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Chapter 287 Accident
Barn Palace.

A quiet, deserted attic.

The heavy curtains blocked out most of the light, with only a few wisps of dust floating and dancing in the dim light.

Queen Melanie sat gracefully in a dusty armchair, while Prince Snow White paced back and forth restlessly, his boots clicking crisply on the old wooden floor.

"Congratulations, Snow White, you're about to marry the beautiful Princess Pearl."

Melania's voice was still sweet.

Bai Xue stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowed.

He stepped forward, knelt on one knee in front of Melania, and leaned half of his body on the White Queen's long legs.

"Melana, you know that the person I love is you... and only you. That mute mermaid is just a shackle that my father forced upon me; I don't want to marry her."

A hint of smugness flashed in Melania's eyes, but her face wore a perfectly measured expression of worry: "But... your wedding is just around the corner, and the whole kingdom is eagerly anticipating it. Your father, the king, will not allow you to break off the engagement."

She raised her hand and gently stroked Bai Xue's furrowed brows, a gesture full of allure.

"Does this mean there's no chance for us in the end?"

Snow White grabbed Melanie's hand, as if she had made up her mind, and said in a deep voice, "Of course not. I can't lose you, Melanie, and I won't let you be subservient to anyone. That plan... I agree."

He took a deep breath: "Let's do it on the wedding day."

Upon hearing this, Melania was overjoyed.

She cupped the eldest prince's face in her hands and said tenderly, "Snow White, you've finally made up your mind. For our future, I'm willing to take any risks with you."

After saying that, Melania turned her head to the side: "Bra!"

In the shadows, the maid, forever shrouded in a simple black dress and veil, emerged silently like a ghost, bowing slightly.

Bura took something out of her bosom—a pair of dancing shoes, but they weren't made of crystal-clear glass.

It was cast from some ominous black metal, covered with distorted human figures in relief, and large patches of dark red, filthy blood were congealed on the upper and heel.

A chilling, painful, and manic aura emanated from the shoes.

"The Branding Iron Shoes..."

Bura's emotionless voice rang out.

"The manifestation of the curse. Give it to the Mirror Queen Adele. If she wears it, all her magic will be completely sealed, turning her into your puppet. If she does not comply, or if someone tries to forcibly undo it... the dancing shoes will turn into red-hot irons, forcing her to dance madly in endless pain until her life is burned out and her flesh is charred."

She calmly described the cursed object, and Melania chimed in from the side:

"Adele, that woman, appears gentle and virtuous on the surface, but is actually unfathomable. Her sacred artifact, the 'Magic Mirror,' possesses the power to see through all things..."

"With Aladdin's 'magic lamp' as a trump card, it will be very difficult for us to succeed."

"Therefore, only by controlling Adele can we make the entire Barn royal family grovel at your feet, my dear prince."

"..."

Snow White's expression shifted several times before she finally gritted her teeth and accepted the cold, black iron dancing shoes. Feeling the vicious curse contained within them, her eyes gradually revealed madness.

"There's one more thing, dear Snow White."

Melania suddenly softened her voice, opened her fair palm, and held a huge diamond that still shone brightly in the dim light.

"To ensure absolute success, we need even greater power. In the Holmes royal family, where my sister, the Red Queen Beth, and I were born, there exists an ancient secret practice—'Invoking the Object of Destiny.'"

"This secret technique can forcibly summon a treasure that has a deep connection with the target from the tangled threads of fate."

She pointed to the diamond: "This is the object of my destiny that I summoned for myself, containing powerful protective energy. As for my sister Beth..." She paused, her tone tinged with sarcasm: "What she summoned was a dragon egg, which ended up hatching a useless red dragon."

Upon hearing this, Bai Xue stared at the diamond in the White Queen's palm and nodded, saying, "Cast the spell for me, Melania. With such a treasure, my power will be even greater, and I will be more confident in completing the plan."

"No problem at all."

Melana lowered her head and placed a kiss on Snow White's forehead: "Although this secret technique will come at a great cost, I am willing to do it for you."

She stood up, clasped her hands together, and began chanting an ancient, difficult incantation with an eerie echo.

Melana's expression became focused and solemn, a faint white aura emanating from her. As the incantation continued, her face paled slightly, clearly indicating that the secret technique was taking a toll on her.

