《My Goddess is Good at Pretending》


 Chapter 2: Sacred Ground

    <h4>Chapter 2: Sacred Ground</h4>


    ''I am a wandering golden tiger who loves exploring mountains and hunting good-looking prey.''


    ''I can''t say I''m the strongest, but I''m not a weak fish in a calm pond. I was hunting an attractive grizzle deer for dinner this afternoon when I unknowingly arrived at this mountain. One of the ces where the powerful demon overlord resides.''


    ''That is the rumour, but I dare not test my luck. Despite being curious about the rumoured invisible demon, I rushed away when I saw a pink tree at the mountain''s peak.''


    ''However, who would have thought I would encounter the mentioned invisible demon here.''


    A three-meter golden tiger fell to the ground, unable to run before a particr human girl. He thought this human girl was easy prey, but he was being preyed upon instead. Not to mention the suffocating aura and sense of oppression that made it hard to breathe. He would be killed!


    Since he was in danger, he had to beg for his life and ask for mercy. Thus, he removed his cloth bag tied on his back and shoved it to the human girl as an offering.


    "..." The shrine priestess was at a loss for words. She shot an arrow with strong anesthetic poison at the tiger''s leg because the other party attacked her.


    Thanks to a nature spirit''s early warning, she managed to easily subdue the big tiger. Who would have thought the big tiger would present a bundle of something to her. He even whimpered with a pitiful gaze like a big kitten begging attention.


    "Well, hello there, big tiger. This is the first time I''ve seen you around here... Are you a new overlord around this mountain? Don''t hunt as you please because I''m not easy prey. No, next time, okay?" The shrine priestess lowered her bow, and her hunting tendencies died down.


    She wondered what she would do with the big tiger. Perhaps, she would just let him go.


    *Whimper* *Whimper*


    The big tiger looked scared as she approached.


    "What is this? Fresh, well-cut meat? Are you also a civilized beast?" The shrine priestess was surprised when she saw the contents of the cloth bundle. No ordinary tiger would take the meat home like this.


    The big tiger felt slightly relieved because the human girl''s oppressive aura had significantly decreased. Thus, he whimpered again for mercy because he couldn''t utter anything strangely.


    "You want to give this to me?" The shrine priestess felt conflicted, but she epted the kindness after the tiger nodded his head repeatedly.


    "I''ll only take half a kilogram; you can take the rest home. You shouldn''t attack me next time, okay? Or, you could end up as tiger skin rug." The shrine priestess took some well-sliced meat and stored it in her storage pouch hidden in her obi belt. She plucked her arrow from the big tiger''s leg, poured the antidote, and then walked away.


    "Phew..." The big tiger could finally heave a sigh of relief. He was still alive...


    He would have to think twice if he crossed the path with the seemingly easy target again. Sometimes, there was a mighty being that looked like an ordinary mortal. @@novelbin@@


    The oppressive aura disappeared, and he suppressed the anesthetic poison with his qi as soon as possible. He took his cloth bag and hurriedly left the vicinity before that human girl changed her mind.


    ''Eh? Am I seeing it wrong? That big tiger runs on his two legs? He''s not an ordinary beast but a tigerman!'' The shrine priestess rubbed her eyes when she saw the big tiger was running for his dear life.


    A few momentster, the shrine priestess arrived at a hidden cave entrance gate at the base of a remote cliff at the foot of the mountain. She looked around, then went inside.


    *Zap*


    She was teleported the moment she stepped into the cave.


    It was a spacious, in underground hall illuminated by the glitter of blue crystals strewn everywhere. A sealed ground with no entrance or exit. Only she could get in there somehow.


    Some rock debris was scattered in the surrounding, and zigzag-shaped paper streamers were bound around them.


    The shrine priestess looked at the grand stone altar in the hall''s center. A three-meter spherical kaleidoscopic white crystal floated above it, exuding a sacred aura that made anyone feel deep reverence and the urge to kneel.


    The shrine priestess came over and knelt down. She burned seven incense sticks before sping her hands in prayer.


    She could not see the sacred being''s presence sealed within the crystal, but she remembered the event when she first came here with He-Dao two years ago.


    It was still vivid in her mind... the figure of a heavenly six-winged Goddess in a tattered white-gold divine dress. The injured divine being was sealed within the kaleidoscopic white crystal by the shackles of a thick, life-threatening cloud of evil energy.


    "!?" The shrine priestess gasped as several memories came to her mind.


    The hazy things shrouded in mist gradually became clear. She could regain some of her memories every time she came to pay homage to the sacred being sealed within the kaleidoscopic white crystal.


    An event about a gruesome battle and an enormous struggle against an army of curse demons flowed into her mind. It was like her life experience but a scary war for her toprehend.


    ''I finally know my name. But, Ruvoid... what kind of monster is that?'' The shrine priestess held her head and panted heavily.


    After she regted her breath, she felt an inexplicable feeling from within, telling her to leave as soon as possible. Therefore, she bowed respectfully to the kaleidoscopic white crystal. She turned around and walked away to stand on the magic circle next to the altar.


    At that moment, she caught a glimpse of arge gemstone buried in the rubble in a corner. She was sure that thing wasn''t therest month.


    "Fairy?" The shrine priestess could read the carving between the rubble gaps. Yet, she was teleported out before she couldprehend anything.


    ''Ah, anyway... So, my name is Ely. Finally, I have a proper name. He-Dao and his aplices can no longer refer to me with those weird nicknames if we meet again.'' The shrine priestess looked into the dark cave. She wished to regain more memories and discover more about the truth of her existence.


    Unfortunately, she could only visit the sacred ground for enlightenment every thirty days and stayed inside for five minutes. No less, or else she would be ejected without any prior notice.


    ''I''d better be back before it gets darker.'' Ely looked up at the twilight sky and rushed off up the mountain.


    "O wind spirit-" Ely was about to ask the wind spirit to help her fly to the top of the mountain, but she heard a strange rustling sound. She also could feel an unusual aura simr to an evil ghost''s.


    A little wind spirit came upon her call, but Ely had not yet given anymand. Thus, the wind spirit could only wait patiently beside her.


    "Hmm?" Ely could confirm that the evil aura was in the north, a breath capable of making a demonic ghost pale inparison.


    "O wind spirit, please seal any noise around my surrounding." Ely whispered to the nearby wind spirit. She then rushed quickly to investigate the source of the evil aura.


    It only took her six breaths to arrive at the location. A pitch-ck devilish-looking rotten slime was writhing on the ground, digesting some herbs.


    "Lost Prayer." Ely summoned her silver-gold grimoire out of thin air above her palm.


    She checked the mission she was about toplete. Her objective was the desperate cursed creature, and vo, a blue marker appeared above the devilish-looking slime since it was nearby.


    "Poor thing... I will free you from suffering." Ely took out her wooden wand and jumped down from the tree.


    "Purification." Ely threw eight purification talismans at the devilish-looking slime. She raised her wooden wand and performed a purification ritual.


    *Swoosh*


    All talismans were scorched, but the devilish-looking slime still looked threatening. No effect urred, and Ely was stunned in bewilderment.


    The devilish-looking slime noticed her presence, and Ely took a step back. She nced at her wooden wand and remembered it was one of the top-tier items for purification.


    *Blob*


    The devilish-looking slime jumped up, about to swallow the human girl. Yet, Ely was swift to dodge and immediately released her counterattack.


    "Why can''t you be purified ording to procedure!? My eight precious purification talismans vanished without causing any effect. I''ll beat the crap out of you with this holy wooden wand and see if you can be purified!" Ely beat the slime into oblivion with her wooden wand. Her simple attacks caused some purification effect on the devilish-looking slime.


    Once the evil energy vanished, the devilish-looking slime became pensive and enveloped in pure white light. Ely took a few steps back to see what would happen next.


    "I''ve never seen this phenomenon before. Purification is sessful, but what''s with this rampaging energy? I help it control the energy flow with my innate skill. Let''s do this." Ely stretched out her hand and tried to calm the turbulent energy flow within the glowing slime.


    The light dimmed, and the energy turbulence died down. It was just that a human-like figure with long golden blonde hair emerged from the purified slime and fell down toward Ely.


    "Oh goodness, how did a horrible devilish-looking slime suddenly be a young human? Eh, an elf?" Ely caught the young girl by reflex. She found this young girl''s ears were pointy, and she felt conflicted about what to do.

 Chapter 3: First Disciple

    <h4>Chapter 3: First Disciple</h4>


    Ely put the young elf on the ground as she was still not quite sure what had just happened. She went to check on the slime''s remains, but it had be like a mess of pitch-ck mashed jelly.


    It was just a normal mud slime a few seconds ago.


    It was just an inexplicable fleeting feeling. But, she felt as if the cursed energy she had just purified was strangely familiar. Her memories of Ruvoid and an army of curse demons came to her mind all of a sudden.


    "Desperate cursed creature, huh. And that young elf... Even though her condition was so dposed and she became this kind of creature, she turned back after the curse was obliterated and her energy stabilized? What should I do?" Ely stored all of the pitch-ck jellies in her storage pouch to research itter, then looked at the unconscious young elf.


    She still had to exin the situation to that elf with a reasonable story. That way, she could recruit the mentioned reliable subordinate and gain this elf''s loyalty.


    "U-uhm..." The young elf flinched slightly and opened her sky-blue eyes slowly. Her memory was jumbled, and her vision was still blurry, but the vague figure dressed in red and white was visible in her sight.


    "Are you awake?"


    The gentle, soul-soothing voice sounded like a clear bell that made the young elf sober and felt peace.


    The young elf''s vision gradually became clear. She propelled her bare body to sit.


    She looked at her dainty hands and checked her body as if she couldn''t believe it was real. "Eh? My body... how can that be? I''ve turned back?"


    Ely sat down on a nearby fallen tree trunk. She then opened her mouth to answer the young elf''s confusion as of she was a sage. "The curse that befell you has been purified. Now you are free, back to normal."


    "Are you the one who saved me? What is the curse?" The young elf looked at her savior with immense gratitude.


    Her savior was a graceful girl with long ck hair who possessed the appearance of an angel from heaven who could make everyone feel captivated with deep reverence, dressed in a traditional outfit and exuding a faint holy aura.


    The angel''s gorgeous appearance and features seemed too perfect for this world, but it was present in front of her. Even though her savior belonged to th§Ö ?§Ñm§Ö g§Önd§Ör, ?h§Ö couldn''t help but be awestruck and attracted.


    "Yes, that curse, hmm... a cruel curse that was unleashed upon you, the hero''s descendant." Ely felt a bit overwhelmed in exining what she wasn''t sure about herself. Nevertheless, she recalled her newly regained memories and could use the so-called Ruvoid for reference.


    "Huh?" The young elf blinked her eyes with both confusion and wonder.


    "It''s natural to be surprised, but you already know that, right? About how you were cursed and what you''ve been through." Ely responded casually, then opened her grimoire. She prayed to it to show her information about the particr evil demon scheme, demonic cults, demonizations, or something simr.


    "Have you ever heard of the heroes who fought the Heavenly Demons and the Demon God of Curse? The folktales and untold mysteries about them... it''s all true." Ely found what she was looking for, then looked at the young elf with a resolved gaze. She would recruit this young elf at all costs.


    *Gasp*


    The young elf gasped and widened her eyes.


    "Those ancient Heavenly Demons were capable of inflicting curses on anyone and anything. When the heroes managed to eliminate those demons, an even more terrifying curse struck the heroes who saved the world. The curse impacted the blood of heroes'' descendants for generations. That was what turned you into a slime-like mass of rotting flesh." Ely narrowed her eyes slightly as if she felt a bit troubled. Everything she said was abination of the story given by her grimoire.


    She then continued. "However, a group of people distorted history and buried the truth. They turned the descendants of heroes into objects of contempt, something like demonic possession."


    "!?" The young elf flinched slightly, feeling everything be clear. She never once doubted her savior''s words because she knew one thing was obvious.


    So, the heroes received a heavenly curse after saving the world, and their descendants would fall into demonic possession in time. That was the great truth about why she was thrown into the abyss by her tribe. She once witnessed the terror when she slowly turned into a mindless monster.


    The young elf grasped her head while shivering from excessive fear. However, a glimmer of light came to her mind upon a realization.


    If the heroes failed to deal with the heavenly curse, then what about someone who could eliminate that curse and restore the desperate, pitiful ones like herself back to normal? She was no longer a monster but an elf. She had been saved by this omnipotent saviour! @@novelbin@@


    The story of the heroes who saved the world was known to almost everyone, but no one knew about the cruel truth. The descendants of heroes were scattered all over the world, and she definitely wasn''t the only one who suffered the curse for having the blood of heroes.


    "And the mastermind behind everything is... I, I can''t tell you yet." Ely nced alternately at her grimoire and the young elf several times. She would use the so-called Heavenly Demon tale and information from her grimoire as a convincing backstory.


    "Who are they? Please tell me." The young elf crawled closer, staring at her savior with great determination and a strong thirst for the revtion of truth.


    "Then I will tell you. They cane in many shapes, names, and backgrounds. There are many demonic cults in this world. The world is so vast, and they can be anywhere. Although different, they have the same goal. They n to resurrect the Heavenly Demon God to this world." Ely closed her grimoire, and it flew behind her before mysteriously disappearing into thin air.


    "!!!" The young elf gritted her teeth.


    "They will note onto the stage easily. My wish is to stop the evil from the shadows." Ely grasped her hand on herp, looking at the young elf with the signature look of an omnipotent master.


    "Maybe, right... My name is El-, no, my name is Miko, a shrine priestess of the Sacred Mountain." Ely decided to use a stage name because it would be useful forter use.


    "Lady Miko?" The young elf looked at the shrine priestess before her with deep reverence as she could see her savior emitting an astonishing holy aura. Her savior was a holy deity!


    "This journey may be difficult, but I still have to carry out my duty. O hero''s descendant, are you ready to walk that path with me?" Ely stared at the young elf''s sky-blue eyes, expressing her intention to recruit the other party.


    "This disease, no, this curse... Ever since this curse took over me, I lost everything. If that is your wish, I will dedicate my life to you. Then, put the perpetrators to death." The young elf looked at her hands, then grasped her belief in ce.


    Ely stretched out her hand and smiled faintly. The young elf then took her hand.


    "Our enemies may be powerful ones with strong influence. Many people are controlled by them without knowing the truth, but we can''t forgive anyone who gets in our way. We should find other descendants of heroes, then recruit them." The young elf stood up but still grasped her savior''s hand. She brought her face closer to burn her savior''s angelic face into her memory.


    "Eh? Ah, yes." Ely was pleased. This young elf was convinced, and the other party established a promise to serve her. She finally got a reliable subordinate, right?


    "While expanding the organization, we also have to create a base. We also have to raise a lot of money." The young elf grasped her savior hand with both hands.


    "Yes, but don''t overdo it." Ely nodded slightly. She felt a bit overwhelmed because her first subordinate was so ambitious and serious about the story she had told just now.


    ''Uh-huh? Am I telling the right story earlier? The background story is mixed up a bit between the other world''s situation and this world''s tale, right? I actually never lie in my life. What should I do? I messed things up...'' Ely broke out in a cold sweat.


    She then took out a cloak to cover the young elf''s bare body. "Then our organization''s name is Guardian of Dream. And your name is- Err, do you have a name?"


    "I don''t have a name. Please grant me a name." The young elf shook her head as she decided to leave her past self.


    Ely thought of a name, and something somewhat memorable came to mind. "Then, from now on... your name is Gabrie. My first disciple (subordinate)."


    "Gabrie, greet master." Gabrie knelt like a knight before the supreme ruler.

 Chapter 5: Gabriella鈥檚 Hard Time

    <h4>Chapter 5: Gabrie''s Hard Time</h4>


    ''That''s good. She has a good impression of me. I was surprised because she was afraid of the ghost manifestation earlier. But, I''ve got her attention now.''


    Ely prepared a bed for her and Gabrie. She only had one bed and would share it with her disciple this night. That way, no one had to sleep on the floor or a wooden bench.


    ''But, about the story, I told her... I hope there aren''t any Heavenly Demons in this world. I only need to y some ghosts and eliminate some evil things. For Gab-chan''s ambition... Well, I might be able to help with the organization''s affairs once she gets stronger. She has to work hard for me~'' Ely threw the thought to the back of her mind and sat on the bed.


    She summoned her Lost Prayer grimoire to check the quest she should havepleted.


    [Purify a desperate cursed creature on the Sacred Mountain][Reward: Reliable subordinate] [Complete]


    [The agent of the White Realm is amused by your antics]


    ''I know, right! This Gohei is a super reliable purification rod. The holy weapon to obliterate evil. The desperate cursed one can even turn back to normal.'' Ely took out her wooden wand and stroked it with great care.


    ''I also have a catalyst-type ultimate weapon to y the evil, Kagura Verity. I must always have several backup ns andst resort methods to ensure my safety~'' Ely took out a set of three tiers of twelve bells artifact.


    This tree-like bells artifact held immense holy power and was visible even though it was dormant. She hadn''t found another opportunity to unleash that legendary holy artifact''s power since her Gohei could still get the job done.


    Ely knew that she was actually a weak human girl. She had to rely on so many weapons and items or even ask for help from others. For a mere mortal with limited capabilities, she had a huge wish to aplish.


    He-Dao was already helping her in her first year in this unknown new world. With all the items she had in her inventory now, her life would never be in danger as long as she was extra careful. After all, she was a fragile girl in a dangerous and vicious world of magic and cultivation.


    ''What is he doing now, hmm? He is a powerful deity, or perhaps God, but he looked overwhelmed when he left that day. He and his aplices also never came back. Hope all goes well on his side.'' Ely stared at the moon, hoping that good luck would always be with him, her first friend in this world.


    *Creak*


    The bathroom door opened, and Gabrie walked out wrapped only in a big towel. She tucked a lock of her long golden blonde hair behind her pointy ear. She felt so fresh and fragrant after a good warm shower.


    "Gab-chan, please wear this." Ely came over with a set of yellow pajamas in hand.


    Gabrie nodded in response and took off her towel on the spot. She wore the sleeping pajama quickly, but there was a small problem. The size was a bit big for her young elf body.


    "Hmm, I might be able to adjust the bust size a bit. Our body size isn''t that much different. Gab-chan, how old are you approximately?" Ely rubbed her chin as she scanned Gabrie up and down.


    "This year... Supposedly, fourteen?" Gabrie wasn''t sure, but she could only guess based on her current body growth.


    "Fourteen, and you already possess a well-developed body? You also still have room to grow." Ely tried to imagine the mature Gabrie in the future. It was a figure of a pretty elf big sister with a dignified, elegant charm!


    "Mm, elves don''t have any significant growth rate difference from humans. The average growth period starts from the age of eight to eighteen. However, elves are blessed with a longer lifespan than humans." Gabrie nodded slightly.


    "Ahem. Anyway, let''s sleep. Tomorrow we will collect some necessities and sew new clothes for you." Ely cleared her throat and walked back into her bedroom.


    Gabrie followed right after, but she suddenly stopped in the doorway. She found the bedroom was like a void of the white flower garden. It gave a sacred yet eerie feeling as she stared more profoundly into the room.


    She could see a simple bed in the middle of the room, two pillows ced side by side, and a unique turquoise dream catcher hanging above the bed''s headrest. That ornament invited her toe closer and sleep on the bed.


    A mysterious mist emerged under the bed as if reinforcing the otherworldly atmosphere.


    "Gulp..." Gabrie didn''t dare to move a single step.


    "Gab-chan? What are you doing? Come here. We only have one bed for now, but we''ll make a new one tomorrow." Ely grabbed Gabrie''s hand and pulled the young elf into the room.


    "..." Gabrie nced left and right tensely. She had no idea why the ethereal atmosphere vanished after her master grabbed her hand.


    She could see some unique and holy-type artifacts casually ced on the table. The wooden wand that instantly killed the 5th Rank ghost was ced above the nightstand. Not to mention the beautiful nature paintings on the walls that exuded a divine-like spell aura.


    Gabrie had unknowingly been lying in bed under Ely''s lead. She clutched the nket but didn''t dare to look around again because she felt that she was being watched by so many divine-like entities. Ornaments hanging on the wall above the bed also made her uneasy.


    She was afraid that if she fell asleep, she would not be able to wake up again. There were too many holy items nearby.


    Ely noticed Gabrie''s anxiety. That might be because of unpleasant things in the past, but she had predicted the trauma. She grasped Gabrie''s hand and then spoke softly. "It''s okay. The nightmare is already the distant past. You''re safe. Just close your eyes and let yourself go to a beautiful sleep."


    It was like afort ringing in Gabrie''s ears. Her anxiety eased up, and she closed her eyes in rxation. Ely was beside her, and she felt very safe there.


    "Huu-huu..." The young elf went to dreand a few secondster.


    When sunlight entered the room through the gap between the curtains, Gabrie found that Ely was no longer beside her. @@novelbin@@


    She immediately got out of bed to do some chores so she could feel useful. Yet, she found an adorable little plushie lying on the pillow. It was a bit like Ely, and it caused the young elf to get the urge to embrace it.


    "..." Gabrie felt troubled because she had to tidy the bed before her master returned. However, her inner self said something else.


    She looked right and left, then sumbed to her heart''s desire to hug the adorable plushie. "So cute..."


    After a few self-satisfying moments, Gabrie returned the plushie to its original spot. She then quickly tidied up the bed.


    The bedroom''s cleanliness was beyond doubt. Thus, she decided to head out to prepare breakfast.


    ''Uuh, that scared me to death. Why Gab-chan suddenly hugged me tightly in her arms? It''s a rather odd way of waking people up. Wait, e-eh? Why did I turn into a little plushie again? What''s wrong with my innate abilities? Did my transformation go out of control again?'' Ely plushie breathed a sigh of relief when Gabrie was gone.


    She immediately jumped out of bed and transformed into her original human form,plete with her shrine priestess outfit.


    Ely waited a few seconds before silently sneaking out of the room through the window. She pretended toe from outside and visited the kitchen because some noises wereing from there.


    "..." Gabrie felt troubled because she did not dare to use top-tier cookware casually. She also needed the courage to cook using high-quality ingredients with her pathetic cooking skills.


    Her most outstanding achievement in thest three minutes was holding the top-tier kitchen knife in her hands without trembling.


    "Gab-chan, why are you staring at the vegetable so intensely? It won''t cut by itself if just you stare at it." Ely grasped Gabrie''s shoulders from behind. She felt this young elf was under a lot of stress and tension, but she controlled the energy flow within Gabrie''s body to a calm state.


    "Kyah! Mdy, I-, I want to cook breakfast for us. But, but..." Gabrie flinched in surprise. She even stammered when exining her predicament.


    "Hmm-mm~ I appreciate your effort, but it will be difficult if you want to cook something without sufficient skill. This knife is very sharp and can hurt you if you are not careful. What if I teach you how to cook food for breakfast?" Ely could tell Gabrie didn''t know how to cook food. The adorable elf was struggling to make a dish to impress her but didn''t know how.


    That way, the master and subordinate cooked simple delicacies to strengthen their rtionship. After breakfast, Ely and Gabrie prepared themselves for a short trip.


    "I''m sorry, Gab-chan. I only have a spare pajama and a cloak. Please bear with it until we buy new clothes for you." Ely apologized because Gabrie was still wearing pajamas under that big cloak.


    "That''s fine, mdy." Gabrie had noint in the first ce. She was aware that Ely''s shrine priestess outfit was a top-tier artifact, and no simr spare outfit. That outfit cleanliness and hygiene were always guaranteed because of the self-clean effect.


    She couldn''t measure the exact tier because of her measly power, but she was sure it was above S Rank or above! She couldn''t measure every item in Ely''s humble abode with her insignificant 3rd Rank power.


    *Sob*


    Gabrie covered her mouth as she felt ipetent and weak. She was still unworthy of bing Ely''s follower. However, she would train hard to be a figure worthy of following her master.

 Chapter 7: We Shall Make Our Moves

    <h4>Chapter 7: We Shall Make Our Moves</h4>


    A particr child was born within a prominent noble family in a big city. Since she was so little, she barely received any attention from her parents and family. Therefore, she learned etiquette, royal manners, magic, cultivation, and many skills and arts to impress her parents.


    Sadly, it was so arduous. Her power never awakened. Thus her family cast her aside. Her sibling received all the love, but not for her.


    She lost her hopes and lived in the cold room with the slightest bit of love. The corruption then began to engulf her.


    Until one day, the Holy Church discovered her impable talent in holy magic and recruited her under their banner. She became the youngest priestess and was titled ''Wings of Holiness'' because of her holy magic projection.


    She grew into a beautiful little princess and multi-talented figure, loved by many. Her long golden blonde hair exuded the charm of a dignified nobility, and her emerald green eyes gave off a captivating charm to anyone who looked at her.


    Unfortunately, no one understood her real reason for joining the Holy Church and serving the God of Light. That was all known only by the young priestess herself. She hid the truth because she wished to heal her ''defect'' and ''curse'' with a high-level profound holy magic.


    As the first-rate rare little beauty, so many pursuers tried to take her hand in engagement with the purpose of marriage. However, she didn''t wish to fall into any political scheme. She still had to find a way to end her nightmares before anything. The ones that even holy healing magic couldn''t cure.


    She was still twelve then, but her nightmare broke out for the worst. Her body could no longer withstand the curse. She was gradually corrupted by the potent evil energy from the inside out.


    Even though the corruption was unstoppable, the young priestess tried to suppress it and escape the city. She knew that she would fall into demonic possession. She tried tomit suicide, but her power didn''t allow her. She would lose her mind, rationality, and humanity. But she didn''t wish to be a demon and ughter everyone.


    In the middle of the dark forest, her family''s knights hunted her down as assassins. She was in that night, but none of the knights survived her onught. The young priestess sudden disappearance became an unresolved mystery even for the Holy Church.


    The Holy Church suffered a significant loss, many young men grieved, and the citizens mourned because they lost a benevolent multi-talented young priestess. However, her family buried the ''truth'' deep down because they didn''t want the world to know the ''disgrace''.


    The young priestess met her death, but she wasn''t truly dead.


    Since that day, a particr evil-looking mud slime wandered to the Northern Realm. This seemingly mindless creature devoured anything that came into contact with it. Yet, it seemed to have a mission to continue going north, away from Human Realm.


    Until finally, the desperate creature encountered the almighty one. The one who could achieve the impossible feat.


    The Holy Chruch failed to save her from distress. Still, a particr shrine priestess dispelled the curse and purified the evil within her easily, regardless of the severity.


    The one once known as the Holy Chruch''s youngest priestess let go of her past as she met redemption and liberation. The almighty one enlightened the lost littlemb with grace and blessing.


    ''Ah~ My master, my Goddess. Your divine light is dazzling, brighter and more beautiful than the God of Light''s projection. After meeting you, I feel that Holy Church is just another cult with a Fake God.'' Rafa looked at her Goddess in awe while enjoying the morning flute melody.


    The birds even stopped chirping, and the wind stopped blowing for fear of disturbing the divine music performance.


    It was already three years since Rafa fell into the sleepless nightmare. It was also three years since she was rescued and became her master''s second disciple. Her current life was so satisfying.


    The other disciples might view the honorable shrine priestess as their master, mother, or saviour. However, her master was her Goddess, her light. She wholeheartedly served her master with everything she had.


    "What are you doing there? It''s been almost a month since you came back."


