Chapter 683: The Panda’s Might

Note: This Chapter is pretty long! Tbh, I’ve been writing double-length Chapters lately (about twice the usual length) to make up for my inconsistent updates recently. Thanks for your patience and support

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’Could this mysterious temple have some connection to the Lustful Demon Lord?’

Marcus turned the possibility over in his mind, but he didn’t have enough information to draw any meaningful conclusions yet. For now, there was little point in speculating.

He glanced around the desolate surroundings, confirming that the area was far from any city and that no other players were in sight. Even if someone happened to pass by, he wasn’t particularly concerned. With his current equipment and abilities, there was little reason to worry about being recognized, especially since no one would be able to identify him anyway.

With that settled, Marcus began summoning his pets one after another, starting with the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle. The moment the magnificent creature appeared, its passive skills took effect, significantly boosting his attributes. A clear, piercing cry rang through the air as the eagle spread its beautiful wings, its feathers shimmering with seven-colored radiance.

"Scree!" Little Eagle had been cooped up for a while without being summoned, and it was clearly delighted to see its master again. It circled Marcus excitedly, its elegant form glimmering in the sunlight before it finally descended and perched on his shoulder. The seven-colored light surrounding its feathers made the already beautiful creature look even more magnificent.

"Goldie!" Next came the Shadow-Stained Gryphon King. Goldie appeared in a burst of dark energy, his enormous body radiating an imposing presence. His golden feathers gleamed brilliantly, while black flames danced around his powerful frame, giving him an intimidating appearance that was every bit as impressive as his strength.

Compared to the delicate beauty of Little Eagle, Goldie was a creature of raw power and ferocity.

Marcus then summoned his two beautiful pets.

"Wyvern Saint Knight Lyanna!" A blaze of fiery red light erupted beside him, and Lyanna appeared in all her heroic splendor, gripping her red Wyvern Flame Spear while riding the Divine Beast Glacier Ice Dragon. Her intimacy with Marcus had already reached 93, and the change in her was impossible to miss.

She was no longer the stiff, wooden figure she had once been. Although she still carried herself with the pride and dignity befitting a noble Saint Knight, her bright eyes now held genuine awareness and emotion, and her expressions had become far more natural.

Upon appearing, Lyanna first turned her attention to Marcus before surveying their surroundings. Her gaze quickly settled on the Soulless Maidens wandering in the distance, but before he could say anything, she had already begun casting support skills.

"Holy Light!" "Saintly Light!" Brilliant radiance enveloped Marcus and Lyanna as the buffs took effect, strengthening them for the coming battle.

The Glacier Ice Dragon, meanwhile, lowered its enormous head and affectionately nuzzled against Marcus. Ever since it had somehow benefited from the Dragon Flame Cauldron he had used to refine the Life Saint Lotus Pill, the dragon seemed to have grown noticeably more affectionate toward him.

Marcus smiled and patted its massive head, appreciating the gesture before glancing at the heroic figure seated upon its back. ’If only Lyanna could be this obedient all the time.’

"Vixen Queen Camillo!" The moment Marcus called her name, peach blossoms began swirling through the air, filling the surroundings with a delicate pink glow and an intoxicating fragrance. Amid the fluttering petals, the alluring figure of Vixen Queen Camillo gradually materialized, her eight fluffy pink tails swaying gracefully behind her as she floated into view.

Camillo had changed considerably as well. Her intimacy with Marcus had reached 96, and she had gradually developed the ability to speak and think for herself.

Although she still had a long way to go before she could match the intelligence and cunning of a truly experienced individual, she was no longer merely a beautiful creature that responded to commands. There was now a distinct personality behind her seductive smile.

"Master!" She greeted him sweetly, her mature figure swaying as she floated closer. Surrounded by dancing peach blossoms, Camillo looked every bit the enchanting Vixen Queen she was supposed to be. Her voice carried a coquettish sweetness, and the way she gazed at Marcus made it obvious that she was happy to see him.

However, the moment she noticed Lyanna standing beside him, having already finished casting her support skills, Camillo’s expression changed. Her pink lips immediately pursed into a dissatisfied pout as she shot the Wyvern Saint Knight a pointed look.

The two women had been rivals for a long time, and neither seemed particularly interested in giving the other an advantage. Seeing Lyanna buff Marcus before she had even arrived was apparently more than Camillo could tolerate.

"Vixen Peach Blossom Dance!" "Peach Blossom Waltz!" With a flourish, Camillo unleashed both of the support skills she had learned upon reaching level 50.

