Chapter 519 - 518: Reunion, the Still Haughty Little Empress
「Within Stillwood Forest.」
Under Yun Yao’s control, the human-headed, snake-bodied Ancestral Witch Stone Statue had the distraught Gu Yuexi bound tightly in its coils.
Suddenly!
An infinitesimally small black dot appeared, hurtling toward it at an unbelievable speed!
It wasn’t just a rush—it was a collision!
BOOM!
In that instant, a tremendous roar erupted as the statue’s massive body was sent flying by a terrifyingly immense force.
The impact was too sudden, the force too overwhelming. The statue itself felt nothing, but Yun Yao, who was controlling it, abruptly spat out a mouthful of blood.
The statue’s tail, which had been coiled around Gu Yuexi, loosened its grip. Gu Yuexi plummeted downward... but just as she was about to crash into the ground, her fall suddenly halted.
A tiny mosquito had caught her, gently lowering her body to the ground.
This mosquito was none other than Chu Sheng, just returned from the third layer.
Looking at the gaunt and weakened Gu Yuexi, the fury in Chu Sheng’s heart surged even higher.
"BZZ BZZ (Hey? Are you alright, Little Empress?)"
’Damn it! Ever since I was reincarnated, I’ve never seen the Little Empress in such a state!’
Chu Sheng looked up, his scarlet compound eyes once again locking onto Yun Yao!
"BZZ BZZ (So it was you, wasn’t it?)"
SWISH!
Chu Sheng’s figure once again became a black streak of light as he charged forward.
Due to the lingering effects of the Power of Time, Instant Teleportation was impossible here. But even so, Chu Sheng’s current flight Speed had already reached a terrifying level!
Yun Yao, having just recovered from her injuries, finally realized what had attacked the statue just now.
’That mosquito is out!’
’The sacred artifact of the Witch Race is in its hands!’
She gritted her teeth, her gaze resolute! Forcing out another drop of Essence Blood, she controlled the statue to meet his charge!
BOOM!
The enraged Chu Sheng once again slammed into the statue! His tiny body formed a stark contrast with the massive stone figure!
Yet, in terms of strength, they were almost evenly matched!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The furious Chu Sheng wasn’t bothering with technique, opting for a direct, head-on clash with the statue! For a time, he actually fought the statue, a being comparable to the Peak of Emperor Realm, to a complete standstill!
The entire Stillwood Forest was thrown into chaos, choked with rolling dust and smoke. After another collision, Chu Sheng was flung far into the distance.
"BZZ BZZ (Dammit, this Lord Mosquito is going all in against you today!)"
Chu Sheng hardened his resolve and charged again! But this time was different!
As he charged, his body suddenly shifted into its meter-long normal form, then instantly expanded a hundredfold!
A silky-smooth, 0.1-second switch from his Primitive Form to his third form!
The tiny, several-centimeter-long black dot he once was had abruptly transformed into a hundred-meter-long giant mosquito, even larger than the stone statue.
BOOM! The impact came again, but this time it was several times more violent than before!
This time, with the size disparity gone—in fact, now being even larger—Chu Sheng sent the entire statue flying with a single, brutal slam.
At the same moment, Yun Yao coughed up another huge mouthful of blood, spraying her veil crimson. Blood even began to trickle from her eyes, ears, and nose.
Her body swayed. Unable to support herself any longer, she was overcome by a wave of dizziness and collapsed. The statue, now just lifeless stone once more, crashed heavily to the ground.
"Holy Daughter!"
In the distance, several members of the Witch Race rushed forward. But a sudden barrage of feathers made of Celestial Fire appeared, blocking their path.
Chu Sheng reverted to his Primitive Form and slowly flew toward the fallen Yun Yao.
A look of pure terror on her face, Yun Yao scrambled backward.
"BZZ BZZ (To think you’d bully the Little Empress like that while I was gone.)"
"BZZ (You have courted death.)"
...
「At the same time.」
Far away, on the ground.
