Chapter 32: The Seventh Princess’s Arrival

Despite his discontent, Liu Xingluo found himself with no choice but to proceed cautiously, observing as events unfolded.

To his knowledge, rifts were not a rare phenomenon, nor were they exceedingly common, for if they were, Earth would have long since been conquered by ubiquitous aberrant beasts.

The crucial point was that if rifts could transport aberrant beasts to the human world, then he, too, should be able to return through one.

The proof lay in the very rift he was currently traversing, which was transporting him from the human world to the world of the aberrant beasts.

As for what the aberrant beasts’ world truly entailed, and whether a human like him could survive there unscathed, that was an entirely different matter.

‘If only I had known this would happen, I should have brought my phone,’ he thought. ‘Perhaps I could have photographed these scenes and sold them for money.’

The scenery within the rift was quite beautiful.

Numerous glowing, galaxy-like formations surrounded him, making Liu Xingluo feel as if he were adrift in the cosmos.

Had his body not still been moving along with the powerful pull, he might genuinely have believed himself to be in outer space.

Alas, he hadn’t brought his phone, rendering him unable to capture this magnificent spectacle.

While the beauty of these sights was one aspect, another was the complete lack of human knowledge regarding the rift’s interior and the world beyond.

This was precisely why Liu Xingluo had yearned to photograph them.

If he could capture these images and successfully return to deliver this crucial intelligence to the authorities, the Alliance might well reward him with a substantial bonus in gratitude.

“Hmm? Is that the exit?”

As he admired the rift’s scenery, an indeterminate amount of time passed, though Liu Xingluo felt it couldn’t have been long.

A gap, from which light streamed in, caught his attention.

The gravitational pull was drawing him directly towards it, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, that opening had to be the exit.

Finally, he was about to arrive in the world of the aberrant beasts.

What would it truly be like?

Would he, perhaps, be instantly incapacitated upon exiting, unable to adapt to the environment and “land in a box” (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘luòdì chénghé,’ originating from gaming, meaning to be eliminated or die immediately upon entering a new area or starting a game.)?

As these questions surfaced, Liu Xingluo couldn’t help but feel a surge of tension.

Yet, no matter how nervous or worried he became, what had to be faced, would be faced.

As he had told himself before, he would simply take things one step at a time.

Successfully passing through the opening, Liu Xingluo arrived in the world of the aberrant beasts, a realm untouched by human presence.

“Oh, not only my eyesight, but my resistance has also strengthened. That’s good.”

Because the light from the opening within the rift had been overwhelmingly bright, Liu Xingluo instinctively closed his eyes, intending to open them only after his vision adjusted.

However, the speed of adaptation far surpassed his expectations; almost the instant he passed through, his eyes had already adjusted.

Indeed, this body was significantly stronger than his original in every aspect.

Having now adapted to the environment, his next step was to survey his surroundings and then formulate a plan.

“This is… a desert?”

No matter how he looked at it, the surrounding environment was identical to a desert on Earth.

Liu Xingluo even deliberately scooped up a handful of sand to confirm; the sensation was unmistakable—it was indeed Earth sand.

He had originally assumed the aberrant beasts’ world would be a place utterly incomprehensible by Earth’s laws of physics.

Yet, upon closer inspection, the environment appeared remarkably similar to Earth’s.

Here, he could still breathe normally, his body moved without any impedance, and he felt no discomfort whatsoever.

‘Alright, then I should quickly find a rift to go back,’ he thought.

While everything seemed fine for the moment, this was, after all, the world of the aberrant beasts.

It would be prudent not to linger here for too long, as an aberrant beast could suddenly appear and attack him at any moment.

Just like now…

“Roar!!!”

The black tyrant dragon, which Liu Xingluo had previously kicked back into the rift, now spotted him and let out a ferocious roar.

Having been transported back to this world through the rift together, Liu Xingluo and the black tyrant dragon hadn’t landed very far apart.

Moreover, being in a desert with virtually no cover, the beast easily spotted Liu Xingluo not far from itself.

“Ah… it’s you,” Liu Xingluo said. “Apologies, but I’m not really in the mood for a fight right now. Besides, you can’t beat me anyway. How about we just call it even?”

As mentioned before, Liu Xingluo was the type to avoid a fight if possible.

Battling an aberrant beast consumed a great deal of stamina, and it had taken him a full day and night of rest to recover enough to move his body normally.

Furthermore, this creature appeared quite fierce; even if he could win, it would likely drain a considerable amount of his energy.

Therefore, it would be better for both of them to take a step back.

Regardless of whether the black tyrant dragon could understand Liu Xingluo’s words, even if it did, would a creature inherently so ferocious willingly back down?

No! Absolutely not!

“Yare yare (TL Note: A Japanese interjection, ‘yare yare,’ often translated as ‘oh dear,’ ‘good grief,’ or ‘give me a break,’ indicating exasperation or resignation.),” Liu Xingluo sighed. “Just as I thought, things have come to this. This is precisely why I didn’t want to come here.”

Watching the black tyrant dragon lunge at him with jaws agape, Liu Xingluo could only brace himself, preparing to teach it a good lesson with his fists and feet.

But before Liu Xingluo could even make a move, two sharp slashes struck the black tyrant dragon directly, leaving two intersecting, X-shaped wounds on its chest.

The beast was instantly felled, unable to move.

“What? That attack was…”

He recalled a similar incident when he was almost struck by a fireball, which had suddenly been sliced apart, saving him from impact.

At that time, he had assumed another super-powered individual had arrived on the scene.

However, now that he was in the world of the aberrant beasts, yet still receiving such protection, he instantly realized the situation was far more complex than he had previously imagined.

“Who are you? Come out! Don’t keep hiding.”

Although both attacks had resulted in his protection, Liu Xingluo was not so naive as to immediately assume the assailant was an ally.

Perhaps it was some fanatic (TL Note: A Chinese slang term, ‘mózhèng rén,’ referring to someone who is obsessively fixated on a particular idea or goal, often to an extreme or irrational degree.) who believed only they had the right to eliminate him.

Then… the other party actually emerged.

However, their point of emergence was entirely unexpected by Liu Xingluo.

He had assumed they were hidden beneath the sand or had used some special method to conceal their presence, which was why he hadn’t seen them.

Instead, the figure emerged directly from his own shadow, right before Liu Xingluo’s eyes.

Of course, if they had been hiding in his shadow, it was no wonder they had managed to follow him into the aberrant beast world.

“You are… huh?”

Upon seeing the figure reveal themselves, Liu Xingluo intended to inquire about their identity and their reason for protecting him.

Yet, before he could finish speaking, the figure knelt before him, as if offering a salute.

“May I ask for your command, Your Royal Highness, the Seventh Princess?”

“Huh? Seventh Princess? What is this person talking about?”