Chapter 841: The Mystery of Ling Yin

Jiang Fan felt a chill.

He had witnessed Ling Yin's methods, which could only be described as unfathomable and unpredictable. Who would believe she could foretell the future, accurately predicting that Concubine Yunxia would ultimately be the one to kill him? And that she would set a trap in advance with a soul-healing pill, successfully bringing Jiang Fan and Concubine Yunxia together, using the opportunity to gain leverage over Concubine Yunxia?

Such cunning and tactics made Jiang Fan deeply uneasy. He said in a low voice, "Intervene? If neither Yaoyue nor I are willing, what can you do? Will you do it yourself?"

Ling Yin pondered for a moment. She nodded seriously. "If necessary, I can do it myself." A wisp of sea breeze brushed her white robes, making her look like an ethereal fairy from a painting, breathtakingly beautiful.

Jiang Fan froze, and so did Yaoyue. They never expected Ling Yin to say such a thing. However, Jiang Fan quickly felt a strong resistance. "Don't even think about it! You won't do it either!"

He recalled what Jian Linyuan had once said: The Azure Sky Demon Emperor had wanted to marry Priestess Ling Yin to ensure the priestly lineage would bear children with the Demon Emperor's bloodline. Priestess Ling Yin, finding him distasteful, had gone to Taicang Great State and committed herself to a Soul Transformation realm expert. Later, she returned with the exceptionally talented Yaoyue. While her actions weren't necessarily wrong—she was doing it for the propagation of her race—he simply couldn't accept such a woman.

Ling Yin paid no mind to his refusal. She said, "That would only be a last resort, for later. There are still two years. I hope fate will change your destiny."

Jiang Fan subtly sighed in relief. He would find a way to remove the Connected Heart Spirit Worm. If that failed, then dying together wouldn't be so bad! At least he would have Yaoyue accompanying him on the journey; it wouldn't be a loss.

"If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

Ling Yin raised her hand. "Wait. Your life and death are connected to my daughter's. If you encounter an insurmountable danger outside, you can come to Hundred Flowers Valley."

Jiang Fan's eyes lit up. Judging from Ling Yin's earlier display of power, she was definitely a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Thinking about it carefully, Ling Yin was so incredibly beautiful, yet the intensely possessive Azure Sky Demon Emperor had never made a move on her. This indirectly showed that her strength was extraordinary. In that case, if he encountered formidable beasts like the Hellish Desolate Beast again, he could run to Hundred Flowers Valley and let Ling Yin deal with the headache.

Looking at Jiang Fan's sparkling eyes, Ling Yin's delicate brows furrowed slightly. Was this fellow brewing some mischievous idea?

"Let me add a few conditions: Do not come unless it's a matter of life and death! Furthermore, it's limited to three times. And each time, I will take something from you! Lastly, after three times, you must share a room with Yaoyue!" She added four conditions in quick succession before finally feeling a little relieved.

"Alright! It's a deal!" Jiang Fan was overjoyed and agreed without hesitation.

Seeing him agree so readily, Ling Yin's heart sank. This was bad. She had offered too few conditions! This kid was going to exploit loopholes! In fact, Jiang Fan knew there were loopholes to exploit as soon as he heard her. If he only used two opportunities, he wouldn't have to share a room with Yaoyue, right? As for something being taken each time he sought help, he could hide all his treasures before entering Hundred Flowers Valley. What could Ling Yin possibly take then? It was like getting two free life-saving talismans. Only a fool would hesitate.

"Thank you, Senior Ling Yin. I have important matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." Jiang Fan was beaming with joy. He scurried away in a flash.

Ling Yin shook her head and silently stepped onto a rainbow. Yaoyue followed behind, complaining, "Mother, how could you say such a thing? What if he takes you seriously? What will you do then? Are you really going to get pregnant with his child?"

Ling Yin didn't look back. She said calmly, "No, I won't. He despises my past."

Yaoyue paused, then immediately understood what she meant. Angrily, she exclaimed, "That scoundrel! Who is it, anyway? Spreading rumors about Mother everywhere! Humans are all abuzz with it."

