Chapter 1324: New Grudges and Old Hatreds

"The Golden Crow royal family possesses strong bodies and incredible skills like the Golden Crow Holy Flame, which grants them powerful regenerative abilities," the Little Demon Empress explained. "Though you shattered his lower body, with the Golden Crow Holy Flame and the help of the Demon Emperor's wisp of divine consciousness, his injuries have gradually healed. When I just checked, he was on the verge of... on the verge of regenerating his severed limbs."

She hesitated for a moment, taking some time to find the appropriate description.

Zu An's jaw nearly dropped in astonishment. "That thing can regenerate even after being pulverized? Doesn't that mean he's practically immortal? Why doesn't he just ascend to heaven then?"

The Little Demon Empress pursed her lips and smiled. "Of course, it's not infinite recovery; there's certainly a limit. You nearly pushed him to his breaking point this time. Furthermore, while he managed to regenerate his severed limbs with the Demon Emperor's help, it's definitely nowhere near as good as before. At best, it's barely functional. He must absolutely hate you."

Zu An breathed a sigh of relief. This was more like it. If he'd known the Golden Crow Crown Prince was perfectly fine, he would have been furious.

"Let's go. It's dawn now. I'll escort you out of the palace," the Little Demon Empress said, standing up.

Zu An said gravely, "What if we're discovered then? There'll be nowhere to run."

"The Golden Crow Guards searched the palace all night without finding anything. They are exhausted and at their most relaxed right now," the Little Demon Empress said, a hint of majesty and pride suddenly appearing on her face. "Besides, with my carriage, who would dare to truly conduct a thorough search?"

Zu An's expression was peculiar. Didn't those Golden Crow Guards search her bedchamber yesterday? They even almost lifted her covers.

However, since she seemed so confident, he chose to trust her. After all, with the Demon Emperor residing in the palace, staying there felt unsettling.

The Little Demon Empress then brought out a carriage, the very one Zu An had seen outside the city gates earlier. She activated a mechanism in the seat, revealing a hidden compartment large enough for people to hide inside.

It would have been difficult for two people to hide in there, but fortunately, Qiao Xueying was petite and slender, so she just barely fit.

"There's actually a space like this under your seat?" Zu An's expression was odd, and he seemed to hesitate before speaking.

"Do you think I often use this to smuggle men in and out of the palace? Hmph, do you take the Demon Emperor for a mere decoration?" the Little Demon Empress glared at him. "I just prepared it for emergencies, and I didn't expect to actually use it now."

Seeing his silence, the Little Demon Empress chuckled, "What's wrong? Are you, a great man, unwilling to have a woman like me sit on top of you?"

Zu An had actually just received a spiritual message from Xue'er, warning him to be cautious. The Little Demon Empress was famously beautiful yet venomous in the demon race; he was advised to watch out for any traps she might have set in the carriage.

So, he was discreetly checking the space for any mechanisms, to avoid falling into a trap.

Fortunately, apart from some aura-isolating arrays around the walls, there was nothing else. He then chuckled, "Countless men in this world would wish to have Your Majesty sit on top of them..."

As soon as he said this, he suddenly froze. He felt wronged; that wasn't what he meant, but his words inadvertently carried a teasing undertone.

The Little Demon Empress's cheeks also flushed slightly as she realized her own words had been quite ambiguous. She let out a charming laugh, "You scoundrel, you truly have the nerve to try and take advantage of even me!"

Qiao Xueying quietly pinched him. This guy dared to flirt with even this femme fatale; wasn't he afraid she'd devour him whole, leaving not even a single bone?

The Little Demon Empress noticed her jealous gesture and was somewhat surprised. It seemed their relationship was better than she had imagined.

The Little Demon Empress then openly escorted the two of them out of the palace. Servants greeted her respectfully along the way, and indeed, no one dared to investigate.

However, they were stopped at the palace gates by a general who inquired, "Your Majesty, where are you going?"

Zu An's heart stirred. The voice belonged to Ma Tian, the Left Guard General he had encountered upon entering the palace.

"Do I need to report my whereabouts to General Ma?" the Little Demon Empress asked, her voice still charming but laced with coldness.

"This humble subordinate would not dare," Ma Tian replied, beads of cold sweat forming on his brow. It was all that idiot Niu Dao's fault for insisting on intruding into the Little Demon Empress's bedchamber yesterday, which had angered her so much.

"If you wouldn't dare, then move aside quickly!" the Little Demon Empress said sharply.

"This..." Ma Tian hesitated. "Your Majesty, there was just an assassin incident in the palace. It might not be safe to leave now."

"My cultivation is more than enough for self-defense. Moreover, this is within the royal court, and the Demon Emperor is still here. Who would dare lay a hand on me?" the Little Demon Empress said, feeling inexplicably guilty. Last night, she had been restrained by that fellow and forced to listen to them all night, leaving her feeling sticky and uncomfortable all over. After seeing them off, she absolutely needed to go back and take a good bath.