    Rafa returned to her sense after her master made it clear. She entered the courtyard with her junior brothers and sisters. ''Ah, master spotted us. Ahem, where''s my manner? I''m always amazed by her divine aura and beautiful melodies. Yes, it''s been a month since we met, huhu... Master, my Goddess, I miss you so much~''


    At that moment, she spotted her only senior sister, Gabrie. The one she envied the most because this senior of hers received the most crucial role and worked at their master''s side most of the time.


    "Come and have breakfast with me. There is something I want to announce to you."


    ''Ah, yes! Holy breakfast ceremony! But what kind of announcement will master announce? This seems very important.'' Rafa took her seat. She and her fellow disciples then exchanged theirtest information.


    Yes, most of the information was regarding the suspicious demonic cults. Those involved in Heavenly Demon''s revival n would not be spared. They would only eliminate all the involved ones with proper preparation.


    The ten of them had already reached the 5th Rank, and the first two disciples were already at the 6th Rank Early Stage. Even though they had formed a rtively solid secret organization in thest three years, they needed more sense of security. They had not dared to act rashly and challenge the enemy''s might before their master gave the order.


    "You don''t have toe back here once a month anymore."


    ''E-Eh!? No way...'' Rafa turned pale after her master announced it. She thought her master didn''t want her anymore.


    "The sky is changing... it''s about the time to make our moves."


    Ely''s follow-up sentence made her ten disciples feel relieved and excited at the same time. So, it was time for them to make their moves and take the world by storm!


    They endured three years of hardships and hellish training to prepare for this day. So, their master considered them strong enough to create a storm that could destroy all enemies that came their way.


    ''E-eh? What''s wrong with my disciples'' sudden excitement? Do they really want to demolish one or two demonic cults right away? I want to ask for help and move with them to improve my stats. But, well... Oh, please forgive me, the non-mentioned demonic cults. I raised a group of a nemesis for you by ident.'' Ely prayed to several demonic cults that might soon be history.


    "Let''s see your progress first." Ely raised her palm to calm her disciples'' excitement. She then used her eye ability to check their status screens. @@novelbin@@


    [Gabrie (FV: 2400) | 6th Rank Early Stage]


    [Loyalty: 98%]


    [Talent: 4 Stars | SSR]


    [Rafa (FV: 2100) | 6th Rank Early Stage]


    [Loyalty: 96%]


    [Talent: 4 Stars | SSR]


    [Michael (FV: 1700) | 5th Rank Mid Stage]


    [Loyalty: 92%]


    [Talent: 3 Stars | SR]


    ...


    ''Why... They got quickly advancing to higher ranks with those training and my guidance. Rafa''s talent even improved to four stars, SSR!? Why am I the only one staying at 0th Rank forever!? Help, I''m stuck!


    Even though I have six stars and Legendary-ss talent, I am bound to be a fragile mortal girl forever at this rate! The best things I can do are tiny elemental balls and simple magic. Let alone kill an enemy. It can''t even deal appropriate damage. The only things I can rely on are my skills and passives... I also want to look fabulous and lofty like a cool cultivator or magnificent mage.


    Hu-huu... He-Dao cursed me. That Deity said I couldn''t get stronger and locked my STR, DEX, and ARC progress. It''s been five years since I''ve practised and meditated on this Sacred Mountain! And yet, only my MP and VIT rose to impressive numbers.''


    Ely closed her eyes andined inwardly. Yet, she sighed because she wasn''t going anywhere byining pointlessly.


    Her primary mission required so many conditions, but she would still aplish all of it for the sake of her Goddess Master.


    "Everyone achieved a good achievement, but don''t be selfcent. It''s just a drop in the bucket. It would be best if you had more than that to achieve something great across the three worlds. Nevertheless... here, a little present for you~" Ely distributed a little monthly gift to everyone with a tender smile adorning her angelic face.


    Her reliable disciples were already seventeen to neen years old. They were probably already be big shots out there. However, she was happy to see them still like adorable children in front of her.

 Chapter 10: Judgment Chime

    <h4>Chapter 10: Judgment Chime</h4>


    Rafa understood her master wanted to y the victim to strike the whole big organization from its roots by allowing them to be kidnapped without a fight. They discovered these humans had a deal with demons, and it was not the first transaction.


    Rather than simple kidnapping for very, it was a more extensive scheme for evil ritual sacrifices. She was taken to a pyramid altar and thrown into the pit with her master.


    An ominous demonic egg was there, and these demons wished to revive the Heavenly Demon!?


    "Unforgivable. They deserved to die a horrible death!"


    That was what Rafa had in mind before her master was sucked into the evil-looking egg.


    "Where are things going wrong?"


    That came to Rafa''s mind after her master was sucked into the evil-looking egg. She felt at a loss for a second. Her master was currently facing the Heavenly Demon inside that egg alone.


    Rafa transformed her Versatile Slime into her signature ck outfit and a long sword. She swung her sword to break open the egg, but her move was deflected without causing a single scratch.


    *Swoosh!*


    The sinister aura exploded from the egg, suddenly emitting a thick and heavy demonic aura.


    *Rumble!* *Rumble!*


    Thunder rumbled, and lightning shed all around. The ck clouds in the dark red sky were toppled over as if something was about to descend from there.


    Rafa could hardly breathe and almost puked a mouthful of blood because of the terrible sense of oppression. Her master was still there, and she had to help her master prevent the Heavenly Demon from awakening!


    "Our almighty lord is awakening!"


    "It''s a great sess!"


    "As expected. Our ancestor will return and rock the world with his might!"


    "No one dares to fight our cult from now on, haha!"


    The excited cries of the demons outside sounded like fanatical followers.


    *Swoosh!*


    The terrifying demonic energy instantly died, and the cmity phenomenon slowly dispersed.


    *Crack* *Crack*


    The evil-looking egg cracked and crushed from the inside. The pir of divine golden light then descended from the sky, illuminating the shrine priestess, who was covered in a semi-transparent purple liquid.


    *Tinkle* *Ting-a-ling*


    The tinkling of the bells echoed. The divine light shone from the Demon Realm''s red sky. Hundreds of golden lightning shed around the sacrificial site, raining down on the evil demons and paralyzing them.


    "Master!" Rafa was pleasantly surprised.


    "The great demon already perished. It''s time to pass judgment upon the evil demons." Ely extended her hand to Rafa.


    "Allow me to punish the sinners." Rafa knelt down and took her master''s hand.


    "Good." Ely gave her consent, then asked her tree-like bells artifact to create a path to the sky.


    It materialized a golden light staircase to the sky. Ely climbed the stairs, and Rafa followed behind her.


    ...


    "Ugh, what happened!?"


    "I can''t move!"


    "I also can''t muster any power. I can''t even channel my qi!"


    "Kuah! Divine light! Someone ambushed our sacrificial site!"


    "Protect our lord, but my body isn''t moving!"


    The evil demons fell to the ground, unable to move under the suppression of the divine light.


    The victims who would be sacrificed were not struck by golden lightning or exposed to debuffs from divine light. They were protected and gifted with an inexplicable sense of security instead.


    A golden staircase suddenly materialized above the pyramid, and two people walked up it like a pair of messengers from heaven.


    "What, what is that?"


    "They are the God of Light''s messengers!"


    "No, they are the God themselves! That golden aura!" @@novelbin@@


    "God, please save us and punish the evil!"


    The victims of sacrifice prostrated on the ground at the sight of the two figures on the golden steps in the sky.


    "The sinners, evildoers. The divine light and heavenly thunder shall judge your crimes against the sins umted during your lifetime. Divine Light and Lightning of Heaven, punish them!" Ely shook her Kagura Verity, causing the sound of ringing bells.


    *Rumble* *Rumble* *Shine*


    A massive pir of light and three golden thunderbolts struck every evil demon within the AoE attack range. This time was not to paralyze them but for the actual punishment. The more evil energy within them, the greater the damage was done.


    More than a hundred high-level demons were reduced to ashes within that second. Ely proved those demons could not be saved by penance because their sins were too big under her holy artifact judgment.


    Despite that, Ely couldn''t help but be amazed by her Mythical-tier holy artifact''s might. Each could summon a fragment of heaven and earth''s might, but this kind of power could only be drawn out sometimes since the cooldown per use was pretty long.


    Ely checked her surroundings and spotted a few dying demons. "Rafa, hunt the remaining ones and fully interrogate them. I will give them for your judgment to decide. Gabrie and the others had already arrived. Cooperate with them."


    "Yes! I shall not leave a single demon escape." Rafa was so excited as her blood was almost boiling. She dashed off to hunt down the remaining demons.


    *Boom!*


    Rafa caused some great destruction like a raging behemoth. Gabrie and the other disciples joined the task and took care of everything.


    The victims were sent to a nearby vige with disposable instant teleportation artifact. The ''lucky'' demons that survived the disaster began to be interrogated in a ce Ely couldn''t see.


    The divine phenomenon slowly died down.


    Many parties of major forces were going to that location due to the previous cmity clouds and the divine light urrence. They understood a Demon Deity was about to awaken but were confronted by a God-level being. The top-tier confrontation between apex powerhouses!


    Ely then ordered her arficact to bring her down. The golden staircase dispersed, and she realized she was covered in a semi-transparent purple liquid. It was a bit sticky, like the egg''s albumen. "Eww... I want to take a shower soon."


    "My apologies for ourte arrival, master. This disciple shall prepare a luxurious hot bath for you in a vige near Lumina City. We can use teleport now if you please." Gabriended behind her master and knelt down respectfully.


    Her awe and respect didn''t diminish in the slightest, even though her master was currently in a somewhat sorry state. After all, she finally witnessed her master''s incredible move again after such a long time.


    ''Teleportation, how nice. I didn''t ask Raf-chan to use that because I was deliberately stalling for time. You all can do your job and homework preparation well before I arrive. Who would have thought I was kidnapped to a major event on my first experience going far from the Sacred Mountain.'' Ely heaved a subtle sign in her mind.


    "You came just in time, Gabrie. Tell me your report." Ely activated her outfit''s special effect to cleanse her body from any foreign object or substance. But she still wanted to take a bath soon.


    "These demons are members of a demonic cult called the Vrophy Cult. Their ancestor revival n was thwarted, and the Demon Deity perished. The Heavenly Demon candidate reduced by one, thanks to you, master." Gabrie nced at the crushed demon egg in the hole while reporting.


    "That dark purple demon is still an embryo, but his wickedness is heavy. It might be the Heavenly Demon who is recovering. Are you ready to face the bigger and more terrible demon, Gabrie?" Ely grasped her hand behind her back.


    The gentle breeze gently caressed Ely''s long ck hair, showing a lofty yet almighty impression before Gabrie''s eyes.


    "Yes, we have prepared everything for this, master. With you leading us, we fear nothing. We even dare against the entire world to uproot all Heavenly Demon seeds." Gabrie answered with determination.


    ''E-eh? We''ve found one, and we need to find another one. Be a good disciple and be satisfied with exterminating two demonic cults. Give those jobs to other righteous sects. Also, why do you want to drag me against the world?'' Ely broke out in cold sweat at the thought of her unfilial disciples causing havoc everywhere.


    A few momentster, Rafa and the other disciples gathered at a meeting spot. Ely and Gabrie came over for more information. Rafa and the other disciples spared none of the demonic cult members alive.


    "Holy Church probably also involved in this incident. Two defect priests and a rotten bishop... one of them possess the token of a member of the nobility from Lumina City." Rafa reported with a hint of hatred for the church.


    "Alright, it''s time for us to go." Ely nodded slightly, then walked away.


    She and her disciples had already secured the loot, and other precious things, including the demonic egg''s remnants, for further research. They immediately left the vicinity shortly after.


    The rumors about God''s messengers descending from heaven spread from a particr vige. The major forces came to where the divine light had descended, but they could find only an empty sacrificial ce. There were also traces of demonic energy, divine light, and heavenly thunder.

 Chapter 13: Holy Saintess Arrival

    <h4>Chapter 13: Holy Saintess Arrival</h4>


    "Mika-kun, what do you think of that street painter?" Ely strolled the city street to the magic academy.


    "He looks like an ordinary middle-aged man, but I feel an inexplicable sense of danger from him. He is so adept at hiding his realm." Michael was sure of it, but what he didn''t understand was why his master was interested in that painting and that street painter.


    "Indeed. What might a 7th Rank expert do by selling paintings on the roadside? Someone who possesses no less than talent than my disciples at that." Ely nced back, making eye contact with Michael''s sky-blue serpent-like eyes.


    "!?" Michael was taken aback. He didn''t expect the middle-aged man to be a hidden Saint-level expert. Therefore, he immediately wrote a note to send someone to monitor this person. His master hinted to him for that, after all. "Disciple understands."


    A few momentster, they arrived at Luponia Magic Academy, one of the renowned magic academies in the Great Yan Empire.


    The academy''s environment and educational ecosystem were simr to a luxurious university. There were tall concrete buildings, beautiful flower gardens, a serene smallke, a pce-like main building, and a magnificent fountain in the middle of the academy''s square. The apprentice mages looked refined and dignified with their magic academy outfit.


    Ely looked left and right like a curious tourist. She quickly became the center of attention but paid no attention to those bystanders. Neither male nor female could avert their gaze from the beautiful one. It was the same as how she became an outstanding spectacle when she walked through the city streets a while ago.


    She did nothing, but her charm radiated like the fragrant flower which attracted the attention of the bees. However, the extraordinary flower exuded an aura of holiness that the bees did not dare to approach recklessly.


    Ady mage got off her flying broomstick andnded near two unusual visitors. "Good day, miss. My name is Hanna, the magic instructor. May I know the purpose of youring to our Luponia Magic Academy?"


    "Hi~ My name is Miko, the shrine priestess of the Sacred Sakura Holy Land. We wish to register as guests. I want to exchange thoughts on the profound concept of magic and see what a reputable magic academy is like." Ely replied politely.


    "Shrine priestess, holynd... a holy saintess!? Ah-um... Oh my, yes, you can register as our honorable guest! Please follow me for the procedure, Lady Miko." Hanna covered her mouth in shock, but she soon regained herposure. She guided the honorable guest with respect.


    "Alright." Ely nodded slightly, then went to follow the magic instructor.


    "Did you hear that? That stunningdy is a saintess from the holynd."


    "Yes, she is definitely one. Look at her brilliance and elegance. Every holynd has a saintess, but this is my first time seeing one."


    "Lady Miko? Is she perhaps from the Holy Church?"


    "No, fool. Look at that unique white-red outfit. She looks more sacred than the stiff priestess."


    "Uh-huh, she is a first-rate ethereal beauty, but I can''t lust over her for some reason. She is too perfect for this world. Is it a pinnacle of beauty?"


    "How rude of you to describe Lady Miko with those crude words."


    "Holy saintess graced her presence to our academy. She is interested in the profound concept of magic and signed up as a guest. I better make an outstanding performance and impression. I could attract her attention.


    The apprentices and young mages muttered to one another. The rumors then spread throughout the academy.


    The arrival of a holy saintess was like an auspicious cloud to their academy. After all, being a holy saintess was a very respected status with a divine-like nature and background.


    "Sacred Sakura Holy Land... this is the first time I''ve heard of it." The dean stroked his beard. @@novelbin@@


    "Human Realm isn''t the only realm, Tearobis isn''t the only continent, and Terra isn''t the only world, sir. I originally intended toe under an anonymous identity. Still, I don''t know much about the outside world, so I hope you won''t make my situation difficult." Ely shook her head as she retrieved her humble abode wooden token.


    She didn''t want to exin her background more than necessary. Still, she implied that the other party shouldn''t doubt her exnation. Her (artifacts) holy aura alone would give an undeniable truth to prove her holy-like identity.


    "Oh, my apologies. How unbing of me to respond with inappropriate words. I don''t mean to make your situation difficult or offend you, but there is one thing I don''t understand. A holy saintess will not descend from her holynd unless she has a special purpose. Did youe to our academy only to learn about the concept of magic?" The dean apologized sincerely with a noble bow.


    "I descend to experience the mortal life in the outside world, uncover the mysteries, and satiate my curiosity. I am here with my bodyguard." Ely threw the attention to her knight, but it didn''t work.


    No one paid attention to her knight. Maybe, because Michael used some disguise? She couldn''t see the difference because of her eyes'' innate ability, so she wasn''t sure.


    "I see... Then, I hope your experience at our academy will satisfy you, Lady Miko. This is our academy''s guest token. You can go anywhere within the jurisdiction of the permitted ess." The dean handed over a wooden token.


    "Thank you, sir." Ely was pleased everything went smoothly.


    "I invited our academy''s most promising mage as your guide. She is the best candidate for you to exchange thoughts on the profound concept of magic. I hope she can help you." The deanughed lightly. It was always good to have a good rtionship, especially with the saintess of the holynd.


    "I couldn''t ask for more." Ely put her hands together as she gave her thanks and respect.


    A few secondster, a little girl in a blue mage mantle entered the room. "Nish, Nice to meet you,dy saintess! My, my name is Lily-Mae Potter. I shall guide you on your visit."


    [Lily-Mae Potter (FV: 420) | 3rd Rank Mid Stage]


    [Talent: 2 Stars | Rare]


    Ely observed the pink-haired little girl with this crown-braid hairstyle.


    This girl was petite like an elementary school kid, but she was a senior mage at the same level as a sect''s core disciple. She had a little fat in the right ces, but that didn''t diminish her beauty at all.


    "Oh my, what a little cutie. Pleased to meet you, but don''t be too formal with me. My status isn''t worth mentioning." Ely waved her hand.


    "Wha- I can''t do it,dy saintess!"


    "My name is Miko, and please don''t call me saintess here."


    "Then, Lady Miko, please allow me to guide you."


    "Good."


    Ely and Lily-Mae then excused themselves to the dean, then left the room.


    Michael followed his master in silence. He had already concealed his cultivation base per his master''s order. Still, he kept an eye on the dean and the particr man in the corner of the room.


    Luckily, everything went smoothly, and they could proceed to the n''s second stage without any problems.


    A few minutester, the dean looked at a particr corner of the room. "Elder Han, what do you think of thatss?"


    An old gentleman emerged beside the dean. "She exuded a faint holy aura. It''s so easy to detect, even if she tried to disguise it. But, her realm ispletely undetectable by all means. It was as if she was just an ordinary girl."


    "Undetectable even for a Saint-level expert?"


    "Yeah, she''s not a holy saintess for nothing. Her holynd bestowed her with many protective treasures, but I don''t know how many she has. Her knight also concealed his realm, and he already noticed my presence. Also, please remember this. Every time a holy saintess descends, she is always followed by many secret protectors capable of destroying a country."


    "I see... A country-topping beauty with real power and exalted background. We received the honor and need to ensure nothing goes wrong with her visit. It''s nice to have rtions to that kind of big fish."


    "Her visit apparently was moreplex than it seemed. The recent events are unusual and somewhat odd. I''m afraid she will get involved, and the situation will be even moreplicated when the holynd intervenes."


    "We can''t afford to offend her and her background, but the situation could get out of control. Let''s share this opportunity with our allies too."


    "Do it in discrete."


    "All right. Speaking of which, I heard there was a benevolent priestess who came to the city this morning. Is Lady Miko the rumored one?"


    "I got the news. I''ve seen the person now, and Lady Miko is that benevolent priestess. Holy saintess with healing talent. She is too kind and precious if I have to say. This is her first visit to the mundane world. Please leave a good impression about our academy, but don''t cause difort. She will definitely be a God-ss big shot in the future."


    "Hum."


    The dean and the old gentleman had a brief discussion and reached a conclusion.


    With the arrival of the holy saintess, several prominent forces sent their envoys to the Lumina City for different but fundamentally simr purposes.

 Chapter 15: Do You Wish for Revenge?

    <h4>Chapter 15: Do You Wish for Revenge?</h4>


    Gabrie reported about a secret dungeon under the city lord''s mansion. The Lumina Marquess Family was the one who ruled over this Lumina City. Regardless, there was a secret that no one knew about.


    Twenty children who had not reached adulthood were locked underground and treated as test subjects. Those people carried out a suspicious experiment by taking the blood of those children and injecting a particr serum to increase the test subject''s overall ability. They wished to create an army of artificial superhumans, but some children had already be something akin to a monster instead.


    The infiltrator and investigation team found the gruesome truth as they went deeper. There were a lot of failed products that ended tragically too.


    The Lumina Family was famous for producing many top-tier mages, but why would they carry out such inhumane experiments?


    The answer was simple. That family declined in the past one hundred years, and there had been no more talented mage since then. @@novelbin@@


    Upon hearing that, Rafa trembled slightly. She tried to be indifferent, but her subconscious felt irritated and angry. She recalled those painful years.


    "Do you know why healing magic is so precious?" Ely heaved a subtle sigh and immediately asked off-topic.


    "Saving someone''s life is the most important thing?" Gabrie scratched her head as she didn''t understand why the topic had suddenly changed.


    "Yes, but it is deeper than it seems. Vitality will be drained when using healing magic, but do you realize who must sacrifice to heal others?" Ely changed her question.


    "That, the healer?" Gabrie widened her eyes in shock.


    "Yes, healers are gifted with great vitality, and that''s why they are valued so preciously. If you trace them, all healers will be treated as special treasures. However, most of them die at a young age. Do you know why?" Ely tapped her finger to the table for attention.


    "Uh-huh, could it be because they''re running out of vitality?" Gabrie gasped.


    Within Guardian of Dream, there were several people with healing skills. Her 2nd sister and 10th sister also had that ability, but the most impressive was her master. So, they always sacrificed their vitality every time they healed someone!?


    "Yes, I have discussed this matter with our people who have healing skills. However, that is not what I want to talk about here." Ely once again tapped her finger on the table.


    She then told a story about a little princess branded as ''useless'' and ostracized in her own family. As time went by, her family paid no more attention to her. They gradually treated her unjustly.


    The little princess kept training hard because she held onto the hope that everyone had equal values and her talenty somewhere unknown. She tried to impress her parents but ultimately received no love despite her efforts. She failed, and her hopes shattered.


    It was lonely, dark, and cold... But the light finally came to pick her up.


    One day, a priest encountered the little princess and identally discovered a talent with great vitality hidden within her. Thus, the priest recruited the little princess into the Holy Church. She was freed from a cold and dark hell called her family, but that was only the beginning of an even more profound tragedy.


    "Why was the little princess being hunted when she was in a predicament? She had just escaped her family''s torment, but the Holy Church was so excessive as to force the little child to heal others." Gabrie couldn''t understand the truth of the story her master told.


    "Do you know why only a few heroes'' descendants fall into demonic possession? Their parents and rtives could be fine, but not them?" Ely continued.


    "That..." Gabrie didn''t know the answer.


    "That was because they had a high aptitude and affinity for the hidden talent of the hero''s blood flowing in their bodies. Unfortunately, that power was cursed. Those recognized as sessors were the only ones who could fall into demonic possession.


    The little princess was hunted by her family because they knew her worth. They wanted her to return, but it was not feasible. Thus, they resorted to violence to extract her blood for their benefit." Ely shared a considerable secret relevance regarding the heroes'' (God) descendants.


    "!!!" Rafa looked down as she broke into a cold sweat. Her face turned pale as she finally discovered the extraordinary truth behind her tragedy.


    She escaped that terrible mansion because Holy Church''s discovered her talent and taught her about healing magic. Yet, she was treated like a healing tool there. She wished to cure her ''curse'' and ''defect'', but holy magic couldn''t do much even though she was basked by the light of holiness every day.


    Her vitality was exhausted, and her body could no longer suppress the curse. She ran away, but her family had been eyeing her for a long since her healing talent was discovered. But, who would have thought that she was being chased because they were after her blood!


    Those scary people often took her blood and injected a mysterious liquid that caused excessive pain once a month. Her family was all aware of the heroes'' blood flowing in their family''s bloodline!


    So, the mistreatment she received in those years was because she was one of the experimental subjects, simr to those pitiful kids held captive in the underground!? Her family even dared to do that to their flesh and blood. Were they still human? The demons were even more humble and kind than them!


    Rafa hugged her trembling body. Her master was omniscient and knew everything even though she never said anything. Her master said it was all for her, but she didn''t know what to do. If possible, she just wanted to forget everything. She was Rafa, her master''s 2nd disciple!


    However, her heart said to take revenge and give those sinners the punishment they deserved. The family that would sacrifice their flesh and blood for any reason didn''t deserve to exist.


    "Hmm?" Ely was stunned for a moment. She deliberately instigated Rafa, but she didn''t know why that overreaction.


    She knew a little about Rafa''s past because it was transferred to her mind since it was one thing that stuck in Rafa''s mind the most during the purification. She gave Rafa a chance to carry out something like a sweet revenge n, but it seemed there were some details she didn''t know. The matter was more profound than she had expected.


    "Do you wish for revenge and save those pitiful children?" Ely sat in a seiza position right in front of Rafa.


    "No, I will destroy that family with my own hands. Those power-hungry bastards deserve to be punished by heaven." Rafa answered with a trembling voice.


    "Is it? But don''t rush things out. Move with Gab-chan tomorrow. We must still collect their ''dark data'' to bring them down." Ely shook her head with a sigh.


    "Disciple obey." Raphael nodded slightly.


    "..." Gabrie watched from the side in silence. She had expected it, but it felt different when the truthy before her eyes. So, her junior sister was previously part of the Lumina Family, the princess, also known as the Holy Chruch''s youngest priestess, who mysteriously disappeared six years ago.


    "You are my family. We are not evil, but we are also not an enforcer of justice. Do what you need to do. We will always be with you." Ely hugged Rafa, and thetter slowly calmed down.


    A few minutester, Gabrie and Rafa went to rest in the next room.


    Ely then did a little experimentation on her power sources with both MP and SP alternately. She assumed MP meant Mana Point, and SP meant Spiritual Point, which could be converted into qi. Regardless of her effort, she could only exert simple magic and essential martial art.


    ''That''s useless. I have massive power sources, but the output is still small. My body can''t handle it because of power limitations. For a 0th Rank mortal like me, I must be more creative about my magic and martial art creation, right?'' Ely tried to rack her brain for a while but soon returned to painting. She put the magic-rted thought aside for another time.


    In her mind, she no longer worried about cultivation and magic because she likely needed to set out on her own path.

 Chapter 17: Playing Hostage

    <h4>Chapter 17: ying Hostage</h4>


    [Constetion of Fate send you an emergency quest]


    [Condition 1: Prevent the Heavenly Rebel, the Demon God of Necromancy, from descending into the mortal world][Reward: SP+20K]


    [Condition 2: Kill the Heavenly Rebel, the Demon God of Necromancy][Reward: HP +25K, CON +50, SP +200K, MP +2M, Demon God''s fragment core]


    "Hmm? Woah..." Ely was looking through Lily-Mae''s research magic circle, but a screen suddenly popped out before her vision.


    ''The mission is now sent to me directly?'' Ely was stunned for a second because it was the first time a quest hade to her by itself. She instantly realized how fucked up her current situation was. ''Heavenly Rebel, the Demon God will descend around here!?''


    Ely looked at the overcast sky beyond the window, which looked much darker. The dark clouds above the city formed a massive vortex, indicating a catastrophe would soon ur.


    She did feel a bit uneasy before, but she just thought she was feeling a bit nervous because it would be the first time she would purify someone in the public eye.


    Someone suspected as a descendant of a cursed hero, a ck magic practitioner, or perhaps, a demon in disguise didn''t bring anything good.


    It was no longer the act of saving the bloodline of a hero like what she had been doing in thest three years. The plot suddenly became the summoning ritual for the descent of a Demon God!


