575-586

Chapter 575 - Glimpse Of The Past (2)

"Oh? I haven't heard about any village being around these parts of the Divine Snowland Region. It might be a mortal village," Heinrich Escladus wondered before he said, "We will head over and check it out."

"Since the village were locals in the area, they might have some helpful information regarding the entrance location to the ruins of the ancient buddha sect."

"What about these baby Snow Tigers, father?" The boy asked.

Heinrich Escladus glanced at the four tiny Snow Tigers that could barely walk properly for a moment before he said, "We will take them with us. Since you have killed their mother, you have to be responsible for raising them."

"Can't we just leave them to grow up on their own?" The boy asked.

"No," Heinrich Escladus shook his head before he explained, "If we leave Snow Tiger Cubs here like this, they will not survive for long in this wild. Most likely, they will become food for other beasts before they starve to death."

"Either way will generate bad karma. As such, they are your responsibility now, understand?" Heinrich Escladus glanced at his son seriously.

"Oh…" The boy lowered his head in contemplation before he nodded, "I understand, father."

"Good," Heinrich Escladus smiled.

Shortly after, Heinrich Escladus waved his hand before the four Snow Tiger Cubs were picked up by formless traces of Divine Power like they were being grabbed from the back of their necks by invisible hands.

The Snow Tiger Cubs meowed like cats in protest, but they could do nothing to resist Heinrich Escladus's Divine Power.

"Let's go," Heinrich Escladus urged.

The boy wanted to be carried by his father again.

However, Heinrich Escladus shook his head and refused his son's simple request with a stern look, "No, you have to walk and reflect on your mistake."

"Uu… Yes, father…" The boy answered with his head lowered.

It did not take long before they reached the entrance of the small village.

The wooden buildings and humble houses were covered in thick layers of snow, while some were half-buried, and not a single human could be spotted.

"Seems like this place have been deserted for some time now," Heinrich Escladus sighed with disappointment before taking his first step into the village.

The Snow Tiger Cubs were dragged along in midair while little Leon followed not too far behind Heinrich Escladus.

However, after a few steps past the village gates, little Leon tripped and faceplanted into the thick snow.

"Are you alright, son? Be careful with your steps. The snow is quite thick in this area." Heinrich Escladus said.

The boy quickly shook his head and said, "There's something in the snow, father,"

"Oh?" Heinrich paused for a moment.

Shortly after, he scoured the entire village with his powerful divine sense.

Numerous bodies belonging to both the young and the old laid frozen and buried underneath the thick layers of snow with sword wounds all over their bodies.

"So this village was raided by bandits," Heinrich Escladus sighed at innocent lives lost.

Suddenly, he picked up a weak breath coming from one of the houses before he said, "Come, son. Seems like there's still a survivor."

"Yes, father." The boy nodded.

…

Leon quietly observed the memory of his past from a distant hill.

"This was where I met Aria and cured her under father's instruction," Leon sighed with desolation as he recalled that none of them were alive anymore.

As for the four Snow Tigers that were raised, he had no idea how they are.

They were still some distance from the Divine Beast Realm as he last recalled leaving them in the care of another person.

Either way, Leon did not grieve anymore.

He was way past that point already. Even so, Heinrich Escladus and Aria White's deaths were forever voids in his heart that can never be filled.

"Is there a reason for me being taken back to this point in time?" Leon began to ponder, "I feel like I missed something important."

He felt like his conversation with his father was much longer than what was shown before him.

"Strange, why is it so hard to recall these memories," Leon frowned.

In fact, if not for the world replaying his past memories to him, Leon would not have been able to recall them so vividly.

Even so, he could not get over the feeling that something was missing.

Leon began to ponder hard.

…

Suddenly, the scenery changed.

It was still a world of snow, but with an extra companion added to the father-son duo's trip in search of the ancient buddha sect's ruins.

"Father, why is it that even though Divine Practitioners have so much time compared to mortals, they don't spend their time living life but instead spent most of it in secluded cultivation for even more time?" Little Leon asked.

"It's ironic, isn't it?" Heinrich Escladus chuckled softly while carrying a little girl on his back, "In fact, there's no definite answer to this question."

"Some seek to become the strongest and reign over the Divine Realms like Divine Kings, some seek the truth of the Everlasting, and some simply don't wish to die."

"Why do I feel like mortals live more fulfilling lives than we do?" Little Leon asked.

"Because they do. Mortals know their time is limited, so they make the most of it to ensure they live without regrets. While Divine Practitioners have so much time, we don't really know what to do with it except grind for more time to figure out exactly that," Heinrich Escladus chuckled.

Shortly after, he stared at his son solemnly, "Maybe there will come a day when you will be able to figure it out for everyone and save our pour souls from this vicious loop of chasing blindly."

"Can I really do something that others can't?" Little Leon queried doubtfully.

"That's hard to say, son.. However, your existence in itself represents a hope that anything could be possible," Heinrich Escladus rubbed his son's head warmly before gazing into the distant north with a longing look.

Chapter 576 - At Last

"I don't understand what you mean, father," The young Leon said with knitted brows in thought.

Heinrich Escladus smiled warmly and said, "You don't need to understand now, but one day when you grow up, you will."

"I still don't understand..." Leon's lips twitched as he watched the past being replayed from a distance.

Suddenly, Leon paused.

"Come to think of it, I never found out who my mother was, where she was, nor what happened to her..." Leon muttered, "Every time I mention to father, he would also have the same distant look and change the subject..."

Leon furrowed slightly before glancing in the northern direction, "Was his birth mother somewhere in the north?"

As Leon pondered, his younger self asked his father, "Why do all Divine Practitioners meditate when they cultivate, father? Why don't they cultivate in their sleep or any other positions?"

"Because it's the easiest position to enter the tranquil state and focus, son. The standard meditative posture is not definite. If you can achieve it any other way, then there's no need to follow conventional means." Heinrich Escladus explained.

"And why must Divine Practitioners enter the tranquil state to cultivate? Does it have something to do with finding the [Heart of Saint Mantra], father?" The young Leon continued to ask questions while Leon furrowed his brows.

"I don't remember any of this..." He muttered.

Heinrich Escladus paused his steps in the snow before turning his head towards Leon's direction with a profound look.

Leon froze as if his father was gazing directly at him.

At the same time, Heinrich Escladus spoke, "The tranquil state is also called the state of emptiness and mind zero, free from all distracting thoughts. Only when we are empty of all thoughts can we feel the vastness of the world and everything within. The [Heart of Saint Mantra] can help you enter this state quicker."

"To feel everything, you have to feel nothing? Why does this sound so contradictory?" The young Leon wore an incomprehensive look.

"It doesn't make much sense to father either, but not everything has to. The sense is what we make of the world. But in the beginning, there was nothing. It was from nothing that came everything. Nothing and everything is much closer than you think, just like two sides of a coin, son. With a flip, nothing can become everything and vice versa..."

As Heinrich Escladus explained, Leon fell into deep contemplation, "Nothing becomes everything... Everything becomes nothing...?"

Suddenly, Leon found himself sitting on the ground, reciting the verses of the [Heart of Saint Mantra] to clear his mind and enter a tranquil and calm state. It was like he had touched upon a profound truth.

The surrounding snow world faded like a dissipating illusion before only a dark empty void remained.

The night sky was dark, and his body remained afloat in the Neutral Zone of zero gravity. His bones were still crushed, but all his bleeding have stopped.

There was no feeling in his body.

From Leon's perspective, with his senses shut, he was not floating in the zero-gravity Neutral Zone but the vast emptiness of the void.

Ka-cha!

Leon broke through his bottleneck and advanced his Nihility Law's comprehension to a higher level.

There was no worldly phenomenon signifying his breakthrough to transcendent; no change was seen, no sound was heard, not even an instinctive feeling, nothing.

He just understood in that instantaneous moment.

People would even question if a breakthrough like this could be considered Transcendence.

But regardless of any doubts that might have surfaced—if there were even any spectators in the vicinity, everything changed the moment Leon opened his eyes.

The 30-feet radius of space surrounding Leon's body was transformed into a real void.

All the air and all the elements, light and darkness, space and time itself, were warped, broken back down into their purest form of energy since the beginning of time!

Boom!

All the energy particles surged into Leon's body, and his gathering and refining speed of Grandmist Energy exploded forth by a hundredfold!

Regardless of their elements, they were all transformed into True Grandmist Energy!

True Grandmist Energy surged explosively, filling the Black Vortex Space before seeping out to nourish every part of Leon's and rebuild it.

His body's constitution quickly transitioned from the Five-Element Body into the True Grandmist Body, bypassing the pseudo stages.

Leon quietly studied the changes to his body before he sighed emotionally with incredulity, "I did not expect the first level of the Nihility Law, the law of nothingness, to be this overbearing…"

Achieve Transcendence was a huge step, but he felt that his current accomplishment far more than just a huge step.

"I anticipated that True Grandmist Energy was something I can only refine after fusing Destruction and Creation Laws with the other laws…"

"But the Nihility Law returns all matter to their original form, True Grandmist Energy… This is something even the Temporal Law cannot reverse…"

The Law of Nothingness was truly unparalleled.

Leon did not doubt that even True Grandmist Energy itself will be reduced to nothingness at the higher stages of Nihility Law and return to inexistence.

"At last, I have achieved Transcendence and become a Nihility Transcendent…" Leon spoke to himself before muttering thoughtfully, "The first stage of Nihility Law does not grant me incredible battle power…"

But what it did give him unparalleled speed in cultivation.

As long as there is matter, it can be transformed into True Grandmist Energy for his Body Cultivation.

"Even the stars will become nothing more than balls of energy for my cultivation, huh?" Leon mused before shaking his head ruefully.

His strength was still weak, but his confidence has already reached the level of the gods.

