Chapter 717 - 542: Golden: 12-winged Angel

Because that shade of gold was simply too brilliant.

’Humanoid?!’ The Blood Race guards couldn’t help but feel a flicker of surprise after getting a rough look at the woman.

From behind, the woman bore none of the Scale Armor or distinct features of other races. She looked just like an ordinary human.

Though the Blood Race was now under the rule of Gao Xiaomeng, for a human to appear here... was still incredibly strange!

CRACK!

Just then, the figure turned.

She took a step forward, allowing the Blood Race guards to see her face clearly.

It was a face of exquisite beauty.

She looked like an Angel!

No, perhaps she *was* an Angel from the heavens.

Untouched by worldly taints and dust.

Noble and holy.

She simply stared at the surrounding Blood Race guards, perfectly still, yet they all felt a suffocating pressure.

Because the woman’s eyes were a grayish-white!

It was a stark contrast to her brilliant golden hair. That grayish-white... it was like a world of darkness, utterly devoid of light.

It wasn’t just a lack of light; there was no life in them at all.

It was like looking at death itself!

Gold for nobility, grayish-white for death.

These two completely different concepts—one of light, one of darkness—appeared together in a single woman.

"Run!" the two high-ranking guards among them shouted at once.

Hearing this, the other Blood Race guards didn’t hesitate. They turned and scattered in all directions, fleeing for their lives.

Meanwhile, the woman tilted her head back.

She looked up at the space above her.

Above her, there was no sun, no stars, no moon—only an endless expanse of darkness, just like her grayish-white eyes.

But as she gazed upward, a ball of golden light once again bloomed behind her—brilliant, dazzling, and filled with a sacred aura.

The golden light began to coalesce.

A pair of enormous golden wings slowly materialized.

They were enormous, spanning a full ten meters when unfurled. But they weren’t true wings; they were formed entirely of condensed golden light.

In other words, they were wings made of pure energy.

And then, another two pairs of wings appeared!

A Six-winged Great Angel!

And she had golden wings!

It was an absolutely shocking sight.

Yet the woman’s gaze remained fixed upward. She stared blankly at the sky above as the six wings on her back emitted a dazzling radiance, illuminating the surrounding darkness.

KEE!

Finally, a cry came from the woman’s mouth.

Behind her, the six enormous wings began to vibrate wildly.

BOOM!

The ground exploded.

Cracks spiderwebbed out in all directions.

The immense tremor shattered the rocks around the Demon Abyss, sending them tumbling piece by piece into its depths.

If Gao Neng had been there, he would have been astonished.

The stone of the Demon Abyss was incredibly hard.

Yet now, this woman had shattered all the surrounding rock just by releasing her energy.

"Such powerful energy!" The fleeing Blood Race guards turned back in astonishment.

"Com... Commander, that... what is that?!!"

"What?"

"Wi... wings?!"

"What wi—"

His words were cut short.

A wave of sacred energy had passed through their bodies, like a gust of wind, freezing them in place.

Then, their rigid bodies dissolved into motes of light and vanished.

「The Underworld.」

It grew quiet.

The Demon Abyss stopped shaking and fell silent once more.

At the edge of the Demon Abyss, the golden light gradually receded, finally coalescing behind the woman.

They were enormous wings, wings of gold.

As if forged from solid gold.

The wings were covered in feathers, each one shimmering with a faint light.

Except, the number of wings was...

...twelve!

...

「Eastern District Battlefield.」

「Dark Night Elf Royal City.」

Before the great Ancient Elf Tree, the Queen of the Dark Elves sat quietly at the edge of a cold pool. A strikingly handsome man stood before her.

Faced with such an exceptional man, the Queen of the Dark Elves had mixed feelings.

She raised her head.

And looked at the man’s face...

Familiar, yet strange.

Familiar because she had seen him before, right here in front of this very Ancient Elf Tree. The memory had left a deep impression on her.

Strange because the man was now even more handsome. It wasn’t just simple good looks; he possessed a masculine aura born of sheer confidence.

"I have only one condition!" the Queen of the Dark Elves finally said.

"Name it," the man said with a nod.

"Ding Xiang went to the North District. A while ago, a letter arrived saying she was to marry the Fourth Prince of the Blood Race. But now... Gao Neng, I just want to know... is Ding Xiang still alive?"

"She’s alive." Gao Neng nodded again.

"Don’t lie to me. Otherwise, even in death... I will never... never submit to you!" The Queen of the Dark Elves’s expression grew agitated.

"Do you want to see her?" Gao Neng asked, looking at the Queen of the Dark Elves.

"Ah... wha... what?"

"I asked if you want to see her." The corner of Gao Neng’s mouth curved into a slight smile.

"I can see Ding Xiang? Where... Where can I see her?! Tell me, and I’ll go right now!" the Queen of the Dark Elves exclaimed, snapping back to her senses.

"Right here." Gao Neng pointed to the Ancient Elf Tree in front of them.

"Huh?!" The Queen of the Dark Elves’s mouth fell open.

Without another word, Gao Neng turned...

SWISH!

...and vanished.

The Queen of the Dark Elves’s mouth opened even wider. Her jet-black hair was lifted by the wind, the tips dipping into the cold pool and gathering bits of white frost.

But she paid no attention to any of this.

She was in a state of extreme suspense. Her palms were clenched tight, and beads of sweat slowly formed on her brow.

Meanwhile, in another location, Wu Dingxiang, who had been staring blankly into the mirror at her vanity, found her expression slowly changing from dull and lifeless to one of anger.

Because that handsome man... had once again materialized behind her.

"What is it?" Wu Dingxiang asked, gritting her teeth.

"Yes. I’m taking you to see your mom," Gao Neng replied with a nod.

"Huh?" Wu Dingxiang was baffled, astonished, and shocked all at once.

But Gao Neng didn’t give her any time to process. He grabbed her hand, and with another "SWISH," they vanished.

...

The Queen of the Dark Elves hadn’t even had time to close her gaping mouth before two figures materialized in front of her once more.

That familiar yet strange figure, that familiar yet strange face!

It made her heart...

...even more conflicted.

She just stared at Wu Dingxiang, who stood dumbfounded before her, taking in her daughter’s fair face and her beautiful, snow-white dress.

She remembered that dress.

She had picked it out herself.

That day, she had escorted Wu Dingxiang all the way to the gates of the Dark Night Elf Royal City, watching her daughter’s figure disappear over the horizon.

She had told Wu Dingxiang, "Remember, you must bring a Prince home!"

But the reality was...

Wu Dingxiang had returned.

But it wasn’t a Prince she had brought back with her.

Of course, this man... whether in terms of identity, status, or power, was stronger than any Prince. Because he was a King!

"Ding... Ding Xiang!" The Queen of the Dark Elves shot to her feet and pulled Wu Dingxiang into her embrace, tears instantly welling in her eyes.

"Mom, I’m back!" Wu Dingxiang said, feeling the warmth of the embrace. For the first time, she felt there was another side to her mother.

"Yes, my daughter isn’t dead. She’s really not dead!"

"That’s right, Mom. I’m not dead!"

...

Gao Neng watched the scene unfold. Without wasting words, he immediately nodded at Gao Xiaomeng.

Gao Xiaomeng instantly jumped into the cold pool.

Everything was perfect.

But amidst this perfection, a voice sounded in his ear.

’I wonder if this counts as keeping a beauty in a gilded cage?’