211. Illusion Lake
The golden morning light streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the grand dining hall. A large table stretched between the two ends of the room, adorned with steaming dishes and delicate porcelain cups. Despite the inviting spread, an uneasy silence filled the space, thick as mist before dawn.
At one end of the table, the woman who had sat upon the throne the night before now held her place with quiet authority. Her golden-amber eyes, sharp yet unreadable, studied the man seated directly across from her. Li Wen, composed and indifferent, met her gaze with a calm that bordered on arrogance. His fingers drummed lightly against the table, not in impatience, but in thought.
On either side of the woman sat Reiko, her expression unreadable but her golden-purple eyes glancing toward Li Wen every so often, and Takio, who remained rigid, his blue eyes carrying a trace of suspicion. Miyu, the silver-tailed woman, observed the situation with interest but kept her thoughts to herself.
Li Wen's companions, Fang Xin, Zhou Yi, and Zhu Pan, sat beside him, their postures disciplined. Before them, simple yet elegantly arranged plates of food remained untouched. Each of them knew that this meal was not meant for enjoyment but rather for negotiation.
The silence stretched on, a quiet battle of patience. It was a test to see who would break first, who would yield to the weight of unspoken words. But neither Li Wen nor the woman at the head of the table seemed inclined to speak.
The morning sun cast a golden glow through the grand windows, filling the chamber with warmth, yet the atmosphere between them remained cold and heavy with unspoken questions. Silence stretched across the long table, where dishes lay untouched and tense gazes flickered between one another.
Li Wen, growing impatient, finally broke the silence, his tone direct. He had little interest in formalities when his time could be better spent cultivating. "Majesty, what reason did you call us?"
The woman on the throne, her golden-amber eyes steady, offered a small, unreadable smile. "Can it not be a simple breakfast to welcome our guests?"
Li Wen met her gaze with a slight smirk. "Majesty, Erasth is a major commercial city in the Ancient Mountain Region, with countless visitors from various races. I did not hear of you inviting them for a welcoming meal."
The Queen's smile did not waver. "Perhaps the reason is you, Lord of Plague."
Li Wen chuckled softly. "You may call me Li Wen. And perhaps I would believe that if you had only invited me. But these three were also summoned. So tell me the real reason, and if I can answer, I will."
The Queen's expression turned serious. "If you insist, Lord Li Wen… I want to know the true purpose of your visit to my city."
Li Wen leaned back slightly, unconcerned. "I have no particular reason to visit Erasth. I only came to escort these humans." He gestured toward the three seated beside him.
Zhu Pan, sensing the attention shifting to them, straightened and spoke respectfully. "Majesty, I am Zhu Pan. We came to Erasth for a Bitter White Lotus."
The Queen's gaze sharpened. "You three claim to be human, yet the energy within you betrays you."
Zhu Pan, Fang Xin, and Zhou Yi exchanged confused glances, clearly uncertain of what she meant. But Li Wen understood instantly. A chuckle escaped him before he burst into laughter, his voice breaking the tension in the air. "Majesty, are you implying they are from the Faith Protoss?"
The Queen and the fox nobles beside her regarded him with displeasure at his lack of decorum, but Li Wen merely waved a hand, his amusement settling. "They are not of the Faith Protoss but ordinary humans. The internal energy within them is mixed with energy bestowed upon them by an individual of the Faith Protoss race."
Li Wen turned his gaze toward the three humans and spoke with calm authority. "Introduce yourselves properly, just as you did to me before."
Zhu Pan was the first to rise. His expression was composed, his posture dignified as he pressed his fists together in a formal greeting. "I am Zhu Pan, Divine Warrior of the God Lord of Clouds."
Fang Xin followed suit, her movements sharp and disciplined. "I am Fang Xin, Divine Warrior of the God King of the Ancestral Tree."
Zhou Yi was last, stepping forward with an easygoing smirk. "I am Zhou Yi, Divine Warrior of the God Lord of Birds."
The Fox Race nobles exchanged glances, their expressions filled with confusion. Li Wen, catching their reaction, leaned back in his chair and spoke nonchalantly. "The last time spiritual energy was sealed, neither the Demon Realm nor the Divine Realm of the Faith Protoss escaped further from the mortal realm. Instead, we remained connected to it, ensuring our influence endured."
The Queen of the Fox Race narrowed her golden amber eyes. "Then your two realms hold authority over the Human Realm?" Her tone carried both curiosity and hidden displeasure. "I had always found it odd that your realms remained tethered to the mortal plane while the spiritual energy was sealed." She let out a short, sarcastic laugh before clapping her hands together. "I wonder what will happen to your two races when spiritual energy is fully unsealed."
Li Wen met her gaze with unwavering confidence. "What will happen? Nothing. In normal times, we have no fear of them. But now, we hold authority over the mortal realm."
The Queen studied him, her gaze sharp and unreadable. "And yet, you came all this way for something as trivial as a Bitter White Lotus?" She gestured to Reiko without breaking eye contact. "After breakfast, my daughter will personally hand you the Bitter White Lotus. Once you have it, I expect you to leave my city."
Reiko nodded in acknowledgment.
But Li Wen only smiled. "I had intended to leave after they obtained the lotus. But now... I think I want to stay." He let the words settle in the air before continuing, "I heard your city possesses a holy treasure that enhances spiritual cultivation—the Illusion Lake. I'd like to take a dip in it."
