Chapter 93 Empress
While the Great Wu Dynasty enjoyed a peaceful time, the Great Wu, ruled by his father Chen Xiong, was currently facing a difficult problem.
Through the Scrying Mirror, Chen Qing saw clearly that Chen Xiong was pacing back and forth in the Royal Study, contemplating how to deal with the Quasi-Emperor.
Chen Qing stepped into the mirror, and in an instant, arrived at Chen Xiong's Royal Study in Great Wu.
"Father, what Quasi-Emperor?" Chen Qing asked directly after arriving, getting straight to the point.
"Qing'er, you're here!" Chen Xiong heard Chen Qing's voice, turned to look, and as if seeing a savior, grasping at a straw, he quickly ordered someone to offer a seat.
Subsequently, Chen Qing learned from Chen Xiong that the Vermilion Bird Country intended to play the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind strategy.
Before Great Wu dispatched troops to the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Countries, the Vermilion Bird Country had already sent out more troops to intercept them, planting their banners all over the city walls.
Chen Xiong, of course, would not meekly surrender his territory or humble himself.
However, with a Quasi-Emperor expert holding down the fort for the Vermilion Bird Country, his troops and Shadow Puppets were simply no match.
Chen Qing had not seen anyone from the Vermilion Bird Country in Tianlong City, and he had initially thought they disliked trouble and preferred to develop quietly, so he hadn't planned to provoke them.
Now, it seemed he had thought too highly of them.
They weren't avoiding trouble; they preferred to steal the fruits of others' labor.
Stealing was one thing, but the most crucial part was that they were stealing from him!
Could this be tolerated? Absolutely not!
Losing territory was a minor matter; Chen Qing primarily didn't want his thoughts to be obstructed by such a small issue.
As a Cultivator, having unobstructed thoughts was very important.
Just as Chen Qing was about to take out the King Yama's Book of Life and Death to directly end that Quasi-Emperor's life with a stroke.
Outside the Royal Study, a voice suddenly came, "Your Majesty, your humble servant has an urgent matter to report!"
"Speak!" Chen Xiong said.
An immediate response came from outside the door, "Reporting to Your Majesty! The Empress of Vermilion Bird Country has arrived and requests an audience."
"It seems they don't just want the territories of the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Countries; they don't even plan to spare our Great Wu," Chen Xiong offered his interpretation.
He didn't believe that an Empress of a country would travel so far just to discuss how to deal with the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Countries.
Their battle flags had already been planted on the city walls; what was there left to discuss?
"This Empress certainly has a large appetite." Chen Qing stood up, "Let's go, Father, we'll go meet them."
"Good!" With a Great Emperor on his side, what did Chen Xiong have to fear?
Quasi-Emperor? No matter how many Quasi-Emperors came, they couldn't possibly be a Great Emperor's opponent!
Previously, Chen Xiong hadn't fully understood why so many people preferred to find powerful backing instead of improving themselves, but now, with Chen Qing, Chen Xiong finally understood; having backing truly felt incredibly satisfying!
On the other side, in the main hall.
After being invited into the main hall, Empress Lin Ruanyu of Vermilion Bird Country did not sit down but walked directly towards the steps, ascended them, and approached the Imperial Throne.
"Hey!" Seeing this, the Great Wu guard tried to speak up and stop her.
However, the Daoist Cultivator beside Lin Ruanyu scared him away with a single glance.
Even though the Great Wu guard was battle-hardened, facing that oppressive Aura, like a monstrous Vicious Beast standing before him, he ultimately could not muster any will to resist; merely remaining standing was already quite remarkable.
After confirming that the Great Wu guard lacked the courage to defy her, Lin Ruanyu turned directly, spread her arms, her long sleeves unfurling like butterfly wings, and sat on the Imperial Throne of Great Wu.
"Elder Yan, what do you think?" Lin Ruanyu looked at the Cultivator beside her and asked.
"This position is very suitable for Your Majesty; it's practically tailor-made for Your Majesty," Zhao Yan replied.
Hearing this, Lin Ruanyu laughed heartily, "Though I don't know why that powerful expert acted against the White Tiger and Black Tortoise Countries, it has indeed helped me complete the grand plan of unifying the Lower Realm ahead of schedule."
"Now, only the Azure Dragon Country remains, and then the Four Sacred Countries will all be under my control, and no one in the vast Lower Realm will be able to oppose the Vermilion Bird Country!"
