Homage to the Princess

Du Chen shrugged, "The mechanism lock was perfectly fine!"

Deboning gave a wry smile, "It seems the Grand Chasm won't yield any clues for us!"

Du Chen, however, smiled mysteriously, "No clues, *that* is the greatest clue!" Deboning, confused, quickly pressed for an explanation. Du Chen chuckled, "Put yourself in their shoes. If you wanted to steal Orbach's corpse, how would you do it without leaving even a trace?"

Deboning pondered, then replied, "Impossible. Unless I could open the sacred artifact's internal mechanism lock within the coffin through normal means, I couldn't possibly leave no trace!"

"Then think about it from the opposite angle..."

A sharp glint flashed in Deboning's slender eyes. "Young Master, are you saying the thief opened the coffin using a legitimate method? The Saint Baton Clan couldn't have done that, so it must be..."

Du Chen clenched his fist and gestured. "Precisely! Only by employing the Art of Artifact Annihilation could one leave absolutely no traces!"

Orbach's corpse was stolen using the Art of Artifact Annihilation... This was indeed an extremely useful clue!

In truth, Du Chen had also considered another possibility: that Orbach himself had escaped from the coffin. However, the Crimson Mausoleum Guards had confirmed that Orbach's corpse was still present 120 years ago, albeit severely damaged, reduced to little more than a pile of shredded flesh. This invalidated Du Chen's second hypothesis!

Returning to his tent, Du Chen plucked Snoopy by the ear. "Rabbit, compile a list of everyone who learned the Art of Artifact Annihilation back then!"

"Hey, you think I'll just do whatever you tell me? I'm a rabbit, but I'm not afraid of you!" Snoopy protested indignantly.

Alex shot him a cold glance. The little rabbit dutifully picked up a quill and began to write.

Du Chen and Deboning watched from the side. The tent was quiet, but just then, a faint red-black shadow subtly appeared on the canvas behind them...

Du Chen remained oblivious, but the shadow suddenly surged, a flash of blade light striking towards Du Chen's back!

At this very moment.

Under the cloak of a deep, dark night, the rippling lake shimmered enchanting under the moonlight, its surface a dance of glittering reflections. Along its shore, a row of milky-white cottages stood shrouded in mysterious tranquility, not a sound disturbing the air save for the faint, flickering glow of candles.

The lake water slowly swirled, coalescing into a vortex. From its depths, a maiden in a white gown with long black hair emerged. A phantom beauty of the lake, her allure mirrored the moon, her exquisite face breathtaking. She sighed inexplicably, murmuring, "Master, Xue Ji has returned!"

"Ninth Young Miss has returned! Gods above, my Divine, look, Young Miss is still alive!"

A commotion instantly erupted from the lakeside cottages. Hundreds of Water's Embrace Divine Servants soared out, descending like a host of celestial maidens around Xue Ji.

But just then, a faint voice resonated, "It's good that you're back. Come to your Master and explain what happened to you!"

Xue Ji stepped across the lake's surface to the foot of a small, flower-scented hill beside it. Kneeling on one knee, she slowly recounted, "That day, Xue Ji was gravely injured by attackers, but was saved by a mysterious individual. I then followed him into the City of Penance, the land where the Fiendkind banish their criminals..."

She meticulously recounted every detail without omission, yet she deliberately refrained from mentioning the name Alex.

Finally, Xue Ji paused for a long time, then added, "That Benefactor consistently refused to reveal his name. All Xue Ji saw was that he was an old man with a very aged appearance!"

*Master, I apologize. This is the first time in my life Xue Ji has lied to you... But Xue Ji truly cannot bear to witness her beloved dying tragically by your hand!*

A moment of silence descended upon the small hill, then a voice inquired, "What is that around your neck?"

Following Margaret's voice, a towering figure descended from the hill. Standing well over two meters tall, it was a woman in her thirties, her appearance ordinary yet grim. She was dressed in an un-married maiden's robe, but bore a colossal silver-white greatsword on her back, almost as tall as herself. She extended a hand towards Xue Ji.

Xue Ji paused, slightly startled. "Master, this is a gift from that Benefactor, he said it could protect me!" She did not remove the necklace.

