Our girls saw Yasenia looking in the direction the seniors left, so they asked. 'What is in your mind, love?'
Yasenia heard Andrea's questions and shook her head. 'Nothing, don't worry.'
Kali jumped and landed on Yasenia's snout, carrying her earthly and fresh natural scent, making Yasenia's nose twitch. "You smell delightful today, honey."
Kali chuckled and commented aloud. "Love, we should depart. Everyone has gathered."
Yasenia nodded and flicked her snout upwards. Kali used the momentum to jump up and softly land on Yasenia's back.
The other four also jumped upward and stood on Yasenia's back.
Yasenia twisted her neck to look at them, and Tatyana took the chance to take out Yasenia's neck protector and give it to her.
Yasenia wore it quickly, and the others didn't notice how Kaleina slid through a hole into the neck protector.
The little girl landed in a dimly illuminated, cushioned room filled with toys and food. The food was behind a few challenges Kaleina had to overcome, pushing Kaleina's creativity and mind further, even if she was a baby, and feeding her development.
Moreover, since this room was connected with Yasenia's reverse scale, her heartbeat could also be softly heard inside—a heartbeat Kaleina recognized.
Everything in this room was perfectly created for Yasenia's daughter, with formations that cushioned any impacts and momentum from the outside.
This unassuming neckpiece was a peak-level heaven-ranked item solid enough to resist impacts and many other things.
The neck protector was golden and not very big, just enough to protect the area of her reverse scale. More like an armor part, it looked like a pendant fitting for her neck. However, thanks to Yasenia's size, it was more than big enough to fit everything described previously.
Elder Mao, the Golden Body Sect's Elder, took the leadership position and spoke. "Let's depart."
Yasenia extended her wings and flapped, moving air and energy with her wings and propelling into the air with the agility a creature her size shouldn't have.
Unlike the last time when she stood on the back, flying comfortably, Yasenia took the lead in the ground and flew ahead.
No one said anything as the majestic creature flapped with empyrean beauty and elegance.
This gesture was Yasenia's first trap. She was making sure to guide the group directly to the ambush location that was on the way.
If she let somebody else guide them, they might deviate from her intended path. Moreover, because she was new to the area, nobody would think that something was off for Yasenia to take the course they took while coming to Torrent City from Koran City.
While flying, most people stayed silent. Our girls just enjoyed the sensation of riding their dragon lover as the clouds moved around them.
Carbira approached her and asked. "Lady Yasenia, do you want to check on how your treasures are doing when we return?"
Yasenia flew leisurely and commented. "I'll leave that to my subordinates. I must do a few things after I return, so I don't have time for it. I trust you, and they can do a good job pricing."
Carbira nodded. "I'll speak to Hanna, then. She is the one leading the interaction between our powers, after all."
Jorey was a little surprised and joined the conversation. "From what I know, you've placed quite a few High-level items. Do you trust the harpies that were with you for less than a month that much?"
Yasenia moved her giant golden eye and looked at Jorey. "I do. Even if they fail to do a proper job, it's not that big of a deal. As I said, the wealth I've placed in the action this time is large, but we are not selling everything at once, so we can correct mistakes as time passes."
Yasenia smiled. "Moreover, rather than living as if everything wants to kill me, I rather take things leisurely and avoid stressing so much. If I failed to evaluate their character, I can only blame myself and will become better for the next time."
Jorey laughed. "That's too inappropriate. How could you take things so easily? What if those mistakes result in an irreversible outcome?"
Yasenia sighed. "Then, that's my destiny."
Our girls almost spat blood. 'Bullshit! I call bullshit on that! Our lover is lying and trying to manipulate all of you again! Yasenia rather slaughters a thousand innocents to find a culprit than let the culprit go!'
As our girls were thinking, Yasenia, deep down, didn't think like that.
She was cunning, cautious, and scheming, wary of all who weren't her lovers or close family like her maids back at home.
Her senses in discerning intentions and emotions were also exceptionally sharp as a dragon, and even then, Yasenia sometimes didn't fully trust a person even if she knew they didn't mean harm.
To put it into perspective, right at that moment, while talking with smiles, laughing with them, and joking together with these people, Yasenia was guiding them toward a lethal ambush where many would die.
A smile with a dagger hidden beneath was very suitable to describe Yasenia's interactions with her competition.
Naturally, all of this was hammered into her by Tatyana's training and reinforced during her days in the trial.
While making small conversation, two-and-a-half hours went by, and nobody suspected anything. Yasenia's way of words was good enough even to make their guards relax and join the conversation about exciting treasures and materials.
Although flying in her dragon body was faster than in her human form, she was not flying alone.
Inside the group of a little less than two hundred people, there were a few with low cultivation levels that wouldn't be able to catch up if Yasenia went faster.
Therefore, the one-hour trip was lengthened to two-and-a-half hours.
Yasenia's sharp golden eyes caught the mountain range in the distance and began circulating her energy.
'Dears, be careful. This is our first real combat on this continent. Although it is something set up by us, the risk of a clan or sect going wild between us and using the chaos to attack us is possible.'
