C1181 Spread the Death

Yu Yuan increasingly found himself playing the role of Chen Qinghuang's loyal sidekick.

Although he was the one blazing the trail ahead, Chen Qinghuang followed at her own leisurely pace, yet the former empress of the Luan Bird Empire habitually issued commands.

She would instruct Yu Yuan to fetch her water from the crystal-clear river, or demand that he surrender the newly concocted "Soul Accumulation Liquid" for her consumption.

Even the alien beast Yu Yuan had slain and cooked was first savored by her.

Brimming with unvoiced complaints, Yu Yuan dared not defy her. Considering her soul was gravely wounded, her memory fragmented, and her current Dark Elfkind form wielded such fearsome power, he promptly fell in line.

Soon, they encountered a search party from the Fire Lizard Tribe.

There were no ripples of conflict, no clash ensued. Chen Qinghuang merely cast them a glance.

The twelve warriors of the Fire Lizard Tribe were instantly slain, none spared.

Witnessing this, Yu Yuan's skin crawled, and he resolved to steer the death-dealing empress away from territories frequented by the Fire Lizard Tribe, Silver Scale Clan, and Rock Clan. He aimed for the desolation of scarcely trodden wastelands, where he could first instill some principles in the queen.

Chen Qinghuang's indiscriminate killing, guided solely by instinct, was the stuff of nightmares for all beings in the Epitaxial Realm.

Should she descend upon the towns of the Fire Lizard Tribe, Silver Scale Clan, and Rock Clan, their warriors would fall in droves, leaving no survivors in her wake.

This would inevitably lead to the Upper Continent's mightiest warriors besieging them.

The outcome could spell extinction for the diverse tribes of the entire realm.

The Luan Bird Queen, in her current state, was perilously potent, her combat prowess beyond measure.

Yu Yuan even believed that Grec, the Great Demon God resurrected on the Origin Blood Continent, paled in comparison to the formidable Chen Qinghuang.

"Perhaps she's already inherited a portion of the Demon God and Primordial Spirit's might."

With this thought, Yu Yuan guided Chen Qinghuang towards the barren expanses, hoping to prevent the not-yet-fully-awakened queen from further unleashing a deadly scourge upon the world.

One day, the Luan Bird Queen, trailing behind him and occasionally issuing commands, fixed her gaze on an ordinary-looking tree with an unusual glint in her green eyes.

Chen Qinghuang halted, transfixed by the tree, lost in thought.

"What's the matter?" Yu Yuan inquired with a hint of curiosity.

"One of our own."

Chen Qinghuang's cryptic remark hung in the air as she rolled up her sleeve, comparing her skin to the tree, deep in contemplation.

Yu Yuan looked on, baffled.

Suddenly, a Dark Elfkind woman emerged from the tree as if she had been part of it, having blended in using a Bloodline Secret Technique that made her indistinguishable from the trunk.

Feeling Chen Qinghuang's persistent stare, the woman could no longer maintain her concealment and chose to show herself.

"I'm Mi Tine, from the Lower Continent," she introduced herself, pausing to gather her thoughts before continuing. "I've heard of you through Pelle of the Mondnacht Clan. Not long ago, we were being hunted by the Silver Scale Clan's enforcers, and I got separated from my group. My bloodline talent lets me hide in the forest, undetectable by others, so I drew the pursuers away."

"I've been fleeing to this region because I knew it was unlikely to be patrolled by pursuers, and I didn't expect to encounter anyone else from the Lower Continent."

Unbeknownst to Mi Tine, the very instigators of the Silver Scale Clan, Fire Lizard Tribe, and Rock Clan's aggression towards the Lower Continent's visitors stood before her.

After her explanation, she pondered the identities of Yu Yuan and Chen Qinghuang.

"As fellow Dark Elfkind, you must have also lived in the Lower Continent, right? I don't recall ever seeing you or hearing of your exploits," she remarked, noting their silence.

"We might as well have never met," Yu Yuan finally responded after a pause, noticing that Mi Tine was unharmed while Chen Qinghuang seemed preoccupied with her thoughts. With a detached air, he proceeded deeper into the forest.

Chen Qinghuang, still trying to piece together the puzzle in her mind, quietly followed.

Yu Yuan let out a sigh of relief.

From the moment that lady opened her eyes, Mi Tine from the Dark Elfkind was the only survivor.

Chen Qinghuang probably took a liking to Mi Tine because she was a Dark Elfkind woman, and she hadn't shown any overt hostility.

"Hey! Wait up, we're all kin here. The Upper Continent isn't safe right now, so why don't we stick together? If we team up, we can watch each other's backs! I heard from Pelle that you're really strong and have killed a lot of yellow crouch beasts!" Mi Tine called out from behind.

"No need."

Yu Yuan dismissed her impatiently, thinking to himself that the girl really had a death wish.

He had overheard the conversation between Darke and the elder of the Mondnacht Clan in the cave and knew that Mi Tine had put herself in danger to help others.

He bore no grudge against Mi Tine, whom he didn't know personally, so he didn't want her to die senselessly.

As for Pelle and the rest, Yu Yuan didn't care much when they informed the Silver Scale Clan and the Fire Lizard Tribe that he had been harvesting nerves calming grass and the Flaming Heart Flower.

Right now, his main goal was to take Chen Qinghuang to a deserted area to see if he could influence the Queen's thinking. Ideally, the Queen would come to her senses on her own.

Then, with her power that was already divine in nature, she could help him leave the Epitaxial Realm and safely enter the higher-level galaxies.

In the days that followed.

Chen Qinghuang continued to issue orders as usual, and he obediently complied. They reached a desolate part of the Upper Continent in the Epitaxial Realm, where scarcely any creatures stirred.

The barren region was devoid of spiritual beasts and lacked any dense forests.

Then one day.

Mi Tine, the Dark Elfkind woman, unexpectedly showed up after they had parted ways.

"Did you kill the two Fire Lizard Tribe teams?"

Upon seeing Yu Yuan by the river, grilling a shiny little fish, Mi Tine became enraged. "I know you're very powerful, but don't you realize the consequences your actions could bring upon the two continents of the Epitaxial Realm?"

Yu Yuan paid her no mind.

"The folks from the Upper Continent believe that it's the warriors from the Lower Continent who have surged in and sparked the war!" Mi Tine's frustration intensified. "A war that had quieted down for so long is about to erupt because of you! Do you realize how many people will be caught up in this, how many towns will be ruined?"

She lambasted him.

Yu Yuan remained unfazed, his annoyance with her complaints finally prompting a response. "Quit your senseless ranting. Even without us, this place is no stranger to conflict."

"You're not from the Epitaxial Realm?" Mi Tine latched onto a crucial detail, her eyes suddenly brightening. "Where are you from? I've never ventured beyond the Epitaxial Realm in my life! Is it thrilling out there? I've heard tales of savage human demons who relentlessly slaughter the champions of various races. Is that the case?"

Her excitement was palpable upon learning that Yu Yuan and his companion had apparently arrived in the Epitaxial Realm from another world.

She chattered on about her aspirations for the outside world, recounting widely known legends and cursing the vast human race and the great demons.

Yu Yuan wore a bemused expression.

Meanwhile, Chen Qinghuang, who was lounging comfortably in a cushioned chair by the river, had been watching Yu Yuan prepare fish with a certain interest. She hadn't been paying much attention to Mi Tine's rants.

But as Mi Tine railed against the humans and demons of the Vast Ocean, spittle flying, the Luan Bird Queen's eyes subtly shifted from green to blue.

Yu Yuan was taken aback.

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