Imperial Princess

Eastern Illusion.

As the birthplace of the Monk, the illusions of the Eastern Realm are not mostly mastered by Wizard (illusionists) like in the Western world. Many who excel at illusions here are combat-oriented professionals, with the Eastern Dancer being a prime example of a skilled illusionist. While many illusions are mere illusions, at a certain level of skill, the illusion becomes blurred. Even a Bard manipulates Cantrip, once advanced to a certain level, won't be much weaker than a traditional Spellcaster. The Eastern Dancer, upon advancing to Legendary, can master the ability of ' Project Image '.

Soren dared not make any sudden moves, but simply waited quietly for his opponent to make a move, remaining unchanged to find an opportunity.

The woman who attacked him was very strong.

She is at least a high-level professional, and there is a possibility that she is Legendary, because she has clearly not gone all out yet.

Ring ring!

A clear, ringing bell rang out, the sound seemingly resonating with a person's heartbeat, momentarily disorienting Soren, though he quickly recovered. At the same time, three more ethereal figures appeared before him, clad in flowing Silk gowns, their movements light and alluring. Though their faces were obscured, their elusive presence exuded boundless charm. These three Charm figures didn't rush to attack, but instead circled Soren, emitting bursts of sweet, melodious laughter, seemingly enjoying the thrill of toying with their enemy.

--"Shadow Jump!"

--"Sword Momentum: Whirlwind Dance!"

Soren leaped out, his Scimitar flashing as he slashed down. The three figures in front of him chuckled, slightly Dodge to the side, before brandishing their Dagger and thrusting forward.

Clang!

All three figures were physical entities, and they actually blocked Soren's attack.

"Project Image!?"

Soren frowned, his expression quite serious. An enemy capable of mastering the ability of Project Image, even if not Legendary, wouldn't be too far off.

Where exactly is the original body?

The Project Image are weak, less than a third of the original body. Even Legendary Swordmaster who also practices Project Image can only retain half of his strength at most. These three Project Image pose little threat to Soren, but the Eastern Dancer lurking in the shadows is extremely dangerous. Soren hasn't been threatened by such a Stealth enemy in a long time.

What does this taste like?

Just as Soren was at a loss about the enemy's location, his nose suddenly twitched. Then, a glint of light flashed in his eyes, and he leaped towards the bed.

--"Shadow Assassination!"

--"Sword Momentum: Decapitation!"

fragrance.

There was a very faint fragrance in the room; it was a woman's scent.

Clang!

The sound of weapons clashing rang out, and a pair of Serpentine Dagger suddenly appeared. Then, a slender figure was forced to appear, and was sent flying a meter backward by the force of Soren's outburst, crashing directly into the wall of the room.

"Hmm!"

The hazy silhouette gradually became clearer. The figure of the Eastern Dancer appeared, her voice tinged with pain as she said, "Wait! Stop! I surrender! It hurts!..."

"Asshole!"

"I give up! Stop fighting!"

Soren's gaze was icy, and his fierce attacks showed no sign of stopping. After a Sword Momentum: Decapitation, he immediately followed with a horizontal slash. At the same time, he let out a low shout and activated the Sword Momentum: Whirlwind Dance, sealing off all of his opponent's blind spots.

Every move is fatal!

Although his opponent had already admitted defeat, Soren showed no sign of stopping.

--"Flash Step!"

The Eastern Dancer's expression finally changed drastically; she realized just how dangerous an enemy she had provoked. She awkwardly twisted to avoid the attack, her slender waist almost bent in half. Her astonishing flexibility allowed her to evade Soren's strike, and at the same time, her figure vanished, reappearing behind Soren.

"Stop!"

The Eastern Dancer stepped back, her voice urgent, "I was just testing your skills! I'm not an enemy! I was planning to join your team to earn some rewards, that's why I came to test you!..."

"Wait a minute!"

"We've met before! At the Adventurers Guild!"

Clang!

The sound of clashing weapons rang out again. Soren frowned, sheathed his Scimitar, and stared coldly at his opponent, saying in a deep voice, "Remove your veil."

The Eastern Dancer finally breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him stop.

She gasped for breath, then frowned and looked at her arm. A faint bloodstain had appeared on her bare, fair arm. If she hadn't dodged quickly enough, she would probably have been cut in half at the waist by the man before her. The Eastern Dancer stared at Soren with a strange expression, then slowly removed her veil, revealing a beautiful face with exotic Eastern charm, and a small beauty mark at the corner of her eye.

Soren stared at the woman before him, his memory racing. After a moment, he asked in a deep voice, "Who is the Eastern Diji to you?"

