Just as he was feeling lost and helpless, Phoenix Vane looked at the Aurelian Dragon and said, "Aurelian, would you like to meet the people of the gods?"
"A member of the gods?" Aurelian Dragon looked at Phoenix Vane with a puzzled expression.
Phoenix Vane explained, "Those goddess warriors who fought you, for some reason, after that day they inexplicably followed us and kept saying they wanted to worship you as their god."
Upon hearing that it was those goddess warriors, Aurelian Dragon's anger flared up, and she roared, "What else do they want? Just thinking about how the Eight Guards died at their hands makes me want to kill them all!"
Phoenix Vane shook his head and said softly to Aurelian Dragon, "You should meet them first. After all, they were asked to do this, and their attitude towards you now is completely different from that day."
Aurelian Dragon, enraged, laughed coldly, "Fine, fine! I'll go see them right now!" He then tried to get out of bed, but Phoenix Vane and Lynette Quill quickly held him down.
Phoenix Vane said to Obsidia Shade, "Obsidia Shade, go and call them here!"
Obsidia Shade went out and soon appeared before the Aurelian Dragon together with the leader of the goddess warriors.
The goddess warrior leader's appearance was now different from what Aurelian Dragon had seen her in that day. Apart from the golden headband on her head and her long, dazzling golden hair that cascaded down like a waterfall, she wore a light, flowing robe with a lake-green belt tied loosely around her waist, perfectly defining her slender lower body and full upper body.
Seeing Aurelian Dragon being helped up and sitting on the bed by Phoenix Vane and Lynette Quill, the goddess warrior leader didn't utter a word. She immediately knelt down in front of him, and when she raised her head after kneeling, her bright eyes revealed an extremely eager look. She said in a very respectful tone, "My Lord, we have finally found you!"
Her bending over was even more astonishing. The soft robe that crossed her high, firm breasts fell down, revealing most of her smooth, snow-white breasts and large, rounded peaks. The flesh was so radiant and captivating that it could take any normal man's breath away.
Aurelian Dragon was also taken aback, remembering the sacrifice of the Eight Guards, before she looked away from the enchanting spectacle and said bitterly, "I am not some god, we have a deep-seated hatred between us."
The leader of the goddess warriors said anxiously, "My Lord, please allow me to finish telling you everything, and then I will leave it to you to decide my fate."
The leader of the goddess warriors replied joyfully, "Yes, Lord God!"
As one of the three races of gods, the goddess warriors possess limitless vitality and formidable fighting power. However, as the price they paid, they forever lost the ability to reproduce. This means that this race, created by the Wind Goddess, will never increase in number from the day of its birth. During the long war among the gods, the number of goddess warriors dwindled significantly. After the Creator God sealed away the Wind and Moon Goddesses, his revelation to the goddess warriors was that they must remain in the Forest of the Wind God until someone completely destroys their divine weapon, the "Lightning Javelin"—the one personally crafted by the Wind Goddess and wielded by the goddess warrior leader. This destruction would signify that the person is the divine master appointed by the Creator God, and all goddess warriors must serve him as their master and completely obey his commands.
However, as the "War of the Hundred Races" progressed, many powerful warriors emerged from the human race, causing heavy losses to both the gods and demons. By the end of the war, only a dozen or so members of the goddess warrior clan remained, returning to their homeland to live a secluded life, with only occasional visitors entering their territory. But this long, empty existence instilled extreme misanthropy in these goddess warriors, and several even committed suicide because they could no longer bear the torment in their hearts.
Hearing this, Aurelian Dragon couldn't help but feel puzzled. To possess immortality and yet feel anguish, even contemplating suicide—these goddess warriors were truly unusual. Phoenix Vane, however, felt a pang of sympathy. To possess immortality yet be trapped in the mountains, deprived of life's joys, would indeed cause extreme emptiness. Before she had tasted the boundless happiness of mutual love and understanding, she might not have been aware of this feeling, but now she could empathize with the goddess warriors' emotions.
Aurelian Dragon asked, "Since you cannot leave your dwelling, why are you attacking me?"
The leader of the goddess warriors gave a bitter smile and said, "It's because two of our sisters betrayed us and escaped from the Forest of the Wind God to seek refuge in the Temple of the Moon, which is why we came out."
Aurelian Dragon roared, "Then why did you attack us?"
The leader of the goddess warriors said, "When we were hunting down those two treacherous sisters, we received help from the Third Prince and owe him a favor. So this time he sent people to find us, but little did he know that the person we wanted to kill was the God Lord..." At this point, she lowered her head again and said, "We hope the God Lord will take us in."
Aurelian Dragon said angrily, "You caused me to lose my beloved, how can I take you in? Not only that, I will kill you to avenge the Eight Guards!"
