Chapter 835: Left Dao Nascent Soul

CRASH!

Jiang Fan's eyes widened. The wine glass in his hand slipped and shattered on the ground.

It rang with a buzzing sound as it hit the ground, just as his mind was buzzing loudly at that moment.

What did the Second Prince call him?

Empress Yizhu was also stunned, her beautiful eyes wide with disbelief.

No.

Had there been some mistake?

How could her son call out "Father"?

Both of them were dumbfounded by the sudden "Father." They froze in their seats.

The Third Princess blinked, quickly understanding. She quickly went to the Second Prince's side and knelt down with him.

"Father," she said. "Please accept your daughter's bow."

Although she didn't understand why her brother was bowing to a new father. She recalled her brother being even more against men who got close to their mother than she was. Logically, he should never have accepted a new father. However, since her brother had accepted it, as his sister, she naturally supported him unconditionally.

At this moment, Jiang Fan and Empress Yizhu finally snapped out of it. Both gasped simultaneously.

"This, this, this... Sister Yizhu, this won't do!" Jiang Fan stammered, terrified. He wasn't even married, and suddenly he had a son and a daughter! Who wouldn't be startled?

Empress Yizhu slammed the table and stammered, "You, you two are crazy? What nonsense are you shouting? I told you to acknowledge him as your sworn uncle! Not your father!" As she spoke, her face turned scarlet. Her eyes misted over with embarrassment. Fortunately, Deputy Pavilion Master Gu, an outsider, wasn't present. Otherwise, if word of today's events got out, she'd rather die.

"Huh?" The Second Prince looked bewildered. "Mother, you... weren't you about to announce that you're with Young Master Jiang? I actually support you two."

Empress Yizhu, flustered, grabbed a wine glass and threw it at him, both embarrassed and angry: "Silence! Still spouting nonsense!"

The Second Prince grudgingly got up. He mumbled, "Now you're blaming me. You weren't like this when you were crying in Jiang Fan's embrace."

Empress Yizhu's face turned even redder. Her face was as red as a ripe persimmon, ready to burst at a touch.

The Second Prince continued to mumble, seemingly unaware of the peril. "Besides, you yourself said Jiang Fan's kindness was too great to repay. So I thought you meant to offer yourself to him. Then you spoke so solemnly afterward, about respect and not neglecting him. How could I not misunderstand?"

The Third Princess also couldn't help but mumble: "Indeed, it's no wonder Second Brother misunderstood you."

Empress Yizhu was overwhelmed with shame. She wished she could find a hole to crawl into. How did they misunderstand it so badly?

"Ahem," Jiang Fan's old face was flushed from the commotion. He cleared his throat and said: "It's just a small misunderstanding, no harm done. I'm honored by your high regard, Sister Yizhu. I, your younger brother, will drink this cup. From now on, we shall be sworn siblings."

Empress Yizhu, extremely embarrassed, picked up her wine glass, then sternly admonished the Prince and Princess: "What are you still standing there for? Haven't you greeted your sworn uncle?"

The Second Prince could only pick up his wine glass, clink it with Jiang Fan's, and say, "Mengcheng greets Uncle Jiang."

The Third Princess picked up the wine pot, drained it, and said, "Mengkong greets Uncle Jiang."

Jiang Fan felt awkward. The two of them were not significantly younger than him. Being called "uncle" by them was quite embarrassing. But to have an Empress as a sworn sister? Jiang Fan was more than pleased.

He raised his glass and clinked it with Empress Yizhu's: "Sworn sister!"

"Sworn brother!"

They exchanged smiles. This sworn relationship was now established.

"Brother Fan, what are your plans next?" Empress Yizhu asked pointedly.

Jiang Fan replied without hesitation, "Once Deputy Pavilion Master Gu's Nascent Soul injury is healed, I'll return to the Pavilion of Heavenly Secrets to prepare for the next trip to the Underworld."

