“I was quite
surprised that I managed to bring back the Dragon Source Qi so smoothly this
time. Honestly, I was even prepared to fall out completely with Li Juntang,” said Dustin.
“Oh? How so?” Margarert raised an
eyebrow, clearly intrigued.
Dustin didn't hold back. He carefully recounted
everything that had happened, including Li Juntang’s sudden and unusual
friendliness, as well as Hongniang’s intervention and her decision to follow
him.
“What do you think Li
Juntang is really up to? He was incredibly suspicious of me just a day before
--- nearly fought me --- yet the next day he completely changed, became overly
friendly, and even gifted me one of the great beauties from the Rouge List.
It's baffling.”
Dustin shook his head.
“In my view, this
probably has something to do with Li Juntang’s mother, Consort Spanner,” Margarert said after a
moment of contemplation. “Consort
Spanner is shrewd and calculating. She must have realized that Li Juntang isn't
your match for now. Instead of making you an enemy, it's more advantageous to
win you over.
Giving you Hongniang
is both a gesture of goodwill and a strategic move --- placing her by your side
in the hope that she might serve Li Juntang’s interests if the opportunity
arises. But whether or not she's truly a spy is still unclear. Knowing how
cunning Li Juntang is, if Hongniang really were his pawn, handing her over so
obviously would be too blatant to be believable.”
Dustin stroked his chin thoughtfully. “That may be true, but one can never be too
careful. I still feel like there’s something fishy about all this.”
“In that case, why
not just take Hongniang in? With my arrangements, even if she has ulterior
motives, she won’t be able to stir up any trouble. Besides, a great beauty like
her from the Rouge List doesn’t come around often. You’ll regret it if you let
her go,” Margarert
said with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Dustin rolled his eyes. “Stop teasing me. I’ll observe her for a while. If she turns out to be
harmless, I’ll make proper arrangements. For now, let’s get back to business.”
Hearing this, Margarert’s smile faded and her
expression grew serious. “Now that
we’ve gathered all five strands of Dragon Source Qi, you have a perfect
opportunity to break through to the next level. But before that, I need to make
some preparations.”
Fusing the five Dragon Source Qis into one and
transferring them into Dustin’s body is no simple task.
She would need to set up a formation and take
advantage of natural energies.
“Do you need my
help?” Dustin
asked.
“No need,” Margarert shook her
head. “Just stay here and rest for the
day. Tomorrow night, go to Luoxia Mountain, fifty miles west of the city. I’ll
make all the necessary arrangements there.”
“Alright. Then I’ll
leave it to you.”
Dustin nodded and said no more.
The sun sank beyond the horizon, bathing the
sky in golden light.
At that moment, in a hidden base of the Hall of
the Gods in Stonia City...
God Kings Zeus and Hera sat side by side,
exuding an intimidating presence without even trying.
Zeus was tall and broad-shouldered, his golden
hair flowing in the breeze, his body radiating immense power. His eyes were
sharp like an eagle’s, as if able to see through everything.
Hera wore an elegant gown. She was stunningly
beautiful yet carried a regal air, noble and sacred in her demeanor.
Before them stood more than a dozen people, all
respectfully bowing. These were the elite operatives of the Hall of the Gods
hidden in Stonia --- every one of them a master-level powerhouse.
This was the most formidable force the Hall had
left in Stonia. Usually scattered across different regions and rarely seen
together, today they had all been summoned.
Their sole mission: to kill Logan Rhys and
restore the Hall’s dominance.
“It’s already been
three days. You still haven’t found him?!”
On the temporary throne, God King Zeus let out
a cold snort. A powerful aura of oppression immediately filled the hall.
Everyone felt a crushing weight, as if a
mountain had landed on their shoulders. Their legs began to tremble
uncontrollably.
“Lord Zeus, we’ve
dispatched all our forces to search for him. We believe we’ll have results very
soon!” a
burly man over two meters tall reported, bowing his head.
He looked fierce as a bear, but in front of
Zeus and Hera, he was as docile as a sick kitten.
“I’ll give you one
more day. For every day he remains missing, I’ll select one of you to be
sacrificed to the gods!”
Zeus thundered.
Everyone turned pale with fear, drenched in
cold sweat, but dared not make a sound.
They knew all too well --- Lord Zeus wasn’t
bluffing. If they failed, death awaited them.
“Lord Zeus! Lady
Hera! We have information!”
Just then, a blonde woman in a tight leather
outfit rushed into the hall.
“Hmm?”
Zeus and Hera looked up simultaneously. “You found Logan Rhys?”
“Yes, my lords.
According to my informants, Logan Rhys has been staying at the residence of Li
Juntang, the third prince of the Dragon Kingdom, for the past two days. It
appears he is seeking refuge there,” the woman reported.
“Hmph! Does he think
hiding with Li Juntang makes him safe? Ridiculous!” Zeus scoffed.
If he hid in the palace, with the old man from
the Imperial Astronomer’s Bureau in charge, he would still be a little afraid.
But Li Juntang? A mere third prince? Not even
worth considering.
“Lead the way.” Hera’s tone was curt.
A dark, chilling aura of death surged from her
body. - Marinien and Ton
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Battle is about to kick off