The people that emerged were the seniors and everyone over the Spiritual King Body Realm, the equivalent to Mental Nourishing Realm.
Yasenia looked around and saw a senior from the Merchant Group and Acton house carrying an unconscious Jorey and Carbira out of the dirt.
Noticing that those two were mostly fine, Yasenia's interest in seeing who was alive disappeared.
'The seniors managed to protect them quite nicely.'
Yasenia laid her dears on a bed she summoned from her ring and used her nose to poke at them as if she was trying to wake them up.
Sierra was also lying on the side of the bed, but Yasenia's massive size was enough to circle all of them.
The other seniors couldn't miss the giant dragon surrounding a bed and licking the unconscious females lying on the bed.
The image of the mangled dragon protectively curling around the bed, caressing the bloodied people, was heart-wrenching.
Elder Mu sighed and asked. "Lady Yasenia, how are they?"
Yasenia's tender gaze sharpened as she looked at them with a terrifying cold stare.
Everyone flinched as the Celestial creature's anger emanated from every pore of her body. It was clear to them that Yasenia blamed all of this on them.
Elder Mao spoke calmly. "Lady Yasenia, I understand that you feel this is our fault, but…"
"Isn't it?"
Yasenia's cold and ethereal voice cut right to the chase. "If it weren't because who knows what your groups did to those plant creatures, today's ambush wouldn't have happened. I'm curious. What have you done that a creature as powerful as that is willing to blow up its soul to bury all of you?"
Elder Song answered nervously, feeling that the trust they'd built up with Yasenia was collapsing. "Lady Yasenia, you have to believe us. We don't know what this attack is about! Plant-based clans are too scarce in the continent, so we would know if we messed with a group like that."
Yasenia snorted. "Am I not aware of that? I'm asking, why are their numbers so low? Plant-based creatures had the advantage of fertility over common races, so they should proliferate without problems as long as there isn't an active hunt against them!"
The elders got silent because thousands of years ago, an alchemist discovered that plant-based creatures were exceptional to create powerful enhancing pills with permanent effects, so there was a hunt all across the continent.
Naturally, these hunting efforts were led by the Nine sects back then, together with other clans, sects, and powers.
Yasenia sighed. "I won't push for answers anymore, just focus on healing the juniors. Once I'm done healing mine, I'll leave."
Yasenia still felt her heart twitching when she saw her lovers lying on the bed with their eyes closed and bleeding bodies.
Yasenia fed them a pill each, controlling them with her energy to pour one inside each of their mouths.
This pill had healing properties and cured the poison that made their skin so fragile.
Yasenia looked around and saw that all the clans had fewer numbers than at the beginning.
Yasenia asked. "Are ambushes like these usual? If so, next time, I rather go to places alone."
Elder Song and the others chuckled mirthlessly.
"They are not common. I'm as surprised as you are." Answered Elder Mao as he helped his juniors out of the floor and fed them pills.
Elder Huo, the swordsman, said. "Elder Mu, it doesn't look like there will be more attacks after that thing self-exploded. I'll leave to you and your juniors the healing. We can probably rest here for a while."
Elder Mu frowned and looked around. "How many died?"
Jorey woke up by then because she was protected by a few treasures right at the end. "If we've found everyone buried, out of the one hundred and seventy, we lost eight seniors and twenty-one juniors."
Everyone sighed in a heavy mood. "I see."
Yasenia suddenly felt time around her slow down to a crawl as the ashes in the surroundings basically stopped moving.
Mirrory's voice suddenly spread in Yasenia's mind. 'Don't you feel guilty?'
Yasenia's face didn't even change as she answered. 'Why should I?'
Mirrory appeared before Yasenia's dragon head and looked at her coldly. 'You killed twenty-eight people for your selfish desire to get rid of someone who wasn't even that dangerous. He was a bit of a bother, but your intelligence is enough to outsmart and eventually kill him.'
Yasenia lifted her scaly eyebrow. 'Are you testing my heart, Mirrory?'
Mirrory smiled. 'I am. I'm curious. How cold is your heart? How deep does your aloofness about the world outside your bubble go? How tender is your softness for those in your bubble?'
Mirrory flashed and appeared before one of Yasenia's golden reptilian eyes, making the dragoness's pupil shrink to focus on the red-haired, green-eyed woman before her eye. 'You are fascinating, Yasenia; so contradictory and beautifully out of the rule. You are a creature that goes against all predetermined rules. Many of your actions I can't predict, which makes me curious.'
Yasenia asked calmly. 'Curious? About what?'
Mirrory's hand landed on Yasenia's scaly face. 'Even with a blessed birth, you are hardworking and never allow your ego to dictate your life. You don't hesitate to correct yourself when you feel like you are straying further away from your path when that new path may be better.'
