A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 534 The Scheming Fish (Bonus Chapter for Donations)

Shen Tang has returned, but she is in very poor condition.

Snowflakes were falling heavily along the riverbank, and the army was ready to go. Not far away, a beautiful figure stumbled and walked towards them.

She looked haggard, her hands clutching her chest, as she trudged through the snow, her clothes soaked through, as if she had just swum back from the sea.

The cold wind howled against her, freezing her long, messy black hair and clothes into tiny ice crystals. Her cheeks, the tip of her nose, and her earlobes were red from the cold, and she exuded an air of utter dejection.

A tall, imposing figure rushed forward and instantly pulled her into a warm, broad embrace. The scalding heat and masculine breath melted away the snowflakes in her hair.

Xiao Jin wished he could melt her into his bones. He lowered his head and kissed her lips hard, both angry and anxious. "Tangtang, you're finally back! Where have you been these past few days? You didn't reply to my messages or answer my video calls. You don't know how worried I was!"

The next second, a silvery-white snake tail lashed out, and Xue Yinzhou forcefully pulled Shen Tang into his arms. He quickly flicked his tongue to check her body for any blood, and only then did his anxious heart finally calm down a little.

His cool, handsome face couldn't hide his worry. "What exactly happened?"

Lu Xiao also walked over quickly, but only saw Shen Tang coming. Jia Lan hadn't returned. Could it be that he...?

He took off his coat and draped it over Shen Tang, held her hands which were red from the cold, wrapped his large hand around hers, breathed softly on her, and said gently, "Are you alright?"

Looking at the worried expressions on the beastmen's faces, Shen Tang sniffed and said with great guilt, "I'm sorry to have made you worry. The things that happened in the sea tribe these past few days have been too complicated. I'll tell you about them slowly when I get back."

Xue Yinzhou wiped away the faint tear tracks from the corner of her eyes, and used his supernatural power to form an energy shield to block the increasingly fierce wind and snow. "No rush, we'll talk about it when we get back."

Now that everyone has returned safely, they no longer need to risk venturing into the deep sea. This time, it was a close call, a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

After returning to the palace, Shen Tang told the beastmen everything that had happened in the Sea Kingdom—Jialan was still alive, but the Jialan they knew was no longer the Jialan they knew; she was now the cold-blooded and ruthless Liu Ye.

During the days she lost contact, she was forced into a coma by Liu Ye using his mental power. If Shen Tang didn't have S-level mental power, she probably wouldn't have been able to come back this time.

She also told the beastmen about the polluted lands of the sea creatures and the stargate, and they considered their next steps.

Lu Xiao handed her a hand warmer. "I'll send people to look for the Star Gate. Does the female master know what the Star Gate looks like? Or are there any obvious clues?"

Shen Tang shook his head. "I don't have enough clues right now. I only know that there is such a thing. But since the Star Gate is the entrance to the two continents, the energy fluctuations in that area must be very chaotic. No matter how much those agents try to cover it up, it is impossible to do it perfectly... During this period, we can pay more attention to whether there are any natural anomalies or strange things happening in any place."

Lu Xiao nodded to indicate that he understood.

He paused, then asked, "So, Jialan... what does the female master plan to do?"

Shen Tang remained silent for a long time before finally saying, "I don't know either."

She closed her eyes, her face drained of color, revealing exhaustion and sorrow. Even as she tried to appear calm, it was clear that her fingers were trembling slightly. "I...I don't know what to do. I don't even know if he's still here."

Even the shameless Xiao Jin didn't know how to comfort her at this moment.

The person is still alive, but their soul has been devoured, and they have become a completely different person. This can be considered a form of death.

The death of a female beastman is never a big deal for her. Some females may be depressed for a while because of it, while others are heartless and don't care at all, and will soon go to find the next beastman.

But the female master is a very loyal and affectionate person, and she has always only had a few of them by her side. Losing any one of them would be a great pain for her.

Xue Yinzhou didn't care about the lives of others, but he didn't want to see Shen Tang so sad and depressed. He said coldly, "There's only one way to confirm whether Jialan is still there, and that's to capture Liuye."

He said emotionlessly, "If Jialan isn't here, there's no need to keep him alive. We can just kill him."

Shen Tang had just taken the warm water from Xiao Jin when she heard him cough twice, thinking to herself, "What a cold-blooded and ruthless snake-beastman!"
However, upon closer reflection, Xue Yinzhou's words made sense. Only Liu Ye knew the truth. If he really killed Jia Lan, then she would definitely avenge Jia Lan!
Xiao Jin wiped her mouth, his expression unusually serious. "But according to what you said, that Liu Ye is very strong, a being beyond the tenth rank."

"...That's right, it's a Yuan Beast of the tenth rank or higher. He told me that himself."

The beastmen's expressions were extremely cold and solemn. Everyone on the Beast World Continent thought that the tenth rank was the ceiling of this world, but they never expected that there were even stronger beings.

It's strange that there's never been any record of this in the history of any country.

The silver-white snake tail flicked in the ground, and Xue Yinzhou suddenly spoke with some irritation, "I feel the barrier to breaking through my strength. It's different from before. This time it seems extremely difficult to break through, and I can't find an opportunity to do so."

Xue Yinzhou is now at the peak of the tenth rank, only one step away from breaking through to the legendary Yuan Beast level. In order to break through as soon as possible, he even went to the polluted land for a while longer.

