Chapter 213-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
A thread of water crept into the iron door's keyhole. With a click, the locked door opened a crack. Ye Zheng pushed it open and stepped into the dim green tunnel.
Monsters were caged in cells on either side of the tunnel, pressing against the bars and crying out. Their drool had soaked the floor. Ye Zheng lifted her foot to step around it and glanced down—the wet patches on the ground were bubbling with corrosive acid. No wonder the hunting grounds went through staff so frequently. Ye Di hadn't lasted more than a few days before crying to be transferred out.
Ye Zheng walked straight ahead. From a chat with Ye Di a few months ago, she had learned that the higher-ranked monsters were kept deeper in, with several confined in fully sealed cells under strict guard.
The deeper she went, the more astonished she was by the sheer scale and number of creatures. The arena was merely the hunting grounds' showpiece—the real treasure was these otherworldly monsters: multi-eyed spiders, humanoid creatures curled inside snail shells, a giant ape bound spread-eagle on the ground...
The ape was forced to lie on its back with limbs splayed, its massive body filling nearly the entire room. It seemed to have caught the scent of a human and turned its head. Eyes the size of human palms gazed wetly at the visitor, its demeanor calm—like an innocent child.
Ye Zheng peered through the bars. At the far end of the ape's cell was a workstation, lined with various laboratory instruments.
"...I see."
The hunting grounds were ostensibly Crown Prince Sykes's plaything. Breeding and researching otherworldly creatures was their true purpose!
A chill crept through Ye Zheng. Seen in this light, the Emperor didn't care about Sykes at all.
The hunting grounds had been built when Sykes was thirteen. The Emperor had used his own thirteen-year-old son as a front. He had deliberately indulged Sykes's brutality, sacrificing the boy's reputation to build the facility—concealing its true purpose while preserving his own spotless image.
In all likelihood, Sykes had never been his chosen heir, nor any kind of savior. So what had the Emperor gone to such lengths to create Sykes for?
Thinking of Sykes outside, still hunting for her, Ye Zheng found it even more bitterly ironic. A cold laugh echoed briefly in the dim tunnel.
Used as a tool by the Emperor from the very beginning, yet still fantasizing about saving the Emperor for the grand finale of his revenge. Even his eruption of fury had him pointing the blade first at the innocent her, rather than at the living, breathing culprit standing not far away.
Call Sykes stupid, and yet he knew to pick the weaker target first. Call him clever, and he had actually regarded her as a feeble sacrificial offering on his path of vengeance.
Bang! Ye Zheng kicked open the iron door. Razor-sharp water threads instantly sliced through the tough ropes, freeing the giant ape's limbs.
Ye Zheng pressed her right hand against the ape's broad forehead. It lay still, eyes open, watching her.
"Don't worry. It won't hurt."
Her right hand glowed with a lustrous white light, translucent and pure as jade, as if merging with the flesh beneath her palm.
She didn't need to reshape them into grotesque forms the way Wen Jian and his people did. The true [Mother of All Things] was an existence that made life submit naturally. Though these otherworldly creatures differed from the Empire's native species, they shared the same animal essence. Animals identified their kin through scent, and so did these creatures.
For low-intelligence beings, Ye Zheng only needed to release the powerful aura of [Mother of All Things], and they would regard her as a mother-goddess figure.
[Mother of All Things] was an exceptionally unique ability—not just in terms of power. Ye Zheng always felt this ability was fundamentally different from everyone else's.
After a while, Ye Zheng withdrew her hand. The ape let out a low rumble and slowly sat up, following her movements.
With the subjugation complete, Ye Zheng continued deeper into the tunnel. She wouldn't carelessly open any of the sealed chambers until she had a clearer picture.
At the very end of the tunnel, a heavy stone door blocked her path, faintly emanating a beguiling, dangerous aura.
"Found it."
Ye Di had mentioned that something extremely dangerous was kept at the very end of the hunting grounds. It had cost many lives. Its species was unknown, its rank unknown—it didn't even have a name or designation.
Ye Zheng placed her hand on the stone door, about to search for the opening mechanism, when to her surprise, a slight push was enough to crack it open.
How strange. Something this dangerous, yet it didn't even have a properly secured door?
A damp, cold breath crept through the gap and up Ye Zheng's arm. Goosebumps rose involuntarily on her forearm. Her hand slipped, and she felt something wet, resilient, and silk-like on the stone door's surface.
The silk-like substance seemed to have something clinging to it. Ye Zheng rubbed her fingers together and felt a powdery substance—the texture was like touching sand.
It didn't seem like a spider web, but for the moment, Ye Zheng couldn't figure out what it was.
She thought for a moment, stepped back, and let [Stream] flow slowly through the gap into the mysterious chamber.
*
Amid the collapsed ruins, Percy and his two companions kept a wary eye on the dragon in the distance while cautiously using walls for cover as they advanced.
Percy squinted. Was it his imagination? The black dragon wasn't destroying things aimlessly—it seemed to be tracking and searching for something.
Roy signaled him with hand gestures, pointing in a certain direction. Percy followed his finger—it was toward the Imperial Palace gates.
He could sense a large gathering of people there. Everyone had probably fled to that spot, finding safety under the Royal Family's protection.
Percy's hand rested on his hip. Ever since the black dragon appeared, the Divine Sword had grown scalding hot, its blade seemingly humming.
Percy glanced at the black dragon—so massive he couldn't even make out its face. It was absolutely not a monster he could handle right now. Even if Sykes were here, he couldn't possibly defeat it alone.
