Just as Veronica and Lillian both fell unconscious, wasn’t this heaven-sent luck?
With that thought, Ian immediately dispelled the Stealth of the Senro Breath Pearl.Â
A flash of white light streaked by, and the once handsome and dashing young man vanished from where he stood.
In his place stood a silver-haired, crimson-eyed demon of the Dragon Clan, crowned with a pair of Dragon Horns.
A Dragon Tail swayed behind her, and she wore a black off-shoulder dress that exposed her demonic features.
“This really is troublesome.” Iana glanced at the situation before her.
Now she dared not hide the demonic aura and Dragon Clan traits she carried, after all, she still had to rely on the Dragon Bloodline to break through.
There was no time for her to think too much about this predicament.
Surrounded and besieged by numerous Earthen Soldier, she didn’t hesitate and spread the pair of black Dragon Wings on her back.
Though those wings were a bit small, they seemed to be surrounded by boundless demonic power, instilling a sense of dread.
“If Veronica and Lillian wake up right now, I’m sure I’ll be mistaken for some kind of walking ATM.” Iana mocked herself inwardly.
Flapping her wings, Iana stirred up a fierce gale, sending the Earthen Soldier around her flying several meters away.
But the moment Iana appeared, all those Earthen Soldier immediately abandoned whatever they were doing and converged on her.
Even the Earthen Soldier that was about to finish off Lillian dropped its task and approached Iana.
Unlike before, these Earthen Soldier now had red eyes, as if infected by a virulent redness.
“Filth…”
The deafening voices of the Earthen Soldier rang out, making Iana’s ears buzz with numbness.
“What’s with the volume contest?” Iana scoffed from midair, looking down on the Earthen Soldier below.
“Bye-bye, everyone. You can’t provoke me, but can you hide from me?” Iana flapped her wings and flew toward where Lillian lay, flying close to the ground and stretching out her delicate hand to grasp Lillian’s body.
“That was close—I almost crashed.”
Having just learned to fly, Iana was still unskilled at controlling her wings, and flying so close to the ground was a risky maneuver that nearly caused her to fall.
“So heavy. Maybe I should have Lillian go on a diet?”
“But Lillian doesn’t look heavy.”
Due to Iana’s underdeveloped bloodline and small wings, even the relatively light Lillian felt like a heavy burden.
“Next up is Veronica.” Iana headed in Veronica’s direction.
Though she had considered taking Lillian to the gate first, she couldn’t be sure if the Earthen Soldier would seize the opportunity to kill Veronica.
To be safe, Iana decided to carry both Veronica and Lillian away together.
Biting her lip, she vigorously flapped her small black wings, wobbling as she flew to Veronica’s side, then stretched out her other hand and wrapped it around Veronica’s waist.
“This really has turned into weight training.” Iana smiled wryly, feeling the muscles in her wings tremble.
At that moment, Veronica furrowed her brow slightly and twitched her nose, sniffing toward Iana’s direction as if detecting something.
Fighting off fatigue and pain, Veronica opened her eyes.
Through her blurred vision, all she could see was a pair of exquisite, small Dragon Horns.
“That scent is…” Veronica’s voice was so faint it was almost inaudible, disbelief shining in her beautiful eyes.
Feeling Veronica’s breath and hearing her voice, Iana froze, her heart pounding wildly as if it might burst from her chest.
Could Veronica be waking up now?
This really was the worst timing.
“I really am not a demon. I am your most loyal steward, Miss. Although not anymore, that doesn’t stop you from trusting me—you will believe me, right?”
“I’m in this form because I was framed,” Iana pleaded anxiously, afraid Veronica would mistake her for a demon and kill her.
“Having… you here, I… can be at ease…” Veronica closed her heavy eyelids, her head falling weakly onto Iana’s shoulder, like a kitten finding its owner, and peacefully fell asleep.
Iana’s heart pounded madly inside her chest, almost breaking free from its ribcage.
What worried and confused Iana most was Veronica’s words: “Having you here, I can be at ease.”
What did that mean?
Had Veronica recognized her identity, or mistaken her for someone else?
Iana had no time to ponder or overthink, because the red-eyed Earthen Soldier were already rushing toward her.
“Filth… Purge!”
Dozens of Earthen Soldier shouted in unison, making Iana’s whole body ache with discomfort.
“Alright, I know you want to purge the filth, but then why are you following me? Go clean up somewhere else.” Dragging Veronica and Lillian along, Iana couldn’t resist mocking the Earthen Soldier.
Biting her lip, she struggled to flap her wings, but the excessive weight limited her to flying just five meters above the ground.
Lillian and Veronica hung like two heavy sandbags on either side of her.
Sweat dripped down Iana’s silver hair, and pain radiated from her overused wings.
Clearly, these underdeveloped wings were not meant for weighted flight training.
“Hold on, just a little longer.” Iana urged herself silently, her gaze fixed tightly on the Ancient Stone Gate she was approaching, estimating she still had about three hundred meters to go.
“If it weren’t for coming back to save Veronica, I would have gone inside already.”
As Iana slowly flew closer, a volley of arrows zipped past her side.
“Not good! The Earthen Soldier have started using bows and arrows. If they hit us, we’re done for.”
“Faster, faster!” Iana pushed herself to flap her wings harder, desperate to reach the gate before being struck.
A sharp whistle cut past her ear.
She dodged sharply, a clay arrow grazing her Dragon Horns and taking several strands of silver hair.
Iana broke out in a cold sweat.
“That was close—I almost ended it here.”
After the first arrow barrage, an even fiercer rain of arrows awaited her.
This volley was more rapid and dense, as if they would never give up until their target fell.
Already struggling to dodge with Lillian and Veronica in tow, Iana felt getting hit was only a matter of time now.