345: You are seventeen, still a boy, while I...

The Great Qi Imperial Palace!

It was as noble as ever, but beneath this nobility, there was a hint of solemnity.

The patrol guards within the palace were noticeably more numerous than before.

On the surface, Great Qi faced the siege of over a dozen Imperial Dynasties, and in secret, many powerful Cultivators lurked, having already assassinated several military experts.

There was even a Cultivator at the eighth level of the Heavenly Phenomenon Realm who once infiltrated the palace, intending to deal with the Empress!

Fortunately, Yan Yuzhu's cultivation was astonishing, and with the blessing of the Imperial Dao Dragon Qi, she defeated the powerful enemy, which made the entire Imperial Palace even more vigilant.

The Empress became busier than before, consulting with her ministers daily about the impending crisis, ready to take action at any moment.

The leisurely life she once enjoyed was now a rarity.

After a day of busy work, the Feng Hua Hall was silent, with only the candlelight on the walls burning quietly, illuminating the entire hall brightly.

Yan Yuzhu put down her wolf-hair brush, finally relaxing for a moment.

On the large desk, there was a pot of wine; recently, she had been drinking more and more frequently.

“Alas...”

She looked at the empty space in front of the Dragon Throne; no matter how late it was, there would always be a stunning figure standing there whenever she needed him.

And every time she indulged, she would drink, and that figure beside her would always frown slightly, then tell her to drink less.

Alas, the person was gone, having departed long ago.

“Heartless woman, following him, you've forgotten yourself, and I don't know when you'll return.”

“This vast Imperial Dynasty, how much longer can I... endure?”

Yan Yuzhu, clad in a Dragon Robe, reached for the wine pot on the Dragon Throne and tilted her head back, taking a few gulps.

The mellow, spicy wine passed through her throat, bringing with it a fiery, knife-like sensation, and the cool temperature made her a little more sober.

In her mind, a figure appeared, heroic and dignified!

Shua—

Yan Yuzhu seemed to recall something, her gaze flicking to a corner of the desk, where a stack of vivid paintings was faintly visible, haphazardly piled.

These were his portraits; even though the palace eunuchs cleaned daily, Yan Yuzhu never allowed them to be touched!

A fine sheet of Xuan paper lay on the desk. Yan Yuzhu held the wine pot in one hand and picked up the wolf-hair brush by the desk with the other. Dipping it in thick ink, she began to paint, and the scent of ink gradually filled the entire sheet of Xuan paper!

A handsome face, resolute with piercing eyes, thin lips and thick brows, elegant and distinguished!

With flowing strokes, the painting was completed!

If anyone were to see it, they would instantly recognize that the person who made the Empress wield her brush and paint late into the night was none other than the Grand Minister of Justice, Shen Tianxing, who had left Great Qi nearly a year ago!

Gulu gulu!

Yan Yuzhu tilted her head back and drank, the wine spilling onto her Dragon Robe, emitting a fragrant aroma, and a slight tipsiness came over her.

She gazed lost at the person in the painting.

Her initial thoughts towards Shen Tianxing were actually very simple, merely admiration!

She admired his courage, his talent in the martial Dao, and even more, his style of action, never dragging things out!

Moreover, whenever he took action, it often brought unexpected rewards!

From leaving the Imperial City, all the way battling demons, devils, and Ghost Dao experts, he struck like thunder, sweeping aside various formidable foes, deterring demons, devils, and the Ghost Dao!

Such achievements were rare even among the entire court of Great Qi!

Then, in the Nanyuan Domain, he drew his blade to awe the multitude, intimidated Prince Pei, commanded the Three Departments, the Eight Directions Dragon Suppressing Division, and contended with all demons, never falling behind!

Wielding his blade in slaughter, giving his all!

Until he was afflicted with the Holy Heaven Demon Sect's blood curse, without regret!

His responsibility, his resilience, his dedication to the Imperial Dynasty—scene after scene flashed by, filling Yan Yuzhu's heart with remorse!

“How can I repay you?”

Shaking her head, Yan Yuzhu emerged from her dazed state, then placed the lifelike painting on the desk atop the other paintings.

Even her own thoughts, Yan Yuzhu didn't know what they truly were.

Gratitude? Indebtedness?

Both!

In the battle of the Nanyuan Domain, with her strength, she could have easily wiped out everything!

The Elder of the Holy Heaven Demon Sect who escaped, she could have actually dealt with him completely, but to resolve that Elder, Yan Yuzhu would have to pay a considerable price!

A Dharma Idol body was, after all, just a Dharma Idol body. To completely eliminate that person, she would need to mobilize more Imperial Dao Dragon Qi.

But if she did so, her entanglement with the Imperial Dao Dragon Qi would deepen, and each time she used immense power, the Lifespan devoured by the Imperial Dao Dragon Qi would increase.

Until one day, she would no longer be able to separate, and she would completely fuse with the Imperial Dao Dragon Qi, her vitality completely devoured!

This was why she hadn't fully unleashed her power.

No one knew these secrets, not even Xing Yao, who had a close relationship with her!

This was a secret unique to the Emperor of Great Qi!

Hoo... A cold wind blew into the hall, and outside, a blanket of white suddenly fell.

Yan Yuzhu stepped forward, opened the main door, where only two young eunuchs stood. Seeing the Empress emerge, they respectfully bowed.

She waved her hand and walked outside the main door. The sky was already filled with falling white flakes.

“It's snowing, another year-end.”

“You are seventeen, still a youth, and I...”

She was already twenty-seven, ten years older than Shen Tianxing. Both were actually very young.

Cultivators were timeless; with their talent, no one could say what their future destiny would be.

In the snowy night, the stunning Empress silently watched the falling snow, holding a wine pot, yet unable to conceal her supreme nobility!

Even the entire Imperial Palace seemed a few shades grander... In the Sea of Buried Demons, Inner Sea, on a small island in the Moon Saint Sea Region.

Shen Tianxing sat cross-legged in an Immortal Cave, his aura slowly retracting into his body. The dense True Essence force, as if materialized, was rapidly absorbed by him.

Only when his entire body's aura had settled and his True Essence circulated freely did Shen Tianxing slowly open his eyes.

“Hoo...”

He exhaled a mouthful of turbid Qi, and from his open eyes, two streaks of purple light flashed, flying several feet before disappearing.

It had been over a month since he arrived in Moon Saint City. The year-end had passed, and Shen Tianxing had once again entered secluded cultivation.

His Incarnations, sent out, had entered various top Sects in the Inner Sea, and some were doing quite well!

Correspondingly, the gains they brought him were unimaginably rich.

Therefore, in just over a month, his cultivation had once again improved.

“The Peak of Heavenly Phenomenon Realm, I have finally reached this summit, the Golden Body Realm is within reach!”

Cultivators of the Golden Body Realm had already appeared.

The controllers behind these great domains—Eastern Continent, Southern Domain, Western Ridge, and Northern Barrens—finally could not endure the casualties of the Inner Sea's chaos and dispatched Golden Body Realm experts to suppress it!

This was why Shen Tianxing was so eager to improve himself.

He had never encountered the power of the Golden Body Realm, but it was rumored that beings at this level were indestructible through a hundred calamities and imperishable for ten thousand years!

Only by truly standing at this level could one dominate everything in the Inner Sea!