"Correction, this place is no longer called the Azure Dragon Country, but Great Wu," Chen Xiong's voice came from the side.
Seeing Lin Ruanyu acting so presumptuously, completely disregarding Great Wu, and even sitting on his own Imperial Throne, Chen Xiong was furious and naturally couldn't give her a pleasant look.
For Lin Ruanyu, she had long anticipated Chen Xiong's resentment.
However, Lin Ruanyu did not intend to care about Chen Xiong's thoughts, nor did she intend to get up from the Imperial Throne.
She continued, "Whether it's called the Azure Dragon Country or Great Wu, it doesn't matter; what matters is that this place will be incorporated into my Vermilion Bird Country in the future."
"If you hand over the Imperial Seal obediently and announce it to the world, I will not treat you unfairly."
Facing Lin Ruanyu's threats and inducements, Chen Xiong chuckled, "If you came here for this purpose, you can give up; Great Wu will never submit to anyone."
Lin Ruanyu did not rush to speak again but looked at Zhao Yan beside her.
As their eyes met, Zhao Yan understood, took a few steps forward, and from a commanding position, his eyes flashing with fierce light, he scrutinized Chen Xiong and Chen Qing, "You have no right to refuse!"
As he spoke, the Quasi-Emperor Realm pressure surged like a mighty river.
Chen Qing released a Shadow Puppet.
Seeing this, Zhao Yan scoffed, "This Puppet is indeed marvelous, but unfortunately, with only Spirit Division Realm cultivation, you're not qualified to boast before this Emperor!"
He had previously exchanged blows with the Shadow Puppet and had a basic understanding of it.
Seeing that Chen Qing, knowing he was a Quasi-Emperor, still wanted to use a Spirit Division Realm Shadow Puppet to deal with him, he only found him naive, foolishly naive!
However, what happened next caused Zhao Yan's expression to freeze.
The Shadow Puppet merely stood there, and when his Quasi-Emperor might collided with it, it was immediately torn apart and vanished into thin air.
Rather than being forcibly torn apart, it was more like his Quasi-Emperor might was afraid of the Shadow Puppet and actively dissipated.
'How is this possible!'
Zhao Yan shook his head, quickly clearing this thought from his mind, believing that no matter what, he wouldn't be troubled by a mere Spirit Division Realm.
He tried to open his divine eye to probe and discern this Shadow Puppet, to see if its structure differed from the previous Puppets, or if it secretly contained some hidden treasure.
Not looking was fine, but looking only deepened Zhao Yan's confusion.
Because he couldn't see through this Shadow Puppet; the only thing he could perceive was its terrifying Aura!
Even Zhao Yan, as a Quasi-Emperor, felt involuntarily small and humble under this Aura.
"No! This isn't right!" Zhao Yan shook his head violently again, feeling that he had unknowingly fallen into an illusion.
After firming his resolve, he decisively attacked, determined to directly test the depth of this Shadow Puppet.
Could a mere Puppet possibly be stronger than himself, a Quasi-Emperor?
As he instantly appeared before the Shadow Puppet, just as he was about to strike.
The Great Emperor's pressure transformed into an invisible large hand, instantly and mercilessly suppressing Zhao Yan, pinning him face down on the ground, unable to move.
He struggled to squeeze out a few words from his mouth, both terrified and confused, "G-Great Emperor?!"
***
Chapter 94 Upper Realm
Before Zhao Yan could figure out the answer to that question, his entire being vanished like a wisp of smoke, leaving no trace.
He left easily, without any pain, but Lin Ruanyu, who had witnessed a Quasi-Emperor's trump card being mercilessly erased right before her eyes, felt her mood plummet to rock bottom, unable to smile.
Before deciding to act against Great Qian, she had thoroughly investigated and had not heard of any Quasi-Emperor powerhouses residing within Great Qian's borders.
Even if there were, Lin Ruanyu thought, Great Qian had only recently been established, so even if both sides had Quasi-Emperor powerhouses, it naturally couldn't contend with Vermilion Bird Country's thousand-year foundation.
Who would have thought that a dignified Quasi-Emperor would be instantly killed by the opponent with a single move? No, that's not right, he was easily killed before he even had a chance to act.
'Wait!'
At that moment, amidst her panic, Lin Ruanyu suddenly remembered two words Zhao Yan had mentioned before he died.
Great Emperor!
'Who is the Great Emperor? Is there a Great Emperor present?'