Shortly after, Leon began to study his body's condition more closely.

His bones were being strengthened, and even his wounds have all closed. But his organs were like mashed potatoes.

However, he was not dead.

Evidently, he had also succeeded in comprehended the Profound Law of Life, which bought him the time he needed to go one step further and breakthrough to the Transcendent Realm.

…

Sometime later, Leon fully recovered his damaged organs after swallowing healing pills and refined his own Life Energy.

With the Profound Life Seed, Nihility Law, and Black Vortex, his Life Energy refinement was not inferior to the Universal Life Conversion Array.

Nevertheless, he entered still entered the Worldspace after his recovery.

"Maya!" Leon called out received no response from the Worldspace.

When he relied on his connection to the [Divine Book of Life] to reach the artifact spirit, he still received no response.

Shortly after, Leon noticed his collection of Wrathful Demonic Energy had all disappeared.

"Seems like Maya exhausted herself to save me and fallen back into a deep slumber…" Leon thought while feeling warm inside.

The artifact spirit was not the same as her former self. Leon could see that Maya was still far from making a full recovery.

"Artifact spirits receive nourishment from Spirit Energy… Once I return to the World Tree, I should supply the [Divine Book of Life] with its boundless Spirit Energy…" Leon decided.

"If not for Maya's help, I might have really died this time around… However, given the same situation again, I would have still made the same decision…" Leon frowned.

Shortly after, he shook his head and thought, "I should head back for now. I'm not sure how much time has passed, but the other should be worried sick about me…"

After he decided, he exited the Worldspace.

But after returning to the Neutral Zone, Leon paused, "What is this place? This shouldn't be outer space if there's still air to breathe… But why is there no gravity?"

His body floated weightlessly in the zero-gravity zone as he pondered, "Could this have something to do with the sky's suppressive force? Never mind, I figure it out later."

The no-gravity zone was a perfect place to train—that was before he comprehended the Nihility Law. Now, it did not matter where he cultivated.

Even so, it did not change the fact that the no-gravity zone was an excellent place for cultivation.

However, he was concerned about the others.

"With the Three-Legged Golden Crow's strength, it would be hard-pressed for the others to deal with it without relying on Duna's Destruction Law…" Leon could only hope for the best.

Leon exerted his Divine Will and descended from the no-gravity zone in the sky.

However, just as he reached the invisible barrier separating the no-gravity zone from the mesosphere layer, he was repelled.

"Hm? Such a strong wall of gravitational force has been gathered here…" Leon was surprised for a moment before he muttered, "This might have been a problem in the past, but not anymore."

The Power of Nothingness spread out from Leon's body and formed a barrier that reduced everything into True Grandmist Energy for his consumption.

After the Power of Nothingness contacted the barrier, large amounts of energy particles immediately burst into existence before they were quickly devoured by Leon's ravenous body.

At the same time, his body easily slipped past the barrier and continued his descent towards the surface.

An ocean wave of suppressive force immediately weighed down on Leon's body and accelerated his descent.

However, the force was significantly reduced by the Nihility Law before it could crush his body, becoming True Grandmist Energy to nourish and strengthen his body instead.

It was like the world was pushing for his growth, but in fact, he was closer to a black hole that swallows everything it pulls in.

Chapter 577 - Duna's Condition

Leon plunged out of the clouds, and the surface ground came into sight.

The battle was long over, but the Blue Luans had yet to leave the devastated region outside the hanging Great Wall.

They stood on the giant carcasses of the Three-Legged Golden Crows with their heads raised victoriously.

Boom!

Suddenly, Leon landed heavily nearby.

"Human, you are still alive!" Bluewinter spoke with an awe-inspiring aura, "I heard you took an attack from the Peak Rank 2 Transcendent Three-Legged Golden Crow. I did not expect you were able to survive that. It seems you are quite the resilient one."

It was the majestic aura of a Paragon.

"Un, I was quite lucky and fortunate to have survived," Leon nodded calmly before he said, "Congratulations on becoming a Paragon…?"

"Bluewinter. You can call me, Bluewinter," The Paragon-level Blue Luan said coolly before adding, "You should hurry back to your people. You have been gone for an entire day."

"I will," Leon nodded again before turning to leave.

However, after a few steps, he paused and glanced back, "Your tribe is not planning on leaving this place yet?"

"Our Blue Luan Tribe may be proud, but we are not ungrateful," Bluewinter stated before explaining, "Your side was a great help in defeating our rival tribe, the Three-Legged Golden Crows. We will guard this place for a period of time."

"That would be much appreciated," Leon said with gratification.

If the Western Frontier was attacked by another tribe of similar strength, it was unknown whether they could fend off the enemy in their current state.

They needed time to recover.

"It is what the Blue Luans should do," Bluewinter said coolly before adding, "Either way, I need to reorganize the ranks in my tribe."

"I see…" Leon nodded.

Shortly after, his gaze paused on the carcasses for a moment before he asked, "You won't be needing the bodies of these Three-Legged Golden Crows, right?"

"My tribe plans to take them back as trophies to flaunt our achievement in front of the Netherfrost Bird Tribe, but I suppose just the Paragon's head will do," Bluewinter paused before asking, "You wish to use their bodies, human?"

"If you are not taking them, I will gladly accept all of them. There is so much meat in these Three-Legged Golden Crows that it could sustain my people for a long while."

"I suggest you banish that thought, human," Bluewinter suddenly said with a stern look, "These Three-Legged Golden Crows might have extremely high nutritional values, but their bodies have been corrupted by the devil."

"Unless you want your people to become bedeviled like these Three-Legged Golden Crows, I suggest that you and your people do not eat them," Bluewinter advised.

"Thanks for the kind suggestion," Leon smiled lightly before shaking his head, "But your worries are unfounded. These Three-Legged Golden Crows have been infected by Wrathful Demonic Energy."

"Once the Wrathful Demonic Energy are removed, their meat will become safe for consumption. And as you would have it, I am the best man for this job," Leon stated confidently.

Bluewinter was mildly surprised before she studied the tiny human before her carefully.

"You know the root cause of the beasts rampaging, human?" The new ascended Paragon-level Blue Luan queried.

"Naturally. The world has been filled with an overflowing amount of Wrathful Demonic Energy due to the Cataclysm," Leon patiently explained before pointing into the west, "The purest form of Wrathful Demonic Energy are those red energy pillars you see in the distant horizon."

"Wrathful Demonic Energy in small quantities can be resisted to some extent. But raw power from those red energy pillars will make beasts go berserk without a doubt. Even Paragons are no exception by the looks of it," Leon added.

Shortly after, Leon advised the Paragon-level Blue Luan, "I suggest that your tribe does not fly at high altitude nor approach any of these pillars for the sake of not going berserk like these Three-Legged Golden Crows."

"Un, these Three-Legged Golden Crows have only changed after approaching one of those red energy pillars. There is truth to your words," Bluewinter nodded before she said, "I thank you on behalf of my tribe for the valuable information."

"It's nothing," Leon waved his hand casually before he said, "In times of troubles like these, we should help each other where possible to overcome the cataclysmic waves."

"Then you would not mind helping us out a bit further by sending us a portion of these Three-Legged Golden Crows after you purify the Wrathful Demonic Energies from their bodies, would you?" Bluewinter lowered her pride to make the request.

"I do not mind," Leon responded with surprise, "However, I just did not expect that you would…"

"A Blue Luan can be proud, but pride alone will not help the Blue Luan Tribe survive the Cataclysm," Bluewinter sighed while gazing at her tribesmen in the distance, "A monarch must be farsighted to lead the tribe well."

Evidently, the Blue Luans were famished after a prolonged battle with the Three-Legged Golden Crows.

However, they did not dare to eat the Three-Legged Golden Crows' flesh.

"You have won my respects, Bluewinter."

"As you have won mine, human." Bluewinter returned Leon's gesture with a nod.

"I am honored," Leon said before clapping his hands together, "Well then. If you will excuse me, I take some time to meet some people who might be grieving over my supposed death first."

"Un, no problem," Bluewinter nodded before she urged, "Go. My tribesmen can wait."

Shortly after, Leon took flight in the sky and left the area before reaching the Elder Tree's side in a short instance.

"Seems like the people have already vacated the area and left for the Grassland Region," Leon muttered after landing on a hill beside the empty camp.

A soldier walked out from a nearby tent before he froze on Leon's figure.

Shortly after, the soldier exclaimed with joy, "Y-Your Highness! You're alive!"

"Of course, I am. Did you wish I was dead?" Leon responded wryly.

"I would not dare, Your Highness!" The soldier exclaimed with shock before he said, "Please excuse me, Your Highness! I need to quickly inform the General Marquis."

"Alright, go on ahead," Leon nodded.

…

Within another part of the military camp set up in the Elder Tree's vicinity, Aria was seated on a log by the campfire outside of a big tent.

A boiling pot hung over the fires, but it did not have Aria's attention despite falling directly in her line of sight.

She stared at seemingly nothing with her gaze unfocused like she had lost her soul and purpose in life.

"How long are you planning to cook that pot of soup, Aria?" A familiar voice suddenly rang in Aria's ear, causing her body to shudder for a moment.

Shortly after, she turned her gaze and met with Leon's approaching figure.

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes before she immediately got up and dived straight into Leon's chest.

"I thought that you were… you were…" Aria wept in Leon's arms. She could not stop the tears from flowing down her cheeks as she failed to complete her sentence.

Leon caressed Aria gently with a warm smile before he said, "Didn't I say to believe in me?"

"But… but the Blue Luans said that they saw your body floating motionlessly in the Neutral Zone… They even said…" Aria did not finish her words.

The Blue Luans informed her that after taking the brunt force of the Peak Rank 2 Transcendent Three-Legged Golden Crow's attack, it was impossible for Leon to survive.

