Chapter 435: Chapter 263: The Empress Walks the Mortal World, the Land Falls into Chaos, the Six Kingdoms are Disunited (Part 2)
This was also the reason for the increased security in the Imperial City.
After Guan Chu finished reading, he returned the invitation. His expression grew calm as he said coolly,
"Let them pass."
The tall woman in the white-veiled cloak sat inside a sedan chair, following the merchant caravan as it slowly entered the city.
"Thank you, General."
The tall woman expressed her thanks and re-entered the carriage.
"Wait."
Guan Chu watched the carriage recede into the distance and suddenly called out.
"Is there anything else, General?"
The tall woman lifted the curtain and asked, puzzled.
Her placid eyes were incredibly profound, as if they were reflective.
"What is your name?"
Out of an abundance of caution, Guan Chu asked one more question.
"Chu Buyu."
Receiving her answer, Guan Chu nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand. "Go on."
The carriage departed.
He curled his lip in contempt and muttered to himself, ’The rumors about Chu Merchants only caring for profit are true, after all. In the entire Central Plains, who would dare look down on my Great Song now?’
...
The grand carriage slowly rolled into the Imperial City, finally stopping in an alley beside a large estate. The residences here belonged to high-ranking officials; entry was forbidden to those of lower status.
’Bypassing the Northern Great Wall was never going to be easy. My only option was to find another path, which meant passing through the Song Dynasty. But what’s the deal with this Song Dynasty? How could it have received the Celestial Mandate’s recognition?’
The tall woman alighted from the sedan chair.
The servants, grooms, and attendants behind her all waited respectfully. Their eyes were vacant, their pupils emitting an eerie green light.
With a wave of her hand,
they all lost consciousness and collapsed in the alley.
The tall woman glanced at them, her gaze fixing on the large estate to her side.
The aura around her gradually faded. With a single leap, she easily slipped inside the luxurious estate.
Security was tight, yet the woman moved as if it were deserted. No one was able to detect her.
The woman arrived in a boudoir, where a demure young lady in an exquisite floral dress was writing at her desk with a brush.
"Who are you..."
The young lady heard footsteps and turned around abruptly, only to see a mysterious woman in a cloak.
"I’ll be borrowing your identity."
The tall woman’s tone was nonchalant. She pressed a hand forward, her Demon Eyes flickered faintly, and the young lady’s expression immediately went blank.
The next moment, the woman produced a pitch-black Turtle Shell from her sleeve. A mystical light radiated from its surface, forming what looked like strings of ancient tadpole script—symbols from the Ancient Era.
A ball of white light soon emerged from above the young lady’s head, coalescing into words that appeared before the tall woman’s eyes.
Her eyes glinted with interest as she slowly read aloud, "Bai Family of the Song Dynasty’s Duke’s Mansion. Second Miss, Bai Xuanyu."
’The way the Human Domain Dynasties are governed is surprisingly convenient. To think that meritorious families, granted titles by various Marquises, can form such a stable nation.’
Indeed, this person’s identity.
She was none other than the Great Nether Empress from the distant Holy Netherworld, who had come to the Central Plains World: Witch Palace Language.
Witch Palace Language thought for a moment. Soon, a knock came from the door, followed by a gentle woman’s voice:
"Xuanyu, it’s time for the banquet. Your poem should be about finished, right? We can’t keep the Second Prince waiting."
Witch Palace Language glanced at the floating text before her, lost in thought.
’The Bai Family of the Duke’s Mansion... The older sister, Bai Xuanshuang.’
’A grand celebration... to congratulate themselves for receiving the blessing of Celestial Destiny and Fortune? The ways of the Human Domain are strange indeed. What is there to celebrate? Celestial Destiny and Fortune is as much a challenge as it is an opportunity. If you can’t hold on to it, it’s all for naught. Shouldn’t the top priority be discussing countermeasures?’
Witch Palace Language shook her head and opened the door.
Bai Xuanshuang, who had been waiting at the door for her younger sister, turned pale with shock at the sight of the strange woman who appeared before her.
She took a panicked step back, glanced inside the room, and demanded,
"Who are you! Where is my sister!"
Witch Palace Language ignored her furious questions, instead issuing a command, "Take Us to the banquet. I wish to see for myself what this so-called Celestial Destiny and Fortune truly is."
Witch Palace Language took a step forward.
