At the same time Yasenia unfolded her Golden Key, the beast heirs took the chance and used their silver key.
The silver radiance caught the attention of a few, but most eyes remained on Yasenia. Laurina felt bad using Yasenia as a distraction, but she had heard Yasenia urging her in her head with mental messages, so she had no other choice but to accept.
Sarah also approached one of the doors stealthily and waited. Since she also had a golden key, she was thinking about what to do to pass without being in danger.
Bai Ling, the white-haired, blue-eyed woman, asked with a curious tone. "Sarah, what are you going to do?"
Her tone was flat, but there was a testing tone hidden within. Of all the ten women, Bai Ling was the only one who was still in the sixties affection-wise.
A message popped into Sarah's vision.
[System Dialogue Triggered]
[1. Let's wait until Yasenia attracts all the attention, and we use ours. Most people will focus on them, so we'll have an easier time.] (-5 Affection Points Bai Ling, -3 affection points with righteous members, +55 free attribute points.)
'55? That's equivalent to twenty of the usual dialogue option attribute rewards.'
[2. We should stay hidden until most people leave. There is another golden key holder, and that's our opportunity] (
'Weapon refining… With that, I should be able to strengthen my current sword further.'
[3. Let's act now. I have a few defensive treasures I can use.] (+2 Affection Points Bai Ling, +1 attribute point.)
'This is the safe option… Hm… But I will need to use those treasures.'
Sarah began pondering, and when she saw Yasenia's aura burst and even materialize into a dragon form, she chose.
'This is the best considering the future. I'll become stronger and avoid using as many defensive treasures.'
Sarah said seriously. "Let's wait until Yasenia attracts all the attention, and we use ours. Most people will focus on them, so we'll have an easier time."
[Ding! Bai Ling's affection has dropped by 5 points.]
[Ding! Lana's affection has dropped by 3 points.]
[Ding! Paledora's affection has dropped by 3 points.]
[Ding! Astarea's affection has dropped by 3 points.]
[Ding! Soraia's affection has dropped by 3 Points.]
[Ding! Lea's affection has dropped by 3 points.]
[Ding! Lillian's affection has increased by 1 point.]
[Ding! You've received 55 attribute points.]
[Congratulations! Lillian's affection points have reached 100 points. You've received 20,000 Shop Points,
Sarah shook her head for a second. 'Well, in the end, it was worth it. System, place the attribute points in physique and energy at equal rates.'
Her eyes went toward her inventory, and she organized the defensive treasures at the top just in case.
It was then that many low-level Epoch Core cultivators began charging energy as if getting ready to attack Yasenia.
Yasenia's charming and languid laughter echoed in the room. "It seems that you are ready to die."
While speaking, Yasenia's eyes suddenly sharpened as her tail lashed to her left.
From a very faint shadow, a man covered in black clothes slashed toward Yasenia's neck, but his sword was met with the solid scales of the dragoness, creating a loud metallic sound.
The man snorted and hastily retreated.
Yasenia's pupils thinned. "Since you've come, stay here, Wu Jing."
This person was the leader of the Nine Silent Fang Sect inside the place they were, with assassination skills that were incomparable to anyone present.
However, he was sorely lacking in front of Yasenia's draconic perception.
A dragon's sense of danger and surroundings was not to be underestimated. Much less when Yasenia was actually using her War intent and Monarch Intent, which boosted her aura and perception among many other buffs.
When Yasenia extended her hand in a claw-like form and pulled, the image of a giant golden dragon claw manifested in front of Wu Jing and copied Yasenia's motion, rushing toward him.
[Sun Dragon Claw] could be used offensively. Still, it was similar to having the ability to manifest a hand in her immediate surroundings formed by the energy of one or various attributes and control it at will.
Wu Jing reacted quickly and slashed at it, creating a massive arc of energy, but instead of splitting the claw as he expected, the dragon's hand exploded and pushed him back.
His eyes hardened as a feeling of danger shrouded his body. 'I need to dodge.'
His body became black smoke, and in the next instant, [Draconic Heart] pierced his position with tremendous Sun energy rotating around it.
Wu Jing appeared a few tens of meters away, and managed to rejoin the group and hide his presence.
Or so he thought.
Kali's eyes flashed coldly. 'Do you think you can hide from me?'
She pointed upward in one place, and dozens of roots exploded from the floor, entangling a single figure.
Wu Jing's eyes were wide open, and he spoke for the first time. "How did you sense me?"
