Jiang Yuran's delicate face showed a cascade of expressions; she was absolutely certain that from this day forward, the Yin Talisman Sect would rise to prominence thanks to Lin Xuankong!

"Quick, quickly thank Her Highness the Third Princess!" Yin Talisman Sect Leader Jiang Haiyan excitedly urged Lin Xuankong.

But how could the Yin Talisman Sect Leader know that Lin Xuankong already possessed several Holy Guardian Tokens and Holy Arrival Jade Tokens in his Ghost Frog Pouch? Why would he care about acquiring one more? As for commanding the Celestial Sect Elders? With his current strength and influence, he no longer needed their help. In fact, Lin Xuankong might have been more pleased if Grand Elder Jia Yu of the Holy Dragon Association and Grand Elder Ouyang Qinglan of the Celestial Sect were to obey him!

"Lin Xuankong offers his utmost thanks to the Third Princess!" Although he felt indifferent inside, with hundreds of Martial Cultivators around, Lin Xuankong still politely cupped his hands in gratitude. After all, he had to show respect to the Third Princess.

Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er smiled and said, "These are only part of the rewards. There are additional rewards awaiting you in the Council Chamber!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xuankong's heart stirred slightly, and a hint of anticipation arose within him.

The surrounding Martial Cultivators were even more awestruck. The rewards already included the title of Saint-Protector General, the Saint Protection Jade Token, a First-Grade Salary, and the authority to command Elders. They couldn't believe Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er would offer even more!

However, what they didn't know was that Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er had long intended to closely ally herself with this 'Blood Ox' genius. Now, having been saved by Lin Xuankong, she was naturally even more determined to reward him generously. Had it been any other Martial Cultivator, perhaps bestowing the title of Saint-Protector General would have sufficed!

After speaking, the Third Princess glanced at the powerful experts from Prince Dong's Mansion. At this moment, among all those present, only these experts were not focused on Lin Xuankong's rewards. Among them was Yang Luochen, Yang Luofeng's elder brother, who currently wore a deeply worried expression, his brows furrowed.

The Third Princess noticed this, sighed inwardly, and then said, "General Yang led his men to gather intelligence on the Demon army and has not yet returned. However, a Stone Monkey doppelgänger disguised as him appeared. This likely means General Yang Luofeng has been discovered by the Demons. They must also know he was on an intelligence-gathering mission; otherwise, they wouldn't have impersonated him."

Yang Luochen cupped his hands and said, "Third Princess, I plan to take all my subordinates from Prince Dong's Mansion to the Sealing Demon Mountain Range immediately to investigate!"

The Third Princess nodded slightly and looked at General Wang Linghui of Prince Yu's Mansion. "General Wang, among the contingents from the various Prince Mansions this time, your unit of King Yu Battle Array Cultivators, numbering more than 5,000, is the strongest! General Yang's fate is unknown, and my heart is uneasy. I hope General Wang can lead his forces and accompany General Luo Chen to investigate the vicinity of the Sealing Demon Mountain Range."

Upon hearing this, Wang Linghui stepped forward from his ranks, cupped his hands, and declared, "Linghui accepts the order! On this mission, I will definitely ascertain General Yang's situation!"

The Third Princess nodded. "Be extremely careful on your journey; safety is paramount. If you encounter a Great Demon, retreat immediately to avoid further casualties!"

Then, she looked at Ouyang Qinglan beside her. "Elder Ouyang, please accompany General Wang as well, to prevent the experts from Prince Yu's Mansion from being trapped by Great Demons and finding it difficult to escape!"

"This subordinate obeys!" replied the Grand Elder, who was at Eighth-Layer Perfection, cupping her hands.

「…」

After Ouyang Qinglan, Yang Luochen, Wang Linghui, and the experts from Prince Yu's Mansion had departed, Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er had Lin Xuankong accompany her toward the Council Chamber.

Upon entering the empty Council Chamber, the Third Princess of Great Xia fixed her gaze on Lin Xuankong and said casually, "Mr. Mu, did you bring the Profound Truth Jade Particles you promised me?"

Lin Xuankong's expression froze for a moment, then a look of confusion spread across his face as he glanced around.

Seeing this, Xiaoo Ying'Er frowned slightly. "There are no outsiders here, Mr. Mu. Why put on such an act?"

Lin Xuankong looked utterly surprised. "Third Princess, who is Mr. Mu? Is there someone else in this Council Chamber?"

