Help! The Villainess Trapped in the Beast World's Drama!

Chapter 652 - 582: Soul Returns Home

Shen Tang gazed in surprise at the resurrected Ancient Beast. It was completely black, with massive wings folded behind it, resembling a giant winged lizard, yet somewhat like the dragon from the movies.

It was covered in scales as sharp and hard as rocks, forming an armor-like layer, while a row of towering bone protrusions lined its back, extending along its long, thick tail.

The Ancient Beast opened its reddish-brown eyes, staring at its renewed body in astonishment, with an expression of delight and bewilderment as if it still thought it was dreaming.

After advancing to the Primordial Beast Tier, Shen Tang’s Healing Ability was potent enough to awaken this Bone Beast, which had been dead for years yet retained its soul.

But she herself had expended a considerable amount of energy, her face slightly pale, yet she pressed her lips into a gentle smile and softly said, "You’ve guarded the Blood Clan tombs for years; even if there was no merit, there was toil. Consider this a gesture of goodwill on behalf of your master."

The giant beast let out a loud howl towards the sky and then lowered its head submissively, showing its allegiance to her.

Shen Tang reached out to touch its head, "Good boy."

She asked gently, "Your name is Ji Ming, isn’t it?"

As if it hadn’t heard its name called in a long time, the giant beast squinted its eyes, letting out a deep rumbling sound from its throat, which seemed to express joy and affirmation.

From the memories left by the blood beads, Shen Tang learned that this giant beast was a female Dragon Lizard Winged Beast, an extremely precious species. Such large creatures were nearly extinct in the current Beastman Continent. Necro had stumbled upon it in a Secret Realm when he was young.

At the time of discovery, it was just a huge egg. Necro had accidentally entered the Secret Realm and was starving to death, intending to cook and eat it. Unexpectedly, he accidentally hatched it.

Finding it quite likable and resembling a bit like the Blood Clan, Necro decided not to kill it.

Later, when they found a way to leave the Secret Realm, he brought the Dragon Lizard Winged Beast back to the Blood Clan as a pet, naming it "Ji Ming." It accompanied him for several years.

Sadly, Ji Ming eventually died at the hands of others.

A group of poachers from a neighboring country killed it.

The near extinction of Dragon Lizard Winged Beasts is due to their skin, meat, scales, and bones having great medicinal and artisanal value, fetching a sky-high price on the black market, eventually attracting hunters.

While it was out playing, the team from the neighboring country snuck into the Blood Clan’s borders and ambushed and killed it.

No one remembers the name of that small country anymore.

It was the first nation Necro destroyed.

From then on,

The rebel army began its path of conquest.

Necro expended extensive effort to transform Ji Ming into an indestructible Bone Beast, forever guarding the safest forbidden land of the Blood Clan as its guardian beast.

Shen Tang retracted her thoughts, gently stroking the giant beast’s head, covered in tough keratin, and explained, "Ji Ming, we need to go inside. This is my companion."

Ji Ming lifted its head, looking at Shen Tang and then at Shen Li by her side.

The Blood Clan forbidden land strictly prohibited the entry of outsiders unless granted permission by the master, such as when Necro personally took him inside before. Perhaps due to the gratitude it felt for Shen Tang, it did not obstruct them and respectfully made way, lying down to watch them pass without any intention to stop them.

Shen Tang was somewhat surprised, thinking Ji Ming would not easily agree to let them in, especially Shen Li, a total outsider, yet it proved easygoing.

Shen Li observed this scene, his eyes slightly shifting, but he said nothing.

The two entered the Blood Clan’s forbidden land.

It was as pitch-black as the first visit, with visibility hindered by darkness.

After only a few steps, they heard a flurry of flapping wings overhead, followed by a rush of cold wind swirling toward them.

"Careful, come over to my side." Shen Li pulled Shen Tang into his embrace, casting a ball of Fox Fire from his palm, instantly illuminating the entire space, revealing a swarm of bats above them.

Those bats disintegrated into ash upon contact with the flames, and silence enveloped the surroundings.

The Fire Fox circled above them, moving with their pace as they journeyed onward.

Shen Tang held Shen Li’s hand, guiding him inside based on her memory.

The Fox Fire slowly ascended, lighting more areas. Although she had come here thrice, it was her first time seeing the entire palace clearly.

Even though many parts had collapsed into ruins, the grandeur of the architecture, the exquisite carvings on the walls and columns, the shattered jade and stone tools, and the countless murals still hinted at the once-glorious scenes.

Unfortunately, many murals were fragmented, the original images unrecognizable.

Shen Li reached out, touching each mural, endeavoring to memorize their content.

Revered as a genius by priests since childhood, he could read and memorize things quickly, finding it easy to record these contents.

Seeing his focused gaze, Shen Tang curiously asked, "Have you discovered something?"

Holding her hand, Shen Li’s lips curled into a smile, "Let me keep it a secret—I’ll tell you later."

They approached the deepest part of the forbidden land, the Blood Pool.

Sadly, it could no longer be called a "pool" now, having dried up long ago, now resembling a large pit from up high.

But, as a result, some mysteries became apparent — this was not merely a dug-out pool. Beneath lay a special stone structure engraved with mysterious, intricate symbols, imparting an exceptionally profound, hard-to-understand feeling.

Now, however, it was nothing but emptiness.

Shen Tang took out the dim blood bead from her space, softly saying, "I initially thought of sending him back here, letting him find peace after death..."

"But now, I wonder if being alone here would be too lonely for him?"

Shen Li stroked her hair, gently comforting, "With Ji Ming here, he probably won’t feel so alone."

He continued, "Besides, this is the burial site chosen by the Blood Clan ancestors. There must be an ancestor’s reason for this choice; he probably wishes to return as well."

Shen Tang nodded in agreement, her gentle smile resurfacing, "Yes, with Ji Ming by his side, I think he will be happy."

Shen Tang walked to the center of the dried-up Blood Pool in the forbidden land, lightly placing the blood bead in the middle.

At that moment, it felt as if the entire history of the Blood Clan hushed beneath her fingertips.

The blood bead seemed drawn by some power, slowly floating into mid-air, gently spinning, just like when Shen Tang first saw the Blood Clan ancestors.

Gazing at the floating blood bead, Shen Tang silently vowed to reclaim the blood beads and let the Blood Clan ancestors return home!

They lingered there for a long time before leaving the forbidden land.

Before departing,

Shen Tang asked Ji Ming to lower its head, and she tied a bell with a red string around its neck.

Within it was a trace of her spiritual power. If Ji Ming encountered any situation here, it could summon her by ringing the bell.

The fierce-looking giant beast nodded obediently, gently nuzzling her head, then used its claw to gingerly flick the bell, seemingly satisfied by its clear sound.

Seeing this, Shen Tang couldn’t help but laugh, finally patting its head and softly advising,

"Guard this place well, I’m leaving now."

"I’ll come back to see you later."

"Roar..."

Ji Ming silently stood guard at the entrance, watching the pair leave.

As their figures vanished into the drifting sand, it slowly closed its eyes, once again lying down into the sands to eternally sleep alongside the forgotten relic.

...

Unknown time passed.

In the dead-silent depths of the forbidden land, the blood bead on the altar seemed to flicker momentarily, or perhaps not at all.

The wind and sand persisted, noiselessly.