Chapter 41: The Unexpected Encounter

“Black-gold stone, branches of the Golden Armor Tree! How could the nest of a mere third-tier demonic beast possess such precious items?”

Upon hearing Ahoge Dragon’s joyous shouts, Yao Yueli quickly rushed over.

She discovered that the barbell-like object before them was indeed crafted from incredibly precious gold-tier materials.

Even the lairs of fifth or sixth-tier demonic beasts rarely contained such treasures!

“That Great Strength Bear here must be highly suspicious.”

“Never mind if it was suspicious or not, these treasures are ours now, hehehe, I’ll put them away first~~”

Without a second thought, Ahoge Dragon produced her Void Dragon Horn, gently touching the barbell before them, and the object was instantly stored away.

The thought of selling them and buying a mountain of pineapple buns filled her heart with delight.

“I’ve finished picking the Great Strength Flowers too, meow~.”

Mao Yuxia pointed to the Great Strength Flowers piled into a small mound nearby, gently wiping the sweat from her brow.

“Haha! Kitty, you’ve worked hard!”

Since these were all small fortunes, Ahoge Dragon collected every last one.

However, the fourth-tier Great Strength Flower, along with a few third-tier ones, were taken by Yao Yueli.

She claimed they might be useful later.

Indeed, consuming a Great Strength Flower could temporarily boost one’s physical power.

This would allow Yao Yueli’s strength to become even greater.

After thoroughly scavenging everything, the group began to consider leaving the area.

Suddenly, her ears twitched. She quickly gestured for everyone to stop.

“Shhh—Big Sister, it seems someone is approaching.”

Ahoge Dragon whispered.

Mao Yuxia, cooperative as ever, swiftly grabbed both of their wrists, and they vanished from their spot.

****

Before long, several Black-clad men arrived at the location.

“What terrible luck! Why did that defensive tree tower only attack us?!”

One of the Black-clad men’s black clothes were already in tatters, indicating he had suffered considerably from the recent attacks!

“Damn it! It must be because that stinky lizard set the fire! First, we were burned by flames, and now we’re being relentlessly attacked, ugh~~ my arm~~”

The speaker was a man with a severed arm; he was truly unlucky, having been ambushed by a hidden demonic beast.

His arm was then obliterated by a laser.

Defensive tree towers possessed extremely high intelligence and command capabilities.

“Enough complaining! We’ve also lost track of Yao Yueli and her companions. It’s such a mess now, where are we supposed to find them?!”

“If we fail to complete Crown Prince’s mission, none of us will escape punishment!”

The leading Black-clad man, a five-star expert, spoke, and the others immediately fell silent.

Hidden in the shadows, Yao Yueli clenched her fists, confirming that these were indeed Yue Guangyao’s subordinates.

With a five-star magic tool user among them, this situation was truly troublesome.

Although only one realm separated a five-star from a four-star, the difference was as vast as a towering mountain.

For Yao Yueli to defeat the Black-clad man before her, she would need to exert her full strength and repeatedly use Ahoge Dragon’s ‘honey-nectar’ to restore her magic many times over.

Only then could she slowly wear him down to his death!

“Let’s observe for now. Yao Yueli has a wager with the Palace Master, so she will definitely come out to hunt.

The lightning glow of her Lightning Dragon Sword is easily noticeable. For now, we just need to wait patiently…”

The leader, remarkably calm, then sat cross-legged, absorbing magic crystals to restore his magic.

He had exerted considerable effort dodging the defensive tree tower’s attacks earlier.

“Palace Master…”

Hearing them refer to Xing Rou’er as Palace Master, Yao Yueli immediately understood their identities.

These weren’t assassins at all! These were clearly soldiers of the Glorious Moon Kingdom!

Damn it, if they were part of the army, they would be even harder to defeat!

“Are we just going to stay here indefinitely?”

Trapped here, unable to venture out for treasures, Ahoge Dragon’s heart was itching with impatience.

“It wouldn’t be good if we were discovered. Let’s wait for now.”

These people were clearly searching for them, and Yao Yueli couldn’t guarantee the safety of both Ahoge Dragon and Mao Yuxia against a five-star magic tool user.

“Sigh… this is so boring.”

Ahoge Dragon swung her tail, seemingly bored, as she watched the men sit quietly.

Ahoge Dragon genuinely wanted to sneak over, drop a few large bun bombs into their midst, and blast them all away.

Her eyes darted, and she truly considered doing it.

“Big Sister, this place is quite spacious. Why don’t you reveal yourself and fight them, while Kitty and I trip them up from the shadows?”

“No! Since they are Yue Guangyao’s people, they know you have invisibility abilities. They’ll just attack everywhere, and it would be bad if you got hurt.”

Yao Yueli still prioritized safety! She refused any engagement.

“Eh? But if we keep stalling here, Kitty’s magic won’t last much longer.”

“Moreover, these people are hiding from the defensive tree towers outside, so they’ll definitely stay here for a long time.”

“We’ll be discovered sooner or later. We might as well fight them now. Perhaps while Kitty can still keep us invisible, we can disrupt their formation and escape!”

Ahoge Dragon simply wanted to leave this place!

Yao Yueli had also considered this problem and had already devised a plan.

Looking around, there were five individuals in total.

Two of them were guarding the entrance.

If those two could be lured away, escaping would still be possible.

“Little Ahoge, this time, we’ll need your help.”

Yao Yueli had thought of a good plan.

“Carrying two of you to fly? Are you joking?”

Ahoge Dragon quickly shook her head. Flying on her own was already somewhat strenuous, let alone carrying two other people.

“Just eat this third-tier Great Strength Flower, Little Ahoge. It’s the only way.”

Yao Yueli produced the third-tier Great Strength Flower, surprised that it would be needed so soon.

“I think I can do it!” Ahoge Dragon nodded. With increased strength, she truly believed she could succeed.

Then, Ahoge Dragon swallowed the bitter Great Strength Flower as if it were grass.

Feeling an inexhaustible surge of power throughout her body, Ahoge Dragon was beyond excited.

She then gently flapped her wings, lifting both individuals into the air.

Cautiously, they positioned themselves directly above the five-star magic tool user.

Ahoge Dragon pulled out a large pile of bun bombs.

She tossed them all down.

A tremendous roar of explosions thundered from below.

Ahoge Dragon swiftly flew towards the cave entrance.

Meanwhile, Yao Yueli, her body crackling with lightning, remained in place.

Wielding the Lightning Dragon Sword, she plunged it straight down.

Her targets were two four-star Black-clad men.

A flash of purple, and the severed-arm man’s head was instantly lopped off.

The other four-star Black-clad man quickly defended, only losing a chunk of flesh from his abdomen.

Indeed, they were worthy of being soldiers; their reaction speed was remarkably swift.

If the Black-clad man with the severed arm hadn’t already been so weakened, the surprise attack wouldn’t have been fatal!