The Battle Through the Heavens Plane, the Great Gan Dynasty, deep in the imperial harem.
The night was as still as water, with the silver moon hanging high overhead.
Compared to the daytime clamor, the Dagan Imperial Palace was exceptionally quiet at night. Only the occasional beat of a night watchman's drum sounded in the distance, mingling with the cries of strange spirit insects in the imperial garden.
Inside a side hall called the Hundred Flowers Pavilion.
Ning Rongrong lay sprawled across a soft brocade couch, wearing a thin pink gauze dress—the pet outfit the Empress had specially bestowed upon her.
Her neck still bore that golden collar, a symbol of humiliation.
"Phew—"
Ning Rongrong slowly opened her eyes. The lively gaze in them held none of the obedience and ingratiation she'd shown during the day. Instead, it flickered with a sly glint.
"That old hag went to attend the state banquet tonight. I heard she won't be back for a long time."
"The two guards at the door drank earlier. They're dozing now."
"This is a once-in-a-thousand-years opportunity!"
Ning Rongrong quietly climbed off the couch and stretched her arms and legs.
Ever since she'd eaten that Pet Healing Pill, not only had her Soul Power recovered, but she'd even turned misfortune into fortune. In just a few days, her level had soared to forty-five!
That rate of cultivation would have been a miracle on the Douluo Continent.
But here, she knew all too well that she was still just a slightly stronger pet.
"But I refuse to accept this!"
Ning Rongrong clenched her little fists, a stubborn glint flashing in her eyes. "I'm the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect! I'm not a pet!"
"Although the pills here smell wonderful and the spiritual energy is abundant, I, Ning Rongrong, will never bend my back for five pecks of rice!"
"I'm going to escape! Or find somewhere to hide and cultivate. Once I become a Titled Douluo, I'll come back for revenge!"
Having made up her mind, Ning Rongrong took a deep breath and began circulating the Soul Power within her body.
"Seven Treasures Have Names, first: Speed!"
"Seven Treasures Have Names, second: Strength!"
She didn't summon her Martial Soul Avatar, afraid its light would draw attention. Instead, she concentrated Soul Power in her palms and bestowed two enhancement states upon herself.
Though without the help of the Aromatic Silk Beauty, her Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda had become ordinary, the enhancement from her forty-five levels still made her feel as light as a swallow.
"Go!"
Ning Rongrong slipped through the window like a nimble cat and dropped silently into the grass of the imperial garden.
Inside the imperial garden.
Ning Rongrong cautiously made her way between the flowers and trees.
She put the stealth techniques she'd learned at Shrek Academy to use, even employing some of the methods Tang San had taught her to conceal her aura.
"Hmph, so much for the Dagan Imperial Palace. Their guards are nothing special."
Ning Rongrong rejoiced inwardly.
She'd sneaked along for several hundred meters without triggering a single alarm. She hadn't even run into a patrol guard.
"Once I get over that wall ahead, I'll be in the outer city!"
Ning Rongrong looked at the red wall before her, about ten meters tall, and her eyes shone with hope.
But just as she was about to dash forward—
"Buzz—"
A gorgeous red flower growing by the path suddenly turned its blossom toward Ning Rongrong.
A golden bee, no bigger than a palm, lazily flew out from its stamens.
A first-tier magical beast, a Diamond Poison Bee!
"Oh no! A patrol spirit beast!"
Ning Rongrong paled. Without a second thought, she raised her hand and sent out a blast of Soul Power. "Seven Treasure Glazed Tile, Soul Power Impact!"
Though it was an auxiliary Martial Soul, a Soul Ancestor's Soul Power impact was enough to stun an ordinary wild beast.
But—
Ding!
The blast of Soul Power struck the Diamond Poison Bee with a crisp clang, like metal hitting metal!
The little bee didn't even wobble. Instead, it was enraged!
"Bzzzzz!"
Red light gleamed in the Diamond Poison Bee's compound eyes. Its stinger shot out from its abdomen, darting straight for Ning Rongrong's brow like a bolt of golden lightning!
"So fast!"
Ning Rongrong's pupils contracted. It was even faster than Zhu Zhuqing!
"Heart Separation Control, Three-Aperture Heart Control!"
At this critical moment, Ning Rongrong unleashed one of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's secret arts!
She forcibly twisted her body, narrowly evading a fatal blow, but the sharp stinger still grazed her shoulder.
Riiip!
Her clothes tore, and a black wound instantly appeared on her fair shoulder!
"It's poisonous!"
Half her body went numb at once. Ning Rongrong was horrified.
It was just a bee!
How could it be this strong?
"Damn it! I'll risk it!"
Ning Rongrong abandoned any thought of staying hidden. She hastily pulled out the Godly Zhuge Crossbow she'd bought from Tang San and fired wildly at the bee!
