You don't want your secret to be revealed by others, right?

"What?"

Lin Yue almost thought he had heard wrong.

The Blood Sea Saint Mother, the second generation Blood Demon Ancestor, wanted him to help her have a child?

Seeking offspring at a hefty price, huh?

"I'm not lying to you," Qin Yan said somewhat helplessly, "If it weren't for my master sending me to ask you about this, I wouldn't have planned to accept the challenge."

"What does the Blood Sea Saint Mother mean?" Lin Yue asked via Divine Thought Transmission.

Both the Demon Path and the path of Daoist and Buddhist cultivation recognized the practice of dual cultivation of Yin and Yang, but he had never heard of such a thing within the Blood Sea Demon Sect; at most, they were known for large-scale slaughter.

The Fifth Prince was the reincarnation of the First Generation Blood Demon Ancestor, and there was no word that the Fifth Prince had ever done such a thing.

Although the Blood Sea Saint Mother was the second generation Blood Demon Ancestor, her past cultivation was of orthodox Buddhist teachings, not the Joyous Zen or anything of the sort.

"I don't understand either. Anyway, my master heard that you only have two children and could have more, so she came to you," transmitted Qin Yan.

The bloodline of the Xiahong clan was under certain mystic restrictions; over the years, princes and princesses almost always had just four or five children, without exception.

The offspring of imperial grandsons typically weren't numerous either, topping at five or six.

Lin Yue understood this principle, but he still found himself at a loss for words and couldn't help asking, "Then why doesn't your master ask the Sixteenth Prince to have children? The Sixteenth Prince was her disciple in a past life; wouldn't that be more convenient?"

Qin Yan couldn't help but glance at him, seemingly rendered speechless by his remark.

After a long silence, he transmitted, "My master is known as the 'Saint Mother' to us and is like a biological mother, how could she possibly... commit such a heaven-defying act?"

Making me out to be some kind of freak… Lin Yue was even more at a loss for words and could only say, "What does the Blood Sea Saint Mother want descendants of the Xiahong bloodline for?"

"I don't know," transmitted Qin Yan, "I'm just the messenger."

Lin Yue pondered for a moment, then transmitted, "Then pass on a message to the Blood Sea Saint Mother for me, tell her this matter is of great importance and she should personally talk to me about it. Besides, I don't have time right now."

"Alright."

Qin Yan then asked, "Your Highness, do you have any other messages you want me to relay to my master?"

"No," Lin Yue pondered for a moment, then transmitted, "But if someone invites you to discuss the Way later, you should accept immediately."

"Who would invite me?" Qin Yan was confused.

"You'll know when the time comes."

Following that, Qin Yan left the Tianxia Building.

Lin Yue was lost in thought, suddenly realizing, if he agreed, wouldn't that make him the father of both the Sixteenth Prince and Qin Yan in terms of seniority?

However, reincarnation had already severed the ties of past karma; going by past lives' seniority, the Xiahong clan's order had long been thrown into chaos.

Seeing the heartbroken scholar had yet to accept the challenge, he could only wait one more day for the Tianxia Building to invite the fourth contender by rank, and so Lin Yue also left the Tianxia Building.

...

"Your Highness, how did it go?"

Inside the Lake Heart Pavilion of the Prince Mansion, Baili Fengzhi saw Lin Yue retract the World Token and couldn't help but ask.

"I wasted another First Grade True Treasure," Lin Yue shook his head slightly, "I thought I could kill Qin Yan within the span of a breath, but I didn't expect that his Blood Sea Demon Body and Indestructible Body had merged so perfectly; it took a little more time."

Baili Fengzhi shook her head, "Although Qin Yan doesn't have the endless power of the Blood Sea in the Tianxia Building, the survival ability of his Blood Sea Demon Body is indeed one of the best in the world. Your Highness, you are already strong enough. The Heart Sword Master also fought with Qin Yan in the Tianxia Building, but he couldn't kill Qin Yan."

Lin Yue didn't say much, only casually speaking, "After I deal with the fourth on the Divine List tomorrow, I'll go find the Heart Sword Master on the third layer of the Tianxia Building... By then, I should have collected about 108,000 command arrows."

"What about Your Highness's identity as Duanyue Yanluo?" asked Baili Fengzhi, "Will you try it out too?"

"Of course."

Lin Yue nodded slightly, took out the World Token for the identity of Duanyue Yanluo, and said, "After all, it's 108,000 command arrows, can't waste them."

"But Your Highness, you've only just shown your hand, and Duanyue Yanluo is showing the same level of strength, I'm afraid this might..." Baili Fengzhi furrowed her brows.

"It doesn't matter, let them suspect."

Lin Yue said casually, "There are already several people in the world who clearly know that I am Duanyue Yanluo, let alone those who suspect it. But as long as there is no concrete evidence, what does it matter how much they suspect?"

The identity of Duanyue Yanluo had killed the Wind Monarch and heir to the Marquis of Dingyuan, but as the Seventeenth Prince, being in opposition with the Twelfth Prince, what was wrong with doing these things?

Others knew it was a struggle between princes.

Even if he did nothing, they would be suspicious; so it was better to act, as long as there was no evidence, that was enough.

"Enter."

Lin Yue immediately probed into the World Token again with his Divine Thought.

Last time, the identity of Duanyue Yanluo made it to the Third Layer with five consecutive victories and then stopped.

This time, he intended to repeat the hidden rewards he completed with his 'main account.'

As a result, the Tianxia Building became extremely lively today.

"Duanyue Yanluo has reappeared after five years, starting to claim hidden rewards too?"

"His strength is much greater than before…"

"Just like the Seventeenth Prince, instantly killing opponents? Seems like he really is..."

"Although he uses a different True Martial Arts Skill and doesn't use a sword, I have a feeling that the Seventeenth Prince is probably Duanyue Yanluo."

"Shh, the Twelfth Prince has lost a Minister Elder prodigy and the heir to the Marquis of Dingyuan is dead too, do you dare to conclude? Are you asking for death?"

One by one, the cultivators communicated with each other using Divine Thought Transmission, but verbally, they did not mention a word.

No matter how much they suspected, it was just a suspicion.

"You have defeated twelve Great Cultivators with the Four Symbols Body, your deeds are true and valid, you have completed the hidden trial of the Third Layer in the Tianxia Building, 'Heavenly Twelve Lines,' and may obtain 12,000 command arrows."