Hearing Gu Jingyan's words, Shen Zhao immediately felt a headache. "You're saying Yu Xiyan hasn't returned to the capital?"
"Two months ago, two elders claiming to be from the Heavenly Severance Holy Land sent a wedding invitation for their Holy Son. Her Majesty hasn't returned since she left.
After inquiries, it's highly likely she's still within the Northern Region. Court affairs are piling up. If Her Majesty doesn't return soon, things will be chaotic.
Please, in consideration of our childhood friendship, I beg you to help me find Her Majesty!"
Mu Qiuyao snorted coldly upon hearing this. "That's your Yin Dynasty's problem. Why should outsiders help if something happens to Yu Xiyan?"
Gu Jingyan said anxiously, "How dare you speak Her Majesty's name so directly!"
"What? Is the Yin Dynasty's Empress so impressive?" Mu Qiuyao's cold eyes flashed. "Your Empress doesn't return to court herself. What's the use of asking us?"
"It's not impossible she's got some pretty boy on the side, planning to run off for love like those young people do."
"How dare you slander His Majesty..."
"Alright! Enough!"
Shen Zhao quickly stopped the pointless argument: "I'll help out with this on the way."
Mu Qiuyao said with dissatisfaction: "What, are you planning to rekindle things? I'm warning you, don't let me look down on you.
There are plenty of good women in the world, don't hang yourself on one tree. The problem is, this tree is a crooked old thing that won't even let you water it."
"Get lost, I'm not as bored as you."
"Hmph..."
Mu Qiuyao's face was full of disdain, her eyes filled with a hint of jealousy.
Gu Jingyan grabbed Shen Zhao's hand: "Please, Shen Zhao, the situation in the Northern Region is chaotic right now. I can't move an inch here. Please, consider the Empress Dowager and the Supreme Emperor's past kindness to you, and please... cough, cough, cough..."
Shen Zhao sighed softly and comforted him: "Brother Gu, rest here first. I will investigate this matter thoroughly."
"I'm counting on you." After Gu Jingyan said this, he fell into a deep sleep.
Out of the room, Mu Qiuyao sneered: "What? Hearing that your white moonlight is gone, are you anxious again? If you want to go find her, then go. Don't worry about this old lady."
Shen Zhao gave her a sideways glance: "If you don't know how to speak, then speak less. If you really want me to leave, I won't hesitate. You think I really want to manage your Northern Region's mess? If you've got the guts, go clean up this mess yourself."
Mu Qiuyao heard that Shen Zhao didn't sound like he was joking and quickly said: "I was just furious earlier. Thinking about those absurd things you did in your past life,..."
"Each one is astonishing. I thought you were going to... Alright, it's all my fault. Don't hold it against me..."
Shen Zhao didn't fall for it at all. "Cut the crap. Instead of dwelling on the past, let's focus on how many dishes we'll be eating this lifetime. Aren't we supposed to be leaving? Hurry up and let's go now."
"Weren't we supposed to leave tomorrow?"
"The sooner we get there, the sooner we can solve this. I'm really destined for a life of hard work. Being stuck with you incompetent people means my future is bound to be bumpy.
Once I'm done with all this, I absolutely need to take a long vacation and completely slack off to soothe my powerful soul. But, on the other hand, a deal is a deal.
I can handle this high-level situation, but the appearance fee better be substantial. You know the current market price. Considering our two months of acquaintance, I can give you a 0.02 discount."
"Tch~"
The two of them immediately set off for the Azure Cloud Palace.
Shen Zhao had just left the Heavenly Sword Sect when he ran into three familiar faces.
"Elder Dugu?"
"You are... Shen Zhao!"
The person who came was none other than Dugu Xin, the Great Elder of the Heavenly Severance Holy Land.
Along with Zhang Danfeng and Hu Guangshan, the two who had delivered the invitation.
However, the three of them were now in tattered clothes, their faces etched with hardship, clearly having had a rough time of it recently.
Dugu Xin was already surprised to see Shen Zhao, but when Mu Qiuyao stood before them, her expression as cold as ice, the three of them were completely dumbfounded.
In the next moment, Dugu Xin dropped to his knees: "Greetings, Your Majesty!"
Hu Guangshan and Zhang Danfeng immediately reacted, lowering their heads and prostrating themselves: "We pay our respects to the Empress!"
Mu Qiuyao's brows furrowed, and she sternly questioned, "The Heavenly Severance Holy Land is truly impressive. While I've been away these past two months, you've managed to stir up such a commotion, causing a whirlwind in all the Northern Region states. You've truly caught my attention!"