Going to the safe zone was probably their best option right now.
Percy lowered his head and slowly retreated a few steps, then suddenly stopped. His blue eyes gazed at the dragon with reluctance.
A wild idea had just taken root in his mind.
Ye Zheng had framed and issued warrants for him over the Blood of the God. He had also discovered Ye Zheng's secret—that the Divine Sword was a fake. She would never let him go, so his only option was to find the Emperor, to bring the true Divine Sword back into the Empire's light and give the God of Hope's sword the honor and attention it deserved.
But the Saintess Ye Zheng had already amassed an unshakeable reputation among the Empire's people. Even if the Emperor himself came forward to reveal the truth, people would most likely still side with Pope Ye Zheng. The authenticity of the Divine Sword would become nothing but an unresolvable mess.
But what if he raised the true Divine Sword before all eyes and slew that dragon-like monster?
His blood seemed to flow in reverse, burning hot. It was as if countless clamoring voices rang in his ears: "You should have done this long ago!" "This is what you were always meant to do!"
Roy and Caleb, walking ahead, noticed the lagging footsteps. They turned back and met Percy's gaze—blazing with fervent plea, shimmering with a light they had never seen before.
*
The group stood in the center of the vast arena, their expressions showing varying degrees of tension and wariness. They were safe for now, but what was more terrifying than visible monsters was not knowing when the next one would appear.
Cheng Cheng and Cheng Che stood beside Shu Wan. Their ability allowed them to slip through light and shadow—at the first sign of trouble, they could instantly move using the shadows at their feet.
Wu Shu kept her head tilted upward, watching Bai Muqing standing on the elevated platform. To better monitor the situation outside, Bai Muqing had positioned herself closer to the surface.
This hunting ground, built with Heterogeneous Stone for safety, suppressed the monsters' power but also weakened their own abilities. While the blocked energy signatures kept them safe, Wu Shu wasn't sure this was the most advantageous choice.
Unable to see what was happening outside, Wu Shu could only stare idly up at Bai Muqing. Suddenly, her expression shifted.
"Run!"
"Run!"
Two voices overlapped almost simultaneously, swallowed the next instant by a deafening cascade of collapse that surged toward them like a tidal wave.
Bai Muqing shouted the warning and spun to leap from the platform. The overwhelming shockwave seared her back. She gritted her teeth and used the blast's momentum to propel herself to the far end of the arena, where she tumbled across the ground several times to absorb the impact before steadying herself.
But before Bai Muqing could stand, a massive black shape crashed down with a shriek, smashing through the fortress above the hunting grounds and slamming into the center of the arena.
At the same time, deep in the tunnel, violent tremors shook everything. Dust and debris rained from the ceiling. Ye Zheng, on her way back toward the exit, braced one hand against the cracking wall to steady herself.
Behind her, two inhuman voices cried out in alarm.
Ye Zheng looked toward the exit. The iron door had fallen. A sliver of light spilled across the ground.
Sensing the approaching danger, Ye Zheng quickened her pace. She suddenly felt something was off and looked down at her ankles—her torn, bloodstained boots had somehow restored themselves, as if she had never been injured, as if she had never entered that room.
"Percy's rewind?"
Percy was nearby, and he had already died once, triggering his life-saving ability.
Ye Zheng pressed her lips together slightly, a touch of displeasure. Percy's [Death Rewind] had originally been part of her plan, but now he had already used it.
She hoped he hadn't wasted the ability—at the very least, he should have scraped off a layer of Sykes's hide.
The tunnel was tall, but the doorway was only one person high. The anxious shrieks of the caged monsters filled her ears. The faint light was right before her. Ye Zheng quickened her steps. The next second, the light at the doorway was suddenly snuffed out—
Ye Zheng stopped.
A single enormous golden eye filled the tunnel's exit. Its slit pupil pointed at its enemy like a cold iron blade—like a stopped clock hand. The world fell instantly silent.
The air inside the tunnel congealed. The monsters stopped crying. Even breathing became thin.
After a moment of silence, Ye Zheng dusted off her clothes and continued walking forward, stopping a few paces from the doorway.
She crouched down, her dark eyes calmly regarding it. It was almost beyond belief—a single eye of its was larger than her entire body.
The slit pupil sharpened further, locking onto her. Ye Zheng maintained her observing posture, expression unchanged. In the golden crystalline surface of its eye socket, she could make out the fragile nerves within.
"Sykes, you tried to kill me, and I killed you back. I don't believe I did anything wrong. The suffering of your life was never my doing."
"Turn around now and go after him. This is your last chance for revenge."
Its golden eye didn't move, listening to Ye Zheng's words. The constricted pupil gradually settled into stillness. Only its thunderous breathing filled the air.
That eye was too still, making the solidified killing intent all the more terrifying.
Ye Zheng stepped back twice and sighed. "All I did was kill you once, and you didn't even stay dead. If anyone should be angry, it's me..."
Outside the tunnel, the black dragon's massive body occupied most of the hunting grounds. Its prone form suddenly reared up, and a raised forepaw came smashing down!
With a roar, the giant ape behind Ye Zheng burst through the tunnel ceiling. A griffin spread its wings, snatched Ye Zheng in its talons, and surged upward.
Enormous, razor-sharp claws gleamed with cold light. Just as they were about to crush the walls, the griffin sliced through the shredded air and escaped by a hair's breadth.
Author's Note
A certain someone is forever overestimating her own writing pace... gomennasai
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