The Mermaid Queen Jiang, Stand at Attention

Daring to kidnap the ornamental fish raised by Young Master Jiang?

That’s practically equivalent to defying the heavens!

Young Master Jiang is furious, and the consequences are dire.

"Young Master Jiang, ride on my back—I’ll take you to find them!" Qiu Lin knelt on the ground, transforming into the ultimate bootlicker.

"Ride on your back?"

Jiang Che frowned, glancing at the towering Qiu Lin.

This guy was nearly eight feet tall, a vaguely humanoid creature—how the hell was he supposed to carry him?

"Heh heh, just watch, Young Master!"

Qiu Lin flashed an ingratiating smile before suddenly transforming from a humanoid figure into a bizarre horned dragon, its body stretching nearly a hundred meters long, covered in jet-black scales that exuded an imposing aura.

The only flaw was the broken horn on its head, which made it look somewhat ridiculous.

"I might as well just fly there on my sword..."

Jiang Che was utterly speechless. What kind of status did he, Young Master Jiang, hold?

Could he really ride some shabby dragon?

At the very least, it had to be a true-blooded dragon!

Of course, if it were a pretty little female dragon, that’d be a different story.

"Hey hey hey, Young Master Jiang... You’re flying the wrong way! They’re to the east!"

Qiu Lin instantly reverted to his original form and flew after him.

...

"You—you are descendants of the noble Nine Heavens Jialan bloodline! Even if your blood is diluted, how could you stoop to being servants of another race?"

"You’re a disgrace to the Jialan lineage!"

In front of rows of petite mermaid maids, several elegantly dressed, imposing mermaids were berating them.

Leading them was a dignified middle-aged mermaid woman, her expression stern and unyielding.

Her lower body was a magnificent tail, shimmering in faint blue-gold, its form nearly flawless.

Behind her stood several other mermaids, all wearing haughty expressions—including two males.

All six were at the Divine Passage Realm, with the weakest being at the Third Revolution.

The little mermaids being scolded didn’t dare utter a word. They didn’t even know what the Nine Heavens Jialan Clan was.

In ancient times, the sea clans of the Nine Heavens left behind many descendants in the mortal realm. But as spiritual energy dwindled... these once-mighty sea descendants gradually weakened.

Over thousands of years of evolution, these mixed-blood descendants merged into what became known as the Atlantean Ocean Empire.

As for their mermaid race... they had long since declined into near irrelevance, possessing little combat strength but blessed with stunning beauty, leaving them as playthings for the undersea civilizations.

They had grown accustomed to a life of servitude.

And now, these mermaids from the Nine Heavens were telling them... that they were of noble birth?

But what the hell was the use of noble blood?

Without power, weren’t they still just servants?

After millennia of conditioning, these mermaids had been thoroughly domesticated—their docile, obedient nature practically etched into their DNA.

"You... you’re useless! You don’t deserve to call yourselves descendants of the Jialan Clan!"

The leader, Jia Yue, was seething with rage.

Just then, a leisurely voice cut in.

"What gives you the right to touch my people?"

The words carried an overwhelming, domineering aura.

The Jialan Clan experts turned their gazes toward the source.

Jiang Che’s figure slowly materialized, strolling through the water as if taking a casual walk, the space around him faintly trembling.

[Ding! Host has pulled off an impressively domineering act, earning 800,000 Pretend Points.]

He’d somewhat followed in his younger cousin’s footsteps—after binding with three major subsystems, he could occasionally earn some side income.

Making money wasn’t shameful!

"You are—"

Jia Yue’s slit pupils narrowed as she studied Jiang Che. His sheer presence screamed that he wasn’t someone to be trifled with.

Meanwhile, the little mermaids burst into excitement the moment they saw Jiang Che.

"Young Master Jiang!!!"

"Young Master Jiang, you came to save us! Waaah~~~"

"Thank goodness..."

They wept with joy. Though they had only been chosen by Qiu Lin to serve as palace maids, every one of them adored Jiang Che.

Much like palace maids in ancient times, many secretly harbored hopes for the emperor’s favor.

"You—" Jia Yue’s face instantly darkened.

These little mermaids had just outright betrayed her. All her earlier lecturing might as well have been wasted on deaf ears!

"Wait... you’re the Sacred Physique, Jiang Che!"

Jia Yue’s eyes locked onto him.

The news of the Jiang Clan in the Nine Heavens producing an Imperial Scion in the mortal realm had long spread—a rare Sacred Physique, no less.

As one of the top ten races in the Southern Abyss Heaven, the Jialan Clan had naturally heard of Jiang Che’s name.

"Oh? You’ve heard of me?"

"Ahem... Who hasn’t heard of the deeds of Imperial Scion Jiang? Even in the Nine Heavens, your reputation is thunderous!"

Jia Yue instantly switched faces at lightning speed!

Though this guy appeared to be only at the First Revolution of the Divine Passage Realm, he was a Sacred Physique—their power was terrifying.

Leaping several minor realms to crush opponents was child’s play for them.

Not to mention... he had the entire Jiang Clan of the Nine Heavens backing him. They had no choice but to yield.

"Hmph... At least you know your place." Jiang Che snorted. He’d been ready to throw hands, but these people surrendered so fast it interrupted his momentum.

His gaze drifted over Jia Yue’s figure.

"Tsk tsk tsk, I don’t like older women. At most, I can accept aunties—but you? You’re practically sagging."

Jia Yue: "..."

The corners of her mouth twitched violently, the murderous intent in her eyes nearly boiling over.

Who the hell are you calling old? Who’s sagging?!

She just looked middle-aged—her actual age was only 600-plus! Compared to the Divine Passage Realm’s 2,000-year lifespan, she was still young, damn it!

Wasn’t she still a centuries-old fairy at heart?

But she knew better than to provoke Jiang Che.

This guy was the Jiang Clan’s Eleventh Imperial Scion—undoubtedly under their close watch. Who’d dare lay a finger on him?

Among the great clans of the Nine Heavens, self-proclaimed Imperial Scions weren’t necessarily all the children of emperors. Anyone with the potential to attain the Great Emperor realm could earn the title!

"Young Master Jiang, you jest. With your dashing charm and peerless talent, I’m but a frog in a well by comparison..."

Jiang Che: "..."

Well, that was like punching a pillow.

"Ahem, I’ve naturally heard of your Jialan Clan. The Southern Abyss mermaids—male ones grotesquely ugly, female ones breathtakingly beautiful... But looking at you all now, I’m not impressed. My mermaid maids are far prettier."

The two male mermaids behind Jia Yue: "..."

They really, really wanted to rush forward and tear this guy’s mouth off.

Damn it, he just dissed every single one of them in one go!

Jia Yue desperately suppressed her rage, forcing out a strained smile.

"Prince Jiang Che, the pure-blooded members of our Jialan clan are exceptionally striking in appearance. Our Queen, in particular, holds the top position on the Southern Abyss's Celestial Beauty Ranking..."

"Oh? The Queen?" Jiang Che's eyes lit up, as if he'd suddenly caught onto a key phrase.