The Grave-Robbing Fox Enchantress

Inside the tent, Du Chen couldn't help but inwardly chuckle as Deboning hesitated, clearly on the verge of speaking several times. Beibei's Spiritual Contract was indeed formidable; Deboning, who usually showed no mercy to others, often striking to kill, was decisive and utterly fearless in his actions. Yet, before Du Chen, he seemed to weigh every word before uttering it.

The beastmen's tents were sparsely furnished. Even the Imperial Grand Princess's guest tent contained little more than a single desk, a ground mat, and a large brazier in the center. Du Chen let Beibei play by herself on the mat, then asked, "Deboning, is there something you want to ask? It's fine, speak your mind!"

Deboning chuckled, "Young Master, I was just wondering what exactly were you and Susanna discussing earlier? And what was this 'deal' they kept mentioning?"

"These are the 'rules' among high-ranking figures in the Clandestine Circles," Du Chen explained. "You, a former Saint of the Yessar Church, were raised with religious education. While you're adept at executing judgments and wielding swift justice, you wouldn't know much about the ways of the underworld!" Du Chen poked at the brazier, a smile playing on his lips, "As for their target location, it's quite a coincidence—it's the exact same place as our destination!"

"The Auerbach Grand Canyon?"

"Precisely, the Auerbach Grand Canyon!" Du Chen slowly recounted the intelligence he had gathered and deduced. "Phil's mother left The Clues pointing towards the Grand Canyon, and the Art of Artifact Annihilation is there too. But what does the Auerbach Grand Canyon truly look like!?"

Deboning replied, "According to Miss Lucy and Miss Lily of the Red Phoenix Battle Formation, God Sigurd and his peers journeyed to the then-grassland Auerbach Grand Canyon to participate in a great war, ultimately perishing there! Furthermore, records in the Holy Church's Code and the Chronicle of Gods and Demons state that God Sigurd's remains were retrieved by your Ancestor Sigurd and interred in his homeland, Rick Province, while Major General Julie's body was never found. As for the overall commander of that military operation, the Chief of Staff of the Einz War Zone, the Beast Emperor Auerbach, he used his final Secret Art to perish with his enemies. His ultimate technique literally carved out a grand canyon on the vast grasslands, a chasm ten li long, one li wide, and almost bottomless—that is the Auerbach Grand Canyon of today!"

Du Chen gazed into the distance through a gap in the tent's flap. Under the lingering glow of the setting sun, emerald grasslands stretched far into the horizon. However, about a hundred li away, the landscape was abruptly severed by a ribbon of yellow—the Auerbach Grand Canyon!

Deboning also calmly observed the scenery outside. He understood the immense shock and awe inspired by the Auerbach Grand Canyon far better than Du Chen. The chaotic battle of Roland, Zigurd, and Ted, three paramount The Masters of their generation, at Einz South Sea, causing widespread earthquakes along the Newin River, what did that even count for!? Anyone with a modicum of understanding of Earth-element and the earth itself would know that delving a hundred meters underground is a hundred times more difficult than ascending a hundred meters into the sky—this was the 'Theory of One Hundred to One', a High-level Battle God theory that Earth-element Battle Gods prided themselves on!

For Auerbach to carve out a bottomless grand canyon with his own power, this was a miracle only a god could accomplish. His strength could truly be described with a single word—Divine!

Du Chen was unaware of Deboning's thoughts. Had he known, he would have been utterly astonished, for the technology of his previous life had already proven this point: when humanity could soar into space, how deep could they truly delve underground? The earth would forever remain humanity's most challenging unknown frontier to explore!

Shaking off his burgeoning admiration for Auerbach, Du Chen chuckled, "Indeed, the Holy Church's Chronicle of Gods and Demons also records that after Beast Emperor Auerbach fell in battle, his body sank into the grand canyon created by his own ultimate technique. Later, the beastmen's ancestors dispatched three hundred warriors deep into the canyon to search for their former king's remains. They eventually found Auerbach's corpse and constructed the Beast Emperor's Mausoleum at the bottom of the grand canyon! Those three hundred elite beastmen warriors and their descendants then became the Crimson Mausoleum Guards, destined to eternally protect Auerbach's remains!"

Deboning nodded, "Many years ago, the Old Grand Pontiff, your Maternal Grandfather, discussed the Crimson Mausoleum Guards with us four Saints. If I may speak disrespectfully, due to their long years of detachment from worldly affairs and their cultivation solely at the bottom of the canyon, they haven't fallen into decadence like your family's Holy Flame Knights. Instead, it's said they retain at least eighty percent of their ancestors' battle strength, no less formidable than your Young Master's Red Phoenix Battle Formation! Perhaps even surpassing it!"

The brazier crackled merrily. Du Chen suddenly frowned, a troubled expression on his face. "Do you understand what I'm doing now? Mother left The Clues pointing to the Grand Canyon, but what's actually in there? Besides desolate cliffs, there's only Auerbach's Beast Emperor's Mausoleum! This puzzle Mother left is truly difficult, just like the Dragon Clan Triplets' lair from the other day. The Beast Emperor's Mausoleum isn't as easily accessible as Ancestor Sigurd's tomb. My Lotus Sacred Artifact, though small, would still create a disturbance, like a buzzing insect. The chances of finding the Art of Artifact Annihilation in a tomb where there's no other life apart from the Crimson Mausoleum Guards, without alerting them, are infinitesimally small!"

Du Chen paused. "And do you know what Susanna and her people do?" He chuckled, "They're grave robbers, grave robbers with the most formidable techniques and strength in this world! And their target is precisely the Beast Emperor's Mausoleum!"

