Chapter 42

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Holding a piece of meat that Wuyan had just roasted, Chrysanthemum slowly bit into it while looking at Wuyan and Mikan with a puzzled expression, her heart filled with doubt.

Since waking up, Chrysanthemum had felt that the atmosphere between the two seemed a bit different.

Wuyan, as usual, showed no signs of change; he roasted meat when it was time to do so and spoke as casually as ever. However, Mikan's behavior was truly strange.

Every time Wuyan looked at Mikan, she would turn her head away within two seconds, not daring to look at him. But when Wuyan turned to do something else, Mikan would secretly shift her gaze to him, only to shake her head vigorously and look away again after just a couple of seconds.

Even though she would look away, it wouldn't be long before her gaze returned to Wuyan, then moved away, and then returned again, repeating this cycle tirelessly.

Such unnatural behavior made Chrysanthemum feel as if her heart was being scratched by a cat, making her want to ask what had happened.

After everyone finished eating, Wuyan touched the fire ring, and the fire suddenly disappeared. He picked up the fire ring and put it into his spatial ring, then turned to look at the two women.

"Alright, let's set off. There shouldn't be many more monsters in this area. After all, the number we eliminated yesterday was quite significant."

Wuyan's words reminded Mikan and Chrysanthemum of the pile of monsters that could have formed a small hill. Both nodded solemnly.

Seeing their reactions, Wuyan, though maintaining his usual demeanor, was inwardly delighted.

If the two women hadn't adapted, it would have been detrimental to the upcoming battles.

"There's only one path ahead!" Wuyan extended his hand, pointing to the wide road in front. "So, we can only move forward!"

"Let's go, we need to find that Heavenly Palace Jade as soon as possible and get out of this place!" Mikan said with a slight excitement. It wasn't just because finding the Heavenly Palace Jade would allow them to leave, but more importantly, there were definitely more monsters ahead, and more monsters meant more experience!

After Wuyan's explanation and comfort, Mikan seemed to not care about the Misaka sisters on the surface, but in reality, the matter was deeply etched in her heart.

Even though Wuyan had said that his world was still frozen, and time was stopped, so the sisters were safe, Mikan was still a bit anxious.

She now only wanted to become stronger, stronger than Accelerator, so she could save her sisters!

Of course, anxiety was inevitable, and Wuyan was already quite satisfied. Compared to the original story, where Mikan appeared helpless and desperate, her current state was much better.

Part of the reason was the time freeze, and another part was the hope that didn't exist in the original story.

In the original story, Mikan couldn't save her sisters. Although she was the third-ranked, and Accelerator was the first, the gap between them was enormous.

In the original story, Mikan had once fought Accelerator to save one of the Misaka sisters, but under Accelerator's overwhelming power, she was utterly defeated.

Moreover, there were council members pulling the strings behind the scenes...

Because of this, Mikan had decided to sacrifice herself to save her sisters!

But things were different now. Mikan, who originally couldn't defeat Accelerator, had become Wuyan's summoned character. With enough battles, Mikan could continuously grow stronger until she surpassed Accelerator!

Regarding the Misaka sisters, after Mikan blushed and pushed him away last night, Wuyan spent the entire night explaining the inside story, including the true purpose of the Misaka sisters' exploitation, Aleister's plan, and the council's support.

This made Mikan feel a bit disheartened. Fighting against the entire Academy City, and against the place she had always lived, was undoubtedly painful.

Of course, Mikan was already prepared. In the original story, she had such determination, so it was even more so now.

However, this also made Mikan realize that as long as she defeated Accelerator, her sisters would be safe for a while. Aleister wouldn't let anything happen to the key to his plan, which was certain.

As for what to do after defeating Accelerator, Wuyan's words, "The system will definitely have a solution," made Mikan feel reassured.

Undoubtedly, compared to the Mikan in the original story who fought alone, the current Mikan had someone who was part of her life as her support, and someone she could trust absolutely, making her much happier!

But it was still good that she was so determined...

Under Mikan's eager urging, the three set off again on their journey to find the Heavenly Palace Jade.

The environment was the same as before, with rocks and cliffs everywhere, not even a drop of water. The three walked on a road that was visually monotonous, but their vigilance did not diminish.

Compared to their initial playful attitude when they first entered, Mikan and Chrysanthemum had changed a lot. The life-or-death battles of yesterday had hardened their mental fortitude.

However, there was one thing they weren't quite used to...

Seeing Mikan and Chrysanthemum walk cautiously with their legs tightly together, Wuyan was speechless.