One question after another surfaced in Lin Ruanyu's mind.
If there truly was a Great Emperor, then everything made sense; a Great Emperor powerhouse could easily kill a Quasi-Emperor.
But then she thought again and felt something was wrong. How could a Great Emperor-level powerhouse appear in the Lower Realm and even reside in a small, insignificant country?
This was wrong, no matter how she thought about it, it was wrong.
Without giving Lin Ruanyu a chance to figure out the answer to this question, the Shadow Puppet appeared before her like a ghost.
As the Emperor's might clearly suppressed Lin Ruanyu, she looked up and clearly saw the Great Emperor divine pattern ring appearing behind the Shadow Puppet's tall figure.
Only then did Lin Ruanyu confirm that Zhao Yan wasn't joking; there really was a Great Emperor!
And this Great Emperor was a Puppet!
'A Great Emperor Puppet, this... is it possible?'
Lin Ruanyu's heart was filled with deep questions.
But compared to that, finding a chance to survive was more important right now.
"No! You can't kill me, I have backing..."
Chen Qing had no interest in listening to Lin Ruanyu threaten him with nonsense. The Great Emperor Shadow Puppet's residual palm force alone shattered her Physical Body, turning her into a mist of blood.
"This Shadow Puppet actually has the strength of a Great Emperor?" After a long while, Chen Xiong, who had witnessed the entire process, recovered from his shock and tried to ask Chen Qing.
Chen Qing nodded, "Indeed, this Shadow Puppet's strength is comparable to a Great Emperor, even stronger than an average Great Emperor by quite a bit."
Looking at the Great Emperor Shadow Puppet that had returned before him, Chen Qing had a sudden idea and looked at Chen Xiong, "Father, our Great Qian truly needs a powerhouse to guard it. What do you think of this Shadow Puppet?"
If he left the Great Emperor Shadow Puppet in Great Qian, he wouldn't have to personally make a trip if any problems arose.
The reason was simple: currently, all the Great Emperors on the entire Sky Profound Continent were on his side.
No matter how hard others Cultivate, they couldn't cross this gap in strength.
"No, no, no. With your current strength, you will likely make many enemies in the future. It's better to keep this Great Emperor Shadow Puppet by your side to assist you." Chen Xiong was more worried about Chen Qing's safety than his own.
It was fine if he died, but Chen Qing absolutely could not suffer any harm.
"Father need not worry, I have many more Shadow Puppets like this." As he spoke, one Shadow Puppet after another appeared beside him, and behind each, a Great Emperor divine pattern ring slowly rotated.
"Ah? This..." Chen Xiong had never seen so many Great Emperors in his life, so it was hard not to be surprised. He couldn't utter a complete sentence for a moment.
After a long while, he finally smiled with relief, "Alright, I'll listen to you."
After confirming Chen Xiong's attitude, Chen Qing gave a look, and the Great Emperor Shadow Puppet transformed into a shadow, merging with the shadow at Chen Xiong's feet.
And the ten Great Emperor-level Shadow Puppets around him also returned to where they came from, quietly lurking, waiting only for Chen Qing's next command.
"Speaking of which, that Empress, just before her death, seemed to want to say that besides a Quasi-Emperor, she also had backing." Chen Xiong's unspoken meaning was asking Chen Qing if he wanted to nip the problem in the bud and seize the initiative.
Rather than waiting for others to come knocking for trouble, it was better to go to them first and eliminate them.
"Father only needs to first send troops to annex the three countries of White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird, and bring them all into Great Qian. That is the most important matter right now. I will handle the rest." Chen Qing stated his plan.
"Good, I will go draft the imperial edict now." Chen Xiong trusted Chen Qing one hundred percent and was willing to do as he said.
Chen Qing didn't linger, he bid farewell and left, deciding to return to the Chen Manor, thinking that Xia Qingyue should be awake by now.
As the teleportation portal just opened, Chen Qing had not fully stepped out of it when he was embraced by a soft figure.
Looking down, the person clinging to him tightly was none other than Xia Qingyue.
"What's wrong, my wife?" Chen Qing raised his hand and also embraced Xia Qingyue, his eyes filled with doting affection.
Seeing Xia Qingyue not speak, only burrowing into his arms, wishing she could merge with him, Chen Qing joked, "My wife wouldn't think that I'm the kind of heartless man who loses interest after having his fun and abandons his wife and child, would she?"
