Bai Li lay on the bed, his heart pounding as he waited for Ziya to act.
‘Why is it taking so long? Ziya, Baining, I’m counting on you. Don’t let that girl Longjiu erase my memory again. If she really brainwashes me into a Dragon Princess, I’m doomed!’
Boom — !
A deafening explosion of magic suddenly erupted outside the door.
Ziya flapped her small wings and charged in, her words coming out as fast as a machine gun.
“Father, sorry to keep you waiting! Sister Baining is stalling Longjiu. We have to run now!”
“Right!”
Bai Li bounced off the bed as if his legs were made of springs.
Ziya scooped him up, turned around, and bolted toward the exit.
On the other side, Longjiu raised her hand, using hard dragon scales to block a scythe strike.
With a flicker of her body, she narrowly avoided a follow-up thrust.
“This scythe… I thought I recognized it. So, that’s how it is.”
Longjiu stared at the familiar scythe, then noted the opponent’s practiced and ruthless combat techniques.
Everything clicked.
“Vampire Queen Lilith, we’ve been friends for nearly 100 years. Are you really going to point your blade at me over a man? No… over a daughter?”
“Don’t call me Lilith.”
Baining swung her scythe, the cold light of the blade pointed directly at Longjiu.
HER voice was resolute.
“My name is Baining now. This is the name Father gave me.”
A mocking curl formed at the corner of her mouth.
“I didn’t expect you to be so calculating. You actually hid by Father’s side pretending to be a little girl? As a Queen, aren’t you ashamed of yourself for lurking around a human, pretending to be a child just to get free food and shelter?”
“Look who’s talking,” Baining teased with a wink.
“In reverse, for the sake of our 100-year friendship, why don’t you just give Bai Li to me? It’s not that big of a deal.”
“Hmph! Wishful thinking! Don’t blame me for being ruthless then!”
Longjiu roared, and her Dragon Qi surged.
Her body expanded several times over in an instant.
A magnificent Red Dragon with crimson scales appeared, and her majestic draconic pressure bore down on the area.
Coincidentally, Ziya was carrying Bai Li through the winding corridors.
After cutting down the Dragon Soldiers blocking their path, they finally reached the main gate, only to witness this earth-shaking scene.
They ended up locking eyes directly with Longjiu in her Red Dragon form…
Bai Li shuddered in fear and quickly looked away, his mind in a state of chaos.
‘That girl Longjiu… she really is the Demon Dragon King! My god…’
Bai Li averted his gaze, his heart filled with shock.
The clingy, spoiled little dragon baby from his childhood was actually the Demon Dragon King in disguise… Sigh.
“Put her down!”
The Red Dragon let out a deafening roar, her eyes burning with fury.
Just as she was about to rush toward Bai Li regardless of the cost, Baining’s scythe slammed heavily against the dragon’s head.
Even with thick dragon scales protecting her, Longjiu let out a pained grunt, and her offensive was halted.
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t treat me like I’m invisible!”
Baining stood with her hands on her hips, then turned and shouted urgently to Ziya.
“Who told you to go through the main gate?! Hurry up and take Bai Li away! I’ll hold her off!”
“We’re running, we’re running! Take care of yourself, Sister Baining!”
Ziya put every ounce of her strength into flying forward while holding Bai Li.
Behind them, the sound of dragon roars and clashing weapons made their eardrums ring.
The silhouette of the Dragon Palace grew more and more distant.
It wasn’t until they dove into a lush Demon Plant Forest that they dared to land.
The two of them collapsed onto the grass, panting heavily.
Bai Li propped himself up on the grass, his heart still racing.
“Good grief… If Baining hadn’t blocked that hit, Longjiu would have caught us. That scared me to death!”
Ziya shook her aching wings and stuck out her tongue with a grin.
“Hehe, don’t worry, Father. I am Dream Demon Royalty! Escaping is my specialty. Sister Longjiu won’t be able to catch up for a while.”
Just as she finished speaking, a nearby bush suddenly rustled.
Bai Li instinctively hid behind Ziya.
“Who is it?! Is it one of Longjiu’s pursuers?”
Instead, a fluffy Magic Rabbit hopped out, staring at the two of them blankly while munching on a carrot…
Bai Li let out a sigh of relief and patted his chest.
“You scared me. Every bush and tree in this place feels like an enemy…”
Ziya almost couldn’t stop herself from laughing.
“Father, you’re too cowardly now. You’re like a completely different person from the majestic man who used to take care of us.”
Bai Li’s face turned red, and he argued back stiffly.
“It’s because of this stupid body! Besides… that was a real dragon! Who wouldn’t be afraid?”
As she spoke, she looked down at the horns and tail on her own body, her face falling into a grimace.
“Great. We escaped, but where do we go now? We can’t just keep hiding in the forest forever, can we?”
Ziya’s eyes darted around, and she fished a shiny crystal from her pocket.
“Don’t worry! I came prepared. This is a Stealth Magic Crystal from the Succubus race. Wearing it will mask our presence, so Sister Longjiu won’t be able to find us! Let’s find a cave to settle in first. We can make a plan once Sister Baining shakes her off and catches up with us!”
The two of them wandered through the forest until they finally found a dry, sheltered cave.
As soon as they entered, Bai Li noticed a pile of dry firewood and an old flint by the entrance.
He couldn’t help but marvel.
“Wow, it looks like someone lived here. This is exactly what we needed!”
Ziya started a fire.
The orange-red glow made the cave feel warm and cozy.
She leaned in toward Bai Li and poked the dragon scales on his arm with a mischievous smile.
“Father, you actually look quite cute in your current form as a member of the Demon Race.”
Bai Li slapped her hand away and snapped irritably.
“Cute, my foot! What a disaster…”
A breeze blew outside the cave, carrying a slight chill.
The campfire crackled, and their shadows danced on the walls.
Despite the misery of being fugitives, the atmosphere was strangely absurd.