https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-822-Houbailian-and-Her-Aunt-s-Breakdown/12934354/
Chapter 823: Good Partners Like Lan Qi and Lan Fu Will Never Be the Same Again
Chapter 823: Good Partners Like Lan Qi and Lan Fu Will Never Be the Same Again
Outside the window, the thunderstorm raged once more, with fierce winds and heavy rain pounding against the glass, creating a heart-pounding roar.
The rain poured down as if it would submerge the entire villa of Saint Kreithian Monastery.
Drops of water trickled down the glass, gathering into streams on the window frame, then splashing onto the courtyard soil, forming a dark-colored stain.
Amidst the lightning and thunder, everyone in the room failed to notice one thing—
The footsteps outside the door just now.
"Vory..."
Ifatiya and Armis stood at the doorway, their eyes wide in shock as they stared at Xiubaolian and Talia on the bed inside.
"Ah, Armis, what's going on here?"
Ifatiya turned her head to ask Armis.
But she saw that Armis was also terrified.
"I didn't do it."
The usually dignified and composed Ice Maiden, Armis, was now trembling.
At this moment, Armis didn't dare tell Ifatiya that the scorpion-tailed demoness was her daughter, Xiubaolian, as she feared Ifatiya wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Xiubaolian, why are you hitting me!"
No matter how much Talia cried and shouted, Xiubaolian seemed not to hear her, as she was no longer the person she used to be.
"Xiubaolian?"
Ifatiya was startled.
Wasn't that her daughter's name?
Suddenly, Ifatiya seemed to understand everything.
The slightly similar mana, the appearance of a teenager, and the ducal family's heirloom dagger on the ground.
Ifatiya felt her head spinning.
"Fate, Goddess of Destiny, it's my fault... I shouldn't have abandoned my child... she's become a bad girl..."
Ifatiya couldn't accept this reality and fainted, collapsing to the ground.
"Ifa! Ifa!"
The Ice Maiden quickly knelt down to check on Ifatiya's condition.
Fortunately, Ifatiya had only fainted due to suspected recovery from a serious illness, long-term sleep deprivation, and the mental fatigue caused by the shock, but she was otherwise unharmed.
In the room.
For now, no one could pay attention to the situation outside the door.
Antanas felt a sense of unease that he couldn't quite put into words.
"Sinora, what's going on?"
Antanas nudged Sinora and whispered.
"Something's not right. Talia is an eighth-rank power, so even if it's just instinctive resistance, Xiubaolian should have a hard time restraining her..."
Sinora, who had met Talia many times in the Demon King's Palace, was very familiar with Talia's strength and explained to Antanas.
Their strengths had always been on par, and she couldn't imagine herself being completely overpowered by Xiubaolian.
"..."
Antanas didn't dare to subdue Xiubaolian for now, as the twice-crazed Xiubaolian was very powerful, and she and Sinora might not be able to restrain her with a single strike.
On the contrary, if Xiubaolian's hatred shifted and she fought with them, it was likely that the barrier inside the house would be destroyed.
Only Sigrid or the Ice Maiden could handle Xiubaolian with a single move.
In truth, Antanas was more perplexed.
For instance, why hadn't Talia resisted at all?
Was it because she didn't want to resist...
Or was it because she couldn't resist...
Suddenly, another flash of lightning lit up the window, and Antanas's mind seemed to have a moment of clarity, as her empty eyes gained a hint of color.
Antanas quietly crawled over to the side of Talia's head.
When Antanas lifted her head and met Talia's gaze, who was being held down on the bed, Antanas finally understood.
Talia's face bore the mark of a black centipede, and her blue eyes were glistening with tears.
"Blue eyes?"
Antanas thought in disbelief.
Shouldn't Talia have golden eyes?
If there was a female demon in the world who looked exactly like Talia and could perfectly replace her—
"Lan Qi, you're dead!!!"
The gray-haired, blue-eyed female demon was being spanked, and she desperately tried to turn her head to cry out.
But her head was held down firmly, and she couldn't lift it.
Lan Qi had somehow obtained a cursed spell, locking onto her life force and preventing her from dying!
"Meow!"
Xiao Hei Mao, the cat boss, instantly understood upon hearing the curse.
Lan Qi had taken advantage of the lightning to forcibly summon the Great Love Poet.
And Talia had been replaced by Lan Qi in an instant.
He probably used the traditional ancient method, the Forbidden Seal, and an improved version of the Nuclear Fusion Wolf Technique, Summoned Being Recall, to summon the summoned being back to the soul space where they have been staying for a long time) to recall Talia to her long-term soul space.
"..."
Lan Qi was still signaling to Sigrid.
At this moment, only Sigrid could control the rampaging Xiubaolian.
