“It’s rare to see the Beast King so sincere,” Jin Lin remarked with a faint smile.
Cang Yan’s piercing blue eyes gazed arrogantly at Jin Lin. “Qingxue is my betrothed. Our feelings are genuine! But there are always petty individuals who insist on stirring trouble. In my eyes, such people are nothing more than clowns, like grasshoppers after autumn—no matter what schemes they devise, they remain insignificant!”
“The Beast King is certainly brimming with confidence,” Jin Lin replied, his smile not reaching his eyes, his tone far from friendly.
Cang Yan truly had the audacity! He had forced Xuexue into this marriage, yet now he dared to speak of sincerity? Clowns? Grasshoppers after autumn? Those words suited him perfectly!
“Beast King, the Dragon King and I have come to bid you farewell,” Feng Zihuang interjected, sensing the tension. He quickly stated their purpose for visiting.
Cang Yan’s brow lifted slightly. The moment Qingxue went missing, these two were already eager to leave. Could they truly be colluding with the remnants of the Baihu Clan? Did they know Qingxue’s whereabouts?
“You are honored guests from afar. Why not stay a while longer?” Cang Yan suggested.
“With the Beast King preoccupied by the Flower Queen’s disappearance, we would only be a burden,” Feng Zihuang countered swiftly. After a pause, he continued, “The Dragon King and I have discussed the matter. Had we been unaware of the Flower Queen’s plight, it would be one thing. But she was taken right under our noses—yours, mine, and the Dragon King’s. Such audacity is a direct insult to the rulers of our three clans!
“Thus, we have decided that upon our return, we will dispatch forces to assist you in recovering the Flower Queen. The culprit will face severe punishment!”
“Indeed,” Jin Lin added. “The sacred serpent of my Water Clan is still with the Flower Queen. Whoever took her has also stolen our sacred relic!”
He could only hope that A-Dai would prove useful and spare Xuexue some suffering.
Mention of the serpent made Cang Yan’s temples throb. If not for the Dragon King’s insistence on battling over that wretched snake, delaying him, perhaps Qingxue wouldn’t be missing now!
At a time like this, the Dragon King still dared to bring up the serpent—was he truly oblivious, or was he hiding something? A mere snake, even if sacred to the Water Clan, shouldn’t warrant such concern from its ruler.
What secrets lay beneath this?
“As the Phoenix King said, I am currently dealing with some troubles. If you leave now, rumors may spread that I failed in my hospitality. Please, stay a while longer,” Cang Yan said with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. His words, like his hollow smile, were mere formalities—a perfunctory gesture of courtesy.
“The Beast King is understandably distraught over the Flower Queen’s disappearance. For us to linger would be inconsiderate,” Feng Zihuang replied, his own smile equally insincere.
“Rest assured, Beast King. Upon my return, I will send forces to aid in the search,” Jin Lin added, his expression just as cold.
After exchanging a few more hollow pleasantries—the customary dance of guests bidding farewell and hosts feigning reluctance—Jin Lin and Feng Zihuang wasted no time departing the Beast Clan.
Cang Yan personally escorted them beyond the gates of the Ten Thousand Beasts Palace. After another round of meaningless words, the two rulers boarded their respective processions and left.
Standing outside the palace’s barrier, Cang Yan watched until their figures vanished completely. His icy blue eyes grew colder, like a frozen winter lake.
“Monitor the movements of the Feather and Water Clans closely,” he ordered Qingyan, who stood behind him.
“And one more thing…” Cang Yan narrowed his eyes, gazing at the distant sky. A dangerous smile curled his lips—like the bloom of a crimson poppy, deadly and intoxicating.
Years ago, on the eve of his rebellion against the former Beast King, he had worn the same smile as he stared at the night sky.
Qingyan knew that smile heralded bloodshed. The only question was who would become the sacrifice.
The Flower Queen’s disappearance had ignited the Beast King’s boundless fury. When a ruler raged, rivers would run red.
Qingyan stood rigid with reverence, awaiting the command of the supreme ruler of the Beast Clan.
After a long silence, Cang Yan’s gaze returned from the horizon. His lips parted, and his calm voice sealed the fate of many.
“Search the entire Ten Thousand Beasts Palace.”
A simple order, but Qingyan understood immediately.
The daughter of the former Beast King—the escaped remnant of the old regime—couldn’t have infiltrated the palace and abducted the Flower Queen without inside help. There were traitors within.
No ruler would tolerate enemies lurking in their own halls. Even if the former princess remained elusive, her spies within the palace had to be purged at once.
—
Inside the chamber where Yun Qingxue had last stayed, Xiao Ling knelt trembling beside Xiao Yao.
The Flower Queen had vanished the previous night. Despite the Beast King’s pursuit, she hadn’t been recovered. The agonized screams of the palace guards outside were proof of his wrath.
One by one, lives were extinguished after unspeakable torment. Xiao Ling feared she would be next—that she, too, would meet a gruesome end.
She had cultivated for a thousand years to attain her current form. She didn’t want to die—not like this!
She dreamed of ascending to immortality, of shedding her demon status. Even if she couldn’t reach the lofty Nine Heavens, becoming a minor immortal in the mortal realm would suffice.
But the guards’ screams echoed in her ears, magnifying her terror. Their cries were like whispers from a devil, chanting over and over: *You’re next. You’re next.*
Xiao Ling trembled uncontrollably. Each scream made her soul shudder. Silently, she screamed inside: *I don’t want to die! I want to live! I want to cultivate, to ascend…*
Yet no matter how fiercely she raged inwardly, her eyes dulled with despair. She knew her fate wasn’t hers to decide.
Then, her hopeless gaze fell on Xiao Yao.
“Xiao Yao… jiejie,” she whispered.
A faint spark flickered in her dimming eyes.
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