Hei Zhe sat astride his eagle-horned beast, looking down with an air of arrogance and satisfaction.
Originally, he had been lying in ambush at the entrance of the secret realm, intending to ambush Zhao Li.
But to his surprise, she was traveling with a descendant of the Ming family from the Asura Clan.
The Spirit Cat Clan naturally couldn’t afford to provoke the Ming family of the Asura Clan, but that didn’t mean Hei Zhe was afraid of Ming Ye.
In Hei Zhe’s eyes, Ming Ye was merely a low-level spirit master. The two guards he had brought with him were both 48th-level spirit lords—how could they fail to deal with a girl who hadn’t even reached level 30?
The only reason he had held back from acting was entirely because of Niu Tai and Zhu Qing, the two brothers.
Under their absolute defense, even the 48th-level Spirit Cat guards wouldn’t gain any advantage.
Moreover, this was right at the entrance of the secret realm. If they took action, it would inevitably alert the Monkey Clan.
If they then intervened under the pretext of mediation and entered the secret realm, the Spirit Cat Clan would undoubtedly be the ones at a disadvantage.
So Hei Zhe had followed them all the way, and now that Niu Tai and Zhu Qing happened to be absent, it was the perfect opportunity to strike.
“What do you want?” Hei Zhe replied haughtily. “Damn fox, today we’re settling our score once and for all!”
He then turned to Yelan and declared loudly, “Spirit Master Ming Ye, this is a personal grudge between me and this fox. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t interfere. Spirit techniques are blind—if you accidentally get hurt, that wouldn’t be good.”
A layer of frost seemed to settle in Yelan’s eyes, his sharp gaze piercing like blades as he glared at Hei Zhe.
The mere words “damn fox” had already touched Yelan’s reverse scale.
Just meeting Yelan’s gaze, Hei Zhe felt crushed by the razor-sharp aura emanating from him, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Not just him, a mere 25th-level spirit master, but even the two 48th-level spirit lord brothers behind him couldn’t help but feel a chill in their hearts.
Though Hei Zhe’s level was low, he was still the crown prince of the Spirit Cat Clan. His pride wouldn’t allow him to yield to a woman.
So, he stiffened his back, putting on a brave front despite his fear. “Y-you think just because you’re from the Asura Clan, I’m afraid of you? So, what if you have the Ming Patriarch’s protective restriction? That restriction can only block one fatal attack. It won’t stop a second one! And besides…”
He suddenly smirked lewdly. “The ones who kill you will be the beasts of the secret realm. Even if the Ming family wants revenge, they’ll take it out on the Flower Fruit Mountain, not our Spirit Cat Clan.”
Hei Zhe’s confidence stemmed from a treasure possessed by the Spirit Cat Clan—the Illusion Flute.
Once this flute was played, those affected would fall into hallucinations.
Unless they surpassed the caster by a full twenty levels or possessed extraordinarily strong mental resistance to see through all illusionary spells, there was no escaping this “demonic melody.”
The ancestral protection was linked to the vision of their descendants.
In other words, the Ming family’s ancestor could only see what Ming Ye saw, not observe from a third-person perspective.
Once Ming Ye fell under the spell, all she would see were the savage beasts of the secret realm—not the Spirit Cat Clan members.
Their ancestor would see the same.
If Ming Ye were killed, the Ming family naturally wouldn’t blame the Spirit Cat Clan.
Hei Xi and Hei Chong, the two brothers, sighed helplessly upon hearing this.
The Asura Clan’s Crimson Lotus Karmic Flames were indeed formidable, but with a full realm’s difference in level, the two brothers working together could still manage to kill Ming Ye.
But if given the choice, they really didn’t want to fight someone from the Asura Clan.
The Asura Clan’s Crimson Lotus Karmic Flame was extraordinarily formidable. Though it was an innate racial spell, its power far surpassed the foxfire of Qingqiu.
One could say the Crimson Lotus Karmic Flame’s might was on par with a divine-tier spirit weapon’s strongest techniques.
Even with a level gap of over ten stages, the spell’s intensity could still inflict damage on the two brothers.
Under the effects of the Spirit-Suppressing Stone, they could only unleash five spirit techniques at most.
The first strike would inevitably have to be used to break the protective barrier.
But if they wanted to weaken Ming Ye and ultimately kill him, given the combined strength of Hei Xi and Hei Chong, a second strike alone wouldn’t be enough to finish him off.
Moreover, with each attack, their power would diminish by 20%.
To kill Ming Ye, the brothers would likely have to expend all five strikes.