At that point, she still held onto hope in her heart.

But after the Blue Luans described the severity of Leon's injuries in detail from what they had observed, even she would be discouraged.

"Ptui! Those lousy birds were just jumping to conclusions and speaking nonsense to scare you," Leon admonished the Blue Luans unjustly before he said, "All is well now that I am here."

"Mm." Aria rested her head on Leon's chest.

Feel the heat emanating from Leon's body and being held in his arms, Aria was comforted with a peaceful expression despite her tear-stained face.

Shortly after, Leon casually inquired, "Did my mother and the others also thought I was dead?"

"No, mother had already departed the area with the two elven princesses before they could learn about your situation…" Aria shook her head.

"That's good," Leon nodded with relief.

It was hard for him to imagine how his mother would have reacted upon hearing news of his death even though he was still alive.

'Would she have slashed up every Three-Legged Golden Crows' carcasses into unrecognizable states?' He mused wryly with slight amusement.

Leon suddenly paused before he asked, "What about Duna? How is she?"

"Duna… She is…" Aria hesitated to speak while shifting her gaze in the direction of the big tent beside the campfire.

Leon's heart nearly stopped before he asked, "Is she inside?"

"Yeah…" Aria answered.

The two quickly entered the big tent, where Supreme Elder Haldir could be seen seated beside the bed in the center.

"Young Prince, you're alive! That's great news," Supreme Elder Haldir exclaimed.

Leon nodded before shifting his gaze to Duna's body lying on the bed.

When he saw the terrible state Duna's unconscious body was in, his expression instantly turned heavy and gloomy.

"Duna… she wanted to retrieve your body from the Neutral Zone, even if you were dead… However, the Neutral Zone's barrier was too strong, even for her Destruction Law…"

Aria started to explain, "Despite that, she still stubbornly attempted until she became like this…"

All of Duna's limbs were missing, and the remains of her body were riddled with cracks.

She was in a far worse state than when she slew the Peak Rank 2 Transcendent Three-Legged Golden Crow.

Her remaining body looked like it could shatter at any moment.

Chapter 578 - Yes, My Lady

After listening to Aria's words, Leon felt sorrowful in his heart before he sighed, "This girl… why is she so stupid?"

Although he was unsure if Duna's personality was subtly affected by Lumi, he knew that while she usually acted coldly, she was, in fact, quite a warm person inside.

At least, Leon thought so.

"I have thought hard for a treatment solution, but I am clueless as to where to even begin," Supreme Elder Haldir said with a sigh, "I am helpless here…"

"I understand. Thank you, Marquis Haldir. Don't worry too much. As long as her core is still safe, I have a way to fix her," Leon said before he requested, "Can I trust you to guard the outside with Aria while I carry out the treatment process?"

"Naturally. If that is your wish, young prince," Supreme Elder Haldir complied with a slight bow of respect.

At the same time, a trace of doubt surfaced in his eyes. There seem to be something slightly different about the young prince.

The Supreme Elder could not quite put his finger on it, but he was getting this vague feeling that the young prince might have become a Transcendent.

However, he was puzzled because he could not feel the young prince's Transcendent Aura.

'How strange…' Supreme Elder Haldir thought with furrowed brows.

At the same time, Aria glanced at Leon and asked, "You want me to leave too?"

"Un," Leon nodded.

"I can only feel relieved if you are the one guarding outside with Marquis Haldir. No one must disturb me during the treatment." Leon gazed into Aria's eyes seriously while gently caressing her Aria's cheeks.

Feeling Leon's deep trust in her, Aria solemnly nodded, "You can leave it to me. Please help Duna recover quickly."

"I will."

…

Shortly after, Leon was left alone with the unconscious Duna while Aria and Supreme Elder Haldir headed outside to guard the entrance.

Leon gazed at Duna's sleeping face filled with cracks before he sighed, "I took on great risks to prevent you from relying on the Destruction Law and harming yourself…"

"…And yet you still went ahead got yourself battered to this state…silly girl." Leon shook his head helplessly before studying Duna's condition carefully.

"Now that I have True Grandmist Energy and have become quite proficient in the study of the soul, I should be able to fix you on my own…" Leon muttered in thought.

Placing one over Duna's chest without contact, he began to channel True Grandmist towards his palms before they were sprinkled over Duna's body.

In a short moment, Duna's body was suffused with a soft silver glow, and the terrible cracks on her body began to close at a noticeable rate like erasing lines.

"It's working as I expected," Leon narrowed his eyes in observation before he suddenly noticed Duna's eyes were opened.

However, she was glaring at his palm.

When he realized that his hand had unwittingly started groping one of her twin peaks, his expression froze.

Duna shifted her gaze to meet Leon's eyes before he forcefully retracted his hand.

"Aiya. Look at this naughty hand of mine, moving on its own. It deserves to be punished." Leon slapped his naughty hand with a wry smile.

After Duna glared at Leon for a moment with a frosty expression, she simply closed her eyes again.

However, Leon could have sworn he noticed a trace of yearning in Duna's eyes just before she closed them.

Shortly after, he scratched his head with a thought, 'What was that? An invitation?'

When Leon recalled his experience the last time he entered Duna's spiritual world, he quickly decided to patch up Duna's treatment before using [Soul Dive] to enter her spiritual world again.

"You really did enter my spiritual world again, you horny dog," Duna spat after suddenly pouncing on his back.

Leon immediately coughed with awkwardness, "Ahem, wasn't it you that invited me in?"

"Hmph, I invited you? When did I say that?" Duna snorted while clinging to his back like a cat.

Leon gaped speechlessly.

He had no words to refute her question. Perhaps, it really was just his imagination.

But before Leon could think further, Duna agilely wrapped around to his front before pushing him to the ground with herself saddled on top.

Being caught in such a familiar position, his little brother quickly awakened like a raging dragon.

However, Duna's soft hands shot over like a snake and tightly clutched the awakening dragon before it could fully raise its head and roar to the heavens.

In a short instance, the raging dragon turned into a sickly turtle that flushed deeply like a chicken being gripped by the neck.

"Your little brother is very lively, huh? So ready to play and all…" Duna teased coldly while increasing her grip strength, "It needs to be punished!

Leon immediately broke into sweats.

He lost all strength and laid weakly on the ground under Duna's complete mercy.

His spiritual avatar possessed all the senses of his true body but none of his tempered defense.

Thus, even if he was a mighty dragon outside, he could only be a sick cat inside Duna's spiritual world—while she had him by the balls, literally.

"Pft!" Duna giggled and released her grip after punishing Leon enough before she said coldly, "That is what you get for throwing yourself in danger like that!"

"I—"

Leon opened his mouth, only to have it suddenly sealed by Duna's supple lips.

His little brother gasped for air after regaining his freedom before it was suffocated once more, but inside of Duna's tender cave of wonders.

Cool and pleasant sensation suffused Leon's entire body before he gave himself to lust, allowing Duna to ride his bulging rod as she pleases.

"Mm~!"

A suppressed moan escaped Duna's mouth as the two of them drowned themselves in the sea of pleasure, causing Leon to instantly shoot his shot.

"Ahh~!"

Duna's body spasmed in response.

Nevertheless, the two continued their passionate session for several more rounds before Duna rested her head on top of Leon's chest lazily.

"Don't you dare run off on your own again."

"Yes, my lady," Leon smiled wryly.

Chapter 579 - Western Frontier's Plans

After exiting Duna's spiritual world, Leon noticed a portion of his energy was depleted once again; a sense of lightheadedness struck him.

But after he circulated True Grandmist Energy a few cycles around his body, the feeling dissipated and his mental state quickly recovered.

Shortly after, his gaze fell on Duna's flawless body.

Not only did her body fully recovered without a single part missing, but there was also a certain silvery glow that made her body seemed otherworldly.

The silvery glow came from his True Grandmist Energy.

It softly overlapped with the surface of Duna's body while slowly merging with her body, and at the same time, transform it.

"I thought Duna would wake up right away, but it seems that she decided to enrich her corporeal body first…" Leon muttered softly.

Shortly after, he exited the big tent and allowed Duna to cultivate quietly.

"How did it go, Young Prince?" Supreme Elder Haldir inquired upon seeing Leon leave the tent, "Did you succeed?"

"Un, it was a complete success." Leon nodded before he said, "Duna is now cultivating. Let her cultivate in peace."

"Then I will ask a soldier to guard the tent to prevent her cultivation session from being disturbed," Supreme Elder Haldir stated.

"That would be appreciated," Leon gave the Supreme Elder a nod before Aria immediately glued herself onto his body, "Let's go see the General Marquis."

"I am right here, Your Highness," General Marquis Hendrick's voice suddenly trickled over from within a nearby tent before Aria could respond.

The General Marquis had arrived earlier to confirm the news of the prince being alive with his own eyes—only to be stopped by the Supreme Elder and Aria.

"Oh?" Leon was surprised for a moment before he nodded, "Let us go for a walk."

"Yes, your Highness," General Marquis complied.

As Leon casually walked towards the Elder Tree's direction with the General Marquis on his right and Aria in his arms on the left, he suddenly inquired, "How's the situation?"

"With Her Majesty departing for the Grassland Region with most of the people and supplies, this place has become quite deserted," The General Marquis answered.

"And to be honest, I'm not sure how we are going to hold this place if we are attacked by another tribe. However, we are doing what we can to patch up the rift and repair the Great Wall."

"True…" Leon nodded for a moment before shaking his head, "However, you won't need to worry about that."

"Oh? Do you have a solution, Your Highness?" General Marquis Hendrick asked with surprise.

However, Leon shook his head again, "That's not it. I simply talked with the Blue Luan Tribe and learned that they will guard us for some time to repay the favor."

