"Cough... cough..."
Alice, like a drowning person grasping at the last shred of hope, exerted all her strength, attempting in vain to pry open the large hands that clamped around her throat like iron shackles. However, those hands were as unyielding as steel forged by the gods, remaining motionless, mercilessly crushing her struggle.
To seek a glimmer of life, Alice had no other choice but to take a desperate gamble. She silently activated the Mystic Pupils within her heart. In an instant, her originally pitch - black eyes, like the deep night sky, transformed into two bewitching crimson orbs, resembling mysterious gems from the depths of hell, shining with an eerie and dangerous glow.
She tightly clasped his hands that were choking her neck with her hands, which were as firm as iron pincers. Her fingertips turned white from the force. Her originally long and rounded nails now became sharp blades, stabbing deeply into his skin. Strangely, the blood oozing from the wounds seemed to be drawn by some mysterious force, flowing continuously towards Alice until it was all absorbed by her, as if she were a succubus sucking the blood of life in the darkness.
Caesar, the king known for his calmness and might, couldn't help but feel a chill creeping up his spine at this moment. He keenly sensed the danger and tried to release the hand that was gripping Alice's throat. To his astonishment, he found himself as if bound by an invisible and mysterious giant net. Every inch of his muscles refused to obey his will, as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
"Our... lives are intertwined. If I live, you live! If I die, you die - "
Alice's cold voice, carrying the raging cold air as if from the Nine Hells, reverberated in this mysterious space. Before the words faded away, Caesar felt as if an invisible silk thread had entwined his very soul, establishing an unusual and dangerous connection with this seemingly fragile yet mysteriously powerful woman in front of him.
Alice's bewitching crimson eyes stared at Caesar's eyes. Suddenly, the corners of her mouth lifted slightly, revealing a smile. That smile, blooming on her disheveled face, held a breathtaking beauty, like a blood - red rose blooming among the ruins of war.
However, in the next moment, her arms seemed to lose all their strength, falling limply like puppets with their strings cut. With a "plop", her hands fell into the water, splashing a small circle of water. Her head also tilted to one side, her eyes closed tightly, and she fell into a coma as if her soul had been s*ck*d away.
Caesar's face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm. He could clearly feel his life force draining away bit by bit, like the fine sand in an hourglass. His sharp eyes, like those of a hawk, stared fixedly at the unconscious woman in front of him, filled with both anger and vigilance.
This seemingly harmless woman was like a cunning sorceress hiding in the dark, full of tricks. Her mysterious and unfathomable spell was like a curse from ancient legends, entrapping him, a powerful being who had always been in control, making it impossible for him to break free.
Those mysterious heterochromatic eyes were like portals to an unknown world, hiding endless secrets.
Before this d*mn spell was undone, she must not die! Caesar swore secretly. Once free from this shackle, he would make this abominable woman endure all the pain in the world and make her pay the price for her deeds in endless torment.
"Your Majesty!"
"Your subordinates are late! Humbly beg Your Majesty to punish us!"
Suddenly, the space on the bank of the stream distorted slightly, and two black - robed figures emerged like ghosts. They were dressed in black robes with hoods covering their heads, their faces hidden in the shadows. The two quickly dropped to one knee, heads bowed low, and hands raised in a respectful salute, their movements uniform and showing a well - trained sense of awe.
With a "splash" of water, a man in a magnificent black robe slowly rose from the water. His figure was as straight as a pine tree. The black robe was embroidered with mysterious and ancient runes in gold thread. As he moved, the runes flickered with a faint glow. In his arms was a delicate woman, Alice.
The man walked towards the bank step by step, each step steady and powerful, as if wherever he stepped was the center of the world. His gait carried an inborn nobility, yet it was slightly unusual because of the woman in his arms.
"Rise." A deep and magnetic voice came from under the black robe. The voice was like the bell ringing in an ancient cathedral, echoing on the bank with an undeniable air of majesty.
The two black - robed men trembled slightly at the words, then slowly stood up. At the moment they raised their heads, an inexpressible shock flashed in their eyes, and their mouths opened wide in an exaggerated 'O' shape. They seemed to have witnessed the most incredible thing in the world, and the shock in their eyes was like raging waves, almost drowning them.
Caesar merely cast a cold glance at them. That look was like a freezing cold wind, instantly piercing through the souls of the two men. The two black - robed men shuddered violently all over, quickly suppressing the turmoil in their hearts and struggling to regain their outward composure. However, their hearts were like a boiling cauldron, with various thoughts bubbling up like bubbles:
Good heavens, is this still our majestic and god - like Majesty?
When has His Majesty ever been so close to a woman? This scene is almost like a desecration of the divine, sending shivers down one's spine!
