Whose Jade Pendant

Bai Qiuran reached out and snatched the cyan jade pendant from the boy's hand. He examined it and then asked, "Where did you get this jade pendant?"

The boy glanced at Cloud Kun Chancellor beside him, but did not reply.

"I understand, it was given to me [because I couldn't say], right?"

Bai Qiuran put away the jade pendant and said calmly, "However, this jade pendant can only exchange for one life. If you exchange it for his life, what will you do?"

"This jade pendant was exchanged for his life, not mine."

Cloud Kun Chancellor got up from the ground, touching his throat as he spoke.

"Enough, Chancellor Yun, this time you'll listen to me."

The boy smiled bitterly, "Compared to me, the Demon Realm cannot afford to lose you... More importantly, I don't think Sword Ancestor would kill me, right?"

"Oh? Where do you get the confidence to think I won't kill you?"

Bai Qiuran tilted her head.

"Don't tell me it's because of your blood relation with Su Xiangxue. You know she doesn't care, so neither will I."

"Of course I won't pin my hopes on the bloodline of the Demon Emperor's clan. I don't even care about that, let alone my half-human Half-Demon sister."

The young man composed himself; Bai Qiuran tell he was somewhat nervous, but he still mustered his courage and said, "I believe you won't kill me, naturally because my life is more useful to you, or rather, to the Human Race, isn't it?"

Bai Qiuran looked at him without saying a word.

"When the Ape King and the Dragon King found me, and we returned to the City Lord's Mansion together, I discovered that you hadn't killed the White Bear King. Instead, you watched as the White Fox King took him away. That's when I realized that what you were after this time wasn't just the map to the First Ancestor Demon Emperor's Imperial Mausoleum... What you wanted was a Demon Realm where both sides were at odds, suffering heavy losses, and with unresolved conflicts."

The young man paused, then continued, "Therefore, you need the White Bear King to live, to live as the leader of the Northern Demon Realm Demon Realm the spiritual banner of the vast majority of low- and middle-level Monster Race. At the same time, you also need me, the Demon Emperor who inherited the noble bloodline of the Demon Emperor, to live, as the leader of the high-level Monster Race, to oppose the White Bear King. This Hierarchy difference determined by bloodline level cannot be resolved in a year or two unless by violence... Moreover, our Demon Realm's fighting strength has been basically depleted by you in these few civil wars. In the coming period, the Monster Race will have to endure this painful period and will absolutely not be able to pose any significant threat to the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou."

Did you guess that yourself?

Bai Qiuran paused for a moment, then suddenly asked.

"I am not capable enough."

Cang Huangyu cupped his hands and said, "It was just a matter of imagination, combining the plan left by Chancellor Yun with the various actions of the County Princess."

"Um, what's your name?"

His surname is Cang, and his given name is Huangyu.

"Cang Huangyu, is it...?"

Bai Qiuran and said, "You used the jade pendant to exchange for Cloud Kun Chancellor's life, and then used this excuse to save your own. So, what do you plan to use to save the lives of those two Demon King outside? You should know that if you have this Cloud Kun, plus that Monkey outside and your Dragon Race cousin, the balance of power between you and the White Bear King will be unbalanced."

"This is the last Map Fragment, to be kept and passed down through generations of the Imperial Family."

Cang Huangyu very sensibly took out a fragment of a map from his pocket, held it in both hands, and brought it to Bai Qiuran.

"Cang Huangyu is willing to use this Map Fragment to exchange for the lives of his teacher and Long Bo from the Sword Ancestor."

Bai Qiuran lifted Wisdom Immortal's head and examined the Map Fragment. After receiving a positive response from Wisdom Immortal, Bai Qiuran collected the Map Fragment from the treasure chest along with Cang Huangyu's map, and said, "The deal is done. Await our arrangements."

Watching Bai Qiuran leap into the underground lake and disappear, Cang Huangyu hurriedly went over and helped Cloud Kun Chancellor up from the ground.

"Your Majesty, you shouldn't have handed over the Imperial Mausoleum of the First Ancestor Demon Emperor to him."

Cloud Kun Chancellor took a couple of breaths and continued, "That's the root of the Demon Emperor's Nine-Headed Dragon bloodline."

"What glory of the Demon Emperor? I don't understand any of that. I'm just an illegitimate child."

