"One more step, and you die."
Her tone was light, but everybody targeted by Tatyana felt like someone was grabbing their head and forcing them to lower it.
The weight of her voice was enhanced by a relatively "weak" level four [Empress Intent], which was enough to make everyone take a step back. Unlike Yasenia's [Monarch Intent], [Empress Intent] focused on the "suppression" aspect of being a ruler. People might go against a monarch, but an Emperor is an absolute ruler.
With that kind of intent unfolding, the three people who tried to step toward Yasenia and were the closest were frozen in place, making people look at them admirably.
Yet, our girls looked at those three indifferently.
When Tatyana's momentum hit them, their pupils dilated, and their hearts stopped. It didn't take more than three seconds before they fell backward, stiff and dead.
Unlike most cultivators that were on either Ethereal Soul or Epoch Core, these three were grunts from the powers, and the strongest was a low-level Ethereal Soul.
Tatyana had not spared the ones closest to make an example and hit them with the entire weight of her soul, resulting in heart failure out of dread.
She literally scared a cultivator to death.
With everyone looking at them with severe expressions, Tatyana returned to normal and kissed Yasenia's lips. "Don't worry, little treasure. Nobody will bother you anymore."
Yasenia wagged her tail and acted spoiled. "Mommy is the best~."
The other girls held their noses to stop the bleeding because of the sudden cuteness attack.
Sarah's face, however, twisted slightly. 'Why did they kiss? Aren't they family?'
[Host. I can feel Yasenia's Yang energy in that woman's uterus.]
Sarah's brows came together, and the expression was so great that our girls picked it up. Yasenia looked at Sarah's eyes and quickly saw through.
That gaze of bewilderment filled with slight disgust made Yasenia's pupils thin in anger. 'Oh… If she dares…'
Naturally, the dragoness didn't separate and was unabashed. She hugged Tatyana tightly and asked, her tone calm. "Why are you looking at me like that, Sarah?"
But for those who listened closely, her calm voice had a very, very dangerous undertone. Of all of Yasenia's bottom lines, this one was very dangerous, even to get close to stepping on it.
Sarah coughed, feeling a strange atmosphere. However, she couldn't help but ask out of curiosity. "Um, is she your real mother-."
Yasenia interrupted. "She is. And we are in a loving relationship. Do you have any problems with that?"
Sarah frowned. 'That's too immoral... Should I say something?'
Lana, the dragon woman, suddenly grabbed Sarah's hand, and Sarah felt the cold sweat on her palm. The transmigrator was pulled behind the brown dragon woman, and Lana spoke stutteringly. "N-Nothing wrong, Sect Master. Sarah was just surprised. Even a blind person would be able to feel how pure and sweet your relationship is."
Sarah didn't speak because she felt Lana squeezing her hand terribly firmly. If she was not careful, she feared that her bones would be crushed under pressure.
A voice from the leading people reached her. "Yasenia, isn't that too much? Three people had died."
Yasenia squinted for a second but then stopped paying attention to Sarah and returned to her conversation with the others.
Evelyn looked at Sarah and spoke before looking away. "You are lucky you have someone with sharp senses in your group."
Yasenia sneered and waved her hand to steal the three spatial rings. "If they thought with the head above their shoulders instead, they might have been alive now. I haven't stepped forward to be insulted, tested, and degraded. I'm speaking now so that you give me information about this area."
Grace, the woman from the Forest Sky Empire, spoke coldly. "And why should we?"
Yasenia looked at her and spoke. "Do I need to explain everything? I want information. Isn't it natural to pay for that information? Or is the information so valuable that no treasures can buy it?"
Qiao Mei Lan, the mermaid, stated. "It's not impossible. But a person needs minimal qualifications to trade with us."
Yasenia looked at her tiredly, pointing at the three warm corpses. "Is your memory short-term? Was our previous display not enough? A simple aura burst can kill a low-level Ethereal Soul cultivator. Can you do that?"
