181: Chapter 181 Hey you two old men, remember to tell your prodigy to bring plenty of money!

Pei Qinglan wiped the smile from her face.

She raised her fair hand slightly.

The cabin doors on both sides of the dragon-patterned flying boat opened simultaneously.

Two powerful waves of Spiritual Pressure, laced with Imperial Dragon Qi, surged from within the cabin.

Two elderly men wearing the vestments of the Great Yan Dynasty's Enshrined Elders slowly stepped out of the cabin.

They were also at the Body Integration Stage!

Four waves of Body Integration Stage Spiritual Pressure collided violently amidst the sea of clouds.

"Crackle, crackle..."

The surrounding space could no longer withstand the force, and tiny black cracks began to appear.

Pei Qinglan looked directly at Supreme Elder Xuanchen and 軽く微, her tone brook no argument.

"Her Majesty the Empress has decreed that Young Master Cao is the most honored guest of Great Yan."

"I must take him with me today."

"If the Taichu Holy Land wishes to start a war..."

"...the Great Yan Dynasty will see it through to the end!"

Her words were firm and resonant.

The atmosphere in the sea of clouds instantly dropped to freezing point.

Supreme Elder Xuanchen and 軽く微's expressions turned extremely ugly.

They never expected the Great Yan Empress to make such a grand display for a mere junior at the Soul Transformation Stage.

Even going so far as to dispatch two Body Integration Stage Enshrined Elders.

And even deploying a strategic-level Treasure Artifact like the Dragon Soaring Warship.

They were now very clear in their minds.

With two Body Integration Stage Enshrined Elders from the Great Yan Dynasty present...

...plus this dragon-patterned flying boat engraved with Imperial Formations...

...trying to bypass Pei Qinglan to kill Cao Kun today was nothing more than a pipe dream!

Moreover, the Ancient God Ruins were about to open.

The Daoist Inheritance Struggle concerned the Holy Land's Luck for ten thousand years!

If they went to full-scale war with the Great Yan Dynasty at this critical juncture, the Taichu Holy Land would surely suffer heavy losses.

They might even be vulnerable to other top-tier forces taking advantage of the situation.

This was a price they could not afford.

Supreme Elder Xuanchen suppressed the fury in his heart and issued a warning.

"Cao Kun."

"You can hide for a moment, but you can't hide forever."

"Once the Ancient God Ruins open, the laws of the Heavenly Dao will suppress the older generation from taking action."

"When that time comes, the true prodigies of our Taichu Holy Land's younger generation will make you wish you were dead!"

Facing such meaningless threats, Cao Kun couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Taking Yu Linglong's hand, he leaped onto the deck of the dragon-patterned flying boat.

Turning around, he looked at Supreme Elder Xuanchen and retorted with extreme arrogance:

"Sure, then you'd better remember to send in prodigies who have plenty of Spirit Stones and good Magic Treasures!"

"Killing paupers is no fun."

Just before entering the cabin...

...Cao Kun seemed to remember something he was extremely dissatisfied with. He turned back, waved his hand at Supreme Elder Xuanchen and 軽く微, and shouted loudly:

"Oh, right! You two old fogies. Remember to tell the Holy Lord of Taichu when you get back—don't just focus on posting bounties."

Cao Kun pointed to his exceptionally handsome face, looking deeply distressed:

"By the way, find someone who can actually paint and make Master Cao look a bit more handsome."

"That wanted poster looks like an idiot; it's practically an insult to my good looks."

"You—!"

軽く微 was already forcibly suppressing his Spiritual Pressure, and now, Cao Kun's shameless remarks made his chest tighten with rage.

A mouthful of blood surged up his throat, but he forced himself to swallow it back down.

Veins bulged on the back of his hand as he gripped his fly-whisk tightly.

Regardless of how much the two Body Integration experts were breaking down...

...the massive spatial Formation of the dragon-patterned flying boat had already been activated.

A colossal Formation light enveloped the entire boat.

A spatial rift tore open once more.

The Flying Boat sailed into the void passage, disappearing into the vast sea of clouds.

Leaving only Supreme Elder Xuanchen and 軽く微 standing where they were.

Supreme Elder Xuanchen gritted his teeth and said coldly.

"This brat is arrogant to the extreme. If we don't eliminate him early, he will surely become a major threat in the future!"

軽く微 didn't speak. With a grim face, he took out a Communication Jade.

"The Great Yan Dynasty dares to forcibly intervene; we'll settle this score later."

"Send the news back to the Holy Land and let the Holy Lord decide."

