Chapter 740: The Crystal Demon Emperor's Complicated Feelings
Although the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor was practically fearless in front of other Emperors due to his control over fortune, especially within his own Sacred Mountain, the Crystal Demon Emperor was an exception. This was why he had always remained behind her in rank.
The Crystal Demon Emperor's replication ability rendered her immune to the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's control over fortune. While she couldn't control fortune the way he did, she could isolate herself from it. When she replicated his bloodline power, no matter what he did, it would simply not work on her, and he had no fighting power whatsoever. On the other hand, the Crystal Demon Emperor could simultaneously replicate another couple of bloodlines, so she could do whatever she wanted. Among all the Emperors, only she had the power to kill the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor. This was why his expression changed upon seeing her—she was the one opponent he actually feared facing.
A rumble echoed through the Hell Garden, clearly indicating that another wave of tribulation lightning had arrived. This time, it seemed that the atmosphere here had been directly affected—the Emperors outside hadn’t been able to completely block it.
The Crystal Demon Emperor halted, her gaze burning as she looked at the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor. She said calmly, "If you don't want to die, stay here quietly and transfer your fortune to me. Allow my successor to succeed in this tribulation. Only if he succeeds can this place survive. You were right about one thing—I don't want to see the Ancestral Court destroyed. But I must borrow your fortune to help with the tribulation. This is my only chance to extend my life. If you try to stop me again, then before I die, I will ensure you die first, and the Celestial Fox Sacred Mountain will be utterly annihilated."
The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's expression changed repeatedly. He couldn't ignore the Crystal Demon Emperor's threat. Even though he wasn't sure if she was at her full strength, he couldn't afford to gamble on it.
When he first rose to fame, the Crystal Demon Emperor had already been an Emperor for millennia. He had witnessed firsthand the grace and power of this foremost Emperor of the era—a time that was entirely hers.
All the Emperors had to bow their heads before her, regardless of race. No one had the strength to contend with the Crystal Demon Emperor.
It could be said that she almost single-handedly unified the demon and nymph clans, and it was only after that that the Ancestral Court issued a decree ending the wars between the demon and nymph clans, maintaining peace.
In the history of the Daemon Continent, only three Emperors have reached her level, and the Crystal Demon Emperor was considered the strongest of all time. This was why, when she appeared at the Ancestral Court Council earlier, none of the other Emperors dared to oppose her decisions.
The Crystal Demon Emperor no longer paid him any attention but turned away, merging back into the golden light emanating from the Heavenly Bloom. She disappeared from the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor's sight, but her presence lingered, leaving him with the faint feeling that a strand of her divine consciousness was still locked onto him.On the Heavenly Bloom, Tang San watched the Crystal Demon Emperor approach him, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his lips. The Crystal Demon Emperor was beginning to change as she walked toward him. Her body and face gradually transformed, turning into the appearance of a little girl—Crystalline.
A crystal mirror shattered in Crystalline's hand. The aura and divine consciousness fluctuations of the Crystal Demon Emperor that had appeared earlier had all been sealed within the crystal mirror. Now, Crystalline's cultivation was at most at the peak of the ninth tier, just like Tang San.
If Tang San hadn’t done it on purpose, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor wouldn’t have been able to enter here at all. Mei Gongzi wouldn’t have been able to so easily break through the spatial distortions created by the Spacetime Lighthouse.
Tang San had two reasons for luring the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor here. One was to bring Mei Gongzi to his side, under his protection. Another was that when the major tribulation arrived, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor’s first priority would be to protect this Hell Garden.
If the Hell Garden was destroyed, there would no longer be anything to lock the fortune of the Celestial Fox Sacred Mountain, and the fortune the Celestial Fox clan had gathered over countless years would disperse. This would be an absolute catastrophe for both the Celestial Fox clan and the Ancestral Court. So no matter what, the Celestial Fox Demon Emperor would protect this place. With him guarding the Hell Garden, Tang San wouldn’t have to worry about it and could fully focus on overcoming the tribulation.
In fact, at least for now, Tang San didn’t want the Hell Garden to be destroyed either. If the fortune of the Ancestral Court were to change so rapidly, the entire Daemon Continent would suffer from a backlash, leading to countless disasters. And since most humans still lived on the Daemon Continent, this would also spell disaster for humanity.
The dozen or so Emperors would certainly seek revenge against him in a frenzy, and even if he attained godhood, he wouldn't be able to withstand the combined might of so many Emperors! Therefore, the most important thing right now was to successfully overcome the tribulation and help Mei Gongzi become the lord of Kali City, so that he could have the time and resources to prepare to truly contend with the demon and nymph clans in the future.
Crystalline's role was not something Tang San had initially planned; it was a move that resulted from his negotiations with the Crystal Demon Emperor, where they reached an agreement.
Crystalline could essentially be considered the reincarnated form of the Crystal Demon Emperor. Now that she was integrated into Tang San's body, their fates were intertwined—either they both succeeded together, or they both perished. If Tang San failed in his tribulation and was annihilated, the Crystal Demon Emperor would die as well. This was something she hadn't anticipated when she initially chose him.
At that time, the Crystal Demon Emperor merely saw him as a suitable vessel, someone who could serve as a source for her to regain new life by leveraging his physique, bloodline power, and spiritual power. In essence, she had planned to use Tang San as a cocoon from which she could eventually emerge as a butterfly.
When the Crystal Demon Emperor was in her dragon egg state, she had truly fallen into a deep slumber. So, when she first emerged and called Tang San "Daddy," it wasn't intentional; her intelligence hadn't fully awakened at that time. But as time passed, her intelligence recovered, and she began to regain her original memories. Thus, she continued to sleep within Tang San, drawing nourishment from him.
However, what she never expected was that Tang San's foundation was far deeper than she had imagined. The more she sensed his transformations, especially when Tang San successfully created a transcendent bloodline, the more she realized that everything was slipping out of her control.
What surprised her even more was that Tang San had seen through her identity. Despite her efforts to remain low-profile by staying in a dormant state, Tang San had still managed to discern much of the truth. Therefore, she had no choice but to cooperate with Tang San.
Tang San had also made promises to her, but no matter what the future held, they first had to survive the impending tribulation. Through this tribulation, she would transform together with Tang San, allowing her to reclaim more of her power. Being an Emperor for three thousand years, her foundation was still incredibly deep. Thus, her biggest worry now was whether they could survive this tribulation.
Back in the Endless Blue Sea, she had already experienced the terror of the Nine Heavens Ten Earths Divine Extinguishing Tribulation alongside Tang San. At that time, she realized that no living being could withstand it. Even Emperors might not survive such a tribulation. From that moment, she dared not continue her slumber and instead remained alert, listening to the strategies Tang San and Mei Gongzi discussed.
It was during this time that Tang San's divine consciousness detected a flaw in her cover.