The air in the attic seemed to freeze, as if an invisible force was gathering.

Huhu——

A gust of wind swept through, causing the attic to tremble slightly.

Bai Xue held her breath, her face showing anticipation.

Suddenly, a streak of dark light tore through the dimness of the attic like lightning and flew in through the window.

It landed precisely in Bai Xue's hand.

The black light dissipated...

An apple lay quietly in his palm.

"This is?!"

Bai Xue looked down in astonishment at the ominous fruit in her hand; its icy touch seemed to seep into her bones through her skin.

Melana stopped singing and frowned as she looked at the unexpectedly appearing black apple.

"Although I can't tell what this is, it is your 'destined thing,' Snow White."

She looked at the black apple and said in a deep voice.

"With it, your abilities will be further enhanced."

"Hmm." Bai Xue took a deep breath and carefully put the black apple away.

...

...

A magnificent palace corridor.

Wang Xizheng was chatting and laughing quietly with the Red Queen.

Beth wore a relaxed smile, her eyes sparkling with allure.

If someone familiar with her were to see this, they would likely be quite shocked. It would be hard to imagine that Her Majesty the Red Queen, who is usually so tall and majestic, could have such a side to her.

Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps approached, accompanied by anxious calls: "Mr. Kai!"

Wang Xi and Beth looked in the direction of the sound and saw Princess Lucy, holding up her skirt, her face pale and her eyes red. She had completely lost her usual liveliness and elegance and was stumbling over like a frightened fawn.

“Princess Lucy?” Wang Xi raised an eyebrow.

Lucy rushed to Wang Xi, panting, and said in a tearful voice, "Mr. Kai, I... my golden apple is gone!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Xi's gaze swept over Lucy's neck, which was completely bare.

"Your Highness, please calm down and tell me what happened."

Lucy's eyes darted around, avoiding Wang Xi's gaze, and she stammered out the whole story.

However, she deliberately omitted the part about not keeping her promise.

"...It suddenly turned black and flew away?"

Wang Xi's eyes narrowed.

Seeing Lucy's guilty look, he already had a guess in his mind.

The little princess was clearly not telling the truth.

Because it involved Henry the Frog Prince, Wang Xi couldn't help but think of the original story.

'Could it be... that Lucy is the princess from "The Frog Prince"? Did her negative emotions from failing to keep her promise cause the golden apple to ripen?'

Wang Xi pondered to himself.

He didn't expose Lucy's lie, but simply reassured her, "Your Highness, don't worry, I will find a way to get it back for you."

"Really? Mr. Kai!"

A glimmer of hope shone in Lucy's eyes.

"Thank you so much!"

She stopped crying and started laughing, seemingly having blind trust in Wang Xi.

Wang Xi turned to Beth and bowed slightly apologetically: "Your Majesty, please allow me to excuse myself for a moment to help Princess Lucy with this matter."

Beth looked at Lucy's pitiful appearance and nodded: "Go, Kai. Come back as soon as you're done."

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Wang Xi replied, then gestured to Lucy. “Your Highness, let’s go.”

The two walked to a relatively quiet corner of the corridor, where the huge arched windows offered a dreamlike view of the palace gardens, and soft light streamed in through the stained glass.

Lucy looked at Wang Xi anxiously: "Mr. Kai..."

"Please calm down, Your Highness, I will use magic to divine the future."

As Wang Xi spoke, he closed his eyes.

From between his brows, the primordial spirit power emanating from his spiritual platform spread out like ripples, instantly covering the entire palace.

Soon, numerous scenes appeared clearly in his mind like holographic projections.

The scanning process was extremely fast. Just a few breaths later, Wang Xi suddenly opened his eyes, but his brows were slightly furrowed.

A look of astonishment flashed deep in his eyes.

"How is it, Mr. Kai? Did you find it?" Lucy asked anxiously, grabbing his sleeve.

Looking at Lucy's expectant face, Wang Xi nodded slowly, his voice carrying a hint of solemnity: "Found it."

"Great!" Lucy almost jumped for joy. "Where is it? Let's go get it!"

Wang Xi turned his gaze to the window, towards a certain direction deep within the palace, and said meaningfully, "In the hands of your elder brother, Prince Snow White."