"Ka-ka-ka, whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!"
Sixteen iron crossbow bolts shot through the air!
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew everywhere. The Diamond Poison Bee was struck by the bolts and tumbled several times, but not even a white mark appeared on its shell!
Impenetrable physical defense?!
Ning Rongrong was utterly desperate.
What kind of crazy place was this?
Even the bees came with built-in plate armor?!
Just as the bee righted itself and prepared to launch a second attack, ready to send the little princess to the afterlife—
"Shhh-shhh-shhh—"
The rhythmic sound of sweeping suddenly came from the nearby tree-lined path.
"Shoo, shoo! Go play somewhere else."
An aged voice rang out. Then an ordinary-looking bamboo broom drifted over and casually swished through the air.
Smack!
The Diamond Poison Bee, which had left Ning Rongrong helpless and boasted defense on par with a Soul Ancestor, was smacked into the soil like a fly!
It was buried so deep that it couldn't even be dug out!
Ning Rongrong was stunned.
She stiffly turned to look at the owner of the broom.
He was an old man in coarse hemp clothes, his back hunched and his face lined with wrinkles.
He held the broom in one hand and a dustpan in the other. He looked like the most inconspicuous old Handyman in the imperial palace.
"Little girl, why aren't you asleep in the middle of the night? Did you come out to catch bugs?"
The old man smiled at Ning Rongrong. His gaze was as kind as if he were looking at his own mischievous granddaughter.
But in Ning Rongrong's eyes, this old man was ten thousand times more terrifying than a Titled Douluo!
He'd killed a magical beast with defense on par with a Soul Elder with a single sweep of his broom?
Who was this old man?!
"I—I—"
Ning Rongrong stumbled backward in terror until her back hit the palace wall. Putting on a brave face, she shouted, "Don't come any closer!"
"I was sent here by the Upper Sect Master! I'm the Empress's pet!"
"If you dare touch me, the Empress won't let you get away with it!"
"Heh-heh, of course I know you're the Empress's pet."
The old man shook his head and sighed. "Young people these days just don't know how to sit still."
"This is the Dagan Imperial Palace. Defensive formations cover the outside."
"You're just a little maid. You can't even break the ward at the base of this wall, and you still think you can climb over it?"
As he spoke, the old man pointed at the red wall behind Ning Rongrong. "Go on, touch it."
Ning Rongrong reached out without thinking.
Zzzzt!
A terrifying current instantly shocked her hand back!
"This—"
Ning Rongrong's face turned ashen.
So the reason she'd thought the guards were lax was that they didn't need any guards at all!
The wall itself was an insurmountable natural barrier!
"Enough. Go back."
The old man waved a hand and resumed sweeping. "It's dangerous outside. Even a stray dog could have half a level of strength.
"You're so soft and tender. If you went out there, the magical beasts would eat you for a snack."
"Stay obediently in the palace. There's food and drink, and you can cultivate too. What's not to like?"
Ning Rongrong bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes.
She wasn't willing to accept this!
She'd made it all the way here. Was she really going to slink back just like that?
"I'm not going back!"
Ning Rongrong suddenly erupted. She pulled out the last of her trump cards, a Silent Sleeve Arrow, and fired it at the old Handyman!
If she could injure or drive him back, she might still have a chance!
Whoosh!
The sleeve arrow streaked toward the old man's face in a flash of cold light!
But the old man didn't even raise his head. He merely tapped his broom lightly against the ground.
Boom!!!
An invisible, terrifying shockwave erupted from him!
The sleeve arrow hit an invisible wall of air three meters from the old man and shattered into dust!
Then the shockwave surged onward and slammed straight into Ning Rongrong!
"Ah!"
Ning Rongrong cried out as the shockwave hurled her more than ten meters through the air. Like a rag doll, she crashed back into the grass where she'd been before.
"Kids these days have such tempers."
The old man shook his head, and his aura instantly vanished. He was once again an utterly ordinary Handyman. "Looks like she's hungry."
As he spoke, the old man pulled a bright red fruit from his robe and tossed it to Ning Rongrong. "Here, eat this. It's a Vermilion Fruit. It'll calm your mind and settle your spirit."
"Finish it, then hurry back to bed. Otherwise, when the Empress gets back, you won't get any fruit—you'll get the whip."
Ning Rongrong lay in the grass and caught the fruit.
She watched the slightly hunched figure slowly receding into the distance.
With every step he took, the fallen leaves parted on their own, as though even the wind avoided him.
"So strong—"
"Even a man who sweeps the floor is a hidden expert on the level of a Soul King, or even a Soul Emperor."
"And he just tossed me a spiritual fruit—"
Ning Rongrong looked at the Vermilion Fruit in her hand.
Its rich fragrance was more enticing than anything she'd ever eaten.