In the polluted area, his devouring ability can be exerted to its fullest extent, and his advancement speed is extremely fast. He broke through several times in the past by using this method.

But for some reason, this time he was like a headless fly, unable to find a breakthrough, as if he was being suppressed and unable to break through.

If he cannot find a breakthrough, his strength will most likely remain at the peak of the tenth rank for life, and he will never be able to break through to the next level.

Xue Yinzhou had a vague premonition that the tenth rank and the Yuan Beast level seemed to be only one step apart, but in fact they were two stages that divided the world.

A breakthrough is probably not that simple.

If they want to capture Liu Ye, they need to reach at least the same level as him as a Yuan Beast; they cannot act rashly now.

Xue Yinzhou planned to go to the polluted area again. He would stay there until he broke through to the next level, and then return.

Shen Tang didn't want him to take such a risk, but she really couldn't argue with this stubborn snake.

Xue Yinzhou would never risk his life for Jialan; his heart and soul were only for Shen Tang. But now that a stronger being had appeared, and that the other party was even posing a life-threatening danger to Shen Tang, he felt a rare sense of urgency.

He needs to break through to the Yuan Beast rank as soon as possible in order to better protect his partner!

Currently, Shen Tang does not have any leverage to fight Liu Ye. She originally planned to avoid his sharp edge, but unexpectedly, the other party couldn't hold back first.

The disappearance of the Sea Emperor shocked the entire Sea Kingdom.

They thought that once the rebels were dealt with, the Sea Kingdom would be at peace. But just a few days later, Garuda suddenly disappeared and has not been heard from since. His fate is unknown.

Prince Jialan, the Sea Emperor's favorite son and the rightful heir, revealed a shocking secret: the last person he saw on the night Garuda disappeared was Shen Tang!
Throughout the entire Sea Kingdom, everyone knows that this Emperor Shen Tang is the partner of Prince Jia Lan and the daughter-in-law of Emperor Jia Lou Luo. Every time she comes back, she is treated like a second daughter. How could this kidnapping incident possibly be related to her?
But ironically, on the very night the Sea Emperor disappeared, Shen Tang also vanished.

Of course, there's no need for conspiracy theories yet; it's also possible that villains broke into the palace and kidnapped both of them.

Not long after, Shen Tang returned safely to the Night Glow Empire. She went back alone, without even telling Jia Lan, who was her beast husband, beforehand. She was also escorted by no one. She left in such a hurry that it seemed as if she had secretly escaped, which raised many suspicions.

Princess Jialan did not say it explicitly, but within a few days, rumors spread like wildfire. More and more beastmen believed that the Sea Emperor's disappearance must be related to Shen Tang. Some even had conspiracy theories, saying that Shen Tang sent people to kidnap His Majesty Garuda!

When the rumors first broke, the people of the Sea Kingdom were shocked and found it unbelievable.

But later, His Highness Jialan personally stepped forward and pointed out the truth of the rumors, both openly and subtly. The people of Hai Kingdom could not possibly doubt their own prince, so they turned their attention to Shen Tang, who was ultimately a foreigner.

If this is true, the previously friendly relations between the two countries will instantly reverse, leading to hostility and war!
These rumors first spread throughout the entire Sea Kingdom. When Garuda, who was recuperating in the temple, heard these words, he felt both absurd and indignant—Liu Ye was really throwing mud at that innocent child, Xiao Tang!
He orchestrated everything, yet he framed someone else; how shameless!
Ryūya's goal was clear: to force them to show themselves.

Public opinion has reached a point of no return. Even if Garuda were to personally come forward to accuse them now, the people would not believe it and would only confirm that the Sea Emperor has definitely been kidnapped and threatened by villains.

After all, everyone knows that Garuda and his mother, Jialan, have an excellent relationship. How could the two possibly become enemies?

Garuda's emergence now will not only complicate public opinion further, but will also expose his vulnerability to danger, and may even bring disaster to the Temple of the Priests.

At this critical juncture, Liu Ye suddenly invited Shen Tang to meet in Hai Kingdom, clearly a trap!
But the people of the Sea Kingdom did not know this.

If one extends an invitation in the name of one's own country to the ruler of another country to meet and discuss important matters, the political factors and risks involved are too great, and it would be understandable if the invitation were rejected.

However, Jialan and Shen Tang are a truly loving couple, which is evident to all the sea people. Meeting up for a meal is just an ordinary thing for them.

If Shen Tang goes to the Sea Kingdom as agreed, the suspicion will be cleared. If she refuses, it will be seen as her having something to hide, indirectly confirming her guilt!
When this rumor reached the Night Glow Empire, it also caused unrest among the people. No one believed that the wise and mighty emperor would do such a thing. As a result, the people of both countries were almost unanimously paying attention to Shen Tang's movements, to see if she would keep her appointment this time.

Upon hearing this news, Shen Tang was so angry she wanted to curse.

That dead mermaid is really cunning; she's practically putting her on the spot, with no choice but to go or not!

If she doesn't go, her crime will be confirmed, and the two countries will become direct enemies and go to war.

If she goes, she might lose her life there!

Still 3,000 words, three chapters combined into two!
Thank you to "A Plate of Grape Seeds" for supporting the book and donating an extra chapter!
Good morning!