Qiao Mei Lan, who was trying to act mighty, felt fleeting embarrassment.
Yu Lei, the Jade Thunderbird elder, spoke. "Yasenia, strength is not-."
Yasenia cut her off. "Okay, stop wasting my time acting this high and mighty. Will you share or not share? If not, I'll move by myself and try to find anything. Moreover, are you all so scared of each other that nobody dares to step forward without the consent of another person? So much for the top powers."
Yasenia's gaze also fell on the ore lobster and harpy groups, but they looked away, making Yasenia's lips arch in a cold smile. 'Since you've chosen that, don't expect mercy from me if there are battles.'
Yu Lei said. "Don't be so hasty. I wanted to see what kind of key you received."
Yasenia looked at her. "With what level would you be satisfied? No, what levels are there?"
Yu Lei explained. "There are four levels of keys: Bronze, Crystal, Silver, and Gold. So, which one do you have?"
Yasenia pondered. "Does the effect of the key apply to everyone that it transported the people inside here, or is it only effective for the one holding it?"
Yu Lei. "First, say the level of your key."
Yasenia looked at the other clans. "Anybody else willing to continue speaking where she has left it?"
Yu Lei's body flashed with green lighting. "Yasenia, don't be too arrogant!"
With a calm gaze, she answered. "Crystal. Now, continue speaking."
Yu Lei snorted. "Show it."
The dragoness didn't comply. "Thomas seems to have the same level as me, right? Are you willing to speak, fourth prince? I can compensate you generously."
Thomas didn't speak.
Seeing that they seemed to band together to hold information, the dragoness sighed. "A low-level Heaven Treasure of your choice to the power that gives me the most information, and also real information."
A beautiful woman with black hair and a dangerous atmosphere around her spoke. "Oh? Any kind?"
Yasenia looked at the clothes and identified them. 'Nine Grudge Poison Sect.'
"Yes. Of any kind."
The woman called Mei Xinyan smiled. "Do you have [River Arm Cruel Orchids]?"
Yasenia looked at Kali, and Kali nodded. So, she turned and spoke. "Yes."
The smile on Mei Xinyan's face faltered, and she asked, incredulous. "You are lying."
With another look at Kali, the fox woman waved her hand and summoned a red orchid with blue mist floating around it.
Mei Xinyan shouted, scared. "What are you doing!? The fumes… huh?"
Kali looked at her and smiled under her veil, bringing the orchid to her nose to sniff it. "A poison this weak can't do anything to me."
Mei Xinyan's initial leisure expression hardened. "You, are you crazy?"
Kali laughed. "Believe it or not, this orchid has a very nice scent."
Angel blinked. "Really?"
Kali nodded and summoned a white pill. "Eat this."
Angel ate it without a shred of doubt and approached to sniff it. "Oh, wow! It's so refreshing~."
The people from the Nine Grudge Poison Sect had their mouths open. 'That flower can kill Ethereal Soul beasts in less than an hour! What are you doing sniffing it!?'
Mei Xinyan cursed. "Crazy woman."
After confirming that it was the thing she wanted, the dragoness asked. "So? Will you share the information? That flower is yours if you tell us."
Yu Lei spoke. "Xinyan, you mustn't."
The elegant black-haired woman shook her head and approached Yasenia. "Yu Lei. I'm not your subordinate."
Yu Lei frowned and glared at her, but she didn't say anything else.
The dragoness squinted while seeing the poison master approach. "You can speak through mind transmission. There is no need to approach."
Mei Xinyan blinked and smiled. "Why, scared?"
Yasenia nodded. "If you do something funny, you will die. It will be tiresome having to kill all those disciples and colleagues behind you if they seek revenge."
"You are underestimating me too much, it seems." She had her eyes squinted dangerously, the furry ears flickering with a warning.
Yasenia shook her head. "Do as you please. But don't do anything silly."
With Valeria present, her fear of poisons was inexistent.
