The Demon Race princess

At that moment, an old woman beside them snorted coldly. "Who cares who they are? They trespassed into the forbidden grounds behind the mountain. Capture them first, before word gets out."

The moment she finished speaking, all three attacked at once. Each targeted one of them, demonic power surging from their bodies. All three were cultivators of the Four Extremes Secret Realm.

Jiang Xian looked at the three old women before him and casually extended his right hand, spreading his fingers slightly. His movement was exceedingly gentle, as though he were brushing aside a few leaves blocking his view.

But in the next instant, an indescribably heavy force crashed down. The three old women's bodies abruptly sank, and their knees slammed into the ground with dull thuds. Their walking sticks instantly slipped from their hands and fell to the ground beside them. Their demonic power was sealed in an instant, leaving them unable to circulate even a fraction of it.

All three old women fell to their knees, their fingers digging desperately into the ground, yet they lacked even the strength to stand. The dozen or so young female demons behind them froze at the sight. Unable to advance or retreat, they could only remain rooted to the spot.

The old woman in the lead raised her head with all her might. Her cloudy eyes fixed on the youth who was about to walk forward, her lips trembling incessantly as she forced a few words through her teeth. "You... who exactly are you... what are you doing here?"

Jiang Xian and the other two did not stop walking. Only as he passed her did he speak calmly, saying something the three old women could not understand. "My name is Jiang Xian. Naturally, I came here to ask the Demon Race princess for the best seat to watch the show."

The three old women and the dozen or so young female demons behind them could only watch helplessly as Jiang Xian led Ye Fan and Pang Bo past them, heading straight into the depths of the valley.

Just as the three were about to leave the gorge, a figure descended from a verdant peak in the distance. She wore a plain white dress, untainted by even a speck of dust. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, a few strands brushing across her jade-white cheeks. She seemed to be a perfect woman.

Jiang Xian looked at the woman before him. Last time, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of her at the Qing Emperor's Tomb. Now that he could examine her carefully, she truly deserved to be counted among the greatest beauties in Shrouding the Heavens.

Yan Ruyu soon reached the three of them. Her gaze first fell on Jiang Xian, then shifted to Ye Fan and Pang Bo, finally settling on Ye Fan. Her brows drew together slightly, as though she had sensed some aura, and her gaze abruptly sharpened.

"I am Yan Ruyu, princess of the Demon Race. May I ask your names, gentlemen?" Yan Ruyu asked as she looked at the three.

After Jiang Xian and the others answered, Yan Ruyu looked at Ye Fan. Her tone was calm, yet carried a barely perceptible fluctuation. "Young Master Ye, you seem... to carry an aura that is extremely familiar to me."

Ye Fan's heart stirred slightly. With both the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art and the Green Copper fragment suppressing my Sea of Bitterness, she shouldn't be able to sense the aura of the Qing Emperor's Heart. It seems this is because of the lingering aura from my use of the Demon Emperor's Essence Blood. Yet his expression remained unchanged. "What makes you say that, Princess?"

Yan Ruyu slowly stepped forward, her gaze fixed firmly on Ye Fan. Her tone was utterly certain. "The blood of the Azure Emperor's descendants flows within me. That Azure Emperor Dao resonance you carry is my ancestor's aura. I could not be more familiar with it."

She paused briefly, a probing note entering her voice. "Young Master Ye, have you consumed the Demon Emperor's Saint Blood? And the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart... is it in your possession?"

Ye Fan's expression shifted slightly at her words. He instinctively touched the tip of his nose. He had originally intended to play dumb and muddle his way through, but Yan Ruyu's gaze was far too certain. She had clearly already determined that the Qing Emperor's Heart was in his possession. Concealing it further would only be counterproductive.

He looked up at Jiang Xian, who gave him a slight nod, his eyes conveying, Make your own decision.

Ye Fan pondered for a moment, recalling how the Demon Race princess would lend him her Emperor Weapon to help him on multiple occasions in the future. He could make a mutually beneficial deal with her in a moment. He simply stopped hiding it and spoke frankly. "Nothing escapes you, Princess. The Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart is indeed in my possession."

Ye Fan remained calm as he said solemnly, "Your Highness, I possess the Desolate Ancient Sacred Body. The Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart can nourish my flesh, making it a great opportunity for me. I'm afraid simply taking it back is out of the question. Besides, a Great Emperor's heart needs nurturing to maintain its vitality, and my Sacred Body is perfectly suited to that. So why don't we make a deal? Isn't what you need the saint blood produced by the Demon Emperor's Sacred Heart? I can give you the essence blood it produces to help strengthen your bloodline! But when I run into trouble in the future, you'll have to lend me the Azure Emperor's Weapon. What do you think?"

After hearing Ye Fan's words, Jiang Xian sighed inwardly. Ye Hei certainly lives up to his name. He says he'll give Yan Ruyu the Demon Emperor's Saint Blood, but with the Qing Emperor's Heart inside his Sea of Bitterness, how much he gives her is entirely up to him. Still, now that Ye Fan cultivated the Azure Emperor Wood Sovereign Art, it could indeed be considered a win for both sides.

Yan Ruyu fell silent for several seconds. Her gaze slowly moved from Ye Fan to Jiang Xian beside him, then swept over the dozen or so old women who had just come up and been easily subdued by Jiang Xian. She had already weighed the situation before her with perfect clarity.

A moment later, she nodded gently and said earnestly, "All right, it's a deal. I hope you will honor your promise and give me the Demon Emperor's Essence Blood, Young Master Ye."

Ye Fan breathed a sigh of relief and took out a drop of the Demon Emperor's Saint Blood, handing it to Yan Ruyu.

"All right, consider this a gesture of sincerity. From now on, I'll provide you with some of the Demon Emperor's Saint Blood at regular intervals."

Yan Ruyu hurriedly accepted the drop of the Demon Emperor's Saint Blood.

Pang Bo muttered quietly from the side, "That's it? The deal's done? I thought we'd have to fight again."

Jiang Xian patted Pang Bo on the shoulder. "Why are you always thinking about fighting? We should value harmony."

The dozen or so old women immobilized nearby had this to say: If you value harmony, then release the pressure on us!

Seeing the old women nearby who could not move, Jiang Xian casually snapped his fingers. Their restraints vanished instantly. They felt their bodies relax and collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. Helping one another to their feet, they walked behind Yan Ruyu with their heads lowered, not daring to look at Jiang Xian again.

Jiang Xian looked at Yan Ruyu. "All right, I mainly came to watch the show this time. Princess Yan, has your intelligence told you when the Ji Family will arrive?"

Yan Ruyu was inwardly startled to hear this. He actually knows about this too.

"The Ji Family is already preparing to attack us. They want to use us as a whetstone for their Divine Body. We were preparing to evacuate and seek refuge with a mighty expert of the Demon Race," Yan Ruyu replied.

Jiang Xian said, "Then there's no need to evacuate, Your Highness. The Ji Family has probably already surrounded you. You'll have to fight your way out. Besides, the Divine Body's goal is to seize the Demon Emperor Saint Weapon."

"I came here this time precisely to see how this Eastern Wasteland Divine Body will bravely seize an Emperor Weapon."

Yan Ruyu was silent for a while before turning her gaze back to Jiang Xian, a note of earnest inquiry in her voice. "Since you came to watch the show, Young Master Jiang, do you intend to remain purely a spectator, or... would you also be willing to help set the stage?"