Eastern Diji!?

Soren's words caused the woman's expression to change drastically. In an instant, she gripped the Serpentine Dagger tighter, her voice tense as she asked, "Who are you? How do you know all this?"

It really is related to Eastern Diji!

A stunningly beautiful figure involuntarily appeared in Soren's mind, causing him to unconsciously touch his ear.

After advancing to the Legendary, he traveled across the entire continent, encountering countless Legendary powerhouses, including several Avatar of Deity. However, he was utterly defeated by a mysterious woman from the East. Not only did he fail in his mission, but he also lost nearly a third of his team members and ultimately lost one of his ears.

If he had been even a fraction slower, he probably wouldn't have lost an ear, but his entire head!

Eastern Diji.

A dancer with a professional level of 30+, proficient in illusion, Project Image, and Charm, she excels in Stealth, assassination, and intelligence gathering. She secretly controls many brothels in the Eastern Realm, her true identity unknown and her Alignment unverifiable. She possesses a very special item, said to be Artifact passed down from the Eastern Realm, capable of granting eternal youth and a long lifespan.

"Explain."

Soren's gaze turned cold as he gripped the hilt of his sword again and asked in a deep voice, "Why did you come here?"

The Eastern Dancer before her wore a complex expression, seemingly puzzled as to why someone from the western part of the continent would know of the Eastern Diji's existence. She took a small step back, pondered for a moment, and then slowly said, "I truly only intended to test your skills. I just received intelligence that there's something in the underground ruins you're heading to that has also piqued Your Imperial Princess's interest."

"So I was ordered to retrieve it."

"I meant no harm! Otherwise, I would have used the Enchanting Incense before you even entered the room."

Soporific Incense.

The methods that Eastern Dancer use can sometimes even cause Legendary to stumble and fall.

"What is it?"

Soren frowned and said in a deep voice, "I'm afraid you didn't come here to test my skills, but rather to steal information about the underground ruins from me, right?"

As if Soren had predicted, the Eastern Dancer's gaze became somewhat Dodge.

During this time, she had been secretly observing Soren's actions and noticed that many of his preparations seemed to be for specific situations. This made her very certain that Soren possessed specific information about the underground ruins; he would never have made so many preparations if he didn't have a clear understanding of the general situation inside.

The Eastern Dancer remained silent, seemingly anticipating this, before saying, "Inside this underground ruin lies a gem left behind by the Desert Kingdom. My mission is to find it; I don't want anything else. If you're interested, perhaps we can cooperate."

"Since you know of Her Highness the Imperial Princess's existence, you should also know of our strength."

"With our help, exploring the underground ruins will be much easier for you, and we also need your information about the place, after all, a terrifying Balor is sealed down there."

The other person's words made Soren fall into deep thought.

For someone like Soren, there are practically no eternal enemies. He has been able to deal with and cooperate with even the fickle, vicious, and treacherous Drow Matriarch on numerous occasions, so cooperating with the Eastern Dancer before him is not an impossible possibility.

Only!

He couldn't trust the woman before him, just as he had never believed the promises of the Drow Matriarch.

The people of the Eastern Diji are no easier to deal with than female Drow!

However, he might still be able to borrow their strength. Soren was used to the treacherous and cunning of the Drow, so even though the women in front of him were not entirely trustworthy, he was not without confidence.

It's nothing more than mutual exploitation; when it really matters, everyone resorts to their own methods.

Although he suffered a setback at the hands of the Drow Matriarch back then, he ultimately stabbed her in the back, so when it comes to playing tricks, Soren had some confidence.

"Good!"

Soren looked at the other person, and surprisingly nodded readily, saying in a deep voice, "We're leaving the day after tomorrow! I need a few things, perhaps you can get them for me."

The Eastern Dancer seemed surprised that Soren agreed so quickly, but in the end she smiled and nodded slightly, her eyes darting around as she said, "No problem."

"What you requested can be delivered tomorrow."

The matter seemed to be settled.

Soren ultimately decided to depart the day after tomorrow, and his accompanying cannon fodder group now included a high-ranking Eastern Dancer and some of her men. Although Soren couldn't be familiar with every detail of the underground ruins, he did possess a cloak that was practically a Artifact for Rogue, so he remembered the general layout and area distribution quite well. In this situation, he essentially had the advantage of terrain, and even if something unexpected happened, his chances of success were over 50%.

so.

On the morning of the third day, this group of Adventurer, with nearly a hundred people and supplies equivalent to a caravan, set off for the Ancient Ruin.

Before anything begins!

Soren must find the correct excavation site to open a passage into the Ancient Ruin. (To be continued~^~)