Everyone worked tirelessly at that desert base. Under the protection of the three houses built with the laws of the earth, sandstorms didn't affect them.

Zanou didn't have a single day of rest, as neither Zane nor Gael stopped practicing the Dao of forging. However, amid the hellish training, he eventually managed to create extremely concentrated fire runes in a few attempts. With only one day left before their return, Zanou practically succeeded more than he failed. The training method, which seemed more like torture, proved to be effective.

By the sixteenth day, Langrun had already finished mining everything inside the crater. She was extremely frustrated to have to interrupt that training. The results in her QI manipulation for attacks had greatly improved; she wanted to have dozens of those craters to mine and train even more.

When looking for Mira, she discovered that the little one went every day to the closed house with the whale. She stayed there all day, only coming out at bedtime. This repeated every day after Langrum finished mining everything.

Fortunately, the whale didn't seem to want to stop doing something, and Mira went to sleep away. During the night, while Mira slept heavily, Langrun focused on feeling the little girl's small body. Then, Langrun trembled with extreme anger and hatred. The little girl was completely drained of QI; even her natural Yin was exhausted... that only meant one thing!

'That bastard... I'll kill him sooner or later.' Langrun clenched her fists tightly. Mira was officially his furnace, and she was in the same dual cultivation sect as him. It wasn't very difficult to imagine what was happening inside that house.

With only one day left, Goku, the leader of the group, gathered everyone for a final meal. On that day, the giant whale completely finished all six beasts they hunted in this desert.

Langrun observed the two large skeletons from a distance with a strange expression. 'This whale finished everything exactly on the last day. Did he make us hunt exactly six so he could have something to eat? Are we his slaves, by any chance?' Her disgust and anger towards him only increased with each passing second.

After finishing everything, the whale still seemed slightly dissatisfied, which disgusted Langrun even more. Mira quickly helped clean everything, but Langrun was intrigued to see the slight smile on the little girl's face.

'She doesn't seem unhappy... he must be deceiving her, tarnishing her innocence in some way. We used to have the same cultivation, but he has surpassed me already. If I don't act quickly, it will be impossible.' Langrun thought, determined. This was the last day, and she only needed an opportunity.

Then, her thoughts were interrupted by the whale.

"Everyone did well. The rewards from the beasts will be divided when we return, but your work in these last few days was not part of the mission." They spoke calmly, looking at them ahead.

"I will reward you properly for the work." Goku turned to Zanou, who looked frightened. "My pet deserves a treat; take this and use it always. It has a secret inside. You'll find out when you put your QI in it."

An extremely rustic black armor with a rather questionable aesthetic floated towards Zanou, who grabbed it without words. He closed his eyes and did as instructed, putting his QI inside and feeling it. Then, his body trembled in shock.

'You can activate it once, and a defensive power of the laws of the earth will keep you safe for a period. With this, you'll be a little more protected when we return.' Zane spoke mentally to Zanou through the array.

'You cannot reveal anything about this armor to anyone. I'll make it clear now, I put a leash on you; I know exactly where you are, and you can never escape. Don't try anything funny when we return, or you'll have to be punished in the same proportion.'

Those words in Zanou's mind made him tremble even more. He was already forced to work until he passed out from exhaustion every day. Wasn't that punishment enough? What kind of extra punishment would come from the disturbed mind of this whale if he displeased him?

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Langrum just watched as Zanou put on the extremely ridiculous armor quickly, submissively, and all her disgust for this weakling only increased. That's when the whale's words turned to her.

"So, you won't accept any gift from me, huh?" Zane said, looking at Langrum. They had thought of giving her some hints from physical cultivation to reward her.

Langrum then spat furiously. "You said you would reward, right? Fine, I don't want crystals. I want you to accept my sword! Do you have the courage?"

"Hm? Are you missing your men so much? Next time, you can bring some of yours... I've already said I'm a one-woman man." Zane replied, surprised.

"Fuck you, whale!" Langrum almost exploded, nearly spitting blood, but surprisingly, she took a deep breath and spoke angrily. "Stop trying to escape. Accept one of my blows directly. That's all I want."

Zane and Gael looked at the woman as tall as them. They couldn't understand why she was so exaggeratedly furious. They assessed her physical level after the few days she mined and could tell how much she gained from it. They could have done it themselves in just two days with their bloodline's help, but they chose to leave it to her, knowing it would be very beneficial for her training. She just had no gratitude. Instead, she was even angrier.

Gael pondered about Langrum's request before speaking. 'She clearly has confidence in her bloodline too. Well, it doesn't hurt to try.'

