Chapter 258: Anastasia

"Who dares to cause trouble?!" The Mermaid Queen shouted at the balcony, angry at being disturbed but it didn't seem like they could continue. 

Momo appeared a second later and called out with worry, "My Queen! There is an emergency!" 

Xuefeng was the first to move as he pulled up the Mermaid Queen and hugged her from behind. "What happened?" 

"It's about one of the guards, the one who tried to block us from meeting with the Queen," Momo reported as she glanced behind her to assess the situation. "He broke into the Holy Garden and ate the Forbidden Fruit. He has now lost his mind and is attacking anyone he sees." 

Before they could respond, they heard a loud male scream coming from outside. 

"This Bastard! Where are you?! Come out! There is no place you can hide! The Queen is mine and no one can take her away from me!" 

"Damn! So delusional!" the Mermaid Queen cursed as her Soul Power leaked out of her body. "We have to stop because of this?"

"Bastard! Where are you?! Come out!" the man repeated, bringing out a sigh from Xuefeng. 

When will they ever learn?

"My Queen, he is nearing the Palace," Momo warned. "My Sisters and I can't stop him but we will try to stall." 

"Ugh," the Mermaid Queen grunted as she stepped out of bed. "Wait for me here. I will handle—" 

"Wait," Xuefeng cut her off as he grabbed her wrist. "I'm coming too." 

She nodded without arguing and picked up her clothes. He helped her by hooking her bra and in return, she helped him button his pants like a good wife would. 

She didn't release him right away and held onto his pants while looking up with mixed emotions. "My name is Anastasia. I hope you will remember me when you continue your adventures." 

"Anastasia. I won't forget," Xuefeng promised, sealing it with a kiss. "Let's go. We don't want him to kill anyone." 

"Mhmm…" Anastasia nodded as she let him pull her to the balcony. She seemed to know their moment was broken and it would be hard to create the same atmosphere. 

"What is a Forbidden Fruit?" Xuefeng wondered as they saw the young man approach the Palace. 

He was shooting lightning at anyone who tried to block his way without drawing his trident. His eyes were bloody and his face filled with black veins. Although the power he emitted seemed terrifying, his condition didn't look that good. 

"They are fruits from a special underwater tree that we harvest every five years. It can strengthen your Soul and increase your Soul Power," Anastasia explained as her face turned grim and they swam out in the open. "That is a reason I can't leave yet. The fruits are only safe to consume one day after they ripen and there is still one year left. If one tries to eat it before or after that time, the effects can't be predicted." 

"Queen! We can't hold him further!" Momo cried out as she saw Anastasia come out of the Palace and swiftly ordered as she withdrew, "Everyone back off! Let the Queen handle him!"

It was clear that they couldn't do anything to him as even with tens of guards attacking him, he was easily repelling everything. 

"Queen?" the young man paused as he finally spotted Anastasia and his face immediately softening. He opened his mouth to speak when his gaze fell on Xuefeng and the anger returned. 

"You! It's all your fault! How dare you stand this close to my Queen! She is mine!" the young man shouted madly and shot a bolt of Lightning from his fist. Xuefeng wasn't scared of any lightning so he reached out to block it but Anastasia swam forward and swiped with her hand. 

Bang!

The Lightning Bolt shattered in all directions, shocking Xuefeng with its power. He was trying to block it with his body but it turned out it would be a bad idea. 

"Dummy! Stay back!" Anastasia scolded as she punched a pulse of Soul Power that pushed him back. "I will handle him!"

'Yeah... I think you should stay away from this battle,' Ming agreed right away. 'This Lightning is not normal. It's infused with a high amount of Soul Power and that's not your specialty. It's best if we call Nuwa over.' 

"You traitor! How dare you attack your Queen?!" 

Anastasia's yell was like a storm, causing the water to vibrate as if an Earthquake struck the Mermaid Kingdom. The power she emitted was nothing compared to what she used against him. 

