156: Chapter 156 Jiang Yutang's Dilemma and Free Gift!
Empress Xuanhuang, Chu Lingyue, tore through the Void Realm and quietly returned to her base of operations.
As soon as she sat upon the creation jade lotus in the Supreme Divine Hall, she couldn't help but rub her brow as a flash of shame and annoyance crossed her exquisite face.
Empress Xuanhuang, Chu Lingyue, sighed inwardly, "Unlucky, truly unlucky! How did I happen to be caught by that bitch Xia Xuanji! If I had known, I should have layered on dozens more concealment Restrictions!"
"No! If I had known, I shouldn't have gone to her for deduction!"
Having such a humiliating posture seen clearly by her arch-rival was simply the greatest dark history in her tens of thousands of years of cultivation.
"But..." Chu Lingyue felt the pure power of creation that had appeared out of thin air within her body, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
"Fortunately, I've made significant progress recently; even the upper limit of my comprehension of the Law of the Great Dao has been raised!"
"Not only can I suppress that arch-rival in a fight, but I can even force her to swear a poisonous Heavenly Dao oath. All things considered, this wasn't a loss!"
After calming her emotions for a while, Chu Lingyue suddenly remembered her Personal Disciple.
Hadn't that girl, Yutang, taken the Heaven-Searching Spirit Mouse to the Southwest Wilderness to compete for the xuantian spirit treasure before?
Several days had passed already; she wondered how things were going.
With a thought, Chu Lingyue's Divine Sense summoned a Void Refinement Stage Core Disciple responsible for the Sect's intelligence.
"Is there any news regarding the emergence of that xuantian spirit treasure in the Southwest Wilderness? Has it been taken by someone?"
The Void Refinement Stage Disciple knelt respectfully before Your Highness, replying with a look of awe, "Reporting to Your Majesty, that xuantian spirit treasure has likely already found its owner. A major event occurred in the wilderness a few days ago!"
"It is said that a powerhouse at the Early Stage of the Mahayana Stage suddenly disappeared without a trace while vying for the treasure!"
"News from his Sect says that before he vanished, he sent word that he had found traces of the xuantian spirit treasure, but immediately after..."
"His Soul Lamp suddenly shattered, and he perished, his Dao vanishing!"
"What?!" Chu Lingyue's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.
A Mahayana powerhouse, even if only at the Early Stage, was a high and mighty existence in the Spirit Realm. Even if they couldn't win, escaping shouldn't be an issue. How could they suddenly perish?
The Disciple swallowed hard and continued, "An instant kill of a Mahayana powerhouse! Not even a ripple of a battle was detected!"
"Now the entire Spirit Realm is speculating that a hidden 'Supreme Being' must have disregarded their status and acted in the shadows to seize the Spirit Treasure."
"Currently, the various Cultivators and powerhouses who went to the wilderness to seek the treasure have all been scared out of their wits and have basically scattered like birds and beasts."
"A Mahayana actually fell?"
Chu Lingyue's brows furrowed as she thought to herself, 'I know all those old monsters who are Supreme Beings in our Spirit Realm.'
'Which old thing is so shameless that they would lower themselves to kill a Mahayana Early Stage for a xuantian spirit treasure?'
Complaining aside, Chu Lingyue immediately became anxious about her precious Disciple. Since a shameless Supreme Being was clearing the area, would Tanger be okay?
"Has my Disciple, Jiang Yutang, returned?" Chu Lingyue asked hurriedly.
"Reporting to the Empress, Junior Martial Uncle Jiang returned yesterday in a great rush."
“However, after staying in her palace for a short while, she hurried off again."
"At present, this Disciple does not know Junior Martial Uncle Jiang's specific whereabouts."
"She returned yesterday?" Hearing this, Chu Lingyue breathed a sigh of relief.
Since she was able to return safely yesterday, it meant that although the girl came back empty-handed, she hadn't encountered any danger.
As for running off again, she was likely depressed by the failed treasure hunt and had gone somewhere to train and clear her head.
"Very well, I understand. You may leave."
After dismissing the Disciple, Empress Xuanhuang, Chu Lingyue, closed her eyes again and sat in meditation within the Supreme Divine Hall, silently waiting for the next "erotic dream" that filled her with both shame and anticipation...
...
The scene shifted a few days later.
Outside the Sect Archway of the Hehuan Sect in the Southwest Wilderness.
An ice-blue streak of light descended quietly, revealing the cold and exquisite figure of Jiang Yutang.
Although she had been quite frantic while packing her Dowry at the Xuanhuang Heavenly Palace, showing a resolute "do or die" attitude to repay her Revered Master's kindness...
Now that she was actually standing outside this "nouveau riche" Sect that used Top-Grade Spirit Stones for rockeries, her fair face instantly turned crimson, and her heart became uncontrollably conflicted once more.
"That Sect Master Wang is quite handsome; following him wouldn't be a loss for me!"
"But I... how on earth am I supposed to give away this body of mine that has remained pure for thousands of years?"
Jiang Yutang stood under the Archway, her hands tightly twisting the hem of her clothes, her mind a complete mess.
She was, after all, the Ice Goddess admired by countless prodigies in the Spirit Realm, rarely even speaking to male Cultivators. Now she was actually going to "give herself away" voluntarily?
Should she just knock on the door and say, "I've brought a Dowry to be the Sect Master's concubine"?
Oh my! That's too shameful!!!
Jiang Yutang paced at the entrance for a full half-hour. The more she thought, the redder her face became, until steam almost started rising from her head.
"Forget it! When faced with such an unsolvable problem, it's better to ask Revered Master for help!"
Jiang Yutang took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.
She cleverly thought that since Revered Master was living incognito in the Lower Realm and even went so far as to pretend not to know her, she surely didn't want her true identity as "Empress Xuanhuang" to be exposed, lest it affect the outcome of her experience with the Inner Demon Tribulation.
"I must go along with Revered Master's wishes. I absolutely cannot ruin Revered Master's great plan!"
Having made up her mind, Jiang Yutang cleared her throat and channeled a bit of Body Integration Stage Spiritual Qi, making her voice sound as soft and respectful as possible, as she called out toward the Hehuan Sect's main hall:
"Is Sister Chu of your noble Sect present? Yutang has come specifically to visit Sister Chu!"
...
Meanwhile, inside the newly built courtyard of the Hehuan Sect.
The Chu Lingyue of the Hehuan Sect, who was currently sitting by a spiritual spring soaking her feet, heard the clear and pleasant voice coming from outside the Formation. A bright light of surprise instantly erupted in her cold eyes!
"It's Sister Jiang! That Sister Yutang is back!" Chu Lingyue was so happy she stood up directly from her jade chair, not even bothering to wipe the water droplets from her feet.
Although the System hadn't left her any memories of the Xuanhuang Heavenly Palace, the special emotion coming from the depths of her Soul Origin gave her an unexplainable sense of kinship toward the girl in the ice-blue dress outside.
This feeling was even stronger than what she felt for the other sisters in the Hehuan Sect.
"Great! I couldn't get her to stay last time. Since she's come to find me of her own accord this time, I must persuade Sister Jiang to join our Hehuan Sect!"
A hint of a smile flashed in Chu Lingyue's eyes as she plotted inwardly, 'If such a beautiful sister, whom I feel so close to, could serve my husband along with me, how wonderful would that be!'
At that thought, Chu Lingyue didn't even bother to put on an outer robe. Wearing only a somewhat thin and elegant immortal dress, she hurriedly transformed into a streak of light and flew toward the Sect Archway with a heart full of joy, personally going to welcome her "good sister from heaven."