22: The Secret of Cultivation with the Empress Senior Sister! The Northern Rebellion!

The Divine Phoenix Empress's murmur was very soft, but Li Shengyuan still heard some of it.

He couldn't help but ask in confusion: "Senior Sister, what did you say?"

"Nothing."

The Divine Phoenix Empress's expression returned to indifference, but her face remained flushed, perhaps even a shade redder...

She then suggested: "The Yang Qi in your body is becoming increasingly pure, which will be of greater help to your future Cultivation, especially after you achieve a Breakthrough to the Upper Third Grade."

"Therefore, you must not slack off in refining the Yang Qi within you, do you understand?"

"Understood, thank you for your teachings, Senior Sister." Li Shengyuan nodded in agreement.

Naturally, it was impossible for him to say that his body was already entirely filled with Pure Yang Qi.

Furthermore, looking at Senior Sister's behavior, she and the mysterious Revered Master were definitely hiding something from him.

He then voiced his confusion: "Senior Sister, why does the Yin Qi in your body... after interacting with my Pure Yang Qi, increase my Cultivation speed?"

After speaking, he carefully observed the changes in the Divine Phoenix Empress's expression.

The Divine Phoenix Empress's expression was indifferent as she calmly said: "Revered Master once said that our methods of Cultivation complement each other and align with the Yin and Yang Dao. Therefore, the purer your Yang Qi and my Yin Qi become, the better the effect of helping each other's Cultivation will be."

"Oh, I see..."

Li Shengyuan actually wanted to ask if their method of Cultivation had anything to do with Dual Cultivation, but he decided against it.

Senior Sister was the noble Divine Phoenix Empress of the Great Qian; if it truly was related, it would inevitably embarrass her and make her lose face.

When his cultivation level was high enough in the future, he would know once he tried...

Li Shengyuan believed that day would not be far off.

Li Shengyuan enjoyed the astonishing sensation of the Divine Phoenix Empress's snow-white skin.

Meanwhile, the Divine Phoenix Empress closed her eyes, enjoying the cleansing of his Pure Yang Qi. After a moment, she slowly said:

"Junior Brother, that Demon Cult spy you captured a few days ago has been interrogated and has revealed all the information."

"Oh? Can you tell me about it, Senior Sister?" Li Shengyuan was a bit surprised.

He had been in closed-door Cultivation for the past few days and hadn't received any news, so he hadn't expected to hear it from the Divine Phoenix Empress.

Moreover, any news that reached her ears certainly wouldn't be simple.

"She doesn't know the Devil Head, Asura, who appeared suddenly, but that is not important. The main thing is that the remnants of the Demon Cult are planning a major move. They will launch a rebellion in Yongzhou of the Northern Border Three Prefectures and unite with the Northern Demon Barbarians to invade south, wreaking havoc across the territory of our Great Qian."

"Judging from the news gathered from the Northern Border over the past few days, the Northern Border Three Prefectures are as calm as usual, with absolutely no signs of an impending rebellion..."

Hearing this, Li Shengyuan furrowed his brows. To be sent as a spy into the capital, the person's status within the Demon Cult definitely wouldn't be low, so it was no surprise that they knew some secret information.

Furthermore, as remnants of the former dynasty, the people of the Demon Cult had rebelled many times over the years, so the Demon Cult alone was not a cause for concern.

But uniting with the Northern Demon Barbarians was a different matter entirely...

Even if the Great Qian wasn't afraid, it would certainly require a great deal of effort, and if things went poorly, others might take advantage of the situation.

Li Shengyuan frowned and said: "Senior Sister, besides my father, the Northern Border is also guarded by the Prince of Yan. One handles external affairs, and the other handles internal affairs. Even if the Demon Cult launches a rebellion, it would be difficult for them to amount to anything!"

The Divine Phoenix Empress sighed faintly upon hearing this, a trace of helplessness appearing on her exquisite face.

"...What I am worried about is my Imperial Uncle, the Prince of Yan!"

Li Shengyuan was taken aback. As the full brother of the late Emperor, the Prince of Yan had been entrusted with the heavy responsibility of governing the Northern Border Three Prefectures and resisting the invasion of the Demon Barbarians as soon as the late Emperor ascended the throne.

The Prince of Yan was different from other idle vassal kings who had no power or troops; because he was the late Emperor's own brother, he was entrusted with important tasks, and he had the final say in both the military and political affairs of the Northern Border!