Pink light spread around her as countless peach blossoms swirled through the air, their petals drifting around Marcus and enhancing him with the effects of her magic. She wasn’t about to let Lyanna have the upper hand.

Having finished casting her skills, Camillo floated over on a bed of peach blossoms and slipped her arm around Marcus’s. She looked up at him with a sweet, slightly aggrieved expression, as though she had been waiting for an opportunity to complain.

"Master, you didn’t summon me at all yesterday."

Marcus looked down at the beautiful Vixen Queen clinging to his arm and couldn’t help smiling. Little Camillo. Somehow, the name suited her perfectly, and he found himself rather fond of it.

The intimacy system was certainly something else. Not long ago, Camillo had been little more than an alluring pet with limited intelligence, but now she was capable of expressing her feelings, seeking his attention, and even showing a hint of jealousy.

Of course, the recent system update deserved some credit as well. It had given NPCs, pets, and monsters greater capacity for thought, personality, and emotion, making their interactions feel far more natural than before.

Marcus was quite pleased with the change.

He turned his attention back to Camillo, taking in her flawless, seductive face, her alluring eyes that seemed to shimmer with moisture, and her full red lips curved into a coquettish smile. Her fair, delicate skin resembled fresh flower petals, smooth and soft beneath the gentle glow of the surrounding peach blossoms.

Every movement carried a natural, intoxicating grace, from the way she tilted her head to the subtle sway of her mature figure. Her curvaceous body, full breasts, slender waist, long, straight legs, and eight luxuriant pink tails combined to make her one of the most captivating creatures in Dominion.

She was a genuine treasure.

It was little wonder that Camillo, the Vixen Queen of the Phantom Peach Grove, ranked third on the Beauty Rankings of the US Region’s Dreamland Continent.

Looking at her, Marcus couldn’t help thinking of Lydia, the Goddess of Willow Garden. That vixen was even more seductive and cunning than a fox spirit, and unlike Camillo, she possessed the intelligence and experience to manipulate a conversation without revealing her true intentions.

Camillo had only recently regained the ability to think and speak independently, so she naturally couldn’t compete with Lydia in terms of cunning. However, when it came to sheer beauty and seductive charm, even Lydia might have found herself feeling a little envious.

Marcus was perfectly happy with the arrangement. Having such a beautiful and alluring Vixen Queen as his pet was already fortunate enough, but what pleased him most was the trust and affection she had developed toward him.

With her intimacy at 96, Camillo was now deeply attached to her master and would readily follow his commands.

Her seductive charm might have been enough to captivate countless people, but her affection was directed toward Marcus alone. There was something rather satisfying about knowing that the beautiful smile she gave him, and the playful affection with which she clung to his arm, were reserved for him.

He returned her smile, feeling thoroughly content with himself.

Then a disgruntled snort interrupted his thoughts. "Hmph!" Marcus turned his head and found Lyanna looking at Camillo with open displeasure. The Wyvern Saint Knight had apparently reached the limit of her patience with her ancient rival’s performance.

From Lyanna’s perspective, the situation was particularly irritating. Not only was Camillo shamelessly showing off her beauty, but she was also clinging to the very master with whom Lyanna shared a life link.

Having been revived through the Lifeblood of a Warrior within Marcus, Lyanna had a bond with him that went beyond an ordinary master-and-pet relationship. It was hardly surprising that she disliked watching another woman monopolize his attention, especially when that woman happened to be her longtime rival.

Marcus, however, was more interested in something else.

Lyanna could express herself so clearly now, and her reaction was far more natural than it had once been. She had already regained much of her ability to think independently, and it seemed that her capacity for speech had developed as well.

His eyes lit up. His Wyvern Saint Knight could talk now, too! He looked at her expectantly, hoping she might say something, but Lyanna merely gave Camillo another disdainful glance before straightening her posture and returning to her usual proud, noble demeanor.

Marcus couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed. What a shame. He had hoped to hear her speak.

"Yin-Yang Giant Panda!" Finally, he summoned his last pet. A powerful surge of black-and-white energy swept through the area as a rotating yin-yang diagram appeared in midair. Within its swirling light, the Yin-Yang Giant Panda, a Super Divine Beast, materialized in all its imposing glory.

Dressed in green yin-yang robes and carrying the Yin-Yang Divine Drum at its waist, it held the Green Bamboo Yin-Yang Sword in one paw. Its appearance was so extraordinary that it almost resembled an warrior who had descended from the heavens.

"BamBam!" Marcus immediately took several fresh bamboo shoots from his inventory and held them out.

