Yasenia, unaware that two very familiar people were much closer than she had ever expected, was facing a second group of annoyances. Yasenia looked at them with her eyelids twitching.
She had expected it. It wasn't like it was a surprise. From the moment the empress singled her out, Yasenia knew she'd catch the attention of 90% of those attending.
Yet less than a month had passed, and this was the fourth group to approach her. Unlike the Incubi, the next two groups that came were not that bad. They were two powerful sects just below the Supreme Sects who had decent influence.
So Yasenia made conversation, politely declined their offers to go together, but still made some connections. It was not bad… until the group of Divines in front of her arrived.
'How were these species called? Gandharva?'
Their particular trait, distinct from other Divines, was their aura: outwardly sacred, yet with a certain allure. The shape of their wings was also more rounded, while the feathers were softer, like a fur pillow. It looked incredibly comfortable to be hugged by them and wrapped around by their wings.
The problem was that their current attitude was far from pleasant.
"Yasenia Dravory, come with us. Don't worry, you will be treated well. You, who have beauty surpassing that of Maras, are someone whom we will treat with respect."
Yasenia wanted to massage her temple. "Lord Ruce, I won't repeat myself. I already told you that our clan is in a situation where we can't give any group attention. Even if that were not the case, I am not someone who wants to get associated with Divines, as it is a very divisive position."
Ruce frowned. "That's a ridiculous statement. How could it be bad to be associated with our species? Moreover, if you don't come with us, you'll probably be ambushed by those dirty Incubi. Are you sure you want to know how that will end?"
Yasenia's face turned a touch colder. "You are threatening me that way? Let's be honest then."
Taking a step forward, Yasenia looked at him with her pupils thinned almost into vertical lines, her golden slit eyes threatening. "Do you believe that if I go with you lot, my end won't be a similar one? Your species is not exactly prude. Neither is your species one that would leave someone like me, or even my girls, alone. You'd use your charm tactics, try to boost your affection with them, and when something happened, you'd say it was a natural relationship, wouldn't you?"
The man and the rest of the Gandharva glanced at Yasenia with cold expressions, but Yasenia was undeterred. She looked around with a touch of disgust. "Incubi are annoying, but at least they are sincere about what they are and act as you'd expect them to. If you fall to an incubus, you know what you're getting yourself into from the very first meeting."
Her lips arched mockingly. "You lot, on the other side, act like righteous scumbags who use charm to forcefully change emotions in a subtle yet abhorrent way. If I had to deal with either species, I'd choose the incubi over you lot nine out of ten times!"
The leader, a Level Nine Throne Cleansing Divine, burst with tremendous strength, spreading his wings. Yasenia, though, was no slouch when it came to presence.
"You are going too far!"
Her dress opened at the back, and her two massive dragon wings spread out with a powerful gale. The Sun and Moon in her massive dragon wings shone brightly as her bloodline, constitution, and [Dragon Strength] all exploded with vicious pressure.
"The ones going too far are your group!"
Yasenia's roar, accompanied by a dragon growl, caused the Divines to stiffen for a second. They had never in their wildest dreams expected a Level 5 Mythical Core Beast to explode with enough pressure comparable to many Half-Steps.
Even the Level Nine Divine felt the pressure as Yasenia's monstrous momentum swallowed his aura. "This is the last time I say this before we move on to something more than words. Leave. If I want any further communication with your race, it won't be with your species."
The Level Nine Divine felt somewhat ashamed that Yasenia had overwhelmed him. However, unlike the incubi, he also knew that entering a conflict with Yasenia as it was now was not a good idea. Even if he managed to win and drag Yasenia with him, the Shang Family, among many others, wouldn't leave him alone.
His eyes flicked to Shang Qinqin for a second as he calculated, then he snorted. "Your loss. When you fall into the hands of those incubi, you'll be regretting today's choice."
With those words, he turned around and left with the rest.
Tatyana, who had been prepared to activate the formation for Divines, lowered her energy. As mentioned before, they had a total of four formations for each species, and then around six for the rest. It was not nearly enough for the over 100 groups that had come to the Royal Hunt, but at least it would make them threatening enough
After they left, Evelyn walked forward and hummed. "No bad vibes this time around? I noticed his gaze flickered toward Qinqin once."
Yasenia hugged Evelyn into her arms and squeezed her, kissing her forehead. "No bad vibes. That gaze was one of wariness, not one of malice. He was probably weighing in the Shang family's influence."
Qinqin smiled and approached as well, blinking her pretty eyes. "Hehe. That's right. His gaze didn't feel dangerous at all."
Yasenia smiled at Qinqin. "Why are you looking at me like that? Are you expecting something?"
Qinqin's smile deflated as she pouted at her. "...Nothing."
Yasenia almost laughed. 'I just, for some reason, love messing with her. So fun~.'
As they were about to start exploring again, Yasenia stealthily whipped Qinqin's butt with her tail without looking back, causing her to yelp in surprise.
