239: Chapter 239 Eastern Wilderness, I'm Back

As the light of the teleportation formation gradually dissipated, the weightlessness brought by the spatial travel vanished with it.

A solid sensation came from beneath their feet.

Immediately after, a gust of air carrying a hint of heat and dust blew against their faces, starkly different from the eternally cold Spiritual Qi in the underground palace.

This was the scent of the mortal world.

"We've arrived."

Xu Chen was the first to open his eyes, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

What met his eyes was an ancient and weathered altar.

The altar was overgrown with weeds, and broken walls and ruins could be seen everywhere. Giant stone pillars lay collapsed in the grass, the dragon patterns carved upon them eroded into blurring by wind and rain.

Sunlight spilled down through the sparse leaves of ancient trees, creating a dappled pattern.

It was quiet here, with only the intermittent chirping of unknown insects in the grass, exuding an air of desolation and loneliness.

"This place is..."

Wu Mingkong slowly opened her eyes. Looking at the dilapidated scene before her, a trace of confusion flashed through her originally majestic phoenix eyes.

She subconsciously took two steps forward, reaching out to touch a broken stone pillar.

The rough texture transmitted through her fingertips made her heart, which had been dormant for many years, tremble violently.

"This is the West Side Hall of the Imperial Ancestral Temple..."

Her voice was somewhat dry, carrying a hint of disbelief. "Before I fell into my slumber, this place had just finished being renovated. It was one of the most magnificent buildings in the palace... How could it..."

Three thousand years.

For a Cultivator, it might just be a single long period of secluded cultivation.

But for a secular Imperial Dynasty, it was enough for the seas to turn into mulberry fields and for glory to turn into ruins.

The once magnificent palace now had nothing left but desolate weeds.

"Time is the most heartless of all."

Xu Chen walked to her side and reached out to hold her somewhat cold hand. The warmth of his palm was transmitted through her skin. "However, though the mountains and rivers have changed, as long as the person is still here, everything can be started anew."

Wu Mingkong's body trembled slightly.

She turned to look at Xu Chen. The confusion in her eyes gradually dispersed, replaced by a rekindled flame called 'ambition'.

Yes.

I have returned.

As long as I am here, this sky of Great Xia will not collapse!

"Let's go."

Wu Mingkong gripped Xu Chen's hand back, her back instantly straightening. That pressure belonging to an eternal emperor was released without reservation at this moment.

Even though she was standing in ruins, she still walked with an Aura of ruling over the world.

"Let us go see what the lands of Great Xia have become today."

...

The four of them crossed the desolate outer perimeter of the ancestral lands.

As they moved forward, the surrounding scenery gradually became tidier. The original wild grass was replaced by neatly trimmed gardens, and patrolling guards began to appear.

Clearly, this was the Forbidden Ground of the Great Xia imperial family. Although the core area was abandoned, the perimeter was still heavily guarded.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass into the Forbidden Ground of the Imperial Tombs!"

Just as the four were about to leave the range of the Forbidden Ground, a squad of heavily armored Imperial Guards discovered them. They immediately shouted, pointing their halberds and surrounding them with thick Killing Intent.

However, when they saw the four figures clearly, their original scolding instantly got stuck in their throats.

Leading them was a youth dressed in clothes as white as snow. He was handsome and elegant with a transcendent temperament, a faint smile on his lips, completely ignoring the glinting weapons.

By his side followed two stunning women.

One was as cold as ice, her gaze so indifferent it was as if she were looking at dead people; the other was naturally enchanting, every frown and smile tugging at one's Soul.

But the one who was most terrifyingly shocking was the woman being held by the white-clad youth.

She wore a Flat-Top Crown and was draped in a nine-clawed golden dragon robe. Her face was exquisitely beautiful yet possessed an inviolable majesty.

Especially when those phoenix eyes swept over coldly, all the Imperial Guards felt as if their Souls were trembling. A fear coming from the depths of their Bloodline made their legs go weak.

"A... a nine-clawed golden dragon robe?!"

The captain of the Imperial Guards widened his eyes, the halberd in his hand shaking. "This... how is this possible? Even the current Emperor only wears five claws..."

In the ancestral regulations of the Great Xia Dynasty, nine claws represented the ultimate status—that was a specification only the Founding Ancestor could enjoy!

Now, it was actually being worn by a woman?

Furthermore, she had walked out from the depths of the ancestral lands that had been sealed for a thousand years?

Wu Mingkong stopped her pace. Looking at these Great Xia soldiers who actually dared to point their weapons at her, a hint of coldness flashed in her phoenix eyes.

In Great Xia, the Imperial Guards were the Emperor's personal guards, an extension of imperial power.

Now, her own guard dogs actually dared to show their fangs to their master?

"Begone."

Her red lips opened slightly as she uttered a single word.

Boom!

An invisible Imperial Pressure suddenly erupted.

