After returning home, Ling Suya sat down at her dinner table and stared at the wall blankly. During the last ten hours, she had seen the Dragon woman fight time and time again. The Dragon's enemies, the copies of her adored Death Saintess, struggled and exchanged blows with their lives on the line.
A single mistake would result in the dragon woman taking over and unleashing a relentless chain of attacks that made counterattacking impossible. Once Yasenia took the lead in battle, stealing it from her was like trying to take a treasure from the deathly grip of a dragon.
"How?" Ling Suya muttered, the cold and dark room remaining silent at her question. "How is she able to gain an advantage against Lady Death Saintess?" Her heart felt stuffy, and before she knew it, a voice whispered very softly in her ear.
"It's clear, she was cheating. Only you know and see it."
Ling Suya blinked. "Right. She must be. Otherwise, it is impossible."
"Our poor Death Saintess. The beauty of the beast has deceived her. She is blinded."
Ling Suya nodded, her lips cracking in a broken smile. "That's right."
"We must save our Death Saintess. For that, we need strength, right?"
Ling Suya blinked and frowned. "Strength… Isn't it too early to break through?"
"Is it? Will you watch as our Death Saintess is stolen and deceived by the dragon? You could feel it as well, couldn't you? A powerful and attractive Yang energy resides within her."
Ling Suya showed incomprehension. "I did but… What is wrong with that?"
"Isn't it clear? That Dragon is one of those erratic beings. She can manipulate the Sun and the Moon. Yin and Yang. Female…"
Ling Suya's eyes darkened as she completed the sentence. "...and male."
Once she was pushed in that direction, her eyes shone with madness as she slammed the table to powder. "NO! LADY DEATH SAINTESS MUST NOT BE SULLIED!"
"Fufufu~. Then, how do you explain it? How do you think someone as high and mighty as her can be deceived by the cheating dragon?"
"Stop."
"You know it."
"Don't say it."
"They've probably mixed already, haven't they?"
"I told you to stop!"
"Entangled in a bed, the dragon mounting her and sharing their—"
"SHUT UP ALREADY! THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!"
BOOM!
With her eyes bloodshot, Ling Suya's Death Energy burst out, slamming against the walls and creating large cracks that spread like a spiderweb. Thankfully, the houses could bear the strain. Otherwise, everything would've collapsed.
As the woman breathed roughly, she looked around, her face twisted. The voice that was talking was gone, but the idea remained in her head. "Strength… I need strength. I need to convince others. I must save Lady Death Saintess from the one deceiving her. That…" Her face twisted with disgust. "...abomination of nature. Something that Heaven didn't intend. It must go!"
Meanwhile, Yasenia arrived home, slightly tired of all the fighting. Eventually, she also overestimated herself. Xing Jimie's copy was not someone she could easily defeat. Her limit ultimately turned out to be Level 5 Transcendence with a Level 3 Intent Domain. Level 6 was too overwhelming, and Level 4 Death Intent Domain utterly suppressed her own, making fighting a race against the current.
While Cai Xue took off her clothes, Yasenia muttered to herself. "I won three times and lost once… Even then, that third win was so close that Xing Jimie almost stopped our battle. I was risking it quite a bit."
Cai Xue couldn't help but feel her lips twitch. "Um… Lady Yasenia, if I may?"
"Hm?" Yasenia looked down at the girl and nodded. "Go ahead."
As she placed the nightgown on Yasenia's naked body, making sure that her tail went through the correct hole, Cai Xue spoke lightly. "Lady Yasenia must remember that Lady Death Saintess's copy is not an average cultivator. She is the copy of someone who has understood the supreme [Death Law]. Hence, at the same level, Lady Death Saintess would usually be unbeatable. Yet, Lady Yasenia could defeat a copy three levels above. I think that's plenty strong."
Yasenia raised her arms and chuckled while Cai Xue tied the sashsash around her waist from behind. "...I guess you are right. However, I like to look up and reach for more. As long as my foothold is stable and my foundation solid, there is no reason why I must stop where I am."
After finishing dressing Yasenia, Cai Xue internally sighed. 'I resisted another day. Good job, Cai Xue!'
The maid guided Yasenia to a dressing table at the side of the bed and sat her down on a comfy, cushioned tabouret. With a mirror in front, Cai Xue's agile fingers began changing the dragon's hairstyle.
"I do agree with that outlook. Nevertheless, won't you become tired of always chasing the stars? Lady Yasenia, you are constantly applying pressure. You must learn to relax and meditate."
Yasenia knew everything Cai Xue was saying. She even agreed with it. However… "I can't, Cai Xue."
The maid blinked twice, confused. "May I ask why not?"
"I am not chasing some illusory star." Yasenia looked up, her thick black hair gently dropping behind her. "The being I am chasing after is very real. An objective that I've seen plenty of times. Sadly, that objective is also taking wide strides forward. So, if I ever want to catch up, I can't rest. Each day I rest is the same as undoing five days of progress."
