From above, a clear trail of Tiger Demon warriors lay strewn across the city, leading straight to the City Lord’s Mansion. Their bodies were soaked in blood, scattered in every direction. This woman had fought her way in step by step.
When Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Rourou saw her, they both froze. In the next instant, unrestrained jealousy flared openly in the eyes of the two Princesses.
Too beautiful.
Far too beautiful.
Her ruby-red armor was dazzling. Dark-red hair flowed down her back, cascading like a crimson waterfall, nearly brushing the ground. Six back spines rose behind her, each one gleaming with a crystalline, translucent sheen.
“Who are you?” Hu Jiaojiao demanded angrily. “How dare you break into my Wild Monster City?”
The Ruby Queen pressed her right hand into the void. A phantom image immediately surfaced, revealing the figures of Fa Hua and Lan Ge.
“Have you seen these two?”
Hu Jiaojiao paused. “Them? They were just here.”
“Hand them over,” the Ruby Queen said coldly.
Hu Rourou let out a tiger’s roar. “Who do you think you are? You tell us to hand them over, and we’re supposed to obey?”
“Hmph.”
The Ruby Queen had never been one for idle words. She stepped forward, afterimages trailing behind her as the ferocity of an Eleventh-Rank Moon God burst forth in an instant. Crimson radiance crisscrossed the air. It lacked the aggressive pressure Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Rourou had displayed earlier, yet as it swept outward, the golden glow surrounding the two Princesses visibly dimmed.
“Heavenly Demon Bloodline!” the sisters cried out at the same time.
Even so, they did not retreat.
In their world, retreat did not exist.
The two sisters slammed shoulder to shoulder. The golden King character on their foreheads flared, their eyes turning gold. Their indomitable Golden Bloodline surged forth.
If the Golden Claw Prison had been their full-powered strike, then this was one of desperation.
Centered on their bodies, a sphere of golden light abruptly expanded and burst outward. In the next instant, golden radiance flooded the air, breaking apart into countless shimmering afterimages.
The Ruby Queen’s brow furrowed slightly. She turned halfway, and the three back spines on her right side swept outward. Three crystalline red beams shot forth, cutting directly into the blooming golden light.
**
Demon Domain Coastline
Fa Hua and Lan Ge stood at the edge of the cliff, staring down at the sea below. For a long moment, neither spoke.
What was bound to come had come.
It was the seventh page of Fa Hua’s Divine Codex—Unraveling the Truth—that had sensed the Ruby Queen’s aura and allowed them to complete their teleportation at the first possible moment.
Fortunately, for reasons unknown, the Ruby Queen had arrived slightly slower this time. That delay had given them enough time to escape.
“I thought she’d given up,” Lan Ge muttered. “Didn’t expect her to come again. She’s like a curse that won’t let go.”
Fa Hua shot him a glance. “If someone stole your heart, you’d probably act the same way.”
Lan Ge snorted. “You’re the one who took it, not me.”
Fa Hua let out a cold laugh. “If I die, do you think you’d survive? Childish.”
Lan Ge slapped his forehead. “Can you stop snapping at me for once? What now? Do we head into the sea, or keep running?”
Fa Hua frowned slightly. “Wild Monster City is one of the eight major cities of the demon domain. There should be powerful demons stationed there. The Tiger Demon King should have sensed the Ruby Queen’s aura. I don’t know why he didn’t appear immediately, but we can’t gamble on it. We need to change locations.”
He shook his head. “We can’t enter the sea. If we do, we’ll face endless pursuit. Right now, there’s only one place that’s truly safe.”
Lan Ge blinked, then understood. “You mean the Ancestral Court?”
“Not too slow,” Fa Hua replied.
Lan Ge bumped him with his shoulder. “Fine. But what about the journey? If the Ruby Queen catches up, we can’t stop her.”
Fa Hua thought for a moment. “She appeared much later this time. There has to be a reason. I’m gaining some confidence in sensing her arrival in advance. If we’re intercepted, we teleport back. When we sense her approaching, we teleport forward again and continue toward the Ancestral Court.”
He added, “Only after we reach the Ancestral Court can we truly settle down and cultivate.”
They now possessed a map of the demon domain. The Ancestral Court lay far away, across vast and unforgiving land. Reaching it would take a long time.
