Fuqu felt heartfelt admiration for the two sisters, while Lin Feng suddenly felt a heavy weight on his heart.
No, I have to go and see!
Thinking of this, he said very naturally, "That being said, I really should go and take a look. Senior Brother, I've been practicing the Dream Sleep Spell lately, so it's inconvenient for me to use my cultivation..."
"Oh, what's so difficult about that? Ling'er!"
Having already understood Lin Feng's intention, Tianchi called out, and Ling'er crawled out from his collar, looking completely adorable. Against the wind, it transformed into a mighty, giant beast.
Its entire body was cyan-gold, and its imposing aura was terrifying!
When your cultivation is lacking, there are some occasions where you truly cannot just fake it to get by, such as the present moment.
It merely let out an excited, angry roar, and Lin Feng could barely withstand it. Even with all his might resisting, he was still blown back step by step!
"An Azure Water Beast? Senior Brother has wonderful fortune!" Recognizing Ling'er's origin at a glance, Lin Feng blurted it out at the crucial moment.
"It was my oversight. Ling'er, do not be impudent!"
The other party was indeed deliberately testing him, but Lin Feng pretended not to understand and made a show of observing the Azure Water Beast.
In truth, Tianchi and his companion were also extremely shocked that Lin Feng could instantly identify Ling'er's origins. Azure Water Beasts were naturally water-repellent and exceedingly rare. Cultivating water spells made them auspicious creatures for the water-dwelling clans; keeping one by your side was the absolute best choice for guarding during cultivation, and it could also clear the mind and ward off dust.
"Not bad. At such a tender age, it already possesses five or six parts of a Qilin's majestic aura. In the future, it will surely guard a domain of its own."
Lin Feng showered it with continuous praise, and the Azure Water Beast blinked its large eyes, looking remarkably human.
It loved hearing flattery!
Aang!
Roaring as proudly as a Kuiniu, it took the initiative to lower its body, signaling for Lin Feng to mount it.
Though his calves were shaking and he couldn't refuse, Lin Feng had no choice but to grab onto its fur and climb up.
"Good fellow, your destiny is extraordinary!"
Seeing the blood-red patterns at the roots of its fur, Lin Feng's praise was entirely sincere.
Now he finally understood why he had run into Tianchi that day. This creature absorbed pure blood qi; once it matured, in a pitched battle without even needing divine powers, a single roar would likely leave opponents dazzled and entranced.
Everything was within Tianchi's sight. As the clouds and winds shifted, the Azure Water Beast carried Lin Feng on its back, flying toward the Demon Race's Fengxing Continent.
When he looked back, Lin Feng immediately felt a twinge of envy.
There was no help for it—while those two immortals walked the air as a couple, he could only make do traveling with an Azure Water Beast.
He was already on his way to Little Dragon Pool, and inside the Little Dragon Pool's Crystal Palace, Turandot was already locked away in the water prison.
The water refracted the light into dazzling, multicolored hues, and utter, death-like silence surrounded her on all sides.
Without a sound, the Little Dragon King appeared outside the cell.
"Who would have thought you'd appear before me in such a manner!"
The Little Dragon King's tone was calm, carrying a special sentiment toward Turandot.
"I certainly didn't expect it, and even less did I expect you to become an immortal so soon."
The two conversed like old friends: one occupied a high position and remained utterly detached, while the other carried the hatred of an entire clan and acted with extreme caution.
"Don't blame me. All the sacrifices over the years haven't been for nothing, and at least I never harbored any romantic notions toward you!"
Their conversation was laced with hidden barbs. The Little Dragon King simply sat down, leaning against the cell bars, and with a wave of his hand, a great river appeared within the projected image. Several ignorant water sprites were being born inside, exploring the nature of heaven and earth.
Scornful and disdainful, Turandot closed her mouth and said nothing.
"I know what you want to say, but what did I do wrong? Exploring the divine path to unite the heavens under the Demon Race—aren't these the goals our predecessors fought for? Why must you rebel?"
As the conversation deepened, a secret unknown to the mortal world gradually unfolded.
Chapter 18: Children Should Not Peek Around
A shadow entered the water prison, concealing itself amidst the illusory light.
"Rebellion? Is not submitting to your will considered rebellion? Haven't you killed enough of my proud Merfolk Clan?"