Kali sneered. "Why should I tell you? Now die."
Her hands clenched into a fist, and the roots holding Wu Jing transformed. Spikes dripping with many different poisons, entangling parasitic thorns, and poisonous spores circled around his figure, encasing him in a hellish prison.
Naturally, people around reacted quickly, slashing the roots at the bottom and then trying to liberate him from the ball of plants surrounding him.
It didn't take too long, and someone managed to slash an opening in two or three seconds. Then, the sound that was being blocked by the roots pierced the room.
It was a miserable cry of agony.
"ARGH!"
Wu Jing hastily jumped out, a white fog created by the spores following him. His clothes had turned to rags as the skin underneath pulsated and changed colors quickly as many different poisons ravaged his insides.
Yu Lei ordered. "Wu Lan, Mei Xinyan, quickly help him!"
Wu Lan was a male disciple from the [Nine Her Fragrance Sect]. He quickly approached Wu Jing with Mei Xinyan and took his pulse.
Wu Jing had bloodshot eyes, and he pierced his claws into the ground, trying to resist the extreme pain burning his body.
The feeling of his internal organs twisting and rotting was so bad that if he weren't a trained assassin, he would've been frothing from the mouth out of pain.
Yu Lei looked at Kali and said frostily. "Give the antidote quickly. If he dies, it won't end well.'
Kali didn't even need Yasenia to answer, as she said coldly. "You can aim for our lives, but we can't retaliate? What kind of madness are you talking about? He wants Yasenia's life, so taking his life is a bare minimum. Sadly, I can't take him back to the sect."
Yasenia's lips arched. "We already had a grudge with the Nine Silent Fang Sect anyway, so threats will not work. Now that the strongest assassin is dead, do we want to continue this farce?"
Yu Lei, the thunderbird woman, spoke. "Once he is cured, he will hunt you down without rest. Are you sure you want to have a shadow trying to kill you and those close to you following everywhere?"
The dragoness looked at her with an indifferent gaze. "Getting cured? Sorry, but those two are not qualified to deal with Kali's poisons."
Yu Lei frowned and turned to look at them. Mei Xinyan shook her head. "Yu Lei. This is an unidentified substance. I don't even know the principle it uses to corrupt his body. Moreover, I can see that something is multiplying inside by eating his own energy. It's a really insidious poison."
Wu Lan also spoke with a grave tone. "I can keep his life for a few hours, but without a powerful treasure, he is done for."
Kali usually didn't use parasites often because she knew that they were cruel, and her regular poisons were strong enough to deal with her enemies.
However, there was an exception. And that was when someone tried to kill Yasenia.
If that happened, Kali completely ignored her bottom lines and used things whose descriptions would give people nightmares.
One of those infected Wu Jing, so his life was over.
Kali spoke as her tails flicked toward them. "A few hours? You are over-evaluating yourself. [Nature Fox Third Tail: Developing Life], [Life Intent Level One], [Growth Intent Level One]."
A soothing green aura was thrown at Wu Jing, and the strong healing power surrounded his body.
They were confused as his wounds closed and vitality returned to his body.
The man's eyes snapped open, and his veins bulged as he gritted his teeth. It was clear that his agony was many times stronger than before.
Mei Xinyan analyzed him, and her face contorted. "W-What is that?"
Kali answered with a smile in her voice. "[Nerve Devouring Flesh Bloodworm]. A fair cutie for those who try to attack my lover~."
Even if they didn't know what it was, just the name was enough to make their bodies shiver.
Wu Jing suddenly convulsed three times and then stopped moving, his eyes open and looking upward blankly.
Even when his body was still full of vitality, he looked dead.
Kali tilted her head. "Oh? He has better 'compatibility' than I thought." Then, she sighed. "If I knew, I would've chosen one that lasted longer."
Wu Lan, the man from the alchemy sect, asked with a grave tone that couldn't hide his agitation. "W-What happened to him?"
Kali continued answering. "Nerve System collapse. His brain has stopped working. It's a coma-like state since the cuties inside him also block soul-signals. A strong cultivator can think and sometimes even move without a brain using their soul. Yet, if the brain collapses and the soul is restricted, the cultivator becomes a shell and…"
Kali's tail waved again, and five roots pierced Wu Jing from below, penetrating his head, heart, lungs, and dantian. "… The natural defense is greatly reduced, making even the simplest attack lethal, no matter how strong their bodies are."
