Chapter 131 - 110: Royal Blood

Chapter 131: Chapter 110: Royal Blood

When the Nether Monarch awoke again, the forest was suffocatingly quiet.

The rain had stopped. Only the water droplets lingering on the leaves would occasionally fall, striking the earth with a PITTER-PATTER.

The young girl’s coarse clothes were still damp, clinging to her skin and bringing a bone-chilling cold.

The Red Fox let out two soft whines, gently pressing its fluffy paw against the girl’s fair arm.

"You need to stay calm."

The young girl opened her eyes. The Red Fox had watched over her all night. Just as Granny Long had said, the raiders had ignored her because she wasn’t of the Human Race.

She didn’t get up right away. Instead, she sat in the mud, hugging her knees and curling into a ball, feeling utterly insecure.

Memories surged like a tide, then receded.

The girl’s voice was dry and low. "I... am calm."

After a long moment, she finally stood up. The hem of her skirt was caked in mud, hanging heavy.

The forest was a wreck. The bloodstains from last night had been washed clean by the downpour, as if nothing had ever happened.

The sun rose again. Warm light pierced through the layers of branches and leaves, falling on the girl’s face, but she felt not a single trace of warmth. She tilted her head back and stared blankly at the sky, devoid of all emotion.

"Tell me, what did Granny Long and the others do wrong?"

Her voice was as light as a feather.

The Red Fox’s tail swept lightly across the ground, its large tail also getting muddy. "They did nothing wrong. They were just too weak."

’That’s right.’

’They were just too weak.’

The girl slowly walked out from behind the large rock. She thought of the newborn babies in the tribe, and of the Fluorescent Flower Cakes Granny Long had made for her not long ago.

Made with Glow Grass picked in the morning, mixed with flour and special petals, patted into shape, and baked over a fire.

The process was simple, but they had the fresh fragrance of plants and trees.

She would probably never eat them again.

Returning to the place where they had gathered yesterday, she found it had been ransacked. Nothing was left.

The girl walked to where the bone-seller’s stall had been. She suddenly crouched down and began digging through the mud with her pale fingers. The gaps under her nails quickly filled with black soil.

After a moment, her fingertips brushed against a familiar texture. It was the black skirt she had bought yesterday. In her haste to leave, she had dropped it on the ground.

And because it was so soiled with mud, the members of the Spirit Race hadn’t taken the inconspicuous piece of clothing.

The girl dug the skirt out of the mire and clutched it tightly to her chest. The mud on it instantly stained her fair skin a grayish-black.

She looked at the empty platform, as if she could hear Granny Long’s voice again.

The Red Fox gently rubbed its tail against her leg. "Let’s go."

The Fire Stone she carried was still warm, its faint heat passing through the cloth.

The girl’s mind cleared. She told herself that the first thing she had to do was bring the Fire Stone back to the tribe.

This winter would be cold, and the people of the tribe were still waiting for the Fire Stone for warmth.

The Red Fox said softly, "You’re bleeding."

At some point, the girl’s fists had clenched so tightly that her knuckles were white. She had bitten her lip until it broke. Fresh red blood trickled from her thin, cool lips, and the metallic taste filled her mouth, bringing a dizzying rush.

A jumble of emotions rushed to her head.

But the Nether Monarch forcibly suppressed them all.

The Nether Monarch struggled to part her lips. She said, "We’re going back to the tribe. The people... are still waiting for the Fire Stone. This winter... will be very cold, and very long."

The winters of the Human Race were always cold and long.

Larks circled and sang high in the sky, their clear, pleasant songs seemingly celebrating the rainbow after the rain.

「Before long.」

A huge lake appeared before the Nether Monarch.

The Red Fox jumped into the lake. "Go on, wash up."

The Nether Monarch nodded and waded into the lake, step by step. She gently washed her skirt, then let her old clothes sink into the water and changed into the new, water-soaked one.

"Granny once told me that as long as someone remembers the dead, they never truly die. That’s why the living must carry on for them."

The Human Race was the race that most wanted to live.

The girl seemed to sense something. She suddenly turned her head and held out her hand.

Eerie blue flames suddenly flared up all around.

A streak of blue light came from the distance, leaping suddenly into her hand.

A phantom voice drifted over. "I hope Nether can grow up well. A child without parents always has to grow up faster."

The girl said in disbelief, "Granny Long?"

This wisp of a Thought was Granny Long’s last. Attracted by the girl’s identity as one of the Spirit Race, it had come to her hand.

"Granny..."

The girl could no longer contain her emotions.

She fell to her knees on the lakeshore and cried her heart out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dawn was about to break.

A faint crack appeared on the horizon, and the oppressive night was slowly driven away by the sunlight.

The Nether Monarch had dragged Lu Changyuan to the Crown Peak of the World Tree.

Below them, members of the Spirit Race were gathering sporadically, while the Nether Monarch was still using Lu Changyuan as a pillow, resting with her eyes closed.

"Aren’t you supposed to be taking over the entire Spirit Race? Wake up, it’s time to get up."

Lu Changyuan could clearly see the girl’s brow was furrowed, yet she clutched tightly to his clothes.

He sighed and sat on the edge of the treetop. From here, one could see the clouds on the horizon and look down upon all the living beings of the Ancient Times. Just like now, he could see a red light in the far distance.

He didn’t know what kind of light it was.

In fact, the Spirit Race had been a formidable race in the Ancient Times; otherwise, they never could have monopolized the World Tree.