Imperial Crown.

Chapter 548 Immortal Divine Mark and Demon-Fighting Primordial Qi

"Holy Maiden, spare me! Elf Holy Maiden, spare me!"

More than three months later, Raven and Litanshi of the Behemoth race finally arrived at the Slaanesh Palace. The reason it took so long was that Raven's Martial Soul, the Void Extreme Divine Eye, had been shattered by the elven saintess before him! For the sake of his life, Raven recovered as he walked, only bringing Litanshi here after he had taken a detour. However, to his surprise, the moment Litanshi saw the elven woman, she collapsed to her knees, tears and snot streaming down her face, wailing and pointing at Raven, "It was this human idiot who sent me here! It's not my fault, Saintess! I... I had no idea you were here!" "It was this idiot called the Hermit who insisted on dragging me here to avenge Gilida! I couldn't stop him no matter what!" With that, he turned and glared fiercely at Raven: "Beast! What are you standing there for! Come and pay your respects to the elven saintess!" Good heavens, this was an eighth-tier saintess who had lived for at least 2000 years! Who in the entire Orc Empire doesn't know him?! He could turn a fourth-tier orc into ashes with a single breath. That damned hermit, why didn't he tell him! It made him act foolishly and impulsively, even thinking of avenging Gilida.

"Ha." It turns out that people really do laugh when they're utterly speechless. Raven stared at Litanshi's clumsy acting, utterly speechless and not wanting to utter a single word. However, this also made Raven realize just how dangerous the current situation was; otherwise, given Litanshi's arrogant nature, even if the opponent was a sixth-tier being, he would never have humbled himself like this!

The elven saintess appeared somewhat blurry, her figure indistinct, as if light and shadow flickered behind her. Even without a clear view, one could clearly sense that she was an extremely beautiful elf. Yes, it was a matter of perception. Or rather, this feeling was completely uncontrollable, arising spontaneously from the depths of his heart and mind, as if it were an innate truth. A sense of awe and reverence, a feeling of inviolability, permeated every cell and pore of his body. From the moment he saw the elven saintess standing in the air, waiting for him, Raven felt as if his body was completely out of his control. While most elves were beautiful, their pointed ears and wings could still seem somewhat jarring to someone seeing them for the first time. But this elven saintess was completely different. She seemed to have become the face of everyone's deepest, purest, most beloved, and most longed-for soul. In Raven's eyes, she seemed like Nancy in a daze, then Lux in a hazy state, and occasionally Denise. When he strained to open his eyes, she became the face of Raven's mother. Even so, Raven did not kneel down, but stood quietly in place.

The elven saintess also stood still in mid-air, completely ignoring Litanshi's wails. She didn't utter a single word, simply standing there, like an abyss devouring life, or an angel saving the world from its doom, or even a deity descending upon the earth.

If there really are gods on the continent of Middlesbrough, this is probably what they look like.

Could it be that she's not just at the eighth rank, but a true ninth rank?! Raven thought to himself, a chill running down his spine. If he had known this would happen, he shouldn't have come. But the fact that she had shattered his martial spirit with a single glance made Raven realize that escape was impossible. If he hadn't come, he would never have been able to unravel the mystery of the blood curse. Besides, he had been clinging to a sliver of hope, thinking that after more than three months, the elven saintess and the dragon should have left this Slaanesh palace long ago. Wouldn't it be wonderful for him to come and pick up the scraps? Who would have thought that this old Bitden would actually be waiting for him here. This was completely different from the script, not playing by the rules.

"What did you mean when you said, 'You've finally arrived'?"

It would be a lie to say he wasn't afraid, and saying he wasn't afraid of death was an understatement until he was truly facing a life-or-death situation. Raven felt his calves gradually aching and weakening, but he still forced himself to speak first. This was also his biggest curiosity: could it be that this elven saintess knew him? Had she heard his story of starting from scratch?!
"For thousands of years, I have been searching for the 'Defiant Ones.' 'Yet they died for kindness, dignity, nobility, compassion, loyalty, or glory… Of course, there were also a very few who died for greed, pleasure, or cowardice!' 'Only you, Raven, have walked alive before me.' The elven saintess spoke slowly, her voice grand and ethereal, truly shaking the soul and penetrating the body."

Raven: ...

What does this mean? Is it praising him or insulting him? Raven's mind was reeling, and he couldn't quite process it for a moment. "What is a rebel? And what's with the blood curse in my body?" But that didn't stop Raven from asking the questions that had been lingering in his heart for years.

