Chapter 1689. Imperial Family’s Interest.

Chapter 1689: Chapter 1689. Imperial Family’s Interest.

The surroundings became silent. [Celestial Tyrant’s Soul Stomp] had caused the place to look on in awe as Yasenia became the only being in the sky. She had, with brute force, pushed everyone else down. Some of them were injured, but thanks to the secret guard with so many powerhouses, they could avoid all damage.

Even then, the prince, who was now standing on the ground, had been shaken. Yasenia’s illusion had dissipated, so he could see that there had never been a battlefield.

Everything had been in his head, or better said, forcefully put in it.

Yasenia descended from the sky in a single step, reaching near him, her dress fluttering because of her descent.

With an elegant spin, Draheart was stored back into her Dantian, together with the flag stuck on the ground a small distance away.

Placing her hands on her belly, Yasenia spoke softly and bowed very faintly. "Sorry for the disrespect, Prince. As I mentioned, I have to speak with Your Majesty soon, so I will now retreat to prepare. Have a good day."

As she turned around, Xuanyuan Zhenkai wanted to stop her, but he was unable to raise his voice or hand. He had been crushed in all the senses of the word.

More than a close fight, it was Yasenia’s unilateral beating. ’If this was not a duel but a deathmatch, I’d be dead.’

He had many life-saving treasures on him. So, truthfully, he would’ve managed to escape somehow. That didn’t cross his mind, though. What flashed within it was Yasenia standing in the distance and looking at him as if he were a completely inferior cultivator. The two indifferent, golden slit eyes were burned into his mind.

The other families used this to completely re-evaluate Yasenia. During the recent high-class meetings among Young Lords and Misses, Yasenia had been labeled as a charming demon and a useless individual. It came from envy most of the time, but some truly believed it.

Yasenia didn’t care about any of this. When she returned, she used her tail to hug Angel and placed her on her lap, burying her face in her golden hair. "Sigh... Relaxing."

Qinqin blinked and looked at Evelyn. "She just crushed a prince. Is it alright to be this relaxed?"

Evelyn chuckled. "If Yasenia is calm, then mimicking her mood is the best you can do. Otherwise, your nerves might get fried. Our girl is intelligent, so there is no chance for her to act without thinking... Most of the time."

Qinqin’s smile faltered. "W-Why did you add that last sentence?"

Evelyn grinned. "What’s wrong with it? It is the truth."

"Ugh..."

Tatyana glanced at Qinqin and commented. "So, have you compiled the Secret Realms that might open in the next 20 years or so, and which ones we should aim for?"

While Cecile, Kali, and Angel were pregnant, that didn’t mean they were useless. On the contrary, they could be considered to be at their strongest right now. Of course, if they risked their lives or something like that, forget Yasenia; they would be the ones to never forgive themselves.

Qinqin nodded and waved her hand, summoning a rough map created from energy. "As you should know already, our world is divided into three large zones. Four if you add the wilderness as a whole. These two surrounding us are the Divine and Demon zones. Some Secret Realms are going to open here, but to get entry tickets, you will have to receive them from Your Majesty."

"He controls all Secret Realm entries?"

Qinqin shook his head. "He controls a fixed amount. If you want to enter without a ticket, you can do so. However, if you are found out and steal some treasure, the forces inside will target you quite relentlessly. In our case, we want to establish the Dravory family as a clan, so butting heads when we can enter legitimately is a fool’s errand."

They all agreed to her analysis. Here, Qinqin smirked. "The tickets are not fixed even after being given, though. There are some families with economic troubles. These people auction them in our shops, and we can take advantage of it when they do."

Tatyana tilted her head. "Will Ancestor Shang say nothing?"

Qinqin shrugged. "He doesn’t control anything. He is like a large authority figure in case someone is trying to bring down the Shang Family from within. As for fights for resources, he closes one eye and looks with the other. Even if we kill each other, he won’t interfere."

"Shang Qinluan," Andrea spoke that name and crossed her arms. "Won’t she interfere?"

"She most likely will." Qinqin sighed at the mention of that name. "After I managed to surpass her in one competition and steal a few big and important zones, that girl has been targeting me relentlessly. We are like oil and water. Still, I can’t kill her or deal with her for now."

"Reason," Tatyana demanded.

Qinqin sighed. "Some of my close people have been had by her. If she disappears, their support also collapses."

Tatyana frowned. "Who are they?"

"My parents." Qinqin smiled wryly. "They are convinced to the bone that Qinluan is a good girl and that I am being too harsh on her. If I ever kill her, they will flip out. I don’t know if she has used Demonic techniques or what, but they are completely blinded by her. Well, my father seems somewhat indifferent, but my mother treats her like her own daughter more than she does to me."

