Chapter 683: Saving the Great Cow's Favor

The Crown Prince of the West Sea cleared his throat, pocketed the two Blood Bodhi, and criticized, "If you had just been honest from the start, none of this would have happened, would it?" He added, "I’ll forgive you this time. But don’t ever do it again, okay?"

Jiang Fan rubbed his chin and glanced at the Crown Prince’s groin. He then took out another Rejuvenation Pill and tossed it over. "Here’s another healing pill for you," he said.

The Crown Prince of the West Sea caught it, bewildered. "What do I need this for?" Jiang Fan replied meaningfully, "Within half an hour, any injured or missing body part will grow back. It works on any part."

Half an hour? Could it really be that miraculous? The Crown Prince of the West Sea brought the pill to his nose and sniffed. A faint medicinal scent entered his nostrils, and an immediate effect took hold. The long-unhealed injury between his legs began to itch, a clear sign of healing.

He was greatly astonished! An uncontrollable look of surprise and delight spread across his face. As a sea demon, his self-healing ability was far inferior to that of land demons. The severed part wouldn’t grow back for several months. If news of his loss became public during this period, the East Sea would mock him for life! It was even possible that his imperial father, to save face, would depose him as Crown Prince and appoint a new one. The consequences of losing his "thing" were not ordinary. He had been constantly worried about this. This miraculous spiritual pill had practically saved his life!

Overjoyed, he stepped forward and embraced Jiang Fan. "Brother Jiang!" he exclaimed. "My true brother from another mother and father! Big brother is so grateful to you!"

What a pragmatist! Just moments ago, he had been furious, blaming Jiang Fan for insulting the demon race! Yet, in the blink of an eye, for the sake of his "thing," he was calling him brother. "So, about me deceiving you..." The Crown Prince of the West Sea quickly interrupted him. "What deception?" he declared. "You are indeed the disciple of Venerable Qinghe. I said so myself!"

Jiang Fan nodded, satisfied. The Crown Prince of the West Sea clearly knew how to be grateful. He took the great favor of saving his "thing" very seriously. The Crown Prince excitedly swallowed the Rejuvenation Pill. Feeling what he had lost slowly regenerate, he was overjoyed. "Little brother, big brother will repay you handsomely!" he exclaimed. "You’ve come to the Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave, presumably for the Earth Qi Dragon Pearl, right?"

Jiang Fan looked puzzled. Earth Qi Dragon Pearl? It seemed his previous speculation was correct. There was a treasure in the Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave that the land demons had never discovered. But what was this Earth Qi Dragon Pearl? He looked at Consort Yunxia, who also appeared bewildered.

"What? Little brother, you don’t know yet?" the Crown Prince of the West Sea asked, surprised. Jiang Fan cupped his hands. "Please enlighten me, Your Highness."

The Crown Prince of the West Sea gently slapped his mouth. "I thought you surely knew," he said. "I’ve let it slip. Now there’s one more competitor." After a moment’s thought, he sighed. "Never mind," he said. "Anyway, the West Sea isn’t the only one aware of the Earth Qi Dragon Pearl’s existence, so one more won’t hurt. Several years ago, the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets issued an announcement, stating that the lost Earth Qi Dragon Pearl might be in the Taicang Domain."

Seeing Jiang Fan was still confused, the Crown Prince of the West Sea explained, "The Old Man of Heavenly Secrets is a very mysterious person. Legends say he is omniscient and knows everything. As long as you can pay the price he demands, he can provide the correct answer to any question. To this day, some say he’s heartless, others that he’s lecherous, but no one has ever said he’s given a wrong answer."

Such a person exists in this world? Jiang Fan was secretly intrigued and asked, "And what exactly is the Earth Qi Dragon Pearl?"

The Crown Prince of the West Sea adopted a profound expression. "Have you heard of the Nine Ancient Sages? In ancient times, nine Sages created the world as it is today. They took the essence of heaven and earth, each forged a dragon pearl, and used them to suppress the nine regions. Legend has it that whoever obtains a dragon pearl can rule the world. And whoever collects all nine pearls can even hope to break through to the Saint Realm!"

Jiang Fan listened with great fascination. The Nine Ancient Sages, creating heaven and earth, nine dragon pearls? These were all unheard-of concepts. The Crown Prince of the West Sea continued, "Since ancient times, all beings have sought the nine dragon pearls, but no one has ever found them. Not long ago, the Old Man of Heavenly Secrets’ announcement shook the great Taicang Prefecture. Many major sects and powers are searching for the possible location of this Earth Qi Dragon Pearl. Our West Sea also received the news and searched everywhere. Eventually, we discovered that the Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave might contain what we are looking for."

Jiang Fan looked at the five-fingered mountain peak in front of them. "You mean this place?" he asked. The Crown Prince of the West Sea nodded, his eyes filled with certainty. "There’s no mistake! It’s definitely inside the Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave!"

Jiang Fan stroked his chin. "How can you be so sure?" he asked. The Crown Prince of the West Sea pointed between the five peaks. "The Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave opens every five years, right?" he asked. "Why does it open? Is it because the Tiger Demon Emperor is incredibly generous and happy for others to enter his cave?"

This... Consort Yunxia, Haimi, and Lingshu all fell into contemplation. Indeed, they had never actually considered that question: Why did the Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave open only once every five years?

The Crown Prince of the West Sea chuckled. "The reason lies in the geomancy of this place! This auspicious geomantic land possesses incredibly strong Earth Qi. Every five years, when enough accumulates, it erupts. And the Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave, hidden within, is then pushed out by this surging Earth Qi. That is the truth behind why the Tiger Demon Emperor’s cave opens once every five years."

So that’s it. Jiang Fan suddenly understood, and at the same time, grasped the key point. "You believe the Earth Qi Dragon Pearl is here because there’s a large amount of Earth Qi?"

The Crown Prince of the West Sea’s eyes gleamed with excitement. "There’s no mistake! Throughout Taicang, no other place has Earth Qi as powerful as this. If the Earth Qi Dragon Pearl isn’t here, it won’t be anywhere else!"

Jiang Fan’s eyes narrowed. His heart gave a slight throb. He was indeed tempted by what he heard. That was a divine artifact said to suppress the nine regions of heaven and earth. Even just a glimpse would be an immense stroke of luck.

The Crown Prince of the West Sea said, "Since we are true brothers from different mothers and fathers, we should naturally work together, as brothers united can cut through metal. Let’s find this Earth Qi Dragon Pearl together."

Jiang Fan saw no problem with that. Having a group of strong allies was undoubtedly better than going it alone. "Alright, let’s work together, united..."

As he was speaking, voices drifted from a distance: "Since there’s only one item, for fairness, hand it over to me, and I’ll give you satisfactory compensation. No one fights, no one snatches; let’s all profit harmoniously. There’s no need to fight to the death over this."

Jiang Fan’s eyes widened. These lines! He could recite them from memory! He looked in the direction of the voices. A young man exuding an aura of dark energy, accompanied by a group of sea demons, was approaching. He was patting his chest, speaking righteous and imposing words, earning frequent nods from the sea demons, who seemed to trust him greatly. Who else could it be but Wang Chongxiao? Jiang Fan was speechless! Why was this guy everywhere?