Dugu Xin quickly said, "Empress, please calm your anger. I did not participate in the Northern Region rebellion. On the contrary, I was expelled from the Heavenly Severance Holy Land for opposing the Sect Master's attempt to usurp the throne, and I am now being hunted everywhere."
"Do you think that saying this will make me spare your lives?" Mu Qiuyao didn't want to listen to Dugu Xin's explanation at all.
Dugu Xin was in a difficult position, not knowing how to defend himself. Hu Guangshan spoke up: "It's true, Elder Dugu isn't lying. After Your Majesty disappeared, the Sect Master listened to the words of Lin Feng's lover and prepared to usurp the throne.
Only Elder Dugu's faction, along with me and Brother Zhang, strongly opposed this within the Heavenly Severance Holy Land. But our words were insignificant, and we were instead branded as having ulterior motives by the Sect Master."
Zhang Danfeng nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Your Majesty, just look at our attire. If we had colluded with the Sect Master, we wouldn't have fallen to this state. Furthermore, last month's spirit rations weren't even distributed. It's a huge loss."
Mu Qiuyao: "The Heavenly Severance Holy Land openly rebels. According to the Immortal Dynasty's laws, they should be annihilated. No matter how eloquent you are, you are all doomed to die."
Zhang Danfeng and Hu Guangshan were both startled, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"Brother Hu, it seems we're doomed. We should have just rebelled with them."
"Don't be ridiculous. You think the sect master and Lin Feng, that mistress's lover, can swallow the entire Northern Region?
Any hidden sect in the Northern Region can fart and they'll be smelling it for centuries. Besides, with Her Majesty the Empress returning, how long can those rascals last?
Once an Emperor Realm cultivator makes a move, the entire Northern Region rebel army will be kneeling to receive their death."
"Sigh, why is our fate so bitter?"
Dugu Xin's forehead was covered in cold sweat, but he still steeled himself and said, "We beg Your Majesty for another chance. We will definitely help Your Majesty reclaim the throne."
Mu Qiuyao: "Do I need you ants to help me reclaim the throne? What belongs to me, I will take back myself."
After speaking, a chilling killing intent surged forth.
Just as the three of them closed their eyes, awaiting death, Shen Zhao interrupted the oppressive atmosphere: "Alright, even now, there are still people supporting you. Are you still planning to push them towards the enemy's side? Enough is enough."
"You want to plead for them?" Mu Qiuyao retorted.
Shen Zhao said, "You should know in your heart who deserves to die and who doesn't.
Instead of putting on your imperial airs here, you should be thinking about how to regain the throne in front of the Azure Cloud Palace!"
Mu Qiuyao frowned and said to the three people: "Fine, considering Shen Zhao's plea for you, I'll give you a chance to redeem yourselves. Get up."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy!"
The three of them shakily stood up, standing aside without daring to utter a word.
Shen Zhao asked, "What happened at the Heavenly Severance Holy Land while I was missing with her?"
Dugu Xin said, "It's a long story. After you and His Majesty disappeared after clashing palms that day, the sect master and the others announced that you were both dead.
Then, they declared their intention to inherit His Majesty's throne, and even held all the guests who hadn't managed to leave at the Azure Cloud Palace.
Their aim was to force them to acknowledge the sect master's legitimacy in inheriting the Immortal Dynasty. We strongly opposed it, but it was to no avail. Instead, the sect master ordered people to hunt us down."
Hu Guangshan chimed in, "We haven't been living like humans these past two months.
It's a pity, we just returned to the sect and ran into this mess.
We've been starving one moment and full the next, even beggars would feel superior to us.
If this goes on, I'm thinking of running away to the Great Zhou to wash dishes."
"I heard you can eat your fill of fried chicken for just one big coin, and wash it down with soda for two copper coins until you're about to burst.
If we work hard for three years, we can buy a big spirit field. If it weren't for us still wanting to take a gamble, we'd really have no choice but to go that route."
Zhang Danfeng said, "Yeah, if we hadn't been so clever, pretending to be rebels during the day to fool those cheaters who defied the heavens, and sneaking through the shortcut from the ancestor's tomb at night, we would have been torn to shreds long ago."
Dugu Xin said, "Now that His Majesty is safe and sound, Ning Ruoxue and her lover are dead."
Shen Zhao pondered for a moment, then asked, "You said Ning Ruoxue detained all the guests present before. Was the Yin Dynasty's female emperor among them?"
