Chapter 854: High-Level Match

Jiang Fan gave a wry smile. "It's a long story. In short, meeting the West Sea Crown Prince was a coincidence, and saving him was just something I did along the way. The West Sea Demon Emperor needn't worry about it."

Hearing Jiang Fan's humility, Old Dream Demon Empress wasn't having it. She patted his shoulder and said with a proud expression, "West Sea Demon Emperor, don't listen to his modesty. That battle just now was incredibly dangerous..."

After she finished recounting the events, the West Sea Demon Emperor was repeatedly stunned. "You actually contended with the Turbid Yin Demon Emperor? Hiss! What kind of prodigy has the Heavenly Secret Pavilion nurtured?!"

An eighth-layer Core Formation cultivator fighting a Left Path Nascent Soul cultivator to a draw—who would believe that? Moreover, he had to use two trump cards, the Talisman Arrow and the Boundless Ring, to turn the tide. Looking at Jiang Fan, then at his own son, he was furious. He raised his hand and smacked the West Sea Crown Prince on the head, saying with a tone of disappointment, "Look at Jiang Fan! He's younger than you, yet he can fight a Left Path Nascent Soul cultivator and even get involved in battles between Nascent Soul powerhouses! And you! All you do is chase women every day! This time, you almost played your life away! How did my West Sea produce such a good-for-nothing like you?"

The West Sea Crown Prince rubbed his head, wincing in pain, and retorted, "Dad, don't let my brother Jiang fool you. He only plays high-stakes games with women. He goes straight for..." He couldn't finish his sentence, because Jiang Fan and Old Dream Demon Empress cast two death glares at him. The West Sea Crown Prince quickly stopped, clearing his throat, "Anyway, his women are all very formidable, extremely formidable."

The West Sea Demon Emperor smacked him on the head again. "That's also his ability! If you're capable, then you go play high-stakes games too!"

The West Sea Crown Prince made a bitter face. How could he afford to play those games? Those were Demon Empresses who, like his father, shared dominion over the four seas.

The West Sea Demon Emperor was profoundly disappointed. Without Jiang Fan as a comparison, he thought his son was passable, at least better than that scoundrel Turbid Yin, right? But comparing them, he simply wanted to throw his son away and have another one.

Looking at Jiang Fan, who had expended considerable energy, the West Sea Demon Emperor thought for a moment. He then handed Jiang Fan the eyeball he had gouged out of Elder Evil Eye's socket. "You performed a meritorious deed last time, and I had no reward for you. Consider this eyeball as compensation."

Jiang Fan looked at the bloody eyeball, a little puzzled. "What use is this thing?" Old Dream Demon Empress's eyes lit up. She took it from Jiang Fan and said, "This is a truly good treasure! Elder Evil Eye had a unique eye, a congenital double pupil. This eye can pierce through illusions. No stealth, illusion, or charm technique can escape this eye. Even your mid-grade Dustless Talisman will be exposed under this gaze. The West Sea Demon Emperor actually gouged out this eyeball? Jiang Fan, if you refine it into a magical artifact, it will be incredibly practical."

Jiang Fan's eyes showed delight. He knew it was a good treasure just by hearing about it! He himself often used invisibility talismans to ambush—or rather, counter—enemies, so he naturally knew how dangerous it was when an enemy was invisible. Now with this eyeball, he had an enormous extra layer of security. The energy from the Talisman Arrow and the Boundless Ring that he had lost previously, this single eyeball had compensated for all of it. "Elder Evil Eye really took a huge loss," Jiang Fan chuckled. "His only double pupil was gouged out. The unfortunate thing is about Turbid Yin. We came for him this time, but in the end, he got away."

Old Dream Demon Empress also frowned deeply. This venomous snake, heaven knew where he was hiding. He might suddenly appear one day and bite someone.

The West Sea Demon Emperor's expression turned cold. "Injuring my son, and he still thinks he can escape the West Sea? Don't worry, he won't get away! I brought powerful experts from the West Sea clan, and they've already laid an inescapable net within a hundred-mile radius."

No sooner had he spoken, a peculiar sound wave came from the distant sea. The West Sea Demon Emperor's brows relaxed, and he let out a chuckle: "Someone found him." He immediately transformed into an afterimage and departed with the West Sea Crown Prince.

Old Dream Demon Empress's face brightened with joy, saying, "That guy, his karma has finally caught up to him!"

Jiang Fan pondered and said, "Sister Old Dream, are you still planning to let him live? Just now, his betrayal almost led to your death and spiritual annihilation."

