The Sand Eagle Beast was clearly heading for the oasis where Ye Chui and the others were located. After circling overhead a few times, it began to swoop down. The sand dwellers of the Green Bay Tribe immediately became alert. Debbie and the others, who had been resting, were also startled and hurried to Ye Chui’s side, preparing for battle.
However, as the Sand Eagle Beast’s figure grew larger and fully appeared before their eyes, they spotted a familiar silhouette on its back.
“Xueyi!?” Ming Yi let out a cry of surprise. Riding atop the descending magical beast were Xueyi from the Moon Gem Family and the Beggar Prince, the Sixth Prince. Xueyi had entered the secret realm as the Sixth Prince’s bodyguard.
There was also a man on the Sand Eagle Beast dressed in a grey robe with a hood that completely concealed his face. The sand dwellers wore animal skins or coarse woven cloth, so this hooded man’s attire clearly marked him as a divine citizen, one who possessed the strongest power in the secret realm. This was the first time he had appeared before Ye Chui.
Xueyi frowned as she and the Sixth Prince leapt down from the Sand Eagle Beast, scanning their surroundings. The divine citizen remained seated on the beast, his cold eyes beneath the hood vigilantly surveying the area.
Ming Yi instinctively moved towards her sister.
The Blue Knight instantly appeared in front of Ming Yi, blocking her path.
“Sister, what exactly happened here? How did you end up with Ye Chui!?” Xueyi asked urgently.
Ming Yi’s face darkened. “We encountered Ye Chui. The other bodyguards have all been killed. Now the Twelfth Prince has submitted to the Thirteenth Prince. I have failed completely.” As she spoke, Ming Yi tightly gripped her son’s hand.
The Moon Gem Family had poured all its efforts into helping the Twelfth Prince ascend to the throne, yet she had failed not long after the Crown Battlefield began. This filled Ming Yi, who had been raised with the family creed of “the Moon Gem Family tolerates no flaws,” with a sense of shame.
“So that’s how it is…” Xueyi’s eyes turned to Ye Chui, a flash of hatred and anger crossing her face. It was Ye Chui again, ruining their family’s plans!
Green, Raisa, and Guni positioned themselves in front of Ye Chui.
Green, Xilaisi, Jacob, and Danni focused their attention on the robed divine citizen still perched on the Sand Eagle Beast.
The Sand Eagle Beast was massive and burly, comparable in size to Long Bao before it fell into slumber. It had a head strikingly similar to that of a sand sculpture or falcon, its cold gaze sweeping the surroundings. Its huge, sharp claws scraped at the ground, and its two enormous wings spread wide, flapping slightly, as if ready to launch into the air at any moment.
“Ye Chui, it seems the rumours are true. You have gained the support of the Green Bay Tribe. Unfortunately, among the four major forces in the secret realm, the Green Bay Tribe is the weakest. They only secure their place here by relying on their oasis habitat. Without it, they are nothing.”
Xueyi then said to Ye Chui, “The Water Spirit God has now been completely devoured by the ferocious spirit god possessing the Tenth Prince, making the Tenth Prince incredibly powerful. The sandstorm here was caused by him. He already knows you are hiding here. It won’t be long before the Blood Scorpion Tribe warriors he leads surround this place. When that happens, none of you will escape!”
“So the sandstorm here really is the Tenth Prince’s doing?” Ye Chui frowned. The Water Spirit God had indeed failed to resist the ferocious spirit god and had been consumed.
“The Tenth Prince has become utterly terrifying. You lot are no match for him on your own.” Xueyi continued, “However, you could seek protection from the divine citizens, of course, on the condition that you make the Thirteenth Prince withdraw from the Crown War!”
“The Green Bay Tribe will never bow to the divine citizens!” Kala declared loudly at that moment. Though the tribe’s sand dwellers occasionally traded with the divine citizens, the enmity between them was eternal and unchangeable. The sand dwellers would never submit to the divine citizens.
Xueyi glanced at Kala and snorted coldly, her eyes returning to Ye Chui.
“Sorry, the Thirteenth Prince will not withdraw from the Crown War, and I will not seek protection from the divine citizens.” Ye Chui replied. He was not simply considering the feelings of the Green Bay Tribe’s sand dwellers; he had a vague unease about the divine citizens from the start. Moreover, with the Tenth Prince leading the Blood Scorpion Tribe in pursuit and besieging them in this oasis, the situation seemed extremely perilous, yet Ye Chui felt no real fear. Instead, he was somewhat eager to test himself. His magic guide book was on the verge of unlocking its upgrade.