Feeling Xia Qingyue's delicate body tremble, Chen Qing chuckled, "It seems I hit the mark."
"My wife thinks too badly of me, don't you?" Chen Qing gently pushed Xia Qingyue away.
"I, I didn't..." Xia Qingyue said with little confidence.
"I don't believe it." Chen Qing turned and walked away, sitting on a stone stool with his back to Xia Qingyue, sighing and feigning resentment, "I never thought that my deep affection, Chen Qing, would be seen as a selfish villain in my wife's eyes. Alas!"
Seeing this, Xia Qingyue looked troubled and quickly walked forward, gently pushing Chen Qing's shoulder, and cooing, "Husband, I was wrong. It was me judging a gentleman by my own petty standards. Please don't be angry, Husband."
A dignified Great Emperor acting spoiled and begging for forgiveness—if an outsider saw this scene, they would surely be dumbfounded.
Xia Qingyue didn't care about any of that. Forget a Great Emperor, even an Immortal Emperor couldn't compare to Chen Qing's importance.
"My shoulders are a bit sore. If only someone could give me a massage..."
"I'll do it, I'll do it!" As soon as Chen Qing finished speaking, Xia Qingyue immediately began to vigorously massage Chen Qing's shoulders.
From time to time, she would lean down and ask, "How is it, Husband? Is the strength alright?"
"Excellent, excellent." Chen Qing looked utterly blissful.
"Then can Husband forgive me now?" Xia Qingyue asked with a smile.
"Hmm..." Chen Qing crossed his arms, wavering.
Xia Qingyue then said in a sweet, coquettish voice voice, "Forgive me, good Husband, the most gentle Husband in the world~"
These words were very effective on Chen Qing. He slapped his thigh and said, "Alright, I forgive you."
"Thank you for your generosity, Husband." Xia Qingyue giggled, hugged Chen Qing from behind, and excitedly kissed him several times on the cheek.
After the small interlude, Chen Qing told Xia Qingyue everything that happened after he left the Chen Manor and went to Great Qian.
After listening, Xia Qingyue indignantly stated, "This Empress of Vermilion Bird Country truly courted death! Of all people to provoke, she just had to provoke Husband and become his enemy. Serves her right! She brought it upon herself, there's no living for her!"
"Compared to that, what your father said is indeed correct. If Vermilion Bird Country didn't have backing, it wouldn't have acted so recklessly. We still need to make plans early."
Then she walked in front of Chen Qing, placed her hand on his chest, and continued, "I am willing to go and uproot the forces behind Vermilion Bird Country! To allow Great Qian to develop stably."
Xia Qingyue was just looking for an Opportunity to test her current strength after advancing to Great Emperor.
Since she had this intention, Chen Qing naturally wouldn't refuse.
With a wave of his hand, the Heaven-Peering Mirror unfolded.
A scene of a Sect slowly appeared in the mirror. Then, the scene zoomed in, arriving at the Sect's main hall.
"Sect Master! Vermilion Bird Country has been breached, and my daughter's life and death are unknown. Please allow me to lead people to the Lower Realm!" An Elder-dressed person came before His Highness, cupping his hands and requesting.
Before the Sect Master on the dais could reply, another voice came from outside the hall.
This time, it was a young Disciple-dressed man, "Reporting to the Sect Master, no, it's bad!"
"What's wrong again?" the Sect Master asked.
"Grand Elder Zhao Yan's soul lamp has, has extinguished!" the Disciple replied truthfully.
"What!" The Sect Master, hearing this, was more agitated than hearing about the Elder's daughter's uncertain fate or Vermilion Bird Country's imminent danger. He immediately stood up from his seat.
Upon learning that the Grand Elder's soul lamp had extinguished, Lin Jian, also a Grand Elder, instantly felt his heart turn to ash.
He knew very well that if it weren't for a matter of utmost importance, Zhao Yan would never easily leave his own daughter.
Now that Zhao Yan was dead, his precious daughter would likely not escape...
"It seems the Lower Realm is about to be in turmoil!" Hantian Sect Sect Master Li Rui said.
"In my opinion, there must be a great treasure appearing in the Lower Realm. Otherwise, those barbarians would surely not dare to attack someone from my Hantian Sect. Please, Sect Master, make a decision quickly!"
Lin Jian didn't know if there was a great treasure Opportunity appearing, but he knew Li Rui well. To get him to do something, he had to be given enough motivation.