This was not just the pressure of a Quasi-Emperor expert, but it also contained the national Dragon Qi accumulated by the Great Xia Dynasty over thousands of years.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

That squad of Imperial Guards had no power to resist at all. Their weapons were knocked from their hands by this Aura, and they knelt on the ground in unison, their knees cracking the bluestone tiles on the floor.

"Senior... Senior, have mercy!"

The captain was dripping with cold sweat, his head pressed against the ground, not daring to lift it at all.

He had a premonition that if he dared to say one more word, his head would fall in the next second.

"It seems your lingering prestige is still there."

Xu Chen watched this scene and teased her with a smile.

"Hmph, a bunch of things with no eyes."

Wu Mingkong snorted coldly and restrained her Aura, but that naturally authoritative field still made people not dare to look directly at her.

The four ignored these kneeling guards and walked straight through the gates of the Forbidden Ground, entering a prosperous area.

This was the core area of the Great Xia Imperial Capital and also the outer plaza of the palace.

It was currently noon, with the fierce sun hanging high.

The plaza was crowded with people. Not only were there guards of the imperial city, but there were also many passing Cultivators and nobles dressed in fine clothing.

When Xu Chen's group appeared on the plaza, the originally noisy environment was like a pause button had been pressed, instantly falling into a strange, dead silence.

Everyone's gaze was simultaneously drawn over.

They were too conspicuous.

The combination of these four people would be the absolute focus no matter where they were placed.

Xu Chen's transcendent temperament, Mo Han's icy Killing Intent, Hua Jieyu's peerless allure, and... Wu Mingkong's dragon robe, which had a strong sense of dissonance yet was also dominantly overbearing.

"My god... who is that woman wearing a dragon robe?"

After a brief silence, an uncontrollable wave of exclamations erupted from the crowd.

"Nine-clawed golden dragon?! Did I see that right? That's the legendary Imperial Robe!"

"Could it be some consort from the palace out for a stroll?"

"Bullshit! Which consort would dare to wear a nine-clawed golden dragon? That's a crime punishable by the execution of nine generations! Even the Empress can only wear a phoenix robe!"

"But... look at the Aura on her, it's so terrifying! I feel like I can't breathe even from this far away."

Discussions rose and fell.

Passersby pointed and gestured, their eyes filled with shock, curiosity, and even awe.

Wu Mingkong's brow furrowed slightly.

She did not like the feeling of being watched like a monkey in a circus. If it were in the past, she would have already ordered the area cleared.

But now, her hand was being held tightly by Xu Chen.

The warmth from his palm caused her originally irritable mood to calm down inexplicably.

"Ignore them."

Xu Chen squeezed her palm and led her through the crowd with a calm expression. "You are the Empress. They look at you because your radiance is too brilliant; this is the upward gaze they should have."

These words were spoken extremely dominantly, yet they happened to strike a chord in Wu Mingkong's heart.

"Smooth talker."

She gave Xu Chen a coquettish glare, but the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.

Hua Jieyu followed behind, watching the interaction between the two, and couldn't help but whisper to Mo Han beside her, "Look at Sister; where is there any trace of an Empress's majesty left? She's practically a little woman in love."

Mo Han looked straight ahead, still maintaining her 'do not approach' demeanor, and only replied faintly, "As long as the Young Lord likes it."

The four of them walked along the plaza's main road, heading out.

Everywhere they passed, the crowd automatically split to form a path, just like Moses parting the sea. No one dared to block them, and they didn't even dare to get close.

That field of energy was too strong.

Looking at the surrounding buildings that were both familiar and strange, and looking at the commoners wearing odd clothes, Wu Mingkong felt a myriad of emotions in her heart.

"Great Xia... has really changed a lot."

She sighed softly. "Even the layout of this Imperial Capital is vastly different from my memories."

"It doesn't matter if it's changed."

Xu Chen said with a smile, "As long as the Foundation is still there, it can become whatever you want it to be. From today on, you are both the past of Great Xia and the future of Great Xia."

"Mm."

Wu Mingkong nodded heavily.

Just then, a commotion suddenly occurred in the crowd ahead that had been automatically parting.

"Move aside! Move aside!"

"Princess Weiyang's phoenix carriage is coming!"

"Anyone who doesn't want to die, get out of the way!"

A series of arrogant and domineering shouts, accompanied by the rapid sound of horse hooves and the crisp crack of whips striking the air, came from the other end of the street.

The originally orderly crowd instantly became chaotic. The commoners and Cultivators fled in panic to both sides of the road as if they had seen some fearsome beast, fearing they would suffer if they were a step too slow.

Xu Chen stopped his pace and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"It seems that among the descendants of the Great Xia imperial family, quite a few 'talents' have emerged."

He glanced at Wu Mingkong beside him and spoke with deep meaning.

Wu Mingkong's face instantly darkened.

She had just returned and was about to lament how things had changed, only to run into this scene of riding horses in the street and oppressing commoners? And it was even under the banner of a princess?