The Soul Power inside her body once again stirred with uncontrollable longing.
"Waaah—"
Ning Rongrong finally broke down.
She cried as she took a fierce bite of the Vermilion Fruit in her hand.
So sweet, so fragrant, and packed with energy.
"I can't escape."
"Even the ones who sweep the floor in this world are hidden big shots."
"I'd better just behave and be a pet—"
At that moment, the little princess of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect saw her escape dream shattered into pieces.
Meanwhile, on the Douluo Continent.
The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Pfft!"
Ning Fengzhi had just woken up. When he saw his daughter being subdued by a single sweep from the old Handyman, then coaxed back with a fruit, he spat out another mouthful of blood.
"Heart Separation Control? Useless.
"Godly Zhuge Crossbow barely tickles."
"The Silent Sleeve Arrows were shattered too."
"Our sect's treasured techniques and Hidden Weapons can't even break through the defense of some old man sweeping the floor—"
Sword Douluo Chen Xin watched the old sweeper, his eyes full of solemnity. "That old man's control over power has reached a state of returning to the natural and uncarved."
"Fengzhi, Rongrong can't come back."
"Even if she escaped in that world, she really wouldn't survive."
"Perhaps being a pet really is the best place for her."
Chen Xin's words were like a sharp blade, piercing Ning Fengzhi's heart completely.
Once the apple of their eye, now a canary in a cage.
And most tragic of all, the rice in that cage really did smell far, far better than the world outside.
Meanwhile, on the Battle Through the Heavens Plane.
The Great Gan Dynasty, the Empress's bedchamber.
"Smack!"
A crisp, vicious crack of a whip rang through the resplendent bedchamber.
"Ah!!"
Ning Rongrong let out a shrill scream and curled up on the icy floor. The thin pink gauze dress on her back had been whipped to shreds, and a deep, bone-revealing gash stretched across her once-fair skin. Torn flesh gaped open, a horrifying sight.
Standing before her was the Empress, her face seething with rage after just returning from the state banquet.
In her hand, she gripped a Thunder Snake Whip crackling with purple lightning. Her phoenix eyes, usually so dignified, were now filled with venom.
"Run? You still dared to run?!"
"Smack!"
Another whip lashed down viciously!
"I've taken such good care of you, given you pills to eat and silks to wear, and you actually dared to betray me?!"
"You ungrateful little wretch!"
The Empress's chest heaved with fury.
If this pet from another world really escaped—or died out there—how would she explain it to the great sect master who had sent her here?
This wasn't merely an escape. It was a slap in the face to the Great Gan Imperial Family!
"His Majesty has arrived!!"
Just then, a eunuch's shrill voice came from outside.
The portly Emperor of Dagan, clad in his dragon robe, strode in with a dark expression.
He glanced at Ning Rongrong, whose body was a bloody mess, and showed not the slightest pity—only disgust.
"Hmph. So this is the unruly thing?"
The Emperor spoke coldly. "If her heart's gone wild, keeping her around will only bring trouble."
"She may have been sent by the upper sect, but if she's too disobedient, then killing her is no great matter."
"She's just a useless thing that can glow. At worst, I'll compensate the upper sect with a few million gold coins later."
At the words "kill her," Ning Rongrong shuddered all over. Ignoring the agony wracking her body, she struggled to lift her head, her eyes full of pleading. "Don't kill me—"
"I won't do it again. I swear I won't—"
"I'll be obedient. I'll be a good pet."
She didn't want to die. She still had to go home and see Dad, Sword Grandpa, and Bone Grandpa!
She couldn't die in the harem of this foreign land!
"Too late."
A flash of brutality crossed the Emperor's eyes. He gestured to the guards behind him. "Take her away and throw her into the Ten Thousand Snake Pit. Afterwards, just say she killed herself."
"Then let the snakes there teach her how to be a person in her next life."
The Ten Thousand Snake Pit!
At the name, the Empress and the surrounding palace maids couldn't help shuddering.
It was where the Imperial Palace disposed of discarded consorts and disobedient servants. More than ten thousand venomous snakes were kept inside. Anyone who entered would be bitten to death, without even a bone left behind!
"Yes!"
Two burly guards immediately strode forward and hauled Ning Rongrong up like a dead dog.
"No! Dad! Sword Grandpa! Save me!!"
Ning Rongrong struggled frantically, her fingernails scraping bloody streaks across the floor.
Douluo Continent, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
"Stop! You beasts!!"
Watching Ning Rongrong about to be dragged away, Sword Douluo Chen Xin's Seven Kill Sword Martial Soul ran wild. He slashed madly at the air around him, chopping the hall's pillars until they were riddled with holes.
"Fengzhi! I'm going to save her!"
"No matter the cost, I'm going to that world!!"