12: I am willing to protect you and help you return to the throne.

“Instead, I have an irreconcilable hatred for them and wish to kill them quickly. Now that the Tang Family has been destroyed, if you can release me, I will definitely repay you in the future.”

Tang Linglong smiled as much as possible, trying to show her goodwill.

“Hmm, I can feel your hatred for the Tang Family, but I captured you not to exterminate the Tang Family, but because I am very curious about you.”

“A mere Core Condensation Realm cultivator, yet you can unleash the power of the Void Tempering Realm, and your various secret arts are not something the Tang Family could possess.”

“Yet, you are still young, and your bones have not fully formed, so you are not an old reclusive monster disguised.”

At this point, Ye Xuan looked Tang Linglong up and down, his gaze carrying a hint of inquiry and curiosity.

“Therefore, I conclude that you must possess some special abilities, perhaps an Awakening of power, and combined with your previous words that contradict the future, I can determine that you are the Empress Reborn, right, Tang Linglong?”

Ye Xuan’s words made Tang Linglong’s heart sink sharply for a moment.

She didn’t expect that Ye Xuan, in just a few sentences, would deduce her origin.

However, since it had been exposed, she might as well offer significant benefits.

He was just a Saint; giving him some benefits would suffice.

“You are right, this Empress has indeed Reborn. I am the Divine Phoenix Empress of the Yao Race Emperor Court. If you release me, I will impart peerless Cultivation Techniques and supreme divine arts to you.”

“I can even give you Emperor artifacts and boundless Opportunities, allowing your Family to transform from a minor force into an ancient Legacy Family.”

“Your current lifespan is two thousand years, and you barely Breakthrough to Saint at the end of your lifespan, which indicates your Aptitude is too ordinary, and your Breakthrough was merely a fluke.”

“Although you can still live for five thousand years, if nothing unexpected happens, your ultimate achievement will stop at Saint King. It will be impossible to advance further.”

“However, if you can serve me and protect my Dao, your future Breakthrough to Great Saint will be effortless. This Empress has experienced various things in her previous life, so I am confident that my strength will surpass my previous life and I will become an Immortal unlike any seen before.”

“By then, with your meritorious protection of my Dao, you can become a Quasi-Emperor or even a Great Emperor. This Empress can even take you to Ascension, assist you in achieving longevity, and eternal immortality.”

As Tang Linglong spoke, she continuously circulated the Divine Phoenix Nirvana Art.

At that moment, Tang Linglong suddenly became incredibly sacred and noble.

Like a Heavenly God from the Nine Heavens, noble and unapproachable.

Her body was covered by Divine Phoenix light feathers, magnificent and dazzling.

Gone was her current youthful appearance, replaced by a peerlessly beautiful and captivating one.

Her face was devoid of any expression, as if this world held no significance in her eyes. Around her, a Divine Phoenix accompanied her flight, and Nirvana Qi protected her body.

Her eyes contained the sun and moon, and the Laws of Heaven and Earth were all contained within her.

Tang Linglong merely stood there, her Pressure (might) covering nine thousand domains, looking down on all ages, invincible.

In front of Tang Linglong, all the Tianjiao Disciple in this world paled in comparison.

Only she stood tall among the heavens, the Divine Phoenix Empress.

Such a peerlessly elegant person made Ye Xuan’s heart stir.

“Indeed, the might of the Empress is rare in the world,” Ye Xuan exclaimed with admiration in his eyes.

“Hmm, so you agree to my previous words and will become my Dao Protector?”

Tang Linglong’s face was somewhat pale. Forcibly activating the secret art to summon the shadow of her previous life’s Empress was still too strenuous for her.

She was currently in a true period of weakness.

Moreover, she would be unable to use the Divine Phoenix power for a short time.

“Hmm, but I think, don’t rush. Instead of being the Empress’s Dao Protector, I’d rather be the Empress’s husband, protect my wife’s Dao, and help you return to the Imperial Throne.”

Ye Xuan smiled and spoke without hesitation at this moment.

“What? What did you say?”

Tang Linglong was stunned for a moment.

She suspected if her ears had misheard something.

But Ye Xuan’s serious expression made her realize that she had not misheard.

“Ye Xuan, if you retract what you just said immediately, this Empress can pretend not to have heard it!”

Tang Linglong’s tone suddenly turned cold.

She was the Divine Phoenix Empress; how could she allow a Saint to humiliate her like this?

If her power had not yet recovered at this moment, she would have probably slapped Ye Xuan to death already.

“Retract? Why should I retract it, my wife? My mind is made up. Once this matter is settled, it will be our wedding day. By then, I will definitely give you a truly Perfect wedding.”

Ye Xuan stood with his hands behind his back, smiling as he looked at Tang Linglong in the cage.

“You, Ye Xuan, do you know the consequences of offending a Great Emperor? Even if I am not your match today, once I become a Saint a hundred years from now, killing you will be as easy as turning over my hand.”

Tang Linglong widened her eyes and threatened sharply at this moment.

These words were not false. Ye Xuan’s talent was ordinary. If he Cultivated normally, he would probably be capped at Saint.

However, Tang Linglong, the Heavenly Mandate Empress Reborn, her Luck and strength surpassed her past.

And her Aptitude was excellent; she would probably enter the Saint Realm within a hundred years.

Another hundred years, and she might be able to recover her Great Emperor Venerable position.

By then, wanting to kill a Saint would truly be as easy as turning over one’s hand.

“I understand, but what I just said was a notification, not a discussion.”

Ye Xuan was determined to marry her as his wife.

After all, he now had the System, a destined glorious path to the heavens.

So why not fight for it?

He was once told that the Venerable Realm was his Peak, and he was fated to be without a Saint in this life.

If he had listened to those words and stopped after reaching Venerable, he probably wouldn’t exist in this world anymore.

If he continued to be indecisive, where would there be a broad and unobstructed path to walk?

“You, you… very well. This Empress has given you a chance. I hope you won’t regret it then.”

Tang Linglong stared at Ye Xuan, and after a long while, a cold smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

It was a look of someone gazing at an ant.

However, it was precisely this look that, for the first time in a long while, ignited Ye Xuan’s desire for conquest.

Although Tang Linglong had begun her Awakening, she was still young.

She would still be angered by his words and even react.

But if it were the Empress Tang Linglong, she would have slapped him without a care.

That was the difference.

However, this kind of Tang Linglong had the loveliness of a young girl.

He liked it very much.

…

Time flew by like a white colt passing a crevice, and in a blink of an eye, seven days had passed.

During this period, the Ye Family had completely cleared out the remaining forces of the Tang Family.

They had annexed all of the Tang Family’s assets, taking them into their possession.

After acquiring these assets of the Tang Family, the Ye Family also grew considerably stronger.

However, the news of the Tang Family’s destruction spread the moment the Ye Family broke into Wu Yuan City.

This news swept across the entire Tianmu Province in a very short time and was still spreading to other State Domains.

All major forces received this news.