Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 539 - 540: A Tangled Heart [1/2]

"Sister, where... where are you?"

The more Mengxi thought, the more worried she got, with no answers in sight. The only thing that gave her some peace was the red gemstone on her necklace. She took a deep breath and looked at the beautiful red gemstone necklace she was wearing.

This wasn’t an ordinary necklace; it was a set with the butterfly earrings she had given to Yumo. Through this necklace, Mengxi could gauge Yumo’s life status. If Yumo’s life force were to weaken, the red gemstone on Mengxi’s necklace would dim. If it decreased further, cracks would appear, and if a fatal wound were sustained, the gemstone would shatter.

Ironically, when she gave Yumo those earrings, Mengxi’s initial intent was to sense danger and rush to her aid, despite her own power being so insignificant compared to Yumo’s.

Moreover, she didn’t even know where Yumo was right now. However, the intact necklace meant that Yumo wasn’t in immediate danger, and this slightly relieved Mengxi.

Just as Mengxi was lost in her thoughts, staring at the royal academy of Luminous, a cute, dolled-up little girl with blonde hair, sucking on a lollipop, came trotting up to her:

"Hey, what’s up? Why are you staring at Luminous like that?"

"Hm?"

Awakened by the child’s adorable voice, Mengxi looked somewhat confusedly at the little girl beside her. This little girl was none other than the incarnation of the ’Heart of the Sacred Dragon,’ her savior, Meliora.

Unlike her previous dragon loli form, Meliora now looked like an ordinary human girl, her dragon features hidden.

"Lady Meliora?"

Out of gratitude and respect for Meliora’s strength and the life-saving favor, Mengxi instinctively used respectful language.

However, this made Meliora puff out her cheeks in annoyance, "You don’t need to be so formal, just call me Meliora or Meli. You’re the Girl of Destiny, someone who will sign an equal cooperation contract with me in the future, so you don’t have to be so polite."

"I understand, Meliora. But... what’s going on with you right now?"

Mengxi looked strangely at the blonde little girl, licking her lollipop. Seeing the child’s innocent, adorable eyes, Mengxi’s brows twitched involuntarily. After all, this incarnation of the Sacred Dragon was quite different from what she had imagined—a fierce, powerful entity. not a little girl with a lollipop.

If it weren’t for witnessing Meliora’s unleashed power firsthand, Mengxi might have unconsciously treated her as an innocent little girl. Mengxi couldn’t tell if this was an act or Meliora’s true nature.

Seemingly picking up on the odd look in Mengxi’s eyes, Meliora shot her an annoyed glance, emphasizing, "Don’t overthink it! I’m like this to hide my identity!"

She then ostentatiously took another lick of her lollipop. Eating the lollipop was not because she liked it, of course. It was all for the sake of hiding her identity. After all, who would suspect a cute little girl eating a lollipop to be the legendary Dragon King?

Meliora reassured herself.

While comforting herself, her little tongue diligently continued to enjoy the lollipop. While savoring the candy, Meliora looked seriously at Mengxi, then glanced towards the distant battlefield. Despite her occasional childish actions, she was far from foolish. After observing Mengxi’s expressions and movements for a while, she had a good idea of what was on her mind.

"Why are you so focused on Luminous Academy? You barely got out of there," Meliora asked.

"Why?" Mengxi frowned and stared into the distance, "Because someone very important to me might still be in there... I worry about her."

"Someone you’re worried about? So... you want to go back to save her?"

"Not really," Mengxi shook her head with a bitter smile; "That person is my sister. She’s strong, stronger than most level 8. If she’s in danger, my current strength won’t be of any help. Going back to save her is a bit unrealistic... but I feel like I can’t just ignore it either."

Observing Mengxi’s conflicted expression, Meliora sighed,

"Don’t overthink it. If she’s stronger than most level 8s, then she’s generally safe. If she’s up against someone incredibly strong, not only will you not be of help, but you might also distract her. In this situation, staying away is actually the best help you can offer. Besides, you said ’maybe.’ What if she’s not in Luminous anymore? What would be the point of going back? Just retreat safely with the people from the Church for now."

Meliora paused and got really serious. She seemed to make up her mind about something, then put her lollipop aside.

"There’s something else you should know. Inside Luminous Royal Academy right now, it’s not just the Sword Demon. There’s someone else there that’s even scarier."

"Hm? scarier?"

Seeing Meliora’s sudden change in expression, Mengxi’s eyes also turned serious.

"Yes, that demoness is the most terrifying existence in the world," Meliora said, visibly trembling at the mention of the ’demoness’. "Her power far surpasses peak stage level 8. Sword Demon’s attack on Luminous must have been under her order. I don’t know why she hasn’t acted directly—maybe there are limitations after leaving the forest. But she definitely plans to kill you, the Girl of Destiny. If you go back now, you’re walking into a trap. She can crush you in an instant."

"A demoness with strength surpassing level 8? Is there such a monster hiding in Luminous Royal Academy?"

"Yes, I’m not joking! She killed me 800 years ago. If I’m not mistaken, she might be the incarnation of the Demon Lord, and someone you, as the Chosen One, will eventually have to face."

"The Demon Lord..."

---

Meanwhile, in the western part of Ancita continent, in the central mountainous area of the small kingdom of Modor, an epic surge of power was gathering around the Red Moon Tower, a sacred site for mages. The immense energy began to distort space, tear the sky, and shake the earth. A terrifying atmosphere condensed here, giving all living beings an unprecedented sense of creep.

The horrifying atmosphere and the increasingly dense energy made the endless monsters in the mountains instinctively feel a threat of death. Driven by the desire to survive, they let out terrified howls and scattered in all directions.

At this moment, at the center of the mountainous area, not far in front of Red Moon Tower, countless blood ybutterflies were gathering in the sky. The dancing butterflies turned the sky a bloody red, and crimson lightning continually fell from the sky, venting its master’s rage.

Floating amidst the dance of butterflies was a stunningly beautiful girl with black hair and a black dress. Her eyes, full of cold and icy intent, swept over the tens of thousands of mages guarding the Red Moon Tower, as well as several level 7 and level 8 Cultivators.

Facing those who obstructed her path, the girl clenched her teeth and issued a final warning:

"If you don’t want to die, get out of my way!"

Sadly, her warning had no effect.

The next moment, Anfrere, the Left Guardian of Red Moon Tower and the commander of the forces, launched an attack without any hesitation. Following his lead, everyone showed a fearless expression and unleashed their most potent attacks on the black-haired girl...