Oh! Of course. Of course. My mistake. One second, young master Marvin.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s finish this one as well and then we can proceed.¡± Marcel hurriedly apologized. Marvin chuckled. He tied his hands behind his back and loftily looked at Tang Yue, patiently waiting for her to realize the difference between earth and heavens. Tang Yue ignored the arrogant brat and focussed on the seed in her hands. She as well slowly circted her mana and willed her energy to nourish the small life in her hands. The seed in her hand trembled and started germinating. In this talent test, one¡¯s cultivation level was not important. This was why Tang Yue was still able to perform the test without any hindrance. The snake¡¯s emerald eyes gleamed with interest as she watched the sapling in her hand, slowly start sprouting leaves. In a matter of seconds, three leaves had already sprouted from the sapling in her hands. Chapter 69: Golden hands Part3 Chapter 69: Golden hands Part3 Tang Yue excitedly looked at the small nt in her hands steadily growing. She had never experienced anything like this before. She could feel an intangible link between her and the vegetation on her hands. It was a cool andforting sensation. Standing next to her, Marvin broke out into a cold sweat. He had just let his mouth run wild but was forced to face the consequences so soon. He cursed himself for willingly falling into this hole. He gritted his teeth in bitterness as he painfully watched the other party do better than him. However, standing next to the duo, one anxious and one excited, the examiner Marcel surprisingly had an indifferent look on his face. It was almost as if he had expected this to happen. Soon, more and more leaves started emerging and the nt looked healthy and green. It had even grown at a visibly faster pace than Marvin¡¯s nt. But when things were beginning to get interesting, suddenly something unexpected happened. The leaves and the stem which had been throbbing with life force and energy just a second ago, now for some reason seemedpletely still and calm. Huh? Both Tang Yue and Marvin opened their mouth in shock at the same time. The examiner, however, simply nodded and said. ¡°Testplete. Tier 3 talent.¡± Tang Yue, as well, nodded, her eyes still gazing affectionately at the nt in her hand. Even though she was slightly disappointed, this was something she had also partly expected. A beast¡¯s life was always like this. They were destined to be ordinary and average in everything. Even in their talent for cultivation, their ability to absorb mana from the environment, it was a simr situation. A beast was able to naturally absorb the mana from the air around them without the necessity of any body tempering orplicated cultivation techniques. It was a very casual and effortless process, that enabled them to cultivate even when they were sleeping. But unfortunately, that¡¯s where it stopped. Because they were only ever able to absorb mana at that measly average rate. It was physically impossible for them to improve the rate of absorption any further. So when they attained a certain cultivation realm, it was also impossible for them to progress any further. There was always an invisible threshold hovering above their heads, keeping them down and forcing them to kneel before the higher living beings. And this is exactly what happened in the case of Tang Yue¡¯s herb synergy as well. Not just Tang Yue, but all spirit beasts had an average synergy with the nts and vegetation and that¡¯s where it stopped. As a spirit beast, she could never in her lifetime achieve the high and superior synergy level which Marvin had proudly demonstrated. This wasmon knowledge and that is why the examiner Marcel was already aware of it. He had only seen what he had expected and nothing more or nothing less. So he simply noted down the result in a parchment and prepared to leave. Marvin also knew this, but when it came to Tang Yue, he didn¡¯t dare take anything for granted. He could only rx when he confirmed the result with his own eyes. His heart had almost leaped out of his chest, but now he was back to his calm andposed form. ¡°Oh!¡± The chubby little elf smugly eximed. ¡°That¡¯s a very good affinity! Congrattions, Princess Yue.¡± ¡°Keep working hard. You will eventually get to my level someday.¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe at least close to my level.¡± ¡°Tch. Tch. Too bad not everything can be achieved by copying and having lucky breaks huh?¡± He sneered and materialized several tongues of me in his hand, which burnt the nt on Tang Yue¡¯s hand to a crisp. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but smile. She silently watched the elf bragging. It looked like she had been too lenient the previous day. It was obvious that the dosage of ps she had given was not sufficient at all. She dusted off the ash in her palm and crossed her hands. ¡°Just like your cauldron issues yesterday, maybe my seed had an issue?¡± The snake innocently asked with a smile that didn¡¯t quite reach her venomous eyes. ¡°Cough. Cough. Tier 3 talent is not bad, Princess. Congrattions. Now, please follow me.¡± The examiner quickly intervened and brought the bickering duo along with him. He could already feel a headacheing with these two big personalities joining the association at the same time. ¡°I will assign you both to your respective fields and then hand over the first set of missions.¡± ¡°Please remember to inform the disciple sitting at the border of the fields, in case you are heading out to missions.¡± ¡°Your allotted herb field has to be taken care of and tended to every day, and in the absence of your avability, someone else will tend to it.¡± ¡°So it is important that you notify the association about your presence and absence.¡± Master Marcel exined. Marvin chuckled and nodded and weirdly enough, Tang Yue as well smiled and nodded, each with their own convoluted thoughts in their brains. Chapter 70: Queen consort is a clutz Part1 Chapter 70: Queen consort is a clutz Part1 After exining the various duties of a trainee alchemist, Master Marcel then brought Tang Yue and Marvin around to the mission board. Senior disciples, junior trainees, and senior trainees, everyone without any exception, had the responsibility of finishing their mission quotas every lunar cycle. This was a very strict rule. After registering both of their talents and test scores with the missions department, Master Marcel turned around to leave, though, not before giving Tang Yue a piece of his mind. ¡°You seem to have some outstanding missions which you previously took?¡± ¡°Are junior disciples even allowed to take missions?¡± ¡°It¡¯s one thing to use your status and authority to receive missions which you are clearly not supposed to.¡± ¡°But at least have enough respect to the Association so as to not treat these missions lightly.¡± ¡°If you are unable to finish them by yourself, join a group. Hmph.¡± The elf seemed to be very offended by Tang Yue¡¯s outstanding missions. ¡°Tsk. Tsk. That is not a good attitude, princess. Let me know if you need any help with the missions.¡± Marvin as well chuckled and added, very magnanimously. Tang Yue smiled. This was indeed her mistake, but then again¡­ She twirled a few strands of her long silky ck locks and calmly answered. ¡°Sorry, Master Marcel. I will immediately finish my pending missions.¡± The elf Marcel satisfactorily nodded and prepared to leave, but Tang Yue was not done yet. ¡°Just a second, Master. Ipletely agree with you. One should never misuse their authority.¡± ¡°How could a junior disciple be assigned dangerous missions?¡± ¡°Pleaseunch an investigation to get to the bottom of this.¡± ¡°I realize my mistakes and I am prepared to ept the consequences of my errors.¡± ¡°I would like to be officially charged with a suitable punishment.¡± Huh? Master Marcel was shocked. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if anything wrong had happened. At least it was clear that things were not as simple as they looked. So he quickly decided to not press on this issue any further. ¡°Hmm¡­ No need. As long as this doesn¡¯t repeat.¡± He nodded and left. Tang Yue chuckled. She thought she was shrewd but the elves were even more shrewd! At the first signs of any error from their side, the master alchemist immediately ran away. And following him, Marvin also ran away. It looked as if he was in a hurry, otherwise, how could the chubby elf miss this opportunity to rub more dirt on Tang Yue¡¯s face. Tang Yue silently watched the two arrogant elves scurry away in opposite directions. She chuckled and lowered her gaze to the parchment in her hands with her long forked tongue flickering in and out. Even if Marcel hadn¡¯t reminded her, Tang Yue was itching to head back into the forests again. Her cultivation base was still low, but now she had a lot more weapons in her arsenal. With her current strength, she wouldn¡¯t have to flee and hide like thest time. On this trip, she could step into the forests like a true hunter. But it was not quite the right time just yet. Tang Yue wanted to sharpen a couple of her skills before heading out to finish her missions. During the pill concoction test the previous day, she had made a lucky observation. The more she used certain skills the more their proficiency levels increased. For instance, her startle skill was at level 2 now. Though there were not many changes to the effect of the skill with this small increase, it only seemed logical that there would be some important changes at higher levels. Using this skill, if she could break the concentration of an enemy during a fight, it could definitely prove life-saving! So Tang Yue decided to level her startle skill as much as possible before heading out. After finishing a couple of other procedures, Tang Yue swiftly returned back to her chamber. ¡°Lotte. Lotte.¡± She loudly called for her pce aide. Looking at the poor guy, she almostughed out loud. The poor elf unfortunately had a long day ahead of him. ¡°Let¡¯s go for a walk.¡± She smiled and said. Huh? Lotte scratched his head and nodded. It was a very unusual ordering from the princess. The elf quietly followed the snake princess as she strolled around the pce gardens. However, for some reason, he felt very weird. At times, he felt extremely muddle-headed and confused. He was even absent-mindedly bumping into shrubs and bushes. ¡°Huh? Huh? What is happening?¡± Lotte scratched his head in confusion. Chapter 71: Queen consort is a clutz Part2 Chapter 71: Queen consort is a clutz Part2 ¡°Huh? Huh? What is happening?¡± Lotte scratched his head in confusion. Every time Tang Yue muttered the illusion spell Startle, the elf ran into something or abruptly stopped for no reason. By the time, they were on their fourth or fifthp, the elf¡¯s pale face was pink with embarrassment. ¡°It¡¯s ok. It¡¯s ok.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and urged him to hurry and walk along. She did feel bad for the elf but she needed someone to practice on. So it couldn¡¯t be helped. She made a mental note to reward himter on when she had the means to do so. After a while, Tang Yue stopped. Her skill level had increased to 5 and it was no longer improving. Most probably, it was because of Lotte¡¯s low cultivation level. Tang Yue nodded and dismissed the poor guy. She decided to give the elf some break and headed outside to the city¡¯s famous tea house. Clover house was a very famous eatery establishment in the elvennds. The owner was a grandmaster in the culinary arts and excelled in brewing higher grade spirit herbs. It was rumored that if a dish was prepared with the owner¡¯s golden hands, almost 99% of the herbal efficacy was preserved in the dish. And moreover, any dish served in the tea house contained almost 60% of the herbal essences. So it was typically difficult to get a reservation in the tea house. But since Tang Yue was a member of the royal family, she was naturally given more preferential treatment and was immediately escorted to a booth. The snake princess tugged at her robe and silently sat down in her booth. She looked around curiously, visibly awed, and amazed at everything surrounding her. The atmosphere in the tea house was outstanding! Calm and serene zither music flowed in the background. Rich mystical paintings adorned the walls. Fragrant medicinal herbs were potted and arranged tastefully in various corners and nooks. Some of the walls even had a few climbers with pretty purple flowers giving a pleasant and cool feeling. Tang Yue sighed in amazement. High-ss royal establishments were indeed spectacr. She still had a gem leftover from her ckmailing days and hence decided to splurge a bit before heading into the forests. She, of course, had other ns as well. Tang Yue rxedly hummed to the tune of the zither and nced over the price list. ¡°Hai Hai. I need to ckmail more people.¡± She chuckled. All the prices listed were very exorbitant. After contemting for a while, she ordered a Bianya herbal tea set, costing 2 gold pieces. Bianya was a lightning attribute herb and Tang Yue was curious to see how much the brewed herb could boost her attributes. Also, her current quest was still pending. After ordering, the snake then casually tapped on the wooden table and waited while her tea was being prepared. Her emerald eyes busily darted here and there observing everyone in the tea house. She carefully observed all the powerhouses present around her. Since it was typically difficult to hide one¡¯s cultivation base unless you are in the Demi-God realm or higher, one can easily gauge someone else¡¯s strength from their aura. And most elves in the tea house, of course, had terrifying strong auras. Tang Yue swiftly moved her eyes away from these experts. Apart from elves, there were even a couple of dwarves and orcs sitting in a few booths. They also had rtively strong auras. Tang Yue sighed and waited. She hade here in the hopes of running into someone with slightly higher cultivation than Lotte. ¡°Guess I have to roam around in the market district and startle random people.¡± She nodded silently to herself. She didn¡¯t want to draw too much attention to herself but if she had no other option, she might have to take a fewps around the market in the name of observing the different shops. Soon her tea set arrived. ¡°Thanks.¡± Tang Yue nodded and smiled at the shy waitress. A very fragrant aroma permeated her blue nostrils visibly rxing her body. ¡°Impressive.¡± Tang Yue lifted the red mud teacup and took a sip of the drink. Ding. A lightning attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Lightning resistance has increased. Ding. A lightning attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Lightning resistance has increased. Ding. A lightning attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Lightning resistance has increased. A series of crisp notifications echoed in her brain. Tang Yue was pleasantly surprised and smiled in satisfaction. ¡°Coming here was indeed a good idea.¡± She chuckled. As she calmly savored her drink, a group of elves entered the shop, chatting and giggling in high spirits. Chapter 72: Queen consort is a clutz Part3 Chapter 72: Queen consort is a clutz Part3 As Tang Yue calmly savored her drink, a group of beautiful elves entered the shop, chatting and giggling in high spirits. Behind them, another group of elves entered, also equally boisterous. Tang Yue didn¡¯t recognize anyone from the first group. None of them had any decent cultivation base, and despite that, they were dressed in extravagant andvish outfits. So she assumed that they were most probably elvendies from one of the noble families. But in the second group, Tang Yue could instantly recognize at least a few of the members. They were people very near and dear to her heart, Queen consort Charlotte and her posse. Tang Yue smiled gently at the sight of that arrogant beautiful mesmerizing figure. She felt as if she had messed with her too muchtely. So, she decided to focus on the first group of elves instead. Thedies didn¡¯t pay attention to much else other than their own group and also didn¡¯t notice Tang Yue. They were quite busy chatting amongst themselves. In fact, they were talking quite interestedly that Tang Yue even began to get curious about their banter. But unfortunately, because of a rune engraved on each table, the sound doesn¡¯t reach other upants in the tea house, ensuring the privacy of the booth. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes fixated on her target, a lean slightly short elf who had the nervous tick of twirling her silver locks ever so often. She was wearing a beautiful cloud patterned maroon robe and wore elegant glittering gold jewelry, neither unting nor hiding her beauty. Starting from her, Tang Yue impartially messed with everyone on the table, giving each elf a couple of minutes of rest before recasting her illusion magic spell. Unbeknownst to the fact that they were being used asb rats, the elves happily chatted away. ¡°Hey, so did you all hear about this? Prince Xavier apparently is sleeping with¡­ umm¡­ General Mulu¡¯s wife.¡± ¡°Hush. We are¡­ Ugh¡­ Huh? What was I saying? Oh yes, hush, let¡¯s not talk about that.¡± ¡°Mmmm. It¡¯s going to be a riot if the General finds out.¡± ¡°Not that¡­ Umm? Huh?¡­ Sigh. I am feeling very muddle-headed today.¡± ¡°Yes. Weirdly, I am feeling the same.¡± ¡°Do you guys think it¡¯s today¡¯s herb mixtures? Maybe they are giving us a headache?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Let¡¯s leave. We cane again tomorrow.¡± ¡°You are right, sister.¡± ¡°Yes, let¡¯s head out.¡± Tang Yue chuckled as she watched the elves walk away in confusion. This was the most fun she had in between the series of heavyweight days. The elvendies had stayed in the tea house for a good 20 minutes and Tang Yue had managed to level her Startle skill all the way to 8. The tea in her mud cup was also drainedpletely, bumping up her lightning resistance quite a bit. The snake nodded satisfactorily seeing that her job here was somewhat done. She didn¡¯t dare to mess with anyone else around her and decided to leave the tea house while she was still in the clear. As the pale blue slender snake weaved through the crowded tea house, an arm shot out and pulled her back with a firm grip. ¡°Where are you running off to in a hurry, sister?¡± ¡°Are you sure you paid the bill?¡± Charlotte¡¯s sweet honey-like voice rang loudly, instantly eruptingughter among her guests. ¡°Greetings, princess.¡± ¡°Greetings, princess.¡± The guests then reluctantly greeted her, coyly covering their mouths. Tang Yue nodded her head helplessly. She went out of her way trying not to run into this precious beauty but she got pulled into the madness nevertheless. The snake chuckled coldly. ¡°I sure did, sister. With the money you gave me, remember?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Tang Yue patted the riled up elf. She didn¡¯t bother hanging around to finish the rest of the conversation and left immediately under the icy death re from the elf. Charlotte¡¯s face visibly changed. She was reminded of the embarrassment that the snake beast had caused her time and again. The ceramic cup in Charlotte¡¯s hand almost shattered from the pressure of her hold. Even the mere sight of the dirty snake infuriated her. The elf begrudgingly muttered under her breath, with her cheeks puffed fully of anger. ¡°Hmph. I am done waiting for those useless goblins to take action.¡± ¡°I have to do this myself.¡± ¡°Wait till I take care of her, then I will tell father to finish off their stupid good for nothing useless organization.¡± ¡°Some fucking assassins they are. Couldn¡¯t even finish a pathetic snake! Hmph.¡± Charlotte gazed absentmindedly and hastily got up from her booth, as she knocked down the entire tea set from their table. A loud crash resounded in the otherwise calm and serene tea house. And a new rumor started spreading around in the Eldorian elven establishment. ¡°Ah~ It looks like the queen consort is a clutz.¡± Chapter 73: The predator and the prey Part1 Chapter 73: The predator and the prey Part1 Dum da da La di du¡­ Tang Yue happily hummed as she cleaned her mid-grade long sword. It was just a loan from the pce armoury, but she didn¡¯t n on returning it any time soon. Beside her, a fiery wisp of energy bobbed up and down, matching the rhythm of her tune. It almost looked as excited as its master about heading out into the forests. ¡°Ok. Shall we get going, little plum?¡± Tang Yue chuckled at the sight of the small bouncing blob of fire. She still wasn¡¯t quite used to the strange baby elemental and even had a slight tinge of fear towards it. After all, who could easily forget the memory of being burnt alive?! But since they got out of the elemental ne, little plum had been nothing but consistently cute and harmless. So Tang Yue ended up somewhat epting the small blob as herpanion. In fact, it was one of her strongest weapons right now. But she did not n to rely on Little Plum for this trip into the forests. Having been a cripple all her life, Tang Yue was painfully aware of how important it was to improve one¡¯s strength. She did not need any more reminders. So she resolutely decided to summon Little Plum only if it was an emergency and only if it was absolutely required. Now that this matter was settled, Tang Yue hurried and took care of other things. She still had lots of food leftover from the banquet tucked into her storage space. So she didn¡¯t have to worry about her rations. And with her weapon cleaned thoroughly and sheathed, she was now fully prepared and ready to leave. Tang Yue had a bunch of missions that she had to finish this time around. Almost all of them were trivial like isting the gall sacks ofmon-grade beast Green Boa, collecting brown smander¡¯s hide, and a few dozen stings of golden wasps. Though these missions involved hunting for beasts and not foraging for herbs, they were stillmissioned by the alchemy association directly. This was because certain forme in alchemy not only required nts and vegetation but also used beastponents as ingredients, thereby greatly enhancing the potency of the resulting pills. After flipping through the various mission parchments in her hand for a while, Tang Yue hopped onto a bristle wolf carriage and headed towards the eastern forests. The elves were currently encroaching the eastern forests bit by bit and so most of the missions were located in these territories. Once the carriage reached the outskirts of the forest, Tang Yue jumped down and directly headed into the depths of the greenery. The snake then swiftly undressed and tucked away her royal robes and her sword into her space pearl, which she then plopped into her mouth. Now that she had regained her slim and slender body, Tang Yue¡¯s tall and elegant human figure unhesitatingly morphed into her serpentine form. She then speedily glided through the rough forest grounds as if it was second nature to her. The small snake slithered inconspicuously amidst the bushes and the shrubs, and she quickly made her way deeper and deeper into the jumbled canopy of gigantic trees. The mana in the air tangibly thickened and the snake sucked in a huge breath of fresh air. Since she was on the verge of breaking through in her cultivation base from Bronze Mortal core to Silver Mortal core, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes gleamed excitedly. She had a gut feeling that the trip this time was going to be plenty fruitful! Little did she know that her prediction was in fact extremely urate and to the point. However, along with the good, there also came the bad, the worse, and the worst. Soon after Tang Yue had left the pce, Charlotte caught hold of Lotte. She thrashed him mercilessly and in the end, she even used her father¡¯s authority to make the simple pce aide spit out Tang Yue¡¯s entire whereabouts and ns. Charlotte then swiftly gathered a group of her close friends and set out to finish her personal mission that she should have long backpleted. Luckily for her and unluckily for Tang Yue, the queen consort was not the only one with a target on the snake that evening. The goblin Ginko as well had promptly jumped into action and was currently very close to Tang Yue, tailing her with extreme caution. As if this was not chaotic enough, another group as well was currently headed into the eastern forests, the grand master¡¯s former wastrel son and his friends. Though in all honesty, fatty Marvin was purely stepping into the forest grounds in order to finish his own missions. He was not even aware that he was headed in the same direction as the snake princess. And so, Tang Yue¡¯s second trip into the forests began with more danger and peril enshrouding her now than ever before. Chapter 74: The predator and the prey Part2 Chapter 74: The predator and the prey Part2 Rustle Rustle Rustle Rustle Tang Yue weaved through the shrubs and bushes of the forest and speedily headed towards the northeastern marsnds. She decided to start with an easy task first and hence headed to the marshy murky parts of the vast deciduous forest. ¡°Hmm¡­ I need about five of these fatsos.¡± The blue snake hid behind a tree and locked her emerald eyes on the target of interest, a cluster of plump andzy smanders. Since she was familiar with them, she wanted to start here and warm up her body forbat. There were quite a few different varieties of smanders happilyzing around the swamp shores. They were not even bothering to hide in the abundant patches of tall grasses. There were a few spiny green smanders. There were a few dark red ones. Some were pitch ck in color and some were even a shade of smooth and shiny baby pink with big round eyes, looking a little bit cute albeit deadly. Tang Yue¡¯s specific mission required brown spotted smanders. She needed their thick poisonous hide, which when dried thoroughly to perfection could be used as a vital ingredient in various poisonous concoctions. Tang Yue¡¯s small head bobbed up and down and she peered forward to take a look. Even from a distance, she could already see a few of the brown spotted reptiles. And no other beast was present in the vicinity. So for all means and purposes, she was ready for her hunt. But for some reason, she had an unsettling feeling at the back of her mind, an intuitive ominous feeling. ¡°Damn it. Why am I so nervous?! This is a very simple and straightforward mission.¡± She hissed exasperatedly and readied herself. She surveilled the surroundings for a few more minutes to check the presence of any other beast and quickly lunged forward in her human form to attack thezy reptiles. The metallic sheen of the mid-grade sword shone in the bright sunlight and Tang Yue flitted towards the bundle of chubby round reptiles with the full force she could muster. She wanted to get as many of them as possible before they start diving into the swamp for cover. Not understanding her urgency, a familiar notification sounded in her mind. Ding. Sneaky Snake System Quest Alert Tang Yue grinned. An easy quest! ¡°Bring it on.¡± She muttered and shed at the stationary targets. Before the chubby reptiles around her could even realize what was happening, she had already mowed down three of the brown spotted smanders. Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded One by one the group quickly started diving into the marsh and swimming deep for cover, but not before Tang Yue shed at another four. The smander barely had time to open its mouth and reveal its two rows of sharp pointy teeth, before it was mercilessly cut down into two halves. Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded Ding. 1 Wild Smander killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded ¡°Damn it. These don¡¯t give experience points anymore.¡± She hissed. She propped the bloody de on her shoulder and gazed at the blood bath. Numerous chopped up smander bodies were strewn around her haphazardly. Tang Yue sighed and started collecting the bodies one by one, tossing them into her space pearl. She needed to clear up this mess fast before some other beast sniffed the bloody scent and made it her way. As busied herself with the dirty work, Tang Yue didn¡¯t yet sense the pair of eyes staring intently at her, hidden well beneath the murky waters. The beast patiently waited until her back was turned towards it. A slight ripple surfaced on the water and a huge mouth with sparkling silver teeth snapped at her with a tremendous force. CRUNCH Tang Yue clutched her arm in pain and she immediately tried to retreat back. But unfortunately, it was not enough and it was already toote. The tail end of the beast that had attacked her was waiting for her in the rear and swung at her with a huge force which propelled her forward several paces. ¡°Arghh¡± Tang Yue yelped in pain. Blood trickled down her calf muscles. But the worst part was, she was no longer on the shores of the swamp. Rather, she was now in the midst of the mushy uneven water clogged grounds. Tang Yue tightened her grasp on her sword and looked around in rm. She saw two pairs of vicious fluorescent eyes circling her injured body. There were two low-grade swamp croco beasts surrounding her, blocking her path of retreat. The snake¡¯s mind raced as she tried to bnce herself and keenly observe the two beasts. ¡°Damn it.¡± She cursed inwardly. These were not that dangerous if she was on drynd. But she was not sufficiently vignt enough and now managed tond herself in quite a bit of trouble. This was precisely why actual hand to handbat and real hunting experience always mattered. If she had at least a bit morebat training, she would have never ended up in a situation like this. However, Tang Yue was not done yet. Maybe because of the sword in her hand, and her improved agility, she felt confident that she could handle this battle. She calmed herself down and observed the two enormous beasts in front of her. They were long and gigantic in size, definitely huge even for a low-grade beast. Moreover, they had an overwhelming strength to boot. These were the only two advantages they had. Well, except, of course, Tang Yue was right now in their domain, the soggy muddy marsh! Chapter 75: The predator and the prey Part3 Chapter 75: The predator and the prey Part3 ¡°So much for starting with the easy task first!¡± Tang Yue grunted and shifted the sword from her right hand to her left hand. She vaguely had an idea of how to deal with the situation she was in. Now only the execution part of it was left! She didn¡¯t wait for the two Croco beasts to make a move and went on the offensive first. Tang Yue swiftly materialized several long tongues of me in her right hand. She only had enough mana to do this once before she was drained empty. So this was her only chance! The two gigantic reptiles in front of her were instantly surprised and shocked at the sight of fire. They subconsciously shuffled back with their eyes fixated on her hand. Tang Yue used this element of fear and surprise to lunge forward and jumped on top of one of the Croco beasts. She then firmly pressed down on its massive neck and held it down or at least tried to hold it down. Her minuscule strength was no match for the beast¡¯s raw brute power. Tang Yue knew that she probably had a couple of seconds before the beast flung her out like a small squirrel. She stabilized herself as best as she could and quickly jammed her sword horizontally, aiming for its soft neck rather than the thick and strong scales. She didn¡¯t know if her mid-grade sword was sufficient to prate those rock-hard scales and hence decided to go around it. The enormous beast started twitching in pain. It used its full force to throw the intruder off of its neck. It wanted to bite down on the damned snake, breaking her into two between its strong and sturdy jaws but unfortunately, the searing pain in its neck prevented it from doing so. By now, the other one recovered from the initial shock and speeded towards Tang Yue snapping its mouth at her. The snake¡¯s cold eyes gazed at the iing danger and decided that it was time. In one swift motion, she retrieved her sword from the beast¡¯s neck and let her hands go. She allowed herself to be flung away by the humungous force that the wounded beast madly exerted. But this time, she was smart enough to slightly maneuver her body and fell back on the drynd, instead of the muddy marsh waters. THUD A loud sound resounded. Tang Yue painfullynded on her ass, almost hitting her head on a rock nearby. Her brain was spinning. She was seeing double images of everything in front of her. But she didn¡¯t waste any time. She quickly reverted to her serpentine form and slithered to a nearby tree, climbing up on it using all the strength and stamina she could muster. The two Croco beasts waddled towards the tree, their speed visibly less on the drynd. They angrily thrashed the tree for a few minutes with their paws. Thick nail marks appeared on the tree trunk but the tree was sturdy enough. Only after seeing this, Tang Yue breathed a sigh of relief. She was safe for now. She coiled herself tightly on a tree branch and looked at the two humungous Croco beasts underneath the tree with her eyes full of hatred. The damned beasts had done a number of her body! She was aching all over, blood dripping from several flesh wounds on her body. Her emerald eyes studied the beasts which were stillshing at the tree trunk without giving up. Low-grade beasts had more intelligence thanmon-grade beasts and were definitely a pain to deal with. Now that she was safely settled up in the tree, Tang Yue gazed intently at the two bad boys on the ground. They had an astoundingly huge body with brownish-green scales. This atrocious appearance was further enhanced by their slit-like eyes with fluorescent green orbs, giving them a sinister and ferocious look. The creature¡¯s paw nails and teeth were extremely sharp and sparkled in the sunlight. Their tails also had jagged scales much sharper than the ones on their back. Tang Yue gazed at the beasts from left to right and bobbed her head in reflection. These were valuable low-grade beasts. So a part of her greedily wanted to hunt them down and gobble up their beast meat to strengthen herself further. Once the feeling of safety crept in, she couldn¡¯t help but drool at that insane strength. And one of them was even injured. Tang Yue pondered the different possibilities she had. Her mana reserves were dry and she was clearly not in a position to face them head-on. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± After a while, the devious snake hissed and flickered its long forked tongue in and out. She did have another trump card in her hand!! Tang Yue slowly slithered down the tree. She did not know how long the beasts nned to ram against the tree trunk and decided to act fast instead of waiting for her wounds to heal. She slithered down quite a bit until she was just out of reach by the beasts. She carefully controlled her body. Even if she moved an inch down, she would be instantly cut into two by those deadly jaws. The two beasts were further enraged by this seemingly obvious taunt. They used even more force to ram against the tree. Tang Yue, however, ignored it and slowly aimed her head towards the wounded Croco beast. She targeted the exposed flesh on the beast and clicked her tongue. She then pulled her small head back and spurted out her toxic venom on the flesh wound with full force. HISSS The Croco beast realized what was happening, but it was one step toote. By the time it shuffled back, the venom had already seeped into its flesh and its blood cirction. And that too, Tang Yue¡¯s venom was unlike any other snake spirit beast¡¯s venom!! Her venom was an upgraded Level 11 toxic venom! Tang Yue herself did not know how effective it was. She curiously peered at the beast to see the reaction. Chapter 76: The secret sweetheart of the crown prince Part1 Chapter 76: The secret sweetheart of the crown prince Part1 On a tree, a few yards away from where Tang Yue was hanging, two dark green colored creatures with long pointed ears and sharp ssy eyes were casually resting. Their thin frame enabled them to perch effortlessly on the tree branch without alerting the snake princess to their presence. ¡°Shall we attack now?¡± The goblin Gale asked the goblin Ginko whose eyes were glued to the small snake¡¯s antics. ¡°Hmm¡­ No, let¡¯s wait.¡± Ginko answered absent-mindedly, staring at the wounded snake. ¡°Huh? Why are we waiting? She is clearly wounded and weak.¡± ¡°Those two low-grade beasts are nothing to sweat about. Everything looks perfect. Am I missing something?¡± Gale scratched his head and asked with his eyes full of confusion. ¡°Hmm¡­ Did you see how confidently she handled those two Croco beasts? I think she might have some trump cards¡­ some sort of back up for sure¡­¡± ¡°Huh? She is a spirit beast! Just what treasure could she possess?¡± Gale was not convinced. Clearly, they were just wasting time! ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see how she deals with the two beasts. There is no hurry.¡± ¡°In this forest, there is no way she can escape from our grasp.¡± Ginko muttered and went back to eyeing the dangling blue snake. ¡°¡­.¡± Gale shrugged helplessly and watched the snake as well, albeit a bit bored. What is there to look at in a battle between two weaklings?? Unaware of the two goblins silently stalking her, Tang Yue excitedly bobbed her head up and down. The Croco beast in front of her hadpletely copsed on the ground, lying still and motionless. Just a few seconds ago, it was thrashing and roaring, enraged by Tang Yue¡¯s sneak attack. But now it waspletely lifeless. The snake was visibly surprised by the effectiveness of her venom. She had used Venom spit and aimed it on the beast¡¯s wound and that single attack brought down the mighty low-grade beast within a few seconds. ¡°Looks like I need to find more poisonous things and improve my venom. This is awesome!¡± The snake made a mental note. She then shifted her emerald beady eyes to the other Croco beast. The gigantic reptile looked a bit dumbstruck. It looked at the small insubstantial snake hanging from the tree branch and then at itspanion. It let out a low growl andshed its jagged tail at the tree trunk a few more times, before shuffling its feet and diving back into the endless swamp. The beast didn¡¯t even bother to touch the other one¡¯s corpse lying on the ground. ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Yue was slightly confused by its behavior. She half-expected the beast to devour the dead animal, leaving nothing for her. But the beast surprisingly left the corpsepletely untouched. She prepared to head down and quickly toss the corpse into her space pouch, but suddenly a thought struck her brain. ¡°Little plum,e out.¡± Tang Yue mentally summoned the baby elemental. Ollu Ollu The small blob of fire was excited to be out and hovered around Tang Yue jumping up and down. ¡°Light that guy on fire and check if it is really dead.¡± Tang Yue hissed, mentallymanding the baby elemental. She had already underestimated the enemy¡¯s intelligence once and did not want to repeat her mistakes. For all she knew, the damned beast might just be lying down there motionless, ying dead and waiting for her to let her guard down ande closer. So she decided to summon Little Plum and test if it was really dead. Little Plum immediately rushed over to the dead beast, excited that it finally had something useful to do. The small blob of fire then suddenly increased in size and intensity. Tang Yue could even visibly see a shade of blue at its core, implying that the me was at its peak intensity. The blob then started bumping against the beast in all directions, burning it and roasting it on multiple spots, including its eyes, nostrils, and tongue regions, the most sensitive areas of the beast. The beast, however,id still without any response. Only after confirming this for a few more seconds, Tang Yue finally sighed in relief and quickly climbed down. She spat out the space pearl from her mouth and tossed the enormous almost half-cooked Croco beast corpse into it. And as soon as she did that, a crisp notification sounded in her mind. Ding. 1 Swamp Croco killed. Ding. 50 Experience points have been rewarded. Tang Yue was confused. It couldn¡¯t have given out this notification sooner? Or maybe the beast was very barely alive? Otherwise, why would it give this notification especially after a dy? She sighed and shrugged. Sometimes, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the damned System or rather the elder was simply ying tricks on her. ¡°Hu Hu Hu. It¡¯s fine. As long as I am getting stronger¡­¡± She sighed and climbed back on the tree for the time being. She also dismissed Little Plum. There was still daylight left and Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to take shelter this early in the day, but her body was heavily injured. So she decided to find an appropriate hideout to spend the night. The thin blue snakezily slithered from one tree branch to another, looking for a good spot. And of course, her two stalkers still followed her, but now with more serious faces. ¡°You were right Ginko. It was definitely worth waiting and observing her.¡± Gale stuttered after a while. ¡°I didn¡¯t realize she had such high proficiency in fire magic.¡± ¡°Just how did a spirit beast manage to manipte fire to that extent?!¡± ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± ¡°Yes, it looks like she is quite adept in this magic.¡± Ginko replied seriously with a mysterious glint in his ssy eyes. ¡°How? How is it even possible?¡± ¡°Do you think that the Crown Prince might have helped her in some way?¡± ¡°Otherwise, how could this be possible?¡± ¡°More importantly, if that is the case, then is she someone important to him?¡± Gale worriedly asked. Chapter 77: The secret sweetheart of the crown prince Part2 Chapter 77: The secret sweetheart of the crown prince Part2 Ginko looked at his partner Gale with a solemn expression. ¡°I am also concerned about the same thing.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°But that is just one more reason why we need to kill the snake as soon as possible and destroy all shreds of evidence linking us to her.¡± ¡°Wait. Do you mean¡­¡± ¡°Yes. We need to finish off that elf as well.¡± ¡°But isn¡¯t she a daughter of one of the Crown Prince¡¯s Generals? And not to mention the Queen Consort, whom the Crown Prince is expected to wed?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ We don¡¯t have to worry about that. The princess herself gave a wonderful idea for exining all of this.¡± ¡°Huh? Are you serious?¡± ¡°Yes. We will tie it all to the dwarven emissary murders.¡± ¡°We have to slit their throats in the same way and naturally the me will fall on the same suspect as well.¡± Gale nodded. No matter how much he thought about this, he as well couldn¡¯tprehend any other way out of this mess. Once you have dared to enter a lion¡¯s cave, you don¡¯t have any other option but to fight the lion head on! While these two goblins were busy updating their n, Tang Yue continued weaving through the tree branches in the forest, searching for the familiar cave entrance. Since she was somewhat closer to the cave she had used on her previous trip, she decided to take shelter inside it this time as well. The snake searched around for a while before locating the familiar mess of shrubs and thickets, and the cave hidden well within them. But once she slithered towards its entrance, Tang Yue hesitated slightly. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Previously, the cave was very well hidden covered by numerous nts and creepers. In fact, she could only enter inside and exit the cave using her serpentine form. But this time around, something felt different. The cave was still sufficiently hidden, but there was a huge gaping hole on one corner. After hesitating for a while, Tang Yue decided to at least check what was inside. At the first signs of danger, she could always disappear into the notorious thicket surrounding the cave. So she cautiously slithered on one of the creepers wound against the cave and peeked inside using her small head. The cave was luckilypletely empty and even looked untouched. ¡°Hmmm? As long as it¡¯s empty!¡± She shrugged and entered inside. Her entire body was aching and she desperately wanted to rest a bit before heading out again. So she didn¡¯t think too much about it and snuck in. Once inside, she reverted back to her human form and took out her mid-grade sword, prepared to sh down any intruder stepping into the cave. She then cozily leaned against a corner of that small cave and took out a nket from her space pearl, wrapping herself with it. ¡°This will do!¡± The pale blue snakezily yawned and settledfortably in the damp dusty corner. Watching Tang Yue¡¯s actions from a distance, the two goblins huddled together on another inconspicuous tree branch. ¡°Shall we attack now?¡± Gale asked. There was a sense of urgency in his voice. After all, among the two royal consorts, this was the easier kill! ¡°Her body is fully covered with injuries. On top of that, she is quite weak to begin with.¡± ¡°It is definitely not necessary to spend any further time here.¡± All said and done, Gale hated working with Ginko the most, even though the man was his good friend and he had known him for a long time. This friend of his was always just a bit too cautious for his own good! ¡°Shhhh. Not yet. Did you see those tracks around the cave?¡± Ginko¡¯s sharpened eyes darted here and there as if they were seriously searching for something. ¡°Oh! I almost didn¡¯t notice.¡± Gale wiped his sweating forehead and eximed. To call them tracks was actually going overboard. In the vicinity of that small inconspicuous cave, there was a small inundation on the ground. Within that small hole, that too half covered by a dried-up leaf, was hidden a small paw print. Though the footprint itself was well hidden, once found, it could easily be traced to a wild bristle wolf. ¡°Mmm. That¡¯s why it¡¯s always better to be cautious before jumping into things.¡± Ginko tossed out his famous pearl of wisdom. The goblin loved to advise everyone in the association using this single statement as the main basis. Sometimes even to the point of annoying the other person. But since he was quite strong, no one dared to beat him up. ¡°Ok. Ok. You are the boss. We can attack whenever you want.¡± Gale immediately agreed with him, mostly to shut him up. Even though there was a paw print, it was still just a mere bristle wolf¡¯s footprint, a low-grade beast! There was really no need to be this cautious. But he didn¡¯t want to argue with the mad man. And hence, the two goblins ended up waiting again, patiently eyeing Tang Yue and the cave entrance. Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Achoo.¡± The beautiful and enchanting elvendy Charlotte sneezed loudly. ¡°He He. It looks like his highness is thinking about you.¡± Charlotte¡¯s friend Rosalinda nudged her yfully and chuckled. ¡°Oh! Stop teasing me, you dufus.¡± Charlotte coyly smiled. Her pale cheeks however had a lovely pink hue on them. The two elvendies, along with their other three friends chatted and rxed, while the servants apanying them pitched the tents and set up the campsite for the night. Unlike Tang Yue and the goblins who were spending the night like beggars, using elements of nature to take shelter within the forest, the elves traveled in style. They had an borate set up for their convenience. Charlotte had thoroughly arranged for everything. She had specifically picked these four experts to apany her on this trip since they were all her distant cousins and close friends. But more importantly, they were aplished hunters who have participated multiple times in the beast horde purging battles that ur every lunar cycle. So even if Tang Yue used all of her tricks, there was simply no way she could escape her fate this time around. The queen consort was absolutely sure of this! Chapter 78: From the frying pan into the fire Part1 Chapter 78: From the frying pan into the fire Part1 In the wee hours of the night, the amber-colored moon settled on its throne shining splendidly, though hidden amidst the clouds. Under this serene moonlight, the multiple hunting parties in the forest were currently rxing and napping in a very casual manner, each adequately confident in their abilities and skills. In the midst of this silence, a low distant growl echoed in Tang Yue¡¯s ears. Awoooo Awoooo Awoooo Soon this was followed by a series of rather ferocious howling noises. Tang Yue instantly stiffened. She was only superficially resting and so she immediately stood up straight, her hands clutching the sword tightly and her eyes vigntly fixated on the cave entrance. She could distinctly feel the familiar howls moving closer and closer to her, fast approaching her location. ¡°Damn it! I knew something felt fishy when the cave entrance was disturbed.¡± She hissed silently. And before she could even decide if she wanted to fight or flee, several pairs of bright red eyes appeared right outside the cave. The danger had already arrived at her doorstep! The goblins Gale and Ginko as well attentively observed the scene. They could clearly observe everything happening in the vicinity of the cave from their hideout. The wolves were so ferocious that they could literally smell the bloodlust in the air. ¡°She is definitely done for now.¡± Gale solemnly shook his head. Ginko also rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s better this way. Whatever happens now, it¡¯spletely unrted to us.¡± The two goblins then impassively waited for the inevitable brutal massacre that was about to unfold in front of them. Tang Yue shuddered. She didn¡¯t dare to count the number of eyeballs staring at her right this instant. She waspletely terrified. She had never faced anything like this before. An entire horde of bristle wolves was snarling at her, ready to pounce and shred her apart. In the night time, under the shadows of the luscious thicket, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t even see their figures clearly. She could only vaguely sense their outlines based on the body¡¯s mana cirction or rather their mana signature. And this scared her more! Because, standing behind the dozen or somon grade bristle wolves were two wind woven wolves! How did she know? She could clearly see their mana cores!! Unlike themon grade bristle wolves, wind woven wolves were low grade intelligent beasts that were capable of forming beast cores. The low-grade Croco beasts she had faced earlier were also capable of forming beast cores. Luckily for Tang Yue, they hadn¡¯t yet attained that stage. But, the wind woven wolves snarling in front of her sure did! The small crystal shaped pearl like beads were unmistakably sparkling in the pitch ck darkness. Tang Yue trembled. She clutched her sword tightly. Her mind raced to assess the situation she was in. Was the sword in her hands enough to get her out of this predicament? No! She didn¡¯t think twice and quickly summoned out Little Plum. But even then¡­ The chances of her escaping this situation were utterly bleak and impossible. She was painfully aware of it. And right at this crucial moment, a familiar nasally voice sounded in her mind. [Cough. Cough. Don¡¯t forget the system¡¯s shop feature! I would rather not have you die here, dumb little snake.] Tang Yue grimaced. Of course, she remembered the shop feature and that it contained the item necessary for her survival from this disaster. But the price was too steep! That shop feature was her ultimate trump card. She absolutely did not want to use it unless it meant life or death. However, wasn¡¯t she in a life or death situation right now? Tang Yue tightened her grasp on the sword in her hands. Technically, she should be sweating blood and anxiously panicking right about now. But she found herself bing calmer and calmer. Maybe because of the battle she just endured a few hours back, her mind felt somewhat eerily stable. ¡°Ok. Let me do this.¡± Tang Yue bit her lips. She almost decided to use the Shop feature and mentally willed it, when the first wolf entered the cave. Suddenly an idea struck her brain and her emerald eyes twinkled brilliantly. Only one bristle wolf had entered the cave! That¡¯s right! No matter how many wolves surrounded the cave entrance, the thickets were still sturdy enough to hold out for a while. They could only enter one by one! Outside the cave, she was vastly outnumbered and outmatched. But within the cave¡­ Tang Yue grinned. This sudden realization had given her just the small advantage that she needed. And now it was time to massacre! Tang Yue did not hesitate any longer and hurriedly stumbled forward, shing at themon grade bristle wolf that had entered with the full force she could muster. CLANG Her overwhelmingly strong mid-grade sword shed at the iing wolf, which was utterly no match for the sharp weapon. Little Plum excitedly buzzed near Tang Yue but didn¡¯t dare intervene without hearing hermand. Blood spurted everywhere. The wolf was heavily wounded and whined in pain. Its bloodshot eyes angrily red at Tang Yue and the animal tried to pounce on her again, with whatever strength it had left. But s, the snake princess was quicker and swiftly finished the wounded beast with a second sh. Ding. 1 Wild Bristle Wolf killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded The rest of the wolves instantly howled loudly. They sounded angrier and angrier. The wolves furiously swiped their sharp ws on the mess blocking the cave. They all wanted to barge in and wreak havoc, but unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t. Even before the first wolf fell down on the ground, its body limp, the next one pushed the beast down and leaped inside. Tang Yue smiled and positioned herself,pletely prepared for the next challenge in front of her. The quicker they came in the better for her! She needed to finish this fight soon¡­before the thicket and the denseyers of creepers and climbers around the cave gave away¡­ Chapter 79: From the frying pan into the fire Part2 Chapter 79: From the frying pan into the fire Part2 Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­ The snake smiled tiredly wiping the drop of blood dripping from her eyebrows. Her pale blue chest with her two C cup breasts heaved up and down. Ding. 1 Wild Bristle Wolf killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded Ding. Daily quest has beenpleted Ding. 20 Experience points rewarded This was the fifteenth bristle wolf that she had ughtered tonight. Her hands felt numb with pain from constantly holding the mid-grade sword and shing with the strong and agile vicious wolves. But still¡­ the battle and the night was far from being over. Just as the dead body of the beast hit the ground, two other wolves came into Tang Yue¡¯s field of vision. The beasts were extremely enraged at the sight of their numerous ughtered brethren. They were being unfairly yed around by a weak opponent and they knew it. The wolves were already tired and furious from having to wait to enter the cave and right now two of them were stuck in the small cave entrance trying to get in simultaneously. Would Tang Yue miss this opportunity? No! She mercilessly swung her scythe of death at the animal on the right, aiming directly for its neck. THACK. Not withstanding the precise blow, the wolf¡¯s head fell apart and rolled on the ground. Ding. 1 Wild Bristle Wolf killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded ROAR. The other wolf shook its head vigorously. It retreated one step back and pulled the beast¡¯s dead body out of the damned cave in exploding anger, tearing the body further apart in doing so. It then lunged forward and attacked again. But unfortunately, the end result was still the same. Ding. 1 Wild Bristle Wolf killed Ding. 1 Experience point rewarded At this point, the next wolf prepared to enter but a bigger paw thrashed it, tossing the beast aside as if it was a small pup. The wind woven wolf had finally stepped in to make a move, unable to witness the merciless ughter any longer. ROAR. A deafening growl reverberated in the cave¡¯s blood filled battle arena. The boss was in! The majestic beast with ckish-blue fur stepped inside the cave, a loud thud resounding with each step. Tang Yue subconsciously took a step back. The dense fumes of killing intent emanating off the beast aroused goosebumps on her frail body. She shuddered. Even Little Plum protectively came closer and stood right next to her, ready to jump into action. Tang Yue tightened her grasp on the sword and lifted it up to block the iing attack that she anticipated. But the beast was still growling. It snarled at her, eyeing her almost with a disgusted conceited look as if it was gazing at a cockroach. It growled in an offensive position, ready to leap forward with explosive strength at any given instant. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel fear in front of the beast¡¯s raw bloodthirsty re. Her emerald eyes were fixated on the deadly predator in front of her, observing each and every minute detail about the dangerous animal. A fraction of a secondter, her sharp enchanting eyes widened in shock and fear. The damned beast was actually not sizing her up! In fact, it had been busy all this time doing something else. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes bewilderedly stared at the beast, in particr at its feet, where two small spirals of wind were spinning, slowly gaining sizeable momentum. This wind woven wolf in front of her could actually use wind magic! FUCK! Not only did the damned beast manage to form a beast core, but the animal actually mastered wind magic! Or at least it¡¯s basics. The chances of this happening in a low-grade beast were absolutely dismal but yet the wolf in front of her was the exception. How unlucky! Tang Yue now understood why all the other remaining wolves had somewhat settled outside the cave. Unlike before, they were not desperately trying to barge in and w at her any longer. Even the other low-grade wind woven wolf was calmly pacing back and forth outside the case as if it was merely waiting for an obvious predetermined oue. Everyone including Tang Yue knew the oue of this fight. But she was not a fool to remain conceited even after seeing this. Her entire body was screaming in rm. Her life was in real danger. ¡°Little Plum! Kill that thing!¡± She shouted at the top of her lungs. Little Plum who was patiently sitting on the reserve bench all this time excitedly sprang into action. The small blob of fire red up, increasing its size and intensity several times over. Ollu Ollu The little thing buzzed around and used the one and only overpowered attack it had. It rammed against the beast¡¯s thick luscious fur and started setting it on fire from all directions. Because of this, the small tufts of wind gathered at the wolf¡¯s feet especially became deadly. The tongues of firebined with the wisps of wind and burnt away the fur on the beast¡¯s legs in an instant, and was now charring the flesh underneath. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes glimmered with interest. She thanked her lucky stars that the beast¡¯s hide was still susceptible to the baby elemental¡¯s fire attack. Even a level 0 baby elemental was this strong! Tang Yue sucked in a huge breath of cold air. Her decision was absolutely correct. The wolf who was peaceful revving up to cast its wind magic like an almighty immortal had nowpletely lost its concentration and focus. It was furiously swiping at the little blob of me buzzing around like swatting a fly. Within a mere few seconds, the wind woven wolf hadpletely forgotten Tang Yue. The snake might be a weakling but this small wisp of fire was monumentally fatal to its life. But Little Plum was very agile. Inhaling the mana in the air, the small blob danced to the song of a brilliant fiery hymn. The entire cave was aze. Tang Yue smiled pitifully remembering her personal trauma. This little thing was indeed deadly! Chapter 80: From the frying pan into the fire Part3 Chapter 80: From the frying pan into the fire Part3 The smell of charred flesh inteced with the bloody scent lingering in the cave and created a particrly pungent odor. Pieces of burnt fur and skin sizzled and dropped on the ground revealing jade-like white flesh. Tang Yue snapped out of her daze and stopped watching the show. She readied herself and joined the battle taking advantage of the chaotic state of the wolf. She swiftly stepped forward and shed at the wolf with all her might. Kacha Kacha But unlike her previous opponents, this one was not that easy to deal with, even at its disoriented state. The strong de hit the agile body of the wolf and slightly bounced back. There was barely a scratch registered on that sturdy muscr body. Tang Yue gazed at the sword in her hands with her eyes full of disbelief. Why is a low-grade beast not yielding to a mid-grade sword? Just how many mutations had it undergone to be this sturdy and at the same time even mastered basic wind magic? The damned beast had both mana and physical mutations. Tang Yue didn¡¯t have the time to think this through. It was only a matter of time before the wolf ignored Little Plum and attacked the main source of its trouble. If Tang Yue disappeared, then Little Plum would also disappear or be weakened at the least. It probably wouldn¡¯t take very long for a mutated intelligent low-grade beast to figure this out. The snake retracted the de and coldly gazed at the ferocious beast in front of her. Its entire body was now covered with ckened soot and charred flesh. Almost all of its fur was burnt haphazardly. Looking at the exposed skin, Tang Yue quickly made a split-second decision and morphed into her serpentine form. The thin blue snake hurriedly slithered closer to the wolf, using her high agility to avoid being crushed into a pulp by the wolf¡¯s panicked movements. Once she was closer, in one swift motion, the snake drew back and bit into the wolf¡¯s charred feet. Tang Yue¡¯s sharp silver fangs dug into the rugged wolf¡¯s flesh, just barely puncturing it. But that small scratch was more than enough! She drew blood. Tang Yue¡¯s Level 11 venom seeped into the wolf¡¯s flesh and instantly entered the bloodstream of the beast. Within a matter of seconds, the wolf¡¯s entire body trembled with a tremor running through it. And all this while, Little Plum still continued to wreak havoc on the beast¡¯s body, causing it intense scorching pain. Now it was only a matter of time before the battle ended¡­ The wind woven wolf painfully looked at Tang Yue and then at the damned wisp of fire. It let out an agonized howl, before breathing out its final puff of wind andnded on the messy cave floor with a thud. Ding. 1 Mutated Wind Woven Wolf killed. Ding. 500 Experience points rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up. The crisp series of notifications were like music to Tang Yue¡¯s ears. The snake tiredly rested her head on the ground and watched the beast¡¯s body lying still on the cave floor. ¡°Oh no! It¡¯s not over yet! Fuck!¡± She lifted her head back up again and vigntly looked around. ¡°Wait. Why aren¡¯t the other beastsing in yet?¡± With the death of the wind woven wolf, the entire night was suddenly restored to its deathly silent state as it had been before the wolves surrounded her. ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Yue was confused. ¡°Where did they all go?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the other wind woven wolf have barged in by now?¡± The snake dragged its heavily ragged body and slightly peeked out of the cave. Absolute silence. No one was there. Only the faint distant murmur and chirping of the forest echoed in the darkness of the night. Tang Yue slithered out of the cave grinning at the unexpected turn of events. Maybe the other beasts had watched her ughter their leader and everyone ran away? Or maybe the sight of the fire drove them away? She didn¡¯t quite understand what had happened, but nevertheless was d that it happened. She collected thest of the carcass lying outside the cave, the body of themon grade bristle wolf, and popped the space pearl back into her mouth. The entire cave and the air around the cave reeked of blood and gore. There were traces of blood and bits of flesh everywhere. This was only bound to attract more and more beasts to this spot. So Tang Yue did not n on staying here for much longer. Her emerald eyes restlessly darted around the cave and the snake started slithering out of the jumbles and the mangled thicket. The wolves had done quite a number on the vegetation surrounding the cave and it was barely usable now. It was about time she left this hideout. But before Tang Yue could even slither an inch out of the bundle of thickets, her small head bobbed against something heavy and sturdy. Huh? She looked up in confusion. Her bloodshot tired eyes trembled with unprecedented fear and shock. Tang Yue did not need to sense the mana signature this time around, to identify the beast standing like a bulldozer in front of her. She knew exactlywhat it was! Standing under the moonlight, with its gigantic body covered by thick golden fur was a mid-grade beast, the Golden Titan Ape! The huge beast¡¯s silver round eyes sparkled in the darkness of the night, along with its shimmering golden fur. Even worse ¡­ those deadly silver orbs were staring directly at Tang Yue! The stench of death hung vividly in the still air. A huge blob of saliva m banged on Tang Yue¡¯s small head, it¡¯s sheer force crushing her entire existence. Damn it all! This was why the other beasts had absconded and disappeared into oblivion! Not because of her battle prowess or Little Plum¡¯s fire attacks, but because of the appearance of this mid-grade monstrous predator! ¡°I am done for.¡± Tang Yue shuddered. She was already as good as dead snake meat. There was no doubt about it. Even Little Plum couldn¡¯t possibly save her from this predicament. With her life literally hanging by a thread, the scared and trembling snake princess did not think twice and quickly yelled out. ¡°Damn it all! One Lucky Sticker! Purchase and Activate!¡± Chapter 81: When a snake gets lucky Part1 Chapter 81: When a snake gets lucky Part1 Tang Yue did not think twice and quickly yelled. ¡°One Lucky Sticker! Purchase and Activate!¡± Immediately, a tangible wave of energy rippled through her body and a series of notifications popped out. Ding. Congrattions! Attribute soul strength has been created. Ding. Your soul strength is 20 Ding. Congrattions! Your soul strength has been consumed and one lucky sticker has been purchased at the cost of half of your soul strength. Ding. Your current soul strength is 10 Ding. Congrattions! Lucky Sticker has been activated. Ding. Congrattions! Little snake is blessed with heaven-defying luck for the next 5 minutes. Tang Yue felt dizzy from the quick session of messages. Her brain was ringing from the sheer number of notifications. ¡°Damn it!¡± She cursed at her miserable soul strength, which had been instantly halved. She really didn¡¯t want to use this stupid scam of a shop feature and the damned lucky sticker. But what else could she do? She was inexplicably cornered without any other means of escape! Why was a mid-grade beast even in this part of the forest? Nothing made sense anymore! Tang Yue gritted her teeth and waited for something to happen¡­ anything to happen¡­ The sticker was activated properly, wasn¡¯t it? Her heart quivered. Her weak emerald eyes directly stared at the thundering humongous beast, which might as well be the God of death! 1 second¡­ 2 seconds¡­ 3 seconds¡­ Nothing happened yet¡­ The terrifying Golden Titan Ape banged both of its thick tree trunk sized arms on the ground right next to Tang Yue, just narrowly missing her. This single action sent tremors across the ground and Tang Yue was flung across like a dust particle, her fragile serpentine body crashing against the cave¡¯s sturdy rocks. But she still hadn¡¯t escaped her imminent death. The ape probably recognized that she was a spirit beast and not amon-grade snake. The beast¡¯s deadly eyes followed the trajectory of her small body and the beast venomously lowered its head closer and closer towards the wounded snake, fully prepared to directly swallow the small spirit beast in one insignificant gulp. Tang Yue was barely conscious. ¡°Is this the end? Was the damned lucky sticker a scam?¡± She closed her eyes in pain, unable to move even an inch under the intense weight of the animal¡¯s death re. Her pathetic life shed slowly before her eyes. She had only just gotten her second chance but it was already¡­ KA RA KA BOOM Suddenly, before the snake could even finish her thought, a heavy deafening thunder reverberated in her ears and throughout the entire forest. What just happened? With much effort, Tang Yue opened her trembling eyes slightly. Even the humungous ape in front of her looked confused. It removed its frightening orbs that were fixated on Tang Yue and looked around in puzzlement. Its natural instinct could tell that something was about to happen, but it was unable to pinpoint the exact source of the danger. And in the next instant¡­ BZZZZZT A brilliant sh of lightning appeared out of nowhere. The lightning was so powerful that it seemed as if it was tearing the sky apart into two halves. And more importantly, the heavenly sphemous lightning directlynded on the mid-grade ape, smack dab on its head. The huge beast shuddered and shook and was thoroughly electrocuted. Its body was entirely fried and both its eyes popped out lifelessly. ¡°This is definitely a tribtion lightning!¡± Tang Yue screamed. Her body was twitching in pain, as she forced herself to watch the events unfolding in front of her. ¡°Am I saved?¡± Tears rolled out of her half-dead eyes as she slightly tried moving her body. Without the Golden Titan Ape¡¯s brutal oppressive killing intent, she was now able to slither slowly with much better ease, even though her entire body ached heavily from the injuries. Tang Yue absent-mindedly inched closer and closer to the fallen corpse of the Golden Titan Ape and pocketed the damned thing into her space pearl as if it was a matter of habit. The day was finally over! And she was alive¡­ all thanks to the mysterious system and the shop feature. The snake bobbed its head up and down, still trying to digest the rapid unbelievable events that had just transpired. She decided to head back to the Eldorian establishment, while the lucky sticker was still active. She didn¡¯t want to miss this golden opportunity to reach the safety of the pce gates. But little did she know that her troubles were still far from over! What was tribtion lightning? It was the lightning that urred after the ominous thunder. It was heaven¡¯s retribution for the birth of something that should not be allowed to exist. Only the creation of a treasure that could challenge the pinnacle of existence in itself could attract the ire of the heavens. How could such a huge phenomenon be unnoticed?? Millions and millions of eyes from all parts of the Xion world, beasts and men alike, gazed at the tribtion lightning with awe and amazement! It had been decades since thest tribtion lightning had descended. That too something of this enormous scale waspletely unheard of. As far as everyone was concerned, a new heavenly treasure had surfaced and every single living being, may it be a powerful expert or a randommoner, wanted it desperately. With such a priceless treasure in hand, it wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating to say that even a beggar could be an Emperor! So obviously, the second the lightning had descended from the sky, numerous figures shot out of their location and headed towards the eastern forests with full speed. And of course, that included the ones who were currently resting in the forest, closest to the lightning, and had also clearly seen it! Within a matter of seconds, Charlotte, Marvin, Gale, Ginko, and every expert in the forest had gathered at the spot where the lightning had struck. And better yet, more and more experts, including the Crown Prince and his Generals were on their way, dashing towards the forest at full speed. Chapter 82: When a snake gets lucky Part2 Chapter 82: When a snake gets lucky Part2 In the silent hours of the cold freezing night, the seemingly normal dark sky adorned by brilliant twinkling stars and the amber-colored moon suddenly ceased to exist. And a strange phenomenon appeared instead. Millions of shooting stars popped up out of nowhere and they were all raining down on the eastern forests bordering the Eldorian elven establishment. But if one looked closely, these were in fact creatures of various origins, cultivators pursuing a higher dao, and experts proficient in wielding mana. One by one several earth-shattering entities were dropping from the skies some riding on flying swords, some riding on their contracted beasts, some using magical treasures, and some even wielding wind magic. The unexpected tribtion lightning had stirred up quite a ruckus in many parts of thend and almost every living being in the Nine countries had spotted the miracle in the skies above. ¡°Blessings from heaven! A great treasure has appeared! A great treasure has appeared!¡± ¡°Heaven shattering lightning! Definitely, an ancient beast has descended!¡± ¡°How could the elves be this lucky? They gained another heaven grade treasure?¡± ¡°There is no way the dwarves will let this pass, especially considering the recent tragedy.¡± ¡°Stupid. Stop spouting nonsense. Our Crown Prince is already on his way. How could the treasure not be his?¡± ¡°These fools only have themselves to me for their bad luck. They might have had a chance if his highness was on secluded cultivation.¡± ¡°Hai Hai. I really wonder who would that priceless treasure fall to?¡± Several onlookers longingly gazed at the sky, amazed at the dazzling scene disyed in front of them. After all, not everyone had the chance to vie for such a priceless treasure! Only the truly powerful ones did! Supreme experts from everywhere instantly dropped what they were doing and headed towards the eastern forests with full speed and vigor, even using precious talismans to further elerate their arrival. And they all had only one goal! Grab the heavenly treasure that had appeared on the mortal world! Once these truly powerful Demi-Gods and Saints descended, the other not so powerful mana cultivators could only watch the show from outside. But there was still a few minutes before these big shots arrived and so¡­ in the meantime¡­ Several figures had materialized at the spot where Tang Yue had been just a fraction of a second ago. The snake had only just barely tossed the ape into her space pearl and hadn¡¯t even managed to move from the crime scene when the ground next to her started quaking. Just as the experts in the forest, including Charlotte, Marvin, Gale, and Ginko gathered around her or rather around the huge lightning scorched crater on the ground, an enormous quagmire centipede popped out of the quaking ground. A quagmire centipede! This was a high-grade beast! A beast with power and strength akin to the strongest of elves and dwarves. Its mana core was giant-sized and throbbing with energy. Not withstanding the beast¡¯s raw power, the ground cracked and trees trembled. The small crater instantly widened to several feet radius and the ground underneath crumbled, creating a huge hollow hole. The experts who had gathered instantly took a step back, as to not fall inside the huge depression on the ground. No one standing there had the guts and the balls to face the high-grade beast head to head. Only a saint or a Demi-god could deal with such a powerful existence. The people gathered there could only helplessly stare at the ugly monster in front of them as it reared its head several inches above the ground. The beast let out a loud skittering screeching noise as it swayed its slimy body. Several pairs of tentacle-like hairs stuck out from the centipede¡¯s body wiggling and squirming in mid-air. While numerous eyes circled the gigantic centipede, anxiously and vigntly watching out for the high-grade beast, ready to evade its attack, Tang Yue was long since helplessly tossed aside into the hole. Though she was heavily injured in the process, with her previous wounds opening back up again and blood seeping out, she was still happy with the oue. Tang Yue hadn¡¯t quite expected this to happen. The reality of the tribtion lightning only slowly dawned on her. And when she had the chance toprehend its destructive aftermath, it was already toote. In any case, she was also too injured and low leveled to disappear right in front of these many experts. If the centipede hadn¡¯t shown up on time and tossed her out of the picture at that exact moment, she would have been instantly ughtered by these power-hungry treasure seekers. But now that it did, Tang Yue finally got a chance to flee from the terrifying danger zone without anyone noticing. The huge pit in the ground had several small holes on the side running deep underground, probably burrowed by some other beasts. Tang Yue without any hesitation dove into one of those holes, big enough for her to go through and small enough for potential dangerous beasts to inhabit, and quickly slithered away with whatever speed she could muster. She was still unclear if there existed a treasure or if this whole thing was just a scam orchestrated by the system. But whatever it might be, she had no job being in the midst of such a powerful crowd. While several beasts and strong experts rushed into the eastern forests, Tang Yue did the opposite and was fleeing from the area at full speed. She could distinctively hear the loud chaos andmotion erupting behind her. There were even some agonizing shrieks, probably from people being eaten alive by the monstrous centipede, but the little snake didn¡¯t dare to look behind. She couldn¡¯t care less about the heavenly treasure or what was happening. She just wanted to get the hell out of there. As far as she was concerned, the burnt ape meat in her space pearl was treasure enough for her. Tang Yue continued wiggling farther and farther away as if her life depended on it. Chapter 83: When a snake gets lucky Part3 Chapter 83: When a snake gets lucky Part3 While Tang Yue was busy running for her life, the number of people heading deeper and deeper into the forests was steadily increasing. And the humungous centipede was wreaking havoc, tossing around the experts who had already arrived at the spot. Several attacks of fire, ice, lightning, wind, and even dark energies were hurled at the monstrous high-grade beast, but its strong and rugged body provided a supreme defense that just couldn¡¯t be breached. ¡°Damn it. Why did we have to run away? We should have immediately attacked the ape and killed the snake.¡± ¡°By now, we could have easily pocketed the golden ape¡¯s body, the snake¡¯s body, and the heavenly treasure!¡± ¡°Damn it, Ginko! Why did I even bothering with you? Do you have to be this cautious ALL THE TIME?¡± ¡°Now we have so many of these assholespeting for the heavenly treasure and this stupid centipede!¡± ¡°Arghhh!! If we had fought against the damned ape, we could have pocketed the treasure and escaped by now! Fuck Fuck Fuck Fuck.¡± Gale was freaking out. They had very narrowly missed a godly opportunity, all because of his stupid partner! If they hadn¡¯t run away in fear of more mid-grade apes approaching, they would have been the closest to the treasure! It was a god-sent opportunity. It was fate. The treasure would have fallen right onto theirps. But now¡­ ¡°Stop ming me. I didn¡¯t forcefully drag you with me.¡± Ginko sullenly retorted back. He, as well, felt sour at this random transgression of events. He had never miscalcted something to this extent. His intuitions had never failed him before this. Both the assassins had an unsightly look on their faces, as they skillfully maneuvered around the rocks and the trees that the centipede was hurling around randomly. Several limbs and torsosid lifelessly on the ground around them. It was apletely one-sided massacre. Forget about the treasure. At this point, the two goblins simply wanted to just return back unharmed. Even Charlotte and her group were currently running away from the bloodbath. The dreadful centipede was turning upside down the entire forest looking around for the treasure. And that was not the only beast that had shown up. The entire forest was suddenly filled with powerful mid-grade beasts. All the animals in the forests were extremely riled up, raring and ready to attack. They all wanted the treasure at all costs. An aroma of death and danger lingered in the air. The situation had entirely gone out of control. This was extremely dangerous since the Eldorian establishment was very close to these forests. If things were left unchecked, then the beast horde could even turn towards the settlement, wreaking havoc and iming numerous lives. Not long after the first centipede emerged, two other tremors started surfacing on the ground. As if the chaos andmotion already thriving was not enough, two more humungous centipedes popped out of the ground. What¡¯s even worse was that the three centipedes didn¡¯t fight with each other and were instead unleashing hell on everyone else. Blood sttered. Bone-chilling cries echoed. Corpses were littered everywhere. It was a terrifying sight to see. But fortunately, before things could get even worse, several blinding shafts of golden light shot down from the sky. RUMBLE RUMBLE A divine godly being descended from the heavens, his long silver hair fluttering in the wind. Surrounding him, ten other majestic figuresnded on the ground as well, instantly grabbing the attention of the three high-grade centipedes. The crown prince Xander and his ten famed Generals had arrived! Their arrival immediately turned the tide of war. The elves, dwarves, and orcs who were getting ughtered just a second ago, were now dominating the battlefield. Xander¡¯s inhumane killing intent was even more deadly and tyrannical than the centipede¡¯s tantrums. A long pitch-ck sword materialized in his arms, a sword purely formed from intangible dark energy. The elegant figure then flickered in the wind, his image appearing directly behind one of the centipedes. A single sh emerged in the thin air, and the centipede¡¯s strong and sturdy body which was holding tight until now effortlessly gave away and a big wound appeared on its slimy body. Wisps of dark energy seeped out of its wound, preventing the healing process from initiating. The General who was fighting the centipede immediately gained an upper hand and followed the crown prince¡¯s lead in thoroughly finishing off the beast. The centipede screeched in pain and fear. It was a high-grade intelligent beast and it knew that it had met its match. The heavily wounded slimy monster quickly burrowed back into the ground, without lingering around any longer. But before it couldpletely disappear another sh of dark energy appeared and cut the lower half of its body. The animal agonizedly screeched in pain, but it continued burrowing forward. As long as its head and its upper half survived, a centipede was still able to remain alive. So the humungous beast continued burrowing further and further away. Its life was literally hanging by a thread. And soon after, the other two centipedes that had popped out also fell and experienced a simr fate. But surprisingly, they all managed to run away at the nick of time, just with a sliver of their life left. ¡°Huh?¡± Xander had a weird expression on his wless face. It seemed as if he was ever so slightly out of his game tonight. All three high-grade beasts had slipped out of his hands as if they were destined to. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s get the other beasts under control and focus on the treasure. No one leaves here tonight without being inspected.¡± The elf¡¯s chilling voice thundered in the midst of the chaos, that had slightly calmed down because of the disappearance of the high-grade centipedes. Soon, several other powerful Demi-god figures arrived, including the royal members of the Dwarven and the Orc Empires. Every single pair of hands and eyes scanned and searched for the heavenly treasure, leaving no stone unturned. The entire forest was thoroughlybed from top to bottom. But even after everything had calmed down, and the beast horde was brought under control, there was not even a trace of this so-called treasure¡­ Chapter 84: When a snake gets lucky Part4 Chapter 84: When a snake gets lucky Part4 As numerous experts descended from the sky and turned the entire forest upside down, Tang Yue was peacefully slithering away from the danger zone. Thanks to the underground tunnel shortcut, she was almost within the outskirts of the Eldorian establishment. She didn¡¯t encounter any other beasts en route and was smoothly making her getaway. There were even 30 seconds still left on her lucky sticker! So Tang Yue pretty confidently continued slithering away without caring about anything else. She waspletely awestruck by the awesomeness of the lucky sticker. It was definitely worth half of her soul strength. ¡°Master, is there really a treasure in the forest?¡± She respectfully asked. At this point, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t differentiate between heads and tails. Everything that was happening was entirely beyond her grasp. [Ha Ha. Dumb little snake. I am the treasure that the heavens wanted to destroy.] ¡°What?¡± Tang Yue coughed up blood. [Mmm. I revealed a part of myself and the tribtion lightning greeted me instantly.] ¡°Then what about luck? Lucky sticker?¡± [Ha Ha. Dumb little snake. Everything needs a catalyst.] [You will understand this when you have more power.] [System is tired now. Don¡¯t disturb me, dumb snake.] Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp in shock. In the name of lucky sticker, did the senior orchestrate and manipte everything and provide help for her? She didn¡¯t know that the system or rather the elder¡¯s soul which had invaded her body was such a heaven-defying treasure. Tang Yue was a little too tired and worn out to think about these things right now. She continued slithering towards the elven settlement, dazed and confused. The remaining seconds in her lucky sticker were also steadily getting depleted. Everything should have been fine, but suddenly, the ground next to her started quaking. ¡°Fuck!¡± Tang Yue¡¯s heart almost stopped. This was a very familiar earthquake! ¡°Damn it. Is fate this determined to end my life today?¡± She tried to pick up her pace and slithered faster, but her wounded body did not quite cooperate with her. ¡°Waaah! Mommy! I am never stepping out of the pce again!¡± ¡°Maybe after I reach the Martial realm¡­ no wait, only after I reach Emperor realm!¡± Tang Yue was genuinely terrified. One after the other, all sorts of beasts have been getting the better of her today! The ground which slightly shook now started quaking with much more intensity. Tang Yue slipped away as best as she could, but a huge crashing noise sounded behind her. Boom! The torn apart tattered body of the centipedended in front of her, blocking her path. It stared at her with animosity and its mouth was busy chewing on something else. Drops of blood leaked out of the corners of its mouth. The centipede impassively circled around her and blocked her path of escape. It looked like it was bent on swallowing everything on its path in order to recover its full strength back. Tang Yue trembled. ¡°Damn it! Has the lucky sticker ended already?¡± She weakly morphed into her human form. Her trembling hands retrieved the mid-grade sword from her space pearl and feebly held it. Her mind waspletely nk. Earlier she was toyed around by a mere low-grade beast, now what could she possibly do against a high-grade beast? As the centipede approached closer and closer to her, Tang Yue copsed on the ground and held her sword weakly in front of her. The centipede didn¡¯t even bother ignoring the sword and proceeded to open its mouth, with the sword still scratching it. But in the next instant¡­ A crisp notification sounded in Tang Yue¡¯s mind. Ding. 1 Quagmire Centipede killed Ding. 10000 Experience points rewarded Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up Ding. Congrattions. Superfast level up bonus: You have 3 chances for the lucky wheel Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up Ding. Congrattions. Superfast level up bonus: You have 3 chances for the lucky wheel The monster that was most definitely about to devour her whole, had dropped dead right in front of her, on herp! Tang Yue was stunned silly. She was too scared and frightened out of her wits to even move a muscle. The sword in her hands dropped and her eyes blinked lifelessly. Ding. Lucky sticker has been exhausted. ¡°Ah~¡± Now she understood what had happened! Tang Yue swallowed the saliva in her mouth and stared at the monstrosity in front of her. She extended her arm weakly and touched the corpse, even poking it. Nothing happened. The beast didn¡¯t move. It was definitely dead. She swallowed her saliva again and retrieved her space pearl to toss in the body of the gigantic beast. By now, it had almost be a reflex action for her. Her entire body was still trembling from fear and anxiety. This was a high-grade beast for heaven¡¯s sake! It¡¯s skin alone was invaluable, let alone its meat and bones! Everything that was happening felt very surreal to her. Tang Yue did not dare to linger around any further. If this centipede came knocking at her doorstep, several other beasts coulde as well. She quickly pocketed the damned thing and got the hell out of there. And just as her tail end disappeared into the tree branches, rustling noises sounded and a group of four elves stepped out of the thickets. All of them looked extremely wounded and injured. They had also just barely escaped from the cmity back in the forest. ¡°That¡­ That is Tang Yue? She killed the centipede?¡± Charlotte stuttered and walked forward. ¡°You¡­ How did she do that?¡± Rosalinda was equally shocked. They had just walked in and only saw Tang Yue collecting dead high-grade beast¡¯s body. The centipede that had terrorized them to death was now being casually pocketed by the weak snake. Charlotte¡¯s eyes almost popped out of their cavity. She just couldn¡¯t believe what was happening in front of her. ¡°Should we kill her and take it for ourselves?¡± Herald, one of herpanions voiced out. Charlotte gazed at the disappearing snake and nodded. Her bleeding lips curved upwards into a sly smile. ¡°When an opportunity presents itself, how can we miss it?¡± The four elves instantly moved, their speeds visibly higher than Tang Yue even at their wounded state. The night was truly never-ending¡­ Chapter 85: What punishment should I give you? Part1 Chapter 85: What punishment should I give you? Part1 Several hourster¡­ Five figures stood ramrod straight in the elven royal pce courtroom as if they were about to be hung. Numerous injuries and open flesh wounds were littered all over their body. It was a miracle that they hadn¡¯t yet dropped dead on the floor. There were even heavily bleeding and oozing burn marks on their bodies, well at least on four of them. The fifth one, the wounded snake, was slightly unscathed and untouched by the fire, after all it was that guilty party who had set the forest on fire in the first ce. But even if they were heavily injured and could barely stand, all five of them were currently frozen solid, standing still with their heads bowed down. And in front of them, on an ornate crystal throne, a terrifying yet enchanting figurezily rested. The man¡¯s blood red eyes surveilled the culprits in front of him with visible disinterest. Xander had just now finished a long and grueling meeting with the big shots of the nine countries. Dealing with those arrogant, conniving, and shrewd old bastards had taken quite a lot out of him, considering that tempers were running very high. The mysterious tribtion lightning and the heavenly treasure that magically disappeared had created quite a big fuss andmotion. Xander rubbed his temples. He then nced at General Salvatore, his right hand man, who was sweating profusely and stood alongside the culprits with his head hung low. ¡°Go on then. Tell me¡­¡± Xander tilted his face to a side and indifferently rested it on his palm. His other hand was dully rapping on the magnificent edges of the throne, his eyes narrowed into thin slits. A frightening aura seeped out of the elf. ¡°What was so important that you had to see me at this ungodly hour? Hmm?¡± The man¡¯s tyrannical voice thundered like heavenly hammers on the courtroom floor. Charlotte shivered. The man she so desperately wanted to see was finally paying attention to her, but his gaze was grimly suffocating. ¡°She¡­ She¡­ Tang Yue has the¡­ the treasure. She¡­ She killed the centipede.¡± Charlotte stuttered and with great difficulty lifted her wounded hand and finger to point at the snake standing beside her. General Salvatore was aghast! His daughter¡¯s words were ridiculously stupid and foolish! Sure! An entire army of powerful experts searched the forest with a fine toothb, but the treasure is in the hands of a weak snake spirit beast! He had absolutely no idea what the hell happened to his usually shrewd and calctive daughter. Why was she being so damned foolish today? In the era, where sons were cherished and daughters were looked down upon, elven General Salvatore had always considered his daughter to be the apple of his eye. She was a talented swordsman, cultivation genius, and refined beauty. So, he just couldn¡¯t understand what the hell happened to her tonight? On one hand, it greatly pained him to see his daughter so heavily injured and bleeding and burnt, but on the other hand, he wanted to kill her himself before she sentences the whole Salvatore family to death. General Salvatore was really at his wit¡¯s end. He knew full well just how angry the crown prince was right now. He was also present in the earlier meeting. Otherwise, he would have stepped in and stopped all of this mishap from happening. ring at his daughter, the old General hurriedly intervened, before things could worsen. ¡°I apologize on her behalf, your highness. Please show mercy.¡± The esteemed General immediately knelt down on the floor and bowed his head deeply. Xander grimaced. ¡°Why am I dealing with this nonsensical drama in the middle of the night?¡± He rubbed his temples with his eyes closed. ¡°Tell me exactly what happened in the forest.¡± His eyes shed open and his deadly red orbs gazed at the elf Herald, one of Charlotte¡¯spanions. Herald clenched his fists. He was barely conscious and his legs were trembling and shivering. At this point, there was no turning back. He knew that he would instantly be killed if he dared to lie like Charlotte had lied. ¡°Your highness, please forgive me.¡± Herald copsed on the floor and banged his head on the marble floor repeatedly. Blood dripped and stained on the clear white marble floor. He then proceeded to narrate the entire series of events to the cold-blooded tyrant¡­ without hiding anything¡­ Charlotte¡¯s eyes bulged in shock. Her closestpanion was ratting her out right in front of her!! It was all over. She knew it. The beautiful elf¡¯s face that was barely recognizable had an unsightly scowl. She turned her head and red at Tang Yue in anger. This was all her fault! Damn it! They should have killed the snake when they had the chance, and all of this wouldn¡¯t have happened. But who knew her fire magic would be so strong. All of them were injured and wounded, almost near death, but somehow Tang Yue had managed to set the forest on fire and escaped from there. While the snake easily slithered out of the mess, Charlotte and herpanions had to endure a lot and only narrowly missed being burnt away. And in that fit of anger, Charlotte had barged into the royal courtroom and pointed her finger directly at Tang Yue for pocketing the centipede. And by mistake, in the heat of the moment, she even threw in her own extra vorings and used Tang Yue of pocketing the treasure as well. Otherwise, how else could she have killed the centipede? It was quite the sound logic, unfortunately, it was not true¡­ And of course, as soon as she mentioned the word treasure, the crown prince was instantly notified and Tang Yue who had just now reached her private chambers was mercilessly dragged out of her bed and into the courtroom by two royal guards. Thus currently, all the guilty parties were squirming right now in front of the enraged mad man. Chapter 86: What punishment should I give you? Part2 Chapter 86: What punishment should I give you? Part2 Once Herald started talking, the elf continued spilling the beans nonstop until nothing was left. He talked about Charlotte¡¯s multiple attempts to poison Tang Yue¡¯s food. He talked about how Tang Yue had ckmailed Charlotte and he even talked about the two goblins involved. Under the tyrant¡¯s oppressive re, Herald did not dare to leave anything out. Charlotte was one of the crown prince¡¯s extremely decorated General¡¯s daughter. It was highly unlikely that she would be punished for this, but him? He was a nobody. He might belong to a noble family but he was still a nobody whenpared to the royal family members. How could he dare to hide anything even remotely significant when things have reached this stage? Xander rapped his fingers on the throne as he patiently listened to the sniffling and sobbing elf. His crimson red eyes had a strange glint within them. The elf¡¯s thin lips remained impassive, but there was an unseen smile dancing on his eyes. It seemed his consorts have been very busytely. Xander¡¯s unforgiving cold gazended on Tang Yue for a moment and then shifted to his General, who was still kneeling on the floor with his head bowed down. Though he didn¡¯t linger too long on the main instigator, he had picked up every single detail. The snake looked pale and weak from having lost too much blood. Considering her weak cultivation base, she should be in a lot of pain right now, but none of it was visible on her face. There was no sign of weakness in her expression. A soft chuckle escaped Xander¡¯s lips, leaving everyone else more anxious and nervous about what the tyrant had found to be amusing. They were already on pins and needles, so his random amusement only sent shivers down their spine. ¡°Hai Hai.¡± Xander rose up from his bloody throne abruptly, breaking the ominous silence prevailing in the room. ¡°Have I been a little too kindtely?¡± The man¡¯s sharp words echoed in the huge empty courtroom. All the living souls around him instantly froze, afraid to even breathe loudly. Xander¡¯s heavy steps echoed in the otherwise silent space, as he casually walked towards General Salvatore. ¡°You will personally deliver 100shes to your daughter and herpanions for treason against the royal family.¡± ¡°Do it now and use the iron thorn bramble.¡± His indifferent voice sounded. The middle-aged elf immediately let out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, his daughter was pardoned and not issued the death sentence. But Charlotte, on the other hand, had an unsightly expression on her face. Her body was already at its limits, filled with exhaustion and pain to a crippling intensity. 100shes now? How could he be so cruel? She was the queen consort! Xander was supposed to cherish and protect her. So why was he punishing her to this extent, that too just for the sake of that filthy snake?? Tears rolled out of Charlotte¡¯s disfigured face. She did not care about these wounds. They would be healed in no time, but his actions and his indifferent words made her contort with agony. However, there was nothing that she could do. Charlotte did not lift her head up. She did not want to meet the man¡¯s gaze. Not today. Not in her current condition. She did not want to show this ugly side of hers. She quietly followed her father¡¯s footsteps out of the room, along with the rest of her group members. No one made a noise as they wordlessly epted the punishment and left the courtroom. But before they could fully exit, the crown prince casually mentioned something else, adding it as a mere afterthought. ¡°You will no longer be my queen consort.¡± Charlotte instantly turned around. No¡­ No¡­ No¡­ She screamed inside her mind. ¡°You highness¡­ I¡­ I¡­¡± The elf stammered, utterly andpletely dumbfounded. She looked as if several bolts of lightning has struck her. ¡°Get out,¡± Xander muttered, not even sparing her another nce. Charlotte almost copsed on the ground. Her legs that were barely holding, now fully gave out. She was about to say something when General Salvatore gagged her mouth. The old General lifted her and quickly carried her out of the courtroom. Only after leaving the main quarters, he stopped and reprimanded his daughter. ¡°You brought this on yourself. Don¡¯t test his majesty¡¯s patience.¡± Charlotte closed her eyes in pain, even more tears flowing out. ¡°This is all because of that nasty evil snake! I hope she dies!¡± Her lips quivered. The group remained inplete silence for the rest of the trip as they walked over to the main courtyard and one by one fulfilled the punishments dolled out to them. 100shes with iron thorn bramble might not be a death sentence but it was not a walk in the park either, that too at their current condition. The sharp edges of the iron rod struck their raw flesh and agonizing screams echoed in the night. Meanwhile¡­ back in the courtroom¡­ Crown Prince Xander had dismissed his other pce aides and so now, only he and Tang Yue were left in the huge courtroom. ¡°Hmm¡­ Now¡­ what punishment should I give you?¡± His lips curled upwards. The elf walked around Tang Yue scanning her from top to bottom. Tang Yue¡¯s entire body stiffened. She felt as if the man himself was personally touching each and every part of her body. ¡°How about I make you my queen consort instead?¡±Xander leaned in and whispered in her slender short blue ears. Tang Yue gulped.Her eyes did not meet the mad man¡¯s gaze, but his eyes followed the small movement in her throat. After a moment of silence, she gritted her teeth and muttered.¡°That would be my honor, your highness.¡± She knew that the man was merely ying with her, teasing her for amusement. So she didn¡¯t want to give him the satisfaction of sessfully rattling her. Charlotte might have been lucky enough to receive his mercy and kindness, but Tang Yue was sure that only a death sentence awaited for someone as insignificant as her. However, contrary to her expectations, Xander merely chuckled. ¡°Is that so?¡± The elf mumbled with his eyebrows raised ever so slightly. The snake in front of him was full of surprises. 1 second¡­ 2 seconds¡­ 5 seconds¡­ Tang Yue trembled but the man continued standing right next to her, so close that his warm breath assaulted her tired body. His undivided attention was suffocating. Tang Yue patiently waited for him to react, to dere her punishment, but the man still continued messing with her. He wordlessly lifted a few strands of her ck curls and tucked them away. His fingers circled on the exposed flesh and the bleeding cuts, fingernails even poking on certain deep wounds. After what seemed like an eternity, his thin lips parted again. A peal of cold but enchantingughter echoed in the room. And before Tang Yue could even blink, the arrogant cold-blooded prince disappeared right in front of her, his maniacalughter still ringing in the air. Tang Yue clenched her fists tightly. The man¡¯s smugness appalled her. She felt so helpless in his presence and that didn¡¯t quite sit well with her. She felt so humiliated and embarrassed. But the next instant, her emerald eyes nced at her body, only to gasp in shock. Her entire body waspletely healed¡­ Restored back to its original healthy glow¡­ Chapter 87: Slap slap slap Part1 Chapter 87: p p p Part1 After standing frozen for a long time, Tang Yue slowly walked back to her private chambers absent-mindedly. Her fully healed body was covered by numerous goosebumps as she still couldn¡¯tprehend the lunatic tyrant¡¯s actions. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Was he being serious?¡± ¡°Am I the new damned queen consort?¡± ¡°But how could a beast possibly be allowed to step into this high stature? This is simply impossible!¡± ¡°Arghhh¡­ Why the hell is he messing with me?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s tired mind was running a mile a minute. She flopped on her familiar bedding,pletely exhausted. But as soon as she closed her eyes an impably handsome face with terrifying crimson bloodthirsty eyes shed before her. Tang Yue trembled ever so slightly. She still hadn¡¯t digested the words of that madman. Everyone knew that the crown prince was a cold-hearted tyrant but the man apparently also had a sadistic side to him, doing what he wanted whenever he wanted. Tang Yue grit her teeth. If she knew this was going to happen, she would have rather chosen the 100shes that the madman had generously rewarded all the other guilty parties with. She tossed and turned around ufortably for quite a while, still feeling the presence of his lingering intrusive gaze. But she fell asleep soon after that. Her body might be healed but her mind and soul were still extensively suffering from the aftermath of the night¡¯s events. Deep snoring sounds echoed in the exquisite ornate chamber as the snake princess slept through the entire night and most of the next day. She only stirred awake when she felt slight nudging sensations on her shoulder as if someone was poking her and trying to wake her up. ¡°Huh? Lotte?¡± Tang Yue rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. ¡°Sorry, your highness. I regretfully had to disturb your slumber.¡± Lotte bowed his head and mumbled. ¡°That¡¯s fine. Tell what happened?¡± Tang Yuezily yawned. ¡°Umm¡­ Your highness. An imperial decree has been issued today morning.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s sleepy heart immediately jolted awake. Fuck! Did that jerk seriously screw me over? ¡°Tell me. Quick.¡± Tang Yue snapped at the poor elf in front of her. Her both hands were tightly clutching and crumpling the silk sheets waiting for the inevitable thunder to crash on her. ¡°This¡­ Your highness¡­¡± ¡°As of this morning, all consorts engaged to the crown prince have been ordered to move out of the royal pce.¡± Lotte bowed and hesitantly murmured. While Tang Yue had been nicely sleeping, he had witnessed several other consorts throwing tantrums when this news was broken to them. They were furious and some even thrashed their pce aides left and right. After all, they could only show their anger on the messenger of the bad news and not the main source. So Lotte hesitantly mentioned the imperial decree to Tang Yue and waited for her to unleash hell on him as well. He waited and then he waited. But Tang Yue simply stared at him in shock. She blinked a few times and a small smile surfaced on her pale blue lips. This news was not really of any significance to her. In fact, this was rather good news. She didn¡¯t have to live near that devil any longer! She was scared there for a minute if that viin really made her the queen consort. Tang Yue shuddered. She couldn¡¯t even think of the consequences. As it is, she was swatting assassination attempts on her life left and right. If she actually became the queen consort, she might as well reserve a plot in the royal cemetery. Tang Yue let out a huge sigh of relief. ¡°When do we have to leave?¡± She asked the confused elf with her figure slouching back on the bed. ¡°Ah, your highness. We have to leave before the nightfall.¡± Lotte quickly replied. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tang Yue peered outside the huge window. It was already almost close to nightfall. ¡°Your highness, the zither pce in the south has been assigned for your convenience.¡± ¡°And while you were slumbering, I took the liberty to arrange all the necessities in the pce quarters.¡± Lotte quickly filled in on all the details. Tang Yue was slightly surprised. ¡°You did well.¡± She praised Lotte with a brilliant twinkling smile. She liked the little elf quite a bit. He was very faithful to her and always tended to his duties very fast and efficiently. Lotte blushed a little and scratched his head. He bowed slightly and prepared to leave to take care of the remaining arrangements. As he was leaving Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but notice the elf limping on his right side. She could even see some bruises on his arms, as his robe shifted slightly. ¡°Lotte,e back here.¡± Tang Yue got out of her bed and stood up, carefully examining the thin awkward elf in front of her. She then casually extended her hand to loosen the young man¡¯s robe. ¡°Your highness?¡± Lotte was startled but he stood still. Just as she suspected, the young man seemed to be severely injured, and more suspiciously, all his injuries were hidden well under the robe. ¡°What happened? Who did this to you?¡± Tang Yue asked, her emerald eyes were visibly frowning. ¡°Ah..¡± Lotte stammered. He didn¡¯t want to drag the princess into any unnecessary troubles, but at the same time, by the royal decree, he was not allowed to lie to his master. ¡°That¡­ That is nothing, your highness.¡± Lotte stammered helplessly. Tang Yue crossed her arms and sternly looked at the elf. It was clear that she was not going to let this issue slip by. Lotte fidgeted for a few more seconds but eventually ended up telling her about everything. He was extremely ashamed to admit it, but despite that, he narrated everything. Lotte then nervously waited to hear his punishment for the tant betrayal. Even though he was forced, it was still not an excuse for what he did. He was fully willing to ept any punishment the princess deemed necessary. He only hoped that Tang Yue wouldn¡¯t pursue this issue any further. Chapter 88: Slap Slap Slap Part2 Chapter 88: p p p Part2 After she heard about what had happened Tang Yue¡¯s frown deepened. Apparently, Charlotte had thrashed Lotte to the point of death in order to make him spill the details about Tang Yue¡¯s mission and her ns in the forest. Once she thought about this, Tang Yue slowly understood everything. This was why Charlotte and her group were present in the forest in the first ce. They had gotten the information out of Lotte by beating him ck and blue. Tang Yue sized up the elf in front of her. He had indeed betrayed her, but she also understood the various hierarchies in the royal power chart. Just looking at how badly he was tortured, Tang Yue could tell that the elf was beaten down a lot before he ended up coughing up the details. This might have been something very inconsequential to others, but for her, this in itself was a huge thing. Tang Yue was very touched by this small act of loyalty. Maybe it was purely out of a sense of duty, but this was more kindness than anyone else had ever shown her. So it pained her to look at the scars on her aide¡¯s body. Tang Yue gazed at the elf for a while, who still had his head hung down in embarrassment. She sighed deeply and muttered, as she sat back down on her bed. ¡°Summon my dear sister, Charlotte, for me.¡± She smiled. Huh? She didn¡¯t reprimand me even once? Lotte absent-mindedly nodded. Anyone else would have punished him with a hundred or soshes at the least for doing something atrocious and downright backstabbing like this. But Tang Yue hadn¡¯t said anything at all. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am sure my sister will be more than willing to pay me a visit.¡± She added and chuckled. Lotte bowed gratefully and quickly left. And just as Tang Yue had expected, not long after, Charlotte elegantly trotted over, apanied by her two maids. The enchanting elf looked as mesmerizing and beautiful as ever, not a single scar on her pale porcin skin. All the grizzly wounds and the burn marks from the disastrous incidents in the forest hadpletely disappeared. A gentle smile hung on her soft lips as if nothing had happened and her gorgeous figure happily appeared in front of Tang Yue. ¡°Greetings, Sister.¡± Charlotte smiled and sat down. She didn¡¯t wait for any acknowledging nod from Tang Yue. There was even a small scowl on her face from seeing Tang Yue¡¯spletely healed alluring body. The snake, who was already used to this arrogant entitled behavior chuckled coldly. This was why she was sure that Charlotte woulde over and meet with her. She was sure that the pampered General¡¯s daughter wouldn¡¯t let this chance slip by to rub on her face how nothing can shake her position amidst the royalty. ¡°Greetings to you too, sister.¡± Tang Yue smiled. But she quickly added, ¡°Oops. Sorry about that. I guess we are no longer sisters.¡± Tang Yue sneered, purposefully provoking the arrogant elf in front of her. Charlotte clenched her fists but maintained the sweet smile on her lips. She was determined to not give Tang Yue the satisfaction of insulting her. ¡°Of course. Of course. We were never really sisters, to begin with, were we?¡± ¡°After all, I am an elf and you are a spirit beast.¡± Charlotte replied with mockery in her eyes. She didn¡¯t have the slightest hue of guilt or awkwardness or shame in her bearings. She couldn¡¯t care less that she was sitting in front of the same person she had set out to murder ruthlessly. Tang Yue, as well, smiled. She looked very casual and carefree. It was the perfect picture of two good friends leisurely chatting with each other. But suddenly the snake leaned forward and stood up. ¡°Be that as it may be¡­ I still think you had no business touching my servant.¡± And without any warning, before Charlotte could respond, a series of crisp sounds echoed in the ornate chamber. Pa Pa Pa Pa p p p p Tang Yue had pped the beautiful elf in front of her four times in the blink of an eye. ¡°This is just a warning. The next time you touch my servants, the oue will be much worse.¡± She was no longer smiling, but had a cold indifferent look on her face, as if she was looking at someone beneath her status. ¡°And do not call me sister. Know your ce and address me as your highness.¡± Tang Yue leaned forward and patted the elf who was still staring at her with her one hand on her cheek and her jaw dropped on the floor. She then chuckled and walked out, heading towards her new residential quarters, the zither pce. She couldn¡¯t care less that she had justnded a few tight ps on Charlotte¡¯s face. They were already at irreconcble lengths, so what¡¯s a few more ps? She wanted to do so much more, but that had to wait. Tang Yue smiled and continued walking. Lotte was the first one to recover from his shock and quickly scurried along, following behind Tang Yue. Charlotte and her maids only snapped out of their trance when they saw the limping pce aide elf running out of the chamber. ¡°WHAT JUST HAPPENED?¡± Charlotte trembled, still feeling the stinging sensation on her cheeks. She clutched the edges of the wooden chair and stood up, kicking it behind her in anger. ¡°The audacity of this beast?!! How dare she?!!¡± Charlotte shouted, her cheeks burning red. Since her birth, no one had ever pped her directly on her face! Not even her father, the General! Both her maids hung their heads down in fear. They were terribly afraid to face their mistress, considering what had just happened. Charlotte looked absolutely furious like a tumultuous sea. Thud! She forcefully banged the wall next to her and stormed out in anger. This was not over! Did this snake think that she could get rid of her this easily?? This battle was far from over! Chapter 89: Kiss Kiss Kiss Part1 Chapter 89: Kiss Kiss Kiss Part1 The zither pce was not too far from the Eldorian royal pce and so Tang Yue and Lotte quickly reached the private quarters. The entire mansion was moderately sized with about 5 to 6 chambers on the ground floor and a simryout on the first floor as well. There was a huge inner courtyard with a beautiful blossoming lotus pond and the garden surrounding the ce was also quite breathtaking. Tang Yue looked around in awe. Her emerald eyes were visibly surprised. When she first heard about the banishment, she thought that she would have to revisit her pathetic lifestyle from back in the serpentnds. But this was totally different from what she was expecting. Beautiful carvings were engraved on the wall andvish furniture was tastefully arranged. Though the zither pce was not as big as the royal pce, it was still as exquisite and exorbitant. While Tang Yue looked around the mansion in awe, Lotte looked at her with awe and worship in his eyes. The elf was very touched by her kindness and understanding. It was just a small gesture but that in itself meant a lot to him. Not that Tang Yue did not n exactly for this. When she saw Lotte¡¯s injuries, she, of course, was rmed but she only went the extra mile to test the elf out. Since it looked like she was going to be staying here for at least the near future, Tang Yue wanted to cultivate some allies no matter what their status might be. She was ruthless and maniptive by nature, mostly due to the cruel conditions of her upbringing, never knowing the love of a mother or the kindness of her father. But no matter how calctive she was, at the end of the day, just as she was brutal to her enemies, she was also equally kind to her friends, regardless of their status. Tang Yue looked at the elf and smiled, satisfied with the expression on his face. She had finished touring the zither pce and was very content with everything she had seen so far. ¡°Lotte, dismiss all the maids and servants in the pce.¡± ¡°I need two front gate guards, two patrolling guards, and two back gate guards.¡± ¡°Ideally I would like them to be well trained.¡± ¡°But as long as they are loyal and hard-working, I do not mind lower-level guards as well.¡± ¡°But everyone is to be stationed outside and no one is allowed to enter the quarters unless I say so.¡± Tang Yue gave borate instructions to Lotte and the elf as well resolutely nodded his head. The look of adtion in his eyes was unmistakable. Tang Yue chuckled and then quickly dismissed him. Loyalty was not something that could be bought overnight. So she didn¡¯t think too much about it. After Lotte left and the day to day affairs of the new pce were settled, Tang Yue summoned Little Plum to let it roam free. She wanted to use this newfound delightful seclusion to her full advantage. She settledfortably on the serene courtyard and sucked in a few breaths of the cold freezing air. So many ridiculous things had transpired back in the forests and she hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to process any of them yet. Just thinking about them made her mind spin and a familiar face to cross her mind. Tang Yue shook her head vigorously as if meaning to shake that frightening image right off of her brain. She then summoned her status screen to start with. When the monstrous centipede had dropped dead on herp, she was pretty sure that she heard a few level-up notifications. She didn¡¯t quite understand the meaning of these levels and was very curious to see what happens to her at higher levels. So Tang Yue decided to start with the big blue screen. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 6 (0/12800) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast Body constitution: Silver Mortal Body Mana constitution: Silver Mortal Core ______________ Poison resistance: Level 11 Heat resistance: Level 50 Cold resistance: Level 12 Lightning resistance: Level 11 Agility: Level 13 Physical Strength: Level 8 Soul Strength: Level 1 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 200/200 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 200/200 Mana regeneration: 2mp/hr ______________ Contractedpanions: Fire elemental: Level 0 ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% Completed Bloodlines: Wild Smander (Common grade) Fire twin-tailed bird (Low grade) ______________ Skills: [Lesser Illusion magic] ¨C Passive skill, Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Higher fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into low-grade fire. [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 11, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body [Startle] ¨C Active skill, Level 8, Disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration [Hide] ¨C Active skill, Level 0, Hide presence ______________ ¡°Not bad!¡± Tang Yue clicked her tongue and nodded. With her quick and lucky power-ups, she had gained quite a lot of buffs. In particr, her emerald eyes excitedly circled around the new skill she had gained, illusion magic spell Hide! This is exactly what Tang Yue had been waiting for. The spell itself was not something new to her. Despite her cripple status, Tang Yue still had ess to knowledge about this sort ofmon spells back in the snake n. It was just that she only now was strong enough to cast the actual spell. The snake hummed in sweet happiness as she also nced at her illusion magic which was now upgraded to lesser illusion magic. ¡°Hmm¡­ Wait a second.¡± Tang Yue suddenly perked up as her mind processed these new changes. She gazed at the list of her skills, and she couldn¡¯t help but wonder about something so obvious that popped into her mind. ¡°Could my evolution skill be upgraded at higher levels too?¡± Chapter 90: Kiss Kiss Kiss Part2 Chapter 90: Kiss Kiss Kiss Part2 ¡°Master, could my evolution skill be upgraded at higher levels too?¡± Tang Yue gulped, swallowing her saliva down, and eagerly asked. [Heh. Aren¡¯t you a little too eager, little snake?] Tang Yue was already used to this. Shepletely ignored the system that answered her question with a question and patiently repeated her words again. ¡°Could my evolution skill be upgraded at higher levels?¡± [Such impatience! Yes, Yes. Isn¡¯t it obvious? Why ask me such an obvious question?] [Why don¡¯t you ask me about the lucky wheel? Isn¡¯t it time for you to spin it again?] Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched. The lucky wheel was something she didn¡¯t want to bang her head against just yet. Who knows what nonsense the damned system was going to throw her way this time around? Her fingers recollected the soft squishy feeling they had experienced before and Tang Yue sighed, rubbing her temples. She shook her head and focused back on the specifics about her mysterious Evolution skill. ¡°Master, am I also capable of absorbing a spirit beast¡¯s bloodline or even a higher intelligent being like an elf¡¯s bloodline?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked. She was half-expecting a whimsical good for nothing answer, but suddenly the air around her turned chilly. Fear crept down her spine and a deathly violent killing intent seeped out making it difficult for Tang Yue to even breathe. [A higher being¡¯s bloodline requires you to kill hundreds of thousands of that species. Are you ready to do that?] The old man¡¯s voice thundered inside her brain. ¡°I¡­ I¡± Tang Yue stammered, holding her throat and coughing weakly. Her nails dug into the ground for support and her eyes widened in pain. What was happening? Tang Yue was utterly baffled as to what the hell was happening to her! One instant, she was simply asking some hypothetical questions and the next instant, the system was trying to choke her to death? Tang Yue coughed some more and tried to get out some words, but the system¡¯s angry old voice thundered again. [Massacring for survival and massacring for power] [Do you know the difference between those? Or are they both the one and the same for you?] With every passing second, things were only getting more and more difficult for Tang Yue. She began to feel a tremendous pressure pressing down on her soul. It was as if the sky had fallen down and was crushing her very being into nothingness. ¡°Both¡­ kill the living¡­ How is¡­ different?¡± Tang Yue answered barely holding on. She merely replied what was on her mind. She didn¡¯t have the time or energy to lie her way out of this and something told her that any small lie would be instantly detected by the conniving old bastard. But deep down in her heart, she knew that she could never be cruel enough to kill millions and millions of any living creature unless it threatened her very existence. [Choose your words wisely, little snake.] [As if your life depends on it¡­] The system thundered again, enunciating each and every single word. Tang Yue shivered. She was already at her limits with the air around her suffocating her to the very extreme, but suddenly she felt even more miserable. She felt as if her soul would bepletely shattered and obliterated at any given instant now. ¡°I ¡­ never¡­kill¡­ blindly.¡± Tang Yue mustered thest of her strength and answered feebly, managing to get out these four small words. She didn¡¯t know if that was what the system wanted to hear or if those simple words would be sufficient to get her out of this mess, but that was all she could say right now and she definitely meant what she said. And finally¡­ 2 secondster¡­ The pressure imprisoning her slowly started rxing. The system¡¯s voice had also calmed down to several decibels lower. [Consider this a warning, little snake. You better not even dream about building yourself in that way.] Cough Cough Cough Cough Tang Yue struggled as she greedily sucked in the air around her, gasping for breath. She had always considered this mysterious system to be a boon, but right at this moment, she was not so sure. She did not like how her life was at the mercy of something else or rather someone else whom she did notpletely understand. Why did the old man suddenly get so angry? She had no clue. She grabbed a mug of water close to her and guzzled it down her throat. Only after several minutes she finally managed to calm down and breathe normally. But a sense of restlessness and vague anxiety still remained in the corner of her mind. Tang Yue clutched her shivering hands, and stared absent-mindedly, unsure of what to do next, when the system¡¯s usual frivolous nasally voice sounded again. [Why so serious, little snake? How about you try the lucky wheel?] ¡°¡­.¡± [I am sure it will bring you some pleasant surprises.] ¡°¡­.¡± Tang Yue opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Who pinches a child and then asks the same child why she is crying? What bastardly character is this? She knew that the system probably didn¡¯t want her to go on a killing spree and murder anything and everything in sight, consuming all living beings to improve herself but isn¡¯t there a better way to convey this message? Tang Yue blinked a few times and then, for theck of a better response to the shameless suggestion, she weakly nodded. ¡°Sure, let¡¯s have a look at the ¡®lucky¡¯ wheel.¡± She sighed and shook her head, deeply engrossed in her thoughts. From today¡¯s events and yesterday¡¯s events, one thing was crystal clear to her. She might not be a cripple anymore but she was still cannon fodder, a struggling worm at the bottom of the food chain. Be it this mysterious system or the arrogant crown prince, both held a tremendous amount of power over her and that needed to change soon! As soon as possible! Chapter 91: Kiss Kiss Kiss Part3 Chapter 91: Kiss Kiss Kiss Part3 After sulking around for a while because of the damned system¡¯s random outburst, Tang Yue eventually braved herself to take a look at the lucky wheel. The system was definitely a double-edged sword, but she couldn¡¯t afford to not use it. Little Plum alone was worth the difficulties that the system threw her way. Not considering the lucky sticker, the little one as well saved her life in the fight against the wind woven wolf. So in spite of the nasty old man, Tang Yue still looked forward to the Lucky wheel options this time around and excitedly summoned it. As soon as she willed it, the usual pomp and ir started and a bright fluorescent multi-colored wheel popped out of thin air. And just as usual, the sparkling obscenity was also apanied by a cacophony of celebratory noises. Tang Yue could already feel her head throbbing. Gauging from how the old man was pushing her towards using this lucky wheel feature, she was sure that nothing good was going toe out of it¡­ well, maybe something good, but definitely apanied by a lot of bad¡­ Tang Yue grimaced ever so slightly and her captivating emerald orbs gazed at the messy scrambling on the multi-colored wheel. 1. Heavens Path arcane art 2. 1000 Experience Points 3. Thundering lightning steps 4. 1000 Experience Points 5. Devil awakening pill form Of course, just like thest time, the first five options were extremely mouth-watering. The free experience points had even been adjusted ordingly to her level. It was now giving her 1000 experience points instead of just the few 100 points. The anxious snake gulped down and gazed at the remaining options as well. She already knew that this was where her troubles would probably lie¡­ 6. Kissdy Charlotte with tongue three times 7. 1000 Experience Points 8. Enter the Crown Prince chambers at midnight without clothes 9. 1000 Experience Points 10. Kick Prince Xavier¡¯s balls Tang Yue¡¯s eyes twitched. She already expected something like this but still¡­ The options on the lucky wheel were mostly the same this time around, except for the ones she had already used the previous time. This was not the issue here¡­ The real issue was that the recement options were just simply too FUCKING SCARY! ¡°Ki¡­ Ki¡­ Kiss with tongue?¡± Her pale blue cheeks turned into a deep purple. Was she supposed to be happy that this new development was only on Charlotte¡¯s front and not Xander or Xavier¡¯s options as well? Was this perverted old man moonlighting as a love coach between her and Charlotte?! Why was he so hell-bent on picking her as the target every single time? Didn¡¯t the royal harem have like twenty other female elves? Tang Yue frowned but she didn¡¯t want to anger the damned old man who looked like he had just calmed down. So she sighed deeply and without even bothering to throw a second nce at the damned wheel, the snake weakly mumbled. ¡°Spin.¡± This time she wasn¡¯t even afraid of spinning the wheel considering thest few options, because, at the back of her mind, she somehow knew exactly where the wheel was about tond. RA TA TA TA TA TA TA The dazzling wheel spun around, eagerly putting on a show and after about a minute or so, it came to a halt. Ding. Congrattions. You have been rewarded 1000 Experience points. ¡°Mmhm.¡± Tang Yue nodded. She was not in the least surprised or disappointed at the result. ¡°Spin again.¡± She simply mumbled, with her mesmerizing face, impassive and cold. RA TA TA TA TA TA TA The dazzling illusional wheel spun excitedly andnded on the familiar spot once again. Ding. Congrattions. You have been rewarded 1000 Experience points. Tang Yue¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Spin¡± She muttered. She had correctly guessed these two oues and if she was not mistaken¡­ then her next oue will be¡­ RA TA TA TA TA TA TA 50 seconds¡­ 55 seconds¡­ 60 seconds¡­ The wheel finally came to a halt, and of course, this time around, it didn¡¯t stop on any particr option! The arrow on the wheel was stuck right in the middle, between two familiar options: 5. Devil awakening pill form and 6. Kissdy Charlotte with tongue three times Tang Yue chuckled. If she was notughing at herself, she would haveughed even louder. ¡°And I assume I have to ept both?¡± She shook her head, biting her lips. Perverted bastard! The thing that pissed her off the most was, why even bother setting up a ¡°lucky wheel¡±, when you are so obviously cheating! [The system¡¯s rules are fixed and unmodifiable. If the arrow stops in between two options, you have to ept both, little snake.] ¡°Forget it.¡± Tang Yue ignored the shady behavior of the system. She was tired of dealing with its shenanigans. She focused her attention on the thing that was far more important, the Devil awakening pill! She was quite familiar with this one. The Devil awakening pill was a high-grade pill, its form closely guarded and notmonly avable. It was typically sold in the auction house. Not very often, but every time it was sold, it earned at least a whopping million or more gems in value. Because this was a pill that unleashes chaos and plunges one¡¯s mind into endless darkness. It was a pill that induces a trance-like state and forces one to face their worst nightmares and deadly terrors, blurring the line between illusion and reality. In the path of perfection and bnce, one needed to cultivate and train their, mind, body, core, and soul, and this was a pill that could actually help train one¡¯s mind, that is if they are not ripped apart by it in the process. Tang Yue¡¯s lips curled upwards into a visible grin. This was amazing. She had actually managed to snag the form for the Devil awakening pill! Well¡­ that is¡­ if she also manages to finish the other thing¡­ Chapter 92: The Empress is here Part1 Chapter 92: The Empress is here Part1 While Tang Yue was nervously pacing back and forth in her Zither pce, busily scheming about getting Charlotte alone with her, the elven royal pce was unusually lively. Jingling sounds echoed amidst the unusual silence of the courtroom, as the various Generals and other nobles who had gathered, anxiously stared at the scene unfolding in front of them. Their domineering iron-fisted prince was in trouble this morning! A tall and elegant elf, utterly breathtaking despite her aged appearance casually strolled through the courtroom. She was dressed in a luxurious yellow robe with golden and silver thread embroidered patterns, and embedded amethyst gems. Her long silver locks were tied into a neat bun, adorned by jade and ruby hairpins. She looked absolutely radiant and stunning, decked in the morous jewels and gems, perfectlyplimenting her mesmerizing features, which were unmistakably simr to the arrogant man on the throne. This was the grand matriarch of the Eldorian Empire, Empress Freya! And more importantly, the cold-blooded tyrant¡¯s mother! The single person who could frighten the tyrant by the sheer power of her nagging had surprisingly arrived this morning, along with her entourage, without any prior notice. Xanderzily leaned back on his crystal throne, mentally preparing himself for the blood bath that was about to happen. ¡°Greetings mother.¡± He mumbled. Since he messed with the harem hierarchy established in the royal pce, he had an inkling that this would happen. But he didn¡¯t think it would be this fast! It looked like his mother was truly on top of things, when it came to the pce politics amidst the women. He quickly dismissed all the officials from the courtroom to prevent his image from being damaged any further in the drama that was about to ensue. While he was busily cooking up various excuses in his mind that he might potentially need, Empress Freya waltzed over and graciously sat adjacent to him. ¡°What is this I am hearing about son?¡± She mumbled, with their eyebrows raised, directly cutting past all the inconsequential pleasantries. Xander could instantly fathom the mood of his mother. She didn¡¯t even bother going over her typical routine, where she chided him for working too hard and not taking care of his health. This in itself showed how serious she was. Xander sighed and slouched further, rubbing his temples. ¡°What are you talking about mother?¡± He feigned innocence, his crimson red orbs gazing affectionately at her. ¡°Rumours abound the pce about your new queen consort candidate son, hmm?¡± ¡°You cannot possibly choose a spirit beast to be your queen!¡± Xander chuckled slightly in response. His thin impassive lips turned upwards at the thought of one stubborn snake. ¡°I haven¡¯t selected anyone yet.¡± He answered, patting his mother¡¯s back. He already knew what was about toe next and quickly prepared to leave. ¡°I hope you do understand the consequences of your actions.¡± ¡°Whomever you choose will after all be the next Empress of our n.¡± ¡°Xander, you cannot just make these decisions on a whim!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make a mockery of the harem.¡± ¡°You need to wed someone officially soon and produce heirs for the Empire.¡± Freya¡¯s disgruntled voice echoed behind him, as the elf quickly disappeared from the courtroom, retreating speedily back into his private quarters. Only a shadow of his voice was heard, ¡°I understand, mother.¡± ¡°Hmph. Always treating me so coldly.¡± Freya muttered, disappointed with her slippery son. She was, of course, aware of the ridiculous situation of her son¡¯s harem, which only gave her endless headaches. She had personally hand-picked over fifteen of the twenty two stunning elvendies in the royal harem, but her son unfortunately hadn¡¯t shown any interest in any of them. While her eldest son was hyper active in this area, this one seemed to becking any interest altogether. And she hadn¡¯t even seen the other three in a while. Freya sighed thinking about her troublesome sons. ¡°Your highness.¡± A maid hurried over, bowed and handed Freya a ss of fine spirit wine. ¡°Your highness, his majesty, the Crown Prince, requested that you stay for lunch.¡± She further bowed and added. ¡°Will he be joining me?¡± Freya scoffed angrily and asked, already aware of the answer. ¡°Sorry, your highness. His majesty is unavable at the moment because of urgent state affairs.¡± The maid anxiously answered back, as if she was reciting prepared lines. ¡°Heh. Of course.¡± Freya¡¯s expression softened and she chuckled and brushed it off. This was why she had always wanted daughters, but unfortunately all she got was these ruffians. ¡°No need. I will be having lunch with Xavier. Find him and announce my arrival.¡± She sighed and stood up to leave. But then she turned around and gave out further instructions to her pce aides. ¡°Arrange for a tea ceremony gathering soon and invite all the members of Xander¡¯s harem.¡± ¡°Prepare the best tea leaves and invite thedies from the noble families as well.¡± ¡°Oh and send an invitation to the General¡¯s daughter, Charlotte.¡± Freya muttered and flicked her robe, leaving the now almost empty courtroom. Soon the news quickly spread and invitations were promptly sent to various important households. Tang Yue received one as well. While all the other consorts were exceedingly pleased at the prospect of impressing the Empress, Tang Yue was not particrly happy with this event. She could guess that this was the direct aftermath of Charlotte getting demoted from her position and punished by the Crown Prince. Considering that she was the previous queen consort, obviously she had to be favoured by the Empress, maybe even had close ties with her. So most likely the Empress was not happy with the things that had transpired and Charlotte getting kicked out. On top of this, Tang Yue was also a spirit beast, a person of such low social standing, that she would not even be allowed to meet with the Empress in person under any other circumstances. So considering all this, it was more than obvious that nothing good coulde out of attending this gathering. However, Tang Yue had no other option but to attend and smile. After all, she was merely a political hostage in thisnd of strangers. Chapter 93: The Empress is here Part2 Chapter 93: The Empress is here Part2 Tang Yue nced at the small invitation card on her side table, handwritten using beautiful strokes, and adjusted her robe for the seventh time. She had originally nned to binge eat andplete the bristle wolf bloodline today, but fate pushed her in a different direction and she had toply. The snake princess donned on a palevender robe with elegant prints of peach blossoms patterned using silver threads. The robe clung to her body, entuating all the right ces, making her look absolutely stunning and devious, a sensual goddess. She was the perfect picture of a woman that all mothers would warn their sons about. But there was nothing she could do about it. That was the very nature and unique charm of the serpentine n. She couldn¡¯t hide it even if she tried to. Tang Yue then grabbed her amethyst studded jewelry and quickly threw on everything she had, leaving aside an exquisitely crafted bracelet. Amethyst was the mostmonly avable gemstone in the serpentinends and so she had quite a bit of the gem-studded jewelry. Tang Yue then carefully packed the bracelet to present it to the Empress. She was still notpletely aware of the etiquette in the elven settlement, but she decided to better be prepared. After finishing all the arrangements, Tang Yue quickly dismissed Little Plum, who was excitedly buzzing around her observing each and every mundane action she did and called for Lotte. ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡± Tang Yue muttered and the duo set out to attend the special tea ceremony. The ceremony was organized in the ptial gardens, filled with beautiful and vibrant flowers. The garden courtyard overlooked the golden lotus pond, personally tended to by the crown prince, for harvesting the treasured golden lotus, a herbal flower used in various pill forme. Tang Yue soon arrived at the courtyard entrance and could already sense the palpable tension in the air. The typically calm and serene garden, only visited by the asional mist butterflies, was currently filled with numerous elegant and mesmerizing elven nobledies and princesses. The elven Emperor had a total of five brothers and three sisters. So all the other side family branches betrothed one of their princesses to the Crown prince, hoping to win his favor andbine with the main branch. ¡°Ha Ha Ha. This is going to be interesting.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes gazed at herpetition coldly, as she stepped into the pce garden courtyard. ¡°What a waste of time!¡± ¡°At least I should see if I can get Charlotte alone.¡± She murmured and graciously sauntered over inside. A maid immediately came rushing towards her and weed her. Tang Yue nodded in reply and looked around. Several tables and chairs were arranged in a circr fashion, each containing savory delicacies, fragrant and delicious. The Empress was sitting at the main table with elvendies excitedly buzzing around her and chatting with her. She was known for being a very kind, just, and benevolent woman, but Tang Yue doubted if this kindness extended to other ns as well. ¡°So this is what mother of pure evil looks like huh?¡± Her forked tongue flickered in and out, as she gazed at the strong woman. The Empress stood out like a wolf in the pack of sheep and her aura and demeanor were exuding unadulterated power and arrogance, not because of her personal capabilities but because of her status in the Empire. All the other princes and the Emperor¡¯s brothers might have harems in their n, but the Emperor himself had only a single woman, the Empress. There were no other concubines or royal consorts to contest her ce. Hence, her status was extremely fierce and dignified in the entire settlement, which was why every single elf who had gathered here was trying to win over her favor. Tang Yue smiled and continued contemting. She could hardly recognize four or maybe five of the elven nobledies present. Isabe was there. Adrianna had also arrived. And then a familiar figure entered her view. Of course, the said figure was present right next to the Empress, visibly buttering her up. Charlotte¡¯s eyes looked reddened and her figure looked extremely fragile and weak as if she was fraught with misery and sadness. The heartbroken woman looked like she was trying her best to put on a brave face and chat with the Empress, despite anguish overwhelming her. Anyone who looked at her would instantly feel pity and sympathy for her. Tang Yue almost wanted to p for the amazing performance. Charlotte looked even more miserable than a grieving widow! The snake sighed and decided to observe things from the sidelines for a while before introducing herself. She silently walked around, ying the part of a friendly consort, and tried to make herself more social, exchange greetings and pleasantries with a fewdies. But after talking to a couple of them, it was clear that she was being avoided. It felt as if everyone was intentionally side-stepping her, not talking for more than a few seconds. Maybe it was because she was a spirit beast or maybe someone had nned something, Tang Yue was certain that she was being ignored. Considering that she was the only colored figure in the entire group of pale elves, she had somewhat predicted that this would happen and didn¡¯t mind the apparent discrimination. She did not bother approaching anyone else and simply sat on an empty table in the corner of the garden. A maid quickly appeared and ced a steaming hot tea set in front of her, serving her a cup of tea quickly. Tang Yue nodded and silently sipped on the drink in her hands. She tried to forget the elves littered around her, enjoying the peacefulness and the serenity of the garden. Ding. An ice attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Cold resistance has increased. Ding. A lightning attribute object has been consumed. Ding. Lightning resistance has increased. ¡°Mmm. This is a good brew indeed, worthy of their royal status.¡± She chuckled and continued sipping. Her eyes then casually circled the single elf who she was interested in meeting with today, no matter how much she ignored her, the sad and mncholic Charlotte! Chapter 94: Chuuuuu Chapter 94: Chuuuuu While Tang Yue patiently waited, sipping her tea, Charlotte continued chatting with the elves. But soon, she stood up and excused herself to visit the private washroom chambers. She even wiped her eyes with a silk handkerchief before walking away, maintaining her sad facade. Tang Yue chuckled. She as well stood up and casually followed Charlotte into the washroom chambers. She watched the beautiful elf enter one of the chambers and her three maids waited outside. Tang Yue¡¯s thin lips curled upwards and the snake slowly mumbled. ¡°Hide.¡± Her petite figure instantly blurred, disappearing under the nket of illusion. Anyone with higher cultivation could have immediately sniffed her out, but the maids couldn¡¯t detect her presence at all. Hidden in in sight, Tang Yue smoothly walked into the washroom chamber which Charlotte had just entered. Though it was merely a washroom chamber, the space was still quite big, with a resting area, equipped with tall mirrors and even a marble bathing tub. Tang Yue leaned against one of the walls and patiently waited for Charlotte to relieve herself. In the privacy of the washroom chamber, the elf seemed to be in a much better mood, as she hummed a tune and quickly finished her business. She then used a pail of water to clean her hands and feet and used the mirror to adjust her robes and appearance. Charlotte then rubbed her eyes roughly, ensuring that they were thoroughly reddened. After all, once she stepped out, she again had to y the part of a terribly wronged woman. Charlotte checked her appearance in the mirror once again and prepared to leave when suddenly something tugged at her. She felt a pressure on her hands and someone pulled her back inside. Huh? The elf blinked, unsure of what was happening. She quickly rotated her cultivation base and tried to enter a defense mode, when suddenly something soft and warm covered her mouth,pletely taking her by surprise. And soon afterward, a familiar figure materialized in front of her, quickly pinning her to the wall, holding her jaw. Before Charlotte could react to this intruder, and the unexpected pair of lips assaulting her, a soft slippery forked tongue made its way inside her mouth. Tang Yue cringed and cursed the damned system in her mind, as she threw all caution to the wind, and quickly pressed hard on Charlotte¡¯s lips, taking her lower lip in between and sucking on it. She had also cast the spell Startle so that gave her a couple of seconds to finish the damned deed. Tang Yue could feel Charlotte¡¯s body tensing up and then rxing as the elf moaned instinctively, ¡°Nnngggh.¡± Afraid, that the elf might kick her out before she finished the three kisses, Tang Yue hurried and deepened the kiss. Her tongue slid inside the elf¡¯s mouth for a second time, probing deep inside her mouth. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes were wide open, and she could see the other party absent-mindedly enjoying the kissing sensation. The snake silently cried at this oue and quickly nted another kiss on the elf¡¯s wet pillowy lips, almost panting out of breath. Charlotte weirdly even pulled her closer, kissing even more passionately than what Tang Yue had initiated. The snake shivered. The Hide and Startlebo was apparently a deadly weapon to the perverted molesters everywhere! 1 second passed¡­ 2 seconds passed¡­ 3 seconds passed¡­ Charlotte finally regained her awareness and angrily shed her eyes open. She saw the snake standing in front of her, shamelessly staring at her with a weird expression and her fuse waspletely blown. She could even feel the citrus taste of the Nettle tea leaves in her mouth. Ahhhh! Charlotte screamed, falling back on the wall. She quickly mustered all the force she could and pushed the snake away, saliva dripping from her mouth. The damned snake had stolen her first kiss! ¡°What the¡­¡± ¡°YUCK! BLEGHH!¡± ¡°What the hell? WHAT THE HELL??¡± Charlotte instantly materialized two huge balls of fire on both her hands. She wanted to burn down the damned snake in front of her if it was thest thing she did. ¡°You dirty snake! You!! What the hell is wrong with you?!¡± ¡°I am his majesty¡¯s woman. How dare you kiss me?!¡± Dusting away all the well-deserved usations thrown at her, Tang Yue shamelessly supported herself holding on to a flower vase and steadied her grounding. ¡°You have a rabid imagination,dy Charlotte. When did I ever do such a ridiculous thing?¡± She mumbled, looking directly at her with a straight face. ¡°Perhaps you are fantasizing about me?¡± A cold chuckled escaped the snake¡¯s wet dark blue lips, which clearly showed her guilt. But Tang Yue had long since decided that the best route here was to tantly feign ignorance. So she didn¡¯t budge from her innocent act. Charlotte fumed in anger. The dastardly snake was not even giving her an ounce of respect and outright denying the heinous acts that she had just nowmitted! BARELY SECONDS AGO! She closed her eyes and mumbled some words, fully prepared to burn Tang Yue down to ashes when a loud shuffling noise sounded from the outside. It looked like some other elves were also making their way to the private washroom chambers. Charlotte immediately regained a bit more sanity andsnapped back from her fury. Her voluptuous chest heaved up and down, as she gritted her teeth and doused her fireballs. She couldn¡¯t afford to create a scene here and embarrass herself. Winning the affection of the Empress was much more important than this filthy snake at the moment! She already regretted being impulsive and stupid once before in the forest and in front of the crown prince, she couldn¡¯t lose this second chance as well. ¡°This is not over.¡± Charlotte angrily huffed and stormed out of the washroom chamber. Chuckling, Tang Yue as well, casually strolled out. Her job here was almost done and she was ready to y with the pill form that could potentially make her a very rich snake! And Charlotte¡¯s aides who were waiting for her outside, quickly followed behind their mistress, with their heads bowed and mouths busy. ¡°Is it me or isdy Charlotte a little too fixated on the beast consorttely?¡± ¡°She has been constantly talking about her and thinking of her.¡± ¡°He He. Did you see both of them walk out of the washroom chambers one after the another?¡± ¡°Both of them looked very flushed? Do you think something is going on?¡± ¡°He He. Who knows? Maybe that¡¯s why the crown prince chased her away?¡± And thus, a new rumor started spreading around in the Eldorian elven establishment. ¡°Ah~ It looks like the General¡¯s daughter prefers women and particrly beasts.¡± Chapter 95: A snake in prison Part1 Chapter 95: A snake in prison Part1 After walking back out to the pce garden courtyard, Tang Yue acted as if nothing had happened and sat back on her table. She could feel Charlotte¡¯s murderous eyes ncing at her every now and then. Tang Yue smiled and poured herself another cup of tea, silently sipping it, and seemingly engrossed in her thoughts. In reality, she as well, was just as furious as Charlotte and wanted to thrash the damned system. She could still feel the aftermath of the kiss lingering on her lips. Her entire body was covered by goosebumps. This was her first kiss as well and it had to be with someone who had literally plotted to kill her! Damn it! Tang Yue had no idea why the perverted old man was insistent on ying these nasty little games, but she had no other option but to bite the bullet for now. ¡°Where is my pill form?¡± Tang Yue hissed mentally. The system did not y any more tricks on her and issued the reward without any dy. Ding. Congrattions. You have been rewarded the Devil awakening pill. A shing gift-wrapped box bounced in front of her and the snake begrudgingly epted it. Tang Yue sighed in relief and she quickly opened it. [Devil Awakening pill ¨C 2 X Spine flower; 3 X Hill Duck feathers; 10 X Dark lithe bloom¡­] The list of ingredients continued, even containing the different methods to concoct the pill. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but suck in a few deep breaths of air. The form in front of her was super amazing for so many different reasons. She had assumed that she would have to wait until she reached a higher cultivation stage to concoct the pill, but as she gazed at the form, Tang Yue realized that she could concoct the easier and the less efficient version right now, at her current stage. Even a 10% potent Devil Awakening Pill still fetched a lot of gold and gems in the auction house, so this was definitely very beneficial to her. And now that Tang Yue was a trainee alchemist, she could even get the required herbs from the association on a loan basis. All that tongue action had absolutely paid off and Tang Yue had gained quite a lot this time around. While the snake looked visibly pleased and happy with herself, sipping her spirit herbal tea, Charlotte gnashed her teeth and tugged at her robes with anger and frustration bubbling within her. She wanted to p that happy little smile off of Tang Yue¡¯s face. Filthy vulgar snake! But Charlotte calmed herself down and stuck to the original n which she had prepared for today. She added a small smile to her sad despondent look and mumbled with an adorable voice. ¡°Your majesty.¡± She bowed and approached Empress Freya. ¡°We have prepared a few gifts for your highness. Please ept them.¡± Charlotte beamed. She then first stepped forward and handed the Empress a hand-crafted rune cloth. This particr rune cloth could heal wounds and injuries within a matter of seconds, even moisturizing the skin at the same time. Empress Freya nodded, with a pleasant surprise in her eyes. She hadn¡¯te across this sort of a rune inscription in a long time. The other women surrounding the Empress were also wide-eyed with jealousy. Runic clothes and robes typically cost a lot. Only the hunters andbat experts dared to spend gems and gold on such extravagant luxuries. ¡°Only the General¡¯s daughter could gift something so luxurious.¡± ¡°With this gift, Charlotte might even be reinstated back to her position?¡± The crowd started gossiping. ¡°This is a very thoughtful gift indeed child. Ha Ha.¡± The Empress epted the gift with a big smile. This was a verymon practice, so she didn¡¯t make too much of a fuss about it. Technically speaking, the Empress did not really need any gifts. She could get anything and everything she wanted at the snap of her fingers. This sort of thing was more about keeping up public appearances rather than anything else. And just as soon as Charlotte started the train, all sorts of gifts started popping up on Freya¡¯sp with each of the consorts paying their respects individually. Adrianna gifted a vial of rejuvenating pills. Emma gifted an exquisite string of rainbow pearls. Isabe gifted a small snow-white cub with streaks of blue, implying a wind elemental mutation. And of course, each of the gifts was apanied by their own gossip and excited chatter, about how one was better than the other and so on. Tang Yue silently watched the show, not intending to participate unless she was called for. Her gift was vastly inferior to everybody else¡¯s and so she didn¡¯t want to willingly fall into a trap. This was obviously a ploy for humiliating her or rather to show how Charlotte was better than everyone else. Except for Isabe¡¯s cute little pup, everything else just paled inparison to Charlotte¡¯s gift. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes curiously circled the small cub ying around in the garden. She was pretty sure that she had fought with its rtive wind-woven wolf, back in the forests. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this pup was actually stolen from the pack and that was why the wolves were particrly riled up that night. As she was thinking about the various possible scenarios, Tang Yue tousled the small thing and rubbed its soft furry back. The small pup was extremely adorable and licked her hand lovingly. Its nature waspletely opposite to the aggressive and bloodthirsty beast she had encountered back in the forests. While Tang Yue was busy messing with the little thing, she heard someone calling her name and absent-mindedly looked up. Charlotte was standing in front of her with a bright divine smile. ¡°It¡¯s your turn, sister.¡± She happily mumbled. There was absolutely no animosity in her enchanting eyes. She even yfully pulled Tang Yue up and dragged her all the way to the Empress, as if she was a good friend of the shy snake. Chapter 96: A snake in prison Part2 Chapter 96: A snake in prison Part2 ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± Tang Yue bowed, ignoring Charlotte who was still clutching her one hand. It was nothing she didn¡¯t expect beforehand, so Tang Yue was not very nervous. She held a steady demeanor, neither subservient nor arrogant. ¡°Your highness, sister Yue has really put quite a lot of effort in picking out this gift for you.¡± Charlotte excitedly mentioned, clearly intending to praise Tang Yue in front of the crowd. Although it only ended up increasing everyone¡¯s expectations. Someone even scoffed andmented on her brown-nosing behavior! ¡°What do you mean she has put in a lot of effort?¡± ¡°Everyone had indeed put in a lot of effort. How is she any different?¡± Charlotte immediately looked embarrassed and tried to smooth things over, as if she didn¡¯t intend to ruffle them in the first ce. ¡°Ah~ Sorry. Sorry. I misspoke.¡± She apologized on Tang Yue¡¯s behalf, making thetter look sort of frigid and haughty. Tang Yue only sighed in response. She hadn¡¯t even uttered a word and so much theatrics was already underway. She didn¡¯t bother indulging the crowd and bowed once again, greeting the Empress, who was the only one that mattered in this ce. The Empress as well looked impassive to the gossip amongst the crowd and smiled slightly, returning Tang Yue¡¯s greetings, though her behavior and reactions were very obviously different than how she had treated the other elven consorts. The snake didn¡¯t dwell on the small things and quickly retrieved the amethyst bracelet she had prepared beforehand and humbly handed it to the Empress. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry with fine craftsmanship, each gem polished to perfection. But as the saying goes, one man¡¯s treasure is another man¡¯s trash. The item that Tang Yue had prepared stillcked and was in a totally different ss and elegancepared to the other gifts. So when she took it out and gifted the pedestrian looking jewelry to the Empress, almost everyone gasped with unsightly expressions on their faces. Only Tang Yue had a straight face. She really didn¡¯t have anything else to give! What was she supposed to do? Re-gift the mid-grade sword that she had borrowed from the pce or part with her high-grade beast? Tang Yue refused to do either of those and shamelessly gifted whatever she had. After all, unlike the women here, she was neither interested in gaining the favor of the Empress nor bing the next Queen consort. Tang Yue didn¡¯t have a clue as to how the almighty Empress might react, but in the worst-case scenario, there will probably be a bit of humiliation and name-calling. She was not a stranger to either of these and would dly ept this punishment rather than parting with something precious and useful to her. However, contrary to her expectations, the Empress still portrayed a gracious smile as she epted even the humble gift without any sarcastic remarks or sneeringments. Because of the Empress¡¯s reactions, the crowd was also forced to control themselves and not ridicule the penniless snake public. Charlotte looked slightly disappointed at the oue. Just like she had expected, the snake had brought something ridiculous as a gift, but it must have been eptable enough for the Empress to not get offended. So she could only curse her bad luck. But this was not the only preparations she had done, so she soon recovered and brought out the typical shy mncholic smile on her soft cherry red lips. Tang Yue was also surprised for an instant. This was not something she had predicted. Lucky her! The Empress must have been in a good mood today! She quickly smiled and bowed, preparing to leave, before things could take a turn for the worst. But unfortunately¡­ she was still not fast enough¡­ While Tang Yue was busy paying her respects to the Empress, someone else had been equally busy as well. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± A loud scream suddenly sounded from one corner of the garden, the ce where Tang Yue was seated earlier. ¡°Look there, the pup is lying on the ground!Lifelessly!¡± ¡°It is still breathing but its skin and eyes are turning bluish-ck.¡± ¡°This definitely points to signs of poisoning.¡± ¡°Who could have done something like this to an innocent mongrel?¡± ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t the snake consort ying with it just a while back?¡± ¡°Shhhh¡­ Not so loudly.¡± ¡°But do you think it¡¯s her? We need to quickly identify the source of poison to find a cure for it. Otherwise, the pup might really die!¡± usations directed at a certain someone started flying around in the air and steadily gained a momentum of their own. No one knew who started it but suddenly everyone began pointing their finger at Tang Yue. Isabe¡¯s face instantly fell. She loved the pup quite a bit and was only willing to part with it for the sake of her rtionship with the Empress and the prospect of bing the future queen consort. But to watch it die like this? She would never allow for such a thing to happen! She hurriedly stomped over to Tang Yue, who was still standing near the Empress, and raised her hand in a fit of anger. Isabe hadpletely forgotten that she was in the presence of the Empress and was fully prepared tond a few dozen ps on Tang Yue¡¯s face. But Tang Yue was not someone to keel over that easily. With her high agility, she casually caught the hand that was about to p her and held it in ce. This action seemed to tick Isabe even more and she shouted furiously. ¡°I have done absolutely nothing to you. Why did you have to sabotage me like this?¡± ¡°I need an exnation right now! Why would you go as far as to harm an innocent pup?¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have simply spilled tea or wine on my dress to make me look bad? Did you have to be this cruel and heartless?¡± She shouted, clearly agitated and livid with anger. Chapter 97: A snake in prison Part3 Chapter 97: A snake in prison Part3 ¡°Did you have to be this cruel and heartless?¡± Isabe shouted, agitated, and angry. ¡°Be, calm down.¡± Charlotte hurried forward and tried to hold back the elf, who was almost about to strangle Tang Yue. Tang Yue, as well, shuffled back and tried to exin. ¡°I am sorry. I absolutely have nothing to do with this.¡± ¡°Yue, please. Not now.¡± Charlotte turned back and angrily snapped at Tang Yue, making her look as if she was the culprit. ¡°Sister, look what she did?¡± Isabe sobbed uncontrobly, takingfort in Charlotte¡¯s arms. ¡°But I did not do anything.¡± Tang Yue hurriedly exined again. More than anything, she didn¡¯t want the small pup to be harmed in the process of their tongues wagging. They seemed much more focused on pointing fingers at her rather than treating the injured pup. Tang Yue shook her head. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, but I can definitely provide an antidote to a variety of poisons.¡± She calmly suggested, not giving in to the frenzy surrounding her. However, her good intentions were not quite well conveyed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just great? Haven¡¯t you already done enough?¡± Isabe barked back. ¡°Why would I let the life of my precious pup in the hands of a nobody like you??¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a damn cripple? How can you even provide any help?¡± Isabe sobbed and bbered incoherently. As soon as she said that, Charlotte loudly gasped, as if some great realization had dawned on her. ¡°Yue, please tell me did you really poison the pup?¡± Charlotte grabbed Tang Yue¡¯s hands and asked. ¡°If you didn¡¯t, then how could someone like you be pre-prepared with a remedy?¡± ¡°Even none of us standing here, including her majesty, were confident enough to openly suggest providing an antidote.¡± ¡°Then howe you were?¡± Charlotte thoroughly enunciated all her words and made sure that they were registered well with the crowd, loud and clear. Isabe¡¯s eyes flew wide open, as she also quickly realized this possibility. Almost everyone had the same reaction and started whispering among themselves. Tang Yue definitely looked very guilty in the light of things. Okay. This is not going well. Tang Yue sighed and opened her mouth to exin again when the Empress lifted her hand and silenced the ruckus. Themotion quieted down instantly and everyone stopped gossiping, curiously looking towards the Empress to see how she will react. Freya, to be honest, had more of an irate look on her face than anything else. She just wanted to spend some peaceful time with the consorts and talk to Charlotte about what had happened, but somehow things ended up like this. From the beginning, she partly med or at least suspected Tang Yue for what happened with Charlotte and her having to step down from her queen consort position, and now the spirit beast had further managed to prove exactly how calctive and maniptive she was. Just like Charlotte had clearly stated, Freya also believed that the snake had most probably poisoned the beast. It was a crude and devious ploy to create some trouble and thenter step in as a savior to help out and win everyone¡¯s favor. How idiotic?! Did she think that they were all fools? Empress Freya gazed at Tang Yue with her cold unforgiving eyes and calmly spoke. ¡°Get the royal physician toe here. Quick.¡± ¡°I¡­ your majesty.¡± Tang Yue tried to exin, but she was instantly silenced by the Empress. ¡°There is no need for anyone to say anything more.¡± Tang Yue could only bow her head and stand silently, waiting for the rest of the drama to unfold. Maybe I should have just ignored this damned invitation altogether? They can¡¯t possibly sentence me to death for something like this right? She inwardly cursed her bad luck. Her emerald eyes ever so often flickered to gaze at the beautiful elf, standing beside Isabe and consoling the grieving maiden. The frown on Charlotte¡¯s lips clearly did not travel to her eyes, which seemed to be full of mirth rather than sadness. She was thoroughly enjoying herself. Tang Yue silently chuckled with her head still bent down. Every dog has its day! Now that things have progressed to this extent, she could only wait and watch as to what will happen. She absolutely had no say whatsoever and even if she did say something, it will probably be misconstrued. Soon, the royal physician rushed over, especially so, because it was the Empress who had sent for him. ¡°Your highness¡± Old man Nueve bowed and greeted the Empress. He was a Cauldron Lord alchemist, with his position above that of a Master alchemist and below that of a Grandmaster alchemist. More importantly, old eld Nueve also specialized in treating illness and ailments. ¡°Sorry to disturb you, Lord Nueve. Please attend to the wolf pup here.¡± The Empress pped her hands and asked the maids to bring the injured cub over. ¡°We had an unfortunate incident here.¡± She further exined, casting an ominous nce directed at Tang Yue. ¡°I will immediately get started, your majesty.¡± Old eld Nueve quickly started inspecting the small cub. Normally, this was way beneath his skill level, but when the Empress calls for him, he had to oblige. Moreover, he took one look at the high-profile women standing around the Empress and came to the conclusion that something major was happening at the moment. Without minding the crowd around him, Nueve calmly sat down and started observing the pup thoroughly, from top to bottom. He lifted its paws, looked under its nails, checked its tongue, and even took a nce at the eyelids of the poor thing. Luckily, as opposed to the dire expressions on the women¡¯s faces, the situation itself was not that bad. The pup was clearly poisoned, but it was not a rare or unknown toxin. And the cub, as well, was doing quite good, even under the effect of the poison. Though the beast¡¯s breathing wasbored, it¡¯s physical characteristics were remarkable, and was resisting the poison very well. Chapter 98: A snake in prison Part4 Chapter 98: A snake in prison Part4 The physician observed the wolf cub for a while and then cleared his throat to conclude the diagnosis. ¡°Your majesty.¡± He bowed. ¡°This pup indeed has been poisoned.¡± Old elf Nueve then cast a nce at Tang Yue and shook his head disappointedly. Tang Yue¡¯s heartbeat quickened. She already had an inkling as to what was about toe. And just as she feared, Nueve continued. ¡°This poison is specific to the serpentine spirit beast n, a modified variation.¡± And this single statement from the physician sealed Tang Yue¡¯s fate as the culprit without any further doubts. Loud gasps sounded and everyone looked at Tang Yue with their eyes widened. Just how dumb can someone be to y a cheap trick like this in front of the Empress? ¡°YOU!!!¡± Isabe stiffened. ¡°I didn¡¯t believe itpletely before! You actually did this?¡± ¡°Why are you silent? Now, what do you have to say for yourself? Why did you go as far as to harm an innocent cub?¡± Pulling back Isabe, Charlotte asked with a pained expression. ¡°Sister, you really went too far this time. Why did you have to behave like this?¡± ¡°Such a nasty woman.¡± Someone elsemented. ¡°Such a cruel-hearted person shouldn¡¯t be allowed to remain in his majesty¡¯s harem.¡± ¡°She deserves at least 1000shes with the iron whip.¡± ¡°That would be going lenient. Not even a full lunar cycle has passed yet since she arrived and she has already revealed her true colors.¡± ¡°These beasts should be banished from the elvennds altogether. This is their true mentality.¡± With solid evidence in front of them, the group of women started piling up on Tang Yue left and right, going so far as to even implicating the entire serpentine n. ¡°Silence.¡± Freya finally spoke, before things turned more chaotic. She looked at Tang Yue, with unveiled disgust and contempt in her gaze. ¡°Do you admit to your crime?¡± She asked. Tang Yue wanted to say many things, but it wouldn¡¯t be in her best interests to do so. She looked at Charlotte, and then at the Empress and calmly mumbled. ¡°Forgive me, your highness. But I cannot ept these charges. I did not do anything wrong.¡± Hmph. Charlotte rolled her eyes. She did not like the fact that the snake still showed no signs of fear and panic. She wanted her to get down on her knees and cry and beg for mercy. ¡°Everything has beenpletely exposed and cleanlyid out in front of you! You still dare to deny?!¡± Isabe shouted in anger. The audacity of this damned beast! The Empress, as well, was not pleased with Tang Yue¡¯sblithe attitude. She withdrew her stern gaze from the snake and asked the royal physician. ¡°Are you able to treat the poison?¡± ¡°Yes, your majesty.¡± Nueve nodded seriously. ¡°But considering the age of the cub, it¡¯s a bit tricky.¡± ¡°It will take about 10 days topletely remove the poison from the cub¡¯s body.¡± ¡°Ah?! 10 days?! The poor thing will suffer a lot!¡± Isabe shuddered. ¡°I beseech you, your majesty. This vile snake also has to suffer in the same manner. Please bring her to justice.¡± ¡°Mmm. I agree.¡± The Empress nodded. She was also appalled by such a venomous unsightly act. ¡°Guards, take her to the dungeons.¡± Freya pped her hands. ¡°Tang Yue will be imprisoned for ten days, and punished with 1000shes daily using the sturdy iron whip.¡± ¡°You will also be stripped of your consort status and exiled from the elvennds,¡± Freya ordered. It was not that she was trying to be harsh, but she can¡¯t possibly condone a vile act like this, that too something which was done just for the sake of some publicity. These sort of dirty schemes should be nipped in the bud and punished severely so that others wouldn¡¯t dare to do such preposterous deeds in the future. Isabe nodded and bowed humbly to thank the Empress. She was very satisfied with this punishment! Standing next to her, Charlotte as well, happily bowed. Not to mention, she was also very satisfied with this oue and she didn¡¯t even have to get her hands dirty! Sweet lovelorn Isabe had taken care of almost everything on her own. But little did Isabe know that Charlotte¡¯s n was far from over. Later on, Charlotte intended to slowly reveal who the real culprit was and put the entire me on Isabe herself, thereby striking two birds with one stone. Then she could perfectly y the role of an aggrieved sister, demanding justice for her friend Tang Yue and exile Isabe as well in the process. Though the Crown Prince¡¯s harem had a total of twenty-two women, there were only a dozen that were truly threatening to her. As the General¡¯s daughter, Charlotte outranked the others easily and was not in the least concerned about them. It was not as if she was going to share her husband with anyone else. When she eventuallyes back to her queen consort position, the others will probably function as mereckeys to her. They will remain consorts for namesake only, while she will be the true Empress. Charlotte beamed in satisfaction from a job well done and looked towards the snake who was being dragged away with a smug smile. ¡°Ha ha ha! Don¡¯t worry, my dearest ex-sister. These ten days, I will apany you plenty!¡± ¡°I will be there to console you 24-7 and I will be there every day to witness your 1000shes!¡± ¡°Maybe even hand them out to you myself! Ha Ha Ha.¡± ¡°I will even escort you personally all the way to the Eldorian boundaries, kicking you outpletely, once and for all.¡± Charlotte chuckled and muttered under her breath for no one to hear. However, her merry eyes slightly froze as she gazed at the silently disappearing snake. She rubbed her eyes and looked again. Were her eyes ying tricks on her? Why did it look like that damned snake was smiling? Chapter 99: Arent you going to thank me? Part1 Chapter 99: Aren¡¯t you going to thank me? Part1 The dungeons in the royal pce were located underground, right next to the torture chambers, and away from the private quarters of the royal family members, except for the Crown Prince. His section of the pce was right above the underground dungeons, with him as the final guardian in case any prisoner was foolish enough to try and escape. The cell rooms were made of pitch-ck stones and bricks, making the entire ce extremely dark, devoid of any light or hope. Only when a guard or someone else asionally passes by, the faint light from theirmp might rarely provide some sort of visibility to the prisoners. And currently, two of the royal elven guards were escorting Tang Yue down to the prisoner dungeons. The two guards, however, had weird expressions on their faces. Their newest prisoner was behaving a bit abnormallypared to what they were used to. In their service, they had escorted several prisoners down to these cells, where even the sunlight didn¡¯t reach, including women, children, and old elderly citizens. The one thing they all had inmon was the look on their faces, something that spoke volumes about what they were expecting. But Tang Yue was not like them. There was no fear, no sadness, and particrly not even a trace of anger on her face. This had to be the happiest prisoner they had ever escorted to the abysmal dungeons! And why wouldn¡¯t Tang Yue be happy? The Empress had rewarded¡­ oops¡­ punished her with everything she had ever wanted in one fell swoop! She simply had to endure the pitiful amount of 1000shes per day and after 10 short days, she would have finally escaped this miserable queen consort title and the caged life amidst the royal elves. Sure, she might face some harsh words back at home, and maybe even some sort of corporal punishment, but who cared about that? Tang Yue could barely stop herself from giggling like a maniac and jumping up and down in joy. Just a mere 10 days time and she will be one lucky and more importantly, free snake. If she had known that this would happen beforehand, she would have hugged Charlotte even tighter and given her a few more long and loving kisses with lots and lots of tongue. The guards ignored the weird princess and quickly escorted her to an empty dungeon cell. Just like the other cells, Tang Yue¡¯s cell was also dark and gloomy, and once the guards leave, the small flickeringmplight would also be non-existent. Tang Yue didn¡¯t quite mind it though. Her mind and heart were at ease. She flopped onto the cold hard stone floor and sighed in relief. ¡°Should I start working on my bristle wolf bloodline?¡± She pondered. Typically, the prisoners were stripped off of all their belongings when locked underground, but since Tang Yue was a member of the royal family and was only temporarily imprisoned, she was permitted to keep her things including her storage pouch. They had left her with at least this much dignity and respect. But before she could start working on her to-do list, another figure loitered in the corridor and strolled towards her. ¡°Mmm¡­ Who do we have here? How is life underground, your highness?¡± Councilman Madou chuckled and ced themp in his hands down on the ground, casting terrifying shadows on the wall behind it. He was responsible for overseeing all matters pertaining to underground prisons. Since a high-profile habitant had arrived today, he decided to personally pay a visit. ¡°Sure. Everything is just peachy.¡± Tang Yue answered, her eyes gazing at the small tongue of me atop themp. ¡°Arrogant, aren¡¯t we? Don¡¯t rest yet, princess. You are still to receive the 1000shes for the day.¡± The middle-aged elf muttered, his eyebrows raised in contempt. ¡°Okay, Dokey. Shall we start now?¡± Tang Yue enthusiastically stood up, dusting her back. Councilman Madou¡¯s lips twitched. The royal harem women were all indeed sharp-tongued and full of attitude, just like he had heard from the rumors! ¡°You sound angry and agitated, princess?¡± He probed. ¡°You might think that we are heathens andwless monsters, punishing you just because of your race.¡± ¡°But you should know that the Empress has issued a special order to me to further investigate the case and find concrete evidence.¡± ¡°You better be grateful and thankful to her lenience.¡± He lectured. ¡°Ahh¡± Tang Yue immediately stuttered. Why can¡¯t they just let it be? She sighed. This panicked expression on her face finally satisfied Madou and he nodded. ¡°Come out, princess. I will escort you to the torture chambers.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. A ruffian like me won¡¯t be fulfilling your punishment. Her highness Isabe will be personally carrying out the task herself.¡± He said. Tang Yue¡¯s smirked, a subtle shade of anger shed in her eyes. But ultimately, she didn¡¯t care. The one and only thing she looked forward to was the exile part of the punishment! While Tang Yue and councilman Madou were chatting in the upperyers of the underground dungeon, a pair of eyes shed open in a deep dark cell in the bottom mostyer of the dungeon. Inside the cell, a creature desperately clung on to itsst inch of life as it wheezed its breath in and out. She was neither permitted to remain alive nor permitted to die a peaceful death. She was mercilessly stranded on the death¡¯s very door without any choice. But right at this moment, there was a fire in her eyes. Her lifeless figure shuddered slightly and her parched throat moaned. And a coarse deathly voice escaped from the bottom of her stomach. ¡°The daughter of Medussa has returned. The elves will burn once again.¡± ¡°The daughter of Medussa has returned. The elves will burn once again.¡± ¡°The daughter of Medussa has returned. The elves will burn once again.¡± She repeated thrice and then once again, she returned back to her lifeless trance like state. Chapter 100: Arent you going to thank me? Part2 Chapter 100: Aren¡¯t you going to thank me? Part2 Inside the elven royal courtroom: Xavier hurriedly strolled in with his eyes bulging with excitement as usual. Earlier, he had casually gone to the tea ceremony that the Empress was organizing. Why? Everyone knew the answer to this question. When there were more than five women assembled anywhere in the Eldorian establishment, one can always expect Xavier to make an appearance. There was nothing new about this. Of course, unluckily, this time around, his timing was just a tad bit off and he had missed the juicy part of the tea ceremony where two women were busy locking lips and exchanging saliva. But he still managed to gather a lot of gossips and immediately rushed over to his brother to update him about the disastrous turn of events. ¡°Bro! Your new queen is in trouble!¡± ¡°Since when did I have a queen?¡± Xander rubbed his temples and looked at his brother, whose cheeks were thoroughly flushed. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what trouble Xavier had caused this time around. ¡°I went to the tea party¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ of course¡­ with very honorable intentions and happened toe across something mind-blowing!¡± ¡°My favorite¡­ I mean, Your favorite snake is in the dungeons!¡± ¡°What are you bbering about?¡± Xander scoffed. As usual, he held a stack of parchments in his hands, this time describing the recent research work for new pill forme the Master alchemists had been struggling with. As the brothers continued chatting, one interested and one indifferent, Xander suddenly froze mid-air. His blood-red eyes deepened in hue and for some reason, they seemed extra frostier. ¡°Hrmm.¡± He stood up and wordlessly left the courtroom, leaving Xavier hanging behind, still in the middle of his one-sided chatter. And lo and behold! The direction he was headed towards was the underground dungeons! ¡°You say that you don¡¯t care! So why are you still heading towards the dungeon? What a bad liar?! Hmph.¡± Xavier chuckled. His cold-hearted brother indeed had a soft spot for the snake! He was sure of it now! Right after that, Xavier as well let the courtroom. He had a busy interesting day ahead and couldn¡¯t afford to spend any more time with this prude brother of his. And habitually ignoring the brother who was yapping behind him, Xander continued walking downstairs. Following closely behind him, Charlotte¡¯s father, General Salvatore also apanied the crown prince. They both had a solemn expression on their faces as if the entirety of the Empire was under attack. As they entered deeper and deeper into the dungeonwork,yers andyers of cells passed them by, but the duo continued walking downstairs until they reached the very bottom floor. Unlike the other cells, the cells in thisyer each had an elven guard stationed specifically for that cell. And the cell itself was not that big. It was rather small, thin and short, barely big enough to hold a medium-sized living being inside. One would feel extremely suffocated and ustrophobic inside, with the air around them not even sufficient for breathing freely. As Xander and the General approached this particr cell, the guard immediately stood up in respect and bowed. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± He mumbled. ¡°Did she speak?¡± Xander asked, his hands already fidgeting with the main door of the prison cell. The main door immediately opened revealing the deeply disintegrated being inside. Several metal rods were protruding from the small cell¡¯s four walls impaling the pitiful creature in multiple spots. If not for the fact that the wounds had already started to heal with tissue growing back as if the metal rod itself was a part of the body, the creature would have still continued to bleed, as it had done for several decades. Because of this merciless disfiguration, the creature which was once a powerful beast known as a harpee, was barely even recognizable any longer. Harpees are rare grade beasts that ranked slightly higher than spirit beasts. More importantly, harpees are said to possess God¡¯s tongue- the ability to predict the future, engrave prophecies, and sometimes even use their power to bend the future to their will and words. No one to date understood this ability well, considering that these beasts were extremely rare and many didn¡¯t possess any ability at all. But one thing was certain, any contact with a harpee was akin to a disaster. It was a bringer of bad omens and great perils. Because more often than not, the ck-hearted creature always wished for the wrong things to happen. Xander had only managed to capture and bring this beast under his control after spending a lot of resources and even losing some of his men in the process. But he was still not able to control it as he pleased. After trying for a while, things finally turned out to how they were currently, with the harpee imprisoned in the dungeons, only barely kept alive. It might seem cruel but ultimately it was necessary. ¡°Yes, your highness. I have noted it down here.¡± The guard quickly picked up a parchment from his desk and handed it over to the crown prince. ¡°Hmm¡­ Daughter of Medussa has returned?¡± The elf¡¯s eyebrows raised ever so slightly. His eyes lingered on the parchment for a few minutes, with an unfathomable look within them and then the man tilted his head to the side and mumbled. ¡°What do you think General?¡± ¡°Your highness, forgive me for my ignorance. But I can¡¯t seem to think of anyone called Medussa.¡± ¡°Mmmm. Neither can I.¡± ¡°Then, do you think that this is a hoax, your highness? A false prophecy just to send us in circles?¡± ¡°It very well might be.¡± Xander nodded. His crimson eyes nced at the shriveled creature within and narrowed in thought. ¡°Or maybe it was something that the harpee subconsciously mumbled, a true prophecy.¡± ¡°Only time can tell.¡± Xander looked at the prisoner for a few more minutes, before flicking his sleeve and shutting down the gates again. The rods around the winged harpee tightened further and the creature let out a small gasp of pain. Even that sensation was not enough to bring any sort of life into that almost dead shriveled creature. After the door securely closed, Xander and the General started walking back. And surprisingly, Xander, without thinking twice took a different route this time around, a route that crossed the torture chambers. Chapter 101: Arent you going to thank me? Part3 Chapter 101: Aren¡¯t you going to thank me? Part3 The underground dungeons beneath the royal pce also housed several torture chambers, used to interrogate and punish the prisoners. These chambers specifically had thinner stone wallspared to the prison cells, so that one could hear the screams and cries from the adjoining rooms. This set of gruesome dark walls, typically bleak and deste, currently had three stunning colorful beauties; each staring at the other with a different meaning in their look. Charlotte especially was grinning from ear to ear. Now that the Empress was not present, she didn¡¯t even bother hiding her happiness any longer. The dastardly snake had tested her boundaries a little too much! What sort of a maniac would forcefully kiss their enemy?! For all she cared, the snake was aplete perverted lunatic! Killing her would have been better, but beating her senseless like this and kicking her perverted ass out of the elven boundaries didn¡¯t sound bad as well. Charlotte gleefully patted Isabe and mumbled, ¡°Sister, don¡¯t trouble yourself with such a violent thing.¡± ¡°I know how kind-hearted you are and how much kindness you even show your enemies, people who absolutely do not deserve it.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t I take this off of your hands? Please go upstairs and rest.¡± ¡°I will take care of this and meet youter.¡± Isabe nodded and thanked Charlotte for being such a good friend. She then looked at councilman Madou to check if that was fine with him. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind who delivers the punishment.¡± He said. ¡°Sorry. I will then take advantage of your kindness. Forgive me, sister.¡± Isabe handed the heavy iron whip to Charlotte and prepared to head upstairs when a set of heavy footsteps echoed from the loweryers. Typically not many people had the clearance to visit the lower prisoner cells, so both Madou and Isabe curiously peeked as to see who it was. Charlotte couldn¡¯t care less though. She was far more engrossed innding some actual blows on the dastardly snake. And Tang Yue as well was not interested. shes using iron whip? Keep iting! Maybe it will improve my physical strength? This was her attitude. Mentally, she had already checked out and retreated to her safe ce, counting down the days until she can smell the sweet air of freedom. Meanwhile, the footsteps approached closer and closer to them. It sounded as if two elves were headed towards them. Before Charlotte could even take a step forward and crack the whip, the duo had already reached them. A frightening cold aura seeped out and everyone instantly froze. An unexpected godly figure had suddenly walked into the private party of four. Madou was the one who had the least to lose. He was merely doing his job. So he casually bowed and paid his respects to the Crown Prince. Isabe also was not doing too bad. Her surprised eyes quickly softened as she gazed at the man standing next to the General. A look of adoration and love floated across her face. Today was definitely her lucky day. Not only did she manage to catch a glimpse of his highness, but she was also not the one with the whip. She as well bowed to the prince, a coy expression on her face. Among the four, Charlotte and Tang Yue were the most shell-shocked. While Tang Yue silently gulped down her nervousness, hoping that the jerk wouldn¡¯t ruin her ns, Charlotte seemed as if someone has justshed her with an iron whip. She was the one who was affected the most. She fretted as if the entire blue sky had crumbled and fallen down around her. She didn¡¯t n for this at all! Not today, not tomorrow, not ever! How could her beloved prince catch her in the middle of such a brutish act?? What the hell? And worst, she had absolutely no idea how to rectify this situation! Everything had happened too suddenly! Who could have expected Xander to suddenly show up in the pce dungeons? It might have happened if there was some high-profile prisoner newlying in but nothing of that sort was going down today. She knew that for a fact. After all, she was the General¡¯s daughter. Talking about the General, the middle-aged elf had already started sweating profusely. Why was his daughter always in the middle of these things? Was he such a bad father? Didn¡¯t he teach her anything at all? I have to beat some sense into that girl once I get back home. The General shook his head. It was already toote for him to intervene in whatever was going on, so all he could do was hope that everything happening had a meaning. Surely his daughter didn¡¯t drag another consort down to the dungeons and prepare to start whipping her on all her own ord? The sight of Isabe standing next to his daughter at least gave him some sort offort. Still¡­ General Salvatore turned his head and looked at the crown prince with an anxious look on his face. But the man seemed as impassive as ever. He was not in the least concerned about this scene at all, where one of his consorts was chained and the other two was getting ready to beat her up. General Salvatore gulped in nervousness. He hoped that Xander would be too preupied with the harpy¡¯s bberings to pay attention to this nonsense. And answering his unspoken prayers, Xander, as well casually walked past the motley group of four. He looked like he had no interest in interfering. He crossed them without even sparing a nce. PHEW! Everyone including Tang Yue breathed a sigh of relief. The General quickly followed behind the prince, wiping the sweat off his forehead. Disaster averted! But secondster, suddenly, the pair of feet stopped walking. Xander turned around with a subtle grin on his face that extended all the way to his eyes and started walking towards Madou. And then, to everyone¡¯s surprise, he asked with amusement ringing in his voice. ¡°What is happening here, may I know?¡± Chapter 102: Arent you going to thank me? Part4 Chapter 102: Aren¡¯t you going to thank me? Part4 Xander turned around with a subtle grin on his face that extended all the way to his eyes and started walking towards Madou. ¡°What is happening here, may I know?¡± He asked with amusement ringing in his voice. Madou bowed and quickly exined. Immediately a wave of terror swept over all the parties involved. Charlotte was so shocked that she dropped the iron whip in her hand with a loud thud, that kept echoing thanks to the design of the dungeonyers. Tang Yue¡¯s heart almost leaped into her hands. Damn it! Don¡¯t screw this up for me. She silently pleaded. Xander observed her reactions from the corner of his eyes and shook his head, a cold chuckle escaping his lips. Shouldn¡¯t she be happy to see me and expect me to help? He directly ignored the others and turned his gaze towards the snake who looked very indignant and hostile. The snake for some reason seemed more terrified of him rather than the iron whip that was about tosh her and cause her immense pain. ¡°Heh¡­ Are you always busy getting into trouble?¡± He indistinctly mumbled and took a step forward. Ah! Fuck! Tang Yue¡¯s face contorted. She had an ominous feeling bubbling within her. But Tang Yue¡¯s actions only further amused him. He walked closer and closer to her, while the snake retreated backward with every step he took. The man only stopped when she was backed all the way against the pitch-ck stone wall, and nowhere to escape. And then without any notice, he directly raised his hand to grab her slender pale blue jaw. ¡°Ah¡± Tang Yue yelped in surprise and fidged ufortably, but before the noise could escape her mouth, the man leaned in closer and covered her mouth with his. Tang Yuepletely froze. Her mind went nk. She had no idea what was happening and definitely did not expect this to happen in a million years. Isn¡¯t he gay? Isn¡¯t he gay? Isn¡¯t he gay? The single line kept repeating in her head like a mantra chant. And while she was standing dazed and confused, the man¡¯s tongue casually slipped inside her mouth. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. The mischievous tongue had a life of its own as it explored all parts of her mouth without showing any signs of restraint. His one hand was still holding on to her jaw, while his other hand grabbed the snake¡¯s slender waist and pulled her closer. He effortlessly tightened his grasp on her. ¡°Nngghh.¡± Tang Yue felt a wave ofplicated emotions flickeracross her thin figure. She struggled slightly trying to free herself, but the man had herpletely wrapped around. She was unable to move even an inch. Face to face with those terrifying crimson eyes, she quickly shut her own, not daring to gaze at them up close. She could only patiently wait for this to make sense. Why the hell was he suddenly kissing me? Tang Yue was going crazy. Xander, however, continued his kiss as if he had all the time in the world. His wet tongue roamed her mouth and then lingered around her sharp fangs. Then, without any hesitation, he pressed his tongue against her fangs, a slight prick registering from the action. Tang Yue could instantly feel the thick metallic taste in her mouth. This man? Did he have a death wish? She panicked. Damn it! I am getting 1000shes just for poisoning a random pup, that too when I am not evenpletely convicted. What would happen to me if by chance the Crown Prince gets poisoned because of me? She shuddered. But then she remembered that the other party was in fact a Demi-God and her body slightly rxed. Poke around all you want! You jerk! She cursed inwardly. Only after what felt like an eternity, Xander finally let her go. Huh? Tang Yue¡¯s eyshes trembled. Her stunning face was adorned by many many lines of worry, with a tinge of rebellion on the cheeks. Xander gazed at the snake in his arms for a couple more seconds, entertained by the fact that she still had her eyes closed. ¡°Do you want one more?¡± He chuckled, snapping Tang Yue back to reality. She quickly backed away as if she was moving away from a dangerous beast and bit her lips in nervousness. Madman! Aplete lunatic! This man is one day going to kill me because of his erratic whims! She grumbled inwardly. Xander¡¯s smile deepened and he decided to let the poor woman breathe a little. He turned around and nonchntly walked towards Madou, as if nothing at all happened in thest few seconds, and calmly said. ¡°She is not guilty. If she had poisoned the pup there is no way it could have survived her venom.¡± ¡°Finish this investigation.¡± Everyone was shocked, leftpletely speechless after hearing the exnation. That¡¯s why he kissed her? Surely, there were other ways to prove this? Councilman Madou ashenly nodded. His heart was running on itsst leg. The prince had kissed someone publicly! This was ground-shattering news! He could only imagine the consequences if he had actually dared to whip someone so precious and close to the ruthless tyrant. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to thank me?¡± Xander chuckled. His crimson orbs lingered on the snake for a few seconds, but it didn¡¯t look like she was going to recover from this incident any time soon. ¡°Well, we can talk about paymentster. Heh.¡± The elf¡¯s wet lips pulled upward into a smirk and the man casually strolled away, without even giving a nod to the others. His job here was done. General Salvatore as well quickly joined him. He couldn¡¯t care less about who kissed whom. He was merely thankful that his daughter was not punished for anything. Tang Yue blinked, her emerald eyes still widened in surprise from what just happened. Her mind just couldn¡¯t think past it! Well, at the least this time I am kissing a guy¡­ She didn¡¯t know what else to think. Her only constion was that the other twodies looked far worse than her. Chapter 103: Lick Lick Lick Part1 Chapter 103: Lick Lick Lick Part1 Charlotte looked as if lightning had struck her. Standing next to her, Isabe also looked very pale and frail. No one was acting anymore. They were genuinely fraught with mind-numbing misery. Both the elven beauties looked like zombies who had just died ande back alive. ¡°This¡­ This¡­ This¡­¡± Charlotte muttered. Her brain was still fixated on that single scene from a minute ago. He KISSED her?? Wasn¡¯t this the same thing that happened to me? JUST EARLIER TODAY???? She screamed inside her brain. While one participant was the same, the other participant was the crown prince! Her husband to be! Her man! Charlotte was literally gasping for breath and the world around her was spinning. Why the hell was he, the epitome of perfection, touching this lowly snake?? How the hell did she seduce him! Her body trembled and she held a pir to prevent herself from copsing on to the ground from shock. She had done it! Tang Yue had finally angered her death! It was one thing when the Crown Prince had not paid attention to anyone. No one coulde even an inch closer to him and that made her feel better about the way he treated her. But now¡­ ¡°You will pay for this! Bitch!¡± Charlotte snapped at the snake, who looked just as pale as her without any color in her cheeks. ¡°Tell me about it sister!¡± Tang Yue sighed, tilting her head pensively to one side. Her eyes were still fixated on the staircase that headed upstairs, the ce where the lunatic¡¯s figure had disappeared into. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s karma?¡± She mumbled absent-mindedly. ¡°First, I push you against a wall and kiss you without consent. And now, I am treated the same way and kissed senseless?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s fingers rubbed her lower lip casually as she said this, still trying to digest the events of the night. ¡°SHUT UP¡± Charlotte hissed. Her blood boiled from the fury welling up inside her heart. It was already toote though. Tang Yue had already spoken those ridiculous words! Huh? Love triangle? Madou wanted to cover his ears. He did not want to be a part of this conversation. Apparently weird things were happening in the royal harem. He decided that it was not safe for him to remain here any longer, and backed away slowly. Once he was out of that torture chamber, he ran for this life, heading towards another dungeonyer. Only the snake and the two ghastly consorts remained. Isabe looked at Tang Yue and then at Charlotte. She was already unto her limit when she witnessed the love of her life kissing another woman. But this¡­? Her mind raced. ¡°You kissed her?¡± She stuttered. ¡°What sick games are you both ying?¡± Tears streamed down her enchanting eyes as she clutched the edges of her overflowingyered robe and ran away, or rather fled the scene in utter terror and agony. ¡°Be¡­ BELLA¡­ WAIT.¡± Charlotte called after her, but the elf had already ran away helter and skelter. ¡°This is all because of you! Trust me, bitch! I will not rest until you are out of these god damned boundaries.¡± Charlotte huffed in anger and ran behind Isabe. ¡°Hmm¡­ Thank you sister for your hard work. I sincerely hope you seed.¡± Tang Yue sighed and then followed the duo, walking upstairs as well. Since the tyrant himself had put so much effort into the matter, going as far as to kiss her in order to prove her innocence, how could she possibly stick around here any longer? Her dreams of the impending exile and a free life were nowpletely shattered. What a cruel cruel man! That bastard! As Tang Yue continued walking up the stairs, a small me of hope slowly formed in her heart. The son had ruined everything, but what if the mother could still rectify the situation? To release me just like that, wasn¡¯t this basically a p on her face? Tang Yue honestly hadn¡¯t thought about getting out of the elvennds in this manner before today. The situation had suddenly presented itself to her and now she didn¡¯t want to let go of it so easily. She hade so close to freedom that she could almost even taste it. Tang Yue had no intention of letting this chance go without a proper fight. She decided to head straight to the Empress and exin the things from her perspective, not to clear her name, but to see if she could piss off the Iron Lady any further. In other words, she intended to rub it on her face. Only the Empress was now capable of exiling her. And maybe she wouldn¡¯t mind doing that on a whim! After all, she is that madman¡¯s mother! On her entire trip from the dungeons to the Empress quarters, Tang Yue¡¯s brain was busily scheming. She prepared herself mentally as best as she could. Everything needed to be perfect and everything needed to go just as nned. She couldn¡¯t just rely on Charlotte to get out of this damned ce! If history was any indication, that elf was clearly not very good at this. So many failed attempts and she had only somehow ended up deeper and deeper into the mess. Tch. Tch. Tang Yue shook her head in disappointment. Why couldn¡¯t you be smarter, my dear? She sighed. Because of the unsightly events that had transpired and the chaos andmotion which had ensued, the Empress had already disbanded her garden tea party and retreated to her private quarters. Empress Freya rested in her chamber, with two maids fanning her from either side and chatting with a couple of elvendies. As soon as Tang Yue arrived at the private pavilion, another maid quickly ran over and announced her arrival. ¡°His majesty¡¯s beast consort is here, your highness.¡± She said. ¡°Send her in.¡± Freya waved her hand. The look on her face changed and she awkwardly chuckled at herpanions. Very obviously, she was not pleased to greet this particr guest. Chapter 104: Lick Lick Lick Part2 Chapter 104: Lick Lick Lick Part2 Empress Freya absent-mindedly plopped a fruit into her mouth and watched the snake girl walk towards her. For some reason, Tang Yue seemed a little different this time around. There was something about her that was unyielding. She was not nervous or anxious like before. ¡°Greetings, your majesty.¡± Tang Yue bowed. ¡°I¡­¡± She started to exin, but the Empress quickly cut her short. ¡°Yes. I heard. You are no longer facing those charges.¡± Freya muttered, her icy cold eyes gazing at Tang Yue with an unveiled disregard. She couldn¡¯t understand why her son could possibly be interested in someone like this. ¡°You can leave now.¡± Freya muttered, unwilling to see this irritating person any longer. She can seduce her son all she wants, but she better not dream about being the Empress! Hmph! Tang Yue bowed in respect but did not leave the spot like she was ordered to. ¡°Forgive me, your highness. I have something to say.¡± ¡°A random pup was poisoned in a tea ceremony, for which I received the invitation just the previous day.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t even have any idea that my sister Isabe was nning to gift this pup.¡± ¡°And just because the venom was simr to the serpentine n¡¯s innate venom, the me has been unjustly ced on me.¡± ¡°How is this fair, your highness?¡± ¡°I might be a lower being, but I am not a conniving maniptive bitch.¡± ¡°Princess Tang.¡± Freya¡¯s voice thundered. ¡°Watch how you speak to me, else you will not have your head the next time.¡± Two of the guards standing next to her as well had already stepped forward with their swords drawn. However, Tang Yue did not seem to show any signs of fear. She courageously continued, sneering inwardly. ¡°Pardon mynguage, your highness.¡± ¡°I beseech you to obtain justice for me in this matter.¡± ¡°I was sentenced to imprisonment without even the slightest shred of evidence.¡± ¡°If it was not for his highness, I would have been mercilessly maimed by now.¡± ¡°Someone needs to pay for this mistake.¡± ¡°Or is this how things are handled in the great Eldorian Empire?¡± Freya¡¯s eyebrows raised ever so slightly. The maids and the pce aides in the chamber shuddered in fear. This princess is dumb? Why the hell would shee and bark at the Empress like this? Are we going to witness a live execution? Everyone silently lit a candle for Tang Yue and glued their eyes on the Empress to see her reaction. Freya should have been boiling in anger by now, but it seemed as if she was calmer than usual. ¡°It was I who passed that judgment. Then, princess Tang, tell me now, what should I do?¡± ¡°Should I punish myself for being hasty?¡± Freya slowly uttered. There was subtle mirth in her voice. It was almost as if she was amused, which was the extreme opposite of what everyone was expecting. Tang Yue did not say anything more. So far, everything was well within her calctions. ¡°Maybe I should punish myself with the 1000shes?¡± Freya chuckled, her statement arousing a wave ofughter in the chamber. ¡°Yes, your highness. That sounds fair.¡± Tang Yue shamelessly muttered in response, shutting up everyone¡¯s jovial chatter. Did she just say that? Everyone including the Empress gasped in shock and their eyes flew wide. This was not courageous anymore. This was just stupidity, pure stupidity. This Princess was all beauty and no brains! ¡°Princess Tang, it looks like an evening in the prison has given you a shade of insubordination. Hmm?¡± The Empress kept giving her windows for redemption but it looked like Tang Yue was hell-bent on going crazy. She met Freya¡¯s gaze and indignantly muttered. ¡°I am sorry, your highness. But I am unwilling to let this go.¡± ¡°I was imprisoned just because I was a beast, without even a shred of evidence.¡± ¡°I demandpensation for this injustice.¡± ¡°And if this is how elven royal family treats the members of other races, I would rather be exiled from this great Empire.¡± Tang Yue knelt down, bowed deeply, cing her head on the floor and mumbled. Come on. Come on. Tell me that I am exiled. Tang Yue prayed in her heart. An awkward silence enveloped the royal chamber, as the Empress gazed at the daring snake standing in front of her, mouthing off as she pleased. Everyone was sure that Tang Yue was totally done for this time around. She had been very disrespectful and talked about things that shouldn¡¯t be spoken out loud. She was definitely going to be exiled, if not executed! Indeed, there was a small possibility that she might be directly executed for this behaviour of hers. This is the one thing which Tang Yue as well was a bit unsure of. She knew she was ying with fire, but she decided to take the leap anyways. Considering that the Empress was known for her benevolence and gentle nature, she doubted that the woman would hand out executions for such frivolous reasons. In fact, she was not all that bad. Lotte had sung high praises about the Empress, all through their walk to the garden courtyard. It was just that the Empress had a blind spot when it came to the lower races. It could even be said that it was her single weak point. It was something that was ingrained in their blood for centuries. The distinction between nobility andmoners was a part of their culture. Though things have been differenttely, a superiorityplex like that can¡¯t be uprooted entirely. Finally, after a few suffocating minutes, Freya opened her mouth again to speak. ¡°Get up.¡± She slowly said. ¡°Though I dislike ignorant impudence, I am quite fond of feisty young woman like you.¡± ¡°You are in great luck today. I am amused so I will pardon your behaviour.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t ever repeat this again. Then I won¡¯t bother with something as trivial as an exile, it will be a direct execution.¡± Tang Yue stood up and nodded at her words. She kept her attitude mellow this time around, not daring to mouth off any longer. It was paramount to not bite off more than one can chew. She knew that she had failed. She had tried her best and it looked like her n had not worked at all. But at least, she tried. Tang Yue sighed and prepared to excuse herself. She had already wasted enough time today and didn¡¯t n on dawdling here any longer. ¡°Thanks for showing me kindness, your majesty. May I please be excused now?¡± She bowed again and respectfully said. ¡°Mmhmm. You are now free to leave.¡± Freya waved her hand, but suddenly stopped. ¡°Wait. Take this and leave.¡± Chapter 105: Lick Lick Lick Part3 Chapter 105: Lick Lick Lick Part3 ¡°Mmhmm. You are now free to leave.¡± Freya waved her hand but suddenly stopped. ¡°Wait. Take this and leave.¡± She then turned towards the maid standing on her right and mumbled something, inaudible to Tang Yue. The maid nodded obediently and rushed inside. She returned after a few seconds holding a few things in her hand. Tang Yue curiously peered over. Lying quietly on the maid¡¯s hands and napping like a cutie pie was the small snow-white pup with a couple of dark blue streaks. The poor thing seemed very feeble and tired. Tang Yue sighed as soon as she saw the beast pup. In the midst of all of this chaos and drama, unfortunately, this innocent creature was the one who was hurt the most! While Tang Yue was busy admiring the pup, the maid unexpectedly handed it over to her. What! This is for me? Tang Yue gulped. Who wouldn¡¯t want a cute pup like this? That too a mutated low-grade beast pup? She could already imagine Isabe¡¯s face if she came to know that the Empress had re-gifted such a precious thing to her. But the maid was not done yet. She also handed her a heavy pouch. The pouch was slightly open, revealing a whole bunch of sparkling multi-colored gemstones just like the ones she had previously ck-mailed out of Charlotte. The snake¡¯s emerald eyes twinkled at the sight of heaped up glittering gems. ¡°You may keep these aspensation. Now leave.¡± Freya indifferently muttered. Tang Yue was stunned. Are you serious? You can indeed say whatever you want about me if this is thepensation I am giventer! Please feel free to say a few more derogatory words! She was genuinely impressed by Freya¡¯s attitude. She knew that the Empress thought very poorly of her and still treated her like this? It was definitely praiseworthy. Everything was not so ck and white it seemed. The Empress still had redeemable qualities within her. Though things had not turned out just as nned, this oue was not too bad either! Tang Yue eagerly extended her hands and epted the cute little pup and the brimming purse. Both felt very heavy. Quite a good haul indeed! Tang Yue bowed again to express her gratitude for the so-calledpensation and quickly made her way out of the Empress chamber. She didn¡¯t want to test her patience too much and linger any further. She carefully bundled the snow-white pup in her arms and hurried over to the Zither pce. Though the Zither pce was not a part of the royal pce, it was still well within the vicinity of the royal pce and within a walkable distance. The pup cozily rested in Tang Yue¡¯s warm embrace and continued dozing off. It only stirred slightly when the duo reached the Zither pce. The pup blinked its eyes open and innocently stared at Tang Yue with its dark blue orbs. It licked her hand affectionately just like it had done back at the tea gathering and went back to sleep almost immediately. Tang Yue sighed and rubbed the cute guy¡¯s head. ¡°Why did they have to bring you into this?¡± She called for Lotte, who seemed very relieved and happy to see her back. ¡°Lotte, please look after Little Blue for me.¡± She mumbled. The pup was busily napping from the effects of the drug. So all he had to do was watch over it every now and then. She also instructed Lotte to not let anyone in for the next few days and settled cozily in her huge bedroom. She was finally free to return to her favorite hobby, binge eating! Every passing day only reminded Tang Yue of her inadequacy more and more. She wanted to strengthen herself as fast as possible. ¡°Which should I start with first?¡± The snake pondered, flickering her long forked tongue in and out. All she had to do was binge eat but there was a not so obvious method to this madness. After thinking for a while, Tang Yue decided to start with themon grade bristle wolf meat first. She didn¡¯t want to consume the high-grade centipede meat or the mid-grade golden ape meat just yet, without first upgrading her evolve ability. Without upgrading the evolve ability, it would be near impossible for her to finish either of the higher grade bloodlines. In fact, she would have to kill a huge number of these higher grade beasts even to absorb half of theplete bloodline. And this was precisely what the system had threatened her and severely warned her against. So Tang Yue decided that it was best to save these two for another time. Meanwhile, thanks to Charlotte, Isabe, and the Empress, she had a lot of gems in her disposition. She didn¡¯t even have to step into the forests again to obtain more bloodlines. She could now purchase a wide variety ofmon-grade and low-grade beasts and first focus on gaining beneficial attributes from these lower grade beasts. This might also give her the required experience to boost her level and finally upgrade her Evolve skill. As a vague n started forming in Tang Yue¡¯s brain, the snake happily nodded and reverted to her serpentine form. She then quickly swallowed whole the first bristle wolf, with the raw beast meat settling like a stone in her stomach. And now, it was finally time to enjoy some peace and quiet, not to mention a good night¡¯s sleep. Sleeping with your stomach full gives the best deep sleep! The snake grinned in satisfaction. But as soon as she closed her eyes to sleep, a familiar image flitted across her mind, making her eyes sh open again. Damn you, jerk! Tang Yue cursed. She slithered under the nkets as if they would protect her from the memory of the madman and tried closing her eyes again. But another face popped out this time around, Charlotte¡¯s angry beautiful face. Damn you all! Tang Yue burrowed her head into the soft bundle of pillows and cursed her miserable life. Assholes! Perverts! Jerks! Can¡¯t you all just leave me alone? Taking this as its cue, the system promptly chimed in, disturbing Tang Yue¡¯s already disturbed night time. [Dumb little snake! Aren¡¯t you spinning the Lucky Wheel again?] Chapter 106: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part1 Chapter 106: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part1 [Dumb little snake! Aren¡¯t you spinning the Lucky Wheel again?] [You still have 3 more chances left on another wheel!] [I suggest you spin it quickly.] ¡°¡­¡± Tang Yue grimaced. This damn old man was responsible for all her headaches! If not for him forcing her to repeatedly meddle with Charlotte and anger her to death, she probably wouldn¡¯t have fixated on Tang Yue so much. Just the very thought of everything she had to endure because of the damned lucky wheel made her furious. ¡°No, thank you.¡± She hissed at the illusional bastard. She wanted to wait at least a little while for things to calm down before going on the system¡¯s perverted adventures again. [I suggest you spin it quickly, dumb snake. I see that you have a new pet.] [I happen to have a nice and handy pet contract you can forge with the cub. You will have a chance to get it if you spin the wheel.] Tang Yue didn¡¯t respond. She had a bad feeling about this since the system was trying so hard to sell its offer. ¡°The damn system is definitely trying to bait me into doing something preposterous.¡± She closed her eyes and ignored the old man. [Don¡¯t be a fool, little snake. Let me tell you this contract is very amazing.] [It will unlock the hidden potential of the cub, or rather its growth potential can resonate with your very own growth potential.] [If you hunt with your pet, it can also share your experience points and level growth.] The system chimed. ¡°That indeed sounds good.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s mind started to waver with the old man¡¯s enticing words. The more he exined, the better the contract sounded. And soon, the power hungry snake ended uppletely relenting. ¡°Master, I will spin the wheel, but can you please tell me what did Charlotte do to you? Did you know her somehow?¡± She curiously asked. [Don¡¯t overthink things dumb snake. Just spin the wheel and im thee prizes. What is soplicated about this?] Sure! That¡¯s all there is to it. Tang Yue grimaced. She then mumbled weakly, even scared to look at the dangerous thing. ¡°Hmm. Fine, Fine, bring out the damned wheel.¡± Almost instantly, the sparkling obscenity showed up apanied by a cacophony of celebratory noises. She was already used to this by now and ignored the unnecessary pomp and ir to look at the messy scramblings on the wheel. 1. Heavens Path arcane art 2. 1000 Experience Points 3. Thundering lightning steps 4. 1000 Experience Points 5. Beast Companion Soul Contract 6. Bitch p young master Marvin three times 7. 1000 Experience Points 8. Enter the Crown Prince chambers at midnight without clothes 9. 1000 Experience Points 10. Kick Prince Xavier¡¯s balls Tang Yue¡¯s eyes twitched. She didn¡¯t know whether to be happy about this or sad about this. ¡°Did the old man finally leave Charlotte alone?¡± She blinked a few times and looked at the list again to make sure that she was not imagining things. By now, she had spun the wheel enough times to know that the lucky wheel was basically a scam. She didn¡¯t even have to spin the wheel to know the oue anymore. The only options which mattered were option no. 5 and option no. 6 and the arrow alwaysnded on the middle on the third spin. She was slightly nervous that the old man would escte things and ask her to do unspeakable things to Charlotte. The poor elf! She had already kissed her and molested her. All the things which were left now were even more terrifying. A few examples effortlessly popped up in Tang Yue¡¯s brain and the snake¡¯s pale blue cheeks turned dark purple just from the mere thought of those unspeakable examples. Tang Yue shook her head vigorously. ¡°I will definitely not do anything unsavory!¡± She then paused and mumbled. ¡°Ahem. Not anymore.¡± Luckily for her, the old man had suddenly switched gears. For some reason, the old man had now picked up a new target to torture. Just like the clouds and the stars, this damned old coot was also a whimsical entric bastard. So she didn¡¯t even bother thinking about this. In fact, she had long since given up trying to understand the rhyme and reason behind his actions. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± Tang Yue sighed. She thenzily mumbled. ¡°Do we have to go through this charade or are you directly going to give me the contract?¡± [Huh? Ugh? What charade? What are you talking about?] ¡°Don¡¯t say random things, master. I will y your game, but show me some courtesy and let¡¯s call a spade a spade.¡± [Hmm. The System¡¯s rules are unchangeable.] Tang Yue wanted to bang her head against the wall, or better bang the system against a very sturdy wall. ¡°I give up.¡± The snake shrugged¡­ ¡­ After 5 wasted minutes, 3 lucky wheel spins, and 2000 experience pointster¡­ ¡°Hurray. Would you look at that? How lucky of me?! The arrow stopped at the Beast contract!¡± ¡°And all I have to do is bitch p young master Marvin three times! What a surprise!¡± Tang Yue sarcastically feigned enthusiasm and mocked the system, but quickly quieted down, not wanting to anger the old bastard. To find Marvin, she had to head to the alchemy association. She still hadn¡¯t finished a majority of the alchemy association assigned missions, thanks to her disastrous forest trips. So Tang Yue had been particrly avoiding the alchemy association. And now it looked like she had no other option but to go there. Not only did she have to search around for Marvin and p that fatty thrice but she also needed to borrow a batch of herbs to try out the Devil awakening pill concoction. Tang Yue sighed and quickly went back to bed, with the bristle wolf in her stomach still being digested. She knew that chaotic timesid ahead of her and she needed all the rest that she could afford! Chapter 107: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part2 Chapter 107: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part2 Tang Yue was unclear as to when she finally fell asleep, but when she woke up the next morning, she felt extremely light and well-rested. A series of notifications as well promptly appeared. Ding. 30% Bristle wolf bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Wild wolf bloodline absorbed Ding. 5% Rabid dog bloodline absorbed ¡°Rabid dog??¡± Tang Yue chuckled, but thankfully it was only 5% and she didn¡¯t have to worry about any unexpected surprises just yet. ¡°Hmm¡­ 30% done. Good, now I need to eat 3 more of these wolves topletely absorb the full bloodline.¡± She nodded and busied herself, throwing the next one into her stomach. Since she was already well rested, Tang Yue retrieved her alchemy study materials and focused on learning more about the herbs and pills in the meantime. She might have a couple of short cuts up her sleeve when it came to upgrading her strength, but there was no such thing in the vast arcane study of alchemy. The knowledge has to bepletely understood and painfully assimted through the brute method of hard work and concentration. There was no escaping it! The pup was also still recovering from the injury, so she was not in a particr hurry to p Marvin and obtain the beast contract technique. So Tang Yuefortably settled in for the next few hours and busied herself with work. While she spiritedly continued studying the herbs, the notifications chimed in automatically at regr intervals, as and when the meat was digested. Ding. 30% Bristle wolf bloodline absorbed Ding. 4% Spotted dear bloodline absorbed ¡­ Ding. 30% Bristle wolf bloodline absorbed Ding. 5% Grizzly fox bloodline absorbed ¡­ Ding. 30% Bristle wolf bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Fluffy bunny bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Ding bat bloodline absorbed And soon, the bloodline was quicklypleted. Ding. 100% Bristle wolf bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated A familiar sensation assaulted her body and the serpentine figure started to twist and turn. A slight pain surfacedced with an electrifying tingling sensation and a bright beam of light enveloped her body. Wave after wave of mystical energy enriched her small figure and finally, after a few minutes, the next series of notifications started ringing. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 100 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Strength has been upgraded. Ding. Congrattions. Cold resistance has been upgraded. Tang Yue gazed at the notifications, slightly disappointed. Though there were a couple of minor upgrades, it looked likemon grade beasts were not giving her too much of a boost any longer. Bristle wolves were very agile beasts but since Tang Yue had already evolved her bloodline using the Fire twin-tailed birds, which possessed even higher agility, she no longer saw any improvement in that attribute. ¡°Hai Hai. I should just focus on low-grade beasts from now on. Thesemon grade beasts are not too useful.¡± She hissed and slithered towards the space pearl on her nightstand. She then shifted to her human form and called for Lotte. ¡°How is Little Blue doing?¡± Tang Yuezily asked. She was really starting to enjoy the Zither pce. No angry elves were around to barge into her private chambers every now and then. ¡°The little fellow is happily dozing off, your highness.¡± Lotte excitedly gabbed. ¡°Good. Good.¡± Tang Yue nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s take a trip to the beast market and buy some food for our new guest.¡± ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Lotte bowed and followed Tang Yue, as the duo headed outside. The snake happily tossed her big bag of sparkling gems up and down as she walked towards the market square. With her improved agility and strength, even a nimble elf-like Lotte was finding it hard to keep up with her speed. Tang Yue grinned and slowed down for the sake of her aide. ¡°Lotte, say, where can I find detailed records of the various beasts in our world?¡± ¡°Is there any suchption avable?¡± She curiously asked. Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to spend any more of her time on themon grade beasts but at the same time, there were a few peculiar and usefulmon grade beasts as well. It would be unwise of her to look down on all themon grade beasts and ignore them. In fact, thanks to themon grade smander, she was able to gain an amazing ability like the regeneration ability. So Tang Yue was quite curious if she could find detailed records of different beasts known to the different races and ess them for making a list of sorts. ¡°Ah! Your highness, I am not very sure about this, but I think top tier hunter guilds might have something like that at their disposal.¡± ¡°Ok. Perfect. We can check in with one of those on our way back.¡± Tang Yue smiled and gave Lotte a big thumbs up. Lotte scratched his head in embarrassment and bowed awkwardly. The princess was in a great mood today and he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was due to the recent rumors that were spreading faster than wild fire. The Crown Prince had apparently kissed his master in public! What huge news! Truly a cause for celebration! Lotte would have rejoiced even more on hearing this amazing news, if not for the other devious rumor that was also currently spreading, in fact, faster than the first one. Nobody knows who started it but almost everyone in the capital city by now had heard about this weird rumor. Apparently, his master and the General¡¯s daughter, Charlotte were in some sort of illicit rtionship. Lotte didn¡¯t even bother registering this piece of gossip at first, butter when he recollected several events and thought about how his Master anddy Charlotte were always fighting with each other for one reason or the other, his mind started to waver. The line between love and hatred was a very fine one and love often stemmed from hatred! And so a small seed of doubt sprouted in Lotte¡¯s heart. After all, this piece of gossip, no matter how unbelievable it was, it was still far more believable than the first one! Chapter 108: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part3 Chapter 108: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part3 After walking for a while, Tang Yue and Lotte entered the market square. The sound of hawkers and meat vendors filled the air around them. Tang Yue was a special celebrity in the meat markets. Though several eyes were locked on to them all the way from the zither pce to the market district, the minute she and Lotte stepped into the chop shop rows, the number of prying eyes on them instantly quadrupled. Not only was the princess from the elven royal family, an extravagantly paying customer, and potential love interest of either the crown prince or the General¡¯s daughter, but was also a powerful trend setter! Because of her and Marvin, the fire twin-tailed birds suddenly started selling like hot cakes. Their prices sky-rocketed almost to that of a mid grade beast and now were one of the top sought after low grade beast meat. In fact, the bird meat rarely even got to the open markets and was usually bought out in the ck markets. So many of the vendors hurried over and started eagerly weing Tang Yue and offering their day¡¯s specials. Zyrn, the vendor elf who had personally dealt with Tang Yue thest time around, quickly ran over to her, pushing away the otherpetition. ¡°Hey Hey Hey! Stop crowding, you assholes.¡± ¡°Zyrn, you conniving bastard. You can¡¯t hog the princess all to yourself!¡± ¡°Shut up. Watch how you speak in front of ady!¡± Then not allowing anyone else to talk, he quickly guided Tang Yue to his shop. ¡°Wee, your highness. Pleasee this way. I have everything prepared for you.¡± ¡°Oh ok ok.¡± Tang Yue chuckled in amusement. This feeling of the spotlight is not too shabby! I could really get used to this! She grinned. Lotte also closely followed behind them sweating profusely. The princess was getting more and more famous every single day! Once the trio reached the shop, Zyrn excitedly pulled out several parchments from within his chop shop and shoved them into Tang Yue¡¯s hands. ¡°This is for your kind perusal, your highness. Please tell me what you need.¡± He quickly bowed and asked. Tang Yue did not have anything specific in her mind when she walked over to the market square and only intended to look around and make decisions ordingly on the spot. So she eyed the parchments with interest. These listed the wares that were currently avable in the shop. They also surprisingly listed the wares that were avable in the other shops around them as well. ¡°You are proving to be quite a resourceful shopkeeper.¡± Tang Yue nodded. Zyrn blushed and abashedly mumbled in reply to the unexpectedpliment. ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± He was not used to the royal family members talking so politely. Tang Yue waved her hand and continued looking at the parchments, with her eyes glued on to them as if she was looking at a treasure trove. ¡°Got this. Need this. Need this. Need this. Got this.¡± She kept mumbling to herself for quite a while. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes gleamed with interest as she went on a huge shopping spree. She needed about 10 low-grade beasts toplete a low-grade beast bloodline. And she could roughly buy 10 of them with 5 gems, with each low-grade beast costing about 500 gold coins and a single gem valuing roughly 1000 gold coins. With the number of gems at hand, Tang Yue did some fast maths and decided to spend at the most 50 gems, saving some for future use and in case she needed any herbs. This way she would be able to absorb at least 10 low-grade beast bloodlines, thereby boosting her strength and power quite a bit. Not only that, but some of these low-grade beasts had special elemental affinities just like the fire twin-tailed birds. So she had specifically included them in the list to see if she could gain affinities to other elements as well. Double checking the list once more, Tang Yue sighed. ¡°If only I could upgrade my evolve ability with the sheer use of it!! This is a lot of meat!¡± Because from what she had understood and gathered so far, she possessed skills of two different kinds. One that could be upgraded by repeated usage and the other that could only be upgraded with her so-called level increase or through a stronger bloodline evolution. The details were still vague and unclear, thanks to the unhelpful nature of that old bastard, but it didn¡¯t matter too much. Tang Yue had all the time in the world to explore her abilities and take things slowly, improving her strength step by step. Or at least that¡¯s what she thought. After going through the list several times and examining all her options carefully, Tang Yue finally picked her 10 main targets. She happily licked her lips and ordered 10 each of 10 different low-grade beasts. Zyrn nodded, bobbing his head up and down in excitement. These 10 beasts were most probably going to be the next 10 hot cakes! He inferred. Any betting man with a bit ofmon sense would know enough to stockpile these, and store them in advance! The elf carefully jotted down the order and scurried along into the shop, busying himself with the order and packaging. This time he packed everythingpletely so that others were not aware of what was inside. But when he walked out, he saw Tang Yue and Lotte chatting with a few other vendors and his heart dropped. ¡°Your highness, sorry for the wait. Your order is ready.¡± He quickly grabbed Tang Yue¡¯s attention and brought her focus back to the store, while shooing away the unwee vultures with the other hand. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at the sight of the amusing shopkeeper. Were they all acting like this because of the alchemy test or because of the kisses? She wondered. She quickly paid the guy and pocketed all the meat into her space pearl. Chapter 109: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part4 Chapter 109: The crown prince has a fat fetish Part4 ¡°Your highness, if I may know, is this for any special cultivation purpose?¡± Zyrn nervously asked, barely containing his excitement. Tang Yue was still busy shoving all the neatly packaged goods into her space pearl while thinking about what else she could have bought and absent-mindedly answered. ¡°No, they are just for me to eat.¡± Huh? Zyrn nodded. He had heard about how the nobledies and the royal princesses were always on a strict diet and only ever indulged themselves with spirit wine if at all. So this was quite unheard of and new to him. But Tang Yue was the only princess who was even rumored to have captivated the crown prince¡¯s attention to the extent of locking lips with him in public. He also remembered seeing the princess with a much different figure before this. So Zyrn nodded in deep thought and came to the obvious conclusion. Maybe the crown prince has a fat fetish! While these two were conversing, a loud murmur spread in the market square, attracting the attention of several customers and vendors alike. Tang Yue turned around and looked towards the direction of all themotion. A majestic pitch ck me panther strode into the market, it¡¯s each step leaving a charred impact on the ground behind it. Wisps of me shot out of its nostrils ever so often as the beast arrogantly snorted. A beast mount?! Tang Yue gazed at the magnificent mid-grade beast in awe. The very sight of it was inspiring. It could be said that mid-grade beast was the highest grade among beasts that could be tamed. Anything higher than that was typically impossible to tame and even a mid-grade beast mount in itself was a rare privilege. Not many were around except for the royal army and very skilled hunters. But why would anyone walk around on a battle mount in the middle of a market square? Tang Yue¡¯s eyes slowly trailed on to the familiar figure sitting arrogantly atop the beast, exuding the aura of an immortal. Her expression instantly changed. What an eye sore! A pig was sitting on the beautiful majestic specimen. ¡°Ha Ha Ha. We need to stop meeting like this, pretty princess.¡± The smiling pig, also known as Marvin, jumped down from his tamed mount and greeted Tang Yue with glee and pride in his eyes. ¡°You must be joking, young master Marvin. Meeting you often is a real delight.¡± She rolled her eyes. But then suddenly, Tang Yue remembered something. It took a while for her to think about this, considering the amount of disgust she had to swallow down, but eventually, she got there. It seems that her prey had walked himself to her, all on his own ord. As per the system¡¯s weird requirements, she needed to find him in order to ¡®bitch¡¯ p him thrice and obtain the beast contract. And lo and behold, Marvin had volunteered and offered up himself on a silver tter. Tang Yue¡¯s superficial smile suddenly widened into a huge grin. ¡°Buying some more fire twin-tailed birds, young master Marvin?¡± She asked, with her emerald eyes sparkling. Just as she spoke the words, Tang Yue casually took a step forward moving closer to Marvin in an inconspicuous manner. ¡°Ha Ha. No No. Not this time.¡± The elf rubbed his clean shaven chin and replied back with an attitude. He was no longer the same man he had been a few days back. Everything had changed now! He was not a cripple anymore who couldn¡¯t use fire magic. He was now the genius son of the royal grand master alchemist, who overcame his natural weakness all by himself! He was a force to be reckoned with. Tang Yue smiled gently, taking one more step, inching closer and closer to the arrogant fatso. Even Marvin was pleasantly surprised by her attitude. But he didn¡¯t think too much and shrugged it off, casually epting their on again and off again flirtatious rtionship. Being the grand master¡¯s son, he was very used to this sort of reaction from the elven beauties. And now it looked like it won¡¯t be too long before he could finally taste this exotic seductress. Marvin excitedly rubbed his hands together and chuckled. ¡°What are you here to buy, pretty princess? I can help you with anything you want.¡± He proudly jutted out his chest. Tang Yue smiled and was about to answer when suddenly she acted as if she had terribly lost her footing and fumbled forward. Marvin as well hurriedly took the bait and quickly stepped forward to catch her and support her with a tremendous amount of eagerness. His hands grabbed the silky soft waist of the enticing snake princess and the elf nervously gulped as he enjoyed the warm and smooth sensation. Things were happening faster than he had anticipated! And he liked it! Ha Ha Ha. Is this my lucky day? Marvin grinned. While the elf was happily immersed in the delightful little surprise, eyeing and admiring the beauty in his arms at such a close distance, a loud and crisp pnded on his cheek. Huh? Huh? What just happened? Marvin blinked. Before he could react, the beauty in his arms had already straightened herself out and was now angrily staring down at him. And of course, PA! Another loud and crisp pnded on the same cheek, leaving a burning and stinging pain behind. Tang Yue was not sure what constituted a bitch p, so she just pped hard with the full force and strength that she could muster. What the hell? You crazy bitch! Marvin¡¯s face turnedpletely red. Why was this princess suddenly acting crazy? They were standing in the middle of a meat market for heaven¡¯s sake! So many people were looking at them and gossiping silently, gasping in surprise. Marvin was utterly humiliated. To all the onlookers, it rather seemed like Marvin had misbehaved and molested one of the royal consorts in public. What a brave pervert! Chapter 110: You will pay for this Part1 Chapter 110: You will pay for this Part1 Tang Yue had little to no intention of clearing up this misunderstanding. This was her chance. How could she miss it? After all, she was the one who had orchestrated it from the beginning to the end. Still ring at the reddened elf angrily, Tang Yue quickly raised her hand again tond another p, thest one that she needed. But unfortunately, Marvin had already recovered from his stupor and promptly blocked her hand before she could do so. Damn it. Tang Yue bit her lips in disappointment but still continued to maintain her act as the damsel in distress who had been terribly wronged by a hooligan. ¡°Princess! Exin yourself!¡± Marvin shouted, exasperation clearly visible in his voice. The crazy snakedy had tarnished his reputation in seconds that he had worked very hard to build up! ¡°I merely helped support you when you are fumbling forward. Why are you attacking me all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Stop lying, you perverted fatso. Hmph.¡± Tang Yue scoffed angrily and t out refused to answer with any logicalebacks, not that she had any. Before anyone else could realize what had actually happened, she decided to get out of there. The third p had to wait for another day, lest the situation gets out of control. ¡°How dare you bully me in public?! His highness will definitely hear about this. I¡­ I¡­ have never been treated like this. Sob. Sob.¡± Tang Yue rubbed her eyes roughly producing a tear or so and ran away from the spot before Marvin could say anything further. Huh? The stupefied fatty couldn¡¯t even grab her hand to hold her back, considering she had just used him of molesting her in public. He just stood there wondering what just happened. But the crowd that had gathered around immediately responded and gave weird looks in Marvin¡¯s direction. ¡°Waah! Master Marvin molested a royal consort in public?¡± ¡°Do you think he will be punished?¡± ¡°He is not a street rat like you, he is the grand master¡¯s son!¡± ¡°Even if it is his highness Xander, he wouldn¡¯t recklessly punish the grand master¡¯s only son.¡± ¡°True. True. But still, what a pervert! How could he misbehave with ady in public like that?¡± The crowd was getting wild with their usations. Lotte, looked here and there, unsure of what to do and quickly ran behind his master. Wherever his master went, trouble followed! Only Marvin was left behind still wondering what just happened. The beauty came, the beauty smiled, the beauty pped and now she had left! All done within a span of a few minutes! He looked around at the crowd surrounding him and shouted loudly in anger. ¡°What are you all looking at?¡± The crowd quickly backed away and dispersed like the wind, each minding their own business. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He then growled, startling both his pce aides and the ck me panther which was peacefully lying down with its eyes closed. He hopped back on the majestic beast and waddled away not even bothering to attend to the purchase he had personallye to make. ¡°This bitch is going to pay!¡± He snarled. ¡°You are a mere freaking ything to that cold-hearted asshole, and you dare to p me around?¡± ¡°Just because my hand touched your waist by mistake you dared to p me?¡± ¡°Wait till I humiliate you thoroughly and throw you out like used trash!¡± ¡°I will show you bitch, where my position in the society lies and where your position is!¡± ¡°See if I don¡¯t tie you up in my bed and p you senseless.¡± Marvin mumbled to himself non-stop like a maniac all throughout his ride back to his father¡¯s main mansion. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was genuinely trembling with anger. He was not someone new to being pped around and humiliated but to be done so by another worthless wastrel? A dumb bimbo? That made his furious! He stomped into his private chambers and shouted. ¡°Bring that bastard Dranuk to me!¡± His saliva spewed all over the pce aide standing in front of him, but the elf quickly bowed and backed away to carry out the orders. Marvin was extremely angry! He looked at the two beautiful female elves attending to him and serving him, and pulled them towards him in a fit of anger. He then proceeded to ruthlessly disrobe them and thrust himself onto them with an overwhelming vigor and violence. Ah~ The maids moaned in pleasure and pain, but Marvin clenched his fist and thrust harder and harder grabbing hold of them tightly. ¡°I will get you soon, bitch.¡± He angrily muttered. ¡­ Meanwhile¡­ ¡°I am sure, mydy.¡± A maid bowed and nodded in front of Charlotte. She had just informed Charlotte about the series of events that had just transpired in the meat market square involving the grand master¡¯s son and a certainpopr snake princess. ¡°Ha Ha Ha. The slut has finally dug herself into a deep hole.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha! I didn¡¯t even have to do anything!¡± Charlotte chuckled like a maniac. She had been clinically depressed for the past couple of days without being able to forget the image that had by now burned onto her brain. The image of the man whom she loved dearly kissing a trash right in front of her that too with such ardent passion! Every time she thought about it Charlotte went livid with anger. The minute she knew that a new beast consort would be joining their harem, she could already tell that it was bad news! That was why right from the beginning she had repeatedly tried to get rid of the scum even without considering the consequences. And now what she feared had already happened. What else could she do now? Everything was already out of her grasp! So Charlotte had been extremely depressed and in dire misery, well¡­ that was until her maid informed her about the debacle in market. ¡°Ha Ha. Poor slutty snake! Did you think messing with Marvin was like messing with me?¡± ¡°Just because his highness kissed you once, you dared to show your arrogance to someone like Marvin?¡± ¡°Bitch you miscalcted! He is the grandmaster¡¯s son! He will ruin you and then even his highness won¡¯t be able to save you!¡± ¡°Ha Ha Ha. What queen consort? You will probably be sold as a prostitute to the pleasure pce after this!¡± Charlotte wiped her eyes and cackled like a maniac. Chapter 111: You will pay for this Part2 Chapter 111: You will pay for this Part2 Fully aware of the disaster which she had just invoked, Tang Yue continued with her chores and walked over to the alchemy association. ¡°Are you satisfied now? I made another strong party with heavy backing as my enemy.¡± She cursed the damned system which conveniently maintained its silence and refused to respond. Tang Yue wasn¡¯t all that worried about the consequences, because at the worst it was a he-said-she-said scenario. Besides, she doubted if Marvin would ever let this news spread wide. After all, he had to preserve whatever dignity that was left and can¡¯t really afford to tell everyone and spread around that a woman pped him for public misbehavior. This will only add more humiliation and shame to him. But still, there would probably be some sort of blowback for this. Tang Yue was sure of it. Moreover, even after getting into so much trouble, she still didn¡¯t get topletelynd all the three ps that she needed. Tang Yue sighed in exasperation and entered the alchemy association gates. Unfortunately, she had gravely miscalcted the lengths which Marvin had prepared to go. Just like she had assumed, Marvin did not n for anything openly, but he had already set a wide borate, and not so obvious trap for her. As soon as Tang Yue entered the royal alchemy association branch, she directly headed to the missions department. Several of her missions were long overdue and she hurried over to submit the one or two that she had managed to collect before things went to shit back in the forests. ¡°Hello. I am trainee Tang Yue. I would like to submit some missions.¡± She chimed in looking nervously. The elf manning the missions department looked up at her and gazed at her silently. There was a subtle weirdness in his gaze. ¡°Wait here.¡± He muttered and went out of the missions chamber. After a couple of minutes, he returned back with a sheet of parchment in his hands. ¡°Trainee Yue, because of your negligence in finishing the association missions and other association duties, you are hereby expelled from the alchemy association.¡± Huh? What the hell? Tang Yue was perplexed. She had never before heard of something like this and was fairly certain that this was not amon urrence. ¡°But I am here to submit some of them and not too many days have passed.¡± ¡°Surely, you must be aware of the tribtion lightning in the forest and how things became chaotic.¡± ¡°How could I be med for this dy? I have not been negligent in the least.¡± ¡°I am sure several trainee missions got dyed as well because of this major incident.¡± She tried to reason. Before Tang Yue could continue, the elf immediately raised his hand to the front and made a gesture with his palm so as to stop her from talking about this. ¡°Princess, I am just the messenger. There is absolutely no point whatsoever in talking to me about this.¡± ¡°Please feel free to take this up with any of the Master alchemists. They have the authority to talk to you about this.¡± ¡°But I must warn you. Even they do not have the authority to overturn such a final decision.¡± ¡°You can see the royal stamp on the parchment.¡± ¡°Tut. Tut. You should have really been more responsible. What is the use of crying over spilled milk now?¡± The elf shook his head sympathetically. ¡°The verdict has already been issued, I doubt there is anything you can do to contest your expulsion.¡± The elf exined and sat back down, busying himself with his work. Tang Yue silently listened to the elf¡¯s condescending lecture and smiled. Slowly, things became crystal clear to her. Indeed, there was no point in talking to him any longer. Tang Yue¡¯s long forked tongue flickered in and out and she turned around to walk away. She had absolutely no doubts about who was responsible for this and why they had done it. She knew that she would have to face repercussions for messing with Marvin, but didn¡¯t know that it would be this fast and efficient! A job well done! Unlike Charlotte, he didn¡¯t beat around the bush. He had perfectly struck a blow where it would hurt her the most. But unluckily for him, Tang Yue had her own alternatives topensate for this unexpected hurdle in her path. Want to expel me? Sure go ahead! She had in her hands the dumbed down version of the Devil awakening pill! It was inevitable that she was going to roll around in riches. So she couldn¡¯t care less if she was a part of the alchemy association or not. She could now simply buy whatever she needed, let it be herbs or pill forme. Everything was readily avable for in the auction house, albeit at a price and it was going on rain gold on her very soon. So Tang Yue tossed the useless expulsion parchment sheet in her hands into her space pearl and headed straight to one of the herb shops. She decided to get started with the Devil awakening pill concoction attempts as soon as possible. If she had a lot of resources in her hand, she would be able to upgrade her strength at a much faster pace. Now that the number of her enemies had suddenly doubled, this was something that she can¡¯t afford to postpone. And the Devil awakening pill is definitely the quickest way to do it. ¡°Good thing I didn¡¯t spend all the gems at hand.¡± Tang Yue rejoiced and spent most of her remaining wealth at the herb shop. Even after spending everything she had, she was still able to afford only five sets of the ingredients required for the pill. So she had five chances to turn a profit in this effort and start her gold making business. Too bad she couldn¡¯t get the beast contract today but she had a lot of other things to finish! Tang Yue licked her lips eagerly and headed straight back to the Zither pce. Chapter 112: Power leveling Part1 Chapter 112: Power leveling Part1 Tang Yue massaged her temples and frowned, but her demeanor and features remained calm and steady, giving her an exquisite enchanting aura. ¡°Calm down, Lotte.¡± She mumbled, absent-mindedly continuing to tease the small snow white pup sniffing her leg. Little Blue had now almostpletely recovered from the poisoning and was energetically ying around in Tang Yue¡¯s vicinity. Maybe because she was also a beast by nature, the little cub instantly took a liking to her without any sort of magic bonding and was lingering around her ever since it gained consciousness. ¡°Calm down. Don¡¯t worry about these things.¡± Tang Yue reiterated. The poor elf was terrified after he learned that Tang Yue had been expelled from the alchemy association. Such a thing was definitely not thatmon! ¡°But your highness, what if¡­ what if¡­¡± Lotte hesitated. It was not his ce to question these things, but he was worried. The princess had only just gained the favor of the crown prince and there were even rumors about her going to be the next queen consort. And suddenly, in the midst of this good news, such a disastrous thing had happened! Something like being expelled from the alchemy association was a heavy blow to Tang Yue¡¯s reputation. Rather it would have been far better if she wasn¡¯t even associated with alchemy in the first ce. ¡°Hai Hai. Enough. Let¡¯s not talk about this anymore. Why don¡¯t you tend to your other chores?¡± Tang Yue sighed loudly. She picked up the cub in her arms and shooed away Lotte. ¡°You can leave this little fellow here. I will take care of him from now on. Thanks for the help.¡± The elf was unnecessarily worrying about things that she didn¡¯t even care for. If this expulsion actually helps her get out of that bastard¡¯s good side and if he loses his confounding interest in her, then it was a very good thing! Hmph! Setting Little Blue aside, she flopped onto her bed and settledfortably. It was time to do some much-deserved power leveling and remove the prefix ¡®cripple¡¯ from her name forever. Tang Yue licked her lips and retrieved her first meal for the day, a neatly cleaned and chopped bundle of low grade crystal swan meat. The moment she took it out the cute wolf cub started excitedly yelping. ¡°Ha Ha. Settle down, Little Blue.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and patted her new eatingpanion, though she doubted if the small thing could even eat a fraction of what she inhaled on a regr basis. Crystal swan was an enchanting and beautiful low grade bird beast with a divine appearance. It¡¯s crystal like white translucent feathers sparkled in sunshine emitting a wonderful calming and serene aura, giving peace to anyone who sees the bird. It was truly a pity to see the beautiful creature bundled up like this, but the bird¡¯s meat was extremely tasty. It¡¯s taste rivaled that of a high grade beast meat and was generally considered a poor man¡¯s delicacy. This was why the little pup was jumping up and down in excitement, literally drooling at the sight of the juicy chunks of meat. Tang Yue chuckled as she patted the little hooligan. She couldn¡¯t really interact with Little Plum, but Little Blue was simply adorable. She hugged the cute thing tightly and decided to indulge herself a bit. She carried the meat in a huge tter and brought it to the kitchen quarters, with the little pup closely trailing behind her. Since Tang Yue always swallowed her prey whole without bothering to cook it, the kitchen was still mostly untouched. Tongues of me effortlessly appeared on her palm and Tang Yue quickly lit the firewoods neatly stacked under the stove. Within seconds a decently strong me was kindled and she quickly arranged a few meat chunks on skewers across the stove, getting warmed evenly by the heat. Soon the fat started sizzling and a delicious aroma wafted out from the skewers. Little Blue got even more excited and jumped up and down like a maniac. ¡°You look healthy!¡± Tang Yue nuzzled the little thing. She was happy that the pup had finally recovered from the poisoning. The hungry duo waited for a few more minutes until the meat was thoroughly roasted on all sides and then began devouring it like starved animals. The little pup especially was voracious. ¡°Is this your first time eating meat?¡± Tang Yue chuckled. The wolf cub let out a few yips in happiness, licked Tang Yue¡¯s hand lovingly, and then got back to attacking its share of roasted meat diligently. ¡°Heh. It looks like I have to earn more money just to feed this glutton.¡± She smiled and dug into her food. This was a wee changepared to all the times she had gulped down raw meat one after the other. Tang Yue also called Lotte over and shared a few of the meat skewers with the elf as well. ¡°Ah. Your Highness, why did you trouble yourself! I could have grilled it for you.¡± Lotte scratched his head awkwardly. Tang Yue grinned and waved her hand. ¡°Just eat, you dufus.¡± Lotte nervously smiled and dug into the food as well. He even fished out a bottle ofmon grade spirit wine somewhere from the cer and the dinner party got even more lively. Tang Yue invited the guards over too and everyone enjoyed a pleasant meal together. They couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at Tang Yue¡¯s casual attitude. There was no shade of arrogance or vanity in her demeanor. The grouppletely rxed in her presence and chatted about different things. Tang Yue actually got to learn a lot about the history of the elves and of course, the endless achievements of that deplorable thug, i.e. her husband. The snake silently blushed at the thought of that madman and the things that he had done thest they met each other. What a jerk! If only I could punch his arrogant face! She scoffed and chugged down some more spirit wine,pletely forgetting that she had done the same thing to Charlotte. But oblivious to her subtle reactions, the elves continued to gush about Xander¡¯s fighting prowess, his ruthless demeanor, and how he single-handedly united the estranged elven ns by standing against the Emperor¡¯s high council geezers. Tang Yue nodded intently listening to the stories and begrudgingly taking in huge mouthfuls of wine at regr intervals. The merriment went on for a while and the gang only dispersed close to midnight. It was a very delightful experience for someone like Tang Yue who had been alone for most of her life. The snake happily grinned and retreated to her private chambers. She was a couple of crystal swans less for finishing the bloodline, but that was not too much of an issue. She had already instructed Lotte to buy some more for her the next day and even given him the necessary resources. Tang Yue lifted the bloated little wolf cub with her hands and carried the little fellow to her bed as well. The duo then happily snored in resonance with their eyes closed and stomachs full. Tang Yue only stirred awake the next day morning, when shezily poked the small pup still snoring beside her. She wanted to shift back and forth between her human form and serpentine form a few times in front of the pup in order to not scare the bejesus out of the little fellow. Little Blue curiously eyed her with its dark blue eyes and blinked in confusion and fear. Only after a few minutes and a lot of sniffingter, the cute dufus finally understood that both the figures were the same person. Tang Yue rubbed the small thing¡¯s head lovingly and quickly got down to business. She might have eaten for fun yesterday but today¡¯s meals were strictly business! She retrieved aplete chopped crystal swan beast from her space pearl and shoved it down into her gullet. As a beast, she somewhat equally enjoyed both the taste of the raw and the cooked meat. Especially, not that she was in her serpentine form, the swan meat tasted almost as delicious as yesterday. But the taste was not the main reason why Tang Yue had selected this particr beast. The taste was good indeed, but more than that, there was another reason. A low-grade crystal swan bird was somewhat simr to a fire twin-tailed beast. While thetter had a fire elemental affinity, the former had an ice elemental affinity. Just like the fire element, the ice element was also a very powerful offensive element. Though it was seldom useful in alchemy, it could greatly boost her current fighting prowess. Since the evolution process was not exactly streamlined under Tang Yue¡¯s control, she was not absolutely sure that this would work. She might or might gain a lesser ice affinity after absorbing this bloodline. But it did work with the fire twin-tailed beasts and she had gained the lesser fire affinity from absorbing their bloodline, so there was no harm in trying at least once. Chapter 113: Power leveling Part2 Chapter 113: Power leveling Part2 Ding. 10% Crystal Swan bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Chicken bloodline absorbed Tang Yue swiped the illusionary tabs of notifications that promptly popped up in front of her. For the past three days, the hardworking snake had been quite busy gobbling up one bird after another. Even Little Blue started to be a bit wary of her, considering how much she was binge eating. And with this one included, she had swallowed and digested about nine of the crystal swans in total. One more to go and she will finally be done with assimting this particr bloodline. Tang Yue patiently popped in thest one and peered over her alchemy study material. She had made a lot of progress in that area as well and was almost close to memorizing thoroughly all of the lesser herbs and ingredients. Herbs in thend of Xion were divided into lesser herbs, spirit herbs, and divine herbs. Each category had thousands of different herbs and on top of that, one also had to understand and learn their different properties and uses, along with the already known useful ratios in the form of pill and potion forme. Though Tang Yue was trying her best to study these things, it will be much easier for her to do so once she undergoes a cleansing of the mind and improves her mental strength. An upgraded Martial tier mental strength enables a person to eideticallyprehend knowledge, making the life of alchemists and rune masters a lot easier. This was partially one of the reasons why the Devil awakening pill was so popr. One can very easily be a Master alchemist or a Rune Master with the help of the Devil awakening pill. But that said, using a Devil awakening pill was always a double-edged sword. If one failed to withstand the devil¡¯s pressure, they can easily lose their mental bearings and be gorked. Tang Yue herself wouldn¡¯t dare to try this pill if she didn¡¯t have her special kiddie edition pill. With her stomach busy as usual Tang Yue continued to study and thest series of notifications popped up as expected in a few hours. By now her body and stomach were a well oiled machine digesting the food shoved in like clockwork. Ding. 10% Crystal Swan bloodline absorbed Ding. 5% Icy Trout bloodline absorbed Ding. 2% Bald Snow Eagle bloodline absorbed ¡°Tsk. Tsk. I really have to watch out for some of these beasts. This damned system won¡¯t even blink twice before making mepletely bald.¡± Tang Yue hissed. She then quickly closed her eyes and prepared herself for the iing evolutionary changes. A series of notifications chimed in and a warm glow surrounded her body. Ding. 100% Crystal Swan bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated Little Blue perked up and stared at the snake next to it in awe and amazement. It could vaguely sense a superior being inside the blob of energy that Tang Yue was squirming in. The bright glowsted only for a few minutes and the evolution was finallyplete. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Lesser Ice affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Host is able to manipte mana into low-grade ice. Ding. Congrattions. Cold resistance has been upgraded. Fu Fu Fu¡­ Tang Yue excitedly grinned and did a small fist pump in the air, jumping up and down with happiness. She had miraculously gained another powerful elemental affinity! Beings born with multiple elemental affinities were deemed to be geniuses and were most often strong and powerfulbat experts. And now she was one of them! ¡°Yay!!¡± The snake excitedly pped her hands and cupped her beaming face. ¡°Master, can I sign another elemental contract? I will prepare the runes now!¡± She immediately jumped out of the bed and started to prick her finger. [Hello, dumb snake, wait a second. Before you go draining your blood, let me stop you right there.] [Why sign a contract now?] [Why not wait until you have all the other affinities also and sign a contract with all the elementals one after another?] Huh?! Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened. That sounded like a good idea too! ¡°He He He.¡± She excitedly licked her lips and nodded her head vigorously. ¡°I am going to be so powerful and bitch p everyone I don¡¯t like starting with that arrogant hooligan. Hmph.¡± She beamed like a kid hopped up on candy. But the next instant, the system¡¯s old nasally voice sounded in her mind as if a bucket of cold water was poured on her head. [And while you are at it, do make sure to picture yourself as an all powerful goddess with multiple elementals swirling around you?] Tang Yue¡¯s smile slightly dropped. She could sense that the system had a weird sarcastic tone in its voice. [Looks good, right? It¡¯s nice to have dreams! Keep day dreaming. Aha Ha Ha. Dumb little snake.] ¡°What the heck?¡± Tang Yue bit her lips and patiently asked. ¡°Am I not able to sign another contract?¡± [With your pitiful soul strength, it¡¯s just a pipe dream, you dumb snake.] ¡°Huff. Ok. And damn it, stop calling me dumb.¡± Tang Yue flopped back on her bed, slightly disappointed. The little pup came closer to her and licked her hands as if it understood her frustration, even though it probably did not. The small gentle gesture immediately cheered her back up and put a smile on the snake¡¯s face. ¡°Fu Fu Fu. So what if I have a bad soul strength, all I need to do is to quickly improve it.¡± Tang Yue flicked her palm and concentrated her mind to rotate her cultivation base. She circted her mana and calmly materialized a sparkling crystalline cube of ice. The cube slowly widened and effortlessly morphed into a sharp spear with icy thorns protruding out. ¡°Wahh! This is amazing! If only I was not a pauper, I could have done this much sooner!¡± She grinned in satisfaction and moved on to the next beast bloodline that she had selected for her evolution, the Repugnant Eversong Vine. This was strictly not a beast but could be considered as one since the nt-like beast was carnivorous and only devoured meat. Its greed and hunger were almost akin to the mighty demonic beasts. Tang Yue had selected this particr beast for her next bloodline because of its atypically high thirst for mana. A young Repugnant Eversong Vine sapling only takes a few days to grow into an enormous full sized vine bundle. Its strength was very weak and pathetic and it only relied on small insects and the atmospheric mana to support itself, but even still, the rate at which it assimted mana in its core was nothing short of astounding. It was almost double or even triple of whatever Tang Yue was passively absorbing right now, definitely a godly trait that she desperately needed at the moment. Though she was not too sure if this godly trait could be copied, she decided to try anyway. Her current pathetic rate of mana absorption was one of the main things holding her back and so she needed to improve it as soon as possible. Tang Yue quickly busied herself and took out the neatly packaged bundles of the vine. The thing looked extremely gross and was an amalgamation of beast like flesh inside nt like structuralponents. And to make things worse its smell was terrifying. It smelled worse than it looked! Little Blue let out a few yelps and ran away instantly to y in the other parts of the mansion, the non smelly ones. YUCK! Tang Yue as well shuddered holding the ugly thing in her hand but she had no other choice except to quickly gulp it down in entirety. She knew too well to not taste and savor these random things. All for the sake of power! Tang Yue cringed and tossed in a few more stem, leaves and root like structures with juicy meaty insides. She then closed her emerald eyes and coiled her long thin body tightly to increase the digestive juices. Damn it! While the snake was silently suffering, Tang Yue¡¯s most recent fan decided to make himself busy and walked in long strides on his majestic mount towards the royal pce. A couple of days back, Marvin had been patiently waiting in his chamber. He had set in motion phase one of his ns and he was eagerly awaiting to hear about how Tang Yue had felt devastated and shattered. Who wouldn¡¯t? Getting publicly expelled and cklisted was a humiliating and shameful punishment. And Marvin was not quite done. This was just the first step. He had in fact prepared several gifts for Tang Yue in order to return the two ps she had given him. But ruining his victorious mood, his pce aide had rushed back to him after observing and reported something that he had not expected. Chapter 114: A crack on the iceberg Part1 Chapter 114: A crack on the iceberg Part1 ¡°What did you just say? She just casually walked away after hearing about the expulsion?¡± Marvin shook angrily, the fat in his body trembling along with him. He couldn¡¯t ept what he had just heard. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± He angrily stuttered and chewed on his nails. He wanted her to be devastated and humiliated. He wanted everyone to shun her and point fingers at her. But how the hell did she not have any reaction at all? He stood up ramrod straight and jumped forward tond a tight p on the pce aide, the poor messenger of the bad news. And just as he pped him, Marvin¡¯s mood only got worse because he was reminded of the ps that werended on his chubby soft face. Tang Yue had touched his bottom line. His absolute low point. His soft spot. Pride and reputation were a touchy thing for Marvin. Because even though he was the Grandmaster¡¯s only son, a person who should have been originally worshipped and revered, he was always treated with disdain and disgust andbelled as a cripple. And Tang Yue¡¯s deliberate actions had mercilessly poked in this same wound, the sore spot that never quite healed. ¡°Whatever. Get lost.¡± Marvin yelled at the unlucky pce aide. ¡°She is an outsider after all. She might not have understood the gravity of this situation.¡± He harrumphed coldly. ¡°Heh. This is even better. I like feisty women. I will break you down bit by bit every day you foolish bitch.¡± Marvin pushed away the wooden chair he was sitting on with a loud thud and prepared to execute the next phase of his n. This time he was directly going in for the kill! ¡°Announce to his highness. I demand a meeting with him today.¡± He barked out instructions and left in a huff to eat his lunch. About an hourter, a maid returned back from the royal pce. ¡°Young master, his highness is in the courtroom for another couple of hours and he said that you were wee to meet him amidst the courtroom.¡± ¡°Hmph. Okay.¡± Marvin nodded, slurping the tea cup next to him. ¡°Of course. I knew that he would agree to meet with me. How could he not meet the grandmaster¡¯s son?¡± ¡°Dumb bitch. This right here is my status. Even the ruler of thisnd doesn¡¯t dare to refuse my visit.¡± Marvin grunted arrogantly and strolled out. Though he had blurted out quite a few courageous words, he knew that he had to hurry and meet that angry monster, otherwise who knows when his mood will change. Marvin quickly got ready and summoned his mount from the stables to visit the royal pce. The me panther¡¯s speed and agility were top notch and the duo arrived in the vicinity of the pce gates within a few minutes. Marvin jumped down hurriedly and then lifted his chest and stomach, to adjust his robes and tuck in his pot belly. He then harrumphed coldly, striding towards Xander¡¯s courtroom, with his chest proudly jutting forward. But once he reached the courtroom, the attitude he was wearing earlier had visibly toned down. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± Marvin bowed and announced his arrival. Xander looked up from his crystal throne, disinterestedly cocking his head to a side. ¡°Hmm.¡± He waved his hand casually in response to Marvin¡¯s greetings. Marvin immediately nodded his head and walked over to a side of the courtroom to wait for his turn. This was typically the practice. One had to patiently wait for their turn in the courtroom at least until the current discussion came to a closure. After Marvin retreated to a corner of the courtroom, he curiously looked around here and there. The courtroom was unusually crowded today. The prince rarely allowed personal courtroom meetings. So he was surprised to see these many big shots gathered together. Even the 20 famed Generals were present. They were Xander¡¯s personal armymanders and royal council members. Definitely, something huge was going down! Marvin slowly began to rethink the purpose of his visit today. Maybe I shoulde back another day? He chewed his nails and stared at the clear marble floor in deep contemtion. ¡°Ahem. Coming back to the point of discussion. Your highness, in my humble opinion, I think we should personally select different teams for thebyrinth.¡± ¡°This is a very special opportunity and I think it would be wasted if someone useless ends up receiving the treasures or the artifacts.¡± Nidaros, one of the twenty Generals voiced his opinion. Marvin¡¯s ears immediately perked up after listening to the words treasures and artifacts. He pulled the elf closest to him, one of Xander¡¯s pce aides, and whispered in his ears. ¡°What is going on here?¡± ¡°Ah.¡± The pce aide hesitated a bit but since the crown prince had allowed Marvin to remain in the courtroom during this discussion, he exined things without reservations. ¡°Young master, a few days ago when the tribtion lightning struck thend, all the major forces of the nine countries visited our eastern forests and searched the entirety of the vast mountain ranges from top to bottom.¡± Marvin seriously nodded. He as well knew about this. In fact, he was in the forest during this time. ¡°However, even after searching and scouring the forests for days, they were unable to find the source of the tribtion lightning.¡± ¡°But fortunately, the trip was not wasted.¡± ¡°While searching for the tribtion lightning heavenly treasure, they serendipitously stumbled upon an ancientbyrinth.¡± ¡°The monstrous maze extends several acres underground, even going as far as into the ocean.¡± ¡°Thebyrinth is also guarded by a strong defensive spell. It requires the coboration of several experts and the presence of numerous souls to split open.¡± ¡°So all the major powers agreed to join hands in this endeavor.¡± ¡°The dwarves, the orcs, the fairies, and our own teams will meet together at the beginning of the next lunar cycle after thorough preparations and enter thebyrinth together.¡± ¡°His highness is discussing right now about the order of things, selecting teams and etcetera.¡± Marvin¡¯s eyes flew wide open as he fervently nodded in amazement. ¡°Such a heaven defying opportunity! I must grab this!¡± He clenched his fist. He had almost forgotten the main reason why he walked over to the courtroom today. Marvin gulped and started thinking about things. ¡°This seems to be a huge thing. I have to go and talk to my father. He would most likely participate in this exploration.¡± He murmured and keenly paid attention to the discussion in the courtroom. A few more minutes passed and the Generals argued one after the other, no one epting the other person¡¯s idea, and Xander silently stared in front of him. His cold calctive eyes had an unfathomable glint within them. His thin lips were sealed tightly and he looked as if he had no intention of participating in the chaos brewing inside the courtroom. His cold silence slowly spread across the courtroom and the Generals soon stopped arguing. They had discussed all the potential permutation andbinations and various different options for this asion and now it was up to the Crown to announce the final verdict. Everyone silently and patiently looked at Xander, awaiting his response. A cold chuckle escaped his lips and the madman parted his mouth. ¡°Are you all done?¡± His threatening voice reverberated. ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± The Generals simultaneously bowed and answered him. ¡°The rtions between the races are strained as it is. We will not be implementing any special schemes in this trip.¡± ¡°Fifty teams are eligible to enter from the elven nations. We will be selecting forty teams from the royal army.¡± ¡°The remaining ten teams will be open to the Eldorian citizens andmoners.¡± ¡°Select outstanding experts from various associations.¡± ¡°Hold a contest and present the winners with the choice to participate.¡± Xander lifted his hand and casuallyid out an borate n for the Labyrinth exploration as if he was conducting an orchestra. Commoners? Everybody was slightly taken aback. Nobody expected that these precious entry slots would be shared with meremoners. But the Generals nodded and the other council members silently nodded. No one dared to argue or question the tyrant¡¯s decisions. They quickly excused themselves to carry out the orders. Xander as well prepared to leave when his eyes fell on the fat chubby mass in the corner of the courtroom. A subtle smile danced on his lips as he sat back down on the exquisite crystal throne. ¡°Young master Marvin! There you are! For what do I owe this rare pleasure?¡± His cold voice sounded, thundering in the courtroom. There was even a hint of amusement in his voice. Marvin awkwardly scratched his head in confusion. By chance, does he already know about this? What if the rumors are actually true? Has this madman finally taken an interest in a woman? Several questions suddenly popped up in his brain and a small fear cropped up in his heart. Chapter 115: A crack on the iceberg Part2 Chapter 115: A crack on the iceberg Part2 ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­¡± Marvin stuttered. He suddenly found himself short of words. He just couldn¡¯t find the courage to speak the words in his head any longer. Thanks to Xander¡¯s very personal address, now every single pair of eyes in the courtroom were keenly staring at him, waiting to hear about what he has to say. Marvin suddenly felt like he hade here to dig his own grave. Have I made something small into a big deal? He slightly hesitated. But it looked like Xander did not intend to simply let this go. His cold and frosty crimson eyes stared at the chubby little elf, giving him the full undivided attention and his wicked lips smirked. This only made Marvin more and more ufortable. The small silence soon turned into a big awkward silence. Marvin was sweating profusely. His hands were shaking, and when he held his hands together, fidgeting in order to steady himself, his body started shaking. Damn it. I am the grandmaster¡¯s only son! I do not have to be this scared of this madman! Marvin finally broke down, sucked in huge breaths of air, and panted out the words that were stuck in his throat. His pale cheeks were puffed and red making him look somewhatical. ¡°Your highness, consort Yue humiliated me in public. She pushed unwarranted me and baseless usations on me and tarnished my reputation.¡± ¡°I need justice for this unfair treatment and undeserved humiliation. I¡­ I¡­ This is not right your highness!¡± Marvin fully exined what happened in the beast market and how Tang Yue had pped him for no apparent reason and called him a molester in public without any logic. He stuttered and stammered and got his sentences out finally with great difficulty. Damn it. Why did all the Generals have to assemble today? He inwardly cursed his bad luck. But he was already here and the cat was also out of the bag. So Marvin tried to look as serious and wronged as he possibly could. However, after his medium-sized outburst, no one said anything. Everyone had a weird look on their face and their mouths were tightly shut. The entire courtroom was silent. Every second of silence that ticked away both gave him more confidence and also more self-doubt. It was not false that he had a much better standing than Tang Yue in the royal food chain. So Marvin slightly felt more confident. But at the same time¡­ That rumored kiss¡­ Not able to stand the suspense any longer, Marvin gritted his teeth and raised his beady little eyes that were staring at the ground till now, to look at the tyrant on the throne. Is he going to be angry? Is he going to be indifferent? Is he going to straight-up kill me for wasting his time? Marvin nervously looked up. Huh? His mind nked out instantly. What he saw made his entire body tremble in fear. In fact, every single elf in the courtroom was gasping in shock and looking at their ruthless cold-blooded leader in shock and awe. Was he¡­ Was he¡­ Was he actually smiling¡­? Everyone had to rub their eyes once or twice and look at the fierce monster sitting on the throne. There was an unmistakable smile on that godly face! Xander had tilted his head to a side, resting it on his palm, covering most of his face. And if one looked closely, there were hints of a wide grin clearly visible in between his fingers, through those small holes. There was a visible crack on the immovable iceberg! Xander was usually terrifying when his face looked grave, but unfortunately for Marvin, he was only more terrifying when a smile surfaced on his face. Marvin¡¯s entire body was shaking and trembling. His knees lost all their strength. He couldn¡¯t care less about his status and reputation right now. This was a fucking grave mistake! What was I thinking?! Marvin copsed on the marble floor and banged his head repeatedly on the ground. ¡°Please forgive me, your highness. This is my fault.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have brought up such a silly issue with you. I am sorry. Please forgive me, your highness.¡± Marvin immediately started to beg and plead. He hadn¡¯t met Xander in a while and his new-found respect in the society thanks to his cripple status being removed, had made him slightly cocky. He hadpletely forgotten just how terrifying Xander could be. The madman had shed down countless elves right in this courtroom without any rhyme or reason. Elves who had done nothing wrong and elves who were nobles and had a status in the royal hierarchy. What was I thinking when I decided toe here and talk to this monster? He repeatedly cursed his stupidity. Marvin had been blinded by anger and now he was paying the price. He never should havee here. He lifted his teary bloodshot eyes and snot-filled face to once again look at the madman¡¯s response when he heard a loud clear chuckle. A single divine childlikeughing sound echoed through the silent courtroom as Xander wordlessly stood up and casually walked out. All the Generals looked at each other weirdly. The pce aides were dumbfounded. Marvin froze like a statue. Everyone present in the courtroom had their mouths wide open. WHAT JUST HAPPENED??? WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED??? ¡­. Meanwhile¡­ in Zither pce¡­ Little Plum was buzzing around Tang Yue and the new pup vigntly. It could sense that unlike their rtion, the pup didn¡¯t have any sort of special contract with Tang Yue, and hence it was a bit wary of the cute thing. Its entire conscience was focused on the pup and its actions including licking, jumping, and running around. Wherever the pup ran to, Little Plum followed and the duo kept themselves busy. And while these two were ying around, Tang Yue rubbed her chin and gazed at thetest chime of notifications. Ding. 10% Repugnant Eversong Vine bloodline absorbed Ding. 3% Green Beetle bloodline absorbed Ding. 1% Withered Grass Hopper bloodline absorbed She licked her lips bitterly and closed the translucent blue screen. This was the seventh disgusting bundle of meat she had swallowed and she still had three more to go to see if her efforts turn out to be fruitful. Tang Yue sighed and paused a little. She then shifted to her human form and cleaned herself up here and there. ¡°Come in, Lotte.¡± She muttered. The elf had knocked on the door a while back and she knew that he wouldn¡¯t do so if there wasn¡¯t anything pressing or urgent. So Tang Yue called him over as soon as she was done with the particr sitting of meditation. ¡°What happened?¡± She asked, with her arms crossed in front of her. She was half-expecting Marvin or Charlotte to have brewed up some new trouble and rubbed her temples in the anticipation of the headache that was about toe. But unexpectedly, Lotte gave her a piece of very different news. ¡°Your highness, big news! Huge news!!¡± Lotte hurriedly mumbled. ¡°A mysterious ancientbyrinth has been discovered in the far end of the Eastern forests.¡± ¡°Several teams from all the nine countries, including the different races are being assembled currently to explore this ancientbyrinth.¡± ¡°It is rumored to contain a lot of treasures and powerful artifacts.¡± ¡°There is even going to a contest in a few days, held specifically for this purpose.¡± ¡°Commoners, nobles, beasts, invalids, just about anyone in the Eldorian Empire can participate.¡± ¡°The royal verdict has not yet been issued yet, but the entire city is abuzz with this huge news.¡± Lotte hurriedly exined. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tang Yue nodded, flickering her long forked tongue in and out. She absentmindedly waved her hand dismissing Lotte. ¡°Abyrinth in the eastern forests?¡± Her emerald eyes gleamed with interest. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the tribtion lightning directed at the system¡¯s presence because it revealed itself?¡± ¡°Then how did this randombyrinth pop out?¡± The snake pondered in confusion. But after a few minutes, she shrugged it off. After all, numerous experts were searching through those vast acres of forests for days togetherpletely from top to bottom, leaving no stone unturned. It was only natural that they find one thing or the other. When an enormous mound of sand is passed through a sieve it was not unusual to find one or two copper coins. And in this case, they seemed to have even found a rare gem! A nice coincidence indeed! Tang Yue paced back and forth in her chamber thinking about things. She needed to consider how this sudden piece of news that had unexpectedly popped out affected her grand scheme of things and strategy to power level. Tang Yue was in no particr hurry to rush things up, but she definitely wanted to participate in this contest. Exploring the mysteriousbyrinth was surely something that she couldn¡¯t afford to pass up. Often old graveyards and hidden underground tombs contained priceless and powerful artifacts. That too considering the magnitude of this endeavor with all the nine countries and the different races participating, even the Crown Prince himself, it definitely had to be something extraordinary. ¡°I have to enter thisbyrinth.¡± Tang Yue hissed with determination. Chapter 116: A new genius in the city Part1 Chapter 116: A new genius in the city Part1 Tang Yue spent the rest of the day gorging on the remaining three Repugnant Eversong Vine meat packets until the bloodline wasplete and the evolution process triggered. She sucked in a huge breath of air as she steadied herself for the initiation of the evolution process. Ding. 100% Repugnant Eversong Vine bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated A glimmering blob of energy enveloped her body and wave after wave of mystical wisps enriched her being and finally after a few minutes, the next series of notifications started ringing. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Mana affinity has been upgraded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Lesser Mana affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Host is able to absorb and integrate the atmospheric mana avable at a fast rate. Tang Yue¡¯s pillowy dark blue lips curved upwards as she looked at the godly notification and smirked. ¡°This is it!¡± The snake hissed happily. The higher beings including the dwarves, elves, fairies, orcs, and druids, all possessed at the least this lesser mana affinity. And this was the minimum. This constitution was actually considered pathetic and useless. If an elf was born with this affinity, he or she would probably not even bother to cultivate and learn some other trade or craft. But for a beast, this lesser affinity itself was a great deal because mostmonly only rare or epic beasts possessed even this affinity. A spirit beast slightly fell short of this level. But now, Tang Yue was finally able to ovee this major hurdle! This might be a poor constitution for elves because they depended on different cultivation techniques to absorb mana from the air. However, for Tang Yue that was not the case. She was a beast! A beast only had to casually inhale to absorb and assimte mana in its body! She was a beast and she now had a superior affinity to mana akin to a higher being. She had easily broken the delicate bnce which existed in nature. Tang Yue closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled deeply, enjoying the surreal feeling of the tremendous gush of energy inside her body. Her veins, bones, muscles, and every single organ thrummed happily drowned by the sudden surplus of energy. She had barely taken a few deep breaths when another couple of notifications chimed in. Ding. Congrattions. Mana Constitution has been upgraded to Gold Mortal Core. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Concealment] ¨C Active skill, Host is able to mask and morph her presence, aura, and cultivation core. ¡°Waah! I only just upgraded the mana affinity and I already broke through to the next level. This is amazing.¡± Tang Yue hissed. She didn¡¯t pay much attention to the concealment skill which she just obtained because she was still in the mortal realm and her illusion magic would be very weak. Any concealment or hide or startle spell she casts wouldn¡¯tst longer than a few seconds. Hide or startle for a few seconds was still useful but concealment not so much. It was simr to disguising oneself and often required a prolonged time period. Tang Yue closed off all the notifications and paused awhile. She didn¡¯t immediately pop in her next bundle of meat. Binge eating and integrating useful beast bloodlines to her own bloodline was definitely the quickest way to improve her current power level. But it took a lot of time and rendered her unable to focus on other important things. Finishing a single low-grade beast bloodline alone took her about two to three days. Not to mention any mid-grade beast bloodline. She didn¡¯t even have an idea as to how many mid-grade beasts she would need toplete a mid-grade beast bloodline and entirely absorb it to her own. So she couldn¡¯t afford to purely rely on this for her preparations topete in the uing contest for thebyrinth exploration. More importantly, she needed a lot of gold and gems to purchase good pieces of equipment and other valuable items that could boost her strength doubly and triply. ¡°I would look like a fool if Ipete with just this mid-grade sword.¡± Tang Yue picked up and unsheathed the sword lying on the ground near her. The luster of the mid-grade sword was truly blinding. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but lick her lips as she recollected the immense power and strength of the sword. But she had a feeling that even this wouldn¡¯t be enough for the contest. She needed better armor and higher-grade weaponry. Tang Yue contemted for a while before retrieving all the sets of ingredients she had prepared for the Devil awakening pill. This was her only hope if any of acquiring enough resources to deck herself in high-grade and rare-grade items from top to bottom. Tang Yue patiently took out all the ingredients she needed for the pill form and the high-grade cauldron she had received during the alchemy examinations. She then studied the backbone of the form one more time. It was a fairly straightforward form, but it required a high level of mana maniption. And this was particrly difficult to someone like Tang Yue who was still a novice in the field of alchemy and hadn¡¯t really concocted any pills of her own. This would in fact be her first trial and error attempt, and would inevitably result in multiple failures. She however only had five sets of ingredients, which ced her in quite a predicament. ¡°Damn it, fatty!¡± She cursed Marvin and flickered her long forked tongue pondering what she could possibly do to improve her odds. But then, of course, Tang Yue instantly remembered the small ball of cheat that usually hovered around her. Since no one else was present here today, she was free to delegate her mana maniption duties to the sweet and deadly Little Plum. Tang Yue quickly got up and strolled around the Zither pce to locate the duo that were running around here and there. Little Plum had a much better sense of Tang Yue¡¯s presence and it quickly ditched the wolf cub as soon as it felt her aura nearby. The small wisp of fire instantly materialized near her, ready and eager to take orders, bobbing up and down. Tang Yue chuckled and then slowly mumbled. ¡°Do you want to help me concoct a pill?¡± Little Plum immediately sizzled and bobbed up and down even more vigorously. ¡°I guess that¡¯s a yes?¡± Tang Yue grinned some more and walked back to her main chamber. She had alreadyid out all the ingredients required and arranged the cauldron. She then spent quite a while discussing with the blob when and where she wanted the mana maniption and fireball bursts. It did feel weirdly one-sided since all herplex exnations merely received a small motion of bobbing up and down as a response. ¡°Hmm¡­ Hai Hai Little Plum, I wish you could speak! Can you even understand what I am exining?¡± She shook her head and chuckled, but Tang Yue was still convinced that this would be the most efficient way to seed. Even if she manages to get a semi-sessful pill with one set of ingredients, she would then be able to purchase a hundred set of ingredients for her to practice and learn. ¡°Ok here goes nothing.¡± Devil Awakening pill ¨C 2 X Spine flower; 3 X Hill Duck feathers; 10 X Dark lithe bloom¡­ Tang Yue took a deep breath and signaled to Little Plum, who quickly got down to business. The little ball conveniently ced itself near the bottom of the cauldron, directly beneath the outer surface. Tang Yue also had one of her hands ced on the cauldron to sense and adjust the heat as she desired. ¡°Step 1. 8 petals of the spine flower and then 8 petals of the spine flower again.¡± The snake muttered and quickly added the flower petals to the empty cauldron. The soft and fresh petals instantly burned to a crisp but did not emit a foul burnt odor because of the careful maniption of the temperature. The resultant white ash-like powder now coated the entire inner surface of the cauldron. ¡°Step 2. 3 Hill Duck feathers.¡± The three silver patterned feathers floated from the warm vapors hovering around the cauldron and eventually settled at the bottom. They were however not affected by the temperature since they were somewhat heat resistant. Tang Yue nodded and quickly added in the next ingredient the Dark lithe bloom leaves. Just like the flower petals, the leaves quicklybusted but released an acidic juice because of their unique characteristics. This burnt the stubborn feathers and a sizzling sound escaped the mouth of the cauldron. Tang Yue immediately signaled Little Plum who quickly adjusted the mes, allowing the sizzling sounds to onlyst for a few seconds. The two of them were in unbelievably perfect sync and smoothly proceeded to execute the various steps in the concoction process. Tang Yue could barely keep her excitement down. It almost looked like they were about to seed in the first try itself! Chapter 117: A new genius in the city Part2 Chapter 117: A new genius in the city Part2 Drip Drip Drop Beads of sweat clung on to Tang Yue¡¯s forehead, some rolling down and entering into her crescent eyes that were already bloodshot from tiredness and energy drain. The snake slightly winced at the difort. But her emerald eyes unblinkingly stared at the 3 pills on her hand. She had stayed up continuously for the past two days and tried her best to cook up a Devil Awakening pill. Her first two attempts had been utterly disastrous with the cauldron blowing up on her face. The only thing that was left behind was the soot covering her cheeks and the burnt smell emanating from her otherwise beautifully cascading curls on her right side. Thest three attempts were somewhat better, at least some sort of a pill was left behind. The first one was pitch ck in color emanating a terrifying aura. The second one was ckish purple in color but at least it didn¡¯t instill fear in the heart like the first one. Thest one as well, was a dark purple in color, but half of the pill was clear and translucent. Failures! They were all failures! A sessful Devil Awakening Pill was described to bepletely translucent in color and emanating a calm and neutral vibe. So the three pills which Tang Yue and Little Plum had concocted in their first session were all failures. Tang Yue had vastly underestimated the ancient art of alchemy and the difficulty in concocting a pill. And since this was a matter of the mind and the brain, she didn¡¯t dare to test out these weird looking failed pills, especially the first one that looked terrifying. It might really just end up pushing one¡¯s brain to the realm of craziness and break the brainpletely. Tang Yue carefully put away her three failed pills in her space pearl and stood up hissing. ¡°Damn it.¡± Now all her ingredients were used up and she didn¡¯t have a single thing to show for. And the worst part was¡­ she was so close to finally making a sessful one! She just probably needed one or utmost two more tries! ¡°Ah. Where should I get more funds from?¡± The scheming snake rubbed her chin and pondered. At least if Charlotte was still living right next to her, she could have easily ckmailed her or threatened her in one way or another and grabbed some money from the arrogant elf. But now, after the recent events, she was scared to even appear in front of the elf. ¡°She witnessed that dastardly kissing scene real up close and personal. So she wouldn¡¯t probably hesitate to kill me on sight.¡± Tang Yue mumbled and paced back and forth, wondering what to do next. After thinking for a while, she clenched her fists and made up her mind. ¡°Argh. Fine. I am going to start a tab under that asshole¡¯s name. He dared to kiss me! He needs to pay for it!¡± She stomped angrily and prepared to head out. She was in a foul mood that couldn¡¯t be made any worse. Or at least that¡¯s what she thought. But right when she opened her main gates and stepped out, an even more vexing face stared at her, appearing suddenly out of nowhere! ¡°Lazy bitch! What do you think of yourself? You dare make me wait outside your doors this long?¡± A shrill voice sounded, spraying saliva all over Tang Yue¡¯s face. ¡°And here I thought you would have at least used this opportunity to crawl into your husband¡¯s bed and made something out of yourself!¡± ¡°But No! Even here you were still useless and managed to get yourself kicked out of the royal pce huh?¡± ¡°How are you not dead yet? Did you sleep around in the pce and beg for your life?¡± ¡°Is that why you got kicked out?¡± ¡°Hmph. A useless trash will always be a trash!¡± ¡°Have you no shame? You useless good for nothing!¡± ¡°Move over. Fucking trash. Don¡¯t show your ugly face in front of me again.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched. Her tired eyes trembled. Why in the name of hell was this witch here?? Her mind was spinning. Standing in front of Tang Yue and shoving her aside with her thick pudgy arms was Tang Zuelo, Tang Yue¡¯s beloved step mother. ¡°Sorry, your highness.¡± Lotte bowed his head and trembled. The poor elf was scared senseless from the woman¡¯s words and actions. He couldn¡¯t let her in because of Tang Yue¡¯s specific instructions and now because of him, Tang Yue was getting shouted at. So he felt very bad thinking that because of him Tang Yue was in trouble. However, Tang Yue only casually waved her hand and dismissed Lotte. She then silently stepped aside. She knew better than to talk back to her step mother. Tang Zuelo was rather terrifying! She was the rudest and uncouth personality she had evere across. Conversing with her was akin to trying to rationally talk to a mad rabid barking bristle wolf! Once she got going with her praises she waspletely unstoppable! The woman had a mouth more poisonous than Tang Yue¡¯s upgraded venom! As Tang Yue stepped aside, she finally noticed the other person standing behind her loud mouthed step mother, her first step sister, Tang Xi. ¡°Greetings sister. How have you beentely? We have all missed you very much.¡± Tang Xi smiled and mumbled sweetly. Her small face and cute expression made her look extremely adorable. If Tang Yue could be considered as a seductive and sensual temptress, Tang Xi was a pure and gentle goddess. Though both of them were from the serpentine n, one looked evil, while the other looked pure and kind as the fresh snow on a winter morning. Moreover, her character also matched her gentle appearance. Tang Xi was famous for being soft and sweet, having only ever said nice, polite, and warm words to others. She was famous in the serpentinends for being a kind and gentle sweetheart. She was always very helpful to everyone, despite being a royal princess. And this was despite her being ruthless and extremely powerful swordsmanship. Tang Xi was a born genius when it came tobat. Even the Serpentine Emperor¡¯s first son, the Crown Prince¡¯s talents paled inparison with herbat talents. But despite her kind and gentle appearance, Tang Yue always stayed away from this sister of hers. For some reason, even from her childhood, she had been always wary of her. Despite all her goodness and kindness, there was something about her, that just quite didn¡¯t sit well with Tang Yue. A dark and murky hidden facade. ¡°Hello, hello. Sister, are you okay?¡± Tang Xi smiled like a child and asked again since she didn¡¯t get any reply back the first time. Tang Yue absent-mindedly nodded. She couldn¡¯t care less about ying along with this white lotus in front of her. Since only this particr sister of hers had apanied her loud mouthed step mother, Tang Yue could instantly guess what the duo were up to and why they showed up here unannounced. ¡°Hmph. What a rude person! Your sister is asking you how you are doing! Are you deaf?¡± Tang Zuelo fumed. ¡°Stop talking with that useless trash Xiao Xi. Get in here and take some rest.¡± ¡°You need to properly prepare yourself for the next few days. This is a big week for you. Don¡¯t waste time chatting with that good for nothing nonsense.¡± Tang Zuelo barked loudly and dragged Tang Xi inside the Zither pce, shutting the door on Tang Yue¡¯s face. ¡°Stay somewhere else. Don¡¯te here and bother us.¡± ¡°Useless bitch! Couldn¡¯t even manage to stay within the royal pce. Now we have to suffer in this god awful ce!¡± Even through the thick oak wood doors, Tang Yue could still hear the shrill voice of her step mother. The woman had walked in like a storm and daringly pushed her out of her own house. And Tang Yue was penniless and homeless again! Standing next to her, both Lotte and Little Blue stared at her worried and confused. They were still trying toprehend what just happened. But unexpectedly, Tang Yue let out a loud sigh before proceeding to chuckle like a maniac. ¡°When it rains, it pours!¡± She muttered. Her resolve to participate and win in this contest silently throbbed. Talking back to this dumb useless woman wouldn¡¯t bring any good, but beating her treasured genius daughter in directbat would sure feel good! Tang Yue clenched her fists and turned towards Lotte. ¡°Rent us a room in an inn, a preferably high-tier inn with a heavy emphasis on privacy.¡± Lotte nodded and hurried over to take care of the necessary arrangements. Tang Yue as well, hurried over to the familiar shop. She was going to borrow some herbs from the alchemy stall in the market and she was going to do so under that mad man¡¯s name. Chapter 118: A new genius in the city Part3 Chapter 118: A new genius in the city Part3 ¡°Your highness, will this really be okay?¡± Lotte worriedly asked. Standing next to him, Tang Yue was shamelessly using the Crown¡¯s name left and right to purchase the necessary ingredients from multiple shops. She simply waved her hand at Lotte and dismissed the nervous elf¡¯s very justified concerns. ¡°Drastic times required drastic measures.¡± She mouthed silently and retreated back to the inn for the night after finishing all her preparations. Tang Yue wanted to immediately start back her pill concoction trials so that she didn¡¯t forget the form¡¯s impression on her mind and body. The inn was quite small but the facilities were top notch. Tang Yue was able to quickly enter her meditative state and focus her mind on the cauldron in front of her without any disturbances. Little Plum also buzzed about excitedly having had a chance to refresh and refill its energy reserves. Though the wisp of fire also consumed mana, it didn¡¯t possess a core like the mortals of the world. Tang Yue was very curious about the little thing¡¯s history, background, and life cycle but unfortunately, the extent of theirmunication was still very simple and straightforward. So Tang Yue didn¡¯t have a chance yet to know more about Little Plum. After arranging everything and making sure that all the ingredients were preprocessed and in order, Tang Yue signaled Little Plum and started the concoction process. Their previous experiences were not in vain and the duo quickly entered into a perfect synchronized state. This time around Tang Yue had gone slightly overboard and prepared a total of fifteen sets of ingredients so that they would have a few more practice runs. Besides, thest time they tried doing this, they were almost close to a perfect diluted version of the Devil Awakening pill. So Tang Yue was quite confident in her actions, her hands, and motions flowing smoothly like an experienced alchemist. If anyone outside saw this, they would cry buckets of blood and bang their heads against a wall. It typically took years and years of training to achieve a state simr to Tang Yue¡¯s currentfort level. But the snake was already here. Not because she was a genius but because she has an unfair otherworldly advantage. Tang Yue had casually delegated the most important and difficult part of the concoction process to the buzzing little blob of fire. Without this difficulty holding her back, all her other movements became free and much less constrained. Within a small span of three hours, the duo had already finished their first concoction trial. Tang Yue¡¯s heart thumped like a maniac as she peeked into the sizzling cauldron and cleared away the leftover dregs and debris. Slowly by slowly, her blood began to boil in excitement. And lo and behold! At the bottom of the cauldron, in the midst of the unwanted sludge, a crisp and defined pellet shone splendidly. It had the desired translucent nature and a sweet aroma attached to it as per the description mentioned in the system¡¯s pill form. This was a sessful pill! A sessful, albeit a kiddy version of the Devil Awakening pill which only a Grandmaster is rumored to be able to concoct. