Chapter 25

The monster's fierce flames surged like a tidal wave, and from its large mouth, it spewed a black, undead light akin to a dragon's breath, causing the lake water to rise several feet high.

Li Xiangfei summoned her armor, her entire body clad in viscount-level equipment, which shone with a blinding light under the infusion of her life-bound divine light.

A slender, narrow sword thrust forward, trailing a purple light several feet long, slicing toward the monster's head.

The monster did not back down; the giant horn on its head emitted a black light that collided with Li Xiangfei's sword, causing an immediate explosion. The purple and black lights vanished simultaneously.

Bai Cangdong and Lady Honglian hid far away in the grass by the shore, secretly watching Li Xiangfei battle the viscount-level undead creature.

"Madam, are you asking me to deceive that man?" Bai Cangdong asked, looking at Meng Xiaoquan, who was struggling in the water.

Lady Honglian gave him a disdainful look. "Meng Xiaoquan is a normal man who likes women."

Bai Cangdong was shocked. "You can't be asking me to deceive your niece, Li Xiangfei, right?"

"What's so strange about that?" Lady Honglian said nonchalantly.

"Nothing!" Bai Cangdong fell silent. He was surprised that this woman would ask him to deceive her own niece. Moreover, he couldn't figure out how his identity as the Masked Baron could deceive Li Xiangfei.

The Masked Baron's interactions with Li Xiangfei were limited to the Undead Altar area, where he had stolen her Lingluo Sword and forced her to hand over the "Blade Step" technique. From any perspective, Li Xiangfei should hate the Masked Baron to the bone. Why did Lady Honglian think the Masked Baron could deceive Li Xiangfei?

"Get ready, it's your turn to make an appearance soon," Lady Honglian said softly.

"What do you want me to do? Defeat that viscount-level undead creature? You're overestimating me, Madam," Bai Cangdong said with a bitter smile.

Lady Honglian tapped his forehead with her finger and laughed. "How could I let you go to your death? That undead creature is called a 'Black Scaled Dragon,' a relatively rare viscount-level undead. On land, it's not much of a threat, but in the water, even I have no confidence in defeating it. I won't let you fight it."

"In fact, under normal circumstances, the Black Scaled Dragon would need at least half a year to revive. However, the Divine Martial Association did some work to make it revive early, just to give Meng Xiaoquan a chance to be a hero and save the beauty."

"To seduce a woman, they made a viscount-level undead creature revive half a year early. Meng Xiaoquan is really extravagant."

"An ordinary woman wouldn't be worth the Divine Martial Association doing this. Xiangfei is my brother's beloved. Even if it costs ten times as much, as long as it can win Xiangfei's heart, it's worth it."

Lady Honglian took a deep breath and continued, "Think about it. Meng Xiaoquan is just a baron, and he wants to be a hero and save the beauty. He can't possibly defeat that viscount-level undead creature."

"You mean Meng Xiaoquan has a treasure that can save Xiangfei?" Bai Cangdong mused.

"You're not too stupid. There aren't that many viscount-level undead creatures around Dailun City. Why would the Divine Martial Association go to such lengths to revive the Black Scaled Dragon?"

"They have a way to counter the Black Scaled Dragon?" Bai Cangdong's eyes lit up.

"Not exactly. If viscount-level undead creatures were that easy to counter, the streets would be full of viscounts. As far as I know, the Black Scaled Dragon only likes to live in clean waters. Once the water is polluted, it will leave. I think Meng Xiaoquan must have something to quickly pollute this area. We'll take advantage of his distraction, knock him out, and then you'll replace Meng Xiaoquan to save the beauty."

"Good idea, but your niece doesn't seem to need saving!" Bai Cangdong said, looking at the battle between Li Xiangfei and the Black Scaled Dragon.

Li Xiangfei's sword glowed with light, cutting deep wounds into the Black Scaled Dragon, causing it to roar in anger.

"Don't underestimate any viscount-level undead creature. Although Xiangfei has achieved a Golden Life Plate, she has only recently ascended to the viscount rank, and her life-bound divine light is still too weak. She can only suppress the Black Scaled Dragon with her viscount-level golden armor. She won't last long."

"Golden Life Plate?" Bai Cangdong had never heard of a Life Plate being described with "golden" before.

"Life Plates have different ranks. Most people achieve a Bronze Life Plate, a few achieve a Silver Life Plate, and only a select few with exceptional talent can achieve a Golden Life Plate. After you ascend to the viscount rank, if you see someone who can emit golden life-bound divine light with their bare hands, it's best not to provoke them."

Bai Cangdong's face remained calm, but he was inwardly elated. His Life Plate was golden, and he had never paid much attention to it, assuming everyone's was the same. He didn't realize that Life Plates had different levels.

