45: Chapter 45: Leading the emperor into an urn, the empress is confused

Looking at Phoenix Unrivaled's stunning face, which shifted between light and dark, filled with jealousy and resentment.

Su Yun knew that the first step of his plan had succeeded.

A seed of doubt and hesitation had been successfully planted in Phoenix Unrivaled's heart.

Next, he just had to wait for this seed to slowly take root and sprout.

"Sigh..."

Su Yun let out another long sigh, breaking the eerie silence within the great hall.

He released Leng Hanshuang from his embrace and bowed deeply to Phoenix Unrivaled, his face the picture of "sincerity."

"Her Majesty the Empress, that is exactly how things transpired."

"I know the Sect Master has always held Brother Lin Aotian in her heart; doing such a thing caused her great pain as well."

"But things have reached this point, and the deed is done."

"Though I, Lin Chen, am no great hero, I am certainly not an irresponsible man. Since I have taken the Sect Master's body, I will take responsibility for her until the end."

"As for Brother Lin Aotian... when he descends to the Lower Realm in the future, I will personally offer him my humble apologies! Whether he wishes to kill or torture me, I shall submit to his will!"

He spoke these words with righteous indignation, his voice resonating with power.

Sure enough, after hearing his words, the expression on Phoenix Unrivaled's face became even more complex.

Looking at the man before her—who clearly had a cultivation far inferior to her own, yet dared to face her pressure and speak such words.

A sliver of... admiration actually grew in her heart.

Responsible, bold, highly talented, and handsome... such a man.

He was indeed much stronger than that Lin Aotian, who only knew how to make empty promises and play power politics.

At least, he was genuine.

"You..." Phoenix Unrivaled opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but it ultimately turned into a helpless sigh.

What else could she say?

Fight him?

Could she even win?

Leng Hanshuang was clearly intent on protecting this man; making a move against her would only cause their sisterly bond to completely shatter.

Scold him?

Scold him for what?

Scold him for sacrificing his body to save someone?

Or scold him for being willing to take responsibility afterward?

It seemed... no matter how she put it, she wasn't in the right.

"Enough, enough."

Phoenix Unrivaled waved her hand tiredly and sat back down in her seat.

She took a sip from her teacup, only then feeling her chaotic thoughts settle significantly.

"This is your own business; as an outsider, I have no place to interfere."

Her tone was no longer aggressive like before, but instead carried a hint of distance and... loneliness.

"Sister, you... take care of yourself."

Phoenix Unrivaled glanced at Leng Hanshuang, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

There was disappointment and regret, but even more so, an indescribable sense of envy.

"As for Lin Aotian's side..." Phoenix Unrivaled paused before finally saying, "I will find a way to help you hide it from him."

"I'll just say... you are perfectly fine."

In the end, she couldn't bear to see her good sister being held accountable by that man in the future.

"Thank you."

Leng Hanshuang's voice was somewhat raspy. From the moment Phoenix Unrivaled said those words, she had already been pulled onto Su Yun's "thief ship."

The first step in betraying Lin Aotian had been taken.

Once the first step was taken, there would be a second, a third... until she completely succumbed.

"However..." Phoenix Unrivaled's tone suddenly shifted, and her narrow Phoenix eyes fell upon Su Yun once more, becoming sharp.

"You said just now that you used your Lin family's ancestral secret technique to transfer the cold poison for her using the Nine Yang Sacred Body?"

Here it comes.

Su Yun smiled inwardly, knowing this clever woman had begun to suspect.

"Yes." Su Yun nodded without changing his expression.

"As far as I know, the Nine Yang Sacred Body is a supreme Yang Physique rarely seen in ten thousand years, domineering beyond compare. cold poison transferred by a Nine Yang Sacred Body would also be tainted with Pure Yang Qi, making it even harder to eradicate."

Phoenix Unrivaled's gaze was locked onto Su Yun, not missing a single shift in his facial expression.

"In other words, although most of the cold poison in my sister's body was drawn away by you, the remaining small portion has become an incurable chronic ailment."

"Every night of the full moon when the Yin Qi is at its peak, this mutated cold poison will flare up. At that time, unless someone who also possesses the Nine Yang Sacred Body uses their own Pure Yang Qi to harmonize it for her, she will suffer a hundred times more pain than before."

"Am I right?"

Phoenix Unrivaled's words were clear and logically sound, effectively closing every loophole in Su Yun's story.

She wanted to force Su Yun to admit this "fact."

As long as he admitted it, it meant he was the only "antidote" Leng Hanshuang would ever have in her life.

The two of them would be completely bound together.

