A woman wearing a maid outfit and with vine-like hair stood quietly outside a certain mountain range, which was covered in trees. Her light green skin glistened gently with the moisture of the air, and her beauty emitted such natural gentleness and virtue that she felt like part of the environment.

The woman sighed, looking at the treetops that allowed only a few rays of light to fall. ’Madam Kali... I wonder if Young Miss will understand.’

Flora, one of Yasenia’s maids, couldn’t help but feel a bit worried for Kali. While her main allegiance was with Yasenia, having accompanied Kali for so many years, she felt that it would be a shame if a misunderstanding were to occur. She had even thought of secretly killing that annoyance many times over.

In the end, thinking about Yasenia’s order to never disobey Kali, she held back.

As she was pondering, her communication device suddenly lit up, making her blink. "Hello?"

Anna’s calm voice reached her. "Flora, we are in Skyria. Where are you and Kali? Can you give us coordinates?"

Flora was first stunned and then happy. However, that happiness was quickly enveloped in a sense of worry. "Head Maid, I am in the [Cralure Mountain Forest]. However, coming here is not easy."

"Don’t worry about that. Since we know where you are, we will naturally have a way to go over."

Flora didn’t say anything else, humming in affirmation. After placing the communication device back, Flora looked behind her. These mountain ranges and everything around were part of the sealing formation, one of, if not the strongest, sealing formations in this world.

Of course, Flora was not worried. Only, she wondered if her Young Miss would use heavy hands to come over.

Meanwhile, back at Yasenia’s side, Anna looked at Yasenia with a smile. "Young Miss, we are finally close enough to connect even through the formation interference around Flora. It was a great idea following the [Endless Death Poison Sect]."

Yasenia hummed, her crossed leg swinging back and forth in thought. In the distance, Yasenia could see a black-haired woman and a blonde woman fighting using poisons and healing arts.

"Leral! Give up Kali’s confinement location!"

"Du Yanyu. I already told you that she went there voluntarily. Even Young Lord Xa Tian asked us for her release. However, it is Kali who doesn’t want to get unsealed!"

"Lies! Leral, do you think I don’t know your petty schemes? Also, who does Xa Tian think he is!? A frog who wants to eat swan meat!"

Leral’s face turned cold. "Lord Xa Tian is the hope of our righteous sects. A talent never seen once in ten thousand years. Young Lord deciding on that crazy woman is her luck."

Du Yanyu sneered. "Your tone sounds so bitter that I can almost taste it. No wonder you don’t want to give her up."

Yasenia’s eyes were a touch dark as she listened. She had been in Skyria for around three weeks already. That was a short time, but it was long enough to get to understand the general situation of the world.

Kali, having been involved right at the core of most conflicts due to her parasite practice, was also rather easy to investigate. With her maid’s methods, she more or less had an understanding of what had been happening.

’Soulmate...’

Yasenia chewed that word with incredible bitterness and a trace of unease.

Our dragoness had never been someone who jumped to conclusions. However, even if she wanted to keep a rational mind and wait to hear Kali’s version of what happened, her heart was not comfortable in the slightest.

The reason was that, with Valeria helping, Kali should absolutely not have any problems dealing with whoever pestered her. For now, the facts were that the man named Xa Tian, the Young Lord and heir of the strongest Beast Clan in this world, was still alive even when he announced to the world over 20 years ago that he was Kali’s soulmate.

’20 years...’

Yasenia’s golden slit eyes dimmed, her expressionless look making those around not dare to even breathe. She slowly stood up, and everyone else followed like tensed soldiers before war.

Then, she stepped forward and crossed the distance between herself and the battlefield. The second she arrived, her aura exploded with ferocity. "Stop."

Her voice, carrying the weight of her bloodline, strength, and even Dragon Force, boomed in everyone’s mind like a thunderclap, even when Yasenia’s volume was not loud.

Du Yanyu and Leral, who had been exchanging skills, felt constricted, as if countless snakes were twisting around them. Looking at the new arrival, both of them were instantly both mesmerized and terrified. ’W-Who is this gorgeous woman?’

Yasenia looked back and forth between them and spoke. "You two must be Leral and Du Yanyu. One is a former sect member of Kali, and the other is a friend."

Leral felt cold sweat soaking her back. She had initially thought of attacking, but the expressionless dragon woman made her feel powerless and scared. "T-That’s right. Who might you be?"

Yasenia moved her eyes. "Were any of you two there when Xa Tian... awakened as Kali’s potential... soulmate?"

Du Yanyu and Leral didn’t know who this person was, but they got some ideas. Leral thought that she was Xa Tian’s suitor, so wanting to put Kali into trouble, she quickly nodded. "I was there."

Knowing her intentions, Du Yanyu glared at Leral, but she dared not interrupt. Instinct told her that if she made one wrong movement, her head might fly off her shoulders.

Leral took a secret breath to try to calm her pounding heart. Yasenia spoke before Leral continued. "I want objective facts, actions, and dialogues. If you dare exaggerate something in order to frame either side... I’ll exterminate your sect."

While Leral wanted to ask where Yasenia had gotten so much confidence, just a single look into her indifferent and gloomy golden eyes made her unable to utter those words. ’In front of this woman, I am insignificant.’

Who knew that she, a top powerhouse in the world, would become scared under someone’s gaze?

So, under the dragon’s coercion, Leral didn’t dare exaggerate facts.

