Chapter 489: Are You a Dog? You Won't Lose Out by Being My Woman, an Invitation from Helian Wen

“Sister, are you alright?” Tantai Ming asked cautiously.

“I’m fine. Starting tomorrow, dispatch more people to patrol the area around the Demon Abyss.” Tantai Qing regained her composure and spoke calmly, then led the way downstairs.

On the long street, Jiang Lan strolled with his hands clasped behind his back, the smile gone from his face. He wore a contemplative expression as he thought about his next move.

“Master…”

Just then, You’Er, who was following closely behind him, suddenly spoke in a hushed voice.

“Hm?” Jiang Lan glanced at her.

You’Er whispered, “Master… the scent on you…”

Jiang Lan raised an eyebrow slightly, then quickly realized what You’Er was talking about. A clear light instantly swept over his body.

“Is it still there?”

He couldn’t smell it himself, but You’Er’s nose was nearly as keen as Li Mengning’s. She could discern such a subtle difference in an instant.

You’Er leaned her small head forward and sniffed in front of him. Then, her cheeks flushed, she said, “It’s gone now.”

‘They were only supposed to be discussing things. How did Master end up covered in that Goddess Tantai Qing’s scent?’

‘Could it be their conversation… led them somewhere else?’

“Has Ao Yin found anything unusual?” Jiang Lan paid no mind to You’Er’s thoughts, instead asking about the situation at the Demon Abyss.

Kong Xuan, who was behind him, shook her head. “Sir, nothing unusual has been found yet. Ao Yin is currently on patrol with the younger generation of the three great Guardian Families. The Demon Abyss has been very quiet for the past two days, and no creatures have been sighted…”

Jiang Lan nodded. With all eyes on Immortal Ascension Island currently fixed on the Demon Abyss, the Barbarian Race wouldn’t dare make a rash move to break the seal, even if they had already snuck in.

‘If I were one of the Barbarian Race,’ he mused, ‘the best way to minimize losses right now would be to negotiate with the three great Guardian Families.’

‘The Saint-rank Noble Families are not a monolith, after all.’

‘Ever since the start of the Southern Hunting exercise, the conflict between the Barbarian Race and Great Xia has already started to deviate from the original plot.’

‘Of course, I don’t want the Demon Calamity to erupt prematurely either. To say nothing of the fact that the Prime Minister’s Mansion relies on Immortal Ascension Island’s many resource veins to control the lifeblood of several Artifact Refining Sects in the Celestial Central Province.’

‘If the Demon Calamity were to erupt, plunging Great Xia into chaos and turmoil, it would lead to many unknown and unpredictable consequences.’

‘For Emperor Xia, this would be a monumental challenge.’

‘Of course, it wasn’t that I felt sorry for her. I just believe her current abilities and political maneuvering are not yet enough to control this situation. Once she loses power, I’ll just have to prop up someone new to stabilize things and continue my plans for the world’s future providence.’

‘And that would be a huge hassle.’

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH…

Just as Jiang Lan was lost in thought, a series of whooshes suddenly cut through the night air.

At the end of the long street stood an enormous, leafy banyan tree. At that moment, a volley of arrows, shimmering with a cold, hazy light, shot out from the treetops, piercing the air like bolts of lightning.

“Protect the Young Master…!”

The sudden attack startled everyone. Even Jiang Lan’s focus broke for a moment as he looked toward the source.

‘I didn’t expect someone to try and assassinate me in the middle of the night. Do they have a death wish?’

The long street, which had been bustling with pedestrians just moments before, was instantly thrown into chaos as terrified people scrambled to flee.

VMMMM!!!

A barrier, shimmering like the surface of a jade-green lake, materialized around Jiang Lan.

With a wave of her elegant hand, Princess Xiang Xiao of the Sea God Race summoned specks of blue light that coalesced into a massive, crystalline shield, blocking the attack.

Kong Xuan and the others looked toward the direction of the arrows in surprise, but they didn’t immediately make a move.

The other subordinates transformed into streaks of divine light and charged toward the source of the arrows. Even You’Er vanished into the Void like a phantom, giving chase.

TSSSSS…

Jiang Lan’s expression remained unchanged as he watched the rain of arrows bore down on them.

However, upon hitting the barrier, they made a sizzling sound like hot oil spattering in cold water. A black, corrosive mist billowed out before the arrows exploded in mid-air.

From within the exploding arrows, phantoms of Fierce Beasts emerged. Instead of dissipating, they lunged toward him with savage ferocity.

SHING!

A streak of Five-Colored Divine Light flashed. Kong Xuan made her move. Her fair, white palm glowed brilliantly, and with a single wave, the lunging Fierce Beast phantoms disintegrated in mid-air, instantly swept out of existence.

“The Five-Colored Divine Light…”

Jiang Lan looked at her palm.

It was only a wisp of the Five-Colored Divine Light, not the complete version. But with it, Kong Xuan had forged a Five-Colored Divine Embryo within her body. If she could cultivate it to the Great Success or Perfection stage, she would be able to wield the complete Five-Colored Divine Light.

This was clearly a tremendous stroke of fortune.

According to legend, the Five-Colored Divine Light originated from a wisp of Innate Qi of Chaos. When this Qi differentiated into the five elements, a peacock was conceived and born from it.

The five colors—azure, yellow, red, black, and white—became five feathers, which the peacock refined into its Five-Colored Divine Light. With a single sweep, there was nothing it could not erase from existence.

It was said that the ancestors of Kong Xuan’s clan had a profound connection to this very peacock.

Seeing that Kong Xuan had acted, Jin Ming and the others stood down.

“This is one of Great Xia’s Barbarian-Hunting Arrows. They normally only appear in the borderlands between the Southern Wilderness Province and the Celestial Central Province, where they’re used against the Barbarian Race. No Noble Family is permitted to possess them privately…”

“A Demon-Breaking Array Pattern is inscribed within the arrowhead, and it also contains a sealed wisp of a Fierce Beast’s Residual Soul. They are not easy to craft.”

Xiang Xiao waved her hand, and an unbroken arrow flew into her grasp. She began to examine it closely.

Upon seeing this, a flash of understanding passed through the eyes of Kong Xuan and the others as they seemed to guess at something.