The atmosphere was thick with tension; the ghosts around Alexander were visibly stunned.

"Do you really think I would let you off that easily?" Alexander said, his voice seething with contempt. "You miserable, wandering souls. If I were to release you, who knows how many people you might harm!"

"Remember this: from now on, I’m the boss here. You’re all my underlings. Got it?"

The ghosts wailed, their voices quivering as they cried, "We understand!"

With a flourish of his wand, Alexander channeled his magic. In an instant, the multitude of ghosts transformed into wisps of blue smoke and were sucked into his wand.

Turning his attention away from the ghosts, Alexander looked at the four trembling young women huddled on the ground.

He approached one of them, gently lifting her chin and softly spoke, "My dear, there’s no need to be afraid. Remove your mask, let me see your face."

Trembling, the young woman reached up and untied the crimson string that held her mask in place, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.

Alexander then cast a scornful glance at Meryl’s headless corpse and snarled, "Such an evil old hag, forcing such beautiful young women to be her bearers. It’s utterly shameless, a psychological perversion!"

The young woman quickly fell to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks as she implored, "Please, sir, spare us. My sisters and I have never intended harm to anyone. It was Meryl who abducted us, turning us into ghosts to serve her. We’ve never hurt a soul!"

"How long have you been dead?" Alexander inquired.

"Te—ten years," came the trembling response.

Alexander sighed deeply. "Ah, such beautiful young woman, doomed to such a fate."

The young woman shivered as she spoke, "Please, sir, spare us. We are spirits, but our souls are intact. If you’re willing, we can bear your palanquin and serve you with all our hearts."

"Is it just bearing the palanquin?" Alexander asked skeptically.

The woman’s cheeks flushed as she lowered her head, whispering, "We can do other things as well. Apart from lacking warmth, we’re just like any other women—equally responsive."

Moved by their plight, Alexander declared, "You four are so pitiful. If I don’t save you, my conscience will forever be burdened. I accept your offer. If you have nowhere to go, I’ll buy you a place to live."

Reaching out, he delicately wiped a tear from the young woman’s eye, and announced, "Prepare the palanquin, ladies. From now on, you shall know nothing but love and kindness from me."

...

Meanwhile, at the edge of a winding river, three blood-soaked sisters panted and gritted their teeth as they ran downstream. Lara led the way, turning back to glimpse the forest behind them.

"Quick! Keep up! If we reach downstream, we can escape this hellish place," she urged.

Zoe, her lips white as chalk, wiped blood from her mouth and exclaimed, "Who was that person? I’ve never encountered anyone so terrifying!"

"If my guess is correct," Lara speculated, "she must be Dalina, one of the four elders of the Order of the Wandering Oracles mentioned by Charming Prince yesterday. She’s been alive for three hundred years. We are no match for her!"

"It must have been her who brought down our plane," Ava panted, "We’re already in this dire situation, I can’t imagine how much worse it is for the others!"

"As long as Alexander is safe, that’s all that matters. We can’t worry about everyone else," Laura asserted, teeth gritted as she sprinted with all her might. "Right now, let’s focus on surviving and meeting up with Alexander. I only feel secure when I’m with him."

Their plane had just exploded, and the moment they hit the ground, they were ambushed by disciples of the Order of the Wandering Oracles. The four had managed to fend off their attackers and were intending to look for the others when they encountered Dalina—her magical ruler undoubtedly the artifact responsible for bringing down their plane.

"Damn it! Why did we have to run into this monster?"

"Where are you little girls running off to?" A sultry, teasing voice floated down from above.

Laura looked up, her expression grave. Floating on a flying sword was a woman in a black robe, smiling serenely down at them.

Mia’s face turned pale. "It’s... it’s that woman!"

Dalina grinned, "I’m not fond of little girls who run away. It makes me... unhappy." Clutching her ruler, it suddenly expanded, blocking out the sky in an instant. With a flourish, Dalina swung the colossal ruler towards them.

The enormous ruler descended upon them with overwhelming force. Laura gritted her teeth, quickly turning her head, "Quick, jump into the river!"

In that instant, Laura leapt into the river. Triplet sisters didn’t hesitate; just as the massive ruler was about to touch the ground, they too plunged into the water.

"Hm?" Dalina retracted her ruler, her eyes scanning the surface of the river. Her lips curled into a smirk. "Ran away, did you? Well, I’ll wait for you downstream then!"

.....

Ten minutes later, downriver, a soaking wet Laura emerged, gasping for breath as she struggled out of the water. The moment she set foot on the shore, she saw her triplet sisters standing there, their faces as white as sheets.

"You... made it..." Laura staggered forward weakly, but froze mid-step. Not far off, leaning against a towering tree, stood the woman in black—Dalina—beaming from ear to ear, sizing them up.

Laura’s body trembled, her face pale, "How... how did you...?"

Dalina smirked, "Did you enjoy our little game of cat and mouse, little sister? But the game ends here."

However, Laura plunged back into the water, making herself scarce once more.

Dalina licked her lips, seemingly unrushed. She sauntered over and, under Ava’s trembling gaze, gently lifted her chin with a finger. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she said, "Such a perfect body you have, and a face that could drive men wild."