"what?"

Lucy was slightly taken aback, then looked puzzled.

"Brother Baixue? How did it end up with him... Could it be that when the golden apple flew by, he happened to pick it up?"

Although she couldn't figure out why, Lucy felt that as long as the item wasn't lost and was found by her own family, it wasn't a big problem.

She immediately grabbed Wang Xi's hand and was about to leave: "In that case, let's hurry up and go find Brother Bai Xue to get it back."

Wang Xi nodded silently and pointed in a direction.

His heart was heavy.

The black apple... fell into Snow White's hands.

This information struck Wang Xi like a thunderbolt.

He was reminded of the apple, the central symbol of the original fairy tale.

So, in this seemingly paradoxical world, what does "apple" mean to Snow White?
In Wang Xi's view, this was by no means a coincidence.

The two hurried towards the depths of the palace.

Halfway there, Wang Xi's "divine inspiration" began to warn him.

Something's not right here...

Wang Xi narrowed his eyes.

Lucy grabbed his hand and jogged along until they stopped in front of an abandoned attic covered in withered vines and with broken windows.

"Is this right here?"

The little princess was asking.

With a creak, the rotten wooden door was pushed open, and the Snow White Prince, the White Queen, and the black-veiled maid walked out.

The two sides suddenly met in front of the dilapidated courtyard.
The air gradually solidified.

Snow White's gaze swept over Wang Xi, a hint of hatred and fear flashing in his eyes, before he looked at Lucy.

He gave a gentle smile and said softly, "Lucy, what are you doing here?"

Lucy said somewhat shyly, "Brother Snow White, my golden apple flew away, so I asked Mr. Kai for help. He divined that the golden apple would fly to you."

"Luckily, my brother found it, otherwise if Mother had found out I'd lost it, I would definitely have been scolded..."

As she spoke, she tried to step forward and coax her brother for the golden apple. However, the moment she took a step, a steady and strong hand firmly gripped her wrist. "Hmm?"

Lucy turned around in surprise, only to see Wang Xi with a calm expression, shaking his head at her.

Following Wang Xi's gaze, the little princess looked at Bai Xue again, only to find that the smile on her brother's face had disappeared at some point, replaced by an unfamiliar gloom.

Behind him, the White Queen Melania whispered:
"Bai Xue, it seems our plans... will have to be brought forward."

A flicker of struggle crossed Snow White's eyes.

Just then, the silent, veiled maid, Bura, spoke up: "Princess Lucy is Adele's heart and soul. Capturing her is tantamount to choking the Mirror Queen."

Upon hearing this, the last trace of hesitation in Bai Xue's eyes was replaced by madness.

"Lucy, come here!"

He let out a low growl and pounced on Lucy like a cheetah hunting its prey.

when--

A deafening clang of metal clashing rang out, sending sparks flying.

Wang Xi's figure appeared like a ghost in front of Lucy, his ancient wooden sword thrusting towards Bai Xue, only to be blocked by the sword she drew.

The immense recoil caused Bai Xue to stagger back several steps, her sword-wielding arm going slightly numb.

He raised his cold eyes and stared straight at the black-haired youth in front of him.

Wang Xi stood with his sword in hand, shielding Lucy tightly behind him: "Give Princess Lucy her things back."

Prince Snow White let out a sneer, his handsome face contorted into a grimace: "Gai Farrell, I underestimated you last time. Did you really think I was afraid of you?"

Before he finished speaking, his entire body's magical power erupted.

hum! !

A layer of exquisite, intricate, and shimmering silver-white armor instantly covered his entire body, making him look like a legendary paladin.

His signature long, black curly hair danced wildly under the influence of magic.

Bai Xue gripped the sword with both hands, the blade humming and whistling as it tore through the air, transforming into a fierce silver storm that swept towards Wang Xi.

This time, he held nothing back, unleashing a deadly attack with all his might.

Wang Xi raised his sword to counterattack. His movements seemed slow, but in reality, he exchanged blows with Bai Xue more than ten times in a second, precisely dismantling each of Bai Xue's sword strikes.

Ding! Ding! Dang! Dang!
Swords flashed and the sounds of metal clashing were as dense as raindrops.

