301: The deepest despair! She remembered that man!

"Su Chen..."

When this name—lazy and tinged with a hint of irreverence—emerged like a faint glimmer from the darkest, coldest depths of her heart,

Ji Hongxue's jade hand, which was pressing down on the Imperial Seal, trembled violently. The destructive willpower sufficient to detonate the entire Central Continent's ley lines was abruptly halted mid-air.

A fleeting moment of confusion appeared in her phoenix eyes, which had been completely filled with madness and resolve.

Why?

Why would she think of that scoundrel at this moment, when even her Soul felt crushed, leaving only the obsession to destroy?

That guy who was always bleary-eyed, constantly muttering "troublesome" and "don't wanna move," as lazy as a puddle of mud, as if even breathing an extra breath was too much effort.

That guy who, in front of the entire court at Qiankun Hall, utterly humiliated Marquis of Champion Xiao Tiance, all just so he could go back for a nap a little earlier.

That guy who clearly possessed heaven-defying abilities, yet insisted on masquerading as a powerless, spoiled divine scion, reveling in everyone's strange looks and gloating smugly about it in that damn diary!

What... what could he do?

Right now, he's probably imprisoned by those two demon cult enchantresses in some unknown corner, unable to even ensure his own safety.

Even if he were unharmed, even if he were still at the Everlasting Su Family.

But no matter how powerful the Everlasting Su Family is, it's merely a force within the Profound Origin Continent.

Could they possibly stand against that terrifying existence from the Upper Realm, who can obliterate a Quasi-Emperor with a single finger?

Impossible.

Ji Hongxue let out an icy, self-mocking laugh in her heart, the taste of iron in her throat seeming to grow stronger.

She must be truly insane to pin her hopes on that unreliable guy.

Perhaps at this very moment, he's reclining on his rocking chair, sipping tea, writing in that detestable diary: [Tsk, has the Great Xia Empress bitten off more than she can chew? A mere lackey from the Upper Realm has her stumped? Still too young, it seems. Troublesome, truly a massive headache. Please, for heaven's sake, don't come looking for me.]

He would definitely think that.

He would definitely consider this a huge trouble, then hide far away, maybe even gloat while watching the show.

Yes, he would definitely do that.

Ji Hongxue's eyes dimmed once more, the faint glimmer that had just ignited instantly devoured by deeper darkness.

She withdrew that unrealistic fantasy and prepared to continue her bloody plan of mutual destruction.

However,

when her hand once again touched the cold, hard edges of the Imperial Seal,

more images of Su Chen surged forth like a breached flood, utterly defying her imperial will, wildly rushing into her mind, battering her already precarious reason.

She remembered how, during the War against the Heavenly Demons, she had relied on the "Spoilers" from his diary, as if she had opened a Heavenly Eye, strategizing from afar, securing a glorious victory that would be recorded in history.

She remembered that night in Fengming Hall, the figure that had inexplicably appeared while she was bathing!

She remembered how, when he was leaving the palace, she had inexplicably stuffed that Imperial Token symbolizing "Acting in the Emperor's Stead" into his hand, as if some premonition had guided her.

She remembered even more... that day at the Wen Tianlai Theater, how she mustered a courage she had never possessed in her life and, driven by a strange impulse, actively kissed his lips.

In that instant, the entire world fell silent.

She could even vividly recall the softness of his lips, that pleasant, faint scent of sunshine on him, and... his utterly dumbfounded expression at the time, his pupils shaking as if his entire worldview had collapsed... scene after scene, memory after memory.

Like the sharpest engraving tool, they carved indelible, searing marks onto her heart, long frozen by imperial majesty.

So, unwittingly, that man had already occupied such an important place in her heart.

So, her feelings for him were no longer merely "utilization" and "curiosity."

It was a... reliance she was ashamed to admit yet unable to deny.

It was a... shelter she instinctively sought when faced with world-destroying danger.

"Everlasting Su Family..."

Ji Hongxue murmured to herself. A faint, weak spark—one she herself hardly dared believe—rekindled in her dimmed phoenix eyes.

She was the Great Xia Empress. She could not stake the fate of the entire Divine Dynasty on a vague, elusive hope.

This was irrational! This was foolish!

But... but, she, Ji Hongxue, was also a woman.

A woman who, in her deepest despair, would instinctively think of her man.

Even if, for now, that man was only hers in name.

Her proud imperial heart and her vulnerable maiden's heart waged the fiercest battle within her.

Reason screamed: Pleading for help is futile! It will only give him a chance to laugh at you, only make you, the Empress, appear even more pitiable!

Yet emotion roared madly: Try it! Even if there's only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, try it! What if? What if that man who always creates miracles, that scoundrel whose mouth says 'troublesome' but whose actions are honest, can work another miracle this time?

The night grew deep.

The lamplight in the Imperial Study flickered, casting her solitary shadow, stretching and shrinking erratically.

Ji Hongxue sat quietly on the Dragon Throne, motionless, like an exquisitely beautiful ice sculpture awaiting final judgment before dawn.

She struggled all night.

She agonized all night.