Li Rui thought carefully and believed that Lin Jian's words made a lot of sense.
"Pass down my order: all Hantian Sect Disciples, depart immediately for the Lower Realm!" After some deliberation, Li Rui finally agreed to Lin Jian's suggestion.
Unbeknownst to them, everything was seen by the Chen couple behind the Heaven-Peering Mirror.
"Upper Realm Sect!" Xia Qingyue uttered these words.
"Are you interested in the Upper Realm, wife?" Chen Qing asked.
"A little." Xia Qingyue nodded.
She had heard some things about the Upper Realm and wanted to explore it to see if the difference between the Upper and Lower Realms was truly as exaggerated as rumored.
"Then let's go take a look." Chen Qing stood up and said.
***
Chapter 95: Addicted to Protecting One's Faults
In the Sect's main hall, after giving instructions to the Disciples and various Elders, Sect Master Li Rui was about to get up and leave when his peripheral vision caught a glimpse of light.
Turning around, he saw a teleportation gate open beneath the main hall.
He initially thought it was the doing of a Grand Elder, but to his surprise, the next moment, he saw two young people, a male and a female, still looking childish, emerge from it.
They didn't look like people from their Sect; no Disciple of the Sect would be dressed like that.
"Interesting." Li Rui raised his hand, signaling everyone not to act rashly and to await his command.
He then sat back on the Sect Master's throne, looking down from his high position, and asked arrogantly, "Who are you? How dare you trespass into Hantian Sect?"
"Didn't you just threaten to kill us and seize our Opportunity?" Xia Qingyue retorted, "Why are you pretending not to know us now?"
"Oh! You're from the Lower Realm?" Li Rui immediately confirmed their identities.
"What did you do to my daughter?!" Lin Jian loudly questioned before Li Rui could speak again.
"She overestimated herself, attempting to be an enemy of my husband, and she's already dead," Xia Qingyue said lightly, "If you're not convinced, I'm ready anytime."
"My Lady, times have changed. When dealing with outsiders, you should refer to yourself as 'this Emperor' so they don't look down on us," Chen Qing reminded her.
"Right, right, right." Xia Qingyue took Chen Qing's words to heart, puffed out her chest, cleared her throat, and reasserted, "If you're not convinced, this Emperor is ready anytime!"
"You, you're courting death!" As soon as these words were uttered, Lin Jian was completely enraged, and a vast Emperor Realm aura instantly filled the entire Sect's main hall.
Seeing the two sides at daggers drawn, Li Rui, as the Sect Master, had no intention of stopping them. He wanted to use Lin Jian's hand to test whether Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue's strength was truly as formidable as they claimed.
Seeing that the Sect Master had no intention of stopping him, Lin Jian no longer held back. He struck out ferociously, with a devastating momentum, charging towards Xia Qingyue, "I'll make you pay for my daughter's life!"
In the past, facing such a quasi-Emperor Realm expert, Xia Qingyue would most likely have been terrified, her body going limp, unable to move a step.
But after successfully proving her Dao on the Emperor Realm path, Lin Jian's attacks seemed incredibly naive and slow to Xia Qingyue.
Frankly speaking, an opponent like Lin Jian was not worth Xia Qingyue taking seriously at all.
She flicked her finger, shooting out a tiny ice lotus towards Lin Jian.
Seeing the ice lotus, which was smaller than a palm, Lin Jian's mouth twitched. He felt insulted.
"Today, this old man will grind you to dust!" Facing the ice lotus, Lin Jian didn't take it seriously at all. He waved his hand, intending to bat it away.
However, the moment his finger touched the ice lotus, his entire right arm was frozen.
Lin Jian's eyes widened. Sensing something was wrong, he decisively struck, severing his entire arm from the shoulder, letting it fall to the ground.
He thought this would stop the ice from spreading, but to his surprise, even though his arm had been severed and fallen to the ground, shattering into several pieces, the freezing of his Physical Body did not stop.
In an extremely short time, before Lin Jian could even react again, his entire Physical Body, including his internal organs, was completely frozen.
Xia Qingyue took a few steps to Lin Jian's front, raised her hand, and gently tapped his head.
Splat! Lin Jian's entire body instantly shattered into pieces, scattering across the floor.
"..." All the Elders, including Sect Master Li Rui, were stunned into silence, unable to utter a word.
