Chapter 832: Let Go of the Sea Spring

Jiang Fan looked utterly baffled. Could it be that the breasts of a Sea Demoness were naturally this hard? Or perhaps, the person before him wasn't a woman?

"Hahaha!"

This woman, whose appearance and attire were a spitting image of Empress Yizhu's, actually let out a man's clear laugh. Though the voice was also pleasant, smooth as jade, it was undeniably a man.

Jiang Fan immediately withdrew his hand, his face filled with surprise and doubt. "You are..."

He saw the other person, with a faint smile, reach into their clothes. They pulled out two small, semi-circular coconut shells and tossed them to the ground. Their bulging chest immediately flattened completely.

"Hahaha, did your heart start racing?"

It was no one else. It was the Crown Prince of the East Sea. Imprisoned as he was, he still had the nerve to prank people.

"However, your willpower is quite strong," he continued. "It's the first time anyone has been able to resist my mother's allure."

*Pfft—*

Jiang Fan nearly spat out blood, his eyes wide with disbelief. "The Crown Prince?"

"The real deal." The Crown Prince of the East Sea shrugged and asked, "What's your relationship with my mother? How can you call her by her name and even address her as 'sister'? I don't recall my mother having such a close male friend. Even that ill-intentioned Wei Wuji didn't get this kind of treatment."

Jiang Fan's face darkened. He wished he could punch the bastard. "You're joking about your mother's reputation, and you still dare to mention her?"

The Crown Prince of the East Sea smiled. "Don't be angry. There are too many different kinds of men around my mother. As a son, I also worry she might be deceived by men with ill intentions, so I help her screen them. You're not bad; you don't have any impure thoughts towards my mother."

Jiang Fan retorted exasperatedly, "Your mother and I are like siblings! I don't need your approval! What's wrong with you? You're a perfectly fine prince, yet you're dressed more femininely than a woman!"

It was no wonder Jiang Fan didn't recognize him. The Crown Prince of the East Sea and Empress Yizhu had identical facial features. Aside from a touch of masculine vigor, there was no other difference. If they wore the same attire, they would truly be uncanny lookalikes. Unless one had spent a long time with them, it would be impossible to tell them apart at a glance.

The Crown Prince of the East Sea lifted his skirt hem. "Do you think I want to? I have to disguise myself as my mother to guard the East Sea, so that those scoundrels from Mount Sanqing don't realize my mother is absent?"

Jiang Fan suddenly understood. No wonder Empress Yizhu had said earlier that if the Crown Prince were in the palace, Mount Sanqing might not discover she had gone to the mainland. With such an uncanny resemblance, without checking their cultivation level, it would be difficult for Mount Sanqing to differentiate them. He also somewhat believed Empress Yizhu's claim that her third daughter was identical to her before she mutated. If a son could be born so similar, there was no need to mention a daughter.

Just then, water currents stirred in the distance.

Jiang Fan's eyes narrowed, and he shielded the Crown Prince of the East Sea behind him. He said, "If it's an enemy, you escape first. I'll hold them off."

The Crown Prince of the East Sea watched Jiang Fan's back, a look of surprise on his face. This person didn't seem much older than himself. Was he truly this responsible?

He smiled faintly. "No need to worry, it's my mother."

Sure enough, Empress Yizhu, clad in a pink dress, returned. Seeing the Crown Prince of the East Sea, the tense expression on her face finally relaxed. Then she stepped forward and punched him.

"You brat! I told you not to run out and patrol the East Sea. Are you satisfied now? Do you realize you almost met the same fate as your sister?" Still angry, she continued to punch him repeatedly, hitting him so hard he coughed up blood.

Jiang Fan's eyelids twitched. My goodness. What a heavy hand! This was undoubtedly her own son.

He quickly restrained Empress Yizhu. "Alright, alright, Sister Yizhu. He wasn't harmed by the enemy, but now you've injured him."

