The Princess And The Lord

The heavy thumps and thunderous roars doubled as people tried to escape the beast frantically. Their screams turned desperate but there was no one to help them. The beast picked up a wounded man, tore him apart, and swallowed him. It was a gory scene that frightened the others.

They tried to run away as they knew they couldn't fight the beast. Huang Ni Yang was the first to take off without looking back while her brother got away by shoving his people as bait. The siblings headed towards Zhao Li Xin's group as the ruin's entrance was the only route they could take. The beast used to fire to burn those in his way as it also headed towards the ruins.

While this was happening, Lory's head was swirling with ideas when she noticed the swaying statue of a man holding a sword. The only thing holding the giant statue in place was the chain hooked on its back.

"Jin Hao! Li Yan! Lure that beast here!" Lory pointed to the location she thought was perfect. She also ordered the Mong brothers as she dashed towards the second floor via the wooden spiral stairs, "Mong Ki! Mong Yi! Help them distract the beast. Li Xin, help me release this old statue!"

Their eyes took in the cracks on the floor and the dangling statue. It was easy for them to understand what she wanted to do. With a tacit understanding, Jin Hao and Bei Li Yan followed her orders and ran towards the beast. They accumulated their powerful Qi in their hands, jumped and punched the beast's head. Their punches were packed with power as it distorted the beasts face.

The beast staggered and shook its head to clear its sight. Jin Hao and Bei Li Yan run back towards the ruins without waiting to see the beast's reaction. The beast roared in anger and chased after the King's Palaces. It ignored the other people as it wanted to kill Jin Hao and Bei Li Yan for the assault. These gave the others a breather from the beast's attack.

"IT'S COMING!!" Mong Yi yelled.

"Careful with the floor!!" Lory reminded the Mong brothers as she ran up the spiral staircase for a clear view while Zhao Li Xin jumped near the statue. Jin Hao and Bei Li Yan quickly leaped through the entrance to wait for the beast. Bei Li Yan took out his red whip made out of sharp chains from his ring while Jin Hao drew a long thin white sword that exuded a chilling force.

Mong Ki and Mong Yi also pulled out their swords from their backs. Their swords were black, something Lory had never seen before. It took a few seconds for the beast to reach the entrance. It tried to pounce on Bei Li Yan when it saw his red eye-catching robes.

Bei Li Yan dodged to the side, bounced between the walls, and lashed his whip at the humongous beast a few times. 

Jin Hao used his sword to slash at the beast's knees a few times. His speed was incredible and on point as the beast's footing wavered. Mong Ki and Mong Yi were not left behind as they also attacked the beast, overwhelming it with their power.

Lory watched the fight from a safe distance on the second floor. She was amazed as it seemed like she had traveled with her own OP team. The beast's strength, however, made it hard for it to easily through the floor.

A powerful kick from Jin Hao almost twisted the beast's head and body. The beast lost its balance and fell face first on the floor with a loud boom. Bei Li Yan wrapped his whip around the beast's head and pull it towards the cracked floor as the beast tried to stand. The Mong brothers fastened the process by kick the beast's body twice causing the beast to land on the floor for a second time. 

The furious beast opened its jaw widely and blew out fire from its mouth. Bei Li Yan hid behind a stone pillar to evade the fire. Jin Hao and the Mong brothers also escaped it by bouncing on the walls. Their actions enraged the beast further as it had failed to kill its opponents.

The ruins did not escape the fire. This caused a slight problem for the adventure seekers as they didn't know where the tomb was located in the ruins. and the fire could destroy the entrance. They also couldn't minimize the damage as the beast was on a rampage. It crashed and burned everything around them in its madness yet it was not close to where Lory wanted it to be.

Zhao Li Xin jumped from the statue and hit the floor with impatience. The shockwave from his punch pushed the beast back to the fragile floor. Seeing her chance, Lory aimed her arrow at the statue's chain and released it. The buzzing arrow was followed by a loud clunk. The rusty chain broke at the impact and the statue fell off the wall landing on the beast below it.

The floor collapsed from the weight of the beast and statue. The beast roared as it fell through a black hole with the statue. The roars soon faded. 

"It worked," Bei Li Yan stated the obvious.

"And look… There is a staircase inside," Jin Hao looked at the newly formed hole.

"The entrance to the tomb…" Zhao Li Xin's face was expressionless.