Xiaoo Ying'Er scrutinized him for a long moment. Seeing his genuinely bewildered and surprised expression, she finally shook her head slightly and said, "Oh, never mind. I must have misheard. I thought that Mr. Mu had arrived!"

Lin Xuankong remained silent.

Heh, little girl, still trying to pull a fast one on me?

Xiaoo Ying'Er then put on a very sincere expression. "This time, my life was hanging by a thread. Thinking back on it now still fills me with fear. If not for your meticulous mind, a major disaster would have occurred! Had I perished, the entire Six Prefectures of Nanjiang would have descended into chaos! For such a great service, Steward Lin, what other rewards do you desire? Demon Flesh, Treasure Elixirs, Battle Armor, or Demon Pearls?"

If Miss Xiao and I are to succeed in Refining the Initial Tier Immortal Artifact, other materials aren't a major concern, but we need 12 Demon Pearls... That's 12 Demon Pearls! Even though I currently have 15, losing 12 of them would still pain me greatly. Lin Xuankong thought to himself.

"Saving the Princess was merely this subordinate's duty!" Lin Xuankong declared with a forthright expression.

Xiaoo Ying'Er smiled. "Steward Lin, there's no need for such modesty! Ever since we parted at the Demon Slaying Conference, I've wanted to summon you multiple times. However, I was swamped with affairs and also made a trip to the Ba Mountain Secret Realm, so I never had the chance. A Talent like yours is unique in the entire Great Xia Dynasty... or perhaps, at most, there are two such individuals. The Mr. Mu I mentioned just now possesses an exceptionally high True Qi reserve, just like you! If Steward Lin can advance to the Fifth Layer or Sixth Layer in the future, I believe you will possess various powerful abilities, much like Mr. Mu! Great Xia must, of course, nurture such a genius as yourself with all its resources. Even without you saving my life, I would still have rewarded you! Steward Lin, please state whatever reward you desire. As long as I have it, you may take it!"

Hearing her words, Lin Xuankong couldn't help but take a closer look at Xiaoo Ying'Er's face.

This girl really spares no effort to recruit Talent, so generous and open-handed! Since that's the case, I won't be polite!

Lin Xuankong cupped his hands. "Since the Third Princess is so generous, I shall be bold enough to ask. I require neither Battle Armor, Demon Flesh, nor Treasure Elixirs! If the Princess agrees, perhaps you could grant me one or two Demon Pearls?"

Third Princess Xiaoo Ying'Er smiled. "For a genius like Steward Lin, what are one or two Demon Pearls! I know of your unique Talent; your Qi Blood Amount far exceeds that of others by dozens or even hundreds of times. I imagine you could simultaneously activate more than ten Demon Pearls with no effort at all! Hmm... Since you need Demon Pearls, then I shall give you a few more! Today is my 18th birthday, so how about I give you 18 Demon Pearls?"

Eighteen Demon Pearls? Eighteen Demon Pearls! Even with my family's large Secret Realm, I'm not as extravagant as this girl!

Lin Xuankong couldn't help but look at Xiaoo Ying'Er. He saw her nodding slightly, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth as she said, "To Great Xia, Steward Lin, your value far exceeds 18 Demon Pearls! If not for the current war against the Demons, requiring me to distribute these Demon Pearls among some disciples of the Celestial Sect, giving you 36 Demon Pearls would be nothing!"

「…」

After returning to his residence from the inner city, Lin Xuankong took out 18 Demon Pearls from his Ghost Frog Pouch. He looked at them for a few moments, his heart filled with joy and a swirl of emotions.

This Xiaoo Ying'Er, what a rich lady; she's truly somewhat admirable. If I had 18 Demon Pearls, aside from the Young Lady, Yu Fei, Little Hu, and a few others, I would be utterly unwilling to give them away to anyone else!

With 18 Demon Pearls now in hand, I have more than enough materials for Refining the Initial Tier Immortal Artifact!

「The next morning,」

Lin Xuankong left the Great Marsh Prefecture, heading towards the Flying Dragon Slope.

Just as he landed at the entrance of Xiao Xiuyi's cave, a graceful, black-clad figure flashed towards him. It was Xiao Xiuyi. She looked at Lin Xuankong with some surprise. "Steward Lin, what brings you here today? Have you already heard about the Demon Pearl auction in Prison Dragon City?"

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