Chapter 236: Magic / 6.23 : Visions of truth
Atlas looked at himself in the bronze mirror satisfied. He turned around and left with his father and Yuqi. Yun’er had already left for Su Xin’s house, so they would go together. Atlas looked at his father and Yuqi who were talking and laughing.
He felt like the third wheel, but he was glad his father finally took the first step. In the OG TL Yuqi was heartbroken when he died, she knew that he and Yuqi were innocent.
Yuqi even went to plead with the emperor and said that she never saw them have any contact with the dark mage.
After they were put to death, she left the imperial city. She went to live in a remote village and never married. He knows that her love for his father is real, she doesn’t want to be with him because it would improve her way of life but because she genuinely feels for him.
Zihang looked at Atlas up and down.
"What?"
"Why did you dress like that?"
Atlas asked:
"Like what?"
Yuqi smiled and said:
"Like you’re trying to make a good impression."
From the little she’s seen of Atlas, he clearly doesn’t care what people think. But right now he’s dressed like an angel, he looks pure and sweet. He is sweet but he’s not exactly pure.
Atlas smiled and said:
"I just want the empress dowager to be okay with me. She didn’t like Yan when everyone thought he was pure, so what will she think of me when I’m closer to the devil than an angel."
He knows how much the twins mean to her and vice versa. If he’s going to be part of their family, he needs to have a good relationship with her. Just because she is grateful that he saved her and the twins, doesn’t mean she’ll approve of him.
Zihang said:
"Trust me, she’ll like you. The empress dowager always had the gift of seeing through people. That’s why she didn’t like Yan."
Atlas nodded and relaxed a little. His father knows her best, so he believes him. Zihang smiled.
When they arrived, the guards opened the door of the carriage and they got down. They walked to the hall. The doors were still open, and the three of them walked to the throne. Everyone couldn’t stop themselves from looking at the woman standing next to Zihang.
They also had a hard time not being blinded by Atlas’ beauty. He looked just as enchanting as he did the day he came back. But this time he looked more like an angel, everything about him, made you want to protect and cherish him.
Yan would’ve been pissed if he didn’t know that Atlas would die today. He looked at the table next to his at Kian. He was looking at Atlas like the entire hall. When he felt his eyes on him, he immediately looked down. He’s never met such a scaredy cat.
The three of them bowed and said at the same time:
"Your majesty, great general."
Yitian and Yujin nodded with a smile. Their heartbeat quickened when they looked at Atlas, Atlas looked back, his heartbeat just as fast. The twins looked incredibly handsome, as always.
Atlas was about to follow his father and Yuqi to take a seat but Yitian said:
"Have dinner by our side."
The entire hall was stunned after hearing that, they did hear that Atlas was at the imperial palace, but they didn’t think he worked so fast. Atlas walked up the stairs and took a seat between the twins, while Yuqi and Zihang took their seats.
Atlas looked at Yitian and asked in a low voice:
"What about the empress?"
"There’s another throne, they’ll bring it once she comes."
Atlas nodded. Yitian held his chin and gave him a peck, when he was done Yujin gave him a peck as well. Atlas smiled. The entire hall became silent at that act. Yan was trembling in anger.
He still can’t believe the twins fell for Atlas so quickly. He looked at the door excitedly when Chuxiao entered.
Everyone immediately looked at the king. They all know that Atlas was with him before he came back. They wondered how the scary emperor would react.
Chuxiao looked at Atlas as he walked to the throne. He couldn’t help it, he’s truly a lovely creature. He was looking at him too with a smile. He smiled as well. he bowed and said:
"Your majesty, great general."
Yitian said:
"Wu Luoyang, we’re glad you could make it."
"This humble servant wouldn’t miss this feast for the world."
As he said that his eyes were only on Atlas like he was the only person in this hall. He asked:
"How are you Atlas?"
Atlas raised an eyebrow.
"How do you know my name?"
Everyone felt that Atlas was trying to cover up the fact that he was in a relationship with the king before the twins. Luoyang said sadly:
"Am I that forgettable, that you already forgot our lovely time together?"
Yan and Huang smiled. Chuxiao is certainly good. Atlas said:
"I never forget a face, that’s how I know that we’ve never met before today."
Chuxiao smiled and said:
"I can refresh your memory if you’d like."