While the late Emperor was still alive, he could suppress this vassal king who held heavy military power, so he didn't worry about him causing trouble.

But ten years ago, after the late Emperor fought the Western Region Demon Emperor and both were severely injured, he announced shortly after that he died from his wounds. Before he died, he passed the throne to the eldest princess, who is the current Divine Phoenix Empress!

Fortunately, the Divine Phoenix Empress's skills and abilities were excellent, and with Li Shengyuan's counsel and support, she managed to secure the throne.

A woman ruling the court was not the first instance in the Great Qian, but who knew how many people were secretly dissatisfied?

Not to look too far, there were supporters of the Prince of Yan in the imperial court.

The reason Li Shengyuan's father, Li Mu, went to the Northern Border to command troops and guard against the Demon Barbarians was to disperse the Prince of Yan's power in the Northern Border and reclaim military authority.

However, the Prince of Yan had been entrenched in the Northern Border Three Prefectures for a long time, and reclaiming military authority was not something that could be done overnight.

If he were to raise his arms and call for the secession of the Northern Border Three Prefectures, many people would support him.

Li Shengyuan said in a deep voice: "Even if the Prince of Yan has... rebellious intentions, it wouldn't go so far as to become a traitor, colluding with the Demon Barbarians and the Demon Cult, would it?"

"At that point, even if he succeeded, it would be unclear who would actually be in charge, and he would be infamous for ten thousand years!"

Although history books are written by the victors, it's impossible to kill everyone, right?

In this world, the pride of scholars is extremely tough!

Scholars of the Upper Third Grade, in particular, would never do anything against their conscience!

Otherwise, they wouldn't even need others to take action; their own Haoran Zhengqi (Righteous Qi) would backfire and kill them.

But what if...

Li Shengyuan's heart tightened. If the Prince of Yan was truly colluding with the Demon Cult and the Demon Barbarians, wouldn't his father, who was far away at the border, be attacked from both sides?

At this moment, the Divine Phoenix Empress turned her head with an exhausted expression and leaned against the arm Li Shengyuan was using to massage her shoulders.

She even gently rubbed her rosy, jade-like face against Li Shengyuan's arm.

This display of vulnerability from the Divine Phoenix Empress instantly made Li Shengyuan's tiger body tremble!

For so many years, this was the first time he had seen such a vulnerable side of the Divine Phoenix Empress, and a sense of pity couldn't help but arise in his heart.

"Junior Brother... you are the only one Senior Sister can truly trust..."

Listening to Senior Sister's tender voice, Li Shengyuan didn't know if these were her heartfelt words or if she was feigning emotion to move him.

However, given the kindness Senior Sister had shown him over the years, even if it were feigned, Li Shengyuan would not refuse her request.

"Senior Sister, whatever you have to say, please feel free to speak!"

Moreover, Li Shengyuan had his own suspicions; even if the Divine Phoenix Empress didn't ask him to go to the Northern Border Three Prefectures, he would still look for an opportunity to go.

Liu Xiu's Family was currently huddled in Jizhou, one of the Northern Border Three Prefectures, and this was something that had to be dealt with and resolved.

Furthermore, if a rebellion were to truly break out in the Northern Border Three Prefectures, what would happen to his parents who were at the frontier?

As the parents who raised him in this life, Li Shengyuan could not watch them perish at the frontier.

Even if it were just a possibility!

Regardless of anything else, the Prince of Yan must be eradicated!

A flash of cold light crossed Li Shengyuan's eyes.

The Divine Phoenix Empress looked up, meeting Li Shengyuan's gaze directly, and gently caressed his cheek with her hand, saying softly:

"Junior Brother, I hope you can go to the Northern Border to secretly investigate whether the Demon Cult and the Prince of Yan have any unspeakable collusion..."

"But this trip to the Northern Border is dangerous... If you do not wish to go, Senior Sister will not force you."

Li Shengyuan raised his hand to clasp the Divine Phoenix Empress's jade hand, and with an indifferent smile, he said:

"Even if you didn't ask, Senior Sister, I would still have to make a trip to the Northern Border Three Prefectures. After all, my parents are there. If all of this is true, I cannot sit idly by and ignore them!"

"Besides, isn't it the duty of a subject to share the burdens of the monarch?!"