After wearing safety pants for so long, the sudden change in behavior was significant. How should he explain it to them?...

Mikan and Chrysanthemum were also frustrated. They usually wore safety pants to avoid the hassle of skirts, which was too tiring for their boyish and active personalities.

So, after getting used to safety pants, the sudden change was... awkward!

Moreover, they had to be wary of the wolf behind them...

The two women knew that if they accidentally exposed themselves, the shameless wolf behind them would definitely watch openly!

But once a battle started, such things were inevitable, and they had no choice but to swallow their grievances.

If Wuyan knew their thoughts, he would probably laugh and say, "I've seen everything on you, do you really need to worry about a pair of underwear?"

What Mikan and Chrysanthemum didn't know was that their "bodyguard" was quietly lying in Wuyan's spatial ring...

What is shameless? This is shameless!...

"Look, there's light ahead!" Chrysanthemum raised the white cherry blossom in her hand and pointed to the road ahead, where a faint light was visible, like an exit.

Wuyan's expression tightened, and he quickly stood in front of Mikan and Chrysanthemum, saying, "We don't know what's ahead, so be cautious. There might be monsters!"

Mikan and Chrysanthemum nodded solemnly, having already prepared themselves after yesterday's battle.

Mikan, in particular, had quietly calculated the formula for her superpower in her mind, ready to use it at any moment. After all, while Wuyan was the leader, she was the strongest.

As they passed through the passage, the three immediately felt a bright light, and a circular square appeared before them.

Compared to the previous area, this one was much larger, almost as if it wasn't man-made. The walls were dotted with evenly sized holes, not very deep, and from the square below, Wuyan and the others could clearly see the bottom of the holes, which looked like a beehive.

At the top of the square, directly in front of the three, was a large hole, much bigger than the others. In front of the hole was a large dragon throne, made of stone but still exuding a majestic aura.

Seeing this, Mikan's face darkened, and Wuyan and Chrysanthemum were taken aback.

"What's wrong, Mikan..." Chrysanthemum walked to Mikan's side and asked.

"Look!" Mikan frowned, pointing at the dragon throne. "That's a dragon throne, right?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Wuyan rolled his eyes; anyone could see it was a dragon throne.

Receiving Wuyan's eye roll, Mikan glared back. "How stupid, who can sit on a dragon throne!"

"Isn't it the emperor..." Wuyan suddenly realized what Mikan meant.

"You mean..." Chrysanthemum's mouth opened wide, looking at the high dragon throne, unable to speak. It seemed she also understood.

"Exactly!" Mikan looked at Wuyan and Chrysanthemum. "There are only small holes here, and we can see the bottom of each one, including the large hole behind the dragon throne. This means there are no other exits, and this is the innermost area!"

After saying this, Mikan's face tightened. "If this is the innermost area, where did the army of monsters come from?"

Pointing at the holes, Mikan said, "There's only one answer: those holes are the nests of the monsters, and there..."

Moving her finger to the large hole behind the dragon throne, Mikan smiled faintly. "That's the nest of the monster king!"

"Boom..." As Mikan finished speaking, the ground suddenly shook violently. The previously majestic Mikan was immediately exposed, her body tilting and falling into Wuyan's arms with a "ya," her face turning red.

Chrysanthemum, standing beside her, was also shaken and fell into Wuyan's arms. Wuyan, without hesitation, caught both girls, using a technique to stabilize their bodies.

The ground began to crack, and rocks rolled everywhere, some even rolling toward Wuyan.

Wuyan was startled and quickly carried the two girls, leaping to avoid the rolling rocks. When he couldn't avoid them, he stepped on the rolling rocks to gain momentum and fly up.

The shaking became more intense, and just as Wuyan was worried that the cave might collapse, a vine suddenly shot out from the cracked ground, rushing toward Wuyan at lightning speed and striking him.

At that moment, a wave of energy surged in Wuyan's mind, spreading through his body. As the vine struck him, the energy suddenly transformed into an invisible dragon-shaped armor, blocking the vine's attack.

A dull sound echoed as the vine's attack was deflected by the dragon-shaped armor. When the attack was blocked, the armor wavered and disappeared.

Only then did Wuyan react, quickly stepping on the vine, flipping in the air, and landing on the ground, a cold sweat dripping from his forehead.

If it weren't for the mental dragon armor, that attack would have severely injured him!

The vine retreated after the failed attack, and more vines began to emerge from the ground. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of vines appeared, and a giant tree rose from the center of the vines. A face appeared on the tree trunk, its mouth wide open, staring at Wuyan and the others.

Is this a tree monster? Or a tentacle monster?

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