And if Niu Tai and Zhu Qing returned at that moment, all three of them would perish here.
Yet the Crown Prince had already spoken so harshly. There was no room for retreat now.
Even if they spared Ming Ye’s life, given the Crown Prince’s aggressive words, the Ming family would surely settle scores with the Spirit Cat Clan sooner or later.
“Hei Xi, Hei Chong, you two deal with that Asura. As for this damned fox…” He licked his lips with a lecherous grin. “She’s mine!”
Hei Zhe tossed the Illusion Flute to Hei Xi. As the highest-leveled among them, his playing would ensure success.
But in that brief moment, Yelan, Zhao Li, Chu Rou, and Zhi Die had already leaped onto the back of the fledgling Spiritwing Dragon.
With a whistle from Yelan, the dragon took flight instantly, putting distance between them in an instant.
The killing intent radiating from Yelan not only intimidated the three Spirit Cat clansmen but also jolted Chu Rou and Zhi Die out of their meditative state.
Fortunately, they had already absorbed the power of the Peaches of Immortality, so Yelan’s “interruption” didn’t harm their foundations.
As the Spiritwing Dragon took off, Zhao Li stuck out her tongue and shouted at Hei Zhe, “Idiot! There’s a saying that suits you perfectly—villains die from talking too much!”
If he hadn’t wasted time blabbering and had instead blown the Illusion Flute right away, followed by Hei Xi and Hei Chong launching a surprise attack to close in swiftly, Yelan and Zhao Li would’ve been forced into a defensive battle, protecting Chu Rou and Zhi Die while engaging in a drawn-out fight.
Once caught in a prolonged battle, Zhao Li and the others would’ve been at a severe disadvantage.
Of course, this was assuming Yelan’s Spirit Emperor-level strength and Zhao Li’s Level 45 Spirit Lord prowess weren’t factored in.
Yelan could annihilate all three in a single move, but doing so would obviously be far less entertaining.
Hei Zhe gnashed his teeth and snarled, “After them, now!”
……
On the dragon’s back, Zhi Die said, “Miss Ming, once we shake off our pursuers, we’ll need to find a way to circle back. I’m worried that if Brother Niu and Brother Zhu return and find us gone, they’ll panic. If they wait for us there, that’s fine, but if they start searching everywhere, it’ll be trouble. The Flower-Fruit Mountain Secret Realm is vast. If we get separated without any means to track each other, regrouping will be nearly impossible.”
Chu Rou fumed, “That Crown Prince Hei Zhe is utterly despicable! Once we leave the secret realm, we must tell Brother Xiyou what happened today and have him teach that scoundrel a lesson!”
She wasn’t looking down on Zhao Li. But with two Spirit Lords on the enemy’s side and only Zhao Li on theirs, a one-versus-two fight would clearly put her at a severe disadvantage.
Zhao Li stood at the tail end of the dragon’s back, watching the three figures gradually shrink in the distance. She grinned and said, “Lan… Night Sister, make the little dragon fly slower.”
At the speed of a hippogriff, they could never catch up to a Netherwing Drake.
Yelan gave a slight nod and commanded the Netherwing Drake to slow down. Hei Zhe and the others quickly closed the gap.
Chu Rou was startled and asked in confusion, “Princess Zhao Li, what do you mean by this?”
Zhao Li chuckled. “Xiyou hits too hard. It wouldn’t be fun if that damn cat ended up dead.”
She wanted to keep Hei Zhe alive. He would be of great use later when she tore that man-eating flower to pieces.
“I’ll play with him properly.”
Zhao Li turned to Yelan. “Sister Zhi Die is right. We need to return to Brother Niu and Brother Zhu as soon as possible. Right now, we’ll pretend to be fleeing in panic, yet unable to escape their grasp. Those three idiots will surely let their guard down. In a moment, I’ll pretend to fall off the dragon’s back. Hei Zhe will definitely come after me alone.”
Zhao Li had never once released her spiritual energy, so those three foolish cats still thought she was a worthless Level 8. To Hei Zhe, dealing with her alone would be more than enough.
Thus, Hei Xi and Hei Chong would undoubtedly continue chasing the Netherwing Drake. To them, Ming Ye had to die within the secret realm.
“Leave those two Spirit Lords to you. Lure them far away from Hei Zhe first, take their Illusion Flute, then kill them. Don’t let Hei Zhe know they’re already dead. After that, regroup with Brother Niu and Brother Zhu. I’ll find you once I’m done here.”
“No,” Yelan refused.
Zhao Li smiled faintly. “With my level, I can easily crush that damn cat. Still not reassured?”
