Chapter 13: You don’t have any dirt on you, do you?

When Miss Vilyric returned to the first floor with the Little Wolf Cub in her arms, side by side with the Gatekeeper, it seemed that Tiyelu, acting outside in Lulu’s form, had also composed herself, reverting to her usual giggly self, chatting and laughing with Xiao Lan.

Upon seeing the Priestess and Min Chen appear, she lazily turned her head, her curious gaze on Noviya barely lingering, before reclining on the sofa and tilting her head.

“Finished chatting? What little secret were you two discussing in there? Taking such a long time, did you know we were about to fall asleep waiting?”

Min Chen quickly chuckled nervously.

“No, no, just some old stories, nothing of importance, nothing at all, hahaha!”

“?”

Noting the strange looks directed at them due to this odd reaction, Vilyric chose not to call him out, merely suppressing a laugh as she changed the subject.

“Uh, that’s enough, shall we say, should we start now?”

Miss Butterfly shot her a disapproving glare without holding back.

“Otherwise, what? Do you expect us to throw a feast to welcome you and celebrate the great transformation about to occur in the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons before handling any business?”

“You better watch your tone when talking to the master, don’t push your luck.”

Before Vilyric could respond, a certain Giant Dragon lady standing nearby looked visibly displeased, casting Tiyelu a glare filled with coldness and threat, but our Holy Ancestor clearly wasn’t a pushover either, immediately shooting back a defiant glare.

“Oh dear? What’s wrong, Little Dragon Cub? You think we’re scared of you? Others might fear you, but I, Tiyelu, do not fear you! Can you even hit me?”

“Are you asking for a fight?”

“Ahem!”

Seeing tensions suddenly rise between the two sides, as if a brawl could start at any moment, the Priestess quickly cleared her throat and stepped forward to hold her Little Dragon Daughter’s hand, while Min Chen smoothly intervened, pulling the irritated Holy Ancestor back.

As for the others present, they either watched with cold eyes or stood dumbfounded, unsure of what to do, because whether it was Tiyelu or Xiao Guang, they were truly mythic beings, and if conflict arose between them, only someone of roughly equal standing, like the Priestess or the Gatekeeper, could possibly intervene.

“Master, don’t stop me this time! This annoying butterfly has been too arrogant for too long! You’re clearly helping them solve their problems, yet this one still dares to speak rudely, completely unaware of gratitude! I must teach her a lesson today!”

“Come on, come on! Am I supposed to be afraid? Just a little dragon cub that hasn’t even lived for five hundred years dares to talk big here! Don’t think that beating that idiot Frim makes you special; when Lady Tiyelu roamed the world thousands of years ago, you weren’t even a speck yet… uh uh uh, Min Chen, don’t pull me! We need to teach this arrogant little dragon a lesson, so she knows the meaning of respecting her elders!”

“Stop it!”

With all her might, Vilyric blocked the typically taciturn Little Dragon Daughter, known for her propensity to start fights without a second thought, from moving forward while also shaking her head pointedly at Miss Butterfly.

“Alright, Tiyelu, I know you’re feeling a bit annoyed, but there’s no point in venting like this. You’ve lived for thousands of years; some things I think shouldn’t need reiterated. Planting the Divine Tree is mutually beneficial, but if you truly hold a grudge, I won’t force you, let alone compel you.”

“Scheming like this is pretty pointless. Just give a clear answer: if you shake your head, we’ll turn and leave right now, how about that?”

“Uh… it was just a joke, to lighten the mood! I was just saying, of course I’ll plant for you all…”

Seemingly stunned by the Priestess’s previously unseen sharp words and attitude, Tiyelu quickly cast her gaze aside, then dared not say anything further.

After all, although she could occasionally seem quite willful, this Holy Ancestor, who had safeguarded the Mountains of Ten Thousand Demons for over a thousand years, knew her limits.

Taking advantage of this chance, Min Chen chimed in to mediate quickly.

“Right, right! I apologize on behalf of this foolish butterfly. She’s just a child, please don’t take her too seriously. Let’s get down to business, shall we?”

“…Fine, let’s consider this a one-time thing. Come on, Xiao Guang, and everyone, let’s go find a suitable spot outside.”

Seeing that the intimidation had worked, the black-haired girl nodded slightly and led the way outside, while the dragon daughter and a few other girls with Vilyric exchanged glances and immediately followed.

Once only Tiyelu and Min Chen remained inside, Aileen, who had been silent all along, finally closed her book and stood up, chuckling as she glanced at the sulking Miss Butterfly.

“I never thought such a cunning and ruthless character could face a setback. It seems even the mighty can be humbled, haha, looks like losing to her wasn’t unjust.”

With that, before Tiyelu could puff up her cheeks and retort, the girl took off, chasing after the others.

“You! Ugh, you annoying… one after another…”

Seeing the Holy Ancestor’s frustrated expression as she didn’t know whom to vent on, the Gatekeeper beside her could only shake his head helplessly.

“Well, this is what you get; why provoke that White Dragon? Didn’t you notice how special her relationship is with Miss Vilyric?”

“How was I to know she’d react like that so suddenly… These two are ridiculous; why are they so protective of each other? Hey, Min Chen, do you think their closeness might suggest…?”

As longtime friends for hundreds of years, the Gatekeeper immediately caught on to what Tiyelu meant and couldn’t help but laugh.

“What use is it for you to ask me such things? I might have some experience in dating, but that’s all genuine… cough, alright, enough gossiping behind others’ backs. Let’s hurry and catch up so we don’t miss out on the real business.”

“Got it, got it! By the way, why have you been defending them since earlier? Do you have some dirt on them or something?”

“Uh! Wh-what? No way! Ahahaha…”

…

The preparatory stage for planting the Divine Tree was lengthy and complicated, but the cultivation process after the seeds matured was quite simple.

The Gate of Portals was a small intermediary buffer zone set up when the Demon God created the Illusion Realm, drawing in the sunlight of the present world and maintaining a magical environment that lay between the standards of the two worlds. While it was relatively complex, some resilient plants could nevertheless thrive here.

Thus, the Divine Tree, derived from the Life Goddess, could naturally be planted here as well.

Everyone searched for a relatively open area with fertile soil around the central region of the Gate of Portals, and Vilyric nodded at the blue-haired girl. Tilysha understood at once, stepping forward with a prepared iron shovel to dig a small hole in the ground. Then she carefully took out the turquoise seed she had cultivated with her own hands and gently buried it within.

Next came the final step.

“Ah…”

The girl stood back two steps, took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and clasped her hands in a prayer stance. A powerful aura and a rich divinity that did not belong to her began to rise slowly, her blue hair floating as if caught in wind, while a dazzling pillar of light descended from far away, stirring waves reminiscent of life’s revival!

“Great Life Goddess, we humbly invite your presence!”

   

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