Yaoyue's body swayed. Haimei was now so powerful that Yaoyue was filled with awe.
Yet, Yaoyue remained calm. "Kill me," she said faintly, "and your master will die too!"
Haimei frowned, looking at Jiang Fan, puzzled.
"It's true," Jiang Fan said with a hint of helplessness. "I accidentally got infected with her Connected Heart Spirit Worm. Our lives are linked."
Haimei froze on the spot. Her astonished gaze darted between Priestess Yaoyue and Jiang Fan. "How did this happen to you two?"
From her perspective, it was absolutely impossible for them to become a pair of Connected Heart Spirit Worm hosts. One was human, the other a demon. One was at the second level of Core Formation, the other at the ninth. One was a disciple of the Nine Sects, the other a demon priestess. How could they have become each other's partners?
Recalling it now, Jiang Fan was still annoyed. He shot a sidelong glance at Yaoyue and said, "It happened due to various reasons. What's done is done; it's useless to talk about it now. Now that you are a revered Demon King, do you know if there's any way to undo the Connected Heart Spirit Worm's effect?"
As a high-ranking member of the demon race, Haimei should know more than Jian Linyuan.
Haimei shook her head with a bitter smile. "Master, don't even think about it. You should be glad that the priestesses of recent generations have been relatively gentle. It is said that the vows inscribed on the Connected Heart Spirit Worms cultivated by early priestesses were extremely harsh, even malicious. Some required the male to mate within a certain period to allow the priestess to bear offspring, or else he would explode and die. Others demanded the male marry into the priestess's lineage and serve them for life. Furthermore, some would even execute the male after bearing offspring, to ensure no half-siblings with different bloodlines existed. Because of their extreme cruelty, fewer and fewer people were willing to marry priestesses, which is why they gradually became more lenient."
Jiang Fan felt his scalp tingle as he listened. The early lineage of priestesses treated males entirely as slaves. He looked at Yaoyue, growing even more irritated.
Yaoyue, feeling a little guilty, pursed her lips and said, "That was hundreds of years ago. Those practices are long gone."
Haimei glanced at her, not entirely convinced. "The harsh and malicious vows are indeed gone, but some restrictive conditions most likely still exist. Priestess Yaoyue, what vows are inscribed on your Connected Heart Spirit Worm? Can you tell us all of them? Lest my master accidentally transgress, for if he dies, you too will be implicated."
Yaoyue's heart tightened. She quickly said, "The constraint on me is absolute loyalty. The constraint on him is that he cannot be beaten or scolded. That's all."
Haimei narrowed her eyes. "These are the common vows inscribed by every generation of priestesses. There must be other restrictive vows. Don't hide anything."
Upon learning there were still hidden vows, Jiang Fan's expression changed. He said in a low voice, "Yaoyue, our lives are at stake. Why are you still hiding things?"
Yaoyue's face changed again, a hint of panic appearing. But she bit her red lip, hesitated repeatedly, then shook her head and said, "There are indeed other restrictive vows, but... but it has nothing to do with you. I don't want to say."
Jiang Fan was annoyed. It concerned his death; what else could she be hiding? After a second thought, he calmed down. If this vow truly posed a life-threatening danger to Jiang Fan, Yaoyue would probably be even more anxious than he was, fearing that if Jiang Fan died, she would also be implicated. Since she was unwilling to speak, it likely meant there was truly nothing serious.
He stared at Yaoyue, lost in thought. A new problem arose: How should he deal with Yaoyue? Take her back to face human judgment, or let her go?
The former... Jiang Fan wasn't sure how humans would treat her. Given the heavy losses of the Nine Sects' elites in this battle, decapitating her and displaying her head to quell public anger was a highly probable outcome. In that case, he would also die on the spot.
"Master, let her return to the demon race," Haimei suggested. "Her undead army has been virtually wiped out; she won't have an easy time returning. Even if the Demon Emperor doesn't pursue it, the old priestess will punish her severely."
Yaoyue's body twitched. Looking at the remaining two hundred undead soldiers, her heart sank. Punishment would be the least of her worries. The Demon Emperor had always been at odds with the priestess lineage. It was highly possible he would use this opportunity to execute her.
Jiang Fan sighed. "That's precisely the problem. If I let her go back, you'll be exposed." Haimei's actions were far more serious than Yaoyue's. If Yaoyue exposed Haimei to atone for her sins, Haimei would surely die.
