After realizing that she could only rely on herself, Yu Ling decided to use a backup plan: go out first and then think of other ways to stop the Dragon Prime Minister's usurpation.

"Hey, Shen Qingyun, I have a way to stop the Prime Minister's conspiracy, but I need you to cover for me."

Yu Ling addressed the Imperial Preceptor by his given name, not thinking that his identity was anything special. She moved closer again, having already retreated. The more she looked at the Imperial Preceptor, the more handsome he became. Even though he was conspiring with a demon to trick the Celestial Master, she couldn't get angry.

—The main reason is that I didn't trick her; she came on her own initiative. Otherwise, I would have beaten her anyway.

"oh?"

Shen Qingyun had been feeling incredibly frustrated these past few days. Upon hearing that Yu Ling had a plan, he didn't turn his head away. Instead, he looked directly at her, a glint of surprise flashing in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared. He asked, "What plan?"

"Listen to me..."

Yu Ling leaned over and whispered to Shen Qingyun about the function of her magical artifact that could create illusions. In short, she wanted Shen Qingyun to cover for her while she took the opportunity to find a way to break the curse on the emperor, and then the two of them would fight the monster together.

“As the Imperial Advisor, you have a duty to protect His Majesty’s safety. Being coerced by the dragon is understandable,” Yu Ling said sincerely. “But if you really allow a demon to usurp the throne and become emperor, the people of the world will not have peace!”

"...You're not just looking for an excuse to run away, are you?"

Shen Qingyun immediately guessed Yu Ling's intentions, sighed, and said helplessly,

"Young lady, you are unaware that a demon has placed a forbidden spell in the imperial court that will seal your spiritual power. Moreover, it won't be long before it comes to confiscate your magical treasures. I cannot guarantee that you won't be exposed. That dragon's demonic arts are so powerful that even I am not confident in their abilities..."

"This...it's alright, I have my own way." Yu Ling was only thinking about getting out of there first. She casually tossed a few unused magic treasures from her storage space to Shen Qingyun, still showing no intention of giving up. Clearly, she was determined to leave.

Yu Ling simultaneously cried out in her mind, "System! Is the magic weapon in place?!"

[Done! Don't worry, host, I've placed it next to the artificial hill for you~] the system fox said.

"I believe you'll find a way to get through this! I'll go first! I'll come back to save you once I've dealt with the dragon~" Yu Ling said before leaving, and in a flash, she turned into a life-size phantom, handing over control to Shen Qingyun.

Caught off guard, Shen Qingyun was filled with questions. Although he had always been imprisoned alone and only showed up when helping Jiaolong deceive people, why did he suddenly feel less calm than before?

Meanwhile, Yu Ling, who appeared beside the artificial hill, picked up the system fox and was about to run away, but then she thought that spiritual power was forbidden in the court but demonic power was not, so why not just become a fox? So, she transformed into a fox exactly like the system fox (except for the white fur on its head) and ran towards the imperial study where the emperor was.

"Huh? I thought the host was just talking. Are you really going to stop that mastermind?" The system fox asked, running alongside Yu Ling.

"Of course we have to stop it! If Heaven gets angry about this, who knows if it will affect my survival!" She also had a demon's heart inside her body, and Yu Ling was helpless!

If this monster wanted to become a courtier, cause trouble, and steal some of the nation's fortune for cultivation, I definitely wouldn't interfere. But this guy wants to become emperor? A monster not favored by Heaven, becoming emperor???

Sigh, Heaven might already be preparing a big move. It's just that no one was injured, so they can't find an excuse to strike this guy dead with a bolt of lightning. But as soon as there's the slightest unusual movement... tsk tsk tsk.

Following the navigation, Yu Ling arrived at the imperial study where the emperor handled state affairs. Her demonic body was already feeling unwell. She drank a bottle of spiritual water to cleanse herself of karmic obstacles, and with the double protection of the Concealing Breath Necklace, she managed to conceal her demonic aura and recover.

Finding a crack to slip into the room, Yu Ling began to use her divine sense to observe the current emperor. What kind of curse had this guy been under that allowed the dragon to control him? She wanted to see if she could break it.

But the more Yu Ling looked, the more confused she became. She couldn't quite believe her own soul diagnosis and couldn't help but compare it with the original owner's knowledge. She then carefully and thoroughly scanned the body with her soul five or six times.

But she eventually discovered that the emperor seemed to be... completely unharmed!

Unable to bear it any longer, Yu Ling tossed the system back, letting it navigate to Shen Qingyun to deliver the message. She then jumped in front of the emperor, her face flushed with anger.

Oh, no, her current fox-like face was originally red.

Seeing a fox suddenly leap down from the roof and land on the table, the emperor's majestic and handsome face showed surprise. He had already begun to imagine all sorts of scenarios: the fox demon bewitching the emperor, bringing disaster to the country and its people, and so on.

"Squeak! Squeak, squeak—?"

Just as Yu Ling was about to unleash a torrent of abuse on the emperor who had wasted her time and energy, she realized that her fox form couldn't speak human language. Enraged, she immediately swallowed a Transformation Pill, followed by a torrent of rapid-fire chatter.

"So you knew your prime minister was a monster? He even managed to break the curse he cast on you! Since nothing happened, why didn't you do anything? You just watched the court fall into chaos and then stood by and watched him arrest and imprison all the Taoist priests! You...you...you! You're driving me crazy!!!"

After Yu Ling transformed into a fox, she had a completely different appearance from the original owner. Although she had the appearance of a man, her eyes were slightly red at the corners, her lips were upturned without being curved, and her color was like a peach blossom. Her waist was soft and slender, and her red robe made her skin look as white as jade. She was truly a woman of endless charm.

The emperor was completely stunned; it was the first time he had ever seen a man even more handsome than the Imperial Advisor!

"Ha, you're just a monster, how dare you stand up for the Taoist priest who's been shouting at you to die?"

The emperor was unafraid when he saw that even fox demons had mingled with him and transformed into human form right in front of him. Clearly, he was also a cultivator, not the ordinary person that others perceived him to be.

“There are good and bad celestial masters, and some are inactive and harm the people. There are also good and bad demons, and there are kind and good demons. Of course, we can’t judge them solely based on race and identity…” Yu Ling stopped halfway through her sentence. “Wait a minute, I’m the one asking you!”

The emperor stared silently at the smooth lines of his robe, revealed by the rise and fall of his chest, and said in a hoarse voice:

"Let him be emperor if he wants to. I'm getting bored sitting in this position anyway. As for those celestial masters, they're not in any danger. They've learned so many skills, yet they can't even defeat a monster. Why should I be the one to save them?"