This Aura Concealment Cage Is Pretty Good

Grace asked curiously, "Shannon? Aren't we going to look for Leon Zane?"

"He just sent me a message and said he already went back," Shannon replied.

"A message? How did he send it?"

"Kind of like a voice talisman, but only I can hear it," Shannon explained with a straight face.

"Oh, that's great! Miss Chu, we're heading back to Yan City too—let's go together!" Grace felt especially close to Rina Chu because they both had Antler Serpents as spirit pets.

"Sure!" Rina Chu replied cheerfully.

"Wait here a sec, I'll go summon the flying beast!" Shannon dashed back to the manor to fetch it.

Grace and Rina Chu chatted about their Antler Serpents, swapping tips on what they liked to eat, their habits, personalities, and special abilities... and more.

...

While the two women were chatting, their Antler Serpents were having their own conversation.

Inside the cage, Leon Zane gave Evan Xiao a wounded look and asked in dragon-speak, "Why aren't you letting me out?"

Evan Xiao had come to see him once before.

After finding Leon, he just circled the cage once and left, without rescuing him.

"This cage is pretty good," Evan Xiao said.

"...What do you mean by that? Are you trying to make me experience what it's like to be a spirit pet for humans?" Leon Zane was brimming with resentment. "I'm not like you! I have zero interest in that!"

"You're overthinking it," Evan Xiao replied.

"Then why won't you let me out? Come on, set me free! I want to go bite that woman!"

"When you're in dragon form, you can't hide your dragon aura very well. But the Aura Concealment Array on this cage can completely mask your presence," Evan Xiao explained. "Just relax and stay inside."

Leon Zane protested, "Can't I just go back to Drake's Sanctuary?"

"Nope."

"Why?" Leon Zane roared.

"That Rina Chu is closely connected to Master Sage Dao!" Evan Xiao said. "Take this chance to go back with her and see if you can figure out who they really are!"

"How do you know she's connected to Master Sage Dao?" Leon Zane asked, puzzled.

"Where did you first meet her?"

"At... Cloudrest Temple."

Master Sage Dao is currently residing at Cloudrest Temple.

"She wears a string of Blessed Prayer Beads on her wrist, imbued with powerful magic from Master Sage Dao," Evan Xiao added.

Evan Xiao was present when Master Sage Dao came to the Prime Minister's residence to perform a blessing ritual.

He could sense that the Blessed Prayer Beads Rina Chu wore were empowered by Master Sage Dao's magic.

Divine dragons possess a level of perception that other dragon clans can only dream of.

Leon Zane was speechless.

"So just hang in there for a few days. See if you can pick up any intel."

"Fine!" Leon Zane curled up, rested his head on his body, closed his eyes, and grumbled, "Once I'm back in human form, I'm wrapping Rina Chu in a burial shroud and stuffing her into a coffin—I'll suffocate her alive..."

Evan Xiao: "..."

...

Grace, Rina Chu, and Shannon rode the flying beast together back to Yan City.

The weather was perfect along the way, and with all the stops and starts, the three girls were having a blast together.

As they neared the Yan City border, a strange phenomenon appeared in the sky.

To the south, Swordfire Clouds appeared.

The clouds were deep red, blazing like fire.

Normally, seeing Swordfire Clouds in the sky wouldn't be a big deal.

But today, the Swordfire Clouds were different—they looked like blazing swords piercing through the heavens, so magnificent it was almost terrifying.