A vicious female is trapped in a beastly hell.

Chapter 540 It’s as sweet as sugar
Shen Tang should have immediately refuted him; the beastmen would have trusted her without reservation.

But at this moment, she couldn't utter a single word. The sudden change left her mind blank, and she felt her limbs were icy cold, as if a basin of cold water mixed with ice shards had been poured over her head, completely soaking her.

It felt like being stripped naked in the street, having all the shameful thoughts and secrets hidden deep within her exposed to the light of day, leaving her utterly humiliated.

Despite having weathered many storms with her husbands over the years, and their relationship having evolved from lovers to an even closer family bond, Shen Tang could not deny that when she first approached them and showed them kindness, she did indeed have hypocritical motives.

Even if she was forced into it, the actress who sold her true feelings was ultimately herself...

Silence became the cruelest answer.

Lu Xiao and the others finally understood the truth.

Besides shock and astonishment, the beastmen also felt a sense of relief, as if they had known.

It turned out to be like this...

No wonder that's the case...

The long-held doubts finally found their answers at this moment.

Ryuya glanced at the various expressions on the faces of the people opposite her, and sneered triumphantly, "Now you know? The female you love so much is nothing but a lonely ghost who has taken over someone else's nest, a liar who deceived your feelings, and is not worth your protection at all!"

Garuda was hypocritical and heartless back then, and Shen Tang is even worse now!

Female love is indeed the most hypocritical and disgusting thing in the world.

"So this is the secret that the female master has been hiding all along."

Lu Xiao stepped forward and took Shen Tang's hand, noticing that she was trembling slightly—a primal reaction of fear. He frowned, his eyes filled with heartache.

Shen Tang looked up at him blankly, her pale lips parting slightly, "I..."

Lu Xiao pulled her into his arms, his deep voice filled with tenderness, gentle yet firm, "Then let her continue her conquest, I'd be happy to do so."

"It is my greatest honor to be able to help the female master."

He doesn't need to explain much; he will stand by her side unconditionally, that's all.

Shen Li also snapped out of his surprise, looked down at the pale-faced female, stepped forward and gently pinched her cheek, still smiling with his eyes crinkling, "Hmm? How could I mistake my little Tang'er? No matter who you are, you are my little Tang'er."

Xue Yinzhou gazed intently at Shen Tang, his belief never wavering: "The only one I love is you."

After nearly two years of spending every day with her, how could they not see that she was no longer the "Shen Tang" of yesteryear? From beginning to end, they loved only her, not that infamous imperial princess.

Even if she changes her appearance and takes on a different form, they will still only love her.

She is the one they are willing to wholeheartedly stay with.

They didn't know what was going on, what the "system" was, why she was burdened with it, or why she had chosen them.

but--

Tangtang's arrival in their lives was the most beautiful fate in the world.

Physical appearance may be fake, but genuine feelings cannot be faked.

Besides, the hurt and humiliation she suffered were real. If their love could make her better and help her get everything she wanted, why not? They only regretted that they hadn't given her enough.

If they had known this would happen, they would have loved her sooner, so that she would have suffered less and had a better life.

Of course, emotions are never under human control.

That's why Lu Xiao and the others understood Shen Tang's true feelings even more.

How could the most precious feelings in this world be faked? If she wanted to deceive them, she could have made up a thousand reasons, insisting that Liu Ye was talking nonsense—and they would still believe her without hesitation. But she didn't. She would rather put herself in danger than deceive them, and that in itself is the most sincere love.

If they felt any unease or fear, it was only because of whether Shen Tang truly loved them, not simply because of the system mission...

Xiao Jin was completely unconcerned, saying nonchalantly, "So what if it's for the mission? Tangtang has saved me countless times! I would have died long ago without her! Even if she really wants to use me, I'll accept it! I'm willing, I'll follow her for life!"

Use him? It would be best to squeeze him dry! If we could get rid of the other four... no, the three troublesome guys, that would be the best thing ever!
Ryuu's smug smile froze on his face. He stared in shock at the three orcs opposite him, his face ashen and his eyes so dark they seemed to drip ink. "Do you even know what you're saying?!"

Lu Xiao turned to look at him and smiled slightly, "We should indeed thank Prince Liu Ye today. If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have known about this matter, nor would we have known her unspeakable suffering."

Seeing Shen Tang repeatedly risk her life and face death, how could Lu Xiao and the others not see the suspicious circumstances? How could they not be anxious and heartbroken?
Her actions, seemingly impulsive and reckless, were actually driven by some inescapable mission.

They had no way of knowing the truth before, and even if they pressed for answers, they got nowhere. Instead, they saw her predicament and her concealment, and they didn't know how to help her.

In fact, to avoid worrying her, they had to pretend they knew nothing.

