Chapter 2525: The Victim Comes Knocking The Mermaid Queen was stunned. “Big brother Zu, how do you know that? I don’t know what’s going on either. Ever since I arrived here, everyone has been calling me Chang’e.” Zu An and Yumen Beiqing were speechless. Zu An slapped his forehead. How could something so cliche happen here? I was just wishing Brother Yi and Chang’e a blissful marriage, only to learn right after that Chang’e is the Mermaid Queen. How am I supposed to earnestly wish them happiness now? While he had been keeping his distance from the Mermaid Queen, he couldn’t turn a blind eye when she was forced to marry a man she didn’t like. The thought of Yi angrily confronting him over this gave him a splitting headache. However, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things. He turned to the soldiers and saw them encircling the Crystal Boat, their eyes focused on the Mermaid Queen. Zu An frowned. He sensed auras similar to Er Fu coming from those people. According to Yi, these people were likely from the Fiend races. The good thing was that these fiends were nowhere as powerful as Er Fu or Wei Yueyan. However, the bad news was that their auras weren’t weak; they were at least at the level of the strongest of the Eighteen Monster Generals. “Why are they pursuing you?” Yumen Beiqing asked with a frown. The Mermaid Queen shook her head. “I don’t know either. I learned that Chang’e is betrothed to someone, and her fiancé is going to propose to her today. There was no way I could accept the marriage, so I escaped. However, these people suddenly appeared out of nowhere and began hunting me down. It took everything I had to flee here. “I was in despair until I noticed the Crystal Boat. I thought I was dreaming, so I tried calling out to you. I didn’t expect it to truly be big brother Zu!” As she looked at Zu An with deepening feelings, her eyes began to brim with tears. She felt that this was all decided by fate. If the world is already helping me, how can I back off like I did before? Zu An and Yumen Beiqing felt sympathy for Yi. However, they turned to the crowd encircling the Crystal Boat. “Is there some kind of misunderstanding here? My friend doesn’t know you.” Those people exchanged looks. The pig-headed leader standing in front said, “That's the Chang clan’s Saintess Chang’e; we wouldn’t mistake her for anyone else. Our Golden Crow Third Crown Prince wishes to meet her. You better not stick your head where it doesn’t belong.” They noticed how extraordinary the Crystal Boat was, not to mention it was tinged with the Dragon race’s aura. They couldn’t figure out Zu An’s background on the spur of the moment, so they chose to bring out their backing to intimidate the other party. “The Golden Crow Third Crown Prince...” Zu An’s face turned cold. My eight characters[1] must clash with the Golden Crow race. Why do I get into a conflict with them at every turn?! Yumen Beiqing harrumphed coldly. “Nonsense! How can you be the subordinates of the Golden Crow Third Crown Prince?” Zu An was taken aback. Little sister Ling’er’s reaction is weird. Has she gotten on close terms with the Golden Crow Imperial Family in the years she spent as the Fiend races’ Saintess? Even though the Celestial World’s Golden Crow race was bound to be different from the Cultivation World’s Golden Crow race, there were still bloodline ties between them. The pig-headed chief eyed Yumen Beiqing with greedy eyes. “Beauty, there’s no need to prove to you that we are the Golden Crow Third Crown Prince’s subordinates. Who in the world would dare to use his name in vain?” He was surprised to see that someone could rival Chang’e in beauty. Yumen Beiqing coldly sneered, “Chang’e is the fiancée of the Shaman races’ powerhouse, Yi. There have been many conflicts between the shamans and the fiends over the years, and their relationship has gotten so tense that a war can easily break out at a moment’s notice. If the Golden Crow Third Crown Prince kidnapped Chang’e at this juncture, he would not only offend Yi but the Chang clan as well. That’s bound to stir a massive war between the races. “The Golden Crow Third Crown Prince is famous in the Celestial Court; he would have surely thought of that. Taking a thousand steps back, even if he was interested in Chang’e, he would capture her quietly instead of announcing his identity in public.” The fiends exchanged awkward looks. The Mermaid Queen was awed by Yumen Beiqing. As expected of the legendary Saintess. She is truly wise. Even Zu An was surprised. Little sister Ling’er has changed a lot. The pig-headed chief was infuriated. “A woman like you can’t begin to fathom a celestial’s thoughts. Hand Chang’e over right now, or don’t blame us for getting violent!” His comrades raised their weapons, ready to make a move at his command. Just then, a crisp bell rang—it was the Horror Bell! The surroundings fiends felt a surge of fear. They were worried that their master’s plan had been unraveled. At the same time, a massive black flag emanating a ghostly aura appeared in midair. With a slight sway of the flag, the surrounding fiends suddenly felt their mental states being rattled. It was the Fallen Soul Banner! 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚 These two artifacts were Zu An’s spoils of war from the Monster World’s top experts. As the trump cards of those top experts, their prowess wasn't to be scoffed at. But while the artifacts had shaken up the fiends, they weren’t enough to claim their lives. Zu An also hadn't been expecting the artifacts to do that much; it was good enough as long as the items at least sent them into a temporary daze. He was about to make a move when he suddenly frowned. Without any hesitation, he transported the Mermaid Queen into the cabin using a teleportation formation and instructed, “Don’t make a noise.” In the next moment, a red light shot over from afar. Just as it had impaled the vultures in the sky, it easily claimed the heads of the fiends surrounding the Crystal Boat. It was so fast that the fiends didn’t have time to react before their heads burst apart. Only the pig-headed chief had time to raise his weapon, but he was still too late. The red light pierced through his forehead, and he plummeted from the sky. Soon, Yi flew over from afar. He lowered his head and saw the pig-headed chief’s body dissipating as a light wisp of smoke, and that made him frown. “That fellow still has some ability. To think that he escaped with his primordial spirit.” This reunion left Zu An feeling conflicted. “Brother Yi, thank you for your help.” At the same time, he was astounded. Even though the Horror Bell and the Fallen Soul Banner had delayed the fiends’ reaction, it was still shocking to see Yi massacring all of them from afar with a single arrow. It looked as if the latter hadn’t gone all out in their previous friendly duel. “Brother Necropolis, you could have easily dealt with them even if I didn’t make a move. It’s just that I’m not in a good mood now, so I’m taking it out on them,” Yi huffed. Zu An smiled. “Why are you so angry, Brother Yi? Weren’t you in high spirits when we parted? Oh right, I thought you were going to propose to Chang’e?” Yumen Beiqing rolled her eyes. This fellow is good at feigning ignorance. “Don’t mention it. Just thinking about that makes me angry,” Yi grumbled indignantly. “The Golden Crow Third Crown Prince kidnapped Chang’e. I’m chasing after him now. Did you see anyone suspicious along the way?” Zu An pointed to the corpses on the floor. “Those people are plenty suspicious...” Yi was confused. Zu An quickly explained the situation. “They claim to be the Golden Crow Third Crown Prince’s subordinates, but they might not be trustworthy.” He quickly shared the Saintess’ earlier analysis. “I won’t refute that possibility, but the Golden Crow Third Crown Prince is still the likeliest suspect. We found his feather at Chang’e’s residence.” Yi clenched his fists. Yumen Beiqing’s face stiffened. 1. The Eight Characters indicate the year, month, day and hour of a person's birth, which are often used in fortune-telling in China. ☜