Chapter 810: Two Empress Consorts
The text on the walls of the building spoke of the Empress Consort descending to the mortal realm to visit her ancestral land, the Guixu Abyss, and delaying her return. The Heavenly Emperor ordered the Left Yulin Army to go to Guixu to welcome the Empress Consort back to the Heavenly Court.
Some days later, the Left Yulin Army submitted a memorial to the Heavenly Emperor, stating that the Dragon Earl Kingdom near Guixu had rebelled. The Dragon Earl Kingdom’s forces were powerful, occupying Guixu and trapping the Empress Consort, and requesting that His Majesty send troops to suppress the rebellion.
Thus, the Heavenly Emperor ordered the Right Yulin Army to go and suppress the rebellion. However, just as the Right Yulin Army had departed from the Heavenly Court, the Left Yulin Army submitted another memorial to the Heavenly Emperor, saying that the Empress Consort had been attacked and was severely injured.
The Heavenly Emperor issued an additional decree, ordering the Right Yulin Army to thoroughly investigate the case of the Empress Consort’s attack.
Wei Suifeng, serving as the Right General of the Yulin Army, led the Right Yulin Army to Guixu. Joining forces with the Left Yulin Army, they defeated the Dragon Earl Kingdom, captured the Dragon Earl King, and the Dragon Earl Kingdom surrendered.
The Empress Consort’s injuries also improved considerably, and she planned to return to the Heavenly Court once she had fully recovered.
However, that very night, another incident occurred. The dark currents of the Great Abyss of Guixu erupted, plunging everything into darkness so profound that no stars could be seen.
Strange and eerie phenomena emerged from the Great Abyss, causing the gods’ hearts to tremble in fear, and the night was filled with unrest.
The dark currents ceased only at daybreak. The soldiers discovered the corpse of the Empress Consort on Fanghu Mountain. In her side palace, all the maidservants were dead, and the Left General of the Yulin Army had also died outside the palace.
Wei Suifeng captured the Eight Dragon Kings of the Dragon Earl Kingdom, encoffined the Empress Consort, and ordered the Eight Dragon Kings to guard her coffin. He also commanded the soldiers to investigate the events of that night and determine the cause of the Empress Consort’s death.
Some soldiers said they had seen two Empress Consorts in the darkness. Others said that a demon god had erupted from the Great Abyss of Guixu and assassinated the Empress Consort.
Wei Suifeng’s investigation yielded no results. He immediately placed the Empress Consort’s coffin on a ship, escorted the Dragon Earl King, and set off for the Heavenly Court.
They traveled upstream against the Heavenly River, and after several months, they arrived at Yuandu.
The Heavenly River floated above Yuandu. Suddenly, thick fog enveloped the river. An officer reported that a woman was standing in the middle of the river, performing a ritual.
The text on the wall ended there, leaving only a cryptic sentence: “I came from Guixu. Meeting this woman, I return to the ancient times, to explore the mysteries of antiquity and seek the riddles of history. Now I meet this woman again. I think it is time for me to extinguish the lantern and go back.”
“The Dragon Earl Kingdom!”
The Ancestral Dragon King suddenly exclaimed: “Legend says the Dragon Earl Kingdom is the earliest dragon race! A nation formed by heaven-born, earth-nurtured divine dragons, said to be a great dragon kingdom born from the dragon vein of the ancient Heavenly Court! The dragon-men there are three thousand zhang tall, with boundless divine power. And the Dragon Earl King is the foremost divine dragon in the world. I thought it was just a rumor, but I never expected the Dragon Earl Kingdom to truly exist!”
A demigod beside him asked: “Could that old dragon who just merged with the building be the Dragon Earl King?”
The Ancestral Dragon King was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: “It shouldn’t be. Legend has it that the Dragon Earl King is one of the most powerful beings. How could he have merged with this ship? It can’t be him.”
Suddenly, a young man not far away, with his hands clasped behind his back, said leisurely: “The Dragon Earl was captured and suppressed on this ship. After that, the ship vanished from the Heavenly River. Perhaps that crazy old dragon really is the Dragon Earl.”
The Ancestral Dragon King’s long dragon whiskers fluttered. He said with displeasure: “And you are?”
The young man smiled: “I come from the Heavenly Court.”
The Ancestral Dragon King frowned and sneered: “The Heavenly Court? There was a Heavenly Court in the Red Emperor Era, and two or three in the Upper Emperor Era. The Heavenly Emperors have changed one after another. Which Heavenly Court do you come from?”