...

Inside the void passage.

The dragon-patterned flying boat traversed smoothly through the spatial turbulence.

Pei Qinglan led the way, bringing Cao Kun and Yu Linglong into the luxurious VIP room of the cabin.

The interior was decorated with extreme opulence.

Thousand-year-old warm jade paved the floor, and ten-thousand-year-old agarwood formed the tables.

A faint, mind-calming spiritual incense wafted through the air.

Pei Qinglan walked to the tea table and personally poured three cups of spiritual tea.

Pushing one of the cups in front of Cao Kun, she chuckled:

"Young Master Cao, Her Majesty the Empress used quite a few of her trump cards to save you this time."

Pei Qinglan sat down opposite Cao Kun, her legs crossed.

Although she wore a long dress, the fabric tightened as she sat.

Her perfect waist-to-hip curve was still displayed to its fullest, sparking much imagination.

Her beautiful eyes gazed at Cao Kun as she teased:

"You've incurred a massive favor this time."

Facing such a beauty, Cao Kun didn't shy away from admiring her grace.

He picked up the teacup, blew on the steam, and casually asked back:

"Do I owe the Empress, or do I owe you, Fairy Pei?"

Pei Qinglan's eyes curved into beautiful crescents. Instead of directly answering this loaded question, she asked back:

"Whom do you want to owe?"

There was a strong sense of testing in those words.

"If I owe the Empress a favor, I will naturally help her resolve her troubles in the ruins."

"But... if it's a favor I owe you, Fairy Pei..."

Cao Kun admired Pei Qinglan's graceful figure while nonchalantly taking a sip of tea.

"I wonder how you want me to repay it, Fairy Pei? Should I pledge my body to you, or...?"

"Young Master Cao really is a bad boy."

Pei Qinglan lightly covered her red lips, laughing so hard her body trembled. The sight of her swaying curves made a fire rise within Cao Kun.

Yu Linglong, who had been sitting beside Cao Kun, finally couldn't sit still any longer.

She stood up, her willow-like waist twisting slightly as she stepped over to block the space between Cao Kun and Pei Qinglan.

Yu Linglong picked up the teapot on the table and proactively added some tea to Pei Qinglan's cup.

A flawless, charming smile hung on her face.

"Sister Pei is such a good person."

"Coming all this way to pick us up and even pouring water personally."

"How very virtuous~"

Then, she changed her tone, though it remained charming.

But between the lines, there was a clear sense of claiming ownership.

"However, Sister Pei seems to have misunderstood one thing."

Yu Linglong reached out and hugged Cao Kun's arm, saying daintily:

"As for Master's personality, Linglong knows it best."

"The favors he owes will naturally be remembered by me."

"If there's anything in the future, Sister Pei can just tell me directly."

"Once we return to the Imperial Capital, Linglong will surely use every means at her disposal to properly repay the debt for saving Master's life."

"I guarantee Sister will be so satisfied she won't be able to close her..."

"Oh, wait, I mean she won't be able to stop smiling~"

Pei Qinglan was slightly stunned.

She looked at the woman before her, who possessed an even more seductive aura than herself, and felt a hint of surprise in her heart.

What a sharp little fox.

These words were clearly a declaration of ownership, and in the process, they relegated Pei Qinglan to the category of an outsider.

Pei Qinglan didn't get angry; instead, she laughed. She set down her teacup, rested her chin on her hand, and observed Yu Linglong with interest.

"Little sister sure is protective of her food."

"Men in this world can't be kept just by being protective."

"Excellent men will always be eyed by more people, don't you agree?"

"Don't worry, for now, I don't have any other intentions toward your master."

"But for a man as excellent as Young Master Cao, who can say about the future?"

Yu Linglong's face darkened, and nine fox tails swayed unhappily behind her.

"For now?"

"Meaning there might be in the future?"

This old woman really is full of bad ideas!

Yu Linglong gritted her teeth in anger.

She couldn't lose her temper at Pei Qinglan; that would be beneath her.

So she turned her head, reached under the table, and gave Cao Kun's inner thigh a hard pinch.

"Hiss..."

Cao Kun gasped in pain.

He had been enjoying the subtle battle between these two clever women.

This was completely different from the direct shouting matches with Feng Jiuyou.

The clash between Yu Linglong and Pei Qinglan didn't involve a single curse word, yet every blow drew blood.

Now this is a high-level game.

He hadn't seen enough yet!

Unfortunately, the fire had spread to him.

Pei Qinglan