'Even when you have dragon bloodline, you can control your instincts to an absurd level. I know how much your heart burns and searches for strength. I can see how deep your desire to conquest is. Your bloodline, progenitor status, ancestry, everything should push you to become a conqueror.'
'However, you don't. Even now, with your new clan, you just created it as a shield for your lovers, not conquest.'
'Then, even with a blessed love life, you are not arrogant and are one of the best lovers I've seen. Your care for the girls makes even me think about how it would be to be under your care. Your libido, personality, beauty, bloodline, and sexual prowess make it more than possible to create a larger harem. If you wanted, increasing that number would not be difficult by sacrificing a few of your current harem members.'
'Even with strength and potential that could leave these girls behind at any moment, you insist on burdening yourself and carrying everyone to higher places together. Yet, as long as you focus on yourself, even Angel, a Saint inheritor, would have trouble keeping up with your cultivation speed.'
'Why burden yourself so much? Why shackle yourself so much? Why do you devote yourself to them so much? In my eyes, I see a majestic Celestial Dragon being shackled by countless chains and still smiling blissfully while the dragon could fly through the firmament freely and unmatched.'
Yasenia looked at Mirrory's curious green eyes. She knew this ancient artifact had seen worlds born and perish.
This thing that now took the shape of a mature and tall Angel was nothing but an item created eons ago.
However, even when these seniors have lived so long that it would make it challenging for a mortal to imagine, there seemed to be a shared trait among these archaic seniors.
They all felt like children wanting to see the world.
Her Mother was like a child that has never known love and desperately searched for it, no matter the cost, and regarding everything else as unimportant.
Valeria was like an isolated person that was never taught what living truly is when she is the Spirit Queen related to life. Valeria's experiences, thoughts, and everything else feel like a woman that doesn't know why children are born.
The ancient mirror tried to understand everything around her as if nobody had taught her that not knowing every answer was acceptable. This all-powerful item searches for things that normal children should understand.
Yet, even when these traits existed in them, all these seniors had so much knowledge, experience, and intelligence inside of them that Yasenia herself was like a firefly before the Sun.
It felt like after so many years alive, their heart was only kept alive if they could get new stimulation and experiences.
It seemed that as time went by, a person's essence would purify until a central personality trait remained.
'Is this why someone like Valeria, who should be at the top of the Universe, decided to become a summoned spirit?'
'Is this why an item like Mirrory, who should be more than able to live independently, searches for a master?'
'Is this why Mom, who should be able to live a fulfilling life without love, searches for it so relentlessly?'
'What happens to our minds when we live for so long that seeing the beginning of civilizations and their destruction feels like a week?'
Yasenia wanted to understand so that even if she fell into the merciless whirlpool of time, she would at least erode a little slower.
Yasenia thought about how to answer Mirrory on why she did these things.
Why she was, well, herself.
Yasenia looked at Mirrory and spoke. 'Mirrory. There is only one answer to all those questions.'
Mirrory's eyes looked intently into the golden reptilian eyes.
'That's just myself.'
Mirrory blinked twice. 'Huh?'
Yasenia smiled. 'I am myself, Mirrory. I like being the way I'm. I like taking care of them. I detest being controlled by instincts. However, I won't push them away and use my instincts to guide me further.'
Mirrory got thoughtful. She didn't feel like such a simple answer was unworthy. It gave her a lot to think through.
Yasenia sighed. 'Mirrory. Some questions do not have answers. At least, I believe so. Therefore, I don't think about why I do things, but whether something I do would benefit me and my dears at all levels possible. I won't sacrifice them for a bigger benefit because they are them. Even if you created a perfect copy of Angel and placed her before me, I would reject her.'
Mirrory nodded. 'Interesting. My previous owners were all accomplished cultivators, so I never got to speak with a young cultivator. When I asked these questions, they all answered with theories of the way of the heavens, fate, and destiny. They all either that things were predestines, or that they were the ones who would break through the cycle and become the strongest….'
Mirrory looked at Yasenia. 'But I'm here, which means they all perished.'
Mirrory smiled. 'Yet, strangely. When death came to take their lives, under the resentment, happiness, or any other feeling they felt, there was always a hint of… relief.'
Yasenia nodded. 'I see.'
Mirrory disappeared, leaving behind a single sentence. 'It looks like not killing you back then was the correct choice.'
Yasenia sighed. 'I truly was reckless.'
Mirrory's laughter echoed in her head as the world around her began flowing again.'
Tatyana's voice entered her mind. 'What did that mirror do, little treasure?'
'Do not worry, Mom. We just had a conversation.'
'Oh? You won't share it with me?'
Yasenia laughed. 'There is no point. She asked me why I was like I was, and I just answered that I just act like myself.'
