Shennong Dao Master - Chapter 350 - 18: Completion of the Nine Rings Task, Evaluation and Bets of the Three Kings! (Two in One)_4

The world is in ruins. Extreme sub-zero temperatures suffocate the surface, making even simple survival an ordeal. Frozen derelicts of bygone eras span across massive ice wastes. And the survivors closely guard any technology rediscovered within.The only escape from the deadly climate is beneath the surface. But it’s another disaster underground. Monstrous machines lurk in the depths. Unhinged demigods war against them, dying over and over, treating it all like a game. The land itself shifts over time, more contraption than rock. And an ominous prophecy states that the key to everything waits on four heroes - but nobody knows who or where they are.When an expedition into the far uncharted north goes terribly wrong, Keith Winterscar and his father get trapped together in a desperate fight for survival. Stumbling upon an ancient war of titanic scale; the two will need to set their differences aside while they struggle against Gods, legends, and the grand secrets of the realm that lies below.

Delia's life was a cruel reality: the neglected and abused illegitimate daughter of a noble family, the Ellington family, she yearned for the love of her stepmother, Baroness Augusta, and younger sister, Lady Anne, who relentlessly mistreated her.Her world crumbled when she discovered a double betrayal: her beloved husband, Lord George had secretly pined for Anne, marrying Delia only to be near her sister. Simultaneously, her step mother framed her for a crime Anne committed.Overwhelmed and heartbroken, Delia's attempt to escape a death sentence led to a fatal carriage accident.But death was not the end. Delia awoke one year in the past, finding herself still engaged to George. This was her second chance, and the naive girl was gone, replaced by a woman consumed by a burning desire for revenge. Her first target: Duke Eric Carson, the powerful and wealthy man her sister Anne desperately pursued.Delia boldly approached Eric with a proposition for a contract marriage. To her surprise, Eric agreed, but with a condition: their fake marriage would become real and they can go their separate way after a year, hiding his own secret agenda. Now, armed with Eric's unexpected devotion and his willingness to lay down his life for her, Delia meticulously begins to dismantle her family's world. With Eric's help, she exposes the secrets they hide, manipulates their desires, and turns them against each other, orchestrating George’s demotion, Anne's downfall and seizing everything her sister coveted, including Duke Eric love and obsession.Will Delia and Eric be able to conquer all odds to get what they want? What happens when Eric doesn’t want their contract marriage to end? What happens when the last petal of that indicates her second chance falls?———————EXCPRET“I can’t return your feelings, your grace,” Delia whispered, her back against the cool wall.“But I can,” Eric murmured, stepping closer.Delia’s voice trembled. “It’s not the same.” She choked out. “ No one can love me without hurting me.”“Then teach me,” he said, his breath warm on her cheek. “Teach me how to love you the way you deserve to be loved. I’m a quick study.”When she stayed silent, he sighed contentedly, a soft smile playing on his lips.“It’s alright. Just… use me. Anything you need. if you want money, ask the treasury, take as much money that’s needed. if you want power, use my name. if you want security and love, use my body.”His breath warmed her skin, his chest rose and fell with hers. “As long as it's from you, I'm happy.”

“I won't divorce you, Melissa. Until your last breath, you will live with me in this nameless marriage,” Radulf declared.Melissa Rosetta, the illegitimate daughter of the Alpha King and an omega servant, had no choice but to comply with her father's demand― marry Radulf De Lagrange, the fallen Alpha of the once-powerful Shadow Hunter Pack.Despite being the strongest dominant alpha, Radulf's influence and power crumbled when his father was accused of treason against the crown.As for Radulf's punishment? He was forced to marry a weak, wolf-less omega, who he had nothing but disdain for. To top it off, he was sent to the Western Frontier on his wedding day.Melissa eagerly awaited Radulf's return as she suffered through ridicule, believing that when he did, he would be happy to see how mighty his pack had become under her care.However, after four years, Radulf returned with a beautiful woman, shattering Melissa's heart.“You betrayed me while I stayed loyal to you. I don't want to live with you and watch your affair with another woman. Divorce me, Radulf, and free me from this marriage. If you don't wish to do that, then mark me,” Melissa demanded on the day of his return.“Divorce you, Feisty Princess? Never! If you want to get marked, then beg me or seduce me to do so,” Radulf challenged.On the day of his rut, he said, “Melissa, my mate, allow me to mark you.”

I failed and will challenge again.