    ''I purged the bad evil demons yesterday without any reward... me me for not checking my grimoire beforeing down the mountain. I may be the nemesis of any creature with evil-rted power, but can I withstand the power of God with my holy artifacts?'' Ely asked in wonder and summoned her Lost Prayer grimoire. She let the new quest hang before her vision because the two choices were too difficult without careful consideration.


    Lily-Mae had just taken a magic scroll from the shelf, but she was surprised to find what was in the holy saintess'' hand. "Lady Miko? What are you- Is, is it perhaps a high-level grimoire!? You also embarked on the magic path? My apologies. I thought you were a cultivator."


    "Do you know about grimoire, Miss Lily?" Ely opened her grimoire to check Aher''s current status screen and the mission list.


    "Of course! A grimoire can only be used by an Elite Mage or above, and the high-level one... Err, Lady Miko, you''ve made a contractual bond with your grimoire!?" Lily-Mae''s voice grew weaker as she discovered that someone who came to her as a curious student was an expert beyond her level.


    ''If so, did Lady Miko just test me all along? She was definitely a high-level mage beyond 5th Rank! Uh, it''s not. She came to share thoughts and understand more deeply about profound magic, not to learn basic magic, silly me. She''s so young but already achieved the dream of every mage to hold their own grimoire.'' Lily-Mae''s confidence received a critical hit. She felt stupid for feeling proud that a holy saintess even came to her to learn about magic.


    ''High-level one? Lost Prayer is an SS Rank, Mythical-tier grimoire.'' Ely put aside the magic concept of scrolling sideways, then focused on her priority.


    (read more)...


    [ying 4th Rank demon | SP +80]


    [ying 2nd Rank demon | SP +40]


    [ying 4th Rank demon | MP +800]


    [ying 3rd Rank demon | MP +600]


    [The agent of the Dark Realm is satisfied with your cruelty]


    Ely discovered a new feature, the log list next to her status page. Her stats increased without her realizing it until now, and it was clearly because of her actions yesterday. Although it was somewhat unintentional, she killed over a hundred evil demons. And the most marvelous thing was the first on the list.


    [ying 10th Rank Deity embryo | MP +8,000 | SP +4,000]


    ''It''s truly a Devil Deity embryo... It was thanks to Celestia for killing him. Yet, the most mysterious and terrifying artifact within my inner space had already awakened. Never mind, My MP and SP increased, so I guess I can get it by exterminating enemies? However, how do I increase my HP and other stats? Wait, the new quest offers something interesting.'' Ely double-checked the quest from the Constetion of Fate. @@novelbin@@


    She would receive amazing bonuses if she could kill the Demon God, but would she be able to do it? That was what came to her mind, but she would try it, considering she held many Super-tier and Mythical-tier artifacts.


    There was also no quest penalty or coercion. Regardless, countless people would surely die if the Demon God managed to descend into this mortal world.


    Therefore, Ely would try to aplish the second option''s objective. However, she had to ensure precautions in case she overestimated her abilities. That way, it would not be toote to prevent the Demon God from descending to fulfill the first-choice condition.


    [Expose the Lumina Marquess Family''s dark secret and demolish their hidden agenda][Reward: Rafa''s 100% unshakable loyalty, Imperial Family''s generous gift]


    [Stop the Holy Church''s inhumane experimentations (0/3)][Reward: Archangel]


    [Create anything with high artistic value recognized by heaven (79/1000)][Reward: Mastery of a divine prowess]


    ...(read more)


    Ely flipped to the next page, and another one reced the screen. Many astonishing quests were on the mission list for Ely to ept at face value.


    However, since all of that only appeared on that page screen as mere information, the urgency couldn''t bepared to the quest sent directly by the Constetion of Fate.


    Ely closed her grimoire and returned it to her subspace with a poof. She then took out a protective talisman and handed it over to Lily-Mae. "Miss Lily, thank you for your time. I broadened my horizons about profound magic, thanks to you. However, it seems things are getting a bit chaotic out there. Please be safe and follow your secret protectors'' instructions, okay? We need to leave to somewhere safe."


    "Eh-huh? Why do you say that all of a sudden, Lady Miko? I-" Lily-Mae was confused by the sudden change in intonation. It was as if the holy saintess was concerned about her safety?


    *Bam!*


    The wall was sted open outside, and the door was smashed from the other side. Several people in ninja-like outfits surrounded the two girls and sealed any possible escape path.


    "Don''t move. You are not going anywhere,dies. Please don''t fight ande with us; you will give us no choice but to take you by force." The ninja leader rushed to take the pink-haired petite girl hostage, then showed his bloodstained sword for intimidation.


    "N-no... My magic research it''s ruined! Ugh, who, who are you all? How dare you cause trouble at Luponia Magic Academy!?" Lily-Mae broke out her hand with a feeling of loss. Her research projects had been crushed under the pile of concrete debris. She tried to cast her magic, but nothing happened. "You think we- wait, why can''t I use my magic?"


    "You are surprised, aren''t you? Hehe, this academy is already locked up in the anti-mana domain. No mage wille out of here unscratched. The so-called secret protectors are just a bunch of weaklings. You have no chance of escaping. What do you think, holy saintess?" The leader-like ninja took out several bloodied cloth sacks and threw them near the holy saintess'' feet.


    "A meaningless massacre without a shred of grace. The sinners and evildoers shall receive the punishment of heaven. I wille with you as a hostage, but don''t kill more or injure Miss Lily. I''m warning you." Ely sighed.


    "We are not here to hear your lecture. You cannot bargain with us, let alone buy time for reinforcements. Your secret protectors were just so-so within this anti-mana domain. We identally ughtered them to the ground." The muscr ninja contemptuously sneered.


    Ely remained calm because she understood her people''s real power very well. This group of evil ninjas would never defeat her core disciples or Guardian of Dream''s members.


    "Do as I say, or do you want me to struggle desperately? You know very well what a holy saintess is capable of, right?" Ely threw a petty threat and intimidation. She had another idea and chose a n of a mouse deer tricking the tiger.


    "..." The evil ninjas looked at each other. They felt capturing the holy saintess was too easy than expected, but the meat was served on the table without a fight.


    "If they don''t fight back, we don''t need to kill them that soon." The ninja leader handcuffed the holy saintess'' wrists with a sea stone sealing artifact. In this way, their primary target couldn''t exert any spiritual power even though she wished to do so.


    "Lady Miko, sorry... I''m useless." Lily-Mae was also handcuffed without power or resistance. Without magic, she was as good as an ordinary mortal. She dragged the holy saintess back because those bad guys threatened her life.


    "Let''s see what they have nned." Ely left the room, following the ninja leader.

 Chapter 19: Artificial Hero鈥檚 Descendant

    <h4>Chapter 19: Artificial Hero''s Descendant</h4>


    *ng* *Bzzt*


    The burly ninja parried the handcuffed girl''s iron rod with his saber, but he was electrocuted to his deepest core. His protective artifact couldn''t block anything, and his spirit received a critical hit.


    *Thud*


    The burly ninja fell to the floor with smoke and a burnt smelling from his body. He was twitching and convulsing like the other fallen ninjas.


    "Human bodies and metal are good conductors of electricity. You won''t withstand a ten thousand volt shock from my Lightning Baton." Ely removed the sea stone handcuffs from her wrists with a little trick to the keyhole.


    She was about to save the dying apprentice mage, but his soul suddenly left his body. She tried to catch it but failed as that soul wisp was so fast than a gust of wind.


    The dead person''s soul was forcibly pulled to the training ground behind the academy. The captives were gathered inside arge, dark ritual magic circle.


    "Don''t tell me they will summon the Demon God with the sacrifices of hundreds of mages." Ely pursed her lips as she remembered the God involved in this incident was the Demon God of Necromancy.


    "Lady Miko? You-" Lily-Mae was shocked by the sudden change of events.


    "Miss Lily, do you know where the core of this anti-magic domain is?" Ely removed the sea stone handcuffs from Lily-Mae''s wrists.


    "I''m afraid it''s in the most dangerous ce. My grandfather and elders seem to be fighting around there. What''s your n, Lady Miko? Also, what do you mean by Demon God?" Lily-Mae could hear a faint sound of metal thumping from the garden.


    "It is as you heard. The ck cloud of cmity over there does not bring good news. The dimension crack has already urred as the gate begins to take shape. Those evil ninjas are demonic practitioners from a demonic cult who seem to be about to summon their Demon God to this world." Ely then took out two transparent talismans and handed them over to Lily-Mae


    "Please go to your grandfather and his secret protector in the park. These talismans can make them resist the anti-magic domain''s suppression." Ely decided to drag the 6th Rank dean and the 7th Rank secret protector into a more significant event to help her.


    "But-" Lily-Mae felt a bit scared and doubtful.


    "Pleasepose yourself and move quickly. You will be fine under this talisman''s protective cover, but people will be sacrificed if this continues." Ely grasped Lily-Mae''s arm, providing encouragement and motivation with a resolved gaze.


    "Did you know this incident was going to happen, Lady Miko? Regarding your arrival at this magic academy?" Lily-Mae lowered her head slightly.


    "They had everything prepared long ago, but my arrival made them anxious. Instead of being exposed and their years of effort wasted, they decided to target me and hasten their sinister n. That''s what I can understand just by looking." Ely shook her head.


    "I understand. In that case, we must stop them immediately. Lady Miko, please be safe. I will pass this talisman of resistance to my grandfather and great elder." Lily-Mae gave a respectful bow, then immediately ran away.


    "Well then, what should I do with them? I hope they have some good pieces of stuff." Ely snatched the fainted ninjas'' storage pouches as it was her spoil of war.


    She found several evil-rted things, spirit stones, and magic items. There were also plenty of living ropes, the magic item that could move on their own to tie up captives.


    Ely tied up the fainted ninjas and put them into an empty pet pouch. It was a magic item to store the pet or living animals inside, simr to a storage pouch. However, it was much smaller in space.


    A few momentster, Ely arrived at the rooftop of the academy''s main building. She observed the entireyout and environment. She noted the enemy''s position and the formation array thatposed the great magic circle on the training ground.


    The ten masked assassins wearing dark outfitsnded behind Ely without making any noise.


    "You have arrived." Ely responded casually, even though she felt a bit surprised. Theye like ghosts, after all. She might fail to notice their arrival if it wasn''t for her 2-meter radius of wless perception.


    Gabrie knelt down, and the other disciples did the same. She then reported respectfully. "Master, we have neutralized their backup n. Their background is unknown, but they n to summon a Demon God. Also, we have caught the one suspected of being a descendant of the cursed hero."


    "That apprentice mage, huh... Where is he?" Ely turned around.


    Michael felt more at ease to see his master was safe and sound. She was still so calm despite the current situation. As expected of their master.


    He removed therge cloth sack tied to his back, then took out an apprentice mage.


    The boy wore a ninja outfit like those demonic cultivators but was already tied up like a cocoon.


    "Hmm! Ngh!" The helpless apprentice mage tried to plead for mercy, but his mouth was stered with tape.


    "I shall purify you of the curse you are suffering from. Please be prepared. This might hurt a little." Ely stated her intention, and the apprentice mage nodded frantically.


    She already saw that the weird cursed energy had contaminated this boy''s body. Perhaps, this was the first stage of demonic possession? This boy might turn into a devilish slime soon.


    "This is the first time I purify a conscious human. Are you ready?" Ely crouched to take a closer look at this boy''splexion.


    She felt something was wrong but couldn''t tell what it was. Also, this was her first time handling someone about to fall into demonic possession. All members of the Guardian of Dream were already in the worst situation before she saved them.


    This time, the apprentice mage went pensive for a few seconds as he tried to consider a few things. However, he nodded in agreement, thinking he was in a tight position that endangered his life.


    He would go to this stunningdy''s banner instead of those evil people if he needed to choose. @@novelbin@@


    "All right then." Ely took out her Gohei and reached her hand near the apprentice mage''s head. She cast her advanced purification skill. "The light of purification. Please save this pitiful soul from his suffering."


    Ely''s palm shone a golden light, and the apprentice mage was enveloped in aforting warmth. However, his blood suddenly ran wild. He coughed out a lot of blood, and ck blood flowed out of his orifices.


    *Rip*


    The rope that bound the apprentice mage was torn apart, and he slowly swelled up like a balloon about to burst.


    "Uuh... demonization? Ipatibility with the hero''s blood? He doesn''t have the bloodline of a hero, but the artificial one created from the extracted bloodline. The curse is lifted, but his body can''t handle it." Ely covered her mouth.


    She could see a short event of a cruel experiment. It was only a few seconds of the event summary, but she felt nauseous. The gruesome scene was simr to the information Gabrie had reported yesterday.


    Rafa could guess what had happened. She materialized her longsword to execute the demonic monster, but that boy soon disappeared.


    "He had suffered for so long. He can''t handle the purification. The fake hero''s bloodline, huh..." Gabrie supported her master in standing up. She could clearlyprehend what had just happened.


    "I see... So, that''s why I felt a bit strange about his energy frequency. I could feel the faint familiar feeling, but he was apparently not a part of us. He was just one that was made to resemble us." Azrael nodded in understanding, but his ruby-red eyes glistened as if he understood something more profound than this incident. The city lord''s dark secrets came to his mind.


    "Eh-ah? I''m, I''m sorry." Ely unconsciously grasped the pitiful apprentice mage''s soul. She felt sad as she didn''t expect this kind of oue, but the wisp felt relieved to be freed from suffering.


    The holy saintess liberated him, and dying like this wouldn''t be so bad as he didn''t need to suffer anymore. He begged the holy saintess to punish those evil people and save the pitiful souls with a fate simr to his.


    He expressed appreciation before flying into the sky and going to the afterlife. Ely protected that soul wisp so he could leave this anti-magic domain safely.


    "If only I had known sooner..." Ely muttered under her breath.


    She failed to save that pitiful boy, and his body even turned into ashes because he couldn''t handle the hero''s bloodline and her purification.


    "..." The ten core disciples felt sad because of their master''s mncholy murmur.


    It was the first time something had happened beyond their master''s expectations, but no one could have expected the fake to be so close to the real one before it was toote. Everything happened so fast, but there were still a lot of things that were happening right now.


    "All right, we need to handle the current situation first. You will act as Apostles, not Shadows. Please transform your outfit now. The Demon God of Necromancy has revealed his aura behind that cloud of cmity." Ely tapped Gabrie''s hand, grasped her arm, and looked up at the spiraling dark clouds.

 Chapter 20: Reinforcements for Academy鈥檚 Predicament

    <h4>Chapter 20: Reinforcements for Academy''s Predicament</h4>


    "Disciple understands." The ten core disciples immediately transformed their versatile slime into their signature white-gold Apostles outfit.


    At first nce, they looked like the variations of the high priest but in a flexible battlesuit-like outfit covered by a cloak.


    "We can use mana and qi in this domain due to the talisman''s protection, but don''t expose our whereabouts too soon. Michael, please disguise yourself to resemble that evil ninja. You will go with me to the center of this chaos. We''ll y a Demon God from the upper realm." Ely dered her goal frankly.


    The ten Apostles gasped as it sounded overbearing, but the one who said it was their almighty master! No evil things could stand before the Almighty Goddess disguised as the sacred shrine priestess. Their master could no longer pretend as a mortal because the current situation was so grave.


    "Move into your positions as we use the Annihtion Star Formation. Please wait for further orders. Don''t kill enemies, as that will speed up the summoning ritual. Let''s go." Ely turned around and left.


    "Obey!" The nine Apostles rushed away like a gust of wind, but Michael was left behind with his master.


    He disguised himself as an evil ninja as his master had requested, but he still didn''t know what his master would do. @@novelbin@@


    She took out the sea stone handcuffs, then handcuffed herself. She then gave the rope to him as if she was his captive.


    Michael stared at the rope in his hand with a stupified expression. "You want to lower their guard bying as a captured captive, master?"


    "You will see it." Ely left the rest to her disciple''s imagination. Sometimes, she should exin only some things because it could cause a less impression.


    At that time, the citizen, knights, and priests have already surrounded the Luponia Magic Academy. Cultivators from various sects were also there.


    However, they could only leave once they dared enter the anti-magic domain. To have their power suppressed to the mortal realm was something they didn''t want to experience. Not to mention, there were hundreds of demonic practitioners inside. It might be a death trap for them.


    Among everyone in the crowd, several groups from various backgrounds felt more anxious than anyone else. They knew the holy saintess was inside the academy now.


    They hoped to meet the holy saintess and build a bridge of good rtions to the holynd. They had just arrived, but who would have thought some bastards would pull off this kind of event at this time.


    "What''s the situation inside? Can''t we send reinforcements? Why are those knights and experts hesitating? If so, I will take the lead and charge inside! With my identity, they won''t dare to refuse to enter." The imperial princess looked right and left restlessly.


    "Wait, wait, seventh sister. Don''t be hasty. We came anonymously, but it will immediately invite our siblings'' attention if we reveal ourselves now." The imperial prince grabbed his sister''s arm to prevent her from entering without ns.


    "Are you saying we don''t need to do anything, sixth brother? Stop talking and hurry up. Those chicken knights and cultivators can''t be called experts if they can only watch in fear!" The seventh princess shouted loudly, then dragged her brother closer to the anti-magic domain.


    "Hey, girl. Keep your mouth shut. You didn''t know the threat lurking inside. Just so you know, Luponia Magic Academy has a Grand Master and a Saint. If they can''t handle the threat of the terrorists, what can we do with our insignificant power?" A knight grumbled indignantly.


    "A coward is a coward. Stop being a knight and crawl into the hole you came from. At least you realize that you are an insignificant thing. You all probably already know. The holy saintess is inside. If anything were to happen to her, would her holynd turn a blind eye?


    Lumina City will suffer heavy losses when they demand ountability! See the sky of doom above your head. Those demonic cultivators will do something heinous and summon an even greater cmity. This city may soon be wiped off the map!


    Cowards and chickens, please stand guard outside the domain. Brave warriors and heroes, please follow me to save the students and kill the demon cultivator terrorists! We''ll make our own name!" The seventh princess raised her sword as she taunted everyone without the slightest bit of hesitation.


    "Awaa, awawa..." The sixth prince turned pale. He bit his finger in panic. It was as if he was about to faint because his dear sister was more savage than a troublemaker.


    The seventh princess waited for no one and dragged her brother into the anti-magic domain without dy. She couldn''t use her qi because of the terrible sense of restriction, but she was confident in her martial arts and swordsmanship.


    "What the-"


    "That littless dared to mock us."


    "She''s just ignorant, but what she says makes sense. The holy saintess will also have trouble in this kind of domain."


    "Then, what are we afraid of? We are over a thousand, and the mages inside are about six hundred. If we join forces, we can suppress the demonic cultivators easily!"


    "Let alone a hundred or two hundred, we can even ughter four hundred demonic cultivators even if we can''t use our qi."


    "Yeah, are you even cultivating, bro? You refine your body to be stronger, yet afraid to challenge the harder difficulty. Let''s rush in and y the terrorists!"


    "Ooh!"


    The brave knights, warriors, cultivators, priests, and rogue mages entered the anti-magic domain as reinforcements to help Luponia Magic Academy escape their predicament.


    The sh then urred between the reinforcements and the demonic practitioners.


    Guardian of Dream''s members only became spectators from the shadows as they received orders to focus on handling the Demon God about to descend.


    It had been a while since they met the sacred shrine priestess, their master, and savior. Moreover, they would witness her divine self in action soon. Thus, they didn''t care about other problems as they were there to do what they had to do.


    "Humph, you won''t seed, demon. I will kill you and stop your ns." The dean wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.


    "That''s what the old thing one step away from the grave would say. Your Saint-level secret protector can''t even do anything. Just stay still and watch our almighty ancestor descend into this world." The Grand Master-level ninja spun his scythe arrogantly.


    "..." The dean nced at his granddaughter, then the great elder, covered in blood on the ground.


    Hundreds of students had gathered in the middle of the demonic magic circle, and he had to save them immediately. However, the situation was still unfavorable even though he already could use magic, thanks to the talisman of resistance bestowed by the holy saintess.


    "You demon, you will pay for it! I will not forgive you."


    "I don''t need that."


    "Do you want to wage war with the Sacred Sakura Holy Land?"


    "I am the war!"


    "You are covered in countless sins and blood. Your crimes are unpardonable. Heaven will punish you."


    "Sometimes, I think about murder."


    The melodious voice of a pleasant young girl could be heard approaching from the main building. She argued with a ninja leader but was powerless under the sea stone handcuffs seal. The holy saintess had been caught!


    "Yo, boss! I''ve caught the big pretty fish here." Michael raised his hand to the 6th Rank ninja, the most potent enemy he could find in the surroundings.


    "Lady Miko!?" Lily-Mae was the first one to be surprised. She didn''t expect the holy saintess to be caught after sessfully breaking free.


    "Hahaha! Good, good. You did something good at least once, little junior." The Grand Master-level ninjaughed out loud with satisfaction.


    Ely and Michael kept getting closer to the primary magic circle in the middle of the training ground, but they stopped before setting foot there.


    The Grand Master-level ninja then approached with his gale wind footsteps. He observed this stunning beauty up close and raised her chin so she would look into his face. "Truly a magnificent work of art. It is unsurprising if she is called a first-rate beauty with no equals. Her worth, beauty, status, and background cannot bepared with any princess. Especially these pair of captivating purplish-blue eyes. I want to gouge them out and make them into ornaments."


    "Could you shut up? Your mouth stinks." Ely replied with a faint smile. She removed her sea stone handcuffs and immediately handcuffed this rude old ninja''s wrist. Her movements were so natural and swift that no one noticed before the lock clicked perfectly.


    *ck*


    "Hmm?" The Grand Master-level ninja looked at his wrist with an astonished expression. And then, he suddenly felt an intense pain in his groin. It felt like his balls cracked and his spirit hacked to pieces.


    *Whamp!*


    Ely kicked the old ninja in the groin with no mercy.


    "Argh! Kill her and offer her corpse to our God!" The Grand Master-level ninja held his ground and fell to the ground.


    "Hmph!" Ely stepped into the evil-looking ck magic circle.


    Her Mortal Field passive skill took effect, and the magic circle formation became unstable as the ck magic power constituents around her were suddenly forced to the mortal level.


    *Crumble* *Crumble* *Crumble*


    The magic circles shattered like broken ss as she casually strolled around them.


    The students and mages within the primary magic circle were stunned for a few seconds. The evil ninjas were all so shocked by what was going on.


    Their years of hard work to set up the formation and turn this academy into the summoning ritual ground copsed just because of this holy priestess'' presence? And they dared to consider this walking disaster the primary sacrifice offering?


    The moment Ely arrived at the central magic circle, she stamped her foot to the ground, and the entire formation shattered like thin, fragile ss.

 Chapter 21: Preventing the Demon God鈥檚 Descent

    <h4>Chapter 21: Preventing the Demon God''s Descent</h4>


    "The ck magic circle formation has been destroyed, and the anti-magic domain has partially copsed. Initiate a counterattack!" Ely dered hermand to her people.


    More than a hundred figures d in white and gold cloaks came from hiding to take down the demonic cultivators.


    "My magic power is back!"


    "I can use my magic again!"


    "It''s all thanks to the holy saintess!"


    "Revenge!"


    "Punish these evil people!"


    The academy''s mages also immediately wield their magic staff and sword to strike back at the evil ninjas.


    "It''s all because of you!" The Grand Master-level ninja charged at the holy saintess, but the dean immediately moved to intercept him.


    "You are not going anywhere. Your opponent is me." The dean summoned an earthen chain to shackle his opponent''s movements. Surprisingly, it was so easy to subdue the leader and mastermind, thanks to the sea stone handcuffs put on by the holy saintess.


    The situation was changed significantly since the anti-magic domain''s destruction. The oppressed mages were currently attacking and suppressing the demonic cultivators.


    *Rumble!* *Rumble!*


    Thunder rumbled in the spiraling dark clouds. The lightning sparks spread everywhere, and the temperature dropped significantly.


    The dense dark energy radiated out from the gap beyond the darkness. The heavenly thunder tried to prevent the inevitable, but the gate had been partially formed. The Demon God of Necromancy had expected the tribtion if he came to the mortal realm, but he wasn''t there unprepared.


    However, why is the dimensional gap so small?


    That question arose in the Demon God of Necromancy''s mind as the gap was only enough to see into the mortal realm like a face-sized window. He med his undependable followers.


    Look at that result. It was still under Ely''s prediction. She prevented the massacre before the ck magic circle was torn down. The sacrifice offering ceremony was thwarted, and she could proceed to the next stage and try to kill a God.


    The dimensional gate was notpletely opened, so she could still prevent the Demon God from descending if the Annihtion Star Formation and her most potent offensive artifact failed to kill him.


    "Hahaha! Cough, cough, the Demon God has arrived in the mortal world! With this, the Xuehui Blood Society will return to its former glory! Fill this continent with blood and sacrifice for us to ascend to the pinnacle!" The Grand Master-level ninja coughed out of blood due to the continued attacks from the dean, but he was the one whoughed in the end.


    "How could this happen? You crazy lunatic beyond saving. A Demon God, you say?" The dean turned pale as he finally understood that his situation was the worst


    As far as he knew, the strongest human alive was the Demi-God, but they were usually in seclusion. If the Demon God of the upper realm manages to descend, the world will fall into chaos. Humanity would suffer irreparable damage.


    "Activate the defense mechanism. This is not a drill or simtion. The Demon God will descend!"


    "Prepare to face the ultra-strong enemy. We have to prevent the Demon God from descending!"


    "Although the chance of us surviving is minuscule, we must buy time for reinforcements to arrive!"


    The senior mages cast several high-level protective magic to prevent the terrible sense of oppression from the dark magic from affecting the students. The instructors and teachers immediately activated the academy''s defense mechanism.


    The Lumina City''s great array formation was activated automatically as it detected the disaster ss threat. The massive dome-like barrier enveloped the entire city.


    The dark clouds gathered and formed a gigantic demonic-wed hand. It was like a bubble popped by a simple touch. The city''s dome barrier copsed when it made contact with the Demon God''s palm.


    At this rate, their academy would be destroyed, and they would be ttened by that palm. The dean, the senior teachers, and all the mages released their advanced magic to exterminate the Demon God''s hand without hesitation.


    Unfortunately, theirbined magic attack was like a gentle breeze before the simple move from a Godly being.


    "Is this the end?" The dean muttered softly as he stared at the approaching Demon God''s palm. He could see a sense of despair on the faces of everyone around him except for the demonic cultivators.


    He could only rely on the holy saintess to do something about this tricky situation as if there was hope.


    Ely pressed a piece of paper to her lips and blew a whistle with an inaudible frequency into normal human ears. However, the signal was as clear as crystal in the ears of the Apostles and the Guardian of Dream''s members.


    "Aleph." "Beth." "Gimmel." "Dallet." "Heyh." "Vav." "Zayin." "Heth." "Teth." "Yudh." "Annihtion Star Formation, activate!" Ely''s ten Apostles activated their S Rank holy artifacts in turn.


    A massive golden magic circle with hundreds of arrays was formed mid-air with Ely as the center. The Guardian of Dream''s members then activated their A Rank holy artifact and connected their power to the empty array spots. They amplify and strengthen the Annihtion Star Formation.


    Thebined ultimate technique of ten Apostles and 144 disciples was unleashed. The dark, cloudy day was suddenly lit with a blinding light as the concentrated destruction magic shot into the sky like a judgment beam of light.


