201: Chapter 199 A Flower in a Mirror, a Moon in the Water

Xue Ji brought Yun Ming back to the Second Prince's manor.

The moment she stepped into the main hall, the Second Prince had already stood up from his seat.

His gaze first fell on Xue Ji, then moved to the person behind her, who had a dull expression and was muttering to himself.

He saw those hollow eyes, that expressionless face, and that dust-stained moon-white robe.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled up, higher and higher, until they split into a wild, unrestrained grin.

"Good!" He slammed a palm onto the table, causing the teacup to jump and tea to splash out, soaking the spread-out map. "Good! Good! Good!"

He said the word 'good' three times in a row, walking up to Yun Ming to size him up from head to toe.

A Loose Cultivator at the Late Golden Core Stage, a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, a monster who could succeed in nine out of ten batches of Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills and two or three out of five batches of Xuan Ying Pills.

This person was now his.

"Your Highness," Xue Ji leaned in, her body as soft and boneless as a vine, "I've brought the person back. How you use him is up to Your Highness."

The Second Prince pulled her by the waist and kissed her on the cheek. "How to use him? To refine pills, of course. Day and night, without end." He turned and shouted toward the door, "Someone, come! Bring all the Medicinal Pill Materials in the storehouse here! All of them!"

The Second Prince's predicament ended the moment Yun Ming arrived.

Yun Ming was locked in a secret room, surrounded by Restrictions.

Before him was a Pill Furnace, and behind him were mountains of Materials.

He didn't need rest, didn't need food, and didn't need to speak.

Xue Ji had given him a command to refine pills incessantly.

And so, he truly refined without stopping. Batch after batch, furnace after furnace. For Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills, nine out of ten were successful. For Xuan Ying Pills, two or three out of five were successful. As for third-rank pills, nearly every batch was a success, with almost no wasted pills.

Crate after crate of Medicinal Pills were moved out of the secret room, transported to the front lines, and delivered into the hands of various generals.

The Second Prince's army seemed like an entirely different group of people.

With an ample supply of Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills, the soldiers could restore their spiritual power with a single pill whenever it was depleted.

Xuan Ying Pills were no longer a rarity; many generals who had been stuck at Golden Core Perfection for years managed to Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage after consuming a single pill.

Morale soared like a rainbow, and their combat power skyrocketed.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Second Prince launched a fierce offensive. The Third Prince's defensive lines began to crumble, and city after city was conquered.

Things were getting worse and worse for the Third Prince.

He didn't know where the Second Prince had obtained so many Medicinal Pills, but he knew his own supply had been cut off.

Yun Ming was his man, but Yun Ming had disappeared.

He sent Zhou Qian to Qingyao City to search, but he only found an empty little courtyard.

The courtyard gate was open, and unfinished food and wine still sat on the stone table.

The person was gone. The Third Prince sent countless people to investigate, but they found nothing.

Yun Ming seemed to have vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind.

As one side waxed, the other waned.

Ten years passed.

The Second Prince completely defeated the Third Prince and annexed all of his territory.

The Third Prince's subordinates either died, surrendered, or fled.

The Third Prince himself was placed under house arrest in a remote little courtyard, forbidden from stepping outside for the rest of his life.

Shen Yizhi committed suicide to follow his master when the city fell, and Qin Zhao led the remnants of her troops to break through the encirclement, her whereabouts unknown.

The Second Prince stood in the Third Prince's former manor, high-spirited and triumphant.

He turned, looked at Xue Ji, and said with a smile, "It's all thanks to you."

Xue Ji leaned into his arms, her tail swaying gently behind her. "Your Highness, there is still the Crown Prince ahead, and that one..."

The Second Prince's smile faded slightly.

The Crown Prince, and that old Emperor at the Void Refinement stage.

Those two were his greatest obstacles.

But with Yun Ming, he wasn't afraid.

With an endless supply of pills and resources, he could trade time for space, slowly encroaching and growing stronger.

Xue Ji was very busy.

While the Second Prince commanded from the front lines, the rear was left to her.

She managed the allocation of grain, supplies, and Medicinal Pills, wielding great power.

She was very happy. She secretly planted her clansmen into various key positions—one today, another tomorrow, and another the day after.

No one noticed because her clansmen looked exactly like the Human Race; as long as they didn't show their tails, no one could tell the difference.

Fifty years passed.

The Second Prince defeated the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince's army retreated steadily under the Second Prince's fierce assault, eventually collapsing into a total rout.

The Crown Prince himself was captured. Out of consideration for their brotherly bond, the Second Prince did not kill him, but placed him under house arrest in the same courtyard as the Third Prince.

The three brothers remained there, looking at each other in silence from then on.

The old Emperor at the Void Refinement stage fell into a long silence after learning of the Crown Prince's defeat.

He showed no anger or sorrow; he merely sighed.

His Lifespan was running out. Although the Lifespan of a Void Refinement stage Cultivator was long, it still had an end.

He knew his time was near and could no longer afford to wait.

