Chapter 328 Inside Yongshou Palace (Part 1)

"Oh? Did Zhi Rou send you?"

Yan Chu was somewhat surprised.

That girl Su Zhirou had always been extremely possessive of him; to think she would actually do something like this?

"Mm."

Shi Lianhan lowered her head, not daring to look at Yan Chu, and let out a faint "Mm."

Facing Yan Chu's intense masculine aura, she felt both shy and embarrassed, not knowing how to conduct herself.

However, thinking of Zhi Rou's instructions, she slowly pushed those thoughts aside.

That dead girl had made quite a lot of progress lately.

Seeing more and more women around Yan Chu, she had finally learned to find ways to compete for his favor.

Yet the first thing she did to compete for favor was to have her own aunt come and massage Yan Chu's shoulders.

The beauty's hair was disheveled, her eyes shimmering like water, her skin like congealed fat, and her wet clothes clinging to her body, further highlighting her exquisite figure.

Seeing this, what reason did Yan Chu have to be polite?

He was not a casual person, but once he became casual, he was no longer human!

...

On the other side, in the capital, inside the Imperial Palace.

Luo Jin and Princess Yunshu returned to the Imperial Palace, and Luo Jin immediately went to Yongshou Palace to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager.

Yongshou Palace remained as magnificent as ever, with towering vermilion walls, glazed tile roofs, and jade pillars carved with Dragons. Inside the hall, curtains hung low, brocades were like clouds, and every piece of furniture was exquisitely luxurious, fully displaying the majesty and extravagance of royalty.

When Luo Jin received the report and entered, she found something amiss.

Unlike the relaxed and composed atmosphere of the past, it had become somewhat oppressive. Deep within the heavy curtains, it was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop, unlike before, when there were often sounds of the Empress Dowager reviewing memorials or officials making reports.

Moreover, as she walked along, the gazes of the palace maids and eunuchs on both sides seemed to fall upon her, as if they were monitoring her.

"This servant pays respects to the Empress Dowager!"

"May the Empress Dowager's Phoenix body be healthy and peaceful, and may you enjoy long life and prosperity!"

Finally, she met the Empress Dowager in the deepest part of Yongshou Palace. She was still as peerlessly beautiful and graceful as ever, her beauty undiminished in the slightest.

She wore a bright yellow palace gown embroidered with peonies and Phoenixes, covered by a thin gauze cape trimmed with silver fox fur. Her hair was styled in a Five-Phoenix-Facing-the-Sun bun, her neck was slender, and her pair of Phoenix-like eyes gazed at Luo Jin, who was kneeling on the ground.

Luo Jin was not merely the Empress Dowager's personal maid and confidante.

She was also the one who had raised Luo Jin, provided her with education, and taught her martial arts and Cultivation. To Luo Jin, this kindness was deeper than that of her own parents.

Therefore, even though she had already given herself to Yan Chu, her loyalty to the Empress Dowager had not changed in the slightest.

Furthermore, becoming Yan Chu's woman was originally the Empress Dowager's command.

"Rise!"

After gazing for a long while, Empress Dowager Empress Dowager Yuwen Feng's cold and aloof voice echoed in the spacious hall.

"Thank you, Empress Dowager!"

Luo Jin slowly stood up and respectfully stood to the side.

"Have you already been deflowered by Yan Chu?"

How formidable were Empress Dowager Yuwen Feng's Cultivation and discernment? As someone who had experienced it herself, she could tell at a glance that Luo Jin was no longer a maiden.

"Yes!"

A blush appeared on Luo Jin's face, and she replied in a low voice.

The Empress Dowager's expression did not change, and she said indifferently:

"This Empress has heard from the Prince of Zhenbei that Yan Chu's strength far exceeds that of an ordinary Heaven-Man, and that none of the Northern Mang clans are his match. Is this true or not?"

"Yes!"

Luo Jin nodded and recounted the events that had occurred in Northern Mang.

Regarding the Northern Mang incident, although the Northern Mang officials had not contacted the Great Jin Dynasty, some news had inevitably leaked out. The people of the Great Jin Imperial Court had always been skeptical about what happened on the grasslands.

Coupled with the current chaotic situation, apart from a few Northern Mang border troops, almost no one cared about what happened on the grasslands, so the authenticity of this news had never been verified.

