The Great Yan Empire.
As one of the top-ranked empires in the cultivation world, it was home to numerous cultivation clans and powerful factions. In the past, the emperors would show these forces a measure of courtesy, sometimes even marrying off princesses to form alliances.
However, things changed after the current ruler ascended the throne. She was an Empress and an unmarried one at that, let alone having any heirs.
With the direct imperial bloodline weakened, the regional princes who governed their own territories began to grow restless. Yet no one had expected the Empress’s cultivation to be so terrifying.
At her coronation ceremony, she forced the feudal lords into submission, and she went on to weaken all the factions that had troubled previous emperors. Some were even utterly destroyed, their sects wiped out and their members annihilated.
In private, many called her a tyrant because none who opposed her ever met a good end.
And yet, astonishingly, under her rule, the Great Yan Empire only grew stronger. Imperial decrees were no longer ignored or obeyed in appearance but defied in secret by the major powers as they had been before.
Recently, the Empress issued an edict agreeing to the marriage proposal of Chu Feng, the new disciple of the Moonlight Sword Fairy, and selected an auspicious date for their engagement.
The announcement caused an uproar, because the Yaochi Holy Land had also released news of a marriage alliance between their Holy Maiden and Chu Feng, the new disciple of the Moonlight Sword Fairy.
Only then did people understand why, at the recent Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect conference, both the Great Yan Empire and the Yaochi Holy Land had publicly supported Heaven’s Pinnacle Sect.
This move made the already famous Chu Feng the target of even more envy, jealousy, and resentment. The Empress of Great Yan, the Holy Maiden of Yaochi…either one alone would be enough for a man to lie back and live off her for the rest of his life. And yet he was getting engaged to both at the same time.
This world has truly gone mad beyond what I dare to look at directly. How infuriating! Why isn’t that person me?!
Such were the heartfelt thoughts of countless cultivators.
Inside the imperial palace, Eunuch Cao looked at the filial gifts from his godson and said with a smile, “In the future, it’s the thought that counts. Bringing all these things is too formal.”
That was what he said, but with a casual wave of his hand, he swept all the spirit stones before him into his storage pouch.
The Empress allowed you to be greedy, but only on the condition that you met your quotas. If you did, she would turn a blind eye. But if you only cared about lining your pockets and neglected everything else, the only outcome awaiting you was a miserable death.
So although Eunuch Cao and Zhao Shoucheng had taken quite a lot, the tasks they handled were executed flawlessly, without the slightest flaw.
“How did the matter I assigned you turn out?”
Eunuch Cao fixed his gaze on the young eunuch before him.
“Godfather, everything has been thoroughly investigated. The forces that posted a bounty on Young Master Chu Feng in the black market are all listed here.”
The young eunuch respectfully presented the document with both hands.
“Very good. I shall present this to Her Majesty at once. Perhaps if she is pleased, she may even reward you with something.”
Eunuch Cao said with satisfaction. Even he hadn’t expected that because of Young Master Chu Feng, the three major human factions and the demon race would join forces. It was effectively half the sky of the cultivation world.
Especially the Demon Empress: with more than half of the demon race under her command, she alone was enough to make the entire human race think twice before making any rash moves.
***
Imperial Study.
Ji Yuhuang was reviewing memorials, yet at this moment she felt somewhat restless.
It wasn’t due to the situation beyond the palace walls, but rather her worry that her little husband might go to that vixen and never return.
In her previous life, that vixen had often tried to seduce her little husband. Fortunately, back then his will had been firm, and he remained unmoved in the face of her charms.
But in this life, after being “taught” by Lu Xiyue and herself, her little husband was no longer as stone-hearted as he had been before. Yet that also meant he was far more susceptible to temptation. What if he sank into that vixen’s tender embrace and never came back? And on top of that, he had always shown a particular interest in demon women. In his previous life, he would often say things like “beast-eared girls are the best.”
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. Just then, Eunuch Cao walked in.
“Greetings, Your Majesty!”