Empress Yizhu rested her jade hand on her chin, pondering: "I thought you were going to visit the South Sea. Long Legs... Empress Old Dream said she would give you a protective luminous pearl. Aren't you going to get it quickly? If too much time passes, Empress Old Dream might change her mind, and you'd lose out."

Only then did Jiang Fan remember. That day, all three Sea Empresses had promised Jiang Fan benefits. The South Sea Empress said she would help him choose a luminous pearl when he went to the South Sea.

"What is a protective luminous pearl?" Jiang Fan asked curiously. For Empress Yizhu to specifically ask about it, its value shouldn't be low.

Empress Yizhu said, "It's for defense. The highest-grade protective luminous pearl can withstand a single blow from a Nascent Soul expert."

"What?" Jiang Fan was startled. That protective luminous pearl was actually so valuable? It wasn't that he lacked defensive artifacts. For example, the Heaven-Monitoring Mirror could reflect enemy attacks. But from a practical combat perspective, it could at most reflect 70% of a Nascent Soul realm attack. The remaining 30% would still hit him, causing severe damage. He didn't have a single artifact that could truly defend against a Nascent Soul's full attack.

He immediately changed his plans and said, "Then I'll go to the South Sea first."

Empress Yizhu nodded slightly and said, "What Empress Old Dream promised you probably isn't this top-tier luminous pearl. But it doesn't matter; you have a trump card, so you don't have to worry about her not giving you a top-tier protective luminous pearl." She took out the pill recipe for the Cold Cicada Annihilation Pill. It was transcribed by her own hand, with her personal comments next to it. "After verification, the pill recipe is authentic." She handed the pill recipe to Jiang Fan and said: "Don't be polite with Empress Old Dream. Ask for eight or ten top-tier protective luminous pearls. It would be best if it truly hurts her. Anyway, to get the Cold Cicada Annihilation Pill recipe, she'll definitely give them."

"Uh—" Jiang Fan touched his nose. He didn't need to think twice to know that top-tier protective luminous pearls were definitely exceptionally rare. Each one was a priceless treasure.

"Sister Yizhu, aren't you good sisters?" Jiang Fan asked. "Won't fleecing her like this hurt your relationship?"

Empress Yizhu scoffed, "This pill recipe was painstakingly obtained by us, a sworn sister and brother. Are we supposed to just give it to her for nothing? Besides, why talk about feelings? They only hurt your wallet! Come on, drink!"

Jiang Fan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Alright. This time, he was ordered to fleece someone. When Empress Old Dream screams from being fleeced, she couldn't blame Jiang Fan for being heartless.

After three rounds of drinks, Empress Yizhu pursed her lips and vehemently cursed the Three Purity Mountain, recounting their sordid affairs over the years. She particularly condemned Venerable Xuanyang, that old lecher. So old, and still wanting to possess her!

Hearing about him, Jiang Fan couldn't help but ask curiously: "Sister Yizhu, why does Venerable Xuanyang's strength seem rather weak, almost at the bottom of the barrel? Empress Cangqiong beat him back repeatedly. Even with severe injuries, you managed to make him flee in terror. Deputy Pavilion Master Gu's Nascent Soul realm hasn't even recovered, yet he still managed to gain the upper hand against him. Why is he so weak?"

Empress Yizhu said disdainfully, "A Nascent Soul from a heterodox path, how strong do you expect him to be?"

A heterodox path? Jiang Fan began to ponder.

Empress Yizhu saw that Jiang Fan seemed completely ignorant about the Nascent Soul realm, so she said: "It seems the Pavilion Master of Heavenly Secrets hasn't had time to explain the Nascent Soul realm to you. Then let me tell you about it. The Nascent Soul realm is a unique stage for cultivators who specialize in spells. Spell cultivation is the mainstream method for all beings in this world, including our demon race. Besides spell cultivation, there are also other cultivation paths such as body cultivation, spirit cultivation, Buddhist cultivation, Confucian cultivation, and so forth. These are collectively referred to as heterodox paths."

Jiang Fan realized that he understood perfectly. Because, surprisingly, he knew something about most of them and had even encountered some.