He looked at his only remaining son. Although he didn't like him, knew his mind was crooked, and knew there was a Yao Queen by his side, he had no other choice.

"Pass the throne to him," the old Emperor said. "I wish to go out and wander, to see the heavens and the earth, and see if there is any chance for a Breakthrough."

The officials knelt all over the floor; some wept, some tried to persuade him, and others remained silent.

The old Emperor waved his hand and turned into a Escape Light, vanishing into the horizon.

From then on, no one ever saw him again.

The Second Prince officially ascended the throne, becoming the new Emperor of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty.

Xue Ji was conferred the title of Empress, becoming the mother of the nation.

Wearing her phoenix robe and crown, she stood atop the highest palace of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty, overlooking the vast lands beneath her. The smile on her face could not be suppressed.

The imperial court was in an uproar.

Officials submitted memorials one after another, stating that the Empress was a Yao and could not be the mother of the nation, pleading with His Majesty to depose her.

The Second Prince didn't even look at those memorials, throwing them directly into the brazier.

He spent his days indulged in Xue Ji's charms, neglecting court sessions, ignoring memorials, and disregarding state affairs.

All matters were handed over to Xue Ji to handle.

Xue Ji sat beside the dragon throne, reviewing memorials and issuing commands on the Second Prince's behalf.

More and more of the Yao Race stood by her side.

One hundred years passed.

There were more and more Yao in the court, and fewer and fewer human officials.

The Second Prince's health grew worse and worse; his face was haggard, and his vitality was completely gone.

He attempted to Breakthrough to the Soul Transformation stage, hoping to use its power to reshape his Physical Body and reclaim his failing life.

But he failed.

Sitting on the dragon throne in Xue Ji's arms, he closed his eyes forever.

The Crown Prince was too young to govern.

In her capacity as Empress Dowager, Xue Ji began to officially take over the administration of the empire.

The Zifu Immortal Dynasty had completely changed.

In the imperial court, seventy to eighty percent were now members of the Yao Race.

In the provinces, the officials of various states and cities had also been largely replaced by the Yao Race.

Human Cultivators either submitted, were killed, or fled overseas.

The fate of Mortals was even more tragic. They were penned in fixed areas like livestock, fed and slaughtered to serve as blood food for the Yao Race.

The laws of the Immortal Dynasty still existed, but those enforcing them were the Yao Race.

Human lives were worthless.

Xue Ji stood atop the highest palace of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty, overlooking the vast lands beneath her.

Behind her stood countless Yao. At her feet prostrated countless humans.

The corners of her mouth curled up in a brilliant smile, as radiant as a blooming poppy. She spread her arms and laughed toward the heavens.

Her laughter echoed through the palace, passing through layers of halls and thick palace walls, reaching the outside.

It traveled far, very far.

Then, the laughter came to an abrupt halt.

A person was suspended high in the sky. No one knew when he had appeared, where he had come from, or how long he had been standing there.

There was no Escape Light, no Spiritual Pressure, and no warning whatsoever.

One moment the sky was empty, and the next, that person was suspended there as if he had been standing there since time immemorial.

The Emperor of the Zifu Immortal Dynasty.

The Void Refinement Divine Lord.

The old Emperor who had vanished into the horizon after passing the throne to the Second Prince.

He had returned.

He did not speak.

He simply raised his hand and gave a gentle flick.

As if flicking dust from a sleeve, or flicking a dewdrop from a fingertip.

An invisible ripple spread out from his fingertip, silent and unhurried.

The ripple swept through the palaces, over the pillars, across the roofs, and into every corner.

The Yao who were walking in the palace, the Yao who were reviewing memorials, the Yao who were drinking and laughing—the moment the ripple passed them, their bodies began to dissipate.

Starting from the top of their heads, to their faces, their necks, their torsos, and their limbs.

Like sand sculptures blown apart by the wind, like ink stains diluted by water. There were no screams, no struggling, and no blood.

They simply turned into ash silently, drifting away in the air.

One, two, ten, a hundred, a thousand.

The ashes drifted down, covering the palace floors, the steps, and the squares.

Standing at the highest point, Xue Ji watched as one clansman after another beside her turned into flying ash, and saw her own body begin to become transparent.

Her pupils dilated, and her mouth opened wide; she wanted to scream, but no sound came out.

She could only watch helplessly as she disappeared bit by bit.

Starting from her feet, to her legs, her waist, and her chest.

She looked down at her dissipating body, her face contorted with fear and shock.

"No—!"

She let out one final shriek before her entire being exploded, turning into a sky full of ash.

The ashes drifted down, falling onto the dragon throne, onto the phoenix crown, and onto the ornate robe embroidered with a golden phoenix. Then, the ashes also vanished.

Xue Ji snapped her eyes open.

The sunlight was blinding, and she squinted.

She looked down and saw ropes tied around her body.

She tried to struggle, but she couldn't break free.

Her heart sank.

A voice came to her.

"Don't waste your energy. You won't break free."