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes glistened with frenzy. She picked up the translucent Devil Awakening pill with several emotions swirling within her mind. It was not that long ago when she had been a useless trash who was being sold off to a foreign territory. It was not that long ago when she struggled and writhed in pain hanging at the doorstep of life and death. And it was really not that long ago when she had gobbled up buckets after buckets of useless dregs and leftover waste just to utilize that small chance of improving herself. And now she had actually concocted a pill of her own tonight! For all means and purposes, she was actually a legitimate alchemist starting tonight. Tang Yue grinned in satisfaction. She pulled the innocent-looking Little Blue who was sitting by her side and quietly staring at her and hugged the pup tightly. It was not like she could hug Little Plum! So the fortunate or rather unfortunate wolf pup got all the love and affection in form of a very tight hug. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Next pill! Come to mommy!!¡± Tang Yue chuckled like a maniac and quickly busied herself again. Pills and potions were typically auctioned out every day in the royal auction association, which was exclusively present in the capital city of the Eldorian Empire. So Tang Yue and Little Plum worked around the clock, staying up the entire night and burning the midnight oil. The first pill was sessful, the second one was slightly off, and the third one was again sessful. Curse words and maniacalughter ordingly alternated and reverberated in that small inn room. By the time the first rays of the warm morning sunlight flickered through the windows of the inn, Tang Yue had a total of 4 sessful small beady translucent pills ced in 4 different crystal vials. These were special crystal vials that could preserve the efficacy of the pills inside and had cost quite a bit. Well, maybe to others, but for someone who was daringly adding things to the tab under the Crown¡¯s name, it was just one more ingredient in the long list of ingredients. Tang Yue wearily blinked her eyes and leaned on the mattress to rest a while. She also dismissed Little Plum and closed her eyes, the wide grin on her face still remaining. She had in her hands now 4 sessful Devil Awakening pills! 4 PILLS! Tang Yue quickly fell asleep thinking about and drooling over the amount of gold and gems she was going to rake in the next day. The excitement and high from the sessful pill concoctions had finally run out and tiredness overcame her. She managed to only stir awakete in the noon when the Sun was already hung high and scorchingly bright. The snake quickly washed herself up and cleaned her appearance a bit before heading out quickly to the auction house. It was going to rain gold coins and gems on her today! Just like the pills carefully tucked inside her robe, the smile on her seductive pale blue face was also blinding. Tang Yue hopped and skipped and reached the auction house, followed by a bewildered Lotte. The poor guy couldprehend that the princess, who was a newbie in the field of alchemy, had concocted something overnight and was incredibly hyped up about it. But was it really something worthy enough to be sold at the auction house? He didn¡¯t think so. Only very valuable items were sessfully traded in the auction house. For other things, it was rather cheaper to purchase them wholesale in the retail stores in the market. Nobody would even nce twice at these cheap and low-grade items, no matter how many times the auctioneer mouthed their name. This was inevitably going to only end in humiliation and disappointment for the princess. So Lotte really considered talking to her about this. After all, the princess was not originally from the elvennds and she might still not be used to the life and the way things worked here. But at the same time, he didn¡¯t have the heart to break the news to the princess. She just seemed extremely excited and ted about this. Lotte stammered and stuttered and tried to bring it up a couple of times but Tang Yue had shushed him both times. At this point, he could only sigh and see what happens and help her with the aftermath. In the auction house, it was amon practice for the sellers to hide their identity and send in their wares under the anonymous category, especially if the items were expensive. Even if uwful fighting and robbery inside the settlement were prohibited under thew, the people were still free to hurt and rob the rich party once they stepped out of the settlement boundaries. So not many people dared to sell their wares as is. They at least made an effort to use ayer or two of buffers to hide their original identity. Only the strong and powerful dared to be so tantly indifferent. The previous night Tang Yue had also contemted a lot about this particr issue before falling asleep. But then she thought of something. Even if she dared to say that she had personally concocted these pills, nobody would ever believe her. The extent of the prejudice against the spirit beasts ran wide and deep in the society. So most probably she didn¡¯t even have to bother disguising herself or using a ridiculous cover like someone anonymous had passed these pills onto her for selling. She didn¡¯t have to bother doing it because it would be automatically assumed. So Tang Yue merely smirked and straightforwardly wandered into the humungous auction house building. The crowd around her instantly thinned. Almost everyone she came across was a noble or a powerfulbat expert. Tang Yue¡¯s body slightly shivered in both excitement and anxiety in the presence of such unbridled raw violent auras. Chapter 119: A new genius in the city Part4 Chapter 119: A new genius in the city Part4 ¡°Please state your business.¡± The auction manager sitting at the corresponding counter busily mouthed the words without sparing a second nce towards Tang Yue. She had only donned on her normal robes without any of the royal regalias. So the other party probably did not recognize her with a single look. ¡°Set up these 4 pills for auction. Devil awakening pills.¡± Tang Yue casually muttered. She was still busily looking around here and there, enjoying the hush hush vibe in the auction house. Everyone looked very important and in a hurry. They almost seemed as if they were up to something. Tang Yue was actually not wrong in thinking this way because everyone was in fact up to something. By now the news had spread far and wide and even the royal verdict was announced regarding the ancientbyrinth and special contest for it. The entire Empire was preparing for this uing contest and for the chance to enter thebyrinth rumored to be a heavenly treasure trove. So the current crowd in the auction house was somewhat bigger and wealthier than any other typical day. ¡°Set up these 4 pills for auction. Devil awakening pills.¡± Tang Yue reiterated again, slightly impatient to get things rolling. ¡°Hmm. I heard it. I heard it. Hold your horses.¡± The auction manager elf absent-mindedly replied but then he suddenly froze. ¡°Did¡­ Did you just say Devil Awakening pill? And that too 4 of them?¡± He put down the parchments in his hands and immediately looked up at Tang Yue, his thin elongated eyes bulging far and wide. What was a Devil Awakening pill? How could it even appear in the open market like this? He just couldn¡¯t believe the words that he was hearing in his ears. He even subconsciously pinched his forearm to make sure that he was not once again dreaming about some beautiful beast girl. ¡°Sure. Sure. Give me. I can help you with that.¡± The elf eagerly stood up and leaned forward to ept the four individual vials. His eyes sparkled as he quickly forgot the beauty who handed him the vials and looked at the pills with greed and worship. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough. Are you nning to register these any time soon?¡± Tang Yue awkwardly cleared her throat and reminded the elf, who seemed to bepletely lost in his world looking at the translucent pills in awe. ¡°Yes, Yes. Sorry.¡± The elf bowed a few times in apology and continued with the required procedures. Lotte who had a simr expression to that of the elf still stood frozen. Did the princess just say Devil Awakening pill? He took a deep breath and gulped down his nervousness. His master was simply too good at wreaking havoc and brewingmotions! Wherever she went, trouble followed and now she had unexpectedly started a new riot in the name of Devil Awakening pills! ¡°Princess¡­ Princess¡­ Your highness¡± Lotte called after and ran behind Tang Yue, who had already started walking towards the main auditorium. Just from gauging the auction manager¡¯s reactions, she couldn¡¯t wait to see what happens in the auction! Pill auctions were typically held in the southern auditorium, so Tang Yue hurried over to that area. The auctions usually began around early noon andsted tillte dusk, with the auctioneer announcing the items one by one in the order in which they were submitted. So both the buyer and the vendor typically spent their entire day here in the auditoriums. In fact, several noble families steadily had a pce aide nted in the different auditoriums as a lookout for the appearance of special items. Tang Yue looked around the gigantic space filled with different races and picked a spot close to the back of the auditorium near the exit. All the big shots were seated in the front rows and she eagerly waited to observe the reaction of these guys when her product was called out. ¡°Make me rich. Make me rich.¡± She muttered and sat down, wearing a greedy smug grin on her enchanting face, making her look even more seductive and naughty. Her pillowy lips glistened in the dim light inside the auditorium as she licked her lips and hummed a tune, waiting patiently. One by one various items were announced and Tang Yue curiously observed everything. There were even several high-grade pills that were auctioned. There was one particr pill that caught Tang Yue¡¯s attention, the soul searing pill. It helps boost one¡¯s soul strength and is made from the rareher touched flowers. ¡°This could really help my pathetic soul strength.¡± Tang Yue made a mental note and continued observing. Since she currently didn¡¯t have any money in her hands, this was all that she could do for now. The Soul Searing pill that she wanted, ended up going for a whopping 500 gems! How expensive! Tang Yue licked her lips in anticipation and narrowed her emerald eyes to see who was purchasing it when suddenly two familiar figures walked over to her and sat down adjacent to her, nking her on the right and the left. ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Who do we have here?¡± An old and mealy voice sounded, almost as annoying as the system¡¯s voice. Master Dranuk had spotted Tang Yue even from a distance and of course, as luck would have it, Marvin was standing right next to him. The both of them grinned with hidden meaning in their nces and casually walked over to Tang Yue. Marvin who was initially mortified by Xander¡¯s response had now somewhat calmed down. After that unexpectedughter, he hadn¡¯t heard anything about that episode at all. So he thanked his lucky stars and just like that swept it under the carpet without blowing up things any further. He had always been on the edge unable to decide if Tang Yue was important or unimportant to the Crown Prince, but this incident made things very clear to him. The bitch couldn¡¯t be any less important to that monster! So he decided to more or less deal with her on his own, rather than bringing this trivial matter to that entric ruthless monster. Who knows how he will react to what?! Marvin as well was pleasantly surprised to find Tang Yue here. This was thest ce someone like her, useless and poor, had any business being in. Both the perverts grinned and immediately walked over to their unlucky target. They had actuallye here for something far more important, but that didn¡¯t mean that they couldn¡¯t have some fun while attending to the important thing. Ugh? Huh? Tang Yue pulled up one end of her lips and nonchntly nodded to Dranuk¡¯s lecherous smile. Can¡¯t I have one day in peace? One day to enjoy the fruits of mybor? She sighed inwardly. But then she turned towards her other side and noticed Marvin. Her mood instantly brightened up! There was still one p remaining to get that beast contract and the prey had once again willingly volunteered and walked over all by himself. Tang Yue did not even give him a chance to say anything or sit downpletely. Without wasting any time, she abruptly stood up and shouted making her voice particrly shrill and loud. Ahhhhh! Immediately several heads turned towards their side. Tang Yue covered her mouth with her one hand and used the other hand tond a fast and tight p on Marvin¡¯s chubby cheeks. WHAT THE FUCK! AGAIN? Marvin trembled as the rage inside him bubbled up like an active volcano. ¡°Crazy bitch. Why are you acting like this?¡± Marvin yelled out in shock and surprise, unable to control himself. Tang Yue had an extremely pitiful appearance. Even tears had popped up in her eyes, making her look even more fragile and delicate. She didn¡¯t even bother answering him and quickly ran over and sat down in a seat couple of rows ahead. She repeatedly rubbed her eyes and sobbed and sniffled to herself. When a few elves sitting in the next seats curiously enquired, she nodded her head and muttered something inconspicuous as if she was deeply affected and couldn¡¯t manage to get any words out. Seeing that she was not up to sharing what happened, everyone left her alone and focussed back on the front stage where the auctions were currently being held. ¡°I will kill this bitch today.¡± Unable to watch her dramatic antics any longer, Marvin jumped up in anger. ¡°Patience. Patience. Young Master Marvin. Too many eyes are here. Let¡¯s not act rashly.¡± Dranuk forcefully pulled him back and calmed him down. Even he was surprised by Tang Yue¡¯s action. They hadn¡¯t even begun the demeaning and lewd verbal onught they had prepared for her and Tang Yue had already reacted! Since it didn¡¯t exactly happen to him, he even found it a little funny. What a useless fatso! He couldn¡¯t even block a weaklings p? Dranuk chuckled inwardly and pacified the angry young man fuming next to him. It was not that Marvin was not strong enough to react, but who in the right mind would think that something like this will happen? Why will anyone p someone else in the middle of an auction house for absolutely no reason whatsoever? Chapter 120: A new genius in the city Part5 Chapter 120: A new genius in the city Part5 ¡°Fucking crazy bitch!¡± Marvin repeatedly cursed the damned snake and eyed her with extreme hostility. He would look away, take a few deep breaths, try to calm himself down, but then his eyes would again disobey him circling back to the snake and raising his temper. Dranuk however, calmly sat next to him and mumbled. ¡°Not now, young master. Not now. We havee here for something far more important.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s keep our eyes on the price. Surely that bitch will fall into our hands sooner orter.¡± ¡°But why did she p you suddenly? Did you really molest her in the market ce? Ha Ha.¡± ¡°It must have felt good to y with that scrumptious figure of hers.¡± Dranuk chuckled and asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Marvin slowly turned around and gave the old elf a death re. If he had actually done something like that, then at least he would have somewhat understood, epted, and maybe even enjoyed these ps. But this crazy bitch had pped him repeatedly for no reason at all! And she even dared to do it today!! What the hell? Was she nning on pping him every time she saw him? What did I even do? Marvin harrumphed and remained silent, unwilling to answer the old elf¡¯s question and lose his respect further. ¡°Ohkay. Okay. I won¡¯t ask anymore.¡± Dranuk gestured with his hands, and quickly changed the subject. ¡°Let¡¯s discuss more important things. How many funds have you prepared in advance?¡± Marvin¡¯s expression turned softer and his earlier pride even partially returned. ¡°Heh. There is no one here who canpete with me.¡± ¡°Ever since I sessfully obtained the affinity to fire elemental, father¡¯s opinion and actions towards me has drastically changed.¡± ¡°I can even go toe to toe with any of the big ns of the nine nations.¡± Marvin proudly dered. ¡°That is good. Very good indeed. Today we will definitely face a lot ofpetition.¡± ¡°It is not often that a treasured pill like this surfaces in the auction house.¡± Dranuk groomed his beard and nodded solemnly with a serious expression. ¡°But what I don¡¯t understand is, who concocted this pill?¡± ¡°It takes two entire lunar cycles to concoct a batch of this pill.¡± ¡°More importantly, only a grandmaster could even achieve such a feat.¡± ¡°And that too they would only waste time on something like this either for personal use or for a high-level expert¡¯s breakthrough.¡± ¡°Thest time Crown Prince Xander had concocted this pill, he used it for his own mental tempering and achieved a breakthrough.¡± Marvin seriously nodded in response. He too waspletely taken aback by this unexpected urrence. ¡°I am also curious about this. I personally investigated.¡± He slowly mumbled. ¡°None of the grandmasters in the Eldorian Empire have crafted this pill.¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± Dranuk nodded. He had guessed as much. ¡°So who is this pill from?¡± He loudly pondered. ¡°Who in the name of heavens dared to concoct this monstrous pill and that too not for personal use, but for putting it up on the auction house!¡± ¡°Tsk. Tsk. I agree.¡± Marvin indignantly mumbled. ¡°What a crazy bastard! Casually throwing away a Devil Awakening pill for a mere bucketload of gems?¡± He shook his head in disappointment. While these two cursed and gossiped loudly, simr conversations were taking ce all over the enormous auction house auditorium. No one was able to digest the fact that a Devil Awakening pill had casually surfaced on the auction house. Treasured pills like this were only either auctioned on special asions or exchanged behind the scenes with an equally treasured item. No one would walk into the auction house and trivially submit it as just another item for the daily auction schedule. It just didn¡¯t make sense and everyone was confused. More importantly, everyone hade to the same conclusion as Marvin did and was curious to learn who this new genius was. They could only console themselves that at least the auction managers had the good sense to postpone the item¡¯s auction to the end of the day and allow time for the news to spread. As the day slowly ticked away, more and more elves, dwarves, and fairies started trickling into the auction house. Even the royal Generals from the Crown¡¯s private army had started to arrive. At this point, Tang Yue slightly started feeling nervous. She couldn¡¯t help but shiver in the presence of these mighty monsters. ¡°Why is my item not out yet?¡± She wondered. Till now, she had been busy messing around with the system and studying the beast contract that was rewarded after the three ¡®bitch¡¯ ps. But after seeing more and more people enter in and the crowd in the auction house suddenly skyrocket, she could sense that something was off. ¡°Is a rare grade item or epic grade item going to be auctioned today?¡± ¡°Hmm. What pill could it be?¡± Tang Yue pondered, without realizing the chaos she had unwittingly caused. Because just like Lotte had feared, she still didn¡¯t have enough knowledge and experience about how things worked in the elvennds. But unlike he had assumed, she didn¡¯t overestimate the worth of her pills, rather she had underestimated them. And the icing on this cake was that no one yet knew the true potential of her special Devil Awakening pill! This was a kiddie version! Something that most people could consume, train their minds with, and not suffer a life-ending bacsh from the side effects of the pill or in case of a failure to conquer their inner demons. And they could even pop in a second pill and try again to achieve sess! This pill that Tang Yue had put up for auction was aplete game changer! With this everyone could train their mental strength easily. But Tang Yue was neither from an alchemy family background nor did she possess much experience in using different pills, dealing with auction house trading, and so on. So she hadmitted this blunder of casually auctioning apletely unheard of miraculous version of the Devil Awakening pill. Soon the dusk neared and the entire auction house was brimming with big shots or their representatives. Every major n in the nine nations had sent over a representative at least. ¡°Did they forget about my pill?¡± Tang Yue chewed on her nails in nervousness. She could distinctly feel Marvin¡¯s death re on her back and wanted to leave this ce as fast as she could but unfortunately, her pill was still not up on the auctioning block yet. Tang Yue looked around here and there trying to figure out what was happening. All the seats in the enormous auditorium were upied and she waspletely surrounded by random people. She turned towards the elf sitting beside her and cautiously asked. ¡°What is happening?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The elf snorted and gave her a condescending nce. ¡°Why are you sitting here without even knowing what¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°You better get out. There is a crowd waiting outside trying to get in.¡± The elf next to him also turned around and chimed. ¡°Heh. Do you even have the money to take part in this snake? Get out if you know what¡¯s good for you.¡± Ah, there it is! The famed elven arrogance! Tang Yue chuckled helplessly. I really should have worn my royal robe before stepping out. She ignored the nasty racistments, cleared her throat, and tried asking again. ¡°Is there any special pill about to be auctioned?¡± ¡°Tch. Tch. Will you stop bothering me? Yes, a Devil Awakening pill is about to be auctioned. What are you going to do about it?¡± ¡°Just get out snake. Don¡¯t pester others.¡± ¡°A¡­A Devil awakening pill?¡± Tang Yue stuttered in shock and rm. This¡­ All of this¡­ Did I cause this?? Fuckkkkk! Her brain exploded. ¡°Yes, yes. A devil awakening pill. Something that you can¡¯t afford even in your wildest dreams. Now get out.¡± The elf annoyedly mouthed. Ah~ Tang Yue was too terrified to respond to the condescending asshole. Her mind was rather focused on how she was going to get out of this predicament now. These many people! No, these many experts! Fuckkk! The snake started sweating profusely. I should have done some market research before selling it randomly like an idiot. She repeatedly cursed her stupidity. She knew that it was a top tier pill, which was why she had brought it into the auction house and not just another pill shop. But who knew it could cause this much of a stir??! Without wasting another second, Tang Yue quickly got up and weaved through the gathered crowd to step outside the auditorium. Even outside there were a lot of people loitering around waiting patiently for the auctioning to start. Tang Yue¡¯s heart weakened with every step she took. What shitty luck is this? I do one thing and get into this much trouble. She hurried her nervous legs and rushed to the counter near the entrance of the auction association. She ran towards the same auction manager and panted her words,pletely out of breath. ¡°Huff. Huff. Can I¡­ Can I take back my pills?¡± Chapter 121: Nooooooooooo Part1 Chapter 121: Nooooooooooo Part1 Tang Yue hurriedly ran over to the auction manager and panted her words,pletely out of breath. ¡°Huff. Huff. Can I¡­ Can I take back my pills?¡± The elf looked up and had a weird smile on his face. Of course, he clearly remembered who she was. But the man all butughed out loud. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked, not in the least sympathetic to her plight. Tang Yue could only manage to squeeze out a bitter smile. ¡°I changed my mind. I don¡¯t want to sell these anymore.¡± The elf chuckled and squinted his eyes. ¡°Tell me the truth snake. Did you steal these from someone?¡± Huh? Tang Yue sighed. This conversation was clearly heading in a different direction. ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to you, does it?¡± She was slightly irritated with the elven attitude and responded curtly. ¡°Are you or are you not able to return my pills?¡± ¡°Ha Ha Ha. Hold your horses. What are you getting angry for?¡± The middle-aged elf adjusted his robe and casually waved his hand. ¡°Returning your pills at this point is impossible. The auction has already been scheduled and as you can see, everyone has arrived.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s small face fell. This was over. She waspletely done for. But the auction manager was not done talking. ¡°How about this? I see that you are currently auctioning these items under the anonymous category.¡± ¡°If you can possibly give us the details about the grandmaster or the cauldron alchemist who concocted this, I might be able to talk to the authorities and get back 2 of the 4 pills that are set to be auctioned off.¡± The elf grinned, shing his teeth magnanimously. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but roll her eyes at the deceitful bastard. She had indeed done a dumb thing, but that didn¡¯t mean she was downright foolish. If she actually gives the details, first of all, they won¡¯t believe her. Moreover, she doubted if they would even return the pills. This elf was just trying to scam her into giving out more details about the pill so that he could separately sell out that information. For instance, if a cauldron alchemist had managed to concoct this, then that particr person was not too far from a breakthrough into a grandmaster alchemist and several sects would be interested in currying favors with the person before they be too big for their approach. Tang Yue resolutely shook her head in disapproval. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Just go ahead and auction these. Once the auctioning is over, I collect my money here?¡± She asked, resigning to her fate. Clearly, her peaceful days of staying under the radar havee to an end. Things have already gone this far. At this point, she had no other option but to simply see it through and face the music. At least when doing so, she will be rich. ¡°No. Not necessary. Do you still have the jade slip I gave you as a token? The money will be automatically transferred there.¡± ¡°There is a rune on the jade slip that stores all the gold coins and gems. You can summon it and take it out as and when you please.¡± ¡°But once you summon it out, you can¡¯t send it back in. The rune will also fade away after all the money in the jade slip has been used up.¡± Tang Yue nodded. At least this part was more convenient to her. She finally understood how the auction house ensured the anonymity of its customers. She could now go back to the inn or mingle with the crowd or go deep into the forests and no one would be any wiser about who had auctioned the Devil Awakening pills. Well, at least this is what was supposed to happen in an ideal case scenario. But she knew that things were never this easy¡­ Tang Yue sighed and walked away from the entrance. She decided to head back into the southern auditorium to the pill auctioning quarters. At this point everything was any way out of her hands, so she might as well enjoy the auctioning process and see how much her pills sell for! By now, the entire auditorium was filled to the brim and she could only stand outside peeking in from the side. And as luck would have it, another couple of snakes stood right in front of her just a few inches away. Tang Zuelo shoved the elves standing around her and tried to weave through the crowd, but was helplessly pushed back again. She was in fact wearing the royal serpentine insignia but there was little to no respect for it. No one cared that she was from the serpentine royal family and this infuriated Tang Zuelo even more. And as she turned around here and there in frustration, she immediately noticed Tang Yue. ¡°What are you doing here? You useless thing!!¡± ¡°See, how we are being treated. This is all because of you.¡± ¡°Ptui. Can¡¯t even manage to spread your legs and please a man! What are you then good for?¡± ¡°Because of trash like you crowding this ce, I can¡¯t even get in.¡± ¡°What are you doing here? You can¡¯t even afford to buy scrap from this ce! Trash!¡± Tang Zuelo started loudly shouting. She couldn¡¯t care less about the people standing around them and let her uncouth loudmouth loose. Several heads turned towards them and gave weird stares filled with disdain and contempt. What pedestrian behavior! Standing next to Tang Zuelo, Tang Xi silently stared at Tang Yue with a warm and gentle smile as if none of this had anything to do with her. She didn¡¯t even bother to put up an act like she was trying to reason andfort her agitated mother. Usually, Tang Yue would have walked away and ignored this nonsensical duo but today she was already at her limits. So she scoffed angrily and spoke a few cutting words back to her rabid stepmother. ¡°If I a beggar, then what are you? Are you saying you can afford to buy something from here? Oh please, don¡¯t make meugh.¡± ¡°What did you say? You disrespectful brat! Is this how you talk to your mother?¡± Tang Zuelo shouted back. Instantly, several gasps echoed around them. These two were mother and daughter? What a poisonous pair! Unfortunately, Tang Yue felt more shame than her thick-skinned stepmother and she didn¡¯t want to draw more attention to herself by engaging the rabid woman. So she quickly slipped away and moved over to another spot, free of any blue-skinned beings. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help herself and chuckled lightly. How would her beloved stepmother feel if she came to know that she, the famous trash, had actually concocted the pill? The pill which she could only even catch a glimpse of by standing outside and waiting patiently like a beggar? Tang Yue smiled and focused back on the center stage, where the pill auction was almost about to begin. As a beast and as someone with a Silver Mortal Body, her eyesight and hearing were good enough to observe and hear everything clearly from this distance. A somewhat short and lean elf soon walked over to the stage holding a golden tter in his hands. The tter contained the four vials which Tang Yue had submitted for auction. Immediately the entire auditorium quieted down and waited for the demonstration. It wasmon practice to scrap a pill slightly and demonstrate its efficacy before auctioning off the pill. The short elf who was the auctioneer blew his whistle and called for an orc association worker toe over to the stage. Orcs had a very strong constitution and a highly sturdy body and were able to withstand these sorts of demonstrations. So the auction house permanently had a few orcs employed for these sort of things. The tall and sturdy orc strutted forward and stood next to the short and lean auctioneer, looking especially strong. The auctioneer simply nodded and bellowed. ¡°Devil Awakening Pill. The pill description states that the pill¡¯s efficacy has been adjusted and the threat to life has been neutralized.¡± ¡°The pill has also passed the auction house¡¯s validity test. The demonstration is now about to begin.¡± Immediately a loud murmur started spreading among the audience. ¡°The pill efficacy has been adjusted? Ahh! This is big news!¡± ¡°Which genius came up with this form? He is even generously auctioning it off?¡± ¡°We need to get this pill at all costs! Once we have the pill, we can easily work backward to the form!¡± ¡°Did you hear? There is not one but four pills! We can definitely get the form by analyzing four pills!¡± ¡°Oh my god! This is big news! Whichever sect gets this will immediately rise up head and shoulders above the others!¡± ¡°Just imagine how strong we would be if all our n members sessfully break through and train mental strength!¡± The crowd was going livid with excitement, except, of course, a single snake. With every passing second, the number of butterflies in Tang Yue¡¯s slender stomach was steadily increasing. She gulped down her nervousness and looked forward with her eyes glued onto the stage. Chapter 122: Nooooooooooo Part2 Chapter 122: Nooooooooooo Part2 Amidst the moring crowd, the auctioneer calmly opened up one of the four vials and used his wind magic to slowly lift the pill without actually touching it. The pill floated out of the vial and into the air, hovering mid-air. The auctioneer then materialized a sharp de made purely of wind energy and flicked his fingers to slice a thin almost invisibleyer of the pill. The slice or rather powdery mass then floated towards the orc and he quickly swallowed it. He then took out another potion from his robe and swallowed that as well. This specific potion was a buffer potion that was typically used in the auction house to magnify the effects of the pill. The effect however onlysted for afew seconds. But these few seconds were more than enough to demonstrate the efficacy of the pill. As soon as the orc swallowed the pill, followed by the potion, his eyes turned white and he started vigorously shaking and shivering. Gasp. Everyone collectively swallowed their saliva. This was the Devil Awakening pill indeed! The only pill that can summon your inner demons hidden deep inside your heart and shove you into the realm of nightmarish madness. Only a few survived this nightmarish realm, where the mind is bent, broken andpletely taken apart. 1 second passed. 2 seconds passed¡­ Time moved very slowly as everyone watched the orc¡¯s reactions in awe. After five whole seconds, the orc finally stopped shivering. Color returned to his eyes and cheeks and the man was able toe back to reality. Again everyone murmured and started discussing amongst themselves. If this was a true Devil Awakening pill, the orc by now would be bleeding from all his orifices and lying down on the floor twitching and trembling in pain. But this pill clearly did not have those effects. The auctioneer nodded in satisfaction. The demonstration part was now done. The bidding followed. He sent the orc back and calmly spoke after clearing his throat. ¡°Modified Devil Awakening Pill. Starting value 100 gems.¡± Tang Yue gulped. 100 gems! What a huge number! Her emerald eyes shone with a glint as she clicked her tongue and waited for the bidding war to begin. 150 gems! 200 gems! 300 gems! The crowd instantly started shouting out numbers, each voice louder than the previous one. But these were all still small fries. The big shots hadn¡¯t made a move yet and silently watched on. After an entire minute passed, the first domineering voice echoed immediately silencing the rowdy crowd. ¡°10000 gems!¡± An elven elder from Ni n had spoken out. The Ni n was one of the old noble ns and held a lot of power and strength in the Eldorian empire. ¡°Hmph! Old Sil, aren¡¯t you guys being a little too tight pursed these days? Ha Ha Ha.¡± ¡°What a pity!! Such a great n reduced to this state!!¡± ¡°20000 gems!¡± Koen n elder, F Koen chuckled and rubbed his long beard, while doubling the current bid. Koen n was another elven n but was a part of the southern elven Empire. ¡°Shut up, F. Do you think I can¡¯t afford to match your pitiful amount? You are tight pursed. Your entire n is tight pursed.¡± ¡°Hmph. 50000 gems.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s little heart was thumping wildly. This was both exciting and scary at the same time. 50000 gems? What an astronomical number?! Come on! Come on! Fight it out you old farts and make me rich! She cheered on silently. While these two noble elven n elders were fighting with each other, another raspy and hoarse voice sounded. ¡°100000 gems.¡± A simple and solid bid. ¡°Who the heck doubled the damned price again?¡± Someone in the crowd shouted out of frustration. The current auction numbers were already far out of their hands. Now it was up to the bigwigs. Both the Ni n and Koen n members turned around to take a look at the new contender, a dwarf. The sturdy man looked nonchnt as he sat in the back and chewed on a toothpick as if it was just any other day. ¡°Heh. A dwarf wanting to win an auction in our Eldorian Empire?! Dream on!¡± ¡°500000 gems.¡± F shouted, wearing a smug expression. ¡°Fuck your granny. I don¡¯t care if I am bankrupting the entire n, I am getting this pill.¡± And just like that, the price skyrocketed in an instant! Tang Yue felt giddy. 500000 gems were enough to drown her entire figure! She had never even dreamt of that much wealth in her lifetime. Initially, she was a bit nervous about the fuss and attention this event had gathered but now all she could see was the money. Go Go Go! The snake silently grinned like a maniac. With the Ni n and the Koen n already in y, and now that even a dwarf had dared to join, the other big ns did not stay idle anymore and started shouting more and more absurd numbers. The perverted duo, Marvin and Dranuk as well bid on the pill, but were quickly outbid by others and were left behind in the dust. Tang Yue could recognize their sorry voices and silently chuckled. With every second that passed, she grew more and more excited. The price was quickly shooting up without limits. 500000 1 million 5 million 10 million Random scary numbers popped up left and right. It would have been a bit different if the pills were sold separately but all the four pills were auctioned together in a single batch. This meant that anyone who purchased these pills will definitely be able to decipher the form. So this was more or less a price for the unique invaluable form rather than the pill itself. And more importantly, unless the mysterious unknown alchemy practitioner ispletely insane, there wouldn¡¯t be another such auction at least any time soon. So the sect which obtains this form will be able to both dominate the market and the battlefield. Chapter 123: Nooooooooooo Part3 Chapter 123: Nooooooooooo Part3 The sect which obtains this form will be able to both dominate the market and the battlefield. Considering that the ancientbyrinth exploration was just around the corner, this really couldn¡¯t have happened at a better time. The auction house quickly turnedpletely chaotic. Everyone wanted to get their hands on this precious form. In between this chaos, the question of who concocted such a genius pill popped out but the auctioneer quickly announced and reiterated that the pill had been submitted anonymously and that they were unable to divulge any further information. The crowd could only indignantly ept this response, knowing full well that the big ns would probably use the back doors in the future and find out who concocted this pill. But this didn¡¯t deter the bidding momentum and ridiculous numbers continuously popped out, increasing leaps and bounds with each offer. And it didn¡¯t look like it was going to stop any time soon! Every major n kept tossing out offers repeatedly. Nobody was ready to back down just yet. Tang Yue was frozen solid. She wanted to loudly scream and shout, but her body refused to cooperate. She even pinched herself repeatedly to make sure that this was not a dream. By now, she hadpletely forgotten all the unwanted attention and trouble this event was going to pile on her. She could only see the money in front of her. The theatrics of the auction continued for a good amount of time until finally the various ns were forced to somewhat quiet down. Because the auction bid was no longer in millions. It was now actually in billions. 20 billion gems! This was thetest offer on the table. Holt n had thrown out this enormous offer, temporarily silencing the major forces. 20 billion gems was not an ordinary offer. It was enough to supply for an entire n for a whole year even. This in itself showed the difficulty and the importance of training one¡¯s mental strength. With 20 billion gems, one could buy numerous high-grade treasures and items. Runes, herbs, pills!! What not? 20 billion gems was a truly ridiculous amount of money. Only an alchemy grandmaster couldmand such wealth with his fingertips. Alchemy was one of the most lucrative professions and this auction was a textbook example of the same. This was the highest price offered for a batch in the auction association¡¯s pill auditorium in thest few decades. It was hard to even discuss such a price with words. Every person sitting in the auditorium panted heavily and a deathly silence filled the air. Tang Yue opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. Her parched throat quivered as she licked her lips and continued to stare unblinkingly at the chaos unfolding in front of her. The Ni n and Koen n elders looked at each other helplessly. The dwarf also kept his mouth tightly shut. A few influential fairy covens discussed amongst themselves in hushed voices but ultimately they also remained silent. The entire auditorium suddenly settled down and was staring at the Holt n members in rage and jealously. The auction had slowly and steadily slipped past their reach. The other major families couldn¡¯t dare topete with the Holt n. Not only were they one of the oldest noble ns in the Southern Elven Empire, but they were also the direct kins of the Southern Elven Emperor, Nidaros Holt. Aldonia and Eldoria were the two great elven nations in the Nine Countries coalition. While Xander was the reigning Crown Prince of the Northern Empire, the South was still ruled by its old Emperor, Nidaros Holt. So when the Holt n tossed out the astronomical bid, it was clear just how much they were interested in the 4 pills. One of the two prominent royal families had wilfully intervened and now the major ns, no longer different from themoners, could only watch the show from aside. They couldn¡¯t even me anyone for this misfortune. After all, this was to be expected. When a game-changing pill like this suddenly surfaces in the auction house, who else but the royal family will snatch the goods?! There was only a small chance for the others and now that small chance hadpletely evaporated and disappeared. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less who buys it. 20 billion gems! As long as these 20 billion gems were in her pocket, she would die a happy snake! Her heart was pounding so wildly that it ached in exhration. How could she possibly know that her pill would lead to such a frantic uproar? She did not possess such knowledge in alchemy to foresee this series of events. She was a mere noob who used a small cheat sheet. [Dumb snake, you seem to be a little too money-minded for your own good.] The system chimed in, unable to silently rest amidst her emotions surging like a tempest. ¡°Shut up, old man, and let me enjoy this.¡± Tang Yue hissed. She watched on nkly, blinking. She was feeling slightly unsettled but at the same time a feeling of confidence and pride was also bubbling up within her. Any alchemist would be ted and honored to see the pill he had concocted acim such praise and being fought for by teeth and nails. The auction house remained silent for a few more seconds. No one could match the Holt family¡¯s final bid and hence the auctioneer started thest part of the auction procedure. ¡°Yasss! Here ites! Here ites!¡± Tang Yue silently prayed. She could almost hear the rumbling sounds from a mountain of gems. The auctioneer cleared his throat and loudly shouted. 20 BILLION GOING ONCE 20 BILLION GOING TWICE 20 BILLION GOING It was at this point, a fair and pale hand shot up in the air at lightning speed. The figure slowly rose up and walked towards the auctioneer. Once he stepped onto the stage, where the auctioneer was also standing, everyone could clearly see who he was. Chapter 124: Nooooooooooo Part4 Chapter 124: Nooooooooooo Part4 The auctioneer cleared his throat and loudly shouted. 20 BILLION GOING ONCE 20 BILLION GOING TWICE 20 BILLION GOING It was at this point, a fair and pale hand shot up in the air at lightning speed. The figure slowly rose up and walked towards the auctioneer. Once he stepped onto the stage, where the auctioneer was also standing, everyone could clearly see who he was. General Salvatore, Charlotte¡¯s father, and the Crown¡¯s right arm was standing beside the auctioneer. He leaned closer to the auctioneer elf and whispered something in the man¡¯s ear. The auctioneer¡¯s calm and impassive face flickered ever so slightly but as he heard the General, the elf was visibly stunned. He turned and looked at General Salvatore with an odd expression, but soon recovered. The auctioneer cleared his throat and made his new and updated announcement. 200 BILLION GOING ONCE 200 BILLION GOING TWICE 200 BILLION GOING THRICE THE ITEM HAS BEEN SOLD TO THE ELDORIAN ROYAL FAMILY Huh? Huh? Everyone blinked and stared. Just like that the auction waspleted and packed up? They wondered. The auctioneer had spoken out thest few words a little too fast for anyone to respond or even to interrupt. In fact, the words he had spoken out only registered with the audience after a few more seconds. But by then, the auction was already over and the elf was casually handing over the 4 vials to General Salvatore. ¡°What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°Did the royal pce justmandeer this auction?¡± ¡°Fuck! 200 billion gems? Did I hear that right?¡± Immediately a wave of frenzy and madness erupted among the crowd. To this day, neither the Crown Prince nor Marvin¡¯s father had personally purchased a pill from the auction house. They themselves were Alchemy Grandmasters. It was akin to a p on the face for them to purchase the trivial things sold by others. But if they still didn¡¯t care about their reputation or even the general rules of the auction house, then that could only mean that the greatness of the pill was truly terrifying! After the General carefully pocketed the 4 vials with the Devil Awakening pills, he nonchntly stepped off the stage and disappeared into the crowd and out of the auction house. Following him, a couple of other Generals from the Crown¡¯s private army also made their move and left. With these big stars leaving, the other crowd as well started dispersing. They were still muddle headed from the bizarre events and had bitter expressions on their faces, but they also had other things to do. So they quickly started clearing out of the auditorium excitedly chatting and gossiping. However, one particr person stood frozen to the spot. She couldn¡¯t move a muscle let aloneprehend what just happened. ¡°Why¡­ Just why¡­¡± Tang Yue muttered dejectedly. Her profit had just shot up astronomically from 20 billion to 200 billion within the span of a second. This should have made her even more happy and excited, but for some reason, Tang Yue felt a bottomless pit in her stomach. An awkward and uneasy feeling crept in her heart. ¡°He¡­ He is the Emperor¡¯s son, the Crown Prince. Surely he will keep his word, right? Right?¡± Tang Yue leaned on the corridor wall to support herself and waited for the crowd to walk past her. Unlike the passersby who seemed to be extremely excited and energetic, she had a dreadful feeling looming on the back of her mind. When the crowd finally cleared, she as well absent-mindedly walked out of the auction association building. She was too tired to think about anything else today, so she quietly walked over back to her room in the inn. Only after she locked the doors behind her and flopped onto her bed, Tang Yue breathed out a huge sigh of relief. ¡°Meh. I am worrying over nothing. I am sure he will pay up everything. I mean he has to.¡± The confused snake mumbled to herself and traced the carved sculpting of the ceiling with her slender finger. The pup who was napping peacefully in a corner till now was awoken by the sound of the doors opening and closing, and immediately rushed over to Tang Yue. The small furry body yelped cutely and jumped right on top of her, presenting her with a flurry of adorable licks and kisses. Tang Yue chuckled and her mood softened. She rubbed Little Blue¡¯s head and pinched its cheeks. ¡°You tell me, little blue. Will that asshole pay up?¡± Ruff¡­ Grr¡­ The little wolf cub snarled cutely, simply nodding its head even though it didn¡¯t understand anything. ¡°Ha Ha. Good boy. I think so too.¡± Tang Yue ruffled its head. ¡°Hmph. A ruler has to follow the rules of the country. Otherwise, all hell will break loose and chaos will ensue. I am sure he will pay.¡± Tang Yue consoled herself. She carefully retrieved the in green colored jade slip from her space pearl and held it on her palm. Once the gold is transferred, this in jade would be covered by a few white stripes. So she looked at the thing for a while and waited for the white stripes to show up. But as minutes ticked by nothing happened. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s taking longer than usual because of the huge amount of gold that needs to be transferred?¡± Tang Yue nodded her head and decided to turn in for the night. She was still mentally exhausted from the continuous pill concoction sessions and wanted to rest well tonight. ¡°Wahhhh¡­ He He. I am going to be so rich tomorrow.¡± She chuckled lightly to herself and hugged Little Blue tightly. Within seconds, the duo passed out and fell into a deep sleep. Even the pup who was asleep for most parts of the day still fell asleep, lying next to the happily dreaming snake. The night as well slowly darkened and the moon sat proudly on its fluffy throne. However, amidst the silence of this darkness, a shadow flickered in the distance as if it was a part of the darkness itself. Chapter 125: Nooooooooooo Part5 Chapter 125: Nooooooooooo Part5 Amidst the silence of the night, a shadow flickered in the distance as if it was a part of the darkness itself. Only someone who possessed an extraordinary affinity with the dark element could achieve such a feat. The shadow effortlessly flickered from one building to another, quickly approaching the zither pce in the south. It even reached the pce¡¯s main gates, but right at this moment, the shadow stopped. It paused for a minute as if the person was pondering something. Soon, the pair of thin lips curved upwards and a cold chuckle sounded, echoing in the silence of the night. Both Tang Zuelo and Tang Xi woke up from their deep slumber in rm. Several guards as well quickly rushed over to the main gate. ¡°Who is there?¡± ¡°Who is there?¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Everyone including Tang Zuelo and Tang Xi was perplexed. ¡°Why are you all standing here simply? Go look around. Do your jobs better. Hmph.¡± Tang Zuelo shouted annoyedly. Since she was woken up in the middle of her sleep, her voice sounded worse than the usual shrill high pitched tone. The guards immediately scattered away and started looking around to see if they could spot any intruder, but whoever it was¡­ their presence and their aura had long since disappeared and vanishedpletely¡­ ¡°What do you think Xiao Xi? Are you able to sense anyone?¡± Tang Zuelo asked her daughter, her face full of concern. Since the mother and daughter pair had only just arrived at Eldoria, they were still walking on eggshells and pretty nervous about everything. ¡°If only we were allowed to stay at the main royal pce, then none of this would have happened. Hmph.¡± She spat out in anger. ¡°Mhmm.¡± Tang Xi nodded absent-mindedly. ¡°But mother, don¡¯t you think that this is better?¡± She asked after a while. ¡°What do you mean, Xiao Xi?¡± Tang Zuelo curiously spoke. ¡°Today morning, did you notice anything different mother?¡± Tang Xi mumbled with a glint in her eyes. ¡°Huh? No?¡± Tang Zuelo was confused. Tang Xi chuckled. ¡°Did you see that my dear sister is no longer a cripple?¡± ¡°What? What are you saying?¡± Tang Zuelo was shocked. She sat up ramrod straight. ¡°Is this really true?¡± Tang Xi gently nodded. ¡°How could that be possible? No No No. That trash cannot be allowed to recover.¡± Tang Zuelo grit her teeth in anger. Her husband and Tang Yue¡¯s father, Tang Shen had loved his first wife dearly. Once upon a time, he had also deeply cared for and doted on Tang Yue. No one knew what happened, but one day the mother disappeared and the daughter was crippled. Only then the tides slowly started to change. And now she had magically recovered again? Tang Zuelo trembled in fury. Nothing was going her way! First this marriage and now this bad news! ¡°We have been cheated! Utterly cheated!¡± Tang Zuelo clutched her head andmented. ¡°Look at the damned luck of that damned trash. Not only is she treated nicely in the elven kingdom but the prince was even kind enough to personally cure her.¡± ¡°If that trash was somehowpletely cured, then the only possibility is that the Crown Prince helped her with it.¡± ¡°Otherwise, how could that trash have possibly achieved something like this on her own?¡± ¡°Hmph. Here I thought she was good for nothing. But look at her, she is indeed skilled in spreading her legs.¡± ¡°Somehow she has seduced that powerful man to personally treat her illness.¡± Tang Xi nodded. She had as well arrived at the same conclusion. The mother and the daughter pair silently stared at each other as more and more things became clearer to them. ¡°Damn it. We have made a grave error, Tang Xi. We should have never let that cripple marry into the elven royal family.¡± ¡°It looks like every rumor we heard is false and every nastyment about the prince being a ruthless cold-blooded killer is untrue.¡± ¡°See how well he has treated this trash!¡± ¡°Tsk. Tsk. If only you had married into the royal family, then with your talents and supreme body constitution, you could have already be the queen consort.¡± ¡°Damn it. Damn it. Damn it all.¡± Tang Zuelomented loudly, deeply saddened by how things had turned out. Tang Xi, however, still remained calm. Her eyes had an unfathomable expression. ¡°It¡¯s not toote, mother.¡± She murmured. ¡°Ah.¡± Tang Zuelo immediately looked at her in surprise. ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s not toote indeed!¡± ¡°The Prince is obviously not too taken with her. Otherwise, why would he make that slut stay so far away from him?¡± ¡°That too, I heard that the elven royals had an unquenchable appetite in bed.¡± [Meanwhile¡­ Somewhere in the elven royal pce, prince Xavier suddenly broke into a fit of sneezes and rubbed his nose. ¡°Someone is talking and thinking about me.¡± He chuckled. ¡°I wonder which beauty¡­¡±] ¡°This trash obviously must not have satisfied him. That¡¯s why he kicked her out.¡± ¡°You definitely have a chance!!¡± ¡°Xiao Xi, practice very hard and try to impress the Crown prince in the uing contest. We will slowly correct this stupid blunder.¡± ¡°You will soon be able to rece that useless thing as the royal consort and be the queen consort even.¡± ¡°With your talent, nothing is impossible. Hmph.¡± ¡°He might be a little sweet on that trash, but with your graceful figure and elegance, he will surely dote on you endlessly.¡± ¡°Ha Ha. I doubt that he would even let you out of his sight, my adorable Xiao Xi.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s only a matter of time before you be the next queen.¡± Tang Xi blushed slightly at her mother¡¯s teasing words. ¡°Mother. Stop it.¡± ¡°Ha Ha. Don¡¯t be so humble child.¡± Tang Zuelo prattled on endlessly for the rest of the night. While the mother and the daughter pair busied themselves with their scheming and plotting discussions, the shadowy figure that had disrupted their night¡¯s sleep was now headed towards the inn at which Tang Yue was staying. Chapter 126: Even her drooling face is cute Chapter 126: Even her drooling face is cute Strands of moonlight danced in through the wide-open rectangr grilled windows and along with it came in a thick wisp of ck smoke. The smoke-like substance swirled in a circr motion and suspiciously hovered around the head of the bed right next to the window. Oblivious to this, a slender mesmerizing figureid still, leisurely sleeping on the feather bed. Her pale blue chest, half exposed and half-hidden beneath a silkyvender robe, heaved up and down, dancing rhythmically to her soft inhales and exhales. Her one hand casually rested on her forehead and her other hand was clung tightly to a ball of fur scooped up next to her. The two looked extremely adorable cuddled up next to each other. The lingering wisp of smoke hovered around the bed for a few more seconds before effortlessly transforming into a tall and muscr figure. Tang Yue was still fast asleep but if she was awake right now, she would instantly recognize the cold sculpted face and the dangerous crimson eyes. Under the cover of darkness, the man silently sat down cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and scanned the small room and the rest of the inn. When Xander had first heard about the mysterious Devil Awakening pills that had popped up out of nowhere and dazzled the auction house, he was genuinely surprised. Just like everybody else, he as well had no idea about who could have concocted such a daring pill with an ingenious form. Irrespective of who it was, this new mysterious pill had the potential to make waves and unleash chaos in the peaceful bnce that existed between the nine countries. So he had immediately sent out his trustworthy Generals to conduct investigations and more importantly, acquire the four pills which were being auctioned. But in the next few minutes, one of his Generals returned and hade back with a piece of even more surprising news. His own consort had apparently put up these mysterious pills for auctioning! Xander¡¯s thin lips pulled upwards into a wide grin as he opened his eyes and gazed at the snake sleeping peacefully. He then chuckled lightly and muttered. ¡°Heh. Turning my day chaotic and now sleeping soundly like a thunder cat?¡± Xander stood up casually from the wooden floor of the inn. He had scanned everything and didn¡¯t find any unusual energy or entity. Actually, the moment he had heard that the woman had simply put up the pills for open market auctioning instead of trading in the ck markets, he had a feeling that this was all some sort of a bizarre coincidence, maybe even a serendipitous finding. If the respective party had any sort of ill intentions then they wouldn¡¯t have gone about it so openly. Only someone who needed money and who did not have enough knowledge in alchemy could have possibly done something like this, something so naive and stupid. And the beautiful snake sleeping innocently in front of him perfectly matched that picture! He ever so slightly tousled her long cascading ck curls shining softly under the moonlight. It was a stark contrast to his own luscious silver mane, but he liked it. She looked absolutely breathtaking. Even the drool leaking from the corner of her pillowy lips looked adorable. As the crimson red eyes wandered in the darkness, they happened toe across the small piece of jade lying on her nightstand. He picked it up and looked at it curiously. It took a second for him to recognize what it was. And the smile on Xander¡¯s face instantly widened. The elf was now grinning cheek to cheek barely holding in hisughter. This jade was supposed to contain the 200 billion gems that he owed her! ¡°Aha Ha Ha¡± A soft chuckle escaped his lips. Xander smirked and gazed at the sleeping duo as his lean muscr figure instantaneously morphed back into a blob of smoke or rather darkness itself. He then casually disappeared into nothingness, just as silently as he had arrived. Both Tang Yue and Little Blue couldn¡¯t sense his presence at all the entire time. But unfortunately for Xander, they were not the only two in the room. A certain hateful perverted old geezer¡¯s soul fragment upying Tang Yue¡¯s soul was alert the entire time. He had observed everything from top to bottom including the warm smile that the tyrant had shed. But would he tell this to Tang Yue? That was a whole another point. The night soon trickled away and the first rays of the morning sunlight directly fell on Tang Yue¡¯s face. She yawnedzily and woke up with a smile, preparing herself for the rich and cozy life thatid ahead of her. ¡°Mu Ha Ha Ha. I can finally embrace the destiny of my birth and be yet another rich spoiled princess! Yasss!¡± She grinned and quickly retrieved the jade slip that was sparkling on her nightstand. She had been staring at that thing repeatedly all throughout the night and hence had left it out in the open. Tang Yue carefully picked it up and looked at it again for the nth time with her smiling emerald eyes, but the smile didn¡¯tst too long. Her face immediately fell on seeing that the jade slip was still intact in its previous in green color without any stripes or even a scratch. ¡°Eh?¡± Her heart slightly shuddered. ¡°Damn it. This is not a good sign.¡± She shook her head and reced the useless piece of jade back on her nightstand. ¡°Well, whatever. Maybe it takes a day.¡± She sighed and quickly started preparing for the day. She had ns to concoct a few more batches of the Devil Awakening pill, but this time for her personal use. Both her body and her cultivation base were now at Silver Mortal tier, but her mental strength and soul strengthcked and were far from that stage. She was not too sure about how to deal with her soul strength, but mental strength was something that she could tackle right now. And there was also the matter of the beast contract with Little Blue. Tang Yue wanted to finish this first before doing anything else so that Little Blue could slowly start improving as well. But just as Tang Yue was preparing for the day, a loud knock sounded on her room door. ¡°Hmm. It should be Lotte.¡± She continued iting her long ck curls and muttered. ¡°Come in.¡± Lotte had a grim expression on his face and mumbled worriedly. ¡°Umm¡­ Your highness, you have been summoned to the royal courtroom.¡± ¡°Royal courtroom? You mean the Empress called me over again? Damn it, what did Charlotte do this time? Can¡¯t she just take a small break from the constant scheming?¡± Tang Yue immediately started going on a rant and cursing the blonde beautiful elf left and right. But unfortunately for her, this was not something that Charlotte had cooked up. This time it was all her own doing! Lotte had to wait for an entire minute before he could get his second statement in. ¡°No, no. Your highness, the Empress did not summon you.¡± He hurriedly corrected her. ¡°Huh? Then who did?¡± Tang Yue pinned her hair together with a sp and asked. ¡°The Crown Prince, his highness Xander.¡± Lotte answered. KA TA The flimsy crystal sp that Tang Yue was fiddling with fell crisply on the wooden floor and broke into two pieces. ¡°The¡­ The prince?¡± She stammered, her heart rate quickening. She already knew that this was most likely going to happen, but still¡­ hearing about it, in reality, made her slightly nervous¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ only slightly¡­ ¡°Ok. Ok. Let¡¯s calm down.¡± She patter her chest. ¡°He is probably calling me over to pay the money he owes me.¡± She consoled herself. ¡°When does he want me to be there? Right this second?¡± She turned around and asked Lotte. ¡°Yes, your highness. His highness requested your presence as soon as possible.¡± Lotte bowed and answered. Just like Tang Yue, he was alsopletely surprised by this unexpected turn of events. The Crown Prince never personally meets with any of his consorts. Almost everyone in the royal pce knew about this. So now why was he summoning Tang Yue? Nothing good could possiblye out of this! Lotte was sure of it. He silently prayed in his heart and lit a candle for the kind and beautiful snake princess. Tang Yue could clearly see the worry written all over the elf¡¯s small face. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. I know what you are thinking bro! She smiled weakly and proceeded to make herself a bit more presentable than usual. Tang Yue bit her lips and adjusted her appearance in the mirror. She recollected that the mad man had unexpectedly kissed her thest time they had met, so the scheming little snake decided to try and use a honey trap to get out of whatever disaster that awaited her?!! Chapter 127: Disciple fees Part1 Chapter 127: Disciple fees Part1 Within an hour after they received the summon, Tang Yue followed by Lotte quickly hurried over to the royal pce. They entered through the ptial main gates and walked over to the main courtroom. This actually gave Tang Yue some courage. Since the meeting was in the main courtroom, she was positive that the mad man probably wouldn¡¯t do anything too crazy, but then again he had chopped down several heads right in the midst of everyone in the royal courtroom itself. So one can never really be too sure. Once they reached the main courtroom, Lotte waited outside and Tang Yue informed the guards. ¡°Consort Tang Yue is here.¡± One of the guards announced her arrival and she was then ushered in. Hiding all the nervousness and anxiety that rattled her, Tang Yue calmed herselfdown and waltzed in with her seductive elegance and grace. Her head was slightly bowed down in respect for the Crown Prince and the royal court and a small smile hung on her pillowy lips. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± She muttered, her eyes casting a quick nce in the direction of the crystal throne before they circled back to the spotless white marble floor. Instantly, the familiar handsome face and the cruel crimson eyes met her gaze. Damn it. Tang Yue shivered slightly. What does he want with me? She already knew the answer to this question. They were clearly here to talk about her Devil Awakening pills but her nervousness made her question everything. Not only did the madman look particrly serious but from her peripheral vision, she could tell that the courtroom today was an especially full one. More importantly, just like the Crown Prince everyone else also had a solemn expression on their faces. An awkward silence spread across the courtroom as no one said anything and everyone including Xander wordlessly observed the snake standing and fidgeting in the center of the chamber. They were all equally perplexed as to how this mere spirit beast had managed to demonstrate such a heaven-defying talent in alchemy. Moreover, she hadn¡¯t even stepped out of the mortal tier yet. Her cultivation base was so weak and negligible. Her soul strength was even more pathetic. Since Tang Yue¡¯s cultivation was still in the beginning stage, everyone could easily see through her body and scan her strength. This only made them even more curious. How did a weakling manage to achieve such a feat? The long pause of silence continued and Tang Yue, being literally in the center of it, couldn¡¯t take the silence anymore. ¡°I am here to collect my 200 billion gems, your highness.¡± She opened her small mouth and mumbled, immediately regretting her actions. Her nervousness was dangerously getting the better of her and this damned lunatic was torturing her with something as simple as silence. Ah fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Why is my mouth running idiotically? She cursed herself. Everyone else in the courtroom also had the same question pop up in their heads. What guts?! Even they didn¡¯t dare speak out of turn in the presence of the Crown and that too she was demanding payment! Tang Yue¡¯s long eyshes fluttered as she inconspicuously looked up again to take a quick nce at the mad man¡¯s face. Is he angry? Her heart rate quickened. But as soon as she looked up, her eyes met something even scarier than the angry or the impassive indifferent face that she was expecting. The lunatic tyrant was looking at her casually with a subtle smirk on his face. Fuck it! I am done for! Tang Yue screamed inside her brain. She gulped and suddenly wished that this silence would continue, instead of what was inevitably about toe next. But of course¡­ that was not going to happen¡­ Xander who was leisurely sitting on the intimidating crystal throne had now stood up. A cold chuckled escaped his lips and the elf started walking towards the snake. ¡°Tell me, Salvatore, what were we doing yesterday?¡± Xander asked the General a question, his eyes still lingering on the snake and his leg taking another step towards her. General Salvatore, Charlotte¡¯s father, immediately gave a brief summary about the events of the day which fully implicated a certain someone. ¡°Umm¡­ We were settling the unrest and the grievances among the nine nations.¡± He then added after a thought. ¡°which had stirred up because the royal family intervened in the auction and strong-armed an auctioned item.¡± Tang Yue gulped. She hadn¡¯t in the least considered that her small action could have such big ramifications. But it was still too soon for her to repent for the sins. Xander was not done talking yet. ¡°And what are we doing today?¡± His cold voice sounded unnaturally close to Tang Yue. It was only then that she realized that the elf had already reached her. He was now standing right in front of her. They were so close that Tang Yue could feel the man¡¯s warm breath on her cheeks. She shuddered and took a step back involuntarily. Her heart was thumping so loud that she could barely hear what the General was saying in the background. It was probably about something else that she screwed up, the snake assumed. She couldn¡¯t bother anymore with anything else. Her problem now was standing right in front of her like a towering majestic mountain. She simply couldn¡¯t look past him. Xander chuckled lightly, even the smallest detail of her reactions not escaping his crimson eyes. In the courtroom full of serious faces and in the middle of a serious day with actual issues, for some reason, he looked like he was having a good time. Continuing to ignore the rest of the courtroom, he took one more step towards the nervous snake and casually reached forward to hold her slender hand. Huh? Tang Yue gawked. She looked down to see her pale blue hand resting within his grasp, his hand slightly bigger than hers. Contrary to the man¡¯s cold unforgiving gaze, his touch was rather warm and gentle. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes stared at the elf unblinkingly wondering what was happening. Chapter 128: Disciple fees Part2 Chapter 128: Disciple fees Part2 Xander then proceeded to nonchntly lift her hand and surprising everyone present, he brought her hand close to his mouth. Tang Yue shivered. What the hell?! And before she could react, a small warm kissnded on her hand on the back of her palm. Her confused gaze met the smirking crimson eyes which were looking directly at her. It took her a few seconds to evenprehend what just happened and the snake¡¯s soft cheeks instantly turned into a dark purple. ¡°What¡­ What are you doing?¡± Tang Yue hesitantly asked. It was so embarrassing. Everyone was staring at them. Why would he kiss someone like her, a spirit beast, so daringly in the middle of his courtroom? For heaven¡¯s sake, they were just discussing important and serious things like the unrest among the nine countries. ¡°Did you concoct the pills that you auctioned?¡± Xander looked up and asked, answering her question with another question. His impassive gazeced with a subtle smirk scanned her nervous eyes and trembling lips. ¡°Yes. Yes.¡± Tang Yue answered, nodding her head and readily admitting her wrongdoings. She did not want this moment to prolong any longer. ¡°Hmm?¡± He paused and silently looked at her. After a few seconds, he suddenly let her hand go and casually walked back to his majestic throne.¡°Ok. Good that you chose to admit the truth.¡± Tang Yue was very confused. He already knew that it was her? Oh wait, did he just figure it out fromholding my hand? Now that I think about it, his actions were more like sniffing my hand rather than kissing my hand. Tang Yue was busy trying to mentally decipher the arrogant mad man¡¯s actions. Unable toe to any conclusion, she decided to ask the elf directly. ¡°Your highness¡­ You¡­ Were you able to tell that just from my hand?¡± Her question instantly clicked with the general mood of the courtroom. Ah~ That must be why! Everyone else in the courtroom looked at each other with a newfound understanding. Must be a new method¡­ They assumed. However, Xander merely chuckled. ¡°No.¡± He raised his eyebrows and answered with a mocking grimace. ¡°I know that from the multiple tabs you have recently started in my name in the various market stores.¡± Damn it! Tang Yue instantly looked away in embarrassment. The purple hue in her cheeks was bing darker and darker. Why are you even paying attention to those trivial things, you petty jerk?! She cursed him inwardly and gulped. Enjoying her awkward state, Xander grinned wickedly. ¡°It¡¯s not that difficult topare a list of ingredients and derive the pillposition. I have already deciphered your form and all its details right to the very bone.¡± He added with a teasing tone as if he was testing her. Tang Yue nkly responded. She had used a ridiculous cheat method to get the pill form but the man in front of her was a true genius! But¡­ But¡­ Wait a second, then why did you kiss me, you jerk? Her mouth twitched. Everyone else in the courtroom also had odd expressions on their faces. They had been in the middle of extremely sensitive affairs all day and almost all night long, but suddenly this was turning into something else. Xander, however, didn¡¯t look like he was done yet. The smirk on his face still remained and the man continued. ¡°Quite an ingenious form, I should say. How did youe up with it?¡± The man had finally brought up the main point, hitting the nail right on its head! ¡°That¡­ That¡­¡± Tang Yue stammered. ¡°I stumbled onto it.¡± She lied through her poisonous fangs. That¡¯s bullshit! Everyone in the courtroom collectively rolled their eyes. There was no way that their ruthless ruler was going to ept such a tant lie! Finally, time for some action! They rubbed their hands in anticipation of what was about toe. How dare a mere spirit beast spew out nonsense like this in their royal courtroom? Everyone looked forward to seeing how the snake was going to be punished. Will it be direct execution or life imprisonment? Their eyes widened in expectation. Not one of them liked the fact that their esteemed Crown Prince was behaving so closely and intimately with a mere spirit beast. He almost looked like he was fond of that woman and that felt repulsive to them. Xander, however, still only had a smile on his face. The man¡¯s devious grin widened and he cocked his head to a side, casually resting his face on his palm. His eyes still lingered on the snake, staring directly at her and drinking in her delicate nervous reactions. ¡°Woah. That is indeed praiseworthy.¡± He let out an exaggerated chuckle. ¡°What do you all think?¡± He shifted his gaze to the rest of the courtroom, no longer looking at the snake. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a genius? Such amazing talent in alchemy!¡± A few elven Generals quickly prepared themselves to answer him and give a piece of their mind, but Xander rudely cut them off. He did not let them say anything. Apparently, his previous question was merely a rhetorical one. ¡°You know what. I think such amazing talent deserves to be rewarded.¡± Xander continued. Tang Yue¡¯s body instantly stiffened. The man was only talking about rewards and singing her praises, but somehow an ominous feeling crept up her heart. She didn¡¯t dare to take any chances and nervously mumbled. ¡°It was nothing much, your highness. Aha Ha Ha. I don¡¯t need any rewards. I really don¡¯t. Please. I insist, your highness.¡± She saw that Xander was still smiling at her and quickly added. ¡°Maybe just the 200 billion gems for the pills that I auctioned?¡± ¡°No No¡­ Not even 200 billion. That is a ridiculous amount after all. Aha ha ha. Just 1 billion would do.¡± ¡°Thank you, your highness. I am forever in your debt.¡±Tang Yue nervously started bbering her one-sided rant. This was all getting a little out of her hand. She just wanted to get the hell out of here, with her life intact and preferably with some amount of money. Sigh! Was that really too much to ask for? Chapter 129: Disciple fees Part3 Chapter 129: Disciple fees Part3 Xander coldly gazed at the thering woman, the grin on his face being one part warm and ten parts evil. She had after all wasted almost 40 plus hours of his time, so he decided to let her suffer a little longer. And when he finally opened his mouth to respond to her, it was an absolute fatal one-shot blow. ¡°Weren¡¯t you expelled from the alchemy association recently?¡± He asked, his voice drenched with mockery. ¡°Y..Yes?¡± Tang Yue hesitantly mumbled. ¡°Tsk. Tsk. It would be such a pity if a talented genius of this caliber is not able to continue studying alchemy.¡± He shook his head in regret, albeit an obviously fake one. Tang Yue gulped. Was he going to reinstate her back in the association? That wasn¡¯t quite what she had wanted. The money would have been better. But it was not too bad of an oue either¡­ Thinking that her problems were finally about to be resolved, the snake let out a small sigh of relief. Her heart calmed down a little and her nervousness as well reduced. But just when she breathed in relief, Xander¡¯s deep and husky voice sounded once again. ¡°I have decided. I will be taking you in as my personal disciple.¡± The mad man grinned and dered. Huh? Huh? Tang Yue blinked and stared at the hateful guy with her jaw touching the ground. Personal disciple? What? What the hell? If she thought of four ways that he could screw her over, the jerk always picked the fifth unexpected way and screwed her over even worse. Damn it all! Tang Yue clenched her fists tightly to support herself. I knew it! This bastard has it in for me! She bit her lips in frustration. Who knows what this personal disciple business is? I don¡¯t want to be ackey to this hateful jerk! She cried inside but could only helplessly nod outside. Not waiting for her to ept or deny the offer, Xander coolly waved his hand at her and continued on with the next task at hand. The snake, who was at the center of attention, was now left alone to contemte by herself. What am I supposed to do now? That was the big question on Tang Yue¡¯s mind. After hesitating a bit, she decided to err on the side of caution. If she left the courtroom just like that, the man would probably not even contact her in the next few lunar cycles. He was after all the ruler of Eldoria, the Crown Prince of the biggest elven settlement. Surely, he had other things to attend to than keeping track of her whereabouts. Besides everyone knew that the Crown Prince did not have any personal disciples even though he was one of the three alchemy grandmasters in Eldoriannd. So there was no pre-established system for her to follow and no set rules holding her back. This could actually work! This is just a title. Who would even care about it? The snake grinned after having figured out a loophole in this debacle. She silently prayed to her ancestors to not let her down again and tried to casually slip out of the courtroom. But of course¡­ how could it be that simple? ¡°Where are you headed to, my dear disciple?¡± Xander¡¯s cold voice resounded behind her. ¡°You have a long list of tasks to finish.¡± Ah~ Tang Yue stood frozen in her tracks and turned around. He is still paying attention to me? Her head hurt. She bowed slightly and waited. ¡°Since we are in the middle of the courtroom, you can pay respect to your masterter. For now, take this jade slip and prepare everything written on it.¡± Before Tang Yue could respond, something flew into her hands. She silently gripped it and held back her tears. Damn you bastard! Who is whose Master?! I already have a deviant as a Master! Why would I need another asshole? She could only silently curse her bad luck. ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Xander chuckled. ¡°Because of you, I have to personally prepare Devil Awakening pills with the original form andpensate for the different ns.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you should at least take some responsibility for the mess you created?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. I apologize for the inconvenience.¡± Tang Yue smiled bitterly and bowed. ¡°Hinata will fill you in on the details,¡± Xander muttered, pointing to one of his pce aides. Tang Yue nodded and followed the pce aide out of the courtroom. But she almost forgot something and turned around to ask. ¡°Your highness, my 200 billion gems?¡± She already knew it was useless to ask but things havee to this extent, so why not rify this money matter also? ¡°Oh of course. I do owe you 200 billion gems, don¡¯t I?¡± Xander chuckled wryly. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes lit up and a slight hope sparked in her heart. But s¡­ it was quashed the next instant when the mad man blurted out bluntly. ¡°Consider it as your disciple fees.¡± Tang Yue gaped in astonishment. She felt as if she had just been struck by a bolt of tribtion lightning. Her body trembled and her heart was raging with fury! My 200 billion gems! My pampered princess life! You bought my pills damn it! Now, why are you not giving me 200 billion gems??? Wahhh! This is cheating!!! Tang Yue gnashed her teeth and cursed the asshole on the gigantic crystal throne, but¡­ what could she possibly do? She could only turn and silently follow the pce aide, as the royal courtroom chamber doors closed behind her back. Damn it all¡­ Tang Yue rubbed her temples as she walked. She was a survivor. She didn¡¯t mind selling out if the dice rolled her way but this damned thug¡­ he was eating the cake without paying for it!! What bullshit! Damn you bastard! See how many tabs I open under your name! Hmph! I am going to spend everyst bit of your wealth!! She mumbled to herself and continued following the elf Hinata. They had already met up with Lotte who was also following Hinata now. Tang Yue was busy cursing a certain someone in her mind that she didn¡¯t exactly pay attention to where they were headed towards. But Lotte sure did and he had a wide jubnt smile on his face. Finally¡­ things were working out for the princess! He happily walked along feeling very ted on behalf of Tang Yue. The trio walked for a while and then Hinata stopped. ¡°Your highness, pleasee this way. This will be your chamber from now on.¡± She bowed and respectfully spoke. Tang Yue absent-mindedly nodded and smiled weakly. ¡°Meh. Whatever. These days my living arrangements are changing every day.¡± She sighed inwardly. She indifferently looked around and observed her new surroundings, when suddenly her emerald eyes widened like boiled fire chicken eggs. ¡°What the heck?¡± She cursed out aloud. The walls and the floor around her were no longer the ptial marble white. They were instead a pale shade of gray. And this was not because of some random impurity or lower grade stones! This particr corner of the pce had a special array set up around it with the help of high-grade runes. Hence the background color of this side of the pce was a light shade of gray. Everyone knew this. This was not the most important fact about this chamber. The most important thing was¡­ ¡°This¡­ This¡­ Are we in the Crown Prince private quarters?¡± Tang Yue stuttered, her voice visibly shaken. ¡°Yes, your highness. As his majesty¡¯s person disciple, you are required to stay here in one of the chambers and be avable to him at all times of the day.¡± The pce aide elf answered tly as a matter of fact. She couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly surprised by the reactions of this Princess. Previously she had to suffer from head to toe just to keep Lady Charlotte and the other consorts away from this side of the pce, but now this princess was acting unexpectedly sad and aggrieved? even though she was just given an all-ess permit?? Why are all these consorts crazy? Hinata sighed. ¡°Can¡¯t I continue to stay at the Zither pce?¡± Tang Yue asked again. Xander hadn¡¯t given any specific instructions to this elf in front of her. So she wanted to make sure that the middle-aged woman was not making up rules on the spot. ¡°Sorry, your highness. But his majesty already informed me about this yesterday night.¡± ¡°You are required to stay here and work from here at all times, except when heading out for chores or missions.¡± ¡°In case of missions, they have to be reported to his majesty first and have to be pre-approved by him.¡± ¡°Wait, did you say yesterday night?¡± Tang Yue asked,pletely appalled and enraged. Realization suddenly dawned on her. This bastard was never nning on paying her! Hinata nodded solemnly, slightly wondering if she had let slip some unnecessary information. Tang Yue remained silent for a long time. She then muttered indignantly. ¡°Fine, good. Good. I will y this game.¡± ¡°I will pay you back for this one day! You swindler!¡± She silently resolved in her heart. Chapter 130: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part1 Chapter 130: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part1 ¡°These are the instructions given to me, your highness. Please don¡¯t hesitate to call me in case you need anything.¡± Hinata bowed and left after exining to Tang Yue some more details about her current living conditions. Lotte as well followed her to discuss other things so that he could now prepare himself to be an upgraded pce aide. After all, he was no longer simply just another concubine¡¯s servant, his master might very well be the next Queen Consort and even end up bing the Crowned Queen one day. Once these two left her side, Tang Yue suddenly started feeling very alone. Unlike the rest of the pce, which always had a low murmur of indistinct chatter and dull footsteps, this part of the pce was deste and cold. The maniac apparently did not like the pce maids wandering about here and there in his private quarters, so barely anyone entered this section of the pce. ¡°Ok. Ok. Let¡¯s calm down. Being this jerk¡¯s personal disciple might not be too bad.¡± ¡°He is a genius in alchemy and I can learn a lot from him. And¡­ umm¡­ this ce doesn¡¯t look half-bad to live in.¡± Tang Yue curiously looked around and took a stroll to calm her nerves. Just like anyone else would be, she was also eager to see how presumably the richest person in all of the nine countries lived. The Crown¡¯s private quarters was quite big. There were several luxuriously adorned chambers littered around a marvelous central courtyard. The courtyard itself was fully filled with crystal clear water and beautiful golden lotuses floating on the surface. Hinata had told her that the prince often liked bathing in this courtyard, using the gigantic pool with precious golden lotuses, one of the high-grade spirit herbs, as a personal bathtub. How extravagant! Tang Yue nodded in amazement and started snooping everywhere without any restraint. The air around her was cool and crisp and was enriched with an unnaturally thick concentration of mana. Serene guqin music floated around, probably originating from a rune since Tang Yue couldn¡¯t see any guqin musicians in the vicinity. Everythingbined together gave an extremely calm and austere vibe, very suitable for cultivation and focusing on important tasks. After roaming here and there for a while, she then came across a gigantic chamber which was partly closed. Even at the first nce, it looked very different from the rest and exceedingly shining and sparkling. The mere doors to the chamber were made out of pure gold with exquisite meticulous carvings that looked like unfathomable runes. ¡°This is definitely where he rests in the night!¡± Tang Yue gulped. ¡°Hmm¡­ Do Demi-gods even need to rest regrly?¡± She had no idea. No matter what one¡¯s cultivation level was, it wasmon knowledge that sleep and proper rest were irreceable. But then again, everything changed in the higher realms. So for all she knew, this maniac never ever slept! Tang Yue hesitantly pushed open the door to observe more of the mysterious bedroom. And just like she had expected, the sturdy golden doors creaked slightly revealing a luxurious chamber. In fact, it was actually more than what she had expected. Every single piece of furniture in the room was made out of the rare peacock wood, a wood containing the essence of several calming and nourishing scents and more importantly, it had the additional benefit of strengthening one¡¯s soul in the long run. This type of wood was extremely expensive and moreover, even if one had the money, it was almost impossible to purchase it. There were several high-grade beast skins fashioned as mere rugs decorating the gray marble floor and other unique and precious gems tossed around here and there. The rich really did have it all! She sighed! Tang Yue¡¯s eyes then fell on the huge feather bed in the center of the room. She could see several robes littered on the ground near the bed and the feather bed itself was kind of messy with nkets left unfolded. ¡°Hmph! What a slob!¡± She snickered with a smug expression. ¡°I need to leak out all this random information to exact my revenge little by little. Watch me destroy your reputation, you asshole!¡± Tang Yue then prepared to leave but stopped suddenly deep in her thoughts. She hesitantly took a couple of steps and entered the huge bedroom chamber. ¡°Tch. Tch. Without a maid regrly attending to the chamber, everything is in a mess. He probably wouldn¡¯t notice a few things missing!¡± The snake grinned and then unnervingly proceeded to pocket a few of the sparkling jewelry which was randomly strewn about in a corner of the chamber. ¡°Ha Ha. This should fetch a decent amount of gold!¡± She quickly tucked a couple of jewelry pieces into her space pearl. ¡°Nope! This is not stealing. I am only taking back what I am owed, even though it¡¯s going to be in installments!¡± She chuckled and skipped out of the room with a big smile on her face when suddenly she felt something tugging at her robe. Huh? Tang Yue instantly froze. Was the madman already here without her even noticing? Her heart sank. Wasn¡¯t he supposedly busy in the courtroom for the entire day?? She cursed her bad luck and slowly turned around, already resigned to her fate. After all, just how much more trouble could she get into! Fuck! Tang Yue yelped in relief and chuckled nervously. Her robe had simply got caught on a Myr Dragon head hanging as decoration on the marble gray wall. The dragon looked particrly fierce with a sharp horn jutting out from the center of its head, on which her long robe had mistakenly hooked on. Tang Yue patted her chest in relief and quickly untangled the piece of her cloth robe that was stuck. She then took a deep breath and turned around to hurry out of the chamber, when her head unexpectedly banged against something strong and sturdy. ¡°Ha Ha. Look at me. I am so nervous that I am running into things left and right! Damn it.¡± She chuckled bitterly and rubbed her nose¡­ but when she looked ahead¡­ she could clearly see that it was not a door that she had run into! Ah~ Tang Yue fell backward in surprise and terror. Standing right in front of her and staring at her with his cold crimson eyes was the other upant of these quarters, the Crown Prince Xander! ¡°You¡­ Your highness¡­¡± A chill ran down Tang Yue¡¯s spine as her brain quickly tried toprehend just when might he have arrived! Tang Yue fumbled on the floor like a fish out of water, trying to get up, but for some reason, her knees and legs had given out and failed to cooperate with her. Watching her clumsy actions, the man who had previously red at her with his bloodthirsty and arrogant face, unexpectedly broke out into a wide grin, albeit an evil and wicked grin. What a jerk! Tang Yue sulked and stopped her actions in an attempt to calm herself down. She looked away from his soul-piercing eyes and slowly picked herself up. She then rearranged her clothes and shamelessly bowed as if she was an elegant nobledy and none of the previous few seconds ever happened. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­ Greetings, your highness. Sorry for intruding.¡± She mumbled the few words quickly and started to slip out in a hurry when a lean pale arm shot out and held her back. ¡°Not so fast, little snake.¡± A deep and husky voice sounded in her ears. Tang Yue heard that familiar nickname and the veins on her forehead instantly throbbed. ¡°Please, your highness. Call me Tang Yue.¡± She gritted her teeth and muttered. She was already in deep waters and a lot of trouble but somehow her mind focused on this non-issue. Xander smirked. He decided to willfully ignore her. ¡°What were you doing in my room, little snake?¡± His stern condescending voice sounded again. Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched but she managed to keep a steady face and quickly cooked up an answer. ¡°Ah~ That¡­ I am new here, your highness. I wandered in by mistake. Sorry, my apologies, your highness.¡± She mumbled half-heartedly. Xander chuckled. It looked like she really didn¡¯t like being addressed as little snake! He decided to adhere to her wishes this time around. He opened his mouth again, but this time used a different tone and a different nickname. ¡°Were you by chance looking for me, my dear WIFE?¡± Huh? Huh? Tang Yue¡¯s eyes instantly flew wide. She hurriedly nodded her head, vehemently rejecting such a ridiculous notion. And not only that, but the man¡¯s voice and his words just now were a little too disturbingly intimate. To hell with this! I take back my words! Please call me little snake. I am proud of that name! I love that name! Tang Yue cried inside. Her only constion was that he at least didn¡¯t catch her robbing him in the broad daylight. Without waiting for any other response, Tang Yue quickly bowed a couple of times and ran the hell out of that chamber like a frightened three-horned dear in the woods¡­ And Xander silently watched her slender figure scurry away and disappear. The two ends of his lips pulled up into a wide grin. Chapter 131: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part2 Chapter 131: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part2 ¡°My dearest younger brother! It looks like you have finally hit puberty. Ha Ha Ha.¡± Xavier chuckled and took a sip from his ss. ¡°What nonsense are you spouting?¡± Xander replied with his usual tone thatcked any emotion whatsoever. The two brothers were leisurely seated near the inner courtyard and were sharing a pot of high-grade spirit wine. Apart from being a master in rune inscription, Xavier was an avid foodie and often busied himself with brewing spirit wine. Though he treated it as a mere hobby, he did manage to conjure exceptionally strong high-grade spirit wines every now and then. Of course, every single time he did so, without fail, he brought it over to Xander and trapped his brother into an hour-long gossip session. And considering thetest heaven-defying development in the royal pce, the one where his almost asexual brother suddenly made his royal consort into a personal disciple and even allowed her to stay inside his private pce quarters, Xavier had a million questions and he felt like his brain was about to explode. So he purposefully brewed a strong pot of wine throwing in all sorts of high-grade and rare-grade ingredients and brought it over to Xander as soon as he possibly could. ¡°Ha Ha. No use in trying to hide it anymore, brother.¡± Xavier raised his eyebrows repeatedly and winked at his brother. ¡°Everyone already knows that you have a thing for the beasts too!¡± He grinned. Xavier was so happy that, finally, he was not the only bad boy in the royal family. He even added with a solemn nod acting as if he was the expert on that scene. ¡°By the way, you should really give vixens a chance.¡± Xander almost spat out the wine in his mouth and chuckled. ¡°Did you really think that I let someone else in here without any reason?¡± He asked, wiping his mouth. Ah~ Xavier scratched his head. What other reason could there be? ¡°Think about it,¡± Xander mumbled, taking another sip. ¡°A few days ago, Salvatore¡¯s daughter used her of obtaining the tribtion treasure from the eastern forests, and when I scanned her, I couldn¡¯t find any trace of it.¡± ¡°But then a few dayster, she shows up in the auction house with an ingenious pill concoction form. Again, I scanned her and couldn¡¯t find anything.¡± ¡°Heh. Considering the snake¡¯s experience in alchemy, I would be a fool to not put 2 and 2 together.¡± Xander smiled and exined. ¡°Ah~¡± Xavier nodded in understanding. Of course, it was just like his cold and calctive brother to keep someone close by his side just to find out their secrets and spy on them. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer! ¡°So you think that she obtained some sort of alchemy inheritance?¡± Xavier curiously asked. Xander nodded. He was also not too sure about it but that should be the most logical guess. But whatever it was¡­ he should be able to find it out soon enough¡­ The elf¡¯s crimson eyes flickered and gazed in the direction of a certain someone, along with his brother¡­ ¡°Damn it, you bastards! I am right here!¡± Tang Yue fumed inside. How humiliating! These two assholes were sitting right in front of her and discussing her as if she was not even there! They were casually treating her like a mere object. If you want to find out about my secret, at least have the decency to do it secretly! Why are you spilling it all out in the open like this??? Discussing all your borate and devious ns right in front of me! Did you think I can¡¯t hide anything from you even if I wanted to? How arrogant?! You are going to pay for this, you jerk! At least give me some of the wine you are tasting, damn it! Tang Yue cried inside and put the next batch of herbs in. She was also sitting near the inner courtyard and working hard on her day¡¯s personal disciple chores, which was to prepare a bunch of ingredients for the lunatic Crown Prince who also moonlighted as an alchemy grandmaster. Tang Yue didn¡¯t quite realize it yet but her fear towards the blood-thirsty tyrant had already dwindled to a great extent. These past couple of days had been absolutely nerve-wracking for her. She was constantly walking on eggshells, jumping up in fright every time the mad man came in front of her or even remotely close to her. But otherwise, it was mostly uneventful. She had already resigned to her fate and made her peace about living with the hooligan. She even adjusted her routine and nned for her new training regimen including the newly added alchemy disciple duties. She couldn¡¯t afford to ck off anymore. The contest for thebyrinth slot was fast approaching and she was nowhere close to preparing for it. She even had to do additional nonsensical work now, which was totally unfair! Why did she have to unnecessarily suffer and work as someone else¡¯sckey? At least her skillset in alchemy was rapidly improving. This was Tang Yue¡¯s only sce. The monster at least had the heart to give her a few pointers every now and then, greatly helping her in the due process. Tang Yue was too indignant to ept it but the fact was that Xander was easily a better teacherpared to the perverted old ancestor and his weird system shenanigans. Not only her alchemy skills but Tang Yue¡¯s fire magic and mana maniption techniques were also constantly improving by leaps and bounds. Just obtaining an affinity to an element was rather the most basic requirement to use that particr elemental magic. High-tier spells and realbat strength required a much borate proficiency and understanding of that particr elemental magic. So Tang Yue took her disciple duties very seriously and tended to everything with the utmost care and respect, even on times like today, when two jerks sat right in front of her and talked smack about her. Chapter 132: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part3 Chapter 132: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part3 Before moving to her new living quarters, Tang Yue¡¯s day mostly consisted of binge eating to improve her strength and contemting about alchemy whilst she rolled around in the foodaziness. But now, since she had to busy herself with the ingredients preparation and other small concoctions, she could no longer find the time to do that. Instead, she switched to roasted meat. One of the few perks of living in the Crown¡¯s chamber was the surplus of amazing higher grade food. The first day she moved here, Tang Yue had already instructed Hinata to regrly bring her roasted meat from specific beasts. In fact, she had given a detailed schedule to Hinata. With this, she would be able to at the least absorb three more bloodlines before the start of the contest. So now her main remaining concern was her pitiful soul strength and low cultivation base. She needed to break out of the mortal tier, just to be eligible to participate in the contest. This was her biggest issue at the moment! The higher mana concentration in her new living quarters helped with this quite a bit, but her soul strength was still pathetic. As Tang Yue was pondering about these things, her emerald eyes couldn¡¯t help but sh intermittently towards the couple of douches. The spirit wine in their hands could help her soul strength quite a bit. But would they share it with her? Hmph! Stingy assholes! Tang Yue cursed the two elves to her heart¡¯s content as she continued working hard on her alchemy chores. After tossing in the next batch of herbs, Tang Yue casually retrieved a skewer full of roasted Nine-tailed Armadillo meat. Nine-tailed Armadillos were one of the rare low-grade beasts. Though they were only low-grade beasts, it was incredibly difficult to find them, let alone obtain them. And even if someone hunted a batch of these armadillos, it would still not be worth the effort because the body was mostly shell and not flesh. Unless they specifically looked for it to use the shell as an ingredient for something, no one would bother buying Nine-tailed Armadillo meat. But today, Tang Yue had asked Hinata for this particr meat because of the very shell. Armadillo¡¯s outer shell was extremely thick and strong. The animal had a special mana cirction route by which it strengthens its outer shell along with the scales covering the rest of the body. Tang Yue badly wanted this ability to strengthen her own scales and gain an additionalyer of armor, this time, without ballooning up and looking like a fattened poultry animal ready for ughter. Previously, she was not able to get this particr meat in the beast market, but now that she was living amidst royalty, all she had to do was ask and the roasted meat would be promptly delivered! The snake mechanically chomped down on the meat sticking to the skewer and put the entire skewer full of meat, at least four to five pieces, inside her mouth in a second. Her hands then returned to do the busy work on the cauldron and she casually munched on the food with her mouth full. Both Xander and Xavier looked at her with a weird expression! They had to blink twice and make sure that this was actually happening right in front of them. All their life, they had onlye across women who were shy and reserved. To date, no nobledy had ever behaved in such a boorish manner in front of them. It waspletely unheard of for a woman with high standing in the society to act like this in a barbaric and vulgar manner. Tang Yue felt their eyes staring at her awkwardly but she shrugged and continued on with her chores. Unlike these two jerks, she still had a long list of things to finish. Xander as well quickly recovered and continued sipping his wine, though his lips were still curled up in amusement. Who in their right mind would snack so obviously in the middle of a concoction process and that too in presence of him, a grandmaster alchemist and the ruler of the great elven nation! He chuckled silently. Everything the spirit beast in front of him did was counter-intuitive and chaotic! Xavier, however, was still staring at the snake unblinkingly and consciously swallowed down the saliva in his mouth. Armadillo meat! What a rare delicacy! The foodie inside him was provoked! Xavier shamelessly cleared his throat and sprang up from his seated position. He then ignored his brother and approached the busily working snake. ¡°Aha Ha. Consort Yue, oh wait, is it disciple Yue now? What do we have here?¡± He squatted down next to Tang Yue and eagerly looked at her. Huh? Tang Yue was stunned by this sudden closeness. This was the first time she was interacting with Xavier, the most jovial and easy-going prince of Eldoria, also known for his ravenous sexual appetite. Honestly, the man creeped her out a bit, but at least he was warm and friendly unlike the other cold and arrogant bastard in the room. Speaking with one¡¯s mouth full was never a pretty sight. So she took a minute to chew down and swallow the roasted meat in her mouth before answering. ¡°Greetings, your highness. I am simply preparing a few batches of ingredients necessary for the concoction of Devil Awakening pills.¡± ¡°Oh psht! I was not talking about that. My very experienced nose tells me that you are snacking on some armadillo skewers?¡± Huh? Tang Yue raised her eyebrows in confusion. Does he want it too? She couldn¡¯t tell. After all, he was a royal prince¡­ he simply could p his hands and get another tter? Why would hee to me and talk so personally? She hesitated. She absolutely did not trust any of the elves no matter who they were and however friendly they behaved! Case in point, the cruel scheming tyrant sitting a few yards away from her. Xavier, however, continued to talk to her with a very friendly and warm attitude. ¡°Give me some. Give me some.¡± He nagged her. Tang Yue had to slightly hold back herughter. He looked exactly like Little Blue circling around her and begging her for food with its eager puppy dog eyes. Chapter 133: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part4 Chapter 133: My new roommate is driving me crazy Part4 Looking at the friendly and warm face in front of her, a small hope lit up in Tang Yue¡¯s eyes. This elf looked exceedingly friendly, maybe if she offered the snacks for their wine session, they might invite her also over to chat, or at the least offer her some of the high grade spirit wine. She licked her lips and quickly took out a couple of skewers lined with Armadillo meat and passed it to Xavier. Xavier instantly beamed, smiling from ear to ear, and he readily took the two skewers from her hand. ¡°You have my thanks, Princess Yue.¡± He nodded. But then afterward, the elf casually took off and strode back to his brother without saying anything else to Tang Yue. No invitation was extended and no wine was offered. Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched. She could only wordlessly open and close her mouth watching the two brothers gossip again, this time about thebyrinth arrangements. Damn it! The younger brother was cold and cruel both inside and out, but the elder brother was even worse. He was warm and bubbly on the outside but equally ck hearted on the inside. Tang Yue nodded, understanding the two brothers a little bit better. She sighed and went back to her disciple chores, quickening her pace to finish things faster. Now that the spirit wine was clearly out of table, she needed to try other things to increase her soul strength. While she busied herself with work, the two brothers eventually broke their discussion session and Xavier strolled out. Xander as well headed out to his courtroom to meet with his Generals and other Councilmen. But not before he squatted next to Tang Yue and stared at her coldly for a few minutes. This was how he inspected her concoction techniques. After these two days, she was almost used to this. She only slightly shivered but her hands continued moving and her control of the tongues of me remained steady. Observing her for a few more minutes, Xander coldly chuckled and prepared to leave. ¡°I won¡¯t be returning for the entire day.¡± He muttered in a toneced with mockery. ¡°You should be able to do whatever you want in my absence.¡± He chuckled and walked away. Tang Yue instantly stiffened. She was happy that the man hadn¡¯t criticized any of her techniques today, but he went ahead and spewed out a string of unexpected words. What were the meaning of these words? Did he expect her to reveal some sort of secret while he was away? If so, what sort of a lunatic will instruct her to do the same openly? Couldn¡¯t you have just secretly spied on me instead of doing this? She held her head in her hands and sighed. The domineering presence beside her soon disappeared as Xander walked out and Tang Yue was able to breath normally again. Even though Xander had hidden his Demi-God aura, the air was still heavy and dense whenever he was around. So the minute he stepped out, Tang Yue could already feel her entire body rxing. Little Blue who also clearly sensed that Xander had left came running out of Tang Yue¡¯s personal chamber andid next to her. Tang Yue chuckled and patted the little thing. Just like her, it also seemed to hate the arrogant tyrant. Gazing at the innocent light blue eyes, she wondered if she should finish the beast contract now. But something nagged her in the back of her mind. The tyrant¡¯sst few words resounded in her brain again and again. He might have said that she was free to do as she pleased but that could very well be a ploy to catch her off guard. Just to be safe, Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to reveal anything unusual as long as she was within these huge gray walls. She shook her head resolutely and decided to focus on other important things. And unbeknownst to her, a pair of invisible eyes blinked and followed her every small movement. The eyes themselves looked as if they were a part of the darkness, hiding in the shadows, but they had a faint crimson hue to them that was unnoticeable. This was in fact Xander¡¯s dark elemental clone. Cultivators at the Demi-God realm were able to form elemental clones when their affinity reached a certain extent. The clone was not a separate entity. It was rather part of the same person and everything that it saw and felt would be instantly conveyed. There were also several limitations in using this technique. For instance, the clone couldn¡¯t exist too far away from the main body and it was definitely not capable of casting high-grade spells. And just as Tang Yue had assumed, Xander had in fact left behind his clone to closely monitor her movements. He didn¡¯t think that she was dangerous but it was very obvious that she was hiding something. The system had long since noticed the clone, to be precise on the very first day she entered these premises, but the old man didn¡¯t bother to alert her to its presence. Luckily, Tang Yue was smart enough to think of this possible scenario on her own and she consciously avoided doing anything that was different than ordinary. Her only problem was that it was increasingly bing more and more difficult to improve her strength while she was being constantly monitored like this. Tang Yue absentmindedly retrieved few more pieces of meat from her space pearl and chomped down on them as she pondered about various things. She considered her options for a while, when her emerald eyes sparkled suddenly. Of course! How could she forget! She was now a grandmaster¡¯s personal disciple! ¡°He He He.¡± Tang Yue rubbed her hands together and decided to unt this new found status of her in front of a few people, to be precise in front of the damned alchemy association elves. ¡­ Meanwhile¡­ In the middle of a deserted training ground, a slender figure stood upside down, bncing her slim frame just using the tip of her index finger. Chapter 134: Breakthroughs left and right Part1 Chapter 134: Breakthroughs left and right Part1 In the middle of a deserted training ground, a slender figure stood upside down, bncing her slim frame just using the tip of her index finger. Her body swayed ever so slightly as the cold evening wind caressed her, but she still remained steady and unmoved. When Charlotte first heard about the different events that had unexpectedly transpired, she had locked herself in her chamber for several hours in utter shock and dismay. Every single detail she heard was a severe blow to her heart and her ego. With every day that passed, Tang Yue was getting closer and closer to the love of her life. While she hadn¡¯t managed to even upy a small spot in that man¡¯s heart for more than a decade, the damned snake had easily managed to be his personal disciple. Even though from the outside, it looked as if Tang Yue didn¡¯t care at all about being the queen consort or the official wedded wife to the Crown Prince, every single thing she did effortlessly pushed her one step closer. She casually achieved what Charlotte couldn¡¯t even after putting all of her heart and mind into it. The poor elf waspletely heartbroken. Someone was stealing her entire life step by step and she was absolutely powerless to do anything about it. Charlotte continued to remain in this state of absolute misery until her mother forced General Salvatore to pay her a visit and talk to her patiently. The old man sighed deeply. He hated seeing his daughter like this too, but what could he do? She had acted impatiently and out of jealousy and now, she was paying for it. General Salvatore knocked on her chamber and entered inside. The poor child was curled up on her feathered bed and was sobbing silently under her nket. ¡°Please, father. Leave me alone.¡± Charlotte mumbled, wiping the snot off her beautiful face. Her enchanting and mesmerizing eyes that were typically full of life and energy now seemed empty and lifeless. The old man sighed again. How was he supposed to console a young broken-hearted woman in love? He was a war general, a man who has trained and dedicated his entire life to battle and serve his country and his King. If it was a strategy meeting, he would have readily thought of a solution by now, but what could be possibly said now? He waspletely helpless in this department. The General looked at his wife for help, but the elf only sternly looked back at him. Charlotte had always been her father¡¯s daughter and so his wife trapped him to take care of this situation. The old man sighed again and remained silent for a while. He gently patted his daughter without saying anything. Only after a long while, his lips slowly moved. He didn¡¯t know what to tell her and he knew that his daughter wouldn¡¯t give up on the man even if he insisted, so he decided to treat this as a strategy meeting and help her. ¡°Do you even remember why her highness, the Empress, selected you as the Queen consort in the first ce?¡± Charlotte slightly stirred from her fetal position and looked up at her father with her bloodshot eyes. She then lightly nodded. ¡°Hmm¡­ Good that you remember. You possess the Divine Trigram constitution. A constitution that is even better than his highness, Xander¡¯s natural body constitution.¡± ¡°This is why the Empress hastily betrothed you and his highness, the minute you were born.¡± ¡°While others toiled and stayed upte nights to work hard and cultivate, you effortlessly improved your strength by doing nothing.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t show interest in alchemy, rune inscription, beast hunting, or anything for that matter.¡± ¡°You squandered your time and spent your day scheming and lording over themoners.¡± ¡°How many times have I advised you to change your ways, but you never listened to me.¡± ¡°One¡¯s status doesn¡¯t simply depend on one¡¯s birth. One¡¯s true status only depends on their strength and talent.¡± ¡°And now, his highness had selected someone far more hard-working, talented, and worthy of his own status.¡± ¡°And what do you do about it? You lock yourself into your room and cry endlessly. Is that going to change anything?¡± General Salvatore looked at his daughter sternly and waited for her response. There was no trace of pity or sympathy in his eyes. Charlotte was stunned. Everything that her father said hit the nail right on its head. Instead of focusing on her own development, she had spent far too much time and effort to win over Xander¡¯s heart. Orchestrating idental run-ins, spending far too much time with the Empress, fussing unnecessarily on her wardrobe, bullying the other consorts in the harem, the list just went on and on. Charlotte bent her head down in shame and embarrassment. She was unable to even meet her father¡¯s eyes, let alone give any sort of answer to his sharp words. Now that she had truly hit rock bottom, several things became more and more clear to her. General Salvatore sighed and patted her wordlessly. He then stood up and left the chamber to return back to the meeting in the royal courtroom. Charlotte¡¯s mother as well left her alone to give her some space to think things through. Only the beautiful elf was now left in her chamber, spacing out and nkly staring at the wall in front of her. She simply sat like that silently for almost an hour. When Charlotte¡¯s chamber doors opened again, she stepped out of her room dressed in her training attire. There was a new spark of focus in her eyes and her destroyed and defeated aura was nowhere to be found. The slender figure then directly headed to the Salvatore family¡¯s private training grounds and started relentlessly practicing her Fire Dragon Sword art and Divine Trigram cultivation technique. ¡°Hmph. Tang Yue. Just you wait, I will show you exactly where you stand and where I stand.¡± She straightened her posture and continued maintaining her cultivation stance. Chapter 135: Breakthroughs left and right Part2 Chapter 135: Breakthroughs left and right Part2 ¡°Hey. Is that consort Yue? Wasn¡¯t she expelled from the alchemy association?¡± ¡°Shut up. Don¡¯t talk so loudly. Don¡¯t you know anything at all? She is now the Crown Prince¡¯s personal disciple!¡± ¡°What???¡± ¡°Yup.¡± The two gossiping elves simultaneously sighed in jealously. They watched in awe as Tang Yue confidently strutted into the alchemy association gates. She didn¡¯t bother with the numerous pairs of eyes curiously staring at her and went straight ahead to the pill division of the alchemy association. The association disciples and trainees were typically able to purchase pills and potions from this pill division in order to train and improve themselves. They were even sold at discounted prices for fellow alchemy practitioners. However, this was only for the current members of the alchemy association. Since Tang Yue was already expelled, everyone couldn¡¯t help but wonder what she was doing here. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less about this attention and continued on with her task. She approached the elf sitting at the pill division counter and rapped her fingers on the counter surface with a confident and arrogant demeanor. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± The elf awkwardly greeted her. He didn¡¯t have the guts to ask what she was doing here, even though she was expelled. Tang Yue casually yed with her fingers, blowing on them one by one, and flickered her long forked tongue in and out. ¡°Bring me this set of pills.¡± She threw down a parchment on the counter, not minding the surprised elf. ¡°But¡­ But¡­ your highness¡­¡± The elf stammered. He was not sure what to do. Marvin had already issued a hit list with Tang Yue¡¯s name on it and the entire association is supposed to shun her and ignore her. But this was before she was officially announced as the Crown Prince¡¯s personal disciple. Marvin might be a grandmaster alchemist¡¯s only son but Tang Yue was also a grandmaster alchemist¡¯s personal disciple now. And to a certain extent, a personal disciple was viewed with even higher statuspared to a filial son. So the elf nervously fidgeted for a while, but he eventually made up his mind and started working on Tang Yue¡¯s order. He was just a mere trainee alchemist and he didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily get caught in this fight between big shots. So he decided to do simply whatever was asked of him. Tang Yue grinned and nodded in satisfaction. Finally, things were going her way! ¡°This personal disciple thing might not be too bad after all!¡± The snake chuckled and as she waited, she rapped her fingers again on the countertop making a rhythmic tune. A few minutester, the elf returned and handed over all the pills that Tang Yue had asked for. She patiently picked up each vial and inspected the pills one by one. ¡°Low-grade Soul searing pills ¨C 10¡± ¡°Low-grade Body tempering pills ¨C 10¡± Tang Yue nodded in satisfaction. She then quickly shoved the vials into her space pearl and proceeded to roll up the parchment and leave. ¡°Umm¡­ your highness¡­ payment?¡± The elf hesitantly mumbled. ¡°Ah~¡± Tang Yue turned around and blinked innocently. Her mouth formed a big O shape, as she covered it with her hand in surprise. ¡°You are asking his highness, my husband, to pay for pills?¡± ¡°Ah. Umm.¡± The elf as well scratched his head in confusion. The Crown Prince had never ever personally purchased anything from the pill division! So he was also not sure how to answer this question. But once again he simply decided to err on the side of caution and absent-mindedly nodded. ¡°No need. No need, your highness. Anything you want is yours. I apologize for my earlier stupid remark.¡± The elf hurriedly bowed and mumbled. Tang Yue smirked and continued to walk away, shamelesslyhumming a cheerful tune. Just a few yards behind her, a tall figure silently observed Tang Yue. Elf Herman was one of Xander¡¯s personal troop guards and he had been instructed to follow Tang Yue¡¯s every movement and action. Xander was sure that Tang Yue did not possess any ill intention towards the royal family or even himself in particr, but at the same time, his intuition told him that she was special. More importantly, she was definitely hiding something from him! So Xander had ced this tail on her to follow her every step outside the pce. Not to mention, when she was inside the pce, his clone alone would be sufficient to keep an eye on her. Herman had closely and meticulously followed Tang Yue all the way from the pce to the alchemy association. He didn¡¯t notice anything unusual except for one thing. The princess was a huge glutton! She constantly kept snacking all throughout her walk. One thing or the other was always being chewed in her mouth. And more importantly, the snacks were all roasted meat pieces! What a strange fetish! Herman wiped his forehead. For the life of him, he couldn¡¯t understand why the prince would be interested in someone so weird, even if she was a staggeringly beautifuldy. As Herman silently watched, Tang Yue bullied the poor pill division elf and made him bring out all the pills she needed. The snake didn¡¯t hesitate at all to throw around the Crown¡¯s name and pilfered everything she needed. Even the Ten Generals wouldn¡¯t dare to use his highness name like a gold coin. What audacity! Herman gaped in awe and he started developing a strange respect for thedy he was following. Though she appeared very meek and humble in front of the Crown Prince, the snake was oddly was very gutsy and strong-willed otherwise! He waited for a few minutes and then continued following the busy snake. After bullying the pill division elf, it looked like she was now headed to the practice rooms in the east. Herman suddenly stopped and quickly hid as he heard a flurry of footsteps walking towards them from the opposite side. Tang Yue as well stopped. The smile on her face widened as she instantly recognized the voice of the fatty walking towards her. Chapter 136: Breakthroughs left and right Part3 Chapter 136: Breakthroughs left and right Part3 Tang Yue stopped. The smile on her face widened as she instantly recognized the voice of the fatty walking towards her. ¡°He He. Did you see how my herb fields were lush and green? Every single herb has grown to perfection.¡± Marvin¡¯s loud voice boomed and reverberated in the empty corridor. ¡°Very admirable indeed, young master Marvin.¡± Another voice sounded, obviously cating the fatty. ¡°Mmm. This is nothing. When I first tested here, one of the royal consortspeted with me and my talent ended up being a hundred times better than her.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha. She was so embarrassed. You should have seen the look on her face!¡± ¡°Master Marcel just couldn¡¯t stop praising my skills. Aha Ha Ha. He kept calling me a one in a million genius and whatnot. Aha Ha Ha.¡± Marvin chuckled and continued boasting, as he wobbled forward after finishing his trainee duties. But just as he turned around the corner¡­ Aaack! A loud yelp escaped his lips and his words got stuck in his throat. Standing face to face right in front of him was Tang Yue, with her arms crossed and a vivid smirk dancing on her lips. Talk about the devil and there she was! ¡°You were talking about me?¡± She hissed, raising her eyebrows and staring at the chubby elf. All her troubles began because of this asshole right here! Tang Yue was extremely pissed at Marvin. If he hadn¡¯t kicked her out of the alchemy association, she wouldn¡¯t have had to auction any pills. She could have simply purchased things on a credit basis with her trainee status. Now one thing led to another and she was roommates with that monster. Tang Yue conveniently forgot that it was her who first started the fight with Marvin. ¡°Working hard I see?¡± She smirked and spoke to him condescendingly. ¡°Work hard. Work hard. I am sure you can also be a grandmaster alchemist¡¯s personal disciple one day!¡± ¡°Shut up. What do you mean? Don¡¯t you know who my father is?¡± Marvin gnashed his teeth. The other elf slowly backed away. Why are these two suddenly fighting without any ignition? Tang Yue harrumphed loudly and threw him a mean derisive look before gracefully walking away. ¡°Someone relying on his father¡¯s coattails for his entire life could only be called pathetic.¡± As Marvin¡¯s eyes subconsciously trailed the snake¡¯s shapely behind, her words echoed in the big empty corridor. The elf¡¯s lips twitched. What the heck? What the heck? He trembled in anger. Arghh! Nothing was going his way! He gnashed his teeth and swallowed his words silently. He had expelled this damned bitch, but here she was again. The worst part was now that she was a grand master¡¯s direct disciple, he can no longer cklist her or do anything to her, even if he used the full extent of his influence. ¡°Fuck!¡± Marvin cursed loudly and kicked the wall with his foot. He then turned around and stormed away in anger. He couldn¡¯t afford to waste time with the useless snake now. He had far more important things nned. On thisbyrinth trip, he needed toe out on top! Ignoring the enraged fatty, Tang Yue happily continued humming and headed towards the practice chambers. So far, her day was going exceptionally well! She selected one of the practice chambers on the fifth floor, meant exclusively for VIPs and master alchemists, andfortably settled down. Herman couldn¡¯t exactly see what she was doing inside. So he could only patiently wait outside. Tang Yue quickly summoned out Little Plum and arranged her cauldron and the set of ingredients she needed. She then hurriedly started concocting a new batch of Devil Awakening pills with Little Plum¡¯s help. She breathed out a huge sigh of relief as she rxedly started concocting using the familiar pill form. Having been under Xander¡¯s constant supervision these past couple of days, it felt so good to be free and unfettered. Even though there were obvious drawbacks, as Tang Yue started working, she noticed how her techniques had improved just in the span of a few days. Her movements were more fluid and she almost felt as if she didn¡¯t even require Little Plum¡¯s help. She had about 5 sets of ingredients left for the Devil Awakening pill and soon, right before nightfall, she had in her hands five translucent shimmering pills. Tang Yue grinned in satisfaction. Her day¡¯s job was finallypleted sessfully! She had gathered all the resources required for her breakthrough. She had the Soul Searing pills to improve her soul strength, body tempering pills to improve her body constitution, andstly, the modified Devil Awakening pills to improve her mental strength. Everything was prepared perfectly. ¡°Heh. These are the normal things that were easily essible to other elves, but I had to work hard and lie through my teeth just to get these low-grade pills.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and sighed pensively. Her journey up to this point was not a simple one, but nevertheless, she was here. Stepping out of the mortal-tier would be her true beginning. She could finally now be considered as a true cultivator and a beast hunter. Tang Yue calmed herself and straightened up her meditative posture. She then resolutely picked up the first Soul Searing pill and popped it into her mouth. Her emerald eyes slowly closed as the snake quietly breathed in and breathed out, consciously circting mana through her body. Slowly and steadily she entered a deep meditative trance and the pill was almost entirely dissolved. In the center of her body, above the lower abdomen, an intangible swirl of energy gathered. It gradually mixed with the mana circting in her body and slowly strengthened her small weak sliver of soul. Tang Yue felt a jolt of energy surging within her. She quickly bit down on her lips and popped in the second Soul Searing pill that she had prepared. The freshly ingested pill dissolved almost instantly and the strands of soul wisps became stronger and stronger. The energy surging within her also became more and more violent. Chapter 137: Breakthroughs left and right Part4 Chapter 137: Breakthroughs left and right Part4 Herman paced back and forth patiently waiting for Tang Yue to step out of the alchemy association practice chamber. It had almost been an entire day but the snake was not budging from her seclusion. After waiting for so long, he started to get nervous and crushed a jade slip to summon someone else over to rece him. And as soon as his recement arrived, Herman hurriedly rushed over to the royal pce. ¡°Your highness. Your highness.¡± Herman whispered and materialized right next to Xander, standing on his side. The personal guards had the sole permission to be able to stand so close to the Crown Prince. ¡°Hmm?¡± Xander raised his eyebrows and turned. ¡°Consort Yue has been holed up in the alchemy association practice chambers for the entire day.¡± ¡°What should I do now?¡± Herman asked. He also filled Xander in about the other details of her trip to the alchemy association. Xander couldn¡¯t help but chuckle wryly every time he heard the news of another tab being opened up under his name. His good name was being dragged through the mud. Being cold and ruthless is one thing but abusing authority and position is another thing. At least he had always paid for the purchases he made so far, but this snake was running wild! ¡°Heh. Leave her be. Just observe her from a distance. I know what she is doing.¡± Xander chuckled and dismissed him. The other elves in the courtroom looked at their Crown¡¯s amused expression with shock and surprise. They all slightly shivered in fear. This madman smiling was not a good thing! ¡­.. Meanwhile¡­ Achoo¡­ Tang Yue sneezed. She had so many fans these days that she didn¡¯t even bother to guess who might be thinking of her. The snake rubbed her nose and grinned happily eying the notifications shing in front of her. Ding. Congrattions. Soul tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Mortal Soul Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Soul tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Silver-tier Mortal Soul Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Soul tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Gold-tier Mortal Soul Ding. 1000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Soul tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Diamond-tier Mortal Soul Ding. 1000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Soul tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Martial Soul Ding. 2000 Experience Points have been rewarded. In a single sitting, Tang Yue¡¯s soul strength was easily boosted all the way from the Mortal realm to the Martial realm! And all she had to do was pop in 10 Soul Searing pills. How easy! But at the same time¡­ she was able to aplish even something so easy only now! ¡°Mmm. Let¡¯s not dwell too much on the past.¡± She shook her head and closed her eyes to sense any changes in her body due to the new and improved soul strength. But no matter how much she tried, she couldn¡¯t identify anything new. Even the swirls of energy that had gathered in her body hadpletely dissipated as if they never existed in the first ce. ¡°I guess this is to be expected.¡± Tang Yue hissed. Soul strength was typically intangible. Unless one unleashed a soul-based attack or defense move, the thing might not even exist and none would be the wiser. The only telltale sign of a breakthrough in the soul strength was a small burp of white mist-like vapors from the mouth. And Tang Yue had already experienced this. Out of curiosity, she also tried to taste the mist by sticking her tongue out but it was absolutely tasteless. Besides, she had already received the notifications from the system. So Tang Yue stopped dwelling on her soul strength for the time being and decided to focus on her body tempering next. After all, only crossing the first realm was this simple. Higher realms required much more than popping in a few Soul Searing pills and she didn¡¯t have the time or the materials for that now. Tang Yue quickly retrieved the vials containing the body tempering pills from her space pearl. Time was moving fast and she was not sure how much more alone time she had left. She still had a lot left to aplish. And for all she knew, that mad man could burst in through her chamber doors at any given time even if she was using the supposedly private alchemy practice chambers. ¡°Hai. Let¡¯s not think about that hateful guy.¡± She emptied out her mind and adjusted her posture to again enter a meditative state. This time she opened one of the vials and took out a body tempering pill, slowly cing it on her tongue. She sucked on it for a while before swallowing and then started doing the set of basic sword moves that she had mastered. [Tch. Tch. How pathetic!] The system smugly remarked. Tang Yue rolled her eyes but she ignored it and continued to focus on practicing the basic sword moves that she knew. Just like the Soul Searing pill, the Body Tempering pill was also a shortcut, but unlike the Soul Searing pill, the body tempering pill required one to push their body to the extreme whilst ingesting the pills. Otherwise, the beneficial things won¡¯t bepletely absorbed and the method won¡¯t be as effective. [You know I have in my possession certain top-tier sword art manuals.] The old man¡¯s nasally voice sounded again. Tang Yue snorted and continued exercising her body. The geezer had been silent recently because of her new living arrangements and it was only today that he was letting his mouth run. [Superb! Marvelous! Top-tier Sword techniques, I say!] The system chimed in again. ¡°So what? Are you going to give me any?¡± Tang Yue bitterly hissed. [Of course. You know what, I will even let you in on a secret.] The system smugly announced. Chapter 138: Touching the Emperor Realm Part1 Chapter 138: Touching the Emperor Realm Part1 [Of course. You know what, I will even let you in on a secret.] [The next time you spin a lucky wheel, I have a strong feeling that you might get some amazing sword technique manual.] The system smugly announced. Bitch please! What strong feeling? I know exactly how your lucky wheels work. Don¡¯t even get me started. Tang Yue scolded the damned old man inwardly and continued with her training, ignoring the old bastard. She probably wouldn¡¯t even receive another chance at the Lucky Wheel in her entire lifetime! So far, the System had granted her the lucky wheel option, only when she fast leveled. But at her current level, she still needed a whooping 12800 experience points to get to the next level. How could she even possibly cross this chasm within the span of a few seconds? She had only now gradually collected all the small daily quest experience points and the chunk of experience points she earned from binge eating roasted meat and popping in the Soul Searing pills. With all of thesebined, she still needed about 1000 experience points to get to the next level. So Tang Yue didn¡¯t think that she would have the chance to spin the wheel again any time soon. She decisively ignored the old bastard and continued working hard, as she popped another body tempering pill in. Just as Tang Yue was busy with her training, certain snakes in the elvennd also busied themselves. ¡°Why can¡¯t we get in?¡± Tang Zuelo barked with a nasty grimace on her face. Hinata shook her head and again reiterated her earlier reply with patience. ¡°Please, your highness. No one is allowed to enter beyond this point. This is a royal verdict. An order.¡± ¡°You simply are not allowed to disobey. You cannot enter the ptial quarters of the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Hmph. This woman! Why are you spouting nonsense?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t Tang Yue living inside or not?¡± Tang Zuelo grumbled. She simply couldn¡¯t understand why they were not even allowed inside while the trash happily drowned in luxuries. ¡°Yes, consort Yue is the direct personal disciple of his highness. She has been officially allowed to live inside.¡± Hinata sighed and replied. This mother and daughter pair in front of her was so vexing! ¡°What permission? If she is inside, then why can¡¯t I enter? I am her mother for heaven¡¯s sake.¡± ¡°How can you not allow a mother to visit her own daughter? This ridiculous.¡± ¡°Please your highness, if you wish, I can convey your meeting request to consort Yue and she can greet you in the garden courtyard.¡± ¡°I can also serve you some tea and snacks while you wait,¡± Hinata muttered wiping the drops of saliva on her face. Tang Zuelo was shouting so loudly that she was spraying out her saliva in all directions. However, standing next to her, Tang Xi maintained her calm and delicate appearance. She had an elegance and grace about her that elevated her goddess-like pure aura. ¡°Fine call her out then. I want to talk to her right now.¡± Tang Zuelo continued nagging Hinata, unwilling to let this matter go. She had heard through the grapevine about the various events that had happened and was shocked to the core finding about Tang Yue¡¯s good luck. Not only was that slut epted as a direct disciple to a grandmaster alchemist but she also now lived together with the Crown Prince. She was merely a step away from bing the royal Queen consort. Anyone with a brain could clearly that happening. Tang Zuelo was instantly shattered. All these good things were supposed to happen to her daughters! Which of her daughters were not more talented or more beautiful than Tang Yue? But this trash somehow lucked out and was now enjoying everything starting from a sky-high royal status to unlimited resources. Just thinking about it, made her liver hurt! And more importantly, she even managed to seduce the most powerful man in the entire nine nations! Tang Zuelo was simply enraged. ¡°Bring her out right now.¡± She gnashed her teeth. ¡°I apologize, your highness. Consort Yue is currently unavable. However, I can inform her immediately as soon as she bes avable again.¡± Hinata sighed. Being in the post that she is in now, she had a lot of experience dealing with elven beauties trying to get in. But this woman in front of her seemed to be worse than the entire royal harem put together. Tang Zuelo simply refused to ept any exnation Hinata offered to her. ¡°That¡¯s it. Tang Xi, see I told you. But you wouldn¡¯t believe me. This maid is certainly lying.¡± ¡°That bitch Tang Yue is sitting inside leisurely and purposefully acting as if she is not there.¡± ¡°What audacity!¡± Tang Zuelo fumed. ¡°Why am I even wasting my time talking to a stupid maid. You move right now. Or I will ask my daughter to sh you down and we will step over your dead body.¡± Hinata was utterly shocked! Where did this woman evene from? Is she really of royal lineage? She sneered in contempt at the ignorant woman and decided to not waste her time talking to her any longer. Hinata pped her hands loudly and two guards quickly walked over towards them. They firmly positioned themselves in front of the chamber doors and nodded their heads at Hinata, signaling that they knew what to do from now on. Hinata silently nodded in reply. She then turned towards the elegant and graceful Tang Xi, ignoring Tang Zuelo, and tried talking sense to her onest time. ¡°I am telling you this for your own safety.¡± ¡°In the past, certain people have even been sentenced to imprisonment for life for doing so.¡± ¡°And this is if his majesty is in a good mood. If he is by chance in a bad mood, make no mistake, you will be killed on the spot.¡± ¡°People have been killed for a lot less.¡± Hinata slowly and clearly spoke, enunciating each and every single word.She then turned around and started walking away. Tang Zuelo was visibly stunned and shaken. ¡°How dare you treat me like? Let my daughtere. I will tell her how you treated me and then she will make sure the Crown Prince hears about it.¡± ¡°Do you think he will let you go? You will be dead tomorrow stupid bitch. How dare a mere maid insult me like this?¡± She kept shouting at the top of her lungs, but Hinata had already left and the newly arrived guards might as well be a nk wall. They didn¡¯t even show a slight reaction to her presence and nkly stared ahead as if no one existed. The mother and daughter pair eventually vacated the premises going over to the garden courtyard like they were instructed to¡­ ¡­. though Tang Zuelo¡¯s voice could still be heard from a distance¡­ ¡°This is atrocious.¡± ¡°This is ridiculous.¡± ¡°This is so humiliating¡­¡± Chapter 139: Touching the Emperor Realm Part2 Chapter 139: Touching the Emperor Realm Part2 Body tempering consisted of blood purifying, bone thickening, marrow cleansing, muscle building, and meridian strengthening. Once a mortal body sessfully achieves this feat, it could be said that the cultivator has now stepped into the martial realm. Without an adequately tempered body, the excessive cultivation base, soul strength, and mental strength would soon start corroding the bones and tissues. So this step was a must before stepping into the martial realm. One could even skip out on upgrading their soul strength or mental strength, but without improving their body¡¯s state they can never truly cultivate. Not to say that improving soul strength or mental strength is not important. Everything had its own benefits and drawbacks. Tang Yue sat cross-legged on the dirty floor of the alchemy association practice chamber, mostly dirtied by the sweat and gunk leaking out of Tang Yue. ck blood seeped out of her orifices and her entire body was sticky with impurities being expelled. Huff. Huff. Huff. Tang Yue panted and withstood the pain by biting her lips. The current existing tissues and muscles needed to be broken down before they get upgraded, so body tempering was an especially painful process whenpared to the other transformations. She had spent two whole days on this and now she was finally done with both body and soul metamorphosis. Her entire being felt different now. She had much more energy and strength in her core essence. She could see more clearly, hear more clearly, her basic sword movements were more fluid; in short everything about her had changed visibly. There was a new sense of power and vigor within her. Tang Yue could hardly believe that she was experiencing so many changes just for stepping into the martial realm. Even though it was the very next realm, the difference between the Mortal realm and Martial realm was akin to Heaven and Earth. One was the world of mortals while the other was a path to immortality. Tang Yue sighed in satisfaction and stood up. ck sticky liquid literally dripped from her. ¡°Yuck.¡± The snake cringed and quickly shifted to her serpentine form. She then slithered over to the closest bath chamber, present in different corners of the alchemy association, and cleaned herself up. The cool water felt refreshing and nourishing to her soiled skin and she thoroughly scrubbed herself from top to bottom. The elf Herman who was still following Tang Yue, now understood what Xander had mentioned. ¡°Of course! The princess was simply trying to breakthrough from mortal to martial realm!¡± He nodded in understanding and pped his thigh. He used his soul sense to study Tang Yue¡¯s progress and noticed that she hadpleted both soul and body upgrades. ¡°Oh. Good. Good. She should be returning now then.¡± Herman predicted. But right in front of his eyes, Tang Yue returned back to a different practice chamber and busied herself again. ¡°What the hell?¡± Herman was shocked! ¡°Don¡¯t tell me??? She is going to try and break through her mental strength as well all on her own??¡± He had thought that someone the Prince had an eye on would be at least an astute and intelligent person, but this was pure stupidity! Who on their right mind would try to break through their mental limits all by themselves? This was the most dangerous step and one needed someone else with a higher cultivation level to pull them out of danger if the need arises. Herman crushed another jade slip to call for a recement. He needed to ask Xander again what to do in this scenario. ¡°But¡­ but¡­¡± Herman struggled with his conscience. For all he knew, the princess had already started the mental refining process and he simply couldn¡¯t leave her side now. The elf slowly walked closer to Tang Yue¡¯s chamber and hesitantly pushed open the door. He had decided to err on the side of caution. Inside the chamber, a slender pale blue figureid on the floor, twitching and convulsing, her emerald eyes now fully white in color. White froth was leaking out of her mouth. Herman silently squatted next to Tang Yue without making a noise. Not that it mattered. Even if thunder crashed right next to her, she wouldn¡¯t be able to hear anything now. Just as he had expected, Tang Yue was already past the point of no return. ¡°What a nonchnt attitude! Tsk. Tsk.¡± Herman shook his head in disappointment. In the split second, before he could intervene or do anything, she had already entered the chamber and popped a pill into her mouth as if she was merely eating a snack. Devil Awakening Pills were the only known and effective method for improving one¡¯s mental strength and that was irrefutably a brutal and painful method. It was an illusionary vortex that pulled one¡¯s mind into nothingness, a nothingness that consisted of the deepest fears and the most dreaded nightmares And if one was not careful enough they would forever be stuck in that imaginary realm, their mind and conscience forever lost. Seconds ticked by and soon the recement he had called for arrived. ¡°You stay here. I need to go and talk to his highness.¡± ¡°Do you know how to tend to someone who has taken a Devil Awakening pill?¡± He turned his head seriously to ask the new guard who arrived. But his half-turned head suddenly stopped mid-air. Standing next to him was not another recement guard, but the Crown Prince Xander himself in person. ¡°Your highness.¡± Herman instantly stood up and bowed. ¡°Shhh.¡± Xander signaled him to remain quiet. He then waved his hand to dismiss the elf. Herman bowed and quickly disappeared, leaving behind Tang Yue and Xander alone. The alchemy association practice chambers were supposed to be private and confidential but who was going to question the mad man himself. Xander silently sat cross-legged next to Tang Yue. The man seemed to be calm and rxed but his crimson eyes were nevertheless observing even her smallest movements like a hawk. ¡°She should have taken the modified version.¡± He muttered. It was meant to be a safer option than the original version, but still¡­ ¡°You couldn¡¯t have done this in the royal pce itself? Are you that confident of your alchemy skills? Stupid.¡± He retrieved a piece of silk cloth from his ring, which was his storage pouch, and wiped the frothing out of Tang Yue¡¯s mouth. Chapter 140: Touching the Emperor Realm Part3 Chapter 140: Touching the Emperor Realm Part3 In a royal pce chamber, much simr to Tang Yue¡¯s current bedroom, but very obviously less luxurious, a slender blue figure was fast asleep. Her features were remarkably simr to Tang Yue¡¯s features, except that she looked a lot younger. All of a sudden, the sleeping eyes shed wide open revealing a brilliant emerald color. It was still the middle of the night, so the young snake girl couldn¡¯t see much. But something had disturbed her sleep and had woken her up. And Tang Yue had always been afraid of the darkness since her birth, so she slightly shivered. ¡°Shhh. Shhh.¡± ¡°Go back to sleep, my sweet baby.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± A soothing voice immediately sounded near her, calming the frightened young girl. ¡°Mom?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s entire body stiffened up and she hurriedly shook her sleepiness off to sit up straight. ¡°Mom. Mom?¡± She reached her hand out in the darkness trying to get a hold of her mother, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t see anything, let alone feel anything. The serpentine n members had an unusually keen sense of sight and smell since they were spirit beasts, but at this moment this darkness was something that was beyond Tang Yue¡¯s understanding. She felt extremely helpless. ¡°Shh¡­ It will be fine. It will all be fine. Mom is doing this for your own good.¡± ¡°Even if I am not there with you, remember that mom loves you the most.¡± ¡°Go back to sleep, my dear. It will hurt less.¡± A small sob sounded in the darkness. ¡°Mom. Mom. Please. Don¡¯t leave me. Please don¡¯t leave me again.¡± Tang Yue started screaming at the top of her lungs, but there was absolutely no reply to her desperate cries. The next instant she felt a sharp searing pain in the center of her body and felt as if her entire soul had been sucked out of her. ¡°No. No. Mom, it¡¯s paining. Where are you? What are you doing?¡± ¡°Mom. Mom. Please.¡± Tang Yue curled up on the bed and bit her lips to withstand the searing pain coursing through her body. She had no idea when she fell unconscious, but soon, she fell asleep deeply. However, not long after she again woke up with her emerald eyes shining brightly in the dark of the night. The pitch-ck darkness made her unsettled and nervous when a familiar soothing voice sounded near her again. ¡°Shhh. Shhh.¡± ¡°Go back to sleep, my sweet baby.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just me.¡± Her mother¡¯s tender voice filled with love and affection calmed her nerves. ¡°Mom?¡± Tang Yue was startled. Her mother, wasn¡¯t she supposed to be dead? Huh? But why? She hurriedly shook her sleepiness off to sit up straight. ¡°Mom. Mom?¡± She reached her hand out in the darkness trying to get a hold of her mother, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t see anything, let alone feel anything. ¡°Shh¡­ It will be fine. It will all be fine. Mom is doing this for your own good.¡± ¡°Even if I am not there with you, remember that mom loves you the most.¡± ¡°Go back to sleep, my dear. It will hurt less.¡± A small sob sounded in the darkness. ¡°Mom. Mom. Please. Don¡¯t leave me. Please don¡¯t leave me again.¡± Tang Yue started screaming at the top of her lungs, but there were no more replies to her desperate cries. The next instant she felt a sharp searing pain in the center of her body and felt as if her entire soul had been sucked out of her. ¡°No. No. Mom, it¡¯s paining. Where are you? What are you doing?¡± ¡°Mom. Mom. Please. It¡¯s hurting. Please stop.¡± Tang Yue curled up on the bed and bit her lips to withstand the searing pain coursing through her body. She then again fell asleep, only to wake back up in the endless nightmarish loop¡­ These were the most deepest and desperate moments in Tang Yue¡¯s life. The modified Devil Awakening pill that she had popped in directly awakened this inner devil that resided within her subconscious mind. Even Tang Yue herself did not clearly remember thest few moments with her mother. But this tribtion right now had scooped up this inner hidden memory as this would give her the most suffering. Tang Yue¡¯s entire body was convulsing and twitching with pain. She felt that same gut-wrenching agony over and over again. She cried, begged, and pleaded with her mother not to leave her. But the ending never changed. Tang Yueid like this for a long time, even making Xander frown a little. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder what nightmare was causing her to suffer so much. The Devil Awakening pill was especially hard on people who have encountered more sadness in their life. This was a fact, but at the same time, these people reaped far more benefits than the cushy life counterparts. In fact, in Tang Yue¡¯s particr case, this could be considered both a bad thing and a good thing. Her trial might be harder than the average joe, but in the process, her breakthrough would be bigger. More importantly, she would finally able to remember something that was long forgotten or rather forcefully pushed down. Tang Yue remained in her current state for an entire day and then for two more days. And surprisingly, Xander found himself rooted near her for the whole time period. He was doing other things simultaneously, but a part of his conscience always hovered on her and constantly monitored her condition. The contest which was supposed to start this week was also coincidentally postponed. No one knew why and when they asked for a reason, they were simply told that Xander did it on his whim. But of course, everyone in the royal pce knew exactly why this was done. They also knew that the Crown Prince and his personal disciple, consort Yue had locked themselves in the alchemy association practice chamber for almost three days now. What wouldn¡¯t an alchemy disciple or trainee or even a master would give to personally witness a grandmaster concocting pills? Unfortunately, they could only sigh and feel jealous of Tang Yue¡¯s special privileges. But one thing was for certain. Tang Yue¡¯s status as the Crown Prince¡¯s consort and his personal disciple were both irrefutably burned in the minds of Eldorian citizens and the royal family. She was now more than a real threat to anyone and everyone who coveted her ce in Xander¡¯s life. Chapter 141: Touching the Emperor Realm Part4 Chapter 141: Touching the Emperor Realm Part4 On the fourth day morning, Tang Yue finally stirred awake from her stupor. Her eyes were drained, her spirit was worn out and her entire body felt numb, but her mind was surprisingly crystal clear. She felt as if a fog was lifted from her brain. It was indescribable but she could clearly feel the difference. She could now instantly recollect every single thing she had ever memorized and even just nced at the passing. Her mental images and her memories were all vivid and detailed. It could be said that she nearly had an eidetic memory now. Tang Yue smiled weakly at her rapid improvement. ¡°This is good.¡± She tiredly mumbled. Inside that nightmarish world, she had suffered through the same torture a countless number of times. It had taken a tremendous toll on her mind, body, and soul. It wasn¡¯t until she was extremely close to aplete mental breakdown that Tang Yue had desperately shouted for her mother and realized that she had long since disappeared or worse dead. No matter how much she cried her mother was never going toe back to her. Once this realization hit her, she slowly started remembering things one by one. Her crippled childhood and teenage years, how she had silently cried inside for the most part of her life, and how much she had suffered toe to the ce where she was now. One thing led to another and Tang Yue then easily used this small crack in the nightmarish world to deduce everything else. Once she managed to get that small piece of mental rity,the nightmarish world crumbled and shattered, allowing her mind to return to the present. ¡°Waaah¡­¡± Tang Yue took a few deep breaths. Knowing how a Devil Awakening pill functioned was one thing, but actually going through the nightmare was an entirely different aspect. Tang Yue didn¡¯t even want to think twice about the torture she had undergone in that maddening nightmare. But still¡­ even though everything was over¡­ it felt as if there was something important that she had forgotten. Something important that she needed to remember but had forgotten. As she was thinking about this, suddenly, a chill ran down her spine and Tang Yue quickly sat up, looking around her. ¡°Huh? Hmm? Did I just see someone?¡± She pondered in confusion. Her chamber waspletely empty just like she had left it before. So why did she have this weird feeling? But soon a string of notifications flooded her brain and pulled her attention away. ¡°Yessss!¡± The snake hissed in delight. So many upgrades were waiting for her! Before doing anything else, Tang Yue first took out a piece of roasted meat from her space pearl to quiet down her stomach and recuperate her strength. She hadn¡¯t eaten anything for three days and she was absolutely famished. The snake then eagerly went through the notifications one by one. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Mental sizzling sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Mental Strength has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Mortal Mind Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Mental sizzling sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Mental Strength has been upgraded to Silver-tier Mortal Mind Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Mental sizzling sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Mental Strength has been upgraded to Gold-tier Mortal Mind Ding. 1000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Mental sizzling sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Mental Strength has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Emperor Mind Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Mental sizzling sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Mental Strength has been upgraded to Silver-tier Emperor Mind Ding. 7500 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­ With every notification that she looked at, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened more and more. She didn¡¯t know what was more frightening! Her mental strength that was sting through the roof or the heaps and heaps of experience points raining on her endlessly! But the list was still notpleted. Her eyes trailed down to thest couple of notifications and as soon as she saw them, Tang Yue almost fainted in shock! ¡°FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! ARE MESSING WITH ME, OLD MAN?? EMPEROR MIND??? FUCK!¡± She was livid with joy. She couldn¡¯t believe that in one sitting her mental strength had shot up all the way from the Mortal realm to the Emperor realm! This was a tremendous gain! Having been a cripple for most parts of her life, she had never once thought that she could step into the Emperor realm one day! That never-ending torture was definitely worth it! ¡°Waaah! Mommy!¡± Tears streamed down Tang Yue¡¯s eyes. The Devil Awakening pill was really the stuff of legends. It was definitely epic-tier at least by her standards. Now she understood why everyone fought over the pills like crazy sacrificing their entire n¡¯s worth. And she also realized how stupid her actions were¡­ ¡°Ah~ If I had simply consumed a pill first before auctioning, then none of this would have happened.¡± ¡°There is no way I would have auctioned openly these top-grade pills.¡± Tang Yue pped her forehead and loudly cursed her stupidity. ¡°No wonder the mad man immediately epted me as a personal disciple and confiscated all the pills that I auctioned!¡± Saying that this pill form had the ability to even change the current ruling hierarchy was not at all an understatement. Thinking about this, Tang Yue¡¯s mood instantly fell down a bit. ¡°That jerk not only took my top-grade pill, but he also swindled me out of my money! This is simply uneptable!¡± The snake gnashed her fangs and hissed angrily. ¡°Hmph. Damn it. Fine. I won¡¯t let you ruin my good mood.¡± She tossed the mad man out of her mind and looked at the rest of the notifications. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Illusion Magic has been upgraded. [Higher Illusion Magic] ¨C Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to one realm. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Illusion Magic has been upgraded. [Greater Illusion Magic] ¨C Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to two realms. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Enve] ¨C Active skill, Host is able to bend the mind of a lower realm target to will. Chapter 142: Unleashing the twins Part1 Chapter 142: Unleashing the twins Part1 Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Enve] ¨C Active skill, Host is able to bend the mind of a lower realm target to will. ¡­. Tang Yue gulped. Her emerald eyes gleamed as she gazed at thest notification again. Enve! The forbidden illusion magic spell! This was a powerful spell that was banned in Eldoria. Any use of this spell would be detected and would get her instantly imprisoned. But still, it was one of the ultimate life-saving tools that a serpentine n member could possess. So Tang Yue was happy to be able to cast it. Thanks to her mental strength already reaching the Emperor realm, her illusion magic had also gone up several levels and she had even gained this new skill to boot. This was incredible news. The snake was grinning cheek to cheek as she drooled at the sight of these awesome upgrades. And not just these! She had also leveled up twice! With the lucky wheel reward for fast leveling also waiting for her! This was an awesome haul. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t stop smiling. ¡°This is what other n geniuses might feel like huh? shing through one bottleneck after another like shing through the mud!¡± ¡°Ha Ha Ha. This feels great! This Missy is also a genius now. Hmph.¡± The snake indulged herself in a small narcissistic celebratory giggle for a bit but then decided to check out the rest of the notificationster on. After all, she had spent way too much time in the alchemy association than she had originally intended to. In fact, she was not even sure just how much time had passed. It was better that she hurried back to the pce and then admired the fruits of her hard work and her awesome self. Tang Yue grinned and quickly walked out of the alchemy association gates. Lotte who had been patiently waiting for her immediately ran over to her. ¡°Your highness. Your highness.¡± The elf bowed and greeted her. Tang Yue revealed a bright smile and patted him. Ah~ Lotte awkwardly blushed a little. He didn¡¯t know why but the princess looked much more charming and enchanting than usual. But he hastily snapped out of it and filled Tang Yue in on the details. ¡°Damn it. I didn¡¯t think I stayed in that state for three whole days. No wonder I was ravenous when I woke up.¡± ¡°Phew. It was good that at least the contest had been postponed.¡± ¡°Otherwise, all my efforts would have been for naught.¡± ¡°Why was it postponed suddenly? Wasn¡¯t it a big event involving all of Eldoria? Howe it was dyed?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked Lotte. ¡°That¡­ That¡­¡± Lotte stammered. He didn¡¯t know why the Princess was asking him, even though she was rumored to be the reason behind it. ¡°Your highness¡­¡± Lotte then hesitantly filled Tang Yue in on the details regarding the Crown Prince¡¯s special visit to her chamber and how he had stayed with her until this morning. He also told her that the Prince had personally postponed the contest because of her. ¡°Huh? What did you say?¡± Tang Yue blurted out, her mouth wide agape in shock and fear. No. No. That is definitely not possible. Tang Yue simply refused to believe it. She couldn¡¯t possibly believe such a wild concept. ¡°Did someone actually see him enter my chamber?¡± She asked Lotte again. ¡°Ah¡­ That. No. They are just rumors, your highness. I apologize. I have no idea what actually happened.¡± Lotte exined, even though he believed that this was true. This particr rumor started spreading from a pair of loudly gossiping Generals on their way out of the pce quarters. So he had an inkling that this was true. But Tang Yue still refused to believe it. There was absolutely no way that the swindling monster could have cared about her so much that he sat next to her for three whole days and nights. That just could not be true. She refused to be a fool and believe in some random gossip, which probably had spread because she was his personal disciple. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It doesn¡¯t matter. It¡¯s a good thing that the contest has been postponed. Let¡¯s just leave it at that.¡± Tang Yue resolutely nodded and continued walking back to the royal pce. Since she was almost out of the Mortal realm, except for her cultivation base, every step she took felt lighter and faster, and Lotte was panting out of breath just to catch up with her. Tang Yue chuckled lightly and slowed down a bit to help out the elf. She even advised him as if she was the authority on the matter. ¡°Ha Ha. You should work harder and step out of Mortal realm soon, Lotte.¡± Her head was high and her gaze lingered in the distance making her seem as if she was an almighty aloof immortal offering advice to a haggard mortal. Even Lotte looked at her weirdly. Is the Princess not feeling too well today? He wondered. But he put that aside and continued filling her in on the various important news, thest of which being¡­ ¡°Your highness, your mother and your sister has been waiting for you these past couple of days.¡± ¡°They have¡­ Ummm¡­ visited the royal pce every day and asked to meet with you.¡± Lotte didn¡¯t have the heart to tell Tang Yue in the same manner as Hinata filled him in and so he gave her a censored version of the truth. But knowing her stepmother and her foul mouth a bit too well, Tang Yue could immediately guess what had happened. And, she could also more or less guess why they were devotedly looking for her. The aloof cool look on her face faded and was now reced by a grin simr to the one Xander had disyed, one part wicked and ten parts of evil. Her beloved step-mother and dearest sister had dared to kick her out of her own pce, back at the Zither pce. Tang Yue was busy earlier so she chose to ignore the duo then. But now it was time for retribution! Let¡¯s have some fun bitches! The snake grinned as she licked her fangs and flickered her long forked tongue in and out. Chapter 143: Unleashing the twins Part2 Chapter 143: Unleashing the twins Part2 As soon as Tang Yue and Lotte returned back to the royal pce, they headed straight to the Crown¡¯s private quarters. And just as expected, two familiar figures were patiently or rather impatiently waiting for her right at the entrance of the corridor doors. ¡°Yue¡¯er you are finally here.¡± Tang Zuelo immediately shed a big smile and hobbled over to Tang Yue. ¡°Greetings, sister.¡± Tang Xi, standing behind her mother, also smiled gently and nodded. ¡°Oh, my dear. You look so tired. You are all skin and bones. What happened?¡± Tang Zuelo pulled Tang Yue closer to her and clicked her tongue in concern. ¡°Are these people not treating you well?¡± ¡°Please tell this mother if you are facing any difficulties child. A daughter shouldn¡¯t hide anything from her mother.¡± ¡°Sorry child. The other day this mother was a bit angry at you.¡± ¡°I thought that you had done something wrong and tarnished our n¡¯s pride. That¡¯s why I mistakenly said those harsh words.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± The woman started bombarding Tang Yue with random chatter. With the mother fawning over her daughter and the sister smiling gently on the side, they looked picture perfect. A candid example of a sweet little family. And Tang Yue as well silently went along with the act. She grinned and watched the loudmouthed woman bber as she pleased, nodding politely for all her fake affectionate concerns. And then came the main segment of the y! ¡°Ah~ Yue¡¯er, why don¡¯t we head inside first and then leisurely talk?¡± ¡°I also brought with me some of the delicacies from our cuisine. You must be missing the taste of our food here.¡± Tang Zuelo patted Tang Yue and gently nudged her in the direction of the door. Tang Yue chuckled lightly. She then turned towards her loving step-mother and cocked her head to a side with an innocent expression. ¡°But, concubine mother, you are not allowed inside?¡± She mumbled with subtle ridicule gleaming in her emerald eyes. She also made sure to walk right next to the guards standing at the entrance and carried out the conversation there. This was to make sure that there were eyewitnesses to this drama. The veins on Tang Zuelo¡¯s forehead throbbed. This trash was most definitely looking down on her! ¡°What nonsense are you spouting? Why is your mother not allowed to visit you?¡± ¡°Are you a ve here or what?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t give me all these excuses. Your mother and sister will stay with you for a while and then only we will leave.¡± ¡°Yue¡¯er. It¡¯s been so long since I saw you! We miss you, child.¡± She barked back, her saliva as usual spraying everywhere, but she did maintain to keep her anger in check and continued the loving mother act. Tang Xi, who was standing silently till now, suddenly butted in. ¡°Mother, please. Let¡¯s not put sister in a difficult position.¡± ¡°Sorry sister. It¡¯s just that father is very worried about you these days. He feels that he hastily married you away.¡± ¡°Even if it was me, I could have suffered silently here. But you¡­¡± Tang Xi hesitated. ¡°With your body¡¯s condition, it will be difficult for you here.¡± ¡°At least allow us to stay with you here and give youpany these few days.¡± The woman¡¯s reluctant words and her gentle and kind aura, almost made Tang Yue feel the love and affection she didn¡¯t have for her. Brrr. What a good actress! Just thinking about it gave Tang Yue goosebumps. Some people are just born maniptors! Two can y at this game, my dear sister. Tang Yue smiled and looked particrly aggrieved. ¡°You two are forcing my hand here. I also miss you all.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have the permission to invite you in. Are you calling me unfilial if I don¡¯t allow you both to stay with me?¡± ¡°How can you say something like that? So heartless. Sob. Sob.¡± She started rubbing her eyes and whining through her fangs. ¡°Ah.¡± Tang Xi covered her mouth with her hand. ¡°When did we say like that sister?¡± ¡°Wait, Xi. Yes, I am calling you unfilial. What else would a parent call a child who doesn¡¯t even let them inside their house?¡± Seeing a slight weakness that Tang Yue purposefully revealed, the mother hen finally lost her patience and started strong-arming Tang Yue. ¡°Ok. Sorry mother, please don¡¯t call me unfilial. It makes me want to die. Pleasee inside.¡± Tang Yue wiped the tears off her face and opened the door to step inside. She then held it open for the mother and daughter pair toe in as well. Both the guards standing at the door awkwardly looked at each other. Since Tang Yue herself had let the duo in, they couldn¡¯t say anything. ¡°See! Even if you didn¡¯t let me inside, I am still entering. Hmph.¡± Tang Zuelo loudly snorted and cast a condescending look at the guards who had humiliated her numerous times in these past few days and haughtily waddled in. What a petty woman! The two guards exchanged awkward looks but remained silent. Tang Yue smiled weakly and weed the two inside. ¡°Come in. Come in. This is my chamber. Please make sure to stay only here. We are not allowed to go inside.¡± She showed them a small chamber right next to the entrance and bbered a bunch of nonsensical rules that Xander had never told her. ¡°Quiet child, let us first take a look around.¡± Tang Zuelo forcefully shoved her to the side and started walking here and there. The woman¡¯s eyes bulged with greed as she gaped looking at the luxurious interiors of the different chambers and enormous central courtyard which might as well be a medicinal pond. She ran her fingers over the rune crafted pearly grey walls that thrummed with energy and swallowed her saliva. Whatvish architecture! This trash really has it good! Hmph. Soon, it will all be my daughter¡¯s! She silently nodded and continued loitering. Tang Xi, however, silently went inside the chamber. Unlike her mother, she didn¡¯t look around and exploit the invitation. She behaved like a perfect sister as if she was not interested in creating any more trouble for Tang Yue. Chapter 144: Unleashing the twins Part3 Chapter 144: Unleashing the twins Part3 When the mother-daughter trio loudly walked in, Xander had been leisurely resting on his bed, his mind wandering through several pressing matters. While the others simply rejoiced at the godly opportunity to pursue treasures and inheritances in thebyrinth, he alone had the responsibility to consider the supposed golden opportunity from every single angle. Even if he misses a small detail, the lives of many strong experts could easily disappear in an instant. It was up to him to make sure that they were not walking into a catastrophic trap. He himself didn¡¯t have the slightest clue of what was there inside. And the very fact that thebyrinth entrance was guarded by a spell that required huge masses to enter at the same time made him feel ufortable. As Xander was pondering about these important things, a certain snake casually brought over a pair of noisy bber mouths inside. The rabbit who was harassed by the hyenas had now sessfully lured the hyenas over to the lion¡¯s den. But the lion himself had a different reaction. Xander found himself being amused rather than angry at this unwee intrusion. ¡°Hmm¡­ She sounds like she is doing better¡­¡± The man¡¯s thin lips curved upwards. The small smile made his already enchanting features look absolutely divine. But then suddenly, he heard Tang Yue spouting a bunch of random nonsensical rules, that too using his name. ¡°How daring! She absolutely doesn¡¯t fear me! Heh.¡± The mad man chuckled and he sprung up from his bed with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Even if he was busy with something else, this snake was constantly pulling him into her world. On the one hand, she always had a frightened bunny-like expression, but on the other hand, she was constantly poking him. Xander paused a little and chuckled, before heading out of his chamber. Tang Zuelo, unfortunately, was standing very close to his side of the quarters and was instantly caught off guard. Damn it! She cursed Tang Yue inwardly. Didn¡¯t this trash tell me that the prince was not here at the moment? How is he here now? She was instantly terrified. The man¡¯s domineering aura made it harder for her to breathe. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± Tang Zuelo immediately bowed deeply and greeted the man in front of her, standing tall like a mountain. However, Xander didn¡¯t even spare a look in her direction. He directly gazed at Tang Yue and asked her in his coldmanding voice. ¡°Why are others inside my private residence?¡± Both Tang Zuelo and Tang Yue instantly felt shivers running down their spine. Before Tang Yue could say anything, Tang Zuelo instantly replied with shock and surprise written on her face. ¡°Aya Aya. I am so sorry, your highness. I beg for your forgiveness on my daughter¡¯s stead.¡± ¡°She was feeling very lonely, so she forced me toe here.¡± ¡°Please forgive us, your highness.¡± She hurriedly exined. Tang Yue smiled. Of course! Everything was going just as she had expected! The woman had instantly passed the me onto her just like she had expected. Xander, however, again ignored her and his gaze lingered on the smug-looking snake. Still not afraid of me, huh? He side-stepped the thering step-mother and directly walked towards the snake. ¡°Do you think you now have the authority to treat this ce as your own?¡± The man smirked as if he was pure evil. He was now standing so close to her that Tang Yue felt a tremendous pressure on her. Her face turned red and buckets of sweat started pouring out of her. ¡°No¡­ That¡­ I mean. My concubine mother¡­ called unfilial.¡± Tang Yue turned her face and mumbled her words incoherently. She hade in here with a carefully crafted n tond her dear step-mother and sister in deep trouble, but the mad man¡¯s gaze and his unique scent on her face made her forget everything and she blurted out the words in nervousness. The damned bastard had once again ruined her n! Can¡¯t you for once go along with my script??? With the exception of her cultivation base, she had just now broken through to the Martial realm. Tang Yue had thought that her nervousness and anxiety would have reduced. But she still found herself frozen solid in the presence of the tyrant. Xander chuckled. At least you still know some fear! He was satisfied. He was not sure if he wanted her to fear him, but messing with her sure felt good. He then leaned in more closer and grabbed the nervous snake¡¯s jaw. But suddenly, a surprised look quickly shed past his eyes. She is in the Emperor realm already? He could sense the progress of her mental strength. Heh. The mad man paused and then grinned, sending more chills down the snake¡¯s trembling spine. Damn you, bastard! Tang Yue cried inside. Tang Zuelo, who was standing on the side, watched the scene dumbstruck. Tang Yue might have missed it but Tang Zuelo could clearly see how well the man was treating her. She gnashed her teeth and silently stood, unable to do a single thing to intervene in their special bubble. She cursed herself for being stupid and not marrying her own daughter into the elven royal family. While she was helplessly racking her brain and scheming in her mind about what to do next, Tang Xi, of course, was one step faster. Out of nowhere, she leaped forward and knelt on the floor, holding Xander¡¯s feet and bawling her eyes out. ¡°Please, your highness. Show us mercy. Please don¡¯t punish my sister.¡± She wedged herself between Tang Yue and Xander. And more importantly¡­ Tang Xi was unexpectedly almost half-naked¡­ Her slender figure trembled as she literally knelt at the feet of the man and her loosely tied robe hade undone in the process. Her voluptuous body was tastefully exposed and coupled with her mesmerizing looks and fresh makeup, she looked absolutely breathtaking. She had a perfect golden figure with a slender waist and well-endowed breasts, which slightly bounced as her body trembled. Chapter 145: Unleashing the twins Part4 Chapter 145: Unleashing the twins Part4 Tang Xi had a perfect golden figure with a slender waist and well endowed slightly bounding mounds. Her natural seductive aura as a snake and her gentle and fragile demeanorplimented well and made her look utterly irresistible. With such a submissive and divine beauty half-naked at his feet, any man in power would have picked her up and ravished her on the spot to his heart¡¯s content. Forgetting that she was her mother, Tang Zuelo had a satisfied expression on her face. Her daughter knew how to use all sorts of tricks! Heh. Tang Yue, on the other hand, watched this ridiculous scene unfolding in front of her with her mouth wide open. This bitch is crazy! This was the first thing to enter her mind. He was the Crown Prince of Eldoria for heaven¡¯s sake! What sort of beauty hasn¡¯t thrown herself at him??! How could such an obvious cheap ploy work? Wouldn¡¯t it just annoy him? She couldn¡¯t understand how the typically conniving and cunning duo failed so miserably this time around! And Tang Yue was exactly right! Thanks to the rumors about the sex fiend Xavier, this mother and daughter pair had gravely miscalcted. Opposed to the reaction which Tang Xi was eagerly looking forward to, only a deep frown surfaced on Xander¡¯s face. He instantly raised his hand, and two guards came running over to them. These two were the same ones standing outside. ¡°A thousandshes each and they are hereby not allowed to step inside the royal ce.¡± The man¡¯s voice thundered. Luckily, Tang Xi had just touched his boots, otherwise, he would have instantly issued their execution orders. The guards bowed and then immediately started dragging out Tang Xi and Tang Zuelo forcefully, without even giving the half-naked woman a chance to fully clothe herself. Both Tang Zuelo and Tang Xi were too terrified after hearing themand. They gulped in fear as the harsh reality red up in their face. ¡°No. No. Your highness, please. You can¡¯t do this.¡± ¡°Please show mercy on us. Xi will be your personal ve from now on. Please have mercy on us.¡± Tang Zuelo begged and pleaded, her voice ringing loudly. Personal ve? Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. These bitches were still at it even when they were being mercilessly dragged out like dogs! She could only scoff at their shamelessness. As their voice slowly faded into the distance, Tang Yue silently watched the scrambling duo being dragged out of the Crown¡¯s quarters. Heh. Not too bad. That was a good show. She smugly grinned. Her n might have gone somewhat awry in the middle but the ending came through just as she had hoped for. Not too bad indeed. Just as she was absentmindedly gazing in the distance, Tang Yue had momentarily forgotten about the monster still standing near her. SNAP! Xander clicked his fingers making a loud noise and grabbed the snake¡¯s jaw back in his hand. ¡°Feeling happy, are we?¡± His cold voice sounded, sending a shiver across the snake¡¯s slender figure. Ah~ Tang Yue blinked awkwardly, sweat dripping from her forehead. She always lost her calm, when face to face with these cruel crimson eyes. The man looked more ferocious than the Golden Ape had when it was about to devour her. Unable to move her jaw, she slurred her words of apology. ¡°Mashta, phlese forgive me.¡± ¡°You are saying the words, but why don¡¯t you look sorry?¡± He chuckled and let her go. He then turned back to return to his main chamber, but his feet paused slightly. ¡°Stop using my name, will you?¡± ¡°Among the things that you plundered from my chamber, there should be a few spacial jewelries.¡± Tang Yue instantly stiffened. She had a small flicker of hope that the lunatic didn¡¯t notice her stealing. But now, that was definitely squashed. She gulped and awaited her punishment. But Xander merely chuckled and continued. ¡°Drip your blood onto them and then you can look inside and use the items. There should be some gold too.¡± ¡°If I see you using my name again..?¡± ¡°No, no, your highness. Cough. Cough. This disciple has learned from her mistakes and will notmit this error again.¡± Xander snorted loudly and scoffed. What a shameless woman! Yet she never failed to amuse him! He turned around to look at her again and mumbled. ¡°I will be gone for the next few days. You would be wise not to participate in the contest or thebyrinth exploration.¡± Huh? Tang Yue was confused. She could almost see a flicker of emotion in the cold and distant crimson eyes. But before she could react, the elf vanished into thin air and disappeared. Did he just? Was that advice out of concern? She had a small doubt. She had done so many outrageous things one after the other without any consideration of the consequences but the man didn¡¯t punish her at all. He hadn¡¯t even reprimanded her. In fact, everything he had done was in her favor. Well, except for the 200 billion gems that he owed her! For a moment, Tang Yue¡¯s mind wandered. She considered whether to tell Xander about her special abilities and exin to him that she only intends to be an ally and that she would never stand against him, irrespective of how powerful she became in the future. But as a powerful ruler of a country, would he think of bankrolling her or getting rid of her before she gets too strong? Because with her skill, she would definitely cross him within a few years, and then she would no longer be under his control. If she decides to go against him, then there was nothing that he could possibly do. Taking this into ount, would he still dare to trust her words and her intentions? Why would he trust someone who is almost a stranger to him so much? Definitely not! Tang Yue smiled bitterly and put away the foolish thoughts in her mind. Certain risks¡­ she just couldn¡¯t afford to take¡­ There might evene a day when this same man hunted her to heaven¡¯s end! At that time, Tang Yue doubted if he would think twice before killing her and eliminating the threat. Definitely not¡­ Chapter 146: I am rich! Part1 Chapter 146: I am rich! Part1 Tang Yue pensively walked back to her own chamber and changed into a morefortable robe. ¡°Let¡¯s not think too much.¡± She pped her cheeks and cupped her face into her hands. She then massaged her eyes and temples with her palms and flicked open the system¡¯s interface. There were things still left to do before the contest officially began! Just like Xander had warned her, the Labyrinth might very well be dangerous, but Tang Yue had no other choice except to participate in it. She was already far behind the others, and the danger of her hidden abilities getting discovered was only increasing every day. She had to be stronger as soon as possible and couldn¡¯t afford to let even a single chance go to waste. She had to grab every opportunity irrespective of how dangerous it was. Besides, numerous people from the nine countries were participating in this expedition. So just how dangerous could it be? As she was engrossed deep in her thoughts, a small furballnded on her. Sensing Tang Yue¡¯s presence, Little Blue had run over to her from somewhere in a corner and immediately jumped onto her. The pup licked her distracted face affectionately as if it was wiping away all her worries with its saliva. Tang Yue giggled and put the saliva monster down on the floor. ¡°Be good, Little Blue.¡± She then gazed at the System¡¯s interface. She had already opened the system¡¯s interface a few dozen times in the royal pce, that too in the close proximity of Xander. If he was able to detect it, he would have already done so. Because of this, Tang Yue was sure that Xander was not capable of detecting the System¡¯s presence within her. After the auction house fiasco, she had been exceedingly cautious and meticulous in all her actions. Even a single slip-up could cost her everything and that cannot happen. This was why, even though she was inhaling the roasted meat skewers left and right, she still didn¡¯tpletely finish the bloodlines. She purposefully left it iplete, just an inch from the finish line. She was not sure if Xander would be able to sense her evolution process, so she decided to not trigger any bloodline evolutions at the moment. She also had to form the beast contract yet but that too had to wait. It was simply too risky to do these things at the moment. When thebyrinth event begins, then Xander¡¯s attention would definitely not be on her. So that would be the perfect moment to finish off all of these upgrades. For now, she had no other choice but to rely solely on her upgraded mental strength and grab a spot in this contest. Tang Yue nodded in deep thought and gazed at the System interface. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 8 (100/51,200) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Silver-tier Martial Body Mana constitution: Gold-tier Mortal Core Soul constitution: Bronze-tier Martial Soul Mental constitution: Silver-tier Emperor Mind ______________ Poison resistance: Level 30 Heat resistance: Level 50 Cold resistance: Level 30 Lightning resistance: Level 30 ______________ Agility: Level 30 Strength: Level 30 Stamina: Level 30 Defense: Level 30 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 5000/5000 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 500/500 Mana regeneration: 100mp/hr ______________ Contractedpanions: Fire elemental: Level 0 ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Volcanic Turtle King (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% Violet-horned Nether Dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% Completed Bloodlines: Wild Smander (Common grade) Bristle wolf (Common grade) Fire twin-tailed bird (Low grade) Crystal Swan (Low grade) Repugnant Eversong Vine (Low grade) ______________ Skills: [Greater Illusion Magic] ¨C Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to two realms. [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body. [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Higher fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade fire. [Lesser Ice affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into low-grade ice. [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 30, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 30, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. [Startle] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 15, Able to disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration. [Hide] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 10, Able to hide the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Disguise] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 0, Able to mask and morph the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Enve] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 0, Able to bend the mind of a lower realm target to will. ______________ ¡°Ha Ha. That cheered me up.¡± The snake grinned brightly. Since she had leveled up not once but twice and also upgraded her four constitutions, all her stats were vastly improved. If not for her mana coregging behind, she could have already stepped into the Martial realm and shed her mortal statuspletely. But there was nothing Tang Yue could do at the moment to improve her rate of mana cultivation any further than she had already done. So she clicked her tongue and ignored it. It was a passive process and it will increase with time automatically. The snake also hated her abysmal health regeneration rate. But there was nothing she could do about this as well at the moment. She needed appropriate bloodlines to improve these traits. Only if shepletes the necessary bloodline evolutions, she would be able to improve these two important traits. Till then, just like everyone else, she would also have to rely on health and mana regeneration potions, the two best-selling products of the alchemy association. It wouldn¡¯t be exaggerating to say that the association¡¯s main profit came from these two product sales. As the snake quietly pondered about acquiring these two potions in bulk, her mind casually wandered over to the crimson-eyed devil¡¯sst few words. The man had suspiciously been very generous and allowed her to use the things in his pieces of spacial jewelry. Tang Yue gulped eagerly. Just what sort of monstrous treasures could be present in the mad man¡¯s collections??? Chapter 147: I am rich! Part2 Chapter 147: I am rich! Part2 Tang Yue wiggled her butt on the feathered bed and curiously retrieved the pieces of jewels one by one from her space pearl. There were three shiny rings, each made of a crystal clear ruby gem. These gems were especially suitable for rune crafting and were amon material for crafting space pouches. Other than the rings, there were also a couple of earring sets and one amulet chain. These were fitted with emerald and amethyst gems, also used asmon runic materials, but not for space pouches. These were actually solely used for mana enhancing engravings and mana barrier engravings. [Ho Ho Ho. It looks like you have got some good items there, little snake!] The elder chimed in. Tang Yue indignantly scoffed and asked the old man. ¡°Can you tell me what are these and what special properties do they have?¡± [Of course, not. Do you think that I am as jobless as you? Hmph.] Tang Yue shook her head and moved on. Asking this old goat anything extra was useless, but suddenly an idea popped up in her mind. ¡°He He.¡± The snake wickedly grinned. ¡°Maybe because my mental strength is high now, I have suddenly be so smart!¡± She hummed and quickly started equipping the two sets of earrings and the amulet. Even though the jewelry style was very small and simple, a typical style suited for men, it fit her perfectly and enhanced the beauty of her features. But more importantly, Tang Yue was interested in its functionality. She quickly flicked open her status screen and observed her new stats. ¡°Aha!¡± The snake beamed in delight. Just like she had expected, the enhancement runes ced on the jewelry were clearly outlined in her system interface. The stupid old man was half the time misleading her! He couldn¡¯t have pointed her to such an easy solution? Hmph. She scoffed at the illusionary elder again and busied herself with the details. ______________ Items Equipped: Emerald Earring: High grade; Mana regeneration: +5000mp/hr Amethyst Earring: High grade; Mana regeneration: +5000mp/hr Emerald Amulet: High-grade; Able to withstand three attacks from a Saint realm expert. ______________ ¡°Ah!¡± She gasped in surprise. Her opened mouth slowly became wider and wider and she let out a loud scream. 5000mp/hr???? Her entire mana core only had a pitiful 500 mana points. But now, with these two high-grade items, she will literally never run out of mana, at least using the current spells in her wheelhouse! ¡°Fuck! This is awesome.¡± Tang Yue pinched herself. The rich really knew how to be prepared! These were no longer mere enhancement items! These were treasures! HIGH-GRADE TREASURES! Tang Yue had never in her life had the privilege of wearing such extravagant items. These few additions directly boosted herbat strength quite a bit. Now that she had them, she felt as if these were a must for anybat expert stepping out of the settlement into the beast territories. With these, she could have easily taught those crocodiles who is the boss. Not only that but the amulet was a top-tier defense artifact! Capable enough to withstand an attack from a Saint realm expert? That was something that could trulye in handy. After all, her enemies were everywhere on the streets of Eldoria, waiting patiently for her to take a step outside so that they could finish her off. ¡°He He He. Having a sugar daddy is not too shabby!¡± The snake grinned and closed her system interface. She then quickly picked up the three ruby rings. Unlike the earrings and the amulet, these were simply storage pouches. Well¡­ if you can call them that! Tang Yue was already happy with her haul, but now she looked scared senseless as she peeped inside these pouches one by one. Heaps and heaps of multicolored sparkling gems were littered on the vast surface of the spatial pouch. In all three of them! ¡°Did he just give me the entire wealth of Eldoria or what??¡± ¡°Just how rich are these stinking elves??¡± Her tongue lifelessly coiled around her silver fang, as the snake started panicking inwardly. She had never seen so many gems at the same time! What an obscene amount of wealth! Once the entire picture slowly hit her on the face, the snake then suddenly remembered something else or rather someone else! Particrly, the person who had casually tossed her these few things! ¡°He¡­ He¡­ just gave me all of these??¡± Tang Yue stammered. No man could ever be this generous without expecting anything in return! Uh oh! Her thoughts went wild and her mind started thinking of crazy amorous scenarios. ¡°Does he expect me to¡­?¡± She gulped subconsciously as her thoughts flitted around the different lewd services that might be expected of her¡­ The snake remembered the man¡¯s chiseled muscr frame, his unique ttering scent, and the taste of his tongue invading her mouth. Even his crimson eyes had a sort of cruel charm to them. ¡°It¡­ It might not be too bad?¡± ¡°Fuck! What the hell am I thinking about??¡± Tang Yue pped her forehead and shook her head like a maniac. ¡°Focus. Focus. Damn it!¡± She quickly freshened up, picked up Little Blue and the duo went for a walk followed by Lotte. Since there were only two more days for the contest, Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to confuse herself with the Lucky wheel or any new techniques she might potentially learn. ¡°Everything can wait after the contest.¡± She decided. Her ns might have taken a stroll, but somehow they were all right back on track. She got the money she needed and now it was time to upgrade everything like crazy! More treasures the better! ¡°Mid-grade sword? Meh. Only a High-grade or Rare-grade sword suited someone awesome like me!¡± ¡°Potions? I am going to buy a million of them! ¡°He He He.¡± The snake grinned and happily set out on a shopping spree. ¡°I am finally rich, damn it!¡± Tears of joy dripped from her enchanting emerald eyes. Chapter 148: Contest begins Part1 Chapter 148: Contest begins Part1 Two dayster¡­ The sun rose and shone brightly in thend of Xion. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flickered open early in the morning and a serious expression surfaced on her face. She took a deep breath and prepared herself mentally. This was the first time she was taking part in a contest like this. Her floundering fights earlier with themon grade and low-grade spirit beasts couldn¡¯t really be called an actual battle. But this contest, consisting of participants from the entirety of Eldoria and the neighboring small settlements, could be truly counted as the first test of her fighting capabilities. She steadily stood up from her bed, her eyes full of determination and hunger, and started preparing for the day. She walked over to the bunch of neatly arranged equipments, thatid scattered on one corner of her chamber, where she had been studying them and analyzing their various uses the previous day. Tang Yue tossed them one by one into her new ring. She hadpletely emptied out one space ring the previous day so that she could organize all the new equipments from her multiple trips to the auction house and also the ck market. Since she was short on time, she had to rely on the ck market to acquire quite a few items. They had cost her ten times the normal price at which they typically were sold, but who cared about that! After arranging the pieces of equipment, Tang Yue then arranged all her potions and a few other special tricks inside another space ring. Now she was ready! She slowly rose to her feet and solemnly walked out of the royal pce. And as usual, walking right behind her, a small wolf cub and Lotte, her pce aide. The royal training grounds located near the Eldorian royal pce had a huge fighting arena, where these kinds of events were typically held. Quite a few people had already gathered in the arena grounds to participate and watch the proceedings. Everyone was excitedly gossiping and chatting amongst themselves and guessing who all would be lucky enough to get selected in this contest. There were a total of 50 slots for the Labyrinth exploration avable to the contestants today. A whopping number of 50! Even if they didn¡¯t manage to get into the top ten or whatever, they could still somehow squeeze into the bottom ten by hook or crook. So everyone was busily chatting with each other and trying to gauge each other¡¯s strengths in high spirits. As Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes gazed at the gathered crowd, she saw that most people around her were in the Martial realm just like herself. But there were also quite a few who had already stepped into the Emperor realm. These were veteran beast hunters whose strength andbat expertise were just a smudge away from being epted into the royal battalions. Or frencers, those who preferred not to involve themselves too much with the royal family. This would be the majority of Tang Yue¡¯s mainpetition! Luckily, there was no one from Saint realm or higher participating in this contest. As Tang Yue walked into the crowd to register herself for the contest, a ck-clothed hooded figure suddenly walked past her, brushing her or rather bumping against her in the process. It almost looked as if the passerby had purposefully rammed their shoulder into Tang Yue¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°What the¡­? Watch where you¡­ go¡­¡± The snake muttered absent-mindedly and turned around to take a look at this specific passerby. For an instant, her emerald eyes met with the eyes of the elf who had crossed her but the perpetrator had already disappeared into the crowd. ¡°Have I seen that person before? Huh?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s sharp senses had caught an outline of the figure and her mind lingered, but she soon shrugged it off. ¡°Whatever.¡± She headed directly to the crowded registration desk and gave her name and details to the elf sitting there. The man looked up at her weirdly and had a bitter smile on his face as he jotted down her details. ¡°Sessfully registered, your highness.¡± He then muttered and pointed Tang Yue to a nearby waiting area. ¡°Please wait for your turn there.¡± ¡°Mmhm.¡± Tang Yue nodded and looked over in the direction the elf pointed. That was the contestants¡¯ gathering area. There were several people there, some sitting cross-legged in meditation, preparing for the contest which was about to begin and some noisily chatting, not in the least worried about the contest which was about to begin. And of course, among the noisily chatting bunch, she recognized a few familiar faces! ¡°What the hell?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. Now she realized why the registration elf was looking weirdly at her. Almost all the royal consorts from Xander¡¯s personal harem had shown up for the contest! Each elf was more beautiful than the other! Not just that, but a few other royal family members, probably women from other harems in the pce and a few noble family daughters had also gathered in the same area. It was definitely a sight to behold for any man! Before Tang Yue could digest this view in front of her, the System¡¯s notifications chimed in. [Little snake, Little snake, Why don¡¯t you spin the Lucky Wheel now?] ¡°Fuck!¡± Tang Yue cursed the shameless perverted old man. She smiled weakly and decided to head back into the crowd to sit among themoner participants. She wanted to meditate silently for a while and didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily participate in any drama. Apart from the elves, there were also several orcs, and fox spirit beasts participating in this contest, so it was rtively easy for her to blend into the crowd and find a silent corner. Tang Yue flopped onto the ground and sat cross-legged, Lotte and Little Blue settling next to her. It was a good spot for her to observe the fights and learn from thebat disy. The snake nodded satisfactorily and retrieved a piece of roasted meat from her space pearl, popping one into her mouth and the other to the little white wolf cub. The show was about to begin! Chapter 149: Contest begins Part2 Chapter 149: Contest begins Part2 Around noon the registration process for the contest was finallypleted. The elf manning the registration desk let out a loud sigh. Somehow within the blink of an eye, a grand total of five thousand contestants had gathered around in the fighting arena grounds. Once he was done, the elf promptly hurried over to a stoic looking middle-aged elf sitting silently near the stage. All this time he was quietly sitting alone, emanating a positively murderous aura. Even the registration desk elf only approached him with a lot of apprehension and fear. This was the fifth General of the Crown Prince, Lord Relmar, a man almost as terrifying as the famed bloodthirsty tyrant himself. The General was already in the Saint realm, with some rumors even stating that he was one step into the Demi-God realm. Relmar was here today to oversee the first day of the contest. Since Xander had issued a public royal verdict regarding this contest, obviously he wouldn¡¯t allow it to take ce without any supervision from his side. Once the elf handed over the jade slip containing the details of all participants to Relmar, the contest officially began and a loud gong resounded. Gu Dang! Gu Dang! Gu Dang! The chattering crowd instantly silenced and everyone¡¯s eyes moved over to the elf standing sturdily in front of the arena¡¯s main center stage. There were about ten stages in total and it was typical to simultaneously conduct multiple matches at the same time, especially for this contest since they had an insane total of five thousand participants. Apart from the different beast hunting guild recruitments and the beast horde purge team recruitments, this would be the biggest contest conducted in the royal fighting arena to date. After the gongs sounded, Relmar loudly harrumphed and announced with his throaty, deep, and very scary voice. ¡°Only those who are able to stand in the top fifty will be selected.¡± ¡°If your opponent bows out and admits defeat, you are required to stop your attack and hold your hand.¡± ¡°If your opponent doesn¡¯t have the good sense to recognize an attack that is above his limits, it is not your responsibility to ensure the safety of the fool.¡± ¡°Since this contest is for the Labyrinth exploration, all treasures and defense artifacts will be permitted in the battles.¡± ¡°But please be aware that it is best if you don¡¯t use these too much and solely rely on them since inside the Labyrinth only true capabilities cane to your rescue.¡± ¡°If you are not too careful, you might just end up losing your pitiful worthless life.¡± ¡°I will be watching your behavior and conduct the entire time. That will be all.¡± ¡°The battles will bemencing now.¡± The man¡¯s authoritative andmanding aurapletely controlled the atmosphere in the fighting arena grounds, instantly converting the boisterous loud scene into a serious blood boiling affair. His sharp and ruthless words had riled up the crowd and boosted everyone¡¯s morals to the perfect temperature for the uing fights. After his announcements, Relmar then went back to his seat and sat down with the usual frown on his face, snorting loudly. Taking this as the cue, another elf immediately hurried over and started calling the names of the participants one by one. And soon, intense battles erupted in all ten stages, marking the official beginning of the contest! The initial battles had a lot of weaklings mixed into the fray, opportunity seekers who mostly participated to try their luck and see what happens. This coupled with the fact that Relmar had just finished his short and vicious speech about how killing the dumb was not punishable, several participants quit instantly after exchanging a few superficial blows with their opponents. Some even cried out before a single blow couldnd. Everyone was warily gauging their opponent¡¯s strength with the utmost caution before acting rashly. This greatly reduced the number of participants and the overall number of matches in itself. Enjoying thisic scene, intense loud cheering and booing echoed from the audience. Everyone was in high spirits. Though the audience were closely scattered around the tenbat stages, they were not in any real danger, as each stage was surrounded by a strong and powerful reinforced runic magic barrier that prevented the attacks from seeping outside. Otherwise, themoners littered around thebat stages would be instantly squashed like ants from the aftermath of the battle on stage. Tang Yue pursed her lips and nodded in a trance. She was already a fan of this experienced General! The man¡¯s few short words had instantly simplified everything and had taken out the weeds from the list of participants within seconds. The funny part was that most likely what he said wasn¡¯t true entirely. But even if it was, Tang Yue wouldn¡¯t be surprised. The old General was ruthless and she loved it! Even though his speech was very extreme, there were groups of elves with water elemental affinity specialized in healing magic, stationed close to the tenbat stages. These elves readily tended to the contestants who suffered injuries in the sparring. Even if they were unable topletely reverse the damage done, they at least took care of the basic first aid and stabilized the wounds. Of course, ultimately, it would be up to the respective party to spend their own resources and recover their body¡¯s condition back to its peak. This was the norm of the kill or be killed cultivationbat world and nothing would change that. Tang Yue along with Lotte and Little Blue were still seated in a corner among the audience. Her turn hadn¡¯te up yet, so she was keenly observing the fights happening in front of her. Even Little Blue was yelping every now and then in excitement, after inhaling the fiery battle filled air. The slightly betterbat experts and Emperor realm participants were fighting on the center stage. So the snake¡¯s emerald eyes were glued on to this particr arena battles. And finally, after the short series of one-sided massacres and instant towel throws, the first real battle started! Chapter 150: Flowers should be in the bedroom Part1 Chapter 150: Flowers should be in the bedroom Part1 In the midst of the cheering and booing crowd, two Emperor realm experts hopped onto the center stage with a solemn expression on their faces. This was the first big battle for the day! They both nodded at each other and slightly bowed. No other introductions or words were exchanged. It was very apparent that they already knew each other and hadn¡¯t quite expected to face each other this early in the contest. Thebyrinth exploration contest was being conducted in a modified Swiss tournament style. This was so that the final war band could be selected based on the least possible number of battle fixtures. Each contestant was pitted against another contestant with a simr record of victories and losses and thus allowing for the top and bottom contestants to be determined rapidly. This system was extremely reliable, considering that it was very fast. Even if one gets lucky and gets ced with a bunch of mediocre yers at the beginning, they will then have the disadvantage of having to fight vastly superior opponents one after the otherter on due to their better scores. Apart from this, one also had to take into consideration the injuries suffered after each victory and loss. Luckily each contestant only had five matches scheduled for the day. So if they manage to get through this unscathed, then they might have a chance the next day. Some people in the forefront even might drop out due to unexpected injuries. So there was always a chance for the patient and the prudent contestant, who knew how to pick his battle strategically. The two Emperor realm experts standing on the stage at the moment circled each other warily. Both weremoner n elves and both belonged to the same beast hunter¡¯s guild. They were even somewhat familiar with each of their strengths and weaknesses. A couple of seconds passed and the guy standing on the right, Danzel, materialized a huge blob of me on his hand. His other hand rested in a defensive stance, conjuring a protective mana barrier in front of him. Almost simultaneously, B, the guy standing on the left, wielded his sword and materialized his mes as a part of his sword, coating the clearly visible brilliant metallic sheen of the high-grade sword. ¡°Hmph.¡± B snorted loudly and lunged forward at full speed to directly tackle the mana barrier, which was separating him and Danzel. There was a slight hesitation on Danzel¡¯s part, as his feet sturdily bnced him on the stage and his eyes gazed at the approaching warrior in vignce. The bastard had secretly upgraded his gear! This was the first thought which entered the elf¡¯s mind. He took a menacing deep breath and quickly doubled the mana concentration in his barrier, at the same time creating anotheryer of barrier behind this one. Just as he did that, the me on his right hand dwindled a little but it still posed a significant threat. Danzel had luckily acted just in time and the very next second, a loud nging sound resounded. B¡¯s high-grade sword smashed against the thick defensive barrier creating a grating screeching noise. The man was surprised slightly. He had expected his high-grade sword to cut through this defense, but that did not happen. Nevertheless, he continued to push on forward, relying on his innate overwhelming strength and power, because the one thing that was different between him and Danzel was their body tempering. Both the beast hunters were at different stages in body tempering, with B having a Diamond-tier Emperor body, and Danzel only having a Silver-tier Emperor body. This alone could have given him the victory, but s, unfortunately for him, Danzel was far more proficient in his sword art and me serpent spell. After shing once, B started to repeatedly sh at the mana barrier, hammering on the thin defensiveyer. It was clearly only a matter of time before the entire defense shatters and all B needed was a single hit. But how could Danzel allow this to happen so easily? Just as B was busy with breaking the barrier, Danzel snorted and used his other hand to dual cast the me serpent spell. A giant roaring serpent materialized on the center stage rearing its head like a powerful dragon. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened as she witnessed this high-grade me spell in action. What an astonishing strength! The me looked as if it was alive and roaring with a life of its own! It swirled around B and started roasting the elf alive without any hesitation. ¡°Give up B!¡± Danzel shouted. His face was reddened and he was clearly out of breath. Casting this high-grade spell had taken a lot out of him. He did not have much fuel left for the rest of the battle. This was the drawback of using a powerful spell, the stronger the spell, the more mana it guzzled. ¡°Hmph. I will only give up after I fuck your sister.¡± B snorted and continued ramming against the mana barrier. He knew that the opponent¡¯s mana reserves were already low and this was his chance. But the me serpent did not wait for him. It mercilessly sizzled around him, having already burnt to a crisp most of his protective armor suit. The gigantic me was now feasting on B¡¯s skin and the flesh underneath, sending ripples of intense pain and shock through his body. If not for his Emperor realm tempered body, he would have already long dissipated into mere ashes. B grit his teeth and continued pushing forward, just barely withstanding the inhumane me serpent. It was now Danzel¡¯s turn to fret. The me serpent would onlyst for a few more seconds. After that, it wouldpletely disappear. At the same time, his mana barrier also looked like it would shatter apart any time now. At this rate, he would end up in a direct hand to handbat with B who had a better tempered and stronger bodypared to him. This was not good! He would definitely lose! Danzel narrowed his eyes and bit down on his lips. He couldn¡¯t waste any more time. He had been saving an ultimate trump card and it looked like it was time for him to use that. Chapter 151: Flowers should be in the bedroom Part2 Chapter 151: Flowers should be in the bedroom Part2 Danzel narrowed his eyes. He knew that he couldn¡¯t waste any more time. He had been saving an ultimate trump card and it looked like it was time for him to use that. ¡°Damn it all!¡± He screamed and furiously lifted his hand that was maintaining the me serpent. He hated that he had been unfairly forced to expose his ultimate trump card in the very first match itself. Now if he had further matches along the line, his opponents would already be prepared for it. But it was not prudent to think about all those things right now. He needed to focus on B and only on B. Danzel lifted his hand directly to his mouth and bit his own thumb finger so forcefully that blood spilled out. Gasp! Several members of the audience who recognized what he was doing panted in shock. Even Relmar¡¯s stoic face flickered with interest. Others might notpletely understand what just happened, but Relmar definitely did. Danzel had activated a blood art! Relmar turned his head and observed keenly. Though he knew the gist of it, he still needed to see what grade of blood art it was, and whether it was a movement,bat or enhancement blood art! If things yed out ording to his expectations then this participant would really be a diamond in the rough! He would immediately put all of his efforts into recruiting him for his team. Blood dripped from Danzel¡¯s thumb as the elf did not even flinch, rather the man¡¯s eyes had a proud gleam within them. B shuddered. How could he not know what was going to happen? He lunged forward with every single bit of speed and force that he could muster, but it was already toote. The instant the me serpent had disappeared, Danzel had already activated the blood art. The elf standing in front of B suddenly vanished into thin air and simultaneously several Danzels or rather vivid life like images of Danzel materialized on the stage. ¡°Fuck.¡± B screamed. His steps did not falter and he quickly rushed towards the images one after the other to sh them into oblivion. But just as he neared the fourth image¡­ Kacha! Suddenly, the multiple Danzels on the stage withdrew their long swords at the same time and without any warning pierced the half-burned elf B from all directions. Even though the elf¡¯s body was already in the Emperor realm, he still couldn¡¯t withstand this attack and slumped on his knees coughing up blood. Haaaa Haaaa Haaaa B panted. His eyes were bloodshot and the man was trembling. His body looked like a meat carcass shed down to remove fat and skin. But surprisingly, the elf did not look defeated. He almost looked like he was ready to fight for another ten rounds. B gripped his sword with his bloody hands, clenched his fist, and with a great difficulty muttered. ¡°I¡­ give up.¡± As if he was hanging onto his life and waiting to hear that statement, Danzel fainted the next instant and fell on top of B. ¡°Damn you fucker!¡± B cried. He also copsed on the stage. Watching the two Emperor realm fighters lying unconscious on the stage, the entire audience remained silent. What an amazing battle! Only after the healers started assisting the duo, everyone snapped back to reality and intense roaring apuse resounded in the arena grounds. Tang Yue was also pping like a maniac. Such strength and such power! The entire fight had onlysted for a few minutes but it was a spectacr exchange. Her heart thumped loudly and she felt the desire to fight such a battle surging within her. ¡°Huzzah! How amazing! One needs to put everything down on the line and fight with their life. That¡¯s what makes a true warrior!¡± She loudly proimed patting Lotte on the back, a little too forcefully. She whistled and cheered along with the rest of the audience like a hooligan. Lotte sitting quietly near her gulped nervously. Is it just me or the princess is getting more and more violent thesest few days? He pondered. After the two elves were quickly helped out of the main stage, it was now time for the next fight. Tang Yue eagerly rubbed her hands together and prepared to enjoy the next amazing fight which was about to begin, when the jade slip on her hand glowed silently. ¡°He He He. It looks like it¡¯s finally my turn to show off, Little Blue.¡± She squeezed the wolf cub near her in excitement until it let out a yelp. The riled up snake then hurried and walked over to one of the smaller side stages. Only higher tier participants got to show off and battle it out in the center stage. Since Tang Yue was still in the martial realm and considering her status as the royal consort and an alchemy practitioner, she didn¡¯t find it odd that her fighting capabilities were assumed to be of the lower tier. And just as she walked over to the small stage, quite a few number of interested parties started walking in her direction. About a dozen of the royal consorts wereing over from the other end to witness her fight. Heh. Tang Yue smirked at the sight of the arrogant elven beauties. Not even one of them nodded at her and greeted her. It was clear that they all looked down upon her even though she was now the Crown¡¯s personal disciple. But Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less about who sees her fight and who doesn¡¯t. She was quite confident about securing her first victory and her mind was entirely focused on that. Just as she started preparing to step into the arena, finally someone did greet her and that too the voice was a familiar one, albeit one that she hated. ¡°What are you doing here, pretty princess? Flowers are meant to be ornamental.¡± ¡°They should be in the bedroom, pretty princess.¡± Chapter 152: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part1 Chapter 152: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part1 Tang Yue¡¯s forehead veins throbbed as she instantly realized who that hateful voice belonged to. Tsk Tsk. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and turned around. A familiar old elf with a big lecherous smile greeted her. Dranuk for some reason even looked more happy and cheerful than usual. And the very next second, Tang Yue understood why. Her emerald eyes fell on the enticing voluptuous slender pale blue figure standing next to Master Dranuk, Tang Xi! ¡°Greetings, sister.¡± Tang Xi mumbled. She had a kind and warm innocent smile on her face. ¡°Heh.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. Now, this was more like her cunning and scheming sister! In the entire Eldoria, she had managed to locate the one disgusting elf who did not like her. Well, never mind. Most of the elves did hate her! But still, to say the least, Tang Yue had only expected this sister of hers and her beloved step-mother to be tossing and turning in pain from the 1000 consecutiveshes she had gifted them thest time But here she was! Completely intact and not a single scar left behind on that perfect seductive body. Of course, taking one look at her sister and how she was standing unnaturally close to the perverted old elf Dranuk, she could roughly guess what might have happened. ¡°Yuck!¡± Just thinking about it made her cringe. No wonder the elf looked very satisfied and content! But one thing was still unclear to Tang Yue. Why did Tang Xi sell herself to this pervertckey when the pervert big boss Marvin was up and about?? The only reason that she could think of was the Labyrinth. That fatty was most probably working very hard on something to secure his chances at the Labyrinth. Tang Yue¡¯s varied reactions, not particrly camouged made Tang Xi clench her fists, but the smile on her face remained ever the same. ¡°Good luck, sister.¡± The snake cutely mumbled with a big warm smile. Tang Yue chuckled. Her emerald eyes shimmered as she gazed at Tang Xi and then at Dranuk and then back at Tang Xi with a condescending sneer. ¡°Thanks.¡± She smirked. Without wasting any further time, she then turned around and confidently started preparing for her first battle. ¡°Aha ha ha. It looks like sister is very busy.¡± Tang Xi smiled sweetly and looked at Dranuk. The old elf waspletely smitten. He nodded repeatedly as if he was a puppet. ¡°Meh. She is nothingpared to you, my gorgeous.¡± ¡°Wait till you step on the stage, then everyone would be surprised.¡± He winked at her with a coy smile, that looked disgusting on his aged face. Not just these two, rather everyone gathered around the Stage 7 rooted against Tang Yue and expected her to lose for the obvious reasons. There was not a single person there who expected her to win, including Lotte. ¡°Your highness, forgive me for the impudence, but do you really have to participate in this contest?¡± He gulped in fear and murmured hesitantly. ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡± Tang Yue chuckled and asked. She did not wait for the elf¡¯s reply. She was currently very busy. The fight was about to begin and she still had¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ certain things to arrange. A couple of minutester, a loud gong sounded, indicating the start of the fight. Tang Yue¡¯s opponent stepped on to the stage in one swell jump. It was a burly thick elf who looked like he excelled in physical defense, emphasizing body tempering. Just like B, this elf had also clearly stepped into the Emperor realm with respect to his physical conditioning but his cultivation base was still at the Martial realm. ¡°Go Go Go! Kojo!¡± ¡°You can do this brother!¡± ¡°Easy fight. Easy fight.¡± ¡°Welp. Don¡¯t scar the beauty¡¯s face brother!¡± ¡°Ha Ha. I disagree. Spank the princess real hard brother!¡± Several cheering sounds started echoing as Kojo¡¯s friends started making fun of him for fighting against a royal consort. If another elven dude had wasted their time by actually fighting instead of conceding, they might have fumed. But since it was a beauty wasting their time, they didn¡¯t seem to mind so much. It was like a breather to them in between serious fights. In the midst of this banter, everyone started to eagerly search for the other opponent. ¡°Where is she? Why hasn¡¯t she stepped on to the stage yet?¡± And meanwhile¡­ At the other end of the stage, Lotte¡¯s eyes were bulging like a boiled egg¡­ ¡°Princess¡­ Your highness¡­ This¡­ This¡­ I mean are you sure?¡± He stammered and tried to change Tang Yue¡¯s mind. ¡°Your highness¡­ the General is¡­ watching.¡± But Tang Yue did not listen to him. She huffed and puffed and climbed up the stage with great difficulty. ¡°What? Why is she so out of breath?¡± Everyone was confused but soon as her full figure emerged onto the stage, things became crystal clear. Tang Yue stood on the stage ready to fight with her eyes solemn and fierce. Her hair was whipping about in the wind like an immortal and her dual ruby earrings were sparkling in the bright sunlight. But then¡­ When the eyes of the spectators trailed from the top to the bottom, they couldn¡¯t help but cringe instantly. Tang Yue was literally a big bundled up ball of metal! The shameless snake had draped herself from top to bottom in high-end armors! Not one, but many. There had to be at least 20 different armors surrounding her. And they all seemed to be high-grade or even rare-grade! A stretch of deathly silence enveloped Stage 7, while everywhere else the contest seemed to be going on in full spirit. No one knew how to react. Not the audience. And definitely, not Kojo, Tang Yue¡¯s opponent. Even Relmar, who had already spotted this maddening sight from a distance had a weird expression on his face. But then again, it was not against the rules, so he remained silent and watched patiently from afar. Chapter 153: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part2 Chapter 153: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part2 ¡°Hello? Brother? I am ready!¡± Tang Yue waved her hand in impatience signaling her opponent to start the fight. Even with her especially thick skin, she started feeling slightly ufortable. The elf standing frozen in front of her had been speechlessly staring at her for a while now. The crowd surrounding them was also looking at her with a very simr expression on their faces! ¡°Hmm¡­ Did I overdo it? This is nothing against the rules! Did they really have to be this surprised??¡± She pondered. ¡°Oh wait, maybe I have something on my teeth?¡± She leisurely lifted her rare-grade sword shining in the sunlight with a blinding splendor and shamelessly checked her appearance in its reflection. Kojo¡¯s face twitched. Relmar grimaced. Everyone in the crowd wanted to vomit out blood. It was not as if this was something new. Even in the past, in otherpetitions previously held, they always had one or two couple of these rich arrogant young masters who solely relied on their wealth and social backing to strong-arm the results. But this was the first time someone had taken it to such an extent and even daringly done so in a contest organized by the Crown Prince Xander himself! Several people in the crowd started loudly sneering and booing. The thing that they could not bear to stand was the fact that Tang Yue had a very solemn and serious expression on her face. There wasn¡¯t a single ounce of embarrassment or awkwardness in her behavior at all. It was as if she was just doing what was expected of her. She looked raring and ready to go into a battle and fight till death. It made everyone want to bang their heads against a wall. Finally, one of the consorts couldn¡¯t take it any longer and loudly yelled. ¡°Tang Yue, aren¡¯t you ashamed to act in this manner? You are ruining the reputation of highness!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you even know how to behave in public??? What is the meaning of this?¡± The beautiful elf who had shouted in anger was literally trembling. She looked absolutely furious. In reality, she couldn¡¯t care less about what the shameless bitch was doing in this contest. The thing that stabbed her the most was something else entirely. Everyone knew that the spirit beasts were very poor and weak. They heavily relied on others for all their resources. So where did Tang Yue get all this money from? That too she was draped from top to bottom in fucking rare grade and high-grade pieces of equipment. They must have surely cost a fortune! The news about Tang Yue¡¯s special stunt at the auction was also buried by the royal family. So no one knew about that. This being the case, wasn¡¯t the question of where she got her backing very obvious? Who else could be bankrolling the shameless snake except for her new master, the Crown Prince himself??!! The man who did not even cast a single nce at her had showered this snake with gifts after gifts. It was this realization that had made the beautiful elf boil with fury! In fact, almost everyone else had also deduced the same thing from this series of events and they all were equally shocked. On one hand, they wanted to curse the snake endlessly, but on the other hand, they were worried to offend the Crown¡¯s personal disciple, who he clearly favored tremendously. So they all could only bite their tongue and silently watch the show. The royal consorts might speak out loud but themoners and the others gathered couldn¡¯t dare to participate in this. Tang Yue snorted. She was getting tired of waiting. ¡°Am I doing something against the rules? Why are you all making such a fuss?¡± She looked at Kojo, and lifted her resplendent sword, pointing it directly at him. ¡°Are you fighting or not? Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± Kojo took a deep breath. She might be a Princess but he was not going to go easy on her. If he didn¡¯t grab this chance to go into thebyrinth and seek the treasures, he would forever only be ackey to someone else. ¡°Kuha!¡± He yelled loudly and started dashing towards the snake in front of him. She might have a wall of defense, but in front of his Emperor Realm physical strength, there was no way that was going to hold on for long. ¡°Kojo¡± ¡°Kojo¡± ¡°Kojo¡± Everyone, including the royal consorts, started chanting his name fervently. It was as if the man was standing up and fighting against the evil itself, albeit in a snake form! No one could brave themselves to openly curse at Tang Yue so they openly cheered for the opponent instead and vented their anger and jealously. And in the midst of this intense cheering, Kojo¡¯s fighting spirit burned brightly and furiously. He felt a surge of power welling inside him, as he kicked his feet and used all the strength he could muster to repeatedly hack and sh at the woman or rather the metallic ball. CLANG CLANG CLANG Loud ear-piercing noises echoed from the stage. The elf was frantically shing at Tang Yue from all directions. He had an extremely impressive overall agility and power. Every single attack and sh was very proficiently ced and aimed at Tang Yue¡¯s potential weak points. But unfortunately for him, all of his attacks might as well have been aimed at thin air. The shameless snake was absolutely unshakable. In fact, kojo was pretty sure that some of his attacks were not evennding on her person or rather the outer metalyer. It was very obvious that she was using some sort of mana boundary defense artifact, which covered her with a thickyer of impregnable shield. ¡°Hmph! I will see how long can all of these shenanigansst!¡± He snorted loudly and stomped his feet in anger. ¡°Heh.¡± Tang Yue smirked. ¡°Should I start now?¡± Her grin widened as the snake slowly moved into an offensive pose. After all, she hade here to fight and gainbat experience. There was no point in standing idle! Chapter 154: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part3 Chapter 154: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part3 When Kojo took a step back, inhaled a deep breath of air, and came at her for the next attack, Tang Yue unexpectedly, took a step forward and blocked the iing sh head-on. Against Kojo¡¯s decisive and precise sh, hers lookedpletely amateurish. It looked as if she was fumbling with the sword. ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s no use. Give up.¡± Kojo roared. Her half-assed mockery of an attempt at swordy only ended up angering Kojo further. The elf again retreated and came back at her with full force. Tang Yue tried her best again and clumsily blocked the attack. She was really not doing this on purpose. If she knew it better, she would have done it better, but unfortunately, her swordy was still at the basics. Thanks to her upgraded agility, and the fact that the elf was cing more importance on strength rather than speed, even with all the armor holding her down, Tang Yue was somewhat able to meet the attack at least. But every time their attacks connected, she was pushed away by a step or two. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± The snake pondered. She was not really gaining any meaningfulbat experience this way. So she didn¡¯t waste any further time and decided to start phase 2 of her n. She was going to end this match sooner than she had nned. The next time when Kojo came forward to sh at her, Tang Yue directly aimed for his thick bulging biceps which were uncovered by any armor. Since they have had quite a few exchanges by now, he had a good idea of her strength level and did not pay much attention to this iing sh. He was confident enough to be able to deal with it using the sheer rigidness of his body. And of course, just as he had expected, the sh barely did any damage at all to him. In fact, it just graced the skin. It hadn¡¯t even nicked it slightly. ¡°That tickled!¡± He haughtily harrumphed and prepared for the next attack. The audience as wellughed at that pathetic attempt and jeered. But the next instant, the man surprisingly stopped mid-air. His hand that was raised tond an attack at Tang Yue also stopped. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but wonder what was happening. Even Tang Xi had her eyes peeled open. But Tang Yue was not in the least surprised. This was only expected and she chuckled lightly. ¡°This fight is over.¡± She put her sword back into her space pearl and started walking out. WHAT?? What the hell is she doing now? How is the fight over? Before anyone could react, the very next second Kojo fell down limp on the stage. His body started twitching wildly and his mouth started frothing. His pale white sturdy muscr body suddenly started turning a light shade of blue starting from his shoulder. ¡°Poison!!!¡± Someone in the crowd shouted. The healers immediately rushed in and the referee hurried and called the end of the fight. ¡°Winner Tang Yue.¡± He dered. Tang Yue nodded and stepped out. Her gaze was calm and unwavering as she walked down and started undoing all the armoryers one by one. However, except for her, no one else was moving! Even Lotte was gob-smacked. Everyone was staring at her with utter hatred and anger in their eyes. ¡°Poisoning your opponent??!! How despicable!¡± Kojo¡¯s brother and his close friend yelled out in anger. He couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. He and Kojo had worked hard in their lives. They built their strength and power bit by bit. Since they weremoners, even though they had the talent, not many resources were avable to them. They had to scrap and suffer for every single opportunity that came their way. And now this stinking rich bitches from somewhere and smashed down all their efforts to nothingness??? It was ridiculous! He wouldn¡¯t even be this angry if Kojo had lost fair and square against a worthy opponent. After all, that was the way of the world. The strong won and the weak lost. But to die from something underhanded like poisoning?? That was just not fair! What poison could even have such an instantaneous effect?? He was livid with anger. ¡°You¡­ You killed him! You bitch! How dare you attack my brother with some ck market poison?¡± He shouted in anger. ¡°This is unfair. This is a criminal offense. You killed him purposefully!¡± In his anger, he had already long since stopped caring about who Tang Yue was and her royal status. He was tired of these noble family assholes pushing them left and right like puppets. Faced with his overwhelming hostility, Tang Yue turned around and simply looked at the man, her emerald eyes calm and steady. ¡°Why don¡¯t you watch your tongue? Wasn¡¯t this a fight just now or were we merely exchanging pointers? Why should I go easy on my opponent?¡± ¡°Did I ask him to underestimate me? Did I force him to fight with me?¡± ¡°And before you wag your tongue some more, you should turn around and look at your brother first.¡± The elf angrily turned around and to his surprise, he saw that the healers had stabilized his brother¡¯s conditions. He did not look like he was in any immediate mortal danger and the elf sighed in relief. In fact, Tang Yue had already confirmed with that sleezebag old man about the effectiveness of the poison on Emperor Realm experts. And as usual, the system had also called her stupid a few dozen times and then told her that it was not life-threatening for an Emperor realm expert but it would definitely render them injured for a while. This was why Tang Yue had painstakingly licked and spat on her sword well in advance, coating it thoroughly with her venom. Since she had upgraded her toxicity several times now, she no longer even needed to break the skin and touch the bloodstream. The mere skin to skin contact itself was deadly. This was one of the reasons why she was so confident about securing a spot in this contest. After all, she just couldn¡¯t simply rely on her stack of armors. Chapter 155: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part4 Chapter 155: Your beast is running wild again, bro! Part4 After hearing Tang Yue¡¯s sharp-tongued words, the crowd around them waspletely appalled. ¡°How could she injure her opponents so cruelly?¡± ¡°Using poison and money to win! That¡¯s the worst!¡± ¡°If she has so much power and influence, why did she even have to join in this contest?¡± ¡°Oh, you are right. She could have just gone into thebyrinth with one of the royal army teams.¡± ¡°Is she here just to show off and torture others?¡± ¡°What a ck-hearted princess!¡± The crowd was gossiping quite loudly behind Tang Yue¡¯s back pleasing Tang Xi very much. She was satisfied to see that her weak yet arrogant sister still retained her self-destructive tendencies. As a royal consort, she should have focused on her image first, instead of doing these excessive things simply to win a random contest. Tang Xi snickered. The other royal consorts as well had simr thoughts in their mind. This made them feel better about themselves and their raging jealousy calmed down. Tang Yue, however, remainedpletely unfazed. The truth was that even if her venom was fatal to the opponents, Tang Yue would have still used it and secured her win. Only the truly strong can puff their chest out and bang the wall in front of them by smashing it straightforwardly with all their might. A weakling, however, needed to locate that small hole present in every wall and poke that hole with their strong point, until it affects the entire wall¡¯s stability, even shattering it into a million pieces. The approach might be different but the end result was still the same! And Tang Yue was by no means strong enough yet. She was still a weakling. She can only use things that are to her advantage. She just cannot afford to shower fake kindness on strangers. The minute you step on the stage, both parties are well aware of the consequences of the battle. So why should she go easy on her opponents? Would the elf show the same kindness to her if she was on the receiving side? Nope. Definitely not. Tang Yue did not waste her time with silly bickering and calmly ignored the chatter. After collecting their things, she and Lotte, the former calmly and thetter nervously walked out of Stage 7 and back to the center stage area to observe the rest of the fights. Almost at the same time she finished her first fight and walked out, another person as well walked out of the adjacent stage. It was the same ck hooded figure that had bumped into her earlier. The person emitted a vicious and dangerous aura. She still couldn¡¯t see who it was though. The person quickly disappeared. ¡°Hmm..¡± Tang Yue looked at the mysterious expert and then peeked over to take a look at the condition of that person¡¯s opponent. She instantly had a bad feeling. The people around that stage were also equally gob-smacked as her own audience, though it looked like in this case, it was because of sheer talent and strength. The stage waspletely fresh and untouched. There were no signs of a fight at all. A burly looking elf was lying face down on the stage, most definitely unconscious and a couple of healers were tending to him. It was probably a one-hit knockout! The ck-hooded figure¡¯s strength needed to be at least ten times higher than this elf if they managed to achieve this sort of one-hit knockout. ¡°Tch. Tch. It looks like I missed a good fight.¡± Tang Yue licked her lips and smiled. Lotte nervously wiped his forehead. Princess, please care about other things! The trio again settled in front of the center stage and excitedly observed the rest of the fights. The next big fight was between an orc and a short and chubby female elf. Though the orc had insanely strong physical defenses, the elf easily dominated the fight with her dual elemental magic. The elfbined lightning and fire essence and massacred the other side swiftly. After that, the next fight started and this time two elves with simr abilities shed again. Both were swordsmen and both were proficient in fire magic. This match dragged on for quite a while and eventually ended when the two elves ran out of mana. Just like this time trickled by, and Tang Yue was happily enjoying herself. It had already been a while and her jade slip still did not glow. She was not yet called in for her next fight. Of course, this was something within her expectations. So Tang Yue was not too worried. She did however walked over to the registration desk to confirm things in person. The elf looked at her awkwardly and shrugged. ¡°All your opponents conceded beforehand. You already have five wins for the day by default.¡± ¡°Heh. Alright. I will be leaving then.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and retreated back to the pce for the night. Relmar¡¯s eyes trailed her figure, but the elf simply sighed and continued overseeing the rest of the fights. She was not his problem. Tang Yue, on the other hand, was in a happy mood. Everything had happened just like she had expected. In fact, this was the reason why she had used her venom in the first ce and also showcased her entire collection of armors. She simply wanted to scare everyone away as much as she could. This could save her a lot of time, and effort and even help her in avoiding potential injuries. Her main goal was still to grab a spot in the top 50 and that was the only thing she cared about, at least for now. Meanwhile¡­ In the middle of the eastern forests¡­ Xander was hovering over the entrance of thebyrinthwith his eyes closed and his soul sense extended into thebyrinth as far as possible. A small vibration resounded in his body, indicating that he had received a new message. ¡°Hrmmm?¡± Xander retrieved his soul sense and crushed the jade slip. And instantly, a shrieking high-pitched voice emerged from within the jade slip! ¡°Brother, your favorite beast is running wild again!¡± Chapter 156: Flame Serpent Spell Part1 Chapter 156: me Serpent Spell Part1 A shrieking high-pitched voice emerged from within the jade slip, almost startling Xander. ¡°Brother, your favorite beast is running wild again!¡± Xavier, who had aimlessly wandered over to the royal training groundster in the day, heard this hot piece of gossip. Being the filial brother that he was, he of course, immediately reported it to Xander. He couldn¡¯t digest the fact that his stingy brother had given so many resources to one of his consorts. Thest time he had cheated him and given him some sort of bullshit exnation about how he was spying on her. But clearly, it was more than that. So Xavier decided to poke him until he spills everything. Unfortunately for him, Xander had already forgotten about him the second he heard the message. The elf did not look like he was going to respond back and even threw away the jade slip on his hand. ¡°Can¡¯t you listen to me for once?¡± He gazed into the distance and chuckled. This woman of his was far more ck-bellied and ruthless than he ever was! She was also quite good at inciting drama! His long silver hair fluttered in the wind as Xander again resumed his meditative pose but with a smile on his face this time around. His soul sense seeped out and entered thebyrinth silently, trying for the thousandth time if he could break through the barrier defenses. ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. Back in the elven royal pce, Tang Yue was happily skinny dipping in the courtyard pond. She knew that the madman was away, so she dared to swim around and enjoy the pleasant nourishing waters of the golden lotus pond. The things that she had witnessed during the day weighed heavily on her mind. Most of the serious participants in the contest were all more skilled and had much morebat experience than her. She simplycouldn¡¯t afford to rely on her cheap tricks for much longer. But Tang Yue¡¯s main issue was that shecked a good fighting technique. Thisbined with herck of knowledge of higher grade spells made her very weak. Tang Yue sighed deeply and dipped her head into the water. As sheid still underwater, twirling a small spike of ice on her palm inside the water, Tang Yue¡¯s mind wandered around. She then suddenly got out of the pond and sat in a meditative pose on the outer courtyard, with water still dripping from her hair. She was thinking about the me serpent spell and wanted to see if she could manipte her mana that way. She settled her mind and rotated her cultivation base to produce several tongues of me on her palm. She then tried to manipte them further to look like what she had observed on the stage. She tried a couple of times, but efforts were not really rewarded. She couldn¡¯t even recreate a fraction of what she had seen. As the snake was solemnly pondering what to do about this, a familiar nasally voice sounded in her mind. [Dumb little snake, what are you trying to do?] Tang Yue did not have the energy to talk back to the system and absentmindedly replied. ¡°me serpent spell.¡± [Eh? You are even dumber than I thought! Don¡¯t you know any basics at all?] Tang Yue smiled bitterly. Hardly one in a hundred snakes had any elemental affinity if at all. Where would she learn the fundamentals? She only knew the fundamentals of illusion magic. [I am in a good mood today. I will give you some free advice.] [First, tell me this. I saw you practicing with both ice elemental spells and fire elemental spells.] [Are you nning on sharpening your dual-wielding skills?] ¡°Hmm. Yes?¡± Tang Yue nodded. She was surprised that the old man was being useful for once and obediently answered his question. [Dumb little snake. Don¡¯t be stupid. First focus on one elemental.] [Do you know how an elemental magic spell works?] [Wait. Your answer would probably be some rubbish. I will exin it myself.] [Our world, the sun, the moon, and the air you breathe in, is made of the many elemental essences existing in nature.] [Mana is the energy derived from these elemental essences.] [At your current stage, you use your mana to invoke the elemental essences you need to execute a spell.] [But since this is too strong for your soul, you use magical incantations to assist you in this.] [This is the gist of magic practiced by the weaklings.] [But now that you have stepped into the Emperor realm at least mentally, you should soon sense that everything is different.] [Mana can be specifically absorbed into your cultivation core as a form of the essence in itself.] [Instead of taking the shortcut and absorbing mana from the air through your beast body, try using your soul to sense the fire elemental essence around you and absorb that specific mana.] [A living being¡¯s soul just like a wisp of elemental energy is eternal and ancient.] [Your body might break down and build up again with every reincarnation cycle, but your soul remains the same.] [One can never truly destroy someone else¡¯s soul. There will always be a small spec of it remaining, no matter how small.] [So your soul will be able to better sense mana in its elemental essence form rather than your body.] [So stop wasting your time in this dual wielding bullshit and first focus on your fire elemental essence training.] [Sometimes less is better!] [Did you get this across your thick head, dumb snake?] Tang Yue nodded. She consciously ignored the insults and tried to absorb the knowledge that the perverted old man was giving for free. One needed to have a thick skin to be this hateful old man¡¯s student. Sigh. She was sure that the old man was also probably restless like her after sitting through the various fights in the contest today. That was why he was perhaps giving her some charity lessons in the fundamentals. Tang Yue obediently nodded and closed her eyes. She focused her mind and calmly tried to feel the mana energy surrounding her. Chapter 157: Flame Serpent Spell Part2 Chapter 157: me Serpent Spell Part2 Tang Yue focused her mind and calmly tried to feel the mana energy surrounding her. She could immediately feel a thick wave of energy swirling around her, bit by bit seeping into her body and nourishing it. She then tried to focus deeper on the energy wave and concentrated on the individual mana particles within it. Millions of bright specs of energy thrummed alive responding to her beck and call. They were the basic units of life that enriched everything living in this world. As Tang Yue inhaled and exhaled calmly focusing on these minuscule specs of mana, she could slightly see some sort of aura wrapped around each mana particle. Gasp! Tang Yue clenched her fist and focused more on this aura. Some of the particles had a fiery warmth emanating from them, some had a nurturing and healing flow, some had a cold frigid feeling, and some even had a tinge of darkness to them. What the old man said was absolutely urate! Mana could be assimted into her body as a form of the elemental essence itself. And it looked like she was naturally able to sense the essences of fire, ice, water, and darkness elementals. [Not bad.] The old man muttered. [Now start absorbing only the fire elemental essence.] [And once you absorb and attune your body to this elemental essence, you can use your mental energy tomand this concentrated essence and wield it as a magic spell.] [This is why it is important to improve your physical, mental, and soul strength and cultivation base at the same time.] [One just cannot function without the other.] He exined. Tang Yue nodded and slowly started sucking in the fire elemental essence. Maybe because of her higher mental strength, she willed her body to change something that was almost involuntary and it listened. The snake contently nodded in satisfaction. [I am imparting you some basic elemental spells. Practice these only after you consolidate a fire essence mana core.] The system chimed in and finished its instructions. ¡°Waaah!¡± Tang Yue was very touched by this sudden affection from her entric Master. Before the old man could resume his normal attitude again, she wanted to push her luck a bit more. She licked her lips and nervously asked the system. ¡°Master, ahem. My sword skills are a bit shabby. How about¡­¡± [Sure, do you want to spin the lucky wheel now?] The system interjected mid-sentence. Tang Yue could only smile bitterly in reply. It looked like the teaching session hade to an end. ¡°Meh. Whatever.¡± She knew that she couldn¡¯t force the old man to do anything for free, so she went back to her new cultivation practice. Since she was a beast she was able to naturally absorb mana into her body without any effort at all. But now that she was consciously only cultivating the fire essence, it slowed her down a little bit. Nevertheless, she could already feel her fire magic and her attunement to the fire elemental growing stronger and stronger. For the next couple of days, Tang Yue did not step out of the Crown¡¯s quarters and focused mainly on her cultivation. Since she was able to do this in his serpentine form as well, she didn¡¯t forget tobine her cultivation sessions with binge eating sessions. As for her contest matches, she readily gave her jade slip to Lotte so that he could keep an eye on it and inform her in case any match was scheduled for her. Though Tang Yue highly doubted that this would happen, thanks to her dazzling disy on Day 1. In fact, she was able to peacefully work on her progress for two whole days, before her jade slip glowed again and she was called for the next match. ¡°About time.¡± The snake chuckled and walked over quickly. After having monotonously cultivated for thest two days, she cracked her knuckles and skipped to the contest venue eagerly. As soon as Tang Yue reached the royal training grounds, a bright and bubbly voice sounded, calling her over. ¡°Sister Tang.¡± Luckily, this time around, it was a friendly face that had greeted her. The pleasantly surprised snake revealed a bright and beaming smile in response and walked over to Adrianna, who perhaps was the only friend she had in the elvennds. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while, sister!¡± ¡°Ha Ha. I heard all about your aplishments in the contest and thought I shoulde and support you.¡± Adrianna giggled. ¡°You too, sister?¡± Tang Yue sighed bitterly. ¡°Ha Ha. Sorry. Sorry. I was just teasing you. I am sure you have your reasons for participating so strongly in this contest.¡± ¡°Actually I wanted toe to talk to you in person, but since you are living with his highness now, I couldn¡¯t just walk over to you.¡± ¡°I can see that you badly want to participate in thebyrinth exploration. I myself am traveling with one of my father¡¯s teams. You are very wee to join us.¡± Adrianna smiled and very warmly extended her an invitation. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. Even though Adrianna was also one of the royal consorts, she had never treated her badly and had always been supportive and helpful. So she had quite a good impression of her. But now she was going above and beyond by generously inviting a weakling like her to be in her team. Tang Yue was very touched. However, she quickly rejected her offer. ¡°Sorry sister. I already promised someone else that I will be going with them.¡± She lied. She didn¡¯t want to be a burden and take advantage of the one person treating her so well. So she politely declined the offer with a white lie. ¡°Ah~ Is that so? Never mind then.¡± Adrianna looked slightly disappointed, but she didn¡¯t force the issue. ¡°Good luck then sister! Hope youe in the top 10!¡± She smiled again and pped her hands, cheering for Tang Yue. Chapter 158: Flame Serpent Spell Part3 Chapter 158: me Serpent Spell Part3 After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Adrianna, Tang Yue walked over to her stage in a good mood. She was eager to see who finally dared to fight against her when everyone else ignored her like the gue. Her match was scheduled on Stage 4 and unlike the previous fights, this time around she was facing a well-experienced Emperor realm expert. Tang Yue gazed pensively at the tall and lean elf standing on the stage for a minute. He looked quite confident, even more so than herself. Her long forked tongue flickered in and out as a subtle glint shone in her emerald eyes. A few minutester,pletely surprising the crowd that had gathered around the stage, Tang Yue unexpectedly stepped onto the stage, wearing only a single golden-brown armor. Of course, the single armor was still a rare grade armor that had the capability to block even a Saint Realm opponent¡¯s attack. But at least unlike before, her slender figure was not overwhelmingly drowned in a multitude of high-end treasures. Her opponent, the thin and tall good looking elf smirked slightly. Before he came here, everyone had warned him and now he was taken aback by her change in attitude. Cob smiled. The Princess had clearly grown more arrogant these past few days and had tantly underestimated him. He didn¡¯t mind it. In fact, it had worked out quite well for him. The match soon started and Tang Yue waited for the opponent¡¯s first move. She held in her hand the rare-grade sword, which was coated with her venom. Unlike her previous opponents, Cob was not a cultivator who focused on his body tempering. He was someone who attached more importance to his elemental magic. The second the match started he immediately approached Tang Yue, summoning a roaring me serpent. Facing it up close, the me serpent looked even more fierce and terrifying, with an enormous wave of fire surrounding her from all directions. The serpent had lifted its head andpletely devoured her. Cob smiled contently. The first step of his n was executed smoothly. He knew who he was fighting against, so he came sufficiently prepared. He had heard all about her armor defenses and her poisoned sword. He didn¡¯t know why the Princess had underestimated him, but luckily for him, her armor defenses were absent today and he only had to deal with her poisoned sword. While Tang Yue was struggling to stabilize her situation engulfed within the firestorm, Cob quickly dashed towards her and shed at her, directly aiming for her wrist. CLANG Tang Yue was skillfully disarmed. The elf then stepped back and smirked. He had sessfully negated all the potential threats. And now, it was time for him toe in for the final kill. Just like he had expected this match was about to be finished within the span of a few seconds. ¡°Heh. This your actual skill level.¡± He snorted and loudly dered as he quickly dashed towards her, aiming for her neck. The me serpent died down as well, revealing Tang Yue¡¯s pale blue figure perfectly as if she was target practice. Cob¡¯s eyes slightly widened. The woman in front of him waspletely unharmed as opposed to the severely burnt and injured state he had calcted. Her skin was not wounded and there were no injuries on her body. Fuck! He cursed inwardly. It looked like the princess was still hiding a few secrets. The me serpent spell was a mid-grade spell. There was no way that someone in the martial realm can withstand it unharmed. Even Emperor realm experts would be wounded and injured by it without the proper preparations. Did she already activate the effects of her armor? He wondered. But his feet and hands moved fluidly approaching the snake with contempt. Hiyaap. Cob yelled. He nned to repeatedly sh against her armor and break it down with brute force. However, the woman in front of him was leisurely standing. She didn¡¯t even try and block his attacks. And after the second sh, Cob suddenly felt something spray in his eyes. Arghhhh! The elf screamed in pain. He instantly dropped on his knees rubbing his eyes like a maniac. They were burning. It felt as if his eyes were melting. And luckily for him, before he could feel the full brunt of the pain, he fell down on the stage unconscious and fainted, froth leaking out of his mouth. ¡°What a fool! Tsk. Tsk.¡± Tang Yue coolly walked down, seeing that the match was already over. The referee as well dered her the winner. Tang Yue looked at the gob-smacked crowd and chuckled. ¡°Why would anyone think that a snake needed her sword to poison her enemies? Heh.¡± She loudlyughed and walked away. Fuck! Almost everyone gasped in realization at the same time. It was not Tang Yue who had be arrogant and underestimated Cob, but it was actually vice-versa. No one had ever expected a serpentine spirit beast¡¯s venom to be so strong. They all had assumed that she had used something from the ck market and applied it on her weapons. So Cob had felt rtively safe when he disarmed her in the first move. Not even a single person had considered that the poison could be from her own venom. Why would they? Since when were spirit beasts strong enough to affect an Emperor realm expert with their beast skills? They were weaklings. They were at the bottom of the food chain. No one expected their innate skill venom spit to be this ridiculous! The crowd who had jeered and booed her earlier remainedpletely silent now. This fight she had kind of won fair and square. It was full and full Cob¡¯s responsibility toe prepared for her venom. She was a serpentine spirit beast after all! Tang Yue did not linger much longer and hurried back to the pce. Just now while she was witnessing first hand the me serpent spell, she had achieved a small breakthrough in her fire magicprehension. She wanted to return quickly and try it out. Chapter 159: Flame Serpent Spell Part4 Chapter 159: me Serpent Spell Part4 After her fight, Tang Yue immediately hurried back to the royal pce. Just now while she was witnessing first hand the me serpent spell, she had achieved a small breakthrough in her fire magicprehension. So she dashed straight to the Crown¡¯s private quarters and settled into a meditative pose on the outer courtyard surrounding the golden lotus pond. While she felt herself being engulfed by the me serpent, for an instance Tang Yue waspletely surrounded by a thick surge of me essence. Typically, one would be extremely hurt and writhing in agony rather than enjoying this feeling, but Tang Yue had donned on a powerful armor, and she also possessed a higher than normal heat resistance. So she was able to focus more on the other aspects of the me serpent spell apart from his skin melting flesh burning intense heat. This was in fact a perfect example of how the rich get stronger and the strong get richer. The whole thing was a vicious cycle. Since Tang Yue was able to afford such high-end pieces of equipment, she was able toprehend something asplex as a mid-grade spell just like that. While others struggled from the basics and learned everything step by step, practicing fire magic for almost a decade, she had managed to grasp the essence in a mere few days. That being said, it was still her own tireless efforts and high mental strength that helped her achieve this quick result. Sometimes, even if you throw buckets and buckets of gold, some people still might not be capable of grasping the concepts as quickly as she did. Tang Yue inhaled and exhaled steadily and she began pulling the fire essence around her at a much faster rate. The whole process was so effortless as if she was a ma attracting the fire essence mana particles around her. She could even feel her entire body brimming with the simr type of fire essence mana particles, pulsating in rhythm. She bit her lips and held on to this feeling, as more and more fire essence was drawn to her body, everything osciting in perfect harmony. Slowly and steadily she tried to gather these osciting energy particles to her cultivation core. This was an intuitive process that was simr to filling up one¡¯s lungs with oxygen. The fire essence mana particles that were spread out and vibrating in all parts of her body, including her blood, bones, and muscles, now started slowly coalescing near her lower abdomen. Fire essence mana swirled vibrantly within her like a sea in turmoil. Soon, this swirling wave of energy startedpressing bit by bit. The sea of energy condensed to a ball of fire essence mana that proudly thrummed in her lower abdomen. This was a mana core. Tang Yue had finally condensed a mana core! Not just any mana core, but a mana core which entirely consisted of rich fire elemental essence. ¡­.. Ding. Congrattions. Mana constitution has been upgraded to Diamond-tier Mortal Core Ding. 1000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­.. Ding. Congrattions. Mana constitution has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Martial Core Ding. 2000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­.. Ding. Congrattions. A fire essence mana core has been stably established. Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­.. Tang Yue blinked her emerald eyes and smiled weakly as she saw the notifications and the experience points rolling in one after the other. With her mana constitution upgraded as well, she had finally stepped out of the mortal tier and was a legitimate martial tier expert. The snake could vividly feel the small ball of energy in her body and smiled contently. Now she was a true spirit beast! After grinning for a while, she rubbed her eyes sleepily. Forming a mana core was a rather tedious process and it had drained herpletely. So she flopped onto the marble floor in tiredness and went to sleep right then and there. Loud snoring sounds echoed in the emptyvish courtyard as the snake peacefully slept through the day. Unfortunately for her, her jade slip wasn¡¯t as inactive as she would have wanted it to be. Throughout the rest of the day, the small piece of jade slip kept glowing intermittently. Lotte tried his best to wake her up but the snake was fast asleep in a deep slumber. She didn¡¯t even budge a little. And when she finally did wake up, it was already the next morning. Lotte hurried over nervously and quickly filled her in on all the details. Apparently, while she was sleeping, Tang Yue had missed a few matches and her victory to loss count was in a precarious state. After her first dominating victory, the next three or four opponents had readily conceded, but the fifth opponent was determined to face her. His pride didn¡¯t allow him to concede without even exchanging a few blows with the opponent and he decided to go through with the fight. And luckily for him, Tang Yue was sleeping like a rock. So he ended up winning by default. This single loss would have been fine, but how could the others let this chance go? Tang Yue¡¯s next two opponents as well chose to fight and achieved victories by default since she didn¡¯t show up, resulting in a total of three losses for the undefeated shameless snake. To make matters worse, by the end of the day, the five thousand participants had finally shrunk to a small elite total of 100. At this point, the tournament-style changed suddenly into a quick and brutal round of eliminations. Anyone who suffered a loss twice would be out of the tournament. The only exceptions were those who hadn¡¯t suffered any loss until now. They had four chances. All others including Tang Yue, who had previously suffered a loss had only one chance. She was allowed only one loss. ¡°Hmm. This is bad, but nothing that can¡¯t be salvaged.¡± The snake chuckled wickedly and quickly made her way to the fighting arena. Chapter 160: I am going to end you Part1 Chapter 160: I am going to end you Part1 Today was the officialst and final day for the tournament and Tang Yue had two matches in total for the day. All she needed to do was win one of them! Tang Yue reached the training grounds early in the morning and prepared herself mentally. So far, she had gained tremendously in participating in these matches, and considering that herst two opponents would be even stronger, she was extremely excited. Little Blue also energeticallyid next to Tang Yue wearing a simr smug smile on its face. Since it was a low-grade beast by birth, it had a certain amount of intelligence and could grasp a few things happening around it. If nothing else, it was sure about its master¡¯s awesomeness without a doubt! The duo followed by Lotte loitered around here and there for a bit, when finally Tang Yue¡¯s jade slip glowed brightly, indicating that it was her turn. And this time her match was in the center stage! Tang Yue was very aware of her own capabilities, so the second she noticed that her match was scheduled in the center stage, her heart rate quickened. The only reasoning for this would be her opponent! It looked like her opponent this time was especially strong and powerful. Otherwise, there was no way her atypical matches would be showcased proudly on the big stage. As Tang Yue eagerly walked over to the center stage, her gaze met the General¡¯s stern eyes, who was looking at her solemnly. Standing next to General Relmar was another familiar yet intimidating figure General Salvatore, father of a certain someone. Tang Yue consciously gulped. Now that she was in the Martial realm, she could clearly feel the overwhelmingly dominating presence of these Saint realm experts. ¡°What is he doing here?¡± Tang Yue wondered. The image of the stunningly beautiful elf crossed her mind, someone who had repeatedly pestered her in the past, but wasn¡¯t quite that activetely. Hmm¡­ Whatever happened to Charlotte? Did that woman go crazy from shock? Feeling the gaze of the two Saint realm experts, Tang Yue felt slightly ufortable. She had a bad icky feeling in the back of her throat. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s not think about that scheming little fox now. I should focus on the match in front of me.¡± She quickly put away the disturbing thoughts and calmed her heart. This time around, she didn¡¯t wear her fancy set of armors, and simply wore her two most powerful armors. As an added precaution, she also wore Xander¡¯s amulet, which was capable of withstanding three attacks from a Saint realm expert. Tang Yue then retrieved her rare-grade venom coated long sword and promptly climbed on to the stage. She was ready. Ruff¡­ Ruff¡­ Little Blue growled loudly and cheered for her and Lotte as well wished her good luck. Tang Yue smiled at the duo and patiently waited on the stage. Her opponent hadn¡¯t arrived yet. Since it was thest day of the tournament, quite a huge crowd had gathered around them and everyone was gossiping loudly as they waited for the match to start. Tang Yue could clearly see the several faces staring at her with mixed emotions. Some seemed to look at her with pity, but most had an angry arrogant expression as if she would finally be getting what she deserved in a few seconds. After all, everyone knew that the center stage fights were nothing to scoff at. Since she had relied solely on cheap tricks to get this far, they wanted her to fail miserably. Tang Yue chuckled. More often than not, the several people in her life had always rooted against her and had only wished for her to crumble and fall. So these kinds of looks were not exactly new to her, and it didn¡¯t affect her very much. Her gaze was unwavering as she stood firmly with her arms crossed and her sword gleaming in the bright sunlight. A few secondster, another figure suddenly emerged in front of her. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp slightly. It was the ck-hooded guy! Her heart rate quickened, as she was nervous and excited at the same time. She knew first hand that this was a strong and ruthless opponent. Unlike others, this opponent was unmistakably a well experienced Emperor realm expert! Tang Yue tightened her grasp on her sword as she adjusted herself into a defensive pose. The crowd around her and the presence of the two Saint realm Generals was already forgotten. Everything faded in the background, and her emerald eyes only fixated on the opponent in front of her. The person had their head bent down low, half-covered by a hoodie, so Tang Yue couldn¡¯t see the face clearly, but a strong violent aura overflowed from the figure in front of her. What a powerful aura! Gulp. Tang Yue badly wanted to see who was this person. She found herself getting more and more excited. A few more seconds trickled by, with the two opponents silently standing still, when the gong finally sounded. And then suddenly, the ck hooded figure moved. He or rather she looked up at Tang Yue and loosened the outer robe, revealing the familiar tall and slender figure of a beautiful elf. But this time, instead of standing in her usual bright-colored gown, she was instead adorned in armors as equally strong and imprable as Tang Yue¡¯s. Charlotte? Pfftt¡­ Aha Ha Ha Ha. Unable to hold herself back, Tang Yue uncontrobly giggled out loud, clutching her stomach. This big unveiling had surprisingly be somewhat anti-climatic and evenical. Tang Yue rubbed her temples. In hindsight, she should have seen thising. ¡°Greetings sister.¡± She chuckled and mumbled, still trying to hold back herughter. Compared to her amused and charming appearance, Charlotte was fuming with anger. She had originally expected Tang Yue to be utterly dumbstruck and trembling with fear, but here she was¡­ leisurely greeting her¡­ and evenughing like a maniac¡­ Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Charlotte gnashed her teeth. Chapter 161: I am going to end you Part2 Chapter 161: I am going to end you Part2 ¡°You¡­ Why the hell are youughing, you idiot?¡± Charlotte grimaced. She wanted to bash the smug smile off of the snake¡¯s stupid face. She had worked extremely hard, day and night for this particr moment. She hadn¡¯t even slept properly for days together. And now that she was finally here¡­ this damned snake was mocking her? You have got to be kidding me! Tang Yue shook her head helplessly. ¡°Simmer down, sister. I am just¡­ Aha Ha Ha Ha¡­¡± ¡°Why did you have to disguise yourself in that ck outfit? Ha Ha HA.¡± ¡°I am sorry. I just can¡¯t stopughing. Ha Ha Ha.¡± Fuck! Charlotte bit her lips. This was humiliating! ¡°You¡­ How dare you look down on me? I will end you today.¡± ¡°I will show everyone the difference between dirt and gold!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think about conceding. Nothing can help you now.¡± ¡°Even if you concede, I will be the one facing you again in the next match.¡± Of course. Tang Yue smiled and replied. ¡°Umm¡­ Okay. But I am not nning on conceding.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have to go through all that trouble.¡± Watching these two women bicker on the center stage, both the Generals exchanged awkward looks. The onlookers rolled their eyes in contempt. Both the women were privileged nobledies, not to mention the Crown¡¯s personal harem members. They could have just participated in the Labyrinth exploration as it is. Why did they have to bring their personal fight to this contest and mess with the efforts of themoners? It was very infuriating. Luckily for them, Charlotte had already been angered to her limits and the fighting on the stage soon began. Ka Ta Ka Ta Ka Ta Charlotte unsheathed her sword and dashed towards Tang Yue madly. She clenched her fists tightly and shed at the casually snickering pale blue woman. Cough¡­ Cough¡­ Tang Yue stoppedughing with great difficulty and lifted her own sword to block the iing attack. But because Charlotte¡¯s speed and strength were much more than hers, she couldn¡¯t meet it perfectly and the shnded on her body. Of course, her armor was quite capable of blocking attacks from Saint realm experts let alone an Emperor realm expert like Charlotte. So Tang Yue was not affected in the least. CLANG A loud screech resounded with the metals bashing against each other. Charlotte retreated a couple of steps back to attack again with full force. So what if this damned snake has a rare grade armor? How could it still withstand the full brunt of her repeated attacks? Unlike the others, Charlotte was not a randommoner who wascking in resources. Whatever Tang Yue had, Charlotte also more or less had. So in this case, obviously the one with the higher talent would shine. Charlotte tightened her grasp on the sword and pushed forward again, but this time her movement was a bit weird. Her unusual steps did not miss the snake¡¯s emerald eyes. Tang Yue was fully revved up. This was the perfect opportunity for her to experience actualbat and she was trying her best despite her obvious shorings. She noticed how Charlotte¡¯s feet shuffled at lightning speed as if they were almost going to vanish and she took a step back, putting some distance between the two. Unfortunately, that only ended up making things worse for her, as the elf¡¯s enchanting figure disappeared in front of her and suddenly appeared behind her. Movement Art Cloud Steps. Charlotte snorted loudly and hit the back of Tang Yue¡¯s head forcefully with the hilt of her sword. Ka Cha Tang Yue stumbled forward. Her armor blocked the attack but she still ended up being pushed forward. Hrmm. The snake grinned as she rubbed her head. She didn¡¯t show outside that she was shaken. But inwardly, Tang Yue¡¯s brain was racing to think of something that she could possibly do in this scenario other than getting beaten up like a target dummy. It was almost impossible for her to use her venomced sword since Charlotte blocked all of her weak shes. It was extremely difficult for a Martial realm expert to overpower or match the attacks of an Emperor realm expert. There was just no going around it. But even still, if she could somehownd a single attack with her sword or even her venom spit, this match would be instantly over. Charlotte as well was aware of this and was maneuvering extremely carefully. She did not give Tang Yue even a single opening to do either of these. Before the angry beautiful elf could ram into her again, Tang Yue stopped hesitating and quickly released one of her hands holding the sword. She then instantly materialized several tongues of me in her palm. ¡°You¡­¡± Charlotte trembled. She couldn¡¯t help but notice that the snake had sessfully formed a mana core, which meant that she was no longer a cripple or weakling. There were several ways to increase one¡¯s strength, agility, and body¡¯s physical defense, but there was only one way to increase one¡¯s cultivation strength. This definitely implied that the snake was no longer a cripple! Charlotte trembled with anger. How could this stupid snake improve so much in a short time? How could she afford such expensive pieces of equipment? Just the mere thought of how much Xander had doted on this slutty snake made her enraged. ¡°I am going to end you today.¡± She yelled. Tang Yue had already converted those non-threatening tongues of me on her hand into a full-blown me st. But Charlotte merely flicked her sword and the fire was dissipated. She came shing at her again, with hatred and animosity in her eyes. This time Tang Yue did not move away. The me st spell was never the attack that she counted on for finishing this fight. She had an entirely another thing prepared for the General¡¯s precious daughter. As Charlotte approached her, just like she had expected, her feet shuffled this time simr to her earlier attack and her figure disappeared. She then instantly appeared on Tang Yue¡¯s side aiming for the snake¡¯s torso. Tang Yue made no efforts to block this attack and her sword was banged aside by the sheer force of Charlotte¡¯s attack. Chapter 162: My team mates? Part1 Chapter 162: My team mates? Part1 CLANG A loud thud echoed as the swordnded on the ground. Almost at the same time, the snake grinned and her lips moved. ¡°STARTLE¡± Tang Yue muttered casually. This was her n all along. She decided to rely on the one thing that she possessed and Charlotte did not. The illusion magic spell would be active only for a few seconds but that was more than enough in a fight like this. The elf who was raising her hand to sh again, this time aiming for the shoulder joint, one of the many weak points of an armor, suddenly stopped mid-air. HISSSS Tang Yue opened her small mouth wide, cocked her head to the side, and forcefully bit down on the elf¡¯s slender neck, which was slightly revealed. Tang Yue was worried that she might have set up some sort of mana barrier. But unexpectedly, she didn¡¯t feel any resistance. Her silver fangs dug into the soft jade-like skin and drew blood. Charlotte recovered quickly and tried to push her away, but the next second, the elf unconsciously fell down on the ground. Both General Salvatore and General Relmar immediately rushed on to the stage and started tending to the gaping wound on Charlotte¡¯s tender neck. The poison was spreading through her body rapidly. The healers as well rushed to the stage. Tang Yue did not bother them anymore and quietly stepped out of the stage. Her job here was done and she had no intention of rubbing her victory on anyone¡¯s face. Charlotte had repeatedly used her of looking down on her, but in reality, she was the one who had been underestimated. It was almost hrious. Tang Yue would haveughed but then she would have beenughing at the pathetic plight of the spirit beasts. Why did the elves repeatedly, time and again underestimate her? It was definitely not because they were fools. Rather the spirit beasts were that weak. If Charlotte had even strategized for a second on how to win a fight against a serpentine n member, she would have probably won this. But she couldn¡¯t even be bothered to do that and was confident enough to win the fight using sheer brute force. She never once considered Tang Yue¡¯s strong points and easily lost the match. Though she was not entirely to me. Not many elves have faced an actual serpentine n member in direct hand to handbat. The elven nobles lorded over the elvenmoners, but even the elvenmoners lorded over the serpentine royals. Heh. Tang Yue chuckled and then walked over to the elf overseeing this match, who still looked lost, and snapped her fingers. ¡°Am I done now?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I am in the top 50, correct?¡± ¡°Ah~ Yes. Yes. Your highness.¡± The elf gulped and hurriedly mumbled. ¡°Please visit the Official Missions Department in the market district in two days¡¯ time to receive your final instructions for the Labyrinth exploration. Tang Yue nodded and returned back to the royal chamber. The truth was that this fight had been very difficult for her also. She had expended a great deal of energy and was tired. Once Tang Yue left, two figures hiding in a corner of the training grounds, also moved. ¡°Oh my god! That was so hot!¡± ¡°Did you see that passionate bite?¡± ¡°Damn it. It looks like all the rumors floating around are true huh?¡± ¡°Damn it. How did I miss these two women lip-locking?¡± Xavier clutched his stomach andughed. Xander, however, did not look so pleased. His silver locks fluttered in the wind and the elf had a subtle frown lingering on his face. He ignored his rowdy brother and walked away emanating a bone-chilling coldness. ¡°Wait up, my virgin brother. I thought you were busy.¡± ¡°How is it that you managed to make your way to the training grounds and even watch a matchpletely?¡± Xander paused, but then he continued to ignore him and quickened his pace. ¡°Is this all part of your so-called spying?¡± Xavier chuckled and yelled behind him, but the younger brother was already long gone. The amused elf wiped the tears off of his eyes and strutted towards the royal pce with a spring in his step. Making fun of his brother was admittedly Xavier¡¯s favorite hobby! But all of this trivial banter aside, he was genuinely happy deep down inside his heart as well. Only he knew and understood the tremendous burden and pressure that rested on his brother¡¯s shoulders. The Crown he was wearing was a cruel punishment. It required Xander to be cruel and bloodthirsty. Even if he showed the slightest weakness, then everything around them would crumble in a second. There were even days when Xavier could almost feel his brother slipping away from him. Buttely, things had taken a turn for the better and Xavier had no doubt about who was responsible for all of it. As Xavier leisurely walked over to his pce quarters with a big smile on his face, a pce maid was waiting for him at the entrance. She readily bowed on noticing him. ¡°Your highness, greetings. His highness has issued a royal verdict to you.¡± The pce maid bowed again and quickly handed over a scroll. Huh? Xavier was confused. Didn¡¯t he just see his brother? It has not even been five whole minutes yet? He grabbed the scroll with his hands and nced at it hurriedly. With every word he read, Xavier¡¯s eyes widened even more. His lips twitched and the man almost stumbled. ¡°This¡­ This¡­ Damn you, brother!¡± Xavier punched the marble wall on his right. ¡°This brother of mine had literally wasted no time in getting revenge.¡± ¡°Perhaps I shouldn¡¯t have called him a virgin.¡± ¡°He always gets so defensive after hearing that! Hmph.¡± Xavier sulked and walked into his chamber with a sad expression. The damned brother of his had actually dared to assign him babysitting duties! While everybody else will be exploring the Labyrinth with a team of capable experts, he had to explore it with the weakling snake? ¡°How unfair! Damn it. I shouldn¡¯t have teased him so much.¡± Xavier cried bitterly and epted his fate. Chapter 163: My team mates? Part2 Chapter 163: My team mates? Part2 The next day Tang Yue woke up fresh in the morning. She leisurely took a bath in the golden lotus pond and started working on her fire essence cultivation again. Even though she could naturally inhale and gather mana in her body, she had to consciously cultivate fire essence mana every day to refine the small mana core in her body and keep it pure and adulterated by other essences. Just as she was finishing her daily scheduled cultivation session, Hinata and Lotte came over to deliver some roasted meat skewers. The old maid was by now used to Tang Yue¡¯s voracious appetite. She chalked it up to her being a spirit beast and didn¡¯t find anything unusual. Smelling the aroma of the roasted meat, Little Blue promptly ran over, wagging its tail like a dog and its mouth wide open. Tang Yue chuckled and immediately gave the cute thing its share of the meal. With its master binge eating all the time, this wolf cub was probably the best-fed spirit beast in all of Eldoria. Once the lunchtime got over, the snake then reluctantly opened the system¡¯s interface. She had postponed this moment as much as possible, but now she had no other option but to face it head-on! ¡°Bring out the damned lucky wheel.¡± Tang Yue mumbled. She rubbed her temples anticipating the headache that was inevitably about toe. In thest few days, during the contest, Tang Yue had learned quite a lot of lessons, the main lesson being how weak her fundamentals were. With the system¡¯s help, she was finally able to correct her cultivation method and form a better, slightly superior mana core. But the issue of her weak or rather non-existent fighting technique still remained. When it came to pursuing the path of the sword, one could always get by without learning a particr sword art. After all, one had to simply wave their sword around and skillfully attack and thwart the enemy¡¯s attack. This was the single crux of any and all sword arts, no matter how powerful and ancient they were. But still,mitting to a specific way of the sword often improved one¡¯s attack power and strength by leaps and bounds. Learning a sword art helps one to focus their energy and unleash it in a much more powerful and condensed manner, thereby doing a lot more damage. Of course, Tang Yue also knew and understood this, which was why she still dared to summon the lucky wheel, even though she was sure that the damned thing was going to unleash hell this time around. Every time the stupid system had sent her out on wild rides and now that she was living with the Crown Prince Xander himself, Tang Yue had no doubt that her next task would be something rted to him. As it is, she was walking on eggshells around that man, if she messed with him further on purpose, like how she had done with Charlotte or Marvin, she was sure that her demise would be inevitable. Tang Yue gulped nervously just at the mere thought of her precarious position. She braved herself and weakly called out the damned lucky wheel. [Hu Hu Hu. Finally! Dumb little snake, you should really show more interest in collecting your rewards.] [It¡¯s a reward you know! A reward!] The old man excitedly chimed in. ¡°Just get straight to the point, Master.¡± Tang Yue shook her head helplessly with a bitter smile on her face. A bright multi-colored wheel popped up in front of her apanied by the usual fanfare. The snake grimaced at the familiar sight and perused the messy scribblings with her emerald orbs. ¡­.. 1. Dragon Scale alchemy technique 2. 2000 Experience Points 3. Thundering lightning steps 4. 2000 Experience Points 5. Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword art 6. Kick young master Marvin¡¯s balls 7. 2000 Experience Points 8. Enter the Crown Prince chambers at midnight without clothes 9. 2000 Experience Points 10. Kick Prince Xavier¡¯s balls ¡­.. Pfft¡­ Aha Ha Ha Ha Tang Yue couldn¡¯t hold herughter in when she saw the different options this time around. Even though this old man was crazy as hell, he had a method to his madness. It looked like unless he angered Marvin to death and toyed around him sufficiently, he wouldn¡¯t let him go and move on to the next target. ¡°Wait a second. Why am Iughing? The joke is also on me. Fuck.¡± Tang Yue sighed and quickly finished her three avable spins. Just like usual, the wheelnded on the 1000 experience points for the first two spins and on the third spinnded right in the middle of Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword art and Kicking Marvin¡¯s balls. How predictable! Tang Yue chuckled wryly and closed the ugly looking wheel. ¡°Let¡¯s go Little Blue. We need to go search for a disgusting blob.¡± Growl? The little cub licked its mouth and followed Tang Yue as she strolled out of the pce quarters. The duo leisurely roamed around everywhere in the market square, including the alchemy association, the beast chop shops, spirit tea establishments, and even some pleasure pces. These were themon hangouts of the reputable young master Marvin, son of the esteemed grandmaster alchemist. But unfortunately for her, the chubby elf was nowhere to be found. In fact, he had not been present at the Labyrinth contest or even bothered to cook up some trouble for her in the contest. ¡°Well. What can we do? Maybe he decided to turn over a new leaf and is fully focused on either alchemy or preparing himself for thebyrinth exploration.¡± The snake sighed and decided to head back. ¡°Since we are here, I might as well visit the Missions association and pick up my instructions for the Labyrinth exploration.¡± Tang Yue rubbed Little Blue¡¯s head and the duozily walked over to the huge building in the western corner of the market district. It was a Pagoda shaped building with multiple levels, each level essible to only certain members. Apparently, one needed to finish missions from here and receive the mission rewards in order to progressively upgrade their membership level. Chapter 164: My team mates? Part3 Chapter 164: My team mates? Part3 The Missions Association was a Pagoda shaped building with multiple levels, each level essible to only certain members. Apparently, one needed to finish missions from here and receive the mission rewards in order to progressively upgrade their membership level. But Tang Yue was ushered in and taken directly to the topmost floor, bypassing all these normal rules and regtions. Since the Labyrinth exploration was a special asion, none of themon rules applied this time around. The snake excitedly looked around and climbed the spiral wooden staircase heading straight to the 40th floor, one of the higher-level floors. The 40th floor was unexpectedly a bit more crowded than usual and several elves were standing around discussing something seriously. Hmm¡­ Tang Yue picked up Little Blue into her hands and walked over to the elf at the reception desk. The elf respectfully bowed and handed her a small jade slip. Tang Yue slipped some mana into the jade slip and was immediately able toprehend its contents. It mainly informed her about the location and time of arrival. More importantly, it also informed her about something really weird. Thisbyrinth exploration was apparently a team event! The snake smiled lightly and flickered her long forked tongue in and out. ¡°Guess we will be meeting our friends soon huh?¡± She tossed the jade slip into one of her recently acquired spatial rings and returned back to the pce. All her preparations were alreadypleted and she was stocked full on various potions and equipment pieces. Moreover, she wasn¡¯t able to find Marvin as well. So the snake locked herself in her chamber and focused on her fire essence cultivation for the next few days. She wanted to be prepared as best as she could before entering the Labyrinth. Besides, she was not really worried about finding Marvin and kicking him till he puked his mother¡¯s breast milk out. She had a strong feeling that she will be meeting Marvin or Charlotte or even both of them really soon! Tang Yue chuckled and busied herself with her cultivation. Xander was also not around and the next few days went by rtively quickly and uneventfully. On the day of the Labyrinth opening, Tang Yue promptly headed out alone without taking Little Blue along with her. Xander had warned her that it would be dangerous for her to participate in this event, so she decided not to bring along Little Blue who was still very small. The ancientbyrinth was located deep within the eastern forests bordering Eldoria. And more specifically, most of thebyrinth was hidden within a gigantic mountain range. The typically calm and serene eastern forests were suddenly buzzing alive with several people from different races heading towards the entrance spots. When Tang Yue hadst visited these forests, the marsh, the trees, and the sky were abundant with ferocious beasts. But now, she couldn¡¯t even hear the faintest growl in the distance. The entire forest had been thoroughlybed clean of the residing beasts, probably by the numerous groups of experts from all the nine countries. Because of this, Tang Yue flicked her robe and traveled through the forests with great ease. She could even spot a few groups headed in the same direction ahead of her and behind her during the way. Within the span of a few hours, she quickly reached the mountainous terrain and joined the group which was already assembled there. Because of her low cultivation base, she was one of thest few to arrive. As she huffed and panted and blended into the crowd, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp at the sight of such a huge gathering. Everyone ranging from fairies to orcs to elves and dwarves was present. There were also other spirit beasts like herself in the crowd. Of course, she could easily spot these colored skin anomalies in the midst of the pale-skinned, noble, and lofty looking elves. It looked like including her 15 or so serpentine spirit beasts were present. There were about a dozen fox spirit beasts and the rest were all higher beings like fairies, orcs, and dwarves. The majority were still the elves. Most of them from the northern and the southern royal families, the major noble elven ns, and a fraction of them seemed to bemoners. As Tang Yue calmly observed her surroundings, solemn tolling bells sounded from a distance and a group of elves flew through the air, with dignified and serious expressions on their faces. Each one of them was followed by a dozen other elves. Everyone who had assembled looked up and watched this set of people with awe. These were the five royal princes of the Eldorian elven establishment, with Xander at the head of the group, the several n leaders of the major elven ns, and the three princes and two princesses from the southern elven kingdom. Every single one of them was well known and extremely powerful. Xander, of course, was the single legitimate Demi-God in the group, but the others were not that behind and at least had a foot or arm in the Demi-God realm. Everyone¡¯s eyes shone with determination and resoluteness because this single trip could bridge the gap, which might as well be a never-ending chasm, between themselves and the untouchable supreme Crown Prince of Eldoria, Xander. The elven elders and the royal princes joined the assembly as well and stood at the front. Standing at the head of the entire assembly, Xander looked absolutely terrifying. His aura and his cultivation base were not hidden and clouded like usual and the man was emanating a frightening killing intent. He was clearly more powerful than he had been in the past. If anyone had any doubts about how powerful he was, his mere presence answered all their unasked questions. His silver locks fluttered in the wind and his crimson eyes surveyed the crowd sternly. ¡°Greetings.¡± The man opened his mouth, his voice thundering through the crowd and instantly silencing all the chatter. Chapter 165: My team mates? Part4 Chapter 165: My team mates? Part4 ¡°The ancientbyrinth was uncovered by the elders of the nine nations. So everyone assembled here today is permitted to enter.¡± ¡°However, it would be prudent on your part to think twice before stepping in.¡± ¡°Only step inside if you have the ability to protect yourself.¡± ¡°It is not a secret that whenever the experts from the nine countriespete for something like this, in the past, blood and carnage have littered the ground.¡± ¡°Outside the entrance, fighting is prohibited, but inside the entrance, you can only rely on yourself.¡± ¡°The sole purpose of some of the people standing here isn¡¯t the Labyrinth itself but killing the promising and talented members of other ns and races.¡± ¡°Inside this mountain, you will experience nothing short of a war, a bloody power-hungry battle, where your own brother wouldn¡¯t hesitate to kill you. Do you understand?¡± Tang Yue trembled. For an instance, it felt like the man¡¯s crimson eyes were gazing at her as he mouthed the words. ¡°Sure, it will be dangerous, but I have to do this.¡± She clenched her fist resolutely. Not just her, but most of the people assembled had very simr reactions. The man¡¯s cruel words made it abundantly clear to everyone that their next few days will be filled with both treacherous dangers and heaven-defying opportunities. They all couldn¡¯t help but look around and size up their neighbors and the group they were standing in. ¡°Are you wondering why everyone is still eager to participate?¡± A familiar voice sounded near Tang Yue. The snake turned around in surprise, shocked to see Xavier near her. ¡°Your highness?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because everyone needs challenges to grow.¡± ¡°If you only wish to remain safe and secure within your home, then you might as well give up being a cultivator.¡± ¡°Greetings, Princess. Or should I say, teammate?¡± Xavier chuckled as he casually walked over, munching on a fruit. Huh? Teammate? What the hell? Tang Yue was confused. However, the devil¡¯s voice pulled her attention back to his address. ¡°I have looked into the outeryers of thebyrinth, as I am sure several other n elders have as well.¡± ¡°Vile beasts gued with thick dark elemental essence are roaming about behind these rocks.¡± ¡°But this is just the beginning.¡± ¡°What lies beyond these undead minions, even I do not know.¡± ¡°I have personally note across something asplex and mysterious as thisbyrinth so it would be impossible for others to rush to your rescue.¡± ¡°Once you are inside, you will truly be on your own, no matter what you face.¡± ¡°Everyone disperse and reach your designated locations within the next 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Thisbyrinth will be opening then. Proceed with the utmost caution.¡± Just as he finished his address, Xander flicked his sleeve and his figure disappeared. Following his example, several elders and other groups as well mobilized quickly. Soon intense rumbling sounds started echoing in several nooks and corners of the gigantic mountain range, as the group of over a thousand experts slowly faded away. Some flew over to the northern parts, some to the southern parts, and some even to the parts of the far end of the mountainous range which was submerged in the ocean bordering thend. Luckily, Tang Yue didn¡¯t have to go so far and she reached her allocated spot pretty quickly. And of course, to her dismay, Xavier silently hummed and walked right next to her, going wherever she went. Tang Yue tried both increasing her pace and decreasing her pace, but the elf stuck to her like glue on fingers. After a while, Tang Yue finally sighed and epted this new teammate of hers. ¡°Well, having a powerful saint realm expert might not be such a bad thing.¡± She clicked her tongue and fastened her steps. Her spot was actually on a small crevice on the mountain, a few yards higher than ground level. So Tang Yue used her hands and feet to climb the part of the mountain and reached the gathering spot. Of course, her teammate Xavier simply hovered around and floated in the air, while she patiently climbed the rough edge of the mountain. When the duo finally reached the small crevice, Tang Yue dusted her back and properly supported herself in the small t rock which was essible. ¡°Hmm?¡± The snake pondered in confusion. She had expected some sort of a cave entrance or at least a small opening that they could crawl into but so far it was just solid immovable rocks and bs of rocks in front of her. How is this even an entrance to thebyrinth? She was confused. cing her one hand on the rocks and supporting herself, she turned around and looked at Xavier for an exnation. But that elf seemed to be deeply engrossed in his own thoughts. Wait, no. If one looked at it from another angle, the elf was merely chewing on a fruit and enjoying the scenery in the distance which looked quite stunning from the height they were in. The vastness of the forest, the birds in the distance, and the ocean which seemed to be extending infinitely, everything was very eye-catching. ¡°¡­.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched but she silently sighed and waited. A couple of secondster, eight other figures arrived on that small crevice on the huge mountain, each one standing steadily, even if they were barely holding onto a small rock protrusion for support. And among those newly arrived figures, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but notice a certain fellow pale blue serpent. ¡°Greetings sister.¡± Tang Xi cocked her head and revealed a kind and warm smile. She was just about to continue when her eyes spotted the lofty and majestic elf standing right next to Tang Yue, with a small amount of fruit juice dripping from the corner of his mouth. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± Tang Xi immediately bowed again, this time with a faint coy expression on her mesmerizing face. She even brought out her typical move of crossing her arms in the front while bowing, which gently squeezed her chest making the voluptuous mounts glisten in the bright sunlight. Chapter 166: My team mates? part5 Chapter 166: My team mates? part5 What a slut! Not being able to tolerate the sight of the disgustingly exhibited flesh, Tang Yue rolled her eyes and turned away. But when she turned towards the side, her eyes fell on Xavier, and ¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ it looked like Xavier had a very different response¡­ much different than her own. The man looked at the alluring beast unblinkingly, forgetting even to take the next bite out of his fruit. How pathetic! How could this guy fall just like that for an obvious honey trap?? Wasn¡¯t he a royal elven prince for heaven¡¯s sake? Tang Yue grimaced, though she wasn¡¯t entirely surprised. Xavier¡¯s very obvious weakness towards beautiful spirit beasts was not exactly a well-kept secret. The snake helplessly shook her head. It seemed like she couldn¡¯t trust this guy too much after all. To be honest, the second she learned that she would be exploring thebyrinth with so-called teammates, she had kind of expected some familiarpany. But she hadn¡¯t expected her beloved sister Tang Xi to show up. She was not even in the top 50 of the contest finalists like herself. So how did she even obtain a spot to participate in thisbyrinth, let alone as her teammate? Hmm¡­ Tang Yue pensively looked around and gazed at her other elven teammates. Most of them looked like seasoned veterans and she hadn¡¯t seen any of these faces in the contest for themoners. So most probably they were from noble families. She recollected just how close Tang Xi was standing to the disgusting old elf Dranuk and quickly started putting two and two together. After that, it didn¡¯t exactly take that long for her toe to the very obvious conclusion. Her entire team was probably a trap set up by Marvin and Dranuk to take care of her once and for all. And this conniving bitch Tang Xi probably stuck to them in order to personally ensure their sess. After all, if Tang Yue fell, then the serpentine n would be ¡°obligated¡± to send another beast consort to the Crown Prince. And of course, this recement would no doubt be Tang Xi herself. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at the magnitude of their scheming. The key point was to sessfully coordinate with her already prevalent enemies and the mother and daughter pair had seeded. But unfortunately for them, the mad man at the top always had the habit of throwing wrenches in other¡¯s ns. Tang Yue was pretty sure that Xander was somehow involved in Xavier being her teammate. Otherwise, why would a royal prince randomly travel with her exploring such a dangerous ce? He would have been better off moving along with the royal army teams or even with Xander¡¯s personal Generals. As for the question of why Xander did this, she was not too sure about the answer. But it didn¡¯t matter. Somehow everything ended up working in her favor. This trash standing in front of her can¡¯t possibly assassinate her in Xavier¡¯s presence. Gulp. Tang Yue cast another nce at the bewitched elf who was still ogling at Tang Xi. Damn it. He won¡¯t betray me, right? Sigh. The snake shook her head helplessly. In the end, maybe this trip was more than what she had bargained for! After a few minutes¡­ Xavier finally recovered from his trance, probably after somewhat sensing Tang Yue¡¯s angry fiery look at him. ¡°Ha Ha Ha. Greetings, Princess.¡± He smiled awkwardly and responded with a polite nod to the bashful spirit beast batting her eyshes at him. He then turned towards Tang Yue and his smile disappeared. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked away. Why must life be soplicated? Xavier sighed. The cake was right in front of him but it looks like he won¡¯t be able to eat it today. Tang Xi couldn¡¯t be more pleased with herself and her smile widened. Even though what they had originally nned, now seemed impossible, it looked like something good still came out of it. If Tang Yue died, then well and good, as per n she would be officially engaged to the Crown soon. If not¡­ then¡­ this elf in front of her didn¡¯t seem to be a bad recement¡­ She grinned. She looked at Tang Yue and smiled sweetly as if she intended to purposefully provoke her. Tang Yue clenched her fists and remained still. She leaned on the rock with her forehead touching the stony hard exterior and mumbled a few curses incoherently. Luckily for her, their waiting time did notst long. Soon¡­ loud thunderous rumbling sounds echoed from all over the mountain. RUMBLE RUMBLE KARA KA BOOM KA BOOM A ck mist gathered in the sky, extending over the entire mountainous range and several bolts of fiery lightning descended from the heavens striking down on the mountain range, one evennding very close to where Tang Yue and the group were standing. The snake anxiously gulped down her saliva and observed keenly the things happening around her. Was everything going ording to n? She wondered. The others including Tang Xi also had simr expressions. Only Xavier had resumed his leisurely snacking and was still acting as if he hade over here for a pic trip. The rumbling sounds and the lightning boltssted for a few more minutes, after which the ck mist which was hovering in the sky above them suddenly descended and formed a sort of big barrier around them. One of the elves curiously extended his hand to touch it, when Xavier casually reminded him with an absent-minded look. ¡°You will die if you touch it. It has a strong aura of death.¡± The burly elf immediately retreated his hand in shock and fear. Everyone subconsciously inched away from the barrier. Soon, the thinyer of ck mist started thickening bit and bit, and after a few seconds, a long and dense string of ck mist shot out from it. Itnded on the rough outer surface of the mountain, connecting the mountain with the ck barrier. ¡°It has begun.¡± Xavier murmured and threw away the rest of his fruit, which sizzled and decayed into nothingness as it touched the ck barrier. Chapter 167: The light within the darkness Part1 Chapter 167: The light within the darkness Part1 As the bright midday sun danced in the effervescent sky, hundreds of thick ck strings shot out of the dark smoky barrier andnded on the enormous mountain range. With the ck mist now touching the mountain¡¯s outer surface, the corrosive death aura of the mist started eating away the rock-solid wall. And within a few seconds, the ck mist blobs finished their job and dissipated back into the outer barrier leaving behind hundreds of small cave openings in the previously imprable mountain. That too these were not really some sort of shallow cave structure or a small hole in the wall, rather the inside of this cave opening looked extremely deep andplex. Even from the outside one could see several tunnels connecting the small cave opening and leading deeper and deeper into the mountain¡¯s center region. Thick spiny stctites, a mixture of both ice and ck rock, hung on the ceiling of the cave, well extending into the interior tunnels. It was a truly marvelous sight to behold and gasps echoed in all directions. After the mist clearedpletely, the teams assembled outside each of the cave openings quickly mobilized and entered the mountain¡¯s interior. Everyone was excited and brimming with energy at the sight of theplex maze waiting to be rummaged by them. If thebyrinth was any simpler then Xander would have undoubtedly dashed in with the fastest speed and im the treasure if any for himself. So the lower level cultivators couldn¡¯t help but silently pray for this thing to be as difficult as possible so that they could somehow try their luck and at least reap some benefits. The entrance, the outer cave opening through which everyone walked in was absolutely empty. Only a cold current echoed in the cave, asionally mixing in with the warmth of the outside air. But more importantly, a suffocating deathly aura hung in the air sending chills down everyone¡¯s spine. Just like others, Tang Yue and her motley group as well had stepped inside by now and were curiously looking around. Tang Xi particrly was in high spirits, with the death aura not affecting her in the least. A smug smile hung on her lips. Heh. Of course, the Prince would fall for my beauty! Who wouldn¡¯t? She was very happy and satisfied with the way Xavier had ogled at her and hence, confidently carried herself into thebyrinth entrance. The other elves who hade along with them had a more serious attitude, as they slowly started exploring the interior of the cave. Even though they were all set up by Marvin and Dranuk to finish Tang Yue off, they still intended to explore the Labyrinth while they were at it. After all, a royal elven prince was currently standing next to their target, and there was nothing else they could do at the moment. Speaking of the devil¡¯s brother, unlike the others, Xavier didn¡¯t bother exploring the exterior cave opening. In one look, he instantly knew that nothing was present here. So he proceeded to directly walk towards one of the tunnels and Tang Yue shrewdly followed behind him. But the elf suddenly stopped and asked, without turning back. ¡°Are you sure about this, Princess?¡± With every step they took, the aura of death and decay became stronger and stronger, spreading gloom and fear within the hearts of everyone present. The insides of these endless dark tunnels were clearly dangerous and not for the light-hearted and the weaklings. But it was still not enough to make anyone give up. ¡°Yes.¡± Tang Yue nodded and continued following him. Seeing that these two were already heading into one of the six tunnels, Tang Xi and the others also quickened their steps and followed the duo into the same tunnel. Tang Xi was being very careful not to overdo her act. Most men tend to like coy and bashful women who relied on them slightly. But if they relied on them too much, then the same act would backfire, and the men would think of them as a burden rather than something precious that needed their strength and protection. Tang Xi was well versed in this art and so she maintained the perfect distance. On the outside, she seemed to be treating everything seriously and acted as if she was cool,posed, and independent, having only herself to rely on. But on the inside, she made sure that she was never out of Xavier¡¯s sight and the elf was always standing within her reach. She was so infuriating that Tang Yue wanted to bash the hateful woman on the cave¡¯s cold hard wall, but she had more important things to worry about currently. So she ended up ignoring her beloved shameless sister and continued closely following behind Xavier. None of them had any idea about the potential traps that could lie in wait for them as they headed deeper and deeper into the cave tunnel. Every step they took could trigger some sort of hidden dangerous trap. So everyone was being extremely careful and cautious. Not long after the group entered the tunnel, a faint screeching sound echoed in the distance, mixed in the sound of their footsteps. Xavier suddenly halted and so did Tang Yue and the rest of the team. ¡°Your highness, I think I heard something.¡± Tang Xi hesitantly spoke out. Xavier immediately turned around and looked at her with a stern expression. He signaled her to shut up. The very next second, a small group of wasps casually wandered into the tunnel. These wasps pretty much minded their own business, humming and buzzing as usual. But something was terribly off about them. Their bodies were bigger or rather more swollen than the ordinary forest wasps and a foul odor spread from their location. And also, it looked like dark green puss was oozing out of the numerous flesh wounds on their bodies, dripping every now and then on the cave¡¯s rough ground. Clearly, these wasps were already dead but someone powerful was using dark element magic to manipte their lifeless bodies, transforming them into undead beasts! Chapter 168: The light within the darkness Part2 Chapter 168: The light within the darkness Part2 The undead wasps were buzzing and moving around with no specific purpose, their empty nk eyes wandering aimlessly, but as soon as they came closer to the group of people, they suddenly thrummed with energy and life force. Among the small group standing in the tunnel, Xavier was the first one to respond as he instantaneously waved his long sword and a dozen wasps fell down to the ground limp and lifeless. SPLAT SPLAT SPLAT Their almost dead and dposed body exploded on touching the ground, leaving stters of green substance. But Tang Yue knew that it was a toxic green substance. Since she was standing closest to Xavier, minute drops of the green liquid had sshed on her slightly and she received a familiar notification. Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded The snake¡¯s emerald eyes immediately glistened with interest. She had already run out of things that could improve her venom further and this green dposed bodily fluid surprisingly still seemed to be effective. So she needed to use this opportunity. ¡°Cough. Cough. Your highness, these seem to be low leveled beasts. Shall I kill them next time?¡± She promptly spoke out and stepped forward in front of Xavier. The elfzily chuckled. These were not really that dangerous and did not give him any benefits. So he was more than happy to let someone else do the dirty work. ¡°Sure go ahead.¡± He mumbled and continued to walk behind her. As they walked further and further inside, another group of simr looking wasps wandered in. Tang Yue pro-actively stepped up and shed at the iing wasps before they even sensed their presence. As she was taking care of these two or three at a time, the old man¡¯s nasally voice chimed in. [Hu Hu. You havee to a good ce, little snake.] [Kill it. It will give you the good stuff.] Huh? Does it give something other than the poison upgrade? Tang Yue wondered as she quickly shed the remaining wasps into two halves. Even though they were clearly already dead, the wasps still flopped about on the ground, sshing toxins everywhere. Xavier stomped on the one closest to him, crushing it into a paste, and ended the twitching. ¡°You need to infuse some mana into your sword attack so that youpletely disintegrate them.¡± He added. Tang Yue nodded. She still hadn¡¯tprehended how to infuse mana into sword attacks. So she materialized tongues of me on her palm to take care of the struggling and twitching halves lying on the ground. She didn¡¯t notice it before, but this time as she was finishing off the twitching half-cut wasp bodies, a faint mist-like wisp of energy leaked out of them. The wisp of energy casually floated around and was soon pulled into Tang Yue¡¯s body without any effort on her part. Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded One by one, the notifications started pouring in. This was a good harvest! Tang Yue grinned. She started excitedly finishing off more and more wasps that came their way. The old man¡¯s voice also excitedly added. [Absorbing these can strengthen your own soul greatly. Use this opportunity, little snake.] [But be careful.] [This looks much moreplicated than simply using the dark element magic to control the undead.] [In the case of typical undead dark element magic, the soul would be left untouched and not corroded.] [But the souls of these wasps are corroded to the extent that they are readily pulled in and absorbed by the alive and whole soul such as yours.] [Something fishy is definitely going on here.] Xavier had also noticed this unusual urrence by now, but he didn¡¯tpete with her. He was already at Saint realm, so these disintegrated soul wisps wouldn¡¯t help him at all. He stepped aside and allowed her to kill every single wasp that came their way, thereby absorbing their almost faded soul wisp. The elf couldn¡¯t help but admire how the snake greedily started taking in every soul wisp insight without any hesitation. She couldn¡¯t care less about sharing with others. He was amused at her guts! The rest of the group also noticed this and could easily see the soul wispsing out of the wasps. How could they leave all the good stuff to Tang Yue alone? Tang Xi particrly was restless. The others hesitated since Xavier was present, but Tang Xi quickly stepped forward. ¡°Aya, I can¡¯t let you struggle with everything by yourself, sister. I will help you kill some.¡± She quickly went ahead and joined Tang Yue at the front lines, finishing off the leftover wasps. Once the others saw Tang Xi act so boldly, they as well didn¡¯t hold back and started walking further ahead to search for more wasps. Everyone could feel the small wisps of souls being pulled into their own body effortlessly. The one standing closest to the corpse reaped this benefit. Soon the group started actively running around and hunting for these wasps. Xavier chuckled and leisurely strolled in the back. He was still not bothered by these. Admittedly they were pretty useful to the Martial and Emperor realm cultivators but to him, it was nothing. So he leisurely walked in the back, keeping his eye on the prize that his brother cherished, Tang Yue. If something happened, he was close enough to her to act quickly and help her out. Not just them, but by now, almost everyone in the giganticbyrinth had realized the benefits of these low leveled undead beasts and were actively hunting for them. Fights broke out in several groups. Some even fighting with each other¡¯s teammates andpeting for the same undead beast. While the weaker of the horde fought each other for this small benefit and started hunting the different undead beasts that came their way, Xander and the other elders didn¡¯t waste their time on these small things. They decimated everything that was on their path in the span of a single breath and headed deeper and deeper into thebyrinth interiors. Chapter 169: The light within the darkness Part3 Chapter 169: The light within the darkness Part3 Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded ¡°That was thest of the wasps.¡± Tang Yue loudly sighed, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. She flopped onto the ground inelegantly and huffed and panted, resting her tired body for a bit. The other elves as well were in a simr state,pletely worn out and fatigued. Unlike Tang Yue who had the special earrings that can almost constantly replenish her with mana, the others were also depleted of their mana reserves. Even Tang Xi who tried her best to maintain her grace and allure, was right now leaning tiredly on the wall, trying not to slump down onto the rough cave surface like the others. Within the span of a few minutes, things had changed a lot. In the beginning, they were indeed behaving greedily,peting with each other to see who could hog the maximum number of iing undead wasps and reap the most benefits. But as time went by¡­ bit by bit¡­ the number of iing wasps steadily increased. And right now, even when the entire group worked together, continuously shing them down one by one or even three or four at a time, they were only barely managing the iing wasp waves. Of course, this was without Xavier butting in. If he wanted to, he could have finished everything in a minute and they could have already moved ahead. But he didn¡¯t do that. He was simply standing like a statue observing everyone from the sidelines. The worst part was that they couldn¡¯t even me the prince for being so tantlyzy! Tang Yue was the one who had asked him to not act. So everyone directed their grievances at her and kept throwing a few hateful nces, now and then, in her direction. Even if they were not previously paid to assassinate her within thisbyrinth, they had a feeling that they would have still ended up killing her nevertheless. The woman was so darned foolish and hateful! It¡¯s fine if you want to work hard and improve your strength, but why did you have to drag everyone and slow us down along with you?? They grimaced. If they could, they would have already left her behind. They knew that most of the other groups should also probably be in simr situations. And with Xavier present in their group, they could have smoothly cleared all this mess, progressed much more quickly, leaving behind the other groups in dust. But because of this stupid snake, they couldn¡¯t use this godly advantage they had. Which other groups would have this good luck of traveling with a Saint realm expert? They had it but they were wasting it! It was infuriating! If the outeryers of thebyrinth itself gave out so many advantages, they could only salivate thinking about what the inneryers might offer. But this stupid woman was making their head hurt! ¡°Let¡¯s take a small break.¡± Xavier chuckled and plopped himself down next to Tang Yue. He took out a yellow-colored fruit from his spatial ring and also tossed one to Tang Yue. She had been watching him munch this thing one after the other for about an hour now. So Tang Yue was very curious as she bit into the juicy yellow fruit. A heavenly aroma wafted out as sweetness and sourness filled her mouth together. The fruit was extremely juicy, and just with a single bite, she could feel her mouth filled to the brim with the sweet juices. She nodded in amazement and quickly took the next bite. Not only was the fruit very appealing in taste and satisfying her taste buds, but Tang Yue could clearly feel her tiredness and fatigue wash away. It looked like the fruit had a very good refreshing and rejuvenating property! She had used a few recovery potions by now, which she had previously purchased from the alchemy association. But none of those even came close to a single bite from this godly fruit. Tang Yue looked at the casually snacking elf, sitting next to her and ogling at her sister dumbfoundedly. The guy did not even fight anything, so why did he simply eat these like a glutton and waste the precious fruits??! And why the hell is he ogling unblinkingly at that damned slut every chance he got! Tang Yue rubbed her temples. The weirdest part was¡­ even though he was ogling at Tang Xi openly, he still didn¡¯t offer her a fruit. Only Tang Yue got the special treatment. No one else received any fruit from Xavier. Tang Yue was sure that her sister was cursing her inwardly right about now. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at this weird scenario. Xavier¡¯s policy was most probably ¡®food before hoes¡¯? The snake wryly chuckled. It was beyond her wits to understand this elf¡¯s actions. She sighed and didn¡¯t pay attention to it anymore. After a short break, the group then resumed their trek again, walking deeper and deeper into the tunnel. Tang Yue and Xavier were both standing in the front, with Tang Xi closely following behind them. The other elves walked in the back, clearly not as well-rested as the duo in the front. After walking for a while, everyone sighed in relief. They had walked for about 5 good minutes, but no other wasp wandered into their path. The wasps might be weak but it was very tiresome finishing them off, while at the same time dodging their random bursts of toxic bodily fluid. So it was good that they were noting at them from all directions any longer. But unfortunately, they had celebrated too soon¡­ They did note across any more wasps in their path, but suddenly the rocky stctite covered roof above them started moving and a different beast horde descended onto them. Bats! Not just ordinary bats, but a very simr pungent smelling, ooze leaking undead bats! Chapter 170: The light within the darkness Part4 Chapter 170: The light within the darkness Part4 Tang Xi let out a loud shriek in surprise. She didn¡¯t n for this. She was genuinely scared out of her wits as beasts and toxic green rain started pouring down from the enormously high ceilings. Hearing her scream, Xavier quickly cast a nce at Tang Yue, but this snake seemed surprisingly unnerved. She had already materialized a huge me serpent in her hand and started waving it over her head as if she was merely swatting house flies in leisure. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less if others thought that she was stupid. In her eyes, they were the ones who were truly stupid. All the major powers of the Nine Countries were searching thebyrinth, dissecting it from top to bottom. How could nobodies like them get any priceless treasure from it? It was near impossible! Even if they somehow manage to acquire it, surely it would be snatched right out of their hands once they step out of thebyrinth. It was better that she rather focused on these small benefits and strengthened herself as much as she could. After all, aside from consuming another Devil Awakening pill, her chances of improving soul strength were slim. And even if she consumed the pill again, chances are that it might not be as effective as before. So it was better that she focused on this and improved her soul strength. For Tang Yue particrly, improving soul strength was more important than anything else. This was because only soul strength gave her the opportunity to use her godly ¡°Lucky Sticker¡± from the system¡¯s shop. Thest time she had used it, the results were simply too good! She not only managed to escape from an impossible situation but also gained high-grade beast meat. So, of course, she was nning on using it this time as well! Heh. Who knows? With all these monsters rummaging and plundering thebyrinth tirelessly if she activates the lucky sticker¡­ then she might be the one who ends up with thebyrinth treasure! Tang Yue had her own ns as she resolutely materialized another me serpent on her hand and waved it around to burn down the batsing at them. Unlike others, she also enjoyed the sizzling toxic rain and hunted the bats with a wide grin. Xavier gulped. He could clearly see that this snake was also a battle maniac just like this brother! She didn¡¯t even flinch a bit as the drops of toxin sizzled on her skin. Instead, she seemed to be loving it. The two monsters made a good couple indeed. He could tell that it was only a matter of time before she stepped onto the bigger ying ground. No wonder his brother had personallymanded him to watch over her and protect her. She was a good egg and had the potential to be at least as strong as the royal Generals. He silently nodded and stood quietly on the side, observing everything. Tang Xi on the other hand was flipping out. What the hell? What the hell? What the hell? Why is that bitch doing so good? Even if she was not crippled anymore, she shouldn¡¯t be able to handle so many beasts without even stepping into the Emperor realm! Tang Xi was livid with anger and jealously. Nothing was going ording to her n! The same prince who was looking at her as if she was a prostitute, was looking at Tang Yue as if she was his equal. How humiliating! She was the one who was more talented and more powerful than that trash. She deserved his respect and adoration! Not her! Ahhh! A loud scream escaped her mouth. Since she was slightly distracted, one of the bats managed to reach her and bit down on her shoulder. The ck mist thatposed the barrier outside also hovered over the bat¡¯s fangs and it easily bit down even with the high-grade armor covering Tang Xi¡¯s shoulders. It seemed as if the ck mist had corroded the part of the armor onto which the fangs pierced. Everyone looked at her for a moment and nodded after understanding the bats a bit better than they previously had. But no one stepped forward to help her. They all were busy dealing with their own swarm of bats. Tang Xi clenched her fist tightly. She turned her mesmerizing figure to give Xavier onest expectant pitiful look, but the elf continued leisurely leaning back with a smile on his face. He definitely did not look like he was going to help her out any time soon. Fuck. Didn¡¯t he stare at me earlier with lusty greedy eyes? Why is he acting indifferent now? She was going crazy. She gnashed her teeth and smiled bitterly. It looked like she could only rely on herself for now. She bit her finger and murmured something under her breath. A powerful pulse of energy surfaced on the spot where she stood and started forming a small tornado sort of wind swirl. Immediately, the bats dropping from above struggled, getting caught in the powerful gushing wind. Even the elves standing near her and battling were slightly pushed aside. This gave Tang Xi a moment of relief. She quickly took something out of her spatial ring and applied it to the wound that had formed on her shoulder. She also retrieved another recovery potion and gulped it down. She then quickly clenched her sword again and started finishing off the bats that had gathered above her head. ¡°This is fine. I can do this. I will deal with the trashter.¡± She muttered inwardly and focused more on the problems at hand. The group continued to fight with the bats which endlessly circled around them for about an entire hour. Only after that, the frequency of the attack somewhat reduced. But they realized that the attacks were not going to stop any time soon as long as they continued standing in this spot. So they started slowly moving away further into the tunnel, inch by inch, while continuing to still fight off the undead screeching bats. Tang Yue was very pleased with her progress. She had amassed a huge amount of soul wisps into her body and her venom¡¯s toxicity was also steadily being upgraded. ¡°Good stuff. Good Stuff.¡± The snake¡¯s emerald eyes gleamed brilliantly in the darkness and the group continued slowly progressing onward and inward. But suddenly, a loud sound echoed from the distance. SCREECH SCREEEECH Chapter 171: The light within the darkness Part5 Chapter 171: The light within the darkness Part5 SCREEECH SCREEEECH SCREEEECH Suddenly, a loud sound echoed from the distance and along with the sound waves, an intense violent aura spread in the air as well. Everyone in the group instantly froze in fear. They were not sure that they wanted to take the next step forward. And weirdly enough, the bats which had been constantly assaulting them up until now, also suddenly stopped, as if they didn¡¯t want to disturb or even face what wasing from the depths of the tunnel. CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK CLINK A loud metallic sound echoed in the long dark tunnel. Something was definitelying towards them. If its mere footsteps sounded so heavy, then the beast definitely had to be humongous. Everyone shuddered at the very thought of it. The smaller undead wasps and bats were already giving them more trouble than what they couldfortably handle. Now, if suddenly a gigantic monster with the same toxin attacks was thrown into this mix, it would be truly terrifying. Without a doubt, everyone would be annihted in an instant. Before the group could properlyprehend just what they were about to face, a pair of enormous metallic ws emerged from the winding tunnel. Gasp! Green sticky liquid oozed from the metallic ws, sizzling and melting the rocks on the ground where it leaked and dropped. This single pair of gigantic metallic ws was soon followed by several other pairs, revealing a grotesque disgusting mucus-covered big spider. The spider¡¯s body was not that big but each of its legs was terror-inducing sharp metallic ws. They produced the horrid clinking noise as the spider skittered forward slowly and casually. Its huge mouth was slightly open, crunching and chewing a couple of wasps at the moment. Gurrraaaaahhhhh! Screeeech! The spider¡¯s lifeless beady ck eyes shifted slightly and fell on the small groups of elves and snakes standing on its path. Clink Clink Clink Clink Clink Its eyes instantly gleamed with life force and it started sharpening its ws excitedly, producing more skin-crawling screeching noises. Everyone subconsciously took a step back. This enormous beast in front of them was clearly a high-grade beast. A fucking high-grade beast! This was more than what they had bargained for. They all couldn¡¯t help but turn and look at Tang Yue. Great aunt, please! Let the Saint realm expert fight! They cried inside. Tang Xi decided that this would be a good chance to undermine her sister and promptly stepped forward. ¡°You can¡¯t be this stubborn¡­¡± But unfortunately, her speech was cut short as Xavier instantly made a move and everyone turned towards him to see if he could really defeat this gigantic monster all by himself. Xavier¡¯s nonchnt expression was now reced with a solemn look and the elf leaped forward positioning himself between the huge undead spider and the rest of the group. If it was a normal high-grade beast, there was a slight chance that he could have run into some troubles. But this was an undead high-grade beast. No matter how strong the dark element magic was, it would still be impossible to replicate the original strength of the beast. So he had enough confidence and strength to deal with this fake high-grade beast in front of him. The only thing that he was concerned about was the rest of the group. If he fought this gigantic spider along with the group of weaklings standing frozen behind him, then they would only drag him down and unnecessarily get caught in the cross-hairs. The others he didn¡¯t care so much, but he needed to ensure his brother¡¯s pet snake¡¯s safety at all costs. So he immediately created a distance between himself and the group. Only after seeing this everybody slightly rxed. Tang Yue, however, retained her same old bold and excited expression from before. Even she was slightly intimidated by the spider in front of them, but nothing could truly scare her as long as she possessed the ability to use her ¡®Lucky sticker¡¯. She remained calm and collected and prepared herself mentally to step in and help Xavier in case such a situation arose. The others as well readied themselves and Xavier quickly unsheathed his sword to start the onught. His casual andzy demeanor hadpletely changed and the man standing right now was as sharp as an arrow. His every move emitted power and the elf elegantly shed at the bizarre metallic legs of the spider. Gurrraaaaahhhhh! Screeeech! The beady ck eyes of the spider shifted and it used two of its rear legs to pincer the elf annoying it and causing it pain. But Xavier had already skillfully stepped back after shing at the spider once. Its metallic ws were not fast enough to reach him in time. The elf used this same tactic and to leap forward and sh it, while immediately moving back to avoid retaliation. Within seconds, the spider¡¯s entire body was covered with numerous sword wounds and the amount of toxic ooze leaking out of it tripled. On the other hand, there was not a single scratch on Xavier¡¯s body. The beast was thoroughly enraged as it shook its body vigorously, sending out drops of toxic liquid everywhere. DODGE Xavier shouted, predicting what was about toe. Everyone held their heart in their hands and dodged carefully avoiding the flying toxic ooze. Of course, except for the snake, who happily enjoyed the green rain. It felt nourishing and invigorating to her. Tang Xi gaped at her actions with her mouth wide open. Both of them were serpentine n members, so why was she alone being affected by this poison so much, while Tang Yue was simply wiping it off like a pleasant rainwater drizzle. But she didn¡¯t have time to worry about that right now. Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta Ta Green toxic droplets were falling like rain on them. The spider was spinning like a maniac preventing Xavier from approaching it any more. Chapter 172: The light within the darkness Part6 Chapter 172: The light within the darkness Part6 Xavier grinned. This trick might have worked on someone else but not him. ¡°Break for me.¡± The elf shouted and dashed forward, while simultaneously retrieving a ruby gem from his space ring. The gem sparkled in the darkness of the tunnel and emitted a blinding radiance. Xavier then unexpectedly crushed the gem resulting in a loud explosive noise. The next instant a huge ice wall erupted between him and the spider. Not just the barrier, but the entire section of the tunnel where they were standing turned into a frozen tundra. The cave¡¯s floor, roof, walls were all covered by a thick sheet of freezing solid ice. The spider which was spinning around like a maniac was now forced to stop and stumble as it supported itself on the iceyer. It only slowed it down momentarily as the sharp heavy metallic ws pierced into the solid ice and held its ground. But this split-second was more than enough for Xavier. He leaped closer to the beast again and sent out three consecutive strikes with his sword. ¡°Blood sh¡± He shouted. His three strikes connected and looked as if they were part of a single attack. The attacksnded precisely on the joint which connected the metallic w to the spider and the joint was cleanly shattered. CLUNK The huge metallic limb of the spider fell limp on the ground, resulting in a loud ttering noise. The elf¡¯s grin widened. This fight was almost over! ¡°Blood sh¡± He shouted again and leapt towards the beast which was struggling from the broken leg. Crack. The next instant another joint was shattered and the spider was now skittering on only six of its legs instead of eight. Seeing that the Prince had already subdued the high-grade undead beast, the others stoppedzing around on the sidelines and came forward to send a few me serpents towards the beast. The injuries slowly continued to add up and the spider soon dropped dead, its huge body exploding and spluttering into a green toxic puddle. Hmm¡­ Xavier stopped. The battle was over. He was about to dodge the toxic puddle but he didn¡¯t do so. He could feel the strong soul energy arising from the dead corpse of the spider. The thick wisp of the disintegrated soul immediately flooded into his body and dissolved like candy. Everyone else clicked their tongue and swallowed their saliva. They could also tell that Xavier had gained a lot. But unfortunately, they could only watch. To the victor goes the spoils! Xavier closed his eyes and took a moment to stabilize this wisp of soul and merge it with his own soul strength. He then shed his eyes open and quickly turned around, as if he had forgotten something. Damn it! I forgot about the princess! He turned around in haste to see if Tang Yue was injured anywhere, but she seemed to be doing just fine. In fact, she was doing more than fine. Heh. Xavier wryly chuckled and sighed in relief. While the others were watching and admiring hisbat in awe, the snake was busily scooping up the green toxic ooze from the ground and storing it in her space pearl. Xavier amusedly shook his head and started collecting the remainder of the spider¡¯s body. Even though the beast was fully dead and dposed and couldn¡¯t possibly be consumed, it could still serve several purposes. For instance, a high-grade toxin could be refined from it. No matter how degraded it was, a slice of high-grade beast meat still had its value. So Xavier quickly collected it. Watching these two busy in action, the others awkwardly swallowed their saliva. Damn it. They had received nothing out of this fight. The group then took a short break in order to help Xavier rx a little. Tang Xi made sure to sit right next to him and she coyly praised his battle prowess. Tang Yue on the other hand was deep in her thoughts. She was already used to this disgusting sideshow so she didn¡¯t pay attention to it. She was rather thinking about how exquisite Xavier¡¯s sword art was. It was too bad that she couldn¡¯t get a hold of Marvin yet because right now she was totally rearing to kick him in his balls so that she could get her hands on an awesome sword technique. A few more minutes passed and the group started walking into the tunnel again. This time they came across some smaller spiders of lower levels and the other elves and the two Tang sisters promptly took care of it without Xavier interfering. Everybody was in high spirits and they were againpetitively hogging to the beasts so that they could gain as much strength as possible. The battle had drastically changed their mood and invigorated their tired bodies. In the midst of this heated grinding, suddenly a loud murmur echoed in the distance. More spiders? The group of elves and snakes who were fighting for the limited supply of the undead beasts suddenly stopped in their tracks. FUCK! Someone yelled in the distance. A faint screaming sound could be heard. ¡°Some other group is here?¡± One of the elves pondered. Not long after that, loud footsteps started echoing along with the familiar screeching noises. SCREEECH SCREEECH SCREEECH SCREEECH SCREEECH Inside the gigantic cave, suddenly it was difficult to differentiate which was the outside and which was the inside. The loud ear-piercing screeching sounds seemed to being in from all directions. NO NO NO Run Run Noooo RUN RUN Mixed in with the horrid screeching noises, loud blood-curdling screams of pain and agony echoed but it was already toote. Before anyone could blink, a horde of spiders started scurrying and swarming in their direction. Spiders were pouring out from everywhere like crazy. They wereing from every small nook and corner. They were all at most low-grade or mid-grade undead beasts, but their sheer numbers could instill fear in anyone¡¯s heart. Chapter 173: The light within the darkness Part7 Chapter 173: The light within the darkness Part7 Xavier immediately stepped forward as he cut down a few of the spiders surrounding him. This was too risky. They needed to retreat a few steps back and observe the situation away from this chaotic spot. He sent out a few more sword shes clearing the low-leveled spiders in his path. But unfortunately, the few he killed were almost instantly reced by a few more undead spiders. Everyone was frantically attacking the spiders swarming them non-stop from all directions. Toxic ooze and green spit flew everywhere. Xavier looked at the situation pensively. Something was definitely off. More and more spiders were pouring onto them without any break. He shook his head and decided to not waste any further time here. If it was him, he could have effortlessly handled these messy insects, but Tang Yue was also there. Xavier quickly bit his index finger, drew blood, and activated a movement art. He was just about to grab Tang Yue who was fighting next to him and flee from here, but unfortunately, it was already toote. Swarms of bloody gued spiders with a thick stench of death surrounded them from all directions. Where could they go? How could they move? Spiders seemed to be evening in from the tunnel they had previously used to enter this section. There was no entrance or exit anymore. Skittering noises echoed everywhere and drove everyone crazy. Xavier acted fast and quickly made a sweeping circle with his majestic pitch-ck sword. With Tang Yue and him standing in the center, he skillfully handled the horde of undead spiders that was literally pouring on to them from everywhere. The others including Tang Xi were in simr situations, well in worse situations to be more precise. While Tang Yue had the Saint realm expert to hold things at bay, the others were single-handedly stuck struggling with this never-ending undead spider army. Everyone relentlessly shed at the spiders without even caring about being drenched in toxic fluids, but the horde still kepting. ¡°It is too risky to allow things to continue like this.¡± Xavier muttered. Tang Yue nodded. She was also very anxious about this strange situation and was very close to using her ¡®Lucky Sticker¡¯. All she had to do was issue a single mentalmand to buy and use a lucky sticker and it would be activated instantly. But this was herst resort so she decided to wait until there was no other option left. Right now, even though they were surrounded from all directions, these spiders were still only low-leveled beasts. So she was able to handle them decently. The group continued clearing the spiders for a few more minutes hoping that this had to end sometime sooner orter. But suddenly something unexpected happened¡­ The ground which they were standing on quaked and the floor underneath them crumbled. In the blink of an eye, the ten people standing on that section fell into the darkness underneath, along with the spiders that were drowning them. Xavier reacted fast and reached out to grab Tang Yue but he was just a step toote. It felt as if an invisible spell forcefully separated all of them and threw them away into different corners. ¡°Damn it. I knew that I should have done something.¡± The elf gripped his sword. Xavier used everything in his power to rush down towards the direction in which Tang Yue had fallen but he couldn¡¯t see anything at all. He tried materializing a ball of fire in his hand, but even that was swallowed in the darkness. By now, he was sure that some sort of spell formation had activated when they had defeated that huge spider, resulting in the millions and millions of lower-level spider hatchlings invading them. And now probably, another spell formation had activated to separate out everyone. This darkness should be a part of it too. Xavier closed his eyes and tried to focus his mind and his soul sense. He tried his best to recognize something in the darkness but unfortunately, everything was still pitch ck. All his senses were shut off. He was still falling down and Tang Yue as well was probably lost somewhere within this endless void. ¡°I am sorry, brother.¡± He muttered and clenched his fists. ¡°I was not careful enough.¡± He sighed and continued to fall down. The darkness around him soon dissipated and Xavier was finally able to see his surroundings. It looked like he had fallen through some sort of teleportation portal andnded in another part of the samebyrinth. He rotated his cultivation base and slowed down his fall, but even otherwise he doubted that the fall itself would have killed him. The more he analyzed the things which they hade across in thisbyrinth, the more it looked like these were all part of someone¡¯s borate training ground or rather a testing arena. Xavier was not too interested in thisbyrinth before, but now he was fully focused. From all of these borate spell formations and undead beast traps, he could tell that most probably a treasured inheritance or legacy from a higher being was hidden in thisbyrinth. Something that could probably shake the entire Xion! The elf looked up with his sharp ruthless eyes and surveyed his new surroundings. The same familiar rocky interiors with pitch-ck stctites greeted him. There was a path that extended deeper into thebyrinth and a few grey-skinned undead lizards scurried around. Xavier retrieved his sword and shed down a couple of lizards that were inching towards him from the darkness. Now that he was alone and there was no one else to drag him down, his speed was astronomically faster. He shed down everything in his path and headed inward at top speed. If what he assumed was correct, then the elves needed to get this treasure at all costs. He needed to join his brother and help him. Otherwise, the fragile bnce which existed between the Nine nations would soon be history. Chapter 174: The light within the darkness Part8 Chapter 174: The light within the darkness Part8 THUD Tang Yue fell down on the hard ground,nding roughly on her back. The snake scrambled back onto her feet and turned left and right, looking around in vignce. Earlier, the moment the cave floor had copsed, she had tried to activate the Lucky Sticker, but unfortunately, she couldn¡¯tmunicate with the system. So much for an all-powerful trump card! But somehow, it looked like nothing disastrous had happened¡­ yet¡­ Tang Yue sighed in relief and quickly tried to ess the system again. This time she did not have any issues. ¡°What happened old man?¡± She asked the system in confusion, hoping that he would know something. The nasal voice, however, did not respond to her. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly nervous. ¡°Ok. If there is anything dangerous, then let¡¯s just avoid that and head in a different direction.¡± She consoled herself and decided to proceed cautiously. She had already stepped inside thisbyrinth. It was toote to regret things now. Maybe if she tried her best and progressed slowly, she could run into some other group on the way and join them. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Tang Yue patted her chest and cheered herself up. There was just a single path from where she had fallen, so Tang Yue decided to slowly walk in that direction. She had only barely taken two steps when a slight coughing sound echoed a few meters ahead of her. ¡°Oh, someone else is here?¡± Tang Yue quickened her pace and walked over to see if it was a friend or a foe. But as she moved closer and closer to the source of the coughing sound, an uneasiness crept up in her heart. For some reason, the silhouette of the person was very familiar to her. ¡°Fuck.¡± Tang Yue gasped in surprise. The elf lying down a few meters ahead of her on the cave tunnel¡¯s floor, almost unconsciously, was none other than Charlotte! Tang Yue quickened her pace and rushed to the wounded elf. Even from afar, she could see a few gushing wounds on the elf¡¯s body. Tang Yue stood beside her and observed the elf silently. Charlotte was an Emperor realm expert. So what could have possibly harmed her to this extent? She wondered. Charlotte appeared very pale, paler than her usual self and her breath was heavily uneven. The elf¡¯s long eyshes fluttered as she weakly opened her eyes and gazed at the blurry image standing near her. ¡°Oh ha ha. How the mighty have fallen?!¡± Tang Yue smirked. ¡°It¡¯s you¡­?¡± Charlotte mumbled weakly. She coughed up some more, spitting out blood from her mouth. ¡°Are you poisoned?¡± Tang Yue asked. Since most of the undead beasts that had attacked them so far sprayed the green toxin everywhere, this is the only conclusion that she could draw at the moment. The elf turned her head refusing to answer her question. ¡°Hmph. Whatever. Suit yourself.¡± Tang Yue shrugged and lifted her right leg to cross the elf¡¯s fallen body and she continued walking forward. Her actions might seem a bit cold but this same elf had repeatedly tried to kill her time and again. If she helped her today, she would probably again try to kill her in the future. Showing kindness to one¡¯s enemy sometimes was pure foolishness. Tang Yue did not look back and continued walking. She will not personally kill her and end her life and that in itself was a kindness that she spared for her enemy. But before she could take the next step, a faint voice sounded behind her. ¡°You must think that I am so weak. Heh.¡± Charlotte chuckled wryly. Her voice sounded delirious. ¡°I am indeed weak. My life has been nothing but pathetic. I deserve to die here.¡± ¡°Ptui.¡± She spat out some blood from her mouth. ¡°All my life I ran around like a headless chicken, that too behind a man who couldn¡¯t care less about me.¡± ¡°Even our engagement was a farce.¡± ¡°That damned Empress was only treating me like a baby-making machine with a rare body physique.¡± ¡°How is that love? What a joke¡­¡± ¡°I was not always like this you know. That man¡­ I unknowingly got addicted to him.¡± ¡°My entire life¡¯s purpose was him. I was groomed and brought up to be his mate.¡± ¡°I just needed him to see me once, to at least acknowledge me once. I wanted to exist for him.¡± ¡°Heh. You probably don¡¯t know how that feels huh?¡± ¡°Have you ever wanted something so badly that you have lost all reason and logic?¡± ¡°Someone like you couldn¡¯t possibly understand me.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t you dare judge me. I might be weak and pathetic but I am still your enemy.¡± Charlotte coughed roughly spitting out more blood. It had taken a lot out of her to talk, but she didn¡¯t want thest thing she remembered before her death to be the snake¡¯s condescending eyes. But unexpectedly, Tang Yue¡¯s footsteps stopped. Her emerald eyes looked at the beautiful elf folded on the corner, waiting for her inevitable death. Her random rant hadn¡¯t exactly moved her. But the desperation in her voice made her stop. She knew what it was to be abandoned by someone you love so much. Her own father had treated her so cruelly. Tang Yue had lost her mother at a very young age and her father too suddenly turned cold towards her. She no longer existed for that man, who loved and cherished her until the day before. As a small child, she didn¡¯t even care about her crippled meridians and her weak plight. But that man¡¯s coldness and indifference affected her a lot. So she knew the pain which Charlotte was struggling with. Tang Yue slowly turned around. Even without her mindpletely agreeing to her decision, she had already started walking back. She squatted in front of Charlotte and gazed at the elf¡¯s grief-stricken eyes. ¡°I am not leaving you.¡± Charlotte didn¡¯t say anything. She looked at the snake wordlessly. A small self-deprecating smile emerged on her lips and she turned her head away. Chapter 175: You are an idiot Part1 Chapter 175: You are an idiot Part1 Tang Yue quickly took out a cauldron from her space pearl and ced it on the ground right next to Charlotte. She then lifted her hand up in front of the elf and used a small knife to cut a deep wound on her hand. Blood slowly dripped from her hand and fell into the cauldron. Once a decent amount of blood was collected, she then materialized several tongues of me on her other hand and ced them on the cauldron. The blood droplets inside immediately sizzled from the heat. Using this blood as the base, Tang Yue added a few thistle leaves and sprig flowers to the concoction. After about 5 minutes, and a few more ingredientster, a thick residue settled at the bottom of the cauldron. ¡°Meh. This should do.¡± Tang Yue nodded satisfactorily. She quickly scooped up some of the paste and shoved it into Charlotte¡¯s mouth. ¡°What¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­ What the hell are you doing?¡± The elf weakly mumbled. ¡°It¡¯s a poison antidote.¡± Tang Yue curtly replied without exining much. Charlotte was startled by that reply and stared nkly at the snake in front of her. Nevertheless, she didn¡¯t have much strength left to resist any of Tang Yue¡¯s actions, and could only silently swallow the thing in her mouth. Tang Yue scooped up more handfuls and force-fed the paste to the elf. This was a local serpentine n poison treatment recipe that theymonly used for younger generations whose body was not mature enough yet. She was only half certain that this method would actually work, but this was the only thing she could do at this moment. She did not have any other medicine or antidote on hand, especially considering that poisoning was thest thing Tang Yue had to worry about. Charlotte coughed up some more blood and swallowed the remaining paste as well. She hadn¡¯t fully believed the wordsing out of the snake¡¯s mouth but the instant the paste hit her stomach, she could already feel a slight relief and warmth spreading through her veins. ¡°Nnng¡­¡± Charlotte moaned from the pain and relief hitting her nerves simultaneously. She closed her eyes and tried to recuperate her strength. A few minutester, a little color even returned to her pale and sunken cheeks. The elf opened her eyes and murmured faintly. ¡°You are an idiot.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. ¡°I guess I am.¡± She replied. They might not even get out of here alive. So what was the point in holding onto these insignificant enmities of the past? It felt childish. Tang Yue leisurely sat next to the elf, leaning onto the cave¡¯s cold and frigid wall. She patiently waited for her to recover her strength at least partly. ¡°How did you get hurt this much?¡± She couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Surely, Charlotte must have traveled with a very strong and capable group. ¡°There is someone else besides us inside thebyrinth.¡± She muttered through her teeth. ¡°Someone else?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ A ck hooded figure ambushed us from behind and killed two of my teammates.¡± ¡°He was much stronger than us. He had to be at least Saint realm or partial Demi-God realm expert.¡± ¡°He targeted me next, but luckily at that moment, some sort of spell formation was triggered, the ground copsed and we all got separated.¡± Charlotte exined with great difficulty and a solemn expression on her face. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t know him? I mean you both have a very simr dressing sense.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. The elf groaned in misery. If she could, she would have hit her forehead with her palm. Tang Yue felt bad for her and restrained herself from mocking the wounded woman further. The duo sat together silently for a long time, one recuperating her strength and the other snacking on roasted meat. It was only after several hourster, a loud squeaking noise sounded in the distance. A low-grade striped tail forest lizard wobbled towards them, with a simr pattern of surface wounds, green toxic ooze, and a pair of lifeless beady eyes. Tang Yue immediately sprang up from her seated position and retrieved her sword. Xavier was no longer with her and Charlotte was a dead weight. So she only had herself to rely on from this point onward. Tang Yue calmly and steadily approached the crawling lizard. When she was somewhat closer to it, she madly dashed towards the undead beast and shed it into two halves with her high-grade sword. The beast¡¯s two halves twitched separately which she then burnt to a crisp using a ball of fire, but not before she was coated with ayer of the green toxin. Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded Ding. 50 Experience points have been rewarded Tang Yue wiped her sword off with her thumb and her index finger and sheathed it back. She then turned towards Charlotte and started walking back, when the elf looked at her weirdly. ¡°You are weak.¡± She mouthed and shook her head with disappointment. ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Then feel free to jump into action and teach me how it¡¯s done any time you want.¡± She retorted back. Not having ae back for that statement, Charlotte turned her face away awkwardly. The two then continued sitting side by side for a while longer, when a couple more lizards crawled their way. Tang Yue got up again and swiftly took care of them, but she was slightly worried about the increasing numbers. ¡°Maybe we should soon start moving before an entire horde starts attacking us?¡± She suggested to Charlotte. The elf lowered her head and mumbled. ¡°You should go. You have already done enough.¡± ¡°Why? What are you going to do then?¡± ¡°I will just wait here. I crushed a jade slip. My dad should have already been informed. He will be here any time now.¡± ¡°Do you need to remain at the same spot or can you keep moving, while still waiting for the General?¡± ¡°He should be able to sense me wherever I am.¡± The elf answered. ¡°Then you are the idiot. Get up and let¡¯s start walking.¡± Chapter 176: You are an idiot Part2 Chapter 176: You are an idiot Part2 Tang Yue supported Charlotte on her one side and the two slowly inched away from their location, heading deeper and deeper into the tunnel. The elf had mostly recovered by now except for a slight feeling of weakness and numbness in her body. Once Tang Yue¡¯s personal antidote took care of most of the poison seeped into her blood, Charlotte drank a few medicinal potions and recovery potions, speeding up her healing. She then obediently listened to Tang Yue and decided to apany her instead of waiting for help all by herself. The duo was still not sure if heading inside was the right thing to do as they could always encounter more beasts this way. But it was definitely better than remaining seated in a single spot and bing a stationary target or a sitting duck for the mysterious ck hooded figure. Besides, they were onlying across a few or so low-grade undead beasts, and moreover, the system notifications were back as well. So Tang Yue did not hesitate and confidently kept walking ahead grinding the lower level undead beasts. She slowly and steadily kept collecting experience points and disintegrated soul wisps with every beast she shed down. Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but break a sweat just looking at her working so hard. The snake was not even resting in between. What a maniac! She muttered under her breath. ¡°What? Speak louder? Was that a thank you, I heard?¡± Tang Yue smirked, finishing another lizard that had stuck its tongue at her. ¡°Hmph.¡± Charlotte crossed her arms and continued leaning on the cave wall for support. Though she was able to walk a bit, she still felt very weak. The duo wandered into the endless tunnel a bit more, when suddenly a fork appeared in their path. ¡°Let¡¯s go left.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go right.¡± Both the women simultaneously muttered and stared at each other in disagreement. ¡°I am the one doing all the fighting. So I get to pick. Let¡¯s go right.¡± Tang Yue grinned. Charlotte rubbed her temples and replied. ¡°I can sense more beasts in this path, so let¡¯s head the other way.¡± ¡°Bingo. That¡¯s exactly why we should go this way. Which one do you think will be more dangerous?¡± ¡°The one with more beasts or the one without more beasts?¡± ¡°Hmph. You are simply overthinking things.¡± Charlotte grimaced. ¡°And you are not thinking at all.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. ¡°Arghh. There is just no point in talking sense to you. Just go wherever you want.¡± Tang Yue grinned with the satisfaction of winning that war and headed towards the right side. The elf pouted and slowly walked behind her. However, a few secondster, one snake and one elf rushed outside through the same opening. ¡°Damn it. Why is there a high-grade lizard beast here?¡± ¡°I told you so.¡± Charlotte shook her head. Fortunately, the duo had spotted the humongous beast or at least its tail well in advance. So they were able to instantly retrace their steps and run back out without provoking the gigantic undead lizard. Tang Yue recollected how they had faced a simr high-grade spider monster after facing several low-grade undead spiders. She also remembered how Xavier had skillfully in it. ¡°Gulp. There is no way I can do that with my current power level.¡± Tang Yue shook her head and decided to venture through the other path, which Charlotte had originally suggested. The elf now had a small smug smile on her face and Tang Yue amusedly chuckled. ¡°It looks like you are back to normal.¡± She muttered. The two slowly and cautiously walked inside the second tunnel, trying to be as quiet as possible. Not many undead beasts wandered their way and the couple of lizards that crawled towards them were all low-leveled. As they headed deeper and deeper into the tunnel, patches of green moss started showing up on the long winding cave wall. [Wilted Chrysanthemums with a thick death aura. Pick it up.] [This will be very useful when you eventually start cultivating your dark elemental essence.] [Or you can also sell it or exchange it for something precious.] The system abruptly chimed in. ¡°Master, what happened? Why were you silent earlier?¡± Tang Yue quickly asked, mentallymunicating with the system. She paused slightly and used her sword to scrape the moss off the wall and collected it into a ss bottle. [A defensive spell blocked and suppressed my soul sliver.] The system exined vaguely. It looked like even the old man was surprised by the existence of thisbyrinth and did not understand thingspletely. Tang Yue nodded. She didn¡¯t ask any further questions. She quickly started collecting all the moss that she could see. Charlotte saw her acting weirdly and raised her eyebrows. She walked towards one such patch of dark ck moss and inspected it carefully. Only then, she was able to detect the strong and heavy dark element aura. What an interesting herb! She then retrieved a small knife and scraped the patch of moss, collecting it in a ss bottle just like Tang Yue had done. The snake didn¡¯t care too much. There were several patches of moss here and there, plenty enough for both of them to share. The two walked around and collected the herbs for a while. They cleaned out every single nt that they could see. And after they were done, the two women were back to their original path, heading deeper and deeper inside. But suddenly, Tang Yue felt a slight tap on her shoulders. She turned around and asked, ¡°What?¡± Charlotte was standing behind her, with her hand stretched out front. She was holding in her hand a few ss bottles filled with the moss she had collected earlier. ¡°Here. Take.¡± She mumbled, with her face turned away, not meeting Tang Yue¡¯s gaze. There was even a slight pinkish hue on her pale cheeks. Tang Yue almost burst outughing from that sight. What a proud woman! She chuckled inwardly. She understood what Charlotte was doing and didn¡¯t stand on ceremony. ¡°Thanks.¡± She quickly epted the few ss bottles and put them inside her own spatial ring. Chapter 177: She disappeared Part1 Chapter 177: She disappeared Part1 Tang Yue and Charlotte continued walking down the winding tunnel for the next few hours without any rest. On their route, they came across several low-leveled beasts, but Tang Yue was able to swiftly deal with almost all of those by herself. Only once there was a group of six spiders that had abruptlynded in front of them and were attacking them both at the same time, which was slightly too much for Tang Yue to handle by herself. However, Charlotte quickly intervened and helped the snake smoothly finish them off. Once the poison which had seeped deep within Charlotte¡¯s body was cleared, she felt much better and was recovering very quickly. She was now able to walk independently and even fight to a certain extent. Just like this, the two women acted in silent understanding and cleared the low-leveled undead beasts as they progressed deeper and deeper within thebyrinth maze. ¡°Hey. Wait a minute.¡± Charlotte mumbled and leaned against the wall to rest a while. ¡°Nothing creepy has shown up for a while. Do you feel as if something is wrong?¡± She asked. Tang Yue paused walking as well and pondered by twirling her long ck locks. ¡°Maybe?¡± ¡°Or maybe we are just walking towards an exit?¡± ¡°Always the optimist, aren¡¯t you? Sigh.¡± Charlotte shook her head and started walking again. ¡°Whatever. Let¡¯s continue.¡± Tang Yue was tired of bickering with the elven beauty and didn¡¯t engage her. The two walked for a few more miles when suddenly the light illuminating their horrendous never-ending cave tunnel slightly increased. The path looked brighter and the stale air had a cool and crisp touch to it. ¡°What the heck? Are we really close to an exit?¡± Charlotte quickened her steps, unable to hide her delight. She had had enough of this stupidbyrinth and was ready to go home. Her mind and heart, everything was muddled and she wanted to think through certain things. Watching her run, Tang Yue quickly followed behind her to see if they had really found an exit to this miserable ce. She as well was slightly happy to see the sunlight again, but at the same time, they had not gained much, so she was a little bit disappointed as well. But when the two women rushed out of the tunnel, their footsteps suddenly came to a halt. Contrary to what they had expected, they hadn¡¯t reallye across an exit. Instead, they were standing at the entrance of a gigantic underground clearing. A huge crystalke with clear azure-colored water sprawled across in front of them, stretching endlessly within the depths of the cave. The excess light wasing from the ceiling of the cave, where a million stars seemed to sparkle and shine brightly. The duo gasped slightly as they squinted their eyes and looked closer. What looked like a small opening of the cave at the top, allowing a vision of the night sky, was in reality the ceiling of the cave itself. The brightly shining stars at the top were millions of minute glow worms illuminating the darkness and appearing as if they were the night sky. They were still inescapably stuck, enclosed within the vastbyrinth. Nevertheless, the view in front of them was utterly breathtaking. The soft glowing light from the worms crawling on the ceiling danced on the still clear waters of theke. The air inside was cool and crisp and carried with it a refreshing feeling which soothed the mind and body, a delightful changepared to the dull and dark tunnels outside. More importantly, the banks of thiske, half rocky and half-covered by coarse granr sand had numerous colorful nts growing on them. The nt itself was very unique and had a peculiar pattern to it. Each of its leaves was a different color, making the nt at least 14 colored or 16 colored in total. While Tang Yue was still enjoying this view, the system¡¯s old man voice shrieked inside her brain. [That¡¯s an incandescent divine stalk. That¡¯s another one. That¡¯s another one.] [Not only have they matured to their usual nine-colored pattern, but some of them even have more colors.] [What the hell is this ce? Stupid snake. Go Go. Run and pick it all up.] [With these nts, your mental strength can shoot up to the Demi-God realm and even higher!] [What incredible luck!] Tang Yue nkly nodded. Demi-God realm huh? The snake licked her lips and started carefully plucking the nts one by one. If she could sit by thiske and calmly cultivate with these resources, she can definitely achieve a breakthrough, and then maybe she could deal with that high-grade lizard they had seen back in the other tunnel all by herself. After all, high-grade beasts were very rare and she didn¡¯t want to waste a good opportunity. Just from fighting that single monster, her strength can definitely upgrade several levels at once. As her mind wandered, the snake plucked the nts one after the other and stored them in her space pearl. Without her realizing she hade extremely close to theke. [Don¡¯t go near the water.] The system who had resumed its silent nature suddenly chimed again. Tang Yue halted her steps and quickly backed away. ¡°Is there something in theke?¡± She curiously asked. [I am not able to sense anything and that¡¯s what concerns me.] The elder answered her. Oh. Tang Yue silently gasped. She hated it when the old man annoyed her with nonsensical answers, but it was even worse when he answered seriously. She couldn¡¯t help but shudder as a small ominous feeling crept up her heart. While she cautiously moved back, her eyesnded on Charlotte¡¯s mesmerizing figure, which was elegantly peering over theke. ¡°Hey. Step away from there.¡± Tang Yue shouted. ¡°What? Why?¡± Charlotte absentmindedly answered her as she nced at her beautiful reflection on the still azure waters of theke. A pair of familiar enchanting eyes stared back at her, a tinge of sadness hidden within them. Chapter 178: She disappeared Part2 Chapter 178: She disappeared Part2 ¡°Hey. Step away from there.¡± Tang Yue shouted. ¡°What? Why?¡± Charlotte absentmindedly answered her as she nced at her beautiful reflection on the still azure waters of theke. A pair of familiar enchanting eyes stared back at her, a tinge of sadness hidden within them. Charlotte¡¯s mind wandered to the various events that had happened recently. She looked at Tang Yue from the corner of her eye and felt guilty for everything that she had done to her. But as Tang Yue¡¯s gaze met her eyes, she quickly turned away and looked at her reflection again. She was too embarrassed to meet her gaze. ¡°Just do as I tell you. Move.¡± Tang Yue shouted again. ¡°Ok,¡± Charlotte grumbled and decided to step away. But as she nced back at her reflection onest time before stepping away, a pair of big round fluorescent yellow eyes suddenly surfaced in the spot where her reflection was previously visible. The face that was staring back at her was no longer her own reflection. Aaack Charlotte shrieked in surprise and fear and stumbled back, falling on the rough ground as she lost her bnce. ¡°What the heck is that?¡± Her lips trembled. She had fallen back too quickly and only vaguely remembered seeing the gigantic outline of a head beneath those clear azure blue water as if the head was a part of theke itself. Imagine peeking into ake and a monster suddenly jumping out of it to devour you. She almost had a heart attack. ¡°I must be hallucinating.¡± Charlotte weakly smiled and tried to dust off her shock and fear, as she got up from the rocky ground. But unfortunately for her, she was not in the least hallucinating. A huge bumpy head azure blue in color slowly emerged from theke, stirring the calm and still waters into a ravenous vortex. The azure colored body emitted a soft glow simr to the tiny glow worms on the ceiling of the underground clearing. But this one was in no manner tiny. The enormous glow-worm roared alive as it sshed out of the water, half its body hanging in the air. Its lower body was still submerged deep within theke, making it impossible to fully tell its length. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± Charlotte stuttered and gaped in utter shock. Tang Yue was alsopletely dumbfounded, unable to blink her eyes. This was because the beast roaring and swaying in front of them was neither a simple high-grade beast nor a rare-grade beast, rather it was one of the supreme existences in Xion, standing at the top of the food pyramid, an epic-grade beast. Its power and strength alone were akin to a storm dragon that had terrorized the entire Nine countries a few centuries back. Even Xander was equivalent to an ant in front of this humongous monstrosity. In front of the monster¡¯s strong aura and raw killing intent, Tang Yue and Charlotte were not even able to breathe, let alone think. It was as if they were frozen solid in shock. As its gargantuan body emerged from theke, the beast roared ferociously, its shrill voice sending a tremor through the entire mountain range. The intense sound waves were strong enough to st the small pieces of rocks bordering theke. Both Charlotte and Tang Yue were tossed aside by this sheer pressure as if they were nothing better than the rocks which had shattered. Tang Yue was luckily flung into the tunnel through which they had entered, while Charlotte¡¯s slender body rammed on the cave¡¯s wall, still within the underground opening. The elf¡¯s eyes drained of all color as she turned towards her side and panicked. She was still a few meters away from the tunnel opening, through she could potentially run and escape, but that few meters right now might as well be a thousand kilometers. There was absolutely no way that she was ever going to get out of here alive. Tears streamed out of her eyes as the elf weakly tumbled on the ground from the impact of the hit. Blood spluttered from the back of her head. Tang Yue was also gravely injured as her body hit the hard cave floor. But the injuries helped her snap out of the shock and the trance-like state. She had somewhat regained her consciousness and awareness. This was it. There was no point in hesitating anymore. This was the time to use her ultimate trump card. The snake hoped and prayed that this would work as she bit her lips and muttered with a ghastly expression on her face. ¡°Lucky sticker! Purchase and activate!¡± Tang Yue trembled. There was a second of eerie silence that ensued after the beast¡¯s terrifying roar. She could hear her heart loudly thumping against her chest. She could feel the fragility of her life stark naked in front of her. At any instant now, she could die and disappearpletely from this world. ¡°Come on. Come on. Work¡­ please¡­¡± Tang Yue silently pleaded, when suddenly a series of notifications ensued. Ding. Congrattions! Your soul strength has been consumed and one lucky sticker has been purchased at the cost of half of your soul strength. Ding. Congrattions! Lucky Sticker has been activated. Ding. Congrattions! Little snake is blessed with heaven-defying luck for the next 5 minutes. These notifications which she had always considered to be silly and stupid, now sounded heavenly to her bleeding ears. Not long after that, a loud rumbling noise echoed. The beast reared its head again and let out another heaven shattering roar, as the tunnel inside which Tang Yueid started crumbling. It was as if that section of the mountain itself was copsing and shutting itself off from the gigantic monstrous beast. ¡°Ahhh¡± Tang Yue shouted in realization. She quickly grasped what was happening and what was the best route of escape for her. She started scrambling out and running away in the midst of the huge chunks of rocks that were crumbling all around her. She needed to get out of here! Now! If she could sessfully put some distance between herself and theke, then she could probably escape this dire predicament. As Tang Yue¡¯s feet mindlessly raced out of the tunnel, she crawled and ran, dragging her injured body along with her. But as she was about to take another step, the image of an elf popped inside her brain. ¡°Charlotte¡­¡± She had almost forgotten. The elf was still stuck back there, probably wounded and half-dead. Chapter 179: She disappeared Part3 Chapter 179: She disappeared Part3 Tang Yue hesitated. She was unable to take another step forward. Her mind and body froze unexpectedly, as huge rocks crumbled around her and were slowly and gradually closing off that tunnel. If she didn¡¯t make a decision and move away from that spot, she would soon be crushed and inevitably buried underneath the rocks. Her single path of escape would also be shut off. She turned around slightly and saw the small hole through which she could potentially still enter the underground opening again and reach theke area. Everything was notpletely cut off just yet. But the question remained¡­ should she? Who was Charlotte? She was not her friend, not her sister, not even an acquaintance. In fact, she could be categorized as one of her main enemies, having tried to get her killed on more than one asion. This being the case, why should she have to risk her own life and try to save her dire enemy? Earlier they were in an entirely different situation. At that time, helping Charlotte did not mean that Tang Yue would be putting herself in more danger, but now, it did. This was clearly a fork in her path, something that could change the flow of her entire life, even end it instantly. ¡°Ahh¡± Tang Yue screamed. Her body was hurting everywhere from the injuries littered on her. It was so difficult to think about anything now. She couldn¡¯t think clearly at all. ¡°Damn it all.¡± She bit her lips and decided to do whatever her intuition was screaming at her to do. She turned around and ran back to the underground opening entrance. At the bottom of her heart, she knew that this was the right thing to do and there was no other way to go about it. Her ¡®Lucky sticker¡¯ was a heavenly treasure. She had no clue how it functioned. She didn¡¯t know if it altered fate itself to be more favorable to her or if the old man used whatever was left of his strength to manipte everything in her favor. But one thing was for sure. She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be harmed as long as it was active. So she had to try and go back. Without her, Charlotte had absolutely no hope. Tang Yue might as well be the one slitting her throat since she would be abandoning herpletely. With her there as well, there was not much guarantee of anything. Saving them both was near impossible, but she at least had to try. Maybe the ¡®Lucky sticker¡¯ was strong enough to rescue them both! She had to believe in this. There was no other way. Tang Yue bit her lips and ran helter-skelter towards the small opening before that also gotpletely shut off. She quickly morphed herself into her serpentine form and weaved through the rubble on the cave floor, winding in and out of the smallest of holes. ¡°Gah¡­ cough¡­ cough¡­¡± She spat out dark ck blood and finally slipped through the small opening, back into the zone of terror. Tang Yue shuddered at the sight of the utter destruction in front of her. Everything in front of her had copsed. The blissful sereneke and the starry night sky of the cave that made it look as if someone had painted it, were nowpletely demolished. The whole ce resemblednd that had suffered multiple earthquakes. But surprisingly, the gigantic glow-worm which was throwing a tantrum still remained within theke. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there was some sort of spellbinding the Epic-grade beast to the waters of theke. She ducked into the rubble covering the banks of theke and crawled underneath slowly, making sure to thoroughly hide. But how could that simple strategy work when her opponent was an Epic-grade beast? It sensed her in an instant and opened its mouth to let out a massive roar in her direction. CRASH! The stctites covering the ceiling crumbled and fell down crashing into the rubble on the cave floor. Dust flew everywhere and rocks were flying everywhere, but luckily the snake alone was not affected. Not even a single scratch fell on her body. Not that it mattered, she was already injured beyond her limits. Tang Yue gulped nervously and hurried towards her right. She could see Charlotte¡¯s tinum blond hair sprawled across a rock. She wasn¡¯t exactly dead yet but her body was wedged between two rocks and it looked like she had lost a lot of blood. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but turn and take a look at that gigantic worm. What a sadistic beast! If it had intended to, it could have killed both of them a long time ago. They were literally nothing in front of it. But the damned beast was toying with them and torturing them without actually killing them in a single blow. She felt a wave of anger that she had never experienced before surging within her. She wanted to tear its huge pimple-covered azure head and split it into two. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes flickered as she quickly slithered her way to the spot where the wounded elf was buried. But just as she reached her, another loud roar echoed in the midst of the huge underground clearing and another round of rocks mixed with stctite spears fell down around her, covering the duo in a dome of sorts. Hissss¡­ The snake¡¯s long forked tongue flickered in and out. This gave Tang Yue the chance to quickly change back to her human figure without exposing herself too much. Though the beast knew exactly where both of them were, it still helped not to bepletely exposed out in the open, at least offering some protection against the rocks constantly being hurled at them. She knew that she didn¡¯t have much time left, so she quickly took out several potions that were left and dunked them in one after the other. The wounds covering her body slowly started disappearing and the blood that was gushing out of her legs clotted and healed. Tang Yue then tried pouring some of the recovery potions down Charlotte¡¯s throat, but the elf gurgled everything out as if she couldn¡¯t swallow it. Chapter 180: She disappeared Part4 Chapter 180: She disappeared Part4 Tears streamed out of Charlotte¡¯s eyes. She was still conscious suffering through every small ounce of pain. When Tang Yue came back for her, she almost couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. Why was she here? Her soul shivered. She couldn¡¯t believe that someone would be idiotic enough to go this far for someone like her¡­ for an enemy¡­ As Tang Yue hastily poured in some recovery potions, everything spilled out as the walls of her throat ached as if they had copsed. If Charlotte could, she would have already asked her to leave. There was absolutely no hope for her this time. Why did youe back here? She closed her eyes as more tears streamed down her face. The elf¡¯s long eyshes fluttered as she suddenly felt a soft and wet sensation on her mouth. She weakly blinked to see which part of her body was injured now but was shocked to see a pale blue face hovering on her. She was face to face with the snake. Something warm and refreshing was being forced down her throat. Is she¡­? Charlotte¡¯s thoughts trailed off as she tried to focus her remaining energy on absorbing the medicinal effects of the potion and recovering. Tang Yue, on the other hand, wheezed as she came back up for air. ¡°Why am I always kissing this girl?¡± She then quickly chugged a few more mouthfuls of the potion before pressing down on the elf¡¯s lips and force-feeding her the rest of it. ¡°This should be good for now.¡± She muttered under her breath and tried to move away some of the boulders covering Charlotte and crushing her body, giving the medicine some time to work. ¡°Why is everything so silent suddenly?¡± She looked around to see what happened to the gigantic beast. After all, she had used the Lucky sticker! So she wouldn¡¯t be too surprised if that monstrosity dropped dead out of nowhere! She turned towards her right and then towards her left. They were both still fully enclosed by rocks just like before. Nothing had changed. But then she titled her head to look up¡­ GUDANG Her heart thumped loudly. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. She was looking directly at a pair of vicious fluorescent yellow eyes. The beast was calmly and casually looking at both of them. She could almost feel a sadistic cruel smile on its ugly face and a question surfaced on her mind. Was it waiting for them to recover before attacking again? Epic-grade beasts were just like other living beings, only superior. They could cultivate, they could think, they could feel, and more importantly, they were fully capable ofmitting all the atrocities which other depraved living beings loved. Tang Yue clenched her fists. She hated being toyed around and tortured like this. The fear in her eyes disappeared as she red back at it unblinkingly. Almost as if the beast was dissatisfied to see such a reaction, it raised its head back up again and let out a loud deafening roar, directly smashing down with its head on the small corner where the duo was resting. Both Charlotte and Tang Yue were flung across the cave along with the rocks and rubbles surrounding them. Their injuries, which had only now partially begun to heal, were again shed open and blood gushed out. As if that was not enough, another couple of notifications promptly chimed in to Tang Yue¡¯s mind, cing the final nail in her coffin. Ding. Lucky Sticker is about to expire Ding. 60 seconds remaining ¡°Nooooo¡± Tang Yue screamed out loud in frustration. ¡°I will buy it again. I will buy it again.¡± She scrambled on the ground. But she already knew that it doesn¡¯t work that way. Thest time she had used it, the Lucky Sticker shop option had cked out for a while before she could use it again. So she knew that thesest 60 seconds were her only hope toe out of this alive. Or perhaps, this time around her fate waspletely sealed and even the Lucky Sticker was not strong enough to save her from this disaster. As the thoughts in her mind ran wild, Tang Yue begrudgingly looked at the gigantic worm with her bloodshot eyes. The huge worm shook its head and stared back delightfully at its hopeless and pitiful prey. It raised its head once more, but this time before it could further taunt them, two figures abruptly descended from the ceiling of that huge underground opening. Kaboom Kaboom The entire cave rattled and shivered from the sheer impact of theirnding. Tang Yue absentmindedly gaped at the figure on the left. The person had hidden his identity, his entire figure covered in ck clothing. ¡°This must be who Charlotte had encountered earlier.¡± ¡°Damn it old man, where is the heaven-defying luck? Why are you gathering more enemies?¡± Her eyes then wearily trailed off to look at the figure who hadnded on the right. The man¡¯s familiar long silver locks fluttered in the cold and crisp wind and his crimson stone-cold eyes circled the gigantic glow worm fearlessly. Tang Yue blinked and looked at him again, hoping that he was not merely a figment of her imagination. Just as she gawked with her mouth wide open at that distant tall and majestic being, a dark vapor materialized next to her. ¡°How the hell did you manage to get here even before I could?¡± The outline of a handsome face surfaced on the ck smoke as Xander¡¯s dark element clone slowly pulled her out of the rubble. Tang Yue smiled bitterly. She didn¡¯t know that his mere presence could offer her so much warmth and relief. She didn¡¯t even know that she trusted him to such an extent. But one look at his face and his arrogant voice, she instantly rxed. It was over now, wasn¡¯t it? A small smile surfaced on her lips. Thanks to her miraculous ¡®Lucky sticker¡¯ somehow she had scraped through this time as well. She closed her eyes and calmed her nerves. ¡°He is here. Everything will be settled soon.¡± She muttered contently under her breath. But the next instant¡­ FWOOOOSH The pimple-covered azure head of the enormous glow-worm moved at lightning speed and unexpectedly dived at her, swallowing her whole. Ding. Lucky Sticker has expired. Chapter 181: She disappeared Part5 Chapter 181: She disappeared Part5 Inside the vastbyrinth, several groups of cultivators, including elves, dwarves, orcs, and fairies were fighting the hordes of undead beasts with vigor and ferocity. Time slowly ticked away but it only felt as if everyone was walking around in circles. The horde of iing beasts was never ending and they were not progressing in any aspect. Except for the negligible soul strength that they managed to gain with every undead beast kill, they had gained absolutely nothing else. While things continued to carry on in this manner¡­ eventless, dull and boring¡­ suddenly, a terrifying and powerful roar shocked the entire mountain range. Tremors continued rolling even minutes after the deafening sound ceased to exist. Instantly, everyone in thebyrinth, every single expert who had entered these caves, turned around and looked towards the direction from which the sound wasing. Someone had finally managed to trigger something important!!! They had possibly managed to solve thisbyrinth and locate the treasure even!!! Everyone¡¯s heart tightened. Theymented at their own bad luck and immediately hastened towards the source of that roar. And of course, Xander as well, who was ughtering through the undead mess in the opposite corner of thebyrinth, heard the roar and hurried over. With his profound cultivation base, he was easily one of the fastest to respond and located the underground cave opening in an instant. He quickly arrived at one of the small tunnels near the ceiling of the underground cave opening and his crimson orbs gazed below at the chasm. An enormous Epic-grade beast was kicking up a storm below him! How could an Epic-grade beast even exist here? His heart rate quickened. It had been a while since he had fought someone who was his equal, let alone an entire realm above him. Xander pensively looked at the glow-worm which was confined to the azureke of the cave. ¡°Is there a spell formation here as well?¡± He pondered. But then, the next instant his gaze wandered and fell on the two other figures also present in the underground cave opening. ¡°What the heck? How is she here?¡± His elegant sword-like sharp eyes flew wide in surprise. This snake¡¯s trouble attracting capabilities were even more powerful than his own! He smiled bitterly. Noticing that Tang Yue was in dire danger, Xander immediately descended from the top. His silver-maned figure plunged from the height, and unexpectedly, another figure simultaneously descended as well. More importantly, this intruder was also in the Demi-God realm just like Xander. As the two figures floated downward, each gazing at the other with myriad emotions in their eyes, the beast underneath let out another loud deafening roar. Xander saw that he had absolutely no time to waste. He acted fast. He used his main body to engage both the ck hooded figure and the gigantic glow worm, while his clone slipped away inconspicuously. It would only take him a minute to send both Tang Yue and Charlotte to safety. His clone could thenfortably return back to him and he would be able to face the two opponents in front of him with his full strength. Xander quickly flicked his sword and sent out a powerful energy wave, grabbing the attention of the glowing monstrosity and the ck hooded figure at the same time. The worm shook its head and its upper body vigorously as it swayed away from the rubble and prepared to attack Xander. Meanwhile, his dark elemental clone slid beneath the surface and reached Tang Yue. Everything was going smoothly ording to his n. He just needed a few more seconds. But suddenly things took an unexpected turn¡­ The worm that was about to divert its attention from the two injured women, dived back down towards them and unexpectedly swallowed the snake in one big gulp. Everything happened so quickly that no one could even intervene. Charlotte froze. The woman who was sitting beside her was nowhere to be seen. Her brain couldn¡¯t process what just happened. Xander¡¯s smile froze as well. She is¡­ gone? His mind shuddered. His clone scattered. The crimson hue in his eyes darkened and a violent and bloodthirsty aura sted out of his body. He clutched his sword and stared at the Epic-grade beast with his killing intent wildly raging. Xander knew that he had to think about the bigger picture now. He knew that casualties were normal during an event like this. And she wasn¡¯t even anyone significant enough for him to raise his hand, but still¡­ He stood rooted. He was unable to move from that spot. Unbridled fury erupted within him and he wanted to tear down the beast that had killed her and had taken her away from him forever. On the other side, the ck-hooded figure calmly gazed at the scene in front of him, and a subtle smirk appeared on his face. Under the camouge of his clothes, the man¡¯s lean and muscr body twitched with excitement. This was the same human figure who had assassinated the dwarven ambassadors back at the elven royal pce in Eldoria. ¡°Heh. I thought I might really have to fight it out with the elf, but it looks like these two will now take care of each other.¡± William chuckled as he quickly performed some small hand incantations and the next instant his figure disappeared, directly heading into the deep azure waters of theke. Both Xander¡¯s eyes and the worm¡¯s fluorescent eyes drifted in his direction for a moment. The enormous worm suddenly looked even more enraged. A puny weakling had dared to slip through its fingers and enter the waters? The waters which it was guarding? This waspletely uneptable! ROAR The beast shrieked. A tremor spread through the mountain as the worm turned its head and started to head back into the water. It decided to first finish that intruder ande back upter to take care of the rest of these weaklings. But before it could even move an inch¡­ ¡°Where are you going?¡± Xander¡¯s voice thundered. ¡°I did not permit you to move.¡± Chapter 182: Itadakimasu (Thanks for the food) Part1 Chapter 182: Itadakimasu (Thanks for the food) Part1 ¡°Where are you going?¡± Xander¡¯s voice thundered. ¡°I did not permit you to move.¡± He unleashed the full power of his cultivation base and sent out a sword strikeced with the swirls of darkness. KABOOM An explosive sound rang out as the attack hit the hardened body of the worm. The worm let out another enraged roar and cocked its head back in annoyance. It seethed and swirled the waters of theke and sent out a beam of freezing cold water at Xander. The jet of water carried along with it a powerful force and insane pressure. It looked as if that attack could st everything in its path into nothingness. Xander, however, did not even move from his spot. He just lifted a single finger and drew a circle in the air. Pitch ck dark elemental mes erupted in front of him and streaked towards the gigantic monstrosity. Unlike the ordinary mes, these mes did not sizzle in the presence of water, rather they seemed to even set the surface of theke on fire. ck mes erupted everywhere and the entireke was burning. The glow worm¡¯s powerful water elemental attack waspletely ignored, as Xander swayed to his right and easily evaded the attack. ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­. Meanwhile¡­. Tang Yue slowly stirred awake. She finally regained her consciousness and found herself covered by something sticky and slimy. Not long after, a series of notifications continued ringing in her ears. Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison resistance has been upgraded ¡­.. ¡­. ¡°What the hell?¡± Tang Yue fumbled and tried to get up, only to fall back down onto the slippery mess. She couldn¡¯t see anything around her. She was too weak and wounded to conjure up tongues of me, so she quickly summoned out Little Plum. Even though she couldn¡¯t see anything around her, she still had no doubts about exactly where she was. This putrid, pungent smell. The acidic air. The gigantic soft mushy wall¡­ If her guess was correct, she should be smack-dab in the middle of the ugly worm¡¯s stomach. As ast-ditch attempt, the Lucky Sticker had probably helped her fall straight from the mouth of the worm into its stomach in one piece, without getting chewed and mashed into indistinguishable fodder. ¡°Howe I am not leisurely resting back in the elven pce by now?¡± ¡°Just what kind of a shitty Lucky Sticker are you selling?¡± ¡°Damn it, old man. This is a scam. I demand a refund.¡± She screamed out loud, but she didn¡¯t get any reply. ¡°Argghhhhhh¡± ¡°Argghhhhhh¡± ¡°Argghhhhhh¡± Tang Yue screamed her lungs out in frustration. ¡°How the hell am I supposed to break out of a damned Epic-grade beast¡¯s stomach????¡± Little Plum could feel her anguish and pitifully buzzed around her. ¡°What am I supposed to do now?¡± The snake slumped back. She closed her eyes and rammed her head onto the sturdy and slimy stomach lining. [Ahem. You can¡¯t me the Lucky Sticker. Everything was properly mapped out for you.] [Who told you toe running back and get yourself into trouble?] [Heh. Dumb little snake, just how strong did you think you were?] The system¡¯s voice chimed in. [If you dared to protect someone with your worthlesslife, then be prepared to face the consequences.] Tang Yue gnashed her teeth and ignored the old bastard. He wasn¡¯t even giving her any useful tips on how to get out of this sticky situation. She was also not able to think clearly. Her head waspletely muddled. The corrosive acid constantly dripping onto her body and burning her skin gave out a peculiar unbearable smell, which was not helping her blinding headache. ¡°Fuck. In the end, all I am is worm food. Fuck.¡± Tang Yue cursed. She could feel her own stomach grumbling as she hadn¡¯t eaten in a while. The irony of the situation was painfully hrious. Without even thinking too much about it, her hand reached out habitually and grabbed a piece of roasted meat from her space pearl. ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to die hungry.¡± She murmured and tossed it in. As her fangs bit into the piece of juicy roasted meat and chewed it absentmindedly, a sudden thought surfaced in her brain. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± The snake¡¯s emerald eyes weakly glinted as she craned her neck and directly bit into the beast¡¯s thick stomach lining. RIP A slice of flesh tore off, as she found her mouth filled with the slimy and chewy stomach lining. Munch Munch Tang Yue slowly chewed on it as her mind raced to the obvious advantage ring at her face. HA HA HA HA BA HA HA HA HA The snake clutched her stomach and startedughing like a lunatic. [Have you lose itpletely, dumb little snake?] The system chimed in. Even Little Plum buzzed around her with worry. Tang Yue grimaced and ignored the system. She was too busy to talk to the old man. After all, she had a full te right now, both literally and figuratively. ¡°Let¡¯s see who is eating whom, you stinking worm!¡± The snake screamed and took another bite. She chewed like a maniac and quickly took another bite. MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH NIBBLE NIBBLE NIBBLE NIBBLE NIBBLE NIBBLE She didn¡¯t know if it was mucus or if it was simply something else floating inside the gigantic body of the Epic-grade beast. She was going to eat anything and everything in front of her. Even the old man inwardly gasped in shock as he saw the shameless behavior of his protege. He couldn¡¯t help but feel proud of her. Little Plum also busied itself helping Tang Yue clear some of the unnecessary liquid and roasting everything in sight. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ On the outside¡­ In the midst of a tyrannical battle between an elf and a supreme beast, the beast suddenly stiffened up and coughed awkwardly. ¡°Waaaahhh! Mommy! My stomach is hurting.¡± Its eyes glistened. Chapter 183: Itadakimasu Part2 Chapter 183: Itadakimasu Part2 Burp! The snake let out a loud noise as itfortably coiled in a corner of the worm¡¯s gigantic body. Her long forked tongue flickered in and out and the emerald eyes shimmered in silent contemtion. After venting out all her frustration by biting the worm left and right and gulping down huge chunks of its flesh, Tang Yue had finally calmed down. She felt a lot more steady and was able to clearly think things through. Acting haphazardly like this was not going to yield her any benefits. She needed to carefully plot her way out of this mess. And if things go as nned, then she might just be able to get out of this mess alive. As Tang Yue silently gazed at the stomach acids dripping from the nds at the top of the intestine and weighed the options in her hand, a sudden tremor shook her. Not just her, but it felt as if the huge worm had taken a big hit. ¡°Oh! That¡¯s right! Xander is probably still fighting this beast.¡± Tang Yue perked up. She bobbed her head up and down in excitement as a splendid n quickly materialized in her mind. ¡°Ok, here it goes!¡± She braved her heart and her nose and quickly morphed back into her human form. Instantly, the several clumps of food in her stomach came flooding her throat and Tang Yue retched uncontrobly. While her snake form can support hibernation with a huge amount of food in her gullet, her human form simply cannot do the same. This was why she always binged while she was in her snake form and not in her human form. Normally, vomiting out the chunks of half-digested raw meat would have revolted her, but she was already inside a worm¡¯s gut! So things couldn¡¯t really get any worse at this point! Once her stomach waspletely cleared out, Tang Yue quickly moved away to a different section of the beast¡¯s body and settled there. Eating the worm was important, but she had more important things to do now. She took out her space pearl and retrieved a piece of roasted meat from within it. ¡°This is it.¡± She grinned and quickly put the piece of roasted meat into her mouth. And soon, after a few short seconds, the notification that she was expecting loudly rang in her mind. Ding. 100% Nine-tailed Armadillo bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated ¡°Perfect.¡± Tang Yue hissed. A familiar sensation assaulted her body and her serpentine figure started to twist and turn. Her body was enveloped by a bright beam of light and a sharp painced with an electrifying tingling sensation spread across her limbs. Wave after wave of mystical energy enriched her small figure and after a few seconds, the next series of notifications started ringing. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Venomous Hardened Armor] ¨C Passive skill, Scales covering the body areced with venom and are hardened. ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± Tang Yue grinned in satisfaction and she curiously studied the new skill. As far as she knew, the Nine-tailed Armadillo was a low-grade beast with a peculiar ability to strengthen its strong and sturdy shell by mana cirction. It definitely did not have any venom capabilities. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Did this skillbine with my own ability and transform ordingly?¡± She pondered. ¡°Ok. Now is not the time to think about this.¡± She shook her head and quickly took out another chunk of roasted meat. She tossed it into her mouth and started chomping it down. These past few days during her stay in the Crown¡¯s private chambers, she had been very busy. She was careful not to expose her evolution abilities to the mad man but at the same time she had gathered quite a number of bloodlines within her body, all close topletion but not fullypleted. And these were not just random low-grade beasts, some of them had very special abilities, which Tang Yue was very much looking forward to. Tang Yue was originally nning on finishing these bloodlines when she went on a mission somewhere far far away. But suddenly this seemed to be as good of a time as any. Now that she was sitting within the stomach of a big huge worm, surely, her evolution abilities wouldn¡¯t be exposed outside. Ding. 100% Mountain bear bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated The familiar sensation assaulted her again, her bodypletely enveloped in a warm nourishing glow and the next series of notifications started ringing. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Berserk] ¨C Active skill, Rage overwhelms the blood, body, mind, and soul and all abilities are enhanced for a few seconds. Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up. Tang Yue had gobbled up the mountain bears mainly to gain a boost to her strength, but she unexpectedly gained something like this. ¡°Interesting¡­¡± Tang Yue eyed the new skill excitedly. ¡°This coulde in handy.¡± She had also amassed quite a bit of experience points while she was hunting the undead beast horde, so the leveling up notification wasn¡¯t anything surprising. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 9 (300/102,400) Species: Blue venomous serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Silver-tier Martial Body Mana constitution: Silver-tier Martial Core Soul constitution: Gold-tier Martial Soul Mental constitution: Silver-tier Emperor Mind ______________ Poison resistance: Level 40 Heat resistance: Level 50 Cold resistance: Level 30 Lightning resistance: Level 30 ______________ Agility: Level 35 Strength: Level 40 Stamina: Level 35 Defense: Level 40 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 10000/10000 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 10000/10000 Mana regeneration: 100mp/hr ______________ Contractedpanions: Fire elemental: Level 0 ______________ Bloodlines: Phoenix (High-grade): 0.001% Volcanic Turtle King (High-grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% Violet-horned Nether Dragon (Epic-grade): 0.0001% Completed Bloodlines: Wild Smander (Common grade) Bristle wolf (Common grade) Fire twin-tailed bird (Low grade) Crystal Swan (Low grade) Repugnant Eversong Vine (Low grade) Nine-tailed Armadillo (Low grade) Mountain Bear (Low grade) ______________ Skills: [Greater Illusion Magic] ¨C Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to two realms. [Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body. [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Higher fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade fire. [Lesser Ice affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into low-grade ice. [Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 40, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. [Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 40, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. [Startle] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 20, Able to disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration. [Hide] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 12, Able to hide the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Disguise] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 5, Able to mask and morph the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Enve] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 0, Able to bend the mind of a lower realm target to will. [Berserk] ¨C Active skill, Rage overwhelms the blood, body, mind, and soul and all abilities are enhanced for a few seconds. [Venomous Hardened Armor] ¨C Passive skill, Scales covering the body areced with venom and are hardened. ______________ Tang Yue quickly checked her upgraded stats from the level increase and retrieved the next piece of roasted meat from her space pearl. She didn¡¯t know just how much more time she had left, but this next bloodline was the key to her escape from this mucus-covered flesh prison. As she chomped down thest bits of meat and eagerly waited, the notifications rolled in. Ding. 100% Nether Wasp bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated Tang Yue felt drained from the constant disintegration and rebuilding of her body, but she bit her lips, grunted, and bore the pain. After mana knitted through the nooks and corners of her coiled flesh, the evolution was smoothly finished. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skills obtained. [Paralyzing Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 40, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. [Paralyzing Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 40, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. Tang Yue contently gazed at these two upgrades and calmly smiled. Bingo! This was what she needed the most right now and she had sessfully obtained it! Typically paralyzing toxins and deadly poisonous toxins had different routes of action and affected the victim differently. The Nether Wasp toxin in particr had a very unique route of action. It magically avoided the defenses and barriers of the body and quickly seeped into the flesh and nerves. Even Saint realm experts acted warily of these creatures whenever they came across them. Tang Yue had initially started collecting this bloodline for improving her own venom, but now unexpectedly, this small insignificant upgrade was going to get her out of this death trap! Chapter 184: Itadakimasu Part3 Chapter 184: Itadakimasu Part3 Sshing and thrashing within the azureke of the ancientbyrinth was a gigantic Epic-grade glow worm. Even though the beast looked as if it was struggling, trying to cope up with Xander¡¯s incessant attacks, its thick defenses and high cultivation base helped it smoothly deal with him. Even after fighting for a little over ten minutes, neither side seemed to get an upper hand on the other and the fight was almost at a standstill. But this in itself was considered a victory for Xander since he was still at the Demi-God realm, while an Epic-grade beast possesses the strength and power akin to a Deity realm expert. Xander was only able to achieve this much because of this near-perfect cultivation path. His soul strength, mental strength, physical strength, and his mana core were all fundamentally strong, rooted stably in the Emperor realm. This was the reason he was able to go toe to toe with the Deity realm Epic-grade beast. While these two were busily fighting it out, inside the enormous glow worm, a small snake slithered inconspicuously moving from one segment of the glow worm¡¯s intestine to another segment, progressing slowly and steadily. The glow worm¡¯s anatomy was very simr to that of a normal worm, but at the same time, it was very different as well. It had a huge mouth with two rows of big canine teeth lining the top and two rows lining the bottom of the mouth. The other important organs of the worm, including its brain, heart, mana core, and soul core rested in the head and neck region, below which the rest of the worm was mainly the stomach and intestines. But between these two sections, there was a thick chunk of sturdy flesh and muscr barrier, protecting the sensitive organs of the worm. There was also an inbuilt mana barrier providing additional protection. Tang Yue had first tried poking and prodding at this thick intersection but to no avail. Nothing moved and she couldn¡¯t even make a dent. She didn¡¯t mind though since this was not really what she was interested in. Her n was rather toe out of the other end of the worm. Tang Yue¡¯s main problem with this route of escape was the vigorously osciting and vibrating internal cilia or hair-like protrusions from the stomach lining of the worm, which probably extended all the way to its anus, moving the food along periodically whilst it got digested. Well, it was hair-like from the gigantic worm¡¯s perspective but not really from Tang Yue¡¯s perspective. Even a single thrash from that spiny rod-like structure could send her flying left and right, and then she would be inadvertently caught in the vicious cycle of one cilium flinging her to the next. It would be near impossible for her to gain her bnce back. Tang Yue did not have any doubts regarding this mechanism as she had just witnessed a huge bolus of mashed food or something go through the same thing. This was why she was currently in her serpentine form, which made it slightly easier for her to evade these osciting rods. The next thing which stood in her path of freedom was the intestinal lining itself. It kept undting up and down, secreting tons and tons of extremely corrosive digestive juices. Even though her body was covered with enhanced scales and rare-grade armor, the acid had still managed to seep through to her skin in certain spots and it was only a matter of minutes before itpletely got to her skin and melted her altogether. As if this was not enough, the undtions also kept pushing her here and there, trying to jam her into thework of the spiraling rods protruding both from the top and bottom. Tang Yue gulped. She nervously gazed at the huge mess of flinging and slinging muscr flesh bundle. This was the ultimate obstacle course that stood between her and her freedom and being alive again! ¡°Let¡¯s do this.¡± Tang Yue hissed. She slithered to a somewhat safer spot and started her course from there. Tang Yue casually extended her forked tongue out before squirting out a jet of her new paralyzing poisonous venom. Almost immediately the flesh in front of her slightly became sluggish and lessplicated, since the venom reached the nerve bundle lying underneath that spot. The rod protruding from that area as well revolved with a much slower speed. The only thing which Tang Yue still had to look out for was the highly corrosive strong stomach acid, but without the other shenanigans, this was a lot less threatening. Evading a medium-sized drop of liquid falling from the ceiling was not really that difficult. ¡°Heh.¡± The snake grinned, feeling excitement and energy surge within her. Her method was without a doubt working. If she could continue to push on like this, within no time she would be near the rear end of the monstrosity. She could almost imagine the worm¡¯s face when she inevitably shoots out of its butt, alive and whole! Just for the sake of that, this mucous covered hell was definitely worth it! ¡°Aha Ha Ha!¡± The snake grinned and slowly and steadily inched along the intestinal segments of the glow worm, one fraction of a segment at a time. Even though it was quite taxing and cumbersome, everything was proceeding smoothly and she was quickly able to progress from the upper intestine to the middle intestine. But almost as she reached there, a giant tremor shook the entire worm, probably from Xander¡¯s attack, that had nearly catapulted her back to the starting point. Tang Yue tightly coiled herself around one of the spiraling rods in the nick of the time and somehow managed to avert this disaster. Otherwise, all her hard work would have gone down the drain. The snake breathed a sigh of relief and hissed loudly, before carefully uncoiling herself and moving on to the next section, repeating the whole process all over again. Chapter 185: Poking the hemorrhoids Part1 Chapter 185: Poking the hemorrhoids Part1 Tang Yue pushed herself and slowly kept inching forward. She needed to continuously keep moving because her venom was effective for only a short period of time. The spot which she left behind would soon regain its former vigor and activity within the next couple of seconds without any dy. So she couldn¡¯t afford to rest or wait around even for a moment. She kept steadily moving forward. However, unlike the upper section of the worm¡¯s torso, the middle section was slightly more forgiving. The acid here was stronger and more corrosive, the air around her also being extremely pungent, but the movement of the undting cilia was marginally slower. It seemed as if this section of the gut was more focused on digesting the food rather than moving it here and there. It took her a few minutes, but Tang Yue also managed to somehow pull herself through the middle section. Now she only had thest and final section left before reaching the gigantic worm hole, also known as the anus of the glow worm. ¡°Yuck!¡± Tang Yue coughed. The deeper she progressed the more disgusting the air felt. The putrid smell and the acidic juices made it extremely intolerable for her. But thankfully, thest section had almost very few cilia. Each cilium seemed to be much stronger and more forceful, but their numbers had reduced a lot. So it was easier for Tang Yue to traverse. On the other hand, the acid dripping here felt extremely deadly. Even the small gaseous fumes surfacing from the acid droplet in front of her corroded her rare-grade armorpletely. Tang Yue took a step back and retrieved a few more armors to quickly rece her damaged ones. After crossing half-way through the middle section, it was much more convenient for her to move around in her human form. She only had a couple more left in her space pearl. All the mountains of gold she had spent on them waspletely wasted here. What a pity! It hurt her liver. But at least she was alive. So the snake sighed and kept moving forward. After all, if she managed to ever get out of here alive, she could always rummage inside the mad man¡¯s bedroom for a few more gold-loaded rings. Tang Yue begrudgingly hissed as she slithered out of the pungent mess, skillfully avoiding the acid rain that was dripping around her. After spending a few long minutes, probably the longest minutes of her life, she soon neared what seemed to be the back exit. The flesh in this section was slightly more spongy and at least looked more sensitive and the pungent smell was at an all-time high. Even the acid dripping nds were not present, and there were no spiraling cilia in the vicinity. Tang Yue was quite sure that she had reached the end of her journey. But weirdly enough there weren¡¯t any outrightly visible open holes. She seemed to be in a huge space that waspletely surrounded by pink flesh. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Now how does a worm excrete?¡± The snake pondered pensively. Of course, it used the muscles on the wall to push the food waste out. But then again, this muscle contraction had to be voluntarily initiated by the glow worm, which was currently very busy, fighting with the Crown Prince. Sigh. Tang Yue quickly decided a course of action and retrieved a rare-grade sword from her space pearl. She then frantically started poking the worm left and right, cutting it and shing it. Maybe the beast would get annoyed and irritated with whatever was there in its butt and spare a grunt to eject her out. This was her original n, but very soon, her emerald eyes glinted and the snake spotted something peculiar. Once she shed out the small lining that was covering the flesh, there was some sort of a nt sticking out of one of the numerous foldings in the flesh. Huh? Tang Yue silently gaped. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the same multi-colored nt that was growing on the banks of theke?¡± She quickly jumped up and grabbed the herb with her hands. It looked like the beast had eaten a whole of these herbs just recently. As she looked around, Tang Yue spotted several of these herbs, some half-digested even, but she cleaned out everything in sight. When plundering high-grade treasure one cannot afford to be too picky. As long as some medicinal strength was present, she smoothly cleaned it out. After putting away all the herbs in her sight, Tang Yue looked around to see if anything else was stuck. Her emerald eyes couldn¡¯t help butnd repeatedly on the small bumps, boil-like bulging structures lining the butt of the worm. ¡°He He¡­ even epic-grade beasts have hemorrhoids!¡± She grinned. ¡°Hmm¡­ Are these really just big boils filled with puss?¡± She was not too sure, but at certain angles, she could see a sh of lighting from inside. Tang Yue snapped her fingers and called Little Plum who was hovering at the top and acting as a light source for her. ¡°Hmm¡­ I wonder what is there inside.¡± She made Little Plum buzz closer to the hemorrhoids and tried to peek inside. Something metallic and shiny sparkled underneath. Tang Yue was sure of it. [Dumb little snake. Poke that thing. There is good stuff inside.] The old man suddenly chimed in. He had been silent until now, not wanting to disturb Tang Yue while she was maneuvering through the intestines with her full focus. Tang Yue rolled her eyes in contempt. She was the one who did all the work and this damned old goat was calling her dumb. ¡°Fuck it.¡± She ignored him and raised her sword to sh down at the small protuberance with full force. Luckily this area was not as hard as the other fleshy part of the beast and was easily sliced open. But immediately, as soon as it was cut, blood and puss spewed out likeva from a volcano and sprayed everywhere. Chapter 186: Poking the hemorrhoids Part2 Chapter 186: Poking the hemorrhoids Part2 ¡°Fuck.¡± Tang Yue cursed and wiped the disgusting crap off her face using her fingers. But before she could curse the damned worm further, her hands stopped midway and her mouth gaped wide open. Lying underneath the heaps of puss and blood, slightly spilling out a small mountain of gems¡­!!!! Not just any gems, but these definitely looked like the gems of the highest caliber. Rubies, emeralds, jadeites, sapphires, pearls, ammolites, multi-colored pearls, and some of them Tang Yue did not even recognize. This was without a doubt any rune master¡¯s dream cache! The small mountain heap in front of her would surely fetch her a small fortune, even rivaling the amount of gold that had been there in one of Xander¡¯s spatial rings. Tang Yue quickly bent down and scooped up everything in sight as if it was second nature to her. She filled her space pearl with the numerous gems spilled like pebbles and stones on the fleshy mess. After cleaning out everything, the snake¡¯s emerald eyes glistened with greed as she then gazed lovingly at the other big bulging boils on the beast¡¯s ass. It was only a matter of minutes or even seconds now before the beast pushed her out along with the other shit to relieve itself of the newfound pain and irritation in its butt. So Tang Yue did not waste any further time and started quickly shing everything in sight left and right. Blood and pus flew everywhere. The carnage was raining down heavily. The snake was almost drenched in wet and sticky stuff, but she didn¡¯t care. This damned worm had caused her great pain and this was where she would be evening things out, or rather settling the score! ¡°Heh.¡± Tang Yue chuckled, her eyes shimmering at the marvelous sight in front of her. On her right, was a mountain of precious ores, mithril, thorium, molium, adamantine, and a dozen more. Every single piece of metal sparkled with a splendor, thrumming alive with mana. Some even had a sheen unique to extremely valuable precious metals that could only be ssified as rare-grade and higher. On her left, some more gemsid scattered. There were also all sorts of swords, daggers, spears, a few armors, and even a cauldron. The snake waspletely surrounded by shining and scintiting items, that were precious beyond herprehension! Tang Yue panted heavily. Her throat felt parched. Her head felt dizzy from the heaps and mounts of treasures lying around her. She quickly pinched herself and snapped out of it. The snake then started frantically collecting everything. Numerous notifications popped up in her brain, but she was too busy to pay attention to those. Any minute now, the glow worm could kick her out and she needed to amass all of these before that happens. ¡°Who knew that thebyrinth¡¯s treasure was actually inside this bastard¡¯s hemorrhoids!¡± Tang Yue wryly chuckled and her hands busily picked up everything in sight. But not long after, a loud sound echoed near her. FWOOOSH. FWOOOSH. It was the sounding from the sloshing of water on the worm¡¯s butt. Tang Yue slowly turned around, dreading whatever was going to happen next, but unfortunately, time and tide waited for no one. The very next second¡­ FWOOOSH! A butt load of water entered the small rear-endpartment and the snake was carried out in the currents helplessly. ¡°My treasures¡­.¡± She screamed, but her screams werepletely drowned. Unable to withstand this strange pain inside its body, the glow worm finally acted and dumped out the disturbing contents from its butt. And along with it, Tang Yue was also smoothly squirted out of the worm¡¯s butt hole. She found herself floating in the depths of the azure-colored waters along with a whole bunch of blood, shit, and invaluable treasures. ¡°Noooo¡­¡± Tang Yue gurgled with water filling her lungs and she quickly morphed into her serpentine form. She had only managed to collect about three-fourths of the treasure heaps before she was unfairly ejected out. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± The snake hissed begrudgingly and started to look around her, only to silently gasp soon afterward. She was initially going to collect some of the remaining items which floated near her and figure out a way to quietly escape from here, but then her eyes trailed further down and she spotted a gigantic altar at the bottom of theke. ¡°This has to be the treasure that the glow-worm is guarding!¡± Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes flickered for a moment in the direction of the worm. It was still seemingly unresponsive to her presence. ¡°Ok. This is my chance.¡± She quickly slithered and swam down to the special altar-like structure at the bottom of theke. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. Meanwhile¡­ Back at the surface of theke, the upper half of the worm stubbornly resisted Xander¡¯s ruthless tactics. The azureke was now submerged in bright devious ck mes, just like the devil who was wielding them andmanding them as he pleased. The glow worm, however, still managed to somehow hold its own and thwart the elf¡¯s attacks. But it was only a matter of minutes now. Xander was slowly and surely grinding down its defenses one by one. Numerous wounds littered the worm¡¯s skin and its demonic fluorescent yellow eyes were bleeding. In the midst of this heated battle, the enormous glow worm suddenly shuddered and spasmed. Deep inside its body, something felt very ufortable. It was hurting quite a bit and was diverting a lot of the worm¡¯s attention from the fight. Gurrraah! The worm grunted and let out a huge fart. Finally some relief! It picked up its bearings and roared loudly again to get back into the fight when it unexpectedly felt a familiar and weak presence. Gudang! The worm abruptly turned around, its eyes filled with shock and disbelief. Not just the glow worm, but a certain someone had also detected this familiar presence¡­ The elf¡¯s thin lips curved upwards in subtle amusement as a pyre of ck mes materialized in his hand. Chapter 187: The necromancers legacy Part1 Chapter 187: The necromancer¡¯s legacy Part1 Tang Yue anxiously looked towards her left and right. She was casually floating in the depths of the azure waters. As far as she could see, she was near the bottom of theke, where the lower half of the worm¡¯s body finally tapered. Moreover, tilting the bnce in her favor, the worm was alsooblivious to her presence or at least acted oblivious to her presence for now. So Tang Yue quickly slithered down and swam towards the bottom of theke. On theke¡¯s floor she could make out faint outlines of a tall and round stone, an altar sort of structure, and she swam towards it. She could intuitively feel that this was the treasure that the glow worm was guarding! ¡°Master, do you happen to know what this is?¡± She excitedly inquired. Just based on the events which had transpired in thebyrinth so far, surely, this ce had to be filled with tricks, deathtraps, and whatnot. Tang Yue shuddered at the mere thought of it. But unfortunately, the old man did not reply anything back to her and she could only sigh in frustration. She was already used to this and didn¡¯t pay much attention to his behavior. The old man was probably unable to answer due to some sort of spell or he simply didn¡¯t know the answer to the question at all. The snake hissed silently and continued slithering towards the bottom of theke. Dangerous or not, she had no otheroption but to head deeper inside and explore the ce. She hade this far. There was no point in returning empty-handed now. Moreover¡­ Xander was still fighting the monstrosity back at the surface of theke. Tang Yue was many things, but she was not an ungrateful person. She might not exactly be able to help him out much with the actualbat at her level, but she could definitely explore this weird-looking ce and see if she could do something to make things better. The snake soon arrived at the designated spot. Her emerald eyes scanned the surroundings and pensively looked around. Contrary to what she expected, there were actually not that many things around. There was a huge gigantic stone standing erect like an altar. There were a few nts, creepers growing around it. And in front of this altar, there were five crystal orbs, with ck smoke-like substance swirling within them. In the middle of these five crystal orbs, there was also another orb, translucent and white in color, shimmering quietly. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Tang Yue pondered. She had no idea just what the hell was all of this. She swam around here and there, peeking cautiously near the altar first, and then seeing that there was no response, she even coiled around it. But nothing reacted at all. Nothing even moved, except for the nts and creepers. She then decided to ignore the altar and paid attention to the orbs which were floating. She hissed and extended her long forked tongue to lick the ck orb, but again nothing happened. Tang Yue sighed. She had only licked the orb as a necessary precaution. Her first instinct was to break open the orb. Since nothing happened with her licking, she decided to go back to her first instincts and coiled herself tightly around one of the ck orbs. As her hardened scales gradually coiled tighter and tighter around the crystal orb, a sharp sound echoed and the crystal soon broke into a dozen shrapnels. ¡°Oops.¡± The snake grinned. She patiently waited for something to happen but other than a chill spreading through her body, nothing exactly happened. Even though the crystal broke, the condensed ck smoke, swirled and twirled, still remaining in that same spot as if the crystal had no effect in the first ce. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Tang Yue bobbed her head up and down, utterly baffled. She clicked her tongue for a few seconds, and then quickly went ahead and broke the other four ck orbs as well. Crash! Bang! Boom! Pow! In the blink of an eye, all the crystal orbs were broken except for the white orb at the center and five small ck swirls leisurely floated around in the same spot as if absolutely nothing had happened to them. ¡°Tch. Tch. What the hell am I missing?¡± Tang Yue wondered. She was just about to coil herself and break open thest white orb as well when her emerald eyes suddenly noticed something tiny and almost invisible. Like an army of ants, five thin fragile ck strings extended from the five ck balls towards her pale blue body. ¡°Huh? What the hell?¡± Tang Yue leaped backward and swam a little further away, but the ck string was still connected to her and extended like a bubble gum. Gulp. The snake nervously hissed. Was this poison? Was this the ck mist barrier that appeared outside thebyrinth? A million questions flooded her brain and her mind was frantically trying to figure things out. But the next instant, an unexpected notification sounded in her ears, clearing all her doubts and calming her down instantly. Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded ¡­.. ¡­.. ¡­.. The notifications continued pouring into her brain. ¡°This¡­ This¡­ These are disintegrated soul wisps?¡± Tang Yue stared nkly with her mouth agape. The ck balls seemed to contain unfathomably endless ck mist within them and it was difficult for her to believe that she could actually absorb all of those?! But that was exactly what was happening right now! She couldn¡¯te up with any other exnation for this phenomenon!!! ¡°Hmm¡­ But isn¡¯t this absorption rate a little too slow?¡± The snake hissed. She, unfortunately, did not have a lot of time on her hands. She gazed at the ck strings pensively and an idea popped into her mind. This was just the passive absorption of the souls into her body, so what if she actively tried to absorb these soul wisps? Was such a thing even possible? Tang Yue steadied her mind and focused her concentration. She pictured herself as a vortex with a powerful suction force and tried to actively draw in the strings of the soul. Chapter 188: The necromancers legacy Part2 Chapter 188: The necromancer¡¯s legacy Part2 Tang Yue pictured herself as a vortex with a powerful suction force and tried to actively draw in the strings of ck souls. ¡°Hrmm¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± Time ticked by slowly but there was absolutely no change in anything at all. The thin almost invisible strings still steadily flowed into her without any disruption. However, they didn¡¯t increase or decrease in volume. Tang Yue sighed. Her soul strength was steadily increasing so at least she was gaining something but this seemed anti-climatic considering the borate undead beast hordes and even an epic-grade beast acting as a guardian. Surely, something more has to be here! Her eyes then fell on thest white crystal orb. ¡°Might as well pop that!¡± Tang Yue hissed and slithered closer to it. She slowly started coiling herself around the white orb as well, but suddenly a bright blinding light shed. Bzzzzt The next instant the snakepletely disappeared from the azureke. ¡°What the hell?¡± Before Tang Yue could even blink her eyes, she again materialized at a different spot. Pat. Pat. Pat. The snake found herself in her human form and dusted her behind as she stood up. A kind of stale and stagnant smell assaulted her senses, simr to the air in thebyrinth tunnels. ¡°I guess I am still inside this ce.¡± She absentmindedly muttered under her breath. ¡°Ugh¡­ So dark.¡± She flicked her hand and materialized a ball of me swirling on her palm. She used it to illuminate the dark space and observe her surroundings. Just as she had expected, Tang Yue was still within the mountain ranges. ¡°What the hell? Which jobless maniac created abyrinth within abyrinth?¡± She cursed inwardly. The weirdest part was that the thin strands of ck mist were still connected to her and the soul wisps slowly and steadily flowed into her and were being absorbed by her. Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded Ding. Soul strength has been upgraded A couple of notifications chimed in her ears as well. Tang Yue chuckled helplessly. She then sighed loudly and was about to walk forward and explore this new cave tunnel, when a loud voice echoed around her. ¡°Wee to thend of the dead, o chosen one!¡± ¡°You must survive the 12yers of hell to obtain Master¡¯s inheritance.¡± ¡°Good luck on your journey. Let the dead prosper again!¡± Tang Yue felt a chill travel down her spine. She hugged herself and rubbed her arms rapidly. ¡°So everything was indeed true!¡± She hissed silently. When the news of thisbyrinth had first floated around Eldoria, everyone had guessed different possibilities of what thebyrinth could potentially be. Some had guessed that it was a powerful artifact. Some had guessed that it was a tomb of some ancient expert. But the mostmonly guessed option was a powerful ancient inheritance! Considering that thebyrinth was even capable of making her entric master shut up at times, Tang Yue could tell that this inheritance was probably more powerful than her own special ¡®System-themed¡¯ inheritance. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tang Yue paused. Normally, she would have jumped at such a godly chance to make herself more powerful, but right at this moment, the snake couldn¡¯t help but hesitate slightly. Was it morally correct for her to im this since Xander was the one who was fighting toe to toe with thebyrinth¡¯s guardian? After all, it was only because of him that she was alive right now. Otherwise, the worm would have definitely hunted her again and this time would have chewed her thoroughly before swallowing. As Tang Yue fidgeted ufortably, caught between a rock and hard ce, faint screeching noises echoed in the distance. ¡°Fuck.¡± She cursed out loud. By now, she knew exactly what this meant. Undead Beasts! And a huge number of them wereing her way! Tang Yue frantically turned around, but she was clearly at a dead end. There wasn¡¯t any other tunnel or exit visible. The only path avable was straight ahead! She had to move forward and face the beasts. The matter of obtaining the inheritance or not was no longer in her hands. A decision was already made for her! Setting aside the topic of inheritance, she needed to survive theyers of hell first in order to get out of here. Tang Yue quickly spat out the space pearl from her mouth. She retrieved a bunch of armors and weapons from her cache, haphazardly throwing stuff on her body. She still had a couple of leftover armors and gauntlets, but unfortunately, both her rare-grade swords were already ruined. So she rummaged around the space pearl and retrieved a new sword, which she had obtained from the glow worm¡¯s body. She had a couple of high-grade swords in reserve but this looked better than those two and had a much more stronger and mysterious aura. So Tang Yue felt drawn to this sword. And surprisingly, as soon as she picked it up a new notification sounded. Ding. Congrattions. You have obtained a soul weapon. ¡°Huh? Soul weapon?¡± Tang Yue pondered. She had absolutely no idea what that was. ¡°Maybe I can ask the old man once I leave this ce?¡± Tang Yue tried wielding it but it felt very heavy and inflexible. ¡°What the hell? Even a high-grade sword is better than this!¡± She hissed. The shrieks from the fast-approaching horde of beasts were also sounding closer and closer to her, so Tang Yue decided to figure this outter and switch her swords for now. But the next instant, she hesitantly stopped in her tracks and decided to try something out beforepletely giving up on this mysterious soul weapon. Tang Yue quickly used the sword to sh a small cut on her arm, dripping the blooding out onto the sword itself. Most treasures and contracts required a binding with blood, so this was not a bad guess. And if this soul weapon was indeed as powerful as it sounded, she wanted to wield it while fighting against whatever wasing. After all, she had an inkling that she would need everyst ounce of her strength to clear these so-calledyers of hell! Chapter 189: The necromancers legacy Part3 Chapter 189: The necromancer¡¯s legacy Part3 As soon as Tang Yue¡¯s blood dripped on the sword, a few drops sunk into the de and disappeared within the metallic sheen. A few secondster, the sword began trembling. ¡°Yasss! It¡¯s reacting to my blood!¡± The snake grinned smugly. She squeezed out some more blood onto the sword, upon which it started shaking even more, and the entire sword sort of heated up. ¡°Fuck.¡± Tang Yue dropped it like a hot potato. Even with her heat resistance, it was too hot for her to touch it and her hand was even charred by it, a light branding mark appearing on her hand. But surprisingly, the sword didn¡¯t fall down. Instead, it hovered right in front of her. Ding. Congrattions. You have been recognized as the master by the soul weapon. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Tang Yue silently hissed. ¡°That was easy enough.¡± The snake reached forward and grabbed the sword. The long-shimmering sword thrummed alive in her hands. She could feel a powerful surge as she held the sword for the first time. She even felt a faint but steady connection with the sword, as if it was an extension of herself. ¡°I wonder if this connection will grow stronger, the more I use it?¡± She shed the air in front of her with it and tried it out. Tang Yue then took a look at the sword and at the branding mark on her palm. A small idea surfaced in her brain. ¡°Dismiss.¡± The snake murmured and the next instant, the sword immediately disappeared right in front of her eyes. ¡°Summon.¡± The snake again murmured, her emerald eyes filled with excitement. And bingo! Just like she had expected, the sword quickly appeared in her hand! She can summon it and dismiss it at her will, making the sword literally a part of her. Tang Yue snickered contently. She felt like she had already half-mastered this powerful weapon on her hands, conveniently forgetting that she didn¡¯t even possess any low-tier sword art yet. As she continued shing it left and right, enjoying the feel of the sword, the loud horrific sounds of the approaching footsteps broke her bubble. ¡°Oh no, now is not the time.¡± The snake bitterly smiled. She quickly summoned out Little Plum as well and gripped her new sword as if her life depended on it. ¡°Attack everything in sight.¡± She instructed the blob of fire. A few secondster, a dozen undead spiders crawled towards her, scurrying along with their sharp metallic legs. Green toxic fluid leaked from their body as the spiders waddled towards her with a blood-thirsty rage. ¡°Is this the firstyer of hell?¡± Tang Yue mumbled, as she took a step forward and shed the two spiders at the front. These were still low-grade beasts, so she wasn¡¯t too afraid of them and fought them confidently. The legs of the two spiders tore off cleanly and the dposed putrid blood of the undead beast spilled on the sword, covering itpletely. Tang Yue was about to sh the next two spidersing at her viciously, when she noticed that the blood on the sword disappeared, just like her own blood had disappeared. She could even feel the happiness and excitement of the sword as it drank the blood. ¡°Heh. You also like to fight huh?¡± Tang Yue chuckled. She felt her own feelings resonating with the feelings of the sword and her blood boiled in excitement. She stepped forward with vigor and fire in her eyes and shed skillfully at the next two spidersing her away. She might not have any proficiency in any sort of sword technique yet, but still, just from her experience in thisbyrinth, her sword moves had smoothened out a lot. She was no longer clumsy or hesitant and quickly executed the beasts with decent precision. Little Plum did its part as well and quickly burnt away the torn apart corpses of the spiders, targeting as many as it could. Both of them couldn¡¯t care less about the green toxic liquid that was being sprayed everywhere andpletely ignored it. They continued shing away dozens and dozens of the spiders and were able to tactfully deal with the increasing numbers. Since the tunnel was narrow, it also helped Tang Yue to control the horde and not getpletely overwhelmed. As the snake swiftly cleared the small groups of undeading steadily at her, she was slowly progressing deeper and deeper into the tunnel. But the deeper she was, the number of spiders crawling towards her also kept increasing. However, Tang Yue didn¡¯t seem to care. In rhythm with her sword, she was ughtering everything with a frantic haze, not worrying in the least about anything. It was almost as if she had forgotten herself. Since Little Plum was also bound to her through a soul link, it could sense this weird behavior. It immediately sensed a profound danger in this pattern and quickly approached Tang Yue. The small ball of fire then suddenly red up right in her face. ¡°Arghh¡­¡± Tang Yue grit her teeth and stepped back in shock. ¡°What the hell, you meanie!¡± She shouted at Little Plum. She then noticed the dozens of corpses littered around her and gulped. She didn¡¯t even remember killing so many of them. ¡°Ah~¡± A sudden realization dawned on her and the snake¡¯s emerald eyes gazed suspiciously at the sword in her hand. This thing was dangerous! ¡°Was it controlling my mind?¡± She hissed eying the sword carefully. But one thing was clear to her. She had definitely notpletely mastered it yet! ¡°I need to be more careful with this.¡± Tang Yue clutched the sword and resumed dealing with the spiders again. She consciously made sure to not fall into such a trance again. This time she focused on her own breathing and the beasts in front of her, as she calmly and steadily cleared the undead spiders. ¡°Thanks, Little Plum.¡± She nodded at the blob. And Little Plum buzzed brightly responding to her gratitude. Now that the small irregrity was taken care of, the duo resumed their journey and headed inside. After a while, Tang Yue slightly paused. She noticed a few half-destroyed undead corpses lying in front of her and hissed silently. ¡°Was someone here before me?¡± Chapter 190: The human in the elven territory Part1 Chapter 190: The human in the elven territory Part1 Inside thebyrinth: ¡°Urrrraaa¡­ Eat my sword.¡± A chubby elf ran forward and shed at an undead snake. He hated anything resembling a snake and was determined to deal with these disgusting things on his own. Marvin, surrounded by a group of Saint realm experts was busily handling the undead monsters falling on them from all directions. They wanted to quickly finish things here and head further inside, towards the main area, from where intense battle sounds and booms erupted. But unfortunately, they were unable to do so. Not just them but several groups in thebyrinth were busily upied. Even if they managed to clear the beast horde and make their way through the maze, somehow they ended up going in circles. Thissted for quite a while, but suddenly everything seemed to clear up, or rather the spell formation in thebyrinth shook vigorously, bing weaker and weaker by the second. It was as if everything was unraveling. Undead beasts here and there started copsing. Thin ck mists arose from their bodies and dissipated in the air. Even the iing number of undead beasts tremendously reduced. This was definitely a good thing, but at the same time¡­ it was a bad thing as well. Because all of this could only imply that thebyrinth treasure was already imed. ¡°Young master Marvin, we need to hurry.¡± One of the experts surrounding Marvin urged the fatty. The elf was so immersed in shing down the undead snakes left and right, that he had already forgotten the main reason they were here. Just like Marvin¡¯s team, several other teams also wised up and immediately started rushing towards the huge underground cavern. They could all clearly sense the changes in the undergroundbyrinth and hastily hurried over to get their hands on whatever remained of thebyrinth treasure. Except for one or two casualties, every single team of cultivators, though tired and drained, excitedly rushed over to the azureke. Since the spell formation was greatly weakened and the undead beast hordes had almost disappeared, this time it didn¡¯t take long for the different groups to reach their destination. However, when they finally arrived at the source of themotion, their eyes flew wide at the sight of the chaos and destruction that was sprawled in front of them. Ziiii Ziiii Ziiii Ziiii Ziiii Ziiii Several robed figures, all at the peak of Saint realm, some even with a foot or two into the Demi-God realm, descended from the ceiling of the enormous cavern andnded next to Xander. Greed and excitement, mixed in with a tinge of fear shone on their faces, as the various sect elders immediately started assisting Xander. However, they all couldn¡¯t help but throw a nervous side nce at Xander from the corner of their eyes. Even though the elf was only barely managing the Epic-grade glow worm, he still emanated a staggering amount of strength and power. They all shuddered at the sight of his unbridled prowess and wondered silently if the man had achieved a breakthrough again. Would he really be the first one to reach the Deity realm after the Emperor? No one had any doubt about Xander¡¯s capabilities. After all, he was a cultivation and alchemy genius, who had quickly risen in the ranks and now held the entire royal family and the royal army in his grasp. But still, they couldn¡¯t help but gape in shock and surprise. The man was fighting against a supreme Epic-grade beast, fighting toe to toe with it. Didn¡¯t that mean he already wielded a power akin to a Deity realm expert?? Just how much stronger will he get if he actually steps into the Deity realm?? With the arrival of the extra backup, the battle intensified. Several attacks started flying towards the Epic-grade beast, instantly turning the tides of the battle. ¡°Heaven smiting lightning.¡± ¡°Blood sh.¡± ¡°Ice rupture.¡± ¡°Golden pagoda hammer strike.¡± Xavier also finally arrived,nding precisely next to his brother. The elf immediately crushed several runes, erupting a huge defensive barrier, and smoothly deflecting the multitude of blows from the glow worm. The worm¡¯s big round fluorescent eyes werepletely bloodshot. The pests standing in front of it were absolutely maddening! Individually they wouldn¡¯t even dare to touch a boil on its head, but thanks to the damned elf, they were bravely hiding behind him and attacking it. The very sight of this nuisance enraged the worm tremendously. It roared in fury bringing down half of the cavern¡¯s ceiling in a single second. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile¡­ After getting better acquainted with the soul weapon in her hands, Tang Yue continued plowing through the undead spiders in the tunnel. Since she had already experienced a simr situation, the snake cautiously peeked forward with every step she took. As she headed deeper and deeper into the tunnel, she was on high alert and on the lookout for any mid-grade, high-grade, or even rare-grade undead beast that might suddenly just pop out in front of her. Unlike before she did not even have the option to run out anymore. She had to face the monster in front of her or at least wait it out until help arrives, hoping that the beast wouldn¡¯t notice her. So Tang Yue was proceeding extremely carefully. However, after a certain point, the snake¡¯s soft footsteps slightly paused. Her emerald eyes gleamed brilliantly as she noticed a few undead corpses lying ahead of her. They were inconspicuously scattered here and there, and she would have definitely missed it if she hadn¡¯t paid close attention to her surroundings. ¡°Was someone here before me?¡± Tang Yue pondered. She circled the half-destroyed undead beast bodies in deep contemtion. If someone was present ahead of here in this so-called 12yers of hell, then that changed the whole equation. Who could have even possibly arrived here before her? Her eyes wandered around to search for some sort of clue as to what happened, but unfortunately, there was only a long, bleak, and dark tunnel ahead of her. Chapter 191: The human in the elven territory Part2 Chapter 191: The human in the elven territory Part2 After culling the number of spiders for a few more seconds, Tang Yue and Little Plum luckily saw the end of the tunnel or more precisely, the light at the end of the tunnel. The tunnel opened up to a cavern of sorts and there was a small heap of something burning in the corner, illuminating the entire space. But as soon as the duo entered the small area, Tang Yue immediately covered her nose and her mouth with her palm and fingers. ¡°Yuck!¡± She cringed in disgust. Spread across in front of her was an enormous body of an undead spider. This one was surprisingly a high-grade beast simr to the one Xavier had fought with. It had eight strong metallic ws and an intimidating ferocious appearance, rather it had such an appearance before its unfortunate demise, not that an undead beast wasn¡¯t dead to begin with. But the way in which it was ughtered and strewn across the small cavern space was especially bone-chilling. She had just now gotten out of a worm¡¯s ass but this scene in front of her was much more putrid and disgusting. The beast¡¯s bodily fluids, flesh, and brain matter were smeared across the cave walls in a crisp and clean pattern. The person who did this had seemingly sliced it into a million pieces in a single perfect attack. He or she didn¡¯t even struggle with it as much as Tang Yue had with the low-grade beasts outside. As far as she could tell, the person had barged into theseyers of hell and ughtered everything that dared to block his path. The low-grade pests outside were probably too weak to even confront his speed and the intruder had only bothered to deal with the high-grade beast in front of her. Tang Yue could tell that this person had a strength of at least Demi-God realm or higher. She had seen Xavier who possessed a Saint realm strength fight with a simr spider undead beast and it was definitely not so easy for him to get rid of it. The snake¡¯s eyes surveyed the small cavern for a few more seconds before eventuallynding on the small winding tunnel in the other corner. It looked like she had a choice in front of her. She could either wait here for Xander and others to eventually show up or go upstairs and explore theseyers of hell further. Tang Yue was quite sure that there was probably nothing dangerous ahead of her. If there was something else, then chances are that the other person who probably entered before her ughtered it all just like they had done the spider lying dead in front of her. So there was potentially no harm in heading upstairs even if it was for a little bit. These were perfectly tailor-made training grounds and herbat prowess was improving a lot. Besides, the ck strings that were still pouring in soul wisps into her own soul and strengthening it, these undead beasts also gave her a soul strength boost. Not to mention the massive pools of experience points that she was continuously amassing! So Tang Yue decided not to sit around here uselessly and braved herself to explore whatid ahead of her. There was a chance that the expert ahead of her might ughter her as well if their paths meet, but that risk remained the same even if she sat around here aimlessly. So it was better to simply walk forward and face everything head-on. Tang Yue hissed and tip-toed across the cavern, side-stepping the massive corpse thatid on the ground. But she then turned around and bundled everything up, including the rotten flesh, and tossed it all inside the space pearl. ¡°Beggars cannot be choosers. Sigh.¡± The snake mumbled and cautiously climbed the small incline, leading to another seemingly endless tunnel. The sword in her hand thrummed alive as she skillfully ughtered a dozen giant-sized rats running towards her. Kiek Kiek Kiek Kiek Kiek Their shrieks echoed loudly in the previously silent tunnel as one snake and one fireball massacred their way into the depths. ¡°Hey Little Plum, tell me something¡­ Do you think that this is the so-called secondyer of hell?¡± The small red blob buzzed around her in response. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Are theseyers of hell simply tunnels filled with undead beasts?¡± ¡°Why won¡¯t any of these old men ever exin things clearly?¡± ¡°Would it have killed that person to give a few more instructions and pointers to help get through theseyers and obtain the inheritance?¡± Tang Yue shook her head helplessly. She then lifted her shimmering long sword and ughtered another bunch of rats that threw themselves at her. The soul weapon glowed as it contently drank all the blood spilled on it. It didn¡¯t care that the blood was the stale dposed blood of the undead beast. It still absorbed it all without even leaving a single spec behind. Just like this, Tang Yue progressed smoothly and quickly, almost covering about six different tunnels or rather six yers of hell¡¯. Not only that, but she had alsoe across six different high-grade beasts at the end of all those tunnels. Every single one of them was ughtered in a simr over-powered fashion, with their strong and sturdy bodies shed into a million pieces and their flesh and blood strewn across. The snake diligently continued walking upwards, gulping down her saliva nervously and quietly pocketing everything in her sight. ¡°Ahem¡­ If I leave it here, it would just get wasted.¡± She mumbled to herself for justifying the freeloading. Only cute and sweet Little Plum was there near her, so the snake fearlessly cleaned out every single beast body in sight, particrly the high-grade ones. But when she arrived on the sixth floor or the sixthyer, something weird started happening. There were absolutely no beasts around, not even the pesky low-grade beasts whose purpose was probably to overwhelm people with their sheer numbers. Except for Tang Yue¡¯s footsteps, the entire tunnel was eerily silent. Chapter 192: The human in the elven territory Part3 Chapter 192: The human in the elven territory Part3 Tang Yue proceeded to cautiously walk on the sixth yer of hell¡¯, with Little Plum silently hovering close to her. The snake kept her eyes and ears wide open and was on full alert. But weirdly enough, even after she almost reached the end of the tunnel, she could see nothing on her way. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± The snake hissed. She continued walking through to the very end and entered the small cavern, that typically housed a high-grade beast. ¡°Will there be nothing here too?¡± However, unexpectedly, just like before, this time as well a huge lizard with three tailsid dead in front of her, cut into a million pieces. Tang Yue absentmindedly collected her free loot and continued thinking about what might have changed. ¡°Why were there no more low-grade minions wandering the tunnel?¡± ¡°Where did they all go?¡± ¡°Was there nothing to even begin with?¡± ¡°But that doesn¡¯t sound possible.¡± ¡°If anything¡­ with the increasing difficulty, there should be more beasts present?¡± She hissed. After thinking for a while, the only conclusion that she could arrive at was the possibility that the expert this time cleared the tunnel as well, along with the high-grade beast which blocked the entrance to the nextyer. ¡°But why would the person who clearly didn¡¯t bother dealing with the low-grade beasts, now waste time to clear the entire tunnel?¡± She stared at the moldy wall in front of her, her fingers mechanically circling the pattern of green toxin spattered on the cave wall. ¡°Ah!¡± Tang Yue suddenly gasped in realization. ¡°What if the tunnels no longer simply housed low-grade beasts?¡± ¡°What if there are mid-grade beasts loitering around these damp and dark halls?¡± ¡°Maybe the expert couldn¡¯t afford to ignore the mid-grade beasts and was perhaps forced to clear them as well?¡± ¡°That definitely seems possible!¡± She banged her fist on her palm. Just as she was contemting this possibility, engrossed deeply in her thoughts, a loud thud sounded near her, or rather behind her. It wasing from the entrance of the next yer of hell¡¯, the 7th floor! A small green figure walked towards her, its rhythmic steps sounding dull and dead. ¡°A kobold?¡± Tang Yue gasped and quickly leaped backward in rm. Kobolds were basically cousins of goblins, both possessing a very simr physical appearance, a short and lean stature with green-colored skin. However, they also possessed very powerful earth magic. While goblins excelled in being shrewd and crafty, Kobolds were more on the brainless side, relying mostly on their physical strength and earth magic. Tang Yue was initially taken aback by surprise but she soon calmed down after seeing that the kobold in front of her was very heavily injured and its cultivation base waspletely shattered. This meant that the person standing in front of her might as well be a helpless forest smander. Tang Yue immediately stepped forward and shed at the injured kobold, cutting him into two halves. The small green wounded body fell limp on the ground, spluttering green toxic blood everywhere. ¡°This kobold was also an undead?¡± Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp slightly. She shook her head in fear and dread. This was a kobold alright, but she hadn¡¯t expected him to be undead as well? ¡°Were higher beings even able to be manipted like this?¡±She didn¡¯t know the answer to this question. She had uncovered something extremely dangerous and terrifying. Even in Eldoria, there were one or two secret arts avable that allowed one to wield dark elemental energy and control a couple of low-grade beasts or even mid-grade beasts. There was nothing surprising about that. But whoever had set up this entire massive and boratebyrinth had not only managed to control hordes and hordes of undead beasts simultaneously but also subjugate higher beings like goblins with their dark magic? This waspletely unheard of!! Tang Yue slightly shuddered at the thought of how powerful this inheritance was! Moreover, even scarier than this¡­ was the fact that someone else was here, besides herself! And this person was already strong enough to ughter these high-grade beasts as if they were nothing. What if they obtained the inheritance as well? Wouldn¡¯t that make the expert more powerful than Xander himself? Would the elven reign then be toppled? Would there be war among the Nine countries again? This might be a small thing, but there were exponentially important ramifications to it that could affect their entire world. If someone more powerful than Xander suddenly emerged, then that would definitely create trouble. And if someone more powerful than Xander¡¯s father, the Elven Emperor, by chance arose, then everything would plunge into chaos. The elves would no longer be at the top! Everything could change at any instant.The feebly existing web of peace couldpletely shatter at any moment. And no one can even do anything about it! Well¡­ except for her¡­ ¡°Fuck¡­¡± Tang Yue started sweating profusely. ¡°Why am I in the middle of this shit storm?¡± ¡°Damn it. I just wanted a couple of good treasures!¡± ¡°Is that too much to ask???¡± ¡°I can¡¯t possibly take on such a big responsibility!¡± ¡°Why should I even care if there is a threat to the elven rule?¡± ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.¡± ¡°Damn it. I knew I should have just stayed in that worm¡¯s bum!¡± Tang Yue cursed at her miserable plight and shoved the dead Kabold¡¯s body into her space pearl. Just thinking about everything made her scalp tingle, but she had no other option. She at least had to try and do something. She owed that much to the elf who was fighting upstairs with the monstrous beast, putting his life on the line. Tang Yue¡¯s grip on her sword tightened as the snake continued to walk up to the tunnel, thatid at the entrance of the 7thyer of hell. Her pace quickened even though she was still cautious. Deep down¡­ she knew full well that everything in her path was probably already dead¡­ Chapter 193: The human in the elven territory Part4 Chapter 193: The human in the elven territory Part4 Tang Yue wiped the sweat off her forehead and continued walking forward. She was in fact not sweating because of any vigorous physical activity, rather she was more tired out and drained from the paranoid scenarios her mind had cooked up. She didn¡¯t even want to go any deeper into this mysterious ce, but she was already on the 11th floor of the many yers of hell¡¯. So there was no point whatsoever in stopping now. Just like the floors below, this floor also did not have any undead beasts or higher beings wandering on it. That lone kobold that had waddled towards her was probably something that had somehow survived the decimating onught of the expert. Other than that one undead, there was absolutely no sign of anything alive or dead on any of the other floors. Just like this, Tang Yue¡¯s journey inside the so-calledyers of hell was rather peaceful and serene. It might have as well been a walk in the park. However, her haul so far had been pretty noteworthy. She had amassed a huge collection of high-grade beast meat, albeit the dead and dposed version. It might end up giving her diarrhea, but there was no doubt that she was going to gobble these up entirely the first chance she gets. Tang Yue dragged her feet on the floor, as she reluctantly kept walking toward the end of the 11th floor. There was just one more floor ahead of her and then she would be inevitably facing the mysterious expert! Someone who had literally ughtered his way through theseyers of hell! She clicked her tongue and checked her system interface again, but only to find the Lucky sticker option in the shop feature still grayed out, implying that it was unavable for purchase. ¡°Fuck.¡± Tang Yue cursed her bad luck. She had definitely used the Lucky Sticker too soon! After reaching the end of the tunnel, the snake¡¯s emerald eyes smiled bitterly as she gazed at the big shot who was lying dead this time around. It was a bright yellow frog, with four bulging eyes on its body. Its super long tongue fell out of its mouth as the beast¡¯s head was cleanly severed from its torso. This beast was clearly the ¡°Four-Eyed Long Tongue¡±, a rare grade frog beast! ¡°Heh. You should rejoice big guy. At least your body is intact after death¡­ Ummm¡­ after your second death?¡± Just like the others, this beast in front of her was also an undead beast. As Tang Yue carefully collected its body and scooped up everything inside her space pearl, she noticed the huge chunk of mass missing from underneath the beast¡¯s head. There were definite symbols carved in the beast¡¯s flesh, that should have originally housed its mana core. ¡°Is this the runguage for controlling the higher beings?¡± Tang Yue panted as she shoved the rest of the beast inside as well. But unfortunately, she had no knowledge of the runguage or anything rted to runes. So she could only attempt to understand thister on. The snake hissed and cleaned out everything in sight. Now only thest floor, the 12thyer of hell was remaining! Tang Yue flopped onto the ground and sat down with her arms around her knees. Her gaze was fixated on the 12th floor entrance as she wobbled back and forth and tried to make a decision. Even though she was trying hard to think about this choice, in reality, she had only one option. She had to move forward and check if there was really someone else besides her in these tunnels. If there was no one else, then all her worries would be for naught. But just in case, there was someone else¡­ then it was still better to keep the element of surprise in her hands and take a peek, rather than waiting in the darkness at the mercy of that person. If they were powerful enough, which they clearly are, then he or she would be able to sense her presence in an instant just like the glow worm bastard. So there was no difference between her waiting here or on the next floor or for that matter anywhere within theseyers of hell. Tang Yue shook her head, clutched her sword, and started walking forward. She mumbled ¡°Hide¡± to nket her presence, even though it was probably useless, and entered the 12th floor. She had already dismissed Little Plum and was now moving slowly in the darkness. Gudang! Her heart shuddered with every step she took. Tang Yue slowly and steadily crossed the empty tunnels of the 12th floor and arrived closer and closer to the small cavern space at the end of the tunnel. There seemed to be a torch on the ground, burning brightly and lighting up the entire cave and about half of the tunnel leading towards it. This was it! She was almost here! She had almost reached her final destination. ¡°Damn it.¡± Tang Yue cursed under her breath and pushed herself to keep moving forward. As she inched closer and closer, her heart was frantically beating, thumping loudly against her chest. Buckets of sweat were pouring out of her body. She fully expected her knees to wobble and shake, even copse from this fear, but somehow she was holding herself together. And soon¡­ just like that¡­ Tang Yue finally reached the end of the tunnel! The snake patted her chest and slowly craned her neck to take a small peek inside¡­ ¡°Fuck.¡± The next instant she pulled her head back really fast, her entire figure drenched in shock and surprise. She took a few deep breaths and again peeked inside, but everything was still the same¡­ The truth was ring at her face, however impossible it might be¡­ ¡°But¡­ But how??¡± Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes looked absolutely bewildered. Her mind was inplete disarray. From the beginning, she had expected someone very powerful and strong. Maybe another elf, or a fairy, or an orc, a dwarf, or even a dragon, but she had definitely not expected this! ¡°How the hell was a human being present in the elvennds??!!¡± Chapter 194: The human in the elven territory Part5 Chapter 194: The human in the elven territory Part5 ¡°How the hell is a human being present in the elvennds??!!¡± Tang Yue stood frozen at the entrance of the cavern, not knowing how to react to this. How could a human being even cross the Kare ocean and reach this side of Xion? The Kare ocean unofficially marked the boundaries of the nine countries. Legend has it that countless decades ago, the old gods cursed the ocean and erected an invisible barrier spell to split the two sides of the ocean. Those who dared to cross it will be subjected to bad luck and endless miseries. Everyone knew about this! No one in their right mind would dream about crossing the ocean. No one who had dared to cross over and explore had ever managed to return back. Even the royal elven family limited themselves to exploring only thend on this side of the ocean. However, it was not as if the other side of the ocean was aplete mystery. Detailed records of higher beings residing in thosends weremonly avable, though it was more often used as folklore or bedtime stories rather than for educative purposes. But weirdly enough, maybe because of that, these tales were wildly famous. Even Tang Yue knew about these special higher beings living on the other side of the ocean. One such being was the human race who were extremely simr to elves in their appearance except for the long ears and the stereotypical pale skin. The man sitting in front of Tang Yue was almost as tall as Xander and Xavier. He had ck wavy hair, deep-set eyes, and a sharp nose, his features altogether very aesthetically pleasing. He also had a very lean and muscr frame and seemed physically very fit and strong. And more importantly, Tang Yue could feel the full brunt of his cultivation base. The aura emanating from his body, surging like a powerful and unbridled pyre was absolutely terrifying. He had to at least belong to the Demi-God realm! Tang Yue eyed the man cautiously, knowing full well that all hell could break loose at any given second. Just like she had suspected, someone else besides her ended up being present in theseyers of hell and this someone else was even a human being to boot. ¡°What the hell am I supposed to do now?¡± Tang Yue hesitated. The snake flickered her long forked tongue in and out as she gazed at the seated man. The man was in a meditative pose, seated in a lotus position, with his legs folded inwardly. His eyes were tightly shut and he was seated facing towards a tall stone tablet in the center of the room. The ck stone had some scribblings on it that resembled runic carvings and seemed very mysterious. There was nothing else in the cavern except for this one stone tablet and this one human being. Tang Yue silently thought about this situation from many angles. But no matter how much she tried to reason, the only obvious conclusion was that this was the inheritance. The stone tablet most probably contained the details of this necromancy inheritance. The man sitting in front of it had probably studied it for a while and was now presumably in an enlightenment state, with his eyes closed and trying to grasp the inheritance. If this assumption was indeed urate, then it gave Tang Yue some time. The man wouldn¡¯t be able to break out of his trance-like state for a while and there probably wouldn¡¯t be any imminent threat to her life. But this also meant that the human was most vulnerable in his current state! Tang Yue sighed unsure of what to do in this situation. Her life was not in any danger now, but what happens when the man finally steps out of his stupor after having obtained the inheritancepletely?? What happens then? He was most probably directly going to kill her without any second thought and maybe even with just the flick of his finger. She would be inevitably helpless then and would be just as weak as the low-grade beasts whom she had ughtered left and right on her way here. Xander and the others arriving here before such a thing could happen was also a pipe dream. She had no idea what was going on outside and how they were dealing with that bastard glow worm. It was an epic-grade beast and surely they must be struggling with it! So it would be very foolish of her to trust in them and wait patiently for backup and for someone to rescue her without doing anything on her part at all. Tang Yue clenched her fists. She already knew what she had to do. The only option left for her was to directly attack him right here and right now! There were no ways about it! The man in front of her was clearly in a weak and vulnerable state. He wouldn¡¯t be able to block any attacking at him now. But were Tang Yue¡¯s attacks powerful enough to evennd a scratch on him?? She had no idea. She wouldn¡¯t know unless she tried. In any case, she had to try. That was her only option. Tang Yue peeked inside the cavern space again and inched closer to the man who was seated calmly and serenely. She slowly and steadily approached him, while still under the invisibility spell ¡®Hide¡¯. Soon, she was already standing right in front of him, so very very close, but there was no response whatsoever from the other party. Not even a twitch of an eyebrow! ¡°Phew!¡± The snake sighed inwardly. She was now more and more sure of what she had hypothesized. The human being was definitely in some sort of enlightenment trance! ¡°Do or die!¡± The snake hissed nervously, and without further ado, she quickly summoned her soul weapon. Tang Yue then raised the shimmering de and brought it down forcefully in one strong and swift motion, aiming to directly behead the human being. Chapter 195: The human in the elven territory Part6 Chapter 195: The human in the elven territory Part6 William Bastion slowly stirred awake from his stupor. A subtle smile hung on his thin lips as the man contently looked at the stone tablet. This was indeed an unexpected windfall! He hadn¡¯te here expecting such a good thing, but his fate magic never lied. He was promised a life-changing urrence and the prophecy was fulfilled. He had no idea that dark elemental magic could be used in such a powerful way. As the man¡¯s blue orbs dazedly looked at the stone tablet, stillprehending the chunks of knowledge regarding the necromancy inheritance in his brain, something else appeared in his peripheral vision. Huh? William eximed in surprise. He cocked his head to look at the pale blue figure lying unconscious on the ground. He instantly recognized who it was! This was the same snake woman who had sat beside him in the elven royal feast! ¡°Heh. You are still alive!¡± He chuckled, also remembering how this gluttonous woman had inhaled poisonous meat one after the other. ¡°Poor thing.¡± He shook his head. It seemed that this woman had extremely bad luck. In their first meeting, someone else had poisoned her food and now in their second meeting, he would be directly killing her. William didn¡¯t think too much about the snake after that as he quickly collected his bearings. He stood up from his seated pose and used a strong and thick saber to slice the stone tablet. The tall stone which should have been simply uprooted from the cave¡¯s floor unexpectedly exploded into an amalgamation of dust and sand. ¡°Hmm¡­ Just as I thought.¡± William nodded. He wanted to bring this stone tablet with him if possible, but that didn¡¯t turn out well. Now that he had no more business in thisbyrinth, he was ready to leave. He took out a small silver bead and from within that, he retrieved a small silver orb, brimming with chaotic and swirling mana. This was his teleportation orb, his crisp and clean getaway card from here. William was not a fan of loose ends. So before he touched the orb, he clicked his tongue and flicked his saber again, this time sending out a sh in Tang Yue¡¯s direction. The attack he sent was strong enough to st her into nothingness, so he almost didn¡¯t wait to see the results. But unexpectedly¡­ Kaboom! A loud sound echoed in the small cavern, freezing him in his tracks and stopping him from teleporting out of there. ¡°What the hell? My attack rebounded?¡± William turned and looked at the snake woman lying on the floor. A thinyer of ck mist surrounded her and several strings of ck mists were pouring into her. William instantly understood what just happened. He now also had a good idea of why the woman was lying unconscious on the ground in the first ce! Just like he had tried to kill her, she had also tried to kill him and the same attack rebounded on her, rendering her unconscious. ¡°Heh. Interesting. What a powerful spell formation!¡± The man chuckled looking at the snake. ¡°It seems like we are connected by fate.¡± In truth, the inheritance he had just acquired consisted of two parts. One part was the runic knowledge about an ancient necromancy art while the other part was the massive collection of souls contained in the five ck orbs. And unfortunately, unlike Tang Yue, William had directly touched the white orb and hence he didn¡¯t get a chance to absorb the souls from the ck orbs. Coincidentally, Tang Yue had touched the ck orbs first and hence also imed the massive collection of souls fueling this entirebyrinth. ¡°Tsk Tsk¡­ I guess this can¡¯t be helped. I can always collect more souls.¡± He chuckled. If he had taken the time to analyze everything more thoroughly, he wouldn¡¯t have missed this crucial detail, but he was in a hurry and he didn¡¯t want to face an entire elven army by himself. So this random woman lucked out and stole half of his inheritance! He didn¡¯t have much time, so his fingers traced the ck strings of souls and William smiled once more before touching the teleportation orb and disappearing from thebyrinth altogether. Only Tang Yue was now left behind in the 12yers of hell, knocked out unconscious and peacefully resting on the cave floor. And the strings of ck soul steadily and continuously poured into her as if they were never-ending. These disintegrated soul wisps slowly merged within her own soul, making it stronger and more powerful with every passing second. Time slowly ticked away and several minutester¡­ a loud rumbling sound echoed in the huge toweringyers of hell. The entrance to the cave formation sted open, with Xander, Xavier, several sect elders, and dwarven emissaries rushing forward. They all heard the announcement about the yers of hell¡¯ and the inheritance and it only took two seconds for them to reach the top floor. But, they didn¡¯t find any inheritance like they were promised. Instead, the only entity present in thest cavern was a beautiful mesmerizing pale blue figure lying on the floor. Xander stopped. His crimson orbs curiously looked at the snake. Everyone else gasped in surprise as well and started murmuring. ¡°What happened here? Where is the inheritance?¡± ¡°Did this spirit beast obtain the inheritance? But she is so weak! She is not even at Saint realm yet!¡± ¡°What the heck? What is the meaning of this?¡± ¡°We were the ones who fought the powerful epic grade beast and now someone else already imed the inheritance?¡± ¡°This ispletely unfair!¡± ¡°How did a spirit beast even obtain the rights to participate in thisbyrinth?! This is ridiculous!¡± A heated discussion broke out and everybody gnashed their teeth at Tang Yue for having stolen their good fortune. However, the man at the center silently stood. His crimson orbs flickered and he stepped forward, ignoring the rest of the crowd. He carefully and gently picked the woman up like a delicate flower, holding her snug and safe, close to this chest. He then carried her out, through the azure waters and all the way to the elven royal pce. Chapter 196: What if I marry her? Part1 Chapter 196: What if I marry her? Part1 In a gigantic throne room, up on the northern hills of Eldoria, several golden-robed elven elders had assembled. This was the Emperor¡¯s special seclusion pce and these elders were the council members of the Emperor himself, tasked with protecting him in case the pce was breached by enemies. Not because the Emperor was weak, but because more often than not, one was in their weakest state in the midst of an enlightenment euphoria. If they were disturbed during this time, then not only will they lose out on any valuable insights they had gained, but they might also suffer from a terrible bacsh, which could potentially even cripple them. So it was verymon practice to enter seclusion for cultivation purposes after cing your safety in trustworthy hands. And these golden-robed elders, of course, were the most trustworthy bodyguards for the Emperor. They had all sworn life and death oaths to protect him and never stepped out of the vicinity of the Emperor. In fact, they hadn¡¯t even participated in thebyrinth exploration, even though every single one of them was a Demi-God, with some of them even partially in the Deity realm. Not many were privy to the information that these elders existed at all. Xander might be the ruling Crown Prince of Eldoria, but even he was answerable to these elders. These elders were the reserve power and real strength of Eldoria that made them staggeringly stronger than the other countries. And this fine morning, all these Demi-God realm elders had assembled in the main throne room to address a peculiar issue that had recently surfaced. Though it was a small matter, its significance couldn¡¯t be underestimated. Other than these high-council elders, the Empress and the other elven princes had also assembled in the throne room, along with several other prominent elven n elders. Everyone was patiently seated around the throne room, leaving the majestic throne at the head of the room empty, as a token of respect for the Emperor. That was his throne and not even Xander or the Empress was allowed to sit on it. ¡°Freya, your son has not yet arrived?¡± One of the golden-robed elven elders spoke, addressing the Empress directly. There was a hint of ridicule in his voice. Freya tucked away the rogue curls of her elegant silver locks behind her ears and answered awkwardly. ¡°He will be here soon.¡± She was well aware that some of these elders did not favor her son Xander and she was veryfortable with these politics. In her eyes, all her sons were equal and she had always treated them so. To date, there has never been any open discord between her sons and she wanted this to continue. But how could things remain so simple? Every single one of her sons except for Xavier was valiant, talented, and ambitious with lofty goals. While this helped all of them grow and develop, this also made them constantlypete with each other. Moreover, there was the matter of equality and reducing the power of the noble families. This was the biggest issue in the royal court. Some were in favor of it and some were against it. And since Xander was in favor of it, some of the high-council elders did not like the fact that he was the Crown Prince, the next in line to the Emperor himself. Unfortunately, the majority of the elders wanted social stratification to prevail. They wanted to maintain the proud lineage and superiority of the elven noble families. They firmly believed that the elves were a cut above the rest of the higher beings and the rights and responsibility to rule the nine countries, or rather the entirety of Xion was an elven royal¡¯s birthright. This was also primarily why they had assembled today. The recent events in Eldoria, including the ancientbyrinth, had caused significant unrest among the nine countries. Soon after the inheritance stone tablet was destroyed by William, the entirebyrinth unfolded and waspletely undone. All the spell formations and the undead beasts instantly ceased to exist, and everyone could exit. Xander had left thebyrinth almost immediately, carrying Tang Yue along with him. Xavier also soon followed behind him. However, a majority of the other teams stayed behind and thoroughly sliced and diced thebyrinth from top to bottom in hopes of finding at least some sort of a treasure. But unfortunately, no one was able to find anything else. At most, they managed to collect some valuable herbs. That was the end of it. And since Xander had mostly soloed the Epic-grade beast, the other ns didn¡¯t even receive a sizable portion of the Epic-grade beast meat. This entire trip was almost wasted for them. So everyone was extremely bitter about the oue of thisbyrinth. It was not like they didn¡¯t foresee this oue even before they stepped inside thebyrinth, but nevertheless, they were still bitter about the results. Adding fuel to this fire, what irked them the most was Tang Yue¡¯s presence. No one knew what had happened and how she had ended up on the 12th floor before them. But just from how things looked, they could already tell that they had arrived just a touch toote and everything significant was long over by the time they had entered. So who else could have obtained the inheritance if not for Tang Yue? It was one thing if Xander himself had obtained the inheritance, but instead, this random spirit beast had obtained something so valuable? This was absolutely ridiculous and atrocious! They just couldn¡¯t digest this result. How could they allow a lowly spirit beast to obtain a treasure which even the noble families coveted? So all the major families were disgruntled and loudly voiced out theirints. All sorts of conspiracy theories popped out and these grumblings inevitably reached the ears of the high council elders. A spirit beast obtaining a powerful inheritance personally guarded by an Epic-grade beast was something uneptable and intolerable even for the high-council elders. So a meeting was immediately scheduled and Xander was summoned to the Emperor¡¯s seclusion pce. Chapter 197: What if I marry her? Part2 Chapter 197: What if I marry her? Part2 ¡°Freya, how is it that your son has not yet arrived?¡± ¡°This is bordering on tant disrespect.¡± ¡°Maybe his position has finally gone to his head.¡± One of the golden-robed elders muttered with irritation. ¡°Aha Ha Haa¡­ I am sure he will be here soon. He must have been in the middle of something.¡± Empress Freya smiled weakly. She decided that it was better to take these acidic words as bad humor and let them slide. She didn¡¯t want to make things worse for Xander. ¡°I even heard that he has been personally tending to that wounded spirit beast for the past couple of days?¡± ¡°So he has time for that woman, but not for us?¡± The elder clicked his tongue and said. It was very apparent that he didn¡¯t approve of Xander and was intent on making things difficult for him. But before Freya could try and calm down this situation, a booming voice echoed in the throne room. ¡°I apologize to the elders for making everyone wait. I was paying respects to my father.¡± ¡°Or would you have preferred that I havee here directly, without paying respects to his majesty, the Emperor first?¡± A tall and imposing figure casually strolled into the throne room, announcing his arrival in an arrogant manner. Though he mentioned the word apology, there was no such sentiment visible on his impably divine face. His crimson orbs simmered fiercely and the man nonchntly strode towards the enormous and majestic throne at the head of the throne room, without sparing a nce to any of the elders. His feet paused there as he stared at the empty throne for a while. Some of the elders couldn¡¯t help but inwardly curse at his arrogance.They wouldn¡¯t even be surprised if he suddenly sat on the royal throne, iming it for himself. But Xander merely chuckled as he side-stepped and sat on the throne to the right, next to the Emperor¡¯s seat. He leisurely sat back with his head cocked to the side, resting his face on his fist, and murmuredzily. ¡°We can begin now.¡± Xavier looked at his brother¡¯s bored face and inwardly chuckled. His brother indeed loved angering these high-council elders. Freya was also awkwardly fidgeting in her seat. She looked at Xander and then at Xavier who was barely controlling hisughter and shook her head helplessly. All her sons were troublemakers! ¡°What do you mean we can begin now? Is this how you talk to your elders?¡± One of the golden-robed elders, Darkcassier, lost his temper and began shouting at Xander. He had had enough of this unruly youngster¡¯s antics. Just because he was a genius, it didn¡¯t mean that he could act as he pleased.Not even the Emperor wielded such power. ¡°How are you going to exin to us everything that has happened?¡± ¡°Why were even spirit beasts and other races allowed to participate in this damnedbyrinth?¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been easier if you had taken a smaller team and explored it first?¡± ¡°Why did you have to make a spectacle out of it?¡± ¡°Now everyone is unhappy. How are you going to appease them?¡± Xander allowed the old elf to continue his rant and patiently waited for him toplete. He then casually mumbled. ¡°Does anyone have anything else to add to this?¡± One of the other elders, Therldon loudly harrumphed. ¡°I suggest that you hand over the spirit beast to the high-council.¡± ¡°We can perform memory extraction and prove to the nine countries that we are impartial and unbiased.¡± ¡°This will also help smoothen things over.¡± ¡°Heh.¡± Xander smirked, a cold chuckle escaping his lips. ¡°What are youughing at Prince Xander? We are not your Generals, don¡¯t forget that.¡± The old man grimaced. ¡°You know full well the magnitude of the incident that I am talking about.¡± ¡°And it¡¯s not just this.¡± ¡°There is also news that she had obtained the treasure from the tribtion lightning and she is also linked with the assassination of the dwarven emissaries.¡± ¡°Is sacrificing a single individual for the sake of the well-being of the entire n and the nine countries not justified?¡± ¡°Sure. It is definitely justified.¡± Xander answered, shrugging his shoulders. ¡°But may I ask why the elders have conveniently neglected the discussion about the mysterious ck-robed figure who had assaulted a few elves inside thebyrinth?¡± ¡°I even personally saw him enter the azureke before me.¡± ¡°For all we know, Princess Tang Yue, my royal consort might have been wounded because she tried to prevent him from obtaining the treasure.¡± Xander calmly spoke, particrly stressing the first few words. The elders in front of him seemed to have forgotten that Tang Yue was his consort. ¡°Hmph. All this is mere conjectures. We do not know what happened there.¡± The elder waved his hand and dismissed Xander¡¯s words. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s say that she has indeed obtained the inheritance. So what of it?¡± Xander asked, his eyebrows raised in ridicule. What a bunch of bullies! They didn¡¯t even want to discuss the matter with him. All they wanted was to simply eliminate the poor woman in order to appease the noble families. Everything was crystal clear just from their attitudes. ¡°She is my royal consort and hence will be one of the backbones of Eldoria. What does that have to do with anyone?¡± ¡°Ha Ha Ha. Please, Prince Xander, don¡¯t make usugh. Ha Ha Ha. Your royal consort huh? What a joke!¡± ¡°Everyone knows the condition of your harem, Prince Xander.¡± ¡°Maybe one of these days, you should send your women to me. I can satisfy them since you are too busy for them.¡± Another golden-robed elder, Darius sneered with contempt. He was in particr hostile towards Xander and always had it out for him because the elf had tantly refused to marry his granddaughter. Though Darius¡¯s words were not pleasant to hear, he was still speaking the truth. Even Freya couldn¡¯t deny his usations. Xander had really treated the royal harem as a joke and had not produced even a single heir while her other sons already had at least a couple of heirs. Chapter 198: What if I marry her? Part3 Chapter 198: What if I marry her? Part3 The pair of crimson orbs darkened and a seething dangerous aura started seeping out of Xander. To make matters worse, the elf didn¡¯t respond anything to the obvious taunt and silently gazed back with a menacing re. Darius immediately stiffened up and shut his mouth. They both were at the Demi-God realm, but deep down he knew that Xander was an entirely different kind of monster. That man might even swallow them all alive and cross over to the next realm in the blink of an eye. Even though he tried to constantly undermine him at every single step, he had always felt inferior to the man¡¯s capabilities and feared him very much. ¡°Stop it, Xander.¡± Darkcassier reprimanded him. ¡°We are all here to calmly discuss things over.¡± ¡°No need to take things too far.¡± ¡°Am I really the one taking things too far?¡± Xander asked, his voice cold and indifferent. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s not lose our focus.¡± Darkcassier cleared his throat. ¡°We could sit here and talk all day, but the end result is not going to change.¡± ¡°Fortunately or unfortunately your consort has somehow gotten herself involved in these sticky situations.¡± ¡°If you think about it, no one else can really be med for her misfortune.¡± ¡°Sacrificing her and draining her mind will appease everyone. Even you can¡¯t refute that.¡± ¡°So there is nothing left to discuss here.¡± Darkcassier dered as if there was no other option left. The other elders also started murmuring and looked like they were about to adjourn the meeting. But suddenly freezing everyone in their tracks a cold and amused voice sounded, cutting through the noise in the throne room. ¡°What if I marry her?¡± Xander rapped his fingers on the exquisitely carved golden armrest. Everyone gasped in shock. Their eyes were filled with disbelief and anger. A spirit beast as the wedded queen consort? Such a statement was akin to sphemy! ¡°Stop spouting nonsense.¡± Darius loudly snorted. ¡°You will be aughing stock in the entire nine nations for diluting our pure bloodline.¡± ¡°You are free to have as many bastards as you want with that pet of yours, but don¡¯t even dare to talk about this again!¡± The other high-council elders also had an ugly expression on their faces, except for a couple of elves who were in truth favor of breaking down this unnecessary hierarchy. ¡°Heh. Elder Darius, are you sure you are not going senile? You seem to be contradicting yourself every now and then?¡± ¡°First, you tell me that my consort has obtained a powerful ancient inheritance, powerful enough to make the entire nine nations fight for it and create so muchmotion over it.¡± ¡°But now you don¡¯t want that said powerful person to be a pir of Eldoria? You don¡¯t want her to defend our Empire with full faith and loyalty?¡± ¡°If the esteemed elder considers spirit beasts to be so dirty and impure, maybe I should just send her back to the serpentine n?¡± ¡°She can then do whatever she wants with her inheritance.¡± Xander shrugged his shoulders. ¡°NO! Under no circumstance, she can ever leave this ce alive.¡± Darkcassier intervened. ¡°Well, then I don¡¯t see what we can possibly do.¡± ¡°Unless you n to kill and assassinate every potential powerful expert surfacing in Eldoria?¡± ¡°Do you really think that such a thing is beneficial for the current Empire?¡± ¡°Or are you secretly plotting tomit treason against his majesty?¡± ¡°You seem to be unusually clung to that one oue.¡± ¡°Extraction of information from the mind is not always sessful.¡± ¡°Chances are that we will lose this inheritance altogether.¡± ¡°Perhaps someone bribed you to kill my consort? To prevent a potentially strong ally and an expert from surfacing in Eldoria?¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you exin yourself?¡± Xander smirked. He knew that he already had the man in his grasp now. Darkcassier as well understood this and grimaced in embarrassment from losing to the young prince. Xander typically did not argue so much over any decision. So the elder couldn¡¯t understand why he was fighting over this so much? It¡¯s just one fucking beast? Couldn¡¯t he simply give him some face? There was no way he could suggest the earlier n now. It would only make him look like a fool. But the elder had not given up just yet¡­ ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s say for argument¡¯s sake that we ept your decision.¡± ¡°Marrying this beast might appease the nine nations, but what about the dwarves?¡± ¡°They are on the verge of dering war. How are you going to settle them?¡± ¡°Or maybe in your infatuation with the beasts, you have forgotten about the dwarves altogether?¡± ¡°If every single dwarf wields a spirit weapon, ande at us, then Eldoria will be in shambles.¡± ¡°How are you nning to deal with this?¡± Darkcassier sneered in contempt. Come back and talk to me in a hundred years boy! He chuckled. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to push all the me on this single scapegoat and end all the conflicts?¡± The elder added smugly. Contrary to what Darkcassier expected, Xander¡¯s smirk only widened. The old vulture had finally brought up the point which Xander was waiting for. ¡°Heh. The elders need not worry about that. I will settle the dwarves within the next lunar cycle.¡± He chuckled. ¡°In fact, I am not even going to intervene.¡± ¡°My consort will settle this matter all by herself, thereby proving her worth as my queen.¡± ¡°She will go the dwarven empire and learn their secret technique.¡± ¡°Once the weapons in elvennds also gain spirits, then the dwarves will no longer possess their trump card and will lose their edge.¡± ¡°They will have no other choice but to submit to us willingly.¡± ¡°In the longer run, this method will be more effective to secure the peace treaty between our Empires.¡± Xander exined what he had in mind. He knew exactly what was going to happen today and had already nned for everything before he even stepped foot in here. ¡°We still want the dwarves to submit to us, correct?¡± ¡°Or should we rather continue to allow them to have their upper hand?¡± Xander cemented the discussion shut, with his final blow. Chapter 199: Oops! Part1 Chapter 199: Oops! Part1 After Xander spoke, all the elders started hurriedly discussing amongst themselves. They can¡¯t outrightly ban Xander from marrying Tang Yue even though it stood against everything they believed in. And without the Emperor himself intervening, it would also be difficult to stop Xander from doing what he pleased. He might be bound to their words and unable to marry Tang Yue publicly for now, but if they had powerful and strong children down the line, then they would be inevitably forced to ept them into the royal bloodline. At that time they would have no other option but to ept the spirit beast as well. But surprising everyone, Xander himself had offered a solution to their weird predicament. If the snake were to disguise herself and travel to the dwarvennds, then they might be able to silently kill her off there. If she by chance learns their technique, then it¡¯s even better. They can secretly learn the technique from her and then kill her off before she could return to the elven empire. Even if her disguise unravels whilst she was in the dwarven empire, the me would still not fall on them and they can easily push everything on the serpentine n. This one suggestion essentially solved all their problems! Even Darius and Darkcassier couldn¡¯t refute this suggestion. Though they were suspicious as to why Xander suggested something that was only beneficial to them and not him, they still decided to go along with it. ¡°Fine. We will ept your decision.¡± ¡°For now, we can proceed as you say and assess everything again at the end of the next lunar cycle.¡± Darkcassier rubbed his short and spiky bearded chin and mumbled indignantly. The other elders also nodded in response, along with Empress Freya. ¡°Good then.¡± Xander chuckled and pped his hands loudly. ¡°I will see myself out.¡± He rudely stood up and strolled out of the throne room. The others could only watch his disappearing figure with an appalled expression. It was very apparent that the elf had absolutely no respect for the high council elders! Once Xander left, the other elders shook their heads disapprovingly and started leaving one by one. Darkcassier, however, walked over to Freya. ¡°Your son, Freya¡­¡± He chuckled with a subtle sneer. ¡°It would be best if you use this time apart from his consort to select another suitable beast bride for him.¡± ¡°He needs to bed more women and toss them out after enjoying himself.¡± ¡°He simply doesn¡¯t have enough experience with women.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he is allowing himself to be manipted by a spirit beast for heaven¡¯s sake. He is so weak.¡± ¡°Maybe he takes after you, huh? You forbade his majesty from having other concubines.¡± ¡°Perhaps your son is following your example and nning to do the same with a spirit beast?¡± Darkcassier spoke in a threatening tone. Freya¡¯s face visibly darkened. The elf was being very disrespectful towards women. She respected these high council elders, but she also had a bottom line. ¡°I will make sure that he sees reason.¡± She bluntly replied and walked away. Watching Freya leave, Darkcassier chuckled with a subtle glint in his eyes. ¡°My old friend, even today¡­ your woman is just as beautiful as the day I first met her.¡± He muttered under his breath and walked out as well. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. Meanwhile¡­ back at the alchemy association: Marvin was restlessly pacing back and forth in one of the VIP practice rooms on the top floor. Besides him, Tang Xi and Dranuk were also standing with awkward expressions on their faces. Tang Xi more so than Dranuk. The old elf was pestering her constantly and seemed to rarely let her out of sight. She hated rolling around with the disgusting man in bed, but unfortunately, she hadn¡¯t managed to arrange a private meeting with Xavier yet. If she could just meet with him once¡­ Disrupting Tang Xi¡¯s scheming thoughts, a powerful aura surged in the middle of the room and a golden-robed figure materialized. ¡°Elder Darius!¡± Marvin immediately bowed and paid his respects. ¡°Ha Ha. Sorry, my dear son-inw. Hope you can forgive this old man. I failed to aplish what we set out to do.¡± ¡°But I stille bearing good news.¡± Darius filled Marvin in on everything that happened in the morning¡¯s meeting. ¡°Once she leaves Eldoria, it would be extremely easy for us to finish her off.¡± ¡°It is only a matter of time before that happens.¡± He exined. Marvin was betrothed to his granddaughter so the duo was very close to each other. While talking, Darius couldn¡¯t help but nce at the pale blue figure standing in the room, next to the elf Dranuk. ¡°And you are?¡± Darius asked, a visible contempt in his voice. ¡°Heh. She is just a slut. Tang Yue¡¯s sister. Dranuk here is ying with her.¡± Marvin sneered. And Dranuk awkwardly scratched his head. Darius walked closer to the nervous woman and curiously eyed Tang Xi from top to bottom. ¡°Ha Ha. Spirit beasts are indeed alluring!¡± He pulled Tang Xi closer and grabbed her hips. His hand continued to molest her and knead her soft mounds as the elf mouthed his words. ¡°You should use this time your sister is away and seduce the Crown Prince.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to bed someone noble and powerful just like your sister?¡± The elder asked, inserting himself into Tang Xi. Marvin and Dranuk had long since left the room, giving Darius his privacy. Tang Xi shivered inwardly. She bit her lips to bear with the pain. The elf was unnecessarily being very rough on her and she couldn¡¯t withstand his powerful Demi-God aura. The man was humiliating her so publicly and there was nothing that she could do. Damn it. She cursed her bad luck. She didn¡¯t deserve this. She was a fucking princess of the serpentine n. But these elves were treating her like a ve girl. Damn it all. Tang Xi cursed inwardly. All of this was because of that fucking cripple! I should have just killed her a long time ago! Tears silently rolled out of Tang Xi¡¯s eyes as Darius continued to take his anger out on her. For every single time Xander had humiliated him that morning, he clutched the woman in front of him and mercilessly thrust into her and ravaged her. Tang Xi silently regretted ever having stepped foot in the elven province. She was wrong in thinking that she could use these elves like pawns. In the end, she was the one who was being treated like a pawn. Chapter 200: Oops! Part2 Chapter 200: Oops! Part2 Inside the elven royal pce, in the inner chambers of the Crown Prince quarters, a pale blue figure was leisurely resting on a feather bed. Soft and silky delicate screens surrounding and covering the bed fluttered in the wind as the snake¡¯s chest heaved up and down in a deep slumber. Besides her, an elf with otherworldly beauty rested on an armchair. The elf was gently looking at Tang Yue, eyes filled with subtle concern and sadness. This elf was none other than Charlotte. She anxiously raised her head and asked again for the fifth time. ¡°Are you sure that she is just sleeping?¡± Hinata sighed and answered again patiently. ¡°Lady Charlotte, please rest assured.¡± ¡°His highness is personally checking on her condition every other minute.¡± ¡°She is just fatigued from expending too much energy in thebyrinth and is resting for a few days.¡± ¡°She should be waking up any time now. There is really nothing wrong with Consort Yue.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± Charlotte mumbled and nodded. Her eyes returned to the gentle rhythmic movements of Tang Yue¡¯s chest and slender stomach. She just absentmindedly sat there watching the snake princess resting in peace. Hinata sighed ufortably and also returned back to her position which was in a corner of the chamber. Xander had ordered her to not leave Tang Yue¡¯s vicinity so she couldn¡¯t exactly leave the chamber altogether. The middle-aged maid shook her head helplessly and just stood there, also gazing at the sleeping princess. Hinata still couldn¡¯t believe the things which had transpired these past few days. A couple of days back, in the middle of the night, Xander had suddenly returned back to the pce, carrying intimately the wounded consort in his arms. As if that was not shocking enough, the elf continued to personally tend to her and treated all her injuries and cuts. He circled around her day and night and diligently kept an eye on her condition at all times. The elf even barely left the chamber. This alone was enough to shatter reality for Hinata. But yesterday something even more unusual had happened! Charlotte, General Salvatore¡¯s precious daughter hade knocking at the pce gates and adamantly waited in front of the Crown¡¯s private quarters, demanding for her to be allowed in. This was in fact not something new. She did this often, so Hinata was not too surprised about this. The part which threw her off cameter! When she reported to his highness Xander about how the General¡¯s daughter wanted to check on Tang Yue and express her gratitude, the man surprisingly had let her in! And so¡­ one became two, and the duo spent the entire day in the same chamber and continued to take turns and dote on the sleeping patient. And from the looks of it, this scenario was about to repeat itself today as well. It was only a few minutes after sunrise and Charlotte had already arrived at the pce, bright and early in the morning. A few minutes after she arrived, Xander strolled in as well. He was just returning from the meeting with the high council elders. The man¡¯s crimson orbs gazed suspiciously at Charlotte but didn¡¯t linger. He didn¡¯t expect her toe in today as well. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± Charlotte stood up and quickly greeted him, but her focus returned back to a certain someone after the formal curt greeting. Xander¡¯s lips curved upwards in amusement. He had already sensed the small but significant changes in Charlotte¡¯s attitude. He had thought about this long and hard, but he couldn¡¯t understand this new development. ¡°Weren¡¯t these two fighting tooth and nails?¡± ¡°Just what the hell happened in thebyrinth?¡± He quietly sat down on a chair next to the bed and started going through some reports. On the other side of the bed, Charlotte as well sat back down on her chair. But she wasn¡¯t doing anything in particr. Her gaze lingered on the sleeping snake and she looked as if she was contemting something serious in her mind. Time continued to tick away and after a while, Xander¡¯s eyebrows creased slightly. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that something was wrong here. The elf sitting on the other side of the bed was looking at the snake with a somewhat intense andplex expression. He couldn¡¯t help but notice that sometimes she didn¡¯t even blink! Does she intend to stay here all day again? He loudly snorted in annoyance. Xander initially didn¡¯t want to shoo away Tang Yue¡¯s new friend, but now, he was feeling very ufortable with her presence. In the midst of this silent cold war, Hinata¡¯s feeble voice sounded. ¡°Your highness, it has already been more than two days.¡± ¡°Shall I now help Consort Yue change her clothes and wipe her body?¡± She asked hesitantly. But as soon as these words came out of her mouth, the two figures who had been calmly seated until now suddenly shot up from their armchairs. ¡°Let me do it.¡± ¡°Let me do it.¡± They both responded in unison, with their eyes meeting each other and sparks flying everywhere. It almost gave Hinata a heart attack! ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± She stammered, not knowing what to say. Xander immediately threw a deathly re at Charlotte, unleashing the full strength of his cultivation base. Charlotte shuddered as she felt the huge pressure on her body, but that didn¡¯t stop her from clutching the edge of her robes and biting her lips in determination. She met the re of the crimson-eyed beast and refused to back down. ¡°Aren¡¯t you overstaying your wee, Lady Charlotte?¡± Xander asked, without mincing his words. This was the first time he had ever addressed her so personally. Once upon a time, Charlotte would have given her everything just for a few seconds of conversation with him like this. But now¡­ only a bitter smile hung on her lips¡­ ¡°Your highness.¡± She bowed, continuing to withstand the pressure on her body. ¡°I think that Sister Yue will be morefortable if I helped her change clothes.¡± She answered resolutely. ¡°Hmph. Who gave you permission to talk in front of me? I think it¡¯s time for you to leave.¡± Xander swatted her away. Charlotte helplessly stared at the marble floor, with her head bent down. She didn¡¯t want to leave just yet, but she also didn¡¯t have any other option. Her mind and heart werepletely muddled. The man, who just a couple of days ago, had an addictive death grip on her, suddenly didn¡¯t seem to matter to her at all. There were so many swirling emotions within her and her head was in a mess. Charlotte knew that she needed some time and space to figure out everything. But there was one thing that she was sure of. Right at this moment, she simply wanted to stay beside the woman who had almost given up her life to protect her. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Your highness.¡± She mumbled, her lips whimpering. Please don¡¯t make me leave. She wanted to beg him, but the words didn¡¯te out of her mouth. Huh? Xander¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Somehow this miserable and sad expression she was making¡­ only angered and annoyed him further! His gut told him that something was amiss here! He was just about to shout at her, something rude and cruel, when a faint sigh sounded near him. ¡°Mmm¡­ Ummm¡­¡± Tang Yue woke up groggily. Shezily rubbed her eyes and stretched her arms, letting out a big yawn. And the next second, the two figures who had been standing and arguing in front of her for the past few minutes, suddenly disappeared! They both ran away helter-skelter in opposite directions, with a very simr look of embarrassment on their faces! Tang Yue blinked and opened her eyes in confusion. ¡°I thought I heard something?¡± But weirdly, no one was standing near her. As shezily stretched her limbs, she noticed Hinata who was standing further away and sweating profusely. ¡°What happened?¡± Tang Yue asked. ¡°Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?¡± She chuckled. Hinata awkwardly cleared her throat and snapped out of her trance. How could she possibly tell Tang Yue what had happened! Was she supposed to tell her that the Crown prince and the General¡¯s daughter were fighting over a rather weird issue just seconds ago and both of them suddenly disappeared when she woke up? Even Hinata couldn¡¯t understand why the duo who were waiting on Tang Yue day and night had suddenly abandoned her when she was finally awake and conscious!!! ¡°Your highness, would you like something to eat?¡± She changed the subject tactfully. ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Tang Yue rubbed her stomach. She was indeed feeling a bit hungry. ¡°Bring me some food.¡± Shezily mumbled but froze as soon as she saw the tattoo on her palm. She suddenly remembered everything that had happened in thebyrinth and how she had tried to kill the human being. ¡°How am I still alive?¡± She clutched the edges of her nket and asked the pce maid. By now, almost everyone knew what had happened, so Hinata helped Tang Yue to fill in the nks. Chapter 201: Oops! Part3 Chapter 201: Oops! Part3 After hearing the rest of the story from Hinata¡¯s mouth, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. She only remembered attacking the human being and everything after that was nk. Most likely, a powerful surge hadpletely knocked her out. What she didn¡¯t understand was¡­ just how the hell was she still alive?!! From the things she had heard, it looked like that human being had left before the elves and the others showed up on the scene. So clearly he had a spare two seconds to kill her before leaving¡­ then how was she alive? Tang Yue absentmindedly pondered for a while before snapping out it. ¡°Let¡¯s focus on more important things now. I need to tell that jerk about the human being!!¡± She hurriedly got out of the bed and asked Hinata. ¡°Is his highness around?¡± ¡°Ah~ That¡­ that¡­¡± Hinata stammered not knowing what to reply. Should she tell that Xander was here just a few moments ago and suddenly ran away? Nope! She was someone who loved her life. She wouldn¡¯t dare do that! ¡°I think his highness might be busy now?¡± Hinata vaguely replied. ¡°Oh ok.¡± Tang Yue nodded. She then remembered something and asked Hinata another question. ¡°By chance, do you happen to know how Lady Charlotte is doing? Is still injured badly?¡± Tang Yue worriedly asked. She had tried her best, but still¡­ there was only so much she could do. Everything had happened too quickly and it was beyond her limits. She felt sad that she couldn¡¯t help Charlotte at all. Ah~ Hinata stammered again. ¡°Yes, your highness. As far as I know, thedy seems to have fully recovered.¡± She again answered vaguely, her forehead dripping with sweat. ¡°Ok then.¡± Tang Yue heaved a sigh of relief. Somehow everything was resolved smoothly and no one got hurt. This was good news. Now the only thing that remained was informing Xander about the human being¡­ Would he even believe me? Tang Yue wondered. She got out of the bed and stood up and decided to take a bath first and clean herself up while waiting for him. Hinata prepared the bathwater for her and Tang Yuefortably settled into the warm waters in the bath vessel. After being stuck in the damp and destebyrinth for several hours, Tang Yue felt very rxed in the warm scented waters with flower petals. She closed her eyes and cultivated just like that whilst rxing for a few minutes. Soon the minutes turned into an entire hour as Tang Yuepletely forgot about everything else and entirely focused on her fire elemental core cultivation. The small ball of condensed mana swirled rhythmically as she inhaled and exhaled calmly, pulling in the atmospheric fire essence mana particles. As she busied herself, a certain someone finally overcame his initial embarrassment and decided to pay her a visit. Xander cleared his throat and stood ufortably in front of Tang Yue¡¯s chamber. He was not sure how to face her after everything that had happened. He hesitated and paced back and forth for a bit before knocking a couple of times on the chamber door. Tang Yue waspletely immersed in her cultivation, so she didn¡¯t notice anything at all. Her focus was entirely on her mana core. At first, Xander didn¡¯t mind it. He continued to knock on the chamber door patiently for a few more minutes. But even after a while, he still did not get any reply and the elf started getting impatient. What is taking her so long? Is she perhaps not feeling well? Were there by chance some hidden inner injuries? He started wondering, but the next second, he cursed himself for being so emotional over nothing. He couldn¡¯t believe that he cared about this troublesome woman so much! His impatience coupled with his mixed contradicting feelings about the situation and the shameless woman herself, instantly made him angry. The elf then flicked his index finger in tant displeasure and he barged in through the doors forcefully. The reluctance and concern on his face were long gone and a chilling terrifying aura seeped out of his body from top to bottom just like his usual distant self. ¡°Are you not going to answer?¡± He asked, his voice sounding arrogant and cold. Ah~ Tang Yue shuddered. The elf¡¯s strong and powerful presence had forcibly broken her out of her meditation state. She shed her eyes open and abruptly stood up from the bath vessel, water dripping all over the marble floor. She was so upied in her thoughts and caught off guard that she hadpletely forgotten about what she was doing. As soon as she saw Xander, she immediately started blurting out. ¡°I¡­ I saw a human being in thebyrinth.¡± ¡°Wait. Let me start from the beginning.¡± ¡°The worm ate me but it didn¡¯t bite me. So I slid into its stomachpletely unharmed.¡± ¡°From there I somehow managed to free myself from the worm¡¯s stomach and the lower end of the worm¡¯s tail was near the floor of theke.¡± ¡°I dived deeper in because I saw some weird altar near theke¡¯s floor.¡± ¡°I found an array of five ck pearls and one white pearl there, near the altar on the floor of the azureke.¡± ¡°I wanted to do something to help the fight. So I started checking what it was.¡± ¡°Suddenly I got pulled into a different part of thebyrinth.¡± ¡°It had different floors inside and a bunch of low-grade undead beasts.¡± ¡°I cleared them all as fast as I could, but when I came to thest floor, I saw this human being there.¡± ¡°He was in a trance, so I tried to kill him while he was in that state, but he was too strong and I got knocked out.¡± She exined hurriedly in nervousness. Half her sentences did not even make sense. However, as she started speaking, she became calmer and calmer, at least enough to omit some of the incriminating details of her story. But at the same time, as she neared the end of her narration, she also started panicking. Will this person believe me? What if he thinks that I have some sort of link with this human being? Tang Yue shivered. She couldn¡¯t even imagine the repercussions of such a thing. ¡°Please. Please. Please. Believe my words.¡± She muttered under her breath and scanned the crimson eyes staring at her for some sort of response or reaction. She already regretted blurting everything out like this openly and truthfully. Damn it. Tang Yue cursed her stupidity. She did not think this through. Yes, informing the elven crown prince about the human being in thebyrinth was important, but so was her life. She was a good person but she was not a saint or a martyr. In hindsight, it would have been better if she changed the story and modified everything, before announcing it loudly to this mad man in front of her. Damn it. Is he just going to kill me on the spot? Why is he standing still like this and not saying anything? Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Tang Yue started panicking. However, when she hesitantly looked at the elf¡¯s crimson eyes, she noticed something weird. Every time she had met this man in the past, he had the habit of staring her down. He had always looked directly in her eyes, the crimson eyes instilling fear and dread within her. She was very sure that the tyrant secretly enjoyed tormenting her in this fashion. Sometimes, she even felt as if the man had the ability to see through her very soul and she felt naked in front of him. But today¡­ something was definitely off¡­ His sharp and sword-like eyes were not staring directly at her. His crimson orbs did not meet her gaze and he seemed to be nkly staring at¡­ at¡­ at¡­ at a few inches below my eyes¡­? Wait, is he looking at my neck? Tang Yue looked at the man¡¯s weird expression and slowly bent her head down to see what was he so intently staring at. She was very confused, but the moment she bent down everything was crystal clear. GASP! Tang Yue instantly turned bright purple. She hadpletely forgotten that she was taking a bath before she slipped into the meditative state and was now standing therepletely naked! That too¡­ in¡­ in front of this madman!! Fuck! Today was simply not a good day for her!!! She had always felt naked in front of him, but this time she was really naked!! Tang Yue¡¯s mind went nk. She was too terrified of this devil in front of her. Her sister had just revealed some cleavage and he had instantly punished them with a thousandshes. What was he going to do to her? She hadn¡¯t just revealed her cleavage! She was standing like a dufus,pletely naked. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. The elf¡¯s nk expressionless face only made her fears even worse. Her mind fumbled in confusion as she hurriedly tried to cover her chest with her hands. She then realized that she didn¡¯t have a third hand to cover her other private part. She cursed her dumbness and quickly turned around. But then she realized that she was now showing her butt to the Crown Prince! Fuck! He is going to kill me! Chapter 202: Oops! Part4 Chapter 202: Oops! Part4 Tang Yue¡¯s brain was about to explode from this stress. She was standing with her back turned towards that arrogant mad man and with her buttpletely exposed. What the heck was she supposed to do now? Damn it. Should I just use a ¡®Lucky sticker¡¯? Her mind was running a mile a minute. All logic and reasoning had already disappeared as she was entirely panic-stricken. She even forgot that she was a serpentine n member and as such she could partially shapeshift, covering her body with scales as she pleased. However, on the other side, Xander wasn¡¯t doing any better as well. He stood frozen like a statue unable to move his eyes from the woman in front of him. Being in a position of ultimate power, it was highly unlikely for someone like Xander to have never experienced something like this before. But funnily enough, that was the truth. He was a serious person and he had the weight of tremendous responsibility on his shoulders. He had never indulged himself in this way even when women threw themselves at him. In fact, he had never been so close to a woman before Tang Yue, let alone seen anyone naked. So the big bad bully suddenly found himself at a loss for words when his troublemaker snake unexpectedly shed him out of nowhere. He was just standing a few steps away from her, the naked enticing woman within his reach, and his mind went nk. She looked absolutely stunning and gorgeous, with her long ck curls cascading down to her hips, water dripping from her unevenly wet hair. Her voluptuous breasts slightly jiggled from the impact of her standing up too suddenly. Her curvy figure and her slender hips were utterly mesmerizing. His eyes were hesitant to trail further down or rather he wasn¡¯t done admiring the top half yet. He dumbfoundedly stared at her unable to avert his eyes. To make matters worse, the woman was panicking like a littlemb with cute adorable expressions. Her eyshes fluttered and her lips trembled. Her toes were curled up because of extreme fear and anxiety. This scene was simply cruel and torturous for Xander, who hadn¡¯t enjoyed the touch of a woman in his lifetime! She was driving himpletely crazy. He felt his throat dry up and as if his robes were tightening his neck. It was suffocating and he couldn¡¯t breathe. For a second, Xander felt the sudden impulse and unquenchable urge to grab the woman in front of him and ravish her roughly. The elf staggered and swayed from the thoughts in mind running uncontrobly wild. Xander awkwardly coughed and tried to regain hisposure. What a sly seductress! In the matter of a second, she had somehow managed topletely bring me down! Oh, wait¡­ Cough¡­ Cough¡­ Was this all my fault to begin with? I am the one who had barged into her chambers rudely¡­ Xander slightly calmed down and somewhat recovered his self-control and sobriety. But just when he finally snapped out of it, Tang Yue suddenly turned around¡­ revealing her smooth and soft back, tapering into her slender waist and gulp¡­ The elf¡¯s crimson eyes trailed down to her soft and juicy looking, perky butt and all the way down to her long and slender legs¡­ Such a scene was like adding a drop of water on hot boiling oil! He didn¡¯t know if he liked the front view better or the back view better. Xander felt as if he was bewitched. He wanted to touch her and grab her. He slowly reached out to the girl in a trance-like state¡­ The tip of his finger finally touched the skin that he didn¡¯t even know, before today, he desired so much. The slight touch sent currents down his body and heat traveled through his finger to ze his entire body, mind, and soul. The elf immediately jerked his hand back in surprise. He was goingpletely crazy. Tang Yue as well jolted from that slight touch and it kind of sobered her up and she quickly came to her senses. She leaped like a nimble deer from the spot and grabbed a robe lying nearby. As she was moving, too many things jiggled on her body and Xander¡¯s brain throbbed and his heart palpitated not knowing where to look at. Only when Tang Yue turned around and looked at him, after securely wrapping herself up, he somewhat became clear-headed. Damn it! What the hell am I doing? Xander cleared his throat awkwardly. He felt too guilty and embarrassed to meet her frightened phoenix-like eyes. So turned toward the side and awkwardly cleared his throat. Tang Yue immediately descended into a deep bow and almost knelt on the floor to apologize. ¡°Your highness¡­ This¡­ I apologize¡­ I really didn¡¯t intend to¡­¡± She stuttered. As she was mid-sentence in her begging, she suddenly realized that she was not the real culprit here. Damn it! This guy was the one who barged into my personal chamber! Why the hell am I apologizing?! She fumed silently. The cheeks and body were so hot and flustered from this embarrassing situation that her anger red up rather quickly. Her eyshes fluttered violently and she bit her lips in frustration. Seeing that Xander was still standing speechless, she casually stood up and decided to go back to the previous topic again. It was better for her to forget that this ever happened and act like that. Tang Yue bitterly smiled and started mumbling. ¡°Ahem¡­ Your highness¡­ This¡­ human being¡­¡± Xander as well hoarsely responded. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes, the human being.¡± This time his eyes lingered on her soft and luscious lips, glistening from the moisture and he absentmindedly replied. But then he realized what he had spoken and asked again with a startled expression. ¡°Wait, what? Did you just say that you saw a human being?¡± Shock and disbelief were written all over his face. Tang Yue sighed in relief. They were back on the right track again, but it was very apparent that the elf had not heard anything she had spoken previously. So she ended up repeating the whole thing, this time in a more calm andposed manner. Chapter 203: Exiled? Part1 Chapter 203: Exiled? Part1 Xander silently stood and listened to everything Tang Yue said. Flickers of emotion crossed his face as the snake narrated the events that had transpired in thebyrinth one by one. Tang Yue was not sure just how much had registered in his brain from the first time she had blurted things out, but she knew that she would be foolish to underestimate a Demi-God realm expert. She didn¡¯t think that her small shing incident would have shocked him so much. So she didn¡¯t dare to change the important parts of the story. Even if the man by chance detected a small discrepancy between what she had told him earlier and now, there was a possibility that he might not trust herpletely. So she had no other option but to bite the bullet and exin in detail what had happened. Of course, she still left out the minor details like her obtaining a soul weapon and all the other precious materials. However, she did tell him about the ck orbs and the souls which she had absorbed. ¡°Ummm¡­ Your highness, I tried my best to eliminate that human being. I really did.¡± She said. Tang Yue stole a couple of nces at the man¡¯s face and she did not like what she saw. Xander had an extremely grim and bleak expression. His previous frivolousness was no longer present. He silently stood there for a while, before turning and leaving the chamber. Tang Yue did not know, but with this vital information that she gave him, Xander was able to instantly connect all the dots. Too many unpredictable things had happenedtely and it looked like everything could be connected to that human being. He had investigated a lot on what happened to dwarven emissaries but no one was able to find any clues. If the human could enter and exit thebyrinth even when Xander was present in the vicinity, then that only meant that the same human being could have assassinated the dwarves as well with great ease. If that were to be true, the tribtion lightning could possibly be rted to the same person as well¡­ Xander didn¡¯t care about these trivial things, but the main question on his mind was just how the hell did a human being cross the ocean and get here? More importantly, why did he do so and especially now? Did hee for the tribtion lightning treasure? Did hee here for the ancientbyrinth? Or did hee here for sowing discord among the various ns and the nine nations? Thest possibility was particrly dangerous. If a human being wanted to sow discord between the nine nations, then that could only mean that war was inevitable in the near future. Xander contemted these potential ramifications in his mind and he turned around and left the chamber. ¡°You did well.¡± He mumbled as he walked away. Only when his figure fully disappeared, Tang Yue sighed in relief. She couldn¡¯t believe it but at least for now, it looked like the mad man had fully trusted everything she said. She patted her chest and called out for Hinata to clear all the mess from her room. Tang Yue felt as if a major weight was lifted from her shoulders and she was now free to actually sieve through everything she had picked up from thebyrinth and not to mention her own upgrades. The ck soul strings were no longer attached to her and she wanted to see how much she had gained. Tang Yue summoned her status screen and immediately an array of notifications started bombarding her mind. The snake grinned and excitedly checked her progress. Unlike the mental strength, physical strength, and cultivation level, progress in soul strength was rather difficult to gauge superficially. One would have to cast a magic spell such as me serpent or inscribe a rune to actually notice the change. But then, of course, the snake has her special master and her special system. So she didn¡¯t have to do any of that. She scrolled through the various minor upgrade notifications and paused on the important ones. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Silver-tier Martial Soul Ding. 2000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Gold-tier Martial Soul Ding. 2000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Diamond-tier Martial Soul Ding. 2000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Emperor Soul Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. Tang Yue slightly gasped as her emerald eyes moved from one notification to the other. It looked like suddenly her soul strength had skyrocketed all the way from Martial realm to¡­. Tang Yue hastily flicked away all the small details and her eyes trailed down to the end of the list. Her heart rate was slowly and steadily increasing as she gazed at one notification after another. When she was at the end of the list, even a small shriek escaped her lips and she jumped out of the bed in fright. ¡°Demi¡­ Demi-God realm?¡± She couldn¡¯t believe what she was seeing. But the notification, bold and clear was definitely shing in front of her! Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Demi-God Soul Ding. 100000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. Ding. Congrattions. Soul Strength has been upgraded to Silver-tier Demi-God Soul Ding. 100000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. ¡°How can this be true?¡± The snake trembled. She immediately closed away all the nonsensical illusionary screens and the weird system interface. She then hurriedly shook her hand and focused her spiraling mind to materialize a few tongues of me. Even though one elemental magic mainly relied on one¡¯s cultivation base, both soul strength and mental strength were required to gain control of the overall spell. Now that both her mental strength and soul strength were upgraded, something like a me serpent spell should be theoretically rtively easy to cast. So Tang Yue flicked her hand and cast the spell to see just exactly how much she had grown and in the next instant, a gigantic me python roared alive in her chamber. Chapter 204: Exiled? Part2 Chapter 204: Exiled? Part2 Tang Yue hurriedly flicked her hand and cast the me serpent spell to see just exactly how much she had grown and in the next instant, a gigantic me python roared alive in her chamber. The python¡¯s glowing eyes red at Tang Yue as if the ferocious beast was dancing alive in front of her. Tang Yue felt her throat dry up. She could feel the difference in her capabilities. It had taken her merely a fraction of a second to cast a full-blown me serpent spell. But how the hell is this possible? She covered her mouth which was wide agape with her fingers and gasped inwardly. The ck orbs from the azureke were rather small and insignificant. She didn¡¯t sense any energy ripple from it or anything of that sort. How the hell was it possible for her to have crossed two realms in just a couple of days from only by absorbing the souls from those orbs? Just how powerful was this damned inheritance if she who got the scraps had gained so much?!! Fuck. She had no idea what was going on. Tang Yue paced back and forth in her chamber as a faint possibility surfaced in her brain. What if all the undead beasts in thebyrinth were powered by these tiny ck orbs? She shook her head at that terrifying possibility and decided to let it be for now. All that mattered was her current soul strength and she was more than satisfied with this growth. She might not have attained the inheritance from thebyrinth, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel as if this in itself was an overpowered reward. As the snake tried to cast a few spells and get used to her new excessive soul strength, she suddenly remembered the other significant thing from those upgrade notifications. Fckkk! Tang Yue screamed inwardly and she hurriedly opened her status screen. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 12 (1000/819,200) Species: Nether touched serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ The snake¡¯s emerald eyes were fixated and glued to the first part of her status screen. She blinked innocently and looked at it again and again. She had already crossed Level10!!! In fact, she was unexpectedly at Level 12 even!!! Tang Yue rubbed her eyes and smiled bitterly. Just what the hell is happening? And not just that, she could also see that she was no longer simply a blue venomous serpent. She was now aher touched serpent! What the hell was aher touched serpent? Since she was a cripple in her childhood, Tang Yue didn¡¯t have much to do with her life. She was also actively searching for her mother and refused to believe that her mother had abandoned her for so reason. So back then she had spent almost all her time researching the background and history records of her n. And she had never oncee across any species called the Nether-touched Serpents! All the serpentine n members belonged to the blue venomous serpent species. After thinking about it for a while, she could only helplessly ask the one person who could give some sort of answer to her. ¡°Master, who are these Nether-touched serpents? Are they also spirit beasts?¡± [Heh, Little snake. You gulped down so many souls and you still don¡¯t understand?] [They are your ancestors only. But they were eradicated a long time ago.] The old man vaguely answered. Tang Yue intently listened to the half-baked exnation and nodded her head, but a small thought popped up and her breathing became erratic. ¡°Master.. Master¡­ Does this mean that my soul is contaminated?¡± She hurriedly asked. [Eh? No. Nothing like that. If anything, your soul has be very strong.] [By the way, I think you haven¡¯t noticed it yet, but I went ahead and absorbed some of those disintegrated souls for myself.] [Cough¡­ Cough¡­ Just to help you.] The old man casually added. ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Yue blinked. He can do that? She already hated that the old man held so much power over her, but now he even dared to absorb her free goodies?! Just with whatever he had left her, she was already at Demi-God realm, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes turned into stars as she imagined just how high her level would have been boosted if she had absorbed the whole thing. This was simply uneptable!!! But the old man sensed her mood and quickly chimed in. [Before you say something you regret, you should know that your body would havepletely disintegrated and shattered by I had let you absorb the whole thing.] [So you should be thankful to me, dumb little snake.] ¡°Hmph.¡± Tang Yue begrudgingly snorted. This conniving bastard might be telling her the truth but she didn¡¯t dare believe himpletely. ¡°So I do get anything in return?¡± She asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest and tapping her fingers on her elbow. [Is saving your life not enough?] The old man chuckled heartily as if he found what she said to be extremely funny. [Okay. Okay. No need to act like a scorned woman. I changed the settings of the Lucky Sticker.] [You no longer have to lose half your soul strength to activate it.] [You only need a fraction of a realm.] [For instance, if you use a lucky sticker currently, your soul strength will be Bronze-tier Demi-God Soul, rather than Silver-tier Demi-God soul.] ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess that¡¯s very helpful.¡± Tang Yue mumbled, but she immediately fumed realizing that she has been scammed once again. ¡°Wait a minute, the strength gap between stages in Demi-God realm is not at allparable to the lower realm soul grades.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this still an overwhelming amount of soul strength for activating just one Lucky Sticker?¡± ¡°You are not losing out at all!!!¡± Her liver hurt and she cried, but the old man remained mum. ¡°How about you at least give me that sword art you promised?¡± ¡°I still can¡¯t get a hold of Marvin and I really want to train in swordy.¡± Tang Yue sighed and asked bitterly. But the system heartlessly chimed back. [Dream on, dumb little snake.] ¡°Can you at least stop calling me dumb?¡± [¡­.] Chapter 205: Exiled? Part3 Chapter 205: Exiled? Part3 Damn it old man. Why don¡¯t I kick your balls instead! Tang Yue cursed under her breath. She sighed in relief knowing that at least nothing was wrong with her soul and it was not corrupted. The snake flickered her long-forked tongue in and out and decided to ask about the other thing as well while they were still on that topic. ¡°Master, what are soul weapons?¡± [Tch. Such a powerful thing in a weakling¡¯s hand.] The old man snorted. [Imagine having an epic-grade beast as a pet. A soul weapon is much more powerful than that.] [Have you heard about the dwarven spirit weapons?] [Soul weapons are something even moreplex than those measly spirit weapons.] [It possesses a whole and unique soul all its own. Do you understand?] [A spirit weapon can gain only a bit of consciousness, but a soul weapon has the potential to be a higher being in itself.] [And also, unlike spirit weapons, the forging techniques to birth a soul weapon are not existent in the nine countries anymore.] Tang Yue gulped. She had something so ridiculous in her possession? It looked like the real treasure was in the worm¡¯s ass after all!!! [Don¡¯t daydream, dumb little snake. You have barely made a mark on that sword.] [Unless youpletely master it, it will always be a double-edged sword.] [You have to struggle constantly with its ego.] [You have to absolutely crush its resolve and dominate it with everything you got, else you will end up getting possessed.] ¡°Ok.¡± Tang Yue resolutely nodded. She had already felt its grip once and she didn¡¯t want to taste that feeling again. Now that these things were cleared up, she took a deep breath and checked the rest of her status screen again. After all, the most important thing that she was still waiting forid ahead, her evolution ability! Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes curiously peered over the list, scanning the things fast, and went straight down to the bottom, directly to her skills chart. ______________ Skills: [Lesser Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body by absorbing bloodlines; Only 50% bloodline is required for triggering evolution. [Bloodline Gorger] ¨C Passive skill, Able to absorb bloodlines from meat very efficiently. [Greater Illusion Magic] ¨C Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary disorienting spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to two realms. [Higher fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade fire. [Lesser Ice affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into low-grade ice. [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Paralyzing Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Level 40, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. [Paralyzing Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Level 40, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. [Venomous Hardened Armor] ¨C Passive skill, Scales covering the body areced with venom and are hardened. [Berserk] ¨C Active skill, Rage overwhelms the blood, body, mind, and soul and all abilities are enhanced for a few seconds. [Startle] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 20, Able to disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration. [Hide] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 20, Able to hide the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Disguise] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 5, Able to mask and morph the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Enve] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Level 0, Able to bend the mind of a lower realm target to will. ______________ Tang Yue gulped. It had finally happened! She lifted her fingers and absentmindedly touched the illusion screen, circling her finger over the specific detail. ¡°Lesser evolution.¡± She slowly read it. It had taken so many experience points and a lot of upgrades to get here, but she was finally there! Now she will be able to upgrade her body much more easily and with much fewer resources. More importantly, she will be able to absorb higher-grade bloodlines without massacring millions of beasts. After celebrating this small victory for a while, the snake nced at her abysmal regeneration rate right below her evolution skills and quickly closed the status screen in embarrassment. She then happily mused about which meat to pick first to try her upgraded evolution skills. Tang Yue had a whole array of high-grade beast meat at her disposal!! For each of the 12yers of hell, she had gained one high-grade beast corpse. Along with the two high-grade centipedes and the mid-grade golden ape, she had a whopping total of 15 high-quality beast meat in her possession. The snake clicked her tongue in delight and prepared herself to gobble up her first pray when she suddenly remembered the tyrant¡¯s presence near her! ¡°Fuck! How could I forget this!¡± She cursed herself. In her excitement, she had almost forgotten about the cold-blooded Crown Prince residing right next to her. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he was doing now. She was curious as to how someone like him will deal with the earth-shattering news that she had unloaded on him. ¡°Well, that¡¯s none of my business.¡± The snake shrugged and peeked outside to take a look. Since she was unable to do anything about her evolve abilities whilst she was still in the royal pce, she decided to head to the market and pick a suitable mission from the Missions Association. This could give her the perfect alibi for a short, sweet, and safe trip outside the pce, just enough to give her the freedom to evolve a few dozen times. He He. The snake hissed and lightly adjusted her appearance in the mirror. She then donned on a better robe and stepped outside of her chamber. Seeing that the coast was clear, she quickly hurried over to the main door, exiting the Crown¡¯s private quarters. Just when she was almost out of the danger zone, she saw two figures rushing towards her. ¡°Lotte?¡± Tang Yue stopped and patiently waited for the elf to reach her. ¡°Slow down. Slow down.¡± She chuckled and signaled Lotte to calm down. On his hands, wiggling restlessly was a small snow white wolf with blue streaks on its body. As soon as Lotte reached closer to her, the pup instantly shook the elf¡¯s grasp and took one big leap,nding smoothly on Tang Yue¡¯s somewhat outreached arms. ¡°Ha Ha Ha.¡± She chuckled at the small thing¡¯s shenanigans. Chapter 206: Exiled? Part4 Chapter 206: Exiled? Part4 ¡°A, my dear. Did you miss me too much?¡± Tang Yue revealed a kind loving smile that made her look a hundred times more beautiful than her usual self, almost ethereal. The pup having understood her, nudged its head on her neck and was licking her and rubbing against her vigorously. ¡°Ha Ha Ha.¡± Tang Yue giggled as the small thing¡¯s movements were tickling her. Ah¡­ Lotte watched these two y with each other speechlessly, his mouth wide page. Why are you ying so innocently like this, Princess?!!! HAVEN¡¯T YOU HEARD ANYTHING YET?? He screamed inside. Lotte gulped and swallowed his saliva, and nervously mumbled. ¡°Umm¡­ Your highness. A new royal verdict has been issued in Eldoria.¡± ¡°Oh! What is it?¡± Tang Yue casually asked, still ying with Little Blue. ¡°This¡­¡± Lotte hesitated. ¡°This verdict is actually directly issued from the Emperor¡¯s high-council.¡± He exined. Thisst part piqued Tang Yue¡¯s interest as she turned towards him and asked again. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°That¡­ Princess¡­ You are exiled¡­¡± Lotte slowly replied. His head was bent down not knowing how to face the princess. He was really pained and saddened to bring such sad news to her. On the other end, Tang Yue seemed to be pretty rxed even after hearing that. In fact, she looked happier? ¡°What? What? Are you serious?¡± Setting Little Blue on the ground, she held Lotte¡¯s shoulders and shook the elf frantically. Fuck Yassssss! She screamed inwardly. This must be her luckiest day. The good news just kept oning!!! Lotte was slightly frightened. Has the Princess be too upset and lost her mind? He wondered. The elf hurried up and exined the whole thing in detail. ¡°Your highness. Please don¡¯t worry. All hope is not lost yet. Others might say hurtful things. Please don¡¯t listen to them.¡± He tried to reassure her first. Tang Yue chuckled. No. No. Please hurt me. Say that I am banished. She danced on her toes as if she had to pee urgently. ¡°I apologize your highness. I don¡¯t know more details regarding this. No one does. Only the higher authorities are privy to this information.¡± ¡°I came here to inform you that her highness, the Empress wants to see you urgently and talk to you personally about this.¡± Lotte solemnly spoke and bowed. He could only pray in his heart that this matter was not as serious as everyone is making it to be. All the other consorts were almost in a celebratory mood and it irritated him. Why was this princess being treated so unfairly? Lotte sighed. ¡°So it¡¯s not a simple exile huh?¡± Tang Yue muttered pensively. She was very puzzled about this sudden development. Did Charlotte do something? She pondered as she walked towards Empress Freya¡¯s private pce quarters, followed by Little Blue and Lotte. When the trio reached there, both Little Blue and Lotte were stopped at the entrance itself, allowing only Tang Yue to proceed forward. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± Tang Yue humbly bowed after entering the huge royal chamber. By now she was very anxious. Please exile me. Please exile me. She prayed inside her heart. Tang Yue trembled slightly as she felt the elf¡¯s intense gaze on her. It felt very familiar. Just like her tyrannical son, the Empress also had a very simr blood-curdling look. ¡°Mmmm.¡± Freya finally nodded in acknowledgment of Tang Yue¡¯s greeting. For some reason, she suddenly looked much angrier than she had at their earlier meeting a while ago. ¡°You sure took your sweet time toe see me.¡± Her cold and arrogant voice sounded. Freya was not a bad person, but at the same time, when it came to her son, she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to bring him down, let alone a spirit beast such as Tang Yue. She didn¡¯t know what tricks this sly woman used to seduce her son, but this was her end. ¡°I apologize, your highness. I was unwell and unable to meet you prior to this morning.¡± Tang Yue bowed again and muttered. Maybe it was because she already had a foot in the Demi-God realm, she didn¡¯t feel as nervous as before. She just calmly and patiently answered, with all the respect that an Empress deserved, but at the same time, she was not meek and subservient. Though something did irk Tang Yue. The big chamber was unusually empty and only the Empress and herself were present. Why was everyone being so secretive? She wondered. ¡°Hmph. Such a convenient time to fall sick!¡± Freya snorted angrily. ¡°Come here and take this.¡± She added. A small crystal floated on her hand, that had a slightly green hue to it. Tang Yue slowly walked closer to her and bowed and epted the crystal. ¡°This is a top-quality disguise rune. Crush it.¡± She said. Tang Yue curiously crushed the small crystal gem, a gem that she didn¡¯t recognize. Suddenly, a loud whooshing sound echoed and she found herself enveloped by a bright light. A warm fluffy feeling engulfed her body and the next instant everything went back to normal. Huh? Tang Yue was confused. What just happened? Her gaze then casually flickered down and saw something utterly ridiculous. Her slender and alluring body that could topple nations was reced by a short and stout dark brown-skinned figure. ¡°What?¡± Tang Yue gasped loudly. She looked at Empress Freya¡¯s face and saw that the woman was smiling in amusement. Bitch! Tang Yue cursed inside. She lifted her arms as well and checked her body multiple times from top to bottom. All of a sudden, she looked like a hideous dwarf; not that dwarves, in general, were bad-looking. They were slightly shorter in height but there were many lean and muscr dwarves who looked quite handsome and strong. However, the one Tang Yue resembled was particrly nasty looking. She couldn¡¯t see her full face yet, but she could clearly see the boundary of a big fat pimple on her nose. To a woman this was sphemy! Damn it!! The snake cursed her bad luck. ¡°Heh. You can examine yourselfter. Don¡¯t waste my time.¡± Freya smugly chided the snake dwarf in front of her. ¡°There is a tattoo on your arm. If you drip blood on it. You can revert to your original self.¡± ¡°I will give you a few more crystals to change back and forth from this disguise if needed.¡± ¡°The details of your new identity are in this jade slip.¡± Freya handed Tang Yue a small silk pouch containing the things she needed. ¡°Your task is to enter the Dwarven empire with this disguise and learn their spirit weapon smithing technique.¡± ¡°You must not allow yourself to be exposed while you are there.¡± ¡°If you are by chance exposed, then you should immediately end your life.¡± ¡°You only have until the end of next lunar cycle to finish this task and you must aplish this task at all costs. ¡°If you fail to aplish this task, then you will be exiled from Eldoria and stripped off all your titles.¡± Freya exined all the details one by one and Tang Yue silently bowed and nodded in response. However, there was a subtle glint in her emerald eyes. ¡°Am I making myself clear?¡± ¡°And you cannot tell anyone about this. This is a royal secret. Do you understand?¡± ¡°If I or anyone else senses any disobedience in this, you will be immediately executed,¡± Freya eximed. She then stood and left the chamber, indirectly indicating that the conversation was over and there was nothing else to discuss. Tang Yue lifted her head and silently gazed at the disappearing figure of the Empress. There was neither shock nor fear on her face, she only had a look of cold indifference. ¡°Heh.¡± She chuckled lightly. Lotte was wrong¡­ This was not an exile. This was a simple and clean execution order! Tang Yue¡¯s now chubby and hairy knuckles popped loudly as she clenched her fists tightly. She didn¡¯t exactly know the reason for this sudden development, but she could tell that this had something to do with thebyrinth. Did they by chance think that she had obtained that weird inheritance for herself? Hmmm¡­ So what even if she did? So many people had participated in thebyrinth exploration. Anyone could have seeded and obtained that inheritance. Did they not expect this oue when they let so many people in? Or was this because of the human being that she came in contact with? Did Xander not believe her story? Was he behind this? If so why wasn¡¯t he man enough to directly kill her? He probably didn¡¯t because he couldn¡¯t justify executing a princess of the Serpentine Empire in public. So they handed out an impossible task to her and used a very roundabout way to execute her. Tang Yue did not know or understand why things had escted suddenly to such an extreme state. Her long-forked tongue hissed with amusement and anger. She was already a foot into the Demi-God realm, but it didn¡¯t matter. She was still just a ything to these elves. When will she finally be able to break out of this invisible prison? Tang Yue silently bit her lips as she felt a boundless rage surging within her. Chapter 207: I am coming with you Part1 Chapter 207: I aming with you Part1 Once the Empress left the chamber, Tang Yue returned back to the Crown¡¯s quarters in the royal pce. She broke the dwarf disguise and reverted back to her serpentine human form for now in order to not arouse any suspicions. Even though the Empress said that this was a royal secret, she doubted how safely this particr secret would be guarded. They already intended to kill her off, so why would they bother hiding this news? Tang Yue sat down on her bed silently for several hours as she gazed at the orchids in the courtyard. She didn¡¯t move or say anything. She silently gazed at the beautiful purple orchids swaying in the gentle wind. They had no other choice but to sway in the direction of the wind. If they dared to stand against the wind, they would only get uprooted and wilt. As Tang Yue silently sat contemting various things in her mind, Lotte as well stood next to her, waiting for her orders. He was extremely worried. He had hoped that the rumors were false and that there would be some good news but didn¡¯t seem to be the case. After a while, Tang Yue wordlessly stood up and started throwing in several things into her space pearl. This was not her home after all, so it didn¡¯t take her long to collect her things and pack everything that she needed. Tang Yue hadn¡¯t mentioned anything, but Hinata herself had prepared huge portions of roasted meat of different beasts and had brought it to her. They were all things she had previously eaten, but Tang Yue appreciated the kindness and the sentiment in the gesture and epted it with a smile. Though Hinata was not with her as long as Lotte had been, she still hade to like her humble and kind attitude very much and was greatly disheartened to see her subjected to such unfair treatment. Watching Hinata bidding goodbye to the Princess, Lotte¡¯s already red eyes glistened again, and a couple of loud sobs escaped the elf¡¯s whimpering lips. ¡°You fool. Stop crying so much. It¡¯s not like I am being executed.¡± Tang Yue chuckled sarcastically. To others, she was merely being exiled back to the serpentine n for the time being. But in reality, she was heading to her grave¡­ However, it was not necessary to tell Lotte that. ¡°Make sure toe to visit me when you get a chance.¡± She smiled lightly and prepared to leave. Little Blue followed her innocently, not knowing what was happening. And just like that, in a matter of minutes, Tang Yue was ready to leave the pce. There was no farewell. There was no pomp and show. It felt appropriate to her that she was leaving just as silently as she hade here. As she reached near the main door, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but stop at the entrance of the Crown¡¯s quarters and turn around to look at the man¡¯s chamber. Was he in there? Does he know that I am leaving? She paused for a few minutes. Heh. She then chuckled. Of course, he knew. How could everything happen without his consent? She shook her head disappointedly and then continued to walk out. Somehow everything felt anti-climatic. She never expected him to care about her, let alone show any concern for her, but she also couldn¡¯t forget the warmth and kindness she saw on his clone¡¯s face when he was trying to rescue her from the glow worm. She had then heard about how the man had personally rescued her and brought her back to the royal pce. Even though she didn¡¯t expect anything from him in the first ce, all these things had unknowingly shaken her emotions a bit. So it was slightly unsettling to know that the man hadn¡¯t cared about her at all from the very beginning. Now that she thought about it¡­ The man might have simply carried her to the pce and treated her so that he could search for any traces of any treasures. It was rather foolish of her to attach any other meaning to that action. Tang Yue chuckled and put the ridiculous thoughts in her brain away. She didn¡¯t rely on him before and she did not n to rely on him now. So what if these people are sending her to her death? She, Tang Yue, was not someone who went down so easily. She might lose out in the end, but she sure was going to put up a good fight. The elves might not realize it but she had a n of her own. They might have sent her on this mission to kill her but little did they know that she had indeed nned for the exact same thing to happen. The Tang Yue who was leaving now was never going to return. She was going to fake her own death and thereby giving everyone what they wanted. ¡°We will see who wins this game.¡± The snake chuckled and headed out. As usual, she plopped the space pearl in her mouth and switched to her serpentine form, slithering through the pce grounds at high speed, but she didn¡¯t entirely leave the royal pce. She slithered to a corner of the pce and directly dove straight into one of the small holes on the ground in the pce gardens. She then used the small tunnels underground and slithered away further and further from the pce grounds. With her newly upgraded hardened scales, she found it very easy to burrow from one end of Eldoria to the deep interiors of the eastern forests. She reached there unexpectedly very fast. If she was the one hell-bent on killing someone else, she wouldn¡¯t wait a lot to finish off her target. So Tang Yue assumed that the elves who wanted her dead most probably had men prepared to follow her as soon as she left the pce. So she had taken this additional step to ensure her safety. Tang Yue was unsure if what she had done was enough to catch off guard the numerous tails which she expected to be on her, but this was all she got. Ultimately, everything depended on the disguise rune crystal. Chapter 208: I am coming with you Part2 Chapter 208: I aming with you Part2 Tang Yue made sure that there was no beast or higher being present near her and slithered out from under the ground. The soil was very mushy and soggy and she could tell that she was currently at the bottom of a marsh. ¡°Perfect.¡± The snake slithered and coiled herself at the bottom of a small marshy spot. She then spat out her space pearl in the dirty muddy water. She retrieved the rune crystal from the space pearl and quickly bit the crystal with her fangs to burst it open. Instantly, the long coiled pale blue snake disappeared and a slightly short and stout brown-skinned figure appeared. To Tang Yue¡¯s dismay, the pimple on her nose was still atrge. ¡°Damn it.¡± Her hoarse voice cursed out loud. She picked up the space pearl with her chubby finger and swam upwards. She gurgled the dirty water out of her mouth and got her naked fat body out of the marsh waters. Tang Yue worriedly nced at her new body that would at least stick with her for the next few months and sighed inwardly. So ugly! While a woman¡¯s body was a work of art, a man¡¯s body was more utilitarian and was often not a pleasant sight to see. Moreover, Tang Yue also had to look at and digest the presence of the small protruding little brother from her hips. ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.¡± She cursed again. Why must my life be so difficult? She shook her head. She was just an innocent little girl who had never even fallen in love yet, but she had already lost her first kiss, molested other women, and now had even seen a man naked. Damn it all. Tang Yue cried and took out a silk cloth from her space pearl to dry herself up. Unlike the elves, the dwarves had an affinity to the earth elemental. She didn¡¯t want to be careless and use her fire magic to give her new identity away. Tang Yue also retrieved a set of clean clothes and donned on a makeshift robe. ¡°Ok, this will do for now.¡± She shook her head and sighed dejectedly. She tossed her spatial rings and the pearl into her robe and hung a pouch around her waist with a few gold coins. She took her time and made sure that absolutely everything looked perfect. Only then, she started walking from that spot, and surprisingly she was headed in the direction of Eldoria again. Tang Yue wanted to take a fewps in the city market and stay in the capital city¡¯s inn for one more night to see if anyone sniffed out her disguise. This was very vital to her survival. After all, she was headed all the way to the southern part of Xion, all dependent on this single disguise crystal. So she definitely had to test out its uracy. More importantly, she only had at max a couple of days to do this. Right now, Eldoria was crawling with higher beings with several different races. But soon, one after the other, everyone would be leaving the city and head back to their own country now that thebyrinth exploration was over. This was also a perfect time for Tang Yue to blend in with the others and leave for the Dwarven empire along with the other dwarves. Her first challenge was to safely leave Eldoria and get to the Dwarven Empire without arousing any doubts. Everything else can always be figured outter on. Engrossed deeply in her thoughts, Tang Yue slowly walked out of the forests and headed towards the city boundary. But not long after she started walking, she heard a set of footsteps behind her. Noises of twigs snapping and leaves rustling also sounded behind her. Tang Yue¡¯s feet instantly halted. Her heart rate quickened and she silently hissed at her bad luck. ¡°Was her disguise already found out?¡± She hesitantly turned around to see who or what wasing towards her. At the same time, she also unsheathed her soul sword, ready forbat and to block any iing attack. But unexpectedly, the figure standing behind her was a familiar one. A mesmerizing beautiful elven woman stood hesitantly, her cheeks lightly blushing and her head turned away in embarrassment. ¡°I¡­ I¡­¡± Charlotte stammered. Tang Yue gasped inwardly. Her big fierce eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. What the hell?? What is this damned woman doing here??? She was absolutely gobsmacked. Imagine going through so much trouble and disguising every little thing about you, only to find out that your frenemy instantly discovered you! Tang Yue refused to admit defeat so easily and she awkwardly chortled. ¡°What a prettydy!!¡± She shed a disgusting smile. ¡°Can I perhaps help you, my beautiful princess?¡± Tang Yue mumbled and patiently waited for Charlotte¡¯s response. She had a faint hope in her heart that this random unexpected meeting was just another fucking random coincidence. But as soon as she spoke, Charlotte¡¯s cheeks only reddened further. She heard the words beautiful and pretty and immediately reddened. The elf bit her lips and awkwardly replied. ¡°Sis¡­ Tang¡­ Princess Tang Yue, I know that it is you.¡± Of course! Why wouldn¡¯t you! Tang Yue smiled bitterly. This only confirmed her worst fears. The elves had even messed with her disguise crystal. Tang Yue chuckled coldly with her deep hoarse voice and looked at the elf indifferently. ¡°What¡¯s up, Lady Charlotte? Why have youe all the way here seeking me?¡± Charlotte immediately grimaced. She hated this cold and distant tone with which Tang Yue was speaking with her. ¡°Please, I have nothing to do with what is happening¡­ You have to believe me.¡± She started hurriedly exining. Tang Yue calmly raised her short chubby finger with a hairy knuckle and ced it on the elf¡¯s lips to stop her rant. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I understand.¡± She curtly said. ¡°It¡¯s best you stop following me.¡± She turned around and started walking. Since she now knew that her disguise was clearly wed, she didn¡¯t want to waste time cleaning someone else¡¯s conscience and pacifying their guilt. Chapter 209: I am coming with you Part3 Chapter 209: I aming with you Part3 ¡°No. No. Wait. Hear me out. I came here to help you. No¡­ Rather I just want to pay back for the things that I owe you.¡± ¡°Can you please wait?¡± Charlotte worriedly called after the dwarven fatty. Tang Yue stopped. ¡°Fine. Just make it fast.¡± She was rather rude to her because she didn¡¯t want to prolong this awkward exchange. Charlotte nodded and quickly fished out a small pouch from within her silver robes and handed it to Tang Yue. ¡°This is a new set of disguise crystals. I¡­ I got it from my dad¡¯s collection.¡± ¡°These should definitely be better than the ones you have and also much safer. No one knows the identity of the dwarf in this disguise.¡± ¡°With this, you definitely will not get caught in the dwarven empire.¡± She hurriedly exined. Tang Yue opened the pouch and looked inside to see several small gems with a bright green hue. She gazed at the gems for a while and then looked at Charlotte. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Tang Yue asked. Her voice and gaze were both cold and stern. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be indebted to anyone,¡± Charlotte replied. She looked directly at Tang Yue, well the dwarf Tang Yue, and sincerely mouthed the words. She looked very earnest but Tang Yue still couldn¡¯t bring herself to trust the elfpletely. She sighed and put the pouch inside her robes. ¡°Ok. Thank you then for your kindness.¡± She replied and turned to head back. ¡°Wait. Wait. Wait.¡± Charlotte called after the dwarf again. ¡°What now?¡± Tang Yue irritatedly asked. She was not particrly mad at Charlotte. As someone who was justpletely screwed over for no reason, she was simply in a very unpleasant mood in general. ¡°That¡­ I am alsoing with you.¡± She clutched the edges of her robes and resolutely mumbled. ¡°Huh? Where? To the market?¡± Tang Yue was confused. ¡°No. I aming with you to the Dwarven Empire.¡± Charlotte repeated her words, exining better this time. ¡°Eh? Why would you do that?¡± Tang Yue waspletely perplexed. ¡°I promise I won¡¯t be a burden to you. I will thoroughly blend in. I just want to experience some things in life.¡± ¡°You definitely won¡¯t regret this. Even if some unexpected danger arises, won¡¯t it be better if I am there with you?¡± ¡°I have all sorts of stuff from my father¡¯s collections. A lot of treasures. You will definitely not lose out by including me.¡± The elf ranted on for a while, and Tang Yue patiently listened. Everything she heard was absolutely ridiculous and Tang Yue just couldn¡¯t understand why Charlotte was going through so much trouble. Even though the elf was listing out so many plus points rapidly, there was no doubt in Tang Yue¡¯s mind that this pompousdy would only be a headache for her in the future. But then again, Charlotte was a Saint realm expert with really good sword skills and if she faced any unexpected ambushes, it would be very helpful to have anotherbat expert with her. Tang Yue hesitated. These were both advantages and disadvantages to having Charlotte with her, but ultimately she decided to risk things a bit. She had no idea just what sort of obstacles she would face in the dwarven empire. So in the end, it was still better to travel with an ally. ¡°Fine. Umm¡­ You cane with me. I still don¡¯t understand why you are doing this, but I hope you don¡¯t make me regret this decision.¡± Tang Yue sighed and mumbled. ¡°No. No. Of course. You will definitely not regret this.¡± Charlotte revealed a big and bubbly smile, lighting up the entire forest. Tang Yue chuckled at the sight of the elf¡¯s carefree face. She didn¡¯t know that this woman had such a cute side to her apart from the usually plotting and the scheming angry face. Tang Yue crushed one of the new green gems which Charlotte had given her and her appearance again started changing. She was still brown-skinned and slightly short like before but the godforsaken pimple had disappearedpletely. The robe she was wearing also loosened as her new body was a lot more lean and muscr. Charlotte looked at her intently and nodded and gave her a thumbs-up, after examining the end result. This appearance really suited Tang Yue! Dwarf Tang Yue looked like a gentle and kind schr with a handsome and elegant appearance. Her eyes didn¡¯t have the ferocity and her stature was less overwhelming. Anyone who looked at her now would have the inclination to call her a sissy and tease her, but they wouldn¡¯t feel threatened at all. Shepletelycked the raw hoarse brutish nature of a dwarf. This was a good thing but also a bad thing, but Tang Yue had no other option to use this identity since her previous identity was most definitelypromised. Even though she felt ufortable being disguised as the opposite gender, this body¡¯s proportions made her feel more at ease. She at least didn¡¯t feel repulsed by it, so it was not too bad altogether. While Tang Yue adjusted the robe wrapping around her new body, Charlotte also took out another disguise crystal and crushed it in between her fingers. Instantly, her figure as well morphed and the elven girl suddenly sprouted two cute fox ears, instead of her elven ears. ¡°What are you?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked. ¡°I am a vixen elf hybrid.¡± Charlotte giggled. Clearly, she was more excited than Tang Yue to go on this adventure. With two light brown long furry ears popping out of her head and a small fluffy tail behind her back, the woman looked absolutely adorable. Her tinum blond hair was now a shade of brown, but it still looked stunning and suited her appearance. Somehow she was even more beautiful in her current form and was very eye-catching. ¡°Umm¡­ Charlotte, isn¡¯t this a bit too much? We can¡¯t blend in like this?¡± Tang Yue awkwardly asked. After all, they were not role-ying in the middle of the forest to have some naughty fun, they were headed towards a hostile empire to do a serious mission. ¡°No. No. It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Charlotte answered. Chapter 210: The young master is bent Part1 Chapter 210: The young master is bent Part1 ¡°No. No. It¡¯s not over yet.¡± Charlotte answered. She then hesitated and turned around, revealing her milky white smooth back to Tang Yue, and hurriedly started undressing. Tang Yue was going to turn around to give her some privacy but she kept wondering how a vixen had such a smooth back and no hair at all and ended up staring at her the whole time. Inside her body, the old man¡¯s soul was quivering with delight. His nasal voice chimed in and happily eximed. [See, because of my meddling, how colorful your life is now! You have gotten yourself quite a powerful ally!] ¡°Shut up.¡± Tang Yue sighed and ignored the damned system. She had a bad premonition that weirder and weirder quests were going to pop out now. Charlotte didn¡¯t take a lot of time and quickly changed her entire attire. She was no longer wearing her exquisite jewels or her beautifully crafted silver robe. She now wore a slightly tattered dark and gloomy dirty green robe. She had also covered her head and half her face and wore thick cuffs on both her legs and her hands. ¡°This is a ve¡¯s attire!¡± Tang Yue gasped loudly. She couldn¡¯t believe that the high and mighty daughter of a noble elven family would dress up as a ve just to apany her. Beast hybrids were verymonly traded ves, so this outfit and disguise perfectly suited her. But why was she going to such an extent just to help her? ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tang Yue muttered and started walking. She didn¡¯t know what to make of all of these new developments, but at the end of the day, she felt slightly moved by Charlotte¡¯s meticulous efforts. She had indeed helped her out a lot. If not for Charlotte, Tang You would have really suffered from thepromised identity. Thanks to her, the duo walking through the forest really looked like just another pair of adventurers, a dwarf, and his ve. After walking for a while, Tang Yue realized that she had missed something vital and turned to ask her newpanion. ¡°Hey, how did you find me?¡± ¡°Ah~¡± A small blush crept up in the vixen¡¯s face. ¡°That¡­ That¡­¡± She hesitated to answer the question. ¡°I ced a small tracking rune on you when you were unconscious these past couple of days.¡± ¡°I overheard my dad talking to my mom. They were saying that you would most probably get exiled or sent to some dangerous ce.¡± ¡°So I thought¡­¡± She looked guilty and mumbled. ¡°You¡­ you!!¡± Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. She could tell that the elf genuinely cared about her. ¡°Your father knows that you are doing this?¡± She asked. ¡°No.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I told him I am going into seclusion, so he won¡¯te searching for me.¡± Tang Yue nodded and asked again. ¡°He knows that you took a lot of things? The treasures that you mentioned?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± The elf cheekily replied. Tang Yue chuckled. She could barely hold in herughter. This girl! She had really taken the old General for a ride! The two of them soon reached the Eldorian borders and continued to walk to the market. Several heads turned in their direction, but no one nced at them a second time. In the bustling market, they easily blended into the crowd, and thus far, no red gs were raised. ¡°What are we buying?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°Maybe some appropriate clothes?¡± Tang Yue answered. Unlike the elf, who had sufficient time to prepare for this journey, she had gotten this information sort ofst minute and so was not adequately prepared. She also wanted to replenish all her potions, other herbs, and meat that she might require. As soon as she thought about meat, Tang Yue¡¯s mind wandered to Little Blue who she had to unfortunately abandon. If she had known that things would turn out this way, she could have easily asked Charlotte to bring Little Blue. But now it was toote. Lotte would not give up Little Blue to a random dwarf stranger and she also did not want to reveal her identity. Though it pained her, there was no other option but to give up on that innocent furball for now. Tang Yue understood this, but nevertheless, it made her a bit sad. The duo continued casually walking to one of the cloth stores. They didn¡¯t talk to each other a lot since Masters were rarely that nice to ves and maintained a distance from each other. Tang Yue went inside the store and bought a bunch of robes from the vendor. Charlotte silently stood behind her with her head bent low. But the vendor elf still got a whiff of her. ¡°Mate, where did you buy this ve? She looks extremely top quality!¡± ¡°Hai. Hai. Just found her by chance in the market the other day. She costed me a lot.¡± The schrly-looking dwarf Tang Yue smirked and waved her hand. Her actions were fluid and she didn¡¯t break into any awkward pause. She was really getting into the character. ¡°Would you be interested in exchanging her with mine? I can pay you a hefty amount!!¡± The elf greedily smiled. ¡°Should I?¡± Tang Yue grinned and looked at Charlotte who hurriedly shook her head. The elven vendor on the other hand was not too pleased with this reaction. ¡°How dare a ve behave like this? You need some disciplining!¡± He gruffly mumbled. Since Tang Yue looked like a harmless easily bullied dwarf dude, he stepped up his game and started trying to strong-arm her. ¡°Give that half breed to me. I will thoroughly discipline her. You can take my snake in exchange.¡± ¡°Snakes are the new trend in Eldoria. All the snake ves get bought out in seconds in the market.¡± ¡°You just count yourself lucky for this trade.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s face immediately changed. Her gentle and kind eyes had a glint in them and her aura darkened. You want to trade my own kind as a ve with me? She seethed inwardly. She didn¡¯t want to engage in this conversation any longer and started walking away from the shop after throwing a couple of gold coins as payment for the clothes. Charlotte as well obediently followed behind her. ¡°You¡­!¡± The elven vendor angrily shouted behind them. ¡°Wimpy little bastard. Don¡¯t even know what¡¯s good for you!¡± He grumbled watching their disappearing figures. Chapter 211: The young master is bent Part2 Chapter 211: The young master is bent Part2 ¡°Sorry Tang Yue. I am only making more trouble for you.¡± Charlotte silently mumbled after leaving the shop. She felt bad for drawing unnecessary attention. ¡°Meh. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± She chuckled. Her gloomy and angry mood had dissipated. ¡°When ites to attracting trouble, I am much more talented than you. So having you around is really not that big a deal.¡± That is if you don¡¯t double-cross me¡­ But Tang Yue didn¡¯t say thatst part out loud. The duo then walked around for quite a bit before heading into the meat market. Tang Yue didn¡¯t know when she would get the chance to upgrade her bloodline again, but she wanted to gather some more mid-grade and high-grade beast meat if possible. She had a lot of gold left from Xander¡¯s spatial rings and she didn¡¯t n on returning anything back to that cold-hearted bastard. Just as she was heading towards the chop shops, a familiar fatty caught her eyes near one of the gem traders. Marvin was standing in front of the stall and was loudly arguing with the shop owner about something. A wicked smile appeared on Tang Yue¡¯s schrly kind face and she started walking towards that shop. He He He. It looks like I am finally going to be able to get my hands on that sword technique. She chuckled inwardly, celebrating her godly luck. Charlotte as well had noticed Marvin but she didn¡¯t question Tang Yue and quietly followed her. As they neared the shop, Marvin¡¯s loud voice promptly assaulted their ears. ¡°You better agree to my trade while I am still in a good mood! Otherwise, you won¡¯t even get a copper in return for your useless crap.¡± ¡°Ho Ho Ho. If it¡¯s so useless, then why does young master Marvin want to buy it so stubbornly.¡± The elf harrumphed. There were very few people in Eldoria who could stand up to Marvin but it looked like this shopkeeper had some guts. Most probably he is backed up by someone in the royal family. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t act so brashly. Tang Yue was impressed with him. She walked closer and peeked to take a look at what exactly had brought about this discussion. In front of the seated shopkeeper, there were two ss vials with a small ten-colored nt. ¡°Oh! This herb!¡± Tang Yue nodded. Now she had somewhat understood what was going on. This was the same herb she had picked out back in the banks of thebyrinth¡¯s azureke. A few other people must have also collected it and now it was going around the market for trading. She herself had a few hundreds of these herbs and here, this fatty was losing his steam over a measly couple. Tang Yue grinned. As soon as he saw a dwarf wandering towards the store, Marvin was rmed and he instantly became defensive. Already his day was very bad with this haughty shopkeeper refusing to trade the herbs with him for gold. He only wanted high-quality ores and gems in exchange for these herbs and Marvin didn¡¯t have any with him at the moment. He was an alchemist. Why would he carry around precious ores and gems? He tried asking the shopkeeper for a loan and he could always pay back the high-quality orester on, but the damned elf was also not agreeing to that. Now to make matters worse, a dwarf had even approached the store. ¡°Hey, you. Can¡¯t you see that we are busy here? Get lost.¡± Marvin shouted and immediately tried to get rid of this dangerous intruder. Since Tang Yue looked very harmless and innocent, Marvin didn¡¯t hold back at all. He brought down the hammer with full force. ¡°Heh. What are you talking about? Isn¡¯t this a market street and is this shop not open?¡± Tang Yue smirked. She then looked towards the shopkeeper for a response with a smug look on her face. The shopkeeper simply grunted and nodded. He didn¡¯t know if the dwarf in front of him was worth anything, so he didn¡¯t involve himself in the squabble. His indifferent response only egged Marvin more. The chubby elf huffed and puffed in anger. His patience had been tested a little too much today! ¡°If I myself don¡¯t have something that¡¯s worth your attention, then how do you expect this wastrel to have anything worth trading?¡± He scoffed at the shopkeeper. And then he turned around and yelled at Tang Yue again. ¡°Are you still standing here?¡± Tang Yue ignored him and calmly asked the shopkeeper. ¡°I am also interested in those two herbs. What do you want for those?¡± ¡°SHUT THE HELL UP! What nonsense are you spouting?? They are already sold. Get out of here.¡± Marvin shouted, his saliva spewing all over on Tang Yue. ¡°Bleh.¡± Tang Yue made an expression as if she was disgusted remark and wiped her face. ¡°Behave yourself, you little fatso.¡± Since she was a dwarf now, she conveniently feigned ignorance of who the almighty young master was. ¡°How¡­ How dare you talk like this to me??!! Do you even know who I am???¡± Marvin was livid with anger. Did every Tom, Dick, and Harry think that they can walk all over him?? You have got to be kidding me!! ¡°I don¡¯t really care who the heck you are. Just move aside and let me do my business.¡± She arrogantly snorted. The elf¡¯s face paled but he simmered down unexpectedly. ¡°Hmph. I will see what makes you sound so arrogant. Take out what you have.¡± ¡°Heh. How can trash like you afford these herbs?¡± He grumbled and stood on the side, with his arms crossed in front of him, waiting for Tang Yue to make a fool out of herself. ¡°Are you injured in your head or what? Why do I have to show my items to you?¡± ¡°I will make a deal or not make a deal with the shopkeeper. That is entirely my business. Just who the heck are you?¡± Tang Yue spat out condescendingly. Hearing her words, Marvin almost lost itpletely. He didn¡¯t want to get into any unnecessary trouble right now because he was dealing with something sensitive on the down low, namely nning the execution of one hateful snake. But this bastard in front of him was equally annoying. He almost lost all his self-control and wanted to kill him right this instant, even if it was thest thing he did. Marvin himself didn¡¯t understand why this sissy dwarven pretty boy made him so inexplicably angry!!! Chapter 212: The young master is bent Part3 Chapter 212: The young master is bent Part3 ¡°Enough. Both of you! Don¡¯t make a ruckus in front of my shop.¡± The shopkeeper angrily grumbled. As if he hadn¡¯t noticed that the remark was also directed towards him, Marvin simply shrugged his shoulders and signaled Tang Yue to proceed. The elf arrogantly sneered in contempt. ¡°Let¡¯s see what you got bitch.¡± He muttered under his breath, but loud enough for Tang Yue to hear. Tang Yue smirked. She then reached inside her robes and took out a small glittering gem right in front of the elf¡¯s haughty gaze. As soon as he saw the gem in the dwarf¡¯s hand, Marvin immediately started panicking. How could he not recognize what it was?? It was a very high-quality pitch-ck pearl!! It was not an extremely precious or rare gem but it was enough to create a hugemotion and chaos in the auction house every time it showed up. The shopkeeper¡¯s eyes instantly widened. He didn¡¯t have any use for the two herbs in his possession but this pearl could fetch him a boatload of gold once he inscribes a rune on it. He immediately changed his attitude towards the weak-looking dwarf and started pandering. ¡°Thank you for your patronage, good sir. I will be more than happy to exchange these two herbs for this pearl.¡± ¡°I can even give you some other items if you are not satisfied with just these two herbs.¡± He hurriedly spoke. ¡°YOU¡­ You can¡¯t do that.¡± Marvin shouted from the side. ¡°We already made a deal. You can¡¯t give away those two herbs.¡± ¡°You just want this ck pearl? I will have someone fetch something far more precious from my house RIGHT NOW!¡± He shouted. The shopkeeper rubbed his temples and shook his head. ¡°Young master Marvin, you have been standing here and arguing with me for quite a while.¡± ¡°You could have already done this from the beginning and we wouldn¡¯t be in this situation right now.¡± Even though the shopkeeper said these words, he knew full well that it was not so easy to whip out a ck pearl just like that. Marvin grit his teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense. I am telling you now. I will give you the same ck pearl in a few minutes. Trade with me.¡± He said. By now Tang Yue had already passed over the pearl to the shopkeeper who looked like he was embarrassed. ¡°~Ah. Sorry, young master Marvin. I hope you can give me some face. Don¡¯t make things difficult for me.¡± ¡°Hey dumbass! Can¡¯t you see that the deal is already over? Why are you still making a ruckus?¡± Tang Yue scoffed rudely and added fuel to the fire. She even went ahead and looked at him as if he was a filthy disgusting pig. Since she was going to be leaving for the Dwarven empire soon, she didn¡¯t hold back at all. ¡°You. Shut the hell up. Who do you think you are talking to?¡± Marvin fumed in anger, making the fat in his body jiggle. ¡°Listen to me. This bitch will leave from here soon, dead or alive. But have you forgotten that you have to sit here every day for the rest of your life?¡± Marvin seethed with a grave look on his face. ¡°Are you threatening me, young master Marvin?¡± The shopkeeper asked. ¡°I just trying to look out for you. We wouldn¡¯t want any mishap to fall on your brothers or your children, right?¡± Marvin smiled. ¡°Hmm¡­ You leave me no other choice but to report you to the Crown Prince, young master Marvin.¡± The shopkeeper immediately shrugged. Not just him, anyone in the market district would have done that. After Xander took charge, he had taken a lot of effort to make sure that no one was strong-armed by the noble families. So he didn¡¯t submit to Marvin just with these superficial threats. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be able to do any business here at all. Seeing that the shopkeeper was not a pushover, Marvin gnashed his teeth and mumbled. ¡°Tch Tch. Fine. How about if I give you something far more precious than a simple ck pearl? I can give you a sizable sliver of Mythril ore.¡± ¡°Ah~¡± The shopkeeper immediately revealed a surprised expression. He even started panting with excitement. Mythril ore? That was an extremely rare material! If not for this vain young master trying to save his reputation, there was simply no way that someone like him could afford something so precious. The shrewd elf immediately changed sides. ¡°Ok. Ok. Since young master Marvin is requesting me this much, I have no other choice but to oblige.¡± He then turned towards Tang Yue and apologetically returned the pearl. ¡°Sorry, good sir. This is out of my control.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. She didn¡¯t seem as if she minded it at all. She took the ck pearl from the shopkeeper and shoved it back into her robes. ¡°Heh. Now did you see? How can a wastrel like youpare to me? I am an alchemy grandmaster¡¯s son, you fool.¡± Marvin chortled. ¡°We don¡¯t have any enmity between us, so if you kneel down and apologize to me right here and now, I can graciously let this matter go.¡± The chubby little elf put on a very magnanimous attitude. By now a crowd had also assembled around them and he thought that such kindness would also be good for his reputation. Because of the damned snake, his reputation was in tatterstely and he had no other choice but to slowly repair it like this. Besides, this should be a good deal for the dwarf as well. Anyone would think twice before attacking a grandmaster¡¯s son in public. No one in their right mind would purposefully make trouble with a big shot like him¡­ But before Marvin could finish this thought in his mind, Tang Yue coldly snorted and banged something loudly in front of the shopkeeper on his desk. ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that you preferred Mythril? Ha Ha. What a coincidence! I have some too!¡± Chapter 213: The young master is bent Part4 Chapter 213: The young master is bent Part4 ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me that you preferred Mythril? Ha Ha. What a coincidence! I have some too!¡± Tang Yue coldly snorted and banged a thick b of Mythril ore loudly in front of the shopkeeper. Even though this was a rare material, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less about it. She had mountains of it in her spatial ring thanks to the loot from worm¡¯s hemorrhoids. She didn¡¯t mind losing out one or two. Ah~ Everyone in the crowd loudly gasped including Marvin and the shopkeeper. Such a thick b of Mythril!!! Everyone knows that Mythril ores can birth rare-grade and epic-grade weapons. This was something that would be fought over tooth and nail in the auction house. Heck! Even if one willingly paid a mountain of gold, they still might not be able to obtain it. And this random dwarf had casually tossed such a precious item out on the open! That too just exchanging for two herbs?!! Marvin waspletely dumbstruck. He literally had nothing else to say. Even the shopkeeper took a while to respond. ¡°I am so sorry, good sir. I have been very disrespectful to you.¡± ¡°Please trade with me for this marvelous piece of ore.¡± ¡°I will be more than happy topensate you so that you are satisfied.¡± The shopkeeper immediately grabbed the ore in front of him and tossed it in his spatial pouch. He didn¡¯t want the dwarf to wise up and regret or change his decision. Right in front of the crowd¡¯s eyes, he started shoving things left and right onto Tang Yue¡¯s hands. When her hands were full, he shoved a few more things onto the ve¡¯s hands who was standing behind her. ¡°Please visit my shop any time and you will have the first pick on whatever you like.¡± He wiped the sweat off his forehead and feverishly spoke. Marvin simply stood there frozen like a statue besides these two. He couldn¡¯t even bring himself to say anything. This entire thing was such a huge p on his face. To make matters worse, the damned dwarf smiled and looked at Marvin as he nodded and answered to the shopkeeper, clearly provoking him further. The dwarf then proceeded to put everything in his spatial ring, except for the two vials of herbs. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want this, young master Marvin?¡± Tang Yue sneered. Huh? Huh? Marvin was confused. ¡°I¡­ Yes?¡± He had no idea what was going on and simply nodded. Maybe he had scared him off with his status and the dwarf was personally going to gift him the herbs? ¡°Heh. Too bad. Sorry, I am feeling a bit peckish and you of all people should know how difficult it is to not listen to your stomach¡¯s grumblings. Ha Ha¡± ¡°What?¡± Marvin mumbled in confusion. Was this asshole making a fat joke? Charlotte almost couldn¡¯t control herughter. She was trembling visibly and was about to burst outughing. Marvin blinked a couple of times, allowing the statement to really sink in on him, and then suddenly, the dwarf in front of him¡­ without any warning¡­ opened the two vials and tossed its contents in his mouth!!! ¡°WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?¡± Marvin screamed loudly. He couldn¡¯t evenprehend what the jerk in front of him was doing. His brain froze. Why would anyone simply eat a fucking precious herb!!! This was sphemy!!! His eyes were reddened with anger and madness. He hadpletely lost it. Even the shopkeeper felt his throat dry up and swallowed his saliva. The dwarf ate it? He couldn¡¯t understand the youngd¡¯s actions as well. But unlike the shopkeeper, Marvin didn¡¯t stand still. Without any restraint and forethought, he lounged towards Tang Yue who was casually munching on the herbs and trying to get a sense of their taste as if she was tasting a delicacy at a restaurant. And when the chubby little elf jumped on her, Tang Yue aka the dwarf, shrieked loudly and sent a kick in his direction, directing aiming for the gap in between his legs. She even started shouting loudly. ¡°HELP. HELP. THIS PERVERT IS MOLESTING ME.¡± Many people were still fervently discussing the Mythril ore and had not clearly seen what had happened. All they saw was Marvin jumping on the skinny-looking dwarf and the dwarf acting in self-defense. That too Tang Yue had not held back at all with her kick. A blood-curdling scream echoed in the midst of themotion and Marvin instantly curled up in the ground from the gut-wrenching pain. He was terrified from the sharp pain and very worried about this favorite body part. The elf hadn¡¯t expected this at all. He waspletely caught off guard and was not able to block any part of that vicious attack. And he was not even wearing any armor or anything like that. Would wear something like that while shopping in the market district? Who would even expect to get attacked like this? Marvin was squirming down on the ground, his eyes brimming with tears, when he heard the dwarf shouting that he was a pervert and calling for help. Why does this usation sound so familiar? He wanted to puke buckets of blood. ¡°That¡¯s it I am done for.¡± The elf whimpered. This matter was going to reach his father¡¯s ears and he was going to be punished severely. In front of so many eye witness, he can¡¯t even pass on this me and call this something else. Marvin¡¯sckeys immediately started to help him up and manhandle the dwarf who was responsible for all of this, but by now the patrol guards had also arrived. No one could do anything and the guards also strictly made the crowd disperse. Tang Yue and Charlotte smoothly sneaked into the crowd and disappeared as well. As far as Tang Yue was concerned, her job was sessfully aplished! She had immediately heard the familiar notification. Ding. Lucky Wheel requirements have been sessfully met. Ding. Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword art has been rewarded. Since Tang Yue was outside, she didn¡¯t click on it just yet. She first got the hell out of there along with Charlotte. The crowd had also seen something very interesting today and everyone happily went their way. In the end, it was only Marvin who had lost out. Under any other circumstance, this wouldn¡¯t have been such a big deal. The entire event could have been easily swept under the carpet but unfortunately, his already tarnished reputation and his so-called previous molestation attempts on the real Tang Yue made it impossible for him to do so. And thus¡­ from that day onward¡­ a new rumor started spreading in Eldoria¡­ Young master Marvin, son of the royal grandmaster alchemist is bent!! He molested a skinny dwarven young man in public! Chapter 214: Engagement ring Part1 Chapter 214: Engagement ring Part1 As the crowd around Marvin dispersed, Charlotte and Tang Yue as well giggled and got the hell out of there. Charlotte almost fell down fromughing uncontrobly, clutching her stomach. She had only always seen Tang Yue serious or indifferent. She had never seen this mischievous side of her. So it was very refreshing for her to witness the whole thing. Charlotte as well hated that disgusting lump of an elf. The guy always tried to rub against her and touch her inappropriately whenever they met, even though he was betrothed to someone else. Pervert! She spat out, looking back at his pitiful figure. The duo then almost ran to the other end of the market. ¡°What are we going to do now?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°We will stay here for the night and leave before daybreak.¡± Tang Yue fiddled with the hair on her head and answered. ¡°Ok. Sounds good.¡± Charlotte mumbled. They were already walking in the direction where a couple of mixed race inns were located, so they continued heading there. But not long after, sounds of tinkling bells echoed and a small white furball with a couple of blue streaks on its body ran towards them from around the street corner. Tang Yue, of course, instantly recognized who this white furball was and she scooped up the energetic little wolf cub like catching a chicken for ughter. Since she was currently in disguise, the small beast didn¡¯t recognize her and struggled in her grasp. It shook its soft fluffy body vigorously and tried to escape, but Tang Yue hugged the naughty cub tightly and refused to let him go. While she was still wrestling with this little guy, a familiar voice sounded in front of her. ¡°He He. Greetings, good sir. It looks like this little fellow had unexpectedly taken a liking to you.¡± ¡°Would you by chance wish to raise him yourself?¡± Xavier chuckled, shing a big grin on his face. Both Tang Yue and Charlotte were surprised to see him and did not know what to say. Tang Yue in particr waspletely shocked. Not because of seeing Xavier here, but because of what it actually implied. She looked at the royal elven prince casually standing in front of her and then looked at her puppy. Without her allowing it, a small thought surfaced in her heart¡­ Maybe the man cared about me after all and was simply forced to do this due to circumstances? But she immediately shook her head. Don¡¯t be a fool, Yue! She reprimanded herself. Tang Yue¡¯s flustered face disappeared and she looked up at Xavier with her calm and unwavering eyes. ¡°Thanks.¡± She mumbled. ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. You know whom to thank.¡± Xavier shrugged his shoulders and started walking past them. He was obviously trying not to draw too much attention to this little impromptu meeting. ¡°Oh, before I leave. You should wear the ring hanging around the cub¡¯s neck. There are some things inside.¡± Xavier waved his hand and walked away without looking back. Stupid brother, shouldn¡¯t you do this in person to earn more browny points¡­? He sighed. He was just about to disappear around the next corner when his eyes vaguely caught a slender silhouette walking next to dwarf Tang Yue. ¡°The fuck?¡± He eximed in surprise, halting in his tracks. Charlotte¡¯s cute adorable face shone in the bright sunlight and she looked simply stunning in her vixen hybrid disguise. The shabby clothes she had donned didn¡¯t hide her beauty at all. ¡°Wow.¡± Xavier ogled shamelessly. ¡°How the hell did I miss such a stunning vixen ve?¡± He gulped, with goosebumps surfacing all over his body. He had never seen a more beautiful woman and his entire being was tickled along with his little brother, thanks to the weird fetish he had. ¡°Shit, will the snake trade her with me?¡± He pondered as he watched the two walk away. It took him a while to realize that there was something else also wrong in this picture. ¡°Wait a minute¡­ Why does my brother¡¯s snake have a vixen ve with her?¡± Ah~~~~~ Xavier gulped nervously, as he remembered certain rumors that had spread around Eldoria about Tang Yue and Charlotte involved in an affair. ¡°This¡­ This¡­ Brother, your wife has taken a new sex ve!!!!!!!¡± The elf screamed like a lunatic and sprinted towards the royal pce at top speed. This morning, Xander had unexpectedly shown up in his courtyard and asked him or rathermanded him to deliver everything in-person to Tang Yue. When Xavier had asked why, he simply replied that he was too busy to do it himself. But surely, nothing could be more important than this news!!! So Xavier hurried back to the pce to inform Xander about this new piece of information. In reality, ves can be used for a lot of different things. Some simply use them as maids, and some even as assistants to do certain chores. Only a few deviants purely consider ves as sex ves and Xavier was, unfortunately, one of them. Though he was somewhat better than the others. The man simply bedded them once and then he typically lost interest in them, employing most as pce maids in his courtyard. This was why Xavier¡¯s quarters in the royal pce were littered with vixens happily chatting around and roaming here and there. It was a very well-established equilibrium and almost a win-win scenario since hybrids and spirit beasts were ill-treated often. At least here, they were paid decent wages and not exploited and were almost given theirplete freedom. But all of this was not important right now, the important point was that his brother¡¯s snake had taken a hybrid vixen as a sex ve!!!! Xavier quickly reached the pce and ran to his brother¡¯s quarters. But unexpectedly, when he searched all over for him, he couldn¡¯t find him anywhere within the royal pce. Xavier then tried asking one of the guards standing in front of Xander¡¯s private quarters. ¡°Where is he?¡± ¡°His highness has entered a secluded cultivation session.¡± The guard answered. ¡°No one is allowed to see him and disturb him.¡± Huh? Xavier was even more confused. He knew that things were currently sensitive in Eldoria and he couldn¡¯t believe that his shrewd brother will disappear for cultivation purposes at this crucial time. But even so, just where the hell did he go¡­.? Chapter 215: Engagement ring Part2 Chapter 215: Engagement ring Part2 Tang Yue and Charlotte stared at the blue opal ring hanging inconspicuously on a silver chain around the wolf cub¡¯s neck. They had already settled in an inn, paying the room charge for the night. Tang Yue was curious, along with other unsettled emotions in her heart, so she hurriedly wanted to take a look at what was there inside the ring. Maybe some sort of exnation? She felt herself hoping that there would be some sort of exnation for all of this. Without hesitating more, Tang Yue directly removed the chain from the cub¡¯s head. She then took the ring in her hand and looked at it casually. But her eyes suddenly widened as she noticed that there was something peculiar about this ring. The ring was a very simple silver ring, with a single blue opal stone in the center. There was nothing else special about it, well that is¡­ for the other races¡­ For the serpentine n members, this particr blue-colored gem and a ring in this design were extremely special. It was their n¡¯s typical engagement ring. Whenever a marriage is arranged in the serpentine n, the groom traditionally gifts such a ring to the bride as a symbol of his love. Tang Yue picked the ring and held it in between her thumb and index finger and looked at it bewilderedly as if she was staring at a deadly poisonous object. Is this¡­ Is this just a coincidence??? Her heart rate quickened and her brain throbbed. She put the ring back down as if it was a hot sizzling object and clutched her head in confusion. ¡°What happened?¡± Charlotte asked, noticing her weird actions. She wanted to give Tang Yue some privacy and was currently dealing with the naughty little fluff ball who was clearly not happy to be here. Little Blue missed Tang Yue and Lotte and was very restless and anxious among the strangers in front of it. Charlotte quickly grabbed the fluff ball and fed him a couple of roasted meat pieces to at least calm him down temporarily. Little Blue, of course, silently agreed to this truce and focused on the food in front of him. Charlotte sighed in relief and turned towards Tang Yue who looked like the sky had just crumbled and fallen down around her. At first, she didn¡¯t want to interfere because this was clearly between her and Xander, but now she saw that Tang Yue looked extremely troubled and decided to ask her what happened. Tang Yue looked at her and nkly nodded. What the hell was she even supposed to answer? Was she supposed to tell her that the mad man had given her an engagement ring? No¡­ No¡­ No¡­ Such a thing was impossible! He¡­ He doesn¡¯t care about me that much. There is no way that I mean anything to him¡­ let alone¡­ this¡­ She silently struggled with her own thoughts and wordlessly looked at Charlotte without any expression on her face, except for her terrified eyes. Charlotte was not that familiar with the serpentine culture so she didn¡¯t read into anything. She simply walked over towards Tang Yue and silently sat next to her. ¡°Do you want to drip some blood on the ring and see what¡¯s inside?¡± She slowly asked, patting her gently on the shoulder. Gazing at her warm and kind clear blue eyes, Tang Yue snapped out of it and absentmindedly nodded. Why was she getting disturbed like this? She should have just done this from the get-go!! This was just a spatial ring. That was it. She hurriedly pricked her finger and dripped a few blood droplets on the ring. But weirdly enough the blood didn¡¯t seep inside the ring and it simply just rolled off and fell down on the inn¡¯s carpeted floor. Huh? Both Charlotte and Tang Yue were equally perplexed. Most artifacts responded to blood. ¡°Wait, Xavier asked you to wear it, remember?¡± Charlotte quickly suggested. ¡°Ah~ yes.¡± Tang Yue nodded and tried wearing it. She gulped nervously and first ced the ring on her thumb. The ring didn¡¯t go in properly and likewise didn¡¯t activate. She then removed it slowly ced it on her index finger. As she tried it on each finger, her heart was ramming against her chest so loudly and she was feeling more and more anxious. None of the fingers worked and Tang Yue finally ced the ring on her right-hand ring finger, which was their tradition¡¯s engagement ring holder. Charlotte had no idea what was going on. Why was she hesitating so much? The elf looked worried. ¡°Are you okay?¡± she asked Tang Yue again. ¡°Put it on thest finger. I am sure it will work now.¡± Charlotte awkwardly encouraged, though she didn¡¯t sound very confident. Having known Xavier for most of her life, she was very sure that the idiot had somehow screwed up things so the ring was probably not working. Otherwise, why would it be so peculiar? Tang Yue nodded, her brain waspletely out of it, and she feebly put the damned ring on her ring finger. Immediately, the very next second a warm glow emanated from the ring and it opened up. Of course, only Tang Yue was able to feel it. So Charlotte worriedly asked. ¡°What happened? Did it work?¡± Tang Yue lifted her head and looked as if someone had just poured a bucket of freezing cold water on her. ¡°It opened.