Chapter 1378: Choosing Men Poorly

Fantasy and Magic

Meanwhile, outside the imperial mausoleum, the various factions who had rushed over upon hearing the news were stopped by Hei Chifei and his soldiers. No one doubted that he was faking an imperial decree, after all, the Demon Emperor's colossal phantom had just appeared above the imperial mausoleum, covering the sky and earth. No one else could have faked such a phenomenon.

However, as to why the Demon Emperor had appeared inside the imperial mausoleum, the various forces had different opinions.

The most anxious was undoubtedly the Second Prince. He had prepared two assassination plans, one overt and one covert, even going so far as to expose a crucial pawn he had hidden by the Crown Prince's side ahead of time. He figured that even if the assassination failed, it would make the Golden Crow Crown Prince drop his guard, as he would subconsciously believe the Second Prince had run out of tricks. Furthermore, the Pangolin Clan member, Wu Liang, whom he had gone to great lengths to find, was his true trump card.

This fellow was quite mysterious, with an endless array of abilities that even the Second Prince admired greatly.

With such arrangements in place, he was actually quite confident of success. Now, with his father suddenly appearing in the imperial mausoleum, was it because the Crown Prince had died and he rushed there to seal off the news, or was it because he had actually been staying in the imperial mausoleum, thus leading to the assassination's failure?

But that didn't make sense; according to his informants, his father had been in the palace not long ago.

However, he couldn't be sure, as with the Demon Emperor's power, his subordinates might not truly be able to monitor him.

Also, what exactly was that commotion in the imperial mausoleum just now? Could it be the tremors from his subordinates fighting the Crown Prince?

Because he cared too much, he was particularly apprehensive.

Another person equally apprehensive was a beautiful woman in palace attire, standing atop a tall tower in the imperial palace. Draped in a fiery red fur cloak, she appeared even more captivating and noble against the backdrop of white snow and cold wind, drawing secret glances from many guards.

They knew it was a grave offense, but the Little Demon Empress was simply too beautiful, so stunning that people couldn't tear their eyes away.

At this moment, the Little Demon Empress lacked her usual charming and flirtatious smile. Her brow was slightly furrowed, as if shrouded in countless worries.

“Such a huge commotion, did he succeed?” The Little Demon Empress was anxious. She originally had confidantes among the guards around the imperial mausoleum who would send back news immediately if anything happened. But now that the Demon Emperor had arrived, all news channels were sealed, making it impossible to ascertain what had truly occurred inside the imperial mausoleum.

“Given that boy's strength, he indeed has a good chance of succeeding, but with the Demon Emperor rushing there, if they get caught, will they expose me?” The Little Demon Empress looked worried, but she quickly bit her silver teeth. “Hmph, at worst, I'll just deny everything, saying he was sent by the Second Prince to frame me. I am the young prince's mother, and the Demon Emperor still needs me to assist the young prince.”

Unlike these two individuals, each harboring their own schemes, other factions analyzed the situation and came closer to the truth.

Hu Qianxiao and Shi Zhentian were both looking towards the imperial mausoleum from their respective residences, pondering: Why was there a sudden surge of elemental energy from the imperial mausoleum just now?

Although the imperial mausoleum was a place of excellent geomancy, it was still a tomb. Theoretically, it should have been filled with a denser aura of death, making it unlikely for such a rich burst of vitality and elemental energy to erupt.

At the Golden Peng King's Mansion, the current master, Little Golden Peng King, sat drinking in a pavilion, gazing towards the imperial mausoleum. “The spatial elements are fluctuating violently. Could it be that some secret realm has opened? But what secret realm would open up at the imperial mausoleum's location?”

Inside the Sea Clan Residence, a beauty suddenly emerged from a pool, water droplets clinging to her skin, shimmering brilliantly in the sunlight.

Shang Liuyu gazed at the imperial mausoleum with a puzzled expression. After a moment of contemplation, she directly sent a mental message via elemental energy: “Little Chiwen, go find out what happened at the imperial mausoleum. Also, check with the Snake Clan to see if Queen Medusa and her friend are still there.”

Chiwen's dejected voice echoed from afar: “I can go inquire about the imperial mausoleum, but I'm not going to the Snake Clan.”

He had too many painful memories from the Snake Clan; just thinking about it now gave him psychological trauma, and he absolutely did not want to revisit that place.

A few days ago, during the competition for various clan representatives' seats, a giant maggot warrior was beaten so badly that he spat out feces. At first, Chiwen had joined the surrounding crowd in gleeful laughter, but as he laughed, he started to cry, because he had truly tasted that flavor...

