171: Chapter 170 Breakthrough in the Refining Ruins

Not long after, Li Fu came running in again, bobbing along.

"Master, another Fairy is here to see you." He winked and gestured, his expression as suggestive as a pimp's, "This one... has a particularly slim waist."

Xiao Ye raised an eyebrow and looked at the pregnant Hu Meier in his arms. "Are they from your Yao Race again? Are you all in such a rush to deliver yourselves one after another?"

Hu Meier rolled her eyes, lazily sat up from his arms, and straightened her clothes. "Let me guess—is it a woman with a waist as thin as a water snake and a chin as sharp as an awl?"

"You know her?" Xiao Ye asked curiously.

"She Qingqing, from the Green Snake Clan, Early Stage Mahayana." Hu Meier sighed, her tone carrying the sentiment of someone who had seen it all. "She's been competing with me since we were young, fighting for hundreds of years, but she could never beat me."

Xiao Ye nodded thoughtfully and turned to Li Fu. "Let her in."

As soon as he finished speaking, a green figure swayed into the Imperial Study with a waist as supple as a water snake.

She Qingqing wore a long green dress, and her waist was impossibly thin, as if it would snap with the slightest exertion.

With a melon-seed face, willow-leaf eyebrows, and long, narrow phoenix eyes brimming with allure, she exuded a bewitching aura, looking just like a bamboo viper that had attained spirithood.

"Commoner She Qingqing pays respects to the Emperor." She bowed gracefully, her voice as soft as a snake's tongue, slithering into the ears and making one's bones feel soft.

Then she looked up and saw Hu Meier in Xiao Ye's arms, sporting a large belly.

She Qingqing froze, as if someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over her head.

Hu Meier leaned on Xiao Ye's shoulder and waved lazily at her. "Qingqing, long time no see."

"Hu... Hu Meier?" She Qingqing widened her eyes, staring fixedly at Hu Meier's round belly, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg. "You... you were actually... knocked up?"

She was so shocked that she forgot to maintain her disguise, and a mouthful of authentic Yao Race dialect slipped out.

This was not her fault; the scene before her was simply too shocking—the dignified Clan Chief of the Nine-Tailed Green Fox Clan, an Early Stage Mahayana powerhouse, was actually snuggled in the arms of a Soul Transformation emperor with a big belly, looking completely satisfied, like a well-fed cat.

"Don't make a fuss." Hu Meier curled her lip and patted her belly. "Don't worry, you'll be big soon, too."

She Qingqing's face flushed red instantly, burning from her neck up to her earlobes. "You... what nonsense are you spouting?!"

"I think she makes a lot of sense." Xiao Ye stood up with a smile, walked over to She Qingqing, reached out to pinch her chin, and inspected her back and forth. "This waist is indeed thin. I wonder if it will get thicker after pregnancy? I shall have to study this carefully."

She Qingqing stiffened at his touch, wanting to dodge but finding herself unable to move—it was another Immobilization Talisman.

She widened her eyes, both shocked and furious. "You—!"

"Don't struggle, it's useless." Hu Meier walked over slowly, supporting her belly, and patted She Qingqing's face, her tone like she was coaxing a child. "Be good, and join me in serving the Emperor. You won't be short of benefits."

She Qingqing was trembling with rage, her voice cracking. "Hu Meier! You—you traitor! How can you face the Heavenly Demon Sacred Land? How can you face the Fox Clan?"

"Traitor?" Hu Meier laughed, looking nonchalant and justified. "I live much more comfortably now than I did in the Heavenly Demon Sacred Land. No need for scheming, no need to guard against backstabbing, just eating and drinking every day, and having someone to cherish me. You tell me, is this being a traitor? This is a wise choice. Why don't you try it too?"

She Qingqing opened her mouth, finding herself unable to refute it.

Xiao Ye wrapped his arms around She Qingqing's waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, and blew into her ear with a smile. "Fairy Snake, stop struggling. Follow me, and you'll have the best food and drink, far better than being some Saintess. Look at your Meier, how happy she is now."