Her gaze seemed to pierce through the water prison to look at the outside world. Turandot stretched out her neck while the shadow slithered across the ground, unnoticed by the Little Dragon King who had his back turned.
"Enough. We share the same roots; this Dragon Gate Assembly will be the moment I ascend to immortality. If you submit, from now on, Little Dragon Pool can protect the Merfolk Clan. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to let the Feathered Clan step in!"
Like the Merfolk Clan, the Feathered Clan was numerous and widely distributed. In the past, although various factions looked down upon the Merfolk Clan, none had carried out large-scale, premeditated massacres. If the Feathered Clan were to intervene—given that the two sides were comparable in numbers and cultivation, and their territories largely overlapped—the ensuing slaughter would be unimaginably tragic.
"Heh, heh. Does a dignified Demon King also need the help of others?"
Filled with indescribable mockery and sorrow, the shadow beneath Turandot's feet flashed and vanished.
"You are different. I have already devoured the other three; only you and the Great Dragon King remain. Trading the death of one person for the safety of an entire clan—no matter how you look at it, you aren't losing out."
Standing up, the Little Dragon King walked toward the exit, but suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Oh, right. The person who contacted you've met an unknown fate—actually defecting to the Human Race, heh..."
Tossing the mockery right back at her, the Little Dragon King discarded all pretense of grace and walked away, nodding to Feng Ling and her sister as they appeared around the corner.
Behind the two women followed a group of maidservants.
"Verify her identity and take her measurements!"
A senior female official gave the order, and the group prepared to spring into action.
The water prison was vast and empty, its light dreamy and hazy, giving off an unsettling sense of insecurity.
"Impudent!"
No matter what, she was still the lord of a clan. When Turandot flared up in anger, she truly had the bearing of a queen.
"Oh? Save your strength for the Demon King's bed. We're all just servants here, no need to put on royal airs with us!"
The female official gestured with her head toward the maidservants, who moved in to strip off her clothes.
As the light dimmed on either side, Feng Ling and her sister simultaneously cast spells to block the other maidservants' line of sight.
"Just cooperate and spare yourself some physical suffering!" Hua Ling was in a rather foul temper; with a wave of her hand, she immobilized Turandot.
"Begin!"
Plump as pearls and moist as jade, peerless in her beauty, the few women looked at Turandot and silently marveled at the partiality of creation. The youthful charm blending with mature grace made the maidservants blush and their hearts race.
In just a few short days since their union, her changes had been immense.
Exchanging a glance, the Blood Fiend Twin Beauties turned their heads away, not wishing to make things too difficult for Turandot. Seeing them act thus, the other women didn't dare to be too presumptuous.
The female official performed a spell—its arcane wonders unknown—to confirm Turandot's identity.
"Verification complete! To the Qinghua Pool for a bath!"
Clouds and mist obscured her vision all along the way amidst rising steam. Turandot was led away by the group like this, feeling an unspeakable humiliation.
After a long stretch of the water prison and several turns, they arrived at Qinghua Pool.
"Turandot, in the struggle for the Great Dao, each relies on their own destiny. If you surrender your origin essence and help our adoptive father achieve longevity, the Merfolk Clan will be protected as long as both my sister and I draw breath."
"You could also choose to stir up trouble, though you won't escape anyway! Hee-hee!"
Feng Ling and Hua Ling had completely different personalities, but their message was the same: Little Dragon Pool had the Merfolk Clan firmly in its grasp.
Breathtakingly gorgeous, the Qinghua Pool was surrounded by hundreds of flowers, wafting with gentle fragrances like an immortal paradise in the Jasper Pool.
Withdrawing the humiliation from her eyes, Turandot calmly entered the water.
The Twin Beauties exchanged a glance, and Feng Ling waved the maidservants away.
"Bathe and purify yourself for seven days. The water sprites in the pool are all gentle creatures; absorb as many as you can. If you don't wish to, that's up to you!"
Her swan-like, graceful and slender neck involuntarily stirred improper thoughts. Turandot raised her hand and poured water over her body.
"With all this trouble, is he really that certain of breaking through to the immortal realm?"
"Of course. Our adoptive father breaking through to become a demon immortal is just around the corner. Hmph, if it weren't for the old cow pressing down from above, adoptive father would have already adopted that title."
