Chapter 36: The Princess of the Abyss
Location: Cloud Soaring City – The Spirit Market
The streets of Cloud Soaring City were paved with white Jadeite, glowing softly under the three suns of the Immortal Realm.
Jiang Chen walked through the market, his hands behind his back. He looked like a mortal tourist, but his eyes were scanning the structural composition of the reality around him.
"Husband," Mo You's voice whispered from the shadows of his cloak. "The dragons here... they are weak. Their blood smells diluted. Muddy."
Jiang Chen smiled. "Not everyone can be an Abyssal Dragon, Mo You."
Suddenly, a gong sounded.
CLANG. CLANG.
"Kneel! The Long Clan approaches!"
The crowd scattered like frightened ants.
A carriage descended from the sky, pulled by four Flood Dragons. The carriage was adorned with gold and azure scales, radiating a pressure that forced the nearby vendors to the ground.
Inside sat Prince Long Wei, the Third Prince of the Long Clan. He was a True Immortal, arrogant and bored, sipping wine made from spirit pearls.
The carriage stopped. The guards noticed two figures standing in the middle of the road.
"Audacious!" A guard leveled his spear. "You dare block Prince Long Wei? Kneel and cripple your cultivation!"
Jiang Chen didn't move.
"Husband," Mo You stepped out from behind him. She was wearing a black veil, but her aura—cold, sharp, and infinitely dark—began to leak out. "May I?"
"Be gentle," Jiang Chen nodded.
The guard thrust his spear.
Mo You didn't dodge. She caught the spear tip with her index finger.
PING.
The Immortal Steel shattered.
"What?" The guard gasped.
Mo You flicked her finger. A tiny pulse of darkness hit the guard's chest. He flew backward, crashing through three buildings before stopping.
"Who dares?!"
Prince Long Wei exploded from his carriage. His golden aura flared, lightning crackling around his horns.
"I am Long Wei! Ruler of this City! Who dares strike my—"
He froze.
He landed in front of Mo You. He intended to kill her.
But then, his Bloodline screamed.
It wasn't a scream of anger. It was a scream of terror.
Long Wei's pupils dilated into vertical slits. His instincts—the instincts of a lower species facing an Apex Predator—took over.
He sniffed the air.
"This scent..." Long Wei's hands began to tremble. "It... it can't be."
He looked at the black aura swirling around Mo You. It wasn't just darkness. It was the Primordial Abyss. It was the specific energy signature of the Royal Family of the Divine Realm.
"You..." Long Wei dropped to his knees. His arrogance vanished, replaced by absolute awe. "You are... a Highblood."
The crowd went silent. The Prince was kneeling?
"Highblood?" Jiang Chen frowned.
Long Wei didn't hear him. He was staring at Mo You, his forehead touching the pavement.
"Forgive me! This lowly snake did not recognize the Phoenix... no, the Dragon Princess! That aura... you are from the Abyssal Dragon Clan of the Divine Realm! The Rulers of the Deep!"
Mo You stood there. Her expression was usually cold and indifferent.
But this time, her eyes widened behind the veil.
Crack.
Something inside her mind—a seal that had been there since the day Jiang Chen summoned her at Level 1—shattered.
Memories flooded back. Not memories of being a system summon. Memories of a palace made of black stars. Memories of a father who ruled a dimension.
"Divine Realm..." Mo You whispered, clutching her head. "Father..."
She looked down at Long Wei. Her demeanor changed. She wasn't just Jiang Chen's assassin anymore. She was a Royal.
"Stand up, mixed-blood," Mo You commanded. Her voice held a weight that made the air vibrate.
Long Wei scrambled to his feet, keeping his head bowed. "Yes, Your Highness! How may the Long Clan serve the Main Branch?"
"Take us to a private place," Mo You said, her voice trembling slightly. "Now."
Location: The Cloud Pavilion – Private Garden
Long Wei had cleared the entire estate. He stood guarding the door outside, terrified that he had offended a Princess from the "Upper World."
Inside, Jiang Chen and Mo You sat by a koi pond.
Mo You was silent. She looked at her hands.
"Mo You?" Jiang Chen asked gently. "What happened back there? You usually just call them lizards."
Mo You looked up. Her eyes were shimmering.
"I remember, Jiang Chen. I remember everything."
She took a deep breath.
"When you summoned me... the System told you I was a 'Shadow Assassin' created from energy. It lied."
"Lied?"
"The System didn't create me," Mo You said. "It abducted me."
Jiang Chen's eyes narrowed. "What?"
"I am Long Mo You. I am the Seventh Princess of the Abyssal Dragon Clan in the Divine Realm."
