Volume One: The Emperor's Sword - Chapter 127: Could You Just Rob Me of My Virtue Instead?

Seeing the queen ant, Yun Que felt increasingly strange.

The queen ant appeared alone, without summoning the Ironwood Beasts, as if it had no defenses against the barbarian girl.

What surprised Yun Que even more was yet to come.

He watched as the barbarian girl held the queen ant in her hands, raising it high while rapidly chanting in a strange language, sounding much like an incantation. Afterward, she pressed the queen ant against her forehead and stood perfectly still.

Seeing this, Yun Que was filled with wonder.

The queen ant was a genuine first-tier demonic beast. While it might lack defensive capabilities, it possessed a mouth, and the tiny teeth within were terrifyingly sharp. Though the queen ant could not bite through a Corpse King Worm, biting a human would be effortless. If it were to suddenly lash out, it could easily crush the barbarian girl’s skull.

Yet, unexpectedly, instead of biting her, the queen ant pressed against the girl’s forehead remained docile, as if communicating with one of its own kind.

Before long, the barbarian girl placed the queen ant back on the ground. The queen ant began to move sluggishly, dragging its fat body back toward the nest. The entire process, which had seemed fraught with peril, turned out to be devoid of any real danger; the girl had acted as if she were simply soothing a stray cat or dog.

Could the barbarians communicate with demonic beasts?

Yun Que pondered this to himself. The barbarian tribes were known for their affinity with wild beasts, and some could even command tigers and wolves in battle. But the queen ant was a true member of the demonic race!

Demonic beasts might look similar to wild beasts, but they were fundamentally different. The demonic race was more ferocious, more powerful, and far harder to tame. Even with a first-tier demonic beast like the Corpse King Worm, Yun Que required the power of his sword soul to suppress it before he could command it. Yet, this barbarian girl had easily made intimate contact with the queen ant. This was certainly not something a normal barbarian could achieve.

While he was lost in thought, Yun Que saw the barbarian girl unhook a short bow made of mutton-fat jade from her body. It glowed with a warm, gentle luster, like glazed amber.

A magical artifact! And one of a very high grade!

Yun Que often visited Si Ruonan’s smithy, so his eye for such things was sharp. He could tell the bow was at least a high-grade artifact, perhaps even a top-grade one.

The girl drew the bow, pulling the string into a full moon, and a crimson energy arrow manifested automatically. It was aimed directly at the treetop where Yun Que was hiding.

*Hum!*

The crimson arrow tore through the void, trailing a line of air, and arrived in an instant. Yun Que summoned his Snow Trace Sword to meet it, colliding with the incoming bolt.

*Bang!*

A shockwave erupted from the treetop, scattering leaves in every direction. The arrow was blocked, but the force sent Yun Que crashing to the ground, where he had to take several steps back to steady himself.

It really was a top-grade artifact! And what immense power!

Yun Que was secretly shocked by the girl’s strength. He had struck with his full power, yet had still been knocked from the tree. Such force was truly astonishing.

The barbarian girl was even more surprised than he was. She widened her beautiful eyes, gazing at the young man who had fallen from the tree, her face full of curiosity.

"Sword Apprentice?" the blue-haired girl asked. Her voice was slightly hoarse, much deeper than that of an ordinary girl. If one didn't look at her appearance, it would be almost impossible to distinguish her gender by voice alone.

"Sword Servant," Yun Que replied briefly, controlling his sword with spiritual energy.

"Liar!" The barbarian girl drew her bow again, saying bitterly, "All men are liars."

"And women aren't?"

Yun Que pinched a sword seal with one hand, and the Snow Trace Sword emitted a faint hum. The air grew gradually colder. Both sides were filled with killing intent; a fierce battle was on the verge of breaking out.

*Rustle, rustle, rustle.*

The sound of crawling approached from afar, and two Bone Lizards burst from the forest!

The Bone Lizards were massive, standing half a person tall and two zhang long. Their everted bone armor covered almost their entire bodies, and their long tails were covered in dense scales like steel whips, emitting sharp cracks as they lashed about.

The barbarian girl’s expression changed abruptly. She uttered short, rhythmic syllables that sounded like an incantation, and reached out to communicate with one of the Bone Lizards. In response, the creature opened its massive maw, nearly biting her hand off.

The barbarian girl was extremely agile; she dodged the beast’s mouth and rolled to the side. By then, Yun Que had already hidden in a distant Sword Bone Tree.

These two Bone Lizards were clearly attracted by the scent of the queen ant and had come for her.

