Imperial Crown.

Chapter 597 One Punch Kills a Sixth-Tier Q
"Miss Elaine." "It's an honor to meet you."

Raven glanced at the patch of white skin that had been painstakingly squeezed out of the girl's skirt, said a few polite words, and then withdrew his hand towards Kang Qi, saying, "Don't worry, my friend. I will take good care of your daughter."

"Thank you, Your Excellency Marquis." Kang Qi's face showed a genuine smile.

The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, but Kang Qi left without even taking a sip of tea.

"Eleanor, stay here for now. I'll send someone to take you to Eagle City later."

Raven looked at Elaine, who seemed at a loss for what to do, and said.

"Yes." Elaine behaved obediently and sensibly.

Since Conchi brought Elaine along, the meaning couldn't be clearer.

"Lingling," Raven instructed, "get Elaine some food, show her around the castle, and then arrange a room for her." He then went upstairs.

Back in his room, Raven locked the door. He took out the Netherworld Silk Flower again. Although his internal energy wasn't fully replenished, it didn't stop him from absorbing the flower. The reason he was in such a hurry was because during his conversation with Conchi, Raven reminisced about the past and was inspired by Conchi's experiences. Conchi had bypassed Celeva to come directly to him for help. Why didn't he bypass Ferdinand and eliminate his right-hand man first? Raven's mind raced, and the first person he thought of was—Q, Adjani. After all, this woman had been Ezio's partner for many years, and after Ezio's death, she would most likely come to seek revenge on Raven. Although the Nameless Ones were generally cold-blooded and ruthless, spending years assassinating and murdering, their indifference to humanity and emotions was deeply ingrained. But for their long-time partners, especially those they had trained with since childhood, there were still some emotional bonds.

Back then, Raven used his Martial Soul to pinpoint Ezio's exact location, even though he was a fifth-tier transcendent. Otherwise, how could he have coincidentally died in the Divine Descendant Mountains? Ezio often accompanied Anthony, and Raven had seen him many times. Moreover, it was Ezio who personally handed Raven the decree for receiving the title of Earl in the capital. This is why Raven could monitor him using his Martial Soul. It's just a pity that Raven's Martial Soul at that time couldn't allow him to physically travel, otherwise, he wouldn't have needed Gilida and Litanchi. He would have taken matters into his own hands long ago.

Raven had considered using his Martial Soul to investigate the situation of the second-generation leaders. However, by the time Hu Xia reported the whole affair, even the fifth-tier Zolzahn was already dead. The fate of the second-generation leaders was predictable. Furthermore, he himself was suspected of being cursed by the Hand of Death, his body extremely weak and exhausted. Upon hearing the news, he suffered a stroke, coughing up blood and immediately falling into a coma. He remained unconscious for over half a month. None of the second-generation leaders returned. Given this situation, Raven dared not look any further. He feared that witnessing some cruel truth would also overwhelm him, causing him to lose control of his impulses and destroy all his current achievements.

However, Raven wasn't idle. In the days since his awakening, whether it was forcibly devouring the laws of space or preparing to forcibly devour the fifth-tier magical plant, the Netherworld Silk Flower, it was all to quell the anger and grief in his heart. Now, he's considering assassinating Adjani. Naturally, there's also the factor of avenging the second generation. The more Raven thought about it, the more feasible it seemed, and the more excited he became. First, Adjani wasn't a noblewoman; even if she possessed a world-suppressing divine weapon, it was given to her by Habs. Her foundation couldn't be that deep. Second, although Adjani was a sixth-tier, she was a mage. And for a mage, the most terrifying nightmare is a superhuman in close combat. Against her, Raven was confident he could finish the fight quickly and avoid being surrounded.

"Come"

Suppressing his excitement, Raven activated his Eye of Truth, his eyes gleaming with crimson-gold light, like fiery pupils, as he stared at the Netherworld Silk Flower before him. The higher the rank of the magical plant, the more abundant the essence of corrupted souls it contained. If the essence of corrupted souls within a magical core was merely a small bottle the size of a palm, then the essence of corrupted souls within a fifth-rank magical plant was comparable to a bottle the length of an angel's tear! However, with the help of the Eye of Truth, Raven only absorbed the pure energy from the Netherworld Silk Flower. As for the essence of corrupted souls, he naturally channeled it into the crystal bottle. After all, with the Bone Dragon Gregory's return, the required essence of corrupted souls was also inexhaustible. Before this, despite Raven's tireless efforts day and night with Luna Laige in the Elf Empire, the progress of the fusion of his battle qi and magic power was only a pitiful 8%. Without the elves, Raven naturally couldn't blend his battle qi and magic power anymore. But as the energy of the Netherworld Silk Flower entered Raven's body, the previously distinct battle qi and magic power began to stir again.