Now that the truth has come out, they finally understand the shackles that weighed on her and know how to help her.

Shen Tang was stunned by what the beastmen said. Her originally cold heart felt as if it were being engulfed by a blazing fire, almost melting away.

Recalling the moments she shared with them over the past two years, her nose suddenly tingled and her eyes welled up with tears.

This time, I wasn't scared, but moved, perhaps mixed with a touch of guilt...

Seeing the little female suddenly burst into tears, Xiao Jin quickly cupped her face in his hands and gently stroked her delicate cheeks with his slightly rough fingertips. Looking at her red eyes, which resembled those of a little rabbit, he felt a pang of heartache. "Why are you crying? I really don't care! You should have told me sooner. I would give you my whole heart! One heart isn't enough, I'd give you my liver!"

Shen Tang burst into laughter through her tears, rubbed her eyes, and gently scolded, "What would I do with your heart, you silly leopard?"

Xue Yinzhou reached out and wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Although his tone was stiff, he was extremely gentle and patient, saying, "Don't cry, your eyes will swell up and feel uncomfortable."

Shen Li and Lu Xiao were thinking further ahead.

They secretly wondered about the system's origins and why it was allowing Shen Tang to seduce them. Was there some other conspiracy behind it?

How did those agents know about the system's existence?

Is there any connection between the two?
What worries them even more is that if Shen Tang is truly a lost soul who has mistakenly entered this body, then she may not belong to this world.

Will she leave one day?

Of course, these are things to follow.

At this moment, Lu Xiao and Shen Li's attitude was clear: they did not care about the female's "exploitation" in the name of love, and were even happy to accept it.

Looking at the harmonious atmosphere among the five people opposite him, Liu Ye's handsome face turned extremely gloomy, making him look like a ridiculous clown.

What kind of spell did this female cast on them? Knowing she had ulterior motives, they actually comforted and defended her...

What are these idiots thinking?!

"How foolish!" Seeing that there was no hope of turning them to the enemy, Liu Ye simply abandoned the plan and sacrificed all the black-clad men who had not yet escaped on the spot, forcibly breaking the seal.

"Roar--!"

"Boom--!"

The roars of countless sea beasts could be heard from the outside world. Those huge, twisted and ugly mutants were swarming in from the polluted sea!

The once safe skies above the imperial city were now filled with dark clouds, as thousands upon thousands of mutated sea beasts rapidly approached like dark clouds, creating an oppressive atmosphere as if the end of the world had arrived!

This beast tide was clearly summoned by someone!

Ryuya, burdened with cursed and corrupted power, shares the same origin as the polluted land. The mutated sea beasts, still retaining their instinct for "might makes right," naturally submit to him.

A devastating horde of beasts swept through the imperial city in an instant, and palaces fell one after another. The beastmen in the palace fled in panic, some of whom were not even able to escape before being devoured and torn apart by the mutated beasts, and the stench of blood filled the air.

The plight of the people in the city was equally dire.

Countless mutated sea beasts invaded the city, the people were attacked, the streets were filled with screams and fighting, ruins were everywhere, and the city was devastated.

Shen Tang, Xiao Jin, and the others had no time to pursue the fleeing Liu Ye, and could only prioritize rescuing the people of the imperial city.

By the time they dealt with the beast tide, Liu Ye had already fled far away, wounded and gone without a trace.

Shen Tang and the others had no choice but to go back and find High Priest Lunas.

Most of the palace is now in ruins.

Lunas slowly walked out, but his condition was extremely bad. His handsome face was as pale as paper, and even his lips had lost their color.

He clutched his chest with one hand, staggered, and his body faintly emitted a light that diffused outward like scattered starlight.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but his figure seems to have become slightly transparent...

Shen Tang rushed forward to support him, "High Priest, are you alright?"

Runas shook his head. "It's alright."

She said guiltily, "I'm sorry, we couldn't catch Ryūya, and he got away."

Runas comforted her gently, "Ryuya carries a powerful curse and is not so easy to subdue."

Shen Tang was deeply worried, "As the contaminated area continues to expand, his power will only grow stronger. If we failed to capture him this time, I fear that in the future..."

Runas looked worried, naturally he had also thought of this.

He looked at Shen Tang and her four beast husbands, especially Shen Li, the ten-tailed celestial fox who had advanced to the level of a primordial beast. Each of them was a prodigy of the younger generation.

Xiao Jin, the leopard beast, is exceptionally talented. At a young age, he has already become a tenth-level beastman, and his future is limitless.

Lu Xiao is slightly older, but he is equally talented and has awakened the bloodline of the Golden-feathered Roc, making him a top expert in the world.

The seemingly gloomy serpent beast, Snow Hidden Boat, exuded an unpredictable and mysterious aura, which even Lunas couldn't fathom. In his forty years of life, he had never seen such power before, as if it came from another world.