Although Lin Jian's strength wasn't the strongest among the Grand Elders in Hantian Sect, in their opinion, he shouldn't have been so easily and unilaterally crushed.
But the facts were laid out before them; how could they doubt it?
"Who exactly are you?" Li Rui didn't believe that a small, barren Lower Realm could produce such powerful experts.
'Could it be that a great Opportunity capable of turning people into peerless experts truly appeared in the Lower Realm!'
Thinking of this, Li Rui changed his tone, "If you are willing to hand over all the Opportunities you've obtained, this Sect can overlook past grievances and allow you two to join my Hantian Sect, enjoying the treatment of a Grand Elder!"
"You're not worthy!" Xia Qingyue's eyes were as cold as knives.
"Whether I'm worthy or not, how would you know without trying?" As soon as Li Rui finished speaking, several figures landed around Xia Qingyue and Chen Qing.
Chen Qing swept his gaze over them. Without exception, all these people's cultivation was at the quasi-Emperor Realm.
"These ants aren't worthy of my husband's action; I'll handle them." Xia Qingyue stepped forward, blocking Chen Qing.
In the past, when encountering such matters, she could only cower behind Chen Qing, trembling. Now, she finally had the strength to stand up and protect him; it was simply...
Simply exhilarating!
Xia Qingyue's lips were almost unable to suppress her smile.
She suddenly realized that protecting someone was such a satisfying thing.
Chen Qing saw through it but didn't point it out. Since Xia Qingyue had such intentions, he naturally accepted it gladly.
It would be best if, in the future, when facing the protagonist's emergence, she could also unhesitatingly stand on his side and ruthlessly strike them down!
How could the vague feelings of childhood sweethearts compare to spending every day together? Over time?
"A-Ants?" As quasi-Emperors, since entering the quasi-Emperor Realm, this was the first time these people had been called such a thing. Their mouths twitched, and their anger was uncontrollable, fully displayed on their faces.
"Sect Master, just leave them with a breath, right?" A Grand Elder looked up at Li Rui in the hall and asked.
"Mm." Li Rui nodded. As long as they left them with a breath, they could ask what and where the Opportunity was.
To him, Xia Qingyue and Chen Qing's value was limited to this.
"This stubborn little girl, I alone can handle her. You don't need to interfere."
Seeing his strong attitude, the other two Grand Elders exchanged glances and smiled bitterly, shaking their heads.
Unwilling to create enmity, they decided to give this Opportunity to Grand Elder Lin Kun.
Lin Kun gathered his spiritual Qi into his legs, flashing behind Xia Qingyue at the fastest speed, intending to catch her off guard.
But his every move could not escape Xia Qingyue's Divine Sense monitoring.
She lifted her toe, then put it down.
Ice immediately spread out in all directions, actively avoiding Chen Qing.
"Not good!" Lin Kun sensed something was wrong and tried to retreat and dodge.
Unexpectedly, the ice was even faster. Just a touch, and in an instant, Lin Kun was completely frozen.
The other two quasi-Emperors also couldn't escape the fate of being frozen, still maintaining their retreating posture, toes raised, their expressions forever solidified in fear and panic.
"This?!"
Seeing all the quasi-Emperor Realm Grand Elders of Hantian Sect easily suppressed and killed by Xia Qingyue, Li Rui, as the Sect Master, suddenly felt his body and mind become incredibly heavy and oppressed.
He realized that he seemed to have provoked the wrong opponents!
"Didn't you want the Opportunity? Why aren't you making a move?" Xia Qingyue looked at Li Rui in the hall.
"Gulp!" Li Rui swallowed, forcing out a strained smile, "I was blind earlier, failing to recognize true heroes. I have offended you greatly. I hope you two esteemed sirs can be magnanimous, magnanimous."
"I don't want the Opportunity anymore. Hantian Sect is willing to acknowledge you two as Grand Elders, no, Supreme Elders, with status equal to this Sect Master!" After witnessing Xia Qingyue's terrifying strength, how could Li Rui still covet that Opportunity?
He was afraid that he would be the next person to be frozen.
Compared to the Opportunity, all he was thinking about now was begging for Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue's forgiveness. If he could recruit the two of them into the Sect, that would be even better.
It would just make up for the loss of five Grand Elders.
"Are you worthy?" Xia Qingyue asked the same question again, her eyes even colder than before.
Only this time, facing the same question, Li Rui could no longer retort with the same arrogance as before.