"Almost ready. We'll dive in and knock out that Meng Xiaoquan first. How dare he have designs on my Xiangfei? If it weren't for the Divine Martial Association's usefulness, I would have destroyed him today," Lady Honglian said, a murderous look in her eyes.

Bai Cangdong was taken aback. This woman usually looked seductive, but when she got serious, she was more terrifying than any fierce demon.

"This woman is not to be provoked."

Meng Xiaoquan was dodging the aftermath of Li Xiangfei's battle with the Black Scaled Dragon in the water, observing Li Xiangfei's situation, and waiting for the right moment to act.

"After I save Xiangfei with my heroic prowess, will she offer me a kiss or even herself? Should I accept it? It would be best to make a fait accompli. Then I'll be the successor of Dailun City, and the city will belong to my father and me. Xiangfei is quite beautiful and matches me. And that Lady Honglian, so seductive, if I could take her in as well..." Meng Xiaoquan was so excited that he didn't notice a pain in the back of his head and then fainted.

Bai Cangdong and Lady Honglian dragged the unconscious Meng Xiaoquan to the grass by the shore.

"Search him. The thing should be on him," Lady Honglian whispered.

Bai Cangdong nodded and was about to start searching when his gaze inadvertently swept over Lady Honglian, and he froze.

Lady Honglian's black tight-fitting clothes, made of some unknown silk, had become transparent when wet, revealing almost everything.

"What are you staring at? Hurry up and search him..." Lady Honglian noticed Bai Cangdong's gaze, looked down at herself, and let out a scream, quickly retreating into the grass.

Bai Cangdong coughed lightly and pretended nothing had happened as he searched Meng Xiaoquan. He quickly found two wooden boxes and, knowing they might contain something to counter the Black Scaled Dragon, he didn't dare open them.

"Did you find it?" Lady Honglian, who had somehow dried her clothes, emerged from the grass, her face still slightly flushed.

"I found two boxes, but I don't know which one contains the thing," Bai Cangdong said, handing the boxes to Lady Honglian.

Lady Honglian wrinkled her small nose and sniffed each box, then handed one to Bai Cangdong. "This box contains the thing. When Xiangfei can't hold on any longer, you rush in, open the box, and scatter its contents on the Black Scaled Dragon."

Lady Honglian opened the other box and found a black crystal ring inside.

"Hmm, why would Meng Xiaoquan have a Concealment Ring?" Lady Honglian said, slightly surprised.

"What's a Concealment Ring?" Bai Cangdong looked at the ring but didn't see anything special about it.

"A special viscount-level equipment. Since a viscount's life-bound divine light easily leaks out, it's easy to tell if someone is a viscount. But with a Concealment Ring, you can hide the leaking divine light, making it hard to tell if you're a viscount. It's not very useful, but it's very rare and expensive. I wonder why Meng Xiaoquan would carry one." After a moment of thought, Lady Honglian realized, "It must be a gift for Xiangfei. Wear it. With this ring, others will find it even harder to discern your true strength and identity, making it easier to impersonate the Masked Baron."

Bai Cangdong naturally didn't refuse, putting the ring on his left little finger.

Since the Concealment Ring only hid the leaking divine light of a viscount, it had no practical effect on Bai Cangdong. However, having a viscount-level equipment made him feel much stronger psychologically.

"It's almost your turn. Xiangfei is about to give up. Go save her, and don't let her get hurt," Lady Honglian added, "After you save her, don't say anything. Just put her on the shore and leave immediately."

Bai Cangdong nodded, grabbed the box, and dived back into the water, swimming toward the battle between Li Xiangfei and the Black Scaled Dragon.

Li Xiangfei was almost in despair. The Black Scaled Dragon was almost invincible in the water. No matter what wounds she inflicted, the Black Scaled Dragon would roll in the lake, and the wounds would disappear instantly, healing at an alarming speed.

"I've ascended to the viscount rank and have so many top-tier armors, yet I still can't defeat a viscount-level undead creature. Am I really that untalented?" Li Xiangfei panted, feeling very frustrated but also helpless.

"Fine, let me die this way." With no strength left to leap out of the water and swing her sword, Li Xiangfei gave up and let her body sink slowly. The Black Scaled Dragon opened its massive mouth and lunged at her from above.

A cold mask suddenly appeared in Li Xiangfei's vision as she was about to close her eyes. Then she felt a tight grip around her waist, and her body was pulled into a strong, firm embrace, quickly propelling her out of the water and away from the Black Scaled Dragon's attack.

"It's you!" Li Xiangfei looked at the cold mask that made her heart race uncontrollably, a mix of surprise and joy on her face.