Shadowmoon Manor.
An empty feeling spread throughout.
Su Nian stood by the window, gazing at the magnificent estate.
Without that man’s constant powerful presence looming everywhere, even though Chu Tian had already left with the royal capital’s envoy carriage, it would have been a relaxing vacation.
And yet—
Su Nian buried her face in the cushion, her long, fair legs swinging back and forth as the tips of her feet lightly kicked the luxurious bed.
“Bastard… you big bastard…”
She cursed, yet couldn’t help recalling his warning before he left.
‘Master said… if I run around, it won’t be as simple as three Chu Tians…’
‘How many would it be? Four? Five?’
The moment that thought surfaced, she felt her cheeks begin to burn.
What was she thinking!
‘But still… Master just left like that? Just left without any hesitation.’
The more Su Nian thought about it, the angrier she got.
She couldn’t help swinging her fist at the empty air.
“You leave just like that, without even… without even leaving a clone to keep me company…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she froze.
Then, an even stronger wave of shame drowned her.
It was over.
She was completely done for.
She was actually starting to… hope that Horn Demon Master would keep her company.
‘No!’
She couldn’t just let that bastard completely corrupt her!
‘Right.’
Su Nian suddenly sat up from the bed.
She couldn’t just wait here passively, couldn’t let her mind be eroded.
‘Chu Tian going to the royal capital… What exactly was he going to see the king for? Could there be some conspiracy behind this?’
Actually, she was quite clever.
If he really wanted to go to the royal capital, he could have directly used the magic teleportation array.
Yet he specifically sent a carriage convoy to pick up Master.
No doubt, they came with ill intentions.
Could it be because of Shadowmoon Manor’s “Magic Phone”?
Thinking of this, Su Nian felt a surge of irritation.
No, she couldn’t just wait here idly.
She had to follow and see!
She needed to figure out the situation, gather intel.
‘Mm…’
This was all for the sake of the ultimate revenge plan!
It definitely wasn’t because she didn’t want to be alone.
Su Nian quickly found a seemingly justifiable reason for her actions, and the emptiness and restlessness in her heart seemed to find an outlet.
She immediately moved into action, retrieving the [Cloak of Concealment] that Chu Tian had given her from her Storage Space.
The cloak’s material was as light as smoke, weighing almost nothing when worn.
With a thought, the magic patterns on the cloak lit up, and her form rapidly merged with the surrounding environment, completely disappearing into thin air.
Anyway, the manor’s barrier couldn’t stop her.
As for riding a dragon and flying off in a showy manner—forget it.
Without hesitation, Su Nian purchased Earth Magic from the system.
After all, her Humiliation Value was now completely overflowing.
Only when her total Humiliation Value reached 100 million could she break through to the god level.
With Earth Magic cast, in no time, she had arrived at the outskirts of Academy City.
Looking up at the official road leading to the royal capital, the tracks left by the luxurious royal carriage convoy were clearly visible in the snow.
The next moment—
The young girl’s figure flickered, transforming into a streak of light imperceptible to normal people, swiftly chasing along the direction of the carriage tracks.
***
The official road leading to Red Maple Royal Capital was covered in white snow.
The carriage convoy advanced unhurriedly, wheels crunching through the snow with a dull “creak.”
At this moment.
Several hundred meters up in the air, Su Nian, draped in her [Cloak of Concealment], silently followed like an invisible breeze.
The cold wind was biting, but her heart burned with heat.
This sneaky feeling of observing in the shadows brought back a long-lost thrill of being the “hunter.”
She kept hypnotizing herself.
She was doing this purely to gather intelligence on the enemy, to one day turn the tables decisively.
It definitely wasn’t because of that stupid “can’t leave Master” state.
***
The carriage convoy traveled for most of the day, gradually entering a dense coniferous forest.
The terrain here was narrow, with towering snow pines blocking out the sky.
The official road ran between steep cliffs—a perfect ambush point.
Su Nian’s heart tightened as well.
She instinctively lowered her flying altitude and concealed her aura even more carefully.
Just as the carriage convoy reached the narrowest bend—
Disaster struck.
“Kee—!”
Several sharp screeches pierced the forest’s silence.
Dozens of massive Griffons and Wyverns suddenly swooped out from behind the cliffs on both sides.
Their riders were knights clad in silver armor, wielding enchanted lances.
The sky instantly darkened.
The giant beasts’ wingbeats stirred up blizzards.
On the ground, hundreds of heavily armored infantry who had been lying in ambush surged out from the snow.
The infantry quickly formed battle formations.
Thick tower shields connected into a wall, completely sealing off the carriage convoy’s path ahead and behind.
Gleaming blades and spears formed an impenetrable steel wall within the dim forest, emanating a killing intent that filled the air.
The lead knight rode an exceptionally majestic pure white Griffon, slowly descending in front of the carriage.
That Griffon was even larger, its feathers pure white without blemish, its eyes fierce and savage.
The knight’s face was cold, his gaze sharp.
His entire being radiated an aura that kept others at a distance.
His armor was also more ornate, with the emblem of the Red Maple Royal Family carved on his chest—a burning maple leaf.
The Royal Guard.
And at the captain level.
“Captain of the Royal Guard, Lanuer Hongfeng, by order of His Majesty the King, has come to ‘welcome’ Mo Yuan Sir.”
Lanuer Hongfeng’s voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were reading an official document.
“Mo Yuan, your Shadowmoon Manor is suspected of using illegal magic tools such as the ‘Magic Phone’ to disrupt the kingdom’s economy and endanger the kingdom’s security.”
“Now, I order you to immediately hand over all your industries and technology, and return to the royal capital with me to stand trial!”
But the naked greed and killing intent behind those words were undisguised.
This was no “welcome” at all.
It was a long-planned, openly predatory seizure under the name of the royal family!
Su Nian, hidden in concealment, stared intently at Lanuer, then swept her gaze over the surrounding, overwhelming force of elite guards.
Every soldier was well-equipped, their magic fluctuations stable—clearly battle-hardened elites.
In the sky, the lances of the Griffon Knights shimmered with enchantment light, ready to strike a fatal blow at any moment.
‘These people are going to assassinate the Master…’
This thought struck Su Nian’s mind like lightning.
‘Wait!’
Su Nian snapped back to reality.
Why was she worried?
Logically, this was a golden opportunity!
If Chu Tian was killed, or taken back to the royal capital, she would be completely free!
Her revenge would end in the most unexpected and easiest way possible.
She should be happy.
But why…?
An icy fear surged like a tidal wave from the deepest part of her heart, instantly flooding every limb and bone.
“No… I can’t…”
Su Nian muttered unconsciously, her voice swallowed by the wind and snow.
***
The carriage door slowly opened.
A figure stepped out from the cabin.
Chu Tian, dressed in black robes, stood tall and straight.
He simply raised his hand and brushed off non-existent dust from his sleeve.
His movements were calm and elegant, as if he faced not an army, but his own backyard garden.
“Just you people?” Chu Tian’s face held a hint of amusement.
His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried clearly through the valley.
In that voice was bone-deep contempt, an arrogance that didn’t care about anything before him.
Seeing Chu Tian’s composed demeanor, Su Nian’s hanging heart inexplicably steadied a little.
This man was always like this.
No matter what desperate situation he faced, he always looked as if victory was already in his grasp.
But still…
The enemy outnumbered him greatly, and they were the kingdom’s finest elite…
Should she help Master?