Chapter 462 - 461: Slaughter

"You went to Sun Ridge?" Noel asked.

Yu Zhizhi nodded lightly.

"Um..."

She suddenly thought of the Little Octopus. She shifted her posture slightly, turning toward the young black rabbit. "If you have time, could you take a look at my friend for me?"

Yu Zhizhi had been trying to heal the Little Octopus, but her progress was slow.

If it were Noel, he might be able to remove the traces of mutation from its body.

Noel hummed in agreement. "Sure."

The powerful Beastman nobles of the Valoran Empire, who were seated nearby, couldn’t help but spare them a few extra glances. Noel’s time was notoriously difficult to book; many had to wait in line just to see him. It seemed he was quite familiar with this Rabbit Clan Lady.

’Perhaps it’s because they’re from the same clan?’

’This Miss Rabbit is from Greenfield City, after all.’

Seeing Noel agree, Yu Zhizhi broke into a happy smile.

The sound of a flying vehicle echoed from overhead. A silver airship circled above the high tower. The crowd looked up; the stars of today’s wedding were about to appear.

Yu Zhizhi’s gaze fell upon the figure emerging from the airship. A female of the Snake Clan, dressed in a white wedding gown, slowly came into view.

Behind her, cheers erupted from the Snake Clan.

The Jinshe Clan, in particular, looked especially proud and triumphant.

Yu Xiang held a bouquet of flowers as she walked along a floating, ice-blue altar. A gentle breeze caressed her long, wavy hair. She wore a proper smile, but a hint of shy happiness was impossible to conceal.

Noel glanced over once before lowering his head, as if to take a short nap.

’Watching such a boring wedding ceremony is just a waste of time.’

He thought of the livestream he had seen not long ago.

The bonding between the little white rabbit beside him and the male Spider.

It lacked the grand spectacle of today’s event, yet the livestream had drawn over a hundred million viewers.

Noel opened his eyes and looked at the young woman beside him.

She was watching the ice-blue altar intently, as if it were all new to her.

In the wedding ceremonies of the Valoran Empire, the female always appeared first to offer the most sincere rites to the Beast God.

Yu Xiang looked at the glittering golden Bonding Contract that materialized before her. She placed her hands over her heart, closed her eyes, and paid her respects to the Beast God. Then, she reached out and lightly touched the bottom-right corner of the Bonding Contract.

Her unique mark quickly appeared upon it.

Once her part was complete.

The other party in the wedding simply needed to follow suit and leave his own mark for the bonding to be successful.

The Jinshe female waited quietly.

’Every step of the ceremony will go off without a hitch.’

At the appointed time, the Duke’s presence enveloped the top of the high tower.

Just as Yu Zhizhi was about to look, a piercing alarm suddenly blared. Beside her, Shen He calmly raised his right arm, shielding the Rabbit Clan female behind him.

Noel, who had been resting with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.

Yu Zhizhi clearly felt a murderous intent.

Her body flinched uncontrollably.

A crimson arrow shot through the Barrier in the air, carrying a biting wind as it unerringly pierced the Jinshe female’s chest!

The crimson-fletched arrow pierced straight through her, and the Bonding Contract with her!

Like shattering glass, fragments of the golden Bonding Contract rained down from the sky.

A deep red stain quickly spread across the Jinshe female’s snow-white wedding gown.

Her face went pale. Clutching her heart with one hand, her body swayed a few times before she suddenly plummeted from the sky!

As she fell, a white mist rapidly converged, catching her body firmly.

’It’s the Duke!’

Most of the audience members were utterly astonished. No one had ever imagined someone would be so audacious as to assassinate Miss Yu Xiang in front of everyone!

The Duke landed atop the high tower, holding the Jinshe female’s body in one arm.

He was wearing a matching white formal suit, and his chest was quickly stained red with the Jinshe’s blood.

The Duke’s expression was taut. He looked down at the dying Jinshe female in his arms as the mist around him grew denser. A flash of fury erupted from his golden, vertical pupils—

In that instant, many of the Beastmen seemed paralyzed, not even daring to breathe too deeply.

Some turned pale, beads of sweat as large as peas rolling down their cheeks.

Yu Zhizhi felt her teeth chatter. The dense murderous intent erupting from the Duke was like an invisible pair of hands choking her.

Beside her, Noel let out a soft "Huh?"

At the same time, he immediately grabbed Yu Zhizhi’s wrist.

An ice-blue curse mark appeared on the back of her hand. This mark could shield her from the terrifying spiritual power.

It was something an ordinary Beastman could not withstand.

Especially the females.

Flanked on her left and right, both Shen He and Noel protected her. Yu Zhizhi’s body was still trembling. She had never felt such an aura from the Duke before.

It was as if he wanted the entire world to be buried with her.

As Shen He protected the little female beside him, a flicker of amusement flashed in his gray eyes. He adopted the air of a spectator enjoying the show and leisurely crossed his legs.

’So, the Duke’s bride was assassinated.’

’Looks like she’s not going to make it.’

’Whoever managed to bypass layers of security and the Snake Clan’s Barrier to carry out the assassination must also be one of their own.’

Shen He was more than happy to see them torn apart by internal conflict, killing one another.

The Duke’s murderous intent enveloped the entire venue.

A thick white fog rolled over the entirety of Silan City. It felt like the beginning of a slaughter.

Yu Zhizhi squeezed her eyes shut.

She could feel the fog enveloping her body. Through the cold, swirling mist, she could sense the oceanic dampness of the Big Shark’s aura to her left, and feel Noel’s cool fingertips gripping her wrist tightly to her right.

Yu Zhizhi heard wails of agony rising from the crowd.

Soon, the thick scent of blood filled her nostrils.

Blood even splattered onto her face.

Some wailed, some roared. Merciless Fog Blades pierced through the chests of a group of people. Yu Zhizhi heard an old voice roar with a tremor, "Bolun! Have you gone mad!?"

The Duke sneered.

The slaughter did not stop.

The wedding had become a funeral rite.

Shen He had been a mere spectator, but when a Fog Blade suddenly sliced through the air toward him, he revealed his Beast Form in an instant—

A towering phantom of a giant shark materialized behind him!

The entirety of Silan City was plunged into a great panic. Most of the Beastmen, trapped by the white fog, had no idea where to run.

’The Duke is on a killing spree?’

’Is he avenging Miss Yu Xiang?’

Everyone was terrified of being implicated. Faint sounds of weeping could be heard from within the crowd.

Yu Zhizhi’s breathing grew heavy.

The last time she had felt such a vibrant killing intent was back in Paradise, during the battle between the Lord of Paradise and Tang Luo Ke. She still had a vivid memory of that terrifying spiritual power.

But this time was even more terrifying.

The monstrous rage felt as if it could overturn the very heavens!

Yu Zhizhi couldn’t see a thing.

But she could almost predict the scene that would greet everyone’s eyes once the fog dispersed: a field of corpses and bones!

’I’m afraid,’ she thought, ’that everyone connected to this assassination will be hunted down by the Duke.’

Death was so close to them all...

After a long while, the fog that filled the sky began to recede.