338: Chapter 338 Clash of Two Queens: The Empress of Great Xia Meets a Princess from Another Land

The evening afterglow spilled over the Spiritual Lake in the Xu Family's back garden, gilding the layers of spiritual lotuses with a golden edge.

Su Qingge led Helian Yue along the corridor carved from white jade.

A breeze drifted by, bringing bursts of delicate flower fragrance.

By the white jade railing of the Lake Center Pavilion stood an elegant and luxurious figure.

Wu Mingkong wore a bright yellow, loose Phoenix robe, her long black hair coiled into an elegant Flying Immortal Bun.

She lowered her eyes, scattering spiritual crystal crumbs from her hand onto the lake surface, attracting a group of colorful koi to leap out of the water in competition.

Her slightly protruding lower abdomen did not diminish her beauty in the slightest; instead, it added a layer of maternal, gentle radiance to this once-formidable Empress of Great Xia.

Hearing the sound of footsteps from the corridor, Wu Mingkong stopped her movements and turned around.

Her gaze passed over Su Qingge and fell directly on the foreign woman beside her, who was dressed in dark red, tight-fitting leather armor.

As these two stunning beauties, who had both once held great power, locked eyes, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

“Sister Qingge, this must be that little wildcat Husband brought back from the border, right?”

Wu Mingkong's voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying the composure and majesty of an Empress accustomed to giving orders. A scrutinizing light flashed in her phoenix eyes.

“The scent of blood on her body is quite heavy.”

Faced with Wu Mingkong's testing remark, Helian Yue was not as well-behaved and submissive as she had been when facing Su Qingge in the inner cabinet.

The wildness and pride inherent in her soul as a foreign commander were instantly and completely triggered upon meeting one of her own kind.

Helian Yue took a step forward, her narrow fox-like eyes releasing a sharp edge without any concealment.

“Foreign Domain Royal Court, Helian Yue. I have long heard that there was a beauty by Husband's side who once served as an Empress. Seeing you today, you indeed put on quite an air.”

The corner of Helian Yue's mouth curled into an untamed, wild smile as her gaze swept over Wu Mingkong's slightly bulging lower abdomen.

“Unfortunately, now that the Empress is pregnant, she can only feed the fish here in the back garden. If placed on our Foreign Domain battlefields, such a style would never hold onto a kingdom.”

Wu Mingkong threw the remaining spiritual crystal crumbs into the lake and took out a silk handkerchief to gently wipe her slender fingers.

“Defending a kingdom relies on the schemes of managing people and the laws of governing a nation.”

Wu Mingkong looked up, a golden Dragon Qi belonging to a monarch faintly appearing on her Phoenix robe.

“Under my rule, the Imperial Dynasty enjoyed peace across the four seas, and all officials submitted. With just one imperial decree, an army of ten million can flatten an enemy nation. I heard that you people from the Foreign Domain only know how to maintain rule through cruel blood sacrifices and crude slaughter; that is merely the behavior of uncivilized barbarians. A true superior wins from a thousand miles away without shedding a drop of blood.”

Hearing the word 'barbarian', Helian Yue's eyes turned completely cold.

What she was most proud of in her life was her exquisite attainment in Formations and her iron-blooded methods of leading troops.

“Schemes and laws? Truly laughable.”

Dark purple Saint Spiritual Qi surged around Helian Yue, faintly weaving into a complex phantom of a killing Formation behind her.

“In the face of absolute power and precise killing Formations, your so-called schemes are nothing more than talk on paper. Once my Chain Execution Formation opens, I don't care about your 'submission of all officials'—they will all be turned to dust! On the battlefield, only those who survive are qualified to talk about rules. If I led troops to attack your country, within three days, I could make your imperial city change masters!”

“Arrogant!”

Wu Mingkong's phoenix eyes widened, and her cultivation at the Quasi-Emperor Realm was released without reservation.

The golden Dragon Qi and the dark purple killing Formation phantom collided violently above the Lake Center Pavilion.

Without any actual contact of Moves, the mere clash of two completely different royal auras caused the water of the entire Spiritual Lake to boil violently. The spiritual lotuses on the lake surface were blown askew by the invisible wind, petals flying everywhere.

The two stunning queens confronted each other from a few steps away.

Neither was willing to retreat even half a step.

Su Qingge sat quietly on a stone bench at the edge of the pavilion, pouring herself a cup of clear tea.

She didn't try to stop the fight; she just smiled gently, appreciating this rare sight. As long as it didn't hurt their relationship, it was actually a good thing for the sisters in the harem to have their own temperaments.

Just as the atmosphere in the Lake Center Pavilion was at a breaking point, as if the entire back garden would be torn apart in the next second...

A leisurely sound of footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

Xu Chen, wearing his brocade robe and holding two Spiritual Fruits he had just swiped from the Grand Elder, walked into the back garden with a lazy stride.

Just past the Moon Gate, he felt the violent Spiritual Qi fluctuations coming from the Lake Center Pavilion.

Xu Chen stopped his pace, looking at the sky where gold and purple intertwined, a hint of amusement flashing in his deep eyes.

He muttered to himself.

These two women were truly more competitive than the other.

One was the Empress of Great Wu who played with schemes in the palm of her hand, and the other was a Foreign Domain commander who treated slaughter as an art. When these two queens with overwhelming desires for control collided, it was simply like Mars hitting Earth.

If they were allowed to keep competing like this, this carefully maintained back garden would probably not survive.

Xu Chen tossed a Spiritual Fruit into the air, took a bite of the flesh, and strode toward the Lake Center Pavilion.

“I could smell the scent of gunpowder from far away.”

Xu Chen's voice, laced with the vigorous True Qi of the Saint King Late Stage, casually sliced into the center of the two queens' pressure collision.

“My two Queen Highnesses, what insights on governance and administration are you exchanging? Say it so This Young Master can hear it too.”

Hearing this familiar voice, Wu Mingkong and Helian Yue simultaneously withdrew their auras.

The boiling water on the lake surface instantly calmed down.

The two turned their heads, looking at the man walking casually onto the wooden bridge. The sharpness and pride in their eyes had not yet completely dissipated, and the scent of gunpowder from their mutual refusal to yield still lingered in the air.

Xu Chen walked between the two, looking left and right at these two beauties who were as lovely as flowers yet possessed such unyielding spirit.

It seemed that relying on talk alone wouldn't be enough to stop them.