    The Demon God''s hand vanished into ashes upon contact. The light continuously shot through the dark clouds, entered the small dimensional rift and shot the Demon God of Necromancy right in the head.


    "Aaaarrgh!" The Demon God roared in pain. It echoed thousands of kilometers away.


    The tremor was enormous, and the almighty God''s aura broke out to suppress everyone. This time, the Demon God of Necromancy was genuinely furious. He never thought that there would be an existence that could hurt him in the lower realm.


    "The ants should know your lowly ce!" The Demon God of Necromancy nned to eradicate everyone within his sight. He gritted his teeth while clutching his bloodied head, then made a grasping-like motion toward the city below.


    "Thebined attack of ten S Rank and 144 A Rank holy artifact should be able to deal damage equivalent to an offensive type SS Rank artifact. Then, let''s go all out. Seraphic Twilight Bow, it''s time for you to shine~" Ely aimed her SS Rank bow to the sky, then pulled the bow string. A twilight golden arrow manifested, and her white crystal bow was enveloped in an aura of fiery golden fire.


    She only has one magic arrow because of a whole month for its cooldown. Thus, she was not allowed to miss her target, even though it was her first time using the Seraphic Twilight Bow.


    The Guardian of Dream''s members received the signal, and theyunched anotherbined attack.


    *Pew*


    Ely released her magic arrow, passing through the central magic circle in the air. Thebined forces united to the twilight shooting star magical arrow piercing the sky.


    The light was not blinding, but it fascinated everyone who witnessed it. It was like a sun and stars making a clear straight fiery line from earth to heaven.


    *Swoosh!*


    A violent gust of wind swept the dark clouds into the dark gap, and the shooting star arrow pierced the void. The gap closed as soon as the light arrow passed through it.


    Ely and her disciples didn''t allow the Demon God of Necromancy to release another God-tier attack. The arrow had clearly hit the Demon God, but they had no idea what would happen to their target if the gate disappeared just like that.


    It was the true Annihtion Star Formation''s might,parable to the ultimate power of an SS+ Rank artifact. Not to mention, all were holy artifacts with +200% effectiveness against evil-rted things. That kind of attack could make even Demon God suffer, right?


    They had at least prevented the Demon God of Necromancy from descending upon the mortal world. Much more, they inflicted some heavy damage on that God. That was an incredible achievement for mortals. @@novelbin@@


    "..." Ely heaved a subtle sigh. She needed to discover whether shepleted the emergency quest in one condition or two.


    She was about to check her grimoire, but there was a better time.


    "Hmm?" Ely nced to the side and found many pairs of eyes staring at her.


    The students, senior mages, and teachers looked at her like she was a great spectacle worth countless sparkles and stars. The newly arrived reinforcements were also like that.


    She and her people prevented the Demon God''s descent into this world with something striking and breathtaking. However, she would retreat quietly while they were dumbfounded at what had happened.


    That was what she initially thought, but some people quickly regained theirposure and hurriedly called out to her.


    "Lady Holy Saintess, please wait!"

 Chapter 24: Dark Secrets

    <h4>Chapter 24: Dark Secrets</h4>


    Due to the presence of the sixth prince and seventh princess of the Imperial Family, no one dared to prevent the investigation team from breaking into the city lord''s mansion.


    Ely''s core disciples scrutinized the entire area as they disguised themselves as priestess or holy knight at that time.


    "I already said that all those rumors are groundless. My family can''t do all those things, right?" The city lord tried to defend his innocence to the prince and princess.


    "..." Princess Yan Fei raised her eyebrows as she couldn''t just believe this city lord''s words. She had to find the bottom of this incident.


    "We found an entrance to a hidden underground dungeon!" Someone called out from a distance.


    The surrounding experts immediately went to a secret warehouse. The hidden entrance to the underground passage had been opened and was heavily guarded.


    "What''s the situation?" Cao Yazhu felt suspicious about that secret entrance. He found the city lord''splexion turning pale, convincing him even more.


    "A scout team has gone inside to check the situation, sir." The elite knight saluted.


    "Let''s go. We will catch up with them and check the situation in person." Cao Yazhu beckoned the others to follow him.


    "Wait, this is the warehouse, and it is the passage to my secret wine cer. I-" The city lord tried to exin the situation. Still, the Saint-level expert wanted to refrain from listening to any exnation. Everything should be thoroughly investigated.


    Somewhere underground, Rafa led her team into the deepest dungeon as she wished to see the truth with her own eyes.


    Arriving at the destination, her expression became grim because she found no one alive. The subjects were killed, and the objects were obliterated to destroy the most gruesome evidence.


    "They moved quite quickly, but we didn''t give them time. However, who would have thought they would be so ruthless as to kill all the experimental subjects and bury them with all the failed subjects." Azrael crouched down and touched the ground to examine the secrets under the unusual mound of soil.


    They were buried three meters underground, along with hundreds of bodies of failed experiments. Unfortunately, the ominous aura from those who died unjustly still lingered everywhere.


    "There is a burial ground in the next chamber to dispose of the failed products of the past hundred years." Uriel cast magic and summoned several balls of light for illumination.


    "We''rete." Gabrie stared at Rafa, waiting for what the leader of this operation would say.


    "I want to kill them, but death would be too cheap for those evildoers." Rafa stared into a particr iron prison.


    She was once held there like a prisoner about seven or eight years ago. Her blood was taken day and night for a whole week.


    The young her could see the sunlight again because she was almost dead. Regardless, her fate suddenly changed when the priestess from Holy Church who came to treat her also decided to recruit her. The young her was finally able to get away from this hell.


    The Holy Church was admirable to her, but living there was unpleasant. If this family wanted her blood, the Holy Church desired her vitality. Both were terrible ces to remember.


    Fortunately, she now has a kind, benevolent, yet powerful master. Her Goddess Master. Everything else except anything rted to her master was no longer essential.


    "Then, we shall move ording to the original n. We have gathered enough evidence to demolish this family and overthrow the city lord." Gabrie put her hand on Rafa''s shoulder.


    "Oh, right... Master entrusted this to us and asked us to give it to the authority, right? What do you think is inside this pouch?" The veiled girl took out a pet pouch. Her crystal-like pink eyes glistened with curiosity.


    "Pet pouch? Perhaps, some evil ninjas are inside, Jophiel. Our master wants us to hand them over to the authorities? Isn''t now the time for that?" Uriel''s light purple glowed with sudden enlightenment. She understood her master''s intention.


    "Well, well! To think our master took the effort to capture them. We didn''t think of this before. Lumina Family will be doomed right away and be a public enemy. Release them here, then. We will let them escape to the surface and let those knights handle them carefully, keke." Azrael couldn''t help butugh at that sinister n.


    The Lumina Family would be severely punished for being involved with those evil ninjas.


    "Hmm?" Jophiel had just pulled on the pet pouch''s string, but it twitched and shook fiercely. She was surprised and threw it away on reflex.


    More than ten demonic cultivators jumped out of the pet pouch. However, they don''t have any weapons or belongings attached to their bodies. Apart from their outfit, there was nothing else.


    "Damn, where are we?"


    "Tsk, we managed to escape. Where did that holy saintess go?"


    "Did the other teams seed in summoning our Demon God? It worked, right?"


    "Dunno, but we need to get out of here soon. This looks like an underground prison."


    The demonic cultivators looked left and right in confusion. They immediately noticed ten people on the other side of the passage.


    "You people, hand over your belongings, and we will let you leave with intact corpses." The muscr ninja extended his hand. His weapons and belongings were gone, but he could loot from others here.


    "It depends on whether you have that ability or not." Michael took out a short sword.


    "An ignorant priest." The muscr ninja then made his move.


    *ng* *ng* *ng*


    A skirmish urred between the Apostles and the demonic cultivators. However, the former purposely did that to create an act.


    "A fight happened over there!" A holy knight shouted as he heard amotion on the other side.


    "As expected." Cao Yazhu frowned. He was already suspicious because this ce had a thick dead aura, and it seemed that even more heinous acts than the rumors had been happening here.


    The Saint-level mage led a team of influential experts to the source of the fighting sound. They were shocked to find about a dozen demonic cultivators engaged in a battle with the scouting team there.


    No one said anything, as everything had be apparent. They immediately attacked the demonic cultivators, and defeating those evil ninjas didn''t take a minute.


    "What''s the situation here?" Cao Yazhu pursed his lips while checking left and right. This ce looked like a secret dungeon, but some facilities had recently been destroyed.


    "This ce is a secret demonic experiment ground, sir. We found that many experimental subjects were just killed about an hour ago under this mound. Their blood is still very fresh. Also, a burial ground buried thousands of experimental subjects in perhaps thest few hundred years." Someone from the scouting team reported the situation.


    Azrael felt proud of that report.


    "What!?" Cao Yazhu and the other experts were shocked beyond measure.


    They then immediately checked the buried truth and dug into the ground. Cao Yazhu could already see what was buried there with his detection ability. Yet, it felt different when he saw the gruesome sight with his own eyes.


    "Please prepare a proper burial for them. I''m afraid they are people who have mysteriously disappeared in recent years." The Holy Knight Commander offered a prayer to the dead. He then asked his people to handle the rest.


    "Sir, a mass burial ground has been found in the next chamber, as reported. There are a lot of bones there, and probably some of them died hundreds of years ago." A knight saluted to report.


    "The Lumina Family involved themselves with demonic cultivators! They will receive severe punishment and pay a heavy price for all this." Cao Yazhu clenched his fists.


    At that moment, the ten Apostles had left the scene through another secret passage that led to the forest behind the mansion. They and the Guardian of Dream''s members involved in this operation immediately took a safe distance as they just needed to let the other parties finish the rest of the tasks for them.


    When the most gruesome dark secret hidden under the city lord''s mansion was exposed with undeniable evidence, Prince Yan Hui led an operation to arrest all members of the Lumina Family without exception. Not even cats and dogs were spared.


    Another corroborating evidence toplement the dirty dealings the family has been carrying out in thest decades was found in that mansion. Thus, that family was branded as criminals and escorted by a joint team from various backgrounds to be punished by Imperial Law.


    "..." Rafa felt lost because everything felt so easy and smooth, thanks to her master''s n. @@novelbin@@


    She originally wanted to handle this matter by herself, but her master said it wasn''t good for her mentally. The best action was to trigger the initial event and let the authorities do the rest for them. Lumina Family was doomed, and Lumina Family would be history starting tomorrow. Perhaps, all the family members would be executed like those demonic cultivators.


    Even though those people shared flesh and blood with her, she didn''t feel any empathy or sympathy at this moment. She looked at those who used to be called her family with a cold gaze. It was as if she couldn''t see them as humans anymore.


    A few momentster, Rafa turned around. "The matter here is over. Let''s leave."


    Gabrie responded with a nod, then everyone left the scene. Their master also already left since everything was concluded.

 Chapter 25: Suspended Animation

    <h4>Chapter 25: Suspended Animation</h4>


    Ely wrote a letter before she quietly left the scene for emergency reasons. The wind spirit took her away without anyone noticing it, and she returned to her hotel room.


    [Warning! Please find a safe ce to rest!]


    [Warning! Please find a safe ce to rest!]


    [Warning! Please find a safe ce to rest!]


    A red warning window popped out every three seconds due to an emergency.


    Ely''s body temperature rose drastically; her blood was like boiling water. It was a terrible fever. Her vision was blurry, and she staggered down. She rested her head on the bed as she had no more strength to move.


    Her consciousness then left her as she could not help it. She didn''t even have the chance toin. Her body was forced to ''rest'' after the sudden warning notifications. She tried her best to resist the urge to pass out before she got to safety.


    The Demon God of Necromancy was dered dead seconds ago, three hours after the ultimatebined attack of over a hundred holy artifacts.


    Because her stats increased so much at one time, the after-effect was expected to cause overheating. A temporary shutdown was required to protect her spirit and soul from harm. It was like a device with recently upgradedponents. Apatibility setting had to be done to make things work properly.


    "!!!" The wind spirit was in a panic when the holy saintess suddenly fell unconscious beside the bed. It tried to help her, but its elemental wind body heated into hot air instead.


    Her body was so hot! In terms of temperature, not something else, of course.


    The increasing air pressure and room temperature could be dangerous for the holy saintess. Therefore, the wind spirit blew a gentle cool breeze to cool down the room temperature.


    A few momentster, the door was opened. Gabrie and Rafa went inside because they wanted to report.


    Somehow, they felt a strange elemental phenomenon was happening in the bedroom. They rushed there and found their master copsed in a sitting position beside the bed.


    The air pressure was stifling because the hot temperature and cold air were trying to neutralize each other. It was easy to tell the wind spirit was nearby, even though they couldn''t see it.


    However, their master''s condition and situation were the priority.


    Gabrie came closer, but her finger skin burned when she made contact with her master. "Ouch."


    At that moment, she realized that the entire room might have been burnt down had it not been for the wind spirit''s efforts.


    "What exactly happened? Master, our master is fine, right? Why is master''s body so hot? She, she- Gab... Why isn''t master breathing?" Rafa checked her master''s condition as she spoke with a trembling tone. Her eyes soon filled with tears because she didn''t want to believe what her mind told her.


    Gabrie also had her own wild guess. Her master just released an ultimate attack that he strengthened by the Annihtion Star Formation to kill the Demon God.


    Heavenly Demon... Her master also received a heavenly curse, just like what happened to the Gods and Immortals, known as heroes, long ago. And currently, her master was between life and death because her master''s body was fighting that curse.


    "We''re going to do something about this." Gabrie moved her vulnerable master to a supine position.


    She took out a life-saving holy treasure to eliminate the heavenly curse. Unfortunately, the magic circle broke the moment it manifested. She just realized that she couldn''t use her qi or mana here! If so, how could she save her master!?


    Rafa noticed the panic on Gabrie''s face. She also tried casting high-level healing magic, but her spell copsed when it emerged.


    She checked her master''s pulse and breathed one more time. At that moment, she remembered that her master had the skill to nullify any qi or mana manifestation.


    "Please make it work, please make it work, please make it work..." Rafa knelt and then performed thirtypressions on her master''s chest.


    That was her first time doing CPR, but her master was still not breathing.


    Therefore, she immediately tilted her master''s head and pinched her master''s nose shut. She took a normal breath and made aplete seal over her master''s mouth with her mouth.


    She made sure each breathsted about a second and made his master''s chest rise, then let the air out before giving the next two-rescue breath.


    Rafa knelt beside her master and performed thirtypressions on her master''s chest.


    That was her first time doing CPR, but her master was still not breathing.


    Therefore, she immediately tilted her master''s head and pinched her master''s nose shut. She took a normal breath and made aplete seal over her master''s mouth with her mouth.


    She made sure each breathsted about a second and made his master''s chest rise, then let the air out before giving the next rescue breath.


    She repeated the thirty chestpressions and two rescue breaths until her hands and lips burned from her master''s boiling hot temperature.


    "Why isn''t it working?" Rafa muttered incoherently because of her burned lips. Her tears clouded her vision, but she couldn''t give up because she didn''t want to lose her master.


    What did her master teach her and the disciples with healing aptitude came to mind. Healing skill was a sacrificial technique to save someone''s life with one''s vitality. Unless the caster had a method to recover the lost vitality, it was bound as a suicide skill that eroded lifespan.


    Rafa then sealed her master''s mouth once again, sending her vitality directly into her master''s body because she currently couldn''t use her mana or qi.


    "Rafa, what are you doing? You have exhausted more than half of your vitality. We will find a way to heal our master. Please don''t be reckless!" Gabrie tried to stop Rafa.


    However, Rafa brushed her hand away and responded with a desperate gaze.


    It was like Rafa wanted to tell her senior that dying was okay if her master survived.


    ''Stop.''


    Ely''s whisper sounded straight into Rafa''s mind.


    Rafa heard it clearly, but she didn''t stop. She still supplied arge amount of vitality to her master''s body.


    ''Silly child, I said stop! I fall into suspended animation. My spirit is forced to wake up because of your vitality, but you will die at this rate, and I will cry. I''ll be fine in an hour or two. Do not worry.''


    ''Master, is it really you? Are you okay?''


    ''Yes, please heal your burns first. I will help you when I wake up.''


    Hearing that, Rafa stopped her desperate effort. Herplexion was already so pale, resembling someone with a terminal illness with not much longer to live.


    "You are so reckless! How can I exin to master if you die?" Gabrie immediately dragged Raf away from their master.


    Once outside the nullification zone, she used her life-saving treasure to treat Rafa''s burns.


    "I''m sorry, I don''t know what to do if our master leaves us. However, master told me about her situation just now." Rafa apologized. She fell into Gabrie''s embrace as she felt so weak right now.


    "I don''t want to hear your apology, but wait, master spoke to you? Was that via telepathy? What did she say?" Gabrie was surprised, realizing what Rafa was talking about.


    Rafa then told her sister about her master''s condition, and they both waited for an hour there.


    "..." Ely opened her purplish-blue eyes in a daze. She wondered why she was staring at the unfamiliar ceiling and lying on the floor?


    The surrounding phenomenon had vanished into thin air, and the wind spirit finally felt relieved because the holy saintess was fine. Or else, not even Heaven would grant forgiveness.


    "Master!" Gabrie and Rafa hugged their master. They were terrified that their master would leave them, but the relief of finding their master was alive made them emotional.


    "Silly child..." Ely touched Rafa''s forehead. She returned all the vitality this reckless disciple sent to her body.


    Rafa''splexion gradually returned to normal.


    Ely breathed a sigh of relief after ensuring that Rafa''s condition was satisfactory.


    She always reminded her disciples with healing skills to take care of themselves and restrain them from using that skill unless it was essential. There were healing treasures, life-saving artifacts, and many more to rece the use of that skill.


    And yet! Rafa chose to make unnecessary sacrifices to help her. She received the sentiment, but if she was toote to stop Rafa, she would cry in sorrow if she woke up and found her 2nd disciple''s cold body.


    *Snap*


    Ely flicked Rafa''s forehead. @@novelbin@@


    "Owie." Rafa held her forehead.


    "Don''t be reckless next time. Your master is not easy to die." Ely was angy, but her angelic face didn''t match it. Her relieved smile also betrayed her tone.


    "En, disciple understand." Raphael nodded in understanding. She could only do such a thing only for her master.


    "Is it hurt?" Ely checked Rafa''s condition to ensure everything was healing correctly. She reassured her disciples with some details. Then, Gabrie and Rafa reported the incident about the Lumina Family.


    "How do you feel, Raf-chan?" Ely sat on the bed next to Rafa.


    "Strangely, nothing, master... It''s as if they are no longer a part of my life." Rafa pressed her hand to her chest. She felt as if she was truly liberated and relieved from the burden of the past.

 Chapter 28: Their Thoughts

    <h4>Chapter 28: Their Thoughts</h4>


    "I was feeling nervous just now, but the holy saintess is incredibly easy to talk to and generous."


    "She''s called a holy saintess for a reason, you fool."


    "That''s good that we''re acquainted with her. She even asked her guardian to record our names!"


    "Holy saintess is much more beautiful and elegant than people describe. She is an angel from heaven! But oddly enough, I have no desire other than respect and reverence. I was motivated just because of her charming smile and pleasant voice."


    "Yes, she is probably from the upper realm. What do you think? Is the mortal realm capable of producing someone like her?"


    "Her conduct, talent, and power... She looks like a sixteen-year-old girl, but she possesses immense power. She exudes a faint holy aura even when she doesn''t do anything."


    "Holy saintess went to experience mortal life. Be aware of her seemingly no cultivation base. Powerful experts often hide their cultivation base and stuff."


    The people discussed their experiences, and all were about the holy saintess. They were honored to exchange words with such a lofty, nobledy.


    Moreover, the holy saintess didn''t have the slightest bit of arrogance typical of influential people. It was as humble as a generous saintess who was loved by everyone. She was like an auspicious omen.


    Even the Imperial Prince and Princess needed to be respectful and polite before the holy saintess.


    With that kind of importance, power, temperance, nature, and extraordinary abilities, it was no wonder her holynd sent hundreds of secret protectors to ensure her safety in the mortal world.


    Other holy saintess usually had a dozen powerful secret protectors at most. Not only that, other holy saintess couldn''t even bepared to Lady Miko at all. Lady Miko''s protectors possessed the power to topple an empire, no, the entire world!


    Well, but in a good way. Lady Miko was capable of protecting the world with that kind of force.


    The people at that meeting were convinced that Lady Miko was a young Goddess from the upper realm who descended to the lower realm to experience mortal life.


    "Raf-chan, I''m sleepy..." Ely closed her eyes in the carriage and leaned against Rafa''s shoulder. @@novelbin@@


    "Mm, please lean on my shoulder and rest, master. I will carry you to bed when we arrive at the hotel." Rafa put her hands around her master''s waist to ensure her master''s safety.


    "Huu... Huu..." Ely fell asleep shortly after. It was a tiring day, and she still needed eight hours of sleep, or she would be sleep deprived.


    Rafa looked at the twin moons in the starry night sky, lost in thought. However, her master''s soft breath instantly caught her full attention.


    She then secretly put her hand to her master''s and grasped it. She was a bit shy, but she was satisfied with that.


    Out there was no master-disciple rtionship as close as this one. Her master was literally seen as everyone''s mother... a family.


    Once they arrived at the hotel, Rafa used her shadow movement to carry her master into their room. Sheid her master down on the bed with the utmost care, then sat beside the bed.


    She originally wanted to change her master''s outfit but decided against it.


    That night, Rafa watched her master''s lovely angelic sleeping face until she identally fell asleep there.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    There was a knock on the bedroom door, and Raf immediately woke up with a trail of saliva at the corner of her mouth. She woke up and found her master was not in bed.


    "!?" Rafa panicked spontaneously, but the delicious smell wafted from the kitchen. She immediately came out and saw her master had just opened the entrance door.


    "You havee, Remi-chan. Pleasee in." Ely invited her tenth disciple toe in.


    "Please excuse me. Uhm, it smells so good, master. Did you cook breakfast?" Remiel sniffed around. Her fluffy tail wagged to the right and left. She was eager to taste her master''s delicacies.


    "Mm, yes. You''re up, Raf-chan. Come and join us." Ely also invited Rafa to the dining table.


    "Hmm-mm~" Remiel''s wolf ears perked up as she was excited. She came so early, but fortunately, her master was awake.


    "I will go with master, just the two of us." Remiel covered her mouth and whispered to her second sister as if she were proud.


    "Mm, please protect our master from those troublemakers." Rafa stroked her junior sister''s head with a smile.


    "Leave it to me." Remiel thumped her chest.


    "..." Ely felt warm seeing that kind of simple exchange. Among her core disciplines, Remiel was the most active in spending time outside.


    Her tenth disciple has a hair color simr to hers, ck with a slight purple hue when exposed to sunlight. Remiel was an adorable wolf-kin, or known in the Human Realm as a demi-human.


    For some reason, Ely could see Remiel''s cier-blue eyes sparkling joyfully. It was like a little puppy getting overly excited about something.


    A few minutester, breakfast was served at the table. Remiel waited for her master to lead the prayer before she proceeded to devour her meal.


    It was a bowl of meat and vegetable puree. Yet, she felt like she was flying and brought to a soft cloud cushion that was thick and chewy.


    The clouds of food then melted, and she returned to herself. She ate another spoonful of her master''s Heavenly-tier delicacies and felt enlightened by another kind of horizon.


    It was like another sense of excitement. Remiel and Rafa were too engrossed with their food enlightenment until they failed to realize their bowls were already empty and clean. Remiel even licked her spoon and bowl until they looked like they had just been washed clean.


    Ely then gave them another serving.


    "Master, you are a Heavenly Chef, the Goddess of Cooking." Remiel muttered in full appreciation.


    "Haha, thanks, but I''m not that great." Ely covered her mouth in a light chuckle. "Anyway, Raf-chan, Remi-chan and I will go to the Holy Church until the afternoon. Please notify all disciples to prepare to return to the Sacred Mountain."


    "Eh? All disciples?" Rafa was stunned for a moment.


    "Yup, all of them, including the 144 disciples. It''s been a while since I gave them some pointers and inspected their progress. I can''t be so partial and only pay attention to my ten core disciples, right?"


    "Ah, disciples understand."


    "Hmm, we must also calm down for a few days and cultivate. Please bring as many resources as possible, but don''t leave any risk to the businesses that the Guardian of Dream owns."


    "I will convey your wish to all the disciples soon, master."


    "Good, then please get going."


    Ely waved her hand, and Rafa immediately went to finish her task. It was great news for all disciples because their master would train everyone.


    "Remi-chan, are you wearing your Versatile Slime outfit?" Ely checked Remiel''s dress, and it was the slime artifact.


    "Mm, yes. Is there something wrong, master? It''s so practical and convenient!" Remiel spun around once to reveal her tightbat suit.


    "Hmm, I did remind him, right? Please minimize using that slime artifact, let alone for normal daily life. It drains your energy constantly, and real clothes are the best in most cases." Ely reminded Remiel like a worried mother.


    "..." Remiel''s wolf ears drooped as she felt guilty.


    "We''re going to the Holy Church too. I''m afraid your slime suit will turn to mush, and you''ll be left naked in that holy ce. Ah, if you don''t have any dresses to wear, we''ll go shopping before going to Holy Church. How about that?" Ely stroked Remiel''s head gently, but she was a bit down, recalling her dilemma.


    She wasn''t sure her spare dress would fit Remiel''s curvy body. Her female disciples had already grown into beautiful, gracefuldies with ripe bodies.


    As for her, she was immortalized at the age of sixteen! Her disciples were already taller than her. They could be considered her children, but she sometimes looked like the child in body heightparison.


    "Yes!" Remiel agreed excitedly.


    With that said, Remiel left with her master to go downtown to shop for some dresses and outfits.


    Once the bountiful shopping was over, Ely and Ramiel went to Holy Church with different identities. Ely was a painter, and Remiel was her assistant.

 Chapter 30: Holy Church鈥檚 Wrongdoing

    <h4>Chapter 30: Holy Church''s Wrongdoing</h4>


    "Holy saintess from Sacred Sakura Holy Land, your aplishment of repelling the Demon God from the upper realm is worthy of praises. Is there anything you desire from this gathering?" The God of Light went straight to the point as he felt it unnecessary to exchange pleasantries with the one he suspected of being a saintess from an upper realm.


    It was an all-gold light that formed a human figure. A man with long hair with a thick beard reaching to his chest.


    Ely felt the God of Light was not as omniscient as she thought. As Rafa said and suspected, this entity was nothing more than a projection of holy power. If the God of Light had a divine-like power, she was sure he would act as soon as the Demon God descended.


    Also, this God of Light''s sacredness was nowhere near her Goddess Master! Whether it was the divine appearance, sacred aura, or spiritual sensation. Everything was iparable!


    Where would the real God of Light be if this projection was never the real deal? Could it all be just a lie all along?


    "???" The God of Light''s projection was flustered because the holy saintess fell silent, looking at the ss wall and himself several times in a turn.


    [Xinos (FV: 5860) | God Of Light (Remnant) | 11th Rank Late Stage]


    [Favorability: 70%]


    [Talent: 5 Stars | UR]


    Ely looked at the ss wall painting again and found the status screen popped out before her vision. However, nothing appeared before God''s projection.


    Therefore, Ely brought her finger to her chest, touching the disguised telepathy talisman as she wished for a secret private talk. ''Pleased to meet you, the God of Light Xinos.''


    ''Huh!?''


