Chapter 2499: Reunion Zu An frowned. He sidestepped with the Steps of Rising Lotus. Given his deep understanding of space, very few formations could hope to trap him now. “Hm.” The black figure was surprised to see how easily Zu An struggled free of her formation. Hearing that gentle voice and looking at the figure's delicate frame, Zu An quickly stopped his attack and called out, “Little sister Ling’er?” “Hm?” The black figure was about to attack with another talisman when a shudder ran through her body. She stared at him in disbelief. “B-Big brother Zu?” Looking at her joyful yet skeptical expression, Zu An suddenly remembered he was still disguised as a monster, so he quickly reverted to his original appearance with a smile. Upon seeing his face, the black figure also took off her veil to reveal a gentle and pure face. Who else could it be other than Xie Daoyun? Or perhaps it was more apt to call her this world’s Saintess Yumen Beiqing. Zu An was delighted too. “What brings you here?” The Saintess’ lips crept up. “After parting ways, I returned to the Fiend races and made arrangements. As soon as I was done, I rushed here to look for you. I couldn’t gather any information about you, so I disguised myself and snuck in. I didn’t expect us to reunite under such circumstances. This must be fate.” Zu An was worried. “You’re the Fiend races’ Saintess, the most wanted person by the monsters. It’s too dangerous for you to be here.” The Saintess quietly looked at him. “But I was worried about you, and we have been separated for so long that I don’t want to be away from you anymore.” Her pitiful appearance squeezed Zu An’s heart. He pulled her into his arms and said, “We’ll never be separated from each other again.” To him, he had only been away from Xie Daoyun for a few months, but to her, they had been separated for many years now. Like newlyweds who were forced to part for years right after their marriage, what woman could control her yearning for her lover? They embraced each other tightly for a long time. By the time they let go, the Saintess’ cheeks were already flushed. Big brother Zu is still as naughty as before. “What are you doing here, big brother Zu?” “I came here to see if the Unknown Region has opened.” The Saintess was taken aback. “Big brother Zu, you know the secret of the imperial tomb?” Zu An laughed. “Have you forgotten? In the future, I once entered the Fiend race’s dungeon. The Unknown Region was hidden in the imperial tomb. I heard rumors that the Unknown Region opens once every few millennia, and we have returned a few millennia in time. It might be opening soon.” The Saintess was awed. “Big brother Zu is indeed overflowing with luck. Most people wouldn’t see an Unknown Region in their entire lifetime. Even the Lord of Slaughter couldn’t find a clue despite having investigated this place for many years. Yet, you stumbled upon the opening of the same Unknown Region twice!” Zu An embraced her slender waist and chuckled. “I have always been lucky. How else did I meet you?” The Saintess’ cheeks were completely red. She rested her head on his shoulder and said, “Big brother Zu, I feel so blissful now.” Zu An wrapped his hand around her. “Let’s return to the future once we settle things here. This bliss shall continue till the end of time.” The conversation soon turned toward their current plight. “It doesn’t look like the Unknown Region is open yet.” The Saintess frowned. “Let’s head down to take a look.” Zu An grabbed her hand and brought her toward the lake. The Saintess was about to take out a water repulsion talisman when the lake suddenly split open, revealing a path for them to pass through. Big brother Zu is incredible. They flew around the lake twice. Zu An was confused. “Hm? The gate isn’t there despite the powerful ki pulsations in the vicinity.” The Saintess pondered the situation, wondering, “Is the teleportation gate not open yet?” Zu An nodded. “From the current looks of it, that’s the most likely explanation.” “Earlier, you mentioned that the Lord of Slaughter claimed that he had uncovered the Imperial Tomb’s secret. Do you think he’s telling the truth or lying?” the Saintess asked. “It should be true.” Zu An thought about the Lord of Slaughter’s earlier behavior. “He's been obsessed with the Imperial Tomb’s secret for years now, yet he was calm for the last few days. He must have discovered something.” “A pity that it doesn’t matter anymore,” the Saintess said. “He’s probably summoning the Monster Lord here to get rid of him, but based on the trajectory of history, he’s doomed to fail and be replaced by the Monster Lord.” “Indeed. It’s going to be an intense battle.” Zu An fell into deep thought. Speaking of which, where’s the Time Scribe? Shouldn’t he be with the Monster Lord or the Lord of Slaughter? Why didn’t I see him? I don’t think he’d miss such an important historical event. They didn’t linger around the lake for fear of being discovered. Zu An quickly brought her back to his accommodation. Fortunately, the imperial tomb was massive, and only monsters of commander rank and above had been summoned, so everyone had chosen a room or cavern of their own. Aku, whom Zu An was disguised as, was one of the weakest monsters; so he could only pick the most remote, smallest location. However, it was also the perfect place to hide the Saintess, as it was unlikely that other monsters would find her. “Who should we side with when the time comes?” The room was simple, with a piece of rock serving as a makeshift bed. The Saintess’ face reddened with embarrassment at being alone with Zu An, and she scrambled for a topic to discuss. “We’ll go with the flow. Whatever we do should align with the progression of history.” Zu An had initially thought that he would stay out of it, but in their history, the Lord of Slaughter was the loser. If the Monster Lord faltered, he could end up having to lend the latter a helping hand. Of course, he would have to be prudent about the extent of help he offered. Otherwise, the Monster Lord could just turn around and destroy him. That would be the worst-case scenario. The two of them lay on the makeshift bed as they shared their experiences after parting ways. They hadn’t had much private time in the Fiend races' camp so there were many things they hadn’t shared yet. Zu An wanted to ask the Saintess about how she had fared in the last few years, but the latter was more interested in his experiences. He didn’t hide anything from her, though he wasn't so foolish as to divulge his relationship with the Mermaid Queen and so on of his own accord. At some point, however, Zu An’s hands began to wander. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖 The Saintess quickly became angry and grabbed his hand. “Big brother Zu, now that we’re surrounded by enemies, we should be warier than ever.” Zu An looked at her with a smile. “Little sister Ling’er, I feel like we've drifted apart since our reunion.” Fluster flickered across the Saintess’ eyes, and her cheeks soon became flushed. “Nonsense! There’s no such thing~”