"Sure how about you do that?"
Everyone thought that Atlas would refuse, but the fact that he agreed showed how bold he is. It’s like he has no shame.
"You came to my kingdom hurt after being attacked at Beast Valley. I let you stay in the royal palace, and our relationship developed despite the queen’s objections. When I realized that it was wrong I ended things and you left."
Atlas burst out laughing, the twins looked at him amused. Atlas said:
"Do you actually believe you are good enough for me? I would never let you lay a hand on me let alone stay in your tiny house."
Chuxiao’s eyes flashed with anger, even if Atlas is technically talking about Wu Luoyang, he couldn’t help but be furious.
"Do you realize who you’re talking to?"
Atlas said:
"I do."
"To think I took care of you the three years you were away from your family and this is how you thank me?"
Atlas asked:
"Are you saying that you were in Beast Valley with me for three years, after I had to go there because of Yan’s obsession to reach the hydrous stage?"
Everyone looked at Yan thinking he would correct him since it seems like Atlas is trying to rewrite history. Kian felt his heartbeat quicken and he stood up. He said:
"Mage Yan only went to Beast Valley because of you, why are you lying?"
Atlas smiled at Kian and then looked at Yan. He asked:
"Yan, don’t you have something to say?"
Yan looked around, everyone was looking at him waiting for him to refute Atlas’ words. Huang looked at him and shook his head. There’s no need to get into this now that Chuxiao is here.
He was about to stand up to end the conversation when Kian said:
"Since mage Yan is too humble to say that you are lying I’ll just show what happened."
He waved his hand and two visions appeared, they all recognized Atlas and Yan. Yan looked at Kian furiously but he was smiling at him like he was doing him a favor. He gave him a sign to stop but he shook his head as if to say everyone will see that Atlas is lying.
He waved his hand to stop the vision but he could still hear his younger version of himself say to Atlas that he was going to Beast Valley. Everyone was stunned, Yan swallowed and ordered Kian:
"Stop it."
Kian seemed so much in shock that he didn’t move for the longest time, they could hear Atlas say that since he is determined to go he’ll accompany him to make sure nothing happens to him.
Huang howled to Kian:
"Stop it."
Kian woke up and ended the vision. He looked at Huang and Yan in fear. Before everyone could process what happened, another vision appeared, when Yan recognized the time he yelled at Kian:
"I told you to stop it."
Kian said in fear:
"I swear it isn’t me."
When Kian showed him his mage sign he knew that he wasn’t responsible. He looked at Chuxiao but like everyone else, he was busy looking at the vision. Yan tried desperately to stop it but couldn’t.
Everyone gasped when they saw Yan throw the claw at Atlas and he fell into the ravine. They watched as he absorbed the beast’s nucleus and left. Then they watched as Atlas stayed in that ravine for a year because he was unable to move and cultivate.
Then they saw that he stayed in that cave for the remainder of the time until he left for the imperial city. In the end, they could see him walking into the hall in his white robes. When the vision ended they all looked at Atlas stunned.
Atlas looked at Chuxiao with a raised eyebrow and asked:
"You were saying?"
Yan looked at Atlas dazed, he thought that he was truly away being taken care of by Wu Luoyang. Even if everyone knows the truth now it’s not like they can do anything to him and Chuxiao.
He finds it pathetic that Atlas stayed away cultivating when all the esse he would store would leak just a few days later. He pierced his nucleus so it’s not like he’ll ever match him.
He used the mental link he had with Chuxiao and said:
*You can kill Atlas and the twins. You can kill everyone you want besides the ministers.*
Chuxiao smiled sadistically. When Huang saw his smile he immediately looked at his son. He asked in their mental link :
*What did you do?*
Yan didn’t answer he simply smile. He held his arm and said:
*Whatever you have planned stop it, everyone knows what you did we need to deal with this differently.*
Yan said:
*The only way to deal with the situation is to subjugate the entire empire and for that, we need to kill the twins and Atlas.*
*Yan this isn’t the way to do it.*
Yan pulled back his arm and yelled out loud:
"It isn’t your decision to make, it’s mine!"
Huang looked at his son wide-eyed, he felt like he was looking at a stranger. Yan ordered Chuxiao using the mind link:
*Start with Atlas, I want the twins to see him die.*
*Gladly.*