“Are you itching for a beating? Be careful, or I'll hit you,” Shang Liuyu said, not holding back.

Chiwen shivered. “Alright, alright, I'll go. No need to be so fierce.”

Since childhood, he had been extremely pampered in the Dragon Palace. The Dragon King held him in his mouth for fear of him melting, and others naturally dared not offend him in the slightest. But this aunt didn't care about any of that; if he did something wrong, she would truly punish him severely, to the point that throughout his life, he feared nothing but this aunt.

Inside the Elf King's Mansion, Qiao Xueying was restless. Finally, unable to contain herself, she left the mansion directly, disregarding the objections of its residents.

She no longer cared about being monitored by the Crown Prince's people. The commotion from the imperial mausoleum gave her an ominous premonition, and she needed to go to the Snake Clan to confirm Zu'an's safety.

Countless people speculated, countless people worried, and Zu'an at this moment felt his scalp tingle with dread, fearing that the Demon Emperor might kill the women if displeased. Yu Yanluo might be spared, as she was the leader of a clan, and killing her so easily would have too negative an impact. But Yan and Yun, the two women, had no such protective status.

Out of concern, he hastily said, “Demon Emperor, this Miss Yan is skilled in rune array formations; she can help in the upcoming unknown land. And this Miss Yun is skilled at... skilled at...”

He suddenly faltered, unable to speak. He couldn't very well say Yun Jianyue was skilled at killing, and how could that compare to the Demon Emperor? Nor could he possibly say she was skilled in charm arts or anything similar.

At this moment, Yun Jianyue snorted, “Brat, you don't need to speak for me. I stand between heaven and earth; if I die, I die. How could I beg for surrender from others?”

After speaking, she cast a disdainful glance at Wu Liang, but there was no trace of shame on Wu Liang's plump face; instead, he smiled as if nothing had happened.

Yun Jianyue couldn't be bothered to look at him again. If she were still at her peak, even if she couldn't win, she would have fought desperately, at least making the Demon Emperor pay some price. But now, severely injured, struggling desperately was meaningless.

“Indeed worthy of Sect Master Yun, your heroic spirit is no less than that of a man.”

The Demon Emperor laughed heartily, startling everyone else present.

“You know me?” Even Yun Jianyue was surprised now.

“I saw you once on the battlefield back then. At my level, it's hard to forget someone after seeing them.” The Demon Emperor turned to look at Yan Xuehen. “If I'm not mistaken, this must be Master Yan. It's truly amazing; according to the intelligence reports I received, you two should be sworn enemies, utterly incompatible. Yet now you look like sisters?”

Yan Xuehen's heart skipped a beat. “Who's sisters with her!”

She wasn't afraid of death, but if her relationship with Zu'an were revealed before she died, that would truly be worse than death.

Both Yan and Yun were secretly alarmed. They knew that during that great war, they hadn't directly faced the Demon Emperor; it was the Human Emperor who had confronted him. They never expected him to have noticed them in a corner of the battlefield. The soul of an Earth Immortal truly was terrifyingly powerful.

Wu Liang, who had been smiling blandly nearby, now looked at the two women in confusion. Sect Master Yun, Master Yan, and sworn enemies? Could it be *those* two? He was startled, then looked at Zu'an with eyes full of admiration. How did this guy manage it? Other philanderers just kept some pleasant ornamental fish in their fishponds, but this fellow actually managed to keep two great white sharks?

The Golden Crow Crown Prince, on the other hand, was both surprised and delighted. So it wasn't that he was useless, but that he was facing several Grandmasters.

Crucially, they were all exceptionally beautiful. If he could subdue them, whether to enrich his harem or to use against the human race in the future, it would be an extremely wonderful thing.

He had originally thought they were all Zu'an's women, but after learning their identities, he understood that women of such standing couldn't possibly have that kind of relationship with Zu'an. Both their bodies and minds must be pure; this met his standards for choosing women, ha ha ha.

At this point, the Demon Emperor looked at Yu Yanluo again, his expression somewhat complex. “So similar, truly too similar. You're practically carved from the same mold as your mother back then.”

Everyone present had strange expressions. From his tone, it sounded as if he had once had an affair with Yu Yanluo's mother.

The other party's gaze was too fervent, making Yu Yanluo a little afraid, and she instinctively shrank behind Zu'an.

Zu'an shielded her behind him, staring coldly at the Demon Emperor.

“Is this your lover?” The Demon Emperor frowned. “A pity that, just like your mother, your taste in men is truly lacking.”