Tatyana glanced at her and didn’t speak further. Yasenia commented. "How about allowing us to meet? If she is truly charmed, we will be able to distinguish it. If we sense nothing... Well."

She didn’t speak more, but her meaning was clear. They were not worth it!

Of course, Yasenia would not do something that cruel to Qinqin. Fixing her mother’s attitude was a priority right after meeting with the Emperor and gaining legitimacy.

***

Time passed, and soon, the day to meet with the Emperor arrived. They all wore their best clothes, preparing to go out. Below these clothes, the girls wore the Ancient Rank dresses they found in the Death Dune Empire’s treasury.

Outwardly, they looked as if they were wearing fancy dresses, but they were armed to the teeth with their best treasures. Evelyn sighed. "I have yet to unravel their complex threading. So, I can’t change their forms without butchering their effects and treasure rank yet. Ancient Rank treasures are quite hard to manipulate. Still, I have made some progress. I have created these dresses that can be worn over them."

Since the bodices were form-fitting, they acted as a bodysuit. With the clothes Evelyn created, their aura would be hidden, and they would be wearing proper dresses.

Yasenia smooched Evelyn’s lips. "You are so talented, love. Good job."

With that, they all walked toward the Emperor’s palace. Their arrival was silent, and they managed to meet with him straight away. Truthfully, there was nothing extraordinary said between them.

Yasenia spoke as she had planned, and the wise emperor understood what she wanted and gave it to her. What happened to the third prince was not mentioned at all at any point, as both sides understood the unreasonableness of the third prince.

As their conversation was ending, the Emperor spoke calmly. "There needs to be some punishment for challenging Imperial Authority, though."

Yasenia knew that it would be a slap on the wrist, so she nodded calmly. "For the crime of insulting the Imperial Family, the Dravory Family is punished with a fine of 100 years of a first-rate official’s salary. That’s all."

Yasenia was not too aware, but Qinqin whispered in her ear, not really caring if the Emperor heard her. "That much money is, more or less, the cost of a One Star Supreme Ranked treasure."

Since that was the case, Yasenia waved her hand and summoned a useless One Star Supreme Ranked sword. "Here it is the compensation, Your Majesty."

For the first time, the man was surprised. In this Heavenly Layer, Supreme Ranked Treasures were precious, and Ancient Ranked Treasures were almost unheard of. Therefore, giving away one with such ease was like flaunting one’s wealth.

Yasenia knew that to that extent. Therefore, she added. "This is a sword created from Phoenix Wings. I found it by chance during a lethal Secret Realm exploration."

Truthfully, it was strewn around in the Death Dune Empire treasury. However, if Yasenia said a lethal Secret Realm exploration, that was the truth!

The Emperor’s expression eased up at her words, and he nodded. "Understood. You can leave it behind. From here on, this Emperor officially recognizes the Dravory Family as one of the many clans in our World. Let the word be known."

With a bang from his throne, the sky shifted colors, and the characters "Dravory Family" manifested elegantly in the sky. That was giving Yasenia Heaven’s recognition.

Satisfied, Yasenia and her group left.

***

Meanwhile, after the Dravory Family manifested in the sky, the First Princess stood up and gave an order. "Invite the Dravory Clan head. This Princess wants to congratulate her."

’Hmph. Let’s see today how beautiful you are that you have even charmed my husband!’

Sadly for her, today was not her day. "Excuse us, First Princess. The Phoenix of the Empire has already asked for a meeting. Do you want to schedule it for another day?"

"The Empress did?" A frown appeared between her elegant eyebrows. "Since that’s the case, nothing can be done. Instead, summon her next week."

"Understood, First Princess."

The servants retreated, and a few moments later, her husband came with an exasperated expression. "Love, as I said, there is nothing wrong. It is true that Lady Dravory is beautiful. However, you don’t need to act this way. Please, ask the servants to come back."

The First Princess was stubborn. "I won’t. Go back. I have yet to forgive you."

The man sighed, rubbing his temples. Sadly, he couldn’t do much. He was the First Princess’s consort. Meaning he had married into the Imperial Family. So, the woman was of higher status compared to herself.

***

Yasenia looked at the eunuch standing in front of her. "...The Phoenix of the Empire wants to see me?"

"Yes, Lady Dravory. Please, follow along."

His words sounded as if there was no chance of refusal, and in a way, that was the truth. Yasenia sighed internally. However, if she wanted to establish herself as a family clan, these formalities were unavoidable. Unlike when creating a sect, which could be considered an independent power, a family clan had to be tied down so that they could compete for land, resources, etc.

’Both have their good and bad sides. Family clans, at least, are protected from outside threats by your superiors, in our case, the Imperial Family. Sects are not like that.’

Yasenia muttered to herself. "Let’s see what the Empress has to say, shall we?"

"Alright, guide us."