Chapter 1373: Choosing a Man Poorly

Meanwhile, the various factions who rushed to the imperial tomb upon hearing the news were stopped outside by Blacktooth Fei and his soldiers. No one doubted that he was falsely relaying an imperial decree. After all, the Demon Emperor's phantom image had just appeared above the imperial tomb, covering the sky, and no one else could have faked such a sight. However, the various factions had different ideas about why the Demon Emperor would appear inside the imperial tomb.

The Second Prince was the most nervous. He had prepared two assassination plans, one overt and one covert, even sacrificing his important hidden agent near the Crown Prince prematurely. Even if the assassination failed, it would still make the Golden Crow Crown Prince lower his guard, as he would subconsciously believe the Second Prince had no more tricks up his sleeve. Additionally, Wu Liang of the Pangolin clan, whom he had gone to great lengths to find, was his real trump card. This fellow was quite mysterious, possessing an endless array of skills that even the Second Prince greatly admired. With such arrangements made, he was actually quite confident of success.

Now that his father had suddenly appeared in the imperial tomb, was it because the Crown Prince had died and he rushed there to seal off the news, or was it because he had actually been staying in the imperial tomb, leading to the assassination's failure? But that didn't make sense; according to his informants, his father was still in the palace not long ago. However, he couldn't be sure, as with the Demon Emperor's strength, his subordinates might not truly be able to monitor him effectively. Also, what exactly was the commotion in the imperial tomb just now? Were they tremors caused by his subordinates fighting the Crown Prince? Because he cared too much, he was exceptionally anxious and apprehensive.

There was another person just as anxious and apprehensive as him. On a tall tower in the imperial palace, stood a beautiful woman in palace attire, wrapped in a fiery red fur cloak. Against the backdrop of white snow and cold wind, she appeared even more alluring and noble, attracting many guards to secretly gaze at her. Knowing full well this was a grave sin, the Little Demon Empress was simply too beautiful, so captivating that one couldn't tear their eyes away.

The Little Demon Empress, however, did not have her usual charming and affectionate smile at this moment. Her brows were gently furrowed, as if countless clouds of worry enveloped them. "Such a huge commotion, did he succeed?" she wondered anxiously. She originally had confidants among the guards around the imperial tomb who would send back news immediately if anything happened there. But now that the Demon Emperor had rushed there, all information was sealed off, making it impossible to ascertain what was happening inside the imperial tomb. "With that boy's strength, he indeed has a good chance of success," she thought with a worried expression. "But with the Demon Emperor there, if they get caught, will they expose me?" She soon bit her silver teeth lightly. "Hmph, at worst, I'll just deny everything and say he was sent by the Second Prince to frame me. I am the young prince's mother; the Demon Emperor still needs my help to assist the young prince."

Unlike these two individuals with their hidden agendas, other factions analyzed the situation closer to the truth. Tiger Qianxiao and Lion Zhentian were both looking towards the imperial tomb from their respective residences, both wondering, "Why was there a sudden burst of primal energy from the imperial tomb just now?" Although the imperial tomb was a place of excellent geomancy, it was ultimately a tomb. Theoretically, it should have been filled with more death qi, making it highly unlikely to erupt with such a strong life force and primal energy as just witnessed.

At the Golden Roc Prince's Estate, the current master, Young Golden Roc Prince, was sitting in a pavilion drinking wine, gazing towards the imperial tomb. "The spatial elements are fluctuating violently," he mused. "Could some secret realm have opened? But what kind of secret realm would open at the location of the imperial tomb?"

In the Sea Clan's temporary residence, a beautiful woman suddenly emerged from a pool. The water droplets clinging to her skin shone with exceptional brilliance in the sunlight. Shang Liuyu looked towards the imperial tomb with a puzzled expression. She pondered for a moment, then directly transmitted a message with her primal energy: "Little Chiwen, go and investigate what exactly happened at the imperial tomb. Also, go to the Snake Clan and see if Queen Medusa and her friends are still there."

Chiwen's dejected voice came from afar: "I can go investigate the imperial tomb, but I'm not going to the Snake Clan." Too many painful memories had been left behind at the Snake Clan's territory; just thinking about it now gave him psychological trauma, and he didn't want to revisit that place at all. In the trials for the representative seats a few days ago, the Giant Maggot clan warrior was beaten so badly that he spat out excrement. Chiwen initially joined the people around him in schadenfreude laughter, but then he cried as he laughed, because he had actually tasted that flavor...