Besides, even if the divine citizens helped them fend off the divine citizens, it would be too little too late to save all the Green Bay sand dwellers. From Xueyi’s disdainful demeanour, it was clear the divine citizens likely did not care about the lives of these people anyway.
Xueyi’s expression turned icy. “Then you are all doomed. You have no idea how terrifying the Tenth Prince is now.” After saying this, her demeanour suddenly softened a little as she looked at the Twelfth Prince standing behind Ming Yi. She then said to Ye Chui, “If you insist on fighting to the death, could you at least let the Twelfth Prince leave? He is just a child and poses no threat to you. Let the divine citizen take him away. In exchange, the Sixth Prince and I can stay here to help you resist the Tenth Prince.”
Ye Chui had not expected her to make such a proposal. He looked up at the Sixth Prince.
The Beggar Prince had always worn an expression of indifference to everything. Xueyi’s suggestion momentarily stunned him, but he soon showed a look of interest. For the Sixth Prince, battle was always an entertaining affair, and he clearly had no objections to Xueyi’s idea.
Before Ye Chui could agree, Ming Yi crouched down and whispered something in the Twelfth Prince’s ear. The Twelfth Prince had no idea what was happening and thought his mother was simply sending him to his aunt, so he happily waved his little hands and toddled towards Xueyi, chirping crisply, “Auntie, auntie, sweets, I want sweets…”
The Blue Knight did not block the Twelfth Prince’s approach.
Soon, the Twelfth Prince reached Xueyi. Ye Chui was about to speak when an unexpected event occurred abruptly.
Xueyi suddenly drew a gem-encrusted dagger from her waist and thrust it ferociously towards the Twelfth Prince’s neck.
She intended to kill the Twelfth Prince!
At that moment, whether from Ye Chui’s side or the Blue Knight, everyone was too far away, and the suddenness caught them off guard. No one reacted in time to what happened. Ming Yi let out an instinctive cry of alarm.
But Xueyi’s dagger did not strike the Twelfth Prince.
The Sixth Prince, closest to Xueyi, scooped up the Twelfth Prince in one swift motion and lunged to the side, evading the attack.
Xueyi’s strike missed. With a nimble backflip, she landed on the Sand Eagle Beast, her face filled with fury. She shouted at the Sixth Prince, “What are you doing?”
“What are you doing?” The Twelfth Prince began to wail. The Sixth Prince, holding his nominal younger brother, asked Xueyi in confusion and anger.
“Kill him, then the Moon Gem Family can fully support you in becoming emperor. Besides, the Moon Gem Family tolerates no flaws. Since you have failed, sister, there is no reason for you to live!” Xueyi said through gritted teeth. “Your Highness the Sixth Prince, I am doing this for your own good. You promised me you would become emperor.”
“I did promise you, but… if it means turning against my own family, then I would rather not be emperor.” The Sixth Prince said with a pained expression, returning the Twelfth Prince to Ming Yi’s side.
Ming Yi hurriedly embraced her son and looked at Xueyi in disbelief. “Xueyi, how could you do this? He is your nephew!”
“Hmph, nephew or not, do you know the one I most want to kill is actually you? As the eldest daughter of the Moon Gem Family, you received the family’s greatest support. I could only follow behind you as your subordinate. I am not content with that!” Xueyi said in rage. “The Moon Gem Family tolerates no flaws. Since you have failed, the family can only support me and the Sixth Prince!”
“You, you have gone mad…” Ming Yi’s voice trembled as she spoke.
Xueyi let out a somewhat cruel laugh.
Ye Chui, Debbie, and the others watched this scene in stunned silence. Moments later, Ye Chui sighed leisurely, “Your elite circles are truly a bloody mess…”
“Sixth Prince, let us leave!” Xueyi said coldly to the Sixth Prince. From the start, she had wanted to win over Ye Chui and make him submit, but upon realising Ye Chui had no intention of yielding, she settled for the next best thing by trying to kill the Twelfth Prince. Yet the Sixth Prince had ruined her plan. No matter, the Tenth Prince and the Blood Scorpion Tribe were about to arrive. None of Ye Chui’s group would survive!
The Sand Eagle Beast’s wings began to flap, its body lifting off the ground. Jacob, Danni, and the others immediately prepared to intercept it, but this Sand Eagle Beast seemed to be of a high rank. If it took flight with full force, they had no absolute confidence in stopping it.