"If you are not satisfied, I am willing to give up the Sect Master position and hand Hantian Sect over to you two. I only need to be a small Deputy Sect Master." Li Rui retreated again and again.
In an era where martial arts reigned supreme, facing such a top-tier expert who was very likely the strongest below a Great Emperor, he had no choice.
Seeing that Li Rui was still so clueless, thinking he held bargaining chips, Xia Qingyue didn't want to waste any more words. Emperor Realm power surged directly, and the Great Emperor Divine Rune circulated.
"G-Great Emperor?!" The moment he clearly saw the Great Emperor Divine Rune, Li Rui was so frightened that his legs went weak, and he collapsed onto the ground.
There was no longer any trace of his arrogance or haughtiness as a Sect Master.
He desperately tried to deny it, "No, Heavenly Profound Great Emperor has not yet fallen! You, how could you be a Great Emperor? Impossible! This is absolutely impossible!"
Xia Qingyue said nothing. A tide of cold Qi instantly filled the entire Sect's main hall, freezing all living beings within her sight!
Those who had harbored killing intent towards her husband, even if it was just a fleeting thought, were all left behind!
***
Chapter 96 The Empress is in Development
The entire Sect Hall, both inside and out, was completely frozen, the cold so intense that one could feel the biting chill from hundreds of meters away!
The Disciples of Hantian Sect dared not get too close; those who were bolder and took a few steps closer immediately found a thin layer of ice forming on their clothes.
Their eyes widened, and they quickly retreated several times the distance, their faces filled with lingering fear.
It was as if they had almost been pulled into a swamp, a sense of despair from which they couldn't extricate themselves, cold sweat dripping in large beads, gathering at the tip of their chins, and falling with a soft plop.
"Such, such terrifying cold!" they exclaimed, clutching their chests, still shaken.
"How could the Sect Hall be frozen? Could it be that an Elder was Cultivating and suffered Qi Deviation?"
"It shouldn't be; I heard someone broke into our Hantian Sect."
"Ah? Who is so bold as to dare invade Hantian Sect? Don't they value their lives!"
"Presumably, this strange phenomenon was caused by the Sect Master or other Elders."
As everyone was chattering, they heard a voice shout, "Look! Someone is coming out!"
They looked in the direction of the voice and saw a man and a woman walking out; it was none other than Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue.
Xia Qingyue had no desire to waste words with these people; she raised her hand, and with a flick of her finger, the ice sculptures of the Sect Master and Grand Elder flew out of the hall and hovered above everyone's heads.
At first, everyone just found the human-shaped ice sculptures unsettling, but gradually, some people saw through the ice and recognized the faces within.
"Wait! That, isn't that the Sect Master and the Grand Elder?!"
Once someone mentioned it, more and more people recognized that those frozen were their own Sect Master and Grand Elder, and their faces filled with fear, panic, and confusion.
With a gentle flick of Xia Qingyue's finger, the several ice sculptures simultaneously plummeted from the sky and shattered.
Watching their Sect Master and Grand Elders turn into pieces—an arm here, a head there—everyone felt their hearts pound, unable to calm down.
"Who wants to try the taste of this freezing?" Xia Qingyue asked, raising her hand, a lotus of ice forming in her palm.
In other words, she was telling these Disciples of Hantian Sect that kneeling meant life.
Everyone was smart; how could they not understand the deeper meaning in Xia Qingyue's words?
Even if they truly couldn't understand, seeing others kneeling while they remained standing, wouldn't they be sticking their necks out?
They certainly didn't dare to be the one sticking their neck out!
With this thought, more and more people knelt in droves, swearing allegiance to Xia Qingyue.
Chen Qing stood behind her, not at all bothered that Xia Qingyue had taken all the limelight.
He wished she would become stronger and stronger, so he could just relax and live off her, earning rewards for pampering his wife every day, continuously strengthening his trump cards against the protagonist.
Finally, among the remaining Elders of Hantian Sect, the Thirteenth Elder, who held the highest authority, stepped forward and expressed to Xia Qingyue that he was willing to lead the entire Hantian Sect in submitting to her.
Xia Qingyue glanced at Chen Qing; with just a word from him, Xia Qingyue would immediately back down.
Chen Qing nodded, signaling Xia Qingyue to agree to the Thirteenth Elder; having more forces under their command was not a bad thing.
