12: Chapter 12 This Empress is quite possessive of her food.

The chaos at Cloud City First High School gradually subsided.

The City Defense Force set up cordons, and investigators went in and out, trying to find the cause of the office building's collapse and the traces of the burrowing Yao Beast.

With a gloomy face, Xia Lingfeng paced around the school several times.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

That bitch Xia Youchu had beaten him in public, making him lose all face, and even slandered him for burning down her quiet room!

Although he had wanted to burn it, you fucking can't slander me before I even did it, right?

On what grounds?

He had to find Xia Youchu and reclaim his dignity! At the very least, he had to make her admit with her own mouth that she had wronged him!

He waited at the school gate for several hours, sent people to keep watch near the Xia Family residence, and even searched several places where Xia Youchu might go.

In the end, he didn't even see a ghost of her.

"Young Master Feng, we've searched everywhere, but we didn't see Young Miss Xia Youchu," a lackey ran over, panting, to report.

"Useless trash!" Xia Lingfeng kicked the lackey's leg. "Keep searching! It's not like she can fly!"

Another lackey said cautiously, "Young Master Feng, I think I heard someone say... they saw Young Miss Xia Youchu heading towards the city gate..."

"The city gate?" Xia Lingfeng was startled. "What is she going to the city gate for?"

"It seems... it seems she went to the Pioneers Guild..."

Xia Lingfeng's pupils dilated, and he suddenly grabbed the lackey's collar. "What did you say? The Pioneers Guild? What is she doing there?!"

"I... I don't know... I just heard that she seemed to have gone to register..."

"Registering as a Pioneer?!"

Xia Lingfeng's voice suddenly spiked, filled with disbelief. "Is she crazy?! Taking that Gecko to become a Pioneer?! Is she looking to die?!"

He couldn't understand it.

A woman whose natal War Beast was trash didn't think of scraping by in the city, but actually ran to the peril-filled wilderness?

This was completely beyond his expectations.

He had originally planned to slowly deal with her in the city, ruin her reputation, and make her beg for mercy on her knees.

But now, she had directly left the chessboard?

He felt as if a punch he had been charging up for a long time had hit empty air.

A sense of humiliation from being ignored instantly shattered his rationality.

"Damn it! Xia Youchu! You'd fucking rather go to the wilderness to feed the Yao Beasts than stay and let me get my revenge?!"

"Fine, fine, fine! You're ruthless enough!"

He trembled with rage, his face turning livid.

The surrounding lackeys were as quiet as cicadas in winter, watching their master roar in impotent fury like a clown.

...

The Xia Family, study.

Patriarch Xia Yuan listened to the report from his secret guard, his brow furrowed.

"Youchu went to the Pioneers Guild, registered as a Pioneer, and has already left the city?"

"Yes, Patriarch. The Young Miss accepted the mission to clear out the Cave Spiders in the Black Wind Valley."

Patriarch Xia Yuan fell silent for a moment, a trace of complexity flashing in his eyes.

There was heartache, helplessness, and also a hint of relief.

His daughter had grown up and chosen the hardest path.

He knew that the infighting within the Family had chilled her heart, and the cutoff of resources had forced her to take desperate risks.

As a father, there were too many things beyond his control.

"Send a message to Chairman Zhao of the Pioneers Guild."

Patriarch Xia Yuan said in a deep voice, "Tell him that I, Xia Yuan, owe him a favor. Ask him to look after my daughter appropriately, at least to ensure her basic safety. No special treatment is needed, just don't let her die silently in some corner."

"Yes, Patriarch."

The secret guard took the order and quietly retreated.

Patriarch Xia Yuan walked to the window, looked towards the wilderness outside the city, and sighed softly.

"Youchu, survive... and then, become stronger."

...

Pioneers Guild, top-floor office.

"Yes, yes, I understand Patriarch Xia's meaning."

"No problem, I guarantee that Young Miss Youchu won't have any issues at all!"

Chairman Zhao, who was slightly plump with an amiable smile, had just ended the communication with the Xia Family's secret guard. The smile on his face instantly collapsed, replaced by a cold sweat.

"The daughter of the Xia Family... ran to the Black Wind Valley to hunt Cave Spiders?!"

He kept wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.

"My little ancestor! Aren't you trying to kill me?!"

He had also heard the news of Xia Youchu contracting a Gecko and having her Family resources cut off.