His Majesty has always had a severe obsession with cleanliness and has been as aloof from women as one would be from a plague. His sacred body has never allowed anyone to approach easily...
But now, he is holding a female creature as if she were a precious treasure!
Looking at this woman, her body is covered with shocking wounds, and the red mark on her neck is like the mark of a devil, conspicuous and glaring. Could all this be His Majesty's doing?!
Perhaps someday we should euphemistically "remonstrate" with His Majesty: be a bit more gentle with women. After all, if His Majesty's power is too rough, this woman's fragile life might be as fleeting as a candle in the wind...
At this time, Caesar had gently placed Alice on the ground. He frowned slightly, and on his perfectly sculpted face like marble, a barely perceptible look of displeasure emerged. In his long, slender, and well - defined hand, a white eighth - grade magic potion suddenly appeared. The magic potion emitted a soft white glow, and a faint halo surrounded it, as if it contained mysterious life force. He stuffed the potion into Alice's mouth without hesitation or a trace of pity, as if performing a mechanical action.
Fortunately, the moment the magic potion touched Alice's lips, it melted quickly like snow meeting the warm sun, turning into a warm and powerful force that flowed into her body.
The miraculous effect of the eighth - grade magic potion began to show. The hideous wounds on Alice's body started to heal at a visible speed. Her originally pale - as - paper face, devoid of any color, gradually regained its rosy hue, like a withered flower regaining the life - giving spring and starting to bloom with vitality.
However, the red mark on her fair and tender neck remained conspicuous, like a dark - red snake coiling around it. This was a wound caused by Caesar's almost terrifyingly powerful force. How could an ordinary eighth - grade magic potion easily erase such a deep mark? This red mark was like a curse of fate, telling the complex and dangerous entanglement between the two of them.
Nevertheless, thankfully, Alice's weak life force was gradually becoming stronger, like a dying campfire rekindling the hope of a spark.
Caesar stood quietly aside, looking at Alice with complex eyes. Suddenly, the wanton and unrestrained smile on her face before she fell into a coma, filled with the cunning of success and the provocation towards him, as well as her eyes burning like flames and those words like a devil's whisper - "Our lives are intertwined. If I live, you live. If I die, you die!" - flashed through his mind one by one. These scenes were like sharp blades, constantly stabbing his heart, causing ripples of restlessness in his usually calm heart like a still water surface.
Caesar narrowed his eyes slightly and gave Alice a cold, sidelong glance, as if trying to see through her. Then he slowly rose to his feet, still standing as straight as a mountain. He slightly raised his voice and called, "Grimm."
Grimm immediately reacted like a awakened cheetah, quickly dropping to one knee and responding respectfully, "Your subordinate is here!" His voice carried absolute loyalty to the king.
"Inform the Sage of the Moon that the time is postponed." Caesar's tone remained cold, but with an unmistakable commanding tone, each word falling like a heavy boulder on Grimm's heart.
"Yes." Grimm replied briefly and forcefully. After speaking, his figure flickered slightly and disappeared into the darkness without leaving a trace.
Murphy stood quietly on the side, watching his Majesty standing far away from the disheveled woman. Then he clasped his hands behind his back and looked into the distance. A complex light flickered in his deep eyes, as if he were thinking about something.
Murphy muttered softly, "Is Your Majesty having a tiff with that girl?" His voice was very low, as if he were talking to himself, but in this quiet environment, it was particularly clear.
"Murphy, are you that idle?" A voice as cold as the cold wind from the polar region came.
Murphy's body stiffened at the sound, as if he had been dragged from a warm dream into a cold ice cellar. Instantly, his face filled with a smile, a perfect smile like a mask without any flaw. He quickly said, "Your subordinate just remembered that there seem to be some tiny loopholes in the barrier at the bottom of the cliff. Your subordinate will go and reinforce it right away! Lest any evil spirits take the opportunity to break in and disturb Your Majesty."
After speaking, he turned around and fled as if there were a devil chasing him from behind, escaping this oppressively quiet place.
_
Dusk, like a huge golden beast, slowly devoured the sky, and night, like a black satin, quickly spread from the horizon, shrouding the whole world in its shadow.
On the bank at the bottom of the cliff, it was as quiet as a corner forgotten by the world, without a single sound, as if time had stopped there. Only a noble - looking man in a magnificent black robe stood there quietly. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his figure straight. The black robe fluttered gently in the breeze, and the mysterious runes embroidered on it flickered with a faint glow. He had his eyes slightly closed, as if communicating with the mysterious forces between heaven and earth or contemplating the endless mysteries of the universe.
After an unknown amount of time, a faint moan as light as a feather falling came from the ground. The woman who had been unconscious struggled to wake up as if emerging from the endless abyss of darkness. It was pitch - black all around, and the darkness was like thick liquid, tightly wrapping around her, giving her an inexplicable sense of suffocation.
