Inside the underground chamber of Linqi Palace.
“Huan’er, you’ve come.”
The moment Huan and Yue stepped into the underground chamber, the King of Lin Qi began to speak, his back turned to the two princesses.
“Father, you summoned me at this hour. Could it be that there is some urgent matter?”
“Precisely.”
Snap—!
Boom—!
The guards outside slammed the underground chamber’s heavy doors shut.
Having seen much of the world, Huan naturally sensed something was wrong, and even more so Yue.
“Father, what is the meaning of this?”
“Don’t worry. This is to prevent our conversation among royal family members from being eavesdropped by those with ill intentions.”
“I had thought I could wait a few more moments, but I never imagined the Demon King’s Army’s threat would suddenly intensify. The current situation cannot be taken lightly.”
As he spoke, the King of Lin Qi turned around, and in his hand was a bottle of bright purple liquid.
As soon as she saw that liquid, Yue reacted faster than Huan: “Sister! That’s dragon’s blood! Run—!”
Boom—!
Before her words had even faded, Yue was sent flying by the King of Lin Qi, who had appeared in a flash step right in front of Huan, crashing through the stone brick wall.
Huan had no time to rescue her; she could only hastily retreat, trying to keep a safe distance from the King of Lin Qi before her.
“Father, why did you attack Yue!”
“This is why I summoned only you. From the moment Xing Cai Yue failed the dragon’s blood infusion, she lost the right to interfere in royal affairs, and even more so, the right to interject in our discussions.”
Every word and sentence shocked Huan’s worldview.
“But Yue’s dragon’s blood—you injected it! You’re the one who made her unable to control her emotions!”
“So what? Why should I pity a failure?”
Watching her innocent sister being labeled a failure by her father, Huan’s anger could no longer be hidden by etiquette.
“You’re not worthy of being our father!”
Huan didn’t hesitate.
She directly drew a short dagger from her waist and aimed it firmly at her father’s face.
The King of Lin Qi was silent for only a moment, staring intently at the dagger in her hand.
“As expected, you two truly are sisters… both so unfilial and shortsighted…”
“Do you really think that’s how your father raised you? After your mother died, I took on the responsibility of caring for you, and even accepted the duty of protecting the country and its people!”
“Raising you with great effort—”
Bang—!
Huan punched the stone brick wall heavily: “Nonsense! I’ve long read Mother’s diary, and it’s full of records of your schemes!”
“You injected our mother with dragon’s blood, causing her death! And you raised us only to find new candidates for dragon’s blood injection!”
“And the previous hero—just because he discovered your actions, you threw him to the Demon King’s Army as fodder!”
“I didn’t want to believe these things, but what I’ve heard and seen now proves that you’re nothing but a madman! A pure villain!”
As she spoke, Huan’s eyes gradually grew moist.
But Huan ignored her tears and kept the short dagger firmly aimed at the King of Lin Qi.
After hearing Huan’s words, the King of Lin Qi sighed, then laughed a few times.
“Huan’er… indeed, it’s time… to change your character…”
After saying this, the King of Lin Qi raised the dragon’s blood high and stepped toward Huan step by step.
Huan broke out in cold sweat and could only keep increasing the distance.
Bang—!
Until there was no escape, she was cornered.
“No—!”
In a hurry, she immediately used light magic to shield herself.
Pure white spiritual power surged wildly around Huan, like a thin layer of cicada wings, trying to resist the suffocating pressure.
However, the King of Lin Qi walked through that layer of holy light—enough to annihilate ordinary soldiers—as if strolling in his own garden, without any hindrance.
“Light magic…”
The King of Lin Qi extended his hand, covered in withered wrinkles, and actually grabbed the short dagger Huan thrust at him.
The friction between his fingertips and the blade produced a piercing screech: “Huan’er, this gentle power is as powerless as a child’s tantrum in the face of a true threat.”
Rip—!
As the King of Lin Qi suddenly exerted force, the short dagger made of fine steel shattered inch by inch in his hand!
The shattered blade fragments cut Huan’s cheek, leaving a shallow blood mark, but against the backdrop of that bright purple liquid, this bit of red seemed so pale.
