Chapter 92: The Red Emperor
The three golden centipedes' death shocked the remaining centipede spirits.
"He has a treasure that lets him kill Ascension-realm spirits instantly? Avoid it and kill them!" the final golden centipede spirit commanded.
Yu'er instantly slashed at the golden centipede with her longsword, pinning it down while the two Immortal Cicadas whizzed toward him.
"No!" the golden centipede shrieked, before its body was pierced through by both Immortal Cicadas and it fell dead right then and there.
The regular centipede spirits behind it all shot forward, but Xiao Nanfeng instantly slew a large number of them with a swing of his sword.
Yu'er followed suit, killing another large swath, as the two Immortal Cicadas came back in action.
The two cultivators rapidly slew the majority of the centipede spirits in the cave, leaving a scant few so afraid that they scuttled off for their lives.
The two cultivators quickly cleaned the scene, stowing the golden centipedes' carcasses in their storage rings. Xiao Nanfeng also found a black orb in Jiugong's mouth, the storage treasure that it had been using.
Just then, a rumbling noise came from the other side of the cave. The tunnel through which they had entered had collapsed.
"These centipede spirits really are determined, aren't they? They're trying to trap us here," Xiao Nanfeng murmured disdainfully.
"Let me clear the rubble away."
"There's no need to do so right away. Let's wait for all the motion to stop first. I'll confirm that everything is stable with my spiritual power." Xiao Nanfeng held Yu'er back.
She nodded after a moment's hesitation.
By then, the small white orb had finished absorbing all the lava from the pool. It was glowing with white light. The set of copper doors that had just been revealed were exactly the same as in the frozen cavern.
The two cultivators hopped into the pit. Xiao Nanfeng picked up the white orb, which also had three lines of text: the first line, "Array-Breaking Pearl", the second line, "Absorbs lava", and the third line, "You Shi".
"Another treasure that You Shi made?" Xiao Nanfeng frowned at the orb.
"Nanfeng, is draconic aether leaking out from behind these doors? Just like what you described seeing..." Yu'er wondered in amazement.
As he glanced at the copper doors, Xiao Nanfeng fell silent. The previous set of copper doors had led him to extreme danger and incredible opportunity. When he defeated You Shi, he hadn't even had to use the spiritual power frozen in his mindscape, and he didn't fear similar illusory realms.
"Shall we have a look?" Yu'er asked Xiao Nanfeng.
Xiao Nanfeng mulled it over for a moment, then sucked in a deep breath. "Well, we're already here, aren't we? Of course we have to."
"I can't wait!" Yu'er smiled in anticipation.
"Take this dragon-quelling spike."
Yu'er had heard Nanfeng describe the use of these spikes. She took one from Xiao Nanfeng before the two of them pushed open the copper doors together, wary of any danger that might lie on the other side.
With a huge clang, the copper doors opened.
A blue flash of light struck both cultivators, just like before, sending them both flying. Xiao Nanfeng hurriedly grabbed Yu'er's hand as they fell from the skies into another illusory realm. They quickly stood upright.
"Here again?" Xiao Nanfeng remarked in surprise.
The sky was a clear blue, with a few white clouds hanging in the air. In the distance were towering mountains, and to his side was the three-hundred-meter tall wall. It felt as though he had returned to the same illusory realm as before.
Yu'er glanced all around her. "Could this be just like the illusory realm you and the elder entered?"
"It's exactly the same!" Xiao Nanfeng replied.
"Oh?" Yu'er seemed quite surprised.
Xiao Nanfeng attempted to disperse some superior yin frost, but just as before, he was unable to do so.
"Be careful if you see a skeleton around. The cursed effigy..." Xiao Nanfeng gave Yu'er a comprehensive description of Madam Rouge.
Yu'er nodded earnestly. "Don't worry!"
"Let's see if anything has changed from before," Xiao Nanfeng suggested.
Xiao Nanfeng quickly arrived at the gates to the city, where the five words "Divine Capital of Great Wei" remained inscribed on a neighboring stone pillar.
"Let's go!" Xiao Nanfeng led Yu'er into the city, which appeared to be the same as before. Xiao Nanfeng turned toward the dragon's head mountain. Once again, it looked as though an event was in full swing. Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er rushed toward the mountain and followed the crowds up.
The plaza was still heavily guarded. Immortals had gathered at the illustrious venue, along with the manifold officials of court. The moment the two of them stepped into the plaza, Xiao Nanfeng felt a pressure surrounding him, as though he had been struck by countless gazes.
"Who are you?" a voice shouted. One general had unsheathed a jeweled sword and was staring straight at Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er, who were trying to blend in with the crowd. Not only that, the court officials and palace maidens around all turned to look at the two cultivators with shock, then surprising eagerness.
Rather than Emperor Wei and his consort, what awaited them at the palace was a huge draconic throne on which a red-robed woman was seated. She wore the emperor's crown and was sipping on wine served to her by a group of palace maidens. She glanced at Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er in confusion.