She didn't hesitate and attacked the young man back. If one didn't pay attention they wouldn't be able to spot invisible Soul Power formed into spikes that constantly pierced through the water. Anastasia tried to break through the young man's Soul Barrier but she was clearly failing as he wasn't fazed at all. 

'I doubt she can handle him though,' Xuefeng commented as he reached out to the girls. 'Nuwa, there is an emergency. We need you.'

Although Xuefeng was powerful in his own way, he couldn't face everyone yet. Even with nine Elemental Stones, he would still be vulnerable against Soul Power until he trained every aspect to perfection. Until that happened, he could only use the help of his wives. 

'I can tell. I'm coming,' Nuwa responded back without any questions, already sensing the battle. 

'No wonder Anastasia wants to get those fruits for herself. If I'm guessing correctly, his Ancient Soul should be at the fourth level, jumping three levels compared to before and it's still increasing,' Ming informed impressed. 'She is only on the third level so I doubt she can even break through his defenses. Our only chance is to wait till his Soul breaks on its own. He is already reaching his limits.' 

'On the side note, maybe we can take one of those trees for ourselves and plant it in Ling's world? They will come in handy when you reach the Ancient Celestial Stage,' Ming added right before the young man exploded. 

"Stop! You can't defeat me!" he shouted as he blew her spears away. "Queen, why are you protecting him?! He is a nobody! He is just an Immortal trash! He didn't even form his Ancient Soul! What does he have that I don't?!" 

Anastasia seemed to realize her chances were small so she adopted another tactic. 

"Who said I'm protecting him? I'm protecting you because I care for you!" 

Her words caused the young man to tremble. "Queen… so you care for me?"

"Of course. I care for all my people," Anastasia announced, causing the young man to frown.

"So I am just like everyone? I am nothing special," the young man muttered, his body exploding with lightning once again. 

"If you want to be special then stop acting like an idiot! Look at you! If you continue drawing power from the Forbidden Fruit, you will die! How can you love me if you are dead? Your Soul can't handle such a boost and it's falling apart! Stop this madness and let me help you!" 

"You are lying," the young man shook his head while clenching his fists. "I feel better than ever! The power is flowing through my veins and it's increasing with each second! I can finally get what I want and no one can stop me!" 

He gazed at her body and licked his lips. "I could only watch my Queen from afar but now, I'm more powerful than you! I will become the King and you will be my Queen! Even if you want it or not, you are mine and I will claim you today!"

The young man was clearly losing his mind, his eyes twitching as he swam towards Anastasia with his gaze not leaving her body. 

"Queen!" Momo and the sisters called out in worry when a cold voice filled with Soul Power broke through the waters. 

"So disgusting. I'm honestly wondering how can your Queen hold back when she looks at you. If I was her, I would already throw up." 

"Who?!" the young man yelled madly as he turned around. Everyone followed his gaze and stared in direction of the voice. 

A beautiful woman of shiny blond hair appeared on the scene, her cold gaze sweeping through the area. Xuefeng couldn't help but brighten at her sight and quickly teleported by her side. 

"Nuwa," Xuefeng welcomed happily. "You came just in time." 

She glanced at him and grabbed into his neck, pulling him closer as if to take a sniff of him. They were underwater but her senses were too strong to beat. 

'You smell like a fish. I'm going to erase it from you later,' Nuwa announced and kissed him in front of everyone to show he was hers. 

Xuefeng already expected such a reaction so he simply changed the subject. 'I have a gift for you. Please absorb and use it well.'

He didn't hesitate to pass on the Bloodline he collected earlier. As long as Xuefeng didn't absorb it fully, he could still give it to someone else. 

Just as he thought, Nuwa's eyes widened in surprise. 

"This…" Nuwa muttered and curved her lips into a smile. She leaned over to his ear and whispered, "Fine, I will lessen your punishment."

Nuwa didn't waste time and absorbed the Bloodline. Her body began to change, scales growing in different patches of her skin before she glared at the young man that caused all the ruckus. 

"Hey you, disgusting pest. How fast do you want to die?"