"It's going to be hard to repay this favor though since it's a Divine-grade treasure…" Yuan mumbled.
"Wait… It's a Divine-grade treasure? This clothing?" Wang Xiuying's eyes widened with shock after hearing this.
"Yes." Yuan nodded.
Wang Xiuying was speechless. This Dragon Princess truly loved him deeply if she was willing to give him a Divine-grade treasure!
"I'm going to change now." Yuan then said.
"O-Okay…" Wang Xiuying turned around to give him some privacy.
A few moments later, Yuan said, "I am finished."
Wang Xiuying turned back around after hearing his words, and Yuan's new appearance stunned her for a good moment, as he looked incredibly handsome and charming in these new clothes, almost like he was royalty.
If she didn't know any better, she would've definitely mistaken him for royalty just by his appearance alone, not to mention this unfathomable aura around him.
"Yuan, you kind of give me the same feeling as the people in the Ancient Dragon City— like you've turned into a dragon." Wang Xiuying said.
"That's probably because of the 'Dragon Aura' from this robe."
"Dragon Aura? So it makes your presence like that of a dragon?"
"Something like that."
"What a convenient skill. Do you think she gave you this robe so that you can use your Dragon's Gaze safely? After all, as long as you wear that clothing, you'll be able to use your Dragon's Gaze without having to worry about the other Royal Families causing you trouble because you're a human."
"Oh! I didn't think of that! You're absolutely right, Wang Xiuying! As long as I am wearing this robe, I will be a 'dragon', allowing me to use my Dragon's Gaze more openly!" Yuan spoke with excitement.
"The Dragon Princess really thought it out, huh? I am admiring her more and more."
"Yes!" Yuan agreed.
"Are you ready to leave this place?" She asked him after putting on the clothes she'd lend him.
He nodded.
It was at this moment more notifications appeared before Yuan.
[Xi Meili has been added to your Bond!]
[Xi Meili's Bond level has increased to Acquaintance!]
[Xi Meili's Bond level has increased to Friend!]
[Royal Family Xi has been added to your Associations!]
[Because of your performance at 'Ancient Dragon City', your relationship with the Royal Family Xi has increased drastically!]
[Due to your actions at 'Ancient Dragon City', your Fame has increased by 50!]
'The Bond System? It's been a while since I last saw it. I wonder how it works…' Yuan thought to himself. The last time the Bond System activated was at Pang City.
"Yuan?" Wang Xiuying called out to him when he stood there with a dazed face.
"Sorry, I'm coming."
The two of them proceeded to go downstairs.
Before leaving the Mystic Pagoda, Yuan said, "Let me wear my mask first."
Wang Xiuying nodded and watched him put on his black mask that complimented his black robes perfectly.
"Okay, I am ready."
The two of them approached the door, which opened automatically.
Meanwhile, outside the Mystic Pagoda, most of the remaining participants had gathered there, and all of them had agreed to work with each other to figure out how they could open the Mystic Pagoda.
However, an entire week had passed without any progress, as the Mystic Pagoda remained sealed.
"What was that light just now? That was the second time I have seen it!" One of them asked when a pillar of light suddenly descended from the skies and landed on the Mystic Pagoda.
"I have no idea, but it's definitely related to this place. If we can figure it out, perhaps that'll be the key to opening this damn place!" Another one said.
"But we have already searched every nook and cranny in this area. What else can we do at this point?"
"Keep searching! There must be a way to open the door!"
While the participants tried everything to open the Mystic Pagoda, completely unbeknownst to these people, three figures had been watching their every action for the past week from the skies.
"Look at these outsiders dirtying our Lord's Mystic Pagoda with their filthy presence! If I could, I would kill every single one of them for disrespecting the sacred ground!" Grandpa Lan mumbled in a loathing voice.
"Calm down, old man. You'll shorten your lifespan if you get angry over these idiots." Grandma Lan shook her head.
Ever since Yuan's death, Grandpa Lan has been acting like a grumpy old man who's easily bothered by even the slightest things.
"What is that pillar of light, anyway? I have never seen anything like that before." Lan Yingying said a moment later.
"I don't know. It's also my first time witnessing such a phenomenon. I hope it's not a bad sign..." Grandpa Lan said.
It was at this moment one of the participants there suddenly shouted in a shocked voice, "L-Look! The door is opening!"
"What?!"
Everybody there immediately turned to look at the Mystic Pagoda, and sure enough, the door was opening.
"T-The Mystic Pagoda opened? How?"
Even the Lan Family in the sky was greatly bewildered by this random occurrence.
"I'm going down there! I cannot let these outsiders' dirty feet step into the Lord's home!" Grandpa Lan said.
And just as he prepared to descend from the sky, his movements halted when he noticed two figures walking out of the Mystic Pagoda.
The first person to come out was a pretty young lady at the Spirit Warrior realm. The second person was an individual wearing a black mask who was also emitting this unfathomable aura that made the people around him admire him unconditionally, almost like he was royalty.
"Who are those people?! And how did they come out of the Mystic Pagoda?!" Grandpa Lan was baffled by their mysterious presence, especially when he saw the person in the black mask and clothes, as the aura he gave off resembled that of a beast rather than a human.
"H-Hey! Who the heck are you two?! And how long have you been inside the Mystic Pagoda?!" The participants on the ground asked them.
"W-Wait! I recognize you! You're Healer Wang from Medicine Valley!" One of the participants who was also a player recognized Wang Xiuying's pretty face.
"Whoa… There are so many people here…" Wang Xiuying was also surprised to see them, as she didn't expect to be surrounded by people the moment she left the Mystic Pagoda.
"What?! Does this mean you're also a participant?! How did you enter the Mystic Pagoda?!" The participants immediately began questioning her.
"Ehh…" Wang Xiuying took a few steps until she was standing behind Yuan.
"Answer us! How did you enter the Mystic Pagoda, and how long have you two been inside?!" The participants slowly surrounded them, sealing even the smallest path so that they couldn't escape.
"Are all of you participants?" Yuan asked them in a low voice.
"That's right!" One of them answered.
"Good."
Yuan didn't say anything else and retrieved the Empyrean Overlord, his intentions clear.
"W-Wait! A mask! That sword! You're that monster from the Dragon Essence Temple!"
Some of the participants quickly connected the dots and realized his identity.
However, they were not the only ones who realized this.
"That sword! Impossible!" Grandpa Lan's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw the Empyrean Overlord in the masked man's grasp.
"Yuan?! He's still alive?!" Lan Yingying covered her mouth from shock, and tears immediately began flowing from her eyes when she realized that he'd survived the Demon Lord's Core Detonation!