"Are you itching for a beating? Watch out or I'll beat you," Shang Liuyu said, not holding back with him.

Chiwen shivered. "Alright, I'll go," he grumbled, "no need to be so fierce." Since childhood, he had been extremely pampered in the Dragon Palace. The Dragon King cherished him so much, as if he would melt if held in his mouth, and naturally, others dared not offend him in the slightest. But this aunt didn't care about any of that; if he did something wrong, she would genuinely beat him hard. As a result, he had feared nothing since he was little, except this aunt.

At the Elf King's Estate, Qiao Xueying was restless. Finally, unable to hold back, she disregarded the objections of the estate's residents and left the estate directly. She no longer cared about the surveillance by the Crown Prince's faction. The commotion at the imperial tomb gave her an ominous feeling, and she had to go to the Snake Clan's territory to confirm Zu An's safety.

Countless people speculated, countless people worried. Zu An, at this moment, felt his scalp tingle, worried that the Demon Emperor would kill the women if things went sour. Yu Yanluo might be spared, as she was the head of a clan and killing her so easily would have too negative an impact, but Yan and Yun had no such protective status.

Out of concern, he quickly said, "Demon Emperor, this Miss Yan is skilled in runic array formations; she can help in the upcoming Uncharted Land. This Miss Yun is skilled in... skilled in..." He was momentarily speechless. He couldn't very well say Yun Jianyue was good at killing, and how could that compare to the Demon Emperor? It was even less possible to say she was skilled in charm techniques or anything of the sort.

At this moment, Yun Jianyue snorted. "Brat, you don't need to speak for me. I stand between heaven and earth; if I die, I die. How could I beg for surrender from others?" After speaking, she glanced at Wu Liang with disdain. However, Wu Liang's chubby face showed no hint of embarrassment; instead, he smiled as if nothing had happened. Yun Jianyue bothered to look at him no more. If she were still at her peak, even if she couldn't win, she would fight with all her might and at least make the Demon Emperor pay some price. But now, severely injured, fighting desperately was meaningless.

"As expected of Sect Master Yun, your courage is no less than that of a man." The Demon Emperor laughed heartily, making everyone else's hearts tremble.

"You know me?" Even Yun Jianyue was surprised by this.

"I saw you once on the battlefield back then," the Demon Emperor said. "At my level, it's hard to forget someone after seeing them." He then turned his head to look at Yan Xuehen. "If I'm not mistaken, this must be Grandmaster Yan. It's quite amazing; according to the intelligence reports I received, you two should be sworn enemies, like fire and water. How do you now look like sisters?"

Yan Xuehen's heart skipped a beat. "Who's sisters with her!" she exclaimed. She wasn't afraid of death, but if her relationship with Zu An were known before she died, that would truly be worse than death. Yan and Yun were secretly startled simultaneously. In that great war back then, they hadn't directly faced the Demon Emperor; instead, the Human Emperor had confronted him. They hadn't expected him to notice them in a corner of the battlefield. The divine soul of an Earth Immortal was indeed terrifyingly powerful.

Wu Liang, who had been smiling nearby, now looked at the two women with confusion. "Sect Master Yun, Grandmaster Yan, and sworn enemies again?" he wondered. "Could it be *those* two?" He was startled, then looked at Zu An with eyes full of admiration. "How did this guy manage this?" he wondered. "Other philanderers just keep some pleasant ornamental fish in their fishponds, but this fellow actually managed to keep two big sharks like these?"

The Golden Crow Crown Prince was both shocked and delighted. So it wasn't that he was useless; he was facing several Grandmasters! The key was that they were all exceptionally beautiful. If he could subdue them, it would be an extremely wonderful thing, whether to enrich his harem in the future or to use against the human race. He had originally thought they were all Zu An's women. But after learning their identities, he realized that women of such status could not possibly have that kind of relationship with Zu An. "Their bodies and minds are pure," he thought. "This fits my standard for choosing women, hahaha."

At this moment, the Demon Emperor looked at Yu Yanluo again, his expression somewhat complex. "So similar, truly too similar," he murmured. "You're practically carved from the same mold as your mother back then." The people present had strange expressions. Listening to his tone, it sounded as if he had had a romantic involvement with Yu Yanluo's mother. The other's gaze was too fervent, making Yu Yanluo somewhat afraid, and she subconsciously shrank back behind Zu An.

Zu An shielded her behind him, staring coldly at the Demon Emperor.

"So this is your lover?" The Demon Emperor frowned. "Pity, just like your mother, your taste in men is truly lacking."