However, Wang Xi's mind was preoccupied with the White Queen Melana, who was watching him closely from behind, and the eerie black-veiled maid Bura.

Especially Bura...

For some reason, this maid posed an even greater threat to Wang Xi than Bai Xue.

"Brother Bai Xue...why?"

Lucy was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that her face turned pale. She couldn't understand why her brother would suddenly attack her.

At this time.

Melania was alarmed to see Wang Xi still handling Bai Xue's fierce attacks with ease. She immediately raised the huge diamond in her hand that emitted a soft white light.

wow-

A dazzling barrier, like flowing crystal, rose from the ground and appeared around Bai Xue, protecting him firmly.

Melana spread her other hand, aimed it at Wang Xi, and chanted a spell.

hum! !

A powerful mental shock, like a raging tidal wave, silently surged towards Wang Xi.

Facing the heavy sword that was slashing down again, enveloped in white snow and a crystal barrier, Wang Xi neither dodged nor evaded, but instead swung his hand forward.

boom! !

The wooden sword struck the crystal barrier of white snow with a dull thud. The barrier trembled violently, its light flickering, but it did not shatter.

Snow White was forced to retreat.

Using the force of the recoil, Wang Xi flipped his wrist, changing his sword strike from a slash to a sweep, leaving a trail beside him.

——"The Galaxy of the Soul (Imprint)"

In an instant, a "galactic ribbon" composed of countless stars unfolded. Melana's surging mental magic impact crashed into this starlight domain, but it was like a mud ox entering the sea, instantly being decomposed and swallowed by countless shimmering stars, disappearing into nothingness.

Roar--

As a deep dragon roar resounded from within Wang Xi's body, blazing golden flames erupted, burning the crown that condensed on his head, dragon horns sprouted from his forehead, and dragon wings spread across his back, obscuring the sky.

"Ancient Dragon Lord" form activated!
boom! boom! boom!
With his power surging, Wang Xi wielded the Golden Flame Wooden Sword, and the sword light he unleashed transformed into a destructive torrent. Fighting two opponents at once, he actually managed to suppress Bai Xue and Melana, forcing them into a series of defeats.

The golden, silver, and white lights collided violently, creating a tremendous shockwave that shattered the windows of the abandoned attic.

Such a huge commotion immediately alerted the surrounding palace guards, and sharp alarm whistles sounded throughout the palace as hurried footsteps quickly converged.

"Damn it! That was too loud!"

Melania's skirt was scorched black by a stray golden flame, and her face turned extremely pale.

"It would be bad if Aladdin and Adele arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Bura, the black-veiled maid who had been standing still like a statue, finally moved.

She slowly raised her head, and beneath her veil, two seemingly icy gazes pierced through.

Bura didn't chant any incantation; she simply raised her pale, withered hand and gently pointed it in Wang Xi's direction.

call--

Thick, impenetrable black mist surged forth from her sleeves, twisting rapidly in the air and transforming into grotesque swords, halberds, spears, and other grotesque weapons.

The curses attached to each weapon were enough to cause powerful figures like Bluebeard and the Sea Witch to wither away and their souls decay in the blink of an eye.

Wang Xi sensed the threat emanating from the black mist weapon and dared not be careless in the slightest. He did not choose to confront it head-on; instead, he flapped his dragon wings, his figure leaving afterimages, and pulled back more than a hundred meters to the side.

At the same time, he formed a mudra with his left hand.

"Dragon Dance".

hold head high! !

Then another dragon roar was heard.

Compared to before, this dragon's roar was less domineering and more desolate.

"May the world be filled with joy and abundance!"
Wang Xi activated his magical power, unleashing the power of a profound system.

A black dragon phantom, a hundred meters long, suddenly materialized above the palace. Its whiskers fluttered, its eyes gleamed, and as it coiled and snaked, it opened its massive maw and aimed at Bula below, spewing out countless sharp white sword beams.

Sword beams rained down, enveloping Bura and all the cursed weapons she had summoned.

Faced with this terrifying attack, Bura only let out a cold snort that had no meaning.

She didn't even move an inch; she simply spread her arms, and the black mist emanating from her body became even thicker and more viscous, even forming a giant vortex with a diameter of over ten meters.

hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss hiss...

