Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Why didn't you say so sooner! Ugh... never mind!"

Tipalotura realized that this wasn't something Ryūka would easily bring up. Perhaps he was looking for an opportunity to have someone else deliver the message, but she hadn't expected to appear before him so suddenly. And Ryūka, at first, had indeed tried hard not to look at her…

This left Tipalotura both angry and amused, unsure whether she should continue to be angry with Ryukyu. Although she had once used her feet on Ryukyu out of desperation, it was only her feet; she hadn't exposed any other parts of her body.

But Ryuka's current abilities are far more than just seeing people naked!

Even she had fantasies and preferences about that kind of thing. And these should be the most private and unspeakable things, yet Ryūka knew them with just a glance?!

Seeing Tipalotura's reaction, Ryusha laughed mischievously, even clutching her stomach, feeling herself almost go weak from laughing.

Having just witnessed Tipalottura's deeper thoughts, I have to admit that my image of Tipalottura as a cool and elegant princess did crumble somewhat. But seeing her so flustered now, witnessing her shy and nervous side, and knowing that both sides were secrets only I knew, made Ryuka inexplicably find her adorable again.

Ryūka wiped away a few tears of laughter and said sarcastically to Tipalotura, who was hiding behind the giant lizard:

"Isn't this a bit much? Princess Tipalotura~ You did that kind of thing to me, you know~"

"Shut up!" Tipalotura shouted angrily, embarrassed. That time it was beyond her control! She could accept teasing Ryuga about it, but when Ryuga bullied her in return, Tipalotura felt her face turn red and her heart pounding wildly, as if it was about to jump out of her chest!

Bringing this up at this critical juncture shows that Liu Xia is somewhat out of line!

Even she has a side like any other girl! Having her innermost thoughts read out! It's just...it's just...

Tipalotura took a deep breath to calm herself down. Now was not the time to dwell on this; the key was to find out about Ryukyu's new ability and then decide whether to let him conduct 'experiments' on Gerberi.

"Liu Xiaqing, you probably can't see it now, right?"

Hearing Tipalotura's voice return to normal, Ryūka couldn't help but admire the princess's inner strength. Ryūka understood her question perfectly: was she testing his new ability to see the witch directly or to sense her from a distance?

The answer is that you need to see people, since Bell's demonic energy only affected his eyes. But at that moment, Ryūka couldn't help but smile and say to Tipalotura:

"I can see it!"

"!!!"

"Just kidding. It stops working if I don't see anyone, and my eyes get hot every time I use it. Maybe I'll get used to it and be able to control it myself."

Hearing Ryūka say this, Tipalotura breathed a sigh of relief. She lifted Gerberi onto the monitor lizard's back, then grabbed the reins on the side and said to Ryūka:

"I'm going back now, Liu Xiaqing. Please look somewhere else."

Yes, yes~

Hearing the sound of a lone rider leaving in the dust behind, and only after Tipalottura had gone did the magic crystal on Ryūka's body emit Tipalottura's reluctant voice again:

"Once Gerberly wakes up, I'll have her come to you..."

Chapter 36 Lilith's Conspiracy

On a distant mountaintop, several cloaked figures, after witnessing the earth dragon beast roar and fall, remained silent for a long time before questioning the girl named Lilith:

"It seems that Carmela and the secret techniques you prepared haven't had any effect?"

Even after being strengthened by the Cruel Witch, the Earth Dragon was still defeated by Ryusha and the others. This was different from what they had expected. Even if the Earth Dragon couldn't destroy Otus's southern fortress, it could at least disrupt their important magical crystal production site. But no one expected that the giant beast would fall so easily, now allowing Lady Sophie and the others to dismember its body.

Unexpectedly, Lilith giggled:

"Gentlemen, what was our original purpose?"

"That's obviously to hinder the Ottus delegation's southward journey. Once they enter the southern kingdoms, they might very well pull those weak and incompetent royal families back into Ottus's camp. Furthermore, it's also to break down the defenses of Thunder Fortress in southern Ottus..."

The cloaked figure at the head spoke in an unfriendly tone, as if he were blaming Lilith.

"For this, we even went so far as to incite Ottus. You have to understand how much effort we put into raising that greedy magical beast to this level! And now! It's become nourishment for Ottus! Do you know how valuable a Heavenly-Rank magical beast is! If it weren't for Carmela's plan..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lilith interrupted him:

"Goal achieved!"

"It's done?" The cloaked figure, furious, roared at Lilith.