There was no doubt the journey would be a severe trial.
Yet after their battle with Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Rourou, the confidence they had nearly lost was rekindled.
They couldn’t claim victory over their opponents, but with the Peerless Pearl, they had at least managed to protect themselves. A year ago, they wouldn’t have dared to imagine contending with two Ninth-Rank Golden Bloodline Tiger Demons.
The Peerless Pearl’s greatest strength was the extraordinary tacit understanding it granted them of each other. That bond allowed their fighting style to shift and adapt endlessly.
Fa Hua’s plan was simple.
They would move toward the Ancestral Court, leaving the teleportation anchor behind. If they sensed the Ruby Queen closing in, they would teleport back. Once she reached the anchor point again, they would teleport forward and continue on.
When the enemy advanced, they retreated. When the enemy withdrew, they advanced once more.
As long as they weren’t instantly killed, they could keep moving forward. With the Peerless Pearl’s teleportation, they would eventually reach the Ancestral Court.
“Wait,” Lan Ge said suddenly, eyes lighting up. “I have another idea.”
Fa Hua looked at him.
Lan Ge grinned. “We can teleport to each other. Why not split up? Even for the Ruby Queen, getting from Wild Monster City to here takes time. And if she’s tied down there by something else, we’d gain even more.”
He gestured at the map. “We head in opposite directions first, then curve back toward the Ancestral Court.”
Fa Hua understood immediately. “You’re saying that whoever encounters her teleports to the other side. When she switches pursuit, we teleport back?”
“Exactly. That way we keep advancing nonstop.”
Fa Hua glanced at him. “Think it through. What happens near the end, when we’re both closing in on the same point? The space to maneuver keeps shrinking.”
Lan Ge froze.
“To be safe, we stick to the original plan,” Fa Hua said. “The farther we get from this starting point, the safer we are. Longer teleport distances mean longer pursuit times.”
He grabbed Lan Ge’s arm. "Let’s go.”
They set off toward the Ancestral Court.
Lan Ge raised both hands, wind magic enveloping them as their speed surged.
“Did you just snap at me again?”
“What?”
“Nothing. Just wondering why I’m already getting used to it…”
**
Wild Monster City
A thunderous crash echoed as Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Rourou were blasted backward. Golden fur scattered through the air, and both sisters were covered in blood. Yet the ferocity in their eyes remained undiminished.
The Tiger Demons were a race of warriors. In their hearts, retreat did not exist. Even when facing overwhelming power, they would not yield. As one of the demon domain’s strongest tribes, their survival had always been earned through strength alone.
Red light flashed.
The Ruby Queen swept past. In the next instant, the two uppermost back spines pierced through Hu Jiaojiao’s and Hu Rourou’s shoulders, lifting them into the air.
“Where are they?” the Ruby Queen asked coldly.
Agony tore through the sisters. They could feel their life force being devoured, their faces twisting with pain.
“You’ll die,” Hu Jiaojiao snarled. “You’ll die for this. Father won’t let you live. If you’re capable, then kill us. If Father hadn’t taken the Elders away, how could you act so arrogantly in my Wild Monster City?”
The Tiger Demon King was absent. Otherwise, the sisters would never have dared to host such a brazen matchmaking assembly.
“Whoever comes will die,” the Ruby Queen said. “This is your last chance.”
As she spoke, her brow furrowed. A flicker of red lightning appeared in her eyes, then vanished almost immediately. What remained was unmistakable reluctance.
“Come on!” Hu Jiaojiao roared. “Kill us! Father will tear you apart!”
“Fine.”
Killing intent erupted from the Ruby Queen. The two back spines holding the sisters flared with red light, ready to devour their remaining life force.
“Aooo—!”
A low, overwhelmingly majestic roar rolled across the city.
From above, the entire Wild Monster City was bathed in pale gold. A colossal tiger’s head, nearly the size of the city itself, slowly rose from beneath the ground.
Even the Ruby Queen felt her bloodline suppressed in an instant. A chill ran through her body as crushing pressure and a sense of lethal danger surged over her.
Even when she had faced the Sea Giant Emperor, she had never felt anything like this.
This was a threat capable of ending her life.