She Qingqing bit her lip, her eyes reddening, feeling deep regret in her heart—if she had known this would happen, she never should have come.

Hu Meier had defected, and she herself had fallen into the tiger's den.

The intelligence work of the Heavenly Demon Sacred Land was truly abysmal.

Hu Meier leaned into She Qingqing's ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear. "Don't bother thinking about it; you can't escape. Stay put, and maybe in a few days, your clansmen will come to keep you company."

She Qingqing trembled, her face turning deathly pale.

She suddenly felt that the entire Heavenly Demon Sacred Land would sooner or later be wiped out by this scoundrel emperor.

She closed her eyes, resigning herself to her fate.

Li Fu stood at the door, observing the "harmony" inside the Imperial Study, and calculated silently: Another new consort added; I can make a fortune on the wedding feast next month. Master is mighty!

He trotted off to pass the order, his steps as light as if he were treading on Wind Fire Wheels.

Xiao Ye sat on the Dragon Throne, holding Hu Meier and She Qingqing on his left and right, his mouth grinning from ear to ear.

The small goal of three hundred and sixty-five was one step closer.

Yao Race, keep sending them over; my bed is big enough to accommodate them all.

————

With two consecutive members losing contact, the Heavenly Demon Sacred Land finally quieted down.

It wasn't that they didn't want to send people; they couldn't afford to anymore.

The Clan Chief of the Nine-Tailed Green Fox Clan went and never returned, and the Saintess of the Green Snake Clan also followed, with no word since.

With two major generals lost to the same person, anyone would have to think twice.

The Grand Elder went into seclusion, the Lion Demon returned to the mountains, and the Elder of the Silver Moon Sky Wolf Tribe no longer clamored about "getting revenge."

The Turtle Clan Elder breathed a sigh of relief; not having to be cannon fodder was quite good.

For a time, the front lines fell silent. Both sides stood in a standoff, staring at each other, neither daring to make a rash move.

Meanwhile, in the Great Qian Imperial Palace, Xiao Ye resumed his wonderful life of having children, breaking through, having children, and breaking through.

Every day was spent either tilling the fields in his concubines' chambers or refining his cultivation in the practice room.

The demon refining pot had accumulated a pile of Yao Race souls, and the harem had gained several new offspring; his cultivation was rising rapidly, like riding a rocket.

On this day, Xiao Ye finally felt the opportunity for a Breakthrough.

The spiritual energy in his body surged like a tide, his Meridians ached, and his Dantian hummed.

He took a deep breath and called for Li Fu. "Prepare the Airship; I need to find a remote place to Breakthrough."

Li Fu was stunned. "Master, breaking through again?" Xiao Ye glared at him. "What, are you unhappy that I'm breaking through?"

Li Fu waved his hands repeatedly and turned to prepare.

The Airship hovered over a desolate mountain range, with no signs of human life for thousands of miles.

Xiao Ye sat cross-legged on the mountain Peak, with the Void Breaking Pill rewarded by the System placed in front of him. It was round and full, with spiritual light flowing over it, emitting a faint golden glow.

The concubines stood far away on the Airship's deck, each of them watching the seated figure nervously.

"Will His Majesty succeed this time?" Hungry Demon asked in a low voice.

"Nonsense, when has His Majesty ever failed?" Hu Wei said expressionlessly.

"But this is a Breakthrough to Void Refinement, a major Realm; the Lightning Tribulation will surely be fierce." Divine Maiden Bai Jie frowned, her face full of worry.

Palace Master Mosha crossed her arms, a rare hint of solemnity appearing on her cold, beautiful face.

As a Peak Mahayana, she naturally knew what a Breakthrough to Void Refinement meant.

Hu Meier, supporting her big belly, leaned against the railing and said lazily, "Don't worry, he has plenty of trump cards."

She Qingqing stood beside her and muttered, "You sure know him well."