Chapter 1328: Emperor's Tomb

The Golden Crow Prince had witnessed his lower body being blasted apart yesterday, leaving him psychologically scarred. He often woke up startled when he closed his eyes, and even began to doubt his masculine capabilities, urgently needing to prove himself.

Ordinary palace maids could no longer pique his interest. However, the exceedingly beautiful Queen Medusa was very attractive and seemed capable of helping him regain his vigor.

Seeing the Golden Crow Prince's eager gaze, Old Wu looked troubled. "Your Highness, I did not bring Queen Medusa back."

"What?" The Golden Crow Prince's face instantly contorted into a grimace. Just as he was about to lash out, he suddenly remembered Old Wu's identity as a Grandmaster. He forcibly swallowed the curses that were on the tip of his tongue. "What exactly happened?"

Old Wu then recounted the situation he had just encountered at the Snake Tribe. The Golden Crow Prince was startled. "The Peacock Royal Family, the Elf Tribe, even the Sea Tribe and the Demon Tribe all showed her such respect?"

"Yes," Old Wu said with a wry smile. This was also something that had puzzled him greatly.

"Where did that b*tch get so many connections? Is it all just based on her looks?" Due to his previous encounter with the Snake Tribe, the Golden Crow Prince harbored a deep resentment towards Queen Medusa.

"These major tribes are clearly protecting her now, and a host of smaller tribes are also friendly with her. It would be quite troublesome to move against her," Old Wu said with a frown. "It seems that trying to use her to force that assassin out might not work anymore."

"Not necessarily," the Golden Crow Prince sneered. "The Myriad Races Convention is in three days. At that time, every race will send representatives to compete for delegate seats. The Snake Tribe was a major power in the past, and I believe Queen Medusa won't be satisfied with just one seat after her return. They will certainly send experts to participate. We'll find a way to cripple her top experts on the arena stage, making them as miserable as possible. I refuse to believe that the person behind her will be able to stand by and do nothing."

"That is indeed a feasible method, but wouldn't it be too obvious and potentially affect your reputation, Your Highness?" Old Wu cautioned specifically. If coercing the assassin out led to dissatisfaction among the various tribes, it would not be worth the effort.

"Who said I would act personally?" the Golden Crow Prince sneered. "According to previous intelligence, doesn't the Lion Tribe also have a grudge against the Snake Tribe? We can manipulate things behind the scenes and have them compete for the same set of seats, couldn't we?" He added that he heard Lion Ling, the young prince of the Lion Tribe, was severely injured and fell into a coma after his last conflict with the Snake Tribe. Lion Ling was the acknowledged rising star of the Lion Tribe and had always been favored by his father and brothers. After his accident, the entire Lion Tribe was enraged. Given the opportunity, how could they show mercy to the Snake Tribe?

"Brilliant!" Old Wu's eyes lit up. He had been worried that the Prince had become irritable, prone to anger, and even easily swayed by lust after his defeat at the Snake Tribe, completely losing his former sagely and majestic imperial demeanor. Now, he finally felt relieved; deep down, the Prince was still the one he remembered.

Following this, the Golden Crow Prince summoned his officials to arrange the relevant matters. These tasks naturally did not require Old Wu's personal involvement, so he remained in the palace to heal and recuperate.

Meanwhile, at the Snake Tribe's diplomatic residence, Yun Jianyue found Zu An. "Let's go, let's explore the Demon Royal Court. I'm almost bored to death these past two days."

She had originally wanted to go out yesterday, but Zu An disappeared. Later, when the Demon Emperor's powerful aura erupted, she worried that Zu An might be the assassin who entered the palace, and she couldn't sleep a wink all night. How could she have been in the mood to explore the city?

Of course, she wouldn't mention any of this to claim credit.

Yan Xuehen couldn't help but frown slightly. "He worked hard all night; let him rest properly."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, you're speaking like a little daughter-in-law who just entered the Zu family. Are you alright, Ice Stone Woman?" Yun Jianyue said, stroking Yan Xuehen's forehead as if she didn't recognize her.

Yan Xuehen's face flushed. Fearing that Yun Jianyue might notice something amiss, she quickly explained, "Do you think I'm like you, not considering others? First, he's too tired. Second, he's currently a wanted man, so it's really inconvenient for him to go out."

Yun Jianyue dismissed it. "Have you forgotten what Ah Zu just said? The most dangerous places are often the safest. No one would expect a wanted man to swagger through the market like this. Let's take this opportunity to make his 'Yan Zu' name famous, so people don't connect him with Ah Zu in a few days."

Yan Xuehen's delicate brows furrowed slightly; she felt Yun Jianyue's words sounded like sophistry. Just as she was about to retort, Zu An said, "It's always good to familiarize ourselves with the layout of the Royal Court beforehand. As the saying goes, 'know yourself and your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' Besides, we can use this opportunity to search for the places marked on the map."

The women paused, then realized he was referring to the map of the unknown lands they had obtained from the Marquis Sui's Tomb. With that, no one had any further objections.

As they left, Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue recalled their previous encounter at the city gates. They realized that while wearing veils could conceal their faces, it would also more easily pique others' curiosity.

Especially given their graceful figures and outstanding temperaments, they were clearly great beauties. The Royal Court was currently filled with powerful figures from various tribes. Although they were not afraid, they also did not want to cause unnecessary trouble.