And this was precisely the goal Su Yun wanted to achieve.

What he wanted was for Phoenix Unrivaled to personally "confirm" all of this.

"Her Majesty the Empress is indeed knowledgeable."

Su Yun showed a look of "amazement," which then turned into deep "helplessness" and "guilt."

"What you said is exactly right."

"This is also where I feel most sorry toward the Sect Master."

"Though I saved her life, I have also made it so she can never leave me from now on."

His expression of "I didn't want it to be like this, but I had no choice" practically brought the character of a devoted yet helpless man to life.

"As I thought..."

Phoenix Unrivaled murmured to herself, her eyes looking at Leng Hanshuang with sympathy and pity.

Poor sister, she thought she had found salvation, but instead, she jumped into another, deeper cage.

For the rest of her life, she would be completely under this man's thumb.

Suddenly, a flash of inspiration hit Phoenix Unrivaled's mind! She thought of a key point she had overlooked!

She snapped her head up and looked at Su Yun with burning eyes, asking.

"You said that when you transferred the cold poison for her, the poison in her body was drawn into your own body?"

"Yes." Su Yun nodded.

"Then that means you also have that mutated cold poison inside you right now?" Phoenix Unrivaled's breathing became a bit hurried.

"Correct."

Su Yun was slightly stunned for a moment but quickly reacted, nodding again as a look of "pain" appropriately appeared on his face.

"Furthermore, because I have the Nine Yang Sacred Body, this cold poison recoils even more violently within me."

"Every night of the full moon, I am... in unbearable agony."

As he spoke, he deliberately circulated his spiritual energy, making his face turn several shades paler.

Seeing him like this, Leng Hanshuang's heart inexplicably twinged.

Even though she knew he was acting, that feeling of heartache was real.

She subconsciously wanted to reach out and support him.

But Su Yun stopped her with a look.

The good show had only just begun; now was not the time to be exposed.

After hearing Su Yun's words, an unprecedented light suddenly erupted in Phoenix Unrivaled's narrow Phoenix eyes!

An opportunity!

A massive opportunity!

What she thought of wasn't romantic affairs, but another more important matter that had been keeping her up at night!

The border troubles in the North!

The Wu Zhou Empire she ruled had been plagued by the Blood Moon Barbarians of the North in recent years.

The Cultivation Techniques of those barbarians were extremely Yin and cold, naturally countering the fire-attribute techniques of her Empire's citizens.

Especially that unfathomable Old Ancestor of the barbarians, who had repeatedly defeated her generals, causing her territory to be slowly eaten away day by day.

She had originally placed her greatest hopes on Lin Aotian.

Lin Aotian had promised her that once he consolidated his forces, he would help her sweep through the North.

But what happened?

For the sake of his own Great Dao, he underwent Ascension just like that, leaving this mess and his former promises completely behind!

The "complaints" from Leng Hanshuang and Su Yun just now further provoked the resentment toward Lin Aotian buried in her heart.

How could a man who could abandon even the woman closest to him care about the vows he made to her?

She, Phoenix Unrivaled, had ultimately entrusted her feelings to the wrong person!

And now, a brand new and possibly even better choice was standing right in front of her!

Looking at the man before her with a pale face, enduring "pain," a bold and meticulous plan instantly formed in her mind!

Su Yun possessed the Nine Yang Sacred Body, which was the supreme Physique for countering the Yin-cold techniques of the Blood Moon Barbarians!

Since the cold poison in your body was transferred from Frost, and you have the Nine Yang Sacred Body...

Then could I... use my Heavenly Phoenix Divine Body to help you transfer the cold poison from your body?

The Heavenly Phoenix Divine Body was an extremely Yin and soft Physique, a natural complement to the Nine Yang Sacred Body.

If... if I can help him cure this chronic ailment, not only will he owe me a massive favor.

More importantly, I would become the key to controlling the relationship between him and Leng Hanshuang!

When the time comes, as long as I use this as leverage, why would I need to worry about my sister not helping me stabilize the country?

I could even use the opportunity to completely win over Su Yun—a man whose Heart-Nature and talent could be called a Prodigy—to serve me!

Solving the Empire's crisis, gaining her sister's help, and recruiting a future powerhouse... this was a perfect plan that killed three birds with one stone!

The more Phoenix Unrivaled thought about it, the faster her heart beat, and her gaze became increasingly fervent!

The way she looked at Su Yun completely changed; it was no longer just simple admiration and wariness.

Rather, it was like a monarch examining a peerless treasure capable of turning the tide of a nation and establishing a hegemony!

This man was the key to breaking her deadlock!