295: The drunken empress keeps thinking about that guy!

Separated by a sea, yet countless miles apart, the Nanyuan Domain of the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty was close at hand.

As far as the eye could see, there was an endless expanse of land, with mountain ranges undulating like Dragons lying across the earth, winding and vast!

The sea was boundless, and the land was endless!

"I'm finally back!"

"This time, my return was much faster than when I left!"

Li Tongshen had returned. Looking at the familiar land, he felt as if he had been away for many years and had finally returned home.

A surge of indescribable emotion welled up in his chest, eager to be released.

"I, Li Tongshen, am back!!!"

His voice was like a mighty wave, stirring up a hundred-zhang torrent. The rolling waves seemed to extend countless hands, welcoming his return!

It only took him ten days to return from Jiuxiao City to the Nanyuan Domain, traversing the endless sea. The greatest contributor was the flying boat beneath his feet, which Shen Tianxing had specially left for him.

The flying boat's speed allowed him to return quickly and also helped him avoid interception by some short-sighted Cultivators in the Sea of Buried Demons.

Originally, he didn't want to come back!

However, looking at the long-unseen Nanyuan Domain at this moment, Li Tongshen forgot how unwilling he had been when he left.

The enormous flying boat moved at an incredible speed, crossing the coastline in the blink of an eye and heading rapidly inland.

"Did you see that? A boat as big as a small mountain flew across the sky!"

"Hahaha, you must be seeing things. This is the Nanyuan Domain, a heavily guarded area of Great Qi. Who would be so foolish as to dare appear here?"

"Exactly. Even a flying boat couldn't be as big as you say. Have you been going to Cuihualou too much lately, making your eyes blurry?!"

Some Cultivators who saw the flying boat in the sky were incredibly shocked.

But no one believed such an absurd thing. flying boats weren't unheard of here, but who had ever seen a flying boat the size of a small mountain?

Moreover, what kind of flying boat could be so fast that even they, as Cultivators, couldn't get a glimpse of it? Isn't that ridiculous?

Li Tongshen didn't know how much attention his appearance had attracted.

However, the flying boat's speed was too great, and few people could capture its silhouette.

Day after day, Li Tongshen traveled rapidly within the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty, getting closer and closer to the Great Qi Imperial City!

"We're almost at the Great Qi Imperial City. Along the way, traces of Demons and Monsters have appeared everywhere in the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty. It seems the Nanyuan Domain suffered heavy losses, and they have begun to join forces with the Demon, Monster, and Ghost Cultivators of other Imperial Dynasties!"

The Heaven Refining Sect, where Li Tongshen belonged, was one of the Ten Gates of Demons and Monsters of Great Qi, but Demon, Monster, and Ghost Cultivators were not exclusive to the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty. Powerful Demon Sects were entrenched in the surrounding dozen Imperial Dynasties!

Across more than ten Imperial Dynasty forces, the combined Demon Sects and Ghost Dao Sects numbered at least close to a hundred!

These hundred or so Demon and Ghost Dao Sects had intricate relationships, being both allies and competitors!

As long as there was profit, a single call could gather many experts to join forces against an enemy!

The battle in the Nanyuan Domain was proof of this!

Dozens of Demon and Ghost Dao Sects joined forces, only to be utterly defeated, an unprecedented heavy blow!

And now, experts of Demon, Monster, and Ghost Cultivators had once again appeared within Great Qi, clearly indicating that this vast influential force had begun to mobilize!

However, it was not yet very obvious... Great Qi Imperial City!

After the chaos caused by the Demon, Monster, and Ghost Cultivators, the Imperial City had now regained its prosperity.

Merchants came and went, Cultivators from various Imperial Dynasties increased daily, and vendors hawking their wares could be seen everywhere on the streets, presenting a scene of peace and prosperity.

However, there were still many Imperial City Guard soldiers patrolling within the Imperial City, making it clear that after the Demon invasion, the Imperial City now placed even greater emphasis on its internal security!

In the Imperial Palace, within the Imperial Garden, in a pavilion beside a lake.

Empress Yan Yuzhu lay languidly on a stone table, with exquisite wine and delicacies laid out before her. A wine cup carved from warm jade was filled with wine, but she hadn't touched a drop.

Yan Yuzhu loved wine; in the past, a pot of wine would have been enough for her in a few sips.

But somehow, the wine no longer tasted good. Two figures always appeared in her mind, and whenever she thought of them, she felt a mix of emotions and unease.

She looked at the empty seat beside her, and familiar words flooded her mind.

"You should drink less..."

"How could an Empress be so fond of wine? What would her subjects think if they saw her?"

"I don't have time to drink with you. You should also drink less. Why not think more about how to handle recent state affairs?"

Yan Yuzhu murmured, "It's been months since they left, and they're still nagging in my ear. Annoying!"

The Empress turned over, her soft couch perfectly supporting her.

Her proud and perfect figure was covered by a light veil, yet her beauty was hard to conceal. Coupled with her languid and beautiful face, she was truly peerless!

Alas, this beautiful sight was unseen by anyone!

"I wonder if Su Mingyue has been found? Or has she already met Shen Tianxing? Is she enjoying herself so much that she doesn't want to come back?"

A handsome face popped into Yan Yuzhu's mind, and the name Shen Tianxing, like a persistent shadow, once again occupied her thoughts.

"How are you doing? Have you unraveled the blood seal on your body? I told you to come back with me, but you insisted on going to the Sea of Buried Demons. Just die out there!"

She was thinking of Xing Yao, but inexplicably, Shen Tianxing came to mind again, especially in the last two months. The longer the time passed, the more she thought of him!

His figure filled her thoughts even in court, while bathing, and in her dreams.

Lately, she had been somewhat distracted from handling state affairs.

Yan Yuzhu still didn't realize that from the moment Shen Tianxing left, his figure had already firmly occupied her heart.

Even thinking of Xing Yao was merely an unconscious thought.

The person who truly kept her awake at night and distracted her from state affairs was still that annoying fellow who, in the Nanyuan Domain, toyed with countless Demons single-handedly!

Yan Yuzhu lay on the couch, her eyes tightly closed, as if asleep.

A palace maid carefully walked into the pavilion and shook her head. How many times had this happened?

"Your Majesty, someone outside the palace wishes to see you. He says he comes on the orders of Minister of Justice Shen."

Swish—

Yan Yuzhu, who had her eyes tightly closed, suddenly opened them, an uncontrollable joy and surprise flashing in her eyes.

"Did he really say he was on the orders of Minister of Justice Shen?!"

"Yes! He has Minister of Justice Shen's waist token as proof."

The palace maid quickly presented a waist token with both hands.

A minister of justice's waist token, this was Shen Tianxing's waist token!

Within and outside the Great Qi Imperial Dynasty, who didn't know what the name Minister of Justice Shen represented!

"Immediately bring the person to the Ziwei Pavilion. I will be there shortly!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"