Yasenia's tone lowered and became colder. 'Do not rely on anyone, and only implement the plans we prepared if they are possible. If someone is threatening your life, kill them. If someone is trying to set up a trap for you, kill them. Safety comes first. We'll think of ways of speaking out of the predicament only after all of you are safe, understood?'
'Understood.'
Yasenia's tone softened. 'As planned, Mom, you'll take control of the formation. I trust whatever you do, but please remember that we are juniors.'
Tatyana smirked. 'Fufu~, this will be fun.'
"Lady Yasenia, what do you think of the tournament?" Elder Hao from the Earthly Sword sect asked.
"Hm? Didn't we speak of that when we received the results?"
"No. I'm not talking about how good it was. I'm curious if you will take part in it again next time."
"Honestly, I'm not sure, Elder Hao. Why do you ask?"
Elder Hao smiled. "Well, my disciples have seen how strong your humans are, and they want to battle with them."
Yasenia chuckled. "Well, as I said, I'm not sure. I guess it will depend on how much I can develop and grow in the following years. My main reason for participating this time was to put my name out in the open and to show that our skills were real."
Yasenia sighed. "It's good for publicity but can also gather unwanted attention. For example, catching the eyes of Elder Song's aunt and the others was completely out of my calculations. Thankfully, they were interesting and educated seniors and gracefully accepted my opinions."
Elder Mu commented. "So, you are hesitant because you may gather too much attention?"
Yasenia nodded. "That's right. I may participate again in the future. Yet, unless I become much more influential, participating yearly has no real meaning. Because the competition is fierce, creating enemies is not hard. For example, that bunny clan that tried to harm Evelyn will probably never be truly allied with me."
Elder Song snorted. "Just a low-level second-rate clan. They were blind for acting against your slaves and got the appropriate distribution.'
Yasenia smiled but did not comment. Her mature dragon face's smiling expression gave her a pleasant and approachable feeling without losing on majesty and elegance.
Elder Mao praised. "I see. That's a good mentality. By the way… Hm?"
Elder Song suddenly screamed anxiously. "LADY YASENIA, DODGE!"
*BOOOM!*
An enormous white beam of pure energy zoomed out of the mountain at an unavoidable speed.
With enormous strength, the beam landed right on Yasenia's belly, blasting the giant dragon into another mountain at a tremendous speed.
*Bang!*
Yasenia's body sank into the mountain with a vast dust explosion, creating landslides on the sides of the mountain.
"What happened!?"
"Something hit the dragon!"
"On Distancia's name, who has guts big enough to ambush the nine sects!?"
Elder Mao was calm and began giving orders. "Protect the juniors and leave the area quickly! We should retreat from this place before we are surrounded and trapped here!"
Elder Song, Carbira, and Jorey looked into the crater anxiously, but they knew the priority. Therefore, they were ready to abandon Yasenia.
Yet, before leaving, a mighty and wrathful dragon roar blew the dust cloud away.
"ROAR!"
The resonating and low sound made everyone's heart tremble as the figure of the wrathful dragon appeared from the rubble with a large gash on the stomach, but unhurt either way.
Yasenia released most of her pressure as she flapped and rose into the air again.
Then, with a growling voice that carried a horrifying wave of killing intent, her voice rumbled in the area.
"WHO DARES ATTACK ME!? COME OUT IF YOU HAVE THE GUTS AND SHOW ME WHOSE CLAN I SHALL ANNIHILATE FROM THIS EARTH."
The area around Yasenia was turbulent and wrathful, making everyone freeze momentarily. The dragon's rage was multiplied by her [Empyrean Dragon Authority] and her [Monarch Intent Level One], making her words resonate with the souls of everyone present.
At that moment when Yasenia's presence inundated the area, a massive dome appeared around them that covered the most prominent mountain and trapped everyone inside.
They all snapped out of their daze and frowned. 'Crap, her rage was too impacting and stole our chance of escape.'
Elder Hao frowned and grabbed his sword, entering a sword-drawing stance.
With a movement that seemed slow but was nothing like that, he unsheathed his sword and attacked the formation without holding back.
"[Sword Intent level two], [Earthly Sword Body], [Earth Splitting Slash]."
The sound of Elder Hao's action to unsheathe the sword was like a sharp cry that could cut everything in its path.
The aura around him was so sharp that it created visible cuts in the air itself.
Then, our girls saw for the first time the power of an Ethereal Soul Body Realm Cultivator on the brink of a breakthrough without holding an ounce of strength back.
His monstrous bodily strength, coupled with his [Sword Intent], and added the drawing skill from the Sword Sect, made his action so fast that it created a flash of light.
The air before the man was split, creating a vacuum as the invisible slash rushed with deadly momentum toward the dome.
After a moment of silence, the sonorous explosive sound of the formation's wall and the attack colliding echoed.
*BOOOM!*
Our girls saw a crack in the shape of a line extended for an entire kilometer and a half across the surface of the dome as the shape of the dome bent slightly outward.