Clairvoyant Vision swept across the area, but Ian couldn't spot any trace of the black-clothed elder. However, the green-clothed girl and two blue-clothed girls were hiding in a forest several hundred meters away, watching him from afar.
After a brief hesitation, Ian decided to "deal with" the three women first. He communicated with the Golden Howler, which instantly turned into a streak of golden light and disappeared.
Inside the forest, the green-clothed girl murmured regretfully, "I didn't expect that kid to resolve the crisis so easily. I was hoping to save his life and make him remember our favor, but it looks like we've missed our chance."
"Don't worry, Greenie. There will definitely be more chances," the blue-clothed girl Mandy comforted her.
Greenie nodded in agreement. "That's true. If Leon Huang isn't killed, that old guy won't be able to answer to Liamson Liang. He'll definitely keep coming after that kid." At this, her delicate brows furrowed slightly. "But with a Golden Howler as his pet, even a third-tier sea demonic beast can't do anything to him. To put him in real danger, we'd need at least a fourth-tier sea demonic beast!"
"Greenie, why don't we lure out a fourth-tier demonic beast ourselves, then step in to save him!" suggested the other blue-clothed girl, Jade, her tone sly.
"Oh?" Greenie's eyes lit up, thinking to herself, "That's actually a great idea. Our lady is Princess Serena, the Seventh Princess of the Fox-Demon Clan, and we're her maids. I'm sure the sea demonic beast clans wouldn't refuse such a small favor."
Just then, a golden streak flashed, heading straight for Mandy.
Caught off guard, Mandy struck out with her palm to meet the golden streak.
But to her horror, her palm hit nothing but air. At the same time, a hand grabbed her and yanked her body backward at lightning speed.
Squelch!
Mandy felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. Looking down, she saw several bloody claw marks on it.
Boom! Boom!
Explosive qi burst out, and the golden shadow retreated to a tree branch, revealing the Golden Howler.
Greenie and Jade dragged the injured Mandy several meters back, warily staring at the Golden Howler.
"Greenie, this is bad! Leon Huang must've discovered us. Let's get out of here," Mandy warned, clutching her wound.
Greenie's eyes flashed with anger. She snorted, "How dare Leon Huang have the Golden Howler injure you? I won't let him off so easily. He'll regret this."
"Don't be impulsive, Greenie. The princess has her eye on him. Don't ruin her plans. Let's retreat," Mandy urged.
"So what? The princess has her eye on more than one talented human. Losing one won't matter. Either way, I won't let him off easy. He needs a lesson!" Greenie retorted stubbornly.
"How do you plan to teach me a lesson?" Ian's voice suddenly interjected.
Just then, Ian strolled over casually, stopping a few meters away and looking the three girls over with a teasing expression.
All three girls looked under twenty, yet each possessed mid-stage Grandmaster cultivation—impressive for their age.
"Leon Huang, you've got a lot of nerve, ordering the Golden Howler to injure one of us!" Greenie glared at Ian, demanding loudly.
Ian, unfazed, replied, "You've been sneaking after us for days. What's your purpose? If you don't explain, my Golden Howler won't stop at just scratching you."
"You already knew about us?" Greenie's expression darkened.
Ian smiled, "Of course. I sensed you three as soon as I left the city."
"How did you discover us, sir?" Mandy asked, still clutching her wound.
"Guess," Ian replied playfully.
"We mean you no harm, sir. We're only here under orders to protect you from the shadows," Mandy continued.
"You're acting on a princess's orders, aren't you?" Ian suddenly interjected.
At Ian's words, the three girls' expressions changed dramatically.
Greenie's eyes grew cold with murderous intent. "How do you know? Tell me!"
Of course, Ian wouldn't tell her he'd used Clairvoyant Vision to watch them talk and lip-read their words.
Unfazed by Greenie's threat, Ian smiled. "Let me guess—among the Human Race, there are no nations, no emperors, and no princesses. So your 'princess' can't be human. On Darkwing Star, Humans, Demons, and demonic beasts coexist. Let me guess again: is your princess Demon or demonic beast?"
At Ian's words, the three girls' faces changed again, and Greenie loudly protested, "You're lying! Our princess is human!"
Seeing this, Ian's lips curled into a playful smile. "With that reaction, I'm even more certain your princess isn't human." Ian continued, "Your princess must be hiding in the academy, with you as her maids. Only advanced students can keep attendants, and they often interact with the academy's upper echelons. If your princess were of the Devil Race, her aura would be hard to conceal, and their transformation arts are poor. But the Demon Race, once reaching Great Grandmaster, can take human form and hide their aura. So your princess must be Demon Race!"
Hearing Ian's analysis, the three girls' expressions grew even uglier.
"You're lying! Our princess isn't Demon Race!" Greenie insisted.
Ian looked at Greenie. "Your expression tells me your princess is Demon Race. I didn't expect the academy to be harboring a hidden demon princess!"
Suddenly, Greenie's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "Mandy, Jade, let's kill him! Otherwise, the princess's identity will be exposed!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Greenie turned into a blur and charged at Ian, while Mandy and Jade drew their swords and attacked the Golden Howler on the tree.
Bang!
Greenie's palm landed lightly on Ian's chest. A cold, murderous smile appeared on her lips. She thought, this guy may be clever, but he's too weak—killing him will be easy.
But just as she had that thought, she sensed something was wrong.
Ian, having taken her palm strike, stood unmoving, smiling at her.
"How did you... Die!" Greenie shouted.
Greenie struck again, but Ian was faster. He tapped her forehead, sending two streaks of black energy—Puppet Mastery Divine Art—straight into her sea of consciousness.
Meanwhile, Jade and Mandy wrapped themselves in their domains and fought the Golden Howler.
The Golden Howler was too fast and its claws too sharp. Their expanded domains couldn't block it, so they had to shrink their domains to protect their bodies. Still, as long as Greenie killed Leon Huang, the Golden Howler would stop being a threat. All they had to do was hold it off.
Unfortunately, their hopes were doomed, because under the Puppet Mastery Divine Art, Greenie had already become Ian's puppet.