After Becoming an Evil Dragon, I Was Entangled by the Saintess - Chapter 6

While Yulxi remained in her human form, a single Gulu Pig was enough to feed four people.

The Spirit Incense burned silently, turning to ash as its invisible energy flowed back into Yulxi’s body.

The attack patterns and spells from her Dragon Heritage could be cast using her own strength and magic. However, the “wind, thunder, water, and fire” spells she had brought from the Primordial Realm drew power from the incense offerings. Yulxi had a Kobold Tribe as her Familiar, and they diligently burned Spirit Incense daily as she commanded. In addition to the offerings, the tribe also provided a small amount of faith energy.

Yet Yulxi still felt it wasn’t enough.

In the Primordial Realm, Divine Power was boundless.

But here, after accumulating for some time, the “Divine Power” gained from faith and incense offerings could only sustain a brief release of her full strength. Of course, she couldn’t unleash it all at once either, as this continent, scarred by multiple Divine Wars, couldn’t withstand the power of the Gods. Any Divine Power that descended would cause uncontrollable divine contamination.

If she released her power in a single burst, it would be roughly equivalent to that of a top-tier Legendary.

After a brief rest, Yulxi and her party continued their journey. Along the way, they encountered several terrified adventurers fleeing in disarray, but none were willing to stop and explain what had happened. Ilti’s heart grew heavy, and she shrank her neck, secretly wishing she didn’t have to go and die.

As night fell, they set up camp in a clearing.

This area was close to the entrance of the Underdark, and subterranean creatures might emerge from below.

The Silver Moon hung in the sky.

Yulxi heard the crisp clinking of Silver Rings colliding and the howls of wolves.

Ilti and Flah also heard the commotion and immediately went on alert.

Pairs of eerie green eyes lit up, and a flickering torch gradually approached from the distance.

As an Elf, Flah possessed exceptional night vision. Her face darkened instantly as she said, “A pack of Worgs… and a Goblin!”

A peculiar, pungent odor drifted on the wind. The torchbearer was a Goblin riding a Worg. It wore a military helmet, its mottled gray-blue skin glistening in the firelight. Its flat face featured a broad, twitching nose and small, sharp teeth. Its crimson eyes gleamed with malevolent intent. A rough, guttural voice rasped out, sounding like gibberish to Ilti’s ears.

“What’s it saying?” Ilti frowned, unable to understand the Goblin’s language, which wasn’t Common.

“It says it’s going to capture us pigs and make us mine underground,” Flah said.

Goblins were social creatures, and only warriors in their tribes typically rode worgs.

Flah fully engaged her senses. To them, a single goblin and a pack of worgs posed little threat, even if the entire goblin tribe from the Underdark surged aboveground. But the wind carried whispers suggesting only one goblin was currently swaggering about.

Her twin blades flashed from their sheaths with lightning speed. Guided by instinct, the Elven Ranger charged toward the worg lunging at her. Without hesitation, she thrust her blade, the tip sinking into the first worg’s body. The second worg, reeking of foul stench, charged forward. The curved blade gleamed silver in the moonlight, and in the blink of an eye, it severed the worg’s massive head. She withdrew her blade, retreating backward, and called out to Ilti, “Hey!”

Ilti raised her staff and began chanting. Her synergy with Flah was seamless; with Flah’s cover, she could cast spells without restraint. A second-level Flaming Sphere slammed into the worg pack, agitating the vile creatures. Ilti had mastered few spells, and magic couldn’t be recklessly expended. After disrupting the worgs, she paused, waiting for the opportune moment.

Yulxi glanced at Veranse and suppressed the urge to help.

Veranse cast spells with astonishing speed, her incantations practically instantaneous. Her Flaming Sphere spell, when used, resembled a relentless barrage of explosive fireballs, sweeping through the Worg pack. As for the Goblin, it tried to flee the moment it realized it had stumbled upon a formidable opponent, but its speed was no match for Flah’s. With a flash of her gleaming scimitar, the Goblin’s head rolled to the ground. A putrid stench erupted from the corpse, spreading in all directions.

Flah spat in disgust, wishing she could discard the scimitar altogether.

She had intended to ask Ilti to cleanse the blade with a water sphere spell, but Ilti was staring at Veranse in a daze.

After a moment of hesitation, Ilti asked, “Did you come from the Mage Tower? You must have passed the trials there, right?”

Veranse blinked. “No.”

Ilti: “Then—”

Veranse: “Perhaps my Magical Talent is simply stronger.”

Yulxi, standing nearby, let out a soft scoff.

As Veranse cast Flaming Sphere, the True Dragon’s Eye, imbued with a trace of Divine Power, finally glimpsed her hidden stats—though only for a fleeting moment.

Name: Veranse

Race: Human

Title: Holy Maiden of Light

Class: Mage, Swordsman

Rank: Third-Tier

True God of Faith: None

Level of Faith: Unbeliever

Abilities: Undetectable

The Holy Maiden of the Temple of Light is an unbeliever? Who would ever believe that if the truth got out?

How does the Holy See even choose its Holy Maidens? Is it just based on looks? Still, Veranse’s radiant, saintly appearance is certainly convincing. When she casts healing spells, how would ordinary people distinguish between a Priest and a mage? They’d just see it as a divine miracle.

But what is the Holy Maiden of Light doing in Red Leaf Province? Is she here to hunt Dragons?