Let alone a small Hantian Sect, with Chen Qing's understanding of the words "Empress of Destiny," the entire Heavenly Profound Continent would eventually fall under Xia Qingyue's rule; he was merely accelerating this process.
'Empress wife…'
Not to mention, for Chen Qing, who enjoyed reading novels in his previous life, he had indeed fantasized about how wonderful it would be to rely on an Empress wife and live off her.
Although he was a villain, who said a villain couldn't marry a Empress of Destiny?
If he had truly followed the Heavenly Mandate script, he would probably still be a carefree, naive villain, unaware of death approaching day by day.
By the time Chen Qing came back to his senses, Xia Qingyue had already appointed the Thirteenth Elder as the new Sect Master of Hantian Sect; Xia Qingyue had no intention of personally managing Hantian Sect.
More often, she would serve as a backer for Hantian Sect, acting as the power behind the scenes.
Of course, this Sect Master position was not free; one had to make a Heavenly Dao vow never to betray them.
The Thirteenth Elder naturally did not hesitate; according to his original plan, he would never have become a Sect Master, even if he lived to die of old age.
Now, not only could he become a Sect Master, but he could also rely on a powerful figure like Xia Qingyue; why wouldn't he? There was truly no reason to refuse!
In a flash.
Hantian Sect, Gongfa Pavilion.
Under their constant companionship, Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue had developed a strong tacit understanding; without needing to speak, both unanimously chose to come to this place.
"I wonder what the Cultivation Techniques of the Upper Realm are like compared to ours in the Lower Realm," Xia Qingyue said, full of anticipation before even entering the door.
"We'll know once we go in," Chen Qing said, pushing open the door of the Gongfa Pavilion and stepping inside with Xia Qingyue.
After learning that the two wanted to go to the Gongfa Pavilion, the new Sect Master immediately issued a Sect Master's order, instructing all Disciples and caretakers to leave the Gongfa Pavilion and not disturb Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue, showing remarkable thoughtfulness.
Upon entering the Gongfa Pavilion, Chen Qing and Xia Qingyue headed straight for the top floor, where Heaven Rank Cultivation Techniques were stored.
"There must be hundreds of Heaven Rank Cultivation Techniques!" Xia Qingyue had expected a large number, but not to this exaggerated extent.
From the new Sect Master, Xia Qingyue learned that Hantian Sect's status and influence in the Upper Realm, if defined by Great Wu's standards, wouldn't even qualify it as one of the Ten Great Sects; it was considered a small Sect.
However, even such a small Sect possessed more Heaven Rank Cultivation Techniques than the entire Great Wu Dynasty and the Four Sacred Nations combined.
"Five hundred and forty-eight in total," Chen Qing stated a clear number.
"Five hundred and forty-eight…" Xia Qingyue repeated.
She gave a wry smile, "Now, I finally understand why people from the Upper Realm look down on our Lower Realm; the Cultivation resources they possess are simply unimaginable to people from the Lower Realm."
Chen Qing fully agreed with Xia Qingyue's statement; not just Cultivation Techniques, but due to the influence of the Spiritual Vein's thickness, the Cultivation speed one could enjoy also differed vastly between the Upper and Lower Realms.
This was also why there were so many Quasi-Emperors in the Upper Realm, waiting in line based on their Lifespan, hoping for the old Great Emperors to exhaust their Lifespan and perish, so they could take their place.
"Without further ado, let's quickly memorize these Cultivation Techniques and make them our own," Chen Qing suggested.
"Good!" Xia Qingyue nodded.
She did not believe that reaching the Great Emperor Realm meant one could slack off in Cultivation; if she didn't seize the time to improve, she would only become the next Heavenly Profound Great Emperor!
She reached out and picked up a Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique.
Thanks to the multiple Heaven Rank High Grade Spiritual Roots Chen Qing had given her earlier, Xia Qingyue was now close to achieving Heaven Rank High Grade Spiritual Roots in almost all attributes, allowing her to comprehend most of these Cultivation Techniques with ease.
A Low Grade Heaven Rank Cultivation Technique could be Cultivated to the Great Perfection Realm in about half an incense stick's time.
Higher quality ones would take a bit longer to Cultivate.
But soon, Xia Qingyue noticed that something was off with Chen Qing.
He was frequently taking down one Cultivation Technique after another from the bookshelf, merely glancing at them briefly before putting them back.
Xia Qingyue couldn't help but ask, "Husband, do you find these Cultivation Techniques too low in quality, and thus beneath you?"