The Myriad Snake Queen narrowed her blood-red slit pupils, thinking to herself that Yun Xiu, a mere novice, absolutely wouldn’t dare join them for a threesome. She and Zi Xunyi had plenty of experience serving Yan Zhen together in their previous life. Even with Yun Xiu lying beside them, it wouldn’t get in the way of her intimacy with Yan Zhen—in fact, it would add a delicious taboo thrill that heightened the excitement.
—Hmph hmph. Since you’re so determined to talk big, this Sovereign will show you the power of the “principal wife.” By tonight, you’ll be crying and fleeing the room.
The two women glared at each other, their gazes clashing fiercely in midair. Faint sparks of mystic power scattered like crackling electricity.
Caught between them, Yan Zhen took a jolt and instantly cowered like a ball.
—Holy crap, this isn’t some special effect—it’s real electricity!
In any case, both women were far beyond what he could handle right now.
Half an hour later, the Myriad Snake Queen hosted a banquet in the grand audience hall to welcome the reinforcements from the three major kingdoms. The four snake generals joined them at the table as well.
The Myriad Snake Queen took special care to seat Yan Zhen right beside her. Yun Xiu, her face still veiled, promptly claimed the spot on his other side without a second thought.
In this arrangement, Yan Zhen in the middle looked every bit like the lord of the palace, with the Myriad Snake Queen and Yun Xiu as his consorts. The sight left everyone below in a state of confusion.
The four snake generals couldn’t fathom why their sovereign had suddenly taken such a liking to this youth. She was disregarding all protocol, letting him share the table at an official event without any formal ceremony.
—What kind of bewitching potion did this kid slip our sovereign?
Feng Xiao and the others were equally baffled. The veiled woman had to be the National Advisor, didn’t she? Hadn’t something major gone down at Cloud Heaven Palace? So how had she ended up here in the City of Water?
—That kid in the middle looks familiar. Like I’ve seen him somewhere before.
In this awkward atmosphere, the Myriad Snake Queen announced that the banquet was underway.
Representatives from the three major kingdoms introduced their contingents one by one.
Garo Kingdom’s group was led by Feng Xiao and included the Garo Crown Prince, along with two Mystic King powerhouses each from the Shangguan, Murong, and Huangfu families. Four of Feng Xiao’s followers rounded out the twelve-person team.
Sunward Kingdom’s forces were headed by the master-disciple duo of Lin Qi Whiteblade and the Third Prince, accompanied by four Mystic King powerhouses—for a total of six.
Shadow Moon Kingdom brought the smallest contingent: just Yin Spirit Granny and her pair of boy and girl attendants.
…
Yan Zhen felt the pressure mounting. The two Mystic Kings from the Huangfu family were Huangfu Wenqing’s clan uncles, and they stared right at him. They must have recognized him.
After all, he’d been quite active at Mystic Academy, so Elder Huangfu would surely have kept tabs on him.
He awkwardly ducked his head, tuning out everything else as he focused on shoveling rice into his mouth.
Yun Xiu occasionally picked tender morsels of meat from her plate and fed them to him. Her large, bright eyes fixed on her little lover, brimming with indulgence.
At the sight, the Myriad Snake Queen lost interest in exchanging pleasantries with the guests. She simply watched her little husband eat in peace.
The four snake generals stepped up to keep the banquet’s atmosphere lively in their sovereign’s stead.
After several rounds of drinks, the reinforcements from the three major kingdoms finally steered the conversation to business.
“Sovereign Lady, how do you plan to deploy our forces?”
Every eye turned to the Myriad Snake Queen. She replied calmly, without a hint of urgency:
“No need to rush. The battle situation remains favorable for now. It isn’t time for you all to step in yet.”
The guests blinked in surprise. The Southern Bastion had just fallen, and the Sand Scorpion Army could swarm the City of Water at any moment. They were practically on the doorstep—how was this “favorable”?
The Myriad Snake Queen wasn’t playing by the usual script, leaving them all at a loss. Why did she seem so utterly unconcerned?
Wait—could this be deliberate? Was she feigning calm to downplay their importance, signaling that their aid wasn’t critical? That way, she’d hold the advantage in the negotiations to come.
As expected of the Myriad Snake Queen—what a cunning ploy!
But they weren’t pushovers either.
Since she’d put it that way, they’d go along with it. Let the situation deteriorate further, and she’d come begging for their help.
When that happened, the price for their services would double—and double again.
The representatives from the three major kingdoms shared a tacit understanding.
“Since Sovereign Lady puts it that way, we’ll stand by here for the moment. Just let us know when you need us.”
The Myriad Snake Queen inclined her head slightly.
“This Sovereign has already prepared residences for you within the royal city. Rest there at your leisure. When the time comes, we’ll rely on your aid.”
Once the banquet ended, the Myriad Snake Queen had attendants escort the reinforcements out of the palace. After that, she paid them no further mind.
She’d let them stew until the final battle. By then, with the scorpions besieging the city, they’d have no choice but to fight.
Should the City of Water fall, everyone inside—including the reinforcements—would become fodder for the scorpions.
As for rewards afterward, that would depend on how much they contributed to the city’s defense.
With the three major kingdoms’ guests sent off and the four snake generals dismissed, only the Myriad Snake Queen, Yan Zhen, and Yun Xiu remained in the hall.
“You’re just going to leave them hanging, She Ji?”
“They’re useless anyway.”
“How do you plan to handle the Red Sand Scorpion Lord? Like ‘last time’?” Yun Xiu furrowed her delicate brows. “If we join forces, can we take it down?”
“It’s a close call—unless you unleash a Saint Mystic Technique,” the Myriad Snake Queen said coolly. “And beyond the Red Sand Scorpion Lord, we still have to watch for Demon Domain interlopers.”
“Which means we’ll need to break through to Mystic Ancestor after all to end this crisis…”
“Precisely. Feeling jealous?”
“It’s only Mystic Ancestor. I can reach it on my own within half a year.”
“Is that so? This Sovereign is on the verge of breaking through right now!”
“Relying on outside help—what’s so impressive about that?”
“External or internal, it all becomes this Sovereign’s power. At that point, this Sovereign could crush you with one hand.”
“Then bring it on—we can test that right now if you like.”
“Oh?”
The two women locked horns once more. Yan Zhen sensed the mood souring fast. Pretending his master had summoned him, he vanished into the Fire Refining Starry Sky with a whoosh.
The twelve Heavenly Pillars encircled a vast array formation plaza. Beyond the pillars, stars blazed fiercely. Among the 108 main stars, four now shone brightly.
Phosphorus Fire. Gold-Silver Fire. Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame. And Starlight Glazed Fire.
Still a long road to gathering all 108 Extreme Flames.
Atop the central altar in the plaza sat his beautiful female master, her silver-white hair cascading down her back, clad in a flowing black dress with wide sleeves. She meditated with eyes closed as always. Sensing his arrival, she opened them.
Before Yan Zhen could speak, his beautiful female master asked:
“Zhen’er, how have you been feeling lately?”
Yan Zhen blinked in confusion.
“What do you mean?”
“After refining the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame—any discomfort?”
“Nah, I feel great.”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
Truth be told, there was something.
Yan Zhen had noticed he was getting aroused far too easily these days. Back in the bath, She Ji had enchanted him with barely a look.
By rights, with his current soul strength, he could shrug off even Jiu Youyue’s seduction techniques. Yet he’d buckled under a mere glance from She Ji.
It had to be lingering side effects from the Evil Spirit Dragon Breath Flame.