"As for the rift and Great Wall, you should just leave it as is. The biggest problem isn't the Western Frontier's broken defense but the lack of strength we have. In my opinion, you should focus on achieving Transcendence first, general."

"Even if I achieve Transcendence, I am afraid that my strength will still be lacking if we were to encounter another opponent on the level of Paragons after the Blue Luan Tribe leaves, Your Highness." General Marquis Hendrick smiled ruefully.

"You're right. A single transcendent won't make any difference in a battle like the Three-Legged Golden Crow Tribe and the Blue Luan Tribe. However, an enormous opportunity to grow strong is presented to everyone here," Leon stated.

Aria immediately furrowed with confusion.

At the same time, General Marquis Hendrick glanced at Leon with doubt, "What do you mean exactly, Your Highness?"

"All the soldiers that remained behind to defend the Western Frontier—round them all up and gather here by the Elder Tree. I will teach everyone a cultivation method that will help them grow strong by leaps and bounds within a short time. You will know then, general."

"This… Alright. I will inform everyone immediately, Your Highness." General Marquis Hendrick bowed in compliance with many doubts.

However, he can only find out later.

Leon did not plan on waiting idly until the General Marquis gathered all the soldiers in the Western Frontier.

He pulled Aria towards his chest and took flight towards the west.

"What are you planning to do, Leon?" Aria asked like a curious kitten in Leon's arms, holding onto him dearly like she was afraid of losing him.

Leon felt the slight tremor in her arms and knew that Aria had yet to recover from the previous shock, even though he had returned to her side.

After caressing her head gently, Leon explained, "We are going to fetch to the Three-Legged Golden Crow's bodies and cook a great feast for the soldiers."

"Are you planning to help them all become Body Cultivators with Three-Legged Golden Crow's valuable meat?" Aria quickly understood before asking with surprise, "The Blue Luan Tribe is willing to just give them to us?"

"Yep. The Blue Luans were willing to give them all to us due to their fear of getting corrupted by the Wrathful Demonic Energy," Leon answered before he added, "However, I promised to leave them a portion after the meat is purified."

"I didn't know the Blue Luans could be so generous…" Aria muttered.

"They probably wouldn't be this generous if they didn't have such a wise leader," Leon cracked a smile and casually said, "It seems like we are pretty lucky."

"Can you really say that we are lucky when the Western Frontier is like this…?" Aria said before she suddenly pounded Leon's chest with her small fists, "And you nearly lost your life too! Did you know how worried I was?"

Aria broke in quiet sobs.

"Sorry for making you worried…" Leon apologized with guilt.

However, Aria quickly shook her head and wrapped her hands around his neck before she pulled him in for a kiss proactively.

Their lips touched, and a long passionate kiss was exchanged between them.

Shortly after their lips separated, Aria said emotionally with teary eyes full of relief, "I'm just glad that you made it back to my side alive in the end."

"Yeah… me too.." Leon held her tightly.

Chapter 580 - Reinforcement's Arrival

Sometime later, Leon collected few frozen Three-Legged Golden Crows into his Worldspace.

After nodding to Bluewinter in the distance, he returned to the Western Frontier's side and found himself a large open field next to the temporary military camp.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow's frozen bodies were quickly brought out before Leon defrosted the ice and extracted remnant traces of Wrathful Demonic Energies in the bodies.

"You don't have to watch if it's too boring," Leon said while getting his hands dirty from plucking the feathers earnestly.

"Not boring at all," Aria quickly shook her head. She found Leon very attractive when he is working earnestly—she could watch him for days.

However, she did not plan on being idle.

Aria quickly tied her hair and rolled up the sleeves and hems of her light blue dress before she said, "Let me help."

"You don't have…" Seeing Aria's determined look, Leon quickly shook his head and smiled, "Alright."

With two people working on the job, the first Three-Legged Golden Crow was quickly de-feathered despite its large size.

"I think one body is enough for now," Leon muttered while looking at the big featherless bird.

"Mm," Aria nodded in agreement.

After wiping some golden bloodstains off her face, Aria added, "One body has is more than enough meat to feed the whole army."

"Maybe not just a whole army, but a whole city," Leon added with a smile before his gaze fell on Aria's bloodstained dress.

Compared to Aria, Leon was still clean, considering the bloodstains have only gotten on his hands.

After shaking his head, Leon suggested with a slight chuckle, "Why don't you go wash and leave the rest to me?"

"Hmm…" Aria paused for a moment to inspect herself before she nodded, "Alright."

Aria threw an ambiguous look over her shoulders before she left, but Leon could only smile wryly. There was much work to do.

He can only enjoy himself later.

Shortly after, Leon was left alone on the field with the de-feathered Three-Legged Golden Crow.

"After this, I will need to de-feather a few more for the Blue Luan Tribes as well. But I wonder if they will like it raw or cooked…" Leon began pondering before shifting his gaze onto the mountain of plucked feathers.

"These feathers are suitable materials for making projectile weapons and equipment with runic enchantments… the meat are highly nutritious and beneficial for Body Cultivators without a doubt…"

The bones of the Three-Legged Golden Crows were even better materials for weapon and armor crafting.

The Three-Legged Golden Crow's body was undoubtedly a heavenly treasure trove filled with valuable parts that humans could use.

"As for the blood…" Leon shifted his attention to the golden blood, "The golden blood has already lost its potency… no one will be able to obtain the Golden Crow's bloodline from absorbing these golden blood."

"However, it will be a waste to just throw them away like this…" Leon mulled for a moment before his eyes flickered, "Seems like they can be used to commence by blood refining phase…"

There were not many options for him to choose from, but he had become strangely interested in the Everlasting Blood Mantra.

With the Black Vortex and Nihility Law on his side, he was no longer concerned with any side effects the technique may have that could affect his mental state.

"I haven't planned on it, but perhaps, Blood Cultivation might be the most suitable energy cultivation path right now…" Leon pondered thoughtfully.

Given the chaos that the Cataclysm brought to the world, the Wildlands would be thriving with berserk beasts and bloody battles.

The ideal location to cultivation Blood Cultivation had always been the battlefields, and there could not be a bigger stage for this than the Wildlands.

"Unlike other primordial body cultivation techniques, the Everlasting Blood Mantra requires refining many different types of blood aside from True Grandmist Energy to cultivate…Hm."

As Leon pondered, the General Marquis shortly arrived beside him and reported, "Your Highness, the soldiers have been gathered."

"Alright. Let us head over." Leon nodded.

His dirty hands were cleansed shortly by the power of nothingness in an instant, transformed into energy that was absorbed by him.

…

A few dozen miles away from the Western Frontier, a large company of military vehicles could be heard traveling along on the main road.

"Miss Lilith, it won't be much longer before we reach the Western Frontier. The Great Wall should be within sight from here," A soldier spoke after seeing the familiar stretch of road and scenery from the back of the leading military transport vehicle.

"That's great to hear," Lilith responded with surprise despite a lack of energy.

Heavy bags were seen under her eyes, as well as every other soldier onboard the transport vehicle. None of them were able to get a wink of sleep from the rattling wheels moving on the road.

Lilith poked her head out to inspect the road ahead before she suddenly gasped with surprise, "Where did that tree come from?"

"What tree are you talking about, Miss—" A soldier followed suit with a doubtful expression before his eyes widened in shock.

"Holy sh*t! Isn't that the Elder Tree from the Great Forest?! What is it doing here in the Western Frontier? How???"

Everyone on board was startled by the soldier's cry before the commander sleeping in the front passenger seat also woke up with a start.

Only the driver had been aware of the situation ahead much earlier but chose not to say anything— afraid that he would be reprimanded for interrupting the commander's beauty sleep.

"What happened to the Great Wall!?" The commander exclaimed after shifting his gaze beyond the Elder Tree in the distance.

The Great Wall did not appear as tall as it remembered it—That was until the commander noticed the enormous rift beyond that caused the Great Wall to bend slightly from its immense weight.

"The situation in the Western Frontier is much worse than I anticipated!" The commander stated with a heavy expression.

"If the Western Frontier has been devastated to this degree, wouldn't we be throwing away our lives by trying to defend this place?"

"Can anyone survive whatever devastated this region? Is anyone still alive? No wonder why we saw Her Majesty leading all the civilians and elves away earlier…"

The soldiers were terribly shocked, assuming a grim fate was awaiting them at the Western Frontier.

However, the noses suddenly picked up the aromatic smell of cooked meat, and their appetite was instantly whetted.

"What is that smell? It smells so good—!" A soldier asked. He could not stop his mouth from drooling.

He was not the only one.

Many soldiers in the back of the transport vehicle began drooling as the fragrant smell seemed to pervade the entire region.

"I have never smelt anything like this before…dammit, even if I have to risk my life, I must find out what it is and take a bite at least!"

"Right? It smells like someone is cooking some legendary roasted pheasant! How can the smell reach so far outside the Western Frontier?!"

"Hmm… The situation in the Western Frontier might not be as bad as we imagined! At least, we were informed that the elite cultivators of the empire are all gathering there…"

"The Duke, the General Marquis, the Supreme Elder of the Elven Tribe, and even His Highness is all there…"

While listening to the soldiers talked, Lilith furrowed slightly. She did not share the same enthusiasm towards the so-called aromatic scent that they mentioned.

Although it did smell pleasant, it also made her nauseous at the same time—like she was about to commit cannibalism on her own kind or something.

Sometime later, the advance company finally reached the temporary military camp outside Military City and beside the big Elder Tree.

"What the…"

The commander and the others' gazes quickly fell on the scene ahead before they were stunned, speechless.

Soldiers laughed and talked raucously while enjoying themselves beside a colossal campfire, where giant chunks of unknown meat hung on a spit over the fire and oozed with heavenly deliciousness.

"What kind of situation is this?" The commander finished his question after finally recovering from his surprise.