"..." Cai Xue didn't speak… Or better said, she couldn't. Yasenia's current gaze was both admirable and heartbreaking. Her somewhat unfocused silver eyes seemed to fog over as she thought of this objective, yet her lips were pressed together. Even as a spectator, Cai Xue could tell that it was a difficult task.
'If it is difficult for Lady Yasenia… I can't even imagine how harsh it can be. An objective Lady Yasenia can't achieve easily is something almost all other people would fail even before the start line.'
Yasenia noticed Cai Xue's gaze through the mirror and chuckled. "Don't worry about me. This objective is something I've chased for as long as I can remember. All my life has been this constant path of balancing progress and death. If I went too fast, my end would welcome me before I knew it. If I went too slow, other things might catch up and kill me. Regardless, I've already become accustomed."
She laughed a bit. "I can still see my naive young self. Back then, I really wasn't even aware of how daunting my task would be. What I saw was an illusion. Only after a few events did I truly understand… My objective is just as monstrous as myself."
Cai Xue bowed, her fingers still touching Yasenia's silky hair. The sensation was truly addictive. "I am sorry if I made Lady Yasenia recall unwanted memories."
"Not at all. It is the opposite, actually." Yasenia's smile was warm and soft. "I am glad I had this conversation with you. It helped me review my situation." She then asked, her tone playful. "So. Are you done? Or is my hair comfortable to hold?"
Cai Xue, who was dazedly playing with the beautiful black hair locks, jumped a bit and blushed. "T-That, I am sorry, Lady Yasenia. I got slightly dazed."
Yasenia laughed and stood up, towering a head over Cai Xue. The maid's eyes naturally rested at the perfect height to have her vision filled with two soft white mountains larger than her own head. 'So bouncy… Not! Look down and don't fall into temptation, Cai Xue!'
The dragoness stepped away, her silver-colored eyes showing a hint of amusement. As she moved away, the wind carried her flowery fragrance. Then, she rested her body face down on the bed. The comfortable mattress molded around her curves, making her sigh with contentment. "Cai Xue, I will ask you today as well."
The maid stiffly moved over, sitting on the bed and trying her best to remain stoic. "I will proceed with the massage, then."
"Yes."
Yasenia closed her eyes and moved her conscience away. The comfortable sensation of Cai Xue's massage didn't disappear, though, making her tail slowly wag, limp and languid.
"Let's see…" Yasenia moved into her soul, stepping into the entrance of the ancient temple. "The two skills remain the same. Their text didn't change much, although there are still some lines I can't understand…"
Two skills attached to the gates of a temple like this one were anything but normal. Yasenia knew it, but her understanding of Heaven and Earth was still too shallow to peer into their deepest secrets. "Anyway, let's go in."
Her steps were unhurried as she entered. The 27 doors lined up beautifully, the majestic temple shining with ethereal lights that left those viewing in awe. Her steps echoed lightly on the marble floor, and soon, she arrived at the fourth deepest door.
"Let's see if I was correct. Open."
When she put strength into her hands, the stone door creaked and opened, confirming her previous doubts. "As expected, this first floor has three doors per level of the Transcendence Realm… But aren't there three doors missing? In total, there are nine levels and then the half-step, right? So, there should be 30 doors, not 27…"
With that doubt in her mind, she observed the crystal in the middle of the room. The spiritual energy on it overflowed with even more purity than the red crystal she studied before. "Hm… I know that I can easily get lost in time when studying these crystals. So, I will wait until Tatyana arrives. Otherwise, I will be interrupted by something…" Just imagining it made her feel angry. "If I got interrupted during a critical moment, I feel that I would smite whoever did it."
Unlike when she was with her lovers, Yasenia couldn't cultivate at will. So, instead, she opened her eyes and noticed that Cai Xue was almost done. Currently, her hands were massaging her calves and feet.
As she rested, Xing Jimie entered the bedroom. "Yasenia, I want to ask you something."
The dragoness blinked a few times and looked at Xing Jimie strangely. "Hey, can't you at least knock? What if I were in the middle of something intimate, Lady Death Saintess?"
The woman looked at Yasenia indifferently. "What if you were? Do you think I would react like a little girl? Moreover, if I come over, it means that it is important, doesn't it?"
Yasenia snorted and spoke to Cai Xue. "Continue. Let's hear the so-called very important thing."
Xing Jimie snorted a laugh. Then, she commented. "I heard from a few informants that a few Dragons, Divines, and even Demons are going to come in a few days. You should prepare. After all, their objective is you."
Yasenia's relaxed expression froze, showing confusion and bewilderment. "What? Why?"
Xing Jimie shrugged. "Who knows? Either way, be mindful and don't enter secluded cultivation."