"Do you know how much Ottus's strength will increase if Ottus's corpse falls into Ottus's hands! The magic core of a Celestial-rank magical beast is enough for them to cultivate another Celestial-rank! Even other organs have a chance to advance a Grand Master's rank! Compared to our gains—"

Faced with his roar, Lilith suddenly turned around, her eyes beneath her cloak fixed intently on him:

"Once our research is complete, the so-called Heavenly Rank and Saintly Rank will only be terms from the old era."

The golden light that flashed in those pupils made the other chosen ones take a step back, as if it were the most dangerous thing in the world.

The power of order! Although this is a publicly acknowledged power within the Chosen Ones organization, only a select few are granted it. The last was Carmela, and now, it's Lilith…

Each person who obtains a fragment of order receives a different enhancement of power, but without exception, they are all incredibly strong. Aside from ancient knowledge and secret arts, this is the power that all chosen ones dream of most!

But ironically! The people who were granted this power for two consecutive generations were Carmela and her subordinates!

Seeing that the other members had calmed down, Lilith realized that they were just hiding their anger.

Sure enough, people, no matter what ideology or stance they come together for, will eventually split due to jealousy and ambition… Lilith thought to herself, then adopted an innocent and adorable voice as she addressed the other chosen ones:

"Lord Mayocles, if your concern is that Otus will benefit from the monster's corpse, there's no need to worry. Rather, it will become a hot potato for them..."

Lilith chuckled softly, cupping the shattered crystal in her palm. A faint trace of purplish-black magic lingered on the crystal dust. Mayocles and the other Chosen Ones, upon sensing that magic, all paled!

"This is... the remnants of witch transformation have reached this extent! Is this the change brought about by summoning the true form of the Cruel Witch?!"

“That’s right.” Lilith clapped her hands, letting the crystal dust dissipate in the wind, and explained to the other Chosen Ones:

"This kind of erosion will cause the Earth Dragon Beast's magic core and other tissues to 'corrupt'. If Otus uses them to break through to the Heavenly Rank, he will only end up with a bunch of lunatics..."

Does this mean the Earth Dragon's corpse is useless? Beasts affected by the cruel witch's power cannot serve as a source of power for human cultivation; this is recorded in war records from a thousand years ago. The other cloaked figures discussed this privately; if that were the case, it would be acceptable. But Mayocles, the leader, still raised a question:

"But you say we achieved our goal: hindering the delegation and breaking through Otus's defenses. What does that mean? Moreover, the Otus royal family are descendants of Kranar, and they have a deep understanding of witch power. Especially that little princess, what if they have a countermeasure?"

Even if it's 'corrupted,' the materials produced by Heavenly-Rank magical beasts still possess immense power—that's beyond doubt. What if the Otus royal family, who also have some research into witch power, could remove this 'corruption'?

But Lilith just chuckled twice and said to Mayocles:

"In fact, this is exactly what we were thinking."

Seeing the puzzled looks on the other chosen ones' faces, Lilith cursed them inwardly as 'idiots' before slowly explaining:

"It's been a long time since any Celestial-Rank magical beasts have appeared on the continent, which is one of the reasons why there are so few Celestial-Rank beasts left. Humans can't reach that level through their own growth; even a child understands that, right?"

"And now, a Celestial-Rank magical beast has suddenly appeared in Thunder Fortress south of Otus, and has been defeated by Lady Sophie and her group. What does this mean?"

Lilith chuckled and posed a few questions to the others:

"Everyone wants to advance to the Heavenly Rank, except for the royal family of Otus, who, or rather the emperor himself, doesn't need to. But what about the other powerful families? Sophie Orlando is just a regional governor. Faced with a Heavenly Rank magical beast that hasn't appeared on the continent for decades, does she really have the right to claim this spoil of war for herself?"

The other Chosen Ones immediately understood Lilith's meaning. Even if Lady Sophie had single-handedly defeated the monster with the power of Thunder Fortress, the lure of such a huge spoil would make many within Otus restless. They would undoubtedly try every means to get a share, and even the Emperor himself would be unable to suppress the many restless nobles.

"It's not just within Otus, but also in those small kingdoms to the south. In recent years, not only the Bauhinia Kingdom, but many other small countries have made various kinds of progress in strength with our help, but to get them to rebel against Otus? Ha~ They don't have the guts or the determination! But now..."

If this Celestial-rank magical beast were to give Autus one or two more Celestial-rank creatures, the ambitions of many small nations to rise to power would be completely dashed. But there are always some restless ambitious individuals who will be spurred on by this event.