Sigrid nodded and silently approached Xiubaolian.
She had been stunned at first and didn't understand Lan Qi's intention.
Or perhaps she hadn't expected Lan Qi to be so despicable, using the Great Love Poet as a unit of mockery.
"Huff..."
Lan Qi heaved a sigh of relief as he witnessed Sigrid successfully maneuver behind Houbailian, catching her off guard.
He had done his best.
When he realized that Houbailian's condition was amiss, he prepared himself for the worst.
Thankfully, the Great Love Poet, a first-rank being who wouldn't be affected by combat, served as a decoy for Talia.
She drew Houbailian's hatred, allowing her to focus her attacks solely on the Great Love Poet.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy to subdue Houbailian in her Meroagas state.
This ultimate technique, known as the 'Castling', was intended for the Great Love Poet to take Talia's place in battle, but he never imagined he'd have to use it in such a blunder.
"Lan Qi, you bastard!" the Great Love Poet cried out.
Earlier, she had been grabbed from behind while facing away from Houbailian, and after being captured, her head was forced down onto the bed, and no one noticed the change in her eye color.
She had never endured such humiliation in her life.
"Lan Qi, thank you for saving me..." Talia shivered in Lan Qi's soul space.
If not for Lan Qi's protection, she would have been in the hands of the crazed Houbailian.
Despite her growing affection for Lan Qi, Talia felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and indebtedness, but she couldn't deny his reliability.
He was truly dependable.
Antanas's eyes twitched uncontrollably.
Over half a year ago, when she understood the relationship between Lan Qi and Lan Fu, she thought that what Lan Qi had done to Lan Fu in Helrom Prison was too much.
After Lan Fu had taken her revenge on Lan Qi and they had reconciled, Lan Qi had done it again.
Although Lan Qi was acting solely for Talia's sake, even at the cost of Lan Fu's life, Antanas found it a bit hard to accept.
But she dared not imagine what Lan Fu might do next.
The Ice Maiden at the door, upon realizing that the gray-haired female demon wasn't Talia, transformed her initial concern into indifference.
So, it was that annoying gray-haired summoned being.
She had already disliked the Great Love Poet in the Northern Continent.
To this day, the Ice Maiden hadn't forgotten how the Great Love Poet had told her to her face that she was a chopping board.
After some thought, the Ice Maiden decided to let bygones be bygones.
No matter what, the summoned being looked pitiful now, unable to win in a fight or escape, and even unable to die.
"Sigrid."
The Ice Maiden lifted her gaze, signaling to Sigrid for cooperation, and mouthed the words.
Sigrid immediately sent her a friendly message.
Although they didn't understand why they had met in the Southern Continent, they were already friends in the Northern Continent who exchanged gifts, not enemies because of their affiliations. Even Sigrid's Reincarnation Orb, which she used to seek romantic fate, was a gift from the Ice Maiden, a peripheral item from the Fate Goddess Church.
Sigrid silently approached Houbailian from behind, gripping her slender shoulders, and at that moment, Armis accompanied the icy howl, freezing half of Houbailian's body.
"You! You!"
Houbailian's eyes had already turned black, and like Meroagas, her pupils were filled only with the intent to torment, and her attacks immediately shifted to them.
Compared to Sigrid and Armis, Houbailian was still far weaker.
Moreover, she possessed power but lacked combat rationality.
The Ice Maiden's fair fingertips, accompanied by invisible mana fluctuations, pressed against Houbailian's forehead.
The Purify Heart Charm spread out in invisible ripples, causing Houbailian's ferocious gaze and frenzied aura to pause and gradually weaken.
She gradually became dazed, her pupils dilating, and the toxins in her body dissipated as she collapsed into Armis's embrace.
Time passed.
The rain continued to sway.
"Thank you for being here today," Lan Qi felt the indoor lighting had stabilized.
Earlier, the house might have been struck by lightning, causing the mana supply to fluctuate.
When he discovered Houbailian's anomaly, he had already prepared a backup plan.
He just didn't expect Houbailian to be this crazed.
Lan Qi released the Great Love Poet's summoning and the Black Sun Tyrant's Eternal Edict she had used.
This should have been a perfect 'Ninjutsu: Body Replacement' technique in actual combat, catching the enemy off guard, but it was used in this blunder.
Talia, released from the spell, looked at Lan Qi beside her with lingering fear, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
"Lan Qi, let's not use this body replacement technique again in the future..." Talia felt it was a bit detrimental to one's karma.
She didn't know what sins Lan Fu had committed to have encountered such a summoner like Lan Qi.
"Lan Fu doesn't seem to mind."
Lan Qi had just heard Lan Fu cursing him.
But Lan Fu didn't say no).