At Xueyi’s call, the Sixth Prince did not move. He shook his head. “I am staying here.”
“What did you say!?” Xueyi exploded in anger.
“I never wanted to participate in this Crown Battlefield in the first place. I only joined because you threatened me with yourself. But I truly despise the taste of betraying family for the throne, so I have decided to stay here and resist the Blood Scorpion Tribe with them.” The Sixth Prince said.
“You…” Xueyi was furious beyond measure. “Leave with me now, or do not come looking for me again.”
“Xueyi, I have pursued you for many years. Even after our engagement, you never cared for my feelings. I did not mind at first, but now I see exactly what kind of person you are.” The Sixth Prince said solemnly. “You should go. The next time we meet, I will no longer regard you as my beloved.”
“What nonsense are you spouting? Were all those promises you made to me false?” Xueyi’s face paled and twisted with rage.
“My promises were all genuine, but sadly, you have never fulfilled yours to me.” The Sixth Prince sighed and shook his head. “You said I could hold your little hand and kiss you, but you never took it seriously, always claiming we would settle it all after the wedding. What fun is there in that after the ceremony? The closest we ever got was that time Ye Chui tied us together… I cannot wait any longer. Let us part ways here.”
Ye Chui, Debbie, and the others continued to stare in dumbfounded amazement. Wait, is not the focus of your breakup a bit off? It sounds like you are just messing around…
“Do not regret this!” Xueyi said through clenched teeth. She shot Ye Chui another hateful glare and said to the divine citizen behind her, “Let us go!”
The divine citizen immediately controlled the Sand Eagle Beast. It let out a frenzied screech from its beak and surged upwards.
The Blue Knight’s Twisted Spear struck towards the Sand Eagle Beast, a streak of blue sword energy slashing out, but the beast’s body vanished into thin air. In the next instant, it reappeared several dozen feet in the sky. This was the Sand Eagle Beast’s innate ability: short-range teleportation. Jacob’s gravity spell had been charging, yet the beast’s teleport broke free of the gravitational bind in an instant. With a few more flashes, the Sand Eagle Beast became a black speck in the sky.
Xueyi’s earlier sneak attack on the Twelfth Prince had been timed knowing the beast could carry her away safely in a crisis.
“People from these great families truly have twisted minds.” Debbie marvelled in Ye Chui’s ear, forgetting that she herself had once been the princess of the empire’s foremost family. Of course, Debbie, with her dream of becoming an adventurer, had probably never identified with that status.
Ye Chui looked at the Sixth Prince, who gazed despondently at the sky, his expression turning subtly awkward. Who could have imagined that on the eve of a great battle, they would witness such a melodramatic farce? Ye Chui’s impression of the Sixth Prince was still rather good; he was practically a super jester. Just seeing him felt endearing. Moreover, he had chosen to stay and help Ye Chui now. Ye Chui walked up to him. “My condolences.”
The Sixth Prince gave a wry smile, looked at Ye Chui, then at Jacob beside him. “Thirteenth Prince, I submit to you. I will help you resist the Tenth Prince’s Blood Scorpion Tribe warriors. But do not feel sorry for me. From childhood, I have had a premonition that dying on the battlefield might be my ultimate fate…”
“We accept your submission, but dying on the battlefield will not be necessary.” Ye Chui said with a smile. As the Sixth Prince looked at him, Ye Chui continued, “A mere Tenth Prince is nothing for us to worry about.”
“The Tenth Prince has become extremely fearsome now. After the ferocious spirit god devoured the Water Spirit God, even the divine citizens feel a touch of dread towards him.” The Sixth Prince said earnestly. “The divine citizens have been monitoring the Tenth Prince’s movements, which is how Xueyi and I found this place! The current Tenth Prince, if he returns to the outside world, would likely have no equal except for the Xiang Wang Archmage.”
“What a coincidence, we have a Xiang Wang right here.” Debbie said with a grin.
The Sixth Prince was stunned. Then he spotted Posli, who had been hiding in the corner all along, and his expression turned utterly shocked. “She, how is she here?”
“We found her in a frog’s belly.” Debbie explained.
The Sixth Prince: “?”
“She is our prisoner now.” Raisa added as she approached.
The Sixth Prince: “!”
Posli snorted, tacitly acknowledging Raisa and Debbie’s words.
“But even without her, I do not believe the Tenth Prince can do anything to me.” Ye Chui continued. In less than an hour, the magic guide book would complete its upgrade.
The Sixth Prince: “…”