¡± She weakly replied. She looked inside and there was a bunch of things even, and a lot of gold. All of this made sense to her. The notion that the cold-hearted jerk was doing this to help slightly with her predicament made sense. But why? Why did it have to activate and open exactly when ced on my ring finger? What does this mean? Was this also a coincidence? Am I just over-thinking? What the hell??? You damned jerk!!!! What sort of sick joke is this? Why did you have to mess with me like this even when you are not with me? Fuck!!! Chapter 216: Engagement ring Part3 Chapter 216: Engagement ring Part3 Tang Yue smiled bitterly as she ignored the useless implications and examined the contents of the stupid ring. She didn¡¯t have time to fathom the actions of thatplicated man right now. Tang Yue slowly took out the contents of the ring, except for the gold and a couple of armors she found inside. There were about a hundred small gem crystals with a green hue that she could vaguely recognize as disguise runes simr to the ones Empress Freya and Charlotte had given her. There was also a jade slip along with the disguise runes. There was even a bunch of dwarven clothing and other personal items, some of them looked like they were partially used. ¡°Did he kidnap someone and give me their identity?¡± Tang Yue was puzzled to see such in-depth attention to detail. She took the jade slip back in her hands and crushed it to study its contents. A torrent of misceneous information entered her brain and she clicked her tongue as she perused them one by one. Coincidentally, Xander had exactly done what she had guessed just now. He had indeed kidnapped someone, to be more urate, one of the dwarven vige chieftain¡¯s daughters. She was currently imprisoned in the elven underground prisons, giving Tang Yue the opportunity to use her identity. There was also some general information about the girl. She was seventeen years old, a very calm and meek girl, with a very high affinity to the earth elemental. However, unfortunately for her and fortunately for them, shecked talent in cksmithing. Xander had exined everything in detail in the jade slip. The ideal n would be for Tang Yue to suddenly act as if she had achieved a breakthrough while fighting in thebyrinth. The talentless chieftain¡¯s daughter would then be readily taught all the smithing techniques just like her father had wanted to do for a long time. And Tang Yue who would be acting as this daughter will be in a position to learn everything. Especially since she was acting like a chieftain¡¯s daughter, it was possible that she would even be able to ess higher-grade techniques and the dwarven secret technique, the spirit smithing. Whenpared to thepromised disguise which Freya provided and the random disguise that Charlotte had provided, this was already a hundred times better. It also had the best chance to seed. Everything had been perfectly prepared and tailor-made for her, even the specific gender. So without a doubt, it would be in Tang Yue¡¯s best interest to use this set of disguise crystals. But¡­ she still felt ashamed to take help from the lunatic bastard¡­ He went through so many efforts just for the sake of her dwarven identity but he couldn¡¯t take 2 more seconds to give this to her in person? And what was with the damned ring? The very thought of that man and his hot and cold behavior infuriated her!!! She looked at the crystals in front of her for a while before finally sighing and deciding to use what he had given her. When one¡¯s life is on the line, suddenly a few minor bruises to the ego don¡¯t matter so much, no matter how vexing it might be. Tang Yue exined to Charlotte the new n. ¡°Hmm¡­ It is indeed better to use whatever his highness has given you and follow his instructions.¡± Charlotte agreed as well. She then paused for a while and added. ¡°He might act very rude and cold, but he is not someone who will stab an enemy behind the back without good reason.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that.¡± Tang Yue looked at her and nodded. She also didn¡¯t think that Xander was someone who would purposefully give her hope and help, only to crush her mercilessly in the end. If he intended harm to her at all, he wouldn¡¯t even have interfered with this in the first ce. At least that much, she was sure about. The thing that she was worried about was his other side¡­ the wicked sadistic side¡­ like this ring¡­ Tang Yue sighed and put that damned thing away. Out of sight and out of mind! She didn¡¯t want to think about the stupid ring right now. She stood up from the bed and started packing their things. ¡°Are we leaving? We just got here?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°It is mentioned in the jade slip that I have to leave the capital city immediately and reach the Kuji vige, down south of here.¡± ¡°Since the journey from the north to the south is perilous, all the dwarven empire citizens with lower cultivation bases are traveling together.¡± ¡°Oh, that sounds perfect.¡± Charlotte nodded. She couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly nervous. ¡°Is it alright for me to stille with you? Will your identity be affected?¡± She asked. ¡°No, it should be fine. If anyone asks me, I will just say that I rescued from the city¡¯s ve market.¡± ¡°I am supposed to be a very nice and kind girl.¡± Tang Yue chuckled, making a yful evil expression andughing sounds. Charlotte simply smiled in reply. You are a very nice and kind person. She thought inwardly, but it didn¡¯t say it out loud. Tang Yue reverted back to her serpentine human form and then prepared to crush another rune to get into the new disguise when a warm furball pounced on her with the full force it could muster. ¡°A¡­ Sorry, my dear. I forgot about you.¡± Tang Yue hugged Little Blue for a while and patted it. She then put the small wolf cub down and crushed the disguise rune in front of it. Little Blue blinked innocently and watched her figure transform. Instead of her slender blue figure, a dark-skinned slightly healthier figure appeared. Her features as well morphed ordingly and she now looked like a vibrant young dwarven girl. Little Blue cocked its head to the side and stared at the new person in front of it for a while. Being a mutated low-grade beast, it had quite a good amount of intelligence. So it somewhat understood what had just happened and was not rmed. Tang Yue chuckled at the cub¡¯s cute behavior and she then changed into a set of appropriate clothes. Soon, the three were ready to leave. Chapter 217: The abandonned kid Part1 Chapter 217: The abandonned kid Part1 Outside the Eldorian royal capital, two figures hurried through the lush green trees. One was a young dwarven girl and the other was a young vixen elf hybrid girl. Both the women were almost of the same height and had beautiful elegant features. The dwarven girl looked a bit healthier than the vixen, but she still retained an aura of kindness and elegance. And these two vibrant young women were followed closely by a small wolf cub. Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­ The little wolf ran as fast as it could to make sure that it didn¡¯t fall behind. Tang Yue wanted to pick up the poor little thing in her arms but she thought that the exercise would do him some good. So she let the wolf cub run for a little while. Several people had beast cubs as pets and huntingpanions so Little Blue was not too much of an oddball. No one would even look twice at him. After all, he was a mere low-grade beast. There was nothing special about him. So Tang Yue did not bother hiding or disguising the little wolf and the trio casually strolled through the forest. The forest in between the royal capital city and the Kuji vige was not that dangerous. It was almost a domesticated territory and had been thoroughly cleared out of even low-grade beasts. At most a couple ofmon-grade beasts roamed here and there. And more importantly, Tang Yue was also no longer the weakling of the past. She was not a cripple who had to be even wary of the harmlessmon-grade beasts. She was now a formidable cultivator with one leg already in the Demi-God realm. So Tang Yue and Charlotte casually walked through the forest without any worry or fear. Just past this forest, they would be joining the rest of the group, which was where the real danger would start. As the two women silently walked side by side, one thinking about a certain ring and the other happily taking in the fresh air of the forest, suddenly a loud cry sounded in the distance. It sounded like a child was in pain or was being attacked. So Tang Yue scooped up Little Blue in her arms and the duo rushed to the source of the sound at their full speed. They didn¡¯t sense any high-level beasts or other cultivators present in the vicinity so they were curious as to what frightened this child. The two women quickly reached the small pond near which the crying sound had originated. Lying there unconsciously on the ground was a small young boy, probably around 8 to 10 years of age. The boy surprisingly was a mixed-race child. To be precise, he was an elven snake hybrid child. His clothes were shabby, his skin was pale blue in color but he had the long slender ears of an elf. Tang Yue hurriedly checked the fainted young child¡¯s condition, cing his head on herp. She sprinkled some water on his face and was about to feed him some health potion when the boy¡¯s long eyes fluttered slightly. He groaned softly and opened his eyes, regaining his consciousness. ¡°What happened child?¡± Tang Yue asked. She was worried that the boy might be afraid of her because she was a dwarf right now, but he didn¡¯t look scared at all. Must be because of my young non-threatening appearance. Tang Yue assumed. She asked him again. ¡°Are you alright? Does it hurt anywhere? How did you get here?¡± The boy blinked innocently and looked around with a worried expression. ¡°Big sis, I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± He mumbled in confusion. ¡°Where are your mom and dad?¡± Charlotte asked. But the boy did not look at her at all. He was just looking at Tang Yue with teary puppy dog eyes. Charlotte rolled her eyes and stayed silent. For some reason, she had a bad feeling about this kid. It was just a weird intuitive gut feeling. As it is, they were already in a lot of danger. They really didn¡¯t need another baggage to drag them down. So she leaned closer to Tang Yue and whispered in her ears so that the boy could not hear. ¡°Hey, he is not in any danger. We should go now. His parents will definitelye back for him.¡± ¡°But what if they didn¡¯t? We can at least take him with us to the vige right? It¡¯s almost nightfall. Poor kid, he will get scared.¡± Tang Yue sighed. She also thought that this situation was troublesome and inconvenient but she didn¡¯t have the heart to leave this child to fend for himself. However, while these two were busy discussing, they failed to see a cold cruel glint sh in the boy¡¯s eyes. He looked at the vixen standing so close to the dwarf and a crimson hue surfaced in his eyes momentarily. He was ring at the vixen as if he wanted to tear her apart. Charlotte could almost feel the boy¡¯s menacing eyes on her and she casually turned to look. The boy was really ring at her angrily! Seeing Charlotte distracted, Tang Yue also turned to look, but this time his expression hadpletely changed. He had a sweet and innocent smile on his face and looked very adorable. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue looked at the cute child and sighed helplessly. ¡°Let¡¯s just take him to the Kuji vige.¡± She said. Charlotte gasped at the cute act that the child was putting on now, but she ended up agreeing reluctantly. He was just a kid. What¡¯s the big deal? She thought. ¡°Come, I will take you somewhere safe.¡± Tang Yue softly spoke and picked the kid up. He was clearly well beyond the age at which children would feelfortable and happy when the adults picked them up. But weirdly, this kid looked like he was enjoying Tang Yue¡¯s special treatment and affection. He hugged her tightly and did not seem embarrassed or ufortable at all. Hmmm¡­ Charlotte looked at the boy and his weird behavior and couldn¡¯t help but feel that there was something fishy here. Chapter 218: The abandonned kid Part2 Chapter 218: The abandonned kid Part2 Ka Ta Ka Ta Ka Ta The sound of hurried footsteps echoed in the silent forest amidst the dull murmur of the crickets and the whistling of the wind. ¡°Yue, it looks like we are still quite far from the vige. Should we just rest here for the night and continue in the morning?¡± Charlotte asked. The small kid who was happily andfortably piggybacking on Tang Yue also chimed in. ¡°I also think big sis should sleep in the night. Otherwise, big sis will be tired.¡± Tang Yue pulled the cheeky kid to her side from her back and chuckled, pinching his cheeks. ¡°Mmm¡­ You are absolutely right, my dear. Your wish is mymand.¡± She leaned closer and gave him a small peck on his cheeks. The boy immediately blushed, revealing a cute shy expression on his face, that made him only more adorable. He then turned around and stuck his tongue out at Charlotte who was absentmindedly gazing at the heartwarming scene. ¡°You¡­ You¡­¡± Charlotte stumbled. This little boy was such a devil! He was acting cute only to Tang Yue. Tang Yue chuckled and nodded at Charlotte. ¡°Indeed, there is no hurry. We have sufficient time.¡± ¡°We should be able to make it to the meeting point even if we rest for the night.¡± She helped the kid back to his piggy-backing position and the duo then continued looking for a suitable spot to rest. Even though it was a harmless forest, it was still best to find a big tree or an empty cave to rest underneath. They had seen several smaller hills on their way here and it was not too difficult to find a cave opening. Soon they found one and the three, along with Little Bluefortably settled inside within the small cramped space. Charlotte took out a few dry twigs from her spatial ring and lit a fire. Since she was currently a vixen and elf hybrid, no one would be surprised if she showed affinity to fire element magic. So she didn¡¯t bother hiding it. Tang Yue then took out some meat skewers from her storage space and shared them with the group. No one was feeling terribly sleepy yet so they all sat simply and rxed for a while. ¡°How are you feeling dear?¡± Tang Yue asked the boy was leaning against her and munching on the skewer in his hand. ¡°I am feeling better, sis.¡± An immediately bright and bubbly answer came out. Tang Yue chuckled. She felt very bad for the small kid. She knew how painful it was to be abandoned by one¡¯s own parents. So she tried to be as amodating and affectionate as possible. The kid was also very cute and bubbly, making it hard for her not to love him dearly. She couldn¡¯t understand who would be so cold-hearted to abandon such a vibrant kid?! Watching Tang Yue constantly fuzzing over the small boy, Little Blue also ran over to her and nuzzled her from the other side. Charlotte could only blink and watch these atrocious things from the sidelines. She didn¡¯t know what exactly she was feeling but it was definitely not a good feeling. She somehow felt left out. As if Tang Yue had felt Charlotte gazing at her, she looked up immediately and turned towards Charlotte, making her awkwardly blush. ¡°Can you watch over these two for a few minutes? I want to practice some sword moves.¡± Tang Yue asked. This was mainly why she had wanted to rest here for the night. The system had already given her the sword technique reward and she was extremely impatient to study it. Sword techniques were not like magic spells. They required a lot of time, patience, and hard work to master. While spells can be picked up easily if one had the required talent, sword techniques did not differentiate between the gifted and the ungifted. Relentless grinding and hardbor were required for it. Tang Yue understood these things and wanted to get started on the uphill struggle as soon as she possibly could. ¡°Sure.¡± Charlotte nodded with a bitter smile. She knew that these two were acting cute and needy only to Tang Yue. They probably wouldn¡¯t even bother her at all and sit silently for the entire time. ¡°Stay here with this big sister. I need to head outside for a bit.¡± Tang Yue rubbed the small kid¡¯s head. ¡°Ah¡± The kid worriedly looked back, making Tang Yue immediatelyfort him. ¡°I am not going anywhere. I will just be outside.¡± She said. The poor child is so traumatized because of his parents leaving him! She sighed. She then stood up from the ground and was about to head out, when she suddenly thought of something. ¡°Little Blue,e with me.¡± She said and the small wolf cub obediently followed behind her. In all honesty, Tang Yue had no idea what the future held in store for them. They were headed to an unfamiliar Empire and will be surrounded by unfamiliar strangers. That too, she was going under a fake disguise, with the aim of learning the most coveted dwarven secret. The gravity of this situation couldn¡¯t be understated. If she missed tonight, she might not be able to get an isted calm and serene time like tonight without prying eyes around her. So Tang Yue decided that it was best to finish the beast contract with Little Blue tonight itself. Except for Charlotte and the little kid no one else was there around them, which made the timing perfect. And as for Charlotte herself¡­ tonight would be a test of sorts¡­ Tang Yue was still unsure as to why the elf had decided to follow her all the way into the dwarven empire. Her feeling of friendship and gratitude was that deep? She didn¡¯t buy it. She simply couldn¡¯t believe that someone had changed to such an extent overnight. But at the same time, she was also grateful that the elf was with her. Otherwise, she would have felt so much lonelier. A true friend was a luxury Tang Yue had never experienced in her life. So even with all her doubts and concerns, she still couldn¡¯t help but trust Charlotte and believe her words. Chapter 219: A heated battle in the middle of the night Part1 Chapter 219: A heated battle in the middle of the night Part1 Tang Yue stood in front of the cave and under the watchful eyes of the cute little boy and the alluring vixen, she started drawing a series of runes or ratherplex design patterns on the forest¡¯s muddy ground. She was at it for a few good minutes and Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but curiously ask. ¡°What are you doing? Um¡­ If you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡± Tang Yue smiled and vaguely replied. ¡°I found a different type of beast contract in the market. So I want to try it out.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Charlotte nodded and quietly watched. After a couple of seconds, she hesitantly added. ¡°I have with me the runes for a higher-grade beast contract. Do you want to use mine?¡± She didn¡¯t want to overstep the boundaries but at the same time, she also wanted to help out Tang Yue. So she ended up offering help. Tang Yue chuckled and shook her head. Which contract could be better than her entric master¡¯s personal collection? ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just want to try this out. Little Blue is just a low-grade beast, so it doesn¡¯t matter much.¡± She tactfully refused her. Charlotte shrugged and continued staring at Tang Yue absentmindedly. But suddenly, she turned towards her side and found the little boy staring at her with his pair of almond-shaped confused eyes. ¡°You seem to like big sis quite a bit?¡± He asked with a weird tone. ¡°Hmm¡­ Yes¡­ What¡¯s not to like¡­¡± Charlotte replied. She turned her head again and continued gazing at Tang Yue. ¡°She is unapologetically bold and fearless and so damned beautiful¡­¡± The elf-vixen added, muttering under her breath. She didn¡¯t mean for the little boy to hear that, but unfortunately for her, the ¡®little boy¡¯ who was neither little nor a boy clearly heard it. A faint angry glint shed in his innocent eyes but disappeared soon. He too turned his head and continued watching Tang Yue¡¯s actions silently. The little boy¡¯s eyes asionally shifted to Tang Yue¡¯s in and empty fingers and he hummed in displeasure. The girl hadn¡¯t worn the ring he had gifted her! She didn¡¯t like it? He wondered. The little boy who was none other than Xander silently continued watching Tang Yue. Though there were several things in this trip that annoyed him greatly, such as the unwanted third wheel sitting next to him and daringly ogling at his woman, he still enjoyed this precious time that he got to spend with this mysterious woman. Xander, of course, had never intended to send Tang Yue alone to an enemy¡¯s territory. He simply thought that it was too dangerous for her to remain in Eldoria at least for the time being and had orchestrated this borate ploy to settle many problems at the same time. In all honesty, he couldn¡¯t care less if she learned the dwarven secret smithing technique or not. Xander himself was going to take care of that part of the n, and when the timees he would let Tang Yue take the credit, hence giving her enough credibility to be his queen. Xander was many things, but he was not an indecisive man. He had felt his heart inexplicably shatter when the glow-worm swallowed Tang Yue alive back in thebyrinth right in front of him. He hadpletely lost control of himself. He was overwhelmed by a mountain of iprehensible sadness. A vile madness took over him and he had wanted to destroy everything in sight. And then,ter when her presence mysteriously surfaced again, Xander felt as if he was the luckiest man alive. He did not deserve a second chance with her but he had somehow gotten it nevertheless. He felt as if his entire body was filled with energy and life again, and the madness that had crept up his heart and soul had disappeared. It was then that Xander had epted his fate. He was hers and she was his. The little boy revealed a big warm smile as he continued gazing at the woman working hard. He had no idea how she felt about him and that made him slightly nervous. Not to mention all the secrets and mysteries she was shrouded in¡­ Xander chuckled. All of this didn¡¯t matter to him at all. He had time. He knew that he could make her fall in love with him too. Oblivious to the two pairs of loving eyes on her, Tang Yue finished the set of runes and picked up Little Blue. She then poked her finger with her fang and fed Little Blue some of her blood. Immediately, mana in the air around them thrummed alive and enveloped both of them in a warm blinding glow. Both Xander and Charlotte were startled by this phenomenon. Even high-grade beast contracts did not have this much impact. They intently watched Tang Yue and tried to observe if the little wolf cub underwent any changes. But surprisingly, nothing really happened. The bright glowsted only for a second and then both Tang Yue and Little Blue had returned to their normal selves. ¡°Looks like it worked.¡± Tang Yue smiled at Charlotte and shrugged her shoulders. Charlotte awkwardly smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She did not know what to say. She wanted to ask more about the beast contract but things like this were usually a cultivator¡¯s top secret. It would be extremely rude and wrong of her to pry too much into this. Moreover, if Tang Yue wanted to share, she herself would have done so. Charlotte also didn¡¯t mind it too much. Even though she was very curious about it, she decided not to ask since she valued her rtionship with tang Yue more than whatever beast contract that was. Xander was also equally curious, but he would never risk his meticulous nning and disguise just for a measly beast contract. So he silently sat still and continued munching on the roasted meat. This woman¡­ just how many secrets did she have? He grinned. Chapter 220: A heated battle in the middle of the night Part2 Chapter 220: A heated battle in the middle of the night Part2 After the beast contract waspleted, Little Blue sleepily walked back into the small cave. Both Charlotte¡¯s and Xander¡¯s eyes trailed the little guy but they didn¡¯t notice anything different. The wolf cub had quietly wandered back in and was resting, curled up, with its eyes closed. Tang Yue stayed back. She already received the notification that the beast contract was sessful. So she didn¡¯t worry about it too much even though she didn¡¯t notice any change in the little furball. Now that the first task wasplete, she immediately moved on to the next task. She mentally opened the sword technique package and felt a rush of new information into her brain. The ¡°Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword art¡± is a technique thatbined both movement and swordbat tactics. Tang Yue knew that it was impossible for her toprehend the whole technique in its entirety so she didn¡¯t pressure herself too much and tried casually practicing a few moves. She took out her soul sword and without restraint waved it in the air, cutting down and shing the air currents flowing past her. Because of her rather sizable experience that she had umted back in thebyrinth fighting against the undead monsters, herd after herd, without any breaks, her form, and movements were now much more fluid and confident. Tang Yue only practiced the basic sword techniques of Heaven¡¯s path but that in itself was sufficient for her to feel the strength and power of her attacks. Of course, the other two silent spectators as well were easily able to notice the strength and profoundness of the sword technique. Both Charlotte and Xander werepletely bbergasted. They had absolutely no clue as to how a nobody like Tang Yue came into possession of such an unfathomable sword technique. Even though she hadn¡¯t even mastered a fraction of the technique someone like Xander was easily able to see through its real power. And Charlotte was a born genius. It was not that difficult for her to follow the movements of the sword aura. The duo wordlessly continued watching the woman in front of them with a million questions in their brains. And not so surprisingly, both of them felt a little special in their hearts that Tang Yue had trusted them enough to disy this profound technique in front of them. A big warm smile surfaced on the two cheerleaders¡¯ faces and they silently watched the show. And Tang Yue sincerely continued practicing the sword techniques well into the dark of the night. Only the sound of her sword shing at the wind and the distant rustling of the leaves floated in the air around them. But suddenly, a flurry of footsteps sounded near them, apanied by low growling noises. Tang Yue, Charlotte, and the little kid, three became instantly alert, but they soon rxed almost immediately afterward. ¡°Just a bunch of bristle wolves.¡± Tang Yue looked at Charlotte and waved her hand. Charlotte as well had sensed the same thing and rxed her stiffened shoulders. It wouldn¡¯t take more than a few seconds for either of them to take care of something like this. Tang Yue was just about to deal with the bunch of unlucky bastards when the little furball who had been quietly resting until now, walked over and stood next to her. It eagerly looked up at her and yelped in excitement. ¡°Huh? You want to fight with these guys?¡± Tang Yue unsurely asked the cub. She was only trying to guess the little guy¡¯s intentions and couldn¡¯t believe that a small cute furball like him could do any real damage to the full-grown wolves in front of them. And that too there were about a total of six big adult bristle wolves! They were most probably attracted to the campsite because of the delicious meat aroma and the light from the crackling fire warming up the cave. Little Blue, however, didn¡¯t look very scared and continued growling and barking at the beasts in front of the cave. Tang Yue chuckled at the little guy¡¯s stubbornness and signaled for him to do as he pleased. This behavior was very new for the usually cute and adorable little blue. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it was because of the beast contract. Even though it was dangerous to the little guy, she decided to allow him to do as he pleased. After all, she could intervene at any moment and prevent anything ridiculous from happening. The small wolf happily yelped seeing that it got the approval of its master and quickly lunged at the bristle wolf nearest to Tang Yue. Typically,mon-grade beasts wouldn¡¯t even dare to attack the weakest of the cultivators, but currently, Xander had masked their auras from behind the scenes, and hence these poor beasts had no idea whom they were dealing with. The wolves menacingly growled and the one at which little blue had lunged toward, casually swiped its paw swatting the little guy away. This simple attack sent the little guy tumbling backward and Tang Yue was immediately rmed. She stepped forward to finish the damned beast who dared to hurt little blue, but to her surprise, the little guy had already sprung back to his feet. The small wolf cub dashed towards the beast and this time it didn¡¯t hold back. It directly aimed for the bristle wolf¡¯s throat and leaped onto the big brown animal. The bristle wolf unfortunately couldn¡¯t even react in time. Little Blue¡¯s superior agility and reflexes caught itpletely off guard and the wolf was knocked down, blood spurting out of its throat. Little Blue looked extremely frightening with its blue eyes ring furiously at the rest of the pack and blood dripping from its small mouth. Tang Yue could feel its excitement in her soul. The connection between them was now exceedingly clear. She was also very impressed with the little guy. He didn¡¯t get scared because of the size difference or the strength difference and took advantage of his plus point. The little guy took the most efficient line of attack and had quickly finished off the beast, without any hesitation. This was indeed apudable. Chapter 221: A heated battle in the middle of the night Part3 Chapter 221: A heated battle in the middle of the night Part3 Seeing that their pack member was casually killed off just like that, the other bristle wolves lunged towards little blue simultaneously. In their eyes, this small beast was the only one guarding the weak humans, so they attacked him first. Tang Yue didn¡¯t think that the little guy was strong enough to deal with all the five bristle wolves at the same time. So she flicked her sword and used her newly learned attack wind sh to send waves of sword aura towards four of the five bristle wolves. PENG. PENG. PENG. PENG. The four wolves dropped dead in an instant without even realizing what had hit them. And Little Blue now only had the single guy to deal with. Both the wolves sparred with each other a few seconds before Little Blue finally ended the fight by digging his ws into the other one¡¯s eyes. The wolf howled in pain and the next instant, its throat was punctured by the vicious little guy. Tang Yue was slightly ufortable seeing the cute thing, which was always running around her legs, fully covered in blood like this. But what could she do? This was his natural form and instinct! Nevertheless, she picked up the little guy affectionately and gave him a quick clean-up, removing all the bloodstains from his shiny silver-white fur. ¡°Good job. Good job.¡± She encouraged him with a smile. By the time the mess was cleared up, it was alreadyte night and so everyone decided to turn in and take a rest since they had a long day ahead of them tomorrow. Charlotte ced a barrier rune at the entrance of the cave so that they wouldn¡¯t be disturbed by any peskymon-grade beasts again. Her high-grade barrier runes also had the strength to block up Saint-realm attacks, so it was safe enough for everyone to get a good night¡¯s rest without worrying too much about safety. ¡°Are you scared, kid?¡± Tang Yue asked. She knew that the young boy was watching the wolf cub fight with the other wolves and was worried for him. ¡°No, big sis. Little Blue saved us from the wolves. I am not at all afraid of him.¡± He cutely replied. But he looked like he had something more to say and was hesitant to go on further. ¡°What happened?¡± Tang Yue asked. Charlotte also curiously looked. The little kid fidgeted with his fingers and looked very embarrassed. ¡°That¡­ That¡­¡± He stammered and hesitated. ¡°Can I hug big sis and sleep in the night? It¡¯s very cold.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. How cute! ¡°Of course.¡± She said. She immediately opened her arms wide and bundled up the cute kid in an embrace. And the ¡®kid¡¯ as well shamelessly hugged her tightly. When everyone finally settled down for the night, the sleeping arrangement was rather very weird. Little Blue was sleeping at the corner of the cave near the entrance, voluntarily taking the role of a security guard. Tang Yue was sleeping in the middle, with Charlotte on one side and the little kid on the other side. She was lying on her back staring up at the empty stone ceiling and engrossed in her thoughts. The little kid clung to her tightly with his one arm around her waist and his body glued stuck on her. He had a very happy, content, and even a sort of intoxicated look on his face. Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but notice how he was unnaturally happy to be hugging Tang Yue. However, she didn¡¯t realize how weird she herself was being. Normally, one wouldn¡¯t even notice these small insignificant details, but Charlotte somehow seemed to be affected by these little actions. In a short while, all three had fallen asleep in the cool and cozy atmosphere of the cave. Tang Yue and Charlotte were still slightly drained and tired from the trip to thebyrinth. So they had dozed off pretty quickly. Xander, however, also had unexpectedly fallen asleep, thanks to the warm andfy hug from his snake. Little Blue was the only onezily swishing its tail and looking over at the cave entrance with its one eye open. But suddenly the small beast cub turned around and looked towards the interior of the cave. Something very strange was happening inside at the moment¡­ Even though Tang Yue had started sleeping with only one set of arms hugging her, somehow in the middle of the night, both Charlotte and the little kid ended up hugging her. She waspletely sandwiched in between the two, each hugging her as tightly as they possibly could. And weirdly, the two arms on her waist kept swatting each other repeatedly. First, the little boy would lift his head a little and remove Charlotte¡¯s hand from Tang Yue¡¯s waist and toss it on the ground. Then, a couple of breathster, Charlotte would again subconsciously hug the woman next to her nicely and tightly. Xander was furious! This woman was ruining his happy ce! Her hand was like a spring that just kept on popping back as soon as he pushed it away. What a nuisance! This heated battle went on for a while and Xander eventually fell asleep again from sheer frustration. When Tang Yue stirred awake in the wee hours of the morning, she felt extremely suffocated and uneasy with these two next to her hugging her with a death grip, almost even climbing on top of her. She couldn¡¯t take it any longer and quickly morphed into her serpentine form and slithered out from in between the handsy duo. The two surprisingly didn¡¯t feel her slip away and continued hugging each other, thinking that it was Tang Yue they were hugging. Tang Yue chuckled at the adorable sight. What a sweet pair of cuddly huggers! Since she was always alone, she felt all of these small things extremely amusing. She then crushed another crystal and redid her disguise, before heading out and practicing her sword moves again. The morning cool and crisp air felt extremely refreshing and calm on her mind and soul. So she continued practicing for a while until a sudden loud and shrill cry echoed from inside. Tang Yue only chuckled in amusement. She could guess what had happened. The two had woken up and were probably surprised to be hugging each other. She chuckled and peeked in, only to see an even moreical scene than what she had imagined. ¡°She is molesting me!¡± The little kid shouted with a terrified look on his face, pointing his shaky finger towards Charlotte. Charlotte looked extremely aggrieved from this unfair usation. She simply scoffed and got out of there wordlessly. Chapter 222: Who is the third wheel? Part1 Chapter 222: Who is the third wheel? Part1 Bright and early in the morning, the group resumed their journey to the Kuji vige. Much to Charlotte¡¯s dismay, the little kid still selfishly hopped onto Tang Yue¡¯s back and leisurely enjoyed the cool and refreshing walk as if he is on a pic trip. ¡°We are dropping him off at the vige, right?¡± She gritted her teeth and muttered. Tang Yue casually nodded and chuckled. She didn¡¯t know why the two hated each other so much in this short period of time. She just assumed that Charlotte was not a very kid-loving and kid-friendly person. Some people just didn¡¯t like small kids and their impulsive nature. There was nothing surprising about that. Since they had covered quite a bit of distance the previous day itself, it didn¡¯t take too long for them to reach the Kuji vige outskirts. As soon as they neared the border, Tang Yue and the group could immediately see several carriages and tents set up in the forest grounds. They also saw a bunch of dwarves, leisurely sitting around and chatting. Their lunch, what looked like a huge forest bear, was being slowly grilled in the center. ¡°I guess this is it.¡± Tang Yue subconsciously gripped her fingers and silently walked over to the group. ¡°Good luck,¡± Charlotte whispered. The jade slip that contained the details of Tang Yue¡¯s new identity had mentioned that her character was somewhat timid, shy, and not very outspoken. So that helped her quite a bit to blend in without raising any doubts. Tang Yue walked in quietly and sat down on the forest ground in a corner of the group. Charlotte, little blue, and the kid as well, silently sat down behind her. Nobody even paid any attention to them and continued minding their own business. This was not good, because Tang Yue needed someone toe and talk to her. She might have the most perfect wless disguise on, but she had absolutely no idea about how anyone looked. Her new name was Yana and she had a friend called Zinya. If only she could meet with this friend and chat with her for a bit, then she could have a better idea about things in general. Tang Yue calmed herself down and looked around. The dwarves in general looked very intimidating or maybe she felt so because of her nervousness. However, unlike the elves, this group of people was not that rich, forck of a better word to describe. The elves usually had the habit of wearing and showcasing their finest jewelry and their luxurious robes every chance they got, but these people seemed more down to earth. Their outfits were rather rugged and practical and didn¡¯t have any unnecessary extravagance. Even the women wore simple robes and no jewelry whatsoever. This coupled with the fact that these dwarves were ufortably camping outdoors like this instead of residing in the vige inn, told Tang Yue volumes about their financial status. But the weird part was¡­ she was the chieftain¡¯s daughter. And since they hadn¡¯t paid any attention to her, she was also pretty sure that these dwarves around her also had high social status. So if their financial condition was this low, was the dwarven empire riddled with poverty? Tang Yue pondered. She was all too familiar with sort of a situation in her own home, thend of the serpents. So Tang Yue could deduce their condition to a certain extent. But then again, this might be the dwarven culture. They could simply be very modest and down to earth. Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to rush to any conclusions. So she calmly observed. She needed to observe every tiny bit of detail so as to not get caught in the next couple of months. Apart from their clothing style and their dressing sense, Tang Yue also looked at their weapons, mounts and the servants walking around. She couldn¡¯t get aprehensive idea about the general state of their weaponry and their armors since most of them had packed these things inside. But she could definitely identify at least a couple of swords as rare-grade quality. Apart from the weapons, the mounts were also quite noteworthy. There were several strong mid-grade mounts, though none of them had the ability to fly. That made sense because if the mount could fly those dwarves wouldn¡¯t be traveling with this group to the dwarven empire by foot. The ves and servants were also only the typical spirit beast type or their hybrid type. There were some orc servants manning the carriages, but other than that nothing was umon. Tang Yue sighed in relief. For the time being, she could at least confirm that Charlotte¡¯s identity wouldn¡¯t get both of them in trouble. Tang Yue silently looked around for a few more minutes when a sharp-looking young dwarf walked over to her with a big grin on his face. ¡°I see that you are back, Yana?¡± He chuckled. Tang Yue meekly nodded and didn¡¯t speak much. ¡°Oh, you bought some ves?¡± The dwarf¡¯s eyes circled Charlotte and gazed at her with amusement. ¡°Weren¡¯t you just being high and mightyst month, lecturing someone about the very system and how unfair it was? What changed now?¡± The young man chuckled with a hint of ridicule in his tone. ¡°That¡¯s none of your business.¡± Tang Yue answered curtly. ¡°He He.¡± The young man chuckled. ¡°You don¡¯t have to get so defensive.¡± ¡°Come on, I am your fiance, aren¡¯t I? You should be freer with me!¡± ¡°In the future, I will buy a lot of ves for you. You don¡¯t have to do any work at all. Ha Ha.¡± The dwarf smiled and reached his hand to pat her in the back. Tang Yue reflexively avoided his hand and revealed an annoyed expression. Just based on his boastful talk and arrogant behavior, she just instinctively knew that the real Yana also probably didn¡¯t like this guy. Barton¡¯s face slightly changed, but he quickly resumed his previous smiling facade. ¡°You are still as feisty as ever.¡± He chuckled. ¡°Did you gain anything in thebyrinth?¡± He asked. Chapter 223: Who is the third wheel? Part2 Chapter 223: Who is the third wheel? Part2 ¡°Did you gain anything in thebyrinth?¡± Barton asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Just a couple of things.¡± Tang Yue vaguely answered. She could tell that the dwarf had probably gained something significant in thebyrinth and hence wanted to show off. Normally, it would be very tiresome and irritating to talk to such a character, but right now she was more than happy to do so. The more he showed off, the better it was for her! She needed to absorb as many details as Yana and the dwarven culture in general as possible. And just like she had expected, Barton started borating in detail about his experience in the Labyrinth. He mumbled a few words under his breath, instantly creating a small mound of earth to sit on, and started narrating his trip in detail. Tang Yue revealed a slightly uneasy expression but inwardly listened to everything very intently. Apparently, Barton¡¯s group hade across a big patch of unique herbs and that was what he was proudly boasting about. He also talked about how his father, the chieftain of the neighboring vige would be so happy to see all their harvests. Tang Yue was not able to gather too many things but she at least could get a grasp of the basic details. Her vige and Barton¡¯s vige were neighboring dwarven viges. While her father was the chieftain of their vige, Barton¡¯s father was the chieftain of his vige and both of them were engaged, soon to be married. And unlike her, Barton had a decent talent in cksmithing and was currently an apprentice in one of the big smithies in the Starlight city, the royal capital of the dwarven empire. Tang Yue was inwardly impressed. Her identity indeed was very convenient for her and ced her in a good position to learn the dwarven cksmithing trade secrets. But to be this man¡¯s wife? Even if it was just a disguise¡­ Tang Yue found it slightly revolting. Thankfully, they were only engaged for now and she didn¡¯t worry about that pesky little detail¡­ yet¡­ And so, just like that, with neither a smile nor a frown on her face, Tang Yue continued chatting with the dwarf for a few more minutes. She spent less time talking and more time listening. Charlotte as well silently paid attention to the conversation, gathering intel like Tang Yue was doing. However, neither of them noticed the young boy¡¯s face who was sitting behind Tang Yue. His eyes were bright crimson and he revealed an extremely ugly expression. Xander hated that some other man was talking to his girl so familiarly but he bit his lips and bore with it for her sake. Luckily for him, not long after these two started chatting, another young dwarven girl smiled and walked over to them. Before Tang Yue could awkwardly guess in her mind as to who this was, Barton saved her the trouble and shouted loudly. ¡°Hello, Zinya.¡± Oh¡­ Tang Yue nodded. This was none other than Zinya, Yana¡¯s good friend. But if Yana hated this Barton guy, why would Zinya, her friend, be on such friendly terms with him? She wondered. There was definitely something weird happening here. She made a mental note of it and happily smiled and greeted Zinya as well. The bubbly and pretty girl hugged her and sat down beside her. ¡°Ai! You finally broke down and got some ves for yourself I see!¡± She patted and giggled. Tang Yue smiled and nodded. ¡°Yes, there was a situation. So I had to buy them.¡± ¡°When are we leaving?¡± Tang Yue asked. ¡°I think we are leaving at nightfall,¡± Zinya replied. Since they were traveling in a huge group, it didn¡¯t matter much for them if it was nightfall or daytime. ¡°Ok then. I will see if there is something interesting in the vige till then.¡± She nodded and got up to leave. Charlotte, Little Blue, and the kid also promptly followed her. When Tang Yue had walked away a bit, she turned around and saw Zinya and Barton. Bingo! Something was indeed going on just like she had expected! Barton¡¯s hand was around Zinya¡¯s shoulder and the girl giggled and acted coyly. It seemed that the so-called best friend was not really a bestie. Tang Yue shed a smile and continued walking. She was not Yana and this was not her problem after all. She didn¡¯t care about it too much. Taking over someone else¡¯s identity was moreplicated than she had assumed. She sighed and squatted down to face the little kid. ¡°Hey bud, so big sis needs to leave this vige tonight.¡± ¡°I will leave you with a good person in this vige so that you can find out your parents when you remember about them.¡± Tang Yue half-heartedly exined. The little kid blinked innocently and his expression immediately changed. He started bawling his eyes out. ¡°Waaah! Waaaah! I also want toe with big sis. Please Please Please.¡± He started crying and clung to Tang Yue¡¯s legs like a leech. Inwardly, Xander wanted to bury himself somewhere. This was so embarrassing! ¡°Hey, don¡¯t make a scene, damn it.¡± Charlotte immediately reprimanded him. ¡°The ce we are going to is very dangerous. A kid like you can¡¯te. You will be a piece of useless baggage!¡± She scolded him. Tang Yue sighed. She was also sad to leave this cute boy here but she had no other option. How could she endanger the life of a small child? Xander, aka, the little kid tried crying again but seeing that it was not working. He immediately changed his approach. ¡°Big sis, actually now I remember. My parents are in a dwarven vige only.¡± He lied. ¡°Please take me there.¡± Charlotte¡¯s mouth opened wide and she gasped. This kid was such a liar!! There is no way Tang Yue would fall for such an obvious lie! She told herself. But the woman next to her unexpectedly¡­ ¡°Oh gosh, you should have just told this earlier to big sis.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I will definitely take you there with me.¡± She patted the kid and nted a kiss on the boy¡¯s forehead. Xander felt his whole body electrify with just that small kiss. He happily smiled. Only Charlotte looked shocked her jaw dropped on the ground. This friend of hers¡­ in certain aspects¡­ was a total SUCKER!!! Chapter 224: Who is the third wheel? Part3 Chapter 224: Who is the third wheel? Part3 The three followed by Little Blue roamed in Kuji vige for a little while. The vige had almost nothing whenpared to the royal city, hence they simply bought a carriage and a pair of tamed bristle wolves for lugging the carriage around, before returning to the campsite again. The dwarves had also started packing their things up and settling their carriages, so the timing was perfect. Charlotte had experience in guiding bristle wolf carriages and since she was ying the role of a ve currently, she took over the riding duties and helped set up the carriage along with the others. Tang Yue, however, was still nervous. It was like watching a ticking bomb. She didn¡¯t know when Charlotte was going to explode. She still couldn¡¯t believe how the arrogant prideful elf was being so meek and gentle. A couple of dwarves even shouted something at her and she didn¡¯t even flinch. She quietly apologized and continued with the work. She patiently fed the wolves, tightened the reins, made sure the rune was still intact, and even dusted the beddings on the carriage. As Tang Yue nervously watched the elf busying herself, the carriage in front of theirs opened and Barton waved her over. Tang Yue shed a small smile in response and walked over to the dwarf. Little Blue and the boy were still with her and they followed her. When she reached near the carriage, she could also see Zinya sitting together with the dwarf. Her robes were slightly disheveled, revealing quite a bit of her chest and her hair was a mess. ¡°Ha Ha. Look at me. I am aplete mess. I napped for so long.¡± The girl chuckled awkwardly with a hue of innocence. ¡°Yes, it is a nice weather.¡± Tang Yue smiled but it was not too difficult to guess what had really happened. In fact, right in front of her eyes, Barton pulled his other hand out from underneath her robe in between her well-toned long legs. He then directly extended that hand as if he was intending to help Tang Yue get on the carriage. Disgusting! Tang Yue cringed inwardly. She knew exactly where that hand had been. But what she didn¡¯t quite understand was why these two behaved in such a manner and did little to hide their shenanigans. Did they get a kick out of cheating right in front of her? Tang Yue chuckled. Zinya as well chimed in, looking a bit hesitant. ¡°Umm¡­ Then I will leave you both alone. I don¡¯t want to be the third wheel. Ha Ha.¡± She mumbled, but she showed no signs of getting out. It was very clear that she expected Yana to reject her offer and insist that she as welle along for the ride. What a nuisance! Who is the third wheel here! Tang Yue did not have any extra space in her brain for this random drama. She sighed rubbing her temples and took a step away from the disgusting hand. ¡°I am not feeling that well and I want to rest a little bit before we get back home. I will just follow you both in that carriage.¡± She pointed to the one in the back and nodded with a smile. ¡°Ah¡­ Don¡¯t worry Yana. I will help brother Barton if he needs something.¡± Zinya kindly offered again, but several emotions swirled in her eyes. ¡°Thanks, sister. That will be a great help.¡± Tang Yue smiled and walked away. She didn¡¯t want to linger there any longer. This was not her problem and it didn¡¯t concern her. It looked like the identity she had assumed was that of a dull dud. How did this Yana girl not even catch something so obvious? Tang Yue shook her head helplessly and walked away feeling pity for the original Yana. She quickly got up onto her carriage and closed the blinds. The little kid and the wolf also settledfortably inside, but seeing that the kid was clutching the carriage rather tightly, Charlotte turned around and shouted, ¡°Are you trying to break this carriage?¡± The kid turned around and gave her a deathly re, making Charlotte shut up immediately. ¡°What the hell? Why am I being afraid of a small kid?¡± Charlotte grumbled and turned around. She didn¡¯t want to start an ugly fight with the damned kid right in front of Tang Yue. The kid will escape scot-free and in the end, only her reputation in front of Tang Yue will be ruined further. A couple more hours passed in silence and the row of carriages soon started moving in a single file. The dwarven empire was located in the south of the Eldorian empire and the entire journey was around 3 to 4 days by carriage. They were only going to be crossing a bunch of viges and cities and small stretches of domesticated forests in between, so the journey was nothing out of ordinary. Tang Yue crossed her legs and closed her eyes, and used this time to silently cultivate her fire essence core. The jade slip that Xander had given her mentioned that she was able to cultivate and the disguise rune would still be able to cover that. Her cultivation base and her body tempering were severelyckingpared to her mental strength and soul strength. While she still had to look for appropriate methods to condition her physical body, improving her cultivation base was much more straightforward. So Tang Yue did not idle around and started working hard. The little kid who was busily ying with the wolf cub till now, by fiddling with its ears immediately nced at her with a doting affectionate look on his face. This woman was always working hard! He smiled gently, revealing a warm and sunny facade. If Xavier had seen him now, he would have keeled over on the ground in shock. The cold-blooded tyrant being all warm and cuddly?!! Such a thing was too ridiculous to even simply picture in one¡¯s mind!! Chapter 225: Someone who has everything Part1 Chapter 225: Someone who has everything Part1 The carriages took a couple of short breaks in between but they more or less continuously trudged along and reached the destination sooner than expected. Unlike the elvennds, the dwarven viges were located on hilly terrain. So the carriages had to travel on steep uphill for several hours before they reached the outskirts of the dwarven empire. And once they were well within the dwarvennds, one by one, the carriages started leaving the group, heading towards their respective viges. As they neared Yana¡¯s vige, Tang Yue¡¯s carriage was stopped and Zinya waved at her. ¡°Sister, we are almost here. Let me ride with you. Brother Barton is heading towards his vige.¡± ¡°Sure.¡± Tang Yue nodded. Zinya smiled and hopped onto Tang Yue¡¯s carriage. As soon as she sat down inside the carriage, the young dwarven girl immediately extended her hands to pinch the little kid¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Ah¡­ What a cute looking hybrid!¡± She smiled. But unexpectedly, the kid moved away from her in a sh and retreated to the back of the carriage with an undisguised look of disgust on his face. Tang Yue chuckled inwardly. Even a small child can tell how devious you are! But she hadn¡¯t invited Zinya over just to be nice. In fact, Tang Yue had very special ns for this devious slutty little dwarven girl. She was nning to personally invite this girl sooner orter, but now she herself hade over willingly. Tang Yue silently looked ahead and muttered.¡±Enve.¡± ¡°Did you say something, sister?¡± Zinya asked. Tang Yue shook her head. ¡°Oh, nothing. Nothing. I am just very tired.¡± She smiled. Clearly, the spell hadn¡¯t worked this time. She needed to keep using it again and again and improve her proficiency as she did with the other illusionary spells. Tang Yue rubbed her temples and inconspicuously muttered again. ¡°Enve.¡± Once again, Zinya was not affected. She continued chattering on. ¡°By the way sister, how did you get the money to buy all these things?¡± ¡°You bought two ves, a bristle wolf carriage, and even apanion pet.¡± ¡°All this should have definitely cost you quite a bit! It looks like brother Barton is treating you very well.¡± Zinya smiled, but there was a hint of jealously in her voice. Tang Yue didn¡¯t say much and only replied vaguely, with a sweet smiling face. ¡°Ha Ha. We are not that close. I think that he is rather more close to you.¡± Her words, which probably didn¡¯t mean anything to a third-party bystander, surely contained a lot of hidden meaning to the guilty Zinya. She coughed nervously and tried to change the topic. ¡°Did you get some good things in thebyrinth? I heard that you were separated from the group?¡± She asked. ¡°Enve.¡± Tang Yue muttered under her breath and then continued loudly. ¡°Yes. Yes. I dide across some good things.¡± She winked mysteriously. Zinya smiled weakly but she was seething inside. This bitch always lucked out somehow! She was just about to poke her nose again when suddenly her mind nked out and she lost consciousness. The young dwarven girl sat frozen solid as if she was possessed by some ghost spirit. Ding. Target has been sessfully enved for an hour. Tang Yue nodded. Perfect! The little kid who was acting as if he was sleeping on the wolf cub, suddenly shed his eyes open and looked at Tang Yue, his lips curled up in amusement. Heh! Now that they were no longer in Eldoria, his snake was running wild again! He inwardly chuckled. He didn¡¯t know that Tang Yue had such a high proficiency in illusion magic that she was even capable of casting the notorious enve spell. Seeing that Tang Yue was about to turn around, Xander quickly closed his eyes back up again and pretended to sleep. Tang Yue looked at the kid and the wolf sleeping peacefully and nodded in satisfaction. She knew that Charlotte was probably capable of listening to their conversation but she didn¡¯t mind revealing her illusion magic in front of Charlotte. After all, serpentine n members possessing talent in illusion magic was not something new and Zinya was only in the martial realm. Tang Yue only had one hour left before the spell wore off, so she quicklymanded. ¡°Tell me about Yana.¡± Zinya heard her words and lifelessly replied. ¡°Yana and I are childhood friends. She is a good girl but she is a bit dumb.¡± ¡°I hate her very much. Just because she is the chieftain¡¯s daughter, she snatched everything that should rightfully belong to me.¡± ¡°I am more talented than her in cultivating. I am more talented than her in smithing.¡± ¡°But that fool was engaged to brother Barton just because her family owned the biggest mine in the neighboring viges.¡± ¡°But not for long.¡± ¡°Brother Barton has promised me that he will poison her and kill her after marriage and marry me afterward.¡± ¡°He promised me that he wouldn¡¯t even touch her. He finds that dumb woman very disgusting.¡± ¡°He humiliates that dumb fool every single time by kissing me and touching me right in front of her.¡± ¡°Brother Barton only loves me. He only has eyes for me. He is only marrying her for the mine.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyebrows twitched and she immediatelymanded. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and just talk about Yana.¡± Zinya blinked but she didn¡¯t have any other reaction. She continued talking in that trance-like state. She told Tang Yue all the small details such as where Yana¡¯s house was located. She talked about how she had skillfully isted Yana from other people and how she was her only friend. She also talked about Yana¡¯s dad who excessively doted on her and cherished her even though she was basically trash. Yana¡¯s mother had apparently passed away in a hunting ident and Yana was the only child of the household and the chieftain¡¯s only heir. This was why the chieftain had betrothed his only daughter to the neighboring vige chieftain¡¯s son, Barton. The old dwarf hoped that in the future, Barton could be the chieftain of both the viges and all the resources could be pooled together, making both the viges more prosperous. Chapter 226: Someone who has everything Part2 Chapter 226: Someone who has everything Part2 After a couple of hours, five more carriages broke away from the group, including the one Tang Yue was in. Tang Yue had already instructed Charlotte about the route to the vige and the chieftain¡¯s house from the details she obtained from Zinya. So Charlotte conveniently followed the instructions and directed the bristle wolves to drag the carriage towards the chieftain¡¯s house. And as for Zinya, the dwarven girl fell into a slumber after the enve spell wore off and she was still happily sleeping. As soon as the carriage neared the chieftain¡¯s house, an old man and a young woman, approximately of Tang Yue¡¯s age or rather of Yana¡¯s age rushed out. This was her father and their housemaid. Tang Yue smiled slightly and got out of the carriage. Even though she had heard stories from Zinya about how nice and kind the chieftain was, deep down she didn¡¯t believe her at all. How could a father really love a trash daughter? She doubted that everything was an act. But Tang Yue¡¯s gut instincts were instantly shattered. The old man hurried over to her and without any warning pulled her into a big bear hug. ¡°Oh my god. You are back and nothing happened to you.¡± ¡°Such a bad child. Didn¡¯t I tell you not to go, but you tagged along with that boy anyways.¡± ¡°You idiot. You could have simply told this old man what was in your heart.¡± ¡°If dad knew that you loved him so much, I would have immediately arranged for the marriage.¡± ¡°You really didn¡¯t have to go through all this trouble just to spend some time with that boy.¡± The old man continued ranting and patted Tang Yue¡¯s head. She could clearly see that he was very moved and agitated. Tang Yue wordlessly stood, rooted to her spot. Except for the maid, there was no one else present around them. So why was he putting on this act? Her mind wandered. The old man seemed visibly relieved and happy about her safe return. No matter how much she tried she couldn¡¯t sense even the slightest amount of deceit in his actions. ¡°Come in. Come in. Don¡¯t dawdle here, child. Dad will personally prepare some special bone soup and grilled meat for you.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you rest inside first? I wille and get you when lunch is ready.¡± The old man ushered her in hurriedly, but then he stopped for a second and finally paid attention to the carriage and the two new faces standing near the carriage. ¡°Yana, you bought ves?¡± He raised his eyebrows and asked curiously. ¡°Yes, dad. I wanted some help around the house.¡± Tang Yue quickly regained herposure and exined. ¡°But child¡­ the money?¡± Kosa worriedly asked. He knew that the condition in the entire dwarven empire was not that great. They already had a housemaid. Now to employ two more ves? That was simply excessive extravagance! Only the powerful n elders and royal family descendants could afford such an extravagance. ¡°Ummm¡­ Ummm¡­¡± Yana stammered. Of course, Tang Yue already had an exnation prepared so she didn¡¯t care about these questions. But¡­ it was just that¡­ she unexpectedly felt guilty and awkward every time she directly looked at the loving old man. ¡°Father, I obtained some good materials in thebyrinth because of luck.¡± ¡°I just traded somethings to get these helpers from the elven ve market.¡± ¡°With just father and myself mining, we are struggling a lot. I thought that these two can help us manage the mine better and take care of the other things also.¡± Yana hesitantly mumbled. ¡°Please forgive me for being impudent, father.¡± She added. The old dwarf chuckled. ¡°Silly child. Stop saying stupid things. You are always thinking about this old man. Hai Hai.¡± ¡°Good that you obtained something from thebyrinth. But child you should have traded it to get some potions and other resources from the elves.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better for you to improve your earth elemental affinity? Forget about the mine child. That¡­ father will somehow take care of that.¡± ¡°You are too filial for your own good. Ok never mind. What is done is done. You should go and take some rest inside.¡± ¡°Ask your ve to massage your body and relieve some stress.¡± ¡°Even if you were just sitting, the journey home all the way from Eldoria should have been tiresome. Take some rest child.¡± The old man mumbled and went inside the kitchen. Tang Yue absentmindedly nodded and watched the old man scurrying about the house, personally preparing a meal for her. ¡°Go, help father.¡± She instructed the young maid who was standing near her and admiring the carriage and the bristle wolves. Tang Yue then sighed and stepped into the house. The house itself was not too extravagant. It was a simple construction made of uneven rocks and stones, but it was spacious, big, and clean. It was more or less like a house of amoner from the elven settlements, rather than a vige chieftain¡¯s house. Tang Yue looked around for a bit and then headed inside to her room. She didn¡¯t want to make it too obvious that she was seeing everything for the first time. Meanwhile¡­ outside the house¡­ Zinya finally stirred awake. ¡°Where did everyone go?¡± She got out of the carriage and noticed that they had already reached the vige. She was in fact currently in front of the chieftain¡¯s house. ¡°Bitch.¡± Zinya muttered under her breath. She felt utterly humiliated. It was clear that Yana had abandoned her just like that as if she was a piece of luggage and left her alone in the carriage standing outside the house. ¡°Hmph. It looks like this trip has truly gotten to your head.¡± ¡°Just because brother Barton talked to you for a bit, you suddenly became all high and mighty? You dare to ignore me and leave me like this?¡± ¡°I will make sure that you pay for this.¡± She clenched her fists and started walking back to her house. Chapter 227: Someone who has everything Part3 Chapter 227: Someone who has everything Part3 Under the enve spell, Zinya had already told Tang Yue where her room was located and about everything else in the house. So she walked around and casually strolled into one of the rooms. Inside the room, however, Tang Yue was at a loss for words. Things in the room were very messypared to the rest of the house. ¡°Heh. So this Yana is also a slob! just like certain someone!¡± She chuckled. Huh? Who is she talking about? Charlotte silently wondered. But the little kid standing near them instantly reddened. Damn it! This woman is making fun of me again! She has absolutely no fear towards me. He pouted. Tang Yue was too busy to notice it though. She ignored all the clothes haphazardly lying about and looked at the mountain of parchments in the corner of the room. Heaps and heaps of parchmentsid sprawled about with scribblings of cksmithing notes on them. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes glittered as she patiently picked up the parchments and looked over them one by one. It looked like Yana was quite hardworking, but unfortunately, the girl absolutelycked any sort of talent whatsoever. Otherwise, with this much effort, the girl would have surely achieved something. Tang Yue scooped up some parchments and sat on the bed to go through them. In the meantime, Charlotte busied herself and started tidying up the room. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but jump up in rm. ¡°Hey Hey. You don¡¯t have to do all this.¡± She hurriedly stopped Charlotte. ¡°I am just ying my role.¡± Charlotte smiled and shrugged. Tang Yue looked at her closely and only sighed in relief when she confirmed that the elf was really not upset. ¡°Do as you wish.¡± She mumbled and went back to Yana¡¯s cksmithing notes. After cleaning the ce up a bit, Charlotte threw a nce at the kid, who was happily ying with the wolf as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. ¡°Hey, how about you help me a little?¡± She scolded him, but the kid didn¡¯t even act as he heard her. Charlotte shook her head and continued. After tidying up the ce, she took out some herbal oil bottles from her storage pouch that she had kept hidden within her robe. She sat down on the bed next to Tang Yue and poured some oil on her hand. ¡°Umm¡­ Yue, let me just give you¡­ umm¡­ a small massage?¡± She hesitantly asked. ¡°Sure.¡± Tang Yue absentmindedly replied as she was still gazing intently at the scribblings. ¡°Wait¡­ What?¡± She turned around with a shocked expression when the question fully dawned on her. But by that time, the elf vixen had already loosened her robe a little bit, exposing her shoulder, her neck, and her upper back. Tang Yue started sweating profusely. The little kid looked up in disbelief. What the hell is happening here, damn it??? Only Charlotte had a carefree expression on her face as she leisurely hummed a tune, and started kneading the tight knots on Tang Yue¡¯s shoulder and her back muscles. ¡°¡­.¡± Tang Yue was speechless. ¡°¡­.¡± The little kid was speechless. He was now almost strangling Little Blue, who yelped in pain and ran over to Tang Yue¡¯s side. Charlotte for some reason felt the need to look at the boy and smirk at him. She knew that the kid was weirdly possessive over Tang Yue. So she continued making fun of him. ¡°I asked you if you wanted to help.¡± Charlotte chuckled. As the elf¡¯s soft and warm hands massaged her body, Tang Yue only felt her stress levels increasing. ¡°Ok. I am going to act as if nothing is happening here.¡± She shook her head and buried herself in the parchments. The dwarven girl had scribbled a lot about the basics of cksmithing so this was quite helpful to her. Tang Yue, in fact, didn¡¯t even lift her head up from the parchments until she heard the father¡¯s voice. Kosa knocked on his daughter¡¯s door and called her. ¡°Child, the food is ready. Come out. Let¡¯s eat before it gets cold.¡± Tang Yue put all the parchments down, turned around, and weirdly looked at Charlotte, who was still massaging her. ¡°Ah~ Sorry.¡± Charlotte stopped and took her hands off Tang Yue. Tang Yue gulped nervously and adjusted her robe before stepping out. There were several other things on her mind and the elf¡¯s weird behavior was not even close to the top of the list¡­ well at least for now¡­ She silently went with Yana¡¯s father, leaving behind the two ves in the room, both sitting in opposite corners and ring at each other. ¡°Child, have you be thinner these past few days?¡± Kosa worriedly looked at his daughter and served more food onto her te. Tang Yue squeezed out a weak smile and silently munched on the lunch. ¡°Aye. You are so silent today. What happened to my chatty little brat?¡± ¡°Just a bit tired father.¡± Tang Yue smiled. ¡°Ok. Eat some more and take a rest. I will head to the mines in the afternoon and dig up some ores for trading.¡± ¡°I got the news that the market will be open sometime in the next few days.¡± ¡°Father. Father. Actually, I would also like to apany you.¡± Tang Yue quickly spoke, her mouth half-filled with food. ¡°I think I got some inspiration in this trip towards cksmithing.¡± ¡°I feel like if you teach me the basics one more time, I can do it now.¡± ¡°Ha Ha Ha. That is indeed good news child.¡± Kosa patted Tang Yue¡¯s head. ¡°OK eat fast then ande over to the mines whenever you want.¡± ¡°If the work is done soon, then dad can help you with the basics in the night.¡± The dwarf chuckled and walked away. He knew very well that this was not the first time his daughter got these sorts of ¡°inspirations¡±, but he didn¡¯t mind teaching things to her again and again, no matter how many times she ends up asking him. Tang Yue swallowed the food in her mouth and watched the disappearing silhouette of the dwarf. Earlier, she had pitied Yana¡­ but now¡­ it looked like she was the one who was pitiful¡­ Yana was someone who had everything¡­ Chapter 228: Tang Yue has daddy issues Part1 Chapter 228: Tang Yue has daddy issues Part1 Tang Yue emptied out the meat on her te quickly and she followed the old dwarf to the family¡¯s mines. Charlotte, the little kid, and the wolf cub as well followed closely behind her. Since there was always a lot of manualbor in the mining process, it was only natural that she brought along these newly acquired ves with her. The group quietly walked over to the hills nearby and Kosa stopped in front of their mining territory. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but look around in awe. While the other dwarves simply had a portion of the hill or shared their territory with a couple of families, the chieftain had an entire huge hill to himself. Tang Yue could see why someone like Barton was intent on maintaining his rtionship with the family and seeing the engagement through. But even with such a big mining resource, the dwarf was still riddled with debts and drowning in poverty, all due to a very simple reason. Kosa was paying more than half of the tax revenue owed to the Emperor from the entire vige. Tang Yue sighed. This old man was too kind for his own good. It was no wonder the vigers and the other n leaders had never opposed Kosa andpeted with him for the chieftain¡¯s position. When the old man, Tang Yue, and the group walked over to their mine entrance, a couple of dwarves coincidentally walked out from the neighboring hill. ¡°Heh. Coming sote to work? Are you gettingzy these days Lord Chieftain?¡± A middle-aged dwarf¡¯s voice echoed. This was Maarg, one of the dwarven n leaders of the vige. He looked at the young man standing next to him and chuckled. ¡°Did you see that, Dobey? Our chieftain and his talented daughter have arrived to finish their hard day¡¯s work.¡± As these two continued talking nonsense, a bunch of dwarves walked out, carrying big bulky sacs on their bag. In the span of a minute, about ten huge sacs were neatly lined up outside the hill. And stacked together, these sacs were quite eye-catching and would surely fetch a lot of gold. Each contained thick sturdy chunks of the ore Nebulum, one of the many ores used to craft mid-grade and high-grade weapons. This was the ore mostmonly mined in this particr region of the dwarven empire. Kosa gulped at the sight of such a huge harvest. It would probably take him an entire month and perhaps he wouldn¡¯t be able to extract so many ores even then. However, he didn¡¯t mind the hurtful words at all and didn¡¯t say anything in return. ¡°Good job. Congrattions on your harvest, Maarg.¡± He simply nodded with a smile and started heading in. Tang Yue as well nced at the other group and followed behind her father. ¡°Hmph. Useless bastard and his useless daughter. We will see how long you can sit on that gold mine of yours.¡± Maarg gnashed his teeth and walked away. All the major n leaders hated Kosa to the core, but at the same time, their hands were tied. If they dared to initiate any coup and usurp Kosa from his chieftain position, then they would have to pay the revenue following Kosa¡¯s footsteps. It was definitely not a win-win situation. They were extremely frustrated. But the old dwarf hadn¡¯t thought about such things. He simply held onto the huge family mine because he wanted to help the poor families in the vige. Inside the huge mountain, Kosa silently walked down to one of the mining nodes and started hitting the hard rock with his pickaxe. Tang Yue keenly observed the dwarf and his actions. She hadn¡¯t mined anything before so she didn¡¯t want to be too hasty and ruin the ores. A hill typically had several mining nodes in the interior, and around each node ores surface and protrude after sufficient incubation. The energy of the world, mana mixes in with the earth and coalesces earth elemental essence in the form of these ores. So when mining an ore, one shouldn¡¯t affect the main root or vein of the node and skillfully excavate only the superficialyers. This was a veryborious and painstaking process, especially for someone who was still in the Martial realm. Even Maarg and his son were also in the Martial realm but they had several workers to help them with the mining process and hence their output was far greater. In the past, Kosa also had employed several miners to help him with the ore management. But because of Barton family¡¯s underhanded scheming, none of the vige miners worked with Kosa any longer. Just with these carefully nned moves, Barton¡¯s family had sessfully pushed Kosa in a corner. They knew that the old man would definitely cave in for the welfare of the vige. After all, there was only so much a single isted person can aplish. By the time the actual wedding took ce, handing over the mine to the Barton family would be his only option left! Kosa didn¡¯t know all of this. But because of Zinya¡¯s extensive knowledge, Tang Yue clearly knew the whole scheme. What a thankless bunch of idiots! Tang Yue fumed. This man was helping them so much behind the scenes but they still allowed themselves to be easily bribed. They even forgot the bigger picture. Tang Yue patiently sat down on the cold hard ground and observed Kosa for a long time. The old man asionally looked in her direction but didn¡¯t say anything to her even though she was obviously cking and not doing any work. Before long, it was already evening and Kosa had to return to the main house to take care of some chieftain duties. ¡°Child, are you okay?¡± He patted Tang Yue and asked with concern. Yana always used to run down and help him so energetically but today, she was simply sitting. So he was worried if the girl was not feeling well. ¡°No. No. Father, I ampletely alright. Please don¡¯t worry. Can Ie back home a littleter today?¡± She asked. Chapter 229: Tang Yue has daddy issues Part2 Chapter 229: Tang Yue has daddy issues Part2 ¡°Sure. Come back whenever you want, but make sure to take the main road back home. Don¡¯te through the forests.¡± Kosa warned her and headed back, dragging his tired body home. He had only managed to harvest ores about a quarter of a sac. And since Charlotte was a ve, she obediently helped him carry the sac back to the house. She wanted to stay back with Tang Yue and see what she was doing, but unfortunately, her disguise didn¡¯t allow her to do. So the elf begrudgingly left, watching a certain kid stick out his tongue at her. Tang Yue didn¡¯t have the time for the inexplicable enmity and weird shenanigans between these two idiots and summoned the system interface as soon as Kosa and Charlotte left the mines. Since the kid was still sitting near her, she closed her eyes so that she could more conveniently talk to her master. ¡°Master, I am going to cultivate both fire elemental core and earth elemental core at the same time.¡± Tang Yue mumbled resolutely. [Dumb little snake, I already warned you. You shouldn¡¯t do that.] ¡°It¡¯s fine if my cultivation is not perfect. I think it is worth it to give it my all and learn the cksmithing craft.¡± [Well, if it is just these two elemental cores, you should still be okay for now.] [Your soul strength is high enough to support two elemental essences at the same time.] [But don¡¯t increase more than this. Then your cultivation will most definitely reach a bottleneck and you will not be able to progress further.] Tang Yue nodded. She, of course, wanted to help this old man out, but it was equally important to maintain her disguise. She wouldn¡¯t be able to learn to smith or even mine properly without cultivating earth elemental essence. Without being able to use and manipte earth elemental essence, her disguise as well would sooner orter be exposed. And also¡­ Tang Yue had a vague feeling that her soul weapon required her to have smithing knowledge topletely master it. So considering everything, she decided to risk things and start cultivating earth elemental essence as well. For others, affinity to an elemental was a gift that they were born with. A blessing from the heavens. But for Tang Yue¡­ ¡°He He¡­ Let¡¯s start the feast.¡± She grinned and retrieved a roasted meat skewer from her spatial ring, tucked deep underneath her robe. Xander couldn¡¯t help but curiously look at her. What is she doing? Didn¡¯t she just eat? Sensing the little kid¡¯s eyes on her, Tang Yue handed him a skewer. ¡°Here take some meat.¡± The little kid tilted his head and epted the skewer with a cute and confused expression. Devil boar¡¯s meat? Xander was genuinely confused. It was just a piece of low-grade beast meat and the taste as well was not that top-notch. Why was she eating it? That too sitting alone in a big old mine in the night? He was curious. Everything she did had a reason behind it so he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what it was this time¡­ What else could she possibly be hiding from him? The elf ended up deciding to spy on his mysterious snake. Xander ate a bit and yawned a couple of times. ¡°Big sis, I am sleepy. I will sleep on little blue a bit.¡± He acted as if he was drowsy and used the wolf like a pillow and closed his eyes. Tang Yue chuckled and patted the boy. She continued munching on the meat and soon quickly finished an entire boar¡¯s meat in the next hour. The notification that she was expecting promptly chimed in as well. Ding. 50% Devil Boar bloodline absorbed Ding. 10% Devil Pig bloodline absorbed Tang Yue¡¯s ck dwarven eyes visibly widened as she saw the notifications. Previously, consuming a single low-grade beast only gave her 10% of the bloodline. But now, thanks to her new skills, she was able to absorb bloodline much more efficiently. [Lesser Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body by absorbing bloodlines; Only 50% bloodline is required for triggering evolution. [Bloodline Gorger] ¨C Passive skill, Able to absorb bloodlines from meat very efficiently. Tang Yue had expected a small jump in her capabilities but not something so drastic. So she was utterly taken aback. Luckily she was in an isted atmosphere in a deserted mine with only a small kid nearby. Because just with this 50% bloodline, due to her upgraded evolution ability, the next notification should be popping out any time now. And just as she expected¡­ Ding. 50% Devil Boar bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated Before Tang Yue could do anything, a familiar sensation assaulted her and her body started to twist and turn. Her disguise had already disappeared and her serpentine body was engulfed in a warm nourishing glow. Tang Yue twitched in pain, as she went through the entire process. Waves after waves of mana crashed into her and after a few seconds, the pain and the giddiness finally ceased. Ding. Bloodline Evolution has beenpleted Ding. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Lesser Earth affinity] ¨C Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into low-grade earth. Tang Yue didn¡¯t even dare to wait around to read the notifications and quickly slithered to a dark corner of the mine. From there, she looked at the kid and confirmed that he was still sleeping first. Only then, she sighed in relief. She thought she had been careful enough, but still, somehow this ended up happening. Tang Yue might reveal a lot of things to Charlotte and others, but this was one thing that she could never reveal to anyone else. No one can ever know about her evolution ability! Just for doubting that she acquired thebyrinth inheritance, the elves had already cornered her this much. She didn¡¯t even want to imagine what they would possibly do if they find out about this small little secret of hers? That man¡­ even he might join the other elves and openly hunt her down to the ends of the heaven¡­ Chapter 230: Tang Yue has daddy issues Part3 Chapter 230: Tang Yue has daddy issues Part3 After confirming that the little kid was still asleep, Tang Yue cautiously slithered out from the corner and quickly crushed another disguise rune to get back to her dwarven figure. She saw that Little Blue was about to yelp in joy after seeing her serpentine form, and quickly signaled it to shush. She cursed her back luck and carefully tip-toed to put her robes back on and readjusted her appearance. Thankfully, the boy was in a deep sleep and didn¡¯t even toss and turn from the disturbance. Tang Yue sat back down in a meditative pose as if nothing happened and quietly closed her eyes. She could feel the overwhelming presence of earthen essence swirling around her and sucked it all in greedily. But unexpectedly, this essence did not mix with her fire elemental core. The earthen essence circted through her meridians and started umting into another ball of energy in her lower abdomen, right next to her fire elemental core. Two cores? Tang Yue was shocked. She had never heard any such thing before. [Of course, you are still in the Martial realm. Why would you know such a thing?] The familiar mocking voice sounded in her head. [Little snake, cultivation in higher realms is not a joke.] [Just because of this impulsive decision today, you are going to have to work twice as hard.] The old man sternly said. Tang Yue nodded. She was not afraid of a little hard work. This step was extremely important for her disguise, so there was no other way around it. She awkwardly cleared her throat and reasoned with herself, though she knew that deep down she had done this just to help out that old man, even if it was a little bit. Tang Yue nced at the kid again, who was still sleeping quite peacefully. She wordlessly closed her eyes back up again and started cultivating her earth elemental core. Considering the state of everything in the dwarven empire and her own identity, she already had a vague n in her mind as to how she would aplish her main goals. There were several things that she needed to do, but everything had to wait until she formed a solid and stable earthen elemental core. As the young dwarven girl fastidiously continued cultivating, Xander was wide awake. For the first time in his life, he was utterly shocked. He was at aplete loss of words over what had just happened. The woman, all of a sudden, had exhibited an affinity to the earth elemental and started cultivating the essence the very next minute as if she was casually breathing in and breathing out. WHAT THE HECK??? Since when did cultivation be so easy? Even among elves, there were not too many people who could wield multiple elemental magic at the same time. Even if one tried to force it, they would only end up contaminating the existing cultivation core in their bodies. They would certainly not be able to materialize another ball of the essence and simultaneously nurture two cores. Not everyone was gifted enough to do such a thing. One¡¯s body needed to be attuned to both the elementals with an above-average affinity to be able to aplish something like this. And this was an extremely rare thing! Xander wanted to extend his soul sense andpletely analyze the woman sitting in front of him, but he knew that if he did so, his identity would definitely be exposed. Her soul was already in the Demi-God realm. So there was no way he could survey her advancements without giving away his presence. Xander silentlyid still and continued ¡®sleeping¡¯, as his mind wandered to the million questions he had. He was nothing short of impressed. When this woman had firste to Eldoria, she was a mere cripple, but now, she was already a cultivator with one leg in the Demi-God realm. He had always assumed that she hade to this stage because of a few lucky encounters and perhaps thebyrinth inheritance. But even he knew that it took more than luck to persistently grow like this and Tang Yue was growing at a monstrous pace. The question was what would happen if she continued to grow at this pace? What would happen if she became capable enough to topple their entire regime? No wonder those old fogies were so threatened by her! They could intuitively feel how dangerous she was! Xander chuckled inwardly. He didn¡¯t even have to guess what had happened to his own intuition. He was so caught off guard by her charm and her yfulness, that he had vastly underestimated her. He had never considered her to be his equal or the possibility that one day, she might be stronger than him. He had never thought about the secrets that she might harbor and her intentions, above all. But the worst part was¡­ even though he knew that something was off about her now, what would exactly change? Xander chuckled. His sexy troublemaker had pushed him once again in between a rock and a hard ce. Now was he supposed to think like a ruler? Or was he supposed to think like a man who loved her? Xander felt tired. For an instant, he just wanted to shed his disguise and grab the woman he loved so dearly. He wanted to leave all theseplications aside and simply be a man embracing his woman. As Xander¡¯s head throbbed with an ache and confusion that was beyond his understanding, he felt two soft and warm hands carefully pick him and lift him up. Tang Yue had bundled him like a toddler and was carrying him on her shoulder as she headed back to the chieftain¡¯s house. He could feel the warmth radiating from her touch and her soft hug. Xander froze for a second. Even though he was a nobody and clearly in no way her friend or rtive, she still showered so much love and affection for him. Someone like this couldn¡¯t possibly be a bad Empress right? He closed his eyes and breathed in the cold freezing air of the night, which only entuated the woman¡¯s warmth and care. Chapter 231: She is the worst Part1 Chapter 231: She is the worst Part1 When Tang Yue returned back to the house, it was alreadyte in the night. The old dwarf was in his room and Tang Yue as well went to her room. As she opened the door, Charlotte jumped up in surprise like a cat caught in the act. She had a bunch of parchments in her hand and guiltily looked at Tang Yue. ¡°Sorry. I didn¡¯t mean to peek into things. I was just bored.¡± Charlotte abashedly mumbled. She had just been trying to read Yana¡¯s notes on cksmithing as well and didn¡¯t know if Tang Yue would like it or not. But unexpectedly, the woman only chuckled. Tang Yue was in a very good mood and she couldn¡¯t care less if Charlotte as well learned cksmithing or not. In fact, it would only make her feel better. So far, the elf had been one-sidedly helping her and that didn¡¯t quite sit well with her. It was always best when everybody gained something. Otherwise, their newfound friendship might be in trouble. She quickly waved her hands and signaled her to continue. ¡°I don¡¯t mind at all. Feel free to read whatever you want.¡± Charlotte silently nodded and continued. Tang Yue ced the little kid on the bed and took out some bed sheets from the shelf. She thenid the sheets on the ground and carefully ced the kid on top of them in one corner of the room. ¡°He is not sleeping with you on the bed?¡± Charlotte asked. She had seen how Tang Yue doted on the kid and was surprised to see him sleep on the floor. A certain someone as well would have had the same question, that is, if he was not currently upied by more pressing matters. But still¡­ the slender blue ears slightly perked up, awaiting the reply. ¡°Ah. Yes. I also feel bad, but just in case someone enters the room in the night, I don¡¯t want any mishaps.¡± She said. ¡°Oh. I see.¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°I will also sleep down then.¡± She said. ¡°No¡­ No¡­ It¡¯s alright. You can sleep with me. If someone asks, I will just say that I was feeling lonely.¡± Tang Yue chuckled awkwardly. Though her reasoning was contradictory, she didn¡¯t dare to make Lady Charlotte sleep on the ground like a ve girl. But little did she know that¡­ she had made the devil himself sleep on the floor¡­ Xander was livid with anger. This damned disguise was making his life miserable. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong in this trip and now, this damned Charlotte was also driving him crazy!!! Why the hell was she blushing? Don¡¯t women often have sleepovers? Do you need to react in such an exaggerated fashion for a simple thing? He didn¡¯t like the elf¡¯s stupid clumsy reactions even one bit. How could Xander not recognize those familiar expressions? She¡­ She was acting as if she was a lovestruck woman. All these years, Charlotte had persistently chased him with simr expressions. And now, she was chasing his snake?? In what world, did this make sense??? Xander wanted to bang his head against the wall. In lieu of the other important thoughts in his mind, he had first nned on ignoring this small inconvenience. But then, he saw both the women clear the bed, put out themps, and go to bed as if it was only normal to do so. Xander¡¯s head throbbed. He felt his blood pressure slowly building up. He wanted to jump out right now and kick the elf out of the bed, but unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t afford to do that just yet. He needed to see this through. He needed to find out all her secrets and trump cards. He needed to truly evaluate if someone like her was dangerous to his people or not. Even though he loved her, he owed at least that much to his people. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s fine. She is just sleeping next to her. Nothing fishy is happening here.¡± He consoled himself. But the night was still young¡­ Tang Yue ufortablyid on the not so wide bed, her body so close to Charlotte that she could hear her uneven breathing. She could vaguely feel the elf¡¯s heart beating rapidly. After a few seconds of restlessness, she turned towards her right, with her back exposed to the elf. Only now, she felt a little bit calmer and didn¡¯t feel like her personal space was invaded. Tang Yue took a few more deep breaths to rx and calm her mind and was about to fall asleep when suddenly a notification chimed in front of her. Ding. The system update is sessful Ding. Daily quests have been updated Ding. Special quests have been added Huh? Tang Yue blinked, unsure of what was happening. Why a system update all of a sudden? She wondered. And what special¡­ Before Tang Yue could finish her thought, a frightening idea popped into her brain. She thought about the elf lying on the bed next to her and gulped nervously. This old man¡­ This old man¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Shit!!! Tang Yue started sweating profusely dreading what was about toe. ¡°This¡­ Master¡­ What is this update?¡± She nervously tested the waters. [When you get your quest, you will know, dumb little snake.] [Didn¡¯t I absorb half of the souls from thebyrinth, which technically belonged to you?] [It¡¯s only fair that I repay you for that.] ¡°You are so kind, Master.¡± Tang Yue smiled weakly, cursing the bastard inwardly. She only had an inkling of doubt before, but now that she heard the old man¡¯s cheerful and cating statements, she was absolutely sure of what was about toe. And soon¡­ just like she had expected¡­ Ding. New Daily Quest Avable Ding. Increase your lightning resistance by 1 level Ding. Reward: 1000 Experience points Ding. New Special Quest Avable Ding. Lock lips with an elven female with tongue three times and caress her breasts. Ding. Reward: Lightning domain rune form Ding. Quest expires in 30 hours ¡°¡­¡± Tang Yue nkly stared at the shameless quests. I knew it!!! Chapter 232: She is the worst Part2 Chapter 232: She is the worst Part2 Tang Yue looked at the damned quest from the shameless old man and then looked at the elf lying next to her from the corner of her eyes. A guilty embarrassed look shed past her dwarven face. ¡°No. No. No. I cannot take advantage of a friend like that.¡± She shook her head and covered her head with the nket. But then¡­ the big juicy reward floated in her eyes¡­ The truth was that all her physical attributes have been kind of stagnanttely. She could no longer improve any resistance by simply munching on herbs or drinking spirit herbal concoctions. So this method to craft a lightning domain rune couldn¡¯t havee at a better time. The description itself was amazing and she could already imagine the benefits. If she used this rune, she would basically be enclosed in a small space filled with exponentially increasing lightning currents. This could basically temper her body from top to bottom with pure lightning bolts. Not only would it improve her lightning resistance but it would also improve her physical body as a whole, strengthening the meridians, bones, muscles, and tendons. So when she considered all these benefits as a whole, it was too difficult for her to ignore the quest and its reward. But at the same time, molesting the innocent woman, who hade all this way just to help her, was also out of the question. Tang Yue waspletely torn. Of course, there were other lightning domain runes avable in the market, but she doubted if any would be as effective as the one rewarded by the system. She was too tired and drained from the evolution process to think about this right now and decided to sleep on the problem. She had a 30-hour time limit for the quest and can potentially finish it tomorrow as well if she wanted to. Gulp. Tang Yue took another look at the peacefully sleeping elf-vixen woman, who looked adorable and extremely cute. She closed her eyes quickly and went to sleep. While these two women slept soundly, along with the snoring wolf cub, the little kid alone tossed and turned restlessly throughout the entire night as if he had a severe case of indigestion. The next day when Tang Yue looked at him, he had huge eyes bags under his eyes. ¡°A. Sorry, my dear. Was the floor very ufortable? Maybe I should try and sneak you into another room?¡± She clicked her tongue. The kid immediately shook his head vigorously. ¡°I only want to sleep in big sister¡¯s room.¡± Nope! No way! I am not letting that damned elf sleep next to you without my supervision. Xander¡¯s head hurt. This was torture. Tang Yue worriedly smiled and nodded. ¡°Whatever you want.¡± She had a busy day ahead so she quickly changed into a different robe and headed outside. The maid informed her that Kosa had already left the house to work in the mine. So she quickly walked over to the mines as well. And just like the previous day, she silently sat down near the entrance cultivated her earthen elemental essence instead of following Kosa around and trying to help him. But whenever the old man did not look in her direction, she quickly retrieved some raw meat from her space pearl and gulped it down. Tang Yue was finally feasting on the high-grade quagmire centipede meat that she had saved for so long. Though she got ¡®lesser earth elemental affinity¡¯ from devouring the Devil Boar, her cultivation would be a lot faster if she could increase this affinity. And what could be better than a high-grade beast to achieve this target? So Tang Yue had immediately started working on consuming the two centipede bodies she had. It tasted awful and had a nd velvety texture, but Tang Yue bore with it and gulped it down bit by bit. For this purpose, she had even left the little kid and Charlotte back at the house itself by giving some random excuse and only brought over the wolf cub today. Xander had revolted badly by bawling his eyes out but in the end, Charlotte had used her palm to shut his mouth and dragged him inside forcefully. Even though Tang Yue felt sorry for the kid, she didn¡¯t want to risk things and expose her dangerous secret. So she had simply stifled herughter at the duo¡¯s behavior and came over to the mine. Luckily for Tang Yue, the old dwarf Kosa as well only worked until noon today. He saw his daughter seated in a meditative pose and cultivating and sighed in tiredness. ¡°Child, don¡¯t work too hard. Come back home soon.¡± He patted her before leaving. And Tang Yue also obediently nodded. She, however, did not have any intention of following his orders. Once the dwarf left, Tang Yue headed deeper into the mines and started devouring the quagmire centipede meat with full gusto. With her upgraded evolution abilities, she was now able to absorb 50% bloodline from a single low-grade beast. So Tang Yue was curious to see just how much she could benefit from a single high-grade beast. Her gamble of not consuming the high-grade beast immediately had paid off and it was time to see the results now. It took Tang Yue the rest of the entire day to finish the single Quagmire centipede and she finally received the notification. Ding. 20% Quagmire Centipede bloodline absorbed Ding. 5% Quagmire Dragon bloodline absorbed Ding. 5% Ethereal Swamp Crawler bloodline absorbed The bloated dwarf girl grinned with satisfaction. A whopping 20% bloodline from a high-grade beast consumption was a tremendous improvement!!! ¡°Now I only need two more of these disgusting centipedes to finally absorb my first high-grade bloodline.¡± Tang Yue pped her hands in excitement, though the happiness quickly disappeared from her face. Because unfortunately, she only had one more of these centipedes in her possession and didn¡¯t have the third and final one to actually finish the bloodline and trigger the evolution. Chapter 233: She is the worst Part3 Chapter 233: She is the worst Part3 ¡°Argh. How do I get my hands on thisst centipede?¡± Tang Yue pondered and quickly walked back to the house. It was alreadyte in the night when she finished gulping down the entire centipede body and so she hurried back, not wanting to unnecessarily raise any suspicions. Other than her massive binge eating episode, Tang Yue had also managed to cultivate quite a bit of earth elemental essence and could feel the ball of energy in her lower abdomen growing more and more in density. Even though she only had lesser earth elemental affinity, her Demi-God realm soul strength and her Emperor realm mental strength were aiding her quite a bit in steady cultivation progress. All in all, it was quite a productive day, and Tang Yue cheerfully skipped back to the main house, along with Little Blue. The wolf cub also got a lot of meat to eat today and revealed a simr happy content expression on its face simr to his glutton master. Together the duo was a sight to see! Kosa who was sitting in the courtyard at the entrance of the house and chatting with two other dwarves smiled warmly as he saw his cheerful daughter and her pet. Tang Yue politely bowed and nodded back in greeting and couldn¡¯t help but overhear their conversation as she walked past them. The two dwarves were trying to strong-arm Kosa into yielding his mine to the Nibbon n, one of the prominent ns in a neighboring dwarven vige. Tang Yue frowned. ¡°I need to do something about this situation soon.¡± She muttered under her breath and walked into the house. No matter how she thought about it, Barton¡¯s family was behind everything that was happening to the old dwarf. If they hadn¡¯t bribed and ckmailed dwarves of this vige, then this old man wouldn¡¯t be in this condition. Tang Yue pensively pondered a long-term solution for this problem when a big ball of energy ran over to her and hugged her tightly, followed by a beautiful elf running behind him. ¡°Ah~¡± Tang Yue stumbled slightly on seeing the elf. She swallowed the saliva in her mouth and lowered her head in guilt. ¡°Big sis. Big sis.¡± The little kid chirped, demanding her to pay attention to him. Xander was extremely curious about what his snake had been up to the entire day. He thought of sneaking out a couple of times and spying on her, but in the end, decided not to do so. Tang Yue chuckled and picked him up, closing her room door behind her. ¡°Did you miss me?¡± She twirled around, holding the kid, and spun him yfully. Xander almost forgot to y his part, seeing the happy little smile on her face. He waspletely dazed. How can she be this cheerful when she knows that the elven royal family was against her? He stared at the girl without blinking. ¡°Uh oh. Are you feeling dizzy?¡± Tang Yue stopped spinning. Xander weakly smiled. In the beginning, it was him who had been messing with her, disguising himself as a small child, that too as an elven and serpentine hybrid. If he wanted to, he could have easily revealed to her the entire n and made her life easier. However, he didn¡¯t do so and intended to tease the woman a bit, before revealing himself. But now¡­ everything had turned upside down¡­ he didn¡¯t even know anymore who was messing with whom. All these new and warm memories with her were something that he had never expected. He nuzzled the wolf cub, looking at her lovingly as the woman busied herself. Tang Yue wanted to take a proper bath before sleeping today. After spending two days in a mine and devouring an entire centipede, she felt disgusting all over and wanted to wash her body. She was about to fetch the hot water from the kitchen, and Charlotte stopped her. ¡°You¡­ You rest in the bath vessel. I will prepare the water for you.¡± She said and ran away. Tang Yue only felt more and more guilty. Every time she saw the elf, she was reminded of the quest deadline that was looming over her. She lifted the kid absentmindedly and walked over to the backyard to let Little Blue and the kid y with each other while she took a bath. Xander as usual hugged her tightly with a smile andplied. He thought back to the time when he had barged into her room and had seen her naked. A small blush crept over the boy¡¯s pale blue face and he grinned mischievously. But suddenly, the kid¡¯s eyes widened. A faint aroma came from the girl¡¯s mouth, that he was able to easily identify. ¡°This¡­ Did she eat a quagmire centipede?¡± He was surprised. He slightly leaned closer to her without being too obvious and sniffed her. Xander¡¯s nose was very sensitive. He was a Demi-God after all. So he was able to confirm his doubt in an instant. The woman had indeed eaten at least some quagmire centipede meat! But why would she do so? He himself had tasted that meat in the past while using some of the blood for a potion and it was thoroughly disgusting. Did she like that type of meat? She has such a weird taste! He chuckled in amusement. After Tang Yue dropped him off in the backyard, he reluctantly acted like he was ying with the cub for a little while, before slouching against a pir andzily daydreaming about a certain delicious memory. ¡°What a sly woman! You need to be punished a little for hiding so many things from me and not trusting me.¡± A wicked grin surfaced on the small kid¡¯s face. He rubbed his hands together and waited for a little before leaving the backyard and sneakily entering the house again. ¡°He He He. Time to take a peak again.¡± Xander grinned. Even though she was in the guise of a dwarf now, he still anticipated seeing her blushing embarrassed expressions and smiled sheepishly. Chapter 234: She is the worst Part4 Chapter 234: She is the worst Part4 Tang Yue paced back and forth in the room nervously. She only had a little bit of time left to aplish the quest and this bathing scenario didn¡¯t seem like a bad way to aplish the task. However, just as the thought floated in her brain, she cursed herself for being so selfish and power-hungry. Just because the rewards looked extremely enticing, it didn¡¯t mean that she should go to any lengths in order to get them. No. No. No. She was not that kind of a person. She had integrity. Well, some integrity at least. While Tang Yue restlessly fidgeted back in the room, Charlotte took her time and patiently prepared the water for the bath. Since the housemaid was still roaming around, she didn¡¯t use her fire magic and used a conventional stove to heat the water. She then brought over the piping hot water, two pails at a time. ¡°Umm¡­ Charlotte¡­ You are taking this too seriously. You don¡¯t have to do all this.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes darted here and there and she awkwardly mumbled. ¡°How about you also join me and rx for a bit¡­¡± She gulped and added. ¡°Ah¡­ Okay¡­ Princess¡­ Sister Yue.¡± Charlotte nodded slowly, slightly surprised. She knew that she wanted to be very close with Tang Yue and be real sisters, but Tang Yue had always kept her at an arm¡¯s length. Considering the rocky history that they shared, Charlotte didn¡¯t take this to heart so much. It would obviously take some time for Tang Yue to trust her again and truly ept her as a friend and she was willing to work for this rtionship. So Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but be surprised when Tang Yue herself suggested an intimate friendly bonding activity like this. Even though she knew that it was too soon, she hoped that maybe Tang Yue had finally forgiven her and epted her as a real friend. Why are you so kind? She sighed inwardly, revealing a warm smile. Charlotte felt that she had been too foolish in the past; her mind clouded with an all-consuming addiction, so much so that she didn¡¯t even notice and understand the heart of such a wonderful person. The elf casually started undressing and prepared to get into the big wooden bath vessel. And the said wonderful person as well hesitantly started undressing. Unlike Charlotte who looked very casual and nonchnt, Tang Yue looked extremely stiff and awkward. The guilt inside was clearly written on her face. She didn¡¯t even dare meet Charlotte¡¯s gaze directly. The bath vessel in the chieftain¡¯s house was not as big or luxurious as the bath vessel in the royal pce. It was only a medium-sized wooden container, but it was still more than enough tofortably house the two slender females. After undressingpletely, Charlotte took a look at her body, which was slightly different now, thanks to the disguise, and stepped into the tub chuckling. ¡°Aha Ha Ha. Your ears look red.¡± The not so innocent snake made a silly joke and awkwardly stepped in as well after undressing. She kept her eyes up at the ears, afraid to take a peek anywhere else, especially at the two glistening bulges floating on the water surface, slightly swaying as Charlotte adjusted her position. Tang Yue ufortably settled in, sitting diagonally opposite Charlotte. The warm almost scorching water felt heavenly to her tired body, but she was too restless to enjoy it at the moment. Charlotte, however, didn¡¯t catch her awkward reactions and shed a leisurely carefree smile. She yfully dripped water on her slender arms and sshed the water around with a smile. Tang Yue looked at the innocent elf and her throat felt dry. She dunked her head down under the water and came back up again, feeling even more parched. ¡°Are you feeling fine?¡± Charlotte asked, finally sensing some awkwardness. ¡°Yes¡­ Blurrrrb¡­ Yes.¡± Tang Yue mumbled, with her face half-under and half-above the warm water and her voice muffled. ¡°Aha Ha Ha. That¡­ Do you want to share some wine?¡± She hesitantly added. Tang Yue felt her heart weighing heavily. The more she opened her mouth, the more she felt like an old lecher luring an innocent girl to the house. But Tang Yue had already made up her mind and there was no stopping now. After all, she had already kissed and felt up Charlotte in the past. So what was the point in thinking about it so much now? Tang Yue consoled herself and fullymitted herself to the task at hand. She reached back and fished out one of the spatial rings from underneath the piled robes. From within that, she took out a jug of high-grade spirit wine. Tang Yue had bought quite a lot of supplies before heading into thebyrinth and this was one of them. She didn¡¯t get a chance to use this before tonight, but somehow tonight seemed to be an asion tailor-made for it. Tang Yue bit her lips and nervously took out the jug, hoping to calm her nerves and at the same time, create a more casual atmosphere. Because unlike in the past, Charlotte this time was her friend. How was she supposed to face her tomorrow after doing these things to her tonight? This was her biggest concern, well apart from the big fat moral and ethical conundrum. So Tang Yue had vaguely formted this n after a long day of brainstorming. She poured some wine into a ss and passed it to Charlotte. ¡°Ha Ha. I hope no one barges in here. I don¡¯t think a ve gets to share drinks with her master.¡± Charlotte jested lightening the mood. Tang Yue weaklyughed at her statement and dunked down the wine in her ss in a single gulp. ¡°Ha Ha. Slow down, sister Yue.¡± Charlotte smiled at her funny reactions and emptied her ss as well. Coupled with the warm water, the spirit wine felt extremely refreshing and a wave of nourishing energy swept through their bodies. Even though Charlotte was in the Saint realm and Tang Yue was in the Emperor realm, the spirit wine still had a beneficial effect on them, owing to its high quality. Chapter 235: She is the worst Part5 Chapter 235: She is the worst Part5 As the night slowly darkened and moonlight shimmered onto the waters of the small wooden bath vessel, muffled giggling sounds echoed in the room. The pair of women soaking in the bathwater looked lively and also somewhat intoxicated. The distance between them had clearly disappeared and the two were now sitting next to each other,ughing and giggling side by side. The duo, who had simply exchanged some of their life experiences, in the beginning, had somehownded on the many stories and rumors about Xavier. As Charlotte narrated all the nasty and sleazy things the elven prince had done since he was a teenager, Tang Yue clutched her stomach and chuckled. Charlotte, as well, covered her mouth andughed to prevent spitting out the wine in her mouth. Every time Charlotte shared an anecdote about Xavier, Tang Yue¡¯s guilty conscience pricked her. This¡­ How was she any different from that perverted bastard? She cried inwardly. The warmth of the water had reduced greatly and they had been soaking for a while now. Tang Yue nervously moved another inch closer to Charlotte. She knew that their bath session was going to end any time now and she had to act now. Just as she was thinking that Charlotte giggled and tried to get out. ¡°Okay. I better clean up Yue, before someone barges in.¡± She stumbled and got up. ¡°Ummm¡­ Ummm¡­¡± Tang Yue started panicking. If she missed this chance, she wouldn¡¯t be able to aplish her goal. Making a snap decision, she leaned closer and pulled the elf closer to her. ¡°You have something on your face.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Charlotte was caught off guard and lost her bnce, falling directly on top of Tang Yue. Before the elf could regain herposure, Tang Yue quickly attacked her and pulled her closer. She grabbed Charlotte¡¯s slender waist with one hand, and the back of her head with the other hand and drowned the elfpletely in her deep passionate kiss. Poor Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as she was utterly shocked and caught off guard by this new development. She couldn¡¯t help but think back to how Tang Yue had kissed her even before. At that time¡­ she had pushed her away¡­ but now¡­ Charlotte¡¯s pale face turned beet red as she found herself enjoying the long and invasive kiss. She could feel Tang Yue¡¯s tongue wandering inside her mouth and her body shivered in excitement. Without realizing it, she as well responded back to the kiss. Her tongue intertwined with Tang Yue¡¯s tongue and an electrifying pleasure surged through her body. She could feel slight wetness in her most intimate part as she pushed herself closer to the woman and kissed her back with equal force. It was Tang Yue¡¯s turn to feel surprised and shocked now. Her grasp on the elf¡¯s slender waist weakened and she felt dizzy from the kiss that hadsted far too long now. Tang Yue broke the kiss and came up for air. She knew that she had to go in again, but her mind was inplete disarray as vague and conflicting emotions arose in her heart. She was not in the right mind to think about the quest right now, but without even her initiating the next kiss, she could feel Charlotte¡¯s soft and moist lips caress her mouth again. Nnnghh¡­ Tang Yue moaned. This time Charlotte had kissed her first and she held Tang Yue¡¯s body tightly. The elf¡¯s body clung to her as she sucked Tang Yue¡¯s lips until they became reddened. She slid her tongue through her parted lips and moaned softly as their tongues danced again. Tang Yue felt weak in her knees. She had never experienced this sort of lewd pleasure in her life before. It felt wrong, but at the same time, it felt right. She broke the kiss again, panting in confusion. Charlotte blinked and looked at her, hoping for some sort of reaction or exnation. She was at a loss for how to proceed now or even what to say. Tang Yue looked at the adorable face gazing at her lovingly and hesitantly and closed the gap between them again. She went in again for the third kiss, this time hands roaming sloppily on the elf¡¯s body. She could feel Charlotte trembling in her hands, but she didn¡¯t push her away. Instead, she could feel a pair of soft hands on her body, one caressing her back and one caressing her waist. Tang Yue slid her hand upwards and stopped only after feeling the lump of softness under her palm. She pulled Charlotte deeper and deeper into the kiss, Tang Yue massaged the alluring voluptuous curves and both of them moaned in pleasure. Charlottepletely lost her bnce and fell limp on top of Tang Yue. Even though Tang Yue was the one who was suppressed and restrained right now, Charlotte didn¡¯t show any signs of stopping and continued their canoodling. She caressed Tang Yue greedily and kissed her as if she never wanted to be apart again. Nnnghh¡­ Mmmm¡­ Tang Yue moaned in a daze. Things hadpletely spiraled out of her control, but she was far into this to worry about it now. The woman¡¯s every single touch was electrifying and her brain froze, unable to think anything else. What quest? What reward? She had long since forgotten that those things existed. She waspletely beside herself moaning and quivering in the hands of the elf. She opened her eyes and looked at the elf, who was gazing back at her with an unbridled desire and fire in her look. Charlotte sighed deeply and ced her forehead on Tang Yue¡¯s forehead, her eyes cautiously scanning the woman¡¯s face. Both of them were out of breath and panted, with their mind tipsy and drunk. Charlotte giggled and went in for another kiss. Her one hand repeated Tang Yue¡¯s actions and caressed her breast, while her other hand slid down to her soft waist and all the way to her toned legs. Tang Yue¡¯s head was spinning. She didn¡¯t even know anymore if she wanted this moment to continue or end. She clumsilyplied with the elf and kissed her back and was about to grope her delicious body, when a loud creak echoed. Both the women turned around in surprise and shock and their drunken haze immediately disappeared. In front of them¡­ with the door slightly ajar¡­ stood a small boy¡­ his mouth wide open and his eyes blood red¡­ Chapter 236: She is the worst Part6 Chapter 236: She is the worst Part6 Tang Yue shoved some of her long unruly locks of hair behind her ears and looked around. Neither Charlotte nor the little kid was anywhere to be found in her vicinity. In fact, she hadn¡¯t seen either of them since yesterday night, when certain unexpected things had happened and a certain someone had inadvertently witnessed it. Only Little Blue licked his mouth and rubbed his head against her feet, as usual following her around without any care in the world. Tang Yue took another look towards her left and then her right and awkwardly clicked her mouth, before bolting in the direction of the mine. She didn¡¯t know where the kid had run off to but she didn¡¯t want to linger around and run into Charlotte. In all honesty, she dreaded facing Charlotte again. The things that had happened yesterday were too much for her to process right now. She still had a lot of things to do and very little time. Tang Yue knew only too well that she couldn¡¯t afford to let her guard down and rx even for a little bit, at least until she reached the Demi-God realm. In the beginning, this was merely a distant dream. But now that her soul strength was already in the Demi-God realm¡­ it suddenly no longer felt unrealistic. There was a burning hunger within her to fully step into the Demi-God realm. She didn¡¯t want to be pushed around anymore and more than anything, she wanted the power to keep her loved ones safe and sound¡­ no matter who they were¡­ Tang Yue¡¯s mind flitted for a second to the moments she had shared with the elf yesterday and her heart rate quickened. She shook her head and forcefully restrained her mind to only think about cultivation and improving her strength. And so, that day morning, several vigers saw the chieftain¡¯s daughter behave a bit weirdly as they crossed her. The poor girl seemed very frustrated with something and continuously pped her cheeks with her hands and kept mumbling something to herself. Tang Yue ignored the weird looks on the passersby and ran quickly to the hills. The earthen essence was more concentrated in the quarry, so it was beneficial for her to practice cultivation there. Besides, it also gave her the privacy to devour and consume the second high-grade quagmire centipede in her possession. And as soon as she had left the house, Charlotte peeked out and guiltily looked in the direction that Tang Yue had disappeared into. Her face looked flushed and her heart was ramming against her chest. She had never felt this way in her entire life, not even when she was infatuated with Xander, which was for most of her life. Charlotte gazed at the now unupied road for a few more minutes before running into the house and closing the door behind like a shy lovestruck teenager. And of course, after these two left, a small kid turned his back towards the house and punched the tree in front of him with the full force that he could muster. The tree sted into smithereens, even its dust disappearing in the wind. It took every ounce of self-control Xander had, to not go into that house right now and rip apart that elf from limb to limb. That bitch had stolen his snake and that too right under his nose!!! The shy and bashful look on her face only made his condition worse. He wanted to burn and destroy everything in his sight. To a man being cuckolded was one of the worst things that could happen, but his situation was a bit different. What was he supposed to do when two of his supposed ¡®wives¡¯ start fondling each other? When he had opened the door yesterday and saw what he saw, his brain just froze. Xander didn¡¯t even know how to react and had simply walked out of the house. The weird thing was, when his mind froze in that instant, a couple of random thoughts clicked and a frightening possibility arose in his thoughts. He could immediately see a connection between everything that had been confusing him for the past couple of days. Devil Boar. Quagmire Centipede. What did the two beasts have inmon? An affinity to the earth elemental! Tang Yue who hadn¡¯t exhibited any affinity to the earth elemental suddenly started cultivating an earthen mana core. Even a fool could connect all these dots and Xander was no fool. He shuddered as he linked everything and thought about the frightening possibility. As if his current problems were not enough, he had to think about and consider this insane possibility as well!!! Xander clutched his head with his hands and sat on the ground, rocking back and forth like a lunatic. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. He had never lost control of his emotions like this before. He had always been a calm,posed, and pragmatic man. But now¡­ Everything felt chaotic. He wanted to see some bloodshed and before that, he needed some answers. Xander took the rest of the day and spent his entire time cultivating and meditating. He waspletely muddle-headed and definitely unfit to face his traitorous snake in his current mental state. He only ended up somewhat calming downter in the day and walked back to the house, with his face cold and frigid. Tang Yue as well returned soon after. She immediately noticed the kid and ran towards the boy and scooped him up in her arms. ¡°Where have you been all day?¡± She asked, pinching his cheeks yfully. But what she really wanted to know was just much the kid had seen the previous day and if it had scarred him for life. The little kid didn¡¯t reply cheerfully like he usually did and only managed to nod slightly, with a weak smile. Tang Yue felt slightly guilty and she was too mortified to bring up that topic, so she decided to act as if it had never happened. She hugged the boy tightly and nted a small kiss on his cheeks and put him back down. And just like that, Xander who had been furious for the entire day and the previous night, melted into a gooey liquid puddle¡­ even though it was just a small peck on the cheek. ¡°There is a marketing to the vige. Big sis will buy you lots of nice things.¡± Oblivious to his feelings, Tang Yue patted his head and went inside. Xander¡¯s eyes trailed her figure and he opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. ¡°Damn it.¡± He cursed inwardly and looked away. Kosa had been busy all day and didn¡¯t evene to the mines. So Tang Yue was worried and wanted to find out what the old man had been up to. She searched for him in and around the house, but it looked like he hadn¡¯t returned yet. Tang Yue sighed and went back to her room. She changed into a different set of robes and was about to ess her rewards for yesterday¡¯s bastardly deed when a ring fell out of her robe. It was the same simple silver ring with a blue opal stone in the center. She picked it up and stared at it absentmindedly. The image of an arrogant wless face crossed her mind and her heart began to palpitate. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but remember the things she had done yesterday and felt extremely guilty. Coincidentally, the little kid who had wandered back into the room, along with Little Blue, once again stood at the door bbergasted. Xander had just made up his mind to hate this slutty snake, but here she was gazing intently at the ring he had given her. Her thoughts were clearly written on her face and he could see through her in an instant. Damn it. Xander clenched his fist. Woman, why the hell are you torturing me like this?!! He could see that she was conflicted. As he stood there at the doorway, unsure of what to do, he felt another figure standing next to him, with a simr expression on her face. Why is she staring at the ring like that? Isn¡¯t that the one Xander gave her? Charlotte¡¯s heart sank. She didn¡¯t know what she expected from their rtionship yet, but she knew that she didn¡¯t like the look on Tang Yue¡¯s face at the moment. Charlotte wondered if Tang Yue regretted the things that they had done the previous day. She then coincidentally turned towards the little kid and caught him looking at her as well, but with a visible undisguised hatred on his face, a pure vicious animosity. Charlotte took a step back. She looked at Tang Yue again, who was still fidgeting with the ring, and ran out of the room the next instant. Watching her run away slightly improved Xander¡¯s mood. ¡°That¡¯s right. Nothing has changed. So what if her heart is conflicted?¡± ¡°I refuse to give up so easily.¡± He clenched his fist and walked out of the room as well. But before leaving, he flickered his finger inconspicuously and an invisible light shone on the ring that Tang Yue was looking at. Chapter 237: She is the worst Part7 Chapter 237: She is the worst Part7 Tang Yue looked at the engagement ring for some more time, before deciding to toss it into her space pearl. She didn¡¯t want to see that thing again and again and confuse herself with impossible theories. She quickly emptied it out. She took out the remaining disguise crystals, she took out the gold, and then she took out all the spare sets of clothes. She stuck everything in her old space pearl and was about to toss the damned ring in the space pearl as well, when suddenly she saw that the ring was not entirely emptied out yet. Something else was also there in the ring. Something that she had never seen before. A quagmire centipede¡¯s corpse! Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened. This was exactly what she needed now. But how was it there inside this ring? There was no doubt that she only had two of these beast corpses in her possession and she had eaten one yesterday and one today. So how was there another one all of a sudden? ¡°Did I not look at the contents properly?¡± She pondered. That was definitely a possibility. When she had first seen this ring, it had made her extremely flustered, and moreover, she was in a hurry to leave the royal city. So Tang Yue felt that she very well could have missed such a significant item in the ring. She hesitated for a bit, before eventuallying to the conclusion that Xander might have gifted her the centipede meat casually. After all, while she was living in the pce, she had been eating non-stop and every chance she got. So it was not that much of a stretch to think so. Besides, he had given her a lot of gold as well. But still¡­ everything seemed a bit too coincidental and it didn¡¯t sit well with her¡­ Tang Yue pensively stared at the ring again, before emptying out the centipede meat and tossing everything in her space pearl. She was not too tired today and she also now had the third centipede beast which she needed toplete the bloodline. So Tang Yue did not dawdle any longer and rushed back to the mines. Kosa hadn¡¯t returned home yet, but Charlotte and the housemaid were still around. So she headed to the mines to get some more privacy. She, however, busily munched on the centipede meat even on her way to the mines. By now, the doubts and questions in her mind had already disappeared and she was extremely excited to absorb her first high-grade beast bloodline. Xander, of course, followed her all the way to the mines but didn¡¯t go inside this time around. He positioned himself a fair distance away from the mines and only sent his dark elemental clone inside in order to spy for him. He watched Tang Yue gulp down chunks after chunks of centipede meat without even bothering to roast it first. The girl was rather very hardworking! Not only did she keep constantly munching on the beast meat but she also meticulously kept practicing her sword technique. Xander was nothing but impressed at her diligence. His crimson orbs didn¡¯t move an inch from her and kept gazing at her, hidden within the shadows and the darkness of the mine. Time ticked by slowly and soon Xander observed the first signs of something strange and unique. Tang Yue¡¯s dwarven figure suddenly morphed into her serpentine form. Her body twitched on the ground, twisting and turning as if she was suffering. Xander was stunned. He didn¡¯t know or understand what was happening and that too she seemed to be in a lot of pain. Should I intervene? He worriedly looked. He wanted to see what she was hiding but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t simply watch her suffer. But before he could react and respond, Tang Yue¡¯s long serpentine body had already stopped twisting and turning. Her emerald eyes shone in the darkness and she quickly crushed another rune crystal to restore her disguise again. Xander stepped back and patiently observed her actions again. He watched her haphazardly throw her clothes back on and sit down to cultivate. Hmm¡­ He blinked. And the next instant, thick strands of dense earthen essence coalesced around her. Xander gasped in shock. What the heck??? Even though he had somehow conjured up an unimaginable hypothesis, watching it all happen right in front of him waspletely unbelievable. Everything felt surreal. How could someone be so overpowered? Was she really just a spirit beast? Since when were serpentine spirit beasts so powerful? Just as he was thinking that Tang Yue greedily sucked in all the earthen essence around her and consolidated her earthen elemental core, her second mana core. Xander shook his head and chuckled wryly. What sort of an affinity was required to consolidate a mana core in a mere couple of days? There was no doubt in his mind now. Tang Yue had clearly absorbed the life essence of the beasts which she had consumed. And more importantly, she only needed a few of the beasts to achieve this miraculous feat. Xander didn¡¯t need to know any more details to understand how ridiculous this was. It was only a matter of time now before Tang Yue steps onto the bigger stage and dominates the entire nine nations. How would the high-council members react when a spirit beast they vehemently look down upon rises up to crush and break them down?? Pull out their hierarchy from the roots?? A warm smile surfaced on Xander¡¯s face. He was the Crown Prince of Eldoria. He really should care more about this, but the truth was that he didn¡¯t mind this at all. Not even a little bit. The elves had been at the top of the food chain for too long now. Xander clenched his fists. He could feel excitement and chaos surging in his body. He let out a burst of loud maniacalughter that was drowned by the barrier he had set up. A change was in the wind and it was a change that he personally looked forward to. Chapter 238: She is the worst Part8 Chapter 238: She is the worst Part8 Ding. Bloodline Evolution has beenpleted Ding. 5000 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skills obtained. [Higher Earth affinity] ¨C Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high-grade earth. [One with the earth] ¨C Active skill; Able to perceive everything on the ground for a radius of 50 miles. Tang Yue licked her lips in tion as she gazed at the notifications piling in one after the other. ¡°Hmm¡­ Higher Earth affinity¡­ Not bad at all.¡± ¡°And one with the earth?¡± ¡°What a mysterious skill?¡± ¡°Will I really be able to sense everything within a 50-mile radius?¡± She wondered. Tang Yue closed her eyes and first stabilized her cultivation base. She then activated the newly acquired skill to see if she can detect Charlotte¡¯s presence inside the chieftain¡¯s house. Ruuummmm Rummmmm Rummmm Rummmm As she closed her eyes and focused, Tang Yue could instantly feel her breathing in rhythm with a faint intangible murmur of the soil and the rocks around her. All her senses resonated with an unfathomable understanding of the living and the non-living present around her. It was an indescribable feeling. She could sense the strong roots of the tree, the sturdy pressure exuded by the mountains around her, and even the smallest footsteps of a group of dwarven children. Every single movement was crystal clear. And of course, she could also sense the footsteps of the restless elf pacing back and forth in the chieftain¡¯s house. Tang Yue was then about to search for Kosa¡¯s presence when she felt a sharp searing pain coursing through her meridians. This new skill had sucked dry all her mana reserves! Tch. Tch. She clicked her tonguezily and closed her eyes again to recuperate the drained energy. A few hourster, a pair of hurried footsteps echoed near her and Tang Yue shed her eyes open. ¡°Child. What happened to you?¡± Kosa was rushing over to her. He knew that his daughter had always been a hardworking person, but this was the first time that she was spending almost an entire night in the quarry without even having dinner. Kosa was extremely worried. He had to deal with quite a few troublesome things today but this had affected him the most. He thought that he had protected his daughter from all the hardships that surrounded them but it looked like he had failed in the end. The old dwarf took a look at his daughter who was working extremely hard even if it was the middle of the night and his heart ached. ¡°Child, let¡¯s go back home. You can cultivate tomorrow.¡± He sighed and patted Tang Yue. The young dwarf girl looked up at her father¡¯s warm face and smiled brightly. Unlike what her father feared, she didn¡¯t look tired or dreary at all. ¡°Ok, father.¡± Tang Yue nodded obediently. She followed the old dwarf and started walking out of the quarry, but she stopped near the entrance. A small node of raw ore protruded from the rock near the entrance. Tang Yue smiled. ¡°Father, I want to show you something.¡± She mumbled. ¡°Huh? What is it, child? It¡¯s alreadyte today. Let¡¯s head back home. You can show me tomorrow.¡± He said and waved his hand. Tang Yue, however, didn¡¯t listen to him. She walked forward and retrieved a pickaxe from the equipment pile near the entrance. She used her left hand to touch the node and activated the new skill ¡®One with the earth¡¯ just for a second. She could immediately feel the throbbing of the small vein underneath which was constantly supplying earthen essence and nourishing that node. ¡°Yana¡­¡± Kosa muttered. There was a glimmer of expectation in his eyes. He saw the smooth and unrestrained movements of his daughter and his eyebrows raised. And the next instant, Tang Yue, or rather Yana lifted that old rusted pickaxe in her right hand and dealt a single swift powerful blow to the node. KA DANG. A loud sound echoed in the empty quarry. The single hit had the strength of her cultivation base behind it so the node vibrated from the attack. But other than that nothing happened. Kosa sighed. He was slightly disappointed but he tried not to show it on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, child. The next time you will get it for sure.¡± He encouraged her. But before he could finish his sentence¡­ SILA SILA SILA A loud rumble sounded and a dozen well-extracted ore chunks crumbled and fell on the ground. Kosa gasped loudly! His eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. Since when did ores pour out like that??? That had to be an ultimate perfect strike to bring about such an unbelievable oue!!! ¡°YANA¡­ COME HERE with me.¡± Kosa grabbed Tang Yue¡¯s hand and dragged her back inside the quarry. He was livid with excitement and had already forgotten about howte in the night it was. ¡°Come here, child. Quick. Quick. Try repeating that again.¡± He hurriedly pointed to another node, a slightly bigger one this time. Tang Yue smiled warmly. Unlike him, she remained very calm andposed. She once again touched the node and activated the skill to feel the pulse of the vein underneath. It was then child¡¯s y for her to identify the right spot that would crack open everything and yield perfect extraction. Tang Yue chuckled softly and once again targeted that perfect spot. SILA SILA SILA SILA And once again ores poured out like grains of rice. Kosa clutched his daughter and hugged her, tears streaming down his wrinkled cheeks. ¡°My dear¡­ Ah¡­ You have made this old man very proud, child. God has indeed blessed us.¡± ¡°My poor child. All your hard work has finally paid off.¡± He hugged her tightly and patted her. Unbeknownst to herself, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes were also glistening. For the first time in her life, she felt a warm feeling enveloping her heart. ¡°Thanks, father.¡± She muttered under her breath.¡± ¡°Silly child. Don¡¯t cry. Ok. Ok. Hurry up and practice for some more time.¡± ¡°You should make sure to grasp this feeling thoroughly before you forget it.¡± Chapter 239: The competition is fierce Part1 Chapter 239: Thepetition is fierce Part1 Kosa stood next to Tang Yue and eagerly awaited for her to practice and drill the technique she had grasped thoroughly. But with every move she made, the old man looked worse and worse. He blinked his eyes as if he couldn¡¯t believe whatever was happening in front of his eyes. Within a span of 30 minutes, they had harvested the entire first floor of the quarry. 30 sacks filled to the brim with shining chunks of Nebulum stood majestically near the entrance. Tang Yue was just about to head downstairs, when the dwarf held her hand, his own hand trembling and stopped her. ¡°Child,e with me. I want you to do something at home first.¡± Leaving the sacks full of ores back at the mine, Kosa dragged Tang Yue and the duo hurried back to the house in the middle of the night. After they left, Xander materialized inside the cave and rejoined with his clone. He then ran his hand over an empty node, from which Tang Yue had already extracted the ores. His finger circled the spot at which she had struck and cracked the ores open. Heh. A smug mischievous smile appeared on the small child¡¯s face. After reaching the house, Kosa immediately dragged Tang Yue to the small workshop in the backyard. He didn¡¯t say anything to her and directly cranked up the st furnace. A few secondster, a waft of hot burning fumes swept across Tang Yue¡¯s face. While she was standing wondering what the old man was up to, Kosa was busily scurrying about here and there. After fanning the furnace, he threw some uneven iron ore chunks inside. The old dwarf then took a second to catch his breath and added a few other materials to the molten ore. Every time he added something, loud crackling sounds echoed and after a few minutes, a separateyer of dirty grimy substances floated on top of the molten ore. Seeing that this part of the process was almost done, Kosa opened up a vent at the top of the furnace. The molten ore poured out of the sides and into a trough underneath the furnace. He then quickly added a few more ore chunks that looked different than the iron ore to this molten mess. The dwarf hurriedly mixed everything together and sighed in relief, wiping the sweat off of his forehead. ¡°Come here, child.¡± He called over Tang Yue. ¡°Huff. Come here and take over for father from this step onward.¡± Tang Yue nodded and walked over. Even though she hadn¡¯t done any of this before, it was a fairly simple process and she had already read Yana¡¯s detailed and exnatory, albeit scribbled notes. So Tang Yue fully understood what was going on and was quite confident in her capabilities. She lifted the bucket containing the molten ore mixture and carefully poured it into a mold at the center of the workshop. Though the mold looked ordinary, it had a rune formation on it that instantly allowed the molten ore to solidify in the shape of the mold. Tang Yue then carefully removed the item from within the mold. It was a medium-sized, dull, and lifeless looking sword. ¡°Take it to the anvil, child.¡± Kosa reminded her seeing that the girl was still looking at the sword. Tang Yue nodded and walked over to the anvil on the right side of the workshop. As far as she had understood, this part right here was the most important step in the cksmithing process. This is what differentiated an ordinary steel sword from a strong and powerful ¡®graded¡¯ sword. And it looks like, this is why the old man had currently dragged her over to the workshop in the middle of the night. Having beenpletely surprised by his daughter¡¯s sudden talents in mining, the old dwarf wanted to urgently test her abilities in smithing as well. No matter how talented she was at mining ores, it didn¡¯t really matter. But on the other hand, even a small amount of talent in smithing mattered a lot. Kosa knew this well. This was why he had brought her here. This was her real test and her real hurdle! Anyone can mix a bunch of ores together, melt it in a furnace and pour it into a mold. But a weapon made this way is only good for dealing withmon-grade beasts, if at all. A true weapon requires a cultivator to hammer the elemental essence within the weapon from top to bottom; attune the weapon with the elemental essence on a more molecr basis. And the elemental essence which worked best with the weapons providing the maximum strength and defense, imbuing the weapon itself with an intangible life, soul, and mind was the earthen essence. Tang Yue smiled. The second she skimmed through Yana¡¯s notes, she knew that this day would eventuallye. This was why she began cultivating an earthen core. Tang Yue calmly ced the half-baked sword onto the anvil¡¯s surface. She then used a hammer from the workshop and rhythmically banged on the metal¡¯s surface. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. Loud metallic sounds reverberated from the workshop as Tang Yue continued hammering that piece of metal carefully and patiently. Even though she had read about the technique and understood the basics from Yana¡¯s notes, actually executing it felt much moreplex and difficult. No wonder the original daughter of the chieftain had suffered so much at this step. Not everyone could do this. It required a lot of control and intricate mana management from the start to finish, not to mention a very high affinity with the respective elemental essence. A strike with too little or too much force couldpletely ruin the entire hard work. Tang Yue continued hammering at the sword with beads of sweat dripping down her forehead. The hot air in the workshop and the earthen essence coalescing around the anvil made her feel strangelyfortable and in sync. She didn¡¯t even notice the night slipping by silently around her. Kosa, Charlotte, the housemaid, and of course, the ¡®little kid¡¯ had all gathered in the workshop and were gazing at the young dwarven girl in awe. Chapter 240: The competition is fierce Part2 Chapter 240: Thepetition is fierce Part2 The bright and warm rays of the morning sunlight flickered through the window and Tang Yue was still persistently hammering at the sword. Kosa looked at his daughter with worry written on his face. He felt as if he had acted very foolishly and rashly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have put so much pressure on her.¡± He worriedly shook his head. ¡°I should have at least let her have a good night¡¯s rest before bringing her to the workshop.¡± While a normal sword took only a few minutes to perfect, amon-grade sword took at least a few hours to perfect. Not to mention a low-grade or mid-grade or high-grade sword. Each of those required not just time but also valuable resources and sky-high talents to forge. Since Tang Yue had already exceeded the 6-hour mark which was considered average for forging amon-grade iron sword, her talent was clearly very low. Kosa was happy that she was finally able to smith something and improve her mana control and earthen essence control, but unfortunately, it was nowhere close to what was needed to be a superior cksmith. Kosa sighed and patiently waited for his daughter to finish. For him, it didn¡¯t matter if she was fast or slow or if she was talented or not. He was only worried that she would work herself to the bones. Talent and skill were often things that people were born with. Only he knew just how much his daughter had worked hard even to improve this much, oveing that hurdle she was born with. Unfortunately, it was still not enough. Only endless hard work and failure awaited her in her future. While others could cruise through these basics, his daughter had to suffer even with the bare minimum. Kosa shook his head. ¡°This child is always doing things just to make me happy.¡± ¡°I need to discourage her.¡± He thought. He stood up tiredly and was just about to say something cruel and mean when Tang Yue finally put the hammer down. She let out a loud exhrated breath and turned towards the old dwarf, with a big old smile on her face. ¡°I am done, father.¡± She smiled like a small child. Kosa blinked awkwardly. One look at her beaming and proud face and the old dwarf didn¡¯t have the heart to discourage her as he nned. He could only helplessly walk forward and take the sword from the anvil, before giving her an encouraging nod and a few sweetened words. ¡°This is amazing, child. I am so proud of you. This is the first sword you have personally made.¡± ¡°Shall we try selling it in the market or do you want to keep this for yourself?¡± He smiled lovingly and patted her head. But the old man suddenly stopped in his tracks. Tang Yue was saying something in response to his question, but he was clearly not listening. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± He stammered and carefully observed the sword in his hands. Earlier, he had only taken a superficial nce at the sword so he hadn¡¯t noticed anything different. But now that he had held it in his hands for more than a minute, he could naturally tell the difference. The sword that he was holding in his hand was not an ordinarymon-grade sword! It was in fact a low-grade sword with an additional agility boost!!! Just how the hell did she manage to forge a low-grade sword with just iron ore as the raw material??? Kosa looked at the sword and then at his daughter. Am I really holding a weapon with a special trait in my hand? And that too one which was personally forged by my daughter? He shuddered. ¡°Oh, my dear.¡± He put the sword on the anvil and pulled his daughter closer, hugging her tightly. Tears streamed out of the old man¡¯s eyes. ¡°Just how hard did you work child, when this old man was not looking.¡± He trembled. Tang Yue smiled and enjoyed the warm affection. ¡°No father. Don¡¯t worry. I think I had a weird inspiration in thebyrinth.¡± ¡°I suddenly had a feeling that I could do all these.¡± She exined. ¡°Ah¡­¡± The old dwarf speechlessly looked at her. He thought about something for a minute and then spoke again. ¡°Ok. But if anyone asks, don¡¯t give them this answer. Just tell them that you practiced a lot and finally seeded.¡± ¡°Ok, father.¡± Tang Yue obediently nodded. Even without him telling her, she was anyways nning to give that answer to others. Unfortunately, since he was her father, she obviously couldn¡¯t tell him the same lie. ¡°Ok. Ok. You have already strained yourself too much for one day.¡± ¡°Sorry I dragged you here in the middle of the night.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you go and rest today?¡± ¡°I will first clear the ores in the mine and then hunt some beasts for dinner.¡± The old man shoved Tang Yue out of the workshop and started cleaning up on his own. Tang Yue looked at him with a gentle smile. The old man had clearly forgotten that he too hadn¡¯t slept for the entire night! She sighed and shook her head. Xander chuckled at her silly reactions. He wanted to rush forward and pinch the lovable idiot¡¯s cheeks. He didn¡¯t mean for her to work so hard and actually learn cksmithing, but somehow things had turned out like this. What a strong innate talent! Not only was she able to grasp the basics of alchemy but she was also able to smith a graded weapon. Only someone with a high affinity to the fire elemental and the earth elemental could achieve such a feat. Why are you working so hard? Do you want to be my queen that badly? He looked at the woman lovingly and chuckled. He had conveniently forgotten that specific ¡®incident¡¯ that implied otherwise. Just because he had forgotten, it didn¡¯t mean that his love rival had magically disappeared. Standing next to Xander and looking at Tang Yue with a warm and doting gaze was a certain elf vixen hybrid. Chapter 241: The competition is fierce Part3 Chapter 241: Thepetition is fierce Part3 Charlotte¡¯s eyes had slightly teared up from the heartwarming father-daughter exchange. Just one look at her and Xander¡¯s fury instantly reached his head. ¡°Stupid. Why don¡¯t you run to the mines and fetch all the ores which big sis extracted yesterday?¡± He scolded her. Huh? Charlotte turned and red back at the little devil. She wanted to stamp on him and squash him to the ground like an insect. ¡°I am not the only ve, am I? Why don¡¯t youe with me to help out as well?¡± She grinned wickedly. Charlotte could already imagine throwing a couple of ores at this little rascal¡¯s head. Not bothering with her any longer, the little kid threw a smug nce at Charlotte. ¡°Hmph. I have other important things to do.¡± He then quickly ran behind Tang Yue. Charlotte grimaced at that sight and walked away. She didn¡¯t know why Tang Yue cared so much about this old dwarf but she wanted to help her out as much as she could. So she hurriedly went over to the mines and brought back the ore sacks one at a time in order to not arouse any suspicions. Xander, on the other hand, took this opportunity to finally set his secret n in motion. He ran behind Tang Yue and entered her room with her. ¡°Big sis, can I also sleep with you?¡± He asked cutely with an adorable expression. ¡°Ha Ha. Of course, you can.¡± Tang Yue picked him up and nodded with a smile. She didn¡¯t think too much about it and ced the little kid on the bed. She then flopped onto the bed next to him and went to sleep, almost immediately. Continuously exerting control over mana and earthen essence cirction was quite taxing. Moreover, the forging in itself was also a sort of cultivation practice. So it took barely two seconds for Tang Yue to go to sleep, but the boy next to her was wide awake. A mysterious glint shed in his eyes and a wide grin appeared on his face. He raised his finger and casually ced it on Tang Yue¡¯s forehead. He then closed his eyes with the big smile still lingering on his face. When the boy¡¯s finger touched her head, Tang Yue who was sleeping soundly trembled ever so slightly. But she didn¡¯t wake up. She nuzzled her head on the bed, changed her sleeping position, and continued sleeping. However, this time around her eyes flickered rapidly as if she was dreaming about something. A familiar imposing figure appeared in her dreams. The man had a menacing cold look and his crimson eyes questioningly gazed at her. Tang Yue bit her lips. A small feeling of guilt arose in her heart. ¡°You are not wearing the ring I gave you?¡± The madman chuckled and approached her. Tang Yue didn¡¯t understand why this lunatic had suddenly shown up here. And¡­ and¡­ she was in her serpentine human figure and not the dwarven disguise? She was confused and perplexed. Before she could make any sense of it, the tyrant¡¯s hand shot forward and grabbed her slender waist. He pulled her closer and held her firmly against his body. ¡°Answer me, my dear. Do you not like my ring?¡± He asked. Tang Yue was surprised. She opened her mouth but closed it again wordlessly. She could almost see a yearning loving emotion in those cold cruel eyes and that astonished her. And somehow it was more terrifying. Can we just go back to when you didn¡¯t care about me? She cursed inwardly. Seeing that the woman was not nning on answering him any time sooner, the man leaned closer and attacked her trembling lips. He ambushed her mouth and dived in to directly devour her. Tang Yue waspletely taken aback by that deep passionate kiss. The man had kissed her intimately once before but it was nothing like how it was right now. Tang Yue stared at the man in front of her with her eyes wide open. Those soul-stealing crimson eyes looked mesmerizing up close. She could see an unfathomable desire within them. She felt her body getting hotter and hotter from his kiss and an ecstatic tingle swept across her. Without her permission, her tongue relented to his attacks and she kissed him back with an equal frenzy. Xander¡¯s lips pulled up in amusement. He sighed inwardly. He was very relieved to know that the woman was attracted to him as well. The relief quickly turned into a greedy irresistible need. He broke away from the kiss and looked at her fervently, his gaze betraying his lust and desire. Tang Yue gulped. She could clearly read his thoughts. The man did very little to hide them from her. Her heart pounded like a maniac in anticipation of what was about toe. Her eyes looked back at him in shock. Xander grinned. He pulled her closer again and this time his hand ripped apart her thin silk robe in a single motion. He stripped everyst bit of cloth from her body. Huh? Tang Yue tried to reach for them, but she was quickly trapped and enved in another fierce kiss. She angrily pummeled on the man¡¯s chest but at the same time, she kissed him back harder and harder, her own hands eventually tightening him in an embrace. Xander lifted her up and threw her onto a beg that magically appeared nearby. Huh? Tang Yue looked around in confusion. There was a bed here? Wait, where am I? But before her mind could wander, Xander leaped on top of her and grabbed her chin to pull her attention back to him. Unable to face the bewitching crimson eyes directly, Tang Yue closed her eyes in embarrassment. The man¡¯s warm breath tickled her senses and the feeling of his body so close to her gave her goosebumps. ¡°It¡¯s time, my dear. You are mine.¡± Xander leaned in and whispered in her ears. Tang Yue shuddered slightly. Her face was a deep purple and she waspletely flushed. She opened her eyes and looked at the man in confusion. Why? Why this all of a sudden? Chapter 242: The competition is fierce Part4 Chapter 242: Thepetition is fierce Part4 Xander smiled and dove in to take another kiss. His hands greedily roamed around her body. He wanted to lick her. He wanted to pinch her and he wanted to bite her. He wanted to feel every part of her body. Xander felt the urge to mess her up and punish her for being so bad and promiscuous. He didn¡¯t want her to think about anyone else except him. The man¡¯s tongueshed out at her and the passionate kiss turned into a forceful and rough invasion. But the next second, he stopped and cursed himself for losing control and looked at the woman on his arms. She panted and moaned with an intoxicated look on her face. Heh. The man chuckled. It looked like his snake liked to take things rough. The woman trembling in his arms was clearly aroused. He leaned over and kissed the edges of her lips and trailed down to her ample breasts. He licked the right one and sucked on it, and his hand rubbed her lips. Tang Yue was livid with embarrassment. She tried to push him away but the man held both her hands and imprisoned her in ce. He then grinned with a wicked evil expression and attacked her left breast this time. Tang Yue closed her eyes. She bit her lips to prevent a moan from escaping her mouth. Why did this man¡¯s touch feel so good? She bit the finger that was rubbing her lips in frustration. Xander chuckled. ¡°My dear, it looks like you want some more attention.¡± He shamelessly grinned and his hand trailed down to her waist. Tang Yue shuddered as she suddenly felt her naval being licked and sucked. Her eyes then widened at the thought of what was beneath her naval. The man¡¯s tongue skillfully trailed down and licked her inner thigh with a visible hunger. He bit the soft smooth skin of her inner thigh and kissed and sucked the same tender skin until it left a mark. Tang Yue¡¯s body danced to his every move and she felt herself getting embarrassingly wet. She prayed for him to not notice it, but he could he not¡­ especially when he was right there¡­ The man chuckled and released her hands, but the next instant, he dove into her most sensitive part and licked her. Tang Yue moaned in pleasure as every stroke of his tongue sent ecstatic shivers down her spine. She wanted him to stop, and her hands grabbed his long unruly silver mane, but they didn¡¯t push him away. The man licked her deeper and deeper without slowing down and her hands clenched the silk bed sheets tightly. Her lips whimpered and she moaned in pleasure. Wave after wave of euphoric pleasure assaulted her senses and the man, without any mercy continued licking her and devouring her. She shouted and moaned and twitched in pleasure, but the damned devil didn¡¯t stop at all. The torturous attack continued on for a long while before the madman finally lifted his head back up. Tang Yue covered her face with her palms and didn¡¯t want to show him the lewd drunken expression on her face. ¡°You taste like honey¡­¡± The man flopped onto the bed next to her and whispered into her ears. Tang Yue wanted to bury herself in the ground. She was beyond embarrassed. She tried to weakly push him away, but the man pulled her back again into a tight embrace. ¡°You¡­ Aren¡¯t you being a little selfish? You should take responsibility for this.¡± He whispered into her ears and pulled her hand down to his chiseled stomach and the hardness underneath. Tang Yue shuddered. Her eyes flew wide open and she pushed him away again, this time with a much stronger force. The man chuckled and pinned her down again. ¡°I am sorry, my dear. I can¡¯t afford to take this slow.¡± He licked her ears as he whispered. Tang Yue red at him defiantly, wondering what he meant, but she was not able to think clearly. The man leaned down and kissed her again, sucking her raw. Tang Yue interlocked her toes as she felt her body responding to him again. He had just mercilessly attacked her again and again, but her body craved for more. And he didn¡¯t make her wait for long. As the woman tried to surface for air, he plunged into her wet core and thrust into her with an insatiable rush. The crimson orbs gazed at the prey keenly and the man¡¯s movements became faster and slower intermittently as if he was teasing her. Unable to stand his wickedness, Tang Yue pulled him back into a kiss and her tongue assaulted him as if she was ordering him to take her faster and faster. Xander grinned. He didn¡¯t tease her anymore and thrust into her with a passionate frenzy. He plunged into her deeper and deeper while kissing her and ravaging her breasts. Her skin melted on his touch and the softness felt amazing. His own breathing became coarse and haggard and she pulled him closer and closer until they both copsed on each other in ecstasy. Nngh¡­ Tang Yue hugged the man tightly and drowned in his embrace. His unique manly scent tickled her nose and she took a deep breath in. ¡°Are you okay?¡± An unusually warm and loving voice sounded in her ears. Tang Yue didn¡¯t reply. She, however, pulled him closer and hugged him tighter. She never knew that the cold-blooded tyrant could be so simple, straightforward, and sweet. But what was he doing here? Her eyes trembled and she felt as if her brain was in a haze. She shook her head to snap out of the haze and opened her eyes again, when suddenly¡­ the man in front of her disappeared¡­ There was nothing in front of her. There was only the solid rocky empty wall. Huh? She sat up on the bed with confusion and frantically looked around, but there was no one there. Only a small little kid was sleeping next to her innocently, the small body rising up and down synchronously as he was sound asleep. ¡°What the heck?¡± Tang Yue clutched her head in confusion. ¡°Did I just dream about the whole thing???¡± Chapter 243: The competition is fierce Part5 Chapter 243: Thepetition is fierce Part5 Tang Yue looked around in confusion for a little while before pping her cheeks and getting the hell out of bed. The image of the devil¡¯s wless smoldering face and his soul devouring crimson eyes were burned in her brain. Even though it was just a dream, she couldn¡¯t simply shake it off and move on. As if this was not enough, she also kept thinking about the things she had done with Charlotte. ¡°Damn it all.¡± Tang Yue wiped the sweat off her forehead and ran to the backyard. She was not in control of her emotions and she didn¡¯t like it. This was not the time to be distracted or disturbed like this. She steadied her mind and practiced her sword technique. Watching her run away frantically like a scared little bunny pleased Xander greatly. At least now, he was somewhat assured of the feelings that the woman had for him. He knew that this was a cheap shot but the man was desperate. His rival was very strong and he didn¡¯t know what else to do without giving away his disguise. And as he crossed paths with Charlotte, who was still busily carrying over the sacks filled with ore chunks, Xander gave her a smug beaming smile. In his mind, he had already won this war. Clearly, he had very conveniently forgotten that while everything that had happened between him and Tang Yue was merely imaginary, whatever happened between the two women was very real. And so, a little kid leisurely strolled out of the chieftain¡¯s house with a big smile stered on his face. The kid walked all the way into the forests and then fished his pockets to retrieve a small jade slip. ¡°Find out if any of the serpentine beast ns have the ability to manifest elemental affinities, which they are not born with.¡± ¡°Medusa¡­ Find out if any serpentine n elders have the name Medusa.¡± ¡°Or rather check their ancestor¡¯s names.¡± ¡°Gather every historical record avable about the serpentine n.¡± Xander quickly mumbled a few instructions to the jade slip, which in fact was a sound transmission talisman. Since he wanted to keep this particr investigation under wraps, he only sent the message to Xavier and no one else. He did not even dare to trust his personal Generals with this information. Xander or rather the little kid, then, walked back home in the same leisurely carefree manner, the big smile still lingering on his face. He kept thinking back to the passionate erotic experience he had shared with his troublemaker snake and kept blushing from time to time. He just couldn¡¯t stop smiling, even though such a shameless smile looked extremely creepy on a kid¡¯s face. Meanwhile¡­ After five long hours of training¡­ Tang Yue finally managed to kick the devil from her brain and she was somewhat back to a steady state. But suddenly, a new special quest kicked in. Her daily quest from 3 days ago was still iplete so she didn¡¯t receive a new daily quest just yet. It was only the special quest this time around. Tang Yue almost choked on the water she was drinking when the notifications shed in front of her. Not again! Not again! Not again! She wanted to scream and w at the damned old man and his fucking weird fetish!!! Tang Yue resolutely closed the quest notification without even taking a peek at it. ¡°I am done, old man. I am not interested in your stupid quests and your stupid rewards. Screw off.¡± She crossed her arms in front of her chest and hissed at the gentle wind breezing past her. [Aye. Aye. Now, now, little snake. At least take a look at the reward.] [I am sure you will be interested.] The old man chuckled. In reality, he himself was shaken up a bit but he didn¡¯t tell Tang Yue about that. The old man hadn¡¯t sensed Xander at all until a few hours back when the elf lowered his guard to cast a high-level illusion spell on Tang Yue. The spell was a little shaky and looked like it had only been recently acquired or rather learned. That¡¯s why even though he was a Demi-God, Xander still gave away his presence to the old man¡¯s soul sense. The old man would have panicked more but he could clearly see that the elven prince didn¡¯t harbor any ill intentions towards his protege. So he decided to ignore it for now. After all, he had far more pressing things he was concerned with right now. [Come on. Little snake. Don¡¯t you want to be stronger? Don¡¯t you want to rule the nine nations?] The cunning nasally voice chimed in repeatedly and tried to coax her. But this time, Tang Yue didn¡¯t budge. Charlotte was a friend and there was a line that she was not willing to cross. The old man tried sweet talking to her for a long time before giving up begrudgingly. He had even offered an additional reward, but Tang Yue still didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Nope. You perverted old man. I am done.¡± [Listen, dumb little snake. Who are you calling a pervert? The pot is calling the kettle ck now?] [Aren¡¯t you being a little too judgmental? Aren¡¯t you the one in bed with two people at the same time?] Tang Yue¡¯s face instantly flushed. ¡°Damn it. And whose fault is that?¡± She shouted out loud in frustration. [Hmph. Listen, dumb little snake. Are you familiar with something called the Fate magic?] Huh? Tang Yue blinked. Where did thise from suddenly? [Of course, you wouldn¡¯t know. Who did you think you are?] [You are still a baby. You are nothing. You are just a weak little flower.] [Listen to me now and listen well. That woman over there¡­ That woman is the key to your survival in the future.] Tang Yue gulped nervously. By now, she could tell when the old man was messing with her and when he was not. And right now, he was being serious! ¡°What do you mean, master?¡± She nervously asked. [I don¡¯t have any more information. Fate magic doesn¡¯t work like that. It is very vague.] [All I know are glimpses from your future and that woman over there dies in order to protect you.] [If she doesn¡¯t sacrifice herself, you don¡¯t live.] What the hell? Tang Yue was shocked. Just what the hell was this old man bbering? [Now, do you see? You need to strengthen your bond with her.] Tang Yue stood speechlessly for a minute, but then she wryly chuckled. ¡°So the disgusting lucky wheel and the stupid special quests were all because of this?¡± ¡°You actually want me to do something as despicable as this?¡± ¡°You want me to make her fall in love with me so that she will be forced to die on behalf of me?¡± ¡°Ptui! You thought that I would do this?¡± ¡°So what if I am dying? Some things are far worse than death.¡± ¡°Heh. Old man, I suddenly wonder why you died in the first ce.¡± ¡°Someone maniptive and backstabbing like you must have gotten killed due to karma. Am I correct?¡± She scoffed. [Hmph. You don¡¯t understand anything, little snake.] [Sometimes, certain sacrifices are necessary. There is nothing you can do about it.] ¡°That¡¯s your opinion. I would rather die than betray someone who loves me.¡± [Have you forgotten that it was she who poisoned you in the first ce?] [She almost killed you. What is wrong in using her as a pawn?] [Only the strong and the unrivaled can afford to be kind. You are still a weak little flower.] [Don¡¯t think for a second that she wouldn¡¯t kill you for the same power!] ¡°Hmm¡­ You have your principles. I have mine.¡± ¡°The bottom line is that I am not going to go along with your n.¡± ¡°I will not be kissing her or touching her or ¡®fingering¡¯ her!!!¡± Tang Yue spat out her words and went back to her sword practice. Her mind was muddled from all the weird information she had just received. She shuddered thinking about the future that the old man had predicted. Did Charlotte really not hesitate to sacrifice herself in my stead? She gripped her sword tightly and shed it at the wind. ¡°I will not ever let that happen.¡± She muttered under her breath and shed even more forcefully. The old man silently watched her practice. He didn¡¯t say anything else. He didn¡¯t have to say anything else. The deed was done. The wheels were already in motion and whatever he wanted was already aplished. The bond was strong enough now. He could see the threads of fate much more clearly and vividlypared to before. That woman dies and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it now. Unless¡­ The old man hesitated. He looked at the snake practicing her sword technique so sincerely and couldn¡¯t help but think about his own daughter. Heh¡­ You resemble her so much¡­ But what will you be in the years toe? Chapter 244: Settling scores Part1 Chapter 244: Settling scores Part1 Without realizing it, Tang Yue ended up spending the entire day in the backyard practicing her sword technique. Only when it became dark outside, she stopped her training and wiped the beads of sweat away. ¡°Hmmm¡­ The old man is not back yet?¡± She dismissed her soul sword and went inside. Charlotte, as well, was not in the house, but she could see the sacks filled with Nebulum ores neatly arranged in rows. Everything was perfectly arranged, not a single sack out of line. Tang Yue chuckled at the sight. ¡°She must be getting really bored.¡± She looked around and no one else was in the house, except for the wolf cub. ¡°Should I take Little Blue out for hunting?¡± She whistled lightly and the small furball immediately came running towards her. The duo quickly headed out in the direction of the forest to hunt some beasts. Tang Yue knew that she wouldn¡¯t be staying in this vige for much longer now. So she also wanted to hunt some game and make sure that the old dwarf had plenty of supplies. When the duo neared the forest, Little Blue immediately howled and dashed into the trees at full speed. The huge forest bordering the vige was brimming with demonic beasts and monsters that typically terrified the vigers but not the wolf cub. Little Blue snarled and dashed inside after having already spotted its first opponent. Tang Yue smiled and casually followed behind the cub. Keeping pace with the small thing was not a big deal to her. As she ran behind the furball, little blue had already provoked a bear thrice its size and was growling at it. The bear growled back, almost making the small wolf cub lose his bnce. ¡°Why won¡¯t you just pick an opponent who is your level?¡± Tang Yue bitterly smiled and shook her head. But the little wolf seemed very resolute, so she silently stood back and watched the two fight with each other. In a mere few seconds, Tang Yue was already forced to eat her words back. The bear might have the advantage in terms of the overall size but Little Blue was extremely agile andpletely dominated the bear. The small cub was like a flying bite machine and kept leaping about here and there. The bear was barely able to keep track of the little thing and copsed on the ground both from the wounds covering its body and the sheer dizziness. ¡°Why don¡¯t you enjoy your kill and have a nice meal? Let me quickly finish up a few things.¡± Tang Yue patted the little cub and took a small stroll through the forest. It only took her a few minutes to ughter a bunch of low-grade beasts including some more ck bears, sharp-toothed rabbits, and golden deers. It barely gave her any experience points but that was not the goal here, so Tang Yue didn¡¯t mind. By the time she returned back, the cub had devoured more than one-quarter of the bear meat. ¡°What a glutton!¡± Tang Yue rubbed its head. If someone else was present, they would have rolled their eyes hard at that statement, but the cute thing loved her too much to do so. It simply licked her hand and pushed the meat towards her, offering her some as well. Tang Yue chuckled. ¡°How about we finish thister? Time to head back home.¡± She smiled. The duo left the forests but instead of going back home, they made a trip to the mines. Tang Yue wanted to see what was taking Charlotte so long and wanted to help her with the menial chore. But when she walked closer, she could already feel that something was not right. A small crowd had gathered in front of their quarry and a bunch of dwarfs were sitting around on makeshift earth mounds. And at the center of the crowd were three familiar figures. One sitting and two standing. ¡°We are not asking for much, Lord Kosa. It¡¯s just a ve. What are you thinking so much for?¡± ¡°Besides, isn¡¯t it customary to give the groom an engagement gift?¡± Barton¡¯s father, Byron patted Barton sitting next to him and smiled. Apparently, the word had spread around that a new ve girl was carrying a bountiful harvest to the chieftain¡¯s house from the mines. Everyone knew that Kosa didn¡¯t employ any help. So they assumed that the ve had some good mining capabilities. Hearing about this, Barton and his father immediately rushed over. They couldn¡¯t care less about one measly ve, but at the same time, they couldn¡¯t afford to give the old dwarf Kosa any breathing room. If the dwarf wasn¡¯t pushed into a corner, he might back out of the engagement and then their big n would copse. So the father and son pair quickly walked over to the quarry and confronted Kosa. They even shamelessly demanded that he hand over their newly acquired ve. ¡°Ah¡­ I was indeed negligent on my side. I apologize. Old age you see¡­ Ha Ha.¡± Kosa weakly chuckled in response. ¡°As for the ve¡­¡± Kosa looked at Charlotte who stood still with her head bent down, ¡°I really need to talk to my daughter before making any decision.¡± ¡°This is her ve. Ha Ha. I don¡¯t have the authority tomand her.¡± He scratched his head. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± Byron groomed his beard with a nasty grin on his face. ¡°I agree. I agree. Talking about your daughter, how is the pretty Yana doing these days?¡± ¡°Lord Kosa, don¡¯t you think that these two have been engaged for a while now?¡± ¡°We should get them married soon.¡± He chuckled and nced at the huge mine entrance on the right. Barton, as well, nodded and smiled warmly. He understood why his father was doing this and yed along. It was not wise to leave such a good deal wide open for too long. Sometimes unknown variables could randomly show up and mess everything. So it was better to finish this marriage soon and kill Yana immediately. Everybody was well aware of just how much the old dwarf loved his daughter. So, once that good for nothing dies, the father, of course, would be heartbroken and almost dead. They didn¡¯t even have to do anything to him and waste their time. It was a perfect n. Moreover, unlike Kosa, Barton¡¯s father didn¡¯t do anything stupid like paying additional taxes and lightening the load of their vige dwarfs. So even after the two viges merge, the new chieftain wouldn¡¯t have to pay anything extra. They were literally set toe out on top from every angle. Kosa, however, for the first time, felt slightly reluctant to answer the question. The old man was not totally clueless about the vile nature of the Barton family. This was why he was postponing the marriage talks as much as possible. And looking at this conversation today, he was even regretting betrothing his daughter to these jackals in the first ce. He didn¡¯t realize that the situation was so bad. These people barely did anything to even hide their greed and their main motive. Kosa didn¡¯t care that they were strong-arming him and pushing him into working so hard all by himself. He also didn¡¯t care about their obvious interest in his family¡¯s ancestral mines. But his bottom line was his daughter. If it means that harm would befall his daughter, he wouldn¡¯t mind giving up everything in order to keep her safe. ¡°This¡­ Why don¡¯t we talk about the marriageter?¡± The old dwarf smiled. ¡°This child has just joined the smithy in the city. He should concentrate more on improving his talent.¡± ¡°There is no rush for the wedding now.¡± Kosa kindly spoke, trying to ease the tension in the group. ¡°Lord Chieftain, what are you saying?¡± Barton¡¯s father sat up straight and mockingly blurted out. ¡°To me, it looks like you are going back on your word.¡± ¡°I am sure you are well aware of the punishment for going back on your words.¡± Huh? Barton turned around and looked at his father. The man nodded and signaled him wordlessly to y along. Barton may have been too young and naive to notice it but his old man could already see that Kosa had no intentions whatsoever in continuing this charade. It was only a matter of time before the engagement officially broke. So in a split second, he decided to end this once and for all. ¡°Lord Kosa, you need to pay us appropriatepensation.¡± ¡°If we don¡¯t receive appropriatepensation, then I have no other choice but to lodge aint with the royal pce.¡± Kosa shivered. This was what he was scared of and this was why he had tried his best to talk in a diplomatic fashion. Since Barton was an apprentice to a smithy in the city, their family had a lot more influence and sway with the royal family or at least the court officials. This was precisely why Kosa was trying to bide his time and wait for a suitable chance. Unfortunately, not only did any chance arrive, but they were also at the end of the road now. Chapter 245: Settling scores Part2 Chapter 245: Settling scores Part2 Kosa sighed helplessly. The heavens did not pity his daughter at all. If only she had shown this outstanding talent in thest lunar cycle or at least a few weeks back. But unfortunately, it was toote now. There was not enough time for her to sharpen her skills and also officially be an apprentice in one of the smithies in the city. Judging from the opposite party¡¯s reactions, theint would surely reach the court officials before dawn tomorrow. Kosa clicked his tongue and looked at the opponent bitterly. He knew what he had to do. ¡°I apologize, lord chieftain. I do intend to back out of this engagement.¡± ¡°Please ept our family mines as¡± Before Kosa could finish his sentence, a young dwarven girlzily walked over. ¡°I refuse, father.¡± ¡°No need to cancel any engagement and offer anyone anypensation.¡± Yana shook her head and shed a bright smile at her father. ¡°But child¡­¡± Kosa felt sad for his daughter. She was just a young girl. How could she know the intention of these snakes? ¡°Sorry, father. I have made up my mind. This right here is the love of my life.¡± Yana turned towards Barton and spared him a special smile. The dwarf who was calmly sitting and enjoying the show until now, suddenly felt a chill creep up his spine. Barton stiffened his back and adjusted his posture awkwardly. Something was not right here¡­ His gut told him¡­ Yana, however, ignored his reactions and continued. ¡°Please try to understand father. I am going to marry him no matter what happens to him.¡± ¡°What?¡± Barton loudly blurted out. ¡°Oops. Sorry. I meant that I am going to marry him no matter what happens to me.¡± Tang Yue smiled again. The smile looked innocent enough to Kosa, like the smile of a love-struck teenager but somehow it gave ominous goosebumps to Barton. Charlotte almost couldn¡¯t control herughter. These idiots are done for now. She inwardly chuckled. Yana, then, humbly bowed towards Barton¡¯s father and the other dwarfs. ¡°It¡¯ste already. We should head home.¡± ¡°Please feel free to visit our house whenever and confirm the final date for the marriage.¡± ¡°I am sure that we can finish all the preparations on our side quite quickly.¡± She again looked at Barton and smiled coyly, which somehow only scared the dwarf more. What is it with Yana, today? The dwarf clenched his fist in frustration. ¡°Heh. What a cheeky little brat you have be!¡± Byron chuckled. He then stood up to leave. He was going to intervene but since the ignorant idiot had willingly offered herself up, he had nothing more to say. ¡°If our families can be one through this marriage, then nothing else would make me happier.¡± ¡°We will also take leave then. You can expect our visit sometime this week.¡± ¡°We need to n a big celebration for this marriage after all.¡± Byron patted Kosa and left, along with his son and his otherckeys. Kosa simply waved his hand. He didn¡¯t care about those assholes. He turned around to face his daughter with a sense of urgency in his eyes. ¡°Listen Yana. Tomorrow, when theye to our house, don¡¯t say anything about your cksmithing skills.¡± ¡°Please try to understand me. That kid Barton is not a good child.¡± ¡°Father will somehow try to go behind their back and take you to the city.¡± ¡°Once you be an apprentice to any smithy in the city, then no one can touch you.¡± ¡°I understand, father.¡± Yana held her father¡¯s hand and obediently nodded. ¡°Do you think they wille to our house tomorrow itself?¡± She added. ¡°Yes, my child.¡± Kosa sighed. If he was correct, they should being back tomorrow and the wedding will be hurriedly held in the next couple of days. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, father. I am sure everything will work out.¡± Tang Yue shed another smile and patted the old man. ¡°I hope so, child,¡± Kosa mumbled. ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Father, I think I will stay in the quarry tonight to cultivate for a while.¡± Tang Yue scratched her head. ¡°Ok, child. Don¡¯t work too hard.¡± Kosa nodded and headed out. Considering everything that was about to unfold, he had some things to take care of, so he hurriedly left. After the old dwarf left, Charlotte walked over to Tang Yue. ¡°Are we going to hunt some dwarfs tonight?¡± She chuckled. She was happy to finally have something to talk to Tang Yue without feeling awkward. ¡°Ha Ha. Yes. You are absolutely correct!¡± Tang Yue smiled and absentmindedly pinched her cheeks. She then walked away without realizing that the elf-vixen hybrid standing behind her had turned into a deep shade of crimson. Charlotte shook her head and followed Tang Yue, a few steps behind Little Blue. After having witnessed what happened to Marvin back in Eldoria, she didn¡¯t want to miss out on a good show. A part of her still very much loved scheming and meddling after all. Leaving the mines, Tang Yue directly headed over to her super-duper best friend Zinya¡¯s house. ¡°Hi, Yana.¡± Zinya smiled brightly and ran towards her, as soon as she spotted Tang Yue in the distance. But her big beaming smile turned into a sympathetic look as she neared her friend. ¡°I was just about toe over to your house and see how you were doing.¡± She clicked her tongue and worriedly patted Tang Yue. Zinya was the one who had originally spread the news around about the new ve girl carrying over sacks after sacks to the chieftain¡¯s house. She even made sure that Barton¡¯s family and especially his dad heard about this new development. The conniving dwarven girl hated Yana and the good life which she had to the core. Even though she was more beautiful and talentedpared to her, all the good things only happened to that stupid woman and she hated that. ¡°Are you okay, Yana? Why are you not saying anything?¡± Zinya hurriedly asked again and again, barely able to wait for the answer. Chapter 246: Settling scores Part3 Chapter 246: Settling scores Part3 ¡°Are you okay, Yana? Why are you not saying anything?¡± Zinya hurriedly asked again and again, barely able to wait for the answer. What a nice girl! Tang Yue sneered inwardly. She first hadn¡¯t nned on doing anything to this woman but she seemed to be quite intent on seeking death. Tang Yue smiled bashfully and replied. ¡°Ah. Nothing to worry about, Zin Zin. In fact, it¡¯s all good news.¡± ¡°Our wedding has been preponed!!! I am getting married in three days!!!¡± Zinya¡¯s sympathetic act immediately froze in ce and the dwarven girl looked dumbfounded. Tang Yue¡¯s words were like a bucket of freezing cold water dousing her heart. She opened and closed her mouth wordlessly and only managed to respond with a weak smile. ¡°A¡­ I can¡¯t wait to hug, kiss, and roll around with that handsome hunk.¡± Tang Yue rolled her eyes and continued. Every single word was like a sharp knife to Zinya¡¯s heart. The woman just nkly nodded without being able to squeeze out another word. But soon her expression changed and she regained herposure. Stupid bitch! The sooner you marry him the sooner you will die and then I can marry him! What are you being so happy about!!! Zinya cursed the damned girl inwardly and cleared her throat to change the subject. But Tang Yue was already bored with her. She neither had the time nor the patience to mess around with her further. Moreover, it was disgusting for her to fawn over that vermin even if it was just for an act. So Tang Yue directly went in for the kill. She mumbled with a bored smile. ¡°Enve.¡± And instantly, Zinya¡¯s pupils dted. Tang Yue then leaned over closer and whispered something in her ears. This went on for a while and Tang Yue was giving extremely detailed instructions to the dwarven girl. She only stopped after a few minutes and immediately after that, Zinya rushed off to somewhere in a hurry. Tang Yue nodded satisfactorily at the sight of her disappearing figure and chuckled coldly. Charlotte, who was shamelessly eavesdropping the entire time, couldn¡¯t help but gasp in shock. She covered her mouth subconsciously and took a step back away from Tang Yue in fear. What a ruthless person!! Charlotte wiped the sweat off her forehead. Suddenly, she felt quite lucky that she and Tang Yue were now friends and not enemies. ¡°Let¡¯s go back to the mines.¡± Tang Yue waved and Charlotte quickly followed behind her. A few minutester¡­ ¡°Lord Barton¡­ Lord Barton¡­¡± One of the house servants rushed over and bowed in front of Barton. ¡°Miss Zinya wanted me to convey a message, Lord Barton.¡± The dwarf mumbled obediently. ¡°Heh. What does that slut want now? She is insatiable. Heh.¡± Barton chuckled. He had just taken care of herst night and here she was again, yearning and pining for him, the very next day. I must be really good in the sack! Barton adjusted his robes and stood up to pay the woman a visit. After all, he would be moving permanently to the city soon, and then he wouldn¡¯t be able to y with Zinya as and when he wanted. At the thought of that beautiful woman panting in front of him naked and wet, the dwarf¡¯s footsteps quickened. He rushed over to the small eatery at the outskirts of his vige. ¡°Why did she want to meet me here?¡± He wondered. ¡°Well, whatever. I will just spank her harder this time for being so needy.¡± He grinned. But weirdly, when the dwarf neared the small eatery, he couldn¡¯t see any signs of Zinya. ¡°Lord Barton¡­ Lord Barton.¡± The dwarf who owned the eatery came running outside and greeted him. ¡°My Lord, I apologize for making you wait. Miss Zinya asked me to convey a message to you.¡± Barton waspletely perplexed, and not to mention angry. He had told her plenty of times that they needed to keep this affair on the down-low, but his words had clearly not entered her thick brain. The dwarf fumed and walked over into the forests. ¡°Damn it. Making me walk all this way. Does she think that she is so special or what? Hmph.¡± ¡°I will put her in her ce today.¡± Barton had a toned and muscr physique and also somewhat handsome features. Thatbined with the fact that he had the most promising future in the entire vige and the neighboring viges, quite a few women were throwing themselves at him. Zinya was just one of his many conquests, and the woman still dared to toy around with him and tease him like this. Barton was extremely infuriated. He unleashed the full power of his Martial realm cultivation base to run through the forest and reach the big tree with the white trunk, which Zinya had informed the eatery owner about. There under the tree, a young dwarven girl was coyly standing and leaning against the trunk. ¡°Hey. What the hell?¡± Barton angrily walked over to her. ¡°Sorry, my dear. I missed you so much. That¡¯s why I couldn¡¯t wait.¡± She pushed her chest with her arms and shyly mumbled. Barton gulped. The woman was beautiful and he couldn¡¯t stay mad at her for too long. He pulled her closer and started undressing her when Zinya suddenly pushed him away. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ Shall we go to Yana¡¯s family¡¯s quarry and continue the rest of the things there?¡± She blushed and asked, licking her lips seductively. ¡°You dirty little slut. Heh. Getting off on such a silly thing?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not risk things now. Wait for some more days.¡± ¡°Once I marry that woman, we can do so many more things to her.¡± Barton reluctantly exined. ¡°Ah¡­ But I want to do it right now. Just the thought of it makes me so¡­¡± Zinya parted her legs slightly and stuck her hand in between with a moan. Barton couldn¡¯t help but suck in a deep breath. He also liked the tense atmosphere and the feeling that they could be caught together at any moment. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s go.¡± He pped her behind and the two giggled and ran through the forests, towards the quarry on the north. Chapter 247: Settling scores Part4 Chapter 247: Settling scores Part4 ¡°Let¡¯s go inside. Let¡¯s go inside.¡± Zinya shouted and yfully pulled Barton¡¯s hand as she stepped into the quarry entrance. The duo continued giggling and groping each other until they reached the fifth floor of the mine. Barton couldn¡¯t help but notice that every single node in the mine had been freshly harvested and the mine was also overall well maintained. This is new? He pondered but didn¡¯t think too much of it since an almost naked girl was ying with him at the moment. He chuckled and chased after Zinya running on the coarse undergroundyers of the quarry. But suddenly, Zinya stopped. Barton gazed at her shapely behind and loudly eximed. ¡°Finally!¡± He slowed down as well and walked over to her. ¡°Are you done messing around now?¡± ¡°You have made me wait for too long today. You better be prepared to face the consequences.¡± He chuckled in excitement and started kissing the woman¡¯s slender neck. His hands then worked their way up and down simultaneously as he hurriedly stripped her down. Zinya, however, didn¡¯t show any reaction at all. She just stood still like a statue. He noticed the weird behavior, but Barton couldn¡¯t care less about it. As long as he had his fun, that was all that mattered to him. After stripping herpletely, Barton as well undressed in a jiffy and proudly nced at his little brother, standing up, ready for action. He tightly grabbed Zinya¡¯s shoulder and was just about to thrust into her, when a familiar voice sounded from behind him. A young dwarven girl walked over, pping her hands. ¡°Funny seeing you here, Lord Barton.¡± Tang Yue shed a gentle smile. ¡°Sorry, please continue. I didn¡¯t mean to cock block you.¡± Huh? Barton¡¯s face fell and he looked constipated. He had been caught right in the middle of the act! To make matters worse, this stupid Zinya was still standing like a statue and not even moving a muscle. ¡°I¡­ I¡­ She tricked me intoing here. I thought that it was you.¡± Barton started sweating and stammering and blurted out a weak ass exnation using the words that floated first to the top of his brain. ¡°Oh really?¡± Tang Yue crossed her arms in front of her chest and tapped her fingers on her elbow. ¡°Yes, yes, it¡¯s very dark in here,¡± Barton added hurriedly. ¡°You called her name out loud though? Did my name suddenly change from Yana to Zinya?¡± Standing behind Tang Yue, Charlotte almost burst outughing. The snake was purposefully tormenting the guy when he was naked and vulnerable. It was quite brutal, and at the same time very funny. Charlotte loved it! The dwarf deserved it after all! But seeing a mere veugh at him, Barton instantly stiffened and his temper red up. He no longer cared that his secret affair was revealed to Yana. ¡°You¡­ How dare a ve like you behave this way?¡± The dwarf pointed his finger and spat out at Charlotte. He then turned towards Tang Yue. ¡°And what¡¯s with you? You dare disrespect your fiance? Come here and take care of me.¡± Barton arrogantlymanded, standing tall and strutting his chest out. ¡°Sure, I can take care of you.¡± Tang Yue shed another smile. She casually walked over closer. Seeing that she was not upset, Barton slightly rxed. He was very happy that the girl was meek and obedient. What a gullible loser! He smirked. ¡°That¡¯s right. Get over here and kneel down.¡± Barton chuckled. Tang Yue ignored the dwarf and waved her hand, dismissing Zinya straight away. She had already cast the illusion magic spell ¡®enve¡¯ again to make sure that the dwarven girl didn¡¯t stir from her stupor. She then turned towards Charlotte and warned her. ¡°This is going to get very ugly. You might want to go outside.¡± Charlotte shrugged. She didn¡¯t care. It was not like she hadn¡¯t killed anyone before. ¡°Yana shut the hell up. Who gave you the right to talk?¡± ¡°Bring that bitch over here too. The four of us can have some fun.¡± Barton, clearly not reading the atmosphere around him, excitedly pped his hands and stroked his little brother. Tang Yue sighed. ¡°Why are you still talking?¡± ¡°Yana!!¡± The dwarf angrily red, stupefied at her attitude. The very next instant Yana¡¯s healthy figure magically disappeared right in front of Barton¡¯s eyes. And before the dwarf could blink, a blue-skinned seductive woman appeared instead. The woman was absolutely stunning and Barton had never seen anyone as beautiful as her and that too so up close and personally like this. So his brain froze a little and his throat dried up. It took an entire second for him to even perceive the figure in front of him and the next obvious question sunk in. ¡°You¡­ You¡­ Who are you?¡± Barton stammered and moved back trembling. Tang Yue, however, didn¡¯t bother to answer him. She wordlessly morphed into her full serpentine form and slithered towards the dwarf. ¡°Ahhh!!!!¡± Barton yelled out in fear and shock. He couldn¡¯t even grasp what the hell was going on. Instead of fighting, his first instinct was flight and he tried to run away, scrambling about like a drunkard. Before he could even take a couple of steps, the dwarf tripped on a rock and stumbled forward, falling t on his stomach. He tried to stand up again, but unfortunately, his legs didn¡¯t cooperate. They felt heavy and immovable. He could also weirdly feel something cold and hard crawling on his legs. Barton¡¯s eyes flew wide as he turned around in a panic to see what was happening. A blue scaled tail coiled around him slowly, starting from his legs and enclosing himpletely within seconds. Barton screamed in fear, pain, and agony, but his voice didn¡¯t reach outside. Only Tang Yue¡¯s mercilessly hissing sounds echoed inside the quarry. The dwarf waspletely imprisoned by her and she was crushing him bit by bit. She tightened her body around him very slowly and carefully, making sure that she inflicted the maximum pain on the dwarf. Chapter 248: Settling scores Part5 Chapter 248: Settling scores Part5 Tang Yue tightened her body around the dwarf very slowly and carefully, making sure that she inflicted the maximum pain. ¡°Am I taking care of you, well?¡± She hissed, her voice sounding maniacal amidst Barton¡¯s blood-curdling wailing cries. Even Charlotte shivered and took a step back. She didn¡¯t know that someone so kind could be so sadistic and cruel. Why was Tang Yue so different today? She silently wondered. The barbaric scene in front of her continued for a few good minutes before Tang Yue finally crushed the dwarf all the way to his death and tossed the lifeless body down. She then hissed angrily and gulped down the dwarf fully. Her long thin serpentine coil now had an unrecognizable bulge in the middle. Tang Yue then silently coiled herself back in a corner andzilyid, with her head bobbing up and down. Her emerald eyes wandered and settled on Charlotte, who was startled by her gaze. Tang Yue tried to observe the elf¡¯s reactions. Maybe this was all too much for Charlotte? She must find me repulsive now. ¡°Ahem¡­ Yue¡­ Sorry about the things that I did to you¡­ you know¡­ back when you moved to the pce.¡± Charlotte awkwardly chuckled and mumbled under her breath whilst fidgeting with her fingers. She didn¡¯t want to ever get on Tang Yue¡¯s bad side. ¡°I am sorry.¡± Tang Yue hissed. ¡°I did warn you and tell you to go outside.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°No. No. It¡¯s alright.¡± She was slightly taken aback by such raw cruelty but it was still not enough to make her puke or anything. Her only question was what had made Tang Yue act so intensely. She had never seen her react like this, even when she had poisoned her before, numerous times. While she was silently mulling over various reasons that could have led Tang Yue to act in such an extreme fashion, a small thought appeared in her mind. Earlier that day Barton and his father were demanding Kosa to hand over the new ve, aka. herself. So maybe¡­ Tang Yue had gotten so angry because they tried to bully me? Charlotte gasped in realization and a blush crept over to her cheeks. From within the shadows, apart from Tang Yue and Charlotte, one other person also hade to the same conclusion and was barely able to control himself. Xander wanted to get out there and rip the damned elf-vixen apart limb to limb. Why was his woman so protective over this stupid? This was not fair. His dark elemental clone was trembling with anger, and the small kid who was standing a good distance away from the quarry also trembled with anger. While Xander and Charlotte silently cooked up their own fantasies, Tang Yuezily bobbed her head and hissed. ¡°I am sorry. I really didn¡¯t intend to make things this bloody, but the thought of how these assholes were toying with that poor old man drove me crazy and I ended up venting.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see.¡± Charlotte nkly stood, with her lips slightly parted and nodded. Xander¡¯s fury as well disappeared and he scoffed at the damned elf. ¡°The world doesn¡¯t revolve around you, bitch!¡± he cursed her inwardly. Both looked at Tang Yue and smiled warmly. What a gentle and kind soul! They had most definitely forgotten the blood-curdling wails that were echoing inside the cave only a few minutes ago. Charlotte stood there and gazed at Tang Yue¡¯s beast form for a few more minutes. After which, she became a bit self-conscious about her emotions showing on her face. ¡°I will stand guard outside. Just in case¡­¡± She awkwardly muttered and ran away. After she left, only Zinya, little Blue, and of course, Xander¡¯s dark elemental clone were still hanging around Tang Yue. Zinya was sitting in a corner, facing a wall and in aplete trance and Little Blue was lyingzily near Tang Yue, licking her every now and then. Only Xander was curiously staring at Tang Yue. He couldn¡¯t help but admire the way she handled things. But more than that, he had a nagging suspicion in his heart. Tang Yue could absorb the earthen affinity from the beasts and could somehow make it her own, then about the affinity of the dwarf? What about the other features and properties of the dwarves? He had a million questions, but all he could do was patiently wait and try and figure out the answers. But the truth was that Tang Yue herself had no idea what was going to happen now. She hadn¡¯t nned on doing this but she had lost control of her anger and ended up swallowing the scummy dwarf instead of simply killing him. It turned out that she loved this fake father of hers a lot more than her real father. Tang Yue chuckled wryly. Hmmm¡­ Is it even possible for me to absorb this bloodline? She didn¡¯t know. Her evolution skills had upgraded after she reached Level 10 and she was even able toplete the bloodline of a high-grade beast. However, this was a higher being! A dwarf! Apart from their innate affinity to the earthen elemental, the dwarves also had several other remarkable capabilities. They had a strong and sturdy physical body and their bones, muscles, and tendons were naturally tough. They also had a rich and profound soul of higher quality, strong and capable enough to nourish other souls. This was why the dwarves were able to develop soul weapons and spirit weapons in the first ce. So Tang Yue licked her lips in anticipation and excitement as she thought about everything that she could gain. She wanted to ask the old man for more details, but remembering what had happened a while ago, she was still slightly scared and didn¡¯t dare ask about this. [Previously, the old man had gone berserk and lectured her on massacring higher beings for power] Tang Yue silently sat in the cave for almost the entire day, and she waited patiently for the dwarf in her stomach to digest. It would soon be time to implement the second phase of her n! Chapter 249: Settling scores Part6 Chapter 249: Settling scores Part6 Almost the entire day passed before Tang Yue could feel the load in her stomach lighten up a bit. Her emerald eyes silently gleamed in the darkness, and the snakezily sighed. ¡°Not bad. At least now I can revert back to my human figure and redo my disguise.¡± She quickly changed back to the sweet innocent dwarven girl Yana and cleaned up the mine without leaving any trace of a struggle. Tang Yue then dusted her hands and turned towards the other dwarven girl in the quarry. Zinya was still stark naked and sitting like a statue facing the wall. Tang Yue had been repeatedly casting the ¡°enve¡± spell on her. Thanks to that even her spell proficiency had increased a lot. She didn¡¯t know if casting such a spell again and again, without any rest for the mind to mend itself, will affect the person¡¯s overall cognition and mental growth, but she couldn¡¯t care less. Tang Yue looked at the dwarven girl and gave out thestmand. Zinya then nkly and obediently nodded and rushed out of the quarry. Tang Yue also left soon after that, along with Little Blue and Charlotte and the trio went back to the house. Kosa had still not returned. So Tang Yue gave a quick greeting to the housemaid and went into her room. ¡°Big sis, you are back.¡± The little kid shed a big beaming smile and came running towards Tang Yue. He hugged her tightly and sucked in a huge breath of air as if he was drinking in her scent. Charlotte rolled her eyes at the kid¡¯s antics and scoffed loudly. Tang Yue chuckled and picked him up. ¡°Where have you been all day?¡± She asked him. But the kid simply continued smiling and ying with her hair. A couple of secondster, he let out a small yawn and eagerly asked Tang Yue, with his big adorable eyes. ¡°Big sis, I am so tired. Please hug me and sleep.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and was about to ept his offer when she suddenly remembered what had happened the previous time she took a nap. She immediately shook her head and dropped the kid down like a hot potato. While she was still reeling in the memories of that incredibly horrifying dream, a sweet and soft voice sounded near her. ¡°Umm¡­ Yue¡­ Do you want to take a bath first before sleeping?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°Ba¡­ bath?¡± Tang Yue stuttered. She thought about what happened in herst bath and gulped nervously. She then slowly turned her head in fear and looked at the elf, trying to gauge her reactions. But somehow Charlotte didn¡¯t even blink when she met her gaze. She was¡­ She was¡­ Why the hell is she blushing? ¡°No. Big sis, let¡¯s take a nap.¡± The kid interjected, unable to hold it in any longer. No one noticed that the kid had clenched both his fists so tightly that his knuckles were pale blue, almost white. ¡°No. We spent the entire day in the mines. We should bath first.¡± Charlotte rebuked him. Tang Yue nkly nodded and her gaze wandered between Charlotte and the little kid, one after the other. Her mind was spinning and her brain was over-heated. Tang Yue swallowed nervously and shook her head like a maniac, before running over to the backyard. ¡°Please. No more sleep or baths for me. Thank you.¡± Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Damn it! Why has my life suddenly be soplicated!!! She cursed inwardly and summoned her soul sword to practice for a bit. After all, she was still waiting for the digestion toplete, and practicing sword moves most definitely helped with that. Meanwhile¡­ in the neighboring vige¡­ A loud scream echoed in the vige center in the middle of the night. Immediately, several dwarves from the neighborhood rushed over outside to see what was happening. The chieftain Byron¡¯s abode was the biggest house in the vige center and the dwarves inside there as well rushed out, everyone including Byron. Very quickly a crowd had gathered, but everyone was unnaturally very quiet. They were shocked and did not know how to respond. Even the chieftain, Lord Byron was standing still, stupefied. In front of the crowd, trembling and terrified was a young dwarven girl. She waspletely naked, her body covered with goosebumps from the chill of the night. But ironically, she was holding a set of clothes in her hands. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but be surprised about this turn of events and started murmuring to each other. Since it was the middle of the night, the gathered dwarves were mostly men, so no one had the etiquette to even offer the naked woman some clothes. After a few seconds, Byron cleared his throat awkwardly and asked. ¡°Who are you? What happened? Why are you standing here like this?¡± ¡°What happened? Why did you scream for help?¡± Just as he was inquiring, someone from the crowd loudly shouted. ¡°Hey, isn¡¯t this beauty queen Zinya?¡± ¡°Zinya?¡± Byron¡¯s face immediately changed and a slight unease crept up his heart. He had heard the name Zinya before. Wasn¡¯t this one of his son¡¯s girlfriends? ¡°What happened? What the hell happened? Stop crying and say what happened.¡± This time he shouted at her, actually meaning whatever he said. ¡°A big¡­ A big¡­¡± Zinya stammered fearfully. ¡°A big snake attacked us in the forest and swallowed¡­¡± She didn¡¯tplete her sentence and started sobbing uncontrobly. ¡°Swallowed what? Swallowed what?¡± Byron ran towards her and shook her by grabbing her shoulders. His eyes fell on the clothes that had fallen on the ground haphazardly and a small gasp escaped his lips. Somehow he already knew the answer to the question! Those were unmistakably Barton¡¯s clothes!!! ¡°Damn it, Zinya. Stop it. Tell me what happened first.¡± Byron shook the dwarven girl again. The crowd started looking at each other weirdly, not understanding why their chieftain was acting so strangely. Zinya sobbed hard and panted out of breath. She still couldn¡¯t get her words out. Finally, after a whole minute, her voice hoarsely mumbled again. ¡°A snake attacked us and killed Barton and¡­ and¡­ and ate him.¡± Byron was shocked to his core. His eyes became bloodshot and his body froze. The usually haughty and arrogant dwarf crumbled on the ground. He knelt on the ground and clutched his head. He couldn¡¯t even think clearly and clutched his head. And Zinya as well fainted and copsed on the ground, maybe from the excessive stress or maybe from having her mind-controlled for an entire day. These two might be lying deathly still but the crowd heard everything and started gossiping and murmuring in the back. ¡°Hey, wasn¡¯t the chieftain¡¯s son engaged to Yana? He wasmitting adultery behind her back?¡± ¡°Shut up. Who the hell cares about that? What the heck is this new snake monster? ¡°It must have definitely been a higher grade beast to have even killed Barton without making a sound!¡± ¡°Since when did our forests have a mid-grade or a high-grade beast?¡± ¡°Just be thankful that there are no traces of it now. Even a mid-grade beast can easily demolish our vige.¡± ¡°Ya, it must have been coincidentally passing by our vige and stopped by here for a quick meal.¡± The guessing game started and several assumptions started flying around. But there was one thing that no one questioned anymore. The chieftain¡¯s son Barton had been clearlymitting adultery with Zinya and even paid for it with his life!!! After a few more minutes passed by, Byron finally stood up, his entire figure trembling. ¡°Let¡¯s head to the forest.¡± His hoarse voice weakly sounded, as the man lifelessly waved his hand at hisckeys. He was unable to ept the fact that his treasured son with limitless future prospects had disappeared from this world without even leaving a trace behind. All that now remained were the clothes which he had wornst night! Oh, God! Without Barton, everything that Byron had nned for and dreamed about came crashing down. He had other heirs but Barton was the only one who was talented enough to take their family to the next level. Byron was utterly defeated. The man¡¯s head was drooped down like a wilted flower as he and hisckeys went to the forests to search for the missing young master. As a bunch of dwarves followed behind Byron and his men, to provide more manpower for their search, the leftover crowd finally turned their attention towards the unconscious naked girl lying on the ground. Someone sshed some water on her face and Zinya slowly stirred awake. ¡°Where am I?¡± She rubbed her eyes and sat up in confusion. It took her a couple of seconds, but she looked at the crowd full of men around her, blinking in a haze. Some were looking at her with pity. Some were looking at her with anger and ridicule. And some even were looking at her with a vicious glint in their eyes. Hmmm? Zinya slowly tried to get up. But as she looked down, her eyes shook and the realization hit her hard. Ahhh! Noooo! The girl screamed and scampered on the ground, trying to cover herself with Barton¡¯s clothes that were still lying near her. ¡°Stop looking. Stop looking.¡± She sobbed, panic-stricken. What the hell am I even doing here? She got up, after hurriedly covering herself and wiping her tears, but she knew that it was already toote. Her entire future was ruined! How could she even marry Barton anymore? At most she could only spend the rest of her life as someone else¡¯s mistress. Chapter 250: First rate talent Part1 Chapter 250: First rate talent Part1 ¡°Yana. Yana!¡± Kosa loudly called for his daughter as he entered the house in a hurry. Tang Yue heard him but continued gazing at the notification in front of her. Ding. 0.000001% Dwarven bloodline absorbed It took her about an entire day and Barton had been finally digested, from head to toepletely. But the dwarf had only given her an abysmal amount of bloodline. At this rate, she would have to hunt down millions of dwarves in order toplete the dwarven bloodline. Of course, this was not the only way. The other method would be to upgrade her evolution skill further, and also her bloodline assimtion skill, bloodline gorger. Tch. Tch. Tang Yue disappointedly clicked her tongue. Both the methods were obviously going to take her a lot of time to aplish. So there was no point in fuzzing over them now. She quickly closed the notification and also her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Kosa walked over to the backyard and saw his daughter leaning on a pir and peacefully sleeping. His heart ached. ¡°Don¡¯t worry my dear. I will never let anything happen to you.¡± The old man patted Tang Yue¡¯s head and gently woke her up. ¡°Child, wake up. We have to do some preparations today.¡± Kosa smiled bitterly and spoke. ¡°What happened, father?¡± Tang Yue rubbed her eyes innocently and blinked as if she had just woken up from a deep sleep. ¡°This¡­ child¡­¡± Kosa hesitated. He was sure that his daughter wouldn¡¯t go for this, so he had to trick her somehow. Sorry, child. Father is lying to you for your own good. He hardened his heart and mumbled. ¡°I made some arrangements with an old friend in the royal city.¡± ¡°If you walk over to the Nilu vige, then you can go to the royal city along with the merchant caravans there,¡± Kosa instructed her. ¡°But father, what about the wedding?¡± Tang Yue asked in confusion. ¡°Ah¡­ Yes. Yes. This is for the purpose of the wedding only.¡± Kosa awkwardly smiled and lied. Huh? Tang Yue was taken aback for a second. She subconsciously rubbed her tummy. I have already eaten the groom. So what wedding is he talking about? Tang Yue gazed in confusion at the old man and after seeing the warm and loving smile on his face, everything became clear to her. ¡°Sure, father. I will do as you say so.¡± Tang Yue smiled and nodded. She knew that the news of Barton¡¯s death and his infidelity should be definitely reaching her vige by the end of the day. So she didn¡¯t want to argue or exin anything to the old man unnecessarily. All she had to do was hang around somewhere else for the entire day and everything would be resolved on its own. Tang Yue got up and busily packed her things as if she was headed to the city, but once she was out of the house, she simply walked over to the merchant market. This was not the usual vige market. This group of merchants traveled from one vige to another and sold misceneous high-quality wares which typically wouldn¡¯t be avable in a remote vige. There were delicious aromatic eateries, gambling dens, antique shops, rare weapons shops, and several other shops like this. The whole market was bustling with crowds, with even people from the neighboring viges visiting here. Kosa had asked her to take the two ves along with her, so Charlotte and the little kid were also with Tang Yue and of course, Little Blue. The trio happily loitered around the market for the entire day, enjoying thepany of Tang Yue. Tang Yue took a look at the shops. She actually wanted to buy a set of herbs for concocting another patch of Devil Awakening pills to improve her mental strength, but unfortunately, ¡®Yana¡¯ spending that much money would look suspicious. So she decided to not do that for now. The three mainly hung around the gambling dens and the games area and had fun by spending small change. There were eating contests, bow and arrow contests, poke the fish contests, and several other small games. In reality, Tang Yue didn¡¯t even get a chance topete and have fun in any of these. From the start to finish, a certain elf and a certain kid locked horns with each other and were on fire. While the little kid skillfully released a dozen arrows, all of them hitting the target one after the other with pinpoint uracy, Charlotte managed to poke multiple extremely agile fishes, known for their lightning speed, at the same time and cleared out the pond within seconds. Both held huge game prizes in their hands and rushed over to Tang Yue to show it off proudly and gift it to her. The prize for the marksmanship game was a beautiful pair of blue lotus earrings and the prize for the fish pond was a stack of free meal coupons. Xander scoffed and wore a smug satisfied grin since his gift was clearly superior, but unfortunately, that smile wore off within minutes. After watching Tang Yue and Charlotte both wolf down food from the various eateries as if they had been starving for years together, he shook his head helplessly. Charlotte¡¯s prize had won and he was clearly the loser here. Since when did women like food more than jewelry??? Sigh! It¡¯s difficult to understand women! Xander inched closer and leaned on Tang Yue as he absentmindedly watched her chatting,ughing, and eating with Charlotte. And suddenly, Tang Yue turned around and pinched his cheeks. ¡°You are not eating anything?¡± She held a piece of roasted meat in her fork and spoon-fed it to him with a smile. And just like that, the smug grin on Xander¡¯s face was once again back. He triumphantly looked at Charlotte and the elf red back at him as if he was her nemesis, without bothering to mask any of her emotions. Chapter 251: First rate talent Part2 Chapter 251: First rate talent Part2 Tang Yue sheepishly returned back home around evening, after the trio spent the entire day in the market having lots of fun. ¡°Father.¡± She called out and stepped in. The old man was sitting in the front courtyard itself so she didn¡¯t have to look for him anywhere else. Kosa was deeply engrossed in his own thoughts and absentmindedly looked at the young dwarven girl scratching her head. ¡°You¡­ You are still here?¡± The dwarf mumbled. His voice was a bit shaky and his eyes were glistening. ¡°Father, what happened?¡± Tang Yue hurried over in confusion and asked. But the old man silently walked up to her and hugged her tightly. ¡°Thank the heavens, child. Thank the heavens.¡± Tang Yue sighed in relief. It looked like the tears in his eyes were simply happy tears after all. She smiled and enjoyed the warm embrace. ¡°Child, we don¡¯t have anything to worry about anymore.¡± ¡°That deviant is dead. The engagement is void and there is no wedding.¡± ¡°Their family won¡¯t pressure us any longer.¡± Kosa sighed in relief and shook his head, but he abruptly stopped. He felt foolish having forgotten one important detail. This daughter of his was quite fond of that deviant! ¡°Ah¡­ Umm¡­¡± He looked at the young girl, without knowing how to tell her the news. But, Tang Yue simply smiled and eased his tensed nerves. ¡°Father, I also heard. Don¡¯t worry, I never liked him.¡± ¡°I lied the other day because I didn¡¯t want us to lose our family mines.¡± She exined. Kosa stared at his daughter dumbfounded. This little brat had even managed to fool him! ¡°Silly child. You are more important than anything else.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hide things from this old man in the future.¡± He sighed and patted her head. Tang Yue obediently nodded. ¡°I understand, father.¡± ¡°But father¡­ will Lord Byron create any more problems for us now?¡± ¡°Heh. What can he do now? How will there be a wedding without the groom?¡± Kosa chuckled, but he quickly added in embarrassment. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­ We shouldn¡¯t rejoice in others misfortunes.¡± Tang Yue smiled and winked at the old man, making himugh some more. Kosa couldn¡¯t help but feel proud of his daughter. The young girl had matured quite a lot and she was bing a caring and considerate woman. ¡°Ok. Go to sleep soon then.¡± ¡°Now that all our problems are settled, I can also apany you easily.¡± ¡°We will go to the city first thing in the morning tomorrow.¡± ¡°Father will help you take apprentice tests for the smithies.¡± ¡°Their standards will be high and even after joining it will be very tough to keep up with the training.¡± ¡°So if at any point of time, you don¡¯t feel like doing these things, you have to immediately tell me.¡± ¡°There is no reason for you to work so hard.¡± ¡°We have our mines and they are more than enough to feed our family for generations toe.¡± Kosa patted the young girl. Tang Yue obediently nodded and didn¡¯t say anything more. She just silently watched the old dwarf as he leisurely walked into the house and headed to his room, without the usual worry lines on his face. A warm and loving smile surfaced on her lips, but it soon turned mncholic. After all, no matter how much she wanted, none of this happiness, affection, and love belonged to her. This was not her father and this was not her family or life. She was merely an impostor and a liar¡­ Tang Yue then headed inside as well and went to sleep. Charlotte and the little kid as well settled down for the night, both on the bed and both on either side of Tang Yue. Charlotte hadn¡¯t gotten much sleep these past few days, so she quickly fell asleep. And after having witnessed what happened tonight, Xander didn¡¯t want to disturb Tang Yue too much. He allowed her to sleep peacefully and didn¡¯t y any dirty tricks on her. The next morning everyone woke up early and prepared the carriage for a trip to the city. The journey was not too long and the group arrived at the city by the end of the day without any incidents. The carriage stopped at the city gates and Kosa promptly jumped out to pay the 1 gold fee, which was a requirement to enter the city. The royal city waspletely different from the small remote vige and was filled to the brim with a crowd of rich dwarves. Everyone was hustling about here and there, most with a purpose to their gait. It waspletely different from theid-back vige life. But Tang Yue was already used to this atmosphere, having experienced it back in the elvennds. The only thing that bothered her was the sight of dwarves everywhere. Except for a few spirit beasts and orcs here and there, no other higher beings were present in the vicinity. Tang Yue even started to feel slightly dizzy at the sheer number of dwarves around her. This would truly be a test to her disguise! Likewise, Charlotte was also nervous and slightly touched her hair and tail, as if she was making sure everything was in ce. Only the little kid leisurely whistled and jumped out of the carriage. He looked like he had juste here to sightsee and have fun, which was technically true. The establishments in the city were much more expensivepared to the dwarven vige. It cost them 30 coppers just to rent a room in the inn for the night, but it was still considerably cheaper than the Eldorian royal city. The group didn¡¯t explore the city in the night and simply headed straight to the small cramped inn room. It was a bit tight for three adults, one child, and one wolf cub to all sleep in the same room, but somehow there were no sad faces. Charlotte, being the ve, quickly arranged all the beddings and everyone slept with a smile. Chapter 252: First rate talent Part3 Chapter 252: First rate talent Part3 ¡°Aya¡­ No matter how many times you ask, my answer will still remain the same.¡± ¡°Come backter and don¡¯t waste my time.¡± A slightly stout middle-aged dwarf twirled his mustache and answered Kosa. The father and the daughter pair had gotten ready early in the morning to visit a few smithies in the city. But unfortunately, this was an off season. The cksmithing apprentice tests were typically held at the beginning of every lunar cycle (4 months). So they would have to wait for another 12 to 14 weeks. This was not really that big a deal, but Kosa still wanted to try his best and somehow get an apprentice position as soon as possible. He was worried that once Byron recovers from the loss of his son, he would use underhanded methods to target his daughter and force him to marry her off to one of his other sons. Before such a thing happens, Kosa wanted to make sure that his daughter waspletely untouchable. If she could clinch an apprentice position in the city, then she would be much safer and have better future prospects. But unfortunately, it didn¡¯t look like this was going to happen. This was already their fifth attempt at trying to get into a smithy but they were blocked at the entrance itself. Kosa had even tried bribing the attendant dwarves but to no avail. They only got a strict ¡®no¡¯ as an answer every time. Kosa sighed but he didn¡¯t give up yet. He fished out a sword from his leather bag and handed it to the attendant. ¡°This¡­ My daughter made this. She is very talented.¡± ¡°Aye¡­ Look here, old man. Stop with these useless tactics.¡± ¡°I can also go buy a sword from the next street and pawn it off as something I personally made.¡± ¡°Do you even know what talent means?¡± ¡°First take a look at your daughter. She is already so old.¡± ¡°She wants to be an apprentice starting now? What a joke!¡± ¡°Why are you being unreasonable here?¡± ¡°Did I say that we won¡¯t offer her a chance to test?¡± ¡°I am only asking you toe back at the appropriate time.¡± ¡°How can I give your daughter special treatment?¡± The smithy attendant shooed the father and daughter pair away and went back insideughing. Kosa could only wordlessly watch the dwarf swagger inside, unable to do anything else. ¡°Hmmm¡­ It¡¯s alright, child. Don¡¯t worry. There are still a lot more smithies in the city.¡± He turned around and consoled Tang Yue. Tang Yue only shed a small smile and nodded. In truth, she was also a little disappointed. They hade all the way here. And taking a look at all these smithies and the powerful aura emanating from within, Tang Yue also wanted to learn more and improve her skills. Thanks to that bastard Marvin and that lunatic madman who was supposed to be her alchemy master, she didn¡¯t get to receive any formal training in alchemy. So Tang Yue was understandably excited and she looked forward to training formally at least in smithing. But it looked like she had to wait a while for that now. Kosa patted Tang Yue and dragged the young girl to a mid-sized eatery for lunch, in order to improve her mood. He had noticed thattely, his daughter liked to eat a lot. The duo sat at a table and Kosa ordered a bunch of things for both of them. ¡°Ah¡­ This is so expensive.¡± Tang Yue clicked her tongue. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let your father worry about that.¡± Kosa flicked her forehead and changed the subject of conversation. Tang Yue understood what was going and listened to the dwarf prattling on about the differentndmarks in the city with a big smile on her face. Soon, a beautifully dressed vixen delivered their food tter and yfully winked at them before leaving. ¡°Aha Ha Ha. This ce is so lively.¡± Kosa jested and dug into the roasted meat and fragrant rice dish which he had ordered. Tang Yue, on the other hand, only lightly sipped on a fire chicken stew, not daring to eat any of the low grade ormon grade meat and trigger an evolution in the middle of the dwarven royal city. She couldn¡¯t help but silently wonder if she would be able to gain more control of this spontaneous evolution process in the future. While these two were engrossed in their thoughts and on their meal, a couple of dwarves sitting behind them loudly chatted. ¡°Hey, did you hear thetest news?¡± ¡°A new apprentice arrived at our smithy yesterday. He is the son of an emissary.¡± ¡°Damn it. That kid is only thirteen years old and he is so talented. I am extremely jealous.¡± ¡°Heh. Here drink some water and put out the fire. Why are you alwaysparing yourself to others?¡± ¡°That is not a good way to live, I am telling you.¡± The other dwarf chuckled and actually handed him a ss of water. Tang Yue could clearly hear their conversation. And of course, Kosa could hear it too. The old man knew that it was rude to intrude, but he still got up and walked over to the next table. ¡°Child, sorry to disturb you. I couldn¡¯t help but overhear that you are an apprentice at a smithy.¡± Kosa gently smiled and spoke. ¡°Could you please do this old man a favor and tell me which smithy you are working at?¡± The dwarf was slightly startled but he as well smiled back. He didn¡¯t mind it that the old man had rudely eavesdropped on their conversation. In fact, he even felt ttered to be treated like a big shot. So he readily answered the question with gusto. ¡°Hai. Hai. No need to apologize for something like this, elder.¡± ¡°I work at the Star Smithy.¡± ¡°It is actually the biggest and most reputable smithy in the entire royal city.¡± ¡°Oh. Thank you, son.¡± Kosa nodded. Chapter 253: First rate talent Part4 Chapter 253: First rate talent Part4 Kosa gave a small polite to the two dwarves and returned back to their table. He didn¡¯t care much about the other details. The only detail which mattered to him was that they had epted a new apprentice just yesterday! So Yana also definitely had a chance there! The old man happily sat down and the duo quickly finished the rest of their meal. They both then hurried over to the tallest pagoda shaped building near the central district in the city. As they neared the huge structure, surprisingly made from dark red uneven rocks, Tang Yue could clearly see that this was something equivalent to the royal alchemy association back in Eldoria. Not only was the Star smithy located at the heart of the royal city, but it was also extremely close to the dwarven royal pce. Kosa, followed by Tang Yue soon arrived at the entrance and the old dwarf walked over to an attendant sitting near the entrance. ¡°Good day sir. Can you please help my daughter take the apprentice test?¡± Kosa politely nodded and asked. The youthful looking dwarf, who was wearing a in green austere robe and his thick braided hair neatly tied back, looked at Kosa silently, eying him from top to bottom. After a few seconds, the dwarf somberly answered. ¡°Apprentice tests are only held at the start of every lunar cycle.¡± Kosa smiled and immediately took out the sword which Tang Yue had forged. ¡°This sword was personally forged by my daughter. She is very talented. Please, sir, help her and give her a chance.¡± He humbly bowed and asked again. ¡°Sorry old man. Rules are rules. What can I do?¡± The attendant shrugged and answered. ¡°Ah¡­ Please help us, sir. We havee from a long distance. I can even pay you.¡± Kosa hurriedly took out another pouch. ¡°Aye. Stop it old man. Don¡¯t take out any gold coins here. You will only get me in trouble.¡± ¡°This is the Star smithy. It is not some second rate smithy that you can bribe your way into.¡± The attendant hurriedly stood up and began to chase Kosa away. ¡°Sir, you can¡¯t say that, please. Let me show you this token. I am a vige chieftain.¡± ¡°I heard that someone even joined yesterday. So please give my daughter a chance.¡± The dwarf¡¯s face immediately reddened. How did this man know about that detail? He felt embarrassed because he had just now talked about strict rules and regtions. ¡°Old man, I already said that it was not possible. Don¡¯t make trouble here and get lost.¡± He started pushing Kosa away even more forcefully than before. Kosa almost stumbled from the single push. Tang Yue immediately rushed forward and supported her father. ¡°Don¡¯t worry father. Let¡¯s go back.¡± She smiled and nodded. Kosa sighed helplessly and patted his daughter. ¡°Sorry child, it looks like it¡¯s impossible to get an admission test at this moment.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, father. We can try again tomorrow. If not, we can return back.¡± ¡°After all, it¡¯s just a few weeks.¡± ¡°I wille back and test for the apprentice position in the next lunar cycle.¡± She consoled the old man. Seeing that the dwarf looked slightly tired, Tang Yue sent him back to the inn and decided to explore the city a bit by herself. She also had other ns that she wanted to try out. It was more convenient for her to do these things without Kosa present. Tang Yue roamed around for a bit and directly headed to one of the less crowded weapon shops. She smiled politely and struck up a conversation with the shop owner. ¡°Mister, do you have any weapons from the Star smithy?¡± Tang Yue asked. ¡°I am new here and I heard that it is the best smithy in the city.¡± She shed a coy smile and giggled. ¡°Aha Ha Ha. Yes. Yes. Of course.¡± ¡°Every reputable shop here has at least a few weapons forged by that smithy.¡± ¡°But they are all very expensive, youngss.¡± ¡°Are you sure that you will be able to afford one? Where are youing from?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s sweet and innocent appearance put the shopkeeper in a good mood and the man flirted back. ¡°Oh, I aming from a distant vige named Nilu. Everything in the city is so nice, Mister.¡± She again giggled and eximed. ¡°By the way which is the worst smithy here?¡± She casually asked. ¡°Ah¡­ The worst smithy huh? That should be the old drunkard¡¯s smithy in the northern corner of the city.¡± ¡°Nobody even works there anymore.¡± ¡°The gruff old man is talented but these past few years he has gonepletely crazy. ¡°He just drinks and drinks and drinks and shouts at anyone who tries to approach him.¡± ¡°I hear that the court officials are going to seize thatnd soon and the smithy is even going to close down.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ Forget about that asshole. Tell me, are you alone in the city?¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Not really, uncle. Thanks for the chat.¡± Tang Yue immediately waved her hand and hopped out of the shop. ¡°Huh? Uncle? What the heck? I am not even married yet!!! Fuck!¡± The shopkeeper angrily red at her disappearing figure, putting on a sour face. And having aplished what she wanted, Tang Yue happily hummed and walked over to the northern corner of the city. Something was better than nothing. Since they won¡¯t take her in at the best smithy in the city, she simply decided to work for the most run down smithy and try her chances again at the beginning of the next lunar cycle. She didn¡¯t really expect to learn anything from here, but she at least wanted a space to practice things on her own without arousing any suspicions and raising any red gs. Kosa, however, would have never agreed to let her work in such a shady ce. This was why she had conveniently packed him off first before doing all these shenanigans. Chapter 254: First rate talent Part5 Chapter 254: First rate talent Part5 The northern corner of the city was slightly different than the rest of the city. The dwarves here didn¡¯t look very rich and flourishing, rather they looked more like the dwarves from the vige. It was obvious that only the working middle ss and lower ss people resided in this area. Since Tang Yue was also dressed simrly, she fit right into the crowd and no one took a second look at her. She casually walked over to the smithy shop on the street corner and stopped in front of it. ¡°Tsk. Tsk. It¡¯s not even open?¡± She stood there perplexed as to who would close a shop so early in the day. A few secondster, an old woman walked towards her coughing loudly. ¡°Are you here to collect some debt?¡± ¡°That bastard is inside alright. He is just faking it.¡± ¡°Kick the door open and you can find him. Good for nothing.¡± The old woman spat out and continued walking by. Tang Yue chuckled wryly. ¡°Why am I even here? Sigh. Whatever. It¡¯s just till the beginning of the next lunar cycle.¡± She shrugged helplessly and proceeded to kick open the smithy¡¯s door as she was advised. The thick wooden door immediately fell forward with a loud thud,pletely unhinged from the frame. What the heck? Tang Yue coughed from the dust spiraling around her and stepped inside to take a look. The smithy itself was not too bad and was very spacious. Though everything looked rusty and untouched, there was a decent and sturdy anvil, there was a furnace, there were several hammers lying around and the ce was well equipped. As she was looking around, the floor slightly creaked and someone wobbled in from the other room. A very short and chubby dwarf, really short even by dwarf standards, fumbled and walked over. ¡°Who is it? Hic.¡± The middle-aged dwarf bbered, his beer belly bouncing along with him. Tang Yue shook her head helplessly. ¡°I am here to join as an apprentice.¡± She mumbled and started cleaning up the ce, without waiting for the dwarf to respond. ¡°What?¡± The dwarf chortled loudly in amusement. ¡°Apprentice? Aha Ha Ha Ha.¡± Seeing that Tang Yue was no longer paying any attention to him, he took another swig from his bottle and stared at her. ¡°This is new.¡± He scratched his head. But he didn¡¯t care enough to say anything and started walking back to the cot. ¡°Do whatever you want and don¡¯t disturb me. Just don¡¯t bother me.¡± The dwarf mumbled incoherently slurring his words and fell asleep on the cot. ¡°That was easier than I thought.¡± Tang Yue nodded satisfactorily and went back to the inn. It was alreadyte and she didn¡¯t want Kosa to worry about her unnecessarily. So she quickly returned back to the inn and knocked on the door with a big huge smile on her face. Kosa opened the door with an intention of reprimanding her for beingte, but his expression softened as soon as he saw that smile. ¡°Child, this city is more dangerous than it looks. You should not be out sote.¡± He patted her. ¡°Father. Father. I finally got an apprentice position in one of the smithies.¡± Tang Yue ignored the old man¡¯s words and lied shamelessly, her grin still big and bright. ¡°This. Is this true?¡± Kosa was instantly overjoyed. Tang Yue barged in and took out a pile of stuff from a cheap ass spatial pouch. She had purchased this pouch and the other items just a few minutes before arriving at the inn, securing the props for her story. Kosa saw the spatial pouch and his eyes immediately widened. Storage pouches were very expensive, even the lower grade ones. More importantly, his eyes then fell on the other items besides the storage pouch. There were several carefully bundled parchments and scrolls that described the basics of smithing and other beginner techniques. There was even a shining silver hammer and some recovery potions. Kosa couldn¡¯t help but gasp loudly. At first, he didn¡¯t believe his daughter¡¯s words and was skeptical. But now, seeing all these things, he couldn¡¯t help but believe herpletely. ¡°Ah¡­ Thank the heavens! Well done, child. Well done.¡± He hugged Tang Yue tightly and praised her. ¡°Now no one will dare to bully you ever.¡± ¡°I am sorry, child. This old man is so useless that he is making you do all the hard work.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say things like that father. You have already done more than enough for me.¡± Tang Yue consoled him. ¡°Ah¡­ father. I forgot to tell you. I have to stay in the smithy itself from tomorrow onward.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t have to stay here any longer. You can peacefully return back to the vige without worrying about me.¡± ¡°Ha Ha. Is that so? That¡¯s very good, child. We will sleep early then so that you can have a productive day.¡± Kosa patted her lovingly. The other two in the room looked bbergasted as they started wordlessly at this emotionally loaded exchange. They had no idea that Tang Yue was so good at acting!!! It was almost as if she was the real daughter of the old man and even they themselves found it hard to not believe her words and actions. ¡°Sly. Sly. Sly. Sly. Sly. Sly slutty snake.¡± Xander rolled his eyes at the woman. ¡°Did you say something?¡± Charlotte looked at the kid curiously. She could swear that she heard the word slutty just now. Hmph. Xander coldly snorted and turned around without any response, his back indifferently facing Charlotte. ¡°Damned kid.¡± Charlotte gnashed her teeth. The vein on her forehead was throbbing. She sighed lightly and ignored the mongrel, as she quicklyid the beddings again and prepared for the night. Tang Yue looked busy with the parchments for a while, quickly glossing over the basic smithing techniques, but she as well soon turned in for the night. The next day morning, Kosa bid farewell to Tang Yue and returned back to the vige at the break of dawn. Chapter 255: First rate talent Part6 Chapter 255: First rate talent Part6 The next day morning, Kosa bid farewell to Tang Yue and returned back to the vige at the break of dawn. Since his daughter had to anyways survive in the city all alone, he wanted her to be more independent and courageous and forced himself to not linger around her and fuzz on her unnecessarily. The young girl even managed to grab an apprentice position all on her own. So he had faith in her capabilities and hermon sense. Gazing at the old man¡¯s back and his disappearing silhouette along with the carriage, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly regretful. This might really be thest time she was seeing him. Unbeknownst to her, a small tear drop rolled down her cheeks. Xander, who was standing near her, tugged at her robe immediately. Tang Yue absentmindedly lifted the small devil and put him on her arm and shoulder like she usually did. The devil then extended his small hand and wiped that tear away with a warm smile on his lips. I am here for you, my dear. He said inwardly. Tang Yue, however, didn¡¯t notice it and soon the trio prepared their belongings and headed to the ¡®smithy¡¯. ¡°Did you really manage to get an apprentice position, Yue?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°Heh. You will see.¡± Tang Yue silently rubbed her temples. Charlotte was confused but she soon understood what Tang Yue had meant. ¡°This¡­!!!¡± She eximed in surprise as soon as they arrived. One look at the drunkard and his nonchnt attitude, she already wanted to punch him. The ce was extremely bad and worn out. They even had to fix the door. Charlotte frowned and wondered why Tang Yue always had such shitty luck. ¡°At least we can freely stay here and I can practice smithing on my own.¡± Tang Yue patted her. Charlotte sighed and helped Tang Yue clean the ce. Of course, the little kid and little blue bothzily settled in a corner like Kings waiting for their servants to finish up. Tang Yue then ruffled through the parchments and smithing technique scrolls she had purchased yesterday and peered into them curiously. These were much better than Yana¡¯s personally scribbled notes and she was able to understand a lot more things clearly. Unlike the elvennds, where the alchemy techniques, even the basics could only be learned from a master, knowledge was much more freely avable here. But that didn¡¯t mean that anyone could learn smithing on their own and start making weapons. Scrolls like these only taught the bare minimum and the basics for different techniques. Tang Yue would utmost be able to craft a low-grade weapon after studying these scrolls. In order toprehend and execute higher-level smithing techniques, a guide or a master was irreceable, irrespective of the talent of a person. Tang Yue did not worry about these things at the moment. After clearing up the smithy, she first started from the basics. Before she tried anything else, she wanted to craft another long sword out of the simple andmon iron ores. She wanted to experience the same forging process again and thoroughly absorb and memorize the feeling of the elemental essence, mana, and the metal mixing together in concert. Charlotte helped her man the st furnace and Tang Yue quickly arranged all the materials and started melting the iron ores. Hot burning fumes immediately roared inside the furnace and the atmosphere in the old run down smithy instantly changed. ¡°Eh? What the hell?¡± The dwarf, who waspletely sloshed, slightly opened his eyes and peeked to see what was happening. ¡°Who are you? Wha¡­ What¡­¡± Before he could finish his sentence, the man again fell into his drunken stupor. Charlotte and Tang Yue didn¡¯t even spare him a nce and continued doing their own thing. After the ores were thoroughly melted and the impurities were removed, the duo then carefully poured the molten mixture into different molds. Not many molds were avable in the smithy, but there was a long-sword, a dagger, and a saber mold. And thankfully, these molds also had the instant cooling runes. So Tang Yue used these three for now and quickly prepared three raw unrefined weapons. They looked extremely brittle and lifeless, but nevertheless, she nodded in satisfaction. This was where the real work started. She now needed to carefully circte earthen elemental essence with the metal and hammer everything until they perfectly bnced each other. She ced one of the half-baked weapons on the anvil, starting first with the dagger and started hammering the piece of metal. CLANG. CLANG. CLANG. Loud rhythmic metallic sounds reverberated in the small smithy. Charlotte, half-expected the drunkard to wake up from these deafening noises, but the dwarf weirdly turned around and started sleeping even morefortably. His snoring sounds echoed loudly rivaling even the hammering noisesing from the anvil. Charlotte scoffed at thezy bum and focused her attention back on Tang Yue. She looked absolutely stunning, as she worked hard with a hundred percent focus on the task at hand. She couldn¡¯t help but admire her. Only certain people can look good irrespective of the body they currently possessed and Tang Yue was surely one of those people. As she absentmindedly gawked at the young dwarven girl, Xander loudly cleared his throat. ¡°Stupid, stop staring. I will peel your eyes.¡± ¡°The fuck?¡± Charlotte, unable to digest those vicious words, immediately turned around in shock. She thought that the kid would act as if he had not said anything but the damned jerk was staring back at her, with full animosity. ¡°Aren¡¯t your parents somewhere here? Why don¡¯t you go out and find them.¡± She snapped at him. But the smug kid didn¡¯t even bother to reply to her and coldly snorted. Hmph! Charlotte stopped wasting time on the little scoundrel and returned back to what she was previously doing. She shamelessly cupped her face with her palms and stared dazedly at the young dwarven girl busy at work. Chapter 256: First rate talent Part7 Chapter 256: First rate talent Part7 Tang Yue buried her head in smithing for the next couple of days. She found herself engrossed in the forging process and patiently worked on the three weapons, one after the other. Since she had to worry about a lot of things at the same time such as mana control, earthen essence maniption, and her own strength to properly forge the weapons, this in itself was a form of cultivation. So she was able to continuously work through the two days and really drill the feeling of the forging process into her bones. Only after finishing all the three weapons to perfection, at least to the extent she was capable of, Tang Yue sat down on the ground and wiped the sweat off her forehead. Charlotte eagerly grabbed the three weapons and stared at them, one after the other. Even though she herself was not interested in the forging process, she was still curious to see Tang Yue¡¯s results. ¡°Huzzah! All three weapons are low-grade quality!!!¡± ¡°The dagger and the saber both have an agility boost!!!¡± Charlotte acted as the appraiser and proudly dered the results. Tang Yue watched her act like an excited child and smiled bitterly. She badly wanted to mess with her. These past couple of days, while Tang Yue was busy forging weapons, Charlotte had already broken through from the Silver-tier Saint Core to the Golden-tier Saint Core. Her body constitution was indeed top quality. The girl barely did any hard work, but her cultivation soared. Luckily Tang Yue didn¡¯t know that Charlotte had spent most of the past couple of days ogling at her, and had only cultivated for a very short while. Otherwise, she would have puked out blood. After resting for a while and gobbling down avish meal, Tang Yue again got back to the grind and melted the next batch of ores. She used the same three molds and prepared the weapons just like before. But before starting to hammer them and refine them, she suddenly stopped. Tang Yue had an idea and she wanted to try it out. She touched the piece of metal in front of her and activated her skill ¡®One with the earth¡¯. The skill was a tremendous energy drain every time she activated it and her cultivation base was not big enough for her to use the skill efficiently. However, Tang Yue tried to focus only on the metal in front of her and then stopped. The dwarven girl then pensively looked at the metal for a few more seconds, before beginning the familiar routine of banging, nging, and donging. This time she was able toprehend the metal and the earthen essence flow much better and the entire process felt a lot easier. Tang Yue was able to finish forging the first weapon, a dagger, in about half the time she had taken during her earlier first try. She herself was amazed at the results and was convinced that this was the right way to go. Even though she was not a born genius with high innate talent inprehending this technique, she was still able to use the technique she stole from the quagmire centipede and achieve the same result. The finished dagger even had an additional strength boost along with the agility boost. After confirming her theory, Tang Yue applied the same technique again as she forged the other two weapons as well. Bingo! Just like before all three weapons were low-grade and they had additional attribute boosts. If she had joined any other smithy in the city and exhibited this same level of talent and effort, she would have been undoubtedlybeled as a genius, as a first rate talent. But here, unfortunately, Tang Yue only ended up impressing Charlotte, over and over again. And of course, also a certain little kid, who waszily napping on the warm fur ball Little Blue. Tang Yue again rested for a bit and piled all the weapons she had forged in a corner of the medium-sized smithy. She then put away the remaining iron ores in her possession and took out a higher grade ore. While iron ores were typically used to forgemon grade and low grade weapons, heavy silver ores were used exclusively to forge low grade weapons. Considering that a low grade weapon was even capable of mortally wounding a Martial realm expert, they were one of themonly sold weapons in the market. And most low grade weapons were forged using heavy silver ore as the base. Heavy silver ores were originally supposed to be more difficult to handlepared to the iron ore chunks, but once Tang Yue activated her ¡®One with the earth¡¯ skill, she was easily able toprehend the bnce and the rhythm in this metal as well. She let out a sigh of relief and forged the first weapon to perfection. It was undoubtedly a low-grade weapon and had excellent attribute boosts. But Tang Yue didn¡¯t rx just yet. She also had other things that she wanted to try. This time she not only circted earthen elemental essence amidst the molecules of the metal, but she also circted fire elemental essence. The forging process suddenly became a lot moreplicated and even after activating ¡®one with the earth¡¯ skill, she still found it extremely tedious. Tang Yue didn¡¯t mind it and continued hammering at the weapon persistently and patiently. She maintained the same level of concentration and care from start to finish and whole-heartedly worked on the task at hand. Loud sonorous sounds echoed in the run down smithy and even Charlotte could tell that something was different this time around. The small dagger, that Tang Yue was hammering onto, glimmered with a subtle golden sheen. And when Tang Yue finally finished the forging process, a loud crackling sound resounded at the end. Before Tang Yue could even examine it, Charlotte excitedly grabbed the finished weapon and stared at it with her eyes wide. ¡°This¡­ Yue!!! You are a genius.¡± Chapter 257: Who is this maniac? Part1 Chapter 257: Who is this maniac? Part1 ¡°This¡­ Yue!!! You are a genius.¡± Charlotte looked up at the tired young girl with utter awe and respect. The dagger she held in her arms surprisingly had a golden sheen even after finish and more importantly, it had a special effect ¨C burn! This meant that the dagger was capable of burning the skin and the flesh or any other material it pierced. Charlotte clutched it tightly and subconsciously threw a look at the little kidzing around. ¡°I suddenly feel like testing out this dagger.¡± She grimaced. Xander scoffed and ignored her. He then ran towards Tang Yue with a thousand mile smile on his face. ¡°Big sis is so awesome.¡± He hugged Tang Yue tightly. Since she was sitting down and resting, he also managed to grab her face and ce a dozen kisses on her cheeks. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but chuckle warmly at the cute and adorable boy. ¡°Listen, brat. You are not supposed to kiss women so casually.¡± Charlotte immediately reprimanded him. ¡°If he is like this in this age itself, he is going to grow up and be a womanizer.¡± She jested with a smirk. ¡°Shut up, you hag. My kisses are only for big sis and not for women like you. Hmph.¡± ¡°And when I grow up, I will marry big sis.¡± The kid proudly dered. Charlotte¡¯s mouth curved into a big o on her hearing the oundish remarks. ¡°Dream on.¡± She snickered. Tang Yue chuckled, but she had no ns of getting in between this bickering duo. She just silently watched them go at each other andughed. Since she was too tired to begin forging another weapon now and considering that they haven¡¯t gone out in three to four days, the group went out to have a nice meal. They wandered around for a bit, but eventually ended up going to the same eatery that she had visited earlier with Kosa. Tang Yue even ordered simr dishes. She only ate a little, but the other three, including Little Blue dug in ravenously. Tang Yue chuckled at the pleasant scene. It was very rare for the two to not fight with each other and do something quietly. After a while, when a vixen walked over to their table again to clear out some empty dishes, Tang Yue stopped her. She wanted to gather some more information about the general scenario in the dwarven royal city. So she chatted with the vixen for a while about various things. While Charlotte listened curiously to what they were talking about, Xander silently broke out in a cold sweat. He didn¡¯t like the way Tang Yue wasughing and chatting innocently with the seductive vixen. This¡­ This snake¡­ Don¡¯t tell me that she is going to take another lover??? Xander started panicking. He intently looked at Tang Yue to see if he could detect any signs of unusual interest or blushing. In the end, seeing that the duo only chatted about random things, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was genuinely scared that by the time Tang Yue returned back to the elvennds and married him in a grand royal wedding, she would already have a harem of her own. Then what was he supposed to do??? Xander¡¯s head was spinning and he bitterly smiled. Sometimes life was just not fair. While his mind was running wild, Tang Yue had already gathered all the information that she needed. When the group returned back to the smithy, she and Charlotte busily discussed their situation. ¡°So the apprentice tests are held at the beginning of every lunar cycle.¡± ¡°And the royal cksmithing contest is held at the end of every lunar cycle.¡± ¡°The royal dwarven elders typically selected personal disciples from this contest and the winner even gets a special reward on top of it.¡± Tang Yue summarized their situation. ¡°Tch. Tch. It looks like we have narrowly missed our window.¡± She mumbled. ¡°Mmm¡­ It¡¯s alright, Yue. ¡± Charlotte patted her. She could see why Tang Yue was so upset. If she had juste here a few weeks earlier then everything could have been smoothly finished by the end of this lunar cycle. Now they had to wait a while to achieve the same thing. While these two grumbled about this slight inconvenience, Xander rolled his eyes endlessly. These two had conveniently forgotten about the fact that Tang Yue also needed some time to improve her smithing skills. If anyone else heard their troubling issues and problems, they would have banged their head against a wall till it bled. In fact, most of the dwarves here had been training for their entire life for this exact same contest. But Tang Yue had managed to leap over all these hard working sincere dwarves within a matter of days. Xander sighed in exasperation. He was deemed as a genius in alchemy. But surely, he was nothing whenpared to his slutty snake!!! LIFE TRULY WAS NOT FAIR! As the duo continuedmenting and talking about other things, Tang Yue suddenly thought of something. ¡°Why don¡¯t I just participate in the contest directly?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t seem to recall any rule or regtion that I needed to be an apprentice or a trainee at a smithy in order to participate in the contest.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That is indeed correct.¡± ¡°But Yue, you will need to be able to at least forge a high-grade or rare grade weapon to have a decent chance of winning in this contest.¡± Charlotte worriedly said. ¡°I have heard about these contests from my father also before. It is extremely tough and thepetition is very fierce.¡± ¡°And since the royal family typically provided the high-grade raw materials, there is also a lot of participants, to begin with.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just wait and participate next time?¡± Xander also subconsciously nodded. He as well knew about these contests and had even personally witnessed one or two. Only Master cksmiths and higher typically participated in these contests. For beginners, this was just a time waste. They really had no chance. Chapter 258: Who is this maniac? Part2 Chapter 258: Who is this maniac? Part2 After chatting for a while, Tang Yue still ended up deciding to participate in the contest. She had nothing to lose so it was definitely worth trying. She then stood up and directly went back to the grind. She wanted to practice more and memorize the feeling of adding in one more elemental essence to her forging process. Tang Yue was just trying random things based on the teachings of the smithing scrolls, but she didn¡¯t realize that achieving such a feat on a low-grade material like heavy silver was near impossible. She was only able to do this because of the special skill that she stole from the centipede and her Emperor realm mental strength that enabled her to grasp things easily. She spent an entire week and thoroughly practiced the forging technique and controlling two different elemental energies at the same time. Because of this, her basic knowledge in casting earthen elemental spells and her overall cultivation progress improved as well. Wiping the perspiration off of her forehead, Tang Yue rxed and added thest long sword to the heap of weapons thatid in the corner of the smithy. A loud ttering noise sounded as the heap trembled and copsed a little. Charlotte chuckled at the sight and jested. ¡°Are you bored?¡± ¡°Heh. A little.¡± Tang Yue replied. The duo decided to head to the forests nearby to hunt for a little while and also take Little Blue and the kid with them. The dwarven establishments were all scattered, surrounded by thick dense forests. So the duo didn¡¯t have to walk much in order to reach their hunting grounds. Even if these forests didn¡¯t have any high-grade and rare-grade beasts, they still had plenty of lower level beasts. And this was more than sufficient for them. Charlotte and Tang Yue, of course, Tang Yue carrying the little kid,zily apanied Little Blue, as the wolf sniffed out its targets and attacked ferociously. ¡°Is it just me or is that little thing growing a bit too fast?¡± Charlotte gazed in amazement at the wolf cub. ¡°Ha Ha. No, he has definitely grown a lot and is also eating a lot.¡± Tang Yue jested, making fun of the wolf, who was now hungrily devouring its kill. Little Blue was definitely not that little any longer. The cub had grown considerably bigger and was a young wolf now. More importantly, the beast was beginning to show signs of a mana core formation. To a beast, a mana core formation was the first step towards breaking its shackles and it was a huge deal. As the wolf continued gobbling up its meat, Tang Yue and Charlotte decided to take a bath in a small pond nearby. Both of them had slightly awkward looks on their faces but neither brought up the topic of their earlier bath experience. Only Xander smiled in glee, since this time he got to actually stay near the women. ¡°Hmph. I will see how you are making a move on my woman under my watch.¡± He arrogantly snorted. But as the two women undressed down to their bare minimum clothes and stepped into the pond, Xander could feel his head over heating and his face was also flushed. Two half naked women sitting side by side, with their enticing curves almost exposed, and their hair wet, and skin glistening was too much for his inexperienced body to handle, even though he only loved one of the two and hated the other. The man spent more time dunking his head repeatedly in the cold water, than enjoying the view in front of him. Charlotte and Tang Yue, on the other hand, just chatted casually and the group headed back to the city in a short while. ¡°You guys go ahead. I have some work in the central district.¡± Tang Yue said. ¡°Yue, what are you nning to do?¡± Charlotte asked curiously. ¡°Big sis, I also want toe with you.¡± Xander chimed in. Tang Yue pinched the small kid¡¯s cheeks and exined to Charlotte. ¡°I want to start working with higher grade ores.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t have ess to any of the techniques required for the higher grade materials.¡± ¡°So I am thinking of registering myself as an individual cksmith at the merchants association.¡± ¡°Apart from being an apprentice, this should be the only other way to ess these things.¡± Charlotte nodded in agreement. Logically speaking, indeed she would be able to ess the higher level techniques by doing this, but without an actual mentor, will they still be useful? However, having witnessed just how fast Tang Yue mastered the lower level techniques, she didn¡¯t dare doubt her words. So the elf simply waved goodbye and dragged the wolf and the insolent child along with her forcefully. Tang Yue smiled at their antics and she quickly headed over to the merchants association. It was still weird for her to see dwarves everywhere, but she maintained a calm and steady expression and walked in confidently as if she really belonged there. ¡°I would like to register as a 2 star cksmith.¡± Tang Yue greeted the dwarf near the entrance and directly got to the point. The dwarf loudly grunted and stood up from the low desk he was sitting on. He mumbled something in irritation as he went inside and grabbed a bunch of stuff. ¡°Fill in your details here and hand over some sample items.¡± He said. Tang Yue looked at him, silently pondering what to hand over. ¡°Hmph. Sample items can be any weapons.¡± ¡°As long as you hand over a low-grade weapon, you can be counted as a 2-star cksmith.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t even think about cheating.¡± ¡°If the association suspects anyone, they have the freedom to randomly test the applicants.¡± The dwarf snorted. Tang Yue nodded. She couldn¡¯t care less about the dwarf¡¯s attitude and was actually quite pleased with his detailed exnations. ¡°Would a 2-star cksmith be able to ess higher-grade smithing techniques?¡± She then asked curiously. Chapter 259: Who is this maniac? Part3 Chapter 259: Who is this maniac? Part3 ¡°Would a 2 star cksmith be able to ess higher grade smithing techniques?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked. ¡°Yes. Yes. You can borrow scrolls for a week.¡± He mumbled and no longer paid any attention to her. Tang Yue rummaged in her storage pouch and took out a few low-grade weapons. The dwarf waved at her and asked her toe back tomorrow. He didn¡¯t even pay attention to the weapons she had taken out. Having been working at a merchant¡¯s association, what low-grade weapons had the dwarf not seen before. So he just shoved them off to a side without sparing them another nce. The association didn¡¯t typically get a lot of individual cksmith applicants who didn¡¯t belong to any smithy. So the dwarf only ended up paying attention to it near the end of the day, just before he was about to leave. He irritatedly picked up the first weapon to inspect and a mere 2 secondster, the same man subconsciously let out a loud shriek. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± He stammered, looking at the weapon in his hand. He looked at it again and again and even wielded it to get a feeling. But the man still couldn¡¯t believe the weapon in his hands. He ced it back carefully again and gulped nervously as he gazed at the ten other simr weapons ttered on the side. ¡°Is this for real?¡± He started sweating. A couple of other association dwarves casually walked past him after finishing their work for the day and this man hurriedly called them over. Just like him, they were also perplexed after seeing the ten or so low-grade weapons with the special fire attributes. ¡°Which maniac would spend so much time and resources to bring about these excellent efforts in a bunch of low-grade heavy silver weapons?¡± ¡°There is no way a 2-star cksmith crafted this. This one is definitely cheating.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± The two dwarves nodded. ¡°I will just submit it to the old man Hiru for investigation.¡± The dwarf scratched his head in confusion and just passed on the weapons to the higher authorities. This was not his problem. In a short while, two female dwarves dressed in silver robes carried over a dozen weapons and ced everything carefully in front of an old man. ¡°Master Hiru, these are the unusual weapons.¡± The two women bowed humbly and left. ¡°Mmm.¡± The old man nodded in response. He superficially nced at the weapons without bothering to pick anything up, but still, his soul sense thoroughly analyzed everyst detail. The old man¡¯s obsidian ck eyes shone with a mysterious light and slightly widened. ¡°Perfect bnce and perfectposition. Dual element affinity. Extraordinary talent indeed.¡± He mumbled as he groomed his long beard. ¡°Hu Hu Hu. Is the contest going to get interesting this time?¡± The man chuckled. After a few seconds, he gently pped his hands and the two female dwarves hurried over again. ¡°Give this person her 2-star medallion. Inform me when shees back to take the 3-star test.¡± He mumbled absentmindedly. The two dwarves humbly bowed and quickly cleared the area again. The next day morning when Tang Yue arrived, the same dwarf was again seated near the entrance. He threw her aplicated look and muttered something under his breath. Hmmm? Tang Yue didn¡¯t take it to heart and casually greeted him. ¡°Can I ess the library today?¡± She asked. ¡°Sure. Here you go.¡± The dwarf banged a 2 star medallion on the desk in front of him and sneered in contempt. He was not happy that this tantly disrespectful cheater got off scot-free and nobody bothered to call her bluff. He didn¡¯t understand why the grumpy old man didn¡¯t test her and shame her in public. If things continued this way, then the quality of their association would not doubt plummet. But why should he care? He was just a foot soldier. The dwarf snorted in annoyance and stared daggers at Tang Yue. Unfortunately for him, his unspoken insults and angry res didn¡¯t get past the snake¡¯s thick skin and she had already walked into the association, headed to the archives. ¡°Ah¡­ This 2 star medallion lets me ess other alchemy and rune crafting techniques too! How wonderful!¡± Tang Yue nodded contently. It looked like the dwarves were a lot more liberal in their knowledge sharingpared to the elves. Even though there was still a hierarchy and a division in the society, one had to acknowledge that this was a step in the right direction. Obviously, the Crown Prince here was much more talented than that lunatic madman. Tang Yue chuckled and directly headed to the smithing section. The dwarf had mentioned that she would be able to borrow three scrolls at a time and that she was obligated to return them by the end of the week. So Tang Yue perused through the various avable materials carefully. The archive was an enormous wooden shelf with numerous small cabs and each wasbeled with a dozen jade slips inside. So more than one copy was avable for each technique. Tang Yue did not think much and directly picked three techniques that caught her eye. One described rune techniques that can bebined with forging. One described the Hundred Swings technique that is typically used for high grade materials. And thest jade slip described an unusual technique, something that allowed the weapon to manifest a poison attribute. Tang Yue quickly picked the three and walked over to the dwarf at the reception again. ¡°You don¡¯t have to show it to me.¡± ¡°It is automatically recorded in your medallion as soon as you leave the association.¡± The dwarf scoffed at her. ¡°Oh. That¡¯s convenient.¡± Tang Yue shed a sweet smile and directly walked out, leaving behind the bbergasted man. The dwarf speechlessly looked at her disappearing figure. He didn¡¯t know what infuriated him more. The way she cheated so nonchntly or the way she was ignoring his rude remarks!!! Chapter 260: Memories of the past Part1 Chapter 260: Memories of the past Part1 Tang Yue doubled down and busied herself with work for the next couple of weeks. Forging higher grade materials was essentially not that different from forging lower grade materials. The main difference was the method of removing impurities. When working with higher-grade materials, impurities can only be removed by hammering mana into the metal. And there was no secret method to aplish this. Everything about smithing was rather straightforward. The mid-grade and the high-grade metals were typically purified using the Hundred Bangs refinement technique and the rare-grade and above materials required a simr Thousand Bangs refinement technique. The technique itself wasn¡¯t too mysterious either. It was only a small variation of directly hammering out the impurities. But sometimes, the simpler a method, the moreplex it is to execute. Tang Yue now understood why the dwarves had never bothered to hide any of the smithing techniques or at least make them more difficult to acquire. The issue was¡­ even if one acquired the technique, it was still tremendously difficult to aplish anything without years and years of training and practice! Tan Yue started with the Hundred Bangs refinement technique and tried it for a while, before her mana and mental strength were sucked dry within minutes. Xander knew what she was attempting to do, so he didn¡¯t say anything and just silently observed her. Charlotte, however, worriedly asked. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Tang Yue sighed and nodded with a smile. She knew that the task at hand was clearly above her limits but she was not ready to give up just yet. She wordlessly stood up and took a peek inside to make sure that the drunkard was still sleeping. Tang Yue then settled down in a meditative pose and took out her alchemy cauldron and a bunch of herbs. Charlotte had never seen Tang Yue practice alchemy before. In fact, she had always thought that Tang Yue didn¡¯t have any real talent in alchemy and simply did everything to gain the Crown Prince¡¯s affection. But she was not stupid enough to think the same even now. Charlotte had a much deeper grasp of Tang Yue and her capabilities, so she only curiously observed what she was doing. Xander didn¡¯t even need to observe. He saw the set of herbs that Tang Yue had taken out and he already knew what she was about to do. The man wryly chuckled and shook his head. This girl was once again going to st through her shackles!!! Tang Yue was about to concoct Devil Awakening pills again! The woman calmly and steadily handled the herbs and processed the ingredients one after the other. She then materialized several tongues of me in her hand and quickly started the concoction process. Tang Yue didn¡¯t even need to summon Little Plum anymore, to help her with the pill concoction. Thanks to her rigorous training, handling both earthen and fire elemental essence these past few days, her control and mana maniption had increased tremendously. This was also why she wanted to concoct the Devil Awakening Pills now. Tang Yue¡¯s mental strength was currently in the Emperor realm, more precisely at Silver- tier. Thanks to the several hours she had recently spent forging weapons one after the other, she could clearly feel that her mental strength was nearing a bottleneck now. So before proceeding further with the moreplicated higher-grade materials refining, she first wanted to cross over this bottleneck. Tang Yue had already used these modified Devil Awakening pills once before, so she was not sure just how effective they would be. After all, they were merely a diluted version of the original form that the system provided her with. But considering that she was at a bottleneck, Tang Yue was somewhat confident that she would be able to break through to the next level with the help of the pill. Once she started the concoction process, it didn¡¯t take long for Tang Yue to finish the entire batch. This time her concoction speed was exponentially faster than before. By the end of the day she had 3 bottles, each with 5 Devil Awakening Pills. She looked up tiredly and handed over one bottle to Charlotte. ¡°Yue, what is this?¡± Charlotte asked in confusion. ¡°A special version of Devil Awakening Pills.¡± Tang Yue smiled and said as a matter of fact. Charlotte¡¯s seductive dove-shaped eyes immediately widened. ¡°Wait a second. Is this the pill which created so muchmotion back then?¡± She gasped in shock. ¡°Yes. Yes. That bastard swindled it all right out of my hands and didn¡¯t pay me even a dime for it.¡± Tang Yue bitterly smiled. And of course, the ¡®bastard¡¯ who she talked about slightly coughed in awkwardness. In reality, Xander had already given her about one-half of that payment in the form of gold coins in multiple spatial rings, but Tang Yue had conveniently forgotten about that. Charlotte gulped and immediately returned the ss bottle back to her. ¡°No. No. No. Sorry, I can¡¯t ept something so valuable.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± Tang Yue shoved the bottle back into her hands. ¡°Consider it as fees. I am going to take one of the pills now. Please help me and make sure that no one disturbs me.¡± Tang Yue smiled and popped a pill into her mouth, without waiting for Charlotte¡¯s response. Her eyes immediately flickered and the captivating emerald color changed into a dull translucent white. Charlotte sighed and silently wiped the froth off her mouth. She had heard about how this pill was supposedly more safe and easy to use, but still, she was worried. Devil Awakening Pills induced an extremely traumatizing nightmare. Xander as well worriedly looked at the woman. The previous time he was able to stay right by her side and assist but now he could only watch over from a distance. It was extremely frustrating for him. But in the end, no matter how much logic prevented it, he knew that he would discard his disguise in an instant if it meant that the woman was in danger. Chapter 261: Memories of the past Part2 Chapter 261: Memories of the past Part2 A few hours after she consumed the Devil Awakening Pill, Tang Yue woke up with a blinding headache. In front of her, a couple of adorable faces dangled, looking extremely worried and concerned. ¡°Big sis, are you okay?¡± ¡°Yue, are you feeling better?¡± Charlotte and Xander simultaneously asked her. Tang Yue shook her head slowly. She ignored the couple of notifications that popped up in front of her. She had sessfully tempered her mind from the Silver-tier Emperor realm to the Gold-tier Emperor realm. Just like she had expected, the gain this time was drastically lower but it was still decent enough to boost her mental strength to the next tier. Tang Yue was actually not too concerned about this at the moment. She looked like she was in a daze and her mind was struggling to remember something rather important. But for some reason, she just couldn¡¯t put a finger on that thought. During a person¡¯s mental trials, one often relived their worst nightmare and Tang Yue was no different. She vaguely knew that she dreamed about the night that her mother disappeared. However, she still felt that she had forgotten something important. She even closed her eyes and tried to think about it for several minutes, but she couldn¡¯t remember at all. Tang Yue sighed in disappointment. ¡°Okay. One problem at a time. I should just focus on forging weapons for now.¡± She pped her cheeks and took a few deep breaths, snapping out of that haze. ¡°What did you dream about, Yue?¡± Charlotte blurted out without thinking, regretting it as soon as the words came out. ¡°Ummm¡­¡± Tang Yue slightly hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s okay. It¡¯s okay. You don¡¯t have to tell me. I actually didn¡¯t mean to ask.¡± Charlotte hurriedly spoke. Tsk. Tsk. Xander inwardly scoffed. Stupid woman! Xander, very badly, wanted to know what it was that tormented Tang Yue. Solving a problem like that was the easiest way to a woman¡¯s heart. But it looked like he was not going to get his answer. He disappointedly shook his head. However, the next instant, he heard Tang Yue talking. ¡°It¡¯s nothing much. My mother left me when I was younger. That¡¯s my personal nightmare.¡± She smiled bitterly. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Charlotte nodded her head. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit sorry for her. She now understood Tang Yue¡¯s attitude towards the old dwarf Kosa better. She saw that Tang Yue was clearly affected by this and didn¡¯t pry into the painful topic further. ¡°So are you nning to try smithing the Molium chunks again?¡± Charlotte changed the subject. ¡°Mmm¡­ yes. Before I start, do you also want to use the Devil Awakening pills?¡± Tang Yue asked. ¡°I can stand guard for you.¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°No. No need. I am not in any hurry. I know you are preparing for the contest. So you focus on that first.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit too good to me these days?¡± Tang Yue chuckled and tousled the woman¡¯s silky hair yfully as she stood up, immediately eliciting a blush from the elf. She then went back to the grind and started working on the b of metal again. Even though Silver-tier and Gold-tier Emperor realms were not too far apart in level, Tang Yue could still feel the difference in her capabilities when she tried to refine the same metal. This time when she tried refining the higher-grade Mollium ore, Tang Yue actually wore Xander¡¯s special mana replenishing earrings. Every hit shended on the ore chunk, carried a heavy punch behind it, but her mana was still being drained at a rapid pace. ¡°Hmm¡­ I guess my current cultivation base is just not enough.¡± She sighed. Tang Yue didn¡¯t fret too much about it and continued the same pain-staking process again and again, repeatedly, taking small breaks in between. Since this in itself was a sort of cultivation, she didn¡¯t have to specifically sit around and improve her cultivation base. A few days passed by quickly just like this. Tang Yue was a cultivation maniac and she worked hard from dawn to dusk. Xander, aimlessly,zed around the house and acted cute as if there was no tomorrow. If his Generals back home knew what he was doing, they would cry incessantly and vomit blood, considering that they were overworking and picking up ck on behalf of him. Charlotte rolled her eyes at thezy bum. She couldn¡¯t be as useless as him and ended up taking Little Blue on hunting trips on her own. The wolf was more than happy to apany her since it was a predator by nature and more than that, it also wanted to be as powerful and cool as its master. And of course, the other person in that small run down smithy continued drinking and sleeping, without even caring about any of these new developments in the slightest. He was almost aszy as Xander, except for the fact that he got up every now and then to refill his booze supplies. The drunken guy ever so often threw a couple of nces in Tang Yue¡¯s direction but returned back to his cot wordlessly with a smug expression on his face. Tang Yue didn¡¯t bother with him. This arrangement worked for her at the moment. So she ignored him and focused on her skills. Apart from the dagger, sword, and saber molds, Tang Yue had also purchased different armors and gauntlet molds. Even though she was still unable to manufacture even a single mid-grade or higher grade weapon, she had umted quite a bit of low-grade pieces of equipment that she personally manufactured. They all had a myriadbination of special attributes that could shock anyone. The dwarven royal city also had an auction house but didn¡¯t n on selling anything any time soon. She didn¡¯t need the money and she didn¡¯t want to create some sort ofmotion unintentionally. She wanted to save up all the spectacles and fireworks for the actual smithing contest! Chapter 262: Memories of the past Part3 Chapter 262: Memories of the past Part3 A couple more weeks passed and Tang Yue still felt as if she was no closer to learning any of the higher level methods. She did manage to forge a couple of mid-grade swords, but it was not finished to perfection and Tang Yue was not satisfied as well. But she didn¡¯t give up and continued working on it. Somethings required raw brutal hard work and there was nothing anyone could do about it. On the brighter side, she felt as if she was already closer to the next bottleneck, both in her cultivation core and her mental strength. She only needed to progress a little more before attempting to break through again. Tang Yue finished thest weapon she was working on and disappointedly threw it to the side. Charlotte still hadn¡¯t returned back from her trip to the forest, so she decided to use this time and try out the lightning rune. After she had bluntly refused to do the ¡®special mission¡¯ and use Charlotte like a pawn, the old man had been unusually quiet and he wasn¡¯t even handing out any more missions or rewards. So Tang Yue decided to finish thest quest and then sweet talk him into giving another quest soon. She didn¡¯t like his methods and didn¡¯t agree with his principles but at the end of the day, she was shameless enough to ignore the bad and only want the good part. Also, at the back of her mind, she kept thinking back to what the old man had said and couldn¡¯t help but wonder every now and then about when exactly that perilous situation might arise. She had boldly dered in front of the old man that she would protect Charlotte but was she strong enough to do so? Tang Yue really wanted to finish this work in the dwarven empire soon and disappear. By now she knew very well that her real strengthid in absorbing bloodlines and stealing talents from other beasts. So she wanted to travel far and wide and hunt as many unique and powerful beasts as possible. Maybe because her mother had disappeared at a young age, and managed to never be found, she had always felt that this world was a huge mystery. And now that she had the strength to do so, she definitely wanted to experience this vastness personally. She wanted to cross the ocean that bordered their nine countries and see for herself whatid beyond these boundaries. More importantly, she had a nagging feeling about that human being she had seen back in thebyrinth. What would happen if more human beings started showing up in this part of their world? Was this the dangerous situation that the old man talked about? Several questions swirled in her mind. But Tang Yue could only sigh and put them away from her mind for now. She cleared her cluttered brain and focused on the rune formation for the lightning domain. Domains were not something new. For a long time, only the Demi God realm and higher realm experts were capable of setting up their own personal domains. But one of the elven rune grandmasters who lived a few centuries ago sessfully managed to replicate this method and capture it in a runic spell. Of course, from this original runic spell, several other runic spells were derived and multiple versions of domain runes were avable in the current market, their strength greatly varying. Tang Yue had no doubt that the rune pattern she was currently setting up on the smithy floor was one of the best versions, if not the best version avable. Except for the fire domain set up from when she contracted with Little Plum, Tang Yue hadn¡¯t experienced any domains per se. So she was slightly nervous and anxious. She didn¡¯t want to be fried alive into dust and end up dead like when it happened before with Little Plum. But unfortunately, since both the domain rune pattern and the elemental contract rune pattern were given to her by the same cold-hearted old bastard, she was almost one hundred percent sure that this ending was inevitable. After a few minutes, Tang Yue patientlypleted all the details of the pattern that was needed to perfection. But then she didn¡¯t activate it immediately and waited for Charlotte to return. Even though a domain was actually pretty convenient for her since whatever happened within the domain stayed within the domain and not even a small sound would leak out, Tang Yue still didn¡¯t want to take any chances. She just absentmindedly yed with the little kid and took a break while waiting for Charlotte to return back with little blue. However, weirdly, minutes turned into hours and Charlotte had still not returned even after the sky turned dark. ¡°What happened?¡± Tang Yue was slightly worried. She knew that Charlotte was a Saint realm expert and possessed many treasures and was more than capable of protecting herself in case there is any danger, but she still had a bad feeling in her heart. ¡°Nothing will happen to that hag, big sis.¡± Xander cheekily replied. He silently wished that the elf would disappear and nevere back again. But then he saw how much Tang Yue was worried and sighed sadly. Should I use my soul sense to look for that damned woman? Xander pondered. If he used his soul sense, chances are that he might be discovered. So he didn¡¯t want to do that unless Tang Yue was in actual danger. But he really couldn¡¯t stomach the worried look on her face. So he ended up deciding to do it anyways and was about to scan the dwarven royal city, when suddenly Tang Yue stood up. ¡°Baby, stay here. I wille back in a bit.¡± Tang Yue muttered and walked out of the smithy. Huh? Xander was confused. He waited for a couple of minutes and quietly walked out as well, following Tang Yue closely. Chapter 263: Memories of the past Part4 Chapter 263: Memories of the past Part4 Unlike Xander, Tang Yue did not think much and instantly whipped up the skill she had on hand. Tang Yue and Little Blue shared an innate bond through the beast contract, so she could immediately sense the wolf¡¯s presence even though they were quite far apart. And from what she could tell, Little Blue was still in the forest grounds. So Charlotte, as well, was most probably near the wolf. Tang Yue didn¡¯t hesitate and activated her skill ¡®One with the earth¡¯. In fact, by repeatedly using this skill, she was far more proficient in it now and could somewhat control it. She only activated the skill for a few seconds and focused on the area of the forest where she had sensed Little Blue¡¯s presence. After that, she quickly stopped the skill and her energy was not drainedpletely. But Tang Yue didn¡¯t look happy at all with the results. Based on what she could feel, there seemed to be a dozen or so higher beings along with Little Blue. Charlotte was probably one of them, but who were the others? Tang Yue quickened her pace and hurried towards the deadwood forests. Even though there were a few low-grade beasts, maybe because of the subconscious killing aura she emitted, no animal dared to cross her path. It didn¡¯t take long for her and Tang Yue quickly reached the destination. Standing several miles behind her, Xander carefully positioned himself and made sure not to attract any attention, but he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen. Several dwarves were standing around, crowding around Little Blue in the middle of the forest. And next to Little Blue, a young hybrid ve girl was kneeling down. Her clothes were slightly disheveled and her upper back was almostpletely exposed. Moreover, on her back, there were deep bloody imprints of severalsh marks. Tang Yue shuddered in shock. ¡°What is going on here?¡± Her cold icy voice instantly cut through the chatter and the murmur among the crowd. But Tang Yue didn¡¯t wait for anyone to respond, she directly walked forward and helped Charlotte up, throwing a robe around her tattered clothes. ¡°What the hell? Who are you? What gave you the right to intervene in my business?¡± A thin dwarven girl standing in front spoke up. She had long brown hair and was dressed in dwarven royal regalia, a boulder wyrm. Tang Yue looked at her from top to bottom and sized her up in an instant. ¡°She is my ve and this is my pet. I am taking them back.¡± She nonchntly answered without caring about the obviously important status of the other party. ¡°Hmph. Think twice before letting your mouth run, you bumpkin.¡± ¡°Do you know who you are talking to? I am the fourth princess, La.¡± The girl cold snorted and red at Tang Yue. ¡°Hmm¡­ In that case, I apologize, your highness.¡± Tang Yue replied. Her words were humble and obedient but the look on her face told an entirely different story. La was slightly taken aback. She had expected Tang Yue to immediately yield and buckle down. But it looked like the dwarven girl was rather pretty adamant. ¡°Your ve injured one of my friends. So she is being punished for her wrongdoing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t interfere and stand on the sidelines. Once the punishment is over, you can then take her away.¡± ¡°That is¡­ if something is left of her.¡± La chuckled coldly. Tang Yue knew that Charlotte wouldn¡¯t have acted rashly without being provoked first. After all, the woman was even willingly acting as a ve for these past few weeks. So why would she do something to jeopardize their disguise now? She calmly turned towards her and asked what happened. Charlotte gulped. She felt extremely guilty. She was worried that she had irreparably screwed up things for Tang Yue. ¡°I am sorry, Master. They wanted to attack and capture Little Blue.¡± ¡°I immediately informed them that the wolf was already a contracted pet, but they still wanted to capture him.¡± Charlotte hesitantly exined, with her head hung down. Now Tang Yue understood what had happened. ¡°Your highness, clearly the fault is not on our side. So please excuse us this one time.¡± Tang Yue bowed. But how could things be so simple? La immediately scoffed at her. ¡°My friend is telling me a different story.¡± ¡°Your wolf attacked us first and then your ve as well tried to attack us.¡± ¡°Now that I think about this, maybe you were the one who instigated all of this and tried to assassinate me in the forest.¡± La crossed her arms and twisted the truth. Tang Yue frowned. This stupid woman didn¡¯t look like she was going to drop this matter easily. Why were all royal spawns this difficult to deal with? She sighed. ¡°Your highness, please have mercy. Things only happened identally.¡± ¡°Please show mercy and excuse us. We will note here again.¡± Tang Yue bit her lips and tried asking nicely again. At the same time, she also tried to sense if they were currently alone and isted. There were only twelve dwarves in the group and five of them were in Emperor realm. The rest were merely in Mortal and Martial realms and barely posed any threat. So if worstes to worst, it would barely take only a couple of seconds for Tang Yue and Charlotte to finish off the entire group without leaving any trace behind. But the main problem here was that a dwarven princess was involved in this chaotic situation. If Tang Yue ended up massacring everyone here, then this incident will most definitely create a hugemotion. Her disguise wouldpletely be ruined and her efforts thus far would also be ruined. This was why even though she waspletely enraged on seeing Charlotte in that state, she still controlled her anger and tried to calmly diffuse the situation. Trash can be taken out at any time but she was unfortunately in a situation where she had to think about the consequences. Chapter 264: Memories of the past Part5 Chapter 264: Memories of the past Part5 ¡°Ok. Since you are on your knees and begging me so desperately, I will consider letting you go.¡± La sneered. Tang Yue was clearly not on her knees and not begging, but the woman enunciated the words to make sure that she got the hint. Tang Yue, however, stood still. She absolutely had no intention of kneeling or begging. She sighed helplessly and shook her head. She now knew that she had no other choice. It didn¡¯t matter that she wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict. Clearly, the other party was hell bent on seeking death. Just how much can a person try and reason with an idiot? They neither understood logic nor understood consequences. It was just a waste of time. Tang Yue was about to make a move when La scoffed again. ¡°Listen don¡¯t waste my time and dawdle here. I have work to do and I don¡¯t have time to y with trash like you.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. This princess was stealing her lines and had just now spoken out loud about what was there in her mind. ¡°Leave your ve and your pet. They belong to me now. That will be your punishment for letting them run wild. Hmph.¡± La magnanimously crossed her arms. Tang Yue nodded. ¡°Sure.¡± She smiled. After all, what was the point in refusing a dying person¡¯s wish? She flicked her hand andzily summoned her soul sword. Charlotte as well saw what she was doing and stood up, ready to ughter the pigs in front of her. But before either of them could act, suddenly a powerful gust of wind materialized in front of them, right in the middle of the two groups. The newly arrived party had a very strong aura and was most definitely ate stage Saint realm expert. If they fight now, there is no way that this situation goes unnoticed. The fight won¡¯t end quickly and there will be traces of the conflict left behind. This was definitely bad. Tang Yue quickly thought about the various options she had and made a split second decision. Nothing had been done yet. The milk was still in the container and hadn¡¯t been spilled yet. So she instantly dismissed her soul sword even before it could fully materialize and acted as if nothing had happened. Charlotte as well noticed Tang Yue¡¯s actions and calmed down immediately. The two silently gazed at the man standing in front of them. This man was their opponent right now. The lean and muscr dwarf was surprisingly also wearing royal regalia just like the dwarven princess and he had a very casual amused expression. The man had sharp pointed nose, attractive eyes and a face that could put anyone to ease. He didn¡¯t look like he hade here to fight at all. He was extremely calm,posed and rxed. ¡°Now. Now. Let¡¯s stop things here. My little sister sometimes leaves her brain in the pce.¡± The dwarf chuckled and rubbed La¡¯s head. La was furious. Her face darkened when she heard the words spoken by her brother. ¡°Jorden!!!¡± She snapped. It was one thing for her bastard brother to talk like this in private but it was an entirely different matter in public. She wanted to shout at him, but La couldn¡¯t bear to talk rudely to her brother even though he had just dissed her in public, in front of her friends. Tang Yue was amused. What is going on here? A bro-con sister? She decided to patiently wait and watch the things unfold instead of rushing in without all the details. And further surprising her, Prince Jorden continued to ignore La and addressed Tang Yue. ¡°You two are free to leave.¡± He did not say anything else or make any other remark. He simply shed a gentle smile and casually spoke. Tang Yue nodded and bowed. She showed the respect that a royal family member deserved and silently turned to walk away along with Charlotte and Little Blue. But inwardly, Tang Yue found the situation very suspicious. The dwarf had acted in a timely manner with extreme precision. How could such coincidences be possible? All hell was about to break loose and this man simply ended everything in the span of a second. He definitely knew more than he was leading on. She would be a fool to believe otherwise. Tang Yue silently walked away but she was on high alert. She was sure that her disguise was notpromised but that didn¡¯t mean something else fishy was not going on. After all, she was just about to attack and massacre a member of the dwarven royal family openly. Why did the Prince still let them walk away without any consequences? Tang Yue was deeply engrossed in her thoughts when she felt a small tug on her robe. Huh? Tang Yue turned around and she saw Charlotte nervously looking at her with a guilty expression. ¡°I am so sorry, Yue. I am just bringing you troubles.¡± She mumbled. ¡°What are you saying? Don¡¯t be an idiot. Weren¡¯t you just protecting Little Blue?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ But still¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. Don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡± The group then returned back to the smithy without any other incidents on the way. Tang Yue was still feeling uneasy about the entire event and had forgotten about her rune set up. When everyone returned, Charlotte immediately gasped at the borate design on the smithy¡¯s floor. The runes were drawn in blood and looked extremelyplicated. ¡°This¡­ Umm¡­ What is this Yue?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°Oh¡­ That¡¯s a domain rune. A Lightning domain rune.¡± Tang Yue exined. She didn¡¯t hide it from Charlotte. These were simple things and she trusted Charlotte enough to tell her these things. ¡°Why have you drawn it here?¡± The elf asked her curiously. ¡°I am nning to use it for physical conditioning.¡± ¡°What??? Are you being serious? This is suicidal!!!¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She had heard about several different types of body tempering but had never heard anything as crazy as this. Chapter 265: Memories of the past Part6 Chapter 265: Memories of the past Part6 ¡°What??? Are you being serious? This is suicidal!!!¡± Charlotte couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She had heard about several different types of body tempering but had never heard anything as crazy as this. ¡°Umm¡­ It¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Tang Yue smiled. She was about to ask her for help when she couldn¡¯t help but notice the obvioussh marks on Charlotte¡¯s back. Back in the forests, she hadn¡¯t seen it properly, but now that she looked at it closer, it looked extremely brutal. Tang Yue immediately felt bad. She knew very well just how prideful and pampered Charlotte was. She really didn¡¯t have to endure all of this to such an extent. How could she not be moved? She silently walked towards the woman and took the bottle of wound healing potion from her hands. Tang Yue then helped Charlotte lie down and carefully undid the clothes, revealing only her upper back. Charlotte¡¯s face flushed immediately and the woman turned into a ripe tomato, but she didn¡¯t oppose any of Tang Yue¡¯s actions. Charlotte silently smiled and enjoyed the small gesture of affection as Tang Yue gently applied the potion on her back. Any wound healing potion acted very fast, not to mention the high end ones which Charlotte carried around. Besides, Charlotte herself was a Saint realm expert, and her body was extremely tempered. This being the case, all the wounds were merely superficial flesh wounds. So the wounds and the scratches disappeared almost as soon as the potion touched the skin, not even leaving the smallest of scars behind. And within seconds, Tang Yue was already done applying the medicine to her back. But the woman on herp seemed to be veryfortable lying down and didn¡¯t exhibit any intention of getting up. Tang Yue chuckled in amusement. She didn¡¯t mind it and decided to pamper the girl some more. She took out some herbal oils and started massaging the elf¡¯s smooth and silky skin. It felt heavenly to Charlotte and she had a blissful happy expression on her face. But unfortunately, Charlotte had reaped quite a bit of bad karma and the heavens didn¡¯t allow her to enjoy the moment for too long. Not long after the massage session started, the smithy door creaked open and a little kid stepped inside. He saw Tang Yue smiling and absentmindedly massaging Charlotte¡¯s back. And then he saw the blissful look on Charlotte¡¯s face. Xander¡¯s rage instantly erupted. He clenched his fists and a viinous look appeared on his face. He was in an extremely foul mood. He felt as if he was slowly and surely losing Tang Yue to this scheming vixen. ¡°Big sis, my back is also aching.¡± He pouted and without any hesitation, directly jumped onto Charlotte¡¯s back. He didn¡¯t show any mercy and even used some of his strength while doing so. Charlotte let out a loud yelp. That hurt you little bastard! Wait, how did this imp manage to hurt an actual Saint realm expert? Her eyes widened in surprise and she quickly sat up straight in rm. Tang Yue didn¡¯t expect that the small rascal to directly jump onto herp and even she was surprised. But she could onlyugh at the child who nowid on herp, simr to how Charlotte had been lying before. She shook her head in amusement and gave the little one a massage as well. Xander sighed helplessly. Once upon a time, or rather just a few weeks ago, he was a lofty existence. He was the revered Crown Prince of Eldoria, an existence who everyone feared and respected. But now¡­ somehow¡­ things hade to this point. In the past, Xavier had often told him that love changes a man, but he had always rebuked him by saying mean things in return. And now, Xander, somehow found himselfpeting for such petty and small things. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. After indulging these two for a while, Tang Yue finally returned back to her grind. She requested Charlotte to stand guard for her and stepped into the center of the rune formation. Tang Yue then rotated her cultivation base and used her mana and blood to activate the rune formation. A bright light instantly flooded the small space, but mysteriously none of it leaked outside. To any passerby, the smithy would only look like its in old normal run down state. But inside the building, more precisely inside an oval shaped boundary, like a dome, a small storm was brewing slowly. Even Charlotte and Xander were unable to observe anything happening inside. Only Tang Yue knew what was happening within the barrier. Xander especially was extremely curious. If he as a Demi God couldn¡¯t observe the domain and use his soul sense to poke a hole in it, the domain rune had to be of extremely high quality. How did a serpentine spirit beast get a hold of such high quality rune? Before he unraveled one secret, ten other secrets popped up. This snake was truly a sly woman!!! He knew that Tang Yue would have never in a million years revealed all of these secrets to him voluntarily, especially considering his reputation. Xander felt that he had really lucked out by choosing the disguise that he did. Otherwise, Tang Yue wouldn¡¯t have let her guard down and revealed things like this. Everyone had a weak spot. And the snake¡¯s weak spot was clearly her parents. Xander could tell that everything about her parents affected her. She saw that the kid was an orphan and she immediately took pity on him. She saw that Kosa was a kind father and she immediately showered love and affection on him, even settling some of his problems. Though the woman was extremely tough and strong mentally, she really had this one big weak spot. Xander didn¡¯t look down on her though. Instead, he thought that this weakness actually made her stronger. It meant that she hadn¡¯tpletely closed herself off from others and shut herself off emotionally. She still had the ability to be kind and generous to others, despite how she was treated by her own family. Xander sighed. He wished that he could embrace her tightly and make her feel secure and loved. A warm smile surfaced on his face as the little kid lovingly watched the translucent dome, which trembled and crackled asionally. Chapter 266: Memories of the past Part7 Chapter 266: Memories of the past Part7 Tang Yue stood at the center of the rune and activated the lightning domain with a drop of her blood. She didn¡¯t have to wait long to experience how exactly this domain rune functioned. As soon as the rune thrummed alive and activated by consuming mana from the world, sharp bolts of lightning started discharging from thin air out of nowhere. Tang Yue instantly got hit by one and her skin sizzled from pain. Her disguise was also gone and she was now in her blue-skinned human serpentine form. Tang Yue¡¯s first instinct was to dodge the various lightning bolts, and she danced nimbly using the movement art from her sword technique. Her legs busily moved in that small oval-shaped barrier with extreme skill and precision, avoiding the lightning zaps that were beginning to rain down on her. Though the frequency of the bolts steadily increased, Tang Yue still managed to sessfully evade them all. But then she suddenly stopped with a constipated expression on her face, an expression filled with fear and unwillingness. Tang Yue remembered that she in fact was not supposed to dodge these lightning bolts!!! That was in fact counter-productive to what she actually aimed to aplish here. She sighed in frustration and stopped moving, standing frozen in her tracks. The numerous lightning bolts that were previously unable to even graze her, now easily drenched her from head to toe. