Chapter 856: Brothers Become Uncles

The West Sea Demon Emperor’s face held a wry smile as he heard this. “Old Dream Demon Emperor, where did you hear such a rumor? The Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl has completely vanished since a single one was discovered three hundred years ago. If there were any, those great divine sects and academies from Taicang Great State would have long since trampled my West Sea’s doorstep flat. Such talk is forbidden; it will needlessly bring trouble to my West Sea.”

Jiang Fan listened, immediately understanding the Old Dream Demon Emperor’s intention. She had once been caught in the rain and knew how unpleasant it felt, so she wanted to tear away West Sea’s umbrella too, so everyone could be miserable together.

“Sister Old Dream, what is a Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl?” Jiang Fan asked softly.

The Old Dream Demon Emperor replied, “Three hundred years ago, the West Sea’s then-Crown Prince was making a hasty breakthrough and was about to fail. Do you know the consequences if one fails to break through to the Demon Emperor realm?”

Jiang Fan nodded. Negative aura would entangle them, making it difficult to ever re-enter the Demon Emperor realm in their lifetime. Concubine Yunxia was a living example; were it not for Master Qinghe’s Tranquil Lotus Silk Whisk, she would have had no hope of reaching the Demon Emperor realm in this life.

“The Crown Prince was on the verge of failing his breakthrough to the Demon Emperor realm, so he took out a magic treasure called the Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl. And then, the breakthrough was halted! After three months of renewed preparation, he continued his breakthrough and finally entered the Demon Emperor realm.”

Jiang Fan’s eyes widened. “Are you saying that a breakthrough to the Demon Emperor realm can be paused? Is transcending a tribulation really that frivolous?” If it weren’t for the Old Dream Demon Emperor’s serious and convincing tone, he wouldn’t have dared to believe it was true. How could such a serious and dangerous act as transcending a tribulation be forcibly paused?

The Old Dream Demon Emperor nodded gently and said very seriously, “I know you don’t believe it; I didn’t quite believe it at first either. But this event is recorded in the sea annals of all Four Seas. The Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl had never appeared before, nor has it ever been created since. In the thousands of years of the Four Seas’ history, only this one single pearl has ever emerged. Its name was given by the Demon Emperor of that time: ‘Deceiving Heaven, Deceiving Heaven’—to deceive the heavens. This pearl truly accomplished that!”

A hint of disbelief was evident in the Old Dream Demon Emperor’s tone. “This pearl not only temporarily dispelled the heavenly tribulation but also continuously preserved the breakthrough opportunity within the cultivator. You understand its preciousness now, don’t you?”

Jiang Fan’s heart pounded wildly. This was even more precious than the six Protective Night Pearls! The difficulty of obtaining an opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage goes without saying, right? Jiang Fan was currently worried about the one blood and three souls needed for the Fateshift Jade Butterfly. That Tiger Demon Emperor, an existence close to the Incarnation stage, had suppressed the continent for an entire era. Among the items he left behind, there were only three opportunities to break through to the Demon Emperor stage, all told. Finally, there was the Imperial Astronomical Bureau’s bounty: one ancient giant in exchange for one opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage. Aside from these, he hadn’t heard a single whisper of any other opportunity to break through to the Nascent Soul stage.

But this Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl… it could actually temporarily preserve an opportunity when a breakthrough was on the verge of failure? This was simply too heaven-defying! It was like turning one opportunity into two chances! If the first attempt failed, it could be immediately paused. Then, after sufficient preparation, one could attempt the breakthrough again. Jiang Fan’s heart stirred. He looked at the West Sea Demon Emperor and said, “West Sea Demon Emperor, this junior is willing to exchange a pill recipe for…” He glanced at the West Sea Crown Prince. Originally, he wanted to spare him a severe beating, but now… who cared about the West Sea Crown Prince? “…in exchange for the Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl.”

The West Sea Demon Emperor smiled bitterly, “Young Master Jiang, why are you also listening to the Old Dream Demon Emperor’s rumors? Where would my West Sea find such a thing?”

However, the Old Dream Demon Emperor chuckled, “West Sea Demon Emperor, this pill recipe is for the Cold Cicada Annihilation Pill. Are you sure you don’t want it?”