Even the kings and nobles of ordinary kingdoms yearn to make a difference in their time, especially now that Otus is declining! The news that Otus is about to become stronger will make their mentality even more unstable. At this time, whether someone takes a desperate gamble or the Chosen Ones intervene to incite them, it will be a situation that expands their influence and is beneficial to their actions...

Seeing the cloaked figures in front of her react, Lilith's lips curled into a sneer. She continued:

"One could even say that the Emperor of Otus has sensed the restlessness in the south, and his dispatch of his daughter on this southern tour is also intended to re-establish relations with the southern kingdoms. And gentlemen, what is needed to establish new relations?"

“Power? No, Otus knows their power is no longer what it once was. At the height of their nation's power, they had dozens of Heavenly Rank cultivators! And some small kingdoms in the south even had their own Heavenly Rank cultivators—a fact known to both them and the southern kingdoms. The days when sending a few envoys to intimidate and gain the submission of vassal states for years or even decades are gone forever.”

"Right now, there's only one way to keep the Southern Kingdoms in line: 'interests'! You could even say that the princess must have been given enough authorization and have the ability and leverage to negotiate with the royal families of some of the Southern Kingdoms!"

Lilith's tone rose, and she said triumphantly to the other chosen ones:

"So now, what are the 'interests' that the southern countries are most interested in?"

The spoils of a Celestial-Rank magical beast! Even if you don't get the magic core or more crucial organs, lower-grade magical parts still have the potential to advance you to the Celestial Rank! It's just a smaller chance! Compared to money and trade treaties, strength is the fundamental guarantee of status!

It is conceivable that the news of Thunder Fortress's defeat of the Heavenly Rank magical beast will soon spread throughout the entire continent. At that time, not only the family forces within the Otus Empire, but also the small kingdoms and marquises outside will all covet this power!

But... just as Lilith said, after the Cruel Witch's corruption, the Earth Dragon Beast's corpse has been tainted by the Witch's power, and using its power to break through and advance would be very unstable.

"In other words, Otus can't offer what they want at all. Rather, if the spun-off monster organization is problematic, it's more likely to anger both their internal and external forces! Is that right?"

"Yes."

Lilith nodded in satisfaction at Mayokris's understanding, but this only fueled a flicker of anger in Mayokris's eyes. That brat! No! Including Carmela! Their faction is far too arrogant!

But Lilith, seemingly oblivious, continued:

"Therefore, I'm actually hoping that the little princess has a way to remove the witch's corruption. Because even if she does, it certainly won't be easy, and it will likely be given priority to their own people. After all, the fact that Otus possesses witch power is a secret known only to a small number of people even within their ranks. In that case, the others will feel even more resentful. After all, if your own people use it to advance to the Heavenly Rank, but then tell us that there's a problem with the part of this Heavenly Rank magical beast, who would want to believe that?"

To the smug Lilith, Mayocles asked in a calm voice:

"What if they announce to the public that the Earth Dragon Beast's corpse is contaminated, and they don't use it themselves?

Hearing Mayokris's words, Lilith suddenly burst into laughter, as if she had heard something very funny. She laughed for a long time, clutching her stomach, before wiping away her tears and turning to the others just as Mayokris was about to get angry:

"Corrupted? Corrupted by what? The power of a witch?"

"Leaving aside the fact that the cruel witch has appeared, whether they will tell others, and how many people will believe them—just one question: when it comes to witches and heretics, who in this world has the most authority to explain?"

At this point in Lilith's speech, the other chosen ones all understood what she meant!

The Inquisition! No one is more authoritative than the Inquisition on matters of heresy!

For most people in the world, the existence of witches is merely a legend. Even the Otus royal family, descendants of the Cranar, considers it a secret and does not easily reveal their relationship with witches.

After all, as the greatest shadow of the human world a thousand years ago, witches are the common enemy of the world, and any association with them will be met with endless resistance!

If Thunderburg and Otus want to explain themselves to the outside world, they will face countless questions: will others believe them, and how will they believe them?

Even if they grit their teeth and say that the Earth Dragon Beast's corpse was corrupted by the witch's power, as long as the Inquisition says no, then to the world it is no!

The power of interpretation rests entirely with the Vatican—no! It is Carmela's Tribunal!

At that moment, another voice rang out from Lilith's arms. She pulled out another crystal ball, from which came a man's voice. If Ryūka were present, she would immediately recognize it as the voice of the man who had contacted Monica!

"Your Majesty, our people have captured the footage, and it will soon be broadcast throughout the kingdoms large and small in the south."

