The path to immortality through martial arts begins with being forced into marriage!

Cui Yi didn't respond, but from what Xiao Yuli said, he could tell that she meant him no harm.

So he mustered up his courage and walked over to sit down opposite her, his gaze inadvertently sweeping over her figure.

Then, Cui Yi's gaze suddenly froze!

Just now, when she glanced at Xiao Yuli out of the corner of her eye, she was shocked to find that her lower abdomen was slightly protruding under Xiao Yuli's wide robe!

However, the emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty had only been on the throne for a short time, and his princes and princesses were all still unmarried, let alone having children!

As a princess, to be pregnant out of wedlock—if word got out, it would be a capital offense, costing her her head!

Xiao Yuli also noticed Cui Yi's gaze, and her expression stiffened slightly, but she quickly overcame her subconscious attempt to cover herself with her eyes closed.

She didn't dodge or hide anything; she simply picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

"You figured it out?"

Cui Yi remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

At this point, there's no way to deny it; the other party has decided to meet with you, so they probably don't intend to keep this a secret.

But from the moment he learned this deadly secret, he could no longer leave the Ninth Princess's pirate ship!

"The child in my womb is almost five months old. If it weren't for him, this plan might have had to be delayed for several more years."

"I am aware of the risks of activating the plan ahead of schedule, which is why I am so eager to find talented people."

Xiao Yuli put down her teacup and looked directly at him: "I admire your ability and courage. With your addition, our chances of winning will definitely increase significantly."

"To be honest, when I chose you, I did consider the Blood-Clad Sect to some extent."

"Compared to other demonic sects, the Blood Robe Sect has a good reputation and public opinion among the people."

"My previous idea was to use you to bring the Blood Robe Sect on board, and then clean up the Blood Robe Sect and make it my core force."

"Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned. With this incident at the Blood Robe Sect, my plans have to be changed."

"What does Your Highness require of me?"

Cui Yi rode the donkey downhill, following Xiao Yuli's words, and continued to ask without pressing for details about who the child's father was.

That's not something he should ask. Sometimes, excessive curiosity can be deadly.

Xiao Yuli didn't explain either; some things had to be discussed sooner or later, but now wasn't the right time.

"My plan may be somewhat risky, but there is no such thing as a perfect solution in this world."

"Come closer..."

……

……

at the same time.

The news of the Blood Robe Sect's destruction spread like wildfire throughout the Great Yan Dynasty and surrounding regions within just a few days.

The fastest to react were the smaller and medium-sized forces that had long had conflicts with the Blood Robe Sect.

They were first shocked, then overjoyed, and finally rushed towards the territory left behind by the Blood-Clad Sect without hesitation.

Overnight, the Blood Robe Sect's centuries-old foundation was completely devoured by dozens of vultures.

The Seven Fiends Sect, the Profound Yin Sect, and the White Bone Demon Sect, as the main forces in the destruction of the Blood Robe Sect, naturally got the biggest slice of the pie.

However, the leaders of the three sects showed no joy on their faces.

Because the cost is too high.

The Seven Fiends Sect lost a Blood Fiend Ancestor at the early Golden Core stage, along with three Core Formation elders, and nearly a hundred Foundation Establishment disciples.

The Xuan Yin Sect and the White Bone Demon Sect were in no better shape, with one Golden Core cultivator severely injured in the early stage and more than half of their Core Formation elders killed or wounded.

"That old madman, Xue Mingzi!"

The leader of the Seven Fiends Sect slammed his palm down, shattering the jade table in front of him. His face was ashen. "Even in his dying moments, he wants to drag so many people down with him!"

"And then there's the silence of the soul..."

The White Bone Demon Sect Master gritted his teeth, "That guy relied on the sacrifice of an elder to force himself to the late Golden Core stage, then self-destructed and took one of our Golden Core cultivators with him!"

"This battle was a huge loss."

The Xuan Yin Sect Master, his face grim, remained silent for a long while before slowly asking, "Where is that disciple named Cui Yi?"

They ran away.

The Seven Fiends Sect Leader snorted coldly, his eyes filled with helplessness: "Our people have found that those remnants of the Blood Robe Sect have all vanished without a trace."

"The random teleportation array covers an extremely long distance, at least tens of thousands of miles away in a single teleportation, making it impossible to catch up."

"He has a big secret."

A greedy glint flashed in the eyes of the White Bone Demon Sect Master. "A Foundation Establishment cultivator cutting through to Core Formation—this kind of monster must die."

"Pass down the order."

The Xuan Yin Sect Master said in a deep voice, "Activate all spies and do everything in our power to track down this boy. We must find him alive or dead."

"agree."

I second that.

The three parties reached a consensus.

But they all knew that this was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

In a strange land thousands of miles away, with no clues whatsoever, finding someone is incredibly difficult.

The Great Yan Imperial Palace.

Inside the imperial study, the emperor sat high on the dragon throne, holding a secret report in his hand, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

"The Blood-Clad Sect... is it wiped out?"

Below, Song Ziwei stood with his head bowed and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, it is absolutely true."

"The Seven Fiends Sect, the Profound Yin Sect, and the White Bone Demon Sect have joined forces; the Bone Demon is their traitorous insider!"

"Overnight, the Blood Robe Sect's mountain gate was breached, the patriarch self-destructed, the sect leader died in battle, and all the elders were wiped out."

The emperor remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

"Good riddance."

"Those demonic monsters deserve to be torn to pieces!"

"When dogs fight, they get all messy, but it saves me the trouble of worrying."

Song Ziwei remained silent; he knew what the emperor was thinking.

The destruction of the Blood Robe Sect signifies the loss of balance among demonic forces within the Great Yan Dynasty.

The Seven Fiends Sect's dominance may not be a good thing.

But he couldn't say that.

"That guy named Cui Yi..."

The emperor suddenly spoke, "Is he dead?"

Song Ziwei was slightly taken aback, then said, "According to reports, this boy escaped through a teleportation array and his whereabouts are unknown."

"Missing?"

The emperor squinted, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne.

After a moment, he said calmly, "Continue the investigation. This person cannot be allowed to live. If necessary, we can use the three major demonic sects to kill him as soon as possible."

"Yes."

Among all the factions, the most delighted were none other than the Cui clan.

The once magnificent mansion is now deserted.

Cui Zhenshan sat in the empty main hall, with various debt collection deeds piled up in front of him.

His hair had turned mostly white, making him look twenty years older.

"Chieftain..."

An old servant walked in shakily. Another group of people had arrived outside the mansion, and he, with his old bones, simply couldn't stop them.

But Cui Zhenshan, who was sitting in the main seat, did not speak. He just looked at the secret report in his hand.

The Blood-Clad Sect was destroyed.

Cui Yi fled and his whereabouts are unknown.

Cui Zhenshan's tense expression suddenly broke into laughter without warning, and he laughed until tears streamed down his face.

"Serves him right, he really deserves it... Good riddance... Good riddance..."

"That little beast, he's finally become a stray dog!"

While laughing, Cui Zhenshan suddenly slumped onto the table, breaking down in tears.

The old servant stood at the door, at a loss. He didn't know why the clan chief was crying, nor did he know how to deal with those outsiders.

……

……