"Those like you are the rebels I summoned." The elven saintess seemed to know everything. "As for the Blood Curse, it actually has another name—the Mark of Immortality." "It is also the last sacred object on the entire continent of Middlesbrough that can grant mortals immortality." "However, to fuse with it, refine it, and control it, one must unite with me." "Griffith's ancestor, Don Quixote, once deceived me and obtained this Mark of Immortality." "But later, he betrayed his oath, secretly left the Forbidden Zone, and returned to the human realm." "Therefore," "the Mark of Immortality became the curse of the Griffith family." "Raven!" "If you want to break the Blood Curse, you must unite with me and swear never to leave the Forbidden Zone."

What a ridiculous plot! I'm going to marry my ancestor's wife?! Raven was speechless. Besides, Raven strongly suspected that this elven saintess, who had lived for thousands of years, had probably had more than just Don Quixote as her husband. "Having achieved immortality, why confine myself to this small world?" "Traveling the entire continent, enjoying the scenery, appreciating all the beautiful landscapes, experiencing all the romance and beauty—wouldn't that be wonderful?"

The elven saintess shook her head slightly, chuckling softly. Her voice, however, was like the clang of a sword or muffled thunder, sounding both mocking and cold. "Raven, you are a clever man. And moreover, you are the one I have chosen to defy fate." "Everything has a price." "All gifts bestowed by fate have already been secretly marked with a price." "I think I don't need to teach you this." "If you wish, you can break the blood curse and gain eternal life." "If you don't wish, you may leave on your own. At the age of 40, you will return to dust." "Haven't you always wanted to return to your homeland, to live out your dream?"

Raven licked his dry lips. "Your Holiness, you seem to have given me respectful treatment, but in reality, I have no right to choose, do I?"

The elven saintess remained silent, and Raven chuckled, "It seems I have no choice but to agree!" Raven had many things to do and naturally wouldn't let go of this only chance to break the blood curse within him. It was just offering himself, wasn't it? For Raven, this was arguably the easiest obstacle to overcome on a moral level. Besides, the other party was a rare beauty.

“Raven.” “I’m asking you,” the elven saintess asked quietly, “whether it’s the cultivation path you speak of or the advancement to the transcendent realm we speak of, do you think that once you step out of the forbidden zone, there’s still a possibility of making further progress?” She seemed to see right through Raven’s thoughts. Instead of answering, she asked quietly.

Raven paused, frowning in thought. He immediately grasped the key point. Yes! Regardless of the method of cultivation, the ultimate goal is the same—enduring inhuman loneliness and terrifying solitude. Especially as one's cultivation level increases, the difficulty and effort required increase exponentially!
Putting everything else aside, take Raven himself for example. He used to think of himself as the chosen one, one in a million. But after reaching the fourth tier of the Mage and Transcendent realms, he felt increasingly powerless! Even with the Eye of Truth, even with the ability to forcibly devour magic cores to advance his realm, it had already been four years since he last devoured a seventh-tier magic core!
Four whole years! A full four years!
Raven's magical power has not increased in the slightest! And the reason for this situation is precisely because he has to be distracted by the war against the Orc Empire, and by his battle of wits and courage against Emperor Habsburg. How can he have the mind to immerse himself in true cultivation? Therefore, in the past few years, whether it is cultivating magic, combat skills, or realm, it has been difficult to replicate the rapid progress he used to make.

Relying on the Heart of Mash, his battle aura level did indeed break through from the third tier to the fourth tier of transcendent. However, even with his magic power already at 97% of the fourth tier, nine stars, after four years, he was still far from becoming a fifth-tier mage. This foreshadowed the coming of autumn; one could imagine that his future cultivation would likely require years, even decades, of unwavering dedication. Could he truly endure such a life? Was it truly suitable for him? No wonder the Elven Saintess forbade him from leaving the forbidden zone. Because stepping outside would be tantamount to severing his cultivation path.

High-level extraordinary beings and mages are indeed terrifying, and it sounds impressive and cool, but how many actually travel the continent of Middlesbrough? Take Lux's teacher, the seventh-tier Crouch, for example. Raven has only met him once in all these years. And that's only because of Lux; otherwise, Raven probably would never have seen him in his entire life. Anyone with a brain knows that he spends most of his time in seclusion, cultivating!
So here's the problem: Raven now faces two paths. One is to return to his carefree life as a nobleman and complete his unfinished business! The other is to stay in the Forbidden Zone and cultivate diligently with the Elven Saintess. If Lady Luck smiles upon him, he should have a chance to refine the Immortal Mark and thus gain immortality.

It's really...a tough choice...

Raven vaguely remembered a predecessor who ultimately chose the path of cultivation for immortality, only to be utterly vilified. The mere thought of it terrified Raven, who didn't want to follow in his footsteps. But the unfairness lay in the fact that the predecessor had no blood curse within him, yet chose this path. Raven, however, truly possessed a blood curse! Raven was only 7 years away from turning 40… no, it was already May of 1207. He only had 6 years left. He vividly remembered 14 years ago, when his uncle Donald, despite transforming himself into a monster, still couldn't escape the blood curse's wrath!

