344: Chapter 344 Seeds of Unease

Shadow Brake quickly chimed in, "Yes, Queen! Black Rose is meticulous, and her strength is advancing rapidly. The fact that she could easily kill Gu Fan, who used the Death Curse, means her strength is likely already approaching the Tenth Rank!"

Bone Erosion also nodded, "And she knows how to endure! She is forcing herself to endure the disgust to be intimate with Chen Yi; this kind of temperament is far beyond that of someone like Gu Fan, who is only eager for quick success!"

Listening to the two, the Queen's anger gradually subsided.

She turned her thoughts to subsequent arrangements.

"Tell me in detail, what is Black Rose's current situation?"

Shadow Brake and Bone Erosion exchanged a glance and repeated Black Rose's situation exactly as it was.

After listening, the Queen pondered for a long time.

"In other words, she can only make Chen Yi fall unconscious, but cannot truly control his will?"

"Yes!"

Bone Erosion replied, "Chen Yi seems to possess a power that protects his soul. Black Rose has tried many times and failed, but she stated that she will continue to lurk, use Chen Yi's resources to strengthen herself, and wait for an opportunity!"

"A wise choice."

The Queen approved, "Since she cannot control him by force, then we shall boil the frog in warm water!"

"I am increasingly appreciating this Chen Yi; to think he could cultivate Black Rose to be this powerful so quickly—"

"I fear one of his talents is an effect that accelerates the cultivation of spirit beasts; it's truly outrageous!"

"If he could truly join the Sect and we could borrow his power—perhaps our strength could also advance by leaps and bounds!"

"By the way, did you discover any other anomalies in the secret realm?"

Shadow Brake was stunned, then remembered something: "Reporting to the Queen, when we were leaving the Ultimate Darkness Zone, we sensed an aura of a Demon Emperor that shared the same origin as us, but the situation was critical at the time, so we didn't investigate too deeply!"

Bone Erosion also realized: "Yes, I also sensed a trace of it! The aura was very obscure, but it definitely existed, and—it seemed somewhat familiar."

"Same origin?"

The Queen narrowed her eyes, "Does that mean it is also a Demon Emperor that I created?"

"It should be."

Shadow Brake nodded, "That kind of pure Demon Abyss aura is only possessed by the Demon Emperors you created, Your Majesty!"

The Queen fell into deep thought.

Every Demon Emperor she created was under her control.

She had a general sense of their whereabouts and status.

But now, a Demon Emperor she personally created had appeared in the Antarctica secret realm, and she was completely unaware of it?

This doesn't make sense, does it?

"Could it be that someone stole my blood and created a Demon Emperor without permission?"

The Queen muttered to herself, "Or is it that one of the Demon Emperors has broken free from my control?"

Regardless of the situation, it is a serious problem.

The foundation of the Demon Abyss Cult lies in absolute control over the Demon Emperors!

If an uncontrolled Demon Emperor appears, it would be like a virus, spreading rapidly and eventually threatening the entire Sect.

It seems this matter requires further investigation!

She sat up straight again, resuming her majestic posture.

"Pass down the order!"

The Queen announced, "Effective immediately, I bestow upon Black Rose the status of Protector and grant her Level 1 authorization! She may prioritize the use of all resources within the Sect; no one is permitted to hinder her mission. Violators—will be executed without mercy!"

"Yes!!"

Shadow Brake and Bone Erosion bowed to accept the order.

"You may withdraw first."

The Queen waved her hand, "You've worked hard this time; go and collect your rewards."

"Thank you, Queen!"

After the two exited the great hall, the Queen sat alone on her throne, her fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

"Chen Yi—Black Rose—and that mysterious Demon Emperor—"

"What secrets are hidden in the Antarctica secret realm?"

"I hope the situation does not spiral out of my control—"

---

Outside the Antarctica secret realm, at the joint expedition base.

This was a large camp temporarily built by various countries to explore the secret realm, covering an area of over a dozen square kilometers.

Thousands of researchers, security teams, and logistics personnel from over fifty countries were stationed here.

Inside the command tent in the center of the camp, the atmosphere was exceptionally heavy.

"Another group has come out—and we still haven't seen our people."

"His Highness David of Eagle Country has been confirmed dead."

"It's the same for our Wa Country—"

Representatives from various countries took turns reporting their heavy losses, and every piece of news lowered the temperature inside the tent by a degree.

Since the Antarctica secret realm opened, they had been stationed here, and ten months had already passed.

At first, progress was smooth; although the first three layers were dangerous, they were still able to receive intelligence.

But starting from the fourth layer, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse!

As of now, about sixty percent of the Beast Tamers who entered the secret realm have come out, and a significant portion of those remaining are likely to have stayed inside forever.

"How are we supposed to explore this?"

A middle-aged researcher said despairingly, "Over half of the strongest batch of geniuses have been lost; who else can pass?"

Another researcher also sighed, "Human wave tactics won't work either! These geniuses were carefully selected by various countries; their strength and experience far exceed that of ordinary Beast Tamers. If they can't do it, sending anyone else is just throwing their lives away."

"Especially His Highness David of Eagle Country—he was recognized as one of the top five powerhouses of the younger generation, and even he was killed; the level of danger in this secret realm is simply unimaginable!"

The tent fell into silence.

David, an SSS-Rank Beast Tamer, was not only powerful but also had many means to save his life; logically, he shouldn't have fallen so easily!

But the fact is, he died!

After this news spread, the morale of all countries suffered a heavy blow.

Just as everyone was lamenting, a middle-aged man in a military uniform stood up from the direction of the Dragon Country delegation.

"Everyone, there is no need to be so pessimistic!"

The Dragon Country Commander said in a deep voice, "We in Dragon Country still have Gu Fan and Chen Yi; with the two of them joining forces, there is no barrier in this world that cannot be breached."

As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere in the tent eased slightly.

Gu Fan, Dragon Country's SSS-Rank Talent Beast Tamer, is recognized as the number one person of the younger generation.

Chen Yi, although it is unclear exactly what his talent is, is undoubtedly the strongest genius!

Once he grows up, he will definitely be even stronger than Gu Fan!

If these two join forces, perhaps there is truly a chance.

"Commander Li is right."

"Gu Fan and Chen Yi's strength is obvious to all; they might already be approaching the deepest part of the secret realm."

"Yes, with them there, there is still hope."

"I hope good news will come soon—"

Everyone was discussing it; although there was still anxiety in their hearts, at least there was something to look forward to.

However, what they didn't know was that at this moment, a violent shock was occurring within the Dragon Country delegation.

Outside the command tent, in the Dragon Country station area.

A communications officer ran into the command room with a pale face, holding a secret telegram that had just been received.

"Commander! Urgent intelligence!"

The Dragon Country Commander, who was checking the map, looked up: "What is it?"

The communications officer swallowed, his voice trembling: "Just received top-secret news from back home! Gu Fan—Gu Fan he—"

"What happened to Gu Fan?"

"Gu Fan—confirmed dead! Those spirit beasts that established a Heart Soul Contract all say so!"