Despite being a Super Divine Beast with terrifying combat potential, the Yin-Yang Giant Panda had a surprisingly adorable side. The moment it spotted the bamboo, it abandoned its dignified entrance and trotted over to Marcus, happily munching on the shoots as though it were an ordinary pet rather than a creature capable of devastating entire groups of monsters.

"So cute!" Camillo’s eyes immediately lit up at the sight. Unable to resist the panda’s fluffy appearance, she reached out to stroke its head, but the Yin-Yang Giant Panda reacted with astonishing speed.

It dodged her hand in an instant, then straightened up and resumed its dignified bearing, regarding her with the aloofness of a Super Divine Beast that refused to be swayed by mere beauty. Apparently, even Camillo’s charms weren’t enough to win it over.

"Let me touch you."

Seeing the disappointed expression on Camillo’s face, Marcus chuckled and caught the panda before it could escape again. He gently pulled it closer and allowed her to pet its head.

The Yin-Yang Giant Panda turned to glare at him, its expression practically accusing him of abandoning his loyal pet for the sake of a pretty face. Its little eyes seemed to say that he had remembered to bring bamboo but had somehow forgotten that it deserved some affection, too.

"Hahaha!" Marcus couldn’t hold back his laughter, and Camillo soon joined him, delighted that she had finally gotten to touch the adorable creature.

Once the commotion had settled, Marcus summoned the two Sea Demon Souls and the Temple Guardian Pebble. With all his pets assembled, he made sure to activate their available support skills, layering the party with buffs before turning his attention toward the Soulless Maidens scattered around the ruined temple.

"All right. Attack!" At his command, the two Sea Demon Souls, Pebble, and the Yin-Yang Giant Panda surged forward. Marcus followed behind with Goldie, Camillo, and Lyanna, ready to support the attack as they closed in on their targets.

A few days earlier, when Dragon’s Roar Isle had opened, Marcus had taken the Yin-Yang Giant Panda to Twin Wing Island and leveled it all the way to level 45 while fighting the island bosses. However, he had focused on leveling it rather than testing its combat abilities, so he still hadn’t seen the full extent of its strength.

Now, with the Soulless Maidens gathered ahead of them, he finally had the perfect opportunity.

The Yin-Yang Giant Panda charged forward, stopping roughly thirty meters from the nearest group of monsters. It immediately struck the Yin-Yang Divine Drum at its waist, unleashing the ranged attack it had learned upon reaching level 30.

"Drumbeat of Yin and Yang!" A deep, resonant beat thundered through the air.

Two streams of energy, one black and the other white, burst from the panda’s drum and shot toward the Soulless Maidens like a pair of intertwined dragons. As they flew, the two beams expanded rapidly, their destructive force spreading across an area with a radius of five meters.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The attacks crashed into the clustered monsters one after another, the overlapping explosions sending shock waves through their ranks. Seven or eight Soulless Maidens caught in the attack were struck almost simultaneously, their bodies reeling beneath the barrage.

Then the damage numbers appeared.

Crimson figures exceeding 15,000 flashed above the monsters’ heads, and their health bars plummeted as they lost more than half their HP in a single attack.

"Damn!" Marcus stared at the results in disbelief.

What kind of damage was that? He had known the Yin-Yang Giant Panda was powerful, but he hadn’t expected its ranged attacks to be this ridiculous.

Until now, he had only used the time on Twin Wing Island to raise its level while dealing with the island bosses. He had never properly tested its offensive capabilities, and this was the first time he had witnessed the full force of its attacks against ordinary monsters.

The results were nothing short of insane.

The panda was only level 45, yet a single ranged attack had stripped more than half the HP from level-50 Soulless Maidens. If it reached level 50 and its attributes increased further, there was a good chance it could kill these monsters in a single hit.

And that wasn’t even the end of it.

The moment the Yin-Yang Giant Panda attacked, its passive talent, Yin-Yang Clone Art, activated.

Whoosh!

A second panda appeared beside the original, identical in appearance and equally imposing. Without wasting a moment, the clone charged toward the Soulless Maidens and began pounding its own Yin-Yang Divine Drum, unleashing another round of ranged attacks.

Marcus and his other pets had barely begun moving into position when the two pandas tore through the remaining monsters. Their attacks overlapped, black-and-white energy swept across the battlefield, and the Soulless Maidens’ health bars vanished at an astonishing rate.

By the time Marcus could fully appreciate what was happening, the group ahead had been nearly wiped out.