Lilith's pupils narrowed slightly as she sensed the powerful and vigorous aura emanating from the soldiers in the distance while their muscles bulged with power.

'When did the humans have so many powerful Body Cultivators?' Lilith questioned with doubt in her mind.

"You guys must be reinforcements returning from the Grassland Region," A robust-looking soldier spoke in a deep and powerful voice upon approaching Lilith's group.

"That's right. I am the commander in charge of this advance group, Commander Julio," The commander nodded after peeling his eyes away from the campfire.

"I see. Greetings, Commander Julio. I am Captain Reuben." The robust-looking soldier saluted before saying, "Please wait here for the moment, commander. I will send someone to quickly inform the General Marquis of your arrival."

"Alright. Please do.." Commander Julio nodded.

Chapter 581 - Stay That Way

Shortly after, Captain Reuben called a soldier over before sending the person off to inform the General Marquis.

While gazing at the sturdy body and vigorous aura of Captain Rueben and the other soldiers, Commander Julio bitterly thought, 'Since when did lower-ranking soldiers become so powerful?'

Commander Julio had the impression that he could be snapped with one of their fingers.

After rubbing his head with distress, he turned to Lilith and inquired, "What does Miss Lilith intend to do now that we have reached the Western Frontier?"

"I would like to return to my tribe as soon as possible, but the situation in the Wildlands is uncertain to me," Lilith furrowed in thought for a moment before she said, "I will look for my friend first and see after."

"I see." Commander Julio nodded before turning back to Captain Rueben, "May I ask where His Highness is?"

"His Highness is just over there on that hill." Captain Rueben pointed north of the Elder Tree before adding, "You should be able to find the prince on the top."

"Understood. Thank you, Captain Rueben." Commander Julio said before turning to Lilith again, "You heard him, Miss Lilith. His Highness should be over on that hill if you are to look for him."

"Mm, I heard. Thank you, commander. Then I'll be heading off first."

Shortly after Lilith left, One of Commander Julio's men could not help but speak out, "Captain Rueben, sir! If I may ask, what is everyone eating over there by the big campfire?"

"Curious, aren't you? It's the meat of a Transcendent-level Three-Legged Golden Crow. It's taste… even the most heavenly chicken you tasted cannot be compared to it." Captain Rueben said with a tease, "I'm sure you are all dying to have a taste."

Seeing all the 2000 soldiers gathering behind Commander Julio nod their heads, Captain Rueben's smile grew widely before he said, "Well, too bad. You all cannot eat it until you see the General Marquis and learn the rudimentary Body Cultivation techniques first."

"Haiz, I guess we can only wait…" The soldiers expressed their slight disappointment.

With the strong scent pervading the area, it was like torture to see but cannot touch.

…

On the distant hill, Leon enjoyed himself by lying on Aria's lap and fed with meat skewers by Aria.

During the past several hours, he had de-feathered at least 20 Three-Legged Golden Crows with the help of others after teaching them all Body Cultivation.

After that, it was the soldier's own efforts to cut and cook their meat.

Meanwhile, Aria quietly watched the soldiers enjoy themselves over the campfire while feeding Leon and felt proud for her man.

"Where did you learn such techniques? Those body cultivation methods you taught them shouldn't have come from the Divine Realm…" Aria casually asked.

"I found them on the Dark Continent along with many of techniques belonging to the primordial era of gods and devils." Leon did not hide anything from Aria.

"In fact, I feel like we will be able to find something if we dig deep enough. I've found a suitable method for Lynne to cultivate, but I'm not sure in your case…" Leon added.

Aria seemed to have forged her own path by merging ice and lightning.

He did not have any lightning cultivation methods, let alone ice-lightning cultivation methods. In fact, he did not have a single technique that involved dual elements.

Seeing Leon's frown, Aria massaged his eyebrows with a smile while saying, "You don't need to fret over my case. I don't think I will be hitting a bottleneck anytime soon."

Leon quietly nodded with his eyes closed.

However, he still thought of exploring the ancient ruins and procuring more heritage of the gods and devils in his mind.

Suddenly sensing someone approaching, Leon opened his eyes before he said with surprise, "Well, if it isn't Miss Lilith. It's been a while since we last met."

"It has been a while…" Lilith nodded before staring at Leon with his head rested on Aria's lap while being fed before she added, "I see you are enjoying yourself out here…"

"I worked hard and nearly died, so I must say I do deserve to spoil myself a bit," Leon responded calmly. He did feel more relaxed after becoming a Nihility Transcendent.

It was hard to say whether it was due to a change in his mental state or whether he had more room to breathe after reaching a significant milestone.

"You did? Are you alright?" Lilith asked out of concern before her gaze was quickly filled with doubt, "You look fine, though? No?"

"I am fine now, but I wasn't before. But never mind that." Leon shook his head before asking, "Why have you come here? You… don't have a problem with us eating this, do you?"

Lilith stared at the meat skewer in Aria's hand before she furrowed her brows slightly and asked, "What kind of meat is that?"

"Three-Legged Golden Crows," Aria answered.

"Three-Legged Golden Crows?" Lilith heaved a sigh of relief before she said, "Three-Legged Golden Crows and Desolate Crow Clan are part of the Crow family, but we don't have any direct relationship. It doesn't bother me as long as it's not me eating."

"I see…there's no problem then," Leon smiled lightly.

"Un." Lilith nodded before she said," As for why I am here, I am planning to return to my clan in the Wildlands. I'm worried since the Cataclysm—is that the Skysilver Beast King?!"

Lilith's eye suddenly widened in shock after taking notice of the Transcendent-level silver wolf resting by the foot of the Elder Tree.

At the same time, Silver lifted its head to glance over. Seeing that it was not Leon calling, it lowered its head and continued to take a nap.

"Yep," Leon answered Lilith's questioned before she exclaimed, "When did it become so small?!"

"The same way you retracted your wings," Leon casually said before his expression turned more somber, "About the Wildlands. It's too dangerous for you to go alone."

"That may be the case, but I must still go. I have to make sure my parents are okay." Lilith said while clenching her fists with a determined look.

Leon studied Lilith's expression carefully before he shrugged, "Well, I didn't say I was stopping you. I just said you shouldn't go alone. I was planning to explore the Wildlands, so you wouldn't mind if I tagged along, would you?"

Aria's hand suddenly paused while she was holding the meat skewer before she resumed feeding Leon.

Although she did not say anything, Leon immediately understood and smiled at her, "Don't worry. I won't go without bringing you along with me."

"Mmm." Aria nodded sweetly.

Seeing the lovely atmosphere between Leon and Aria, Lilith felt a bit awkward, as if she was interrupting their moments.

Nevertheless, after a short moment of hesitation, she continued to speak, "If you can accompany me, I would be more assured. But is it fine for you to leave this place? Don't they need you here?"

"Everything is moving on the right track. My job is done here and can be left to the General Marquis's care. That being said, don't leave yet. We'll leave after I talk to the Blue Luan Tribe and craft a few times in the forge."

With that said, Leon hopped up from Aria's lap. He had relaxed enough.

"Blue Luan Tribe? Did you say there's also a Blue Luan Tribe here?" Lilith quickly asked with surprise.

It had been nothing but a series of astonishment after the other ever since she arrived at the Western Frontier.

"You heard correctly." Leon nodded before pointing into the distance, "You can find them camping on the other side of the Great Wall."

"Good lord, to think there would be a Paragon-level bird tribe all the way out here..." Lilith softly muttered in shock.

However, Leon raised an eyebrow before asking doubtfully, "It was a battle between two Paragon-level tribes. You are surprised about the Blue Luan Tribes, but not for the Three-Legged Golden Crow Tribe?"

"What?! Those Three-Legged Golden Crows were part of a Paragon-level tribe?! How did you all even survive?" Lilith gaped.

"Didn't I say that I nearly died?" Leon shrugged before he inquired, "Are there multiple Three-Legged Golden Crow Tribes in the Wildlands?"

"Yeah," Lilith admitted.

Her knowledge used to be her protection. But given their current relationship, she no longer had any scruples with sharing everything she knew about the Wildlands with Leon.

"The Three-Legged Golden Crow Tribe is quite expansive and spread over several tribes while there is only one Blue Luan Tribe known in the entire Wildlands," Lilith explained.

"Well, it's fortunate to know that we saved the Blue Luan Tribe from becoming extinct." Leon rubbed his chin thoughtfully before he added, "It would have been a lost otherwise."

Shortly after, he continued with a chuckle, "As for these Three-Legged Golden Crows, they are quite active, aren't they? Not surprising, considering they are 'big birds' full of 'Yang' energy."

Aria immediately blushed at Leon's dirty joke, while Lilith did not seem to get it.

"...What?" Lilith uttered confusedly.

"Ahem, it's nothing important. Don't worry about it." Leon coughed before stating, "I'll go make the preparations for the trip."

"Why don't the two of your stay and have a chat or something?" Leon suggested before leaving without further notice.

The two ladies stared at Leon's departing figure before they glanced at each other.

"You want some?" Aria offered the half-finished meat skewer in her hand before Lilith quickly retreated with a startled expression.

"It was a joke... a joke..." Aria giggled slightly before she stopped with a serious look, "What is Leon to you?"

"Excuse me? He saved my life, but we are just friends." Lilith was taken aback.

"I see, I see." Aria nodded approvingly before biting onto the meat skewer, "Friend is good. Stay that way."

"???"

Lilith was confused.

Chapter 582 - Devil Spirit Body

Outside of Duna's big tent, two soldiers guarded the entrance faithfully and vigilantly.

Achoo!

One of the two soldiers suddenly sneezed while the other had cold shivers.

"I wonder who we are guarding inside… why does it suddenly feel so cold all of a sudden?" One of the soldiers spoke while rubbing his nose.