***

Around 20 years ago, several dozen forces decided to hold a meeting. This meeting was suggested to pacify the escalating opposition between the traditional medicinal factions like Leral’s [Ancient Forest Sect], and new ones like Kali’s [Endless Death Poison Sect].

The problem between them was that traditional medicinal sects didn’t allow their disciples to openly practice poison or parasite skills. It was a pure healing class, with rather basic classes on poisons to learn about antidotes and such.

Meanwhile, Kali’s sect, while mainly focusing on righteous alchemy, didn’t prohibit its disciples from practicing more less-liked alchemy. They even had poison masters, with Kali acting as a parasite teacher.

Of course, Kali’s teachings were about the positive uses of parasites to cure some cultivation afflictions. She never revealed how to create harmful ones.

Still, neither side cared much about the details, as it was more about deciding which practice was considered righteous and which one was considered demonic.

To preside over this, the strongest beast clan and many other top-notch clans participated so that there were no problems. The problem was that this time, the strongest Beast Clan decided to make use of this situation to bring out their heir to see the world and get in touch with top-tier forces.

Leral, Kali, and many more arrived at the venue, and once they did, Xa Tian’s gaze couldn’t help but gravitate toward the veiled fox. He was not a bad person in the slightest. He was a top-tier genius with a good personality, leadership qualities, and strong morals.

So, after a glance, he retrieved his gaze.

Leral, Kali, and the others then approached, and as an honor, they decided to cup at each other. So, the Sect Leaders moved one by one, and here is where Leral noticed an oddity.

When Kali and Xa Tian cupped fists toward each other, she noticed both of them freeze for a second. Then, strangely, Leral saw Kali quickly jump back and spoke with a cold voice. "I hope Young Lord doesn’t take what happened to heart. I am already married."

It was such a baffling thing to say that they immediately attracted the attention of most people in the meeting room. Leral then saw Xa Tian pause and then sigh. "Miss Kali, you know that these things are fated. While I do not intend to force anything, the fact that we resonated is not—"

"Shut up." Kali’s voice, colder than Leral had ever heard, echoed sharply, and she continued, her eyes under the veil frosty. "I am warning you, Xa Tian. Do not dare to have any ideas. If you speak of this, I will never forgive you."

Xa Tian shook his head, his tone soft but dignified. "Miss Kali, you can’t escape a soulmate connection."

Immediately after he said that, Xa Tian’s father felt all his hair raise as he quickly appeared in front of Xa Tian. The next second, Kali’s figure appeared before him and punched out with enough strength to blow up worlds.

BOOM!!

The father grunted, his steps creating two holes in the ground as he slid back. ’What a monstrous physical strength.’

He could feel that the bones in both his forearms had fractured a bit. He quickly spoke. "Lady Kali, please control your instinct. We can speak about this more in-depth later. You don’t want to create an irreversible situation, do you?"

Kali’s cold green eyes behind the veil looked at him for a few seconds before she turned around to sit in her seat. Xa Tian’s father breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at his shocked son with a touch of anger. "Don’t you know that females who are not agreeable become incredibly aggressive if you try to force it!? If you want her, court her slowly, but do not force her or she will tear your throat out so that this connection never happens."

While a soulmate connection signified incredible compatibility and fate, if one side was not agreeable, the result would naturally be a terrifying resistance. Worse, since Kali was Yasenia’s, and she still had Yasenia’s aura on her, this connection was like a slap to her face.

The fact that she didn’t kill him right there and then, as her emotions spiked, was that, in this meeting, she needed to protect the people standing behind her.

***

Leral looked at Yasenia, licking her lips as she felt slightly parched. "T-That’s what happened. After that, Kali ignored Xa Tian and made sure they didn’t meet. Then, a few years later, she chose to exchange her freedom for letting her people go, as things were tilting out of favor."

Yasenia’s face didn’t change, showing no emotions outwardly. "Did they meet during those years before confinement?"

Leral looked at Du Yanyu, as she would know more about this than her.

Du Yanyu, having been thrown the baton, almost wanted to rip Leral’s blonde hair out of her scalp. Still, to keep her own hair from being pulled out by Yasenia, she could only talk.

"Mistress Kali and that frog did meet once. During that time, Xa Tian tried to speak with Mistress Kali, not knowing his place. As a result, Mistress Kali sent him flying with a kick and then returned to the sect." She added with a touch of resentment. "It was not long after that meeting that Mistress Kali decided on the stupid sealing strategy."

Yasenia’s eyes didn’t change as she looked down. ’A kick? Just a kick?’

After taking a deep breath, she asked coldly. "Where is Kali’s seal?"

This time, both of them hesitated. Yasenia, her emotions pulled into a tight string, raised her hand and fired a powerful Celestial Energy blast, killing over 20 people randomly from both sects. The raw Celestial Energy tore through space itself, creating a massive black rift that extended for thousands of kilometers.

"Hesitate again, and I’ll slaughter everyone."

Leral looked at Du Yanyu, and finally, both of them pointed in the same direction. "Straight that way."

Yasenia nodded and used [Pegasus Gallop], soaring in that direction at a ridiculous speed neither Leral nor Du Yanyu could follow.

After Yasenia left, Leral looked at Du Yanyu and then turned around. "That monster is going her way. Our fight is now meaningless. Whatever happens from now is... out of our hands."

Du Yanyu bit her lips until they bled, her eyes resentful at her own lack of strength.