The tall woman frowned, "Xue Ji, my Divine demands to see this necklace!"

Xue Ji hesitated for a moment, then slowly, reluctantly raised her hand.

Just then, Margaret's voice resounded again, "Sword Slave, let it go! If it's meant to protect Xue Ji, then I shall not inspect it! However, Xue Ji, this Master does not wish for the 'filthy scent' of men to appear in Water's Embrace Lake!"

Xue Ji inexplicably felt a wave of relief. She removed the necklace, tucked it into her bosom, and looked up to ask, "Master, Xue Ji has disgraced her mission, please punish me!"

"Enough! Your defeat at the hands of those individuals was not a fault of battle strategy. Ten days ago, the Sword Slave already encountered them; they are indeed formidable. This Master must personally intervene!"

Xue Ji urgently said, "Master, Xue Ji wishes to accompany you to slay the enemy!"

"No need!" Margaret's voice suddenly turned chilling. "Ten days ago, the Sword Slave desperately broke through their encirclement and made a trip to the mortal realm, bringing back news that has enraged this Master! However, this Master will personally lead the Water's Embrace Puppet Legion to battle those black-robed figures and will have no time for other matters. You shall carry out a task for me instead!"

"Please speak, Master!"

"In the mortal realm, a young figure has emerged in recent years, renowned across the Three Continents, named Francis. He is the descendant of Wolf and Aro, and his appearance is nearly identical to Wolf's..."

As she spoke, a flash of sword light from the mountain and three items landed before Xue Ji: a small bottle, a birdcage containing a small golden bird, and a slender silver longsword.

Seeing these three items, Xue Ji was greatly astonished.

"The Water's Embrace Ambrosia is for your healing, the Dragonfinch is for your protection, and this Water's Embrace Sword has followed me for many years; it is time for it to be passed to you... Take it, and bring me the head of Francis!"

Xue Ji drew the longsword from the ground, pushed up her sleeve, and lightly wiped away the dew. The blade vibrated faintly, then transformed into strands of silvery-white threads, wrapping around Xue Ji's jade-like right arm.

Margaret continued, "The Flat-Top's Helm and the Cleric's Robe—these were the garbs of the Requiem Death Knights secretly established by Divine Emperor Prince in ancient times, dedicated to assassinating Fiendkind generals with a resolve to die. To my knowledge, they have long since perished, but their reappearance in the mortal realm now indicates a formidable foe, Xue Ji. I hope you do not give this Master any cause for concern!"

Xue Ji's expression hardened. The threads on her wrist suddenly sharpened, slicing into her skin, and crimson blood flowed along the threads. "Xue Ji swears a blood oath to undoubtedly sever Francis's head for Master!"

*Sigh, as long as it's not Alex, then it's fine. That Francis... I'm sorry!*

In Du Chen's travel tent at the Grand Chasm campsite.

The flash of blade light had already reached Du Chen. Deboning had just perceived it when the Blade of Vanishing Moon's Deadwater instantly moved to block, but the blade light mysteriously curved, arriving behind Du Chen's head.

With a 'ding' sound, the Water Veil Shield appeared from nowhere, blocking the blade light! But Du Chen was jolted, staggering a large step forward before he could steady himself.

This was followed by Steve's hearty laugh, "Third Brother, your Eldest Brother has advanced to the Divine Realm!"

Deboning was startled. No wonder Steve was so formidable, easily bypassing his protection. But... a sharp glint flickered in his slender eyes. He, too, needed to work harder!

Du Chen, however, showed little joy on his face, asking indifferently, "That person went home?"

Steve appeared and clapped his shoulder, "What do you mean 'that person'? That's my sister-in-law, and she herself acknowledged it!"

Du Chen smiled, deliberately avoiding the name that pained his heart. "Now that all my Arcane Artifacts are present, what do you think?"

"If you go all out, you'd surpass the peak of Tenth-rank, but fall short of an Eleventh-Tier True God! If you only use battle qi... then you'd be an Eight-Star Battle God at peak!"

"So, no one below Tenth-rank can defeat me?"