    An entity within the ss wall was taken aback, feeling extremely shocked. No one could know his true name in the mortal realm, and no beings from this era should know that name.


    ''You, you, who are you? Are you someone from the second circle? What do you want?'' Xinos stuttered a bit as he felt anxious.


    ''I was hoping for a pleasant conversation with the human-friendly God.''


    ''Is that all?''


    ''Yes, and if you don''t mind, I have some confusion, and I hope you can enlighten me, honorable one. Can you grant this girl''s wish?''


    ''Exchanging information, and it''s a fair deal. I am also intrigued about you now. Speak, your real name isn''t Miko, right? Also, that''s strange... You are clearly aplete entity, but why do I feel you are only a fragmented soul with a broken spirit?''


    ''???'' Ely wondered what that meant, but she soon realized the real meaning of that statement.


    Thankfully, she hid her shock perfectly as she had long since epted her situation. That might be rted to her lost memory.


    ''Three questions and the answer must be answered honestly without hiding anything.'' Ely offered the deal, and the other party agreed with it.


    She then allowed Xinos to ask first.


    ''What is your true aim?'' Xinos asked his first question in a solemn tone.


    ''Fulfilling the requirement to save my family and friends.'' Ely answered honestly.


    ''What is your true identity?''


    ''My name is Ely, the shrine priestess of the Sacred Mountain. Miko is my other name.''


    ''...'' Xinos found no lie in this girl, but he could not understand this holy saintess'' origin!


    ''That''s your two questions. Now it''s my turn. First question. Please tell me, what do you know about heavenly curses?'' Ely immediately threw the question.


    ''Its origin came from the Heavenly Demon Gods from the previous circle that led to the second world''s destruction. If you have read the ancient bible, you may have heard more about what I am describing. However, it was a curse that cursed the souls of opposing Gods and would not disappear even into their reincarnations.


    Their bloodline and descendants are also inseparable from the curse. I don''t know in depth because I wasn''t involved in that great war, and I''m helpless if you want to ask for help regarding that kind of curse.''


    ''My second question. I realize that Holy Church is running inhumane experimentations, but why are you and your people doing that?''


    Ely didn''t know the details, but she felt her quest''s information should be brought to light soon. The Holy Chruch should not carry out such a heinous activity.


    ''Inhumane experimentations? That''s wrong because it''s actually their holy training. Humanity will prosper when we have countless healers and holy knights.''


    ''You are a remnant soul. You died in the previous world''s destruction, but you are not evil. You''re lying. But, why stain yourself with guilts and sins?''


    ''Ugh... Humanity needs someone to guide them. It is a blessing for those chosen even though it is necessary to go through a painful process.''


    ''And what price must be paid? Is it worth it?''


    ''...''


    Xinos fell silent. The price was too heavy for Holy Chruch to bear since it could be considered a heinous practice. Not to mention the war situation with the demon armies. He didn''t fully know everything, but he knew humanity was slowly being pushed back by the demon''s invasion.


    ''What do you suggest?'' Xinos chose to ask for advice.


    ''Please stop those inhumane experimentations. There is always a righteous path to train people to be stronger.''


    ''I''m afraid it will be difficult.''


    ''If I move to stop those experimentations, the situation won''t end peacefully. What is the difference between the righteous path and a demonic act? Please consider it one more time for everyone''s sake.''


    ''...'' Xinos then fell silent as he contemted something.


    He was indeed just a remnant soul, and the damage this holy saintess would cause could be too severe for his Holy Church if she decided to intervene.


    It took time to stop the project to spawn many disposable new healers and holy knights. But, the demons were still superior to humans even after a few decades. So, where was the point of errors?


    ''Why do so many humans switch to the evil path? Perhaps, there is something wrong with the conventional method, and it deviates from the righteous path all along? We found some Holy Church people on the side of the demons and demonic cults. You need to act to organize your people before it''s toote.'' Ely added a little, and she felt that was enough for the conversation.


    She already knew what she wanted to know from the conversation just now. She gave some suggestions because she felt God''s remnant soul was unaware of the situation.


    ''I will do something about it. The Holy Church and humanity will continue to prosper.'' Xinos considered several things, but the holy saintess'' request was difficult to fulfill, though it was possible.


    ''I''m relieved to hear that. You are the wise and powerful God. I hope humanity will be what you dreamed of.'' Ely''s eyes glistened like stars. She was surprised because the God of Light would hear her request.


    Truth be told, she still had no idea what kind of inhumane experimentations the Holy Church was carrying out.


    ''It will take time, but we will work to find the best solution. Before that, I would like you to wait and withhold all information regarding the Holy Church.'' Xinos was worried this holy saintess brought this confidential matter to the fore.


    It would be like the city lord''s fate, but it would be worse if the other churches from other Empires found out about this news. The impact was unimaginable.


    Fortunately, the holy saintess came and talked about it peacefully. So, he could do something about this.


    ''Okay. I will wait for future good news. Then, for my third question...'' Ely rubbed her hands.


    ''Huh!? You''re still so shameless to ask the third one after all that just now? I''m careless because I got carried away with the topic you brought up. Instead of that, I just asked two out of three.'' Xinos was irritated, but he couldn''t help it.


    ''No, no, this is the most important thing. The previous ones are just because your reaction is so big. It shouldn''t count. My next question isn''t anything sensitive. I just wanted to ask about the whereabouts of some people if you know about them.'' Ely responded with a pitiful tone, as if she was being treated unfairly.


    ''Sigh, alright then. Who do you want to find out? Is it about your family and friends?''


    Hearing that, Ely immediately mentioned several names. Unfortunately, Xinos did not know any people by the names she mentioned. She felt a bit disappointed, but she would definitely meet them soon.


    ''Myst question. If you fight against Demon and Evil Gods, how confident are you that you cane out victorious?'' Xinos used hisst question to uncover more about this holy saintess.


    Not to mention, this girl could repel the Demon God with just the 0th Rank cultivation base!? He was a God, but he could not see her real strength. He couldn''t believe it was as simple as a shrine priestess since she probably had multiple identities. @@novelbin@@


    ''I don''t know what to answer because getting ganged up on is unpleasant. However, my innate is rted to evil''s nemesis. All my techniques and moves are super effective against them.'' Ely was overwhelmed. She would choose to flee rather than fight a group of Demon Gods.


    ''I see, that''s good enough.'' Xinos could interpret something great and bright from the holy saintess'' answer. He felt now everything made sense as to how she could exert such unimaginable power against the Demon God despite being still in the lower realm.


    Ely stood up from her seat, gave a respectful bow, and bid her farewell.


    The God of Light projection gave his consent, then Ely walked away.

 Chapter 32: It Should be Me, not Them

    <h4>Chapter 32: It Should be Me, not Them</h4>


    It was already three days since Ely returned to her humble abode in the Sacred Mountain. She used her time to train her disciples at the training ground, absorb energy from spirit stones, hone her skills, and her daily life.


    And one of the most, she created various handicrafts, paintings, carvings, and so on to try to achieve a mastery of divine prowess. However, she had only made two heaven-acknowledged objects in the past three days.


    [Create anything with high artistic value recognized by heaven (81/1000)][Reward: Mastery of a divine prowess]


    ''Hmm, I don''t know what divine skill I can achieve after creating a thousand treasures like this. I can also make this a routine as my side assignment to fill my free time.'' Ely stared at an incredible carved wood golem and an illusory paradise talisman on the table.


    In thest five years, she created eighty-one products with high artistic value, but she had yet to learn which ones they were. She had made thousands of weapons, carvings, paintings, talismans, and many art-rted items.


    "..." Ely stored all her new products into her storage pouch, then turned to the side.


    More than a hundred disciples sat cross-legged under the morning sun as if meditating.


    And for the truth, they were in a dream illusory space where they needed to go through various obstacles and challenges of semi-realist illusions that would train their mental and spiritual strength.


    In the process, they would also cultivate their qi for martial arts and mana for magics to be stronger. They underwent different drills and pointers in thest three days, which drastically boosted their prowess since their master was there to provide direct instruction.


    That was one thing that made Ely envious because her strength was stuck forever, and any training was useless.


    Her onlyfort was she was blessed with countless treasures and some life-saving skills to ensure her safety. She could also craft some new treasures if she had the materials.


    "Rua." The sakura tree''s spirit gave a freshly peeled orange to Ely.


    "Thank you, Sakura." Ely took the orange and ate it.


    Sakura then flew up andnded on the seven-petal evesting sakura flower on Ely''s head.


    "???" Ely let Sakuray on her head, but a question arose. The usual sakura flower was five petals, but the one on her head had seven petals and was rtivelyrge.


    It was a life-saving treasure with unknown effects, but where Sakura got this flower was still a mystery because it was clearly not from the sakura tree.


    "Master, I havepleted the mind and spiritual trials." Gabrie came over covered in sweat. She was a bit mentally exhausted but was always the fastest to finish the trials in three consecutive days.


    "Mm, congrattion, Gab-chan. Here is fresh spring water and some snacks to replenish your strength. Please have a seat and regte your breath first." Ely gave a gift package to Gabrie.


    That reward would be given to her disciples whopleted the trials before noon. Gabrie was always the first to enjoy it.


    "Yes, master." Gabrie obeyed like a good, obedient disciple.


    She sat down, caught her breath, then opened her gift package to enjoy her master''s delicacies.


    *Psst*


    Gabrie opened the sealed bamboo ss, then sipped the spring water. She felt like freshness and life were flowing in her mouth and throat. Also, there was a pleasant tickling sensation from some tiny bubbles.


    "..." Ely just smiled to watch her first disciple''s behavior. Gabrie was simr to a child who ate her snack little by little to enjoy the taste longer.


    "Ugh, I''m one step slower than you. I''ll definitely beat you one day, miss good at everything." Rafa came closer with a fierypetitive spirit.


    "You are a hundred years too early to try to defeat me." Gabrie replied with a smirk.


    "Congrattions, Raf-chan. Your spiritual root and inner power advance to the next level. Your mental fortitude has be stronger too." Ely was impressed by Rafa''s progress. Her second disciple recently was almost able to beat Gabrie. Rafa was liberated and felt like a free spirit since the event four days ago at Lumina City.


    "I am honored, master." Rafa was satisfied. She also wondered why, but her cultivation has be much smoother now.


    Even though she failed to save the pitiful ones in that mansion''s secret base, the culprits have already received the harshest punishment they could possibly suffer. The victims also received a proper burial, and their spirits were sent away to the afterlife by dozens of priests from the Holy Church.


    She had gone through the hurdle of the past, then focused her entire being on the present and future only.


    The other disciplespleted their trials one by one and received the awaited reward from their master. @@novelbin@@


    However, some disciples were unable to finish their trials before noon. Thus, the pitiful disciple got no morning snack because it was already time for lunch.


    After lunch, Ely felt the top-tier spirit stone she put in her drawstring bag had disappeared into ashes. Her body absorbed the energy from that stone automatically, then she put another one there.


    It was like a passive ie. She could receive some MP and SP by letting the spirit stone of mid-tier quality or above close to her body.


    "The three training days are over, and you can stabilize your foundation first. Everyone needs to find their fortuitous encounter in the outside world for the next ten days." Ely announced her intention. It was basically the treasure hunt and resources gathering event.


    The ten Apostles and over a hundred disciples knew their master''s aim. They would refrain from participating in any big event for two weeks.


    However, their own fortuitous encounter? Their master wanted them to hunt for treasure while waiting for the next major operation! Thinking about it, it was their seasonal event.


    What they learned in thest three days also needed to be put into practice and honed in the outside world. Thus, it was the perfect opportunity to sharpen their skills.


    Ely then asked her disciples about their destination. Each of them mentioned a different ce.


    Ely also felt she needed to find her fateful encounter too. Her disciples would go on a treasure hunt. However, she had to immediately raise her stats to unseal her Goddess Master.


    She should also look for her friends because they might also look for her. Her memory was still blurry, and she wished to meet them because they might help her to remember her past.


    "I have been in the Northern Realm for years but have never gone far from the Sacred Mountain. The beasts and demons on this mountain are extremely docile, but it''s the wide, wild world outside. I think I will also need to go." Ely subconsciously muttered her thoughts, but Gabrie could hear them clearly.


    "Master, which ce would you like to visit?" Gabrie was concerned and curious.


    Ely blinked her eyes with a perplexed look. Apparently, her murmur was heard. She then looked up at the northern sky, then at the northwest. "It''s only a month or two before winter. I want to go to the northwestern region. The eternal winter mountains over there caught my attention. I want to collect some rare herbs."


    "Ah, how coincidental! It''s been a while, and I''ll be hunting in the Winter Forest, master. How about we go together? Our destinations are close." Remiel pped her hands together with eyes twinkling like stars.


    "No, the unnamed snowy northwestern forest is my destination. That ce holds many unexplored mysteries, and I am the best candidate to apany master in the snowy mountains." Uriel raised her hand and used her other hand to push Remiel aside.


    "Ara, isn''t your main goal the ancient ruins and the mysterious freezing cold secret realm? The snowy mountains are my treasure-hunting destination." Jophiel stood before her fifth sister so her master would look at her.


    "Huh? But, you aim to investigate the noble beast and lofty demi-human in the northern snow mountain region."


    "We call them beastkin in the Northern Realm. The north and northwest are close, and the snowy mountains stretch wide. I am the most suitable to apany our master''s journey. There is no argument."


    "It leveled as only beastkin in this Northern Realm because no one cared about the name difference. Humans differentiate between them because the beastkin is a humanoid with significant beast features. There is also demonkin, and so on. Meanwhile, the demi-human is basically a human with a minor beast or any non-human features."


    "Remi will go with master! Fifth sister and sixth sister not allowed to argue!"


    Uriel, Jophiel, and Remiel argued because they wanted to be chosen to apany their master''s journey. The hunting ground was close to their master chosen ce, so they fought over it.


    "Uh?" Ely just found out about the naming difference.


    However, some beastkin and beast could transform into human, therianthrope, and beast forms. Such a naming distinction was actually redundant in the Northern Realm. Demi-human was literally half-human.


    If she had to choose, she would prefer to call them beastfolk, or to be more specific about their species. For example, the wolfkin Remiel.


    Gabrie then raised her hand as she wished to volunteer to apany their master''s journey. Yet, the three sisters ganged up on her because she had chosen a destination near the border of the three major realms.


    Therefore, even the first sister could not say much.


    "All right, no need to argue. The four of us will go hunting together then. It''s a ten-day trip, and we''ll all leave tomorrow morning." Ely put her hand to her forehead. She originally wanted to go alone, but having a disciple apany her was excellent.


    Unfortunately, her three core disciples fought over that position, and she couldn''t y favoritism here. Since she couldn''t choose one, then why not all three? Since their hunting destination was close to her chosen ce of interest, it was okay.


    "Yes!" Uriel, Jophiel, and Remiel immediately reconciled. They got along well and answered in unison.


    "It should have been me, not them!" Azrael knelt down, hitting the ground. He felt somewhat regretful for choosing the border between the Demon Realm and the Northern Realm in the southwest.


    He was the best candidate to apany their master in treasure hunting because of his skills. Not to mention, he could order his entire organization to do some tasks too. However, good luck came to his junior sisters... not just one, but three of them!


    Among the three male disciples in the Apostles, he was the most enthusiastic about such an opportunity because he could show off his prowess and impress his master. However, it had been three months since then.


    To apany their master''s journey was a blessing as they received so much enlightenment, guidance, and opportunity in action!

 Chapter 33: Disguised as Nine-Tailed Fox

    <h4>Chapter 33: Disguised as Nine-Tailed Fox</h4>


    Before the day changed, Ely asked her core disciples about the most revered creature in the Northern Realm. Their answers varied, but she finally made up her mind after asking her grimoire.


    Her prayer got a single answer, and she immediately prepared herself for her disguise when morning came. She was no longer a holy saintess but would still y her role as a big shot because her goals never changed.


    Rather than pretending to be weak and letting some random passerby prey on her, it was better to pretend to be strong, even if it was just a paper tiger.


    It was much safer for a 0th Rank girl who could only rely on items and artifacts.


    The possible enemies would be wary, and she could also get twinkles and sparkles from her disciples. A master had to look strong without showing weakness, after all. Or else her disciples would try to bite her after discovering she was so weak without her magic items and artifacts.


    "Hmm-mm~" Ely used her transformation innate skill to ensure her disguise reached perfection. A pair of fox ears popped on her head, and nine fluffy fox tails on her low back.


    She then changed her clothes to match her new identity. It was a fancy priestess-like outfit with a starry night motif, plus lots of cold resistance artifacts that served as ornaments thatplemented her current appearance.


    After that, she looked at her reflection in the mirror to do a little makeup on her face with eyeliner. She did a wless makeover for her bewitching foxy eyes and the two pairs of whisker marks on her cheeks.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    The bedroom door was knocked. Ely gave her permission but still looked in the mirror to reconfirm whether her current appearance resembled that of the legendary nine-tailed fox girl.


    "Excuse me, master. I brought you a report regarding the events in thest three days. The demonic cults-" Gabrie entered with a document in hand. She looked up to look at her master but was soon stunned to find a breathtaking nine-tailed fox girl resembling her master there. "Who?"


    "Gab-chan, how do I look now?" Ely spun around once in a slow, elegant motion.


    "Ma, Ma-master!? Why, why did you suddenly be a nine-tailed fox?" Gabrie examined her master from top to bottom.


    She was sure her master''s fox ears and fluffy tails functioned like a real deal, not ornaments. This level of disguise was indeed beyondmon sense. It was as if her master was actually a legendary nine-tailed fox from the beginning.


    "It would be troublesome to travel in the Northern Realm as a human, right? The beasts and demons in this mountain are extremely friendly, but we never know in the outer regions." Ely responded with an innocent expression.


    "Uhm..." Gabrie had nothing to say. The beasts and demons in this Sacred Mountain were extraordinarily docile because of her master''s presence.


    They settled on this mountain because it was very suitable for cultivation due to its dense and thick spiritual energy. Apart from doing odd jobs, they indirectly protected this mountain from invaders or distress.


    So, it was reasonable for her master to disguise herself as a demi-human for a convenient cause.


    Moreover, her master''s current appearance was so fascinating and tempting. She actually wanted to hug and caress her master''s tails, but she held herself back.


    "Also, it would be embarrassing every time to get cynical usations like... Human! What are you doing here? Look, I also made some animal ear headbands for everyone." Ely showed a box with lots of headbands in it.


    "Disciple understands." Gabrie was enlightened. It would invite unwanted hostility if those overlord beasts found a human roaming their territories.


    "You may have one. Here you go." Ely put a golden blonde cat ears headband on Gabrie''s head.


    "Ah, thank you, master. Your appearance is captivating, master. I''m afraid your charm will be out of bounds now." Gabrie burned her master''s current nine-tailed fox appearance into her memory.


    She then touched her headband. It looked like she had suddenly be a demi-human, a cat girl. Her master''s fox ears perked up as if telling her master was excited.


    It could even twitch and move a bit like a natural fox''s ears! It was never a headband in the first ce! @@novelbin@@


    If she didn''t know her master better, she might have believed her master was a legendary nine-tailed fox from the beginning.


    At that moment, Gabrie remembered that her master was a Goddess-like existence. Her master could transform into another race without any restrictions. So, everything was reasonable.


    "Hm-mm~ thank you for yourpliment. So, what report were you talking about earlier?" Ely was pleased because she put much effort into her new identity. She then discussed the previous topic while ncing at the document in Gabrie''s hand.


    "This is a report regarding a major event that urred in the Human Realm after we retreated to the Sacred Mountain, master." Gabrie handed over the document.


    "Hmm..." Ely examined it briefly.


    Something that caught her attention was the Lumina Family''s expulsion from the Empire. Yet, it ended up being a public execution by many orthodox sects.


    Then, a coborative program between the major forces and the Imperial Family led by the 6th prince and 7th princess.


    Thest one was about the holy saintess from the upper realm. Her identity as a holy saintess had spread throughout Human Realm. She could also get many privileges and special treatment when she visited Human Realm in the future, especially the Great Yan Empire.


    By doing so, she might meet her friends sooner.


    Unfortunately, Ely forgot that she used her stage name instead of her real name.


    "Hm? A giant secret realm will fully appear next month? The portal has already manifested, but the gate hasn''t opened yet? The humans and demons at the border stopped their meaningless battle for this event." Ely found one exciting piece of information.


    "Yes, master. Estimated next month. Would you like to send us to explore that secret realm when the timees, master?" Gabrie put her hand to her upper chest as she was worried, and it was apparent on her face. She knew it was definitely not an ordinary secret realm.


    "Mm, we''ll talk about it again in ten days. We still have time to prepare ourselves for that mysterious secret realm." Ely confirmed it with interest.


    The secret realm attracted the attention of two opposing sides, and the war had to stop temporarily. She wondered what kind of ce awaited beyond that portal realm.


    Ely then asked implicitly about Rafa''s response to information regarding the Lumina Family. Yet, Gabrie responded casually as if Rafa no longer cared about that family''s fate.


    Hearing that, Ely wanted to confirm it with her Sacred Vision. She found Rafa in the middle yard, enjoying morning tea with other core disciples.


    Like what Gabrie said, Rafa''s spirit was calm as ever. So, those matters could no longer bother Rafa''s state of mind.


    "You woke up so early. Are you excited to set off for the seasonal treasure hunt?" Ely greeted with a smile, but her focus was on Rafa.


    The nine disciples immediately looked at the source of the pleasant voice. Instead of their master, they found a charming legendary nine-tailed fox girl that resembled their master there.


    They were stunned for a few seconds. Questions were asked, and Ely responded with amusement. So, her disguise for her new identity as the nine-tailed fox was perfect.


    After that, Ely distributed animal ear headbands to her core disciples as a small gift.


    She also distributed some life-saving talismans to all of her disciples.


    "..." Azrael already knew his master was already so mesmerizing and captivating, the peerless angelic beauty. However, her current appearance brought her charm to another level.


    His only worry was his master would bring some lechers and savages who were after her beauty and body. After all, this was the wild Northern Realm.


    However, his attention was suddenly drawn to his master''s fluffy tails swaying left and right.


    He once thought it was the fake tails tied at her waist, a buttplug, or something. However, it was the functioning tails like his tenth sister''s wolf tail. This was no longer a disguise but a perfect transformation.


    "Hm? What''s wrong, Azra-kun?" Ely looked behind her, but no one was there. She wondered what her fourth disciple was observing.


    "No, it''s nothing. You have to be very careful on your journey, master." Azrael was flustered and immediately shifted the topic to the three lucky sisters. "You three, please look after master well. I won''t forgive you if master gets a scratch, even if it''s only a little."


    "..." Jophiel didn''t respond because she was still mesmerized by her master''s charm and beauty.


    "It goes without saying." Uriel nodded lightly.


    "Master, you are invincible, but I, Remi, will do my best for you!" Remiel grasped her master''s hand with excitement.


    "Um, understood. Please take care of me." Ely was appreciative of Remiel''s passion.

 Chapter 35: Saving Hero in Distress

    <h4>Chapter 35: Saving Hero in Distress</h4>


    The fertile brownnd filled with green trees soon changed into a semi-snowyndscape with cold temperatures. The snowy mountains were visible in sight, and Ely was happy because she found a very suitable quest and aligned with her main goal there.


    [Save a particr young hero in distress near snowy mountains][Reward: Medium-quality Vitality Herb]


    In the past five years, she only managed to possess no more than four vitality herbs, and two of them were from her reliable disciples.


    It was an extremely precious herb that could only be found in the extreme region, but one''s would need super high luck to find it.


    Apart from being able to recover one''s vitality and extend lifespan, it could also be used as a second life at a critical time. Under uncertain future circumstances, Ely wished to have more ultimate life-saving treasures and some emergency aid for her disciples.


    Being killed or spiritual energy exhaustion wasn''t the worst end situation for a healer, but the depleted life essence due to excessive use of healing skills. It would lead to death, but the ability user would never notice before it was toote.


    Apart from that, she didn''t want any of her 154 disciples to die for any reason. They had to help her, and she would never allow them to die.


    "Master, you want to find vitality herbs for disciples with healing skills, right?" Jophiel nced at her master''s grimoire, but she couldn''t read anything because it was just nk paper.


    "Those are emergency measures for all of us. We only have four at home. However, we can only harvest a few leaves or flowers every half year. Cultivating them is a long-term benefit. However, we need at least two more. That way, we can have the required materials every month." Ely couldn''t help it. She had 154 gifted disciples to feed, and the demand for safety purpose was always there.


    They were more than capable of everything. However, most of their artifacts, elixirs, potions, pills, and techniques came from her.


    "Master, you are so considerate of all your disciples. In the whole world, it''s only you who treat your disciples like family." Jophiel hugged her master''s arm.


    "You say that as if you''ve explored all corners of the world, Jophi-chan. If you stick to me like that, you won''t be able to umte enough merits in this treasure hunt. Don''t you want something from the treasure house?" Ely closed her grimoire while looking around carefully.


    As stated on her quest list, she had to find a particr hero in distress.


    "Fufu, others can gather treasures and resources, but I only need to collect them with charm. I have enough time to secure my top ten spots, master. You don''t need to worry."


    "Treasure charm? Does such a technique exist?"


    "Uhm, that''s just a figure of speech, master. I want attention and love from you right now. Please let me be a spoiled little girl once in a while. I will be a good girl afterwards."


    "Hmm... I''ll let it pass this time. Come here, little girl. Let your master spoil you a little."


    Ely permitted Jophiel to act like a spoiled little girl asionally. If she remembered Jophiel''s past that she saw during the purification, she couldn''t help but pay extra attention to this demoness-like pink elf. Or else, this pink elf might be led astray with no path of return.


    She actually didn''t want to recall it ever again.


    It was genuinely gruesome for a lone little girl with charm demon abilities. She even had to erase her sixth disciple''s memory. Luckily, Jophiel reformed a new pure body after purification, a brand new life without the need to get involved in what happened in the past.


    This demoness-like pink elf was her sixth core disciple, her precious and lovely children. She would guide this girl to the right path.


    "Hm-mm~" Jophiel thenid her head on her master''sp with a giggle. She looked into her master''s face, but her master''s twin peaks blocked the view. "Master, when will I be able to put my charm skill set under control?"


    [Jophiel (FV: 1980) | 5th Rank Early Stage]


    [Loyalty: 94%]


    [Talent: 3 Stars | SR]


    Ely nced down, checking Jophiel''s status screen. "Let''s see when your talent advances to the next level. It would be best if you learned more about your innate ability. Sometimes it gets out of control and makes everyone around you like horny beasts."


    "But, I''ve tried hard to control my innate abilities, master."


    "It''s not just about effort or hard work, but about how you understand yourself. A person has one body, soul, and spirit. However, not everyone can link everything under control."


    "Master, please enlighten me."


    "First, you need to understand yourself as you are. At this point, you might be able to find your other self, something called your alter or heart demon."


    "What should we do when we meet our alter, master?"


    "There are three paths you can take. Conquer it, understand it, or befriend it."


    "Disciple understands." Jophiel was enlightened, but there was a question running through her mind. "Master, in your case, may I know what you did to your alter or heart demon?"


    "..." Ely was silent momentarily because her memory was still a bit hazy, but she could feel a sense of Deja Vu. She thought her alter could be associated with her close sister, but had she ever met her alter?


    "That is the third option. The best solution but also the hardest. She is as close as my sister." Ely answered casually, even though there was doubt in her mind.


