Skinwalker Belle – Chapter 397 – People in the Same Boat

Lin Fan’s voice was calm and clear, a hint of amusement shimmering in his starry eyes.

Though Long Yan had seen many stunning faces, Lin Fan’s current form combined God-level charm with the Charm Magic Eye and the Siren’s Voice.

Anyone who looked into Lin Fan’s eyes or heard Lin Fan’s voice would find the effects of the God-level charm infinitely amplified.

Even Long Yan, whose heart was as steadfast as iron, found himself momentarily dazed before stammering, “Lady Lei Li.”

“No need to be so formal—just call me Lei Jie.” Lin Fan smiled with narrowed eyes, reached out, and picked up an untouched skewer of grilled bread from the plate, taking a gentle bite. “This place has a good sauce, though it’s a little on the salty side.”

This down-to-earth demeanor instantly eased the tense atmosphere at the table.

Long Yi set down his skewer, grabbed a napkin, and roughly wiped his mouth before his expression turned somewhat more serious.

“Lady Lei Li… I’ll just call you Lei Li, sister.” Long Yi stared at Lin Fan with sharp eyes. “I didn’t get to go into detail back there. After everything we’ve been through on this journey… I have to say, I’m convinced. The life-saving grace, and the kindness of taking us in—I, Long Yi, will remember it. This drink is to you.”

With that, he raised his mug of draft beer and downed it in one go.

Lin Fan watched his bold gesture, the corners of his mouth curling slightly upward. He picked up an unopened can of beer and popped the tab with a crisp click.

“Brother Long Yi is too kind.”

He took only a shallow sip, showing no intention of finishing the drink.

“Since we’re all on the same boat now, there are some things I won’t hold back.”

Lin Fan set down the beer can, his slender fingers painted with black-red nail polish tapping rhythmically against the aluminum wall, producing crisp, measured sounds.

“Who do you think our enemy is right now?”

The moment the question was posed, the atmosphere at the table turned icy cold.

The liveliness of moments before seemed to be sealed off in another world by those words.

Long Teng’s grip on his draft beer tightened abruptly, the glass letting out a strained creak.

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“The Dragon Emperor Hall.” Long Teng ground out the words from the depths of his throat. “Long Zhan, Long Ye, and that Dragon Emperor perched high above. They killed my wife and harmed my daughter—this hatred is irreconcilable.”

“That’s right!” Long Yi slammed his palm on the table. “Those sanctimonious bastards—I’ll fight my way back sooner or later!”

Only Long Yan remained silent, simply watching Lin Fan. He sensed that there was more to Lin Fan’s words than what was being said.

Lin Fan gently shook his head.

“That’s not enough.”

He picked up a bamboo skewer and idly traced patterns on the tabletop.

“Long Zhan, or even the Dragon Emperor—even if you count the entire Dragon Clan, at best they’re just a pack of guard dogs.”

Lin Fan lifted his gaze, the streetlamp’s light reflected in his pitch-black pupils, yet they seemed impossibly deep.

“In the deepest recesses of the Dragon Emperor Hall, the existence before whom even the Dragon Emperor must kneel—that is the Dragon Ancestor!”

“The Dragon Ancestor?!”

Long Teng and Long Yi both cried out in shock, their faces turning deathly pale in an instant.

That name was the ultimate taboo of the entire Dragon Clan.

It was a mountain pressing down on everyone’s hearts.

“He… he’s still alive?” Long Teng’s voice trembled slightly. “I’ve never seen him since birth—we all thought he had long since passed into transcendence…”

“Not only is he alive, but he has quite the appetite.”

Lin Fan toyed with the bamboo skewer in his hand, his tone as casual as if he were commenting on tomorrow’s weather.

“According to the intelligence I’ve gathered, that old ancestor’s current strength is likely at the peak of Level Nine.”

Peak of Level Nine!

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Those four words struck like a sledgehammer, leaving the three men dizzy and reeling.

They had fought tooth and nail just to barely touch Level Eight, and the gap between Level Eight and Level Nine was greater than the gap between a man and a dog.

And the jump from Level Nine to the peak of Level Nine was even more absurd.

“He’s been stuck at this bottleneck for far too long,” Lin Fan continued. “In this resource-starved world, conventional methods are no longer enough to break through to that legendary realm of Level Ten.”

“Level Ten…” Long Yi murmured to himself. “That’s the domain of gods, isn’t it? What does he intend to do?”