So, they moved Mira away, who had pleading eyes. She didn't want them to get angry and kill Langrum. But when she saw Gael's eyes, she knew he had no intention of doing that, so she just trusted him.

"Come on, I won't counterattack. You'll only have one chance to attack me. Try to scratch me." His mocking words sounded, and Langrum gave a sinister smile.

She took her giant black saber from the spatial ring, and a furious QI exploded from her body immediately.

'Her ogre bloodline gave Langrum a robust and extremely resistant body to basic Yin and Yang elements. As for her other beast bloodline, it seems to be something specialized in explosive attacks... Could it be something related to a snake or serpent beast? Did she feel bad after killing that snake in the desert?' Zane wondered.

Gael responded seriously. 'She takes advantage of her strengths well. Her dual cultivation adds a large amount of Yang to her meridians, balancing her Yin. This balance can help her use her bloodlines without causing deviations.'

The higher a cultivator elevated their realm, the more their life force was replenished. This extended their lifespan and youth for humans, but for other races, it would also amplify their bloodline.

A powerful bloodline would be a dominant force within one's body. Still, the example of Denil with the Behemoth bloodline was quite common since it was a human with just a single extra bloodline. However, Langrum already had a strong Ogre Bloodline. Yet, there seemed to be another bloodline in her body. That was a terrible thing in most cases and would cause one to die before even reaching adulthood.

That was the reason races never mixed their bloodlines too much. At most, if a human had a very weak bloodline, they would try to add another one, but just because the first one was nothing impressive. In Langrum's case, who already had a strong Ogre Bloodline, one would never expect it to be mixed with other bloodlines.

'Her existence and still being alive and sane is already an aberration. She must have had some lucky encounters, and dual cultivation was just a pillar for her stability.' Gael concluded.

Zane then spoke, waving at Langrum mockingly. "Come on, if you make me take a step back, I'll give you a gift like Zanou's."

Langrum's eyes morphed into a piercing yellow, like those of a snake about to strike. Silver scales emerged, enveloping her green skin in a sinister aura. With a single step, a wave of extreme violence radiated from her body. It was the fusion of a frenzied ogre and a demonic beast specialized in dealing lethal blows. The intensity of this aura made Mira take several steps back, totally impressed by this unique and powerful combination.

"A STEP? TODAY WILL MARK THE END OF YOUR DAYS!" Langrum shouted, bursting forward with overwhelming vigor.

Zane chuckled lightly. 'So it was a snake; I got it right. But she can only fully merge like that for a few seconds, enough for a single lethal strike. She probably never faced someone in the same realm who was able to withstand her full-force blow. Yet, she was smart enough to understand she couldn't defeat us in a normal battle and forced us to openly accept her strike.'

The air, space, and the world seemed to split in half before the powerful saber strike. Langrun invested in that attack without sparing a single drop of Qi; her confidence in annihilating the opponent was based on the experience of facing countless enemies stronger than her, many of whom were deluded by the thought that she was limited to the power of her bloodline.

As the blade descended and was inches away from hitting them, a wild smile appeared on Langrun's face. Deep in her eyes, a black flame seemed to flicker, and instantly, the saber ignited with a new power. It was at that moment that the expressions of Zane and Gael changed, giving way to shock and almost panic.

BOOM

At that instant, all creatures inhabiting the surrounding area of the desert awoke in fear. The sands trembled, and the dense laws of the earth resonated, almost as if on the brink of an imminent explosion. The entire place plunged into huge pressure.

At the epicenter of this disturbance, a dense sandstorm made of the purest runes of the earth covered everything with fury. In the midst of it, a green figure lay. Without apparent injuries, her eyes were open, vacant, and lifeless, and her body trembled uncontrollably.

Everything happened in less than an instant. The world regained its colors, and Langrun's mind seemed to return to her body. She sat, still trembling, staring blankly ahead. In front of her, a gigantic whale stared at her. Its eyes still emitted a divine light like beacons.

Following that, Gael let out a mental shout. 'You idiot! We don't know much about this universe, and you still had the guts to underestimate her.'

Zane sighed, trying to calm things down. 'It was indeed a mistake. But it seems we discovered how far this behemoth bloodline goes by pure survival instinct. If we use this along with the sword we made...'

At that moment, Mira was already supporting Langrun, helping her to stand. Then, Langrun pointed at them, saying, "You took a step back! I want my gift!"

Gael then asked Zane with a sarcastic tone. 'Do you mean the sword you will give her?'

'Shit...' Zane only had that sword, after all.