"Truly a true god, so powerful, to subdue such a terrifying enemy so easily!"
Marana sat aside, her injuries largely healed, her face filled with shock as she watched the scene before her.
"Those who offend the Dark Queen... must die!"
Xiuyan's mouth repeatedly uttered this phrase, her eyes vacant as she mechanically performed attack movements.
"What is going on with this person?"
Zhang Chen frowned.
If Xiuyan were a normal person with a clear mind, capable of using tactics and skills, this battle would never have been so easily brought under his control.
Before making his move, Zhang Chen had even prepared himself for a tough fight.
But he hadn't expected her attack methods to be so singular, making them easy to see through.
Taking advantage of Xiuyan arching her head back to gather power, Zhang Chen dodged as she lunged. Then, he pinned her to the ground, twisting her arms behind her back at an angle. He then sat on her.
Although Xiuyan possessed formidable strength, Zhang Chen was not weak either. Especially by connecting his body to the earth with energy, it was difficult for Xiuyan to get up in this position, no matter how strong she was.
This kind of hold was suitable for capturing Xiuyan, but if he had to restrain Marana, Zhang Chen genuinely worried she might suffocate after a while.
"True god, you are too strong, to subdue her so effortlessly!"
Marana limped over, saying with deep admiration.
"It's not quite subdued, only temporarily controlled."
"The energy within her is very powerful. I can only find out why she became like this to find a solution."
At this moment, Xiuyan strained upwards, causing Zhang Chen to tremble slightly.
She was indeed strong.
"As you instructed, I released many slaves along the way and killed many restless slave owners. Xiuyan followed me the entire time, and the whole process was normal."
"Xiuyan is usually quiet and prefers to go along with others' opinions when encountering anything. She gives us the impression of being someone without much of her own will."
Marana explained.
"And then?"
"Then... I saw the library. I thought there might be records about genealogy or the evolution of surnames here."
"You wanted to know who our ancestors were, didn't you? I figured doing this would please you, true god."
"As a result, in a corner of the library, I found an ancient book bound in beast hide. It was pressed beneath some books on a shelf, covered in dust. It was hard to find without a careful look."
Marana recalled.
"If it's such a hard-to-find ancient book, how could you find it as soon as you entered the library?"
"The library has been here for so long, haven't others discovered it, including the librarian?"
Zhang Chen felt that Marana's words were problematic and asked directly.
"This... I also found it very strange because I actually had no clue when I entered the library, not knowing where to start looking."
"But I just had an inexplicable feeling that guided me to that spot, and then I found this book!"
Marana said.
"And then, was Xiuyan there at the time?"
Zhang Chen asked.
"Mm!"
Marana nodded gently, recalling:
"She had been following me, keeping a distance of about five meters."
"She knows she's no match for me. Five meters is a safe distance, ensuring she could react calmly if I suddenly attacked."
"But I didn't expect..."
"When I opened the book, it was as if something had escaped."
"I didn't believe in ghosts or gods, but something did come out. It wasn't energy, nor was it physical. I couldn't see or touch it, but I just had that feeling."
"And then... Xiuyan became dazed like she is now, repeatedly repeating that sentence."
"I felt something was wrong and feared that a fight here would destroy the texts in the library, so I led her out. As soon as we got out, the fight began."
"As for what happened next, true god, you've seen it all."
Marana said, squatting beside Xiuyan, who was still repeating the same sentence.
"What's in this book?"
Zhang Chen looked at the ancient book wrapped in beast hide and curiously opened the first page...