"Two more cultivators have arrived in my illusory realm, it seems. Do they have dragon-quelling spikes with them? Bring them here!" she commanded.
"Yes, Your Majesty!" A group of guards stepped forward and drew their weapons, pointing it at the two cultivators.
Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er warily strode up to the empress as everyone's attention focused on them.
"Nanfeng of the Taiqing Immortal Sect greets Her Majesty!"
"Yu'er of the Taiqing Immortal Sect greets Her Majesty!"
The two cultivators bowed toward the empress.
Xiao Nanfeng glanced at the woman before him curiously. Just who could she be?
Suddenly, Xiao Nanfeng saw a familiar figure.
"You Shi? You really haven't died?" Xiao Nanfeng grew alarmed. You Shi was standing among the officials of court, but chains were draped all over his body. He looked particularly wretched.
"Oh? Do you know You Shi?" the empress asked coldly.
"I do, Your Majesty. Ten days ago, I fought You Shi off in another illusory realm. That You Shi killed all those who were buried with Emperor Wei and his consort, stealing their spiritual power and attempting to lay claim over the illusory realm by killing the empress as well. Thanks to a few chance encounters, his plan was foiled. Furthermore, the activation of the copper doors was all part of You Shi's secret plan," Xiao Nanfeng explained.
He was trying to warn the empress about You Shi's wrongdoings. Although he didn't understand why this illusory realm seemed different from the last, it was clear that You Shi was a villain. He had to take the initiative and warn everyone of him!
"Oh? You Shi, is that so?" The empress glanced coldly at You Shi.
"You Shi, what have you done?!" the other court officials shouted.
You Shi, bound by his chains, got down on one knee. "Your Majesty, my avatars have indeed committed grave ills. Please forgive me, Your Majesty!"
Surprisingly, You Shi didn't deny the charges against him—or perhaps, under these circumstances, he didn't dare do so.
"If not for my discovery of your misdeeds, would you have done the same here, too?" The empress's gaze was colder than ever.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty! You've already chained me up for five centuries. I beg your clemency!" You Shi shouted, not even daring to come up with an excuse for himself.
Xiao Nanfeng glanced at You Shi curiously. In other words, each of the two illusory realms held a different avatar of You Shi. The You Shi of the other realm had committed grave evils before almost succeeding in his ultimate goal. Meanwhile, the You Shi of this realm, having just prepared to strike, had been caught red-handed and then chained up for five centuries. Was this empress that strong?
"Describe what happened in the other realm in complete detail," the empress commanded Xiao Nanfeng.
Although Xiao Nanfeng didn't quite understand the circumstances of this illusory realm, he still dutifully recited what You Shi had done.
"You Shi, do you acknowledge these crimes?" the empress asked.
You Shi prostrated himself, not daring to lie. "Yes, Your Majesty!"
The other officials of court hissed at You Shi, then glared at him for his misdeeds.
"Bai Ruoyi really is an idiot, isn't she? She's gentle and weak-willed. The first thing she thinks of under these circumstances is suicide—well, what's there to be upset about? It's just a man's death. Is she really going to commit suicide over a man? I've had far more of a relaxing time here than she ever did." Disdainful though her tone was, the empress seemed downcast as she downed her cup of wine.
"I once heard that Emperor Wei had two consorts. May I ask if you are the other?" Yu'er asked curiously.
"Insolence!" a group of officials immediately cried out.
The red-robed woman, however, didn't seem to mind. She glanced at Yu'er. "That's right. We used to be an empress, but our consort died. The Empire of Great Wei's rule has passed to us, and it is only natural that we take his position. We are the second emperor of Great Wei, and you may address us as the Red Emperor." [1]
The Red Emperor's coolness toward the two cultivators had vanished. She now seemed particularly affable to them, not even criticizing Yu'er for her impolite question and instead carefully explaining her identity to the two of them.
"We greet the Red Emperor!" Both Xiao Nanfeng and Yu'er bowed down.
The Red Emperor stood up and looked toward the sky, a cup in hand, with a dry smile crossed with a laugh and a frown.
She poured the wine onto the table before her.
"Your Majesty!" Countless officials slumped paralyzed to the ground, their eyes red with tears.
Just like You Shi, they had accompanied Emperor Wei and his consort into death. Their spiritual bodies had been present in this illusory realm for over a millennium. The fact that this was the outcome they had been awaiting caused great pain and suffering.
"What's there to cry about? He might be dead, but we are still around!" the Red Emperor shouted. "We forbid you from crying. It'll only bother us!"
The officials tried their hardest to stifle their sobbing, but some were unable to do so.
Xiao Nanfeng looked toward the empress with a strange expression, not certain what she was thinking.
1. The Red Emperor uses the royal 'we'. Also, to confirm, she is female but styles herself as Emperor. ?
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