"Yes!" Dugu Xin answered firmly. "Although the Yin Dynasty is only a quasi-first-rate power, it is still a prominent dynasty in the Eastern Region. Naturally, such a person has to be kept around to bolster their image."
Shen Zhao looked at Mu Qiuyao and shrugged, "Well, you heard it. This is all your doing."
Mu Qiuyao immediately retorted, "I didn't capture Yu Xiyan. What does this have to do with me?"
"This happened within your Northern Region, and you say it's none of your business? Is this how the Heavenly Emperor of Xuan deals with things? Can you at least have some shame?"
Mu Qiuyao was speechless, choked by the retort. She could only snort coldly, "Alright, alright, I'll release her once I regain the throne, how's that?"
Shen Zhao said, "Alright, let's go, time is of the essence."
"Mhm."
Seeing the two about to leave, Dugu Xin quickly stopped them, "Young Hero Shen, Your Majesty, can you take us along?"
Shen Zhao looked at them with disdain, "The three of you are too weak; you can't handle this high-level game. You'd better stay put."
Dugu Xin immediately said, "You're right. Then, can you give us some money? To be honest, the three of us haven't eaten for over ten days."
Zhang Danfeng immediately wailed, "Recalling this arduous experience, I really think it's too damn surreal,
"Every day, I was reduced to fighting with dogs for food to barely survive. I never expected the inner competition in this Immortal Martial Continent to be so intense."
Hu Guangshan dramatically rolled up his sleeves: "Look at us, we're starving! I can't see an ounce of flesh on us. If they don't invite us to participate in a wilderness survival show, they're definitely losing out."
Shen Zhao looked puzzled: "With your cultivation, you shouldn't have fallen so low. At the very least, you could have robbed someone."
"We'd love to! But the Northern Region is short on everything except cheaters."
"Yeah, we've experienced the helplessness of a supporting character on this journey. We either meet max-level big shots pretending to be weak, or guys with cheat items like a golden ring. Every day, we're either getting rubbed raw or on the way to be rubbed raw.
We finally met an old man on his own, and we thought we could make a comeback and salvage some of our dignity. But before I could even say a word, the guy yelled, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, don't bully the old and the poor!'
Then, he unleashed a barrage of attacks on us. I've really broadened my horizons. We couldn't handle it, and a toothless, lame old man chased us down for a full nine streets. We completely lost face."
"To be honest, since the Northern Region became chaotic, we haven't won a single fight. If this keeps up, we'll have to go to Great Zhou and wash dishes."
Shen Zhao immediately got a headache. He immediately fished out a storage pouch from his pocket, about to give it to them, when he suddenly asked, "Right, did you see the two friends who came with me?"
Dugu Xin thought for a moment and replied, "Not long after the Heavenly Severance Holy Land incident, your two friends went down the mountain with the people from the Pure Yang Palace. I heard they seemed to have gone to the Jade Pool Holy Land. I don't know anything more than that."
Upon hearing this, Shen Zhao completely relaxed. He directly tossed the storage pouch into their hands and waved his hand at the female Emperor, "Let's go, I'll take you to get back what belongs to you!"
Mu Qiuyao's expression improved, and she followed Shen Zhao towards the Azure Cloud Palace.
"Young Hero Shen, please wait!"
Dugu Xin suddenly called out to Shen Zhao.
"What else is it?"
"To be honest, on that day at the Heavenly Severance Holy Land, Young Hero's eloquence and debate skills left this old man in awe..."
"If possible, we'd like to join the Arbitration Council and contribute even a little to world peace."
Hu Guangshan immediately chimed in, "Yes, the Arbitration Council's reputation has been ingrained in us since childhood.
We dream of upholding justice. If you think we are worthy, young hero, we'll gladly follow your lead."
As he finished speaking, he let out a fart.
Zhang Danfeng spoke with righteous indignation, "Absolutely, we hope you'll give us a chance. With our Nirvana Realm cultivation, we can handle ourselves in our respective territories.
Unless we run into those overpowered cheaters who slaughter gods every day, we can handle the riffraff and take care of the small fries for you, young hero."
Shen Zhao thought, this is great.
One Selfless Realm second-rank cultivator and two Nirvana Realm fifth-rank cultivators. With this, the Arbitration Council's ranks would definitely grow stronger. He wouldn't have to do the dirty work of extortion and ambushing anymore.