"..."
Talia couldn't say anything more.
She could only silently remember that she owed Lan Qi a special favor, which she would repay in the future.
At the door, Ifatiya continued to lose consciousness and was laid flat on the carpet.
"What's going on here?"
"You go first and explain your situation."
Assuming no emotional entanglements, today's events were easily explainable.
As everyone prepared to review the chaotic events of the night, they heard a faint sound.
"Hmm..."
Houbailian's eyelashes trembled slightly, as if regaining consciousness from her dazed state.
Everyone looked at Houbailian in Ice Maiden's arms with caution.
"What...what did I just do?"
Houbailian felt a sharp pain in her head, and she woke up, covering her forehead.
She remembered seeing Lan Qi, Talia, and Sigrid, and her thoughts slowly turned white. Then, a flash of lightning passed, and she completely lost consciousness.
So this is what it feels like to be drunk.
Earlier, in the underground prison of Helrom, she had downed several bottles of Snowfield Liquor in the minus sixth level, only feeling a slight buzz. This was the first time she felt a sense of fear towards alcohol.
Seeing Houbailian return to normal, everyone's tense hearts relaxed for the moment.
"You can't use the power of Melogas Profanation of Sovereignty so casually anymore."
Sinora rushed over, supporting Houbailian, and said with lingering fear.
If Houbailian's emotions were stable, it would be fine. But if she were to lose control again, even though she might reach a level close to the eighth rank, it would be at the cost of completely losing herself, turning into a Melogas version of Xiu Bao.
"Did I lose control?"
Houbailian asked anxiously.
She did feel that her emotions were extremely turbulent before losing consciousness. Seeing Lan Qi, Talia, and Sigrid seemingly lying on the same bed, she couldn't calm her heart.
But now, as she thought about it seriously, it seemed reasonable. Even Xiao Hei Mao was in the room, which made it more likely that Talia and Sigrid had temporarily hidden in Lan Qi's room to protect him.
"Well, at least there wasn't any damage."
Antanas gestured for Houbailian to look at the master bedroom, where the furniture was mostly intact, and no one was injured.
"That's good, that's great."
Houbailian heaved a sigh of relief, feeling intense pain throughout her body, and once again wanting to fall asleep.
It was already night.
Moreover, Melogas Profanation of Sovereignty placed a heavy burden on her body.
After overexerting herself, she estimated that she would need to rest for several days.
"Houbailian, I'm sorry."
Talia knelt on the bed, bowing her head and speaking softly to Houbailian.
"What's there to apologize for?"
Houbailian lifted her heavy eyes, asking Talia softly.
The only thing she knew was that she was happy to see Talia again in the Kreithian Empire.
It was a relief that her rampage hadn't hurt Talia.
"You should rest first. We can talk more tomorrow."
Talia felt her eyes well up with tears.
Houbailian, as always, was like a little angel, making Talia feel even more apologetic.
"Goodnight... Tata..."
Houbailian slowly closed her eyes, a smile on her lips, as Antanas carried her away.
"Let's all stay on the first floor tonight. There are plenty of guest rooms."
Sigrid, realizing she was wandering around Lan Qi's room in her sleepwear, and feeling embarrassed with so many familiar faces around, decided to showcase her role as the head of the family. She gestured for the other demons to leave together.
She turned and gave Talia a signal.
They would leave together.
"I'll help you tidy up the room."
Talia got up from the bed and followed Sigrid's group, leaving the bedroom.
Before leaving, she closed the door to Lan Qi's room.
The door slowly closed, leaving only Talia's golden eyes, filled with a complex mix of gratitude, apology, and emotion, until they disappeared from each other's sight.
Once again, only the sound of the rainstorm outside the window filled the room.
In the midst of the coldest winter, an indescribable radiance appeared.
No words or gestures could express the storm that had just swept through everyone's hearts.
"Meow..."
Xiao Hei Mao breathed a sigh of relief.
The Ashura Field came and went like a whirlwind.
And yet, it had brought about a harmonious family reunion.
Upon closer inspection, there didn't seem to be anything wrong.
Or rather, if it weren't for Melogas' power eroding Houbailian, there wouldn't have been an Ashura Field between Houbailian and Talia in the first place. They had already understood each other back in Nanvantina Province.
Xiao Hei Mao sat on the sofa, looking at Lan Qi, who was shaking his head and sighing.
Great Teacher Lan's calculations were indeed flawless.
Although it seemed like Lan Qi had already collapsed, he still had some strength left.
Everyone had managed to solve the problem without any sacrifices.
It seemed that Lan Qi's long-standing Ashura Field crisis had finally come to an end.
But why did it feel like the death star above Lan Qi's head had turned bright red?
(End of Chapter)
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