Beneath the Sword Prison of Awakening of Insects, sword light fell like icicles into a cauldron of boiling oil, densely shooting and churning a vortex of black mist.

But the sword's edge vanished without a trace, swallowed silently by the black mist before it could even stir up a ripple.

"Ok?"

Wang Xi frowned.

He never expected that even a dragon dance couldn't defeat the opponent.

when! !

Wang Xi parried Bai Xue's frenzied slashes once again, and with a flick of his left hand, drew out the deep black revolver.

—"Chekhov's Shot"!
With a flick of his thumb across the cold gun barrel, six bullets gleamed with an intense golden light from the cylinder.

Bang bang bang bang bang bang bang!
The gun spat fire six times in succession, its target being Bula at the center of the black mist.

The moment the "Dragon's Breath" bullet left the barrel, it disappeared into the air, and in the next instant, it had already passed through the black mist and accurately hit Bura.

Six muffled thuds followed as Bura was shot once in the forehead, throat, heart, both shoulders, and abdomen. The powerful impact, accompanied by the blinding golden flames that exploded, sent a jolt through her body, and the black mist surrounding her instantly dissipated by more than half.

The veil fluttered down.

A mature and beautiful face, yet lifeless, was exposed to the setting sun.

Her skin was as pale as snow, but her lips were an eerie deep black, and her eyes were filled with darkness, devoid of any emotion.

This face bears a striking resemblance to Rose, the Rose Princess who sleeps deep within the thorny thicket…

Wang Xi's pupils shrank.

"Black Queen Frey (Heavily Corrupted/Nemesis/Skeleton/Hero)"

Frey?

Black Queen!
Wang Xi was taken aback.

Wasn't Snow White and Rose's biological mother long ago?
She didn't die, and she even turned into this.

'Disaster Hunter' level combat power...'

Wang Xi's heart sank.

Despite being pierced through vital points by six "Dragon's Breath Bullets," the Black Queen Frey showed no sign of pain. Instead, she slowly revealed a chilling smile.

Thick, ink-like black mist was churning and writhing wildly within the shocking golden bullet holes in her brow, throat, and chest, rapidly filling the wounds.

In just a few breaths, the six wounds shrank by half at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Wang Xi frowned even more deeply.

Has the "incurable branding" failed?

wrong.

He considered two possibilities—

Either this unknown black mist takes precedence over "Incurable Burning (Mark)" or... the "Frei" before us isn't a living being at all.

She is long dead; what stands here now is merely a shell filled and driven by some kind of mad will and corrupting pollution.

Therefore, in a sense, "abstaining from treatment" is unlikely to be effective for her.

Thinking of this, Wang Xi's heart sank.

Facing three opponents, including an undead monster of the "Disaster Hunter" level, the situation became extremely dangerous.

at this time.

Boom! !

The ground in the courtyard trembled violently, and countless thick, tough, dark green thorns covered with sharp spikes burst forth from the soil like giant pythons, growing wildly.

They intertwined and entwined, instantly constructing a wall of thorns several meters high between the two sides in the fierce battle. On the thorns, countless delicate and beautiful red roses bloomed at an astonishing speed.

Deep within the flowerbed, a slender figure in a plain white dress stood quietly.

Her fiery red hair cascaded down her shoulders like a burning waterfall. Her skin was as white as snow, and her features were so exquisite that they seemed to be the most perfect masterpiece of the Creator.

"Rose..."

The Black Queen Frey suddenly turned to the woman in the white dress, her voice chillingly cold:

"The curse I placed on you is enough to banish your soul to the edge of nightmares forever, leaving it in a deep slumber... Who awakened you? Could it be that the person foretold in the prophecy has appeared?!"

"?!"

Snow White, Melanie, and Lucy were all stunned, staring at Rose in disbelief.

The eldest princess has actually awakened?!
Rose first glanced at her mother Frey with complicated and painful eyes, then turned to Wang Xi.

Her eyes held a hint of gratitude and all-knowing wisdom as she looked at the young man who had once wielded a razor in the thorny cabin, revealing a smile that could eclipse the beauty of a hundred flowers, her red lips parting slightly:

"Thank you."

(End of this chapter)