    "O-oh~" Jophiel was amazed. Her gaze was full of stars and sparkles.


    It was as expected of her beloved master. Instead of eliminating the alter or heart demon, converting it into an ally was always better.


    Jophiel''s objectives increased by one. She had to better grasp her abilities soon to rank up her talent like her second sister. That way, she could help her master more than ever.


    "Fufu, hehe~" Jophiel couldn''t help but chuckle at that thought. Raising one''s talent wasn''t impossible. She might achieve it sooner than expected since she had ten days of private time with her master.


    "What are you thinking with that weirdugh?" Ely pinched Jophiel''s cheek.


    "No, it''s nothing. Master, I wuv you~" Jophiel held her master''s hand. She was fond of this kind of exchange.


    "You don''t want to talk? See how I make your cheeks into the dough." Ely grabbed Jophiel''s cheeks.


    *Boom!* *Rumble*


    A fierce fight urred not far from their location. Ely immediately asked the light spirit to fly closer to the source of the explosion. "Let''s check it out."


    Several beastkins and demi-humans hunted one white tiger boy as if the hunters would never back down before catching their target. They wore simr brown taoist robes. So, they clearly came from the same sect.


    The white tiger was still rtively young. He kept running and fending off every enemy''s attack until he could no longer escape the pursuit. He was surrounded by his fellow disciples.


    "Bai Yuchen, hand over what should be handed over! Leave nothing behind and hand over everything. We will consider letting you leave alive."


    "Haha, the so-called genius can''t do anything before us. He just boasted far too much."


    "Where did your arrogance go, little cub boy? You are more like an insect than a tiger now. You need strength to own and protect a treasure, yet you possess none to secure anything."


    "Yeah, this big brother is offering you a hand to secure it."


    A group of beast cultivators sneered at the white tiger boy. Their target was injured, and there was no way to escape.


    "You shameless inner disciple with no sense of morals! Do you want to rob your junior? Go to a secret realm and find your own treasure! What I got there is mine!" Bai Yuchen growled in exasperation.


    His cultivation realm was iparable to the bullies who surrounded him. It was also hard to escape in his injured and exhausted state.


    "Speak no more nonsense. Let''s beat him up first, then snatch his treasures. He is so cocky and overbearing just because an elder called him a genius, but he is just an outer disciple."


    "Yeah, let''s teach him a lesson as good seniors."


    The bullies immediately attacked, but the cornered white tiger desperately struggled as hisst resort. "You leave me with no choice!"


    *Bam* *Bam* *Boom* *Thud* @@novelbin@@


    Unfortunately, a Core Formation cultivator was no match for a group of Golden Core and Nascent Soul seniors.


    "Ugh, no! Cough!" Bai Yuchen fell to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He could only watch the bullies snatch his storage pouch.


    His spiritual roots were damaged, and his dantian was cracked, almost crippled. He managed to defeat two seniors, but it was too much to handle nine powerful bullies simultaneously, even though he possessed great luck and heaven-defying abilities.


    *Tinkle* *Tinkle*


    A pair of bells tinkled faintly, and the bullies immediately fell to the ground, unconscious.


    "What a mess. A group of seniors ganged up on their junior in the middle of a secluded snowy forest?"


    A soft yet soothing voice sounded closer. Bai Yuchen nced reflexively at the source of the sound and noticed a mesmerizing foxdy approaching.

 Chapter 38 Long Lost Friend

    <h4>Chapter 38 Long Lost Friend</h4>


    "..."


    "..."


    Ely and the snow foxdy looked at each other without uttering anything. The former gave up her futile resistance because she couldn''t move now. However, thetter was waiting for the movement sealing talisman''s effect to wear off.


    Ely felt her luck struck her at the wrong moment. She had already prepared for this kind of encounter with another legendary creature.


    She was mentally prepared since she decided to disguise herself as a nine-tailed fox. However, she didn''t expect this kind of situation.


    She couldn''t appreciate this snow foxdy hugging her so tightly. If she may say it, she was actually scared. The gravest situation for her weak self was caught with zero motion distance.


    She had no idea why this authentic legendary nine-tailed fox would go so far as to catch her like this. Yet, she could now confirm the snow foxdy had no malicious intent.


    That pair of bright yellow, almost golden, entrancing eyes also showed no hostility, only a pure yet profound desire for something inexplicable. However, there was also considerable curiosity and unknown emotional outbursts.


    ''I''d better listen to her first! Ely made up her mind.


    [Yuuki (FV: 6970) | 9th Rank Peak Stage]


    [Loyalty: 99%]


    [Talent: 5 Stars | UR]


    When Ely checked this snow fox''s status screen, she found that it was a bit strange. Loyalty would only appear for her disciples and her people. It would still make sense if it was Favorability... She and this snow foxdy were supposed to beplete strangers.


    And yet, it was Loyalty, and ny-nine!?


    This legendary snow fox was a Demi-God with five stars talent! Not to mention that FV was the highest one she''d ever seen. Not even the God of Light possessed such a high number.


    "Gulp..." Ely was nervous.


    ".." The snow spirit didn''t even know what to do. The snow fox pinned down the blesseddy, but the former only looked emotional and didn''t intend to do anything evil.


    "Have you calmed down?" The snow fox took a deep breath and regained her calm.


    "I''ll bite you to death if you try to do something sus. I can''t beat you in a contest of physical strength but don''t think my power lies there. I''m actually super duper powerful." Ely bared her teeth to intimidate. She only needed to make a small gap to take her artifacts out. It would determine her victory.


    "How cute. Yes, you''re super duper powerful. Then, can we talk now? I want to discover the truth." The snow fox curved her lips into a subtle smile.


    She felt this shadow fox was too adorable. This shadow fox''s hair and fur were midnight-ck but purplish in hue when exposed to light, a unique shadow fox.


    Even if this shadow fox was unrted to the person she was looking for or had nothing to do with anything, she would try her best to recruit this shadow fox under her banner at all costs. It was dangerous for a fox-kin to roam alone, especially for such a beauty. "What do you want? If you can help me find a particr herb, I can answer your question. You are a local, right? Legendary snow foxdy?" Ely sighed as she saw her movement sealing talisman''s effect going to expire in a few seconds.


    "Alright, then tell me your name." The snow fox brought her face closer.


    "Miko." Ely answered spontaneously.


    "Hmm~ Is that your real name?" The snow fox just wanted to make sure. She stared deeply into the shadow fox''s captivating purplish- blue starry night sky eyes as if she wanted to discover the truth from one''s soul.


    "..." Ely was resolute, but she turned her face to the side because the snow fox''s face was too close to hers. "You are too close, snow foxdy. Can you please release me now?"


    "No, you are not honest, but you are not lying either. Please tell me your real name. Do not be afraid. I won''t eat you, little sister." The snow fox spoke softly near the shadow fox''s foxy ear.


    Ely trembled as it was ticklish. The other party was adamant about knowing her real name. She had no choice, and her name came out of her mouth reflexively. "Ely."


    "E-eh?" The snow fox was startled beyond measure. She propelled her body to sit up and looked at this shadow fox again.


    After that, she examined the shadow fox''s hands, arms, and left chest area using her magical eyes. She tried to see Ely''s heart and spirit.


    It was faint, but she could feel her spirit resonate with Ely''s. There was a dormant spiritual connection.


    "Wha-what are you trying to see?" Ely covered her breasts with both hands.


    "Your name is Ely, right? May, may I know... do you remember me?" The snow fox tried her best to remain calm, but her emotions got the better of her.


    ?


    "..." Ely shook her head as she felt something was wrong with this snow fox. This snow fox might have an acquaintance that resembled her in appearance?


    "Not even my name?" The snow fox bit her lower lips.


    Ely didn''t know why, but she couldn''t bear to see this snow fox sad. Her mouth then blurted out a name spontaneously. "Yuu- Yuuki?"


    "I know, right! You, you remember me. You are Ely, Ely! I was doubtful before, but you must have a reason and story. I''ve been looking for you for the past five years...." Yuuki wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. She held Ely''s hands with a genuine smile on her face.


    If a third party saw her current expression, they would be surprised because the frozen cold beauty smiled genuinely like a happy girl.


    Ely finally could connect the missing dots. This snow fox was probably someone who knew her in the past. Her long-lost friend! However, she couldn''t remember everything because her memory was still hazy. "I don''t know if I am the same person as the one in your memory. Can you tell me who I am?"


    "You lost your memory? You are my family, Ely." Yuuki stared at Ely''s disoriented expression.


    She wanted to say everything and poured her heart out. Yet, she realized the one before her was notpletely Ely. Ely''s nine-tailed fox appearance was clearly just a disguise with perfect transformation, one of Ely''s divine-like skills.


    The one before her was Ely, but not entirely Ely. It would exin why she felt a sense of familiarity, but her spirit didn''t get a response from Ely. The spirit connection was still dormant.


    Before meeting the ''true'' Ely, she didn''t dare to say much because there were too many unknown variables. However, she already put this shadow fox as part of her family. The one that she had to protect with everything.


    "That is not fair... Please tell me about our past." Ely widened her eyes in surprise, but she was happy because she might be able to discover more about her past.


    Yuuki then exined a few things about their past to gain Ely''s trust, but not everything in detail.


    Ely and Yuuki tried to peer deeper into each other''s situation, and finally, they got each other''s trust. The past stories exchange matched with what they remember.


    At first, they were suspicious of each other, but they eventually became best friends who had not seen each other for a long time. Yuuki was a distinguished elder of Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce, the holynd of the extreme north with over a thousand talented disciples of various races. While Ely was the shrine priestess of the Sacred Sakura Holy Land.


    Yuuki searched for Ely throughout the entire Tearobis Great Continent and hundreds of secret realms in the past five years.


    However, Ely had suffered from partial memory loss and had never left far from Sacred Mountain.


    To think the person she was looking for was just a short distance from her current location... Yuuki wanted to learn more, but she''d better take one step at a time.@@novelbin@@


    ''I''ve found Ely. I must inform the others soon, but I can''t leave her. Because spiritual telepathy is still not working, our Goddess Master is still sealed in the Sacred Sakura Holy Land. I have to go there..! Yuuki made up her mind from the conclusion she drew.


    "Ely, you want to find a herb, right? I''ll help you. But may I know what you''re looking for specifically?" Yuuki offered a favor as promised.


    "Vitality herb." Ely was pleased with that help.


    ?


    "All right. I have one in Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce. You may have it. Let''s go there with me."


    "Okay!"


    "You don''t suspect me at all?"


    "I can see the truth. Your soul is pure. So, you can''t possibly trick me."


    "Eyes of Truth? I see..."


    Yuuki was about to take Ely to fly, but her umted spiritual energy suddenly soared.


    She was on the verge of a breakthrough, but because of meeting Ely, her state of mind couldn''t get any clearer. Her umted energy pushed her to ascend right away.


    *Boom!*


    Yuuki broke through to 10th Rank on the spot. The impact caused a towering explosion, and Ely was again buried in the snow.

 Chapter 39 Who Gave You the Courage?

    <h4>Chapter 39 Who Gave You the Courage?</h4>


    "It was my fault. I already apologized... Please don''t give me this kind of silent treatment." Yuuki couldn''t stand Ely''s silence for that long.


    Ely heaved a subtle sigh as she couldn''t feel angry for long. She then nced at Yuuki and took on this nine-tailed snow fox''s overall look.@@novelbin@@


    Yuuki was an attractive foxdy d in a traditional white icy robe with multipleyers. A crown-like ice circle adorned her head as if she was the Empress of the snowy region.


    Her long sparkling white hair cascaded down below her hips, skin as white as snow, and bright amber, almost golden, foxy eyes entuated her mystic charm as a legendary being.


    Yuuki''s beautiful appearance resembled an untouched exquisite flower in the middle of an icy meadow. However, her power seemed to say she was the Tyrant Empress of Extreme Ice.


    That was Ely''s first impression of the cold beauty before her.


    "That was the second time you buried me in the snow. Also, my firstyer of protection was destroyed because of you. It''s good that you didn''t show any malice, or you might turn mush." Ely showed the pieces of her broken artifact.


    "What can I do? You keep running away, and I''m desperate to catch you. Do you still have another eightyers of protection? But I will take care of you if you get hurt." Yuuki shifted her gaze to the side because she felt guilty.


    "Never mind. So, your holynd is at the highest peak, the ground above the ice clouds?" Ely looked up at the tallest mountain covered in the thick cold fog. She couldn''t imagine how a holynd could be present on the clouds above that mountain.


    "Yeah, I''ll take you there. But that''s not my holynd. I''m just a distinguished guest elder there. They can never ever control me." Yuuki tapped her Ice Lotus, telling it to fly faster.


    "Nee, Ely... Please tell me. You are a human, but why did you disguise yourself as a nine-tailed shadow fox?" Yuuki asked in a mellow voice. She was concerned about something and worried that Ely would get into trouble.


    "That''s because we''re in the Northern Realm where beastkin and demi-humans rule. Hehe, even a Deity can''t see through my disguises. I feel proud of my skills." Ely felt proud of her skills, but her face implied, ''Isn''t that obvious?''.


    "I see... Then, let me remind you, Ely. The fox-kin, especially the nine-tailed fox, can be considered the best furnace to boost one''s cultivation. Never let anyone catch you, or they will swallow you alive, especially the fiend." Yuuki emphasized her point with a solemn expression.


    "Is it that bad? Um, okay. Thanks for reminding me. I will be cautious." Ely felt anxious, but she was the evil''s nemesis. Therefore, she was not too worried.


    "Good, but this big sister shall protect you. The nine-tailed fox is revered because of our power and beauty, but there are countless beings plotting tricks to take us down. You don''t have to worry. No one under heaven can harm you under my watch." Yuuki puffed out her chest as she had already made up her mind.


    "Ah-um, thank you." Ely felt happy to have a strong sister willing to care for and protect her voluntarily.


    They arrived at a holynd above the ice clouds a few momentster. A grand ice pce was in the middle of the valley, surrounded by eleven peaks and settlements resembling an ice town.


    ?


    Yuuki immediately went to her abode on one of the peaks around the ice pce. She asked Ely to wait in a garden pavilion as she had to take care of something and tidy up a few things.


    "..." Ely sipped the warm blue tea while ncing left and right.


    It was her first experience to visit the holynd, and it was fair to say this ce was above the mortal boundary. The spiritual energy here was more prosperouspared to anymon area. Only slightly superior to the Sacred Mountain''s forest but far inferior to her residence.


    As for Yuuki''s abode, it was a small blue bamboo house with lots of ice decorations. A garden with dozens of ice nts thrived around the pavilion. It was a simple residence for a Demi-God, or now, a Deity.


    Ely felt if it was her, she would not feelfortable living in an extreme environment like this because the natural temperature was so cold. She might have frozen to death if it wasn''t for her multiple cold resistance artifacts.


    The ground was blue or white in color, but it wasn''t ice or snow. Ely noticed the presence of a vitality herb near the pavilion. It was like a Peace Lily nt thriving in a sizeable cauldron-like pot.


    Dozens of defense mechanisms were installed around it as if the owner feared it being touched or stolen by anyone.


    Ely was amazed that the vitality herb had dozens of leaves and five flowers! There were also no signs it had ever been harvested.


    Her vitality herb at home had at most three flowers and ten leaves every half year. She could only pick a few of them every six months under the said vitality herb''s permission.


    However, Yuuki''s vitality herb was far superior! She could even sense that herb giving a smug response to her surprise.


    "O-oh-" Ely just nodded as if she understood that herb''s arrogance.


    ?


    It was a Super-tier life-saving material, after all.


    However, a herb was still an herb. It would still be material for medicine, potion, elixir, or something else.


    *Creak*


    The blue bamboo gate was opened from the outside, and two people d in white-blue robes with ice cloud patterns entered carefully.


    They were the white-haired human and the long-blue-haired bunny woman. They were the disciples of the Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce.


    They sped their hands in front of Yuuki''s abode, then the blue bunny announced the purpose of their arrival. "Elder Celestial Fox, we havee to inform you that Pce Master expects your presence at the Immortal Pce."


    Unfortunately, they got no response even after waiting a few minutes.


    "..." Ely somehow felt a bit awkward too. She watched from the side silently while drinking her tea without making any noise.


    She then paid them no more attention and nced at her blue tea. It resembled the bubblegum milkshake, but it was an authentic tea with an exceptional taste. She poured another cup to enjoy it more.


    "Has Elder Celestial Fox left again? I believe her Ice Lotus justnded here a few minutes ago." The white-haired human whispered to his senior sister.


    "No, that''s impossible. The gate''s protective array is disabled, so Elder Celestial Fox is still inside. Otherwise, we won''t be able to enter." The blue bunny spoke in a whisper-like voice.


    "Hmm?" The white-haired human suddenly noticed the presence of a fox beauty in the garden pavilion.


    ?


    That beauty was a young fox demi-human with an angelic visage and charm. Her captivating foxy eyes gave a sacred impression that was hard to describe in words.


    Unfortunately, that beauty''s hair and fur were dark in color. Her outfit was even dark-purple in color.


    The brilliant and bright color meant welfare and prestige in Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce. The neutral pure was superiority, and the light color was respectability.


    Any color meant goodness, as long as it was not ck or dark, which was always associated with darkness and evil!


    The blue bunny also looked to the side and noticed that shadow foxdy.


    It was gross for that inferior, dirty creature to share the same kin with the Elder Celestial Fox. That shadow fox had probablye here to ask Elder Celestial Fox for help. However, Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce would never ept that dark color thing as a disciple, not even a servant!


    "Excuse me, shadow fox. I believe you are not a guest of the Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce. May I know what you are doing in Elder Celestial Fox''s residence?" The blue bunny came closer in an intimidating and unfriendly manner.


    "Elder Celestial Fox asked me to wait here." Ely ignored that blue bunny''s hostility in a calm manner. She continued to sip her tea in peace.


    She believed these teenagers wouldn''t dare make presumptuous moves at Yuuki''s residence.


    "Don''t joke with me, dirty fox! Do you wish to hug Elder Celestial Fox''s thigh to enter Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce through the back door? I advise you to stop dreaming and leave here immediately. You will never be weed anywhere in this holynd." The blue bunny mmed her hand onto the table.


    *Bam*


    The impact made the bamboo table shake, and the blue tea spilled, wetting Ely''s thighs and legs.


    "..." Ely had no idea what was wrong with this blue bunny''s unreasonable hatred.


    She also didn''t understand why she needed to hug Yuuki''s thigh or enter through the back door. Yuuki brought her here via a clear path for all to see.


    "That''s no concern of yours, and I shall take my leave once my business is over. Please mind your own personal affairs, miss bunny." Ely took out a handkerchief to wipe her wet thighs and legs.


    "You! You don''t know good from bad!" The blue bunny was feeling extremely annoyed. She had never once been belittled and insulted, let alone by an inferior creature.


    She stretched out her hand as she was about to grab this shadow fox''s hair. But, an ice dagger shot before her hand could reach anything, stopping her movement mid-air because of a sense of danger.


    "Who gave you the courage? Try to touch her, and I will kill you." Yuuki came out of her abode with a cold, death stare. Her extreme ice-cold aura broke out, instantly causing the temperature to fall below zero.

 Chapter 41 Nefarious Scheme

    <h4>Chapter 41 Nefarious Scheme</h4>


    "!!!" The people in the great hall gasped at the sudden enormous mental pressure.


    The elders didn''t know the agreement between the Pce Master and the 11th Elder. Regardless, this kind of pressure only belonged to someone at the 10th Rank expert!


    "You, you''ve broken through to the Great Ascension Realm and be a Deity!?" The Pce Master was shocked beyond measure.


    She had no idea what kind of fortuitous encounters Elder Celestial Fox encountered in such a short time, but to break through a whole great realm in a few hours was something she had never seen or heard of before.


    "I''ve found my sister. As for the previous matter, you can ce all the me on me personally. If they want revenge regardless of my mercy, they should onlye to me. The Tiangong Sacred Land will not make trouble with the Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce." Yuuki nced at the subtle energy fluctuation behind the three highest authorities.


    She was sure the Pce Ancestor was there, ready to do anything for this holynd. Her alertness increased, and the ice pce''s trouble was no longer her business.


    "Wha, what?" The Pce Master nced at the shadow fox once more. Was that fox Elder Celestial Fox''s sister?


    Even though there were doubts and suspicions, the current matter suddenly became beyond her control.


    "I shall return this crystal que as I am no longer Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce''s person. Thank you for these three years, Pce Master. However, the deal ends, and our exchange will end here." Yuuki returned the elder identity token to the Pce Master.


    ?


    "Presumptuous and ungrateful! Do you think you cane and go as you please? Once you are Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce''s people, you forever belong to us!" The great elder in a grey robe jolted into a rage.


    "Hou? It''s just an exchange, am I right? Pce Master, you must speak up for this. I am not the 11th elder but a distinguished guest elder. You promised to help me to find my sister in exchange for my service to the pce. The day for me to go is already here." Yuuki smiled faintly.


    "Wait, is she the person you are looking for? You never said that person was your sister. Also, your drawing depicts a human rather than a nine-tailed shadow fox! She is just an imposter, an impersonator tricking you into thinking she is your sister!" The Pce Master panicked.


    She took a painting scroll and showed it to everyone to prove her point to Elder Celestial Fox.


    She and the elders nned to solve the problem with the best solution. Yet, no one ever expected Elder Celestial Fox would decide to leave right away.


    And again, it was because of the shadow fox!


    "..." Ely was speechless.


    It was supposed to be a painting of her, but it looked more like a doodle-like melon drawing than a person. It was a far cry from her appearance when she was in her original human form.


    Not even a God could help Yuuki to find her with that kind of poster. Yuuki should enter her drawing ss first.


    "I suspected that before, but I''ve confirmed the truth. My sister has foxy transformation abilities. Her previous form was human, so I thought she would still be human. You can announce my banishment from Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce, Pce Master. It''s time for us to part ways." Yuuki raised her hand in farewell, then turned around. She took Ely''s hand and walked away from the great hall.


    "I''m sorry, but we can''t let you leave."


    Several elders and their respective direct disciples immediately blocked the exit.


    Yuuki didn''t budge and only stomped her foot lightly on the floor.


    *Tap*


    Deity-level pressure exploded and suppressed everyone''s spiritual energy and cultivation realm. Yuuki''s eyes glowed a bright blue as she used her secret technique. An extreme cold aura expanded and froze the eternal ice far below zero.


    "That is if you can restrain me. I no longer have a reason to stay. I hope you do not appear as my enemy the next time we meet." Yuuki passed by the elders and direct disciples.


    *Swoosh*


    The Pce Ancestor decided to make her move. Yet, the shadow fox suddenly bonked her head with a wooden stick before she could even touch the Elder Celestial Fox.


    That simple hit was super effective. The Pce Ancestor''s spiritual entity received a critical hit straight to one''s soul.


    "I thought this holynd was awe-inspiring, but how is it different from mortal''s sect? Have an all-high and mighty attitude, even though you are not immortals.


    Prejudice, arrogance, selfishness, greed, and many more... too many negative emotions. You have never helped or protected my sister sincerely. Let me remind you, she belongs to no one but herself." Ely pushed the unconscious olddy.


    ?


    *Thud*


    The Pce Ancestor''s spiritual avatar fell to the floor. Her invisibility shattered into pieces, and her presence appeared before everyone. Her avatar''s soul fragment still received a tremendous impact from that seemingly harmless blow.


    "..." Yuuki was amazed beyond words.


    Ely only used a wooden wand with two zigzagging paper streamers to inflict a gentle blow. Yet, the Pce Ancestor fell unconscious to that simple attack.


    Yuuki regained herposure right after and immediately took Ely away from there before the others returned to their sense.


    It was dangerous if everyone ganged up on her from all sides. Ely could get hurt. Thus, they had to leave as soon as possible.


    Several minutes after Ely and Yuuki left the Immortal Pce, the Pce Master and everyone soon recovered from the suppression and shock.


    The one they mistook for the Oth young shadow fox, the impostor demon fox, and a dirty creature, was an unfathomably strong expert.


    That shadow fox managed to send their ancestor unconscious with a super light tap on the head and barely exerted any effort.


    "Why did it turn out like this? We''ve treated the Elder Celestial Fox well, but it''s always just an exchange?" The Pce Master put her hand to her forehead.


    "It''s all because of that shadow demon fox. We must uncover the truth and make the 11th elder realize her mistake."


    "Then, what about Tiangong Sacred Land? Shall we let her go?"


    "But, she is already in the Great Ascension Realm. Even the ancestor wouldn''t be able to catch her that easily."


    ?


    "Argh! I already said that we shouldn''t be doing this. Look what happened. The 11th elder decided to leave our pce."


    "Yeah, we should catch up with her soon. Maybe, she''lle back if we recruit her sister too."


    "That will upset a lot of people. That dirty shadow fox shouldn''t be here! The 11th elder should be sent to the Tiangong Sacred Land. The conflict that sparked a war will happen because of her."


    "We can''t control her, and you hope that ce can do that for us? She is the Celestial Fox for a reason! She actually is never a part of us."


    Disputes broke out between the elders and divided them into two factions.


    One side was hostile to the Elder Celestial Fox, while the other defended her.


    "We might be able to bring back Elder Celestial Fox if we can sessfully prove that shadow fox is not her sister." The great elder in a grey robe muttered softly.


    "That''s it! It is a great loss to lose a Great Ascension Realm expert. We can assassinate that shadow fox and throw the me on others. Elder Celestial Fox will go killing spree and feel at a loss. We can take advantage of the situation to help and bring her back there. Once her beloved sister dies, she will be much easier to control." The elder in a yellow robe agreed with that.


    *Bam!*


    "Shut up for me!" The Pce Master mmed her hand onto the table and exerted her 9th Rank pressure with great annoyance.


    "That shadow fox can send our pce''s strongest powerhouse unconscious. Do you think she is a herbivore? She is so calm even in front of us, and can any of you measure her real cultivation realm? She looks like an ordinary weak mortal, but did our ancestor lose at the hands of a mortal in an instant!? Once you try to assassinate her, our pce will cease to exist!" The Pce Master was panting slightly with anger.


    "Ugh, to think her sister actually existed and appeared here. I''ve tried so hard to prevent her from finding her sister. In the end, fate brought them together." The Pce Master slumped down into her seat.1


    She previously thought the Elder Celestial Fox was quite loyal to Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce after years of win-win exchange. However, it seemed that it was just a self-deception.


    "Then, what should we do?" The great elder in a bluish-white robe asked.


    "We cannot afford to sh with Tiangong Sacred Land now. Let her wish to bear all the me fulfilled. Announce that Elder Celestial Fox is no longer Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce''s people!" The Pce Master announced her decision, and the majority couldn''t help but agree with it.


    The great elders then brought their unconscious ancestor for treatment.


    Regardless of the results that had already been announced, the elders, who had split into two factions, had already taken steps for an action that waspletely opposite to each other.@@novelbin@@


    The friendly party wanted to mend rtions with the Elder Celestial Fox and bring her back. While the hostile party intended to catch or kill the shadow fox with a nefarious scheme to control the Elder Celestial Fox. Thetter believed that the shadow fox was using dirty tricks to knock unconscious their ancestor''s spiritual avatar.

 Chapter 43 Wait and Keep Waiting

    <h4>Chapter 43 Wait and Keep Waiting</h4>


    It was about four hours since Jophiel split up with her master. She went to plunder some treasures, resources, and precious materials from several ces.


    Whenever she discovered a hidden treasure trove, she plundered it with justification regardless of whose it was.


