182: He gave so much, it's overflowing!
Jiang Yuan's Divine Thought receded like a tide, his consciousness returning to the main hall of the dragon head warship.
He slowly opened his eyes; in those deep pupils, stars seemed to be born and extinguished, and Cangwus rotated.
In just an instant, he regained his usual calm and laziness.
However, everyone in the hall felt their hearts skip a beat.
Second Ancestor Jiang Wuya, Sixth Ancestor Sixth Ancestor, and Fifth Ancestor Fifth Ancestor Jiang Wuming—the three Old Ancestors—along with the Incarnation of the Yaochi Empress Ye Lingxian and Lin Yue, who had just proven the Dao to become an Empress, had all arrived at some unknown point. They were all staring at him with burning eyes and various expressions.
"Yuaner, you..."
The Sixth Ancestor was the least capable of holding back his words. "What did you just do? How come it felt like you ate that moon?"
The metaphor was crude, but exceptionally apt.
Although the Second and Fifth Ancestors didn't speak, the probing look in their eyes said everything.
They all knew Jiang Yuan had the Heaven-Defying ability to refine the heavenly heart imprint.
But witnessing Jiang Yuan actually refining the Dao fruit for his own use, thereby influencing the Heavenly Dao and causing it to completely lose its ability to resist...
This still made the two Emperors, who had lived for endless ages, feel it was inconceivable.
"Cough, it's nothing."
Jiang Yuan coughed lightly and made up an excuse on the fly. "That thing wasn't behaving, so I refined it in passing. Sixth Grandfather, there's an outsider here; mind your image."
His gaze flickered towards Ye Lingxian.
Outsider?
The Sixth Ancestor froze for a moment before reacting. Right, the Yaochi Empress was still here; the Family's secrets couldn't be casually disclosed to outsiders.
But once this girl became part of the Family, he could say whatever he wanted.
Hearing this, Ye Lingxian knew he was hinting at her.
A hint of curiosity flashed in her lazy, beautiful eyes. Between satisfying her curiosity to explore secrets and sensibly leaving, she chose the former.
If she could know what secret was contained within, perhaps she could take a step further.
Ye Lingxian's red lips parted slightly, just about to say something.
"Swoosh!"
Jiang Yuan didn't give her the chance to ask. With a flick of his finger, a mass of purple qi, even denser and purer than what he had given her before, shot toward Ye Lingxian's pretty face.
"Empress Senior, I am immensely grateful for your help this time. This small gift is a token of my appreciation."
Ye Lingxian subconsciously opened her mouth, but soon realized she didn't need to do that, feeling embarrassed by her own instinctive reaction.
While thinking, she had already raised her hand to catch it with Emperor Qi.
That warm and vast aura of life reached her, instantly making Ye Lingxian's slight displeasure vanish.
She felt her long-dormant life Origin become active once more. The questions at the tip of her tongue were suddenly too embarrassing to ask.
This guy... Ye Lingxian gave Jiang Yuan a look that was half-annoyed and half-amused. This guy was clearly using treasures to shut her up.
However, he gave her too much this time.
Her hands could barely hold it; it was almost overflowing.
Considering such a large mass of purple qi, the inquisitive thoughts in Ye Lingxian's heart were completely suppressed, and she silently stowed the purple qi away.
Fine, everyone has their own secrets.
As long as he was harmless to Jade Pool and could bring great benefits, digging deeper would only be detrimental.
Ye Lingxian comforted herself this way.
"In that case, this Empress shall return to the Immortal Ship first. Regarding the matter of the Cangwu tethering, if you need anything, send word at any time."
Her figure swayed and turned into a beam of moonlight, disappearing from the hall.
She had to go back and seal this mass of purple qi within her body, then let it out to give to her main body after returning.
With such a large amount of purple qi, the main body's recovery should be able to reach ten percent.
Having sent Ye Lingxian away, Jiang Yuan then waved his hand and said to the several Old Ancestors:
"Second Grandfather, Fifth Grandfather, Sixth Grandfather, the Great Array still needs you to preside over it. Don't worry about things here; I have some business to attend to."
"Alright, then be careful yourself. If there's anything wrong with the Dao fruit, tell us immediately."
Second Ancestor Jiang Wuya nodded, gave Jiang Yuan a deep look, and his figure vanished.
Although the Sixth Ancestor wanted to ask something, he saw that Yuaner seemed to have business with Lin Yue.
He'd better ask the Second and Fifth later.
Soon, within the vast main hall, only Jiang Yuan and Lin Yue remained.
The atmosphere became somewhat subtle for a moment.
Lin Yue stood with her hands down below the dais, her heart pounding.
She had just witnessed Jiang Yuan dismissing the Yaochi Empress—that was a Great Emperor powerhouse.
Her strength was at least at the Great Emperor Middle Stage.
Even if it was just a Clone.
Yet he was so blunt, and that Empress didn't have the slightest objection; instead, she left as if she had picked up a huge bargain.
This man's methods and foundations refreshed her understanding once again.
Lin Yue noticed Jiang Yuan's teasing gaze and her face flushed slightly. She thought Jiang Yuan had kept her here because he had some business to do.
Her delicate hands reached for her shoulders, revealing her smooth back as she extended one hand and slowly turned... However, Jiang Yuan suddenly asked a completely unrelated question.
"In the Cangwu, are there any Forbidden Grounds where living beings are extinct?"
"Forbidden Grounds?"
Lin Yue's turning motion stopped, not reacting for a moment.
"The kind of place that ordinary people dare not set foot in, and even you, the former second-in-command, know very little about," Jiang Yuan added.
Lin Yue frowned and thought for a while, then shook her head:
"Replying to Lord Imperial Son, although the Cangwu World is large, under Han Yueyi's iron-fisted rule, there are few lawless lands. I can go almost anywhere.
If we're talking about Forbidden Grounds, besides a few core areas deep in the palace that only the Empress can enter, there is only that Death Swamp in the Southern Border, which is shrouded in miasma year-round."
"It is said that even a Female Saint would never return if they stepped in. However, after I became a Quasi-Emperor, I visited it a few times and didn't find anything special."
"Did Lord Imperial Son ask because you discovered something?"
Jiang Yuan didn't answer after hearing this, but he understood in his heart.
It seemed that World Tree Canyon was indeed a trump card hidden by the cangwu heavenly dao, and even Lin Yue, who was now half a world master, didn't know the details.
Of course, this was likely because her ascent to the Emperor's throne was interrupted by him too soon.
Once she sat firmly and for long enough, she would probably be able to discover that place.
However, since Lin Yue didn't know, Han Yueyi might know something.
After all, she was the former controller of this Cangwu.
Seeing Jiang Yuan fall into deep thought without answering her, Lin Yue felt increasingly uneasy, worried she would be liquidated for being useless.
She bit her lip, as if having made a certain decision.
Anyway, she had already given everything to him.
It wouldn't hurt to give a little more.
Since she was betting, she would go all in!
Thud!
Her knees softened, her hands resting on Jiang Yuan as she actually knelt before him again.
"Lin Yue has no way to repay the Lord Imperial Son for the grace of being remade. In this Cangwu, Lin Yue's life belongs entirely to the Lord."
She lifted her head, looking up at Jiang Yuan from a subordinate position, her eyes full of piety and determination. "Lin Yue is willing to offer the heavenly heart imprint to show her loyalty to the Lord Imperial Son."
She wanted to give everything she had to Jiang Yuan.
So that he would be completely at ease with her.
Only in this way could her position as Empress last!"