Lin Fan looked at Long Yi, a trace of pity and mockery flickering in her eyes.

“Do? Eat.”

“Eat what?”

“Eat the world.”

Lin Fan pointed at the ground beneath her feet, then at the starry sky above.

“Blue Star is the ‘side dish’ he’s carefully cultivated. Those millions of caged humans—the Crystal Bones within their bodies are the perfect appetizer. Once these appetizers ripen, he’ll devour every living being on Blue Star in one gulp, and possibly the lives on the Dragon Spirit Continent as well.”

“Using the flesh, blood, and souls of countless living beings to pave his divine path to Level Ten.”

“That’s what they call ascension.”

Dead silence.

This time, it was truly quiet.

Even the sound of finger-guessing games from the neighboring table seemed distant and muffled.

The beer mug in Long Yi’s hand burst with a sharp crack, beer spilling across the table, yet he remained completely oblivious.

“You’re saying… all of us are just pigs he’s raising in a cage?” Long Yi stared with bloodshot eyes, his voice hoarse and terrifying.

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“Worse off than pigs, actually,” Lin Fan corrected. “At least pigs get to eat their fill and sleep well.”

Long Teng’s body was trembling slightly.

This feeling of despair was even more overwhelming than when he’d first learned of his daughter’s death.

Against the Dragon Emperor Hall, they might still have had the courage to fight with everything they had.

But facing a Dragon Ancestor who wanted to devour the entire world—this suffocating helplessness was something else entirely.

“What? Scared?”

Lin Fan suddenly smiled. Her laugh was soft, yet to the three men, it struck like thunder.

She picked up a skewer of meat and took a slow, deliberate bite.

“If this were before, we’d indeed have no choice but to wait for death. But things are different now.”

Lin Fan set down the bamboo skewer and leaned forward slightly. That overwhelming pressure—the aura of a Legendary Grade being—flashed for an instant, enveloping the small space around them.

“He wants to eat us? Let’s see if he’s got the teeth for it.”

Lin Fan’s gaze burned as it swept across the three men. “One-on-one, none of us is his match. But if we combine Blue Star’s technology, your combat power, and my… methods…”

She extended that flawless white hand, palm up, and slowly clenched it into a fist.

“Who ends up eating whom—that’s still up for grabs.”

Long Yan stared at Lin Fan, the light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

He didn’t understand grand schemes or the greater picture. All he knew was that when this woman spoke those words, she was practically radiating light.

“I’m in!”

Long Yan was the first to declare his stance. He grabbed a bottle, chugged it in one go, and wiped his mouth. “Whatever Lei Jie says, I’ll do it! Worst case, I die—even if I only manage to knock out one of that old bastard’s teeth, it’s a win!”

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Long Yi took a deep breath, glanced at his son, then looked at Long Teng, whose face was etched with grim determination.

“Damn it, we’re dead anyway.” A sinister grin spread across Long Yi’s face as the fierce aura of the one who once commanded the Resistance Army erupted once more. “I’ve hated being raised like a pig my whole life. So what if he’s at the peak of Rank 9? As long as he hasn’t become a god yet, I’ll bite a chunk of flesh off him!”

Long Teng said nothing, silently raising his dented wine jug in a toast toward Lin Fan before tilting his head back and draining it dry.

That was a silent oath.

Lin Fan watched these three men, their fighting spirit reignited, and nodded with satisfaction.

Fear was the best adhesive, and hope the strongest stimulant.

“Excellent.”

Lin Fan rose to her feet, smoothed her skirt, and resumed her elegant goddess-like demeanor.

“Eat and drink well. Starting tomorrow, we’ll have our hands full.”

She turned to leave, then paused as if remembering something, glancing back to point at the plate of insanely spicy lamb skewers on the table.

“Oh, and Brother Long Yi, a friendly tip. That stuff tastes great, but don’t eat too much. Otherwise tomorrow morning… you might regret it.”

With that, she left them with a meaningful silhouette, disappearing into the night.

Long Yi blinked, looking at the skewer coated in bright red chili powder in his hand, and scoffed dismissively.

“Pfft, this old man’s Rank 8 Powerhouse physique is afraid of a little chili?”

With that, he took a vicious bite.

The next morning, from the bathroom of Long Yi’s room, a earth-shattering scream erupted.

It was the lament of a Rank 8 Powerhouse, echoing through the skies.