The overlord of the gods is interrogating the alien female spy.

　"This slave really hasn't touched any blood or meat; he's a complete vegetarian?"

　Since that's the case, it wouldn't be bad to spare her life and take her as a slave. She's healthy, attractive, and would be much better as a servant than his cats, dogs, rats, and sparrows.

　Thinking about it, Chen Lingxu looked at Tikaz again.

　Her almond-shaped face still bore the marks of her previous weeping, her hair was disheveled, her hands were clenched tightly together in front of her, and her eyes were filled with fear.

　What a weak thing! Putting on this act, who are you trying to tempt?

　The undisguised gaze was like a sharp knife, relentlessly scraping across my body.

　What will become of her?

　Although she had never left the village, she had heard from a Sarkaz mercenary who had come from afar that in a country called Sargon, if a person became a slave, they would never have the chance to be free again in their lifetime.

　The monster before her described her as a slave in that strange language... and arbitrarily deprived her of her freedom... What a despicable creature it was.

　"You don't even have a map. You aliens are worse than beasts except for your magic skills."

　Here it comes again, a strange, but understandable language...

　She could clearly feel the monster's disdain and arrogance even without words.

　“Slave, take me to your largest city.”

　Go to the city... Why go to the city...?

　She recalled the scene when the monster first appeared... the villagers were like winged beasts awaiting slaughter, mercilessly killed in horrific and cruel ways...

　"No, absolutely not... You monster... You won't be able to enslave me... You won't be able to kill anyone else... I will never listen to you! Even if it means death, I will never... *gulp*"

　She had been waiting to die, but the thought that more people might be killed because of her stupidity gave her a surge of courage, allowing her to speak up, to curse, and to fight against this monster.

　But this monster was so savage and brutal that it grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up with one hand.

　"Hmm? Pathetic weak, but full of nonsense. You don't even have the ability to defeat me, so what right do you have to challenge me?"

　The Qilin Overlord scrutinized Tikaz before him. His eyes, no longer filled with the desolation they once held, were now brimming with determination and hatred. It was truly astonishing where he had gotten such courage.

　But this appearance amused Chen Lingxu greatly. This individual before him was different from the other Tikkaz, seemingly possessing a much greater level of intelligence... If those Tikkaz had originally looked like this, none of the subsequent mess would have occurred... Thinking about this only fueled his anger.

　“You have no right to choose, slave. But I am so benevolent that since you have shown me courage that no alien scum like you has ever had, I will make an exception and give you a chance to make a choice.”

　With a casual flick of his wrist, the Qilin Overlord sent the Tikaz in his hand crashing against the wooden wall. He fell to the ground, clutching his aching neck and gasping for breath.

　"Will you take me to your city and they live, or will you use your courage to lure me away?"

　"Choose, slave. Choose the first option, and I will forgive your cowardice and grant you life. Choose the second option, and when your courage is exhausted, even if you beg for mercy, I will make you suffer the most painful and miserable death!"

　A choice... If she could die, that would be best... But this monster has terrifying power, able to heal her wounds in the blink of an eye. If she becomes cowardly, she probably won't even be able to die.

　Since that's the case, what is she afraid of...? She'll lure him far away, then provoke him so he'll kill her...

　Chen Lingxu saw that pair of eyes brighten with unwavering faith.

　Tikkaz slowly got up and walked outside without saying a word.

　Chen Lingxu, however, was in no hurry. He even took the time to find a basket, put in some breadcrumbs, salt, and a jar of water, and then used his tail to hook the basket and slowly followed.

　"..."

　She gritted her teeth, enduring the physical pain, and walked step by step away from the village, step by step towards the wilderness.

　With each step, her body was torn apart with pain. After the last round of torture, the monster hadn't healed her wounds. It had just thrown her against the wall and slammed her hard, adding to the pain... But this was for the best. The pain would keep her conscious, allowing her to go further and take the monster to a more distant place.

　That way, everyone else will be safe...