"Thank you for your concern, Master." A flicker of joy crossed Haimei's ethereal, jade-like face. Although she was forced into servitude, Jiang Fan had never treated her as a slave. He constantly thought of her well-being. The parting gift he gave her last time was a great opportunity that truly changed her fate. Among the demon generals, she was at the bottom of the ranks, not excelling in combat, and was not highly valued by the Demon Emperor. After consuming that clam meat, she successfully broke through to the ninth level of Core Formation, reaching perfection. She truly became a peak great demon, second only to the Demon Emperor. And this time, he was again considering her safety. He truly was a very, very good person. Definitely not a bad person. The bad one was that despicable woman named Yuemingzhu! Thinking of Yuemingzhu made Haimei's teeth itch with hatred. Given the chance, she would definitely teach Yuemingzhu a harsh lesson!
Dispelling these distracting thoughts, Haimei said, "Master, you really don't need to worry. Yaoyue's crimes are far more serious than mine. Her formation of a marriage bond with Master is even more severe than the loss of her undead army. If the old priestess knew, she would absolutely execute her to prevent disgrace to the priestess lineage. She and I, we essentially hold leverage over each other." With that, she looked at Yaoyue, asking with a half-smile, "Isn't that right, Priestess Yaoyue?"
Yaoyue did not reply. Her ashen face already provided the answer. She would never dare to reveal that she had used the Connected Heart Spirit Worm on a mere human Core Formation cultivator. Because the old priestess would truly kill her. The priestess lineage always preferred quality over quantity. Even if it meant a temporary lack of successors, they would never accept inferior offspring. Jiang Fan, being only at the second level of Core Formation, would absolutely not be permitted as a spouse by the priestess lineage.
Knowing this, Jiang Fan finally felt relieved. He said with resignation, "Then, the only option is to let her go back. Once I find a way to resolve the threat of the Connected Heart Spirit Worm, I'll take her life!"
Haimei nodded slightly.
Suddenly, she lifted her gaze towards Jian Linyuan and the others, smiling. "Are you Master's friends?"
The others looked at her in unison. As their eyes met Haimei's, they all felt a sudden dizziness. Jian Linyuan's expression changed. "Don't look into her eyes..."
But it was a step too late. Including him, their vision gradually darkened. Then they all collapsed.
"You... them..." Jiang Fan was slightly startled.
Haimei said, "Rest assured, Master. Since they are your friends, I would naturally not be disrespectful to them. I merely erased their memories of me. Human hearts are unpredictable; one must be cautious. Otherwise, if word gets out, humans might seize upon it to criticize Master, accusing you of colluding with demons and being a traitor to humanity."
Jiang Fan nodded. He also had this concern. Although they had faced life and death together and displayed admirable qualities like fearlessness, people were complex. A capable minister or general famed in history might also have been greedy or lecherous. A mass murderer might also be a good husband or father. Before fully understanding their character, it was unwise to let them glimpse his core secrets.
"Thank you. I didn't realize you had this kind of talent," Jiang Fan said, observing Haimei. He had thought her only talent was teleportation in snow.
Haimei covered her mouth and chuckled softly. "Otherwise, where do you think the 'Mei' in my name comes from? This is my true talent. Everything else was learned later."
The mention of talent reminded Jiang Fan of something he had almost forgotten. He rubbed his chin and took out a large piece of seven-colored profound ice. Inside, a pulsating red bloodline was faintly visible.
Haimei's expression instantly changed upon seeing it, and she exclaimed, "A natural bloodline! Master, where did you get this?"
Even Yaoyue's face dramatically changed. She gasped in shock, "This... isn't this the natural bloodline that the Demon Emperor and the old priestess have been searching for? Legend says it's a drop of essence blood from a Great Demon at the Soul Transformation stage, which absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and solidified through the cycles of the sun and moon. It possesses one-tenth of that Soul Transformation Great Demon's innate power!"
"What?"
[28 seconds from now] Chapter 1195: Sun Cuier
[22 seconds ago] Chapter 1746: Unauthorized Entry, Death
[2 minutes ago] Chapter 1168: Matrix Square and Circle
[3 minutes ago] Chapter 1180: Return Youth Pill (Seventh Watch)
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