She waved her hand, creating an illusion in the air. It showed a massive world of floating islands and purple oceans—far grander than the Immortal Realm.
"I was undergoing my Coming of Age Tribulation," Mo You explained. "I was vulnerable. Then... a light appeared. A hook. It pulled me across dimensions, sealed my memories, sealed my cultivation, and deposited me in front of you on Earth."
Jiang Chen was stunned.
He thought back to Level 1. He had summoned her with a starter pack.
"So... I kidnapped a Divine Princess?" Jiang Chen rubbed his temples. "Your father must be furious."
"Furious?" Mo You laughed dryly. "My father is the Dragon Emperor of the Abyss. He probably destroyed a few star systems looking for me."
She looked at Jiang Chen.
"But... I am not angry."
She moved closer, resting her head on his shoulder.
"The System sealed my power, forcing me to grow alongside you. If I had stayed in the Divine Realm, I would have been a pampered Princess. But with you... I fought. I bled. I loved."
She looked into his eyes.
"You didn't kidnap me, Husband. You found me."
Jiang Chen wrapped his arm around her.
"So, your true cultivation..."
"Is Divine King Rank," Mo You revealed. "But the System Seal is still active. It binds my level to yours. As you grow, I regain my original power."
"That explains why you're so strong," Jiang Chen realized. "You aren't learning new skills. You're just remembering old ones."
Mo You nodded. She pointed at the door where Long Wei was waiting.
"The Long Clan... they are the servants of the Golden Dragon Clan in the Divine Realm. My clan, the Abyssal Dragons, and the Golden Dragons are rivals. But to a lowly Immortal Realm branch family? A Divine Dragon is a Divine Dragon. They cannot tell the difference between the factions."
"So we can use him," Jiang Chen grinned.
"We can rule him," Mo You corrected, her royal aura flaring. "He thinks I am here on inspection. Let's play the part."
The Audience
Mo You clapped her hands.
"Enter."
Long Wei rushed in, falling to his knees.
"Princess! Is the accommodation to your liking?"
"It is adequate," Mo You said coolly. "For a lower realm."
"I am ashamed!" Long Wei sweated. "Princess, if I may ask... why have you descended? The Divine Realm has been closed off to us for centuries. Is the war with the Void...?"
"The War continues," Mo You said vaguely. "I am here to gather resources. My... Consort," she gestured to Jiang Chen, "is helping me."
"Resources!" Long Wei's eyes lit up. "The Long Clan has treasury vaults filled with Spirit Stones! We have herbs! Ores!"
"We don't need trash," Jiang Chen interrupted, playing the role of the arrogant consort. "We need Ascension Materials. Items that contain Divine Laws."
Long Wei hesitated.
"Divine Laws... those are rare. But! The Grand Auction tomorrow! The item being sold... it is rumored to be a seed from the Divine Realm."
"A seed?" Mo You leaned forward.
"Yes. It fell from a rift 500 years ago. No one can sprout it. It absorbs all Qi but never grows. We call it the Dead God Seed."
Jiang Chen's internal world rumbled.
Inside his Dantian, Baby Jiang Xing woke up. The baby sensed something.
"Hungry..." The baby's voice echoed in Jiang Chen's mind. "Seed... Yummy."
Jiang Chen looked at Mo You.
"We want the seed," Jiang Chen declared.
"It will be the centerpiece of the auction," Long Wei said nervously. "The bidding will be fierce. The Phoenix Pavilion and the Sword Sect will be there."
Mo You stood up. Her shadow stretched out, forming a dragon's silhouette that filled the room.
"Let them bid," Mo You said. "And if they win... I will remind them why Dragons sit at the top of the food chain."
Long Wei shivered in delight and terror.
"I will prepare your seats immediately, Highness!"
As Long Wei left, Mo You turned to Jiang Chen.
"Husband," she whispered. "My father... if we reach the Divine Realm... he will test you."
"Test me?"
"He hates humans. If he finds out I married one... and had a child with one..."
Jiang Chen kissed her forehead.
"Let him come. I killed the Void Emperor. I can handle a angry father-in-law."
"Besides," Jiang Chen smirked. "Wait until he meets his grandson. Jiang Xing will probably try to eat his tail."
Mo You laughed. "You're right. Xing'er is the ultimate diplomat."
[System Quest Updated]
[Quest: The Path to the Divine Realm.]
[Sub-Objective 1: Obtain the Dead God Seed.]
[Sub-Objective 2: Restore Mo You's full memory and cultivation.]
[Sub-Objective 3: Survive the Father-in-Law.]
"Let's go buy a seed," Jiang Chen said. "And maybe rob a few Immortals along the way."