Empress Yizhu was held back. Her eyes were already brimming with tears. The emotions she had been suppressing finally burst forth at this moment. Tearfully, she said:

"I deal with Mount Sanqing, I deal with the Myriad Manifestation Void Realm, I deal with these accidents, I deal with those sudden incidents. Every day I open my eyes, it's about the East Sea Demon Clan; every time I close them, it's about what to do tomorrow. Everyone around me needs me, but there isn't a single person I can rely on. I am so, so tired; I am utterly exhausted. And you, you give me no peace of mind like this! If something happened to you too, I would truly break down!"

The Crown Prince of the East Sea lowered his head in shame. This impulsive patrol of the East Sea had indeed caused huge trouble.

Jiang Fan saw this and gently comforted her, "Sister Yizhu, it's all in the past now. I believe the Crown Prince will learn from this lesson and quickly mature and become steady. Now, the East Sea is also free from Mount Sanqing's threat, and there will be much less trouble in the future. The burden on your shoulders will be much lighter. Just watch over your children, and once they achieve the Demon Emperor realm, you can let go and rest."

Empress Yizhu could no longer hold back her tears. She turned and hugged Jiang Fan, as if she had finally found a long-lost support, and tears flowed freely.

"Jiang Fan, thank you. Thank you. If it weren't for you, I... I don't know what I would have done."

Jiang Fan's kindness to the East Sea was truly immense. He had removed the constant threat of Mount Sanqing, which hung around their necks, and saved her son, making her, as a Demon Empress, unsure how to repay him.

Jiang Fan gently patted her back. "Through trials, good things emerge. The East Sea will only get better from now on."

Empress Yizhu continued to sob for a long time. The Crown Prince of the East Sea watched the scene before him, lost in thought.

After a long while, Empress Yizhu's emotions calmed, and she wiped away the tear streaks from her face. She looked at Jiang Fan with immense affection and said, "Let's go back to the East Sea Imperial Palace. I will prepare a grand banquet to express my heartfelt gratitude!"

Seeing Jiang Fan open his mouth, she immediately said, "No refusing. Otherwise, I won't let you leave the East Sea."

Jiang Fan was speechless. He had no choice but to attend this banquet. Her earnest invitation was hard to decline.

Jiang Fan nodded. "Alright, a banquet is fine, but a grand one isn't necessary. Mount Sanqing will definitely investigate the matter of the pill recipe. If you thank me too ostentatiously, what will Mount Sanqing think?"

Empress Yizhu slapped her forehead. "That was thoughtless of me. Alright, then a family banquet it is."

The group hurried towards the East Sea Imperial Palace. As they approached, they sensed turbulent ocean currents near the East Sea Imperial Palace. It seemed strong cultivators were engaged in a fierce battle. The expressions of everyone present hardened. They rushed over, only to find Wei Wuji and Vice-Tower Master Gu battling two Nascent Soul realm entities. One black-robed figure was fighting Wei Wuji, and the other, confronting Vice-Tower Master Gu, was a slightly stooped old man. Though he was also wearing a black robe, he was instantly recognizable as Venerable Xuanyang!

"That old dog!" Empress Yizhu raged. They had indeed come for revenge, unwilling to accept that the pill recipe had been deciphered. First, they trapped the Crown Prince, causing him to mutate. Then, while they were out searching for the Crown Prince, they came to the East Sea Imperial Palace to wreak havoc. What they didn't expect was that Gu Xin'er was right there in the East Sea Imperial Palace, and Wei Wuji had also happened to arrive. That's why they were caught red-handed!

Gu Xin'er, seeing Empress Yizhu return, immediately called out, "Empress Yizhu! These people want to take the Mother Source Cauldron and release the Sea Spring! Fortunately, I was recuperating inside the Mother Source Cauldron and discovered them in time, or it would have been too late!"

What? How severe were the consequences brought upon the Sea Demon Clan when just a trace of the mysterious liquid from the Sea Spring was leaked? If it were fully released, the consequences would be unimaginable! The Sea Demon Clan would likely face instant catastrophe. The East Sea Demon Clan would bear the brunt, and no one would escape!

"Mount Sanqing! You're courting death!" Empress Yizhu roared.