"I heard it's the spirit that follows His Highness around. You know… the one that was rumored to be the evil ghost that haunted Lost Isle Alley back in the Capital some hundred years ago…" The other soldier said.

"Huh? That's kind of spooky…" The soldier was startled before he spoke with curiosity, "I wonder how His Highness was able to tame the spirit to become docile?"

Suddenly, the temperature dropped even further before the two soldiers heard a woman's voice that sounded like the devil's whisper, "Who did you say tamed who?"

The two soldiers immediately felt a chill run down their spines.

Duna walked out of the tent with a white cloth wrapped around her body like a dress. Her fair skin emitted a soft luster that faded shortly after.

A chilling sensation surrounded the two soldiers.

However, they quickly realized it was not a change in the temperature but the aura being emitted by the person that seemed to freeze their very souls with fear.

"Uh… we were just speaking irresponsibly. Please don't kill me…" One of the soldiers said as he felt Duna's smooth fingers traced along the veins of his neck.

His body trembled, but at the same time, he was startled inside his heart.

Although there was no warmth in Duna's fingers, the sensation the soldier was receiving was no different from human flesh.

'Wasn't this person suppose to be a ghost?' The soldier questioned in his mind with shock.

Shortly after, Duna retracted her hand before she snorted, "Your jobs are done here. You can scram now."

"Y-Yes! Thank you, Miss Duna!" The soldiers quickly spoke before scurrying off like they had just seen a ghost—no, a devil!

Sometime later, the two soldiers were gone from sight.

Duna raised her hand towards the sky and glanced at the moonlight shining on it without passing through before she silently mused, 'Unexpectedly, I was able to completely forged the outer shell of my Devil Spirit Body.'

'To think that True Grandmist Energy still exists in this world and has yet to vanish completely… or did Leon brought back its existence? That person is truly an enigma, filled with surprises…' Duna licked her lips.

She could hardly contain her thirst and wanted more.

'Just now, I had a strong urge to kill those two soldiers and suck their blood dry…' Duna quickly frowned in thought.

'Now that first step of building my corporeal body is complete, I am no longer considered a spirit.'

Although it was just the outer layer, Duna became entirely physical without any transparency like an average person—and not some glass vase like before.

But with this change, she was now something akin to an undead. A constant thirst for the blood of the living now burns within her unless she is satiated.

Shortly after, Duna glanced down at the cloth she wrapped around her before she mused, "I need to find some proper clothes too…"

"I should go find Leon." Duna quickly decided before heading off to look.

Duna's beauty quickly attracted the attention of some ignorant soldiers who just arrived at the camp. They did not expect to find such an alluring woman in wrapped cloth walking around in a military camp.

One of the braver soldiers decided to approach Duna with a lewd gaze before he asked, "Hey beauty, what are you d—"

"Piss off!" Duna spat coldly.

The soldier's gaze irked her greatly.

At the same time, the soldier's courage instantly vaporized under Duna's cold gaze.

His face paled like his soul had just been plunged into the lowest level of frozen hell while his body shook with trepidation and fear.

"S-So sorry for bothering you!"

After falling flat on his rear, the soldier quickly turned tail and ran.

Another group of soldiers by the campfire witnessed the scene and laughed before shaking their heads wryly shortly after.

"That guy must be tired of living or something to try and hit on Miss Duna. Does he not know that she is a ghost?" A soldier muttered.

However, another soldier's gaze quickly clouded with doubt.

"Strange, but Miss Duna doesn't really look like a ghost anymore. Instead, she appears more human now despite possessing this ethereal beauty and feel I can't quite describe..."

"Huh? You're right… Miss Duna does seem a bit different from usual…"

The soldiers began breaking into discussions as Duna strolled around the camp to inquire about Leon's location.

…

Meanwhile, Leon arrived at the new forge set up outside of Military City. Duke Ignis and a few blacksmiths could be seen at the location, but no work was currently in progress.

"Father-in-law," Leon greeted Ignis upon his arrival.

"Ah, Leon!" Duke Ignis cracked a smile at Leon with pleasant surprise, thinking how nice it was for this future son-in-law to visit him.

But upon recalling the previous matter, Duke Ignis's smile quickly faded before his gaze turned fierce, "You little rascal, Don't think—"

"Everyone seems quite idle around here…" Leon interrupted.

"Eh? Yeah…a bunch of materials was lost during the battle between the Paragons. And with the current Great Wall like this, we are unsure what we need to make right now," Duke Ignis explained seriously before—

"Oh? That's great. Actually, I have tons of materials on me right now," Leon quickly said before Duke Ignis could bring up the previous matter again.

Shortly after, he added, "With the current growths of the soldiers in Body Cultivation—father-in-law included, you all need more powerful weapons to match your growing physical strength."

"That's true, but we don't have any spare material for that. All the alloys are in high demand for the new capital construction right now…" Duke Ignis stated with furrowed brows.

However, Leon waved his hand, and an endless amount of ancient bones poured out from his Worldspace.

"Alloys can't be used, but what about these? They are perfect materials for weapon crafting and very conducive for rune engraving," Leon stated before Duke Ignis's eyes widened in surprise.

"Where did you get all of this?"

Chapter 583 - Both Is Good

"From the Dark Continent. There were just lying around, so I just picked them all up as I pleased," Leon casually responded.

However, he was smiling wryly in his heart.

Because of his actions, the Bone Calamity started and caused great disaster for the surrounding tribes in the region.

'There should be about 2 days left until the Darkmoon Tribe's summit meeting with the other tribes of the alliance…" Leon silently mused before he nodded, 'There's more than enough time for me to craft a portable teleportation array.'

'I already know the spatial coordinates of the Darkmoon Tribe's Teleportation Array and the Capital's Teleportation Array… I should make one for the Western Frontier and a few to carry with me. This will allow me to travel to any of these locations instantaneously.'

Leon quietly planned out the items he needed to craft at the forge.

Aside from the portable teleportation arrays, he also intended to make a few other items, such as anti-gravity tools and suppression-nulling devices, for example.

While Leon was pondering, Duke Ignis and the few blacksmiths quickly inspected the ancient bones before their hands tingled with urges to craft immediately.

The sturdiness of the bones and the sharpness of the claws…

The experienced blacksmiths could immediately tell that great weapons could be crafted out of the ancient bones.

Sometime later, Leon finished contemplating and found his own workspace at the forge.

At the same time, Duke Ignis and the other blacksmiths sorted out the ancient bones into different sizes and shapes, forming several small mountains of ancient bones in the area as they kept inventory of the items.

Despite the piles of ancient bones presented in the area, it was only a fraction of what Leon took out of his Worldspace.

'I'm not sure if father-in-law and the others will be able to handle the shock if I unload everything… I should also keep some for myself, just in case I need to craft something during the journey later…' Leon mused.

After watching Duke Ignis and the others for a moment, Leon began formulating the design for his portable teleportation array with ancient bones as the raw ingredient.

Once Leon settled on a design in his mind, he pulled out several more ancient bones of very specific sizes and shapes.

Just as Leon was about to commence his work, his sharp senses detected a person silently sneaking up behind him on tippy-toes.

It was Duna.

"What were you planning to do?" Leon queried with a sly smile after turning his head before his eyes brightened.

Duna became more beautiful despite appearing seemingly the same. Perhaps, a change in her disposition, aura, or…

'Seems like she succeeded in whatever she was doing…' He thought after noticing her fleshly body.

Although Leon knew True Grandmist Energy could become anything, it was still very skillful of Duna to successfully transform it into human flesh.

As expected of someone with a Devil Soul Fragment.

After being called out, Duna straightened herself with a calm look before she nonchalantly spat, "Nothing in particular. It's not like I was trying to surprise you or anything. Don't overthink it."

"Is that right?" Leon smiled widely in question.

Duna averted her gaze, but their gaze met after she snuck a glance shortly after.

"What are you looking at? Stop asking and pass me some clothes! I need new clothes!" Duna suddenly barked after getting caught.

"If you need clothes, you should ask Aria… I'm sure that she carries quite a few sets of spare clothes inside her Interspatial Ring… Why would you ask me? I don't have any women's clothing on me," Leon was taken aback.

"Just pass me one of your set of spare clothes! Would I be asking you otherwise?" Duna frown before she said, "I don't want to ask her."

"Oh?" Leon was surprised by Duna's words before his brows wrinkled in question, "Did you two had a fight or something?"

"No fights. I just don't want to, okay?" Duna responded.

Nevertheless, after Leon took out a set of white clothes from his Worldspace and passed it over to Duna, she immediately accepted the clothes before disappearing off into an empty tent to change.

Sometime later, Leon saw Duna returning before he suddenly had a thought, 'Could it be that Duna and Aria don't get along because one is an evil spirit and the other possesses the lightning attribute?'

The more he thought about this, the more he felt that it was likely the case. He was reminded of Rachel and Lynne's interaction.

'Hmm…' Leon hummed for a moment.

Shortly after, he shook his head. Duna and Aria's matter did not seem like something he could do something about.

'Let's just focus on crafting the portable teleportation arrays for now.' Leon decided to push back the issue for another time.

Throwing Duna a glance, Leon had to admit that she looked stunning, even while wearing men's clothing.

"I might not have said it yet, but congratulations on your advancement, Duna," Leon suddenly.

"Mm, it was all thanks for you." Duna nodded.

Her nice response gave Leon a mild surprise before she grew close to his ears and whispered, "But now there's a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Leon was startled.

"I will have a constant thirst for fresh blood due to my Devil Spirit Body's current stage." Duna did not hide her problem from Leon and added, "I am telling you because I know you will not let me kill some soldiers to satiate my thirst, so you need to think of a solution for me."

"I see…" Leon frowned in thought before he asked, "Can you wait until we set out for the Wildlands? There will be plenty of beasts to satiate your hunger then."