“Father… please… stop…”
Huan’s voice had taken on a desperate tremble.
“Stop? No, trust me, you will become stronger and more resolute than today—”
The King of Lin Qi’s face appeared extremely distorted under the glow of the purple potion.
With his other hand, he suddenly grabbed Huan’s jaw, forcing her mouth open: “Drink it. Drink it.”
“Ugh—!”
Just as that purple liquid was about to pour into Huan’s mouth, a beast-like roar came from the rubble behind them!
“Let go of my sister—!!!”
A long blade was thrown quickly, and the King of Lin Qi had no choice but to hastily withdraw the dragon’s blood to prevent it from being knocked to the ground.
And Yue, who had just been sent flying, now climbed out of the rubble covered in blood.
Her eyes were bloodshot, her originally tied-up hair hung loose, and the skin on her right arm actually split open, growing several patches of dark red stratum corneum.
She charged recklessly—a suicidal attack that exhausted her life force!
The King of Lin Qi didn’t even turn his head, snorting coldly: “A nauseating failure. Since you’re so eager to die, I’ll grant your wish.”
He swung his hand back, sending out a jet-black gale that swept toward Yue like a heavy hammer.
“Yue—!”
Huan watched helplessly as her sister was about to be struck again, while the mouth of the dragon’s blood bottle was already pressed against her own lips once more.
“Die!”
Stab—!
A light sword, unbeknownst to when, had quietly formed in Huan’s hand, and at such close range, it heavily pierced into the King of Lin Qi’s chest.
The King of Lin Qi looked in shock at the light sword piercing his body.
He kept stepping back, and Huan and Yue were able to escape harm.
In the rapid passage of seconds, the King of Lin Qi only felt an increasing sense of abnormality inside his body: “How can your mere light magic have poison!”
Yue quickly retrieved the thrown long blade, but she discovered that her injuries were gradually healing.
Instead, on the King of Lin Qi, the skin on his right arm split open, growing several patches of dark red stratum corneum.
“Could it be—”
Huan shielded Yue behind her.
“My magic can return all the damage you’ve caused to you at once! This is the retribution you deserve!”
After hearing this, the King of Lin Qi was silent, not displeased, but instead laughed heartily a few times.
“Huan’er, you truly are my good Huan’er!”
“Your magic actually has such a strong effect!”
“You are indeed my best child! If you accepted the dragon’s blood, abandoned your emotions, and strengthened your body, you would be an unparalleled strong person in the world!”
Listening to the King of Lin Qi’s speech, Huan only kept retreating, while Yue tried to chop open the underground chamber’s door.
The King of Lin Qi’s face darkened.
“Pity. Facing a perfect dragon’s blood absorber like me, how can you stop me?”
“How can you stop me!”
…..
Inside an unknown space.
Yao Xing sat inside the space, listening to the discussion between Anuo and Xu.
But suddenly, whether it was Yao Xing’s sixth sense acting up or she sensed a clear anomaly, ‘When I left the palace, how could there be no one inside?’
“Anuo, Xu…”
“Before I left the palace, it was empty inside. Did something happen?”
Anuo scratched his head, then seemed to remember something and clapped his hands: “Ah, right. Today all the maids and ministers took a day off, so that’s why we could see many palace staff moving around on the streets.”
‘An unreasonable arrangement… something’s off…’
‘A normal palace couldn’t evacuate all staff in a single day…’
There was only one possibility, and that possibility gradually deepened Yao Xing’s panic.
“No, something is happening in the palace!”
Anuo asked in confusion: “Maybe the royal family has some important matter? What’s wrong? Right now is actually the best chance for you to escape.”
‘No, I can’t run away alone. Those two princesses will be harmed!’
“Anuo, I’m actually good friends with the two princesses. I suspect they’re in danger. Can you take me there for a moment?”
Anuo didn’t say anything more, just nodded in understanding.
Xu stood up: “Let me accompany you. If something unexpected happens, I can still help.”
“Good!”
[Xu Affection +1]
….
Inside the palace.
Looking at the King of Lin Qi, who was half dragonified before them, the injured Yue knelt weakly in place.
Huan was tightly choked by the neck, unable to form a light sword no matter how she tried.
“D…damn…”