Chapter 1719. Entering The Structure.

Chapter 1719: Chapter 1719. Entering The Structure.

There is a sentence that could describe the situation with quite a lot of accuracy: the emperor is not worried, but his eunuchs are.

32 hours sounded quick, but knowing the others were looting the interior of the massive structure made it feel different. Some people sat cross-legged and waited, looking back and forth between the open gates and Tatyana’s group working on the pendants.

Yasenia lay around them, her dragon head resting on the ground beside Tatyana. From time to time, Tatyana would scratch Yasenia between her eyes, making her purr and wag her tail softly.

Jian Xinlin stealthily took the other side of Yasenia’s head, her hand gently patting Yasenia’s dragon head as well, but she was careful about which zones she caressed.

She was so careful because of something that happened a few moments ago.

As Xinlin caressed Yasenia’s dragon face, Yasenia showed little reaction other than a pleasant, low growl. Her touches were careful and comfortable, so she just accepted her petting.

However, Xinlin was used to petting her Zap Thunder Cat, so she went to scritch-scratch Yasenia under the jaw.

That was a mistake. The zone under a dragon’s jaw was very, very close to their [Reverse Scale]. Before Yasenia could even register it, her instincts kicked into gear, and her pupils thinned to lines.

With speed that even Xinlin found hard to follow, Yasenia shifted her head and...

CHOMP!

"Argh!"

It was NOT a playful bite. Xinlin was a Half-Step, but Yasenia’s chomp came completely out of nowhere and at full force. Not to mention, Yasenia’s fangs were razor-sharp and hard. They were powerful enough to break Supreme Ranked materials, like biting on a wet sugar cube.

On top of that, Xinlin wasn’t a Body Cultivator, and her skin wasn’t as sturdy without the proper reinforcement from her skills and equipment; the results were grim.

Yasenia’s teeth dug deep, even reaching bone and cracking it. Yasenia realized what she had done as the taste of blood filled her mouth and panicked, quickly opening her mouth. Her teeth dug out, the curvature dragging out flesh and even some bone with it.

"S-Sorry! Are you okay?"

Xinlin bit her lip in pain and glanced down. "H-Heavens, you’ve nearly bit it off."

The people around were startled and looked over. Yasenia used her tongue to clean her mouth and, with no better option, gulped it down. ’...Oh. Yummy. NOT!’

Kali waved her hand, and Xinlin’s hand quickly healed, returning to its pristine state. Yasenia quickly apologized. "That was a reflex! I am so sorry. You moved your hand close to my delicate location, and I reacted before I could even process it. I am really so sorry."

Xinlin blinked and recalled. "Ah... Reverse Scale."

As she muttered those words, the others realized what had happened. Yasenia nodded at her, and Xinlin sighed softly. "Then I am the one who needs to apologize. I completely forgot about it because I met you in your humanoid form at first. Come, come. Don’t apologize as well."

This time, Yasenia obediently lowered her head and rested it by her side. Xinlin caressed her head without any fear. Yasenia had reacted as she should, so getting angry would be nonsensical. "There, there. Don’t feel guilty. It was my mistake."

She even gave her people a side glance with a touch of warning. This was a harmless accident. For someone at her level, even having her arm annihilated was a light injury as long as there was no Soul Damage.

Meanwhile, Yasenia glanced around as her girls and Xinlin patted her body. They sat around her, so parts of her body were within reach, and since Yasenia’s scales were soft and comfortable to the touch at rest, it felt really nice.

’Hm... There are some restless individuals.’

She noticed that some individuals were getting impatient and even approached others. Not that it mattered. Xinlin tried to convince some, but in the end, many of them just left.

Tatyana glanced over with indifference and snorted. "It’s good they left. Now we can finish quicker."

The reason they had to take 32 hours total was that there were many people around them, thousands. So, with some of them making up excuses and leaving, they would finish quicker.

Shang Qinqin approached Bao Aiquin. "Aunty Bao."

Aiquin smiled faintly. "Little Qinqin. You really tricked me well back there."

While they were from opposition families, Bao Aiquin was an elder. Moreover, the four merchant families were both competitors and allies. They worked together to make sure no fifth appeared when they were threatened, while maintaining a status quo between them.

They were not stupid to the point that they would destroy each other in search of a higher profit... unless they could completely crush each other.

Shang Qinqin laughed softly and looked back at the group of girls, a touch of longing in her eyes.

"Why make those eyes? Go join them."

Qinqin smiled. "I will, eventually. For now, though... I prefer looking from a distance."

There were times when she had to push, and there were times when she had to understand. Pursuing someone wasn’t about constantly trying to make your presence known, but about not becoming an obstacle in their daily life while making your presence a positive one.

Aiquin glanced curiously at Qinqin, then back at Yasenia. "Is she worth it, Qinqin? I mean... With your position, you were about to marry a prince. Isn’t that better?"

Qinqin chuckled. "That same prince got stomped down by her, though."

Aiquin smiled faintly. "You know what I mean. No matter how much you force a royal to lower their head, they are still a royal. The status of a princess would’ve helped you complete that thing you were planning, right?"

Qinqin blinked twice and looked at Aiquin with surprise. "How?"

Aiquin smirked. "Do not underestimate us, elders, girl. We might look nonchalant, but most of us know what is happening among the youth. A few calls, a few questions, and we can easily dig up most things."

