Damien Gray naturally knew what she was thinking. Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "Originally, I was going to say you could have a free pass this time!" His tone implied that he had already shown her plenty of mercy.
Just then, Lynn Yee walked over to Ethan Gray, whose face was dark with displeasure, and said in a low voice, "Your Highness, the Emperor urgently summons you back to the capital! They say a Divine Beast has appeared."
Ethan Gray replied coolly, "I have no time to play along with his madness!"
Lynn Yee spoke again, "It’s said the Emperor swore on the lives of the Emperor Emeritus and the Empress Dowager—he’s very serious this time."
Ethan Gray snorted coldly, "He’s just afraid no one knows he’s an unfilial son!"
Lynn Yee fell silent, waiting for his decision. Ethan Gray paused, then raised his head and finished his wine. His eyes glinted with a mysterious light.
A Divine Beast? Now that word was out, surely more than just Prince Julian had heard the news. Whether it was real or not, anything with 'divine' attached would be shrouded in myth, and there would be no shortage of rivals eager to seize it.
He might as well join the chaos and see for himself what this so-called Divine Beast looked like. He hoped it wouldn't disappoint.
After greeting Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray, Ethan Gray left with Lynn Yee.
Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray knew that Ethan Gray had always been close to the current Emperor, but they weren’t worried about Ethan suffering any losses!
The revelry and laughter lasted all night, finally quieting with the arrival of dawn. The groom, whom everyone had tried so hard to get drunk, had long since vanished without a trace.
Because the Four Hall Masters of the Ghost Guild wanted to avoid being exhausted after the wedding, they did everything they could to shield the groom from being forced to drink. If he ended up drunk, who could say who was responsible? Then, wouldn’t the entire martial world come after the Ghost Guild? This was also why Ethan Gray was so vexed.
It wasn’t that they wanted to oppose the former Sect Master, but in theory, their loyalty should belong to the new one!
With this perfectly reasonable excuse, the four did their best to avoid Damien Gray’s gaze and safely escorted Quentin Hua into the bridal chamber.
Early the next morning, Roxy Shangguan received a report from a junior member that her elder brother had left for urgent matters.
Roxy Shangguan didn’t mind; after all, her brother was always busy. The Cloud Guild was no less powerful than the Ghost Guild, but she herself wasn’t nearly as occupied. She truly wondered what kept him so busy all the time.
She seemed to forget that besides the Ghost Guild, there was also the Ghost King’s Manor, and an Emperor who often needed his help.
Thinking of Morgan Shangguan and Damien Gray, Roxy couldn’t help but ask, “Where are Father and Mother?” She wondered how long they’d stay this time.
"Master and the Ghost King said they’ve found a perfect place to retire and plan to live in seclusion for a few years."
Hearing this, Roxy was speechless and pouted, "How long have they been back?"
Quentin Hua drew her gently into his arms, his voice soft as a breeze. "But I'm here with you, aren't I? If you ever miss them, we could join them in their peaceful retreat."
Roxy nestled against his chest and shook her head. "No way. If we disturb their little world, Father will sulk for days! If we're going to retire, let it be just the two of us." She cherished their time alone, unwilling to let anyone intrude.
Quentin Hua kissed her cheek, doting on her. "As long as you’re happy!"
The junior member—one of the Ghost Guild's youngest—quietly slipped out. If he didn't, he'd surely be sent flying by the Princess. Sigh... Life was hard for a ghost, no matter where you went.
"How shameless! Unable to beat this princess so you resort to sneak attacks—how disgraceful!" Yuna muttered, complaining about her shameless father, Damien.
She tried to move and sit up, wanting to see where she’d landed. After all, her father hadn’t held back with that kick! But something felt odd—she couldn’t quite say what, only that everything seemed strange.
Slowly accepting the memories of some animal—yes, animal memories—Yuna realized she’d truly been kicked hard! It was as if her own father had kicked her to death!
So what if she died! Why did her father have to be so ruthless, turning her into an animal? And one that couldn’t even transform back! She was the strongest in Windcloud Continent, her mother’s precious darling! Even if he didn’t care about her, couldn’t he at least care about her mother? No mercy at all! When she got back, she’d definitely persuade her mother to remarry!
Yuna trudged over to the riverbank and took a look. Her four tiny legs were barely visible, her body was round and fluffy, snow-white, with cat-like ears—small, with just a little point. Her whole body was only about the size of two fists. All in all, she was just a little ball of fluff, looking somewhat like a cat, but not really a cat. She had no idea what kind of strange creature she’d become!
Her angelic face! Her devilish figure! All gone now.
Sigh... Her new body was still a coveted treasure—a Divine Beast. But Divine Beasts in this world seemed very different from those in Windcloud Continent!
Oh well, she’d better figure out how to turn back into a human soon and go settle the score with her father! The worst part was, her powers were suppressed. She was still strong, but not enough to rip through space—clearly, someone had done this on purpose!
"Awooo..." Yuna howled a few times. The sound was soft and cute, lacking any power, but she didn’t care—she just wanted to vent. "Damien, just wait! I’ll bring a horde of handsome men to steal Mother away, and you’ll be left all alone!"
After her bold declaration, Yuna glanced at the slightly larger Divine Beast corpse nearby. That was her new body’s mother—though still quite small. Her mother’s life had come to an end, so she’d performed the inheritance ritual for Yuna. But unexpectedly, the Divine Beast died midway, forcing Yuna to take its place and accept the inherited memories.
Now, she was the only Divine Beast left in this world. Apparently, Divine Beasts were highly sought after here—rare and precious, as spiritual creatures everyone wanted. There was even a rumor that Divine Beasts were sent by Heaven to help humans, and anyone who harmed one would be punished by Heaven. Because of this, her mother had lived peacefully for ages, even with people trying to snatch her away. But her mother had spent thousands of years in these deep forests, so the legend of the Divine Beast was just that—a legend.