Runas gazed intently at Shen Li, his gentle eyes filled with appreciation for the younger generation, and remarked with admiration, "I once read in the books that the ancestor who founded the Yiyuan Empire was a pure white ten-tailed fire fox. It is truly rare and precious that you were able to awaken your ancestral bloodline."

He suddenly changed the subject, "However, it seems that there is another power hidden in you, which is perfectly integrated with your fox bloodline. It not only did not harm your body, but also helped you to trigger the ancestral phenomenon. It is really amazing."

Shen Li was taken aback upon hearing this, realizing that this mysterious high priest of the sea tribe might know many secrets.

After all, the temple existed before the founding of the Sea Kingdom. No one knows when it began; it seems that as far back as memory can be, the temple has stood there, witnessing countless years.

Shen Li frowned in confusion, "Do I... possess other powers?"

“Yes, I’ve heard that the late Emperor Yiyuan, your father Ji Jin, did not marry the noblewoman he was betrothed to. Instead, he married a mysterious foreign woman, and to this day, no one knows her identity or origin.” Runas continued, “This power may have originated from your mother.”

Shen Li felt a tightness in his chest and his throat went dry.

His memories of his mother were so distant that he could not even recall what she looked like.

As a child, he had searched for traces of his mother, but for some reason, everything about her seemed to have been deliberately erased, as if she had never existed.

The father never mentioned the mother, whether out of indifference or long-forgottenness, it's unclear.

Shen Li even wondered if she was simply the child of her father and some female by accident, and that the news was being kept secret to save face.

Runas didn't elaborate further, but instead looked into the distance, his voice turning cold, "Ryuya is seriously injured, he shouldn't have escaped far."

He looked at Xiao Jin and the others again, a hint of relief flashing in his compassionate and dignified eyes.

With such outstanding younger generations around, perhaps there is still a chance for the future to turn around.

“Come with me to the temple.”

"it is good."

Shen Tang and the beastmen returned to the temple with Lunas.

In the secret chamber, Runas bit his fingertip and dripped a drop of blood into a divination disc-shaped artifact. A beam of golden light shot out, pointing into the distance.

Thanks to his blood connection with Ryūya, he was able to track the direction in which she fled.

Shen Li and his group followed the direction indicated by the golden light to capture the person, while Shen Tang stayed in the temple to wait.

“Xiao Tang, if you’re not in a hurry to go back, why don’t you wait at the temple first? This place is…” Lunaston paused, somewhat embarrassed, “…the safest place in the sea right now. I’ve already set up a barrier, so there shouldn’t be any more accidents this time.”

Shen Tang followed him to the palace where she used to live. Looking at the familiar furnishings, she recalled the time she spent with "Jialan" not long ago. A trace of sadness flashed across her exquisite and beautiful face, but she forcibly suppressed it.

Lunas noticed her emotions, hesitated to speak, and ultimately did not know how to comfort her.

Finally, he took out the Wujian Box from his spatial storage and handed it back to Shen Tang, saying, "This item originally belonged to you, and it should be returned to its rightful owner."

"Hmm." Shen Tang took the box, then went to see Jialouluo, explained the situation, and returned to her bedchamber to rest.

Lying in bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

She asked the system softly, "I remember you said that the first rule of the system is that you cannot reveal the identity of the transmigrator or the existence of the system, otherwise there will be punishment... So, does what I did count as a violation?"

At this critical moment, the dog system proved exceptionally loyal, stating, "This wasn't something the host intentionally revealed, so it's not considered a violation!"

Shen Tang breathed a sigh of relief.

She had many questions she wanted to ask the system, but she swallowed them back and just stared quietly at the box in her hand.

After hesitating for a moment, she gently opened the box.

The little doll still lay quietly in the box, as peaceful as if it were asleep.

Shen Tang gently stroked the doll, gazing at its face, which was identical to Jia Lan's, so vivid and lifelike.

A lump formed in her throat, and tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry... Alan... I still couldn't help you get your body back..."

She lost her beloved forever and would never see him again.

When she was alone, Shen Tang could no longer suppress the pain and sorrow in her heart, and tears streamed down her face like a burst dam.

She clutched the doll tightly and wept uncontrollably, the air filled only with suppressed sobs and whimpers.

I don't know how long she cried, but the crying gradually stopped.

Shen Tang hugged the doll and gradually fell asleep, her red eyes still bearing tear stains, silently soaking the pillow and bedding.

A single, glistening tear fell onto the doll's brow.

That night, Shen Tang had a dream.

Four thousand words, two chapters combined into one~ I want to go to bed early tonight, so goodnight!

P.S.: I'm really bad at naming things. The fox father and the fish brother who was banished and died tragically have the same name again. Oh well, they're both dead anyway, so I'm too lazy to change it.