Old Dream Demon Empress's expression turned slightly cold upon hearing that. After a long period of contemplation, she shook her head slightly: "Anyone can kill him. Except me. I am his wife, and moreover, the late Demon Emperor entrusted me with taking care of him in his final moments. By both sentiment and reason, I cannot kill him."

Jiang Fan frowned and asked, "What about the elders of the South Sea Royal Clan?" Old Dream Demon Empress still shook her head, saying, "They won't kill him either." As she spoke, she gently lowered her head and sighed, "The South Sea needs a Demon Emperor to hold sway. The reason I can command the South Sea is because I am Turbid Yin's wife. With this status, no one can disobey. If Turbid Yin dies, then who am I? By what right would I command the South Sea? Therefore, no matter what, Turbid Yin cannot die. Even..."

She pondered for a long time. A hint of grievance and helplessness welled up in her eyes. Looking at Jiang Fan, who had helped her resolve major crises several times, it was as if she had finally found someone in whom she could confide. She said bitterly, "They've even urged me more than once to conceive Turbid Yin's child, to continue the lineage of the South Sea Royal Clan. To couple with such a person, to bear his child... Jiang Fan, what should I do?"

Jiang Fan could feel the pain in Old Dream Demon Empress's heart. He could also understand it somewhat. It was like Ling Yin urging him and Yao Yue to have a child. He'd rather die than have that kind of interaction with Yao Yue. Let alone Old Dream Demon Empress and a scoundrel like Turbid Yin. That would definitely be more unbearable than killing her. If she had a choice, she would certainly be like Jiang Fan, preferring death over being with Turbid Yin.

After a long pause, a cold glint flashed in Jiang Fan's eyes. But his face remained expressionless as he said, "Sister Old Dream, what's done is done. Things will sort themselves out. There will always be a way."

Old Dream Demon Empress felt a hint of disappointment in her heart. She had hoped for some comfort, but instead, she received such perfunctory words. She sighed faintly, "Human sorrows are not interconnected. I was putting you in a difficult position. Let's go. Let's check on Turbid Yin, lest the West Sea kills him."

When they arrived, Turbid Yin was already lying on the ground, his head bleeding profusely. Beside him was the rather disheveled Candle Shadow Phantom, the West Sea Demon Emperor's chief martial minister. Although he was a peak ninth-layer Core Formation cultivator, his strength was incredibly profound. He had actually managed to forcibly restrain Turbid Yin, holding him until the West Sea Demon Emperor arrived.

"Old Dream Demon Empress, this man is your husband. I merely taught him a lesson. The rest is up to you." The West Sea Demon Emperor smoothed his blood-stained sleeve. Clearly, Turbid Yin's miserable state was entirely due to the West Sea Demon Emperor's rage for revenge on behalf of his son.

Turbid Yin felt as if he had received a great amnesty. With disheveled hair and a face covered in blood, he crawled towards Old Dream Demon Empress, saying, "Old Dream, quickly take me back to the South Sea." He had no doubt that if it weren't for his apprehension towards Old Dream Demon Empress, the West Sea Demon Emperor would have killed him.

Old Dream Demon Empress looked at him expressionlessly. She lifted her foot and kicked him in the abdomen. Powerful demonic energy surged into his body, completely crippling his cultivation. His demonic power and innate divine abilities all disintegrated. He became an ordinary person, with a physique only slightly stronger than that of a regular sea demon.

Turbid Yin was in agony, writhing and rolling on the ground, clutching his arms. The South Sea's Demon Emperor of a generation was thus crippled. It took him a long time to recover, and he struggled to get up. He resigned himself to his fate. Being a cripple was better than dying, right? Anyway, back in the South Sea, no one would kill him. Thinking this, his body and mind relaxed. When he noticed Jiang Fan nearby, his eyes filled with hatred. But then, his expression turned mocking. He walked up to Jiang Fan and said sarcastically, "Jiang Fan. Aren't you disappointed my wife didn't kill me? Don't worry, there's more disappointment to come for you. The South Sea Royal Clan must rely on me to continue its lineage. So, whether Old Dream likes it or not, she'll eventually have to lie beneath me and let me sow my seed. She'll be wantonly conquered by me, obediently conceive my flesh and blood, and give birth to our child! Are you angry? Do you really want to kill me? Hahahaha!"

Jiang Fan gave a faint smile. "You're overthinking it. That's your South Sea's business. How could I, a human, interfere? I hope you two return to harmony."

Turbid Yin's face stiffened. He actually couldn't anger Jiang Fan? He didn't know that, in the palm of the hand Jiang Fan held behind his back, a hair ornament was subtly spinning.