Now, hearing the complete version for the first time from Luo Jin's mouth, confirming the rumors circulating outside, even with Empress Dowager Yuwen Feng's composure, her eyes could not help but flicker slightly.

Her fair, smooth skin tightened, and her Phoenix brows furrowed seriously:

"In that case, the earth-shattering battle that took place on the Northern Mang grasslands a few days ago was a battle between Yan Chu and a descended deity?"

"Exactly!"

Luo Jin nodded and said:

"That was the Sky-Rending Eagle God summoned by the remnants of the Luan Di Clan. The Northern Mang Imperial Court was reduced to ruins under the Eagle God's Divine Might, and he died at Yan Chu's hands."

The Empress Dowager's eyes flickered, and her soul-stirring face was full of bewilderment:

"You have been by his side for so long; how exactly does he Cultivate?"

"To be able to Cultivate to such a Realm in such a short time is simply unheard of!"

Below the Heaven-Man Realm, one could explain it with Reincarnation or support from someone behind the scenes.

But after one's Cultivation reaches the Heaven-Man Realm, opening each Divine Treasury requires consuming a vast amount of resources and time.

Like Xue Bai, who gathered the Luck of the entire world upon himself to push his Cultivation to the Three Divine Treasuries in a short time—there will not be a second such person.

And once his Luck was devoured, he immediately suffered a backlash, and his Cultivation regressed significantly.

It is said that to maintain his Heaven-Man Cultivation, the Buddhist sect paid a great price, and the Old Man of Tianshan personally went to the peak of Tianshan to find a thousand-year-old snow lotus to treat his injuries.

Upon hearing this, Luo Jin recalled the process of Yan Chu's Breakthrough and said with some hesitation:

"This servant was not by his side when he was Cultivating!"

"However... every time he finished a massacre, he would find a place to go into seclusion, and when he appeared again, he would be at a new level."

"And the time spent in seclusion was extremely short, generally not exceeding half a day."

"What? There is such a thing?"

Empress Dowager Yuwen Feng's beautiful brows furrowed, and her eyes flickered as she said:

"Could it be true, as the rumors in the Jianghu previously claimed, that this person is proving his Dao through killing, and the more he kills, the faster his Realm improves?"

"But what kind of Cultivation Technique could be fast to this extent?"

"This old man knows of a School's Cultivation method that can indeed achieve such rapid improvement in a short period."

Suddenly, a somewhat aged voice sounded in the hall.

"Who?"

Luo Jin was startled.

This voice had appeared suddenly in the hall, leaving her completely unaware.

Moreover, without the Empress Dowager's summons, who would dare to enter her sleeping quarters without permission?

The next moment, an old man with graying temples appeared in the dim palace, his facial expression flickering in the dim candlelight.

"Old Master Ge? Luo Jin pays her respects!"

Seeing this old man, Luo Jin hurriedly bowed.

The old man was none other than the Director of the Imperial Observatory, Old Master Ge, who held a lofty position in the Imperial Court.

The Empress Dowager's expression did not change in the slightest; she only raised her eyes to look behind Old Master Ge.

A middle-aged man wearing a jade crown and bright yellow cloud-brocade casual attire walked in steadily. The collar, cuffs, and lapels of his clothes were embroidered with five-clawed Golden Dragons. His gait was steady and imposing, exuding imperial dignity.

Luo Jin's heart was shocked once again, and she hurriedly knelt and bowed:

"This servant pays respects to the Emperor! Long live, long live, long, long live the Emperor!"

She had only met the Emperor once several years ago; at that time, the Emperor was pale and looked terminally ill, and she had never seen him since.

Not long ago in Northern Mang, she heard that the Emperor had unleashed his Divine Might in the Battle of the Capital, severely injuring Xue Bai and killing many Buddhist Heaven-Men, causing heavy losses to the rebel army and the Buddhist sect.

At the time, she found it somewhat unbelievable.

Now seeing him again, she felt an extremely intense sense of oppression from the man in front of her, as if an ant were facing a soaring Dragon, making her hair stand on end.

She had never felt this kind of sensation from Yan Chu.

No!

Yan Chu had never revealed any Qi before her, always appearing like an ordinary person; if he were to reveal his aura, perhaps it would be the same situation.