"Thank you for your hard work~" Lilith smiled slightly and waved the crystal ball in her hand at the others. The image on the ball showed the enormous corpse of the earth dragon beast being guarded by countless soldiers, forbidding anyone from approaching, not even curious soldiers among their own ranks! And Olivia, covered in blood, had carved a massive magic core from its back!

"Just watch, the death of the Earth Dragon Beast is only the beginning~~~ The Otus Empire's troubles are far from over~ And so is their delegation~ What awaits them in the south is a veritable tangled mess~"

Lilith smiled alluringly, bowed gracefully to the other chosen ones, and said flippantly:

"Gentlemen, are you satisfied with this arrangement?"

Chapter 37: Deciphering the Conspiracy

Meanwhile, right after the princess left, Ryūka immediately realized something was wrong. Olivia, who had just taken out the Earth Dragon Beast's magic core, frowned. She quickly exchanged a few words with Lady Sophie, then came to Ryūka's side holding the huge, round crystal.

"Master, something's not right about this... Not only that, the entire corpse of the Earth Dragon Beast is emitting a strange magical energy fluctuation!"

"Strange magic?"

Ryuka's heart tightened, and he cried out in alarm. He snatched the magic core from Olivia's hand and immediately frowned.

Although the magic core was as large as a washbasin, it was nothing considering the size of the earth dragon beast's body. The magic power within was also extremely strong, with some of it even transforming into higher-level spiritual energy. However, as Olivia said, a faint, chaotic magical energy lingered within. If it weren't for the fact that both Olivia and Lady Sophie possessed exceptionally high sensitivity to witches, ordinary mages or knights would have been completely unable to detect it.

Ryuka immediately recognized the chaotic magical energy! It was the aura of the cruel witch!

"Oh dear, this is going to be difficult."

Ruklati's muttering echoed in my mind as she chattered on, explaining:

"I didn't expect that in just a moment, the cruel witch's power had already spread throughout the earth dragon beast's entire body. This is going to be difficult. If we use it to break through to the Heavenly Rank like this, this magical power will enter the body like a parasite, and I'm afraid it will either drive the beast insane or cause it to die..."

Ryuka also figured out the truth. It turned out that the mastermind summoned Bell to corrupt the Earth Dragon Beast, not only to make it go berserk, but also to pollute its body, so that even if his group won, they would not benefit from it!

"Damn it! They're up to no good! Isn't there any way? Ruklati, do you think Tipalotura can deal with the witch's corruption?"

Thinking about Ryukura's question, Ruklati thought for a moment and said:

"It should be possible, but it will probably take a long time. If it were just this one magic core, that would be fine, but the witch's corruption on other parts of the earth dragon beast is another story..."

Looking at the earth dragon's corpse, which was as big as a hill, Ryūka felt speechless. He'd fought so hard, and there was absolutely no reward? He couldn't help but ask Ruklati:

"So this mountain of flesh is just wasted? Just let it rot? What about the spiritual energy inside?"

"As for spiritual energy, you should be able to absorb it. Its body contains a considerable amount of spiritual energy, and you yourself have a certain resistance to the witch's corruption, so it shouldn't be a big problem. But speaking of which..."

Ruklati muttered to herself, then suddenly grinned mischievously, keeping Ruxia in suspense:

"Little master, do you know why humans need to use rare natural treasures or high-grade magical beast materials to advance to the Heavenly Rank?"

Ryūka hadn't considered this, since he didn't need to abide by ordinary laws. As long as he used the power of the fragments of order, the bottleneck was irrelevant to him; collecting followers and faith was more important.

Stop keeping me in suspense.

"Very well, for humans, as long as they cultivate their bodies, they can generate battle qi from within. Those with magical talent can absorb magical power from the outside, which means magical beasts that are closer to nature, or certain rare materials nurtured by the world's nature. These are the two paths of human cultivation. However, after reaching the Great Mastery, only by condensing these into spiritual power can there be a possibility of further breakthroughs, and only then can humanity truly undergo a 'qualitative change'..."

Ruklati slowly explained that to generate spiritual power, one either needs to possess a rare treasure of the level of a fragment of order, like Ryusha, or one needs to obtain a spiritual position through certain means, or rely on a contract with a god.

Another method involves introducing a wisp of spiritual energy from the outside and then slowly transforming it within oneself. This is the most common way to advance to the Heavenly Rank. After obtaining the first wisp of spiritual energy, whether it is battle qi or demonic power, it can be slowly transformed within the body of a Heavenly Rank expert. This wisp of spiritual energy can not only extend the lifespan of humans and allow them to get closer to other races or demons, but it is also the fundamental reason why they can further master various laws of power and achieve a world of difference in strength compared to those below the Heavenly Rank.