Gu Yuexi’s consciousness was slowly returning. She thought she had just heard a familiar buzzing sound.
’Was it a hallucination?’
Her eyes focused, and she saw it—the small black dot in the distant sky!
’That damned mosquito... he’s okay!’
Gu Yuexi’s eyes instantly brightened, their former dullness replaced by a radiant clarity! The light had returned to her gaze!
"You damned mosquito!"
Gu Yuexi finally managed to get to her feet and cry out.
In the distance, Chu Sheng, who had been about to deal with Yun Yao, froze!
He glanced back, and with a SWISH, appeared right in front of Gu Yuexi. Before he could speak, she snatched him out of the air.
"You damned mosquito! If... if you ever dare to act on your own again and send me away by myself, I... I’ll never forgive you!"
The ever-proud Gu Yuexi still couldn’t bring herself to say anything sentimental, but the single, glistening teardrop at the corner of her eye betrayed her true feelings.
Chu Sheng chuckled inwardly, flew out of her palm, and landed on her cheek.
He poked the glistening teardrop with one of his mosquito legs.
"BZZ BZZ (Well now, Little Empress, did they beat you so badly you started crying?)"
Gu Yuexi gritted her teeth and wiped the corner of her eye.
"Get lost! It’s all your fault! This Empress wouldn’t have lost otherwise!"
The human and the mosquito both breathed a silent sigh of relief, seeing that the other was safe. They didn’t dwell on sentimentality; Chu Sheng was the first to speak.
"BZZ BZZ (I’ll tell you all about what happened on the third layer once we’re out of here.)"
"BZZ BZZ (What’s the situation on your end?)"
"BZZ BZZ! (That woman was so ruthless with you. I’m just going to go kill her.)"
Seeing that Gu Yuexi was alright, much of Chu Sheng’s previous fury dissipated. However, he still felt no goodwill toward that woman, Yun Yao.
Gu Yuexi frowned, her gaze falling on the deathly pale Yun Yao in the distance.
"That woman is likely from the lineage of the Ancestral Witches. This Divine Hall seems to have some connection to their Witch Race, though I’m not clear on the specifics."
"The methods of the Witch Race are bizarre. That stone statue, which was originally inside the Divine Hall, was likely animated by her using some sort of witchcraft."
"I can sense that those Twelve Ancestral Witch Stone Statues are far from simple. That woman’s Cultivation is limited, allowing her to only unleash a fraction of the statue’s power, yet it still possessed strength at the Peak of Emperor Realm."
Upon hearing this, Chu Sheng’s eyes lit up.
"BZZ BZZ? (’Holy crap, that big stone pillar is that badass? Just a fraction of its power is at the Peak of Emperor Realm? What about its full power? Wouldn’t that be a Great Emperor, or even higher?’)"
"BZZ BZZ BZZ! (’If someone could control all twelve statues and unleash their full power, wouldn’t that be like having twelve Emperor Level fighters??’)"
"BZZ BZZ! (’Holy cow... On all of Blue Star, there are only eight known figures in the Emperor Realm! The heritage of this Witch Race is terrifying!’)"
Gu Yuexi nodded.
"The Witch Race is likely one of the very few tribal lineages to have survived from the legendary Ancient Times to the present day. Unfortunately, they live in seclusion, so I don’t know much about them."
"As for whether or not to kill her... let’s head over there first."
With that, the human and the mosquito flew back toward Yun Yao.
Yun Yao was now on her feet, supported by four members of the Witch Race. When they saw Gu Yuexi and Chu Sheng approaching, their expressions changed drastically.
Gu Yuexi looked at her and spoke calmly.
"The Time Trace Hourglass may be important to you and the Witch Race, but it is also very important to me."
"Therefore, we cannot give it to you."
After a pause, she continued.
"As for the conflict between us. You chose not to kill me just now, so I will spare you in turn."
"Of course, that only applies to me. I can’t say whether or not the damned mosquito will decide to make a move on you."
...