"What old witch?" The queen had no idea what the little girl was talking about, but she knew it was definitely not a compliment. She was furious, but what could she do? She did not dare to confront the child.
"If you won’t come to me, then I’ll come to you." The little girl had no intention of letting this malicious queen off the hook.
The queen stepped back slowly as the little girl pressed forward relentlessly.
"What are you all standing there for? Stop her!" the queen shrieked.
The guards exchanged glances. As members of the Royal Palace guard, they had no choice but to obey. They charged at the little girl, executing their Martial Arts Techniques one by one. But they were only Yellow Level techniques, a pathetic sight in the little girl’s eyes. She simply threw a punch. The power of wind and cloud coalesced, forming a Divine Dragon. The guards had barely begun their attacks when they were swallowed whole by the twin dragons of wind and cloud.
"This technique seems..." As a queen, she naturally had access to certain secret archives. One of them contained a historical fragment mentioning a supreme sovereign among women in the Immortal Emperor Realm, one who could command the twin dragons of wind and cloud.
At that thought, the queen lost control of her bladder.
A sovereign among women? The records were written cryptically, for fear that the true title of that individual was too taboo to be committed to paper. But the queen guessed who it was... The Empress!
The thought was so terrifying that she actually wet herself, a warm liquid soaking through her long dress. She was scared to death.
How could I have offended such a person?
The guards tried to escort the queen away, but one by one they fell to the power of wind and cloud, a sight too horrible to endure. The twin dragons were ferocious, blood dripping from their massive jaws.
"Too terrifying," the queen whimpered. Terror seized her. Her legs gave out from under her, yet she scrambled on, desperate to escape the horrifying place. "Save me! Save me!"
She screamed, all dignity forgotten. She was utterly petrified, so terrified her soul threatened to flee her body!
I thought assassinating Si’er tonight would be simple. Who could have guessed it would provoke this little witch? And one who practices the Empress’s Wind and Cloud Overbearing Scripture, no less? Flee! I have to flee! I swear, if I survive this, I don’t care about being Queen! I don’t want it! I just want to get as far away from this place as possible. Terrifying beings live here... They aren’t human!
The royal city’s army, attracted by the commotion, had arrived. They moved to protect the queen and ensure her escape.
"Since you’ve come, you might as well leave your lives behind."
A cold voice, devoid of any humanity, emanated from within Duke Guang’s Mansion. The little girl, Si’er, and the others recognized it as Wu Tian’s voice. Immediately after, a Blood Glow shot out from the mansion, streaking toward the soldiers protecting the queen. The soldiers raised their shields in unison to defend against the attack.
WHOOSH!
A sharp sound of something slicing through the air echoed. The shields were split in two, one after another, and the soldiers died horribly. Their Spiritual Power flowed out of their bodies and into Wu Tian.
The queen watched, trembling, and stuttered, "This... could this possibly be... Formless...?"
But before she could finish, the Blood Glow was already upon her. The Royal Archives, of course, contained records of Wuliang’s legendary friend, the one who had walked his path to eventually become an Immortal Emperor. It was said that on the day he achieved his apotheosis, all his friends and family were blessed by the Emperor’s Light, granting them a life of peace and fortune. This event was certain to be recorded in the taboo historical archives of Xiuyuan Country. It was not surprising, therefore, that the Queen would recognize the Formless Starry Sky Scripture.
However, her words were cut short. The sight of the Blood Glow streaking toward her head was enough to scare her soul from her body. She had no time to react. Under her terrified gaze, the Blood Glow severed her head from her shoulders.
The night fell into a deathly silence. The soldiers were stunned, horrified to their very cores.
"Who on earth did this? They even killed the Queen!"
"My God, this is too terrible."
"What should we do?"
The soldiers looked at each other, unable to make a decision.
"Wait for the King to come out of seclusion," a general said, taking a deep breath to suppress his shock. "We cannot enter Duke Guang’s Mansion. We can only wait for the King to emerge and then decide."
The soldiers nodded. Their duty was to guard the city gates and patrol the Royal City, preventing the murderer from escaping. What they did not know was that someone within the city had just released a carrier pigeon. It was the Ye War God.
「Beyond the borders of the kingdom」
Unbeknownst to the people of Xiuyuan Country, an army lay hidden within the mountain forests. It was the army of Qin Country. At the side of most soldiers sat a giant eagle with a fierce gaze, its terrifying presence enough to make one shudder. These were War Eagles, costly but invaluable for military campaigns.
If Xiuyuan Country was a One-Star Kingdom, then Qin Country was a Two-Star Kingdom. The Ye War God, Ye Qingxian, had gone to Xiuyuan Country merely to test the waters. Qin Country had long harbored ambitions of annexing its neighbor.
The carrier pigeon that landed was a Private Speaking Dove, a type of bird that could carry spoken messages. Moreover, it recognized its owner; if anyone else tried to force it to speak, it would bite off its own tongue and die. The dove was caught by a burly man in iron armor.
The dove whispered into the ear of the burly general, Ling Han. A look of pure joy spread across his face.
"Everyone, the time has come!" he announced. "The Royal City of Xiuyuan is in turmoil—even the Queen is dead!"
A grin spread across his face. "This is the perfect opportunity for our Qin Country to annex Xiuyuan Country. With their resources, we might become a Three-Star Kingdom! Besides, the lands of Xiuyuan once belonged to the Boundless Former King, who was rumored to have ties to *that* legendary figure. I refuse to believe a land like that doesn’t hide some incredible treasure."
Ling Han immediately gave the order. "Attack! Storm the borders! Seize three passes by day and eight strongholds by night! We strike today!"
"YES, GENERAL!" the army roared as one, their fighting spirits united and unbreakable.
「Meanwhile, in the Royal Palace of Xiuyuan Country」
Elder Ming was in the Library, using a Turtle Shell for divination, when his expression suddenly twisted with shock and fear.
"This is bad! This is terribly bad!" Elder Ming shouted, running out of the Library.
"Elder Ming, what’s wrong?" a few palace guards asked, rushing over. From his frantic state, they could tell something terrible must have happened.
"A disaster! This is a disaster!" Cold sweat dripped from Elder Ming’s pale face. "A neighboring kingdom has invaded! They’re attacking! We... we are in danger of annihilation!"
"What?" The guards were stunned silent. "How could this happen? Our kingdom has always had good relations with our neighbors."
"You don’t understand," Elder Ming said, tears streaming down his face. "You don’t understand! Between nations, there is no such thing as friendship!" He shook his head frantically. "No, I must ask the King to come out of his seclusion. He cannot remain in seclusion any longer. Even if I am punished for it, I must implore the King to emerge and take command."
Elder Ming ran like a madman toward the location of King Xiuyuan’s seclusion.
The guards exchanged glances, never imagining the situation could have become so dire.
First, a neighboring kingdom is invading. Second, Wu Tian has killed the Regent King, the Grand Tutor, the only Prince, and the Queen. When King Xiuyuan finally comes out of seclusion, how will he possibly deal with him?