Ling Yuan: "Please call me Jian Yong!"
Akame: "..."
Lightning Dragon Slayer: "Hmph! You're only slightly useful at times like this."
Eighth Empire
Ren Kougyoku was at a loss for a moment.
She wandered around her bedchamber.
"What should I do? What should I do? The Group Owner is coming here. Do I look messy? Will the Group Owner laugh at me?"
Xia Huangwen and the guards were all utterly bewildered.
What was wrong with the Princess?
She looked like a young girl in love.
"Could it be...!"
Xia Huangwen's expression changed.
Could the Princess have fallen in love with some commoner during her time outside?
That would not do. It would be extremely detrimental to his future plans!
He could not help but speak up. "Princess..."
But before he could say anything, Ren Kougyoku regained her composure, tidied up her clothes slightly, and stood obediently in place.
As if waiting for someone.
"Princess?" Xia Huangwen's hand froze in midair.
Then—
His expression suddenly changed.
The space before Ren Kougyoku abruptly twisted, transforming into a pitch-black spatial passage.
"!"
Under Xia Huangwen's stunned gaze, a man with black hair slowly stepped out of it.
"Good day, Lord Ling Yuan." Following proper etiquette, Ren Kougyoku held her hands together and gave a light bow.
However, Ling Yuan did not care for so many formalities. He directly placed a hand on Ren Kougyoku's head and gently rubbed it. "Nice to meet you, Little Hongyu."
"L-L-Little Hongyu?!" Xia Huangwen was dumbfounded.
Ren Kougyoku's little face reddened as well. She lightly covered her face, but her heart was pounding wildly.
"Don't be afraid, Princess! Let me, Xia Huangwen, protect you!"
Xia Huangwen, along with two attendants, shielded Ren Kougyoku behind them and watched Ling Yuan vigilantly.
"Who are you? Could you be a remnant of the Three Kingdoms?!"
Seeing Ling Yuan's East Asian features, Xia Huangwen questioned him.
Seeing that Ling Yuan showed no discomfort, he merely smiled faintly. "My name is Ling Yuan. You may think of me as your Princess's friend. Of course, 'backer' works too."
"A backer?" Xia Huangwen froze.
"I know you want Hongyu to become the next emperor. And with Ren Kouen's actions now, do you think he might be trying to eliminate Hongyu?" Ling Yuan said with a smile as he looked at Xia Huangwen.
"!"
Xia Huangwen's breathing stalled.
Indeed, that was exactly what he had thought before.
But... with Ren Kouen's strength, there was no need for such petty tricks. No, wait!
It was not a petty trick at all!
If Ren Kougyoku died at the hands of dungeon creatures, not only could they publicly proclaim Lady Hongyu's incompetence, but after Ren Kouen became the master of a new Djinn, his prestige would reach new heights once again!
Ren Kougyoku's little face went blank. That was not what Lord Ling Yuan had said in the group chat before.
"Enough, Xia Huangwen. Lord Ling Yuan is my friend. He came specifically to protect me as I enter the dungeon."
"W-What? How can you entrust the Princess's life to someone of unknown origins? Let me, Xia Huangwen—"
"Do you want to die?"
Before Xia Huangwen could finish, Ling Yuan interrupted him directly.
"What about your ambitions? What about your dream of becoming a powerful minister? Do you want to die in the dungeon before accomplishing anything?" Every word Ling Yuan spoke struck home, causing cold sweat to pour down Xia Huangwen's forehead.
Although he did not know why Ling Yuan knew his intentions, he still forced himself to say, "E-Even so, I will protect the Princess!"
"Thank you, Xia Huangwen, but not this time. I believe in Lord Ling Yuan. He possesses strength no weaker than Brother Hongyan's." Hongyu gathered her courage. This was the first time she had refused Xia Huangwen.
"No weaker than Lord Hongyan..." Xia Huangwen froze.
Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic was an extraordinarily unique world.
It possessed seventy-two dungeons and seventy-two Metal Vessels.
Within every dungeon was sealed a Djinn, each one the chieftain of one of the seventy-two races that had followed King Solomon in another world, Alma Toran.