"Raven, you can think things through here." The elven saintess's grand voice rang out again. As she spoke, her figure transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the depths of the forbidden area. "I don't enjoy killing; I merely offer a lesson and a warning. I didn't kill Don Quixote back then, and I won't kill your friend now." The elven saintess's figure had disappeared, but her grand voice still echoed in the same place. As her words fell, the dragon not far away raised its head and roared. Then, with a flick of its claws, the dwarf Giridar and the woman were thrown out. The dragon then flew towards Slaanesh's palace.

"Respectfully bidding farewell to the Holy Maiden!" Litanshi roared, his voice echoing across the land.

Raven strolled up to him and slowly lifted Litanshi's head with his foot. "Let's go."

"Are they gone?" Litanshi rolled his eyes and secretly glanced around. Only after confirming that the saintess and the dragon had disappeared did he suddenly sit up. "Damn! You scared the hell out of me!" After glancing at Raven, perhaps feeling a little embarrassed for betraying him, he ran towards Girida without stopping, shouting as he ran, "Girida, how are you? Don't be afraid, your big brother is here to save you!"

Raven followed leisurely behind, casually picking a fuzzy blade of grass and waving it around on the woman's philtrum. The itching woke her slowly, and she opened her eyes to see Raven's face. She silently got up, straightening her disheveled clothes and skirt, without uttering a word. Raven chuckled, "Anno, Ano, why are you doing this to yourself?"

It turned out that this woman was none other than the Blood Witch Anno.

No wonder she said before she left that their next meeting would involve a struggle for power. It turns out she herself had quietly slipped into the Elven Empire. Looking at it this way, Anno's divination was quite accurate. Anyway, whatever Anno is searching for, it's an invaluable treasure for Raven. He might not need it himself, but he has so many subordinates who can use it.

"I was wondering at first why you would suddenly say 'Raven is a good person,'" Raven chuckled when Anno remained silent.

"Thank you," Anuo said in a barely audible voice, her voice barely audible in the awkward and stiff atmosphere.

"You're welcome!" Raven replied loudly on purpose. "After all, you've helped me more than once!" The reason Raven knelt and begged for mercy before Zolzahn was because he knew that Emperor Habs had many spies planted around him. Some of these spies might be mercenaries, some might be members of the Holy Knights, and some might even be hidden within the Eagle Army! That's why he deliberately acted so pathetically so that someone could record it and mislead the Emperor. This is also why he was so confident in telling Lux that his marquisate would come soon. And later, having Anno deal with Zolzahn was also to avoid exposing his disguise of aging. Otherwise, he would never have given Zolzahn the chance to find him. Or perhaps, the dragon Zolzahn would have already died like the Tiger King Silvermane and the Wolf King Sliffer.

"What are you planning to do next?" Raven asked.

"Raven, do you really believe what that saintess said?" Anno asked as she fastened the last button on her shirt and caught Raven's lingering gaze.

"What do you mean? So you were pretending to be unconscious?" Raven was a little surprised. It turned out that Anno had overheard the conversation. Luckily, he wasn't interested in women, otherwise his hands would have already reached out to touch her.

"Do you know why the Holy Maiden of the Elf race has been unable to break through to the ninth rank?" Anno stood up and walked towards the pool at the altar.

"Hmm?" Raven's expression turned serious. Did Anno really know something he didn't? He could only hurry up and ask, "I hope Lord Anno will be so kind as to enlighten me."

“Whether it’s becoming a god or achieving immortality, there’s only one prerequisite: the fusion of magic and battle aura within the body! It’s also known as—Battle Magic Primordial Qi!” Anno washed his face and whispered, “The elven race consists only of women, and they are destined to become magicians. That’s why they need to find a man to absorb his battle aura in order to complete the fusion.” “Of course.” “If this person is already a dual cultivator of battle aura and magic, that would be even better.”

Anno looked at Raven and smiled. "This is the truth."

"Damn it!" Raven roared inwardly. He was wondering how such a windfall could happen, sending him a powerful, beautiful wife who could grant him immortality. Turns out he was just a tool, a gigolo, a male model, a vessel for his desires!

But as Raven's anger flared, his expression suddenly changed. He abruptly turned and stared intently at the beautiful and pure face before him. In the setting sun, Anno, dressed in a white crystal dress, was breathtakingly beautiful. Raven stammered through his teeth, "Anno, back then... you didn't come to me for this reason, did you?" The elven race consists only of women, and so do witches!
Anno smiled slightly, "Guess."

……

(End of this chapter)