　Yes, that's it...

　How long did it take? Hours?

　She couldn't remember; she only remembered that the sun had moved from its zenith to above the horizon, and the rays it cast had turned fiery red...

　Despite her aching and exhausted body, she could still persevere.

　How long will it last?

　I might fall down in the next second, but as long as I can take one more step before I fall, that's good too.

　"You've got some nerve as a slave."

　I fell to the ground, and it seems my face hit a rock; it might be cut...

　Oh no, is she going to die here?

　The monster came to her side, seemingly tired of her performance, and was about to kill her.

　But... she would never admit defeat, she would never yield to this monster.

　"I am not your slave...you monster..."

　Her throat seemed to be inflamed, and her voice was very hoarse, but she insisted on speaking loudly, insisting on telling the monster aloud.

　“You can never make me submit…you can never…make Theresia submit to you…die…monster…”

　Even if it means death, she will make this monster remember that there is a Sarkaz named Theresa, and that there is a person named Theresa who will never submit to him, even unto death!

　Chapter Five: Persistence Pays Off

　"..."

　The campfire crackled and popped, and a unicorn lay dead in the wilderness, its skin peeled off, its carcass hanging in the middle of the fire, being roasted by the flames.

　The atmosphere was a little awkward... Theresa didn't die. It seemed that the monster didn't want her to die so easily, or perhaps it hadn't gotten tired of her performance yet, and it brought her back to life from the brink of death.

　All those grand pronouncements and exhilarating ideas from before seemed like empty boasts under the gaze of this monster.

　"Go cut off a piece of cooked meat, slave."

　The monster tossed over a bone knife, sharpened from the unicorn's bone, its edge gleaming coldly in the moonlight. Perhaps this could be used to kill him... or to commit suicide.

　"..."

　Looking at the monster admiring the moon, and then gesturing to itself, Theresa sadly realized that if she couldn't kill herself within a second, the monster could bring her back to life.

　And she had no chance to kill him at all... Yes, the monster was right, she was just that weak, even her resistance was like baring her teeth and claws, all show and no substance.

　"hiss……"

　The unicorn meat was roasted until it was dripping with oil, and it was very hot to hold in your hand.

　She gritted her teeth and walked over to the monster, still clutching the piece of meat.

　"The lamb here tastes good."

　Chen Lingxu picked up the piece of meat and chewed it. He felt that the taste of this wild beast was very different from the mutton he had eaten before, but he couldn't explain why.

　"Let's go again."

　He ruthlessly ordered the little slave to restore the scalded hands.

　Slaves are meant to be used; who would care about their slaves?

　"Huh, not bad."

　After eating most of the fat sheep, Chen Lingxu leaned against a rock, picked up a piece of bread from the basket, and tossed it to the little slave like he was teasing a dog.

　"He has nothing but courage, he can't do anything, he's not even as good as the dog I raise."

　When Chen Lingxu used to throw bones to his dog, the dog would run around chasing after it. This little slave just stood there waiting to be hit on the head with bread crumbs.

　"These days, the only thing that's good-looking about slaves is their appearance."

　Chen Lingxu stopped looking at her and began to study his own situation. As for whether the little slave would steal the leftover roasted mutton... he would have to wait until he caught him before considering punishment.

　【Divine Master: Chen Lingxu】

　[Status: Qilin & Mature Stage, Beast Form]

　【ability:

　A: The Twelve Earthly Branches (Talisman Type);

　B: First Dawn: The rising sun brings the end of time (setting sun), the cycle of life (dawn), the balance between inner and outer (crescent moon), and destruction and rebirth (the beast of division);

　[Interim Goal: The Real Birthday Feast]

　"This thing definitely has a bug. The first reward was issued on time, but I only received the second reward after I finished the third task. The third reward will only be given after I complete the new task."

　However, even if he only developed the power of the twelve talismans and his own inherent potential as a divine Qilin, Chen Lingxu could already claim to be invincible.

