Ninth Heaven, ancestral lands of the Jialan Clan.
Countless elder-level figures of the Jialan Clan gathered here, their eyes wide with shock as they stared at the enormous multicolored scale at the center of the ancestral grounds.
This multicolored scale was a sacred relic passed down through their clan, and it would always display extraordinary phenomena whenever the Jialan Clan underwent significant changes.
At this moment, the scale radiated a dazzling golden light, bathing all the mermaids present in its glow.
"This... this is the emergence of imperial blood! Another lineage of imperial blood has appeared? How is this possible?!"
"Imperial blood... aside from the descendants of Her Majesty the Empress, who else could possess such pure imperial blood? This is absolutely impossible!"
Among the Jialan Clan, imperial blood was exceedingly rare. Due to their method of parthenogenesis, imperial bloodlines were typically inherited through a single lineage. When an empress reached the Third Realm of Imperial cultivation, she would give birth to a single descendant through parthenogenesis—a process that came with an immense cost.
"Could it be... could it be that Her Majesty has given birth to another imperial-blooded descendant while in seclusion?"
"No! Look at the vision manifested on the Ancestral Stone Scale—that isn’t Her Majesty... who is that?"
In the vision, a golden-haired figure appeared—Qing'er. Her petite, adorable form made others assume she was an underage mermaid, but the aura of noble imperial blood emanating from her was unmistakable, even through the vision.
"Imperial blood! Without a doubt, imperial blood! And the purity of her bloodline surpasses even Her Majesty’s! Which branch of the clan could have produced such a descendant through ancestral reversion?"
"Who is Qing'er?"
Several Quasi-Emperor elders narrowed their eyes, but their gazes were filled with anticipation. There was no doubt that a descendant had awakened imperial blood—but whose descendant remained unknown.
If one of their own descendants had truly reverted to an imperial-grade bloodline, this would be monumental... equivalent to establishing a second royal lineage!
Yet, Qing'er was far too insignificant in the eyes of the Jialan elders. It was only when a few of her fans spoke up that they learned of her identity.
After all, Qing'er was a superstar among the Jialan Clan, with a fanbase exceeding ten trillion—thousands of times the population of Earth. But in the eyes of Quasi-Emperors, entertainers were nothing more than entertainers.
"What?! Qing'er has descended to the mortal realm?!"
"Qing'er went to the lower world... to marry that Jiang heir of the Jiang Clan?! Who allowed this?!"
Sending a descendant of such noble blood to the mortal realm for a political marriage?
Unforgivable!
"Who?! Whose descendant is Qing'er? Bring her ancestor before me! I won’t be satisfied until I’ve slapped them ten thousand times!" Even the Emperor-level figures could no longer contain their fury.
Jia Ling'er had been abducted by that Jiang Che for over half a month—her bloodline was likely already tainted, and she might even be carrying his illegitimate child.
The Jialan Clan had already been shrouded in gloom recently, and now, just as another imperial-blooded descendant had emerged...
"Grand Elder Emperor, Qing'er is actually your descendant—the daughter of your ninth-generation collateral descendant’s niece..."
The Emperor-level mermaid: "..."
Well, this was awkward.
"Damn it all! Who authorized her descent?! A common bloodline reverting to imperial-grade... her future potential is limitless! She was meant to be the jewel of our Jia Lin lineage! Who the hell approved this?! I’ll kill them!"
Jia Lin, the Great Emperor, was on the verge of exploding in rage. But he didn’t even need to think—the one who approved the plan was undoubtedly one of his own descendants. Now, he was left seething, unsure where to direct his fury.
"Grand Elder Emperor, I believe Qing'er’s reversion might not have been natural. Our Jialan Clan has never had such a case before!" Another Tenth-Realm Quasi-Emperor stepped forward.
"It’s far more likely that Qing'er encountered a heaven-defying opportunity in the mortal realm, transforming her bloodline purity and elevating it from common to imperial-grade."
Jia Lin frowned. "Nonsense! Even our Jialan Clan has no means to elevate a common bloodline to imperial-grade. If we did, do you think I’d still be stuck at the First-Realm Emperor level? If I had imperial blood, I’d have long since broken through to the Second-Realm!"
"Grand Elder, hear me out. The mortal realm is the ancestral land of all races, the place where the ancient Heavenly Court perished. Who knows how many undiscovered treasures lie hidden there? That Jiang heir possesses dual immortal physiques—he is undoubtedly favored by destiny. For him to stumble upon such treasures is hardly surprising..."
Silence fell over the crowd.
"Are you suggesting... Jiang Che is the one who transformed Qing'er’s bloodline?"
Cough. Truly, an Emperor was still an Emperor. Just moments ago, he hadn’t even known who Qing'er was, but now that he learned she was his descendant, he was calling her "our Qing'er" without hesitation. His change in attitude was nothing short of masterful.
"It’s almost certain! Qing'er’s beauty ranks among the top of the Southern Abyss’ Heavenly Beauty List, and Jiang Che is notoriously lustful..."
"Moreover, I suspect Jiang Che possesses other methods to elevate mermaid bloodlines. Soon enough, all the mermaids sent down for the marriage alliance will likely undergo the same transformation!"
At these words, the silence deepened.
There was no refuting it—the reasoning was sound. And it made many of them... tempted.
Even the Emperor-level figures were not immune. Bloodlines were shackles that bound them tightly. Without imperial-grade blood, no matter how prodigious their talent, they would never surpass the Third-Realm Emperor level—eternally barred from immortality.
But ascending to imperial-grade blood? That was equivalent to rewriting the clan’s genealogy!
"Hah! My granddaughter just came of age recently—petite and delicate, her beauty nearly on par with Qing'er’s. She’s in need of a marriage partner..."
A Ninth-Realm Quasi-Emperor stroked his beard thoughtfully.
His words instantly enlightened the entire Jialan Clan.
If they couldn’t descend themselves, they could always send their descendants. After all, as Quasi-Emperors who had lived for millennia, who among them didn’t have thousands of descendants? Picking a few stunningly beautiful ones wouldn’t be difficult.
Ah, right—they’d have to find ones resembling Qing'er’s type. That Jiang heir probably had a preference for petite, adorable girls!
......
Meanwhile, down in the mortal realm, Jiang Che remained blissfully unaware that the Jialan Clan’s second wave of marriage candidates was on its way.
Recently, Yu Wan'er had been suffering. She no longer had the energy to stomp around or act smug.
Because she felt an overwhelming sense of crisis. Over the past few days, Jiang Che had devoted all his attention to those six mermaids—especially the loli-type mermaid named Qing'er, who clung to him all day. Just the sight of it was enough to make her sick with jealousy.
And for some reason, Qing'er’s aura had recently become far more noble, so much so that Yu Wan'er couldn’t help but feel inferior in comparison.
A girl with a more regal presence than her, beauty on par with hers, the exotic appeal of a golden-haired mermaid, the charm of a petite loli, and even more obedient and well-behaved than her...
She was genuinely terrified. Even when facing the three Xiao sisters before, she had never felt such a threat.
"That bastard must still be mad at me! He’s holding a grudge because I threw a tantrum during the tribulation last time! Waaah!!!"