Nightfall descended as the land was shrouded in darkness. High above in the sky, a silver moon hung quietly, casting down a faint silver radiance that gently pushed back the shadows.
Above the imperial capital, a streak of radiant light slowly descended into the city. The powerful aura it carried caused countless citizens below to look up in astonishment.
Although the turmoil of war had already spread to the Holy City of Jia Ma, it was still the imperial capital of the Jia Ma Empire. The empire's elite troops were stationed there, as long as the Snake-People Tribe hadn't invaded.
Thus, the capital remained the same decadent and lavish playground, where the wealthy sons of noble families continued their nightly revelries, living carefree lives.
Despite recent unrest, the city's no-fly order was still in place.
"A Magic Beast! A Magic Beast has entered the city!"
"That... That looks like the Amethyst Winged Lion King from the Magic Beast Mountain Range!"
Under the bright moonlight, someone recognized the massive figure flying overhead.
This revelation immediately caused an uproar among the crowd.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King was a Tier Six Magic Beast, equivalent in strength to a Dou Huang (Battle Emperor) expert.
Now that almost all of the empire's top experts had gone to the front lines, the sudden appearance of such a beast in the capital was bound to cause chaos.
Panic spread quickly among the people. Some of the more timid citizens collapsed to the ground, their legs giving out from fear.
Of course, there were still some powerful figures stationed in the city.
With their strength, they could clearly see that atop the Amethyst Winged Lion King were two figures.
And to some of them, these two were not unfamiliar.
Alchemist Association Headquarters
Several figures shot into the sky. Leading them was an old man dressed in a purple alchemist's robe—none other than Fa Ma, President of the Alchemist Association.
He was also one of the Ten Great Experts of the Jia Ma Empire.
With his hands clasped behind his back, Fa Ma smiled lightly and said, "It's that young man again. No need to follow me, I'll go check it out myself."
With a flap of the purple wings on his back, he soared in the direction of the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
The Most Luxurious Restaurant in the Capital
Upstairs, Reina had just raised his wine cup when he suddenly froze. His eyes widened, and the cup fell from his hand with a crack, shattering on the floor. His mouth hung open in shock, as if he had just seen the most terrifying thing in his life, completely speechless.
"What's wrong, Old Lei?" asked Yan Shi, who was seated opposite him and drinking casually. With his back to the window, he couldn't see what was happening outside.
"It... it's that demon god!"
Reina pointed a trembling finger behind Yan Shi, toward the massive silhouette drifting across the night sky.
Sensing something was off, Yan Shi quickly turned around. The moment he saw it, his face turned pale. He gulped and stammered, "T-That's the Amethyst Winged Lion King... W-Why is it in the capital!?"
"That's not the important part. Look who's riding on its back!" Reina said, visibly terrified.
Yan Shi focused his gaze and saw two figures on the beast's back—one man and one woman—and a smaller Amethyst Winged Lion King following behind.
"What about them?" Yan Shi asked, puzzled.
"That man in white... he's the human who appeared at the Snake-People royal palace that day! Both Elder Jia and the Ice Empress were defeated by him!"
"What!?" Yan Shi was shaken. He had heard from Reina that even after Yao Huang Han Feng led a group of powerful experts to the Snake-People Tribe, they were still utterly defeated by that youth.
After that, Reina started calling him the Demon God.
"L-Old Shi, do you think that Demon God has come to the capital to seek revenge? With all the Dou Huang experts at the front lines, no one would be able to stop him."
Reina wasn't surprised that the Amethyst Winged Lion King followed the Demon God. With his strength, subduing such a beast wasn't impossible.
"Let's get out of here. We've crossed paths with that Demon God before. If he sees us, we're finished!"
Yan Shi didn't even bother with his drink. He immediately prepared to flee the capital.
"Shouldn't we at least inform Princess Yao Ye? She doesn't even know what her enemy looks like," Reina suggested.
"Are you crazy? If the Demon God is here for revenge, the palace will be his first stop. Trying to contact her now is like asking to die."
"But we serve the royal family..."
"The war's practically over. The royal family's finished—it's just a matter of time. Better them than us. Let's disappear."
Without further hesitation, Yan Shi pulled out a black cloak from his storage ring, draped it over himself to hide his aura, and leapt from the restaurant window into the crowd below, heading swiftly toward the city gates.
Reina hesitated for a moment, then followed.
Old Shi was right—there was no need to throw their lives away for the royal family.
After all, Reina had more grudges with that Demon God than Yan Shi did.
Above the Jia Ma Holy City
"Haha, if it isn't President Fa Ma. Long time no see."
Standing atop the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Chen Mo cupped his fists in greeting toward the purple-robed elder.
Fa Ma, with his white hair and face like withered bark, appeared ancient and frail.
Their paths had crossed once before, during the Alchemist Association's assessment. At the time, Chen Mo had shocked everyone by becoming a Tier Three Alchemist at the age of nineteen, drawing Fa Ma's attention.
Seeing Chen Mo being so polite, a kind smile appeared on Fa Ma's weathered face. He chuckled, "Little friend Chen Mo, long time no see. What brings you to the capital?"
Fa Ma's gaze lingered on the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
Chen Mo grinned. "Well, I managed to win over the beauty from the Mittel Clan, so I had to accompany her back for a family visit."
Seated in front, Ya Fei instantly blushed. She shot Chen Mo a glare before turning and bowing respectfully to Fa Ma. "Mittel Ya Fei greets Master Fa Ma."
Fa Ma blinked in surprise, then began stroking his white beard as he laughed heartily. After casting a deep glance at Ya Fei, he said:
"That old fox Teng Shan sure is lucky, snaring a future Rank Seven Alchemist."
"Rank Seven Alchemist?" Ya Fei asked, puzzled.
Chen Mo gave her a brief explanation.
After witnessing Chen Mo's talent as a Tier Three Alchemist at only nineteen—greater even than Gu He's—Fa Ma had concluded that he was destined to reach Rank Seven in the future.
"So that's how it is..." Ya Fei murmured.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King beneath them let out a low, rumbling growl.
After exchanging a few more words with Fa Ma, Chen Mo took Ya Fei and left.
"Drop by the Alchemist Association sometime," Fa Ma invited.
"Definitely," Chen Mo replied with a nod.
Mittel Clan Headquarters
"G-Great Elder, the Amethyst Winged Lion King is headed this way!"
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