Chapter 507 - 506: Her Choice

Dracula made no attempt to hide it, asking his question directly in front of everyone.

Whether it was the Deep Sea Empire soldiers on the scene or the hundreds of millions of viewers watching the livestream, everyone was astonished by his frankness.

If memory served, Miss Rabbit and the Prince Merfolk’s union was imminent.

Their bonding ceremony was about to begin.

So what was Dracula of the Cangshan Empire doing?

Right in front of the Prince Merfolk...

’Is he trying to poach his bride??’

But Dracula had asked the question with the utmost seriousness.

A long time ago, in the Varolan Imperial City... on the endless mountain range surrounded by iron cavalry, when activating the Sun Array demanded all of his strength, when he had almost no chance of survival, during that time when they had come to know and love each other—

How desperately Dracula had wanted to take her away.

In his heart, the little rabbit was his wife.

But back then, he couldn’t.

Things were different now. As long as the young Rabbit Clan woman before him nodded, Dracula could take her away immediately.

「Deep Sea Imperial City, Changming Palace」

"Hasn’t the First Legion arrived yet?" Shen He ground his cigar out in an ashtray, his voice tinged with irritation.

The battle-hardened Hai Giant Shark rarely revealed such tense emotions.

Buli inclined his head. "Soon. The last fifteen minutes..."

Traveling from the border waters of the Deep Sea Empire to the Vortex Zone near the Sky Star Territory, the First Legion’s special forces were already moving with incredible speed.

If only the Imperial City wasn’t so far away...

Buli suspected that Lord Shen He would already be in the sea himself by now.

Before the scene had been revealed on the livestream, no one could have anticipated this situation.

Even the Sea Execution Team had only just found Dracula’s whereabouts today.

Everything was happening too suddenly.

So suddenly that Lord Shen He hadn’t had time to make any deployments.

Buli had also heard the rumors about Dracula of the Cangshan Empire and Miss Rabbit.

To be precise, they weren’t just rumors. They had truly been together once, and everyone had seen it with their own eyes.

That was a long, long time ago...

Yu Zhizhi stared blankly at Dracula’s silhouette. She never expected that he would actually invite her to leave with him...

After all, ever since they parted in the Varolan Imperial City, Dracula had been cold and distant every time they met again.

He had amnesia.

Yu Zhizhi didn’t mind that he had forgotten her.

She watched him for a long time, and from behind her golden mask, flashes of the past ran through her mind.

For a fleeting moment, she almost thought Dracula had remembered something.

’Otherwise, why would he invite me?’

Yu Zhizhi’s breath caught in her throat. For some reason, she had a premonition that if she didn’t go with Dracula this time, she might never see him again.

She suddenly felt as if she’d lost her voice, unsure how to answer.

She was utterly conflicted.

’Of all her conquest targets, Dracula’s affection level was the lowest...’

If not for these special circumstances, she might have agreed to go with him without a moment’s hesitation—

He would probably return to his Underground City.

The last kingdom of Cang Mountain.

Yusen sensed Zhi Zhi’s hesitation. His ice-blue eyes turned a hazy gray, and his heart felt as if it were being crushed, a pain far worse than his physical wounds.

’So she really...’

’...likes this eagle that much.’

’And that’s while he has amnesia...’

Yusen sprayed a mouthful of blood, and a crack spiderwebbed through the ice beneath his knees.

Yu Zhizhi felt the warm spray of blood on her cheek and snapped back to her senses, quickly turning to look at the young man before her.

Her fingertips trembled. ’His injuries are so, so severe this time. I’ve already used the part of the Healing Skill I’m best at, but I still can’t stop Sensen’s bleeding.’

Yusen’s face was as white as paper, completely drained of blood. His lips were starkly red, and the faint mole on the tip of his nose looked like a falling teardrop. He gasped for air, his gaze struggling to focus on Yu Zhizhi’s face. "You..."

He had barely managed one word before he coughed up another great mouthful of blood.

"Are you... going to go with him...?"

Yusen’s skin was nearly transparent, as if he might dissipate in a gust of wind.