“What?” The bitter smile on the West Sea Demon Emperor’s face instantly vanished, replaced by shock. He swept his gaze around, decisively closed the hall doors, and set up an insulating water barrier. “The Cold Cicada Annihilation Pill recipe? Old Dream Demon Emperor, you can’t just speak carelessly about such things. If it reached the ears of Mount Sanqing, who knows how much trouble it would stir up. The affair of the East Sea’s Third Princess is a clear and recent warning.”

The Old Dream Demon Emperor said, “This pill recipe was personally verified by the East Sea Demon Emperor. It is absolutely real.”

The West Sea Demon Emperor gasped. He immediately understood what this meant. At most, the Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl would only allow the Sea Demon race to successfully produce one more Emperor-level cultivator. However, one more Emperor-level cultivator could not change West Sea’s century-long fate of being strangled by Mount Sanqing. Therefore, whose value was higher, did it even need to be said? His eyes burning, he looked at Jiang Fan and said, “Young Master Jiang, do you confirm that this pill recipe is real?”

Jiang Fan nodded, “If it’s fake, the three seas of East, South, and West are welcome to find me at the Heavenly Secret Pavilion.”

The West Sea Demon Emperor had no further doubts. It had been verified by the East Sea Demon Emperor and endorsed by the Heavenly Secret Pavilion. Moreover, a person as clever as Jiang Fan wouldn’t dare to play tricks on such a crucial matter concerning the fate of the Four Sea races. If he were to lie, he understood the consequences better than anyone. He immediately said, “Good, good. Thanks to Young Friend Jiang’s benevolence, you have brought such an astonishing gift to my West Sea. The Deceiving Heaven Divine Pearl is yours.” He decisively took out a crystal box he carried with him. Inside lay a reddish, round pearl resembling unpolished jade. Peculiar air currents swirled within it. It looked like some form of text, or maybe inscriptions, and upon closer inspection, it seemed like some kind of trajectory. In short, it was profoundly mysterious.

Jiang Fan’s heart was stirred. He decisively transcribed the pill recipe from memory and handed it to the West Sea Demon Emperor. The latter held the recipe and cross-referenced it with the one in the Old Dream Demon Emperor’s hand, which was personally written by the Pearl Demon Emperor. After confirming that not a single detail was amiss, he burst into hearty laughter. “Those bastards from Mount Sanqing! My West Sea finally doesn’t have to grovel to you anymore!”

Afterward, he summoned the West Sea Crown Prince before him and thumped him on the chest: “You rascal! Becoming acquainted with Young Master Jiang is arguably the greatest contribution you’ve made to West Sea in your entire life! I’ll forgive you for the matter of the Incarnation Ruins. From now on, associate more with Young Master Jiang and spend less time thinking about women!”

The West Sea Crown Prince, as if granted a great pardon, hurriedly clasped his hands towards Jiang Fan: “Brother Jiang, I can never repay this life-saving kindness! Let’s interact more in the future.”

The Old Dream Demon Emperor rolled her eyes at him. Hearing that he wanted to associate with Jiang Fan, she was even more displeased. Her beautiful eyes swirled, and she said, “I say, West Sea Crown Prince, shouldn’t you change your form of address? Jiang Fan is the sworn younger brother of both me and the Pearl Demon Emperor. If you call him ‘Brother Jiang,’ wouldn’t that make you our equal? In that case, should we start calling your father an elder?”

Upon hearing this, the West Sea Demon Emperor immediately kicked the West Sea Crown Prince. “You have no sense of perception.” Then, he also cupped his hands towards Jiang Fan and said, “Young Friend Jiang, if you don’t mind, how about you and I also become sworn brothers?” Although he didn’t know why both the Old Dream and Pearl Demon Emperors had taken Jiang Fan as their sworn younger brother, these two were shrewd individuals. They wouldn’t do anything without benefit. Joining them in a sworn brotherhood himself definitely wouldn’t be a mistake.

Of course, Jiang Fan had no objection. He immediately raised his cup and said, “I toast…” Speaking of which, he still didn’t know the West Sea Demon Emperor’s daoist title. Even the Old Dream Demon Emperor had always referred to him as “West Sea Demon Emperor, West Sea Demon Emperor.” It seemed as though she was also avoiding saying his daoist title.