"What??? That brat Jiang Che actually ran off with the crazy woman's daughter!!!"
At the ancestral lands of the Jiang Family, Jiang Hong froze in shock upon hearing this earth-shattering news.
"Brother Jiang Hong, your disciple has quite the taste, I see. I heard that girl is the mermaid with the highest Jialan bloodline purity in nearly 300,000 years—the future hope of the Jialan Clan and the most beloved daughter of the Jialan Empress..." teased a burly man with a nine-holed broadsword hanging at his waist.
Though Jiang Che's abduction of Jia Ling'er would undoubtedly provoke the Jialan Empress, the man showed no concern.
In terms of overall strength, the Jiang Family slightly surpassed the Jialan Clan. Even if the Jialan Empress flew into a rage, she couldn't outright attack the entire Jiang Family. Still, as a top-tier Great Emperor, the Jiang Family had to show her some respect.
Whoever caused the trouble should bear the consequences, right?
Jiang Hong took in this disciple, and now that the disciple had stirred up trouble and hidden in the lower realm—beyond the reach of a Great Emperor's intervention—the responsibility fell to the master.
Realizing the severity of the situation, Jiang Hong clasped his hands behind his back, his expression grave.
"That damn brat, daring to cause such a mess... No, I must warn him before he truly crosses the line!"
Jiang Hong panicked. Though he was a Second-Life Great Emperor—a top-tier combatant across the Nine Heavens—the Jialan Empress was even more terrifying. Having lived three lives and condensed a Future Body, she could slap him into submission with ease!
Just then—
"Ancestor Jiang Hong, two Great Emperors from the Jialan Clan have arrived with their elites... demanding justice..."
A Quasi-Emperor reported, his face pale with fear.
"Two Great Emperors? Did the Jialan Empress come?" Jiang Hong asked, his voice trembling.
"N-no..."
"That's a relief. Perfect timing—I'll discipline my disciple in front of these Jialan friends..."
...
The Jialan Clan sent two Great Emperors: Jia Tengying, a First-Life Great Emperor, and an elderly mermaid at the Second-Life level, followed by over a dozen Quasi-Emperors.
The Jiang Family, of course, wouldn't be outdone. With Jiang Hong included, they fielded five Great Emperors, each formidable in their own right.
"Fellow Daoists, you surely know why we're here. The importance of our clan's princess needs no elaboration. How do you intend to resolve this?"
They came straight to the point, demanding accountability.
The Jiang Family's Great Emperors wore awkward expressions—after all, the fault did lie with them.
Of course, if this were any lesser clan daring to demand an explanation from the Jiang Family... annihilation would be their fate. But the Jialan Clan was different—they commanded enough respect that outright hostility was unwise.
Jiang Hong stepped forward.
"Fellow Daoists, don't fret. Jiang Che is my disciple. Having spent too long in the lower realm, he's developed some arrogance. If I intervene... this should be resolved without issue."
He spoke with confidence.
"Daoist Jiang Hong, act quickly! While the matter hasn't escalated... the Jialan Empress may still remain calm out of respect for your family. But if Princess Ling'er's purity is compromised... I dare not predict what Her Majesty might do..."
Jia Tengying issued an outright threat.
Though the Jialan Clan had fewer Great Emperors than the Jiang Family, an all-out conflict would still cost the Jiang Family dearly. A Third-Life Great Emperor could wreak havoc unless three peers joined forces to stop them.
A Third-Life Great Emperor was best left unprovoked. If hostilities erupted, they had to be crushed with overwhelming force!
"Understood. I'll send a cross-realm message to my disciple immediately..."
Without further delay, Jiang Hong began the ritual.
Arrays materialized as his divine will communed with the Heavenly Dao, burning Boundary Incense to summon his consciousness across realms.
......
Meanwhile, in the mortal realm, within the Dragon Palace...
"Huh? Weird. What did I do to piss off the old man this time? Four billion 'Karma Points' just exploded out of nowhere? And the Jiang Family... I haven't messed with you guys, have I?"
Jiang Che scratched his head in confusion.
"Mmph! Let me go!!! I'll kill you! Aahhh... stop tightening these ropes!"
In the grand hall, Jia Ling'er remained tightly bound. Her struggles only caused the Immortal-Binding Ropes to constrict further, accentuating her figure in a way that invited wild imaginations.
Nearby, Qing'er and the other mermaids huddled together in fear, not daring to speak.
If even Jia Ling'er—a figure of such stature—could be humiliated like this, they dreaded their own fates, fearing they'd end up no better than pleasure slaves.
This realization plunged them into despair, especially the little mermaid named Qing'er, whose tears hadn't stopped falling.
Before coming to the lower realm, they had been top-tier celebrities across the Nine Heavens, each with trillions of devoted fans. A single concert could earn them hundreds of millions of spirit stones, with countless admirers fawning over them. Now, they'd been reduced to political brides.
How could they not be devastated?
"Princess Ling'er, why resist? Your Oceanic Radiance Barrier is already broken by my Immortal-Binding Ropes. Why not stay in the mortal realm and bear my children?"
Jiang Che's laughter sounded like the whispers of a demon to Jia Ling'er.
Bear his children? What a joke! She was a princess of the Jialan Clan, a daughter of the Imperial Bloodline! How could she allow this scoundrel to defile her?
"Dream on! I warn you—my mother personally inscribed a protective rune on me. A Great Emperor-grade ward... even with an Imperial Artifact, you can't touch me!"
Jia Ling'er sneered. Though her barrier had been breached, she still had contingencies.
When she came of age, her mother had implanted a protective rune to safeguard her bloodline purity. A mere Great Emperor's power couldn't break through.
Clearly, Jia Ling'er mistakenly believed the ropes binding her were an Imperial Artifact... unaware they were, in fact, a bona fide Immortal Artifact.
"Your mother? Tsk tsk... I've heard your mother is a peerless beauty. I once saw a portrait of her... a single glance haunted me for years. I've yearned for her ever since."
"You resemble her by half. Having you... is like having half of her."
Jiang Che's words were downright outrageous!
Jia Ling'er froze for a split second before fury unlike anything she'd ever known erupted within her.
"You vile, lowly human! How dare you harbor such filthy thoughts about my mother? You're dead!"
"You have no idea how terrifying a Third-Life Great Emperor truly is! Just the depraved thoughts you just conjured will be sensed by my mother. Even if you hide in the lower realm... she has hundreds of ways to end you!"
"You wretched, despicable male human! Prepare to die!"