The young man laughed heartily: “Ancestral Dragon King, your ancestor, the Dragon Earl, styled himself as ‘Earl,’ claiming equality with ancient gods like Tu Bo, Heaven Duke, and Earth Mother, and established the Dragon Earl Kingdom. Yet, in the end, he was captured by the Heavenly Court’s Yulin Army. How disgraceful! Why do you try to gild his reputation?”
The Ancestral Dragon King’s face darkened, and a murderous aura surged.
The young man, however, was unconcerned. Two divine beings behind him stepped forward, flanking him protectively.
The young man waved his hand and said: “Ignorant dragon from the lower realm, unaware of the vastness of heaven and earth. It is forgivable. No need to bother with him. What interests me is that in the account of the Empress Consort’s attack recorded by this Right General, some people saw two Empress Consorts.”
He revealed a playful smile and continued: “But the Empress Consort in the Heavenly Court has always been there. I’ve never heard of her dying. What is the reason for this? Is the corpse of the Empress Consort stored in the coffin on this ship the real Empress Consort? Or is there another hidden truth? The Empress Consort in the Heavenly Court…”
The two divine beings beside him looked worried and whispered: “Your Highness the Prince, there are many ears here. It is not appropriate to discuss that existence in the palace.”
The young man laughed: “The matter of the true and false Empress Consort is of great importance and cannot be ignored. The Empress Consort died here, yet there is still an Empress Consort in the Heavenly Court. How strange! Since the Empress Consort’s coffin is on this ship, we might as well find it, open the coffin, and see for ourselves…”
He did not continue, likely also concerned about loose lips.
“The imperial family is all filthy.” Feng Qiuyun sneered softly.
The young man looked at her and said leisurely: “The Earth Mother’s maidservant, Feng Qiuyun? Do you think anyone in the Earth Mother’s family is clean?”
Feng Qiuyun sneered and did not respond.
The Red Ming Divine Son smiled and said: “Is this Prince from a foreign Heavenly Court? May I ask your name?”
“The Red Ming Divine Son, who has been hiding in the Suspended Realm and never dared to show himself?”
The young man laughed: “I’ve heard that the Red Ming Divine Son embodies the entire fortune of the Red Ming Era. Since you carry the fate of the Red Ming Era, why are you still so mediocre and ineffective?”
The Red Ming Divine Son, dressed in purple robes, remained unfazed. He smiled and said: “There is no such thing as the Red Ming Divine Son in this world. The reason I am called the Red Ming Divine Son is merely to give my people a glimmer of hope, so they do not sink into despair and perish.”
The young man’s expression turned respectful. He said: “The Divine Son has revealed the truth. Your breadth of vision and spirit are indeed remarkable, and you truly deserve the title of Red Ming Divine Son. I am Prince Qiu Ming of the Heavenly Court. Greetings, Red Ming Divine Son.”
The Red Ming Divine Son returned the greeting.
The Village Chief frowned deeply, looking at the people in the building, and felt a sense of foreboding.
There were too many titans. The three of them were probably the least noticeable and the weakest in this group.
Everyone seemed friendly now, but when it came to a fight, the first to be eliminated would likely be the three of them.
“Even if the First Ancestor came, he probably couldn’t stir up much trouble…” he thought bitterly.
Qin Mu looked at the text on the wall with great interest and smiled: “Village Chief, there are many interesting things here.”
“Mm.”
The Village Chief said darkly: “Don’t talk. When you talk, you become a target.”
Qin Mu acknowledged, but his mind was already racing. He thought: “Wei Suifeng is the Woodcutter Teacher’s senior disciple, the founding patriarch of the Heavenly Sage Church, and my and the National Teacher’s senior brother. From the text he left behind, he went to explore Guixu, met Ling Zun, and inexplicably traveled back to the ancient Long Han Era, somehow becoming the Right General of the Heavenly Court’s Yulin Army. He must know many secrets about the Empress Consort incident. But on his way back to the Heavenly Court, he met Ling Zun again. As for this ‘extinguishing the lantern and going back’…”
Qin Mu thought for a moment, looked at the lantern flying beside him, and mused: “Senior Brother might have traveled to the Long Han Era during the day and returned at night. He didn’t want to go back, so he refined the sun into lanterns and hung them around him, keeping himself in a perpetual state of daylight. When he met Ling Zun again, he felt it was time to go back, so he extinguished the lantern and traveled back. Fortunately, he left, or he would have become part of the Yulin Army time-travel incident.”
