The Beloved Guide Was Forced in a Love-Rival Shura Field - Chapter 62

Silence.

A silence a hundred times more terrifying than when the emperor had spoken before.

The hall was so quiet that one could hear the pounding of their own heart. Every gaze seemed nailed in place by invisible spikes, fixed on the few people at the center of the confrontation.

Gu Qingfeng’s gentle, soft-spoken refusal and Xiao Lin’s mountain-like silent intimidation acted like two invisible shields, protecting the trembling young man between them.

But the gaze from the throne was like a dagger, red-hot and poisoned, piercing through every barrier and searing into Ning Ning’s skin.

Greedy, domineering, intolerant of refusal, determined to claim.

Ning Ning’s teeth chattered uncontrollably, producing a soft “clack-clack” sound.

He was surrounded by two overwhelming waves of possessive protection.

On one side, Gu Qingfeng’s seemingly calm but subtly radiating spiritual power, like threads of cool spring water, tried desperately to seep into his chaotic consciousness and soothe his nearly bursting nerves.

On the other, Xiao Lin’s large hand gripping his wrist burned with a frightening heat. Covered with a soldier’s calluses, the force could almost crush his bones. Yet this brute, unyielding grip acted like a copper-and-iron wall, completely shielding him from the emperor’s hostile gaze.

Yet he was still afraid.

So afraid that his blood felt frozen, his limbs cold and weakening. He felt as if the next second he might faint in public, powerless.

At that moment, the voice of the culprit in his mind sounded.

[Ding-dong! Dear host, your main storyline mission has been delivered. Please check it!]

The cheerful, almost cruel electronic tone of System 89 sounded like a death sentence to Ning Ning.

His heart contracted violently, almost stopping.

[Mission content: Please, host, recite in full your ‘Divine Ramblings’ from your dream in front of the emperor.]

…What?

Ning Ning’s mind went blank with a buzz.

Divine Ramblings?

He remembered.

The strange, recurring dream that left him in agony every time he woke. And the nonsensical words within it.

The system wanted him… to recite his sleep-talking in front of everyone, especially before the emperor who was sharpening his metaphorical knife to trap him…?

Was it insane? Or did it want him dead right here?

This was no different from running straight into the muzzle of a gun!

“No… no…”

Ning Ning screamed frantically in his mind, nearly breaking.

He looked hopelessly at the murky yet sharp, hawk-like eyes on the throne, then at the two men beside him who had openly defied the highest power of the empire for his sake.

Deadlock.

A stalemate.

Xiao Lin and Gu Qingfeng could protect him temporarily, but this was the imperial palace, a celebration banquet. They could not act openly here. Once the emperor issued an order, countless royal guards would surround the hall.

At that point, he would be the pawn nailed to the chessboard, the trigger of everything.

He would endanger them.

[Friendly reminder: This is the only way to break the deadlock~ Host, trust 89!

System 89 added another mischievous, almost sadistic comment.

The only… way to break the deadlock?

Ning Ning’s eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings in a storm, fragile and about to snap.

He clenched Xiao Lin’s sleeve so tightly that his knuckles whitened. That burning, solid fabric was the only reality he could feel.

Take a gamble?

Use a mission that sounded utterly absurd to bet on a vague, ethereal “way to break the deadlock”?

He really… had no other choice.

Any further hesitation would only drag Xiao Lin and Gu Qingfeng deeper into the quagmire.

Ning Ning took a deep, trembling breath, icy and painful in his lungs.

Slowly, one finger at a time, he loosened his grip on Xiao Lin’s sleeve.

The subtle movement froze the two men beside him.

Xiao Lin’s grip tightened instinctively, as if to pull him behind.

Gu Qingfeng’s smiling eyes darkened, flashing a barely noticeable doubt.

But Ning Ning did not retreat.

He lifted his head.

In that instant, the dazzling, luxurious lights in the hall seemed to lose their color, dimming and converging solely on him.

The young boy’s violet eyes, originally glistening with fear, now shed all human emotion.

No fear. No hesitation. No pleading.

Only a… non-human, divine emptiness.

Like two pieces of purple crystal polished for billions of years, ancient and profound, reflecting none of the shocked faces around him.

He stared directly at the emaciated emperor symbolizing the empire’s ultimate power and parted his lips.

A voice flowed from his throat.

It was not his usual soft, tender tone.

It was ancient, ethereal, layered with echoing resonance, each syllable imbued with a rhythm incomprehensible to mortals, as if from the primordial star seas, transcending time and space, descending at this very moment.

“Stars… fall…”

He whispered, soft yet piercing into every ear present.

“The Queen… returns…”

The moment the words fell—

“Vzzzz—vzz-vzzvzz—”

A subtle, piercing vibration rang out abruptly in the hall!

Not from speakers. Not from anywhere. But from the very air itself!

Everyone turned toward the sound in shock.

The dozens of crystal goblets on the banquet table vibrated violently at a visible high frequency!

“Bang! Bang bang bang!”

The luxurious crystal shattered one after another, champagne and glass shards flying!

The guests screamed in terror, chaos erupting.

But this was only the beginning.

“Boom—!!!”

Not an explosion, not a loud sound.

But a terrifying resonance directly affecting the deepest part of the soul, originating from the spiritual dimension!

Inside the hall, every sentinel present, regardless of rank or faction, paled and trembled violently!

“Ah—!”

“My spiritual sea… is in revolt!”

“I can’t control… my spiritual body is breaking free!”

“Awooo—!”

“Raaah—!”

“Hisss—!”

Screams mixed with inhuman roars.

A golden-maned lion, a snow eagle with razor-sharp eyes, a brightly scaled venomous serpent… dozens of spiritual beasts, each emanating terrifying pressure, simultaneously broke free from their owners’ bodies, manifesting in the physical world!

The resplendent banquet hall instantly transformed into a legendary menagerie!

The high-ranking nobles and generals, previously so lofty, were now helplessly dragged by their spiritual beasts, faces etched with pain and disbelief.

But the terrifying creatures paid no attention to the surrounding humans.

All turned toward the same direction.

—Toward the silver-haired boy standing quietly, as if at the center of all existence.

Then, in the eyes of everyone horrified beyond belief, the spiritual beasts representing the empire’s top-tier combat power executed a unified, incomprehensible action.

Some prostrated themselves on the ground, massive heads lowered, pressing their vulnerable necks against the cold floor—a submission rooted deep in their bloodline.

Others trembled violently, letting out wails mixed with fear and reverence.

All beasts… were bowing!

Among them, the largest, most terrifying, and most powerful appeared almost instantly as soon as Ning Ning spoke.

It was not a mere manifestation, but a space-rending descent!

A dark-golden giant wolf, its size comparable to a small tank!

Its molten-gold fur shimmered with horrifying radiance, each muscle coiled with explosive power. Merely standing there, its presence made the surrounding air viscous.

Yet it did not bow or show fear like the other beasts.

It instantly became a near-invisible black streak, without hesitation placing itself before Ning Ning, forming an absolute barrier no one could breach.

The wolf turned its fierce, noble head, its amber-gold eyes burning, locking onto the throne at the far end of the hall, beyond the prostrating beasts and the terrified crowd.

From deep in its throat came a low, menacing roar filled with lethal intent.

“Rooaar—”

The sound translated clearly into every soul present:

—Try to touch him, if you dare.

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