Indeed, Demon Emperor didn't sound quite as impressive as Demon Immortal, but that Demon Emperor possessed formidable strength and senior qualifications.
Lost in her own thoughts while thoroughly enjoying the bath in Qinghua Pool, Turandot turned her head with a smile.
"What, are you two going to bathe with me?"
Her expression changed far too obviously the moment she stepped in; anyone could tell her calmness was deeply abnormal.
"Pfft, we couldn't care less about you!"
Hua Ling turned to leave, but Feng Ling grabbed her back.
"Alright then!"
Applying a secret force with her hand, Hua Ling rolled her eyes and nodded along.
"Since you put it that way, it wouldn't hurt to join you for a bath!"
With zero hesitation, the two of them entered the water in their undergarments.
Feng Ling and Turandot locked eyes!
"Things have reached this point, you'd better obediently wait to enter the bridal chamber. If anything goes wrong, the collateral damage will be extensive!"
Delivering the most ruthless words in the gentlest tone, Feng Ling sat cross-legged in the water while innocent, ignorant water sprites joyfully swarmed around them, the three of them dividing the honors equally.
Thinking the two would take a hint and leave, Turandot discarded all concealment and began to meditate and cultivate. Her pitiful cultivation made Hua Ling's eyes go wide.
"Cackle, it really makes one curious—how do you manage to maintain such a seductive figure with that microscopic cultivation of yours?"
Feng Ling closed her eyes and remained silent, ignoring the banter between the two.
"Natural beauty, no need to be jealous. Besides, I was naturally born a water sprite, which makes me just a teensy bit superior to you anyway—no need to be jealous!"
Lifting a delicate hand out of the water, Turandot indicated the distance between her thumb and little finger.
Superior, by just a teensy bit.
"Making wedding clothes for our adoptive father, aren't you just proud!" Talkative as she was, Hua Ling completely refused to follow Turandot's conversational lead.
"Aren't you two also making wedding clothes? The Demon Race is plotting against the Human Race while also guarding against the Wuyou King's interference. If the nether ghost race and the human race join forces, guess whether you two—kept as a backup measure—will be tossed out by the Demon Race?"
Smiling brightly, Turandot poured fuel on the fire as she watched the other's unconcerned expression.
"When that time comes, who will be bathing in Qinghua Pool is still anyone's guess."
Pity that no matter what she said, Hua Ling refused to take the bait. Instead, she simply looked around, teasing the water sprites and ignoring her altogether.
With the attention span of a child, after playing with the water sprites for a few moments, Hua Ling grew bored and swam over to Turandot, hands wandering all over.
"Hee-hee, I'm just going to disrupt your state of mind to save myself the trouble of dealing with you later."
Boundless and uninhibited, Hua Ling flirted and poked everywhere.
After all, suffering from the disadvantage of low cultivation, Turandot could no longer maintain her composure and began to pant lightly.
"Having fun?"
"So much fun! Tsk tsk, if I were a man, my heart would flutter too. In the future, when you become a concubine of Little Dragon Pool—oh wait, at most you'll just be a secondary concubine, hee-hee! With this lovely face of yours, I'm afraid you won't even know how you died when the time comes!"
With a pettiness smaller than a needle's eye, Hua Ling immediately retaliated.
The Demon Race had no shortage of wondrously ugly men and women, but beauties were also plentiful. For the alluring Hua Ling to admit that Turandot wouldn't know how she died was a tacit acknowledgment from the bottom of her heart of the other's beauty.
"Is that so? Then who is the principal wife?"
As she spoke, Turandot's expression turned playful, sweeping her gaze back and forth between the two before parting her delicate lips.
"Some ghost race member wouldn't happen to mistake herself for a demon and want to crawl into the Little Dragon King's bed, would she?"
The water temperature plummeted instantly, and the air stopped flowing.
"No, wait—even if the Little Dragon King had no such intentions, some people would probably be in a rush to throw themselves at him. What a pity, though; such lovely creatures are destined to live out their lives amidst the gossip of others."
"What... did... you... say?"
Her beautiful eyes filled with murderous intent, Hua Ling flew into a rage, leaped straight out of the water, and shoved Turandot back down.