Through the power of the divine staff, they had become ageless and immortal Djinn.
As long as one conquered a dungeon, one could gain a Djinn's recognition, obtain a Metal Vessel, and acquire power capable of rivaling the gods!
However, Ling Yuan also knew that everything in this world was under the Sacred Palace's surveillance.
Of course, Ugo, the current master of the Sacred Palace, had not yet become as idle as he would be later. At this moment, he was wholeheartedly accompanying King Solomon's son, Aladdin.
The only thing troubling Ling Yuan now was—
When Ren Kouen obtained Phoenix, Hongyu should have been thirteen years old. Why was she nine now?
Could it be the butterfly effect caused by the group chat? But that did not seem right either. The group chat had only been open for three days.
Even if there was a butterfly effect, it could not have shortened the timeline by so much.
Soon, afternoon arrived.
Ren Kouen led an army of roughly five hundred men, standing expressionlessly at the very front.
Hongyan, Kouha, Koumei, Hongyu, and the First Princess, the former Emperor Ren Baide's daughter, Ren Hakuei.
Along with Judal, the black Magi floating in midair.
There were six people in total.
Hongyan glanced at Hongyu, who was hiding behind Ling Yuan, before shifting his gaze to Ling Yuan.
Ling Yuan smiled and waved at him.
That counted as a greeting.
Hongyan did not say anything else. He stepped onto his steed, pulled the reins, and spoke in an even voice. "Move out!"
But Ling Yuan soon encountered a new problem.
He apparently did not know how to ride a horse...
After everyone had mounted their horses—
Only two people remained standing where they were.
These two conspicuous figures drew the attention of everyone around them.
Ling Yuan: "..."
There was an extremely awkward problem now.
He did not know how to ride a horse!
In his previous life, he had merely been an ordinary person struggling to make a living. Where would he have found the time to learn horseback riding?
"Hongyu, what's wrong?" Ren Hakuei could not help asking.
Hongyu also looked curiously at Ling Yuan. "Brother Ling Yuan?"
"Brother? Hongyu, why are you calling this guy brother?" Kouha asked in confusion.
Ling Yuan: "..."
Being stared at by so many people, Ling Yuan was briefly at a loss.
His mind short-circuited for a moment. Ling Yuan took a deep breath.
Then he made a decision.
Since I can't decide my lower limit, then I'll break through my upper limit!
Under everyone's puzzled gazes, Ling Yuan slowly raised his hand.
"Phew~"
Flames surged in from all directions.
"Hm?"
Judal, the Empire's priest, had been yawning, but now he looked as if he had seen something unbelievable.
"No Rukh?!"
Rukh were entities resembling butterflies.
Everything in this world was constructed from Rukh.
They were both the torrent of life and the manifestation of energy.
Yet on this human, not only could he not see a single trace of Rukh, even the Rukh around the summoned flames showed no response whatsoever!
The flames condensed in Ling Yuan's hand, eventually forming a pistol resembling a fiery bird at rest.
Hongyan frowned.
A gun?
But in the next moment, Ling Yuan's words shocked everyone present.
"O blazing flame of the heavens and truth—"
Whoosh—
Flames emerged around Ling Yuan. Including Hongyu, orange-red fire formed a ring that isolated the two of them within it.
"Neigh!"
Sensing danger, the horses began to stir restlessly.
"What?!"
Everyone hurriedly steadied the horses beneath them, staring in disbelief at Ling Yuan within the flames.
"Is this guy a Metal Vessel wielder?" Koumei asked as he steadied his mount.
Even Hongyu was dumbfounded.
At that moment, Ling Yuan's chant came to an end.
"Attach yourself to my body, dwell within my body—"
"Transform me into the great Dragon God!"
The Blazing Key in his hand burst forth with endless radiance.
"Roar!"
Accompanied by an ancient dragon's roar—
An incomparably massive phantom of a fire dragon appeared in the sky under everyone's stunned gazes.
In an instant, all five hundred horses cried out in terror.
Before you continue