At this moment, Raven's body seemed to transform into a world, a star field, an abyss... The vortex of magic spun rapidly, transforming into star-like specks of light that began to fall one by one from the Niwan Palace in his mind. Meanwhile, the gem formed from the life seed of Dou Qi in his dantian hummed and trembled, transforming into a pillar of light that shot into the sky. The two intersected in Raven's chest and abdomen, and with the help of the pure white energy of the Netherworld Silk Flower, they began to slowly merge, transforming into drops of azure-colored Doumo Yuanqi. These drops lingered in Raven's chest, in his middle dantian! "Drink!" "Ha!" Raven's entire body resembled a porcelain bottle covered in cracks, radiating dazzling, multicolored light. It continuously expelled foul-smelling impurities, some wormhole-black, some keratinous gray... He continuously emitted "humph-ha" roars, like a balloon swollen to the point of bursting. Fortunately, the blending speed is acceptable, increasing at a visible pace... 9%, 10%, 11%, 12%...

As the amount of Battle Demon Qi within him increased, another suspicion began to surface in Raven's mind. Could the Blood Curse power, which had repeatedly saved him from life-or-death situations and allowed him to unleash terrifying might actually be the so-called Battle Demon Qi? Whether it was his battles against the reincarnated angel Aetheril or the sixth-tier Silvermane… in the end, he always relied on the Blood Curse within him to turn the tide of battle. Now, recalling how the Blood Curse, which resembled capillaries all over Raven's body, simultaneously mobilized his magic power and battle aura, combined with his unique and domineering physique, allowed him to unleash such unparalleled and terrifying power! Of course, the aftereffects were also considerable. Each time he used it, not only did he become exhausted and weakened, but the Blood Curse would also expand again.

Thinking about it now, it's probably this glassy-colored Doumo Yuanqi!

Time ticked by, and after enduring for over 40 minutes, Raven finally couldn't take it anymore. He stopped absorbing the energy from the Netherworld Silk Flower. At this point, he had only absorbed about one-third of the energy from a single Netherworld Silk Flower! Meanwhile, the integration progress of the Demonic Qi within his body was approximately 19%! Raven had no time to feel the Demonic Qi swirling in his chest, because he felt as if his entire body was about to crack open! A physical crack! A literal crack! He hurriedly began repairing his body. The method for repairing his body was simple: he used the Demonic Qi to continuously wash over the cracks in his body. The Demonic Qi acted like glue, soothing Raven's injuries and allowing the cracks to slowly heal. What Raven never expected was that this repair would last for over half a month.

This clearly demonstrates the immense risk of forcibly absorbing demonic plants without first refining them into a potion! It's practically suicide! Even with Raven's special physique and his breakthrough to the fourth rank, his life was still in danger! It also shows the difficulty of fusing the Battle Demon Qi! Frankly speaking, if Raven's body hadn't been strengthened multiple times by the demonic core and hadn't devoured a seventh-rank demonic core from a nine-headed hydra lizard… he probably would have been torn to pieces the moment he absorbed the Netherworld Silk Flower's energy! This made Raven somewhat nostalgic for Luna Laige. After all, while fusing the Battle Demon Qi with the elf was much slower, the aftereffects weren't as terrifying and painful. No, that's not right! There was some damage to the body… but compared to the constant risk of death from devouring a fifth-rank demonic plant, it was practically negligible…

After resting and recuperating for more than half a month, Raven finally recovered. His condition had reached its peak. Only now did he have time to carefully sense the Doumo Yuanqi swirling in his chest. If the magic vortex was "heaven" and the Douqi seed was "earth," then the Doumo Yuanqi was undoubtedly the "human" in between. A quarter of an hour later, a look of overjoyed delight appeared on Raven's face. It could be said that Raven, who was originally a fourth-tier extraordinary being, could only use the battle technique Desolate Fall Imprisoning Heaven Palm at most 3-5 times if he didn't use it continuously and squeezed out all the Douqi in his body. However, although the Doumo Yuanqi was only 19% mixed in, it was enough to support Raven to use this battle technique 2-3 times. A single leaf could reveal the terrifying and domineering nature of the Doumo Yuanqi!

"it's time."

The moon was high in the sky, and crows cried in the night. A cold wind howled, sharp as a knife. Inside the room, Raven sat cross-legged on the bed, his gaze deep, muttering to himself.

Then, the image of Isabelle appeared in his mind, and his martial spirit was suddenly activated.

hum-

Raven's vision followed his martial spirit to a secluded stone chamber. Looking at the chamber alone, Raven couldn't discern Adjani's exact location. He wasn't sure if she was in the North Sea Province or the capital. But that didn't matter anymore. Now that he was here, Raven had no intention of letting her go. Adjani was currently sitting cross-legged within a magic array, beams of silver light emanating from it, swirling around her. Adjani's body radiated starlight, a divine glow. However, her brows were furrowed, and her voluptuous figure and robes were stained with blood. It didn't seem like she was cultivating; rather, she was healing? Was she injured? Raven's heart skipped a beat. It seemed she was in the North Sea Province. Either she had been injured by Zorsaen, or she had suffered a backlash from the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon.