Qinqin showed a complex expression. "Then, why are my parents..."

"Those two... Hm." Bao Aiquin sighed. "You were just unlucky. It’s been a few thousand years already. There is no need to cry over spilled and rotten milk, is there?"

Qinqin chuckled and nodded. "Mhm."

***

"Done. Let’s go inside."

Tatyana stood up, stretching lightly, and Yasenia opened her eyes. She had almost fallen asleep to the comfortable taps on her body. Shang Qinqin and Bao Aiquin had already discussed how much to pay, and everyone readily paid up for the pendants, netting them a good profit.

Angel was sitting on Yasenia’s back, her legs swinging at the sides. "Yasenia, Yasenia."

"Yes, Baby?"

"Are you going to continue being in your dragon form?"

Yasenia turned her long neck to glance at Angel. "Why? Do you want me to, love?"

Angel giggled. "Yeah! I’d love to! That way I don’t have to walk~. Hehe."

Yasenia laughed softly, and as they passed the gates, everyone looked around, confused. Xinlin asked, her hand fiddling with the pendant around her neck. "What is this protecting us against, Madam Tatyana?"

"Lady is good enough. It also makes me feel younger, fufu~. Also, these pendants don’t do that much. They just tell the formations that we are not intruders. In essence, at least. That’s all."

Someone who had been quite antsy couldn’t help but rebuke. "We waited for over a day just for a pendant with a formation that simple?"

Thankfully, there was Zhuo Lianyu nearby. He snorted, caressing his beard. "Lady Tatyana is just too humble. The effects are indeed as she said. Nevertheless, tricking this complex killing formation requires tremendous complexity and delicate craftsmanship."

"...Killing formation?"

Zhuo Lianyu nodded. "While I can’t analyze as deeply as both masters, seeing the construction of their formation has given me plenty of ideas and also helped me advance my Formation Dao. So, I can tell you that without this formation, we would be in trouble right about... Now."

As they crossed the giant gate to the structure, a massive formation activated below them. The complex lines and profound aura caused some of them to flinch and freeze. Thankfully, as the formation spun, its symbols and lines rapidly shifting, the light coming from it dimmed, and just like that, it disappeared."

Bao Aiquin tightly held her pendant. "What was that?"

Her tone was tense, completely unlike before. Zhuo Lianyu decided to take the lead in explaining, as he felt it was beneath Angel’s and Tatyana’s duty. If Angel’s brief demonstration stunned him, Tatyana’s crafting methods mesmerized him. Angel, by comparison, was like a raw gem still polishing itself.

"That was a force teleportation formation that activated silently. We saw it because the pendants around our necks have an extra function that reveals formations when they activate. For others, it would’ve looked as if those around them suddenly, without warning, disappeared."

Jian Xinlin couldn’t help but feel lucky. ’If we didn’t meet by chance, it might’ve been difficult not to fall victim to these formations as well.’

Her gaze toward the Dravory family grew increasingly appreciative. Yes, their strength was still nowhere near theirs, but their potential made her spine tingle with expectation.

***

Meanwhile, the rest of the groups were suffering. When they entered, the formation didn’t automatically lit up. Instead, it waited. It waited because it was laid out almost all around the entire structure as a preventive measure.

Then, when everyone within the formation dome entered, it activated at once and transported everyone to another location. It was not far... It was right below. Below the massive structure, there was a gargantuan labyrinth with countless deadly traps.

It held puzzles and other deadly traps, as well as treasures and valuables left by past victims. Of course, the treasure-to-deadly-trap ratio was nowhere near worth it, and everyone was cursing at whoever created this death trap.

Isla had a tired face, even though only a little over a day had passed. She wasn’t the only one. The Divines around her were looking around with bloodshot, wary eyes. Even if they didn’t need sleep, being in a zone didn’t mean safety. They learned in a bad way that, after staying in one zone for a long time, there was a chance that a trap formation would manifest.

"How many...?"

"Three."

The Half-Step sighed. "We lost three Divines... We shouldn’t have followed that reckless fellow."

Another Divine nearby spoke with a sigh. "At least we are not empty-handed. Their deaths are a hit, but we have not lost what they carried, and we’ve also gained a few interesting treasures."

The Half-Step agreed. Moreover, his consolation was that everyone else was in the same situation. "Have you tried using the escape Life Saving treasures?"

With a shake of her head, a Divine answered with a sigh. "They still don’t work. This place’s formations are far too high level. It probably belongs to an ancient civilization... or something of a Higher Heaven."

An observant Divine pointed out. "Didn’t the Dravory Family and some others stay behind?"

Isla blinked. "The Dravory Family?"

"Yes. Didn’t you see the beautiful dragon with colors that resemble those of the cosmos?"

Isla stiffened slightly, and with a trembling heart, she asked. "Does that dragon... have a Sun and Moon in her wings?"

The Divine chuckled. "Oh? So you did see them. Why are you acting as if you didn’t? Either way, those people stayed behind to try and crack the formation."

The Half-Step didn’t notice Isla’s eyes trembling with doubt. No matter how much she wanted to hope it was a coincidence, how many dragons with a Sun and Moon on their wings were out there?

The Half-Step scoffed. "No matter how talented. Can they break through these complex formations? If given a decade or so, perhaps. But they don’t have that much time. Less talk and continue onward. We’ve rested enough."