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. BZZZT. The lightning bolts continued mercilessly raining down on her, burning and charring her skin and flesh the instant they touched her. And of course, the notifications rolled in as well¡­ Ding. Lightning resistance has increased Ding. Lightning resistance has increased Ding. Lightning resistance has increased Ding. Lightning resistance has increased ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Tang Yue grimaced. It was hurting like hell and she didn¡¯t have the pain threshold to enjoy these notifications right now. She gritted her teeth and clenched her fist as she slowly sat down, bearing the unholy pain. Though cultivating the world¡¯s energy gave power and strength, every step in this path was riddled with unbearable pain. Only those with the willpower to withstand these monstrous trials could even dream about standing at the top. Tang Yue resolutely closed her eyes and started cultivating, focusing on the mana swirling around her, rather than the pain. A minute passed¡­ an hour passed and soon¡­ several hours passed¡­ Tang Yue, however, was still sitting in the same pose as she was at the beginning. Lightning bolts crackled and sparkled around her as if she was in the midst of ongoing fireworks. Moreover, the intensity and power of lightning bolts had now tremendously increasedpared to how they were at the beginning of the domain activation. This brutal difference could be seen just from the numerous horrifying wounds covering Tang Yue¡¯s body. She cocked her head to the side and quickly gulped down another recovery potion. Tang Yue had already lost count of the number of health recovery potions and wound healing potions she had used. The potions were all high-grade ones simr to the potion used by Charlotte earlier. But since the intensity of lightning bolts had exponentially increased, the effect of even high-grade potions was only minimal. They at most affected only the superficial wounds. And this did little because by the time the superficial wounds disappear a new set of wounds appear almost at the same instant. Of course, Tang Yue was not in any real mortal danger. After all, she had the power to end this madness whenever she wanted. But the snake bit her lips and tried to hold out as much as possible. Even though it was extremely painful and hurting like crazy, Tang Yue could feel her body slowly and steadily improving. Not only did her lightning resistance improve, but she also managed to bring up her physical constitution all the way from Silver-tier Martial Body to Silver-tier Emperor Body. And before Tang Yue could enjoy this development, she felt another bottleneck crack open and her cultivation base also soared from the Martial realm to the Emperor realm. This meant that both her fire essence and earthen essence cores were at the Emperor realm. Using this lightning domain, she had finally stepped out of the Martial realm into the Emperor realm. Tang Yue weakly smiled as she could sense her tired body suck in the world energy like a vortex. All the pain and the tiredness slightly disappeared but the next instant the air above her rumbled and another egregious lightning bolt zapped her slender figure. Tang Yue now almost looked like a deep-roasted burnt meat stick, as she was covered from top to bottom in soot, smoke, and grime. She, however, still didn¡¯t have the heart to end the domain rune just yet. With her body trembling from the sheer pain, she clenched her fists and withstood the pain as much as she could. She no longer even had the strength to sit tight. With every bolt of lightning that struck her body, she flipped like a fish out of water, twitching crazily. The ordeal continued like this for a few more minutes when things further worsened and got too much for Tang Yue to handle. With her willpower, she withstood everything till the end and she finally lost her consciousness. The rune instantly deactivated and the domain flickered revealing Tang Yue¡¯s unconscious body on the smithy floor. Her body waspletely charred and she was in an extremely bad state. Both Xander and Charlotte felt the domain weaken and almost looked at her simultaneously, but Xander acted much faster than Charlotte could even blink. His dark elemental clone inconspicuously materialized and Tang Yue again disappeared into another domain barrier. However, this time it was a domain personally triggered by Xander. Charlotte blinked and stared at the empty space in front of her for a few seconds before sighing and going back to waiting again. She simply assumed that Tang Yue was not done with her tempering just yet and patiently waited. Chapter 267: Memories of the past Part8 Chapter 267: Memories of the past Part8 Inside the new domain, Xander gently held Tang Yue¡¯s charred and burnt body. ¡°You crazy woman. Why do you always have to go the extremes?¡± The man¡¯s crimson eyes were as ruthless as ever but his lips were curled up and there was an iparable warmth lingering around them. The domain Xander had summoned was a variation of the dark elemental domain, a healing domain. However, it was not an ordinary healing domain. It was a magic spell that sucked the soul energy from the neighboring living beings and healed the targets within the domain. It can convert a flourishing green grasnd to a barren graveyard within minutes. If activated for a prolonged time, this spell even had the capability toy waste to the millions of lives in the surrounding radius. However, it was the most effective and fastest healing method that Xander had at hand. He didn¡¯t have the heart to see Tang Yue suffering from a slow and painful recovery, even though it would only be for a few minutes. So he didn¡¯t hesitate at all and quickly activated this evil soul-sucking domain, just to convert those minutes into seconds. It was only for a few seconds and but Tang Yue¡¯s physical wounds had already healed to a great extent. Her bones, blood vessels, meridians, flesh and regenerated back perfectly, stronger and sturdier than before, and the fresh skin on her body glistened. Maybe because her body had undergone several rounds of tempering now, her figure was far more pure and perfect. Her voluptuous curves were even more enticing than before and her body barely contained any impurities. Xander nodded in satisfaction after seeing the various improvements. ¡°Aren¡¯t you progressing a bit too fast?¡± He chuckled. Even though Tang Yue had suffered a lot, it looked like the benefits were well worth it. He lovingly tucked her soft and silky locks behind her ears and nted a gentle kiss on her forehead. He then helped her reapply her disguise and deactivated the domain. And his clone, as well, smoothly returned back to his body as if nothing had happened. That night everyone in the royal city lost a small minuscule fraction of their souls but no one was any wiser. If they came to know that they had all suffered a loss in their soul strength that they had worked hard and cultivated, just to aid the speedy recovery of a single woman, that too not even from any life-threatening injuries, the entire civilization would have plunged into an uproar. Xander had called Tang Yue¡¯s body tempering method extreme, but his healing method was even more extreme. And just as he dismissed his personal domain, Tang Yue¡¯s still unconsciously resting body was revealed, and Charlotte quickly ran towards her. Even though Tang Yue had assured her before beginning the whole process, she was slightly anxious and checked to make sure that the woman wasn¡¯t seriously injured. She then ced Tang Yue¡¯s head on herp and patiently waited for her to rest and recover. Xander coldly snorted on seeing her intimate actions, but he didn¡¯t bicker as usual and quietly walked out. He was already satisfied with the two minutes that he got to spend alone with the woman and his heart was filled to the brim. While these two doted on her with adoration, Tang Yue happily slept without a care in the world. Maybe because she was too tired and weakened, and her mind waspletely exhausted, a familiar dream surfaced back up again. Tang Yue dreamed about that recurring nightmare again, but this time she was not under the influence of any pill or magic spell. It was a very clear and lucid dream and left a deep unforgettable impression on her brain. Tang Yue was fast asleep for the entire night and she only ended up waking the next day morning. As she stirred awake and her long eyshes fluttered, both Little Blue and Charlotte anxiously looked at her. Xander had disappeared in the middle of the night and he hadn¡¯t returned back yet. So only these two were near Tang Yue, eagerly waiting for her and watching her like a hawk. Tang Yue slowly rubbed her eyes and sat up straight. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Charlotte handed her a jar of water. ¡°Hmm¡­ I have broken through to the Emperor realm.¡± Tang Yue smiled andzily replied. ¡°Waaah! Congrattions.¡± ¡°It looked like it was very painful but it is indeed a powerful and unique body tempering technique to yield such drastic results.¡± Charlotte cheered for her. Tang Yue nodded and grinned. She was very happy with the results as well and even felt guilty for being extremely rude to the old man the other day. At the end of the day, he was also trying to help her, even if his ways were extremely twisted and devious. She was still firm in her principles, but Tang Yue made a mental note to apologize to himter. She took the jar of water from Charlotte and gulped it down slowly. However, suddenly her actions froze mid-air. Her mind was just casually wandering here and there, thinking about nothing in particr, but she subconsciously recollected the dream from earlier. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes instantly flew wide and her entire body trembled. With a loud nging noise, she immediately dropped that jar of water in her hand. Shock and disbelief filled her eyes and her face was extremely grim. ¡°Yue. Yue. What happened?¡± Charlotte panicked and worriedly shook her. But Tang Yue just sat there frozen like a statue. Tears streamed from her eyes and her lips whimpered. She clutched her head and started panting as if she was having a panic attack. Charlotte was extremely worried. She had no idea what was going on. ¡°Please Yue. Don¡¯t cry. It will be fine. Don¡¯t cry. Just tell me what happened.¡± She tried to console her. But Tang Yue was in no condition to answer her concerns. Tears continued streaming down her cheeks and she sobbed like a child. This woman was a pr opposite to the woman who had just now withstood insanely powerful lightning bolts. Tang Yue continued silently crying for a long time before lifting her head up and mumbling. ¡°My mother¡­ My mother was the person who crippled me.¡± Chapter 268: New allies Part1 Chapter 268: New allies Part1 ¡°My mother crippled me.¡± Tang Yue incoherently mumbled in between her sobs. ¡°Yue. Wait. Calm down. What are you saying? Did you just have a bad dream?¡± Charlotte had no idea what was going on and didn¡¯t know how to respond. Tang Yue was typically a very calm andposed person. In fact, Charlotte had never seen her disturbed like this, so her heart hurt to see her in this state. ¡°Yue. Please calm down first. Here drink some water.¡± Charlotte worriedly handed her another jar of water. Tang Yue nkly nodded and did as she was told. Only then she was able to exin things more clearly to Charlotte. ¡°Ever since I was a child, my memory regarding the night my mother disappeared had always been vague and unclear.¡± ¡°I thought that she had just left me alone because she didn¡¯t like my father.¡± ¡°But when I used the Devil Awakening Pill¡­¡± Tang Yue paused. Charlotte blinked. She now somewhat understood what was going on. ¡°Ummm¡­ Yue¡­ Devil Awakening Pill simply induces an illusionary nightmare. It is not real.¡± Huh? Tang Yue looked up in confusion. ¡°All of that was an illusion?¡± ¡°Yes Yue. I mean it ismon knowledge that a Devil Awakening Pill plunges one into a nightmarish world. It is not real dear.¡± Charlotte patted her. But there was a small chance that it was real. Charlotte didn¡¯t say thest part to her. She didn¡¯t think it was important, considering that there was only a small chance that the nightmare was real and the dreadful things actually happened. ¡°I think you are just agitated. Didn¡¯t you take like three Devil Awakening just these past few days?¡± Tang Yue nodded. That was indeed possible. After the first pill helped her cross over the bottleneck and improve her mental strength, Tang Yue had taken two more pills. Perhaps that was too much for her body to handle. Tang Yue tried to console herself, but still, she had a nagging feeling. She could just instinctively tell that what she had dreamed was indeed true and the series of events had actually happened. Nevertheless, she had now calmed down a bit after talking to Charlotte for a while. The two chatted for some more time about Tang Yue¡¯s childhood and then Tang Yue went back to her smithing training, while Charlotte headed out to train Little Blue. Little Blue had considerably grown these past few days and was now almost an adult wolf. The blue stripes on his snow-white fur sparkled and his front canines jutted out majestically. However, before heading out the wolf still behaved like a small pup and licked Tang Yue affectionately. ¡°Aye. Stop tickling me.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and patted its head. She was still in a weird mood, but this adorable munchkin had made her smile. ¡°You guys are heading out again?¡± Tang Yue asked. Charlotte had been religiously helping Little Blue train these past few days, even though she didn¡¯t have to trouble herself with such a boring task. Charlotte nodded. ¡°Yue. Don¡¯t worry. This time I will make sure that we don¡¯te across anyone.¡± ¡°I will take a detour and head out deeper into the forests.¡± She assured Tang Yue. Since thest time they went out for training, it had almost cost them their disguise, Charlotte assumed that Tang Yue was questioning her in concern. But Tang Yue was actually thinking about something else. She was not a heartless person. She saw how Charlotte had been trying her best to help her out, so she wanted to do something in return. The problem was¡­ she didn¡¯t know how the old man would respond. A couple of secondster, Tang Yue sighed and decided to go for it anyways. ¡°Listen Charlotte. Do you also want to form a beast contract?¡± Tang Yue put down the hammer in her hand and asked. ¡°I already have some contracted beasts back at the pce, Yue.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ That¡¯s fine but the binding contract I have is of better quality. You can see Little Blue¡¯s growth right?¡± Charlotte nodded. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ But it¡¯s okay. These kinds of things are usually kept a secret. So I don¡¯t mind.¡± Charlotte smiled and replied honestly. ¡°Ha Ha. You don¡¯t have to be so polite. Come on.¡± Tang Yue ignored her reluctance and quickly took a nk jade slip from her spatial pouch. She then inscribed the contract binding technique onto it. ¡°Here. Take it. Pick out a cub from the market. I can help you with the binding tonight.¡± Tang Yue smiled and shoved the jade slip into Charlotte¡¯s hands. The elf dazedly nodded and walked out. Techniques like these were prized possessions safeguarded by families, sometimes not even shared with their ns and sects. But Tang Yue had simply tossed it to her as if she was sharing a slice of roasted meat. Mmm¡­ She must definitely like me a lot. Charlotte smiled absentmindedly and stepped out of the smithy with a coy ditzy look on her face. ¡°Nope.¡± As if answering her thoughts, a loud voice suddenly sounded near her, startling her slightly. Charlotte snapped out of her daze and red at the little kid before heading out with the wolf. She didn¡¯t want to bicker with the little rascal and ruin her mood, especially after receiving such a nice gift from Tang Yue. Xander watched her hum and skip away with a big smile on her face and his gaze turned cold. He already knew what happened inside the smithy and was not quite pleased with how generous Tang Yue was being. Why did she trust her so much? He couldn¡¯t understand. The woman didn¡¯t even trust him when he had clearly gifted her an engagement ring. But she didn¡¯t have any issues with trusting this scheming little vixen. He coldly snorted and headed in with a sour expression, but then his gaze fell on the hard-working woman hammering on the metal intently and he immediately melted. Chapter 269: New allies Part2 Chapter 269: New allies Part2 Even though Tang Yue had now calmed down a lot, she kept thinking back to that lucid dream as she carefully hammered on a Mollium ore chunk. Interrupting her thoughts, a familiar nasally voice sounded in her mind. ¡°Ahem. Ahem. I see that you have now be daring enough to distribute my teachings?¡± Ha? Tang Yue blinked and stopped her actions immediately. She thought that the old master was giving her silent treatment, but clearly, that had ended. ¡°Of course, you made me kiss and do weird things to her. Now I am just taking responsibility for those actions.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and answered nonchntly, her words immediately shutting him up. She knew that the old man was not really angry, otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have been so casual. ¡°Hmph. Stupid little snake. At least tell her to not bber it to others.¡± The old man reminded her. Tang Yue didn¡¯t respond to him and simply nodded. But she then paused and asked him another question. ¡°Do you think that my mother could still be alive?¡± The old man didn¡¯t reply immediately. Instead, he was silent for a while before slowly answering. ¡°So you remembered it finally. Not bad, little snake.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tang Yue stiffened. ¡°Your mother not only crippled you, but she also messed with your head so that you won¡¯t remember much.¡± Hmm¡­ Tang Yue nodded. Now everything made sense to her. No wonder that she had absolutely no clue about these things until recently. ¡°So do you think that she could still be alive?¡± Tang Yue asked again, determined to find out more about this incident. ¡°I don¡¯t know, little snake. I can¡¯t say for sure.¡± Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected on hearing that reply. She had a small hope in her heart that the old man would know something more but now even that had been crushed. The old man could sense her sadness but he heartlessly added. ¡°If I were you, I wouldn¡¯t hope for much, little snake.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tang Yue bit her lips in frustration. ¡°A woman, who could be so cold and ruthless to her 5 years old daughter, means business.¡± ¡°But she did it for my own good, right? I am sure she did everything to protect me.¡± Tang Yue protested. ¡°That¡¯s precisely what I am trying to say.¡± ¡°Someone who could cripple her own daughter, even if it is to protect her, would have only been crueler to herself.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if your mother even killed herself in order to protect you and your secret.¡± ¡°It looks like she loved you quite a bit.¡± Tang Yue waspletely shocked after hearing the old man¡¯s brutal remarks. Did her mother really kill herself in order to protect her? Why did it have to be so difficult? She had just now calmed down but once again tears started spilling out of her eyes involuntarily. Xander saw her silently standing in front of the anvil and crying and he was taken aback. What the hell? He quickly sprang towards Tang Yue, but once he was close to her, he had no idea what to do. He wordlessly hugged her legs and just stood there silently. What is troubling her so much? Is she crying because forging is difficult? But Tang Yue was not a woman who cried for such trivial things. Xander didn¡¯t know the reason but her helpless crying face was absolutely heart-wrenching to watch. Even the old man felt sorry for her, but his words were merciless nheless. ¡°Settle down, little snake. You don¡¯t have the luxury to worry about the past.¡± ¡°I said stated my theory. Your mother could still be alive for all I know.¡± ¡°But the important thing here is to make sure that you are actually alive in order to find her. Is it not?¡± Tang Yue nkly nodded like a small child. ¡°You possess a tremendous amount of power, child. That power brings along with it several horrendous monsters and demons.¡± ¡°They will not let you live. They will cut you down with everything they have even if a small whiff of your existence spreads.¡± ¡°You better hurry up and be stronger. Otherwise, you won¡¯t even live past the next lunar cycle.¡± Tang Yue wiped her tears. She understood logic and reasoning and she had already guessed as much. So whatever the old man said didn¡¯t really scare her. Since things have already progressed to such an extent, she had no other choice but to see everything through. Ah¡­ Tang Yue suddenly realized something and quickly asked again. ¡°Why next lunar cycle? What is happening then?¡± The old man didn¡¯t answer immediately. He paused awhile and then slowly spoke, word for word. ¡°My fate magic shows a lot of bloodshed and death. That¡¯s all I know. It¡¯s up to you to survive whatever ising.¡± ¡°Can you teach me this fate magic?¡± Tang Yue abruptly asked. ¡°Heh. Greedy, aren¡¯t we? It¡¯s impossible for you to learn that now. So don¡¯t think about that.¡± Tang Yue clicked her tongue in disappointment. It would have been nice to do this fate magic herself. She also wanted to probe the old man for more details but she decided to do itter. Tang Yue then wiped her face and was about to work again when she noticed the small bundle of warmth hugging her legs. Did I cry too much? She chuckled wryly and revealed a small smile. ¡°Where did you go? And when did youe back?¡± Xander was relieved to see the smile back on her face and bbered some nonsense cutely. ¡°By the way, do you remember anything now? Are your parents here somewhere?¡± Tang Yue suddenly asked him. Fuck. Xander immediately started sweating. Was his jig up? ¡°Umm¡­ No big sis. I don¡¯t remember anything.¡± He cheekily lied, but he was not sure if Tang Yue would continue believing him for much longer. Tang Yue, however, simply smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. You can stay with me as long as you like.¡± She patted him and gave him some fruits to eat, before getting back to her training. Xander nodded obediently and sat down in a corner, pretending to y with pebbles. His eyes, of course, ever so often drifted in the direction of the young dwarven girl and his lips were subtly curved upwards. Chapter 270: New allies Part3 Chapter 270: New allies Part3 Ding. Congrattions. Skill upgraded. Ding. Skill ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ has been upgraded to Level 2 Tang Yue wiped the sweat off of her forehead and nced at the notifications. Her lips twitched at the sight of these annoying reminders. She had now been practicing the same technique for several days but to no avail. No matter how many times she used the skill ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ it was still useless. She was unable to perfectly grasp the concept and fully refine a mid-grade ore. The roadblock in front of her was staggeringly difficult to ovee even though she had improved her physical strength, mental strength, and cultivation base and stepped into the Emperor realm. In fact, she was now only a single realm away from her father, Tang Shen, and her uncle, Tang Zen, the Serpentine n Emperor himself, who were both only Saint realm experts. Stepping into the Emperor realm was a big deal to a spirit beast like Tang Yue. However, she knew very well that this was not nearly enough to aplish her goals. To live freely and unafraid required a tremendous amount of strength and power. She craved this freedom and she wanted topletely decimate those who dared to threaten her and her loved ones. As Tang Yue resolutely picked up the hammer again and began the arduous training, a loud deafening bang sounded. The next instant, the door of the smithy copsed and even broke apart into two halves, wooden splinters flying out everywhere. And before the dust from this event settled, a loud angry voice echoed inside the smithy. ¡°Get the fuck out here, you drunkard.¡± ¡°You only know to borrow money!¡± ¡°WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK WILL RETURN IT!¡± A crowd had gathered outside and a group of dwarves were loudly yelling at the smithy, creating a ruckus. Unfortunately, their anger and frustration were only falling on deaf ears as the drunkard was still peacefully sleeping. The men outside were, of course, aware of this shameless asshole. So one of the bulkier dwarves loudly harrumphed and stepped inside, stomping his feet on the floor. At the same time, Tang Yue put down the things in her hand and calmly walked out. The dwarf was slightly surprised to see a new person in the run-down smithy. ¡°Are you a rtive of that bastard?¡± He angrily asked. Tang Yue calmly shook her head. ¡°Then? Who the fuck are you?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I am master¡¯s disciple.¡± She casually replied. The dwarf waspletely taken aback by her reply and blinked his eyes in disbelief. He then suddenly burst into a huge fit ofughter, clutching his stomach. It took him a couple of seconds to pipe down. The others were alsoughing out loud, not bothering to hide their contempt. ¡°Disciple?¡± The man sneered and stepped inside the smithy, slightly pushing Tang Yue aside with his burly arm. Xander¡¯s face immediately darkened but he kept his cool and didn¡¯t react. ¡°Yes, I am his disciple.¡± Tang Yue muttered. ¡°Shut up bitch. Stop spouting nonsense. We are not here to y with you.¡± ¡°Get that dog toe out and pay his debt or else don¡¯t me me for taking action.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes turned frosty. They were merely talking. Why did he have to unnecessarily insult her? ¡°How much does he owe you?¡± She asked. The dwarf who was about to go inside and drag the drunkard out suddenly stopped in his tracks. He turned towards Tang Yue and licked his lips viciously. ¡°100000 gold coins. What are you going to do about it?¡± Tang Yue didn¡¯t say much. She silently rummaged inside her robe and took out a spatial pouch. ¡°Here you go.¡± She shoved the pouch into the dwarf¡¯s hands. ¡°Master has already given me the gold coins required to clear his debt.¡± ¡°No need to create any scene here. Please get out.¡± She calmly replied and crossed her arms. To the current Tang Yue, this much money was not really a big deal. Even though the drunkard had barely done anything for her, his smithy still served as a home and a training space for her. So she didn¡¯t mind paying off his debts. The dwarf, however, was utterly bbergasted. He hurriedly opened the spatial pouch and checked inside to make sure that the entire amount was present. The man had never seen so many gold coins together at the same time and his mouth was wide open, even some drool leaking. He looked at the contents of the pouch and then dazedly looked at hispanion standing outside. He didn¡¯t know what to say. But hispanion quickly recovered from the shock and cleared his throat loudly, drawing Tang Yue¡¯s attention to him. This dwarf looked at her sternly and demanded. ¡°That¡¯s only one-half. Ahem. Wait. That¡¯s only one-quarter of what the drunkard owes us.¡± ¡°Who is going to pay the remaining amount?¡± He angrily red at her. Tang Yue remained calm, but her lips curled upwards into a subtle smile. ¡°Only one-quarter?¡± She grinned. ¡°You mean to say that my master owes you another 300000 gold coins?¡± The other dwarf who had walked inside quickly winked, having caught up to the n. ¡°Ha! Yes, of course. Why would we lie? Just give us the money and we won¡¯t bother anymore!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have other things to do.¡± Coming here and begging this old fart every other day for money is a big nuisance!¡± ¡°Is this what we get for helping someone in need? We did a good thing and this drunkard wasted all our money.¡± The dwarf hurriedly started bbering and threw out half-baked exnations. While these things were happening, a few yards away from the smithy and Tang Yue, a lean and muscr figure was casually leaning against a pole and observing the whole thing. ¡°Your highness, should I intervene?¡± A dwarf next to the figure bowed and asked. ¡°No need.¡± The dwarven royal family¡¯s seventh heir, third in line to the throne, La¡¯s step-brother, Prince Jorden replied. He didn¡¯t want to act just yet and calmly observed the situation. Chapter 271: New allies Part4 Chapter 271: New allies Part4 Tang Yue looked at the two dwarves and sighed helplessly. They were obviously lying and trying to take advantage of this situation. Did they take her for a fool? She would have normally thrashed such greedy ruffians but unfortunately, she was in a pickle. She didn¡¯t want to draw unnecessary attention to herself. So Tang Yue silently smiled and rummaged inside her robes before handing over another spatial pouch with 300000 gold coins. The two dwarves were once again shocked and left speechless. They were simply trying their luck and didn¡¯t think that Tang Yue would actually dare to take out such a huge amount. The bulkier one of the two grabbed the pouch from her nervously and quickly checked its contents. A wide grin appeared on the man¡¯s face and his eyes revealed a golden sheen from the coins¡¯ reflection. The other dwarf hurriedly walked over and stood near the bulky one, grabbing the pouch from his hands anxiously. He as well wanted to look at the gold coins with his own eyes. They both looked at each other and giggled at the same time. They had clearly hit the jackpot today! This young girl was a golden goose and they wanted to skin her alive and drain all the money from her. In between their greed and happiness, they hadpletely forgotten to think about an important matter. What was such a rich young dwarven girl doing in the drunkard¡¯s smithy? Was she from an affluent merchant family? Did she belong to one of the distant royal families? They really should have taken a couple of seconds to think about this issue, but neither of them was in the right mindset. Both the dwarves were in fact gambling addicts and had lost most of their family¡¯s wealth in gambling dens. The only money they had leftover was whatever they had lent to this drunkard. So they had initiallye here to beat the drunkard up and relieve their frustrations. But unexpectedly, they had run into a godly good fortune. The duo was quite determined to drain as much money as possible from Tang Yue. Even after receiving 400000 gold coins, they were far from being satisfied. ¡°Ahem. Ahem. This settles the interest. There is still the matter of the principal amount.¡± The bulky dwarf shamelessly cleared his throat and spoke, casting a sideways nce at his aplice. The other dwarf winked back at him and started shooing away the crowd. Since they were obviously doing something shady, they didn¡¯t want witnesses to these dealings. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but chuckle at their behavior. She was already very generous, but these two kept insisting on pushing their limits. What was she supposed to do now? Keep giving them more and more gold coins? If she did that, then these two pigs would probablye back again the next day with even more outrageous ims. It was about time that she finished this issue quickly and cleanly. ¡°This ce is a bit crowded. I don¡¯t want to ruin my master¡¯s reputation.¡± ¡°How about we head to the forests and talk this out peacefully?¡± She smiled and a subtle glint shed in her eyes. The two dwarves looked at each other in delight. They had really hit the jackpot today. This girl was even bending over to make sure that they not only robbed her but also fucked her thoroughly. This way was even better because they could always me it all on goblin bandits. Just like everyone else, Tang Yue had concealed her cultivation base. Moreover, she called herself a disciple of this useless drunkard. So the dwarves didn¡¯t really think much about consequences. Even if she was from a rich family, what could her family members do to them without any proof? Going to the forests was indeed the best option. The two dwarves could barely control themselves and were too excited. They wanted to quickly kill the naive young girl, rob her thoroughly and go back to the gambling dens and pleasure pce. Tang Yue shook her head helplessly, ignored the two idiots, and went inside to talk to the little kid. ¡°Stay here. Big sis will be back soon.¡± She then somewhat tried to put together the two broken halves of the smithy door and followed the two dwarves. But Tang Yue suddenly stopped. She had barely taken a few steps from the smithy when she felt as if she was being watched. Maybe because she had broken into the Emperor realm, her senses were much sharper. She could definitely tell that there were at least two to three people following her. ¡°What are you waiting for? Don¡¯t waste our time and walk faster!¡± The two dwarves in front of her scoffed at her and urged her to walk faster. ¡°Hmm¡­ Who is following me?¡± Tang Yue pondered inwardly. It couldn¡¯t be the two idiots in front of her because they had no idea that this was going to happen today and they definitely didn¡¯te here prepared. So who was following her? Tang Yue instantly knew that she needed to execute her new few actions very carefully. She had to beat up these two idiots, but at the same time, she had to make sure that her disguise was not revealed. This was indeed a tricky situation. As the two dwarves walking in front of her constantly kept rushing her, Tang Yue slowly mulled over her options. Each one seemed worse than the previous one and she couldn¡¯t think of a clean solution for this problem. After a while, Tang Yue and the two dwarves had almost reached the outskirts of the city. They were now stepping into the forests. Tang Yue quickly activated her skill ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ and checked again, but unfortunately, the tail following them was still present. The group continued walking for a while and the two dwarves suddenly stopped. ¡°I think this is enough. Hand it over. That drunkard borrowed 1 million gold coins from us. Hand it over.¡± The dwarf impatiently started yelling at Tang Yue. Chapter 272: New allies Part5 Chapter 272: New allies Part5 The two dwarves standing in front of her urged her, but Tang Yue hesitated. She was quickly going through different scenarios in her head. The main problem was not these two dwarves themselves but the fact that she had to deal with them as a dwarf would. Eating these dwarves was simply out of the question, but she can¡¯t simply let them go too. If she beats them up and lets them go, then they would probably return back with more manpower and bother her again. So she definitely had to kill them. The question was how. She could use poison or she could purposefully trap them by luring them to a beastir. But what was the least suspicious way that she could kill them? The answer to that question was, undoubtedly, to fight head-on. Tang Yue knew that she couldn¡¯t hide her cultivation base for much longer. If she participated in that contest, the fact that she was in the Emperor realm would definitely be revealed. While being in the Emperor realm was a big deal for the spirit beasts, it was not that special for the dwarves. So she stopped thinking about this and immediately activated her dual mana cores. Tang Yue had learned a couple of Earth magic spells from the merchants association. She decided to try them out first. ¡°Harden.¡± She calmly mumbled. The faces of the two dwarves immediately changed. Though they were slightly intoxicated, the two dwarves were Martial realm experts and they could feel the strong oppressive aura from Tang Yue. They also recognized the earth magic spell and nkly looked down to see the ground underneath them envelop their footing and harden. The two dwarves were rooted to their spot within seconds, their feet imprisoned by the ground. They tried moving and removing the shackle but to no avail. The soil had tightly hardened, making it difficult for them to move their feet at all. ¡°Damn it.¡± The bulkier one cursed. Who could have guessed that such a small girl was an expert stronger than them? He immediately took out a sword from his spatial ring and waved it at Tang Yue. Watching him, the other dwarf also snapped out of his trance and quickly attacked Tang Yue. Even though they were unable to move their feet, they were still able to wave their swords around. Tang Yue calmly smiled. ¡°What is thisedy? Are you guys performing a dance for me?¡± ¡°Bitch. You better let us go. My brother-inw is a court official.¡± ¡°If he doesn¡¯t hear back from me, he will throw you in prison.¡± ¡°You will rot in the prison and will be raped by the soldiers.¡± ¡°You better let us go. If you beg for mercy, maybe we will spare you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Tang Yue mockingly raised her eyes brows. ¡°Now, why didn¡¯t you say so earlier?¡± She chuckled. The other dwarf saw that she was not scared and started sweating. ¡°Come on. Let us go. We will forget about all the debts.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to pay us anything more. We will even return the gold coins we took from you.¡± ¡°This is between us and the drunkard. We have no grievances with you.¡± ¡°Tsk. Tsk.¡± Tang Yue clicked her tongue. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little toote for all of this? You could have epted the gold coins and simply left.¡± ¡°Then neither of us would have been in this pickle. But you had to get greedy and extort me.¡± ¡°I am sorry. You have left me with no choice. I am a young naive girl after all.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t afford to take chances and let you off today. Tomorrow this might cost me my life.¡± Tang Yue shook her head and flicked her sword. She didn¡¯t wait for their reply. A blinding sh of light glinted from the sword and the next instant two heads rolled on the forest ground, spilling blood everywhere. Sometimes the simplest most straightforward solution was the best possible solution. So Tang Yue quickly finished off the pests which came her way. But she knew that her problems were still far from being over and that she was still being watched. So Tang Yue casually wiped her sword and sent it back to her spatial ring hidden inside her robe and started walking back to the city as if nothing had happened. There was absolutely no trace of emotion on her face. Both the prince and hisckey, who was tailing Tang Yue, were slightly surprised by this turn of events. ¡°Interesting,¡± Jorden muttered, a small smile surfacing on his lips. Hisckey, however, was confused. What was so interesting about this? Two troublemakers approached a woman and harassed her. She lured them to the forests and silently finished them off. This incident was not even the least bit interesting. In this era where the strong willfully acted, it was verymon to settle personal grievances in this way. In fact, even if someoneined about this murder to the court officials, it might still be ruled as a simple case of self-defense. ¡°Your highness. I don¡¯t understand.¡± The dwarf scratched his head and mumbled. ¡°Did I miss something? Nothing out of ordinary happened here?¡± ¡°Are we going to punish that youngdy for dealing with the two imbeciles?¡± He curiously asked. Jorden, however, didn¡¯t say anything and simply nodded. He then silently muttered under his breath after pausing for a while. ¡°Nothing out of ordinary happened. That¡¯s what is interesting.¡± Theckey didn¡¯t miss this part and nodded absentmindedly as he finally understood. If the young dwarven girl hadn¡¯t sensed their presence at all, then it was a simple matter. But what if she had sensed their presence and still dared to act like this? Or even worse¡­ what if she had put on a show for them? Theckey gulped and stared at Jorden¡¯s back as he walked towards the city. True to his reputation, this man was indeed extremely astute. Theckey sighed in awe. ¡°Your highness, are we going to arrest her?¡± He jogged a bit to catch on with the dwarven prince and asked. ¡°No. No.¡± Jorden chuckled. ¡°It is the opposite. I have a feeling that she might one day be our strongest ally.¡± Jorden didn¡¯t bother to further exin his thoughts behind those words and hisckey silently nodded. He knew better than to ask the Prince unnecessary questions. While these two returned back to the dwarven pce, Tang Yue as well returned back to the smithy. Charlotte was already standing at the smithy entrance and was fixing the broken door with a new one. ¡°Yue, what happened here?¡± She waved her hand and asked with a beautiful smile on her lips. Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to worry her unnecessarily. ¡°Nothing. This shitty ce is just falling apart.¡± She lied. Charlotte chuckled and quickly dragged Tang Yue inside to show her the newest addition to their team. A small ck panther cub waszily lying next to Little Blue and trying its best to y with it. But Little Blue, of course, acted all high and mighty and didn¡¯t y with the new guy. As soon as it saw Tang Yue, it sprang towards her in a single leap,pletely ignoring the new cub. Tang Yue covered her mouth with her fingers andughed heartily. ¡°You selected a me panther?¡± ¡°Yes. Yes. What do you think about my selection?¡± Charlotte eagerly asked, picking up the pouting little panther cub in her hands. Unlike Little Blue, the me panther cub was actually a mid-grade beast with a higher potential. So it was a pretty good selection. Moreover, the cub also looked very easygoing and non-aggressive. As Charlotte held the fidgeting panther cub in her hands and waited eagerly for Tang Yue¡¯s response, the duo looked extremely adorable. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but chuckle and gave a big thumbs up. ¡°You two are indeed perfect. Let me help you make the contract.¡± The girls busied themselves and cleared things on the ground. Tang Yue then helped Charlotte draw the intricately patterned rune on the smithy¡¯s floor. Once everything was finished, Charlotte dripped some of her blood onto the rune pattern and the contract was immediately activated. Charlotte felt a strong pull on her soul as the binding process smoothly progressed. They were in fact done with the whole thing in a matter of minutes. Charlotte felt a shiver travel through her body and the panther energetically growled. ¡°Waaah! This is so amazing! Thank you so much, Yue.¡± ¡°In normal contract, I definitely never felt such a strong connection.¡± ¡°Maybe when the cub grows more, I can even mentallymunicate with it?¡± Tang Yue had never thought about that herself. ¡°Maybe.¡± She smiled and replied. ¡°Now I can take these two guys to hunt every day.¡± She happily pped her hands. Why is she getting so happy about something so trivial? Xander facepalmed. He silently looked at the scene and didn¡¯t say much. He was still thinking about Jorden. Chapter 273: Contest begins Part1 Chapter 273: Contest begins Part1 Xander knew that the dwarven royal family was in the midst of a family squabble. So maybe this guy was just gathering experts on his side, but it definitely didn¡¯t look as simple as that. Xander didn¡¯t worry too much about it anyways. After all, he was not really a threat to himself or Tang Yue. As he thought about this, his sharp sword-like eyes nced again at the elf vixen ying happily with the panther and little white. Damn it! This woman was his most dangerous threat! He inwardly cursed her. Xander couldn¡¯t pinpoint the feeling exactly but he felt a small but very real burning sensation in the pit of his stomach. He thought that he would be the one using this trip to the dwarven empire to get close to Tang Yue, but everything had changed now. Since there were one too many younglings ying in the smithy, Tang Yue didn¡¯t notice the sullen face on the little kid¡¯s face. She quietly went to her corner and started working on her forging skills again. There were still only a few more weeks to go until the contest officially began and she was trying her best to at least achieve another breakthrough before that. Despite her hard work, Tang Yue was still stuck at the Hundred Bangs Refinement technique. The Hundred Bangs and the Thousand Bangs Refinement techniques were basically used to remove impurities from the mid-grade and high-grade metals. This step was an essential step that needed to be perfected even before the melting and forging process began. Without this, no matter how talented Tang Yue was in the final elemental essence attunement step, it wouldn¡¯t matter at all. The impurities present will drag her down and her finished weapon would pale inparison to others with 100% purity. Of course, she could also purchase ores that have already been purified, but no one would be willing to sell those. If one had the talent and time to purify a mid-grade or high-grade ore, it was obviously more profitable for them to forge it into a weapon with high stats and then sell the weapon itself, rather than the raw material. Tang Yue was not disheartened in the least by this barrier and continued training as much as she could. Even though the contest date was fast approaching, she was not too worried about it. After all, she wasn¡¯t nning on winning the contest this time around. It would be a joke to dream about such things when she couldn¡¯t even finish a mid-grade weapon to perfection. Once the contest ended, then the smithy apprentice exams for the next lunar cycle would begin. This was her real target. She could finally join another smithy and learn the smithing techniques again under proper tutge. Maybe then she might easily be able toprehend the Hundred Bangs Refinement technique and Thousand Bangs Refinement technique, which she was struggling with now. Tang Yue threw a frustrated look at the drunkard who was stillzily snoring and continued with her training. The next couple of weeks flew by extremely quickly without any significant incidents. Tang Yue trained hard from morning to night. Charlotte took the two beasts to train in the forests and the little kid yed around with the random things lying around in the smithy. Tang Yue had expected some sort of aftermath for dealing with those two dwarves but weirdly there wasn¡¯t any. She wasn¡¯t summoned to any court. She wasn¡¯t questioned by any rtives. She didn¡¯t even have to face any other debt collectors. Not to mention, the three spies who had followed her all the way to the forests. Tang Yue never saw them or sensed them again. No one was watching her or following her. Their days in the dwarven empire were rather unusually quiet. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel that someone behind the scenes was pulling some sort of strings and they were quietly nning something. She had already thought about several possibilities including the dwarven princess La and the dwarven prince Jorden, but she didn¡¯t care too much about it. Chances are that she might leave the dwarven empire before anything happened. Especially after the old man¡¯s warning about a massive blood bath, Tang Yue decided that she couldn¡¯t waste much time here learning a forging skill. If she did so, she would probably get on the royal decreed hit list of the elves. The Empress, the elven high council, and the Crown Prince Xander himself might sentence her to execution for tantly ignoring their orders and fleeing from the dwarven empire. However, Tang Yue had a feeling that it won¡¯t matter much. Others might not be aware of the iing bloodbath, but Tang Yue had a very good idea. She had seen a human being in thebyrinth and then the old man warned her about a massacre. It didn¡¯t require a lot of intelligence to put these two together. In the future, if their nine countries were indeed invaded by enemy forces from the other side of the ocean, the elven royal hit list was thest thing Tang Yue needed to worry about. Besides, they could never know that she actually ran away. They wouldn¡¯t even be able to prove it. For all it matters, she might have been simply killed in secrecy by the dwarves. So harm couldn¡¯t possibly befall the entire serpentine n because of her disappearance. Everything was rather perfectly aligned for Tang Yue and she knew it. All that she needed to do now was just disappear. But Tang Yue didn¡¯t n on doing that just yet. She at least wanted to probe the possibility of actually learning Spirit smithing. Even if there was a small chance for her to learn this technique, then it might be worthwhile for her to stay back and try her best. After all, at least if she ran away after giving the elves the smithing technique, they might be better equipped to face whatever wasing, and more importantly, they might not chase after her too obstinately. Tang Yue had meticulously nned and considered all different scenarios, but unfortunately, she didn¡¯t take into ount the devil¡­ who was right beside her¡­ Chapter 274: Contest begins Part2 Chapter 274: Contest begins Part2 On the first day of the contest, the entire royal city was inplete and utter mayhem. Since cksmithing was the primary upation and means of survival for the dwarves, anyone and everyone who had the slightest talent in smithing was present. Dwarves from remote and distant viges, some from even the neighboring countries had traveled night and day and arrived promptly in anticipation of this contest. Not just dwarves but other races including elves, orcs, fairies, and several spirit beasts were present. A huge crowd had gathered in the central square and everyone was eager to witness and learn about the next batch of chosen disciples. These chosen disciples would be personally groomed by the cksmith grandmasters and with proper training for a few decades, these few disciples would have the best chance of bing the next batch of smithing grandmasters. So not only was the contest in itself a huge opportunity but also it was important to pay attention to these rising stars. Particrly to those disciples who are close to the finish line but not quite there. It was easier to sponsor and form rtionships with these young apprentices and trainees than to forge a rtionship with an already chosen disciple. And this was extremely important. When the strength and power of the two parties are simr, the victor of the battle is most definitely determined by the weapons and armors. No one dared to underestimate the importance of this craftsmanship. The sheer strength of the weaponry can even make a huge n rise and fall. Tang Yue and Charlotte were not in the least prepared for such a big crowd and felt extremely suffocated. Especially Charlotte, since she had never experienced anything like this in her life. She was after all one of the Crown¡¯s personal General¡¯s daughter, hailing from a noble elven family. So her head immediately started spinning and she began hyperventting. ¡°Do you want to go back?¡± Tang Yue worriedly asked. Charlotte hesitated, biting her lips in frustration. She really couldn¡¯t stand this crowd, but she also wanted to witness how Tang Yue performed. So how could she possibly go back? She decided to bite the bullet and vigorously nodded her head. ¡°Nope. I am staying right here.¡± She smiled and gave Tang Yue a thumbs up. Tang Yue chuckled. ¡°The central square is even more crowded. So why don¡¯t you wait right here.¡± ¡°I will go ahead and register myself and be back in a jiffy.¡± ¡°Ok. I will wait here then.¡± Charlotte agreed with the n. Since Xander aka the little kid gave an excuse that he was not feeling too good, it was just Charlotte and Tang Yue who hade to the event today. They even left the two beast pets in the smithy itself, considering that it will be too troublesome for them in the crowd. Tang Yue, however, was not someone too picky. She easily adapted herself to most situations and swam through the crowd without any effort. She hurriedly approached the registration desk and showed her 2-star cksmith emblem. The dwarf handling the registration affairs didn¡¯t pay much attention to her and simply handed her another scarlet emblem in return. He didn¡¯t even look up and nce at Tang Yue. The entire participant crowd was crawling with 2-star cksmiths, so there was absolutely nothing special about her participation. He might not have nced at Tang Yue, but there were a few other pairs of eyes searching the crowd eagerly for her presence. On the other end of the central square, atop the royal pce courtyard overlooking the entire area, a tall and slender elven figure sat amidst the dwarven royals and a couple of cksmith grandmasters. Xavier was extremely bored sitting alone all by himself. He hateding to events like this and witnessing a bunch of noobs battling it out. Although he was not quite there yet, Xavier was almost a grandmaster himself in rune crafting. So technically he could talk to the other dwarven cksmith grandmasters and improve his knowledge and their knowledge by discussing something productive. Unfortunately, that was not really possible. Though the dwarves were extremely hospitable and respectful and weed him with open arms to witness the event, they weren¡¯t the least bit interested in talking about anything pertaining to smithing to him. The dwarves always tended to maintain a knowledge barrier between themselves and the elves. So why was Xavier still sitting there even though it was a waste of his time? Of course, this was all because of a certain someone¡¯s directmand!!! So left with no other choice, Xavier could only sigh and frown as he sat amidst the stone faced dwarves. Damn it. At least let me have a couple of beauties in my arms. He cried inside. But the atmosphere was extremely austere and did not leave any space for him to enjoy himself. Apart from him, there was also one other person who was not particrly enjoying this contest and didn¡¯t quite belong in this setting. Three green robed figures fully covered themselves and moved around in the crowd in a very inconspicuous manner. ¡°How are you so sure that she will be here?¡± The goblin Gale asked the person standing next to him. That person, however, didn¡¯t respond to him. Rather the other goblin standing next to him, Ginko, answered. ¡°Isn¡¯t she here to learn spirit smithing? Where else would she be?¡± Seeing that the overly cautious and analytic Ginko himself was quite sure about this location, Gale didn¡¯t question him any further. He silently waited along with hispanions for the target to reveal herself in one way or the other. And after that small pause of silence, the thirdpanion finally spoke up. ¡°I know that slut very well. She will be somewhere here for sure.¡± Tang Xi sneered in contempt, as she pulled back her hood and revealed her beautiful face. ¡°I am here, my dear sister.¡± She hissed under her breath. Chapter 275: Contest begins Part3 Chapter 275: Contest begins Part3 Goblins Ginko and Gale were hired by Marvin to take care of Tang Yue silently, whereas Tang Xi volunteered herself to help them out. In fact, Tang Yue was not the only one who experienced several life-altering things in these past few weeks. Unknown to others, Tang Xi had also experienced a lot. The Tang Xi standing in the Dwarven Empire currently was apletely different person than the Tang Xi with who Tang Yue hadst interacted. Her life had taken an entirely different turn on the day she met the elven high council elder Darius. Unlike Dranuk and Marvin who were simply lechers at best, the elven high council elder Darius was apletely different specimen. He was psychotic and rotten from within, fully drunk on his power and noble status. He also hated spirit beasts and other inferior races from the bottom of his heart and believed that they were all meant to be ves and nothing more. So ever since Marvin had introduced Tang Xi to him, Darius had been purposefully torturing her day in and day out. Tang Xi¡¯s previously smooth and wless back was now covered by permanent scars from dark elemental magic, scars that even high-grade recovery potions cannot heal. He repeatedly tortured and raped her for several days, even giving her health potions and healing her whenever needed. Once she recovered her strength, he broke her down all over again and tortured her to his heart¡¯s content. Once he was done ying with her in the bedroom, he then humiliated and demeaned her by forcing her to enact like a contracted beast. He made her crawl on all fours whilst she was naked and whipped her if her performance was not satisfactory. And when he got bored from torturing and raping her, he threw her out to his personal army to y with. The elven soldiers knew that their Lord was doing this on purpose, so in order to please him they vented out on Tang Xi violently until she waspletely broken down, sparing not even the smallest amount of kindness. They tortured her for days together, with several men simultaneously viting her at all times. Within the span of a few weeks, Tang Xi was already reduced to an unimaginable version of herself. Her beautiful body waspletely ruined and the woman¡¯s prideful nature was shattered. When the men finally released her, she was very barely alive. Even though the hell was already over, in her mind she was still undergoing torturous pain. Wearing a mangled set of clothes that revealed her entire body, she finally reached the Zither pce in a tattered and half-dead state. Tang Zuelo almost died after seeing her precious daughter in such a horrendous plight. She hugged her andmented endlessly, but Tang Xi remained unmoved. Not a single tear seeped out of her tired eyes and she just sat still like a statue. Tang Zuelo was devastated. Her daughter was a princess of the Serpentine Empire and she was treated like this? She couldn¡¯t bring herself to digest this face. The elves were truly frightening. Before they came here, they had heard several rumors about the elven royal family, but seeing how Tang Yue was being treated, they didn¡¯t think that those rumors were true. But now, seeing her own daughter¡¯s plight, she was utterly scared out of her wits. They had vastly underestimated the vile nature of the elven royal family. Without any hesitation, she quickly dragged her lifeless daughter and ran back to the Serpentine n that night itself. But Tang Zuelo didn¡¯t dare to tell anyone about what had happened to Tang Xi in order to protect whatever was left of her reputation. From then onward, she tried several methods to bring Tang Xi back, but everything resulted in failure. Tang Xi didn¡¯t feel anything anymore. As days passed by, she did slowly recover, but there was only one thought in her mind. Anger. Tang Xi was furious. She was angry at the elves, she was angry at that bastard who made her life a living hell, and more importantly, she was angry at her sister, who was the sole reason for all her miseries. Even when the elves had endlessly tortured her, viting her day in and day out, without even giving her a small second of peace, this was the single thought in her mind that had kept her tethered to reality. If it was not for this vicious hatred that had taken over herpletely, she would have lost her sanity or killed herself bymitting suicide a long time ago. But Tang Xi couldn¡¯t bring herself to do that. She didn¡¯t deserve to die. It was all of those heartless bastards who deserved to die. Even though she was on the brink of insanity, she clutched her soul in her hands and held on, to the best that she could. And because of that, she was unexpectedly rewarded by the heavens. A couple of weeks after she recovered, regained at least a part of her former self, Tang Xi achieved a tremendous breakthrough. Her mental strength skyrocketed and she stepped into the Demi-God realm with a mind as sharp and devious as a blood-soaked sword. And since Illusion Magic in general had strong ties with mental strength, her magic spells improved as well. The scars on her back remained, but Tang Xi felt alive again. Hiding in the shadows, she began capturing and torturing several members of the serpentine n and perfected every illusion spell that she could cast. Tang Zuelo, her own mother, was now afraid to even go near her. She was also afraid for her other daughters. She was worried that Tang Xi might do something to them out of hatred and jealousy. She was sure that something disastrous was bound to happen if things continued this way. But suddenly, Tang Xi disappeared from the Serpentine n without telling anyone. Tang Zuelo knew that she should be concerned for her daughter, whom she painfully gave birth to herself, but all she could feel was a relief. Chapter 276: Contest begins Part4 Chapter 276: Contest begins Part4 Tang Zuelo knew that she should be concerned for her daughter, whom she painfully gave birth to herself, but all she could feel was a relief. Deep down she knew that she had already lost her precious daughter back in the elven territory and whoever that came back with her was no longer her daughter. She was simply pure evil. Not that Tang Zuelo herself was a saint, butpared to the current Tang Xi, she very well might be. She didn¡¯t know where Tang Xi had disappeared to, but she had no intention of looking for her. But surprisingly, Tang Xi hadn¡¯t really gone that far. She had only gone back to Eldoria, the ce where she was tortured and almost killed. She went back to the same elves who had ruined her and broken her apart. Marvin was no doubt utterly shocked when he saw Tang Xi standing in front of him again, but he didn¡¯t feel any pity or sympathy for her. Of course, he knew what Darius had done to her. But he only looked at her with extreme disdain, as if she was a piece of rotten meat, a dirty thing not even worthy of being in his vicinity. Tang Xi, however, didn¡¯t care. She heard everything that had happened and volunteered herself to go look for Tang Yue and bring her back as a prisoner. She was dying to present Tang Yue to Darius so that he could treat Tang Yue in the same way that he had treated her. She wanted her to feel the same pain and go through the same torture. Why was it that she alone had to suffer through such an unimaginable plight while her useless sister was celebrated and pampered? She detested Tang Yue from the bottom of her heart. Since she was deeply disturbed and in truth powerless to fight against the elves, who were the real reason behind her misery, Tang Xi put all the me on Tang Yue. Thoughpletely irrational and illogical, Tang Xi had already singled her out as the reason for everything that went wrong. And Tang Yue was only the beginning. Tang Xi was resolved to pay back the elves for every single blow that she had suffered. However, when he heard her resolute words, Marvin only sneered in contempt. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even protect yourself and was yed like a toy by a hundred men. How are you going to aplish something like this?¡± He openly insulted her without any mercy. A person¡¯s soul strength and mental strength were difficult toprehend by an outsider, especially when they were purposefully subdued. So Marvin had no idea that Tang Xi had already stepped into the Demi-God realm. He had his own ns and since he couldn¡¯t openly send out his elvenckeys to hunt for Tang Yue, he hired the two most famous ck market assassins, Gale and Ginko, to do the job instead. He only allowed Tang Xi to go with them as an afterthought, so that the two goblins could have a servant and someone to y with if they get bored on the mission. Tang Xi, as well, knew and understood all of this, but she didn¡¯t say anything from the start to the finish. She willingly took in all the insults thrown at her without saying anything in return and she silently went with the two goblins. Gale and Ginko, however, were slightly more intuitive than Marvin. They could clearly feel the evil violent killing intent seeping from Tang Xi, even crawling on their skin at times when they stood too close to her. So they avoided her like gue, let alone think of ying with her or treating her like a servant. They didn¡¯t even dare behave rudely to her. They didn¡¯t know why one sister was hell-bent on making the other sister¡¯s life miserable and they didn¡¯t n on intervening in this family feud. As far as the mission was concerned, they decided to simply apany the woman and make sure that she was sessful in the end. All they had to do was confirm the kill or the imprisonment and their task would bepleted. And so, the two goblins silently allowed Tang Xi to lead the hunt for the infamous Tang Yue. They had at first tried tracking her using the details of the disguise rune that the royal family gifted Tang Yue, but that lead was fruitless. They were unable to recover any hints regarding Tang Yue¡¯s whereabouts. So they started pointlessly roaming around different dwarven viges and learned everything they could about the rules and regtions in the Dwarven Empire. They had also heard about this cksmithing contest and how in order to learn smithing one needed to be epted as an apprentice. Tang Xi instantly could tell that this is where Tang Yue would probably be. She knew that her capable sister, by now, would have already reached this point. In the past, she had always underestimated Tang Yue and she had already paid a heavy price for that mistake. She would be a fool to do the same even now. She understood very well that Tang Yue only looked harmless but in reality, she was the most cunning and scheming slut. Since she was capable enough to seduce the Crown Prince of Eldoria, Tang Xi had no doubt that she would have done the same in the Dwarven Empire as well. She would have most definitely cozied up to someone with power and influence, learned everything from them, and would definitely be participating in this contest. So the two goblins, Gale and Ginko and Tang Xi reached the Dwarven Empire on the very first day of the contest and scanned the crowd thoroughly for any signs of their target. At the first nce, they weren¡¯t able to notice anything out of ce. So Gale and Ginko were slightly worried. However, Tang Xi still remained calm and confident. She had no doubt that her sister would be here. She was also certain that they didn¡¯t even have to look for her. She would most definitely stand out and reveal herself to them. Tang Xi knew that Tang Yue¡¯s personality was like that. ¡°That hateful bitch always stands out where ever she goes.¡± Tang Xi hissed under her breath,fortably sitting down in a corner of the crowd. Chapter 277: A kiss for the golden hands Part1 Chapter 277: A kiss for the golden hands Part1 The first round of the contest was nothing much. It was just a short test to weed out beginner skill level participants. Each contestant was given a set of low-grade materials and those who were unable to forge an eptable weapon were kicked out without a second chance. Tang Yue rapped her fingers on the anvil as she patiently awaited her turn. In front of her, there was almost a sea of anvils, a dwarf standing beside each one. Loud banging sounds echoed from all directions. It was likely that many would find it extremely difficult to concentrate and work in this madness and chaos. Perhaps that was part of the test. Tang Yue assumed. Forging a low-grade weapon was a piece of cake for her and she had already finished her task long ago. She was slightly surprised that the contest began with such an easy test. It seemed as if they were testing for the potential of the smith rather than their current capabilities. Either way, she didn¡¯t think that she had much of a chance. Now that the testing for low-grade metal forging was almost over, they would probably test for mid-grade metal forging the next day. As Tang Yue continued waiting, Master cksmiths slowly walked around Central Square and either approved or disapproved each contestant. There were so many participants that the contest upied almost all of Central Square. The dwarves clearly valued this contest a lot and spent a lot of time, effort, and resources on this. By the time a Master cksmith arrived near Tang Yue, it was alreadyte in the day. Tang Yue¡¯s inspector was a middle-aged woman with a very stern and pointy face. She gave a rough nce at Tang Yue¡¯s forged weapon lying on the anvil and quickly approved her. Tang Yue then packed up her things and walked over to Charlotte who was waiting for her at a distance. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Charlotte asked. ¡°I guess so.¡± Tang Yue nodded and shrugged her shoulders. The duo then walked back to the old smithy chatting about various things. However, just as they entered the smithy, they suddenly stopped in their tracks,pletely shocked. The drunkard who was typicallyzing around in the single stinking smelly cot was actually up and about. ¡°Who the hell are you two?¡± He asked with disdain. Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched. This bastard! She had even taken care of his debt collectors for him! She begrudgingly smiled and replied. ¡°I am your disciple. Don¡¯t you remember epting me a few days ago?¡± ¡°What nonsense? I don¡¯t have any disciples.¡± ¡°Get lost and take these two beasts with you. I assume they are yours?¡± The gruff-sounding dwarf attempted to kick Little Blue and the small panther cub, but the beasts were faster and had already run over to Tang Yue and Charlotte. Charlotte was about to angrily retort, but Tang Yue signaled her not to and held her back. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She said and pulled her away. ¡°What an asshole!¡± Charlotte gritted her teeth and grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s fine. The smithing contest has already started and once it gets over, the new apprentice trials will begin.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t need to stay here anymore.¡± ¡°Where is the little kid?¡± Tang Yue stopped before leaving and asked the drunkard. ¡°A kid? What are you bbering about? How there be a kid in the smithy?¡± The dwarf angrily snorted. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tang Yue asked again. But the dwarf didn¡¯t bother replying this time and rudely went inside, not wanting to talk to them any longer. Tang Yue could only sigh and leave. The two looked around for a bit and then rented a room in the inn nearby. The entire city was extremely crowded because of the event and so they were only able to reserve a very cramped space. Nevertheless, they had a ce to stay for the night and everything worked out. Tang Yue¡¯s only concern right now was the little kid who had mysteriously disappeared. She had looked everywhere including the smithy but the small boy was nowhere to be found. ¡°Don¡¯t worry so much, Yue. That rascal probably ran over to his parents. They must havee back to the city for the contest.¡± Charlotte consoled her. But Tang Yue still felt uneasy. Unfortunately, he was not a contracted beast and there was nothing she could do to track him. They had already informed a couple of shops near the smithy where they had previously stayed, including the grandma who worked at the sweets shop next door. So if the kid ever came back to the smithy, he would know where to look for them. Tang Yue would have been more concerned but even in the past, the kid always wandered around on his own and eventually came back as if nothing happened. So she didn¡¯t worry too much. Actually, if the city was not this crowded and they hadn¡¯t been kicked out of that run-down smithy, she wouldn¡¯t have worried at all. The two also looked around the city for a while searching for the kid and eventually turned in for the night. The next day Tang Yue and Charlotte quickly freshened up and headed to Central Square again for the second day of the contest. It looked like there were still quite a lot of participants lined up for the contest and Tang Yue arbitrarily selected a spot. This time the task was to forge a mid-grade weapon just like she had expected. Tang Yue bitterly sighed and quickly started with the task. She had already forged a couple of mid-grade long swords but that was by smithing low-grade materials to extreme perfection. She was still failing miserably at handling the superior materials and the Hundred Bangs Refinement technique. But fortunately for her, there was no set limitation on the materials that needed to be used in this round. So Tang Yue started working on the same low-grade materials that she was used to. The day quickly passed by and Tang Yue was almost done with her forging when suddenly a shadow covered her working space. Chapter 278: A kiss for the golden hands Part2 Chapter 278: A kiss for the golden hands Part2 Tang Yue assumed that one of the Master cksmith inspectors was passing her by and didn¡¯t look up to see who it was. She was very focused on achieving the perfect elemental essence attunement so that the low-grade weapon on her anvil could upgrade and be akin to a mid-grade weapon. But once again, her movements trembled and a familiar chill invaded her conscience. Huh? Tang Yue looked up in rm. Weirdly, there was no one in front of her. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue ignored the feeling and took a few breaths to calm herself down. She then again focused on her forging and worked on the long sword in front of her. Having been constantly training in forging these past few weeks, Tang Yue¡¯s concentration was extremely sharp. But still, she had a weird knot in the back of her throat as if someone was watching her. Unable to give her full attention despite her best efforts, Tang Yue sighed and stopped working for a while. She put the hammer in her hand down and pensively looked around her. This was an open contest after all and there were people everywhere. So any number of dwarves might be eying her. Besides, this didn¡¯t affect her too much the previous day. So Tang Yue was confused. ¡°Why am I feeling so restless?¡± She looked around and absentmindedly pondered. She was then about to get back to her forging when suddenly Tang Yue¡¯s gaze drifted past the Dwarven royal pce courtyard facing the Central Square. Gudang. Her heart instantly sank. She was in the Emperor realm at the moment and that too she was a spirit beast, so her eyesight was quite good. And sitting in the midst of a bunch of old-looking dwarves were two tall and eye-catching elven princes. The one on the right had a bright and silly smile on his face, while the one on the left directly looked at her, the pair of stern frosty crimson eyes meeting her gaze. Tang Yue subconsciously trembled. The devil was here! And he was directly looking at her! Her brain instantly nked out and a fragment of a dirty dream she once had, floated across her mind. Tang Yue¡¯s entire face heated up and she looked down hurriedly. Xander, satisfied with whatever he saw, curled his lips upwards and nodded contently. He then stopped putting pressure on her and averted his gaze from her. Only then Tang Yue was finally able to breathe freely and concentrate. She sneakily looked at the pavilion again, but Xander was nowhere to be found. Only Xavier was sitting there now, supporting his face with his palm and very clearly bored. Tang Yue anxiously looked around here and there but the devil had really disappeared. ¡°Damn it. Was it just my imagination or is he really here? Why the hell is he even here?¡± She bit her lips in frustration. But soon afterward, she quickly went back to the task at hand and focused on the forging again. Now that the madman¡¯s pressure was no longer there, Tang Yue could easily concentrate and she quickly finished the weapon. A brilliantly shimmering long-swordid in front of her, exuding a powerful aura. This sword made of heavy silver should have originally only been a low-grade sword. But Tang Yue used the technique she had recently studied and mixed in her own poison with the molten metal. This immediately bumped up the grade of the sword and its attack potential, making it a mid-grade weapon. Since Tang Yue¡¯s current venom was extremely lethal, a single small scratch from this weapon on an Emperor or lower realm expert would instantly paralyze and poison them. A while after Tang Yue finished her weapon, the same Master cksmith from the previous day inspected her weapon again. This time the woman stopped by her and picked up her sword, carefully inspecting it with her full attention. Unexpectedly, she also gave Tang Yue a few dirty looks as she did that. ¡°Approved.¡± The woman then rudely dropped the sword on the anvil, making a loud ttering noise. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue didn¡¯t say anything and silently nodded. She didn¡¯t understand why the person in front of her was acting so hostile. The woman read her mind and mockingly answered the unasked question. ¡°You must have spent a lot of gold to obtain this high-grade toxin. Am I correct?¡± ¡°You cannot buy talent with money. There is no point in trying to cheat here.¡± The woman scoffed and walked away, not bothering to hear any exnation from Tang Yue. Tang Yue chuckled and didn¡¯t retort back. Funnily enough, what the woman said was true. In reality, Tang Yue should have been eliminated in this round, but she still held on by using a small cheat method. So the woman¡¯s contempt was very justified. After that Master cksmith left their section, the dwarf next to her station quickly hurried over and chatted with Tang Yue. It was a young skinny looking dwarf. ¡°Hey, girl. You shouldn¡¯t have offended Master X. She is the direct disciple of Grandmaster Hiru!¡± ¡°You should apologize to herter or something.¡± The boy kind-heartedly warned Tang Yue. ¡°You can always participate in the next contest. So it is definitely not worth offending her.¡± Tang Yue nodded and smiled in response. ¡°Thank you for the kind words.¡± It looked like the boy had failed, so he packed up his things and left the area soon. Tang Yue gazed at the stern-looking woman again and packed up her things as well. ¡°Tch. Tch. Tomorrow might be troublesome.¡± She was one of thest few dwarves hanging around. So she hurriedly cleaned the station and started to leave, when suddenly, a hand shot forward and grabbed her waist without any warning. Tang Yue waspletely caught off guard. Before she could even react, she was abruptly pulled into the st furnace set up at lightning-fast speed. She immediately had a bad feeling about this because only a handful of individuals can aplish such a feat and she had no doubt as to who this was¡­ And just as she feared, a familiar voice brushed her ears¡­ ¡°Did you miss me?¡± Chapter 279: A kiss for the golden hands Part3 Chapter 279: A kiss for the golden hands Part3 ¡°Did you miss me?¡± A familiar voice brushed past Tang Yue¡¯s ears. Her eyes fluttered nervously, unable to swallow the tall drink of piping hot water standing in front of her. ¡°Someone¡­ Someone might see us.¡± The first words out of her mouth, seeing him after so long, were something like this? Xander frowned. ¡°No one will.¡± He arrogantly answered her. Since it was already the end of the day, a little past dusk, only a few contestants remained behind in the demarcated area. Among those who were still around, no one needed to use the furnace stations anymore. After all, a furnace was typically used at the beginning of the forging session. This gave Xander a lot of privacy to interact with his troublemaker snake. The man was also wearing a tattered brown robe, enabling him to blend inpletely without standing out. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question yet? Did you miss me at all?¡± The pair of unforgiving crimson eyes interrogated her again. Tang Yue was more than confused. The man who had always maintained a distance from her, kept her at an arm¡¯s length, was suddenly acting so familiar and intimate? This threw her off. She hesitated a bit before attempting to reply. But Xander was faster than her. He noticed the awkwardness on her face and knew beforehand that the reply wouldn¡¯t be to his liking. So he leaned forward and hurriedly captured the slightly parted lips, drowning Tang Yue¡¯s words before they could escape her mouth. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. Why was he kissing me? Does he like me? No, that simply cannot be possible! She was surprised since everything had happened too fast and too sudden. The man had pinned her down, his hands on her waist, but her own hands were still free. They instinctively shot forward and tried to push him away, but in the end, they merely clutched the ends of his robe tightly, as Tang Yue found herself drowning deeper and deeper into his embrace. The grip Xander had on her waist tightened and the man took his time licking her lips and caressing her tongue with his. Xander had to admit. This feeling that he enjoyed messing with the woman in person was a hundred times better than the mischievous illusionary tricks he had yed on her whilst she was sleeping. The woman¡¯s touch and her reactions werepletely intoxicating, making him almost forget where they were. He felt a sudden overwhelming urge to take her for himself right here and right now. He wanted to tear apart the thinyer of disguise separating her from him and devour her wholly right this instant. He wanted to do to her, in reality, everything that he had done to her in her dream. What was the worst thing that could happen? The dwarves might go to war with them for secretly spying on them? So what? Let it all burn! It would still be worth it! Xander¡¯s mind was truly running out of control and the man wryly chuckled as he broke the passionate kiss. Strings of his saliva fell on Tang Yue¡¯s lips, making them glisten and sparkle. The man leaned closer again to lick her lips and then forcefully pulled back, controlling himself this time. A low grunt escaped his mouth, sounding as if he was in pain. He leaned forward, his face resting near her ears and he grumbled. ¡°I change my fucking mind. Juste back home with me.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care about the council. I will take care of them. Juste back with me and be by my side.¡± If Tang Yue was shocked until now, then these few wordspletely blew her mind. Was this a proposal? Was this a confession? Was he really not the one who exiled me? What was this council he mentioned? The elven high council? Tang Yue was bbergasted. Everything felt extremely unrealistic. Wait a second, am I just dreaming again? She even pinched herself and the pain was real enough. But everything that was happening was still unbelievable for her. Just what had happened in these past few weeks that changed this madman so much? There were a million questions in her mind. However, putting aside all these new developments, Tang Yue was still not convinced. She looked at the man, directly gazing at his eyes, and spoke, her voice steady and unwavering. ¡°I don¡¯t want toe back just yet.¡± He might be her betrothed, but Tang Yue knew very well that the words of a man meant nothing. Just like her father, he might also cherish her one day and throw her away like trash the next day. She refused topromise everything that she had nned, just because he whispered a few sweet nothings in her ear. She had a n and she was going to see that through. Xander met the stubborn eyes ring at him and he knew that she had already decided on a course of action. Having spent so much time with her, how could he not know just how adamant and headstrong she was. Xander paused, looking at her for a while, and then he helplessly sighed. ¡°I see.¡± His grip around her waist loosened and the man let her free. He was really epting my demands? Just like that? Was this the same arrogant madman who always had his way? Tang Yue was once again speechless. She didn¡¯t immediately leave and it was not because she was afraid of him. Even though she appeared to be extremely resolute, she was still slightly moved by Xander¡¯s words and the vulnerability he had exposed. His words¡­ could they really be true? Just as the two figures were silently gazing at each other, a cute and bubbly voice sounded from outside. ¡°Yue! Yue! Are you still here?¡± Charlotte walked over, calling out for Tang Yue. The next instant a beautiful elf vixen hybrid woman stood at the entrance of the furnace tent, her face frozen in shock, and her mouth wide agape. Just what the hell was happening here??? Chapter 280: A kiss for the golden hands Part4 Chapter 280: A kiss for the golden hands Part4 Charlotte was watching and admiring Tang Yue¡¯s actions from a distance like a hawk, but suddenly Tang Yue had disappeared right in front of her eyes. The young dwarven girl had been busily packing her things up just a couple of seconds ago and now she had mysteriously disappeared? Charlotte was slightly worried. After all, they were both under disguise in a not-so-friendly Empire. Though they had the power to deal with whatever happens, they still had to be extremely alert and act fast. Charlotte also saw that several people were now walking around here and there, even in the contest space, helping the participants clean up their station. Especially, Tang Yue¡¯s section was almost empty. So she didn¡¯t hesitate and walked over to see where had Tang Yue disappeared to. Apart from the small tents with st furnace setups, there was no other enclosed space in the area. So Charlotte directly went to the furnace station near Tang Yue¡¯s anvil. She made sure that her face was half-covered and ducked inside cautiously. But just after taking a single step inside, Charlotte immediately froze. She didn¡¯t dare move any further. She saw Xander¡¯s familiar imposing figure and the man was gently looking into Tang Yue¡¯s eyes as if a lover would do. Her face instantly paled and Charlotte even forgot to breathe. She suddenly remembered something important. This man¡­ from the very beginning¡­ he only had eyes for Tang Yue¡­ So, of course, it was to be expected that he checked in on her once in a while. How could she have forgotten this? She was the third wheel here. Charlotte was sure that she no longer harbored any feelings for the man whom she had chased for almost her entire life. But still, for some reason, this realization felt unnaturally painful to her. Blood drained from her face and she stared at the two, not knowing how to react. Xander couldn¡¯t be happier with her plight. That¡¯s right. She is mine! He acted like a hooligan and chuckled coldly. Tang Yue looked at the two awkwardly. She somehow felt that this scene was extremely familiar. Before things could take a turn for the worst, she cleared her throat. ¡°Your highness¡­ This¡­ Your presence here¡­ ¡° Tang Yue tried her best to hint at the message ¡®please get out¡¯ without actually saying so. Xander, obviously, understood what she meant, but still lingered around showing no signs of leaving. He red at Charlotte, visible hatred in his eyes. ¡°It looks like I need to thank you for taking care of my wife in my absence.¡± His cold voice made Charlotte shiver and she trembled with a guilty look. ¡°Your highness¡­ Please¡­ ¡± Tang Yue, once again reminded him. For heaven¡¯s sake, this was a public ce and anyone could walk in on them at any moment! This was far too dangerous!!! Xander¡¯s face slightly turned and he grimaced. Why does she want me to leave that badly? He felt wronged. The man turned towards Tang Yue and with a sullen face, he gently lifted her hands. ¡°You have golden hands, my dear.¡± Umm¡­ What??? Tang Yue bitterly smiled. She was unable toprehend any of the devil¡¯s actions today. Before she could ask him what he had meant, the man gave a quick peck on her hand, and walked out of the tent in long strides, with his robe covering his face and his body. The brown-robed figure then quickly dissolved into the crowd outside. Just watching the man¡¯s back, made Charlotte feel a chill creeping up her spine. ¡°He is gone. He is gone.¡± Tang Yue patted her. She herself hadn¡¯t fully recovered from this unscheduled visit, but she could clearly see that Charlotte was a lot more affected. So she consoled her. Charlotte weakly nodded in response but the duo didn¡¯t linger there any longer. They quickly cleaned everything and went back to the inn. Only after closing the door, they paused and took a moment to breathe. Both the women sighed simultaneously and both of them chuckled at the coordinated reaction. ¡°Why the hell is that man always so scary!!!¡± Tang Yue was the first to start bad-mouthing the viin. Charlotte didn¡¯t say anything and simply smiled. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gulp nervously after seeing her mncholic expression. After all, she knew firsthand just how much Charlotte loved that madman. ¡°I also don¡¯t know why he is always so rude to you. Don¡¯t worry. He wille around.¡± Tang Yue tried to console her. Her words were actually genuine and not some feeble attempt at fake concern. Tang Yue didn¡¯t hate Xander but she didn¡¯t love him as well. At least not in a possessive all-consuming way. At best, she was slightly infatuated with the man. Besides, only someone like Charlotte was truly capable of standing beside someone like him. Tang Yue neither wanted that position nor the power that came along with that position. Charlotte, on the other hand, didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. Tang Yue¡¯s words only made her realize that she was in fact jealous. But the person she was jealous of¡­ was not Tang Yue¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ In the Dwarven royal pce guest courtyard, two elves were sitting leisurely and sipping on some wine. Just from the heavenly aroma that wafted out, one could tell that the wine was a top-grade one. Its taste was also as divine as its scent. Enjoying such a fine delicacy under the gentle light of the moon was truly a harmonious experience. A calm and serene atmosphere engulfed the two elves as they silently tasted the herbal wine. Breaking this beautiful silence, Xavier suddenly opened his mouth. He had a very serious and solemn expression on his face when he spoke. ¡°Brother, have you finally understood the charm of the spirit beasts?¡± Xander sighed. He had no intention of replying to his indecent brother. But Xavier was not done and once again spoke. ¡°You already have the snake, how about you leave that elf vixen hybrid to me?¡± Huh? Xander choked on the mouthful of wine and he spat everything out. Chapter 281: Thats her! Part1 Chapter 281: That¡¯s her! Part1 The third day of the smithing contest was a major event, unlike the first two days. Not only did the crowd almost quadruple, but the Central Square was also now jam-packed with boisterous dwarves and members of other races. The participantspeting today were all extremely capable cksmiths, someone who could at least forge a mid-grade weapon. In the vast wilderness, where weapons yed a major role in life-threatening situations, cksmiths were the life and soul of the Nine Countries. They were the backbone of the continent, constantly supplying the various races with armor and weapons. The important thing was after a certain level, no amount of gold coins or gems were capable of buying certain weapons. For instance, the spirit weapons, solely used by the dwarven army soldiers and the dwarven royal family. Putting aside the matter of spirit weapons, even obtaining rare-grade weapons was extremely difficult and required a tremendous amount of wealth, power, and status. Considering all this, the best way to ensure that they could obtain top-tier weapons was catching the fruits before they could ripen. This was why several elven n patriarchs, fairy n family elders, and orc emissaries were also present today. They were here to scout out the talented dwarves, both young and old. Every single one of these talented cksmiths had the potential to grow and develop into a powerful Grandmaster. While there were only three alchemy Grandmasters in the Elven Empire, there about a dozen or so dwarven smithing Grandmasters. Not that cksmithing was much easier than the field of alchemy. Both the fields were equally profound ancient arts with their own drawbacks and strong points. This was rather due to the fact that the Dwarven Empire had a much more rigid andprehensive training structure. Talents were identified and nurtured every lunar cycle and those who were selected had the chance to receive direct tutge under a smithing Grandmaster. And just how big was receiving direct tutge under a Grandmaster? It was an iparable heavenly stroke of luck that could even turn a carp into a dragon instantly. It could be said that, in a way, these Grandmasters held more power in the Dwarven Empire than the Emperor himself. Only a Grandmaster and his direct disciples were capable of forging spirit weapons. These immensely powerful weapons were the most guarded secret of the Dwarven Empire. So in order to enter this upper echelon, the intensepetition took ce every lunar cycle and all the smithing apprentices, trainees, and masterspeted with each other over and over. This was their only method to get noticed by a Grandmaster. And this also inadvertently fueled their hunger and thirst to constantly improve themselves and notg behind others. The more they train the higher their chances were to seed. This kind of harsh, at the same time encouraging environment, ensured that the younger talents were appropriately nurtured. When Tang Yue and Charlotte finally managed to reach Central Square, they had to squeeze their way in through the crowd with great difficulty. Tang Yue even had to fish out her participation medallion. Otherwise, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to get inside at all. Even after the first two days of elimination rounds, there were still about five hundred participants left. This was because not only Apprentice and Trainee cksmiths participated in this contest, but also Master cksmiths. In some cases, students and teachers from the same smithy participated as well. Competing with one¡¯s own teacher was an awkward task, but the dwarves still did so, because sometimes the Grandmasters noticed the talent of a dwarf rather than his or her current level when evaluating. After a few minutes, Tang Yue made her way through the rows of anvils and reached her destined spot. Every work station had a stack of brilliantly shining Heavy Thorium ores, a material used to forge powerful high-grade weapons with remarkable properties. There were also other precious materials like Fire Quilin feathers (a mid-grade giant bird), Frost Python fangs, Devil Boar tusks, and a couple of other items. These can be molten alongside the ores in appropriate ratios and this process was a sort of alchemy in itself. The final molten metal would gain powerful attributes because of these precious additives. Seeing so many high-grade items together like this, made Tang Yue suck in a deep breath of cold air. Some of the dwarves around her had already started arranging their station. They even started melting everything together in desired ratios. But no one started the actual smithing process yet. Everyone was diligently waiting for the Grandmasters to arrive. Without their presence, every one showing off their talent and prowess was a mere waste of time. Tang Yue as well started tossing in a few materials into the furnace and she collected the final molten puddle onto a tray. Unlike others, she wasn¡¯t nning on waiting for anyone since Tang Yue knew very well that she was going to fail today. Because once the metal b in the tray cooled down, she needed to take it out to the anvil and hit it one hundred times with extreme force, precision and understanding. This was for removing the energy essence impurities in the metal mixture. Once these basic impurities were removed, the metal would be melted again, and this time poured into respective molds. Then the final forging step would begin. Tang Yue knew and understood the entirety of this process, but their implementation was a totally different ball game. She was still stuck at the Hundred Bangs Refinement technique and no matter how much she tried, she was just not able to progress any further. This was why Tang Yue knew that she would inevitably fail today. The only thing that she was capable of demonstrating to anyone was the half-assed bangs and she had all day to do that. Perhaps someone will really see my potential with just this! Tang Yue bitterly smiled to herself and started the hard work. And since she was the only one who already started banging and nging, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Not long after Tang Yue started working, a familiar figure stopped by her station and loudly snorted. ¡°Heh. I see that you are not even bothering to pay respects to your elders?¡± Hmmm? Tang Yue looked up with an annoyed expression. Disturbing someone when they were in the midst of their smithing was an uncouth behavior and considered extremely rude. But of course, the person in front of her was someone who would act in that fashion. Tang Yue red at the dwarven princess and replied. ¡°What are you talking about, your highness?¡± La didn¡¯t like her attitude at all and her temper was slowly rising. ¡°Hmph. It¡¯s customary to wait until the Grandmasters arrive before starting.¡± La spoke, word for word. ¡°Umm¡­ Oh¡­ Is that so? In that case, your highness should pay a visit to that dwarf.¡± Tang Yue pointed her finger to a man standing near the entrance. ¡°He said that I could start anytime I wanted.¡± Tang Yue shrugged. Wanting to cause trouble in such a high-profile event? Dream on. She shed a mocking smile and bent her head down again to focus on her refining. La was immediately triggered. ¡°Stupid. It¡¯s an unspoken rule of the contest.¡± ¡°Everyone waits for the Grandmasters to arrive first.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know this and you have made it so far. How pathetic!¡± This time Tang Yue didn¡¯t bother looking up and responding to her. She continued feeling the b of metal with her palm, before striking at a suitable spot. Damn it. La furiously cursed under her breath, but she knew better than to start a squabble here and went back to her own desk. She then raised her chubby hands and waved at one of the Master cksmiths walking by. This was coincidentally the same pointy-faced woman, X, who had lectured Tang Yue the previous day. La whispered something in the woman¡¯s ears and the two exchanged looks. After that, the woman turned on her heels and walked away as if nothing had happened. But La had a visible sneer on her face. ¡°Hmph. How dare this lowly bitch speak so rudely to me?¡± ¡°Not only did she escape the other day, but she also didn¡¯t even give me her ve and that wolf.¡± For La, this was the sixth time she was participating in this contest, but unfortunately, she was still unable to capture the attention of a Grandmaster. Even though she had perfectly forged several high-grade weapons, their quality was still low and the weapon itself wascking in several attributes. So the sight of the young dwarven girl so meticulously hard working only infuriated her further. ¡°Stupid bitch. It doesn¡¯t matter how hard you work.¡± ¡°Watch how I humiliate you in front of everyone.¡± ¡°After today, no one would even ept you as an apprentice in their smithy.¡± La scoffed coldly and red at Tang Yue. Chapter 282: Thats her! Part2 Chapter 282: That¡¯s her! Part2 The gentle rays of the morning sunlight gradually became warmer and, soon there was some movement in the royal courtyard facing the Central Square. A group of dwarves leisurely walked over, some wearing the royal regalia, whilst some wearing austere robes. The Grandmaster cksmiths had finally arrived, and apanying them, were a dozen or so dwarven royal family members. Of course, much to Tang Yue¡¯s dismay, there were also a couple of elves among that group. The numerous n elders gathered in the central square might not receive special treatment from the dwarven higher-ups, but the Crown Prince of Eldoria and his elder brother most definitely did. They were seated right next to the cksmith grandmasters and were enjoying rich delicacies and spirit wine. However, the two groups only exchanged superficial pleasantries and nothing more. And since the important guests had now arrived, the numerous participants of the contest didn¡¯t dilly dally any longer and promptly started their meticulous smithing routine. The row of st furnaces roared and crackled, whilst the anvils produced earth-shattering bangs. Since this was already the third day, every single one of the contestants was extremely serious and waspletely focused on their task at hand, including Tang Yue. Rhythmic sonorous sounds echoed from all directions and the experienced eyes of the old monsters scanned the crowd periodically. Though they were chatting with each other and discussing some concepts most of the time, they still took care of this main business. They observed the talent level of each and every smith on the ground with their keen and sharpened senses, analyzing everything down to thest detail. They looked at their form, strength, cultivation base, concentration level, their affinity to the earthen elemental essence, and even their mental fortitude. With the almighty Grandmasters carefully observing their every move, all the dwarves were extremely invigorated and worked with extra care and attention. A couple of hourster, the first talent was identified and one of the dwarves was called aside. It was a bald guy who was slightly chubby and had feminine features. The examiner had received a direct order from one of the Grandmasters and he, in turn, pulled aside the dwarf to convey him the good news. Others, obviously, could see the shock and joy on the youngd¡¯s face and silently gritted their teeth in jealousy. The man hadn¡¯t even finished the refining process, and he was already selected as a direct disciple! What a monster! But one cannot cook grains with jealousy, so everyone ducked their heads back into the game and busied themselves. Soon, a few more hours passed and only that single dwarf had been called out since that morning. It was an extremely depressing result. But then again, in the past, there have been lunar cycles when no one had been selected at all. So this was still a better oue. Most of the participants by now had also lost their initial vigor and energy. They knew that the Grandmasters typically returned back to their seclusion at the beginning of dusk and there was nothing more that could be done to change their minds. They could only work harder and train more before trying their luck again in the next lunar cycle. Unlike these dwarves, Tang Yue knew that she had absolutely no chance since the start, so she was a lot less nervous and she calmly and steadily worked on her refining process. And luckily for her, this contest itself somehow proved to be extremely fortuitous. Not only could she keenly observe and analyze the techniques of the other Master cksmiths surrounding her, but she could also activate her skill ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ and feel the rhythm of their movements. Based on these new insights, Tang Yue slowly and steadily adjusted her own method. She even ended up improving her technique by leaps and bounds in this short interval. She could almost feel the invisible barrier that had prevented her from progressing to the next level. These past few weeks, Tang Yue had worked extremely hard to break through this same barrier. She might not have seeded just yet, but she had definitely chipped away bits and pieces of the barrier. And now that she was able to actually witness and learn from other experienced masters, she quicklyprehended the things which were previously confusing. The veil that had been obstructing her vision had been torn apart and Tang Yue could now cleanly sense the elemental essence impurities and other energy impurities deeply embedded within the high-grade materials. The metal amalgam that she had been busily refining since morning was finally showing signs of improvement. Every single one of her hits was now cleanly and smoothly targeted at the right spot and at the right angle, with just the right amount of mana contained within it. A bright smile appeared on the young dwarven girl¡¯s face as she hurriedly repeated her movements to fully capture and memorize this feeling. Coincidentally, the dwarven princess, also participating in the contest, finally threw her towel in and gave up. Her entire body was sore from non-stop rigorous training and practice and since the day had almost ended, she felt as if there was no point in continuing anymore. She didn¡¯t even bother cleaning up her station and began to walk away when she nced upon Tang Yue¡¯s small figure and realized that she hadpletely forgotten about this pest. The frown on her face, from the disappointment of not getting selected quickly disappeared, and a wide grin, reced it instead. She still continued to leave the area, but before leaving, she casually walked past X and nudged the woman slightly. Master cksmith X nodded at her in understanding. She didn¡¯t want to make a ruckus while the Grandmasters were still there, but now that they were about to leave, this was the perfect time to teach the imbecile a lesson! Once La left, X continued walking around casually and attending to the participants if and when they needed her. She took a big loop around numerous contestants and when she finally arrived near Tang Yue, her footsteps halted. She saw the young dwarven girl working sincerely, and a slight trace of hesitation crossed her face. But then, she noticed that Tang Yue was still stuck in the refinement process and a look of contempt surfaced on the woman¡¯s face. Almost everyone standing around had alreadypleted their refinement step and had thoroughly removed all the impurities from the metal amalgam. The entire forging process will obviously take a while, maybe even a day or two, but all the contestants, well except for Tang Yue and a couple of other stragglers, were well past the initial refinement step. This in itself clearly showed the disparity between their talents. The dwarven woman X walked closer to Tang Yue, clicking her tongue, acting as if she was very disappointed with whatever she was witnessing. ¡°This is a very bad disy of the Hundred Bangs Refinement.¡± She loudlymented. A few heads turned her way and some of the crowd and even the participants started staring at the scene. X, being a Grandmaster¡¯s direct disciple, held a very high status in the dwarven society and so no one dared to question her behavior. Everyone subconsciously took her side and watched as she continued lecturing the young dwarven girl. ¡°A bang is only counted when it removes an energy impurity from the ore.¡± ¡°So technically you have aplished nothing since morning.¡± ¡°Your metal amalgam is still trash grade.¡± ¡°You are only wasting your time and everyone else¡¯s time here.¡± ¡°How can you be this disrespectful towards your elders and esteemed teachers?¡± ¡°There is a reason why we are arranging the contest in this format every lunar cycle.¡± ¡°What is the use of taking advantage of a loophole and now wasting other people¡¯s time like this?¡± ¡°Are you simply here to show off and seek attention?¡± The woman didn¡¯t even stop to take a breather and started hurling insults at Tang Yue left and right. ¡°This won¡¯t do. You are not fit to be a smith.¡± ¡°Do you know what is the most important trait in order to refine impurities?¡± ¡°Your mental state. You need to be pure and clean in your thoughts.¡± ¡°Someone like you who is trying to use a loophole and win using these backhanded methods will never amount to anything.¡± It looked as if the Master cksmith X was determined to make an example out of Tang Yue and disciple her strictly. And moreover, since whatever she said perfectly hit the spot, the crowd also agreed with her. The other participants standing around looked at Tang Yue inplete and utter disdain. Every single one of them had worked and continue to work and train extremely hard in order to stand here and the appearance of the young girl simply ticked them off. Especially when the girl was obviously not a prodigy and was not in the least talented. Chapter 283: Thats her! Part3 Chapter 283: That¡¯s her! Part3 The other participants standing around Tang Yue also looked at her withplete and utter disdain. Every single one of them had worked and continue to work and train extremely hard in order to stand here and the appearance of the young girl simply ticked them off. Especially when the girl was obviously not a prodigy and was not in the least talented. So a couple of dwarves standing next to Tang Yue¡¯s work station also joined X and vented out their frustration of not getting selected by harshlymenting on Tang Yue. ¡°Youngsters these days just want to take shortcuts.¡± A middle-aged dwarf grumbled. ¡°How did you have the face to show up here when you can¡¯t even refine the metal properly?¡± Another dwarf added. ¡°You are right Master X, these kinds of brash teenagers are not fit for learning to smith and probably won¡¯t amount to anything in the future.¡± ¡°Which idiot even epted this fool as an apprentice?¡± ¡°Our royal city¡¯s smithies need to maintain their standards. Otherwise, everything will go to hell soon.¡± X snorted in contempt and pitched in to answer that particr question. ¡°Apparently, this child registered as a merchant. She hasn¡¯t joined any smithy yet.¡± ¡°Ah~ That¡¯s why!¡± Immediately everyone understood the situation and sneered. Inwardly, some of them were slightly taken aback by the young girl¡¯s talent toe to this level on her own. But they didn¡¯t dare speak it out loud since obviously, Master X was against this girl. The Grandmasters and most of the dwarven royal family members had also left the pavilion, so no one bothered to hold back. They went all out and started roasting the scapegoat standing by herself. The crowd was also slightly more boisterous in the evening and this smallmotion made things very lively. Thus, the small matter of a Master critiquing a single contestant blew up disproportionately and garnered quite a lot of attention. And while this group continued blindly criticizing and ridiculing her, Tang Yue, on the other hand, still had her head bent down. She didn¡¯t respond to any of the taunts and the harshments aimed at her. In fact, she didn¡¯t even pay attention to anyone, including the pointy-faced woman standing in front of her at close proximity. Her movements flowed smoothly, her hammer raising, and falling down systematically on the b of metal in front of her. Despite the bullies surrounding her, and the insults flying at her, not even a single jerk appeared in her steady and calm actions. Tang Yue seemed to be entirely in a world of her own. It was as if everything around her didn¡¯t even exist. She didn¡¯t hear, see or feel anything else. Their words didn¡¯t even register in her brain. And even though she just happened to be in this trance-like state and did not do anything deliberately, her attitude and behavior extremely angered X and the few dwarves standing near her. It seemed as if the young girl was insulting them and ignoring them on purpose and they became even more agitated. Things slowly started to be more and more chaotic and a bigger crowd started gathering. While this ridiculous scene was unfolding, La, standing at a distance, happily grinned and hummed in satisfaction. ¡°This is what you get for messing with me bitch.¡± Despite her failure today, the woman was in a good mood and she skipped and strolled back to the pce. Surprisingly, apart from La, there was one other person who was extremely happy at the moment. ¡°That¡¯s her.¡± Tang Xi hissed. ¡°That¡¯s definitely her.¡± Gale and Ginko were both confused. There seemed to be absolutely no rhyme or reason to this im of hers. It didn¡¯t even make sense. Someone trying to blend in and disguise themselves as a dwarf would probably not attract such huge negative attention. It just was not prudent to do so and from what Gale and Ginko knew about Tang Yue, the woman was extremely shrewd. ¡°Are you sure, princess?¡± They asked in unison, refusing to ept Tang Xi¡¯s conjecture. ¡°My sister always likes to stand out. Without a doubt, that¡¯s her. She is the one disguised as that young dwarven girl.¡± Tang Xi firmly replied. She looked at how everyone was criticizing Tang Yue and chuckled. ¡°Heh. My poor sister. These people are mocking you because they have no idea about your true talents.¡± ¡°Let me help you out and show everyone just exactly who you are.¡± Tang Xi¡¯s long forked tongue flickered in and out and she started weaving through the crowd, heading towards Tang Yue. A violent glint shone in her eyes. Gale and Ginko looked at each other and nodded. They both decided not to follow Tang Xi. They still couldn¡¯t understand Tang Xi¡¯s actions. They were very certain that the foolish woman was only going to expose herself and end up in the dwarven prison cers. So they didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily give away their identities as well. After all, the mission came first, and as long as they managed to kill or capture Tang Yue, they couldn¡¯t care less about whatever happens to Tang Xi. The duo silently stood afar and observed Tang Xi as she quickly waddled through the crowd. She was now almost less than 10 yards away from Tang Yue when Tang Xi suddenly stopped moving. She stood tall and steady, took a deep breath of air topose herself, and activated her cultivation base. That only took her a moment and then she chuckled coldly, licking her lips with a heinous vile smile. ENSLAVE. She hissed under her breath. The very next second, a misty ball of energy coalesced in front of Tang Xi and it carried the weight of the illusionary magic spell Enve. The ball of energy floated up and flew towards Tang Yue ignoring all the people standing in between her and Tang Xi. It swirled mystically and contained within it the overwhelming absolute power of a Demi-God. And if it reaches Tang Yue at the moment, she would have no means whatsoever to resist the power of that spell. Chapter 284: Thats her! Part4 Chapter 284: That¡¯s her! Part4 A few minutes earlier¡­ Xander and Xavier, the two elven princes, were both leisurely sitting and enjoying their spirit wine. Xander was busy ogling at Tang Yue while Xavier was busy ogling at other beautiful women in the crowd. The two had no intention of mingling with any of the cksmith Grandmasters and continued doing their own thing. Even after the Grandmasters got up and left for the day, these two still continued to sit there in the pavilion, clearly with an agenda of their own. The dwarves could only sigh and let them be. A couple of the royal family members even remained seated in order to give thempany. Of course, the dwarven royal prince Jorden had also stayed back but that was for an entirely different reason. Just like Xander, he was also eying Tang Yue or rather Yana with a hidden interest. This was notpletely unnoticed by Xander but for reasons of his own, he decided not to intervene at that moment. He continued silently watching Tang Yue. The woman seemed to be deeply engrossed in her work and hardly even looked up at him. Xander was slightly disappointed and he silently sulked. Just yesterday, he had paid a personal visit to that damned woman, but today she acted as if nothing had happened. Am I not a good kisser? He subconsciously looked at the brother sitting by his side, thinking if he needed to take pointers from him. But right at this moment, Xavier started shaking him vigorously. ¡°Bro. Bro. Look over there. Your snake is in trouble.¡± He whispered to him. Xander¡¯s gaze turned cold and violent as he saw a group of dwarves surrounding Tang Yue and criticizing her without holding back. He abruptly stood up, wanting to act, but he didn¡¯t want toy waste to Tang Yue¡¯s hard work. So he controlled himself and just silently watched the chaos. The weird part was that Tang Yue was not responding back at all. The frown on Xander¡¯s face darkened and it only took him 2 seconds to realize what was going on. Tang Yue was in the middle of enlightenment! She probably hadprehended some deep insight about the smithing process and was currently in a trance-like state trying to understand that insight. Xander¡¯s crimson eyes broiled in silence. He had seen firsthand just how much Tang Yue had worked hard in the past few weeks. The woman even barely slept and gave her all every single day and night. Of course, this was nothing whenpared to how other dwarves had worked simrly for almost their entire lives. But that didn¡¯t matter to Xander. As far as he was concerned, these insects had no business disturbing Tang Yue, whilst she was in the middle of her breakthrough. Xander didn¡¯t hesitate and acted fast. His eyes instantly shifted and the man red at the person sitting just a few feet away from him with visible contempt. ¡°Hmph. I didn¡¯t know that the dwarven empire¡¯s famed smithing contest has reduced to this level.¡± He looked at Jorden and loudly snorted. ¡°Look at your so-called elites standing around and bullying a young girl who is in the midst of her breakthrough. How pitiful!¡± Xander loudlymented. Xavier looked at him in utter confusion. His brother had never before provoked anyone this openly. His style was much more straightforward and ruthless. Something as small as Tang Yueprehending an insight was worth provoking the dwarven royal prince? Xavier helplessly smiled. This brother of his had indeed changed a lot. Obviously, after hearing such a demeaning remark, Jorden didn¡¯t have the face to sit simply and do nothing. He nodded with a polite smiled and replied. ¡°Ah~ My bad, Prince Xander. I didn¡¯t pay enough attention.¡± ¡°I will apologize to you on their behalf for putting up such an ugly scene.¡± At the same time, he crushed a jade slip in his hands, which directlymunicated his orders to two of the other examiners. Two powerful Master cksmiths instantly rushed towards Tang Yue and broke out the crowd. ¡°Stop it, X.¡± One of the men warned the pointy-faced woman. X fumed and was about to angrily retort when the other dwarf pointed his finger towards the pce courtyard. The woman immediately stiffened and stopped all the shenanigans. Even though she was a direct disciple of a Grandmaster, she knew when she had gone overboard and needed to stop. The others also immediately quieted down and even the crowd didn¡¯t dare to make a noise. Tang Yue was fortunately not disturbed in the whole process and she was still in her trance-like state, silentlyprehending the insights she had gained. No one disturbed her anymore and that section of Central Square was dead silent. The two dwarves also put out some runes to make sure that she won¡¯t be disturbed. Xander smiled. He was satisfied. Jorden, on the other hand, also smiled. He had learned something very interesting today. The young girl, that he had been eying, had also apparently caught the attention of the almighty elven prince. Xander, however, had purposefully done this. He was unsure of Jorden¡¯s interest in Tang Yue and wanted to see his reactions after revealing his own interest in Tang Yue. He had essentially hit two birds with one stone. The two silently mulled over their thoughts as they politely nodded at each other. But just as they reverted their attention back to the young dwarven girl, Xander immediately stood up in rm. Weirdly enough, so did Xavier and Jorden and the two other dwarves seated in the pavilion. Because of themotion, unknowingly everyone was paying more attention to Tang Yue and it was a child¡¯s y for them to detect a tant naked mental attack. Especially for Xander. Tang Xi¡¯s mental strength might be in the Demi-God realm, but Xander was a true Demi-God through and through. So how could her attack be possibly missed by him? But the issue was, even when detected, a mental attack was difficult to guard against. The person themselves needed to act defensively against the mental attack and right now, Tang Yue was in a trance-like state and was not capable of doing this. She was extremely vulnerable. Chapter 285: Thats her! Part5 Chapter 285: That¡¯s her! Part5 Xander was fully aware of the gravity of the situation and the danger that Tang Yue was in. Illusionary spells were mysterious spells that used mental energy as the basis for their magic. The easiest and surest way to block them was to physically coat yourself with a mana barrier inside and out. But not just any barrier worked. The barrier had to be thick and strong and capable enough to withstand the power behind the illusionary spell. Erecting such a mana barrier was a time-consuming and energy drain process. No one at least under the Saint realm can possibly have this kind of a mana barrier switched on 24/7. But that¡¯s what exactly an illusionary spell defense needed. These long-range spells could be cast silently at any point in time. It was almost impossible to guard against them every single day and at all times. But if one didn¡¯t do this, they could be easily susceptible to various kinds of mental attacks, some even strong enough to drive a person permanently crazy. Xander knew and understood this well and quickly erected a mana barrier around Tang Yue. In fact, Xavier and Jorden had also done the same. All three acted quickly and simultaneously in that split second. But unfortunately, that was not even nearly enough. Unless Tang Yue acted and inwardly covered her conscience with a strong and sturdy mana barrier, no amount of these external mana barriers would be enough to thwart the mental attack. Theplexity and power of illusionary spells were indeed so tremendous. This was why the serpentine n managed to somehow survive through the years and even had a makeshift empire of their own, in spite of them being mere spirit beasts. The fox spirit beasts didn¡¯t have any such saving grace and their fate was much worse than the serpentine spirit beasts. Most of the fox spirit beasts were bred as ves and they didn¡¯t have any territory to call their own. Those who evaded very, simply lived cavern to cavern as nomads. After casting the mana barrier spell, Xander and Xavier first moved and Jorden quickly followed them. The three of them instantly materialized near Tang Yue shocking and surprising everyone that had gathered. Xander couldn¡¯t care less about Tang Yue¡¯s disguise and whatnot. He did not even intend to let things go this far in the first ce. He merely wanted to tease her a bit and spend some time with her. Her safety was his bottom line and he didn¡¯t mind risking everything for the sake of it. So knowing that the mana barrier was notpletely effective in stopping the single mental attack, Xander quickly scanned the crowd for the culprit who had done this. One way to stop the spell was using a mana barrier but the other more domineering way was to simply kill off the caster. But everything happened in a fraction of a second, and even a Demi-God like Xander was not able to pull this off. At best, once the attacknded, Xander could quickly heal Tang Yue and prevent any further mishaps from happening. However, the current attack was definitely going to get through. The swirling miasma of energy flew through the three mana barriers as if they were invisible. Apart from reducing its intensity a bit, the mana barriers did nothing to stop the illusion spell. Tang Xi sneered at all the powerful people assembling near her sister¡¯s side. It was useless. The second that the enve spell activates, she was going tomand Tang Yue to cripple herself and there was nothing that anyone could do about it. The woman¡¯s eyes were wide open as she watched in glee, eagerly awaiting the chaos that was about to ensue. She had cast the spell and the bitch was still in a trance. This was perfect. She waited and waited and the weight of the mere second was torturous. She couldn¡¯t wait for Tang Yue to return to her crippled state. She might have been able to cure her crippled meridians in the past, but once a cultivator renounces their cultivation and cripples themselves by destroying their mana cores, the change was irreversible. No amount of elixirs and divine treasures would then be able to cure Tang Yue. She would forever be the useless cripple that she always was. Once that happens, would all these powerful men still stand beside her and fawn over her endlessly? Tang Xi¡¯s eyes sparkled with a vicious glint and her tongue danced in excitement as she watched the attacknd on Tang Yue. Sess!!! She screamed inwardly. At the same time, she quickly retreated into the shadows using the illusionary spell ¡®Hide.¡¯ With her mental strength being in the Demi-God realm, unfortunately, even Xander wouldn¡¯t be able to sense her after casting ¡®Hide¡¯. It was amazing! Everything had gone perfectly! All that she had to do now was to watch the bitch ruin herself and wither into nothingness. Tang Xi chuckled maniacally. Even the two goblins, Ginko and Gale, who had been monitoring her closely, were taken aback by the sudden disappearance of her presence. They knew that Tang Xi had been hiding something up her sleeve but they didn¡¯t think that it would be something so powerful. So many experts arrived and they were still unable to capture Tang Xi. The woman had obviously done something and managed topletely erase her presence. But what did she do? Was that really Tang Yue? Did Tang Xi actually manage to kill or at least mortally wound Tang Yue? The goblins had no idea about what exactly Tang Xi did but both of them recognized Xander and Xavier. How could Tang Xi¡¯s attack seed in the presence of these two monsters? There was no way that she was going toe on top in this exchange. The chances of Tang Xi¡¯s sess were extremely bleak. They had no doubt about it. And¡­ Unfortunately for Tang Xi, they in fact turned out to be correct. The mental attack unleashed by Tang Xi didnd on the oblivious young dwarven girl, but once itnded, it bounced off of her as if it was merely a puff of dust. Chapter 286: Thats her! Part6 Chapter 286: That¡¯s her! Part6 Camouged by the ¡®Hide¡¯ spell, Tang Xi waited and waited and watched the attacknd on Tang Yue. The mental attack perfectlynded on the oblivious young dwarven girl, but once itnded, it bounced off of her as if it was merely a puff of dust. Huh? Tang Xi¡¯s face darkened. She could tell that something was off. Her attacknded but she didn¡¯t get the feeling that Tang Yue was enved to her. ¡°Crush your cores.¡± Tang Xi gritted her teeth and spewed outmands. But Tang Yue still continued hammering that chunk of metal as focused as ever, without missing a beat, as if nothing had happened. Tang Xi became extremely agitated. Her face paled and her fury skyrocketed. Everything went perfectly, then how the hell did nothing happen? Why did this bitch alone escape her fate again and again? She was so furious that she felt as if she was going crazy. ¡°That damned man should have definitely done something.¡± She cursed at Xander and quickly disappeared from Central Square. She might be extremely angry right now but she was not a fool to hang around and wait for these monsters to catch her and skin her alive. Besides, even if she casts the skill a few more times, these monsters would still probably block it for her. Ptui! This useless bitch really knew how to wrap all these men around her little finger!!! Tang Xi cursed and ran away. Gale and Ginko, as well, waited for a couple more seconds and patiently observed. But after seeing that nothing out of the ordinary was happening, they too disappeared, dazed and confused. They had really expected something big to happen, but nothing happened in the end. In all honesty, it was not just Tang Xi and the goblins, but even Xander, Xavier, and Jorden didn¡¯t quite understand what just happened. Xander was ready to summon the healing domain again. He had even taken out several mental health elixirs that he had personally concocted. And more importantly, he had summoned his dark elemental clone to search for the perpetrator. But from the looks of it, nothing really had happened. Jorden and Xavier awkwardly looked at each other and shrugged, and Xander continued watching Tang Yue, while the girl carried on her rhythmic banging. No one knew what happened but an old soul silently harrumphed inside Tang Yue¡¯s body. ¡°Targeting my student with a mere third rate spell? Dream on!¡± Tang Yue might not have been aware enough to defend herself, but the system or rather the elder was aware at all times. He would never admit this to Tang Yue, but there was no way that the old man would have let harm befall her. So even if it meant that he had to reveal his presence for a split second, he did it and the spell bounced off Tang Yue effortlessly. ¡°I hate these sneaky snake spells. Damn it.¡± The old man snorted and went into hibernation again. And Tang Yue continued basking in her enlightenment state, deciphering bits and parts of everything that had eluded her understanding these past few days. A couple more minutes passed and the pin-drop silence in Central Square finally eased up. Both Xander and Xavier, as well as Jorden, had thoroughly scanned the entire crowd for any intruders or people emanating killing intent but clearly whoever was behind all of this had already disappeared. By now, several experts had already walked over to them and awaited their orders. Everyone knew that something big had happened, but no one understood what. What could have made the two elven royal princes guard an unknown dwarven girl? Even X and La contorted their faces in anger. Was gaining some stupid insight such a big deal? Everyone experienced such a thing at one point in their life or another. Was there really a need for such an exaggerated response? All of this just for the sake of that nobody was a bit too much!!! They begrudgingly sighed in unison. Apart from the dozen dwarven experts, a part of the dwarven royal army, the regiment under Jorden¡¯smand, showed up as well and started clearing and interrogating the crowd. An attack in the middle of the royal city was no small thing! The soldiers started examining the crowd present with a fine-toothb and since the contest had now almost ended, everyone was politely asked to leave and remain within their respective abodes. Only some of the contestants were not done yet and they as well quickly packed up. They knew that the royal city was going to be under a strict lockdown the next few days to catch the criminal so everyone silently walked away. Che! Xander clenched his fist in frustration. He knew that his presence was no longer needed, but he hesitated to turn back. He would have felt better if he had caught the person responsible for this. Someone had attacked Tang Yue, very nearly injured her, but he didn¡¯t know who that was. This annoyed him greatly! Just like back then in thebyrinth, he again felt powerless and useless, unable to even help the woman he cared about. Xander sighed, lovingly gazing at the young dwarven girl, not in the least bothering to hide his affection. He wanted to just pick her up and walk away. As he stood near Tang Yue like a statue that had no intention of moving, despite the threat have been neutralized now, an amused voice sounded near him. ¡°Thank you, your highness.¡± Jorden politely spoke, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. ¡°Thank you for your concern for our dwarven citizen.¡± He added. Hmmm? Xander raised his eyebrows, clearly not pleased with the subtle provocation. Xavier, standing by his side, was sweating profusely. He decided to step up and deal with this before his brother burst into mes and massacred everyone present. ¡°Ha Ha. No problem. No problem. We just happened to be here and helped out.¡± ¡°We greatly enjoy watching the smithing contest every lunar cycle and didn¡¯t want something terrible to happen and ruin everyone¡¯s day. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to thank us, Prince Jorden.¡± Chapter 287: Do you know this woman? Part1 Chapter 287: Do you know this woman? Part1 Xavier put a hand on his brother, signaling that it was better for Tang Yue if they went back now, but Xander showed no signs of moving away from that spot. It had alreadye to this, so how could he still let Tang Yue alone, at least until he neutralized this threat? Xavier immediately sighed. It looked like this brother of his had already made up his mind. He looked awkwardly at Jorden and scratched his head. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind, can we stand here and watch what the young girl is doing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while since I have witnessed a smith¡¯s excellent work.¡± Xavier¡¯s weak ass exnation did nothing to ease Jorden¡¯s doubts. He was now more sure than ever that there was something going on here. But the dwarf simply smiled and bowed, before leaving the area. His troop members were still vigntly searching for the assant but Jorden silently went back to the pce courtyard and watched the young dwarven girl and the two elven princes standing beside her from afar. He wanted to see just how many surprised this young no name dwarven girl could bring him. Once the various experts and the other examiners sort of dispersed, everything calmed down and returned back to its previous state. The crowd had also been cleared, so mostly it was just Tang Yue and a few other dwarves now, and of course, the two elven princes. Because of this huge incident, the people not longer chatted about the single dwarven guy who had actually been epted as a Grandmaster¡¯s personal disciple. They were rather gossiping more enthusiastically about the young girl Yana, who apparently had heaven-breaking talents, which even the elves acknowledged. Rumors were flying far and wide, each more exaggerated than the other. Some said that the elven princes who had visited the royal city were so impressed with Yana that they even wanted to personally recruit her to work in Eldoria. Others argued that the young girl had apparently broken through and be a Grandmaster herself in the midst of the contest. Some even envied the young girl,menting that the elven Crown Prince had fallen in love with her on the spot. So the man was personally standing guard next to her and waiting for her while she was in the state of enlightenment state. In the end, the name Yana became extremely famous in the royal city in just a couple of hours! And the woman under the spotlight was still peacefully drifting in her own world,prehending insights into the Hundred Bangs Refinement technique. It was almost a little past midnight when Tang Yue finally stirred awake from her stupor. She had no idea what had just happened and blinked her eyes as if she was waking up from a deep slumber. Immediately, Xavier pped his hands, happy from the fact that he didn¡¯t have to stand here anymore like a lunatic. The smile on Xander¡¯s face widened as well. But before either of them could talk to Tang Yue, she suddenly disappeared into thin air. Xander was immediately about to unleash the full power of his cultivation base when a voice quickly transmitted a small message into his ears. ¡°Bro, what happened? What happened? Where is she?¡± Xavier hurriedly asked. He had aged more than 10 years just this day worrying over when his brother might erupt and dere war. Xander, however, surprisingly remained calm. ¡°Let¡¯s go back for now.¡± He mouthed the words with a pensive expression on his face. ¡°Go back to the Dwarven pce?¡± Xavier asked, a look of uncertainty on his face. ¡°No, let¡¯s go back to Eldoria,¡± Xander replied. What? Without Tang Yue? He didn¡¯t know why his brother who had been doting on Tang Yue to such an extent would suddenly leave her side. And where did Tang Yue disappear to? Xavier was extremely confused, but he didn¡¯t question his brother. He knew when to mess around with his brother and now didn¡¯t seem to be the time for it. Xavier silently followed Xander and the duo casually alighted onto the sky in the middle of the night. After that, they disappeared from the Dwarven Empire in the next couple of seconds, traveling almost at the full speed that they could muster. ¡°Brother, seriously, what happened?¡± Xavier looked extremely worried. Xander stopped moving and turned and looked back at him solemnly. ¡°There is a Deity realm elder in the Dwarven Empire.¡± Xavier shuddered, almost losing his bnce mid-air. ¡°D¡­ Deity level expert???¡± He disbelievingly repeated back. ¡°But that¡¯s impossible!¡± ¡°We would have known?¡± ¡°No. No. No. Brother, you must surely be mistaken!!!¡± Xavier started panicking. The current delicate bnce in the Nine countries and the fragile peace amongst the higher beings existed only because the elves were in power. And why were they in power? It was definitely not because the different races wanted it. It was not like the elves were worshiped and revered by everyone. It was only because the elves currently had the most powerful and strongest cultivators. They held an overwhelming advantage over others in terms of rawbat strength. So this new piece of information that there was a Deity realm cultivator in the Dwarven Empire changes everything! This means that the dwarves could at any point in time wage a war with the elves, destroying the current structure of the nine countries. And this was precisely why Xavier was panicking. Xander, however, looked calm and indifferent. He didn¡¯t seem to be worried about the same things Xavier was worried about. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± He replied. ¡°There is no need to worry about anything. At least for now.¡± ¡°That old man gave me his word,¡± Xander mumbled under his breath. He then finally returned back to his private quarters in the elven royal pce, thereby finishing his small vacation trip to the Dwarven Empire. As for Tang Yue¡­ Swept up in the waves of enlightenment, she hadpletely forgotten about where she was or who she was and was focused only on honing her skills. And when she stirred awake, she was immediately pulled into a strange ce that she had never seen before. Tang Yue was currently standing in front of a small hut. It was made of straw like material and looked as if it was going to copse at any second now. This rudimentary hut was located on the banks of an enormouske, surrounded by thick forests. The moon was perfectly reflected on the still waters of theke and theke itself seemed as if it was never ending. Golden colored fishes swam about in the shallow waters of theke and they jumped up ever so often, flying in the air for a few seconds beforending back into the water. Tang Yue dazedly looked around, her mind still half lingering on the matters of forging. One second she was admiring the bnce between the molecules of the metal and the elemental essences and the next second she was here. So she had no idea what the hell was going on. ¡°Master?¡± ¡°Master?¡± ¡°You¡­ old man?¡± Tang Yue tried her best to interact with the system, but the old man didn¡¯t respond. Even the system interface couldn¡¯t be opened. It was almost as if the old man had hidden himself and erased his presence. This only made Tang Yue worry even more! Just what the hell was happening? As she turned around and looked here and there, trying to search for some clues, an old archaic voice boomed from within the hut. ¡°Come inside, child.¡± A tremor ran through Tang Yue¡¯s body and she felt tremendous pressure on her body, mind, soul, and cultivation base. Someone was seeing through her entire figure, down to the veryst hair on her body. Tang Yue shivered. It was not a very pleasant feeling. As she pondered about the source of the voice and whom it might belong to, she suddenly realized that she was no longer under any disguise. Her pale blue skin shimmered in the moonlight and the loose robes on her slender seductive figure fluttered in the wind. Damn it. Tang Yue cursed. She hurriedly retrieved another disguise crystal from one of her spatial rings and crushed it with urgency. However¡­ Nothing really happened and her long forked tongue still danced inside her mouth. ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Little snake. Don¡¯t fret so much. Juste inside.¡± The archaic voice boomed again. Tang Yue froze in shock. ¡°L¡­ Little snake?¡± This way of calling¡­!!! It couldn¡¯t be right??? This was the old man calling her??? But wasn¡¯t he dead??? A thought sprung into her mind and she quickly ran into the hut throwing all caution to the wind. ¡°Master?¡± Tang Yue eagerly called out and stepped in. And vo! Just as she had expected, a scrawny old man was seated in the middle of the hut. He had an otherworldly profound aura about him and an unfathomable presence. More importantly, he was a dwarf! Chapter 288: Do you know this woman? Part2 Chapter 288: Do you know this woman? Part2 Tang Yue incredulously looked at the aged ancient dwarf in front of her, stroking his long beard and smiling at her. This man was her master? She simply couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. ¡°Master¡­?¡± Tang Yue hesitantly bowed. She then knelt on the floor of the small hut and kowtowed three times to pay her respects to the elder. But the old man was only amused at her sincere actions. ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. You are mistaken, child. I am not your Master.¡± ¡°It would be somewhat appropriate to call me an old friend of his.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tang Yue, still kneeling, looked up in disappointment. Even though she didn¡¯tpletely agree with the old man and his methods, he was the first person in her life to guide her, teach her and care for her. So she was slightly disappointed that the old man in front of her was not who she thought to be. But Tang Yue didn¡¯t have the luxury to linger on that thought for long. If this old man was not her Master, then it was highly possible that she was currently in immense danger. After all, she was a snake in the Dwarven Empire masquerading as a young dwarven girl. So how could a dwarven elder not punish her for this? She couldn¡¯t even fathom what realm this old man was in, but he emitted absolutely no aura. For all she knew, the dwarf in front of her might just be a simple mortal realm old man. But how could that be possible? Someone who was capable of teleporting another cultivator in the span of a second was most definitely someone who was not to be trifled with. As a million questions swirled within Tang Yue¡¯s brain, the old man calmly raised his hand and signaled her to sit down. ¡°Is that old fool still alive?¡± He gently asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, my Lord.¡± Tang Yue shook her head helplessly. She honestly had no idea about the answer to that question. ¡°Mmm¡­ I thought so.¡± The old man stroked his beard and nodded understandingly. ¡°Did that old fool give you the protective rune in person?¡± He asked. Tang Yue was slightly startled but then she quickly understood the question. This old man probably sensed the soul sliver embedded within her. ¡°No, my Lord.¡± She answered concisely, not revealing anything more. Though this person in front of her called himself her master¡¯s friend, she could tell that things were not so simple. Otherwise, why would the system interface and the old man disappear without leaving a trace? Clearly, he had gone under hiding. So the person in front of her was most likely a foe rather than a friend. Because of this Tang Yue didn¡¯t dare to reveal anything about the system as such. But the old dwarf in front of her casually saw through her deceit in a mere second and chuckled in amusement. ¡°As secretive as your Master¡­ Aha Ha Ha Ha.¡± ¡°Listen, child. You can rx. I am not your enemy.¡± ¡°That old fool is too untrusting and suspicious for his own good.¡± ¡°You should try not to be like him. Sometimes trusting others can be a tremendous strength.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Not everyone is rotten. Aha Ha Ha Ha.¡± Tang Yue awkwardly smiled. Some things were easier said than done. She knew that the old man was advising her for her own good, but still¡­ ¡°I understand, my Lord.¡± She obediently nodded. The dwarf could see that Tang Yue was not convinced but he didn¡¯t dwell on that matter. To each their own! He stroked his beard again and this time came straight to the main point. ¡°Why are you here in the Dwarven Empire child?¡± To this question, Tang Yue did not see any point in lying. She answered truthfully. ¡°I came here to learn about spirit smithing and soul smithing, my Lord.¡± ¡°Ooh. You have a soul weapon in your possession? Take it out.¡± The dwarf curiously asked. Tang Yue summoned her soul sword and showed it. The dwarf took it onto his hands and inspected it carefully. ¡°This indeed is a top-quality soul sword. If you nurture it properly, it has tremendous potential.¡± ¡°It is also at a very nascent stage. This is why you are easily able to control it and use it.¡± ¡°Not bad.¡± The old dwarf returned the sword back to Tang Yue. Tang Yue politely bowed and epted it. ¡°Your talent and luck are not bad to have obtained something like this so early on.¡± The old man gazed at her with his scrutinizing eyes. ¡°I can help you with spirit smithing. But as far as soul smithing is concerned, that¡¯s your own journey.¡± ¡°Even this old man is unable toprehend that heritage.¡± He chuckled. Tang Yue¡¯s sharp eyes immediately bulged. She was extremely surprised at his casual remark. Weren¡¯t the dwarves supposed to be super secretive about their top-grade spirit smithing technique? Why was this elder handing out such a powerful method to her like handing out candy? ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Don¡¯t think too much about it. I just owe a favor to that old fool, your master.¡± ¡°I might not be able to meet him again, so I thought I will help you out.¡± ¡°Besides, I think that there is someone in the royal city who would love to meet you.¡± Tang Yue was still dazed, but she quickly nodded and bowed to thank the elder¡¯s kind gesture. ¡°Ok then. It is time for you to head out.¡± ¡°Make sure to send your prince a jade slip message afterward, otherwise he might just set the dwarven empire on fire.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Young love.¡± The old dwarf chuckled heartily with a twinkle in his eyes. Tang Yue awkwardly nodded, blushing a little. She then bowed and kowtowed once more before stepping out of the small hut. She could tell that the old man was extremely powerful, maybe even more so than Xander, so she didn¡¯t want to linger any longer and push her luck. Chapter 289: Do you know this woman? Part3 Chapter 289: Do you know this woman? Part3 As soon as Tang Yue stepped out of that small rudimentary hut, she mysteriously found herself in the dwarven royal city¡¯s central square again. Surprisingly, she was even in her dwarven disguise without her doing anything. ¡°What technique did the old man use just now?¡± Tang Yue dazedly pondered. ¡°And where the hell is everyone?¡± The central square was now almost deserted, except for a few dwarven soldiers patrolling here and there. Since Tang Yue had been in a trance, she had no idea about what had happened or themotion she had inadvertently caused. So naturally, she was unaware of the reason why the typically bustling city¡¯s center now looked like a graveyard. Tang Yue frowned slightly but first, she decided to pay attention to more important things. ¡°Old man?¡± She called out inwardly and waited for a while but there was no response from the other end. She was just about to try and summon the system¡¯s interface when another figure unexpectedly materialized near her. ¡°Tang Yue?¡± An old dwarf stood next to her and looked at her curiously. Though he was simply gazing at her, there seemed to be a hint of animosity hidden within his gaze. Moreover, the man wore dwarven royal regalia and he had a powerful austere presence. Tang Yue gulped nervously. If she was not mistaken, this was one of the Grandmaster cksmiths who had been previously observing the contest from the pce courtyard. What did he want with me? Tang Yue didn¡¯t allow her anxiety to appear on her face and she humbly bowed. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°Hmph. Call me senior brother.¡± Huh? Tang Yue stared at the man in confusion. ¡°I have no idea who you are and what you did, but this is the first time something like this has happened.¡± ¡°Master has epted you as his disciple and you can learn our spirit smithing technique.¡± ¡°Though with your cultivation base and smithing skills, I don¡¯t see any point in this endeavor.¡± ¡°Ah~¡± Tang Yue now understood what was happening. That old man was probably the master of this old man and had asked him to teach the technique to her. Even though the dwarf sounded slightly hostile, Tang Yue still nodded her head gratefully. She cupped her hands and bowed slightly epting the tutge of the Grandmaster in front of her. ¡°Hmmm¡­ You don¡¯t have to pay your respects to me. I am not the one teaching you.¡± Huh? Tang Yue was once again stumped. These dwarves! Can¡¯t they just talk clearly and say everything at once! Just how many old men did she have to pay respects to!!! Without any further exnation, the dwarf started walking away from the central square and Tang Yue wordlessly followed him. This was a Grandmaster cksmith, one of the highest realm elders in the Dwarven Empire. This person was her senior brother? Just what sort of a sick joke is this? Tang Yue sighed in disbelief. As they continued walking amidst the deserted streets in the night, all the guards and soldiers who crossed them had incredulous looks on their faces. An elder was walking in the public? Just what the hell is going on? Now just Tang Yue but everyone who crossed them was confused. But no one had the guts to stop them and quench their curiosity. They just silently bowed and waited for the elder to cross them before carrying on with their work. Tang Yue and the elder continued walking and walking for quite a few minutes until they were almost at the outskirts of the royal city. And they walking in total silence. Each not saying a word to the other. Tang Yue could understand the elder¡¯s plight of having to call someone like her his junior sister. But this was really not her fault! She felt her whole body ufortably tingle because of the awkward silence. Maybe because she was busy stealing nces at the elder walking ahead of her and pondering about the night¡¯s unbelievable events, she hadn¡¯t quite realized where exactly they were headed to. But as they neared their destination, Tang Yue started recognizing the familiar streets and a few minutester, a familiar run-down smithy. She instantly stopped in her tracks, her brain freezing. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ Don¡¯t tell me¡­!!! Fuck! The very next minute, Tang Yue found herself standing beside the great almighty grandmaster cksmith dwarf in front of the small run-down smithy. This¡­ This¡­ Why the hell are we here? Tang Yue screamed inwardly. An ominous feeling bubbled up in her heart. She hoped that this was just a detour and not her destination, but as she watched the elder carefully lift the broken door, keep it aside and enter, she could almost guess what was waiting for her¡­ Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Tang Yue cursed her bad luck and followed the elder, stepping into the deste smithy. ¡°Ahem Ahem¡­ Senior brother Miller?¡± The elder crossed his hands in front of him, waiting for a response patiently. Senior brother Miller? Tang Yue started sweating as soon as she heard these words. Aha Ha Ha. How¡¯s that possible? There is no way. It can¡¯t be that drunkard. Maybe someone else is also here. She awkwardly consoled herself. But the elder standing next to her seemed extremely serious. He cleared his throat and patiently called out again. ¡°Senior brother Miller, Master sent me here.¡± This time he made sure to include the big shot¡¯s name. If he didn¡¯t mention their Master, the elder knew that the drunkard wouldn¡¯t probably respond to him, even if he stood there and called for him all day long. A couple of seconds passed¡­ And just as the elder had expected, a drunken wobbly figure swaggered from inside. ¡°Master? Hic. It¡¯s been so long. Didn¡¯t that old man die already?¡± ¡°Senior brother!¡± The elder was instantly infuriated. ¡°Don¡¯t be disrespectful!¡± ¡°Ha? Who the heck are you? This is my house. I will do whatever I want.¡± The drunkard swirled the alcohol in the bottle and chugged some more, before choking on the same and spraying the contents of his mouth on the Grandmaster cksmith. Chapter 290: Do you know this woman? Part4 Chapter 290: Do you know this woman? Part4 The drunkard swirled the alcohol in the bottle and chugged some more, before choking on the same and spraying the contents of his mouth on the Grandmaster cksmith. As drops of the pungent smelling liquor dripped from his face, drenching a part of his robe, the elder was livid with anger. ¡°Senior brother!!!¡± He shouted, unleashing the power of his cultivation base. Tang Yue¡¯s body trembled as an overwhelming killing intent surged from the dwarf standing next to her. The drunkard, however, looked as if he couldn¡¯t care less. This man! Tang Yue sighed. Was he going to get killed tonight? She couldn¡¯t discern either of these dwarves¡¯ cultivation base, so they were clearly at a higher level than her. She silently took a step back, not wanting to get caught between these two monsters. But the next instant, unexpectedly, the elder calmed down and the killing intent that was swirling as thick as a miasma disappeared into nothingness. ¡°Masters orders. Teach this child spirit smithing. I have nothing else to say to you.¡± The elder clearly controlled himself and mumbled, without bashing the nonchnt drunkard in front of him. And then to Tang Yue¡¯s dismay, he prepared to leave. No. No. Mister. Your highness. Kind lord. Please wait. Tang Yue dumbfoundedly looked at the elder who was about to leave, words noting out of her mouth. Just what sort of a dog shit luck was this??!! She could finally learn spirit smithing but this drunkard was her teacher? He was surely not going to teach her anything! Do these cultivators get more senile and foolish with age? Every single old man in her life was horrible and rotten! The elder could feel Tang Yue¡¯s gaze on him, but he simply sighed and walked away. If there was anything that he could have said to make the situation better, he would have already. Even he was helpless when it came to this senior brother of his. But just as he was about to disappear from the street and get away from the damned drunkard, he remembered something crucial andzily mouthed a few words. ¡°By the way, she is a snake.¡± The elder was then gone, probably returned back to his abode. His words, however, clearly echoed in the small run down smithy. Tang Yue felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured on her. That damned old dwarf did not keep her secret! Everyone knew her disguise now! What was even the point of her using this disguise crystal any longer? Earlier, she had thought that perhaps the elder was unhappy because such a useless person was now his junior sister. But it turns out that he knew her secret all along. No wonder, he was behaving so unfriendly to her. Tsk. Tsk. Is this why he pawned me off to this drunkard? Tang Yue inwardly cursed her bad luck. If that damned old man had simply kept his mouth shut about her identity, then none of this would have happened. But then again, she knew that she was asking for too much. It was already kind enough of him to have not killed her on the spot for disguising and spying in the dwarven empire. While Tang Yue pondered her future ns of action, a loud thud sounded near her. Huh? She turned around and looked at the drunkard standing next to her. This guy was still here? She was slightly surprised. She had expected the man and his huge pot belly to have already gone back to the stinking cot. But weirdly, he was still standing here. ¡°This. This. What did he say? What did he say just now?¡± The drunkard looked at Tang Yue with a bbergasted expression and repeatedly muttered the same words like a maniac. Tang Yue sighed helplessly. This guy was not even sober enough toprehend words now? For a split second, she even considered lying to him, but decided not to do so in the end. After all, that elder could pay this drunkard another visit any time in the future and then it wouldn¡¯t look too good for her. It was just better to tell him the truth and get done with this. ¡°I am a snake.¡± She looked at him and shrugged casually. The drunkard blinked incredulously and again asked her, this time, his voice visibly trembling and quaking. ¡°You are a serpentine spirit beast?¡± Tang Yue nodded her head, and she exined some more things as an after thought so that the man wouldn¡¯t hastily attack her. ¡°I came here to learn about spirit smithing. I have no ill intentions towards you or any other dwarves.¡± But the drunkard standing in front of her barely listened to her. He kept repeatedly mumbling those few words. ¡°You are a serpentine spirit beast?¡± ¡°You are a serpentine spirit beast?¡± ¡°You are a serpentine spirit beast?¡± He looked like he was in a trance and his eyes were glistening. Tears streamed out of his eyes and the grown man started bawling his eyes out like a small child. Tang Yue had no idea what she was supposed to do now. She just stood there awkwardly and waited for the dwarf to calm down. But the man didn¡¯t stop crying for a long time. He knelt on the floor and wailed out aloud without restraint, banging his fists against the floor, each fist making a dent on the hard stone. The dwarf almost looked as if he was on the brink of madness. Just by looking at him, Tang Yue could tell how much pain and desperation the dwarf was in. The dwarf might be a stranger to her, but as another living being, she couldn¡¯t help but feel moved and wondered if she could do anything to ease his pain. But for now, she just stood there and patiently waited for him. It took a couple more hours and the dwarf finally calmed down. He looked as if he had realized something important and quickly scrambled to look up at Tang Yue again. He fished out a thin piece of metal from within his robe and showed it to Tang Yue. ¡°Do you recognize her?¡± Chapter 291: Do you know this woman? Part5 Chapter 291: Do you know this woman? Part5 Miller fished out a thin piece of metal from within his robe and showed it to Tang Yue. ¡°Do you recognize her?¡± He knew that the old man wouldn¡¯t have sent anyone to his doorstep without a valid reason. And when he was clear-headed to think about this fact, a frightening thought popped up in his brain. It couldn¡¯t be, right? It couldn¡¯t be, right? How could such a coincidence ur? He knew that such a thing could never be possible, but still, his heart ached and he decided to ask the young girl anyways. Tang Yue stared at the thin metal piece on her hand without blinking. There was an outline of a woman etched onto the metallic sheet. The woman in the portrait looked very young. She had a silly smile on her face and her eyes were sparkling with love and affection. Clearly, whoever had etched her portrait, had done a really good job. The person had absolutely captured the essence of the woman. But Tang Yue right now was not in a mental state to observe all these details and admire the artwork. Her eyes incredulously looked at the sheet of metal as if she was seeing a ghost. The woman, so elegantly carved on the thin metallic sheet was none other than her own mother! Tang Yue wordlessly looked up at the dwarf in utter shock. Just who the hell was he and what was happening here? Watching her reactions, the drunkard¡¯s face visibly softened. It seemed as if this young girl knew the woman. ¡°You know her?¡± He again asked. Tang Yue opened her mouth to exin but she didn¡¯t know what to say. This man¡­ it looked like her mother knew this man. Perhaps he was a dear friend of hers or perhaps maybe even more. But her mother was most probably dead now. And having just witnessed the man¡¯s desperate cries, she didn¡¯t know how to tell him the bad news. The drunkard, however, clearly saw through her emotions. He bitterly smiled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I know that she is no longer with us.¡± Tang Yue sighed and slightly nodded. ¡°Yes. This is Lin Yue, my mother.¡± She answered him. This was not really a secret and anyone in the Serpentine Empire could tell him the same thing. So Tang Yue didn¡¯t see any harm in answering his question. ¡°Were you a good friend of hers?¡± She asked. The drunkard, however, was still staring at her with his mouth wide open. It took a while before he could process what he had just heard and two thin streams of tears dripped from his eyes. Ah~ Tang Yue swallowed her saliva awkwardly. From the looks of it, this man was definitely more than a friend to her mother. Back in the small hut, the old man had told her that there was someone in the dwarven empire who would love to meet her. Is this what he meant? Tang Yue now understood the situation better. This was definitely someone who knew her mother well. She couldn¡¯t help but feel excited. Since she had lost her mother at a very young age, she hardly had any memories of her. She couldn¡¯t even talk about her mother to any of the other snakes, because they all treated her mother like a criminal. But now she could ask this person in front of her about her mother and get to know more about her. Tang Yue sighed and smiled bitterly. It looked like it was indeed fate that they had crossed paths with each other. The drunkard by now settled down somewhat and sat on the floor like a small child, folding his knees to his chest and burying his head inside. From within that cocoon, he feebly asked. ¡°Child, could I perhaps ask you to undo your disguise?¡± Tang Yue saw that his entire body was trembling as he said these words. It looked like this small request meant a lot to the dwarf. So even though it was a little risky, she didn¡¯t mind it and immediately reverted back to her serpentine human form. But the dwarf in front of her still didn¡¯t look up. Rather it seemed as if he was afraid to look up. ¡°I removed my disguise.¡± Tang Yue even spoke up and reminded him, but the dwarf still didn¡¯t have the courage to look up. She again just stood there and patiently waited. After a long while, the dwarf finally managed to lift his head and look up slowly. Tang Yue was almost sure that the man was going to burst into tears again, but he only revealed a sad bitter smile. He looked at her speechlessly for a long time and finally buried his head inside his knees again. ¡°You are a spitting image of your mother.¡± He weakly muttered. Tang Yue didn¡¯t say anything. She already knew this. Her stepmother had in fact reminded her several times about how she exactly looked like that ¡®ursed woman¡¯. Tang Yue waited patiently for some more time but in the end, she started feeling a bit tired. Too many things had happened today and she feltpletely exhausted. It was also extremely awkward for her to witness a grown man crying like a small child. So she decided to give him some space and privacy. ¡°Umm¡­ I will head out now ande back again tomorrow morning.¡± She bowed politely and informed the dwarf. The man, however, still didn¡¯t look up at her or respond. So Tang Yue silently redid her dwarven disguise and hurried over to the inn where Charlotte and the beast cubs were staying in. Charlotte had also been extremely worried about her. She was forced to go back by the royal soldiers while they were clearing the crowd and had no idea what happened to Tang Yue after that. But when Tang Yue returned back, she looked extremely tired and sleepy. So Charlotte didn¡¯t ask her anything and simply continued sleeping next to her with a smile on her face. As long as you are okay¡­ Chapter 292: If I was giving it to your mother... Part1 Chapter 292: If I was giving it to your mother¡­ Part1 The next day Tang Yue and Charlotte, along with the two beast cubs, came to the smithy early in the morning. Tang Yue had already exined to Charlotte in detail about what happened the previous day, well omitting certain parts of course. Even Charlotte was immensely surprised. To find such a powerful ally at such a time was indeed truly a blessing! She could tell that Tang Yue was not giving her the full story, but she knew how to be tactful enough to ignore it. She would never betray Tang Yue but in the end, trust was something that had to be slowly and steadily earned. After the two chatted for a bit, Tang Yue and Charlotte got ready and walked over to the smithy. Even though things had progressed at an exponentially fast pace and Tang Yue now had an actual chance to learn something as profound as spirit smithing, the duo still felt very anxious. Previously, they had spent several weeks with the damned drunkard. So, they were not too sure that he would be of any help. But in the worst-case scenario, Tang Yue could always request the elder who brought her here and learn spirit smithing from him. So she wasn¡¯t too worried about it. In all honesty, she decided to pay a visit to the drunkard this morning, mainly to learn more about her mother. At least that¡¯s what she thought. Because when the duo finally reached the smithy, they almost couldn¡¯t recognize the ce at all. ¡°Erm¡­ Is this the wrong address?¡± Charlotte knitted her eyebrows and pondered out loud. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡± Tang Yue shook her head, but her eyes were filled with disbelief. The rusty run-down makeshift building which was there just yesterday night was no longer present. Instead, a strong, and sturdy two-story building with a polished and clean metallic exterior was standing proudly in front of them. What the hell happened overnight? How could an entire building be remodeled in the span of a single night? While the duo stood on the doorsteppletely dumbfounded, the thick metallic door creaked open and a dwarf stepped outside. Ah! Both the women simultaneously let out a loud involuntarily gasp! What the heck??? Standing in front of them was a strong and sturdy dwarf emanating a powerful profound aura. He had his hair neatly pulled back and tied together forming a small ponytail. His clothes were clean and crisp. The man¡¯s pot belly was no longer present. Instead, one could see his defined muscles straining under the robe. Since these were muscles developed from a lifelong training of smithing hard and powerful weapons, every single strand of the muscle was bulging with power and energy. Even though dwarves had a slightly short staturepared to the normal height of the higher beings, the man standing in front of them for some reason seemed extremely lofty and exalted. How could this powerful expert be the same drunken fool? If not for the hideous scar running through his face, Tang Yue wouldn¡¯t even have recognized him in the first ce. While the twodies continued staring at the dwarf with their mouths wide agape, the man coldly snorted. ¡°I thought you wanted to train in cksmithing? Is this the interest and effort you intend to show towards it?¡± Huh? Tang Yue was confused. ¡°If this is your attitude, you might as well forget about it. Pretty girls like you don¡¯t need to work so hard.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched. The sun had only just risen and the streets were also pretty much empty. They had walked over here very early in anticipation of hearing more about her mother. But still, that was tardy in the eyes of this bastard? Wasn¡¯t he just recently in a 24-7 drunken stupor all day and every day? He is nowmenting on my work ethic?! Tang Yue was livid, but she didn¡¯t say anything. She wanted to see just where this was going and she wanted to know more about her mother. So she gritted her teeth and apologized. ¡°I am sorry, my lord. I will arrive earlier tomorrow.¡± ¡°Hmph. Whatever. Use your actions and not your words.¡± ¡°Come inside now.¡± Miller coldly snorted and went back in and the two women silently followed him. Apparently, the inside of the smithy also received aplete overhaul and things were very neatly arranged now. The furnace was already roaring. Metal ore chunks were appropriately separated and stacked together. Various practice stations were set up. All in all, the building now looked like a proper smithy. These changes were not really too drastic, but all of this to happen in a single night? This man had indeed put some effort. Tang Yue sighed. And as soon as she did, Miller barked at her immediately, having caught her standing in a daze. ¡°What are you sighing for like an old person? Stand erect and pay your respects. Do you know how to pay respects to a Master?¡± Tang Yue nodded. She quickly knelt on the floor and kowtowed three times. She was not sure if their culture was simr to dwarven culture, so she just did what she knew. Miller didn¡¯t mind it and simply nodded. ¡°You are officially my disciple now.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you cked before, but now onward you need to work hard.¡± ¡°I am not in the habit of wasting my time, so if you fail to meet my expectations, you will be immediately thrown out.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s face slightly darkened. Not in the habit of wasting time? You! Just what were you doing yesterday? Isn¡¯t this going a bit too far? She was fuming inwardly at this hypocrisy, but she still bore with it and nodded obediently. After all, he was just telling her things that any other Master would have told. ¡°Ok. Let¡¯s not dwell too much on formalities and waste time.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you start from the basics and show me what you have learned until now?¡± Tang Yue nodded and walked towards a stack of purple molium ore chunks. This mid-grade metal had an inborn luster that shined even in its unrefined state. Naturally, it caught Tang Yue¡¯s eye and she decided to use that first. She was also eager to try the Hundred Bangs Refinement again because previously she was able to gain some insights and she wanted to memorize the feeling into her bones. However, when she walked over to the stack of ores, a cold snort sounded behind her. ¡°Why don¡¯t you first learn to walk before you run? Start with the iron ore chunks.¡± Miller sternly reprimanded her. Tang Yue wanted to tell him that she had already mastered it, but she doubted that the dwarf would ept such an answer. But as if he could read her mind, the man again loudly remarked. ¡°I will be the judge of whether you have mastered it or not.¡± ¡°Hai. Hai.¡± Tang Yue nodded and started throwing the ore chunks inside the furnace to melt them down. Since these were lower-tier materials, they did not require the refinement step. After melting the ores, Tang Yue poured them into three molds, one armor, and two long swords. She then removed the raw weapons and ced one of the swords on the anvil. Before beginning the main forging step, she quickly looked up to make sure the dwarf was examining her. Otherwise, this would only be a waste of time and she might even be asked to do it again. However, as soon as she looked up, Tang Yue felt a pair of stern cold eyes gazing at her with full attention. Not only that, but the man also immediately reprimanded her. ¡°Your concentration is too weak!¡± Tang Yue gulped nervously and quickly bent her head down again. She still fully didn¡¯t believe this man¡¯s act, but he sure was scary! She didn¡¯t want to be over-confident and make a trivial mistake, giving the hypocrite more ammunition to scold her. So she calmly took a few deep breaths first. She then used the hammer, lying near the anvil, and banged on the metallic weapon with full concentration. She adjusted the power, mana, and elemental essences mixed in her blow ording to the level that amon-grade ore could withstand. Tang Yue no longer needed to use her special skill ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ for forgingmon-grade weapons, but this time she still used it to ensure absolute perfection. Once she activated the skill, it was almost as if that long sword was a part of her own arm and she could feel every inch of the metal. After that, the rest of the process didn¡¯t take long and Tang Yue smoothly finished forging the long-sword, giving it a small boost in attack power and a minor fire attribute. Overall, she was extremely satisfied with her work and she smugly looked up at the dwarf. I told you that I have already mastered this! Her eyes twinkled. Chapter 293: If I was giving it to your mother... Part2 Chapter 293: If I was giving it to your mother¡­ Part2 Miller took the long-sword from Tang Yue¡¯s hand and looked at it for a couple of seconds. He then swung it around a few times before tossing it directly out of the smithy. ¡°You can now go start working with low-grade materials. Make me another long-sword.¡± The dwarf sternly instructed without giving any other criticisms. I told you so! Tang Yue nodded with a big grin and went back to the work desk. She then returned back to the dwarf after a few more hours handing him another long-sword, this time one made with heavy silver. ¡°Shall I start working with mid-grade materials now?¡± She confidently asked with big and bright eyes. However, Miller loudly snorted. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the sword perfect?¡± Tang Yue frowned slightly. This guy was putting too much of a show alright! ¡°Sure. The sword is perfect but your techniques are subpar.¡± ¡°With this talent, you will probably be forever stuck trying to forge a mid-grade weapon.¡± ¡°You are joking, right?¡± Tang Yue indignantly retorted. ¡°I have already gained some valuable insights on the Refinement methods.¡± ¡°I will definitely be able to forge a mid-grade weapon soon.¡± She confidently dered. But the dwarf mockingly chuckled. ¡°Do you want to listen to me now or do you want to listen to me after a month when you are still failing at this?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s face paled. She had indeed been failing at this technique. Even though herprehension of the metal¡¯s basic structure and framework had improved tremendously, she knew that she was still nowhere closer to deciphering the actual technique. So she didn¡¯t try to put on any fake airs and directly asked. ¡°Please advice, Master.¡± The dwarf revealed a smile for the first time and nodded contently. ¡°You have a weak constitution.¡± He didn¡¯t mince the words and mouthed slowly. ¡°How is that possible?¡± Tang Yue was rmed. She had been consistently eating several herbs and beasts and whatnot and her physical body was a superior evolved body. Miller sternly shook his head and again repeated his words. ¡°You have a very weak constitution. With a foundation like this, just why the hell are you even cultivating for?¡± ¡°As for learning to smith, you might as well forget about it.¡± Ah~ Tang Yue nkly stared, not knowing what to respond. Everything she did was on her own. She had a Master of sorts but that bastard was the worst and never reliable. Miller looked at her confused expression and sighed. ¡°Did you take pills for physical tempering?¡± He tried to exin further. ¡°Ummm¡­ Yes.¡± Tang Yue vaguely answered. She didn¡¯t know how else to exin it to him. ¡°That¡¯s a shortcut.¡± The dwarf reprimanded her. ¡°It¡¯s very easy to cleanse your body using pills, potions, and herbs, but you will alwaysck a strong foundation if you go this route.¡± Tang Yue awkwardly smiled and nodded without talking anything back because that¡¯s exactly what she did. ¡°I haveid out Kirrion ores in that corner. Go pick them up and hit them with the hammer ten thousand times.¡± ¡°Each hit should hold the full power that you can muster, not even a little less.¡± ¡°If you are tired, rest for a bit, and then continued.¡± ¡°But you need to finish these ten thousand hits by the end of the night.¡± Miller continued giving out instructions and Tang Yue continued obediently nodding. Charlotte, who was standing on the side and watching this show, couldn¡¯t help but giggle at the sight of Tang Yue being reprimanded like a small child. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± Miller suddenly turned around and red at Charlotte. It was Tang Yue¡¯s turn to giggle but unfortunately, she didn¡¯t have any time to spare and quickly ran away to finish her tasks. Facing the dwarf¡¯s icy re, Charlotte froze and shut her mouth tightly. Miller stared at her for a few seconds and then asked. ¡°Are you an elf?¡± ¡°Ah~ Umm¡­ Yes, my Lord.¡± Charlotte gulped and answered. ¡°You have a nice body constitution. One of the best I have ever seen, but you are still in the Saint realm?¡± ¡°Are you kidding me? What have you been doing?¡± ¡°Even if you had just spent the bare minimum efforts you could have already be a Demi-God!¡± Ah~ Charlotte didn¡¯t know how to respond. She helplessly looked at the two beast cubs next to her. ¡°Why are you looking at them? Are you rearing beasts? Is that all you want to be?¡± Miller mercilessly barraged her and cornered the poor girl. No one had ever spoken to Charlotte this way before and she looked as if she was ready to burst into tears. After a while, she couldn¡¯t take it anymore and shook her head vigorously. ¡°No. No. No. I will hard work. I will not ck anymore.¡± ¡°Young women these days are terrible, I see!¡± Miller coldly harrumphed. ¡°Come here and pay respect to your master.¡± He is going to train me as well? Charlotte stared at the scary dwarf dumbfoundedly, but she didn¡¯t think about it too much and quickly kowtowed. Learning from any Grandmaster was a huge deal. So she didn¡¯t squander this opportunity. In reality, it was Charlotte¡¯s constitution, the Divine Trigram constitution that was extremely rare and too shocking. Any Master would be delighted to have such a student as they can easily be at least a Demi-God or a Deity. Some people were just that blessed. So Miller obviously wouldn¡¯t let such a good seed go to waste, especially when the young girl was close friends with Tang Yue. The man might have been extremely strict and rude to Tang Yue, but he had changed his whole life overnight, swallowing his boundless sorrow, just to teach her a few things. That in itself showed how much care and concern he had for her. After Charlotte finished paying her respects, Miller loudly cleared his throat. ¡°I can see that you have practiced swordy. Did you learn alchemy?¡± Charlotte shook her head. ¡°You are an elf and you had no interest in learning alchemy?¡± Charlotte blushed in embarrassment and her face turned bright red. Her past was something extremely disgraceful and she hated it when someone brought it up. Just thinking about all the years she had wasted willfully pursuing Xander, infatuated like a dumb bimbo, made her want to bury her head somewhere. Miller saw that the woman was clearly not willing to answer his question. So he moved on. ¡°Ok. Let me see what suits your talent.¡± ¡°How proficient is your fire magic?¡± ¡°Master, I can perform a couple of high-grade spells before running out of mana,¡± Charlotte answered solemnly. ¡°Fine. Summon your mes for me.¡± Miller muttered scratching his chin, missing his beard already. Charlotte quickly flicked her hand and several tongues of me materialized. They were clearly a grade higher than what other Saint realm experts could summon. Miller nodded in approval and then asked another question. ¡°Do you have any other elemental affinity?¡± ¡°I can also sense some lightning essence, Master.¡± Miller couldn¡¯t help but raise his eyebrows slightly. ¡°Lightning essence? Hmmm¡­ Not bad.¡± ¡°Experts who manage tobine fire and lightning elemental spells are some of the most powerfulbatants.¡± ¡°Especially if they can alsobine these attacks with their swordy.¡± Charlotte obediently nodded, though she already knew these things. Unlike Tang Yue, she was born and brought up with a lot of resources, so she had more than sufficient ess to plenty of teachers. Miller continued giving her a few more pointers about the path she needed to take in the future and then he added something else as well. ¡°Typically lightning essence warriors are natural runemasters. Have you ever tried rune crafting?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ I have used them plenty of times but I have not tried crafting any.¡± Charlotte apologetically scratched her head. The dwarf couldn¡¯t help but rub his temples and sigh loudly to lower his blood pressure. This was precisely why he hated teaching rich brats! Though the missy in front of him didn¡¯t seem to be all that bad, she still very much had that nonchnt attitude, typically belonging to arrogant noble kids had. He looked at Tang Yue who was already busy with her tasks, her full concentration on the work, and then at Charlotte who was fidgeting restlessly. How did these two end up bing friends? Miller sighed. ¡°Crafting is not just to make the ends meet.¡± ¡°A craft can also help your cultivation base, hone your affinity to elemental essences and improve your physical strength and battle prowess.¡± ¡°So even if you are a young miss from the noble family, it is still worth it to excel in a craft.¡± Charlotte took to heart every single word from the dwarf and obediently nodded, but her face stillcked a certain resoluteness. Miller sighed and asked again, trying a different approach. ¡°Do you want to stand beside and fight as equals with your friend over there?¡± ¡°Or do you want to be simply left behind in the dust?¡± Chapter 294: If I was giving it to your mother... Part3 Chapter 294: If I was giving it to your mother¡­ Part3 ¡°Do you want to stand beside and fight as equals with your friend over there?¡± ¡°Or do you want to be simply left behind in the dust?¡± Miller looked at Charlotte and sternly asked. The poor elf was visibly stunned. She was already very nervous being questioned and criticized by a Grandmaster no less. But this time, the dwarf had hit the nail perfectly on its head. He had exactly asked the questions which Charlotte was dreading about. She was not blind to not see how Tang Yue was growing and developing at an exponential pace. It would not be long now when the woman crosses her and soon bes someone outside of her reach. And in all honesty, Charlotte was unsure if she could ever keep up with Tang Yue even if she tried her best. But that being said, it was always better to try and fail, rather than do nothing and fail anyway. Charlotte again only nodded silently, but this time there was a spark of resolution in her eyes. Even though it was very subtle, Miller could still see this small change in her attitude and scratched his chin in approval. Teaching rich brats was a pain in the ass, but he decided to make an exception for Charlotte. ¡°I willter gather some materials on rune crafting for you.¡± ¡°But since you are already in the Saint realm, you should quickly break through to the Demi-God realm first.¡± Charlotte, who had her head bent down until now, quickly looked up as if she had seen a ghost. Quickly breakthrough to Demi-God realm? Was that a joke? ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that brat. Did you think that I don¡¯t know about your body constitution?¡± ¡°Your physical body is naturally pristine without even the slightest amount of impurities.¡± ¡°While others have to go through strenuous physical body tempering, your body is already in peak condition.¡± ¡°Your mana affinity is also iparable.¡± ¡°You should have already broken through to Demi-God realm by now at least in these two aspects.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t squander the gifts given by the heavens. Cultivation is a long, arduous, and boring path.¡± ¡°But without strength and cultivation, you will only be forced to helplessly watch as your loved one withers away.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t want such a fate, put the required efforts and get the things done.¡± The man continued barraging Charlotte for a long time and when he was finally done, he took her to the second floor of the smithy. In one of the rooms, he quickly set up a fire elemental array for her. Tang Yue was using these arrays to physically condition herself but the real purpose of such arrays, well less powerful version of such arrays, is to concentrate the respective elemental essences. With the help of the array, now Charlotte would be able to cultivate at a much faster pace and with more efficiency. The girl usually disliked sitting by herself like this and spending her time cultivating, but today, she obediently followed all of Miller¡¯s orders, bite the bullet, and silently cultivated. While Charlotte was cultivating on the second floor of the smithy, Tang Yue was rigorously bashing the hammer against the hardened Kirrion metal using the full power of her cultivation base and her physical strength. Kirrion ores were the famous supreme quality metal ores used for smithing spirit weapons. But Miller had casually taken out a whole bunch of them for training Tang Yue¡¯s physical body condition. If anyone else in the Dwarven Empire saw this, even if it was another Grandmaster, they would surely pop a blood vessel. Kirrion ores were indeed one of the best ways to train one¡¯s physical body. Every strike on the ore, as soon as the hammer touches the metal¡¯s surface, sends out a powerful bacsh out which puts extreme pressure and stress on the person. The meridians, the blood vessels, bones, muscles, tendons, and every single part of the body undergo repeated tempering and conditioning through these powerful bacshes. Using this method, even without ingesting any herbs and elixirs, impurities from the body were kicked out through sheer brute force. So surely it was a top-grade method for tempering one¡¯s body. However, no one dared to use it because the price of such ores was simply too ridiculous. Instead of wasting resources on physical tempering, if one were to sell the ore or smith it into a spirit weapon, the money from this one sale itself would be even for seven generations to live peacefully. Even though the Dwarven Empire had several mines capable of birthing Kirrion ores, it was still never enough. The supply was ridiculously lower than the demand. Not even the Dwarven Emperor himself had aplete set of spirit armor and weapons. Not only were these extremely difficult to forge, but they also had an abysmal sess rate. So, in reality, these spirit weapons were humongous gold sinks. But it was still worth it because this was the best possible weapon and armor even at a Deity¡¯s level. More importantly, the strength and power of the weapon and armor grow with the user. So when a cultivator steps into the Demi-God or Deity realm, their weapons and armors would also be of the same grade. Because of all of this, no one would dare to use Kirrion ores for mere physical tempering. But currently, Tang Yue was in fact training hard with this exact same precious heavenly metal. Every time her hammer swung and hit the chunk of ore, her entire body shook and trembled from the pressure of the backsh, intense waves of pain and agony storming through her body, slowly but steadily chiseling it. With just a dozen swings, blood started pouring out of her orifices and Tang Yue was already at her limits. She could only rest a little, wait for the pain to be bearable, before once again hitting the damned chunk of ore with her hammer. Just like this, the two women continued working hard, all the way through the night. Because Charlotte was cultivating, she didn¡¯t necessarily need a break. And Tang Yue was not even a little bit closer to finishing her assigned ten thousand hits, so she couldn¡¯t take a break. As a result, the duo ended up training rigorously for almost an entire week without even taking a single night off to sleep and recuperate. When Tang Yue finally managed to finish her first set of ten thousand hits on the 8th day, she simply copsed on the spot. Little Blue ran howled anxiously and ran towards its master, licking her face a dozen times, but Miller just chuckled. He actually did not expect Tang Yue to finish the entire set on her first try itself, but the girl had stubbornly persisted till the end. ¡°Yue, your daughter is just like you. Stubborn and unreasonable.¡± The dwarf covered his face and chuckled, a mncholic smile on his face. He then stood up and left the smithy, leaving Tang Yue by herself. The woman was copsed on the floor lifelessly like a frog run over by a carriage. But soon fire elemental and earth elemental essences started swirling around her body. Mana from the air entered her body inrge volumes as if she was a vortex sucking out all the energy in the surroundings. Each strand of mana was a breath of fresh air and it nourished and healed Tang Yue¡¯s tired body like rain on parched ground. This type of physical conditioning was almost the same as Tang Yue¡¯s evolution abilities. Her body was broken downpletely and was now being rebuilt. But unlike the evolution ability, where her innate magic and altered bloodline drove this process, here the bacshes from the Kirrion ores triggered this process and now it was progressing naturally without any driving factor. This type of conditioning was even superior to her evolution ability in a way. But the scary part wasbining both her evolution ability and this sort of physical tempering. Since her body was already an evolved one, Tang Yue would now be several folds stronger than a normal cultivator who had undergone the same physical tempering. A couple of hourster, Tang Yue stirred awake and immediately sat down in a cross-legged position to properly cultivate. She could feel that her earth essence mana core was already at the Broke rank bottleneck. If she pushed through, she will be easily able to reach the Silver rank Emperor realm. However, because of her training in the smithing process, her earth elemental core was progressing at a much faster pace than her fire elemental core. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but wonder if this was what the old man had warned her about. If one focused on two different elemental cores, it was inevitable that eventually one would be primary and the other would be secondary, and overall, this will create an imbnce. Since Miller was not around, Tang Yue decided to talk to her other Master and see what the old man had to say about this. Chapter 295: If I was giving it to your mother... Part4 Chapter 295: If I was giving it to your mother¡­ Part4 Tang Yue was not sure if the old man would respond to her since thest time he had hidden his presence. But as soon as she thought about him, the familiar nasal voice sounded. ¡°Dumb little snake, are you looking for me?¡± The veins on Tang Yue¡¯s forehead throbbed on hearing that same old damned nickname. But she swallowed her grievances and asked. ¡°What would happen if progress in the cultivation of my two mana cores is different?¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Of course, you will burst and you will be a cripple.¡± ¡°An imbnce in your body¡¯s cultivation center is like a ticking time bomb, dumb little snake.¡± ¡°This is exactly why I warned you not to start cultivating two elemental essences.¡± ¡°I told you so, dumb little snake.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s face immediately darkened several shades. She didn¡¯t even care that much about the problem at that. Where there were problems, there were also solutions. But this damned old man¡¯s attitude had clearly worsened and had even be rotten. Did he really have tough at her problems? Tang Yue bit her lips and begrudgingly retorted back. ¡°Old man, you are the worst teacher in the world.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Are youparing me with that slob drunkard?¡± ¡°Let me tell you dumb little snake, if I was giving it to your mother, I would also probably treat you better!¡± Tang Yue gasped loudly in shock and anger. What the hell??? How dare this bastard? ¡°Shut up, you old goat. Don¡¯t talk about my mother like that.¡± ¡°They were friends. They were just friends. Do you hear me?¡± The old man coldly harrumphed and didn¡¯t bother to respond to her anymore. Tang Yue as well didn¡¯t bicker with him any longer. Clearly, the bastard was in a mood and he was just randomly attacking her. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the old man was in a foul mood because of his so-called friend, that dwarf she had met inside the hut? This man and his rotten tongue! No wonder everyone hated him! She put the damn bastard out of her mind and started thinking about how to improve her fire essence cultivation. When Miller returned back, Tang Yue still hadn¡¯t started her training for the day, the next set of ten thousand bangs. So the dwarf sternly asked her about it. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, brat? Why are you cking?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ My fire elemental core cultivation iscking, Master.¡± Oh! The dwarf¡¯s eyebrows immediately raised in surprise. This was something that he was about to discuss with Tang Yue, so the dwarf was surprised when she raised the topic all on her own. The child indeed had brilliant instincts when it came to cultivation. He couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly proud even. The man¡¯s appearance, however, remained stern and he nodded in approval. ¡°Take this slip with you and also the Kirrion ore chunks.¡± ¡°If you head inside the depths of the royal mines, there will be an elder guarding one of the caves.¡± ¡°Hand over to him this slip and tell him that you are here to use my share of the cultivation time.¡± ¡°Ah~ But Master¡­¡± Tang Yue received the slip in her hands and hesitated. A cultivation space meant for Grandmasters? That must surely be an extremely valuable resource! If she uses up his time, then what would the dwarf use? Wouldn¡¯t his own cultivation progress be affected because of this? She didn¡¯t want to take advantage of her mother¡¯s friend in this manner. ¡°Did you go deaf, brat? I already told you to do something.¡± ¡°So why are you still standing here? Don¡¯t think too much.¡± ¡°First, go there and see what it is.¡± ¡°I guarantee that you won¡¯t be able to withstand that ce for more than an hour.¡± Tang Yue nodded and quickly epted. She knew that she needed every help that she could get to improve her strength and form. So she didn¡¯t stand on ceremony and act pretentious. So she quickly took the slip and a few chunks of Kirrion ore in her spatial ring and headed towards the eastern mountains. The royal mine stretched all the way throughout the entire mountain range but the main entrance was located near the royal pce itself. It was a sort of shortcut. So Tang Yue headed over to that entrance. From there, she would be able to get directions to all the areas in the mines. The royal mines exclusively belonged to the dwarven royal family and the cksmith Grandmasters. This was because this particr mountain range contained several heavenly treasures that enabled the birth of Kirrion ore nodes. When the dwarf at the entrance saw Tang Yue, he was immediately surprised. He knew and recognized everyone who came here and hers was a new face. ¡°Are you the new personal disciple Grandmaster Hijy epted?¡± The dwarfzily asked. ¡°Umm¡­ My name is Yana. And here is a jade slip from my Master.¡± ¡°Yana?¡± The dwarf was confused but quickly perked up. So this was the famous young woman who had somehow managed to seduce the elven prince! The dwarf looked at Tang Yue up and down a couple of times, but no matter how much he looked he just couldn¡¯t point out why someone like the elven prince would be interested in this average-looking woman. Well, whatever. He shrugged his shoulders casually and looked at the jade slip that the young dwarven girl had given him. ¡°Grandmaster Miller? Girl, are you trying to y tricks on me? I know all the Grandmasters in the Dwarven Empire.¡± ¡°Who is this Miller?¡± The dwarf returned the jade slip back to Tang Yue. ¡°Listen brat, don¡¯t get cocky just because some foreigners took an interest in you.¡± ¡°Not everyone can ess these resources. You should go and try your luck somewhere else.¡± ¡°Perhaps you should try seducing one of the dwarven princes instead of elven princes and then you might be able to enter here.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha.¡± ¡°Oh. By the way, you can seduce me too!¡± ¡°I might not be able to get you ess to these mines, but I can definitely show you a good time.¡± The dwarf chortled arrogantly and continued mocking Tang Yue. Tang Yue scratched her head awkwardly. Thanks to the devil, her reputation in the Dwarven Empire had tankedpletely. She didn¡¯t have any previous enmity with this man. So if he was behaving this obscenely to her, then it could only mean that someone had spread some vicious rumors about her. But leaving all that aside, howe this dwarf didn¡¯t recognize my Master¡¯s jade slip??? She yed with the small jade slip in her hands while thinking about what to do now. She could always go back and get Miller to personallye here but if she did that, she would definitely lose face and look like a useless little girl who needed other¡¯s help for everything. That man was the first formal teacher she ever had so she didn¡¯t want to embarrass him. After hesitating for a bit, Tang Yue asked the irritating guard another question. ¡°Mister, this jade slip¡­ does this act as a key by any chance?¡± ¡°I need to ess the special fire essence cultivation room and my Master said that I could use his cultivation time.¡± ¡°So does this jade slip perhaps also act as a key to the cultivation room, allowing me to enter inside and ess the area?¡± The dwarf immediately raised his eyebrows after hearing Tang Yue¡¯s question. This girl even knew about the fire essence cultivation room? Now he was not sure anymore if the young girl was simply messing around. Could she really be telling the truth? Who is this Grandmaster Miller? The chances were slim, but if what she said was indeed true, then he would be in a lot of trouble. Especially considering how he had let his mouth run saying this and that. The dwarf quickly adjusted his attitude and tried to salvage the situation. ¡°Listen, I was just joking around earlier. Don¡¯t take it to heart.¡± ¡°As a young girl, your reputation and virtue are very important. I have heard some bad rumors about you.¡± The man started lecturing Tang Yue out of nowhere. Tang Yue shook her head helplessly. Her patience was growing thin because she really wanted to see what this special cultivation room was. ¡°Excuse me, please stop with your nonsense.¡± ¡°Can you take me to the cultivation room or at least give me some directions?¡± ¡°Or do you want me to go back and bring my Master here?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Now that I think about it. My Master is a very short-tempered man.¡± ¡°If he knew that you were the reason, he had to waste his time and personally bring me inside¡­ I wonder what will he do to you???¡± ¡°I am sure that it will be extremely entertaining to watch.¡± Tang Yue grinned, her smile sending shivers down the dwarf¡¯s spine. He no longer dared to talk any unnecessary bullshit and signaled Tang Yue to follow him. Chapter 296: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part1 Chapter 296: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part1 The dwarf quickly hurried through the winding tunnels inside the mountain, and Tang Yue closely followed behind him. These tunnels were almost asplex as thebyrinth¡¯s tunnels. However, there were clear directions and markers. They even crossed a couple of other dwarves, most probably the direct disciples of some Grandmaster, who were on their way out. And of course, they threw a condescending look towards Tang Yue as they walked past her, very loudly gossiping about the incidents of the previous day. ¡°Is she that girl who is the mistress of the elven prince?¡± ¡°What mistress? I heard that she was a slut who simply managed to make her way to the man¡¯s bed.¡± ¡°Ah. OK. That makes sense.¡± ¡°Which man would prefer such a in-looking womanpared to the beautifuldy Charlotte?!¡± ¡°Ha Ha. Yes Yes. Was it four years ago, when the Prince and his consort both together visited the royal city?¡± ¡°They were truly a good-looking couple!¡± ¡°This girl must definitely have some perverted tricks up her sleeve to make such a man fall for her and bed her!¡± Tang Yue¡¯s face visibly darkened. She didn¡¯t care too much about some random dogs barking at her. However, the woman couldn¡¯t help but wonder just what the heck happened on thest day of the contest!!! Since she was engrossed in her enlightenment state, Tang Yue was not fully aware of the events of that night. And immediately after she regained her consciousness, once again too many unbelievable things had happened. So in the end, she didn¡¯t have much time to think about what happened that night. While Tang Yue was busy mulling over this issue, the old man chimed in abruptly. ¡°Ha Ha, little snake. What stinking teacher you have!¡± ¡°So much exaggeration for some stinking fire essence cultivation room!¡± ¡°How about I give you a different fire elemental array?¡± ¡°You can sit in the convenience of your home and still enjoy top-tier cultivation resources.¡± Tang Yue ignored the damned old man. She knew that the bastard must surely have some traps for her if he was willingly being so generous. ¡°There is no way I am molesting that poor girl anymore!¡± Tang Yue coldly snorted, rejecting the proposal in advance. ¡°Stupid little snake. Just what do you think about me? Do you think I am sort of a perverted lecher?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t even know a good thing when it sits on your face! Hmph!¡± ¡°Oh, I see! So, you want Charlotte to sit on my face? Or wait, do you want me to sit on her face?¡± Tang Yue snidelymented, mocking the old man. She had uttered those words without understanding the meaning behind them, but when the old man heard them, he immediately burst into a fit ofughter. ¡°You girls can lick each other all you want. Why should I care about that?¡± ¡°This is the new mission!¡± Huh? Huh? Lick each other? What the hell is he talking about? Tang Yue raked her brain for a couple of seconds when she finally realized what she had spoken. Damn it! Her face immediately heated up and she wanted to bury her head somewhere. When will I ever learn that arguing with that bastard will only bring down my intelligence level!!! Argh! While Tang Yue was suffering through her embarrassment silently, a new quest popped up. Ding. New Special Quest Avable Ding. p the dwarf Miller three times. Ding. Reward: Fire essence cultivation array form Tang Yue wordlessly opened and closed her mouth after seeing this particr quest. A thought popped into her mind. This old man¡­ Could he possibly be jealous of my new teacher? Several experts preferred to have exclusive disciples. That too, someone at a Grandmaster¡¯s level would even find it very offensive if their disciple had certain other Masters as well. So this was not really umon, but to react in this way! How childish!!! Tang Yue chuckled to herself and ignored the quest. Just because there was a quest, it didn¡¯t necessarily mean that she had to do it. At the least, she could first take a look at this special dwarven cultivation room and then think about the quest if the need arose. The duo walked for a few more minutes before the dwarf finally stopped in front of a huge stone door. There were intricate patterns and carvings on the door that looked likeplex runes. ¡°This is the fire essence cultivation room?¡± Tang Yue gaped at the huge door and asked. ¡°Mmhm. This is the fire chamber and one can use it for cultivation, physical tempering, forging fire attribute weapons, and several other purposes.¡± ¡°It is one of the most valuable resources avable in the Dwarven Empire.¡± The dwarf mumbled and looked at Tang Yue with a bit of jealously in his eyes. ¡°Now if you could take out your jade slip, the door will open and you can enter the chamber.¡± ¡°Once you are inside, take out the jade slip again when you are finished with your work.¡± ¡°The chamber door will again open and you will need to step out.¡± ¡°In case your time runs out as well, the door will open and you will be required to leave.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t follow the rules ordingly, the jade slip will break into two and you won¡¯t be able to ess the chamber the next time.¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± Tang Yue nodded her head in response. She was extremely eager to see what was inside and quickly took out the jade slip. And as soon as she did that, the humongous stone door rumbled and groaned as it slowly slid open. Tang Yue¡¯s fingers ran over the edges of the stone door and she cautiously stepped inside. But an invisible force slightly pushed her inside and the door quickly shut tight behind her. ¡°Fuck! She was indeed telling the truth!¡± The dwarf saw the scene with his mouth agape. Even though he had brought Tang Yue here, he never expected her jade slip to actually work. ¡°Luckily, I didn¡¯t run my mouth too much!¡± ¡°Just who the hell is this Grandmaster Miller?¡± The dwarf wiped the sweat off of his forehead and walked away grumbling. Chapter 297: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part2 Chapter 297: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part2 On the other side of the stone door, Tang Yue stood frozen in her tracks. As soon as she stepped inside, a strong burst of fire essence assaulted her entire body, flooding each and every single pore in her body with fire essence mana. The temperature was exceedingly high and it felt like she was swimming in moltenva. If it was any other Emperor realm cultivator, they wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand this high temperature even for a whole minute. But thanks to Tang Yue¡¯s high heat resistance and her affinity to the fire elemental, she felt oddlyfortable, as if she was submerged in a rxing hot water bath. The umted fire essence in the air around her naturally entered her mana core, nourishing it and filling it with waves of energy. Tang Yue took a deep breath and shed her eyes open. She calmly observed her surroundings. The interior of the stone chamber was not really that much different from the rest of the mountain. It was just a small space caved out, but at the center of the chamber there was a jade trigram rune set up. And within this rune, there was a small flickering tongue of me. Tang Yue curiously tried to walk closer to see what it was, but she couldn¡¯t take more than a couple of steps. The more closer she was to the small flickering tongue of purple me, the more intense the pressure from the heat became. Her skin started sizzling and even her disguise was erased off by the thick strands of fire essence. Tang Yue immediately panicked and stepped back. She quickly took out a disguise rune and crushed it,breathing in relief only after her serpentine figure was hidden. What exactly is this? Tang Yue pensively stared at the small purple me. Before she could even finish that thought, a familiar blob of fire popped up in front of her. Little Plum! Tang Yue was very startled. Little Plum was a very obedient cutie. It had never appeared before her without her permission. What was happening? Coincidentally, the old man¡¯s voice as well chimed in at the same time. ¡°Dumb little snake, you have really lucked out this time! Forget about my cultivation array.¡± ¡°This me is a fragment of the heavenly me. How the hell did that jerk manage to obtain this?¡± ¡°Quick cultivate here and you can easily saturate your mana cone. You can even form the foundation seed.¡± ¡°Heck, you might be even able to form a mana sea and step into the Demi-God realm.¡± ¡°This is truly a windfall. Set up camp here and don¡¯t leave until you train topletion.¡± Tang Yue carefully listened to the old man and took a deep breath to calm herself down. She didn¡¯t know that the small violet me in front of her was such a huge deal!!! It was big enough to make even the elder flustered. She took a couple more deep breaths and then looked at the small blob of fire buzzing in front of her. ¡°Master, could this me be useful to this baby elemental too?¡± ¡°Of course, the heavenly me is said to be the one of the corews of the universe.¡± ¡°It has numerous beneficial effects for you Little Plum, but everything depends on the capabilities of this elemental.¡± ¡°It has its own potential,ws and limits.¡± ¡°So we can¡¯t say anything for sure. Just summon it out while you are here and the rest is fate.¡± Tang Yue nodded in understanding. Just like she can cultivate fire elemental essence, Little Plum was also able to cultivate fire elemental essence. And to that small elemental, this almost invisible tongue of purple heavenly me was like a divine elixir. ¡°Good luck, Little Plum.¡± Tang Yue smiled. The small thing buzzed excitedly as if it was responding to her. Tang Yue then selected an appropriate spot and sat down cross-legged in the stone chamber itself. She mediated by inhaling deeply the multitude of fire essence mana particles swirling around her. Her chestfortably heaved up and down as the young dwarven girl continued cultivating peacefully. Unlike Tang Yue who was currently seated in the outer area of the stone chamber, Little Plum was silently buzzing slightly inside, two steps ahead of her. It was a fire elemental after all, so it had far better resistance andprehension of the firews. So it was able to go more closer to the purple me. And just like this, the duo continued cultivating simultaneously in the dwarven fire essence cultivation chamber. Ever since certain things had happened in the past, Miller barely ever used this chamber and on top of that, he was a Grandmaster cksmith. So without even actively contributing anything to the Dwarven Empire, he had still amassed quite a bit of cultivation time over the years. If Tang Yue wanted, she could stay in this chamber for months together. And she did exactly that. For almost an entire month, Tang Yue patiently focused her mind and cultivated inside the stone chamber. After her fire elemental core was eptably bnced with her earth elemental core, she took out the Kirrion ore chunks and started hammering them again. The pressure from both the heavenly me and the Kirrion bacshes sent ripples through her body and she could almost tangibly feel her transformation. And once she felt drained from the exhaustion, she would quickly take a step back and recover. The same stone chamber served both the purposes, the training and the recovery. ¡°No wonder the dwarves call this a top-tier cultivation resource and heavily guard it!¡± Tang Yue licked her lips greedily and once again started banging on the chunks of Kirrion ore. The dense earth elemental essence swirling within the mountains and the pure fire elemental essence from the heavenly me both nourished her and filled her with energy. This type of training was truly efficient! Meanwhile¡­ Outside the stone chamber¡­ ¡°That bitch is still not out??? What the hell? Why do I have to wait for that random beggar?¡± La tapped her fingers on the cave wall as she impatiently waited outside. Chapter 298: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part3 Chapter 298: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part3 La tapped her fingers on the cave wall as she impatiently waited outside. ¡°How does she have this much time on her jade slip?¡± ¡°I bet she is just standing uselessly in the outer circle and wasting everyone¡¯s time.¡± ¡°This is what happens when a top cultivation resource is blindly handed over to an idiot. Hmph.¡± The dwarf who was guarding the entrance could only apologetically look at La and bow and apologize to her every now and then. This was not his fault but he didn¡¯t want to incur the wrath of the princess. In fact, neither of them had the power to do anything about this. These were the rules and regtions set up by the Emperor and the old Master and everyone had to obey them. In reality, this kind of situation had never happened before, so this problem had stumped everyone. Not many can withstand more than an hour inside the stone chamber, even at the outer edges. So the maximum time someone remains within was simply a few minutes or an hour at most. asionally, when a Grandmasters visits the stone chamber the room would be upied for maybe a day or two. But even then, they would eventually be forced to step out because their allocated time would ultimately run out. So this was the first time since the setting up of the cultivation chamber that something like this was happening. Tang Yue had by now hogged the stone chamber for almost an entire month and a half, thereby preventing anyone else from using it. And this was in no way a small issue. In order to produce fire attribute weapons, this stone chamber was irreceable. Several Master cksmiths and Forge cksmiths regrly used this room in order to gain insights and have a better output, especially when they were making weapons. Fire elemental essence had the highest chance to improve the attack power of the weapon. So the unavability of the stone chamber affected their work quite a bit. Within the span of a few weeks, Tang Yue had sessfully managed to piss off almost all the high-ranking dwarves and the direct disciples of the dozen Grandmasters. So not just La but several people were out for her blood. But the most important revtion to everyone, almost the entire royal city was the presence of a new Grandmaster cksmith amongst them, the famous drunkard. Everyone who had looked down upon the smithy and the drunkard were now going green with envy. Even other Grandmasters¡¯ personal disciples wanted to bang their heads against the wall. Though they were personal disciples, they only got to asionally interact with their teacher. But in Tang Yue¡¯s case, they knew that the dwarf had handed over several weeks worth of cultivation time in the stone chamber. She was getting the highest grade of treatment which others couldn¡¯t even dream about. Several juniors also tried to use this chance and be Miller¡¯s disciples. However, the dwarf bluntly turned everyone down and in the end, even used an ¡°Istion¡± rune. A barrier popped out around the medium-sized building preventing anyone and everyone from ever stepping in or even knocking on the smithy¡¯s door. This only made them even more frustrated. Miller was the only Grandmaster who was almost at their reach, but they still couldn¡¯t meet him and beg him for tutge. ¡°What do we do now?¡± Gale asked Ginko, the two sitting inside an inn and eating their meal. Ginko didn¡¯t say anything. He only sighed in silence and shifted his gaze to Tang Xi, who was also sitting with them. As opposed to the restless and anxious states the goblins were, Tang Xi was more rxed and casual. Shezily bit into the roasted boar¡¯s leg and enjoyed the delicious meat dissolving in her mouth. ¡°Are you not the least bit worried?¡± Gale plucked another unwanted hair from his chin in annoyance. ¡°Why should I be worried?¡± Tang Xi indifferently replied. She had indeed suffered a bitter defeat once again, but that was not because of her sister. It was rather because of Xander who had stepped in at the nick of time and thwarted off her attack. At least that¡¯s what she believed to have happened. And now, everyone knew that both the elven princes had left the Empire. Tang Yue might have seduced her way into bing a Grandmaster¡¯s personal disciple, but at the end of the day, Tang Xi knew too well that women were merely ythings for men. There was no way that the dwarf was going to be protecting Tang Yue at all times. She only needed to wait for a perfect opportunity and then taking out Tang Yue would be as easy as taking a shit. Gale looked at the confidence in her eyes and didn¡¯t know whether to believe in her strength or not. Thanks to her, they had achieved the impossible and finished the first part of their mission. They had sessfully identified Tang Yue among thousands of dwarves! But now that they knew who she was, Marvin was getting impatient, as well the high council elder Darius. They had already sent several jade slipmunication messages to the two goblins. If the mission was not aplished soon, then it would only be their heads that rolled. None cared about Tang Xi and what she did or did not do. So of course, these two were much more anxious and impatientpared to the snake sitting next to them. While the two goblins uninterestedly munched on their food, Tang Xi ate her portion with an appetite and quickly went back up to her room in the inn. Once inside, she locked the door behind her and removed her outer robe. This revealed her shoulders and upper back, and the numerous unsightly scars etched onto them. She then sat down on the cot in front of the window. She did not cultivate. she did not meditate. She did not do anything. Tang Xi simply sat by the window and stared at a spot in the distance. This was the entrance from the royal pce into the northern mines. This was where Tang Yue had entered into the mountain range and this was where she would be soon exiting as well. Tang Xi¡¯s long tongue flickered in and out as she patiently waited for her dear sister. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Inside the stone chamber, Tang Yue slowly rotated her mana cores as she absorbed more and more fire essence and earthen essence swirling around her. Her two mana cores were now the size of big melons and revolved around the center of her body. ¡°Ok. Enough. Stop now, little snake. Don¡¯t breakthrough into Saint realm just yet.¡± Tang Yue stopped. Even if the old man hadn¡¯t reminded her, she was not crazy to try and condense her elemental seeds before her physical body stepped into the Saint realm. While the Mortal realm, Martial realm, and Emperor realm were beginning stages of cultivation, the Saint realm was the first step towards immortality. At this point, the world¡¯s energy nourishes the life force and prolongs one¡¯s life span from a mere hundred years to several thousand years. This was also the stage where one¡¯s foundation is stabilized. So this was an extremely crucial step and hence has to bepleted with absolute perfection. Otherwise, if the foundation was shaky, then everything would remain forever imperfect. ¡°I understand, Master.¡± Tang Yue obediently nodded and started swinging the hammer again. For some people, this might be an extremely boring and monotonous process, but if one was truly pushing oneself, then it wouldn¡¯t be as simple. And Tang Yue most definitely pushed herself as much as she could. The bloodbath that awaited the entire Nine Countries was motivation enough for her to push herself to the extreme. She didn¡¯t have any lofty goals to be the entire continent¡¯s savior or some sort of supreme heroine who saves the day. She only wanted to work hard and garner as much strength as she could to protect herself and the few who mattered to her. If she aimed for anything else, she would only be lying to herself. The old man could sense her chaotic thoughts and sighed. The cycle of life was as such. The strong preyed on the weak and there were no exceptions to this. ¡°Little snake, don¡¯t break into the Saint realm just yet. You should stop here for now.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked. These days the old man had been weirdly helpful and forting with knowledge. But this only made her more frightened! ¡°Dumb little snake, listen. Did you think that you were eating all those herbs for time pass?¡± ¡°When you step into Saint realm, your entire body will be remade from top to bottom.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t that happen with every evolution?¡± Tang Yue was confused. The old man could only helplessly sigh. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s because you are a special case. But for others, Saint realm is when a person¡¯s body constitution solidifies.¡± ¡°You should stop the physical tempering here and use my set of elemental arrays to improve your body¡¯s resistance.¡± ¡°Unlike your elven ve, you were born without any special constitution but you can rectify that here.¡± Chapter 299: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part4 Chapter 299: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part4 ¡°Unlike your elven ve, you were born without any special constitution but you can rectify that here.¡± ¡°If you train your body with the set of elemental arrays, you can gain a Divine constitution too.¡± ¡°Not just any constitution but one of the most superior ones, the divine lotus constitution.¡± ¡°When the constitution ispleted perfectly, elemental magic will no longer affect you.¡± ¡°Your mana affinity will also improve ordingly and you will progress in your future steps much more smoothly.¡± Tang Yue nodded in understanding. She knew that with her body¡¯s innate evolution ability, she was able to achieve resistance to elemental magic, but she didn¡¯t think that it was possible to bepletely immune to them. The nasal voice chuckled in amusement at her rare obedience and the next second a flood of information assaulted Tang Yue¡¯s brain. Ding. Obtained the method to create poison elemental array Ding. Obtained the method to create ice elemental array Ding. Obtained the method to create dark elemental array Ding. New Special Quest Avable Ding. Achieve the firstyer of Divine Lotus Constitution: Level 100 Poison resistance Level 100 Heat resistance Level 100 Cold resistance Level 100 Lightning resistance Level 100 Darkness resistance Ding. Reward: 1000000 experience points Tang Yue visibly salivated looking at the various notifications, especially at the experience points. At her state, these many points were equivalent to an entire level. She can reach Level 13 with just this one quest. The old man was being truly generous this time around!!! It had also been a while since she was able to ess higher grade poisons so her poison cultivation had stagnated. And now, this old man had casually tossed out several amazing array sets including a poison array. In reality, he could have just given this to her from the start but Tang Yue decided not to think about that and get a headache. She had them now and that was all that mattered. Looking at all the upgrades that were avable to her, Tang Yue¡¯s hands were very itchy. She wanted to try them out immediately! However, she couldn¡¯t leave the stone chamber just yet. Tang Yue looked at Little Plum who was still buzzing rhythmically, immersed in its own cultivation. She shook her head and sat back down helplessly. She couldn¡¯t bring herself to disturb the small thing. Though they couldn¡¯tmunicate with each other properly, Tang Yue still had a mental link with Little Plum. So she knew that this was a very crucial juncture for the small guy. But she was also in a shortage of time and hence couldn¡¯t afford to take a breather. Tang Yue thought about it for a while and took a few steps back, inching to the edges of the stone chamber. She then pricked her finger with a hairpin and started drawing the dark element array. Since she couldn¡¯t go out, she decided that she might as well start her physical tempering here itself. Even the ancient Deity would have shed tears if he knew that his treasured stone chamber containing the fragment of heavenly me was being used as a mere training ground. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less. As far as she was concerned, time was the only thing that she needed. So she quicklyid out the rune pattern, drawing it carefully and steadily. A few minutester, she was done with the basic set up but the array was not ready yet. Even though she had the rune pattern for the array and used her own blood as the medium, she still needed a dark element affinity object for the array to function. This object could be anything with a dark element affinity such as a dark element attribute herb or the remains of a dark element beast. Affinity to the dark element was a rare thing and hence, these objects were extremely difficult to obtain, not to mention very expensive. Luckily for Tang Yue, she happened to have several such herbs with dark elemental affinity in her possession, which she pilfered from thebyrinth. So she quickly took out a couple and ced them at the center of the array. The blood-stained surface of the stone chamber instantly thrummed alive and a domain consisting of dark elemental vapors materialized. And Tang Yue was standing at the center of this oval-shaped dome fully made of ck smoke-like substance. Wisps of ck smoke or rather dark elemental strands slowly and steadily coalesced around her, the oval-shaped domain bing thicker and thicker, eventually turning into a pitch-ck surface. The array was finally fully activated! Tang Yue nodded contently and sat down in a cross-legged position. She closed her eyes and tried to meditate, focusing her mental strength. Though the basic array set up was the same as the lightning array set up she had used previously at the smithy, there were still several differences. Both the arrays tempered her body by unleashing attacks of varied strengths, steadily increasing the difficulty level. The lightning elemental array had unleashed bolts of lightning at her while the dark elemental array would be unleashing wisps of dark strands. Just like how the raw bolts of lightning had scorched and burned her skin, the strands of darkness would also unleash a simr physical attack but with aponent of mental and soul attack. So apart from attuning her body to the dark elemental, this array would also train her soul strength and mental strength a bit. Tang Yue calmly exhaled in and out as she felt a barrage of attacks ramming on her body continuously. These were gentle and barely scratched her at first but slowly as time went by the attacks grew more and more fearsome. As soon as the first big attacknded on her, Tang Yue felt a mind-numbing pair surge through her body. Drops of her blood sttered on the ground but that only made the array stronger. She grit her teeth and quickly took a healing potion, chugging it all down in one go. The bleeding immediately stopped and the pain was more manageable. However, the scars on her body still remained. Dark elemental attacks always left scars behind and Tang Yue was no exception. Minutes trickled by and Tang Yue¡¯s body slowly adjusted itself to the dark elemental energy. Whenever she was in the midst of cultivation the system notifications wouldn¡¯t appear in front of her. Otherwise, she would have seen the steadily increasing dark elemental resistance. But even with her body constantly trying to adjust itself and upgrade ordingly, the array attacks soon overwhelmed her considerably. Tang Yue soon lost her consciousness and with that the array slowly dissolved into thin air, all the gathered dark elemental energy dissipating. A few hourster, she stirred awake again. ¡°Damn it. I am only at Level 20.¡± Tang Yue rotated her cultivation base, sending her condensed mana surging through her meridians. This restored her energy and body¡¯s condition and adding a couple of health potions, she slowly recovered back to her peak condition. Her body, however, looked hideous and disfigured, so much so that she couldn¡¯t even tell if her disguise was still there or not. Every inch of her skin was covered by scarred tissue. Such was the power and deadliness of dark elemental attacks. Affinity to this element was rare but those who managed to cultivate it were able to easily dominate the battlefield. ¡°Okay. I will deal with thister.¡± Dark elemental scars were difficult to get rid of but the task was not impossible. So Tang Yue ignored the scars and scabs covering her body and the few wounds still lingering on her skin for now. She quickly pricked her fingertip again, harder than the first time because she had to poke through the rough skin, and started drawing out another dark elemental rune. She had to undergo the same mind-numbing torture all over again. Using these techniques to obtain the divine constitution might be a shortcut, but in no way was it easy and effortless. Tang Yue was not afraid of this pain though. She was more than willing to undergo torture even ten times brutal if it meant that it would make her stronger. This torture was nothing whenpared to the mental torture one felt from being helpless and desperate, their fate hanging in the hands of someone else. So with a vivid smile on her disfigured face, Tang Yue sat back down at the center of the array. Wisps of dark elemental energy gathered around her and she was once again enveloped by the oval domain made of ck mist. And after the array was fully activated, ck strands started assaulting her body all over again. The gentle smoke-like substances which brushed past her body like flower petals triggered inhumane pain and suffering. But Tang Yue grit her teeth and bore with it all. It almost looked as if she enjoyed this pain and suffering. This was the face of a true power leveling maniac! Chapter 300: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part5 Chapter 300: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part5 Inside the stone chamber, instead of the normal clean and slightly stale mountain air, there was currently a thick poisonous miasma swirling in a corner. But weirdly enough, this miasma only existed in that small bubble. It didn¡¯t mix and interact with the other air molecules inside the stone chamber. This was the poison array that Tang Yue had set up. With Tang Yue constantly subjecting herself to one domain after another, time quickly flew and in the blink of an eye another entire week had passed by. After suffering through the torturous dark elemental attacks, she had then trained with the ice elemental array and the lightning array. And now she was finally adapting herself using the poison array. Ding. Congrattions. Poison Resistance has upgraded to Level 100. ¡°Ughhh¡­¡± Tang Yue weakly groaned. Numerous scars lined her body and she waspletely disfigured from top to bottom. Ironically, thanks to her injury riddled body and the scars from the dark elemental attacks, poison had quickly seeped through her skin and into her blood and bones. So this had been the fastest physical tempering among the four elements. ¡°Huff¡­ Huff¡­¡± Tang Yue panted and decided to rest for a few minutes before starting the final fire elemental tempering. For this, she didn¡¯t have to draw any special array. She could just use the fragment of the heavenly me and temper herself in that raw heat. But Tang Yue paused a while before doing this. She could sense that the little fire blob was on the verge of a breakthrough and she wanted to see what was going to happen. ¡°Dumb little snake, you are still waiting for this?¡± ¡°I already told you that it is very rare for an elemental to evolve and upgrade to the next level.¡± ¡°Not many are capable of doing this. How could you be so lucky?¡± The old man coldly snorted. ¡°Eh? I am not expecting anything.¡± She sullenly retorted. ¡°Tch. Tch. What a bad liar!¡± ¡°Shut up and just watch the show old man.¡± ¡°Maybe my Little Plum is special. How could you know?¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha.¡± A burst of irritatingughter rang in her ears. Tang Yue ignored the damned jerk and calmly looked at Little Plum. A few minutes passed by and the small ball of fire which was slowly buzzing until now suddenly started ring up. ¡°Heh. Interesting, the little guy has indeed some talent.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± The old man didn¡¯t have to answer that question. Right in front of Tang Yue¡¯s eyes, the small blob of elemental slowly expanded. It surprisingly expanded to the size of a small toddler. ¡°Eh? Will it look like a higher being now?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked again. ¡°After upgrading elementals are indeed capable of taking a human form, just like how you are a shape shifter.¡± ¡°But it depends on the mentality of that guy. Even I can¡¯t tell.¡± Tang Yue did not ask anything further and calmly observed the evolution process. As she continued watching, the small toddler form which was slowly forming suddenly stopped and the blob started expanding horizontally. ¡°A fat kid?¡± Tang Yue was perplexed. And the next instant, the huge ball of mes died down and a small figure materialized. ¡°What the heck?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. Even the old man started loudlyughing. ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. This little guy is truly weird.¡± In front of Tang Yue, standing proudly and licking its paws, was a small snow white wolf with a couple of red streaks on its body. ¡°Hellow Mastow!¡± A strange new squeaky voice sounded in Tang Yue¡¯s mind. She was pleasantly surprised. This fellow can talk now? ¡°This¡­ This¡­ Little Plum, why do you look like this?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked. The small wolf blinked cutely and looked at Tang Yue with its puppy dog eyes without saying anything. ¡°Jusht like boy blue.¡± The squeaky voice sounded again after some time. This guy decided to take a wolf form instead of human form because he wanted to be like little blue? Tang Yue didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. She patted the small wolf for a while before observing its other changes. At the end of the day, the form didn¡¯t matter much. The most important thing was that the baby elemental, who technically was a toddler elemental now, had a small core at its body¡¯s center. Tang Yue wanted to know what this meant. ¡°Can you do stronger fire magic now, little plum?¡± She patiently asked. The wolf shook its head vigorously, nodding in excitement. It then quickly changed its form bing a bundle of mes again. And the next instant, numerous vicious me serpents with two horns erupted from the small blob of fire. Tang Yue was once again pleasantly surprised. This was the ¡°Dance of dragons¡±, a high-grade fire-magic spell which only Saint realm experts and higher were capable of casting. It looked like she had once again gained a powerful ally. ¡°Ok. Wait for me for a few more minutes. We can then leave this ce.¡± ¡°Yes, Mastow.¡± Little Plum happily replied. It was really enjoying this mentalmunication link. Tang Yue patted the little guy and quickly took a few steps forward in order to temper her body, and finish thest part of the quest. Zing. Zing. Zing. The heat radiating from the purple me scorched her skin once again and her resistance was slowly improving. It took a few minutes for her to realize it, but Tang Yue suddenly noticed that the purple me¡¯s strength had slightly reduced. Huh? She blinked and looked at the me and then looked at the little wolf. Did he absorb a part of the me or what? ¡°Little Plum, did you eat that me?¡± Tang Yue asked, her body sweating profusely both from the heat and her nervousness. If this little guy had indeed taken a bite out of the Dwarven Empire¡¯s treasured heavenly me, how was she going to exin this to the old dwarf in the hut, who was apparently her Master¡¯s Master. She anxiously waited for the wolf to respond, who once again innocently stared at her with puppy dog eyes. ¡°Yes Mastow. Very tasty.¡± Ah~~~ Tang Yue scratched her head. Now, she had really done it! The elves were already out for her blood and now the dwarves will also probably chase her to the ends of this world. ¡°Fuck. We need to get the hell out of here.¡± ¡°Little Plum, don¡¯t eat anymore.¡± She said with a bitter smile and then paused. He had already eaten so much, what was even the point in stopping now? ¡°Never mind. Continue cultivating as you were.¡± Tang Yue shook her head helplessly and took a couple more steps forward. This time she finally received the notification that she was waiting for. Ding. Congrattions. Heat Resistance has upgraded to Level 100. Ding. Congrattions. Special Questpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 1000000 experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up. Ding. Congrattions. Conditions have been met for physical tempering. Ding. Congrattions. Evolution has been triggered. A series of notifications rang loudly and immediately after that, a bright glow of light surrounded Tang Yue¡¯s disfigured body and almost bald head. Intense pain started coursing through her nerves and the pain this time was a hundred times more intense than her normal bloodline evolutions, so much so that Tang Yue had to yell loudly in order to withstand it. Even Little Plum, who could only sense a fraction of her pain through their mental connection , whined sadly. Woo¡­ Woo¡­ Woo¡­ Thisbined with Tang Yue¡¯s loud shrieks was an extremely heart-wrenching scene. But since the stone chamber was sound proof, no one heard their cries. Another hour passed by, and finally the stone chamber, which had been tightly closed shut for almost two months now, made loud rumbling noises as it swung open. KACHA Tang Yue stepped out. She had already donned back her dwarven disguise and walked out casually. She didn¡¯t forget the path they had used to reach this chamber, so she quietly used the same path and started walking out. But not far from her, a dwarf stared at her figure with his mouth wide agape as if he was looking at a ghost! This girl was finally out!!! And she was leaving the mine just like that???!!! What the hell??? Who will now pay for all the torture that he had endured? People had nagged him endlessly, cursed at him, scolded him, and even beaten him up because of this one stupid girl! She had hogged the stone chamber for so many days and thanks to that he was in hot water. The dwarf quickly wiped the sweat off of his forehead and sent a couple dozen jade slip messages to a bunch of people. Because of the damned girl, there was now even a queue and a sign up sheet for the stone chamber usage!!! Only the heavens can save you now, foolish woman! The dwarf silently lit a candle for the young girl and continued with his job. Chapter 301: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part6 Chapter 301: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part6 When Tang Yue finally stepped out of the mountain range near the dwarven royal pce, several dwarves started appearing in front of her one after another. The fastest among them being the two dwarvendies La and X. The master cksmith especially had several big scores to settle with Tang Yue. Not only had Tang Yue humiliated the woman in front of everyone back at the contest, but she had also severely hampered X¡¯s training and smithing business. So the woman was absolutely furious at this no-name country bumpkin. As far as she could see, there was nothing even special about her. She was not some sort of cksmithing prodigy and she did not even have a high cultivation base. So what rights did she have to stand face to face with someone like X, a Grandmaster¡¯s direct personal disciple??? This girl had conveniently acted like a big shot as long as the elven princes were here and most probably used their influence to get this two month long cultivation time in the stone chamber. But now that the elven princes had long since returned back to Eldoria, the country bumpkin had absolutely no backing whatsoever and had nowhere to run and hide. So X was determined to teach the little bitch a lesson today. But before she could speak, La¡¯s haughtymanding voice shouted. ¡°Fucking slut. How dare you do such a thing? Who gave you permission to use the stone chamber?¡± ¡°Do you know how many people you have inconvenienced?¡± Tang Yue didn¡¯t really care. Her eyes twinkled with a mysterious charm as she gazed at the dwarves in front of her. She honestly expected something like this to happen, considering that she had hogged a top cultivation resource for so long. At most, she had to endure a few harsh words from a few idiots. What was the big deal in that?! In fact, she didn¡¯t even ce these idiots in her eyes. She was rather far more nervous about the heavenly purple me which was a little bit weaker now. She was worried that someone might find out about this. Tang Yue calmly crossed her arms in front of her and mumbled, blowing on her fingernails with an attitude. After all, she was a Grandmaster¡¯s direct disciple now and had to act like it. ¡°Hmmm¡­ As far as I know, anyone can use the stone chamber as long as they produce the required jade slip. Am I wrong?¡± La¡¯s eyes bulged in anger and surprise seeing her attitude. X immediately hurried and signaled the princess to stop. She didn¡¯t want the woman to ruin her well thought out n. ¡°Be that as it may. You have still inconvenienced several people.¡± ¡°At the least, you should have informed someone before using the stone chamber for so long. Don¡¯t you think so?¡± Other dwarves standing around them silently nodded. Everyone agreed with what X said. Tang Yue also nodded with a smile. She could vaguely see where this was going. Only La was fuming. ¡°Why are you treating this idiot with so much respect?¡± Even though Tang Yue was now a personal disciple, La still didn¡¯t care about it. There were so many direct disciples. Only some of them amounted to something. Most of them were shooting stars who faded into nothingness. Whenpared to that, a princess like her was in much higher standing. X patted her and continued talking to Tang Yue in a very calm and professional manner. ¡°Listen, no one is here to bully you and unnecessarily make trouble for you.¡± ¡°Since you have hindered so many people, the least you can do is to pay us somepensation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all we are asking. Nothing more and nothing less.¡± ¡°I am sure you have more cultivation time left in the jade slip.¡± ¡°How about you hand it over to me? I can distribute to others how I see fit.¡± ¡°Even though this doesn¡¯te close to all the troubles you have caused, this can still be considered as a decentpensation.¡± ¡°Yes. Yes. What Master X is saying makes sense.¡± ¡°All my orders have still not beenpleted. I have made so much loss.¡± ¡°You need to give us at least this much topensate our loss.¡± Everyone standing around started agreeing with X and demanding Tang Yue forpensation. In reality, even one hour in the cultivation room was worth much more than whatever losses these people had suffered. But they still shamelessly tagged along with X and started harassing the young girl. If it was the real Yana, the poor girl would have been scared out of her wits by now and handed over everything. But how could dealing with Tang Yue be so easy? She shed a big smiled and obediently nodded. ¡°Of course. Everything Master X says makes sense.¡± ¡°I also don¡¯t want any trouble. I am ready to give the necessarypensation.¡± ¡°But there is one problem. This jade slip is already empty. I have a few at home. If you walk with me, I can give them to you.¡± The dwarf X immediately revealed a content smile and nodded in reply. Dealing with idiots was indeed simple! She turned around and casually addressed the angry mob that had surrounded Tang Yue. ¡°You guys carry on. I can take care of this by myself. No need for everyone to waste their time.¡± The three women then started walking out. The others dwarves, however, couldn¡¯t help but turn sour. This was such an easy opportunity to get some resources. But this woman was clearly trying to take it all for herself. Once she received the jade slips, why would she even bother sharing with others? And if she didn¡¯t share, could they dare question her? In the end, their freebie was easily stolen by X. They could only sigh and return back empty-handed. But La still ended up following Tang Yue and X. She not only wanted to rob Tang Yue of her cultivation time, but she also wanted to take the ve and the beast pet from her. These things were actually not that precious. It was rather very petty of her to pay attention to such a small matter. But La knew that Tang Yue cared about them and hence she wanted to snatch them from her hands. Chapter 302: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part7 Chapter 302: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part7 After settling the angry mob, the two dwarven women patiently followed Tang Yue. The young girl had a pleasant smile on her face and was walking rather unusually fast for an Emperor realm expert. But X and La didn¡¯t care about that. This speed was still a bit slow for them. So they were not too intimidated by it. However, slowly their expressions changed. It turned out that the girl was not that idiotic after all! The young girl in front of them was obviously headed towards the recently popr smithy, Grandmaster Miller¡¯s smithy. She was clearly taking them to her teacher and would probablyin about them to him. But the two women knew that the Grandmaster was in some sort of closed door seclusion and he did not meet with anyone including them in these past few weeks. So even though the bitch was nning some sort of trick to cheat them, it was only going to backfire on her. Thinking about this both La and X looked at each other and grinned. Some people really don¡¯t understand their ce in society. Even the smallest amount of attention would go straight to their heads and this was a ssic example of such a retarded child. The two women silently followed Tang Yue as she headed straight to the smithy. While the two women waited for her outside, Tang Yue directly went to the building and tried opening the door. But surprisingly, she couldn¡¯t reach it and some sort of mana barrier was preventing her from going inside. The two women immediately revealed their teeth and startedughing. ¡°Did you really think that we would be so stupid to fall for your simple trick?¡± ¡°Who do you think Grandmasters are?¡± ¡°Just because you got epted as a disciple, that doesn¡¯t mean that you would be treated in the same manner as us.¡± ¡°You will probably never see Master Miller in your life again.¡± ¡°I know you lied before. So just hand over the jade slip in your possession.¡± ¡°I am telling this for your own good. I bet Master Miller did not realize that he had so much time left.¡± ¡°Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t have given it to you. But you fool didn¡¯t realize it and squandered all his time.¡± ¡°If he sees you again, he will probably kill you on the spot. So why don¡¯t you do us both a favor and hand over the jade slip?¡± ¡°Mmmm¡­ Listen to Sister X.¡± La chuckled and nodded. While the two women continued ranting on, Tang Yue silently smiled and waited. She didn¡¯t wait for them to finish their idiotic ranting. Rather she waited for the old man or Charlotte to open the door. Since she had been away for so long she doubted that the dwarf had returned back to his old drunkard ways. But she didn¡¯t mind it though. Drunk or not that man genuinely cared about her, so obviously she didn¡¯t care about such things. Even if he was a drunkard, she would still pay him the same amount of respect. ¡°Come on, Yana. Stop wasting our time. You may not have things to do but we are not that free. We have¡­¡± Before X could even finish her sentence, the smithy¡¯s door suddenly sprung open and a small wolf ran towards Tang Yue and leaped onto her. Behind the wolf was a strong and sturdy-looking dwarf with extremely stern and cold eyes. ¡°Who the fuck is making a ruckus outside my smithy?¡± The man gruffly asked. Immediately, both X¡¯s and La¡¯s knees became weak and their legs turned into jelly from fear. Damn it!!! Wasn¡¯t the master in closed door seclusion? Usually, when Grandmasters went into seclusion training, they wouldn¡¯te out for several lunar cycles or even years. So why the hell was he standing in front of them now? ¡°Master, forgive us.¡± ¡°Master, forgive us.¡± The two women immediately slumped on the ground in the middle of the street itself and banged their heads on the rough pavement. They did not even dare to look at Miller. The dwarf did not n on wasting his time with these insignificant characters. Hence, he ignored them and signaled Tang Yue toe inside. However, the very next instant another dwarf dressed in an austere attire appeared in front of the smithy. This was X¡¯s teacher, Grandmaster Hiru, and also the elder who had apanied Tang Yue and introduced her to Miller. When X saw him, she immediately started trembling in fear. It had taken years and years for her to build a reputation with her Master and now he had seen her in such an unsightly fashion kneeling on the streets. Everything was ruined. Fuck!!! X cursed her bad luck. Even La gulped nervously. She didn¡¯t even dare to breathe loudly in front of these two big shots. Both the women remained absolutely still and silent like they were a pair of rocks on the street. But right in front of them, Tang Yue casually chuckled. ¡°Greetings, senior brother.¡± Her voice sounded like a thunderp to both the women sending shivers down their spine. S¡­ S¡­ S¡­ Senior brother??? The two idiots looked up and gazed at Tang Yue in utter shock and horror. Did this no-name country bumpkin just call Grandmaster Hiru her senior brother??? Heavens! Just what the hell is happening here? Before they could digest this humongous shock, another voice immediately sounded. ¡°Mhm. Greetings, junior sister.¡± This¡­ This¡­ Grandmaster Hiru just now greeted her back??? The two women felt as if they were going insane. How could this even happen??? Wasn¡¯t Tang Yue just riding on the coattails of the elven princes? Then why was not one, but two Grandmasters paying so much attention to her!!! Even the Dwarven Crown Prince did not receive such royal treatment!!! Both X and La bent their heads back down and banged them on the ground in utter defeat. They had wanted to teach Tang Yue a good lesson, but the girl had pped them left and right ruthlessly without even lifting a finger. They waited lifelessly for the three big shots to step back inside the smithy and then disappeared from that area in lightning-fast speed, never to return. Chapter 303: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part8 Chapter 303: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part8 Inside the smithy, Grandmaster Hiru gazed at Miller¡¯s newly sober and clean-shaven appearance with visible surprise in his eyes. He hadn¡¯t expected the dwarf to have changed so much in just a few weeks. In fact, he hade here worrying about this exact same thing. Comints about Tang Yue¡¯s hogging of the cultivation stone chamber had obviously reached Grandmaster Hiru¡¯s ears. And the man had immediately jumped to the conclusion that thezy drunkard had probably given her his entire time just to keep her from nagging him. So as soon as Tang Yue had exited the cultivation chamber, he quickly visited the smithy along with her in order to have a word with the damned drunkard. But now that he was here, an entirely unexpected scene was unfolding in front of him. His senior brother looked a thousand years younger and the man was exuding a pressure and aura akin to his former indomitable self. So much so that Grandmaster Hiru couldn¡¯t help but hesitate a bit before addressing his senior brother. ¡°This¡­ This¡­ Senior brother, why are you wasting your resources like this?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Miller calmly asked him. The dwarf Hiru cast a sideways nce at Tang Yue and then continued without minding her presence. ¡°I don¡¯t understand our master¡¯s actions but surely you cannot do this.¡± ¡°This is just simply wasteful. She is not even a dwarf.¡± Hiru had first seen some of the weapons personally forged by Tang Yue when she had submitted a few to the merchants association. He even had good opinions about the young girl and had thought that she had a promising future. However, all that changed when he came to know about Tang Yue¡¯s true identity. Not only was she here to spy on the dwarven citizens but she was also rumored to be the queen consort of the elven crown prince, a character every dwarf despised. So no matter how much Hiru tried, he simply couldn¡¯t understand why his Master had decided to sell out their most safeguarded secret, spirit smithing. With this, the elves would be able to openly andpletely dominate them. The dwarves would have no trump cards left and their strength would significantly be affected. While Hiru was still unable to digest this fact and ept this decision, the news about Tang Yue using the stone chamber reached his ears and he was utterly appalled. So he had rushed over her to berate some sense into the drunkard. But Miller clearly didn¡¯t share his same concerns. ¡°You should trust our Master more.¡± He answered in a few words without any further exnation and unnecessary argument. ¡°Fine. Leave that matter aside. Can¡¯t you at least monitor her actions properly?¡± ¡°Because of her, so many younger disciples have been inconvenienced.¡± ¡°If there was some method behind this madness then I can understand, but what could she even have possibly aplished by simply standing in the outer areas of the stone chamber?¡± ¡°Or are you telling me that she actually gained benefits from this reckless waste of resources?¡± Miller shook his head and sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t let racial bias cloud your judgment, junior brother.¡± ¡°First take a look at the results and then we can continue this conversation.¡± Miller then turned towards Tang Yue and mumbled. ¡°Why don¡¯t you undo your disguise? Let me also take a look at your progress.¡± Tang Yue nodded and quickly shifted to her human form. Since both these dwarves already knew her identity, she didn¡¯t have any qualms about doing so. Her brown dark-skinned figure slowly disappeared, and a slender seductive blue-skinned woman stood in front of them. She had perfect wless skin, and a well-endowed but toned figure. More importantly, she seemed to be exuding a divine purity akin to a freshly bloomedher lotus. Her features had a sharpness to them and her eyes had an unfathomable rity and resolution. Hiru opened and closed his mouth wordlessly. He could tell that Tang Yue had already reached the Saint realm, not just in her cultivation core but also in her physical form. And perhaps she had even reached the Saint realm in her soul and mental strength. But he had no way of knowing this. So he couldn¡¯t confirm his suspicions. Irrespectively, the dwarf was stillpletely shaken. Thest he had seen her the young girl was clearly in the Emperor realm and in less than two months, she had already crossed that bottleneck. Something that took years for other people to aplish was simply achieved by this seemingly normal spirit beast in just took 2 months? And his Master wanted to hand over their n secrets to such a monster? What the hell was going on here? Hiru waspletely dumbstruck. Earlier he had spoken keeping Xander in mind, but now for some reason, he feared Tang Yue more. Standing next to him, Miller¡¯s entire body trembled silently and the man had a mncholic look on his face. He also looked shocked but for other reasons. The woman¡¯s face and the fierceness in her eyes had reminded him of someone else. Tang Yue awkwardly swallowed her saliva. She could sense the dwarf¡¯s uneasiness and decided to put her disguise back on. But Miller slowly raised his hand, signaling her to stop. He needed to face the truth sooner orter. Tang Yue might look like her mother but this didn¡¯t make him sad. Rather he cherished this rare opportunity to at least help that woman¡¯s daughter. After a while, Grandmaster Hiru loudly cleared his throat and broke the awkward silence. ¡°You. Do you have a dual affinity?¡± He asked Tang Yue. ¡°Yes, Master Hiru. I indeed have a dual affinity for the fire and earth elementals.¡± ¡°Alright then.¡± The dwarf now somewhat understood why Tang Yue had gained so many benefits from the stone chamber. Seeing that he had nothing left to say, the man flicked his robe and silently left. After all, just like Miller had pointed out, he really had no other option but to trust the wisdom of their Master (old man in the hut). Chapter 304: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part9 Chapter 304: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part9 After Grandmaster Hiru left, Miller as well regained hisposition and nodded in approval. ¡°You have worked hard.¡± ¡°Thank you, Master.¡± Tang Yue humbly bowed. He didn¡¯t drone on with unnecessary praises and quickly moved on to the next issue at hand. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try your Hundred Swings refinement now?¡± Miller suggested. Tang Yue nodded and quickly took out a chunk of Mollium ore. She then calmly and patiently once again swung the hammer repeatedly on the small chunk of ore. Bang. Bang. However, she suddenly paused. Just after two swings, Tang Yue could already feel a slight difference. After working with the highest grade Kirrion ore chunks continuously, this b of metal in front of her suddenly felt far lessplicated. She still used her skill ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ but this time the efficiency was much higher. She could feel each and every single aspect of the metal and identify the impurities hampering its structure. Mana thrummed from her every hit and the impurities from the metal slowly dissolved into nothingness. Tang Yue felt as if a veil hindering her vision had disappeared and she could not easily solve the puzzle. She quickly calmed down and resumed her hammer swings until one hundred perfect hammer swings registered on the chunk of metal. The difference was not noticeable in the beginning but now she could definitely see a change in the metal¡¯s luster itself. The purple hue of the Mollium ore appeared unusually bright and shone with a sh of special brilliance. Tang Yue quickly put down the hammer which she was holding and hurriedly threw the refined metal into the st furnace. She then poured the molten metal into a set of molds and in the end prepared four long swords. Now only the final step was left and Tang Yue quickly infused earthen essence and fire essence into the sword until she felt the perfect bnce and synergy. KaBang! Tang Yue¡¯s final hitnded on the sword and her mesmerizing emerald eyes twinkled in delight. Lying inconspicuously in front of her was neither a mid-grade nor a high-grade weapon, rather a powerful rare-grade weapon!!! Mollium ores were high-grade ores and typically resulted only in high-grade weapons. Only in rare asions, that too with extra precious materials added in, did the ore seldom give birth to rare-grade weapons. However, just like she did before, Tang Yue had once again managed to forge the weapon to perfection and in the process elevated the weapon¡¯s attributes. This was much easier said than done. After all, she was now working with high-grade materials and not low-grade materials like she was using before. But the woman still managed to achieve the same results and produced a splendid rare-grade weapon on her first try. Even Miller who was typically stern and indifferent revealed a proud expression. The dwarf walked over and closely examined the weapon in front of Tang Yue. Ironically, other than the soul sword, this was the strongest weapon in Tang Yue¡¯s possession! Even Xander himself possessed a sword only slightly more powerful than the one in front of Tang Yue. But Tang Yue was not done yet. This time she had merely used the Hundred Swings refinement method. There was still the Thousand Swings refinement method! She licked her lips greedily and excitedly eximed. ¡°Master, I want to try again!!!¡± The dwarf who was still examining the long sword chuckled helplessly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you continuously work hard for the past few weeks?¡± ¡°You should take a rest tonight. You can do the rest tomorrow.¡± Tang Yue obediently nodded even though she clearly looked displeased. The dwarfughed at her childish expressions again and walked out muttering under his breath. ¡°Aha Ha Ha. I am not talented enough to teach your daughter, my dear.¡± After the dwarf left, Tang Yue decided to take the night off just like he had advised. She also felt a bit mentally drained from continually focusing on one thing after another. She ran upstairs to find Charlotte but the elf was still busily cultivating. So Tang Yue picked out one of the rooms on the first floor and went inside to take a long restful nap. Maybe because she was still in her serpentine form, she couldn¡¯t help but think of a certain task that she hadpletely forgotten about. She had never let Xander know about her well-being and that she was safe and fine for now. Charlotte had also told her about how the man had protected her even when they were amidst a sea of dwarfs. So Tang Yue reluctantly took out somemunication jade slips and tried recording a message. ¡°I don¡¯t owe that jerk any updates, but whatever¡­¡± She mulled over her thoughts a bit and decided to send something simple. [I am fine.] But Tang Yue immediately crushed the jade slip soon afterward. She didn¡¯t want to sound too rude and ungrateful. [I am fine. Thank you.] A couple of secondster, Tang Yue again crushed this jade slip, breaking it into two. She turned restlessly on the bed and decided to add a bit more detail. [Thank you for the help. I am doing well.] ¡°Damn it! This sounds like I am sucking up to that jerk. No this won¡¯t do.¡± Tang Yue again broke the jade slip. Slightly frustrated with her predicament, she screamed into the next jade slip. [You jerk! You jerk! You jerk! You hateful jerk!] And then she chuckled and once again, broke the jade slip. She had wanted to say these words to his face for a long time and felt slightly content after speaking them out loud. [I am fine now. I have a mentor and I am learning how to forge weapons.] [I am doing well. I met someone who is willing to teach me smithing. Thank you for your help.] [I am fine and will most likely be returning soon. How are you doing?] ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Tang Yue continued fidgeting with the jade slips for a while and ended up trying out several different versions of her message. She still couldn¡¯t make up her mind on what exactly to tell the man, when suddenly Charlotte barged into the room excitedly. ¡°You are back!¡± She happily eximed and jumped onto the bed right next to Tang Yue. She couldn¡¯t help but notice the jade dust sprayed everywhere and curiously asked. ¡°Who did you send so many messages to?¡± Huh? Tang Yue frowned slightly. A small ominous feeling arose in her chest. ¡°I was just testing something. I actually didn¡¯t send.¡± She retorted back hurriedly. ¡°No Yue.¡± Charlotte took the jade slip currently in her hand and mumbled. ¡°These are differentmunication slips. See here, the rune would have already gotten activated.¡± Gudang! Tang Yue¡¯s heart instantly sank and her face paled. Did she just send a bunch of nonsensical messages to that damned viin??? Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Chapter 305: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part10 Chapter 305: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part10 ¡°Brother, how are you going to handle things this time around?¡± Xavier asked Xander as the two brothers walked out of the Emperor¡¯s seclusion pce. They were just returning back from another meeting with the elven high council elders. It had already been almost an entire lunar cycle since Tang Yue was given her special orders and the elders were getting restless. In reality, other than Tang Xi, Ginko and Gale, several other teams were also loitering around in the dwarven royal city. They were not just elves, but also orcs, fairies, and even dwarves. Everyone was paid and ordered by one or many of the elders to capture Tang Yue alive rather than assassinate her. Their main intention was to refine her brain and find out what had actually happened within thebyrinth. But until now, none of the teams had managed to even get a whiff of her existence, let alone capture her. Things became simpler for them when a few weeks ago Xander and Xavier had personally guarded a dwarven girl, thereby giving away Tang Yue¡¯s identity entirely. However, unluckily for them, after that incident Tang Yue was constantly in the presence of a Demi-God level expert, dwarf Miller. So in the end, even when they knew where Tang Yue was and her identity, they still were not able to do anything to her. This made the elders extremely furious. And now that the time they had given Tang Yue was also running out, they shamelessly called for another meeting and put Xander on the spot, berating him for not keeping his word. But how could Xander be bullied that easily? The man patiently listened to all the harsh words from the elders and their hypocritical ramblings and in the end, said only one thing. ¡°So what?¡± He then nonchntly stood up and walked out of the meeting in front of everyone. Even though Xander had always been at odds with these council elders, this was the first time he openly defied their orders and walked out. There was surely going to be a consequence for this, but he didn¡¯t care. He knew that these men were no match for Tang Yue and all she needed now was a bit of time. And Xander had no qualms about buying this small amount of time for her, even if it meant sacrificing his position as the Crown Prince. ¡°I swear those old assholes never give it a rest!!! I am so furious!!!¡± Xavier angrily grumbled. ¡°These old bitches. They think that they are all that huh!¡± ¡°If they didn¡¯t amass so many resources for themselves in the past, not a single one would even be at the Saint realm now!!! Ptui!¡± For some reason, Xavier was far more furious about this matterpared to Xander himself. Not out of the goodness of his heart but because with Xander out of the picture, everyone¡¯s attention will once again fall on him, the eldest son, and his carefree life of bedding beast girls day in and day out will disappear for eternity. So Xavier continued to whine and nag Xander, begging him not to act rashly. Xander, however, was hardly paying any attention to him. His thoughtsid somewhere else and he was upset about something entirely unrted. If he had known beforehand that things were going to turn out in this way, he would have never allowed Tang Yue to even step out of Eldoria. But now, so many weeks had passed by and the damned girl still showed no signs of returning. More importantly, that damned slut was also clinging onto her! This was absolutely the worst case scenario for him!!! Xander sighed and cursed his bad luck constantly mulling over this disaster again and again. General Salvatore, unfortunately, was the person who received the full brunt of his wrath. The man was sent on menial missions and he was constantly scolded and bullied by Xander, so much so that the old General was one time close to tears. He was, once upon a time, a favored right hand man of Xander. The General was also extremely loyal to him. So it drove him crazy not knowing the reason for this sudden change in Xander¡¯s attitude. But unfortunately, his misfortune did not end any time soon and continued to this day, as did Xander¡¯s bad mood. And especially since they were currently returning back from the unpleasant meeting, Xander¡¯s aura was deste, bleak, and frosty. Thus, the two elven princes, one grumbling and the other silent, both walked shoulder to shoulder strolling through the darkness, immersed in their foul mood. But suddenly¡­ An inconspicuous jade slip appeared on Xander¡¯s hand. And then another¡­ And then another¡­ And then another¡­ It was raining jade slips! ¡°What the heck? Who is sending you so many messages?¡± Xavier curiously craned his neck and looked at the bundle of jade slips in Xander¡¯s hands. Unlike him, Xander did not look pleased. He was rather very worried. Frown lines covered his face and he feared that Tang Yue might be in some sort of trouble. So he ignored his nosy brother standing next to him and quickly started going through the messages. He crushed the jade slips one by one and Tang Yue¡¯s sweet hesitant voice washed over him in waves. [I am fine.] [I am fine. Thank you.] [Thank you for the help. I am doing well.] [You jerk! You jerk! You jerk! You hateful jerk!] [I am fine now. I have a mentor and I am learning how to forge weapons.] [You are a bad kisser! Sloppy and slobbery!] [I am doing well. I met someone who is willing to teach me smithing. Thank you for your help.] [I am fine and will most likely be returning soon. How are you doing?] ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ As the messages echoed one by one, Xander¡¯s anxious and worried face slowly changed. His thin lips curled up in amusement and the man¡¯s eyes shone with warmth. It didn¡¯t take long for him to figure out that the woman had clearly messed up using the jade slips. He was sure that she didn¡¯t mean to send any of this. An image of her embarrassed face popped up in his brain and Xander instantly burst into a fit ofughter. He badly wanted to pinch her cheeks and tease her until she turned purple. He patiently listened to each and every single message intently and even recorded it all again. He could then hear her voice whenever he wanted. This thought made him extremely happy and in an instant, all his bad mood disappeared. However, standing next to Xander, Xavier waspletely dumbstruck. His ice block, frigid, viinous, cold-blooded, ruthless brother was melting into a puddle right in front of his eyes!!! What ck magic was this!!! What heresy was this!!! Xavier was utterly shocked. ¡°Brother¡­ You¡­ You¡­¡± The man could only weakly mumble, the rest of his words caught in his throat. His squeaky sounds, unfortunately, only reminded Xander of his presence and the man immediately turned around and looked at him like a ferocious beast. His long white hair fluttered in the darkness of the night and his crimson orbs simmered dangerously. ¡°What the heck??? Why are you reacting like this???¡± Xavier took a few steps back in rm. ¡°Did I peak at your wife while she was bathing? Didn¡¯t I just listen in on a few stupid nonsensical messages?¡± ¡°Why are you over-reacting, you bastard? Is this how you treat your beloved brother?¡± With every word he spoke, Xavier didn¡¯t forget to also take a step back and after he finished saying his piece, the man sessfully ran away, fleeing and disappearing from the monster at lightning speed. This brother of this was truly hateful! With the eavesdropper finally gone, Xander returned back to his warm and sunny ce, enjoying and reying the messages sent to him by a certain snake. Xavier, on the other hand, only calmed down when he put a good distance between him and his stupid hen-pecked brother. He thought that he had a weakness for beast girls and vixens, but who knew that his virgin brother was worse than him!!! Xavier sighed at the unfairness of the world andmented his plight when suddenly a thought entered his brain. Since both he and Xander had a thing for the beasts, maybe their father preferred them as well. He then nodded slowly and seriously, as if he had uncovered some dark and ancient secret. A few hourster, Xavier returned back to this private quarters in the elven pce and buried himself in thefort of his beautiful concubines. Only then he feltpletely rxed and in his element. As the man caressed a beauty in his arms, he suddenly got another idea, this time a more useful one. He abruptly left the beauty in the bed itself and took out a jade slip. He then sent Tang Yue a long message about how Xander was in hot water with the elders. ¡°He He He. Now I should be safe.¡± The man sheepishly smiled and returned back to his mischief. Chapter 306: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part11 Chapter 306: Little Blue vs Little Plum Part11 After chatting for a while, both Tang Yue and Charlotte quickly fell into a deep slumber. Since Charlotte had also been training non-stop, she was extremely tired and worn out. With both her hands wrapped around Tang Yue¡¯s waistfortably, she hugged the woman to her heart¡¯s content and slept peacefully with a blissful smile on her face. Ever since the little kid disappeared, her life had be far more joyous and colorful! As the two women drifted asleep, engrossed in their own dreams, the night silently faded away. However, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes suddenly shed open, a little sooner than the first rays of the morning sunlight. Even though her slumber was for only a few hours, she already felt well-rested and brimming with energy. In reality, cultivators above the Mortal realm did not require that much sleep to rest and rejuvenate. So when Tang Yue sensed a small energy vibration, she stirred awake and peered curiously at the glowing jade slip which had mysteriously popped up next to her head. Rather than the traditional thin green stick of jade, thismunication rune was more crystal-like and translucent. ¡°Who sent me this?¡± The memory of sending all those embarrassing messages to Xander fromst night came flooding back to her and Tang Yue buried her head in the pillow from shame. ¡°Damn it. Do I have to listen to this?¡± Tang Yue gulped and reluctantly activated the crystal. Immediately a familiar voice chimed in from within. However, it was not the voice that she was dreading. [Sister-inw, when are youing back? My younger brother is in trouble because of you.] Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit taken aback from being addressed so intimately by the elven prince. She somehow could vividly picture Xavier saying these things with a straight face. Tang Yue sighed helplessly and continued listening. [The elders are threatening to dethrone my brother. You better hurry ande back.] Hmmm¡­ The woman¡¯s look turned pensive as she waited for the rest of the message but that was all that she got. Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched and she stared at the crystal in confusion. ¡°This is it? This is the full message?¡± ¡°What the hell?¡± ¡°Is that lunatic ying some tricks on me?¡± Her mind wandered but she knew that Xander most probably had nothing to do with this message. The man was cruel, ruthless, and domineering, but at the same time, he was very straightforward. He didn¡¯t have this habit of beating around the bushes. If he wanted something, he would use an exaggerated amount of brute force to take it. That was his character. So Tang Yue could vaguely guess that this was Xavier¡¯s ploy and his alone. Nevertheless, she felt a small pang of guilt within her. Even though it was him who had pushed her into this mess in the first ce, Xander still hade to her rescue without fail, each and every single time. The gaze of the man¡¯s crimson orbs from the time he had asked her toe back with him was still etched into her brain. Tang Yue was still undecided about a lot of things but not about this. From the beginning, she had always nned to get this spirit smithing method for him or at least try her best to do so. The man had knowingly or unknowingly helped her back at thebyrinth and this would be the way she repaid his kindness. With this, their scores would be settled and she would be free to carry on with the rest of her n. She would be free to disappear from the eyes of the elves and the serpents forever. Tang Yue¡¯s mind swirled with mixed emotions as she gripped themunication crystal in her hand. She stepped out of bed and sensing her movements, Charlotte as well stirred awake. ¡°Eh? Yue, you are already up?¡± She rubbed her sleepy eyes and blinked. ¡°Shh¡­ Why don¡¯t you go back to sleep?¡± Tang Yue gently patted her. The frost of guilt in her heart expanded and spread to the rest of her body, as she gazed at Charlotte¡¯s warm smiling face. When she eventually leaves and disappears, it was inevitable that she would be leaving this woman behind as well. Without realizing it, Tang Yue slightly faltered and her resolve was subtly shaken. This woman¡­ was she truly willing to part with this woman¡­ She was her one and only friend and maybe more¡­ ¡°Hey. What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?¡± Charlotte rubbed her face vigorously, worried that some unsightly drool was sticking to her face. Tang Yue shook her head helplessly and chuckled at the girl¡¯sic actions. ¡°Even if a bucket of drool was on your face, you would still be the most beautiful elf vixen.¡± She teasingly pinched the woman¡¯s cheeks, making her instantly redden and cover her face with the nket. ¡°I am going to make a bath for myself. Go back to bed.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and left the room. Little Blue immediately rushed over to her, though the cub could hardly be called little anymore. Tang Yue patted the small wolf and rubbed its head when she sensed the other guy dying to get out. She chuckled lightly and summoned out Little Plum. The next instant another wolf appeared in front of her and the two sat obediently, wagging their tails like domesticated dogs. With Little Blue and Little Plum, next to next, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. The two looked like twins with just the color of the streaks on their fur different and of course, their innate elemental affinity. Little Plum and Little Blue as well looked at each other, one curiously and the other smugly. The curious face turned slightly sour after seeing the smug face and a paw instantly went up in the air. How could it then stop with just one paw? In just a matter of seconds, right in front of Tang Yue, a full-fledged fight broke out, with Little Blue and Little Plum swiping at each other. To make things worse, the fire panther which was watching these two from the sidelines, joined the fray without any invitation and started madly wing at whatever it could reach. Tang Yue opened and closed her mouth wordlessly as she stared at the mess in front of her. She could feel a headacheing. ¡°Stop it.¡± She rubbed her temples andmanded, her voice tyrannical. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys good brothers? Is this how you behave with each other? Hmmm?¡± She sternly reprimanded them. The two wolves immediately settled down and blinked at Tang Yue with adorable innocent expressions and big round eyes. It was almost as if nothing had happened. Only the panther looked confused, but it soon followed suit and put on a simr face. Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched at this tant act. She paused awhile, without saying anything. At the same time, she sent a quick mental message to the old man. ¡°Master, will others be able to recognize Little Plum as an elemental?¡± Tang Yue couldn¡¯t tell the difference herself, but she confirmed with the old man nevertheless. ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think so little snake. At least a Deity realm expert cannot tell the difference.¡± ¡°Unless that guy turns into a big ball of me, like how you morph into your serpentine form, others shouldn¡¯t be able to tell the difference.¡± Tang Yue nodded. She then turned towards the three troublemakers and crossed her arms. ¡°You three go to the forest and run around. Don¡¯t make a ruckus here.¡± ¡°Come back when the sky darkens and help your brothers if they are in danger.¡± Tang Yue patiently gave out instructions to the three beasts and sent them running to the forests. In fact, she had been thinking about this for a while now and considering various options. It was not the best for wild beasts to always remain docile and within the confines of a building. Otherwise, they would simply end up being house pets. But at the same time, Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to force them to train. Unlike her who never had the option to choose, she wanted them to have that privilege. This was why she had simplymanded them to run around and not hunt or train. Instead of forcing others¡¯ wishes onto them, she simply wanted them to do whatever they want. Besides, even though she was only able tomunicate mentally with Little Plum, she still had a mental link with both the beasts. So she could always sense their presence and constantly monitor their well-being. If any of them were ever in real danger, it would only take her a few seconds to reach them ande to their aide. The forests around the royal city were also not very dangerous and Little Plum alone had enough strength to even hold back mid-grade beasts. So Tang Yue decided that it would be best if they asionally wandered around by themselves. Chapter 307: I will never leave you Part1 Chapter 307: I will never leave you Part1 After sending the three beasts out, Tang Yue drowned her muscles in piping hot water and contemted the bombshell news that Xavier had dropped on her. She wanted to get Xander the smithing technique but she didn¡¯t know how to ask Miller for it, considering that the act was basically treason on his part. They naturally had a silent understanding about this, but still, she felt awkward to actually do so. It felt wrong to exploit the rtionship this man had with her mother, which she was still unclear about. However, what needed to be done, had to be done. Not to mention the enormous scythe which was looming over everyone¡¯s heads. If the blood bath that the old man had predicted was indeed on the verge of fruition, Tang Yue believed that it was important for the elves to arm themselves with powerful weapons and armors. During those testing times, even if the dwarves willingly wanted to share their secret, it might just be toote for anyone to do anything. So what she was doing right now might only help everyone in the future. Tang Yue mulled over these things and absentmindedly dried herself, dressing in a simple and clean yellow robe, adorned with purple flowers. Such a colorbination normally wouldn¡¯t have matched a pale blue skin tone. However, the woman still pulled it off and looked as beautiful as ever. She gulped nervously and walked back and forth in the big hall, waiting for Miller to return. The dwarf only returned back an hourter and he wordlessly dumped another huge pile of Kirrion ore chunks in front of Tang Yue. ¡°You can now start training with these materials,¡± Miller grunted. ¡°Practice your Hundred Swings and Thousand Swings Refinement technique on these ores.¡± ¡°Eventually when you smith spirit weapons, you will be using these refined ores.¡± He exined. Tang Yue obediently nodded but she didn¡¯t immediately start her tasks. ¡°Master¡­ That¡­ That¡­¡± She hesitated and fidgeted with her fingers. Hmmm? Miller sat down on his chair and patiently waited for the girl to speak. ¡°What happened?¡± Tang Yue met the man¡¯s gaze once before looking away and sighing guiltily. She then suddenly knelt down on the floor and banged her head on the ground. ¡°Master. This unfilial disciple has a greedy request.¡± She could hear the old man¡¯s scoffing in her mind but she ignored the guy and paid attention to only Miller¡¯s words. The dwarf was confused. He squinted his eyes, trying to figure out what was happening. ¡°What do you want, child?¡± Since Miller held a prominent position in the dwarven royal city, he was pretty confident that he could give almost anything Tang Yue wanted. But seeing her exaggerated actions, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder what the girl was talking about. Tang Yue continued kneeling, with her head still on the ground. ¡°Master, please impart me the technique to forge spirit weapons.¡± Hmmm? The dwarf raised his brows. Wasn¡¯t this already decided? Before he could answer, the girl mumbled a few more words. ¡°And please allow me to share this technique with the elven Crown Prince and the Eldorian Empire.¡± Aha Ha Ha¡­ Miller smiled. He now understood what was going on and why Tang Yue was acting so meekly. This cheeky little girl! He chuckled. She was basically asking him to betray the entire Dwarven Empire in exchange for a kowtow! ¡°Stand up, child. First, tell me what happened in detail.¡± Tang Yue raised her head and nodded. She then patiently exined to him several things. Her betrothal, the ancientbyrinth and how she was indebted to Xander, andstly, the request of the elven high counsel elders for her to learn the spirit smithing technique. Miller patiently listened to Tang Yue and with every word he heard, his face visibly darkened. When Tang Yue was finally done with her exnation, the dwarf looked extremely angry. ¡°Ptui. Filthy stinking elves.¡± He spat out venomously. It was quite obvious to him why the elven high counsel elders had sent out Tang Yue to the Dwarven Empire. They hadn¡¯t sent her out on a secret mission. Rather they had sent her to her death. And all of this because of a mere doubt that she had managed to obtain some treasure in thebyrinth. They couldn¡¯t stomach the possibility of seeing a spirit beast be powerful and hence they had sent her on this impossible mission. In reality, he wanted to curse her father, who was the reason behind everything. He had foolishly sacrificed such a good child to the cruel elves without any consideration. That man not only betrayed Tang Yue, but he had also betrayed Tang Yue¡¯s mother, Lin Yue. But Miller didn¡¯t want to scold Tang Yue¡¯s father in front of her and angrily gnashed his teeth. He could only me himself for not being there for Tang Yue sooner. It was not like he did not know that Lin Yue had a daughter, but he had still willingly remained in the drunken stupor because of his own selfish reasons. Perhaps if he had met her sooner, none of this would have happened. Miller gnashed his teeth and asked, his reddened eyes scrutinizing the woman¡¯s demeanor. ¡°And you still want to give the elves this technique?¡± Tang Yue paused and then slowly answered. ¡°I owe it to that man, Master.¡± Miller was slightly surprised. He didn¡¯t expect this answer. He had thought that maybe Tang Yue was doing this out of fear. Who wouldn¡¯t be frightened if the entire Elven Empire was out for their blood? So it startled him to learn that Tang Yue was rather thinking about something else. ¡°Do you like that man, child?¡± Miller probed further. Ah~~ Tang Yue blinked. It was her turn to be shocked. She hesitated for a second, before shaking her head vigorously. She denied such an impossible thing with all her might. Miller was amused at the young woman¡¯s reactions. He didn¡¯t ask her anything further. The dwarf sighed and wordlessly took out a jade slip from his ring and performed some hand incantations. He then handed it over to Tang Yue as if he was giving her a piece of meat. ¡°Here take it.¡± Tang Yue looked up and met the dwarf¡¯s gaze. Her body was frozen and her hand refused to ept the man¡¯s help. How could he give me this so easily? Was he not going to ask anything else? If this news spreads out, won¡¯t he bebeled as a traitor and banished from the Dwarven Empire or worse, even executed? So why was he handing over such a priceless technique without even putting forward a single condition? Tang Yue trembled. She knew that she was exploiting the man and the affection he had for her mother and she felt sick to her stomach for doing so. Was her own freedom so important to her that she was willing to sacrifice so many people for achieving it? Tang Yue hesitated. Even if the dwarf was willing to give her everything, she was not sure if she should ept it. ¡°Don¡¯t think so much, little snake. You are only helping everyone.¡± ¡°Though this small action is nowhere close to making any difference, it could still save a few lives from being massacred, maybe even giving them enough time to flee.¡± The old man chimed in her mind. Tang Yue bit her lips in frustration. She understood that as well, so in the end, even if she didn¡¯t want to, she had to do this. Tang Yue bent her head down and epted the jade slip from the dwarf¡¯s hand with a sour feeling in her heart. The dwarf, however, simply chuckled. ¡°Just the technique won¡¯t be enough, child. Do you think making spirit weapons is that easy?¡± ¡°It would at least take the elves a decade or more to gain any meaningful insight.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t think too much and send it over.¡± Miller grunted and got up from his seat. He then casually walked out, heading somewhere again. ¡°Also, don¡¯t just focus on smithing.¡± ¡°You should spar with your elven friend upstairs at least for an hour or two a day.¡± ¡°Now that you have conditioned your body using Kirrion bacsh, the next step is to temper your body with sword moves.¡± The man¡¯s voice boomed and he disappeared from Tang Yue¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yes, Master. I understand.¡± Tang Yue bowed again and gratefully nodded. Her fists, however, were clenched so tightly that her knuckles appeared white. ¡°You have forced me into this corner.¡± Her long forked tongue slithered in and out. She had not even met the elven high counsel elders in person before, but now, they both had an enmity that will never be peacefully resolved. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes gleamed with a vicious glint as she gazed at the jade slip on her hands. She then used a couple of hand incantations and another jade slip to replicate the technique and sent it to Xander. ¡°With this¡­ we are even.¡± She muttered under her breath. Chapter 308: I will never leave you Part2 Chapter 308: I will never leave you Part2 The Eldorian royal pce, Crown Prince Xander¡¯s courtroom: The crimson-eyed elf waszily sprawled on his throne and in front of him stood a dozen or so elven Generals. Charlotte¡¯s father was also in this group, but the man hid and stood in the back, lest he gets bullied again unfairly. For the life of him, he was still unable to figure out why the Prince was so infuriated with him. Just his mere sight made the man angry beyond reason. General Salvatore sighed and shook his head helplessly. His wandering mind froze and jolted back to reality as soon as he heard the familiar cold and indifferent voice. ¡°Use these pills carefully.¡± Xander¡¯s voice thundered. He was currently distributing his own version of the Devil Awakening pill to his Generals. The man¡¯s talent in alchemy was second to none and it only took him a few weeks topare Tang Yue¡¯s special Devil Awakening pill form and the existing Devil Awakening pill form ande up with a unique pill form of his own. The strength of this pill was in fact at least a hundred times more effective than what Tang Yue had used, but at the same time, the dangerous side effects were also absent. With this pill, even Saint realm experts can train their mental strength and strive to step into the Demi-God realm. It was truly a testament to Xander¡¯s alchemy skills. However, as opposed to the Generals who were looking at the small pill bottles as if they were some sort of heaven-defying treasures, Xander¡¯s crimson orbscked any interest in them. He casually tossed over ss bottles, each containing five pills, to all of his Generals. And when General Salvatore¡¯s turn came, the man paused slightly, but he then tossed him a bottle as well, his expression darker and colder. ¡°Train well and help each other.¡± He casually gave them a few instructions. All the Generals obediently nodded, grateful to the man for his care and concern. Xander hadn¡¯t yet revealed this to the High Counsel elders but his Generals and Xavier already knew that the dwarves had a Deity realm expert. So everyone was tense and they felt as if they were walking on thin ice. This was why power bnce was important because the minute a powerful outsider suddenly showed up, their lives were no longer in their hands. They would be at the whim and the mercy of the powerful expert. This was thew of life and no one was an exception to this. Perhaps a Demi-God like Xander could stand up to the powerful Deity, maybe even put up a good fight, but they were surely not his equals. If they were to face the Deity, they would be ughtered and massacred like insects. So all the Generals had a somber expression on their faces as they clutched the small pill bottle tightly in their hands as if their life depended on it. Because most of them were rathercking in mental strength and soul strength. It was much easier to cultivate and temper your physical body whenpared to increasing one¡¯s mental strength and soul strength. So most of their development was stagnated in the Saint realm, mainly because of these two attributes. But now, Xander had found a solution for them all on his own. Well, mostly on his own. As this serious discussion continued, with Xander saying a few words and the Generals intently listening to him, all of a sudden a small glowing jade slip appeared on Xander¡¯s hand. The man¡¯s brows shot up at first, but then his expressions slowly melted. His indifferent and frosty eyes perked up and the man lovingly gazed at the jade slip. All the strong and powerful Generals standing in front of him suddenly felt as if they were dreaming. This man¡­ he was even capable of showing an expression like this? They were utterly bewildered! Then, almost as if he felt the several pairs of eyes on him, Xander looked up and awkwardly cleared his throat. ¡°Ahem. Ahem. Let¡¯s leave things here for now. Come to me if there are any issues.¡± ¡°I expect all of you to have reached the Saint realm in mental strength by the end of this week.¡± The man hurriedly spat out a few words and shooed away the crowd as if they were all mosquitoes. He then expectantly activated the jade slip with a big bright smile on his face like a small child. However, the very next second¡­ BANG The jade slip on his hand exploded, shattering into invisible jade dust. His crimson orbs simmered, and a dangerous violent aura leaked out of his body. The man abruptly stood up, and the next instant, his figure disappeared from the royal courtroom. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile¡­ ¡°Arghhhh! I am so tired!¡± Charlotte grumbled and covered her face with the back of her palm. Her voluptuous chest heaved up and down, as the woman gasped for breath, trying to recuperate. Lying next to her, Tang Yue was also equally out of breath. Beads of sweat trickled down her captivating face, all the way down to her slender waist. The two women were lying side to side with barely any clothing on their bodies and both panting lifelessly. Whatever clothing was left on their body also looked ripped and torn, barely hanging on. ¡°You are a demon, Yue! You havepletely worn me out.¡± Charlotte grumbled, her thin lips still parted even after she mouthed her words. ¡°Look who is talking. I have barely mastered a few sword moves, yet you heartlessly unleashed dozens of attacks on me.¡± Tang Yue pouted. Charlotte immediately panicked and quickly turned towards her, her two voluptuous mounds jiggling as she did so. ¡°Hey! You asked me to go all!¡± She retorted from having been med unfairly. A few minutes earlier, after finishing a dozen rounds of Thousand Swings refinement technique, Tang Yue had gone upstairs and dragged the sleepy head back down with her in order to practicebat moves. But Tang Yue had vastly underestimated her opponent. Unlike her, Charlotte was already well advanced in swordbat. So even with Tang Yue using her soul sword and her most powerful fire magic spells, she was still wiped out by the elf in the end. With herbat experience, Charlotte anticipated each and every single move Tang Yue made and blocked them skillfully. From the beginning to the end, she yed Tang Yue in the palm of her hands. Of course, this was with Tang Yue limiting herself by only using Fire magic and swordy. She neither used her fangs nor her illusion magic. Otherwise, it would have been difficult for Charlotte to maintain her advantage. But since the main point of this exercise was to train in swordbat, Tang Yue handicapped herself and fought it out with Charlotte with all the strength that she could muster. ¡°Didn¡¯t you want me to go all out?¡± Charlotte asked again, concerned about her friend¡¯s condition. Tang Yue chuckled lightly. She tiredly lifted her hand and pinched the woman¡¯s reddened cheeks. ¡°Oww Oww O!¡± Charlotte yfully whined with a wronged expression. ¡°Don¡¯t go easy on me. I will pick up the pace soon.¡± Tang Yue muttered, her eyes closed and a smile on her face. She could feel Charlotte¡¯s warm breath on her face and it tickled her. ¡°Would you stop looking at me?¡± She reached her arms out to mess with the woman¡¯s bnce, her eyes still closed. Immediately, a heavy pressure weighed over her, as the person above her had clearly stumbled and fallen on top of her. Tang Yue giggled and teased the woman more. ¡°You are bing a fat pig. So heavy!¡± Her long eyesshes then fluttered open, wanting to see Charlotte¡¯s dramatic expressions, when unexpectedly another face greeted Tang Yue. GUDANG Tang Yue¡¯s heart skipped a beat and her body froze, even a gasp escaping her mouth. Just a mere inch away from her face was the devil¡¯s mesmerizing ethereal face and his daunting crimson orbs. ¡°Did you just call me a pig?¡± Xander¡¯s lips were curled upwards in amusement, a wave of subtle anger inteced in them. The devil¡¯s body crushed her underneath him and his mischievous hands were roaming freely, without any restraint. He groped her softness, he pinched her waist and he hugged her so tightly as if she was on the verge of disappearing from his life at any second. Tang Yue gulped. She was suddenly very aware of how sparingly clothed she was and her nerves prickled her. Gentle warmth exuded from all the ces the devil touched her and a trace of reluctance surfaced on her face. Before she could make sense of what she was feeling, the man abruptly lowered his head to nt a kiss on her luscious lips. The gentle kiss slowly evolved into a soul-devouring attack and the man passionately sucked her lips and shed with her tongue. Chapter 309: I will never leave you Part3 Chapter 309: I will never leave you Part3 Tang Yue snapped out of her trance and as she did, her eyes darted towards Charlotte momentarily, mainly to look away from the peering crimson orbs that were waiting to devour her. But when she looked at Charlotte, she saw a cloud of ck smoke, formless and unstable, hovering around the woman, holding her in ce, under the threat of a sword. This was the same ck smoke that had pulled her out of the rubble back in thebyrinth. But Tang Yue was not in the least pleased to see it this time around. A spark of anger appeared in her clear and gentle emerald eyes and she pushed the man, morphing into her serpentine form and slithering out of his embrace. She then morphed back into her human form and hissed at the man who was now sprawled on the ground with no one underneath him. But the devil had already recovered and he was now smirking at her, his head casually resting on his palm, lying on the ground as if he was a King of the world. ¡°Let her go now.¡± Tang Yue hissed. She did not understand what the lunatic was even doing here in the first ce. Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be back in the Eldorian pce? Didn¡¯t she just hand over a peerless technique that should have kept him busy and upied at the least? It had barely been a couple of hours since she had sent over the technique and now he was in front of her. What the hell? Just how fast can a Demi-God even move? Xander flicked his fingers and his dark elemental clone released Charlotte. ¡°Why are you here?¡± Tang Yue asked again. Her tone was still unfriendly. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who called me here?¡± Xander smirked, leaping back to a standing position and shrugging his shoulder carelessly. ¡°I called you?¡± Tang Yue was confused. If anything, thest message was a farewell between the both of them, settling all the scores. But Xander seemed very confident in his stand. ¡°You did call me. Don¡¯t you remember?¡± He paused and his smirk widened. ¡°Why else would you send the useless technique over?¡± ¡°Useless?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide! This bastard! She had literally begged and pleaded and exploited her mother¡¯s memories for this damned technique! But before she could process these words, Xander threw something at her. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flickered and she instinctively caught the object. She held it in her hands and saw that it was a jade slip. She looked up in confusion, trying to understand his actions. ¡°Keep your useless technique with you. It is time toe back.¡± Xander took a few steps forward and walked closer. The man was clearly trying to intimidate her, as per his usual modus operandi, but this time Tang Yue did not falter. She snapped at him without holding back. ¡°I am nevering back.¡± Xander¡¯s expressions slightly flickered, ayer of frost covering his eyes, but the man still maintained his infuriating smirk. ¡°Is that so?¡± He asked, enunciating each and every syble. Tang Yue did not reply anything and red back at him. ¡°Good. Good. You seem quite confident. You are no longer scared of me huh?¡± ¡°I guess you don¡¯t have to be.¡± Xander shrugged. ¡°Since you probably know that I wouldn¡¯t do anything to you.¡± The man paused a while, his eyes surveying his prey. ¡°But my dear, that doesn¡¯t mean that I wouldn¡¯t do anything to others.¡± ¡°After all, I can¡¯t allow you to take advantage of my weakness like this, can I?¡± The damned smirk returned to his face. Tang Yue still did not waver. She had already expected some threats. Hmph. She coldly snorted, arms crossed in front of her. Today she was not going to yield and this was final. She cannot afford to go back. Not just yet. No matter what he says. Xander chuckled coldly, the man¡¯s amusement turning up a notch with every passing second. ¡°My dear¡­ If you don¡¯te back, I will have to personally ughter each and every single one of your family members.¡± But before Xander could even finish his sentence, Tang Yue burst outughing. ¡°Pfft. Please do so. I can even pay you for that good deed.¡± The man¡¯s lips twitched but he still remained calm. ¡°Then how about I take care of this pig over here. You seem to care about her quite a lot.¡± Huh? Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened. She looked up with a terrible sour expression on her face. She had tried her best to remain invisible and stay away from what looked like a lover¡¯s quarrel, but she ended up being dragged into the mess nevertheless. At her mention, Tang Yue slightly hesitated. However, her eyes remained steady. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± She mumbled and turned around resolutely. The woman then started walking back into the smithy, leaving behind Xander and Charlotte. She expected another threat to boomerang back to her, but Xander remained silent. Her back was towards him. So Tang Yue did not see his expressions. She knew that she didn¡¯t have to. Xander¡¯s cold and ruthless demeanor was only a facade and why would she fear it even after knowing the truth? Don¡¯t want the spirit smithing technique? Fine, it¡¯s your loss. But Tang Yue did not n on relenting. She was determined not to return to Eldoria at least for now and if she ever did, there would most definitely be bloodshed. Xander sighed. His eyes glinted as he looked at the woman¡¯s cold and indifferent figure, her slender and sensual behind. A faint sadness surfaced on his face, but it was soon reced by an indifferent look. His thin lips parted and a cold chuckle resounded from within them. This was his first rejection. The next instant Xander¡¯s figure disappeared, along with his dark elemental clone. Charlotte gulped nervously, unsure of what she was supposed to do now. She looked around and confirmed that Xander had indeed left, finally able to breathe in relief. She then quickly hurried over to Tang Yue. ¡°Yue, what happened? Why did you behave like this?¡± She worriedly asked. ¡°I know that he treated me very badly, but¡­ but¡­ Xander is really not a bad person.¡± ¡°And¡­ And¡­ he seems to really like you.¡± Even though she didn¡¯t like it, Charlotte still tried to reason with Tang Yue. She did not let herplicated emotions get in the way of Tang Yue¡¯s happiness. The woman¡¯s silence was terrifying. ¡°Are you worried that the high council elders might do something to you if you go back?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ They will probably scheme something, but you shouldn¡¯t worry too much about it.¡± ¡°As long as Xander is there, I am sure that nothing will happen to you.¡± Hearing thest few words, Tang Yue finally opened her mouth and slowly replied, word for word. ¡°And just how long am I supposed to live like this? At the mercy of others?¡± ¡°Xander is interested in me now. What about tomorrow when he loses his interest?¡± ¡°Emotions are fleeting. Only strength is real.¡± There was a steadiness in her voice that was unshakable. Tang Yue did not wait for Charlotte¡¯s reply and silently walked back in, leaving her no other option but to simply gaze at her. Charlotte clenched her fists and silently followed Tang Yue, walking into the smithy behind her. She saw Tang Yue standing by herself in front of the anvil and looking casually at the chunks of Kirrion ore as if nothing had happened, her emerald eyes devoid of any emotions within them. For some reason, the woman¡¯s figure appeared deste and lonely, as if she was a flickering me in a freezing blizzard. Charlotte¡¯s heart ached just looking at her lonesome silhouette. Was she missing Xander very much? Was she regretting her actions? Charlotte didn¡¯t know. If only Tang Yue was not a spirit beast¡­ Her life then wouldn¡¯t probably be this difficult. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder just how much the woman had suffered in her entire life. She walked over to Tang Yue and silently hugged her from behind, her hands intecing around the woman¡¯s waist. ¡°I will always be with you.¡± She muttered inwardly, not having the courage to say it out loud. This was all that she could do¡­ at least for now. And to her surprise, Tang Yue ced the big chunk of metal in her hands back on the table carefully and turned around. She looked at the gentle, caring and kind soul in front of her, wondering when and how she became so important to her. There was a time when they were fighting like cats and dogs, so determined to destroy each other. But now¡­ Tang Yue wordlessly hugged Charlotte back, gripping the woman tightly, as if she was promising that she would never let her go. She then looked up, her face just an inch away from Charlotte¡¯s. The two women gazed at each other, their silence speaking volumes. Chapter 310: I will never leave you Part4 Chapter 310: I will never leave you Part4 Tang Yue looked up, her face just an inch away from Charlotte¡¯s. The two women gazed at each other, their silence speaking volumes. They were not aware as to who made the first move, but their lips gently brushed against each other. The gentle movements slowly turned passionate, their embrace deepened and their hearts collided. Tang Yue held the woman¡¯s cheeks in her palms and kissed her gently, her lower lip first and then her upper lip. Charlotte blushed, her hands holding Tang Yue¡¯s neck and her long soft ck locks. She yed with those silky threads as she reciprocated the woman¡¯s kisses, brushing them with her fingers and then caressing her neck. Warmth permeated with her every touch and the gentle kisses were suddenly not enough. Charlotte pulled Tang Yue even more closer, tugging at the hair in the back of her head. Tang Yue felt the woman¡¯s burning desire and answered hermand by locking her lips with her, her tongue slowly exploring the maiden¡¯s wishes. As their tongues grazed each other shyly, sparks flew and the millions of neurons on their bodies fired up simultaneously. An intoxicated look appeared on the couple¡¯s face, one looking gentle and pure and the other looking seductive and lustful. After a long and breathtaking taste, the two parted, both panting and gazing at each other, seeking unspoken answers to their questions. They didn¡¯t have to ask anything. They didn¡¯t have to dere anything. Their gazes met and they knew what each other felt. Women who felt this way werebeled as perverts, deviants, and twisted. Things like this happened but only noblewomen of very high standing dared to do these things, that too in the secret of their bedrooms, hidden and buried in the shadows. But Tang Yue did not care about those things and neither did Charlotte. The two stared at each other, before diving in back again. Just kisses were not enough this time. Tang Yue tucked away Charlotte¡¯s tinum blond strands behind her ear and she caressed her cheeks gently. She then leaned forward to steal another kiss. The woman¡¯s tongue licked her lips, tickling her teasingly. Charlotte¡¯s eyes glistened. She could tell that this time Tang Yue was not indecisive anymore and she knew what she was doing. A tear escaped her mesmerizing eyes, as she felt the bundled-up worries and knots in her heart fade away, trickling drop by drop. Seeing how Tang Yue was close to Xander, she never actually thought that this day was going toe and this thing was going to happen. She had thought that her fate was already sealed, and she was someone doomed to be in yet another heart-wrenching one-sided love. With Xander, she had somehow recovered¡­ That was just infatuation¡­ a teenager¡¯s blind desire¡­ but with Tang Yue¡­ Charlotte was afraid that this time she would never be able to recover. She didn¡¯t even want to think of the pain that she would have to endure, seeing the woman she loved be with someone else, each and every single day for thousands of years, maybe even for all eternity. That was cruel. That was torture. She didn¡¯t think that she had it in her to go through something like that. But now¡­ everything had changed¡­ The woman she loved¡­ It looked like she loved her back. Suddenly, everything fell in ce and every single heartache of her past disappeared as if it never existed. Tang Yue paused, feeling the teardrop streak all the way to the woman¡¯s lips. She gazed at her and licked her cheeks, wiping the salty tears away. Just like Tang Yue, Charlotte was not in her disguise. Her ethereal beauty shone and with the woman¡¯s yearning eyes and parted lips, she looked absolutely adorable. Tang Yue had never thought that she could feel like this about another woman, let alone this scheming trickster. She pinched her cheeks and kissed her again, nibbling her lips. ¡°Stop crying, you idiot. I can¡¯t stand you being like this.