Yelan frowned. “Why go through all this trouble? I can eliminate those two Spirit Lords right now. As for that crown prince cat, I’ll spare his life.”
Zhao Li wagged her finger. “Pure domination is so boring.”
If she wanted pure domination, Zhao Li could easily take on all three of them at once. Why bother putting on such a convincing act of fleeing in panic?
Her smile turned peculiar. “When dealing with enemies, I like to give them honey first—let them grow complacent, thinking victory is assured—before feeding them poison. The contrast in their emotions, plummeting from the clouds straight into the abyss… That look of despair must be absolutely delightful.”
Chu Rou couldn’t help but shiver upon hearing this.
Especially when she saw Zhao Li’s smile, as enchanting as poppies, she suddenly realized—the real threat here wasn’t the Asura Clan, but Zhao Li herself.
Zhao Li’s grin widened. “Hei Zhe has been arrogant for too long. I really want to see the look on his face when he comes crashing down.”
It would surely be sweeter than honey.
Yelan sighed. “…Fine. Have it your way.”
Zhao Li patted the back of her hand. “Once you deal with those two old men, don’t come back for me. I can sense the Divine Finger. Once I’m done here, I’ll regroup with you. Remember to retrieve the Illusion Flute for me. I’ll need it later.”
With that, Zhao Li pretended to be thrown off the dragon’s back, tumbling downward.
“Zhao Li!” Yelan even played along, acting as if she wanted to turn the Netherwing Drake around to catch her.
But another wind blade struck, cutting off any chance of rescue. The Netherwing Drake, seemingly startled, accelerated to shake off the pursuers, leaving Zhao Li farther and farther behind.
Hei Zhe’s eyes gleamed as he ordered his guards, “You go after those women! This dead girl is mine to handle!”
Hei Xi hesitated, saying, “Your Highness, we’re not at ease leaving you alone…”
“What’s there to worry about? Even though I’ve launched two attacks and depleted 40% of my spiritual power, dealing with that trash is more than enough! Hurry and chase them down—leave no survivors.”
With that, he commanded his hippogriff to dive toward Zhao Li below.
Zhao Li, panic-stricken, tried to summon her Jade Qilin, but there was no time.
She could only scramble away in a fluster.
“Ten Directions Formation!”
As Hei Zhe’s voice rang out, glowing walls rose from the ground, forming a 100-square-meter cubic space that swiftly trapped Zhao Li at its center.
The Ten Directions Formation was a magical artifact, so it didn’t consume Hei Zhe’s spiritual energy.
“Dead fox, let’s see you run now,” Hei Zhe sneered, leaving his hippogriff outside the formation as he stepped inside.
The formation’s defenses weren’t particularly strong, but given the fox’s abilities, breaking through was impossible.
Besides the Ten Directions Formation, Hei Zhe had other artifacts at his disposal. Even without using spiritual techniques or spells, he could do whatever he pleased with her.
Zhao Li stared at him in terror, backing away until she hit the barrier with nowhere left to retreat. “If… if you kill me, Xiyou will never let you go! Don’t think for a second that he’ll believe some story about me being killed by a demon beast!”
Hei Zhe looked at her, a wicked grin curling his lips. “Kill you? That’d be such a waste.”
His gaze swept over Zhao Li’s delicate figure like a brush, and he licked his lips.
This damned fox might be an eyesore, but she had quite the alluring body.
“I’ve never tasted a fox woman before. You’ll make a fine first.”
Zhao Li’s eyes widened. “You… you wouldn’t dare!”
“You think you can resist me? I’d advise against pointless struggles. Otherwise, I won’t mind beating you senseless before taking you by force.”
Zhao Li trembled with fear, her voice shaking. “D-don’t come any closer!”
Hei Zhe watched her, thoroughly amused.
“Stupid fox, did you really think you could be with Princess Qing Tong? That woman is mine. If not for your meddling, she’d already be in my grasp!”
In the Boundless Realm, a woman’s chastity was highly valued.
Throughout history, those who couldn’t win love through proper means often resorted to defilement to get their way.
Hei Zhe had schemed multiple times to take Qing Tong’s purity, but each time, Zhao Li had foiled his plans.
Though Zhao Li seemed naive and foolish, when it came to the person she cherished most, she became remarkably sharp.
This was precisely why Hei Zhe saw her as a thorn in his side.
Hei Zhe stepped closer, his smirk growing more sinister. “Once you’re no longer pure, let’s see how you’ll dare cling to Qing Tong.”
“Are you out of your mind?”