As she approached the imperial residence, Luo Ying was completely certain that the Green Lotus Palace before her was the very one that had disappeared from the Tomb of Civilization.
"Sister Xian, this is the Green Lotus Palace that His Majesty and I visited in the Tomb of Civilization. But I don't know why it has appeared here," Luo Ying said.
Luo Xian speculated, "Perhaps, as Xian'er ntioned earlier, this Green Lotus Palace ca here to suppress sothing terrible."
"Halt!"
At that mont, several figures tore through the sky and blocked the three won's path.
The woman leading them, who had short hair, swept her gaze over the trio as if they were re ants.
"This imperial residence is now the property of the Celestial Realm. Mortals from the Mortal Realm are forbidden to set foot here!"
"Take one more step forward, and you will be killed without question!"
The three won exchanged glances, their eyes brimming with cold light.
It seed that as soon as the Boundless Heavens had opened, the Forces of the Heavenly Realm had already occupied and divided the Green Lotus Palace among themselves.
The aura around Luo Xian vibrated intensely, and the Great Dao Destiny Wheel erged in the void behind her.
"Those who block my way shall die!"
The short-haired woman's eyes trembled. She hadn't expected to encounter a Red Emperor.
Yet she did not cower.
She had the backing of the Forces of the Heavenly Realm!
"Do you lowly commoners know the consequences of forcing your way in here?" she challenged.
Luo Xian's expression was unchanged. "And do you know the consequences of blocking my way?"
Just as the tension escalated to a breaking point, a man in colorful clothes flew to the short-haired woman's side and whispered a few words in her ear.
The woman's expression shifted subtly. She imdiately reined in her aura and cupped her fist to Luo Xian in apology.
"So it is Fairy Luo Xian. Please forgive my earlier offense."
Saying this, the short-haired woman broke into a smile and stepped aside.
"Lord Wuxing Chuan is exploring the area. Fairy Luo Xian, please proceed."
Hearing the na "Wuxing Chuan," Luo Xian's expression soured.
She now understood why the short-haired woman had suddenly beco so courteous.
***
Shortly thereafter, the three won landed on the stone path outside the Green Lotus Palace.
As flying was forbidden inside the Green Lotus Palace, they had no choice but to proceed on foot.
The palace's protective barrier was already shattered, likely destroyed by the Forces of the Heavenly Realm, allowing the won to enter easily.
Before long, the three of them stepped into the Green Lotus Dojo.
Upon seeing the Stone Statue of Azure Emperor, the three won froze, their hearts pierced with pain.
The statue had been smashed to pieces, its fragnts scattered across the ground in a state of utter desolation. It was like a god that had fallen to the mortal world, only to be trampled and defiled.
Luo Ying clenched her fists, her body trembling with rage as she forced the words through gritted teeth, "Who... who did this!"
Luo Xian's eyes also flashed with a cold light. "It must have been those from the Celestial Realm."
At this mont, Luo Qingxian stepped forward. Though her eyes shone with excruciating pain, her gaze fell tenderly upon the fallen head of the statue.
The head lay askew among the rubble, its facial features remarkably lifelike.
To her, those features were not unfamiliar; she had seen them long ago in the Golden Roc Nest.
"Your Majesty... Xian'er has finally found you."
She stopped and gently caressed the stone face with her jade-like hand, her eyes slowly misting over.
The shattered statue and the deathly silent palace had rcilessly buried her millennia of longing in the sands of ti.
"Your Majesty, it seems Xian'er... will never see you or find you again."
Luo Xian watched Luo Qingxian's back and sighed silently.
She spent a thousand years yearning for soone she had never t, even severing her own path of cultivation to linger in the mortal world for them... Perhaps only she truly knows the depth of that loneliness.
Luo Ying grasped Luo Xian's hand, and the thought of Luo Xiu, who had died in battle on Earth, brought tears to her eyes.
***
「The Land of Lawlessness.」
Three days had passed.
For these entire three days, Luo Xiu had been in the Hundred Herbs Garden, silently comprehending the Law Traces on the bones of the Venerable One.
Master Ping and i Ji stood guard in the distance the entire ti.
i Ji spoke first. "It's been three days. I wonder how much longer His Majesty will need."
Master Ping gazed at Luo Xiu's figure, his voice full of confidence.
"With this kid's comprehension, he should be done soon."
i Ji said, "I've always been curious about you and His Majesty... you trust each other so completely, you can entrust anything to the other. What kind of relationship is that?"
Master Ping chuckled and said slowly, "At first, we were just partners on the path of the Dao. But after spending so much ti with the kid, and experiencing more and more together, now even I don't know what to call this relationship."
"Hah, speaking of which, that kid is a real handful. He's not a great person, a proper scoundrel, really... But being with him, I feel at ease. Life doesn't seem so dull anymore, and I'm full of hope for the future."