"Ow! W-Wha… Oh. Hehehehe."
Evelyn glanced at Yasenia's faintly smirking lips and chuckled, whispering. "You like messing with that girl quite a lot, don't you?"
Yasenia was 100% honest with her girls, so she laughed and smirked. "Her reactions are fun."
Evelyn shook her head with a faint smile. As long as Yasenia was having fun, she was not someone to speak against it. "How is everything going lately, Dear?"
Evelyn and Yasenia walked hand in hand while the other girls talked among themselves. Evelyn hummed in thought and then laughed softly.
"You are asking too often lately, aren't you?"
Yasenia blinked, tilting her head. "Am I? I am just curious about my lovers and how they are doing. This is a new experience for us, after all."
Evelyn smiled, gripping Yasenia's soft hand with slender, long fingers a little tighter. Yasenia asked them often how they were doing, and she really liked that about her.
It showed that she cared and was curious. When she stopped her closed-door cultivation and saw her in the middle of a conversation, Yasenia didn't intervene either, showing trust in her capabilities.
Overall, Yasenia never treated them as caged birds or wallflowers. She worried—that was undeniable—but if they were confident and told her, Yasenia would place her trust in them.
Evelyn herself had often gone out of the house with around 20 maids to make deals and buy cloth for her tailoring. Before leaving, Yasenia would sometimes flutter around like a worried mother hen, but only to an adorable degree.
So, Evelyn was very satisfied with her life as Yasenia's wife. Not to mention the absolutely mind-melting levels of pleasure in their intimate time. That was like the icing and also the filling of the cake.
Evelyn talked with Yasenia. "You know that shop in the seventh street from ours? The one I told you about before?"
Yasenia nodded, and Evelyn smiled. "They told me that they would be giving me some discounts on their clothes. Also, it seemed that they had a secret stash of high-quality cloth only for tailors who have proven themselves."
Yasenia raised her eyebrow, somewhat indignant. "And they hid them from you? They have no eye for talent!"
Evelyn laughed. "I knew you'd react like this. I told him that I would be participating in the tailoring plaza soon. So, I should be able to get my hands on some premium fabrics soon."
Our dragoness wagged her tail, happy for Evelyn. Evelyn also added. "Oh, and I became quite close with some people from tailoring families. I encountered them in the shop, and seeing that I was quite good, we've become closer. There were some who looked down on me at first, but once I face-slapped them Yasenia-style, they all went silent."
A burst of laughter escaped Yasenia. "They dare compare themselves to you in Spiritual Tailoring? They are asking to be humiliated."
Evelyn started the latest among all the girls practicing Spiritual Professions, yet she had caught up to the others. In terms of ability alone, her girls were all quite comparable. But Evelyn's learning speed had been terrifying.
"What about your inheritance, love? Any progress?"
Evelyn used her free left hand to rub her chin. "If I say that there isn't, I would be lying. But if I say that there is, it wouldn't be accurate either."
"What does that mean? Hahaha."
Evelyn bumped into Yasenia's soft body with her shoulder. "Don't laugh. It's just that, as you know, my inheritance is quite powerful. It comes from a former Eighth Realm cultivator. As for how strong he was, Mirrory told me she has an inkling of who it is, so he was powerful enough to fall into a Saint's weapon's ears."
Yasenia nodded. She had also heard Mirrory speak about it that way.
"Girls, I can see a beast approaching. It's Level Nine, so be careful!"
Yasenia spoke aloud. "I am talking with Evelyn, so deal with it appropriately."
Andrea jumped up, summoned Vairon, and mounted his head. Taking out her halber, she changed straight ahead with the rest. "Got it. Leave it to us."
Evelyn and Yasenia moved aside and continued talking. "So, is your cultivation technique semi-stuck?"
"Yes. That's the gist of it." Evelyn admitted. "Because it is so high level, I believe that this inheritance is meant to be earned at the Seventh Realm. It does have advantages and skills I can currently use, like Thunderclap Decimation and the others. But the rest of the skills need [Law] to function properly."
Yasenia was quite surprised. "Still, once you reach the Seventh Realm, your strength is almost guaranteed to take another leap forward, right?"
Evelyn smiled happily. "That's right. I am happy because I feel that I can keep up with you, even if barely. Still, my arsenal of learned, inherited skills totals five, which is not too bad. One defensive, one strengthening, and three offensive. The movement technique, which is the core of my inheritance, is still locked behind me needing to learn a [Law] first."
Yasenia nodded and hugged Evelyn from behind, resting Evelyn's head between her large, soft bosom. Yasenia and Evelyn talked about this and that, Yasenia's chin resting on top of Evelyn's head and her arms around her waist.
Evelyn felt incredibly comfortable.
Doriel appeared by their side during the fight and spoke. "Young Miss, we've detected a treasure within those mountains. Should we go check? There is a high chance of encountering others."
Yasenia pondered and nodded. "We won't fight for positions, but we also won't flee from treasures we detect because we are afraid. Let's go check."