Xinyan arrived before Yasenia, and the dragoness didn't even change expressions, making the black-haired woman interested. "Aren't you too relaxed in front of a poison master?"
Yasenia smiled. "You are also too undisturbed in front of someone who can instantly kill you."
Mei Xinyan's lips twitched, but she didn't back down. "Anyway, these are the things I know."
"Wait."
Confused, she asked. "What now?"
The dragoness said. "Swear a heavenly oath that you will tell full truths without the intention of deceiving or confusing me."
Mei Xinyan's lips arched in a sneer. "Do you really think I need that plant so much?"
With a nod, the dragoness stopped looking at her. "Any other power that wants to make the deal?"
The dragoness was not hasty. If there were a treasure that could be taken by acting quickly, these powers wouldn't have stopped to start discussing with each other.
Mei Xinyan spoke. "Wait. I'll do it."
The dragoness nodded, undisturbed, making Mei Xinyan and the others uncomfortable. After all, even if the conversation had been casual, it felt like Yasenia had manipulated it in such a way that she would end up getting what she wanted no matter what they did.
Mei Xinyan did the oath and then spoke to Yasenia in a voice only the two of them could hear. "This is the [Library of Trials]. It is a place left behind by either Hero Distancia or one of his close aides back them. There are no registers of Lord Distancia's voice, so it can't be confirmed."
Yasenia nodded, and the woman continued. "The keys are helpful later down the trial, and as you expected, they affect the entire group."
The dragoness pondered. "What holds you back from joining to obtain a Golden Key and then share it with everyone?"
Mei Xinyan said. "Reports say that each key can only transport up to fifty people. The reason it can transport many might have been so that there were no fights between those who gained it. Of course, people with lower-level keys might attack those with higher-level keys, but if stolen, it will only affect one person, and all others who were affected will also lose their privileges. That's why, if you want to steal a key, you need to fight the entire group."
Yasenia nodded again. "How many orchids do you need?"
Mei Xinyan blinked and smiled, looking at Yasenia with interest. "Oh? Did you take a fancy of me and want to give me extra~?"
Yasenia chuckled. "Not at all. However, I want all the information you have, so I'm willing to trade with you a little more."
Mei Xinyan sighed and blinked coquettishly. "Such a shame. Honestly, Yasenia, you are very beautiful. I'm tempted to join your harem."
Yasenia shook her head. "I'm not accepting any more people, sorry. Are you willing to trade?"
With a nod, Mei Xinyan spoke. "If you give me three orchids, one [Lion Thorn Poppy Flower], and two [Yin Lost Freezing Poison Lotuses], I will give you all the information."
Yasenia called Kali again and asked about it. Kali looked over her plants and nodded. "I have enough."
Yasenia asked. "Do we lose all of them?"
Kali shook her head with a smile. "Don't worry, love. We have seven of each of those poisonous plants."
"Good."
Mei Xinyan was stunned. "Seven of each? Isn't your spiritual herb garden a little too impressive?"
Kali laughed gently. "Is it? I'm quite curious about your sect's techniques. So, if you want to discuss in the future, feel free to come to our sect." She swished her three tails playfully and smirked. "If I'm in a good mood, I might give you better plants."
Mei Xinyan laughed. "Speaking with you is much more pleasant than I expected. Usually, all people from non-medical sects appear as if breathing slightly strongly would kill them."
The dragoness wasn't surprised. "That's normal when interacting with people that work with poisons all day long."
She lifted an eyebrow. "What about you?"
With a smile, she answered. "I don't want to be harsh, but the level of your sect is not enough to scare me. If I felt that you had strong enough poisons to threaten me or those around me, I wouldn't have allowed you to get close."
Mei Xinyan frowned. "That's a bit insulting."
"It's the truth."
Me Xinyan looked at Yasenia and saw her face was sincere, surprising her. She sighed and shook her head. "Your Astral Sky Sect is more and more mysterious the more I learn about it."