"I can wait, but I can't promise that someone won't die due to my bloodthirst getting out of control." Duna casually responded.

Leon's frown deepened for a moment before he asked, "Do you want to suck some of my blood to relieve the thirst for now, or will True Grandmist Energy resolve the problem?"

"Hmm… both is good." Duna licked her lips charmingly while wrapping her arms around Leon's neck before she suddenly asked for confirmation, "Are you sure I can drink your blood?"

"It'll be great if you don't try to suck me dry," Leon said wryly.

At the same time, he began to ponder her issue further in his mind. Did Duna evolve into an undead or something?

Chapter 584 - Spiritual Sense

"What kind of cultivation technique are you practicing? How did you end becoming like this? Are you an undead now?" Leon asked a series of questions after feeling the soft and tender touch of Duna's cold skin.

"Yeah, I can be considered an undead being now. As for my cultivation technique, that's a secret." Duna winked before eyeing Leon's neck. She licked her lips and revealed her sharp fangs.

Ding!

Leon's neck was tougher than steel, causing Duna's sharp fangs to fail in piercing his flesh and nearly break instead.

"Your flesh is too tough." Duna frowned while rubbing her fangs.

Leon smiled wryly before slicing his own wrist with sharpened nails before reaching out his bleeding wrist to Duna

"Here."

Duna quickly held Leon's hand and slurped his blood without wasting a drop. A hint of redness could be seen in her eyes due to her aroused thirst for blood.

Leon wrinkled his brows slightly as he pondered on her previous words, "If you can evolve to undead from a vengeful spirit…is it possible for you to evolve further into a living being again in the future?"

"It's definitely possible, but it will not be as a human being when that time comes." Duna nodded before she resumed drinking Leon's blood.

Shortly after, the redness in Duna's eyes disappeared before she added, "Will hate me when I become a devil?"

"I—" Leon suddenly paused.

In the Divine Realm, demons and devils were detested races by the rest of the myriads of races and denizens that lived there.

However, he remembered that his father would always lecture him that all life was equal, and no race deserves to be wiped out from existence due to their nature.

Sometimes, demons and devils could be even more merciful and generous, while humans could be the vilest of all existences.

Nothing was definite.

After he recalled this, Leon continued calmly, "As long as your character doesn't change, I don't care what you become."

"You're lying," Duna denied his answer.

However, Leon looked at her directly in the eye and asked, "Does it look like I am lying to you?"

"Ahem, please go somewhere else to talk." Duke Ignis coughed and said, "You're disturbing us here."

It was weird to see his son-in-law blatantly flirting with other women in front of him, especially when the person is not his daughter nor a human being, in fact.

"Sorry." Leon smiled wryly before he said to Duna, "We will talk about this another time. I need to make some things before he set out on our journey. Go find something to do."

"Oh…sure," Duna said.

After seeing Leon's wrist fully healed, she did not walk very far before finding a decent spot and sat down, looking back at Leon.

"Don't mind me. Just do what you need to do."

"Alright…" Leon nodded. Duna had decided to watch him work quietly.

Time quickly passed, and night turned to daytime.

However, no one was absent from the forge during the entire period. Duke Ignis and the other blacksmiths all worked on crafting various weapons alongside Leon.

Leon glanced down at the portable teleportation arrays, anti-suppression pendants, and levitation rings.

Apart from these items, there were also a few interspatial rings and a couple dozens of bone spears, all at Tier 3 after he engraved them.

Shortly after, Leon glanced over and saw that Duna was still watching before asking, "Aren't you bored?"

"I am bored, but there really isn't anything else to do until you are free," Duna stated.

Leon wrinkled his brows before he asked, "What do you need to do that requires me to be free?"

"That is an excellent question. I wonder what it could be~?" Duna spoke vaguely with an alluring smile, full of hidden implications.

Leon immediately felt his heart scratched.

"Ahem!"

Duke Ignis coughed before Leon snapped out of Duna's charm with an awkward. Leon gave Duna a blaming look, but she pretended not to see it.

Shortly after, Leon stored his items in his Worldspace.

"Father-in-law, I will be leaving the Western Frontier sometime later today. However, there are still numerous untouched Three-Legged Golden Crows here," Leon raised a problem to Duke Ignis.

"That's true…" Duke Ignis nodded and said, "All this potential food will go to waste if there is no one to prepare it."

"So? What do you intend to do about it?" Duke Ignis asked shortly after, believing Leon already had plans to resolve the issue.

"I will teach you a technique and leave you in charge of the meal preparation and negotiations with the Blue Luan Tribe, father-in-law."

"Oh? What kind of technique is it? Is it the same as what you use to remove the Wrathful Demonic Energies from the Three-Legged Golden Crow's bodies?"

Shortly after Duke Ignis asked, Leon shook his head and explained, "Not quite the same, but you will be able to do what I do—just not on the same level of effectiveness as me."

"Stinky brat, less boasting." Duke Ignis spat.

Leon chuckled lightly before he poked Duke Ignis's forehead and transmitted [Spiritual Sense] to him with True Grandmist Energy.

"This technique…" Duke Ignis immediately entered a state of deep contemplation as he perused the string of information.

"Take your time to ponder and learn it, father-in-law."

Spiritual Sense was much inferior to Divine Sense, but Leon did not doubt that Duke Ignis would be able to master it.

With the growing Spirit Energy spreading out from the World Tree and Duke Ignis practicing the [Divine Fiery God Manual], Duke Ignis met all the conditions to know how to use Spiritual Sense.

Once he learns it, he will naturally know how to use the skill to detect Wrathful Demonic Energy and come up with his own method to remove it.

Duke Ignis did not respond to Leon, and he did not bother Duke Ignis further—leaving him to absorb all the information effectively.

"Let's go," Leon said to Duna, suddenly picking her up and heading straight for an empty tent while she was stunned by his actions.

He felt a fire burning inside him.

Chapter 585 - Leon's Tragedy And Revenge

After placing Duna down on the bed, she suddenly asked indifferently, "What are you trying to do?"

Leon immediately froze like his head was poured with a bucket of cold water as his excitement cooled down.

"Didn't you want some of my True Grandmist Energy?" Leon asked with doubt.

"Un, I do." Duna nodded before she looked at Leon slyly and asked, "But that doesn't require you to do whatever it is you were thinking of doing to me, right?"

"Ughk…" Leon was immediately stunned, speechless.

Duna had a point.

He could just transfer his True Grandmist Energy to her directly, but he had been lured into thinking… Haiz, never mind.

Duna giggled before she suddenly pulled Leon on top of her on the bed. After wrapping her arms around his neck, she whispered in his ears, "Well, I liked what you said before, so just this once, I'll let you do whatever you want."

"That is what you said! Don't regret it!" Leon's excitement was raised to a new peak after hearing her words of enticement.

He quickly undressed the both of them, letting their clothes lie scattered on the ground while Duna did not resist or slap him.

Nevertheless, she suddenly asked, "We are not going to into the spiritual world?"

"It might be a bit selfish, but I want to have a taste of your new physical body," Leon spoke earnestly.

"Hmm…." Duna hummed with an indecipherable expression before giving Leon the nod, "Okay."

As an undead, she would not really feel anything. Only Leon would be able to enjoy the full extent of the pleasurable session alone.

"Selfishness comes with a price, though. I hope you will be prepared," Duna smiled slyly with a wicked idea.

"What kind of price is it?" Leon asked, but his hand did not stop moving.

After feeling every inch of Duna's cold but soft and tender skin, his bulging rod slipped straight into her icy cavern of pleasure.

His body immediately trembled with delight.

The pleasant sensation in his nether region immediately rushed through his entire body in waves after waves of pleasure as his hips moved on their own with quickened tempo.

In a short while, Leon reached his climax and unloaded his Yang essence, mixed with True Grandmist Energy.

"How many rounds you are going after?" Duna asked calmly.

"Just one is enough. After all, you weren't able to enjoy it, right? Let us move into your spiritual world and continue," Leon said softly as he looked into Duna's eyes with a tender gaze.

Faced with Leon's affectionate words, Duna appeared to hesitate slightly before she steeled her resolve. She wrapped her hands around Leon before planting a kiss on his lips.

Leon noticed Duna taking the initiative to pry his mouth open, but what came after was not her supple tongue—but something warm.

"Hm?!"

Leon's face paled in an instance.

He quickly separated from Duna before spitting out whatever was inside his mouth. After getting a good look at the white substance, his face paled even further!

Leon pointed at Duna with an agitated expression and shaking hands while looking at Duna and the white substance intermittently, "You… You… how…?!"

"I told you there was a price for selfishness," Duna licked her lips seductively before swallowing the remnant traces of Leon's Yang essence and True Grandmist Energy back into her body.

"You see, I'm currently still pretty hollow on the inside…" Duna gave Leon a wicked smile.

"Arghhh! Dammit, Duna!!" Leon roared before immediately disappearing into his Worldspace shortly after.

Sometime later, Leon reappeared in front of Duna with a grim look while his mouth smelled oozed with pleasant fragrances of herbs and mint.

His mouth practically beamed with daisies and flowers.

"Hahaha…" Duna broke into soft laughter. She found the current state of Leon to be both cute and comical.

"Hmph!" Leon immediately snorted before he spat, "Watch how I will punish you!"

Shortly after, Leon pounced on Duna's bare body and initiated his [Soul Dive] skill, sending his spiritual avatar straight into Duna's consciousness.

Their two physical body immediately went limp on the bed.

…

Inside Duna and Lumi's spiritual world, Leon spotted Duna and pounced on top of her like a wild beast, quickly tearing apart her spiritual clothes and stripping her bare naked.

"You are being too rough!" Duna complained with a frown.

