Chapter 460: I Don’t Want to Hurt Her
Yun Ming’s pupils grew an even deeper shade of crimson. The veins on his arms bulged with the effort.
Opposite him, Yun Ji furrowed his brow and gripped the talons tightly. The sharp claws sliced into his palm, but he didn’t seem to feel the pain.
"I absolutely will not let you get in there and harm Shuishui at this critical moment!"
Yun Ming yanked back with all his might, shoving Yun Ji aside. Just as he was about to attack again, his strength suddenly gave out, and he collapsed to one knee.
The look in his eyes shifted, and his pupils abruptly turned pitch-black.
He lifted his head, looking at Yun Ji with a tormented expression. "Priest, quickly, kill me!"
Yun Ji frowned. He seemed to have forgotten who Kunlin was for a moment, but he quickly pieced it together. ’The dark energy must be weakening, so Yun Ming’s grip on this body has slipped. The original owner has used his incredible willpower to take back control.’
Seeing that Yun Ji wasn’t moving, Kunlin gritted his teeth and tried to raise his own hand, aiming the sharp claws at his throat.
"I’ll do it myself!"
Just as his claws were about to pierce his throat, his hand froze in midair.
Kunlin looked up, stunned, to see Yun Ji holding back his arm.
"Your death would be useless. As long as he isn’t destroyed, he can just possess another beastman."
A pained expression crossed Kunlin’s face. "I... I don’t want to hurt Xixi."
He couldn’t bear the thought of Yun Ming using his body to do something unspeakable to Qiao Xixi.
"Do everything you can to keep control of your body. Yun Ming’s power is weakening right now. As long as you remain dominant, he can’t do anything if he can’t get out."
Kunlin’s brow furrowed, and he gritted his teeth. "Alright."
Inside the stone grotto, more and more of the black mist scattered with Qiao Xixi’s every move.
She opened her eyes and looked up. ’Good. There’s only a single wisp of black mist left. I can finally purify the source of the Dark Origin Stone!’
Qiao Xixi closed her eyes again. Just as she was about to perform the next step, a figure suddenly rushed in from the entrance. Before Qiao Xixi could react, it swiftly snatched away the last remaining trace of black mist and turned to flee.
Qiao Xixi’s eyes flew open in shock, only to see a retreating figure.
"Who’s there? Stop!"
There was only a tiny bit left. Qiao Xixi wasn’t about to let them just get away.
She chased after them without a second thought.
The person was incredibly fast—likely a high-level expert. They had used beast soul energy to conceal their aura, leaving no trace for her to follow.
Soon, the person rushed out of the secret passage.
When Qiao Xixi emerged from the secret passage, the figure had already vanished. She had no choice but to shift into her beast form and follow the footprints they’d left behind.
But just as she reached the courtyard, her path forward was blocked.
Qiao Xixi was forced to stop and look up at the person.
When she got a clear look at him, she frowned. This male looked somewhat familiar.
A face flashed through Qiao Xixi’s mind—it was the Beast King’s consort, the fox male who had given her that strange glare.
As the Beast King’s consort, his looks were naturally exceptional. His features were chiseled and delicate, completely untouched by time.
Qiao Xixi recalled that the Beast King seemed quite pleased with him. Besides that one time he glared at her, she had also seen him enter the Beast King’s inner chambers a few times, though they had never crossed paths.
This wasn’t the time to argue with him, though. She pivoted, intending to go around him.
The fox male also turned, once again blocking her path.
Qiao Xixi grew annoyed. "Get out of my way!"
The fox male’s expression darkened as well. "A guard just reported that you abducted the Beast King. How dare you harm her."
With that, he took a step back. "Seize her."
Hearing his command, the beastman guards behind the fox male swarmed forward.
Qiao Xixi cursed under her breath, spun around, and bolted toward the palace gates.
But as she ran, beastman guards began to push the great doors shut.
Qiao Xixi began chanting an incantation, preparing to launch herself into the air with the wind. Suddenly, the gates were struck by a powerful force from outside. A fish scale shot through the opening, slitting a guard’s throat.
"Xijing."
"Xixi!"
Xijing rushed in and pulled Qiao Xixi behind him.
"Xixi, are you alright?"
Qiao Xixi shook her head. "Xijing, don’t get tied up in a fight. We need to go, now!"
Heeding Qiao Xixi’s words, Xijing turned and pulled her away, running for the exit as the guards behind them began to surge forward.
Qiao Xixi silently chanted an incantation. "Wind, strike!"
A massive gust of wind erupted, sweeping violently toward the guards.
The guards were momentarily blocked by the powerful gale.
By the time the gale subsided, Qiao Xixi and Xijing were long gone.
After leading Qiao Xixi out of the Beast King’s inner hall, Xijing didn’t head toward the grand ceremony but led her to a secluded corner instead.
"Xixi, how did you get out of the Beast King Hall?"
Qiao Xixi quickly recounted her ordeal to Xijing. "I was so close. I was about to completely eliminate the source of the Dark Origin Stone’s power, but at the final moment, the last wisp of it was stolen. I was chasing that person when I came out."
Unfortunately, she’d been held up by that fox male. Now, with no knowledge of the thief’s aura, Qiao Xixi felt that finding them would be next to impossible.
"’Sprite, can you track the person who stole the Dark Origin Stone’s power?’"
"’Host, I can’t find that person without any information to go on. But I can search for the power of the Dark Origin Stone itself. Just a moment.’"
"Okay."
The Sprite was quick. In just a few moments, it spoke up. "’Found it! They’re already heading out of the royal palace. They’re moving incredibly fast.’"
"Good."
"Xijing, we’re heading out of the royal palace. The thief is trying to leave."
"Okay."
Qiao Xixi pulled two sets of beast-hide clothes from her storage space for them to change into. She also took out a medicinal powder she had acquired earlier and dusted herself with it.
Only a few guards had seen them over the past few days. With a disguise, they should be able to evade pursuit from most of them.
Qiao Xixi had the Sprite pick out the most hidden route with the fewest guards.
Soon, the two had successfully evaded the pursuing guards and were approaching the palace gate.
From a distance, they could see a squad of guards on duty at the gate. Slipping out unnoticed seemed impossible.
Qiao Xixi looked up at the towering palace walls. Flying out using her wind power would also be too conspicuous.
"Let’s go."
The chaos deeper inside the palace probably hadn’t reached the main gate. They still had a chance to bluff their way through.
Xijing squeezed Qiao Xixi’s hand, and the two walked toward the palace gate, appearing as casual as they could.
"Open the gate. We are leaving the palace on the Beast King’s orders."
Qiao Xixi produced a Phoenix Bone Token. The Beast King had given it to her previously for easy access to the inner hall.
The guards could sense the Beast King’s aura on the token, and, having no reason to doubt her, they pushed open the heavy palace gates.
Xijing led Qiao Xixi by the hand. Just as they were about to step through the gateway, a sharp voice barked from behind them.
"Halt."