But he thought this young mistress would at most be depressed in the city for a while, or find a way to take another path.

Who would have thought she was so reckless, directly running off to the wilderness!

And she even took on a combat mission!

Although the outer area of the Black Wind Valley only had Tier One Yao Beasts, the environment was complex, and stronger Yao Beasts would occasionally wander in.

If anything happened to Xia Youchu under his nose, that daughter-doting fool Xia Yuan would definitely skin him alive!

Even if there were internal conflicts within the Xia Family, that wasn't something a mere branch president of the guild like him could get involved in!

"What to do, what to do..." Chairman Zhao paced around his office in anxiety.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up as he thought of someone.

He immediately picked up his communicator.

"Hello? My darling daughter? Where are you? Ninth-star Yuan Master? Great, great, great... Dad has an urgent mission here, and it has to be you!"

...

Thirty miles north of Cloud City, the outer area of the Black Wind Valley.

A vigorous figure darted through the jagged rocks and dead trees, a common longsword in her hand gleaming with a cold, sharp light.

It was indeed Xia Youchu.

Pfft!

With a flash of sword light, a Cave Spider was instantly decapitated. Green fluid splattered as it convulsed and fell.

Xia Youchu swiftly carved out the most valuable venom sac from the spider's body, then kicked the corpse aside.

She panted slightly, sweat appearing on her temples.

Hunting seven or eight Cave Spiders in a row was quite a drain on her three-star Yuan Practitioner cultivation.

More importantly, she was running the "Swallowing Heaven Demonic Art".

An invisible suction force emanated from her palm, enveloping the spider's corpse.

A large amount of life essence was forcibly extracted from the corpse, pouring into her body along her Meridians.

A freezing cold sensation accompanied by a stinging pain instantly spread throughout her body.

Xia Youchu let out a muffled groan, her face turning slightly pale, but her gaze grew even sharper.

She could feel that under the conversion of the Demonic Technique, her Yuan Qi took on a trace of yin-cold attribute, and its total amount was rapidly growing.

"It really works... Although the process is painful, the speed of progress is far beyond what step-by-step cultivation can compare to!"

"It's not even inferior to the cultivation speed of contracting the Moonlight Wolf in my past life!"

She felt exhilarated.

Just then, a "crunch crunch" sound came from beside her feet.

Looking down, she saw Ling Tian lying on the ground, chewing on the spider she had sucked dry with a bored expression.

[Devoured Cave Spider remains (energy depleted), obtained evolution points +0.5, Stamina +0.01.]

Ling Tian chewed somewhat gloomily.

This woman was too fast!

Every time they killed a Yao Beast, before he could even pounce on it to feast, she would beat him to it, using that bizarre Cultivation Technique to suck seven to eight tenths of the energy from the flesh!

What was left for him were only dry bones and carapaces!

The evolution points provided were pitifully few!

"Hey! Leave some meat for me!" Ling Tian transmitted his thoughts discontentedly.

Xia Youchu glanced at him and said indifferently, "You're just a Gecko, why do you need to eat so much meat? Can you even digest it? These bones and carapaces are enough for you to grind your teeth."

In her eyes, although Ling Tian grew a bit fast and looked a bit fierce, he was still essentially just a Gecko.

Yao Beast flesh and blood contained energy; feeding it to him would be a pure waste, better to use it herself to practice her Demonic Technique.

These hard bones and carapaces, however, were suitable for him to grind his teeth on, and maybe supplement some calcium? Probably.

Ling Tian: "???"

I can't digest it?

I can digest even stones and steel, you think I can't digest a few pieces of meat?

He was so angry he wanted to give Xia Youchu a taste of his Atomic Fission Breath, but after some thought, he held back.

Tearing faces now would bring no benefit.

Although this woman was a bit protective of her food, she was at least his protective umbrella for now.

At worst, he would just go hunting himself.

"Miser!"

Ling Tian chewed on the spider leg resentfully, making the bones crunch loudly. "Just wait until I make it big in the future, I'll make you chew on bones too!"

With that, Ling Tian directly abandoned Xia Youchu and dashed into the distance.

"I'd love nothing more!"

Xia Youchu had a face full of disdain, ignoring Ling Tian's little tantrum as she continued to explore ahead.

But before she could take two steps, a fierce aura suddenly struck!

Xia Youchu's face changed drastically. "How could a Demon Soldier-level Yao Beast appear in this area?!"

...