Tina’s gaze began to shift.
The pupils once filled with agony and terror were gradually replaced by a dazed docility.
Then, something deeper, more dangerous seeped in—a budding springtime.
Her eyes grew moist, her gaze clinging to Yize’s face, instinctively yearning to approach.
Her lips parted slightly, and uncontrollably, she began to speak the truth in a voice so soft it was nearly a murmur, yet carried the absolute honesty bestowed by the potion:
“My mother… is Ai La Rui Er, the Elf King’s sister.”
The words flowed from her, each one like a stone thrown into a still lake, stirring layers of ripples.
“My father is… Li Ke You Li Xi Si.”
“Who is Li Ke You Li Xi Si?” Yize pressed, his brows furrowing slightly.
The name rang a bell, but he couldn’t immediately recall the exact connection.
Before Tina could answer—
*
Whoosh!
At the center of the Tribunal Hall, space rippled like water.
A silver-white magical light bloomed like a lotus, tracing complex array patterns in the void.
The moment the light patterns converged, a slender yet upright figure stepped through the space, appearing before everyone.
Sara Yulixisi.
The Imperial Princess of the Olay Empire, the Chief Student of Starlight Academy, her face now deathly pale.
Her original plan had been to infiltrate alone, using the royal family’s partial authority over the Ten Holy Temples to find a chance to rescue Riya— a plan both crazy and desperate, her final effort as a princess for a friend.
But the sight before her froze her thoughts.
The junior she had been thinking of, Yize, stood there completely unharmed, yet his aura was utterly different from the mild, low-key youth she remembered.
Behind him, eight Blood Race individuals radiating terrifying pressure stood with hands lowered, their postures respectful to the point of eeriness.
And the High Priestess of the Ten Holy Temples, who should have been looking down from the judgment seat, was nailed to a bloodstained cross, staring at Yize with that… deeply unsettling, longing gaze.
Even more shocking was the truth Tina had just revealed.
“That’s my grandfather.”
Sara’s voice was hoarse, each word seeming forced from her throat.
“He was also the previous king of the Olay Empire.”
She stood there, outwardly intact, but inwardly cracked.
The royal robe felt unbearably heavy under the cold light of the Ten Holy Temples.
Her golden hair bun was immaculate, yet it only made her face look paler.
Her gaze shifted from Tina’s face to Yize’s, then back to Tina’s, cycling endlessly as she tried to comprehend this absurd reality.
High Priestess Tina, one of the most powerful women in the empire… was her aunt?
And she possessed an Elven bloodline?
The pieces clicked together in Yize’s mind.
The official explanation for the falling out and severed ties between the Elven clan and the human empire had been border friction and religious conflict.
But what if… the root was a despicable conspiracy to steal bloodlines?
“Senior Sister Sara,” Yize began, his tone carrying the warmth of a reunion, yet also a hint of awkwardness he couldn’t hide.
“It’s been a while.”
His gaze swept over the chaos—the dried corpses of nobles, shattered stone pillars, kneeling Blood Race, the High Priestess nailed to the cross.
All of it declared that he had completely stood against the existing order of the empire. And Sara was the empire’s princess.
Sara took a deep breath, forcing herself to look away from Tina.
She glanced at the blood pillars behind Yize, instinctive wariness and fear flashing in her eyes.
Any one of these monsters could stir up bloodshed across the imperial territory.
“Are they…?” Her voice was still taut.
“Don’t worry, Senior Sister Sara.” Yize’s reply was casual, yet carried a chilling weight. “I’ve already beaten them into submission.”
Beaten… into submission?
Sara’s lips moved, but ultimately, she said nothing.
This junior of hers, this second-tier mage with only 5% Elemental Affinity, had a hidden truth far deeper and more terrifying than she had imagined.
Just then, Tina continued speaking.
Under the influence of the “Obedience Water,” she slowly revealed her secrets:
“The founding of the Ten Holy Temples… was my father’s way of strengthening the empire, by establishing a core force entirely composed of Elf hybrids.”
Her voice was hollow, but every word was clear.
“Father discovered that Elves’ talent for controlling magic far surpasses humans’. They generally have extremely high Elemental Affinity and Elemental Resonance abilities, making them natural spellcasters.”
“Besides that, they also have a lifespan far longer than humans… Even half-bloods inherit a large portion of a pureblood Elf’s magical talent and lifespan.”
The Tribunal Hall was dead silent, only Tina’s voice echoing.