Behind her, Bai Xuanshuang’s body suddenly trembled. She froze in place, all life draining from her as she recited mechanically,
"Yes..."
Before long, the Bai Family’s sedan chair arrived at the Imperial Palace.
However, a refined, gentle-looking man in a Python Robe was already waiting in the antechamber of the grand hall.
In the resplendent Wanhe Hall, guards in Warrior Armor stood on both sides, protecting the Royal Family.
Second Prince Song, Song Yan You, sat on a chair, looking in disbelief at the Great Song Mansion Report before him. He exclaimed, "Heavens, Lu Mingyuan has taken the throne of Great Yan? How did he do it?"
"I remember, back in the Wilderness Cave Heaven, he was the most unremarkable of all the princes."
Song Yan You wiped the cold sweat from his brow and mused, ’I suppose anyone who can survive the Nine Dragons Struggle for the Throne is no simple character.’
"Your Highness, the two young ladies you promised to view the flowers with this evening have arrived."
"Have them in at once."
Hearing that the two sisters had arrived, Song Yan You’s smile widened.
After the two women gracefully entered the hall,
it was the first time Song Yan You had gotten a good look at them. ’The older sister is a one-in-a-million beauty, quite a looker. But the younger sister... The two don’t look alike at all. Could they be cousins?’
Song Yan You asked curiously, "Are you both direct descendants of the Bai Family?"
Bai Xuanshuang and Bai Xuanyu already admired Song Yan You greatly, so they were delighted when he addressed them and immediately nodded.
Bai Xuanshuang had a more outgoing personality. "I am Bai Xuanshuang," she said, "and this is my younger sister, Bai Xuanyu."
"Bai Xuanyu’s" expression was rather placid. She sighed and said in a sorrowful tone,
"The Bai Family was once a renowned clan in the Great Song Dynasty, with a thousand-year history. Three hundred years ago in the war against Great Yan, the Empire fell. Any family that refused to submit to Great Yan was brutally purged. Fortunately, the Bai Family’s bloodline was preserved."
"However, life in the Song Dynasty hasn’t been easy either. The men of the Bai Family were either killed or sent to the Empire’s borders, forced to fight the Barbaric Beasts of the north. Most of them ended up dying in the bellies of those beasts."
"The women of the family fared even worse. Most were taken into the private residences of the Royal Family and Nobility to become their wives and concubines, mere playthings for their amusement."
Song Yan You’s expression darkened. He demanded, "What are you trying to say?"
He felt as though this second miss of the Bai Family, Bai Xuanyu, was provoking him.
"Bai Xuanyu" spoke as if she had just finished reading a person’s entire life or an Imperial Calendar in its entirety, seemingly having reached an epiphany. "Though the rules of the Holy Netherworld are different, the principle is the same: the victor is crowned king, the loser branded a villain. History is written by the victors. War is always cruel, and its dark Chapters are always a source of sorrow."
"Bai Xuanyu’s" form gradually changed, and she transformed into another person.
This woman’s gaze was incredibly dangerous, imperious and utterly domineering.
Her almond-shaped eyes narrowed. Witch Palace Language’s body slowly began to float into the air as she said coolly,
"Let me see what makes your Song Dynasty worthy of this Celestial Destiny and Fortune."
Seeing this, Song Yan You’s face drained of color.
"This is bad! An assassin!"
"Guards!"
However, the guards in Warrior Armor within the hall were no match for Witch Palace Language’s power.
Green light flared in their eyes as they all turned into Witch Palace Language’s puppets, advancing on Song Yan You.
In just ten breaths of time,
a large number of master Cultivators from the Song Dynasty rushed over from the Imperial City.
But they had no idea what kind of enemy they were about to face.
Witch Palace Language waved her hand, and her unfathomably profound Vast Dharma Aspect instantly obliterated the entire Wanhe Hall.
A terrifying, destructive aura spread out from the Imperial Palace.
In an instant, the entire National Capital of the Song Dynasty was engulfed in the smoke and flames of battle.
Song Yan You used every last ounce of his strength, his only thought to escape this place.
"When one is hungry, one must eat."
From within Witch Palace Language’s sleeve, the pitch-black Turtle Shell emerged.
A black hole suddenly appeared, voraciously absorbing the National Fortune of the Song Dynasty from deep within the earth!
...