So Shen Zhao said to the three of them in a serious tone, "If you truly want to join the Arbitration Council, I welcome you. However, the Arbitration Council is ethereal and untraceable. I need to see sufficient sincerity."
Dugu Xin said, "Just give the order, young hero. As long as this old man can do it, I will not refuse."
"This chaos in the Northern Region was all caused by the Heavenly Severance Holy Land. You understand what I mean, right?"
The three of them's CPUs immediately began to work.
After a moment, Dugu Xin stepped forward and grabbed Shen Zhao's arm. "I understand. I'll go do it right away. Please rest assured, young hero."
Without waiting for Shen Zhao's reaction, he immediately grabbed Hu and Zhang and fled in a flash of light.
Mu Qiuyao didn't say a word throughout the entire exchange. It wasn't until the three of them had left that she slowly spoke, "To poach people right under my nose… you really have a knack, kid."
Shen Zhao shrugged. "If you want them back, I don't mind."
Mu Qiuyao: "It's getting late, let's get going."
Inside the Azure Cloud Palace dungeon.
Yu Xiyan and Shangguan Qiuyue sat back-to-back, eyes closed, circulating their cultivation techniques.
Suddenly, the dungeon door opened. Lin Feng stood outside the cell door with a calm expression, staring at Yu Xiyan inside.
"No matter how many times I see her, such a beauty is still so pleasing to the eye."
Lin Feng sincerely praised, Yu Xiyan's appearance was even more beautiful than Ning Ruoxue's by a dozen points.
Then he tidied his clothes and gently called out, "Your Majesty, the Empress..."
Yu Xiyan slowly opened her eyes, and upon seeing Lin Feng's face, her expression instantly turned incredibly gloomy, her eyes filled with immense hatred.
It was this man!
It was him!
He had destroyed her empire, taken the lives of her loved ones, and even caused her to kill the person she loved her entire life!
Unexpectedly, he would appear before her again so openly?
Unfortunately, she had been poisoned by the Hundred Day Dissolving Powder, and her cultivation and spiritual energy couldn't gather. Otherwise, she would have liked to slap him to death with a single palm strike.
Feeling Yu Xiyan's furious gaze, Lin Feng couldn't help but shiver.
This kind of look only appeared in her eyes after he had been exposed for all the schemes he had used in his previous life.
He steadied himself and said gently, "Your Majesty, the Female Emperor, my name is Lin Feng. I apologize for the inconvenience you've suffered these past few days. Once this matter is settled, I will release you. I hope you can be understanding."
Lin Feng said this because he understood the importance of not putting all his eggs in one basket. If the situation in the Northern Region spiraled out of his control, he'd have a backup plan.
To put it bluntly, it was a way to escape if things went south.
Yu Xiyan forced herself to calm down and said calmly, "Is this how your Profound Heaven Immortal Dynasty treats guests?"
Lin Feng quickly said, "Your Majesty, please don't misunderstand. The Northern Region has been quite unstable recently. This was the only way, and it has caused you some inconvenience, Your Majesty.
However, please rest assured. After tomorrow's Ascension Ceremony, once Your Majesty acknowledges Ning Ruoxue as the new Imperial Sovereign of the Profound Heaven Immortal Dynasty, we will provide the antidote and allow you all to leave."
"Then you can leave."
Yu Xiyan didn't want to waste another word on this disgusting person and closed her eyes, ignoring him.
Lin Feng frowned slightly, confirming that Yu Xiyan didn't feel the same closeness towards him as she had in his previous life. He instinctively activated the "Myriad Dao Slave Scripture".
After awakening his past life's memories, Lin Feng already knew how to cultivate to higher levels.
Now that Ning Ruoxue had been branded with his Slave Seal, planting one on Yu Xiyan, whose cultivation was currently sealed, was not a difficult task at all.
However, he had a doubt in his heart. In his past life, he had successfully planted the Myriad Dao Slave Scripture on Yu Xiyan, so why had it been inexplicably removed?
Once the Myriad Dao Slave Scripture was planted, it would take root and couldn't be removed.
Who exactly possessed such great ability that they could lift the divine soul's restrictions of the Myriad Dao Slave Scripture?
Just as he was about to plant the Slave Seal on Yu Xiyan, Ning Ruoxue's voice interrupted his actions from behind.
"Ah Feng, I've been looking for you. So you're here. Quickly, come with me to see how the Ascension Ceremony is being arranged."
"Mm, alright."
Lin Feng felt a twinge of regret, but he could only give up for now. There would be other opportunities; he didn't need to rush.