Chapter 280: Chapter 279: Reward for Completion: Sleeve Universe
Rumors were more or less circulating about what had happened to Her Majesty the Queen of the Great Jing Empire, Ji Shengyue.
After all, secrets never stay secret for long,
especially when it involved a figure as prominent as Ji Shengyue.
Both before the initial Evil Spirit outbreak and after their invasion,
the now-stabilized Great Jing Empire had always been a hot topic at the center of attention on Blue Star.
The reason was simple, and it was inextricably linked to Chu He.
Then came Xiao Cangqing,
the second National Guardian War God whom Ji Shengyue had personally groomed. Unexpectedly, he ended up turning against her.
Not only did he betray Ji Shengyue, but he also threw the entire Great Jing Empire into a complete mess, losing half of its territory.
He even resorted to despicable means later, directly dispatching an elite team to the White-Red Empire to steal one of their statues of a Deity.
Using some unknown method, he actually managed to successfully hatch the statue into a Deity, but that Deity was already dead.
"I heard that Great Celestial Dog wanted to restore its power to its peak, but it died so quickly."
"Some say Chu He was the one who did it."
"That’s definitely nonsense. Chu He hasn’t set foot in the Great Jing Empire’s territory this whole time. It must have been Xiao Cangqing from the Lighthouse Empire."
"It’s a shame all news about it is being tightly suppressed by the Great Jing Empire. They’re probably afraid of others finding out that their sole pillar of support has collapsed."
"I never thought Her Majesty the Queen of the mighty Great Jing Empire, Ji Shengyue, would end up in such a miserable state. She’s practically a lamb to the slaughter. Look at her, her clothes are all tattered, revealing large patches of her pale skin. Anyone who didn’t know better might mistake her for some streetwalker Xiao Cangqing keeps as a plaything."
"Xiao Cangqing wouldn’t bother with streetwalkers as playthings. He only wants the most exceptional women."
The people from various empires standing around made no effort to hide their voices.
They chattered back and forth, openly discussing her right in front of her face.
There wasn’t a trace of sympathy in their eyes.
Everyone knew that Ji Shengyue had only herself to blame for her current predicament.
She had actually forced Chu He out of the Great Jing Empire and then, thinking herself clever, groomed a second National Guardian War God.
To consolidate her throne and win the favor of the women in the Great Jing Empire, Ji Shengyue had even trained a large number of powerful female warriors.
But in the end, they were nothing more than a group of paper tigers who crumbled instantly in the face of a crisis.
That Time Girl Group, in particular, had become a complete joke.
Ji Shengyue’s entire face turned crimson, not just from the blood, but also from the unbearable psychological humiliation that was tormenting her heart and soul.
Zong Yajuan stood right at the doorway.
But Zong Yajuan merely shot Ji Shengyue a sidelong glance before looking away again, her gaze fixed elsewhere.
"Aren’t you going to come and help me up?"
Ji Shengyue felt an intense pain coursing through her body, as if her entire skeleton was about to fall apart.
She gritted her teeth and stared at Zong Yajuan, demanding an answer.
"I work for Xiao Cangqing now. You have no right to order me around."
Zong Yajuan replied.
Zong Yajuan’s reply was like a sharp thorn, stabbing viciously into Ji Shengyue’s heart.
With every beat, the pain grew more intense.
One must understand, Zong Yajuan was a key figure personally trained by Ji Shengyue.
She had even received more resources than the other eleven members of the Time Girl Group.
The reason was simple. Although Zong Yajuan’s talent wasn’t on par with some of the younger girls in the Time Girl Group,
she had been extremely loyal and had been by Ji Shengyue’s side the longest.
And yet, this was the result.
The mocking gazes falling upon Ji Shengyue intensified.
Many people had felt ashamed of what Ji Shengyue did to Chu He back then.
Ji Shengyue no longer had the strength even to be angry. She forced herself to climb up from the ground alone.
She supported herself against the wall with one hand. Although her body had the protective measures left by the Great Celestial Dog, they were nothing in the face of Xiao Cangqing’s power.
While Xiao Cangqing had been venting his anger when he struck, he had also held back. He only wanted Ji Shengyue to feel pain without actually causing any real harm to her body.
However, for Ji Shengyue, who was accustomed to a life of luxury and had never known hardship, such pain was still unbearable.
Moreover, her lower garments had been torn in the process of being sent flying through the doorframe,
ripped by the splintered wood and exposing her delicate thighs.
Ji Shengyue tugged at her torn clothes,
trying her best to cover herself as she limped back to her room.
Ji Shengyue’s room had been arranged right next to Xiao Cangqing’s.
BAM!
Ji Shengyue slammed the door shut and leaned against the cold surface.
She could no longer hold back her tears.
There was a full-length mirror by the door. Seeing her own haggard reflection, Ji Shengyue’s tears burst forth like a broken dam.
Once upon a time, Ji Shengyue had been high-spirited and full of confidence.
’To think I was just a buffoon from start to finish. I can only imagine how those who saw the truth long ago must be laughing at me behind my back.’
Now, Ji Shengyue had been abandoned by everyone, a true puppet queen with no real power.
...
That evening, Chu He and his group briefly discussed their upcoming plans.
The Martial Arts Academy ranking competition was still three days away.
The next few days were an acclimatization period for the students participating in the competition.
After all, the climate and environment of the Black Continent Grassland were completely different from those of the Great Xia Empire.
Failure to adapt would affect their individual performance in the upcoming matches.
As for Chu He, his method of adapting was simple: spend a few days exploring the city on the Black Continent Grassland.
Chu He returned to his room, ready to rest.
For him now, rest had become a form of enjoyment.
The entire hotel had quieted down.
The teams from the various empires were conserving their strength, preparing for the storm to come.
Anyone could see that this Martial Arts Academy ranking competition was fraught with undercurrents.
Every Empire was poised for action, ready to fight for a top spot in the rankings.
This would be extremely beneficial for the future development of their empires,
as a top-ranked Martial Arts Academy—a golden signboard—could attract and recruit more geniuses.
Due to Chu He’s increasingly formidable displays of power, many empires had also begun to vigorously cultivate pure Martial Arts students, even as they explored the fusion of humans with the bizarre Evil Spirit Power.
They all hoped to produce a genius powerhouse who could rival an existence like Chu He.
Although the hope was slim, there was no harm in trying.
The night grew deeper. The sky over the Black Continent Grassland was perpetually overcast.
When night fell, it became so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.
Furthermore, the Luxury Hotel dared not turn on any lights at night, fearing the brightness would attract the terrifying existences of the Black Continent Grassland.
"DING! The host’s current status has been detected. A new mission has been triggered.
Successfully complete the Martial Arts Academy ranking competition mission. Reward for completion: Sleeve Universe!"
The system’s prompt suddenly echoed in the darkness.