¡± Tang Yue¡¯sforting words, only made her more emotional and Charlotte melted in her arms. ¡°Yue¡­ I love you¡­ I am in love with you. I am sorry. Don¡¯t hate me for being like this.¡± Tang Yue paused. This was something she had both expected and not expected. She was not thick. She felt the love in the woman¡¯s gaze every time she looked at her. But Tang Yue had not acted on it because of certain other reasons. She knew how she felt about Charlotte, but she also¡­ Tang Yue did not think about that anymore. At least right now¡­ only the woman in front of her mattered. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Tang Yue asked, removing her hands from the woman¡¯s soft cheeks. Pinching them was addictive. ¡°My life will probably be very hard¡­ Full of bloodshed¡­ Miserable and sad¡­¡± She gazed into her eyes and exined. She didn¡¯t want to hide the truth from Charlotte and fool her into spending a miserable life with her. ¡°If you choose to be by my side¡­ then your life will also¡­¡± Charlotte raised her hand and covered Tang Yue¡¯s mouth with her palm. ¡°As long as I am there, nothing will ever happen to you.¡± She said, an unfathomable resoluteness shining in her eyes. ¡°They are my lines, you idiot.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and kissed her again. Charlotte smiled and kissed her back. The two greedily sucked on each other¡¯s lips as if they were consuming heavenly nectar. Their touches were urgent and sinful, their desire burning. Tang Yue kissed the elf hard, her hand running through Charlotte¡¯s blond hair. She kissed her lips, her cheeks, her neck, her kisses greedily trailing all over the woman. She pulled the woman closer, tugged at her robe, and ripped it apart in haste. Charlotte¡¯s elegant shoulders were revealed and the woman¡¯s gorgeous cleavage glistened coyly, half exposed and half-hidden. Tang Yue touched her softness, and she could feel the woman¡¯s heart beating out of control underneath it. Chapter 311: I will never leave you Part5 Chapter 311: I will never leave you Part5 Charlotte panted. An enving warmth spread from Tang Yue¡¯s palm and sparks flew from the ces she touched. Her entire body was tingling. The woman¡¯s hand groping her chest and it felt magical to be touched by her so intimately. Charlotte closed her eyes and enjoyed the vivid sensations. She then couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and grabbed Tang Yue. She rubbed her thumb on her lips and slobbered kisses onto her cheeks and her neck. She pulled aside the damned robe that was restricting her and greedily licked her body. She sucked on her neck, leaving a dark purple bruise, iming the woman for herself. Tang Yue giggled at Charlotte¡¯s possessiveness and she hugged the woman tightly as she left several marks on her body. The viiness even bit her at a couple of ces. The duo pushed and pulled each other teasingly, their robes already torn into shreds and their body sparingly covered. They slowly moved together, stepping into one of the rooms, their hands caressing each other greedily with every step. Tang Yue kicked the door shut and she pushed the elf onto the cot. The woman¡¯s enticing curvesid bare in front of her, her chest rising up and fall down, and her t stomach trembling in nervous. Charlotte blushed and covered her eyes immediately. Tang Yue¡¯s face, as well, ripened and the woman flopped onto the small cot, sitting next to the enchanting maiden. She gently patted Charlotte¡¯s head and brushed her silky blond locks, not rushing things. Charlotte turned towards her and gazed at her for a second, her eyes enjoying the woman¡¯s seductive curves. Tang Yue was more voluptuous than her and her body had a dangerous charm to it. It made her want to touch her more and kiss her more. She slowly sat up straight, and then stood up, getting out of the bed. She walked closer to Tang Yue, standing in front of her. The woman¡¯s ears were red from embarrassment, but she nevertheless mustered her nerve to raise her legs, one at a time. She ced her knees next to Tang Yue, straddling her with her naked body. Tang Yue gulped. She knew that this beautiful woman belonged to her and loved her and it made her heart race. She was gentle and pure like a snowke on the green grass. Tang Yue grabbed the woman¡¯s soft and slender waist and grabbed her closer to her body. A hazy addictive warmth spread from her body and she greedily groped her, as if no amount of touching was enough. She tugged the woman¡¯s blond locks and pulled her head closer kissing her and biting her lips hungrily. Charlotte moaned in pleasure. She then bit her lips and swallowed the next moan, fully embarrassed by it. ¡°Yue¡­ Nnnggh¡­ Is this really ok? Can I really love you? Can I be this selfish and take youpletely?¡± ¡°Mmm¡­¡± Tang Yue moaned, not pausing her actions to reply. She took her time and tasted her tongue before breaking the kiss, saliva dripping. ¡°Take whatever you want. I am all yours.¡± She mumbled briefly, before cing her lips on the woman¡¯s nipple and teasingly sucking it. Her hands roamed up and down Charlotte¡¯s back touching and feeling every inch of her soft and tender skin. Charlotte moaned in pleasure, a sticky wetness appearing below her slender abdomen. ¡°Yue¡­ Ah¡­¡± She whimpered but didn¡¯t want the woman to stop. Tang Yue smiled. Fiery desires swept her heart and body as she wanted to see more of such expressions on the innocent pure face. She sucked on her nipples harder and her hand squeezed the other breast. The woman sitting on herp shivered. It felt as if she was tainting a heavenly maiden and she loved it. Charlotte¡¯s long eyshes fluttered and she gazed at the woman¡¯s smug and content expression in between her moans. She felt wronged. She pushed Tang Yue onto the bed, sitting on top of her with a smirk on her face. ¡°Yue. I can also make you moan and beg for mercy.¡± She challenged her and started rubbing her breasts. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened. Before she could react, the elf had started attacking her, sending waves of pleasure down her body. Charlotte felt the woman trembled and her pace quickened. She groped Tang Yue¡¯s body to her heart¡¯s content, exploring each and every nook and cranny. The softness felt amazing in her hands. She wanted to dig out Tang Yue¡¯s wet and sticky secrets and her hands trailed down the woman¡¯s waist. Nnngh. Tang Yue moaned and hurriedly rushed to stop her but Charlotte had already touched her wetness. She blushed with shame and tried pushing the woman away but she had already moved down. Tang Yue¡¯s hands half-heartedly revolted and resisted, but in the end, she only pulled the woman closer and kissed her senseless. Charlotte rubbed Tang Yue¡¯s intimate part, softly and gently at first, quickening her pace gradually. Tang Yue¡¯s hands clutched the bedsheets and crumpled them as her ecstasy reached an extreme and loud moans escaped her lips. She was making sounds which she had never made before. Charlotte kissed the woman¡¯s trembling lips and revealed a mischievous grin as she slipped a finger inside the wetness. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened and she stared at the beauty sitting atop her. Her anxiousness faded and a loving look appeared on her face. She caressed the woman¡¯s gentle cheeks and when she was caught off guard, she pushed her down, now sitting on top of her. Charlotte giggled at her defeat and opened her arms wide, asking to be tamed and vited. Tang Yue hissed, licking her lips seductively and leaning forward to nt a kiss on her. The woman closed her eyes in anticipation and parted her lips, but weirdly Tang Yue didn¡¯t kiss her back. She opened her eyes again, slightly taken aback, only to find the woman now staring lecherously at her slender waist and her small pink folds. ¡°Yue¡­ Ah¡­¡± Chapter 312: I will never leave you Part6 Chapter 312: I will never leave you Part6 ¡°Yue¡­ Ah¡­¡± Charlotte moaned, her hands clutching the edges of the cot. She felt Tang Yue sucking on her toes, the woman¡¯s tongue tasting her long legs, groping her soft thigh and her perky behind. The woman then moved up, stopping at her most intimate part. Charlotte sloppily reached for her to pull her back up, but before she could seed a tremor ran through her body. The woman was licking her sinful wetness. Tang Yue¡¯s long forked tongue licked the woman, enjoying her sweetness and softness. Her right hand shot up and groped the woman¡¯s enticing breast as she continued to lick her and tease her. Charlotte moaned loudly, unable to control her responses any longer. Her body twitched in ecstasy and electricity coursed through her skin. More wetness leaked out and Tang Yue licked her clean. She then went back to the woman¡¯s trembling lips and kissed her once more, giving her some time to recover. Charlotte tried to bury her head somewhere but the Yue did not let her off that easily. She kissed her ears and sucked on them. She pulled the woman closer and spooned her, groping her body again and again, enjoying the tantalizing curves and the addictive warmth. Unable to even face away from her for a second, Charlotte turned and kissed her back. She rubbed her feet up and down Tang Yue¡¯s long legs and greedily grabbed her soft butt. ¡°Yue¡­ You look amazing.¡± She whispered in her ears and licked her. ¡°Nnngh¡­ I should have attacked you long back.¡± Tang Yue giggled. She kissed Charlotte¡¯s neck and grabbing her breast and rubbing it. Her other hand moved down and once again rubbed her pink folds, this time two of her fingers entering the wetness suddenly. Charlotte felt a sharp pain, but the instant waves of pleasure assaulted her once again. In the heat of her passion, she swung her hips, grinding against Tang Yue¡¯s slender waist. The woman then inserted her finger in Yue¡¯s wetness and pleasured her just as she was getting pleasured. Their bodies intertwined and slithered together as the two drowned each other in kisses. Their naked voluptuous breasts were squished together and they greedily groped each other, wing and biting. Moans and screams rang through the bed sheets werepletely destroyed, their bodies dirty and sticky. Charlotte panted and looked at Tang Yuepletely exhausted. They had both worn each other out to their heart¡¯s content, screaming in ecstasy multiple times. Had it just been a few minutes? A few hours? Neither knew. Tang Yue drowsily rubbed the woman¡¯s cheeks and slumped her head on her shoulders. ¡°Do you want to take a bath?¡± Charlotte nodded. A warm smile appeared on her exhausted face. The realization that she had confessed her feelings and was epted by her love hit her and she reveled in joy. She recollected their forbidden encounter from a few seconds back and her eyes twinkled contently, a deep rxed sigh escaping her lips. She stretched her handszily and hugged the woman next to her. Tang Yue cozily enjoyed the hug and continued cuddling with the adorable elf. Neither wanted to move from their position andzilyid next to each other. Charlotte was the one who got up in the end and bit down on Tang Yue as punishment before doing so. She prepared hot water for both of them and dunked her body in the clean waters of the bath vessel. Seeing her enjoying the warm bath, Tang Yue reluctantly got out of the bed and stepped into the huge wooden bath vessel as well. She sat next to Charlotte, her shoulders rubbing with the woman¡¯s and yfully sshed some water on her. Charlotte purposefully ignored her taunts and enjoyed the warm bath, her eyes closed. Hmm? Tang Yue¡¯s brows shot up. She looked at the woman, sitting elegantly and peacefully, her beauty stunning and ethereal. Her big breasts glistened in the water and her tender skin sparkled. A drop of water lingered on her cherry red lips, making them even more enticing. Charlotte shed her eyes open, feeling Tang Yue gaze on her body. She saw the lewd look on the snake¡¯s face and she gulped. And before she realized, she was once again buried in Tang Yue¡¯s arms. The woman had pinned her down, holding her on top of her, her both legs wrapped around her slender body. Tang Yue hadn¡¯t even started doing anything but the woman¡¯s knees went weak and wetness leaked out of her, with just the anticipation. ¡°Ha Ha.¡± Tang Yue giggled and her fingers yed with Charlotte¡¯s body, teasing her and fondling her once again. The woman¡¯s body lewdly reacted to her every touch, as if they were made for each other and trembled and shivered in pleasure. ¡°Yue¡­ you beast.¡± Charlotte moaned, gasping out of breath. ¡°Of course, I am a beast. You didn¡¯t know?¡± She didn¡¯t let the elf answer and kissed her mouth, her tongue tingling Charlotte. The elf looked innocent and pure, but her actions were on the contrary. She didn¡¯t fall behind Tang Yue and fondled her with an equal passion. Her love and attention was a drug that made Charlotte lose all her restraints, and shepletely let herself go. She had kissed and licked every inch of Tang Yue¡¯s body without leaving a single spot. She knew where she was sensitive and she knew where she was ticklish. She caressed her and kissed her, until the beast was satisfied. She never wanted to stop touching the woman¡¯s body. They sshed around in the bath vessel, pleasuring each other and devouring each other. The two pairs of soft melons jiggled and trembled, shing with each other wantonly. Water spilled everywhere and their moans loudly echoed in the room. Even the air in the room smelled intoxicating. Everything fanned the fire and the beautiful maiden ended up sumbing to the seductive snake again and again, drowning in the throes of passion and battling it out through the depths of the silent night. Chapter 313: Your snake is fiesty Part1 Chapter 313: Your snake is fiesty Part1 Weeks passed by quickly as both Tang Yue and Charlotte busied themselves with work. They trained every minute of the day and sparred with each other in the night honing their swordy. Tang Yue¡¯s smithing technique was steadily improving and she was almost done with refining the big batch of Kirrion ore chunks. And thanks to her sparring partner, her sword technique was also improving by leaps and bounds. This in fact made her realize something¡­ Charlotte was not someone to be messed with!!! The woman looked gentle and tender, as meek as a kitten when she kissed her and loved her, but when she held a sword in her hands, her shrewd and cunning side came out. Charlotte¡¯s sword technique was not as profound as Tang Yue¡¯s but the woman still blocked each and every single one of her moves. Even if she suffered a defeat the previous day, she only came back stronger and fiercer the next day. She matched even Tang Yue¡¯s tenacity and fought with her with voracious hunger. They motivated each other and as a result, their skill level surged exponentially. Even the crafty old man had to admit his initial mistake in wanting to simply use Charlotte as bait and escape. The two women perfectlyplimented each other and together they were much stronger. Not just the old man, even the dwarf was impressed. Miller squinted his eyes, looking at the two women. One was cultivating sincerely, her eyes closed and fire elemental mana surging around her, while the other was hammering a bulky metal chunk. In just a few weeks both of them had progressed a lot, their speed even capable of making other geniuses envy them. Miller could tell that something was different now, but he just couldn¡¯t put his finger on it. The two seemed a bit too unusually happy even when doing extremely boring hard physical training. Miller sighed and helplessly shook his head. He couldn¡¯t help but assume that it was him who had lost his perceptiveness. ¡°Are you two heading out today as well?¡± He asked the duo, as they finished their respective daily training and stood in front of him, their heads gracefully bowed. Tang Yue nodded and Charlotte as well did so. ¡°How many have you killed so far?¡± Miller asked. ¡°Ten, master.¡± Tang Yue answered him. ¡°Be careful then. They will probably start sending stronger experts now.¡± ¡°You are still not in the Demi-God realm, so don¡¯t be over-confident.¡± ¡°Always look out for hidden dangers and unexpected moves. Be prepared for everything.¡± Miller advised them both and sent them on their way. Wagging their tails behind Tang Yue and Charlotte, who were both in their disguises, were two adult wolves and one panther. The beasts snarled and growled fiercely as if they were ready for anything that came their way. They had also been training rigorously and this confidence stemmed from their daily battles. And so, after restocking their supplies, the group then moved silently and stealthily in the middle of the night. But their movements were not awkward. They knew what path they were taking and traveled in the shadows. In fact, these past few days Tang Yue and Charlotte had been heading out regrly every single night for this new fun activity. It was open season on them and they kind-heartedly decided to make themselves avable for their hunters. Even going out of their way to do so. News about Tang Yue had spread far and wide in Eldoria, her disguise now known to all interested parties. So how could the elven elders still remain leisurely? Several teams had been sent out to capture Tang Yue alive and if that was not possible¡­ to assassinate and kill her on the spot. But unfortunately, no good news had yet reached their ears and their losses were piling on. The first time Tang Yue noticed someone¡¯s eyes trailing her, she immediately made a n. The duo had rounded up a few groups in the forest, with Tang Yue single-handedly luring them in, and then mercilessly ughtering the entire bunch. Both Tang Yue and Charlotte were in the Saint realm and these Emperor realm experts were nothing in front of them. Tang Yue did not even need to lift her finger and directly unleashed her mental attacks and made them kill each other. The beasts then feasted on their remains and not even a single bone was left behind. But as soon as they took care of the first set of attackers, another set popped up. And this time, they were Saint realm experts as well. However, there were only two of them. The two women faced one each and the fights were over before they began, Charlotte burning her opponent down to ashes and Tang Yue sinking her fangs into hers. And so, the duo headed out again tonight, their anticipation running high. They were expecting a group of Saint realm experts at the least, if not even a partial Demi-God expert. But Tang Yue was not intimidated. She believed in her own capabilities and her trump card. And there was also her Master, the dwarf Miller, who secretively followed behind them every night. How could he possibly let his two treasured disciples venture out to these life and death battles all by themselves? He never intervened but he still followed them every night. The group traveled fast and soon reached the outskirts of the royal city. But they did not stop there. They proceeded to enter the forests, heading deep into the vast hilly regions. Only when they werepletely away from the prying eyes in the city, the duo stopped. The beasts running behind them stopped as well. The two women then looked at each other in silent understanding and nodded. They both could clearly sense that they were not alone in these forests and their enemies stood, not too far from them. Tang Yue grinned as she calmly undid her disguise. Her long forked tongue flickered in and out and her hands gripped her soul sword tightly. It was almost time! Chapter 314: Your snake is fiesty Part2 Chapter 314: Your snake is fiesty Part2 S S S S Vague rustling noises echoed in the distance, slowly and surely getting closer and closer. Tang Yue clutched her soul sword tightly and muttered. ¡°They are here.¡± Charlotte nodded. The duo were on high alert and their battle spirit was surging faster than their blood. The newly arrived guests did not make them wait long and quickly materialized around them, encircling the two women. Since they were expecting stronger Saint realm experts this time around, only Little Plum was standing beside Tang Yue and Charlotte and the other two beasts remained hidden in the forest. They would only be a liability if they tried to intervene here. Tang Yue, Charlotte, and Little Plum, all three stood defensively, as the five figures slowly encircled them. Thick ck smoke poured out of their body and their aura was extremely domineering. Tang Yue red at her opponents, waiting and watching, her eyes keen like a hawk¡¯s. Charlotte, on the other hand, looked slightly nervous. ¡°The five ck Generals.¡± She muttered under her breath. ¡°What?¡± Tang Yue asked, her eyes still fixated on the enemies surrounding them. Before Charlotte could answer her question, one of the figures coldly chuckled. ¡°Heh. Little girl. Who are you really? You seem to be knowing a little too much?¡± Another figure standing next to him coldly snorted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. They won¡¯t be leaving this ce alive.¡± ¡°Ha Ha. Indeed.¡± ¡°Little girl, since you already know about us, why don¡¯t you talk sense to your beast friend and tell her to just surrender.¡± ¡°Your friend¡¯s fate is sealed. But you can still save yourself.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look half bad. You can even be our sex ve. Ke Ke Ke.¡± ¡°It is indeed a privilege to serve us brothers.¡± ¡°What do you say, little girl?¡± These five elves were the five famed Generals, all proficient in dark elemental magic. They were rumored to be one of the high council elder¡¯s personal Generals but no one knew any other details. They were the ultimate shadow Generals and people who knew about them did not survive to tell the tale. ¡°Eh! Stop chatting. I am getting bored here.¡± Another figure impatiently licked his sword with his tongue. Tang Yue chuckled, her smile warm and kind, but filled with ridicule. She looked at Charlotte and winked. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t keep our guests waiting, my dear.¡± ¡°You bitch!¡± Thest elf who had spoken was enraged and rushed forward, his speed quite astounding for someone in peak Saint realm. ¡°Loose earth.¡± Tang Yue muttered, almost at the same time. The ground around them instantly shook and the grains of sand loosened. ¡°Trying to falter my footing? Dream on. This is just a stupid parlor trick.¡± The elf snorted and continued dashing forward. It was as if his feet were barely touching the ground, so the loosened earth had little to no effect on him. But this didn¡¯t mean that the man underestimated his opponents. His eyes flitted between Charlotte and Tang Yue, paying attention to even the smallest movement from their side. And to his surprise, only Tang Yue had made a move so far. The other woman simply stood aside, her figure enveloped by a lightning barrier, that too a top-grade one. The elf could tell that even if he tried his attack will not easily pass through that barrier. But he didn¡¯t have to concern himself with that just yet. He didn¡¯t really care about the second woman. She could y turtle and stand under her barrier all day long. The man¡¯s eyes were only on Tang Yue as he charged forward. All the five Generals looked at the spirit beast who had somehow managed to provoke the entire elven high council. They wanted to know just what she was capable of. Tang Yue grinned. She felt the several pairs of eyes on her and it gave her goosebumps. The elf was dashing towards her at such a high speed, but she didn¡¯t make a single move yet, apart from the weak earth spell. Why should she have to unnecessarily waste her energy? She simply stood, waiting for the prey toe to her. The elf¡¯s eyes widened seeing that he was not getting the proper respect that he deserved, but he nevertheless shed at the snake mercilessly. It was her mistake to have underestimated him. Kacha His sword pierced through the wind at a speed invisible to the eyes, and roared thunderously, shing at the blue-skinned woman. ng Tang Yue¡¯s body slightly moved, her movements extremely minute and her sword matched the iing attack, blocking the powerful blow. The elf¡¯s eyes further widened in surprise and the other Generals as well took a note of it. Blocking an attack with very little movement was the mark of a sword expert! But he was not done just yet. As soon as hended, he twisted his body and swirled around, shing at Tang Yue for a second time. However, this time, a thick ck smoke emanated from his sword, and rather than the sword itself shing the woman, it was a wave of ck smoke that came roaring at her. Heh. Tang Yue chuckled. At leastst time she made a small move to block the attack, but this time, she did not even do that. She allowed the rotting ck wave of energy to casually fall on her as if it was just a rush of the evening breeze. The dark elemental energy swiftly sliced through her armor, cut her robe, and was headed straight for her neck. This was an attack meant for killing her with a single blow! The elf sneered seeing that he was about to win. They had heard a lot of things about this beast bride of the Crown Prince, but it turned out that they were not true after all. The bitch did not even know enough to counter a dark elemental sword sh. She stood like a chicken waiting to be ughtered. The elf¡¯s sneer widened as he saw the pitch-ck sh touch the woman¡¯s neck. He even prepared to lick the blood which would be spurting out from her neck any second now. This was a point of no return and only a clean victory awaited him! Chapter 315: Your snake is fiesty Part3 Chapter 315: Your snake is fiesty Part3 The elf¡¯s eyes bulged in anticipation as he watched the dark sh hit the woman¡¯s neck. However, the very next instant, his eyes drooped lifelessly. The ck smoke that had reached her neck simply bounced off or rather dispersed away as if it had met a dead end. As soon as he saw that, the elf knew that something was wrong here. He immediately quickened his steps and tried to move back when the loose earth made him stumble. Tang Yue grinned. She hadn¡¯t made the ground loosen up to thwart the man¡¯s offense, rather she had always been aiming for his retreat. The sword in Tang Yue¡¯s hand shed forward not allowing the elf to retreat back easily. ¡°Did I say that you can leave?¡± She hissed and unleashed three consecutive sword beams, inteced within them, and shrouding the beams was a thick me. This was the highlight of Tang Yue¡¯s progress in swordy from thesest few weeks. She was able tobine her fire magic with her swordy, making her attacks twice as powerful and twice as domineering. The elf gritted his teeth and blocked the first attack, but he was too slow to deal with the other two. He had thought that he was fast but right now the man couldn¡¯t even fathom his opponent¡¯s agility. Was she really only a Saint realm expert? A question arose in his heart, sending shivers down his spine. The man struggled as he used the full power of his cultivation base to support himself and spring back to the rest of his group. Thest two shes had cut open his armor, leaving bloody gashes on his chest. Blood spilled out from his muscr body as another General stepped forward and held him. The men¡¯s faces which were smug and confident earlier had now visibly darkened. The woman in front of them was clearly unaffected by dark elemental energy. How was that even possible? Among the various elements, the dark element had the strongest offensive power. The Generals, in fact, were considered powerful mainly because of this. But the woman in front of them seemed to be resilient to this attack. The five Generals quickly exchanged looks with each other as their situation appeared dire. Their elemental attacks were ineffective and the opponent also seemed to be unusually strong. Now they understood why only this one fought with them, whilst the other enclosed herself in an air-tight defensive barrier. That also meant that their highest chance of sess in this battle would be bringing the weaker one out and threatening the spirit beast by holding her hostage. Moreover, they held the advantage in numbers, so they were not nning on giving up just yet. The five elves exchanged nces and the taller one among them immediately stepped forward. He had a huge scar covering his face and he brandished a monstrous scythe as his weapon. He instantly stepped forward in a defensive stance as the other four Generals stood in a triangle formation, three at corners and one in the center. The elves in the formation started chanting something loudly, theirnguage unknown to both Tang Yue and Charlotte. But seeing that this was not going to end well, Tang Yue rushed forward and shed with the tall man. Her soul sword hadn¡¯t grown fully yet, so the metal shivered and trembled from the impact of the attack. The scythe did not look like a normal weapon. Was it a spirit weapon? Tang Yue immediately dismissed her sword and quickly ducked down, using the time to take out another weapon, an upgraded rare weapon that she had personally forged, one that was dripping with her venom. ¡°Little Plum¡± She shouted and the wolf standing in a corner vanished, bing a ball of mes. The fireball dashed towards the elf, blinding him momentarily and Tang Yue used this opportunity to sh her sword again, sending a couple of sword beams towards the elf, and also shing down on the man with her sword to imprint her venom. Both the attacks were powerful and the elf couldn¡¯t block both of them at the same time. But he instinctively ignored Little Plum¡¯s attack and focused on blocking Tang Yue¡¯s as that was far more powerful and dangerous. The fire ball¡¯s impact burned his face and his eyes but the man pushed back Tang Yue¡¯s sword and her venom didn¡¯t cut through him. Their sh sent both of them flying back, one injured far more than the other. But unfortunately, this allowed the other Generals in the back to sessfully finish whatever they were doing. By the time Tang Yue managed to get back on her feet, ck smoke rose from the ground beneath her. Charlotte wanted to break her barrier and intervene but she knew that she would only hinder Tang Yue if she did so. Dealing with dark elemental attacks was her only weakness. So she could only silently watch for an opportunity and panic inwardly. Just what the hell is this ck smoke? Tang Yue looked at the ground and then looked at the four Generals. Thick fumes of dark elemental energy enveloped them, pouring out of thin air. It formed a barrier around them. Just by looking at it, Tang Yue could tell that the barrier was a strong one, something that she wouldn¡¯t be able to prate. At the same time, the fumes rising from the ground underneath also didn¡¯t harm her. It was a stalemate. As she pondered about this situation cautiously, she suddenly saw the other injured elf getting up from the ground with a visible smirk on his face. ¡°You are dead now.¡± He mouthed the words with great difficulty. Who was the one with the upper hand here? Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched and she stepped forward to finish the guy fully. But suddenly blocking her path something dark and ck materialized. Tang Yue¡¯s head banged against the figure which was tangible and intangible at the same time. She looked up in shock, only to see two ming dark red eyes staring down at her, eyes that could only belong to something that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. Chapter 316: Your snake is fiesty Part4 Chapter 316: Your snake is fiesty Part4 Tang Yue stared at the two ming dark red eyes looking down at her, eyes that clearly belonged to something that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. ¡°A demon?¡± She gasped. Weren¡¯t these supposed to be merely beings of myth and folktales? How is there a demon standing in front of me right now? Tang Yue instantly leaped back, moving several feet away from the demonic figure. The mysterious entity looked like a giant ck bear but with terribly ominous eyes. Dark elemental wisps were oozing out of its body, turning the ground it touched into a wastnd. Its eyes moved as it traced Tang Yue¡¯s slender figure. The demon did not wait for her to gain a foothold and lunged forward, swiping at her with its giant paws. In the darkness of the night, its movements were almost invisible except for its burning red eyes, which looked like the depths of hell. ¡°Little Plum. Do it now.¡± Tang Yue shouted as she prepared to cast the highest grade fire magic spell that she could muster. Little Plum¡¯s round body made of mes sizzled, crackling and roaring intensely and the next instant, several draconian heads arose from the ground. These inteced with the ck dark elemental vapors and the entire area became a violent toxic battleground. However, unfortunately, the ck demon towering over Tang Yue currently was not in the least affected by these mes. But still, this was exactly what Tang Yue was aiming for. Though she had no idea what this demon was and how to defeat it, she did indeed know that its strength currently came from the formation behind it. The elves summoned this demon and were also clearly supplying the mana for the demon¡¯s strength. So instead of attacking the monstrous abomination in front of her, Tang Yue aimed for the rather vulnerable elves. Her eyes glinted as she saw the mes slowly corrode the dark elemental barrier that had formed around the elves standing in a triangr formation. The barrier trembled and roared as several fire dragon heads rammed against it. But how could the demon remain still while all this was happening? It couldn¡¯t care less about the fate of its summoners. Its only target was right in front of it and it was summoned to tear apart this target. So it kept swiping at Tang Yue, her nimble body only barely avoiding its dark ws. Even though Tang Yue had an immunity to the elemental attacks to some extent, she could tell that this demon¡¯s dark elemental fumes were much stronger and her body can¡¯t withstand it. Even at close proximity, she could already feel its corrosive burn on her skin. So the woman who had confidently epted the elf¡¯s dark elemental sh did not dare to do the same against this demon as well. Tang Yue continued evading its attacks with the full power that she could muster as if her life depended on it. Charlotte saw the woman struggle and barely hold on. She wanted to help her but the minute she stepped out of her lightning barrier, she knew that she would be a goner. She saw Tang Yue¡¯s tactics and understood that the most useful thing that she could do was attack the elves in the formation once the barrieres down. So she patiently waited for it, an opportunity to attack and end this once and for all, her nails digging through her skin. ¡°I am still too useless,¡± Charlotte muttered. Her eyes reddened as she watched the demon taking another swing at Tang Yue. Its mouth opened and a burst of thick ck fumes roared out directly blocking Tang Yue¡¯s path of escape. It couldn¡¯t touch her as she was moving with extreme finesse so it spat out a bucketful of corrosive ck me onto her. However, when the mes erupted, the target had already disappeared. Tang Yue noticed the gushing swirls of dark elemental energy from the corner of her eyes and immediately morphed into her serpentine form. She dove into the loose ground underneath and slithered inside to avoid the brunt of the attack. The demon snorted in anger seeing that its target had once again escaped its attack, fleeing away skillfully. It roared and started digging out the ground in anger. Time was running out for it and it knew it. It wanted to taste living flesh before it was summoned back into theher realm, the world of demons. As it couldn¡¯t dig out the snake that had burrowed underground, its eyes fell on the small ball of lightning, where Charlotte was standing. ROAR The demon stomped on the ground, jumping with both its gigantic legs andnded next to Charlotte with a loud thud. The elf shrunk back in fear, her body trembling, unable to withstand the pressure emanating from the demon. Not because Charlotte was weak but because this was in fact how normal people usually reacted. Tang Yue was rather the exception thanks to her divine lotus constitution. So she didn¡¯t feel the overwhelming pressure of the dark elemental wisps from the demon¡¯s body. The demon roared and its body shook as it swiped the lightning cage with its ws. The barrier trembled under the impact, barely holding on. Meanwhile, Tang Yue¡¯s head bobbed up out of the ground. She knew that Charlotte can hold on, so she directly went to the triangr formation to bash the Five Generals. Little Plum¡¯s Dragon dance spell had already done a number on them, so Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to let this opportunity go to waste. She rotated her fire mana core and channeled it through her veins, before letting it all out through her palms to produce a small fire tornado. KARAKA BOOM! The dark elemental barrier copsed almost at the same time as Charlotte¡¯s lightning barrier copsed. But before the demon could take another swipe at Charlotte, the fire tornado had already cut through the defenses and torched the four elves, thus breaking their concentration and effectively ending their summon. The fifth elf was also already unconscious and he couldn¡¯t help them out anymore. So without its attack ever reaching Charlotte, the demon entirely vanished into thin air, going back to the demon realm just as suddenly as it hade out. Only after seeing that, Tang Yue breathed out, sighing in relief, but the fight was not over yet. The elves were still standing, ready to ughter her. Tang Yue shuffled back, her feet only stopping when she was at a sufficient distance. She swung her sword forward, expecting a plethora of spells hurled at her, but surprisingly, the elves stood still, not even moving a muscle. Tang Yue did not wait and give them time to recover. She took a step forward and heaved before sending out several sword shes intermixed with fire elemental energy. The attacks smoothly cut through the air andnded on the elves one after the other as if they were stationary target dummies. They then even started falling down like empty dominoes. ¡°Huh? Is that it?¡± Tang Yue scratched her head and pondered. Was it some sort of bacsh from having their summoning rudely interrupted? She couldn¡¯t tell. Charlotte, as well, recovered from her stupor by now and walked over to stand next to Tang Yue. Just walking over the dark elemental wastnd cut through her boots and burnt her feet. She used her sword to poke at the elves and nodded at Tang Yue. ¡°It does look like they are done for.¡± ¡°Heh. What a pity! Didn¡¯t they call themselves the Shadow Generals or something?¡± ¡°They should have at least sparred with us some more.¡± She chuckled and raised her hand, cing her thumb and index finger in her mouth, sending out a loud whistle. The panther and Little Blue immediately came dashing towards them, and along with Little Plum, the three beasts started feasting on the Saint realm experts. Their teeth dug into the rugged flesh and since it was too hard for them, Little Plum once again cast a Dragon Dance spell roasting the elves, making their bodies tender and soft. Tang Yue and Charlotte did not intervene and allowed the beasts to take care of this task. ¡°Let¡¯s see what bounty we got today?¡± Tang Yue chuckled and sat down nearby, on a patch of cleaner forest ground, away from the scorched earth. While the three beasts feasted on the Saint realm experts, tearing out their throats first, Charlotte and Tang Yue peered over their spatial rings, taking out different items. The men even had a lot of gold and gems in their possession. ¡°What a bunch of wealthy assholes!¡± Tang Yue giggled. ¡°Of course. What did you think?¡± ¡°These Generals were one of the top attack units of the elven high counsel.¡± Charlotte sighed, still unable to believe the events of the night. She was clearly overwhelmed and would have been defeated if she was alone, but Tang Yue had handled everything brilliantly. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that she had soloed five Saint realm experts all on her own. One against five! The dwarf standing in the distance, watching over them this entire time, couldn¡¯t help but break out a cold sweat. He didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry at their excited eyes looking over the treasures. These two female disciples of his were downright hooligans! Chapter 317: Your snake is fiesty Part5 Chapter 317: Your snake is fiesty Part5 ¡°Brother. Brother.¡± Xavier hurriedly called out and barged into Xander¡¯s private quarters at the Eldorian royal pce. His brother had been behaving weirdly ofte, well weirder than usual and he was very worried about him. Partly because Xavier had a faint doubt that he might have been responsible for this predicament of his brother. He had sent a message one night in a drunken stupor to a certain snake and ever since his brother walked around as if he wanted to destroy everything in sight. Xavier was too afraid to ask about that directly so he tip-toed around, asking him in riddles, but still he got no definite answer. Just what the hell happened? The elf didn¡¯t dare go near his brother recently, but tonight he had heard some earth-shattering news and he needed to inform this to the devil no matter what! As Xavier barged into the chamber, he immediately covered his nose, as a thick overpowering aroma of spirit wine attacked him. It was so strong that the elf even had difficulties in breathing. Ahh¡­ Xavier gulped nervously, wondering what state his brother was in. He slowly opened the door and peeked inside to find a lean muscr man sitting at the center of the chamber. He had an enormous pyre roaring in front of him, thick ck smokeing out of the room, as soon as the door was opened. A cauldron majestically sat atop the pyre and sizzling sounds came from within. Brother is concocting? Xavier instantly broke out into a cold sweat. Xander was a Grandmaster in alchemy. His alchemy talents were praised by almost everyone in the nine countries. However, the man had a peculiar habit. He¡­ When he gets crazy¡­ He does crazy things. Once he had taken out an entire city of rebellious goblins with just a single poison pill. Xavier subconsciously panted and quickly backed out the door, afraid to even inhale whatever his brother was concocting. ¡°Brother. Can you step out for a second? I have something important to tell you!!!¡± He screamed, standing outside the closed door. ¡°What is it?¡± Xander casually mumbled, without any expression on his face. ¡°It¡¯s about your snake brother. Can¡¯t youe out and talk to me?¡± ¡°What do you mean ¡®my snake¡¯? Do I look like I have a snake wrapped around my neck?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Xavier was stumped. He wasn¡¯t too sure before but now he was. This devil was sulking! What the hell happened? Did someone steal his wife? Xavier didn¡¯t know that he was spot on with his guess and continued prattling on. ¡°Don¡¯t bring me into this weird fight that you two are having.¡± ¡°I just came here to tell you that your wife has been busy.¡± ¡°She just ughtered that old man Darius¡¯s Shadow Generals.¡± ¡°I heard that he went livid with anger and was even talking about personally paying a visit to your beauty.¡± Xavier huffed and hurriedly blurted out. He wanted to warn Xander before something bad could happen. Each and every single one of the elders in the elven high council was a prick but at the same time, those old assholes were extremely skilled and talented inbat. If one of them really decided to show up, then Tang Yue would most definitely be in a sticky situation, and probably won¡¯t survive the encounter or even worse be taken alive as a captive. Xander¡¯s hands slightly trembled as he put the next batch of herbs into the cauldron. His lips, however, did not speak the truth. ¡°What she does has nothing to do with me.¡± He coldly retorted. Huh? Xavier was taken aback. He knew that his brother was extremely arrogant and ruthless, but nevertheless, he held a soft spot for the woman that was beyond his understanding. Now everything had returned to normal? Just like that? What the hell happened between the two of them? He did not say anything more and silently left, wondering if it was him that had screwed up something. Xavier tried to sleep that night but he didn¡¯t get any sleep at all. He tossed and turned and buried his head in between a vixen¡¯s chest, but he still didn¡¯t get sleep. Barely a couple of hours had passed when suddenly one of the pce aids rushed to him. ¡°Your highness.¡± He bowed. ¡°His highness, Crown Prince Xander has summoned a meeting and requested your presence.¡± The pce aid quickly announced. Xavier¡¯s eyes instantly widened and the man got out of bed, his lips curled upwards in amusement. ¡°I knew it!¡± He thumped his fist against the palm of his other hand. ¡°How could my brother not worry about his pet snake!¡± The elf hurried and walked over to the Emperor¡¯s seclusion pce. When Xavier entered the main courtroom, he noticed that he was one of thest few to arrive and he quickly shuffled his feet, sitting on a throne next to Xander. But not before cheekily winking at his brother and nudging him on the side. Xander turned around, his eyes cold and frosty, roasting the man in ce, but Xavier dusted it off chuckling. ¡°I know the truth brother!¡± He grinned smugly, confident that the madman wouldn¡¯t do anything to him in front of everybody. Xander rubbed his temples and turned back around in defeat. It was useless to try and win against an idiot! While these two brothers exchanged cryptic nces, well not so cryptic actually, everyone including Empress Freya was getting a bit restless. Among the elven high counsel elders, Darius was the first one to burst out and officially start the meeting. ¡°What is the meaning of this Xander?¡± He shouted in annoyance. The elf¡¯s army strength had considerably reduced overnight with the loss of five of his strong Generals and he was in an extremely bad mood. ¡°Heh. Why are you in such a rush elder Darius? Let¡¯s calmly discuss things.¡± Xander chuckled, his thin lips sneering. Darius angrily clutched the edge of his seat, unable to openly retort against the man¡¯s words. He had no other choice but to calmly wait while the others settled down. And especially Xander and Xavier took their time greeting everyone before finally starting to discuss the important affairs. ¡°As I mentioned earlier, a human being has entered ournds. Is he still here or has he already left? No one knows.¡± Xander solemnly spoke. ¡°Does the council have any opinion on this matter?¡± The courtroom which was until now filled with murmurs and whispers suddenly turned deathly silent. After an entire minute, one of the elders finally spoke up. ¡°I have sent my forces to scout for more information.¡± ¡°But they haven¡¯te up with anything useful so far.¡± ¡°No one has seen or heard about such a thing starting from the big ns to even the small families.¡± ¡°Kek. How could they know? Isn¡¯t this whole thing just a hoax?¡± Darius chuckled with an ugly grin. ¡°What Prince Xander? Do you think that our attention will be that easily diverted?¡± ¡°We all know what it is that you are trying to hide.¡± Xander did not respond to his taunts, his face as cold and as impassive as ever. ¡°So you think there is no threat at the moment?¡± ¡°Of course. There is none. Did your spirit beast manage to get the forging technique yet?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you focus on that instead of spending time trying to fool us.¡± Xander squinted his eyes and looked at the man, enunciating his words. ¡°So you think that there is no threat?¡± Darius paused and hesitated lightly before mouthing off again. ¡°If this is the reason you have gathered us here today, then I have to tell you that this just a waste of time.¡± ¡°I am leaving.¡± The man harrumphed and stood up, and from the looks of it, the others were also ready to follow him out. Xander still remained seated and not in the least looked flustered at the situation or the tant disrespect. He coldly chuckled, his voice echoing in the courtroom. ¡°Then what about the fact that the Dwarven Empire has a Deity? Hmmm?¡± ¡°Do you think that this news is a hoax as well?¡± All the elves immediately froze, halting their movementspletely. The dwarves had a Deity? This was entirely unheard of but at the same time, they didn¡¯t dare to not believe Xander¡¯s words. How could he possibly lie about something like this? Every single elder who had risen from his seat immediately sat back down with grim expressions on their faces. Even Xavier was shocked and turned around, both his eyes bulging out. However, he was shocked because of other reasons. His brother was saving this news as a trump card against the elders, but he used it today? He couldn¡¯t understand his brother¡¯s actions at all. Just yesterday, he adamantly dered that he has nothing to do with Tang Yue anymore, but still, here he was! Once again helping her from the shadows! Chapter 318: Little Plum is a glutton Part1 Chapter 318: Little Plum is a glutton Part1 Afterpletely cleaning out the spatial rings in theirps, Tang Yue and Charlotte then leisurely headed back home. The elf gazed at the snake who seemed to be humming with a very content face. ¡°Why are you this happy?¡± She asked. ¡°Heh. Why shouldn¡¯t I be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful night and I am walking through a beautiful forest with a beautiful woman.¡± Tang Yue hummed. ¡°Eh? I won¡¯t believe it. You are a hard-working maniac. Tell me the truth.¡± ¡°Did you get something nice from the rings?¡± Charlotte scoffed and asked curiously. She knew the woman next to her a little too well to believe her mischievous lies. ¡°Hai. Hai. I admit defeat. Teasing you is no fun these days. I did indeed find something good.¡± Tang Yue took out a scroll from her ring and passed it along to Charlotte. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as she nced at the scroll. The contents were clearly inscribed and described the technique of summoning demons from another realm. However, things were obviously not that simple. Even with the technique, not everyone could summon demons left and right. Apparently, one needed an extremely high affinity to the dark elemental in order to achieve such a feat. Not just that, there were other requirements as well, one of them being that the summoner should have formed a dark elemental seed, which means they had to be in the Saint realm. When a higher being is first able to sense mana in the air around them and is able to pull the mana into their body, circting it in their meridians and blood vessels, this makes them a Mortal realm expert. When this mana then takes root in their body and forms a core in their cultivation center, this makes them a Martial realm expert. When this core fills to the brim and is overflowing with abundant energy, this means that they are at the Emperor realm. And when finally this abundance of energy is shrunk back to a pea sized bead, a foundation is established and a seed is formed, making the cultivator a Saint realm expert. Tang Yue and Charlotte both gazed at the scroll for a few minutes before putting it back in. Neither of them had a dark elemental affinity, at least just yet and hence they had no use for this scroll right now. But since it was a powerful technique, Tang Yue stored it with her irrespectively. As soon as she thought about dark elemental affinity, Charlotte thought of a certain someone and gulped nervously. This was a thorn in her heart because she knew how Tang Yue felt. So even though she was reluctant, she still brought the topic up. ¡°This¡­ Should we give a copy of this technique to his highness Xander?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s footsteps slightly paused, but then she continued walking along normally. ¡°No need.¡± She mumbled. She didn¡¯t want to face that man again. The two continued walking in silence, their good mood a little sour after talking about ¡®he who should not be named¡¯. However, a few minutester, Tang Yue again paused, sighing helplessly. The elves were terrible, rotten to the core and she hated them, but the damned lunatic was not one of the bad ones. He was trying his best to help with the current toxic situation and he was the one who had put the maximum effort to bring about a peaceful bnce. So mulling over it for a while, she decided to keep her personal grievances aside and send a copy of the technique over to him irrespectively. In truth, Tang Yue had no particr reason to be upset with the man but she was angry nevertheless. As they walked back, she made a copy of the technique and sent it over to the man without saying anything more. These were just some small contributions on her part to what was about toe, so she didn¡¯t think too much about it. She also didn¡¯t expect any repercussions for such a small thing, but s¡­ if only she had known¡­ After Tang Yue and Charlotte cleared the traces of their battle and headed back to the dwarven royal city, leaving behind the forest, a group of three individuals stuck their heads outside. Tang Xi did not like either of the goblins and considered it beneath her to team up with them. However, at this moment, even she had to ept that she had lucked out and was thankful for the two goblins, otherwise, she would have once again foolishly suffered a crushing defeat against the damned slut. Ginko, being the cautious person that he was had warned her to first wait and observe Tang Yue for a while before attacking again. This was the sole reason she was alive right now, else wouldn¡¯t have noticed Tang Yue¡¯s change or the Demi-God dwarf who was always hovering around her. Tang Xi red at the distance where Tang Yue and Charlotte and the three beasts vanished into. How the hell did she be so powerful in such a short time? Her brain was unable to digest or even believe what she had seen just a while ago. Tang Yue¡¯s strength had increased by leaps and boundspared to how she was just a couple of months ago. Not only that but a Demi-God realm expert was tailing her and protecting her in secret. She thought that the dwarf had simply epted her as a disciple on a whim but from the looks of it¡­ things were not that simple. Her eyes squinted as her heart burned with a fit of unquenchable jealousy. Tang Yue had everything! The damned bitch had everything and then some more! And all she had was¡­ scars and endless pain. Why were the heavens so unfair! Ginko noticed Tang Xi¡¯s frustration and sighed silently. He didn¡¯t know what the woman was thinking but he was almost sure that their thoughts were about the same thing. Tang Yue¡¯s frightening growth and improvement! That woman was a monster and he had no doubt about it! Just a few months ago, he had seen her struggle with a low-grade crocodile beast. Perhaps if he had killed her right then and there, while she was still in a weak and vulnerable state, things wouldn¡¯t have be soplicated. But now¡­ touching her almost seems impossible. The goblin sighed helplessly and his eyes shifted to hisrade Gale, who looked at him with an annoyed expression. Ginko gulped and turned away in embarrassment, unable to face the shame. The truth was that Gale knew his dark secret and how they had trailed the weak snake spirit beast that time in the past. He had even repeatedly asked him to take action while Ginko refused to do it and adamantly observed being a little too cautious. So he couldn¡¯t meet the goblin¡¯s eyes and looked away whistling shamelessly. And when Tang Xi walked a good distance away from them, he whispered in his brother¡¯s ears. ¡°Listen, please don¡¯t tell her about the past.¡± The man smiled bitterly. ¡°She might even kill me out of anger.¡± Gale coldly harrumphed without saying anything in return. ¡°Whatever idiot.¡± He muttered and walked away. The ever so cautious Ginko then followed the two, cursing his bad luck and reminiscing about his missed opportunity. ¡°What are you two chattering about?¡± Tang Xi turned around and asked in annoyance. ¡°Nothing. Nothing.¡± ¡°By the way, I have been meaning to ask you, did you try using mental attacks at all? During that fight?¡± Gale asked curiously and Ginko as well perked up his ears to listen intently. They had no idea about how illusion magic worked so they couldn¡¯t even tell if Tang Xi tried anything or not. Tang Xi looked at the two and hissed with a pensive expression. ¡°I didn¡¯t. If I had done so, the Demi-God would have sensed our presence and our killing intent.¡± ¡°He would have easily killed us before I even finished casting the spell.¡± She then paused a while, an ominous silence prevailing in the darkness of the night. ¡°Something tells me that the next time there is a fight, that will be our chance.¡± ¡°These were peak Saint realm experts. Who do you think the elves will send next?¡± ¡°That is our only opportunity. We need to act during that fight and cripple her using mental attacks.¡± ¡°Even if we don¡¯t sessfully cripple her, we can at the least manage to distract her momentarily and make our escape.¡± ¡°Tang Yue¡¯s opponent then can finish the fight easily.¡± Tang Xi exined her n to the two goblins, who also seemingly agreed with her and nodded their heads. As far as they were concerned, all bets were already ced and everything rode on the capabilities of the next group the elves send in order to kill or capture Tang Yue. With a Demi-God watching over her closely, that was their only y! Chapter 319: Little Plum is a glutton Part2 Chapter 319: Little Plum is a glutton Part2 After the group returned to the smithy, Miller called his two disciples for a meeting. Both Tang Yue and Charlotte were surprised because this was the first time the dwarf had called them both together. ¡°You think he found out our sneaking around?¡± Charlotte nudged her. Tang Yue bitterly smiled and shushed the woman, asking her to not give away their secret willingly. Charlotte giggled and stayed quiet. ¡°You two seem to be very content?¡± Miller walked over, sternly reprimanding the two. ¡°Did you both think that you did an amazing job today?¡± Cough. Cough. Tang Yue looked away embarrassedly. In truth, she really did think so. ¡°Let me tell you this. If tonight, there had been two or more demons instead of just one, do you think the oue would have been the same?¡± ¡°First, Charlotte. You were nothing short of useless tonight. Did you go to fight to simply turtle and stand around?¡± ¡°But Master¡­¡± Charlotte opened her mouth feeling very wronged. How was it her fault that she was weak to the dark element! If that elf did not possess dark element affinity, she would have most definitely wiped the floor with their asses, splitting them into two with a single sword move! ¡°Did I allow you to speak yet?¡± Miller curtly scolded her once again. Charlotte pouted and bit her lips, silently listening to this time. ¡°Yes, I understand that you are weak to the dark element. What have you done till now to ovee it?¡± The elf looked up wordlessly, unable to give any excuses. ¡°Have you thought about how you can ovee this sort of drawback?¡± ¡°Have either of you thought about it?¡± ¡°Tang Yue, you seem to have some sort of resistance to the various elements at least to a certain extent.¡± ¡°But when the quality of the elemental attack changes, you are still at a disadvantage.¡± ¡°How are you both nning to ovee this?¡± Tang Yue pursed her lips together and pensively pondered. She also noticed this problem and hadn¡¯t thought of a solution just yet. ¡°Hai Hai.¡± Miller sighed looking at both his disciples in deep thought. Both were very talented but at the same time, theyckedbat experience. ¡°Have you both ever triedbining elemental magic?¡± ¡°For example, you Charlotte. If you had tried making a mana barrier with both fire element and lightning elemental magic, it would have been strong enough to resist the dark elemental attacks.¡± ¡°You could have then attacked the opponent using your sword moves while simultaneously maintaining the twin elemental barrier.¡± ¡°If you had done that, the elves wouldn¡¯t have had a chance to summon any demons in the first ce.¡± Hearing Miller¡¯s words, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes slightly widened as she listened on with interest. Charlotte, however, restlessly fidgeted, seemingly in a dilemma. Miller looked at the woman and mumbled. ¡°Speak.¡± ¡°Master. That¡­ That¡­¡± Charlotte hesitated. Combining the various elemental attacks was not a new thing. However, it was easier said than done. First of all, one needed very high affinity. Secondly, one needed mental strength capable enough to aplish this task and simultaneously control two elements or more at the same time. Andst but not the least, it required months of practice to sessfully aplish it. Miller raised his hand and stopped Charlotte from saying anything else. Unlike Tang Yue, this brat was a spoilt child and needed more reprimanding. ¡°I know it is difficult but it is not impossible.¡± ¡°Just simply raising your cultivation base and mana core will not be sufficient after a certain and you will face roadblocks.¡± ¡°You need to focus on other things and work on them as well.¡± Miller advised the duo for a while and then walked out, leaving both the girls to practice. Watching the dwarf walk outside, Charlotte sighed tiredly and pulled together her loose long hair to tie it into a bun. Her gaze then fell on the snake who was standing beside her. Tang Yue¡¯s hands yed around with some of the fire and earth elemental spells. Several tongues of me appeared on her right palm and a big round rock floated on her left palm. Her eyes were closed, her emerald orbs flickering underneath. It looked as though she had gained some insight and was trying to make sense of it. Charlotte watched curiously as the woman repeatedly kept twirling the fire essence and earthen essence around her body. And then as she watched, the very next instant, all the essence including the tongues of me and the rock disappeared and a spear-like object slowly started forming on Tang Yue¡¯s right hand. At first, this spear waspletely made of earthen essence except for its tip which was made of fire. But then slowly a vortex formed and the spear started remodeling itself from the tip to the end. Tang Yue frowned and grunted as the spear in her hands slowly became brighter and brighter, redder in color. The heat intensity from the spear had also increased manifold and it looked much deadlier nowpared to how it was before with just a me head. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± Charlotte gawked at the woman as if a bolt of lightning had struck her. Tang Yue opened her eyes slowly and nodded with satisfaction. The elemental spear in her hand was ready for attacking and it was made of sizzling hotva. It had the attack power of the fire elemental while at the same time it also had the prability of the earth elemental. Tang Yue tossed the spear on a wall in front of them and a loud boom echoed. She then murmured something under her breath and once again materialized another spear on her right hand, a spear purely made of hot sizzlingva and this time at a much faster speed. She threw the second spear as well at the wall, another boom resounding in the smithy. Miller had fortified all the walls for attack practice so she didn¡¯t worry about the damages but still, it made her a bit nervous. With the second attack, the wall had visibly shaken and trembled as if it was about to be destroyed. ¡°What attack power!¡± Tang Yue gasped. And standing beside her, Charlotte gasped as well but for a very different reason. ¡°You monster!¡± She pointed at Tang Yue and sulked in exasperation. She had just finishedining to their teacher that this was a very difficult attack and turned around when Tang Yue had already mastered the said feat. Where was justice in this world? She felt aggrieved! Could she even call herself talented in front of a genius like this snake!!! Charlotte¡¯s cheeks puffed up cutely. Tang Yue giggled at the girl¡¯s childish reactions. ¡°You idiot. Why are you getting so worked up? This is indeed not so easy!¡± Charlotte turned around, refusing to meet her disgustingly talented lover. ¡°You don¡¯t have to patronize me.¡± She sulked. ¡°Hai. Hai. I am not patronizing you, dear. I am only telling the truth.¡± Tang Yue chuckled again and hugged her from behind. ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t be able to do it on your first try. It is just that I have been practicing this for a while.¡± ¡°Huh? How so?¡± Charlotte turned and curiously asked. ¡°Have you forgotten that I have been training in forging all these days?¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Every time I refined the metals and forged the final essence into the weapons, this is almost exactly what I have been doing.¡± ¡°So I guess my control of the two elements consequently increased.¡± ¡°I had a faint inkling that I might be able to do it, so I tried and it worked.¡± ¡°So my situation is different. You don¡¯t have to force yourself too much because of this.¡± ¡°Mmm.¡± Charlotte hesitantly nodded, still looking a bit sad. ¡°Aya, what a jealous little girl you are.¡± Tang Yue poked her sullen cheeks. Charlotte immediately red up in retort. ¡°Yue! Why are you being so mean! I am not jealous. I just don¡¯t want to be useless on the battlefield again.¡± Ah~ Tang Yue now understood why the woman was sad and she giggled. She leaned forward and ced a gentle kiss on the elf¡¯s pouting lips. ¡°You can be weak. It¡¯s okay. I am there.¡± Charlotte¡¯s face immediately reddened and the elf blushed like a ripe tomato. She then pulled Tang Yue closer and pounced on her, kissing her senseless. ¡°Stop saying such embarrassing things. Have you no shame?¡± ¡°Who is the one who is shameless here? Stop undressing me. Master will be back anytime now.¡± ¡°He he. I don¡¯t think so.¡± ¡°Hey stop it. It¡¯s tickling!¡± ¡°Since you are going to be taking care of the weak me in the future, I need to repay you right now with my body.¡± ¡°Ah. Ah. Mmmm. I don¡¯t need any repayment.¡± ¡°Eh? You liar. Then why are you already wet.¡± ¡°Ah! Stop biting me!¡± ¡°No way!¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ what a bad little girl you are¡­¡± ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile¡­ Back in Eldoria¡­ Xander nced at the demon summoning technique in his hands which Tang Yue had sent over, his crimson eyes containing a fit of unfathomable anger¡­ ¡°What is the meaning behind this, Yue?¡± Chapter 320: Little Plum is a glutton Part3 Chapter 320: Little Plum is a glutton Part3 After spending another sleepless night with Charlotte, Tang Yue once again headed over to the heavenly me cultivation chamber. She felt like she was proficient enough in the refinement techniques and hence wanted to try smithing a spirit weapon. What better way to do this than in the presence of the nourishing fire essence and earthen essence of the cultivation chamber. So Tang Yue informed Grandmaster Miller and headed towards the royal mines. She, of course, took Little Plum with her, who was more than overjoyed. ¡°Masta. Thank you. Thank you.¡± The wolf jumped up and down. Both Little Plum and Little Blue were growing and developing every single day. So they were no longer little and the sight of the adult wolf trying to act cute like an innocent cub only came out asical in the end. Tang Yue chuckled and the two walked over to the quarry. As if they were fated to meet, Tang Yue saw a familiar figure walking out of the mountain as soon as she neared the area. La was happily humming a cheerful tune and she had a smug expression on her face. She was in fact just heading out from the heavenly me stone chamber. These days she was able to withstand the pressure from the heavenly me a lot easier even though she didn¡¯t achieve any breakthrough in her strength. This was both shocking and at the same time an unexpected pleasant surprise. So her mood has been very goodtely. She felt as if her time to shine had finallye and she was going to prove her worth. Hence, the woman wore a very content expression as she happily walked out. But this expression quickly changed on seeing Tang Yue. She looked at Tang Yue¡¯s smiling face, their gazes met, and then she immediately paled. She cursed her bad luck for meeting this godforsaken dwarven girl and quickly bent her head down. Then without lifting it back up even once, she stuck her tail behind her legs and ran the hell way in a random opposite direction. Tang Yue saw the disappearing dwarven girl and didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. ¡°Am I really that scary?¡± She asked Little Plum curiously. ¡°Masta is the most beautiful. Masta is the nicest.¡± Little Plum instantly answered back without even thinking twice. Tang Yue burst outughing. What a shameless little ass kisser! She somehow felt like this guy was buttering her up today purposefully. ¡°Good boy.¡± She patted the wolf¡¯s head and continued walking over to the mine entrance. The dwarf sitting over there recognized her familiar face and instantly stiffened. Almost everyone in the royal city knew about Yana now, her fame almost rivaling La and her bad temper. So this time he didn¡¯t talk any unnecessary nonsense and directly got to the point, even bowing and greeting her first. ¡°I would like to use the cultivation chamber again.¡± Tang Yue ced a jade slip in front of him. This time the elf did not doubt her words. He only respectfully reminded her. ¡°Miss Yana, sorry to inform you.¡± ¡°In order to use the cultivation room, you first have to register and book time beforehand.¡± ¡°Without that¡­ I am afraid it¡¯s not possible.¡± And then he quickly added, so that Tang Yue doesn¡¯t misunderstand him. ¡°These are not my rules. Theye from the royal pce. I have no say in this.¡± He awkwardly scratched his head. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue furrowed her brows and looked at the dwarf, rapping her fingers on the desk. No matter how much she tried to analyze him, the man didn¡¯t look like he was lying or purposefully making trouble for her. So there was really nothing she could do there, except wait. ¡°Then can I register my name?¡± She asked, disappointment filling her voice. The dwarf nodded and quickly took out a sheet of parchment. He then gave Tang Yue a quilt and some ink to write down her needs on it. ¡°What the heck?¡± Tang Yue sharp eyes almost bulged out in surprise after seeing the parchment. The cultivation chamber waspletely booked for almost an entire lunar cycle. This was utter bullshit! As she was contemting her impossible situation, an amused voice sounded behind her,ughing at her misery. ¡°Hello. Miss beautiful.¡± A tall and handsome dwarf, too tall for a person belonging to the dwarven race, was standing near Tang Yue. Jorden extended his hand, intending to hold Tang Yue¡¯s hand and greet her by kissing, but Tang Yue was faster than him and quickly pulled her hand away. The man in front of her was also in the Saint realm so she didn¡¯t want to take any unnecessary risks of exposing her identity. But Jorden didn¡¯t seem to be offended by it. He chuckled lightly and cocked his head to the side. ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. What an adorable little miss.¡± Tang Yue immediately recognized the dwarven prince in front of her. She knew that this man had secretly tailed her movements a few times, though she had been a bit too busy with other things to worry about this. But now that he was standing in front of her, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but wonder what he was up to. She knitted her brows and greeted the man, bending her head only a little. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ No need for these formalities.¡± Jorden smiled. ¡°I see that you are in quite a pickle?¡± The dwarf leaned over, closer to Tang Yue, and peered at the parchment, making her again take a step back. The more she moved away, the more Jorden felt like teasing her. So seeing that her back was almost up against the wall, he further stepped closer to her, invading her personal space. And he even smiled charmingly while doing so. ¡°Oh. This is not really a big deal. I can most definitely help you with this.¡± His actions did not escape Tang Yue¡¯s eyes as a subtle glint shed across her gaze and she skillfully side-stepped, evading the man¡¯s presence once more. But she then casually replied as if nothing had happened. ¡°Oh. I see. That would indeed be amazing.¡± She took the bait which he hadid out for her. She didn¡¯t think too much about it though. She assumed that the man was probably trying to court her or something after witnessing her talents. You want to show off and impress me? Sure go ahead and unt it all. Tang Yue smiled gently looking at the dwarf. Jorden chuckled at her attitude and was even more amused. This girl was clearly ying him! He did not mind it though. He looked at the dwarf and waved his hand. ¡°Let her in for how much ever time she wants. Give me the list of names and I will inform them.¡± Ah~~~~ The dwarf immediately panicked. He didn¡¯t know if such a thing was allowed but the Prince himself was ordering him, so he was in a dilemma. In the end, since the cultivation chamber was free right now, he relented and nodded at Tang Yue. Tang Yue grinned. Yay! She didn¡¯t care why or for what purpose the dwarf was being so nice to her, but it solved her problem temporarily, so she was more than happy to ept the help. ¡°Thank you very much, your highness. I am extremely grateful for this help and won¡¯t forget it.¡± She once again gracefully bowed at the prince as she crossed him. Jorden smiled and gently nodded in return. For some reason, he really liked this girl. She had made an impression on him. As Tang Yue walked past him, the dwarf casually extended his hand and caught a few strands of her jet ck hair, when the look on his face suddenly changed. Jorden stiffened up, standing erect in full alert. The dwarf in front of him and Tang Yue who had already walked away didn¡¯t notice it, but the man¡¯s smiling face was frozen and it visibly darkened. He had only touched her momentarily, that too just the strands of her hair, but that was more than enough for him. Jordan instantly knew who Tang Yue was and his eyes twinkled with an unfathomable intent. Because¡­ unlike Tang Yue had assessed, Jorden was neither a dwarf nor a Saint realm expert¡­ The man was in fact someone whom Tang Yue had already met in the past, William Bastion, the human being singlehandedly wreaking havoc in the nine countries. Without uttering anything else to the dwarf guarding the entrance, the man walked down, seemingly engrossed in his thoughts. ¡°What a weird anomaly¡­ Could it be possibly¡­¡± His mind wandered to the image of a certain serpentine woman whom he had met a while back in the ancientbyrinth. From touching Tang Yue¡¯s hair, he had only recognized her race and her disguise, but he still didn¡¯t know who exactly she was. ¡°Interesting. Very interesting. What is a snake doing in the dwarven empire?¡± ¡°My intuition was not wrong. It looks like I have to pay you extra attention after all.¡± Chapter 321: Little Plum is a glutton Part4 Chapter 321: Little Plum is a glutton Part4 ¡°Masta¡­ That man is not good. Me thinks he has evil intentions Masta.¡± Little Plum immediately warned Tang Yue as soon as they headed inside the mountains, walking towards the stone cultivation chamber. As such there was no rule against bringing a contracted beast to the cultivation grounds since no one typically did that. Only a few had exceptional high ranking mid-grade contract beasts and they asionally used it for their benefit. So while it was not toomon, it was also not that strange when Tang Yue brought hers over. Tang Yue patted the wolf near her feet and chuckled. ¡°I know sweetheart. That man is surely up to no good.¡± And then she added a few more words of wisdom. ¡°But when epting things that are beneficial to us, we shouldn¡¯t differentiate between a friend and foe.¡± ¡°If a friend is offering us help, we should ept it, feel grateful to them, and help them in return when we get a chance.¡± ¡°But when a foe is offering us help, we should still ept it, however, forget that such a thing ever happened.¡± ¡°Do you understand?¡± Tang Yue winked. In truth, she was also very wary of this intrusive dwarven prince, but she needed the cultivation chamber so she might as well ept the help and continue to be wary. After educating the innocent Little Plum on the ways of being shameless, Tang Yue then continued to head inside the stone chamber. The newly enlightened little wolf growled and closely followed behind her as well. With Tang Yue immediately starting to refine thest batch of Kirrion ore chunks and Little Plum reverting back to its elemental blob form, the two of them busied themselves, each minding their own business. The small flickering heavenly me ever so slightly trembled as these two monsters started absorbing its juices as if they were drinking juice with a straw. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile¡­ back in the outside world¡­ a series of significant events urred, forever altering the lives of everyone. While Tang Yue and Little Plum were busy with their secluded training, the row of dominoes they had inadvertently triggered fell down one by one, resulting in the inevitableplete and utter chaos, the first one being a certain General¡¯s visit. Charlotte¡¯s eyes widened as she saw a familiar figure standing at the doorstep of the smithy. General Salvatore, her father, had unexpectedlye over to personally pay a visit to her. Maybe this wouldn¡¯t have happened if Tang Yue had not sent Xander the demon summoning technique, but she did and so this happened. ¡°Charlotte, what the hell are you doing here?¡± The old General¡¯s voice thundered in, making Charlotte slightly tremble in fear. She didn¡¯t know which bastard had outed her! But damn it! She was in trouble! She knew that her father meant business and that she was in trouble when he called her by her name instead of a loving nickname. ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ Father¡­ I¡­¡± Charlotte stammered, unable to answer him. The elf¡¯s reddened eyes and his angry appearance did not change one bit after seeing her miserable state. He raised his hands in annoyance, stopping her weakly put-together exnation. ¡°I really don¡¯t understand you. Didn¡¯t you hate that woman? What the hell are you doing here?¡± ¡°But father¡­¡± Charlotte pouted, acting cutely. This always worked on her father! However¡­ the old General¡¯s face still remained cold. He scoffed at her shenanigans and continued. ¡°His highness hasmanded you to return back. You bettere with me right now.¡± Huh? Charlotte¡¯s beautiful eyes widened as she instantly understood what was going on! This was all that bastard¡¯s fault. She cursed the damned arrogant man inwardly to her heart¡¯s content and bit her lips in frustration. Why couldn¡¯t he just leave them alone??? Was it really that difficult? ¡°Father, I can¡¯te back right now. In fact, I am not sure if I will be evering back.¡± She resolutely mumbled, her head bent down, unable to meet her father¡¯s gaze. ¡°CHARLOTTE! STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!¡± The elf reprimanded her. ¡°This is not the time to be stubborn.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother saying anything else ande back with me right this instant.¡± ¡°Father, please. I can¡¯te back. I really can¡¯t.¡± Charlotte pleaded. The old man looked at her sternly, grooming his beard with his right hand. He couldn¡¯t understand his own daughter¡¯s actions. She was just a simple girl with a one-track mind. So why was she being so stubborn now? He just couldn¡¯t understand. But one thing was clear to him. The girl had really made up her mind this time around. He gazed at her for a few more minutes before slowly speaking. ¡°Is that so, child? Are you sure?¡± Charlotte nodded. General Salvatore sighed. ¡°If that is the case, then you should send some messages to your mother and brothers.¡± ¡°Maybe even to grandfather and your favorite aunt.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Charlotte looked up in confusion. ¡°What are you looking at me for? Don¡¯t you even want to say goodbye to them?¡± ¡°But father¡­ I am just saying that¡­ I will perhaps returnter¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine, child. You can return whenever you want, but your family won¡¯t be there any longer.¡± ¡°WHAT?¡± Charlotte looked at her father in shock. ¡°What do you think his highness will do to us if you defy a directmand from him?¡± ¡°Father, please don¡¯t threaten me like this.¡± Charlotte pleaded. The man was emotionally ckmailing her. ¡°Hai. Hai. Don¡¯t me me, child. I am not threatening anyone. You are free to do whatever you want.¡± ¡°I am also free to do whatever I want. I don¡¯t want to betray his highness. I would rather die than doing so.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t return with me right now, you will never see me again.¡± General Salvatore solemnly spoke. Charlotte bit her lips and looked at him. His eyes didn¡¯t waver. The man was telling the truth. He was loyal to that tyrant to a fault, that despicable man! Charlotte hated him to the core! It seemed as if Xander was hell-bent on destroying her happiness. He ignored her when they were together and when she was no longer interested in him, he tortured her again! Chapter 322: Little Plum is a glutton Part5 Chapter 322: Little Plum is a glutton Part5 Charlotte stood still for a few minutes before eventually walking out. ¡°Do you need me toe with you right now?¡± She asked, her voice somber. ¡°Yes,¡± Salvatore replied. He looked at his daughter¡¯s bloodshot eyes and her nk face and it was not that difficult for him to guess the thoughts swirling in her brain. He could tell that she hated him for forcing her like this. He as well hated doing this to his daughter, but he had no other choice. The man sighed as he prepared to leave. ¡°Here is a flying sword.¡± He handed Charlotte a long sword with a bluish tint. ¡°No need. I already have.¡± Charlotte did not ept his and took out one of her own, albeit one that she stole from her father in the first ce when she left Eldoria with Tang Yue. She then followed the old elf as they both alighted on the sword and flew up, headed back towards Eldoria. Charlotte neither took her contracted beast with her nor informed her Master. She just silently left without saying a single word to anyone else. But¡­ this was just the beginning of the chaos. In the depths of the forests surrounding the Dwarven Empire, a particr dwarf was straddling a goblin under his grasp. ¡°Hmmm? This is getting more and more interesting?¡± Jorden or rather William Bastion mumbled. The goblin in his grasp looked like a lifeless corpse, all the color drained out of his face and his eyes almost popping out in agony. William had just performed a brutal memory extraction technique on the goblin under him, one of the hired assassins to take care of Tang Yue silently. The goblin was tasked with taking care of Tang Yue but as soon as he heard about Tang Yue¡¯s progress, he promptly decided that this mission was not for him. He was just about to return back to Eldoria, in fact, he was on his way when unexpectedly William had trapped him. The man was not someone who waited around. As soon as he was interested in something, his characterpelled him to directly go for it and pick it apart piece by piece. So when Tang Yue had caught his eye, more than once, William decided to act on it and find out everything about her. He learned quite a bit of information regarding her and several rumors in a local inn and the rest from the goblin he had captured. Initially, when he hade to know about the dwarven girl who held special importance to the two elven princes, he nned to cast her as a pawn in his game. He had killed five dwarven ambassadors but it was still not enough to incite a battle between these two Empires. But something told Jorden that murdering this single girl would be more effective than those killings. If everything went as nned, then Tang Yue would have been the final pawn he needed to use in this strategy. This was also the reason he had infiltrated into this small realm, one of the hidden worlds in the ocean. He wanted to break it down from the inside so that it would be easier when the inevitable war began. William, being the guild master, held this responsibility. He wanted to amass all these riches and keep them within their guild. But when he stepped inside thesends, William couldn¡¯t help but feel a tug at his soul. His fate magic showed that he had an extreme affinity with thesends. Fate magic was typically vague and did not give out any specific details, but one thing was clear to him. His life and death were rted to thesends. So even if it was a small thing, he paid a lot of attention to it. So he trapped one of the goblins and extracted all the information that he could from the guy¡¯s brain. But this small thing turned out to be an unexpected crucial event for William, which even he never considered as a possibility. The goblin hadpletely spilled the beans. He told him about everything including thebyrinth and how Tang Yue was being hunted by the elders for stealing a treasure from thebyrinth and now that she was in the Dwarven Empire camouged as one of the dwarves. William¡¯s eyes widened, every single piece of news shocking and rming him greatly. Others might not know it, but he knew everything. What he had suspected was indeed correct and the snake beast spying in the Dwarven empire was the same woman he had met in the ancientbyrinth. Once was nothing, twice might have been a coincidence but for the third time, this woman had now crossed paths with him. How could he ignore this any longer? As William finished the goblin under him, draining thest bits of life from his body, his mind spun with contemtion. ¡°Tang Yue¡­ Tang Yue¡­ what¡¯s so special about you?¡± And as he pondered¡­ a frightening possibility arose in his mind. What if his fate was not linked to this small realm but rather to this single woman? Engrossed deeply in his thoughts, the manzily touched the goblin¡¯s body and it disintegrated into dust and then into nothingness. Soon afterward, a wisp of soul alighted from the same nothingness and it flew towards William like a ma attracting a metal. It entered his body as if it was mana and swirled around his meridians and formed a separate tangible core at the cultivation center of his body. If anyone else had seen it they would have been terrified at this sight. Only mana and elemental essences were able to be refined into energy cores and farmed for energy when casting spells. It waspletely unheard of for souls to behave in the same fashion and act as another power source. Souls were something eternal and ephemeral. How could they possibly behave in this fashion? Just what sort of energy and power could they unleash if they served as a cultivation core? Just the mere thought of it had the ability to frighten the Nine Countries to the core. But here William was¡­ achieving such an impossible feat without even batting an eyelid. Chapter 323: Little Plum is a glutton Part6 Chapter 323: Little Plum is a glutton Part6 After he took care of the goblin, William dusted his hands by pping them together and casually walked back to the Dwarven pce. He had now acquired all the information that he needed and he no longer had to target others for memory extraction. Rather it was time to pay the woman he was fated with a visit and find out if she was more useful to him alive or dead. William knew that Tang Yue was within the heavenly me cultivation chamber so he directly headed towards the royal quarry. Unlike others, he was not worried about the Demi-God dwarf who always kept an eye on her, Tang Yue¡¯s so-called Master. William himself was a Demi-God and a much stronger one at that, so he was very confident about his chances and he didn¡¯t think twice about confronting Tang Yue with or without Miller¡¯s presence. Meanwhile¡­ Inside the stone chamber¡­ The person of his interest was going crazy at this exact same moment! Oblivious to the things happening in the outside world, Tang Yue was in her own turmoil. ¡°Little Plum, No!!!! What did you just do?!!!!¡± She screamed in shock as she stared at the wolf, which was clearly bigger now and had a guilty look on its face. ¡°Sorry, Masta. I¡­ I¡­¡± The wolf shook its head, unable to exin anything. A few minutes earlier, Tang Yue had been busily refining the ores, while at the same time working on her dual elemental control. She was absorbing the mana from the surroundings and cultivating her fire and earthen elemental cores simultaneously. But suddenly, the fire essence swirling around herpletely disappeared, leaving behind only the earthen essence. ¡°Huh? What happened?¡± Tang Yue looked up in rm, only to find the small flickering tongue of heavenly me missing. It hadpletely disappeared as if it had never existed in the first ce! ¡°Huh?¡± She dumbfoundedly stared at the empty spot and then at the wolf standing near her. ¡°Little Plum?¡± She hesitantly questioned the only other party in the cultivation chamber apart from her. ¡°Masta Sorry.¡± Little Plum immediately started panicking. In all honesty, it was not really its fault since Tang Yue had asked the elemental to cultivate as much as it wanted. But how could she have expected the little guy to gulp down the entire me!!! For the first evolution, it merely absorbed a fraction of the purple me, but now the naughty thing had eaten the whole thing. Tang Yue knew that the little guy wouldn¡¯t have purposefully done it. Most probably, he ate the thing and only then realized what had happened, but still, what was done was done. Could either of them bring back the heavenly me now? How were they supposed to exin this to the dwarves?! This was their treasured heavenly me which they used for increasing their chances of spirit smithing! And now it was missing¡­ Won¡¯t the entire horde of dwarven cksmiths eat them alive? Tang Yue¡¯s head was spinning just thinking about their future. The elves were already behind her and now the dwarves. The entirety of the Nine countries was filled with these two races. They were at the top of the food chain. How could she even possibly run and hide from them??? ¡°God damn it.¡± Tang Yue paced back and forth, biting her fingernails, unsure of what to do now. The minute she steps out of the stone chamber, the truth would be instantly discovered and they would start chasing her with pitchforks and swords. Tang Yue hesitated for a while and then took out a jade slip, sending a message to Charlotte. She waited for a while but didn¡¯t hear anything back from her. ¡°Huh? Where the hell did this girl go to? Is she in the middle of a cultivation session again?¡± Tang Yue then sighed and sent another message, this time to her Master. That poor guy! She kept creating troublesome situations for him. Or maybe she was underestimating him. He was a Grandmaster cksmith after all. He could probably take care of this situation quite easily! For all she knew, she could even be worrying over nothing!!! Tang Yue took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. However, little did she know that this was only the very beginning of her problems. Tang Yue sent the message to Miller and barely, a couple of seconds had passed when her jade slip glowed in response. She calmly took it and listened, only to break out into a cold sweat. ¡°Ahhhh! What did you do child??? Are you telling me the truth?? I will be right there!¡± Tang Yue, for the first time, heard the dwarf panic. She didn¡¯t know whether tough or cry. And before the message even finished sounding, the cultivation chamber stone door rumbled, it opened, and the dwarf Miller was standing in front of her. ¡°How is this even possible???¡± The man stared at the empty trigram formation, which previously housed the heavenly me. His eyes widened in shock and clearly, he was unable to believe what he was seeing. ¡°Yue, what happened?¡± Miller asked, sweating profusely. This was one of the top-grade treasures of the Dwarven Empire, almost as valuable as their spirit smithing technique. So even someone as indifferent as Miller couldn¡¯t brush this off lightly. Tang Yue bitterly smiled and then exined what had happened. Miller looked at the elemental up and down in curiosity. ¡°Demonstrate me your mes.¡± Little Plum nodded obediently and morphed into its elemental form, turning into a blob of fire. It was burning bright red except for its center core which was purple in color. Miller gaped in awe as he could sense the presence of the heavenly me within the elemental. ¡°What a powerful being?¡± He rubbed his chin. ¡°And this guy is contracted to you?¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± Tang Yue nodded. ¡°Like a contracted beast?¡± he asked again. ¡°Yes, Master.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Miller stood there perplexed. Even he was unsure of what to do now. The heavenly me was actually not yet fully absorbed so it might in fact be possible to use some techniques and extract it out, but doing so would surely affect the elemental being. Chapter 324: Payment for my services Part1 Chapter 324: Payment for my services Part1 ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Miller stood there perplexed. Even he was unsure of what to do now. The heavenly me was actually not yet fully absorbed so it might in fact be possible to use some techniques and extract it out, but doing so would surely affect the elemental being. And since it was Tang Yue¡¯s contract elemental, he didn¡¯t want to do anything detrimental like that. At the same time, he had his own Master to answer to. Even for a Deity like the old dwarf, this heavenly me was still a treasure! He couldn¡¯t care less about the heavenly me but he doubted that the old man would share his same opinions. After all, this matter concerned the growth and development of the entire Dwarven Empire. Most probably, he would ask Tang Yue to leave behind Little Plum or transfer the ownership aspensation. But this was risky and could result in some residual injuries to her soul. Miller didn¡¯t want to see this happen also. He genuinely cared about Tang Yue and only wanted the best for her. While these two were standing around in a dilemma, trying to figure out some sort of solution, the stone door of the cultivation chamber once again rumbled and it opened. Huh? Both Tang Yue and Miller immediately looked at the intruder in rm. Not because someone was about to walk in and catch them red-handed but because the dwarf in front of them was emitting subtle but definite killing intent. Both the dwarf and Tang Yue quickly unleashed their weapons, wielding them in a defensive position. ¡°Heh. Why are you guys already fired up? Not even a hey or hello first?¡± Jorden chuckled. He would have preferred to deal with Tang Yue alone, but the dwarf next to her was not really that troublesome. So he didn¡¯t care either way. Jorden took a step forward, flicking his wrist at the same time. Instantly, the ground the three were standing on quaked and trembled. ck fumes arose from the cave floor, forming a dozen swaying wraiths, ck formless ghost-like creatures. These creatures looked extremely troublesome and emitted strong dark energy waves. ¡°This¡­ What is the meaning of this, Prince Jorden?¡± Miller shouted. Tang Yue as well was stunned. This guy?!! Wasn¡¯t he just a few days ago faking being a good samaritan?? What changed suddenly? ¡°Tch. Tch. Please don¡¯t refer to me like that. Calling me by that weakling¡¯s name is very hurtful to my ears.¡± Miller gripped his sword tighter as the meaning of his sentence slowly dawned on him. He stared at the dwarf in front of him, his soul sense probing the man, but somehow his attempts werepletely blocked. ¡°Heh. Don¡¯t bother working so hard. Since you two are about to die anyways¡­ I will do this small kindness of revealing to you exactly whose hands you are dying in.¡± Jorden chuckled. The dwarf¡¯s hands unsheathed a sword, while at the same time, his appearance from top to bottompletely changed. Miller didn¡¯t even have to wait around for theplete reveal when his hands moved and a loud boom echoed. A huge gaping hole opened up on the wall behind them, leading to the lower mines in the mountains. Dust and rock particles flew everywhere and the wraiths which were dormant until now started attacking. Tang Yue was about to sh at one of them when she heard Miller¡¯s loud thundering voice. ¡°YUE. NOW. RUN.¡± Tang Yue gasped and looked up, only to find a familiar human being standing in front of her. This man was Jorden? She had seen him before? This man was the same human being from thebyrinth!!! Everything clicked in Tang Yue¡¯s brain. The human being had in fact been doing the same thing as her. She had disguised herself as Yana while he had disguised himself as one of the dwarven royal princes! This in itself showed the clear difference between both their capabilities. She was definitely not a match for this man. Tang Yue had no doubts that she would only be a burden if she stayed behind, hampering her Master¡¯s battle prowess, perhaps even resulting in his defeat. So even though she didn¡¯t want to leave him behind, alone to defend himself, Tang Yue¡¯s body reacted in that split second and obeyed the dwarf¡¯smand. She ran away without the slightest hesitation through the huge gaping hole. She hadn¡¯t had the chance yet to check on Little Plum¡¯s development, but from the looks of it, this fellow had gained a lot this time by swallowing the heavenly me. Little Plum danced around Tang Yue as she made her escape, burning any and all of the wraiths that stood in her way. ¡°Not so fast, you snake.¡± A voice sounded behind Tang Yue, so close to her ears. Stunned, she turned around to see William standing right behind her. Does he know my identity? So his real target is me? Is that why he is attacking us? She was utterly shocked. Confirming her doubts, William as well chuckled and repeated all the thoughts in her brain. ¡°I know exactly who you are. You can¡¯t run and hide from me.¡± ¡°You and I are going to have a really long talk.¡± The man sneered as he casually lifted his knee to strike her stomach and that single touch sent her flying dozens of feet backward tumbling onto a wall. He waved his hand, unleashing a powerful sword sh towards the wounded woman, which if met its target, would probablypletely paralyze her. But Miller appeared in between them and blocked the attack head-on, his rugged and muscr tempered body not even scratched by the powerful sword aura. ¡°Your opponent is me, human.¡± His voice boomed as the dwarf stomped on the ground, making the entire ce tremble and shiver. ¡°Heh. Not bad. You dwarves are indeed a sturdy bunch.¡± William quickly moved several paces back and performed some hand incantations, conjuring a dozen other wraiths, but this time they were bigger and looked more powerful. His eyes then flickered to the spot where Tang Yue had fallen, wounded and injured, but surprisingly she was nowhere to be seen. The woman was missing from the vicinity and clearly, she had already run away. ¡°Heh. Good. Good. Take a head start. I love the hunt after all. Ha Ha.¡± William threw his head back and chuckled. Chapter 325: Payment for my services Part2 Chapter 325: Payment for my services Part2 Tang Yue slithered out of the quarry as fast as she could. Resentment filled her heart as she headed deeper and deeper into the ground, running for her life using all the strength that she could muster. She once again felt as helpless as she did when she was cornered by the golden ape. She had struggled so much ande this far, but in the end, she was still weak and was forced to run with her tail in between her legs. Tang Yue shuddered as she thought about the dwarf who took the powerful blow on her behalf. Sure, the man had a sturdy body but he had done more for her than anyone had ever done. He was the only person who was helping her whilst expecting nothing in return from her. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes clouded with tears as she hoped and prayed that Miller was okay. Though she had never seen the human being fight in person, she knew that the man had obtained the legacy from the ancientbyrinth. So he was probably much more powerful than an average Demi-God expert. Would her Master really be able to hold his ground against someone like that? Her heart ached as she slithered into another hole, heading deeper and farther away from the two Demi-Gods tearing each other apart. She was merely a realm lower than them in terms of strength and rawbat power, but still that single realm looked like a vast ocean right now. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t even withstand a single hit from that human being and she was tossed away like a useless rag doll. Then what was the point of all her training? She had a unique ability that others didn¡¯t dare dream about. She was able to absorb bloodlines from beasts and beasts more powerful than cultivators resided in their world! Beasts of unknown ancient origin, beasts exponentially stronger than dragons, so what the hell was she still doing to be so weak and vulnerable? It was one thing to be weak when you had nothing but it was entirely another thing to be weak when you had everything. Tang Yue hated herself for not working more harder. Now all she needed was time but that seemed to elude her. Death stared at her at every turn and today the single man who was probably closest to a father figure to her was going to sacrifice himself in order to save her. Why couldn¡¯t she have discovered her ability a bit more sooner? Why couldn¡¯t she have be more powerful before all these disasters struck her? Tang Yue paused. She stopped running as she suddenly thought of something. They were in the middle of the Dwarven Empire for god¡¯s sake!!! Why the hell was she running away??? That single human being might be as powerful or more powerful than a Demi-God like her Master, but what about the others? The Dwarven Empire had more than a dozen of Demi-God experts. They might not be aplete Demi-God like Xander but they were all Grandmaster cksmiths and had excellent physical tempering just like her master. They were also very old and probably possessed a lot ofbat experience. Surely, they must be rushing towards Miller for aiding him in this fight??? Tang Yue panted as she thought about this important point, but then her eyes suddenly widened in realization. Why would the cunning and scheming human being put himself in danger by fighting in the middle of the Dwarven Empire? Surely, he must have also noticed such an important point. But if that was the case, he would have been outnumbered in seconds and the entire Empire would right now be attacking him from all directions. Tang Yue looked back, her long and slender serpentine form slithering at the back of the mountains right now. She had burrowed so far that by the time she popped out, she had alreadye out of the mountains. Her eyes scanned thend in front of her for any possible disturbance but weirdly nothing seemed out of ce. There were no signs of a battle and no signs of her Master and the human being fighting it out. Tang Yue¡¯s heart instantly sank and her face paled as a frightening thought crept up her mind. What if the human somehow managed to hide all of this? She didn¡¯t know how it was possible. She didn¡¯t know what technique he could have used. But if no one wasing to help her Master even after a whole minute and more, then surely no one had sensed this yet. Tang Yue immediately stopped. Clearly, running away was not the answer right now. She wanted to head back to the dwarven royal pce and contact someone. If she could just notify anyone, then her Master could be saved and the human being will be sessfully captured. However, going all the way back and finding out how to contact any of the dwarven experts was surely not the fastest solution. Grandmasters tended to be in seclusion guarded by formations, which probably only they could unveil. So who was she supposed to talk to now? She didn¡¯t know anyone. That old man¡­ That old man in the hut. He seemed extremely powerful but there was no way to contact him too. As she counted out all her options one by one, a certain someone¡¯s figure shed in front of her eyes. But this time Tang Yue did not hesitate. She did not care about her pride or the squabble in between them. All she cared about was her Master¡¯s well-being. She quickly took out a jade slip and hurriedly panted, pouring out everything to Xander. She then crushed it and took out another. She didn¡¯t know if Xander would see her message because he had never replied back anything when she had sent him the demon summoning technique. So to make sure that he received the news, she sent the same message once again to both Xavier and Charlotte, asking her to inform her father. Chapter 326: Payment for my services Part3 Chapter 326: Payment for my services Part3 Tang Yue bit her lips in frustration and stared at the jade dust on her hand. ¡°Will hee?¡± She shuddered slightly, wondering what was happening back there in the cultivation chamber. She gazed at the distance for a few seconds before silently casting the spell ¡®One with the Earth.¡± But this only confirmed her fears and made her more nervous. No matter how she tried, Tang Yue couldn¡¯t sense even a single murmur in the ground beneath her. A Demi-God¡¯s fight should realistically leave the entire mountain in ruins at least crashing all the mining tunnels inside, but she couldn¡¯t sense even the smallest of disturbance. After waiting for a couple more minutes, Tang Yue decided to head back into the royal city irrespective of the risk. The messages she sent through didn¡¯t seem to have had an effect but if she could at least alert the Dwarven Emperor or maybe that Dwarven princess, who always stalked her, then it would be better. She should most probably know how to contact others and get help. She turned on her heels and was about to take another step when suddenly the air in front of her twisted. ¡°Xander?¡± Tang Yue expectantly muttered, her eyes widened, hoping for a miracle. But unfortunately, it was not the devil she knew who stepped out in front of her from within a vortex sort of void. It was rather the devil she didn¡¯t know. William smirked as he let out a loud chuckle. ¡°This is all that you could do? What a weakling!¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha. Even the lowest member of my guild could have outrun you!¡± ¡°How are you any threat to me?¡± Tang Yue stepped back, her eyes bloodshot. Her brain froze as she couldn¡¯t think past the figure in front of her. Because¡­ if this man was here¡­ then that could only mean that her Master was no more¡­ Tears streamed out of Tang Yue¡¯s eyes as she rotated her cultivation base unleashing the full power of her mana cores. The ground quaked and dozens of me dragons erupted. Little Plum as well followed Tang Yue¡¯s mood and tried to absorb as much power as it could from the heavenly me. It then boosted the power of the dancing me dragons making them look more terrifying, their roars sounding as if they were alive. But even so, the mes barely touched the strong and sturdy man. They barely made a scratch on his skin. William chuckled, ¡°What is this? Petty parlor tricks?¡± He crossed his arms and lightly tapped his fingers on his elbow as he smiled. The next instant, a gray vapor enveloped the area, fully engulfing Tang Yue and William. This was a domain set up by a Demi-God! Tang Yue could feel the strong energy thrumming inside the domain, but she couldn¡¯t quite figure out what it was. It was clearly not dark elemental energy but at the same time she felt as if her body was bing weaker and weaker. Tang Yue understood that she couldn¡¯t let this continue for much longer, lest she fully lost her consciousness. ¡°Break for me.¡± She muttered and enveloped herself in a thick mana barrier, while simultaneously turning the ground beneath their feat into a pool of hotva. This was the strongest attack she had now. Will this work? William looked at her eager eyes and merely chuckled. ¡°Why waste your energy like this? Don¡¯t worry. I might not kill you.¡± ¡°Now that I see you, maybe making you my puppet wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea.¡± ¡°You seem to have a decent amount of power and potential. You will serve me well as my puppet.¡± Before William could finish his taunt, another loud boom echoed the domain he had set up cracked in several ces. Seeing this, Tang Yue shouted. ¡°Little Plum! AGAIN.¡± The small blob of me immediately red up and casted another bout of dancing dragons. The dragons roared with a tremendous power and they attacked the cracks in the domain, shattering itpletely. William, however, was not in the least worried about it. ¡°Heh. Interesting. Interesting. Not bad at all. You seem to have a lot of treasures.¡± ¡°Time to finish this now.¡± He reached for his sword as the domain cracked around them, and sent out several sword beams. Tang Yue blocked two of it, but the third one cut through her chest, leaving behind a huge bloody injury. Blood dripped from her lips as shemanded her soul sword to act and block the next attack. But by now, the domain was fully undone, the figure standing outside made a move. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she stared at the dwarf. ¡°Master.¡± Her lips trembled. Just from the looks of it, the man was clearly covered with a million injuries from top to bottom, but that didn¡¯t matter. He was alive! He was not dead after all! Tang Yue watched in shock and fear as she saw the dwarf once again throw himself in front of her, blocking the attacks. ¡°RUN child.¡± The dwarf muttered, his voice sounding a bit defeated. However, this time Tang Yue did not budge from her ce. It clearly didn¡¯t matter if she ran away or not. The human being had caught up to her in matter of minutes. So Tang Yue disobeyed the dwarf and stood her ground. Today, she was either going to live or die but that would only be beside this man. She watched the dwarf draw his sword, a long sword with a mysterious purple glint. It was a powerful weapon, something far more powerful than any other weapons she had seen before. Tang Yue could tell that it was a spirit weapon. Her own soul sword also had the potential to be this powerful but it was still a baby. However, the sword in this man¡¯s hand was fully grown and had reached its absolute potential. It roared alive with a life and vigor of its own. The sword on Miller¡¯s hand spun around and met the several beams of attacks from William. Chapter 327: Payment for my services Part4 Chapter 327: Payment for my services Part4 William¡¯s face changed as soon as he saw Miller¡¯s weapon. He could tell that his weapon was clearly inferior to the one the dwarf was holding. ¡°What is this? A soul weapon?¡± William asked, his interest very much piqued. ¡°Aren¡¯t you guys a bit too generous?¡± ¡°He He He! Giving me one treasure after another!¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes widened. This man knew about soul weapons? But clearly, he didn¡¯t know too much because he had mistaken Miller¡¯s spirit weapon for a more powerful soul weapon. The dwarf, however, didn¡¯t bother rifying his error. KABOOM! He grunted and sent out several dark blood-colored sword beams. Tang Yue had no idea what sort of attack that was but she didn¡¯t n on simply standing around and watching the fight. She might not be capable enough to pose any real threat to William but she was surely powerful enough to make him ufortable and lose focus, even if it was a little bit. And something like that could easily turn the tides in a life or death battle. Tang Yue sucked in a huge breath of air as she started using her earthen core to scoop out big portions from the ground underneath. She then lobbed these gigantic masses of earth at the human being, who was busily blocking Miller¡¯s sword attacks. William only had to see these iing projectiles from the corner of his eyes. He swatted it away like dealing with flies. But Tang Yue was not disheartened. Shebined her fire elemental essence and used these rocks to makeva balls and sent them towards the human being again. ¡°What a persistent pest!¡± William took a moment to address her attack this time and summoned a bunch of soul wraiths to deal with her. This small chance was enough for Miller tond a couple of attacks, sending William flying behind. The dwarf gruntednding beside him with a huge thud, physically pummeling the man to the ground. Tang Yue, meanwhile, was surrounded by soul wraiths and couldn¡¯t take an inch away from her spot. She knew that these wraiths were mainly soul energy suckers and immediately enveloped herself in a which mana barrier. She then cast the fire magic spell me Dragons and twirled her sword around, shing at the wraiths left and right, using all of her agility and strength. And as she was fighting with these intangible soul ghosts, a familiar voice sounded from behind her. ¡°Hello¡­ My dearest sister.¡± Tang Xi hissed as she shed at Tang Yue as soon as she turned around. Tang Yue froze momentarily but her mind spun. Suddenly everything clicked in her brain and she knew exactly what had happened. This sister of hers was the one who had unleashed a mental attack on her during the cksmith tournament! And she was also probably the one who figured out her identity and spread it to everyone. Tang Yue did not think twice and instantly flushed her mind with mana thereby activating her dormant mental strength. ¡°Heh. Aren¡¯t you a little too quick?¡± She hissed in her sinister tone and licked her sword, before hurling a sword sh at Tang Yue. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t use any mental attacks. I prefer beating you this way. Fair and Square.¡± ¡°You see¡­ If I don¡¯t scratch out your eyes and peel your skin from head to toe, I really won¡¯t get that satisfaction.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha.¡± Hearing Tang Xi¡¯s psychoticughter, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes turned grim. She might not be able tond even a single attack on William, but that didn¡¯t mean she didn¡¯t have the ability to deal with Tang Xi. ¡°Bring it, sister.¡± Tang Yue hissed back as she blocked Tang Xi¡¯s attack and simultaneously dealt with two of the soul wraiths at the same time. ¡°But how is this supposed to be fair and square? Aren¡¯t you just taking advantage of the situation like a parasite and stabbing me in the back?¡± ¡°Why do you hate me this much? I have never done anything to you.¡± Tang Xi spun around skillfully evading the attacks. ¡°Bitch. Don¡¯t act pure now. There is no point in acting in front of me.¡± ¡°I know your true face slut. You stole everything from me.¡± ¡°I should have been the Queen consort. I should have been beside that man.¡± ¡°I am more talented than you will ever be. Do you think you can simply overdose on elixirs and be powerful? Dream on.¡± ¡°In front of my true power, you are nothing. I will cut your body into a million pieces and feed it to the dogs.¡± Tang Yue furrowed her brows. She couldn¡¯t even recognize the person in front of her anymore. She seemed manic and irrational. She did not know what happened to her to make her this way. But surely this was not the same Tang Xi who had been lording over her all her life. However, she didn¡¯t have the time to care about that right now. Everyone had their own fate and destiny. While some were forced into it, some brought it upon themselves. Whatever happened to Tang Xi had nothing to do with her. She was not a saint to pity even her enemies. Tang Yue clutched her sword and swung at the soul wraiths who were now wing at her. She then cast a small spell to mess with the earth around them and made Tang Xi lose her bnce. Little Plum then rained down hellfire on her, the woman¡¯s body sizzling with every drop of fire that hit her. ¡°What is this?¡± Tang Xi red at the elemental in shock. She couldn¡¯t believe her eyes that Tang Yue had something so powerful in her possession. ¡°Slut. Slut. Slut. Just how many treasures did you get from that man?¡± ¡°Why is it always you that gets the good things?¡± ¡°I am going to kill you today and take it all with me. You piece of trash.¡± Tang Yue smirked. ¡°Shut up. You talk too much.¡± She leaped up from the ground, leaving behind the four wraiths that were chewing on her mana barrier. Chapter 328: Payment for my services Part5 Chapter 328: Payment for my services Part5 Tang Yue leaped up from the ground, leaving behind the four wraiths that were chewing on her mana barrier. She thennded next to Tang Xi in the blink of an eye. ¡°Long-distancebat is too slow. Let¡¯s end this quickly.¡± Tang Yue roared as she shed at the woman and sent her flying. Tang Xi coughed up blood as her body mmed against a tree, breaking the thick trunk into two halves. Tang Yue did not give her any time to rest and recover her strength and she immediately jumped once more,nding right on top of her torso. ¡°Weight of the earth¡± Tang Yue shouted, her body weight instantly increasing several times. Standing on top of Tang Xi, she was like an immovable mountain, breaking all the bones and tendons in her body. KUHAK Tang Xi coughed up more blood. Her face paled and the woman looked listless. She couldn¡¯t believe that her crippled sister could wield so much power. However, Tang Xi was still a Demi-God in terms of mental strength and more importantly, she was determined to not go down without a fight. She gritted her teeth and unleashed the most powerful mental attack that she could muster. ¡°CHAOS!¡± Tang Xi yelled, bearing the pain that Tang Yue was raining down on her. Tang Yue instantly felt her head go dizzy and she quickly retreated all her attacks to solely focus on the defense. Her entire body thrummed with mana as she shielded her brain and mind from the attack. Tang Xi had used all her energy to attack and simrly, Tang Yue was also using all her energy to block. But Little Plum was still free to attack and he gave Tang Yue the upper hand. The blob of fire morphed into its feral form and growled as it dashed towards Tang Xi with a ferocious speed. It directly went for the kill, gnawing the woman¡¯s throat with all its strength. AHHHHHH! Tang Xi shrieked as blood spurted out of her neck. Unlike Tang Yue, her physical tempering was rathergging and with her mental energy and cultivation basepletely focused on the mental attack, she didn¡¯t have the chance to guard against the wolf and fell down limp. Blood sprayed everywhere and Tang Xi copsed, her body lifeless and soulless. Tang Yue indifferently nced at her before turning her back and heading towards her Master. She didn¡¯t feel anything after defeating Tang Xi. She was neither happy nor sad. In reality, she had never really spent that much time thinking about or worrying over Tang Xi and her actions. Even though she was her own sister, they never had any good memories or even genuine interactions. She had always been a nobody to her and today even after her death she was still a nobody. Tang Yue didn¡¯t spare the dead body another nce and quickly dashed towards Miller. She might have easily ughtered Tang Xi but the noose around her own neck was tightening with every passing second. In the distance, she could see Miller and William still exchanging blows. The ground quaked and rumbled with every step she took, heading towards them. The more she went closer, the more her heart raced. From where she stood, she could clearly see Miller¡¯s dark brown-toned body riddled with injuries. His hand that held the sword was dripping with blood and the dwarf had a horrendous injury on his chest. William on the other hand lookedpletely unscathed. Even the hair on his head was only slightly ruffled. What happened to his injuries? How does he possess such strong regeneration? Tang Yue did not have a good feeling about this. The man promptly noticed Tang Yue¡¯s presence and smiled at her, nodding as if he was casually greeting a friend. Tang Yue¡¯s heart sank as she saw his nonchnt look. Just how much longer could her Master hold on? Where was everyone else? Damn it. She bit her lips and ran towards the chaotic battlefield without hesitating further. William smirked on seeing her still being enthusiastic and sent a blow her way in order to keep her busy. A strong burst of wind manifested and grew into a wild tornado in front of Tang Yue. The wind whirlpool was so strong that it not only picked up dust and sand from the ground but also rocks. Tang Yue¡¯s vision blurred but she immediately pierced her sword into the ground, holding onto her bnce. ¡°Earth shield!¡± She muttered under her breath, the ground around her forming spikes and providing a cover for her from the swirling assault. The tornado banged against the rocks forcefully, threatening to even break through the earth shield. But it was still not enough and the winds soon dissipated. Tang Yue morphed into her serpentine form and slithered under the protection of the ground, moving closer and closer to thebat. This time she had an idea. She hissed with pain from the wounds on her body and as she got near the battleground, her blue head peaked out. She quickly morphed back into her human form and materialized several tongues of me on her hand. At the same time, she pulled back her head and sprayed the entire umted poison in her poison sac out through her mouth. The tongues of me on her hand instantly vaporized this burst of extremely toxic poison forming a lethal poisonous smog. She then quickly unsheathed her soul sword and shed it forward, forcefully sending out this poisonous smog towards the human being. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes twinkled as she saw that her attack was sessful. The small purple cloud which formed as a result of her poison spit headed straight for the human being, targeting his face and his eyes. William¡¯s brows immediately shot up. This small event did not escape his eyes. ¡°What a troublesome pest you are!¡± The man sneered as he sent out another sh towards her, knocking out both her poison cloud and her wounded body at the same time. The powerful sword beam sliced through the air with such a violent aura that Tang Yue was fully expecting her spine to break into two. Chapter 329: Payment for my services Part6 Chapter 329: Payment for my services Part6 Tang Yue¡¯s body flew back as if it was a spec of dust and crashed against something hard. KUHAK She coughed up blood. What was going to happen now? She didn¡¯t know and she no longer had any strength left to intervene. A bitter smile surfaced on her lips as she coughed up another mouthful of blood. ¡°Easy there. Easy. Easy.¡± A deep velvety voice suddenly sounded near her and Tang Yue felt her body being lifted up in the air. Simultaneously, from the corner of her eyes, she could see several figures descending down from the sky. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, my dear. Just rx. I am here now.¡± This time Tang Yue knew exactly who was talking to her and a smile surfaced on her face. A soft and wet sensation touched her lips and from that touch, a healing warmth spread to the rest of her body. Tiredness overtook her as Tang Yue slowly closed her eyes and melted into the familiar embrace. She knew that the man never did or said anything right, but he was always reliable and had never once betrayed her expectations. So now that he was here, she felt assured and Tang Yue copsed entirely without holding back. Xander hugged her tightly, holding her frail injured body close to his chest. ¡°Idiot. I can¡¯t leave you alone for even a few weeks, huh?¡± ¡°You fight with me and then youe running to me for help. Do you think you can just use me whenever you please?¡± The man smiled gently as he nted a kiss on her forehead. In front of him, a dozen Demi-Gods had rounded up William and were trying their best to capture him alive. But Xander calmly sat within the several mana barriers he had erected, focusing only on Tang Yue. As far as he was concerned, her well-being came first and this was far more important. So he carefully observed her injuries and treated the more serious ones first. And now that the others had arrived, the battle as well did notst too long. William saw that he was outnumbered and he quickly activated a spell formation using a silver disk like an artifact. Before another blow couldnd on him, the air twisted around and a void tear opened up, sucking William into it. As his bodypletely disappeared within it, his eyes nced at Tang Yue onest time, and an unfathomable glint crossed across them. William didn¡¯t know it for sure but something told him that he would be meeting this woman again. He had failed this time around but the next time¡­ The void tear closed after him and right in front of the dozen Demi-Gods, he sessfully managed to escape,pletely unscathed. Xander did not give much thought to it and he only nced at the whole event fleetingly. He already knew that they wouldn¡¯t be able to capture the human being that easily. He previously had some doubts and this encounter had confirmed everything. As per his calctions, the human being was most probably proficient in one of the divine elements, the space element. This was primarily why he had been able toe and go from theirnds as he pleased, that too with exaggerated ease. Xander gazed at the distance in deep thought as he carefully bundled up the woman in his arms. He nodded at the other dwarven Demi-Gods and promptly returned back to Eldoria without wasting any time, of course, with Tang Yue still in his arms. His eyes looked as cold and menacing as ever, but a warm smile hung on the man¡¯s lips. And for the next couple of days, the entire Eldorian Empire was in an uproar! With several people having witnessed Xander personally bring Tang Yue over, news about her return spread far and wide, creating waves everywhere. All the major noble families, the royal descendants, and the elven high counsel elders werepletely stupefied. In their eyes, Xander might as well have publicly dered war against them. Theirbined assassination attempts and death threats became a joke as the man boldly brought the spirit beast back to the capital city itself with pomp and ir. Xander, however, did not stop with that. Hemandeered several high-quality spirit herbs, nutritional and medicinal beast meat as well as other precious resources to the royal pce. All of a sudden, the entire pce became festive as if they were celebrating the Emperor¡¯s birthday. Everyone who had celebrated the rumors about Tang Yue having been exiled or imprisoned, swallowed back their wishful thinking in shock. The truth was right in front of their eyes and they could no longer deny it. After Empress Freya, Tang Yue was undoubtedly going to be the next Empress and Xander¡¯s royal consort. No one questioned this any longer. And Xavier, seeing his brother return back to normal, sighed in relief. Things were finally back to normal and he can go back to his leisurelyid-back lifestyle. But amidst these joyous celebrations, within the royal city, a certain someone was fuming, banging the doors of her chamber. ¡°Father. Let me out. Let me out.¡± Charlotte was absolutely furious. She banged on the metallic door, each of her punches carrying the weight of her cultivation base. The door was not strong enough to withstand her power, so there was definitely some sort of rune keeping her inside. ¡°Father. I need to go and help. Let me out.¡± Charlotte screamed at the top of her lungs. General Salvatore, who was right outside, could only sigh helplessly. ¡°His highness has already taken care of everything, child. Don¡¯t worry.¡± He had no idea what had happened, but these were the direct orders from Xander and he had no intentions to question them. Even if his daughter screamed and cursed his entire family, there really was no use. In fact, this was not even the first time, Xander had punished her. Ever since she became the queen consort, these sort of things¡­ he was already used to it. Nevertheless, this time he was a bit confused. ¡°Just what the hell happened between these three?¡± The old man shook his head helplessly. Chapter 330: Payment for my services Part7 Chapter 330: Payment for my services Part7 The next day morning, Tang Yue stirred awake from her restful sleep. Though her injuries were quite severe, there was nothing that left asting impact on her body, mind, or soul and so she did not take too long to recover. Just after a single night¡¯s rest, her body waspletely healed and her eyes were well-rested. But as soon as she woke up panic and dread filled her face and she hurriedly leaped out of the bed in rm. Though before she could get out, a strong pair of hands held her in ce and pushed her back onto the bed. ¡°What are you in such a hurry for?¡± The familiar pair of crimson eyes gazed at her with a ferocity that she was ufortable with. However, she didn¡¯t mind it as much this time, because if he was here¡­ then¡­ perhaps her Master was safe? Tang Yue gulped and she hesitantly asked. ¡°What happened?¡± She only remembered losing her consciousness and she was not quite aware of anything after that. She wouldn¡¯t even have been surprised if she had dreamed up the whole Xander rescuing her part. ¡°What what happened?¡± Xander teasingly answered, not sympathizing with her plight. ¡°Your highness!¡± Tang Yue snapped back. ¡°Hai. Hai. Everything sort of worked out. There are no causalities.¡± Tang Yue sighed, finally rxing. ¡°Umm¡­ What happened to the human being?¡± ¡°Oh? Him? He escaped.¡± Xander casually answered without a care in the world. ¡°What? He escaped?¡± Tang Yue was once again rmed. ¡°How did he escape? Weren¡¯t there other dwarves? Did no one manage to catch him or kill him?¡± She hurriedly blurted out. ¡°Calm down, will you? Yes, he escaped. He knew spatial magic.¡± ¡°It is difficult to capture him alive as long as he relies on that.¡± ¡°Oh. Ok.¡± Tang Yue absentmindedly nodded. She did not know all that much about spatial magic except for the fact that this was used for making space rings and other storage artifacts. ¡°You! Aren¡¯t you forgetting something? Something very important?¡± Xander¡¯s lips twitched annoyed at the fact that the woman was clearly thinking about other useless things. ¡°Why? Did something happen to my Master?¡± Tang Yue was confused. Didn¡¯t he say that everyone was fine? ¡°What Master? Have you forgotten that I am also your Mater?¡± Xander angrily scoffed. This guy! Tang Yue sighed helplessly. Why can¡¯t he just be straightforward? ¡°I am sorry, your highness. I am not sure what you are referring to.¡± Tang Yue impatiently asked him again. She could swear that the guy¡¯s maturity level was sinking every day. However, her words only made Xander even more furious. The man waspletely baffled by her response. So ungrateful! After staring at her menacingly for a while, he reached out and unexpectedly pulled the woman¡¯s cheeks. Huh? Tang Yue stared back nkly. Xander furrowed his brows and continued pinching her cheeks, pulling them so hard until he heard a yelp. ¡°What about the payment for my services?¡± He finally eximed losing his patience. ¡°Huh? What services? I don¡¯t understand, your highness.¡± Tang Yue chuckled inwardly and continued ying dumb even though she knew what he was talking about. She could see that the man was fishing for something and she didn¡¯t want to give him any advantage. The fuck? This shameless girl! Xander gazed at the woman as if he was going to devour her and stood up from the bed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you send me your distressed messages? Hoping for me toe and rescue you like a weak little girl?¡± He as well didn¡¯t hold back and mercilessly poked her. ¡°Oh that. I guess I did do that.¡± ¡°But then again, aren¡¯t you the Crown Prince of Eldoria?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be your responsibility to deal with intruders like human beings?¡± ¡°Technically, you should be the one offering me a reward right now.¡± She crossed her legs, her right leg over the left leg, and hissed at the man brazenly. ¡°Is that so?¡± Xander smirked, amused by her antics. ¡°Fine. Thanks for educating me on the things that I am required to do.¡± ¡°I guess I will reward you after all.¡± The man then leaned forward, gently lifting her hand towards his mouth. ¡°I will reward you the position of the Queen consort.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tang Yue blurted out. She had definitely not expected such a response. I will take gold coins instead! PLEASE! She cried inwardly. The man¡¯s actionstely had rather been very intimate and affectionate. The fact that he was there for her when she needed him the most was not entirely lost on her. Tang Yue was more than moved by everything he had done so far for her, but still¡­ Xander noticed that the woman who had been snarkily responding to his taunts up until now had suddenly gone quiet. This didn¡¯t sit well with him and his hands started sweating. The possibility that he was going to be rejected once again was extremely high. Tang Yue met the eager gaze of the man and then looked down again awkwardly. She didn¡¯t know what to tell him. Her heart was really not in it. She liked him, maybe even more than others, but there was still a gap in her feelings. She didn¡¯t know how to exin it to him. Besides, there were other important things weighing heavily on her mind. She didn¡¯t have the emotional space to keep adding lovers to her personal life as if she was building a harem of her own like the male rulers. ¡°Umm¡­ I need to visit my master first.¡± Tang Yue changed the subject tactfully. ¡°I am worried about his injuries.¡± Xander¡¯s crimson eyes looked at her unwaveringly, before he withdrew his gaze and turned around. ¡°Do whatever you want.¡± He muttered under his breath and left. He had his own pride and he refused to beg her time and again. Tang Yue watched the man silently walk away and she gulped, feeling a bit guilty. She then stood up and left as well. She was too anxious about the dwarf to worry about other things. Chapter 331: Fool me once Part1 Chapter 331: Fool me once Part1 After Xander left the chamber, Tang Yue stood up silently and walked out of the royal pce as well. However, before she headed out she cast an invisibility spell on herself. Since Tang Yue was currently in the Saint realm, her illusion magic was powerful enough to be used freely. Unless one was in the Demi-God realm or used certain special soul techniques, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see through her cloak of invisibility that easily. So in order to prevent certain pests from disturbing her, Tang Yue only moved about in the city after casting the invisibility spell. She also didn¡¯t hesitate to use the full extent of her cultivation base and arrived at the storefront within seconds. She canceled her invisibility spell afterward, almost shocking the shopkeeper. The elf immediately knew that this was a high-profile customer so he treated Tang Yue very respectfully and attended to her needs almost immediately. Tang Yue didn¡¯t care about these formalities because she only came here to do some basic purchases. ¡°Give me some flying artifacts.¡± She casually ordered. Though she was wearing only a simple silver robe, it clung to her body snugly and entuated her seductive curves. This coupled with her beautiful features and her unfathomable aloof eyes caught the poor shopkeeper elf off-guard and the man almost drooled staring at her unblinkingly. Tang Yue had to raise her hand and snap at the elf, bringing him back to reality. ¡°Do you have or not?¡± ¡°Yes, your highness. Yes. Yes. Please forgive my behavior.¡± The elf scurried about and quickly brought her a couple of swords, some discs, and even a few small carpets or mats. Tang Yue looked at the bunch and clicked her tongue. If she had more time, perhaps she would have preferred the disc or a mat, as these are more convenient. But since the sword had the fastest speed among the three, she selected a few of the flying sword artifacts and ced everything in her spatial ring except for one. Tang Yue then tossed a few gold coins to the elf and hurried out of the shop. She immediately morphed into her serpentine form, and cast her invisibility spell again, after coiling herself on the flying sword. The sword with the snake around it, then magically rose up into the air and flew straight towards the Dwarven royal city. While previously it had taken her several days to travel by a carriage from Eldoria to the Dwarven Empire, Tang Yue this time reached the city in a matter of few hours. Shended the flying sword near the old smithy and directly headed inside. Miller saw her walking in and smiled at her with his eyes closed. ¡°Yue, you are here.¡± ¡°I am d that you are doing fine child.¡± The dwarf groaned and continued to rest on his cot. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes glistened lightly on seeing the man¡¯s rugged muscr body which was usually full of vigor, now resting tiredly on the cot. There were also numerous cuts and injuries left carelessly untreated. ¡°Master¡­¡± Tang Yue gently greeted him, her voice full of guilt. Because of her, this man had been unnecessarily dragged into a fight that was entirely unrted to him. Tang Yue walked towards the dwarf resting on the cot and kneeled and kowtowed in front of him. ¡°Master, I am sorry. This is all my fault. I should have nevere here.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha. Silly girl. I am alright, aren¡¯t I?¡± The dwarf chuckled, brushing off her apology lightly. ¡°Even if you were not there, I would have probably gotten involved in the fight.¡± ¡°Apparently, that human was for some reason masquerading as Prince Jorden, one of the dwarven royal princes.¡± ¡°So this thing has really nothing to do with you.¡± ¡°And oh, by the way, I med the human being for stealing the heavenly me.¡± ¡°So you and your little elemental should be safe. Bwa Ha Ha Ha.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe those idiots fell for it. Bwa Ha Ha Ha. Argh. Hack.¡± Miller coughed loudly, spitting out a mouthful of blood. ¡°Master! Your injuries¡­¡± Tang Yue immediately tensed up. Was this really the state of a man who was healing and resting? ¡°Hai. Hai. I will be fine. All I need is just a few days of rest.¡± The dwarf tiredly sighed. Tang Yue, however, was reluctant to believe his casual words. After all, he had taken the full brunt of the attack in the fight against that human being. ¡°By the way, where is the other one? Is the elf alright?¡± Miller opened one of his eyes and gazed at her, asking the question. Tang Yue could see that the dwarf was trying to change the subject but she also couldn¡¯t help but feel worried about Charlotte. She had not seen that woman these past couple of days. ¡°Alright. Don¡¯t worry. Give me one day and then I can help you look for her.¡± Miller barely even finished the sentence when the smithy door opened and another dwarf walked in. ¡°Heh. Why are you making promises that you can¡¯t keep, senior brother?¡± Grandmaster Hiru walked in, immediately reprimanding Miller as soon as he entered. Tang Yue stood up and bowed to the dwarf, greeting him respectfully. She knew that even if the dwarf was a bit gruff and disrespectful to her Master, he still meant well, so she didn¡¯t feel any animosity towards him. Hiru sternly looked at Tang Yue, and his eyes narrowed on seeing that she was in her original serpentine human form, but he still nodded, returning her greeting. ¡°This old fart is lying to you. He burnt through his vitality while trying to protect you.¡± ¡°He only has a few more months to live at best.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s face fell, the dwarf¡¯s every word weighing like a mountain on her heart. She looked at Miller inplete and utter disbelief. This man had only a few more months to live? No! Under no circumstance can that be allowed to happen! Chapter 332: Fool me once Part2 Chapter 332: Fool me once Part2 ¡°Master. Please. Please tell me the truth. What happened?¡± ¡°What are these injuries? How did your vitality shrink?¡± Tang Yue begged him, tears streaming down her eyes. ¡°Master. I know that I ampletely useless, but please tell me.¡± ¡°I swear that I will do everything I can to make it up to you. These few months are enough for me.¡± ¡°As long as there exists a cure in this world, I will bring it to you.¡± She flopped on the ground and started bawling her eyes out like a small child. Her words, however, were resolute and determined, not wavering in the slightest. Miller¡¯s heart ached, seeing her in such a state. This was why he didn¡¯t want to tell her, but this bastard had revealed everything. He scoffed at the other dwarf in the room and then turned his head away, without saying anything. Hiru, on the other hand, couldn¡¯t care less about Miller¡¯s grouchy attitude. ¡°Mmm¡­ It¡¯s alright. The situation is not that bad actually.¡± ¡°What?¡± Tang Yue immediately looked up in rm, hoping and praying for good news inwardly. ¡°Yes, his situation is indeed not hopeless. In fact, I came here to give him this news only.¡± Tang Yue quickly wiped her eyes and listened to the dwarf intently. ¡°Master has already looked at your condition. He says that the elf can probably help you.¡± Hiru informed Miller, rather than Tang Yue. He then turned around to leave. ¡°Elf? Who?¡± Tang Yue hurriedly asked him as she did not understand who the elder was referring to. ¡°Your husband. Who else?¡± Grandmaster Hiru scoffed angrily and left the smithy. Clearly, he was not fond of both the elves and the spirit beasts. At least the man was impartial in this aspect. ¡°What nonsense¡­ That idiot is going more senile than me.¡± Miller grumbled. Tang Yue, though initially dumbfounded, was now pleasantly surprised. ¡°Child. Don¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± ¡°There indeed is an old pill recipe to repair vitality, but it is not that reliable.¡± Miller sighed. Tang Yue shook her head. ¡°No Master. I believe in his capabilities. He will definitely help us.¡± Miller, however, still shook his head. ¡°No child. I don¡¯t need any treatment. I am already tired of living.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want you to request anything from anyone on my behalf.¡± He resolutely denied her words. ¡°Master, you cannot do this.¡± Tang Yue shook her head. She could tell why the dwarf was reacting like this. But she was not disheartened. She knew what to say. She swallowed her saliva and raised a familiar name in order to get him to agree. She had a feeling that if she said this, then the man might relent and agree to get the treatment. ¡°Master, are you so sure that my mother is dead?¡± ¡°What if I find her in the future in some corner of this world?¡± ¡°If she asks for you, then what would I reply to her?¡± Tang Yue casually shrugged. The dwarf who was listless and tired up until now suddenly shed his eyes open. He stared at Tang Yue, unable to respond to her questions. Tang Yue did not press him any further. She knew that she had hit the nail on the head. The dwarf hesitated a while and just like Tang Yue had expected, relented in the end. ¡°Alright. Ask that brat for help. We did give him the spirit smithing technique after all.¡± ¡°He better return that favor.¡± Tang Yue smiled warmly as she helped the man sit up, but her face quickly changed on seeing Miller cough up a few more mouthfuls of blood. ¡°Master, I think we should stay here itself. I can ask him toe here and take a look.¡± Miller shook his head. ¡°No need. It would be morefortable for him if we went there.¡± ¡°Besides, there is something else that I want to do in these next few days.¡± ¡°Alright. We will do that.¡± Tang Yue agreed to his decision and quickly took out two flying swords. ¡°No need for these. My beast can take us there.¡± Miller tiredly pinched his lips and let out a low whistle. Huh? Tang Yue looked outside. She was curious to see just what sort of a beast the dwarf had. Soon, the entrance of the smithy blurred and wind whipped about. A couple of secondster, a massive gale picked up and a big creaturended in the front. Tang Yue stared at the beast in surprise. The massive creature had the body of a bird and the head of an animal. This was unmistakably a Griffin, a high-grade beast. It looked absolutely terrifying. Tang Yue didn¡¯t even think that a high-grade beast like this could be tamed. She gaped in awe. ¡°Ha Ha Ha. Doesn¡¯t he look strong?¡± The dwarf chuckled lightly and tried to get up from the cot. Tang Yue quickly supported him and helped him up. The two then walked over to the massive griffin. The bird had shining silver feathers which protruded like spikes but when it saw Tang Yue and Miller approaching it, it casually retracted the spikes, leaving behind only a smooth and shiny luster on its body. It shook its head and roared and then bowed down meekly, allowing Tang Yue and Miller to easily mount the beast. After helping the dwarf sit upon the Griffinfortably, Tang Yue then leaped back onto the ground. She quickly whistled as well calling back the two contracted beasts. They did not make Tang Yue wait long. In just a few minutes, one panther and one wolf rushed towards the smithy. Tang Yue patted the two beasts and looked concernedly at the ck panther. ¡°Where did your master go?¡± The panther shook its head, unable to provide any exnation. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Tang Yue sighed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. We will find her.¡± She scooped up both the beasts and got onto the Griffin as well. The bird was big enough so it easily supported all of them. Chapter 333: Fool me once Part3 Chapter 333: Fool me once Part3 The griffin was much faster than the flying sword and the bird even made sure that the entire journey was smooth and gentle. So the group arrived in Eldoria in less than a couple of hours. Tang Yue immediately gave out instructions to the bird tond directly in the Crown¡¯s quarters in the royal pce. This was not the formal practice and typically flying beasts were not allowed in the vicinity of the royal pce but Tang Yue couldn¡¯t care less. She knew that they wouldn¡¯t dare to target and bring down the bird if she was sitting on it. So she casually got the bird tond on the pce gardens. Tang Yue waved at the elven soldiers who had promptly arrived to make sure that everything was fine and then she quickly helped Miller as they walked straight into the Crown¡¯s quarters. The number of people who entered the devil¡¯s den can in fact be counted by fingers. But Tang Yue didn¡¯t care about it and directly headed into her old chamber. She helped Miller rx on the feather bed and then ran out to look for Xander. Unfortunately, the man was nowhere to be found in the adjacent chambers and the courtyard. So Tang Yue was stumped. She didn¡¯t want to waste any time and she quickly approached one of the elven guards standing around in the corridor. ¡°Where is he?¡± The guard bowed and greeted her and then politely replied. ¡°His highness is at the courtroom.¡± Tang Yue furrowed her brows trying to decide if she wanted to wait for his return. ¡°Surely he must have noticed that I am back? I also have Master with me.¡± ¡°He will probablye and visit me very soon.¡± She hissed silently and went back to Miller. She didn¡¯t want to kick up a fuss in the courtroom in front of everyone and put Xander in an awkward position. The tension between the two races was not something to be taken lightly. Even Xander¡¯s own personal Generals might not be pleased if he readily agrees to help out a high-ranking dwarven elite. And after all, she was the one requesting the man for his help. So Tang Yue decided to be a little polite. She calmly walked over and sat next to Miller, watching the dwarf sleep peacefully. The superficial injuries on the dwarf¡¯s body were still bleeding. So she quietly prepared a medicinal bowl and wiped away and cleaned the injuries. As she patiently waited for Xander toe and visit her, time slowly ticked away. But weirdly, no one showed up even after a couple of hours. Tang Yue started to feel uneasy. She could tell that this was not going to be easy. Was the devil holding a grudge? She felt a bit nervous. She had no doubt that the man would help her but she was afraid of the payment he might ask this time. As the snake gulped nervously thinking about several things, azy voice sounded in her brain. ¡°You are wasting your time, little snake.¡± Huh? Tang Yue was startled for a second. She hadn¡¯t heard this voice for a while. The old man didn¡¯t even peek out and offer her help or the Lucky sticker when she needed him the most when she was fighting for her life, but now he has something to say? Tang Yue was irritated. She didn¡¯t respond to the old man. ¡°Stupid little snake. If I thought that you were going to die, I would have intervened.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t understand. That old fox is not a good man.¡± ¡°Which old fox?¡± Tang Yue asked, clearly not yet satisfied with his exnation. ¡°The old dwarf you met inside the hut. The deity. Don¡¯t trust him.¡± ¡°If he senses me one more time, he will kill you and strip your soul from your body and then get to me.¡± ¡°If that happens, then no one else can save you. Who here in this well can stand against a deity?¡± ¡°Think about it properly.¡± ¡°Why do you think he didn¡¯t intervene, even though he could sense the human being? He was clearly fishing for me.¡± Tang Yue sighed. On one hand, she didn¡¯t want to believe the old man because the dwarf had after all helped her. But then again, the old man as well cared about her and she knew for a fact that he genuinely wanted her to survive and be powerful. To what end? She didn¡¯t know yet, but she at least knew this much. Tang Yue nodded her head in contemtion. She was getting tired of these two-faced people littered all around her. She gazed at the distance for a few seconds before sighing again. She decided to believe his words in the end. The bastard was cunning and calctive but she couldn¡¯t me him for that. After all, she was also the same. If he insisted that the dwarven Deity was trouble then it would be in her best interests to take his word for it and believe him. Seeing Tang Yue¡¯s expressions change and her feelings warm up, the old man quickly chimed in again. ¡°Now do you understand? You have far too many enemies here. You cannot afford to waste your time anymore.¡± ¡°You need to train more, be stronger and more powerful in a short time.¡± ¡°Initially I was against this idea but now I don¡¯t think you have a choice anymore. I didn¡¯t expect a human being to sniff you out.¡± ¡°If you stay here any longer, you will surely fall.¡± The old man warned. Tang Yue dazedly nodded as she pondered about her options. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me that. Coincidentally, I have also been thinking of the same.¡± ¡°But how can I be stronger faster? Where can I go?¡± Cultivation took its own time and no one had the ability to urge it ording to their needs. But Tang Yue had something else other than her cultivation. ¡°We can go hunting!¡± The old man chimed excitedly. Even though he was just a soul sliver, the excitement in his voice was palpable. Chapter 334: Fool me once Part4 Chapter 334: Fool me once Part4 ¡°Hunting? But where?¡± Tang Yue asked. She had in facte to the same conclusion and wanted to find more beasts to strengthen her bloodline but the biggest problem once again was time! The nine countries on theirnds were vast nations filled with wilderness in abundance. There were also several powerful beasts within them. But even the strongest ones among them were utmost mid-grade or high-grade beasts. Unfortunately, at Tang Yue¡¯s level, these were no longer that useful to her. What she needed were more ancient and powerful beasts. But where could she find such beasts? There might be hidden dungeons andirs within the Nine countries themselves which perhaps housed such powerful beings. However, Tang Yue severelycked the time tob through the thickets and search for such spots. So when the old man suggested the obvious, she could only ask him the solution as well. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that little snake. There is a ce. Ha Ha Ha. There is a very good ce.¡± ¡°But remember this. Once again I cannot help you there. If I reveal my presence, we both will be killed immediately.¡± ¡°You can only count on yourself. So think twice before taking this decision.¡± Tang Yue nodded. She was not too disappointed with the old man¡¯s words. She didn¡¯t n on relying on him in the first ce. If what he was saying was true and if he indeed had such a spot for her training, then that would be the best chance for her to break out of her barrier and soar to the next level. Tang Yue panted in fervor and then calmed herself down. She first needed to prepare things thoroughly for this. She cannot afford any more mistakes, not when the stakes were so high. How many more times could she possibly keep begging Xander for help? Tang Yue silently contemted the various things, though ironically waiting for Xander¡¯s help even at the moment. Adding to her dismay, the devil took his sweet time, not returning back to the private quarters even after a few hours. Tang Yue was starting to get a bit impatient. She had also sent several messages to Charlotte and hadn¡¯t heard back from her yet, making her feel a bit restless. As she was pacing back and forth in the long corridor adorned with beautiful flowers and exquisite carvings, Tang Yue¡¯s mind spun around different possibilities. ¡°Your highness.¡± A familiar voice interrupted her thoughts, making her stop in her tracks. ¡°Lotte!¡± Tang Yue turned around with a warm smile on her face. It had been a while since she had seen this young elf. Lotte as well shed her a warm and happy smile in return. Tang Yue looked at the young man from top to bottom. He seemed to be doing fine. He had even gained more muscles and be a bit taller. Tang Yue had always worried if the elf would be mistreated in her absence just because he had served her but seeing him doing fine eased these concerns. She was in fact rather impressed. She had always thought that the young man had the tact to act ordingly and survive somehow. So she was happy to see that it was true. ¡°How are things, Lotte?¡± Tang Yue asked, patting the elf on his shoulder. ¡°Your highness, thanks to your kindness, I have been doing very well.¡± ¡°My kindness?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s brows shot up. ¡°But I didn¡¯t do anything?¡± ¡°Ha Ha. Your highness. Please don¡¯t joke. His highness has already told me the truth.¡± ¡°Xander?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s lips twitched. ¡°Yes. Yes. His highness has been taking very good care of me and my sister.¡± Lotte bowed and thanked her. ¡°Is that so?¡± Tang Yue sneered. For some reason, the man¡¯s presumptuous actions, albeit kind, and generous actions made her frustrated. ¡°It¡¯s ok. Good. Good. I am d to know that you are doing great.¡± ¡°I have to pay someone a visit now. We can have a feast togetherter.¡± Tang Yue mumbled quickly and hurriedly turned around to leave when she suddenly stopped. A small doubt arose in her mind and she quickly confirmed it. ¡°Lotte, wait a minute. Have you seendy Charlotte aroundtely?¡± Ah~~ Lotte paused. He didn¡¯t respond to her immediately and the elf looked hesitant. Clearly, something was bothering him and he wiped the sweat off of his forehead hurriedly. ¡°That¡­ That¡­ Your highness.¡± He timidly mumbled. ¡°Enough.¡± Tang Yue raised her hand. He did not have to say anything more. She already knew what he was going to say. Tang Yue nodded at the elf, signaling him to carry on and she as well walked away with an unfathomable smile on her lips. ¡°The devil wants to dance with me? That¡¯s fine. I will y along.¡± She smirked and headed directly to the royal courtroom. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Meanwhile, in another pce in the royal city of Eldoria¡­ ¡°What the hell? Are you serious? She is back in the royal city? She is in the pce right now?¡± Marvin fumed, the fat on his body jiggling. ¡°USELESS! USELESS! USELESS!¡± He yelled in frustration. ¡°I spent so much money and this is the result I get???¡± ¡°What the heck are the two goblins and that slut doing?¡± ¡°Why are they taking so long to finish a good for nothing bitch?¡± ¡°Argghhh!!! This is so infuriating. If I don¡¯t do something myself, I swear things never get done.¡± ¡°I have to do everything myself.¡± ¡°Tch. Tch. Tch.¡± ¡°USELESS! Bunch of trash.¡± Marvin spat out venomously and grabbed a whip that was near him. He then mercilessly whipped and punished the two men who had brought this news to him. The maid who was unfortunate enough to serve him at the moment as well received the punishment. But unlike the two experts who had significant cultivation base and were able to withstand Marvin¡¯s punishments, the maid trembled in pain. In the end, she was whipped to her death and Marvin¡¯s anger had still not satiated. He kicked her dead body and stormed out of the chamber to inform elder Darius about this news and discuss things with him in person. Chapter 335: Fool me once Part5 Chapter 335: Fool me once Part5 ¡°Hmm¡­ Continue. Read the report from the northern province next.¡± Xanderzily waved his hand. Ah~~~ Everyone in the courtroom gulped restlessly. Even though almost all of them were Saint realm experts, this set of reports was particrly lethal and it made their eyes watery. Sleep was knocking at their doorstep and they were finding it very difficult to pay attention to the elf who was patiently reading everything one by one. But that man had it good! Just because he was reading it aloud, he was able to stay more alert and wasn¡¯t subjected to this painful torture of staying awake. The dozen Generals and the other courtroom officials looked at Xander with pitiful eyes. No matter how much they pondered over, they just couldn¡¯t understand why they were being randomly punished like this. Moreover, the man on the throne hated boring things like this more than they did. He typically pawned these kinds of mundane administrative tasks on some innocent scapegoat. But today, unexpectedly, he was going through every single report, one by one, that too in great detail. No one in the courtroom could understand the reason behind the madman¡¯s sudden change in behavior. The man who loved wielding swords suddenly wanted to wield feather pens? But why? As the elves looked at each other and exchanged pitiful looks, a loud bang echoed and the reason for their misery barged into the closed courtroom unceremoniously. Just who the hell had the guts to be this impudent in front of the Eldorian Crown Prince? All the elves assembled in the courtroom immediately turned around in rm. Some even stood up and went into a defensive stance in case an enemy had breached their territory. However, the person standing in front of them was clearly not an enemy. Everyone¡¯s mouth that had opened wide, quickly closed and they stiffened their backs in anticipation of the drama that was about to unfold. This was the reason why the madman had been mercilessly dragging their meeting? Suddenly everything was crystal clear to them. Tang Yue threw a nce at the crowded courtroom and then casually ignored the mass of side characters. Rather her gaze locked onto the boss monster. ¡°Greetings, your highness.¡± She bowed lightly. Her elegant figure then swaggered forward, brazenly walking towards the devil sitting on the throne. Xander¡¯s cold and frosty crimson eyes met her gaze, subtly admiring the woman¡¯s seductive charm. She had only worn a simple silver robe patterned with violet peonies, bare minimum jewelry adorning her beautiful features. Yet she looked gorgeously breathtaking. Xander coughed lightly, finding it difficult to maintain his arrogant and indifferent act. ¡°Ahem. Who do we have here? May I know what business does the serpentine princess has in my courtroom?¡± He purposefully addressed her as if he was addressing a third person and did it so with a straight face. Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched. This man was clearly putting on a show! ¡°Your highness, I am here to request your help.¡± She bit her lips and answered,ing straight to the point. Xander¡¯s lips immediately curved upwards into a condescending smirk. ¡°Heh. You must be mistaken. Haven¡¯t you heard of my reputation?¡± ¡°I am really not in the business of helping others. Especially without any P.A.Y.M.E.N.T. for my services!~¡± Xander chuckled, his gaze still cold and frosty. While these two stared daggers at each other, the full courtroom was more awake than usual. Everyone watched the show in front of them with great anticipation. They all knew that Xander doted on Tang Yue to no ends, so they were surprised to see things y out this way. There was clearly trouble in this paradise! Tang Yue red at the elf hatefully. She could tell that the madman was determined to take advantage of her today. But two can y at that game! She heard the man¡¯s obvious taunts and only revealed a gentle smile in return. ¡°This time.¡± She paused. ¡°I am willing to ept the payment, your highness.¡± Tang Yue once again shed a bright smile, her gaze fixated on the man atop the throne. Xander chuckled. ¡°Is that so?¡± His eyebrows shot up. Hmph! You need another hundred years to fool me, my dear! His thin lips parted and the man arrogantly grinned. ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t we head to my private chamber and seal the deal. Talk about the payment in detail.¡± Ah~~~ Ruffle Ruffle~~~ Murmur Murmur~~~ The man¡¯s words didn¡¯t hide much and the entire courtroom instantly fell into an uproar. Private chamber! Sealing the deal! Their Prince was finally going to lose his virginity today?!! The current group assembled in the royal courtroom were all close to Xander. They had all been following him for a very long time and were extremely loyal to him. So they even knew some of the highly guarded secrets, including the fact that their ruler was a virgin. Some of the Generals in fact had happy tears in their eyes, seeing that their Master was finally going to get some today. One of them even sent a quick message to Xavier, informing him of this recent development. The elven prince was in the middle of a rune forging process and the gem in his hand instantly shattered after hearing this hot news! ¡°Fuck this shit! I am going to go cheer my brother and offer him tips!¡± Xavier shot out like a lightning arrow and rushed to the royal courtroom. Tang Yue hadn¡¯t even had the chance to respond to Xander¡¯s provocative remarks when the courtroom doors were once again banged open. ¡°BROTHER! I heard the good news!~~~¡± Xavier barged in and ran to Xander at his top speed. Both Tang Yue and Xander were speechless. Their eyes widened and they simultaneously looked at Xavier with a dumbfounded expression. This man wasn¡¯t even involved in this matter. Why the heck was he getting this excited? Xavier only then realized what was happening and he awkwardly coughed. ¡°Aha Ha Ha. Greetings Princess Yue. Pardon my intrusion.¡± Chapter 336: Fool me once Part6 Chapter 336: Fool me once Part6 Tang Yue was mentally prepared for this, but even so, being the only woman in the crowded courtroom, her face inadvertently turned bright purple. Her alluring figure turned even more seductive, as she restlessly fidgeted with her hands. Xander¡¯s eyes widened and he immediately shot out of the throne. He then picked up the mesmerizing woman in front of him and disappeared from the courtroom in a jiffy, leaving everyone else including Xavier speechless. How could the man let others see his wife¡¯s delicious embarrassed expressions? That was uneptable! Xavier chuckled wryly seeing the now empty throne. ¡°Brother, why didn¡¯t you take any tips from me?¡± Women were difficult and his brother would soon understand it! Hemented the man¡¯s headstrong attitude and left after heavily sighing. On the other end, Xander reluctantly let go of the woman in his arms, after arriving at a remote corner of the pce gardens. A bunch of tall stemmed lilies swayed in the wind as they hid the two figures standing amidst them. Tang Yue coughed awkwardly and slowly stepped away. Feeling the woman¡¯s warm touch leave his body, Xander¡¯s gaze turned as frosty as ever. ¡°Now. Let¡¯s finish the rest of the conversation.¡± His lips curved upwards. ¡°What do you need from me?¡± Tang Yue fumbled with her hair and responded to him, without looking him in his eyes. ¡°My Master is heavily injured. He needs something to extend his vitality.¡± ¡°Please, your highness. Help me concoct a pill which is capable of doing that.¡± Tang Yue exined to him the problem at hand. Xander, however, remained silent, his eyes still lingering on her. Seeing that he was not agreeing readily to her demands, Tang Yue grew a little impatient. ¡°He was the one who gave you the spirit smithing technique. How can you still hesitate?¡± She blurted out. She was getting tired of his childish antics. ¡°Who said that I was hesitating? Besides, that is not the payment that I am looking for.¡± Xander chuckled. The woman was acting spoilt and clearly demanding things from him, but he didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Tang Yue retorted back angrily. ¡°You know what I mean. I have already told you that plenty of times.¡± The woman¡¯s lips twitched. She didn¡¯t want to beat around the bushes anymore. As such, the pill was very troublesome to concoct and might take Xander a very long time to be sessful if at all. So she didn¡¯t want to waste any more time standing around. ¡°Fine. I will agree to it.¡± She bit her lips and muttered begrudgingly. ¡°Agree to what?¡± Xander chuckled in amusement. This hateful man! Does he want me to spell everything? ¡°I will agree to marry you.¡± Tang Yue crossed her arms and mumbled half-heartedly. She didn¡¯t want to meet his gaze while saying these words because she most definitely did not intend to keep them. ¡°Just words? How about you take out the engagement ring that I gave you and wear it? ¡°Huh? What engagement ring?¡± Tang Yue hadpletely forgotten about that. Xander stepped forward, and lifted her hand, lightly tapping on one of the rings on her finger, the one that he had given her a while back. A small ring immediately appeared in Tang Yue¡¯s palm. It was a very simple silver ring, with a single blue opal stone in the center. Tang Yue red at the man as he casually picked it up and ced it on her finger with a stupid grin. He then leaned closer and kissed the woman gently, licking her frowning lips. She as well kissed him back, but there was somethingcking. Even though she had agreed to his terms, Xander could clearly see that her heart was not in it. The same mouth that had lied to him was now telling the truth. He didn¡¯t continue kissing her like all their other times and ended it abruptly. ¡°Well, how about I go and take care of my end of the deal now?¡± He shook his head chuckling and walked away, a subtle sadness still lingering around him. Tang Yue was slightly taken aback by his actions. She expected the man to take advantage of her more. ¡°Wait.¡± She blurted out hurriedly. ¡°Hmmm? What? Not satisfied? Should I consummate the marriage here and now?¡± Xander lifted one end of his lips and grinned smugly. Tang Yue, however, looked at the man sternly. ¡°We are not done yet. That¡¯s not all I want.¡± ¡°Hmmm?¡± Xander¡¯s eyes instantly turned frosty as he had a vague foreboding. ¡°Charlotte.¡± Tang Yue crossed her hands and mumbled. ¡°What about her?¡± Xander asked, his voice reaching a threatening pitch. ¡°Release her.¡± Tang Yue demanded. ¡°Oh, by that do you mean to allow you to freely sleep with her?¡± Tang Yue gulped and her eyes shifted to look away. How did he know? ¡°You are ying a dangerous game, my dear. Aren¡¯t you pushing me a little too much?¡± Xander who had already walked away from her, returned back, closing in on her, forcing her to a corner. ¡°What if I snap?¡± He asked her, his eyes cruel and malevolent. ¡°I am not very fond of sharing the things that belong to me.¡± His finger caressed the woman¡¯s lips and waited for her reaction. Tang Yue paused, her eyes still lowered. However, she lifted her head and met his gaze soon. ¡°These are my terms.¡± She brazenly muttered, her face nk. Xander¡¯s eyes widened. He looked at her with his lips parted yet silent. She really knew how to push his buttons! She was the one asking for help and technically he should have had the upper hand, but¡­ Aha Ha Ha Ha The man threw his head back and walked away, his maniacalughing still ringing in the air. Tang Yue gazed at the man¡¯s disappearing figure and only sighed in relief after he left. As if this was not enough, an annoying nasal voice promptly chimed inside her head. ¡°He He He. You have gotten yourself in quite a situation, dumb little snake.¡± Chapter 337: Responsibilities Part1 Chapter 337: Responsibilities Part1 Tang Yue ignored the old man¡¯s taunts and rubbed her temples. She then quickly headed into the pce quarters in the same direction as Xander. Their conversation was a little ambiguous and Tang Yue was worried that she needed to be behind this man in order to make sure that he keeps his promises. But when she walked into the Crown¡¯s quarters, she was quickly forced to swallow her doubts. Xander was already in her chamber, sitting beside the dwarf and talking to him. The man was discussing with Miller various things including the extent of his injuries. He even looked extremely serious and invested while doing so. Tang Yue sighed and then nced at the ring on her finger. ¡°What the hell did I get into?¡± She gulped nervously. She patiently waited for him while the two continued to chat for a while. Xander then finally walked out of the chamber and gazed at the woman silently standing outside. ¡°How is it, your highness?¡± Tang Yue inquired nervously. ¡°Is it possible to concoct the pill required to treat his injuries?¡± Xander gazed at her and lightly chuckled. ¡°I don¡¯t want my wife to be so formal with me. You should really drop the honorifics.¡± Damn you! Jerk! What am I asking and what the hell is your reply! Tang Yue cursed the man inwardly but revealed a weak smile. ¡°Ok. As you wish. Do you need any help or ingredients for the pill?¡± Tang Yue bit her lips and asked again. ¡°Heh. Even if I did you are too useless to help me.¡± Xander scoffed loudly and then walked away throwing his head back andughing. This guy!!! He was definitely going to drive her crazy!!! Tang Yue clenched her fists and walked over to Miller. ¡°That kid sure is interesting.¡± Miller¡¯s one eye was slightly open and he couldn¡¯t help butugh at what he saw. The two fought with each other like cat and mouse and yet one relied on the other unconditionally, and the other fondly fulfilled all the demands. What an interesting rtionship! The dwarf then coughed a bit but he didn¡¯t spit up any blood and from the looks of it he was feeling much better. Tang Yue also noticed a pill bottle on the small table by the bed. Miller watched her eyes darting here and there and answered her question. ¡°That brat is quite a talented young man.¡± ¡°He gave me some medicine for treating some hidden internal injuries which even I didn¡¯t catch.¡± Tang Yue gently nodded with a warm smile as she sat down by the dwarf. This much she already knew about him. ¡°Master. Please take rest.¡± She sighed. ¡°That I will.¡± The dwarf chuckled and closed his eyes. However, he then unexpectedly mumbled. ¡°You never asked me¡­¡± ¡°Asked what Master?¡± Tang Yue softly replied. ¡°About me and your mother?¡± Tang Yue gulped. It was not that she wasn¡¯t curious but she didn¡¯t want to bring up painful memories for the dwarf. So she never asked him, but now that he had brought it up on his own, she didn¡¯t hold back. ¡°Please tell me, Master.¡± ¡°I met your mother a long time ago when I was hunting for a high-grade beast.¡± ¡°At that time she was also coincidentally hunting the same beast.¡± ¡°A high-grade beast shouldn¡¯t have been that difficult to deal with but this particr one was on the verge of a breakthrough so it was extremely powerful.¡± ¡°In the end, your mother and I teamed up together in order to defeat that beast, and in that process, we became very close friends.¡± ¡°After that, I thought I would never see your mother again, but she showed up at my vige the very next week.¡± ¡°Days turned into months and then into years and your mother continued to live with me.¡± ¡°We did everything together. We trained together, we fought together, she even practiced smithing with me.¡± ¡°Your mother was a rare genius.¡± ¡°Even though she was a spirit beast and her elemental affinities were not too good, she had the mental ability to pick up things easily.¡± ¡°But she was always shy and reserved. Even though we lived together for years, she never mentioned anything to me.¡± ¡°And finally, after a few years, I took the chance and proposed to her.¡± Tang Yue gulped, listening intently. Miller paused. He smiled lightly, his eyes still closed, and then mumbled. ¡°And she epted.¡± ¡°Ha Ha Ha. That was truly the happiest day of my life.¡± ¡°The next day she returned to the Serpentine Kingdom to talk to her parents and family elders.¡± ¡°Ha Ha. And she never came back. She never replied to my messages.¡± ¡°And after a couple of months, I decided to go there and find out for myself what had happened.¡± ¡°Heh. Only then I learned that she had already married the Second Prince of the Serpentine Kingdom, your father.¡± ¡°I confronted her and asked her to exin this betrayal, but your mother simply asked me to wait for her.¡± ¡°She said that she had a responsibility to the family to bear an heir by marrying another snake.¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything else to me.¡± ¡°And I too like a fool, trusted her words and waited and waited for her, until one day I heard the news that your mother had disappeared.¡± ¡°Not just that but your mother was also being med for several things.¡± ¡°Your father was in fact the most vicious attacker and he defamed your mother every which way.¡± ¡°I wanted to go kill and ughter him, but then for your sake, I never stepped into the Serpentine Kingdom again.¡± ¡°I searched for her for years, Yue. I searched every corner of these Nine countries.¡± ¡°I even ventured into the ocean surrounding us for her, but I couldn¡¯t find any clues about her at all.¡± ¡°Not even the remains of her body.¡± ¡°After your mother disappeared, I decided to confront your family members and ask them about her so-called responsibility, but along with your mother, your whole maternal family disappeared as well.¡± ¡°In the end, I had somehow lost herpletely.¡± Tang Yue patiently listened as the dwarf continuedmenting. She didn¡¯t know if Xander¡¯s treatments were making him a bit too loose-lipped since he was now talking in circles and singing praises about her mother. Tang Yue sighed and gently patted the dwarf as she pondered about why her mother had acted in such a fashion. What were these so-called responsibilities that she had given so much importance to? ¡°Dumb little snake. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± The old man chimed in. ¡°No, it is not.¡± Tang Yue retorted in annoyance. She hated this big mess of secrets that her mother had left for her. In reality, irrespective of everything, she simply hated the fact that her mother was no longer with her. ¡°Little snake, your family is special. Your bloodline is special. Your ancestor was a Great Empress.¡± ¡°You will soon learn everything. But you should know this.¡± ¡°In order for your family¡¯s bloodline to continue, you as well need to mate with a serpentine spirit beast.¡± ¡°Just like your mother, you also have this responsibility.¡± The fuck? Tang Yue stared dumbly with her mouth wide open. ¡°I¡­ I need to mate with a snake?¡± She asked again hesitantly, feeling her throat parched. ¡°Mmhm.¡± Tang Yue remained silent for a while but several emotions swirled within her. ¡°My responsibility? My duty? You have got to be kidding me. As far as I am concerned, I don¡¯t owe anything to anyone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bark at me. I don¡¯t make the rules.¡± The old man chuckled in reply. He seemed to be very amused with her predicament. ¡°You already have two concubines. What difference would it make to throw one more into the mix? Enjoy, little snake. Aha Ha Ha Ha Ha.¡± Damn it. Tang Yue cursed under her breath and did not entertain the damned old man any longer. Either way, these were not things that she was concerned with right now. There were more pressing matters at hand. Tang Yue saw that the dwarf was now peacefully sleeping. So she quietly tiptoed out of the room. There were lots of things on her mind and she nned to attend to them one by one. Tang Yue nced at the huge chamber at the end of the corridor, within which Xander was probably seated. He might have spoken a bit too harsh but in reality, she was most definitely not in a position where she could provide any help to him, at least help that actually mattered. Tang Yue settled on the inner courtyard overlooking the golden lotuses to clear her mind. She closed her eyes and meditated on all the options that she had. Miller¡¯s vitality was exhausted but even so, he had a few more lunar cycles left. He might be extremely tired and drained during that time, but he will definitely survive and pull through. She could stay here and take care of him, while also helping Xander at the same time, but in doing so she would only be wasting precious time. If she solely relied on Xander, then what would happen if he failed to concoct the pill? What would happen when the war which the old man had predicted came to fruition? Though it might seem heartless, her best option would be to rather leave this ce right now and go to the training grounds that the old man suggested. Only pure and unadulterated strength and power can solve all her problems. Chapter 338: Responsibilities Part2 Chapter 338: Responsibilities Part2 Later that night, Tang Yue finished her meditation and stood up from her seated pose. She was done thinking things over and she made a decision. ¡°Old man, where are these training grounds?¡± Tang Yue asked. ¡°In the middle of the Ocean.¡± The nasal voice chimed in. ¡°How do we get there? Do we need anything in particr?¡± Tang Yue wanted to gather all the required information and prepare adequately before heading out. She would be a fool to underestimate the danger in this endeavor. ¡°Ha Ha ha, little snake. You don¡¯t know right? This ce¡­ Others will never reach it even if they dry out the entire ocean.¡± ¡°But you¡­ You don¡¯t have to do anything. The ocean will take you there all by itself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s your birthright and it¡¯s your legacy.¡± Tang Yue calmly listened, though there was an unfathomable spark in her eyes. Her legacy? Her birthright? She couldn¡¯t help but feel a strange power pulsing through her body. Perhaps it was her own excitement and pride from the words that she had heard. Either way, this would be her stepping stone. She silently resolved to never again feel weak and helpless. Tang Yue clenched her fists. She was ready to leave, but not before she had taken care of some things. She walked over to one of the chambers adjacent to hers and hurriedly threw out all the things from within inside, making a huge messy heap outside the chamber. She then quickly took out several things one by one, setting up a small smithing workspace within the luxurious ornate chamber. An anvil was ced in the middle of the chamber, along with several heaps of thoroughly refined Kirrion ore chunks. Before the human being wrecked everything, Tang Yue had been merely a step away from smithing a spirit weapon set of her own. Of course, this would have definitely gone easier with Miller by her side but now she had to somehow manage on her own. After arranging everything carefully, Tang Yue finally summoned out Little Plum. She neither had a furnace nor a strong concentrated fire elemental source, so she nned to use this little glutton for both. ¡°Masta¡­ Greetings. Masta I feel very happy that you summoned me again.¡± ¡°I am so sorry. I won¡¯t eat anything carelessly ever again.¡± ¡°Masta. Thank you for trusting Little Plum.¡± The elemental instantly started rambling on in excitement and nervousness. Tang Yue chuckled. This guy really liked being outside and was doing this little skit just for that! She patted the wolf and rubbed his head helplessly. ¡°Little Plum, do you want to help me out a bit?¡± ¡°Yes, Mastaa.¡± The wolf¡¯s ears instantly perked up. He didn¡¯t see Little Blue anywhere in the vicinity and this was his time to shine and steal the spotlight. ¡°Shift into your elemental form and melt all these ores thoroughly.¡± Little Plum obediently nodded and quickly busied itself with work. Since the little fellow was slowly absorbing the small tongue of heavenly me, his strength had vastly upgraded. His mes were now more than powerful enough to melt the superior grade ore chunks. Tang Yue observed the elemental for a while and seeing that everything was working perfectly just as she had expected, she moved onto her next task. She took out one of her spatial rings and poured out a heap of materials onto the chamber floor, each more precious than the other. These were the things which she had looted from thebyrinth guardian, the giant glow worm, more specifically from the beast¡¯s hemorrhoids. Tang Yue licked her lips at the juicy sight of so many precious materials lying in front of her. She had never realized this before but it looked like she loved collecting treasures quite a bit. And just as she was admiring her haul, three figures instantly materialized next to her. Huh? Tang Yue turned around, a slight frown on her face. Xander, Xavier, and her Master, the dwarf Miller. With Xander and Miller residing in adjacent chambers and Xavier loitering around Xander¡¯s section of the pce, all three of them were in close proximity to Tang Yue and flew over as soon as they sensed the presence of supremely high quality materials. ¡°Child, where did you get all of these?¡± Miller gasped,pletely and utterly shocked. The dwarf was limping and wincing in pain, but his eyes were fixated on the pile of treasures. Supreme metal ores, some more precious than the Kirrion ore itself, very high quality gems and herbs, and other materials perfect as additives. Miller¡¯s throat was dry and he was panting. The materials in front of him were the dream of every Grandmaster cksmith. Tang Yue smiled at him and pointed to a chair nearby. ¡°Please rest, Master.¡± Though the dwarf looked like he was about to hug everything in front of him and gobble them up even though they were metals, Tang Yue didn¡¯t really care about him. She knew the man enough by now and she also knew that he would never covet what is hers. She then shifted her gaze to the two other hooligans in the room. Both the brothers were extremely unscrupulous from top to bottom and one had even swindled her out of several million gems once before. Tang Yue crossed her arms and sternly gazed at the unwee guests. Xander gazed at her back with amusement, but Xavier opened his mouth, drool visibly leaking out of it. ¡°This¡­ Sister-inw¡­ Where did you get all of these?¡± He asked the same question as Miller and swallowed the saliva in his mouth. As a Rune Grandmaster, he as well lusted over the precious gems in front of him. ¡°Huh? Sister-inw?¡± Tang Yue covered her mouth and chuckled. ¡°Since when were we that close? Scram.¡± Xavier¡¯s face instantly sank and he made an adorable puppy dog expression. Xander was already used to his brother¡¯s antics and quickly stepped in. ¡°Do not fall for his tricks.¡± Chapter 339: Responsibilities Part3 Chapter 339: Responsibilities Part3 ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me. I won¡¯t.¡± Tang Yue then looked at Xander, her lips curving upwards. ¡°And may I know the reason for your visit, your highness?¡± ¡°Heh. Don¡¯t y dumb sweetheart. Didn¡¯t you want me toe here by openly unveiling all these things?¡± Tang Yue chuckled. She could indeed never pull wool over this man¡¯s eyes. She had indeed called Xander but she never called Xavier, but since he was a capable Rune Master she also didn¡¯t ask him to leave. ¡°To be honest, I need all of your help.¡± She then turned towards Miller and spoke to him first. ¡°Master, I am nning to prepare three sets of spirit weapons.¡± ¡°I know that you are unwell right now, but I have the confidence to do it myself.¡± ¡°I want to at least try.¡± Miller nodded. He didn¡¯t know why Tang Yue was in such a hurry but he knew that she was a very astute person and she wouldn¡¯t do this if she didn¡¯t have a n. ¡°Ok child. Do as you please. You already know all the basics.¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s up to you and how well you can execute all the steps together.¡± Tang Yue nodded obediently. She then directly came to the main point. ¡°I obtained all these materials from thebyrinth while I was inside the worm¡¯s stomach.¡± ¡°I want all of your help in determining which materials can be added to the Kirrion ores in order to augment it and which cannot.¡± ¡°I want to make the best possible version of the spirit armors and weapons that I can from these materials.¡± Xander did not say anything and simply nodded. Both he and Miller had already walked over to the pile of treasures and were picking out different materials and analyzing them. Xavier, however, brought up a point of his own. ¡°Cough. Cough. Sister-inw, I am going to be needing some payments for this service.¡± He awkwardly scratched his head, shamelessness written all over his face. Tang Yue had already thought about this point. She didn¡¯t reject his request and was about to respond to him when Xander overtook her responded in her stead. ¡°No need.¡± The man simply ended the conversation in two words. Xavier¡¯s jaw almost dropped on the ground. Bros before hoes! Damn it! You heartless stupid brother! He inwardlymented his pathetic plight and also walked over to the treasure pile, but with a long face. Tang Yue chuckled and generously eased the poor man¡¯s concerns. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am sure that you will be satisfied with the returns.¡± ¡°I already told you guys that I will be preparing three sets. One is for me while the other three is for you guys.¡± ¡°Woohoo! Sister-inw is the best!¡± Xavier¡¯s attitude instantly took a 180 degree turn and the man now inspected the various items much more energetically. Xander, however, suddenly paused. ¡°You earlier said three, but now you changed it to four. Who is thest one for?¡± Bingo! He had hit the nail on its head. ¡°Umm¡­ Umm¡­¡± Tang Yue started sweating. She had been thinking about too many things and had let this slip inadvertently. And of course, the calctive cunning devil caught the small mistake immediately! ¡°Umm¡­ Thest one is for my Master.¡± She smiled weakly and replied, hoping that her Master wouldn¡¯t give her away. Though Miller was busily inspecting the materials, he still heard her remark and turned around to nce at her for a moment, before going back to his work. He had no intention of involving himself in whatever was going on. Tang Yue sighed in relief after seeing his reactions. It looked like her lie was safe. The devil on the other hand was not satisfied with her answer in the least. He knew exactly who it was for and what she was trying to hide. But the man simply chuckled. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± He silently went back to what he was doing and analyzed all the materials thoroughly. Some of them, he hadn¡¯t even seen before. Tang Yue gulped and also joined the three. For the rest of the night, they discussed with each other various possibilities and came up with several theories. The more they talked about the different ratios, the more things became clearer to her. Tang Yue was d that she had involved these guys in her personal project. She might have the talent to forge spirit weapons but she stillcked the experience to thoroughly gauge all the material¡¯s properties and determine the bestbination. This went on for a couple of days straight when the group finally agreed on a preliminary list. ¡°I am sure this will work out child. Cough. Cough. I will go back and take some rest now.¡± Miller patter her and left. ¡°Thanks, Master.¡± Tang Yue nodded. Xander as well left shortly after him, throwing a mysterious wordless nce at Tang Yue. Xavier, on the other hand, looked like he had more things to say but when Xander left, he dragged the other elf also with him very much against his wishes. He even fished out a couple of gems that Xavier had pocketed secretly and carefully hidden within his robe and threw them back onto the pile. ¡°You are the worst, damn it! It was just a couple of gems. Why are you guys such bad bullies!¡± Tang Yue could hear the elf¡¯s screams as he was mercilessly kicked outside of the Crown¡¯s quarters. Xander, then, quickly set up a formation isting them from the rest of the royal pce. He knew that both Tang Yue and he would be extremely busy over the next few days, doing something which required one hundred percent of their attention. So he carefully fortified their living space using several high-grade runes, that he had coincidentally robbed from poor Xavier. The man then nodded at her, as he crossed her again while going back to his chamber. ¡°Good luck.¡± His cold voice sounded unusually warm and gentle. Chapter 340: Responsibilities Part4 Chapter 340: Responsibilities Part4 Once the materials had been finalized, it didn¡¯t take long for Tang Yue to start working. ¡°Little Plum, melt these as well along with the Kirrion ore chunks.¡± She made several piles of ores and added with them the appropriate additives, starting with the strongest feasiblebination and ending with the weakest feasiblebination. Thankfully, she had enough materials to try out everything. But she didn¡¯t intend on being wasteful. She carefully started from the top and even used her skill ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ to make sure that the blending was adequate. On top of the various gems and other metals, Tang Yue added her venom to the mix as well. This made the pieces of equipment even more terrifying. Tang Yue worked on this task for several days together. Once she finalized the perfectbination, she then sat down to refine it and forge it into perfection by imbuing the weapons and armors with earthen essence and fire essence. After an entire week, she was finally done with the first piece of equipment, a chest armor. Tssss¡­ The armor sizzled as if it was alive, but then it again went back to being dormant. ¡°Little snake, you got it right. This is definitely a spirit weapon.¡± The old man surprisingly praised her. Tang Yue, however, was pondering about other things. The armor in her hand was of extremely high quality, with an overwhelming defense, poisonous spine, and even a hidden attack power. It was most definitely better than a high-quality rare-grade weapon. But, it paled inparison to the sword in her possession. Tang Yue could tell apart the vast difference between this armor and the soul sword. The difference between them was heaven and earth. Tang Yue sighed but she didn¡¯t think about it too much. Both pieces of equipment had decent growth potential and this was the best that she could do for now. She ced the armor down and started forging the next piece of equipment. She had also gained a couple of insights from forging the first one, so she incorporated those as well in the next ones. It took her an entire month but Tang Yue finally finished forging aplete set, including a weapon, a chest armor, a helmet, boots, and gauntlets. Everything together definitely gave out a powerful and overwhelming aura. And this was only the beginning stage of this set of spirit equipments. As they drink more blood, their strength and power as well will gradually increase just like her soul sword. Huff! Tang Yue flopped onto her bed,pletely and utterly tired from making this entire set. As she rested her worn-out mind, several thoughts floated in her brain. It had taken her a whole month to finish this equipment set. Three more sets like this would mean three more months, which was a significant amount of time. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Tang Yue pondered for a while after which she shamelessly chuckled. She suddenly remembered how these elven brothers had swindled her out of so much money. So what she was nning on doing was definitely not as bad as that. Besides, she knew that Xander and Charlotte wouldn¡¯t mind so much and only Xavier might throw a tantrum, which was none of her business. So Tang Yue contemted for a while before announcing it to the old man. ¡°I think I am ready to leave. I will leave tonight.¡± She then began preparing all the other things that she might possibly need. Tang Yue filled up her multiple spatial rings with potions, runes, and various beast meat. She also kept several rare-grade equipments as a backup. By the time she was done, it was alreadyte in the night. Tang Yue looked around and sighed. She did not know what the future held for her and she did not know if she would be ever returning back here. ¡°Well, whatever.¡± Tang Yue quietly hissed. She nced slightly at the dwarf¡¯s chamber and then towards the end of the corridor where Xander resided. Her gaze lingered on that door for a minute, before she resolutely walked away. ¡°Hide¡± She cast the invisibility illusion magic spell and quietly slithered out. But surprisingly, she did not leave the pce just yet. She first slithered towards the royal courtroom. Behind the royal courtroom, Tang Yue paused and searched for the door which Charlotte had told her about before. This was the door leading to the underground prison cers. Tang Yue quietly slithered down and she did not stop even when she passed by the patrolling guards. She quietly hissed as she slithered past them. She could still remember how Charlotte had sent her down here to the dungeons, plotting for her exile. But times had quickly changed. Now they were no longer enemies. Tang Yue regretted that she was leaving without even saying a word to Charlotte but she had a feeling that the girl might not let her go alone. And she didn¡¯t want the fateful prediction toe true. Besides, the old man had told her that the ce was tailor-made for her. So she didn¡¯t know if an elf could evene with her. So in the end, she decided to not tell the elf about her special trip. But Tang Yue did not slither through these dark and dingy cers for going down the memoryne. She hade down here for an entirely different reason. Tang Yue continued searching down the several prison cers until she reached one with a familiar face, more precisely one with her own face. A young dwarven girl was sitting in the cer quietly staring at the wall in front of her. This was the real YANA, the young dwarven girl whom she had impersonated for several weeks now. The poor girl was captured and imprisoned for no fault of her own. She was in this state purely for Tang Yue¡¯s sake so that she could infiltrate the Dwarven Empire. Though this was how the world worked, with the strong trampling over the weak, Tang Yue did not have the heart to leave Kosa hanging with no news of his daughter whatsoever. So Tang Yue decided to do this one thing before leaving and release the poor girl so that she can escape and live her life freely. Tang Yue craned her head to make sure that the corridor was empty. The Eldorian prison cers, particrly, the one under Xander¡¯s courtroom was only sparsely guarded. Except for the asional patrolling guards no one else was around. This was not because that they did not house dangerous criminals but because Xander was all the security that the prison ever needed. No one coulde here without alerting him and it was next to impossible to escape without getting his attention. Tang Yue as well knew about this and this was precisely why she was currently here. If and when Xander notices her presence, he would probably guess what she was doing. But Tang Yue knew that he wouldn¡¯t interfere. Why should he the ruler of Eldoria care about an insignificant young dwarven girl? In fact, Xander might have even released the young girl if he had remotely remembered her. So Tang Yue hatched a n to properly make use of this scenario. Even though her main objective was to recuse Yana and help her escape, but in doing so, she also nned to use this chance to leave Eldoria and head towards the oceans. This way, she wouldn¡¯t raise any unnecessary red gs with Xander or Charlotte before she sessfully manages to leave the Nine Countries. This was the best n that she coulde up with at least for now to stay under the radar and camouge her own escape. So after making sure that no one else was around, Tang Yue quickly slithered into the small cramped cell. The dwarven girl looked dull and lifeless but she noticed the snake near her as soon as Tang Yue revealed herself. Arghhhh! The girl yelled in shock. But Tang Yue was quick to morph into her human figure and close her mouth. ¡°Shh. I am here to get you out of here.¡± She whispered in her ears and gave the young girl a health potion to recover her vigor. Yana blinked, having no idea of what was happening here. However, she was a simple girl and she didn¡¯t think twice before epting Tang Yue¡¯s help. She just wanted to be out of this prison. She quickly followed Tang Yue¡¯s instructions and got up after drinking the health potion. Tang Yue then cast an invisibility spell on herself and gave Yana an invisibility rune before gently lifting and moving the prison door. In front of her strength, that door didn¡¯t stand a chance and came apart in a second. Tang Yue then dragged the dwarven girl and began hurrying out of the prison cer. Yana was not a seasoned criminal so her cell was just on the first floor and they didn¡¯t have to spend a lot of time rushing out. But before Tang Yue could step out of the main courtroom door and head back, the old nasal voice suddenly chimed in her brain. ¡°Little snake, wait. If I am correct, then something very valuable is there underground.¡± Chapter 341: Responsibilities Part5 Chapter 341: Responsibilities Part5 ¡°Little snake, wait. If I am correct, then something very valuable is there underground.¡± ¡°Huh? What are you talking about old man? This is not the time for it.¡± Tang Yue hurriedly retorted back. ¡°We cane back stronger and loot this ce all we want.¡± ¡°No little snake. Now. You shouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Are you sure? We don¡¯t have much time.¡± ¡°It¡¯s too good. Get down and you will understand.¡± The old man was quite persistent. Tang Yue furrowed her brows but she didn¡¯t continue to argue with him. She decided to first head downstairs and check out what was there. But if what the old man assumed was correct, then this time she wasn¡¯t too sure that Xander would still keep quiet with her messing around in the dungeons. Either way, Tang Yue told Yana to stay put at the entrance and slithered back downstairs. As she headed deeper and deeper underground, the air felt heavy and the entire ce was extremely dark, devoid of any light or hope. The cell rooms were made of pitch-ck stones and bricks and they had additional security guards. ¡°This is going to be difficult.¡± Tang Yue frowned. ¡°Go to thest cell, little snake.¡± The old man¡¯s voice reached a feverish pitch and he was visibly excited about this. ¡°Ok. Ok. I am going.¡± Tang Yue carefully slithered towards the cell at the end of the corridor on the bottom-mostyer of the underground dungeons. Before she could even observe what was in front of her, a pair of eyes shed open from within inside, looking directly at her. Tang Yue was currently invisible but still, the unrecognizable creature, which sort of looked like a bird but clearly was not a bird, looked right at her. It saw through her disguisepletely. ¡°Old man, what is this?¡± Tang Yue shuddered as she silently morphed into her human form and observed closely the creature in front of her. ¡°Not what little snake. Who¡­ This here is a harpy, a spirit beast like yourself but an extremely rare one.¡± Tang Yue gulped. This was someone like her? ¡°Harpies are nature¡¯s fortune-tellers. Fate magic was derived from them, learned from them.¡± ¡°You wanted to know more about that bloodbath, more about anything? She is your answer.¡± ¡°Your lovers are truly exceptional treasure troves, little snake.¡± ¡°One is ready to die for you while the other is decked out of gold from top to bottom.¡± The old man chuckled in amusement, but Tang Yue¡¯s thoughts were different. She gazed at the creature inside the cell who was neither alive nor dead. The poor thing was forced to remain barely alive, without even letting it die in peace. ¡°Simr to me huh?¡± Tang Yue lightly chuckled. Was this the fate that awaited her if Xander ever came to know her truth and her secrets? Would she be chained and experimented on just like this? Held as a prisoner until the end of her life? Tang Yue clenched her fists without realizing that her knuckles had turned pale. ¡°Why is she being kept like this?¡± She asked. ¡°Oh, that? It must probably because of all the rumors swirling around about Harpies.¡± ¡°Some people believe that the creature has the power to predict the future and some believe that the creature is so powerful that it can bend the will of the heavens itself, capable of making whateveres out of its mouth true.¡± ¡°This is why it has probably been imprisoned like this, stopped from ever speaking or thinking about anything.¡± ¡°It does look vicious but it is not done without reason. I would have probably done the same thing.¡± The old man continued rambling on. He was very clearly a fan of the way Xander dealt with things. Tang Yue, however, was not on the same page. She could see herself in that same position. If she had ever been careless if she had even shown the smallest of weakness, would she have ended with the same fate? She couldn¡¯t think past this image. She silently paused a while before asking. ¡°Old man, can I form a contract with this one? The same beast contract as Little Blue.¡± ¡°He He He. Yes, little snake. Finally, you have begun to think like me.¡± ¡°If you form a contract, then you can exploit the harpy to the fullest extent.¡± Tang Yue rolled her eyes. She just wanted to free the creature from the predicament it was in. But at the same time, she didn¡¯t want to put herself in more danger. So she gazed at the creature and once again asked the old man. ¡°Under the Master-ve contract, it absolutely has to obey my orders right?¡± ¡°Yes, little snake. She might not take a liking to you like your wolves because you contracted both the wolf and the elemental while it was still young.¡± ¡°But she definitely cannot plot anything that will harm you or even hinder you.¡± ¡°Her soul will dissipate and she will die before doing so. Those are the binding terms of the contract.¡± ¡°Little snake, you know this means fighting against your man right?¡± Tang Yue nodded. She already knew that. Taking Yana out of the prison was one thing but taking this creature out of the prison was a whole another thing. Perhaps if she had asked nicely, he might have even agreed to it, but she didn¡¯t want to do so. She wanted to pick a fight with him. Even though it was not she who was imprisoned currently, she felt betrayed. ¡°Can I use the lucky sticker if ites to it?¡± Tang Yue hissed. ¡°Sure. You know the price. You would lose some of your soul strength.¡± ¡°I would rather have you face the training grounds in your best possible condition but this harpy is well worth the risk.¡± Tang Yue pondered for a few more seconds before nodding and making her decision. She slithered into the dark and cramped cell and hurriedly scribbled a few runes on the floor. The harpy¡¯s eyes followed her every move as her eyeball was the only body part that she could move freely at the moment. She watched Tang Yue with an unfathomable glint hidden under the veil of the darkness. Tang Yue, of course, sensed the creature¡¯s gaze on her but she continued, hairs steady and fast. Only after finishing the runes, she gazed back at the battered figure and spoke to her face to face. ¡°You will be mine but you will be free.¡± She did not ask her permission. She did not ask her willingness. She also did not wait for a response and right in front of the harpy, punctured the tip of her index finger. A glistening drop of thick blood seeped out of it and dropped onto the center of the rune formation, making it thrum alive instantly. Tang Yue felt a small tug in the depth of her body and the contract was signed. ¡°It¡¯s done. Now let¡¯s get the hell out of here.¡± She raised her hand, materializing several tongues of me, and burnt down all the restrictions binding the harpy. She then physically removed the huge metallic shafts running into the woman in several ces, freeing her finally from all the agonizing mind-numbing pain. Without anything to support her, the harpy immediately fell down with a thud, her body limp and drained. Tang Yue clicked her tongue and impatiently offered her a health potion to recover at least some of her strength, enough to move out of here. ¡°Drink this.¡± She helped the woman dunk the liquid into her throat and then unceremoniously tossed her on her shoulders. ¡°I am sorry. We don¡¯t have time.¡± Tang Yue then used an invisibility rune because her ¡®Hide¡¯ illusion spell couldn¡¯t yet be cast on others and quickly hurried out of the dungeons. She ran without pausing using the full strength of her cultivation base, crossing the entire twentyyers of the dungeon in a single breath. She then dragged along Yana who was still patiently waiting for her, holding her breath, and exited the dungeons altogether. But they were notpletely out of danger yet. They were still standing within the confines of the Eldorian royal pce and within Xander¡¯s grasp. Tang Yue paused for a second and then hurriedly threw Yana over her other shoulder as well. She then inhaled deeply and dashed out of the royal pce with the two prisoners, one on each of her shoulders. She was probably the first and thest person to have aplished something like this right under the noses of the elven royals. Tang Yue shot forward like an arrow and stealthily maneuvered in the night. She did not want to raise anyone¡¯s suspicions. She dashed out of the royal pce using a convoluted route and then headed right into the forests. However, she failed to notice a shadow following her at a distance hidden under the cover of the darkness¡­ Chapter 342: Responsibilities Part6 Chapter 342: Responsibilities Part6 After Tang Yue was well outside the main elven territory, she put the young dwarven girl down and gazed at her warmly. ¡°If you walk towards that direction, you will reach a small vige in 5 minutes.¡± ¡°You can then hire a carriage and get back to your father.¡± Yana stared at Tang Yue fearfully. She had no idea who this was and why she was doing so much for her. But she was too tired to think about anything. The simple girl broke into tears and started sobbing. Tang Yue sighed and hugged the girl tofort her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s alright now. No one will chase after you.¡± ¡°Just go and be with your father. Be sure to tell him everything that happened.¡± Tang Yue paused and then added. ¡°Also tell him that I am very grateful to him.¡± She handed Yana a spatial pouch filled with gold coins and elixirs and quickly sent the girl on her way. ¡°With this, you should at least be able to live afortable life¡­¡± Tang Yue hissed and watched the young girl leave. She then did not dawdle around and quickly turned on her heels and once again started running. A whileter she came across Little Plum and Little Blue who were readily waiting for her and taking the two wolves with her, she stepped out of the Elven territory altogether and into her own Kingdom, thend of snakes. The serpentine kingdom was located between the elves and the ocean, so she had no choice but to cross through here. Otherwise, the terrain would be too hilly and ufortable to cover, especially with the dead-weight harpy still on her shoulders. Also, even if the devil was tailing her in some way or the other, this might make it look like she was just visiting the Serpentine Kingdom, thereby adding a bit of protection to her escape n. Tang Yue did not lose speed and continued running through the murky swamps and marshes that littered the serpentine territories. Little Plum had long since switched to its elemental state and flew right next to Tang Yue, but Little Blue was finding it slightly difficult to keep up. ¡°We are almost there.¡± Tang Yue assured the little wolf and continued running. The cute wolf howled energetically as if it was saying that this was nothing to him. Tang Yue chuckled and continued running. She had actually exined to both of them that where they were heading to was a ce filled with danger and that they might not make it back alive. But both Little Blue and Little Plum had adamantly clung to her, insisting that they as well leave with her. Tang Yue smiled at the two idiots for being stupidly loyal to her. Then again, she loved them for both for exactly being so. The group quickly moved through the night, covering a lot of distance withfortable ease. Tang Yue also felt relieved that Xander hadn¡¯t shown up until now. She didn¡¯t think that the man would let the harpy go so easily, but maybe he trusted her that much? She gulped the guilty knot forming in her throat but kept running without stopping. She knew that she couldn¡¯t rx until she reached the ocean and actually stepped into the training grounds. She had a feeling that he might pop up suddenly in front of her out of nowhere. And she was not wrong¡­ The shadowy figure behind her was still diligently following her. He, however, had no intention of showing up in front of Tang Yue just yet. But certain others did and Tang Yue stopped when she saw a group of familiar faces standing in front of her. ¡°Greetings father.¡± Tang Yue hissed, a visible sneer on her face. She had expected a run-in with her family sooner orter considering that not many high-level experts, Saint realm, and higher cross through the serpentinends. So she knew that these old bags woulde and visit her sooner orter. Along with Tang Yue¡¯s father, Tang Shen, the Serpentine Emperor, Tang Zen, and a group of high-ranking Generals also stood in front of her, blocking her way. ¡°What are you doing out of bed? Shouldn¡¯t you be sleeping with your mistresses at this time?¡± Hearing Tang Yue¡¯s mocking words, Tang Shen immediately flew into a rage. ¡°Arrogant brat! You better watch your words. Greet your Emperor first.¡± ¡°Or else?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s sneer widened. It looked as if she was determined to insult them. ¡°You are forcing my hand here. Don¡¯t make me break your legs and make you a cripple again.¡± Tang Yue giggled at the man¡¯s stern and hateful words. ¡°How pitiful! Are you already tired of sending your filthy wife and your stupid daughters to fight with me?¡± Tang Shen instantly shuddered in rage and anger. He hade to know recently what happened to Tang Xi and he was filled with shame from that incident, so much so that he had already disowned Tang Xi as his daughter formally. ¡°Oh by the way, I just killed her a while ago.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s long forked tongue flickered in and out as she casually licked her fangs. ¡°YOU! What did you say? What the hell did you say?¡± Tang Shen drew out his sword in a fit of anger. ¡°You killed her? How dare you behave like this? See what I am going to do to you.¡± ¡°I am ready whenever you are¡­ my dearest father.¡± Tang Yue chuckled lightly. She raised her right hand, instantly materializing several tongues of me. She then flicked her hand lightly, a huge me serpent roaring from within it, and headed directly for the man. Tang Shen¡¯s eyes flew wide. He did not expect the useless cripple to have changed so much. He had, of course, heard about the various things from his wife, but he had never fully epted the reality. But the truth was staring at his face right now and he had nowhere to run and hide. The me serpent roared as if it was about to devour him. His own strength visibly paled in front of Tang Yue¡¯s elemental prowess. In reality, his physical tempering was not even strong enough to withstand this attack and he could not bear this much heat, so he was forced to take a step back trembling lightly. But Tang Shen cunningly sent a chilling freeze spell to attack Tang Yue¡¯s heart, one of the weak points of her physical body. This spell had a trick to it that made it circumvent the body¡¯s external physical barriers and target the inner organs. It was also a very difficult to detect spell, making it extremely hard to block. Tang Yue, however, simply smirked. She had already caught his small sinister action but she did not make any move. She stood still allowing the freeze to enter her body. Tang Shen grinned wickedly seeing that his attack went through. It was inevitable that the woman¡¯s actions would now be slow and sluggish giving him enough time to teach her a lesson. But just as he approached her with ill intentions and shed his sword at her, Tang Yue took out her own and blocked the attack, sending him flying back several feet. ¡°How vicious! You are attacking your own daughter now?¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha. And thanks for the special treatment. I was indeed feeling a bit hot and stuffy.¡± Tang Shen couldn¡¯t believe his eyes. He was now not even able to touch the weak cripple who was once curled up in a corner of his pce like a disgusting fungal growth. ¡°If you want toe at me father¡­ You need to work a lot harder.¡± ¡°Shut up. You are just a slut who seduced a powerful man. Don¡¯t you have any shame? How dare you behave so brazenly?¡± Tang Shen roared. Tang Yue cocked her head to the side and hissed at the man unceremoniously fallen on the ground. ¡°You calling me a slut? I think your memory is failing you. That would be your second daughter, Tang Xi.¡± ¡°Oops, I meantte second daughter.¡± ¡°By the way, you seem to have a lot of guts to attack the future Empress of Eldoria?¡± Tang Yue extended her right hand, showing off the ring on her finger. Tang Shen gulped and stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. And the other Generals as well as Tang Zen himself, who were simply standing on the side and watching the show up until now, had very simr reactions. They had heard several rumors these past few weeks and did not know what to make out of any of them, but now that Tang Yue herself was saying these things¡­ they couldn¡¯t help but think about this possibility. That would also surely exin why she was so arrogantly disying her strength in front of them right now. Tang Zen saw themotion and finally decided to step in. ¡°ENOUGH.¡± The Emperor bellowed. ¡°Stop beating around the bush, Consort Yue. What are you doing here at this time of the night?¡± Chapter 343: Responsibilities Part7 Chapter 343: Responsibilities Part7 Tang Zen saw themotion and finally decided to step in. ¡°ENOUGH.¡± He bellowed. ¡°Stop beating around the bush, Consort Yue. What are you doing here at this time of the night?¡± Tang Yue hissed as her gaze mockingly lingered on the Serpentine Emperor. Though he didn¡¯t openly curse at her like her dear father, the man¡¯s words made it exceedingly clear that the respect he was giving was for her current position and not herself per se. ¡°I am just passing through. As for what I am doing, that¡¯s none of your business.¡± ¡°Damned brat. Don¡¯t you even know how to respect your elders? Didn¡¯t the Emperor ask you things properly?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s father howled, unable to digest the pies Tang Yue was serving him tonight. ¡°Enough. Tang Shen. I am talking, aren¡¯t I?¡± The Emperor hissed. ¡°Consort Yue, I will ask this again. Does his highness, the Crown Prince know that you are here?¡± He quickly came to the main point. He didn¡¯t want to argue with an unreasonable person who was determined to kick up trouble. Tang Yue grinned. ¡°So what if he does and what if he doesn¡¯t? Who are you to stop me and ask these questions?¡± ¡°Heh. Do you even have the capability to verify my answers? What is the point of this time waste?¡± ¡°Unlike you fools, I have things to do. So I will be leaving now.¡± Tang Yue chuckled mockingly and prepared to leave. Tang Zen frowned, his eyes locked onto the harpy on Tang Yue¡¯s shoulders. This was the main reason why he was dealing with this annoying conversation. He had never seen the creature on Tang Yue¡¯s back and he was worried if the damned girl was getting into some sort of trouble. Not that he cared about Tang Yue, he simply didn¡¯t want her to drag the entire Serpentine kingdom along with her. ¡°Tang Yue. You better be sure about your actions. Actions have consequences and don¡¯t let yours affect our entire n.¡± ¡°Heh. So what if it does?¡± Tang Yue snickered. ¡°Why don¡¯t you send over a few more of my sisters and have them prostitute themselves to the elves?¡± ¡°I bet that they would definitely smoothen the situation. Ha Ha.¡± ¡°After all, my sisters probably are extremely talented. Like mother like daughter right?¡± Tang Zen sighed, without responding to her obvious taunts, but Tang Yue¡¯s father raged uncontrobly. ¡°Why are you trying to reason with her brother? I should have known this before!¡± ¡°This little slut is just like her mother. A disgusting and unfaithful traitor.¡± Tang Shen sneered, knowing exactly which buttons to push. Tang Yue who was about to leave, immediately paused. ¡°What did you just say? My mother is a traitor? You filthy excuse for a man. You have no right to even talk about her.¡± ¡°She sacrificed everything for this godforsaken Kingdom and you don¡¯t even have the slightest idea about it. Ptui.¡± ¡°Heh. I guess I shouldn¡¯t really be surprised. After all, that is your intelligence level.¡± Tang Yue then looked at the Emperor and calmly spoke, word for word. ¡°You want to know the truth?¡± ¡°I am leaving with a prisoner who I personally released from the elven prison.¡± ¡°Your Crown Prince doesn¡¯t even know about it. If hees to know, he will be extremely angry.¡± ¡°He might even wipe out the entire Serpentine Kingdom.¡± ¡°And you know what? I sincerely hope that he does so.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Tang Yue chuckled, her voice extremely ruthless and icy. Her emerald eyes gleamed under the moonlight, not even a shred of warmth within those cold deep orbs. She hissed as her long forked tongue flickered in and out, and then turned around to leave, once again continuing her journey without missing a single beat. ¡°Your highness! Should we stop her? Should we attack her and try to dy?¡± ¡°She might be at the Saint realm, but so are we. And we have the advantage in numbers.¡± ¡°We can definitely do it.¡± The Generals standing near Tang Zen and Tang Shen immediately started to make a move. But before they could take another step, the Emperor raised his hand. ¡°Leave it be. This is not our fight. Let¡¯s not get involved.¡± ¡°Why brother? Maybe we will get a reward if we capture that bitch and send her back to the elves.¡± ¡°Shut up. And keep quiet. Haven¡¯t you already done enough?¡± ¡°Thanks to you and your daughter, our entire royal family is humiliated.¡± ¡°Did you think that I am foolish enough to not know everything that goes on here?¡± ¡°First go and control your wife and daughters. Then you cane and lecture me about how to handle my affairs.¡± He coldly harrumphed and left. The royal Generals as well followed him without saying another word. They all knew that Tang Zen was a very astute and capable leader and they obeyed him without question. So they silently followed behind him, leaving Tang Shen alone to stare at the disappearing figure of Tang Yue. ¡°Damn it. Damn it. DAMN IT!!!¡± The man howled, venting out all his pent-up rage. He could now onlyment his stupidity. He didn¡¯t have the sense to take care of this weed when he had a chance and now it was toote. ¡°Damn it.¡± Tang Shen cursed and angrily returned back to the serpentine pce as well. After he left, Xander who was still trying his best to hold back hisughter, chuckled in amusement and continued following Tang Yue. ¡°This girl! She acts like a good girl but her tongue is very vicious.¡± He grinned quietly. ¡°But where are you heading to, my dear?¡± Xander sighed and observed Tang Yue from a distance. When she first rescued the dwarven girl, he didn¡¯t care, but when Tang Yue had set free the harpy, how could he still not care? More than anything, he was curious as to what Tang Yue wanted to do with the harpy! He already knew that Tang Yue was capable of absorbing other beasts¡¯ strengths and affinities. So he decided to follow her and see if Tang Yue was going to eat the creature and then gain its skill. ¡°Did she really think that I wouldn¡¯t notice?¡± Xander chuckled in amusement. In fact, if she had asked him, he would have readily agreed, without even asking for an exnation. But it seemed that the girl was determined to keep this a secret from him? ¡°Why does she still not trust me???¡± Xander twisted his mouth in displeasure. However, he couldn¡¯t understand one important thing. Why was sheing out this far? He thought that Tang Yue would probably stop in the middle of the wilderness and devour the harpy. So why was she heading out this far? Were these all additional steps to evade his eyes? Xander tossed his hair back and chuckled. But as time ticked by¡­ The amusement on his face reduced bit by bit. Tang Yue had not only crossed the elven borders but she had also crossed the Serpentine borders. In fact, she was currently nearing the shores of the vast ocean. Xander suddenly stopped, as a small thought popped in his brain. ¡°Is she perhaps¡­?¡± The man¡¯s entire figure shuddered and he fully came to a halt. His demeanor turned serious and his crimson eyes narrowed. ¡°Tang Yue,¡± Xander shouted, making the woman who was running in front of him freeze in her tracks. ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.¡± Tang Yue cursed and turned around. She had almost reached her target destination, only to be stopped by this fellow at the veryst minute. Did he have to be so dramatic??? ¡°Old man, why are you so useless? Can¡¯t you at least warn me beforehand?¡± Tang Yue cursed inwardly. ¡°He was just silently following, so I let it be.¡± He answered as a matter of fact. Tang Yue could only sigh in annoyance at his carefree attitude. ¡°Fine. Fine. I will deal with this myself.¡± Tang Yue hissed in anger. Among other things, she was currently extremely pissed off at Xander. This was also why she hadshed out at her heartless family, against her better judgment and usual policy of ignoring and not engaging idiots. Every time she thought back to how the harpy had been imprisoned and shackled, she felt her body burn. The weak indeed did not have a say in their fate but to torture someone to that extent? ¡°What do you want?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s voice thundered. She dropped the harpy on her shoulder down on the ground. The creature awoke from the sudden disturbance and stirred from its stupor. It had somewhat recovered and was now able to breathe freely. Tang Yue however, did not pay any attention to that. Her eyes were on the man in front of her. ¡°You already know what I want.¡± Xander¡¯s thin lips parted and the man mumbled solemnly, wondering why his firecracker snake was so angry with him. He racked his brain but he couldn¡¯te up with an answer. He really hadn¡¯t done anything to warrant this sort of treatment. Even now, he wouldn¡¯t have intervened if Tang Yue hadn¡¯t headed for the ocean. Were women always this troublesome or did he just have the worst luck??!! Xander was dumbfounded. Chapter 344: Responsibilities Part8 Chapter 344: Responsibilities Part8 Tang Yue looked at the man standing in front of her. He had his typical cold arrogant grin on his face. His long white hair fluttered in the wind and his crimson eyes lingered on her as if they were waiting to devour her. The man was nothing if not charismatic. There was not a single crack in the wless face and his addictive allure. However, unlike their previous encounters, this time Tang Yue found his demeanor neither charming nor intimidating. Her ruthless emerald gaze matched his cold crimson gaze as she hissed in anger. ¡°No, I am asking you. What the hell do you want from me?¡± ¡°Surely, you don¡¯tck beautiful women who are ready to spread their legs and bend over to your every whim and desire.¡± ¡°So why the hell are you chasing after me?¡± Xander chuckled lightly. He was not in the least affected by her toxic words. ¡°Perhaps it is the hunt that I like.¡± He shrugged his shoulder. The harpy resting on the ground had no idea what was going on, but even she knew that this was the wrong answer. Tang Yue red back at Xander. Every wording out of the damned man was infuriating her to no end. ¡°You are out of luck then. Everything ends here.¡± Tang Yue hissed. ¡°Heh. I don¡¯t think so.¡± Xander shook his head. ¡°Nothing is ending here or have you already forgotten about the bargain chips in my hand.¡± The man was clearly threatening her, but Tang Yue chuckled coldly, her long forked tongue flickering in and out. ¡°Perhaps it is you who does not understand. Do you really think you have bargaining chips?¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you think again?¡± ¡°If you wanted to harm Charlotte you would have done so already.¡± ¡°But you will never do that, out of respect for her father, your most trustworthy General.¡± ¡°Oh and as for that dwarf. Heh. I would like you to try and harm him.¡± ¡°Maybe then the Deity from the Dwarven Empire would wipe out the entire bunch of you filthy degenerate elves.¡± ¡°You see¡­ You have nothing on me. I owe nothing to you.¡± Tang Yue shouted. Her entire figure was trembling and there was not an ounce of kindness visible within her. She was shaking with a fit of uncontroble anger. She knew that the man in front of her probably didn¡¯t deserve such treatment from her and that¡¯s what made her angry. If such a good man could be so heartless towards the harpy who is only rumored to be dangerous, then what about her¡­ Wouldn¡¯t he simply forget all these sweet and sugary words and directly chain and imprison her for the rest of her life? She had already lost too much because of her so-called special bloodline. Xander furrowed his brows, his confident grin slowly turning into a frown. He seriously had no idea what the hell was going on, but he had a bad feeling about this. ¡°What happened?¡± He asked, his voice containing a tinge of hesitation, which Tang Yue was too agitated to care about. ¡°I am leaving and you can do nothing to stop me.¡± ¡°What you did to her¡­ You will never have the chance to do to me.¡± Tang Yue shouted at him making him widen his eyes in surprise. But the next instant, Xander sighed, rxingpletely. He finally knew the reason why his snake was out of control. ¡°Stop joking, my dear.¡± ¡°I admit. I do want to tie you up and chain you to my bed, but I would never do something like that to you.¡± Xander paused, allowing his words to wash over Tang Yue first. ¡°By the way, that thing next to you. You should be very wary of it.¡± ¡°Now, let¡¯s go back. Come with me.¡± Xander lifted his hand and gently reached it out to Tang Yue. She, however, simply gazed at the gesture mockingly. ¡°Heh. I am sorry, but I have no intentions of going back with you today.¡± ¡°In fact, if you don¡¯t leave right now, I assure you that you will regret it.¡± Tang Yue tapped her fingers lightly, making the harpy, who was still sitting on the ground and listening to everything quietly, look up at her. Tang Yue did not have to spell out the words. The harpy understood what was expected of her. She was not a small cub like Little Blue. She was someone who was even older than Xander and Tang Yue put together. So she nodded and slowly stood up. She hadn¡¯t fully recovered yet, but she seemed to have enough strength to stand her ground. Under the dim glow of the ominous moonlight, her shadow fell on the ground for the first time in a long time. The harpy had a tall frame and a lean body. Her face was no different than that of another higher being like an elf or a dwarf, with a human structure. But her hands and legs were ws rather than fingers. The entirety of her back, her hands, and her thighs were covered in long green feathers, but her original wings had already been cleanly clipped off. Her ws had also been damaged as if someone had tortured her by chopping her fingers into half right down the middle. ¡°Go ahead. Pay him back for everything he did to you.¡± Tang Yue muttered coldly. The harpy nodded and was about to raise her hand when suddenly dark tentacles made of thick dark elemental aura protruded from thin air and bound the womanpletely from head to toe. ¡°My dear¡­ Do you really think that you can scare me with these small threats?¡± Xander chuckled. Tang Yue clenched her fists, her chest still heaving in anger. But the man continued tough at her arrogantly, making light of her resentment. Tang Yue stepped forward, summoning out her soul sword, but Xander as well moved, almost at the same time, grabbing her from behind and locking both her hands, her sword falling down on the ground. ¡°Listen to me, you idiot. I had to do that because the thing next to you is a vicious creature.¡± ¡°How are you both even alike in any aspect?¡± ¡°Why did you doubt in the slightest that I would treat you in the same way?¡± ¡°Is that what you think of me?¡± ¡°If you want to unleash that thing on me, go ahead and do it.¡± ¡°Heh. Did you think I was afraid of this ugly bird??¡± ¡°If you are not there with me¡­ If you leave me¡­ my future is already bleak.¡± ¡°Why would I then be scared of whatever this damned thing predicts?¡± ¡°It can spew out all the curses under the heavens for all I care.¡± ¡°If you are not there with me, then none of it matters. Do you understand?¡± Xander shook her trembling body and let the snake go. He then lifted the sword from the ground, handing it to Tang Yue. ¡°This is a fine sword.¡± Tang Yue, on the other hand, stood frozen staring back at him. The man¡¯s words had startled her briefly, calming her down. Xander smiled gently and pinched her cheeks, his face revealing a warmth and softness that he had never shown to others. ¡°My dear, I already know everything about you. If I was going to chain you, I would have done so a long time ago.¡± He smiled and whispered, the words barely brushing her ears. Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. ¡°You¡­ What did you just say?¡± she asked him again, her eyes filled with utter shock and disbelief. Xander leaned forward and nted a gentle kiss on her right cheek. He then kissed her left cheek and her nose and then her forehead. The man stopped, his crimson eyes gazed at her and his lopsided grin made aeback. ¡°I know your dirty little secret.¡± Tang Yue did not have the mood to beat around the bushes right now and confronted him directly. ¡°What do you know? You are just bluffing. You know nothing.¡± She retorted begrudgingly. ¡°Oh am I?¡± Xander chuckled and paused. ¡°Yes. Yes. You are definitely lying, you bastard. Stop. Just stop it. Stop messing with me and jerking me around.¡± Tang Yue shouted in exasperation. Her long ck locks danced in the air and her bloodshot eyes angrily daggered the man in front of her. She refused to believe that this man had somehow figured out her deepest and darkest secret, that her very life depended on. Though he saw that she was very much affected and agitated by this entire thing, Xander only shook his head helplessly, revealing a gentle smile. ¡°Calm down.¡± He said. He then fished out a small rune crystal from within his robe and crushed it, his tall figure instantly morphing into something smaller and more adorable. ¡°Do you believe me now, big sister?¡± A cute and innocent voice sounded, as Tang Yue¡¯s face paled and her heart sank. Chapter 345: Medussas Grave Part1 Chapter 345: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part1 Xander saw that Tang Yue¡¯s face had changed and not in a good way and he quickly undid the disguise, returning back to his tall and muscr figure. The man sure had thick skin but even he knew that he was on thin ice now. He saw the myriad emotions on Tang Yue¡¯s face and he couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious. He knew that he had crossed several lines. Tang Yue, on the other hand, silently stood frozen, not moving a single muscle. She had been extremely careful. She had taken several precautions, but in the end, she still ended up incapable of even protecting this one thing, one secret. She felt utterly useless and idiotic. She couldn¡¯t even face the man¡¯s gaze. He had made aplete fool out of her. While she was struggling so hard to stand on her own, to rely on her strength, apparently she had all along been in his grasp and at his mercy. Tang Yue bent her head down and asked, her words clear and crisp.¡±Why did you do this?¡± Her knees gave out, as she fell down with a thud on the ground, kneeling and holding her head in her hands. Tears streamed out of her eyes as she cried in exasperation. ¡°Why did you do this? Why did you do this?¡± She repeated, tired and exhausted. ¡°Why do you always have to y these games with me? Why are you torturing me like this?¡± Xander¡¯s face changed. He didn¡¯t like seeing the woman he loved in so much pain. He had done several things to amuse himself, but in the end, he still cared about this woman in front of him and it pained him to see her hurt like this. He crumbled right next to her and pulled her closer gently, drowning her muffled sobs in his chest. ¡°Please don¡¯t be mad. Please don¡¯t cry. I am sorry. I am sorry.¡± ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done these things. I am sorry. I love you.¡± ¡°I just wanted to help you from the side.¡± ¡°I love you, my dear. I will never ever do anything to hurt you. Please trust me.¡± Xander felt the woman in his arms move, so he quickly released her. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked, his crimson eyes unusually gentle and warm without a drop of coldness within them. Tang Yue nodded. She had just broken downpletely and cried like a little girl but somehow it helped her relieve some of the pain in her heart. She looked up to gaze at the man who had been there for her time and again without fail. A sad smile lingered on his lips and for the first time, she missed his usual arrogant lopsided grin, that made him looking devilishly charming. ¡°You¡­ You know everything¡­ Then how are you not threatened by me? Why are you still helping me? Supporting me?¡± Tang Yue raised her hand gently and stroked the man¡¯s clean-shaven cheek. This was the first time she had touched him all on her own ord. Xander touched her hand, holding it in ce, memorizing the feeling of her palm on his cheek. ¡°I love you.¡± He said, his eyes gazing into hers. They then followed the small knot in her throat that moved up and down as Tang Yue drank in the man¡¯s words. She had by now lost count of the number of times the man had proposed to her. His actions, his methods, and everything else about him might have been disingenuous but these few words¡­ she knew that he meant it every time he had told her so. Tang Yue sighed and then chuckled helplessly. She leaned forward and hugged the man in front of her tightly. She felt the same warmth in his embrace, the warmth that his words carried. Xander gulped nervously and smiled, his heart thudding like a stampede of beasts. He had been rejected so many times that he was afraid to believe what was happening right now. He hugged her back fearfully and nervously. Tang Yue felt the man¡¯s trembling hands and lifted her head up to look at him. His eyes looked extremely lonely. She suddenly felt the urge to kiss them and make them feel better. But she then nced at the man¡¯s nervous parted lips and kissed them instead. Xander gasped, slightly taken aback. This was the first time she had kissed him all on her own. He was afraid to do anything to break the moment. He gently returned her kiss sucking her full lips softly. Tang Yue noticed the difference in his behavior and muffled augh. This viin turned over a new leaf? She grinned and bit his lips yfully. She took the step and kissed him more forcefully and greedily, assuring him that this was no ident. Xander stopped, the woman¡¯s every action surprising him. He wanted to know if this was true. He rubbed her lips with his finger and looked at her, waiting for her words, with a silly smile on his face. Tang Yue chuckled. ¡°You said earlier that you could taste the lies in my kiss.¡± ¡°What about now?¡± She asked and then paused a while, before confessing. ¡°I love you too.¡± Xander stared at her dumbfoundedly. The silly grin on his face widened more and more. A part of him thought that the woman in front of him would probably never feel this way about him. And now he felt like he could breathe again. The mountain that had been crushing his very soul suddenly disappeared and the man threw his head back andughed as if he had won a war. He was beyond ecstatic. He pulled the woman kneeling in front of him, crashing her into his chest, and fell backward on the ground, holding her closely on top of him. He hugged her tightly, afraid to let go, and gazed at the sky, allowing the unbridled happiness and infinite relief to wash over him. Chapter 346: Medussas Grave Part2 Chapter 346: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part2 ¡°Your highness, are you looking to crush me?¡± Tan Yue teased the man, who seemed to be intent on smothering her. Xander¡¯s eyes widened and he immediately released his hold on her, but only to realize something else soon afterward. With a big grin on his face, he pushed her onto the ground, switching ces with her in an instant, his strong and rugged body hovering on top of her. ¡°What did you just call me?¡± He sternly interrogated her, his crimson eyes looking to devour the woman. ¡°How else am I supposed to address the Crown Prince?¡± Tang Yue smirked, teasing the man¡¯s patience. He had teased her for so long, always messing with her and ying with her from the shadows. So it was only reasonable that she do the same to him! ¡°TANG YUE!¡± Xander growled, daring the woman to y with him again. Tang Yue giggled, raising her hand to caress the man¡¯s cheek again. ¡°How else do you want me to call you?¡± ¡°Should I address you by your name, Xander?¡± She then gazed at his ferocious bloodthirsty eyes and added. ¡°Or should I simply call you a beast? Perhaps as demon lord?¡± Xander grinned and leaned in closer to nibble the snake¡¯s lips. The woman was driving him crazy with her scrumptious body slithering beneath him. He nibbled her lips and moved forward to lick her ears, as he whispered. ¡°Without wasting any further time, why don¡¯t we get down to it¡­¡± ¡°Get down to what¡­?¡± Tang Yue giggled finding his actions tickling her ears. ¡°Why don¡¯t we find out which name rolls right off your tongue, smooth and easy?¡± Tang Yue gasped lightly as she felt the man¡¯s hold on her tighten. He kissed her again, this time more passionately and forcefully than he had ever done so before. He sucked on her lips. He yed with her tongue. His kisses then traveled down to her neck. Tang Yue squirmed and moaned under him, her body inviting the man¡¯s touches, greedily asking for more and more. Xander kissed her neck, her cor bone, her shoulder, her arms when he finally couldn¡¯t control himself anymore. He stopped and looked into her eyes, tucking the several strands of hair sprawled across her mesmerizing face, gently behind her ears. The woman looked absolutely stunning, with a face that could topple nations. Her lips glistened with the memory of his kiss, enticing him further. ¡°Shall I?¡± He asked, his voice hoarse and deep. Tang Yue nodded, gulping down nervously. The man¡¯s crimson eyes awaited to devour her and she couldn¡¯t resist him. Her body wanted it. It tingled desperately for his touch. The man was right on top of her, his warmth just an inch away from her and it made her tremble in anticipation. Xander grinned, enjoying the effect he had on her. He wanted her to love him, not feel grateful or obligated to him. He wanted her to adore him with all of her heart, with a fire that was as bright as the desire in his heart. As his gaze still lingered on her, his eyes meeting hers, Xander¡¯s hands moved, ripping the silver robe on her body to shreds. The man¡¯s eyes then traveled down, his greedy crimson orbs drinking in the view in front of him. As he watched her ample breasts lightly move up and down in nervousness, the man grinned. He kissed them softly, and sucked on them, making Tang Yue moan and twirl. His hand traveled down her slender waist and greedily grabbed her, as he kissed her chest and then her navel. He licked her and kissed her and bit her, alternating his actions, while his hands greedily plundered every inch of her naked body. The woman¡¯s seductive curves were driving him crazy as his need and urge increased more and more. He stopped tasting her like a delicacy and pulled her brashly under him, his manhood throbbing at her doorstep. The woman was clearly flushed from cheek to chest making him entirely lose control. He hungrily kissed her lips, as his hands moved up and down her legs. He caressed her long legs, her soft thighs and his hand trailed all the way to her soft center. ¡°Xander.¡± She moaned, dazed and intoxicated. The man was about to discover the wet secrets of her lewd body and how much she wanted him and that made her embarrassed beyond words. The man¡¯s fingers were ying with and teasing the wetness in between her legs and she knew that he wanted to see the look on her face. So she refused to let him break the kiss and see her ripened face. She pulled him closer and closer, not allowing him to look at her lustful expression. This only riled him up more. ¡°Yue¡­¡± he gently called her name out and kissed her. ¡°I cannot hold back anymore.¡± He stopped ying her with his fingers and greedily thrust into her, plunging into her deeper and deeper as he kissed her with his entire heart and soul. The man¡¯s every move sent shivers of ecstasy across her body, as Tang Yue submitted to his rhythm, her hips obediently moving ording to hismand. ¡°Do you want me to stop?¡± Xander asked, continuing to dig deeper and deeper inside, his hoarse voice panting in her ears. ¡°Nnngh.¡± Tang Yue bit her lips, refusing to answer the embarrassing question. But she felt the man¡¯s grip loosen and moaned losing her self-control. ¡°Don¡¯t stop.¡± Xander grinned, his hand kneading her supple breasts and caressing her slender waist, absorbing all the heat that her body radiated. He heard her moan louder and louder, her fingernails digging into his shoulder and he softly licked her ear lobes. ¡°Not yet.¡± He whispered teasing her. He changed their position, lying on the ground right next to her, hugging her from behind. His firm hands embraced her, one hand squeezing her breast and the other holding her leg up, as he once again plunged deeper and deeper into her. Chapter 347: Medussas Grave Part3 Chapter 347: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part3 On the white sandy shores of the vast blue ocean that bordered the nine countries, two figures intertwined with each other, moaning and screaming pleasure. Wave after wave of fresh refreshing water washed over their naked bodies as they rolled around together, forgetting the many hours that had slipped by in between their pants. Xander found himself addicted to the woman¡¯s love and adamantly refused to take his hands off of her. It didn¡¯t matter how much he touched her, it was never enough. He had taken her for himself in every which way, in all possible manner but he was still not satisfied. Though he couldn¡¯t really be med for that. The woman in his arms was just that enticing! And Tang Yue was no different than him. As she gazed at the man, she stroked his chiseled abdominal muscles, his broad and reliable chest and she found herself once again falling into his embrace. They had just now finished a round of intense battle, but as she kissed him gently, the man grinned and attacked her all over again. He lifted her up, cing her round perky behind on hisp, making the woman straddle him, his warmth entering her body. ¡°Show me how much you love me.¡± He leaned closer and whispered in her ears. Tang Yue tightly closed her eyes shut and buried her face into his chest, but at the same time, she felt the urge to move her hips and enjoy riding his thickness. It was so embarrassing and shameful but it felt absolutely amazing. Xander lovingly drank in every small sliver of her delicate expressions. He hugged her, pulling her closer, kissing her slender arms that wrapped around his neck. Her soft breasts crashed against his hard chest, rubbing him gently and shyly, every time her hips moved up and down. He grabbed the woman, holding a handful of her ck silky locks, and pulled her head back to reveal her intoxicated face. He covered her quivering mouth with his own and ravaged her breasts with his other hand. ¡°Faster, my dear. Faster.¡± He teased her earlobes and licked her reddened neck. Every single time he touched her, Tang Yue moaned in pleasure. It was as if they had been loving each other for a long time. The man knew every inch of her body and all her sensitive and sensual spots. To say that he was experienced wouldn¡¯t do justice to his skills. As Tang Yue¡¯s mind wandered, she suddenly stopped, her hips still attached to the man. ¡°You seem to be a little too good at this?¡± She pouted and asked him, breaking their kiss with her hands. ¡°Move, my dear. Don¡¯t make wait like this.¡± He leaned in and whispered again, making her shiver. ¡°You answer me first.¡± Tang Yue resolutely nodded. Xander knew what she was asking but he was determined to never reveal to her that small immoral thing he did by seducing her in her dream. ¡°Ha? What should I answer? Of course, I am good. I am good at everything I do.¡± He shamelessly grinned. Tang Yue chuckled,ughing at the narcissistic bastard. ¡°How many women did you sleep with before me?¡± She asked again. She had always been curious about this considering the very public aplishments of his brother Xavier. Xander paused, his smile widening but there was a wave of subtle sadness lingering on it. ¡°You are my first.¡± He answered honestly. Tang Yue shifted her gaze, not meeting him anymore. She hadn¡¯t expected this answer. ¡°You will be my first and you will be myst.¡± The man kissed her gently, sucking her lips one by one. He then swung their bodies, once again pushing her down underneath him. ¡°Do you want me to be gentle or rough this time?¡± he asked. Tang Yue wished that he would shut up and stop saying these embarrassing things, but as the man moved inside her, she whimpered covering her face. Xander grinned. He knew what she liked already. He ravaged her and plundered her just the way she liked. And when she finally melted in ecstasy, he grunted as well, bing one with her. The twoid side by side, panting and out of breath, his hands still holding hers warmly and tenderly. The night had already disappeared and the first rays of the morning sunlight hit their faces. But unfortunately for Tang Yue, her troubles were far from over. The man who hadn¡¯t yet forgotten her question, asked her a question of his own this time. ¡°And how many women have you slept with?¡± He turned his head to look at her, his crimson eyes waiting to attack her. ¡°Huh?¡± Tang Yue was startled. She turned her head towards him as well, looking at him in shock. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Charlotte! Charlotte was going to kill her!!! She needed to beg for her forgiveness! Tang Yue gulped nervously, staring at the man with guilt. So many things had happened and she hadpletely forgotten about her in the heat of the moment. She didn¡¯t n on doing these things with this man lying next to her. In fact, she had been so angry with him just yesterday, but somehow things ended up this way and she had now confessed her love to two people. Ah, damn it! Tang Yue cursed her greedy heart. She was too ashamed to think about this thing anymore. The worst part was that her mind was still running wild. As the man continued to look at her, his fingers caressing her cheeks, she couldn¡¯t help but remember how amazing Charlotte¡¯s body had felt. She thought about all three of them doing this kind of sinful dirty things together and her body again heated up. Tang Yue immediately sat up, shaking her head like a lunatic. NO! NO! NO! Mental demons!!! I cannot lose my way. I need to focus on important things!!! She screamed inwardly scolding and reprimanding her wanton heart. There was a time and ce for everything and this was not it. Xander couldn¡¯t help but worry over her sudden actions. The thing that he was afraid of¡­ ¡°Are you nning to leave now?¡± He asked before Tang Yue could exin anything. He sat up straight, his wet naked muscr body, glistening in the warm sunlight. Tang Yue nced at him, this time her eyes did not drool over his perfect frame. ¡°I have to.¡± She said as she hurriedly took out a robe from one of the spatial rings and donned it. She then wore all her rings, her mana recovery ear studs, and the other things which were messily sprawled nearby. Xander furrowed his brows, looking at her seriously. ¡°I am not asking you to not leave. I am just saying wait.¡± Tang Yue wordlessly looked at him, her mind already made up. The man, however, didn¡¯t want to ept her answer. ¡°I wille with you.¡± He said. ¡°Let me help your Master first and finish the pill.¡± ¡°Then we can go together and let me help you be stronger. I can protect you.¡± The warmth and kindness in his voice also shone in his eyes. Tang Yue still remained steady,pletely unmoved by his propositions. Xander then begrudgingly brought up thest thing that he wanted to tell her, hoping that she would at least ept this. ¡°We can even take that nuisance with us.¡± Huh? Tang Yue narrowed her eyes. ¡°That third wheel. She can alsoe with you. Where ever you are going, wouldn¡¯t it be easier with the both of us by your side?¡± Tang Yue sighed helplessly. She walked over to the man sitting in a cross-legged position. She bent down and gently kissed his forehead. ¡°I am sorry. I need to leave. I need to do this by myself.¡± ¡°I hope you can understand. I am asking this selfish request this one time.¡± Xander did not look at her and asked. ¡°Is this because of the harpy¡¯s words? Did that bird say something to you?¡± ¡°Not all her words can be trusted. Did you make a beast contract with her? She can still find loopholes.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t trust her words.¡± Xander hurriedly started trying to exin. However, Tang Yue sighed and ced a finger on his lips, stopping him from saying anything more. ¡°Yes and No.¡± She answered him. ¡°This had nothing to do with the harpy.¡± ¡°Even if I hadn¡¯t met her in the cers, I would have still done the same. Do you understand?¡± Xander ran his fingers through his long silver hair in exasperation. ¡°Where are you going? At least tell me that.¡± Tang Yue silently kissed him instead of answered him and pointed her finger to the vast ocean. ¡°I will be there.¡± She said. Xander¡¯s eyes slightly widened, a plethora of possibilities running in his head. ¡°Ok. Do what you must.¡± He nodded. He gazed at her slender figure, as she whistled loudly calling out the two wolves and the harpy. Tang Yue then leaned closer and kissed him once again, before finally leaving. Chapter 348: Medussas Grave Part4 Chapter 348: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part4 ¡°Old man, how much longer? Do you even know where we are headed to?¡± Tang Yue furrowed her brows and asked the elder. It had already been a day since they began their journey and they were currently flying atop the vast ocean without any end in sight. Tang Yue was holding Little Blue snugly under her arms, crossing the ocean with the help of a flying sword. The harpy was also right next to her riding on her own flying sword. Only Little Plum was dismissed because Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to deal with carrying around two grown adult wolves while endlessly roaming above the ocean waters. ¡°Little snake, have some patience! You know very well that even the elves call these waters as untraversable.¡± ¡°And you expect to reach your destination in one day?¡± ¡°Fuck! It has just been one day?¡± Tang Yue cursed out loudly. ¡°You have no patience, dumb little snake.¡± ¡°Shut up, old man.¡± Tang Yue scoffed. She had half a mind to switch to the flying nket. She could then probably sleep on top of it while flying around in circles, which she very much doubted was what they were doing right now. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that the ocean will gobble me up and take me to the training grounds all on its own?¡± ¡°So what is with this dy?¡± In reality, Tang Yue was not that impatient of a person. She was just feeling extremely uneasy right now because the oceanic air was enriched in water elemental essence. The earth elemental and fire elemental essence were almost non-existent and even with her high affinity, she was unable to sense them at all. This made her feel very uneasy and nauseous. It was like being in the presence of a strong enemy, an enemy who hadpletely wrapped his limbs around her and was suffocating her slowly. Little Blue was in fact far morefortable than her because the wolf had an innate affinity to the wind elemental. Since wind elemental essence was not that sparse even atop the ocean, it was not as pitiful as Tang Yue. Woo¡­ Woo¡­ It nuzzled its head against her and tried tofort her. Tang Yue sighed and chuckled at its shenanigans. She then gazed at the other contracted beast flying next to her. ¡°You have been silent for a while now.¡± Shezily yawned, striking up a conversation with the mysterious harpy. ¡°You don¡¯t have anything to say to or ask me?¡± Tang Yue probed. The harpy turned around to look at her, slightly surprised, but the next instant she simply shook her head. ¡°What is your name?¡± Tang Yue asked. ¡°Where are you from?¡± The harpy once again simply shook her head. Before Tang Yue could say anything, it stuck its tongue out which was cut and mutted. Tang Yue sighed softly, empathizing with the creature. She understood why Xander had taken all these precautions but still, it was brutal. On the other hand, if he hadn¡¯t done these things then something even disastrous could have happened. Even she couldn¡¯t fault him for protecting himself against that possibility. Tang Yue remained silent for a while as she gazed at the endless horizon. She then nced at the harpy with her discerning eyes. ¡°Fate magic¡­ Do you know about it?¡± The harpy quickly nodded its head. Though it was unable to speak, it was still able to answer these yes or no questions. And the harpy seemed as if it was intent on pleasing Tang Yue. Perhaps it was truly grateful to her for releasing it from its misery or perhaps it was plotting something by trying and gaining her trust. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t be bothered to think about this right now. After all, she had no way to determine what was in the creature¡¯s mind. Only time can tell. She hugged the wolf closer, rubbing her face against its soft fur. She felt reassured at the fact that the adorable bundle in her arms, unlike the harpy, was truly faithful to her no matter what! As the group boringly continued flying around, Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes all of a sudden sparkled and she noticed something in the distant waters. A gigantic green ball seemed to be floating just beneath the surface of the ocean water. ¡°Old man, did you see that?¡± ¡°Yes, little snake. I see everything you see.¡± He reminded her. Tang Yue didn¡¯t have the time to care about his attitude right now because if she had noticed the thing, then¡­ probably¡­ it had also noticed her!!! Coincidentally, at the exact same moment, the big green blob slightly moved, half of its body rising above the water surface. At least the top half of it looked like a big green ball covered in sticky gummy slime, the thing clearly defiling the otherwise crystal clear transparent blue waters. And as Tang Yue observed it closely, the big green ball jiggled and four pairs of crescent marks appeared on it like deep ck gashes. They then started opening, slowly revealing big bulging pitch-ck eyes, eight rounded eyeballs. Tang Yue gulped looking at its grotesque appearance. She immediately summoned her soul sword and donned on a bunch of armors to cover most parts of her body. She didn¡¯t take out the set of spirit-grade armors that she had prepared. They had just been forged and barely seen any blood at all, making them considerably weak evenpared to mid-grade weapons. And Tang Yue had a feeling that this was going to be a powerful opponent, so she didn¡¯t want to risk everything by not going all out. While she equipped herself, Tang Yue, also out a flying disk and instructed both the harpy and the wolf to stand on that. They surely did not possess the strength topete with this thing and she didn¡¯t want them to get hurt unnecessarily. And it was just in the nick of time! Tang Yue had only barely finished instructing them when something thick and sturdy suddenly shot out from within the water surface. BANG! Both Little Blue and the Harpy tactfully understood that they were no match for whatever was attacking them and quickly backed away so as to not hinder Tang Yue in her efforts. The attack mainly hit Tang Yue and the flying sword that she was relying on. Her slender figure trembled and the sword broke into two, unable to withstand the impact of the attack. All she could see was a rod jutting out of the green blob and whatever was attacking her, clearly had tremendous speed and strength. She knew that as long as she relied on other artifacts, she wouldn¡¯t be able to dodge the thing to the best of her abilities. She was also unable to maneuver and avoid its attacks mid-air. So the only option was to head down to the turbulent waters underneath. Tang Yue quickly morphed into her serpentine form and dived into the ocean fearlessly, head first. But even when she was under the water, a strong pink-colored rod came dashing at her, clearly with the intention of attacking her, albeit with a tad slower speed. BANG! Tang Yue could now see what wasing at her. It was a huge freaking tongue! She instantly could tell that she was probably facing a frog-like beast with additional features. ¡°Damn it. This is definitely a rare-grade beast or higher. From its speed and strength, it might even be on the verge of a breakthrough.¡± Tang Yue pondered whilst slithering towards the frog with all the speed that she could muster. She skillfully slithered avoiding the next couple of tongueshes that came at her but her speed was no match for the beast. After evading a few attacks, she then morphed into her human figure once again, summoning her soul sword as well. KACHA When the next jab came at her, instead of running, she faced it head-on, shing at the tongue with her sword. ¡°Did you think that I was an insect you could stick your tongue at?¡± Tang Yue roared and sent out three shes at the frog¡¯s tongue. The hard muscle blocked her sword, the very impact sending her back several paces in the water, but Tang Yue grinned. Just as she was flung back, she also saw that she had sliced a portion of its tongue away, blood now seeping out of the tongue. The crystal clear blue waters instantly turned muddy as blood started pooling. ROAR! The frog growled in pain and immediately pulled back its tongue in anger. All of its eight eyes were now locked onto Tang Yue as it finally revealed its full face and figure, facing against her seriously. Before Tang Yue could take another step towards it, a huge pair of hind limbs popped out in its rear, along with a pair of shorted limbs in its front, and the frog propelled itself forward, sending a huge kick, powerful enough to create waves in the calm waters. GUDANG! With a single kick, the frog had moved several feet, its huge body now dangerously close to Tang Yue and its eight eyes balls all looking down on her. Chapter 349: Medussas Grave Part5 Chapter 349: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part5 Tang Yue was startled at the insane power and speed which had allowed the frog to propel itself right next to her with a single kick of its hind legs. She had a bad premonition and quickly backed up a few paces, putting a distance between both of them. At the same time, she rotated her earthen mana core and muttered. ¡°Pierce the heavens.¡± Instantly, nine small spheres started swirling around the gigantic frog, the spheres quickly growing in size. And just as Tang Yue backed away, the nine swirling balls suddenly elongated, dark ck solid spears shooting out from within them. The frog was perfectly caught in the middle, all nine spears whooshing towards it with a powerful surge amidst the ocean waters. Tang Yue did not wait for the attack tond and she consecutively cast the spell a couple more times, several balls popping up and several spears shooting towards the frog. ROAR! The frog¡¯s multiple eyeballs flickered as it watched all the spearsing towards it. But then weirdly, it didn¡¯t seem to mind it and pay any attention to it. BANG. BANG. BANG. One after the other the multiple spears fell on its thick body, barely scratching it let alone wounding it. What a strong physical defense! Tang Yue red at the beast. The frog¡¯s eyes locked back onto Tang Yue and it opened its mouth. Shit! Tang Yue expected the strong muscr tongue tosh out at her once again and moved ordingly in anticipation of the attack. However, the frog did not shoot its tongue out this time around. Its wide open mouth narrowed and its cheeks started puffing up as the big green beast inhaled a huge mouthful of water. FWOOOSH! The next instant it released everything in one go. Though it was a powerful water spit, it didn¡¯t take much for Tang Yue to slither away and she evaded the attack easily. Huh? She paused, sensing something unusual about the attack. Instead of the crystal clear waters, the water she was currently swimming in seemed muddy and greenish-gray in color. ¡°Is this still from the blood?¡± Tang Yue pondered when a few familiar notifications promptly sounded. Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ah! Tang Yue now understood the point of this attack. The damned frog had spewed out something poisonous! And it was more toxic than her own! Nice! Bring it on. Tang Yue smirked and swam around veryfortably in the poisonous waters. ROAR! Seeing that Tang Yue was not affected by its attack, the frog let out another loud roar in anger. Now that it knew poison had no effect on this opponent, it went back to hitting her with its tongue. ¡°So that¡¯s all you got?¡± Tang Yue grinned, morphing into her human form and summoning out her soul sword. This was clearly going to be a battle of her stamina versus the frog¡¯s thick physical defense. She needed to break through it before she ran out of energy. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Tang Yue shouted. She didn¡¯t waste her time moving around, and she directly aimed for the tongueing straight at her. She spun around weaving through the water with her sword, each move sending out powerful waves. Kacha. Kacha. Kacha. More blood seeped out as three shes fell on the tongue leaving behind three big injuries. But the frog managed to get a hit in as well, its tongue striking Tang Yue forcefully in her stomach. She coughed up a mouthful of blood as she readied herself for the next attack. In this manner, the two, one frog and one snake, continued exchanging blows in the middle of the ocean. While these two were fully engrossed in their fight, a few miles away from them a small ck ball popped up out of nowhere. This ball started growing in size, slowly and steadily, gathering momentum as it did. Soon a whirlpool started swirling around, with the ck energy at its epicenter. It roared and growled as it started sucking everything around, even tugging at the ocean waters miles away from the center of the vortex. Tang Yue did not notice it at first but when her entire surroundings started roiling and swirling, she had to temporarily take her eyes off of the frog and pay attention to this disaster that was brewing nearby. Was this another powerful beast? Tang Yue frowned, not confident enough to handle two high-ranking beasts at the same time. But the old man¡¯s voice hurriedly chimed inside her brain telling her otherwise. ¡°Little snake, quick. Go there. That should be the opening for the grave.¡± Hmmm. Tang Yue paused before throwing another nce at the frog in front of her. The big green fat ball had also noticed the whirlpool by now and it even backed away a bit warily. Tang Yue really wanted to finish this fight because she felt as if she was on the verge of victory, not to mention the amazing poison upgrades she was receiving, but she sighed and slithered towards the whirlpool anyway. The frog¡¯s four pairs of eyes bulged in surprise as it watched the woman swimming towards the strong suction force pulling everything into it. Tang Yue saw the beasts partly confused and partly relieved expression and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Bye froggie.¡± She gave it a flying kiss as she watched the beast hurriedly scurrying away from the whirlpool. It pped both its hind limbs and front limbs crazily, swimming away from the whirlpool as fast as it could. Tang Yue as well did not get much time to figure out what was happening. Just as she slithered a bit more closer, she was pulled in as well, not having the chance to back out any longer. The suction force of the whirlpool was so strong that Tang Yue couldn¡¯t even fathom the magnitude of the thing. Before she waspletely sucked in, she didn¡¯t forget to hurriedly call over the harpy and the wolf who were still hovering above the ocean waters. Little Blue instantly jumped in as soon as it heard Tang Yue¡¯s orders but the harpy hesitated, before ultimately jumping in as well. The three of them swirled around in the whirlpool but they felt little to no difort as opposed to the suffocating nauseating feeling that Tang Yue was expecting. The next few seconds were aplete blur as the three got pulled into the epicenter of the whirlpool and everything turned dark. And before they could figure out what was happening, they found themselves dropping onto a dry t ground with heavy thuds. Raining around them creepily were a bunch of fishes and some other smaller water beasts like snails and lobsters. Tang Yue shook her head and tried to gather her senses. ¡°Hmm¡­ So the whirlpool was simply an entrance to this ce? What a powerful magical formation!¡± She couldn¡¯t tell what triggered it though. They were roaming around the ocean for hours and all of sudden this vortex popped up? Tang Yue pondered for a while when her eyes fell on the bloodstains on her armor. Her own blood perhaps triggered the event? Either way, it didn¡¯t matter right now and she looked around, trying to see what type of a ce they hadnded in. ¡°Old man, where the hell are we?¡± She asked. They seemed to be on the shores of some sort of an ind. ¡°You are here, little snake. Now it¡¯s all up to you. I can¡¯t even intervene in this.¡± The elder warned her once again. Tang Yue nodded and then dusted her back, standing up from the ground. She waved at Little Blue who had fallen a few feet away from her to make sure that he was also alright. The wolf immediately ran over to her and licked her a few times. ¡°You look fine.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. She nced at the harpy as well who nodded back at her with a weak and confused smile. Since the both of them seemed to be doing alright, Tang Yue clicked her tongue and started heading inside. Beyond the sandy shores, there was a cluster of trees and nts crowded together resembling a forest. When she had first heard about these training grounds, Tang Yue had expected something drastically extreme. But everything in front of her seemed very normal and nothing was out of ce. If she headed inside, only to find out that they were still within the Nine countries, she wouldn¡¯t even be surprised. But still, she had a slightly unsettling feeling, so she donned on a few armors and summoned her soul sword and also Little Plum, who was more than happy to be once again out in the open. The four of them then cautiously headed inward. Tang Yue used her sword to sh through the clutter and made a clearing for them to walk into. Chapter 350: Medussas Grave Part6 Chapter 350: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part6 ¡°Masta! Look there.¡± Little Plum howled. Tang Yue turned around and looked in the direction the wolf was pointing. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Another statue huh?¡± She furrowed her brows, the sense of unease within her growing stronger every second. In front of Tang Yue was a big statue of some sort of soldier. It was made of stone, but the carving of the statue was exquisite and it almost looked like the warrior was alive. The blue snake and her three pets had been walking around for a while now and they hade across this type of statue several times now. Simr stone statues of soldiers and warriors were lying around everywhere, littered on the ind. Considering that they were still in the outer edges of the ind, Tang Yue observed the statue for a couple of seconds, and then she kept moving forward, shing at the thorny bramble in front of her. The dense cluster of trees soon cleared, with the forest having fewer trees now and when Tang Yue stepped onto these open grounds, she instantly noticed another presence nearby. She turned around to look in the direction where she sensed the presence of a beast when suddenly she felt about a hundred other eyes staring at her. ¡°Shit! Am I fully surrounded?¡± Tang Yue clenched her sword tightly as she waited for the beasts to react first. She still had very little idea about the ce where she was standing. But the old man had called this trip a hunting trip, so this was something Tang Yue had already expected. ¡°Little Plum and Little Blue, be very careful and support each other. I am not sure if I will be able to look out for you guys.¡± ¡°Also¡­¡± Tang Yue nced at the harpy as well and nodded. ¡°Take care.¡± In reality, the harpy was still recovering but it was a huge creature, at least twice the size of Tang Yue. So even though it was a bit weak right now it was still capable of holding on in the face of an onught. While the group readied themselves, branches of the nearby trees rustled in the wind and several heads popped out from within them. ¡°White Apes!¡± Tang Yue gripped her sword tightly as she looked around trying to get a rough estimate of the number of beasts surrounding them. But she quickly gave up on that, when the number was clearly more than fifty and probably more than a hundred. One after another continued to pop up, some from the trees and some from the inner forests. ¡°What the fuck?¡± Tang Yue grimaced. ¡°Where did these many suddenlye out from?¡± The apes had huge bodies and thick white fur and they had surrounded Tang Yuepletely from all sides, marking her as the unwee intruder in their territory. But unfortunately, they were just mid-grade beasts. Even though they had the absolute advantage in numbers, Tang Yue was a step above them in strength. ¡°Old man, am I supposed to ughter these apes?¡± Tang Yue asked to confirm her doubts. ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your opponents, little snake.¡± ¡°Alright then!¡± Tang Yue grinned stepping forward. Though she was a bit nervous, she couldn¡¯t help but feel her blood coursing through her veins and her heart thumping loudly. This excited her! As Tang Yue took another step forward, the apes immediately started screaming and shouting at the top of their lungs. OOO! OOO! AAAAAh! Hooo! OOO! OOO! AAAAH! The apes began banging their chest with their thick paws and started dashing towards Tang Yue and the two wolves at full speed. They clearly had no intentions of fighting fair and facing Tang Yue or wolves one at a time. They came running at her with the sole purpose of stampeding her to death. Tang Yue instantly swirled and reacted fast. ¡°Plum, cast dancing dragons.¡± Shemanded the elemental and cast a fire magic spell of her own. The very next second, the ground shook, dozens of fire dragons and me serpents roaring their heads! A circle of fire surrounded them forming a barrier between Tang Yue and her group and the numerous apes. The apes who were rushing forward without any restraint, now slightly paused, unable to pass through the fire magic barrier. Those who dared to venture in, suffered from severe burn injuries, dancing maniacally from the searing pain. OOOAAAAH! OOOOAAAAH! OOOOAAAH! They started screaming even louder. Then unexpectedly, their white fur, which was now scorched and ckened in several ces, turned a rich copper color. After which, the apes increased their pace once again and started rushing towards the group, barely able to withstand the fiery barricade. Since they were fighting as a group, Tang Yue stood at the front and Little Plum stood at the back, nking the two weaklings, Little Blue, and the harpy. Both Tang Yue and Little Plum quickly took care of the iing apes, Little Plum unleashing big dense balls of fire one after the another and Tang Yue using both fire elemental magic and earth elemental magic. ¡°Arise!¡± Tang Yue muttered, and a dozen strong sturdy earthen spears popped out of the ground in front of her, impaling the first row of monkeys dashing towards her. She then shed her sword forward, taking care of the few who escaped the spears but were gravely injured by the roaring mes. Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. 200 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡­. ¡­. ¡­. A dozen notifications rang in her ears, but the apes had no end in sight and they kept pouring on top of her one wave after another. Even with Little Blue helping out, finishing some of the severely wounded apes, the group was slowly getting overwhelmed by numbers. ¡°Damn it!¡± Tang Yue cursed. If only she could establish a domain! That would be arge-scale attack and would definitely help her deal with this beast horde onught. But that was something only Demi-Gods can aplish and her cultivation base was still in the Saint realm. Tang Yue did not dwell too much on what she could do if she had the skills and quickly cast a dozen spells which she was currently able to. ¡°Loose ground.¡± ¡°me serpent.¡± ¡°Lava rods.¡± ¡°Earth spears.¡± She tirelessly cast one spell after another, alternating between her swordy and elemental spell casting. It was absolute chaos and madness. Heads, tails, limbs, and torsos flew everywhere, blood and flesh raining all around them. Even a one-secondck of concentration would most definitely cost them their lives. In the midst of this intense battlefield, Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes twinkled as she spotted a few anomalies in the group. Some of the apes rushing towards them had glittering silver fur, slightly different from the white fur. ¡°Higher-grade beasts!¡± Tang Yue shouted out, warning the others. She moved away from the center, shing her way through the mess, and leaped towards these special strong apes. KACHA! Tang Yue felt strong tremors sweeping through her body as her swordnded on one of these silver apes. Just as she had thought, these were more special and had sturdier defenses. But the silver apes also had another surprise for Tang Yue. The beast blocked her sword attack and pulled its head back to let out loud roars, des of wind also flying out of its mouth apanying the roars. ¡°Shit!¡± Tang Yue quickened her pace and twisted her body into various poses as she nimbly evaded these wind des. ¡°These bastards have wind affinity!¡± Tang Yue panted. While the apes with the white fur simply had strong defenses and a sturdy body, the silver apes most definitely had the wind elemental affinity. ¡°I should kill these first.¡± Tang Yue raised her hand materializing ava spear and once again directly leaped towards the silver ape, taking head on a couple of wind de hits. SHUA! Shended directly on the ape and plunged the spear into the ape¡¯s skull using the full power of her fleshly body and cultivation base. The ape widened its eyes in surprise but the next second its eyes turned white and lifeless. With the spear, bashed into its skull, the ape was no longer able to put up a fight and quickly fell down, stumbling. Ding. 1000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Tang Yue did not wait around to watch it copse and she already moved back to the center to help Little Plum with the overwhelming numbers. Little Plum had reverted to its elemental form, and with the purple me at its center, the red blob was spinning around in rhapsody, shooting out mes in all directions. Even the harpy was punching some apes left and right. Tang Yue sighed as she watched the gory sight and she quickly jumped into the fray clearing some of the beasts targeting Little Blue. She cast another Dragon Dance spell instantly clearing out or at least pushing back the horde and giving them some breathing room. Chapter 351: Medussas Grave Part7 Chapter 351: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part7 ¡°Little Plum, you have to hold on! I can see another 5 silver apes mixed in the crowd.¡± Tang Yue panted as she quickly sprinted towards the beasts with sparkling fur. They had been fighting the ape horde for a while now and everyone was running low in their mana reserves and stamina. Piles and piles of corpses were littered on the ground and the insane numbers of the apes had finally started thinning down. But just as the numbers started slowing, stronger beasts were nowing at them. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Tang Yue pondered as she dealt killing blows to another silver ape. ¡°This formation almost looks like an army.¡± ¡°If the white apes are the soldiers and the silver apes are the Generals, does this mean there is a stronger one out there which ismanding all these beasts?¡± Tang Yue shook her head. Whatever might be the case, it probably wouldn¡¯t affect her decision. Her strategy right now was extremely simple and straightforward. Kill everything in sight! If she tried anything else, they would only get overrun by the horde. Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword techniques: First Move ¨C Thunderous sh Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword techniques: Second Move ¨C Triple sh Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword techniques: Third Move ¨C Fire sh Heaven¡¯s Path arcane sword techniques: Fourth Move ¨C Spinning Fire Tang Yue had currently mastered these first four moves of the swordy and she used these to hack away the flesh and bones of the silver apes one after the other. She was now able to focus more freely on her battles without worrying about Little Plum, Little Blue, and the harpy because the white apes had almost been entirely taken care of. However, dealing with the silver apes by herself was in no way an easy task. They tended to gang up and they also coordinated their attacks, unlike the white apes. Their wind elemental attacks also gave them an advantage as Tang Yue was not able to easily dodge those. While she shed at the ape in front of her with her soul sword, three other silver apes leaped up andnded near her with loud thuds. Oooh! Ooooh! Aaaah! Ooooh! Ooooo! Ooooo! They roared and the three of them startedbining their attack behind Tang Yue¡¯s back as she was busy dealing with the one in front of her. Strong gusts of winds responded to their roars and a small tornado started forming ready to tear away Tang Yue¡¯s footing and her body along with it. However, Tang Yue was not a fool. Her eyes flickered as she quickly paid attention to what the three apes were doing behind her back. She jumped up and used her long legs to kick the ape she was currently fighting with and used it as a wall to bounce back, somersaulting andnding behind the three apes. She then shed her sword at them, zing fire elemental energy mixed in with her swordy sending out several powerful sword beams one after the other. The apes were in the middle of a spell casting and did not have time to respond and the sword beams easilynded on their thick bodies, leaving deep bloody injuries. Ahhhhh! They screamed in pain and with their concentration lost, the tornado diffused quickly. The four apes then together turned around and tried to pummel Tang Yue to death with wind elemental energy wrapped around their fists. Tang Yue smirked and jumped up again,nding directly on one of the ape¡¯s heads. She used her raw physical strength to twist the beast¡¯s neck and used its body as a shield to block the attacks from the other apes. She then tossed the dead body onto a bunch of white apes attacking Little Plum, bowling them over like marbles. ¡°Scram.¡± Tang Yue hissed as she quickly turned around to deal with the other three silver apes. She managed to dodge two punches but received one punch directly in her gut, making her cough up a mouthful of blood. Huff. Huff. Huff. She panted, trying to catch her breath. The attacks from the apes were perfectly tailored against her elemental immune body. If they had used any other elemental magic, it would have yed more to her advantage and she wouldn¡¯t be at such a drawback. But these silver apes were using wind elemental energy to augment their physical strength and pummeled her with their bare fists wrapped with shearing winds. Arghhh! Tang Yue hissed and quickly downed a healing elixir before shing at the apes with her sword again. Even with the copper tinge on their body, she was able to prate their strong defense by continuously hacking at them. So Tang Yue did not lose heart and kept fighting back, dodging as many blows as she could. These blows were considerably more powerful than the bacshes from the Kirrion ore chunks and her body was able to withstand them to a certain extent. At the same time, Tang Yue could also feel her body getting more and more ustomed to these heavy punches thrown by the apes. With every beating she took, her muscles were bing stronger, this in itself acting as a form of physical tempering. Training through actualbat was far more efficient than training in the confines of a safe zone using controlled factors. So Tang Yue greedily used this chance that presented in front of her and tempered herself every now and then by receiving the direct blows from the beasts. This fight went on for a few more minutes and luckily the silver apes were only about a dozen or two. So she managed to smoothly behead thest of the silver apes without any issues. Huff. Huff. Huff. Tang Yue panted, her body fully drenched in sweat. ¡°These bastards really did a number on me.¡± She dunked in a couple more mana recovery and health recovery potions. But before she could catch a breath and return to help out Little Plum and Little Blue in clearing out thest of the white apes, heavy thundering footsteps echoed nearby. Tang Yue did not have to turn around to guess what might being her way. Bulldozing through an array of gigantic trees was a humongous ape with thick splendid golden fur. Tang Yue felt the hair on her back stand up and looked at the beast which had once terrorized her so much that she had to use a lucky sticker, the Golden Titan Ape! ¡°Hello, old friend!¡± She smirked. This time she was not in the least intimidated by its ferocious appearance and gigantic proportions. The ape¡¯s silver round eyes fixated on Tang Yue and it let out a loud roar, stomping over to her in huge strides. Tang Yue immediately looked at Little Plum, signaling it to get out of the danger zone and away from her as much as possible. Tang Yue knew that this was going to be a nasty battle to the death and she was not confident that she would still be able to protect them in the midst of this fight. However, before either Little Plum or Tang Yue could make a move, the gigantic golden ape banged its chest with its huge paws letting out loud howls. OOOOOO! AAAAAh! OOOOO! AAAAAh! It didn¡¯t stop with that and bent its head down to almost ce it on the ground and sent out powerful gales along with its sound waves. The wind roared everywhere and Tang Yue felt as if she was in the eye of a storm. Little Plum, Little Blue, and the harpy had been long since flung backward like dirt. Trees were getting uprooted and the ground itself was quaking violently. Tang Yue had to dig her sword deep into the ground in order to get a foothold and withstand this monstrous wind pressure. She then grit her teeth and summoned the full strength of her cultivation base to erect a dozen rocky barriers on the ground in front of her. ¡°Arise!¡± These broke the torrential flow of the wind and Tang Yue zoomed towards the golden ape hiding behind one barrier after another. She only had a couple of seconds because even these barriers couldn¡¯t hold out and they were being blown away one by one by the sheer force of the loud wind howls. But they managed to buy enough time for Tang Yue and she dashed towards the huge beast using these earthen shields. KACHA! Tang Yue allowed her body to be swept up by the wind and when she neared the ape for that split second before she would be inevitably flung afar just like her pets, she used the full strength that she could muster and shed at the ape. A loud roar echoed as her magnificent sword attack, which used the power of the opponent¡¯s wind attack along with its own arcane power,nded on the gigantic beast, her sword shing against the thick golden fur. CLANG! Tang Yue¡¯s hands felt numb and her eyes flew wide. The sword in her hand and her body were trembling from the whish of the attack she had justnded. But the beast in front of her roared proudly without having suffered even a single scratch from her full-throttle attack. What incredible physical defense! It felt like she had just hit herself against an imprable wall! Chapter 352: Medussas Grave Part8 Chapter 352: Medussa¡¯s Grave Part8 While Tang Yue was still reeling from the after effects of that single sword attack, she found herself being flung afar just like Little Plum, Little Blue, and the harpy. But unlike them who the golden ape couldn¡¯t care less about, its eyes were still fixated on the serpentine spirit beast who had massacred all of hisckeys. Its huge feet moved, stomping down on the ground, and the ape thundered towards her with undisguised killing intent. Tang Yue rubbed her lips with her thumb, wiping out the blood seeping out of the corners of her mouth. She then stood up from the ground eying the beast who was rushing towards her with such confidence and arrogance. Powerful cultivation base! Strong imprable defense! She was clearly no match for this beast in terms of raw strength, but still, Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes twinkled without showing any fear or regret. ¡°So what if you have a powerful body? Heh.¡± She chuckled as she red at the beast running towards her with full speed. The beast reached her in a dozen leaps, only taking a couple of seconds, and just as it was about to pummel her to death, Tang Yue¡¯s lips moved slightly. ¡°Enve.¡± Tang Yue was, of course, not hundred percent sure that this would work so while she mouthed the words she also moved, ready to dodge the beast¡¯s most probable attack pattern. But as she side-stepped and moved to appear behind the humongous ape, it remained utterly still and unmoving. The ape was frozen in its tracks, its golden thick hands hanging mid-air. Tang Yue panted and her long forked tongue slithered in and out with amusement. The spell had worked! Phew! She flopped on the ground, every inch of her body extremely tired. ¡°Hey, monkey. Get over here.¡± She chuckled and waved her hand. The ape¡¯s huge body turned around immediately and its zing terrorizing silver eyes now looked dull and lifeless. It walked over obediently and stood in front of Tang Yue. ¡°Raise your hands up.¡± The snake chuckled. The ape, without any resistance, quickly raised its two huge golden hands. ¡°Put them down.¡± And the ape did that too. ¡°Perfect.¡± Tang Yue hissed. ¡°Hmmm¡­ This is just a temporary solution, but it¡¯s not too bad.¡± Tang Yue sighed in relief, letting out a big breath. Her eyes then flickered as she issued the nextmand. ¡°Get me all the silver ape corpses. Make sure not to damage the meat.¡± The ape heard her and quickly busied itself. The beast which was rampaging wildly just a minute ago was now obediently waddling through the mountains of corpses and carefully picking out the ones which had shiny sparkling silver fur. It might as well have been the image of a young dainty girl picking flowers in a field. Tang Yue smiled contently and then she reached out to Little Plum and the others. ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± ¡°Yes, Masta. Please hold on. We are on our way back. We wille and support you.¡± Little Plum immediately screamed in reply. It had long since wanted to contact Tang Yue but the elemental was worried about disturbing her focus whilst she was in the middle of a battle, so it stayed quiet. And now that Tang Yue herself had contacted the group, it quickly replied with worry and concern. ¡°It¡¯s alright. You guys can take your time walking over. I have settled things with the golden ape at least for now.¡± Tang Yue exined to them. However, Little Plum, Little Blue, and the harpy still hurried over to her side nevertheless. But as soon as they got closer, they stood stillpletely gobsmacked. The ape which had been terrorizing them and had flung them away like dirt was now calmly working as cheapbor. ¡°Masta is the best!¡± Little plum was the first one to beam in pride and the wolf ran over to Tang Yue. Little Blue as well did not want to lose out and quickly ran over to Tang Yue¡¯s side. Only the harpy awkwardly stood not knowing whether tough or cry. She as well understood that the elven prince had imprisoned her because he didn¡¯t want her to curse him. But he didn¡¯t do anything to the snake who can enve him like a rag doll? She shook her head helplessly and walked over to Tang Yue¡¯s side as well. Tang Yue petted the two wolves and rubbed their heads, as she patiently inspected their injuries. All three of them had taken a lot of damage and were extremely injured. They had also lost a lot of blood. She took out several recovery potions and other healing medicinal pills and distributed them to all three without any reservations. Tang Yue herself as well dunked down a couple, fully recovering to her peak condition. The ape was still patiently collecting and segregating all the corpses, so the group discussed their future ns whilst warily eying the ape and its actions from the corner of their eyes. ¡°Masta, are we going further inside the ind?¡± Little Plum anxiously asked. He had actually gained some insights during the fight and wanted to cultivate for a bit before challenging themselves again. He felt bad that he was barely any help to Tang Yue and wanted to improve his strength quickly. ¡°Mhmm. We can go in a bit.¡± Tang Yue nodded at the snow white wolf with red streaks on its body. ¡°Let¡¯s first take a break here.¡± She then morphed into her serpentine form and slithered forward towards the heap of silver ape corpses. Tang Yue then slowly opened her mouth wide biting into the meat with her sharp fangs. Unlike her usual habit of gobbling up entire beasts, this time, she only bit off a small portion of the ape¡¯s fleshy body. Since they were in unknown territory with danger potentially lurking in every corner, she didn¡¯t want to make herself sluggish and vulnerable by gulping down several pounds of meat. So she slowly ingested the meat, chewing mouthful after mouthful. ¡°It has been so long!¡± Tang Yue grinned. She was excited to finally absorb another beast¡¯s bloodline. She did not bother with the white apes and directly started chomping down on the silver apes, intending to absorb their bloodline first. Though it was a strong opponent for her, it was still only a mid-grade beast and she knew that she wouldn¡¯t need these many of them. So Tang Yue hissed at Little Blue and Little Plum, sharing her meat with them as well. She was not sure if this would help Little Plum in any way. After all her pets didn¡¯t share her evolution ability. But Tang Yue was rather keen to see if it would help Little Blue since the wolf as well had a wind affinity. She watched the wolf quickly gobble up several chunks of meat. It then tiredly rested its body, digesting the nutritious energy-rich beast meat. ¡°He He.¡± Tang Yue chuckled and nuzzled it. ¡°It¡¯s quite alright if you don¡¯t gain anything.¡± She rubbed its head, making the wolf look up at her in confusion, wondering what she was saying. After some thought, Tang Yue then called over the harpy as well but she only gave her a few white apes¡¯ meat to dine. The harpy smiled and bowed, humbly epting the meat. She didn¡¯t have anyints. Tang Yue gazed at her, trying to discern any subtle discontent in her features but she couldn¡¯t find anything off with the harpy¡¯s behavior. So she quietly returned back to feasting on the silver ape¡¯s meat. She still didn¡¯t trust the harpypletely but she had already decided to give the bird beast the benefit of her doubt and she didn¡¯t n on going back on that decision without any reason. Tang Yue hissed and chewed down another mouthful of meat. The apes looked extremely savage and ugly but their meat was pretty delicious and vorful. It smoothly went down without any additional effort. So it was only a matter of hours before she fully finished their bloodline. Tang Yue summoned her status screen and eyed her evolution skills again. [Lesser Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body by absorbing bloodlines; Only 50% bloodline is required for triggering evolution. [Bloodline Gorger] ¨C Passive skill, Able to absorb bloodlines from meat very efficiently. Previously, she had needed three high-grade beasts for finishing an evolution whenpared to a single low-grade beast for doing the same. So Tang Yue calcted that she would probably need to eat about two of these silver apes before sessfully assimting their bloodline. ¡°Not a bad number.¡± She grinned, her emerald eyes sparkling, and then eyed the golden titan ape who was still busy handling the mess. She wondered just how many of these would she need to in order to finish the golden titan ape¡¯s bloodline. She already had one with her and this would be the second, perhaps she needed one more? Tang Yue¡¯s long forked tongue flickered in and out in contemtion. ¡°I guess I can worry about thatter. Let me first see what all this ind has to offer me.¡± Chapter 353: What does over-powered mean? Part1 Chapter 353: What does over-powered mean? Part1 Burp! A couple of hourster, a loud belching noise sounded from underneath a tree, where one snake, two wolves, one harpy and one titan ape were sitting together in a group. Then, out of nowhere, the snake¡¯s body revealed a golden sheen and the thin blue coiled figure started twisting and turning, twitching in pain. Little Plum and Little Blue were already used to Tang Yue¡¯s eating habits and the thing that followed it, so they didn¡¯t even bat an eyelid and minded their own business. The golden ape was still under the envement spell so it as well simply sat there like a statue. Only the harpy curiously eyed Tang Yue as if she was seeing something unbelievable and impossible. She could sense an ancient and powerful aura from the serpentine spirit beast who was currently her Master. What in the name of heavens¡­ The harpy silently watched in a daze as the golden glow soon stopped and Tang Yue¡¯s body appeared from within it, fresh and energetic. She tried to see if something was different about Tang Yue now, but no matter how hard she looked, she couldn¡¯t notice anything concrete. The only thing that she could ce her finger on was Tang Yue¡¯s brand new skin. Her old serpentine skin, at least the topyer of it, had shedpletely, revealing a glistening fresh one. But how could something as simple and crude as the shedding of skin invoke such a powerful and archaic aura? The harpy was confused. Tang Yue noticed the eyes on her, but she didn¡¯t care. Since she had already brought the harpy here, what was the point of ying hide and seek with her now? This ce was far too dangerous for her to worry about the harpy learning her little secret. At the end of the day, they have a Master-Beast contract. So she wouldn¡¯t be able to harm her directly or indirectly without finding some convoluted loophole. Tang Yue gave the harpy a sideway nce making the bird lower its head immediately. She then chuckled and continued inspecting the after effects of the evolution. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 1000 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Silver Skin] ¨C Passive skill, Physical body is hardened; 10% reduction in damage taken. Ding. New Skill ispatible with existing skill and existing skill has been upgraded. [Venomous Silver Skin] ¨C Passive skill, Scales covering the body areced with venom and are hardened; 10% reduction in damage taken. Tang Yue gazed at the upgrades and nodded her head contently. This was a good haul! She had guessed that the silver apes probably had some sort of skill that helped them in hardening their skin, but she didn¡¯t think that they would have such a powerful skill! In reality, a 10% reduction in damage was not much but in cases of prolonged battles such as the one she had just fought a couple of hours ago, this could even be the difference between life and death. So it was an extremely valuable skill. ¡°No wonder the monkeys were easily able to put up with my attacks.¡± Tang Yue hissed. She then activated the skill by mentally willing her body to harden and instantly a silver sheen shrouded Tang Yue¡¯s figure. She raised her hands to look at the silver luster on her skin. ¡°What the hell?¡± Tang Yue chuckled. She was dazzling with the splendor of a polished gem and it looked quite mboyant. It was totally not her style at all but considering the damage reduction buff it came along with, she didn¡¯t mind it too much. While Tang Yue was busily eying her upgraded features, the harpy next to her had a dumbfounded look on her face. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± She blinked her big round eyes unable to believe what was happening in front of her. The serpentine spirit beast just now hardened her skin exactly like how the silver apes had done. She might have been locked up in a dark hole for decades but the harpy full well knew that this was not natural. She had never before heard of any serpentine spirit beast possessing such a body strengthening skill. Serpentine spirit beasts were well versed in illusion magic and poison magic, but this¡­? It waspletely unheard of!!! The harpy¡¯s eyes then shifted from the sparkling snake to the small mountain of silver apes corpses. She had seen Tang Yue chomp down on the ape¡¯s meat and bones, then¡­ then¡­ As the harpy¡¯s eyes darted back and forth from the corpses to Tang Yue and then back to the corpses, a frightening possibility arose in her mind. Did she gain their ability by consuming them??? Her round eyes bulged in surprise as she stared at the snake in front of her fearfully. She knew that she was looking at a monster! The harpy shuddered thinking about how her fate had suddenly changed. Being a cursed thing, she thought that her life was over but now it seemed like it was far from it. It was clear to her that she has in fact been offered a second chance. She had done a lot of things in her life, some good, some bad, and some extremely cruel. But all of that did not matter now. This was her chance to start anew with a fresh te and she was not a fool to let this slip by. In the beginning, she was indeed a bit apprehensive about being a ve to someone else. Even though it was a Master-beast contract, it was still not that different from being a ve. But the harpy had seen how Tang Yue had treated her other pets and even made it her priority to ensure their survival in the midst of battle. So she could tell that she was kind, at least to her people. It was her luck that she somehow received this chance to be a subordinate of someone so great and powerful and at the same time kind. Considering these things, she would really be a fool if she let this chance slip by. Without hesitating for another second, the harpy immediately flopped onto the ground, kneeling and banging its head on the rough rock. She was still unable to speak, but what she hadn¡¯t revealed to Tang Yue until now was that she was able tomunicate mentally with her just like Little Plum. But now that she had made her decision, the harpy stopped holding back and immediately dered her full loyalty and allegiance. ¡°Master, please forgive me. Please ept this humble ve as your servant.¡± She kowtowed. Huh? Tang Yue was slightly taken aback to hear such a sweet melodious voice ringing in her mind all of a sudden. She was only used to the nasty old man¡¯s nasal voice and Little Plum¡¯s sweet boyish voice, so it took her a second to register this new entry. ¡°So you can talk to me after all?¡± Tang Yue chuckled. She might have been surprised by this sudden development but she definitely knew the reason behind it. ¡°Yes, Master. I beg your forgiveness for hiding such a big thing from you.¡± ¡°I am willing to ept whatever punishment you see fit.¡± ¡°I only beg that you give me one more chance and I will never let you down again.¡± Tang Yue gazed at the harpy sternly, listening to her words with patience. The bird woman in front of her seemed sincere enough but trust was something that needed to be earned. Today, she might pledge allegiance to her out of greed but what about tomorrow when someone more powerful than her shows up. Would she then betray her and pledge her allegiance to the other party? ¡°It¡¯s fine. Get up.¡± Tang Yue said. ¡°As for the other things, I will let this go just this once, but if you betray me or hide anything from me again, don¡¯t me me for being ruthless.¡± She straight-forwardlyid it out to her. The harpy immediately brightened up, kowtowing a few more times in gratitude. ¡°It will never happen, Master. I swear my loyalty to you. I will proudly follow you until the end.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ Alright. Let me then ask you again. How are your injuries?¡± Tang Yue nodded, eying the harpy from top to bottom. The half-bird half-human creature was still mostly disfigured, all her feathers and ws plucked out and her limbs damaged. ¡°Master, my body is currently in a very bad state and my cultivation base is destroyed.¡± ¡°So I am extremely useless at the moment, but my meridians are still intact and I can grow stronger again.¡± ¡°So please forgive me for being useless.¡± Tang Yue sighed at the sight of the poor woman. There were probably some potions or pills to aid in her recovery, but unfortunately, she did not have the time to help her right now. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. When we return back to Eldoria, I will see if there is something we can do.¡± She assured her. ¡°And what about your fate magic? I assume you need your cultivation base to do that?¡± Chapter 354: What does over-powered mean? Part2 Chapter 354: What does over-powered mean? Part2 ¡°And what about your fate magic? I assume you need your cultivation base to do that?¡± Tang Yue curiously asked. ¡°Yes, Master. My main strength is fate magic. I am able to foresee and predict the future to a certain extent.¡± ¡°Even though my cultivation base is currently non-existent my skills in fate magic are still extraordinary.¡± ¡°So as soon as I am able to recover a part of my former strength, I can help you with fate predictions.¡± Tang Yue silently listened to the harpy as she pondered about how to best use this unexpected advantage she received. After a while, she clicked her tongue and nodded at the harpy. ¡°By the way, what is your name?¡± ¡°Eleana, Master.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very nice name. Alright. You can take a rest. Do your best to recover and start your cultivation again.¡± Tang Yue handed over to her some medicinal herbs and potions she had which aided in body cleaning and physical tempering. Since the harpy was imprisoned for so long, without any ess to the world¡¯s energy, her body would have umted several impurities. She would have to get rid of these again if she even wanted to dream about recovering her former strength. ¡°I still have some things to do, so I will talk to youter.¡± Tang Yue then dismissed her and her gaze shifted to the huge golden ape sitting in front of her. She wondered if she could possibly talk to the ape just like how she had spoken to the harpy. ¡°Monkey, do you know anything about this ind?¡± She asked the beast, its shining golden fur reflected on her emerald eyes. The ape lifted its head up robotically and looked at Tang Yue in a daze. It then shook its head from left to right as if it weremunicating with her through signs. Tang Yue nodded. She somewhat already expected this answer. ¡°Are there other beasts on the ind besides you and your minions?¡± She asked. This time the ape quickly shook its head up and down. ¡°Perfect!¡± Tang Yue grinned. That¡¯s all she needed to know for now. She quickly summoned the status screen again to see where she stood and which attributes she needed to upgrade as soon as possible. They had merely scraped the surface of this ind and just for that, she was up against something as terrifying as the golden titan ape! So Tang Yue wanted to prepare herself for the worst as they resumed their exploration of the ind. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 14 (300,000/3,276,800) Species: Nether-touched Serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ Body constitution: Silver-tier Saint Body; Divine Lotus Constitution ¨C Layer1 Mana constitution: Silver-tier Saint Core Soul constitution: Silver-tier Demi-God Soul Mental constitution: Silver-tier Saint Mind ______________ Poison resistance: Level 102 Heat resistance: Level 100 Cold resistance: Level 100 Lightning resistance: Level 100 Darkness resistance: Level 100 ______________ Agility: Level 57 Strength: Level 61 Stamina: Level 55 Defense: Level 71 ______________ Attributes: Health points: 1000,000/1000,000 Health regeneration: 0.1hp/hr Mana points: 1000,000/1000,000 Mana regeneration: 10000mp/hr ______________ Contractedpanions: Fire elemental: Level 13 Wind Wolf: Level 7 Harpy: Level 50 Soul Sword: Level 14 ______________ Bloodlines: Iplete Bloodlines: Phoenix (High grade): 0.001% Volcanic Turtle King (High grade): 0.001% Storm dragon (Epic grade): 0.0001% Violet-horned Nether Dragon (Epic grade): 0.0001% Quagmire Dragon (Epic grade): 5% 0.000001% Dwarven bloodline (Rare grade) Completed Bloodlines: Wild Smander (Common grade) Bristle wolf (Common grade) Fire twin-tailed bird (Low grade) Crystal Swan (Low grade) Repugnant Eversong Vine (Low grade) Nine-tailed Armadillo (Low grade) Mountain Bear (Low grade) Devil Boar (Low grade) Quagmire Centipede (High grade) Silver Titan Ape (Mid grade) ______________ Skills: [Lesser Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body by absorbing bloodlines; Only 50% bloodline is required for triggering evolution. [Bloodline Gorger] ¨C Passive skill, Able to absorb bloodlines from meat very efficiently. [Greater Illusion Magic] ¨C Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to two realms. [Higher Earth affinity] ¨C Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high grade earth. [Higher fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high grade fire. [Lesser Ice affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into low grade ice. [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. [Paralyzing Venomous bite] ¨C Active skill, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. [Paralyzing Venom spit] ¨C Active skill, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. [One with the earth] ¨C Active skill; Able to perceive everything on the ground for a radius of 100 miles. [Berserk] ¨C Active skill, Rage overwhelms the blood, body, mind, and soul and all abilities are enhanced for a few seconds. [Venomous Silver Skin] ¨C Passive skill, Scales covering the body areced with venom and are hardened; 10% reduction in damage taken. [Startle] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Able to disturb an enemy¡¯s concentration. [Hide] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Able to hide the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Disguise] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Able to mask and morph the body¡¯s presence and aura. [Enve] ¨C Illusion Magic Spell, Able to bend the mind of a lower realm target to will. ______________ Tang Yue licked her lips as she carefully observed all her traits. She surely still had a long way to go. ¡°Level 14? Hmm¡­ I wonder if I could get any upgrades when I reach Level 15.¡± Thest time Tang Yue had hit Level 10, she had received several benefits and her evolution skill had upgraded resulting in a tremendous leap in her growth. So she very much looked forward to her next level upgrade. ¡°Why the hell are Plum and Eleana at a higher level than me?¡± She grimaced. More importantly, Tang Yue was worried about the soul sword progressing at a faster pace than her. The old man had already warned her about the most important consequence of using a soul weapon. So Tang Yue made sure to all keep an eye on that. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Everything looks decent except for my health regeneration. If possible, I need to hunt some beasts to improve this one.¡± ¡°Tut. Tut. My natural mana regeneration also has a long way to go.¡± She sighed seeing that she was very obviouslycking in several things. ¡°Okay. Let¡¯s do this.¡± Tang Yue excitedly pped her hands together and stood up from the rock she was seated on. ¡°Did you guys rest enough?¡± Her voice thundered,manding the attention of her three pets. All three immediately nodded without anyints. They had all recovered back to their full health and had rested their body and mind quite well. ¡°Let¡¯s move now.¡± Tang Yue grinned and gave them a bright smile, which in reality scared them a little for no apparent reason. Though the harpy had not been with Tang Yue for that long, she had a sixth sense about these things and hence felt the same as Little Plum and Little Blue. But nevertheless, she was excited to be serving a Master like Tang Yue. All three watched Tang Yue as she quickly swept up all the remaining corpses, packing them in her spatial ring for future use. She then leaped forward, walking very energetically, with the beasts quickly following behind her. Tang Yue¡¯s vigor was infectious and soon the three were also equally energetic and pumped like her, all ready for the next bloody battle. ¡°Masta is awesome!¡± Awooo! ¡°Master is amazing.¡± ¡°What a valiant and strong, Master!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s give our best and fight to the death!¡± ¡°Fight! Fight! Fight!¡± All the pets were inwardly shouting and cheering for Tang Yue. And as they walked along, with everyone¡¯s spirits running high, Tang Yue suddenly turned around and mumbled a few words, making the three pets almost stumble and fall. ¡°Hey Monkey, lead us to the weakest beasts on this ind, the ones who are closest to us.¡± Weakest? Eleana opened and closed her mouth wordlessly. ¡°Masta¡­¡± Little Plum as well awkwardly licked its snout looking somewhere else. Only Little Blue showed no shame and listened in on the conversation seriously. Since it had been with Tang Yue for the longest time and had personally witnessed all of her actions and decisions, this was nothing surprising. The golden titan ape, however, had no reaction and it dazedly nodded its head. It was still under Tang Yue¡¯s spell and it obediently followed her orders. The ape turned around and walked in a different direction, heading towards the eastern part of the ind. The apes had managed to amass quite a huge section of the ind, so the group had to walk a bit before even stepping out of their territory. There were still a few white apes and silver apes around but no one dared to interfere ore out especially when their big boss was leading the group. Chapter 355: What does over-powered mean? Part3 Chapter 355: What does over-powered mean? Part3 With the golden titan ape leading the way, Tang Yue and the two wolves and one harpy soon arrived at the eastern part of the ind. In between, they had run into a couple of lower-level stragglers along the way, but Tang Yue quickly finished them off on her own and threw them into her spatial ring without making any ruckus. Their main aim was to deal with the next beast¡¯s nest and they wanted to start the battle as stealthily as possible to gain the upper hand. Irrespective of how weak the beasts were, they were still fighting on their home ground unlike Tang Yue¡¯s group, and had that inbuilt advantage. So the group quietly followed the ape as it leaped through boulders and rocks and dashed past a small hill on their way. ¡°How much longer?¡± Tang Yue paused and asked the ape, still under her Enve spell. Ever since they reached this hill, Tang Yue¡¯s senses were prickling and she could tell that they were not alone. The titan ape turned around to look at her, but it didn¡¯t make any noise. It obediently lifted its thick finger and pointed at the backside of the hill. Tang Yue understood that they were probably close to the beast horde that they hade searching for. She quickly took out her spirit-grade armor set and donned the chest guard, gauntlets, and boots. Even though they were currently a littlecking, she had no other choice but to use them in her battles. Otherwise, they would forever remain at this level, and their spirit would never develop and their potential would never be reached. She also only dared to do this because of the golden ape standing like a big boulder next to her. The beast was still under her envement and it was poised to do her bidding. So if needed she could always sacrifice it and switch out her gear even in the midst of a heated battle. After arranging everything, Tang Yue then signaled the ape that she was ready and gave a nce to the other pets as well. Things were about to heat up! Little Blue snarled and Little Plum shifted to its elemental form, while Eleana mentally prepared herself. The group slowly and cautiously walked around the hill,ing to a full stop immediately after. Abruptly behind the hill was a steep and narrow chasm which seemed to extend downward endlessly, without any bottom in sight. Perhaps it extended to the abyss itself. Tang Yue narrowed her eyes carefully observing this dark and mysterious chasm. ¡°The weak beasts are here?¡± She furrowed her brows and asked the ape again since she couldn¡¯t really see anything nearby. The titan ape obediently nodded its head, answering her question in the same way without changing anything. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue felt perplexed. Things definitely looked a bit risky but the ape, after all, lived here for its entire life and it knew the ind better than her. So she didn¡¯t question its information again and started walking along the length of the chasm, trying to see if she could spot any beasts loitering below standing from their height. However, everything seemed absolutely still and she couldn¡¯t sense any beasts. ¡°Hmm¡­ I should just use ¡®One with the earth¡¯ spell and see if something is here.¡± Tang Yue shook her head helplessly and decided to look more closely into the matter. But just as she was about to cast the spell, a familiar pink-colored rod shot towards her at an rming speed. ¡°Fuck!¡± Tang Yue quickly leaped up and dodged the iing attack using her high agility. Little Blue, Little Plum, and Eleana as well became alert and backed away from the chasm before getting attacked. The group then waited for the beast or the beasts to show up, but even after a few seconds, nothing happened. ¡°Oh. I see how it is.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes glistened. She knew which beast it was and exactly what it was trying to do. She had already recognized that familiar tongue and the patterns of ck ridges on it. This had to be the same kind of frog she had encountered back in the ocean. ¡°What a good sacrificialmb to upgrade my poison.¡± Her eyes shimmered with gratitude. ¡°Wait a minute. Hey monkey, is this really the weakest here?¡± She realized this ring warning and questioned the ape. Even back at the ocean, she had struggled quite a bit to cope up with the attacks of this frog. She had an extra skill now and also had the advantage of the drynd, but still¡­ Tang Yue was slightly concerned about the fact this frog was the weakest beast on the entire ind. And moreover, this time she might not be facing a single frog!!! Chances are that these frogs could be swarming in the chasm below them even right this second, plotting to attack her all at once. Tang Yue knew her limits and she knew full well that she was not capable of dealing with such a situation. So she paused her movements and tried toe up with some sort of a n. ¡°I have to lure these frogs out one at a time. That should be my best bet.¡± Tang Yue hissed. She pondered for a minute before breaking out into a wide grin that sent shivers down Eleana¡¯s back. My master is up to something! The harpy perked up and observed intently. Tang Yue took a step forward again, moving closer to the chasm, but this time, she asked the ape as well to get closer to her. And as soon as she neared the chasm, the pink rod-like tongue instantly shot forward with a clear aim to mess up her bnce and topple her over. There were probably sharp rocks underneath which would without fail impale Tang Yue and that should be how these frogs hunted. But Tang Yue was very alert. It did not give the frog a chance to aplish its usual tactics. As soon as the tongue shot forward to her, she avoided it with ease and at the same time shouted at the ape. ¡°Grab it! NOW!¡± The golden titan ape¡¯s body responded to hermand and its huge figure twisted as it extended its thick hand and caught the retreating tongue midway before it couldpletely return back to the frog. ¡°Got you!¡± Tang Yue hissed in delight. ¡°Pull the damned frog up, monkey¡± Shemanded the ape and moved near it to assist if needed. Her raw strength might not beparable to that of the frog, but she could tell that the ape probably had it beat in that category. She had fought with both of them after all and could guess their strengths and weaknesses to a certain extent. HIYAAAP! A loud whooshing noise sounded and the next instant, the ape who had caught hold of the slippery tongue, pulled up the beast attached to it in one fell swoop. ROARRRRR! The frog groaned in pain, its big round yellow eyespletely bloodshot and even tearing up. It was being helplessly pulled up by its damn tongue! It did not even know how to respond to such an attack! It was one of the stronger beasts in the chasm and never in its life had it been humiliated like this. But the ape didn¡¯t care about the thoughts running in the frog¡¯s brain and quickly flung it around as Tang Yue had ordered it to. Tang Yue was mainly intent on not giving the beast any time to attack because she knew that it had a poison attack and didn¡¯t think that the ape could handle poison well. So they definitely had to at least knock it unconscious before it even had a chance to breathe. The huge titan ape gripped the tongue tightly and started thrashing the frog against the hill as soon as it took the beast out of the chasm. It flung its haggard body left and right and left and right, gripping and holding its tongue. The frog wailed in pail unable to bear this ruthless one-sided massacre and before long, a loud crack sounded. The frog¡¯s tongue had finally given out from the sheer pressure and brutality and the rod-like tongue broke. When the ape mmed the frog against the hill for thest time, the frog was flung aside separately, its tongue still on the ape¡¯s giant golden hand. The lifeless and pitiful frog did not even have the energy to move anymore. The ape, however, casually turned around and looked at Tang Yue, scratching its head, unsure of what to do next. Aaahhh¡­ Tang Yue was gobsmacked. Even she needed to take a minute to digest the scene in front of her. What an overpowering raw strength! She silently thanked the heavens for the ape¡¯s pathetic mental strength. Otherwise, instead of the frog, she would have been the one flung around like this. ¡°This golden thigh! I am never letting you go!!!!¡± Tang Yue resolutely dered. Chapter 356: All Hail The Great Empress! Part1 Chapter 356: All Hail The Great Empress! Part1 ¡°Hey, monkey! Why don¡¯t you jump on it and deal the final blow!¡± Tang Yue smiled bitterly and ordered the titan ape to end the fight. The ape nodded its head and slightly squatted, then jumping up with the strength it had gathered in its thick thighs, itnded directly on the frog. KACHAK! A loud sttering sound echoed apanied by a shrill shriek. The frog which already looked lifeless, now squealed in pain onest time before it diedpletely, with its eyes popped out. Ding. Your ve has killed 1 Poisonous Bull Frog. Ding. 10000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡°Waaah! This is an unexpected benefit!¡± Tang Yue hissed. She didn¡¯t think that she would be reaping benefits from the ape¡¯s hard work, but such was life. It was seldom fair. Tang Yue grinned and quickly walked over to the frog¡¯s corpse stered on the ground, squished beyond recognition, like a t balloon. Near the meat patty, a puddle of liquid ooze had also gathered, a part of it green, a part of it red, and a part of it ck in color. ¡°Hmmm¡­ This is probably some leftover blood and toxins.¡± Tang Yue squatted on the hilly ground and scooped up some of the puddled liquid with her finger. She then licked it, anticipating the familiar notifications. Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Perfect!¡± Tang Yue hissed, her long-forked tongue flickering in and out. She then quickly collected and gobbled up all the liquid poison that she could. These improved her venom and she needed to buff her strength as much as possible with every step she took. So she decided to spend some time and at least drink as much as poison as she could. This did not take long and she shoved the beast¡¯s fleshy body into her ring after she was done. This was not the ape¡¯s territory, so she did not want to risk too much by openly hanging around as well. The threat of the knot of frogs was still very real. So Tang Yue finished the clean-up personally as fast as she could. She then walked over back to the chasm to see if she could catch a second frog by the same method. ¡°Come on. Come on. Froggies! Come to mommy and give me some experience points!¡± Tang Yue eagerly walked back and forth along the edges of the chasm with great expectations. A few seconds passed and then a couple of minutes passed, but nothing had shown up yet. The snake then started getting restless. ¡°Hey Monkey, where are the frogs?¡± She asked the ape in frustration. The golden titan ape looked back at her in confusion as if it had no idea about what she was asking. ¡°Damned monkey, listen. You said there were weak beasts here, right? Where are they?¡± Tang Yue crossed her arms in front of her chest and asked again. This time the ape quickly nodded as if it understood what she was asking and pointed its huge finger below towards the chasm. ¡°Aish!¡± Tang Yue sighed. ¡°If only you could speak!!!¡± She shook her head and tried to get more information from the ape by patiently asking the beast various yes or no questions. ¡°Do we have to go down the chasm to fight with these weak beasts?¡± The ape shook its head, nodding positively. ¡°How deep is this chasm? Can Little Blue climb down safely?¡± This time it instantly replied no! ¡°I guess that makes sense. Little Blue is a bit weak to survive this kind of fall.¡± Tang Yue then thought of something and quickly asked another question to rify this important doubt. ¡°These weak beasts you are referring to, are these the frogs?¡± And to her surprise, the ape once again nodded negatively. ¡°You are not talking about the frogs? Then what the hell kind of beasts are down in this darkness?¡± She was extremely confused. Tang Yue pondered for a while before resorting to asking her not so generous Master. ¡°Old man, do you know what beasts are there in the depths of this chasm?¡± [Nope. Little snake, I already told you that I can¡¯t help you here.] ¡°Arghh! Fine. Fine.¡± Tang Yue tried using the ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ spell again, but weirdly she couldn¡¯t sense anything. In the end, she decided to head down the chasm personally and find out for herself what exactly was living down in the darkness. ¡°Little Blue and Eleana, you two stay here on the top. Let me go down and take a look.¡± ¡°Yes, Master.¡± The harpy nodded. Awoo! Little Blue as well responded. ¡°Plum, youe with me and listen Monkey, you better guard these two with your life.¡± Shemanded. Tang Yue also cast the enve spell once again on the golden titan ape just to be safe. She then quickly dismissed Little Plum, the elemental retreating back into her soul and morphed into her serpentine form. She even cast an invisibility spell to be on the safer side. ¡°Huff! Let¡¯s go.¡± Tang Yue drew in a big breath of fresh air and then slithered down slowly and carefully into the chasm, by climbing down one of the edges. As she headed deeper and deeper inside, only a deafening silence surrounded her, and soon even the sunlight was no longer visible. There was only coarse grey colored rock in front of her, for the entire length and depth of the chasm. She also didn¡¯t find any other beasts, not even the frogs which she was expecting. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Something feels fishy here.¡± She paused her movements and hissed in the darkness. She looked up and down, only to find endless darkness. ¡°Maybe this is just a waste of my time?¡± Tang Yue wondered, but she was already halfway through the chasm, so she reluctantly decided that she might as well head down to the very bottom and verify things once and for all. Tang Yue kept silently slithering farther and farther down, but still, nothing changed at all. There was only silence and darkness all around her. ¡°Ok, that¡¯s it, I am done. If I can¡¯t get to them, then maybe I will draw them to me.¡± She had an idea and she quickly took out Little Plum. The elemental came out in its blob form, floating next to Tang Yue. It was confused because Tang Yue had also undone her stealth spell. ¡°Masta, we are not trying to be under the radar anymore?¡± It asked her. ¡°No¡± She answered. Tang Yue was now clearly visible, more so because of Little Plum acting as a beacon in the absolute darkness that surrounded them. Being invisible did not work so she decided to the opposite. ¡°Come at me if you dare!¡± Tang Yue hissed loudly, shouting at the top of her lungs. Little Plum as well glittered brightly, putting a big spotlight on the long blue-skinned snake. The two slithered up and down energetically waiting for something to move, something to respond, but¡­ Apart from the ruckus they were making, once again, only silence and darkness prevailed everywhere. ¡°Argh! Ok. Enough time has been wasted. We are done here. Let¡¯s head back up and move to the next hunting zone.¡± Tang Yue sighed and started slithering back upwards. She had only barely crawled up a few feet when suddenly a loud hissing noise sounded behind her out of nowhere. ¡°What the hell?¡± Tang Yue instantly stopped her movements and turned back in confusion. ¡°Little Plum get down there and shine some light for me.¡± She hissed. But the little elemental did not even have to move much when its fire illuminated a long serpent on the other wall of the chasm. This snake was also blue-skinned, but its body had weird symbolic ck colored patterns on it. And more importantly, its emerald green eyes were locked onto Tang Yue! It had clearly slithered up in an effort toe closer to her. Tang Yue instantly became alert and she morphed into her human form. The chasm did not have many nooks and protrusions to support a human figure so she quickly cast an earthen spell to make a protruding support for herself. She then summoned her soul sword, wielding it in a defensive manner in case the weird snake tried any tricks on her. However, seeing her movements, the snake unexpectedly pulled its head back and hissed. ¡°Your highness, wait. Wait. Ie in peace.¡± It bobbed its head up and down. ¡°Ah! You can speak?¡± Tang Yue was surprised. ¡°Yes, your highness. I am a snake spirit beast as well.¡± Ah¡­ Tang Yue was dumbstruck. She had expected a lot of things when she slithered down the chasm but she didn¡¯t expect this. Then it slowly dawned on her¡­ When the ape had brought her over here for hunting ¡®weak¡¯ beasts, it had very obviously called these snake spirit beasts as weak beasts! She did not know whether tough or cry at this tant insult! Chapter 357: All Hail The Great Empress! Part2 Chapter 357: All Hail The Great Empress! Part2 Tang Yue eyed the blue patterned spirit snake in front of her with curiosity. She had so many questions. ¡°What is this ce?¡± She hissed, the various possibilities running in her mind. The snake in front of her bobbed its head up and down, hissing quietly. ¡°Your highness¡­ Your highness¡­¡± He hesitated. ¡°Could you please wait a moment?¡± ¡°Hmmm? Why?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ That¡­ That¡­ I am not at liberty to tell.¡± Huh? Tang Yue was confused. She did not know what the snake¡¯s intentions were. And why does he keep calling her highness? It¡¯s not like he knew who she was or where she wasing from. Surely, her fame, or rather her infamy hadn¡¯t spread this far. As she was about to open her mouth and inquire further, several other hissing sounds came from underneath. About a dozen or so serpents came slithering upwards from within the darkness of the chasm. ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡­ ¡­ And every single one of the blue snake spirit beasts all of a sudden started greeting her respectfully one after the other. Ah¡­ Tang Yue found herself tongue-tied. She sighed helplessly and decided to wait for the situation to untangle itself. Thankfully, without making any more fuss, one of the snakes slithered forward towards her, this one being particrly longer and bigger. ¡°Your highness, I am Jin Wei, the n elder. I will be serving as your humble servant from now on.¡± The snake hissed and introduced himself. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Tang Yue furrowed her brows, not knowing how to respond. She lightly nodded and signaled the beast to continue talking. ¡°Your highness, if you don¡¯t mind, can we please head down to the main cave and talk more in detail?¡± He hissed. Tang Yue was a bit unsure if all of this was an borate trap but the snake in front of her had only barely stepped into the Emperor realm. In other words, he was an entire realm weaker than her and so were the other snakes who hade forward to greet her. If they dared to double cross her or try something fishy she can kill them all within seconds. So she decided to give them a chance and morphed back into her serpentine form, slithering down into the chasm along with the other snakes. The snakes seemed to be very familiar with the nooks and corners of the chasm and slithered downward with confidence even though they were heading deeper into the darkness. However, not too long after, their movements paused, as they started slithering horizontally in through a crack on the chasm¡¯s rocky wall. It was a very narrow hole extending crisscross, farther into the solid rocky ground. Tang Yue sighed and continued patiently slithering, following the group of snakes. She could somewhat understand why they resided in such a convoluted ce. Considering that the ind was very dangerous, inhabited by far more terrifying beasts, this made sense. So she quietly indulged them withoutining. Thankfully, she didn¡¯t have to wait much longer and the group arrived at an opening of sorts. Tang Yue bobbed her head down and slithered into the small opening, which further opened into a giant cave. It was an underground cave, beneath the hill, beside which the chasm was located. The huge cavern had severalyers, and also a stream of water, constantly flowing, streaking across, falling down these variousyers, and tapering into a small waterfall on ake at the center of the cavern. But that was not what caught her eyes! Standing in front of her, or rather slithering in front of her were hundred or so serpentine spirit beasts. Simr to the ones she had seen, these snakes as well had pale blue skin but with pitch ck runic patterns. Some of them were in their beast form, some of them were in their human form and some of them were surprisingly in theirmia form, half human, and half beast. Tang Yue curiously eyed the serpents, especially themia serpents. It is said that a snake¡¯s illusion magic was most effective in itsmia form. And importantly, not everyone in her n had this ability to shift into theirmia form. Only some could. Tang Yue herself had never been able to. She was also not particrly fond of that form as it exposed her private parts and so she never cared. But the sight of so many serpents at the same time made her speechless. And to make things more interesting, as soon as she entered the underground cave opening, all the snake spirit beasts immediately started bowing and hissing respectfully. ¡°All Hail The Great Empress!¡± ¡°All Hail The Great Empress!¡± ¡°All Hail The Great Empress!¡± ¡­ ¡­ Tang Yue was nothing short of entranced at this ridiculous demonstration. She awkwardly smiled, unsure of how to react. Though she was indeed a princess from a royal family, and moreover, also betrothed to the Crown Prince of the elven nation, she had never once experienced something like this. People had always looked at her with disgust or hatred or jealousy or even pity, but never once had she been revered like this. She couldn¡¯t help but feel small bumps crawl up on her skin all over her body and her heart thumping nervously. She turned towards the snake who introduced himself as the n elder and whispered. ¡°Can we talk first?¡± The elder bobbed his head up and down, and then quickly morphed into hismia form. ¡°Disperse.¡± He loudly pped his hands. The man looked old and weary but his voice had a visible excitement to it. Hearing hismand, the snakes didn¡¯t dawdle around and instantly disappeared, slithering away as fast as they could. Some even dived into the water and swam away heading to the depths. The elder then turned around and bowed respectfully in front of Tang Yue. ¡°Your highness.¡± ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s stop with these formalities. First, tell me what the hell is going on here.¡± Tang Yue sat down on one of the rocks and asked. The elder proceeded to tantly ignore the first part of her order and obediently responded to the second part. ¡°Your highness, before I say anything, could this humble servant ask you a question?¡± Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched. She had asked him to stop behaving like this. She shook her head, giving up on the thought, and waved her hand, signaling the elder to continue talking. ¡°If I am not wrong, your highness, you should be able to absorb bloodlines of living beings and temper yourself?¡± The elder muttered with a straight face. Tang Yue was instantly shocked. This random old snake was casually talking about her secret??? What the hell?? She nodded hesitantly, while at the same time preparing herself for any unexpected attacks. The elder noticed Tang Yue¡¯s change in expression and quickly assured her. ¡°Thank you, your highness. This servant is extremely grateful for your trust.¡± ¡°If I may be so presumptuous, could it also be true that your highness knows nothing about this ind and perhaps came here from anothernd?¡± The elder once again asked, to which Tang Yue simply nodded. The man¡¯s eyes immediately widened and it even glistened, as if the elder was about to break into tears. ¡°Ah. Thank the heavens! Thank the heavens! Our exile is over! What we assumed was indeed correct!¡± ¡°You are our savior! Ahhh! Please ept my humble n as your servants, your highness.¡± ¡°Please give us the chance to serve you, oh Great Empress.¡± The old snake started trembling and shouting fervently. Tang Yue sighed, furrowing her brows. After talking this and that, they were once again back to this starting point and she hadn¡¯t learned a single thing. Not that she was not happy to gain a bunch of followers but what was she going to do with a group of weak ass snakes? She didn¡¯t even have the strength to protect herself, and the few people that she loved, let alone take so many snake spirit beasts under her wing. ¡°Listen, Jin Wei.¡± She bluntly replied. ¡°Can you calm down and exin things first?¡± ¡°Why are you calling me your savior? And how do you know all these specific details about me?¡± ¡°Your highness, this servant apologizes for bing emotional. Let me exin everything.¡± ¡°Ok.¡± Tang Yue nodded. ¡°This ind is not really and essible to everyone.¡± ¡°It is in fact a graveyard, the resting ce of one of our great great ancestors, the Great Empress Medussa.¡± ¡°Her body is buried here?¡± Tang Yue hurriedly interrupted him. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the treasures and secrets hidden in the grave of such a powerful being. However, the elder Jin Wei shook his head solemnly. ¡°Even though this ce is called her grave, there are no remains of the Empress.¡± ¡°Her ending was a bit¡­ She was sted into smithereens.¡± He exined. ¡°This was the ce she was captured and killed, her regimeing to an end.¡± Chapter 358: All Hail The Great Empress! Part3 Chapter 358: All Hail The Great Empress! Part3 ¡°Her ending was a bit¡­ She was sted into smithereens.¡± Jin Wei exined. ¡°This was the ce she was captured and killed, her regimeing to an end.¡± Tang Yue gulped nervously at the thought of the opponent, who could have sted someone called ¡®The Great Empress¡¯ into nothingness. And these people were also calling her ¡®The Great Empress¡¯¡­ Chances were that he or she was still alive and would most probablye knocking at her doorstep if the news about her ever spreads. Tang Yue shook that frightening thought out of her mind and decided to focus on the things in front of her first. ¡°So what happened after that? Do you know who killed her?¡± Jin Wei shook his head helplessly. We only know the vague details. ¡°Please follow me, your highness.¡± The elder bowed and then started slithering, still in hismia form, as he hurried down towards the small waterfall in the back corner of the cave. Tang Yue as well followed behind him. Behind the waterfalls, there seemed to be another cave of sorts, but this one was much smaller. Jin Wei quickly slithered and took one of the torches on the outer cave walls, intending to light up the small inner cave. Tang Yue patiently waited for the elder to do his work. She was still trying to process everything. Meanwhile, she tried to probe the old man if he knew about all of this. ¡°Old man, did you about this Medussa Empress?¡± [Yes, little snake. This was exactly why I warned you. Her majesty went out of control, even though I advised her against it.] [She massacred several millions just to gain more and more power.] [In the end, several powerful peoplebined their strengths together and brought her down.] [They were also severely injured in the process, but her majesty was the only one who waspletely destroyed.] [Even her soul was blown up. Do you understand now? You are to never massacre!] Tang Yue chuckled. It looked like she was the viin in this story but she didn¡¯t mind it. ¡°Ok. Alright. Alright. Old man, I won¡¯t go on a killing rampage. At least not without proper reason and definitely not without the strength to back it up.¡± ¡°By the way, how are you rted to this Medussa person?¡± [That¡¯s none of your business, dumb little snake. Why don¡¯t you pay attention to things around you first.] The old immediately chewed out Tang Yue. She giggled inwardly, jotting down that this issue was a trigger point for the old man. Not that she was nning to avoid it, she was rather nning to bring it up again and again. Thanks to him manipting her and Charlotte, she was now stuck in a bothersome love triangle, for which she was probably going to suffer a lot after getting out of this ind. She still needed to pay him back for that. Tang Yue immediately missed the two lovable idiots in her life and sighed lightly. The elder had by now ced several torches in the small cave,pletely illuminating the ce. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp as she craned her neck and looked around. The small cave walls werepletely filled with scribblings, or rather archaic drawings, most probably depicting historical events. There was a giant beast that looked half serpent and half dragon and mes were spewing out of its mouth destroying millions and millions of people. Even the details of her ability was engraved on the rock, with the serpent eating various other beasts and gaining their horns and tail. In the next section, five heroes stood in front of this beast and they all had various weapons in their hand all pointing to the snake-dragon hybrid beast. The next figure showed the beast crying in pain and it shattering into a million pieces. Tang Yue now understood that the elder Jin Wei had in fact told her this sequence of events as a story. After killing the beast, the five heroes apparently ughtered all the remaining members of the snake and even hunted down various snake eggs which Medussa had stored for safekeeping. This was the final killing blow that hadpletely obliterated the bloodline. They were still doubtful that some eggs were missing so they sealed and isted this part of the world as a precaution. ¡°How vicious?¡± Tang Yue hissed. They hadined about Medussa being wicked but they turned around and did just the same thing. ¡°Ha Ha¡­ the hypocrisy¡­¡± She observed the various depictions and finally nodded, pondering about a very important question. ¡°How are you guys still alive then?¡± Jin Wei bowed and mumbled. ¡°Your highness, they couldn¡¯tpletely eradicate all of us.¡± ¡°Our Great Empress¡¯s bloodline runs in our veins as well.¡± ¡°We could have restored the former glory of our Serpentine Empire but the Gods who killed our Empress predicted this as well and ced a curse on the ind, sealing our bloodline abilities.¡± He pointed to the ck tattoos covering the pale blue skin and exined. They looked like runic designs. Tang Yue wondered if these could be removed at all. ¡°So I assume this is also the reason why your cultivation is not progressing much?¡± The elder nodded. ¡°Yes, your highness. This is indeed the reason why we are unable to step outside of the Emperor realm.¡± Mmm. Tang Yue nodded. ¡°Is this all the records of history that you have?¡± She asked. There were still some things that were unclear to her. For instance, if this entire ind was cursed, then what about the Nine countries on the shores of the ocean? How was she not cursed and her bloodline is unlocked? Jin Wei understood her confusion. ¡°The Great Empress¡¯s royal pce is at the center of this ind. There might be more secrets and answers to your questions there.¡± He suggested. ¡°Oh! I see. Have you ever been there?¡± Tang Yue hissed curiously. ¡°Your highness, please forgive our ipetence.¡± ¡°We have been trying but because of the curse we have never even been able to get out of this chasm, let alone reach the inner areas of the ind.¡± Jin Wei bitterly smiled. ¡°That¡¯s alright.¡± Tang Yue waved her hand. She knew that these snakes had it hard and it must have been difficult for them to survive on this ind. They had already helped her enough and she didn¡¯t expect anything more. ¡°Wait a second. So how did you guys know about me then? That I wasing here?¡± Tang Yue remembered this point and asked the question suddenly. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± Jin Wei embarrassedly scratched his head. The man actually didn¡¯t know. He saw that Tang Yue was a Saint realm expert and instantly started fawning over her. Even after bringing her down, he had only guessed about this bloodline attribute. In reality, he was ready to bend over and serve anyone powerful that came along their way and showed kindness to them. After having suffered badly on the ind, they were really that desperate. Generations after generations of snake spirit beasts lived and died within this small chasm, without even daring to step out once. Such was their fate. So when he saw that Tang Yue was powerful and she was also a snake spirit beast, he decided to leave everything to fate and fell on her feet. He knew that basically he was begging Tang Yue to get her permission to ride on her coattails but he was the n leader. So he had a responsibility to others that he could not shirk from. So even though they were only a burden, he still shamelessly begged Tang Yue, asking her to take them as her subjects. And now¡­ he was stammering¡­ unable to exin this. Tang Yue chuckled, noticing that something was weird. It was not that difficult for her to figure out though. Jin Wei¡¯s face and his embarrassed expressions told her everything! ¡°Did you just make a guess?¡± She asked him, sighing helplessly. ¡°Yes, your highness.¡± Jin Wei honestly admitted and then morphed into his human form, falling down on her feet. ¡°Please forgive our impudence, your highness. Take your anger out on me if you wish, but please ept my n members as your subjects or even servants.¡± ¡°We will forever be grateful to you. We will never betray you. Please rescue us from this misery.¡± He pleaded. So the entire n was in on it when they bowed in front of me collectively, chanting ¡®All Hail the Empress¡¯? Fuck! Tang Yue was speechless. She understood their desperation but still, this was an borate scheme to guilt-trip her. She shook her head and waved at the elder to stand up. She didn¡¯t n on punishing them for this, but she still warned him. ¡°It¡¯s alright. But make sure that this is thest time you try something like this.¡± ¡°If I find out that you are hiding something else from me, then mark my words. I will ughter everyst one of you even if that is thest thing that I do.¡± Chapter 359: Plundering through the island Part1 Chapter 359: Plundering through the ind Part1 Tang Yue rubbed her temples, trying to piece together all the new information that she had. Too many things were on her mind making it messy but the n was still simple and straightforward. Thin down the beast horde on the ind and raid Medussa¡¯s pce for goodies! Tang Yue took a deep breath and then looked at the elder was trembling from happiness. This guy! She shook her head. ¡°Jin Wei, listen. Why don¡¯t youe along with us? I need a guide for the ind.¡± ¡°Well, actually I have one I guess. Sort of. But you might also be useful.¡± ¡°Do you wish toe with me?¡± She asked him, already preparing to leave the chasm. She was not toofortable leaving Little Blue and Eleana up there all alone by themselves for too long. Even though the titan ape was with them, she didn¡¯t want to take any chances. And it didn¡¯t really matter if Jin Wei apanied them or not. Hearing about the history was well and good, but the present was the one which mattered the most. The elder, however, was more than happy to oblige and immediately agreed. ¡°Your highness, please ept my humble servitude.¡± ¡°Alright, let¡¯s move then. I don¡¯t have much time.¡± Tang Yue nodded and started slithering out, heading towards the small exit. Jin Wei hurriedly caught up to her and asked her, bowing respectfully. ¡°Your highness, do you need more men? I can bring along 20 strong Emperor realm experts.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s mouth twitched at this. Is he really calling Emperor realm experts strong? But still, she nodded. ¡°Okay, bring them along with you. Make it fast. Let¡¯s head to the surface.¡± ¡°And one more thing, I am telling you this beforehand. I cannot guarantee anyone¡¯s safety.¡± ¡°So you are all wee to tag along with me at your own risk.¡± She warned them straightforwardly. Chances are that they were going to meet extremely strong beasts like the golden titan ape and she didn¡¯t want to give them any false sense of security. Tang Yue, in fact, half expected the elder to back out of his offer, but weirdly the man seemed resolute enough. ¡°Your highness, I understand. Please forgive this old man¡¯s audacity. We would still like toe along with you.¡± Jin Wei dered. ¡°Alright then.¡± Tang Yue nodded. Soon, a group of snakes slithered out of the chasm, making both Little Blue and Eleana lightly gasp in surprise. ¡°Calm down guys. It¡¯s just me.¡± Tang Yue chuckled. Little Blue yelped and quickly ran over to Tang Yue as if it was guarding her against all the other snakes. ¡°Alright. Alright. Settle down. These are just friends.¡± She ruffled the wolf¡¯s head and quickly cast another Enve spell on the golden titan ape. Jin Wei and the dozen snakes behind him couldn¡¯t help but gulp in fear. They also had the ability to use illusion magic and they were well aware of the Envement spell. But to use it on such a strong beast like the titan ape required tremendous mental strength!!! They all gaped at Tang Yue with their mouth wide open, half in fear and half in reverence. They also yearned to be strong and fearless like her. After making sure that the spell was sessful, Tang Yue then looked at the ape once again and asked. ¡°Bring me to the weakest beasts, preferably those who are the closest to us.¡± The ape once again looked at the snakes near her and she quickly interjected the thought. ¡°Hey dummy, forget about the snakes. Who is the next in line?¡± She asked in exasperation. The ape growled in a low voice, pausing for a moment. He then started lifted his thick hand and pointed farther down the eastern part of the ind. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± Tang Yue hissed and started walking, the group closely following behind her. As she headed over to the next beast horde, she had a doubt and asked the old man. ¡°Is it possible to share this system feature with these guys?¡± [No little snake. I am not that powerful. Feed me more soul power then we can make such arrangements.] [With your pitiful soul power, I can only aplish this much.] ¡°Tsk. Tsk. Damn parasite.¡± Tang Yue cursed him and kept walking. Increasing soul power was a very problematic thing. She had luckily encountered those soul orbs back at thebyrinth and she had leeched off of someone else¡¯s collected souls and hard work, but otherwise, it was a process that took a very long time and a lot of luck. ¡°Well, one step at a time.¡± Tang Yue shook her head and continued walking. Behind the hilly terrain was a forest with a pungent marshy atmosphere. Even before she entered these grounds, Tang Yue already had a feeling whom they were about to encounter. ¡°Hey monkey, are you taking me to see some frogs?¡± She asked and the golden ape immediately nodded. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s wait here for a minute. We need to make some preparations.¡± She turned around and instructed the dozen snake spirit beasts and Jin Wei. ¡°Listen guys, always stay behind me. These frogs have a very strong tongue and a potent poison.¡± ¡°They will probably kill you all in a single blow. Can you cast an invisibility spell on yourself?¡± ¡°I think that might be for the best.¡± She advised them. Jin Wei quickly nodded and replied. ¡°Yes, your highness. We can do that.¡± ¡°I am not sure how effective it will be, but we are capable of casting invisibility spell.¡± The group quickly made themselves invisible, leaving only Eleana and Little White vulnerable. Tang Yue frowned and then summoned Little Plum to stand next to them and block any iing attack if needed. The group then proceeded to move forward slowly and cautiously, looking out for any potential bulging green balls. The muddy waters surrounded by trees and the murky aura made it difficult for them to properly scan the surroundings. But not long after, two thick rods of flesh shot out from underneath a thick patch of grass floating on the marsh. Chapter 360: Plundering through the island Part2 Chapter 360: Plundering through the ind Part2 ¡°Here we go.¡± Tang Yue shouted and clutched the soul sword tightly. She only maintained a defensive position, having no intention of taking the initiative to fight against these frogs. And it looked like, that was indeed the best strategy for her at the moment because the frogs hadpletely ignored the titan ape and their thick fleshy tongue rods were aimed at her rather than the ape. ¡°Did they already figure out that the ape is under my control?¡± Tang Yue hissed in shock. She skillfully moved and maneuvered, narrowly dodging the tongues every time. The attack pattern of the frogs was very readable but they also seemed to be learning her movements just as quickly. They clearly intended to pull Tang Yue towards them using their tongue as a weapon and their mouth probably had some sort of paralytic poison. So once Tang Yue was caught by the tongue, she would be instantly rolled to their big mouth and it would be game over. ¡°Monkey, don¡¯t just stand around simply watching, you idiot.¡± Tang Yue screamed in between her pants. ¡°Catch the tongues and squish the frogs quick.¡± This was the problem with enved beasts. She had to give the beastmands word for word. As soon she shouted at the ape, it then immediately leaped into action and started trying to grab the tonguesshing at Tang Yue. But the very next second, the frogs quickly pulled back their tongues, and a loud brain-shattering noise echoed in session. CROAK CROAK CROAK Tang Yue¡¯s head vibrated, her eardrums unable to bear the rumbling noises. Their shouts had some sort of disorienting effects. Previously, the single frog that had wandered into the chasm was defeated in the span of a second because it only saw Tang Yue and was caught off guard by the titan ape. But these two frogs currently attacking her could clearly see the entire picture and were not as easily tricked. They retreated their tongues as soon as they saw the titan ape jumping into action and started croaking loudly. Tang Yue tried to stabilize herself and flushed her body with another wave of mana clearing any hidden mental attacks in the croaks. While the titan ape growled in pain, her vision quickly cleared and she could immediately see what was happening. Just like how she had targeted the ape with mental attacks, the frogs did the same and they also had attacked the beast and herself with a sort of disorienting mental attack. Seeing that the ape was momentarily incapacitated, the frogs again started attacking Tang Yue,shing at her with their tongues. ¡°Fuck!¡± Tang Yue shouted and once again started dodging. What cunning and vicious creatures! She was amazed. These frogs were different from any other beasts she had faced until now and were extremely intelligent. Tang Yue decidedly kept an eye on them for additional parlor tricks as she evaded their attacks. While these two frogspletely focused on her and attacked her with their full concentration, the surrounding slurry waters of the marsh suddenly started moving in big waves. Fuck! Tang Yue had a bad premonition. In particr, the magnitude of the waves was troubling her. And just as she feared, the waves suddenly stopped and three more bulges arose from the marsh waters. A total of five big green frogs stared at her,pletely encircling her. Tang Yue did not panic and calmed herself down. She knew that she was in a very precarious situation now and the others standing around her couldn¡¯t reallye to the rescue. The ape, as well, was still wobbling around, fully disoriented. Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. Tang Yue hissed. Back in the ocean, she could only barely deal with one frog and now there were five frogs waiting to decimate her. Her brain spun thinking of various possibilities but she couldn¡¯te up with any solution at all. She couldn¡¯t see a shortcut through this big mess. It looked like she had no other option but to fight her way out of this clutch point. Tang Yue did not hesitate and quickly cast an invisibility spell on herself. She tried to use stealth to give her an advantage over their numbers. But the frogs had already prepared a counter for this move and readily pulled their heads back, all five reacting the same way. Then they sucked in a huge breath of air, all five of their cheeks puffing up to twice the size of their body, and released their breath in sync, all five of them at the same time. WHOOSH! WHOOSH! FWOOSH! WHOOSH! FWHOOSH! Five bursts of thick poisonous miasma hit Tang Yue who had only slightly moved from her center position after casting the invisibility spell. Her movement speed was greatly reduced in the slurry marsh and if she made huge movements, then her invisibility spell would be broken and her figure would be revealed. So she did not manage to get out of the encirclement when the frogs blew the thick poisonous miasma at her. She was still locked in. With such strong bursts of poisonous gas blowing at her forcefully, Tang Yue stumbled, barely holding on. Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Notifications continually rolled into her ears, but her condition was worsening with every passing second. The strong poison was choking and suffocating her. She could barely think straight. Meanwhile, the frogs did not remain still and started madlyshing their tongues out, trying to forcefully reveal her presence. It was only a matter of seconds before Tang Yue waspletely found out and then her body would be crushed into a meat paste. She weakly blinked her eyes and nced at the ape, which had now fallen down, after inhaling copious amounts of the poisonous miasma. Her otherpanions including Little Plum, Little Blue, Eleana, and Jin Wei were also helpless. In fact, they didn¡¯t even know that Tang Yue was suffering and need their assistance. At this point, they couldn¡¯t even see what was happening beyond the purple-colored poisonous mist that crawled around the entirety of the swamp. Chapter 361: Plundering through the island Part3 Chapter 361: Plundering through the ind Part3 Tang Yue wheezed as she tried to condition her body to the poison swirling around her, but unfortunately, it was not an instantaneous process and it took time. She only needed a few minutes at tops but that in itself was a big ask right at this moment. The frogs were not dumb enough to give her this time and lose their advantage. They kept poking their tongues out and searching the marsh for her invisible body. Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Huff¡­ Tang Yue panted. The ape had already lost its consciousness and she tried to hold onto hers with everyst bit of strength in her body. The world around her spun and she started feeling faint. In such a state, her thoughts were haphazard and she couldn¡¯t even think of anything coherently. But she knew one thing for sure. At this point, there was no one else to rely on except for herself. Tang Yue forced herself to remain conscious andmanded her brain to think. She feebly sorted out her messy thoughts and tried to figure a way out of this death trap. ¡°Poison¡­ Poison¡­ Poison¡­ Gas¡­ Thick body¡­ Strong reflexes¡­ Tongue¡­ Eyes¡­ Intelligent¡­¡± Her mind messily ran through the various attributes of the frog, trying to think of a weakness. Previously when she had faced the frog, it was in the middle of the ocean. There was water everywhere and Tang Yue had wrongly assumed that it had held her back. She thought that she would have had more of an advantage on drynd, but she was clearly wrong to have thought so. In retrospect, the ocean waters seemed to have diluted the poison burst from the frog, giving her a fighting chance back then. As Tang Yue¡¯s mind uselessly wandered over the things that had happened, something clicked and she instantly sobered up. The rity was probably only going tost for a second before she felt dizzy and suffocated again, but she now knew what she had to do! The solution had been right in front of her all along! Tang Yue had realized that she was in an ocean when she fought with the frog before and now she was in a marsh. Not a dry barrennd but a marsh! Using thest bit of her consciousness, she called out to Little Plum. ¡°Dragon Dance.¡± She muttered weakly, while at the same time, giant me serpent heads roared from the palm of her right hand. The next instant, the entire marsh lit up like a furnace, the mes traveling far and wide. This was because the gases floating around a marsh were typically were susceptible to catching fire. And their mmability was only increased by the poisonous miasma spewed out by the frogs. So as soon as Tang Yue cast the fire spell, the mixture of stagnant marsh air lit up instantly, and roars of deadly me zed on the surface of the marsh. Little Plum also rushed over to Tang Yue¡¯s side and added more power to the fire. Due to this, her invisibility spell waspletely broken, revealing Tang Yue¡¯s slender figure. However, the frogs couldn¡¯t care less about that right now. They knew that even if they put her down, the fire was still going to rage across the marsh. And this was exactly one of their main weak points! They had a sturdy body, a strong exterior, and thick flesh acting as a defensive barrier. If Tang Yue had simply shed at them with her soul weapon at its current state, she wouldn¡¯t even have been able to leave a scratch. But with this fire elemental magic, she was able topletely overwhelm them. The thick fleshy body of the frogs sizzled in the heat and the entire forest was filled with the deafening sound of their croaks. Raaa! Raaa! Raaaa! The frogs screamed from the agony of their burning skin. Tang Yue had managed to almost divert their attention for an entire minute and this was all she needed! Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded Ding. Poison Resistance has been upgraded ¡­ ¡­ Notifications filled her ears and she now started feeling better with every passing second. Her body was already starting to adapt and evolve from the thick poisonous fumes. Little Plum was spinning in its elemental form, shooting out mes in all directions so thankfully it was not affected by the poison. And now that Tang Yue had also somewhat adapted, she was ready to fullyunch her counterattacks. She summoned her soul sword and used the strength in her legs to leap towards the frog that was closest to her. The frogs by now had already started attempting to run away. Since the marsh waters were shallow, they couldn¡¯t exactly dip their huge body within it in order to get away from the mes zing everywhere. They had no other option but to run away from this fight for now. Tang Yue, on the other hand, had a divine body immune to the elementals. So she casually leaped through the mes andtched onto the frog closest to her. KACHA KACHA KACHA She swung her sword with the full strength that she could muster and her body glowed with a silver aura. She had activated her Silver Skin skill. Raaaa! Raaaa! Raaaa! The frog roared and stuck its tongue out at her in anger and agony. Tang Yue smirked and used this chance to sh at its tongue with her sword enveloped in mes, Heaven¡¯s Path Third Move ¨C Fire sh. The frog¡¯s meaty tongue sizzled as blisters started appearing at the sh mark the sword left. Tang Yue did not give the beast a break and quickly shed at it with a vengeance, again and again, and again and again. By the time her tenth hitnded, the frog was too hurt to even open its mouth. It let out a loud painful roar and Tang Yue immediately used this distraction to leap atop the frog and plunged her sword directly in one of the horrendous-looking burn injuries on its body. Chapter 362: Plundering through the island Part4 Chapter 362: Plundering through the ind Part4 Tang Yue leaped on top of the frog and plunged her sword directly into one of the horrendous looking burn injuries on its body. It twisted and turned in agony. She then stabbed it, again and again, using her soul sword like a dagger, and targeted all the open injuries. As she continually attacked it, it was also simultaneously suffering from the marsh fire enveloping its body, leaving it extremely vulnerable. So it was easy for Tang Yue to find holes in its thick defensive barrier and she kept attacking one after the other in session. And in a matter of seconds, the frog finally gave up, letting out a loud croak, thest of its life slipping out of its body. Tang Yue did not waste another moment and quickly chased after the other frogs that were running away from her as fast as they could. Two of them had sessfully gotten away, but she could still see the silhouettes of the remaining two. She chased after them, setting fire to the entire marsh as she went. Little Plum as well tagged closely and followed her zing trail. ¡°Little Plum. Keep this one busy.¡± She shouted and attacked the one who was farthest from her. Thanks to the smoke and heat everywhere, she was able to catch up to the frog¡¯s high agility and directly attacked it as she cornered the beast. The frog tried to attack her again with its tongue without any other options left in front of it. But Tang Yue quickly dodged it and closed the distance between them, making the beast unable to use its tongue any longer. She raised her sword and shed down at the beast when suddenly another sturdy rod hit her from behind. Little Plum couldn¡¯t hold back the other frog any longer and from the looks of it, it had decided to team up with its buddy rather than flee away from the scene. Tang Yue smirked. Her body shuddered from the hit whichnded on her, but thanks to her silver skin enhancement, she was able to withstand it. She wiped the blood that leaked from the corner of her lips and quickly moved, dodging the next couple of attacks from the second frog. She didn¡¯t understand why it decided to fight her instead of running away but when she noticed that they were already a the edge of the marshy terrain and back on the hilly terrain, she instantly understood its intentions. However, Tang Yue was still not worried because the beast had clearly misjudged the situation. Both the frogs were already heavily injured and theirbined strength was no longer enough to overwhelm her, let alone protect them from her. She leaped amidst the smoke and fire, intermittently casting the invisibility spell to confuse the two frogs and kept shing at their open wounds, hacking at their health bit by bit. After that, it was only a matter of seconds before she dominated the two beasts and brought them both down. THUD. THUD. As the two frogs fell, Tang Yue flopped onto the burning marsh in utter exhaustion, finally sighing in relief that the fight was over. ¡°Aha Ha Ha Ha Ha.¡± She threw her head back up,ughing in a state of exhration. This was the first battle that she had truly gone all out and she felt alive. Her mind and her heart were clear and all the confusions had disappeared. Tang Yue chuckled and she cocked her head to the side to look at the ball of fire elemental buzzing near her. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Little Plum.¡± She stood up, her figure firm, and resolute. The two of them then quickly collected the dead frogs and dashed back to their original starting point, where Tang Yue had killed the first frog. But as soon as they neared that spot, Tang Yue could already see a huge silhouette lying on the burning marsnds. ¡°Fuck. Fuck. Fuck¡± She hissed in disappointment and dashed forward at full speed, but it was already toote. The golden titan ape¡¯s dead and lifeless body was slowly getting burned and charred from the fires. She could see that its skin was as thick and sturdy as ever, the fire only managing to sizzle the outeryer. ¡°Ah¡­ So you died from the poison.¡± Tang Yue clicked her tongue. This was a rather huge loss for her. She had lost her brainless muscle power, but there wasn¡¯t anything that she could do at this point. So she simply sighed and collected that corpse as well. ¡°Alright. Only thest frog is remaining now.¡± She walked over to the frog that she had killed previously, which would make the total number of frogs in her possession four, including the one which the ape had smashed into a meat paste. Tang Yue did not think twice and quickly flipped thest corpse into her spatial ring when suddenly a faint silver glow caught her eyes. Huh? She blinked, trying to see what the glow was, but she couldn¡¯t see too well amidst all the chaotic fire. Before she could figure out anything further, the old man¡¯s voice chimed in, ringing loudly inside her head. [Little snake, quick quick. Get that beetle.] ¡°What beetle?¡± Tang Yue asked. [I can sense a Silver Soul Beetle here, little snake. Go grab it.] ¡°It¡¯s just a beetle. What is so special about it? I don¡¯t want to. I am too tired from thest battle.¡± [Do you want to argue with me right now or capture the beetle before it disappears? So dumb!] ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have just exined things to me by now instead of spouting all this nonsense?¡± Tang Yue pped her forehead. Though she was mouthing off at him, her eyes were already glued on to the faint silver glow as they trailed its flight pattern with an unwavering concentration. At the same time, she also took out a few potions and dunked them in one by one, recuperating her strength and stamina as much as she could. Chapter 363: Plundering through the island Part5 Chapter 363: Plundering through the ind Part5 Tang Yue looked at the Silver Soul beetle with aplex gaze. At first sight, it seemed extremely weak but she could tell that the thing probably had some tricks. [Yes, little snake. You are correct. That beetle is very adept at escaping. You have to catch it in one go.] [Don¡¯t think too much and just grab it with your hand at your full speed. Easy and simple.] Tang Yue nodded, but she didn¡¯t quite agree with the method. After thinking for a few seconds, she sucked in a deep breath of air and mumbled under her breath. Arise~ The next instant countless minute needle-like spears materialized next to her, each having a red sheen to it. [Oh ho! Lava needles. Not bad. Not bad.] The old man chimed inside her head. ¡°Hush!¡± Tang Yue shushed him mentally and then used all of her concentration to rain down the dozens ofva needles on the unsuspecting beetle. Normally, it would have noticed her by now, but thanks to the poison fumes, it was not doing great and hence didn¡¯t respond in time even after sensing the iing danger. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh. Theva needles rained on the beetle without waiting for it to react,pletely surrounding it, not giving it any space to run away. One of the thin needles directly pierced its small body, skewering it. Ding. 1 Silver Soul beetle killed Ding. 50 Experience points have been rewarded ¡°Got you!¡± Tang Yue pped her hands in excitement. She then rushed forward to grab that singleva needle with the silver beetle¡¯s body on it. [Quick. Quick. Eat it!] The old man urged her. ¡°Ok. Ok. Can you at least tell me now what is so special about this guy?¡± Tang Yue frowned, directly sucking the beetle from theva skewer as if she was savoring a delicacy. Ding. 100% Silver Soul beetle bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated Perhaps because the beetle was only a low-grade beast, Tang Yue barely felt a pinch the entire evolution process was triggered andpleted in a jiffy. The other serpentine spirit beasts who were watching everything from a distance blinked their eyes in shock. They had all only read about this, heard about this as tales and praises of the Great Empress Medussa. This was the first time they were seeing it in action. All of them were utterly dumbfounded. Some of them copsed on the ground, kneeling in respect, while others bowed deeply in reverence. The elder Jin Wei even had tears streaming from his eyes. They had all suffered a lot and their only redemption, their savior was standing in front of them. He too then bowed in reverence. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 500 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Soul Parasite] ¨C Active skill, Level 1, Absorbs a fraction of the soul when a living being dies. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Tang Yue nodded in realization, now understanding why the old man had been super excited about this random beetle. [He He! Do you see now, little snake?! You asked me how to improve your soul power and the solution fell into yourp.] [What a lucky little snake you are!] The nasal voice chuckled. Tang Yue, as well, was more than surprised. Was this a coincidence? ¡°Old man, I have a doubt. I came to this ind and I immediately walked into the apes, who are probably one of the few beasts here that I can actually handle.¡± ¡°Then I met my exiled n members. In fact, directly ran into them.¡± ¡°And not to mention, this soul beetle. Everything seems a bit too coincidental.¡± She pensively gazed at the fire, checking for signs of any other beasts nearby, that could have been possibly attracted by the fire. [Not bad, little snake. It is indeed not a coincidence. Do you see that harpy over there?] [Keep her real close to you, little snake. Those ugly birds might bring a gue onto others but they also bring tremendous luck onto themselves.] [Don¡¯t count too much on it though. It¡¯s not very reliable.] ¡°Eh?¡± Tang Yue sighed. She was someone who believes in working hard for everything and achieve things with her strength, willpower, and determination. Something like luck? She didn¡¯t want to believe in something as intangible as luck, but she couldn¡¯t also deny the things right in front of her. Tang Yue thought about it for a moment and then decided to take things as theye. Since the old man mentioned that the harpy¡¯s supposed luck was not reliable, there was no point in trying to harness it, at least for now. Perhaps if her level was higher and she was able to share the system feature with her contracted beasts? Tang Yue pondered. She then gazed at thest frog¡¯s corpse lying bare in front of her and quickly activated her newly acquired skill to test it out. ¡°Soul Parasite¡± Tang Yue murmured. She inhaled and exhaled, trying to get a sense of the soul energy around her, differentiating it from the fire elemental essence spilling out of the burning marsh. However, she didn¡¯t feel anything. Rather she saw it. Tang Yue saw small white pockets of soul energy floated up and out of the frog, gently dispersing into the world, gradually fading away. But some of them flew towards her, right into her, and fused with her. Ding. Soul Strength has increased Ding. Soul Strength has increased Ding. Soul Strength has increased ¡­ ¡­ Tang Yue grinned, licking her lips seductively,pletely satisfied with her recent progress. She then tossed thest beast corpse as well into her spatial ring and slithered back to her group. ¡°Are you guys alright?¡± She asked, to which Little Blue let out excited yelps and the others dazedly nodded. ¡°Ok then, let¡¯s head back to the chasm for now. I have to take care of some things.¡± Tang Yue wanted to first finish absorbing the frog bloodline before further heading deeper into the ind. Chapter 364: Both hubby and wifey are mad! Part1 Chapter 364: Both hubby and wifey are mad! Part1 Meanwhile¡­ Back in Eldoria¡­ It has been three days since Tang Yue had left and the entire Salvatore household was in an uproar. General Salvatore finally released Charlotte from her house arrest, but the beautiful elf was not in the least happy about it. She had been gone missing for so long, but still, there was absolutely no word from Tang Yue. Not even one single message. After being treated so coldly by Xander for years together, this kind of thing ticked off Charlotte the most. The worst part was that she couldn¡¯t even bring herself to stay mad at Tang Yue because she knew about the incident involving the strange human being. He had attacked both Tang Yue and Master Miller, the two only barely managing to escape the ordeal. So she had been extremely worried and had begged and pleaded with her father to release her. However, the man had denied all her requests and turned a deaf ear to her pleas. Charlotte was sure that Tang Yue would not let this continue but she was also very embarrassed to depend on her. She was the one who had face life-threatening dangers and she had to rescue her once again? Thest thing Charlotte wanted was to be a useless burden to Tang Yue. So she cursed her bad luck and silently bore with this punishment. She was already determined to cut ties with her family. They might be able to hold her back now but for how long? Considering her house arrest as a close door secluded meditation session, Charlotte had been cultivating day and night. Without bothering Yue, she wanted to get out of this stupid prison herself. She was already at the Saint realm, if she steps into the Demi-God realm, who would be able to stop her anymore? She can then turn this bullshit rune into dust and break down the chamber doors which her father had closed on her face. However, all of this was for naught, when three days ago, General Salvatore willingly undid the seal on her chamber. Charlotte¡¯s eyes snapped open in surprise. She didn¡¯t understand what was happening but she was no longer under the rune restriction. So she immediately tried sending messages to Tang Yue but once again she was unable to reach her. What the hell? The beautiful elf fumed and sulked. ¡°My release most probably has something to do with Yue? Otherwise, that jerk wouldn¡¯t havepromised and let me go so soon.¡± ¡°But why the hell is she not here?¡± ¡°Did that man force her to do something in exchange for my release?¡± Charlotte paced back and forth, unable to wait for Yue to respond to her any longer. She decided that it was time for her to go to the royal pce and get some answers that she deserved. She knew that Tang Yue wouldn¡¯t have purposefully kept her in the dark and that was what worried her. No matter how powerful Tang Yue could be in the future, the truth was that Xander was more powerful than both of thembined together. That alone made her nervous. She was worried that the man had tied her up somewhere and was forcing himself on her. Knowing Xander, Charlotte had a bad feeling. That was a man who would go to any lengths to achieve what he wanted and she knew that he wanted Yue. Her mind spun wildly, making Charlotte more and more worried and she rushed out of her chamber, no longer able to control herself. No matter what she needed to know what was happening. As she ran out, she saw her father¡¯s figure looming in a corner of the main hall and she red at him fiercely before leaving. General Salvatore could only sigh in return. The man could no longer understand the Crown¡¯s actions and he simply gave up. Something weird was going on here and he had no intention of getting in between. He sighed and sipped his tea as he stared into the distance. Charlotte, on the other end, rushed through the streets of the royal city, reaching the pce in under two seconds. She didn¡¯t care about any rules and regtions and directly barged into the Crown¡¯s private quarters without hesitation. She saw the two guards standing at the door and barked at them, her face still mesmerizing even when she was fuming like a volcano. ¡°Get out of my way.¡± The guards instantly broke out into a cold sweat and started trembling. ¡°Lady Charlotte, please¡­¡± They tried to reason with her. They were also Saint realm experts just like Charlotte but clearly she had a much higher status than them since her father was Xander¡¯s trusted General and one of the feared experts. ¡°I said get out.¡± Charlottemanded. ¡°Please, your highness¡­ I mean, my Lady¡± One of the guards stammered and even sped his hands together, literally praying to her. ¡°If you know what¡¯s good for you, get the out of my way. I won¡¯t repeat myself another time.¡± Charlotte crossed her hands in front of her chests, her two voluptuous breasts heaving up and down. ¡°His highness is in the courtroom. Please visit him there.¡± The other guard begged her, almost falling at her feet. But what he said only made Charlotte angrier. ¡°Who said that I was here to visit him???¡± Her voice thundered in the long empty corridors. Most probably from hearing all the ruckus outside, the main door opened and a familiar figure stepped out. Charlotte instantly paled, her anger fizzling as if someone had poured a bucket of cold water on her. She quickly copsed on the marble floor, kneeling and kowtowing multiple times. ¡°Please forgive me, Master. I was not there when you needed me the most. Please forgive me.¡± ¡°Ah~¡± Miller scratched his head sleepily. ¡°Don¡¯t worry child. Even if you were there, it wouldn¡¯t have mattered much.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t me yourself too much. Get up first. Come inside and we can then talk.¡± Chapter 365: Both hubby and wifey are mad! Part2 Chapter 365: Both hubby and wifey are mad! Part2 Charlotte nodded and followed the dwarf into the eastern division of the elven royal pce. Normally, only Xander stayed here but because of Tang Yue¡¯s request, he was currently treating dwarf Miller and he as well stayed in this part of the royal pce. So the guards did not stop him from doing as he pleased and stepped aside as Charlotte followed him in. ¡°Master¡­ Umm¡­ Erm¡­ About Yue¡­ Do you by chance know where she is right now? I am not able to sense her at all in the pce.¡± Charlotte worriedly mumbled, her crescent eyes darting here and there searching for the familiar blue-skinned figure in anticipation. ¡°I tried sending her messages but the jade slip transmissions are all failing for some reason.¡± She continued to prattle on. Miller immediately paused his footsteps and turned around to look at Charlotte with a solemn expression. Just the look on his face frightened the elf as her heart sank before she could even hear the dwarf¡¯s words. ¡°Child, I am surprised that Yue didn¡¯t tell you. Hmmm¡­¡± Miller frowned. ¡°Ah¡­ Master¡­ That might be because I was in a close door cultivation session.¡± Charlotte awkwardly lied. Even though she was lying to her Master, she didn¡¯t care about it. Based on how things looked, this was something big and she needed to know everything! Miller pondered for a minute, looking at the elf up and down. He could tell that something was off, so he hesitated a bit. Nevertheless, he sighed and decided to bring her up to speed. ¡°Child, Yue is not in Eldoria at the moment.¡± ¡°She told me that she was headed out somewhere to explore a hidden realm.¡± ¡°Hidden realm?¡± Charlotte¡¯s eyes immediately widened. Hidden realms were enclosed spaces that were cut off from the surroundings purposefully. Thebyrinth could also be considered as a hidden realm that Xander cracked open, shattering its defensive spell and hence allowing the experts of the Nine countries to raid it. These could be graves, inheritance trials, a powerful beast¡¯sir, or even the burial ground of a heavenly treasure. It could be any number of things, but the most important point was that such ces were fraught with danger. This was precisely why Xander had taken almost an entire army with him when they raided the undergroundbyrinth. And now, this dwarf was telling her that Tang Yue had gone all alone to such a dangerous ce??? Charlotte shuddered in panic. Why would you do this to me, Yue? What would I do if anything happens to you? She clutched her hands as her nails dug into her palm. Everything was now slowly bing clear to her. This was why Yue had nevere to visit her. The ce she was going to was probably extremely dangerous and she didn¡¯t want to take her along. Did you think that I was so weak? She bit her lips, tears threatening to spill out of her eyes, even though she knew full well that that was probably not the reason. ¡°Master. Please excuse me.¡± Charlotte muttered, her voice cold and freezing. She bowed absentmindedly and turned around to leave the Crown¡¯s quarters. She had left so fast that Miller couldn¡¯t even react in time. He gazed at her disappearing figure and then sighed, before continuing to walk back to his chamber. ¡°If only I wasn¡¯t as useless¡­ ¡° He understood how Charlotte felt. Well, not exactly, but still he was also equally if not more worried about Tang Yue. After a long time, he now once again had a purpose in life, but because he was not strong enough, that too had slipped out of his hand. Miller closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he sat down in a cross-legged position. Xander had already given him several vitality nourishing pills. Even though it was not the real deal, this was more than enough to pull him through for at least several decades. Miller popped a pill into his mouth and silently cultivated. He didn¡¯t n on staying here much longer. As the pill effortlessly slid into his throat and reached his stomach, a warm sensation filled his body, slowly steadily repairing the mysterious strands of vitality that hid in the many pockets of the body¡¯s internal organs. This kind of inner strength once lost couldn¡¯t be gained back that easily. Without the pills Xander had concocted, the dwarf¡¯s condition would have only worsened, but thanks to Xander¡¯s efforts, he now had a fighting chance at recovering fully. As Miller slowly and steadily focused on healing himself, a tornado was swirling just a couple of miles away from him. Charlotte banged open the courtroom door without any regard to the guards standing outside or to the Crown Prince and his full court currently present inside. Everyone looked shocked at this new and unexpected outburst. In fact, such outbursts had only happened a few times in the Crown Prince¡¯s courtroom, a number that could be counted by fingers, and weirdly enough, they were all caused by the women in his harem. ¡°I need to talk to you RIGHT NOW! How could you let her go?¡± She shouted at the man, without caring about the several other elves including her own father who were present in the courtroom. Prior to Charlotte¡¯s arrival, everyone was discussing something important, but now¡­ All of their ears were tightly glued onto this interesting conversation!!! What was this sudden development? Who went where? Nobody knew and they wanted to know it! Charlotte couldn¡¯t care less about these extras hanging around. Her chest was heaving up and down, the woman barely controlling her anger and she wanted to tear him apart. She knew that the man probably never cared about her, but didn¡¯t he care about Yue? So she couldn¡¯t stomach the fact that he still allowed this to happen. ¡°Why the fuck are you silent?¡± Charlotte yelled again, taking her anger out on the elf, who seemed to be ignoring herpletely with his indifferent gaze not even bothering to meet hers. Chapter 366: Both hubby and wifey are mad! Part3 Chapter 366: Both hubby and wifey are mad! Part3 Charlotte trembled in anger. She was tired of the man¡¯s indifferent face and she had had more than enough of his aloof attitude. She might have drooled upon seeing such an expression from him a while back being the brainless bimbo that she once was but now she knew better. ¡°You know what I thought that you were better than this, but I guess you never really were.¡± ¡°You only care about yourself and you probably always will. Even if you won¡¯t help, I know how to save the woman I love.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone else¡¯s help. Hmph.¡± Charlotte angrily blurted out,pletely losing control of herself in the courtroom. But how could Xander still remain calm especially after hearing thest few words? Initially, he had decided to overlook this little tantrum but he simply couldn¡¯t tolerate how Charlotte took her liberties and spewed out random lies in front of everyone. Tang Yue had already confessed her feelings towards him and he would never doubt that, so he didn¡¯t like this slutty elf tarnishing her name willy-nilly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being just a little too proud of being the third wheel in a rtionship?¡± His lips curved upwards sarcastically. Charlotte, who was about to leave after seeing that there was no point in talking to this asshole, stopped in her tracks. ¡°Who are you calling the third wheel? Everyone here knows that you are gay.¡± ¡°You are the pest who keeps bugging us and simply won¡¯t leave us alone to live in peace.¡± ¡°If it was not for you, this would have never happened. I would have never let her leave by herself. Damn you.¡± She cursed him hurriedly to her heart¡¯s content, venting her anger, and then ran away, turning on her heels without giving the man a chance to retaliate. She didn¡¯t do it purposefully though. She was sure that he wouldn¡¯t help her and so didn¡¯t want to waste any further time. Xander, on the other hand, was more than outraged. If he wanted he could have stopped the woman, and thrown her in actual prison for a few more days but coincidentally he also didn¡¯t want to waste his time. He did not need Charlotte to remind him as he had other ns of his own. ¡°If anyone breathes a word about what happened here outside of this courtroom, I will have your head.¡± He muttered angrily and then waved his hand, signaling the elf on his right to continue with what they were doing before Charlotte had barged in. Xavier, who was sitting on the other side, didn¡¯t miss this chance to nudge him lightly and whisper, barely containing his glee about this new information that he had acquired. ¡°Have you guys have a threesome?¡± Xander tossed him a death re. ¡°You know I am doing this for you, right? Aren¡¯t you going to be the Crown in my absence?¡± ¡°Or are you just not interested?¡± He angrily barked. ¡°Sigh. Brother, there are still three more days until you leave. So I am asking you again¡­¡± ¡°Can you please please please change this decision of yours. Younger brother Xerxes is not too bad.¡± ¡°He will probably do a better job than me. I would rathere with you. Please reconsider.¡± Xavier whined, bugging the man. ¡°Shut up and pay attention. This is already decided.¡± Xander harrumphed coldly, unwilling to discuss this any longer. In his absence, he had no intentions of leaving Eldoria vulnerable. Even though he had chosen Tang Yue over Eldoria, he was notpletely heartless to do such a thing. He had a responsibility after all and couldn¡¯t simply ignore the millions of people who trusted him. With Xavier here on the throne and all of his Generals and his personal army standing behind him, he would feel a lot more rxed and guilt-free when he stepped out. With this settled and the dwarf somewhat taken care of, Xander had already prepared everything for his departure. In another three days¡¯ time, irrespective of what happened, he would be leaving the maind and find his snake no matter where she was hiding. He had already given her more than enough time and space. Surely, she couldn¡¯t have expected more than this from him? Xander grinned in anticipation of meeting that sly woman again. This much distance between them was something that he was not very fond of. While Xander continued to patiently set his affairs in order before departing for his trip, a certain someone busied herself as well. Charlotte left the royal pce in a hurry before the bastard could do something underhanded and stop her once again. She directly rushed back to the Salvatore manor and headed to the second floor, ignoring her mother who was shouting at her about something which shepletely brushed away. On the second floor, Charlotte stood in front of a chamber and raised her palm to brashly bang open the two enormous doors of the chamber, leaving thempletely unhinged. ¡°Here we go.¡± She muttered and waltzed in without caring about the broken doors. This was the Salvatore manor¡¯s treasury and she was raiding it once again. She had done thisst time as well before heading to the Dwarven Empire and this time, she didn¡¯t even bother hiding the traces of her thievery. She ransacked the entire chamber filled with various treasured items and rare-grade pieces of equipment. Runes, pills, potions, gems, explosives, she grabbed everything that she could use and then some. By this time, her mother had caught up to her and was standing at the entrance, gasping at the now empty family treasury. ¡°Charlotte! What is this? Stop right now. Your father is going to be angry.¡± Charlotte turned around and red at her mother coldly. ¡°Mother, I think that you are mistaken. He is the great General Salvatore. Not my father.¡± ¡°Then why the hell are you raiding the family¡¯s treasury? This is all your father¡¯s blood and sweat. Leave it behind.¡± Charlotte¡¯s mother angrily responded. She had just heard some disturbing rumors and she wanted to talk to her daughter about it, but now she feltpletely outraged. Charlotte didn¡¯t bother exining anything to her mother. ¡°I need it so I am taking. You can try stopping me if you want.¡± She shamelessly harrumphed and then ran out of there at her full speed using the full power of her cultivation base. She was already brimming with resources and coupled with her recent loot, she was now ready to leave. And unlike Xander, she nned to leave right this evening! Chapter 367: Stronger together Part1 Chapter 367: Stronger together Part1 Back on the ind¡­ The group had already gone back to the chasm to take cover for a bit, while Tang Yue finished her evolution process. She was seated in the small cave beneath the chasm, with Little Plum, Little Blue, Eleana, and Jin Wei standing guard around her. This was the cave deep inside the snake spirit beast dwelling where the cave walls were filled with historical depictions. So in reality, only Jin Wei was paying attention to Tang Yue and eying her with reverence. The others were busily sightseeing and looking around, studying the cave walls, trying to figure out what all the drawings and depictions meant. Among them, Eleana was the one who understood the most and gulped nervously. She already knew it, but looking at all of this, Medussa¡¯s glorious history, she couldn¡¯t help but feel more shocked. This just proved it once again. Her decision to follow Tang Yue was indeed the right one. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 50000 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Strength has upgraded Ding. Congrattions. Agility has upgraded Ding. Congrattions. Poison resistance has upgraded Ding. Congrattions. Venom toxicity has upgraded Tang Yue let out a big burp after inhaling three whole poisonous bull frogs,zily eying the notifications that had popped up in front of her. Since the bull frogs were high-grade beasts just like the quagmire centipede, she had to eat three of them in order to finish 50% of their bloodline and trigger an evolution. This was her second high-grade beast bloodline and a lot was riding on it! ¡°Too bad, I didn¡¯t get any new skills from this meal.¡± Tang Yue licked her lips, humming lightly. She then flipped open her status screen to see how much her venom toxicity had improved. ¡°The frog probably survived on this ind by depending on this single venom attack. Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t have been around for this long.¡± She rubbed her hands together in excitement. ¡°This should be good!!!¡± [Paralyzing Venomous bite][Level 125] ¨C Active skill, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. [Paralyzing Venom spit] [Level 125] ¨C Active skill, Toxicity depends on the poison resistance of the body. Venom is also capable ofpletely paralyzing the target. Tang Yue¡¯s venom toxicity had increased from Level 100 to a whooping Level 125 in one single evolution. ¡°Yass! This is awesome.¡± She hissed happily. She was probably the most toxic beast in the entire ind both literally and figuratively. ¡°Alright then. Time to head out and get more food.¡± The snake stood up energetically, cracking her knuckles, ready to jump into another intense round of battles, but then she remembered something significant and stopped in her tracks. ¡°Aiyaaa~ I don¡¯t have my tour guide anymore~¡± She hit her palm with her other fist and her gaze shifted to look at Jin Wei who was obediently waiting for her. ¡°Jin Wei, how well do you know this ind?¡± ¡°Your highness, we haven¡¯t dared to explore the ind much, but we do have some information about this territory as our survival depends on it.¡± ¡°Alright. Go on.¡± Tang Yue waved at him. ¡°Your highness, as you know, on the right side of this chasm there is the marsnd, where some of the bull frogs typically reside.¡± ¡°On the left side, we have a hilly dry terrain. So not many beasts reside here.¡± ¡°But in one of these hills, there is an active volcano, within which there should be manyva smanders.¡± ¡°Theseva smanders are only slightly weaker than the bull frogs but they don¡¯t wander outside much in fear of the frogs.¡± ¡°They also usually hunt in the ape territory because of this.¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ This is the only information we have, your highness.¡± ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s actually very less.¡± Tang Yue hissed pensively. ¡°Do you guys at least know exactly how strong these smanders are?¡± Tang Yue knew that she had somehow managed to defeat the frogs only because of the surrounding marsh and because they were so few in numbers. Otherwise, she wouldn¡¯t have stood a chance. ¡°Umm¡­ Sorry, your highness. I apologize for our ipetence. I am not exactly sure about their strength.¡± ¡°I think they might have an Emperor beast ruling over them, same as the golden titan ape.¡± ¡°In the past, ording to our ancestors, this ind was inhabited by various beast Emperors.¡± ¡°In order to escape these beast Emperors, we went underground and settled in this narrow chasm.¡± ¡°But now several years have passed since that happened. So we are no longer aware of the specific details.¡± ¡°Various beast Emperors? Do you mean high-grade beasts and rare-grade beasts or even more powerful ones?¡± Tang Yue perked up. Contrary to her excitement, Jin Wei¡¯s face was nervous and the poor elder hesitantly nodded. ¡°That should be the case.¡± ¡°These beasts¡­ if they were even as strong as the golden titan ape¡­ we will really be in trouble¡­¡± ¡°But at the same time, if I can absorb all their strengths, my own potential should soar tremendously.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what secrets are hidden in Medusa¡¯s so-called pce, but this in itself is a huge stepping stone.¡± Tang Yue muttered, her emerald eyes shining. She then waved at Little Plum but she hesitated when it came to Eleana and Little Blue. ¡°Maybe you two should sit this one out.¡± She hissed and Eleana and Little Blue both obediently nodded in reply. She was just about to suggest the same to Jin Wei but the man quickly shook his head. ¡°Please, your highness. We don¡¯t care about the danger. We just want to stand by your side.¡± Tang Yue sighed even though she understood their frustration. She could see that covering in fear and living hidden for centuries had taken a toll on these guys. ¡°Cast invisibility and prepare to run. That¡¯s all I can say.¡± She sighed. ¡°Thank you, your highness. We are very grateful for your consideration.¡± Jin Wei humbly nodded, the man¡¯s eyes brimming with resoluteness. The group of snakes and Little Plum then slithered out of the chasm, and headed towards the cluster of hills for their next battle! Chapter 368: Stronger together Part2 Chapter 368: Stronger together Part2 The bunch of snakes including Tang Yue slithered around the hilly terrain, wandering here and there under the nket of their invisibility spell. Unlike the frogs, theva smanders were all not that strong. Tang Yue spotted a couple of weaker ones lingering outside their nest near a tree. She swiftly dashed towards them and shed at the beasts with her soul sword. However, she didn¡¯t finish them off just yet. She waited for them to attack first to observe their strengths and weaknesses. The couple ofva smanders had long lizard-like bodies lined with red scales and big mouths which they snapped at Tang Yue, revealing rows of sharp teeth. Tang Yue easily evaded their snaps and waited. ¡°Do you guys have anything else to show me or am I just going to have to eat you and find out for myself?¡± The two beasts roared at her, angered by her words, andshed their tails at her. ¡°Guess, I am going to have to eat you guys after all. Sigh.¡± Tang Yue did not waste more time and shed at them again with her soul sword and the two smanders split midway shrieking as they died. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 500 Experience points have been rewarded Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 500 Experience points have been rewarded And after they fell limp and lifeless, Tang Yue quickly activated her Soul Parasite skill, absorbing the fragments of their souls. Ding. Soul Strength has increased Ding. Soul Strength has increased ¡°Mmm¡­ Not bad.¡± She hissed. ¡°So can these guys use fire-type attacks or not?¡± She then squatted down and peered curiously, observing their body in close detail. ¡°The head seems to be the weakest part since the torso is covered in scales.¡± ¡°Hmmm¡­ The scales, however, are not that strong. Are these guys just weak?¡± She hissed. But then again, the ones that were currently split open in front of her were mere low-grade beasts. There could be more mutations in higher-grade smanders. Tang Yue quickly tossed the two corpses into her spatial ring and once again continued slithering making herself invisible. The group started slowly circling the outer edges of the hilly terrain, steadily closing in on the three active volcanic hills in the center of the cluster. Apart from the two low-gradeva smanders, they came across otherva smanders as well, with Tang Yue taking care of the stronger ones and Jin Wei and the others taking care of the weaker ones. And, with every animal that dropped dead, Tang Yue¡¯s soul strength was also increasing bit by bit. So she didn¡¯t mind grinding these smaller fries. As the group slowly made their way through the hilly terrain, Tang Yue finally spotted a group of mid-gradeva smanders near a small watering hole. There were sevenva smanders in the group and all seven of them seemed stronger and more ferocious than the ones they had been ughtering up until now. Tang Yue could even see small wisps of fire rising out of their dark red scales every few seconds. ¡°Here we go.¡± She hissed. Since in this matchup they were all fire-type attackers, the one with the higher affinity to the fire element inevitably had the advantage. She promptly summoned out Little Plum and then turned around to talk to the other snakes. ¡°This battle. You guys should sit this one out.¡± Tang Yue curtly warned them. Unlike her, they didn¡¯t have the advantage of a body immune to elemental attacks and there was no point in fighting a losing battle. With just Little Plum and herself, it might be 2 vs 7 but still, they had several advantages. Like her immune body, Little Plum had the sliver of heavenly me, and more importantly, Tang Yue was itching to try out her upgraded venom. After all, it was this venom that had kept the smanders at bay and terrified of the frogs. The frogs on the other hand feared their fire-type attacks and stayed away, creating a sort of bnce between the two groups and thus, each staying within their own territories. But now Tang Yue had both these tricks up her sleeves! So she confidently dared to face them even if it was 2 vs 7. Tang Yue morphed into her serpentine form and slowly slithered towards the beasts while remaining invisible. Some of them were even lying on top of one another, so her long slender blue body slithered across the rocky ground to reach the one that was at the back of the group and crawling by itself. Theva smander was chasing a small ck beetle and it seemed to be doing it out of pure boredom. The beast, however, suddenly froze, stopping its movements. It sensed something abnormal out of nowhere, an intruder perhaps! The beast was at least mid-grade and since it was living on this ind, its fighting skills were surely sharpened. So even though it couldn¡¯t see Tang Yue, it still knew that something was up. It looked left and right in confusion and before it could voice out its concerns to its nearby friends and group members, Tang Yue revealed herself, her blue head pulled back. The next instant she plunged her fangs into theva smander¡¯s neck instantly poisoning it and paralyzing it at the same time. She then quickly reverted back to her invisible mode, licking her lips in satisfaction. This was a mid-grade beast and she had managed to corner it in a second. She felt exhrated at such one-sided domination! It was a different feeling whenpared to a victory after a long and drawn-out battle, but both were equally satisfying. And not long after, a bunch of notifications popped up. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Hisss¡­ Tang Yue grinned. However, she didn¡¯t have the luxury of happily absorbing the beast¡¯s soul fragments as its otherpanions all turned around to look at the one who had flopped onto the ground with a light thud. Chapter 369: Stronger together Part3 Chapter 369: Stronger together Part3 The sixva smanders quickly waddled over to the dead beast, looking around and extremely alert. Some of them even started to breathe fire left and right, trying to figure out if an enemy was hidden amongst them. Tang Yue knew that she could no longer take them by surprise. She slithered closer to another smander who was busily looking around and plunged her fangs once again into the beast¡¯s neck. But this time, she was immediately caught. Even though the one she had bit yelped in pain and twitched around before it became paralyzed, the others one started sting her long slender body with bursts of me. Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Several roars echoed and Tang Yue was being scorched alive, but unfortunately for theva smanders, that did not even tickle her. ¡°Thanks for the warm-up guys!¡± She hissed and morphed into her human form to sh at the next smander. She targeted the beast¡¯s head and upper body which were the weaker parts of its body, but the smander quickly shook its head, instantly extending its scales to its head as well. Tang Yue¡¯s sword then shed onto its hard scales, a loud nging noise ringing in the air. ¡°Damn it.¡± And to make things worse, once the smanders realized that their fire elemental attacks were not affecting her, they startedshing at her with their tails while continuing to spew out fires. Tang Yue summoned Little Plum and then activated silver skin. Little Plum spun around in its elemental form attracting the attention of two of the five smanders but that still left Tang Yue three beasts to deal with at the same time. She dodged their attacks continuously while thinking of a good game n when suddenly her feet paused and she stopped dodging their attacks. She evaded their tailshes but when the nextva smander snapped at her with its mouth, Tang Yue let it have a bite. ¡°So how do I taste?¡± She chuckled, shing down at the other two who were attacking her. Her leg where the smander had bit her only had a bite mark registered with faint bleeding thanks to her silver skin skill, but the other party was not doing as good. The smander who had snapped at her intending to take a huge bite out of her thin leg nowid still on the ground, frothing and lifeless. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Tang Yue grinned on seeing the notification. She guessed that this might happen because her silver skin skill hadbined with her venomous scales skill when she had gained it. Also, these specificva smanders were only mid-grade beasts and not high-grade beasts like the frogs or the golden titan ape. So she wouldn¡¯t lose out much if she took an attack or two head-on. She had no doubt that she would be able to withstand it, unlike when she was fighting with a high-grade beast where she couldn¡¯t afford to take even a single hit. However, Tang Yue was still hesitant to try out this n because she was not a fan of being bitten, but when the opponent wanted tomit suicide so badly who was she to stop them. ¡°Come bite me and die you jerks!¡± She hissed and fought with the two remainingva smanders. Little Plum who was still managing the two smanders beside Tang Yue, was also doing better than she had expected. These fire-type battles were significantly helping the elemental grow and it was digesting more and more of the heavenly me that it had swallowed wholly. Thanks to the fragment of the heavenly me, Little Plum¡¯s fire bullets were also stronger and had a higher intensity and powerpared to theva smander¡¯s me. The beast was taking damage every time a bullet hit its body covered by scales. Little Plum on the other hand remained in its elemental form buzzing around and easily dodging the smanders¡¯ attacks. ¡°How is it that you are still improving at a faster pace than me???¡± Tang Yue hissed, pouting lightly. She knew that the beasts won¡¯t dare to bite her directly again and so she teamed up with Little Plumbining their fights together. She dismissed her soul sword and quickly materialized several sharp earthen spikes and shot them out on the four smanders surrounding her and Little Plum. She aimed the spiked to especially hit the ces where Little Plum had managed to damage the scales covering their body. Little Plum as well immediately understood Tang Yue¡¯s intentions without even her explicit instructions and started coordinating with her. The two of them had worked together plenty of times and so they were in good sync. Meanwhile, Tang Yue also used her Venom spit every now and then and tried to target the beast¡¯s eyes which were still exposed. The beasts quickly shut their eyes, blocking the venom with their scales, but they were not able to keep up with the other attacks while simultaneously defending against the venom raining down on them. Soon, in front of the duo¡¯s overwhelming strength, the four remainingva smanders had no other choice but to drop down dead, one by one. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 5000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡°Perfect. Let¡¯s now absorb their souls and get the hell out of here to regroup and recuperate.¡± She panted and quickly activated her Soul Parasite skill. She then tossed the seven corpses into her spatial ring and dismissed Little Plum, slithering away from the scene of the battle as quickly as she could. Tang Yue then joined the other snakes and they moved away to a secluded area on the outer edges of the hills where they had previously cleared out a herd of low-grade smanders. Chapter 370: Stronger together Part4 Chapter 370: Stronger together Part4 Om Num Num Num. Tang Yue sat down under a banyan tree and munched on theva smander meat leisurely. The snakes were standing as a lookout surrounding her, having cast invisibility spells on themselves so that she could feast on the smander meat and absorb the bloodline in peace. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Almost done now.¡± She hissed as she eyed the elemental blob silently thrumming next to her. It seemed as if Little Plum had once again gained more insights after fighting with these fire-type beasts. Tang Yue shook her head helplessly and tossed thest chunk of meat into her mouth, preparing for the evolution process to begin. A series of familiar notifications rang to which she didn¡¯t pay any attention and closed her eyes. She wanted to see if she could also gain more insights into this evolution process and not treat it like a ck box that takes an input and then gives an output. But as Tang Yue waited¡­ nothing really happened. She wasn¡¯t forced to morph into her serpentine form and her body wasn¡¯t being shredded and rebuilt. ¡°What the hell?¡± She hissed and quickly flipped open the notifications to see them in detail. Ding. 50% Lava Smander bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated Ding. Bloodline Evolution not required. No superior attribute was detected Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes nced at the details and then she understood what had happened. This was in fact the first time something like this had popped out. ¡°I guess this is probably going to happen more and more now.¡± She shrugged. She was a bit disappointed because she was counting on this evolution to maybe increase her fire elemental affinity by even a bit. While the mid-grade and the low-gradeva smanders were indeed not that difficult to deal with, she was sure that things were going to get more difficult now. Her real problem was the big boss that might potentially reside inside the volcano or other higher grade mutatedva smanders. If theypletely harden their body and start casting fire magic at a higher level than what her body can handle, she will really be in trouble. While Tang Yue was pondering about this, Jin Wei quietly morphed into hismia form and bowed. ¡°Hmmm?¡± Tang Yue raised her brows and looked at him questioningly. ¡°Your highness, I have a suggestion. How about illusion spells?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ No, I don¡¯t think that will work. While I was fighting with the mid-grade beasts, they had themon sense to put up a barrier to block mental attacks.¡± ¡°I am sure that the Emperor smander or whatever which is residing inside those mountains probably knows how to block out mental attacks too.¡± ¡°Unless my mental strength is several times stronger than theirs, none of my attacks will get through.¡± Jin Wei listened intently to her and then nodded, but it looked like he was still not done with his idea. ¡°Your highness. Actually, all these days since we were forced to keep hiding inside the chasm, we worked very hard and came up with a variation of the illusion spell.¡± ¡°This was the only weapon in our arsenal so we had no other choice except to push things as much as we could.¡± He exined further. ¡°Your highness, we are able tobine and link our illusion magic to cast a stronger spell together.¡± Tang Yue¡¯s eyes immediately lit up and she listened to the man with patience. She understood the basic concept behind what he was exining but still, these were merely Emperor realm spirit snakes. Even if theybine their strengths together¡­ it might still be insufficient. Tang Yue saw that Jin Wei was calling over some of the snakes to demonstrate but she raised her hands to stop him. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary Jin Wei.¡± She lightly nodded. She didn¡¯t discourage the elder immediately and praised him first for their efforts. In reality, what they had done was indeed praiseworthy. They just needed to be at a higher level for them to actually use it as a powerful weapon. ¡°Jin Wei. This is really interesting, but I think your current strength might not be enough to overwhelm the smanders with this attack.¡± ¡°Keep trying to hone your skills in this manner and soon when the seals keeping you down are broken, your n can be truly formidable.¡± The elder immediately became ecstatic to be praised by Tang Yue and had a big smile on his face. He then quickly backed away to give Tang Yue her space and not disturb her any further. Tang Yue chuckled at his nervous behavior and then her focus once again shifted back to theva smanders. Jin Wei¡¯s suggestion was not really helpful at the moment but the man had inadvertently reminded her about something. Right now her biggest problem was the Emperorva smander which was probably a high-grade or rare-grade beast at least as strong as the golden titan ape but with good mental strength. But she also had another problem¡­ In fact, her problem was an entire mountain! Tang Yue turned to look at the huge active volcano at the center of the cluster of hills. She wondered just how manyva smanders resided inside and what their individual strength was. This was also one of her concerns now. She wouldn¡¯t even be able to face the Emperor beast with her full strength if these sideckeyse in her way. Attacking a beast horde and attacking a single powerful beast were two entirely different things. If she could somehow break their nest and force all the smanders to scatter around, then she could easily pick them off one by one and face the Emperor beast alone at the end if that even was a possibility. If the beast was too powerful for her, she could always ignore it for the time being ande back to fight with itter on. After all, they were all on this ind together and none of them were going anywhere any time soon. ¡°Now¡­ how do I break apart this beast nest¡­¡± Tang Yue hissed, her long forked tongue flickering in and out. Chapter 371: Stronger together Part5 Chapter 371: Stronger together Part5 ¡°Now¡­ how do I break apart this beast nest¡­¡± Tang Yue pondered, her gaze on the hills a few miles away from her. She then sighed, looking at Little Plum. ¡°Guess it¡¯s time for me to gain some insights too!¡± It was not like Tang Yue hade up empty thinking of a solution. She did think of a n, just that it was a little too crazy! As far as she could see, the only way to disrupt that beast nest was to bring down the entire mountain altogether! It seemed excessive and more importantly, impossible, but Tang Yue couldn¡¯t think of anything else. Not only would it drive out all theva smanders from their home ground, but it would also surely take out a few, as the mountain crumbles on top of them. But what was she powerful enough to bring down an entire mountain? Tang Yue did not know yet, but she was determined to try. She was ying in the big leagues now and that too without any back up so she couldn¡¯t afford to not go out of herfort zone and push her limits. She hissed pensively and first started casting ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ spell again and again and observed the terrain below her, extending all the way to the active volcanic hill. She calmly paid attention to all the small details and when the spell drained her energy, she took a break and observed again, paying attention to every single fault line on the ground. Tang Yue then took a few deep breaths before finally making her first attempt on the high-grade earth magic spell ¡®Tremor¡¯. She was quite proficient in casting high grade fire magic spell, however, she had not attempted this before. She closed her eyes and rotated her earth elemental core, before swirling the essence to her finger tip. ¡°Tremor.¡± She muttered, a slight energy wave emanating from her finger tips and shaking the surface of the earth, almost making Jin Wei lose his bnce. ¡°Your highness¡­¡± He looked at Tang Yue in awe and amazement once again, seeing that she also possessed an affinity for the earth element. He and the other spirit snakes slithering around watched and waited for Tang Yue patiently as she, again and again, practiced the spell. With her natural talent,bined with the high affinity she had for earth elemental, not to mention, ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ spell, she was slowly improving every time. And as she grew more proficient, the tremors grew stronger as well, until finally, Tang Yue managed to invoke an earthquake of a formidable magnitude. It took her two entire days but she managed to uproot an entire patch of trees on the outer regions of the hilly terrain. ¡°Phew!¡± She hissed wiping the sweat off of her forehead with a big grin on her face. ¡°It¡¯s time!¡± Little Plum stopped cultivating and followed her obediently, while the other snake spirit beasts slithered further away so as to not get in her way. Tang Yue then slithered closer to the volcanic hill and cleared another batch of low-gradeva smanders who were wandering nearby before settling down on a cozy spot and starting her handiwork all over again. She ced her hands down on the ground and first identified the fault lines that directly connected the pressure build-up under the volcanic mountain. Unlike the farthernds in which the fault lines were more stable, here the fault lines were extremely unstable even to begin with. Tang Yue did not know this before as she had never felt a volcand prior to this but as soon as she felt the earth she instantly saw this w. ¡°This is going to be so much easier than I had expected!¡± She smirked before quickly beginning to induce Tremors one after another, all strategically ced to disrupt the entire chain of mountains. And once she initiated the first big earthquake, shaking the major fault line and cracking it to bits, the built up pressurepletely erupted with a loud explosive sound. KABOOM! An enormous literally earth shattering sound rang in the air as the chain of mountains quickly started crumbling one after the other. She had only aimed for the volcanic mountain but everything around it copsed as well turning the entire area into a gigantic pile of dust, rocks, and hot moltenva flying out everywhere. It was truly a terrifying sight to see. Tang Yue herself was busy scurrying around here and there, trying to avoid the aftermath. She slithered back to a safe distance and then watched as theva smanders slithered out in huge numbers as if ants dashing out of an ant hill. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp. What she had expected was indeed correct! Along with the low-grade and mid-gradeva smanders who were rushing out, there were numerous high-gradeva smanders rushing out as well. Not to mention a gigantic beast that crawled out, which Tang Yue had initially mistaken to be flowingva itself. This beast definitely had to be rare-grade at the least! She shuddered from the overwhelming pressure it exuded. This was clearly not a beast that she could face head on with her current strength. But unfortunately, she had poked a beehive and now she had to face consequences! As soon as it showed its head, Tang Yue had already started running away, heading straight for the previously cleared ape zone. The other snakes, as well, had caught her action and also started running away in the same direction. Her n was still the same. She can easily corner some high-gradeva smanders and maybe get to them one at a time and then move on without bothering the big boss. But right now, she needed to run and take cover. If she let that gigantic beast realize that she had been the one to disrupt its peaceful home, there was no doubt that she would be in deep shit! Chapter 372: Looting and Plundering Part1 Chapter 372: Looting and Plundering Part1 ¡°You guys. Keep up with me. I sense a lot of disturbance in that area. We don¡¯t have much time.¡± Tang Yue shouted as she slithered away from theva smander¡¯s territory as fast as she could. The other spirit snakes were an entire realm lower than her and hence they were having trouble in keeping up with her pace. However, before they could even cross the danger zone, another storm unexpectedly brewed. Because of all themotion in the chain of mountains and the copious amounts of smoke and fireworks in the sky, every other beast on the ind turned around to pay attention to this disturbance. Without intending to, Tang Yue had ended up rocking the delicate bnce which had been prevailing on the ind. In all fairness, she hadn¡¯t expected the bnce to be so fragile. She didn¡¯t think that just because the mountains copsed, other beasts would start running over there. Everyone, especially the other Emperor beasts on the ind, who were possibly rare-grade or perhaps even epic-grade, noticed this disturbance and had promptly issued out theirmands. While she and the other spirit snakes were running away, various beast herds started moving towards the volcanic eruption to feast on theva smanders who were undoubtedly at a weakened state right now. ¡°Fuuuck!¡± Tang Yue didn¡¯t take long to notice this new development and made a quick detour to head towards the outer areas of the ind near the shores. Luckily they had started running away quite early so all of them managed to get out of the war zone in the nick of time. Terrifying roars, loud rumbles, and agonized growls echoed from that area and Tang Yue gulped while staring at the chaos she had caused from a distance. ¡°Ummm¡­ Your highness¡­ what are we nning to do now?¡± Jin Wei smiled weakly and asked her. They had never been so far away from the chasm and not to mention the chaos in front of them was frightening, to say the least. Tang Yue remained silent for a while and then chuckled, shaking her head. ¡°I made other ns but this one doesn¡¯t seem too bad either.¡± ¡°Ok. Listen up, guys. We won¡¯t be taking any more detours.¡± ¡°Since all the beasts areing here to theva smanders, we will be heading over to the pce at the center of the ind.¡± ¡°I would suggest that you guys stay here, but it should be equally dangerous here as anywhere else on this ind. So the choice is yours.¡± Tang Yue sighed, letting out a deep breath, before starting to slither towards the center of the ind. Jin Wei and the others as well quickly followed her, trying their best to keep up. They had barely slithered for a few feet when Tang Yue noticed a group of five cloud soaring eagles pecking away at one of theva smanders. And a few feet to the left of this little rumble, there were three crimson bears fighting with anotherva smander. ¡°He He He¡­ what do we have here?¡± Tang Yue hissed with amusement and watched this little show. However, none of the beasts noticed her presence. She silently slithered up close but not close enough to alert the beasts and hid in a nearby bush, which was a bit excessive because was already under the invisibility illusion magic. She coiled herself and waited there patiently for a couple of minutes for the fights to somewhate to a conclusion. Then at the perfect moment, when theva smander almost scorched three of the five birds to a crisp roast, she quickly tried casting Enve on it. However, the beast had already set up a barrier against mental attacks so the attack failed. Tang Yue hissed in disappointment and her emerald eyes shifted to the other fight, where the bears seemingly had the upper hand. One of the bears was in fact jumping like a maniac right on top of theva smander after having subdued itpletely. The other two didn¡¯t seem too energetic and were quite injured. Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to let this precious opportunity go to waste and quickly headed over to theva smander fighting with the eagles and from there, she cast a fireball, hitting the back of one of the injured bears. All the beasts immediately noticed her presence and they noticed each other as well. The bears growled and pounced hurriedly running over to the eagles and the other smander. Unfortunately, the snake that had attacked them was nowhere to be seen, but they saw the smander and hence dashed forward to fight it. Tang Yue meanwhile slithered to the corpse of the high-gradeva smander that the bears had killed and quickly threw it into her spatial ring. She then once again cast an invisibility spell on herself before slithering over to the three bears. All three of them were obviously high-grade beasts, their strength almost the same as Tang Yue who was in Saint realm. However, two of them were already injured and they were also busily engaged in battling the smander. Tang Yue did not attack immediately and waited for the bears to crush the smander first. The bears were obviously stronger and were easily smashing through the thick scales on top of the smander. But at the same time, they were getting scorched by the beast every time it opened its mouth. The fight didn¡¯tst long and thanks to their advantage in numbers the smander was quickly overpowered. Tang Yue once again entered the scene at this exact moment, pulling her head back and sinking her fangs into one of the bears, urately targeting a flesh wound on its feet. Her venom surged through the beast and instantly the ck bear fell down with a thud. The other two bears immediately became alert and they momentarily stopped pummeling theva smander. Tang Yue did not make them wait long as she knew that she had to finish the fight as soon as possible. She once again surfaced to sink her fangs into one of the two bears, but the bear was quick to react this time and it dodged her. Chapter 373: Looting and Plundering Part2 Chapter 373: Looting and Plundering Part2 The two bears and the half-deadva smander looked around searching for the snake who had surfaced suddenly and now had disappeared at almost the same speed. The three beasts became very vignt not giving Tang Yue another chance to sneak attack. Before they could sniff her outpletely, she summoned Little Plum who started spewing out fireballs. Tang Yue at the same time morphed into her human figure and shed down at the bears, her soul sword dripping in her venom. Her attacksnded on both the bears, however, not even one of them was injured as a result. One of the bears waved its hand and pushed her back effortlessly, making Tang Yue fall down with a thud several feet away. Theva smander meanwhile attacked the other bear, tearing its thick thighs with its sharp teeth. Little Plum added fire to this medley by casting Dragon dance and the patch of grassy they were brawling on lit up brightly. The bear growled angrily and tried to swat away Little Plum when a snake appeared once again to bite it down on its thigh. Ding. 1 Crimson Bear killed Ding. 10000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Tang Yue did not waste any time and immediately turned around to spray her venom at theva smander which had its mouth open locked onto the second bear¡¯s thigh. The venom sprayed perfectly on both the beasts, entering their system easily and took them both down within the next second. Ding. 1 Crimson Bear killed Ding. 10000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. 1 Lava Smander killed Ding. 10000 Experience Points have been rewarded. ¡°Huff. Huff.¡± Tang Yue panted and activated her Soul Parasite skill to absorb the souls from the dead beasts. ¡°Good job, Little Plum.¡± She didn¡¯t forget to give the elemental a thumbs up which made it buzz happily. The fragment of heavenly me at its center was now only a sliver with the elemental having almost digested it fully. Tang Yue wondered if the little guy was going to evolve once again when the me getspletely digested. But now was not the time to think about that and she quickly threw all the beast meat into her spatial ring. ¡°Three bears, two smanders and five eagles! What a haul!¡± ¡°It would have been better if these were two Emperor beasts fighting with each other, but I guess I will take what I get.¡± She dunked a couple of potions and licked her lips before waving at the other spirit snakes to once again start moving. They needed to cover the distance and get to the center of the ind to Medusa¡¯s pce while themotion was still at its high point. Tang Yue chomped at the crisply burnt eagle meat to recover her stamina and strength and continued slithering forward, searching for other potential jackpots on her way. Except for the hilly region near the eastern part, the rest of the ind was pretty much covered by thick dense forests. As the group slithered through the cluster of trees, they slowly and steadily moved farther and farther away from the smander territory. Several flying-type beasts growled as they whooshed past them in the sky flying towards the smoke fumes from the volcanic eruption. Tang Yue had hoped for a few more freebies but unfortunately, she didn¡¯te across any fights as they were moving away from the battle zone. ¡°Jin Wei, do you think this is the crimson bear territory? Look at these huge footprints!¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ yes, it does look like that, your highness.¡± The elder nodded. If possible Tang Yue wanted to enve a bear and keep it as her muscle since the beast had really high strength and attack power which she was severelycking at the moment. A few more minutester, the group had smoothly slithered through the forests, almost covering half of it, when suddenly they came across a big clearing. This was clearly not a natural clearing as the trees which had originally covered every inch of the ground had been demolished, broken apart and scattered here and there. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue paused, making the snakes slithering behind her pause as well. She gazed at the tracks on the worn out forest grounds and found something extremely unusual and peculiar. Even though there were dozens of signs of battle in the area, there was not even a single corpse in the vicinity. And a little to the right, there was a huge clearing and tracks on the ground as if someone had dragged something on the ground. Though it was a slight detour, curiosity and greed got the better of Tang Yue and she had a feeling she might find something interesting if she followed the trail. The group, as a result, changed their direction on her whim and started heading in that direction. The tracks extended for quite a bit of distance until they finally came to a stop beside a small cave like protrusion. Tang Yue could immediately smell the thick stench of blood and dead flesh nearby, not to mention the several bones tossed around here and there. From the looks of it, a single beast or several beasts had dragged all the corpses from the battle on the clearing and dragged them all the way here, which should be theirir. She stopped her movements and used her senses to see if any beasts were present in the vicinity. However, this part of the forest was eerily quiet, except for the rustling of the leaves and whistling of the wind. She decided to cast ¡®One with the Earth¡¯ and observe her surroundings just to be safe. But even that was not quite useful in case there was an Emperor beast hidden inside the cave as these beasts at least possessed the strength of Demi-Gods and perhaps Deities and they were quite capable of hiding their aura. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Should I risk it or not?¡± Tang Yue pondered, but she was already here and if there was a beast inside, it probably sensed her by now, so she decided to take a peek before leaving. What can one harmless peek possibly do? Chapter 374: Looting and Plundering Part3 Chapter 374: Looting and Plundering Part3 The cave itself was not too big but Tang Yue immediately froze as she slithered forward a few feet and looked inside from a distance, still under the cover of her invisibility. Heaps and heaps of beast corpses were piled inside, with sizes and shapes varying greatly. She could see some crimson bears,va smanders, something that had its head smashed but had a big bronze gold body, storm spike tortoises, and many beasts that she did not recognize. And these were just at the top of the pile which was several inches high. And there were about twenty or so piles within the cave! A small gasp escaped Tang Yue¡¯s mouth as she tried to grasp the situation in front of her. ¡°Old man, this looks like a beastir?¡± [Little snake, you better run. Now. This is definitely a beast¡¯sir. Remember I can¡¯t help you here.] Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue hesitated. Not that she didn¡¯t want to run but it looked like no one was currently inside the cave. The beast or the horde of beasts were probably out and about on the ind fighting and scavenging for more food. From the looks of it, they have had the same idea as her and used this war to collect the maximum spoils that they could. But obviously, they made a mistake. They should have left behind a member of the herd to guard their loot!!! ¡°Don¡¯t me me for taking something which is right in front of me!¡± Tang Yue snickered and did not think twice before quickly slithering forward and looting everything in sight. She took out her spatial pearl and swiped every single dead beast, cleaning out the entirety of twenty heaps within the span of a minute. She was then about to turn on her heels and leave when she noticed some other things piled up in a corner. Tang Yue hissed and decided to take a look inside as well and saw that the cave had another nook deeper inside. There seemed to be some dead leaves and dried up twigs but when she swatted away the topyer of filth, Tang Yue¡¯s eyes flew wide. Even within the dark and dusty cave, her eyes were almost blinded. Heaps and heaps of brilliant sparkling gemsid in the corner as if they were potatoes and tomatoes. ¡°What the heck?¡± Tang Yue was now genuinely scared. She had thought that this was just the work of a war profiteer but clearly these beasts are professional hoarders! The previous time, she had seen a loot like this was inside the glow worm¡¯s stomach which was a freaking epic-grade beast! And now this??? Tang Yue gulped, feeling her throat parched from such an expansive wealth in front of her. However, one thing was clear. No ordinary beast could amass such wealth on this ind filled with monstrous beasts. She had definitely poked a ho nest and she needed to get out asap! ¡°You guys start running.¡± Shemanded the bunch of snakes and then quickly pocketed the gems as well, cleaning out the entire cave. She then morphed into her serpentine form and slithered out of the cave at her top speed, quickly catching up to the snakes who were already running with their best speed. ¡°Hmmm¡­ This won¡¯t do. We need to put more distance between us and the cave.¡± ¡°There is no other evidence so as long as we are at a safe distance we should be good.¡± She paused her steps and then morphed into her human figure. ¡°Fast. Climb and coil around me.¡± She shouted. ¡°Your highness!!!¡± Jin Wei was shocked but he would never question Tang Yue¡¯smand and quickly the couple dozen snakes all slithered around her coiling themselves on her body. Tang Yue then cast a mana barrier around herself to protect the weaker snakes from the impact and also the invisibility spell and blew through the forest at the maximum speed which she could muster. ¡°Hold on guys. Just for a few minutes.¡± She gritted her teeth and mumbled while continuing to run. [Little snake, I also have a bad feeling about this. Keep running. You should go to the pce immediately.] [There is a formation around the pce that won¡¯t permit anyone to get through except for snake spirit beasts.] [You should be safe if you reach that threshold. Remember. I can¡¯t help you here.] Tang Yue silently nodded. It was not like she could turn back and return everything took. That beast probably wouldn¡¯t let her off even if she did that! Memories of the sadistic glow worm were still fresh in her mind. ¡°Old man, do you think that it is just a single beast who is residing in that cave?¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell anything from the footprints. It was messy since several beast corpses had been dragged around and piled up.¡± [Perhaps it could be air of a winged beast. Best not to think about it and continue running.] Tang Yue nodded, agreeing with the old man inside her soul. She soon crossed the forests and she could finally see the silhouette of the distant pce. She quickly ran in the general direction and just like before, she didn¡¯te across any beasts that blocked her path. ¡°Almost there!¡± She wiped the sweat off her forehead and sighed in relief. Soon the forest thinned down and Tang Yue reached what seemed to be the edge of a cliff. However, it was clear that this was not a natural cliff. The earth underneath had been scooped up to create a moat around the distant pce. And this moat was not simply filled with water. The gigantic and deep moat was empty save for the million spikes that protruded from the ground beneath. Only a winged creature could cross something like this easily. Snakes and other beasts would have to first go down to the bottom of the ravine and climb the spikes, but they will be extremely exposed and vulnerable when doing so, ripe for the picking of a winged beast flying atop. However, right now that problem was not there. Tang Yue saw the clear skies and decided to quickly take advantage of this. Chapter 375: Why did I poke the sleeping dragon? Chapter 375: Why did I poke the sleeping dragon? Tang Yue saw the clear skies and decided to quickly take advantage of this. She fished out a flying sword from her spatial ring and mounted it, the couple dozen snakes still wound on her slender body. The sword slightly trembled from having to support so many spirit beasts but Tang Yue quickly stabilized it by circting her mana through the rune formation ced on the sword. She maneuvered the sword through the air, like a fish swimming in the water and soon crossed about one-third of the moat filled with sharp deadly spikes. ¡°How vicious!¡± Tang Yue could not help but let out an angry hiss. ¡°Master, if I am correct, the Empress didn¡¯t create this barrier?¡± [Yes, little snake. You are indeed right to think so. The barrier formation around the pce was set up by the Empress to not allow anyone but serpentine spirit beasts.] [However, the other things like this huge moat filled with earthen spikes and the entire ind brimming with dangerous and powerful beasts were not her highness¡¯s intention.] [This is the work of the same Immortal Kings who had brought down her highness.] ¡°Mmm¡­ I thought so. They really took care of every little thing, down to the veryst detail.¡± ¡°Not only did they ce a curse on the serpentine n on the ind but they also made sure that they would never be able to survive here if they don¡¯t run and hide like mole rats.¡± ¡°None of the snakes would be able to get stronger without reaching the pce and they wouldn¡¯t be able to reach the pce with the restriction on their soul.¡± ¡°They must have really hated our n to push us to this extent.¡± [Don¡¯t cloud your mind with the past, little snake. Blood has been spilled on both sides and there is never a right or wrong in war.] [But these are the enemies that you will have to face in the future whether you want to or not. The minute you enter the pce and im the heritage, you cannot go back anymore.] ¡°Well, I never really had an option, did I?¡± Tang Yue mentally chatted with the old man in her head, when suddenly a tremendous roar resounded from behind her. ¡°Ah. Damn it.¡± She cursed but she didn¡¯t look back. She continued speeding away, flying atop the sword as she had already expected this to happen sooner orter. Not that the beast was going to go away just because she didn¡¯t look back. The loud roar sounded again, this time far more terrifying and powerful. Tang Yue gritted her teeth and pushed her cultivation base to the limit to flee even faster. However, it was still not enough. She could hear the loud pping of wings at a distance behind her which made her finally turn around and look to see a shadow hovering over the forest. ¡°Fuck! I will end up being a target if I continue flying now.¡± Without another thought, she quickly dismounted the sword, dropping straight down to the sharp and protruding spikes. ¡°Your highness.¡± Jin Wei stuttered, unable to withstand the pressure from the fall and Tang Yue¡¯s downward eleration. ¡°Hold on, guys. Else we are all dead meat.¡± She grimly stated. And just as she plummeted down, one of the spikes rose up to help Tang Yue stabilize herself. She then cast another mana barrier around herself and leaped atop the earthen spikes, one after the other, using her earth magic to push herself forward. She was only slightly faster this way, a little less obvious, and was consuming way more energy. However, she couldn¡¯t afford to not use every single trick up her sleeve. Her opponent this time was clearly someone whom she shouldn¡¯t have offended! The roar sounded yet again as the shadow that had descended upon the forest now lifted its huge body up into the air. The beast¡¯s big round fluorescent yellow eyes with slit-like orbs that could even send shivers down the glow-worm¡¯s spine, searched the entire ind for its prey, the thief who had dared to step into its territory! It didn¡¯t have to search for long as the person who had cleaned out its cave had also taken its eggs with which the beast still shared a soul connection. It hardly took the beast a couple of seconds to sense Tang Yue and it furrowed its brows at the tiny insect who was foolish enough to rob from it. The enormous beast pped its wings and glided in the air before swiftly appearing in front of the snake fleeing away at her top speed. FUCK!!! Tang Yue braked to a screeching halt on seeing the pair of terrifying eyes. It took her a second to register the rest of the beast¡¯s figure and when she did, it only made her even more shocked. pping its huge silver wings that had ck veins running through them, was a gigantic dragon. ¡°How did this damn thing even fit inside that cave?¡± Tang Yue gulped, feeling her throat dry up. She was only halfway through and she still was quite far away from the pce at the center. [Little snake, you have to reach the formation. You have to get on the steps at the entrance of the pce.] The old man¡¯s voice chimed in to remind her, extremely serious and solemn. Tang Yue gritted her teeth. She didn¡¯t think that the beast would catch up to her so soon and was already regretting her actions. This beast in front of her was clearly much stronger than the damned glow worm she had encountered in thebyrinth. Was this a heavenly beast? A beast akin to an immortal in strength and power? She couldn¡¯t even fathom its level using her soul sense. Tang Yue stood stupefied in front of it. Could she even withstand a single attack from the beast? The dragon as well cocked its head to the side and looked at her in amusement as if it was wondering why this beast had a death wish? Chapter 376: Realm unsealed Part1 Chapter 376: Realm unsealed Part1 Tang Yue did not wait for the damned monstrous dragon to make a move and she quickly jumped, plummeting down further. She decided to flee in the downward direction rather than running towards the pce entrance as the beast had blocked her way tactically. And just as she jumped, the dragon¡¯s eyes moved to trail her slender body falling down, wondering just how she was nning to escape its grasp. Every beast above the mid-grade had plenty of intelligence and wereplex creatures with greed, lust, and pride, just like the higher beings. It knows that it could probably kill Tang Yue in one single swipe or one single dragon breath. But how could it let off someone who had dared to step inside its territory and rob its cave so easily? It snorted coldly, wisps of smokeing out of its jagged snout that was pitch ck in color, its canines shining like bright silver. Its eyes trailed Tang Yue in amusement and anger as it watched her morph into her serpentine form as soon as she hit the ground, the few snakes coiled on her body scattering in various directions at hermand. She then hardened her scales to the maximum that she could and kept continuing to burrow downward, after casting ¡®Loose Earth¡¯. Her n was obvious and the dragon sneered seeing her hail mary attempt since it already knew the result. It snorted coldly and moved, its movement a blur and its figure instantly hovering over the hole on the ground through which Tang Yue had burrowed into. pping its two gigantic wings, the dragon then casually wed at the earth, ignoring the spikes and the rocks standing in its way. Swoosh! A giant hole appeared on the ground and the moat became deeper in that part where the dragon had scooped out the rocks and red grains of sand, and of course, along with it a slender blue snake. The others including Jin Wei had already run away in a different direction like Tang Yue had instructed them to. She didn¡¯t think that the dragon would pursue them while she was still alive and she was right to think so. It paid no attention to the weaker snakes as its eyes glinted, only looking at the culprit with its eggs. Not that it nned to forget them, it simply prioritized its hunt. Tang Yue felt her head spin and it only took her a fraction of a second to see what had happened. She didn¡¯t hesitate and jumped down once again, plummeting directly from the dragon¡¯s ws back down to the ground, burrowing further deeper inside, as fast as she could. Her body was aching from the various injuries top to bottom, but she kept burrowing using the full power that she could. In retrospect, she would have perhapsnded into the pce safely if she hadn¡¯t gone back to look into the cave, but then again the dragon would have probably noticed her anyways as she was flying towards the pce. There was no time or space for regrets now. Though the old man had warned her that this ind had beasts that were beyond her level, she had never expected something so disastrously powerful. She could at least run away if she could take a single direct attack from the beast but against this glorious dragon, she didn¡¯t even stand a minuscule chance. Watching Tang Yue once again burrow into the ground, the dragon lost its patience and its interest, as she was not doing any fancy magic spells. It had expected more from the emerald-eyed snake spirit beast and let out a small sigh before loudly harrumphing and opening its mouth, revealing all the sharp and long glittering canines. ¡°Snort! I will give you a taste of my power before you die, you foolish beast.¡± The dragon unexpectedly grumbled and its loud voice thundered across the entire ind, making all the beasts shiver in fright. ¡°This thing can talk?¡± Tang Yue felt her body vibrate from the sheer aura and pressure the beast exuded, making her vision blurry. However, she didn¡¯t stop and kept fleeing in the general direction downward and towards the pce as her life depended on it. But it was already toote¡­ She had at most only covered three-quarters of the moat, and she knew that she neither had the strength or time to persist much longer and survive until she reached the ptial gates. Tang Yue, however, still refused to give up. She couldn¡¯t give up until the very end even if she wanted to because she had promised some people that she would be back. And unlike her mother, who never kept her promise, she was determined to keep hers and to return back no matter what. The dragon squinted its eyes at her vain efforts and opened its mouth again, this time a small silver ck ball forming at the center of its mouth, right above its tongue. The ball grew exponentially bigger in size in just a couple of seconds and with a single breath, the dragon sent the ball towards the ground where Tang Yue was currently fleeing under the surface. Kara Ka BOOM! A loud deafening noise echoed as the ball of the ck and silver energy swirl hit the ground and exploded on the spot, carving out a huge gaping hollow curve on the ground. All the earthen spikes in the area shattered into a million pieces and the pieces of rock and dark red sand flew everywhere. Unmistakably intermixed within this mess were shreds of sturdy blue flesh and purple blood. The dragon¡¯s eyes darted here and there beforending onto a chunk of blue flesh, slightly bigger than the others and it snorted contently. It had taken care of the foolish pest who had dared to steal from it, but suddenly the dragon¡¯s eyes froze. Its movements paused for a moment as if it was pondering something and then it raised its head to let out a loud enraged roar! Even in death, the pest had seemingly dealt a blow to it, as its possessions had also been shattered into smithereens along with the snake that took them. Chapter 377: Realm unsealed Part2 Chapter 377: Realm unsealed Part2 ¡°Brother! We can¡¯t just leave her like this? What if something happened? Aren¡¯t you worried that Salvatore would be disappointed in you?¡± Xavier worriedly asked as his robe fluttered in the wind. Though he was talking to Xander, who was flying right next to him, his eyes darted ever so often to the figure flying behind them on a sword, or rather the figure who had been stalking them continuously these past couple of days. Charlotte looked away in embarrassment every time she met Xavier¡¯s gaze. Luckily, Xander never bothered to look at her so she didn¡¯t have to face his haughty re. In the beginning, she didn¡¯t exactly n on doing this. She had her own pride after all. But the vast seemingly infinite ocean had managed to beat that pride out of her. She had been tirelessly flying above the ocean for days together and had somehow managed to find absolutely nothing at all. If she didn¡¯t know any better she would have assumed that she was only going around in circles. While she hadn¡¯t made any concrete progress, she was also not exactly lost. She could always find her way back to the Eldorian shores or the southern fairy territory. This was not an issue. The thing that was problematic was finding the other shore of the ocean, a shore that didn¡¯t belong to their maind consisting of the nine nations. She always knew that there was a barrier around their maind that prevented enemies from entering inside, but she didn¡¯t know that she couldn¡¯t even find this barrier if she wanted to. So after spending almost a week of fruitless wandering, Charlotte finally lost all hope that she would ever find Tang Yue or where she had gone missing. But just as she was about to return back and talk to her father about this so-called barrier around their maind, she luckily spotted someone at a distance. The damned bastard Xander had finally stepped out of the pce and was also surprisingly loitering over the ocean. At first, Charlotte found it difficult to believe that he was also out searching for Yue, but then what other possible exnation could there be? For the sake of helping her love, she ced her pride aside and had started tailing him from then on. She knew that even though she didn¡¯t have much sess in reaching the ce where Tang Yue had gone to, surely Xander must know more than her! And the bastard probably had much higher chances of finding things out. Not to mention that he was an entire realm above her in terms of strength and cultivation. So Charlotte shamelessly started tailing him. She went everywhere he went and stuck on to him like a purple leech. Soon, another day passed and it looked like Xander was doing no better than herself in the endeavor. ¡°Good for nothing.¡± She cursed him from behind, making sure that the man heard her. Xander, of course, had noticed her presence a long time ago but continued to ignore the woman. He pensively stared at the untameable ocean and then returned back to Eldoria after thinking about something. Charlotte followed him once again not understanding what he was up to, only to see that the man had brought his brother along with him this time around. Xander hypothesized that the barrier which was obviously separating them from whatever was outside and wherever Tang Yue had gone to, might possibly contain some sort of runicponent. And since Xavier was far more knowledgeable than him in the craft of runes, he ended up bringing him along even though he didn¡¯t intend to, leaving the Eldorian Kingdom in the hands of Xerxes, the second prince. When Charlotte saw this sudden turn of events, she was nothing short of baffled. It was a rare urrence for Xander to actually act humble and ask someone else¡¯s help even if that someone else was his own brother. ¡°What the hell is he up to now?¡± She wondered and continued to follow them from afar. As more hours slipped through, she only got more and more curious, with the behavior of the two rotten elven princes baffling her even more. They were stopping at several ces and when they did, the two of them would start waving their hands around, muttering something between themselves. Charlotte was going crazy with impatience and at the fact that she herself was not able to help with the situation, but she swallowed it down and continued to observe the two without any other choice left. This went on for a while when the skies suddenly turned dark and stormy without any exnation. Huge clouds started gathering and blinding shes of lightning rained down from the sky. The two brothers looked at each other and then at Charlotte. And seeing her slightly tremble with every growl of thunder, they could tell that none of them had anything to do with what was happening. They had tried various things but these raging winds and dark clouds were beyond their doing. Xander immediately considered the possibility of the involvement of the human being who had caused so much chaos in theirndstely. But before he could even think about that further, another bolt of lightning shed, and this time despite being a Demi-God hepletely nked out for a second. Xander felt a strange pull on his body and before he realized he found himself lying on a sandy shore. He instantly leaped up and checked his body for injuries and only rxed when he found none. He then looked at his brother who was stillzily lying on the shore beside him. ¡°Brother, are we in heaven? Are there vixens in heaven? Please let there be vixens in heaven!¡± Xavier absentmindedly muttered, to which Xander responded with a sharp kick to hiszy bottom, making the elf stand up as well. ¡°Ouch! That hurt, you meanie! It¡¯s the elder brother who gets to bully the younger brother! Not the other way around, damn it!¡± Chapter 378: Realm unsealed Part3 Chapter 378: Realm unsealed Part3 ¡°Where the hell are we?¡± Xavier asked, dusting his robe. ¡°Did we actually manage to break that barrier?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ I don¡¯t think that we did anything at all.¡± Xander pensively responded. The two of them could instantly sense that they were not near Eldoria anymore or for that matter on any of the nine countries. They had to be on an entirely different continent, and seeing that they couldn¡¯t simply reach this maind by crossing the ocean, things were definitely not as simple as they seemed. Xander inhaled, a waft of thick mana entering his body and his bloodstream, filling him up with life and vigor as he had never experienced before. The mana here was much thicker than whatever was in the air back in Eldoria. Just a couple of breaths and he could feel his Demi-God barrier trembling. He was just a step away from bing a Deity. He had been trying to break through this hurdle for almost a decade now but in merely two seconds, he had progressed a lot further. And it was not just the mana concentration, even the nature of it was a lot different, much purer and unadulterated. While Xander closed his eyes and deeply inhaled a few more times, Xavier looked around to see Charlotte as well groggily standing up a few feet away from them. ¡°Are you okay?¡± He asked waving at her, to which Charlotte sheepishly nodded. She walked over to the two brothers, as all three of them were suddenly on a different maind. However, Charlotte suddenly paused and sat down. Just like Xander, her body as well reacted to the superior mana swirling around her. Both of them had extremely unique and rare body constitutions which enabled them to soar through power levels. She sat back down on the sandy beach and started meditating, her expressions calm and steady as if she was in the middle of a breakthrough. Xavier looked at the two standing near him and he could only sigh in jealousy. Unlike these two monsters, he was just a poor soul with an ordinary constitution. Of course, even beings with ordinary constitutions can work hard and reach the same level sooner orter, but hecked the desire to work hard as well. Xavier had always been a very casual and happy-go-lucky person. He did things purely for fun and never let himself bepelled by anything. This was why even though he was the eldest elven prince, he never really bothered to ept the Crown Prince title, position, or the duties which came alongside. After a while, Xander steadied himself and shed his eyes open. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He muttered solemnly. Even though they had somehow managed to break through the barrier, this was only the first step. They still had no idea where Tang Yue was and how she was doing. So he didn¡¯t n on slowing down anytime soon. He would never be able to breathe freely until he saw her again. Xander started walking, while Xavier slightly hesitated. ¡°Bro, this¡­ See¡­ Charlotte is in the midst of a breakthrough. Let¡¯s wait for her.¡± Hmmm? Xander raised his brows. ¡°I don¡¯t quite recall agreeing to the part where she coulde with us?¡± Xavier shook his head helplessly and sighed. ¡°I know. I know, alright. But do you really want to leave her alone like this? In this new ce?¡± Seeing that these words didn¡¯t quite resonate with his unreasonable brother, he sighed and added. ¡°We don¡¯t know anything about thisnd yet. Don¡¯t you think it would be helpful if there was one more person on our side?¡± ¡°It might even help in finding sister-inw soon!¡± The mention of Tang Yue finally made the man react and he paused his footsteps. He still didn¡¯t agree to it openly and muttered as an afterthought. ¡°I need to check if we can travel back and forth to our maind from this ce. You can do whatever you want in the meantime.¡± He grunted and then took off, leaving Xavier alone to guard Charlotte. Xavier shrugged his shoulder and sat next to her. He too started meditating. Stepping into the Demi-God realm from the Saint realm was a big step in one¡¯s cultivation as the mana seed nted at the core, needed to sprout and take root in one¡¯s soul. One could say that this stage was the first step to fuse together one¡¯s soul and cultivation base. So Charlotte was at the moment extremely focused and using all of her concentration. Even a small misstep could lead to one¡¯s cultivation corepletely shattering to smithereens. After that, even if their body allowed them to, the person would have to start from scratch all over again, with their potential and capability vastly reduced this time. Charlotte would not have attempted this breakthrough at such an unpredictable moment but she was caught off guard and the mana swirling around her triggered her attuned body naturally, leaving her powerless to stop it. An entire day and night passed by and yet she was still in the same position, breathing slowly and steadily. Even Xander had returned back from where ever he had gone to. ¡°What is the news brother?¡± Xavier impatiently asked. They needed to find out more about this barrier that had separated them as soon as possible because if they were able to step out of their continent, that means others will now be able to get in as well. And just from the mana density, the higher beings here had to be at least several times stronger than their average strength. So if such a thing was possible, it was inevitable that their people would be either massacred or taken as ves and prisoners. But thankfully, that was not the case. ¡°I was not able to head back,¡± Xander replied, shaking his head. He as well sat down next to Xavier and pondered silently. From what he could see, their maind was still isted from this part of the world. However, they had somehow managed toe to the other side. What could have possibly happened that created this rift, which pushed them to the other side of the barrier while leaving the barrier itself intact? Chapter 379: Between a rock and hardplace Part1 Chapter 379: Between a rock and hardce Part1 When Charlotte finally opened her eyes, it was already the next morning and her jaw fell on the ground seeing the two elven assholes waiting next to her. ¡°Hey! Did you do something to me while I was in deep meditation?¡± She pointed her finger at Xavier and angrily asked, as he was the one who she didn¡¯t trust the most among the two brothers. ¡°The heck?¡± Xavier jumped up, offended by the usation. ¡°Damn it. I was the one who made him wait for you alright. Can¡¯t you be a little bit more grateful?¡± ¡°Hmph. Whatever. I don¡¯t have time for you right now. I need to go look for her.¡± Charlotte scoffed at him and walked away. Xander threw his head back up and loudly chuckled, before wordlessly standing up and walking away as well, leaving behind the poor dumbfounded elf. ¡°Are you satisfied now? Stopughing already! Grrr.¡± Xavier grumbled and quickened his pace to join his brother. The three of them walked together, ahem¡­ separately, heading further into thend. Beyond the sandy shores of the beach, were lush trees and after the three walked past the small forest, they came across a town of sorts. ¡°Let¡¯s go look for some information there,¡± Xander told Xavier who nodded his head and the third party seemed to be headed in the same direction as well. After a walking a while, the three directly entered the town, and against their expectations, there wasn¡¯t any sort of border patrol or entrance fee for the town. It seemed that they really did not care who entered or exited the small town. The streets were paved and smoothened out and were quite crowded with people walking about here and there. The three elves were on high alert as they might be possibly stepping into the hostile human territory but everyone around them seemed to barely care about them. There were all sorts of higher beings loitering the streets around them including human beings, dwarves, elves, lizard men, rabbit women. They were dressed in simr robes and armors and even spoke in the samenguage. Xavier¡¯s eyes were almost twinkling with a boundless delight. ¡°Bro, we have stumbled into uncharted territories!¡± ¡°Oh my gosh, I have never seen these many furry beauties. Ah! My eyes have been blessed!¡± His head was craning from left to right and his grin from ear to ear. Ignoring the idiot standing next to him, Xander looked around and muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s go get some information in a local inn.¡± Unlike his brother, he was not in a mood to appreciate anything. Something didn¡¯t exactly sit well with him. Sure, the mana quality was different here, and probably because of that the beasts and the higher beings here might be stronger, but otherwise, thisnd might as well have been a part of Eldoria or any of the nine countries. There was no war. There was no violence and more importantly, the humans seemed to be smoothly coexisting with the other races. This was in fact theplete opposite of what they were lead to believe. ¡°Brother, see that is a tavern over there.¡± Xavier pointed, to which Xander nodded. ¡°A tavern it is.¡± The two brothers proceeded towards an inn with a signboard that had a wooden mug on it and read ¡®The Drunken Bear¡¯. The two brothers and of course, Charlotte pushed the door open and entered. It was a simple and tidy looking wooden inn with an unpretentious yet warm feeling about it. The establishment had only about a dozen tables and there were at least 20 people inside. The rich aroma of ale filled the room and with the lively cheering, it looked like everyone was having a good time. And once again, a medley of races were sitting inside, without the slightest hints of division. Xander and Xavier took a seat at one of the empty tables and Charlotte sat down beside them. She would have preferred to sit at another table, but there wasn¡¯t one avable. So she silently sat down with the two elves. A waitress immediately flitted over towards them and she was a rabbit girl with long rosy fluffy ears, purple round eyes, and fairplexion. She wore revealing clothes, that particr entuated her ample bosom and Xavier immediately lost track of his goal. ¡°Ah, my dear. What a sad life I have been living without ever havingid my eyes on a beauty like you?¡± Both Xander and Charlotte simultaneously twisted their lips, revealing an annoyed expression. At first, they waited for him to end the shenanigans soon, but the shameless elf continued flirting with the bunny girl until her cheeks flushed pink. Since Xavier was very skilled, the two hit it off quite well almost instantly. Not having the patience to deal with this nonsense any longer, Xander sighed and pinched him on his thigh under the table. ¡°Charlotte! What the hell?¡± Xavier¡¯s eyes widened and he immediately assumed that it was Charlotte who had pinched him. ¡°Why are you pinching me? I am sorry, but my heart belongs to this woman here.¡± Charlotte ground her teeth, really close to losing it, and gave him a death re which made Xavier shut up. The three of them then ordered some servings of food and ale. Inns were always the best ce to gather information and local gossip, so the trio silently sat and keenly tried to observe the conversations around them. They first needed to know they of thend and details about everything in order to even guess where Tang Yue could have gone. Just from the looks of it, the ce didn¡¯t seem as dangerous but all three of them were grown adults and they were well aware of how sometimes looks could be deceiving. Things might seem harmonious on the outside but that didn¡¯t mean some sort of weird hierarchy did not lie underneath. So all three had their ears glued to the other people sitting around them and eavesdropped without any restraint. Chapter 380: Between a rock and hardplace Part2 Chapter 380: Between a rock and hardce Part2 ¡°Are you sure that Brad hadn¡¯t returned yet? I know about his guild. They are very strong. How could they have gotten lost?¡± ¡°What else did you think was going to happen? Every single team who had epted that mission has gone missing. Heh. These idiots must have thought that they were really special.¡± ¡°Are you guys buying a ticket for the theater?¡± ¡°Who has time to waste on those trivialities?¡± ¡°Bruh! It¡¯s good to take out the wife once in a while!¡± ¡°Fuck that wench. I think she is sleeping with someone else.¡± ¡°Did you know? Recently a strong elf joined Guird¡¯s team as a healer. I heard they are going to tackle the westward dungeon next week.¡± ¡°Eh? This ale sucks.¡± Xander and Charlotte sat patiently at the table, their attention on the various tidbits of conversations around them, rather than on the food that they were munching on. Xavier, on the other hand, had long since gotten up from the table and disappeared somewhere within the inn along with the bunny waitress who couldn¡¯t stop giggling at his sweet words. When the elf finally returned, he sat down on his chair and finished the ale left in his mug with a big huge grin. He was bursting to tell someone about the details but the other two ignored him after giving a condescending look. ¡°Excuse me. I am sure I have gathered more information than you two bullies. Stop staring down at me all the time, you assholes!¡± Xavier whined, banging his fists on the wooden table with an adorable pout, revealing his delicious dimples. If not for the elf¡¯s good looks, he would have long since paid for or been beaten up for his casanovaplex. Of course, there was also the little fact that he was an elven price. However, that had no significance on this side of the ocean. But yet, Xavier somehow managed to score and was shamelessly proud of his skills. ¡°Listen you two. First things first. We can still use silver and gold coins here. Our gems don¡¯t work.¡± ¡°Hmmm? Why is that?¡± Xander asked. ¡°Apparently they are of very low quality, ording to the sexy bunny.¡± ¡°Also, instead of ns and sects, we have guilds here. This allows the different races to intermingle a lot more freely.¡± ¡°More importantly, families and different races are strictly forbidden from forming sects or ns or guilds of only one race in the majority.¡± ¡°These people are all about diversity.¡± Hmmm¡­ Both Xander and Charlotte simultaneously hummed as they listened to Xavier¡¯s borate report which was most definitely gathered in the midst of rolling around. ¡°There are several Kingdoms and Empires here and they are all ruled by different races with no restriction on who can enter and exit a city or town.¡± ¡°However, all of this is only on the northern part of the continent. The south is far more prejudiced and biased towards the human race.¡± ¡°There are seven Kingdoms of Immortals in the south, all of whom worship an Immortal God.¡± ¡°Other races can still enter these Kingdoms but only for trading and jobs for which they need permission from the royal court officials.¡± ¡°Apart from this, there is also a Demonic practitioner Kingdom on the east which is at constant war with both the northern and southern continents.¡± ¡°This is the gist of it.¡± Both Xander and Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but look up and see the elf in a new light! This guy had gathered so much information in so little time??? Just what does he do in bed??? They were bbergasted. ¡°Ha Ha Ha. I know what you are thinking, you virgins. Bow before the King!¡± Xavier chuckled. The other two elves couldn¡¯t help but choke on their ales as they heard thisment. ¡°Who are you calling a virgin?¡± ¡°Who are you calling a virgin?¡± They both retorted back instantly at the same time, and once the words had a chance to wash over them, their jaws once again dropped and their faces changed. She slept with him? She slept with her? In between furrowed brows, and clenched fists, Xavier immediately regretted bringing up this topic and he awkwardly chuckled. ¡°Ahem. Ahem. I am not done yet. There is one more piece of information¡­ Snake spirit beasts are extinct here.¡± ¡°There are dragons, there are rabbits, there are pigs and there are even tigers, but no snakes!¡± ¡°Bunny girl told me that they turned demonic centuries back and performed atrocities beyond thend could handle.¡± ¡°So the Immortal Gods personally descended to eradicate them all.¡± ¡°This was also why the fanatics rose up and started revering these Immortal Gods and thend split into the southern and northern factions.¡± ¡°So if sister-inw had indeede here, she would probably be in the demonds.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t mention the word sssss again. If any of the southern royals catch a whiff of it, they will immediately imprison us.¡± Both Xander and Charlotte who had been ready to fight a couple of rounds just seconds ago immediately calmed down after listening to this. Everything they heard was not that surprising but thest few pieces of information struck them like lightning. This alone made their search thousand times more difficult and even if they somehow manage to find Tang Yue, there was no doubt that she was in a lot of danger. After silently gazing at each other for a while, the duo then muttered, both at the same time. ¡°We need to go to the east.¡± ¡°He He. I thought you guys might say that. Let¡¯s get moving.¡± The three stood up and left the tavern after tossing a couple of coins on the table for their meal. And just as they exited the small shop, the waitress was standing near the front, waiting for them and waving at them. ¡°Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you. My bunny girl is stronger than you Xander!¡± ¡°So of course, I hired her to apany us as our personal guard. Any objections?¡± Chapter 381: Between a rock and hardplace Part3 Chapter 381: Between a rock and hardce Part3 ¡°Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to tell you. My bunny girl is stronger than you Xander!¡± ¡°So of course, I hired her to apany us as our personal guard. Any objections?¡± Xavier grinned. How could that even be possible? Xander looked at his brother who nodded his head vigorously and then gazed up and down at the bubbly rabbit woman in front of him. He used his soul sense to probe the bunny girl, but it seemed like his brother was indeed right. He was not able to sense anything at all. Normally, even though most people hid their strength and level, he was still a Demi-God and unless the person was at a simr realm, he would easily be able to see through them. But the bunny in front of him was like a fog. He couldn¡¯t see through her. Xander then quickly tried to see through someone else¡¯s cultivation, a random passerby who had crossed them and even that proved fruitless. ¡°Te he! Handsome. What are you looking at? Let¡¯s go?¡± Raphina, the bunny girl poked Xander on his nose teasingly. She thought that the elf looked just a little too cute being all dazed and confused. However, her small action sent a tremor down both Xavier and Charlotte. Both their faces darkened and Xavier immediately lifted the bunny girl up with his hands and ced her behind him, hugging her tightly. ¡°Brother! No! Let¡¯s not make amotion just yet. Remember why you are here!¡± He bowed and cupped his hands in front of Xander, expecting a full-on shit storm to ensue. Even Charlotte gulped in fear. She took a few steps back, not wanting to get caught in the middle of this. Seeing everything happening around her, Raphina was puzzled. Why was everyone acting like this? ¡°Ah~~ Did I do something wrong?¡± She lifted up to put her index finger in her mouth and sucked on it. But weirdly, against everyone¡¯s expectations, the elf smiled instead of unleashing hell on the bunny. ¡°I am sorry to have made thedy wait. Let¡¯s go.¡± Xander simply smiled and muttered. Xavier clutched a pir next to him and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He felt like his soul had left his body and returned back. As Xander started walking ahead, looking around. He pulled back Raphina and whispered. ¡°My brother is a bit weird in the head. He doesn¡¯t like to be touched.¡± He awkwardly chuckled and warned her to prevent future mishaps. Raphina innocently smiled and nodded in realization. ¡°I am sorry, my honey bun.¡± She pulled Xavier close and ced a big wet kiss on his lips making the elf blush. Both Xander and Charlotte silently walked ahead, ignoring the things happening behind them. They couldn¡¯t even roll their eyes at the elf as he had beaten them both fair and square in bringing everyone up to speed about this new ce. Besides, Xander was already used to his behavior and Charlotte was not exactly a stranger to him as well. The group then walked over to the town center where they had a big 4 storey building named ¡®Adventurer¡¯s tower¡¯. On seeing the structure, Raphina pulled Xavier and dragged him in yfully, and the others followed behind the two. ¡°This is where we can buy good quality supplies. You guys have money right?¡± ¡°Of course, my darling.¡± Xavier beamed. ¡°Te he! Alright.¡± Raphina giggled before tapping her long fingers on the desk in front of the shop assistant. ¡°Bubul! Give me some healing potions, and strength potions.¡± ¡°Eh? You are heading out, Raphina? What a surprise.¡± The shopkeeper, who was a bear man smiled back. ¡°Yes. Yes. We got some new visitors to town today. So I thought that I will be hospitable. Te He.¡± Raphina giggled and leaned over the counter to reveal her bouncy chest, which instantly made the man blush. Standing at the back, Xavier nudged his brother. ¡°Look bro, she is even getting us discounts!¡± He shed a proud grin, making Xander¡¯s mouth twitch. ¡°Mhm.¡± He silently nodded. ¡°Umm. Kind sir, do you also happen to have a map of thend?¡± Charlotte asked, smiling gently and her voice flirtatious. Bubul once again blushed and smiled back at the second beauty before heading in to bring all the items. ¡°Yuck! How pathetic! Trying to copy my girlfriend?! Tch. Tch.¡± Xavier clicked his tongue, which Charlotte ignored and started looking around. The ground floor of the building was obviously a sales shop for the various items. The various shelves were decked with different consumable items, some of which she recognized and some of which she didn¡¯t. There was a spiral staircase in the back, which clearly lead to the other floors in the building. Charlotte walked over to it and was about to climb when another shop assistant loudly eximed. ¡°Girlie, you have to show your medallion before heading up.¡± The elf immediately paused and tilted her head to the side revealing an adorable smile. ¡°Ah~ Ah~ Mister, I just want to take a peek up.¡± She fidgeted with her fingers nervously, which made her look even cuter. Both Xavier and Xander blinked, unable to believe the woman¡¯s talent inying down honey traps. But unfortunately, it still didn¡¯t seem to have worked. The assistant only wryly chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Sorry babe. You know I can¡¯t let you go. Take a look at the missions board. I saw some easy ones this morning.¡± ¡°Finish them and get enough points and soon I can take you up there myself. Aha ha ha.¡± ¡°Yay! Awesome!¡± Charlotte pped her hands and revealed another big smile before she turned around and her face returned back to a somber expression. However, she only looked more beautiful with the serious look which made Xavier wonder why she even bothered acting cute in the first ce. The three elves walked over to take a look at the missions board, which the other shop assistant told them about, while Raphinazily leaned against the desk, watching them in amusement and waiting for the items. Chapter 382: Hanging by a thread Part1 Chapter 382: Hanging by a thread Part1 Inside an ind that was deeply hidden in one of the many pocket spatial rifts of the world, a pce stood tall and erect at the dead center. There was a huge moat around this pce, previously made of sharp deadly earthen spikes but now it was simply bald, with thend inside the moatpletely ravaged and turned upside down. Weirdly, an enormous dragon flew around this moat, circling the pce as if it was not satisfied with something. Its big, sharp, and sinisterous eyes kept searching, darting here and there, eying everything keenly. But not having found the thing it was looking for once again, it went back after a couple of hours. This had by now be a routine of sorts for the beast. It came over, soaring above the moat, and looked around every day even if its search ended up ultimately fruitless. ¡°Hmph. I don¡¯t know what tricks you used, but I will find you one day or the other, you puny pest!¡± The dragon let out a loud roar, making all the beasts on the ind tremble, before returning back to itsir for the day. It was the uncrowned unrivaled King of this ind, an Emperor among other Emperor beasts, but yet, a tiny idiotic snake managed to outwit it. Just how the hell did this happen? The dragon coldly snorted, unable to wash away its embarrassment. At first, it had thought that Tang Yue had died, but the more it mulled over the fight and thought about the things that had happened, it couldn¡¯t shake off a certain doubt at the back of its mind. What if the snake was still alive and what if its eggs and treasures were not returned because of that? It was a nagging feeling and doubt that it just couldn¡¯t let go, so the dragon continued to meticulously eye the pce and the moat surrounding, along with the neighboring forests. Its territory which had only involved that small patch of forest had suddenly widened to include everything in the vicinity of the moat and the pce. Though it couldn¡¯t directly step into the pce itself, it believed that it was only a matter of time before it attained enough power to break the barrier around the pce. It would then be able to obtain a humanoid form and it would rightfully take its ce in the pce, as the true ruler of the ind. As the dragon took one morep around the pce and disappeared into the distance, several meters underneath the moat, deep into the ground, was a stone tunnel, partly made of marble and partly made of rocks. More importantly, a part of this tunnel was broken, more like nicked and through this hole, coarse sand was slowly leaking into the hollow empty interior of the tunnel. And next to this small ever-growing pile of sand,id a tiny two-inch piece of blue flesh with two clear emerald eyes bleeding and broken. Tang Yueid still, only barely alive. She would have died without even a trace of her left behind if not for this underground tunnel that extended out of the pce. The dragon¡¯sst attack had sted her body into smithereens and a part of her was tossed atop this tunnel which was buried deep down. Tang Yue did not quite understand how it all worked. Probably her blood that had sttered everywhere sshed onto the tunnel as well, thereby partially opening up the barrier for her to enter. But at the same time, a part of the dragon¡¯s attack alsonded on the tunnel, hence breaking it open, forming a crack on the surface through which the sand seeped in. Luckily for her, this tunnel was a part of the pce in itself and hence, the barrier worked, masking her presence and the sliver of life that she was desperately clinging onto. Ding. +1 health recovered. A lone notification rang, making Tang Yue inwardlyugh at her own plight. Even with the barrier provided by the pce, she was only alive right now thanks to the weakest skill in her arsenal. [Lesser regeneration] ¨C Passive skill, Able to regenerate and recoverpletely over a period of time, provided vital organs are unharmed. The skill might be weak but it was also terrific in its own way. In reality, she had lost more than half of her vital organs but yet she was somehow alive, just barely holding on and she was grateful for it. If it was before, she would have celebrated for pulling one over the terrifying dragon, but the current her had no mood to celebrate. She was nothing short of miserable at the moment thinking about Jin Wei and the others. For the first time, people had believed in her and she couldn¡¯t even protect a few dozen snakes. At least if they hadn¡¯t met her, they could have leisurely continued to live inside that chasm as they had been doing all these years. But now because of her¡­ Tang Yue shuddered at the very thought of it. If only she had known about it before, known about the beasts on the ind, she would have never dared to cross paths with the dragon. She hoped and prayed that the dragon assumed her to be dead and that it had forgotten about this unfortunate incident. Otherwise, if it held onto the grudge¡­ it would probably only rest afterbing through the entire ind for other serpentine spirit beasts and massacring them¡­ Tang Yue didn¡¯t want to think about this but in truth, it was her reckless behavior that had ultimately lead to this current situation and it pained her greatly. For a long time, it had been just her surviving in this cruel world, but now things were not the same. There were people, beasts who depended on her, relied on her, and trusted her. She simply cannot act recklessly anymore even if it was the only way to be stronger. If she ever got out of this alive, she resolved to do things differently and not act without more than adequate preparations. She was not alone anymore¡­ An entire week passed by in a blink and Tang Yue slowly and steadily recovered. Her previous body hadn¡¯t yet fully regenerated, but she had recovered more than enough to once again consume solid meat. ¡°Let me try this now.¡± Tang Yue touched one of the spatial rings and pearls scattered around her, taking out a beast corpse. This was the crimson bear¡¯s corpse that she had collected previously. She pulled her head back and chomped down on the meat, swallowing it down. There was a sharpness in her emerald eyes that was not present before. Her actions were clean and decisive without any shadow of a doubt. She hadn¡¯t wanted much before except maybe for strength and power that would help her protect herself and her loved ones. But now¡­ things were different. She wanted more. She had a deep-rooted determination and purpose to want everything. She didn¡¯t want to run and hide again no matter the strength of the enemy. She wanted to be at the top with nothing even standing a chance against her. She wanted to stand where Medusa had once stood, but this time she wouldn¡¯t allow anyone to take her down. Tang Yue silently licked her lips and chomped down on the meat again. It took her the entire day as she was still weak but she persisted and finished assimting the bloodline, even with throwing up a couple of times. Ding. 100% Crimson Bear bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated ¡°About time.¡± Tang Yue hissed. A familiar sensation assaulted her body and her serpentine figure started to twist and turn. Her body was enveloped by a bright beam of light and a sharp painced with an electrifying tingling sensation spread across her limbs. Wave after wave of mystical energy enriched her small figure and after a few seconds, her body was once again broken down and reconstructed from top to bottom, sucking in the atmospheric mana energy like a tornado. After a few minutes, the next series of notifications started ringing one after the other. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 50000 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Strength has upgraded Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. [Fierce Roar] ¨C Active skill; Unleashes a roar that reverberates strength and power; Boosts all the attributes 100 times for 10 seconds. Tang Yue quickly closed off all the notifications as she didn¡¯t care about them right now. Thanks to the evolution, she had nowpletely recovered and regained her former body. She morphed into her humanoid form and opened her status menu to check on her attributes. ______________ Body constitution: Golden-tier Saint Body; Divine Lotus Constitution ¨C Layer1 Mana constitution: Golden-tier Saint Core Soul constitution: Silver-tier Demi-God Soul Mental constitution: Silver-tier Saint Mind ______________ ¡°Phew.¡± She sighed in relief, only after seeing that her divine lotus constitution was still intact even after losing almost three-fourths of her body. Chapter 383: Hanging by a thread Part2 Chapter 383: Hanging by a thread Part2 Tang Yue dusted her back and stood up, walking out of the rubbles surrounding her. She touched the walls of the long tunnel which emitted a cool feeling in her hand. ¡°I am finally here huh¡­¡± She hissed and she slowly walked into the tunnel, headed deeper and deeper inside. She could feel a profound and mysterious aura surge out from within the long tunnel. ¡°Such a thick mana density¡­¡± Her long forked tongue flickered in and out, and she felt as if she could almost taste the mana in the air. Tang Yue inhaled and exhaled deeply, letting the thick mana circte freely in her newly regenerated body. It was a long and winding tunnel and she patiently walked to the end of the tunnel, keeping a vague sense of where she was headed to. After a few minutes, she finally saw the tunnel end in a wall, with a staircase leading up to the pce. However, this staircase was broken and so she slithered up cautiously, paying attention to see if there were any traps, and then sted the door blocking the exit. Bang! The door fell down with a thud and the boom reverberated through the entire pce that was empty except for Tang Yue, who slithered up to finally stand on the marble floor of the enormous pce. She didn¡¯t wait and quickly summoned little Plum, also taking out her soul sword. She was supposed to enter through the gates but now she had no idea where she was in the huge pce, so she decided to err on the side of caution. ¡°Old man.¡± Tang Yue called out and asked. ¡°Are there any traps in the pce?¡± ¡°Do I need to watch out for something or you can¡¯t tell me anything about this as well?¡± She was not upset with the old man for not helping her out when she needed him the most. Maybe he had a reason for doing so or maybe he did not. There was no point in thinking about that when he had informed her beforehand that he wouldn¡¯t be able to help her. Tang Yue patiently waited for an answer when the space around her distorted to form a white mist. Surprisingly, the mist began to shape up in the form of a human being, albeit an extremely old man. He had a pointed face, a long nose but a pair of kind eyes that looked back at her with genuine affection. Tang Yue was stunned for a second, but the next second her lips curled upwards to form a subtle smile. Among all the races, she didn¡¯t actually expect him to be a human being. ¡°Greetings, Master.¡± She muttered, with a small smirk. ¡°Good to see you, little snake.¡± The old man smiled and nodded his ghost soul head. ¡°Ahem¡­ about that¡­ I couldn¡¯t help you earlier because I am unable to reveal my presence on the ind.¡± ¡°If I do so¡­ then¡­ ¡± Tang Yue raised her hand to stop the old man from exining. ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about that.¡± ¡°No, little snake. I don¡¯t want there to be any misunderstandings. I am helping you because I am indebted to the Great Empress.¡± ¡°This is me paying my debt to her. If I had revealed my presence, those old monsters would have instantly sniffed me out, especially on this ind.¡± ¡°And if they did, I will cease to exist. I won¡¯t be able to help any of the other future sessors in case you fail.¡± ¡°In case I fail huh?¡± Tang Yue chuckled. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it old man. I am not nning on failing. Not here and not ever again.¡± She muttered under her breath and walked forward exploring the pce. The tunnel that she hade through led to one of the dining halls of the pce. The huge pce lookedvish and luxurious with not a single spec of dust even after being uninhabited for centuries. Gold and gems glittered in every corner and the walls were adorned with exquisite engravings. There were even portraits that were periodically hung on the wall and Tang Yue paused to look at the various ancestors of her race. ¡°It was a different time, little snake. A different time and a different era.¡± The old man floated next to her and sighed, as he reminisced the old days. Tang Yue looked around and as she slowly approached the center of the pce, she stood frozen. An enormous portrait hung on the huge adorned wall that was bereft of any other engravings and more importantly¡­ the woman on the portrait looked like a spitting image of herself¡­ Tang Yue turned around and looked at the old man in shock and waited for an exnation, but the ghost simply shrugged and chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s just a coincidence¡­ I think?¡± ¡°Little snake, who did you think that I was? I don¡¯t have answers to everything. I am just one of her majesty¡¯s many Generals.¡± ¡°I really do not have all the answers that you seek.¡± Tang Yue massaged her temples feeling her head hurting. How could she look just like Medusa? Was this a weird coincidence or was there something more to this? ¡°Ahhh! Damn it all!¡± She shouted. ¡°Listen, old man, I don¡¯t have too much time right now to stick around and explore this pce from top to bottom.¡± ¡°I need to be stronger and I need to do that as soon as possible.¡± Tang Yue clenched her fist with a grave look on her face. She could still sense Little Blue¡¯s connection with her and she could tell that the dragon hadn¡¯t gotten to the snake spirit beast¡¯sir just yet. But was there a real possibility for her to rescue whoever was alive after killing the dragon? She clenched her fist and looked at the old man waiting for an answer. He looked at her with concern visible in his eyes and sighed. ¡°Come. I will take you there. Remember it won¡¯t be easy.¡± ¡°Though her highness did not n on letting all those ferocious beasts roam around on her territory, she did set up trials for her sessor.¡± ¡°Any snake spirit beast can enter the pce, but not anyone can im her legacy.¡± ¡°She arranged everything herself. I have no idea what¡¯s there inside. Once again, I am unable to help you.¡± Tang Yue nodded and followed behind him. The two walked through the gigantic courtroom and headed inside to one of the five quarters of the pce. Tang Yue followed him closely, steadying her mind. She had failed in surviving on the ind outside, but this was her second chance. She just can¡¯t afford to fail anymore. The lives of the people that depended on her relied on her bing stronger. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much little snake. These trials are different. Nothing will happen to you.¡± ¡°Unlike the others who wish to harm you, this is our Empress. She definitely wouldn¡¯t have designed anything to harm you.¡± ¡°I can assure you that much. You will either seed or not seed in iming her inheritance. But you should be able to return alive from the trial grounds nevertheless.¡± Tang Yue nodded and the both of them stepped inside a huge courtyard in the middle of the pce. There was an archaic rune formation at the center which looked used and worn out. ¡°Here. We are here.¡± The ghost muttered. ¡°This used to be a very lively ce back then. All the youngsters and geniuses of our Empire used to periodicallye here and contest for iming her inheritance.¡± ¡°And now its a barrennd¡­¡± He sadly said. Tang Yue walked over to the center and looked at him, but before she could say anything a blinding sh of light enveloped her and she disappeared. When Tang Yue¡¯s vision cleared up again, she found herself standing in a vast expansive desert with sand and only sand everywhere. At this moment, with a loud whooshing sound, the sandy ground in front of her twisted, and arge roiling river appeared in the midst of the desert. From this river, five pirs rose up, which began emitting intense pressure and aura. Tang Yue¡¯s knees buckled from the sudden change and she was forced to kneel on the ground. This pressure and the violent oppressive aura were far more stronger and powerful even whenpared to the dragon¡¯s pressure. It was even difficult for her to look up and gaze at the pirs to see what was going on. When Tang Yue was wondering just what the hell she was supposed to do now, a loud voice boomed around her, and surprisingly that voice was very simr to her own voice. ¡°Withstand the pressure to prove your determination.¡± The message was short and simple. ¡°What the hell?¡± She grit her teeth, irritated by these coincidences. Why was her voice simr to this voice? She clutched her head which felt like it was going to burst from the sheer force of this insane pressure. And just like that¡­ the trial started! Chapter 384: Hanging by a thread Part3 Chapter 384: Hanging by a thread Part3 Tang Yue did not have the time to worry about the simrities between her and Medusa. Her hands lowered from her head to her throat as she clutched it, feeling suffocated and unable to breathe. The pressure was clearly too much for her to handle, but Tang Yue had just spent thest six months hammering away at stubborn and resilient ores with violent bacshes. It was a devil-like training that had tested her resolve at every step of the way as she had to inflict enormous pain and torture on herself. ¡°Raaaaa¡± Tang Yue shook her head and let out a loud scream, also letting out all her pent-up frustrations. She clenched her fists tightly, her eyes returning back to their sharp and cold gaze. The crushing pressure was slowly and steadily chipping away at her soul and mind, pushing her one inch at a time into the realm of madness but Tang Yue fought back, holding her ground. She banged her fists on the sands of the desert, trying to support the weight of the mountain on her shoulders. Blood leaked out of all her orifices, but it was not her normal healthy purple blood. It was a thick pungent putrid ck blood. Tang Yue coughed and spit out more blood. She was almost at her limits, only barely holding on. The aura emitted from the five pirs ground her with an insane pressure from top to bottom, slowly tempering her body, her bones, blood, and right down to her individual cells. Even though she knew that this was doing more good to her than harm, she still was being slowly overwhelmed by the pain. And as if responding to her plight, a few notifications rang out. Ding. Congrattions. Body tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Strength, Stamina and Defense have been upgraded Ding. Congrattions. Body tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Strength, Stamina and Defense have been upgraded Ding. Congrattions. Body tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Strength, Stamina and Defense have been upgraded ¡­ ¡­ ¡°Is this your way of helping me out, old man?¡± Tang Yue threw her head back andughed as if she was possessed. She didn¡¯t think that the system notifications would pop up in the midst of these trials. It broke her trance and snapped her out of the spiraling madness of pain, which finally gave her a second to breathe and think. At first, she didn¡¯t think much of this test as it was purely her body¡¯s ability to withstand the pressure, but now thanks to that one second of relief, a small thought had taken root in her brain. She wondered if this was truly a test for her body or her mind. As such, she knew that she wouldn¡¯t be able tost long in this insane condition, so she decided to give her idea a try. Tang Yue fell down, face forward onto the desert sand,pletely giving in to the pressure, but she held onto her consciousness. As she felt the mounting pressure on her body and her back, she imagined drowning into the desert sands, slowly and steadily, thereby transferring some of the pressure to the sand rather than fully withstanding it on her own. She then closed her eyes and meditated, trying to forget about reality and the crushing pain and thought back to some of the days when her life was more normal. However, Tang Yue suddenly startedughing because it had been a while since her life was normal which for her was being invisible, sad, and alone. Ever since she left the serpentine kingdom as a consort betrothed to the demonic elven prince, her life had been filled with one surprise after another and was nothing remotely close to normal. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Charlotte was the one who had fed her the poison which began everything. ¡°I should ask her when I see her again. Mmm¡­¡± At the thought of the two elves, a big smile formed on her face, that was connected to her body which was twisting and contorting in pain. However, that pain didn¡¯t reach her mind. Her mind was still lingering on the two elves and the things that they had experienced together. When they were together they all hated each other and now that they were apart, Tang Yue missed the warm memories she made with them. Those were in fact the only good memories she had, good enough topletely block out the pain and pressure on her body. Perhaps it was because she was only a fingernail away from death just recently, she sorely missed the two and felt all alone without them. She reminisced the ways that they had held her tenderly and loved her until she screamed in pleasure and wondered if they missed her in her absence. Memories started to pool one after the other and soon shepletely lost herself in them, no longer struggling from the tremendous pain wrecking her body apart. Even when they were not with her, they were still helping her. Tang Yue smiled. Thanks to their thoughts, Tang Yue managed topletely sever her mind from her body. She did not know how long the trial was going tost, but now she no longer cared about it. She was happy to withstand whatever was being thrown at her body. In her mind, she was enjoying a pleasant dinner with her two partners, whilst patting Little Blue who was lying on herp. At the thought of the wolf, her eyes slightly teared up, wondering how the little guy was doing. Her mind instantly fell back into the harsh reality and a searing pain surged through her body. ¡°Damn it!¡± Tang Yue screamed in agony. Even though she had managed to sever her mind from her body, she was not able to stay in that state for long. In barely a minute she was once again pulled back into reality facing the full brunt of the crushing pressure and the hellish body tempering. Chapter 385: Hanging by a thread Part4 Chapter 385: Hanging by a thread Part4 As the first trial continued with no end in sight, Tang Yue zoned in and out of her severed mental state a few hundred times. She eventually lost track of even how much time had passed in the slow and arduous trial. But since she had cracked the important key to surviving in this trail, Tang Yue kept persisting, not worrying about anything else. Every time she managed to free herself from the pain, shested in that rxing mental state for a second longer than she had done previously. So apart from her physical attributes, her mind was also slowly being chiseled under the pressure and she could feel her strength growing by leaps and bounds. After what felt like an eternity, Tang Yue suddenly no longer felt the pressure from the five vibrating pirs. In fact, the feeling that she got now was one of pure warmth and rejuvenation. It was as if Charlotte was massaging her body with her favorite herbal mixture. Hmmm? Tang Yue shed her eyes open wondering if the trial had concluded and the pirs had stopped vibrating. ¡°What the hell?¡± She hissed in surprise. The desert in front of her was still there, with the five pirs still vibrating and sending out auras. The difference was that she no longer felt overwhelmed by the pressure they exuded. She also no longer had her face, buried in the ground. She was now sitting in afortable meditative pose. Tang Yue chuckled, not knowing when she even changed positions. She then stood up and looked around, observing the things around her. But nothing had changed and she was still in the vast desert with the single river running wildly in front of her. She did not know where the river originated from and where it might end. She could see no end in sight. Her gaze then shifted to look at the five pirs standing erect in the river. They were trembling and vibrating visibly. Tang Yue nodded her head and started walking closer to these pirs in order to examine them when a series of notifications chimed in her ears. Ding. Congrattions. Body tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Strength, Stamina and Defense have been upgraded Ding. Congrattions. Body constitution has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Demi-God Body Ding. 500000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. Mental tempering sessful. Ding. Congrattions. Mental constitution has been upgraded to Bronze-tier Demi-God Mind Ding. 500000 Experience Points have been rewarded. Tang Yue couldn¡¯t help but gasp in surprise. The trial had been inhumane but the rewards were equally excellent. She was now an almostplete Demi-God, someone equal to Xander in strength and power. Only her cultivationcked and was still in the Saint realm. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Not bad.¡± She licked her lips and walked forward. As she tried to get closer to the pirs, the pressure and the oppressive aura once again started increasing. But all Tang Yue needed to do was wait for a couple of minutes to get ustomed to it and then she could proceed forward without getting affected by the pressure. ¡°Hmmm¡­ So this test to simply weed out non Demi-God candidates?¡± She wondered. However, she remembered the things that the old man had told her about the trial and she didn¡¯t think that the criteria would be that simple. It was probably designed so that no matter what level they were, they would need to break through to the next level in order to pass the trial, giving the younger generations more advantages than the older ones. Suddenly Tang Yue felt grateful that she attempted this test when she was in the Saint realm. She really couldn¡¯t imagine if she would have seeded if the trial had tested her in the Demi-God realm. Reaching the state of a Deity from Demi-God was unlike anything else and Tang Yue knew it was much moreplex than the earlier levels. It not only involved tempering one¡¯s body, resolve, mind and soul but it also involved gaining insights. She shook her head, deciding to worry about thatter and focus on the trial in front of her first. Tang Yue took her time and steadily walked over closer and closer to the pirs, slowly adjusting to the pressure in the air around her. When she touched the banks of the river, she almost fell back stumbling as the pressure there was the highest she had experienced. She was tumbled and blown backward about a dozen times before she was finally able to ce her feet in the river water, which instantly shot waves of pleasure in her tired and spent body. Tang Yue¡¯s emerald eyes gleamed and glittered in shock. ¡°This¡­ This¡­¡± She muttered with her lips trembling. The flowing river that she was standing on was actually not a normal river made of water. It was rather freely flowing mana in liquid form if it could even be considered that. It was more like dense thick wisps of mana, so dense that they started resembling liquid water. Tang Yue stood perplexed in the mana river, trying to take in the feeling that swirled around her legs. She then gulped and took a couple of steps forward topletely drench herself in the mana river. Tang Yue dipped her head inside and found that she could freely breathe even with her headpletely submerged. The thick energy permeated her body and filled her pores as if she had been starving for her centuries with a torturous thirst for water that had suddenly been quenched. She twisted and turned her body having felt never better. She then looked in the direction of the five pirs and swam towards them to reach the dead center. This was easier than she expected and she quickly reached the center. ¡°What is the second trial?¡± Tang Yue pondered as she stared at the five pirs, when suddenly the same voice she had heard before, her own voice boomed again. ¡°Attain the blessings of the five pirs ofprehension.¡± Chapter 386: Bad bunny Part1 Chapter 386: Bad bunny Part1 Hmmm? Tang Yue looked around, standing at the center of the five pirs. They were just normal looking pirs, possibly made of white marble with lines and ridges on them. There was absolutely nothing special about them. She stared at the five pirs with her eyes wide open for a few hours and still was unable to see anything, let aloneprehend some sort of insight. Tang Yue then pondered for a while before closing her eyes tightly shut. If something couldn¡¯t be seen with her eyes open, she wondered if she could see it or rather feel it with her eyes closed. However, as she closed her eyes, she still couldn¡¯t feel or grasp anything. Tang Yue could only sigh before giving up on that thought. ¡°Hmmm¡­ I am currently floating in a mana river and the first test was about physical tempering. Is the second test perhaps about mana core tempering?¡± Since she couldn¡¯t see or feel anything from the pirs, Tang Yue once again closed her eyes, but this time, she rotated her two mana seeds and started cultivating by inhaling the mana around her. As she gradually tried to sense the various elemental essences in the mana river, she suddenly perked up in excitement. The five pirs were indeed not ordinary!!! Each of the five pirs was emitting an elemental essence apart from the violent oppressive aura and the pressure. They were like beacons that separated out the different elemental essences from the mana river and then sent them out in waves. There was an earthen pir, lightning pir, fire pir, wind pir, and ice pir, representing the five elements of nature. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Sost test involved body tempering and mind tempering¡­ So for this test¡­ Do I need to break through to the Demi-God realm in my cultivation base as well?¡± Tang Yue pondered. This was the only conclusion that she could arrive at as she had no other clues about this test. However, there was an issue. She only had affinity or rather mana core consolidation for two out of the five elements. ¡°Ok, let me worry about thatter. First I will break through and be a Demi-God today!¡± Tang Yue resolutely closed her eyes and sat in a cross-legged position, floating atop the mana river. She then started cultivating the two elemental essences that she had an affinity to. She slowly and steadily absorbed the essences and nurtured the two mana seeds that were settled deep within her body. As Tang Yue breathed in and out, she felt as if these two seeds inside her body were voids greedily sucking in everything she was feeding them. But there was no method to rush cultivation and she could only patiently keep churning the mana essences and feeding them. Time trickled by and Tang Yue was unsure of how many hours had passed. The desert around her was still bright and sunny as if it was still daytime. In fact, the desert or the trial grounds had always been like this ever since she was teleported here. There was no day and night cycle change or rather she hadn¡¯t experienced one here yet. Tang Yue suddenly couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the time inside the trial grounds was flowing at the same pace as it was outside. However, there was no way she could know about this while still being inside so she decided to just keep silently cultivating. Another few hours passed before she finally started sensing some changes in the two seeds swirling around her lower abdomen. They had somewhat settled down and stabilized. They no longer moved or rotated. This was the first step to the mana core and soul fusion, a mark of transition to the Demi-God realm. Tang Yue became excited and started to absorb more and more elemental essence from the pirs. She could have never achieved this stage so fast without these thick concentrated mana waves. Coming to this ind, this pce, she had lost a lot, but this trial was indeed extremely invaluable and had already helped her quite a lot. Tang Yue did not know how she was rted to Medusa or why their appearances and even their voices were so simr, but one thing was certain. She was grateful for her help and her inheritance. Just as Tang Yue prepared herself to finally cement and seal the two seeds and break the barrier to step into the Demi-God realm, the dessert around her disappeared and she suddenly found herself back at the old pce. ¡°What the hell?¡± Tang Yue turned around in panic and hissed. ¡°Did I just fail?¡± ¡°Oh? Little snake? You are already back?¡± Even the old man whose soul was now partly lingering outside her body materialized again and looked at her with surprise. ¡°Umm¡­ did I just fail Master?¡± Tang Yue asked, still confused about what had happened. ¡°Yes. That should be it. It has only been one hour since you stepped inside. Did you get stuck at the pirs?¡± The old man asked. ¡°Master¡­¡± Tang Yue smiled bitterly. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have given me some pointers before going in?¡± ¡°Eh? Pointers? Why? Little snake, I cannot disgrace her highness like that. So what if you failed? Just keep trying again. You can try as many times as you want.¡± ¡°What? I can try again?¡± Tang Yue tiredlyid on the cool and soothing marble floor and let out a deep sigh. The path in front of her was long¡­ Meanwhile¡­ A group of three elves and one bunny walked out of the small town. Both Xander and Charlotte had epted various misceneous missions in order to understand the situation they were in better. They also wanted a better grasp on the strength of the people here and the treasures in thend. So the duo had epted all sorts of missions ranging from easy to hard. And Xavier, of course, apanied them for the trip along with his bunny girl as he had nothing else to do. Chapter 387: Bad bunny Part2 Chapter 387: Bad bunny Part2 ¡°You guys are so boring!¡± Xavier leaned against a thick tree trunk and mumbled, with his right hand¡¯s little finger digging his ear. Beside him Charlotte was sitting cross-legged and recuperating her stamina and mana, while Xander was busily dissecting a three-horned lion, peeling it from head to toe, part by part. As an alchemist, he was curious about the thick mana strands and how they affected the physique down to the lowest detail. So he ignored his brother¡¯s words and continued researching the various beasts. However, this did not deter Xavier from whining further. ¡°Huff! We have been doing this same thing for hours now, just hunting beast after beast! When will you both be satisfied?¡± ¡°If you continue distracting me, this is only going to get longer.¡± Xander sighed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in a hurry to find your wife and bring her back? Where did all the rush go?¡± Xavier cried in exasperation. However, he instantly knew that he had gone a step too far when both his brother and Charlotte turned around to re at him. ¡°Alright. Alright. Don¡¯t kill the messenger.¡± Xavier backed away. He took out a fruit that he had purchased earlier and settled down with a helpless sigh to munch on the fruit in boredom. Bassa, the town that they had just left from was mainly a fishing town and small in size, but thankfully since the adventure¡¯s guild in every town disyed missions avable in the entire Kingdom, they were able to ess all the avable missions. Different missions had different difficulty levels and they also had different rewards ordingly. These were the only way to receive adventure guild points which were a must to ess treasured and high-grade items. It was truly an extensively designed system and even criminals were caught by assigning missions to capture them. However, to Xavier¡¯s dismay, Xander and Charlotte were taking their time and attending to even the small missions like clearing out a herd of dire wolves from the town border and driving away apes from the herb fields. These were far beneath their level, so he didn¡¯t think it was worth their time, but Charlotte and Xander seemed to think otherwise. It was as if they were searching this world with a fine-toothb for Tang Yue and trying to understand every little thing around them, which was not really a bad thing but it was just boring. ¡°Umm¡­ Shall we head to the mountains? We can do the python valley mission and rest there for the night?¡± Raphina walked over to Xavier and yfully put her hands around him and suggested. Xavier¡¯s mood immediately perked up a bit and he urged the duo as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go. Come let¡¯s go to the mountains.¡± ¡°I should have never brought you here.¡± Xander sighed and rubbed his temples, but he ended up relenting as he as well felt that they had spent sufficient time looking at the weaker beasts and analyzing them. Xander was an extremely cautious and analytic person by nature and he never jumped into things headfirst like Xavier. ¡°Alright. Let¡¯s go.¡± He said and started walking, but he was not quite headed in the direction of the mountain. ¡°Umm¡­ Hey! That¡¯s not the way! We should head in the other direction!¡± Raphina quickly reminded him, by jumping up and down, which made her huge breasts jiggle and Xavier¡¯s eyes twinkle. Xander, however, bluntly replied. ¡°No, we are not doing that. We are heading out of the Myrian kingdom.¡± ¡°White forest?¡± Charlotte who had been silently meditating all this time suddenly shed her eyes open and asked. Xander did not answer her and simply nodded. The mission report mentioned that there were traces of demonic cultivators presence in the white forest, killing and kidnapping several human beings and beast kin alike. Since serpentine spirit beasts were considered to be demonic and banished from both the northern and southern territories, Xander wanted to hunt some of these demonic cultivators and find more information. He hypothesized this to be the fastest way to gather information about Tang Yue¡¯s whereabouts. And from the looks of it, Charlotte hade to the same conclusion as well and hence suggested the same ce he had in mind. The two of them still did not speak to each other and continued walking silently to the border of the Kingdom they were currently in, the Myrian Kingdom. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Wait for me.¡± Xavier followed behind the two, whilst looking at the map they had recently purchased from the adventure¡¯s guild. However, as the three elves continued walking, their otherpanion, the sweet and bubbly bunny girl had a weird expression on her face. She took out a fist-sized pebble from her spatial ring and ced it on her lips to murmur something iprehensible. She then put it back into her ring, a big smile returning back to her face. ¡°Wait for me, my darling.¡± She ran and hugged Xavier from behind, the two of them then beginning to tease and tickle each other. The group then walked right through the forests headed deeper into the maind. However, not long after, Raphina once again stopped them. ¡°Guys, it¡¯s already dark outside. Let¡¯s rest for tonight.¡± She insisted and pulled Xavier back. ¡°Hmmm¡­ Not necessary.¡± Xander replied without turning back. There was a city marked on the map which was next to the border and he intended to rest there. So he ignored both Xavier and the bunny girl¡¯s whining pleas and continued walking forward. ¡°Huff! Can we at least take a break for a few minutes?? I am starving, my darling, and I need to take a tinkle.¡± Raphina stopped and pleaded. Perhaps since they had been whining for so long, Charlotte found herself hungry as well so she stopped. In the end, Xander also had to stop, but he had a pensive look on his face. He sat down leaning against a tree but his soul sense wandered, probing everything in and around them. He then quietly took out his sword and clenched it as he leaned back. Chapter 388: Bad bunny Part3 Chapter 388: Bad bunny Part3 Raphina being the waitress and the one who actually wanted to eat something, quickly took charge of the dinner menu. Though Xavier had been circling her all day, groping her and teasing her, when it came to doing actual work, he let her do everything and gave her some space. The manzily sprawled on the ground next to his brother without a care in the world, making Charlotte roll her eyes at his nonchnce. The elder one was just as worse as the younger one. Both the elven brothers were equally selfish, entitled, and inconsiderate. She scoffed at them and looked down on them, but Charlottepletely failed to notice something obvious. She as well didn¡¯t help the poor bunny girl and simply waited for the food to be ready just like the other two elves. Raphina, however, was plenty bubbly and cheerful even doing everything on her own. She took out venison meat from her storage ring and cooked it until the meat was fully roasted and aromatic. She then handed over a few skewers to the three elves, who immediately dug into the food silently, two of them engrossed in their thoughts, and one just silent because his mouth was stuffed. The dinner didn¡¯t take too long and everything was wrapped up within minutes. Though Raphina had made an effort to create a campsite, the three were done in a jiffy and stood up immediately afterward. ¡°Oh my gosh! You guys are all in such a hurry!!¡± The bunny girl giggled and trailed behind them reluctantly. Not long after, she jumped up and down again, grabbing everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°Ummm¡­ There are usually someher flowers in this area which grows because of the mountain spring water.¡± ¡°You can sell these at the city for a decent buck.¡± Raphina tried persuading the group by talking about the different uses ofher flowers. However, Xander and Charlotte remained disinterested and continued walking forward. Only Xavier tried cheering her up, making up for the rude behavior of the other two. ¡°Let me ditch these two at the city and we can then go where ever you want.¡± Xavier coaxed her, making the young bunny girl giggle. ¡°It¡¯s alright, my handsome darling.¡± Raphina didn¡¯t seem to care too much and the group once again started moving, but barely a few minutes passed when¡­ ¡°Boo. Wait a minute, please. I can feel the presence of a treasure around here.¡± Raphina pped her hands excitedly and jumped up and down, proudly showcasing her assets. Both Xander and Charlotte immediately stopped in their tracks and Xavier did too. There we go! Now you all are listening to me! The bunny sighed in relief and triumphantly turned around to speak something, when suddenly¡­ SLASH Three sword beams shot towards her simultaneously, all aimed at her right hand, her equipment wielding hand. Before she could realize what had just happened, another three beams shot towards her left hand and cut off that one as well. Blood spurted from both the cuts and her limbs unceremoniously fell on the ground like dried up dead twigs from branches. Raphina waspletely dumbfounded and she didn¡¯t react in time at all and when she looked up in disbelief to see who had attacked her, she was left even more petrified. If she had to guess who then she would have guessed the cold female elf or the arrogant male elf, but the one wielding his sword right now, blood dripping still was rather Xavier. The man who had been casually ying with her and teasing her was the first one to find out her secret?? She just couldn¡¯t believe it. She had taken him for a womanizing fool and decided to bring these three for her friends. They seemed to be outsiders, new to town or rather new to this part of the northern territory. So she had decided to take advantage of that fact and make a few bucks. However, things hadpletely gone wrong. Raphina gnashed her teeth in anger and frustration. A pink glow emanated from her body, covering her head to toe. Even though she was slightly stronger than the three, physical strength was her weakness and these guys had attacked that. She quickly jumped back, moving a few paces at the top of her speed. However, a streak of darkness materialized behind her,pletely holding her in ce and soon enveloping herpletely. ¡°A¡­ a domain?¡± The bunny woman stammered, her eyes wide open like saucers and staring at Xander. ¡°Wind st!¡± She yelled, creating a tornado around her, with her in the center, sting away all the darkness that touched her. But just as the wisps of darkness cleared, three huge sword beams with an aura of fire and lightning struck, cleanly severing her head from her body. Flop. The two halves of Raphina fell down, her body limp and lifeless. Just like that, in a mere few seconds, she no longer existed. Charlotte wiped the blood from her de and sheathed it back as if nothing had happened, while Xavier quickly collected all the belonging from the dead body, burning it to a crisp using his fire magic. The three elves then quickly hurried away, leaving the scene of the crime as if it had nothing to do with them. After a while, when they had sessfully managed to put sufficient distance between them and the area where the fight had happened, Xavier finally opened his mouth and broke the silence. ¡°Why are you guys holding it back? Juste out and scold me already?¡± He twisted his lips, unable to take it any longer. He had obviously fallen for such an easy trap and he was sure that these two wouldn¡¯t let it go so easily. Xander didn¡¯t say anything, his face as cold and indifferent as ever, while Charlotte sneered in contempt. ¡°It is not your fault. It is your brother¡¯s fault for bringing you here.¡± She then silently continued moving as well. Xavier felt a shiver run down his spine. He was already missing hispanion even though she was a honey trap. ¡°Tch. Tch. What a pity.¡± He clicked his tongue. Chapter 389: Keep your enemies close Part1 Chapter 389: Keep your enemies close Part1 Not long after Xander, Xavier, and Charlotte left the area, a group of orcs walked over to the now empty campsite which looked like it was never even used in the first ce. Observing the untouched forest grounds and the silent trees around them, one of the orcs sniffed, making his two short tusks at the end of his lips move up and down. ¡°Boss, are we at the right ce?¡± He scratched his almost bald green head that only had a few strands of hair left with his thick fingers. Hearing his obvious words, the other orcs as well grunted and nodded in unison looking at the orc in the center who was slightly bigger and muscr than the others and had more clothes on his body. He seemed to be the leader of this group of orcs and everyone awaited his thoughts and decision regarding this matter. The big orc remained silent for a few minutes and then squatted down to touch the forest ground and dig out a chunk of soil, scooping it up with his hardened and dirty yellow thumbnail. ¡°The smell of blood has seeped deep inside the ground. There was definitely a fight here.¡± ¡°Oraaa! Something happened to Raphi?¡± Another orc gasped and eximed with his gruff voice. ¡°Boss¡­ Big Boss is going to be mad ah?!¡± Another orc added. ¡°Ora! That¡¯s right! He was fucking the bunny!¡± Everyone became tense and looked at their leader with a confused and tense expression. However, the leader, the orc who was addressed as Boss simply let out a cold snort. ¡°Eh? Are you guys idiots? Big boss fucks a lot of women? Do you think he would care about one less pussy?¡± ¡°He will probably be more pissed off about the bounty that slipped through our hands and the female elven ve we were promised.¡± ¡°This is not good for our reputation. As cktooth bandits, we need to make this right and get what is ours back.¡± ¡°No one will respect us if we let small fry like this outwit us. Ora!¡± He shouted and he swung the axe that he was carrying onto a nearby tree. A loud bang resounded in the silent forest and the next instant the thick tree fell down with a thud, broken in the middle, with just the impact of that single hit. Ora. Ora. Ora. Ora. All the orcs immediately started chanting and shouting in a bloodthirsty fervor. The entire forest was filled with the cacophony of their noises. However, their targets, the three elven royals had long since disappeared from the forest, and without any more unnecessary disturbances hindering their speed, they had now quickly reached the Pengu city which bordered the Myrian Kingdom. ¡°Brother, let¡¯s rest for the night and head out tomorrow morning? We still need to travel for about an hour to reach the infamous white forests.¡± Xavier paused and then added in a more serious tone. ¡°I don¡¯t think we should take a risk without preparing properly first.¡± Xander chuckled coldly after hearing the unexpected rational wordsing out of his brother¡¯s mouth, which only happens once in a blue moon. ¡°Mhm. I agree.¡± He chuckled again and the three elves then walked over to one of the shabbier looking inns in the city to not repeat what happened in the small town Bassa and draw attention to themselves. Xavier spoke with the innkeeper and handed him a few silver coins and even hagged a bit before finally getting a room. ¡°Did I do alright keeping a low profile, brother?¡± He asked Xander with a big smile, proud of his efforts. Thetter just wordlessly snatched the keys away from him and headed upstairs. However, the two of them stopped after taking a few steps when they saw that Charlotte was still following them. ¡°Eh? You are not getting another room, Charlotte?¡± Xavier immediately asked, his mouth turning into a big O. She ignored him and continued following the two all the way to their room. There were only two beds and the two brothers directly upied both without politely offering one to thedy, who simply sat down and leaned against the wall to get some shut-eye. Charlotte would have gotten another room but she was worried that Xander would cut her loose the first chance he got, so she couldn¡¯t afford the risk. She stuck like glue to both the annoying brothers and left the inn early the next morning at the same time when they did. The three unwilling travel buddies then headed over to the adventure¡¯s guild in the city for some preparations. Now that they had umted some points, though a paltry amount, they were able to head up and take a look at the first floor as well. The items and goodies here were a little better than the ones on the ground floor, both in quality and variety. The three elves silently coordinated and made some purchases, buying a few health recovery, mana recovery, and invisibility potions, and other items like st powder, poison bomb, and smoke bomb. They also purchased a multitude of barrier runes, enhancement runes, and healing runes before their points ran out and the three exited the building. When they were outside the guild¡¯s space, Charlotte handed over some runes to Xavier and Xavier handed over some potions to Xander. These were both for the purpose of utility and also for the purpose of research as these potions and runes were better than the ones they were used to. Of course, this was because the ingredients were better to begin with, thanks to the rich mana swirling in the air, but there were also some minor tweaks in the backbone form. Others might not be able to discern all these small details and minute specifics from just a few samples, but Xavier was a Grandmaster in Rune crafting and Xander was a Grandmaster in Alchemy. So it was merely a child¡¯s y for these two to work backward from the sample and figure out the recipe. Chapter 390: Keep your enemies close Part2 Chapter 390: Keep your enemies close Part2 After traveling for a while from the Pengu city outskirts, the trio finally reached a set of mountains that were fully submerged in thick white fog. It was too sudden and too thick as if the phenomenon was not even natural and a white curtain intangible was drawn around the mountains to cover them fully inside which thick white air hovered. ¡°Brother, perhaps we shoulde back here with a few more items on hand.¡± Xavier mumbled, shivering at the uneasiness that was slowly overwhelming him. Hmmm¡­ Xander hummed. ¡°No need. We are here to just take a look. If things get serious we will leave.¡± Of course, he knew better than to push their luck as otherwise, the consequences would be dire. If they failed here and now, then no one else would be able to help Tang Yue and she was the only thing in at least two of the three elven brains. As Xander¡¯s mind wandered around while the three of them walked into the foggy area, he suddenly paused and his sharp sword like eyes trembled in fear and agony. Leaving the other two behind, rather forgetting that there were also two others with him, he immediately sprinted ahead into the white foggy mess. ¡°Brother!¡± ¡°Xander!¡± Both Charlotte and Xavier called out to him, but before they could follow him, the next second their expressions darkened as well and the two of them shot forward in two other directions. S. S. S. Xander almost lost his mind as he raced, shing down the trees and brambles in his path. The entire forest was filled with a whimpering and groaning sound, followed by loud screams that made him panic and sweat, losing all of his rationality in a single breath. Because it took him only a fraction of a second to recognize the familiar voice, a voice that he had longed to hear for weeks now. Xander did not know whether to be happy or anxious. He came here in order to find Tang Yue and didn¡¯t quite expect to find her so soon. She was here. He knew it. He could tell. It was an unmistakable gut feeling. ¡°Yue?¡± ¡°Are you here?¡± Xander shouted at the top of his lungs, a delirious look on his face which he didn¡¯t notice. He weaved through the foggy forest and climbed the rocks that stretched out in front of him, searching for the woman he loved dearly. ¡°Help me.¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­ Help me.¡± The voice again rang out. She sounded like she was in pain and he was just an arm¡¯s length away. It frustrated him that he was not able to get to her faster, help her faster. ¡°Yue? Where are you? Send me a signal. NOW!!!¡± Xander shouted lividly. He ran around, climbed the winding uneven slopes, and searched for a mere nce of her for hours together, and yet he was going nowhere. He couldn¡¯t even think clearly and he had already forgotten how much time had passed. Only one thought was running in his mind and it owned him. A couple of miles away from Xander, Charlotte was doing the exact same thing. Charlotte had run away the moment she saw something pale blue lying on the ground at a distance. An ominous feeling had crept up in her heart, but when she came closer and saw what she saw, she waspletely shattered. She instantly copsed on the ground, her body covered in the thick fog making her unable to see anything else, but she didn¡¯t quite care about that right now. In front of her was the woman she loved, her body already dead and decaying as if she was an orphan without anyone to love her. Charlotte wailed at the top of her lungs as she clutched the dead body and hugged it tightly to her body. ¡°No. No. No. Yue¡­ Why did you leave me like this? You left me all alone? Why did you go alone? I could have died with you? Why did you do this to me?¡± The elf shouted, at the top of her lungs, sobbing and her eyes almost reddened enough to spill blood as tears instead of saline. And on another direction, thest elf was surprisingly also in a simr plight. Xavier did not understand why but he suddenly couldn¡¯t find anyone else besides him. He felt as if he had been trapped in this ce for years or even decades, loneliness, the feeling that he hated the most, guing him to no end. Just like Xander and Charlotte, he was also suffering, but his suffering was different than theirs. While their demons were outside them, his demon was within himself. Drowning in loneliness and depression, without the things that he usually used to masquerade his true self, he was truly in misery. And worse, there was no end to this misery of his. He knew that it was a part of him that he would never ever be able to get rid of. He had to live with it, but it was too much for him to handle. He just couldn¡¯t take it anymore and he was also unable to find a way out of this white fog which he only barely remembered about. After what felt like an eternity, among the three elves who were lost in their own personal hell, Xavier was the first to give up and he stopped moving. ¡°I am done.¡± He muttered, his eyespletely devoid of any hope, and took out a dagger from his ring. However, already being a partial Demi-God, even if he wanted to kill himself, it was not an easy task. After he took out the dagger, he also took out a few runes and pressed it against the dagger, the weapon swallowing it all. The elf then raised the dagger and ced it directly on his throat, ready to slit himself and end everything once and for all. He really couldn¡¯t take it anymore. Chapter 391: Keep your enemies close Part3 Chapter 391: Keep your enemies close Part3 Xavier took onest breath and let out a deep sigh before running the de over his throat and shing himself. Blood sttered everywhere and he fell down on the ground gurgling some more blood from his mouth. His eyes closed and a couple of minutes passed, as he felt his consciousness fade away. However the next instant, he suddenly found himself in the thick of the fog again, having nowhere else to go. ¡°No! No! NO¡± Xavier shouted, shaking his head. He was so frustrated that he couldn¡¯t end his misery even after trying to kill himself. It took him a while to settle down, but soon the feeling of loneliness started to once again overwhelm him. However, before things began topletely roll downhill, there was a fleeting moment of rity and Xavier caught hold of it with everything he had. ¡°Fucking illusions.¡± He shouted loudly, clearing whatever confusion that was still swirling within him. ¡°What the hell? Did I just kill myself?? Damn it. Damn it. No one can ever know about this.¡± Xavier wiped the tears that were threatening to fall out of his face and turned around to really look at the surroundings. He immediately cast a two inch thick mana barrier and mumbled something to drive away all the fog from within the bubble, filling it with raw mes instead. It might be overkill but Xavier could tell that this particr illusionary boundary was extremely powerful if it could affect all three of them, especially Xander. So he didn¡¯t stop with one and created two other barriers before finally rxing a bit. It felt as if a foggy veil was lifted from his brain. ¡°Damn! Just who the hell was able to cast such a powerful spell?¡± Xavier pondered. It had been a while since he had experienced such a strong mental attack. But then again, unlike back in Eldoria, they were surely not at the top of the food chain here. After clearing his mindpletely and steadying himself, Xavier then quickly hurried over to look for Charlotte and Xander. Now that he was no longer muddle headed, the visibility issue didn¡¯t matter as much and he was able to clearly set up signs. He navigated through the white mess and searched all four corners for the other two elves. Before long, he ran into Charlotte who was sitting on the ground,pletely miserable and tattered. She was hugging a pig¡¯s dead and decaying corpse, close to her chest and crying over it. Xavier shook his head helplessly and then walked over to cast a mana barrier around the woman as well, driving away all the fog. He then zapped her with a powerful lightning bolt, forcefully snapping her back into reality. Huh? Huh? Charlotte blinked and instantly realized what had happened. Her face changed and her lips trembled as relief washed over her. ¡°It was not real¡­¡± She mumbled in a daze. She then turned to look at Xavier and nodded with a bitter smile on her face. ¡°Thanks.¡± Faced with her genuine gratitude, Xavier was taken aback for a second. He ruffled his head and awkwardly mumbled. ¡°It was nothing.¡± The two of them then continued tob through the foggy forests for Xander. However, unlike Charlotte, he was not that easily found. The two of them wandered around for a while before deciding to look for him from an elevation and climbing higher onto the mountains. ¡°Hey. Wait. I hear something.¡± Charlotte paused and tugged at Xavier¡¯s robe to stop him. ¡°You heard something?¡± Xavier looked around but he still couldn¡¯t see anything. Charlotte signaled for him to follow her and the two of them quickly ran along the winding paths of the mountain, climbing higher and higher. Just at the edge of the region where the fog ended or rather thinned down slightly, a human being was lying on the ground, severely wounded. And next to him, Xander was battling what looked like a drake beast. The beast had two huge horns and lightning was sizzling from it. It also opened its mouth, sending out about five to six balls of pulsing strong lightning energy balls, sting the rocks that the attacknded on. ¡°There he is!¡± Xavier eximed and quickly joined the fight giving his brother some support. Charlotte on the other hand tended to the man who was severely injured. She could see that Xander was fighting in a manner that also prevented attacks fromnding on the human being, so she quickly took out some healing potions and helped him recover. ¡°Cough¡­ Cough¡­ There are better grade potions in my ring. Bring my hand here.¡± The man mumbled in pain, his eyes darting towards the bloody severed hand nearby. Charlotte nodded and pulled over the hand and took out the spatial rings from the fingers. She then ced them on his other hand and the man quickly took out several potions, helping himself. Just after consuming one, he looked much better, his injuries closing up and color returning to his face. In the meantime, Xander and Xavier had already handled the drake. The beast had put up a good fight but it was quickly outnumbered and overwhelmed facing both the elves at the same time. ¡°Can you move? We need to get out of here. I can sense at least a dozen more beasts circling at the top.¡± ¡°Cough¡­ I am alright. I can move now.¡± The human being stumbled, but he stood up, with Charlotte and Xavier holding him on either side. The group then quickly moved away from the open skies and further into the mountains, taking cover under the thick forests. ¡°Wait. Wait. Give me a minute here.¡± The three elves stopped and waited for the human being, who was now sitting on the forest ground and reattaching his severed arm applying some bandages and healing potions. ¡°Such strong regenerative powers!¡± Xavier muttered. ¡°Aha Ha Ha. Yes, indeed. Our guild¡¯s potion master is very talented. I am Lucas by the way. Thanks a lot for lending me a hand back there.¡± Chapter 392: Keep your enemies close Part4 Chapter 392: Keep your enemies close Part4 Lucas and Xander walked in the front, while Xavier and Charlotte closely followed behind as the four of them walked out of the foggy mist. ¡°Frost Thorn is actually one of the top guilds including both northern and southern territories. I guess I should be embarrassed to boast about this since you guys had to rescue me just now.¡± ¡°Aha Ha Ha. Doesn¡¯t reflect on my guild. A bad miscalction on my part.¡± Lucas continued, as he was filling in the three elves about the details of the guild. Once they were out of the fog, he paused and grinned at the three elves all listening to him intently. ¡°So what do you guys think? Do you want to join our guild?¡± ¡°I swear. We normally do not recruit so easily, but I don¡¯t want to be ungrateful. I would be dead without you three, so this is the least that I can do.¡± Lucas chuckled awkwardly as he tried to convince his saviors, but he didn¡¯t have to try much as Xander readily agreed. ¡°Thanks for your hospitality and kindness, Lucas.¡± He even shed a small smile that made the hair on the back of the other two elves stand up. ¡°Alright. It¡¯s settled then. You three areing with me.¡± Lucas winked and gave a thumbs up in delight, as he quickly pulled out something from his spatial ring. The next second, a massive airship roared alive in front of them, seemingly powered by several runes and gems. Xavier gaped in awe as he ran his fingers over the vehicle¡¯s exterior. It was truly a marvelous creation. ¡°We have the blueprints in the guild.¡± Lucas chuckled and patted him. ¡°You guys can ess it for free after joining. All recipes are freely avable. One of the perks of joining a guild.¡± ¡°That¡¯s interesting.¡± Xander shed another smile, making the other two elves cringe slightly. Once all four of them boarded the airship, Lucas settled down in a corner to recuperate and recover some of his deeper injuries, while Xavier scurried over closer to Xander who was standing on the other side of the massive airship. ¡°Brother¡­ perhaps you should reign in that fake enthusiasm. It¡¯s kind of going a bit overboard.¡± He nervously poked the man staring at thend beneath as they were flying over the maind. ¡°Heh. What are you bbering? I don¡¯t think that I am being fake at all.¡± Xavier rolled his eyes without being able to argue with that unreasonable response. ¡°So why are we going along with the human?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you listen?¡± ¡°You mean when he was going on and on about his guild? Hmmm¡­ To be honest¡­ I only listened to some of it.¡± Xavier scratched his head. ¡°I hate people who boast.¡± He then added with a solemn nod. Xander ignored his brother¡¯s thick skin and exined with a light chuckle. ¡°Their guild is famous for many things but their most prided aplishment is having captured a small n of ten serpentine spirit beasts.¡± ¡°What the hell? Are you serious?¡± Hmmm¡­ Xander hummed watching thendscapes change under them as they flew over at a tremendous speed. ¡°Their guild specializes in capturing demonic cultivators.¡± ¡°But brother¡­ then¡­ aren¡¯t they our worst enemies?¡± ¡°Of course, they are. They are also our best allies when ites to searching for her¡­¡± Xander¡¯s crimson eyes turned freezing cold as he stared at the human being mediating obliviously at a safe distance away from them. However, it was only for a moment, after which his expression once again turned calm and gentle. ¡°Ahhh¡­ Damn it. Why do I feel like this is going to backfire at us very badly?¡± Xavier shook his head helplessly. He then turned to the other elf for help. ¡°Eh? Charlotte? You also don¡¯t have anything to say about this?¡± Charlotte, however, did not seem too eager toe to his side and argue for him. ¡°The n sounds good enough.¡± She absentmindedly answered. Her blue eyes gazed at the vastnds below them, wondering where exactly was Tang Yue in this huge mess that spanned indefinitely. The airship was quite fast and they speedily reached the main headquarters of the Frost Thorn guild located at the Nazom Kingdom in a few hours. ¡°Alright. I willnd the ship here because we cannot fly over the capital city.¡± Lucas informed the three elves. ¡°By the way, are you three siblings or friends or¡­?¡± He added, raising his brows quizzically. ¡°Friends.¡± Xander simply smiled. However, Xavier promptly stepped in to exin more. ¡°We are brothers and she is his ex-wife.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I see¡­¡± Lucas ruffled his brown hair and awkwardly chuckled, regretting touching such a sensitive topic, but he had to admit that he quite liked his newpanions. The four of them got down from the ship at the outskirts of the city which waspletely on another level whenpared to the Eldorian royal city. In fact, the city itself was probably as big as the entire Eldorian Kingdom. There was an entrance fee of 10 gold which Lucas graciously covered for everyone and the four then casually strolled along the streets. ¡°We have a special celebration party at the guild tonight. Someone¡¯s birthday probably or someone made a breakthrough?¡± ¡°Ha Ha. It¡¯s just an excuse to get together every month and chat and drink.¡± ¡°But I still think it would be good for you guys to join today as I can introduce you to a few higher-ups.¡± ¡°It will definitely help you out a lot when they are considering a team for a dungeon run or a raid.¡± ¡°Connections are everything. You know what I mean?¡± Lucas chatted with the three elves and exined to them the various things as he brought them over to the guild headquarters. He was very chatty by nature and since it worked in their favor, all the three elves kept encouraging him to talk more. And before long, they had already reached the headquarters. Chapter 393: Keep your enemies close Part5 Chapter 393: Keep your enemies close Part5 The guild headquarters looked more like a pce than an administrative building. It was sprawled across several acres and looked very lively with a huge gathering inside. ¡°This is the g hall.¡± Lucas introduced them and brought them over to the huge chamber near the entrance of the building. The hall itself was veryvish and extravagant and sparkled from shiny gem studded decorations. Several monstrous beast heads were hung around the ce, proudly disying the strength and capability of the guild. Members from all sorts of races including human beings, elves, fairies, orcs, goblins and beast nsmen, dressed in expensive clothes and fine jewelry, were merrily standing around and chatting. Maids dressed in scanty clothes flitted about carrying food and drinks, supplying the fuel to the party. ¡°Alright. Why don¡¯t you three head inside and rx for a bit? I will join you in a few minutes. I have some things to take care of first.¡± Lucas chuckled and waved goodbye, half walking and half running to somewhere inside the huge ptial building. Xavier sighed, walking the man disappear and then turned towards Xander. ¡°What do we do now, brother?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go. Rx and enjoy. You heard what he said.¡± Xander shrugged and walked into the g with a bright smile on his face, like the first rays of sunlight that appears after the storm clouds cleared. Charlotte, on the other hand, was in no mood to fake anything and simply followed behind him with a somber expression. ¡°Arghhh! You guys¡­¡± Xavier frowned, his gut screaming at him that nothing good was going toe out of this venture. However, once inside he already forgot about everything else and started happily chatting with a group of women standing near the fire ce. Xavier had the charm and charisma to naturally shine and so he quickly adapted to the new setting without any issue. Xander, on the other hand, was far more reserved and tight lipped. Nevertheless, he was also instantly swarmed by a group of women as he had spectacrly mesmerizing features that captivated everyone whoid eyes on him. Not to be outdone by the two brothers, Charlotte quickly attracted a group of men who introduced themselves to her. All three elves did not have any issues being social and quickly mingled with the guild members of Frost Thorn as if they had forever been a part of it. Time quickly ticked by, but the party was only turning more and more boisterous by the minute. Someone was arm wrestling at the center, a few people gathered around casting bets on the oue. Some were dancing and giggling. And some people were excitedly sharing the gory details about theirtest adventure. Xander swirled the drink in his hand, lost in his own thoughts. I have finally found someone who knows about the demonic n members¡­ But things have gotten moreplicated and looks like this is going to be more difficult than I anticipated¡­ Are you really doing okay? A couple of women were chatting with him, but his mind was clearly somewhere else. ¡°What are you thinking so deeply about Mr. Xander?¡± A red headed woman asked, leaning closer to him. Before Xander could answer, another slightly chubbier woman butted in and dragged the red head. ¡°Rhea! Quicke here. Sir Reynolds is showcasing his sword skills.¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ No Millie. Can¡¯t you see that I am busy?¡± Rhea frowned. Since she was the daughter of a Duke, she was already used to the constant attention, not even having a minute to herself. But today, no matter what, she was determined to spend some time with the mysterious elf in front of her. ¡°Ah¡­ ok.¡± Seeing that she was not going to budge, Millie nodded and walked away. ¡°Eh? Rhea didn¡¯te with you?¡± Reynolds asked after seeing the woman return back empty handed. ¡°Umm¡­ She is¡­ ha ha¡­ just a bit preupied today.¡± Milli hesitantly replied, trying her best to be as delicate as possible as a huge crowd had gathered around them. However, someone else spilled the beans and loudly shouted. ¡°Oh! There she is. Look there. She is talking to that bloke over there.¡± ¡°Oh boy. It looks like she doesn¡¯t fancy you any longer, my Lord.¡± Someone else added fuel to the fire. Reynolds¡¯s face immediately changed, but he quickly adjusted his expression and ruffled his hair, taking thement light-heartedly. ¡°Oh¡­ Did we recently recruit new guild members? I see a couple of new faces in the hall tonight?¡± Reynolds raised his brow. ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t think so? You know we only recruit at the beginning of every season and that person doesn¡¯t even seem to have reached the fifth circle?¡± ¡°How could he be a part of the guild being so weak? It¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Then is he a wait staff?¡± ¡°Heh. Since when did the Duke¡¯s daughter startughing and chatting with wait staff?¡± ¡°Is he perhaps a representative from the south? One of the holy protectors?¡± ¡°Nah. He is far too shabbily dressed for that.¡± ¡°Why are you guys guessing so hard? Let¡¯s just go there and find out.¡± The group of young men chuckled and walked over to where Xander and Rhea were standing. ¡°Hello there, Lady Rhea. How have you been these days?¡± Reynolds smiled and bowed, lifting the woman¡¯s hand and cing a polite kiss on the back of her palm. ¡°I am fine, Lord Reynolds.¡± Rhea replied, clearly displeased with what was happening around her. Just as these two were chatting, another guy walked closer to Xander and leaned, putting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°And who do we have here?¡± Xander did not react to his barely veiled taunt and replied with a smile. ¡°I am Xander. Hello.¡± The man, however, did not introduce himself in return. ¡°Xander? I have never heard of someone like that in our guild? Were you invited for the festivities today evening?¡± ¡°You could say that. I and mypanions just joined the guild today.¡± Xander raised his wine ss and took a sip of the drink calmly. Chapter 394: Keep your enemies close Part6 Chapter 394: Keep your enemies close Part6 ¡°Hmmm? Joined the guild? You must be joking right?¡± Reynolds muttered solemnly, turning his attention away from Rhea who was not too pleased with everything that was happening. However, her displeasure only made Reynolds want to question the elf that much more and firmly establish his own superiority. ¡°You do know that not just anyone can join our guild right? Which circle have you reached? 3rd? 4th? Who vetted you?¡± Xander remained silent. He had already taken a look at the different ways these people categorized strength. This was another distinction between the northern and the southern territories. People in the north, beast nsmen, and other races preferred the realm categorization while the people in the south, devout worshipers of the Immortals preferred the different circle categorization. And one was considered to be superior to the other for no particr reason. ¡°I am a Demi-God.¡± Xander swirled the wine ss in his hand another time and answered. It was clear that he didn¡¯t care which was superior and which was inferior. Standing a few feet away, Xavier was already sweating. ¡°Brother¡­ Aren¡¯t we supposed to keep low-profile¡­¡± He did not have a good feeling about what was happening. ¡°Huh? Demi-God? What the hell?¡± All the men standing around Xander and Rhea, including Reynolds broke into a fit ofughter. ¡°Who invited this joker to the guild? This is embarrassing?¡± Someone else added as Reynolds grinned. ¡°Please stop and apologize.¡± Rhea couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and muttered, stomping her feet. She found the behavior of the privileged men around her nauseating. ¡°Apologize? Why should we? You must be joking, Lady Rhea.¡± ¡°All of us gathered here have top contribution points in the guild. We have performed several meritorious services.¡± ¡°Why should we be forced to share our advantages with nobodies like this?¡± ¡°The person who needs to apologize is the elf who is standing here, a ce where he clearly doesn¡¯t belong.¡± ¡°Who the hell invited a useless piece of trash like this?¡± A loud burst ofughter rang out, but not long after, a clear voice cut through the chatter and the murmur. ¡°These are my guests. I was the one who invited them.¡± Lucas weaved through the group of nobles and walked over to stand next to Xander and Rhea. His presence immediately silenced everyone and made them swallow their condescending words. Not many had the courage to oppose Lucas who had a strong pull in the guild, especially among the high-ranking members. ¡°Now what are we talking about?¡± He ced his arm over Xander and raised his brows, question Reynolds and the bunch of men standing at the front. ¡°Lord Lucas, it was not our intention to create a ruckus. We had no idea that Mr. Xander here was your invited guest.¡± Reynolds smiled and calmly replied. He was not in the least bothered like the rest of the crowd. ¡°I am not sure why Mr. Xander purposefully hid this fact. Maybe to get a little bit of attention? Ha Ha.¡± Reynolds muttered, tossing the ball out of his court. ¡°I guess it is my fault then.¡± Xander chimed in with a smile. He calmly took another sip from his ss, his crimson orbs gazing at the man as if he was purposefully taunting him. Reynolds didn¡¯t miss his small action and the more he watched the cocky and arrogant elf, the more his blood pressure increased. ¡°Lord Lucas, you must forgive me for poking my nose, but I am unable to control my curiosity.¡± ¡°Please introduce your special guest to us. He must surely be talented to catch your eye, am I right?¡± Reynolds probed, one end of his lips pulling upwards. He could tell something had happened here and it was either nepotism or corruption as clearly the elf was too weak to join the guild otherwise, especially through the normal route. So he wanted to use this chance to humiliate Lucas in front of everyone and weaken the bond between him and the elf. He did not know where the elf had suddenlye from, but he was determined to make sure that the guy didn¡¯tst long in the guild. ¡°Lord Reynolds, perhaps we should call it a night,¡± Lucas muttered, his expression slightly darkening. He didn¡¯t want to reveal certain things in front of everyone but the man was forcing his hand. ¡°No, Lord Lucas. Surely, he must be genius to have joined our guild without even materializing mana right?¡± Another voice chimed in on Reynold¡¯s behalf. ¡°The bloke is only at the ¡®Demi-God¡¯ realm.¡± Someone else added, mocking Xander. ¡°Oh! If he is such a genius, it shouldn¡¯t take him long at all to reach 4th circle.¡± ¡°Come on. We are all here to give you pointers. As our guild¡¯s senior members, it is our duty to nurture and give pointers to the juniors.¡± ¡°Yes! Yes! Why don¡¯t you try to make a breakthrough right here? What else could be a better ce?¡± The crowd started getting rowdy once again. ¡°What nonsense are you all spouting? Literally, any other calm and quiet ce is a better ce?¡± Rhea shouted, quite fed up with everything that was happening. She had just wanted to have a pleasant conversation with a man that had caught her eye but somehow things had turned out like this. Standing near her, Lucas as well was immensely frustrated. He raised his hand and calmly spoke. ¡°I think we all have had one too many drinks. How about we call it a night?¡± He hurriedly tried to calm everyone down and get out of the g hall, along with the three elves. However, just as he tried to leave, he couldn¡¯t help but the elf next to him was missing. Lucas¡¯s eyes instantly widened as his gaze shifted down to see the elf now sitting cross-legged on the clean marble floor, willingly ying along with the whimsies of the boisterous crowd. ¡°Xander, you don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Rhea muttered, being just as surprised as Lucas. Chapter 395: Keep your enemies close Part7 Chapter 395: Keep your enemies close Part7 Xander sat down calmly. He had a quiet and peaceful aura about him as if there wasn¡¯t a crowd of people swarming around him. ¡°Mana manifestation huh¡­ let¡¯s see what that is all about¡­¡± He chuckled and closed his eyes,pletely shutting himself off from everything else. ¡°Woah! Is this elf serious? Is he actually trying to achieve a breakthrough in the middle of a g?¡± ¡°I had expected more from the elf because Sir Lucas had personally invited him, but it turns out that he is just another shy personcking any talent.¡± ¡°Lord Lucas¡­ What did you really see in the elf?¡± Even Reynolds smiled and gave a snarkyment, though he was the one who had egged on Xander into doing this. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who brought up this whole thing, Lord Reynolds?¡± Rhea was almost livid with the whole situation. She couldn¡¯t care less about what others were telling and walked up to stand beside Xander, guarding him as the elf calmly continued about cultivating the mana in the air. Xavier and Charlotte had also by now quietly walked over to stand near Xander. Seeing how everything had turned out in the end, Lucas could only sigh and give up. ¡°Let¡¯s not make a ruckus.¡± ¡°Yes. Yes.¡± Reynolds chuckled. ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on the judgment until the results are revealed.¡± He added with a vicious smirk. Soon, time quickly passed and the crowd somewhat settled down, though for some reason more people had gathered around Xander now. All eyes were on him as whispers and murmurs swam through the various members of the guild. Because of this situation, if Xander failed to in fact achieve an actual breakthrough even though such a thing was ridiculously impossible, both he and Lucas would lose face in front of everyone. However, aside from Reynolds who held a petty personal grudge and was hell-bent on humiliating Xander, no one else really cared about the elf. Instead, everyone¡¯s attention was rather on Lord Lucas as he had a lot more to lose if he ended up being shamed in the public like this. The whole evening had quickly gotten out of his hand and Lucas couldn¡¯t help but regret bringing the three elves to the g in the first ce. The more time passed by, he was getting more nervous when suddenly a group of footsteps echoed at a distance. ¡°Reinard sama.¡± ¡°Boss Reinard.¡± ¡°Guild Master Reinard.¡± Everyone gathered, including Lucas immediately bowed and greeted the tall human and fairy mixed-race man walking towards the group. ¡°Heh. What is going on here?¡± Reynolds instantly rejoiced while Lucas cursed his bad luck. He was even mentally trying to recall whose face did he wake up to that he was having such insane bad luck. ¡°Ahh¡­¡± He stammered, not knowing how to exin, but Reynolds was more than happy to exin what was going on in his stead. ¡°Boss Reinard, this elf¡­¡± He started to spill the beans when suddenly the fairy human unexpectedly shushed him mid-way. ¡°Look,¡± Reinard muttered curiously, his eyes now fixated on Xander. The air around the elf briefly crackled and right in front of everyone a thinyer of glimmering light now enveloped Xander¡¯s body. ¡°Woah. What the hell?¡± ¡°That elf really achieved a fucking breakthrough?¡± ¡°The elf¡¯s perceptivity must be insane to aplish something like this.¡± ¡°Lord Lucas was indeed right in pulling such talent over to our guild.¡± Hushed whispers and muffled gasps echoed from the crowd, but as Reinard gave everyone a warning re, everyone stopped talking and there was pin-drop silence in the room. No one dared to make a move and some even held their breath watching Xander sitting on the marble floor nonchntly. The glimmer around his body slowly grew thicker and thicker until finally, his entire body glowed brightly, a pir of light shooting up from his body. The realm of mana manifestation! 4th circle! In the span of a single evening, the elf in front of them had somehow managed to cross an entire realm as if it was a walk in the park for him. Rhea smiled gently, gazing at Xander with even more adorationpared to before. Lucas nodded, inwardly sighing in relief. Most people in the crowd had the same reaction, everyone acknowledging Xander¡¯s prowess. Only Reynolds had a face that looked like he had chewed on a big piece of ginger. Everything he had thrown out was merely usations, so when Xander pped him with his actual capabilities, he had no idea how to respond. He didn¡¯t think that someone was actually capable of achieving something impossible like this. Taking another deep breath, Xander shed his eyes open and calmly stood up. ¡°Sorry for making everyone wait. I hope you all can give me some pointers.¡± His lips curled up to reveal a polite and gentle smile. Lucas chuckled and he was the first one to talk. ¡°Ha Ha ha. You must be joking Xander. I don¡¯t think anyone here is capable of giving you pointers except for our guild leader.¡± ¡°Lord Reinard.¡± Lucas bowed and then introduced Xander to the guild master. ¡°He is the elf I was talking about earlier.¡± The group of them walked out, while others could only enviously stare at their back. ¡°Damn it,¡± Reynolds muttered, his heart filling with regret and bitterness. He had not only boosted up the prestige of the other party but he had also made new and powerful enemies. Their guild master Reinard was not an ordinary person and not everyone could talk to him so easily and openly. But now that Lucas was personally introducing the three elves to the Guild Master himself and coupled with the fact that Xander had just now mboyantly disyed his talent, no one had any doubts about their future prospects. It was only inevitable that their three newest guild members were going to climb thedder really fast. Before long, they might even upy high positions in the guild which others could only strive for working hard for the rest of their lives. Chapter 396: An Empress Needs To Dominate Part1 Chapter 396: An Empress Needs To Dominate Part1 "Damn it. This is the fifth time already." Tang Yue chewed and spat out her nails as she paced back and forth in the empty pce. She was still stuck at the second trial and hadn''t been able to progress beyond that. The five pirs really had her in a bind that she was unable to break free from. "Hmmm¡­ So each pir emits an elemental essence apart from the violent and oppressive aura and pressure." "The five different pirs represent the five elements of nature and I have to attain the blessings of the five pirs." "Arghh¡­ What am I missing?" Tang Yue kicked the wall in anger. She had tried everything by now and both her condensed mana seeds were perfectly attuned to two pirs out of the five pirs, but still, she was unable to progress further and was kicked out every single time. "What am I missing?" Tang Yue was really at the end of her wits. If she attained a perfect connection with two pirs and was still unable to get through, then it could only mean that it had something to do with the other pirs. But this was also Tang Yue''s biggest problem as she didn''t even possess an affinity to the other pirs. So she would never be able to form a connection with them and so she was unable to test out how to sessfully pass this trial. But at this point, she really did not have any other choice except to go all in. "Old man, I am going to gain affinity to all the elementals." Tang Yue muttered solemnly. "Are you sure, little snake? I should warn you. Your path ahead will be that much more immensely difficult." "Yes. I am sure." Tang Yue nodded. This was why she had also hesitated for so long, but now it looked like she did not have any other options. Tang Yue took a deep breath and rummaged her spatial ring, taking out a bunch of greenish thin sticks. But if one looked closely, these sticks had some amount of meat attached to it. "Slimy Green Mantis, a high-grade beast with a decent affinity to the wind elemental. Hmm¡­ This will do." Twisting her lips at the spiky thin sticks, Tang Yue took out a few more broken parts, bundling up meat belonging to several mantis beasts. Since she had looted everything that the dragon had amassed, she now had no shortage in whatever beast meat she needed. Staring at the painting on the wall which was a spitting image of her, she started slowly chewing the green meat sticks one by one. She sucked all the juices and the meat dry before picking up another one. Ding. 100% Slimy Green Mantis bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated A few secondster, Tang Yue''s body twisted and turned before she settled back in a coil on the ground. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 5000 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. Ding. [Higher Wind affinity] ¨C Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high-grade wind. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue hummed in satisfaction and then immediately rummaged the spatial ring once again to take out another chunk of flesh. "Spiral Horned Bald Eagle. Another high-grade beast with affinity to the lightning elemental." Standing beside Tang Yue, the old man''s ghost sucked in a big breath of cold dusty air of the pce. He had seen this power being used plenty of times now, both while he was alive and now when he was dead, but still, sometimes he had difficulty in digesting its existence. Such an unholy power was no less than terrifying and nightmarish to others! "When a life threatening the very bnce of the worldes to existence, sometimes fate itself bends and skews to correct the anomaly." He absentmindedly muttered, gazing at Tang Yue''s figure which was only again evolving, taking a step closer to perfection, every time she did so. "Your ancestor was not able to survive the tribtions of the fate¡­ how will you fare¡­ little snake¡­" "Did you say something?" Tang Yue licked her lips gazing at the new affinity that she had gained from gobbling down the eagles. "No. Nothing." The old man shook his head. "Hmm¡­ Alright¡­ I will be heading into the trail once again. Cultivating there should be much easier." Tang Yue pulled up her status screen and looked at the list of her skills again. [Lesser Evolution] ¨C Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body by absorbing bloodlines; Only 50% bloodline is required for triggering evolution. [Bloodline Gorger] ¨C Passive skill, Able to absorb bloodlines from meat very efficiently. [Higher Earth affinity] ¨C Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high-grade earth. [Higher fire affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade fire. [Higher Wind affinity] ¨C Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high-grade wind. [Higher Lightning affinity] ¨C Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high-grade lightning. [Lesser Ice affinity] ¨C Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into low-grade ice. [Greater Illusion Magic] ¨C Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to two realms. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ "Eh? Everything is high-grade except for ice elemental?" Tang Yue rubbed her chin, not satisfied with the results just yet. Though she had managed to gain affinities to all elementals, the fact that one was weaker than all the others itched her brain. "On second thought¡­ let me eat some more beasts before entering the trail¡­" While it was almost impossible for others to gain an elemental affinity that they were not born with, in the span of a single day, Tang Yue had almost managed to perfectly attune her body to all the elementals. The old man could only bitterly smile as he watched the snake rummage her spatial ring once again. Even though he had warned her against it, she still stubbornly picked this arduous path. Will she really be able to pass the trials using this method? He sighed in deep thought. Chapter 397 An Empress Needs To Dominate Part2 As she entered the trial grounds, Tang Yue once again found herself in the familiar desert with an unusual turbulent river running through it. However, the pressure and the oppressive force exerted by the sands of the desert and hot air swirling did little to nothing to her this time around. She walked leisurely over to the river and dived into it without a second thought. Crossing the wild untamed river was also just as easy and in a jiffy she reached the center of the five pirs standing enigmatically amidst the river waters. "Hissss¡­ This better work." Tang Yue''s long forked tongue flickered in and out as she settled her body in a cross-legged position at the center of the five pirs. She could almost instantly feeling the mana and the elemental energy being churned out from the pirs, wave after wave assaulting her body with a nourishing energy. "What a great cultivation resource¡­" Tang Yue sighed in amazement. Since her body had only recently gained an affinity to the other elementals, it absorbed the new energy like a hungry vortex, pulling in everything that it could. Tang Yue was forced to use the full extent of her mental capabilities and her focus to try and control the integration of the different elements. Though at first, the energy that she had absorbed was nourishing and intoxicating filling her entire body with strength and power, as time went by, her face slowly changed, revealing a pained expression. Inside her body''s cultivation center, there was almost a bloody battle raging on. The five elements of the nature, shed with each other and roared. Every element was formidable in its own right and it refused to coordinate with the others, dering its own superiority. Tang Yue felt as if her entire body was being ground up from top to bottom. Every single one of her pores, and her meridians were being sliced by the rough turbulent energies. However, the same energy once again healed her and sliced her again, this process repeating itself endlessly. "Argghhh!" A maddened cry echoed from within the isted training ground, but no one was there to hear it. Just like a weapon required burning me to be forged, her body was currently being forged through pain and destruction. Tang Yue had no idea how much time she had spent in that miserable state, the worst part of which was to be still able to hold her mind steady despite all the searing pain. In the end, she only managed to progress a bit in her cultivation, when she was kicked out once again as she had lost her consciousness. Mmm¡­ Mmm¡­ She stirred awake after about an hour. "Little snake, are you alright?" The old man immediately floated over to her and asked, worry written on his face. He was not a stranger to the trials personally set up by Empress Medusa herself and knew exactly just how difficult they were. Moreover, the difficulty of the trial changed ording to the will of the individual. And considering Tang Yue''s steeled will power, he didn''t want to imagine the tribtion she was undergoing. He might have been harsh to her often, but could he not develop a soft spot for the girl especially when she was the spitting image of the Empress whom he worshiped. "Little snake. Don''t push yourself too much. Focus on your strong points, not weak points." He sighed. Tang Yue, however, wiped the small beads of blood trickling down the edge of her lips and chuckled. "This is nothing. I am not done yet." She had a crazed look in her eyes which for a second stunned the old man ghost. "Master, tell me¡­ Bncing and cultivating the five elements together gives one immense power and strength right?" The old man nodded. "Yes, that is indeed correct but it will dy your progress a lot and it will put a strain on your mental energy. Your body might not even be able to handle it." Tang Yue chuckled. "Heh¡­ leave that aside¡­ What about throwing a few more elements into that mix?" Her long forked tongue flickered in and out as a devilish glint appeared in her eyes. The old man was instantly stunned. He looked at Tang Yue with a nk expression in his already dead and lifeless eyes. As the two of them looked at each other, an eerie silence filled the air. Only a single minute passed but it felt like an eternity, when the old ghost finally opened his mouth and muttered, not hiding the gravity of his tone. "No. Yue. You absolutely must not. That''s suicide." "Aha ha ha. And why must I not?" Tang Yue cocked her head to the side and asked, crossing her leg and resting her hand on her knee arrogantly. "Little snake, have you gone crazy from the pain?" "No, Master. On the contrary, my mind has never been more clear." She then stood up and stretched her limbs before once again rummaging her spatial ring. This time she took out a bunch of big round ck balls, which on closer inspection were ughtered spider torsos. "Dark tyrant spiders? Little snake, think about this first." The old man sighed and tried to reason, but Tang Yue had already started to chomp down the beast meat one by one. Before long, crisp notifications appeared in front of her. Ding. 100% Dark Tyrant Spider bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated Right in front of the old man, Tang Yue''s body lifted up, floating above the ground, her serpentine figure twisting and turning into various contortions. Unlike before, this time a strong putrid dark aura covered her body as the evolution process triggered once again. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 5000 Experience points have been rewarded. Ding. Congrattions. New Skill obtained. Ding. [Higher Darkness affinity] - Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high-grade dark energy. Tang Yue shed her eyes open, once again stepping into the trial grounds. She felt a surge of strong hunger and thirst coursing within her body. Chapter 398 In All Its Glory Part1 The pce disappeared from her vision and instead, the familiar vast desert and the abnormal mana river appeared in front of Tang Yue. But this time, instead of five pirs, she observed a total of six pirs, standing tall amidst the turbulent waters of the river. "Just as I thought¡­" Tang Yue hissed as her emerald eyes shone with a mysterious glint. She knew exactly what she had to do now. She swam through the mana waters and reached the center when she once again failed after cultivating for a brief period of time and was kicked out of the trial grounds. However, she was also able to cultivate dark elemental energy and even materialize a mana core before the mind-numbing pain ensued and she was pushed out. "What happened inside, little snake?" The old man hurriedly asked her as he was waiting for her to exit. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue smiled sweetly looking at the ghost but for some reason, her smile appeared extremely sinister. "Nothing. Nothing. Just a small observation." She chuckled. Knowing exactly what she was talking about, he shook his head helplessly, reminding her for the nth time. "Little snake. This is not like your evolution skill. Please do everything in moderation." "Even if you are able to attain all elemental affinities, it doesn''t mean that you have to." "And doing so might also not be the best course of action. Even the Empress did not dare to do so." Tang Yue nodded, listening to his words obediently. However, the resolution in her eyes did not waver. "Your Empress was killed, old man." She reminded him. Aish. The old man gave up on trying to talk sense into her and decided to let her do whatever she wants. After a certain point, everyone''s fate was in their own hands and their future was solely determined by the paths they chose. It was impossible to force someone else''s wishes on to another person even though it was for the sake of their betterment. The old General knew very well that if he went all out now and forced Tang Yue to do exactly what he wanted, the end result would only be disastrous. So in the end, he relented and decided to watch on from the sidelines, waiting patiently in case she needed some assistance. He still had the responsibility to help her so he would of course do everything in his power to help her no matter what path she chose. While the two of them continued discussing her ns, and the various modifications to methods of cultivation, suddenly a loud noise echoed from the pce entrance. "Intruders?" Both Tang Yue''s and the ghostly old man''s eyes flew wide as they stared in the direction of the noise. "Huh? Shouldn''t the formation around the pce be untouchable? Who is strong enough to break that?" Tang Yue immediately cast her invisibility spell and slithered as fast as she could. All her senses were on alert and her heart was pounding nervously. After almost facing death fighting against the dragon, Tang Yue was now more conscious about everything and adapted her fighting style quite a bit. "Damn it. Who the hell could it be?" She hissed in puzzlement. If they were able to enter the pce even with the formation still intact, the opponent this time was surely a terrifying figure. And with Tang Yue currently locked into the pce, as the dragon was roaming outside, hunting for her, she didn''t even dare to run outside to escape this intruder. This was truly inconvenient. It couldn''t happen at a worse time. As she continued nervously slithering across the huge pce, a sudden thought entered her mind. "Fcck! Is it the dragon? That bastard came for me to finish the job??" She started sweating profusely. No matter how brave she was, she knew very well that facing the monstrous dragon right now was only akin tomitting suicide! As her brain was spinning fast quickly thinking about the various possible escape routes, Tang Yue paused for a moment, unexpectedly sensing a familiar presence. "Little Blue??? But how?" Tang Yue quickened her pace and slithered to the entrance even faster. Just as she neared the main hall, morphed back into her human figure, a big white mass dashed towards her, hugging her slender body with its huge paws. "Master!!! Aoooo!" Little Blue howled loudly, directly talking to her. "Thank the heavens, you are alright." She sighed in relief, letting the big wolf lick her face who was now almost as tall as her. "Little Blue. Stop. Stop. Wait. How did you get here???" "Master, I brought others also, and look I have wings." "Huh?" Tang Yue softly gasped, leaning back and checking out the big wolf carefully from top to bottom. The beast had indeed developed a pair of wings! "But how is this possible, little blue?" She pondered, touching the sturdy fur-covered wings pensively. "Master. I developed an affinity to wind elemental." The wolf beamed and happily filled in all the details. It in fact revealed a big wide grin, feeling extremely ted that Tang Yue was praising it. "Oh. Wait a second. Did you say others have also arrived with you?" Tang Yue''s eyes immediately darted behind the wolf to look at the small group of spirit snakes and one smiling harpy. "Greetings, Master" Eleana gently smiled, bowing and greeting Tang Yue. Tang Yue grinned in delight. She looked at the wolf, the harpy, and the snakes, and her heart was suddenly filled with warmth. She didn''t think that she was going to see them all again. She had hoped and prayed that they would all be holed up deep inside the chasm, hiding away from the monstrous dragon, somehow surviving until she was able to take care of the beast. Even that was an impossible situation as she didn''t think that they could hide from such a powerful being. But this¡­ seeing them all standing here¡­ she was utterly shocked. Just how the hell did they manage this? "Oh. Where is Jin Wei?" Chapter 399 In All Its Glory Part2 "Where is Jin Wei?" Tang Yue asked, seeing the bunch of snakes slithering in front of her. She wanted to talk to the n elder about the other snakes back in the chasm as obviously the full poption was not yet in front of her. However, weirdly, as soon as she mentioned the name, the smiling faces in front of her suddenly changed and their expressions turned solemn. Tang Yue had a bad feeling. "What happened?" She asked again. And since it was her, they did not dare hesitate to answer her any longer. One of the snakes immediately morphed into hismia form. "Greetings, your highness." A middle-aged man bowed. "This humble servant is called Jin Nuhen. I am elder Jin Wei''s son." Tang Yue nodded and waved her hand at him, signaling him to stop with the formalities. "What happened to Jin Wei?" "Your highness¡­" Jin Nuhen lifted his head and bitterly smiled. "The n leader was not fortunate enough to survive." Tang Yue''s eyes slightly widened but she was also not that shocked. In reality, these many people surviving, not to mention Little Blue and Eleana, was in itself a big deal. In front of that monstrous dragon, even she was but an ant. How could the other snake spirit beasts survive with a seal on their soul and body? She paused for a moment, the image of the old man crossing her mind. She couldn''t shake the bitter feeling in her heart even though she hadn''t known him for a long time. The man had religiously worshiped her and blindly believed and followed her, but in the end just like she had feared she was not strong enough to protect him facing an opponent several times more powerful than her. Tang Yue sighed, the heaviness in her heart still remaining. "What happened to the others? Only these many survived?" She asked the most difficult question. Her hands were clenched tightly and she dreaded hearing the answer. If only she had not shown up here, perhaps they would have all continued living their lives more peacefully. The thought that she had let down so many people who believed in her and worshiped her made her tremble. Her emotions were too obviously written on her face and Jin Nuhen couldn''t help but feel warm that the Empress they served cared about them deeply. "Rest assured, your highness. Everybody else is safe." He immediately bowed and answered her, the snake''s words bringing tremendous relief to her heart. Tang Yue sighed softly. "Are they all still in the chasm?" "Yes, your highness." Jin Nuhen nodded. Tang Yue paused for a minute, engrossed in her thoughts, patting Little Blue absentmindedly. "Alright, let''s do this first. There are several tunnels from the pce running under the ground." "I am not sure how you guys managed to safely fly all the way over here." She turned to look at Eleana wondering if the harpy, the blessed good luck harbinger, had something to do with it and then continued shaking her head. "But we can''t count on that again. Make yourselves familiar with the pce and the tunnels under the ground." "See where all the tunnels lead to and if any of them lead to the chasm or at least near it." "Let''s first bring all our brethren back to the pce. This is the only safe pce in the entire ind at least for the time being." Jin Nuhen nodded, but he looked troubled. "Please forgive me, your highness. It was my decision to not bring everybody along with us." "Perhaps if we had done that, then we would all be here by now and we wouldn''t have had to trouble you." "Please forgive this humble servant''s foolishness." "No." Tang Yue shook her head. "On the contrary, what you did was indeed the right decision." "It would have been too risky for the entire n to travel together. You did the right thing." "I will appoint you as the new n leader for now. Bring everybody back here as soon as possible." Jin Nuhen nodded gratefully, and the group of snakes immediately busied themselves. Tang Yue sighed again, thinking about the old man. "I am sorry I let you down." She muttered and then turned towards Eleana. "You twoe with me." The wolf and the harpy followed Tang Yue and the three of them walked back to the other end of the pce where the trial grounds were. She paused standing near the circle, where the formation was etched onto the ground. "Try entering the trial grounds." Tang Yue crossed her arms and muttered. "Master, trial ground?" Little Blue tilted its head, with a confused expression on his face. Eleana on the other hand bowed and then walked over to the center of the circle, her figure disappearing in a sh the very next second. "Just as I thought¡­ Since you guys are bound to me by soul, you are able to enter the pce and you are also able to enter the trial grounds." "Not bad. Not bad at all." Tang Yue clicked her tongue. "Little Bluee here and stand here. It will help you." She patted her thigh and called the wolf over who happily wagged his tail and ran where she pointed, only to be absorbed by the trial ground. She didn''t want to force the wolf to train hard. So she simply decided to show him this once and thenter on leave it to the beast''s discretion if he wanted to enter the training area or not. "Hmmm¡­ Who am I forgetting?" Tang Yue hissed before she lightly chuckled and summoned out Little Plum. "Master!" The blob of fire happily danced up and down before morphing into its lycan form and licking her face and neck. "Little Plum. Be a good boy and go there and stand. It will help you." Tang Yue smiled and used the same words to lure the other wolf as well into the training grounds, who also disappeared with a whoosh the very next second. Chapter 400 In All Its Glory Part3 "Masta¡­ this is sphemy¡­ but I can''t take it anymore." Little Blue whined and rolled around on the ground. Tang Yue nodded and didn''t say anything. She was already used to this as the two wolves behaved in the same way as if they had discussed things beforehand. Almost an entire week had passed since everyone arrived at the pce and there wasn''t a single peaceful moment after that. Not that Tang Yue wasining. She especially found this particr routine very amusing. All her three contracted pets entered the trial grounds with the same gusto. However, when they were spat out eventually after having failed, they whined and cried, never wanting to go back again. But a few minutester, they once again jumped back in without hesitating, forgetting all about how difficult it was. Unlike the wolf and the elemental, Eleana who was also going through the same training handled it much more elegantly. The harpy had now recovered a lot of her strength and her cultivation base, the wounds in her body almostpletely healed. All their trials were different and each one of them experienced different obstacles inside the trial. Little Blue was endlessly made to fight against phantom images of other beasts. The elemental was exposed to environments it was notfortable with such as a freezing cold winter, alternating with an inside of a volcano or a me burst terrain where it could get enlightenment regarding fire elementws. Andstly, Eleana as well experienced phantom images that helped hone her fate magic while at the same time experienced physical tempering and mental tempering like Tang Yue did. Her training inside the trial was more simr to Tang Yue''s rather than to Little Blue''s or Little Plum''s. And just like Tang Yue trained, the three of them continued training day and night. "With everyone here, the pce has be a lot more lively" Tang Yue shook her head helplessly. She stood up and stepped into the trials after having rested well. She did little else since essentially a knife was handing over her neck. Inside the trial, she wandered into the familiar mana river, and there were now six pirs standing tall amidst the river instead of five like before. After she had gained affinity to the dark element, another new pir shot up from the river. It thrummed mana drenched in darkness attribute, making it extremely easier for her to cultivate that element. However, the overall difficulty went up as well, since bncing five elements was difficult while bncing six elements was almost impossible. In reality, Tang Yue was not satisfied with just these six elements. Apart from these, there were also other mysterious elements like illusion element, poison element, time element, space element, and fate element, which cannot be cultivated easily. As she was mostly treading on uncharted territories now, Tang Yue decided to leave these elements aside for the time being. It would be akin to stepping on and mine if she touched any of these elements now and merged it with her cultivation base. She wanted to push her limits but that didn''t mean she wanted to act rash and reckless,mitting suicide. So she settled with the six elements, cultivating mana cores for each element, and even managed to condense them into small seeds in merely a week''s time. This was an insane progress speed that even scared the old man. He knew that Tang Yue was born with a heaven-defying talent, but herprehension ability, her perception, and more than anything and her will to push forward was extraordinary. Even though entering the training grounds day in and day out was the same as torturing oneself to be stronger, much faster than what was natural, she still did it anyway. In order to step into the next realm, she had to allow the six seeds to take root in her body and soul, thereby interlinking everything together. This was the most crucial step and this was when one officially became a Deity. This was also the most difficult step as she had to bnce six elements andbine and their equal and opposing forces, establishing a bnce between them. Only if she managed to aplish this, she would be able to stand a chance against the dragon which was probably at the peak of the Deity realm or even with one leg already into the divine realm. Or perhaps it was at the peak of the divine realm. She knew that it couldn''t be an immortal just yet. Otherwise, it would have sted the defenses of the pce, but anything under that realm was a fair guess. Tang Yue did not worry about that too much and continued pushing forward as best as she could. Considering everything, that dragon that almost killed her was merely a stepping stone to her. Her enemies were far more powerful and far more vicious. They came for her ancestor, so she knew that they will surelye to her as well. There was no doubt in her mind about it. She knew that she had to reach the Immortal realm irrespectively. For others, it might be a pipe dream but for her, it was a requirement for survival. And she wanted to survive no matter what, especially now that she had people to love and protect. So she knew that she would get there in any way possible or die trying to. Days passed quickly and Tang Yue continued training without any break. She barely stepped out or even took any break as the training she was undergoing was both torturous and nourishing at the same time. More simply put, it was in cruel. It allowed the person to train and heal and when the person fully recovered, everything once again turned difficult and she would have to withstand the pain. And finally, when she couldn''t withstand anymore, she would be pushed out, only to once again step inside willingly. It was an extreme training method that only masochists and fools would dare to pursue. But because of the time limit, Tang Yue did it irrespectively. She did not even think twice about it because this torture was still far more bearable than having to run and hide, weak and helpless. Chapter 401 Rescue Mission ? A few days passed and when Tang Yue stepped out of the trials, tired and beaten down, she saw all the snakes gathered around, waiting for her. "Your highness." Everyone bowed and paid their respects, as soon as they saw her. Tang Yue panted, taking deep breaths, and muttered in between. "What happened?" Jin Nuhen, Jin Wei''s son stepped forward and answered her. "Your highness. We have tracked and traced all the tunnels leading away from the pce." "Oh! Already?" Tang Yue raised her brow in surprise. "Yes, your highness. Please take a look." He handed over to her a bunch of thick and long parchments. Tang Yueid them out of the ground and studied them, her emerald eyes keenly going over everything from top to bottom. Hmmm¡­ Her long forked tongue flickered in and out as she gazed at the borate details. Not just the tunnels, but the snakes seemed to have taken the extra initiative and mapped out the whole ind and the entire pce to the best of their abilities. "This is amazing, but this should have also been very risky. Why did you all push yourself so much?" Tang Yue hissed pensively. She knew that the dragon was patiently watching and waiting for her, so venturing too much into the ind right now was nothing short of a death sentence. The only safe ce was the pce and they were essentially trapped inside it. Jin Nuhen smiled bitterly. He didn''t know what to tell Tang Yue. Most of their n members were still in the chasm so he had to do something about it. "I understand your worries but if we rush, it would only mean death." Tang Yue warned him again. Nevertheless, she took a look at the map which they had risked their lives to prepare. "Hmmm¡­ So this one leads right to the hills behind the chasm in theva smander territory¡­" "Our only problem might be¡­" "Do you know if the Smander Emperor beast is alive or dead?" Jin Nuhen immediately bowed and nodded. "Yes, your highness. The Emperor is alive." He knew this well because they had even thought about digging out of the tunnel directly to the chasm but when they were half way through, a tremendous domineering presence froze them in ce, making them unable to proceed any further. Jin Nuhen immediately made the call and they had returned back without moving ahead any further. "Hmm¡­ That''s too bad. Things would have been easier if it had gotten killed by the dragon''s rampage, but¡­" A mysterious glint twinkled in her gorgeous emerald eyes as she added. "The timing couldn''t be better. I am itching to try some of my new spells. He he. All things considered, we should do just fine." Tang Yue knew that she needed to act fast and get back without alerting it. At the same time, she also needed to buy enough time for the snakes from the chasm to move to the tunnel that had the protective spell. She devised a quick n in her mind. She then hissed and morphed into her serpentine form slithering down to the tunnels. "Come with me." The snakes slithered down thework of tunnels deep under the pce heading to the eastern part of the ind where the chasm is located. And this time Tang Yue made sure to leave behind all the dragon eggs. The beast might still sense her presence but there was nothing she could do about that and if her n worked, it wouldn''t even matter. The snakes slithered all the way to the edge of the tunnel that leads to the spot right under the volcanic hills. Tang Yue paused and opened the door that closed the tunnel shut. A thick earthy smell instantly flooded in. She could now see the continuation of the tunnel that Jin Nuhen and the other snakes had dug out. Tang Yue nodded in approval and then slithered forward with tongues of me dancing in the palm of her hand and lighting up the ce from inside. The others followed behind her closely and cautiously, waiting for her instructions. After a few minutes, Tang Yue continued slithering while the other stopped. When she looked behind, they were all shivering. "Ok. So this is your limit? Hmm¡­" She could also sense the presence of the strong Emperor beast up above. However, unlike them, she was not shaking. She licked her lips with excitement etched on her face. "Let''s do this. Good luck." Tang Yue gave a thumbs up to the group and muttered a few words under her breath. Her body instantly was covered by a sharp metallic sheen. Winking onest time at the snakes, she sted into the earthen walls, out of the hollowed out extension of the tunnel, making an L shape. Her n was to divert the Emperor beast, while the other snakes continued digging all the way to the chasm. Unlike the other snakes, Tang Yue didn''t have to spend a lot of time digging through the earth. Her body drilled and sped under the ground as if the earth itself shifted to let her through. And when she was far enough, she immediately unleashed the full power of her cultivation base and shot through to the surface of the ind. Boom! She hurled a huge bolt of lightning at the hill in the middle, which looked more like a teau after thest time she had wreaked havoc in this ce. As if responding to her attack, a huge roar reverberated from within and a giant mess of ming flesh waddled out. "Hello, Emperor!" Tang Yue grinned. Theva smander waved its thick limbs and a dozen of elite high-gradeva smanders scurried towards her, all shooting out jets of me from their mouth. "Sending your minions first huh? Fine by me." Tang Yue licked her lips and summoned her soul sword. Her movements were extremely lithe and agile. The smanders only noticed she had done something when a series of sword slices came flying at them. Chapter 402 We meet again Part1 Chapter 402 We meet again Part1 Jin Nuhen and the dozen spirit snakes quickly reverted to theirmia form and started digging through the earth as fast as they could. With Tang Yue having sessfully diverted the attention of the Emperor beast, there was no longer the presence of the intimidating pressure holding them back. They shoveled the thick densely packed grains of sand and rocks back and forth and back and forth, slowly and steadily extending the tunnel route all the way to the chasm. Luckily the distance was not too much and they only need a few more minutes at most. "n leader, will the Empress really be okay?" One of the snakes paused and worriedly asked. "Selena. Since when did you be someone important enough to worry about the Empress?" Nuhen rudely cut her off. Not that he was not worried about Tang Yue. Every other second the earth shook and loud thundering noises rumbled. They could feel the gravity and the intensity of the battle happening up above the earth. But even so¡­ Nuhen hadplete faith in Tang Yue. So he didn''t allow anyone to question her capabilities as if doing so would improve her chances of sess. "Do your job, Selena and don''t think about unnecessary things." He warned her and started digging with even more force than he had previously applied. "Ah¡­ ok. I apologize for my behavior, n leader." Selena pouted and bowed, before returning back to digging again. And while she did so, her mind once again wandered to think about the great Empress and her sharp emerald eyes. She silently prayed that nothing would happen to her. Meanwhile¡­ Outside¡­ On the surface¡­ A group ofva smanders froze on the spot after seeing des of fire flying towards them. However, it was only momentary. As the attack involved fire element, they daringly continued dashing forward towards Tang Yue, scurrying along with their short fat paws. On this ind, they were the Gods of fire element. They ruled the hot flowingva which other beasts did not dare touch. So they were quite confident of facing Tang Yue''s fire des. Not to mention each one of them were at least, if not strongerpared to the high-grade poisonous frog Tang Yue had faced previously. Back then, she had struggled fighting against even a single one of the poisonous frogs but now¡­ As the first shnded on a smander at the front, it used its thick hard skin to block the attack, whipping the slice of fire away with its tail. However, when it tried moving its body again, surprisingly, its own body did not listen to the smander''smands and the next instant, the beast loudly shrieked before dropping down dead, its body split apart into two. Tang Yue''s fire elementced sword sh had been so powerful that the moment it touched the beast''s body, it had split it into two halves. But how was its tempered body unable to withstand a mere me sh? Till the veryst minute, the beast had absolutely no idea how it died. When the first one fell, the rest of the smanders quickly became alert. The attack didn''t seem like a simple me sh. Nevertheless, it was a bit toote. One by one, the entire group of smanders fell as Tang Yue spun her body and sent out sword beams, not moving an inch from her spot. The beasts which had threatened her very existence before were now not even capable of withstanding a single attack from her. The Emperor beast that was surrounded by its trusted capable soldiers was suddenly standing alone all by itself. "What did you do to my soldiers???" A deep and hoarse voice bellowed, surprising Tang Yue. "Eh? You can talk?" Tang Yue chuckled. "Too bad. We don''t have time today for a lengthy chat." Her long forked tongue flickered in and out as she flicked her sword towards the giant reptile. The Emperor beast had thick hard skin almost like the shell of a turtle. The attack that had massacred the high-grade beasts did not even scratch the skin of the Emperor beast. "Just as I thought." Tang Yue hissed. "You can''t defeat me, you pitiful snake. I should have killed you all and eradicated your entire n when I had the chance." The Emperor beast loudly harrumphed. But Tang Yue looked far from being intimidated. "I am not from this ind, you stupid beast." She chuckled. "So what? Your tricks will not pass through my defense." Tang Yue knew why the smander was so confident in its words. When she had attacked the high-grade smanders earlier, she hadbined both fire elemental and wind elemental magic, hiding sharp cutting wind slices in her me sword beams. But the Emperor beast''s defense was too strong and this attack did not put a dent on its physical defense. This was why the beast was so confidently mouthing off. "I am not done yet, smander Emperor." Tang Yue hissed and her entire body suddenly started radiating thick dark putrid energy. The Emperor beast shook and its body visibly trembled. "How is it possible?" It took a step back subconsciously. It knew that it was no match for Tang Yue. It let out a loud roar, calling for more reinforcements. But the next second, a sharp ice spear struck in the middle of its open mouth, ck mes enveloping the spear. The Emperor beast was just like that impaled, blood leaking from its mouth. Roar! It shook its head in pain and then quickly coughed up, producing smoke and me. A spiral of hot burning mes arose from its body,pletely enveloping it. The spiral quickly turned into a tornado and Tang Yue felt her body being drawn to the smander. "You want closebat? Fine by me." Tang Yue smiled and then unexpectedly allowed herself to be pulled into the me spiral. The smander''s eyes shone from within the spiral knowing that its attack had worked. "I am going to eat snake meat today. Ba ha ha ha!" It growled excitedly. Chapter 403 We meet again Part2 Chapter 403 We meet again Part2 Tang Yue happily joined the smander and allowed her body to be pulled towards it. She then casually walked into the center of the spiraling firestorm and gazed at the big round eyes of the Emperor beast. "You called me and I am here. What now?" She chuckled. The smander watched her incredulously as its powerfulva mes did not even tickle her body. It even watched her spit on the mes as if they were beneath her. The mes that were hot enough to instantly vaporize her spit into violet-ck gaseous fumes did not affect her at all. Just how thick was her skin? Was she made of fire? Its four short chubby legs suddenly felt weak and its head felt hazy. "What¡­ What is happening?" The beast blinked in puzzlement as it slowly lost its consciousness and a few secondster, dropped dead, without even knowing what killed it. Until thest moment, it could only stare at her in fear. "Heh. Your skin might be thick enough to block my poisonous sword but what about your nostrils?" Tang Yue smiled, casually dismissing the me spiral with the snap of her fingers. The poisonous fumes, however, still hovered. She bent down to pick up and toss the Emperor beast''s body inside her spatial ring. "Are those guys almost done?" Tang Yue sat down on the ground and activated her [Soul Parasite] skill absorbing everything in her sight. She then shot back into the ground and slithered towards the group of snakes. Though the dragon had not made any moves yet, Tang Yue did not want to take any chances. She hid her presence immediately by stepping back into the tunnel. A few minutes silently passed and the snakes dug out a significant portion of the tunnel when suddenly the earth started rumbling. As Tang Yue tried extending her soul sense to get a picture of what wasing their way, her body inexplicably stiffened up. She did not sense one or two but rather a million tiny beasts crawling their way! "An ant herd?? How??" "Be alert." She shot forward while simultaneously warning the others. An entire army of ants was headed their way. While these didn''t possess a terrible risk to her, even a single one of these ants can wipe out the other snakes. They were also extremely close to the chasm and it would be a terrible loss to retreat now without getting the rest of the n members. So Tang Yue short forward and her single figure stood in between the giant army of ants and the few snakes. "Crystallize." Tang Yue muttered. The coarse grainy earth thatid ahead instantly began to cluster together, the moisture within them turning sharp and crystalline. Instead of theyered grainy ground, there was now a bed of small spherical balls with sharp thorn-like projections. These were strong enough topletely impale lower-level beasts. Tang Yue quickly took out some potions from her spatial ring and downed them inside. Since this spell affected a vast area, it had also cost her a majority of her mana reserves. But ultimately, it was worth it. Now that the trap had been set, Tang Yue licked her lips in anticipation as she waited for the ants. They wereing in from the northern part of the ind and they bulldozed towards their location. But as soon as they neared the tunnel, loud screeching sounds echoed as every single ant that stepped into the territory was being torn apart by the sharp crystallized thorns. They could no longer blindly rampage and their movements had slowed down a lot. "Tsk. Tsk. I expected some more carnage." Tang Yue clicked her tongue. Even though most of the ants were barely strong enough to stand before her, they were incredibly coordinated and there still seemed to be a million of them, their numbers barely even touched. The crystallized earth did not deter them for long and the ants soon started slowly trickling through one by one, skillfully navigating through the spikes. Hmmm¡­ Tang Yue paused for a moment and observed the enemy in front of her. Their numbers were something she was right now extremely worried about. But at the same time¡­ it was also something that she could use against themselves. Tang Yue''s emerald eyes gleamed as she searched through the army of ants. And just like she had expected, amongst the millions of beasts, there were a few ants that were much stronger and powerful. They seemed to bemanding the ants surrounding them, the entire army divided into sections. "Good. Good. It''s nice to be organized." Tang Yue hissed. She slithered closer to one of these stronger ants and cast [Enve]. Almost immediately a loud screech sounded and battalions of ants started fighting with each other instead of progressing further. This coupled with the crystalline earth barrier, it became extremely simple for Tang Yue to pick out the few ants which slipped through. She also activated her [Soul Parasite] skill and started absorbing fumes of souls from the massacre and chaos that ensued. This continued for a few more seconds and Tang Yue also managed to enve more ''lieutenant ants'' whichpletely threw the army out of order. But before the entire swarm could get wiped out, a loud shrill sound echoed and all the movements suddenly paused. The ants that were muddle-headed stopped fighting with each other and once again started dashing towards theirmon enemy. "Your cheap tactics will not break us down." A loud booming voice sounded. "Hissss! Do I sense another Emperor beast?" Tang Yue chuckled. "Were you the one who defeated the Lava Emperor?" "How does that concern you?" Tang Yue summoned her spirit sword and sent out a powerful sh, taking down dozens of antsing at her. "You should have never stepped inside the ind, intruder." The ant snarled. "You have crossed lines that you shouldn''t have." "Is that so?" Tang Yue smiled. "But I am not the one who is intruding¡­ am I?" Chapter 404 We meet again Part3

