The palace of the Jialan Clan.
The architecture was extravagantly opulent, countless times grander than the dragon palace Jiang Che had built.
Especially the thousand-meter-tall mermaid statue at the heart of the palace, so lifelike it seemed real.
"Princess, what should we do? I don’t want to marry a barbarian from the lower realm. I’ve heard humans are terribly crude, wuuu~~~"
A breathtakingly beautiful mermaid covered her face and wept, her eyes brimming with tears, her delicate frame trembling pitifully, flawless in every curve.
The other mermaids wore varied expressions, but none were in high spirits.
They were pawns—discarded by their clan and sent to the lower realm for a political marriage. Though they’d heard the man in question was a supreme cultivation prodigy, adopted as the eleventh imperial heir by the Jiang Family, with a future of limitless potential...
The mere thought of him being a lower-realm savage twisted their hearts. As celebrated mermaids of their race, their voices were melodious, their dances peerless, with fans numbering in the trillions across the Southern Maelstrom Heaven.
In short, they had the pride of idols.
"Princess, if it were an imperial heir from the Nine Heavens, we might resign ourselves to serving him. But a native from the lower realms... How can we sisters accept this?"
Another mermaid, with the demeanor of a mature beauty, flicked her tail, her face etched with resentment.
It was like forcing a beloved superstar to entertain some upstart nouveau riche. They wouldn’t refuse outright, but disdain and prejudice would fester.
"Don’t worry. I’ll accompany you to the lower realm and personally deal with that despicable lecher!"
Jia Ling'er glared at the mermaids weeping before her, her anger mounting.
Her contempt for Jiang Che had reached its peak.
"Ah?" One mermaid gasped, staring at Jia Ling'er. "Princess... You’re going to the lower realm? That’s absolutely out of the question! If you fall into that pervert’s clutches..."
"Indeed! You’re the Queen’s only bloodline. If Her Majesty finds out..."
The mermaids panicked. They’d never intended for Jia Ling'er to descend with them. If anything happened... it could alter the Jialan Clan’s fate for millennia. This was no trivial matter!
"No need. My decision is final. I’ve reached the peak of the Nine Revolutions Transcendent Realm, armed with countless protective treasures. Even a Martial God wouldn’t be assured victory against me, let alone a mere Nirvana-stage cultivator threatening my life."
Jia Ling'er’s eyes blazed with confidence.
The mermaids exchanged glances. Though they’d been forced into this arrangement, if the princess accompanied them... their fears would ease considerably.
"If the Princess insists, we won’t dissuade you..." The mature mermaid bowed slightly.
Though they appeared close, the gap in status was vast. Had Jia Ling'er not summoned them, they’d never have stood so near her.
A woman’s heart is as fathomless as the ocean—especially for mermaids who dwelled in its depths.
"But Princess, the teleportation roster is finalized, overseen by a Creation-stage elder. How will you descend?"
Jia Ling'er laughed heartily, hands on her hips. "What’s so hard about that?"
She produced a hairpin. "This is a Quasi-Emperor artifact gifted by my mother. It conceals aura, shifts forms, and bears a wisp of imperial law. Even a Creation-stage expert couldn’t see through it. I’ll disguise myself as one of you and take your place..."
The other mermaids brightened. If she replaced one of them... wouldn’t that mean one less sister suffering below?
Many eyes lingered on the golden hairpin in Jia Ling'er’s hand. Envy was inevitable.
Both were mermaids, yet Jia Ling'er was nobility—the Queen’s sole descendant, a true imperial daughter. Even her hairpin was a Quasi-Emperor artifact!
They, though born with silver spoons, paled in cultivation potential and privilege, little more than servants to their mistress.
......
"Jiang Che, you’ve gotten even handsomer lately!"
Qin Qiaoqiao was ecstatic, her eyes glued to Jiang Che, noticing even the slightest change.
"Hmm... he really has. His skin looks better than mine!" Ye Mengyao leaned in, scrutinizing him.
After consuming the Heavenly Origin Pill, Jiang Che’s body had purified, enhancing his looks.
"Wan'er, don’t you think so? Did Jiang Che sneak some beauty elixir?" Ye Mengyao tugged Yu Wan'er over.
"Oh sure, prettier so he can seduce more women. Typical man!"
Yu Wan'er rolled her eyes. After the Xiao triplets left, she’d hidden in the closet and overheard Jia Yue’s words.
A whole troop of mermaids from the Jialan Clan was descending soon, yet Ye Mengyao and the others remained oblivious, laughing without a care.
"Wan'er, aren’t you used to it by now? I am... As long as Jiang Che loves us, isn’t that enough?"
Qin Qiaoqiao was remarkably accepting, looping her arms around Jiang Che’s neck and planting a kiss on his cheek, her smile revealing adorable little fangs.
"Love is either mutual devotion between two... or once a third appears, what’s the difference between three and thirty?"
Yu Wan'er and Ye Mengyao: "..."
What nonsense. Absolute nonsense.
Technically, Qin Qiaoqiao was Jiang Che’s first. The others came later.
Jiang Che wrapped his arms around her waist. With a wife like this, what more could he ask for?
See how clear-headed she was?
Yu Wan'er remained impassive. "Qiaoqiao, what if I told you... the Jialan Clan is sending Jiang Che six stunning mermaid wives? How’d you feel?"
Qin Qiaoqiao: "???"
Silence. Awkward silence.
"Ahem! Yu Wan'er, don’t slander me. What mermaid wives? They’re just maids sent by the Jialan Clan. Maids, got it? Our dragon palace lacks talented singers and dancers."
Jiang Che’s excuse wasn’t convincing.
"Jiang Che! I’ll tolerate your flirtations, even your philandering. But... you can’t abandon us!"
Yu Wan'er glared, her tone fierce... yet her words utterly defeated.
Jiang Che couldn’t help but laugh. "Fine, I’ll swear a heavenly oath, alright?"
He raised his hand. "I vow to the heavens: Any woman I take, I’ll never cast aside lightly. Otherwise, may I..."
He paused, glancing at Yu Wan'er, who stood arms crossed—though the petite girl had little to cross.
"I was about to swear a poisonous oath—shouldn't you have rushed to cover my mouth?"
Yu Wan'er snorted lightly. "Struck by lightning? Even that terrifying heavenly tribulation last time couldn’t kill you. What’s the point of a damn oath?"
Jiang Che: "..."
P.S. Cultivation Realms: Shattering Heaven Stage, Divine Comprehension Stage, Martial God Stage, Nirvana Stage, Creation Realm, Quasi-Emperor, Great Emperor, Immortal...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
saw a female celebrity tied up and stuffed in the trunk! Little did he know, countless cameras were aimed at him at this moment - this was a new type of reality show. The first randomly selected passerby was caught in less than an hour. But when Xu Moru was selected, things started to take an unexpected turn. "Damn, this isn't how the script goes. This Xu Moru is too bold, he's not following the rules at all." "Crap, is this guy taking it seriously?" "The female celebrity has been scared to tears!"
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