’Unbelievable.’ This was the true strength of the Yin-Yang Giant Panda, a Super Divine Beast whose potential was already approaching that of a Holy Beast. And ranged combat wasn’t even its greatest strength. Its real specialties were melee combat and defense, meaning the devastating performance he had just witnessed was only part of what it could do.

One thought filled Marcus’s mind: ’Invincible.’ At least, that was how it felt watching the panda tear through monsters several levels higher than itself.

"Keep going!" At his command, the two Sea Demon Souls and Pebble split off in different directions to attract more Soulless Maidens. They quickly drew the attention of nearby monsters, gathering them into larger groups before leading them back toward Marcus and his pets.

Soon, the battlefield was divided into two groups. Marcus and his original pets formed one team, while the Yin-Yang Giant Panda and its clone operated as another, tearing through the monsters with frightening efficiency.

Goldie, Camillo, and Lyanna were no less impressive in their own right. Their magical attacks struck with tremendous force, and when combined with the pandas’ devastating damage, the Soulless Maidens had virtually no chance of surviving.

Marcus barely needed to lift a finger. Every time a new group appeared, the pets descended upon them, and the monsters were wiped out before they could mount any meaningful resistance.

The pandas, however, were the real monsters on the battlefield. Their ranged attacks were already powerful enough to devastate entire groups, but when the Soulless Maidens managed to close the distance, the pair didn’t stubbornly continue using their drums.

Instead, they drew their Green Bamboo Yin-Yang Swords and switched to melee combat, moving with a surprising degree of coordination despite their bulky appearances.

"Yin-Yang Dance Slash!" The two pandas swung their swords, unleashing interwoven streams of black-and-white energy that swept across the battlefield. The level-30 melee skill struck every Soulless Maiden within a five-meter radius, its broad area of effect making it particularly effective against tightly packed groups.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Damage numbers exceeding 20,000 appeared above the monsters’ heads, and their health bars were instantly depleted. At the same time, the attack inflicted a series of debilitating status effects. Some Soulless Maidens were stunned on the spot, others were knocked backward, and the rest were sent sprawling to the ground, leaving the entire group in disarray.

The sheer destructive power was frightening.

If there was one weakness, it was that the Yin-Yang Giant Panda’s Agility wasn’t particularly high, and its critical-hit rate was relatively low.

With a few critical hits, it could potentially wipe out an entire group of level-50 Soulless Maidens in a single attack. Even without them, however, the original panda and its clone were more than capable of slaughtering large groups in a single round.

The battle soon became a one-sided massacre.

Marcus and his pets systematically cleared the Soulless Maidens surrounding the Ruined Temple, leaving the outer grounds littered with the remains of the defeated monsters.

He paid particular attention to the drops, hoping to find something useful among the spoils, but the results were disappointing. Apart from a few skeletons that appeared to belong to members of the Roaring Tiger Squad, there was nothing of particular value.

After confirming that the surrounding area had been cleared, Marcus decided it was time to enter the temple itself.

He had studied the structure from the air earlier, and its layout was fairly straightforward. The temple consisted of an outer section and an inner section, with the Soulless Maidens he had just exterminated occupying the outer grounds. Whatever secrets lay within the ruins, he would have to venture inside to uncover them.

Ahead stood a ruined black gate that marked the entrance to the inner temple. The stone walls flanking it had partially collapsed, leaving gaping holes in the ancient masonry. Massive spiderwebs stretched across the remaining walls and doorway, their thick strands forming tangled layers of white, black, and yellow that made the already desolate entrance look even more unsettling.

The entire structure was in an advanced state of decay, yet there was something strangely distinctive about its appearance.

Judging by the weathered stonework and the degree of deterioration, the temple was undoubtedly ancient, perhaps five or six thousand years old. Whatever civilization had built it had long since disappeared, leaving behind little more than crumbling walls and fragments of its former glory.

Marcus raised his eyes toward the top of the black doorway, where a damaged plaque remained embedded in the stone. Faded characters had once been carved across its surface, but most had been worn away or broken off over the centuries. Only one blurry character remained legible, and even that was barely recognizable as the word for temple.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to identify the place.

Marcus studied the plaque for a moment, then remembered that his Insight skill could be used to investigate not only creatures and objects but also certain aspects of an environment’s history. If the skill could reveal even a little information about this ancient structure, it might help him understand what had happened here and why the Lustful Demon Lord’s influence lingered among its ruins.

He had already come this far. There was no reason not to try. Marcus focused his attention on the damaged plaque and activated Insight.

’Don’t let me down.’