    She had secured quite a lot of treasures in her storage pouch. However, she wished to search for another hidden treasure trove before returning to the rest cave to regroup with her master.


    Jophiel took out a silverpass. It was a mid-tier artifact with an ordinary appearance and no impressive special effects. However, it was extremely useful for the Guardian of Dream''s members to find precious things within a three-kilometer radius.


    "Wow, I''m so lucky. Who would have thought so many kind-hearted experts would leave their hidden treasure troves on this snowy mountain? Thank you for saving me a lot of precious treasures ~" Jophiel looked east because thepass arrow was pointing that way.


    It sounds cruel, but the resources and treasures should be utilized rather than buried to deteriorate. No one could even tell whether the original owner was still alive.


    Whatever it was, Jophiel would plunder them all for a greater cause. Everything was for her future, her master, and the Guardian of Dream!


    Jophiel arrived at a secret underground dungeon under a massive iceberg a few momentster. She entered a remote cave by the icyke and went through a secret passage.


    "!?" Jophiel was pleasantly surprised when she found a pile of shiny treasures and spirit stones of various colours within the ice prison.


    ?


    Her luck was superb today. She found a treasure trove one after another in no time. That was all thanks to her master. She received a significant luck booster.


    However, her attention was immediately drawn to a mysterious ice flower in the ice prison''s corner. That flower was brimming with life and sparkling with splendour as if it was the most precious thing in that ce.


    ''Vitality herb! Yes, I shouldn''t be wrong again. This way, I can easily secure my top ten positions in the treasure hunter list and receive lots of praise from my master~'' With that in mind, Jophiel went to secure that ice flower.


    Jophiel brought a mini shovel and secured the flower and the ice around it. She made sure not to cut a single root.


    "Grr..." Some growing noises could be heard from the other side of the ice tunnel.


    Jophiel''s face went pale in an instant. She looked to the side and found a group of furious snow apes. Their eyes were blue as fiery fire, and they even carried heavy ice weapons.


    It was like they couldn''t wait to tear her to pieces.


    Even so, Jophiel first secured the ice flower into her treasure pouch. After that, she turned around and rushed away in the direction she came from.


    "Roar!" The snow apes crazily run after the intruder.


    The ground shook because of them, but Jophiel smirked as she arrived at a narrow ice passage.


    "I''m sorry, big guys. This is the wild world." Jophiel adjusted her veil and then made an abrupt stop. She made a finger gun and aimed it at the berserk snow apes.


    "Fall under my enchantment and illusion. Desire Amplifier Bullet, fire!"


    ?


    *Pew*


    Jophiel fired a pink heart-shaped illusory bullet, which exploded amidst the snow apes. It caused no damage, but they were pensive, as if they had suddenly lost their senses for a moment.


    Jophiel took advantage of the dy to sneak back into the treasure trove in an ice-coloured cloth disguise.


    *Bam* *Bam* *Bam*


    Some weird noises could be heard from behind, but Jophiel ignored them. She had to be very careful because if she was discovered, those snow apes would be more frenzy and hunt her like there was no tomorrow.


    Jophiel plundered the treasures and spirit stones in that treasure trove. However, she only took half of everything because she didn''t have the heart to plunder them all when she knew the rightful original owner existed.


    Once her business finished, she fled through the ice passage disguised inside an ice-coloured cloth. She walked near the wall, and those snow apes shouldn''t notice her presence because she seemed to be one with the ice.


    *Bam* *Bam* *Bam*


    Various weird pounding noises grew louder as she approached the ''fight'' scene.


    Jophiel took a peek to see what those snow apes were up to. She thought they were fighting each other because her charm and illusion amplified their wrath.


    However, who would have thought those snow apes did various unspeakable things to theirrades.


    "Animals are still animals..." Jophiel felt a little embarrassed, but she quickly ran away from there.


    ?


    "Hmm-mm- My mood is so good. Master, I''ming. After this, we can travel together leisurely. Just the two of us, how romantic~" Jophiel hopped on the snow like a happy little rabbit.


    *Swoosh!*


    A gigantic ice eagle crossed the sky, leaving a gust of violent wind behind. Jophiel fell down, face first. She was buried by the snow too.


    "Damn, you, ice eagle. Don''t let me find your nest, or I will plunder all your treasures." Jophiel cursed that eagle in annoyance.


    After saying that, she found the ice eaglended on a particr ice cliff and passed through a hole. She used her binocrs to get a better view, and vo, a hidden cave high up on a steep ice cliff could be seen in the distance.


    Unfortunately, she had promised to return and regroup with her master before dusk. Therefore, she only recorded that nest''s position and location and left that ce. Her master and her could always visit that ice eagle''s nest tomorrow.


    It was nearly six hours since Jophiel parted ways with her master. She still had an hour before dusk, but her master had not yet arrived at their temporary rest cave.


    "Master hasn''t arrived here yet. She will probably arrive in a few minutes since she is so punctual. This ce is also quite secluded and safe from wild animals. Let''s cook something nice and warm for dinner." Jophiel made a bonfire and cooked some meat.


    It was already past dusk, and the sky was already getting dark. However, her master hasn''te there yet.


    Jophiel''s worry was growing by the minute, and her imagination kept imagining the worst-case scenario that had happened. They shouldn''t split up for the treasure hunt. She should have gone with her master!


    ?


    The fire was out, and dinner was frozen. Jophiel tried to contact her master via telmunication talisman, but it couldn''t reach her master.


    She repeatedly considered going out to find her master, but she put that aside because her master mighte here while she was out. It was several hours before midnight. Jophiel was desperate, but she kept waiting because they had promised to meet again there. At that moment, a fleeting thought crossed her mind. She was afraid that her master was injured and couldn''te back soon. However, the thing that scared her the most was her master chose to abandon her. She didn''t want her master to leave her behind.


    That wouldn''t likely happen, considering how well her master treated her and the other disciples. However, her state of mind at that time was so chaotic. She couldn''t think straight or stay positive.


    She kept waiting and waiting until she unconsciously fell asleep, shivering while muttering incoherently in a semi-conscious state. Her body was losing heat faster than it could produce heat, causing a dangerously low body temperature.


    It was a few minutes after midnight. Ely finally arrived at the secret rest cave. Herplexion paled when she found a pink elf lying in the corner in severe hypothermia.


    "Jophi-chan!" Ely rushed to provide emergency aid. Her disciple''s condition was so life-threatening.


    Jophiel''s body was frozen cold and pale like a corpse, making her so scared. She could tell her disciple was almost frozen to death.


    Ely used her healing skill regardless of the sacrifices she needed to save Jophiel''s life. She took off Jophiel''s jacket and outfit.


    The ice and any dangerous cold qi were removed. Ely repaired the broken cell as her spiritual energy flowed through Jophiel''s body from inside.


    After Jophiel was out of her life-threatening state, Ely still couldn''t stop her tears. She managed to save her disciple. However, she couldn''t help but me herself.@@novelbin@@


    "I''m sorry. It''s my fault..." Tears welled from deep inside and coursed down her cheeks. She hugged her unconscious disciple and wrapped their bodies with a thick nket.


    "..." Yuuki observed everything from the cave entrance. She could feel Ely''s grief and guilt for arrivingte than the promised time. Not to mention that the pink elf was almost frozen to death.


    Well, it was partially also because of her fault.


    It was already challenging for the visitor to exit the Frozen Cloud Secret Realm. Ely was losing direction and swallowed up in the blizzard for several hours. And then, they went to the Immortal Pce.


    Anyone could quickly lose the sense of time as the Frozen Cloud Secret Realm was forever daylight.

 Chapter 46 Stirring Up a Bigger Problem

    ?


    46 Stirring Up a Bigger Problem


    Problems couldn''t be solved by just letting time pass them by. It could get bigger if not handled as soon as possible.


    Ely wanted to avoid living with the problem, but solving a big problem was moreplex than it seemed. Not to mention, there were too many unknown variables.


    However, Ely didn''t focus on the problem because she didn''t want to overlook the easy solution. She and Yuuki agreed to stir up the bigger trouble and leave it elsewhere by involving more variables to take control of the overall situation.


    Not all problems have solutions, but they have oues. In the murky water of a flowing river, they could slip away from the enemy''s focus, much better than being trapped in a pond surrounded by predators. Also, some parties might solve their problem for them.


    ''Hmm, when the timees, we''ll strike them in their own game. Or perhaps, they will fall into the counter-trap. Ely nced outside as she felt the wind was still blowing in a direction she could not predict.


    She was already arrived at the Sumore Forest City, one of the major cities in the Northern Realm. Yuuki and Jophiel sat on either side of her, observing the forest city inhabited by many kinds of beastfolk and demonfolk. They currently entered the downtown area on a giant centipede.


    Unlike the carriage or chariot poprity in the Human Realm, the Northern Realm had a trend of giant monsters being used as mounts, even if it was for the transportation business within the city.


    It was a terrifying and intimidating giant centipede and arge pnquin strapped to its back. It was like a centipede limousine. No one dared to stand within a two-meter radius of the giant centipede. Ely''s group trip into the city went quite smoothly.


    ''Ely, several unknown experts have followed us. Two of the three have a malicious aura! Yuuki informed Ely as she felt they needed to take precautions.


    ''They''re not too stupid to act rashly. For now, just let them be! Ely responded with a telepathic talisman.


    Why are you so calm, Ely? We are being chased by two holynds. Do you want me to handle those malicious people in secret first?'' Yuuki wanted toprehend the source of Ely''s confidence.


    ''No, people are not problems to be solved but mysteries to be explored. They also have their problems and reasons, but that''s none of our business. I''m not saying I''m a good problem solver, but the solution might be easier than you think, Yuuki. Also, they are still haunted by a great taboo. You have agreed to our n. I wonder if you can put your faith in me! Ely wondered why the ever-calm Yuuki suddenly became agitated.


    ''Is it? I have faith in you, but a great taboo? What do you mean?'' Yuuki tilted her head.


    ''Hehe, both holynds don''t have any information about me. No matter how much hatred or grievance they have towards us, like Frozen Cloud''s discrimination against my hair and fur color, I believe those old monsters would never dare to act rashly. N0veIfulIbo0k top update ce. Do you think a random legendary nine-tailed shadow fox dares to roam the outside world for no reason? She even has a Deity-level elder sister~ Anyway, this isn''t the time for us to act." Ely replied with a wink.


    ''O-oh-'' Yuuki finally understood. Apart from the many weaknesses and limitations, she knew Ely was unbeatable in nning aspects.


    The most dangerous person was those who lived the longest, but what these types of people fear the most was the unknown.


    ?


    To think Ely had thought so far ahead. The original n that Ely suggested and they devised was turning the old problem into a big problem and gaining some allies after turning a particr faction into a public enemy.


    Apparently, Ely still had profound ns beneath the original method for a bigger chance of their safety and sess. Ely didn''t even need to dispatch the Guardian of Dream for this.


    Yuuki couldn''t predict the future, but she trusted Ely.


    "Master, where are we going now?" Jophiel spoke in a whisper-like voice. She knew her master would y a high-profile role again, but this would be really fun because she was involved in the limelight!


    "Auction house." Ely answered confidently.


    "Is there anything that catches your eye?" Jophiel was curious.


    "No, We will put some interesting items up for auction. Are you willing to ride the boat on the wild waves with us?" Ely offered her hand for solicitation.


    "Willing, more than willing! Let me join the fun, master~" Jophiel pumped her fist as she was excited. It was always fun to be around her master.


    "Mm-hmm~"


    "Yay!"


    Ely managed to receive Jophiel''s help. She then summoned her grimoire and checked a few things.


    [Ely (???) | Oth Rank]


    [HP: 31,900/100 | MP: 6.68M/4,500 | SP: 301,354/4,500]


    [Talent: 6 Stars | Legendary]


    [STR: 10 (Limit) | DEX: 10 (Limit) | CON: 151 | PER: 100 | ARC: 10 (Limit) |VIT: 547K | LCK: 100 (Max)]


    ?


    Her stats rose after four days of hunting. Nevertheless, it wasn''t significant in number since she could only get a lot of extra stats by eliminating super-strong evil creatures.


    Anything below 5th Rank could only give three digits of MP or SP at most. Heaven apparently didn''t want her to be a death reaper or spree killer just to increase her stats.


    However, she might be able to meet the requirements to unseal her Goddess Master just by exterminating around a hundred God-tier evil creatures. Nevertheless, it was a difficult thing to do.


    Finding a God-tier evil creature was beyond difficult, let alone exterminating them. She was just an ordinary mortal with some blessings. Her attack-type Mythical-tier holy artifacts were limited in number.


    All of her skills were nonbat and rted to support only. Unless the enemy was evil, her attack might be ineffective. Those weapons always had long cooldowns and required many spirit stones after every use.


    Regardless, Ely was currently happy. She finally figured out how she could increase her HP.@@novelbin@@


    There were many ways to earn MP and SP, but not HP. She would obtain some HP after ying an evil monster with great vigor, physically strong and potent in defense.


    It was just one inconvenient method. But, she would definitely find a more effective and graceful way to increase her HP with the help of her grimoire''s feature, namely the log history list.


    "There are ten stats. HP, MP, and SP are rted to my body; the rest are my capabilities. STR is strength, DEX is dexterity, CON is still a mystery, PER is perception, ARC may be arcane the magic, VIT is my precious vitality, and thest is LCK for luck. Ely observed her stats once again.


    ?


    The threebat-rted stats had reached their limit and were bright red, indicating she couldn''t raise them no matter what.


    However, her luck was perfect, one hundred. She thought of trying to test her chance at a gambling house or something just for fun. After all, it was rare, almost never, for her to be struck by bad luck. The one blessed by heaven and worlds was so nice.


    Ely checked the quest list, but most were rted to some ''hideous'' affairs like killing or something simr. She didn''t want to actively kill people unless they had a death wish.


    ''Nevermind, I can''t be careless. Luck and beautiful fate is rted to virtue, merit, and good deed. Ely closed her grimoire and put it back into her subspace.


    However, she just realized Yuuki''s face was right next to hers, and their cheeks almost touched.


    "I wonder what you read in that fancy silver-gold book. It''s all just nk paper." Yuuki leaned back in her seat.


    "It''s a grimoire, the special magical item for mages. Each grimoire has different abilities; only the owner can see its contents." Ely shrugged as she didn''t intend to exin further details.


    A few momentster, they arrived at the most famous auction house in the city. The exclusive weekly auction would be held in two days for the experts participating in the ancient secret realm exploration.


    A gigantic ancient portal gate manifested on the border between the Human Realm and the Demon Realm but adjacent to the Northern Realm.


    It was an unexpected urrence that postponed the war between humans and demons, and the realm''s gate would open in 25 days. The public was oblivious to the truth, but the major forces had started preparing themselves.


    ?


    After all, everyone wished to find their own lucky encounter.


    Unmeasurable treasures definitely awaited them in that unexplored ancient secret realm.


    Every major force in all realms agreed to hold three weeks of preparations because they would face terrifying dangers and unfathomable mysteries within that ancient secret realm.


    The auction house was hectic because it was the first-week auction for the grand event preparation. There were so many great and attractive items up for auction.


    "How lively." Ely got off the centipede limousine.


    The surrounding people were surprised when they discovered the stunning nine-tailed fox in the middle of the city. Not one, but actually two!


    The gorgeous, wild, and incredible legendary creatures'' arrival soon became sensational news that quickly spread throughout the forest city.

 Chapter 47 S Rank Alchemist

    ?


    47 S Rank Alchemist


    "Look, isn''t that the nine-tailed demon fox?"


    "This is my first time seeing them. They are so stunning and mesmerizing. No wonder they can be called the legendary creature."


    "One is like the darkness of midnight, and the other is as pure as snow. They are like the harmony of yin yang."


    "Their beauty can topple several Empires and lead the new war. Oh no! Those powerhouses will definitely make their move once they catch wind of this. It will be a bloody war soon!"


    "You fool, have you forgotten that the more beautiful a woman is, the more dangerous they are? Did you think those nine-tailed foxes appeared in the outside world for no reason?"


    "Uh, that makes sense. They definitely possess unfathomable prowess too."


    "Anyway, we need to be careful. A great event might soon happen in this forest city because of their arrival. Legendary ones often attract each other, and the other legendary beasts or demons might appear as well."


    "Less caught in the fire. The ancient secret realm may also attract their attention. Obviously, there are items in the auction that catch their eyes!"


    Various conversations from the beastfolk and demonfolk began to spread, but it was just as Ely had expected. She then gave some silver coins to the coachman.


    "Thank you, esteemeddies. Have a lovely visit. Then, if you''ll excuse me." The coachman immediately pulled the reins, and his giant centipede left the vicinity.


    If he could voice it out, he was terrified because his passengers were two legendary nine-tailed foxes. They spelled trouble and disaster because of their beauty, but he didn''t dare to offend them.


    Ely''s group of three entered the auction house. Oddly enough, no one dared to stop them. Thus, their trip to the distinctive deal chamber was smooth sailing.


    The auction house''s manager even came to greet them. Ely didn''t even have to talk or wait. So, everything was still easy to progress without impediment.


    ''ying high-profile is fun. I don''t understand those who always try toy low but invite trouble from right to left. Since problems cannot be avoided, ying big is always the solution!'' Ely sat on the sofa, waiting for the merchant-looking bear man to sit.


    "Wee to the Grande Auction House, esteemed guests. My name is Griz Kwiecinski. Having the legendary demon foxes visit my auction house is an incredible honor, but I''m curious about the situation. May I inquire about it?" Griz rubbed his hands with a crafty smile on his face.


    He had thought the two nine-tailed foxes wanted to get tickets to enter the exclusive auction in two days, but his guess was wrong when the shadow fox ced a storage pouch on the table.


    "Pleased to meet you, Mister Griz Kwiecinski. My name is Kitsune. Let''s talk about the deal and business. We didn''te to get an entry ticket as the bidder, but the seller. We want to leave some interesting items to be auctioned in the first exclusive week auction." Ely tapped her finger on the table for attention.


    "You want to auction off some items? Then, let me inspect them first." Griz was stunned for a few seconds, then nodded in understanding.


    Profitable business deals were always wee, but not all precious items were eligible for auction in the exclusive week. After all, the bidders and audience who attended the event were prominent figures from various regions.


    In the Northern Realm, only three auction houses gained the trust of many people to hold this exclusive event. So, everyone was eager to secure some life-saving treasures before going to the ancient secret realm in three weeks.


    "This!" Griz was surprised to find thirty marvelous life-saving treasures inside that storage pouch. Elixirs, potions, herbs, precious materials, magical items, and artifacts...


    They ranged from mid-tier to top-tier, but the most precious things were two Super-tier potions! The exnation said it could heal any wound, curse, recover spiritual energy, and more! These Super-tier healing potions were heaven-sent treasures!


    "Each item has an exnation inscribed on them. You can test it, but we don''t want to lose money." Ely tapped the table again for attention.


    Griz gulped his saliva. These nine-tailed foxes had his curiosity, but they now gained his full attention. "This... Is it possible for you to sell some life-saving items directly to our auction house? We will offer you a sky-high price that will satisfy you."


    Ely was silent for a moment. This Grande Auction House was supported and protected under the banner of an 8th Rank ferocious beast, the overlord of the surrounding mountains, and some mysterious experts.


    Since those old monsters would also be present at this auction, why did she need to sell the items directly to the auction house? It waspletely unnecessary because the main goal was not money.


    "Fufu, that depends on how you perform as the auctioneer. Isn''t it lovely to see them in the bidding war? Please update your auction item list and announce the new items." Ely unfolded her purplish- blue folding fan to cover her mouth.


    ?


    "Well then..." Griz was fully aware. More prominent audiences would be eager to participate after the updated list was released and announced.


    However, the bidding war would be very intense in due course. After all, the highest items initially would be auctioned were only three A Rank, top-tier life-saving treasures. However, it would be two S Rank, Super-tier life-saving potions!


    "Is it possible that you concocted these Super-tier potions, Lady Kitsune?" A weird idea suddenly came to Griz''s mind.


    *Fwoop!*


    The calm atmosphere suddenly became stifling. Griz''s 5th-rank cultivation base was suppressed beyond measure by Yuuki''s 10th- rank pressure.


    "!!!" Griz froze in his seat, unable to move or breathe. It was also hard for him to think clearly because he felt frozen in his soul. Fear crept up from deep within his soul and reminded him of one thing: the ones before him were the legendary nine-tailed foxes.


    Demon foxes, spirit foxes, fox demi-human, and their kin were long known for their beauty and body constitution craved by many. Whether male or female, they had been hunted by many powerhouses since ancient times to be concubines, ves, or just furnaces to improve one''s cultivation.


    The fox-kin fled to an uninhabited secret realm and sealed it for eternity for safety reasons hundreds of years ago. Because of that, the fox-kin had long been considered extinct from the mortal world, leaving only a few low breeds with inferior bloodlines.


    However, a powerful nine-tailed fox appeared five years ago and shook the cultivation world with her unfathomable prowess. That was the beginning of the nine-tailed fox bing one of the legendary creatures.


    ?


    Then, the ones before him...


    Griz could finally connect the dots, but he had almost passed out.


    "Don''t you dare have any weird ideas. My little sister proposed a win-win deal. You only need to agree. No need for unnecessary questions." Yuuki spoke in a cold tone. Her cold aura spread through the room subconsciously.


    "Elder sister, calm yourself down. He is a merchant, and it is only natural to have a business mind." Ely extended her hand in front of Yuuki.


    She then bowed slightly after Griz was released from Yuuki''s pressure. "My apologies for my elder sister''s impulse, Mister Griz Kwiecinski.n0veIfullb00k top update ce The answer to your question, yes, I am a pristine alchemist from the Sacred Sakura Holy Land. All items that I want you to auction are my products."


    "Cough, cough! Yes, thanks for enlightening me, Lady Kitsune. Since you can concoct Super-tier potions, is it safe for us to refer to you as the S Rank alchemist?" Griz rubbed his neck with a pale face.@@novelbin@@


    He had someints, but he didn''t dare to voice them. However, these nine-tailed foxes were from a holynd!?


    "Yes, that''s good." Ely nodded in agreement. It was her intention, and everything was still going ording to her expectations.


    Griz then discussed a bit with the S Rank alchemist regarding the auction that would be held in two days. He then applied for a blue diamond card in Lady Kitsune''s name.


    He also gave an entrance ticket for the exclusive auction event, but Ely refused because it was VIP room number one. She asked for another VIP room to spark less hassle.


    "You can use the card to enter the auction event anytime at any branch of the Grande Auction House. This is a VIP room ticket." Griz put a golden ticket with a crown symbol and the number eleven. "It''s a pleasure to do business with you. We will collect the money after the event is over. This will definitely be more lively and fun~" Ely chuckled elegantly.


    She then bid her farewell to the auction house''s manager.


    "10th Rank expert and S Rank alchemist. I need to urgently investigate the Sacred Sakura Holy Land. But this is the first time I''ve heard of that name. Preferably, I also need to contact my lord immediately. Two nine-tailed vixens. The world could go awry because of them, gulp..." Griz knew the entire city would be shaken by the two nine-tailed foxes'' presence.


    He still couldn''t figure out their real intentions, but he had the wild guess they were doing things just for amusement. The auction event could be out of hand anytime, so he contacted many allies for help.

 Chapter 50 Capture the Hunters

    50 Capture the Hunters


    "Are you sure the cold vixen and her sister are there?"


    "Yeah, that snow-white nine-tailed fox and her little shadow fox sister were seen by scouts. They are heading to a remote district on the outskirts."


    "They seem to have just shed with another team."


    "Then, what are we waiting for? Let''s catch them before anyone does. I hear they are extraordinarily beautiful and have heavenly-ss physiques. We might be able to have a taste for the younger one."


    "Are you nuts!? That dark midnight nine-tailed fox is cold vixen''s little sister."


    "No, that makes sense. Elder Fiery Bear and Great Elder Grieved Panda only want the older one. So, as long as we can kidnap the snow-white beauty, we can do anything with the dark midnight lil beauty."


    "Keke, let''s do it then. We can make her a good furnace and an obedient ve."


    "Let''s move. The Green Snake Emperor will assist us in this operation, and two Demi-God Elders will back us."


    Several experts d in navy blue robes had a brief discussion on the roof of a building. They then rushed south to follow the cold vixen''s aura.


    "!!!" Bai Yuchen was still hiding by the pile of trash, with his presence and breath hidden. No one noticed him there, and he managed to eavesdrop on a surprising conversation.


    He was there because he felt the several experts'' sudden arrival, and he hid for safety reasons. Regardless, he felt the need to follow those bad guys right now. Their target was the same shadow fox who had helped him in that forest.


    However, he thought again whether it was worth it. Even so, his feet had already guided him south to a remote area on the outskirts.


    *ng* *ng* *Thud*


    Several sparks could be seen in the distance, and several loud thuds followed shortly after. That night was quiet, but the noise of the experts'' battle ended before it started.


    No one could tell whose side had the advantage. Yet, Bai Yuchen widened his eyes in surprise when he found more than twenty Spirit Transformation experts and above already lying on the ground. They were all already battered and unconscious.


    The beautiful nine-tailed shadow fox was nearby. She didn''t make any effort to take down many experts in a matter of seconds.


    There were also two veileddies, but their cultivation realm was still at Nascent Soul. So, it was clear the legendary nine-tailed shadow fox was just too overpowered.


    ''I worry for nothing. She is targeted by many people because of her beauty and body, but she is strong enough to protect herself.'' Bai Yuchen smiled wryly and shook his head.


    ---


    "Loot all their possessions to prevent resistance. Tie them tightly and throw them into the hostage pouch." Ely wiped her wooden wand with a handkerchief.


    After draining the enemies'' spiritual energy, she retrieved her green lotus artifact. With no qi or mana, these offenders couldn''t do anything even if they wanted to.


    "Master, why don''t we just kill them? It''s so cheap for them to be left alive." Remiel needed to understand why they would do such a hassle. Killing enemies was doing good for oneself.


    "Fufu, they are still useful." Ely replied with a subtle smile. She thought everyone already knew her intentions.


    Once they killed the younger ones, the older ones woulde for revenge soon after. And once the older ones were defeated, the much, much old monsters would definitelye to make trouble.


    So, it was much better to take lots of hostages than to kill them. They could ask for a ransom or something else. However, she would think about thatter, depending on the future development of the situation.


    "O-oh~ Master is wise." Remiel nodded as if she understood her master''s intention.


    She wasn''t good at thinking profound ns, but these ignorant beastfolks might be bargain chipster. For this reprisal operation, she only had to follow her master''s orders without question.


    "Keep moving and put them in the pouch." Uriel smacked her junior sister''s back.


    "Ouch. Uh-huh, alright." Remiel didn''t speak anymore and immediately moved. Once the unconscious offenders were secured, they prepared to catch up with Yuuki and Jophiel.


    "Hmm?" Ely nced aside as she caught a shadow of someone near the hidden alley.


    He was about to run away, but she called out to him with immediate threats. "Take one step, and no one can guarantee your safety."


    "!!!" Bai Yuchen didn''t dare to sneak away.


    "Oh, it''s you, little guy. What are you doing in a remote area like this? Are you one of them?" Ely didn''t expect to meet the young hero here. She had a good impression of him, but it was another matter if he was in the same group as the bad guys.


    "Ah, no-no, my fairdy. I was passing by. Anyway, it''s a pleasure to meet you again. I want to express my gratitude to you. Because of your potion, my grandfather has recovered from his illness." Bai Yuchen waved his hands frantically. He didn''t want this fierce fox sister to misunderstand.


