Chapter 931: Meeting Xiao He Again

When it came to ascending to Emperor, the greatest challenge wasn't the force of heaven and earth, but rather the existing Emperors themselves. For that reason, Tang San couldn't rush things, and he had to slow down the accumulation of faith energy. While he was in the middle of the continent, Tang San's ability to absorb faith energy was naturally reduced.

Now that he was out at sea, Tang San let his aura expand freely, offering his blessings to those that worshipped him in exchange for the faith energy they provided. At the same time, he activated his divine consciousness and quickly located his target.

With another flash of silver light, Tang San teleported again.

Compared to his last visit to Crescent Island, Xiao He had changed noticeably. His skin was darker now, inevitably tanned by the blazing sun. His aura had changed too, a sign that his cultivation was steadily advancing. Though he had yet to pass his godhood tribulation, he had already recovered to the peak of the ninth order. It helped, of course, to have a wife who infused him with bloodline power daily. Moreover, he was already deeply familiar with the Peacock Demon bloodline power, and naturally, with the Peacock Transformation. It wouldn't be long before he crossed his tribulation and regained his Demon King power.

Life was quite fulfilling for Xiao He. He found there were plenty of benefits to being human. The greatest, in his view, was that cultivating spiritual power was far easier than it had been as a Peacock Demon. He could clearly feel that his mind worked faster, and his thoughts were flowing effortlessly.

Watching a human kingdom rise under his leadership filled him with pride. Even more so with how many powerful sea beast clans now followed his orders. It gave him an increasingly tangible sense of the vastness of the sea.

Indeed, the resources within the Endless Blue Sea were nearly limitless. Connecting islands separated by dozens of nautical miles would have once seemed unthinkable. But with the combined efforts of the Sea Giant and Seasky Tree clans, together with human labor, those connections were being built. These bridges would become the foundation for humanity's expansion. In the future, this would no longer be a bunch of islands peppered across the sea, but a newborn continent—an independent human world.

The more progress they made, the more hope Xiao He saw for humankind, and the more driven he became. Now that the islands were interconnected, human territory had expanded dramatically. Those sea bridges continued to improve in flatness, width, and stability. The water around Crescent Island no longer felt like the sea; it was more like a vast lake. No waves dared approach. Around the island and the bridges, the water was almost perfectly still.

Today, Xiao He was directing laborers in installing railings on one of the bridges. They couldn't rely solely on the Sea Giants and Seasky Trees; humans had to put in work too.

Just then, a beam of light flashed, and a figure appeared out of thin air.

Xiao He wasn't startled by the appearance. After all, he now had some control over spatial power himself. What did surprise him slightly was that the figure's appearance caused no spatial ripples at all. The mastery over space was so refined that for a moment, he thought it was his daughter.

"You're back again—wait, huh? It's you?" As the former Peacock Great Demon King, Xiao He rarely showed surprise. But when he saw Tang San, his eyes widened.

Tang San smiled. "It's been a while, Prime Minister."

Xiao He snorted. "You have the nerve to say that? You've basically been a hands-off boss. Ever since you handed things off to me, you've ignored everything! And if it was only this place, I wouldn’t say much, but I heard you haven't even returned to Kali City! Let me tell you, Little Mei has complained more than once. If you don't come back soon, someone might snatch her away during the matchmaking tournament."

Tang San laughed. "I've been preparing for exactly that. Father-in-law, where did Little Mei go? I stopped by Kali City earlier, but she wasn't there, and your wife was gone as well."

"They left for the Ancestral Court three days ago," Xiao He said. "This isn't just any matchmaking tournament anymore; it's a battle for an Emperor seat. They say it's drawing nearly all the top eleventh-order beings from the Daemon Continent. She said you told her it's fine to participate when you last visited, so they decided to go early to prepare."

Tang San nodded. "So they've already left. Then I'll return to the Ancestral Court and wait for them."

Xiao He frowned. "How do you plan to do this? I've been thinking it over, and it's pretty complicated. You cannot reveal your identity too easily. You're in the Ancestral Court, with more than a dozen Emperors around. If things go wrong, you could get trapped, and that would be a huge mess."

"I'm ready," Tang San replied. "Don't worry, I have a plan. No matter whether it's the Battle for the Throne or the matchmaking, Little Mei will get what she wants."

"You mean

you'll

get what you want," Xiao He said flatly. "Are you planning to use your Sea God powers?"

That had been his biggest shock upon seeing Tang San again. The moment Tang San appeared, Xiao He felt a sacred aura emanating from him. If not for their familiarity, he might have felt compelled to kneel. Throughout the Endless Blue Sea, faith in Tang San was omnipresent. He was, in the truest sense, the god of the sea.

Tang San shook his head. "I can't use my Sea God power. Before I become an Emperor, my divine strength will be suppressed inland, and I can't risk exposure for now. Demons and nymphs are extremely wary of powers external to the Daemon Continent. But fear not, I have other methods."

"What kind of methods?" Xiao He asked, puzzled.

Tang San grinned. "Can't say. Just trust that I've got it handled. Oh, by the way, Father-in-law, please prepare the island. I may bring some life-energy-rich nymphs here to help elevate the islands' vitality."

Xiao He looked shocked. "Don't tell me... you're bringing Blue Gold Tree clan members here? Please don't! Word is, the Ancestral Tree has awakened and filed a report with the Ancestral Court. All clans are forbidden from capturing Blue Gold Tree members. Violators will face severe punishment from the Court and retaliation from the Blue Gold Tree clan. I heard that's why the Adamant Nymph Emperor fell recently. The Ancestral Tree is one of the three ancestors of all nymphs and one of the progenitors of life on this planet. Who knows what divine power it holds? Either way, don't risk it."

Tang San was surprised. "You know about the Blue Gold Tree clan?"

Xiao He gave a wry smile. "I was once a city lord, so how could I not know? But most of the Blue Gold Tree clan's resources are monopolized by the Solstice Empire. It's hard for the Empyrean Dominion to get any. And without an Emperor, it's even harder for us. We used to be able to acquire a few scraps, cuttings, broken branches... well, you know. But under pressure from the Ancestral Court, we had to hand those over too. They were originally kept in the Peacock clan's ancestral land, but that's no longer an option either."

Tang San was taken aback. "Seems the Blue Gold Tree clan's reputation is even bigger than I thought."

"Of course it is," Xiao He replied. "It's the Ancestral Tree's legacy. Now that it's awakened, who knows if it's a good or bad thing? That being was one of the most powerful in the Daemon Continent's history. If it really has returned, the Empyrean Dominion will be extremely uneasy."