The leader of the goddess warriors still spoke respectfully, "If the god wishes to execute us, we will naturally obey. But please, god, decide our fate!"
Aurelian Dragon blurted out, "Then you should just die!"
Phoenix Vane and Lynette Quill were horrified and cried out, "Aurelian!..."
But the leader of the goddess warriors, her expression unchanged, looked at Aurelian Dragon and respectfully said, "Yes, Your Majesty!" She then stood up and walked out.
Obsidia Shade also felt a pang of pity. Although she had a very good relationship with the Eight Guards, and she had hated these goddess warriors when she saw the tragic state of the Aurelian Dragon, she now knew that they were just following orders. Moreover, she knew that they had actually lived through such a long period of time, and now they would disappear because of a single sentence from the Aurelian Dragon. In addition, their obedience to the Aurelian Dragon made her feel even more sorry for them.
Aurelian Dragon was taken aback, and looked at Obsidia Shade with a sigh, "Why are you doing this? Get up!"
Phoenix Vane gave Lynette Quill a look, and Lynette Quill immediately flew to pull the leader of the Aurelian Warriors away. However, the leader of the Aurelian Warriors was unmoved and insisted on leaving. As the two were struggling, Aurelian Dragon looked at Obsidia Shade, who was still kneeling on the ground, shook his head, and said to the leader of the Aurelian Warriors who was about to reach the door, "Come back!"
Just as Lynette Quill was feeling she couldn't hold back the goddess warrior, the goddess warrior leader, upon hearing these words, immediately stopped and walked back to Aurelian Dragon.
Aurelian Dragon looked at Obsidia Shade and said, "Get up!" Then she turned to the leader of the goddess warriors and asked, "Do you really intend to obey my orders completely?"
The leader of the goddess warriors answered without hesitation, "Yes, Your Majesty!"
Aurelian Dragon glanced at Phoenix Vane beside her, then at Obsidia Shade who had stood up, and Lynette Quill beside her. A strange look suddenly appeared on her lips. Just as Phoenix Vane was wondering about this, he suddenly heard Aurelian Dragon say to the leader of the goddess warriors, "In that case, take off all your clothes!"
The three women stared wide-eyed as the leader of the goddess warriors unfastened her flowing robes, letting them fall to the ground to reveal a breathtakingly beautiful physique.
With her full, firm breasts, snow-white skin like solidified jade, a strong waist without an ounce of excess fat, and long, shapely legs with rounded, elegant calves, this goddess warrior leader possessed a figure that was in no way inferior to the three women. Because she was significantly taller than Phoenix Vane and the other two, she exuded a unique charm.
Phoenix Vane and the others were completely baffled by Aurelian Dragon's move. The three of them simultaneously thought, "Could it be that this man hasn't changed his lecherous ways and suddenly had this idea? That's absolutely unacceptable! Putting aside whether it's appropriate or not, it's just too..."
Before they could even raise any objections, Aurelian Dragon's next words left them speechless.
Aurelian Dragon leered at the goddess warrior leader's body, and seeing that she showed no shame, he said, "Now go outside and call the other goddess warriors here!"
The leader of the goddess warriors felt no restraint or shame whatsoever. Instead, she exclaimed with delight, "Yes, Lord God!" With that, she turned around nimbly and walked out naked.
Gazing at the alluring body of the naked goddess warrior leader, her slender yet powerful waist swaying like a lotus leaf in the wind, Phoenix Vane had an outrageous thought and couldn't help but say angrily, "Aurelian, call her back! What exactly do you want?"
Aurelian Dragon was startled when she saw Phoenix Vane's appearance. Although a beautiful woman's slight anger and resentment can be captivating, Phoenix Vane's gentle frown revealed an air of absolute authority that left no room for disobedience. It was an indescribable feeling that left others with no room for opposition or rebellion, only the option of submission.
Aurelian Dragon obediently called to the goddess warrior leader who had reached the door, "Come back, come back!" Then he whispered to Phoenix Vane, "Phoenix, don't be angry. I just wanted to test just how obedient she is to me."
The three women suddenly realized what was going on. Phoenix Vane said coquettishly, "Why come up with such a crazy idea? Besides, she's willing to die for your order, so why bother trying it?"
Aurelian Dragon chuckled and said, "That's another matter. It's only when a member of the divine race like her obeys my orders so readily, without any regard for losing face as a member of the divine race, that I realize they are truly sincere."
Phoenix Vane found his seemingly plausible words both amusing and infuriating. She glared at him and said, "You're really something else. Only a man like you would come up with such a thought."