Moreover, in three days, they would have to go to the arena to help Yu Yanluo compete for seats. They couldn't possibly fight with veils and cloaks in full view of everyone, could they?

Revealing their true faces would be even more inappropriate. Both women were renowned Grandmasters of the human race, and some in the demon race had seen them before. If their identities were recognized, given their current state, they might not even know how they died.

So, each of them asked Zu An for a disguise mask and transformed into ordinary-looking women to get accustomed to it in advance. Looking at their reflections in the mirror, their faces could only be described as utterly plain, yet they didn't mind in the slightest. With their current state of mind, they no longer cared about their appearance.

Zu An, meanwhile, secretly lamented that their current appearance would definitely be ridiculed as 'back-view killers' in his previous life—goddess-like from behind, but as for their faces...

By the way, Chen Xuan's mask set surprisingly contained several female faces; he didn't expect him to have a cross-dressing hobby.

As for Yu Yanluo, she was already a well-known figure and the leader of the Snake Tribe, so she naturally didn't need a disguise mask; a light veil would suffice.

Next, the group headed into the city. Although there had been an assassin incident at the palace last night, representatives from various tribes had now gathered in the Royal Court. The royal family could not impose a long-term curfew on so many influential people. Thus, after a full day of city-wide searches yesterday, restrictions were lifted again today.

While the Demon Royal Court was not as prosperous as the human capital, it was not far behind. Especially here, perhaps due to their racial talents, individuals were naturally good at singing and dancing, and even a cluster of bonfires could turn into a lively party.

Along the way, many young demons whistled excitedly at the sight of the women. The demon race was far more passionate and uninhibited than the human race; they would directly approach and strike up conversations with those they liked. However, upon seeing the disguised faces of Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, their enthusiasm immediately vanished, and they scrambled away.

As for Yu Yanluo, because she was with Yan Xuehen and Yun Jianyue, people speculated she probably wouldn't be much better looking, and they lost all interest in even lifting her veil.

Zu An couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't expect you two would also be considered ugly by others."

"It's quite interesting," Yan Xuehen said. Previously, wherever she went, she was always admired by many. Seeing the recent scene was quite novel.

"I didn't expect being a little ugly would have such benefits," Yun Jianyue said, though still somewhat disgruntled. "Hmph, if this were among humans, those guys' eyeballs would have been gouged out, their limbs broken, and then they'd be thrown into a field as fertilizer."

Yu Yanluo secretly clicked her tongue. The Demonic Cult Master was indeed ruthless, yet their interactions these past few days had been surprisingly pleasant.

These minor episodes didn't linger long in their minds. Seeing the strange and wondrous items in the surrounding markets, Yun Jianyue's face lit up with excitement. Although the human race had imported many demon items and even opened various shops featuring demon characteristics, they were clearly not as authentic as these original ones.

In contrast to Yun Jianyue's excitement, Yan Xuehen showed little interest. She had always preferred quiet, and these lively scenes around her not only failed to amuse her but made her feel somewhat out of place.

Comparatively, she found herself looking at Zu An more often inadvertently. For a moment, she was in a daze, wondering why their last stroll through the morning market in Cloudtop City had been so joyful and relaxed, yet today she felt quite annoyed. Was it because others were also with them?

Her heart skipped a beat at this thought. She had to quickly urge him to improve the skills of that girl named Mei Xi, so they could lift the "Love as Strong as Gold and Stone" curse soon.

But given the relationship that had developed between them, would lifting the curse still have any meaning...?

"Do I have flowers on my face?" A teasing voice suddenly broke her thoughts. Yan Xuehen was startled, then realized Zu An was walking beside her, grinning.

It turned out Yun Jianyue was busy looking at novelties everywhere, and to conceal Zu An's identity, Yu Yanluo didn't dare to appear too intimate with him, choosing instead to walk with Xingnu. Thus, Zu An had gradually drifted to Yan Xuehen's side.

"Who was looking at you!" Yan Xuehen immediately turned her face away.

Zu An looked amused. "Sister Yan, don't you never lie? A renunciant doesn't speak falsehoods."

She was a cultivator of the Dao, so in a sense, calling her a renunciant was not incorrect.

Yan Xuehen: "..."

This guy was truly annoying. 'You know I'm a renunciant, yet you still did *that* to me?'

At this moment, Yu Yanluo suddenly turned her head as if sensing something. "Ah Zu, what are you two talking about?"

Yan Xuehen's heart skipped a beat, unsure how to explain, but Zu An had already replied naturally, "We're studying the map."

Yan Xuehen secretly admired him; this guy didn't even blink when he spoke. In the future, she would have to remind Chu Yan not to be deceived by him.

Thinking of her disciple, her expression suddenly darkened.

In this manner, the group used their casual strolls around the Royal Court to secretly study the local terrain and compare it with the map of the unknown lands.

Gradually, the group ventured further and further from the main areas, eventually arriving at a patch of mountainous forest in the northern part of the city.

This was not a desolate wilderness, but still within the Royal Court city. Faintly scattered buildings and lights could be seen within the forest.

"It seems to be in this area," Zu An said, checking the map. The group followed a flagstone path up the mountain.

Suddenly, a sharp shout came from ahead: "Stop! This is the Imperial Mausoleum, a forbidden area. Intruders will be executed without mercy!"