Volume 5 Chapter 74
by Need_More_SleepVolume 5 + Chapter 74: The Hidden Strength of The Silver Dragon Princess
At the very last moment before the Kusanagi Sword fully formed and descended, Xia Yi actually managed to split apart the sea of lightning, carving out a sliver of survival from a hopeless situation.
“The Fox God’s divine punishment… didn’t kill those filthy outsiders?”
“Am I dreaming?”
“How could this happen? Isn’t the Fox God the strongest god in the world?”
The scene unfolding before them shook the faith of the White Night Cult followers.
“Priestess, what exactly is going on?!” the cultists cried, looking up at Bai Lian floating in midair.
“This… how could it be possible?”
Bai Lian’s pupils trembled, her face filled with disbelief.
“Now’s the time!”
Xia Yi raised her hand and released the last of her remaining magic through the Rose Staff.
It formed a track of ice that stretched far into the distance.
The Flying Swallow train sounded its whistle and began moving, departing from the skies above Peach Blossom Haven.
“Priestess, the dragons are escaping! Quickly have the Fox God chase them down and destroy those filthy creatures!!” the cultists shouted urgently.
“Tch…”
Bai Lian clenched the ritual wand in her hand.
Due to certain hidden constraints, she simply could not respond to the cultists’ request. She could only watch helplessly as the train sped away into the distance, leaving Peach Blossom Haven behind.
“Ugh… I… I can barely hold on… This is the first time I’ve used magic like that…”
Xia Yi’s body trembled as she leaned on the Rose Staff to keep herself from collapsing.
That attack had nearly drained all of her magic.
Only a tiny portion remained, just enough to maintain the continuous creation of the icy railway ahead of the train.
Such a massive expenditure of magical power in such a short time placed an enormous burden on her body.
She had completely lost her ability to fight. Her consciousness was becoming hazy, and she could collapse at any moment.
Xia Yi glanced back.
Seeing the distance between the train and the gigantic azure nine-tailed fox steadily increasing, she finally relaxed.
“Looks like… my guess… was correct…”
From the very beginning, Xia Yi had noticed something that didn’t quite make sense.
If the Azure Fox God was truly that powerful, and if Bai Lian, as the Fox God’s shrine maiden, could summon it, then why had the White Night Cult endured in secrecy for so many years?
Why go through complicated schemes instead of simply unleashing the Fox God’s power early on and crushing the foxfolk royal family?
It made no logical sense.
Xia Yi believed there was a strong possibility that the Azure Fox God could not leave Peach Blossom Haven.
When she noticed the strange, unstable nature of the fox’s body, she asked the little fox to confirm it using her shrine maiden perception.
After verifying that the Azure Fox God did not resemble a living being, Xia Yi boldly made her deduction,
The real Azure Fox God had long since died.
The “Azure Fox God” summoned now was something closer to a manifestation of lingering resentment.
So Xia Yi made a gamble.
She poured all her remaining magic into a single strike capable of opposing the Fox God, creating a chance for retreat.
As long as the train escaped Peach Blossom Haven, the resentful spirit of the Azure Fox God would be unable to pursue them.
If she had been wrong, if the Fox God could leave Peach Blossom Haven, then Xia Yi, already drained of strength, along with the dragons and the little fox aboard the train, would have faced complete annihilation.
Fortunately…
She had gambled correctly.
The Azure Fox God did not leave Peach Blossom Haven.
The train had already escaped the attack range of that resentful entity.
Everyone was safe.
“I really… want to sleep…”
Xia Yi’s eyelids felt as heavy as lead.
She could no longer resist the exhaustion.
Her eyes closed, and she collapsed.
……
……
“Did you all see Her Highness’s heroic display?”
“I did! It was absolutely astonishing!”
“What?! I didn’t see it! Waaaah, I missed it! What a loss!!”
The dragons aboard the train excitedly discussed the battle.
Elly clutched her head in despair, wailing in regret that she had missed Xia Yi’s most impressive moment.
Karami still could not calm his excitement.
The image of Xia Yi standing before the catastrophic sea of lightning remained burned into his mind.
Compared to the lazy, adorable little princess he had first met, the figure he saw then felt like a completely different person.
As the daughter of the Silver Dragon Queen, the princess truly concealed her strength.
“Don’t forget, Her Highness never even released her dragon form during the battle!” Karami reminded everyone with a serious expression.
“In other words, Her Highness still had strength left. Everything that happened earlier was already part of her plan.”
Those words shocked every dragon once again.
All of them suddenly felt deep respect for Xia Yi.
When dragons release their true forms, their power increases dramatically.
Yet even in such a desperate situation earlier, Xia Yi had not done so.
That alone confirmed Karami’s claim.
Terrifying.
She was truly terrifying.
The dragons now looked at Xia Yi with both admiration and awe.
“I-Is that really the case…?” Elly scratched her head uncertainly.
“Miss Elly, you didn’t hear the way Her Highness spoke to me at that moment,” Karami replied. “She was completely calm, no panic at all. Her tone was effortless and composed. That is the bearing of a true powerhouse.”
“The fact that all of us are still alive and able to talk right now, isn’t that the best proof?”
“Now that you mention it… that does seem true. So Her Highness is… actually that strong!!” Elly exclaimed.
“We should leave this carriage for now,” Karami suggested.
“We shouldn’t disturb Her Highness while she rests.”
“Leave the princess of the Nine-Tailed Fox clan here as well.”
“Why?” Elly asked.
“Her Highness needs to be alone with the Nine-Tailed Fox princess,” Karami explained. “After saving her life, it’s obvious Her Highness will treat the fox princess as her most valuable bargaining chip.”
“I-Is that’s how it works…?” Elly felt like she couldn’t keep up with Karami’s reasoning at all.
“Of course. Otherwise, why would Her Highness risk such enormous danger to save the Nine-Tailed Fox princess? It’s all part of her grand plan. As the future ruler, she sees farther ahead and moves faster than we do.”
Karami’s analysis convinced the others.
“We don’t need to interfere. We just need to create a suitable private environment for their conversation. Next, Her Highness will win over the Nine-Tailed Fox princess… and make use of her.”
……
……
Yue Liu was awakened by the sound of the train moving.
Slowly, she opened her eyes.
The first person she saw was…
“Ying!”
The little fox instantly became fully alert.
She saw Xia Yi leaning against a seat, directly across from her.
From the scenery outside the window, she could tell the train had already left Peach Blossom Haven.
She realized that her destined rival had truly rescued her.
“Ying…?”
The little fox softly called out, testing whether Xia Yi would respond.
But the silver-haired girl did not wake up.
She was likely exhausted from the battle.
“……”
The little fox remembered the things Xia Yi had said to her earlier.
For some reason, her heartbeat quickened.
She glanced around and realized no one else was nearby.
A strange thought suddenly appeared in her mind.
Right now…
It seemed like she could do something to her rival.
Something… rather strange.
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