The Empress’s Arrival

Suddenly, a void rift burst open, appearing as if the fracture Qiu Jingwen had caused was now being violently ripped apart by an unseen, colossal hand.

The fissure twisted and expanded with furious abandon, its edges churning with a tumultuous, violent surge of dark purple energy, reminiscent of the gaping, fanged maw of some primeval beast of terror.

From the chasm’s depths emanated an oppressive aura, thick and ponderous as ten-thousand-year profound ice, chillingly crushing the very hearts of all who stood witness.

“Merely a wisp of a projection, yet it dares to flaunt its power?” Qiu Ku scoffed, a cold sneer in his voice.

Though the voice’s owner remained unseen, their tone betrayed not a hint of apprehension, and the sheer, intangible deterrence they projected compelled everyone present to hold their breath.

“Indeed, I am but a projection, and it’s true I cannot defeat you~ Yet, severing the life of your esteemed junior presents no challenge whatsoever, oh~ Care to put it to the test? Shall we discover the extent of what this mere wisp of a projection can accomplish?”

‘Put it to the test? And ascertain if this might herald the very genesis of the Qiu family’s collapse?’

“You!”

“You what, you~ You decrepit old relic, still loitering here? Begone! Scram!”

A slight tremor ran through the wrinkled muscles of Qiu Ku’s face, his withered voice laced with a raw, pained rasp. “You are naught but a wisp of lingering consciousness! Do you deem yourself worthy to meddle in the affairs of my Qiu family? Today, I shall ensure this young girl perishes!”

No further words were offered in response.

For a fleeting moment, the majestic aura surrounding them ceased to circulate.

The very essence of heaven and earth shifted abruptly.

Spiritual power stagnated, and even the air seemed to crystallize—the space encircling Qiu Ku solidified into invisible, impenetrable ice! He found each step arduous, unable to lift his hand even a fraction of an inch.

Qiu Jingwen, however, suffered an even more harrowing fate; her eyeballs remained locked in place, and her divine sense found itself utterly confined.

A bone-piercing chill tore through their protective spiritual energy, as profound ice swiftly enveloped their limbs.

The frigid shadow of death descended, enshrouding them completely.

“You of the Lin surname, you’d better be able to freeze me for an eternity!”

“Always calling me ‘of the Lin surname’, ‘of the Lin surname’. You haven’t succumbed to senility and forgotten my name, have you? Hahahahahahaha~”

Om—

The laughter tore through the void, echoing just as profoundly within Lin Mo’s mind.

At this moment, Lin Mo’s mind was a complete blank, with only a persistent buzzing sound resonating within his skull.

If the previous voice had merely carried echoes, then this particular verbal tic, uttered just now, instantly conjured a familiar and deeply cherished face within Lin Mo’s mind.

Lin Mo’s breath hitched, quickening into ragged gasps. ‘Ma… Ma…’

Memories from days gone by surged unbidden into his consciousness.

“This maiden can certainly support herself; sustaining you, my dear, is nothing short of effortless, wouldn’t you agree?”

“I am your mother, not some wizened old crone! What impropriety lies in addressing me as ‘this maiden’?~ I shall forever remain eighteen~”

That vibrant, adorable demeanor; that stubborn insistence on donning attire ill-suited for her age, all to highlight her youthful appearance…

Her temples, threaded with silver strands, and her eyes, framed by dark circles, gradually became etched with a myriad of wrinkles.

Yet, she perpetually radiated an aura of youth, not in an attempt to prove her own beauty, but solely to bring solace to Lin Mo’s heart.

She was perfectly capable of sustaining herself.

She possessed the means to look after herself.

Her vitality was inexhaustible, and she could forever retain her youthful vigor.

She…

‘Could it truly be her…?’

In the air, a translucent azure silhouette quietly materialized, her long hair billowing around her.

Standing with hands clasped behind her back, her figure was as imposing as a mountain, silently confronting the shattered-void ancestor of the Qiu family.

Her long hair danced in the wind, her hands clasped behind her back, head held high and chest thrust out, as if she were perpetually capable of shouldering the weight of an entire world.

‘Is it… you, Mother?’

Lin Mo yearned to draw nearer, yet he lacked the ability to fly, and the chasm separating him from his mother remained vast.

Never before had Lin Mo yearned so desperately for power, never with such a profound intensity.

He wished to approach, even if only by a mere fraction.

Yet… his body utterly refused to obey, just as it had in the past, when he could only lie in bed, watching his mother depart, never to return.

This time, however, he was able to rise from his bed and move, yet he found himself incapable of even confirming if the figure before him was truly his mother.

He could only watch, half-kneeling on the ground, his gaze fixed upon the heavens.

“Hmph, your laughter is utterly detestable. Do not delude yourself into thinking you can still wield such authority as if you were truly alive! I declare to you, even if you yourself stood here, not merely your projection, I would still dare to slay this young girl today! Stop hiding, all of you, come out!”

As his words resonated, three colossal, shadowy figures, darker than the deepest night and more profound than any abyss, slowly descended from the gaping void rift.