Lynette Quill and Obsidia Shade also had an air of "you're really not your average womanizer," which made Aurelian Dragon feel very embarrassed.
He coughed and said to the leader of the goddess warriors, "Put on your clothes. What's your name?"
As the leader of the goddess warriors put her soft robe back on, she replied, "Your Majesty, my name is Cynthia!"
Aurelian Dragon shook her head and said, "Cynthia, don't call me 'Lord God' anymore. It sounds weird. People who don't know me might think I came from some kind of temple, which would be very bad."
Lynette Quill asked curiously, "Is there anything wrong with people coming from temples? Clergy are highly respected in our country."
Aurelian Dragon shook his head and said, "The clergy from the temple are all so serious and rigid, so dull that even laughing is difficult. What fun is there in their lives?"
Recalling the appearance of those people in the temple, the three women couldn't help but chuckle. The quick-witted Phoenix Vane understood Aurelian Dragon's meaning even better, and looked at him reproachfully, saying, "Are you afraid that this will scare away the beauties?"
Aurelian Dragon looked at Phoenix Vane in surprise, as if to say, "Phoenix truly understands me."
Phoenix Vane gave him a disapproving look, then said to Cynthia, "From now on, call him Young Master!"
Cynthia happily agreed, then looked at Aurelian Dragon and said, "Young Master, I know that the deaths of the Eight Guards are largely related to us. Please allow us to take their place and protect you!"
Watching Cynthia's departing figure, Phoenix Vane sighed softly. Aurelian Dragon grasped her smooth, jade-like hand and said, "That bastard Prince Elnario, I will definitely avenge Hachiwei and the others!"
Phoenix Vane looked at Aurelian Dragon with emotion, surprised that this man could see through her thoughts. This feeling of understanding warmed her heart. She said softly, "The Eight Guards actually knew their mission when they were practicing Phoenix Nirvana. They originally wanted to form a life barrier to protect me in my time of crisis, but they never expected it would be used on you." As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
Obsidia Shade lamented, "If I had arrived earlier, perhaps Hachiwei wouldn't have died."
Phoenix Vane shook her head and sighed, "It can only be said that this was fate. If I had caught up with you sooner, this wouldn't have happened. But the Eight Guardians did indeed fulfill their duty. They should be proud to have protected Aurelian in the face of the powerful gods." After a pause, her tone changed, and she said with relief, "Now Aurelian has turned misfortune into blessing. With goddess warriors from the gods as her personal guards, she can remain safe even amidst thousands of troops."
Lynette Quill and Obsidia Shade nodded in agreement. Indeed, with such formidable strength as the goddess warriors protecting the Aurelian Dragon, there were practically no other beings on the continent capable of defeating such a royal guard. To be honest, Phoenix Vane himself wasn't confident he could defeat these goddess warriors; only someone with forbidden magic like Obsidia Shade could pose a threat to them.
Aurelian Dragon muttered to himself, "What do you mean by a thousand troops? I'm not fit for violence now. I might as well go back to my hometown and hug my wife."
Phoenix Vane reassured her, "Don't worry, we'll always find a way!" Lynette Quill and Obsidia Shade nodded vigorously, bolstering the Aurelian Dragon's confidence.
The four talked for a while longer. Aurelian Dragon learned that after returning to the imperial capital, Esnia, everyone was discussing the strange phenomenon that day. However, because the people involved did not reveal the inside story, and the rest of the delegation did not have firsthand information, there were many different opinions. Finally, the people from the temple stepped forward and characterized the incident as a "demon's omen," warning that a major change was about to occur on the continent, which might be a sign of a renewed war.
King Andre III was deeply concerned about Aurelian Dragon, who was injured and unconscious due to the incident, and visited her at her residence more than once. This demonstrated the great favor Aurelian Dragon received from the king, making some people envious. With the help of those who were keen on spreading rumors, the relationship between Phoenix Vane and Aurelian Dragon became increasingly apparent. Well-informed individuals even confirmed that Phoenix Vane was currently by Aurelian Dragon's side. The thought that a great general commanding a vast army would abandon his troops fueled a single thought in everyone's mind: when would this beautiful war goddess who dominated the continent enter the Ye family and become Mrs. Ye?
Of course, the military was also very dissatisfied, believing that Phoenix Vane's actions violated military law, and even demanding that she be held accountable for desertion. This was understandable; as one of only two legion commanders in the Fast Empire with the authority to independently mobilize troops, Phoenix Vane should not have left her legion at this time without orders. However, the supreme Emperor Andre III of the Fast Empire completely silenced these voices with a single sentence: "General Phoenix Vane has my permission! Who says her actions are illegal?"
As the three beautiful women were chatting away with their lover, the door to the room was pushed open again.