Chapter 30: The Supreme King of the Skies

Since her father was unwilling to plead with Aunt Yu for her sake, Tang Siqi decided she would do it herself.

Once Yun Duo’er finished refining the meat of the one-horned rhino, Tang Siqi would act!

She silently made up her mind.

Inside the room, Yun Duo’er could no longer suppress her muffled groans.

The pain was unbearable—far beyond anything she had ever known. In the dungeon, with her mother’s constant, impenetrable protection, the worst injuries Yun Duo’er had suffered amounted to little more than a scratch or two.

Before the dungeon world descended, it was even less. Sometimes, her mother would spank her for misbehaving, or she’d earn a few smacks from her teacher at school, and Yun Duo’er thought that was the height of pain. Compared to absorbing and refining the one-horned rhino’s flesh, those hurts were mere drizzle—not worth mentioning.

Countless wild bolts of thunderous spiritual energy raged within her body, rampaging and colliding. It was as though a thousand restless, furious beasts had been locked inside her flesh. They howled for escape, driven by a destructive urge that threatened to tear her apart; Yun Duo’er felt as if her body had been pierced with countless holes.

From skin, muscles, bones, and marrow—even every single strand of hair was penetrated by the energy.

They destroyed everything in a frenzy, yet once all was ruined, they would instantly begin repairs. Yun Duo’er’s body was, to them, a fascinating new toy—assembled and dismantled, over and over. Through this endless cycle, she experienced agony worse than death.

“Mom... Mother, how... hss! How much longer... until I gain my abilities?” Yun Duo’er forced the question out between clenched teeth.

“It’s almost done—very soon now,” Yu Yan replied, her eyes rimmed red and fists clenched tight.

She dared not tell her daughter that this was only the beginning. Fearing Yun Duo’er might cry out in pain—her current transformation powers still unable to mask loud cries—Yu Yan drew her daughter into the Plant Spirit World.

The Plant Spirit World could contain all living beings, including Yun Duo’er and any human. Only Yu Yan herself, as the world’s master, could immerse her consciousness within it, while her physical body remained outside.

Yu Yan’s consciousness gently, tenderly wrapped around Yun Duo’er, who seemed to sense it and managed a weak smile.

“Mom... Mother, don’t worry, Duo’er will be all right.”

“Duo’er, don’t talk now.”

Yu Yan wiped her damp cheeks—at some point, her face had become drenched in tears. “Focus on refining the thunder energy. The more concentrated you are, the shorter this ordeal will last.” Yet, the more focused Yun Duo’er became, the greater her suffering would grow!

Yu Yan could only wish for this torment to end quickly.

Yun Duo’er surely felt the same.

Yu Yan trusted this instinct, and sure enough, Yun Duo’er fell silent, gritting her teeth against the pain that felt like a thousand blades piercing her heart, striving to concentrate her mind. As her focus deepened, the waves of agony intensified.

With a gasp, Yun Duo’er spat out a mouthful of blood.

For a moment, her vision went white—she almost believed herself dead. But soon enough, pain dragged her firmly back to the world.

At that instant, she truly wished she could die—anything to escape such suffering.

Her mother’s spiritual presence trembled softly around her; surely Mom was crying. In Yun Duo’er’s memory, her mother rarely shed tears. Even when a car accident left her trapped beneath a heavy electric scooter, her leg nearly crushed, she would limp and call out to passersby to help lift the scooter, then go on to pick Yun Duo’er up from school as if nothing had happened.

Because, as her mother said, Yun Duo’er would worry if Mom wasn’t there to pick her up.

Suddenly, courage welled up within Yun Duo’er.

So what if it hurt? Curse it all—if pain wouldn’t kill her, she had nothing to fear!

No one would separate her from her mother; she would never allow it.

Yun Duo’er bit down hard, blood seeping from her lips, but she paid it no mind. She concentrated, actively refining the hated thunder energy that caused her such torment.

Time slipped away, unnoticed.

Perhaps only a few hours passed, or maybe days, weeks, or months.

Yun Duo’er lost track of time, immersed in her battle with the thunder energy, driven to relentless determination. Pink droplets of blood slowly oozed from her body—first a handful, then dozens, then thousands.

She became a blossom of blood, her clothes soaked and saturated.

The color of her blood deepened, growing darker and heavier.

At last, the unruly thunder energy seemed to realize it could not defeat Yun Duo’er’s steadfast will. It grew tame, obediently flowing with her intent, warmly nourishing every hidden wound within her body.

These wounds had accumulated over countless cycles of destruction and repair.

The tamed thunder energy, as if aware of the trouble it had caused its master, did its utmost to make amends.

“Mm~” Yun Duo’er let out a comfortable sigh.

Yu Yan, who had been watching her daughter closely within the small world, finally relaxed. The hardest trial was behind them. Now, Yun Duo’er needed only to rest and recover her spirit before awakening from the world of consciousness.

Then, it would be Yu Yan’s turn.

Originally, Yu Yan intended to acquire a fire-based power, but Tang Yan had demanded the earth-grade fire crystal. The more similar the abilities within a team, the greater the limitations. If everyone possessed fire abilities and entered a dungeon hostile to fire, their combat power would plummet exponentially.

Their team would be helpless before the monsters of the dungeon.

Yu Yan would never let herself make such a rookie mistake. She produced a large slab of Qu Ru meat and took a fierce bite.

Wind fuels fire. In the future, she and Tang Yan would form an unstoppable combination, multiplying their team’s destructive power.

Qu Ru, the aerial king of the S-grade dungeon “Desert Oasis,” could unleash three wind-based abilities:

Wind Blade, Wind Walk, and Wind Surge.

Wind Blade, as its name implies, was a wind attack shaped like a razor, swift as lightning. Those targeted could only evade if their speed far outmatched the blade or if they possessed precognition; otherwise, it was certain death.

A seventh-grade Qu Ru could release hundreds of blades at once, shredding its foes.

An eighth-grade was even more terrifying: when its Wind Blades appeared, they filled the entire field of vision. No matter which direction you fled, you could not escape being cut several times.

As for ninth-grade, the number of blades decreased—but don’t celebrate yet.

A ninth-grade Qu Ru’s blades possessed homing capabilities.

This meant that even after being released, the blades could be guided by their master. They could turn, twist, even make a full one-hundred-eighty-degree reversal. If you could imagine it, a ninth-grade Qu Ru’s Wind Blade could do it.

Wind Walk and Wind Surge each had their own formidable qualities.

To obtain this cache of Qu Ru material, Yu Yan had gone to great lengths—even sending Yun Duo’er out of the “Desert Oasis” dungeon ahead of time...