Chapter 1333: Emperor's Tomb

A Fantasy Novel

The Golden Crow Prince was traumatized by personally witnessing his lower body being blown apart yesterday. He frequently woke up with a start when he closed his eyes, even doubting his virility. Therefore, he desperately needed to prove himself. Ordinary palace maids could no longer pique his interest. However, the incredibly beautiful Queen Medusa was very attractive and should be able to help him prove his might.

Seeing the Golden Crow Prince's eager gaze, Old Wu immediately looked troubled: "Your Highness, I did not bring Queen Medusa back."

"What?" The Golden Crow Prince's face instantly contorted into a fierce expression. Just as he was about to erupt, he suddenly remembered Old Wu's status as a Grandmaster and forcibly swallowed back the curse words that were on the tip of his tongue. "What exactly happened?"

Only then did Old Wu recount the situation he had just encountered with the Snake Tribe. The Golden Crow Prince was startled: "The Peacock Royal Family, the Elven Tribe, even the Sea Tribe and Demonic Tribe... they all showed her so much respect?"

"Yes," Old Wu said with a wry smile. This was also something that puzzled him deeply.

"Where did this wretch get so many connections from? Is it all thanks to her beauty?" Due to his previous encounter with the Snake Tribe, the Golden Crow Prince now hated Queen Medusa by association.

"Now these major tribes are clearly protecting her, and a multitude of smaller tribes are befriending her. It would be quite troublesome to act against her," Old Wu said, frowning. "I'm afraid trying to pressure the assassin out by targeting her won't work anymore."

"Not necessarily," the Golden Crow Prince sneered. "The Ten Thousand Tribes Assembly is in three days. At that time, every tribe will send representatives to contend for seats. After all, the Snake Tribe was once a major tribe, and I believe Queen Medusa will not be content with just one seat after her return. They will certainly send their masters to participate. At that time, we'll find a way to cripple her top experts on the arena, making them as miserable as possible. I refuse to believe the person behind her will be able to stand by and do nothing."

"This is indeed a feasible method, but wouldn't it be too obvious? It could easily affect Your Highness's reputation," Old Wu specially reminded. "To force out the assassin, if it led to dissatisfaction among the various tribes, it would be more trouble than it's worth."

"Who said I would personally intervene? According to previous intelligence, doesn't the Lion Tribe also have a grudge against the Snake Tribe? At that time, we'll just manipulate things behind the scenes and let them contend for the same set of seats, won't that be perfect?" the Golden Crow Prince sneered. He had heard that Lion Ling, the young prince of the Lion Tribe, had been gravely injured and fallen into a coma after his last conflict with the Snake Tribe. Lion Ling was the acknowledged rising star of the Lion Tribe, always favored by his father and brothers. After his accident, the entire Lion Tribe was furious. With such an opportunity, how could they possibly show mercy to the Snake Tribe?

"Brilliant!" Old Wu's eyes lit up. He had originally been worried that ever since the Prince's defeat at the Snake Tribe last time, he had become irritable and prone to anger, even easily swayed by lust, no longer displaying the sagacious and formidable regal demeanor he once possessed. Now, he finally felt relieved; in his bones, he was still the Prince he remembered.

Next, the Golden Crow Prince summoned his officials to arrange the relevant matters. These naturally didn't require Old Wu to handle personally, so he stayed in the palace to heal and recuperate.

Meanwhile, at the Snake Tribe's lodge, Yun Jianyue found Zu An: "Come on, let's go explore the Demon King's Court. I'm practically bored to death these past two days."

She had originally wanted to go sightseeing yesterday, but Zu An disappeared. Then the Demon Emperor's powerful aura was unleashed, and she worried that Zu An was the assassin who had entered the palace. She didn't sleep a wink all night, so how could she have been in the mood to roam the city? Of course, she wouldn't mention any of this to take credit.

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but frown slightly: "He worked hard all night; let him get some good rest."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, talking like a newlywed bride entering the Zu family home. Ice Stone Woman, are you alright?" Yun Jianyue said while stroking Yan Xuehen's forehead, as if she didn't recognize her.

Yan Xuehen's face flushed. Fearing that Yun Jianyue had seen through her, she quickly explained: "Do you think I'm like you, not considering others? Firstly, he's too tired. Secondly, he's currently wanted, so it's really not convenient for him to go out."

Yun Jianyue dismissed it: "Did you forget what Ah Zu just said? The most dangerous place is often the safest. No one would expect a wanted criminal to parade around like this. Let's use this opportunity to make his name, Yan Zu, famous, lest he be linked to Ah Zu in a few days."

Yan Xuehen's delicate brows furrowed slightly; she felt Yun Jianyue's words sounded like sophistry. Just as she was about to retort, Zu An spoke: "It's always good for us to familiarize ourselves with the Demon Court's terrain beforehand. As the saying goes, 'know yourself and know your enemy, and you will win a hundred battles.' What's more, we can use this opportunity to search for the places marked on the map."

The women were momentarily stunned. Only then did they realize he was referring to the map of the Unknowable Land obtained from Marquis Sui's tomb. At this, no one raised any further objections.

