Chapter 218: Close Your Eyes…
"It's over…"
Floating in the sky, Yao Ji murmured softly.
Hearing the cries of her subordinate below, she fell silent for a moment, casting her gaze in the direction of the voices.
The overwhelming aura of a Tribulation Crossing Realm cultivator surged but then descended gently, like a soft caress.
Understanding their Netherqueen's intention, the Netherkin crowd gradually quieted.
Yet, their variously shaped eyes remained filled with excitement and reverence, all fixed upon the figure in the sky.
"…You've all worked hard."
Her ethereal voice, carrying a touch of warmth, drifted into the ears of everyone present.
Just that single sentence completely ignited the emotions of the Netherkin crowd.
"Your Highness, how can you say that! For us to witness you break free from the former Immortal Emperor's seal and return to your peak, ready to reclaim the Netherland—no matter how much we suffered, it was all worth it!"
"Haha! With Elder Ape among us here, although we had encountered a few dangers in the human territory, we all are safe and are able to learn a lot about the Nascent Soul stage technique of the Humans! And now, seeing Your Highness fully restored, what hardship is there to speak of?"
"Exactly! Now that Your Highness's supreme cultivation is fully recovered, when we return to the Netherland, we'll drag that feathered mutt, Ling Peng, out of the Netherkin Nation and restore Your Highness to the throne!"
High above, Yao Ji gazed quietly at her loyal followers, listening to their heartfelt words.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile graced her lips.
As the lively chatter gradually subsided, another voice rang out from the crowd:
"—Your Highness! Now that Your Highness has regained your peak cultivation, when do you plan to lead us back to the Netherland? Just thinking about that old bird lording over your rightful place in the Netherkin Nation makes my blade thirst for battle!"
A muscular great Netherkin swung his nine-ringed greatsword as he spoke.
Hearing the question, Yao Ji took a deep breath.
She had long since decided on the answer.
"The matters here are settled… Today, we shall return to the Netherland."
Her tone was calm, but her gaze, almost imperceptibly, swept over the young man standing silently behind her.
Seeing that his expression hadn't changed in the slightest, Yao Ji paused briefly before turning her attention back to her followers.
"However… Before returning to the Netherland, there is still one thing I must do."
"It won't take long, so I ask that you all wait here for a moment."
Hearing that they would be returning home today, many Netherkins revealed looks of excitement.
However, after her last few words, confusion became apparent on their faces.
What matter does Her Highness still need to attend to?
Just as this thought crossed their minds, Yao Ji's figure flickered, and in an instant, she appeared beside a certain Holy Saint of the Demon Sect.
"Young Master, come with this one for a moment."
Her voice was calm as she softly uttered the words to the expressionless youth before her.
There seemed to be a subtle shift in her attitude toward Luo Wusheng.
Without waiting for his response, she turned toward the direction of the cave they had visited earlier.
However, after taking just two steps, she realized the young man wasn't following her.
Instead, a trembling voice echoed in her ears:
"I... can't... move..."
Luo Wusheng was on the verge of tears.
At this moment, the purple lightning that had once flickered across his right arm had completely dissipated.
During Yao Ji's recovery—after she swallowed the Netherkin Monarch Pill and dismissed the heavenly tribulation with a single word—Luo Wusheng's right hand had also absorbed all the tribulation lightning through his unique tribulation-devouring ability.
Now, he could still feel the terrifying power of the tribulation residing within his right arm.
The problem?
The paralysis caused by absorbing the tribulation lightning just wouldn't go away…
Listening to the static-laden tremble in his voice, Luo Wusheng felt that if he were to participate in an electronic music contest right now, he would undoubtedly be crowned champion.
For a moment, Yao Ji's otherwise unwavering demeanor faltered.
In the next instant, both Yao Ji and Luo Wusheng vanished from sight.
At the entrance of the cave, a twisted barrier appeared, isolating everything within from prying senses.
<+>
The Netherkin crowd fell into silence.
They had just watched their beloved Netherqueen disappear together with a certain Holy Saint of the Demon Sect—and even set up a barrier that seemed deliberately suspicious…
Their minds involuntarily wandered back to the teasing remarks toward Xiao Guai they had made earlier when approaching this place.
Now, those jokes didn't seem so funny anymore.
"Hiss…"
"Ah…"
"This…"
The great Netherkins exchanged glances, none of them able to utter a word.
After Yao Ji had approached Luo Wusheng, they had indeed considered asking what she intended to do.
But then the image of that Demon Sect Holy Saint's earlier display—like a Great Netherfiend descending upon the world—flashed through their minds.
That aura had made even Nascent Soul Realm Netherkins feel uneasy.
And for reasons unknown, Elder Ape who has a Tribulation Crossing Realm cultivation had taken no action.
Thus, all they could do was watch helplessly as Yao Ji and Luo Wusheng vanished before their eyes.
"Surely… it's not that, right? I mean, judging by Her Highness's expression earlier, she seemed like she had serious matters to attend to…"
One Netherkin said weakly.
"Ahaha…"
"True enough…"
"Makes sense…"
A few scattered responses followed, but the atmosphere only grew more awkward.
"Um… Xiao Guai, is that Demon Sect Holy Saint really just at the peak of the Golden Core Realm? Not Nascent Soul?"
"Mm."
The little Tree Netherkin nodded with a complicated expression.
Her heart was just as conflicted as her face.
On one hand, she felt a bit at a loss seeing her elder sister suddenly take Luo Wusheng away.
On the other, there was a tiny sense of pride that the "wild guesses" she had made earlier didn't seem so far-fetched after all.
See? I said there might be something between my sister and that Demon Sect Holy Saint, and none of you believed me! Now you're all stunned, huh?
'But if Elder Sister is really going to create an heir now…'
Her thoughts became even more tangled.
The other Netherkins, meanwhile, were utterly dumbfounded.
Golden Core…? Could someone at that level really have pulled off what they had witnessed?
Could anyone in the entire Netherkin race achieve something like that?
<+>
While confusion reigned outside, inside the cave, a beautiful Fox Fire illuminated the surroundings.
Luo Wusheng leaned against a corner of the cave wall.
Before him stood Yao Ji, gazing at him silently.
Luo Wusheng, still paralyzed from the aftereffects of absorbing the tribulation lightning, could only stare back at her.
Her appearance hadn't changed—she was still breathtakingly beautiful.
But her aura… it was now utterly different from before.
If she had carried this demeanor all along, Luo Wusheng wasn't sure he would've had the guts to mess around with her earlier.
While he was lost in thought, Yao Ji gently lifted his right arm.
"…So it was the tribulation-devouring ability."
"This is the benefit granted by that secret technique?"
Her voice was soft and ethereal, yet carried no discernible emotion.
Before Luo Wusheng could process her words, she continued speaking to herself:
"But it's clearly incomplete. If it were whole, Young Master wouldn't still be affected by the tribulation lightning like this…"
"Still, this makes things more convenient for what this one needs to do next."
As she spoke, Yao Ji's figure leaned slightly closer to Luo Wusheng.
"Young Master, close your eyes…"
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