The golden gate behind Yasenia became brighter after his death, pushing the total progress to two-thirds.
The silver gate was much quicker, and the beast heirs opened it when Wu Jing died.
They also fought a few cultivators while Yasenia's group took the attention of major powers. But those cultivators were not a match for them, so it was easy to defend and enter the room.
Kali leaned on Yasenia's side, looking like a gentle wife resting on her lover, and spoke softly. "I have a few interesting wide-range poisons I want to try, so… Anybody else that wants to hurt my love?"
Yasenia smiled and tenderly passed her hand through her chestnut-colored hair, gently caressing her furry and large fox ears. Meanwhile, the Fox's emerald green eyes moved around, making those who crossed eyes with her scream mutely and look down.
Mei Xinyan spoke. "The [Nine Grudge Poison Sect] won't bother the [Astral Sky Sect] any longer."
Yu Lei turned and was about to scold, but Wu Lan spoke first. "The [Nine Herb Fragrance Sect] will also not participate."
Yu Lei was stunned. She could understand a demonic sect not participating, but the Her Fragrance Sect was usually very righteous.
Wu Lan looked at Yu Lei and spoke. "I'm sorry, but if that thing looks dangerous to you as a non-alchemy practitioner, to me, it is like a nightmare come reality. I'm unwilling to fight someone with that knowledge and threat."
The Jade Thunderbird woman frowned and looked around, seeing similar expressions of hesitation and fear. She clicked her tongue and stopped looking at Yasenia. "Whatever. There are another two golden keys, so wait for those to appear."
Yasenia smiled, but she never lowered her guard.
Valeria spoke softly. "Well done, children. Excellent use of threats, shows of strength, and mind games."
The girls smiled, feeling happy they hadn't let their caring seniors down.
The golden door filled five minutes later, and the girls stepped inside.
Of course, Yasenia didn't know that Sarah also had a golden key and that her actions had thwarted Sarah's plans of using her as bait.
Sarah was frowning, feeling helpless and somewhat resentful of Yasenia. 'I lost affection points for nothing… Well, I should've realized that a strong reward like fifty-five attribute points would be accompanied by danger.'
With a sigh, she thought about what to do and decided to wait until the following golden key appeared and use it simultaneously.
Bai Ling laughed at her side. "It didn't go your way, it seems."
Sarah pouted. "Don't remind me. We'll wait for the next golden key and use it simultaneously. Start preparing for that moment."
The girls around her laughed, and they all began preparing.
The fight would happen two hours later, and Sarah would need to use two protective life-saving treasures before they could pass their hurdle and enter.
**************************************************************
Author: We are inside~.
Kali: They are a bit cowardly, no?
Andrea: … Kali, if I were on the other side, I would also be scared.
Angel: Why didn't the other assassins attack?
Yasenia: Baby, what would you think about a person I fought seriously and who beat me up badly?
Angel: I would try to capture them!
Evelyn: Capture?
Angel: Yes, so we can kill them slowly later.
Evelyn: …
Yasenia: Cough, okay, that might be a bad example. But wouldn't you feel that they are strong?
Angel: Of course! But I would be careful and try to capture them to give that person to Mommy Tatyana to punish. Those who hurt you must suffer, Yasenia.
Yasenia: Baby, you are so cute~.
Evelyn: Nonono, even if her tone is sweet and she is hugging you, where is the cuteness?
Angel: *Looks at Evelyn with her big blue blinking moist eyes and tilts her head.*
Evelyn: Okay. I surrender.
Author: Hahaha, I summon you!
WPOmega: Alo~. Today, I come with an exciting request, Author.
Author: Oh?
WPOmega: Can you summon Zephyrith?
Sierra: Eh?
Author: Yes! I've even perfected the summoning array so that they are not confused when they are summoned here!
Puff!
Zephyrith: Hm? Why have I been called here?
WPOmega: Hello, Zephyrith.
Zephyrith: You are the one asking questions? Go ahead.
WPOmega: Yes, do you find yourself missing your meet-ups with Sierra while the trials are going on?
Sierra: Oy!
Zephyrith: Hm? Are you shy, Sierra?
Sierra: Sight, that's not it.
WPOmega: Hahaha, then what?
Sierra: Cough, whatever. Answer already.
Zephyrith: Fufu~. Well, I do miss them a bit. But I decided not to think about it anymore; after all, Sierra and I are destined to be enemies.
Sierra: …
WPOmega: Thanks for answering!
Author: And that's all for today.