Deboning's demeanor abruptly shifted. "Do they dare desecrate the tomb of the beastmen's progenitor god!? Do they possess such power?"

"They might not have the power to defeat the Crimson Mausoleum Guards," Du Chen continued, "but Susanna claims to be McAllen's Grand Princess. She naturally understands the difficulty of grave robbing better than us, yet she's still prepared to do it. What does that signify!? As a Grand Princess, she must know some weakness of the Beast Emperor's Mausoleum, or perhaps an opportune moment for a heist!" Du Chen rubbed his nose. "Heh heh, in that case, we'll just hitch a ride with Susanna, and once they help me obtain the Art of Artifact Annihilation, I'll turn around and sell them out, avenging the Daobet people. Isn't that perfect!?"

Deboning also chuckled. "The Grand Princess of the Macallan Empire robbing her own ancestors' tomb, hmph, now that is truly amusing!"

"Susanna's motives are irrelevant to us now," Du Chen's tone suddenly turned chillingly cold. "To achieve her grave-robbing, she deceived the young and strong of the Daobet people, and to leave no trace, she massacred hundreds of elderly, weak, women, and children from the Kuren Mound. From this perspective, whatever her true objective, she has no right to exist!" The scene of dismembered limbs floating in the Kuren River seemed to reappear before his eyes!

As the two chatted idly, Beibei, tired from playing, lay down on the ground mat and fell asleep. Her sleeping posture, sprawled on her back with drool trickling down her plump cheeks, made Du Chen smile faintly. Just then, Deboning suddenly announced, "Young Master, Princess Susanna has arrived!"

"She still doesn't trust me, huh... You go out first. No need to come in unless I'm in danger!" Du Chen rose to greet her, but then he froze in stunned surprise. This...

Susanna had changed her attire. Compared to daytime, she wore more fabric, yet its transparency had increased. Her seductive, graceful figure was clad only in a layer of thin, diaphanous gauze. As her waist swayed, her vital curves were tantalizingly veiled and revealed, making anyone who saw her want to burst a blood vessel! Good heavens!

Behind Susanna followed two fox-tribe maids. Each carried a bamboo basket filled with fine wine and delicacies. Moreover, the seductive allure of these two maids was only marginally inferior to Susanna's; they were both undeniably first-rate enchantresses.

"Thirteenth Master, you arrived so suddenly, I didn't have time to prepare a lavish banquet for you. Here, take these few jars of Macallan Royal Brewed Wine, consider it my apology!"

Without waiting for Du Chen's invitation, Susanna walked straight into the tent. After arranging the feast, the two maids turned and left, carefully securing the tent flap as they departed!

Outside, the guarding Deboning felt a stir of confusion. Susanna's intention clearly wasn't to threaten the Young Master's safety; rather, she seemed to be here to seduce him! This... never mind. Flaying always said such things weren't threats to the Young Master's safety, but rather signs of his blossoming 'peach blossom luck'—a great fortune to have beautiful women throwing themselves into his arms!

Susanna sat cross-legged on the ground mat, meeting Du Chen's gaze. The thin gauze, shifting with her slightly upturned long legs, offered fleeting glimpses of her allure, a lush and verdant sight that made one's head spin with desire. Du Chen quickly scooped up Beibei, staring intently at his adorable daughter, terrified of seeing anything he shouldn't and making a mistake!

But to his surprise, Susanna leaned slightly closer to Du Chen, her breath like orchids. "Thirteenth Master, your eyes, bluer even than the sky, truly captivate Susanna's heart. I wonder, might I have the honor of seeing my own beauty reflected in your gaze?"

"Could you please keep your voice down, Your Royal Highness? My daughter is asleep!" Du Chen deliberately changed the subject, feigning composure!

"The little one is adorable, but Thirteenth Master, I believe you'd be more interested in older women!" Susanna tilted her head slightly, fixing her gaze on Du Chen's eyes. "Tsk tsk, compared to my male concubines, you are far, far stronger!"

*"Male concubines?"* Du Chen cursed inwardly, *"You damned hussy!"* With a faint smile, Du Chen said, "Your Royal Highness, we are merely partners now, aren't we? Beyond our deal, I'm not particularly interested in women who possess countless male concubines!"

"Heh heh! Since Thirteenth Master dislikes my male concubines, how about I have them all killed?"

Du Chen was startled. "Your Royal Highness would be willing to part with them!?"

Susanna stretched her supple waist languidly, chuckling, "What's there to part with? You alone are far stronger than all of them combined!"

*Damn it, if she sees someone handsomer, she'll kill her previous, less attractive male concubines... If I give in to you tonight, and tomorrow you see someone handsomer than me, will you kill me to please your new favorite? Of course, finding a man handsomer than me on the Three Continents would be truly difficult!* Du Chen thought with a wry feeling. *No helping it, who told me I was blessed with such a good body in this life!?*

Susanna opened a jar of wine, poured a serving for Du Chen, and smiled, "Please, this is a hundred-year-old vintage, sealed at the bottom of the Auerbach Grand Canyon. My Imperial Brother and I are the only ones on the Three Continents who can partake of it!"

Seeing Du Chen drain the fine wine in one gulp, Susanna's heart swelled with delight. *Thirteenth Master, rest assured, this wine isn't poisoned. But this vintage, sealed within the battle qi-condensed zone of the Auerbach Grand Canyon, could even intoxicate a Nine-Star Battle God... And I've never met a man who wouldn't lose control after a few drinks!*