Chapter 758: Cunning as a Fox

As Tang San explained, Mei Gongzi's eyes slowly widened, betraying the massive shock she was feeling. She never imagined that her actual story would be like this.

"Foolish, foolish, foolish!" The White Tiger Demon Emperor could barely contain himself. "That girl is an absolute idiot. Why did she run away when she was pregnant?! As her father, couldn’t I protect her? What was she running from? Me?! If I had known the truth, I would have beaten Lin Ximo to death myself! She suffered so much because of this.... So this is how it was! And that scoundrel Wang Qing dared to scheme against my daughter like that! If he wasn’t already dead, I’d fucking kill him too!"

As he spoke, the White Tiger Demon Emperor’s eyes suddenly flashed with a fierce light as he looked at Tang San. "Boy, you're saying Wang Qing was a schemer, but you’re no better. I warn you, if you ever try to scheme against my granddaughter, I’ll turn you into dust."

Tang San couldn’t help but smile bitterly. How could the old tiger shift targets like that?

"Rest assured, my feelings for Little Mei are as clear as spring water. No matter what, I will always protect her."

The White Tiger Demon Emperor’s fierce expression softened slightly. "

Hmph

. Continue."

Tang San gently stroked Mei Gongzi’s hand, comforting her as she was overwhelmed with emotion. "When Lin Ximo learned the truth, he was filled with mixed emotions. He felt deeply guilty toward Little Mei and her mother, vowing never to invade Kali City again. He told the Peacock Great Demon King that he had won, and Lin Ximo had lost—completely. But it was a loss he was happy about because it meant that his lover had never betrayed him and that he had a daughter."

"Who... who’s his daughter?" Mei Gongzi suddenly said in a trembling voice, her tears uncontrollably flowing down.

Tang San quickly comforted her. "Okay, okay, you’re right, you’re not. Don’t be sad. This is all in the past. It’s not something we can control."

Mei Gongzi continued to shed silent tears, her lips pressed tightly together.

Tang San turned to the White Tiger Demon Emperor and said, "So, when it came time for Little Mei to report in, I didn’t have to do anything. The Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor was going to support her, whatever happened."

"That makes sense," the White Tiger Demon Emperor nodded. "But what about Tenebrous and Undying?"

Tang San replied, "The Tenebrous Demon Emperor’s situation is a bit special. Back when Little Mei, the Peacock Great Demon King, and I were returning after the Ancestral Court Elite Competition, we were pursued by the Tenebrous Demon Emperor. Have you heard of the Sea God?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor’s eyes narrowed slightly. "Is there really a Sea God?"

"Of course there is. That time, the Sea God’s divine power descended to save us and suppress the Tenebrous Demon Emperor. The Sea God could have killed him then and there, but he did not. Instead, he forced the Tenebrous Demon Emperor to swear a vow—he would keep his life, and in return, he would vote in favour of Little Mei."

The White Tiger Demon Emperor frowned. "What’s your relationship with the Sea God?"

Tang San replied, "I can be considered the inheritor of the Sea God. In truth, the Sea God wasn’t an Emperor, and there isn’t anyone taking up that position right now. But I acquired the Sea God’s legacy by chance. If I can one day become an Emperor, I would likely be known as the Sea Emperor. The most valuable part of the Sea God’s legacy is a fragment of his divine consciousness. I used this divine consciousness to repel the Tenebrous Demon Emperor and force an agreement with him."

"Alright.... And what about the Undying Demon Emperor?"

The way the White Tiger Demon Emperor looked at Tang San began to change. What had seemed truly unbelievable moments before now seemed perfectly logical in light of his explanations. It turned out that everything had indeed been orchestrated by him!

Tang San continued, "Once the blood relationship between the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor and Little Mei was confirmed, the Undying Demon Emperor was a lot easier to convince. Don’t forget, both the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor and the Undying Demon Emperor are Emperors of the phoenix race."

The White Tiger Demon Emperor still found it hard to believe. "Undying has always been close to Celestial Fox. Could such a blood relationship really make him change sides?"