Yu Zhizhi’s heart clenched.

She shook her head again and again.

Dracula watched them in silence.

’Enchanting Sharks are indeed masters of bewitchment,’ he thought.

He fell silent for a moment before speaking again. "This time, I’m going somewhere very far away. If we part now, it will be difficult to ever meet again."

Driven by the deepest obsession in his heart, Dracula persisted tirelessly.

Even though he himself was a little confused.

’Could he and this Rabbit Clan woman truly return to the past?’

’Why do I just have to take her away?’

Yu Zhizhi looked down at the gruesome wound on Yusen’s chest, her eyes welling with tears. Dracula’s words only made her heart pound with greater urgency.

"Where... where are you going?"

Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but ask.

"Is it really that far?"

The Underground City was near the Cang Mountain Ruins, connected to the Land of Prophecy. Yu Zhizhi had been there once. In her mind, although it was a long way from the Sky Star Territory, getting there wasn’t *that* difficult.

Dracula had no intention of hiding it from her, nor did he deign to hide it from anyone else. "Very far. To a place you cannot reach. No one will be able to find any trace of the Underground City. I will take it with me when I leave."

He had already planned his route before awakening the Beast Bone.

And now, he possessed the power to take an entire Underground City with him.

「Varolan, Imperial City」

「Duke Mansion」

From the moment the image had appeared, the Duke, seated beside the blue Youlian Pond, had been watching the unexpected livestream.

His deep purple robes trailed into the water.

Beside him rested a wooden tray.

On it lay a slender smoking pipe, a tin of open tobacco, and a small pot of cooled green tea.

The Duke’s right index finger traced several faint purple rings of light in the air. His golden, vertical-slitted pupils were filled with a rare gravity as the rings of light rippled outward.

A nearby attendant watched in silence.

He watched as the Duke continuously expended his Spiritual Power, this tedious, aimless search continuing without end.

The Duke showed no sign of stopping.

He was searching for any trace of the Underground City.

The entrance to the Underground City in the Cang Mountain Ruins, though protected by a Barrier, had never been difficult to find.

But now...

He could no longer sense the Underground City’s location at all.

All that remained of the Cangshan Empire’s ruins was desolate wasteland.

The Duke’s hands never paused. When the young woman in the video showed a flicker of hesitation, his heart skipped a beat. His golden, slitted eyes locked onto Dracula with surging killing intent.

This time was different.

The Moon Rising Empire, the Deep Sea Empire, the Divine Hall Alliance, even Sun Ridge—they were all fixed, their locations unchanging.

Only Cang Mountain was different.

Untraceable.

Impossible to find.

This meant that if the little rabbit went with Dracula, she would be lost to them forever.

The red octopus looked at the little rabbit, then at Dracula. The scene was at a stalemate as everyone waited for the Rabbit Clan woman’s answer.

Only the octopus was afraid that if it didn’t speak up now, it would never get another chance.

The Little Octopus quietly raised a tentacle. "Um... if Zhi Zhi agrees to go with you, Dracula, can you take me along too?"

’What’s the difference between taking one and taking two, right?’

—’I absolutely refuse to be separated from Tutu!’

For the first time, Dracula looked at the giant octopus.

He raised his hand, and a golden light slowly enveloped both the octopus and the Rabbit Clan woman.

Dracula said nothing, but his actions spoke volumes.

He was taking the young woman with him.

And that included her—

Pet.

Yusen’s head drooped. He wanted to raise his hand to hold on to Zhi Zhi, but his consciousness was fading. His last ounce of strength was being used just to maintain the small patch of ice beneath them.

His eyes were hollow with despair.

He wanted to cry but couldn’t.

’So it’s true. When grief reaches its peak, you can no longer cry.’

Heh...

’Even on the verge of death, I still can’t make her stay?’

Just as everyone thought Miss Rabbit was about to be taken away by Dracula of the Cangshan Empire, Yu Zhizhi finally spoke. "...No."

She had finally made her choice. "I’m sorry... Dracula. I can’t go with you."