　This new reward... seems to be some kind of divine office... judging from the name, it's related to the sun, possibly the classic sun god. And the four branches that follow seem more like manifestations of some kind of power.

　The so-called end of time can directly traverse linear time and lead something to its conclusion. A seed can become a withered tree, an infant can become an old man... but where this end is is up to him to interpret. He can directly turn an infant into a strong warrior, or a seed into a tree laden with fruit.

　The cycle of life is the genealogy of birth and death, which can manifest lifespan and become the 'currency' for transactions.

　The so-called balance between the inner and outer worlds might be about reversing truth and secret, or it might be about the body's internal and external balance, or it might be about 'the wise seeking strength within'...

　"These are all superficial understandings and applications. To truly understand them, I would need to study them for many more years, just like I am doing now."

　Even with only a rudimentary application, these abilities are terrifyingly powerful.

　If he were to see the pursuers again, I could just chop them up into mincemeat and use them to make wontons with a single glance.

　"Ah."

　Turning his gaze away, Chen Lingxu saw the little slave hiding there, secretly warming himself by the fire after finishing his breadcrumbs.

　Regardless of racial barriers, let's just talk about beauty and ugliness.

　This little slave could even rank first in Chen Lingxu's Tikkaz manual.

　Not only did he exude a peach-like fragrance, but even his sweat seemed to taste like dripping peach juice. Perhaps it was because he was so large and she was so petite, but her waist was ridiculously thin, yet the proportions of her hips and legs were absurd, like a golden, swirling peach…

　Ah, just thinking about it makes me feel something again.

　He shouldn't have broken the rule. Once he did, his standards would only keep dropping... Chen Lingxu still remembers the first time he made up his mind to eat raw meat. The next time he saw those steaming hot offal, he would drool. Fortunately, he later learned to grill meat and cook it using his electric eyes and dragon explosion. Otherwise, he couldn't imagine the consequences...

　"..."

　Theresa gazed at the campfire before her, feeling somewhat better with the extra bread crumbs in her stomach. But she hadn't had any water all day, and her mouth was parched…

　Her body no longer hurts, but she would rather continue to feel pain.

　Ugh……

　The horrific deaths of the villagers echoed in her mind. She felt grief, anger, and a strange sense of relief… because her only relative wasn't in the village. If her sister were still alive, given her personality, she would have rushed to fight the monster immediately. In that case… she would have died too.

　The current situation is good. The monster is interested in her, and the longer she lives, the farther she can take him. And her sister, and the Sarkaz in Kazdel, will all be safe.

　Yes, it's just a little hardship for myself, it's nothing.

　As she was thinking this, Theresa involuntarily shivered. A shadow fell over her, and the monster stood behind her… Theresa could feel something pressing down on her head; it wasn't the monster's claws, it was…

　"No, don't do this... don't..."

　The flames crackled and popped, just like her...

　My feet... can't reach the ground...

　The food I had just eaten was already making me feel nauseous from the violent jolting.

　My stomach... is going to burst...

　"really not bad."

　He grabbed the little slave's skirt and wiped himself with it, then casually tossed her aside and sat down by the campfire with satisfaction.

　The first time, he wolfed down his food like he was eating ginseng fruit, only concerned with venting his emotions and not remembering anything at all. This time, he was a little gentler and more careful, and after a short while, the Qilin Overlord felt a refreshing and invigorating sensation.

　"Indeed, humans should be with humans, and beasts should be with beasts... Wait, then what am I?"

　hiss……

　Chapter Six: Take Revenge, Theresa!

　"..."

　The swordsman looked at the devastated village and the shattered wooden houses, and knelt down in anguish.

　"No, Theresa...no!"

　She only went to the city to exchange for a real iron sword, and when she came back, everything changed; the sky fell and the earth collapsed.

　The villagers died tragically, their houses were destroyed, and the younger sister disappeared... Who was it? What was it?!

　“I will find you, Theresia. I will bring you back…”