The foremost figure was draped in a dark battle robe embroidered with a thousand soul-devouring demonic crows, their face obscured by a formidable mask, from which only a pair of pupils, flickering with cold, eerie flames, were visible.

She uttered not a single word, merely stepping lightly into the void, whereupon a ferocious, malevolent aura descended like a tangible, turbid wave, crashing down with immense force!

“The Qiu family’s Shadow Crow Guard Commander!” Zhao Qiubai’s pupils constricted in alarm.

This individual was widely renowned, a pillar of the Qiu family’s strength and their most formidable weapon.

From the rift, another female figure emerged, her crimson hair ablaze like living flames, her formidable muscles appearing as if forged from molten lava.

She bore upon her back a colossal, crimson great axe, as broad as a door panel.

The instant she materialized, the entire expanse of the Hall of Clarity grew scorching hot, resembling a purgatorial furnace, with the very air twisting and shimmering from the intense heat!

“The Qiu family’s Scarlet Sun Venerable!”

This time, even the typically composed Xian Chengyue’s countenance registered a subtle shift.

The third figure was an elderly woman, clad in an ancient, tattered robe embroidered with images of a hundred beasts.

Her hair was gathered into a towering bun, secured by a hairpin carved from withered bone.

She leaned upon a gnarled, twisted dragon staff, its draconic head embedded with a pallid, ghastly pearl that radiated a terrifying aura of universal desolation, of life utterly extinguished.

The sheer, unadulterated ‘Annihilation’ law caused a chilling tremor to surge from the very depths of everyone’s soul!

Even more horrifying still—within the fractured void, a profound, shadowy portal suddenly yawned open!

From it, countless Qiu family experts surged forth like an endless ocean, their collective, vibrant killing intent piercing the very heavens, as if they had sworn an oath this day to—

Raze the Xuan Nv Sect to dust!

“I shall handle the containment of the one bearing the Lin surname; as for the rest of you… go forth and slay that disgraceful hussy, Qiu Yue!”

At this moment, every member of the Xuan Nv Sect was utterly astonished.

They simply could not fathom why the Qiu family had chosen to deploy their entire force at this juncture.

All for a mere heir?

An heir they supposedly had no intention of harming?

‘Strange!’

‘Extremely strange!’

‘This bore no resemblance to a rescue mission; rather, it felt precisely like an extermination!’

Yet, by this critical juncture, they no longer possessed the luxury of contemplation.

Though the Xuan Nv Sect might have waned, it had certainly not yet plummeted to a state where it would tolerate being wantonly bullied!

This was simply—

‘If a battle is what they desire, then a battle they shall have!’

The Xuan Nv Sect had never known fear.

What did it matter if it was merely for a single disciple?

The very cornerstone of the Xuan Nv Sect’s existence was its disciples.

To harm their disciples was to strike at their very roots!

Every individual adopted a stance of readiness, prepared to fight to the bitter end, a battle of mutual destruction.

In that very instant, all present immediately sprang into action!

Then, a sound, clear and resonant as the cry of a phoenix from the nine heavens, yet imbued with a supreme majesty capable of commanding the cosmos, instantaneously rent apart the tumultuous energy vortex and the chilling, stagnant atmosphere that hung over the Hall of Clarity.

At the far reaches of the firmament, the churning dark clouds, the rampant bolts of lightning, the biting frost, and the desolate laws… all were forcibly smoothed away as if by an unseen, colossal hand, collapsing inward and receding in unison!

In their stead, a boundless, radiant crimson hue cascaded down from the heavens, not merely a color, but a majestic imperial brilliance—noble, sacred, and utterly inviolable.

Wherever this light touched, the fissures within the void were visibly smoothed away, meticulously ‘mended’ by an unseen power.

Beneath the gentle yet magnificent glow, the shattered runes of the sect-protecting grand formation miraculously reassembled and coalesced, as if imbued with life, emitting a faint, resonant hum.

A dazzling pillar of light descended vertically, piercing through the distant clouds!

Within the luminous column, unseen steps seemed to unfurl.

Deep within the interplay of light and shadow, a solitary figure descended with measured grace, treading upon the very air itself.

She was adorned in a wide-sleeved phoenix robe, its dark base intricately embroidered with gold.

Upon the fabric, crafted from what appeared to be silk threads derived from the feathers of an unknown divine beast, nine phoenixes of myriad stances, poised for flight, were exquisitely stitched.

Her countenance remained largely veiled by twelve cascading strands of intricate jade beads, yet even through the unobstructed contours, one could discern a cool, peerless beauty, as if meticulously carved from jade and ice.

Her neck, long and slender as polished jade, hinted at a beauty that transcended mortal comprehension, a visage almost perfect, even without a complete view.

“—The Qiu family possesses audacious temerity. Who granted you leave to arbitrarily instigate conflict? To wantonly slaughter innocents for the sake of a single individual? Do you perhaps deem Us—as utterly beneath your notice?!”

Imperial might, like an inescapable prison, descended upon the world!

The one who had arrived was none other than the sovereign of this realm—the reigning Empress, Ji Fengyi!