Sure enough, once the two of them had cleared the area, the Bone Lizards rushed into the sand pit and dug frantically with their front claws, quickly unearthing the queen ant, which hadn't crawled very far.

Facing a crisis, the queen ant immediately summoned its swarm to form an Ironwood Beast. Though the Ironwood Beast looked fierce, it was only a first-tier demonic beast and could not withstand two second-tier Bone Lizards. In the blink of an eye, the Ironwood Beast was torn to pieces, and it looked as if the queen ant was about to be devoured.

At that moment, the barbarian girl did something bizarre. She had already escaped the danger, yet she disregarded her own safety and drew her bow, launching an attack against the Bone Lizards. She was actually helping the queen ant fight off its natural predators!

Provoked by the attack, the two Bone Lizards became enraged and charged at the barbarian girl. She was immediately plunged into a bitter struggle.

A second-tier Bone Lizard was equivalent in combat power to a Foundation Establishment cultivator. A single Sword Apprentice would be no match for one, let alone two. Yun Que was stunned by her suicidal, reckless behavior.

Was this barbarian girl a fool?

Soon, Yun Que realized the key. The barbarian girl must be able to communicate with the queen ant and obtain information she needed from it. When he had been hiding perfectly well in the treetop, the fact that she had suddenly discovered him must have been due to a clue provided by the queen.

Helping the queen ant resist its natural predators at the cost of her own safety—it seemed foolish, but it was also a form of genuine sincerity.

The fierce battle lasted for a quarter of an hour. The barbarian girl’s movements slowed, her bow-pulling became less frequent, and she began to falter. Her arrows were not lethal to the Bone Lizards, which were renowned for their defense. The beasts kept biting at her, forming a pincer movement that made it impossible for her to escape.

In her frustration, a blood-red aura surged around the barbarian girl. Her skin turned red, her eyes became bloodshot, and her body swelled by nearly double, bursting her clothes!

Blood Barbarian! And a complete transformation at that!

Yun Que watched the girl’s changes without blinking. Even in her Blood Barbarian state, she was no match for the two Bone Lizards and was trapped in a perilous situation.

Yun Que looked into the distance of the forest. From his high vantage point, he could see the entire surroundings, and a Pig-Louse Beast was wandering not far away. After a moment of thought, he sent a flying sword to lure the beast over.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

Heavy hoofbeats sounded through the forest, and the ground began to tremble. The two Bone Lizards, about to pounce, immediately froze, their strange eyes rolling to focus on the source of the sound.

Soon, a behemoth charged out of the forest. Seeing the Pig-Louse Beast, the two Bone Lizards turned and fled. While they were the natural predators of the Ironwood Ants, the Pig-Louse Beast was their own natural predator!

The massive creature thundered in pursuit, and the three demonic beasts soon vanished into the woods.

The crisis was over.

The barbarian girl collapsed to the ground, exhausted. The blood-red aura faded, and she had no strength left. Her clothes were in tatters, making her look as if she had been violated.

"You can communicate with the queen ant? How did you do it?" Yun Que asked, approaching her.

"I have a Beast Spirit Root," the barbarian girl replied, no longer on guard.

"So that’s it. A Beast Spirit Root can establish a connection with demonic beasts. But why couldn't you control those two Bone Lizards?" Yun Que asked again.

"Second-tier demonic beasts have a much higher cultivation base than I do. I can barely soothe them, but I cannot control them."

The barbarian girl blinked her beautiful, wide eyes and said, "My name is Lando. Thank you for saving me. You are a good person. Father said that anyone who saves you in a moment of crisis is a good person!"

Yun Que gave a shy smile, then reached out his hands toward her.

Lando stared blankly at the "good person" before her as he took the jewels from her wrists, the pearls from her neck, and the storage bag from her waist. In that moment, the simple-minded barbarian girl was bewildered; certain beliefs she held crumbled and shattered.

How could a good person rob others?

"What are you doing?" Lando struggled to rise in protest, only to find a cold, sharp flying sword pressed against her neck.

"Robbing you. Isn't it obvious? Can't you tell?"

As he spoke, Yun Que reached for her chest.

"You're trying to take advantage of me!" Lando cried in panic.

As it turned out, Yun Que was only grabbing the bowstring to take the short bow from her. Seeing her bow being taken, Lando’s expression changed. She grabbed Yun Que’s wrist, desperate to take it back, but was forced to retreat by the sword at her throat.

Watching the short bow disappear into the stranger’s pocket, Lando could no longer remain calm. With a tone of pleading, she said:

"You can take advantage of me if you want, just leave the bow."