Chapter 1394: Arrival at the Jade Clam Clan

Hearing Wang Jianqiang's words, Mingyan's expression stiffened.

She forced a smile onto her face, "Master has already paid so much for me; how could I dare to covet a reward? That would be far too greedy."

"Let's just forget about the so-called reward."

Wang Jianqiang raised an eyebrow and insisted stubbornly, "How can that be? One thing is one thing, and another is another. What I gave you is what I gave you, and a reward is a reward; they are different."

Mingyan's expression stiffened again. She swallowed hard and feigned confusion, "Then what reward does Master want to give me?"

Wang Jianqiang smiled.

"No need to say more, just act according to the situation."

……

Twenty days later, Wang Jianqiang departed.

Mingyan stood in place, watching Wang Jianqiang's rapidly receding back, and only withdrew her gaze once his figure had disappeared.

"That bastard!"

She cursed under her breath.

Her eyes flickered.

Now that Wang Jianqiang had seen her, she certainly could not continue to blend into the team.

But the Mermaid Empress could not fail to return to the team.

Thinking of this, she pondered for a moment.

A streak of Spirit Light shot from between her brows, and the next moment, the Spirit Light transformed before her into a figure identical to her.

Looking at this figure, she breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.

Fortunately, she had practiced a technique for creating clones, and the grade of this clone technique was extremely high; even a Cultivator of the same level would find it difficult to see through it without careful observation.

Otherwise, she truly would not have been able to handle the current situation.

Afterward, she placed the mask she had been wearing onto the clone's face and had the clone go to rendezvous with the team.

After the clone left, she did not immediately approach the team.

She thought for a moment.

For the sake of caution, she put another mask on her own true body's face.

Only then did she approach the direction of the team.

……

When Wang Jianqiang returned to the team.

Except for Mingchen and the nine severely injured Integration Stage Cultivators who had not yet fully recovered, all other Cultivators in the team had completed their recovery.

Seeing Wang Jianqiang return, Lianyin secretly calculated the time.

A strange look flashed across her pretty face, "Brother Qiang, where did you go?"

Wang Jianqiang's figure flashed, and he arrived behind Lianyin.

"Princess."

He nodded to Lianyin with outward respect, while secretly responding to her via voice transmission, "I ran into an acquaintance and had a good chat, so it took a bit longer."

"Oh?"

Lianyin nodded faintly on the surface, while secretly sending an astonished inquiry to Wang Jianqiang, "An acquaintance? From which clan?"

She did not ask about the gender.

Because that question was already self-evident.

Hearing Lianyin's inquiry, Wang Jianqiang did not respond directly, a look of profound mystery flashing across his face, "You know this person too, and quite well."

Lianyin was stunned, "Who is it?"

Wang Jianqiang smiled, "I can't tell you now; we'll talk about it later."

"I can guarantee you that it will definitely give you a big surprise."

Upon hearing this, the curiosity in Lianyin's heart climbed to its peak.

But unfortunately, Wang Jianqiang insisted on acting mysterious, and no matter how she probed, he simply refused to answer.

She could only pout helplessly and give up on questioning further.

The next day.

A figure flew over and returned to the team.

It was the Mermaid Empress.

"Imperial Lord."

Seeing this, everyone present rose one after another to pay their respects.

The Mermaid Empress nodded and scanned the crowd; upon touching upon Wang Jianqiang, her gaze flickered, and she hurriedly shifted it away.

Afterward, she paused on Mingchen and the nine Integration Stage Cultivators, and seeing that although they had not fully recovered, it would no longer affect their travel, she said, "Let's continue on."

Having said that, she flew out first.

Everyone followed in succession.

Wang Jianqiang blended into the team, his gaze falling on the Mermaid Empress's back.

A faint arc lifted at the corner of his mouth.

He could sense that the Beast Control Mark was currently trailing far behind the team.

In other words, Mingyan had not returned to the team.

The figure before him was merely one of her clones.

Time passed.

In the blink of an eye, the time arrived when only half a year remained until the Jade Clam Clan's Saintess Position Competition.

The Mermaid Clan's procession finally arrived outside the Jade Clam Clan.

The Jade Clam Clan was established within an independent space.

The entrance was a giant boulder about thirty zhang in diameter, shaped like an open clam shell.

When Wang Jianqiang and the others appeared at the entrance, the area outside the previously empty entrance—

The space rippled, and two figures instantly flashed out, blocking the path before everyone.

These were two female Cultivators with excellent appearances and temperaments, both at the Dongxu Initial Stage of cultivation.

Upon seeing the group, the guarded expressions on their faces instantly vanished.

They stepped forward two paces and bowed respectfully to Mingyan, "Greetings, Senior."

Afterwards, they nodded to the rest of the Mermaid Clan, "Greetings, fellow Mermaid Clan Daoist Friends."

Mingyan nodded, "The Mermaid Clan has been invited to attend the ceremony."

Hearing Mingyan's words, the two Jade Clam Clan Cultivators hurriedly nodded, "The Clan Leader has already instructed us on this matter, ordering us to arrange everything for you and the others the moment you arrived."

"Senior, please follow us."

The two Jade Clam Clan Cultivators made a respectful gesture of invitation and walked into the entrance.

"Let's follow."

Mingyan looked at the group and walked into the entrance.

After walking into the entrance.

Everyone felt as if they had passed through a layer of water film, and the next moment, the view before them suddenly opened up.

They had already been transported into a vast space.

Just as the group entered this space, the void before them suddenly rippled, and the next moment, a figure flashed out silently.

The person who arrived was a woman with exquisite features, graceful and luxurious.

The moment he saw the other party, Wang Jianqiang's eyes lit up.

This person looks quite impressive!

At the same time.

In his Soul Sea, the other party's Attribute Panel had already appeared.

"Name: Bei Lingyun

Cultivation: Great Vehicle Late Stage"

Sensing the newcomer's cultivation, Wang Jianqiang's heart stirred.

Could this person be the Clan Leader of the Jade Clam Clan?

"Daoist Friend, long time no see."

Just as Wang Jianqiang was looking at the newcomer, the person had already walked straight to Mingyan's side.

"Long time no see."

From beneath Mingyan's mask, a soft voice emerged.

Bei Lingyun looked at the mask on Mingyan's face, and a look of surprise appeared on her face.

In her memory, the Mermaid Empress never had the habit of wearing a mask; why did she suddenly have this preference?