She slowly sat up, and a stabbing pain came from her neck, like being pricked by a red - hot needle. She subconsciously reached out and touched her neck. The moment her fingertips touched the source of the pain, several fragments before she lost consciousness flashed through her mind like lightning.
Alice couldn't help but curse under her breath, "I've never seen such a hot - tempered b*st*rd. He's like a devil from hell! Does he think he can act like a tyrant just because he's handsome?!" Her voice was low, but in this quiet environment, it was particularly clear, every word filled with anger and dissatisfaction.
"Hm?" A low voice full of coldness came.
Alice was startled by the sound, her whole body trembling and her heart rate suddenly increasing. She looked in the direction of the sound and saw a tall and straight black figure standing like a ghost dozens of meters away. The figure looked even more mysterious and imposing in the darkness, giving an invisible sense of oppression.
Alice:...
Her mood at this moment was indescribable. The embarrassment of being caught red - handed while speaking ill of someone was like being stripped naked and thrown onto the street. She wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Alice quickly closed her eyes and concentrated on checking her Mystic Pupils. She found that only she could see a tiny red thread as thin as a hair connecting her and him...
This red thread seemed to be woven by the God of Fate with the finest silk. It was formed by the convergence of mysterious fate force and flickered with a faint and mysterious glow in the dark. No one else could see this red thread, not even this god - like powerful man in front of her.
The intertwining of the Destiny Plates was an ancient and mysterious connection. Under this connection, she was not too worried that he would kill her easily for now. After all, under the interweaving of fate, their lives were already like two tightly entwined vines, interdependent.
In her past life, she was a highly respected Mystic Pupil Master in the territory of the modern hidden clans. She had an extremely high attainment in the fields of the occult and pupil techniques, almost at the master level. Among the ancient spells she knew, the spell of intertwining the Destiny Plates was a sacred ritual only used between mates.
When a husband and wife truly love each other and trust each other, after performing this ritual, their Destiny Plates would merge with each other. From then on, their fates would be closely related, like gears meshing tightly. And once one of them betrays, they would surely suffer the cruel punishment of fate, which would be an endless disaster, far more terrifying than death.
She had no choice but to use this spell under the circumstances of being backed into a corner and life - threatening. It was her last means of survival and a gamble with fate.
Alice took a deep breath and summoned the courage to walk towards him. She forced a somewhat natural - looking standard smile on her face, trying to ease the tension that was as taut as a bowstring. "My Lord..." Her voice carried a hint of ingratiation and a bit of caution.
Caesar slowly turned his head. His eyes, as bright as stars, stared fixedly at Alice, and there seemed to be cold flames burning in his eyes. He coldly interrupted her, "Undo it." His voice was devoid of any emotion, like a sharp scalpel, cutting straight to the point.
Alice's eyes rolled, and a sly look flashed in her beautiful gem - like eyes. She suddenly pounced like a nimble little cheetah, hugging Caesar's thigh tightly and not letting go. She began to wail loudly, the cry was extremely pitiful, as if she had suffered the most tragic misfortune in the world. She cried and shouted, "Woo - woo - My Lord, I really can't undo this poison by myself." Her performance was so vivid, as if she were a helpless child begging for help from an adult.
A look of undisguised disgust flashed in Caesar's deep eyes. He frowned tightly, and a strong urge to kick this abominable woman away surged in his heart. However, Alice was hugging so tightly that her hands were like two tough iron locks, firmly locking his thigh. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get rid of this woman who was as sticky as chewing gum.
"How to undo it?" Caesar gritted his teeth and spat out these words. His voice trembled slightly with anger, and each word seemed to be filled with gunpowder.
Alice sniffed and pretended to be pitiful, "The union of yin and yang, the act of conjugal love." Although her voice was choked with sobs, the words she said were like a bombshell, exploding in the quiet night.
"Shameless!" He raised his hand and swung it with a powerful force. A brilliant light as bright as the sun shot out from his hand and instantly blasted towards a distant mountain. In the face of this powerful force, the mountain was as fragile as a sandcastle, and it was instantly blown to pieces.
Alice was stunned by this sudden scene. She stared wide - eyed, her heart filled with shock.
His strength seemed to surpass all worldly perceptions, so powerful that it felt unreal.
Probably even the royal elders with the cultivation of the Spirit Emperor in the Augustus Empire were as weak as ants in front of him. This man looked to be in his mid - twenties, yet he possessed such terrifying power. He was truly a living legend walking among mortals.
Sure enough, those who possess the Great Destiny Plate of the Lord of the Stars are all darlings favored by the heavens. They are born with extraordinary talents and powers that surpass ordinary people and are the true powerhouses of this world.