With that, Dalina extended her tongue to lightly touch Ava’s cheek, sultrily adding, "Even I’m slightly smitten with you."

At the same time, deep within the forest, Alexander sat atop a palanquin, legs crossed, taking elixirs to replenish his drained energy. A cadre of ghosts surrounded him, guiding his way.

Just then, a piercing scream echoed through the forest, causing the birds to instantaneously take flight into the sky.

"That sound is..." Alexander’s brow furrowed deeply. The voice was all too familiar—it was unmistakably the triplets.

"Holy smokes! Are you kidding me?" He shot upright, eyes widening. "Could they be in danger?"

"Stop!" Alexander bellowed. With a flourish of his wand, he sucked the ghosts inside it. Turning to the young girls carrying his palanquin, he gently pinched their cheeks and said, "I have something urgent to attend to; take refuge inside my ring for now."

The next moment, like a cheetah unleashed, Alexander darted toward the source of the scream with blinding speed. The sound grew louder and clearer.

Suddenly, he burst out of the forest, emerging into an open riverside landscape, the perpetual sound of gushing water filling his ears.

Then he saw it—the tableau unfolding on the shore. Alexander’s eyes went as wide as saucers.

"Wow! Wow!! What a seductive scene!"This scene is truly enchanting, even Alexander couldn’t help but be stunned.

On the beach by the shore, fragments of clothes were scattered everywhere.

The three triplet sisters had disheveled hair, clenched their teeth, and hugged their bodies, slowly stepping back. Their clothes were tattered and their long legs splashed through the shallow river water.

Ahead of them, a woman dressed in a black robe held a leather whip in her hand, seductively approaching Ava step by step.

The woman in the black robe smiled seductively and said, "Such a perfect body! It makes me a little jealous. If such a perfect body were defiled by a man, it would be heartbreaking no matter how you think about it!"

The triplet sisters trembled and said, "You... you pervert!"

The woman in the black robe gently reached out, caressed her lips, and said with a smile, "Oh, how can you say that about me?"

The whip in her hand swiftly cut through the air.

Snap!

The whip suddenly struck Ava’s body, instantly tearing her clothes apart, revealing a large expanse of skin.

Dalina chuckled and said, "It seems I still need to train you properly!"

Just then, Laura suddenly appeared, her gaze locked firmly onto Dalina.

"Let her go, Dalina!" Laura shouted, her voice tinged with rage.

Dalina let out a cold laugh, the whip in her hand writhing like a living snake. "You think you can save her?"

Gritting her teeth, Laura conjured an illusionary duplicate of herself. Dalina lashed out at the phantasm, but it vanished into thin air.

"Playing shadow games, are we?" Dalina’s eyes flickered.

"I may not be your match, but I have enough tricks to buy time," Laura retorted.

"Time might be the only friend you have left," Dalina sneered, retracting her whip. "But even time will betray you."

With a sinister smile, Dalina raised her whip high, her entire being gathering a dark aura. "Let me show you what despair feels like."

She unleashed a powerful dark wave that surged toward Laura. In an instant, Laura created another duplicate and used the brief window of opportunity to agilely sidestep the attack.

"So this is your idea of buying time?" Dalina’s eyes narrowed.

"Time may betray me, but I will never betray my friends," Laura responded with unyielding conviction.

Dalina laughed, but her smile was tinged with icy coldness. "Well, let’s see how far your courage can take you."

Dalina seemed unwilling to engage with Laura. She ignored her and suddenly grabbed Ava’s shoulder, whispering softly in her ear:

"Little sister, have you ever experienced the pleasure of being a woman? Actually, not only men can bring you joy, I can too!"

Ava, infuriated and embarrassed, gritted her teeth and trembled, saying, "You... don’t!"

With a sharp sound, Dalina tore apart Ava’s tattered dress in an instant.

Alexander sprinted forward at full speed. Although Ava wasn’t his woman, he had been involved with them, and their massages were also very enjoyable.

Regardless, Alexander was determined to save them.

However, it would take at least another minute for Alexander to reach them.

Then, under Alexander’s gaze, Ava was forcefully dragged out of the shallow water by Dalina and pushed down onto the ground.

Immediately after, Dalina abruptly discarded the black robe draped over her, revealing her incredibly seductive figure.

Her pubic hair was lush and abundant, clearly indicating her strong sexual desires. However, her sexual orientation was somewhat unconventional as she preferred women over men.

Dalina’s smile widened, a glint of mischief in her eyes. "Who do you think has the more perfect figure—your sister or you?"

Alexander’s eyes widened in disbelief. Knowing there was no more time to waste, he channeled elemental power into his palm, unleashing a shockwave toward the river.

The forceful blast sent tremors through the earth.

Dalina was visibly startled. Hastily donning her black robe to envelop her body. At the same time, she leapt into the air and turned her gaze toward the forest.

Laura immediately looked in the same direction, her face lighting up with joy."It must be Alexander coming to rescue us!" she thought.

The next moment, heavy footsteps echoed through the forest.

"Let these women go," Alexander’s voice rumbled, dark and foreboding.

Dalina frowned, her eyes narrowing, as a ruler instantly materialized, hovering above her wrist.