A sudden shift in the atmosphere.
The Queen's brow arched, and in the next instant, an overwhelming aura of a Peak Source Realm cultivator erupted from her. The pressure pressed down on the chamber, locking onto Li Wen as if daring him to move. "Do you think I dare not kill you simply because you are a Desire Protoss?"
Li Wen, entirely unfazed, met her deadly aura with a smirk. "You cannot kill me. Ever since our race took control over the authority of the mortal realm, we have been beyond death in the Source Realm. Our very essence is connected to this world."
The Queen's eyes gleamed with dangerous intent. "Then I can seal you."
Li Wen gave a lazy shrug. "Your people are already struggling against the Werewolf Race. You wouldn't dare make the Desire Protoss your enemy as well."
Takio, who had remained silent until now, scoffed. "Then we will seal you and kill the humans. That way, no one will ever know."
Li Wen let out a chuckle, his smirk widening. "Oh? You might want to rethink that." He leaned forward slightly, amusement flickering in his dark eyes. "I met someone interesting outside your city last night. And what I learned might make you reconsider sealing me."
The tension in the grand chamber grew palpable as Li Wen's words settled over the gathered figures. The Queen of the Fox Race did not immediately respond, her golden amber eyes narrowing as she studied him. The power pressing against Li Wen remained heavy, but he simply smiled, unbothered by the force of a peak Source Realm cultivator.
Across the table, Zhu Pan, Fang Xin, and Zhou Yi remained still, their hands hovering near their weapons. The fox nobles—Reiko, Takio, and Miyu—exchanged wary glances, uncertain of Li Wen's true intentions.
Finally, the Queen leaned back in her chair, her fingers tapping idly against the armrest. "You met someone interesting?" she echoed, her voice laced with skepticism. "And why would this 'someone' be of any consequence to us?"
Li Wen smirked, taking a sip from his cup before speaking. "Because she is likely the reason your werewolf problem exists in the first place."
A flicker of sharp interest passed through Reiko's golden-purple eyes while Takio's expression darkened. Miyu, ever the calculating one, tilted her head slightly as she absorbed his words.
The Queen's fingers stilled against the polished wood of the table. Her golden-amber eyes locked onto Li Wen with piercing intensity. "Explain," she commanded, her voice carrying the weight of authority.
Li Wen set his cup down, his expression unreadable. "Last night, outside the city, I sensed someone calling to me using the signal of our race. When I went to investigate…" He let his words hang in the air before continuing. "I found a woman of our race waiting for me."
Miyu's silver eyes sharpened, and she exchanged a glance with Takio. "A woman?" she inquired, her tone edged with intrigue.
"Yes," Li Wen confirmed, his smirk unwavering. "Her name is Qingying."
The Queen remained still, but the faintest flicker of recognition in her eyes did not escape Li Wen's notice. "And what did this Qingying want from you?" she asked, her voice carefully neutral.
Li Wen chuckled, tapping his fingers against the table. "She told me about your holy treasure—the Illusion Lake. She wanted to ally with me." His eyes gleamed with amusement. "I didn't give her an answer."
The Queen's gaze darkened. "Why?"
Li Wen leaned forward slightly, his smirk widening. "Because I know the werewolf race could never truly defeat you," he said, his tone dripping with certainty. "Qingying is not an innate demon, so she isn't privy to the deepest secrets of our Demon Realm. She doesn't realize that the Fox Race—one of the top races—has ties to the Beast Realm."
He let his words settle before continuing, "Your people of higher cultivation than the Source Realm reside there. There is a space array connecting this city to the Beast Realm, allowing your race to travel between the two. When one of your kind wishes to break through to the True Source Realm, they simply use the array to leave this world's suppression behind."
A charged silence filled the chamber.
The Queen's expression remained impassive, but her fingers curled slightly against the armrest. "You know this, yet you still covet our holy treasure?"
Li Wen met her gaze without hesitation. "Because I also know that activating the space array requires an immense amount of energy." His voice took on a sharper edge. "And that is why you are still here in this realm. When your life source is damaged. Without a breakthrough to the True Source Realm, you have a decade left to live."
His next words were like a blade cutting through the room. "You cannot break through in the mortal realm while the world's suppression remains intact. But the Wolf Lord of the werewolves did—because he broke through in the Demon Realm."
Gasps echoed around the table.
Reiko's face paled as she shot to her feet. "Mother…!"
Takio's fists clenched. "Is that why you refused when I requested to invite a True Source Realm cultivator?"
Miyu's expression was stricken. "Cousin, you told me you weren't injured when you fought the Wolf Lord. I should have known! You matched a True Source Realm opponent despite being only at the peak of Source Realm—you must have used a forbidden technique!"
The Queen exhaled slowly, her expression unreadable. "I didn't tell you because I have a solution to my injury."
Reiko's eyes burned with worry. "What solution?"
But the Queen did not answer. Instead, her gaze turned toward Li Wen and the three humans beside him.
Li Wen chuckled, standing from his seat. "It seems you have much to discuss," he said smoothly. "You may call for me later if you decide to accept my offer."
Without another word, he turned and strode toward the exit, the three humans rising to follow. The doors swung shut behind them, leaving the Queen and her kin in heavy silence.