As the saying goes, a gentleman uses words and not fists, and they were people of status. Turandot had expected Hua Ling to be provoked, but she never imagined the other would throw aside all decorum and physically attack.
While using cultivation could preserve a shred of dignity, Hua Ling instead threw wild, uninhibited haymakers, fierce and unrestrained.
"Triggered, triggered! Cackle, so the rumors are true!"
Her tone was intensely punchable. Though Turandot choked on a couple mouthfuls of water, she stubbornly finished her sentence.
"I'm going to kill you! Tell me, what are those people outside saying?"
A bloody longsword materialized out of thin air. Hua Ling grabbed Turandot by the throat with one hand and hoisted her straight up.
Water droplets rolled down their skin in an extremely sultry and alluring brawl where Hua Ling held the absolute upper hand.
Slowly closing in and staring intently, Hua Ling repeated, "Speak. What did they say?"
Feeling that she had struck a raw nerve and achieved unexpectedly good results, Turandot calmly locked gazes with Hua Ling.
There were too many meanings in that calmness, but respect was conspicuously absent.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter what they say, I'll slaughter them all sooner or later!"
Hua Ling waved her hand resentfully, then suddenly whipped her head around to look at Feng Ling.
"Sister, that Senior Brother... wouldn't happen to like me looking like this, would he?"
Simultaneously terrified and expectant, Hua Ling wore her nervousness and longing right on her face.
Huh? Why did the tone of the scene suddenly feel wrong?
Before Turandot could figure out what was going on, Hua Ling snapped her head back, viciously squeezed her neck, and flung Turandot aside like a little chick.
"Let me tell you, this young lady has a man she fancies, and adoptive father treats us like his own flesh and blood. If you dare spout nonsense again, I'll kill you and your death will mean nothing—do you believe me?"
By sheer intuition, Turandot knew Hua Ling wasn't joking. Yet the more it was like this, the happier she felt.
Hua Ling had revealed two pieces of information: first, their relationship with the Little Dragon King was that of a legitimate father and daughters; but second, they cared deeply about what others said behind their backs.
After all, they had been brought out of the Heavenly Demon Altar by the Little Dragon King, and the circumstances at the time had been rather ambiguous, witnessed by many.
The fact that these two sisters actually harbored affections for someone else—regardless of that person's identity—meant wave after wave of catastrophe was likely to befall them. No wonder she had reacted so violently.
Having infiltrated Little Dragon Pool and discovered the key figures' weaknesses, Turandot secretly rejoiced that her trip hadn't been in vain, but a headache immediately followed.
She needed to scout out all intelligence, but being intercepted halfway by these two sisters was truly an accident. Many preparations had yet to be made, and various methods remained unexecuted. Coming to Little Dragon Pool so rashly had truly plunged her into the tiger's den.
No, she only had seven days to nurture the water sprites. If they discovered she was no longer a maiden, it would genuinely bring disaster upon her entire clan!
What to do, what to do?
Feng Ling frowned and slowly opened her eyes, her gaze sweeping continuously across the pool.
Her action instantly made Turandot feel as though needles were pricking her back, and Hua Ling's expression grew dangerous as well.
"I said it before: the collateral damage will be extensive. It seems you feel the Merfolk Clan still hasn't died enough!"
As she spoke, Feng Ling suddenly let out a sharp cry.
"Reveal your true form!"
The moment she acted, the entire underwater world froze solid, and tendrils of eerie, blood-red mist wove back and forth incessantly.
Gurgle!
A water sprite began taking physical form, barely managing to resemble a human shape. It opened its mouth, tilted its head, and spat out an arrow of water as if rinsing its mouth, striking Hua Ling squarely in the face.
"Hm? Could it be my senses were wrong?" Feng Ling looked at the water sprite with a face full of joy, though her guard remained obvious. Compared to her, Hua Ling was much more relaxed.
The newly formed water sprite looked like a jade-carved doll. Just as Hua Ling was about to speak, she suddenly made a beckoning gesture, summoning a shroud of water vapor to cover Turandot's exposed charms.
"Children shouldn't peek around!"
Chapter 19: Pregnancy
The child's hair grew and its facial features became distinct. Before it could even determine its gender, Turandot reached out and pressed her hand against its forehead.
Instantly, it stopped its transformation, turning into a water-person that swayed unsteadily, seeming to plead to be made human.
