When the green-clothed girl burst into the hall crying, Rainbow Court Mistress Elena and Zoe Rainveil both froze in surprise. Before they could ask what was wrong, she dropped to her knees and sobbed, "Mistress, you must stand up for me! I only have one family in this world—my brother. But just now, his Soul-link pendant shattered."
That means something terrible has happened to him. I don't know why this happened, but I suspect it has something to do with Skysoar Sect."
A flash of surprise crossed Elena's face before she said, "May, I know about this already. It definitely has to do with Skysoar Sect. Your brother sent me a message just now—I believe his accident is connected to that transmission."
"Mistress, you mean my brother contacted you? What did he say? Why would Skysoar Sect treat him so ruthlessly? He was one of their Protectors and contributed so much." May Mei asked, her voice trembling.
"May, your brother suffered misfortune because of Rainbow Court. I swear I'll avenge him, but now isn't the time. Rainbow Court is facing an unprecedented catastrophe—we must focus all our efforts on surviving this crisis." Elena said solemnly.
"Is this catastrophe related to my brother's message? What kind of disaster would make Mistress so cautious?" May Mei whispered, knowing that as a low-status disciple she wasn't entitled to know sect secrets.
"Your brother's message said that Poison Maiden is preparing to refine a peerless poison aimed at Rainbow Court. If she succeeds, the consequences will be unimaginable—even I would barely survive if struck. After he learned this, your brother used his Soul-link pendant to warn me. I suspect he was discovered while sending the message and silenced as a result," Elena explained.
Hatred burned in May Mei's eyes as she said slowly, "Poison Maiden dares to murder my brother—one day I'll personally kill that vile woman and avenge him! But with Skysoar Sect so arrogant now, what can we do?"
"We must strengthen our defenses for now. Everyone should avoid going out unless necessary, and if needed, we'll activate the grand protective array. This crisis is no small matter. Right now, it's not just Skysoar Sect that harbors hostility toward Rainbow Court—Drifting Cloud Guild and Heavenblade Sect do as well. If one attacks, the others will seize the chance to strike," Elena warned.
"May, the information your brother brought us at the cost of his life is extremely important. Now that you have no family left, I will be your family. If you don't mind, from now on call me 'sister.' I would be honored to have you as my little sister," Zoe Rainveil said gently.
"Can I really? I'm just an ordinary disciple—how could I possibly be sisters with the Second Young Mistress?" May Mei asked, a little overwhelmed.
"Of course you can. If you feel the status gap is too great, then just serve at my side. We'll address each other as sisters—how's that? I don't want you to refuse," Zoe said with a smile.
Serving her really just meant spending time together—Zoe already had dedicated attendants. To be addressed as a sister was a rare honor. May Mei wasn't foolish; she understood Zoe's meaning. Refusing would be far too tactless.
"Thank you, Second Young Mistress. I'll do my best to serve you well," May Mei replied respectfully.
"Alright, now that you've become sisters, I'm sure you have plenty to talk about. Zoe, May has lost her brother and must be suffering—make sure you comfort her. You two may leave now," Elena said.
"Got it, Mother! Don't worry, I know what to do." Zoe laughed, then turned to May Mei: "Come on, May, let's go!"
The two young women left the main hall together. Watching their retreating figures, Elena fell into deep thought. This crisis was truly hard to face—unless they could find the two people Evan Chu had mentioned. With a bitter smile, she murmured, "Let things take their course. Some things just can't be forced."
Meanwhile, in a mountain range somewhere in the God Realm, a giant golden bird and a blazing red lion were fighting several God-Lord realm cultivators. Both beasts were injured, but neither showed any sign of wanting to escape.
"You think you can run again this time? Just surrender and make a Soul Contract with me—then you'll enjoy a life of luxury. But if you keep resisting, I won't hesitate to have my men kill you." said the purple-robed youth, who hadn't lifted a finger himself.
"Goldwing, are you done playing around? Should we finally show them what we're really made of?" the lion asked the golden bird.
"That's enough. But I don't want to expose our true identities or power—it's bad for the boss. His foundation in the God Realm is still shaky, so we need to search for him in secret. I say we leave now." Goldwing said.
"We could kill these people, but it would cost us dearly. If we draw stronger enemies, it'll be a huge problem. Just hop on my back—let's get out of here fast. We've seen enough of what God-Lord realm can do; there's no need to waste more time," the golden bird continued.
"We'll do it your way this time. For our big brother's sake, we have to endure!" the lion agreed. With a flash of red light, he shrank into a tiny, puppy-sized red dog.
The golden bird also flashed, transforming into a small golden bird. The little red dog jumped onto its back. "You lowly ants—we don't have time to play with you. Next time we meet, we'll take your lives," the golden bird said coldly.
With a gentle flap of its wings, the golden bird vanished in an instant—its speed far surpassing ordinary teleportation.
Seeing the two divine beasts disappear before his eyes, the purple-robed youth's face twisted with rage. "Useless! All of you are useless! You can't even catch two God-Lord realm beasts—why do I bother keeping you around? Aren't you always bragging about how powerful you are? Why so quiet now?"
"Young master, you saw it yourself—it wasn't that we didn't try, but the golden bird's speed is just too fast. Even if we wanted to chase, there's nothing we could do. And their spatial domain doesn't affect them at all—one breaks through with speed, the other absorbs the energy inside," one black-clothed youth explained.
"Those two divine beasts must be extraordinary—maybe they're the young of some top-tier species. If I could capture them, my reputation would soar. But they escaped right under my nose. It's infuriating," the purple-robed youth grumbled...