Ma Tian inwardly grumbled at her words. Wasn't it just yesterday that the assassin even attacked the Crown Prince?

"What, General Ma, do you also wish to enter my carriage and conduct a search?" Anger was now discernible in the Little Demon Empress's voice.

"This humble subordinate would not dare. I was merely concerned for Your Majesty's safety," Ma Tian replied. He mused that Niu Dao, that fool, had stormed the Little Demon Empress's bedchamber yesterday and found nothing. Afterward, not only would he face the Little Demon Empress's retaliation, but even the Demon Emperor wouldn't let him off once he was less busy. How could he repeat such a mistake? Speaking, he opened the way. "Respectfully seeing Your Majesty off!"

The Little Demon Empress snorted and waved her hand, signaling the carriage procession to proceed.

After leaving the palace, the Little Demon Empress found a secluded spot and released Zu An and Qiao Xueying. "Take good care of yourselves during this time. I hope you're not dead by the next time I look for you."

Zu An smiled slightly. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for saving us. I hope we meet again if fate allows."

The Little Demon Empress nodded, then pulled Qiao Xueying aside and gave her a lengthy set of instructions on how to handle inquiries from the palace, before finally departing.

Following the Little Demon Empress's instructions, Zu An then sent Qiao Xueying back to the Elven Royal Manor, deliberately making sure many people saw her return—he, of course, remained hidden.

Along the way, Zu An had told her about his current identity, temporarily residing in the Snake Tribe's lodge, which made Xue'er quite jealous, as there were legends about the Medusa Queen in the demon race.

It wasn't until Zu An mentioned that Yan Xuehen was also there that she finally relaxed. She thought that with Chu Yan's master present, he probably wouldn't dare to act out, and she happily returned to the Elven Royal Manor.

While some were joyful, others were sorrowful. In the imperial dungeon, Zongzheng Heichiran had been apprehended. His entire body was so battered that not a single patch of skin remained intact, and he couldn't even open his eyes. He merely mumbled indistinctly, "I'm innocent..."

"Still refusing to tell the truth," the Golden Crow Crown Prince said, his face pale. The Golden Crow Holy Flame had clearly aided his recovery, but at a significant cost. "Castrate him for me!"

The surrounding jailers looked shocked. Only then did the Golden Crow Crown Prince realize he was delirious with anger. "Ah, no, castrate *him* for me!"

The jailers were speechless.

They were almost in tears. Who exactly were they supposed to castrate?

Fortunately, the grandmaster Elder Wu stepped forward to intervene. "Crown Prince, do not be impulsive. In my opinion, the person yesterday was probably not Heichiran."

"If not him, then who? I saw it with my own eyes!" the Golden Crow Crown Prince thought. He had finally set up yesterday's scheme, and just as Princess Xue was within his grasp, she was taken away by the other party.

Princess Xue had been drugged by him at the time, and what happened that night was self-evident.

This fellow was disloyal, even daring to lay hands on his woman?

Elder Wu explained, "Crown Prince, consider this: although Heichiran's cultivation isn't low, how could he be your match? Moreover, I clashed with that assassin yesterday. With Heichiran's cultivation, he absolutely could not have withstood my full-force attack."

The Golden Crow Crown Prince had vented all night and his anger had subsided considerably, finally regaining some rationality. "If not him, then who? That assassin looked exactly like him, even down to the black teeth."

Elder Wu explained, "That person likely possessed extremely skilled disguise techniques and impersonated Heichiran. Oh, and Left Guard General Ma Tian just reported something noteworthy: he mentioned that yesterday, 'Heichiran' claimed to be summoned by the Crown Prince when entering the palace and even produced your personal Golden Crow token. That item cannot be faked!"

The Golden Crow Crown Prince roared in fury, "Arrest everyone who possesses my Golden Crow token and interrogate them thoroughly! I will certainly find that fellow and flay him alive, tear him apart limb by limb, to finally vent this hatred in my heart!"

Elder Wu hesitated before saying, "Crown Prince, have you forgotten? We also issued one when we were in the Snake Tribe before."

The Golden Crow Crown Prince's face darkened. "Are you saying it was that detestable human?"

"Precisely. Only he would be so familiar with your moves and skills, and unafraid of your Golden Crow Holy Flame. Even if it were someone else attempting a sneak attack, it would be difficult to inflict such heavy damage on you in such a short time," Elder Wu added. "Furthermore, I've heard that members of the Snake Tribe recently entered the royal court."

"It was him! Good, now I can settle both old and new scores!" The Golden Crow Crown Prince smashed the nearby table to splinters. "Guards! Bring back everyone from the Snake Tribe to me!"