“What is Guixu?”
He suddenly remembered that among the geographical maps given to him by the founding patriarch, there was one depicting an abyss in the ocean!
Could that geographical map be of Guixu?
“Chief Qin.” The Red Ming Divine Son greeted Qin Mu with a smile.
Qin Mu returned the greeting and said with a half-smile: “Red Ming Divine Son, when we were in danger on the deck earlier, you ran fast enough.”
The Red Ming Divine Son laughed: “I have always known the Chief’s methods, so I did not intervene. The Chief once caused a great uproar in the Suspended Realm, nearly dismantling it. How could a small danger like this trouble you?”
Qin Mu beamed: “The Divine Son certainly knows how to speak.”
“The Upper Emperor’s Qin Overlord Body.”
Luo Wushuang’s voice came: “Long time no see.”
Qin Mu looked over and smiled: “Luo Divine Blade, you ran faster than anyone just now, not even bothering to seek revenge on me. I was hoping you’d come and rescue me, but it seems you were only concerned with saving your own skin.”
Luo Wushuang smiled faintly: “The Upper Emperor Era’s Qin Overlord Body, I wonder if your sword is still as sharp as before.”
Qin Mu laughed heartily: “My swordsmanship is even better now. The best in the world. Zhe Huali, tell your master how my swordsmanship is.”
The Village Chief coughed.
Qin Mu pretended not to hear.
The Village Chief snorted, thinking: “I haven’t taught him a lesson in a few years, and he’s gotten cocky, claiming to be the best swordsman. He used to be humble enough to call himself second best.”
Zhe Huali said solemnly: “Master Luo, Qin Mu’s swordsmanship is unparalleled in the world, no weaker than mine.”
Prince Qiu Ming looked at Qin Mu with curiosity and said: “So you’re the Overlord Body who resurrected the Heavenly Yin Lady? I’ve heard of you. I was ordered to descend to the mortal realm this time, and one of my tasks is to eliminate you, along with Jiang Baigui and Yan Fengdi. Bringing your three heads back to the Heavenly Court will be a great achievement.”
Qin Mu said solemnly: “Next year, I will visit the Prince’s grave.”
Prince Qiu Ming laughed: “The Heavenly Court doesn’t really care about Yankang. Yankang is too weak to be taken seriously. What catches the Heavenly Court’s eye are the remnants of the Opening Emperor, the remnants of the Upper Emperor, the remnants of the Red Ming, and the remnants of the Long Han pseudo-dynasty. So, to deal with Yankang, the higher-ups only sent me. Chief Qin is an interesting person, and I like interesting people. I’ve been inquiring about you for a long time and admire your intelligence and wit.”
Qin Mu laughed and said to the Village Chief: “Village Chief, this Prince is no fool.”
The Village Chief’s expression was grim: “Don’t talk. If you talk again, we’ll be the first to be eliminated!”
“Ancestral Dragon King, we’ve found the Empress Consort’s coffin!” A demigod hurried over and whispered.
The Ancestral Dragon King’s eyes lit up, and he immediately led the other demigods away.
Prince Qiu Ming, the Red Ming Divine Son, and the others quickly followed. Feng Qiuyun also carried the Emperor Coffin and went forward.
The Village Chief immediately said: “Let’s leave this ship and not get involved in this matter!”
Qin Mu was about to speak, but the Village Chief had already taken his hand and walked out of the building. The Dragon Tamer Lord followed them outside. The three looked out at the ship and saw that it was completely surrounded by black mist, with no view of the outside world.
The Village Chief said solemnly: “Take out that jade pendant of yours and break through the black mist. Let’s leave!”
Qin Mu took out the military tally. Suddenly, the little bird-headed, human-bodied figure in the lantern said: “It’s too late to leave. Once you’re on this ship, you can’t leave. No one can get out. Even if you jump off the ship, you’ll end up back on it.”
The Village Chief frowned, took off his clothes, and threw them out.
His clothes vanished into the black mist and disappeared.
Then, the Village Chief saw that he was wearing the same set of clothes again—the very ones he had just thrown away.
The Village Chief exhaled a breath of foul air and said: “Let’s go. Let’s go see this Empress Consort.”
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