    "Is it? I will believe you because you do not harbor malice. So, you are not one of them. However, it would be best to stay out of this mess, little guy. If possible, get out of this city as soon as possible. Their only targets are me and my sister." Ely tapped her folding fan to her chin.


    "Uh, yeah, thanks for your reminder. But, will the entire city''s people get involved in this mess?" Bai Yuchen rubbed the back of his head.


    "No, why did youe to that conclusion?"


    "Hehe, the situation is not as simple as it seems. And the battle within the city has already happened. So, I can''t help but think in that direction."


    "Hmm, but we never know what those bad guys will do. We want to live peacefully and happily, but they are hunting us. If they want to cause destruction in the city, wouldn''t a certain Emperor and his ancestor intervene?"


    "That makes sense."


    "You need to leave immediately, little guy. This is just the beginning of the battle between the holynds."


    Ely turned around as she couldn''t waste time here. Yuuki and Jophiel might need some assistance.


    "W-wait, at least, please leave your name, fairdy." Bai Yuchen called out in a hurry.


    "Kitsune." Ely responded briefly without looking back. She returned to her disciples'' side, then the wind spirit took them away. They disappeared amidst the dark night sky.


    "Kitsune, huh... Such a wild yet lovely name." Bai Yuchen stared at the twin moons in the night sky.


    Her problem was much moreplicated than he thought. Apparently, she had everything nned to strike back at her enemies.


    "Sigh..." Bai Yuchen sighed because he had yet to appreciate Lady Kitsune''s mythical, ethereal beauty.


    That was all those bad guys'' fault. He finally understood the real meaning behind the disaster-level beauty that could topple an Empire just because of her beauty. Such a beauty came out to have fun. Yet, many evildoers immediately hunted her because of their desire, lust, and selfishness.


    If only he was stronger, he could protect her from harm.


    "What I am thinking." Bai Yuchen shook his head, but his objective of getting stronger increased by one. It was not just about revenge but the strong desire to protect the ones he had to protect.


    --- @@novelbin@@


    "Hey, I sensed the Elder Celestial Fox''s aura at thirty degrees north, about six hundred meters away."


    "Are you sure she is there?"


    "Yeah, looks like those brutes have made their move."


    "Then, we also need to go there soon."


    Severaldies d in bluish-white robes with ice cloud patterns rushed to the north.


    ---


    "Master, who is that person? He looks like a tiger-kin, but his tiger smells are weird." Remiel looked back, but that person had already left.


    "He is a young hero that I met on a trip to the snowy mountains four days ago." Ely exined a bit.


    "A young hero?" Uriel could interpret her master''s statement as a shocking revtion.


    "What''s wrong, fifth sister?" Remiel didn''t understand why Uriel had such a surprised yet enlightened expression.


    "Master referred to him as a young hero. So, he could be a lucky reincarnation of a God, right?" Uriel spoke in a whisper-like voice. She felt they had to keep an eye on that white tiger boy.


    "Huh-ueh!?" Remiel was taken aback.


    "!?" Ely was also surprised, but her expression remained calm. Uriel had said it, and she felt it made sense now.


    Maybe, and that could be... That boy was the reincarnation of a God. Lost Prayer referred the young hero to him, but she wasn''t so sure either.


    Well, she would find out the truth in the future. At least, the impression at their meeting wasn''t a bad one.


    "Master, do we need to dispatch a team to keep an eye on him?" Uriel inquired, but that sounded more like asking permission.


    "No need, at least not now." Ely didn''t want to involve herself in double trouble. They were still busy right now.

 Chapter 52 Wariness and Prejudice

    52 Wariness and Prejudice


    Two days passed, and the first exclusive week auction would soon be held in the afternoon.


    Several factions sent their people to test the water in thest two days, but neither side got any results.


    Many parties sent people to scout or capture the nine-tailed fox sisters, but their people disappeared without a trace. The battle between powerhouses also didn''t ur. So, the leaders of the various factions could hardly understand what was happening.


    The fox sisters were still rxing in their hotel room while waiting for the auction, but none of the scouts returned as if they had disappeared from the world, but they weren''t dead.


    "No news from them?" The sad-looking old panda-kin chewed something with an irritated expression.


    "They mysteriously disappeared too, Great Elder Grieved Panda." The nearby cultivator responded respectfully.


    "Useless! It''s just a Demi-God cold vixen and her young little sister. How could they get rid of dozens of experts without causing anymotion!? Not to mention, several forces have also helped us! We have that magic item too!" The injured snow bearined angrily.


    "Elder is angry. The Green Snake Emperor and Elder Ferocious Tiger have already made their move but also mysteriously disappeared. Our allies are starting to ask for exnations because they think we are capturing their people." Another cultivator reported respectfully.


    "Calm yourself down, my nephew. I will surely catch them to be your ves soon. They need to pay for making you suffer." Grieved Panda frowned.


    "That cold vixen, she is so vicious. She didn''t hesitate to cripple me and freeze my dantian. She needs to ept my love and live a prosperous life as my wife, but she is ungrateful." Fiery Bear held his half-frozen belly.


    His crush threw him with a secret techniquest week, and he almost died in that icyke of death. If not for his life-saving heirloom, he would probably have frozen at the bottom of theke, and no one could find him.


    "Hmm, is it possible that Frozen Cloud is ying tricks on us? I heard they split into two factions. Is it true that that cold vixen was driven out of that pce? That is simply absurd." Great Elder Grieved Panda pondered for a moment. He suspected the Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce schemed something.


    The so-called good cooperation has been fake a long time ago. His nephew took a fancy to that cold vixen. He had pursued that woman for two years because of her body constitution. Still, a scheme was already going on behind the scenes of both holynds in the name of benefit.


    For the current situation, various forces from all over the Northern Realm have gathered in this city. So, other factions, especially the opposing ones, would likely have intervened from behind the shadows.


    The old panda then shared his thoughts with his nephew. They then came to a conclusion. Their sacrednd was being targeted by many factions, and those people would obviously be happy if they suffered a loss.


    The cold vixen and her sister reported never leaving the hotel. So, it was very likely that the sh had urred before their people could reach that ce. Also, the enemies came with an overwhelming force.


    Hence, it was reasonable their people could be taken care of without causing any significant fuss.


    There were some suspicions, but they didn''t dare to act rashly after suffering losses in the past two days.


    However, their current urgent objective was one. They had to win that Super-tier healing potion. So, the problem regarding the nine-tailed fox sisters would have to wait until the auction was over.


    While the people from the Tiangong Sacred Land were suspicious and uneasy, those on Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce''s side were also worried.


    Even though they were split into two factions, both sides kept Elder Celestial Fox''s breakthrough news a secret.


    Not to mention, the nine-tailed shadow fox was still so mysterious. No one dared to take open action because there were still too many unknown variables.


    It was already two days, but no one from the investigation teams managed to return to their respective secret base. Whether it was those who wanted to recruit the Elder Celestial Fox back or those with evil intentions.


    Because of that, the two factions decided to discuss the situation.


    "Do you think Elder Celestial Fox was the one who did it?"


    "I don''t think so. We sensed her aura several times even though it was faint, but she didn''t go to battle."


    "So, it''s probably a trap?"


    "Tiangong Sacred Land might be carrying out another dirty scheme."


    "That could be it. We received reports that Elder Celestial Fox and her sister never left the hotel for the past two days. The Sumore Forest City has be much moreplicated due to those Super-tier life-saving potions and more precious items."


    "Tch, that Tiangong Sacred Land might want to pit us? Ourrades disappeared overnight without us knowing why or how."


    "That''s too odd. However, is it possible for outside forces to interfere in this matter? After all, the fox-kin is high in demand, not to mention the legendary nine-tailed fox, the pure breed with superior bloodline."


    "The legendary nine-tailed fox will be hunted regardless of the danger. Our pce can''t even protect her properly. Elder Celestial Fox''s life is not easy."


    "But, what do we need to do? We can''t move now or even see the Elder Celestial Fox?"


    "Even the holynd needs to think twice before acting. After all, many Void Tempering Realm experts or above have gathered in this city."


    "If we act openly, our Immortal Pce''s reputation may be tarnished. We''re not Tiangong Sacred Land. Please move with caution."


    "We will inquire directly from Elder Celestial Fox after the auction this afternoon. You better not try to touch the young shadow fox and make things even more chaotic."


    "Hmph, you can''t manage us. We only cooperate to handle Elder Celestial Fox. She is a precious Great Ascension Realm expert. Ancestor even ordered us directly to bring her back~"


    "I''m serious, or I will draw my sword against you, you hear me. We can''t let our guard down even if we bring a force capable of toppling an Empire. This city is currently filled with many crouching tigers and hidden dragons."


    13:40


    "Tsk, fine."


    The Frozen Cloud''s experts had a brief discussion, and they would work together to bring back the Elder Celestial Fox for themon good.


    Although, the reason for their decision was somewhat different.


    Their losses were also significant, and the city''s current situation was unfavorable for their side.


    After losing more than two dozen precious experts above the 4th Rank, they could not make hasty movements. The risk was too great.


    "..." The Frozen Cloud''s saintess heaved a subtle sigh. The elders and the others had their own motives for this mission.


    This was the third time she hade down to the mundane world. This time, they were noting to solve a problem, bring justice, or something worthy of praise. They came as a problem to involve themselves in more significant trouble.


    That was her impression of their current situation. She was the prime disciple under the Pce Master. Still, she had nothing to say in this discussion because of her guilty conscience.


    She knew the Pce Master also had an ulterior motive for the Elder Celestial Fox. Elder Celestial Fox joined Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce because of an ''exchange''.


    That young nine-tailed shadow fox was actually innocent. Still, that pitiful girl received so much hate because of the ridiculous color discrimination in Frozen Cloud that had existed since ancient times.


    "Sigh..." The Frozen Cloud''s saintess sighed again, then looked up at the bright white sky. @@novelbin@@


    The weather was unbelievably good, but the atmosphere in this city looked chaotic, as if a storm was about to hit. She hoped they wouldn''t give the Elder Celestial Fox more trouble to the point of irreconcble hatred.


    Elder Celestial Fox''s little sister was also mysteriously strong. She prayed that no idiot from her group would touch that shadow fox.


    Even if the Elder Celestial Fox didn''t want to return, at the very least, they should develop good rtions, including with the shadow fox.


    Simr to the situation of the two holynds in response to the strange circumstances that had urred in thest two days. Other renowned sects and prominent ns also had their respective anxiety and suspicions.


    Not a single person from the investigation team reported anything back after trying to keep an eye on the nine-tailed foxes.


    Yet, the said targets never went out of the hotel room at all. ording to the emergency spy report, those nine-tailed foxes were rxing in the hotel, enjoying the mortal world''s VIP treatment.


    It was either a particr mysterious group that tried to protect the fox sisters or wished to im the fox sisters for themselves.


    No one held prejudice against the two nine-tailed foxes, even though one was known as the Celestial Fox, a Demi-God expert.


    After all, a Demi-God couldn''t possibly eliminate many Spirit Transformation Realm experts and above without causing anymotion. The day was bustling as usual, and the night was still as calm as ever.


    Most likely, the opposing forces targeting them had already taken care of their spies.


    Because of that mindset, each faction stared at the opposition forces with wariness and prejudice.

 Chapter 54 Uninvited Guest

    54 Uninvited Guest


    Hundreds of people talked about the fox sisters, but Yuuki and Ely ignored them and headed straight for the auction house.


    Experts from prominent ns and renowned sects were already present in the auction house, including the two holynds.


    "Who would have thought you woulde straight to this auction house. Do you also want to win that Super-tier healing potion?" The hunk brown bear crossed his arms, blocking the entrance.


    His four bear brothers stood beside her as if they had formed a bear wall to block the fox sisters from entering.


    "Who are they? Are they the auction house''s bodyguards or staff?" Ely pointed to the five muscr bear-kin in front.


    "They are that Fiery Bear''s underlings. We arrived quitete, and the major forces gathered inside." Yuuki spoke in a whisper-like voice.


    "!" The brown bear frowned. That shadow fox dared to treat him and his bros for auction house workers?


    "Oh, then what did they do by blocking the entrance? Can we push them away?" Ely lost interest.


    Those bears'' cultivation base was only at 4th Rank, and they were servants in that sacrednd. Since they weren''t the auction house''s staff, wasting time was unnecessary.


    "As your wish, little sister." Yuuki understood the meaning. She then made a simple swipe hand movement, and those bears were thrown aside.


    "Argh, I froze! Murder!" The ck bear screamed as half of his body was frozen by the cold qi.


    "Just melt it, and you will be safe. Your Great Elder even needs careful consideration before offending me, and who are you to confront me?" Yuuki threw several sharp ice des, and theynded near the terrified bears'' groins.


    Two of the five bears fainted on the spot due to mental pressure, and the rest immediately apologized. They never expected the snow fox to attack them publicly when the Great Elder Grieved Panda and the other elders were inside. @@novelbin@@


    However, those people did not evene out for them, though they were ordered to guard near the entrance...


    After the fox sisters and their beautiful servants entered the auction house, people outside returned to their senses. Such a terrifying dominance.


    That legendary nine-tailed snow fox was rumored to be a Transcending Tribtion Realm expert. Those bears were the servants of the sacrednd, but they were no more than pebbles in that snow fox''s eyes.


    From that exchange, everyone realized that the fox sisters were unafraid to provoke a holynd openly!


    ''They''re still trying to test the waters?'' Jophiel sent telepathy to her sisters with the talisman.


    ''What can we expect? A grand event is about to happen, but those small fries are nothing more than disposable pawns.'' Uriel softly snorted from behind her veil.


    ''Master is wise. Everyone dances on her palm.'' Remiel looked at her master''s back with sparkling eyes.


    "Achew..." Ely''s nose tickled from the dust, and she covered her mouth with a handkerchief.


    "Are you okay? Did you catch a cold, perhaps?" Yuuki thought Ely wouldn''t get sick, but she was still clueless about Ely''s condition.


    "No, I just sneezed. Thanks for asking, but I''m fine." Ely replied with a bright smile to reassure the worried Yuuki.


    The auction house''s staff then confronted them to check visitor tickets. Ely showed her VIP ticket, and an attendant immediately guided them to the VIP room.


    "They sure aren''t afraid of trouble, huh..." Bai Yuchen muttered softly in the waiting hall when he saw the fox sisters going to the VIP room upstairs.


    They were oblivious to his presence there, but he didn''t want them to notice him.


    "What are you looking at, boy? Are you mesmerized by those vixens'' beauty too?" The nearby cat girl pursed her lips as she pinched her friend''s arm.


    "Ouch, what are you doing, Hua Rong? Beauty is easy to attract attention, and it doesn''t hurt to have a look." Bai Yuchen rubbed his arm. It was really hurt.


    This new friend is fond of responding to various kinds of physical abuse. If she wasn''t the considerate person who helped him, he wouldn''t want to associate with her all this time.


    Well, but she was a pretty cat girl. So, he didn''t suffer a loss even though this cat girl was sometimes ridiculous.


    "But, those fox sisters are really unfortunate." Hua Rong sighed and looked at the stairs with pity.


    "What do you mean?" Bai Yuchen frowned.


    "I heard many old monsters want them as their furnaces, and the fox-kin race is almost extinct. And here are two legendary nine-tailed foxes. Do you think that the major forces and many foreign experts gathered in this city just for the auction''s items?" Hua Rong pointed her dainty finger at her eyes, then pointed at several suspicious people around the hall.


    "The fox sisters have fallen into a trap? Then-" Bai Yuchen''splexion paled instantly.


    "Don''t try to do anything ridiculous. It''s way beyond your capabilities. My n won''t be able to help you if you provoke those old monsters just for those fox sisters. Your lives are at stake. I''ve seen the legendary nine-tailed fox, and I''m satisfied. Come go to our bidder seat and win some good items." Hua Rong pulled her friend''s arm, or rather, she was dragging him away.


    "Hmm, they dare not pull a trigger or make any move? Too bad then." Yuuki muttered softly as they arrived at their VIP room without a hitch.


    "They will wait until the event is over. Despite all the risks involved, we will have many powerful experts on our good side." Ely looked at the auction hall through the ss wall.


    She was somewhat surprised that more than a dozen powerful experts above the 5th Rank had a favorability of over 50%. There was even an Emperor and a Demi-God with 70% favorability.


    "Esteemed guests, you can ce your bid with that bidder tool. The room''s ss can see out, but not the other way around. Your privacy is safe here." The staff gave a little guidance.


    "Good, you can leave now." Jophiel opened the door and asked the staff to leave.


    Once the outsider went out, Jophiel let out a soft sigh. She and her sisters were always out shadowed by their master and Yuuki regardless. The fox sisters'' presence was too bright, but to think those random people harbored some malicious intent was really irritating. She couldn''t wait to see them suffer.


    "You can bid whatever you want." Ely pointed at the bidder tool as she satfortably on the soft couch next to Yuuki.


    "Mkay~" Remiel replied with a salute.


    A few momentster, the auction started, and Ely''s disciples observed the items to be auctioned. They thought at least one or two things would catch their attention, but the reality said otherwise.


    What was auctioned in the event''s first half could be considered trash or even super trash. Their master''s failed product was even more impressive than those things.


    Because of that, the auction event quickly became nd.


    The Guardian of Dream has dozens of auction houses in the Human Realm. Their master also often entrusted some fantastic products to be auctioned every month. However, most of those products were won by the people from Guardian of Dream themselves.


    Ely''s disciples would not be easily impressed by the so-called precious treasures because their standards differed from those out there.


    "Huu... Huu..." Ely''s soft breath sounded melodious in Yuuki''s ear.


    Ely was currently asleep because the auction did make her sleepy. After all, she wasn''t there to bid anything but to wait for someone to bring money to her.


    "..." Yuuki nced to the side. Ely''s head was on her shoulder, and Ely also hugged her arm.


    This carefree girl fell asleep amid danger after putting all the chess pieces in a ce to sh...


    Once the auction event was over, it was apparent there would be countless experts blocking them from leaving. However, to be this rxed at knowing that Ely had prepared everything. As expected of the one whom she respected.


    *Knock* *Knock*


    Someone knocked on the door from outside, but Yuuki didn''t feel it was staff because she could feel a familiar breath and cold qi on the other side.


    It was a person from Frozen Could Immortal Pce.


    However, Yuuki felt astonished because there wasn''t a bit of negative emotion or hostility from the other party.


    The other party was only a Nascent Soul Realm expert. The most apparent aura from that person was anxiety and worry, but why did Frozen Cloud''s people feel like that?


    Regardless, Yuuki revoked the room''s barrier and opened the door for the guest to enter.


    "Please excuse me. I came alone to speak in peace. Please be merciful."


    The clear and tender voice came from the entrance.


    The uninvited guest? Ely''s disciple immediately turned to the Frozen Cloud''s people who dared toe here alone.


    "I didn''t expect you toe directly to us alone, Front Cloud''s holy saintess. Did Pce Master instruct you to do this?" Yuuki moved her finger, and the door immediately closed, and the room was sealed in the barrier again.


    Roses are red, a king has a crown


    Your life is a clock, and I''m counting down


    *insert menacing rumble*

 Chapter 57 Illusory Nightmare Paradise

    ?


    57 Illusory Nightmare Paradise


    "Are you sure you don''t need our help, Lady Kitsune? My lord can safely get you out of the city without those people knowing it. This may be bold, but so many people are after you and your sister." Griz expressed his worries after handing over the spirit stones.


    "You don''t need to worry, Mister Griz. These kinds of trouble are nothing. Might as well make those hypocrites realize that we are never the prey. Anyway, thank you for your cooperation." Ely raised her hand in farewell.


    A few momentster, Ely and Yuuki exited through the backdoor. Three veileddies followed a few meters behind them.


    The fox sisters leisurely walked away from the auction house even though they knew hundreds of eyes were watching them.


    However, those people did not act immediately. After the fox sisters arrived at the secluded area, the other parties finally made their moves.


    "Why are you in a rush to leave,dies? Why don''t you stay and apany this young master?" Fiery Bear licked his lips as he flew to block the fox sisters from leaving. The people from the Tiangong Sacred Land soonnded around him.


    "Fufu, are you trying to hit us up? We are not easy girls, blue fire snow bear." Ely nced left and right. The time for action has arrived, and all the pieces have gathered in one ce.


    "How lively. Shall we join in the fun? You can''t possibly intend to enjoy the feast by yourself, right, Fiery Bear?" The fierce golden tiger stood tall above a building. Tens of his powerfulrades blocked the right path.


    "Fufu, so they are the rumored fox sisters? Tiangong Sacred Land, our Snake Emperor, disappeared two days ago because of helping you. I hope you exin the situation, or this won''t end peacefully."


    ?


    The buffed greenmia blocked the left road with dozens of her people.


    "It is rare to find fox spirits wandering leisurely in the outside world. Imend your courage, but do you know how fucked up your current situation, little sisters? Those lecherous men desire your body as they have never seen a beautiful woman before." The lizard-kindy grinned widely as she exhaled smoke from her pipe.


    More than a dozen forces from different factions soon appeared, blocking the fox sisters'' escape paths. They either wanted to capture the fox sisters, join the fun, take advantage of the situation, or avenge the people who mysteriously disappeared.


    "That depends on whether you have the ability or not. I must say this, these fox sisters belong to me and the Tiangong Sacred Land." Fiery Bear raised his middle finger at the other major forces.


    He had his uncle on his back right now, and he was not afraid even though he would be ganged up on by several Form Synthesis and Void Tempering Realm experts.


    "We haven''t spoken, and you treat us like easy prey? What will you do after you catch us, to begin with?" Ely spread her arms, signalling that she was harmless.


    "Hee~ the prey talk about reasons? You can only me your sister for rejecting my advance. I shall make you and your sister my properties. You both can only be my obedient ves to please men, or you may be refined into something you couldn''t imagine, Keke." Fiery Bear licked his lips with a lewd smile.


    He felt these fox sisters already belonged to him and could do as he pleased with them soon. Their beautiful face, sexy body, charming appearance... these peerless beauties should belong to him!


    "Is it like that? Then, please forgive me for taking such a cruel measure in return." Ely confirmed everyone''s emotions. Mostly, they were malice and lust.


    ?


    Several people from Frozen Cloud Immortal Pce were also nearby. However, they were far behind the siege, as if waiting to reap the benefit from this situation.


    Whatever it was, Ely had intended to make those currently blocking her path suffer not only for herself and Yuuki but also for other unfortunate foxes.


    "Haha, not even your Demi-God sister can save you from this situation. Be obedient, and you won''t have to get hurt, young vixen." Fiery Bear stretched out his hand and intimidated the young fox and the other forces with his 9th Rank mental pressure.


    "???" Ely could only see the malicious negative energy exploding from that snow bear. Yet, it was easy to tell the surrounding people were oppressed, especially those below the 8th Rank.


    Ely pulled her disciples to stay close to her to protect them in her Mortal Field passive skill range.


    "You talk too much, wicked thing. Freeze." Yuuki released her AoE ice technique to freeze the enemies.


    "Your ice and Frozen Cloud''s technique is useless. Break!" Fiery Bear snapped his fingers.


    The five people beside him activated their artifacts, and the expanding icicles shattered into ice kes.


    "Profound Ice." Yuuki had expected that and immediately released the more powerful move.@@novelbin@@


    "Break!"


    Yuuki''s ice didn''t break that easily this time, but the expanding ice stopped. It couldn''t even reach any enemy.


    *Crumble!*


    The thick ice shattered a secondter. The people from the Tiangong Sacred Land werepletely unharmed.


    ?


    "We have developed a secret array and artifact to counter the ice technique, especially for suppressing Frozen Cloud. You force me to use this. You''re just a helpless little fox now." Fiery Bear clenched his fist with a confidentugh.


    "Extreme Ice." Yuuki was unfazed and used an even more powerful move.


    "!?" The people from the Tiangong Sacred Land were shocked and immediately protected themselves.


    Even with the counter artifact to negate the cold qi, they still suffered a bit of body freezing. Even so, they could guarantee the ice technique wouldn''t threaten them. They destroyed the ice with their techniques.


    However, the other forces had their bodies frozen in half by Yuuki''s ice. They tried their best to free themselves.


    "It''s useless, haha! Give up, and I''ll give you a little relief. I''ll also give you a chance to be my wife if you perform well!" Fiery Bearughed loudly.


    "Then, how about this one. Heavenly Ice." Yuuki cast her secret technique and froze everyone''s lower half to the ground.


    The super cold ice expanded within a two-hundred-meter radius instantly, and the counter artifact was also frozen without being able to take any effect.


    "What!?" Fiery Bear gasped in surprise. He never expected this cold vixen to have four kinds of ice, and thest one was beyond scary. It could even freeze the qi flow within people''s bodies!


    "That''s just your wishful thinking. Even if your ancestors came here, all of you would end up miserable." Yuuki exposed her 10th Rank aura to intimidate the enemies.


    "You, you''ve broken through to the Great Ascension Realm!? How can you break through a whole realm in a few days!?" Grieved Panda eximed in surprise as he tried to resist the pressure.


    "Hmph! But, too bad. This time is for my little sister to shine. It will only end me killing all of you if I make a move. My dear lil sis now is your turn." Yuuki stepped back and went behind Ely.


    She had partially frozen the enemies and ensured they couldn''t move or cast any technique temporarily.


    "Ah-uh, okay." Ely was still shocked. It was the first time she saw Yuuki''s heavenly ice, and it was super impressive. Yuuki could probably freeze anything in the future.


    "The despicable evildoers, we don''t know how many pitiful souls have fallen in your hands.  However, you target us, and this is your greatest misfortune. Fall into the deepest nightmare, Illusory Paradise, activate!"


    Ely activated her newly created talisman. It floated into mid-air and then formed an illusory dome. Everyone within a five-hundred- meter radius fell into a high-level realistic illusion directly impacting one''s spirit.


    Ely wanted to test her newly created talisman and set it up for the nightmare illusion that could traumatize the enemies. It was about the terrifying fox demons'' cruelty, especially the nine-tailed ones.


    She still needed her identity as Kitsune in the future. It would be troublesome if everyone regarded fox-kin as a furnace and prey. Time for change was required.


    "..."


    Everyone went pensive as if they had lost their senses. Their gazes were nk, but their expressions revealed extreme fear right after.


    "Ah, argh!"


    "No, no, don''te any closer!"


    "Fox demoness! Don''t eat me! Argh!"


    ?


    "It hurts!"


    The people soon screamed in agony. Even the Demi-God Great Elder was also fallen prey to that nightmare illusion.


    The quiet night was soon enlivened by anguished screams like hundreds of people tortured in hell.


    "What''s that?" Yuuki was curious, and so were the three disciples. "They fall into the abyss full of fox demons. This is a powerful nightmare illusion. I hope that''s enough to traumatize them." Ely spoke in a whisper-like voice. She was impressed by this illusion talisman''s capability.


    She was also satisfied with her craftsmanship. This illusory paradise talisman was recognized by heaven, and of course, its effect would be unique. It was worth the high-level resources she used to create this talisman.


    "So what are we going to do with them now?" Yuuki heaved a subtle sigh. She felt Ely didn''t need to y schemes as she knew Ely''s worth.


    "We''ll wait a bit. We can also ckmail them, fufu~" Ely covered her mouth and gave her three disciples a thumbs up. They replied with their thumbs up also.