The nobles held their breath, the priests’ faces turned pallid, and some began to tremble.
“So, Father set his sights on the Elven bloodline.”
Tina’s gaze wandered, following Yize as if confessing love to him, yet spitting out the coldest calculations.
“He exploited Mother’s kindness and trust in humans, deceived her feelings, and ultimately gave birth to me.”
Yize’s brow was deeply furrowed.
The previous king’s ambition and methods were even more unscrupulous than he had imagined.
Tina continued, peeling back the darkness layer by layer:
“That wasn’t enough. Father secretly organized a special force that ambushed Elven merchant caravans and patrols on the border, capturing batch after batch of young female Elves.”
“They were imprisoned deep beneath the royal palace… becoming ‘breeding tools’ exclusively for the royal family and certain core nobles.”
“All the hybrid children born were raised in a centralized manner, indoctrinated with absolute loyalty to the empire, and eventually… became the backbone of the Ten Holy Temples.”
“So,” Yize said, his voice ice-cold, “the Elven clan severing ties with humans wasn’t about border conflicts at all, but because this was exposed?”
Tina slowly nodded, her gaze still clinging to Yize:
“Yes. The Elven Royal Court was furious, but considering the safety of their captured kin and the possibility of full-scale war, they ultimately chose silence and isolation.”
“Father… successfully obtained the first generation of hybrid offspring with superior magical talent and longer lifespans, laying the foundation of the Ten Holy Temples and cementing the royal family’s absolute control over magical power.”
Every word was like a poisoned dagger, stabbing through the decaying core beneath the Olay Empire’s gleaming exterior.
Sara’s body swayed, almost unable to stand.
The imperial legacy she was proud of, the royal glory she believed in—was all built on such filthy plunder, deception, and enslavement!
And Tina’s look at Yize grew more and more unsettling.
It wasn’t just the potion’s effect of “obedience” and “truth serum.” It was mixed with a physiological attachment and longing amplified by the drug.
Her cheeks flushed unnaturally, her breathing quickened slightly, and even her pinned body tried to squirm slightly in Yize’s direction.
Riya’s alarm bells rang instantly.
She knew all too well the side effects of “Obedience Water”!
Back in the Raymond Territory, after she accidentally took it, the racing heart, flushed cheeks, and uncontrolled thoughts drifting toward certain ambiguous directions whenever she looked at Yize were still fresh in her memory.
Right now, Tina was clearly being eroded by the same reaction!
“Don’t communicate with this half-Elf face to face!”
Riya stepped forward forcefully, pulling Yize back, positioning herself between him and Tina.
Her crimson eyes stared coldly at Tina, the warning and dismissal unmistakable.
She even felt an urge to drag Tina off the cross right then and there and toss her out of the Ten Holy Temples, the farther the better!
“Also,” Riya turned to look at Yize, her tone forceful but carrying a hint of barely concealed grievance and lingering fear.
“That Truth Potion of yours. Don’t ever use it on any female from now on!”
She emphasized the word “any.”
Yize blinked.
Riya looked like jealousy was practically spilling over.
His heart softened slightly, and he immediately nodded in agreement: “Alright, I’ll listen to you.”
The answer was crisp and clear.
Beside them, Bart couldn’t help but lower his voice, asking with curiosity and reverence:
“Um… Lord Yize, that thing you gave No.2 before—was it the same stuff? I’m really curious, what kind of magic potion is it… After all, for us Blood Race, obedience to a superior in our bloodline should override everything else…”
Bart was probably the most “friendly” among the Blood Pillars toward Yize, having been thoroughly “beaten into submission” and witnessed more incredible things, his heart already won over.
If not for the constraint of Kasmir being his direct bloodline superior, he’d have wanted to follow Yize.
Yize glanced at him, his tone flat:
“It’s just an ordinary magic potion. Don’t make such a big deal out of it.”
“Ordinary?!”
All the Blood Pillars, along with Riya and the still partially conscious Tina, had extremely odd expressions on their faces.
A potion that could easily control the will of an S-rank, force them to spill all their secrets, and even induce warped attachment—that was called “ordinary”?!
Bart’s mouth twitched, and he wanted to ask more, but Yize’s next words made him shut up instantly.
“If you’re all that curious,” Yize’s gaze slowly swept over the seven Blood Pillars besides Chise, his tone still flat but dropping the surrounding temperature sharply.
“I wouldn’t mind giving all seven of you a little sip, letting you feel it for yourselves.”