"So… The tomb was under the ruins," Lory descended from the spiral stairs and crotched near the hole. She giggled as Girsha swooped in and perched on her shoulder, "How classic!"

[Another adventure, Your Highness] Girsha teased.

[Indeed…] Lory smiled with excitement.

The beast was gone but there was still fire everywhere. Zhao Li Xin stepped away from Lory and slowly opened his arms. He took a deep breath and the fire around them was gradually sucked into his body. His arms were engulfed with fire and the air around him become hotter as he kept sucking the flame into him. The black charred walls and floor were what remained when he was done. 

Lory's eyes bulged as she watched Zhao Li Xin. She didn't know the limit of his power.

"Surprised?" Jin Hao's question startled her.

"Yes, I am…" She admitted. "What is that? Can everyone do that?"

"No. It is just him," Jin Hao smiled. He was surprised Lory didn't know Zhao Li Xin's strength. His opinion on her increased once again. "It is called the Immortal Flame. Only a few people practice this art and the number of those who master it is even less."

Zhao Li Xin walked toward Lory once the fire dissipated. She looked surprised but oddly concerned. She wanted to make sure there were no side effects, "Are you okay?"

"Of course I am. What are you worried about?" Zhao Li Xin was confused by her question.

"Everything has a cost. This kinda power…what will it cost you?"

Lory's question perplexed Zhao Li Xin. He got varied reactions when people got to see his power. There were those who showed envy and greed. Some would admire him, while others showed their happiness by congratulating him. Lory was the only one who showed worry. It was also possible she was the only one who would ever ask him such a question. 

The truth was there was a downside to his power. If he overused it or lost control over it, he would be overwhelmed by his own flame and burn to ashes. He needed to be careful when he used his power.

Zhao Li Xin had the power for years yet no one realized owning such a power had a risk. Lory, on the other hand, managed to tell this with one look. Zhao Li Xin couldn't resist pulling Lory into his arms at her question.

Zhao Li Xin used to think God was cruel and hard on him to have given him a hard life since birth, but he no longer thought the same. It was possible God pitied him and sent Lory to him so that she could ease his pain. He couldn't help but feel grateful.

"Hey! You haven't answered my question!" Lory gasped for air after he buried her face to his chest. However, this didn't stop Zhao Li Xin from embracing her.

"I'm fine. You don't need to worry," He laughed softly. He pressed his forehead to hers. Lory's face turned as red as a tomato at the proximity of Zhao Li Xin's heaven-defying face.

"Why is your face so red?" Zhao Li Xin became worried.

Lory pressed her lips together. She evaded his deep gaze and made a random excuse, "It's because of the fire...and everything…"

"I now feel lonely," Jin Hao muttered under his breath as he walked away from the couple. They didn't seem to care he was standing close to them. 

The other group finally entered the ruins looking wounded and exhausted. Huang Ni Yang had lost her delicate appearance. Her white robes were dirty and her face was pale and covered in sweat. Her brother didn't look any better. His white robes were stained with black residue from the beast's flame.

More people entered looking tired, wounded, and shaken. They were all relieved to see the beast was gone. They leaned on the wall to catch their breath, while some sat on the floor close to the wall and others helped their comrade fix their wounds.

"You could have saved us," Huang Zi Feng glared at Zhao Li Xin. He had a defeated look yet Zhao Li Xin still looked pristine with no hair out-of-place. His heart was unsettled by Zhao Li Xin's perfect appearance.

"Why...?" Zhao Li Xin asked with indifference. Zhao Li Xin looked at Huang Zi Feng like he was the stupidest man he had ever seen. "Am I your bodyguard, subordinate, or perhaps family...? We are strangers. Why should I help any of you?"

Huang Zi Feng was a pure narcissistic. Everything had to revolve around him and felt entitled to anything and everything. He thought he was an honorable man who should be respected. According to him, Zhao Li Xin should be proud he was talking to him.

"Do you even know who I am?" Huang Zi Feng's face turned crimson as his clenched knuckles turned white. He hated Zhao Li Xin who looked down on him like he was trash. Huang Zi Feng was the venerated son of the master of Heavenly Jade Pavilion. A crown prince would even give him some face yet Zhao Li Xin dared to belittle him.

"Do you know who I am?" Zhao Li Xin threw the question back to him.