The instant that low roar rang out, Hu Jiaojiao’s and Hu Rourou’s bodies turned completely gold. In the next moment, an overwhelming suction burst forth from the direction of the City Lord’s Mansion. A flash of golden light tore them free from the Ruby Queen’s back spines and dragged them toward the depths of the mansion.
The Ruby Queen’s long hair streamed behind her as she twisted and surged upward, transforming into a blazing crimson arc that shot straight into the sky. The six back spines folded inward, forming a protective ring around her body. Crimson radiance sharpened into blades as she slammed into the golden barrier that had just formed in midair.
Pfft!
She forced open a hole in the shield. A streak of red lightning tore across the heavens, and in the next instant, she vanished without a trace.
The moment after the Ruby Queen disappeared, another figure arrived in a flash of light.
He was entirely humanoid. At least in appearance, there was no visible difference between him and a human. Nearly two meters tall, with star-bright eyes and sharply defined features, he looked to be only in his twenties. He was handsome and composed, clad in a long white robe trimmed with silver that gave him an aloof, otherworldly presence.
The chill in his gaze was unmistakable. The cold radiating from him seemed to lower the temperature of the entire Wild Monster City.
With a single step, he turned into white light and entered the core of the City Lord’s Mansion.
At the center of the mansion stood a massive altar over a hundred meters in diameter. Upon it rose a lifelike golden tiger statue, more than thirty meters tall. Before the statue, Hu Jiaojiao and Hu Rourou lay collapsed on the ground, their faces deathly pale.
“Father!”
At the sight of the white-robed man, the once-ferocious Tiger Demon Princesses cried out and rushed toward him.
Though both sisters were far larger than he was, they crouched instinctively when they reached him, pressing close like children seeking shelter. The contrast was astonishing. It was hard to imagine they were the same ferocious tigeresses who had been tearing through the battlefield moments before.
The white-robed man wrapped his arms around their heads. Cold light gleamed in his eyes.
“I was only gone for a few days with the Elders,” he said slowly, “and someone dared to cause trouble in my Wild Monster City. They even injured my precious daughters.”
His voice hardened.
“I rushed back the moment I sensed it. The Elders will arrive shortly. Father will make them pay.”
Protecting one’s own was the nature of demons. They always stood with kin, never with reason. Moreover, being invaded and humiliated like this was something the Tiger Demon Clan had not endured for countless years.
“Father,” Hu Jiaojiao said softly, her deep voice oddly gentle, “her armor is beautiful. Take it off and give it to me.”
The white-robed man’s expression softened. “All right.”
“I want it too!” Hu Rourou added at once.
“When I capture her,” he said calmly, “you may do as you please.”
He patted their heads. Only then did the sisters straighten.
Turning toward the golden tiger statue, the Tiger Demon King bowed deeply. In the next instant, he vanished in a streak of white light.
**
One Day Later
Fa Hua and Lan Ge moved swiftly through the wilderness.
To reach the Ancestral Court as quickly as possible, they avoided major roads and followed only the most desolate paths marked on the map. Flying was out of the question. In demon territory, the sky was far more dangerous than the ground.
In a single day and night, they had traveled more than a thousand kilometers, putting vast distance between themselves and the coast.
Fa Hua kept the Divine Codex open to its seventh page the entire time, monitoring the faint premonitions produced by Unraveling the Truth. As his cultivation advanced, the sensitivity of that ability continued to sharpen. It had already saved them once.
“She still hasn’t come?” Lan Ge asked, glancing over.
“You sound disappointed,” Fa Hua replied.
Lan Ge laughed. “Well, if you ignore the fact that she wants to kill us, and also ignore that she’s a giant ant, she’s actually pretty attractive in human form. Completely my type. Don’t you think?”
“If you want to die,” Fa Hua said flatly, “don’t drag me with you.”
“I’m joking. Still, it looks like we were right. Either she ran into trouble, or her ability to track us has weakened. A full day and night, and nothing. Our chances keep improving. Let’s rest. We’ve both burned a lot of energy.”
Fa Hua nodded.
The Peerless Come In A Pair. One Life, One Fate They Shall Share.
White light rose, and the two vanished from the wilderness.
Only within the Peerless Pearl was true safety guaranteed. Inside it, even their auras disappeared entirely. No pursuer could track them.
“If time allowed, I’d love to fight that Tiger Demon Princess again,” Lan Ge said, still energized by the memory. “Even if we couldn’t win, we wouldn’t lose anytime soon.”
Their coordination had reached a new level. They understood each other’s abilities, habits, and instincts. More than that, they could sense each other’s intentions before a move was even made.
“Once strength reaches a certain threshold,” Fa Hua said, “even humans earn a measure of recognition here. The Ancestral Court will be full of powerful beings. There, we can cultivate while challenging demons and nymphs to refine our combat experience.”
That battle had proven it. Real combat accelerated growth in a way nothing else could.
“Let’s cultivate,” Fa Hua said, sitting down cross-legged.
Lan Ge sat opposite him with a sigh. You people of the Law Domain are all the same. No sense of leisure at all.”
Despite his complaint, he raised his hands. Their four palms met.
The moment they touched, the world shifted.
A brief dizziness swept over them. When their vision cleared, both froze in surprise.
The Peerless Pearl’s space had changed.
What had once been a small, white, fog-shrouded cultivation chamber now glowed with a pale golden hue. The haze had vanished, replaced by perfect clarity. They could see everything outside, a full three-hundred-sixty-degree panorama, as if suspended above the very place where they had activated the Pearl.
“What’s happening?” Lan Ge asked.
Their palms remained connected. Energy flowed smoothly between them, more naturally than ever before.
“Could it be related to devouring the Ruby Queen’s heart?” Fa Hua said.
“Maybe,” Lan Ge replied. “It’s not a dramatic change, but being able to see outside is huge. If she comes again, we’ll know immediately. Still… for such a powerful heart, I was hoping for something flashier. Like jumping straight to the Tenth-Rank.”
“Dreaming,” Fa Hua said. “Do you expect gifts from the heavens?”
Lan Ge’s expression suddenly stiffened.
“Maybe not,” he said slowly. “But something just fell from the sky.”
Fa Hua pulled his hands back and turned to watch the scene outside.
A streak of red light was plummeting downward like a meteor.
Relief and dread struck them at the same time. If she had arrived any earlier, they would have been caught outside.
Boom!
The impact shook the earth.
They stood at once, staring outward.
Then their blood ran cold.
The sky turned gold. Completely gold, blazing as though the sun itself had detonated.
A colossal golden hand descended from the heavens.
It spanned nearly a kilometer. The pressure alone made it feel as though the world itself were collapsing.
The hand pressed downward. In an instant, the forest below was reduced to dust. Nothing resisted it. Everything melted away.
A suffocating aura seemed to flood the battlefield below.
“What is that…?” Lan Ge whispered.
A piercing scream split the sky.
Crimson light erupted, weaving into a vast net that shredded the golden hand apart. The red figure shot upward, halting in midair.
The Ruby Queen.
She was battered. Two of her six back spines had snapped. Her armor was shattered at the shoulder, cracks spreading across her chest, exposing glimpses of pale skin beneath. Her face was bloodless, but her eyes burned with icy fury.
The golden radiance receded.
A lone figure emerged from the sky.
White robes trimmed with silver. A handsome face. Calm, aloof, and absolute.
“Your cultivation was hard-earned,” the white-robed man said evenly. “And you possess a Heavenly Demon Bloodline. If you are willing to become my concubine, I will spare your life.”
His gaze lingered on her, openly appreciative.
“I will also forgive the offense of injuring my daughters.”