Free Web NovelChapter 348: Chapter 348: How Did She Become Like This?
Night fell.
Within Wing Beast City.
Huang Ying silently made her way to a high tower behind the palace.
This tower was only opened during sacrificial rites and was normally kept closed.
Huang Ying avoided the patrolling beastmen and headed for the tower’s highest floor.
But as soon as she got close, she felt half her strength drain away, and she collapsed weakly to the ground.
Huang Ying tried to get up but failed after several attempts.
"System, what’s going on? Why don’t I have any strength?"
"Because the Crystal Stone that suppresses beast soul power is behind this door. You just used your beast soul power to erase your aura, so naturally, you’re being suppressed by the Crystal Stone. If you want to enter safely, you can’t use your beast soul energy."
Hearing this, Huang Ying had no choice but to retract her energy.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before her strength slowly returned.
But without the enhancement of her beast soul power, there was no way she could open the heavy wooden door before her.
"This door... how am I supposed to open it?"
"Push it open."
"This door must weigh over a thousand pounds! How do you expect me to push it open?!"
"Heh, don’t take your incompetence out on me. Can’t you look for a mechanism, you idiot?!"
Swallowing her anger, Huang Ying began searching for a mechanism. After looking all over, she finally found one in an inconspicuous groove at her feet.
She triggered the mechanism.
With a CLICK-CLACK-CLACK, the heavy wooden door slowly swung open.
Huang Ying felt a powerful, dark force rush toward her, making it nearly impossible to move forward.
Once the dark halo of light dissipated, she immediately saw the fist-sized Black Crystal Stone suspended in mid-air.
"Does getting close to this Crystal Stone mean you can’t use beast soul power?"
"Not exactly. Getting close to the Crystal Stone only weakens beast soul energy. To completely suppress an opponent’s beast soul power, you have to sacrifice your own beast soul energy to fully activate the Crystal Stone’s power."
"Then why did I feel so weak when I got close to it earlier?"
"Because you’re pathetic."
Huang Ying gritted her teeth, growing to despise this sharp-tongued system more and more.
Huang Ying took out a large leather pouch, quickly wrapped the Crystal Stone in it, and tucked it away. Even though she had already suppressed her beast soul aura, the Crystal Stone’s energy still left her feeling weak all over.
She practically scrambled out of the tower.
The moment she left, the power that had enveloped the tower instantly vanished.
In the palace.
Huang Yue hovered his large palm over two multi-colored fruits, his brow furrowed in hesitation.
The two fruits were about the same size, but the ripe one would taste better. He couldn’t tell just by looking which one was fully ripe.
After much hesitation, Huang Yue placed his palm on the larger of the two fruits.
"Whatever, I’ll take you!"
Huang Yue grabbed the fruit and brought it to his mouth. It burst with juice at the first bite. His eyes lit up—he had chosen correctly!
But before he could even swallow, his pupils suddenly constricted.
"The Crystal Stone!"
When Huang Yue arrived at the tower and saw the wide-open door and the empty room, the hairs on his body stood on end.
"Guards! Someone get in here..."
Huang Yue had only shouted twice before he quickly clamped a hand over his own mouth.
The patrolling guards had already heard the commotion and rushed over.
But by the time they arrived, the heavy wooden door had already been closed by Huang Yue.
Seeing Huang Yue’s explosive expression, the guards were terrified.
"City Lord, what happened?"
"Someone broke into the tower! Go after them! And seal all the exits of the city—the skies, too! Don’t even let a single bird-beast fly out!"
"Yes, sir!"
Huang Yue was furious, but he couldn’t let anyone know the Crystal Stone had been stolen. Otherwise, there was no telling if other beast cities would try to take advantage of the situation.
Huang Yue returned to the palace, when a thought suddenly struck him.
"Where is the Young City Lord?"
"City Lord, the Young City Lord has been in her room recovering from her injuries."
Huang Yue frowned and immediately turned to head for Huang Ying’s room.
He pushed open the door to Huang Ying’s room. The large bed was empty, and the blankets were cold to the touch.
Huang Yue’s expression turned utterly grim. "Didn’t you say the Young City Lord was recovering?"
The beastman attendant was frozen in fear.
Huang Yue roared in fury, "Find her! You must bring her back to me!"
"City Lord, Lord Kunlin has returned."
Huang Yue stormed back to the main hall, his sleeves flying. He immediately saw Yaya sleeping restlessly in Kunlin’s arms.
"Yaya, my dear Yaya."
Huang Yue strode forward and took Yaya into his arms, his heart aching for her.
Yaya groggily opened her eyes, and upon seeing Huang Yue’s face, her little mouth trembled as if she were about to cry again.
Seeing this, Kunlin quickly took Yaya back from Huang Yue’s arms.
"City Lord, Yaya only just fell asleep. It’s best not to wake her."
Yaya had woken up on the way back and had been fussing ever since she didn’t see Qiao Xixi. It had taken all his effort, a mix of coaxing and trickery, to get her back to the city.
Huang Yue wrung his hands, his heart aching. "Oh, my Yaya has gotten so thin... huh?" He looked at Yaya’s face, which seemed to have gotten a bit chubbier, with a bewildered expression.
"How did Yaya get fatter? Wasn’t she captured by the beastmen of the Black Panther Tribe and horribly mistreated?"
A crack appeared in Kunlin’s icy expression. "Who told you that, City Lord?"
Huang Yue frowned. "Huang Ying. She was injured when she came back and said it was the Black Panther Tribe that hurt her. She said the beastmen of the Black Panther Tribe had also captured Yaya, and she was injured trying to save her. Kunlin, were you the one who rescued Yaya?"
The aura around Kunlin turned bone-chillingly cold. He never imagined Huang Ying would twist the truth so completely.
"No, City Lord. The Black Panther Tribe never captured Yaya. In fact, Yaya is very fond of the Black Panther Tribe. They were the ones who saved her when she was lost. Huang Ying has been lying to you!"
Huang Yue froze on the spot. "Why would she..."
Kunlin shook his head. "I don’t know either, but she seems to despise the Clan Leader of the Black Panther Tribe and kept trying to get me to deal with her. City Lord, what else did Huang Ying tell you? You didn’t listen to her, did you?"
Huang Yue didn’t say a word, but his expression grew increasingly grim.
Seeing this, Kunlin’s heart sank as well.
"City Lord."
Huang Yue’s eyes gradually turned bloodshot. "How... how could she become like this!"
"I’ve already sent your older brother to capture Qiao Xixi’s beastman mate. And in the city... The Crystal Stone was stolen. I now have a strong suspicion that Huang Ying was the one who stole it!"
"The Crystal Stone must not be misused by her, or Wing Beast City will be in grave danger. Go, quickly! Find a way to track her down. As for your older brother, I’ll have him pull back immediately."
"Alright."
Kunlin handed Yaya back to Huang Yue and turned to leave the hall.
Meanwhile, Huang Ying had already taken the Crystal Stone and met up with Fenglin, who was waiting outside the city.
As soon as Huang Ying approached, Fenglin felt the power of the Crystal Stone.
"Quick, take me to the Black Panther Tribe. Hurry."
Fenglin looked at her, hesitating to speak. "My Lady, what is that you’re carrying?"
Huang Ying glared impatiently. "Why ask so many questions? Just do as I say."
"Alright."