Du Chen extended his Divine Sense to inspect his lotus tattoo. Currently, the Huhuhu Beast and the Fiendkind had yet to settle their conflict, and the good deeds of finding food for the Huhuhu Beast and dealing with the Fiendkind were not yet credited to him. Solely based on rescuing the Brockman family and helping them return to the mortal realm, along with various other small good deeds, his lotus had blossomed to the first flower of the Fifth Trigram.

This Fifth Trigram consisted of four lotus flowers, and only a great deed involving the lives of a hundred thousand living beings could cause one flower to bloom! Yet Du Chen was confident he could make them all bloom in a short time!

Steve nudged the somewhat despondent Deboning. "You should work harder too. A bodyguard whose strength isn't as great as his master's, hehe, where will you put your face then?"

Deboning was already feeling uncomfortable, and being taunted by Steve like that made him even more frustrated. But then, with a change of thought, Deboning pointed to his own head and coldly stated, "No matter how strong a person is, if there's a 'knot' here," — he gestured at his head again — "it won't work!" He retorted, getting a jab back at Steve.

Steve burst into laughter. "Excellent! I never thought a fellow who only knows how to dissect corpses and dig bones would finally 'open his mind'... Now I can leave with peace of mind!"

Du Chen, who had been enjoying their banter, was startled upon hearing this. "Eldest Brother, where are you going? I was just about to go to Lanning to restore your reputation, to let you..."

Steve waved a dismissive hand, cutting him off. He picked up a bottle of red wine from the table, drinking as he strode nonchalantly out of the tent. "I'm never worried about you and me. The Kaine family has Charles to inherit, so there's nothing to worry about there. I... I'm off to pay my debts to Flaying!"

Du Chen's raised hand slowly fell. He laughed loudly, "A smooth journey!"

"Thanks! Francis, promise me one thing!" Steve strode away, his wild, uninhibited figure, drinking and singing, gradually disappearing into the distance. "Even if Arges is wrong, he is still our birth father, and he is also the guarantee that you will have the face to meet Phil in the future! Promise me, no matter when or where, do not kill him!"

Du Chen shrugged, noncommittal!

Deboning asked curiously, "Young Master, what is Flaying going to do? You need manpower right now to investigate the remains of the gods!"

Du Chen, however, sighed blandly, "He's going to do what I've always wanted to do, but couldn't!"

Deboning was puzzled until Du Chen slowly uttered a name, and then he understood with a sigh.

"Sherine..."

Of all those who had left Du Chen Three Letters on Battle God Isle in the past, only Sherine remained unaccounted for. Why had she left Battle God Isle, and where had she gone? It remained a mystery to this day. His student, however, was easy to find.

Du Chen flew back to his territory in the Wyvern Carriage. Dud and Aliza were still en route, slowly escorting the thirty thousand captives, but Porter had been summoned back by a decree from Du Chen.

Coincidentally, Du Chen, in his Wyvern Carriage, met Porter, who was riding a Papal Curia flying beast, at the border of his territory. The two immediately landed, reuniting by the Newin River, and returned to the territory together.

It had been a while; Porter had lost a little weight. His young aide and student, Cassian, however, had grown much taller and sturdier, and matured considerably. The boy was now fourteen, almost reaching the Battle God World's age of majority at fifteen. Moreover, having studied State Affairs under Porter for over a year, he had achieved some minor success and, at the very least, wouldn't become a tyrant in the future.

As one of the few who knew Du Chen's true colors, Cassian still found Du Chen displeasing to the eye. He gave a cold greeting and then followed behind Porter.

Porter, chewing on a sour plum, stepped forward and vigorously thumped Du Chen's chest. "Hey, what's so urgent you had to summon your brother here as if chasing his life?" *He thought to himself, 'This Francis fellow dealt with the Sea King, ha, haha, he's truly growing on this Princess the more I look at him! I really want to pick him up and give him a big kiss, just like I kiss my secret mini-rabbit plushie!'*

Du Chen's chest throbbed faintly from the thump. Annoyed, he also thumped Porter. "I dealt with the Sea King a few days ago, you know that, right? But while I was at it, I also rescued someone... named Fak, though it's likely a pseudonym!"

Porter's smile abruptly froze on his face. He let out a few dry laughs. "Oh dear, I'm never eating sour plums again, they're choking me! Who did you rescue?"