Tatyana was confused. 'What kind of half-assed question and answer is that?'
Yasenia smiled. 'Right? That's why it isn't important.'
Tatyana sighed. 'Well, whatever. By the way, Fu Yu is still alive over there.'
Yasenia's eyes looked around and spotted Fu Yu. Something had hit his head, and his head was smeared with blood, but nothing more.
The wolf's ears and tail were also heavily mangled.
He was awake and screaming in pain quite loudly.
The seniors around him gave him healing pills and regenerative pills of the highest quality.
Kali heard Yasenia's words and laughed. 'They are feeding him healing pills? He is done.'
Angel asked. 'Why so?'
Yasenia' explained. 'If I remember correctly, healing pills are quite a good way to increase the parasites inside a victim as they also feed on the healing powers of the pills.'
Evelyn chuckled maliciously. 'Let's hope it gets out of control and a few escape his body to move around the Fu clan and land of the City Lord.'
The girls began "waking up" and standing up slowly.
Sierra disappeared in a flash of light and reentered Evelyn's body.
A few asked, but Yasenia didn't answer. Who would speak about a secret ability that easily?
Angel looked around and frowned. This scene made her remember the fight between the Phoenix and demons, even if this one was on a much smaller scale.
Yasenia was too huge to cuddle with her, so she approached her head and asked softly. "Scared?"
Angel shook her head and hugged Yasenia's dragon head.
Yasenia slowly placed them one by one on her back with her mouth.
Our dragoness had little interest in their conversation, so she just listened and didn't answer anything.
Jorey said after a while. "Most of us can move. Let's get going. Lady Yasenia, how are your humans?"
"They are out of risk but might need a few weeks or months of rest after we return."
Jorey heard Yasenia's disinterested tone and understood that she might be angry for being involved in this.
"Lady Yasenia, this is something we can't control."
Yasenia turned her head, looking at her with cold and indifferent golden eyes. "I know. However, my dears almost lost their lives. Tatyana has yet to wake up. Not to mention, many juniors had just died."
Elder Huo, the swordsman, said. "We'll find the culprits and punish them, Lady Yasenia."
Yasenia turned her head toward where the mountain previously stood and commented. "You tell me how you can get anything out of that."
Everyone looks became constipated after hearing Yasenia and seeing the razed mountain range.
The dust had mostly settled, and they could see a giant crater in the place where the mountain previously stood.
Everything there had evaporated.
Without further ado, Yasenia stretched her wings and spoke.
"I'll be returning first. I don't know if there is a second wave or not, but I don't want to be involved in a fight against the top powers. If you want our help, we'll sell you anything you want at a fair price. However, I don't want to get involved physically."
Nobody protested.
Yasenia threw a few bottles of healing medicine toward Elder Mu, who caught them and spoke. "That's on me. Peak-rank Earth-rank medicine. There should be enough to give each of you one pill."
Then, after simultaneously flapping her wings and jumping, Yasenia took off and flew away.
********************************
Evelyn: Wow, what a philosophical discussion.
Tatyana: Right… What an interesting exchange. Whether they are right or not, it is an exciting conversation to have.
Yasenia: Will we appear here daily or something?
Author: Don't worry, only when questions are pending.
Andrea: Oh? Which one is today's question?
Kali: You've accustomed yourself quite quickly, Andrea.
Andrea: I mean, since we are here, what's the point of worrying?
The girls: Fair point.
Mirrory: Hmm… It is interesting to see how humans dislike those that are different from them.
Tatyana: Hahaha, are you still butthurt for not having a single vote in the popularity contest?
Mirrory: …
Author: Don't worry, Mirrory. You are an essential character, so eventually, someone should like you!
Mirrory: … I'm leaving.
Angel: Huh? She can leave!?
Author: Anyway, let's move on with today's question!
Evelyn: Oy!
Author: Yasenia, this question is for you~.
Yasenia: Me? How could it be for me when my super ultra beautiful mommy exists?
Tatyana: Little treasure, I love you.
Dante: Welp, here I'm!
Cecile: And who is this?
Author: The subscriptior asking the question! They didn't ask to be anonymous, so I've summoned them here! Go for it~.
Dante: Sure, so Yasenia, do you regret going through the trial?
Yasenia: Regret? Why would I feel regret? The trial was a crucial phase for me. It gave me experience, strength, and many more things.
Angel: But it was really hard! I always feel sorry for you when I remember it.
Yasenia: Oh, baby. Don't be. I'm very happy I could go through it since it helped me with many powerful and essential breakthroughs later down the line.
Yasenia: Even if I were there with today's memories, I would take that step forward without a doubt.
Author: And that's that.
Dante: Interesting.
Author: And this is for today's [Celestial Theater]. Have a nice day~.
The girls: Bye-bye~.