“Has the matter I ordered you to investigate been completed?”
“Your Majesty, everything is here.”
With a beckoning gesture from Ji Yuhuang, the list flew into her hand. Her beautiful eyes swept over the forces named on it. Most were small fry. Only three counted as big fish.
“Hmph! These demonic factions are growing more and more brazen.”
Ji Yuhuang let out a cold snort. The last campaign to eradicate Ghost Nether Venerable had kept the demonic factions quiet for quite some time. But after news of her little husband possessing the Sky-Mending Stone leaked onto the black market, those damned vermin had begun courting death once again.
Suddenly, the winds and clouds above the imperial palace shifted dramatically, and a pillar of light shot straight into the heavens.
Someone had made a breakthrough!
Ji Yuhuang narrowed her beautiful eyes. That aura… Bai Yuyan had actually finished her seclusion so quickly?
In the next instant, her figure vanished from the Imperial Study.
As the pillar of light faded, the tightly shut stone doors slowly lifted. A woman with a graceful figure stepped out. From the look in her brows, she appeared to be a quiet and gentle beauty.
Seeing Ji Yuhuang before her, Bai Yuyan glanced around but did not spot her junior brother.
“Where is little junior brother?”
She asked, puzzled. Given Ji Yuhuang’s personality, shouldn’t she have kept him by her side? And her seclusion this time hadn’t been long. So why wasn’t he here?
“My little husband should be close to the demon race by now.”
Ji Yuhuang replied calmly.
“The demon race? That vixen’s place?! What happened?”
Bai Yuyan’s delicate brows knit tightly. The one she guarded against most was Liu Xueyao. The woman who had taken her little junior brother’s first time in their previous life. The other was the fox spirit of the demon race. Even she, a woman, felt her heart stir slightly in the face of that fox’s seductive arts.
Not to mention that little junior brother’s mind was still immature in this life. If he went to the fox spirit, he might be devoured so thoroughly that not even bones would remain.
“A great deal has happened during this time. Come with me….I’ll explain everything to you one by one.”
Bai Yuyan followed Ji Yuhuang to a side hall.
Ji Yuhuang told Bai Yuyan everything that had happened, sparing no detail.
After hearing it, Bai Yuyan fell into deep thought. In this life, too many things were different from the previous one, especially a supreme treasure like the Sky-Mending Stone ending up in her little junior brother’s hands. It would inevitably attract the covetous eyes of both the righteous and demonic factions.
“You’re at the early stage of the sixth rank now?”
Sensing Bai Yuyan’s aura, Ji Yuhuang was somewhat surprised. In such a short time, she had crossed an entire major realm. Even with the experience of breaking through from her previous life, it would be difficult to achieve without astonishing talent.
“Yes. This is as far as I can break through. If I continue my seclusion, it will only destabilize my foundation.”
Bai Yuyan was fairly satisfied with the results of this retreat, though her aura still fluctuated slightly from advancing too quickly.
She said impatiently, “Little junior brother is with that fox spirit….I’m not at ease. Where is the teleportation array? I’m going over there!”
She hadn’t even had a taste of her little junior brother yet. If he stayed with that fox spirit, there probably wouldn’t be a single sip left for her.
“Don’t be anxious. Your aura is still unstable. Stay here with me for a while and steady it first. Besides, my little husband is only at the second rank right now. That vixen won’t be able to eat him for the time being.”
Ji Yuhuang analyzed calmly. The demon race valued bloodlines and physical bodies. With the vixen’s current cultivation, her little husband wouldn’t even be able to break her defenses. Entering her door without crossing the threshold would do no harm.
Bai Yuyan thought about it and agreed. Her little junior brother’s cultivation was still too weak; for now, there was no need to worry about him being eaten by that fox spirit.
“In that case, I’ll go to the demon race after I’ve stabilized my aura.”
However, as the saying goes, when God closes the front door, He opens a back window for you and grants you a silver tongue, along with the ability to win people’s hearts after bringing peace to the world.
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