In the human pantheon, the God of Light, Iveta, is also known as the King of Gods, the most widely worshipped deity on the Fei’er Continent. However, the Holy See’s power distribution is uneven. In remote regions like Red Leaf Province, regardless of the number of believers, the Holy See’s influence remains weak. Could the Holy See have dispatched the Holy Maiden herself to proselytize in Red Leaf Province?

Yulxi frowned.

If that were the case, it would conflict with her future plans.

She already considered Red Leaf Province her territory, intending to harvest faith by establishing a Dragon God Temple sooner or later. This would inevitably lead to conflict with the Holy See.

So, should all three of my teammates perish in Mangshui Forest? Or should I spare only Ilti?

The night wind rustled through the trees, causing the branches to creak.

Veranse pretended not to hear Yulxi’s soft snort.

Within the group, Ilti and Flah were very friendly to her, but Yulxi maintained a cool, indifferent demeanor.

Then again, considering Yulxi was a Black Dragon, the fact that she hadn’t torn them to shreds was already the height of enthusiasm.

Her gaze fell on the Goblin’s corpse, and through its open collar, she spotted a peculiar emblem.

The emblem bore the symbol of a malevolent, crimson eye.

“What’s that?” Veranse asked.

Ilti nudged Flah.

Flah glared at Ilti before reluctantly approaching the foul-smelling Goblin and using her staff to lift the emblem.

“I don’t recognize it,” Flah said.

Ilti slapped her forehead. “It looks like some kind of badge.” She couldn’t quite recall what it was.

Veranse lowered her eyes.

She had recognized the emblem the moment she saw it.

Without touching it, she incinerated the emblem with a burst of flames. Only then did she say, “It’s the symbol of the Creationist Society.”

“The Creationist Society?” Ilti exclaimed in surprise. She knew of the Creationist Society, an organization branded as a “heretical cult” by the Light Church. In the pantheon of the God of Light, the God of Light was believed to have created the world. But the Creationist Society adhered to a different version of creation, worshipping a mysterious deity named Kidra. This god had appeared without explanation and was not recognized within the Hall of the Sun. In recent years, however, the number of heretical worshippers had grown, and the Creationist Society’s activities had become increasingly brazen.

But would the humanoid creatures of the Underdark also worship the Creationist Society?

Even without the legendary Great Dragons, the Underdark couldn’t possibly be dominated by Goblins. The Drow would undoubtedly be at the top of the hierarchy. And Elves, especially the Drow, had their own gods—the Spider Queen Lolth.

“Strange,” Ilti muttered, dismissing the matter.

She couldn’t possibly venture into the Underdark to investigate every trace of the Creationist Society. If such matters required attention, it was the Holy See’s responsibility.

Shifting her thoughts, Ilti quickly put the Creationist Society out of her mind.

“Could the Goblins have been alerted by the commotion on the surface? Should we leave this place?” Ilti asked gravely.

“What do you think?” Veranse asked Yulxi with a smile.

Yulxi returned a faint smile. “Whatever you prefer.”

The second night remained a night of hunting.

If her companions wished to rush to the Rotting Swamp and meet their deaths sooner, she wouldn’t stop them.

Yulxi rarely spoke, and her gaze seldom lingered on her companions.

But now, she stared directly at Veranse, trying to discern the Holy Maiden of Light’s true intentions behind that radiant smile.

Yet Veranse merely smiled, as if her face were incapable of expressing any emotion other than that dazzling grin.

After a long silence, Yulxi expressionlessly averted her gaze.

Veranse’s “sincere enthusiasm” stirred a flicker of annoyance within her.

“Tonight feels restless,” Veranse murmured softly.

As if in response, dark clouds gathered rapidly, gradually swallowing the stars and threatening to engulf even the Silver Moon.

The trees swayed violently, as if about to snap in half.

“Perhaps a storm is coming,” Veranse said.

Ilti glanced at the sky and frowned. “But before we set out, the mage predicted ten days of clear weather.”

Flah sheathed her curved blade. “Predictions are just predictions.”

Yulxi lifted her gaze to the darkening sky.

Controlling rain and clouds was the domain of the Eastern Dragon God.

In the Primordial Realm Heavenly Court, the Dragon God held the responsibility of meticulously controlling rainfall, regulating both its scope and quantity with utmost precision.

But on the Fei’er Continent, within the Mangshui Forest, it was merely a torrential downpour.

This was her second chance, granted to the lost adventurers—a chance to turn back.

Before the first raindrop fell, Yulxi and her companions had already found a cave to take shelter in.

“Why did we ever think it was a good idea to slay a dragon?” Ilti murmured, her eyes vacant. “Even though it lives in the Mangshui Forest, it hasn’t attacked the Red Maple Territory.”

Yulxi chuckled dryly. “Because dragon nests might hold treasure. Because the Great Dragon itself is priceless, worth enough gold to squander for a lifetime. It would earn us the title of ‘Dragon Slayer’ and make us heroes sung about by bards.”

Veranse interrupted, “It would bring us ghosts in the graveyard and rotting bones beneath the yellow earth.”

Yulxi narrowed her eyes, studying Veranse. “You seem to disapprove of dragon slaying. Then why did you come to the Mangshui Forest?”

Hope and anticipation flickered in Veranse’s eyes. “Because I’ve never seen a Black Dragon before.”