Chapter 96: Return, Fury of the Demon Emperor!

“Much better.”

The next moment, that terrifyingly oppressive aura and presence vanished, and Ye Lian murmured softly to herself.

Now she finally understood what the so-called virtual reality game, , really was.

An Abyssal Nightmare that continuously drained her life force and spirit.

“It’s time to wake up.” Ye Lian lightly raised her right hand, ready to start wreaking havoc.

She had no attachment whatsoever to this fabricated dream world.

Until…

“Stone Monkey!” An anxious voice called out nearby.

Following the sound, she saw two monkeys rushing over.

The lead monkey was holding a small fox, covered in blood and barely clinging to life—it was Bai Xue.

As the two monkeys landed, an incredibly sharp killing intent swept over them, causing their bodies to freeze, terror flooding their hearts.

“Bai Xue.” Ye Lian moved in an instant, her hands trembling as she took the battered little fox into her arms.

A stab of pain shot through her chest.

Even though this was a fabricated existence, why did she care so deeply?

Perhaps this was the terrifying aspect of the Dream Abyss Master’s power.

“Forget it. Since you’ve given me a beautiful memory, I’ll postpone sending you off.”

Halting her intent to destroy the dream, Ye Lian finally looked at Bai Xue.

The little one’s injuries were severe—not just superficial wounds but multiple broken bones all over her body.

Blood spat from her mouth, mixed with fragments of internal organs. Her insides were clearly badly damaged as well.

“I won’t let anything happen to you.”

With that, Ye Lian looked at the Tongbi Yuanhou.

“Find a way to heal her.”

“Y-Yes…!” Although the terrifying aura and presence had dissipated from the monkey, it still felt an immense pressure, as if facing a supreme emperor.

After the monkey troop’s efforts, Bai Xue’s breathing finally steadied somewhat.

Though weak, her condition no longer deteriorated.

“She’s out of danger, but it will still be difficult for her to fully recover,” the Tongbi Yuanhou said.

“That’s fine.” Ye Lian looked at him.

“The little fox needs a Yao Dan to repair her severe injuries.”

“I’ll get one right away.” She turned toward the blood-stained monkey and said sternly, “Who hurt Bai Xue?”

The monkey trembled all over, hurriedly responding, “It was… the North Tiger!”

“Tiger?” Ye Lian hesitated briefly before recalling another name for tiger and the fierce beast that had been causing trouble.

The monkey recounted everything it had witnessed to Ye Lian in detail.

It turned out that the two monkeys had been playing in the northern forest when they discovered Bai Xue being chased.

They immediately screamed sharply, scaring off the fierce tiger.

From the monkey’s description, Ye Lian understood immediately.

“That bastard… I’m going to skin it alive.”

Her words fell like thunder, and the entire area fell silent.

No one dared speak, fearing even the slightest mistake would bring the cold wrath of this calm yet subtly murderous Stone Monkey upon them.

Ye Lian looked northward, a fierce light flashing in her eyes.

“I’ll be back soon. Bai Xue, I’m counting on you all.”

With those words, she gave Bai Xue a deep glance.

Then, she pushed off the ground with her toes and shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.

Seeing Ye Lian’s swift departure, the monkeys finally exhaled in relief.

***

In the northern forest, four tigers lounged on a slab of granite—two males and two females—conversing loudly.

“I will kill all those stinky monkeys sooner or later and return peace to Huaguo Mountain!” The one speaking was the You Tiger.

“The King is mighty!”

“The King is mighty!”

“The King is mighty!”

The other three tigers cheered, making the fierce tiger swell with pride.

He raised his head high, gazing at the half-moon above and striking a pose of invincible loneliness:

“Today, I fought a group of monkeys and walked away unharmed. Seeing their terrified faces, I know the day is not far off!”

“The King is fierce!”

“The King is mighty!”

“The King is invincible!”

Cheers erupted again.

The fierce tiger soaked it all in, feeling completely satisfied.

“By the way, Your Majesty, that Stone Monkey…”

At that moment, a smaller male tiger began to speak but was interrupted.

“Hah? What’s the use of that skinny monkey I scared off so badly? Such a bore!”

Recalling how that skinny monkey had scared him into running away in retreat, the fierce tiger’s mood soured completely.

Today, he had tried to hunt down the skinny monkey’s little fox companion but was scared off again by the monkeys’ screams.

It was utterly humiliating.

Just mentioning the Stone Monkey set him ablaze with fury.

“No, Your Majesty, I heard some news!”

Seeing the fierce tiger’s displeasure, the smaller male tiger’s heart jumped, but after considering, he decided to speak anyway.

“What news?” The fierce tiger’s voice was low and displeased.

“I… I heard the Stone Monkey defeated the Stone Mountain Black Bear!”

“What!?” The fierce tiger shouted in shock. “The Stone Mountain Black Bear?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Some animals saw the Stone Mountain Black Bear, covered in wounds and looking downcast, holding a jar of honey and going to apologize to the Stone Monkey!”

Hearing this, the fierce tiger’s heart sank, pounding wildly.

He and the Stone Mountain Black Bear were roughly equals.

If the Stone Monkey could beat the black bear so badly, it could definitely beat him half to death as well.

Last time he provoked the Stone Monkey and escaped without injury, but this time he nearly killed the fox next to it.

Thinking of this, the fierce tiger felt as if he’d fallen into an icy abyss, shivering all over.

However, on the surface, he still feigned nonchalance:

“Hmph, the black bear must have underestimated it. That mere Stone Monkey—I could take ten of them!”

The three tigers grinned at this and cheered again.

“In a few days, I will make you all feast on Stone Monkey meat…”

Before he could finish, a sharp “whoosh” sounded as a black shadow descended from the sky, landing firmly on the granite slab.

“Crack!”

The granite shattered with a sound, cracks spreading outward like a spiderweb.

The tigers looked toward the sound to see a monkey standing straight and rigid like a spear—Ye Lian.

“Stone Monkey…” the fierce tiger exclaimed.

But his voice cut off abruptly.

There was no other reason—the moment Ye Lian landed, she unleashed a storm like a razor’s edge, slicing them into pieces.

The poor fierce tiger never even realized he was dead.

Plop plop!

Chunks of flesh fell, transforming into a swarm of dead octopus monsters.

Suddenly, this beautiful and peaceful place grew dark and deathly silent.

“Sorry, Bai Xue, the dream is ending. I’ll bring you a Yao Dan next time.”

Looking back into the distance, Ye Lian said with some reluctance.

***

After spending so much time together, she truly liked this gluttonous little fox.

If only she could bring it out of the dream.

With a loud bang, before she could say goodbye, the dream shattered violently.

Ye Lian returned to the Dreamland Space.

“How dare you toy with me, you have some nerve, King of Terror!”