Divine Emperor of Death

The crystal dragon was huge but not as huge as Mira despite being at the same stage.

Still, it menacingly sat atop a crystal mountain overlooking the area. It also had its eyes on the Fourth Hidden Pagoda, but it didn't leave, carefully watching the crystal mountain zone for any intruders.

Isabella gritted her teeth.

There was no way that even the three of them together would be able to take that thing down. It was too powerful. Even if she, Shirley, and Evelynn joined forces, they still couldn't defeat it, not unless they became Immortal Emperors.

It was better if she stayed clear of it and she decided it should be the case. However, she didn't want to leave like this— not having been able to throw a few punches on their faces.

Isabella's bosoms heaved as she took a deep breath, calming herself down.

She began thinking about her next step.

She had two choices in front of her.

The group that mined here surely would've made it to the Fourth Hidden Pagoda. However, they shouldn't have enough crystal units in order to activate, and neither the number of Candidates required, so surely, they must start searching for another location with crystal mountains.

Therefore, she could track them down and make them pay for what they did.

Or, she could return to where she was initially forced to escape from.

Isabella looked to the north.

There was a massive ocean to the north blockading her way to the Seventh Hidden Pagoda, the place where she was forced to use the Escape Talisman. She was not sure she could cross it.

"Zahara, you came from the northwest, right? Did you see an ocean?" Isabella turned to look at the one of the two phoenix sisters, causing Zahara to blink, wondering where this came from as she was unaware of the story. Only Yeyin knew.

"Yes. There were two oceans to the left and right, so I had to make my way from the middle and take the southeast route to get to Zahara. It was covered in a thick forest, so it was hard to pass through. Also, there were life-threatening traps, phew. Oh, I think they weren't artificial but natural. If I didn't learn about formations in my life, I would've been screwed."

Zahara patted her bosoms, making them bounce while she heaved a sigh of relief.

Isabella shook her head with a smile. It was not Zahara who learned formation but Flamerose. She guessed that their memories were tampered in such a way to make it look like Zahara learned it. Nonetheless, she didn't stop her line of questioning.

"Did you see a volcano to the northeast while you were making your way through this dense forest?"

"To my back…?" Zahara pouted with her cheek and placed a hand over her chin, appearing contemplative, "I'm not sure… but as a Fire Phoenix, I could sense the fire-attributed undulations were a bit concentrated on the northeast…"

"…"

Isabella closed her eyes and drew a map in her head.

'Perhaps there's a way to get there…'

She felt like she could get there. Only, she would be wasting time as it seemed like a two-day journey considering the distance Zahara traveled to get here since it took Zahara an entire day to reunite with Yeyin, and that too when Yeyin was also making her way to Zahara.

And the path to the Seventh Hidden Pagoda was almost a straight line straight in the northern direction. That was what she predicted to be two days but in reality, she was taking another path, so it might as well take her three or four days to get there.

By that time, the Seventh Hidden Pagoda might've well been cleared, which would leave her crouching and crying from frustration and rage.

"Let's focus on the Fourth Hidden Pagoda…"

"Isabella, you haven't shared any plan and are talking to yourself…" Zahara blinked while having her hands over her head and leaning on a tree, appearing relaxed.

"Right…"

Isabella giggled wryly.

To begin with, she was never a team player, but she acknowledged the benefits of a team. Davis had made sure to teach her that, not to mention it was fun when they were hoodwinking people left and right.

They went back into the forest and Isabella explained what they needed to do and why. Zahara finally understood the gist of it and Yeyin also voted in favor of continuing to the Fourth Hidden Pagoda as initially planned.

She wanted to help Isabella get back at them for humiliating her.

Therefore, they went around this valley, forcefully climbing the mountain, which was quite hard for Isabella but not for Zahara and Yeyin. The two of them carried Isabella as Isabella held their legs while they crawled up using their fingers.

They were like sharp talons, not even making a hold in the mountain, yet they climbed like they had a firm grasp.

Soon, they climbed to the top of the mountain before Isabella led the way.

"Hide quick…"

She swiftly commanded them to hide behind a giant rock as she looked towards the distance.

From here, Isabella could see the peak where the Fourth Hidden Pagoda remained. There were a few people there, appearing to be engaged in a not so peaceful conversation as their loud voices could be heard vaguely.

Isabella couldn't make out how many were there as she could only see heads or up to the shoulders. She couldn't make out what they were saying either, but she found it hard to believe that even after making quite a loud mess, the Peak-Level Immortal Emperor Crystal Beast Dragon didn't go up to hunt them down.

'Don't tell me…'

Isabella realized that it was possible that the Hidden Pagodas were… sanctuaries!

It was possible that the crystal beasts wouldn't approach them!

However, she had no way to prove it or even have evidence since the Peak-Level Immortal Emperor Crystal Beast Dragon down there could also just be territorial and would only attack if its location was invaded.

She wasn't about to verify that theory by putting herself in danger, so hiding behind rocks, she made it further.

However, she came to the edge and saw another crystal mountain.

It hid behind a turn in another valley similar to the previous one but she could see the vague outline of the crystalline glow. It caught her attention from the place she crouched. If she was standing or crouching even a meter further, then she wouldn't be able to see it.

Isabella finally felt like her luck was returning ever since she met Yeyin, who fortunately managed to save her life. Novel Fire - novelfire.net

She turned to look at Yeyin behind her and smiled.

"I'll recommend you."

"…?"

Yeyin tilted her head like a bird, but Isabella didn't say anything and slid down the mountain slope.

"Follow me~'

"What…?"

Zahara and Yeyin were confused. They knew there was no justice here, considering that they were here to kill each other and reap the rewards, but weren't they going to the Fourth Hidden Pagoda and getting revenge for the humiliation they received?

Nonetheless, as Isabella didn't answer, they didn't ask either.

They knew she was the third wife but was also called the Empress, so they were respectful to her. They followed her into the valley and hid themselves behind the mountain wall as they traversed to the turn.

Weirdly enough, they felt like this was what mortals felt like when they hunted together. Cultivators, or magical beasts like them, would always fly in a straight line and smash their targets, so this could be said to be a learning experience for them.

However, Isabella had been a mortal who could not fly first. This was not new for her as she had training sessions on the mountains as part of the royal training methods, albeit with strict monitoring so she and the other royal kids wouldn't come to harm.

She easily led them across the edge of the valley, which fell into a deep crevice to the other side. Shifting past the obstacles, she finally appeared before the turn, where she saw the crystal mountain.

She hid behind a mountain wall and peeked at the turn, watching the entire place glow further inside. It was actually a crystal cave since the ceiling on top was made from rocks, although the space inside was big enough not to be called a cave.

'Let's see what's inside...'

Isabella threw her gaze, wondering if she would be unlucky enough to find a Peak-Level Immortal Emperor Crystal Beast.