As they were leaving, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue recalled their previous encounter at the city gates. They thought that while wearing veils could conceal their faces, it would more easily arouse others' curiosity. Especially since their figures were graceful and their temperaments outstanding, they clearly looked like great beauties. Now that the royal court was filled with powerhouses from various tribes, although they weren't afraid, they also didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, in three days, they would have to go on the arena to help Yu Yanluo contend for a seat. At that time, under everyone's watchful eyes, they couldn't possibly wear veils and cloaks, could they? Revealing their true faces would be even more inappropriate. The two women were renowned Grandmasters of the human race, and some in the demon race had seen them before. If their identities were recognized, in their current state, they truly wouldn't even know how they died.

So, each of them asked Zu An for a disguise mask and transformed into ordinary-looking women to get used to it beforehand. Looking at their reflections in the mirror, their faces could only be described as extremely plain, yet they didn't mind in the slightest. With their state of mind, they had long since stopped caring about their appearances.

Zu An secretly mused that if these two appeared in his previous life, they would definitely be mocked as "back-view beauties" – goddess-tier from behind, but their faces were... Speaking of which, Chen Xuan actually had several women's masks in his collection. He hadn't expected Chen Xuan to have a cross-dressing hobby. As for Yu Yanluo, she was already a famous figure and held the identity of the Snake Tribe's leader, so she naturally didn't need a mask; wearing a light veil would suffice.

The group then walked towards the city. Although there had been an assassin incident in the imperial palace last night, representatives from all tribes were now gathered in the royal court, and it was impossible for the royal family to impose a long-term curfew on so many important figures. Thus, after a day of city-wide searches yesterday, the restrictions were lifted again today.

Although the Demon King's Court was not as prosperous as the Human Imperial Capital, it was not far behind. Especially here, perhaps due to their racial talents, everyone was skilled in singing and dancing, and they could get lively even around a simple bonfire. Along the way, many demon youths whistled excitedly when they saw the figures of the women. The demon race was far more passionate and uninhibited than the human race; they would directly approach and strike up conversations with those they liked. However, upon seeing the front faces of Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, they were all thoroughly disgusted and hastily ran away.

As for Yu Yanluo, because she was with Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, people guessed that she probably wouldn't be much better looking. They didn't even have the interest to lift her veil.

Zu An couldn't help but chuckle: "I didn't expect even you two to be disliked for being ugly."

"It's quite interesting," Yan Xuehen said. Before, wherever she went, she was always surrounded by admirers, so seeing the recent scene was quite novel to her.

"I didn't expect being a little ugly to have such benefits," Yun Jianyue said, though still somewhat vexed. "Hmph, if this were in the human realm, those guys' eyeballs would have been gouged out, then their limbs broken and thrown to be flower fertilizer."

Yu Yanluo secretly clicked her tongue upon hearing this. The Demonic Cult Master was indeed ruthless, but their time together recently had been unusually pleasant.

These small episodes didn't linger long in their minds. Seeing the strange and exotic items in the surrounding market, Yun Jianyue's face was filled with excitement. Although the human race had also imported many demon tribe items and even opened various stores featuring demon characteristics, compared to these authentic ones, they clearly weren't original enough.

In contrast to Yun Jianyue's excitement, Yan Xuehen was uninterested. She had always preferred quietness, and she not only found the lively scenes around them uninteresting but also felt somewhat out of place. Comparatively, she found herself looking at Zu An more often inadvertently. She was momentarily dazed, wondering why it had been so happy and relaxing when she strolled through the morning market with him in Cloudmist City last time, yet today she felt quite annoyed. Was it because others were still with them?

Her heart skipped a beat at the thought. She needed to quickly urge him to upgrade the skill of the girl named Mei Xi so that the "Love Stronger Than Gold" constraint could be dispelled soon. But since the two of them had already had that kind of relationship, did it still matter whether it was dispelled or not...?

"Do I have flowers on my face?" A playful voice suddenly sounded. Yan Xuehen was startled, only then realizing Zu An was smiling and walking beside her. It turned out Yun Jianyue was looking at novelties everywhere. To conceal Zu An's identity, Yu Yanluo dared not act too intimately with him and instead walked with Xing Nu. Thus, as they walked, Zu An ended up by her side.

"Who was looking at you!" Yan Xuehen immediately turned her face away.

Zu An looked strange: "Sister Yan, don't you always tell the truth? A monastic doesn't tell lies."

She was a cultivator of the Dao; in a sense, calling her a monastic wasn't wrong.

Yan Xuehen: "..." This guy was really annoying. He knew she was a monastic, yet he still did those things to her?

Just then, Yu Yanluo suddenly turned her head, as if sensing something: "Ah Zu, what are you two talking about?"

Yan Xuehen's heart skipped a beat, and she didn't know how to explain. Zu An, however, replied very naturally: "We're studying the map."

Yan Xuehen secretly admired him; this guy didn't even blink when he spoke. In the future, she'd have to remind Chu Yan not to be deceived by him. Thinking of her disciple, her expression suddenly darkened.

So, taking advantage of their casual stroll through the royal court, the group quietly studied the terrain here, comparing it with the map of the Unknowable Land. Gradually, the group strayed further and further, arriving in a stretch of mountains and forests north of the city. This was not a desolate wilderness but still within the royal court city. Scattered buildings and lights could be faintly seen within the mountains and forests.

"It seems to be in this area," Zu An said, comparing it with the map. The group followed a stone-slab path up the mountain.

Suddenly, a stern shout came from ahead: "Stop! This is the Imperial Mausoleum, a restricted area. Intruders will be executed without mercy!"