453: The Emperor's Daughter

The ethereal voice, for the first time, carried a noticeable emotional fluctuation, and the surrounding violent thunder seemed to become even more restless due to this emotional upheaval.

The destructive aura almost suffocated Yin Sha, his body’s silver glow flickering intensely, as if it could shatter at any moment.

“Say that again? Who appeared?”

The voice from within the hall pressed on, with a hint of unbelievable urgency.

Yin Sha, enduring the terrifying pressure, quickly lowered his head and repeated, “Reporting to Your Highness, it is… it is Tai Hao, or rather, someone deeply connected to him. That person’s name is Ye Xuan!”

Upon hearing this.

The hall fell into a brief silence, with only the rumbling of thunder echoing endlessly.

After a long while, the voice sounded again, having already returned to its previous ethereal indifference, but upon closer listening, it seemed to hide an extremely deep and complex emotion.

“Ye Xuan, tell me in detail. Report everything you know about him, no matter how trivial, to me.”

“Yes!”

Yin Sha dared not delay and quickly recounted everything Yin Huang had reported, including how Ye Xuan easily defeated Yin Huang, and drove back the Silver Armor Guards.

And the most crucial part: the terrifying scene of him saying that even the Celestial Emperor in his prime would have to lower his gaze upon seeing him, and how he shattered the phantom of the celestial emperors decree with a single word, recounting it all precisely as it happened.

After the narration, Yin Sha knelt on the ground, not even daring to breathe loudly.

Indeed, no matter when, in the presence of the Imperial Princess, he dared not act rashly. Her pressure was even greater than when facing the Celestial Emperor.

Silence fell upon the hall once more, this time for an even longer period.

Just as Yin Sha almost thought Your Highness would not speak again, the ethereal voice softly sounded, carrying a sense of wistfulness and a faint trace of bitterness.

“To scatter a decree with a word, and to demand a lowered gaze upon sight—such a posture, such a tone, it is indeed something only he would possess. Even if it is not him in person, it must be the Legacy of his Dao Seed, inheriting his proud spirit and Dao.”

“Your Highness, you…”

Yin Sha hesitated slightly; he had never heard Your Highness speak in such a tone.

In his impression, Your Highness was always aloof and lofty, like a solitary moon hanging in the Nine Heavens, inviolable and devoid of any emotion.

She was like those unreachable stars and brilliant lights, utterly impervious to any profanity.

Even a single glance would seem to defile her.

“Yin Sha.”

The voice from within the hall interrupted his thoughts.

“Do you know why the Ancient Heavenly Court collapsed?”

Yin Sha was stunned, and asked, confused, “The Celestial Emperor’s records state that it was due to a large-scale invasion by Extraterrestrial Demons, the main forces of the Heavenly Court were annihilated, coupled with continuous internal strife, and the main forces at that time entered the Zhuyue Immortal Realm and were trapped within, which is why…”

“Heh…”

A very soft sneer came from within the hall, interrupting him.

“That was merely a facade. The true root cause is far deeper than you imagine, and it is inextricably linked to Tai Hao.”

Yin Sha’s heart was greatly shaken; this was a secret he had never heard of!

“The Celestial Emperor and Tai Hao once debated the Dao in the depths of Chaos for a hundred days. After their return, the Celestial Emperor entered seclusion for ten thousand years. Upon emerging, his temperament changed drastically, and he began to madly pursue power.”

“He even touched upon many taboos, which led to a series of calamities later on.”

The voice from within the hall narrated calmly, yet it unveiled a shocking secret buried in the annals of time.

“And that Chaos Fire Seed was not originally an item of the Heavenly Court. To my knowledge, Tai Hao discovered it before the Celestial Emperor, but did not collect it, merely stating that the time was not ripe, and the karmic affinity had not arrived.”

“The Celestial Emperor later learned of it and remained obsessed, believing it to be the key to surpassing Tai Hao. After all, if it was a karmic affinity for Tai Hao, perhaps it was even more important to them.”

Yin Sha listened dumbfounded, feeling a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

It turned out that behind the Chaos Fire Seed, there was such a profound struggle between the Celestial Emperor and Tai Hao!

“Your Highness, what should we do now? That Ye Xuan forcibly occupied the Fire Seed, and we…”

Yin Sha asked cautiously.

The hall was silent for a moment before saying, “Since he took the Chaos Fire Seed, let him have it. This item originally has a deeper karmic affinity with him. You all must not try to seize it again, nor must you disturb the Phoenix Clan.”

“What?”

Yin Sha exclaimed in shock, “But Your Highness, His Majesty the Celestial Emperor personally issued the order. If we do not carry it out, I fear it will…”

“I will speak to Imperial Father.”

The voice from within the hall carried an undeniable decisiveness.

“Yin Sha, transmit my decree: all former Heavenly Court subordinates, from this day forward, go into seclusion. Without my decree, you are not to act rashly, and even more so, you must not oppose Ye Xuan! Violators will have their forms and spirits utterly annihilated!”

“We respectfully obey Your Highness’s decree!”

Although Yin Sha’s heart was in turmoil, he dared not show the slightest disobedience.

Though this Your Highness had been in seclusion for many years, her prestige and strength among the former Heavenly Court subordinates were unfathomable, and it was even rumored that she was no less powerful than the Celestial Emperor in his prime!

After all, the power this Imperial Princess displayed in those ancient times had long surpassed their imagination.

The title of the foremost person in the Abyss of Heaven was by no means a false rumor; it was a testament to her past strength.

“You may leave.”

The voice from within the hall seemed to carry a hint of weariness.

Yin Sha dared not linger. After respectfully saluting, he slowly retreated from this terrifying thunderous area.

It wasn't until he was far away that he realized his back was drenched in cold sweat. What he had heard today was truly too shocking, completely overturning his understanding… Within the shattered palace, the thunder gradually subsided.

A graceful figure slowly emerged from the hazy light mist in the deepest part of the palace.

She wore a plain white palace dress, yet seemed to be draped in myriad rays of light and thunder patterns. Her face was peerlessly beautiful, aloof and exquisitely elegant.

Even all the words of praise in the world describing a woman’s beauty could not capture a fraction of her enchanting, soul-stirring charm.

Her beauty seemed to gather all the spiritual essence of heaven and earth into one, yet also carried an unapproachable majesty.

Her eyes were a rare purplish-gold, within which countless thunderbolts seemed to be born and extinguished, containing endless destruction and vitality.

She was Xuan Ji, the princess of the Ancient Heavenly Court, the direct daughter of the Celestial Emperor.

She was also the woman who, in those years, had an untold entanglement with the exceptionally talented Tai Hao.

Xuan Ji slowly raised her slender hand. In her palm, a faint, almost dissipating purple lightning flickered. At the core of the lightning, a blurry rune was faintly visible.

The power of this rune originated from the same source as the characters on the phantom of the celestial emperors decree that Ye Xuan had shattered earlier, yet it was more ancient and pure.

“Tai Hao, is it truly you who has returned…”

She murmured softly, myriad emotions flashing through her purplish-gold eyes, finally transforming into a complex sigh.

“What did you and my Imperial Father discuss during your Dao debate back then, that caused his Dao Heart to become unbalanced and lead him to obsession? And you simply left, never to be heard from again…”

“Now you return, yet you are unwilling to even use your true name. Ye Xuan… Is this your name now?”