Chapter 404 We meet again Part3

"Don''t look back and keep going. We are almost there." Jin Nuhen loudlymanded. He could see all the snakes visibly shivering. "I know that the sight of the massive army is terrifying, but our Empress trusted us and gave us an order." "We need to be strong and keep striving forward. Don''t you all want to see your brothers and sisters again?" Everyone nodded and clutched the weapons in their hands tighter as they kept digging forward. They had already reached the hardened rocks of the chasm and they were very close to digging through to their. "Let''s keep going." Jin Nuhen shouted again, but this time before his voice could reach out, a loud shrill shriek sounded. Jin Nuhen stared at the distance in terror as he could sense an overwhelming pressure. This has to be an Emperor beast! Will the Empress really be okay? Even he began to waver, but the next instant Tang Yue''s casualughter eased his nerves. "Faster." Hemanded the snakes as they broke through the final barrier of the chasm and the long tunnel that they were digging connected to their previous home, their of the snake spirit beasts. All the snakes inside were instantly rmed to see the familiar faces but they couldn''t rejoice as there was overwhelming pressure from the Emperor beast. "Don''t simply stand there. Move it. Everyone get into the tunnel and enter the pce. NOW!" Jin Nuhen yelled. Hismanding words made them snap out of their trance and the snakes quickly started clearing out their and moving into the tunnel. While they twisted and turned fled towards the pce, Tang Yue stood facing the huge ant''s bony exoskeleton as it crawled towards her domineeringly. It''s body was brown in color with ck stripes and sharp metallic ws stuck out from its limbs. The ant loudly screeched and instantly the tens of thousands of soldiers regained theirposure and no longer acted confused or chaotic. In fact, they seemed to be clicking their razor sharp mandibles even faster as if they had been energized and were in a frenzy. "So you are finally here. Ant Emperor!" Tang Yue smirked. "You are going to pay for this intruder." The huge ant let out a loud screeching noise and all the ants started dashing towards Tang Yue. "You will never defeat us!" Their collective presence was nothing short of terrifying. It looked as if their skin and body had hardened and they were moving like a mound towards Tang Yue. However, she calmly hissed. She was no longer terrified of these Emperor beasts. Her opponent was someone else. She closed her eyes and silently circted her cultivation base. The next second thick ck fumes started emanating from her body and they slowly spread out. Dark elemental Domain! A swirl of dark putrid energy started spilling everywhere mixing in with the earth. One by one, the ants dashing forward drowned in this putrid energy and their movements turned sluggish. Tang Yue shed her sword and danced in this muddled mess, killing dozens of ants single-handedly. No one could evere near her and if they did, they were instantly hit by the corrosive dark elemental domain. The ant Emperor shuddered after looking at this massacre. "Retreat." It immediately shouted, seeing that the enemy was clearly stronger than them and the advantage of their numbers was nothing inparison. For centuries, they had been surviving on this ind solely relying on their numbers but there were enemies that even they didn''t dare stand against. One such being was the Dragon but it looked like there was now another new predator on the ind. Tang Yue did not chase after the ant herd and but she sent out another few shes killing whatever she could reach. She then settled down to absorb the massive soul essence swirling in the area. Meanwhile, the snakes had almostpletely evacuated the cavern and were now well within the safety of the pce. Jin Nuhen waited at the entrance of the tunnel for Tang Yue. He didn''t think that he had to inform her about their progress because she could already sense that they had moved their n sessfully to safety. Nevertheless, he patiently stood waiting for her. Everyone could see the ant army retreating so they were quite relieved and almost even rejoicing. However, suddenly a head splitting roar sounded and the ground shook. Tang Yue immediately shed her eyes open and before Nuhen could even blink, she had retreated back into the tunnel, standing next to him. "Your highness¡­?" The snake muttered hesitantly, unsure of what the hell was happening. Especially the dreadful look on Tang Yue''s face was worrying him since she had been very calm and casual up until now. But before he could even finish his sentence, suddenly a big round eye opened in front of the tunnel, staring right into it. Tang Yue fell back, pulling Jin Nuhen along with her. The barrier around the pce protected them but yet, the mere presence of the eye was intimidating. Nuhen gulped not knowing what the monstrous eye was, but Tang Yue was already familiar with it. That was why she had reacted instantly and ran back to the tunnel, clutching her life in her palm. "Ke ke ke! How interesting! It looks like the pest is still alive." A mocking voice flooded into the tunnel. The dragon retrieved its eye back and now it revealed its sharp rows of teeth. It was sneering at the group of snakes, coiled together and hiding at the tunnel. The next second an insane pressure rammed at them or more precisely at the air around the tunnel. The attack sent tremors across the tunnel, but nevertheless, the barrier held strong. "Retreat! BACK TO THE PALACE NOW!" Tang Yue shouted. Some of the snakes had already started slithering back to the pce but some had stayed back, but now that they heard herment, everyone dashed together as fast as they could. Chapter 405 You make your own luck

Chapter 405 You make your own luck

No one including Tang Yue knew if they were going to survive this ordeal or not. The entirework of underground tunnels shivered and trembled under the dragon''s immense power. It repeatedly rammed its body against the barrier and shot out powerful orbs of thick swirling energy from its mouth. "Damn it. Damn it. Damn it." Tang Yue cursed under her breath. Here she was once again running from the same damned dragon again! The barrier will hold! The old man had dered with such conviction but right this moment, it was a little hard for her to take his words to heart. Sand, dust, and rocks drizzled as the dragon continued assaulting the tunnels relentlessly, while Tang Yue and the other snakes ran for their lives. Though the others were a lot slower than her, it only took Tang Yue a few seconds to zoom through the tunnels and reach the main pce, but it didn''t make her feel any better. Because this time they might have escaped but she had a feeling that the next time might not be so simple. Moreover, now the dragon even knew that she was alive and exactly where she was located. She had seen it flying around the ind, trying to find her. It was an arrogant and vindictive beast. It was the uncrowned Emperor of the ind and there was no way it was going to let this slip by. It was now probably going to spend every minute trying to break the barrier around the pce. Even if she returned the eggs now, it probably wouldn''t stop until the entire pce was blown to smithereens and scattered on the ground. Against a beast like that¡­ at the top of the food chain¡­ at the peak of its strength and power¡­ just how long could the barrier around the pce even hold? Only a matter of days at most? Or perhaps a few weeks? Tang Yue gripped the sword in her hand as she trembled. Her emerald eyes gazed at the mess of snakes that were pouring in from the tunnel onto the pce. "No¡­ no¡­ this is not enough. I need to be stronger. The stakes are too high. I need more strength and power." She muttered absentmindedly. "Your highness." Jin Nuhen stepped forward breaking Tang Yue''s thoughts. Behind him, thousands of snakes squirmed and coiled on the ground, all bowing in respect to Tang Yue. They couldn''t shift to theirmia or human form as the small underground basement at the entrance of the tunnelwork wouldn''t be enough space for everyone to stand. Tang Yue gripped her sword tighter. The weight of their respect was too heavy for her to bear, but without her, they had no one. "The pce is big enough. Everyone, make yourselvesfortable. We will be here for a while." She hissed, her voice cracking and her gaze fixated on the floor in front of her. She then turned around to leave, without saying anything to anyone else. The old man''s ghost as well silently followed behind her. He looked at her with worry, but Tang Yue didn''t bother chatting with him and directly dove into the training grounds. The next couple of days went by quickly with Tang Yue spending even more time than usual inside the training grounds. While everyone else gotfortable and settled in the enormous pce, she barely took a second as a breather before she dived into the training grounds again and again. That too the toll it took on her body was very obvious. Her long silky ck hair had already be grey and pale. Her eyes had huge circles, her skin looked shriveled and her face was hollow. She looked as if she had aged an entire century in this short span of time, but it didn''t seem like she was stopping any time soon. Just like the old man, even Eleana, Little Blue, and Little Plum looked at her with worry but no one could bring themselves to talk to her. She had an aura about her thatmanded absolute submission and her beautiful emerald eyes now shone with madness and craze. It was the result of repeatedly undergoing arduous training that could even bend and break one''s mind if one was not too careful. But it didn''t look like Tang Yue was losing her mind. Because after the two days, she called Jin Nuhen over. "Search the pce. There should be some records for rune crafting." Tang Yuemanded him. "Your highness." Jin Nuhen obediently bowed, surprised at the fact that the Empress was handing over such an important task to him. Did she trust him enough to handle priceless knowledge? But Tang Yue''s next few words shocked him even more. "Go through all the records and master the art of crafting runes." She took off one of her spatial rings and emptied it out, pouring all sorts of dazzling gems and minerals onto the marble floor that clinked and dinged as they formed a heap. Jin Nuhen was almost blinded by their brilliance. "Feel free to use these materials for practice. I will check on your progress a bitter." Tang Yue patted the stunned snake and walked away. She had poured priceless gems and treasures in front of him and then walked away as if it was not a big deal. Jin Nuhen literally drooled, his jaw lying on the floor. What the hell just happened? But little did he know that Tang Yue actually did not do this on a whim. Just like her, these snakes also had their fates sealed. Their lives were condemned for all eternity, generations after generations because of a curse ced by an immortal. But so what? One must make their own luck and rewrite their fate! Given the chance, she wanted to see if any of these snakes had the guts, the willpower, and fighting spirit to break out of their curse on their own. Jin Nuhen might not have realized why Tang Yue did what she did but the old man surely did. As she dove into the training grounds once again, he dazedly stared at her disappearing figure. This woman had not lost her mind after such cruel torturous training and was even willingly going for more of the same. He turned to look at the huge portrait of Medussa and shook his head helplessly. It was now clear to him, more than ever, that the world was once again to plunge into a new era. Chapter 406 Playing with fire Part1

Chapter 406 ying with fire Part1

Tang Yue looked at her stagnant stats and her stagnant cultivation base. She was not able to pass the trial ground and her overall progress had alsoe to aplete standstill. She was frustrated and paced back and forth angrily. Perhaps it was because of the dragon, the pressure its mere presence was exuding, somehow affected her mind? Tang Yue had no idea how to ovee this obstacle. "Old man¡­ what should I do now?" "I am not sure, your highness. I have brought you here. The rest is up to you." "Hisss! How the hell am I supposed to get over this hump and take care of that damned dragon?" Her biggest advantage was her evolution ability and currently, that was almostpletely sealed because she had no ess to the higher tier beasts that were roaming outside. Even if she took a single step outside the pce, she would be instantly torn to shreds and sted into oblivion. Tang Yue considered sending the other snakes out to hunt. The dragon might instantly sniff out a high level beast like her, but the other spirit beasts were only Emperor tier at most. They wouldn''t be detected by the dragon at least until it realized what was going on, which could be a while, optimistically? She chewed her nails and once again started walking back and forth. This n wasn''t too bad, but it would never work. The snakes were far too weakpared to the other giant, monstrous beasts that roamed the ind. They would never survive if theye across something unexpected. It was too risky. They could be wiped out. In the worst case scenario, she wouldn''t even be able to go out and rescue them if they were in any real danger. Then all of them would be wiped out by the damned dragon. "It''s just too dangerous. It won''t work. How do I evolve further? How do I unlock the potential of my bloodlinepletely? How do I get more beasts?" Just while she was breaking her head about this impossible problem, Little Plum popped out of the trial grounds, crying and writhing in pain. "Awooo~! Master!" Almost immediately, Little Blue popped out as well, wearing an equally pitiful face. The two looked like they would give anything to get out of the continuous training but they couldn''t bring themselves to do it. They also wanted to be stronger so they kept going at it, taking Tang Yue as their role model. The two wolves bickered with each other for a few seconds to let out their frustrations and were about to jump in again when Tang Yue suddenly stopped them. Everything in her mind suddenly clicked as soon as she saw them. A n instantly formed and her lips curled upwards into a wide grin. The damned dragon had ruined her life enough. This time she was going to get the upper hand! "Little Blue and Little Plum. Get over here!"She waved her hand and the two beasts happily ran towards her, giving her hand a lick and then some more. Tang Yue was always training and they had barely seen her these past few days, so they were extremely ted to see her. "Alright. Alright. That''s enough." The three of them waited for Eleana as well to join and then Tang Yue addressed everyone seriously. Beginning with, "I need your help; all three of your help." She told them in detail about everything and every small aspect of the n from start to finish. "I am not going to force you. This is very dangerous. We will only go ahead with this if all three of you arepletely willing, I am not forcing any of you." Even though this n was a lot safer than the earlier one, it still had its own risks and drawbacks and she didn''t hide it from her three pets. However, before she could even finish her sentence, the three of them instantly nodded and agreed. They didn''t even bother asking her any questions or oppose any part of what she had said. "Your highness. We won''t disappoint you. We will finish this sessfully ande out victorious to once again serve you." Elena dered proudly. The harpy was now looking a lot better and her full appearance was almost restored. She had a pair of magnificent feathered wings and her horns, and eyes were sharp with resolution in them. She has reaped the most rewards from the trial grounds. Tang Yue smiled and walked over before patting the harpy on her shoulder. "I will not forget this favor." "Kind words, your highness." Eleana bowed and kissed Tang Yue''s hand. The group then quickly headed down back into the tunnels. But as soon as they reached halfway, Tang Yue went in another direction and the three beasts went in the opposite direction. In a matter of minutes, both the teams reached the tunnel''s edge on diagonally opposite sides of the castle, putting maxim distance between their locations, and both of them stepped out. However, Tang Yue quickly retracted her step, not even fully stepping out of the tunnel. But with just that one second exposure, a giant explosive sound boomed and the ground near the tunnel quaked. The thick dense earth waspletely scooped out and instead, there was now a beast at the entrance of the tunnel. A massive and ferocious beast! A dragon! More specifically, the dragon that was scouring the ind and waiting to tear apart Tang Yue as soon as it could get a hold of her. However, only its eye was currently visible and the vicious slit-like eye stared back at her. "Pest. You dare step out again?" "Aha! Just the dragon I was looking for this morning. How are we doing today, big guy?" She leisurely replied, while sitting at the edge of the tunnel just an inch away from the terrifying beast. However, an invisible barrier made sure that the other party couldn''t even touch her hair. Chapter 407 Playing with fire Part2

Chapter 407 ying with fire Part2

The dragon looked at Tang Yue with its slit-like eyes, staring at her as if it was trying to uncover every little secret that she was hiding from it. The beast scanned her from top to bottom, wondering what she was up to all of a sudden. She had been hiding from it all these days, but out of nowhere, she just showed up in front of it? By any chance was there something else happening here that it was not aware of? Was the pest ying some dirty trick again? Was this a decoy... The dragon grew suspicious. Its mind was about to search through the entire ind. But before it could do anything, Tang Yue took out something from her spatial ring and tossed it up and down as if she was ying with it. The dragon instantly shuddered and its eyes grew wide. "YOU! How dare you!" Its blood boiled and rage spilled out. Its nostrils red and thick ck fumes shot out from within. The dragon breathed down on the small tunnel, assaulting it with everything it had. Bang! Bang! Bang! Sparks flew out left and right, the earth around the tunnel bing soot. The barrier, however, held strong and the dragon failed to make even a dent on it. It red at the tunnel in frustration and let out another thunderous roar. As an ancient beast, its biggest issue, the thorn on its back was theck of its n members, a family. As such these eggs were its precious blood and family. More than that, Tang Yue''s smirk and how she was handling its precious eggs was a total p in its face. Its entire body itched to strike the snake fiercely and st it into oblivion, but unfortunately, it couldn''t. The snake on the other hand had an annoying smile on her face and was thoroughly enjoying herself. "Hey, Draco boy. What do you think dragon omelets will taste like? "I mean this is nothing personal, ok? I have to crack some eggs to make some omelets, right? "Who wouldn''t be curious about the taste of dragon omelets? I bet it will be extremely energetic too! "Hmm... will it give me any power-ups?" Tang Yue skipped on her feet and twirled around. The dragon who was already swimming in a violent rage got further enraged. Itshed its tail around, unleashing devastation around the tunnel. Almost all of the ground was scooped up except for the tunnel that was present jutting out, hanging in mid-air. Its ck swirling mes repeatedly assaulted this structure, trying to breakthrough. As if she wanted to add more oil to this fire, Tang Yue took out another egg from the spatial ring and did someical but dangerous juggling routine with the 2 eggs. The entire ind shook and the dragon lifted its head up, shooting out a pir of ck and silver energy reaching the sky. "Alright! Alright! Calm down! I won''t do anything to your precious eggs. In return, can you tell me something?" Tang Yue chuckled, putting the eggs back down. She tried to speak to it properly, but the beast still continued rampaging for a while¡­ At the same time¡­ in another part of the ind¡­. 15 feet tall ck bears were growling and swiping their paws, madly trying to fight for their life. That part of the forest was aze, the mes were not even ordinary. These mes seemed to be of a higher tier and they burnt through the protective coat of the ck bears without even batting an eyelid. As if this wasn''t enough, a wind wolf was constantly throwing swift wind des here and there, targeting their injuries caused by the roaring fire. Eleana and little plum stood at the front, while little blue stood at the back. Little plum set everything on fire and Eleana was adept with a spear. She spun the spear around impaling all the beasts fighting against them. She danced with the spear as if it was an extension of her body. Little blue who was a bit weaker than these two stood at the back and provided support. Together the three of them coordinated perfectly and took on the group of 8 humongous ck bears. The bears did not have any special ability, except for their Enrage skill which allowed them to burst forth with tremendous energy. But, that alone was not enough to counterattack the small mismatched group. However, they still put up quite a fight. This scrimmagested for a while with both sides fighting non-stop with everything they had. And finally, the number of bears slowly started dwindling and the trio gained an advantage over them, eventually ending the fight after killing thest ck bear. "Did the boss already eat bears? I am not sure." "It''s alright! Let''s just kill whatever we see. Everyone in the pce needs food anyways." The three exchanged looks and then quietly cleaned up the ce. After resting for a few minutes they started moving once again. This time they encountered a pride of hump goats that were grazing on a pile of dead bodies. Eleana observed the surroundings and her intuition warned her to get fast and far away from this ce. "Oh, it looks like something powerful resides here. Let''s kill the goats quickly and get out of here." The hump goats bleated loudly after seeing the intruders and they immediately dashed towards the group in an attempt to defeat them. They did not like sharing their scavenged food with anyone else, so they were very territorial. But, the poor beasts did not know what they were up against and were cleanly ughtered in a few minutes. It looked like all sorts of beasts survived on the ind somehow. Even though the goats were much weaker than the bears, they still somehow managed to live on for so long. Just as Eleana was pondering how this was possible¡­ The ground suddenly quaked and a giant sound echoed in the distance. "Let''s go! Let''s go! We have to get out of here!" The trio quickly ran away, heading in the opposite direction of the sound. Chapter 408 Playing with fire Part3

Chapter 408 ying with fire Part3

After the group of ck bears and hump goats, the trio then targeted a horde of dragon wasp nests whose venom has a dark elemental attribute and has the ability to corrode one''s body and soul. However, the wasps couldn''t put up a fight against Little Plum''s fire hose and quickly plummeted down in dozens. The trio then bulldozed down a dozen of twin-headed bulls, followed by nine-tailed ice jackals and light pustule unicorns. Eleana''s luck was off the charts as the trio rampaged through the ind, cutting down elite beasts left and right. However, as soon as they caught even a whiff of a stronger Emperor tier beast or anything remotely close to it, the trio quickly escaped in the other direction. This continued for quite a while as they slowly made their way around the ind, always being cautious and always remaining close to the underground tunnels of the pce. Unlike them, Tang Yue was thoroughly enjoying herself, taking her sweet time. The dragon had calmed down a little now and she managed to get a few words out of it every now and then. She had also ced the eggs back in her spatial ring except for one which she used to torment the dragon just a little, but she did not y around with it. The two of them had somewhat reached a middle ground but under the shallow waters, Tang Yue was still very aware of the fact that the beast was merely waiting for a chance to tear her apart. "How long have you been living here?" She hissed. "Hmph. Why does a pest like you care about that? You are not even one-tenth of my age or power!" The dragon sneered in response. "You have a name?" "Roar! A pest like you can call me, Mighty Lord Dragon. Beg and kneel at my feet, hmph. Perhaps if you serve me for several thousand years, I can consider pardoning you." "Is that so? How kind of you, oh mighty Lord Dragon." Tang Yue smiled, flickering her long forked tongue in and out. The damned beast was not responding to anything properly. "Maybe I should do some egg tricks for the mighty Lord Dragon?" Tang Yue''s grin widened. The dragon''s nostrils once again red and it red at her as if it was trying to roast her alive with just its gaze. "Let me ask again. What are you called? How long have you been living here? These questions are not too unreasonable now are they?" The dragon red at her again, its slit-like eyes scrutinizing her from top to bottom. The pest was clearly threatening it because of the eggs, but how could a pride beast allow itself to stoop down to that level? It snorted arrogantly andid its headzily on the tunnel or rather the barrier surrounding the tunnel and continued ring at Tang Yue without any other response. Tang Yue sighed and gave up. It looked like she won''t be able to threaten any information out of the damned beast using the eggs but all was still not lost. She had a backup n just in case¡­ Tang Yue let out a deep breath and then took out a beast corpse from her spatial ring. This was one of the corpses from the haul she had taken from the dragon''sir and of course, it recognized it immediately. It perked up slightly and blinked as it looked at the ''pest'' with interest. It was a chimera that had the head of a lion and the gigantic wings of a twin-tailed firebird. Tang Yue threw a sideways nce at the dragon and then right in front of its eyes, she tossed the corpse in her mouth. Hrmm? The dragon looked up at her and then closed its eyes again in disinterest. A few minutes silently passed when it snapped its eyes back open. Its slit-like eyes almost bulged out of its eye sockets as it stared at the pest in front of it with disbelief. Ding. 100% Griffon chimera bloodline absorbed Ding. Bloodline Evolution has been initiated Tang Yue''s long slender serpentine body turned bright golden, twisting and turning as she moaned softly in pain. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 100 Experience points have been rewarded. Tang Yue did not really gain any new skills from this particr evolution as it was only a weaker beast but that was not her main agenda this time around. She directly showed the enemy at her doorstep her deepest darkest secret. "YOU!!!" The dragon roared! "How did you do that? PEST ANSWER ME NOW." Its entire body shook and its voice croaked. Tang Yue couldn''t see an ounce of pride that was previously on its face. "So I was correct?" She hissed with a smirk. "You do know more than you are willing to share." The dragon grunted in annoyance and repeated its words. "Do not test my patience, pest." "And what are you going to do if I do?" Tang Yue sighed and sat back down. She knew that she now once again had caught the interest of the beast. Though none of them bothered to share any more valuable information with the other party, there was at least a pointless conversation and a barrage of threats and insults. And the dragon silently kept sizing up Tang Yue all the while. It had heard rumors, it had heard stories from some of the other Emperor beasts but it hadn''t believed it until now. The demonic Empress, the Nether Empress with her nine heads, the monster that had ughtered millions, Empress Medussa, the devil with the many names. It knew that this ind belonged to thete Empress and that was one of the reasons, it had imed the ind for itself, hoping to uncover the mysteries of the demonic Empress. However, it had never considered the possibility that the lineage of the Empress would still be alive. Its eyes shimmered with greed as it stared at the rare treasure in front of it. If only it could get its hand on the damned pest... Chapter 409 Playing with fire Part4

Chapter 409 ying with fire Part4

The dragon stared at Tang Yue for an entire minute, myriad emotions unnoticeably flickering through its eyes. However, after that short pause¡­ the proud and arrogant beast unexpectedly did apletely 180. "Empress! Great Empress!!! Please forgive my impudence!!! This humble servant has made a grave mistake. Please forgive me." The dragon started wailing loudly, all of its previous smugnesspletely erased out of existence. There wasn''t even an ounce of pretense in its actions. It acted as if it had seriouslymitted an unforgivable sin and started banging its body against the tunnel once again. "I deserve to die for this foolishness, my Empress. I was your beast. I was your ve. But I dared to attack you." "Please, your highness. Please kill me with your own hand. Please bestow that mercy on this foolish ve." Tang Yue looked up and down at the dragon, well at least the part of the beast which she could see. The beast was genuine whimpering and wailing. She had to admit. This bastard was really good at acting! But there was absolutely no way that she was going to fall for that! She smirked and then looked at the beast. "Please. Save this for someone else. Do you think that I am a fool?" Tang Yue scoffed at the dragon while simultaneously thinking about how to use this to her advantage. She immediately sent a message to Little Plum through their linked mental connection. "Come back." "Master?" Little Plum who was in the middle of a fight reacted with confusion but it didn''t question her. He quickly conveyed the message to Little Blue and Eleana and the three of them instantly made a move like Tang Yue had warned them beforehand. She had repeatedly asked them to follow hermand and drop whatever they were doing and run back to the tunnel. So the three of them did just that. The fiend boar hopper that they were fighting against looked puzzled. It was a huge flying beast that made loud screeching noises like an insect. It assumed that they were running away because they lost the fight and followed the trio back all the way to the tunnel. But it couldn''t enter the tunnel, so just like the dragon, the boar hopper also parked its butt outside waiting for them toe out again. However, the trio showed no signs of stepping out at all. Comfortably standing inside the tunnel, Little Plum asked Tang Yue. "Master, is everything alright?" "Yes. Yes. Everything is alright. I found a sucker." She grinned in response. The three of them looked at each other in confusion. Someone new? "Some of the beasts were just killed. Let''s take them to Master immediately. Maybe she will be able to siphon off some soul strength." Eleana muttered and the trio quickly made their way to the tunnel where Tang Yue was located. A few momentster¡­ Little Plum, Little Blue and Eleana stood in front of Tang Yue with their heads bowed. They had heaped their harvest in front of her and Tang Yue activated her skill to absorb whatever soul strength that remained. "Good job. You guys did great in the short time." All three immediately became overjoyed and excitedly nodded after hearing Tang Yue''s praise, but they still kept looking here and there every now and then. Who was this new person that their master was talking about? Just when they were wondering, a strong gush of wind thundered outside the tunnel and a loud pping noise echoed. The trio simultaneously gulped and turned their head to look outside as an ominous feeling welled up in their heart. Their widened eyes met the sharp slit-like eyes and they copsed on their knees, unable to withstand the killing intent. However, the tremendous pressure did notst long and the vicious monster outside the tunnel all of a sudden revealed its big canines and an ugly grin unexpectedly surfaced. Huh? Eleana, Little Plum and Little Blue, all three of them were utterly shocked. A chill ran down their spine as they watched the dragon in disbelief. The very next second, a loud thud echoed and corpses started raining outside the tunnel forming a heap. This heap was nothingpared to their own measly heap. Even the fiend boar hopper whom they had been fighting earlier was in the so-called heap. And more importantly, every single beast in the mound seemed to be freshly hunted and killed. In the time they had taken to travel through the tunnels ande over to Tang Yue, the dragon had plundered half of the beasts on the ind and dropped them at her feet. "Your highness." The dragon bowed. There was no longer any animosity or hostility in its eyes. Tang Yue chuckled inwardly but she only revealed a surprised look to the dragon. "So many beasts!" She eximed. She quickly used her wind magic to pull everything into the tunnel in one swift motion. After that, she started siphoning the soul strength once again. The dragon snorted at the three dumbfounded pets and then smuglyid down. It only needed to act polite in front of Tang Yue, so it made no effort to be friendly to her pets. After a while, Tang Yue absorbed the soul power and then turned innocently to the dragon. "This is good, but I would rather prefer Emperor-tier beasts." The dragon''s eyes twitched. It was a little wary about giving Tang Yue Emperor beast bodies as it didn''t want to make her too powerful unwittingly. But it had alreadymitted so it also couldn''t give up just yet. Besides, it believed that Tang Yue would truly trust it better if it delivered this time. "As you wish, your highness." The giant beast pped its wings once again and took off. Little Plum, Little Blue, and Eleana looked at each other and then at Tang Yue. So the sucker she was talking about earlier was the dragon¡­? Tang Yue grinned and nodded as if she knew exactly what they were thinking about. Chapter 410 Playing with fire Part5

Chapter 410 ying with fire Part5

In one of the numerous pocket realms crammed in different corners of the world, there was an ind, neither too big nor too small. There was nothing really special about the ind. It was abundant in resources, mountains, forests, terrifying beasts and there was even a magnificent pce smack dab in the middle of the ind. However, right this second, there was something strange happening on this deserted isted mass ofnd. Loud thuds echoed in several ces and giant beasts strangely fell. And not just ordinary beasts but Emperor-tier beasts, rulers of their territory. The entire ind fell into a state of chaos andmotion. With the different rulers of the ind mysteriously wiped out in the blink of an eye, the other beasts had no idea what to make out of things and began to wander around and fight with each other aimlessly. The ecosystem of the ind fully copsed. However, the main culprit responsible for the whole fiasco couldn''t care less about it. Tang Yue''s beautiful emerald eyes twinkled like stars as she saw powerful beasts being heaped in front of her. "Your highness." The dragon bowed and gritting its teeth, it dropped everyst beast it had hunted by running around the ind. The enormous beast bowed its head and respectfully waited, though there was a subtle glint in its eyes hiding a myriad swirl of emotions. As opposed to the dragon''s solemn tone, the serpentine woman cocked her head to the side yfully and shed a big smile. "You did well." The dragon once again silently nodded as if it was an obedient little pet. Tang Yue chuckled lightly looking at the two vicious slit-like eyes of the beast. She then straightened up from her casual position and without paying any further attention to the beast, she sat down in a meditative posture. "Ok, you three. Close the tunnel and stand guard for me. I will be going into a closed door¡­ oh ha ha¡­ closed tunnel meditation now?" "And¡­ hmmm¡­ perhaps my fourth pet will stand outside the tunnel as a guard?" Tang Yue''s silly giggle along with her frivolous words echoed in the tunnel, as Eleana moved and closed the tunnel with the almighty dragon still standing outside the door. "I am really shutting the door on a dragon''s face?" The harpy''s hands trembled the whole time as she did what Tang Yue ordered her to. Despite knowing that a strong barrier surrounds the pce and the tunnels, Eleana still couldn''t help but gulp in nervousness. The door was soon closed and the dragon seemed to continue staring inside with a calm andposed expression. It neither cared about Tang Yue''s frivolous attitude or the way she casually called it her pet. Until the very end, Eleana hadn''t even seen it blink. Its yellow eyes only indifferently gazed at them. It looked like a dutiful servant ready to follow its master''smands. Bam! Eleana pushed the door further and made sure it waspletely closed. Only then she rxed and let out a long sigh. As opposed to Eleana''s cautious and shaky behavior, the other two in the tunnel cackled and howled in excitement. "Idiot. Idiot." Little Plum rolled on the tunnel''s cold wall and giggled, its lycan form rubbing its body against the floor. Following its actions, Little Blue as well did the same. Both of them were entertaining each other mocking the mighty powerful dragon standing guard like a chump outside the tunnel. Eleana was left speechless. She had no idea what was happening. She looked at the two little buffoons rolling on the floor and then at Tang Yue. She felt that something was not quite right and just like she thought, Tang Yue also had a solemn expression. "You can talk Little Plum?" Tang Yue hissed. Her voice made the wolf jump and it quicklyposed itself, standing straight once again like an obedient kid. Watching its actions, Little Blue as always, mimicked the fire elemental. It too stood near the red ming wolf. "Yes, Masta. Little Plum managed to evolve again." The elemental grinned revealing all its canines and muttered with a glee. The battle outside had been very fortuitous for the little elemental and it finally managed to fully grasp thews of the small fragment of heavenly me andpletely absorb it. Tang Yue nodded and went back to activate her soul strength siphoning skill to absorb whatever soul strength was left in the heap of Emperor-tier beasts. Before looking at the different beasts in detail, she wanted to tend to this part first as the soul fragments remaining were weak and only a step away from degrading. While she did that, Little Plum and Little Blue busied themselves and began segregating all the meat that was piled around Tang Yue. By now they were not really strangers to her appetite and decided to help her organize her feast. Only Eleana still looked stupified. What¡­ what the hell just happened? She quietly pondered about the recent events, wondering if she should ask Tang Yue about it or not. She looked at the slender woman who silently mediated while inhaling huge thick wisps of soul energy. "Hmm¡­ You have something on your mind?" Tang Yue''s long forked tongue flickered in and out and her soft yet resolute voice rang out. "Your highness." Eleana immediately bowed, worried that she had disturbed her Master. "It''s alright speak up." Tang Yue waved her hand. Eleana nodded and without any hesitation muttered what was bothering her about this whole situation. "Your highness, that dragon¡­ how could it so easily give in? It might be¡­ umm¡­ plotting something." She knew that Tang Yue was not as simple as she looked and probably considered this herself, but at the same time, she wanted to do her best and give her counsel anyways. Hearing Eleana''s words, Tang Yue simply smiled, but the other two wolves stood frozen, stopping what they were doing. They acted as if a great realization had dawned upon them and fiercely nodded, agreeing with Eleana''s words. Chapter 411 Level 15!

Chapter 411 Level 15!

Tang Yue calmly looked at the harpy standing near her. As opposed to thetter''s tensed up expression, the snake seemed extremely nonchnt. "Hmm¡­ Indeed. What do you think is the strength of that dragon out there?" She hissed in amusement. "Umm¡­ Your highness? I¡­ I cannot fathom such an existence." Eleana hesitantly answered. "Exactly. Did you really think that a being like that would serve me without any ulterior motive?" Tang Yue sneered. "Isn''t it obvious? The race has already begun." "If you open the tunnel door right now, you would probably see that the dragon is already gone." "It''s intention was to never make me trust it in the first ce. Its intention was rather to make me let down my guard." "If I am correct, the dragon is probably working very hard right now. It should be trying to break the array formation of the grand pce with everything it got." "And if it tries hard enough and still is unable to seed it is going to leave the ind and rat me out to one of the immortals." Eleana''s face instantly changed and the two wolves looked terrified. "Heh. Don''t worry." Tang Yue hissed and it was clear that she wasn''t concerned about anything that she had just mentioned. "That beast is extremely proud and greedy. It wouldn''t give up that easily, at least not for a few hundred years." She paused and then added. "And I don''t n to be cooped up on this ind for that long." Eleana finally understood what was happening. Her breathing quickened and her chest heaved up and down in excitement. The danger that they were currently in wasn''t small but then her Master was not ordinary. "You guys shouldn''t go out anymore. These many beasts should be enough for me." Tang Yue took another bite of the misceneous high-grade beast meat in front of her and chomped down on it. Her three followers bowed and left to the pce to continue their training, while Tang Yue remained seated in the tunnel and continued her feast. Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 1000 Experience points have been rewarded. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 1000 Experience points have been rewarded. ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Ding. Congrattions. Bloodline Evolutionpleted. Ding. Congrattions. 1000 Experience points have been rewarded. ... ¡­ ¡­ Continuous notifications kept ringing constantly for the next few days and Tang Yue as well thoroughly rested her mind and relieved all of her umted mental exhaustion from attempting the training grounds day in and day out without any rest. However, she didn''t stop. She continued eating every single beast in her possession irrespective of whether any usual skills could be gained or not. Soon almost two weeks passed and Tang Yue finally heard the notification that she had been ''working hard'' for. Ding. Congrattions. You have leveled up. Level 14 -> Level 15 "FINALLY!" Tang Yue grinned in satisfaction. It had been so long and she finally managed to push herself to the next stepping stone. Her human figure morphed into her serpentine form and a warm glow enveloped her entire body. The next second a thick putrid liquid leaked out of her that dispelled whatever impurity was left within. Her slender serpentine figure twisted and turned and Tang Yue gasped inwardly as her consciousness returned. This was a spirit beast maturation. She was undergoing a beast maturation! Her serpentine figure started changing from top to bottom. The warm glow around her body intensified and she moaned in pain and pleasure as everything about her changed. Her blue skin with mysterious ck patterns now had a dark red pattern interspersed with it. Her body has considerably be bigger and was now a little more than 50 feet long and 70 inches thick. Sharp protrusions popped out of her smooth scaly skin that looked like thorn spikes, only that hers was covered in thick venom. She could feel the venom nds in every inch of her skin and she knew how to increase and decrease their venom content at will. Her silver fangs and her emerald eyes both turned dark red in color and her scales had a red sheen to them. Tang Yue could feel that the strength and power swirling within her had magnified several times. She took a deep breath and felt the rest of her body when a couple more notifications popped out. Ding. Congrattions. Your skill [Lesser Evolution] has upgraded to [Greater Evolution] Ding. Congrattions. Your skill [Bloodline Gorger] has upgraded to [Bloodline Devourer] "Old man, do we still have to keep up with this charade? Can''t you just give me all the updates or whatever in your normal voice?" She shook her head at the soul ghost hovering near her and giving her these weird curt mental messages. Now that he was separated from her like a normal soul entity, they could just converse in simple words. "Ahem. Ahem. Please forgive me, your highness. The illusion magic is already crafted topletion and cannot be changed." Tang Yue crimson eyes widened in surprise and then she let out a sigh. "Hmmm¡­ Alright. Never mind then. I have more important matters to worry about." She quickly pulled up her new status screen and looked at the two new and upgraded skills that she was looking for. ______________ Name: Tang Yue Level 15 (0/5,000,000) Species: Demonic Serpent Grade: Spirit beast ______________ ¡­ ¡­ ... Skills: [Greater Evolution] - Passive skill, Able to constantly improve and upgrade the body by absorbing bloodlines; Only 10% bloodline is required for triggering evolution. [Bloodline Devourer] - Passive skill, Able to absorb bloodlines from meat with extreme efficiency. [Greater Illusion Magic] - Passive skill; Able to cast illusionary spells; Able to cast spells ignoring the cultivation base of the target up to two realms. [Greater Earth affinity] - Passive skill; Able to manipte mana into high-grade earth. [Greater Fire affinity] - Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade fire. [Greater Ice affinity] - Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade ice. [Greater Wind affinity] - Passive skill, Able to manipte mana into high-grade wind. ¡­ ¡­ ... Chapter 412 General Selena Part1

Chapter 412 General Selena Part1

Tang Yue put away all the remaining higher tier beast meat and collected only the 15 Emperor tier beasts of the ind. "Time to head back to the pce." Her hiss echoed in the silent tunnels beneath the grand pce and before the echo could die down, she had already reached the ce as if she distorted space itself. "Oh! I am still at the Deity realm but this single evolution managed to change my speed this much?" Tang Yue was pleasantly surprised. She could now move in the blink of an eye. "I wonder how much more I can push my limits after fully consuming all the Emperor tier beasts?" Tang Yue eyed the pile of ughtered beasts with excitement twinkling in her eyes. To her, these were nothing more than refined cultivation pills. The ghost wryly chuckled. He had already seen all this and to him, this was nothing but history repeating itself. "Old man, do you think I will now be able to absorb theplete bloodline just from a single beast?" Tang Yue licked her lips. Thick strands of demonic aura seeped out of her. "Yes, little¡­ I mean¡­ yes, your highness. It should be possible at your current stage." "Mmm¡­ I will begin then." Tang Yue started with the Lava Smander Emperor beast whom she had personally defeated. Her hands moved like a metallic whip and within seconds, the meat was cleanly severed and separated from the hardened scales. "Wah! Such a spicy and unique vor!" Tang Yue was in a good mood and she enjoyed her feast, unlike the other times when she had simply gulped everything down. Eleana walked over to her and she ryed onto her the various things the other snakes had been up to in the meantime, especially, their progress concerning the various ancient arts, including rune crafting and alchemy. "Not bad, who is this person who managed to achieve such a mastery of rune crafting?" Tang Yue flickered her tongue. "Bring her over. Let me take a look." Eleana nodded and went to look for Jin Nuhen, who quickly rushed back with her along with another serpentine spirit beast. "Your highness." "Your highness." Both Jin Nuhen and the other serpent offered their greetings. Tang Yue''s crimson eyes were a bit too ominous so both of them couldn''t help but look at her with a hint of fear mixed with respect in their eyes. "So you are the one who managed to crack the firstyer of the curse?" Tang Yue gently smiled waving them both to take a seat. Jin Nuhen nodded respectfully and sat down with an aged grace, while the other party grinned like a wild child and plopped onto the seat as if she could barely contain her excitement. Looking at her behavior, Tang Yue chuckled and asked, "And you are?" "Your highness! I am Selena." The young woman jumped up again, her voluptuous chest jiggling and she bowed in a somewhat yful manner. "Idiot! Is this how you behave in front of the Empress?!" Jin Nuhen was shocked to see the woman being her usual carefree self and wanted to reprimand her right then and there. However, since Tang Yue was there, he simply red at her and didn''t say much. Selena immediately quieted down and the grin on her face also dulled a little. "That''s alright. You don''t have to be so formal with me." Tang Yue smiled. "Come here. Let me take a look at the runes and how you managed to remove the firstyer of the curse." The young woman became cheery once more and she quickly stalked up to Tang Yue. She looked at the Empress with her big turquoise eyes and then kneeled down, facing her back to Tang Yue so that she could take a look. There were numerous ck runic marks etched onto her back as if someone had engraved them deep into her soul and Tang Yue and Eleana were both about to take a look, when the young woman unexpectedly removed her robe, bingpletely naked. Both Eleana and Jin Nuhen immediately turned bright red. Tang Yue, however, was too engrossed in the runic markings to notice the wild woman''s strange behavior, who smiled brightly and exined. "Just so that her highness can take a better look." Huh? Eleana shot a meaningful nce at Jin Nuhen and he shook his head helplessly in return. She saw the young woman looking at Tang Yue with big bright eyes and had a bad feeling. She waved her hand and the two of them walked out of the chamber to talk, so as to not disturb the Empress. "Nuhen? Who is that person?" Eleana asked. "Ah! She is just a member of our n. I apologize, Lady Eleana. She is a bit entric. Maybe i shouldn''t have brought her over." "No, it''s fine." Eleana sighed. "Figuring out this curse runic pattern is more important." Though the harpy had mouthed these words, it was clear that she didn''t quite believe them herself. She thought that the snake had a pair of crazy eyes as if she was obsessed with Tang Yue. "No, it''s fine. She is after all still in the lower realms. She couldn''t possibly harm the Empress." She muttered to herself and the two of them again walked back into the chamber. However, before they could take another step, they stopped in their tracks. The image from before hadpletely changed and Selena was no longer kneeling in front of Tang Yue. Her naked figure wasfortably seated on Tang Yue''sp! Both Eleana and Jin Nuhen blinked their eyes as if they couldn''t believe what was happening. It was not that they were surprised by Selena''s actions. The look in her eyes had long betrayed her emotions. They were just surprised that the Empress had allowed her to do so! However, things became clearer soon. Once the duo recovered from their initial shock, they took a closer look at the situation and could see the very obvious thing that was wrong with this picture. While one licked her lips seductively with big bright crazy eyes, the other party waspletely focussed on the runic marks which were now broken in several ces. Chapter 413 General Selena Part2

Chapter 413 General Selena Part2

Tang Yue''s crimson eyes glistened with interest as she examined the snake''s body from top to bottom. She observed the borate and archaic runic pattern in detail. However, the nuances of the rune eluded her understanding since she was only well versed in alchemy and smithing. "Perhaps it is time to improve my knowledge regarding the other ancient arts." Completely ignoring the naked seductive woman sitting on herp, she looked up at Jin Nuhen and muttered in deep thought. "Bring me the various scrolls from the pce on rune crafting." She had already rested plenty and mental fatigue hadpletely disappeared so there was no point in wasting time while consuming the fifteen Emperor beasts. Tang Yue decided that she might as well take a look at other things while her stomach was busy and upied. Turning her gaze, she once again met the eyes of the naked snake sitting on herp, who just couldn''t remain still. She was pushing her breasts forward, she was licking her lips, twirling her long ck hair, grinding her hips, and basically doing anything and everything to catch the attention of the Empress. However, all of it ended up being for nothing as Tang Yue didn''t eveny a finger on her with different intentions and calmly waved her hand. "You may leave now. Keep up the good work and as a reward, I appoint you as one of my Generals." "Your highness!" Immediately, both Eleana and Jin Nuhen together eximed in shock, but the other party cooed in joy. "Your highness~ It would be my utmost honor to serve you as your General." Selena''s crazy eyes twinkled in tion and she seductively got out of Tang Yue''sp, almost pressing her breasts up against her. But after that she didn''t linger and quickly ran away out of the chamber, shaking her naked butt, as if she was afraid that Tang Yue might take the title back. Tang Yue could only chuckle at the behavior of this wild snake. "You guys can leave too. I will call youter if I need anything." Both Eleana and Jin Nuhen had weird expressions on their faces but they didn''t dare to question Tang Yue''s judgment. So they quickly walked out to catch and interrogate the other party whom they could actually question. "Selena! Stop running away and for god''s sake, wear something!" Jin Nuhen shouted. The naked snakepletely ignored his angry remark and stuck her tongue out shamelessly. "Tee Hee! n leader, don''t be so jealous. Aren''t you also a General?" However, right beside Jin Nuhen, Eleana''s stern figure appeared and the snake immediately stopped being yful and gulped nervously. "You. What are your intentions towards the Empress?" Eleana asked the wild girl directly. "Ahhh. Nothing. Nothing. I don''t have any bad intentions. Ahh. Your highness. I think the Empress is very very cool!" She scratched her head and answered awkwardly. The harpy was not satisfied. So she narrowed her eyes and looked sternly at the snake for a while longer. "If you even as much as think about harming the Empress, you know what will happen right?" Eleana walked over to the snake who was still naked and stood face to face in front of her. "Even your soul wouldn''t leave a trace in this world. It will be like you never existed." Selena gulped and quietly nodded, but once Eleana turned around to walk back to the training hall, she stuck her tongue out with a big grin. "Why will I harm my awesome super cool Empress, idiot harpy? I am going to be her waifu!" However, she forgot that Jin Nuhen was still standing there and the man was looking at her with an expression that was even worse than the harpy''s. He had known Selena for decades ever since she was a child and knew that she was a bit troublesome. So he didn''t feelfortable about this at all. "Some matters are not to be taken yfully, Selena." He warned her and walked away, leaving the naked snake alone in the corridor. "Ughh. These two grouches! Wait till I be a concubine. I will make sure to bully you both!" She licked her lips and finally threw on a robe, covering her voluptuous body. Even so, the majority of her cleavage was still visible and glistening. Selena as well then walked away, excited more than ever to push through and break all the shackles of the runes covering her seductive figure. She wondered if the Empress would then reward her by making her the first concubine. Perhaps she would even fall in love with her. "Nope. No need to doubt it. That''s definitely going to happen. Tee Hee!" The snake grinned already beginning to daydream about seducing Tang Yue and twining together their long serpentine coils. Meanwhile¡­ In the middle of a thick dense forest, on and that was far far away from the ind of Empress Medussa, an elegant and graceful elf suddenly coughed non-stop. Charlotte''s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were dazed. Xander and Xavier both looked back in surprise to see what was happening. "Are you okay?" Xavier asked. He didn''t know why the woman was coughing up her lungs as she had been perfectly normal all this time. Xander''s cold eyes as well had traces of concern, but he didn''t bother to enquire about the elf''s health. "I am fine." Charlotte stood up and dusted her robe. "I am fine, we can continue the hunt." Though she muttered these words, there was an inexplicable bad feeling at the back of her mind as if something bad was waiting to happen. It was just a random gut feeling. The three of them then continued moving along with the main party of the guild as they stalked the track marks of a potential demon n member. These days because of certain rumors that were spreading around the guild was using more forces than usual in tracking demonic n members and of course, the three people who were behind these rumors in the first ce were a part of this team. "Do you think that this could be her?" Xavier asked to which Xander solemnly shook his head. "Maybe or maybe not, but I will find her and bring her back no matter what it takes." Chapter 414 Going all out

Chapter 414 Going all out

An entire week passed quietly, but on the tenth day, a loud bang resounded, making almost the colossal pce shake slightly. Tang Yue''s body flung across the ptial chamber and hit the wall, shattering everything on impact. Everyone was shocked and Jin Nuhen, Selena, and Eleana immediately rushed to see what was happening. When they arrived, Tang Yue was standing up, groaning in pain. Her hair was disheveled and blood was seeping from the corner of her lips. She looked up and saw the worried faces but she quickly dismissed them. "Leave now." Only the ghost remained beside her. "Yet another failure?" "Yes, Master." Tang Yue sighed. She swiped the status screen and looked at all the skills she had gained by consuming the several Emperor beasts of the ind. Each one was more powerful than the previous one and yet she was unable topletely settle her cultivation base and pass the second phase of the trial. She felt as if she was very close and yet at the same time, she was extremely far. "Damn it. What more can I do?" Tang Yue looked at the ghost and she knew that the old man was about to say ''I told you so'' so she turned away from him. She thought that consuming the Emperor beasts of the ind would be enough to get her to the next level but it looked like that was no longer happening. She needed something more and Tang Yue was not a fool. She already had an idea of what that extra something that she needed was. The only problem was¡­ the minute she did that¡­ the enemy circling around her would only get further enraged and the sands in the clock would start falling sooner. But she was already at a point where there was no turning back, so she didn''t hesitate much longer. Letting out a deep breath, she reached inside her spatial pearl and took out something. The ghost standing near her instantly gasped. If anyone else was there around her, they would have given her, the same expression as well¡­ after all¡­ the thing in Tang Yue''s hands was¡­ Dragon eggs! "Yue, you aren''t!" "Of course. I am!" Tang Yue smirked. Dragon eggs were precious treasures for various reasons. They could be powerful tamedpanions. Precious raw materials for concocting heaven-grade elixirs. Inscription inks for casting unbreakable spells. However, to use them as food¡­ The old man gulped but Tang Yue lifted her hand and used a de of electrified wind st to break the shell apart. She then nonchntly opened the two halves and drank the egg as if she was simply having a firebird''s egg for dinner. Since it was simply an egg, its digestion as well didn''t take too long and Tang Yue''s body instantly absorbed the nutritious liquid as if it had been starved all this while. Ding. 1.25% Crimson Wyrm bloodline absorbed Ding. 1.25% Nether Drake bloodline absorbed Ding. 1.25% Storm Hydra bloodline absorbed ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ The notifications rang loudly for a while before they stopped including several members of the draconic species. Even Tang Yue herself was surprised. "This¡­" She hissed looking at the elder. "Little snake! I mean, your highness, you consumed the dragon''s egg without knowing this?" He didn''t know whether tough or cry. "What are you talking about?" Tang Yue continued eying the several bloodlines that she had now absorbed. "Your highness, one of the reasons why dragon eggs are popr is because of the fact that their egg contains infinite potential." "Their bloodline only solidifies on birth and that''s why it takes a long time for a draconian egg to hatch." "Oh." Tang Yue''s crimson eyes sparkled as she flickered her tongue in and out. She didn''t know that but it was a good surprise. Almost at the same time, a heaven shattering sound reverberated on the other side of the ind. ROARRRRR! Hmm¡­ Tang Yue casually walked out of the pce but stood at the edge of the spell formation. The giant dragon pped its two metallic humongous wings in a frenzy as if it had gone crazy. Its eyes were crazed and maddened with anger and it kept ramming at the spell formation around the pce repeatedly. "YOU!" "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" "I WILL KILL YOU, YOU FILTHY SNAKE!" "I WILL KILL YOU IF THAT IS THE LAST THING THAT I AM DOING!" Heh. Tang Yue snickered. "Didn''t you pledge your undying allegiance to me just a few days ago? Have things changed now?" The beast let out another roar as she was purposely taunting it. However, Tang Yue had another reason for doing this. She wanted to make sure that the dragon was enraged enough to try and exact revenge on its own rather than going to her other powerful enemies with its tail tucked behind its legs. It was a gamble but Tang Yue was sure that if she taunted it just enough, the possibility of that happening was extremely high, considering that the dragon was a proud beast in the first ce. Looking the huge ferocious beast directly into its eyes, she ced the shells of the first egg down and took out the second egg. Crack! Another one smoothly went down her throat and she licked her lips with a smile. "I must say. Dragon eggs are really the most exquisite thing I have ever tasted." "I WILL KILL YOU!" "I WILL KILL YOU!" "MARK MY WORDS!!! ROARRRR!" The dragon''s eyes gleamed with unbridled fury and it rammed against the barrier again and again and again. Tang Yue, however, clenched her fists to calm herself down and continued downing the eggs one by one. Though she was putting on an act for the beast, she was also concerned about something else. She only needed 10% of the bloodline to sessfully evolve and consuming each egg was giving her about 1.25% of various bloodlines. Unfortunately, she was still one egg short as there were only 7 eggs in total. Chapter 415 Scraping for the last bits

Chapter 415 Scraping for thest bits

Tang Yue lifted her crimson eyes and looked at the dragon. Would it perhaps give her thest 1% that she required? She shook her head and chuckled to herself, ignoring the beast that was about to go crazy. All its eggs were destroyed right in front of its eyes and the monster was livid. It no longer even bothered to shout out threats and silently disappeared into the depths of the ind after giving her onest threatening look. "I really need to hurry. I can''t afford to lose this fight." Tang Yue''s long forked tongue slithered in and out as her gaze wandered andnded on the eggshells near her feet. Could these possibly give her thest 1% that she needed? Her crimson eyes instantly brightened up. That was it. Now she had everything that she needed. She quickly used wisps of wind to pick up all the eggshells and crunched them down like snacks. 5 seconds¡­ 10 seconds¡­ 1 minute¡­ Her heart raced as she waited for the notifications to show up. And then they did¡­ one after one bloodline notifications poured out¡­ Ding. 0.9% Crimson Wyrm bloodline absorbed Ding. 0.95% Nether Drake bloodline absorbed Ding. 0.89% Storm Hydra bloodline absorbed Ding. 0.7% Twilight Wyrm bloodline absorbed ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ Tang Yue scoured through all the messages one after the other hoping that at least one of them would be up by 1%. However, thest 0.01% still seemed to be eluding her. "Arghhhhh! DAMN IT!" This time she was truly out of options. It was not like she could step out of the pce and hunt for more beasts to make up for thatst 0.01%. And without a draconian bloodline, how was she ever going to be strong enough to tackle that monstrosity? It was the most direct and simplest answer to all her problems and it was just 0.01% away! Would it have killed that dragon toy one more egg?! BANG! THUD! CLATTER! In a fit of anger and frustration, she barged back into the pce and started rummaging through anything and everything that she could find. "If you destroy the pce, I don''t think the formation will hold up." The ghost warned her. Tang Yue red at him angrily. "Old man, if you have any tricks up your sleeve, this is your chance to speak up!" "Otherwise, everything here is going to be sted to smithereens really soon. You understand that right?" The ghost, however, only sighed with a wry chuckle. "We can only try and alter fate so much, little snake. Some things probably were best left¡­" "Useless!" Tang Yue hissed at the old man who was now saying utterly random things. She no longer paid attention to him. What he said didn''t make any sense, but it made her think of something else. When she had first begun collecting bloodlines, some of the lower level beasts had a certain amount of rare bloodlines. It was extremely low but one or two beasts still had some. She might not have any rare beasts in her possession at the moment, but she had plenty of these low grade beasts. Considering that she now needed only 0.01% of the bloodline¡­ Tang Yue hissed pensively. "Ok. This should work. This will work. This has to work." She quickly sat down on the marble floor and started taking out the several beasts one after the other. She also called over Eleana and asked her to gather whatever beasts everyone had, including food reserves and every single backup meal. As they all could use mana it wasn''t absolutely essential that they had to eat for every meal. They couldst for a long time without any food or nutrition. The mana in the air alone was enough for survival. Besides, if they didn''t get out of here, then there was no future for any of them. So being without food for a few months was nothing inparison to that. After she finished gathering everything, Tang Yue once again started feasting. This time she was really trying to find a needle in the haystack, blindly hoping that she would stumble upon one of the higher level bloodlines that could truly push her to her limits. She only needed one. She just needed thatst tiny push to break through thest bit of shackle that was holding her back. Tang Yue fervently devoured every single beast at her disposal. She was truly desperate. The great empress had left behind a legacy for her to grow. However, there was also a damned dragon at the doorstep. If she had known about this before, she would have at leaste here after hunting every single beast that she could, but there was no point in thinking about spilled elixir. She has toe out of the obstacles that were in front of her right here and now. Tang Yue silently meditated as she consumed one beast after another. Soon¡­ days went by¡­ weeks went by¡­ almost an entire lunar cycle went by¡­ ¡­ ¡­ ¡­ "Ah¡­ its been so long¡­ when will I be able to see the Empress again?" Selena pouted, pacing back and forth on the trial grounds. Tang Yue had already given permission to them so a lot of the snakes attempted the trial grounds to test their limits. The ce had be extremely lively. Jin Nuhen scoffed at the vulgar snake. Her behavior and attitude were only bing worse and worse ever since she obtained some recognition from the Empress. "Perhaps she is hiding because you are stalking her. Hmph." The two began to bicker and fight with each other as usual but they became silent when the sound of wind whooshing was heard. An elegant and graceful figurended, folding her vibrant wings as she did. There was an archaic air about her and her serene eyes scanned the room once, instantly freezing everyone before settling on the center of the room, the exit for the training ground. In the midst of the dozen snakes, the single harpy stood still with a solemn expression on her face. Chapter 416 Calamity or Redemption?

Chapter 416 Cmity or Redemption?

"Greetings, General Eleana." "Greetings, General Eleana." "Greetings, General Eleana." Immediately everyone standing around started greeting the harpy. The harpy, however, stood still. She paid no heed to anything else. Her attention was only on the exit of the training grounds. During this past lunar cycle, she hadpletely recovered. Not just that, but she also managed to make progress in her fate magic. And that was precisely why¡­ she knew what was going to happen today¡­ "Eh? What is with her?" Selena leaned and started nagging Jin Nuhen who threw her a re and continued standing silently. He as well had the same question, but he didn''t dare ask her and simply waited. The group of snakes just like this remained silent for a long time. They waited for several minutes, but nothing really happened. A few more minutes passed by and all of a sudden a loud explosion sounded in the distance. RUMBLE RUMBLE The entire pce shook. Eleana''s eyes widened in shock. When she had divined that something significant was going to happen, she had assumed that it would be her master''s return from training. But what if it was¡­ A fearful thought arose in her mind. Her figure blurred and she moved, reaching the entrance of the pce in a couple of seconds. At that time, another quake spread, creating more tremors on the ground. RUMBLE RUMBLE All the snakes as well rushed out and stood beside her, including Jin Nuhen and Selena. Every single one of them halted in their tracks and stood frozen, unable to take a single step forward. They stared with their mouth agape at the frightening scene in front of them. The barrier was shaking. There was a visible barrier that appeared around the grand pce and it trembled. Banging against it violently was the terror that was every single of their nightmares, the dragon. It pped its huge silver wings that now had thick ck veins and snorted, looking down at the measly beings sprawled in front of it. The dragon''s slit-like eyes haughtily scanned everyone,ing back tond at the harpy as Eleana was currently the strongest prey, standing in the midst of the snakes. The dragon looked directly at her and snorted again, banging onto the barrier one more time. Eleana was speechless. "This¡­ This¡­ How is this possible?" "Master said¡­" Others dumbly turned towards her, equally petrified. None of them could believe what was happening. RUMBLE RUMBLE A huge shock wave assaulted their faces, reminding them that everything was very real and their impending doom was right at their doorstep. Further confirming their ominous thoughts and negative feelings, the dragon raised its head up and roared loudly. "YOUR DEATH WAITS! FOOLISH BEINGS!" "HOW DARE YOU BREAK MY EGGS? I WILL END ALL OF YOU TODAY." "YOUR BARRIER WILL CRUMBLE TODAY!" The beast violently thrashed against the barrier. It repeatedly kept hammering at the same spot as if it was really determined to make its wordse true at all costs. No one even dared to doubt if it was simply putting on a show. The barrier had held strong until now. Countless beings had tried and it hadn''t crumbled but now, this dragon boasted that it was about to ruin their holy temple. And yet¡­ its words struck fear in everyone''s hearts. Every time itshed its huge body against the flimsy barrier, everyone''s heart sank further and further. Eleana tried to brave herself, find some courage to say a few words to others and ease their worries but she also couldn''t bring herself to do that. She as well shuddered at every move the dragon made. "My divination¡­ is it really going toe true?" She clenched the robe she was wearing and crumpled it nervously. The moment that she had long awaited but now feared was also nearing closer and closer. Something was definitely going to happen. That she was sure of it. But whether it would be their death or salvation? No one knew. Eleana panted. She tried to divine again. She did not know what else to do. Only her master stood a chance against the monstrosity. Beings like her would end up as a mere snack for the damned dragon. So what could she possibly do? Seconds dragged on and soon the time was here. Eleana gasped. The others might now know but she knew. Everything was going to be over soon, one way or the other. It was impossible for her divination to go wrong, especially when she was predicting something seconds away. The dragon loudly bellowed and came down again, but this time it was not pushed back. Instead, something broke. RUMBLE RUMBLE CRACK CRACK CRACK The barrier around the pce shattered like a ss vase and dispersed into spots of radiant energy. Ahhh! Ahhhh! Screams echoed from the several snakes gathered around as they now stood face to face with the most dangerous being they had everid eyes on. However, not all of them screamed. Eleana, Jin Nuhen, and Selena, all three of them stood straight. They were afraid before but the moment the barrier cracked, they felt a weird strength. They were ready to face whatever wasing at them. A strange vigor pulsed in their bodies and their blood was boiling. Even they themselves could not fathom why they were feeling so courageous. At that moment, the dragon sneered and everyone could see the joy in its eyes. It thoroughly enjoyed terrorizing the weak. Its malevolent eyes snickered at the grand pce that had stood in its way all this while. It was an unreachable treasure that had taunted it every single day. For a proud beast like itself, this was humiliation, a p on the face. And finally, it had managed to conquer it! Now, it was the true King of this ind, the only Ruler and Emperor! As for the inconsequential snake that had taunted it¡­ a cold glint shed past the dragon''s eyes as it nced at the entrance to the pce. It was going to take its time¡­ That snake had dared to feed on its eggs right in front of it? The dragon roared loudly and dered. "I WILL FEED YOUR BODY TO MY NINE GENERATIONS!" It snorted coldly and dived in to plunder and destroy the pce. The grand pce that had stood tall for countless centuries was going to be finally destroyed! And it was with its own hands! The dragon arrogantly pped its wings, sending out waves of torrential winds at the insects standing in front of it. They were not worth its attention and it ignored thempletely, going for the main crown jewel. However¡­ just as it dived in again¡­ this time without any barrier to stop it¡­ fully intending to demolish everything in sight¡­ BANG! Unexpectedly, once again its body was hurled back. The dragon trembled as it felt the full impact on its body. It hadn''t ced any defensive spell on itself because it had already shattered the barrier. However, that didn''t seem to be the case? There was still something that prevented it from entering the grand pce? Just what the hell was happening? It''s sharp eyes looked down to see all the insects as well standing still as if the attack it had sent to them was also ineffective. Why were they all still alive? Why were they not blown away and squashed? Just as its mind nkly tried toprehend the things in front of it, a giggle sounded, followed by a burst of loudughter. "Ba ha ha ha!" "Ba ha ha ha!" "You foolish bat! "Did you really think breaking the barrier was so easy?" The dragon trembled and its slit-like eyes darted up to look at the impossible scenario that was unfolding right in front of it. The barrier that it had sessfully broken into a million pieces was somehow reformed and it glowed splendidly just like it always had for centuries and centuries. And with this thin flimsy looking albeit unbreakable barrier in between them, a huge pitch ck snake with veins of red spread all over its body slithered. The snake was enormously thick and hundreds of feet long. It was a monster, its size almost twice that of the dragon. The fear inducing coils danced mid air as a certain snake''s long forked tongue flickered in and out, giggling in pure amusement. "It was all an illusion, you dimwit." Chapter 417 You can only do what I allow you to do

Chapter 417 You can only do what I allow you to do

"Foolish idiot. Do you think it is so simple to break a barrier that the immortal gods couldn''t break? Aren''t dragons supposed to be wise? What are you?" "Something that hatched out of a rotten egg?" Tang Yue giggled, her tone not matching the situation they were currently in. ROARRRR! "FOOLISH SNAKE! How dare you disrespect me? Why don''t youe out of the barrier and then tell me all of this!" "COWARD!" The dragon roared angrily, its voice cracking and furious. Its eyes were reddened and it looked as if it had truly gone crazy. "COME OUT! COME OUT! COME OUT!" It shouted in agony! It wanted to tear apart the snake in front of it. "How dare a weakling like you stand in front of me!" "Tee hee¡­ Idiot. Can''t you see? I am not standing, I am floating." Tang Yue hissed in amusement. Seeing this rather childish exchange of just words and nothing else, everyone opened and closed their mouths speechlessly. "Your highness¡­" Eleana gulped. No one could understand what was happening. On one hand, Tang Yue giggled andughed as if she had no care in the world. On the other hand, the dragon was burning with a fury of thousand suns, ready to st apart everything in its part. What was going on here? After all, it was weird to see two powerful beings simply exchanging taunts. As everyone dumbfoundedly stared at the scene in front of them, the next instant, the long coiled snake unexpectedly slithered out of the barrier. "YOUR HIGHNESS!" Eleana screamed. "DON''T FALL FOR HIS TAUNTS!" "YOUR HIGHNESS!" "YOUR HIGHNESS!" She was worried that Tang Yue was being prideful. Selena and Jin Nuhen also shouted in unison, all of them worried about Tang Yue. Their bodies trembled, and their knees weakened thinking about what was waiting for her outside the barrier. "She¡­ She just stepped out of the barrier!" "Why¡­" "Master¡­" Eleana clutched her head in fear and panic, hurriedly trying to use fate magic, but it was no use. She would never be able to predict something that was about to happen right at the moment. "No! I have to help Master." Eleana and the few snakes all had simr thinking as they were about to step out of the barrier as well to run towards Tang Yue and help the Empress as much as they could. They did not care if they died. They were ready to sacrifice themselves if needed. They were willing to do anything for their Empress. But as soon as they moved, immediately, a loud voice thundered, stopping everyone from moving any further and freezing them on the spot. "JUST STAY BACK AND WATCH. DO NOT STEP OUT." Tang Yue flickered her long forked tongue in and out, licking her fingers as if she was about to hunt for her next meal. GROWL! The dragon roared. It could not stand it any longer. It had seen the foolish snake walk out and that was all that it needed. It was not going to miss this golden chance. ROAR! ROAR! ROAR! It threw its head back and let out thundering noises that made the entire ind quake. In its mouth gathered a small dense ball of coiling energy and in the next second, the dragon''s body shot forward like an arrow. Its heart burned in fury and it wanted to m Tang Yue on the very barrier she used to taunt it and torment it. It wanted to bury her in the same spot. The entire ind trembled once again. The dragon''s speed and power were terrifying. Everything was happening too fast. The others could not even see anything. All they saw was a might earth-shattering roar and the next second a blur flying through the sky. Everyone''s heart instantly sank. This was the end? Their whole world was crumbling. Nothing was visible. Suddenly both the dragon and Tang Yue were missing. What happened? What happened? Everyone panicked when a loud crash sounded somewhere in the distance the next instant. And not long after that¡­ another terrifying roar sounded. This was clearly the dragon, but it sounded like it was in pain? Everyone clutched their hearts, wishing and hoping for the best, but they couldn''t see what was happening in the distance. Surely, if it was the dragon who had the upper hand, they all should have died by now? The entire pce should have been destroyed and converted into dust and rubble? They were still standing, and the pce was still there. Did that mean they had a chance? Was their empress fighting on equal terms with the dragon? Tears streamed down Eleana''s eyes as she silently tried to decipher the fate that awaited all of them. With every millisecond that passed, her heart flipped and flopped because of the variety of soundsing from the distance. "Please be okay¡­ your highness" Meanwhile¡­ On the other side of the ind¡­ BOOM! CRASH! RATTLE! A giant massive being was mmed repeatedly against the ground making tremors spread all over the ind. The entire ce quaking and breaking apart. If this continued the whole ind might just copse and submerge into the vast never-ending ocean. However, surprisingly, the perpetrator of this mishap was not the dragon. In fact, the majestic powerful dragon looked like a bouquet of wilted flowers and Tang Yue was sweeping the floor with it. She flung the beast onto the face of a giant mountain making the enormous structure crack into two. Not letting the beast even take a breath after that to feel the pain coursing through its body fully, she leaped directly atop the beast and mmed it deep into the ground forming a massive, gigantic crater. Cracks extended from the impact all the way to the other end of the ind. The entirendscape changed with a single move. "HOW!" The dragon trembled. "HOW ARE YOU SO STRONG! HOW DID YOU MANAGE TO LOCK MY MAGIC COMPLETELY?" Tang Yue squatted down, lifted its pitiful head, and sneered in disdain. "You are in my domain. You can only do what I allow you to do." "DOMAIN?" The dragon shivered in fear. How could a domain possibly be so strong? Unless¡­ it looked around the site of the battle and saw wisps of elemental magic. It hadn''t noticed these before or rather it did not have the chance to notice them, but now that Tang Yue mentioned them, it was ringly obvious. Her domain contained more than three elemental wisps. No, her domain contained more than five elemental wisps. No¡­ It shivered as it realized that what it was seeing was impossible. Just how many elements did she master? How did she manage to synchronize everything? It looked at the slender mesmerizing woman gazing at it in shock and awe. At this time, the only thought ringing in its brain was¡­ I should have never crossed paths with this monster. "Your highness" The dragon opened its mouth to see if there was a chance for salvation, but Tang Yue merely grinned. "NOPE!" She sent in another punch smashing the dragon''s face on the ground, creating another crater within this crater. A ck fire burned around the dragon and thest of its life slipped away. Chapter 418 I am coming home

Chapter 418 I aming home

"Nope. I still need you to finish some of the bloodlines, so don''t burnpletely." Tang Yue put out the fire and cleaned the beast''s corpse with water. "You guys cane out now." Her voice boomed, resounding to all the serpentine n members inside the pce. "We don''t have to stay inside the pce any longer." "This ind is ours now." Tang Yue tossed the dead dragon into her spatial ring and asked the rest of the n members to do a round of cleanup on the ind. "Cleanup? Your Highness?" Eleana was confused. Tang Yue smirked and then started flying in the air. That''s right she no longer needed a flying sword or any other aid. Her affinity with elements had reached such a level that she was able to easily execute the elements-rted skills she acquired and she had obtained a whole lot of skills recently. "I am going to clean out the entire ind." Her voice rang loudly as the snake sted through the air feeling the power vibrating in her blood. With the dragon gone, there was nothing here to challenge her. She started with the south and then began decimating, each and every single beast on the ind. Droves of beasts fell and their soul power was sucked clean without leaving anything behind. Seeing this all the serpentine n members rejoiced, all these years, generation after generation, they were living in fear. They were being hunted down mercilessly and killed. Their entire n was decimated but now their home was truly once again going to be their home. It was the other beasts'' turn to run and hide to save themselves. Tang Yue was at this for several hours which turned into days. She was then finally done clearing the entire ind. The deadly chasm outside the grand pce as well was no longer there. Instead, a smoothnd was constructed filling in all the dangerous gaps and connecting the pce to the rest of the ind. "Alright. With this, everything has been addressed?" "Ummm¡­ yes¡­ your highness," Eleana answered in a daze. The harpy had never seen so many corpses littered together at the same time. It was aplete massacre. Just what happened inside the trials to give such a strength boost? The entire snake n celebrated in a raucous manner with the excess meat. Avish feast was prepared and everybody consumed nutritious food after a long time. Jin Nuhen looked at this scene with tears in his eyes. Even Serena, the greedy little pig who was always running behind Tang Yue, was teary-eyed at this. They never thought that they would be able to see such a sight again. After the feast, Tang Yue surprisingly stood up and announced to all the snakes. "Tomorrow I will be leaving the ind. Nuhen, make sure to appoint someone trustworthy here. I need you and twelve others to apany me to the main ind. Select the strongest ones." Her words thundered among the crowd lighting up the nerves of every snake in the crowd. To apany the Empress personally? Everyone wanted this opportunity! Jin Nuhen scratched his head as he could already anticipate how unruly this selection process was going to be. However, it was indeed necessary. "Yes, your Highness." He bowed in response. "Good luck, everyone." Tang Yue smiled and then proceeded to walk back into the Grand Pce. When she reached, her smile disappeared, reced now with a deep frown. The other snakes might be celebrating but she knew well that this was only a small win. The real threat, the six heroes were still out there. And as long as these heroes were alive and well, she could never be at peace. It was only a matter of time before they find her again and hunt her down. The race that she did not know was happening had already begun. Before they find her, she needed to be strong enough. And before theye for her, she needed to take them out one by one. Tang Yue clenched her hand as the path in front of her became ringly clear. She couldn''t afford to let history repeat itself. "Little snake, what are you thinking about? You are not strong enough for that yet." A familiar old man''s voice sounded loudly in Tang Yue''s head. "Is that so?" The old man became silent. He could see that the girl was serious. "Don''t underestimate your enemies. They are many years older than you." "Hmmm. I know. I am not underestimating them. It''s the opposite. I think that they are strong and I am weak and the weak always need to prepare." The old man saw that Tang Yue was very serious. She had already made up her mind so there was no point in asking her to slow down any longer. Just as he was mulling over their next course of action, Tang Yue abruptly interrupted him. "I want you to stay here with the other snakes. Guide them and find morepetent children." "What?! No, little snake. Tang Yue!" The old man was now truly shocked. "There is still more I can help you with." He insisted. There was absolutely no way he was going to let this happen but Tang Yue simply smiled. "I have already decided. The path ahead will be mine." The two remained silent for a while when the old man suggested apromise. Tang Yue agreed. The next day morning she prepared to leave early from the ind. Next to her, there were two wolves, one harpy, and about a dozen snakes. The snakes were not too strong as many of them were still in the Emperor realm but the two wolves looked fierce. They had runic patterns all over their body. The harpy as well had a mysterious aura enveloped around her. Her strength couldn''t be described in a typical manner. And finally, the group''s leader, the snake Empress stood tall at the front. Her crimson eyes glinted with a cold light as she looked ahead at the endless ocean. It was time to go home! Chapter 419 Did you miss me?

Chapter 419 Did you miss me?

On an uneventful afternoon with the sunzily shining over the horizon, a group quietlynded on the shores of Eldoria. "Hmmm¡­ I really thought reaching here would be difficult." Tang Yue''s long forked tongue slithered in and out as she gazed at the familiar surroundings. After leaving the ind, she had only willed to get out of the pocket realm and they were outside. "So a drop of blood to enter that ce and simply leave to exit." The pocket realm with the ind and the grand pce was fairly easy to ess though only for her. "I wonder what those two are up to¡­" Tang Yue smiled at the thought of the people she had left behind in order to get to the ind. Since thest time, she was here so many things had happened. But first things first. Before stepping into Eldoria, she had to take care of something else first. "Let''s go." Tang Yue muttered to the group of people behind her who were curiously taking in everything around them. For the rest of the snakes, this was the first time they were ever out of the ind. So they were both nervous and excited to see the new world. Surprisingly it did not take long as they arrived at a marsh region not too far away from the shores. The marsh region looked a bit deserted with a few settlements here and there. Clearly, the people living here were not doing too well. However, there was a single grandiose pce in the distance that alone stood tall. Though this also wasn''t looking all that great, it was definitely an improvement over the other establishments they had walked across. "So¡­ nothing has changed huh¡­" Tang Yue chuckled. This was the one thing that she could count on her supposed family for. They will never change their ways. Just as the group arrived in front of the pce, immediately several figures assembled surrounding them, blocking their path. "Halt. Who goes there!" An authoritative andmanding voice rang out loudly. These were none other than the serpentine n elders and the King himself. Sensing the presence of intruders, every big shot in the n hade forward. However, Tang Yue simply chuckled. "Heh. You forgot me so soon? Dearest father?" Except for the harpy and the two wolves, everyone else looked shocked. Only now they had a chance to take a proper look at the people standing around them. Snakes! They were all snakes! Their body structure was the same, their anatomy was the same, the scales, the skin color, everything was the same. Of course, the one difference was that these snakes did not have binding runes on their body, restricting their growth and development. Jin Nuhen, Selena, and the others looked yearningly at their counterparts who had managed to cross beyond the Emperor realm. In their lifetime, would they also be able to achieve something like this? Snapping them out of their trance, Tang Yue''s melodious voice continued ringing, "I am back home father. Did you miss me too much?" All the snakes from the ind were surprised as they did not know why their Empress was behaving strangely. It looked like she did not have a good rtionship with these people. Everyone immediately became alert as things were starting to be more hostile. "TANG YUE! Why are you here? Where did you go? Did you know how much trouble you caused for the Crown Prince? You brought dishonor upon our family and our entire n!" "Did I now? Tell me more, dear father." Tang Yue chuckled, enjoying the sight of the throbbing forehead vein on the King''s face. This was a good start to the feast she had prepared for him. Unfortunately, the next person to talk wasn''t her father but her stepmother. "Tell us the truth. Which scoundrel did you run away with? The Crown Prince and everyone in the court heard about your infidelity." "Oh?" "Hmph. Your arrogance is foolish. Your position was long since scratched away by the elven council. Instead, your sister will be marrying the new crown prince in the next full moon. You are now a no one. A traitor." The fat woman sneered at Tang Yue, clearly delighted at her misery. "Hmph. Sister-inw, she must have heard this news ande running to us like a dog." Another snake added in disdain. The other snakes also did not remain idle and everyone started chiming in giving their own version of facts. And Tang Yue simply continued to listen to everything in amusement. Though allegations about her were slowly piling up, she was just smiling and there wasn''t even the slightest trace of nervousness on her face. This made everyone even angrier as they started spitting out more toxicments about her and cursing her outright. Without her position in the court, she was truly a no-one, so they did not hold back at all. Hearing some of their words, even Jin Nuhen and Selena couldn''t stand still but without Tang Yue''s permission, they did not act out as well. Finally, seeing that the situation was about to take a turn for the worse, the King once again spoke. "That''s enough." His voice silenced everyone else. The majestic-looking serpentine ruler tied his hands behind his back and walked closer to Tang Yue, looking down at her with his stern gaze. "What did you expect? You run away like this, putting everything in jeopardy. Now you have to face the consequences." His voice thundered. He was now standing right in front of Tang Yue and exuding his full pressure on her, forcing her to kneel. One second passed. Two seconds passed. Everyone else could feel the pressure and as far as they could see, Tang Yue''s cultivation base was non-existent so what was happening? Why was she not kneeling? "Oops. I really want to y with my family for some more time but unfortunately, my real family is waiting for me. So I will cut this short." "Huh?" Everyone looked confused by her words. Not bothering to exin, Tang Yue simply stopped hiding her aura. The next second¡­ WHOOSSSHHH! A tremendous pressure enveloped everyone as every single snake in the vicinity was brought down to his knees. "Now that''s more like it." Tang Yue grinned. She looked at the disy of utter shock and dread on all her family members'' faces. It was truly a sight to behold. Chuckling, the snake casually leaned forward and lifted the chin of her father, the King, with her long nail. "I am sorry to disappoint you, father. Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Her evilughter rang loudly amidst the deafening ominous silence. Chapter 420 Full cycle

Chapter 420 Full cycle

Tang Yue casually leaned forward and lifted the chin of her father, the King, with her long nail. "I am sorry to disappoint you, father. Ha Ha Ha Ha!" Her evilughter rang loudly amidst the deafening ominous silence. "I know things would probably work out better for you if I were the same helpless person you once knew. As you can see, that is not true. Tsk. Tsk. What a pity. That too, you guys had such a beautiful story concocted about me." The king''s eyes narrowed at Tang Yue''s words, his anger and frustration clear on his face. "You think you can just waltz in here and take over, do you?" he spat out. "You have no idea what you''re dealing with. You may have grown stronger, but I am still the king, and I will not be challenged by my own daughter." Tang Yue smirked, her confidence unwavering. "You may be the king, father, but your reign ising to an end. Unfortunately, I just do not have the time to keep talking. Unlike you, my time is valuable, and I would rather spend it with people I love." Without giving any other exnation, Tang Yue''s hand shot forward the next second. She clutched the man''s stomach, and boom! Immediately, the snake buckled forward and coughed up blood. His eyes became horrified as he could sense that something was wrong. It took him a second, but he soon realized that he was¡­ "That''s right, my dear dad. You are now a cripple. Just like me." The king''s face turned pale as he realized what had happened. He tried to stand up, but his body wouldn''t listen to him. He looked at Tang Yue with a mix of fear and anger. "What have you done?" he gasped out. Tang Yue crouched down next to him. "Don''t worry, father," she said, her voice dripping with mock concern. "I haven''t killed you. Yet. But I have made sure that you will never be able to recover again." The king''s eyes widened in shock and horror. He had never imagined that his own daughter would do something like this to him. "Why? Why would you do this to me? I raised you!" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Tang Yue stood up and looked down at her father with a cold, hard expression. "Because you deserve it, father," she said simply. "Sure, you raised me, but then you decided to sacrifice me. I am just repaying the favour." "Well¡­ that is notpletely true. I no longer care about the past. But even if I wasn''t interested in petty revenge, our kingdom needs this." "With someone like you as the King, we would never get anywhere. Just like how you sacrificed me for the good of the Kingdom, I am doing the same. All for the betterment of our people." Before Tang Yue finished speaking, her figure already made a move. In the blink of an eye, several shrieks echoed in the silence of the night. What happened to the King happened to the rest of the royal family as well. One by one, several snakes fell to the ground with a thud, shrivelling and curling in unbelievable pain. Every single one of their mana cores was destroyed, and the entire group became cripples. This was a fate far worse than death. Naturally, Tang Yue was not a lunatic, and there were still some people in the snake n left unharmed. These were the elders whom she knew to be kind and just and genuinely cared for the well-being of the people. However, at the moment, these elders were terrified of her. Her method was simply too brutal and unforgiving. "You do not have to worry. I have not gone mad." Tang Yue reassured the elders, who were clearly afraid of her. "I am doing this for the good of the snake n. The old leadership was corrupt and oppressive, and they only cared about their own interests. I have merely removed them from power so that we can have a better future." Silence followed her words when one of the elders finally opened his mouth to ask, "Your highness then-" Tang Yue immediately interrupted him. "Don''t misunderstand me. I do have any intentions to stay back here and rule the Kingdom. You five will be my council, and here afterwards, I give you the power to govern our n." All the serpentine n elders nkly stared. They had not expected this. They were not sure yet what was happening, but at the moment, they could only instinctively nod and bow to this powerful woman. Who gave her the right to issue all of thesemands? On whose orders was she so confident? What was the extent of her powers? These were simply none of their concerns. They could only respectfully ept whatever was told. This was the rule of the world. Only strong could speak. In a single night, the entire serpentine n was thrown into a state of chaos. But at the same time, everything was easily resolved by dawn. This in itself showed the effectiveness of Tang Yue''s actions. The five elders smoothened everything out and took care of everything in the shortest possible time. Though they mainly did this out of fear, the result was nevertheless satisfactory. Tang Yue lingered around the n settlement until the morning, after which she left things in the hands of the elders and the other snakes she had brought along with her. "You guys stay here for now." She also ordered the harpy and wolves to stay back. Though the group was clearly not happy with this, she onlyughed it off. The ce she was going to next would be even more chaotic. Unlike the snakes, the elves had far more tricks up their sleeves. So it was better that she paid them a visit first. Leaving the n matters with the group, Tang Yue finally left for the familiar ce, the ce where she had run away from. Chapter 421 Where is my husband?

Chapter 421 Where is my husband?

Tang Yue quickened her pace as she made her way towards Eldoria, the elven settlement where her life had taken a turn. Her heart pounded loudly, filled with anticipation and a touch of nervousness. An unsettling feeling gnawed at her. Despite revealing her presence for only a brief moment, she expected some of the elves to have noticed by now. Yet, no one hade to greet her... "Are they still angry with me?" She worried, her thoughts resembling those of a troubled teenager. Nevertheless, everything would soon be resolved. She doubted that the two of them would remain angry with her once they saw her. After all, it had been quite some time. Upon entering Eldoria, Tang Yue headed straight for the royal pce. With a smile on her face, she burst into the courtroom. "I have a bone to pick with the crown prince!" She yfully grabbed the cor of the elf seated on the throne. However, in the next moment, her expression froze. The elf upying the throne was not Xander. Tang Yue''s face immediately changed, and her grip on the elf tightened. Her aura surged forth like a torrent, overwhelming everyone present in the courtroom. "Where is he?" Her voice thundered. The atmosphere in the courtroom grew tense as Tang Yue''s powerful aura filled the space. The other elves in attendance exchanged worried nces, taken aback by her sudden outburst. From the moment she entered, everything had happened so fast that they all were recovering from their stupor only now, realizing that a serpentine n member was here. None of them were even able to react. "Where is Xander?" Tang Yue''s crimson eyes dragged on her prey. Under her predatory gaze, the elf on the throne started trembling and shaking. He did not understand what was going on. Wasn''t this woman supposed to be missing? And how did she be so powerful all of a sudden? Finally, snapping out of it, he stammered in shock. "I¡­ I¡­ Guards! Arrest this traitor!" That''s right. This was precisely why they had taken all these painstaking efforts. They had already branded this filthy snake as a traitor. She might have gotten a bit powerful but so what? With all of the royal guardsbined together, how would she still be able to fight? The next instant, the room filled withmotion as the guards rushed in, their weapons at the ready. These were the elite shadow guards of the elven empire, famed for their victory in various conquests. Tang Yue''s eyes narrowed, her grip on the elf tightening even further. Her voice cut through the chaos, cold and resolute. "So you are not going to answer me, huh?." "I wonder how many I have to kill to get my answer." She cracked her knuckles and grinned, sending shivers down the elves surrounding her. The tension in the courtroom escted as Tang Yue''s words hung in the air, her threat unsettling the guards and the courtiers alike. Fear flickered in the eyes of the elf on the throne, realizing the severity of the situation. And before they could blink, several des of wind materialized in the air. These des flew forward at an incredible speed and deftly sliced across the room. Not a single guard was able to defend against the attack. When they realized what had happened, their bodies had already received numerous cuts and injuries and they were profusely bleeding. This was no simple matter as each of these guards was well equipped with top-tier items. Throughout their lives, they had received all sorts of elixirs and resources to strengthen their bodies and progress their cultivation, but right at this moment, all of that seemed to be a joke as the snake''s attack cut through their bodies like it was a newborn baby''s bottom. Watching the group stand frozen in shock, unable to even register the pain, Tang Yue licked her lips andughed. "Is that enough? Or do you want me to continue?" "Listen up. I am not killing you for one reason and only one reason. I know that my husband personally groomed each and every single one of you. I do not want his hard work to be wasted." "So if you are loyal to my husband, step aside. This is not your fight." As Tang Yue''s chilling voice echoed through the courtroom, her words struck a chord within the guards. What she was saying was not wrong. They had all been personally trained by Xander, and their loyalty to him ran deep. Gritting their teeth, a few guards managed to gather their strength and stepped aside, making way for Tang Yue. It was an act of both respect for their former leader and a recognition of the futility of opposing her now. Tang Yue''s crimson eyes flickered with a mix of satisfaction. She then turned her nce at the remaining guards who also looked like they were about to yield. The elf sitting on the throne immediately started to panic. "What are you all doing? Xander is my brother. If you are loyal to him, then you should be loyal to me. This snake is a traitorous filthy bitch! Stop standing around and kill her! Kill her!" However, unfortunately for him, not a single elf stepped forward to obey hismand. The courtroom was silent. Only Tang Yue''sughter once again resounded. "Ba ha ha ha! So you are my husband''s brother?" The elf became even more enraged. "Ptui! Stop calling him your husband you slut. We all know where you have been all these days!" "How is the dwarven prince in bed? You dare defile our honor and still im to be my brother''s queen? Shut up! Why are you even here? Did you sell all our secrets ande back for more? Why are you all waiting? Kill this slut right now!" "Oh?" Tang Yue mused. So this was the news that was spreading about her. She looked at the elven prince and clicked her tongue pitifully. "Poor thing. Are you dumb? Even though you are my husband''s brother, your brain seems to be not that developed huh?" "What?" "Heh. Fool. I just did a number on your guards and you saw how useless they were and you still expect something to happen?" The elf swallowed hard, his voice barely audible. "There are more¡­ guards. The elven high council¡­" Tang Yue, however, did not bother hearing him. "Right. Where were we? Where the hell is my husband?" When the elf did not answer her, this time she did not hold back. She moved her finger and suddenly the elf started choking. The entire throne room became deathly silent. What the hell was happening? This was Eldoria! The strongest Kingdom in the entirend! Now all of a sudden one of the serpentine n members appeared out of nowhere and started wreaking havoc. What were they supposed to do now? Was a royal prince going to be assassinated just like that? Before things could take a turn for the worse, thankfully someone else in the throne room stepped forward to speak bravely. "Princess Tang Yue. Please spare his highness. I can fill you in on all the details." "Hmmm?" Tang Yue turned to see an old seasoned elven warrior. It was Charlotte''s father. Chapter 422 No man’s land

Chapter 422 No man''snd

"Ah, General Eldric. It''s been some time," Tang Yue rxed her fingers, allowing the choking elf to gasp for air as he copsed back onto his throne, visibly shaken. "You seem to have... aged," she remarked, noting the strands of silver in Eldric''s otherwise golden hair. "A consequence of time and worry, my Princess," General Eldric replied gravely, walking forward. "The situation has grownplex since you vanished." "So I gather," Tang Yue retorted, her eyes darting back to the elf who still upied the throne. "Now, where is Charlotte and Xander?" "Before I tell you that, might I inquire as to why you returned?" Eldric posed, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as if measuring her intent. "Oh, should a wife not be concerned for her husband and her friend?" she smirked. Eldric winced at the mention of the word ''friend'' and then sighed, "Concerned you may be, but much has happened that you should be aware of." "Prince Xander and my daughter have eloped. They have fled this entire Kingdom and the maind. There is no news of them anywhere." "Anywhere?" "Yes, Princess. We have searched the entire maind, the Dwarven settlement, and all the minor ns and settlements, some even by force." Tang Yue''s eyes widened for a second before her expression turned steely. "They''ve gone missing? Vanished off the maind and yet no one, not even the vaunted intelligenceworks of Eldoria, can find them?" Eldric nodded solemnly. "It''s as if the earth swallowed them whole. Many specte that they''ve ventured into the Forbidden Territories." "The Forbidden Territories?" Tang Yue''s eyes narrowed. "That''s right, the very same Forbidden Territories where the Veil between worlds is thin, and ancient creatures wander," General Eldric exined, his voice tinged with the respect one gives to legends. Tang Yue became silent. She, of course, knew what the elf was talking about. She had heard about this forbidden territory all her life and had even fantasized several times about heading into it and exploring and suddenly found her life changed. Thetter part of the fantasy had alreadye true and now it looked like it was time for the former part of her fantasy. It was time to meet these so-called ancient creatures. If she were to defeat those Gods that want her dead, then she needed more power. She needed to devour more powerful creatures. She did not know why Charlotte and Xander went there when she clearly told them she was going somewhere else. Perhaps they thought that her training area was connected to this forbidden territory. Either way, it was time to tear down the whole damn thing, along with the ancient creatures. "I will make you all my stepping stones." Tang Yue clenched her fists in determination. Smiling, she turned to lock eyes with the false ruler. "You can keep your throne warm for now." And just like that, she vanished, leaving behind a room full of uneasy souls, pondering the gravity of their actions and inactions alike. For the first time in many years, Eldoria''s future seemed uncertain, teetering on the edge of either salvation or ruin. And at the center of it all was a woman who no one had ever ced in their eyes. Charlotte''s father looked at the ce where Tang Yue had disappeared from in deep thought. "What incredible speed... how..." He was shocked and confused. How could someone possibly change so much in such a short time? How could they be this powerful?! "A monster! A true monster!" He mumbled and sat down, still a shiver running down his spine. *** Tang Yue did not bring anyone with her this time around. She alone traveled. Her figure blurred as she moved at an incredible speed towards the forbidden territories. Soon she approached the ominous borders of the forbidden zone. It wasn''t that difficult to locate because it made up half of their world. Stopping for a moment, she inhaled deeply, taking in the mixed aroma of aged earth and intense mana. "Show me what you''ve got," she whispered as if issuing a challenge to thend itself. The moment she stepped over the invisible threshold, a shiver of energy cascaded through her. She felt as though she''d been submerged in a sea of pure, raw magic. A smile graced her lips; she needed this power. She could feel her body craving for it. Ever since she devoured the dragon, her body was craving more and more power. Normally, she would be concerned about it, but not now. She needed this power if she was going to lead any kind of life at all and protect the ones whom she loved. She took another breath and then directly barged in. Divine Sense. Immediately several powerful auras scanned her and Tang Yue without hesitation rushed toward the one closest to her. Why was she rushing in hastily to deal with beasts termed as ancient creatures? This was because the first fight was important. Perhaps she would lose in all the other fights but in this first fight, she always had a chance to win. And it was precisely because she was the weaker one here. Tang Yue charged forward and it didn''t take long before a majestic golden lion with an opulent mane emerged from the shadows, its eyes aze like the sun. "Ah, a human. It''s been a long while since a morsel has ventured this far," the lion spoke, its voice imbued with regal authority. "I am no one''s morsel," Tang Yue retorted, inwardly surprised that the lion was talking to her. True to the legends, this ce did indeed seem to house powerful beings but this one was not the one she was looking for. "You are not my match." Tang Yue unleashed one attack after another, wanting to test her newly acquired magic. Draconian magic. And she had obtained a whole lot of it. "Ah, perhaps not, but neither are you mine," the lion opened its mouth but before it could finish what it wanted to say... Inferno''s Breath! Wyrm''s Wrath! Emberw Torrent! Twilight Wingstrike! Serpentine Lash! Chapter 423: Upheavel Tang Yue unleashed her full power, the air around her crackling with magic as she cast one attack after another. Each attack was imbued with a force that could level mountains. She didn''t waste a moment, unleashing Inferno''s Breath, a torrent of scorching mes that spiraled through the air, incinerating anything in its path. The golden lion roared in defiance, pulling out its defensive move but it was immediately struck by the Wyrm''s Wrath, a shockwave of pure draconic energy that collided with its majestic form, sending it skidding backward. Before the lion could recover, Tang Yue followed with Emberw Torrent, fiery talons of magic that tore through the air and raked across the beast''s nk. The lion, now bleeding from multiple gashes, struggled to regain its footing, its once regal mane now singed and tattered. But Tang Yue wasn''t done. She summoned Twilight Wingstrike, a burst of shadowy wings that materialized behind her, and with a single sweep, she sent the lion crashing into the ground with a force that shook the very earth beneath them. The lion coughed, golden blood seeping from its mouth as it tried to stand. Tang Yue''s eyes zed with draconic fury. The lion''s breath came in ragged gasps, yet its pride was still intact. "You... are powerful... for a mortal," it growled, its voice filled with both respect and defiance. "But you underestimate this ce. You will not leave here alive." Tang Yue stepped forward, her eyes cold and determined. "Perhaps," she admitted, "but you will not be the one to stop me." With that, she unleashed Serpentine Lash, a whip of magical energy that coiled around the lion''s neck, dragging it closer to her. The lion''s defiance faded as it felt the constriction tighten. It simply did not have the power to withstand anymore and the light in its eyes quietly faded. Tang Yue activated another one of her newly acquired skills. Draconic Transformation. Her body instantly became several times bigger and her features morphed, her human form giving way to something far more formidable. Scales as ck as obsidian rippled across her skin, shimmering in the dim light of the Forbidden Zone. Her limbs elongated and grew powerful, her hands transforming into razor-sharp ws that could tear through steel as if it were paper. A pair of massive, bat-like wings erupted from her back, their span wide enough to darken the ground beneath her. Her head elongated, and a crown of jagged horns sprouted from her skull as her eyes glowed with a fierce, molten gold. With her draconic jaw wide open, she then bit down on the lion lying dead in front of her. Though she preferred being in her original form, this version of hers helped quite a bit in speeding things up. Before the essence of the lion drifted away, she gobbled up the whole beast from top to bottom, leaving nothing behind. It looked like the lion was primarily a sr magic beast even though it never got to exhibit any of its offensive moves. It wasn''t all that strong but Tang Yue still ended up assimting something from the beast, a few power-ups to some of her older skills. Just as she was assessing her gains, suddenly a few more beastial roars emerged from the dense wilderness. More powerful beasts stepped out of the darkness one after the other. Clearly, these beasts had already witnessed the fight that had just now transpired. They were intelligent creatures and knew they were dealing with someone formidable. Without hesitation they started attacking Tang Yue altogether. The first to strike was a colossal bear with obsidian fur and eyes like glowing embers. It charged at her with a speed that belied its size, its ws carving deep furrows into the earth as it closed the distance. Beside it, a massive serpent, its scales shimmering like polished steel, slithered through the underbrush, its eyes gleaming with malevolent intelligence. nking them, a monstrous, winged beast resembling a vulture with razor-sharp talons dove down from above, its screech piercing the air. "Small fries!" Tang Yue smirked. She turned to face them, her massive draconic form looming over the clearing. With a thunderous roar, she unleashed a modified version of draconic wrath that made the very fabric of the space groan and crack. Power rippled outward from her, distorting the air with the sheer intensity of her magic. The force of her draconic energy was enough to warp the environment, the trees around her wilting and burning under the weight of her presence. The ground trembled as though it were alive, and the atmosphere thickened with mana so dense that it was almost suffocating. One by one the beasts prostrated on the ground unable to withstand the pressure. However, that did not save them. Tang Yue descended on them mercilessly ripping them apart, leaving nothing behind. Their well-honed defenses were no match for her. Within a few seconds the first batch of beasts that had sniffed out the conflict and stepped forward werepletely wiped out. More came forward with each kill, each beast staggeringly more powerful than the previous one, but Tang Yue only smirked. She had not touched her limit yet and these beasts were also not the true kings of thisnd. A bloodbath of unimaginable proportions ensued resulting in the ughtering of the many beasts that had imed the forbiddennds as their home for decades. These beasts were powerful enough to rule over kingdoms and empires if they stepped outside of this area, but unfortunately for them, today they were being massacred as if they were merely chickens and rabbits. The bloodbath continued until finally no more beasts dared to emerge from the shadows. The entirend was marred with destruction and chaos. A huge spatial teary in the middle of the crater that had formed. Amidst all the carnage a single snake alone sat down to assimte everything that she had devoured. This was just the beginning. When she was done, the entire forbiddennds would bepletely plundered. Chapter 424: Weak It took an entire day and Tang Yuepletely absorbed and assimted every single beast she had faced. A surge of power coursed through her veins. The forbiddennds had been a treasure trove of strength, and she was far from satiated. Rising from her meditative state, she gazed into the dense mist that cloaked the deeper realms of the wilderness. The air was thick with untapped magic and lurking dangers¡ªexactly what she sought. She began to move forward when the ground beneath her feet started to quake subtly. The tremors grew stronger, and soon, the earth split open to reveal a cavernous abyss. From its depths emerged a creature of colossal proportions¡ªa titan forged from stone and ancient magic. Its eyes glowed with an inner fire as it towered over thendscape. "You have trespassed where none should tread," the titan''s voice boomed, reverberating through the air like thunder. "Turn back, or face the wrath of the ancients." Tang Yue''s lips curved into a confident smirk. "I''vee too far to turn back now." Without warning, the titan swung a massive arm, aiming to crush her beneath its weight. Tang Yue leaped gracefully into the air, her draconic wings unfurling to carry her skyward. She retaliated with Abyssal Spear, conjuring ance of concentrated dark energy that she hurled at the titan. The spear struck its target, exploding on impact and shrouding the giant in a cloud of obsidian smoke. But as the smoke cleared, the titan stood unscathed. It raised its hands, summoning pirs of earth that shot up from the ground, each one threatening to impale her. Weaving through the deadly formations, Tang Yue realized brute force wouldn''t be enough. This foe was bound to the verynd; she needed to disrupt that connection. Drawing upon the elemental energies she''d assimted, she crafted a new spell¡ªEarthshatter Pulse. Channeling her power, she sent a seismic wave rippling through the ground. The wave disrupted the titan''s link to the earth, causing it to stagger. Sensing an opening, she descended rapidly, cloaking herself in mes with Draconic Dive. She struck the titan''s core, the impact generating a fiery shockwave. Cracks appeared along its massive form as it let out a guttural roar. "You are strong, but not invincible," Tang Yue dered. The titan faltered, its movements bing sluggish. With one final effort, it tried to crush her with both hands, but she was too quick. Evading the attack, she unleashed Darkness de¡ªa deathly sword of darkness that sliced cleanly through the titan leaving only darkness in its wake. The colossal figure froze, then slowly crumbled into a heap of inert stone. As the dust settled, a soft glow emanated from the rubble. Tang Yue approached cautiously, discovering a pulsating crystal¡ªthe Heart of the Titan. Recognizing its immense power, she absorbed the crystal, feeling her strength amplify even further. No sooner had she integrated this new power than the sky above darkened unnaturally. Swirling clouds gathered, and from them descended a being of pure shadow¡ªa wraith draped in darkness, eyes like voids. It spoke without a mouth, its voice echoing within her mind. "You disrupt the bnce of this realm," it intoned. "For your transgressions, you shall be consumed by the shadows." Tang Yue felt a chill run down her spine. "I''ve faced shadows before," she replied. She summoned draconic fire burst, generating a sphere of intense heat and light that pushed back the encroaching darkness. The wraith hissed, momentarily disoriented. Seizing the moment, she chained the spell into Sr Chains, binding the shadowy figure. The wraith struggled, its form flickering as it tried to escape. "You cannot contain the darkness," it snarled. "Perhaps not," Tang Yue conceded, "but I can certainly extinguish it." She called upon Inferno re, merging her fire and sr energies to produce a cleansing me. The fire engulfed the wraith, and with a final, piercing scream, it dissipated into nothingness, leaving behind another core. Tang Yue sat down and quickly assimted the core. Breathing steadily, she assessed her surroundings. Each victory was drawing her deeper into the forbiddennds, and with each adversary defeated, the challenges intensified. Yet, she felt invigorated. The amalgamation of powers she now held was beyond anything she''d ever imagined. Pressing onward, she arrived at a tranquil clearing¡ªa stark contrast to the chaos she''d left behind. In its center stood a sereneke with waters as clear as ss. Sensing an odd stillness, she approached theke''s edge. Her reflection stared back, but something was amiss. The eyes in the water were not her own. Before she could react, a figure emerged from theke¡ªidentical to her in every way, yet exuding an aura that was cold and unfeeling. It was a mirror image, but devoid of warmth¡ªa shadow of her own potential for ruthlessness. "Who are you?" Tang Yue demanded. "I am you," the doppelg?nger replied. Tang Yue did not bother anymore. With a cold snort, she attacked her cheap look alike. The two shed, each move mirrored perfectly by the other. Fire met fire, de met de. It was like fighting her own shadow, every attack anticipated and countered. Frustration began to creep in as the stalemate persisted. She had faced some before and she hated these type of beasts the most. After several minutes of gruelling back to back, Tang Yue finally managed to find a weakness and mmed a killer move onto the damned annoying bastard. With a cold snort, she sat down to absorb the bloodline when suddenly her lips curled upwards into a grin. It seemed that her hard work was not in vain after all. She had finally managed to snag an interesting bloodline! Tang Yue clenched her fists in excitement. With this her power was going to skyrocket. She just needed her theory to work. Just as she was about to test the bloodline, a new aura billowed out. Something more archaic and powerful than Tang Yue had ever faced in her life. The sheer aura was enough to make her body tremble. "WEAK!" The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!