Tang San replied, "Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t be enough. However, the Undying Demon Emperor’s support must have been based on the hope he saw in Little Mei. The Celestial Fox Demon Emperor must have arranged for her to face off against a powerful member of the Immortal Flame Phoenix clan during the first trial, didn’t he? When Little Mei won, she proved herself. A being who had only recently ascended to godhood managed to defeat an experienced god of the Immortal Flame Phoenix clan. And that skill and potential were witnessed firsthand by the Undying Demon Emperor.

"More importantly, although Little Mei appears to have the bloodline of the Peacock Demon clan, her roots are still with the phoenix race—her body carries the blood of the phoenix race. So, if she becomes an Emperor in the future and regains the phoenix bloodline, what would happen? The phoenix race would become stronger than ever before, with three emperors from one race

and

the addition of Kali City. Although Little Mei and the phoenix race can be considered enemies right now, once the truth of her lineage is revealed, and if the phoenix race makes sufficient concessions, why couldn’t they win her over? You know what they say, blood is thicker than water.

𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"So I judged that as long as Little Mei passed the first hurdle, the Undying Demon Emperor would likely be persuaded by the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor and his own judgment to support her and cast a favorable vote. It's not for any family love, but for the possibility of having three Emperors in the same race."

As he listened to Tang San's analysis, the White Tiger Demon Emperor’s mouth twitched slightly. "Cunning as a fox! That old fox has nothing on you; your judgment was on point. You’re right, everything happened just as you predicted. Now that I think about it, I remember seeing Crystal Phoenix look at Undying before he cast his vote.... So that was the reason. It was all part of your calculations. Huh...."

Tang San looked at Mei Gongzi, understanding that it would take time for her to accept that the Peacock Great Demon King wasn’t her father and that her real father was responsible for her foster father’s death. Thankfully, he had something that could soothe her a little.

"Little Mei, do you remember the promise I made to you before?" Tang San asked softly.

Mei Gongzi looked at him with tear-filled eyes and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Do you remember when the Peacock Great Demon King fell? I found a way to preserve his divine consciousness. I’ve become a god now, and I’m fairly confident that I can help him resurrect and bring him back to life. Although his cultivation will be diminished, he should be able to live on. While his kindness to you was calculated, he did raise you and taught you to become who you are now. So I’ll help him come back to life as a way to repay him for that. But since he’s also been using you as a tool, once he is revived, you won’t owe him anything anymore. Whatever you do after that will be your decision."

Hearing this, a glimmer of light returned to Mei Gongzi’s eyes.

"As for the Crystal Phoenix Demon Emperor, whether or not you acknowledge him as your father should depend on your mother and whether she’s willing to forgive him. You can ask her when we return."

"Okay," Mei Gongzi nodded lightly. Her mind was still a bit chaotic, but thanks to Tang San’s guidance, she felt somewhat better.

"Your Majesty, is there anything else you’d like to ask?" Tang San inquired, turning to the White Tiger Demon Emperor.

The White Tiger Demon Emperor gazed deeply at him and said, "Of course, there are more things I’d like to ask, but I suspect you won’t answer all of them. If anything, I’m surprised you even told me this much."

Tang San smiled and said, "You’re Little Mei’s grandfather. Aren’t we family?"

The White Tiger Demon Emperor waved his hand and said, "That’s what I wanted to discuss with you. If you truly want what’s best for Little Mei, the most important thing when you return is to focus on dehumanizing her. The main reason this evaluation was so tough was actually Little Mei’s human bloodline. Otherwise, with the support of Celestial Fox, it would have been a mere formality. In the future, if she wants to become an Emperor, she’ll need to pass yet another evaluation and be acknowledged by the entire Ancestral Court. If her human bloodline is too evident and she still considers herself human, it will be impossible for her to pass, and she won’t be allowed to become an Emperor. So, if you truly want what’s best for her, when you return, you must work hard to eliminate her human traits and make sure she distances herself from humans."