"It's fine. Carry on with your work. I was just passing by and thought I'd take a look."
Li Chen paid no mind to her discourtesy. Instead, seeing her work so diligently pleased him.
"What brings Your Majesty to see this humble subject?"
Lin Yue'e was delighted to see Li Chen. He was her highest superior, after all.
The Insignia Plaque she carried, which represented imperial authority, had been bestowed on her by Li Chen.
Without Li Chen, she might already have left to join a sect.
"Someone just gave me this. I have no use for it. Take a look and see if you can use it."
Li Chen spoke casually, as though he were talking about some worthless little trinket.
But when Lin Yue'e saw the jade box on the desk, carved with intricate totems, she knew its contents were worth a fortune.
Lin Yue'e would never accept gifts from anyone else, but Li Chen was different. Anything he gave her was an imperial reward!
Since Li Chen had told her to open it, she would gladly oblige.
She already owed him more kindness than she could ever repay. A little more would hardly make a difference.
Lin Yue'e drew a deep breath, her heart brimming with nervous anticipation, then gently, slowly lifted the jade box's lid.
At that very instant, a powerful, surging wave of demonic energy rushed into her face, sweeping over her entire body like a raging storm.
An unprecedented shock rose from the depths of Lin Yue'e's heart. The moment she gazed at the inner core, she felt as though the immense form of the Elder Demon Beast, the Black-Scaled Nether Serpent, were surging within that tiny sphere.
Coming back to her senses, Lin Yue'e carefully examined the inner core, which gave off a