However, Leon looked at her and responded with, "Didn't you say I could do whatever I want? Are you going back on your words?"

"Well… I did say that, but you can never trust a devil's w—" Before Duna could finish her words, Leon rammed his raging dragon into her flowery cave of sweet nectar.

"Ahhh~!" Duna gave an unexpected moan.

The fierceness, precision, and tempo of Leon's thrust struck her straight in the sweet spot, causing her to moan in delight uncontrollably.

Her body trembled, and her arms wrapped around Leon's waist immediately tightened as she clawed into his spiritual flesh under the rushing tide of euphoria.

"You're feeling it now, aren't you?" Leon smirked before giving Duna another strong, sending another surge of pleasure through her body.

"Ahhh~!" Duna moaned again without control.

"W-Why is it so different from last time?! What is this feeling? It feels so—good~!" Duna exclaimed erotically in tandem with Leon's thrusts.

"Don't compare your amateur moves with mine, Duna. I'm the experienced one in this field," Leon spoke while caressing her body and enhancing her senses.

"Mm—Ahhh~!" Duna failed to suppress her voice.

"But that's impossible! I am the devil of—Mmf~!" Duna gave another muffled cry as her body screamed in delight from Leon's soft touches and rough movements.

The harmony of soft and hard produced an indescribable wave of bliss that overwhelmed her body in pure joy.

At the same time, Leon felt like Duna was about to reveal something important.

However, his body could not stop moving. His hips continued thrusting uncontrollably like an animal in heat as he drowned the both of them in an ocean tide of carnal pleasure.

True Grandmist Energy supplied his spiritual avatar with endless vigor, allowing him and Duna to battle for many rounds—from the flowery garden to the grass fields, they spread their seeds of love and love nectar everywhere.

Sometime later, Duna collapsed weakly on top of Leon's chest, exhausted with haggard breathing and flushed cheek.

Unexpectedly, she was the one to lose the battle in their long session of lovemaking.

"How…?"

Chapter 586 - Soft Feather

On a hill some distance away from Leon and Duna's tent, Aria sat in a meditative position as she quietly drew in the world's natural energy to cultivate.

After a moment, Aria opened her eyes and expunged a breath of foul air.

Lilith walked over shortly and found herself a seat on the grass beside Aria before gazing at Leon and Duna's tent ahead.

"Are you not going to do something about your man? I can smell some spicy business is about to go down in there. After all, a man and woman in a tent alone, something is bound to happen," Lilith said with a curious gaze.

"As his wife, my only wish is to be able to accommodate his desires. Who he chooses to spend time with is his choice to make. I will not stop nor interrupt his moment," Aria said coolly before flashing Lilith a look.

Shortly after, she added, "But if you are so interested in snooping on their business, feel free to go ahead. I won't stop you."

"Wait, you two are already married? When did this happen? Where was the mad invite?" Lilith was startled.

"Eh? Ahem," Aria issued a slight cough before she said with a bit of embarrassment, "We are not officially married yet."

"I see… Well, it's none of my business anyway," Lilith said. But after a moment, she asked for confirmation, "Are you sure I can peek?"

Aria raised an eyebrow before glancing at her, "Didn't you say it's none of your business?"

"Well, it being none of my business, and me being curious is two different things, right?" Lilith asked with a dumb look.

Aria was a bit speechless.

Nevertheless, she shrugged and gave Lilith the nod of approval.

However, not long after Lilith left, Aria saw her coming back with a panicky expression before she asking, "What's wrong?"

"I think Leon is dead."

"What?" Aria immediately shot to her death before asking, "What do you mean by that? Why do you think that? Did Duna killed him?"

"Eh? No… They are both lying motionlessly on the bed without a single movement…" Lilith explained with a particular expression.

They could not have passed out so quickly after doing the deed, right? That would seem a little pathetic.

Meanwhile, Aria studied Lilith's expression carefully incase the person was playing a mean prank on her.

After a moment, she furrowed her brows before making her way over to check for herself.

However, just as she was about to lift the veil and enter, it was raised on the inside. Leon exited with a refreshing look while Duna followed behind.

"Oh? You're both here. Just in time. Come with me to see the General Marquis and Blue Luan Tribe's monarch, then we can set out on our journey together."

Shortly after Leon said this, Aria flashed Lilith a questioning gaze—only to see her return a look that says she does not know what is going on either.

She could only turn her gaze back to Leon and asked, "Are you alright, Leon?"

"Oh? I'm perfectly fine, Aria. Why do you ask?" Leon was slightly surprised by her question before he suddenly paused.

Thinking back, he had yet to have much intimate moments with Aria while he had been with Duna twice already.

This was not good.

Aria might misunderstand and think that he was showing Duna favoritism while leaving her behind.

Thinking up to this point, Leon moved his head closer and whispered softly into Aria's ears, "You are curious, Duna and I were doing together later when we are alone."

Aria immediately blushed and pounded Leon's chest with a blaming look before she whispered back shyly, "Don't talk about private matters when others are around…"

"Right…" Leon smiled wryly before he quietly apologized, "It was my bad."

Shortly after, the group left and paid the General Marquis a trip.

However, they did not stay for long, nor did Leon speak too much with General Marquis Hendrick.

After finding a nice spot to lay down one of his portable teleportation arrays, he left the General Marquis with a few instructions to protect the teleportation array.

'Can this thing really allow people to travel between two points instantaneously?' General Marquis Hendrick wondered.

He glanced at the round disk made of bones that seemed to be drawing in the so-called hidden Wrathful Demonic Energy from the surroundings.

The size was not big, but it could fit roughly five people at a time.

'I guess I can only find out later when His Highness uses it to return…'

…

On the other side of the big rift, Leon quickly arrived with Duna while Aria followed shortly behind with Lilith on her ice-lightning sword.

"You're planning on leaving, human?" The Paragon-level Blue Luan, Bluewinter, asked before Leon could speak.

"You can tell?" He asked.

Bluewinter nodded her large head before she said, "I can tell from reading your expression… But once you are gone, who will cleanse the evil energy from the food for us?"

As the Blue Luan said this, the icy bird showed a bit of embarrassment.

" You need not worry about this, Monarch Bluewinter. I have already made arrangements for someone capable to take over for me while I am gone."

"I see… If someone else can do it, then there is no problem…" Bluewinter nodded.

Leon paused for a moment.

He contemplated for a moment before he made a sudden decision.

"Monarch Bluewinter, if you don't mind, I would like to transmit a technique to your mind directly as a token of my sincerity," Leon stated with respect.

Bluewinter gazed at Leon deeply in silence, seemingly trying to see through him and understand his intentions.

However, she frowned in failure.

After a moment, she ultimately nodded her head, "Alright. This monarch will accept your token of sincerity. How will you transmit your technique to my mind directly?"

A lot of concession was made on Bluewinter's end. A normal Blue Luan would not allow a human to their head directly.

"Like this."

After Leon flew over with a nod, he poked Bluewinter's crown and transferred a technique into her mind with his True Grandmist Energy.

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Bluewinter's eyes before she stared at Leon deeply in silence for some time.

"This Monarch will not say any words of gratitude. However, I do believe that sincerity must be reciprocated in kind."

After the Paragon-level Blue Luan said this, she issued a soft cry that reached far into the group of Blue Luans camping in the distant field behind her.

Sometime later, a noticeably smaller Blue Luan flew over swiftly before she asked, "You called for me, mother?"

Although the Blue Luan was said to be noticeably smaller, this was in comparison to the other Blue Luans.

Being 200 feet big, it was still humongous to the likes of humans.

"Un." Bluewinter shortly nodded before she turned her head back to face Leon and introduced, "This is my daughter, Soft Feather. She is not very strong in the tribe, but she is amongst the fastest."

"Although I am not sure what you will be doing in the Wildlands, I believe she will be of excellent assistance on your travels."

"You want us to mount your daughter?" Leon asked with surprise.

With the Blue Luan's pride, it was almost impossible for them to allow this to happen. He did not expect that the Paragon-level Blue Luan would offer up her own daughter as a mount.

At the same time, Blue Luan was immediately caught off guard by Leon's question as her expression crumpled in astonishment.

But shortly after she recovered, she cleared her throat and said, "That's a strange way to phrase it… but yes. Please use her as a mount for your journey."

"Mother, you want me to be a mount for humans?" Soft Feather looked at her mother with disbelief.

How could her mother subject her to such humiliation? Was this still her mother?

"That is exactly what I wish of you. Why? Do you want to object to your mother's decision?" Bluewinter looked at her daughter.

Soft Feather gazed back with a hard look before she unwillingly stated, "If mother orders me as such, I will comply as you require me so. I only ask one question; why me?"

"As I have ascended the Paragonal throne and become the monarch of our Blue Luan Tribe, that makes you a princess."

After a slight pause, Bluewinter continued to explain, "As the Blue Luan Tribe's princess, it is your responsibility to share some of its burdens."

"And this responsibility requires me to lower myself to the humans and become their mount?" Soft Feather frowned with incomprehensibility.

"Naturally, there are other candidates, but you must know that I chose you because this will be beneficial for you. You might hate me for this now, but you will be grateful for my decision later..." Bluewinter said with a sigh.

"Just know that it is crucial to remain close and friendly with this human, okay? The rise of our tribe may depend on it."

"I understand, mother." Soft Feather lowered her head in compliance. She understood that she did not understand anything her mother told her.

However, since it was her mother's decision, she can only follow obediently.

Meanwhile, Leon listened in on their entire exchange despite the fact that Bluewinter and Soft Feather communicated in the beast language.

Little do they know that Leon had understood every word they had spoken to each other.

'Interesting...' Leon's eyes flickered in thought.

Shortly after, Bluewinter turned her attention back to Leon and spoke, "Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Not at all.." Leon smiled lightly.