Mei Xinyan said after receiving the flowers. "As I was saying, this place is a library, and those who win will be able to choose a body cultivation technique or a fighting skill depending on the key level. Golden keys were basically stuff from legends, but their existence was confirmed when someone managed to get the technique you bought in the auction house."
Yasenia's eyes flashed for a second with excitement, but she quickly hid it.
Mei Xinyan further explained. "The person who got the technique, however, was an attributeless rogue cultivator, so he thought the techniques gave the cultivator the power to wield the chosen element. Hence, he chose a Sun Attributed technique. Only later would he regret it, as almost nobody could practice it, himself included."
Yasenia pondered. "But… The last secret realm was seven hundred years ago, right? How did it only appear now?"
Mei Xinyan clarified it. "The rogue cultivator is very powerful, a High-level Epoch Core realm cultivator now. Hence, he spent five hundred years trying to learn it without success. Then, during the last 200 years, he has been trying to find a buyer, but his prices were outrageous; after all, he wasn't willing to make a loss selling something he owned for half a millennium. You might not know it, but that technique has appeared in a few auction houses before you finally bought it. Since you bought it, it became quite an important event that spread around, making the existence of that technique finally known."
The dragoness smiled. "I see. Thank you for the extra information."
Mei Xinyan nodded with a smile. "For what will happen now… Well, it's not documented. Nobody is moving and waiting for someone to make the first move precisely because of that."
"What about those numbers on each door."
Mei Xinyan shook her head. "I don't know. The only thing that the records about this place my sect have is that there will be a few trials, and depending on the performance, you will receive certain rewards. The reports of previous trials are completely different, so it has been confirmed that the trials are random each time the secret realm opens."
Our dragoness sighed and looked around. "I see. Thank you, Mei Xinyan."
"Just Xinyan is fine."
The woman smiled, acting a bit mischievous.
The dragoness laughed. "Sure, Xinyan."
The woman smiled again and then spoke. "Either way, I'm returning to my group. I can feel the restlessness of those kids."
Yasenia teased. "The oldest needs to take care of the youngsters?"
Xinyan laughed. "We are the same on that, no?"
Yasenia shook her head and lifted an eyebrow. "That's not the case. Believe it or not, I'm younger than 100 years old."
Xinyan's eyes opened wide. "I don't believe you. How could someone as strong as you be that young!?"
With a shrug, the dragoness laughed. "Do as you please."
Xinyan squinted and sighed. "To think that I'm at least four times your age… I'm leaving before I feel depressed."
Yasenia chortled while seeing the retreating back of the black-haired woman. Then, she asked. "Kali, did she use anything?"
Kali shook her head. "No. She was well-behaved."
"Good. Anyway, let's evaluate the doors. Should we approach one and test?"
However, they didn't need to do that since a rogue cultivator separated and approached one of the doors.
*****************************************************
Yasenia: The chance has arrived~.
Evelyn: Hehehe, finally.
Author: We'll see what kind of challenges you need to overcome~. I summon you!
Cyan Mulder: Hello~.
Kali: Hello.
Cyan Mulder: Yasenia, I'm a bit worried, so I wanted to ask you.
Yasenia: Oh? Go ahead.
Cyan Mulder: When an opportunity arises for you to go back to Sky Continent, will you force Andrea into making Ebby leave her mom behind? Also, even more concerning is if the wolf kin princess becomes Sierra's mate, will you break that bond when you leave?
Yasenia: Of course not. Remember that if I leave alone, not only those people but I would need to leave the maids behind. Hence, I'll take with me those I find trustworthy and those who want to come.
Yasenia: I can't promise anything about Coraline since she might want to stay behind. However, as long as she wants to follow, then she is welcome. I will also take away the core of the Astral Sky Sect with me so I do not start from nothing over there.
Cyan Mulder: Oh! I see. I didn't think about that… Thank you for answering~.
Yasenia: Yes. You don't have to worry.
Author: And that's all for today.