Du Chen, walking ahead, didn't notice Porter's strange expression. Instead, he pulled him close, hooking an arm around his shoulder as always, like hooligan brothers strolling down a street, heading towards Hidden Boa Mountain. He lowered his voice, "Both our entourages are too large. It's not convenient to talk here. I've arranged for that person to be in the underground base. You can see him yourself later!"

As he spoke, Du Chen instructed his retinue to return to the city on their own, while he led Porter, along with Deboning and the two children—his four absolute confidantes—towards the secret entrance in the wilderness. Meanwhile, Andy, craving food, carried Snoopy into the city to gorge himself.

"That person is extremely peculiar. Beibei said she's clearly a man, but her figure is like a woman's, with breasts so large... Dammit! If I hadn't thought he might have some connection to you, I would have already had Deboning dissect him..." Du Chen explained the process of rescuing Fak.

Porter smiled on the outside, but his mind raced with calculations: constantly shifting genders... Could it be the Blade? *Gods above! Could it be that one of my people has escaped? Wait, Beibei has the ability to discern Fak's gender? Then wouldn't she be able to discern mine too?*

Porter's expression drastically changed. He only cried out, "These sour plums are killing me, I need to throw up!" and then intentionally lagged behind, scooping up the two little ones.

Beibei gave a sweet, syrupy smile and whispered into Porter's ear, "Big sister, Beibei wants to call you Mama! Little brother does too!"

Alex, in Porter's arms, nodded coolly.

Porter's face instantly flushed crimson. He nervously glanced at Du Chen, who was muttering and hurrying ahead. But the little one then added, "Don't worry, Beibei is telling you with Spiritual Power, Daddy can't hear!"

Porter glared fiercely at the little one, lowering his voice to a whisper, even employing Sherine's secret String Music Secret Technique. "Cheeky Wench, what are you trying to do?"

For a long time, Porter and the two children had been as close as family. Playful threats like this held no fear for Beibei. She giggled, "Beibei just wants to ask, does Big Sister want to be Beibei and Anya's Mama?"

Porter froze for a long moment. Just then, the group arrived at the secret entrance of the base. Du Chen and Deboning went in first. Porter and the two children followed behind. With a grand, defiant pout, he declared, "Hmph! Your old man can't escape my grasp; he's mine now!"

Beibei giggled happily, "Hehe, Beibei supports you... Mama!" Du Chen still knew nothing, but on this side, the little one had already changed her address!

Alex, coolly crossing his arms, remarked, "The Master finally has a Mama!"

Porter entered the underground tunnel, continuing to use the String Music Secret Technique to ask, "You two little ones haven't told Francis about my matter yet, have you? Speak, what do I need to use to seal your mouths?"

Beibei shook her head, "Beibei doesn't understand why Mama doesn't tell Daddy?"

Porter gave a bitter smile but said nothing. When a person carries the weight of hundreds of thousands of lives, what could she dare to say?

Beibei sensed Porter's Spiritual Power Disturbance and quickly changed her tune. "Oh, Beibei is very good, Beibei won't ask anymore, but later..."

The two rascals, who would cause Du Chen endless headaches in the future, began whispering secretly.

Only Alex, rubbing his nose, pondered like a miniature adult: *Why didn't Big Sister mention Mama Xue Ji? She's the wife Daddy truly acknowledges in his heart. Should Anya bring it up? Forget it, Big Sister will beat me to death... Alas, The Master. Always troubled by women!*

The group arrived in a spacious underground chamber. Old Bibby, the leader of the Daobet, came to greet them. "Lord, the Brockman family is settled on the deepest level, and that Fak is staying with me. Please follow me!"

Du Chen nodded slightly, then turned and called Porter to join him at Old Bibby's cavern. With a 'creak,' the door swung open.

Fak was lying on the bed recuperating. He looked up, saw Porter enter, and was immediately dumbfounded. "Praise the Goddess! Oh, heavens, Your... Your..."

Disregarding his injuries, he scrambled out of bed in a panic, and with a 'thud,' he fell to his knees. "This old servant, Lancy, pays homage to the Pri..."