Demon Emperor

"Bridal Demon Art? The Heaven Pavilion's master... the Demon Emperor?" Jiang Che stroked his chin thoughtfully.

In truth, he didn’t even need Chen Hao to report anything to him. Between Chen Hao’s "Trap God System," Xu Mo’s forced-upgraded "Check-in System," and Xu Rong’s "Devouring System," all three subsystems were essentially Jiang Che’s undercover agents.

With these three surveillance tools, he could see everything they did—even when they went to the bathroom.

Of course... Jiang Che didn’t exactly have a habit of spying on men.

"It seems that Lin Fan was just a pawn, a piece placed in the mortal realm by this Demon Emperor using the system."

At first glance, the members of the Destiny Association’s Human Pavilion might seem like a bunch of useless weaklings, but the organization itself was actually terrifying.

This so-called Demon Emperor wanted to spread the Bridal Demon Art far and wide in the mortal realm through the "Live Cultivation System," but her real targets weren’t the ordinary cultivators.

After all, their talents were too mediocre to be of any use.

If not for Jiang Che, the Demon Emperor’s plan would have been flawless—nearly everyone in the mortal world, including Chu Yuan, Wang Teng, and others, would have ended up practicing the Bridal Demon Art.

Well, Chu Yuan, as the "Chosen One," might have escaped unscathed, but the others? No guarantees.

Too bad for the Demon Emperor—Jiang Che had beaten her to the punch.

Nearly 70% of the individuals on Earth with the qualifications to be considered "Chosen Ones" were concentrated in Dragon Country, effectively crippling the Demon Emperor’s scheme. The two sides were now locked in a feud.

"The Destiny Association... for now, only the Heaven Pavilion poses a threat to me. But its members can’t descend to the mortal realm yet... which gives me time to grow stronger."

Though he had confidence in his own status, the Destiny Association was an incredibly complex organization, and in a xianxia setting like this, who knew what kind of overpowered freaks might be lurking inside?

Better to stay cautious.

For now, he needed to focus on development—just in case.

The Jiang Clan of the Nine Heavens was indeed powerful, a true titan among the celestial realms, but the real thing he could rely on was still his system!

As for how to develop?

Jiang Che had already taken a hands-off approach—why bother earning points himself when he could just let his "workers" do it for him?

Recently, he had scouted a few more promising "Sons of Fortune" from the Cultivator Academy and bound them with subsystems.

While Sons of Fortune didn’t generate points as fast as Chosen Ones, they made up for it in sheer numbers!

A subsystem costing a million points to create could pay for itself in a month at most.

Jiang Che was living proof of what it meant to be a ruthless boss.

All he had to do was indulge in pleasure while others worked for him—oh, and even his leisure activities earned him points.

Exploiting even his own energy? Truly, the definition of a cutthroat employer.

Every day, his dozens of workers brought in over twenty million points.

"Ah~ There aren’t many high-tier Chosen Ones left on Earth. Where am I supposed to find more workers?"

Jiang Che rested his chin on his hand, feeling a bit frustrated.

Seemed like he’d have to start hunting for victims in the Nine Heavens.

"Young Master Jiang, what are you thinking about? Something about workers?"

Qiu Lin had appeared at Jiang Che’s side at some point, standing respectfully.

After his bloodline evolution, Qiu Lin had grown dragon horns, and his body was now covered in golden-red scales, giving him an air of true draconic majesty.

"Hm? When did you get here?" Jiang Che raised an eyebrow.

Qiu Lin immediately bowed. "Young Master, this subordinate has something to report."

"Speak."

Jiang Che yawned. He’d been indulging in abalone and seafood at the Dragon Palace—if not for his Great Sun Saint Body, his constitution probably wouldn’t have been able to handle it.

Qiu Lin bent even lower. "Young Master, word has come from the Nine Heavens Dragon Palace. They’ve ordered us to safeguard the Ancestral Dragon Pearl and await the arrival of the Dragon Princess..."

"Oh?" Jiang Che’s eyes lit up. Now this was something worth his attention.

What he needed right now was a mount. While Qiu Lin had undergone a bloodline transformation and would likely become a pure-blooded dragon after a few more upgrades, Jiang Che had no interest in riding a male dragon.

He was a man who aspired to be a true Dragon Rider—naturally, he wanted a female dragon. And this Dragon Princess, with her noble status and formidable power, was the perfect candidate.

Riding a dragon at home, riding a dragon outside—that was the life of a true Dragon Rider!

"Uh... Young Master, the Dragon Princess has already ascended to Martial God status. Even if she descends, it’ll likely be just an avatar. This subordinate suggests... you take the Ancestral Dragon Pearl in advance and use it to coerce her into submission!"

Having spent enough time with Jiang Che, Qiu Lin knew exactly what kind of person his master was. Poor Dragon Princess—even if she descended, she wouldn’t escape his clutches.

"The Ancestral Dragon Pearl, huh?"

Jiang Che glanced up at the dazzling orb suspended beneath the deep-sea dome. With the spiritual energy resurgence, the pearl had grown even more radiant, now emitting faint draconic energy that subtly influenced lower-tier dragonkin.

Many of Earth’s native sea creatures had already begun showing draconic traits—like whales with horns. But for someone like Qiu Lin, whose bloodline was already advanced, the effects were negligible.

"What a coincidence—I happen to have one right here."

With a flip of his hand, Jiang Che produced a miniature, perfectly smooth pearl resting in his palm.

The pearl was jade-white yet slightly translucent, and if one looked closely, they could see a tiny golden dragon, no larger than a finger, coiled inside.

Thud—

Before he even realized it, Qiu Lin had dropped to his knees, as if crushed by an overwhelming bloodline pressure.

The draconic energy radiating from the pearl was absolute domination to any lower-tier dragonkin.

"Young Master... what is this...?"

"A dragon pearl." Jiang Che smiled faintly. He didn’t mind showing off a little in front of Qiu Lin—after all, the man’s loyalty was maxed out at 100.

"A dragon pearl? Then... what about the one up there?" Qiu Lin looked up, stunned.

"That’s also a dragon pearl—just a fake one."

That’s right. When it came to treasures like the Ancestral Dragon Pearl, Jiang Che would never just leave it lying around.

In Jiang Che’s territory, geese lost their feathers, beasts left their hides, and beautiful women who passed by stayed to warm his bed.

He had long since swapped the real pearl for a replica, pocketing the genuine article for himself.

"A fake?" Qiu Lin stared at the pearl above, still emanating majestic draconic might, and gulped.

He wouldn’t doubt Jiang Che’s words.

"Still, this pearl isn’t much use to me. Might as well use it to bait that little Dragon Princess."

Jiang Che toyed with the pearl for a moment before storing it in his system space.

This dragon pearl definitely held some great secret of the dragon race. Its original owner had likely been at least a True Immortal-level ancient dragon. Who knew what kind of traps might be hidden inside? No need for Jiang Che to take that risk.

Besides, this thing can't even be recycled for points in the system, so might as well keep it to impress girls!