Raven observed quietly for a while, and only after confirming that the other party, being a sixth-tier mage with the vast mental power of the Vast Ocean, could not detect the existence of his martial soul, did Raven feel relieved. He had to make sure that the other party was not "luring the snake out of its hole," deliberately disguising themselves to set a trap.

"laugh"

A ruthless glint flashed in Raven's eyes in the castle. The next moment, he immediately teleported his physical body into the stone chamber.

"thunder"

The instant the space fluctuated, Adjani opened her beautiful eyes with alarm. She instantly saw Raven hovering in mid-air, standing before her. Her eyes were filled with shock and doubt, wondering if she was hallucinating. However, before she could even call out Raven's name, she saw him move. He stared at her expressionlessly, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if looking at a lump of dead flesh. He then raised his right fist, a crimson light emanating from his index finger. The originally azure fist was now tinged with a bloody hue. "Hmph," Adjani sneered. She hadn't even settled accounts with Raven, and he was already trying to assassinate her? Truly absurd!

With a flick of her wrist, she released two gems. They shattered with a bang. Clearly, they were two enchanted rune stones, which transformed into two barriers in front of her. Then, Adjani slapped the ground with her left hand, and with a hum, a magic array rapidly activated, enveloping her entirely. Even with these three layers of protection, Adjani still felt danger. Her once smooth, delicate back was now covered in a chilling light. She pointed her right index finger at the void in front of her, and a crackling sound suddenly erupted as lightning flashed out of thin air, creating another lightning shield in front of her. Immediately afterward, she once again took out that enchanted artifact engraved with the laws of nature—the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon—the Burning Sun! "Raven!" "You think you can assassinate me?!" Adjani's face twisted into a ferocious grin. "If it weren't for that bitch Anno interfering back then!" "I would have crushed you, an ant, when I destroyed the Fox family!"

But the only response she received was Raven's silent demeanor and his unstoppable, deliberate punch!
This time, Raven not only deliberately used the Battle Demon Qi within his body, but also activated the Blood Soul Armor on his right index finger! He wanted to see exactly what the Blood Soul Armor was for! The enormous fist formed from the Battle Demon Qi possessed a lustrous, glassy color and texture. However, beyond the battle qi fist, it was encased in a scarlet outer shell.

"Boom!" "Boom!"

Two deafening explosions rang out in quick succession. The shields formed by the two magic rune stones shattered like paper before Raven's fist! Before Adjani's expression could shift from ferocity to shock, the third protective barrier formed by the magic circle appeared! A deafening explosion resounded throughout the chamber. The entire chamber shook violently and began to collapse. "No!" Adjani's expression instantly shifted from shock to terror. The magic circle's protective barrier didn't even last a second before following in the footsteps of the first two shields! It shattered like porcelain! Next came the magical shield Adjani herself had created. If the first three shields couldn't stop Raven in the slightest, this one was utterly futile—like a mantis trying to stop a chariot!

Bang

The lightning shield instantly dissipated, transforming into magical elements that roared through the collapsed chamber.

"Let's die together!" Adjani had no more illusions. She immediately raised the Blazing Sun, intending to perish with Raven Jade. She hadn't yet recovered from the backlash of using the divine weapon last time. If she were to forcibly use the World-Suppressing Divine Weapon again now, it would absolutely damage the foundation of her magical power! There would be no possibility of advancing to a higher level!

hum…

Before she could activate the Blazing Sun, Raven, who was already beside her, suddenly swung his left hand. A ray of starlight appeared in the secret chamber. A fourth-tier enchanted artifact—the rapier—Starry Sky. Enchanted with 'Exceptional Fortitude,' 'Powerful Sharpness,' 'Magic Penetration,' and 'Brilliant Stars'... Among them, Brilliant Stars allows for short-distance space travel! The rapier transformed into a ray of starlight, flashing with each breath, and gently swept across Adjani's slender neck.

"puff"

Blood gushed out like a fountain, and Adjani's head flew high into the air, only to be caught in Raven's left hand. His right fist, still imbued with fighting spirit, slammed heavily into the world-suppressing divine weapon, the Burning Sun, and then into Adjani's headless body.

boom--

To Raven's surprise, Adjani's headless body exploded, turning into blood droplets resembling candied hawthorns, which rolled to the ground. Before Raven could examine them closely, these blood droplets seemed to come alive, bouncing off the ground and rushing towards the ring on Raven's index finger.

Raven dared not linger. Even if anyone came, this secret chamber was about to bury him! With a sweep of his hand, he collected the Burning Sun, Adjani's spatial ring, and more. As for Adjani's unseeing head, Raven gripped it tightly in his left hand.

The next moment, Raven activated his Martial Soul and returned directly to Lingling's room. The small goblin was currently curled up in a ball under the covers on the large bed. This was probably a goblin's sleeping habit.

Raven remained expressionless, carrying the dripping head, and walked indifferently out of Lingling's room.

……

(End of this chapter)