Cang Huangyu replied, "I only know that the Demon Realm is currently in a state of decline. Compared to the ethereal and elusive First Ancestor Demon Emperor's Tomb, I value talents like you more. You are the key to the Demon Realm's revival... far more important than a mere dead man's Tomb."

Bai Qiuran returned to the City where she had been before and found that Su Xiangxue had successfully entered the Bookstore.

Upon discovering that Bai Qiuran had not been successfully subdued and was merely putting on an act, the White Fox King, sensing the danger, slipped into the City Lord's Mansion and rescued the unconscious White Bear King.

Seeing this, the Dragon King and the Ape King quickly left the City to search for Cang Huangyu. After finding the Demon Emperor to rescue Cloud Kun Chancellor, the two Demon King knew that Bai Qiuran might kill them, so they dared not go back and instead went to hide in different places.

Therefore, the remaining Northern Demon Realm army and Imperial Capital Army in the City, when faced with Su Xiangxue, who possessed the strength of Demon King, decisively chose to surrender.

When he returned to the city lord's mansion, Su Xiangxue was leading the remaining twenty-odd soldiers of the Western Demon Realm, accepting prisoners of war from the opposite side on the ruins of the city lord's mansion.

In this war, the White Bear King of the Northern Demon Realm gathered 20,000 Monster Race Warriors at the Golden Core Stage or above, while the Imperial Capital sent more than 10,000 elite Imperial Capital Army. However, during the war, Bai Qiuran casually unleashed a rain of swords, and when the two armies regrouped, they were missing more than half their men. In addition, they had to withstand Su Xiangxue's high-intensity attacks for several days afterward, and they also paid a considerable price.

Now, on this scorched earth reduced to ashes, stand a scattered group of one or two thousand Monster Race soldiers from the Imperial Capital or the Northern Demon Realm. This is the only remaining force of the two major powers.

In a short period of time, let alone attacking the Ten Lands of Jiuzhou, the Monster Race, with its limited forces, would probably find it difficult even to quell the chaos in the Demon Realm.

Bai Qiuran made no attempt to conceal his whereabouts. Su Xiangxue, who was receiving prisoners of war, quickly spotted him, abandoned the prisoners, and walked towards him with a smile.

"You're back."

Bai Qiuran nodded. Su Xiangxue then noticed Cang Huangyu and Cloud Kun Chancellor following behind him, so her smile faded. She pulled Bai Qiuran's arm aside and whispered, "Why didn't you get rid of Cloud Kun?"

"Because of this thing."

Bai Qiuran raised the cyan jade pendant in her hand.

Su Xiangxue looked at the jade pendant, which seemed somewhat familiar. After thinking carefully for a moment, she exclaimed, "The mark on this... isn't this from your Azure Nether Sword Sect?"

"Yes, within the Azure Nether Sword Sect, when each disciple enters the sect, his master personally carves a jade pendant for him. This pendant symbolizes his identity and status within the sect, and is also closely related to some of the sect's services."

Bai Qiuran explained, "But more importantly, this jade pendant symbolizes the master's message and blessings to his disciples. In the beginning, jade pendants in the Azure Nether Sword Sect did not represent status, but this tradition began. My master, Daoist Qingming, also carved such a jade pendant for me back then."

Bai Qiuran spoke, she took out her jade pendant from her Storage Bag and said, "The functions on this were added later. In the beginning, it was just a jade pendant. The character my master bestowed upon me is [Heng], which means that I should not stop cultivating and should persevere. One day I will break through to a higher realm."

This kind of jade pendant is a tradition of Qingming Sword Sect that has been continued for three thousand years. Even Tang Ruowei, who has just started, has it. As Bai Qiuran's disciple, Tang Ruowei's jade pendant was carved for her by Bai Qiuran himself, and the character Bai Qiuran gave her was "firm".

Although Bai Qiuran explained to her that she hoped she would persevere in her cultivation efforts, in reality, Bai Qiuran had only Consciousness associated the word "hard" with it.

"The carving technique used on this jade pendant is the most standard carving method of the Azure Nether Sword Sect."

Bai Qiuran looked at the jade pendant held in Su Xiangxue's hand and said, "Judging from the reactions of Cloud Kun Chancellor and your cheap brother, this jade pendant also comes from that so-called Mulberry Divine Palace. However, the problem is, I know the whereabouts of most of the disciples of the Azure Nether Sword Sect over the past three thousand years. In my memory, no Qingming Sect Disciple went to Eastern Isles, and very few even went to the Vast Sea. So the question is, who does this jade pendant belong to?"