Chapter 996: The Troublesome Anomaly (Requesting Monthly Tickets)

What a tragic beauty of love.

You Long's gaze withdrew from the nearly dead tail.

Even she believed Fang Yue was already a corpse; to be obsessed with a corpse was already a twisted emotion.

Looking ahead, the chaotic battlefield had gradually clarified with the arrival of two more You Family Elders.

"From what they said earlier, that Cow Constellation and the little girl beside him seem to know the truth about the Seventh Prince. Looks like we need to deal with them. Feels troublesome… might as well kill them all."

Having been in seclusion for so many years, You Long knew nothing of the current situation in Jingcheng.

But one thing was certain.

That only a royal descendant who awakened their bloodline could compel these ancient monsters to emerge from seclusion.

Whether or not that Wu boy was truly the Seventh Prince, the moment his bloodline power revealed itself before us, the next Crown Prince of Qing Guo was already decided.

"Follow the ancient ancestral code."

You Long murmured softly as she walked toward the front battlefield, arriving before the ruined Juan Niao Lou, raising her hand to act—when she suddenly froze!

Boom!!

The next instant, the ground beneath You Long violently sank downward, as if crushed by sudden weight, kicking up a massive cloud of dust!

Amid this sudden attack, You Long's figure gradually blurred and vanished.

"She dodged."

"Didn't hit her."

"That woman… is an anomaly."

"This is getting complicated."

The dust slowly cleared, revealing the condition of the original spot.

There, where You Long had stood, now yawned a large circular pit; at its four edges stood four bizarre figures clad in black bone armor, radiating the same aura as the Fifth Prince had.

They were unmistakably… the Four Princes of the Wu Yu Clan!

The First Prince, standing to the north, rubbed his chin as if troubled by some puzzle.

The Second Prince, standing to the east, flicked his long hair woven from black bone, arms crossed, exuding cold aloofness.

The Third Prince, standing to the south, slowly drew from his waist a Black Bone Sword composed of segmented bones.

The Fourth Prince, standing to the west, casually crouched beside the pit, as if studying something.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, all four of them halted their movements simultaneously and turned their heads sharply in the same direction.

There, appearing in that direction, was a woman with closed eyes and a serene smile, floating like a celestial being.

Her lips curled slightly, revealing a faint laugh.

"Wu Yu Clan? Four royal-level anomalies acting together—even I'd have trouble handling this."

Swoosh—

Almost the instant You Long finished speaking, a black shadow shot forth like a spear, piercing her chest in an instant!

Then her figure twisted and rippled like a reflection in water or a mirage, vanishing.

"Lying. You're perfectly at ease."

The black shadow revealed its true form: the Black Bone Sword held by the Wu Yu Clan's Third Prince, its blade extending infinitely.

As the blade writhed like a bone, it rapidly retracted back to the Third Prince's side, returning to its normal sword length.

"Where did she go?" The Second Prince gazed skyward at a forty-five-degree angle.

"Over there." The Fourth Prince, who had been crouching, stood up and pointed toward the broken Juan Niao Lou.

Boom!!

Beneath the heavy rain and thunder.

On the severed cross-section stood three shadow-like figures: You Long, the You Family's Second Elder, and the You Family's Third Elder, looking down from above, facing off against the Four Royal Anomalies.

The remaining black insect anomalies, as if receiving orders, withdrew, retreating from the area.

The surviving Cow Constellation dragged the nearly out-of-control Wu Captain, barked several orders, and then led the slightly calmed Wu Captain, along with Ming and the Juan Niao Lou group, away.

You Long observed all of this.

"Second Elder, Third Elder, go protect…"

Her words cut off abruptly.

For she saw that the Wu Yu Clan's First Prince, who had been maintaining his chin-stroking posture since appearing, now relaxed his brow—his black bone helmet reshaped into a bright, cheerful smile.

"I understand."

The You Family's Second Elder and Third Elder exchanged puzzled glances, but saw You Long, who had always been so calm, suddenly stiffen, her expression growing grave.

Under everyone's gaze, the First Prince slowly extended his right hand, clenched it in empty air, then slammed it forcefully to his right.

With his motion, space itself seemed to pause for an instant.

Then…

Dong!!

A deafening bell-like resonance erupted!

Starting from the direction of his right fist's strike, an invisible sonic wave swept outward, shattering every structure along a thousand-meter stretch of street in an instant.

Houses, willows lining the road, bridges across the river—all shattered in an instant. The violent airwave split the street like a razor-sharp parting, exploding outward; wherever the force passed, it swept clean like a hurricane, leaving behind only flying debris and a long, empty corridor.

And at the end of this force…

Crack!

Crack!

Crack!

In the air, a phenomenon of shattering mirrors gradually appeared.

Behind the shattered mirror was... You Long!

"This is truly astonishing... You shattered the 【Shield of Threads】. I don't recall any such monster among the Wu Yu clan."

The You Long behind the shattered mirror maintained her smile, but this time, it was forced.

Meanwhile, the You Long beside the Second Elder and Third Elder of the You Family gradually dissolved into threads, vanishing into the air.

"So that's how it is."

"Thank you, Elder Brother, for clarifying."

"Brothers, strike! Avenge our fifth brother and carve a new path for our father, the Emperor!"

Boom!!

Thunder roared; the Night Rain falling from the Black Cloud turned increasingly crimson, shifting toward Night Rain and intensifying.

Amid this chaotic battle, the Four Princes of the Wu Yu clan fought the three Elders of the You Family.

Yet in the midst of the chaos, no one noticed that the tail, long thought dead, and Fang Yue's corpse had quietly vanished at some point.

Rustle-rustle-rustle.

The crimson Night Rain fell from the Black Cloud, slowly corroding the houses and streets of Jingcheng; the situation worsened toward its worst possible state.

Beneath the Night Rain, a dark shadow darted swiftly through the streets; as it neared a bridge, it flipped over and hid beneath it.

Looking up at the river beneath the bridge, one saw that the once-clear waters had now turned faintly crimson, appearing eerie and sinister, like a river of the netherworld.

"Puff... puff... puff..."

Crouched beneath the bridge, back pressed against the wall, the tail gasped for breath.

Beside her lay Fang Yue's corpse, which she had carried away while fleeing.

Upon closer inspection, a tiny ice-colored dot had formed at the spot where her forehead had been pierced.

"Qi Ba Jiu Daren, you finally deign to act..."

【Don't misunderstand—I only act because your death would be troublesome for me.】

(End of Chapter)