"That's right. Cooperate nicely, and it will only benefit you."
Checking left and right, Feng Ling could detect nothing amiss. With other water sprites beginning to take form, she was stopped at a vital point by Turandot. Feng Ling flew out of the water, draped herself in a shimmering robe, and instructed Hua Ling:
"Keep an eye on her, and be careful!"
The ambiguous feeling from earlier left her filled with lingering doubts. Since it concerned the Little Dragon King's ascent to immortality and breaking through his barrier, she needed to go outside and take a look.
"I'll be careful, Sister!" Hua Ling nodded repeatedly, though she didn't forget to clench her fist and shoot Turandot a fierce glare. Yet in the current setting, no matter how she looked at it, she didn't seem fierce at all—she just looked milky-cute and adorable.
A shadow flowed from the bubbling spring point on the sole of Turandot's foot into the water. Amidst the shifting light and shadows, it slithered among all the water sprites and into the dimly lit zones, sniffing out the aura of every single sprite.
Especially the first water sprite that was about to take human form; the shadow wrapped around it, examining it repeatedly.
That water sprite was ignorant and innocent, instinctively sensing a terrifying dread descending upon it, and it froze up completely.
At the same time, Turandot performed a dancing-like patting motion. She wasn't deliberately targeting any specific water sprite; instead, with a delighted expression, she waved her hands. Any water sprite she patted would freeze for a moment, then maintain a half-transformed state before walking over to line up on the other side of Qinghua Pool—tall and short, plump and thin, looking like a crowd of transparent humans with a rather eerie appearance.
"Huh?"
Turandot's cooperation caught Hua Ling off guard. Her gaze oscillated back and forth between the water sprites and the former. After watching for a moment, she simply walked right up, pressed close face-to-face, and leaned in right next to Turandot's ear.
"Sister Tu, is this the benefit you got from the sacrificial offerings?"
With that, her dainty lips purposely sucked gently behind Turandot's earlobe, making a smacking sound as she savored it with lingering aftertaste like someone who had scored a massive bargain, wearing a bizarre expression.
Tardily stepping back a few paces, she finally giggled.
"Can I have a taste?"
"Why not?"
"Really?" Hua Ling grew eager to try.
"Of course, as long as you and I become sisters!"
"Hee-hee, aren't we good sisters already?"
Observing the other's inscrutable expression, Hua Ling rolled her eyes, and after a long moment, her pretty face turned icy cold.
"You played me!"
"That's right!"
Underwater, the shadow returned from its original spot back into Turandot's body, while she acted completely oblivious to it all.
Nothing felt arranged, yet it surpassed arrangement. The shadow moved according to Turandot's actions, remaining completely imperceptible even under the joint scrutiny of the two sisters.
While chatting, Turandot dared not use any particular expression to provoke Hua Ling. She had figured it out: Feng Ling was as gentle as water, while this Hua Ling was a fiery little hothead—outwardly vibrant, but actually prone to exploding at a moment's notice.
As she clapped her hands to block the successive transformations of the water sprites, teasing Hua Ling felt to her like a diverting side activity along the way, though not entirely a joke—she pursued it with a touch of genuine earnestness.
Sure enough, Hua Ling's moods were completely unpredictable.
"Turandot, what do you think you still have to rely on?"
The water transformed, and right and left, two resounding slaps landed on Turandot. Hua Ling slowly wrapped herself in her robes, stared at Turandot, and spat out two scornful words:
"Bitch!"
Then, raising one hand high, a freezing blizzard erupted, instantly encasing the water sprites in the pool in ice.
Graceful and ruthless, Hua Ling gently closed her palm.
Like shattering colored glaze, ice crystals flew everywhere.
A freezing, icy light mixed with blood-red energy surged directly into the sky. Feng Ling suddenly reappeared.
"What's going on?"
"She is no longer a maiden!"
Hua Ling was furious to the extreme, yet her voice carried a strong sense of grievance, leaving Turandot completely bewildered.
"What?" Feng Ling couldn't believe her eyes. Staring at Turandot, her eyes blazed with light as her gaze slowly drifted downward to the latter's abdomen.
Turandot's expression changed abruptly in panic. Caught off guard by the direction of her gaze, she instinctively covered her lower belly with one hand while raising the other high.
Fetal breath!