"When he's happy, I'm happy. When he's hurting, I hurt too... Dammit, what's gotten into ?"
i Ji gave an enchanting smile, her expression filled with longing.
"I envy the friendship you two share. I've spent my whole life walking on thin ice. Every person I've t has been for mutual benefit; I've never experienced such a pure bond."
"You will," Master Ping said.
As the two were talking, a wind suddenly stirred in the Hundred Herbs Garden, causing the flowers and grass to sway.
It was a gentle breeze, yet standing within it, Master Ping's stout figure began to wobble, struggling to stay upright.
Steadying himself, Master Ping looked at Luo Xiu with an increasingly fervent gaze. "The wind rises without a trace, continuous and unending... It is just as I thought. This is that man's Wind Dao Principle—the Sky-lifting Power."
Just then, a deafening explosion echoed through the area.
Inside the Green Lotus Palace, Dou Dou and the others were startled and rushed toward the Hundred Herbs Garden.
"Uncle Ping, what happened?" Lin Shanshan cried as she ran over, her face etched with worry.
"Heh, what could happen? The Crown Prince must be done," Lao Ba said confidently as he descended from the sky with Dou Dou on his back, not worried in the least.
"All you do is run your mouth," a voice retorted.
A ball of black mist drifted over, and Black Fatty erged from within.
Although Lao Ba and Black Fatty were still hairless, the two goofs were now wearing clothes.
Moreover, their bare bodies were covered in "tattoos" that Dou Dou had drawn on them with colored pens.
***
Under everyone's watchful eyes, the ditating Luo Xiu suddenly shot into the air. A pair of Lustrous Thunder Wings unfurled from his back as streaks of lightning began to radiate from his body.
In an instant, the ceaseless arcs of lightning enveloped him, forming a Thunder Cocoon.
An Ran, who had arrived at so point, glanced over and said, "He should be successful."
She could clearly sense the Wind Dao Principle being forcefully refined and rged by the Lightning Principle.
Ti ticked by.
As the Wind Dao Principle was completely absorbed, the once lustrous, crystal-clear wings took on a faint green hue, like a flawless piece of glazed crystal that had been painted with a bold stroke of colored ink.
Dou Dou covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling. "Those wings are so pretty! Dou Dou wants so too!"
***
「Central Region of Boundless Heavens.」
Luo Qianye, Xu Qianqing, Su Shanyue, and Zhang Yi had been waiting for three days. With no sign of Luo Xian's group, they were growing understandably anxious.
During this ti, Luo Qianye had wanted to go search for them, but she was thwarted by the domineering interference of the Forces of the Heavenly Realm. Unable to enter, she had no choice but to give up.
As a lone Red Emperor, she simply couldn't afford to provoke them.
Xu Qianqing said, "That traveling palace is huge, but we should have heard sothing from them by now, shouldn't we?"
Su Shanyue nodded. "It feels like they've sunk like stones into the ocean since they went in."
"They're over there!"
Just as the four won's anxiety peaked, a shout pierced the air.
It was imdiately followed by the sound of rushing wind.
Dozens of figures streaked through the air and landed around the won, surrounding them completely.
"Luo Qianye, where is Luo Xian?!" Huo Tianlei, their leader, demanded.
Luo Qianye's gaze was grim, but she didn't answer.
"Where did she go?!" Huo Tianlei demanded again.
Suddenly, Luo Qianye laughed. "I don't know where she went, but I know where you're about to go: Hell."
Thanks to the cultivators from the Celestial Realm, she had long been seething with pent-up anger and was looking for an outlet.
"Hah. You didn't learn the Azure Emperor's skills, but you certainly picked up his arrogance," Huo Tianlei scoffed, then glanced at Wen Zhisheng beside him.
"Brother Wen, why don't we capture them first and use them to threaten Luo Xian?"
Wen Zhisheng nodded. "A good plan. Emperor Xian is Emperor Hao's biological sister, after all. We should avoid fighting her if we can."
Luo Qianye stared at Huo Tianlei and Wen Zhisheng. She was unafraid, but she was worried.
Her worry wasn't for herself, but for Xu Qianqing, Su Shanyue, and Zhang Yi.
Although the three had all reached the rank of Profound Emperor, they were no match for a Red Emperor.
In the Emperor Realm, even a single-level difference is a nearly insurmountable chasm!
"I'll hold them both off. You three find a chance to escape."
---
A note of apology to everyone.
I've returned to my hotown for the Lunar New Year, so I've been busy all day, and it's been extrely cold.
Therefore, updates will be slower during the Spring Festival period, and I'm afraid there will likely only be one chapter a day...
Once again, my apologies.
Thank you to all the readers who have supported your author, Feng, along the way.
Here's wishing everyone an aweso New Year and a soaring Year of the Dragon
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