Ling Yin said indifferently, "An old man who's almost in his grave. He's testing whether I'm still alive in this world. Not long ago, he even organized a group of people to come here looking for the Earth Dragon Pearl." She gently rubbed her temples. She murmured, "Ah, it's been quiet for too long. Some people truly believe I'm dead. I'll find some time to warn that old geezer."

Several days later, in the South Sea Imperial Palace.

*Smack!*

Inside the grand council hall, Empress Jiomeng slammed her palm onto a tea table, her beautiful face icy cold. "Zhuoyin! You heartless dog! How could you secretly give our South Sea's Cold Cicada Extinction Pills to that vixen from the West Sea?"

Many other members of the South Sea royal family were also present in the hall. All of them glared furiously at the man leisurely holding a spiritual tea cup. He was handsome and tall, with sharp eyes that hinted at ruthlessness. Facing the wrath of Empress Jiomeng and the numerous South Sea royals, he remained calm and unperturbed, not showing a hint of panic.

"The Cold Cicada Extinction Pills were given to me by Mount Sanqing," he said. "If you're not happy, you can go buy them from Mount Sanqing yourselves."

The man before them was indeed Empress Jiomeng's husband, Emperor Zhuoyin. An elder of the royal family slammed the table, lamenting disappointedly, "Zhuoyin! How much more damage do you intend to inflict upon our South Sea before you're satisfied? Back then, the old Demon Emperor pleaded tirelessly, even kneeling, just so Jiomeng would humble herself and marry you, a person scorned by everyone. We hoped you would settle down and manage the South Sea properly, but what have you done? You've sold off the South Sea's assets to Mount Sanqing for a pittance, depriving our own demon race of resources and making us the weakest of the Four Seas. And you disregard Jiomeng's feelings, openly pairing up with that vixen from the West Sea. As if that weren't enough, you even gave away the Cold Cicada Extinction Pills, which are vital to our clan's survival, letting her sell them for money! Do you have no shame toward your father?"

It turned out that Emperor Zhuoyin was the true heir to the South Sea. Empress Jiomeng was the one who married into the family. In his youth, Emperor Zhuoyin was a notorious profligate of the Four Seas. He oppressed men, violated women, engaged in rape and plunder, and committed all sorts of evil. However, the old Demon Emperor had only one son, so he had no choice but to entrust the South Sea to him. To assist him, the old emperor went to great lengths to have Jiomeng, then considered the most talented woman in the Four Seas, marry him. At that time, any woman with self-respect detested Emperor Zhuoyin. Jiomeng too had only humbled herself and married into the family after the old Demon Emperor's persistent pleas.

As a result, after Zhuoyin inherited the throne, he showed no change, but rather worsened. He wantonly plundered the wealth of the sea demon clan, harmed other members of the royal family, incited public outrage, and even triggered a major rebellion. Eventually, amidst collective protests from the royal family, Zhuoyin abdicated the throne. He became a private citizen. The main authority was handed over to Empress Jiomeng. Under her governance, it took a full twenty years for the South Sea to recover its prosperity to the level it had enjoyed during the old Demon Emperor's reign.

The only persistent headache was that Emperor Zhuoyin was unwilling to let go of power and was determined to reclaim the throne. He would stir up trouble from time to time. Now, he had even given vital spirit pills to his mistress. This was clearly a threat to force the South Sea royal family into submission. What frustrated them was that Mount Sanqing only recognized Emperor Zhuoyin as the legitimate royal descendant. Historically, the Cold Cicada Extinction Pills had only been traded with Emperor Zhuoyin. This was also why Emperor Zhuoyin could act so recklessly time and again, and why the royal family dared not confront him.

Upon hearing the royal elder's reprimand, Emperor Zhuoyin glared fiercely at him. "You allowed a woman to seize the throne of my South Sea! You old geezers are the ones who have let my father down!"

Empress Jiomeng bit her lip tightly. She utterly detested her unscrupulous husband. If she hadn't promised the old Demon Emperor to help Zhuoyin govern the South Sea well, she wouldn't have bothered with this mess. She would have simply abandoned her duties and left, caring nothing for the fate of the South Sea!

Just then, a palace maid cautiously reported, "Your Majesties, a human calling himself Jiang Fan is requesting an audience outside the palace. He says he has come specifically to meet Empress Jiomeng and has important matters to discuss."