98: Chapter 98 The Difference Between the Empress Sisters!

The atmosphere in the Cultivation World of the Southern Wasteland Region was completely different from the hardworking and progressive Hehuan Sect.

"Tianshui Holy Land... is... gone?!"

"A single slap? Just one slap killed the Holy Land Master? And Hall Master Jin Erhe, that high-ranking official of the Righteous Path Alliance, also died before that?"

On this day, the entire Southern Wasteland Region was in complete uproar.

Countless Sects and aristocratic families that had previously been attached to Tianshui Holy Land were now like ants on a hot pan.

Fear, shock, confusion, and... a trace of irrepressible excitement.

Tianshui Holy Land had oppressed them and acted tyrannically for over a thousand years, but now that this great mountain had fallen, the new king named "Hehuan Sect" was rising with an invincible posture!

"Quick! Prepare gifts! Take out that ten-thousand-year-old blood ginseng from the Sect's treasure vault!"

"And that pair of top-grade Cauldrons... no, wait, I want to use those myself! Bring half the Sect's treasure vault instead!"

"We must hurry to Cangwu Mountain to pledge our loyalty! If we go too late, we won't even get to drink the soup!"

For a time, the sky above the Southern Wasteland Region was filled with colorful streaks of light as countless Sect Masters and family heads piloted their flying boats, racing toward Cangwu Mountain.

However.

Just as this "pilgrimage" craze was beginning.

A decree from the Righteous Path Alliance in the Central Plains hit everyone like a bucket of ice water.

[Righteous Path Alliance Crusade Order!]

"The Southern Wasteland's Hehuan Sect is a Prodigy of the Demonic Path! Its Sect Master, Wang Yang, is guilty of heinous crimes!"

"First, he slaughtered Hall Master Jin Erhe, the Deputy Hall Master of the Righteous Path Alliance's Law Enforcement Hall, along with eighteen Demon Slaying Guards!"

"Second, he annihilated Tianshui Holy Land, a subordinate of the Righteous Path Alliance, and slaughtered tens of thousands of Cultivators!"

"Such a Devil Head deserves to be killed by all!"

"The Righteous Path Alliance has assembled a great army and will arrive in the Southern Wasteland in a few days to flatten Cangwu Mountain and destroy the Devil Head Wang Yang's Divine Soul, so as to uphold justice!"

"Any force in the Southern Wasteland that dares to collude with the Hehuan Sect will be executed without mercy! Their nine generations will be wiped out!"

Boom!

As soon as this decree was issued, those Sect Masters who had just flown halfway were so scared they almost fell from the sky.

"The... the Righteous Path Alliance is really going to take action?!"

"It's over! This time, the order came directly from the Righteous Path Alliance headquarters!"

"Hall Master Jin Erhe was just a Deputy Hall Master. I heard the Righteous Path Alliance has even more terrifying experts at the Soul Transformation Late Stage, or even Void Refining!"

"Retreat! Quickly retreat! We can't deliver these gifts! Delivering them means our nine generations will be wiped out!"

In an instant, the once bustling route to Cangwu Mountain became deserted, and everyone avoided it like the plague, staying as far away as possible.

...

Fire Cloud Empire, Imperial Palace.

The atmosphere inside the Imperial Study was suffocatingly heavy.

The Empress, Ji Wushuang, stared intently at the [Crusade Order] from the Righteous Path Alliance on the table.

"Sister! How much longer are you going to hesitate?!"

Ji Linglong stood before the imperial desk, her pretty face flushed, her voice urgent:

"The Righteous Path Alliance's decree has been issued, but their people haven't arrived! This shows they are bluffing!"

"Wang Yang could kill Hall Master Jin Erhe in seconds, which means he has at least Soul Transformation Late Stage strength, or even stronger!"

"This is the only chance for our Fire Cloud Empire to turn the tables!"

Ji Wushuang suddenly raised her head, her beautiful Phoenix eyes bloodshot, her voice trembling yet cold:

"Turn the tables? Linglong, are you trying to drag the entire Empire to the grave with you?!"

"Look at this decree! 'Executed without mercy, nine generations wiped out'!"

"Wang Yang is very strong, but he is only one person! How many people are there in the Hehuan Sect, even counting everyone?"

"And what about the Righteous Path Alliance? That is a behemoth! It is the hegemon of the Central Plains!"

"Once the Righteous Path Alliance's army arrives, what will Wang Yang use to block them? His head?"

Ji Linglong looked at her sister in disbelief:

"Sister, you weren't like this before... You said that as long as there is a glimmer of hope, we must fight for freedom!"

"Now hope is right before our eyes, that man just created a miracle, yet you are scared out of your wits because of a piece of paper?"

"This isn't cowardice! This is an Emperor's trade-off!"

Ji Wushuang slapped the table, stood up, and rebuked angrily:

"I am the Empress! Behind me are hundreds of millions of subjects!"

"I cannot gamble their lives on whether Wang Yang can win!"

"This matter is not to be discussed further! Pass on my decree! Seal the borders, strictly forbid anyone from contacting the Hehuan Sect! Violators... will be beheaded!"

This word "beheaded" completely severed the last glimmer of fantasy in Ji Linglong's heart.

She looked at the sister before her, both familiar and strange, the light in her eyes fading bit by bit, finally turning into a dead, resolute silence.

"Good... a very good Emperor's trade-off."

Ji Linglong smiled miserably, slowly reached out, and removed the purple-gold token from her waist that symbolized her status as the "Grand Princess Protecting the Nation."

"Since you are the Empress, you must be responsible for hundreds of millions of subjects."

"Then I, Ji Linglong, am just a small woman, and I will only be responsible for my own heart."

Clang!

The purple-gold token was thrown heavily onto the imperial desk by her, making a crisp sound.

Ji Wushuang's pupils shrank: "Linglong, what are you doing?!"

Ji Linglong raised her head, her eyes more determined than ever:

"From this moment on, I am no longer the Grand Princess of the Fire Cloud Empire."

"I resign from my title and leave the royal family registry."

"Everything I do has nothing to do with the Fire Cloud Empire, and nothing to do with the Empress."

"Sect Master Wang Yang has shown great kindness to my Fire Cloud Empire, and I cannot fail to repay it!"

After saying this, she didn't look at Ji Wushuang again, turned around resolutely, and walked out with long strides.

"Where are you going?!" Ji Wushuang shouted sternly from behind.

Ji Linglong did not stop, her voice drifting in with the wind, carrying a heroic spirit of death-defying determination:

"To Cangwu Mountain!"

"To the Hehuan Sect!"

"Since you dare not, sister, then I will use my life to repay this kindness!"

"And if you lose?"

"If I lose... then let me die under the blades of the Righteous Path Alliance together with that man!"

Watching her sister's resolute back as she left, Ji Wushuang slumped onto the dragon throne, reaching out to hold her back, but ultimately letting her hand fall weakly.

Two lines of tears slid down her cheeks.

"Linglong... you are too foolish..."

"That is a situation of certain death..."

(Wishing everyone a prosperous Year of the Horse once again, Happy New Year!)